Rivergang

Joined

• started 2 topics
• posted 655 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by Rivergang

• 
  5

  Australian JW murdered outside New Guinea Bethel years ago?

  by wozza in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  does anyone remember this ,i just recalled this morning , i knew the family and my daughter was friends with his brother.. i have left years ago and wondered if his murder was resolved and the story behind it as he worked at the bethel there..

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Rivergang

  I wouldn't read too much into this murder having been committed right outside the Bethel complex in Papua New Guinea.

  The country's capital city, Port Moresby, has a very high rate of violent crime, together with an under-strength and totally ineffective police force. It is also surrounded by countless, sprawling illegal squatter settlements - in which criminals can easily shelter, and into which the police dare not pursue them.

  Having just returned from a business trip to Port Moresby, the place is now even more heavily fortified than it was when I first visited it 30 years ago. All its major building, and almost all its private residences, are surrounded by high concrete walls and / or security fences made from sharpened tubular palings. (Gone are the barbed wire-topped chain mesh fences of yesteryear. It took the crims no time at all to learn how easily a pair of sidecutters can defeat chain mesh!)

  This also applies to PNG's Bethel Complex. It is as heavily fortified as any other building in the city - and for good reason. Given the general state of lawlessness in Port Moresby, that murder could well have been committed by one of the many groups of street criminals (known in the Pidgin English as "rascals"). Many of those types are unbelievably vicious, and human life means very little to them. As an example, a payment of as little as 500 Kina (approx. USD $150) to the right people is sufficient to have somebody murdered. Typically, too, a person is most vulnerable when entering or leaving a fortified complex, such as PNG's Bethel.

  What is perhaps remarkable is that murders of JWs in PNG are not more common. During my time there, JW missionaries and "pioneers" used to go into the squatter settlements, which the police wouldn't dare venture into. (Although I am told that this is no longer the case).
• 
  40

  Goodbye yhwh-Goodbye jesus

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  interesting report in a oxford university blog - the world is becoming less religious, (hurray!!!).

  quote: "an analysis of religious trends from 1981 to 2007 in 49 countries containing 60% of the world’s population did not find a global resurgence of religion—most high-income countries were becoming less religious—however, it did show that in 33 of the 49 countries studied, people had become more religious (norris and inglehart, 2011).

  but since 2007, things have changed with surprising speed.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Rivergang

  This is the argument that the Watchtower uses on their view of military involvement. They reason that if everyone were like them and refused to join the military, there would be no wars

  I do think you have somewhat gone off at a tangent there.

  JWs maintain non-involvement with the military on the grounds of what they like to describe as "Christian" neutrality, not pacifism (how could you anyway, when the bible is full of blood and guts talk). Furthermore, they maintain all wars will be ended by "Christ's Kingdom Rule", not pacifism.

  As to the role of any imagined "Hereafter", the Canadian poet Robert Service summed it up perfectly in his poem The Wage Slave - part of which reads:

  "When the long, long shift is over, and the Big Boss gives me my pay,

  I hope it's not to hellfire, as I heard the preacher say,

  And I hope it's not to heaven, not with some of the preachers I've met."

  If even half the twerps that reckon they are going to heaven end up there, then I certainly don't want to be among them!

  (Read so much for religion promoting good behaviour!)
• 
  40

  Goodbye yhwh-Goodbye jesus

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  interesting report in a oxford university blog - the world is becoming less religious, (hurray!!!).

  quote: "an analysis of religious trends from 1981 to 2007 in 49 countries containing 60% of the world’s population did not find a global resurgence of religion—most high-income countries were becoming less religious—however, it did show that in 33 of the 49 countries studied, people had become more religious (norris and inglehart, 2011).

  but since 2007, things have changed with surprising speed.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Rivergang

  Religion might contribute something towards the field of ethics if religious people were to practice what they preach. All too often, though, that simply does not happen - and it matters not what the religion is, either (despite widespread claims that "our church don't do that sort of thing"!)

  This fact was not lost on the newly-converted Maori people of 19th Century New Zealand. They were quick to observe how the Ten Commandments got relegated to second place between Monday morning and midnight Saturday - then sent on an indefinite Leave of Absence whenever there was a war on.

