by larc 70 Replies latest jw friends
Similar memories for me too. My parents were baptised in March 1950 when I was 4, so I grew up when things were very different in the JW arena. I would have to say it was more of a normal life than we gave our kids. Sad. But, they are all out now............their spouses too, so it turned out all right.
I remember our Ministry School Servant was a smoker. I don't know when they made the ban on smoking, but suddenly he wasn't that servant anymore. Maybe mid 50's?
Boy, do I remember some things about those days. I'm 42, so I was very young when it was all going on, but remember the chart; remember when they had all the copies of different religions' books back in the library for study on talks; when there was only the overseer. Now that I think of it, that's kind of a wierd term, since to me in connotes slavery.. hmmm! I also remember when all the brothers would go out during the intermission and smoke. Hehhehe. It's surreal! I left in 1981, when it was starting to get wierd. Up until 1975 or so, people could date in pairs, chaperones weren't necessary that I remember. In fact, our hall was pretty lax. The teenagers were always having parties where we'd do "The Hustle" and other silly dances of the day; go to Earth Wind and Fire concerts, and listen to whatever music we wanted to. The rich boys in the other congregation would have parties with lots of beer, pot, etc. There was no adult supervision *at all*. Kinda strange... I think in all the years I was a Witness, there was maybe 2-3 disfellowshippings (19 years).
CG
Mulan:
I think the ban on smoking actually came in the early 70's because my best friend's Father smoked, and I remember them giving him 6 months to quit, or face disfellowshipping, and I was around 11-12. He didn't quit, so was disfellowshipped. I felt sorry for him because he was one of my favorite brothers! He then did a radical turnaround and was rabid anti-JW.
CG
I think the ban on smoking actually came in the early 70's
That's when it became a disfellowshipping offense, Country Girl. Before that, they could smoke but didn't have privileges. Earlier, in the 50's it was not an issue.
I remember our Ministry School Servant was a smoker. I don't know when they made the ban on smoking, but suddenly he wasn't that servant anymore. Maybe mid 50's?
I remember this! I was a young congregation servant at the time (in the 60s and 70s) and in June 1973 the Society proclaimed that smokers were to be given 6 months to quit, after which if they were still smoking, they were to be DF.
And so it was that I DF an elderly man who had been "in the Troof" all his life. At one stage he'd been a servant, but now as an old man we suddenly rejected him. I hated doing it but like the loyal one that I was I went through with it. It was horrible telling him he was DF. It wasn't the last time in my life that I had to DF someone for smoking. Looking back now I see how bloody ridiculous it was!
Cheers, Ozzie
Another recollection from the 50s was that field service was much more widely supported then than now. On weekends, the poercentage of the congregation that went out in service Saturdays and Sundays was very high, in the mid 80s percent range, or about the same percentage as that for meeting attendance. And there was much less malingering and time wasting (coffee breaks, riding around, etc.).
The smoking issue is an example of "rules", just for the sake of rules. The Judge smoked. Do we think this requirement would have enforced under his leadership??? I don't think so. And I remember that the "patch" was frowned upon too. Cold turkey quitting was what was expected. And if you "slipped" a couple of times----happy trails!
And there was much less malingering and time wasting (coffee breaks, riding around, etc.).
I can honestly say we never took breaks when I was a kid. We lived in an area that was very populated, and we would go to a territory, get out of the car and walk for two hours, around blocks, doing house after house after house. People were actually home too. That's a BIG difference.
Mulan, that's exactly how I remember it too. As as for the subject of smoking, I remember an avuncular, really highly respected Congregation Servant (as Presideing Overseers were then called) who smoked a pipe; I loved the aromas of that tobacco!
I also think that however misguiided their anti-blood stance, that their policy of simply treating an offender as a spiritually weak person and disqualified from any appointed position (much as they did with smokers) but not disfellowshipping, was a much more enlightened policy, as it acknowledged the vital distinction between weakness and wilful wickedness.
Great thread! Besides your coments, larc, I relate very well to what Room 215, Gary B. and Ozzie commented about. I'm roughly the same age as you guys. It WAS a different world. The district assemblies were major EVENTS back then. We routinely and unanimously passed resolutions resoundingly condemming just about everyone, but ourselves. We were as giddy about new book releases as kids were about the Beatles. I'll never forget the smell of those new books and the smell of the food in the cafeterias we manned. I liked to work in the cafeterias during the big assemblies because that's where a lot of young dub chicks worked. We were always trolling for chicks as teenagers, and they were trolling for guys, but would never admit it.
I remember the rented second story walk-ups that we had for Kingdom Halls, and the charts. Ah, the endless charts and endless statistics, and the endless hours of going over them in the yearbooks. I was too braindead at the time to realize I was a volunteer for a worldwide sales organization. If I diligently canvassed and bought and sold for that organization, I might have a shot at salvation. If I didn't, the god of that sales organization would kill me. What idiocy!
Brothers just two years older than me did real prison time for refusing the draft. And it was true: we had to report for our military physical, and at the end of the day we were asked to step across a line. If we stepped across the line, we were in the army. If we didn't, we had to face the consequences. Of course I was the only one out of about 300 that day who didn't, and I was terrified. Fortunately, the Courts were a little more lenient when I went through that ordeal. I was convicted of a Federal felony, but was sentenced to two years of voluntary public service and later received a full and unconditional pardon from President Gerald Ford after I performed that service. During those two years, I could have obtained an Associate of Arts degree. Of course I didn't. Then the WTS changed their policy. They still owe me an apology of those two years of my life they litteraly snatched from me. I'm not holding my breath.
Chaperones were not required, but yes, double-dating was "encouraged." This is why we rarely went on double dates. We listened to rock and roll music, and no one cared much that we did.
A college education was out-of-the-question. NO dub I grew up with went to college back then. I found it rather hypocritcal that college educated men who then became dubs were immediately on the fast track for the best positions in the congregations, often obtaining those positions over men with many more years of seniority in the book-selling organization. They were highly respected because they had such an education.
100 hours was what a pioneer was expected to do, and if they had low hours during a few consecutive months or didn't make 1200 hours for a year, they were tossed out as pioneers and disgraced.
Circuit Overseers were the Gestapo of the WTS and servants (later MS's and elders) were terrorized by the prospect of their visits. So I guess some things haven't changed!
