by cinnamon1642 224 Replies latest jw friends
I'm not saying that the Society won't come up with some stipend or something. However, I have heard rumors that many of the laid off Bethelites couldn't make it as special pioneers. It might be a life of poverty, with a radical change from playing the prince to suddenly being a nobody - who doesn't merit any more green handshakes.
metatron
However, I have heard rumors that many of the laid off Bethelites couldn't make it as special pioneers. It might be a life of poverty, with a radical change from playing the prince to suddenly being a nobody - who doesn't merit any more green handshakes.
Our own local SPs are hanging on, but...
The wife of the couple is having a really hard time. She was stunned when she figured out she had to clean her own toilet! And look for her own doctor. And cook for herself. And then clean the kitchen. And then the rest of the house. And wash her own clothes. And...
She's always griping to the "sisters" out in service about all the "difficulties" she is facing. Meantime, her husband practically drools over the big mcMansions in our territory..."Oooh, look at that one, wouldn't you like to live there..."
I give them 3 years tops before they drop off the list. When that happens, all their ties to the Society go away. The cynic in me says that's what the Society had in mind all along.
The wife of the couple is having a really hard time. She was stunned when she figured out she had to clean her own toilet! And look for her own doctor. And cook for herself. And then clean the kitchen. And then the rest of the house. And wash her own clothes. And......She's always griping to the "sisters" out in service about all the "difficulties" she is facing.
This brings to mind a documentary I saw a few years ago about life at the Brooklyn Bethel. I can't remember what TV station it was aired on, but it was obviously done with the full cooperation of the Society because the cameras were in the laundry rooms, the kitchens, etc. talking to the Bethelites. While it put a very positive spin on the Organization, the one thing that really stuck out in my mind is when the (worldly) interviewer asked one of the sisters in the laundry room about her job and if she minded doing laundry for all the other people there.
Her reply went something along the line of: 'No, I don't mind it at all because these brothers are very busy throughout the day working and they simply wouldn't have time to do their own laundry or cook their own meals or do cleaning.'
Um, Hel-loooo.....that's what everyone else has to do. In other words, if everyone at Bethel, from the GB members on down to the toilet cleaners, had to do their own laundry, cook their own meals, do the grocery shopping, pay the bills, etc., there's no way they'd be able to attend 5 meetings a week, go out in service, do their personal bible studying, etc.----there just wouldn't be enough time in the day yet this is exactly what the average Dub has to do. I've heard even very dedicated Witnesses (who have family members at Bethel) complain that they 'live in a bubble' and that they 'have absolutely no concept of the real world.'
Nope. No double standards here at all.
The CO's around here were famous for coming around and denouncing anyone who worked shiftwork and had to miss meetings for work. It is also pretty hard here to find a job that pays enough to raise a family that doesn't involve shiftwork(without a college education). I used to hate their visits, as they would make my husband feel terrible when they said he lacked trust in Jah's ability to provide on a minimum wage job.
I went in service once with the CO and he started on the shiftwork rant. I actually told him that my husband would be glad to take a job that didn't require shiftwork if he would like to help support the family, if we couldn't make the bills. He showed such disgust towards me after that. I hope he is one of the CO's that is left to fend for himself.
Sounds like a serious downsizing is taking place.
Da Cheech.
Great to hear from you.
Our boy Pauli is going to kick some butt as soon as Hatton gets to weight.
Metron...
Wow... great point about reaping what you sow!!!
Con
They do not tell the rank and file to put off everyday normal activities Mary because "higher education, better paying jobs, buying a house, getting married and saving for retirement are NOT normal everyday activities for millions upon millions of people around the world, including myself...rather they are goals that we can aspire to
Oops...sorry...I was cutting and pasting from the notes I was writing and didn't review my comment before I posted it. The comment should have read like so:
"They do not tell the rank and file to put off everyday normal activities just because they believe the end is near but also because they want all their followers to devote all their time and resources to the work. I don't think this distinction works Mary because these plans aren't normal activities and besides higher education, better paying jobs, buying a house, getting married and saving for retirement are NOT normal everyday activities for millions upon millions of people around the world, including myself...rather they are goals we can aspire to"
If you think that "higher education, better paying jobs, buying a house, getting married and saving for retirement" are normal everyday activities for all Mary then try telling that to the homeless, to the refugees in Darfur or people dying of aids or other diseases. For millions of people, it's a struggle to survive and these things are not even on the radar, that's why in the WT quotes you cited Mary the writers labled it a "so called" normal life because even they can't deny that for millions of people, what some of their members (and millions of "Westerners") think is a normal life isn't.
Remember that these plans are not things that will distract the WTS or it's followers from their goals. In fact they compliment their goals and aide them in doing what they view as their commission from God. They have a singular pursuit...the preaching and they will do what it takes to accomplish this goal and these plans aid them in that. That is no double standard because, if you look at it from their point of view, they are setting the example they want all their followers to follow...putting all their time and resources into the work and having your plans for life revolve around said work. Again, from their point of view, if the rank and file were to divert from that and start trying to live what the WT has called a "so called normal way of life" then they take away from the work they believe (rightly or wrongly) that they have been commissioned to do.
