Jehovah's Witness Funeral?

[EDDIE51]

My FIL is a Jehovahs Witness, he is terminally ill and it will not be long before a funeral has to be organised.
The rest of the family including his wife are not JW. We do not know much about how the inevitable funeral will have to be organised. Do they allow cremation for example? I suspect not !
I am pretty sure that a *** up in the local boozer afterwards will not go down too well either! That's been the plan with previous family funerals .
He is not a regular attender at the JW meetings but still will not celebrate Christmas or birthdays, we do not know what his wishes are and he is too weak to ask him now. Any help please?

[hc4361]

Can be burial or cremation, Eddie. Service at Kingdom Hall followed by prayers at the crematorium or graveside.

If you think a JW funeral is what he wants, contact the local KH.

[woofgang]

You can contact your local Kingdom Hall or ask the Funeral director if they can do something suitable, I expect they can and can probably find you a celebrant as well.
https://www.funeralwise.com/customs/jehovah_witness/beliefs/

[Buenchico]

http://www.paulwilliamsfunerals.co.uk/funeral-services/religious-funeral-services/jehovahs-witness-funerals

[hc4361]

There is nothing to stop the family and non-JW friends going to the pub after the formalities.

[EDDIE51]

Seen that link divebuddy , that was what made me think cremation was a 'no go'.

[EDDIE51]

He is the only JW in the family, not even his wife of 30 years is JW.
It seems the local JWs have 'disowned' him to an extent,they were never happy at his failure to convert any of the rest of his family. It upset them even more when he failed to talk his wife out of having a blood transfusion.

[Cloverjo]

Do you think he would want a service at KH now that the JWs have abandoned him, and would they let it be held there anyway?
If not, then think about a simple non-secular service at a crematorium. You can then do what you like about drinks afterwards.

[birdie1971]

EDDIE51 - "...It seems the local JWs have 'disowned' him to an extent,they were never happy at his failure to convert any of the rest of his family. It upset them even more when he failed to talk his wife out of having a blood transfusion."

I'm sorry for bringing this up on a thread that involves your recently deceased father-in-law... but what utter swines the JWs have shown themselves to be in this case. How dare they disown him? Shame on them. But unfortunately, your case is not the only one...

My Grandmother is currently in hospital with double-pneumonia. She's now 87 and is frail as can be. She was/is a JW and not one of these free-loading vermin contacted her after she stopped financially contributing to their church several years ago. When she was an active - and financially solvent and generous - member of her local Kingdom Hall, she had many, many 'friends'. Once she become ill and less financially gregarious, the 'friends' rapidly vanished.

Now all she has left is her loving family who care nothing about her financial arrangements but who simply want to be there for her.

[vetuste_ennemi]

JWs believe in cremation and are not teetotal.

[Sir Alec]

All the JW's round here, (and there are a lot of them), drink like fishes. Overflowing bins on bottle recycling day. Get down the pub and celebrate his life!

[bunkmoreland]

Sorry to hear about your grandma Birdie, not surprised though about the money situation! Religion and money are a nasty mix:-(

[vetuste_ennemi]

JW the religion is a scam. The Watchtower business is a bunch of crooks. However its deluded followers are, in the main, very decent people. The odious "Goodlife" and his previous avatars like Elderman are exceptions.

[idiosyncrasy]

Reading previous comments I have this to say.

I went to a JW funeral a couple of years ago. It was friend of a friend and I did not know the lady apart from the fact that she was a JW. I went because the friend I was with was going and asked me to go along.
I was very surprised when I got to the Crematorium. There was a very good crowd there.

Apparently her family were not witnesses and I got to hear that the lady did not attend the church . However, the majority of people in attendance were witnesses. A leader of their church gave a talk telling of how long she had been a witness and how she loved her family and her God Jehovah. It appeared that she was a lady who was not very financially well off , there was no recriminations that she had not converted her family nor any mention that she was a generous donor financially.

After the service all were invited to the local pub for a pie and a drink. I did not go as I felt that not knowing the lady it would be an intrusion, so in answer to previous comments, it appears that they can be either buried or cremated. They do have a “funeral” tea, and that JWs do have a drink, that they do not force people to make monetary donations to their church and just because they do not go to all the services they are not thought of as outcasts. Unlike the regular organized churches. I know of a catholic lady who was only called on once a year by the local priest who delivered her weekly covenenant envelopes and when she was ill, no one bothered to call and see her. Also from my personal experience, the vicar only called to see us when mother decided to stop sending in her donation and he wanted to know why.

[Auxarcs]

This is why people need to be pre-emptive and make a will early on. If he has not made his wishes known then his next if kin, his wife most likely, and/or children will have the task of planning the funeral anyhow they like. They may or may not abide by his religioys beliefs and do not have to do so if he hasnt made his wishes clear legally. His JW group may have to hold their own individual memorial service for him if they wish but the official ceremony and burial will be chosen by his legal next of kin.

[EDDIE51]

Well it's all over now and the funeral will be at his Local 'Kingdom Hall'
Will let you know how it went.

[pixie374]

Sorry to hear that, Eddie. Best wishes xx