Do Jehovah's Witnesses have funerals? I mean the whole setting aside from regular meetings and everything?

To make the question more clear:





Do they set aside a time and day other than a regular meeting time for a funeral? How do they pay respect for their loved ones in this regard compared to other churches and beliefs.





Are there flowers? Is there congregational support? Is there graveside service? Do they have headstones, or Urns and spread their ashes? I am really curious about the details.

Do Jehovah%26#039;s Witnesses have funerals? I mean the whole setting aside from regular meetings and everything?
Yes, Jehovah%26#039;s Witnesses have funerals. Yes they set aside a time and day different than a regular meeting. Yes there are flowers if you want. There were flowers at my mommy%26#039;s funeral. Yes there is congregational support. I could not count the number of people at my mommy%26#039;s funeral. No there was no graveside service because there was no grave. My mommy was cremated. No headstone - no grave. Yes there is an urn. No I did not spread her ashes. I wanted her with me. Her ashes are at my home.





My mommy%26#039;s choice to be cremated had nothing to do with our faith or any belief that Armageddon was imminent. She simply did not want to be buried in the ground or have me waste money on a coffin that probably would not be used anyway. (Some funeral homes have a little habit of selling you costly caskets that they do not put your loved one in. They swap out the expensive casket for a plain, cheap box.)





Yes there is congregational support - before, during and after my mommy%26#039;s death. The congregation helped me take care of her while she was dying. My mommy died at about 4:00 in the morning. When I awakened, I found her asleep in death. The elders had told me to call them when she fell asleep – no matter what time it was. So I called them at 4:00 when I got up and found her. They arrived at my house about 45 minutes later. They stayed with me literally all day long. They did not go to work. The congregation supplied so much food I had to start turning it away - there was no longer any place to put it in the refrigerator. The elders drove me all over town to help me take care of all the arrangements. They helped with my relatives who flew in from out of town. My relatives were amazed.





I am sorry but I have to stop now. I am crying and cannot see the monitor.





Hoped this helps you out.





Hannah J Paul
Reply:Yes, they conduct their own funeral services. In the case of both my parents%26#039; funerals, they had elected to be cremated and so the service was conducted at the crematorium. An Elder from the congregation spoke, mainly about their hope to live forever on a paradise earth, and songs were sung (they don%26#039;t do hymns). After the cremation, everyone went on to an hotel where refreshments were served. Standard practice.





What was interesting was the reasoning behind the decision to be cremated rather than buried. This had to do with their belief that Armageddon was iminent and that they would be resurrected in human form to live forever on a paradise earth. Since they would be resurrected with new bodies they did not see any need to be burried.





Before cremation was introduced in this country, my parents suffered the untimely death of their first born child and he was burried. However they did not mark his grave with a headstone - the idea of mourning beside a grave was unseemly because Armageddon was about to come and the dead would be resurrected. This was 80 years ago. It took my sister years of research into the family history to discover the plot where he had been laid all those years ago, and to mark it with a headstone. We now know where the little brother we never knew was laid to rest.





In the case of my parents, they became Witnesses shortly after the so-called number of the elect, the anointed (144,000) had been sealed and so they had been told they could not have a heavenly hope - they were earth bound. This was back in the early 1940%26#039;s. It is in this respect that the funeral services of Jehovah%26#039;s Witnesses are so different from that of an orthodox Christian funeral service conducted by a minister in a church.
Reply:I grew up Jehovah%26#039;s Witness and have only been to one funeral. It was my aunts. From what I understand they can hold funeral services in a kingdom hall (equivalent to churches) or at a funeral home. They are usually no more than an hour long service.





An elder from the deceased congregation speaks, hymns are sung. Then they are taken to the cemetery and everyone is allowed to say goodbye one last time.





People did go over to my aunt%26#039;s house afterwards as a sort of support and to celebrate her life and remember her. You know brought food over, condolonces and stuff. Pretty normal
Reply:Sorry, can%26#039;t help you. I think when a person dies, all families hold a funeral or some kind services.
Reply:I%26#039;ve know of them having them, all the details i don%26#039;t know.
Reply:what are they???



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