I don't disagree that many congregations treat Bethelites very well, like maybe rock stars. We had those experiences too. But for every good one, there are the other kind and every experienced Bethel speaker has both. Nevertheless, during the work week, very few Bethelites experience commendation. So it's a bit of a reward to be noticed and maybe fussed over and everyone I knew enjoyed that. As for those in the congregations who wanted to touch the hem of the garment a Bethelite was wearing, so to speak, what else do they have exciting in their lives? It was out of sheer boredom and lack of a real life that caused some JWs to want to be around people who they thought were special. It's the same way in most groups, isn't it?
About Bethelites traveling to Europe and being wined and dined by rich Witnesses. We experienced both. We were treated to a three-week tour of the UK with a couple of JWs who paid for everything. It happened that I had studied with the woman many, many years before and she married an architect. He became a JW and an elder and she was forever showing her appreciation to us for bringing her the JW message. Incidentally, both she and her husband shunned us immediately when we were disfellowshipped. It's been over ten years since we have spoken. How's that for supposedly unconditional love!
Many Bethelites have relatives and friends who are very well off materially who pay for their trips to exotic places, etc. because they appreciate the work that they are led to believe is so important -- serving at Bethel. After Joe finished his first Bethel experience in the late 1950s, two of his former room mates continued to stay in touch with us for many years. During those years, both men became quite wealthy. While we spent many years in full-time service, Joe's friends (elders) were making money. So when we went to Bethel in the 1980s, both of his friends at different times paid for a number of trips for us and certainly wined and dined us when we would see them. This type of Bethelite perk happens often for some depending on circumstances, but for others who have no rich relatives or friends, they don't go anywhere. Incidentally, we are also shunned by my husband's two best friends, those wealthy elders who would have given us the moon had we asked for it!
Another thing. Traveling Bethelites can stay free at branches all around the world and this is a very special perk. Our Bethelite son went on a tour in Europe with three other young Bethelites. They went as bank couriers on the plane so no charge for flying. Then they rented a car, split the expense four ways and stayed at WT branches in every major city they went too. Our son had his end of the year clothing allowance and we gave him from our clothing allowance an additional $125.00 to pay for food and misc. things.
We went to Turkey for seven days when we were at Bethel. Because of knowing so many people due to our way of life then, we heard from another Bethelite couple about a special airplane fare to Turkey, so the four of us went there. How did we pay for it? Put it on our credit card that all Bethelites could get from CitiBank through a special arrangement the bank had with the WT because WT kept lots of money in that bank. We stayed at the branch in Istanbul and from there we went to other cities in Turkey staying over night with Turkish JWs. Where we had no arrangements to stay the night with JWs, we stayed at very inexpensive little inns. To those on the outside of Bethel in the congregations, it might have looked like we Bethelites were special because we traveled, but looks can be deceptive. In our case, we had little money, but we had lots of confidence in our credit card. When we returned, we paid $25.00 a month to CitiBank for a couple of years. But we had wonderful memories. The couple we traveled with often went on trips. They had been to India before the Turkish trip. Because they had been in Bethel for many years, they had quite a bit of vacation time saved up so went on long trips. How did they pay for their trips? Credit card! In fact, they had thousands of dollars of credit card debt. But they didn't care because they believed that the world was going to end soon and they wouldn't have to pay back CitiBank!
Then there are Bethelites who scheme and cheat. I knew of some Bethelites who used their positions at Bethel to make money. I won't go into details but it happened more times than you would believe. The reason I found out about them is because of my past before Bethel business experiences and when I'd work with them and see how they filled out forms, etc., it was apparent to me how they were able to finance so many trips. Some were caught and others weren't, but during our time in Bethel, we saw some high-flyers shot down by being demoted and in time they left Bethel in dissatisfaction.
The Bethelite story is really in the details, something most Witnesses never hear. Often times, what you know about Bethel and see in the lives of Bethelites is not exactly the way it really is. While we were at Bethel, we came to know some of the GB very well, and most were exhausted from the busy life they led. To be contantly on the go and in the public eye really got to them. It was really not a normal life. As for the new crop of GB, I can't speak for them. The now deceased GB came from a different age that made them what they were. I would assume that most of the present GB are a product of this age and think differently about so many things. I'm not defending the past GB in any way. They definitely were responsible for much pain and suffering in the ranks because they upheld very bad rules, beliefs and policies. I'm merely reporting some facts about what Bethel life was like. If I hadn't lived it, I wouldn't have believed it could be like what I experienced every day for almost eleven years.
Barbara
