Posts by new boy

29

Why continue to suffer??

by Tigerlove in

jw
friends

i occasionally come on this website because i have my eyes on a particular user.

because of that, i end up reading a lot of people's post.

although very interesting and hurt breaking, a lot of them are very strange.

It's pretty simple why they stay in messed up relationships. Some people would rather stay with the pain they know as opposed to the pain they don't know. Because of being a witnesses leaving a relationship is a little more costly then in other faiths.

Besides your relationship ending some or all of the following are things you might lose too.

1. The person you're with. Meaning someone will have to screw around or no one can get remarried!

2. Some or ALL your family, because witnesses like to take sides.

3. Some or ALL your friends. Since Witnesses' friends are only at the KH.

4. Some or all your money. As I did when my marriage ended.

So my friend things are a LITTLE more complicated then they look on the surface on the surface of things.

11

My Bethel Experience Part 18. The last Bethel Tread, Blood Guilt

by new boy in

jw
friends

besides almost getting mugged a couple of times.

his folks had a fit and told him he had to go back and "do his time".........and do the "right thing"...........he told me he had just left max larson’s office, max had just told him “what a disappointment he was, to his family and to the organization!

“do you ever think about james olson?

new boy

Besides almost getting mugged a couple of times. The closest, I came to getting hurt while at Bethel was in the summer in 1972, at the Allentown PA District Convention. I think its name was "The Divine Endurance."

After one day of spiritual enlightenment, Jim Pipkorn and I went to this college bar for some beers. There were these kids there that had their whole table top full of these little empty 8 oz. green bottles. They looked, just like little bottles of ginger ale we used to drink as kids.......So after having a few beers myself. I looked over at them......and said......"Hey! What is 'Rolling Rock'? Some kind of soda pop?" These four jocks.....got up and came over to our table and grabbed me, they would have bet the shit out of me, if it wasn't for......Jim saying..."He is just a fool and an idiot, please leave him alone"

The other time was in "Little Italy" in Manhattan. I was with Jim Pipkorn again. There was this really big festival going on there, like in the movie "The Godfather II." Jim and I were sitting in this door way watching everything that was happening. I was looking out at the crowd......and said......"These are MY people (because I'm Italian too)........I love all these old 300 lb. women with moustaches!" Just then I felt this liquid running down my head and all over my clothes. You guessed it. I looked up and saw a big fat Italian Lady with a moustache, pouring her wine glass out on my head. I never saw anyone laugh harder than Jim at that moment. It was me sticking my foot in my month once again.

There was another Jim, I met at Bethel, but I never saw him laugh… ever. It was Jim Olson. I met him on my freight elevator in Factory building # 1 in 1973. He was this sad, shy looking boy, he had blond hair, blue eyes, about 5' 7" He looked like he was only about 16 years old. He was from Kendallville, Indiana and was good friends with "AK Jeff" who posts here on JWD, they had studied together. He was cleaning toilets in the factory. Believe it or not, that is considered a "good job" in the home or factory, because you weren't "on production line" or on one of those damned machines....and no one was on your ass. No overseer to beg to go to the bathroom, but it was a very lonely job. You worked by yourself, there were few people to talk to, all day. He got this job because his family was friends with Max Larson. I probably saw him more than anyone and I didn't have much to say to him either, when you were there for a few years, you just didn't have much to say to the "new boys." They hadn't got it yet.

He got on my elevator one day with tears in his eyes. "What’s up?" I asked. You could tell, he didn't want to tell me, but he did.... he said ........that he couldn't take it anymore at Bethel and about a week earlier, he went back home to Indiana. He was AWOL! He didn’t tell anyone, a big no, no! He told his folks he wanted to come back home for good. His folks had a fit and told him he had to go back and "do his time".........and do the "right thing"...........He told me he had just left Max Larson’s office, Max had just told him “What a disappointment he was, to his family and to the organization!".....So what encouragement did I give this poor kid? Basically NOTHING! I told him. "Hey........Screw them........just do your time......then go home and enjoy the rest of your life." I told him basically the same thing that guy told me, my first day at bethel, which was also his last day. "Do your job and keep your mouth shut. They don't give a shit about you here!"

