Posts by joey jojo

44

Thoughts on African Americans and Slavery

by Simon in

let's start by saying that slavery is of course a terrible thing, one of the worst crimes imaginable, and that "slavery" rarely implies good treatment, anything noble or defensible.

nowadays, even god doesn't escape judgement from our enlightened views with passages about slavery in the bible usually glossed over because they are shameful.. but not all slavery was equal.. because of the media, movie industry, racial tensions in the us regularly shown on the news and our taught history, i think most people's knowledge and idea of slavery is that of the north atlantic slave trade where white people took africans to work in cotton fields.

this idea is probably also re-enforced because the largest group of descendents of slaves we see today are african americans (usually in the us or places they subsequently migrated to).. but it's incomplete.. it's only when you look into it more that you discover that there was much more to the slave trade than that, otherwise it would have been just called "the slave trade" and not "the north atlantic slave trade".. some 12.5 million slaves were taken from africa to the us with just under 11 million surviving the trip so it obviously took a terrible toll immediately, even before any maltreatment once they landed in the americas where conditions and treatment were truly awful.

joey jojo

I commented on this thread a few days ago and since then have read with interest the various replies. It is certainly a deeply emotive subject.

My view is from the perspective of a white Australian male. I happen to have 2 beautiful African American cousins but that is another story.

I was trying to make the point that even though I don't live in the USA, the story of American slavery has become legendary around the world because of the countless books, movies etc concerning the subject.

I know a fair bit about African American history just from poplular media and without googling I can think of words like Jim Crow, Abraham Lincoln, Uncle Toms cabin, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks. My heart bleeds when I think of the injustice suffered and is still being suffered today.

While it is extremely important to remember these events, I wonder how many African Americans would be familiar with my ancestral history?

Me, and a lot of other Aussies are descendants of convicts who were chained and loaded onto over-crowded, unsanitary ships and were sailed from Britain to Australia.

The convict system was nothing more than systemised torture and brutality. Many convicts lived their entire life in chains, eating sleeping and working in them. Floggings and various tortures were routine and harsh and carried out on men, women and children with the cat of nine tails and other devices. One eyewitness account mentions a 19 yr old boy that was suspected (not charged) with stealing food. He was given 300 lashes with 2 men flogging him at the same time and by the end, his spine was visible.

Starvation was another discipline used to control the convicts, once again on men, women and children. Many never saw their families again, the youngest female convict was only 11 yrs old when transported. Escapees were severely punished when caught. The punishments on convicts in Australia usually far exceeded what the punishment in Britain would have been for the same crime.

I could go on. Yes , I know there are differences between African American slavery and the British penal system. But there are many parallels and both groups have thrived and helped build our respective countries.

44

Thoughts on African Americans and Slavery

by Simon in

let's start by saying that slavery is of course a terrible thing, one of the worst crimes imaginable, and that "slavery" rarely implies good treatment, anything noble or defensible.

nowadays, even god doesn't escape judgement from our enlightened views with passages about slavery in the bible usually glossed over because they are shameful.. but not all slavery was equal.. because of the media, movie industry, racial tensions in the us regularly shown on the news and our taught history, i think most people's knowledge and idea of slavery is that of the north atlantic slave trade where white people took africans to work in cotton fields.

this idea is probably also re-enforced because the largest group of descendents of slaves we see today are african americans (usually in the us or places they subsequently migrated to).. but it's incomplete.. it's only when you look into it more that you discover that there was much more to the slave trade than that, otherwise it would have been just called "the slave trade" and not "the north atlantic slave trade".. some 12.5 million slaves were taken from africa to the us with just under 11 million surviving the trip so it obviously took a terrible toll immediately, even before any maltreatment once they landed in the americas where conditions and treatment were truly awful.

joey jojo

If you didn't know better, you could be forgiven for assuming that African Americans were the only group ever in the history of the world to be forced into slavery due to Hollywood and other media.

Sadly, it's happened all through history and there wouldn't be too many people alive, black or white, that aren't descendants of slaves. African American slavery is one of the most recent and therefore the most relevant to our modern history that we are familiar with.

During the middle ages so many white Slavics were forced into slavery that the word slave became synonomous with Slav.

If you go back far enough, most groups of people have been smashed. Its just a sad case of the strong ( at the time) taking advantage of the vulnerable.

Human rights, children rights, animal rights are all very recent concepts.

15

A Brother refusing to pray?

by HereIgo in

i remember there was a brother in my congregation while i was in who would comment at all meetings but if asked to pray at a meeting or meeting for service he would always politely refuse.

i always found it odd, i assumed as a young bro, that a bro was kind of obligated to pray if asked.

knowing what i know now, it could have been a guilty conscience or maybe he just wanted to be lowkey.

joey jojo

Edited to add, the only things I was 'allowed' to do were, answering at meetings and I could go witnessing.

