My roommate Jack Sutton was in Greenlees congregation called Green Point. I'll be talking about him more later.
new boy
JoinedPosts by new boy
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5
Chapter 13 part B New Boy 50 years a Watchtower Slave
by new boy ini was given the rest the day off and told to report to housekeeping monday morning.
everything would start on monday the day i was supposed to have arrived at bethel.
every new boy was assigned to a house keeper for three days before they got their work assignment.
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Chapter 13 part B New Boy 50 years a Watchtower Slave
by new boy ini was given the rest the day off and told to report to housekeeping monday morning.
everything would start on monday the day i was supposed to have arrived at bethel.
every new boy was assigned to a house keeper for three days before they got their work assignment.
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new boy
I was given the rest the day off and told to report to housekeeping Monday morning. Everything would start on Monday the day I was supposed to have arrived at Bethel. Every new boy was assigned to a house keeper for three days before they got their work assignment. This way they could learn the proper care and maintenance of their assigned room.
In 1970 there was two congregations that met at Bethel, King’s County and Brooklyn Heights. I wanted to go to the memorial that night at which ever one Brother Knorr and the other Bethel heavies were going to.
I was told by Gilbert that this wasn’t a good idea. “It’s going to be packed there, with standing room only. There would be overseers and the friends of overseers from all over the city there. You should come with me to my Hall instead.”
So I took my first subway rides to Gilbert’s congregation that night. Over the years I would detested the thousands of hours wasted on these trains. Summertime was the worst since most of the trains back then had no AC. You were dressed up with suit and tie, heading to one of your five meetings a week. It was ninety degrees or more in the tunnels with ninety percent humidity. There could be a little breeze coming through the windows. Then the train would stop dead on the tracks for no apparent reason for what seemed like an eternity. When you got off the train you would literally soaked to the bone with sweat. For the book study it was a two hour train ride for an hour book study.
So that night we headed to his Kingdom Hall called Midtown in Manhattan. It was a strange congregation back then with over eighty Bethelities in it. There was about thirty publishers there and the rest were these young guys who all looked like me. Kids from all over the country. If I remember correctly, the Hall was above a liquor store, pretty convenient. I met James Pipkorn that night who would end up being one of my best friends for over forty years.
The memorial was pretty much like most of the memorials I’d had been to in my life with one or two people partaking of the bread and the wine and the rest standing by. Funny thing is the numbers of partakers in 1970 was just over ten thousand. Last year it was over fifteen thousand partaking. These numbers should be going down after forty years but they are still raising.
For around 70 years it was held that the 144,000 were fully assigned by 1935.
"Logically, the calling of the little flock would draw to a close when the number was nearing completion, and the evidence is that the general gathering of these specially blessed ones ended in 1935." Watchtower 1995 Feb 15 p.19
Just one more of the many “Catch 22s” That the society can’t seem to figure out but really this is one of the least of their problems.
Anyway, I couldn’t wait to find out what my “privilege of service” was going to be. No matter if’s cleaning toilets or working on the mighty printing presses all jobs at Bethel are “privileges of service” they will tell you. I would preferred the printing presses for sure, but would do the toilets. Anything to serve my god. I actually found out later that cleaning toilets was really a pretty good job there compared to the hell of the dreaded machines they could put you on.
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Chapter 13 New Boy 50 years a Watchtower slave
by new boy inchapter 13. they get my heart, soul and my body.
saturday morning i was up at 6:30. it was fun trying to share small bathroom with seven other guys, all trying to get ready in 20 minutes.
i threw some cloths on and headed to first “morning worship.” gilbert said i could sit on his table since there was an extra space there.
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new boy
Chapter 13
They get my heart, soul and my body
Saturday morning I was up at 6:30. It was fun trying to share small bathroom with seven other guys, all trying to get ready in 20 minutes. I threw some cloths on and headed to first “morning worship.” Gilbert said I could sit on his table since there was an extra space there. Hundreds of “brothers” and “Sisters” swarmed into the 124 building, since that was where most the dining rooms were at. Some came in from underground tunnels from the 119 and 107 buildings. The society owned about a half a dozen buildings in the Heights at the time and would be buying lots more over the next few years.
