Suicides at Bethel (page 2)

CunningMan

Yes, it was Richard Wheelock's suicide that I heard about in that other thread. I'm surprised that we don't hear these stories more often, given the tense atmosphere at Bethel.

So much for the happiest place on earth.

If one doubts their callousness toward human life, see Chapter 7 [THE FOUR PRESIDENTS, E.C. Gruss], where a young missionary is sent to her death by Knorr, and where an old man who gave them several decades of free factory labor, was forced out of headquarters, forced to sleep outside, dying on a park bench during the night, in the dead of winter, wrapped in newspapers. Not the slightest bit of regret or remorse was displayed by the leadership, in these and other cases of needless deaths, including those who, when awareness dawned, jumped to their deaths off of the roofs of the Watchtower Society's buildings in Brooklyn, ...

THE FOUR PRESIDENTS OF THE WATCH TOWER SOCIETY (JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES), page 232

aSphereisnotaCircle

My understanding is that if you die at bethel, the society claims your body.

it's among the papers you sign when you join up.

So the family cannot even claim their childs body.

And the society can put a good spin on anything suspicious.

lawrence

The Society has no right to "define the resurrection." These evil bastards send people to a guilt ridden lonely death, and then judges them unworthy of a memorial service, or a resurrection. Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees! Judas repented, but these bastards won't. Sodom will be declared righteous, but the WTS will not.

BreakingAway

If one doubts their callousness toward human life, see Chapter 7 [THE FOUR PRESIDENTS, E.C. Gruss], where a young missionary is sent to her death by Knorr,

I'm unfamiliar with the book and this account, what exactly happened ?

compound complex

A GILEAD STUDENT FROM THAILAND

A young Thai girl who came to new York to attend the Gilead School in upstate South Lansing, New York, had a mental breakdown. Staff members pleaded with President Knorr to send her home by plane, under supervision. He adamantly refused and gave instructions to send her home alone, "the cheapest way possible." She was sent to San Francisco by train and had passage booked for her on a ship to Thailand.

Evidently suffering another breakdown, she jumped overboard. The ship circled but never found her in the shark-infested waters. The captain sent a radiogram to the headquarters in Brooklyn. The switchboard operator, Arthur Barnett, received the message and receptionist Russell Kurzen also learned of the tragedy. The distressing news was then relayed to several members of the staff. When Knorr heard that the news was being circulated among the headquarters personnel, he was furious. Both men were reprimanded, and removed from their positions for revealing the contents of the radiogram.

[...] There was no announcement at Gilead School or at Bethel headquarters about the incident. [...] The young girl from Thailand was never mentioned again.

THE FOUR PRESIDENTS, page 96

BreakingAway

Wow, thanks for the info.That poor girl, what a tragedy.And what a bastard he was !

compound complex

You're welcome, Breaking.

I got choked up typing it out. I wonder if KHN mellowed because I had a nervous breakdown at Bethel and had to leave. He wrote me a very kind letter.

Some of my Bethel kin made it to the rooftops but were rescued before they jumped.

It makes me ill ...

CoCo

Locutus of Borg

Thanks CoCo for filling in the details. I was pretty upset when I read that account back then . . "The cheapest way possibe"

those bastards

jookbeard

I know 2 bros who took their life from our cong in the 80's can you believe the same cong !

Suicides at Bethel

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