HOW ABOUT MENTIONING JESUS AT THE MEMORIAL!

by Mary 47 Replies latest jw friends

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  nojudgement

  Mary,

  I totally agree! I went last year and had the same feeling, it was a 50 minute talk focused on the 144,000. I felt like it was basically 50 minutes of instructions to any one that might have walked in off the street - "Don't drink the wine or eat the bread." In fact, that's what they should title the outline.

  I feel like the talk is geared towards new people and making sure they know they are not part of the heavenly class. What a waste of the occaision! Here Jesus SUFFERED and DIED for us and there is no effort to bring attention to that so people might actually develop a heartfelt appreciation for what he did and want to try to reexamine their faith and doing more in their daily lives to be Christian.

  After sitting there last year, I knew this would keep me out of the Kingdom Hall for a good year...until the next memorial. Guess what, I was wrong! It has kept me out even longer. I didn't go. Last night was the first time in my 36 years that I didn't attend. It felt strange...but I knew it was the right thing to do. I showed appreciation in my own way. I've written my experience on another thread started by "Wednesday."

  Thanks for reinforcing my thoughts from last year. Nothing has changed. I'm glad I didn't miss anything.

  NJ
• 

  Mary

  I was thinking when I got home that maybe I went in with the wrong attitude, but it was just so very cold and I learned NOTHING from it. If you were a stranger that walked off the street...I do not think that you would have benefitted from that service.

  Yep, that's exactly what I thought too. I think it's been a gradual change over the last several years, but this is the first time when I noticed such a blatant omission of the important things. I usually always enjoyed the Memorial talk (probably because it's only 1/2 a hour), but this year........man I felt like it was a total waste of time.

  Link said: "And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." It does not say "in remembrance of my death". Jesus did not even add "once a year only". His statements did not even imply the things that JW?s attribute to Him.

  Well I think when Jesus said "This is my body given for you", it is certainly implying his dying for mankind. What else could it possibly be referring to? When he said "keep doing this in remembrance of me", I think it would be a logical conclusion that he was referring the ritual of passing the bread and wine that he had just performed. You're right that he did not say 'once a year only', but probably because the Passover was celebrated only once per year, is the reason why they only celebrate this once per year. Most celebrations whether they're birthdays, wedding anniversaries, Christmas, Easter, whatever, are celebrated only once per year.

  Garnet asked: is the bread even made?

  I heard a rumour that they take a stale Honey Dipped donut from Krispy Kreme Donuts, mash it down with their fists to flatten it ( and then lick the icing off their hands ), bake it in the oven till it's rock hard (seeing as virtually no one will be partaking) and pass 'er around.
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  heathen

  If you read the 4 accounts in the gospel jesus does say keep doing this in remembrance of me . The way the apostle Paul wrote on how to prepare the ritual is about actually a church supper and not just passing a plate around or a glass of wine . I think the WTBTS misses the whole point and in turn is guilty of idolotry and by misinstructing people about only those with a heavenly hope partaking is blood guilty . The apostle Paul wrote , for as long as you keep doing this , you keep proclaiming the death of christ .
• 

  95stormfront

  "And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."

  It does not say "in remembrance of my death". Jesus did not even add "once a year only". His statements did not even imply the things that JW?s attribute to Him.

  I was just thinking the same thing when they implied at the service last night that if they didn't do it once a year that it wouldn't be enough and if they did it too much it wouldn't be special. The thought rolled through my mind.....that's your opinion.

  ***

  Rbi8 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 ***

  the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was going to be handed over took a loaf 24 and, after giving thanks, he broke it and said: "This means my body which is in YOUR behalf. Keep doing this in remembrance of me." 25 He did likewise respecting the cup also, after he had the evening meal, saying: "This cup means the new covenant by virtue of my blood. Keep doing this, as often as YOU drink it, in remembrance of me." 26 For as often as YOU eat this loaf and drink this cup, YOU keep proclaiming the death of the Lord, until he arrives.

  If he arrived in 1914, why are they still doing it?
• 

  liquidsky

  "Did anyone else notice how the talk focused almost exclusively on the 144,000??? "

  I sure noticed. What a boring talk. They spent a total of 3 minutes talking about what the eblems meant and why they observe the memorial. The rest of the talk was about the 144,000 and who should or shouldn't partake. At the end of the talk they announced that there would be elders waiting at the exit doors and all those who want a bible study were to line up and give thier names and phone numbers to the elders. I thought that was a little inappropriate for the occasion.
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  Mary

  At the end of the talk they announced that there would be elders waiting at the exit doors and all those who want a bible study were to line up and give thier names and phone numbers to the elders.

  Oooooh you're right, I forgot about this little gem!! While we weren't told to line up like future prisoners, everyone was told that if they want a FREE home bible study, to talk to an elder "after the concluding prayer, and we will make sure that a QUALIFIED minister comes and studies with [them] at their convenience", obviously someone who is a good drone. I'm amazed they didn't end the talk with "resistance is futile".
• 

  Sunspot

  **At the end of the talk they announced that there would be elders waiting at the exit doors and all those who want a bible study were to line up and give thier names and phone numbers to the elders. I thought that was a little inappropriate for the occasion.**

  All those who WANTED a bible study please LINE UP???? ROFLAO!!!!!!

  I won't even ask about the STAMPEDE you had to avoid, LOL!

  Inappropriate for the occasion? I would guess SO..and a poster on another DB called the "memorial" a "SELL-ABRATION!!!!!!

  Guess so!

  hugs,

  Annie
• 

  alias

  Mary,

  Your observations mirror mine as well. On the way home in the car I was expressing the exact same thing. One would expect there would be more context about Jesus and the events surrounding the meal and the point of it all. I'm of the mind to think that people in general will gain a better appreciation of Jesus' life and sacrifice by watching the Passion movie.

  This is the first year I've gone in about a half dozen or so. I intended to go as a real observer the occasion, feeling emotionally detatched and objective. While listening to the talk, I imagined myself as a first time attender off the streets. What would they take away from this? I wouldn't be surprised if many were disappointed.

  It was surreal to say the least.

  alias
• 

  booker-t

  Mary,

  My question to you is why do you go to the memorial at all? Going to the JW's meetings is just going to keep you hooked. I am speaking from experience so please don't take offense or feel I am being judgemental. I DA'd myself in 1991 and I went through hell wondering if I should go back or not. I went to some meetings and sat in the back like I had the plague and went to a few assemblies and I just got to the point where I just could not stomach it any longer and walked out of the Kingdom Hall and never went back. I took controll of my life that day foward and I feel so much better now. I still feel abandoned by my family who are still devout JW's to this day but I had to make a choice either them or me and I chose me, myself and I. I know that these ex-jw's are helpful when you first leave but there has to come a time when you move on with your lives and I notice that many ex-jw's just can't let it go. Either you are going to be free or be imprisoned by the JW's.
• 

  Mary

  why do you go to the memorial at all? Going to the JW's meetings is just going to keep you hooked.

  Well I go for the same reason alot of others that post here still go: either to show respect for what Jesus did for me and/or to appease my relatives who are all still Dubs......fortunately, none of them are very strong Dubs.

  I'm doing the Slow Fade, so I figure in another year or so I'll be gone. The truth be told, I don't mind going some of the time.......my main beef in fact is that there's too many damn meetings and I hate 5 meetings a week. Hell I haven't been to a Bookstudy for over two years, and I can't remember the last time I ever went to the Theocratic Ministry Meeting.............