Blondie,
In my area, I have seen it twice where they have had the casket in the Kingdom Hall. One was an opened casket service (my ex-father-in-law) and one was closed (a 20 year old who died in childbirth -- along with her baby -- due to the blood issue) I really never understood it, unless it was another 'control' thing....so they could control the service and possibly who is there or whatever. But, my ex-husband is very DF'd and he was all over that Kingdom Hall just talking to everyone and even went up to the mike to say some things to the crowd before the service. I wonder if the elders cringed at that....I am sure that my ex (knowing him) loved every minute of telling them what to do and not letting them make him be the quiet DF'd person in the last row. :-) Then again, other churches do have funerals in them, so I guess it really isn't all that unusual. YIKES, that means they are doing things like Christendom!? OMG!
~Alana