Sickening!

glitter

Just had JWs over. One of them (been in all of about 4 years) said "you can be sure no true christians have died due to famine" like therefore it didn't matter who did - I thought I was going to throw up... I told him that was an evil thing to say and out came the Bible about the lillies of the field and manna in the desert.

Ugh. I don't think consciously that is what all JWs sincerely believe, but it'd explain the lack of charitable activities of the Borg.

I just can't believe anyone would say something so awful - the other JW backed him up and said Jehovah always provides and will step in.

:(

kls

So anyone that is a jw will not starve or want. Really ! and where is the proof to back this up.

SheilaM

Glitter: Yep evil but sincere he meant it and that makes it sooooo evil

desib77

That was a horrible thing to say!

Elsewhere

Just had JWs over. One of them (been in all of about 4 years) said "you can be sure no true christians have died due to famine"

My my my.... I see an opportunity for an EXPERIMENT!

I say, invite him back over and then lock 'em in a closet for a few months and then see how he's doing!

SheilaM

Elsewhere : ROFLMAO

kls

Elsewhere ,you are good.

avishai

"you can be sure no true christians have died due to famine"

Thank you for the quote. Sometimes we forget what superstitious, uneducated morons most of us were. Damn. Next time he says thatsay, "Prove it."

glitter

LOL Elsewhere I was really down about it and you cheered me up with that! Will construct some sort of trap... :)

Avishai - yep, I said prove it - he said I couldn't prove that JWs *have* died wanting basic food and supplies! FFS!

Latte

Interesting post Glitter.

The following is a thread I started sometime ago now, maybe you could show this your friend, and maybe get some more feedback???.

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/12/53605/1.ashx

Here is the whole thread???..

Just thought that I would highlight the plight of these poor people?.I feel so sad for them.

I have posted the W/T article written about how the JW community suffered terribly back in the 90?s. It?s interesting in that some ?brothers and sisters? actually STARVED to death, which is something which my orthodox JW friend found most disturbing, as JW?s are often given the impression that they will spared such a terrible death - they are given a false sense of security whilst dwelling in their ?Spiritual Paradise? as one of the newer books clearly shows-

The promise of divine protection Page 68

Para 4- 5

Jehovah is certainly capable of protecting his servants. He is ?God Almighty?- a title indicating that he possesses irrestible power. (Gen 17v1.???Since he is able to do anything his will directs, we may ask, ?Is it Jehovah?s will to use his power to protect his people?

Para 5

The answer, in a word, is yes! Jehovah assures us that he will protect his people. ?God is for us a refuge and strength, a help that is readily to be found during distresses,? says Psalms 46:1. Since ?God cannot lie,? we can have absolute confidence in his promise of protection. ?????..

Don?t forget though!???

Para 8

God?s promise of protection is conditional- ????.

(I reckon you know the rest)

Here is the 1992 W/T article.

Maintaining

Christian Integrity in War-Torn Liberia

As told by an eyewitness

?WHEN elephants fight, the grass too will suffer.? How well that West African proverb sums up what occurred during the recent war in Liberia! Some 20,000 people lost their lives, and half of the country?s population of 2.6 million were displaced. Most of those who suffered were not soldiers; they were ?the grass??harmless men, women, and children.

When the war broke out in December 1989, the nearly 2,000 Jehovah?s Witnesses in Liberia were enjoying steady increases in numbers and were looking ahead to the future with confidence. Sadly, they were a part of ?the grass that suffered.?

The

Spread of War

The war started along Liberia?s border with Côte d?Ivoire, and soon refugees began fleeing to the capital, Monrovia, a city with more than a half million inhabitants. From March through May of 1990, as the fighting moved south, missionaries of Jehovah?s Witnesses were evacuated first from Ganta and then from Gbarnga. They were among the last of the population to leave these towns. The war reached a climax when armed forces moved into Monrovia on July 2, 1990.

Nobody was prepared for the horrors that followed. Three separate armies fought it out in the streets with heavy artillery, rockets, and grenade launchers. Those who were not killed because of being members of a hated tribe were subjected to constant harassment and searches. One August night more than 600 men, women, and children who had sought shelter in St. Peter?s Lutheran Church were executed by a war-crazed death squad.

Hundreds fled the fighting with only the clothes they were wearing. Families were separated and for months afterward were unable to reunite. The whole population of Monrovia seemed to shift, with empty houses being inhabited by soldiers and refugees who had fled other parts of the city. More than half of Monrovia?s population were displaced. Most lost everything they owned as well as at least one relative in death. Some lost many more.

The situation reached such a crisis point that five other West African countries sent in soldiers to try to restore peace. By the end of October 1990, most of the fighting had died down. But then the specter of famine settled over the burned-out city like a shroud. Relief agencies reported that at one point almost a third of Monrovia?s children under five were malnourished and more than a hundred people were dying every day. Things were not made any easier by profiteers; many stole relief rice and then sold it for 20 dollars and more a cup. Disease was ever present, especially cholera, since the city?s water, sanitation, and electricity services were completely destroyed.

