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Bethel Rules
by brotherdan 194 Replies latest jw experiences
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bez
"While I do not agree with the leadership, I have true love for the people that have gone through these things. I think that's why I get sensitive on this site (as many of you know and will attest to). There are some people that are so blind and lost...but they aren't evil people. They are strong of character and even strong of mind. But they are lost because of the demon inspired guidings of this organization. It makes me sick. I wish I could force them out. But I can't. These kind and loyal men and women are stuck. I can only hope and pray that they will someday see the truth and come out."
Brotherdan... my thoughts EXACTLY
Tho i am glad to be 'out' i do believe there are some geunuine misguided souls, and they HAVE to be admired for their faith...
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Podobear
From personal recollection:
Private Bible Study groups after Monday night family WT study were heavily frowned upon.
No social events at the Kingdom Hall.. but it was OK to hold the Annual Family Night there.. because the Corporation owned it, not the local congregation.
Excessive (alcolhol) drinking was kept hush, hush if you were a member of the management.
It was OK to hold a gun on site because the owner was a private detective (and happened to be the son of a multi millionaire).. but you were scoffed at if you wore clothing from the paupers bin.
One humble and faithful sister happened to be the spurned wife of a (now reinstated) ex-district overseer, had to source clothing from that bin.. whilst her husband, lived in luxury with his new partner.. supplied the alcohol to the management.. forced the Bethel delivery truck many miles off route to your home because it was too tiresome to collect the congregation literature from some central Kingdom Hall, and was the author of questionable business practices, nationwide. This included low-paid employment of pioneers for a well known cosmetics company. Seems he learnt a lot about using unpaid/low paid labour from somewhere.
Suffer the judgment of the Branch Committee to remove a moustache you had grown whilst on vacation, because you hadn't been born with it.
Being used as scapegoat in office politics.
Watching young men being verbally humiliated by "hung-over" management, whilst the "gold-diggers" sniffed the butts of the rich and influential.. who could get away with just about anything they wanted.
Finally realizing that the WTBTS is as elitist as any other corporation... and finding glass in your eye as the "rose-tinted" spectacles finally smashed.
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JWdaughter
I live in a Muslim country, which has Sharia law and I think it is much less restrictive on our behavior as westerners AND the behavior of Qatari's/Muslims. Hmmm.
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Wrong Way
JWD, where do you live exactly? I mean.... I am from muslim country too... And I am from Yugoslavia. Do you live in Bosnia, Kosovo or somewhere else?
COMRADE TITO
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mann377
No all night watchmen duty for married brothers ('74)
Thankfully I went to the Farm after only one year in Brooklyn and at the time there were very few rules at the farm in "73
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compound complex
No bell bottom trousers, except in your hallway/room - circa 1970, NHK's own words after morning text.
CC
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brotherdan
Mann377, I wish I could've gotten rid of all night watchman duties. Those were tough for me. After making your rounds (in patterson) they stuck you in a room across route 22 and made you sit there for the majority of the night. We were "encouraged" to read our bibles or do personal study during this time. Most, at least from my experience, fell asleep.
I also just remembered the rule about married couples showing any form of affection to each other in public. I remember them "discouraging" holding hands in public and during prayers. They didn't want the single guys to get horny from watching it. But...put 3000 single guys in an isolated place and they will get horny looking at a water faucet. You don't need to see a couple of ugly married people holding hands to set you off...
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brotherdan
RebeccaChi, I was there during 9/11.
This is an embarassing fact for everyone there during the time, but the society FLAT OUT SAID that MOST LIKELY these attacks would lead to armageddon. Now, they never wrote anything like this in the publications. But I remember several comments made by the GB immediately after the attacks.
One of the most notrorious, at least in my opinion was from Carey Barber. He was going a bit senile at the time. But at one of the lunch meals, he interupted everything to tell everyone that these attacks would most likely lead to the Great Tribulation. His "speech" went on for much too long and everyone began looking at each other. It became really awkward. I don't think that this was on the tie line with any other facilities. I believe it was just for Patterson. But it started getting really embarassing when he started saying the same things OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER. I remember 1 line he repeated at least 20 times. AT LEAST. He said, "And I was sitting in my office, and lo and behold the plan was flying over the east river and slammed into those towers. How Satan must have rejoiced!"
It was a sad time for everyone in bethel. I was far away, in Patterson. But I was on the phone with my good friend in brooklyn as he was telling me about watching people jump from the buildings. He was in tears. They closed the factories for the day due to the smoke and reports of body parts being blown across the river to brooklyn.
I was home sick that day, and work basically stopped. A few days after the attacks we heard the "fine reports" of bethel giving water bottles to those that sought shelter in the lobbies during the day. Wow...what a fine people. No.....they were not going to go help with the rescue efforts. But if anyone made their way into their lobby...they would grace them with the blessing of bethels bottled water.
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Joliette
Wow...omg, WHAT A THREAD!
Bethel seems nuts! I went on a tour back in 06 to patterson, walkill, and brooklyn bethel. Nice tour. I was in kinda a bad mood. This one lady (looked like the perfect Halle Berry lookalike) Man, she was really sweet, and she made me feel so much better. Her clothes looked 'a little out of touch' with the times (this was 2006 her clothes looked like they were 1995, I dunno). The tour of Brooklyn was really nice (omg it was soooo clean) and the artwork in patterson was really beautiful. The guy that sponsed the tour was really nice but he seemed (and still seems) like a pervert!!
What happens if you accidentally fart at bethel?? You sit down and get 'talked to' about that by the bethel elders?? Crazy place.