forbidden by When my sister went on a vacation to visit a friend, the workers for that area were staying in the same house while she was there. One of the workers took exception to the length of her nails and actually crept into the room my sister was sleeping in and clipped her nails off while my sister was sleeping. Of course my sister woke up while she was doing this and flipped right out.

forbidden by Remember the "three ducks in flight" that used to be popular as wall mounted ornaments in homes in the sixties? Scolding and admonishment given to professing folks who had them on the walls in the loungeroom. The admonishment was on the basis of Ex 20:4 and Deu 5:8 "Thou shalt not make....or the likeness of any thing that is in the heaven abve or that is in the Earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth". The highly embarassed folks obediently and meekly took them down.

forbidden by Growing up, we did not have a TV in the house but when we took a family vacation and stayed at a motel my father would turn on the TV in the room before the bags were unpacked. And it stayed on until checkout time. Both parents stared at it bug-eyed and drop-jawed. This was in the fifties when motel TVs were coin operated. Dad always had a couple rolls of quarters in a suitcase. When I was a 14 year old boy I was invited to a Sadie Hawkins dance by the prettiest girl in my class. I was forbidden to go but snuck out anyway. I had a miserable time because I was constantly looking over my shoulder and then later was laden with guilt for doing such a brazen thing. The movie "Ten Commandments" with Charlton Heston was hugely popluar movie and my 'low-life' school friends thought I would surely be able to see my first movie. They were mystified and amazed when I told them 'no.' When I was 16 I rebelled and never went to another meeting. When I left home at 18 I was naive an d totally unprepared for the real world. I went wild! Smoking, drinking, sex. I brought home my Japanese girlfriend and was severely reprimanded in front of her. This was the last act of 'Christianity' I would ever tolerate from my parents. To this day ( I'm now 60 years old) I feel like I had very little in common with my parents and other family members in The Way.

forbidden by I live in Europe and in my country there is a large group of friends. I decided 3 years ago to stop going to meetings and conventions because I was forced to wear long (very long) skirts and large blouses (not to tempt men) and I was not allowed to cut my hair. I was raised in this 'religion' since I was a child and I always wanted to have a shorter skirt (as young girl) and I had to listen to all the jokes made by my school mates regarding my clothes. I was forced to wear a skirt even when the temperature during the winter was (-20)degrees Celsius and my knees were freesing. We were not allowed to have a blouse without sleeves or our hair free on the back. I left already all of this behind me, but I still have some roots regarding cards games, gambling, drinks and tabacoo.

forbidden by I remember very specifically asking the workers why I couldn't go to the school dance or listen to the radio, and they said it was too worldly and "that's just the way it is" Yeah. Good answer.

forbidden by Walked into the meeting with my shirt and tie on, was told by a sister worker that men should wear more "manly colors" that it doesnt look good for the truth if the men are like women!

forbidden by According to my parents, if Jesus returned he would not come there to look for us.

forbidden by I was cleaning my room once before the sister workers came. They arrived before I had finished, so one of them came in and started "helping" me. One of the older friends had hand crocheted a cross for me as a bookmark that I had in my pile of junk that I was sorting through. She saw that and said "You don't need that" and THREW IT AWAY!!!

forbidden by We defied it. They just let the matter go. It is not a problem now, especially here in Australia.

forbidden by She said that Satan uses the airwaves (TV, radio) and phone lines (computer) to communicate evil to us. She also said that being educated is not good because it causes us to question.

forbidden by We were sitting around the kitchen table and a worker (special meeting company) asked what sort of books we--me and my younger brother--liked to read. I think she was looking for an answer like "the Bible" or "historical books" but my brother said immediately, "Harry Potter." She got this funny look on her face and said, "Don't even go there" and then proceeded to give a lecture about the evils of the boy wizard. Ironically, another worker said she had read all five books and loved them.

forbidden by When told at the beginning of my 3rd grade to bring shorts each day I had gym, my parents consulted the workers, and a meeting and discussion followed. It was decided that I would be allowed to wear shorts for gym, but only under a skirt or dress.

forbidden by I was reprimanded by a worker for taking a picture on Sunday - no reason given.

forbidden by When I professed at about 12, I inherited an old Bible that was around the house. Every direct quote from Jesus was printed in red. I thought this was great and excitedly showed it to a visiting worker. I just remember a frown, a head-shaking, or some similar disapproving response. Sometime after that, I got a new standard KJV as a gift, and the "red-letter" version went back into storage. I haven't given this incident much thought in a long time, but now it speaks volumes to me. Jesus' words are really not the workers' main interest; in fact, they edit His words very carefully in order to deemphasize the concept of salvation by Grace.

forbidden by I wasn't allowed to go bowling with the PE class, because "people drink and swear" there. Dancing was just a no-no, period. No discussion, no reason.

