I just remembered another one . . an elder asked me not to park my 1970 GTO Judge convertible in front of the Kimdumb Hell. This was in Manchester, NH in 1976.
Craziest thing you've ever been "counseled" for????
by superman 58 Replies latest jw friends
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amama2six
Mary...yeah they're disgusting. The worst part is they succeeded in making me feel guilty about it. I beat myself up for awhile about what I could have done different. Oh, and that one wasn't a rape, thankfully. "Just" inappropriate touching...which in my mind was far easier to deal with than what had happened when I was in the foster home years before. So I eventually let it go and got on with my life.
DJ thank you...from what I'm reading here there are a LOT of stupid/inappropriate counseling sessions that have occurred (and I'm sure continue to). I can't believe simply giving a co-worker a ride home would invoke a counseling session! How dare you help someone who's not a JW... It's a lot easier to get over what I went through knowing I'm not the only one who's been given counsel that should have never been given.
I liken my view of the Elders to my view of my father. When I was a kid I thought my Dad knew everything and was PERFECT...never did anything wrong. Then as I grew up I began to realize he DIDN'T know everything and he was FAR from perfect! Same thing with the Elders. I used to think they knew all and never made mistakes...now I know they don't know sh*t and screw up all the time. It's comforting...
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Darklighter
Jeez... where to begin...
Playing basketball with "worldly" people and sideburns were always issues. (Ironically I had fewer issues playing with the worldly guys than I did playing with Witnesses... go fig. The witnesses were always too competitive.)
Riding to service alone with my friend (a sister). The elder opened the conversation by asking "So when can we expect an engagement announcement?" I was like, wha? He also asked, "What do you think the people in the neighborhood thought when they saw the two of you get out of the car?" I remember thinking, "Ummmm... They probably didn't gave a sh!t." But of course I didn't say that.
Hair too short. (I got a buzz cut. But the black brothers shave their heads bald?!?!?! WTF?!) And then last year we had all the pictures in the WT of brothers with short hair, and that issue got killed. Did I get an apology? NO.
I got counseled for using the timeslips as scratch paper too. Hehe
The P.O. counseled me on a Service Meeting talk because the REGULAR PIONEER that I chose to use in one of my demonstrations wasn't "experienced enough". He said it was a "teaching part, so it requires a teacher". What the hell does that even mean? I he felt that way why did he approve her as a REGULAR PIONEER?
Hmmm... let's see if I can remember another one...
Oooh!!! I remember!!! Kinda like you magazine servants... I worked as an assistant in the literature counter, and I used to open all the boxes and stock the shelves. Well, one of the waste-of-paper campaigns was coming up and we had a bunch those boxes that said (in the society's typical authoritarian fashion): DO NOT OPEN UNTILL OCTOBER 25th 1998! (i don't remember the exact date, but it was only a few days away). I wasn't paying attention, and as I was opening the regular literature boxes I accidentally cut one flap loose on one of the "forbidden" boxes. I saw a little bit of the KN tract inside and instantly realized what i had done. I stopped opening it and set it aside. "No big" I thought... Well our service overseer didn't think it was "no big". I wasn't behind the counter when he saw the half-opened box, but he starts asking the the Lit. Servant "Who did this?!?! How long has it been like that?!?! We need to follow the society's instructions blahblahblah" Fortunately the Lit. Servant I worked with knew it wasn't a big deal and that the service overseer was overreacting, so he said "I don't know who did that. It was like that when I got here. Must've been the other cong." HAHAAAA The service overseer still ended up saying something to me about it even though he didn't know it was me, "Make sure no one goes back there that isn't SUPPOSED to be back there!" Whatevuh...
Jeez it was like I touched the ark or something... And that got me wondering, What the HELL would it hut if we saw the tracts early? Why the big secret? The stupid tract doesn't say anything different from ANY OTHER magazine we have? They control just because they can. The society and their "rules"... makes me want to puke.
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LovesDubs
Well, I wasnt even baptized and they had to counsel me for sexual activities that were occurring with a life long baptized brother I had narked on. The elder said "Well...I have to say SOMETHING to you about this!" I laughed...he was powerless and knew it.
I was told that skorts were manly and inappropriate for giving talks in from the podium.
I was in front of a judicial committee of elders having to explain in detail my having oral sex with someone (different from point one...hey...I have needs LOL!) Holy shit. I was more enraged than embarrassed by that scene. One elder afterwards (the one who was in point one of this post) said "LD do you even BELIEVE in God??" "I said of course I do. Whether or not He thinks I need to tell my personal business to a bunch of self important MEN is what I have issue with."
I was told I couldnt be in the same service car with the brother I was dating.
I was told I couldnt stand outside the Kingdom Hall and converse with this same brother alone. (An elder did in fact stand at a distance and watch us until we were through. I was 31 he was 35 for Gods sake!)
I was told that I was seen dancing with someone else's husband at a wedding and that that was improper. (he was 75!)
I was told I could not go on dates with my current husband unescorted. Again...I was over THIRTY! We had to bring his sister, who has Downs, on all our dates.
I was told that I needed to go read articles about forgiveness and repentence in the Bound Volumes by the elder father of the idiot in point one, who did NOT believe his son had done anything wrong...like...at all...even though the witnesses against him lined up around the hall.
I questioned if JWs were the only ones who would survive armgaedden and was told my comments were bordering on apostacy and to keep them to myself.
It is a frickin POLICE STATE
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razorMind
When I was a teen I wore a denim dress with an open back to the Book Study one night. Mind you, our book study was probably made up of 10 people.
The dress was made very plain in the front, high-necked and short-sleeved and fitted. Came below the knees, in fact it looked a lot like a cheongsam in the front, but NOT SKIN TIGHT. The back was a large diamond-shaped cutout but nothing crazy. Just my mid-back exposed. I had NOTHING else clean to wear and in fact had a coat on most of the time. Later that night, my elder dad was approached by a 'brother' who apparently had a 'problem' with the dress.
Another time, we were at a 'get-together' and all us young people were running around roughhousing as young folks are apt to do. The son of the house, a JW, was a very good friend, really more like my brother. Anyway, somebody had a camera and all us young folks were horsing around, laughing and snapping silly shots.
*I* was heavily 'counseled' for a photo of myself sitting on his back. This while fully-clothed, in a huge crowd of adults. I think he was 'counseled' too.
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DJ_Q
You couldnt make some of this stuff up if you tried. Reading yall's experiences, and Im like no way, but having talked to a lot of former JW's and I can only sadly agree.
You wonder of some of these elders have such shitty lives that they feel compelled to make everybody else's life as shitty as possible.
My heart goes out to everyone that had to put up with shit like this.
DJ_Q
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wifekeepsmeinit
I think I had heard the "Jehovahs Soveriegnty" speech one to many times.
Counseled on: Ignoring the speaker and reading Songs of Solomon. - Although I regularly do this, as I find most speeches are depressing.
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Georgiegirl
(can't believe I'm about to admit this) - I was counselled by my husband for um...(blushes) taking care of things on my own one night. I thought he was asleep! After yet ANOTHER unsatisfying (for me) missionary style "encounter". He rolls off and starts snoring. The next day he calls me into the room and sits down with me and studies the chapter in the YPA book on masturbation!
Oh yeah...welcome to humiliation 101.
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still_in74
We were playing golf. But you shouldn't ask me where I go with the brothers."
what an ASS !!
"you shouldn't ask me where I go with the brothers....."
BITE ME!
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Georgiegirl
The former (grin) and have since learned many helpful techniques.