"I find you one of the most interesting posters over there."
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thank you,
i recently found this site, There is alot of PAIN here, but they will find the needed comfort by sharing thier exp with others, many who have been thru the same thing
alot of my post reflects by background, if you don't mind i would like to share a few things about myself .I use the handle "1" over on h20 and there is a funny story about how I ended up using that handle-- but now i use "JT" for they ae my INITIALS
well here is a little about me:
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I’m a 38 yr. old black man, I was raised as a jw from about the age of 5-
I gave up college scholarships to pioneer for 6months and I went to bethel ----I served there about 7yrs
I truly enjoyed bethel for I got to learn so much about the org
I hooked up with a Former DO who was my mentor- he works the Service desk now in Patterson
He trained me how to be an Excellent "Society Man"
as he stated there are 2 things one must do:
1. Love the bros. and sisters
2. Learn Organization Procedures like the back of your hand- he would say all the time
You may not be liked by some but you will ALWAYS BE RIGHT
fore if it is IN PRINT then you are right
When I left bethel as a MS I had a collections of Shepherding Material that we had put together that was about as good-- if not better than the one the avg. CO has in the field
I settled in a Congo with 4 former bethelites I made 5
We ran the Congo like Bethel
Everyone loved it --things were done on time all the time
just like we learned at bethel
It was known in the circuit as "LITTLE BETHEL"
I WAS APPOINTED AT 27 AS AN ELDER-----was on the District at 29 and started working in the Chairman's office at 30
I was one of the youngest guys up in the "SKYBOX"
While all the friends sat in the sun and sweated for the convention
My wife and I was up in the Skyboxes with AC chilling out
While other friends could not get a cool drink of water at their seats
We had a MS who would run down to the food stands and bring us up our food and drink , which we enjoyed THRUOUT the ENTIRE program
My wife never stood in line to use the bathroom-- we had one in our SKYBOX
As they say at bethel I was on the FAST TRACK.,
FOR MANY on the net I see their exp.
THEIR PAIN AND THIER ANGER
MANY FEEL THAT they were cut short or dealt with unkindly by the elders in thier congo, yes they felt that they got DOGGED, yep
"THE SHAFT"
Or they were just the OUTCAST of their Congo
So when they come to the net they are mad as Hell
That was not the case for me-- I was loved and well respected as an elder and former bethelite
All of our CO's were former bethelites and they always made sure that any former bethelite got parts on the Circuit and District program
Not much was the result of "God gave him that assignment"
MORE LIKE ---Who you know
They just like giving parts to all the former bethelites--- as one CO told us
"I know you guys are Trained"
So for me I was happy as a lark, fine wife, good job, well respected elder who was on the fast track
So why in the world would I as one of my bethel buddies put it:
"Bite the hand that feeds you"
Well it all started back in 95 when The Boys in Writing Dropped the Generation doctrine
One night 3 couples all former bethelites we were sitting around talking about it and it's implications on what we teach
You see bethelites have always to some degree questioned the org more than most Local bro do
Then The Writing Dept dropped the Separating of the sheep and Goats
Then They dropped the Alternative Service rule--
I had a very good friend who was an older Elder when I was in New York who went to Prison for 3yrs instead of working at the hospital due to that rule.
He has had some problems since being in prison, now I have NEVER ASKED HIM AND I NEVER WILL-- but from everyone I know who should be in the know -
Tells me that this bro was raped repeatedly while he was in prison as a 19-yr. old kid and I will never ask him directly about it.
I stated that to say this:
When they changed the alternative service rule- he called me up and he broke down and cried
The Society has tried to present this as "THIER CONSCIECNES WERE JUST VERY STRICT IS WHY THEY WENT TO PRISON"
WHILE THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS that IS A LIE
As he put it ---during the Vietnam War all the young bro were getting draft letters
Him and his mama went to the elders to get advice and they shared with him the Current positon in the wt---- where basically it stated if you are Loyal you will not take the alternative job--POINT BLANK--
So as he put it-- it was not a conscience matter ---he thought he was being loyal to god
To this very day he has slowed down and step aside as an elder
He still wants to hold on to WT world, but he is a crushed man
So after the last elders school I told my wife I can't take it anymore
The school mainly focused on DO MORE DO MORE, BEAT THE FRIENDS, BEAT THE FRIENDS
And judicial matters is mainly what we talked about.
Then I went up on the Net
I felt that if I have the truth it will stand the test
Well after trying to defend the Boys in Writing I realized how little I knew about wt history.
So I stop going into chartrooms and open forums
And just found sites where there was no commentary just wt history-
I order Ray Franz’s book and I read both in 10days
then I cried for 10 more --smile
At that point I knew what I had to do - being an elder at the time I knew how the Program works for apostates/anyone questioning the boys in writing.
So I started giving up my assignments-- one at a time
HVC,.Circuit acct overseer, SEC in my hall and finally I stepped down as an elder
I told the body I was so busy with work that I could not do a good job as an elder and it's not fair to my bookstudy and the friends etc.
The night I turned in my flockbook was the last time I stepped foot into a Kingdom Hall- and we used to get alot of phone calls from jw we knew
In fact folks all over the country esp former bethelites called when they heard I stepped aside
Then just recently we built a 3700 sq. ft home in another state and moved
A completely new area and we are loving it
My wife and I are now back in college and we run an IT biz
So we are busy and we are making all new friends and it's hard at times
My father-in-law has decided to leave as well as my mom
Mother in-law refuses to even talk about it, my dad was never a jw
My mom told me that 10-yr. ago she knew something was wrong and she was afraid to say anything to me because I was an elder a "SOCIETY MAN"
She said I knew you would tell my elders and they would DF me
So she never said anything to me or my wife about her views on the org all those yrs
Damn man I could have gotten out sooner
Smile
So I have a very rounded view of the Org and how it operates that the AVG jw will never see
And how sad
- At this point for us we have decided to take a break from the bible and religion after over 60yrs COMBINED of wt world -- and arguing with folks as to whether Jesus Died on a “Light Pole or Telephone Pole” we figure we need a break- SMILE
I didn't mean to ramble on and on
But I felt that sometimes when you put a life exp. behind a HANDLE it makes all the difference in the world
TAKE CARE
JT AKA "1"
my intialswith you putting thier life back tog I guess alot has to do with my background as a JW, , i hope that some of my post
