This is due to different interpretations of rules. For instance, the slimebag that dragged me into the cancer would not take no for an answer. This lowlife tried to make me throw away all my records under threat that my house would be destroyed at Armageddon. He would tell me what I could wear at boasting sessions, beyond normal (and it had better be dry cleaned every few days). He wanted my hair cut just like his (short, every 6 weeks). He wanted me to use liquid laundry soap (and that was before the stuff improved so it was as good as powders). He wanted me to spend $20 on a call book and inserts for calls when a cheap notepad would have done as well.
He also wanted me out in field circus all the time. I worked evenings until 1 AM at the time, making getting up for 9 AM difficult. Seems he only needed about 4 hours' sleep a night, so he couldn't see why I needed more (I am more normal and not on Prozac). He got me out at 1 PM the first day, and put the promise in my mouth that I would be back at 9 AM the next morning (I told him I would not be able to make it that early without undue hardship, sensing that I would be required to be out that early all the time if I made one exception). His goal was to herd me into lifelong celibacy, make me join the Value Destroyer Training School, and make the whole religion encompass the whole world (and then work on building his cult within a cult).
At the same time, I have noticed others within the same congregation that were not as regimented. There was one couple, I estimate in their 50s at the time, that had a more liberal stand on music. They would listen to songs that my teacher soundly condemned, without incident. And I found that others were doing things that I was condemned for and getting away with it: putting up winter decorations in the form of snowflakes and icicles out, singing the winter songs Jingle Bells and Jingle Bell Rock (two songs that are often associated with Christmas but are technically winter songs), listening to music that was "questionable" but not blatantly bad, and even playing that game where you use the crane to extract a toy from the bin. I even saw the group that I went to my first Grand Boasting Session with extracting the fortune out of the fortune cookies and reading them (I would have been put out instantly for that).
As for children, I have seen both extremes. Some parents have zero tolerance for things that the Filthful and Disgraceful Slavebugger frowns on, and often go beyond what they say. For them, they have zero fun. They spend weekends out in field circus from the time they are babies on. They cannot play with worldly people. They have to waste recess and lunch trying to bring worldly people into the cancer. They don't get to do anything after school. They have zero records, except Kingdumb Maladies. There is no leeway for those children to develop or to go out of bounds.
Other children have more liberal parents. They have substitutes for Christmas and birthdays. They are allowed to play with children in supervised settings, such as school. They are as likely to be out of town, on a camping trip, on at least a few weekends a year. They are allowed to have at least a few after school activities and to listen to at least some worldly music and to acquire worldly records and CDs. They are even allowed to go to college if they so choose. Such children are bound to be less seriously affected, and might actually enjoy the religion somewhat.
Just what happens when you try too hard to make them conform to the witless standards. They are more likely to simply quit altogether if you try to get everything. The ones that are "weak" in the cancer are more likely to stay in, simply because they cannot see what's the big deal about all the strictness. Those who are brought in strictly see what the big deal is--and are as likely to leave.
