Barbara and Joe Anderson in video from Bethel Family Night 1991

Dogpatch

While many Jehovah's Witnesses have been treated badly by the Watchtower organization, many have had good experiences during their time as Witnesses. For several years starting in the 70s, the Brooklyn home had a kind of "talent night," in this case it included an interview. You think these are "grumbling apostates" who never enjoyed their time in the organization, watch and find out.

Dan Bell, a Bethelite, told Barb that "no one ever gets to see these "family nights" outside of Bethel and gave Barb a copy of this one on a VHS tape as a personal gift for them to share with others. This segment is almost 30 minutes and is an interview with Joe, Barb, and their son Lance. George and Grace Aljian are also featured. Enjoy a good story!

http://www.freeminds.org/blogs/musings-of-a-watchtower-insider/index.php

Randy

Dogpatch

sorry can't figure out how to embed Youtube

asilentone

all I see is red x, I already saw the video. You will have PM soon.

Dogpatch

the full-size version is on my Youtube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKW0GP4uVyQ

Randy

Balsam

I know in many books written on Jehovah Witness experience most tend toward the most negative experiences. But in the 28 years I was a witness I had a wide variety of experiences from funny to onces I could do without. I can't say I hated being a JW's because I didn't until the very last. Then events came about that made me chose to support it or leave and leaving was the only sound thing to do. Looking back though I loved my association with JW's at least 50% of the time and the other times I was not happy with it. The excuses for witness bad behavior was never easy to take because we made no excuses for other religions bad behavior but we did for our own. I'm sure that Barbara Anderson and her husband had some experiences that felt good it is obvious in the interview. Sadly those good experiences were overshoweded by bad ones.

Ruth

cyberjesus

Once a year the Bethel has this "Entertainment Show" where members of the family perform, sing, re-enact and in gerneral perform a show. I was able to help in a couple of these events as a volunteer, (that was like a privilege from heaven). Anyway.

As a JW I enjoyed my time inside the WT because I thought it was Gods will, therefore I enjoyed 100% even the bad things because I was trained to see the bad things as "tests" of my faith. So even the doubts, the trials and the bad elders were seeing as good. Now that I am out I am displeased with the fact that I wasted my life living in the trash can. Although I leaned quite good tools of survival in that trash can and my body is half attrophied by the experience.

I consider this video sooo valuable and I hope we can put more positive videos together for one reason only. They bring credibility to the "survivors" and their experiences.

My Father who asked not to talk to him about spiritual matters agree to watch this video, why? because it was filmed inside bethel by bethelites in good standing. I wish I had 10 more so that will bring credibility to the channell presenting them. I of course can not present him videos that talk against the WT only pro-WT but the important thing is that he is watching youtube and using the internet and maybe, I hope that "maybe" one day his curiosity will bring him to click on the "forebidden" links around those invaluable videos.

Thanks for posting, please post more. The seed has been planted

believingxjw

Wherever Lance is, I wish him well.

Dogpatch

Up until the last year, 1979-1980 when all the #$%^ broke loose, I never really had a bad experience at Bethel. I had no enemies, and the overseers were just corporate lackies like in any other factory. I have never tried to paint JWs as bad people. I made some of the best friends of my life there (they are mostly out now).

Bitterness is a visible poison. What has kept me going is that I have none towards them. At worse, some of the leadership are power-hungry predators of others. That is how life is, unfortunately.

Dogpatch

I believe it was Dan Sydlik who started family night when I was there. Sally Jo Horn got to play gee-tar!

minimus

So this is what they did for fun?

Barbara and Joe Anderson in video from Bethel Family Night 1991

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