I didn’t know it at the time but he took off again for home. Again they made him go back. Again Max ripped him a new ass…..

The day he got back to New York was October 31, 1973. I remember that night, because it was Halloween. I was working on my car in the in the garage at the 117 Adams St. building, it was about 9:00 p.m. You could use the garage to work on your car back then, I was changing the oil in my car......when all of a sudden all Hell broke loose. All of the fire alarms went off in Building 4.......The watchmen were running around, trying to find who broke into the factory.....they looked everywhere, but could find nothing. It was very strange. The mystery was solved a few days later.

November 3, 1973 about 12:50 p.m. I'm taking everyone back to work after lunch, on elevator in building one. Everyone is standing on the sky bridges, looking out, at the back of building 4. There is an ambulance there, taking the stiff dead body of some blond hair kid out from behind the bushes surround by trash and beer cans...........it was 19 year old....... Jimmy Olson! He was stiff as a board and dead three days.

I was standing next to Norm Brecky, the ink room overseer. Next to him was Tom Combs, the Job Press overseer. Tom Combs said and I quote "He must have done something REALLY BAD to have killed himself!" Then Norm said and I quote....."I glad he jumped off the BACK of the building and not the front of the building, because we really don't need the extra publicity."

Jimmy was dead and judged on that day.

So my friends......Just who did kill James Olson? Was it the heartless religion? Was it his family? Was it the "Bethel brothers?" Was it Max Larson? I'm the only person who knows who really killed James Olson!

IT WAS ALL OF US!!!

It was the religion, his family, the people in oversight, the bethel family and ME. None of us gave a shit, about this 19 year old kid, James Olson. We all pushed him off the building that night as far as I'm concerned.

P.S.......They DID keep his body.......its buried in some unmarked grave, upstate New York "AK JEFF" told me.

P.S.S......Many years ago a friend of mine sent Max Larson a post card on October 31.....It said. “Do you ever think about James Olson? Hey, we ALL have a resurrection HOPE don't we, right?”

An organization of love would have let this kid go home.

New Boy

8

MY Bethel Experience Part 17

by new boy in

more "odds and ends".

i liked lyman swingle (governing body member)......he was from alabama, he knew how to curse at the right time.

i think, that’s why i went to him, when i was having so much trouble with my future wife’s parents.

new boy

More "odds and ends"

I liked Lyman Swingle (Governing Body Member)......He was from Alabama, he knew how to curse at the right time. I think, that’s why I went to him, when I was having so much trouble with my future wife’s parents. He seemed "cool" and down to earth. He might have been bit of a racist though.

One time a self-righteous (known as SR) new boy, went to him and complained about what he had heard in the bindery. "Brother Swingle" the kid said "I heard some brothers cursing, in the Bindery!"...........Swingle said "Really, just what in the HELL did they say?" I think, he like to shock people.

Another time my roommate was on the elevator, with Wayne Julliano (one of the Bethel barbers) and Lyman..........Wayne was wearing a black suit, with red top stitching, (Hey it was the 1970's). Wayne always dressed on the NPG side of things. Lyman looks over at him and said "Were did you get that suit? Nigger town?" Yep, he was very down to Earth. My best Swingle story is totally true!

Ronnie K (a friend of my wife who was at bethel too) from Louisiana. Told me my favorite story about Brother Swingle. ....Ronnie set on Lyman’s table. This new black kid was sitting there................Lyman said to him ......."Boy would you pass me the potatoes?"......The black brother said to Lyman....... "I'm NOT YOUR BOY!" .......To which Lyman said, not batting an eye............"NIGGER, pass the potatoes." Yes, Bethel was not the place to try and be uppity.

