1993 Circuit Assembly Demonstration that Involved "The Firm" (1993)

by FirstInLine 20 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  FirstInLine

  I remember In 1993 at one of the Circuit Conventions that they did a drama in which a young adult woman living with her parents was going to go see "The Firm" (1993) with some other young adult JWs. When she told her parents of her plans they expressed their concerns and she pleaded that sometimes a really good movie is OK to go see if it is rated R. She heard from reliable sources that there wasnt anything REALLY bad with it like gratuitous sex, drugs or demonic themes. In the end her parents convinced her that Jehovah would still not approve because it was rated R. She was reminded that even worldly people recognize it is a bad movie because they are the ones that gave it the R rating.

  The thing that stuck out about this with me was that they mentioned the movie by name instead of using a generic name. You never hear them mention these things in the demonstrations specifically.

  Like I remember a disctrict convention drama in which some JW turned HS athlete and his new worldly girlfriend pleaded with him to keep "playing ball" because for one reason at the last game he "even scored the winning point"

  Now my question is: does it seem like they were specifically targeting the firm because it might look tempting but look out it is a conspiracy of old farts behind closed doors trying to control a young and impressionable up-and-comer?

  The only other time I ever heard of a specific mention in a drama was in the same convention I think a 10 YO kid was playing "Mortal Combat" on his Supernintendo.

  I have really wondered if other people remember the refference to "The Firm" (1993) at a 1993 circuit Assembly.

  (I edited the term Circuit Convention for Circuit Assembly)
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  Sassy

  I sure don't remember the mention of the movie when I went. I remember the part though. The only movie I remember ever being mentioned from a platform at an assembly or convention was Saturday Night Fever back in 1978. It was brought up at a Circuit Assembly. I remember being shocked that a specific name/ rather than generic "R" movie title was given.
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  Nosferatu

  Now my question is: does it seem like they were specifically targeting the firm because it might look tempting

  They do this to make those who have already seen it feel guilty. I had that happen with talks about worldly music. In one specific talk, the brother mentioned the songs "Rape Me" by Nirvana and "Loser" by Beck. The thing is I owned both of these songs! And if your wondering, yes, a chill went down my spine when he mentioned these. However, I didn't end up throwing the albums out :)
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  FirstInLine

  I had no fear of listening to my music or watching my movies.

  I thought I was going to be destroyed at Armageddon for not being able to stop looking at naked pictures and swearing. The naked pictures I could keep at bay but the swearing was epidemic. I just couldnt stop even when I was only 11. I remember the turning point. It was fifth grade camp. Our Counselors were all like 15 and 16 and cursed like crazy and from then on we all cursed like sailors. Before that no one ever cursed at school, after that it was a nonstop rap song.
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  blondie

  Movie mentions at assemblies/conventions tend to be injected locally by the CO or DO. I remember a circuit assembly where the CO chastised the audience during his Sunday morning special talk for the circuit. It seems some "young people" had gotten a car group together to go to Scream but had gone outside the county line to do it hoping they would not be seen by any other JWs. They had lied to their parents about what they were doing. He ranted quite awhile about R rated movies. Mostly I remember movies such as ET, Star Wars, and Star Trek being demonized. Of course no one talks about reading a book where a man kills his brother, another man marries his sister and another has sex with his daughters, where a man cuts up his wife and spreads her parts all over the countryside, where all the little babies in a city are slaughtered by the sword because their parents have the wrong religion (where they sacrifice their children to false gods).

  Blondie
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  cypher50

  I remember that in my district it was almost every assembly that they would mention the evils of video games like Doom...
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  new light

  This is kind of off-topic, but whatever. One time my friend and I (both 16 years old) decided to rent "Air America"--rated "R" if you didn't know. Only problem was my friends dad was renting an apartment to a holy-roller pioneer janitor, which had a door going right to the TV room. We had set up pots pans, etc. in front of his door so we would be able to shut off the movie if need be. It be. He comes bursting in, we press stop, hoping the on-screen "STOP" disappears before he sees it. It did, but the channel on the VCR was public access. He asks, "What are you guys doing watching Public Access?" and barges up to the VCR and takes out the tape. He was so mad we were watching an "R" movie he could barely speak, he was really disturbed. Of course he told our parents and the elders. Thank god he was there to save us from certain moral defilement. God's active force was truly with him.
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  DanTheMan

  I don't remember this movie being referred to at any of the assemblies I went to.

  But, this did get me thinking - one of the Society's outlines makes specific references to an obscure Police song "Murder by Numbers". At least I'm pretty sure that it was in the outline because I remember it being mentioned in the public talk on more than one occasion. I thought it was so stupid that they referenced this song, because first of all it was not a radio hit so next to nobody had ever heard it, and second of all, it wasn't a "pro-murder" song at all, which was how it was portrayed in the outline.

  I wonder if the outline was written in 1983 or something, when The Police were at the peak of their popularity here, and for some odd reason the hacks at Bethel felt threatened by them - ??
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  Thirdson

  I don't remember the firm being mentioned but I remember many similar items denoucing popular and 'R' rated movies. Now here is a difference, in the UK movies rated 'X' and then '18' which replaced it were condenmed by the WTS.

  An 'R' rated movie in the US can be watched by anyone under 18 as long as an adult buys the ticket. In the UK the age ratings are that, you have to reach that age to watch. Many 'R' rated movies are designed to apeal to teenage audiences. "The Firm" was rated 15 in the UK and I watched at a theater without fear of offending too many people. Seems that rarely are books on which films are based ever get much of a mention.

  3rd
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  simplesally

  We had a circuit overseer speaking out against the Titanic from the platforms in the Kingdom Hall and it was only PG. Actually, at the time, I was upset at the movie because at the end, the lady had been married to one person, but all her life felt her one true love was that Jack whom she knew for a short time and had sex with him. He never fathered her children, sat thru sick kids and empty wallets with her yet at the end, that's who she wanted to 'see' in death and go off with.

  It pissed me off at the time because I was married and having troubles yet hanging in there hoping that if it worked out our marriage would be that much stronger and yet here was a movie promoting that fornication (and yes just meeting the person and falling rapidly into bed) could really be love............the values weren't there. And yet the movie was hyped by everyone as not only a good action move but love story.......to me that was not true love but sex.........and yes courage on their parts.