We set down at a table in the upper dinner room. The dining room was full of tables that fit exactly ten people. Each table had a “table head” and the “table foot.” The table head was where usually a Bethel Elder would sit. I set down at a table with my new friend Gilbert. The table was set with all white china, cups, saucers and plates. I set there in amazement. I looked up to see many TV sets mounted on the walls.
A middle age “sister” smiled as she looked at me.
“So Gilbert who is your new friend?”
“His name is Keith Casarona. He just got here.”“Welcome brother Casarona. I’m Sister Jones.”
“Hi I just…” Before I could say another word. There was a voice coming over all the TVs in the upper dining room. I was none other than Brother Knorr himself, the president of the society. He was leading comments, about the daily text. Sooner or later everyone in the Bethel family would have to make their comments about the daily text in front of the whole Bethel family. You would get a chance to share your thoughts and your wisdom about every six months. Almost two thousand “brothers and sisters” plus the governing body and all Bethel Elders would be watching you as you set in front of the cameras. That would be months away for me. Over the years some of the things that came out of people’s mouths on that text table would blow your mind. After the text was over and Knorr was making the last of his announcements, the food started coming up the elevators. Breakfast and lunch were the two best meals at the Lord house, with dinner coming in at away distant third. At the time most of the food eaten there was grown on the society’s farms. Over all, the food was pretty good. When I got there I weighed 155 pounds. Six months later I was at 185. The use to say “It’s the best food in the world….. before they cooked it.”
Some of the food would be on the tables already before we got there. Other food would be dropped off next to the table head. The table head would pass the platers down one side first. When the platers were empty, they would pass them out to a waiters. The platers would come back a few minutes later. They usually had less food on them. The table head would then pass the platers down the opposite side of the table. What table you were assigned to was a big deal because you were usually sitting there for at least an hour or more a day. I found out later that If Knorr got into one of his rants we would be sitting there a whole lot longer, with very cold food waiting for us when it was over.
Once the text was over there was a prayer before eat breakfast. Everyone pulled out their white linen napkins that were folded and hidden under the table and put them on their laps. There wasn’t much talking at the table as chowing down had now began. I had a thousand questions but I felt this wasn’t the time or place to bring them up. I pulled out the napkin under my place setting and started to place it on my lap.
The table head who hadn’t said a word to me as of yet looked up from his scrambled eggs and said. “Brother, you need to put the napkin back where you found it.”
“Ok.” I folded the napkin and put it back under the table in its place.
Sister Jones piped in. “We all get one clean napkin a week for our personal use and no matter where we sit we don’t use other people’s napkins.”
This of course was just one of the hundreds of written and unwritten laws and codes of conduct that a person would need to know if they were “Dwell together in unity” at the lord’s house.
After about fifteen minutes of eating there was a dismissal prayer. Everyone got up from theirs seats and pushed their chairs in. Brother Knorr said a few words of prayer and breakfast was over. Some set back down and kept on eating. If you worked in the home you had some extra time before you had get to work at 8:00, since you didn’t have the twenty walk to the factory. Most of everyone else would go to their job assignments immediately.
Gilbert informed me since I had come early, I needed to go the Bethel office to check in.
Once there I was given my Bethel key, and packet of documents with the booklet, “Dwelling together in unity.” My key number was number 499. This key would allow you access to all the major buildings the society own. The key was to be guarded with your life. If the key was lost, two thousand brothers and sisters wellbeing could be at risk. I looked at the key and wondered how many other people before me was the proud owner of key 499. The key was also one of the ways they could identify you. More about that later.
