Did you ever feel let down by the Bethel tour?

by maninthemiddle 48 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  maninthemiddle

  Reading Jeff's thread about dress made me think of my one and only trip to Bethel.

  I can't remember if I was babtised at the time, but I went with a bus load of JWs.

  Like someone said in the last thread, printing presses and empty rooms. I was very disapointed, however I don't think I had any pre-concieved notions of what it would be like. What I was diapointed in was so much of the "tour" was walking hallways looking at exhibits behind glass. This was around '96 so the MEPS was the big thing at the time. I guess printing din't interest me, I could see that at my local newspaper. I was interested in where the writing, photography, and music came from. I guess I fully expected to meet a GB memeber and learn about how "new light " is formed.

  I did have a friend that was able to show us little more of patterson than was on the regular tour, but even that was sobering. Now that I think about it, the only things that we saw on the tour was blue collar jobs. Nothing in the creative or highly skilled side of things with one exception, my friend worked in artwork dept, that was the only thing that made the trip worth it.

  For some reason I dont remember we never did lunch.

  I remember one thing now....the tour I was on spent so much time in the laundry room and I was told that all new volunteers started there. I think I must have decided on that trip I would never "sign up.

  For you who have never "served" at Bethel, what was your experince visiting?
• 

  moshe

  It's too bad you didn't find the secret bunker-

  -

  
• 

  maninthemiddle

  LOL moshe,

  I guess in the same way none one is allowed in the the writting committies library, even bethelites?
• 

  White Dove

  And they expect people to get dressed up for THAT?!

  No thanks!

  What do they do if non-JW's want to tour and are not dressed in meeting clothes?

  Do they deny worldlies access?

  Are JW's the only ones who visit?
• 

  Heartbreaker

  maninthemiddle...I toured Bethel during the blackout of what was that...2003? Where the whole grid NY, Jersey and parts of Canada lost power. We toured with a bunch of dweebs, but my brother in law had served there for a decade, and was recently asked to leave. Funny, he went on the tour with us. Couldn't have been more uncomfortable than a cat over a toilet. I found it forced, sterile, and boring. We did get to have lunch with the group in the big ole room...my son sat on some governing body members lap (I didn't take him over there, so no idea which one) and his diaper leaked on his lap. I thought that was hysterical.

  We knew the one of the writers, Lee Waters, family friend...so he let us chill in his office for a while, and walk around and look at all the library books outside the offices. We were told a few times that no one usually gets to come in there, so I suppose it was a privledge. I recall looking at all these books, so many from Christendom and a LOT on the occult and demonism. I was told this wasn't the only library, this was just a smaller reference one. I don't know why I was shocked to learn they owned and read these books, I guess I thought they just googled their quotes

  Then we went down to another person we knew, who was/is in the department that does all the intake of the willed properties and monies. She also is in the department that does the commercials that play in certain areas of the US, and let us watch one that was to be released "soon" Probably right before Armaggedon.

  Then we went upstate to stay with another friend yet, and while up there were supposed to go and have our kids sit for a photo shoot for future depictions in the Awake and other publications. The power went out the day before we made it there, so no tour, no photos, and we did all we could to haul ass outta town because it was hot miserable and we were DONE. Took 4 hours to get through the tunnel. Absolute madness.

  That was my visit in a nutshell, to the nuthouse.
• 

  Heartbreaker

  Is that were I was? In the writing departments libraries? Right outside Lee Waters office. In fact, it was a horse shoe shaped room. offices all around the room, and the center, in shelving that was angled...like this... / / / / through the room. I WAS THERE!! I WAS THERE!!!

  I'll never forget that going off about how dare THEY, "just men" be allowed to own these, much less read them, and not have them flying around the room from deeemunz? I felt like it was a double standard...bad is bad, right?
• 

  maninthemiddle

  Heartbreaker,

  sterile and boring is a very good description.

  WhenI was there, there was a layout room we passed, something that would normally be on the tour. They were prepping a new release for the summer, and had black plastic all over the windows. This covered a large area that they said was normally part of the public tour.

  That never felt right to me, why all the secreacy, I mean we were witnesses, it was just another book or something, they are non-profit right, why couldn't we see it? We did make the long trip to visit, why not let us see it?

  Also, what do you mean by be allowed to own these? Did you see some off limits books?

  It sounds like the only way to really see the place is have friends take you around.
• 

  StAnn

  I have a friend who served at Bethel who was forced to leave because he was reading books from that library. The books he was interested in were the early WTS writings. They absolutely pitched a fit when they caught him in there a second time and sent him home. They told him he had no business reading those old publications. He couldn't believe they were serious, I mean, these were early publications from "the organization", but they means business.

  StAnn
• 

  Heartbreaker

  Also, what do you mean by be allowed to own these? Did you see some off limits books?

  There were books about demons, occult, magic, not just a couple, but like a whole ROW...then another about catholics and a lot of their books. Just seemed contrary to what they tell us, to not put value in these writings, how misleading and wicked, yet they keep them for reference and for "enlightenment" when they see fit?

  It sounds like the only way to really see the place is have friends take you around.

  Thats just how we roll.
• 

  StAnn

  Heartbreaker, you just reminded me, my friend was also reading commentaries on the Bible from other denominations that he found in there. You know, the ones the WT writers misquote from. That was a BIG no-no.

  StAnn