They don't want to hear what YOU think about things. If you have a "better idea" about how to make things work better, best thing to do is keep your mouth shut. They don't want to hear, about your better way of doing things. Or how they could be wrong about something. It doesn't matter how much experience you had in any field of work. I had cooking experience for 3 years before I came to Bethel. So where did they put me for my work assignment, the laundry. The same week I came in to Bethel, another guy came too, ........He had worked in a professional Laundry for 2 years.....so where do they put him............you guessed it.....the Kitchen.......They like you dumb, that way they can mold you and to teach you, there way of doing things, the only way of doing things "the Bethel Way." They want empty heads. That system, works really good for the rest of their religion too.

The first Apostate I ever saw a guy we called "Mr. Frog." We called him that, because he always wore a green suit. He would stand in front of the 124 building, just before lunch, screaming at the top of his lungs, on the evils of Knorr and the organization, with 100's of Bethelites walking pass him. We hated that guy. Some friends of mine wanted to beat him up, but we knew, if we were caught, there would be hell to pay.

"The locals" in Brooklyn Heights, hated us too, they had their own newspaper, where they blasting us all the time. There was this one crazy women, who was there for years, we called her "Lady Margret." She was a 300 lb. crazy women who never took a bath. She lived in "The Margret Hotel" (before it burned down) next door to the 107 building. She would follow us Bethelites down the street, yelling obscenities and every foul name you could think of............You mother f........ers, blank, blank, blank, not one sentence didn't have a curse word in it............One day walking to the factory......Right before I left.....she was there, standing on the corner...... she was saying......"You boys want any soup?...........You boys want any soup?......You boys want any soup?..........I looked over to my friend and said........."I don't believe it, it’s the first time in 4 years she hasn't cursed at us.".........The very next second after I said that, she said.......... "YOU.......BLACK BASTARDS, WHAT ANY SOUP OR NOT? We just laughed...everyone just loved us.

I didn’t get mugged in N.Y.C while I was there. I came close a few times. The factory area was a scary place late at night. If you couldn't find a parking space at 2:00 a.m. Sunday night which was the case most of the time that was the only place you might find a spot at. Walking back from there, through the park.........good luck. The Key was to walk really fast. If you spotted a group of strange people on a corner you would walk 5 blocks out of the way, to put as much distance between you and them. One of the best defenses is looking and acting totally NUTS! One time it looked like I was going to be totally cornered. I started screaming at the top of lungs......MOTHER.. F....ERS!..........MOTHER.....F.....ERS! and a little saliva running out of my mouth helps too..........I know you guys think I'm totally lying, but I swear that saved my life twice. One time on a subway. It’s late one night I'm on this subway car by myself........3 teenagers get on my car........2 from one end and one from the other end. They started walking towards me. I was wearing an army trench coat. When they were about 10 feet away, I put my hand under my coat, looking like I could have a gun on me, I grit my teeth and looked at them.......as if to say...... you want to party, let’s go!.........They looked at each other and just keep on walking. No one wants to mess with crazy people.....I don't.......do you? If you are going to mug someone, you want someone who isn't going to give you any problems.

I was in Lower Manhattan driving my piece of shit car one Saturday. I pull up to a stop sign and this tramp walks up and starts trying to clean my windshield with a rag that looked like he blew his nose in it a few times.........after 15 seconds he asked for a buck. I said "Are you Crazy? YOU give me a buck! He said "why?"............I said "I bet you make more money then me. How much money do you make a month?".....He said." I don't know, with my VA check...... maybe 3-4 hundred. .....I said "I make 22 bucks a month....YOU give ME......a BUCK".........He didn't believe me.......I'm not sure, I believe it either.

A homeless person was making more money than us a month.

A friend of mine was mugged in NYC. I guy pulled him down an alley and put a gun to his head. The mugger said “Give me your money or I’m going to blow your brains out.” My friend thought for a minute and said “You better shoot….one thing I know about New York you can live here with brains but you got to have MONEY!

