Before I start my subject post, I like to extend a warm welcome to all the new members that have joined the site. I just can't keep up with all the new names. Nice to see all of you here.
I haven't posted anything in a while because of work, scheduling and everything else, but I do have some interesting thoughts that I would like to share with all of you in the coming months. So, to start off with something light-harded, I have always had a feeling about the over bearing hand, the many rules and regulations that must be followed. As I grew up, my parents always instilled in us that we should use our conscience, because its a way to guide us as Christians or good people.
Then as time went along as little kids that we were, (if my memory serves me right, this was in the late 1970's) I was playing games with my siblings, and for some reason, I blurted out the word "Gee", well, that didn't go well with my Mom. She said, "Hey, didn't you learn anything at the meeting, you are not to say words like "Gee, Golly, or Gee-Wiz, because those words are the derivative of the expression "G-d dam." I said "Mom, I'm not swearing, and I would never use the Lord's name in vane." She says, "I know, but we're told not to say those things."
For those of you who don't remember, or those of you that were to young, this was brought out on a Thursday night for the Ministry school. It was the "Instruction talk that was 15 minutes long, taken from the book "The Theocratic School Guide" book. I don't recall the page numbers, but, there you have it.
To shorten the story, my parents and I have been out for a very long time. A lot of years went by, and I reminded my parents of the incident. My Mother says, "I really don't know what the big deal was, it's just rules and regulations as usual." So I was telling my folks, that even Television shows like "The Andy Griffith Show," and the "Leave it to Beaver" show used words like Gee, or Golly. And during that time error, when people had decency, the average person knew that the shows of that type never for a moment meant swearing towards God. You can see why Wally always said to Beaver when he was in trouble, "Gee Beave", because he was always in a jam.
I also recall a long time ago when I went to an assembly on a Saturday, and that evening, the movie that was showing was entitled "Indiana Jones", well, what do you know, the speaker the next day said, and I am paraphrasing, "Brothers, we want to be spotless and unblemished, not being enticed by the worlds ways, and seeing a movie such as "Indiana Jones", would not be acceptable in God's eyes. And I say to myself, "Gee", whoops, I didn't mean to say that.
So, I ask myself, why can't I use my own conscience to decide right from wrong. My thoughts are somebody gets ticked off that (Brother Feeble) is doing something that seems objectionable to them, they go to the elders, the elders go to the CO, then he calls Headquarters, and they say, OK, we'll discuss it in the board room and come up with a study article in the magazine. (And all this because of one person!)
So all I can say is "Gee", "Golly", why can't I use my own conscience?
Take care, everyone! And may the Good Lord take a liking to you! as Roy Rogers use to say.