On balance, it was likely a good thing that the WTS never set out to operate institutions like orphanages. Bethel was probably bad enough
fulltimestudent
JoinedPosts by fulltimestudent
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The horror of Neerkol, a Catholic Children's home in Queensland, Aust.
by fulltimestudent inofficer-in-charge of gracemere police station sergeant ben holdcroft at the locked gates of the abandoned st joseph's orphanage at neerkol in 2012. photo: rockhampton morning bulletin.
link: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/full-horror-of-neerkol-orphanage-revealed-at-hearing-20150424-1ms5sa.html.
here are a few witness statements or descriptions:.
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The horror of Neerkol, a Catholic Children's home in Queensland, Aust.
by fulltimestudent inofficer-in-charge of gracemere police station sergeant ben holdcroft at the locked gates of the abandoned st joseph's orphanage at neerkol in 2012. photo: rockhampton morning bulletin.
link: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/full-horror-of-neerkol-orphanage-revealed-at-hearing-20150424-1ms5sa.html.
here are a few witness statements or descriptions:.
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fulltimestudent
Officer-in-charge of Gracemere Police Station Sergeant Ben Holdcroft at the locked gates of the abandoned St Joseph's Orphanage at Neerkol in 2012. Photo: Rockhampton Morning Bulletin
Here are a few witness statements or descriptions:
A nun drags another child to the priest's quarters and tells him to be a "good boy", before the man who has supposedly committed his life to God forces him into unspeakable acts.
A stock whip wielded by a young man paints bloody stripes across a small boy's bare back while several nuns and dozens of children watch on.
Beating a boy on the genitals with a ruler while telling him his penis was "the devil".
Forcing bed-wetters to stand hungry in the dining room with their urine-soaked sheets draped over their heads while the other children ate breakfast.
Ms Adams once confided in a relieving priest who seemed friendly. He raped her and swore her to secrecy.
The farmer he'd been sent to work for, Mr Paterson, hadn't liked the blood on the back of his pants - caused by being repeatedly raped by chaplain Father John Anderson.
"He told me I was a good worker but I couldn't go out to service until I stopped bleeding from the backside," Mr Owen testified.
"He said that he knew Fr Anderson was abusing me but I wasn't to tell anyone, and that if I was caught bleeding I was to say that it was piles.
"Mr Paterson and Fr Anderson were friends." -
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100 Years Ago, 1.5 Million Christian Armenians Were Systematically Killed. Today, It's Still Not A 'Genocide'
by fulltimestudent inwhatever the reasons, whatever the excuses, whatever the denials - its still a tragedy:.
100 years ago, 1.5 million christian armenians were systematically killed.
today, it's still not a 'genocide'.
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fulltimestudent
LoveUniHateExams : " ... as if the Young Turks somehow couldn't help themselves ..."
There are (of course) always multiple viewpoints. Trying to understand this tragedy is difficult. It can be argued that the Ottoman Empire had been multicultural (at least to an extent). The ethnic and religious tensions that underline contemporary difficulties in the area, were not necessarily problems that existed at that time. Ethnic and religious hatreds have become more involved, since the failed Versailles peace conference, after WW1.
The US based New Republic magazine published this review, of a recent book,** on the tragedy. Do you think it adds depth to an understanding of what happened?
GENOCIDE
APRIL 24, 2015
Let's Be Clear About What the Armenian Genocide Was—and Wasn't
Link: http://www.newrepublic.com/article/121626/armenian-genocide-was-about-nationalism-not-jihadAnd, for a sort of analysis of the Turkish viewpoint, this paper accessed through Academia.edu, may widen your viewpoint.
