Want to know what growing up in a cult is like?

Johnny Neuron

A couple of you know that I (as well as Cheryl, aka, "Naddia") grew up as members of the Jehovah's Witness religion. Yeah, you know, the ones who ring your doorbell while you're in the shower and want you to read their magazine, "The Watchtower." Well, this is something I posted on an ex-JW forum a couple days ago and I thought you might enjoy it. It's a commentary on a Watchtower article from the 1950's that is just too hilarious. It nicely illustrates the extremes fundamentalist religions will go to to control their members and get salvation. Yes, the article itself is real. So you can distinquish between my comments and the original article, any commentary by myself (all sarcastic, of course) will be in italics. Maybe you'll enjoy it...hehe.

In the long and unusual history of the Watchtower Society there are many doctrines and rules that would make one wonder if the originator of them was high on crack or just escaped from the loony bin. Why, just by using the "Search" feature on your Watchtower CD-Rom and typing in the most innocuous of words will many times lead to the most outlandish article that your imagination could ever conjure up. I just typed in the word "Hats" and see what I found...

*** w52 4/15 254-5 Questions from Readers ***
Questions from Readers

ó Is it proper for men to tip their hats to women?—G. S., Missouri.

Okay, right off the bat one would wonder what kind of moron would ever ask such a dumb question. Does this reader also want to know if it is proper for people to eat chocolate since it is considered an aphrodisiac in some cultures? Obviously, "G.S" from Missouri felt that this burning question of universal importance was critical to his gaining eternal life. Sad, isn't it? What's sadder is the response from the Society. I don't know if it was Freddie Franz or Nate Knorr who wrote the hilarious article that follows, but I think your going to like it. I quote it in it's entirety so as not to take away from it's misogynistic beauty.

Some say hat-tipping started in the days of armored knights. In a book on customs we read: “In the presence of his superior officer the ordinary soldier would indicate his inferiority by removing his protecting helmet. Until the day that armor was laid aside forever no man dared appear helmeted before his king. Again habit became custom, and when equals met each knight removed his metal casque out of respect to the other.” Another book on the subject indicates it started even before that time: “Some authorities suppose that this custom did not originate until the days of chivalry and knighthood during the Middle Ages, but there is evidence that it was common among the Greeks, Romans and certain other ancient peoples. At any rate, it is believed that later it became customary to remove the headgear to show deference to a superior or as a mark of respect to a person of distinction. It was only a step further to lift the headdress as an act of politeness or gallantry to ladies. After the introduction of men’s hats a few centuries ago, raising the hat or completely removing it became a general method of greeting women. The practice retains some of its earlier significance and many people still take off their hats to salute distinguished persons of either sex. Respect for the national flag is shown in the same manner.”

Incidentally, not only is patriotic significance given to this gesture as shown by its being done for the flag, but also religious significance is accorded to it in that Catholic men tip their hats when they pass the Catholic church. They do this as an act of worship toward the bread and wine that is inside the church and which according to their belief becomes the actual flesh and blood of Christ. So in doing this they believe they are paying homage to Jesus Christ, who they think is inside the church in the consecrated wafer.

Ah, you know hat-tipping is in trouble when the Society feels it necessary to trace it's origin in history. And the Greeks, Romans and Catholic Church are mentioned? I think it's safe to say where hat-tipping is headed. Fah-get-about-it! But, the article gets even more preposterous...

Man and woman were not created equal in power and glory; the man came first and was given special prerogatives. As Jehovah is the head over his wifely organization, and as Christ is the head over his espoused church, so the man is the head over the woman. It is the woman that is commanded to show respect and recognition of the man’s position of headship, and women who rebel at it are not so much rebelling against men as they are against God.—Gen. 3:16; 1 Cor. 11:2-10; Eph. 5:33.

Me: man, You: woman. Me: superior in power and glory, You: better respect me, because I represent Jehovah!

But in his world Satan has reversed matters. Starting in Eden, he has pushed the woman ahead of the man, exalted her above man and used her to bring about the downfall of men dedicated to Jehovah. He has flouted God by reversing the position of the sexes.

Yup. Why don't you women stop wearing those sexy dresses at the Kingdom Hall and corrupting our fine young men? Come to think of it, why don't we put you in a screened off portion of the Kingdom Hall so Satan cannot use you to bring the further downfall of Man. The Taliban were part of false religion, but that doesn't mean they didn't have any good ideas, you know

But he is very subtle about it, camouflaging his work under the guise of harmless custom. Many customs are harmless,

(Really?! You mean some customs are harmless? Hey, is this some new light?)

but when they contradict a theocratic principle Satan is behind it to discredit God. He is a past master at such deception. (2 Cor. 11:14) In this particular matter of hat-tipping he appeals to the vanity of women and the so-called gentlemanly qualities of men, and any man who does not comply with the subtle custom is considered crude and discourteous, disrespectful of womanhood. So out of a fear of what others may think the majority fall into conformity.—Prov. 29:25.

