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Yesterday, I went to Bethel Canada. Most of you will have no idea what that is. It is the headquarters for Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs) in Canada, and is in Georgetown, Ontario. Why would I do such a thing? Well, my parents came to visit, and I haven't seen them in about two years. They were only here for two days, and wanted to go to Bethel. When they invited me, I sucked it up and said, sure, I'll go too.
And so I dressed to go behind enemy lines. I wore my BPAL Perversion perfume, labrys earring, my Plow Me panties from Mr. Plow, and my skirt with the repeating vagina motif. And I looked respectable.
![[Bethel garb]](https://p.dreamwidth.org/4e0865aabd89/2919457-815028/sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs181.ash2/44430_425471509863_511799863_5043682_1240420_n.jpg "[Bethel garb]")
My parents were excited. This is like Mecca meets Disneyland to them, with a Leave It To Beaver twist. I had to talk them out of leaving three hours before the appointed time. It's only a one-hour drive. We left two hours ahead of time, instead, and they were surprised to get there an hour early.
Since we were an hour ahead of our tour time, we wandered around the grounds a little. The property is lovely. Acres of manicured lawns, beautiful flower beds, and well-placed ornamental trees make the place look very much like the visions of Paradise in JW literature. The only thing missing are the scores of lions cuddling with lambs while toddlers clap and giggle. I did, however, see a mangy fox lope across a parking lot.
![[Creepy!]](https://p.dreamwidth.org/1b110cd4bd3a/2919457-815028/i184.photobucket.com/albums/x219/jbsfiore/paradise/castillofamilyinparadisecopy.jpg "[Creepy!]")
(More odd photo manipulations of "paradise on earth" here.)
At one point while we sat on a park bench, Mom looked at me and asked, "Have you ever thought about coming to Meetings again?"
"Nope," I said.
"Ah. That's too bad."
And we continued to wait.
Around 1 o'clock, the doors to the administration building opened and we went inside. The building is modern in appearance, with a bright, airy reception area appointed with comfortable stuffed arm chairs and a handsome long wooden bench that runs along sections of the perimeter wall. A framed Hebrew document on lambskin vellum is displayed on the wall. I have no idea what it is about, but it dates from the 15th century, and had the Tetragrammaton on it five times. A friendly woman at the reception desk gave me some postcards and an information pamphlet about Bethel.
We met up with the other people in our tour group: three young Sisters (a Sister is jargon for a female JW, and does not imply they are actual siblings. A Brother is the male version, of course) from Indiana, a woman and her two little boys (about 6 years old and 16 months old) from St. Vincent, her mother, and her uncle. The American women were armed with a big bag of peanut butter cookies. My parents chatted with the other JWs, and my inward cringing began. "What congregation are you from?" "How long have you been in The Truth?" (The Truth is JW jargon for being a JW) "How did you discover The Truth?" "So-and-so left The Truth...." Et cetera, ad nauseum. I was not asked what congregation I belonged to. I'm sure my nose ring tipped me off as "worldly" (ie. not a JW).
My brain rebelled against the old mindset, and tension built up within me. I had my iPad with me, and chatted a bit with Kathryn, Shaun, and![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
knightky. My asthma kicked in, and I mentioned it to Kyle. He asked if it was caused by Bethel, and I said, "Probably. Lungs aren't made to breathe horse shit."
Our tour guide arrived: a charismatic young woman, modestly attired in a long skirt. The tour would be two hours long. I steeled my reserve, and off we went.
We walked through the complex, occasionally stopping at propaganda displays on the wall. One of the first such displays was about the legal department, which deals very much with ensuring JWs don't accept blood transfusions. I noted that it seems only men can do this vital work, because there was only mention of Brothers who worked in the law department.
Although there are a smattering of women in various departments, they seem to work primarily in the housekeeping departments. There are a few female dentists, and a few women in the printing facility, but mostly that appears to be the domain of the menfolk. We went into the Kingdom Hall with its theatre-style seating, and I walked up close to the stage with its podium/pulpit. Our tour guide was leaning back against the stage, explaining the structure of the meetings, and how everyone had assigned seating. Things have changed since I was a good little JW kid. Now, at least at this Kingdom Hall, there are cameramen (not camerawomen, continuing with the tradition of the mike stud. ie., a mike stud is a young man who carries around the microphone with an elevated sense of authority because of his important job). The cameraman trains his camera on the mike studs as they carry their microphone over to whoever is going to read out the answers to questions read out by the elder on the stage. And then the rest of the congregation gets to watch that lucky person regurgitate the information they underlined in the article just read to them by a man on the stage.
Anyhow, while the tour guide was leaning against the stage, she got a little uncomfortable looking, stood up, straightened her skirt, and said she felt a bit out of place being so close to the men's domain. The other women in the group tittered appropriately, and all stepped further away from the pulpit. I saw a bit red for a little, but kept it contained, and then we left the Kingdom Hall to continue our tour.