What is the Turkish position on the Armenian genocide? (June 2008)
Link: https://www.academia.edu/237643/What_is_the_Turkish_position_on_the_Armenian_genocide_June_2008_* *
Great Catastrophe: Armenians and Turks in the Shadow of Genocide Hardcover – February 2, 2015by Thomas de Waal (Author)In Great Catastrophe, the eminent scholar and reporter Thomas de Waal looks at the aftermath and politics of the Armenian Genocide and tells the story of recent efforts by courageous Armenians, Kurds, and Turks to come to terms with the disaster as Turkey enters a new post-Kemalist era. The story of what happened to the Armenians in 1915-16 is well-known. Here we are told the "history of the history" and the lesser-known story of what happened to Armenians, Kurds, and Turks in the century that followed. De Waal relates how different generations tackled the issue of the "Great Catastrophe" from the 1920s until the failure of the Protocols signed by independent Armenia and Turkey in 2010. Quarrels between diaspora Armenians supporting and opposing the Soviet Union broke into violence and culminated with the murder of an archbishop in 1933. The devising of the word "genocide," the growth of modern identity politics, and the 50th anniversary of the massacres re-energized a new generation of Armenians. In Turkey the issue was initially forgotten, only to return to the political agenda in the context of the Cold War and an outbreak of Armenian terrorism. More recently, Turkey has started to confront its taboos. In an astonishing revival of oral history, the descendants of tens of thousands of "Islamized Armenians," who have been in the shadows since 1915, have begun to reemerge and reclaim their identities.
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Jehovah's Witnesses Are "The Religion Of Hatred!" Why Would We Want To Return To Your Organization?
by PokerPlayerPhil ini saw some of the quotes coming out of the new assembly brochure "return to jehovah", why would anyone abused by the congregation decide to return for more hate by the congregation?
jehovah's witness are the first one's who tell you "we are god's organization because we are the only religion that has the love jesus christ spoke about!
", that's a big whooper!
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fulltimestudent
I guess some will return, in fact, its almost predictable.
We can learn a lesson from the fact that some North Koreans manage to escape, and yet finding that life can also be tough in South Korea, return to North Korea, and are (these days) feted by the NK government.
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100 Years Ago, 1.5 Million Christian Armenians Were Systematically Killed. Today, It's Still Not A 'Genocide'
by fulltimestudent inwhatever the reasons, whatever the excuses, whatever the denials - its still a tragedy:.
100 years ago, 1.5 million christian armenians were systematically killed.
today, it's still not a 'genocide'.
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fulltimestudent
Whatever the reasons, whatever the excuses, whatever the denials - its still a tragedy:
100 Years Ago, 1.5 Million Christian Armenians Were Systematically Killed. Today, It's Still Not A 'Genocide'
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fulltimestudent
SimonSays4 minutes ago
My question is, what does genocide that this entire world is guilty of one way or another, just like the British in the 19 century to protect the Crown as it were has to do with the WT. Since you specifically state the USA, Are you related to Piers Morgan? Mate!!Nope, mate! Not related to Piers Morgan.
You are asking (I think) why I chose to post information on that incident? The answer is simple, It showed up on a few history related links (in the USA) that I subscribe to. I looked and thought it was interesting so posted.
You seem to think that everything here must relate to the JWs in some way. I see it from another perspective, that this site is about escaping the grip of cult and then is about our life afterwards.
I admit that I left it a bit late to escape from the grim, grey castle in which Yahweh imprisons his victims (a description I've borrowed from a friend), but now I'm free, I let my mind range over a wide area of human activity. Do you think that's a good thing for people to do once they realise that their minds were imprisoned in Christianity/
I will graduate from my University this year (at the age of 80) with many more credit points than I need for graduation, because I chose to cover a wider range of Asian studies than what was required. I now feel at home with the historical past and present across Asia, from east to west (including early Jesusland). I can see that there was no "line of truth" from Adam to the Watchtower or any other modern version of Christianity.
This gives me some other advantages, for example, many contemporary historians have realised that what we call WW1, was not really a world war, but was an extension of long-running European "civil war" (if you like to use that description) which involved the colonies of European powers. Once you adopt that perspective, you can see that 1914 was not so unique. And, that Charlie Russell's description of 1914 bringing an end to a long era of peace, was false. Does that make sense to you?