The booklet “Dwelling together in unity.” was not mine to keep. I had to read the booklet and return it to the Bethel office. It was a private and confidential publication for Bethelites eyes only. The booklet contained just some of the many rules and regulations that a person needed to know. You had two thousands roommates now and there lots to learn. You learned that you needed to obey your overseers (they didn’t have Elders yet) in every way. They were appointed by god’s Holy Spirit. It told you about everything from hygiene to marriage, from vacations to sickness. For example, If you were there less than five years and were sick too long they would take away your vacation time from you. Also if you got sick or injured there it might be best if you left there so you wouldn't be a burden on them. Some brave soul snuck copy of this booklet out and put it on the internet. Check it out. Written by none other than the President himself. Mr. Knorr.
There was a lot of documents I needed to sign before I could join the club. I hardly read any of them. I felt there wasn’t anything the society wanted me to do that wasn’t in my best interest. One document was a bit strange. It was a form that said that the society would have the legal right to keep my body, if I should die of natural or unnatural causes. Yes, even if I get murdered or decide to kill myself while at Bethel, Bethel still wanted to keep my body. While I was at Bethel, I did know of Bethelites that were either murdered or who killed themselves. They ended up being buried somewhere on the Watchtower farm. So what’s the reason behind all this? Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe the society likes to spend money on funerals….no, I don’t think so. What the society does like, is to stay away from expensive lawsuits. Maybe those controlling your corpse can prevent some kind of legal action. Who knows? It doesn’t matter, I signed everything they put in front of me.
I was never leaving Bethel before Armageddon anyway.
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Chapter 12 of New Boy Fifty Years a Watchtower Slave
by new boy ini'm writing by book again and will be posting it here for any feed back, corrections and impute.
i turned around and gave him another $10.
the brooklyn heights area is one of the most upscale neighborhoods in all of new york.
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new boy
I'm writing by book again and will be posting it here for any feed back, corrections and impute. If you have any interesting stories I can incorporate into the book please let me know.
I got to La Guardia Airport at about six o’clock. There was no welcome committee. There couldn’t be since nobody knew I was coming. I never had a taxi ride before and I was looking forward to it. I must have looked pretty confused on the curb in front of the airport. A nice older Italian guy pick up my bags and put them in his cab.
“What are you waiting for? Get in.” He said
I did and we were off.
“Where to.” He said.
I got out my letter. “124 Columbia Heights Brooklyn.”
“Ok have you ever been there before?” He asked.
“No.” I said.
“Have you ever been to Brooklyn before?”
“Nope”
“So where did you fly in from kid?”
“Kansas.”
“Kansas? Have you ever been to New York before?”
“Yes, but it’s been awhile.”
“Well, welcome. It’s going to be a little bit of a trip but I’ll get you there buddie.”
“Great.”
He did get me there too but it turned out to be the most expensive cab ride of my life. I saw most of Brooklyn and parts of Queens. I think I saw the Verrazano Bridge at least twice.
He talked about his family and his crazy wife. I talked about moving to the world headquarters of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. He wasn’t impressed at all. He must have got tired of talking to me because two hours later he dropped me off in front of the 124 building. He got my bags out of the trunk and put them by the front door.
“How much do I owe you?” I asked.
$109.50” He said.
I gave him $110 and started walking towards my bags.
“Hey kid! What no tip? You’re in New York now, not Kansas anymore…you got to tip here!”
I turned around and gave him another $10. He never even said thank you. I had come to New York with only $300 and I was down to only $180. Thirty eight years later, I was a cab driver in Portland Oregon. I would have never dreamed of doing that to someone.
It didn’t matter. I was standing looking up at 124 building. This truly was one of the defining moments of my life. Everything before this was just preparation for what was on the other side of those to doors. I made it. The rest of my life would be gravy from here on out.
I grabbed by bags and went through the doors and up a couple of steps. I was standing in front of the 124 reception desk. There was a boy my age on the phone. I stood there as he looked up.
He put his hand over the receiver. “Can I help you?”
“Yes, I’m Keith… Keith Casarona.”
