The inner workings at Bethel in the 70's

by Sour Grapes 21 Replies latest jw experiences

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  Sour Grapes

  While doing some research, I stumbled upon a blog written by a former Bethelite. His name is John Bechtel. The blog is several years old. Once I started reading it I couldn't stop. I guess what goes on at Bethel doesn't stay at Bethel. He was one of Bethel's young rising stars and his experiences as a young Witness were both funny and sad. Climbing the ladder at Bethel, he ended up on the Writing Committee. No doubt some of the spiritual food that we received in the 70's, which I assumed were almost like direct dictation from God himself, were written by John. He certainly believed and practiced carpe diem during his stint at Bethel. I found his early childhood experience as a JW to be fascinating because I too had my childhood taken away from me because my mother answered the door one Saturday morning and gave one thin dime to an old 70 year old Witness for the Watchtower and Awake in the late 50's.

  I would like to post a link to his blog. Here it is: http://www.johnbechtelblog.com. To start at the beginning of the blog you have to go to the right had side under "Archives July 2009" and go to the bottom of the page. After doing some digging, I was able to find his contact information on another website http://www.greatplainsdrifter.com. It appears John, after leaving the Truth™, has had a successful life.

  I would imagine that there are many on this forum who remember him from Bethel.

  Sour Grapes
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  Atlantis

  Sour Grapes: .

  Thank you very much!

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  Atlantis!
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  Sour Grapes

  I am reading more of his blog. It feels like I am pulling back the curtains on the Wizard of Oz. I wish that JW's weren't so afraid to look at our forum. If they have the Truth why not defend it? When I was as elder I looked for good Bible debates with preachers and I used their tracts as talking points. So much has changed. Back to John's blog.

  Sour Grapes
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  Nathan Natas

  His name is familiar, but that might be because there is a very prominent Engineering, Construction, and Project Management named Bechtel.

  I was in NYC during my yoot and I *might* have heard his name; I'm pretty sure I never met him.

  Is this John Bechtel related to the Engineering firm?
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  Sour Grapes

  Nathan,

  I don't have the answer to your question. Maybe someone else knows.

  Sour Grapes
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  millie210

  This is a great find Sour Grapes. I am reading it now.

  The following is a quote from his blog. He is talking about being young, in school and not standing up for the national anthem. He eloquently sums up how a JW feels:

  The harassment in the lunchroom stopped from that day forward, however. There was, however, the sense of total alienation from the outside world; we knew we did not belong. And we knew that same sense of alienation was our badge of honor, proof positive of our righteousness.
  
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  RolRod

  Is this the same John Bechtel who left Bethel during the "Great Apostasy" of Ray Franz, in the late 70s, early 80s? I think he was friends with Tom Cabeen and others. From what I was told by my wife who knew John personally, he had a great crisis of faith when he found out it was ALL a lie. So much so that he became an atheist. He was a real gung ho JW at the time, finding out it was all lies destroyed his faith in God, as he couldn't differentiate between God and the Society, the two were the same.

  I just shared his picture with her, she says it's not him, that he was blond and he had "this big hawk nose". Of course judging from the blog, he is successful and could've have had surgery. Who knows!
  
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  compound complex

  John was a friend. I can't remember everything those 40-plus ago, but I surely haven't forgotten him.

  CC
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  Sour Grapes

  His sucess is proof there can be a good life beyond the walls of the Witchtower Babel and Trick Sobriety. He put his writing skills to good use.

  Sour Grapes
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  Sour Grapes

  Just a thought from the blog. If the Governing Body voted to make a collective decision, why would God inspire them to have differences in opinion?