JWs like Spartans?

Valis

I was watching the History Channel the other day and they had this show about the Spartans and their life. It seemed to me that JWs are very much like Spartans were in a way. The men and women were groomed from early on to do one thing. Fight or pass out Watchtowers...Men were to have sex for the purpose of procreation alone...Their fighting units were effective as a group and not individuals...and then there were the Helots...those Spartans that were the civillian equivalent to the average R&F JW...they got harassed by the more elite Spartan warriors and sometimes even assasinated if they stood out or were innovative or were very smart...sound familiar? Ah well...I'm just rambling...Have a good afternoon everyone.

Sincerely,

District Overbeer

Simon

I found the stories of Sparta enthralling, especially those of the invasion of Greece by Persia and the battles of Thermopolae and Salamis. Thermopolea was the place that 300 Spartans (with the help of some Thebans) halted the massive army of Persia and literally changed the course of history. After a long campaign the Persian king Arta-Xerxes (mentioned in the bible) was driven back and after Philip united greece, a later king would form them into a world power and conquer Persia itself - Alexander the great.

The Spartans were the ultimate military force of their day and defeated all their neighbours (most notably, the Athenians). They were so feared and respected that even the presence of one Spartan warrior commanding a city was enough to make the attacking army think twice.

Ultimately though, they vanished, because chinks appeared in their armour and their lifestyle which was hard was unsustainable. Their zealots revolted and they eventually disappeared (although some of what they did was absorbed into the later, Roman fighting machine)

Hopefully the JWs will become like them in that respect ... a footnote in history.

(NOTE: not read up on it for a while so some of the detail may be a bit off but hopefully the gist of it is correct)

Valis

Simon...I liked the batles too. I found it interesting too that when the runner from Marathon went to them they wouldn't be bothered because of a religious holiday and festival...and when it came time to make sure everyone knew who they were, they went into the battle of Thermopylae (Sp?) knowing they were martyring themselves...funny thing...I have always been a fan of war movies....maybe it was all those times watching karate movies w/my dad on the sly...

Sincerely,

District Overbeer

Euphemism

The similarities make sense... the Spartans were, essentially, a military cult.

Like most cults, they were intellectually and artistically arid, especially when compared with the flourishing Athenian culture.

tinkerbell82

The men and women were groomed from early on to do one thing. Fight or pass out Watchtowers

Wow, the Spartans passed out Watchtowers?!?! ;)

my middle school's mascot was a spartan

cruzanheart

My grandma was a Spartan, from a little village outside of Sparta that's tucked up in the side of a mountain. Tough lady, too. I greatly admire what she accomplished in her life. Her mother died giving birth to her and her family mostly neglected her, kicking her out to tend goats when she was only 5. When she grew up, she made the decision to come to America. A couple of her brothers ran a restaurant in New York City so that's where she went, only to find that they expected her to basically be a slave for them with no compensation. So she proposed marriage to the local priest and got the hell out of that kitchen. I think as a priest's wife she had a little more prestige too. She produced 4 children in 5 years. During the Depression, when food was scarce in the cities, she would go out early and steal milk from doorsteps to feed her children. She was a dear, dear grandmother, always ready to cuddle me and read me a story (in Greek, of course), or even get down on the floor and play even though she was in her late 70's at the time, and she made the BEST Greek cookies, putting them in the pantry in a cabinet that was just the height of a 2-year-old. She became a rabid JW when she turned 70 and learned to read and write Greek so she could read the Bible and the publications. I think she was just thrilled to be able to educate herself.

So while she didn't become a rocket scientist, she did move forward in her life -- she didn't sit around and complain but changed what she could and dealt with the rest. My Nana!

Nina

Valis

tink..

Nina, thanks for sharing...see ya Sunday!

Sincerely,

District Overbeer

Big Tex

I'm an Epicurian myself.

TresHappy

When I saw this thread title, I could only think of this:

JWs like Spartans?

Share this