my dress was too short.
What Was The Silliest "Offense" That You Were Counseled For?
by minimus 157 Replies latest jw friends
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aSphereisnotaCircle
My husband and I had a small retail store, and one febuary we had one of our employees re-decorate a display window. Well a couple of days later an elder stops buy and wants to talk to us. he doesn't call first, he just walks in during store hours and says, "I need to talk privately with you and your wife"
So good dubs that we were, we stopped working and immediately took time to speak privately with the elder. He says that someone has been offended by our display window. It's febuary, and to many red items had been used for display, some may think we were promoting valentines day! My husband and I began laughing, we couldn't help it. The brother got all defensive and began telling us that we needed to be humble and submit to counsel.
My husband finally told the elder "would you like to speak to the employee that made the display? Knowing that all our employees were witnesses, he said "yes". My husband disapeared for a moment and then returned with the offending employee, well it just so happened that this elders wife worked for us and she had been the one to put together the display!
When my husband came back in the room and presented the offending employee, the elders jaw dropped to the floor. My husband and I left the room trying not to bust out laughing. The poor elder got read the riot act by his dear wife and a few minutes later left our store with his tail tucked between his legs.
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daniel-p
Darth, I hear you on the Bethel thing. One time I got into an argument with a cocky, arrogant SOB of a newboy where we worked and later I was hauled in front of my overseers. They counciled me and I apologized to the guy, even though he never apologized to me and he was the one being an asshole. Then, that day I get back to my room only to find out that my home overseer had been rooting around in my stuff. He didn't like some video games I had and my copy of Lord of the Rings. He said they were concerned about my spiritual health and that those things were cultivating a violent spirit in me. Had to throw it all out...
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quietlyleaving
minimus
When I was a teenager, I was told by an elder that because I smiled a lot and was known for my good sense of humor, that I should come across as "more serious". so before I was appointed a MS, while in my late teens, I transformed myself into a much more "serious" Brother.....This pleased the elders greatly and I was given many wonderful "privileges" from that time onward.
My husband was told that too.
I hardly ever wore my wedding ring because of my line of work. I was counselled to always wear it (I think it bothered the angels or something daft like that)
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GentlyFeral
Beta Male said:
i was passed over for promotion<thank you god>to be an MS because they said i sat by myself too much and i came off as unfriendly,
Yeah, my husband was passed over for elder "because you think too much." What's worse, they told him so.
But they were right, thank the Lack-of-God.*
*As in: "My Lack-of-God! It's Trotsky!" My husband is an atheist, and I have to respect his beliefs, 'cause it's what I do. And he's probably right on points, anyhow.
GentlyFeral
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Blackbird2004
My sideburns ... The elders thought they were too long. I answered back, "Didn't Jesus have a beard? So what's wrong with sideburns?" The elders didn't like that...
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troubled mind
The elders approached me before the meeting and in a serious tone said they would like to speak to me privatly after the meeting . My husband was not there that night and as a forty something mom with three teenagers I was imagining all sorts of terrible things ..All during the meeting I was obsessing over what could have possibly happened . So after the meeting I sheepishly am herded in to the back room .
Two Elders solemly open with prayer and then proceed to tell me a sister has been stumbled because she saw ME helping put up a scarecrow in front of the store where I work !
Holy crap I started laughing with relief that it wasn't something serious one of my kids had done .
They were not amused at my light hearted response but I had to ask " YOu've got to be kidding Right ?" The Elder tried to quote the scripture about how christians are a spectacle of the world but he couldn't remember it all so I quoted it to him instead and still told him I thought this was really a dumb thing to be stumbled over .
I said " It is Fall !" It is a simple decoration for FALL and my store knew I would not do any designs for Halloween so we stuck to a purely simple farmers scarecrow . I saw nothing wrong with it and I DID nothing wrong . I appeased them by saying I would find someone else in the store to put it up next time to keep the peace .Then I left shaking my head .....
Good thing I didn't tell them I was also the one that puts up the Christmas decorations !
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MissingLink
Pulled in the back room because of brown shoes and black belt. (fashion faux pas)
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Seeker4
Oh, these comments bring back some memories! I can absolutely picture my former brother in law elder going to that store to counsel the couple about having too much red in the window.
When I was a young MS, the elders counseled me that, if I was going to be an elder, my conversation with the friends had to be more "spiritual." I have a lot of interests and loved good conversation about things - and that was considered "bad." I was supposed to start talking more about what was in the WT, etc.
I was also counseled when I was a teenager by a CO that I "sure knew a lot about worldly things."
Being too smart or thinking too much is always grounds for being counseled in the WTS.
All these comments reminded me of how the elders felt free to counsel you on anything. There were no boundaries, and if you told them to mind their own business, it was considered a bad attitude on YOUR part! What a bunch of arses.
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minimus
I am LOVING this thread!
Irrev, if Blondie's feeling better, maybe we'll get together soon??