What are the most stupid JW rule?

by beroea 65 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  SusanHere

  Hi, Joel,

  I remember you from the chats a year or two back. Your comment here is so sad as it is right on the money. Shunning makes no sense at all. People in trouble need the congregation to rally around them, and help hold them up through the tough times. Turning your back helps no one. I hope you have good friends now. You deserve them.

  BTW, my sister and her family were once "expelled" (in her words) from a congregation because they were on public assistance, very poor, had very little by way of material things, and were told they were "too needy". How much sense can that make? That would have been the end of it for me, but she's still a member. Kicked in the teeth and she picked herself up, wiped off the blood, said, "Thank you, I needed that." blamed herself for their cruelty, and moved to a new congregation.

  I never understood it. Still don't. I guess I really don't want to. Her life. Her choice. Sure wouldn't have been mine.

  Good luck to you, Joel.

  Susan
• 

  beroea

  To Moxy

  About 1985

  beroea
• 

  anglise

  Here in the UK we had the 'no coloured shirts' one, although that seems to have died a death.
  After that the fashion for ties changed and brothers wearing ones that were too bright or colourful were counseled.
  Sisters mustnt wear culottes.
  Must fill the seats in the KH from the front with no sitting in the back row unless you had a young child.
  At one recent CA they had roped off both sides of the top tiers so everyone was crammed into the centre part just to make us think the place was full.
  The use of the library was changed so that it was only for reference you couldnt take a book out of the hall to read.
  All cleaning overseen by brothers most of whom wouldnt what to do with a mop or vaccuum cleaner.
  Just a few things I could quickly think of.
• 

  Gordy

  I'm in England. Became a JW in 1971, left 2001.
  What puzzles me is this no colour shirst thing for brothers. I never came across it. In the congregation I was in brothers wore all colours even when giving talks. In my early days loud coloured ties where frowned upon, would distract brothers/sister when you gave a talk. Then a Circuit Overseer arrived who wore the loudest coloured ties you have seen after that the Elders couldn't say a thing. Also when i became a JW at the age of 20 I had a moustache. All the other brothers waited to see when i would be told to shave it off. I wasn't then they all started growing them. It was usually the petty little rules that elders decided that made no sense. Through the years i learnt that each congregatiopn seemed to have its own local rules.
• 

  mustbejoking

  No drinking at assemblies - In the UK (south)around the mid 70s we used to have circuit assemblies in Holiday Camps (as they were called then) by the sea, Bracklesham Bay. Everyone stayed the Friday and Saturday night in the little chalets. Friday and Saturday night we all went off to the pub down the road - this was heavily frowned upon and kept being mentioned in the talks. Eventually the CO (Albert Broad - a kinda Hitler without the humour) would cycle around the camp with a powerful torch from 11pm on. We had to climb the fence (barbed wire) to get back in! Fun times

  Mike
• 

  anglise

  Hi MBJ
  The holiday camp assemblies were the best.
  Ours was at Camber.
  Know the name Albert Broad but he was our CO just before we came in in the early 80's.
  As others have said some of the rules seem to be fairly local or the whims and fads of current CO's and DO's.
  I remember one CO who said keep going back on all calls for as long as it takes and no matter how small the interest shown, and the very next CO has everyone "clearing the deadwood" out of their RV book.
  The reg pios hated the latter obviously.
• 

  Eyebrow

  Hey, Mommy!

  I know that the beard and hair rule varies from area to area. Where I live in New England you NEVER see a brother with a beard or funky hair (or at least one that has privillages) but go to bigger metro areas and it seems that there is a lot more leeway. We have bald brothers up here though.

  The elders there sound anal.
• 

  Eyebrow

  Women are not allowed to give talks from the platform.

  Women have a very limited role.
  Hey...I don't care what they say! Sure the women do the bulk of the pioneering, etc...but what decisions do they really make in congregational matters? I remember how excited our congregation got when we redocorated the hall. Finally, woman had somewhat of a say! I still say somewhat because the new decor looks like it will only be complete with a moosehead mounted on the wall.

  And how unkind that you cannot wear pant suits??? Winter is cold...and there are a lot more women that grin and bear the cold to go door to door than men in New England. There are some very modest and tasteful outfits that would not "stumble" people.

  I am not saying it has to be a battle of the sexes...but I got pretty sick of women cowering towards their husbands wishes all the time because they needed to obey their husband. Even in non spiritual things...like how do you decided where you go for vacation? Oh, the brother wants to go here, but the wife wants to go there...then she should shut up and put up.

  Before I married my nonJW husband we decided who would have the final decisions on certain things (due to what we each had expertise in) and all other decisions would be made jointly. And lo and behold, so far so good.

  Another thing that REALLY bugs me!!!! The practice of allowing...no ENCOURAGING teenagers to get married! As long as they are marrying with in the faith it is okay if they are 16, 17 etc... And the age differences...It kind of makes me leery when a 35 year old man is allowed to court and marry a 17 year old girl. How about giving the kids a chance to grow up?
• 

  teejay

  When a brother gives a talk, his jacket and slacks must match. I think there's a scripture somewhere that says so (must be in the Greek Scriptures when Christians started wearing suits).

  A brother that I know who defied this rule was counseled after his Number Five talk. No joke.

  Also, jackets with side vents instead of center vents were discouraged. Again, no joke.

  [... got me wagging my head even now, years later... the rules, the rules, the goddamn rules...]
• 

  individuals wife

  To add a little to the debate on acceptable/non acceptable clothing, this brought to mind a talk we were given on the evils of wearing clothes with 'labels', you know the sort of thing, Nike, Adidas, etc..

  We were told to examine the meanings behind these sort of labels, check out their origins, they may be pagan/occult/blasphemous etc.

  So all the teenagers were now expected to wear daggy clothes, bet the parents were relieved though now that expensive labels had to be replaced by cheaper imitations....