Reefton Jack

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Posts by Reefton Jack

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  25

  Scotland worst for violence ! America is not bad :)

  by Simon in

  1. social
  2. current

  you are twice as likely to be assaulted in certain commonwealth countries than in the good old us of a!.

  however, this was a telephone poll of victims ... i guess if you've been shot you wouldn't have answered the phone .

  still ... quite interesting reading.. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4257966.stm.

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  Reefton Jack

  There is a definite link between a high rate of handgun ownership and a high murder rate:

  - this is even borne out in the USA. There are some states with a high (even for America) rate of firearm ownership, but these being predominantly rifles and shotguns.The interesting thing about this is these states have a much lower murder rate than other states where the proportion of handgun ownership is much higher.

  - I grew up in an environment where everyone owned a .22, a .303 and a shotgun. Ammunition was available without restriction to anyone of any age. The murder rate was very low (still is only a fraction of that of the USA)

  - BUT ..... handguns were practically impossible to obtain.

  Firearm laws are something else again. These only affect the law adiding citizen i.e. the one who is unlikely to use his weapon to commit a crime.

  Where I am working at the moment, Papua New Guinea, there are certainly strict laws about firearm ownership. Legally, it is practically impossible to own one - and even harder to obtain the ammunition if you do own a gun.

  However, illegally, it is not too difficult to get hold of anything from a handgun to a hand grenade:

  - due to an abysmall lack of security in the police and in the defense force, together with widespread corruption.
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  29

  Were there any professionals in your congregation?

  by JH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  i was just wondering if you had any doctors, lawyers, pyschologists, psychiatrists, engineers or any highly educated ones in your congregation?

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  Reefton Jack

  Only in one congregation that I was with were there any who had university degrees:

  - one was a doctor.

  - the other had a some sort of a degree in transport.

  - a third had a degree in creative arts.

  But that was all - in about every other congregation I was with, going to university would have just about got you disfellowshipped!
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  25

  Scotland worst for violence ! America is not bad :)

  by Simon in

  1. social
  2. current

  you are twice as likely to be assaulted in certain commonwealth countries than in the good old us of a!.

  however, this was a telephone poll of victims ... i guess if you've been shot you wouldn't have answered the phone .

  still ... quite interesting reading.. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4257966.stm.

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  Reefton Jack

  Before anything else is said about the matter, American statistics for murder are well out in front of any of the other developed countries - including Scotland.

  However, the statistics for crimes such as burgalry and aggravated burgalry, as well as for assault; are also higher in countries like Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, England and Wales than in the USA.

  A lot of this has to do with the high rate of firearm ownership in the US. If a would-be-attacker knows that his intended victim is probably armed, he is going to think twice - and even three times - about attempting to break into the house (despite the propaganda that the WTS dispenses on this subject!)

  Of course, the high rate of firearm ownership (particularly handguns) is a major contributor to the high murder rate in the USA.
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  64

  Did You Believe The "End" Would Come In Your Lifetime?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i never did.

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  Reefton Jack

  When I got involved with the WTS Madness in the late 1960's, it would have been impossible not to believe that the end was "just around the corner."

  There are those now from those times who say that they never believed it. At the time, though, I can never recall actually hearing anyone saying that:

  - to do so would had you labelled as "Immature."
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  6

  Real christ like personality!

  by Gill in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i posted about a neighbour of mine in a more critical light a few months ago.

  her young daughter of 15 was pregnant and her son of 17, his girlfriend also 17 was pregnant.

  my point at the time was, how could this have happened and why hadn't she been keeping an eye on her children?

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  Reefton Jack

  You won't find too many JWs doing that sort of thing, because they can't (are not supposed to) enter on their Field Service Report the time taken up while engaged in such matters.

  The WTS emphasises hours / numbers ahead of everything else - and surprise, surprise - that is all they get!
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  8

  Menial tasks and Appointments.

  by Dune in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  were you ever the witness boy/man who was always asked to do everything in the congregation.

  like every elder knew you were the "go-to" guy when something needed to be done.

  whether it was vacuming the carpet or helping some old sister move out?

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  Reefton Jack

  Dune,

  It sounds like you are having the same problem that I had: - namely, doing everything right except for THE key requirement i.e. you are not part of the congregation's Inner Clique!

  As has been already said on this post, though - it is an eye opener once you are appointed an MS.
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  29

  Clarification needed about US education system

  by ballistic in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  clarification needed about us education system and watchtower policy :-.

  we used to be slightly puzzled by some articles printed in the publications such as "young people ask - should i go to school?".

  because in england and most of the uk, school is most definately compolsory and enforcable by law up to age 16.. further education beyond age 16 is never refered to as "school" except jokingly.

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  Reefton Jack

  Ballistic - quite true.

  The "pioneer from finish of school" advice was interpreted exactly the same way in New Zealand as you describe it happening in the UK:

  - only the school leaving age was 15!
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  22

  You know, Witnesses haven't cornered the market on being wrong.

  by free2beme in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have been out of the witness religion since the 1990's and i see from reading former witness sites that it is common for people to do something i used to do.

  which was that i made a big deal out of all the wrong things the witnesses did and do.

  i thought it was some how my responsiblity to tell others when i had the chance, and even when i made the chance, about all the things i knew.

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  Reefton Jack

  As qcmbr mentions, there are such things as basic, universal principles - such as the one quoted as an example.

  These principles are common to all the world's major, enduring religions. (Not that you need to be a religo in order to be principled - I am not that silly as to suggest that!)

  In other words, in the areas where the JWs are right - they don't have the monopoly these, either (like they evidently think they do!)
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  4

  Did it with Jesus - Now the WTS is sidelining the Bible

  by hamsterbait in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  has anyone else noticed how more and more in studies and other articles the wt no longer sticks only to the bible as its authority?.

  they criticised the rc for quoting the catechism to settle matters of doctrine, yet more and more i notice points 'proved' by:.

  "note what the watchtower says".

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  Reefton Jack

  Well - they will tell you that the Watchtower is "more important than the bible":

  - After all, "Christendom" has been reading the bible for centuries, and "it hasn't done them any good."

  That's the party line, anyway!
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  22

  You know, Witnesses haven't cornered the market on being wrong.

  by free2beme in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have been out of the witness religion since the 1990's and i see from reading former witness sites that it is common for people to do something i used to do.

  which was that i made a big deal out of all the wrong things the witnesses did and do.

  i thought it was some how my responsiblity to tell others when i had the chance, and even when i made the chance, about all the things i knew.

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  Reefton Jack

  True enough:

  The WTS, though, seems to think that it is the only religious group that is allowed to be "wrong" - and yet still somehow at the same time be "right"!

  After all, surely:

  1)The "worldwide preaching work"

  2) The "love that they have among themselves" - as evidenced by their not killing each other in wars.

  furnishes the evidence that God is using them, and nobody else!

  Further to the previous writer's comments, I came to the conclusion at the same time as I broke with the JWs - #$%& all religion!