wasone
JoinedPosts by wasone
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18
A flash from the past
by wasone inthis is a photo of the bethel repair shop taken in 1976. anyone recognize any of these lads from 40 years ago.
i know it's a long shot, but was wondering how many were still in after all these years.
i remember a few of them.
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18
A flash from the past
by wasone inthis is a photo of the bethel repair shop taken in 1976. anyone recognize any of these lads from 40 years ago.
i know it's a long shot, but was wondering how many were still in after all these years.
i remember a few of them.
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18
A flash from the past
by wasone inthis is a photo of the bethel repair shop taken in 1976. anyone recognize any of these lads from 40 years ago.
i know it's a long shot, but was wondering how many were still in after all these years.
i remember a few of them.
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wasone
compound complex Is Steve still in? Use to G-job with him.
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18
A flash from the past
by wasone inthis is a photo of the bethel repair shop taken in 1976. anyone recognize any of these lads from 40 years ago.
i know it's a long shot, but was wondering how many were still in after all these years.
i remember a few of them.
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wasone
Pete Zahut I've only met up with a couple who were at Bethel when I was there. Brent and Bonnie McClean left shortly before I left in 76. They were special pioneers before Bethel. I met up with them in Chattanooga a few years ago when they were on their way to Florida. They left the organization long ago and were happy and successful .Brent was roommates at Bethel with Steve " Just2laws" who use to post here. Steve and his wife Joy were at Bethel when I was there also. Met up with them ounce when I and my son were driving through Florida . I think those are the only ones I've had any contact with in more recent years.
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18
A flash from the past
by wasone inthis is a photo of the bethel repair shop taken in 1976. anyone recognize any of these lads from 40 years ago.
i know it's a long shot, but was wondering how many were still in after all these years.
i remember a few of them.
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wasone
Pete Zahut Sorry don't recognize any of those names. A lot of people there and a loong time ago.
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18
A flash from the past
by wasone inthis is a photo of the bethel repair shop taken in 1976. anyone recognize any of these lads from 40 years ago.
i know it's a long shot, but was wondering how many were still in after all these years.
i remember a few of them.
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wasone
Pete Zahut
God forbid you missing a hair cut appointment. You got to do without. I made that mistake once. Looked pretty shabby before I was able to get another. -
18
A flash from the past
by wasone inthis is a photo of the bethel repair shop taken in 1976. anyone recognize any of these lads from 40 years ago.
i know it's a long shot, but was wondering how many were still in after all these years.
i remember a few of them.
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wasone
, but they all look that they would so much more content if allowed the permanent presence of a woman, and more time at the meal table. prologos
Actually two of those guys had wives with them at Bethel. Can't imagine why any woman would want to make a home at that place.
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18
A flash from the past
by wasone inthis is a photo of the bethel repair shop taken in 1976. anyone recognize any of these lads from 40 years ago.
i know it's a long shot, but was wondering how many were still in after all these years.
i remember a few of them.
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wasone
This is a photo of the Bethel Repair Shop taken in 1976. Anyone recognize any of these lads from 40 years ago. I know it's a long shot, but was wondering how many were still in after all these years. I remember a few of them. Front row center with stripped shirt is Brent McClean from Illinois, to his right is Steve Black from Louisiana to McClean's left is Donald Murray from Massachusetts. I'm looking over Murray's left shoulder, I was from Georgia. The big guy at the very top back row is John Mikruk from New Jersey. Can anyone identify any others and what happened to them.
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155
Survey: How long were you in the cult vs what year you were baptized
by ILoveTTATT2 inhi people,.
i want as much data as possible on the effect of the internet on the time captured by the cult.. please answer the three following questions about yourself or about someone you know (for example, if your parents or grandparents were jw's and left).
1) were you raised as a jw, or did you convert?.
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wasone
1. raised in
2. baptized 1963
3. walked away @ 1983
@ 20 yrs.
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10
My life
by wasone inin 1968 merle haggard released a country song with the lyrics " and i turned twenty-one in prison doing life without parole.
no one could steer me right but mama tried, mama tried.
" the following year i too turned twenty-one and found myself in prison but not for the reasons haggard sang about.
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wasone
I think Knorr believed that the way god blessed us was by giving us more work to do.One day I found myself on the elevator with him in the 124 building, The only thing the man ever said to me was, are you staying busy, do you have enough to do? Of course I told him I did. Just didn't seem to be the right time to mention that sometimes I got caught up with my work and would spend time hiding in a supply room reading up on plumbing code. May be he was just out of touch. It was at this time when the family was so discontent that he added fuel to the fire by telling the family that as long as he had anything to do with it the four year commitment arrangement would never be done away with. But apparently someone with more empathy seen what was going on and a change was made. In 1976 we were told that if any at Bethel were not happy there we could leave without any repercussions. It was about this time that a Bethel Elder from my Flatbush Congregation approached me about being appointed as an elder in the congregation. I told him that I appreciated the recommendation but I really didn't know how I would be able to help since I was leaving Bethel as soon as possible. A gruff Bethel Overseer Ray Rose , who held the master plumbing license for the society,told me I should reconsider and stay so that I could become tough like him and withstand any future tribulation. If he only knew it was tough company men like him that made Bethel so unappealing to me. And the fear of becoming trapped there with nothing, like the old brother in the repair shop and so many others there,There had to be more to life than what Bethel had to offer.
My room mate ended up leaving Bethel and marring a girl from his Bronx Congregation. I think they moved back to his home in Florida, Despite me telling Ray Rose that I didn't want to stay and become like him he gave me a good referral letter to use to get an outside job.
I took that letter with me back to the Chattanooga Tn. area where I was from and used it to get an entry level job in a plumbing shop. I applied myself to the trade, got licenses and eventually got into the local plumbing union. Worked hard, got married, walked away from the religion in the 80s and raised a family. In 2010 I retired after working over thirty years at the trade. What did I learn from that Bethel experience that happened now some forty years ago? Well in my humble opinion I learned that Bethel is not the Lord's House. Never seen any evidence of God dwelling there. I learned that the Watchtower is just a cooperation and that Jehovah's Witnesses are just another religion. They are in business to do what all religions do. They sell hope.
Sometimes I wonder about those who stayed at Bethel. I have a home a family and a retirement. Sadly from stories we are hearing I don't think those career people who are being forced to leave now are that lucky. And at this point in my story I will say what Forrest Gump said" and that is all I have to say about that."
