That's the last time I try using IE9 on here!
I just wanted to say a big thank you to Bangalore for posting the above images of the instructions that were posted on all congregation notice boards. I remember thinking they were over the top at the time, but evidently certain brothers have leapt on these crazy instructions as license to give people hassle when it comes to dressing more 'appropriately', even in their everyday personal lives. I can think of one CO in particular who incorporated the instruction leaflet into his talks, and implied that brothers should be dressing in such a way at all times, and not just when visiting bethel. The amount of control that the Society seeks over individuals is breathtaking.
What I don't get is the fascination that the Governing Body evidently has with 'cream slacks'. In almost every Watchtower you will find at least one or perhaps several images depicting brothers in 'casual' dress wearing cream slacks - with the trademark crease down each leg, and a polo shirt in a pastel shade tucked in below the belt. If the brother is extra spiritual, he will perhaps have all the buttons done up on his polo shirt! This is a ludicrously out-dated form of casual dress that goes way back to the fifties, and yet if the Society had their way ALL brothers would dress this way when 'off duty'.
I actually called on a lady once on the ministry who turned down the magazines, and I was somewhat taken aback by the reason she gave. "I don't like the way you people dress in the photos!" Bear in mind, this was a reason given by a householder for REFUSING the literature. The Society can therefore not claim to be giving a fine Witness and avoiding stumbling through their dress standards, when they are actually putting people off hearing their message through their insistence on out-dated fashions.
Cedars