Courtesy, shmurtasy. The only reason why men tip their hats at women is because of Satan and peer pressure. Certainly not because they want to participate in a so-called "harmless" custom of chivalry. Nah! There's a deeper, universal issue at stake here.

To refrain from tipping the hat to a woman does not mean one disrespects her. Frequently it is the ones who are excessively courteous and gallant to women who show the least respect for womanhood. They use these flattering gestures and forms of outward courtesy hypocritically, as an opening wedge for improper advances that ultimately show disrespect and lead to misuse of women. It is not good to flatter people, to turn their head; it is to their harm. Specifically, why would a woman want this special show of respect from a man? One woman said in response to this question: “You don’t know how important it makes a woman feel to have a man tip his hat to her.” That is sufficient reason for Christians to refrain from the custom. It is not in the interests of the individual to make him feel important, whether the individual is male or female.

Make women feel important? No, no, no. Real men will treat their women the same way Freddie Franz treated his wife. Oh, wait a minute...I forgot he died a bachelor.

Some might argue that the friendly nod of the head came from the practice of bowing—but the nod is given regardless of sex, by both men and women. It does not exalt the woman. If hat-tipping were done by both men and women to each other, as mutual greeting and show of respect for each other, at least it would not be exalting one above the other. When a customary show of respect is performed between men as well as between man and woman, when it does not set the woman apart for special honor because of her sex, then it does not seem Scripturally objectionable. Hat removal would be too inconvenient for the woman? Then why is it the man that is supposed to rise when a woman enters a room or comes to or leaves the table, and never the woman? Is it too inconvenient again? Is she pinned to the chair, as the hat is pinned to her head? What custom does exist whereby women show respect to men? The absence of any is not just by chance, but is by satanic design to untheocratically elevate the woman above the man. In many ways Satan has taken the woman from the position assigned her by God, taken her from the home and its duties and put her into politics and commerce and religious leadership, and thereby caused much of the modern breakdown on the family front.—Heb. 13:4; Rev. 2:20.

Yes, hat-tipping is by "satanic design." Gee, I had that subtle feeling all along. It certainly couldn't be "by chance" since nothing in this wicked, disgusting world is "by chance" but part of the universal scheme used by Satan in the Garden of Eden to show that humans cannot really rule themselves. Who-da thunk it?

The surface courtesies that are flattering to human vanity are not what real Christian women want; instead they cherish the respect and love of one Christian toward another, and which are shown in weightier ways than the untheocratic customs of Satan’s lustful world. Both men and women should stay in the place God assigned them, in human relationships and divine worship. Only such as are content with these assigned places will live in the new world. Open or subtly disguised creature worship and exaltation will have no place there. It has no place with true Christians now.

Yes, when men tip their hats at women it's really a subtle way of saying "wanna go down on me, honey?" Satan must have been so pleased with those old movies where men are constantly displaying their lustful creature worship in so many subtle customs that Satan has inspired. Hey, maybe we JWs in the 21st century shouldn't even be watching movies like that, since they might tempt us men into wearing hats again and taking them off when one of Satan's pawns walks in the room.

See all the fun you missed out on by not being raised in a cult? :rolleyes

stevepainter

Interesting read. This paragraph intrigued me:

"Incidentally, not only is patriotic significance given to this gesture as shown by its being done for the flag, but also religious significance is accorded to it in that Catholic men tip their hats when they pass the Catholic church. They do this as an act of worship toward the bread and wine that is inside the church and which according to their belief becomes the actual flesh and blood of Christ. So in doing this they believe they are paying homage to Jesus Christ, who they think is inside the church in the consecrated wafer."

I was raised Catholic, my parents are still Catholic and my sister and her family are also Catholic, yet I never heard of this. It must be some custom that the Catholic Church abandoned. I'm curious, when the Catholic Church let the whole "hat-tipping" custom slide, did the WTS nod their heads and say "there's hope for them yet". ;)

I'm sure I'm not the first to point out that this Franz guy sounded like he had some serious issues. Let's see - a lifelong bachelor, hostile towards women and I'm sure hostile towards homosexuals since that's part of the doctrine if I recall. Sounds like a repressed gay man in need of something. :)

Thinking back, I'd say that the treatment of women is one of the things that pushed me away from Christianity. Even in the sects that claim equality, the men are smiling and winking - secure in the "knowledge" that because of Eve women are the root of all evil. Happy that even though they say that women are just the same, men were made first and women were an afterthought. And then of course, God and Jesus are male...

Oh well, I'm rambling too much. Thanks for the post Johnny.

Dom · Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2003 1:33 pm Post subject: huh?

Quote:
"Only such as are content with these assigned places will live in the new world."

Errr... new world?


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