6

My Bethel Experience Part 16

by new boy in

jw
friends

we are nearing the end of the journey.......so this next two chapters will be called "odds and ends" or things i didn't put in the right chapters..........because i thought of them after those chapters were written..... .

bethel joke.

three guys are sitting around, each drinking a large glass of beer.........a publisher, a pioneer and a bethelite.......just then, a fly lands in all three of their glasses of beer........the publisher....pushes the glass away and says....."i can't drink this now"...........the pioneer looks over, and picks the fly out of the beer and keeps on drinking............the bethelite.........picks up the fly by its wings and holds its head over the glass and says "spit it out......spit it out!

new boy

They all there. You just need to back far enough to see them. I have 2-3 more t post. I'm hardly getting any hits on them is why they are buried.

23

"I thought About You" Email

by BeautifulMind in

hey everyone!!

i hope everyone is doing good today.

i don't share or comment often, but i'm in the mood to do that today.

new boy

"Soon, Jehovah’s day will come."

When he will kill millions of men, women and children,

Now is the time to return to our heavenly Father’s loving arms and to the congregation

Yes, his loving arms before he kills you along with 99% of he world population.

—the only safe haven in these last days.—Deut. 33:27; Heb.

Because we are right and everyone else is screwed

6

My Bethel Experience Part 16

by new boy in

jw
friends

we are nearing the end of the journey.......so this next two chapters will be called "odds and ends" or things i didn't put in the right chapters..........because i thought of them after those chapters were written..... .

bethel joke.

three guys are sitting around, each drinking a large glass of beer.........a publisher, a pioneer and a bethelite.......just then, a fly lands in all three of their glasses of beer........the publisher....pushes the glass away and says....."i can't drink this now"...........the pioneer looks over, and picks the fly out of the beer and keeps on drinking............the bethelite.........picks up the fly by its wings and holds its head over the glass and says "spit it out......spit it out!

new boy

We are nearing the end of the journey.......So this next two chapters will be called "odds and ends" or things I didn't put in the right chapters..........because I thought of them after those chapters were written....

Bethel Joke

Three guys are sitting around, each drinking a large glass of beer.........A Publisher, a Pioneer and a Bethelite.......Just then, a fly lands in ALL three of their glasses of beer........The publisher....pushes the glass away and says....."I can't drink this now"...........The Pioneer looks over, and picks the fly out of the beer and keeps on drinking............The Bethelite.........picks up the fly by its wings and holds its head over the glass and says "Spit it out......Spit it out!"

One guy, who didn't spit it out.........we'll call him Bob.......went to Jack Sutton’s Polish wedding, in Green Point.......Now those people know how to put on a wedding! It was what we called a football wedding (a bethelites dream) because there are two bottles of booze on each table, one on each end. Well needless to say.......Bob and many others had way too much to drink, that night .......We took Bob back to bethel.......he lived in the 124 building......the "most holy".........I told my friend Dave to take him to his room and put him in bed.........Which he did.......but as soon as he left him......Bob decided to go to the men’s bathroom, down the hall........so as soon as he hit the door he passed out cold, face down on the floor......at about 4:00 in the morning, some new boy went to the bathroom and saw him......OH! My GOD!......this guy thought.....This guy is dead!......So he called the Good Doc up and told him about the "dead guy" in the bathroom. After the Doc's examination, he said "He not dead.......but will wish he was, in the morning." Well, he was in George Couch's office (Bethel home servant overseer) the next day. He did what we called the "Indian Navajo trick".............which is begging and screaming for one's life. It worked, he only got a verbal reprimand.

They don't tolerate much at bethel.......but if they kicked everyone out of Bethel, for drinking too much, the place would have shut down years ago.......So I'm driving down the FDR drive one Sunday, taking an old timer back to Bethel, (been there about 40 years) after giving a talk in my hall............ he points over to the Schafer Brewery and says " Son,......if they ever shut down that factory, pointing at the brewery, they would have to shut down that one too, pointing to Bethel!