If you need a briefer description, I post to show (in my way) that you can have a bloody great life after walking away from Jesusland.
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fulltimestudent
SonoftheTrinity17 hours agoThe weird part of the gendercide is that men are emigrating from China, not just for the money or the freedom, but to find a wife. Expect more Black and Latino Chinese people in the world.
I live in a suburb is Sydney that now has a very high Chinese population. (more than 23 Chinese grocery shops at last count), so I've been able to talk to a variety of Chinese. Most seem to move to western countries because they feel more comfortable with the lower population levels. China is high pressure in many different ways, including the fact that there are nearly always a lot of people around you. The other big reason is to live where there is cleaner air. Beijing or Shanghai may not be the most polluted cities in the world (I believe Delhi in India has won that award, but maybe it depends on which day they tested the air quality), but the air pollution level can be high.
But you are right, there is an imbalance in the M/F ratio. The Wikipedia entry notes:"The sex ratio at birth is commonly thought to be 107 boys to 100 girls,[2] although this value is subject to debate in the scientific community. The sex ratio for the entire world populationis 101 males to 100 females.[3]
The precise imbalance is disputed, estimates range from 18,000,000 to 30,000,000 excess males over women. A figure which some have noted, almost exactly matches the estimates on the number of gay men in China, hence a case for the legalisation of gay marriage, has been presented to the National Parliament. (So far, with negative results.)
Gender imbalance may arise as a consequence of various factors including natural factors, exposure to pesticides and environmental contaminants,[4] war casualties, gender-selective abortions and infanticides, aging, and deliberate gendercide.
More data is available for humans than for any other species, and the human sex ratio is more studied than that of any other species, but interpreting these statistics can be difficult." Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_sex_ratio
But it is indisputable, that some men in China, may never marry. A side result is that women become more choosy, so money, a good job, a car and a house, are used as 'bait' to catch a presentable wife.
Its quite instructive to watch episodes of a 'mating' show, called Fei Cheng Wu Rao, (非诚勿扰) which is translated into English as "If You are the one," but I prefer a more down to earth translation, as "If you havn't got what I want, then p*ss-off". Some sample episodes are posted below. In the show, one lone male faces twenty four prospective girlfriends and gets "done-over." It has audiences of 50,000,000 or so in China.I watch it, because it gives an indication of how the 400-500 million Chinese, who have moved from 3rd world to first world within the last 30-40 years see their world.
You have to think that from that perspective, this 'nation within a nation,' is the largest "wealthy" nation on earth. And pressing behind them, there are another 300-400 million who are on the way to achieving a middle class existence, and behind them the remainder, maybe up to 500 million who have moved from desperately poor to just poor. Of course, its possible for a kid born desperately poor to jump to a middle-class status by the time he's 30. These opportunities exist in China.
Perhaps in the next 30 years, China will not be different to the average western nation of todayHere's a couple of episodes of "If you are the one."
And, in this episode, A Canadian Chinese wants a Chinese girlfriend/wife:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5Hg04cth9c
Note a Japanese woman among the 24 prospects. This episode has English sub-titles
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And in this episode, an Italian, seeks a Chinese girlfriend/wife, which brings out some interesting reactions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LUCAI_9azA
There are English sub-titles, but they are a bit hard to see.
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fulltimestudent
GrreatTeacher2 days ago
It might just be my tablet, but I can't hear any audio.
Would be interested in watching this.
1. The sound may be switched off on the Youtube video.
The video was one component in this FB/Upworthy post that I saw on a friend's FB page.
However, once you know the name of the incident, just google it .
I didn't know of that incident, but there are many, many others. American historian, Howard Zinn, in his book: A People's History of the United States, in chapter 10 entitled, "The Other Civil War," discusses many similar incidents.