For two hours we were "encouraged" by the volunteer work done by the hundreds of Brothers and Sisters in Bethel. We saw the huge printing press, the giant laser printer, the dining room, one of the residences, the laundry facilities, etc. The woman from St. Vincent carried her well-behaved, but very tired, baby in her arms the entire way. I felt bad that she didn't have a stroller for him. The women from Indiana always paused the group any time they saw young men, and rushed to give them cookies. Maybe they'll find a god-fearing husband amongst the Bethelites.
The dining room was interesting. It has assigned seating, and everyone is expected to meet each morning where they get "spiritual food" along with their breakfast. Once again, there are cameras, and on a rotating roster, different people are assigned questions to answer, and are given 60 seconds to do so. The questions are based on pre-assigned readings from the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society's interpretation of Scripture. They are told how to answer the questions, and prepare accordingly.
I was reminded once again of the exhortation to "avoid independent thinking."
I am relieved to be home.
And so I dressed to go behind enemy lines. I wore my BPAL Perversion perfume, labrys earring, my Plow Me panties from Mr. Plow, and my skirt with the repeating vagina motif. And I looked respectable.
My parents were excited. This is like Mecca meets Disneyland to them, with a Leave It To Beaver twist. I had to talk them out of leaving three hours before the appointed time. It's only a one-hour drive. We left two hours ahead of time, instead, and they were surprised to get there an hour early.
Since we were an hour ahead of our tour time, we wandered around the grounds a little. The property is lovely. Acres of manicured lawns, beautiful flower beds, and well-placed ornamental trees make the place look very much like the visions of Paradise in JW literature. The only thing missing are the scores of lions cuddling with lambs while toddlers clap and giggle. I did, however, see a mangy fox lope across a parking lot.
(More odd photo manipulations of "paradise on earth" here.)
At one point while we sat on a park bench, Mom looked at me and asked, "Have you ever thought about coming to Meetings again?"
"Nope," I said.
"Ah. That's too bad."
And we continued to wait.
Around 1 o'clock, the doors to the administration building opened and we went inside. The building is modern in appearance, with a bright, airy reception area appointed with comfortable stuffed arm chairs and a handsome long wooden bench that runs along sections of the perimeter wall. A framed Hebrew document on lambskin vellum is displayed on the wall. I have no idea what it is about, but it dates from the 15th century, and had the Tetragrammaton on it five times. A friendly woman at the reception desk gave me some postcards and an information pamphlet about Bethel.
We met up with the other people in our tour group: three young Sisters (a Sister is jargon for a female JW, and does not imply they are actual siblings. A Brother is the male version, of course) from Indiana, a woman and her two little boys (about 6 years old and 16 months old) from St. Vincent, her mother, and her uncle. The American women were armed with a big bag of peanut butter cookies. My parents chatted with the other JWs, and my inward cringing began. "What congregation are you from?" "How long have you been in The Truth?" (The Truth is JW jargon for being a JW) "How did you discover The Truth?" "So-and-so left The Truth...." Et cetera, ad nauseum. I was not asked what congregation I belonged to. I'm sure my nose ring tipped me off as "worldly" (ie. not a JW).
My brain rebelled against the old mindset, and tension built up within me. I had my iPad with me, and chatted a bit with Kathryn, Shaun, and
knightky. My asthma kicked in, and I mentioned it to Kyle. He asked if it was caused by Bethel, and I said, "Probably. Lungs aren't made to breathe horse shit."Our tour guide arrived: a charismatic young woman, modestly attired in a long skirt. The tour would be two hours long. I steeled my reserve, and off we went.
We walked through the complex, occasionally stopping at propaganda displays on the wall. One of the first such displays was about the legal department, which deals very much with ensuring JWs don't accept blood transfusions. I noted that it seems only men can do this vital work, because there was only mention of Brothers who worked in the law department.
Although there are a smattering of women in various departments, they seem to work primarily in the housekeeping departments. There are a few female dentists, and a few women in the printing facility, but mostly that appears to be the domain of the menfolk. We went into the Kingdom Hall with its theatre-style seating, and I walked up close to the stage with its podium/pulpit. Our tour guide was leaning back against the stage, explaining the structure of the meetings, and how everyone had assigned seating. Things have changed since I was a good little JW kid. Now, at least at this Kingdom Hall, there are cameramen (not camerawomen, continuing with the tradition of the mike stud. ie., a mike stud is a young man who carries around the microphone with an elevated sense of authority because of his important job). The cameraman trains his camera on the mike studs as they carry their microphone over to whoever is going to read out the answers to questions read out by the elder on the stage. And then the rest of the congregation gets to watch that lucky person regurgitate the information they underlined in the article just read to them by a man on the stage.
