There were a few Dfings while I was there and rumours that it was porneia of the "gay" sort.
Also many dont know but thievery going on also. Some bethelites were reporting that their wallets and money were being stolen.
My Bethel Memories
by ithinkisee 92 Replies latest members private
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Sweetp0985
My aunt married a Bethelite. I guess she had to wait until his 4 yrs were up. But I've so wanted to ask him about some of things I've read about on here to get his info on it. But I would never be able to do that because he's still an holier-than-thou-elder and only talks to me to try to encourage me to come back to the hall.
My step-sister (her mom married my dad) is up there in NY too. I'm not quite sure if she works directly with Bethel or just with congregations there but she's a sign language interpreter. But I just said all that to say that SHE was the one that taught me introduced me to lesbianism and with whom i had my first experiences with at 6-7 yrs old (oh yeah she is 2-3 yrs older than me)and continued until i graduated high school in 95 and she left to go to NY at the same time....I guess because we kept it a secret, it didnt bother her conscience either that she was bisexual. I guess her marriage to a brother up there cured all that.
Sidenote: I've heard many times about the "Holy Spirit" leading Bethel elders to unclean/porno things that was snuck into bethel. Sooooo I guess the "holy spirit" doesn't mind drunkeness and homosexual acts right? And to think Jesus himself handpicked these people.....what a crock of BS
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TheListener
Your posts have brought back many memories. Once I'm completely out and open I'll share my memories as well. I know that if any current dubs read this they'll be inclined to see these things as unbelievable or isolated. Actually these things are much more common than they'd like to believe.
What do they expect when you take thousands of 19-21 year olds and put them in a college dorm style environement! They police themselves for the most part and the stories we've all heard are the outcome. The difference is that while we did these things we still (most of us) believed all the teachings and had to reconcile our actions somehow in our minds.
One of the reasons that ex-bethelites don't talk much about bethel is because it's drilled into us that bethel is our family and you don't spill personal family information to outsiders. What happens in the family stays in the family. Very cult like mentality now that I think about it.
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ithinkisee
I personally never witnessed or heard about much gay stuff. But a friend of mine who was there shortly before me said one of his roommates turned out to be gay. It bothered him to because he really liked the guy (not in the gay way )
Thievery was a big thing. In the Office Complex locker room (where the cleaning guys and maintenance guys changed clothes) it happened a few times to some friends of mine.
Big surprise - making $90/month at the time.
-ithinkisee
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doogie
i heard a story of a couple of guys that were caught in a compromising position by a window washer washing some of the upper story windows of one of the buildings. apparently they forgot to close the shades.
there was also some drama about a married couple being caught out in the apple orchard with another couple...
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XBEHERE
There are obviously many ex-bethelites on this site. Bethel does that to you I guess, you see the org for what it is. Unfortunately, after leaving, it takes some of us years before we come to grips with it.
I knew of some who were asked to leave because they were witnessed wrestling in underwear etc. I suppose they may not have been gay.. but it is wierd nontheless. I knew of one guy, his room mate left and ended up running off with another MS in his home cong. So it does happen, lots of closet cases there I suppose.
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ithinkisee
there was also some drama about a married couple being caught out in the apple orchard with another couple...
As Paris & Nicole would say, "That's hot."
(Sorry...)
-ithinkisee
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HadEnuf
Jeeeeeeeeshhhh...who would have thunk it!!
Very interesting stuff!!!
Cathy L.
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metatron
Damn! you guys bring back a lot of memories!
Bethel is the sort of experience you can talk about for hours but never really understand unless you've lived there.
We tried to find analogies - like prison movies, maybe. During the 70's, most Witnesses didn't understand that Bethel
service was outright, literal slavery because your being there kept you out of the draft! It was the Vietnam era, remember?
You find out that "theocracy" in a "spiritual paradise" is really just cronyism writ large.
metatron
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truth_about_the_truth
Ahhhh....memories.
- I remember going to the sauna one day and Karl Klein (GB member) was in there. There was another guy in there who was kissing up to him asking him "deep" spiritual questions and saying how privileged he felt to be part of such a wonderful org. He kept going on and on and on. I was getting sick to my stomach listening to this crap. The best part is Klein's reaction. He just sat there looking away and letting out these huge YAWNS from time to time . That was hiralious and made the whole experience worth it.
- Pick up basketball games at the indoor gym at 30. There would be some really competitive jerks in there from time to time. Occasional fights would break out in there. I remember a few guys got kicked out of bethel for fighting. But all in all it was fun. I remember getting counseled by my overseer for spending too much time there cause I was always tired at work (it was the meetings not the basketball you dummy).
- I played ping pong with "speedo boy" Gerrit Losch one time. He takes the sport quite seriously. He even brings his own racket encased in his personal leather case. I didn't stand a chance, He whooped my ass through and though. I seriously thought it was holy spirit that gave him his ping pong ability. hahaha
- The roof parties were pretty cool. High seniority bethelites were able to borrow these penthouse rooms and throw parties in there. The view of Manhattan is spectacular. Bossert and Sands have them. I was fortunate enough to go to quite a few of them during my time there.
- I remember back in the day giving the bethel home tour. You can get out of your normal work duties to give these tours from time to time. The bethel home had really nothing worth showing. Just the tunnel, kitchen and lobbies (the powers that be recognized this and discontinued the home tour eventually much to my dismay). I would try to stretch these tours out as long as possible so I wouldn't have to go back to work. I remember pointing out the stupidest things to the tours just to fill time. Stuff like..."Take a look at the walls in the tunnel. Note that it's carpeted to keep the noise out, Take a look at the copper mailbox in the towers lobby. This used to be painted green but now it's COPPER." The funny thing is that the tours would really be impressed with this stupid stuff. The ooohs and ahhhhs came right on cue.
- This didn't happen to me but my friend told that he once went into one of the lobby bathrooms and someone was apparently in the stall taking a monster dump. The smell was unbearable. Br. Peterson then walked in right after my friend entered (he's a 95 yr. old short, grumpy brother who has been there like 70 yrs kinda going senile. I think he's one of the "annointed"). Anyways he takes a couple of sniffs and says in his grumpy voice "This place smells like a SHITHOUSE."
- Br. Gangas (GB member no longer here) was famous for adding all kinds of adjectives during his morning prayers. Ex: Oh glorious, almighty, loving kind, gracious, etc. God Jehovah. You get the idea.. One time during a prayer, he was describing Satan as a debased, wicked, evil, father of the lie, BASTARD....That was priceless.
There are more but I want to stop typing.