by minimus 26 Replies latest jw friends
We had a few.
No gum in your mouth ever! The elders found some gum on the carpet so gum chewing was banned.
Disfellowshipped ones should sit quietly in the rear of the Hall.
You had to get at least the congregation's average in order to share in the privilege of mowing the lawn!
They custom made rules to keep me from forming close relationships with others. First, they banned Tic Tacs in the Kingdumb Hell on the specious logic that they ruin the carpet (they are no worse than the small pebbles found in the lawn and driveway that get tracked in).
They banned ink pens in the A$$embly Hell. This was to ensure that the chairs would not get marked. Of course, people brought them in anyways. I had a supply of colored pencils to get around that ban.
They had issues with colored shirts while at the boasting sessions or out in field circus.
No chewing gum
No colored shirts on the platform
I heard about shirts
Have been personally counseled for gum/ edible rule (BUT the Spanish congregation allow their kids cheerios!)
When I was younger, under the Nazi PO:
1. "sitting fingertip" rule for hemlines,
2. coloring books, non-study notes, markers and crayons
3. Absolutely no Kool-aid highlighted hair!,
4.1 set of piercings for each female's ears lobes only (no male piercings)
5. Sisters weren't allowed to where large hoop earrings.
6.any and all other sort of childish tomfoolery was banned
You had to get at least the congregation's average in order to share in the privilege of mowing the lawn!
Just one of the many benefits of being a low hour publisher™.
No moustaches. Once when I was counseled for having a moustache I pointed out that most of the elders in the neighbouring congregation had moustaches. The elder replied "Yes, but you don't see any elders in OUR congregation with moustaches. Besides, most of them are Italian and it's part of their culture"
I took his counsel seriously, and changed my moustache from this:
After that the elders viewed me as somewhat rebellious.
W
I liked the Memorial Parking Rule.....we had to follow a thread of parking guide dudes to the far end of our HUGE 300 space parking lot.......even though we did not fill it up halfway!!!.....it looked sooooo stupid seeing the far side of the lot full.......and the half near the hall TOTALLY empty!!!....why do they still do this??? we sure as hell do NOT need the dozen parking guides in the freakin first place!!!!..........................oompa
Absolutely no facial hair including side burns that went past the top of the ear.
Women started wearing pantsuits to the hall in the winter months, and that quickly became verbotin! (Mind you it was usually 20 below most nights in Chicago.) There were a few women who ingnored the rules, especially with the Tuesday night book study.
No dating of any sort between 2 individuals, and no sitting together at meetings. They were to be with a group or chaparoned at any given time no matter what the age. Hence, many young, quick marriages that were usually at the brink 6 months later.
Our congregation took the WBTS's message and made it 10 times worse, with 8 elders running around and plenty of spying children making things even worse.
There were 2 exceptionally beautiful daughters to a very wealthy car dealership owner and his wife. The parents were strong JW's. The daughters were about 19 and 21. The 21 year old disappeared and no one knew where she was for years. She left out of desperation and got on with her life......she never contacted the JW's or her family again after that as far as I know. She had written a letter to leave her alone, and never search for her.
r.
Sisters were not allowed to give lap dances.
All of the above,
Plus no dark nail polish ...
Cas
No moustaches. Once when I was counseled for having a moustache I pointed out that most of the elders in the neighbouring congregation had moustaches. The elder replied "Yes, but you don't see any elders in OUR congregation with moustaches. Besides, most of them are Italian and it's part of their culture"
I got nailed on the moustache issue also...
Elder pulls me aside. Did you see the picture in magazine? I forgot now if it was the watchtower or awake. The picture was a scientist standing at a chalkboard proving evolution. The pictured scientist had a moustache.
Ergo. If you wore a moustache you believed in evolution.
My first Epiphany that some elders really do have their head up their a$$...in this case a Bethel elder
