Most hated Rules and Regulations

by Bendrr 24 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Bendrr

  The thread about "clinking" got me to thinking.
  What were the rules you hated most? Rules that were just so boneheaded as to be infuriating.
  There are so many rules and regulations to follow as a dub. Some rules may not even be able to be referenced in the publications, at least not firmly and clearly. Some may even be strictly word of mouth, or enacted locally by an elder or CO and treated as law.
  So which ones are y'alls' aggravations?

  Mine?
  A Witness's car: may not have a loud muffler (like a glasspack or dual exhaust), should not be a two-door, should not have a loud stereo.
  No motorcycles for dubs! (I knew this was "unofficial" when I saw a motorcycle in the parking lot at Watchtower farms, parked next to an old Ford Galaxie with a hot motor and dual exhaust)
  The "quota" was 10 hours a month in field service.
  At some wedding receptions, the "rule" was only the married couples may dance.
  No camoflouge clothing, it means you are imitating the military. (I never quit wearing those army surplus camo pants, great for working in lawn care)
  No tie-dyed shirts.
  No tee-shirts of bands or sports teams. (idolatry, but I wore my Pink Floyd t-shirt to quick builds anyway)

  mike.
• 

  Francois

  No beards. But I grew one anyway.
  No smoking. But I did it anyway.
  No pants suits for the ladies. I insisted my wife wear 'em anyway.
  No roller skating on weekends with worldly people. Did it anyway.
  No steel rim glasses. Looked good on me, I thought.
  No bell-bottomed pants. Had six pair.
  No wide neckties. Surprisingly good with a leisure suit.
  No leisure suits. Hated 'em but had to have at least one.
  No oral sex. Are you kidding? With MY record?

  Francois

  NOTE TO GOVERNING BODY: You've been challenged to a debate, boys. Dont you have ANY balls?
• 

  Hmmm

  I never liked the "quota" of 10 hours else you'd be considered "weak."

  But I really hated the no beards rule. Supposedly the reason is that the Society didn't want to be associated with the hippy movement in the US during the late 60s-early 70s.

  In the mid 80s, when I was just starting to "progress" and also growing "little tiny hairs... all over my face!" (two points for anyone who can tell me who said this) I had to make sure to shave any time I was going to be on stage. The rule of thumb was that we should dress the same way a respected businessman or TV news anchor would dress.

  A news anchor in my city wore a beard, and plenty of businessmen did, but any brother wearing a beard couldn't--and still can't--be "used."

  Hmmm, good thing early Jews and Christians never wore beards, or the clean-shaven Jesus wouldn't have used them.
• 

  Moridin

  I absolutely hated the camo rule along with "good witnesses go out in service on weekends", my only damn days off. I also hated the chaperone rule. The reason that JW marriages are so screwed up is because the two people can't talk about anything with someone sitting in between them.
• 

  Kat_

  Why no 2-door cars? I heard that before but never figured out why.

  Just Wondering,
  Kat
• 

  Pork Chop

  Man, you guys must have lived in some strange place, I have never heard of half these.
• 

  Robdar

  My son used to attend meetings with my parents after I stopped going to the KH. After my divorce we moved to Kansas City and my son wanted to continue to attend meetings. I didn't want to prevent him from going so I would drop him off at the hall and pick him up afterwards. Soon one of the elders offered to give my son a ride to and from the hall. One Sunday evening my son came home very upset. He told me that on the way home the elder had scolded him and told him that he shouldn't wear blue jeans and tennis shoes to the hall. He asked my son why he would dress that way. Told him that it was very important to dress in a suit to show proper respect to Jehovah. My son was too embarrassed to tell him that we were a single family and had no extra money to buy clothes for the meeting. All he had to wear to the meetings were his school clothes. My son was a 3rd generation JW. He saw through the BS at the age of 11 and he has never gone back to the meetings. He said he would rather not grow up to be that narrow minded. All I can think of is Luke 17:1-2.

  A Guppy Love,
  Robdar
• 

  blondie

  Porkchop, that's because they tend to be some individual's (elder or elder's wife, CO or DO) pet peeve. I can remember when white shirts were verboten on the platform...now the COs wears them all the time...it is still verboten at the assemblies though. The last photo of the Gilead graduates showed 1/3 to 1/2 the brothers with colored shirts and some with bow ties.

  Some CO will come through and say sisters must wear nylons at the KH and in field service. When the sisters go out with him they might wear nylons, when he moves on to the next congregation, they go back to their normal attire.

  I see less and less of this, it is usual older brothers that still hang onto these idiosyncrasies.

  Two door cars are uncomfortable in field service when you have more than 2 people if you are getting in and out often or have older sisters as passengers. Yet I had a 2-door car for 10 years and regular pioneered and never heard a peep from anyone.
• 

  betweenworlds

  Going to a church for a funeral or a wedding, but not being *allowed* to participate in any of the event, lest we accidentally do something babylonish. LOL stupid, stupid, supid
• 

  Robdar

  My parents wouldn't come to my 2nd marriage because I got married in a wedding chapel. My sister is the only one who came but she isn't a JW anymore. I guess my parents thought that they might get demonized if they set foot in any religious building other than a KH. Speaking of demons, remember the no smurfs rule?

  A Guppy Love,
  Robdar