WT Study October 2018....spinning ''layoffs'' into ''reassigning'' ex-Bethelites ''to the field''

by RULES & REGULATIONS 57 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  tiki

  Well.....you reap what you sow. Sad that so many were duped into the fabulous privileged bethel life.....then when dismissed have to cope with the reality of surviving in the real world. Getting a good job is going to be tough with no resume ..... Employers are rightfully wary of hiring people who have years of volunteer work under their belt but no real employment.

  I know of a few bethelites who served the 4 year stint and came out completely empty handed and had a hard time getting back to reality...getting work, etc...and thinking specifically of 3 of them....none remained in the religion....
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  pale.emperor

  It must be scary though, especially in a country that has little or no welfare. Being kicked to the curb in your middle ages or later and expected to find a home, job etc and never an option to retire because you've no savings.

  I get it, the ones who joined Bethel probably thought they'd be there when the big A comes.

  Good thing it's "just around the corner" otherwise I'd be terrified of wasting my youth, energy and time in Bethel when I could be living my life and preparing for the future.

  But what do I know, I'm "mentally diseased".
  
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  WTWizard

  And what a waste of time. They are kept so busy that they don't have time to learn a skill or hobby in the event that something happens to them. For instance, do they have a chance to learn a foreign language other than to help "where the need is greater"? Do they learn how to work a computer? And, can they gather a few ounces of precious silver? None.

  At least many secular learning projects are fun. They could waste time in field circus and being slaves (and preparing the reptilians to make all of us slaves in the meantime), or they can take the same amount of time on fun. Learning German can be exciting (and, if you are really in for a challenge, Sanskrit). Maybe you could learn astrology, which is about as challenging as a foreign language. Or a computer language. You might not get rich doing that (though there are translator jobs out there requiring fluency in two or more languages). But, learning these things is fun.

  Which is more than can be said about field circus--even if you are in a region with a lot of Spanish or French speakers, you are going to give those calls to the Spanish or French congregation instead of learning their language. Besides, German (which is of low value to the washtowel but high value if you want to study science at the source) or Sanskrit (which is of high value if you want to understand the real truth) are both fun to learn.
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  Cadellin

  It is noteworthy that it is the middle-aged who are being kicked out, right at the time when their health care costs are about to go up-up-up. The WT does not want to have to pay health care costs for all of these couples! So kick them out and let either (1) the middle-aged couple pay exorbitant health insurance premiums out of pocket or, more likely (2) Medicaid which means the poor schmuck taxpayers are stuck with the bill (like me, who actually left the religion, got higher education and now can make a decent wage). This is a completely purposeful and calculated decision on the part of the WT--lurkers, think about that.
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  steve2

  Classic “Well,duh!” line from Bethel couple who were reassigned: “We had no savings.”

  Of course you didn’t! You had no need for savings: You were free labor at Bethel and the end was so very near.
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  out4good4

  Man I feel so sorry for these lost souls that were chewed down to the bone and spit out by the maggots in warwick.

  I don't.

  
  
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  Diogenesister

  Osborne and Polite, a South African couple, left Bethel, they thought they would soon have part-time work and a place to live. “Unfortunately,” recounts Osborne, “secular work did not come as soon as we had hoped.” His wife, Polite, recalls: “We did not find work for three months, and we had no savings. It was a real challenge.”

  I would have written in to ask if one of the Governing Body could, please, "simplyfy their eye" and sell their Apple watch or pinky diamond rings, donating the proceeds to Osborne snd Polite to tide them over.

  After all, these Ex-Bethelites have worked their fingers to the bone for decades for diddly squat in order to keep the GB in the style to which they have become accustomed.
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  Diogenesister

  John.prestor I see it, this either shows how the author actually feels (in other words, to him or her there's no difference between a Branch Committee member laying off a Bethelite with 20 years of experience under his belt and a temporary special pioneering assignment ending) or the author purposefully compares apples to oranges, as you put it, to downplay the layoffs. Hard to say, these guys can be pretty slick.

  Thats exactly what I was thinking, john. A situation for which JWs can easily make excuses for Watchtower, who reasonably are not at fault in this case, is used to camoflage the couples they are really reaching out to.

  Imagine being made homeless and penniless in a country like South Africa with little or no social welfare. This is awful enough, let alone the fact these people have given decades of hard work and selfless devotion to a billion dollar Americann corporation, that gave them weeks to leave, no redundancy pay, no pension and afforded them no possibility to save.

  I am certain the vow of poverty is signed in order that watchtower is not legally responsible for their social security payments or "stamp" as we call it in England.
  
  
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  OnTheWayOut

  Bethel layoffs in the earlier 2000's were what pushed me over the edge at actually looking to the internet for what is wrong with Watchtower.

  Its the Bethel "family." I thought they should have found a way to keep people and just not ever bring new ones in uf old ones were getting the boot. Send them out of the printing press to do something, but feed and shelter them.
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  nowwhat?

  Wouldn't a reassignment be similar to a transfer? "Brother dumas, your skills would be best utilized in the all Important preaching work but rest assured we still will be providing you with food and shelter" isn't that how a reassignment should work?