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un-freaking-believable
Disturbing Footnote in Tomorrow's Study Article...
by HeyThere 122 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Joe Grundy
About half-way through this discussion, almost unnoticed, 'defender' quoted from OFW reports re Filippino/a workers overseas. That made me think.
While living in CY 2005-2010 I had very close assocations with the local Filippino community (xw#2 was one of them). Most were regular attendees at local churches (RC or evangelical protestant, often interchangable) and quite a few attended KHs with their employers. Many of them were married with children back home (and bear in mind that there is no divorce in the Philippines).
Affairs were common-place. One girl I knew was concurrently having an affair with her employer, a Filippino boyfriend, casual encounters with local guys, and went home to see her husband and child once a year (usually returning pregnant, but her employer 'sorted' that for her). Another very friendly girl married a British guy she met when he came on holiday. She was married in the Phils, and slept with a guy I knew on the night before her wedding and again a week or so later after her new husband had returned to the UK.
I had a Thai girlfriend in CY. One of her co-workers was a great Thai guy with a wife and children back home. When we went places with him e asked for three copies of the photos - one to send to his wife, one for his mia noi (g/f) in another part of Thailand, and one for his g/f in CY. My g/f saw nothing questionable in this, reasoning that he was far from home, he would not see his wife for some time while he was busy earning money for his family, and that a man needed some comfort.
I knew a couple of Filippina lesbian couples. Very stereotypical, with one partner a 'tomboy'. They told me that they couldn't have been as free back home.
I pass no judgement on any of this (I am nobody to judge anyone - 'first stone' and all that). Maybe the same sort of stuff was going on amongst the other foreign worker communities as well.
But it made me think about who these comments by WTBTS were written for. JWs are, for sure, a US based religion but (as I understand it) the same drivel aka mags are exported world-wide. And we know that the growth areas tend to be in the less-developed countries such as the Phils.
The Phils and other countries are dependant on the remittances sent home by foreign workers - but those workers are exposed to outside influences, sight of a better lifestyle, etc.
Could it possibly be that the WT is sending a subliminal message - stay at home, live in relative poverty, but you'll be happy struggling for Jehovah?
(This may be a little cynical, I know, but I am a cynic.)
PS: As an ex-pat I acted differently too.
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Listener
Joe Grundy, I agree. There was something not to long ago that was more directed at these third world countries and the advice was to stay at home. It may have been a story about a guy who had the opportunity to earn more money away from home but I can't recall.
They really have no idea. Many of these people are desperate in their own country and will fall prey to all sorts of temptations. Whether that is working in the sex industry, providing massages with 'happy endings' or telemarketing and lying to potential customers or being involved in one of the many scams that occur.
People who find work overseas are usually doing it so that they can provide better for their families and this in turn helps protect their family from a lot of criminal or unethical or demeaning activities.
The organization is working hard at trying to get people in third world countries converted. The Phillipines now has a beutiful Assembly Hall on a massive amount of land, worth a pretty penny. The locals are very proud of it and would rather keep it than help the survivors of the recent disasters. Having the image of Americanisation works to their advantage, that's what these people strive for. Providing studies and meetings in english is another attraction because learning to speak english can lead to jobs that pay much more.
It is as bad as telling females to stay barefoot and pregrnant at home in the kitchen.