Bethelite reverence

Waffles

Have any of you had the experience of a Bethelite brother visiting your KH?

Here's how it always seemed to go in my experience:

There is a general KH-wide excitement in the air that a real, live Bethelite rockstar is at the hall; overheard are numerous convo's featuring words like "o, he's a Bethelite".

Visiting Brother Bethelite gives the closing prayer and is immediately mobbed by adoring fans.

All the single sisters are on high alert, you can smell the estrogen in the air. Who wouldn't want to be married to a dashing spiritual fellow whose career experience includes mopping floors and swapping out urinal cakes at Bethel?

Some social gathering is arranged; those who are popular in the KH social circle are all invited with the added enticement of "o, there's going to be a Bethelite there".

Bethelite takes it all in stride, knowing that his spirituality dwarfs that of any regular Kingdom Hall dweller.

Undercover operatives (such as myself) get a feeling of slight nausea that doesn't subside until a couple weeks later.

journey-on

I've been out a long time, so I have no recent experience with the adoration of the Bethelite brother. However, when my staunch JW sister tells me about so-and-so coming to visit and then adds, "you know, he's at Bethel", as if he is getting his doctorate from Harvard or something, I just want to puke.

BTW, Waffles, Welcome to the board!

creativhoney

yes and they always get to stay with that perfect elder family at the kingdom hall whos kids are disfellowshipped again, but that doesnt matter because they live in a posh area

Meeting Junkie No More

Hilarious! and oh so true!

We've been out for a little over a year or so, but family from across the country never hesitate to make an annual pilgrimage to Bethel to visit their 'Bethelite family', and as an aside, if there's a few minutes to spare, will drop in on us as well...we of course, feel honoured to perennially come in 2nd place to these 'Bethel rockstar heavies!' They're worth traversing sea and dry land for, don't ya know!

diffedexjw

it's even worse when an annointed brother come's to visit. let's all sit down and listen to his storys!! omg he is so old and annointed!! He just seemed like another human to me. bullshitting his way through life.

B_Deserter

I remember this one kid who came back after 1 year of Bethel and acted like he was the hottest shit in the world. My mom went up to talk to him and he was like "I'm not going to shake your hand until you guess why." He wasn't being rude or anything, just thought he was being insanely clever and was showcasing his apparently amazing mental powers he acquired doing menial labor for a monthly allowance that would make a 12-year-old complain.

He also loved to tie his necktie with an insanely huge knot. Apparently the "Bethel knot" is all the rage up there in Brooklyn. Even when I was a dub I knew I never wanted to be a bethelite because I knew they were usually pompous asses. I always cringed when someone would talk about what a "humbling experience" Bethel is.

rebel8

Welcome

chickpea

god! i hate being reminded
about what a brain-washed
brain-dead dumb-ass i was!

but yes oh yes there was
something enchanted about
bethelites visiting or on the
platform during the snoozefests

the one contribution to bethel
from the KH i attended was
sent home 7 months into the gig
for.... wait for it.... porn

he later went on to become an elder

Nowman

In 1992, when I was 18, (a few months before I left home and the org), we had someone from our hall that got accepted to Bethel. He was a few years old than me, and we were both pioneers, so we spent alot of time in service together.

Well, we were having a good bye party for him, and the new thing to do with going away parties for people accepted to Bethel, was to take the movie "The Wizard of Oz" and make a play about it, and taylor the lines to go with the JW type of talk and poke fun at the person going to Betel. Guess what, I was picked to be Dorthy! Instead of saying "Somewhere over the rainbow...I sang..."Some time in the near future, God's kingdom will arrive...blah blah (*gets a little sick*)"

Then we had to do interviews for him on video, and I made a joke to him, perhaps "I may be disfellowshipped when I see you again"...little did they know that I was planning my escape even that day that I had to do this little play...

Having a bethelite or someone going to bethel was a huge deal in our area...I know my parents wanted me to marry a bethelite...oh the memories...

Nikki

net1261

I have a comment on the gatherings that take place after a bethelite visits.

At someone's house, showing slides of them working at bethel (how fascinating, when have i ever shown slides of myself working to people?). Then everyone is ooing and awwing listening to bethel stories. They are really put on a pedestle.

Bethelite reverence

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