The first such incident being the, Anti-renter Movement which started in 1839,
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American Military Casualties in Africa
by fulltimestudent infrom one perspective this story is wildly amusing, if not for the fact that the three women involved were quite possibly desperately poor and only involved because they had the guts to stand up against community sanctions in an effort to feed their kids (that's a romanticised viewpoint, but it could be true).. the story is simple enough, three tough hell-raising american soldiers, involved in what some call "black ops," (i.e.
its all unofficial and never happened) have a night out, drinking enough whisky to float an air-craft carrier, and along with three 'bitches' that they shared bodies with during the night, come to an unfortunate end:.
sex, drugs, and dead soldiers .
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fulltimestudent
From one perspective this story is wildly amusing, if not for the fact that the three women involved were quite possibly desperately poor and only involved because they had the guts to stand up against community sanctions in an effort to feed their kids (that's a romanticised viewpoint, but it could be true).
The story is simple enough, three tough hell-raising American soldiers, involved in what some call "black ops," (i.e. its all unofficial and never happened) have a night out, drinking enough whisky to float an air-craft carrier, and along with three 'bitches' that they shared bodies with during the night, come to an unfortunate end:
Sex, Drugs, and Dead Soldiers
What U.S. Africa Command Doesn’t Want You to Know
By Nick Turse
Six people lay lifeless in the filthy brown water.
It was 5:09 a.m. when their Toyota Land Cruiser plunged off a bridge in the West African country of Mali. For about two seconds, the SUV sailed through the air, pirouetting 180 degrees as it plunged 70 feet, crashing into the Niger River.
Three of the dead were American commandos. The driver, a captain nicknamed “Whiskey Dan,” was the leader of a shadowy team of operatives never profiled in the media and rarely mentioned even in government publications. One of the passengers was from an even more secretive unit whose work is often integral to Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), which conducts clandestine kill-and-capture missions overseas. Three of the others weren’t military personnel at all or even Americans. They were Moroccan women alternately described as barmaids or "prostitutes."
The six deaths followed an April 2012 all-night bar crawl through Mali’s capital, Bamako,
I'm quoting from a web-site called Tomdispatch.com, which I'm guessing is a left-of-centre American site. (In Australia and the UK, its probably more 'centre.'
But what were these guys doing there? I'm not going to summarise that, lest I be accused again of being a bloody commie, in disguise (in point of fact, I do not think that communism can work).
An American writer named Nick Turse, as been in Africa, checking out what Obama has been authorising for his cousins.
And from another perspective, maybe it raises the question, as to what sort of 'cowboys' has the USA turned loose on the world? And, do they have a brain? Because so much of what the USA has done since the time of William Mckinley and Teddy Roosevelt, has made the problems that they were supposed to solve, so much worse. (Just think about the history of Islam and the west. Each new twist, seems to make things worse).
Turse's overview is under the heading above and raises the question as to precisely what did happen in Mali?
You read it and form your own opinion.
the link again: http://www.tomdispatch.com/blog/175984/
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Polytheism in the Book of Daniel, a late second temple religious document
by fulltimestudent inas jehovah's witnesses we committed ourselves to a blind belief in a monotheistic judaism that was automatically transmitted to a new religious organisation, started (we were taught) by jesus.. that's the premise which this thread will discuss.
i suggest that sufficient evidence is available to throw doubt on both those beliefs.
so this thread will argue (over about a week-hopefully) that:.
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fulltimestudent
jhine2 days agoGosh fulltime ,you do take your study seriously !
Yeah, OK! (grin) I'm probably on the serious side of the Serious versus Fun division. But, in the six years + years I've been at it, I've had the pleasure of wandering across the historical Asian landscape from east to west and back, from north to south and from past to present.
Starting with the mindset, that each civilisation had its own unique "thought" (including spiritual beliefs), I have come to see how interconnected human "thought" really is.
And, in contrast to 'western' thought, I've been able to spend time examining Asian thinking (India and East Asian) and to see it's own unique virtues.
