SUPERBOWL AND THE JWS

Mary

Someone posted on another thread: The cong. I came from we were not ALLOWED to watch football though I'm sure some did on the sly. Football was likened to the Christians being torn apart at the Coliseum.

I was quite stunned to read that.......in my congregation, no one ever said there was anything wrong with watching the Superbowl. In fact, most of the elders and MS's all had Superbowl parties and they started right after the closing prayer on Sunday. They couldn't get out of the Hall fast enough. I remember one fanatic sister wanting to go out in Service after the meeting and the elder told her point blank she was on her own cause they were all getting together to watch the Superbowl. LOL! The sisters all made snack foods (chicken wings, bruchetta, crab-stuffed mushrooms, chips, nachos etc.) and the bros of course, had cases and cases of beer.........Everyone would get tanked out of their minds and feel like crap Monday morning on their way to work.......

Was my congregation the exception to the rule? Anyone else ever have the Superbowl Parties with other Dubs?

rocketman

Most jws I knew watched that obscure, barely-hyped contest known as the Super Bowl, which you may have heard of. I had a few jws, including elders, over to watch some of the games, and I accepted some invitations to watch at some jw homes, including elders.

But, we did one time (1999) have an elders meeting on Championship Sunday, and I missed the AFC and NFC title games that day because of that. I was very upset that my fellow elders chose that day of all days. They wouldn't have done that on Super Sunday, but true football fans aren't going to have meetings during the Conference Championship Games either.

jaffacake

Mary

We are keen on football (soccer) in England.

When my friend was being 'groomed' by a JW elder, before his baptism, I suggested we go to the pub (as usual) to watch the football match. However, he was invited to the elder's home to watch the football there instead, on his new large plasma screen TV.

So I assume watching football is fine, so long as you don't do it with 'worldly' people, and so long as you don't enjoy it too much. I have visions of stifled celebrations when a goal is scored.

BluesBrother

Over here it is the real football, with a round ball.

Like the rest of the population , most of the male dubs follow it and most of the female ones despise it. The increased TV coverage in recent years has brought it to everyone's home and the dubs including elders are as keen as anybody. There used to be a downer on actually attending at the matches , because of the then perceived threat of crowd violence, but since that situation has improved, I don't know if they still say that.

I was once in my youth, counselled for openly supporting the England Team , (nationalism?) but that is all. incidentally I tried to explain that following a team is not the same as supporting a country, but they could not understand.

serendipity

American football is almost a religion in Texas. If the WTS condemned football, there would be a mass exodus of JWs here.

There are Superbowl parties every year in the cong I attend. My brother and sis in law give one almost every year and elders show up. It's all good.

Think

The endless talks about how we, good "holly people", should avoid violent sports like football and boxing was vivid im my head.

Then, one day I was invited to "Christian Brotherhood Gathering".

The TV Set was blasting full power with the recent foodball game. I was suprised, because I come to see my dear brothers and sisters, enjoy the companionship, and exchange upbuilding spiritual talks, not to watch TV.

O Boy ! I was in a shock seeing "exemplary holy Example Brother" watching the game and almost worshiping the idols.

Next time the brother was giving "upbulding spiritual talk as a proper food at a proper time" in KH.

My mind was co confused, as how people can have double standards, "instructing the sheeps what to do", and doing the opposite.

Same was with boxing. We should not to watch or partisipate. I was for a big suprise again, when at " Holy Christian Gathering" I was a " Wittnes to the Holiness of the Borg", When " Holy Brother Wise Elder was glued to the TV Boxing Match. He told me that he watch Boxing all the time, and also " DO" boxing !

My conscience was " raped" again !!! So much for " good"example for the sheeps from the top.

blondie

Many JWs have Super Bowl parties. No problem since many of the attendees are elders. The only complaint I heard was about people who had rooms devoted to their favorite team and the time a brother showed up for field service with a flag of his team on his car; the CO was not amused.

Missing the meeting to watch sports was frowned upon but many an elder I knew that got tickets to local events and it fell on a meeting night, just went to another congregation on an alternatve night.

Hypocritical, certainly.

Blondie

Gretchen956

In the congregations I went to it was allowed the only thing from the platform was cautioning against hero worship and of course the admonition to tape the game if it played during a meeting. I did notice, though that whichever congregation had the morning meeting on Superbowl sunday was always packed out.

Sherry

gumby

Half the brothers in my wifes hall missed Sunday meeting if there was a Raiders game or a 49er game that Sunday since these two teams represented my area. Didn't matter if they were servants or not, they missed the meeting. Heathen bastards!

Gumby...who's never ever heard of dubs refraining from football.....but has heard of them not wanting to play adult twister with me.

JeffT

Superbowl parties were common at all three of the congregations I attended. The last time the Seahawks got some where, the AFC Championship game was played against the Raiders during a circuit assembly. Whenever there was a break in the ~~action~~ program a bunch of brothers would run to the parking lot, catch the score on the radio and whisper the news to the rest of us.

SUPERBOWL AND THE JWS

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