forbidden by A couple had professed in meetings and they let the boy (about 10) wear shorts to Sunday morning meeting. After meeting was over, Ken looked at the boy and said "where is your pants?" I liked Kenneth but couldn't understand why he made such a remark after meeting in front of the meeting crowd.

forbidden by The comfortable and cool wrap around skirts were being worn at the hot and humid Rochedale convention by the poor girls slaving on the tables. It was then proclaimed in a meeting that they were unacceptable due to the "nature of design that could show parts of the body and skin that may be upsetting to some folk". HUH? How did he know? Was he looking?!

forbidden by My mother thru away my make-up. My sister told me I looked like a slut when I wore make-up.

forbidden by We had traditional decorations including mistletoe and holly draped around the picture frames. We also had a coal fire and went into the room where the worker had been sitting and heard sparks. She had put the whole lot to burn!

forbidden by This was in the late 50's when seamless nylons were coming in. Worker said not to wear them cuz people might think you weren't wearing any hose.

forbidden by Went and did those things anyway. Why? Because my father didn't profess and we showed cows at the fairs, my younger brother and I joined the band, and I also joined the chorus. I loved music. I was told by a professing peer that the only reason I was allowed to take part in meeting and do these things was because my father wasn't professing and therefore didn't have an understanding. But looking back, I think it was jealousy, and not the workers, that prompted that statement.

forbidden by I am a 3rd Generation B&R, an elder's daughter. I was due to marry on a Saturday. Walter arrived on Thursday. He had me read with him many scriptures, fortelling a Lost Eternity if I married "Outside." He also reminded me of others I knew who Had married "Outside" and had been "Led astray." He also told me no workers would be at my wedding because they would appear to "condone it if they did, thereby sending the WRONG message to other young folks. Amazingly, We are still happily married, 28 years later and are finally free and learning to enjoy the peace and joy of God's love and grace for the first time, TOGETHER. Bless the friends from Alberta for their strength and for sharing their 1997 letter. Also thank you for all of your wonderful messages on this site.

forbidden by Had to take it back to the store and get a silver one. Ha!

forbidden by Mom did it for me anyway. Made to feel guilty through the whole process. Forced myself to fail, so mom would not suffer shame. Ironically, Wednesday choir concerts were allowed, but not without mom constantly reminding me I was missing meeting and embarassing her. Fouled up on purpose there, too.

forbidden by I was told that I was only serving God halfway when I had bangs and married outside the "truth." When I was going to have a shower for my Uncles' fiance and had already handed out all invitations, a worker came to visit, telling my Mom and I that we couldn't have the shower because it wasn't appropriate to outwardly give gifts and also that it may cause competition between friends. I found this odd because the friends are always competing. How about all of the potlucks that they have—what if someone brings a better dish than someone else? When I let it known that I was thinking about becoming a cop, I was promptly taken for a car ride by a worker who told me that it would not be appropriate because I would have to wear pants. I was informed that I was sitting on the fence because my hair was half cut. When I decided to marry outside of the way, I was taken to a restaurant by the workers who proceeded to tell me horror stories about others that went that route. We started a family right away and I had twin girls. Alton Mose could barely look at them when we went to gospel meetings. Shortly after my girls were born, a worker came for a visit. She followed me into my bedroom and told me that she felt that it was her responsibility to ask me when the girls were concieved.

forbidden by Leo asked me what happened to my hair and then frowned very disapprovingly.

forbidden by This was hanging in our "workers room." He took it down, set it in the hallway facing the wall, and told us to get rid of it before he came out of his room for dinner. He based this on us worshipping America and not God.

forbidden by I did not do any of the above things until I was about 14 years old. I would sneak pants to school and change in the restrooms, I would sneak to the sockhops and pray that Ron Hanson's kids would not see me in the sockhop in fear Jesus would come and I would go to hell if I was caught at a "dance." Other things I couldn't do - go to movies, wear jeans, wear makeup of any kind, wear jewelery of any kind, cut my hair, join after-school sports of any kind. My parents upheld these orders as given to them by the workers.

forbidden by We did not dare do this for fear of punishment from our parents. Other things we couldn't do - spend time with children from non-professing families such as school friends, attend concerts, go to theme parks or other fun places (bowling, golf, etc).

forbidden by I was about 12 years old, so it was about 1963. It was fashionable in my neighborhood at that time for boys to display a dyed rabbit's foot from a short chain from the belt. I was wearing this at convention, when Sam took me aside, and informed me that we did not believe in luck or lucky charms.

forbidden by One day I asked a visiting sister worker who was living with us to play a game of Monopoly with me. She did and didn't say anything about it. We had tons of fun playing. Later, I was admonished by my mother for doing so. I asked her "If Monopoly is taboo, why do we own it?" The answer was that it was a "money game," and therefore playing it with a worker was not a good idea. Oddly enough, when I mentioned that the worker should have said so, I was sent to my room.