Posts by Tempest in a Teacup

10

I Felt Proud Telling People That Michael Jackson Was Raised a JW

by Tempest in a Teacup in

jw
friends

i just remembered this thing this morning:.

sharing the same faith with the king of pop made me feel important for belonging to this religion, even if he was never baptised.

we were not in america or anywhere close by.

Tempest in a Teacup

I just remembered this thing this morning:

Sharing the same faith with the King of Pop made me feel important for belonging to this religion, even if he was never baptised. We were not in America or anywhere close by. So it came as a real shock to many that the Michael guy used to go to field service.

It kind of gave me some type of social importance.

It was always a hit with my high school mates and kind of kept them off my back or at least reduced the mockery. I anticipated and relished the effect on them. lol

Did you also experience the same feeling, or used it as a way of showing people that this was also the religion of some "important" people?

13

Will they jump of the building?

by John Aquila in

during the depression people committed suicide because everything they had invested in was gone overnight in an instant.

many people are very fragile creatures.

if by some freaking chance, (like enron, tiger woods, or the morning of august 1945 in hiroshima) the wts gets caught in a humongous scandal, say like links to human sex trafficking, (i can fantasize right) and the government steps in to investigate and finds them guilty and legally shuts them down permanently, will there be tons of suicides?

Tempest in a Teacup

But...That'S all they're waiting for!!!

They will say that it's the great tribulation starting and they'll be more than ever united, even if they can't hear from their mother organisation!

33

Do JWs Try To Convert Believers Of Islam?

by minimus in

jw
friends

or do they regard them as they do ultra conservative jews and not waste their time with them, since as a people, they willfully abandoned jesus christ?

Tempest in a Teacup

@T in a T - my willingness to doubt it comes only in part from the media.
It is also due to jwleaks' thread about the removal of the section in the Reasoning book on preaching to Muslims.

Did they also call back all publications destined to preach to muslims and ask their members not to preach to muslims?

So if I understand you well, you can doubt that there many countries with muslims and others living in peace just because the WT Society removed something from its website!?!?

The worthy question in the OP was Do JWs Try To Convert Believers Of Islam?

I DID answer THAT question. YOU then picked something that I said and started a different debate altogether.

Why didn't min ask 'do JWs try to convert protestants/catholics/gays/atheists, etc?'

Ask Minimus!

kenyaaa???!!! - 'TV and newspapers' told me about the recent student massacre at the hands of Al Shabaab. Did the media get this wrong?!

TV and newspapers tell me about massacres of thousands of Americanss in the USA carried out by extremist muslims. Are the people living in the USA out of their minds for that matter?

Its starting to feel like I'm wasting my time now. It is my wish that you get the opportunity to travel. I truly wish you all the best.

33

Do JWs Try To Convert Believers Of Islam?

by minimus in

jw
friends

or do they regard them as they do ultra conservative jews and not waste their time with them, since as a people, they willfully abandoned jesus christ?

Tempest in a Teacup

-What I think about that is that "exceptions confirm the rule".

-I also think that some people live far away from a certain type of reality and are fed with too many misconceptions on which the media thrives. I believe they are the ones who make this type of utterance: "Who in their right mind would want to be a Christian living in Mogadishu, or, for that matter, in neighbouring Kenya?

kenyaaa???!!!

-I also think that too many people get upset when their media-fed misconceptions about certain places get crushed by people who were born in, and live reality first-hand in those places.

-I also think that many countries prohibit the import, export and sales of drugs, yet...

-I also think that an objective and intellectually honnest person doesn't hand-pick a few items on a list to contest the validity of some facts.

-Finally, I think that travelling makes one aware of what is *really* going on on other continents.

Yes, I (and I'm sure you too) live in a country where there are muslims who peacefully cohabit with others. It is so, I believe it, because I grew up in such reality.

My willingness to accept it comes from my day to day living experience and reality. Your willingness to reject/doubt it comes from what you've been told about it on the internet, TV and in newspapers.

33

Do JWs Try To Convert Believers Of Islam?

by minimus in

jw
friends

or do they regard them as they do ultra conservative jews and not waste their time with them, since as a people, they willfully abandoned jesus christ?