15

A Brother refusing to pray?

by HereIgo in

i remember there was a brother in my congregation while i was in who would comment at all meetings but if asked to pray at a meeting or meeting for service he would always politely refuse.

i always found it odd, i assumed as a young bro, that a bro was kind of obligated to pray if asked.

knowing what i know now, it could have been a guilty conscience or maybe he just wanted to be lowkey.

joey jojo

The guy was probably privately reproved and on restrictions.

I had first hand experience in my younger days :). Such fond memories growing up in ' the truth '. A teenager facing 3 elders spending a solid 20 mins humiliating me in front of my family in order to reprove me.

Being privately reproved usually means you were a whisker away from being disfellowshipped and as such, you would lose any privileges you had as a baptised brother, including giving prayers.

When I asked what to say if someone should inadvertantly ask me to pray, the answer was I was required to politely decline.

43

If this system goes on.

by karter in

jw
friends

i heard my hard out jw sister say that for the 1st time in many years and i'm hearing more and more jw's saying that.

years ago when i was in they talked about the new system coming any minute..

joey jojo

The one thing that most religions have in common is that they offer their members an opportunity to cheat death.

Achieving immortality is the oldest theme of organised religion.

43

Australian Jehovah's Witnesses are ignorant of the Australian Royal Commission

by stuckinarut2 in

many here have asked how the average witness in australia is taking the news of the arc findings and conclusions.. is it affecting them?.

sorry to say, hardly any are even aware of the facts.

those that are, have been convinced that all the publicity is "apostate lies and satanic propaganda".

joey jojo

The ones I have spoken to have put a positive spin on the findings in the sense that it has and will adjust procedures going forward.

They see these changes as beneficial for victims and the org.

My reply to them was that I was puzzled that it took a worldly commission to invoke 'adjustments' within gods spirit directed organisation.

138

Jehovah God is Real

by TakeOffTheCrown in

there are many on this site that do not believe that jehovah truly exists; that he is not a real being.

but, he is as real as next breath you draw into your nostrils.. some of you say that there is no evidence that he exists.

yet, none of you can prove that he does not exits.. cofty, (you come to mind), i appreciate that you have stated, without reservation, that you do not believe that god exists.. yet, you cannot prove it.. hope in jehovah..

joey jojo

Take off the crown.

Perhaps you are here because at the edges of your mind you have questions that need answers. Questions that are not yet formed and yet, are gnawing at your sub- conscious mind.

You may be looking for confirmation of an answer you don't quite know the question for.

Perhaps you are trying to open your soul and allow a seed to be planted.

A seed of doubt?

A seed of truth?

Although you are still under the spell, on a higher level, at least you are aware of it.

30

AUSTRALIAN ROYAL COMMISSION OF INQUIRY: MAIN CONCLUSIONS ON JW ORGANIZATION

by steve2 in

10 response of the jehovah’s witness organisation to the sexual abuse of children.

having regard to the various matters we have discussed in this report, we have reached a number of general conclusions on the jehovah’s witness organisation’s response to the sexual abuse of children.

we do not consider the jehovah’s witness organisation to be an organisation which responds adequately to child sexual abuse.

joey jojo

It is making the news already..

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/jehovahs-witnesses-demonstrated-a-serious-failure-to-protect-children-royal-commission-20161128-gsyxcp.html

10

Depression, Anger and Anxiety

by Sorry in

for the last few months, i feel like i've been going through the 5 stages of grief.

lately, it's been happening simultaneously.

in my other posts, i've expressed anger at my family and congregation for their thoughtless ways.

joey jojo

Read a good quote today,

If you are depressed, you are living in the past.

If you are anxious, you are living in the future.

If you are at peace, you are the living in the present.

This probably doesn't help at all but its something to think about :p.

26

Did anyone else go to this weeks midweek meeting?

by NikL in

in the congregation bible study, the book addressed how "truth" is progressive.... 18 just as jehovah progressively revealed truths about the kingdom in the period leading up to 1914, he continues to do so during the time of the end.

as chapters 4 and 5 of this book will show, over the past 100 years, god’s people have had to adjust their understanding on a number of occasions.

does that fact mean that they do not have jehovah’s backing?

joey jojo

Phizzy 8 hours ago

This "study"commences with a fallacy/lie: " Just as Jehovah progressively revealed truths about the Kingdom in the period leading up to 1914,"

How much of what the WT taught leading up to 1914 is accepted today ? and how much was truth ?

Once the Audience swallows that first bit of mind control, never having thought about the two questions above, they are ripe for being led by the nose straight to the Contribution box.

Poor, unthinking/ non-thinking saps.

Nailed it :)