The approximately one thousand Jehovah?s Witnesses who lived in Monrovia also suffered terribly. The majority fled the city and went to the countryside, while others left by ship for Ghana and Nigeria or by road for Côte d?Ivoire or Sierra Leone. From July to December 1990, over 30 Witnesses lost their lives. Some were killed by gunfire, while others died from the effects of sickness and hunger. Alan Battey and Arthur Lawson, American missionary graduates of the Ministerial Training School, were evidently among those killed. Oh, how the Bible-based hope of the resurrection is of comfort to those of us who lost relatives or friends during that terrible time!?Acts 24:15.

Christian Brotherhood in Action

As the war raged on, many displaced Witnesses ran for refuge to the branch office of Jehovah?s Witnesses and to a missionary home on the other side of town. Some sought protection because they were members of a tribe that the soldiers in the area were killing. Most were given work assignments at the branch and were invaluable in helping with cooking and cleaning, while others were assigned to forage for edible greens in the swamps nearby when conditions outside permitted.

People were sleeping everywhere, in the missionaries? bedrooms, in corridors, in the Shipping Department, and in offices. We dug and maintained latrines. Women were assigned to serve as nurses, and they successfully cared for many cases of malaria and fever. Diarrhea was often a problem.

We arranged special house procedures, including bomb drills. Thus, when opposing forces fired heavy artillery shells, we were trained to reach sheltered areas of the branch quickly. Although our ten-foot-high [3 m] wall was some protection, it was not enough to keep out ricocheting bullets. Our roof soon took on the appearance of a pepper shaker because of all the holes it sustained!

Many risked their lives to protect fellow Witnesses from those who were seeking to kill them because they belonged to a hated tribe. One day a tearful Christian sister arrived at the branch office with her surviving children, one a two-week-old baby. Her husband and teenage son had just been gunned down before her eyes. She and her other children had been successfully hidden by another Witness when the killers returned to look for them.

Another family arrived at the branch with an unbaptized publisher who had helped protect them from being killed by her tribespeople. Then, when the situation changed and the unbaptized publisher came to be in danger, the family saved her from their tribespeople.

Repeatedly, missionaries would speak with armed men at the gate to the branch office to try to keep them from searching or looting the premises. Once an angry group burst in, holding us at gunpoint and insisting that we were hiding members of a particular tribe. They were taken aback to see how calmly the local Witnesses behaved, sitting quietly and listening at the Christian meeting we were having. They searched the house but did not find what they were looking for. We were always able to assure the intruders that we were not hiding soldiers or any enemy of theirs. As Christians we were neutral.

Once during some heavy fighting, a group of Witnesses arrived at the branch carrying a brother with terminal cancer. Sadly, he died soon afterward. A grave was dug in the yard, and what an emotional funeral service we had! The brother had been one of our finest local elders, with many years of faithful service. About a hundred displaced persons gathered in the lobby for the memorial talk, which was given against a background of gunfire.

Obtaining Food and Water

Food supplies were very limited. Even before the war began, merchants had stopped importing goods. Thus, very little food was left in the city. Our supply of food at the branch would have lasted our 12 family members many months, but we sometimes had up to 200 people living with us, including non-Witness neighbors who were desperately in need of help. Everyone was restricted to one small meal a day; we survived on such rations for several months. Everybody was hungry. Babies were just skin and bones, hanging limp in their parents? arms.

Soon our food supply was giving out. Where could we get more? No shops were open in Monrovia. Everywhere one looked, starving people were roaming the streets looking for food. People ate anything?including dogs, cats, and rats . Two missionaries from the branch decided to try to go to Kakata, a town about 40 miles [60 km] away, where the fighting had stopped.

They stuck Watchtower magazines and signs in the windows of the car to identify themselves as Jehovah?s Witnesses. After getting through various checkpoints, they were stopped and questioned by a big, burly man with grenades hanging on his chest and a revolver at his side. They identified themselves as Jehovah?s Witnesses and told him they wanted to get to Kakata for some food.

?Follow me,? he said. ?I?m the battle commander here.? He took them to his headquarters. Upon learning that they were sheltering displaced people, he ordered his men to deliver to our branch 20 bags of rice, each weighing 100 pounds [45 kg]! Also, a permit was issued for them to go to Kakata, and an armed guard was assigned to conduct them safely through the remaining checkpoints.

At Kakata they found our Christian brother Abraham who owned a store. He had stockpiled cartons of food for us, including powdered milk, sugar, canned vegetables, and other necessary items. It was truly wonderful to see the way that our brothers were cared for on their trip. Jehovah must have been pleased that we had shared our food with our friends and neighbors, for now our supplies were being replenished.?Proverbs 11:25.

On the other side of Monrovia, missionaries in a missionary home were also caring for displaced ones, and they too received assistance from unexpected sources. For example, a missionary obtained three bags of rice from a soldier who remembered him from when he had served in the soldier?s area some 16 years earlier. Another missionary obtained four bags of rice after a personal interview with the leader of one of the warring factions.

