Talent shows at the KH?

by skeeter1 16 Replies latest jw friends

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  FuzzyPaul

  Around 1980 we had bowling parties with too many people for three lanes. Community centers filled for square dances. Square dances in West Virginia hay barns. Graduation parties in the Fire House recreation room.

  Nobody died or cursed God.

  It was all BANNED soon thereafter. And gradually the control became complete.

  I still organized Snow skiing groups that filled an entire B&B or four bedroom condo.

  Nobody got drunk, stupid, or "brought reproach."

  Why should I be punished with social deprivations just because someone else somewhere did something uncool?

  And if I did, why should you be punished? And why isn't there any forgiveness? Punishment with no end is the Watchtower's answer to peoples mistakes. And the innocent suffer unendingly due to their rules, rules, more rules system of governance.

  I got black-listed after I grew what the WT considers a wicked beard. Does shaving cream have as much saving power as the blood of Jesus? Salvation in a can for you, I squirt it on my face and you are saved from stumbling to your eternal demise.

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  I taught a Boy's choir since I left the WT. This is from one of my devotionals.

  God loves music. God loves you and will help you be a good musician and singer.

  “The LORD is my strength, the reason for my song, because he has saved me. I praise and honor the LORD -- He is my God and the God of my father.”

  Exodus 15:2

  Singers are musicians. The instrument is your voice. Music and musicians; songs and singers; and musical instruments are written about many times in the Bible. The Bible’s books of Chronicles is a history of Israel written 450 years B.C. In Chronicles, a record of Israel’s music is written about at 1Chronicles chapter 6 verses 30, 31, 32 & 33 ; 9:33 ; 13:8 ; 15:16, 19 & 22 :

  “Kenaniah the head Levite was in charge of the singing; that was his responsibility because he was skillful at it.”

  15:27 ; 16:9, 23, 33 & 42 ; 23:5 ; 25:1, 6 & 7 ; 2Chronicles 5:12 & 13 ; 7:6 ; 9:11 ; 20:21, 22 ; 23:13 & 18 ; 29:27 & 28 ; 31:2 ; 34:12 ; 35:15 & 25.

  Those Musicians listed there are forever remembered because they made music for worshipping Yahweh the LORD God.

  Yahweh is the name for God in the Old Testament. Today, Bibles sometimes replace Yahweh with LORD in all capitals. Yahweh is found many times in the songs in the Bible. There are 150 Psalms in the Bible. A Psalm is a song to praise God. During the first Lord’s Supper Jesus and his disciples sang Psalms.

  “After singing psalms, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”

  (Matthew 26:30)

  -

  Praise God at every oportunity. Love your neighbor is proactive, personal, up close, interactive, frequent. Their are NO ELDERS BETWEEN US AND GOD.

  1 Corinthians 11

  Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

  3 But I want you to know that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of the woman, and God is the head of Christ.

  2 Corinthians 11

  Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

  Paul and the False Apostles

  3 But I fear that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your minds may be seduced from a complete and pure devotion to Christ.

  2 Chronicles 5

  Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

  So all the work Solomon did for the Lord ’s temple was completed. Then Solomon brought the consecrated things of his father David—the silver, the gold, and all the utensils—and put them in the treasuries of God’s temple.

  Preparations for the Temple Dedication

  2 At that time Solomon assembled at Jerusalem the elders of Israel—all the tribal heads, the ancestral chiefs of the Israelites—in order to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord up from the city of David, that is, Zion. 3 So all the men of Israel were assembled in the king’s presence at the festival; this was in the seventh month.

  4 All the elders of Israel came, and the Levites picked up the ark. 5 They brought up the ark, the tent of meeting, and the holy utensils that were in the tent. The priests and the Levites brought them up. 6 King Solomon and the entire congregation of Israel who had gathered around him were in front of the ark sacrificing sheep and cattle that could not be counted or numbered because there were so many. 7 The priests brought the ark of the Lord ’s covenant to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the most holy place, beneath the wings of the cherubim. 8 And the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark so that the cherubim formed a cover above the ark and its poles. 9 The poles were so long that their ends were seen from the holy place in front of the inner sanctuary, but they were not seen from outside; they are there to this very day. 10 Nothing was in the ark except the two tablets that Moses had put in it at Horeb, [c] where the Lord had made a covenant with the Israelites when they came out of Egypt.

  11 Now all the priests who were present had consecrated themselves regardless of their divisions. When the priests came out of the holy place, 12 the Levitical singers dressed in fine linen and carrying cymbals, harps, and lyres were standing east of the altar, and with them were 120 priests blowing trumpets. The Levitical singers were descendants of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun and their sons and relatives. 13 The trumpeters and singers joined together to praise and thank the Lord with one voice. They raised their voices, accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and musical instruments, in praise to the Lord :

  For He is good;
  His faithful love endures forever.

  The temple, the Lord ’s temple, was filled with a cloud. 14 And because of the cloud, the priests were not able to continue ministering, for the glory of the Lord filled God’s temple.

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  The Holy Spirit didn't show his presense until THEY MADE MUSIC. The Watchtower doesn't seem to want JWs to enjoy any part of life. Other people are needed and all they can do. Sensory deprivation is part of cult indoctrination. Isolation is part of cult control.

  The Watchtower runs a cult, a high-demand group, an organization teaching that one can't even trust other JWs to be good companions. Paranoia, isolation, fear of elders, expulsion from the group for challenging the cult's teachings. Absolute devotion to the cult's ideas makes them your god.

  I got out and defeated all their controls and false doctrines. After 42 years I am now a Baptist by the way. I feel OK now.

  Yeah.
• 

  Morbidzbaby

  Growing up, there were 50's parties (you couldn't attend if you were under 13, which was so incredibly stupid...the year I turned 13, they stopped doing them). There were square dances. There were talent nights (and even a No Talent Talent Show). There were 80's parties, skating parties, swing dancing parties, etc. I wasn't invited to many of them, but they occured.

  None were held at the Kingdom Hall, though. The only events ever held there were meetings, the Memorial, weddings, and funeral services.
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  irondork

  What would a JW talent show look like? A door placed on the stage for everyone to knock on?

  I imagine a real talent show would run contrary to the society's urging that all our attention be focused on the ministy. No time for developing worldly talents. Singing leads to false worship. Juggling leads to masturbation. Telling jokes leads to lying. Dancing leads to... "Oh, GOD!"
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  baltar447

  I know of at least one area where they put a talent show on yearly. NOT at the KH though.
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  jookbeard

  never heard of anything actually being held in a KH, but Barn Dances were held in local school halls but were defiantly banned sometime in the 80's in the UK I recall. Talent shows were still being held when I left the cancer in the early 90's the last one being held in a public hall, some excellent musicians and bands playing, although I believe these were clamped down on in recent years, so it's only weddings and anniversaries for them these days?
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  SophieG

  Somewhat related….I don’t know if you guys ever had formals, but it’s a big thing down south.

  This one sister wanted to throw one…you could get dressed up, have a great meal and listen to a band and dance the night away. I think $35 bucks covered you for the night. I thought it was cool, you could have a great evening with good association.
  
  Well the brothers that could not afford the $35 raised a stink and got the CO (he was not nice either) involved. From what I heard, he told the sister, that if she could not invite all the friends and throw it for free then she’d have to cancel the event. The sister basically footed the bill for those who initially could afford to go….

  (…incidentally…JW weddings seem to create the same type of drama.)
• 

  sir82

  They used to be pretty common in the 80's, stretching into the 90's, where I was.

  The WT articles that Blondie cited pretty much killed it.

  The WTS is pretty much anti-fun.