  In his Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey noted that to determine which principles are correct, you only have to visualise the results if everyone did the opposite. It doesn't take either the threat of hellfire or the reward of heaven (or the ravings of some half-mad religious leader!)
• 
  70

  Is it possible for any Country to have “Reasonable” Gun Laws? What would they be?

  by pistolpete in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  so the new biden/harris gun policies are starting to appear.

  it’s not clear yet, what they will be.. some suggestions; confiscate all guns.------buyback programs in each state.. there is much talk on social media that if this happens, the pandemic, + all the riots, + all the damaged property, + all the annual murders in america, - put together-will be like a sunday afternoon picnic, compared to all the deaths and property damage that will result because of “civil uprising” by millions of 2nd amendments advocates and just plain gun lovers.

  americans love guns!.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Rivergang

  joey jojo

  
  
  
• 
  5

  'Never forget Trump enablers' tweets Zach Braff

  by LoveUniHateExams in

  1. social
  2. current

  some democrat voters are nuts.

  either that, or they're just bitter.. here's a video about zach braff and chris evans, two actors who want lists of 'trump enablers', apparently.. what the hell is wrong with these people?

  their man, biden, won the election and they just can't let it go that some people voted trump.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Rivergang

  Yes, “Two for The Valley” and all!
• 
  5

  'Never forget Trump enablers' tweets Zach Braff

  by LoveUniHateExams in

  1. social
  2. current

  some democrat voters are nuts.

  either that, or they're just bitter.. here's a video about zach braff and chris evans, two actors who want lists of 'trump enablers', apparently.. what the hell is wrong with these people?

  their man, biden, won the election and they just can't let it go that some people voted trump.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Rivergang

  Sigh!

  A bit like sore losers in a football game

  ”We didn’t lose, the other side just scored more points than we did”
• 
  30

  Do you think “Eventually” the Whole World will become Socialist?

  by pistolpete in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  when i say; “socialist” i don’t mean everyone is equal.

  instead i am referring to “leaders” being rich and powerful, whereas the ordinary citizen being poor, and powerless.. i was surprise that the majority of the world is run by socialist government.

  the last few countries that are not socialist are the united states and parts of europe.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Rivergang

  In a word, no.

  in more than one word, not bloody likely!
• 
  37

  We in the UK are dealing with COVID all wrong

  by LoveUniHateExams in

  1. social
  2. current

  yeah, so boris johnson has plunged the whole of the uk back into a second lockdown.

  kids are still going to school (thank goodness!

  ) but this second lockdown is ruining the economy and killing small businesses.. the first lockdown was forgivable because, at the time, nobody knew what we were dealing with.. but now, we know more and more about covid-19.. it is lethal to elderly people (the average age of deaths with covid in the uk is 82 years - the average age of deaths without covid in the uk is 81 years).. it is also lethal to obese people and people with diabetes.. i'd imagine hiv+ people are another vulnerable group.. but to everyone else, catching covid is fairly similar to catching the flu.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Rivergang

  kids do not exhibit symptoms but potentially can spread it to the high risk groups.

  Wasn't that always the quickest and most certain way of introducing an infectious disease into the house?
  
  
• 
  167

  Trump Says Biden “Won” The Election But It Was Rigged

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  that’s the latest!.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Rivergang

  And I used to believe that “the other side cheated” response to defeat was an attitude unique to this country!
• 
  18

  Eliminate the Oil Industry?

  by Anony Mous in

  1. social
  2. current

  a lot of countries are on the side of eliminating the oil industry altogether as well as zero-emission alternatives like nuclear power.. in the us, biden has promised to eliminate all federal lands oil production when he takes power in 2021 (30% of the united states) as well as native american tribal lands which account for 8 percent of all oil, 9 percent of all natural gas, and 6 percent of all natural gas liquids from 96,000 wells (10% of the total wells in the us).. in europe, oil and gas production has been largely eliminated except for the nordic countries and the uk (which the eu recently lost access to), germany is funding a major oil pipeline as is china from russia and russian-controlled portions of ukraine, even after trump cut off all builders from russian oil pipelines, the russian government is now trying to build the pipeline themselves with potential disastrous results.. venezuela's economy collapsed largely due to the government taking over and eliminating the oil industry companies.. in the mean time, control for most non-us energy sources is now wholly dependent on russian and middle eastern governments.. california and germany eliminated oil-based energy sources and now mandate 30% of their power from 'green' wind and solar alternatives.

  germany energy costs now hover around 25c/kwh and california is not far behind with 16c/kwh both experiencing rolling blackouts in major cities and importing 60% of mostly coal and gas energy from their neighbors.. the world currently has 300 years worth of oil at the current rates of usage which have stagnated due to improved efficiencies.

  co2 emissions in the us have dropped in the last 3 years for the first time in decades despite (or because) reduced oil and gas regulations.. do you think given the above facts, eliminating the oil industry is a good thing?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Rivergang

  In one way or another, I have been involved with hydro-electric power for practically all of my life (a story for another time!)

  Hydro is a very economical method of generating electricity, particularly in a “run of the river” type situation, where no dam is required. Also, a hydro plant can last for centuries . For example, No.4 turbine in New Zealand’s Lake Coleridge hydro electric station was commissioned in October 1914, and is still spinning now (good old British Thompson-Houston, they made things to last!)

  Hydros are not as damaging to the environment as your friends the Greenies would have us believe, either. In fact, there are instances in which hydro electric development has actually enhanced the environment. (For example, the Upper Waitaki project in New Zealand’s South Island, in which over three quarters of a million trees were planted in what was formerly a treeless, semi-arid part of the world.