New Stupid Assembly Rules (page 2)

MariAruet

I don't think organization thinks of people as humans anymore, if they ever have that is. But this is just getting sick now

brinjen

Some are designed to stop people from meeting the opposite sex;
What would be the point of going to the assembly at all then?

Good point.

JH

When I went to the assemblies, I made my own rules. At the very end of my JW career, I avoided the stupid assemblies.

The dress rules are nothing new. Back in the 60's they tried to get us to stay in costume and keep our advertising labels on when we were away from the assembly location.

The assembly badges are ownership labels that said we were Watch Tower property, similar to a sign on a Society owned building. They take exceptional pride in public display of property and they, of course, see the Witness people as their property.

undercover

(1) Sitting together with your congregation. I heard that some KM inserts have been urging those whose congregation has cleaning assignments to sit in the section that they are assigned to clean. This makes meeting the opposite sex more difficult, and it makes it harder for someone to fake making the a$$emblies by showing up for the first morning and then walking out. It also makes the a$$emblies blur in with each other, since you are not going to meet anyone special at any of them.

I haven't seen a Kingdom Ministry in sometime but up until I quit going, I don't think that sitting together was a requirement from the WTS. Each hall was assigned a section to clean and a lot of the dubs would sit together in their assigned section. I do know that some elders would "recommend" that the congregation sit together, which to some people came across as a "rule". I never follwed that recommendation and never had any issues.

(2) Staying dressed up after the a$$embly is dismissed. You are supposed to go to McDonald's dressed up and with your name badges on. Supposedly, this is another form of advertising for your ~~MLM~~religion.

For years they would counsel about dress and grooming. It was important to the WTS that no one bring reproach upon the convention by dressing too "worldly". For years they also suggested that everyone wear their name badge when out and about in the host city. This year, the wording in the KM was much more direct than in years past(the article is posted on a thread somewhere). It actually said that the delegates shouldn't wear jeans and t-shirts after the sessions and that they should stay dressed in their assembly clothes after the sessions and keep their name badges on.

Back when I was in, my tie was off before I got to the car (I didn't even wear a coat, it was too damn hot) and then I'd change to shorts/t-shirt/sandals and go find the hotel lobby bar. I didn't wear the name badge while at the assembly, let alone anywhere else.

(3) The One Towel Rule. Using only one towel to dry your hands might save them money. However, the towels are sized for children's hands to prevent wasting an adult sized towel on a child. Men's hands are generally larger, and it is going to take more than one towel to fully dry them. It also takes extra towels to clean up the mess after you wash your hands.

I've never seen this happen, but I've heard too many people from different places say that they remember it. I don't think it's a directive from New York, but maybe local convention overseers thought of it as a way to save money. I never heard of mirrors being taped over either, but many here have testified to it happening.

(4) Staying in the building for lunch. This is so people won't take off after the morning session and not come back, perhaps using the remaining time to explore the city and its surroundings. It also limits what you can eat for lunch, since most motels lack refrigerators.

This is one of those "suggestions" that turned into a "rule". They always implored us to stay and enjoy the fellowship of our brothers and sisters but we went out to lunch more than we stayed in and never had anyone say anything. It seems that since I've been inactive, that they have taken a little harder stance on this. I've heard of WT "watchers" who would watch for those who left to lunch and somehow report them to their congregation elders so they could be spoken to about it.

(5) Not using vending machines within the facilities. I can understand not allowing people to use the cigarette machines, since no one is supposed to smoke and people are there that are bothered by smoke. However, these are not issues for candy. Not allowing children to have any candy is rather tough, since there is no fun for them, and they are going to get restless and act up after sitting there for hours at a time. I don't think it's fair to expect children to sit there for no reward, since they are now going to have to stay in that suit once the program dismisses.

I've never seen anything in writing about not using vending machines but I have heard it mentioned from the stage to not use them. And I have seen "out of order" signs on them to keep people away from them. But I've seen people use them anyway. I've never figured out the deal with discouraging people from using vending machines.