There are stories of Bethelites back in the 1920's, 1930's 1940's that they would find passed out Sunday mornings, on the sidewalk in front of the 124 building. They would just dust them off and bring them inside. Most of the folks like their booze there, including Knorr he would get "J&B" scotch by the case. Even Nathan could have sex after a couple of scotches.

Speaking of cases of booze.

I will tell you, the story of the missing 1,500 bottles of "Fine Spanish Brandy"

It was the summer of 1973. They were having the "Divine Endurance" international conventions (not the real name..... I forgot what it was) in N.Y.C. Brothers were flying in from everywhere. Two 747's full of JWs from Spain, were going through the factory on tour. My friend Armando, who speaks Spanish was taking this group on a tour through the factory. It happen to be the tour that had the Spanish Overseer in charge of the whole thing in it. At the end of the tour.....the Spanish brother said to Armando......."My friend....We have a gift for you and all the other Bethelites here, at the World Head Quarters. All of the brothers and sisters from Spain have chipped in to buy you and all the other HARD working Bethelites a bottle of 'Fine Spanish Brandy'............and this is your bottle!".........as he was giving him the bottle, the Spanish brother asked "So who would we talk to, about how to distribute the other 1500 bottles?"......" Well, I guess" Armando said "That would be George Couch......The Bethel Home Overseer"

That night, Armando come over to our room, and told us this story..........as we were drinking a glass of HIS "Fine Spanish Brandy."

You guessed it.........it has been over 40 years and I still haven't seen my bottle of brandy. Oh they got passed around alright.........and you have a good idea who got them. We even saw some of those bottles show up at local Elder's homes in the N.Y.C. area. The bethel “heavies” and their friends got it!

Something else happen that week. "The Great Grease Gun Fight of 73"........Most of the factory overseers were at the convention, so it was a loose ship there. That week we had the most tours going through the factory I have ever seen, they were like one tour after the other. The fight was between the press room guys and the "inkies" (Ink room personnel)......I think it started with someone putting a gob of grease in some other guy's shoes. It soon escalated into a full blown grease gun war. The grease guns were used to grease the presses and other machinery......they work by a lever action and they could shot a thick gob of grease about 15 feet. At one point the "inkies" high jacked my elevator for about 30 mins. I found in in the basement about 10 floors away. I got it back and headed for the ink room. They then they flipped the safety switch, so when I got in my elevator and shut the door, the elevator was dead.........they looked in the little glass window in the door.......I was trapped like rat in a cage, as they were laughing they put their grease guns in three tiny holes and shot me head to toe with grease. Then I finally remembered the safety switch and got out of there. I went up to the press room for reinforcements, Tom Plank and me grabbed our grease guns and went down to the 5th floor. We hit the door of the ink room with grease guns blazing. As I was chasing Mike Stillman through side door...........as the door flew opened...............grease was whizzing passed his head........Yep! You guessed it, a tour of about 10 brothers and sisters were on the other side. I had nailed 2 "sister's"......dresses........globs grease! I was screwed.

The door shut behind Mike.........The tour thought it was funny.............we knew it wasn't going be. The new boy tour guide turned us in. There was only one thing.......to do and that was, turn myself in and do "the Indian Navajo trick"............and beg them, not kick me out........of the "house of God."

Funny isn’t it. I begged them not to kick me out. Please “Brothers” don’t stop the beatings!

12

My Bethel Exoerience part 14 "The Courtship"

by new boy in

jw
friends

my strange bethel courtship started with me trying to meet mike stillman's sister, even though he worked in the ink room next to my elevator, we were not good friends, he was just a little to "country" for me........and on the self-righteous side too.

they say "there is nothing more dangerous in combat then a new guy with a map!

".........well, there was nothing more dangerous at bethel then a self-righteous new boy.. .

new boy

TO ShirleyW

"Did she put on a strong "got what he deserved face" but you could tell she was hiding her true feelings?"

