What silly rules did your congregation make up?

by weinermcgee 97 Replies latest jw friends

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  Finally-Free

  Welcome to the board!

  and when i was 14 the elder's told me not to wear my archie (from the archie comic book series) tie to meetings.

  I knew a brother™ who wore a golf tie to meetings and got counselled for it. They said he was "glorifying leisure instead of glorifying Jehovah". Next meeting I saw this elder that gave him the counsel wearing a tie with sailboats on it. I couldn't resist the temptation, so I asked him, in front of others, if he was "glorifying sailboats instead of glorifying Jehovah". It was fun to watch him sputter until he could come up with a nonsensical reply.

  W
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  AK - Jeff

  I remember that a WT article came out on the subject of self-defense. This was in the early 80's. One sentence, in one paragraph, made a comment about hunting firearms being perhaps a bad idea in the house.

  From that one comment the entire city I lived in in Texas banned hunting as a sport. I visited two or three congregations to see what the elders thought there - and they were all convinced that the 'slave' had banned hunting. I argued that they were just 'making rules' without reason and actually wrote to the Society for 'clarification'. The letter came back stating that I had understood it right.

  I gave the letter to one particularly adamant elder to read - I never got it back.

  I don't know if they can hunt there yet - since I left Texas shortly after. What rules obsessed maniacs!

  Jeff
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  Beans

  Quotes and I were banned from playing table hockey in the second basement hall after the meetings, we were so pissed off!
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  Rayvin

  ya know.. I honestly don't remember any RULES that my congo had. I didn't have a very large chest at all and I could get away with wearing a backless dress (no bra) and no one said a word. Well..except an old aunt of mine. I even went to a meeting after childbirth and .. Ka Bam! the cleavage and I didn't buy any new dresses so I just wore an oldy but goody and it seemed to wear differently!!! I even couldn't keep looking down at myself!!! Still .. no word from anyone. I even made a point to make a comment.

  I did wear clothes that showed my figure.. they weren't tight fitting or slutty.. it just was sewn to show a curve. The elders said I was dressing to provocativly. But then their wives wore leather mini skirts.

  Daystar! Do you recall any specific rules??

  Sounds like as strict as our congo was on behavior and disfellowshipping they were short on specific rules. I was more of a friend to the guys then the girls and was talking to 4 of my guy friends and was told it didn't look right for me to be doing that.
• 

  tfsm

  We had the white shirts only rule (for men of course).

  We also had the "if an elder gets caught molesting his grandchildren, he will not be reported to the authorities" rule in full effect.
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  Virgogirl

  I was the only child of an elder. Whenever it was time to shop for shoes, coats or dresses, first Mother and I would scout out the stores' clearance racks for something modest, holding skirts and dresses against me to make sure the length was proper and befitting a modest Christian teen walking in the way of life. And shoes were more complicated! If Mom screened and approved them, it had to wait till Saturday after witlessing. Then my dad would come to the Mall with us and carefully scrutinize them for modesty, gaudiness, practicality, a proper example, bla-bla, thenIi had to put them on and walk in them to be sure they wouldn't stumble or be following a worldly fad! By then, I'd grown a size, lol! Talk about nerve wracking! The guys had to measure their hair so it didn't touch their collar and stumble the newly interested ones. If a family went out to eat, it shouldn't be to a fancy place, or you weren't putting King-Dumb interests first, using the money rather, to advance the Witlessing work. If you took a nice vacation, you had to fellowship with the "friends" in other lands and downplay the fun you had. Better still, every one had to take one of the charter tours to Mecca, er,Bethel
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  doofdaddy

  I remember a local elder giving a talk about long hair but it was in the eighties when long hair was way out.

  He gave himself as an example of balance and modesty, shaved from neck to crown with this little buzz cut on top. Ab high fashion at the time!

  I tactfully pointed this out after the meeting. He went purple with rage.

  There went the priviliges again.....
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  Pistoff

  We had a knuckleheaded elder that decided that large gatherings were the real problem.

  SO: he saw a picture of a gathering in the tower, in an article about gatherings. This picture had 8, count em, 8 people in it.

  And so he said that more than 8 people in a gathering made it TOO LARGE.

  No more congo picnics after that.

  Oh, and Brother Knucklehead did not get many invites after that either.

  His other rule: you had to be at the national average or above to read at the bookstudy. That one got him in trouble; someone made him call bethel and they told him to apologize to all involved. Hehe; that was sweet.

  He got his comeuppance though: the most corrupt CO came through and booted him along with two others; none of them had done much to deserve it but all of them heard him say the most outrageous thing about a sister in the hall that led to a divorce.

  Ah, I miss my old hall. NOT.
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  What_is_ur_point

  not sure if these were considerd rules or just mulit-purpose for controlling irate commenting...

  the elder (particularly one X bethelite) sent to my old congregation would ask..

  Co if he was visiting..

  P.O if he had his hand up....

  Elders then to comment..

  Then the elders wives.

  Then the special pioneers..

  then the pioneers.

  then the publishers who were like pioneers.

  and everyone else had there hand up a few times...

  USUALLY MEN WERE ASKED FIRST AND WOMEN AT THE VERY LAST....IF THERE WAS TIME..
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  weinermcgee

  WOW this topic is blazing! All my suppressed memories are rushing back!!!!