In the church, we were expected to ask for permission to do anything, including visiting our parents, changing jobs, or attending a funeral.

The idea was to go through the church for everything to ensure that all our actions were “blessed by and in accordance with the will of god.”

Some people were declined permission to attend funerals if they were on the Sabbath or feast days.

Every time I got the okay to visit my parents, I was told to use it as an opportunity for preaching. Secretly, I’d be relieved to have some time away from the church.

In this way, the church tried to exert control over every detail of members’ personal lives.