Albums, Tapes, or Videos You Had to Throw Away?

by WTWizard 21 Replies latest jw experiences

  • WTWizard
    WTWizard

    There are so many songs that the Watchtower Society says are "bad". They are the ones that hint on sexual immorality, violence, drugs, or that have reference to Devil worship. Or the ones that have swearing in them, which seems to be common these days.

    What really gets me is how they find such petty things wrong with songs that they basically want to clean out your whole library and make you listen to Kingdumb S*** all the time. They made a big deal of Led Zeppelin because Jimmy Page is supposedly a devil worshiper. They also make a stink about the Stones for the same reason. Culture Club is bad because Boy George used horse while writing the music. Elton John, all Elton John, is bad because he is gay. They also feel that Michael Jackson, even material before his disassociation in 1987, belongs in the trash since playing his Off the Wall or Thriller material will "support that apostate".

    They are also picky with content. A song might have a single obscure reference to sexual immorality. So they want the whole album thrown away. I had a copy of the Doobie Brothers' Touloose Street, with the song Listen to the Music. They wanted that album thrown out because it also has the song Jesus is Just Alright (which was on the back side, and I never played that track anyway). Generally any song with a vague reference to a relationship that could be in sin is "bad". Also, they will view as bad songs that mention other religions even in passing.

    There are even lamer excuses. I have heard elsewhere on this board where someone got a copy of Menudo's LP on vacation. This person liked the music, and it reminded him of his vacation (which in the Witless organization are already too scarce). He had to throw it away because too many people were supposedly worshiping Menudo. This person didn't even like the group's appearance--it was the music that was good, and not the group's lifestyle. Still the album had to go in the trash.

    Has anyone else had music that their congregation or parents made you throw it away? Perhaps a congregation that wanted to crack down on Britney Spears or Hilary Duff. Or parents coming back from the Grand Boasting Session in summer doing a purge of your CD collection. I wonder if anyone else ever got that feeling that there were 225 songs you could listen to while you were in the Tower.

  • Lapuce
    Lapuce

    Well my wife wanted me to throw out my adult movies....:(

  • dedpoet
    dedpoet

    The elders advised me to dispose of my Led Zeppelin, Doors and
    Grateful Dead albums, as well as many bof my Delta Blues compilations.

    I still have all of them, I merely moved them out of sight when a jw called
    on me.

  • Alligator Wisdom
    Alligator Wisdom

    I have two things to say about this.

    1) Several years ago I had invited a new elder who just moved into the congregation to my place for a light snack. You know, I was doing the Christian hospitality sort of thing. Do you know what he did? He made a bee line directly to my CD rack and started to comment on the various types of music I collected. Being a respected JW in good standing that I was, my music really couldn't be considered questionable even by fair minded JWs. However, this elder slipped out one CD that I had bought during my travels in Eastern Europe. It was some cultural music (basically folk songs/polka) that I bought as a novelty. He immediately gave me the inquisition on if I knew the lyrics and the meaning of what they meant, which of course I didn't because of the language barrier. He gave me a stern warning saying that Satan will use anything, even the square dance type of music that the CD contained to subtly lead me off into the broad road that leads to destruction. He said this in all seriousness.

    I never had him back again. And I still have that CD.

    2) Side note to this topic. Now this is scary. There was one Bethalite that I know who can tell you the song number of any Kingdom Melody. Just play the CD of the piano version (the one that they now use at the KH for singing) at random and he can tell you what song number it is. OMG! That confirmed it to me. These Bethelites are freaks! That is all what they listen to, day in and day out, night in and night out. Of course, he asked me what my favorite Kingdom Melody was. I shrugged my shoulder (not knowing the song number off hand) and said my favorite one as a child was "From House to House", because it has a certain flashback flavor to it. He immediately answered, "Oh, song #32. That is taken from Acts 20:20. And did you know that song #192 was taken from Acts 20:20 as well?"

    OMG! FREAK!!

    Alligator Wisdom (aka Brother NOT Exerting Vigorously)

  • WTWizard
    WTWizard

    And they wonder why I won't have any of the hounders for a visit. They have no respect for privacy. First, how can I be moved to commit a wrong if I can't even understand the language of the lyrics? I have had numerous songs that they did this with: the songs were English, but I didn't clearly understand what they were singing about until they mentioned it. How the *$@# is that going to stumble me if I can't even figure out what they are trying to say?

  • startingover
    startingover

    I got rid of my Blue Oyster Cult record. Why? Because it had the word cult in it.

    Looking back that is so bizarre because at the time I was heavily involved in what? a CULT! What a dumba$$.

  • Finally-Free
    Finally-Free

    I got rid of dozens of albums by Black Sabbath, Styx, Pink Floyd, Led Zepplin, and many others. I threw out my porn collection too.

    All things considered, the cult did a lot more damage to my life than my demonized music and porn.

    W

  • Tuesday
    Tuesday

    A couple bands, Sick Sense because it had guys in black robes on the tape, and I had to get rid of an art book because it had a naked woman in it.

  • JeffT
    JeffT

    I'm working on replacing all the stuff I threw out. King Crimson. I miss my King Crimson because it's hard to find. I can't find the Who's "live at leed's" Woodstock, I need to replace that one. Lot's of Pink Floyd.

    I think I'm going to go for a walk now.

  • bluesbreaker59
    bluesbreaker59

    I got rid of ZERO music, because I informed them that as a MUSICIAN, I'm an expert on the subject, and instead of hearing a word or line here or there, they need to listen to the whole thing in context. They never brought up music to me again. Well one elder said I was materialistic, because I had a couple nice guitars and a really nice tube amp. I basically said that it was my business what they cost, and since I wasn't missing meetings or starving for food, that it wasn't their business.

    I did clean out my R rated movies at one point, however now I have most of them back. I just have to go re-buy the Godfather Trilogy.

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