Tempest in a Teacup

There are plenty countries where muslims are cohabiting peacefully with other religions - please name these countries.

The highlighting is mine, just to call attention on the numbers. The rest, which is not underlined remain valid, as we're talking about countries where muslims peacefully cohabit with others.

For the sake for objectivity, I didn't highlight countries which recently had temporary/ spontaneous bouts between muslims and christians, like Egypt and Nigeria.

Of course, this is NOT an exhaustive list, as it s restricted to one continent. However, I insist that on all continents, live Muslims who will not behead you because you share your faith with them.

Source: https://muslimsinafrica.wordpress.com/numbers-and-percentage-of-muslims-in-african-countries/

Algeria: more than 99% of the overall population.

Angola: estimated at 80,000 to 90,000 adherents.

Benin: 24% of the overall population according to the 2002 census.

Botswana: According to a 2011 study by the Pew Research Center, there are approximately 8,000 Muslims, many of whom are of South Asian origin.

Burkina Faso: approximately 61% of the overall population.

Burundi: estimated at between 2% to 5% of the overall population.

Cameroon: 21% of the overall population according to the 2005 census.

Cape Verde: 2% of the overall population according to the country’s National Institute of Statistics.

Central African Republic: 10% of the overall population according to the 2003 census.

Chad: approximately 58% of the overall population according to the 2009 census.

Comoros: more than 99% of the overall population.

Cote d’Ivoire: approximately 35% to 40% of the overall population.

Democratic Republic of the Congo: 5% of the overall population.

Djibouti: 94% of the overall population.

Egypt: approximately 90% of the overall population is Sunni Muslim while the Shi’a Muslims constitute significantly less than 1% of the overall population.

Equatorial Guinea: less than 1% of the overall population.

Eritrea: 50% of the overall population according to the Eritrean government and 36% of the overall population according to a 2010 estimate by the Pew Charitable Trust.

Ethiopia: 34% of the overall population according to the 2007 census.

Gabon: 5% – 10% of the overall population.

Algeria: more than 99% of the overall population.

The Gambia: more than 90% of the overall population.

Ghana: 18% of the overall population.

Guinea: approximately 85% of the overall population.

Guinea-Bissau: 40% of the overall population.

Kenya: 10% of the overall population.

Lesotho: estimated at 4,000 Muslim families according to the International Religious Freedom Report for 2011 according to the International Religious Freedom Report for 2013 Muslim numbers are declining due to emigration to South Africa.

Liberia: 12.2% of the overall population according to the 2008 National Population and Housing Census. Unofficial reports and surveys estimate Muslims constitute between 10 and 20 percent of the population.

Libya: 97% of the overall population.

Madagascar: 10% – 15% of the overall population.

Malawi: approximately 13% of the overall population.

Mali: 95% of the overall population.

Mauritania: almost the entire population practice Islam.

Mauritius: 17% of the overall population according to the 2000 census.

Morocco: more than 99% of the overall population.

Mozambique: 18% of the overall population according to the National Institute of Statistics 2007 census.

Namibia: small community (numbers or percentage are not mentioned).

Niger: more than 98% of the overall population.

Nigeria: estimated at 50% of the overall population.

Republic of the Congo: 2% of the overall population.

Rwanda: 4.6% of the overall population according to the 2002 census.

Sao Tome and Principe: less than 2% of the overall population.

Senegal: approximately 94% of the overall population.

Seychelles: small numbers of Muslims (there is no mention of numbers or percentage). 1.1% according to the CIA Factbook 2012.

Sierra Leone: estimated at 77% of the overall population by the Inter-Religious Council.

Somalia: a large majority of the population is Sunni Muslim (no mention of numbers or percentage).

South Africa: together with Hindus, Jews, Buddhists, and adherents of traditional African beliefs together constitute less than 5% of the overall population (no mention of numbers or percentage). 1.5% of the overall population according to the CIA Factbook 2012.

South Sudan: Studies from the 1980s and the early 2000s estimated Muslims constituted between 18 and 35 percent of the population, but the number of Muslims has probably declined through migration to Sudan after South Sudanese independence in 2011.

Sudan: approximately 97% of the overall population according to the Ministry of Culture and Information (MCI).

Swaziland: approximately 2% of the overall population.