Anyhow, while the tour guide was leaning against the stage, she got a little uncomfortable looking, stood up, straightened her skirt, and said she felt a bit out of place being so close to the men's domain. The other women in the group tittered appropriately, and all stepped further away from the pulpit. I saw a bit red for a little, but kept it contained, and then we left the Kingdom Hall to continue our tour.
For two hours we were "encouraged" by the volunteer work done by the hundreds of Brothers and Sisters in Bethel. We saw the huge printing press, the giant laser printer, the dining room, one of the residences, the laundry facilities, etc. The woman from St. Vincent carried her well-behaved, but very tired, baby in her arms the entire way. I felt bad that she didn't have a stroller for him. The women from Indiana always paused the group any time they saw young men, and rushed to give them cookies. Maybe they'll find a god-fearing husband amongst the Bethelites.
The dining room was interesting. It has assigned seating, and everyone is expected to meet each morning where they get "spiritual food" along with their breakfast. Once again, there are cameras, and on a rotating roster, different people are assigned questions to answer, and are given 60 seconds to do so. The questions are based on pre-assigned readings from the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society's interpretation of Scripture. They are told how to answer the questions, and prepare accordingly.
I was reminded once again of the exhortation to "avoid independent thinking."
I am relieved to be home.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-08-25 07:47 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2010-08-25 08:20 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2010-08-26 01:08 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2010-08-25 08:40 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2010-08-26 01:09 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2010-08-26 01:05 pm (UTC)From:Someone else might feel differently, but in my opinion, these are all very good things.
no subject
Date: 2010-08-25 09:09 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2010-08-26 01:09 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2010-08-26 01:45 pm (UTC)From:Avoid independent thinking, Shan,...
Date: 2010-08-25 09:38 pm (UTC)From: (Anonymous)Man, the JWs are much squarer than the Catholics! Gives me the heeby-jeebies, all that brainwashed, downright stupid stuff. Hell, the Caths gimme the jeebies.
No, I'm glad sheep have stuff to believe in. Gives 'em a sense of purpose. Good for them.
Benoît from Ottawa
no subject
Date: 2010-08-25 10:32 pm (UTC)From:that a fun vacation for anyone?! And
here I thought a little prayer near me
last week was annoying!
Also, accept my fb request, please.
no subject
Date: 2010-08-26 01:03 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2010-08-26 02:05 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2010-08-26 04:47 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2010-08-26 05:09 am (UTC)From:it away for free. :-/
no subject
Date: 2010-08-26 02:12 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2010-08-26 02:25 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2010-08-26 12:37 am (UTC)From:This reminds me of my mom being asked by her former mother-in-law to come along with her to The Holy Land Experience theme park (yes, a Bible theme park) here in Orlando. My mother politely refused.
no subject
Date: 2010-08-26 01:06 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2010-08-26 01:07 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2010-08-26 02:23 am (UTC)From:http://www.holylandexperience.com/
For a while they had this really creepy sign on the side of one of their buildings that faces the main highway. It was of this blonde kid with photoshopped-blue eyes...he looked liked he'd overdosed on ecstasy or something. I hated driving past it.
no subject
Date: 2010-08-26 02:30 pm (UTC)From:Could be entertaining, but I'm betting the whole thing is terribly bowdlerized.
no subject
Date: 2010-08-26 01:39 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2010-08-26 02:27 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2010-08-26 02:55 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2010-08-26 02:26 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2010-08-26 01:44 pm (UTC)From:I can imagine the NY Bethel is much the same. I remember announcing that I wanted to go work at bethel when I was a kid, and being told in no uncertain terms that very few women obtained the privilege (read: closeted lesbians?) and that I should focus on being a full-time pioneer until my JW charms attracted a newly minted Elder, or at the very least, a ministerial servant. I lost the urge to get baptized not long after that. Oddly enough, that decision now allows me to talk to people from my old congregation. All the kids who drank the koolaid and then later changed their minds (or admitted they never believed the hype) are treated like dead people. Lucky me.
no subject
Date: 2010-08-26 02:15 pm (UTC)From:Those Indiana girls must've been all turned on by the Bethel boys. Making it to Bethel makes you a big shot. And a couple of the boys were even kinda cute.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-04 09:45 pm (UTC)From:I was never a JW, but plenty of this resonates with me. I remember feeling just as "worldly" in my parents' church with long hair as you did with your nose ring. :) The atheism probably didn't help either, and they could probably smell it on me.
And hey, this post reminds me of a super-badass "Awake!" illustration that I was thinking about getting tattooed! It was this mega-hottie riding a three-headed (two-headed?) tiger, representing the Whore of Babylon or some shit. I wonder if there's any way for me to find it again; I got it on my doorstep somewhere between July 2006 and May 2007.
Anyway, it's good to be back to LJ after a long absence and to see that you're still keeping up the good work. :) Thank you for amusing and interesting posts and links.
And btw, my partner checked out your impromptu silly dance video and was thoroughly impressed by how you move.