Ive been stewing on the idea for a few years that these places who are supposedly so holy must have a dark underbelly.What kind of scandolous things if any did any of you witness or hear about.e.g: amatuer porn in the residences,grow ops in the gardens cross dressing gb members etc.Im going to be really disapointed if none of this ever happened
CALLING ALL EX BETHELITES &GILIAD MEMBERS :what REALLY goes on
by freedomisntfree 8 Replies latest watchtower scandals
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AllTimeJeff
Ive been stewing on the idea for a few years that these places who are supposedly so holy must have a dark underbelly.What kind of scandalous things if any did any of you witness or hear about.e.g: amatuer porn in the residences,grow ops in the gardens cross dressing gb members etc.Im going to be really disapointed if none of this ever happened
Well, first of all, there is no porn here, but rest assured that if it ever popped up, it would be VERY amateur.....
Gilead and Bethel is all about institutionalized living. It's so frickin weird there... .The bros and sis know it too.... They joke about it all the time. I can tell you one thing, its the last thing from the paradise some JW's believe it is, but it isn't the bordello some former JW's think it is either.
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ziddina
Read Ray Franz' book, "Crisis of Conscience". He doesn't discuss petty misbehaviors like the occasional bit of porn, but he does paint a chilling picture of a group of men who behave more like a corporate board in an American conglomeration than a theocratic body... The information he reveals shows the UTTER DISREGARD these men have; a TOTAL lack of any real, human feeling for their own people, let alone their 'fellow man'...
And his exposure of the extreme injustices suffered by the JWs in Malawi, while the Mexican JWs were not only escaping ANY difficulties regarding political party cards, but also avoiding military service while BRIBING the officials [HIGHLY illegal!! as well as highly IMMORAL AND HYPOCRITICAL!] - mind-boggling. Jaw-dropping. Mind-boggling...
Zid
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jwfacts
Sorry to disappoint you, but nothing special goes on. It is just a factory with a lot of highly controlled workers living in dorms. Bethelites follow the same strict rules of JW's with addtional crazy ones on top regarding what to wear, when to sleep etc.
Like Alltimejeff says, it is an unnatural lifestyle, but not scandalous. There are too many self-righteous people watching and dobbing on each other for anything wrong to go on without being noticed for very long.
Bethel is not about doing anything evil, it is more about power hungry people ruling over others.
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metatron
I agree with the above observations. However, I can add one of my own:
Always be on guard against super righteous, self righteous people. They may get you in trouble and usually are exposed as complete hypocrites who turn against the organization quite suddenly.
metatron
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The Berean
If no scandal exists, can we not conclude that the life of a Bethelite is superior to that of the common publisher?
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AllTimeJeff
If no scandal exists, can we not conclude that the life of a Bethelite is superior to that of the common publisher?
I am not sure I follow the value in quantifying quality of life for anyone. I know Bethelites who like institutionalized life, and those that hate it. I know "common publishers" who love their life, and those who hate it.
Bethel isn't superior, its just structured. You exchange having to pay for food and shelter with a small stipend for clothes and other necessities of life. JW's have always done their best to look for people who fit their mold. After a year, if they like you, they keep you. Every 2-3 years, just like a business, you are evaluated, your "qualifications" are reviewed to see if you can be trained further, or if you have reached your full potential. Then, based on Bethel's needs, you are treated accordingly.
I think the safest thing to say about Bethel is, as usual, its all about the needs of Bethel, never about the Bethelites.
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C. T. Russell
As said above Bethelites are in a high control environment. I saw allot of people get kicked out only after a few days or weeks. The weeding process continues during your first year and never really ends. Unknown to some they “observe” your personal belongings, phone calls, non-theocratic outings, etc. There is an ingrained culture of self regulation.
They also have an internal security group. And that group has daily contact with the housekeepers. And those housekeepers are in your room every day. If any book, DVD, CD or magazine is a cause for concern more than one person will know about it. If you miss a meeting, Family Study, dish duty somebody will know about it. If you say something that sounds “off” somebody will hear about it. They are one big happy Family, and families don’t have secrets.
On top of that most people there are really serious about “Keeping God’s House Clean” -
drew sagan
Maybe those here with some experience can give some insight into this general theory of mine regarding the organization.
In recent years I have come to believe that there are two organizations within the Watchtower. There is the "exterior" organization that consists of people who are living "normal" lives, working jobs, owning homes, and doing other things most people in society do. Then there is the “interior” organization, who live mostly within elaborate Watchtower facilities (exemplified by the isolated leadership).
At other points in time the interior leadership made decisions based upon its own radical beliefs (Franz and 1975, Rutherford and 1925, WWII, Blood, ect). Those days seem to be long gone. In my view, the current interior leadership is mostly concerned with its own survival. Thus, they are more pragmatic, at least when it comes to their own sustainability. The changes (and confusion) in the blood policy seem to illustrate this. In some ways the policy has become more lax, but it still defends the policy vigorously in order to keep itself from being liable for the past.
The Watchtower no longer organizes their work based upon the belief that they actually are living in dangerous times. In some ways they have actually reformed, become tamer in their predictions. The days of protesting churches are gone (something many current JWs would be embarrassed and ashamed to do).
But this does not mean that there is real progress. The interior organization holds all the power, and makes decisions mainly with its own preservation in mind. This comes to the detriment of the exterior organization, which has to survive based on rules and regulations mainly created for the purpose of helping the interior. The interior seems to show little concern for the issues facing those on the outside. This sort of neglect wears hard on Elders and others who rely upon the Watchtower for all of their direction.
