"Fancy Dress" and large social gatherings are banned in our Halls! Why?

by Witness 007 24 Replies latest watchtower scandals

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  tinker

  Back in the 1970's there was a series of Big JW Parties in the LA area. Sometimes costumes and sometimes formal. Big, I'm talking 'tickets' sold. This was just around the time of Michael Jackson and Thriller. Some bros were going to Hollywood makeup artists for full on Wolfman or Frankenstein makeup. I remember it all fondly. We got to meet other JW teens from places other than your local KH.....the better for the gene pool.

  So it was not long before the hammer came down hard. Letters read, scriptures sighted. The rule of 'no large groups' went to the extre and then a party of 10 was considered uncontrolable. One of the huge issues was also men dressing as women. The homophobia amoung JW's is nauseating.
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  LongHairGal

  The REAL REASON that large social gatherings are banned is because the religion is terrified that JWs will get together socially and TALK. Period. They are deathly afraid of any meeting that is not SUPERVISED by them. This is what it has come to. Never mind their so-called fears about 'fornication' and 'immorality'. This is just a smokescreen for what is REALLY bothering them.

  They are not so much concerned about immorality as they are about JWs talking about religion or the bible in general. They are frightened that a couple of JWs with a few brain cells to rub together might get together with somebody else with thinking ability and might have a conversation about the latest 'new light' teaching or something else. The religion is afraid that once people start talking they won't stop and will talk to OTHER people and tell them what they think. This might get people to saying 'hmmm'.

  The religion doesn't want this. They would rather that people committed fornication because the alternative of so-called apostasy is causing them to lose more people.
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  Doubtfully Yours

  This is an isolated incident, in a boring cong, with old/boring body of elders. It happens.

  Not my my cong. We're always having parties, I mean there's at least once per month, some months 2 and 3 in the same month: Graduations, kid's parties, anniversaries, engagement, baby showers, parties to honor the elderly among us, wedding parties, whatever. We're one happy bunch at the Spanish congregations of Southwest Florida!

  Can't fix boring! Has nothing to do with the religion itself!

  DY
• 

  Mad Sweeney

  ...has nothing to do with the religion itself!

  Er...this was already posted. Congratulations on your Spanish elders not following it:

  *** w92 8/15 p. 19 par. 17 It is 100% borg directive:

  "Social Entertainment-Enjoy the Benefits, Avoid the Snares ***
  17 Fine oversight of a social gathering includes its planning and preparation. This does not require devising a catchy theme to make it unique or memorable but which would imitate worldly parties, such as costume balls or masquerade parties. Can you imagine faithful Israelites in the Promised Land planning a party where all were to dress like pagans in Egypt or another land? Would they plan sensuous dancing or wild music that might be the rage among pagans? Back at Mount Sinai, they did get ensnared in music and dancing such as may have been current and popular in Egypt. We know how God and his mature servant Moses viewed that entertainment. (Exodus 32:5, 6, 17-19) Hence, the host or overseer of a social event should consider whether there will be any singing or dancing; and if so, he should be sure that it is consistent with Christian principles.-2 Corinthians 6:3."

  There have been KMs and Local Needs parts on this stuff. All that comes from the borg. Local elders don't make their own decisions on anything and if you think they do, I have a bridge to sell you.
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  poopsiecakes

  I think a lot of these rules depend on where you live and the culture that surrounds you. I've been to quite a few large witness parties - when I was younger, it was for graduations, and in later years some took the initiative to organize fancy dress gatherings and renting rooms at restaurants or hotel banquet halls. This was all in the English speaking congregations in Quebec. In the French congregations, things were much more black and white and rules were enforced rigidly. In both instances however, costume dress parties were never permitted.

  As a side line, I attended a wedding in a French congregation I was in where some non-witness relatives were in attendance. One of them arranged (as a surprise) for a magician to come in during the dinner and do some close up card tricks at the tables and perform a little show. WELL, the fallout from that was unreal. The bride and groom were chastised for not having stopped the proceedings immediately, a local needs part was prepared that week and there was quite the brou-ha-ha over the whole affair. I told a few of my friends at the hall that card tricks and slight of hand have nothing to do with the devil - which was the gist of the talk - and they looked at me as if demons were flying out of my backside. Once again, I was the 'outsider' English girl who obviously was not very spiritual.

  Just silly....
• 

  Pistoff

  Same old story, if the elders want to be jerks, they will.

  I had larger music events at my place, all supervised and attended by elders, until the CO got questions, only questions about it and called the elders.