(6) Many a$$embly Hells have other rules. There are rules against candy (I can see for gum, since gum is extremely difficult to clean up and gets stuck on the floor and the seats. But candy?). They have rules against ink pens in some A$$embly Hells, since they can mark the seats. All of them have rules against running and playing, which are designed to p*&^ off the children. They have rules against using flash bulbs (who would need them anyway, with today's digital cameras). Many have rules against videotaping part or all the a$$emblies, especially now that one could put the whole drama up on YouTube or other video sharing program. You cannot wear headphones in the a$$embly Hells unless they have special arrangements for deaf people to wear them (then you put in a MP3 player or mini disc player in place of the tuner) and playing with the Game Boy during the a$$embly. Some even ban these devices during intermissions!

The last assembly hall that I attended did not allow gum or candy in the auditorium. Seems like I remember them suggesting that children not be given pens and markers while in the auditorium but they didn't say anything about adults using them.

I've never heard that about not being allowed to wear headphones. Who needs em anymore? Some of those ear buds have great sound. The I-pod with ear buds is one of the greatest inventions for people who are stuck in that kind of situation and need some entertainment instead of listening to somebody drone on about Jehoeber Gob.

OnTheWayOut

I've never figured out the deal with discouraging people from using vending machines.

This is what I heard. Don't quote this rumor as gospel because it was started by a brother years
ago - The WTS negotiates for the use of these facilities. The stadium owners want to
sell food, but WTS insists that their people bring their own (or years back that they ate meals
provided to them). "There's no need for opening your vendors. You wouldn't make any money."

We all know that they would make their money, but WTS would lose some control. For no other
reason than unity at all conventions, they can't let vendors sell at some buildings. To prove that
vendors wouldn't make money, they put in a hard fast rule not to use vending machines. The rule
is enforced at all conventions. I remember years back that this was in force for cold soda machines.

In short- You can't buy Snickers from a machine because that proves that nobody would buy
hot dogs and sodas from a walking vendor.

Honesty

It's just a preview of what kind of Spiritual Paradise the JW's NEW SYSTEM is going to be for everyone.

Whewww!!!

Before I woke up, they almost had me as an eternal participant in that HELL they call Paradise.

Marcel

i didnt heard anything about this "new" rules. are they supposed to be announced somewhere in the future? 2,4,5 are commonly suggested since as long as i can think of, but arent real laws i believe. the other rules i never heard about.

Crumpet

Some are designed to stop people from meeting the opposite sex;
What would be the point of going to the assembly at all then?

Good point.

I reckon you and I could have corrupted an entire circuit by ourselves Brinjen!

WTWizard

True, there is no point in going to the a$$emblies. What they are doing is gradually making it more difficult for people in different congregations to mix. They start with a verbal directive from hounder-hounders via hounder meetings that recommend that congregations with cleaning assignments sit in their assigned sections. This, like so many other rules, gets stricter. As of late, I have heard that there is no hard and fast rule yet, but you will be looked at as weak if you sit elsewhere.

If this rule ever does become fast like the no-leaving-for-lunch rule has, there will be no point in going. After all, you will be sitting with the same bunch that you always have. A major part of going is to meet brothers and sisters from other congregations. This is a large part of what makes one a$$embly stand out from the others, since the program gets stale after a while. Yet they seem bent on taking anything away that could provide even a sparkle of hope for the members.

No, I haven't seen it myself. I rely on other posters and other apostate sites to get the information, often before the congregations get it and usually in context and more fully integrated with reality. But I have been seeing a progressive march, even before I faded, toward more fast rules. And I have seen the posts that have been limiting and forbidding people from getting out and about--no going out for lunch, not too much exploring the city after, wearing the suit after, taped up mirrors, one towel to dry your hands, no vending machines, and the like. I just hope there is a total boycott in attendance among regular members. Then they can enforce these rules among themselves or take them and shove them up their @#(es.

New Stupid Assembly Rules