Regarding Dating,
Once in my final years in the Assembly I was reading a story by T.H. White, the author that wrote "The Sword in the Stone". The story I was reading was a satire about totalitarian societies. These ants were going into the ant hole, and above the entrance were engraved the words, "Everything Not Prohibited Is Mandatory". After I had laughed a while, it dawned on me that in Restorationist's minds, the church building has a similar motto, "Everything Not Specifically Taught Is Prohibited", (unless the Big Mahoot thinks it would be useful).
The whole no dating, no music, no chewing gum, no whatever flows out of this.
The problem is that real life intrudes. So congregations cannot call pastors but rely on the giftedness of the local brothers, (unless we move some of OUR local brothers there to keep an eye on you Bozos and make sure you do what we want done).
We do not believe in paid pastors, they are just hirelings! (unless we decide to pay one of our superloyalheroes under the table so he doesn't have to work and can have time to be an example to the sheep).
We do not have a sunday program but rather rely on the Presidency of the Holy Spirit! (however the HS seems to follow the same routines with the same songs, prayers, preachers etc., every single sunday year after year).
And so on, and on and on and on.
Oscar