Jesus did say that you can't server two masters and he was right and that's the philosophy behind this...even though it may not track, even though it may not be true and regardless of the motivation for it (some here would say $$$, others power)...in the end the motivation, whatever that may be is not the point I am trying to make, nor am I saying the WTS doesn't have any double standards.
What I am saying is that these plans as announced by some unnamed "Bethel heavy" fall within the scope of what the WTS is urging it's followers to do and even if they believe the end is imminent that doesn't mean they should just stop everything and sit on their thumbs especially since these plans and the overall work they do is, in their minds, connected to the end that is imminent.
Remember this is a vague word and as I noted earlier, when any disaster is imminent, you don't bring your life to a screeching halt until you have to.
It looks like I may have cancer.
I don't have very much in this life and what plans I do have may seem small (certainly they are not the "so called normal everyday activities that Mary apparently engages in as cited above) but I do not intend to put those plans on hold or abandon them all together even though I firmly believe that my end is imminent.
What I am saying is that these plans as announced by some unnamed "Bethel heavy" fall within the scope of what the WTS is urging it's followers to do and even if they believe the end is imminent that doesn't mean they should just stop everything and sit on their thumbs especially since these plans and the overall work they do is, in their minds, connected to the end that is imminent.
Remember this is a vague word and as I noted earlier, when any disaster is imminent, you don't bring your life to a screeching halt until you have to.
It looks like I may have cancer.
I don't have very much in this life and what plans I do have may seem small (certainly they are not the "so called normal everyday activities that Mary apparently engages in as cited above) but I do not intend to put those plans on hold or abandon them all together even though I firmly believe that my end is imminent.
I am so sorry to hear that you are ill. Cancer is a terrible disease and one that seems to affect so many of us in one way or another. I am awed by your courage and will include you in my prayers.
You are correct. Even though your end may be immient you need not bring your life to a screeching halt. I understand that completely. Day to day activities and chores would have to be taken care of. No sense in just sitting on a chair waiting for the end to come.
As an individual you might oversee the building of a house or of a garage because you knew that your family could use them and you would be providing for their future.
But we are talking about a corporation who tells us to be prepared because the end of the world is coming. We should spend our time preaching to others to let them know of the coming destruction that is just around the corner. A noble cause indeed. But if the end is so near and the message so urgent, why doesn't the Watchtower buy television time or print ads so that the largest number of people can be reached? Why not announce this coming destruction on the radio? They are not doing this because they really don't believe that the end is imminent. They just want the witnesses to believe it so that they will be vigilant in their recruiting work.
Thus the double standard.
If the organization truly believed that the end of the world is imminent, would they, for example, undertake vast building projects that they knew would not be finished for years? Would you?
Would you make plans to move your large corporation from Brooklyn to new headquarters in upstate New York. For what? The end is just around the corner. What would be the point?
Anyway, this organization has been preaching that "the end is near" for over a century. I am surprised that anybody believes them.
Well I couldn't have said it any better than Gary1914. I think he summed it up quite nicely.
jringe01 said: It looks like I may have cancer. I don't have very much in this life and what plans I do have may seem small (certainly they are not the "so called normal everyday activities that Mary apparently engages in as cited above) but I do not intend to put those plans on hold or abandon them all together even though I firmly believe that my end is imminent.
jringe, I am so sorry to hear this. I'm a cancer survivor myself and I know what it does to you. You're right; you should not "put your plans on hold"; you should do whatever it is you have planned and not defer them for anyone else.
The CO's around here were famous for coming around and denouncing anyone who worked shiftwork and had to miss meetings for work. It is also pretty hard here to find a job that pays enough to raise a family that doesn't involve shiftwork(without a college education). I used to hate their visits, as they would make my husband feel terrible when they said he lacked trust in Jah's ability to provide on a minimum wage job.
I went in service once with the CO and he started on the shiftwork rant. I actually told him that my husband would be glad to take a job that didn't require shiftwork if he would like to help support the family, if we couldn't make the bills. He showed such disgust towards me after that. I hope he is one of the CO's that is left to fend for himself.
I remember it well, and it wasnt' just the CO's. Anyone who let family responsibilities get in the way of meetings was considered weak, even if the father had cancer and there were three small children with one disabled child. Mind you even with all that the 'brothers and sisters' in the congregation NEVER lifted a finger to help. They just piled on the criticism. We finally stopped going and it took 4 months for our 'dear friends' to come by for a 'sheparding call'. That was 22 years ago and even though I miss my family I don't regret leaving the 'Highland Park' congregation of JW's in Denver CO. No love lost because they had no love to begin with.
