What's the Deal with Bethel?

Random80sKitten

I'm not a JW, never have been.

My friend described Bethel as a place where one can be trained up in a trade and help with the printing of WTS literature. He described it as a self sufficient home where many witnesses aspire to go because you're only arpund other followers and it doses you up good on spirituality. But then i read about it online and apparently there's bells ringing and quick meals and it's really hard work and it sounded somewhat like an INSTITUTION?!?!

So, i'm asking especially to hear from those who lived there themselves, what's Bethel all about?

Would i be right in assuming it is different in different countries (we're not in america).

horrible life

Kinda slow tonight it seems. Looks like a bunch of exJW's have gotten a life on a Saturday night. There are several ex-Bethelites on this forum. They will tell you the facts. Most are from the US, if I am not mistaken.

But,,, in the end, it is a corporation. $$ is the bottom line. I can see cracking the whip. Why not? They monitor your computer, and search your room.

VM44

"[Bethel described] as a self sufficient home"

Perhaps in the past when the Bethel Farms existed to grow all the food for the Bethel workers.

But I understand that the farms have been closed, it has become cheaper to buy food rather than to grow it!

So they are no longer self sufficient.

DaCheech

a bethel worker probably wakes up at 5:30.

showers by 6:00

reads his scripture of day privately and runs down to breakfast.

after getting food cafeteria style, he cannot eat it until the television broadcast ends and prayer.

he gobbles cold food, and runs to work

words like a ass, then eats lunch

runs to work to work more like a ass

runs to cafeteria eats fast, runs to room to get ready for more meetings.

these guys work most saturdays, and earn vacation time depending on years there.

all is paid for them (that is room, baord, food) with the measly $100 or so, they have to get clothes, and transportation to meetings.

when getting to meetings they will kiss ass to rich people, so these will give them tips, and invite them to free sunday restaurant outings or vacations

if this one is popular, he will have a grand old time, if he is an introvert/shy or not good at working the system.......... he will probably have to moonlight delivering pizza's to buy clothes or econocar.

nvrgnbk

a bethel worker probably wakes up at 5:30.
No.
showers by 6:00
No. Still sleeping at that time.
reads his scripture of day privately
No. Hell no!
and runs down to breakfast.
Yes.
after getting food cafeteria style[ more like family style- the food is brought to the table by waiters to be shared/passed around the table] , he cannot eat it until the television broadcast ends and prayer.
Yes.
he gobbles cold food, and runs to work
Yes.
words like a ass,[if he works in construction he runs to take a shower and changes into "appropriate" clothes and then runs to the dining room, dodging the apostates calling the bethelites slaves and robots along the path, secretly agreeing with them then quickly dismissing the thought from his mind] then eats lunch
Yes.
[runs back to the locker room and changes back into work clothes]runs to work to work more like a ass
runs to cafeteria eats fast
No. If it's a meeting night, there's probably no time to eat and still make it to the Hall on time(the trip may take an hour or more).
runs to room to get ready for more meetings.
Yes.
these guys work most saturdays, and earn vacation time depending on years there.
Yes.
all is paid for them (that is room, baord, food) with the measly $100 or so, they have to get clothes, and transportation to meetings.
when getting to meetings they will kiss ass to rich people, so these will give them tips, and invite them to free sunday restaurant outings or vacations
No. Not always. Many congregations are very poor.
if this one is popular, he will have a grand old time, if he is an introvert/shy or not good at working the system.......... he will probably have to moonlight delivering pizza's to buy clothes or econocar.
It's called g-jobbing, mostly construction work, and it's almost required unless your parents or someone else back home is sending you some cash. Some guys came from wealthy families and had credit cards that there parents would pay for them. Other guys came from poor single-parent families and actually did what they could to send money home.