“Ok Keith, can I help you?”
“I’m here to report in for Bethel service.”
He got a disgruntle look on his face and went back to talking on the phone. “Hey, Tom I’ll call you back later. I got a new boy here I need to deal with.”
He hung up the phone and opened a desk draw. He got out a list and started looking at it.
“What’s your name again?”
“Keith Casarona”
“When were supposed to check in anyway?”
“Monday the 23nd.”
He gave me another disgruntled look. “This is Friday.”
“Yes, I know. I decided to come early.”
Shaking his head. “You decided to come early….great. Do me a favor and grab you bags and wait in the lounge.” He pointed straight ahead. “This could take a while.”
As I grabbed my bags and walked into the lounge I thought to myself ‘new boy’ what a strange term. I dropped my bags into a chair and looked out the picture windows at the million views of the New York harbor and the Brooklyn Bridge. There were thousands twinkling lights all over lower Manhattan. The lounge looked like something out of the nineteen forties art deco with its overstuffed couches. There was a big black piano in the corner begging for someone to play some George Gershwin melodies. There was a small group of “brothers” and young “sisters” talking in the corner. I thought I’m at home at last.
The society has owned some of the most expensive pieces of real estate in all of Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Heights area is one of the most upscale neighborhoods in all of New York. Just below the 124 building is the world famous promenade where dozens of motion pictures have been made. In the early nineteen seventies you could watch them across the river as they built the World Trade Center. Years later the society would sell off some of these properties for hundreds of millions of dollars.
A few minutes later, the brother from the front desk came and got me.
This is Larry he’ll show you to your room. I grabbed my bags and we headed out the front door and across the street down about a hundred yards to an older kind of rundown apartment building. It was the 129 building. It was an older apartment building that still had some “worldly” people living in it.
All Larry said was. “Where you from?”
I said “California by way of Kansas.”
“Oh… don’t tell people you’re from California.”
“Why?” I said.
He smiled. “You’ll find out.”
We walked up two flights and walked to apartment 33. Larry knocked on the door.
Gilbert Turner opened the door.
Larry looked at Gilbert. “This is your new roommate.” He turned and walked away.
Gilbert always had a funny little smile on his face. “Welcome to the Ritz. Right this way.”
We were in a one bedroom one bath, eight hundred square feet apartment. There were three guys in the Livingroom, two guys in an alcove and two guys in the ten by ten bedroom. The bedroom had two beds, two desks and two dressers in it. It was so small you had to go outside to change your mind. They put me in the bedroom with a Mexican kid from Texas.
I threw my bags on the bed and looked at Gilbert “I’m starving any place to get some food around here?”
“Not really…breakfast tomorrow morning, I guess.”
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There are only 4 ways to leave the Jehovah's Witnesses
by new boy inthere are only four ways of leaving the jehovah’s witnesses.
so there are four ways that could lead to shunning.
i say “could” because options three and four has some loopholes.
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new boy
There are only four ways of leaving the Jehovah’s Witnesses. So there are four ways that could lead to shunning. I say “could” because options three and four has some loopholes.
1. You are “disfellowshipped.” You commit some kind of sin in the eyes of church. For example you commit “Immorality” meaning you have sex before you are married or you are married and have sex with someone besides your spouse. There are other sins you could commit but these are by far the most popular. You meet with three elders in the local congregation. If they feel you are not repentant enough for your sins, the will expel you from the congregation. Sometimes even if you are repentant enough, they will still expel you anyway. They will do this to make an example of you to others. Or they just don’t like you. It’s a “good old boy country club” and sometimes favoritism comes into play. You could be disfellowedshipped in one Kingdom hall and just get a slap on the wrist in another for the same offence.
2. You “disassociate” yourself. You send a letter to the local congregation and resign your membership.
If you do the first or second option will be definitely be shunned. You can never again have ANY contact with any of your Jehovah’s Witnesses friends or family. You are dead to them.
