Word: bethell
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DIED. Ben Benn (né Rosenberg), 98, Russian-born painter who assimilated modern artistic trends into a style of prodigal buoyancy; in Bethel, Conn. Benn, who came to the U.S. as a teenager, delighted in the urgency of the senses, of colors and surfaces, which he celebrated in long, loose, singing brush strokes...
...Jericho, worshiped at Bethlehem and swam in the Dead Sea. Rosalynn and I also walked along the escarpments of the Golan Heights, traveled slowly down the entire length of the Jordan River, rode the torpedo boats at Haifa and viewed a parade at a military training center at Bethel...
Known to outsiders for their persistent door-to-door proselytizing, Jehovah's Witnesses exist within what Franz calls a "hermetically sealed" community; every doctrinal blip or scintilla of sin is closely monitored. Nowhere is this more true than at Bethel, the sect's Brooklyn headquarters. By Franz's account, reading or studying of the Bible is considered "evil" unless conducted in authorized discussions following Watch Tower doctrinal guides, lest staffers veer into error...
Franz never hinted at his uncertainties as he delivered speeches in 50 nations through the 1970s. But to ease his internal strain, he took a leave of absence from his Bethel duties early in 1980. Meanwhile, the Governing Body had begun a secret investigation of heresy rumors, and it used star-chamber tactics. Initially there were no direct confrontations. Instead, staff members were allegedly threatened with disfellowshipping to get their testimony about doctrinal discussions with others. On May 21, Franz was summoned to Brooklyn for a fateful grilling by his Governing Body colleagues. Did he doubt that Jehovah had only...
...pursuit of Franz was not over. As a refugee from Bethel and his life's work, he found himself with few marketable skills, a $10,000 settlement from headquarters and $600 in personal savings. He turned to an old friend in the faith, Peter Gregerson of Gadsden, Ala., who runs a regional supermarket chain. Gregerson loaned Franz and his wife a house trailer to live in and gave him work as a handyman. By 1981 Gregerson too had begun to question Watch Tower dogma and resigned from the faith...