No she was truly devastated, she really loved him. However I don't think she put any blame on herself. Robert was a alcoholic and she blamed that for his death. On the other hand why was he an alcoholic?

Before he died she was nice enough to send him a watchtower subscription every year. She loved him that much.

12

My Bethel Exoerience part 14 "The Courtship"

by new boy in

jw
friends

my strange bethel courtship started with me trying to meet mike stillman's sister, even though he worked in the ink room next to my elevator, we were not good friends, he was just a little to "country" for me........and on the self-righteous side too.

they say "there is nothing more dangerous in combat then a new guy with a map!

".........well, there was nothing more dangerous at bethel then a self-righteous new boy.. .

new boy

I'm not married. If you read my profile My JW wife left me after 27 years of marriage, after I left the "tooth". she never even asked me "Why?"

She was afraid of what she might hear

NB.

12

My Bethel Exoerience part 14 "The Courtship"

by new boy in

jw
friends

my strange bethel courtship started with me trying to meet mike stillman's sister, even though he worked in the ink room next to my elevator, we were not good friends, he was just a little to "country" for me........and on the self-righteous side too.

they say "there is nothing more dangerous in combat then a new guy with a map!

".........well, there was nothing more dangerous at bethel then a self-righteous new boy.. .

new boy

My strange Bethel courtship started with me trying to meet Mike Stillman's sister, Even though he worked in the ink room next to my elevator, we were not good friends, he was just a little to "country" for me........and on the self-righteous side too. They say "There is nothing more dangerous in combat then a new guy with a map!".........Well, there was nothing more dangerous at Bethel then a self-righteous new boy.

Anyway one beautiful Saturday morning, in 1972, we were walking to the factory, Mike happen to be walking with me, and he happen to say "God........I would give anything to get out of this city on a day like today"..........I said "Well....... I have a car and no place to go.........You have a place to go and NO car"...He wasn't quite sure of me, but.............next thing I knew, It's him and me and 4 of his nerdy friends driving to Rhode Island.

Needless to say, it was a great weekend and Debbie who had just turned 19 was happy that her brother finally brought someone home with him, who wasn't a complete hillbilly, like his other friends.

She lived in Newport Rhode Island with her mother, Elaine and step father, Ben Reagan. They had just moved to Rhode Island from Louisiana. One of the reasons was, they wouldn't make Ben an elder down there. So they moved to "help" the local brothers out and help themselves in a position of power. At the time R.I had the worst ratio of JWs to normal people in the USA.

Ben was a real winner..........Looked and acted like "Gomer Pyle".......only dumber. He would walk around and say things like "Your fat, I'm fat.....we’re all fat" or "I know one thing about Debbie.....she is tired" He would say that about 30 times a day. He would e pat everyone's on the head, like a small child.......I'm not sure what all that meant? He was definitely three clams shy of a clam bake.

Of course a year later, they had made this mental giant an elder.........I'll never forget the day he gets this phone call. (I'm sitting in the living room with him) from some poor black sister, from his KH, who was crying her eyes out (because her worldly husband had just beat the shit out of her) and he said to her. Swear to god....... "Well........you must have done something REALLY wrong for him to get so mad............Just have another beer and forget the WHOLE THING!"...............I just sat there, I couldn't believe it........This guy couldn't pour sand out of boot if the directions were written on the heel. Leading the flock of God.

So, holy spirit puts these guys in power?

Her mother Elaine, another winner..............Major Hypochondriac......I think she was allergic to everything including air. Naturally she was the one who brought the JW teachings into the family. The crazy ones usually do.

Debbie who loved her real father, would get her face slapped anytime she brought his name was up and why? He left her psycho bitch mother back in the 50's and married another woman.......he was of course DFed. It was his only way out.

After we got married in 1974..........We got some "New Light......Yes the light got brighter" and the society said, you could NOW have limited contact with disfellowshipped ones.

