There is so much silence about the JW's in the Ukraine conflict. Are the jw men arrested because they don't want to fight? How is that going in the hyper nationalist fase the country is in? I mean the side of "democratic" Ukraine.
G.
JW's in war zone
by Gorb 26 Replies latest jw friends
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waton
hopefully the Ukrainian government lives up to it's freedom loving claims and allows the Jws to exercise their choice of non involvement. In the areas now occupied by the invaders, russian law is probably applied, and the JW organisation is banned.
80 years ago that embattled region saw bible students, executed even for refusing to dig defensive anti tank trenches.
Now we see pictures of whole families seeking refuge, so males must be allowed to leave. Therefore it is time to apply the counsel:
"if they persecute you in one place, flee to another" , like to the UK, which was exemplary in the second WW to respect conscientious objector's stand.
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Gorb
Thanks!
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LoveUniHateExams
hopefully the Ukrainian government lives up to it's freedom loving claims - so, we don't know for sure.
What we do know is that all men staying behind have to fight. Until I see evidence to the contrary, I'm going to start by assuming that JWs in Ukraine must fight or face some kind of consequences for refusal.
Here's another thing: in the mainstream media, Ukraine just cannot do anything wrong.
There have been media reports of shelling on or near the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia. This plant is controlled by Russian forces, and used as a military base. So, logic dictates that the firing on the plant can only have been done by Ukrainian forces. But the media won't report this. Strange
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joao
@LHHE, we can't assume anything from one response! We can only say that we don't know. Regarding the d nuclear power plant, here in Portugal we're having news reports on that and the case is under investigation by independent organisations.
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slimboyfat
The news is indeed bizarre these days on its face. On the one hand the G7 is praised for ganging up in an apparent failed attempt to rig the price of Russian gas, on the other hand Russia is accused of ‘economic warfare’ when it refuses to supply gas on terms disadvantageous to itself. It’s almost as if Russia isn’t the only power engaging in propaganda.
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careful
One thing has changed re: org policy in recent years, and that may be having an effect in the brothers-in-the-Ukraine matter. Remember that some years ago the GB decided that alternative service was OK in lieu of actual militarily service. So how is that playing out here? Does anyone know? Can Witness men do some ancillary service that "indirectly" supports the Ukrainian military machine?
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slimboyfat
Very possible. Not heard anything about that.
I had heard there was a specific programme to relocate Ukrainian JW refugees in Norway and possibly other Nordic countries, but that was in the early days.
The mainstream news about Ukrainian refugees in general in the UK has turned in recent weeks to the fact that UK government support is running out and some UK residents are losing enthusiasm for hosting Ukrainians.
I think this is incredibly cynical: having goaded Ukraine into war with Russia, the depth of commitment to taking care of Ukrainian refugees seems to be pretty shallow. It’s almost as if war and weapon sales are more important to western powers than democracy or humanitarian considerations.
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St George of England
A JW couple that I know are currently accommodating a Ukraine sister and her two young children. They are advertising locally looking for accommodation they can rent at a reasonable price. The husband is still in Ukraine and having difficulty getting out at present. I don't know if he is allowed alternative service.
During WWII here in England the women did not run overseas, they stayed and helped the country. My mother worked in the munitions factories and I know of others who worked in engineering, taking on the jobs that the men would normally have done but for conscription. What happened to patriotism?
George
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Gorb
Indeed, the propaganda is on both sides.
G.