Increase of war--staggering statements from the Really Teach book

by M.J. 33 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  M.J.

  The "Bible Teach" book, on p.89 says:

  Millions of people have been killed in wars during the past century. One British historian wrote: "The 20th century was the most murderous in recorded history...it was a century of almost unbroken war, with few and brief periods without organised and armed conflict somewhere." A report from the Worldwatch Institute states: "Three times as many people fell victim to war in [the 20th] century as in all the wars from the first century AD to 1899." More that 100 million people have died as a result of wars since 1914. Even if we know the sorrow of losing one loved one in warfare, we can only imagine such misery and pain multiplied millions of times over.

  What do you say? Was the 20th century the start of the bloodiest period in human history? Is there something left out of the picture here by the WTS?
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  carla

  I suggest reading the 2005 Human Security Report. Some real facts and stats on wars, disease, all the doom and gloom loved by the jw's. However, it is completely at odds with what the wt teaches. (though I'm not done reading it)http://www.humansecurityreport.info/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=28&Itemid=63
• 

  FreeWilly

  Great report Carla. I love the title to the last chapter:

  "Why the Dramatic Decline in Armed Conflict?"
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  Lady Liberty

  Dear M.J.,

  Thank you for this post!!! This again will be most helpful!! I am going to one day organise all the print offs I have made from posts like yours and organize it in a binder with tabs, under different subjects. That way I can take it ANYWHERE and show ANYONE whatever is needed for the situation! This is just one more arrow in the quiver! Did they even quote WHO the Brittish historian was? So we can double check this quote?? Notice the brackets in the lower half of the post. I bet thats not really in the quote AT ALL!! When ever there is brackets BEWARE!!! Anyhow, thanks again!

  Sincerely,

  Lady Liberty
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  M.J.

  Here's the article from the "British historian" quoted:

  http://www.guardian.co.uk/saturday_review/story/0,3605,655478,00.html
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  JW_Researcher

  To compare on quantity of deaths alone is not a complete analysis.

  A more equitable comparison would be to calculate the deaths as a percentage of total humans on the earth at the time of the conflict …to get the “bloodiest.”

  There are other ways to slice it as well…. But a strict “quantity” analysis is weak, IMHO.
• 

  Severus

  Another quote from the same British Historian (Eric Hobsbaw):

  A tentative forecast: war in the 21st century is not likely to be as murderous as it was in the 20th. But armed violence, creating disproportionate suffering and loss, will remain omnipresent and endemic - occasionally epidemic - in a large part of the world.

  Source (bottom of page)
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  Leolaia

  Those words "past century"....does the Society realize how bygone that sounds? It's already a new century....and did the Society ever expect a new century to be here without a "Paradise"?
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  dorayakii

  "Three times as many people fell victim to war in [the 20th] century as in all the wars from the first century AD to 1899."

  This statement is meaningless unless it takes into account the total world population. In just 12 years from 1987 to 1999, the world population increased from 5,000 to 6,000 million.

  In 1927 the population had reached 2,000 million, and in 1802 it had just reached 1,000 million. The worlds population has therefore sextupled in only 200 years. In 1750 the worlds population was a mere 791 million.

  Indeed, taking an unanalytical laymans glance at a population graph, it seems like the quantity of people who lived in the 20th century almost equals or probably surpasses the entire population of people who ever lived in the preceding 19 centuries.

  The Watchtower statement is therefore sensationalist, senseless and risible.
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  Qcmbr

  The machine gun, high explosives, aircraft, tanks and dreadnaughts all tend to tip the kill rates somewhat.