My Father's funeral turned out to be a departure from normal. Dad had been a Circuit Overseer until his diagnosis, and even whilst he was undergoing treatment he spent a week in Bethel to conduct an audit. His prominence in the organisation apparently made a difference, as the funeral talk was unlike any I'd heard before. My father's coffin was displayed in the Kingdom Hall, and two brothers from Bethel flew down to give a two-part funeral discourse. The first brother covered information from the standard funeral outline. But rather than just a typical Watchtower marketing pitch, Dad's life and achievements were actually woven throughout his presentation of Watchtower doctrine. It was a satisfying summary of a wonderful man. It still all led back to the Watchtower though. Dad had gone to university prior to his conversion and been an accountant and auditor.

The speaker seemed determined to show that because of Dad being intelligent and analytical (or did he mean despite these attributes?), he came to believe the Watchtower was God's organisation. This sort of self-affirmation is common amongst Witnesses, but it's a rhetorical fallacy, since all religions contain some intelligent people. There followed a second brief talk by the Australian Bethel Branch coordinator, Terrence O'Brien, passing on the love and condolences of the Bethel family. The treatment I received at the Kingdom Hall varied. When I entered the hall a brother gave me a large hug, and several others came up to speak to me. Several of my old Witness friends spoke to me quite normally. However, after that I noticed that the majority refused to approach me, and specifically avoided any eye contact. One person spoke to my cousin who was standing next to me, but completely ignored me.

How do these people think that shunning is supposed to show that they are the most loving and truthful organisation, when to any outside observer it is a sure sign of being a cult? No matter how often it occurs, being shunned is always difficult.

More difficult to deal with was those that didn't shun me, but made a point of pushing the Watchtower line on me.

Jw brothers public talk outlines list