I remember a long time ago hearing the phrase. During my time as a Witness I've known a few, and the amazing thing is that it really is quite true. The two I really got to know both had problems, in fact they where much in the same personality wise. Full of ego, big talk about 'spiritual things' and then at the same time treated people like dirt or objects to meet their own purposes. In my area we have actually come to use the phrase quite often. Wonder if it's the same anywhere else.
"Never Trust a Bethelite"
by drew sagan 12 Replies latest jw friends
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What-A-Coincidence
To a degree. As within a congregation, there are some pubs you can trust and there are some you can't.
One congregation I was in had a bad rap for bethelites cause one bethelite asked a fam. for a loan and never paid it. He left a bad impression about us so we had to do some repair work.
I will be glad to say I was not that type...shoot, the congregation that I left was left in tears, and no, not tears of joy.
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under_believer
W-A-C is the exception to this ;) but most of the Bethelites I have known were like greenhouse-raised plants. After they leave Bethel and go into the real world, they are singularly ill-equipped to deal with real life. Incompetent, lacking useful skills, and completely ignorant of what is expected of them in a real job in the real world. In Bethel it's your spiritual qualifications that matter, not your competence.
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Elsewhere
In Bethel it's your spiritual qualifications that matter, not your competence.
spiritual qualifications = Company Man who is willing to brown nose every authority figure in sight.
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shadow
Never trust a Jew, an arab or an apostate either. They're all alike too, don't you think?
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greendawn
I think having been at HQ with the GB in close proximity they must have got infected with their spirit so it's not surprising that they behave in that way, it's the typical GB mentality.
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AK - Jeff
"Never Trust a Bethelite" - unless he is a former witness. Once he has made that move, there is little doubt that he is a better man/woman than before.
Bethelites are the cream of the 'indoctrinated ones', heavily indoctinated before going, more heavily indoctrinated when there, and wishing to spread the 'value' of their indoctrination when settling down outside Bethel.
One of my best friends went off to Bethel - when he returned 7 years later he almost would not speak to me. He became an asshole. By then he was an elder too. Double asshole.
Jeff
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drew sagan
I guess it sounds like a bad stereotype, but we never really referred to it as such. It was just how wierd it is for many of us to have known anybody to have come from bethel you could really trust. All the people we've ever met were shady. Hence our joke of "never trust a bethelite".
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just2sheep
i don't trust anybody but my darling wife.
ak-jeff,
can you truly believe that an ex-bethelite is automatically a better woman/man? a number of them would still be there if things had gone their way imho.
j2s of the never even visited that den of vipers class
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What-A-Coincidence
i can see why people would say that .. i mean, a bethelite is to live up to the highest norms and is to be the most trustworthy since GB has entrusted them with taking the lead in kingdom services. so when one proves disloyal it is a big issue