By the way the term "The light gets brighter." really means we were wrong about something. So we are changing our option about it.

For the whole religion thing to work.......It HAS to be impossible for the society or any church to be wrong, and the reason for that is,...... IF it is wrong about ONE thing, it COULD be wrong about something else, RIGHT? So where, would you draw the line? So the "light gets brighter" stuff works really well.

Oh by the way,..... I do the same thing now.......If I hurt someone or if I'm wrong about something.............I NEVER say "I"M SORRY"........I say "OPPPss.......my light just got brighter!".......but people think, I'm strange when I say that.......I wonder why?

Anyway we decided to drive to California to see her real Dad after we got married. She hadn't seen him in about 10 years............Both her and her brother wrote him a letter, when they were kids, saying they had NO desire to see he ever again! That was their mother's idea, sweet women that she is. So Debbie was so excited to see her real Dad who she loved so much.He really was a sweet person. I say WAS, because a few years later after "The LIGHT got brighter once again" in 1979............the society said we are going back to the "old way"(or the old light which was not the new light in 1974) of dealing with DFed ones, by shunning them.

All this light stuff is very confusing isn’t it?

So one day in the 1980's Bob call us and wanted to come up for a visit, to see us and his grand kids (my children)..........I said "come on up Bob, we would love to see you!"..........Debbie grabbed the phone out of my hand and told him "That he wasn't welcome NOW and that he couldn't come anymore for visits." We and his son’s family were the only family he had so….. A few years later one morning, we got the phone call.

Robert Stillman with no family to love him, BLEW his brains out with a 38 special. Yes one more casualty of the Watch Bible and truck society .........”By their love you will know them.”

That "new light" is funny stuff............sometimes it gets brighter then DARK again...........then bright again, but one thing that new light is, it is NEVER never.............wrong!

RIGHT?

So now you know about my two wonderful future in-laws.

NB

14

My Bethel Experience part 15 Health, Dismemberment, Death (natural and unnatural) murder.

by new boy in

jw
friends

this is the fun one......... .

health, dismemberment, death (natural and unnatural) murder and suicide..

the people at bethel were killing us spiritually.......and sometimes they killed us physically too..

new boy

This is the fun one........

Health, Dismemberment, Death (natural and unnatural) murder and suicide.

The people at Bethel were killing us spiritually.......and sometimes they killed us physically too.

First off....... when you go to Bethel, you sign a document stating that if you die while you are at Bethel, the society has "the right" to keep your body. Most people, just sign it and forget about it, but don't you think that is just a little strange?..........I did. I'm sure some Lawyer had something to do with it.......but why? Here is what I believe is why they make you sign it. If you die and somehow the society had some responsibility in the matter, say bad food, safety issue, a health issue that was not handled properly, which happened all the time. They upset family members of the deceased could go after the church for lots of cash. However no body, no autopsy. Can you think of a better reason they would want your body? Maybe they put in the stew on Saturday mornings.

So let’s talk about health first.

When I was at Bethel for 3 years. I started to have problems with my wisdom teeth, so I went to the Bethel Dentist. First question he asked me, after looking at my teeth, was...."So....how long have you been here (bethel)?"......and I told him........he said "Are you planning to stay after your 4 years?"........to which I said "NO"......He said..... "Your teeth are FINE!".......So 6 months after leaving "the house of God" it cost me hundreds of dollars to get my wisdom teeth removed. Cheap bastards. I should have lied.

Then OSHA came a long in the early 70's. The noise level it the pressroom was deafening......so some of the guys started wearing ear muffs for protection! (That they paid for themselves)......The tours were going through and noticed that SOME of the "brothers" were wearing the ear muffs but most "brothers" were NOT wearing any ear muffs! So, is there a real problem with noise in the pressroom, they tours would asked? So now the society had a real problem........should we spend hundreds of dollars on ear muffs..........or make the "brothers" who were wearing them .......STOP wearing them?............Humm......what to do?......Health?....or money? Good Question? Well....we got new light in the summer of 1973 on the matter.

