Bethel Rules

by brotherdan 194 Replies latest jw experiences

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  Mary

  I'm embarassed to say, for the longest time, I didn't even realize that Bethelites went out to the local KH's for the meetings. Since everything else is done at Bethel, I always just assumed that all the meetings took place there as well. I can't believe that they expected Bethelites to pay $3.00 to the driver every single time they drove them to the Kingdumb Hell. What was your monthly allowance? Something like $100.00/month?

  And here's a question for former Bethelites in the States: Did you have any sort of health insurance coverage while you lived there?
• 

  clarity

  Back about a year ago I came across a fabulous writer, Keith Casarona. He was a Jw for 52 yrs and spent 4 yrs at Bethel. His Bethel Chronicals, - approx 32pgs of the funniest, 'stuff' I've ever read, - are found at www.randallwatters.org/Bethel/NewBoy.htm New Boys "Life at Bethel."- Circa the early 70s.

  He quotes Hitler who said "The bigger the lie, the easier it is to make them believe!"

  Also does anyone know about this? Keith writes "...when you go to bethel, you sign a document stating that if you die while you are at bethel, the society has "the right" to keep your body. Most people just sign it and forget about it, but don't you think that is just a little strange? Why?"

  Enjoy!

  clarity
• 

  brotherdan

  Mary, yeah the allowance was $100 per month. But you also had to pay for you telephone bill and all your necessities like toothpaste, hair products, or anything else you need. If they were serving something that you didn't like for dinner, you could go to the commissary and buy some frozen food. So by the time you bought all the things that you needed, there was VERY little money left. Most of the "happy" bethellites were the ones that had saved up money before going and had a large bank account, or the ones that received money from family and friends.

  On your first day at bethel, you sign a formal "oath of poverty" form that says that any extra money will be donated to the society. I was shocked by that one.
• 

  Mary

  On your first day at bethel, you sign a formal "oath of poverty" form that says that any extra money will be donated to the society.

  OMG!!! Are you serious??

  Don't Catholic nuns also have to take a 'vow of poverty'?? Hmmmm.......sounds to me like Crooklyn has more in common with the Great Harlot than just a pedophile problem.........
• 

  brotherdan

  You're right, it is a VOW of poverty that you sign. I forget the technical rules though. I think if you worked and made money on your own time off, then you could keep it. It was called g-jobs.
• 

  CuriousButterfly

  Did you have any sort of health insurance coverage while you lived there?

  I have a very good friend and her husband who is now at Paterson. He has been a bethelite for 20yrs, she 10 yrs. I was so pissed when I found out that male bethelites do not get physicals until they are 50 (I am 99% sure she said 50). Unless you are really sick, a male bethelite does not see a doctor. I shudder at the possible *silent* diseases or cancers that can happen to a person and will die from if not attended to at the beginning.
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  brotherdan

  If that's true, curious butterfly, then it changed from when I was there. We all got physicals the first day that we were there. Funny story: One of my buddies had his physical done by a woman. Since there is the rule of not being alone with a woman in a closed room, there had to be 2 of them in the room. One was just a "bystander" watching. So he had to do the whole drop your drawers, turn your head, and cough thing. Then he got is prostate exam. So this girls finger is up his butt and the other chick was just watching the whole thing. The worst thing about it was that at lunch she sat down at his table...

  We were allowed to see the on-staff doctor any time we wanted. I once cut my wrist and had to get it stapled at bethel.
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  brotherdan

  We also had dental care. After being there for 10 months you could schedule regular cleanings. So the kids are taken care of there.
• 

  Quillsky

  At my local Bethel, not Brooklyn, there is in-house (volunteer Bethelite) medical staff. Nurses for sure, not sure about doctors.

  Medication? No clue.
• 

  belbab

  Does the following account have any validity?

  Around 1970 I was working for a JW renovation contractor around Montreal. All those working for him were JWs. One worker had just come from Brooklyn Bethel where he was a cook. He told us that in the cooking department saltpeter was put in the food to lower the sexual ardour of the inmates. We all denied the allegation, but he was extremely adamant that this was so.

  I looked up saltpeter on the net, it has been used for centuries in armies and prisons etc to lower sexual drive in cloistured groups of men.

  The present day concenus is that saltlpeter does not have that effect.

  Does anyone who was in Bethel have any thoughts on this matter. Was it really so?

  belbab