i had a thought this morning and i am putting it out for discussion.. when a christian is a nutjob we call them fundamentalist but a nutjob muslim is "radical".. doesn't one detach the person from the religion while one puts them square at the root?
shouldn't we call radical muslim terrorists "fundamentalist"?
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i had a thought this morning and i am putting it out for discussion.. when a christian is a nutjob we call them fundamentalist but a nutjob muslim is "radical".. doesn't one detach the person from the religion while one puts them square at the root?
shouldn't we call radical muslim terrorists "fundamentalist"?
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I haven't personally read the Koran, tho I've heard that most of the scriptures encourage peace, and there are a few that encourage killing.
My witness family often referred to themselves as fundamentalists and said it with pride. The only area we weren't fundamentalist was the literal days of creation thing, saying each creative day could have been thousands of years. It's an insignificant difference compared to all the other ways they are fundamentalist. What makes them radical is saying they are the only religion approved by God (not every Christian religion, only theirs), all others will be destroyed, letting people die without blood, not celebrating holidays, disfellowshipping, college aversion etc. Yes, I think Jehovah's witnesses are both fundamentalist and radical. Good thing the Bible doesn't say to actively kill those who don't believe, or Jehovah's witnesses would be doing it (not just looking forward to that day.).
crowds celebrating bastille day in nice, france have been targeted by a terrorist driving a truck.. initial reports of 60 dead and 100 injured.. i am losing track of how many similar attacks there have been in europe in recently..
I can't imagine what must go through a terrorists head. Their brains must really be clouded by their ideologies to not see the faces of the people they are about to kill...the children, the elderly, the pregnant women...they must be so blinded by their strange thoughts, that they can't see what they are doing, they have lost their humanity because of their training. They must be brainwashed.
How sad for France and for the world. This seems like the worst one yet for Europe. I curse the people who are enjoying this, for whatever reason. Whether they are also religious extremists or Zionists hoping for retaliation or whatever. I don't really believe in hell but if you idiots think you will be greeted by virgins, I hope it is actually pigs shitting on you.
having left the witnesses i hope i won't get " fooled again".
yet life outside the organisation seems one big advertistiment telling me how useless i am.
these advertisements tell me i am physically ugly, which can only be corrected by buying the advertisers " answer to my prayers" product.
I once heard a black male speaker (not a witness) say to a group of inner city teenagers regarding name brand tennis shoes and the sports stars who make a lot of money advertising them:
'You've got to really see who the players are, and who's getting PLAYED."
It made a lasting impression on me. These corporations trying so hard to show us we are not enough, we need their product to be happy, loved and successful, a better sports player, more respected. They're playing us. Don't let them have control over you. Be stronger than that. They only care about their bottom line. The watchtower is just like them and a corporation too.
so ... i don't know if any of this is even of interest any more, i know i'm getting kinda bored with it :) so many other more interesting stories out there.
anyway, limped my way through 17 years being a jw until now.
not a good jw mind you.
Best wishes for survival when he is home all the time! Hopefully he finds another job SOON! Meanwhile utilize the library to come talk to us sometimes.
My husband used to yell a lot when we were witnesses, now he is much calmer and happier. He felt a lot of pressure back then. But I feel like in your case and what he has said to you, there is definitely a lack of love and respect. Glad you've contacted counseling services, and start saving and socking sway some money in case you decide you've had enough.
so ... i don't know if any of this is even of interest any more, i know i'm getting kinda bored with it :) so many other more interesting stories out there.
anyway, limped my way through 17 years being a jw until now.
not a good jw mind you.
I'm so sorry you're going through this. Life truly isn't over! Don't give up, you will find a way with time.
jws have one of the worst, if not the worst, retention rates among their kids.
i've seen numbers from 65% to 88% who leave, never to return.. you'd think this would be a priority amongst the leadership, right?
where do tomorrow's leaders come from, if the vast majority of kids leave the organization?
Yes I totally agree with you, toes. The whole Caleb and Sophia thing might work on little kids, but when the preteen years hit this happens: exposure by media and in school to loveable gay people. Homophobia is the new racism. It's embarrassing and backwards and wrong. My raised witness (but left with me) kids are extremely ethically sensitive to this subject, even tho they are straight. I can't imagine what youths think who are sitting in the halls, listening to the vitriol towards gays that we heard when we were in.
it seems that when i ask witnesses questions about 1914, they really don't understand the relevance to their message today.
i am told that they preach about the coming kingdom and that they don't preach a message of 1914. if a person doesn't understand 1914 then i can clearly see how showing them the inaccuracies of the doctrine wouldn't matter.
can we compile a list of ties 1914 has to their current beliefs?.
Great post, JWS!
it seems that when i ask witnesses questions about 1914, they really don't understand the relevance to their message today.
i am told that they preach about the coming kingdom and that they don't preach a message of 1914. if a person doesn't understand 1914 then i can clearly see how showing them the inaccuracies of the doctrine wouldn't matter.
can we compile a list of ties 1914 has to their current beliefs?.
I'm actually surprised they don't have 'new light' and correct the 607 date. Wouldn't it buy them 18 more years? I believe the correct date is 589 b.c? Which would put the end of the gentle times at...1932...when the great depression was hitting full force. Not as exciting as wwI, but I bet you they could work with it the way they try so hard to work with whatever they want to prove. Come on, brothers, I dare you!! That gives the generation another chance,(.... the first one, not the 'overlapping' one!)
it seems that when i ask witnesses questions about 1914, they really don't understand the relevance to their message today.
i am told that they preach about the coming kingdom and that they don't preach a message of 1914. if a person doesn't understand 1914 then i can clearly see how showing them the inaccuracies of the doctrine wouldn't matter.
can we compile a list of ties 1914 has to their current beliefs?.
That 2014 has passed which many witnesses thought would be 'very special ', and that years convention was probably going to be ''the last one", there is no reason to mention 1914 anymore, actually it has become an embarrassment!
Some die hards will probably keep bringing it up for a while, but it will surely fade away quietly until most witnesses don't even know it was supposed to mean something.
I think the whole overlapping generation thing will dissipate as well.
The problem for the witnesses is that their religion is founded on superficial things like rules and dates, and there isn't enough "there" there, which will lead to their demise, IMO.