Every month, we would have a fire drill in the factory........we would all gather in the basement of building one and Max Larson (The factory overseer) would give us the new information, we needed to know. He wanted to help us with the question about "ear muffs"......So he said "I have a letter here, from Doctor Dixion, and he says that ear muffs are NOT good to use, because they could cause ear infections!" There, we have it, the new light about ear muffs..........So of course everyone stopped wearing them.. So some of my old friends from the pressroom are now wearing earring aids…..ah the love.

One brother went to the good doctor because he was bleeding from his rectum......The good doc told him he was wiping his ass too hard after going to the can........He spent his own money and went to a "worldly Doctor" and had some test done............He really had a bleeding ulcer.

A friend of mind we'll call him Steve D........ran his hand through a table saw in the carpenter shop....Dec 26 1972. He cut off his middle finger and destroyed 2 others..........The good brothers told him it would be BEST for HIM if he left Bethel........He and his family had no money, for the many operations he would need on his hand in the months to come......So he said he WANTED to stay at Bethel.......after many talks........ They finally gave in and let him stay............That was nice of them.

On the same day, December 26th 1972. A guy that lived in the towers hotel commited suicide. He jumped off the roof of the Towers Hotel.......and hit a parking sign on the way down........I didn't, really see him hit........but I did see his blood and his flesh on the sidewalk for weeks afterwards.....little pieces of meat, that no one cleaned up........it was some old "worldly" guy who didn't like the way his Christmas went.

Side story on my friend Steve..........He runs his hand through a table saw, it goes almost up to his wrist........they take him to the emergency room in Brooklyn.......His hand wrapped in a bloody towel......in all kinds of pain........so he is in this waiting room.......and this orderly is helping him into this gown...The orderly says we need to get a urine sample........Steve is going nuts.........This guy is grabbing Steve’s penis for the test...........just then another guy comes through the door and seeing what is going on....says to the orderly............."JERRY..... YOU SICK FAG............WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? THIS GUY IS BLEEDING TO DEATH AND YOU ARE TRYING TO GET A FREE FEEL?.......I guess you really don't need a urine test....... if your bleeding to death.

Isn't that the sickest thing you have ever heard of?..............but I must admit it does remind me of Bethel.....your down and out, bleeding on the floor and they still want a free feel That my friends is a true story, it’s too sick for even me to make up! My poor friend Steve was getting screwed over by everyone....the orderly wants a free feel and Bethel wants him gone.

So let’s talk about death now....

So the new guys would say they are never leaving Bethel.........I’d say "Really? ....what if you die....You will be leaving then...... won't you?" So sure the old timers would end up in the infirmary......and die of natural causes.......some of those poor guys in their 80's or 90'.........they NEVER even had sex once!.......that my friends is sad.......I mean don't you think everyone should have sex at least once in a lifetime?

It’s like the joke...........The 90 old virgin is having his birthday............So his friends get together and say "We need to get this poor guy a women before he dies!".........So they find this "knock out" 21 year old hooker.........They tell her what the situation is and that she his needs to give this guy "Super Sex" So she goes to his house..........and rings the bell.........he comes to the door......opens it and asked "what do you want?".........she says "I'm here for Super Sex"...........He says "OK what flavor is the soup?"

The unnatural death was the night watchman that fell down the elevator shaft in the squib building. He just open the door and walked it.............good bye.

Dennis Carlson was cleaning his KH in midtown Manhattan on a Saturday afternoon, when this guy walked in and asked were Richard Wheelock (factory pressroom overseer) lived.........He turned around to write down the address....The guy took out a 10 inch knife and put it in Dennis's back and his heart. That’s why when I left Bethel.......I made a vow I would never under any circumstances clean a kingdom hall, it can be very hazardous to your heath!

As for suicides at Bethel there were many. More to come.