Some sweet little Jehovah’s Witness boy (I say little…he was probably 14) just knocked on my door to give me a message. Nothing new for the JWs, right?
WRONG.
The boy handed me a flyer and told me, “We’re just inviting people to a memorial for Christ’s death.” Christ’s death? I asked. “Yes,” he said, “Christ’s death.” Well all right then. Haven’t heard that one before.
Had I not been so taken aback, I might have asked, why the focus on death? Isn’t that a smidge macabre? And maybe not the point of His dying anyway?
But engaging this poor kid in a conversation like that might have been a little mean and probably wouldn’t have gotten me any satisfying answers anyway. It’s probably best I kept my mouth shut.
At any rate, I’m still a little stunned. According to Wikipedia (which I realize is not the greatest source of reliable and in-depth information, but it gave me enough info to feel a little less confused) this is evidently the one “holiday” they observe each year. I very much understand the desire to give all one’s religious attention to the atonement, but still. Celebrating Jesus’ death? Not His birth? Or His resurrection? Or the gift of repentance and the remission of sins? Or salvation, whatever that might look like for one of their 144,000? It’s like hanging this gruesome Grünewald altarpiece in your house and nothing else. Sure, it’s a beautiful, powerful piece of art, but it’ll give you nightmares for weeks. Maybe that’s the point?
And why, pray tell, would the memorial be held a full week before Easter? Shouldn’t they, I don’t know, fall on the same day?
My Mormon brain is confused.
Some look beyond the mark… some look before it.
hey, i got invited to one of those! but it was two old guys that came the other day, i've never had a kid come by.
J: Good point.
S: Not gonna lie, the kid was a refreshing change.