3. So you don’t want to do option one or two. In recent years a new way to leave the Witnesses has become popular. It’s call “fading.” This is a tricky one. It’s done by people who don’t want to make a complete break from the occult. Usually because of family members, the thought of not ever talking with their parents, children, siblings and loved ones is more than they can bear. It works just like it sounds. You move away from them slowly. Many times this requires an actual move to a new town or state. You might even tell your family and friends that you are still an active witness but in reality you have moved on to a new life. Others have called this “a double life” This phrase has been coined to describe mostly younger ones, teenagers and young adults who have two different lives. These are kids who are trying to keep their parents happy and will pretend to be a good witness by going to the meetings and out in field service. However on the weekends they will “party down” and act like “worldly” people. Whether you are a “double lifer” or a “fader” the results can be disastrous if caught. You could end up in the “back room” with the three elders telling them your story. This rarely goes well.
4. The fourth and final option is death. For many who couldn’t make the choice from the first three options, have chosen this one. Yes, you can break free with suicide. There was a time when I even considered this option myself. I have known at least a half dozen people who felt this was their only option to leave. As I have said earlier, I personally have contributed to at least two people choosing this way out. Yes, even dead people can be shunned. Many witnesses have boycotted their family member’s funerals. So for them there can be do forgiveness even after your death. My mother wouldn’t let my father go to his father’s funeral because it was inside a Catholic church. As Bob Dylan once said “Some of us are prisoners and some of us are guards.”
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Movies I'm Watching
by ILoveTTATT2 ini have, for about 6 months now, been trying to watch every single movie that was "cool" or interesting since 1960.it started out with a desire to watch as an adult all disney movies.
then it morphed into all bond movies (except for the non-canonicals).now it's turned into pretty much any and all movies.
here is my list, scratched out are ones i have seen, green are recent next-in line.turns out there was a lot i had never seen before, about 70% because of the cult restrictions!
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new boy
Wow how long did it take you to write this thread? You must have lots of free time on your hands
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Making life and death/life altering decisions based on commands from someone you're not sure exists
by jambon1 instraight from the off, i will say that i'm 100% atheist.
i have no faith.
however, it occurred to me while thinking back over my involvement with the jw religion and especially when i take into account personal and family situations where people have made life altering choices due to being jw's, just how crazy it really is.
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new boy
Isn't really base on people's perception of god and not god we are talking about. God if he/she exits has nothing to do with mans stupid decisions concerning him/her.
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What has been your own personal experience of shunning?
by UnshackleTheChains ini am interested in finding out on a small scale the extent of which shunning has impacted on you personally.. my own experience is that when i faded about 12 years ago.
the woman whose house the book study was held at (and who was virtually a neighbour) walked right past me in my own street.
i remember it so well.
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new boy
It's really funny when you think about it. It's like the end of the movie "Invasion of the body snatchers" when she mets her best friend and he starts pointing and screaming at her. You now then it's just a matter of time before she is "snatched" too. Except we were the ones who were "possessed" but are now free and yes let's hope they can break free too one day too
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What has been your own personal experience of shunning?
by UnshackleTheChains ini am interested in finding out on a small scale the extent of which shunning has impacted on you personally.. my own experience is that when i faded about 12 years ago.
the woman whose house the book study was held at (and who was virtually a neighbour) walked right past me in my own street.
i remember it so well.
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new boy
Because my exwife would have nothing to do with her DFed father or let him see his grand kids. He blow his brains out. Shunning kills.
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Making life and death/life altering decisions based on commands from someone you're not sure exists
by jambon1 instraight from the off, i will say that i'm 100% atheist.
i have no faith.
however, it occurred to me while thinking back over my involvement with the jw religion and especially when i take into account personal and family situations where people have made life altering choices due to being jw's, just how crazy it really is.
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new boy
What about people who make life and death decisions on someone who does exist? Like a president that says it time to attack and kill people. Your life may hang in the balance. People have and always will make life and death decisions on other people actions and decisions.