What's the BIG deal with Bethel?

by onlycurious 24 Replies latest jw friends

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  onlycurious

  I was at my jw's friends house a few days ago and she had a jar on her counter that had "Trip to Bethel" written on it.

  There was some chump change inside. I never asked.

  Is Bethel kind of like Mecca?
• 

  AudeSapere

  Is Bethel kind of like Mecca?

  Yes.

  Brooklyn Bethel is the World Headquarters of the WTS. Much of it is moving to Patterson, NY now.

  -Aude.
• 

  What-A-Coincidence

  umm yes.

  I served 10 years at MECCA. Long live Allah! Death to the great Satan!
• 

  onlycurious

  When one 'serves' at Bethel, is this without pay? Is this like a missionary headquarters or something? It this where all the literature is printed and all the decisions are made?

  Also, is it encouraged for people to go and is there some sort of mighty tour?
• 

  Highlander

  I have one very distance cousin that is in Bethel™. I also know of three other guys that are there as well. Whenever any of these individuals are discussed by j-dubs there are held

  in very high esteem. They are treated with almost celebrity status.

  To go to Bethel™ is the ultimate honor. It's viewed as if you are living or visiting the house of god. It's where all the elite are thought to be, but in my opinion it's the true bowels of the

  organization.
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  JWdaughter

  I don't remember it really being pushed as a tourist site, but then again, anyone who 'got to go' was rather feted, and brought out pictures like they were showing off their first grandchild or something. Not quite mecca, or even the vatican, but as close as JWs could get. I think they get their idol worshipping urges taken care of by the overseer guys and assemblies/conventions-when a little bit of Bethel comes to them.
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  vomit

  Went to London Bethel as a child, at the same time we went a lot of the museums, some people here may know that the Witnesses have their own tour of the British Museum, it shows how historically the bible is right, for example how Easter is Pagan. The Highlight of the Bethel for me was that they had a glass case with a chunk of pyrite that they found while digging the foundation, that was cool. But the paper factory was the most boring thing I saw in my life. Another highlight was the tour bus "accidentally" drove down Soho and I could see how fun Satan's world looked.
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  Highlander

  I think the bethel tour things has become a pretty big business, relatively speaking, among the j-dubs. It seems that touring bethel is always the thing to do, regardless of what

  part of the world you are in.
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  Undecided

  I visited Bethel a little over 50 years ago. I don't remember much of what I saw. I do remember that they made their ink for printing and I saw some of the printing presses. I was a teenager and it was sort of impressive to me then. I knew a few of the ones working there too. I think I was attending the 1953 8 day assembly where I met my first wife from New Mexico. I enjoyed visiting NY. I liked the assemblies back then, if it weren't for the assemblies I wouldn't have gone to any of those big cities.

  Ken P.
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  blondie

  It is similar to how some people make trips to Washington DC and visit various historical buildings and sites.

  Blondie