Bethel, slavery, and fishing lures

by seven006 45 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Narkissos

  About France, one is not to expect too much.

  Yes, a few years ago a huge tax was charged on the donations received by the national association: following this, a large part of the French Bethel (including the printery) moved to London. But the issue is still in courts, and since the first judgment several local associations have been granted the "cultual" status implying tax exemption, so the WT may get away with this.

  As far as I know, there has been little change if any as to the legal status of the Bethel "volunteers". They have declared themselves a "religious order" ("Bethelites") to escape the Work Code. This issue also went into the courts some years ago, after an industrial injury on one of them. But they were released.

  The actual policy of the Ministry of the Interior (Home Office) is more to avoid interfering with what here is usually called "sects" or "cults" (such as JWs or Scientology). There has been some US pressures to this end on the grounds of "religious freedom".

  Btw, I'm also one of the "no-higher-education / pioneering-and-Bethel / out-with-nothing" class...
• 

  got my forty homey?

  Im just curious, whats your friends name? I served in Bethel 15 years ago and I knew everyone in trucking, they were next door to us in Construction plumbing and those guys were really kool. They were like the only department in Bethel that "real guys", they almost were like worldly dudes!
• 

  simplesally

  Min,
  You're right. One of the elders down this way said that he and his fellow elders really had nothing "weird" to handle in JC meetings but he said he knew brothers from some other states who dealt with bestiality.....oh we all went YUK........ but then maybe wife swapping is weird and YUK to them.....just the norm out here in Cali.
• 

  waiting

  Just as a side topic of beastiality.......when I was in therapy, one of the first questions my therapist asked about my father was - raised in rural or city? That would have been in the 30's.

  She said (even by today's standards) that beastiality is quite common in rural (primarily farming) communities among boys/men.

  I gave the same "yuuuuuuuuuuuuck" - and she said she was trying to help me see the difference in what's "accepted" and what I viewed as "normal."
• 

  FreeWilly

  I forget his name right now... He was a short little dude with a high pitched laugh. A nice guy. He went to one of the PA congregations while he was at Walkill. Man this is gonna bug me.
• 

  hornetsnest

  Hmmm. Far be it from me to be an apologist for the Organization, but on the other hand I don't want to be unfair either. It's been about 20 years since my time in Alaska (11 years worth) and things up there are a lot different than in the Lower 48. Much of the state is inaccessable to most everything except air or dog sled, and many of the brothers are pilots in their own right. Airplanes are, up there, much like 4-wheel drives are down here. It seemed to me that about half the brothers in Fairbanks, for instance, had their own airplanes.

  If the Branch in Anchorage owned an airplane I wouldn't be surprised at all. Many times it is 500 miles between congregations, and if the Circuit Overseer wanted to serve an isolated group in Bethel (the Eskimo village), Nome, Kotzebue, or Barrow, there are no roads to any of them. Bethel is 420 miles as the crow flies due west of Anchorage, and it's the closest. We "served where the need is great" there for 3 1/2 years, and the Circuit Overseer came in twice a year to visit us. They also served the Yukon Territory, and that's about 700 miles in the opposite direction. I would say that the Branch could save enough to buy a fairly decent airplane every year, just buy saving all the airfares for the Circuit Overseer's visits. I'd also say that if they went that route, I wouldn't be surprised and would figure it as being a good way to go, financially speaking.

  Airplanes are considered pretty much of a luxury here in the Lower 48. Up there, many times, they are necessities, like in the Australian Outback. With airplanes being that common, taking one of the Society's big-wigs out sightseeing is merely normal hospitality, much like someone in Flagstaff, AZ hauling someone up to the Grand Canyon in their SUV. It's no big deal. I might add that some of the sights in Alaska rival the Grand Canyon, both in size and grandeur. Texans knew better than to brag on Texas up there, because we'd just say, "Ahhh, hesh up! If you don't, we'll divide Alaska up into two parts and make Texas the 3rd biggest state!" LOL! I've walked up to small creeks that were so full of fish that it looked like the whole bottom of the creek was moving. It makes your eyes bug out.

  The Organization has plenty to answer for, but I feel that criticizing them about flying out to go fishing in Alaska is not something we should waste our time on.

  LoneWolf
• 

  heathen

  hornetsnest--- I think there is plenty to say , if they are buying planes and then using their resources for fishing trips and vacations when there are people that could use some help with medical needs or just the everyday type stuff .
• 

  seven006

  Lonewolf,

  The emphases here is not necessarily what they are using the money on but more in how they obtain the money. Having Bethelites who think they are there to help in the preaching work used to refurbish buildings so they can be sold for a large profit is doing nothing more than abusing the non profit status.

  The watchtower is a money making machine and the slave labor they use should be illegal. After they have used up the usefulness of the slaves they send them to into the world to fend for themselves without a dime of support or appreciation for the years of service. All the while the big boys and their status sucking wives fly first class all over the world.

  I hope someday the teamsters of NY catch on to their money making scam and do a job on their little game. Apostates and governments may not be able to cripple the mighty watchtower machine but the teamsters can certainly cripple them. Between trucking and garbage service alone they can make a strong point. From my many times in NY on business I have learned one thing, you don't take money out of the teamsters pockets.

  Dave
• 

  minimus

  Your thread is better when it's about bestiality, Dave.
• 

  Sassy

  PSS: I don't know if that poor brother got his blow job or not, but I heard he eventually got a divorce.

  my guess is he didn't get it.. Besides, don't they have to discourage this course of action?? even though you know when they get home they are wanting some for themselves???
  

  One of the elders down this way said that he and his fellow elders really had nothing "weird" to handle in JC meetings but he said he knew brothers from some other states who dealt with bestiality.....oh we all went YUK........ but then maybe wife swapping is weird and YUK to them.....just the norm out here in Cali.

  I think they don't know how to deal with a lot of stuff.. bestiality would be a big one though.. I was a 'bad' girl and was in a threesome that they had to talk to me about..... they were very uncomfortable talking about it.. and then they assumed it was FMF and I had to clearify it for them.. they were all uncomfortable because they kept trying to say how unnatural it was for a like sex to be together and in their eyes it was so much worse if I had been with a woman... I told them it was the other way around.. boy a pin could have dropped in that room... they never expected that...

  Then when I kicked my soon to be ex out this past year and they came over I told them (in front of him) how sexually he was unable to perform and that he lied to me before the wedding telling me everything was in working order. They didn't even want to discuss it. I think they were embarrased to talk to him or me about it. They only said that it wasn't grounds for divorce (no kidding.. duh.. I knew that.) and changed the subject....