  Then even the ones WHO HAD ATTENDED decided it was "against the slave".

  They can't think anything through at all. People NEED social occasions, even costume parties.
• 

  lancelink

  back in the early 80's our hall had something called a "radio party" kind of like a 50's get together. Several bro's played (carefully screened)

  music. There was dancing, lip synching, and contests, costumes,,, it was alot of great fun, and everyone loved it.

  Except certain elders.

  Two parties in the span of one year, and DING the bell was rung and it never happened again.

  This was the Crystal Lake, Barrington, palatine, Round Lake group.
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  thepackage

  I remember in the late 80’s early 90’s there was a witness couple in Los Angeles that would have “formal dinner parties” and sell tickets. You’d get dinner, a picture (just like the prom), a live band and dinner. I don’t remember what the tickets cost but everybody would get dressed up with formal dress and tux. The brother that arranged these parties was a real nice guy and he made a few bucks off these parties which help support his family. Well you know what happened, there was a talk at a Circuit Assembly and the parties ended. I remember several people would look forward to these parties since it was their only opportunity to do something fun and feel “normal”.

  Interestingly, it was popular for Elders in my old Circuit to have huge black tie events to “celebrate” all their years serving Jehovah. Basically it was a huge kiss a$$ event for that Elder. People would get the mic and talk about how great that Elder was..blah blah blah.
• 

  FuzzyPaul

  JUDE 10-12

  But these rail at whatsoever things they know not: and what they understand naturally, like the creatures without reason, in these things are they destroyed.

  Woe unto them! For they went in the way of Cain, and ran riotously in the error of Balaam for hire, and perished in the gainsaying of Korah.

  These are they who are hidden rocks in your love-feasts when they feast with you, shepherds that without fear feed themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn leaves without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;

  If a person loves God they aren’t likely to behave wildly or immorally. The org can't put love for God into someone’s heart. They can only legislate behavior and tell you how to act. The WT focuses on VISIBLE results, statistics, numbers, dress & grooming. There are enough briefcases being walked into a KHall on Sunday for an Insurance Salesman convention.

  I was a JW for 45 years. The Watchtower is most afraid of people trapped in the organization feeling a bit of fresh aire. When we had bowling parties or square dances in SW Connecticut in the early 1980's there were individual's from congregations as much as 60 miles away. 200 people at a square dance. People will talk and if the congregation they are in is having a scandal or two then the news will spread. The Watchtower does not want news to spread.

  The WT likes four color illustrations of people eating baskets of fresh fruit in groups of six or seven. Most of those illustrations have a creepy feeling to me. The fact is there are subliminal pictures and hidden objects such as the Bohemian Grove Owl or skulls in the waterfall in The Live Forever Book.

  Get a life, I did. I am a Southern Baptist and can not say enough good about the amazing difference this has made for us. The constant barrage of garbage in the Watchtower pubs about the "worldly" people in Christendom is intended to convince a JW that he has it so good being sent to sleep in his cupboard after the meetings. It isn’t close to being true.

  This slide show is about The Cinderella’s Closet that CornerStone Baptist Church does for Prom. Dresses, shoes, make-up, accessories, hair dressing is all donated. Each year it gets bigger. Any girl can come in, get dressed up and made up for the Prom. It is a celebration in itself. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjHJXnMBIDY&feature=related

  They intend to add a Bridal Cinderella's Closet.

  Even if one believes that the WT has crafted an exaggerated portrayal of what might happen or what did in group gatherings outside the WT org they still buy into the lie that they can’t go there. My son is 11 and went to Christian Skate Night tonight. He won the race for his age group again. The local roller rink has a monthly Christians only skate party. We have churches from 40 miles away attending with buses from some. Denomination isn’t an issue. I don’t know the denomination of anyone except people I know from my church. The DJ is a Sheriff’s Deputy (few know that, he smiles too much to look like a cop) with four kids who spins cool Christian Music and calls games. I have never seen a problem. All the kids are good.

  The WT is a sad joke. The WT leaders are those who “rail at whatsoever things they know not” and are “shepherds that without fear feed themselves”. They fear you if you should ever learn firsthand how beautiful a life I have as a Baptist. Sneak into a Wednesday night supper / discipleship class night at a local Christian Church and find out for yourself - if you dare.

  Love and Blessings,

  Paul
• 

  SirNose586

  Keep clampin' down, elders! Make that cult more and more of a drudgery, and you'll get very bored people. Bored people look to be entertained elsewhere. If they were smart, they'd make more of an incentive to be a dub, but they can't.