Be afraid...be very afraid...

by fodeja 16 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Bendrr

  And then The Empire turns around and forbids you to pack a .45
  What a crock.
  Jesus said "gird your sword on your side" now when was the last time you heard THAT scripture quoted and applied to "the last days"
  It makes me sick to think that a dub sister could be disfellowshipped for shooting a rapist and preventing her rape, not to mention the other assaults the rapist could commit on others.
• 

  JT

  FODEJA

  SAYS

  It's just that thing I've often asked myself: why do those who claim to have found security in "Jehovah's Organization", those who claim to "walk in the truth fearlessly", spend their lives in such fear? Shouldn't they be much more confident since they've found The Truth(tm)?

  A religion that thrives on fear cannot possibly be the true religion. But then, I think that no religion is true, anyway ;-)

  f.
  ##################

  YOU GOT THAT Right

  all beliefs systems share the same common thread

  "If you don't do it our way our god will kill you"

  bottom line

  smile

  james
• 

  Jigrigger

  It really shouldn't surprise anyone who graduated the Paradise Book, because by the time you are six years old you are pretty well versed in the subject of FEAR. (I mean, visions of your eyeballs rotting in their sockets if you don't LISTEN TO MAMA.) - From there on, fear will be a governing factor in your JW life. Fear of falling short of the mark, that your "works" won't be enough to assure your salvation. Fear of never making it past Mic handler. Fear that in even the pettiest things "Did I make the right Christian choice? We all know that "Christian" means the Society view.
  Not to mention the fear generated by the spectre of shunning should
  we choose not to LISTEN TO MAMA.

  Fear is a normal part of your day if you are a loyal dub.
  And while the fears incidental to JW life are something manufactured by the Society, to the average dub they are real enough to provide adequate motivation to keep knocking on doors.

  The real fear of the streets as it relates to JWs, is somewhat of a bonus for them. You know that when the latest mag comes out with some quotes and statistics about how bad things are getting, then the bros rejoice in some sort of perverted way because this is a "sign" that IT'S gonna be ANY TIME NOW. That's how "persecution" works too...I'm sure you can recall reading some mag article where some bros are getting their ass PERSECUTED and then concludes the part about "How happy we are", etc, etc. because it's another sign. (They must have been delirious when Hitler was pulling his crap...)[8>]

  Jigrigger
• 

  Abaddon

  Is this the point in the debate where a European says 'Yeah, but the reason that so many people get killed in the USA is that the gun control laws are so lax?'

  Then the Americans, or at least two-thirds of them, say, 'No, no, no, how foolish you are!! The fact that there are guns everywhere has nothing to do with the fact that the murder rates in the USA are multiples of any other Western country.'

  Then the Europeans say, 'Er, what? Are you seriously saying that sociological differences between the USA and Europe make American's at least two, if not three or four times more likely to get shot than Europeans? That's like saying that America is a culture with many violent psychopaths, and Europe is not. If that's your arguement fine, but I've been there and I don't think that American's are any more bad than Europeans, I think the reason so many people get shot is that there are lots of handguns.'

  And then the American pro-gun lobby again say, 'No, no, no, guns don't kill people people kill people, the fact there are a lot of handguns has nothing to do with the high rate of death from gun-shot wounds. And anyway, it is a constitutional right'.

  By this point the Europeans have that little wrinkle in the middle of their forehead that you get when your head hurts; a bit like the one we get when we read stuff on WOL nowadays.

  In a pained voice they say 'So, Europe has low gun ownership, and America has high gun ownership.' The Americans happily agree, normally while polishing their handguns. 'And,' the Europeans continue, 'Europe and America are broadly comparable culturally speaking.' The American nod happily in agrement while running a pull-thru thru their barrels. 'And you say that the reason lots of people get shot in the USA is NOT because there are a lot of guns?' query the Europeans.

  'That's right,' say the Americans, 'in fact, guns make us safe'. 'Oh, is that why so many people get killed accidentally by firearms or by their own firearms?' say the Europeans. 'And it's our constitutional right.' say the Americans with a degree of smugness.