At one point it seemed that we would have to evacuate the branch because of a shortage of water. Our well for a time was the only source of drinking water for many in the community. However, the fuel supply for the electric generator plant for our pump began to run out. When a man who had received protection at the branch during the first days of fighting heard of our problem, he found fuel for us out of appreciation for what we had done for him, so our water supply never did run out.

Maintaining Spiritual Strength

When the last of us missionaries were urged to leave Liberia in October 1990, uppermost in our minds was, How will our brothers and sisters cope? From the reports we have received since that time, it is evident that they have kept busy in the ministry.

Before the war the average number of hours each Witness spent in the ministry was about 17 each month. Yet, during the war, despite the constant need to forage in the bush for food, the Witnesses in some congregations averaged over 20 hours per publisher! Moreover, because of a shortage of Watchtower magazines, many of our sisters copied the study articles by hand so that there would be more copies to go around for the study on Sunday.

The four congregations nearest to Monrovia were overflowing with Witnesses who had fled the fighting in the city. These friends lost everything they owned, since they were unable to get back to their homes to pick up anything. In fact, for months many were even on opposite sides of the battle lines from their own children and parents! For the Memorial of Jesus? death on March 30, these four congregations had a combined attendance of 1,473.

The 300 or so Witnesses remaining in Monrovia made a special effort to auxiliary pioneer during the month of the Memorial, even though only a few weeks before, they had been so physically weak from hunger that they could hardly walk . They worked very hard to invite people to the Memorial, and 1,116 were in attendance.

One Christian elder in Monrovia explained: ?We decided to start meeting in our Kingdom Hall again beginning in December 1990. Our first attendance was 17. Later it went up to 40, and it remained in the 40?s for a while. Then on February 24, our attendance grew to 65 and a week later to 85. Also, almost all in the congregation responded to the call to auxiliary pioneer in March.?

Care for Others

?Our church brothers were busy killing one another [from opposing tribes] during the war,? a non-Witness relative of one of the Witnesses noted, ?never having time for fellow believers.? But how different the situation was with Jehovah?s people!

The chairman of a neighborhood relief team, for example, wrote to the brothers who were taking care of the branch in February 1991: ?This letter serves as a sign of thanks and appreciation to you and your institution for storage facilities you continue to give us during the distribution of food to our people. Your humanitarian gesture shows your willingness as a Society to bring peace and goodwill to the country. Please continue your good services.?

Jehovah?s Witnesses in other countries were quick to respond to the needs of their Liberian brothers. Relief aid has been supplied from such countries as Sierra Leone and Côte d?Ivoire in West Africa, the Netherlands and Italy in Europe, and the United States.

One little girl, whose mother was executed because she was a member of a hated tribe, expressed her gratitude for the aid she received. She wrote: ?Thank you very much for all the things you send me. You make me feel like my mother is around me. I lost her and my little brother in the war. I ask Jehovah to bless you all. I am 11 years old.?

Also thankful for the aid he received, a brother with a family of six and whose wife had to hide for months due to her tribal origin wrote: ?We have not broken into people?s homes to loot and sell their property and yet, unlike our neighbors, we have something to eat every day because we know how to use wisely the little we have. This we have learned from Jehovah.?

Very impressive also was the spirit of a brother who had fled to Côte d?Ivoire with his wife and two children. He had left behind a fine house that was subsequently burned to the ground. Yet he said that what hurt him most was the loss, not of his house, but of his theocratic library!

Valuable Lessons Learned

Looking back, I can appreciate that Jehovah taught us many valuable lessons. Knowing personally many who maintained their integrity and survived, as well as some who kept their integrity and died, I learned to appreciate the importance of having the mental attitude of the apostle Paul, who wrote: ?Both if we live, we live to Jehovah, and if we die, we die to Jehovah. Therefore both if we live and if we die, we belong to Jehovah.??Romans 14:8.

Another long-time missionary noted: ?Through all of this, we learned that Jehovah is a Helper without equal. Just as Paul said: ?We felt within ourselves that we had received the sentence of death. This was that we might have our trust, not in ourselves, but in the God who raises up the dead.?? (2 Corinthians 1:9; Psalm 30:10) He added: ?The war drove home to us that Jehovah?s people are indeed a brotherhood, clothed with the self-sacrificing love that Jesus highlighted.??John 13:35.

A letter from a Liberian sister to some of us missionaries who had to leave the country during the fighting in October 1990 well illustrates the strength of our Christian brotherhood. ?It is my prayer that you all come back to Liberia soon and we can have an assembly,? she wrote. ?Oh! I can?t wait for that day. Just the thought of it makes me happy.?

Yes, it will be wonderful to see the usual routine of Christian activity fully restored in Liberia. Our sister is right; the first assembly in Monrovia after the return of the missionaries and other refugees will be a joyful one. There is no doubt about that!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2977510.stm

Sickening!

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