The Day "Rebellion" Happened in Bethel

by metatron 37 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  metatron

  Years ago, during the early 70's, conditions and morale
  at Bethel got pretty bad - a sex ranting Knorr,
  demanding overseers, stupid policies, and brothers
  treated like slaves in a sweatshop factory. The Society
  kept trying to call more brothers in to be Bethelites
  for four years but it wasn't working. The conventions
  were leaving them short of applicants. They decided
  to form a commitee of three ex-CO's to look into
  the matter of why brothers weren't volunteering for
  Bethel Service.
  These brothers, much to the Society's chagrin, took
  the attitude that conditions were so awful in Bethel,
  word was getting out and nobody wanted to come. They
  assembled testimony from countless Bethelites to
  prove how horrid things were ( typical complaint:
  a machine chops off part of a brother's finger and
  the first reaction from the floor overseer was 'is
  the machine damaged' or 'how much production is lost?'
  - I'm not kidding)

  Can you predict the outcome?

  Old timers denounced the commitees' work as rebellion
  and an attempt at revolution. Knorr and Franz eagerly
  denied everything. Fred Franz ordered the brothers
  involved to be shafted - but not right away, or too
  obviously because they didn't want to make them into
  'martyrs'. They rewrote the Bethel newboy school
  instructions to order new Bethel boys to turn in any
  body who tried to organize or document any mass
  complaint.

  Years went by, they dropped a minimum Bethel stay
  down to a year (the wild, tearfelt applause really
  pissed off Knorr , when they announced it). Conditions
  in Bethel got better but........

  They didn't get better because of any concern for the
  brothers. Things like Christian behavior or common
  decency didn't enter in to it.
  Bethel changed because they had no choice, because they
  were forced into it, because they couldn't get people
  to stay as workers. This is amplified as they need
  more SKILLED people at Bethel, like computer geeks,
  or lawyers who could say 'the hell with you' and walk.

  Lesson: The Society doesn't change for ethical reasons,
  or love or kindness or because of Christian principle.

  Positive change in this organization comes when they
  have no choice but to treat people decently, as a last
  resort. If you really think principle enters into it,
  just look at the 'railroad job' they pulled on Ray Franz.

  So, if 'reform' ever comes,
  it must be forced on them, by conditions they can't weasel out of.

  metatron
• 

  Maximus

  Amen.

  Maximus

  Thanks for telling it accurately, as always. Are you getting threats like I am?
• 

  BoozeRunner

  Good point about forcing change. Perhaps, (given the eventual media exposure that has been talked about here),the REVOLUTION WILL BE TELEVISED.

  Boozy
• 

  Free2Bme

  Metatron

  Thanks for the insider glimpse.
  My cousin who was pretty gifted intellectually spurned University to pioneer and eventually reach out to Bethel.
  He was in love with a young sister who was extremely eligable and chased by every brother in the circuit.But he put spiritual things first, said they should just be friends as he was entering Bethel and after some time elapsed she found love with a less "spiritual" brother with a degree and well-paid worldly career.
  So was his Bethel service worth his sacrifices materially and emotionally?
  Well apparantly he got under the nose of one of the big boys (he was never much of a crawler) and was told he needed a lesson in humility. So his magical assignment at Bethel was janitor. Head down toilets scrubbing the shit of those more worthy.

  Free
• 

  Dogpatch

  you can read some of the nonsense and witch hunts that went on back then at:
  http://www.freeminds.org/bethel/toons/cabeen.htm

  and

  http://www.freeminds.org/bethel/toons/quak.htm
• 

  Sam Beli

  Dear metatron,

  I attended a Bethel recruiting session at one of the big Yankee Stadium conventions. I think it was in 1953. Milton Henschel (spelling?) was presiding at this meeting under the stands for those interested in Bethel service. I believe he was Knorr’s secretary at the time.

  I was expecting to hear about a loving family-like arrangement in view of the life long indoctrination I had received as the kid of JW parents. I was shocked to hear what sounded to me like harsh, almost threatening words come out of his mouth. “Bethel is not a place for babies” he said in a harsh tone.

  While I had expected the work to be hard I had expected the atmosphere to be kind and loving. The harsh tone in his voice caused me to cancel any ambitions about going to Bethel.

  Regards,

  Sam Beli
• 

  metatron

  No threats yet, but I write these posts to encourage
  thinking. There will always be kind people in the organization
  - and they will always be out of power!

  No positive change will ever come about in the borg by
  appeals to conscience. If they can hide child molestors,
  what conscience is left to appeal to?

  Only force will work. Legal, financial or otherwise.

  If anyone reading this has any evidence/leverage at
  hand to use,
  USE IT!
  There's no other way

  metatron
• 

  Maximus

  Metatron,

  Not to remain cryptic, let me tell you I got a very authoritative e-mail in which I was accused, not of stating Bethel stories inaccurately, but of letting that information out. You know, The Code. (Afraid we'll tell more important details?)

  And threatened. I have sought and received appropriate advice, and followed it by turning everything over to appropriate ISP authorities who are taking it very seriously.

  These thugs are believers in the Ted Jaracz & Co translation:

  ......................"Flog My Sheep" .....................

  Maximus
• 

  wasasister

  I understand your need for discretion, Maximus, but how can anyone in the Org "threaten" you? Can you reveal, without tipping your hand, the nature of such threats? Are they physical? Legal? Harrassment?

  Is your idenity known, thus putting you at risk?

  I'm outraged. I'm still a member of this freakish organization (as I have not been officially removed), and if its leaders are trying to intimidate whistle blowers, the members need to hear about it. Like Nixon, it could be the coverup more than the crime that incriminates them.
• 

  Farkel

  Metatron,

  I must take this opportunity to mention that you and Dedalus are two of my favorite posters. I only say this because I don't think I've said it before and also because I don't think either of you get the action that your posts deserve.

  In a nutshell, I'm a fan of yours and Deds. I'm sure there are many more like me. Kudus to you both and keep 'em comin' at us!

  Farkel