  'Ah yes, one of the Ammendments, isn't it?' say the Europeans. The Americans nod happily as they cross-slot their bullet tips.

  'Isn't an Ammendment something you do to something that isn't working?' point out the Europeans. The Americans nod, although less enthusiastically. 'So,' say the Europeans, 'the right to bear arms was an ammendment to the Constitution framed at a time when there was no standing police force and many people lived in frontier areas where they need guns for protection against the Indians they were ethnically cleansing?'

  The Americans have stopped nodding by this point and are cradling their guns as if they were about to give them a breast-feed.

  'And then, people arguably needed guns for self defence.' carry on the Europeans, oblivious to the funny glint in the Americans eyes - like that of a cat watching a snake. 'But now there are standing police forces, and you are unlikely to be raided by First Nation war parties?'

  'Ah yes, BUT,' say the Americans, 'we also need them to protect us from the government.'

  'Oh, in case you need to revolt against oppression?' question the Europeans, perhaps a little too innocently.

  'Yup, that's right.' say the Americans.

  'But didn't the entirity of Eastern Europe, under totalitarian regiemes, where private ownership of guns was heavily controlled, revolt without guns or major loss of life?' say the Europeans in that tone of voice that says "if you don't agree with this you are a fucking nut".

  'What's your point?' say the Americans.

  'Well, the right to bear arms is an archaic ammendment to the Constitution framed for a completely different society, and needs ammending, as high levels of gun ownership lead to high levels of gun related deaths, and unless Eastern Europeans are well hard and Americans are a bunch of pussies, recent history shows that revolutions can be gunless and virtually bloodless, so you don't need guns to defend yourself from the givernment.' say the Europeans.

  'Guns don't kill people, people kill people.' say the Americans.

  'God, you Americans, this conversation is pointless,' say the Europeans, 'there's so many guns out there anyway it wouldn't make much difference if you introduced strict gun control, not unless you sent the Army round door-to-door, and even then they'd be nutters caching them in the hills.'

  'And that's why we need them!' cry the American's, 'in case the government try to take them away.'

  At this point the conversation normally starts going in circles, or the Europeans go and get drunk, laughing at the fact American tourists cancel trips to Europe if there's a terrorist problem, when they're actually more at risk of a violent death if they stay at home.

  Of course I could be wrong, but that's normally what happens...
• 

  thinkers wife

  I can say for a certainty that as a Witness I was much more fearful and paranoid then than I am now. I am still very careful as a woman and use good common sense.
  We had a neighbor when I first moved in with Thinker. Very strange man. He used to walk around our neighborhood in the dead of the night, doing what I don't know. He is also a convicted felon, from the neighborhood gossip. Sometimes I would take the trash out in the morning around 5:00 after Thinker would leave for work and out of the darkness a voice would say Hi!! Scared the crap out of me. Well, Thinker has taught me to shoot a gun. We keep one with the bullets in our living room. I made sure I informed Mr. Weirdo that I could shoot. No more morning scares.
  Even when I was a Witness I thought it was ridiculous that we were taught that even if someone intruded into your home you couldn't kill them
  Bottom line? I feel a hell of a lot more secure with a gun and knowing how to use it if necessary!!!!!
  TW
• 

  outnfree

  I am a woman, too, and generally just try to use good sense so as not to put myself in a position where I could be in danger.

  The only time I EVER let my own perception of possible danger be overridden was when out in field service!!!!

  Is there any other religion on the face of this earth that harps so much on how dangerous the 'world' out there really is, and then proceeds to INSIST THAT ITS MEMBERS GET RIGHT OUT THERE AND PREACH TO EVERYONE???

  outnfree
• 

  Seeker

  Abaddon,

  That was an excellent summary of the arguments used by both sides of the gun argument. Sadly, most Americans won't listen to a word you said because their minds are as closed on this subject as a JW is toward "apostasy." Besides, gun owners have all this anecdotal evidence where somebody blew a mugger's head off, and that proves that gun ownership reduces violence...