Jehovah’s Witness and Cremation

[Guest Kurt]

A Jehovah’s Witness is a member of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society was formed in 1879, and is well known for its programs of outreach through such publications as Watchtower Magazine, the official magazine of the Jehovah’s Witness faith.

What do Jehovah’s Witnesses Believe?

Witnesses believe in one God, not the Trinity. Like most Christians, they believe that Jesus Christ died for humankind’s sins, however they do not believe that he was physically resurrected after his crucifixion. They believe that he was only spiritually resurrected.

One of the key elements of the Jehovah’s Witness faith is their belief that the end of the world is coming soon. Witnesses believe that we have been in the end times since 1914 and that theirs is the only branch of the Christian faith that can offer salvation.

Jehovah’s Witnesses do not celebrate Christmas, birthdays, or any holidays with a pagan origin. They are also prohibited from entering into what they consider unclean practices such as receiving blood transfusions, and they refuse to enter military service.

Members believe that only Jehovah’s Witnesses will be saved at the end of the world, and of those, only a limited number of the most faithful. Witnesses believe in Heaven, but do not believe in Hell.

Jehovah’s Witness Beliefs About Death:

Unlike many other religions, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that death is not just the death of the physical body but also the death of the soul. “When a person dies, he ceases to exist. Death is the opposite of life. The dead do not see or hear or think. Not even one part of us survives the death of the body. We do not possess an immortal soul or spirit.”

However, they do believe that resurrection is possible. Witnesses believe that 144,000 of Jesus’ most faithful followers will be resurrected to rule with Him after the Earth is destroyed. Witnesses believe that most of these spots are already taken, with only about 8,500 remaining. This number declines as deaths occur, so is growing ever smaller.

It’s also important to note that they believe resurrection is spiritual, not physical, as was Jesus’ resurrection after he was crucified.

Beliefs About Cremation

As Witnesses believe in spiritual rather than physical resurrection, the faith does not have any prohibitions against cremation.

The question regarding whether cremation is a permissible practice for Jehovah’s Witnesses (or for Christianity at large) was answered in the June 2014 edition of Watchtower Magazine as follows: “Scriptures do not present any basic objection to the practice of cremation…The Scriptural hope for the dead is the resurrection—God’s restoration of the person to life. Whether a dead person is cremated or not, Jehovah is not limited in his ability to restore the person to life with a new body.”

The article continued, “Christians do well to take into consideration social norms, local sentiments, and legal requirements regarding the disposition of dead bodies. (2 Cor. 6:3, 4) Then, whether the body of a deceased person is to be cremated or not is a personal or family decision.”

Generally speaking, a funeral or memorial for a Jehovah’s Witness should be a simple affair, as similar as possible to the simple burial that was held for Christ. No wakes or celebrations are to be held. Flowers are permissible but must not give the impression of a pagan ritual.

Jehovah’s Witness and Cremation

 

Protocol for Jehovah's Witnesses Funeral Flower Arrangements

The Jehovah's Witnesses, a global Christian organization, are known throughout numerous communities for their public ministry and their separateness from certain holidays. They base their beliefs and customs on the Bible, and their funeral customs are no exception. At a funeral for one of Jehovah's Witnesses -- which they often call a "memorial service" -- it's common to see a special arrangement of flowers.

Jehovah's Witnesses from all cultures appreciate flowers.

Beliefs About Flower Arrangements

The Witnesses believe that flowers are parts of creation and should be appreciated and highlighted, and so they make flowers parts of their lives. At their memorial services, they view flowers as something that brings honor and dignity to the deceased person and to the occasion. But a time when protocol would call for not having flowers at a funeral, Witnesses say, is when having flowers would give the impression, because of local customs and culture, that they are participating in a pagan ritual.

Protocol For Family

Family members of the person who's died should respect any wishes that he's put in writing regarding how the memorial service should be conducted -- including the arrangements for flowers. If there are no written instructions, then the most immediate family members, typically, are responsible for making funeral and flower arrangements. Sometimes, though, the family might be too broken up to handle that responsibility, and so a family friend might then make the funeral and flower arrangements.

For Other Witnesses

Other Jehovah's Witnesses would follow similar protocol in terms of flower arrangements -- by respecting the person's wishes and their shared spiritual beliefs. The person responsible for making the memorial arrangements might delegate the responsibility for making flower arrangements to a man or woman who is a florist or who has a talent for arranging flowers. Following this protocol helps the Witnesses create a dignified and organized memorial service.

For Non-Witnesses

Those interested in providing flowers for a Witness funeral can check for any newspaper obituaries for specific direction, or try to contact the family. In some cases, the Witnesses are more than happy to accept flower arrangements from non-Witness community members for a memorial service. Or they might accept flowers on an individual level. One example of this is the community support given to a Witness family whose daughter was murdered in October 2012. The Witnesses accepted a flower arrangement from a local florist for a public memorial service, and gave thanks to all who sent flowers to the family.

References

• JW.org Online Library: Christian Funerals - Dignified, Modest and Pleasing to God
• JW.org Online Library: Led to the Creator by the Beauty of the Truth
• JW.org Online Library: Widows and Widowers
• JW.org Online Library: How Should Bible Teachings Affect a Christian’s Attitude and Practices Regarding Funerals?
• JW.org Online Library: Delegating - Why and How?
• OregonLive: Whitney Heichel - Family Holds Public Reception in Her Memory
• OregonLive: Thanks to the Community From the Family of Whitney Heichel
• "Watchtower" Magazine; When Someone Dies, Is It Proper to Give Flowers to the Family...?; October 15, 1991

Protocol for Jehovah's Witnesses Funeral Flower Arrangements