by larc 70 Replies latest jw friends
Hey Gary,
Nothing they promised me ever came true. GaryB
Oh, one thing did come true. They told me if I ever left, they would shun me. They have kept that promise.
I enjoyed your post. The Watchtower has changed indeed!
Thanks everyone for sharing.
Observador.
If you were "on appeal" with the Selective Service, the FBI checks were automatic. I remember going to visit the Congregation Servant at his workplace, and he told me that the FBI Agent had just left. He was inquiring into my background and so forth.
Yes, there was always the "handbills" for the public talk on some prominent place in the KH. We were to take them with us to stuff in a door if nobody was home. Magazines were still to be collected for in those days!!! I had never heard of such a thing as giving away the literature!!!
"Handbills were different from "tracts". The "tracts" were multipage, folded blurbs on doctrinal topics. The "handbills" were specifically dated to a given Public Talk/lecture/whatever.
Everybody honed up on their doctrinal details in those days. Anyone at the door might resist the doctrine and they were to be mowed down with scripture & "Bible-based reasoning". No decent 50's JW would be caught dead doing the current "Hey, you want these magazines" pRESENTATION. (http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/36198/1.ashx)
Mustang
" There was a 15 minute smoke break between the talk and the Watchtower study"
Interesting thread - brings back a lot of memories for me too of how things were in the late 50's early 60's.
Was the 15 minute break between meetings really for the smokers??? LOL. If I am not mistaken, that break went away in the mid 70's - right around the time when they gave you 6 months to quit smoking of be DF'd. Gary you must be correct!
Several years ago, speaking with the PO - we both agreed that there were no longer any real "burning issues" for young people to rally around like flag salute, military service, (friend of mine went to prison for 2 years during Vietnam - what a waste) etc.
At the risk of sounding like the cranky old men from the Monty Python skits, JW kids nowadays have it a lot easier! Double-lifer slackers!
Great post, larc!
You really bring back the memories. I was talking to a male Witness relative about
the future. He is increasingly burned out - his kids are drifting away or out completely
and he is starting to quietly question things. He wholeheartedly agrees that things are
different today and that Witness kids are falling away.
The "truth" is becoming an empty shell, outside it looks fanatical, inside there's nothing.
metatron
Metetron, I espescially liked your last statement, "The 'truth' is becoming an empty shell, outside it looks fanatical, inside there's nothing." I could not agree more with your statement. Well written, sir.
Yes, they quit the smoke breaks between meetings when they quit allowing smoking. They said there was no more need for the breaks. We all stood up and they played a tape recorded song and some of us sang and then we all sat back down and another era ended.
I think they removed the piano from the hall about the same time. They said the reason it was removed was the piano players could better use their time with the literature distribution work because the end was so near . . . . and another era ended.
GARYBUSS------I looked on a site called Jesus' Witnesses at an article called "7 points of Watchtower Indoctrination". Point 3 mentioned that Judge Rutherford was a smoker......I don't know how they knew this but I'm sure I read it elsewhere, too.
Min, thanks. I think the Judge smoking is a myth. I have never seen any proof. I am not giving up. If anyone has any proof the Judge smoked, please let me know. GaryB
Gary, I seem to have a picture stuck in my head of him with a cigar or pipe. Also on WT.Observer, there's comment stating the same thing.
Garybuss, I have read at several places that the Judge smoked fine cigars. However, I can not give you a reference. I do know that he wore one hundred dollar silk shirts back in the 40's, which would be much more costly today. He also brought in wiskey from Canada during prohibtion. It is also likely that he has a mistress. So, I am not surprised if he smoked cigars.
