Posts by survived75

13

What are the people at Bethel like? What's the GB like?

by doubtful in

i can't even count the number of times i've heard people say how incredibly humble and down-to-earth and caring the exectuives at bethel are.

i've had one first person encounter with a gb member..i forget his name although i would be able to identify him in a picture.

he did seem genuinely nice.

survived75

I am finding this really interesting.

Does anyone know what the Canadian Bethel is like? Has anyone been to the Canadian Bethel?

1

Is there a list of who are baptized?

by survived75 in

one of the brothers giving a funeral service mentioned to me he was surprised how long the deceased had been baptised.

it was many years before the brother was even born.

i know the man who had died didn't make a point of sharing that information.

One of the brothers giving a funeral service mentioned to me he was surprised how long the deceased had been baptised. It was many years before the brother was even born. I know the man who had died didn't make a point of sharing that information. Is there a list of who is baptized someplace? The young brother giving the service was at Bethel. Is there some list there that he could look it up?

42

How did you REALLY feel when you where out in field service?

by megaflower in

jw
friends

i never felt comfortable knocking on door and i hoped no one would be home.

my presentation was short and to the point because i did not want to get into discussions.

as we walked from "door to door" i secretly wished i could be like all the ones i saw in the nighborhood.

survived75

I didn't enjoy it. I was a kid so I didn't go all that much. I totally quit the service once I was 12 or 13. I would have been embarassed if anyone I knew at school saw me. I remember the territory servant looking at me and shaking his head and looking downright sad once. He was doing totals of time in service.

I guess I was so low in hours I wasn't considered to be a publisher anymore. It never bothered me I didn't respond to the remark.

My Dad never seemed to mind either. Dad was good that way . He never pressured or criticized me about going to the hall or being active in the truth.

I still think back sometimes about that look on the poor territory servants face . It so sad and sympathetic. He must have really thought I was going to be destroyed in the big A.

Most of those servants from when I was a kid are dead or very elderly now. Funny how I feel happy the way my life turned out and so very sad for some of the old die hards. I guess we just all do the best we know how to do in this life. I hope they are all at peace.

46

A LOOK INSIDE BETHEL LIFE, THE ORGANIZATION BEHIND THE NAME

by Bethelite Elder in

when i first came to bethel, the going reassurance was that if you stayed more than 5 years, you would be considered permanent.

many of the bethelites bought into the idea and stayed many years.

however, a few years back they had a test of faith.

survived75

After reading the posts in this thread it makes me very sad and very angry. Most of all it makes me think of a young man who is a relative of mine who has gone to bethel a couple of years now. His mother is so very proud of him. I bite my tongue because I worry that he is ruining his life.

I keep telling myself that He is a smart guy and will start to question his situation at some point. ( I hope that happens sooner rather than later.)

It is really hard to sit on the side lines and see this. It makes me sick.

I have relatives that have soldiered on in "the truth" for many decades. Some of them have passed away and their kids are married into the "truth" and their kids are heavily involved as well. Often, I wonder if they still really believe it? I wonder if they are just keeping up a false front. I think Surely that is the case for some of them, (although I never really know and would never intrude and ask because it is so personal). I find the whole issue interesting and scarey at the same time.

The "truth" was thankfully never my "thing" I escaped young and never looked back. I still have bad feelings against the borg and how they robbed me and my parents of a "normal" with things like birthdays and Christmas. I celebrate both now.

I do like to lurk here and find out what is going on with the Borg but I never swallowed the Koolaide. Posting here just helps me vent a bit. I find it is the best therapy for me.

94

What Was The Very First Thing That Came Across Your Eyes That Lead You Down The Road To Doubt?

by Yizuman in

jw
friends

any of you remember what was exactly the first thing that crossed your eyeballs to lead you into doubting the wts?.

survived75

I knew it was strange even as a little kid raised in the "truth".I was on the road of doubt when I knew it was different from other peoples beliefs. It just felt "weird" not to be "part of the rest of the world".

I would feel fear when someone asked me what I got for Christmas. The fear of being different. I didn't want to be different.

The first thing that came across my eyes was "The Orwellian World Of J W's" It confirmed what I always felt. It lead me to "Crisis of C" and "30 years a Watchtower Slave". I felt free and happy after reading these 3 books. I finally knew that I was not "weird" for thinking the JW org was "weird".

25

Did you feel "Stoopid" when going out in service?

by Quirky1 in

jw
friends

man, i always felt like a complete idiot!!

dressing up in a suit riding around with a carload of other "stoopid" people speaking "stoopid" shit!

wtf was i thinking??

survived75

Too Funny Oompa! ( I thought I was the only "fake knocker" out there. )

25

Did you feel "Stoopid" when going out in service?

by Quirky1 in

jw
friends

man, i always felt like a complete idiot!!

dressing up in a suit riding around with a carload of other "stoopid" people speaking "stoopid" shit!

wtf was i thinking??

survived75

I was just a kid but I faked knocked at doors very quietly so no one could hear even if they were at home.

I also looked around the street to make sure no one I knew was around . I also did this before I went into the hall. I didn't want anyone from school to see me and know I went to the KH.

14

What is Divorce like for a Baptised JW

by survived75 in

could you please tell me just what happens at the congregation level when a baptised brother gets divorced?.

does he just go ahead and do it legally or must he let the elders know?

the situation i am wondering about is a fellow who was separated from his non jw wife for several years after she quit attending the kh.

survived75

Thanks all of your comments are helpful. I have been out of the dubs for so many decades now it gives me a feel for what it may be like for someone I know going through this.

14

What is Divorce like for a Baptised JW

by survived75 in

could you please tell me just what happens at the congregation level when a baptised brother gets divorced?.

does he just go ahead and do it legally or must he let the elders know?

the situation i am wondering about is a fellow who was separated from his non jw wife for several years after she quit attending the kh.

survived75

Sorry..... I added that last part as an afterthought.

To clarify it ...Would the brother have the elders subtle approval for divorcing his DA wife (from whom he was separated) and marrying his current wife who is a publisher? I am talking subtle pressure here. (This is an older very devout brother of many decades of service.)

(The brothers former wife had a history of ,at least once that I know of, telling off the elders when approched for unsolicited spiritual counsel. She clearly let them know that she did not approve of all things JW)

In fact I had hoped to get more of a response for the first part of my question. Do people planning divorce just go out and do it? Is it any business of the elders as to why? Is any legal reason for divorce acceptable to the JW church or must it be adultery etc?

14

What is Divorce like for a Baptised JW

by survived75 in

could you please tell me just what happens at the congregation level when a baptised brother gets divorced?.

does he just go ahead and do it legally or must he let the elders know?

the situation i am wondering about is a fellow who was separated from his non jw wife for several years after she quit attending the kh.

survived75

Could you please tell me just what happens at the congregation level when a baptised brother gets divorced?

Does he just go ahead and do it legally or must he let the elders know? The situation I am wondering about is a fellow who was separated from his non JW wife for several years after she quit attending the KH. He divorced in order to marry another dub.

Is it possible that elders may have encouraged the brother to divorce his wife of many years?