by VM44 20 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Does anyone have the Bethel letter that states meeting attendence and field service are mandatory for Bethel workers?
There is also another BOE letter that states meeting attence and field service are voluntary for the ordinary Jehovah's Witness, because they are volunteers.
I am trying to find both letters as, together, they show Bethel workers are, unlike ordinary JWs, truly representatives of The Watcthower .
This leads to another question, what "agreements" between The Watchtower and the individual must be signed before they can become Bethelites?
It would be very informative if this Bethel Service Agreement could be posted.
--VM44
What forms does The Watchtower require people to sign before they work at Bethel?
--VM44
Doesn't it suck when no one will answer you?
I do know from friends who have applied for bethel that they ask whether or not the applicant has ever watched R-rated movies, has ever had a homosexual relationship, has ever had homosexual tendencies, and more that I can't remember.
Sorry, I never had to sign a form.
As to meeting attendance and field service being mandatory, you would never proved by the congregations near Wallkill. The Bethelites routinely missed meetings and field service because of their Bethel assignment. And we were told that their assignments were more important. Sometimes we would not see them for weeks unless we went out there. There were 2 and 3 backups on all the elder positions, and the MS positions.
So if they sign a form making it mandatory...I never saw it in action.
Blondie
What about the Bethelite's "vow of poverty"? --VM44
You are required to sign a declaration of a vow of poverty. You sign that document once you arrive at Bethel.
In the Bethel application, it does ask if you watch R rated movies, listen to heavy metal or rap music. It also asks the BOE if you are "known" to do this as well.
It also asks you if you have ever had a homosexual relationship, or molested a child.
Once you arrive at Bethel you go through a 1 week training period (or a few days, I can't remember) where you work with the housekeepers on various jobs (and see how little work they actually do), and have a few meetings with a brother from the Personnel Dept. He talks with the whole new batch of Bethelites, asking them little questions, reading scriptures, giving mini-talks and so forth, just as a way to acclimate the new boys. Then you all meet somewhere on such and such a day to recieve your assignment. THrough this process you sign various forms, mostly to do with the vow of poverty thing. I can't exactly remember if there was some other thing i signed which basically stated I was giving up my right to do what I wanted and I could get thrown out of Bethel by the higher-ups if they so chose... I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure there was something like that. I have a packet of all the documents I recieved, but I didn't get copies of anything which required a signature.
minimus, Yes it does! Especially when you have to post again in a thread you started to keep from having only one posting!
But....With regards to the questions about the BOE and Bethel letters, a few years ago there would be replies almost immediately giving addresses to websites where BOE letters would be posted. That is not the case now, as those websites are mostly gone now!Are all the sites containing "official" data about The Watcthower vanishing?
The Watchtower Observer site is gone! The Dirtclod site that hosted the BOE letters is gone! Watchtower Quotes site is under legal attack by The Watchtower!
It does not look good. The Watchtower is gaining in power from all the lawyers it is accumulating, and using that power to shut things down.
They used to just simply ignore people who published material critical of them, now The Watchtower appears to be on a campaign to actively try to shut down the most informative sites.
Will The Watchtower succeed in the silencing of its critics?
--VM44
No answer to offer, but I'd be interested to know exactly when the "vow of poverty" was introduced. There was no such thing when I was in Bethel (France, 1981-1985).
