Largest amount of refugees since WW2 in Europe

by Powermetal4ever 179 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Village Idiot

  Powermetal4ever, there will never be anything like "the last days" in the Bible. We can have major catastrophes with 90% of our population killed but that would not be Armageddon or any other aspect of the Biblical predictions and interpretations thereof.

  As for playing the game of which disaster is the worse my two favorites are the Black Death (Bubonic plague) and the Taiping rebellion.

  The Bubonic/Pneumonic plague pandemics of the 14th century killed 1/4 of the population throughout Eurasia in the first sweep. There were four other pandemics in a 100 year period. I mention this example not merely because of its large numbers but because of the large percentage of the population affected.

  The Taiping Rebellion was a civil war in China in 1850-1864 that killed 20 million people. I like to use this as an example because even though more people died in World War II this war happened before 1914. That should throw the Witnesses off balance.
• 

  kaik

  In the history of the mankind, 14th century was probably the hardest on world population due Black Death, Mongol/Timur wars, and 100 Years War. This whipped out half of the humanity. Chinese population dropped by 1/2, European by 2/3 by the end of the century. For example population of France did not recover from the crisis until in the 1700's. Bohemia had 3 million people around 1350 but only 800,000 by 1500s. It did not reach the population peak again until 1620 and yet later until 1750. Middle East and India had similar drop of population, somewhere between 50% and 80%. Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Central Asia were depopulated for 400 years.

  Prior 1350 crisis, similar depopulation happened in 500-550 coinciding with the collapse of the Roman civilization and culture of the Antiquity. Plague of Justinian killed between 30 to 50 million of people. Population of Italy dropped from 12 millions to two and entire western Europe was emptied out. Cities disappeared under time all over the known world in the matter of 50-75 years. Some places, the population shrunk so much that entire city moved to local arena in order to survive. Similar process of depopulation happened in Middle East and China which was fragmented into many smaller kingdoms.

  Other scholars will say that collapse of the Bronze Age civilization after 1200BC was also as bad as the collapse of the Roman civilization. Entire civilizations from Mycenae Greece to Hittites to China collapsed as well. This is often attributed by volcanic explosion of Hekla in Iceland (around 1130 BC) which caused widespread cooling of the northern hemisphere for several decades, and destroying food supplies during the Bronze Age.
  
• 

  prologos

  kalk, right! this is not about a population collapse, but a people surplus scramble to get into the richest pickings. recent example: Family rescued out of van, and healed in Austria, but "disappeared" for richer rewards. France not good enough let's go to England. via Calais.

  re ww2: of course there were refugees, people on the roads in France, kids shipped out of London, Berlin, the trek ahead of the retreating armies, but the Big movements were not refugees, but result of Ethnic Cleansing, populations expelled from eastern Poland, eastern Germany, the infamous despised D.Ps. but even that was not the greatest disaster ever predicted by "jesus".
• 

  kaik

  WWII was a case for own, especially on Germans who were resettled by force from the Central and Eastern Europe into Germany. Some areas of Czech Republic and Poland still bear marks of sudden depopulation from 1945-1948 and had not recovered. Western Bohemia is one of the prime example, so is Silesia in Poland. Mass population movements even by violent means are nothing new in the world's history. During the movement of nations, several millions of people from Goths to Huns to Slavs to Saxons moved westward and in the process destroyed anything what was associated with Roman civilization. Often these people did NOT want to destroy Rome, they just wanted to live as good and prosperous as the Roman citizens, but they were unable to cope with the requirements of the Roman society. China experienced similar movement under the onslaught of Mongols in the 13th and 14th century where several millions of them migrated to south to escape them. Generally, the mass exodus is triggered by some widespread crisis. They spell nothing good and will destabilize everything in the path.

  I believe the outcome from it will be collapse of the EU as political entity and each country will protect is borders from invasion. Hungary is already deploying militarized force, Czech Republic and Slovakia is very close to seal borders by its military. There is very close step the refugee crisis will be stopped by military means at any cost. I am old enough to remember Iron Curtain and how borders were sealed and very difficult to travel within Eastern Block or to the West. Germany, Sweden, France, and UK can very little do to stop them, and besides, these countries care less what the European powerhouses think. They see them as weak.
  
• 

  steve2

  All the refugee crisis proves is the fluidity of national borders: It is easy to cross borders. Try living in functioning tightly controlled borders and/or police states however, and you'll notice a sudden, dramatic decrease in refugees.

  Besides, where in Scripture does it say that increasing numbers of refugees will be a sign of the imminence of the end? It doesn't.

  Sounds like a desperate wish on your mother's part.
• 

  truthseeker100

  Large flows of immigrants from various poorer war torn regions is to be expected from time to time in the 21'st century. World overpopulation and all the crisis that humanity faces is nothing like the gloom and doom prophesied by end times Armageddon spewing cults like the witnesses. If you get a chance listen to what a real scientist and statistician has to say. One that makes a compelling case is Prof Hans Rosling.

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Rosling
• 

  jwfacts

  As the others have said, have your father read some history. Or just read the Bible. The world has been in a state of constant warfare.
• 

  truthseeker100

  Professor Rosling has many videos where he shows through statistical means that things are getting better. Taking a few minutes and listening to what he has to say is definitely food for thought.
• 

  prologos

  kalk: --"--Czech Republic and Poland still bear marks of sudden depopulation from 1945-1948 and had not recovered. Western Bohemia is one of the prime example, so is Silesia in Poland--" so, why not re-populate these barren, fertile regions with the throngs fleeing their countries' violence? perhaps even the Stalags sites are still available. Hogan's heroes in arabic. nigerian?

  The "Great Escape" from Stalag 3 in reverse, ending in Silesia.
• 

  steve2

  But people what about Jesus words, "There will be war in one place after another and refugees will stream across national borders in growing numbers".