Tanzania: roughly 35% of the overall population according to Pew Forum survey conducted in 2010, whereas according to other reports approximately 50% of the overall population.

Togo: estimated at 14% of the overall population according to a research conducted in 2004 by the Demographic Research Unit of the University of Lome.

Tunisia: 99% of the overall population.

Uganda: 12% of the overall population according to government figures.

Zambia: less than 1% of the overall population according to the 2000 census. There are approximately 140,000 Muslims. Muslim communities are primarily concentrated in Lusaka and in the Eastern and Copperbelt provinces. Many are immigrants from South Asia, Somalia, and the Middle East who have acquired Zambian citizenship. Somali immigration has increased significantly in recent years; the Somali community is estimated at around 20,000, with a majority living in Ndola and Lusaka. A small minority of indigenous persons are also Muslim.

Zimbabwe: approximately 3% of the overall population.

https://muslimsinafrica.

33

Do JWs Try To Convert Believers Of Islam?

by minimus in

jw
friends

or do they regard them as they do ultra conservative jews and not waste their time with them, since as a people, they willfully abandoned jesus christ?

Tempest in a Teacup

i know publishers who learned Arabic and specialize in preaching to Muslims. This happens in predominantly islamic countries - I doubt this is approved by HQ and done with regularity. Maybe it's a case of individual crazy pioneers reaching out where the need is greater.

Your opinion is perhaps informed by the place where you live. By predominantly islamic country, I mean predominant in terms of population (number) and not how radical they are.

There are plenty countries where muslims are cohabiting peacefully with other religions. Places where extremists will behead you for sharing your beliefs with them are few but unfortunately these are the only ones always under the spotlight.

28

Are J.W's obsesed with their statis??

by karter in

jw
friends

i went to a j.w funeral and saw some people i used to hang out with many years ago and they all seemed to want to tell me if they or any member of their family were elders,m.s's,pioneers ect.. karter..

Tempest in a Teacup

Generally people you meet after a few years of not seeing each other will fill you in on what has become of their life: "I'm a nurse now...I married and got divorced...I have 2 kids etc.."

IMO, most jws also only have that to fill you in. Even if they mention other things, this is more important for them as it shows you in your face that "they have been doing well".

33

Do JWs Try To Convert Believers Of Islam?

by minimus in

jw
friends

or do they regard them as they do ultra conservative jews and not waste their time with them, since as a people, they willfully abandoned jesus christ?

Tempest in a Teacup

Where I leave, they do. The WT society has a set of publications designed especially for muslins, complete with quotes from the Coran and all.

i know publishers who learned Arabic and specialize in preaching to Muslims. This happens in predominantly islamic countries, other countries with less muslims and anything in between.

I have personally met 2 or 3 people who converted from Islam to become JWs.

when in the fs, very very few jws will risk talking to them though, because one needs a good preparation for that. You can't mention the bible or Jesus so you better master the art of speaking to them before you do.

Also, once in a bluemoon the contents on the school meet ings are replaced by a part to educate on fs methods just for islamic territories.

34

A Taxi Driver Gave Me 4 Magazines This Morning

by Tempest in a Teacup in

jw
friends

as we had reached my destination, i paid him and was getting down when he handed me something.

then i saw it was the wt and awake.

i just had the time to say: "oh, okay, thank you!

Tempest in a Teacup

I think it's GREAT that you got four magazines!
Four less people to get indoctrinated! Take 'em, and trash 'em! ASAP!

Amen to that!

34

A Taxi Driver Gave Me 4 Magazines This Morning

by Tempest in a Teacup in

jw
friends

as we had reached my destination, i paid him and was getting down when he handed me something.

then i saw it was the wt and awake.

i just had the time to say: "oh, okay, thank you!

Tempest in a Teacup

What would happen if you asked a jw for his whole lot of rags? (...) would a jw give you a large stack thinking you wanted to share them or would they be suspicious from the start?

Not only will they excitedly give it to you, they'll broadcast it as a good fs experience at the hall, convention and in the yearbook:

"One person who received so and so publication liked what s/he read so much, s/he requested 100 additional copies for their school/ employees/ neighbors/ family/ friends. Brothers, isn't Jehovah blessing us? We can see his hand in this, truly he's backing the work."