Realizing that many witnesses are concerned with how many of their fellow beliveres are affected by natural disasters, I did provide those I know with some information on SMS. The information was based on various postings on the JW-believers are of belief.net (various reports supporting one another). I thus found them rather trustworthy. Most of them got the message without responding, some did thank and some were suspicious as to where I?d got the information. I replied truthfully as to my source. Interestingly, one of them misunderstood my abbrevations for Governing Body as meaning "minister" (referring to a member of the government) who had supplied info on JW. I thus had to explain on this, writing the following: No minister of government has mentioned JW. {Why on earth should they}. The prime minister nevertheless has urged all religious organizations to remember/pray for the victims and their relatives. ... No matter how one views it, it is just as bad whoever is dead - 200,000 is beyond comprehension.The websites of the Society do not mention the tragedy with a single word. The main topic on watchtower.org is Sanddunes in Poland. On the Media-site, a press-statement was posted on 1.1.05 describing various activities. Not a single word of the tragedy was mentioned. Quite incomprehensible. The web sites of other religions have broad coverage of the Tusanmi, and also allow for contributions to be made. Maybe the Society will act soon. Greetings. This prompted the following response: {My husband} means that JW have acted already without publizing their efforts. {which is true to a limited extense}. They act the same way they did with the 9/11 terror in the USA where they provided help by opening Kingdom Halls, gave food and shelter for people. The whole catastrophe is incomprehensible. But why are you so critical, or perhaps you?re even bitter? I think this is sooo sad. We know that the conditions shall be terrible all over the world, before JEHOVAH intervenes. All are entitled to think and believe what they want - they have not the overall information anyway - in contrast to Him that has created them. I HOPE YOU?RE AMONG THOSE WHO ENDURE. Funny that that me reporting solely on facts prompted such a harsh reaction. I just responded the following: I am just realistic. Events happen all over the world and it is coincidal where you are at a given time/place. Everyone has to take care of those close to them and give their support to others with the means they possess.
JW reaction to Tsunami-information
by InquiryMan 16 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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justhuman
The WT has not act like other religions(they sent money, medicine, food cloths,) besides they are happy with all this event as a "proof" of the end of the times!!!
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Miss_MG
If they react to it they feel they may be obligated to donate something
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Doubtfully Yours
Soon the WTBTS will come up with a magazine cover on the Tsunami experience for JWs in that region, you know, something attractive to place their literature.
The WTBTS will take good care of their own, and perhaps accidentally of a handful more in the region affected.
The rank and file already has urban legends of how many JWs survived because they weren't vacationing and rather working hard in the service of Jehovah. That this service is what saved them.
They're already instilling fear in the young ones using this event. Sad.
DY
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Incense_and_Peppermints
from the WTS site (let's keep our heads in the sand, people!)
It may be wise to limit your exposure
to distressing media images -
MySuperSecret
This is a email string I recieved with accurate info and is the most officail responce your gonna get. I will post them as I get them.
We had a report from the Chairman's Committee of the Governing Body
> > today at lunch regarding the effects of the earthquake and resulting > > tsunami that hit southeast Asia. > > > > Information from the affected branches is still coming in but currently > > they report that no local brothers were killed and there were only minor > > injuries and only limited water damage to Kingdom Halls. > > > > In Sri Lanka most of the brothers were at their meetings when it > > occurred which are mostly on the western side of the island. Since the > > tsunami hit the eastern side of the island the brothers were protected. > > > > In Thailand, 2 brothers staying at a popular vacation spot are confirmed > > dead. There are other brothers on vacation that are reported missing and > > the branch is working to identify and locate them. > > > > There were 2 brothers from Switzerland who were on vacation in the area > > that decided to go in the ministry and when they returned their resort had > > been destroyed. > > > > All the branches are providing relief supplies and comfort to the affected > > area as needed. > > > > The Governing Body is still awaiting word from the Indonesia Branch and > > will possibly have more to report tomorrow. > > > > Liz Lutz > > > > > > Here is an update today from our Bethelite friends in Sri Lanka........ > > > > "Dear Friends, > > > > A small update on the situation here in Sri Lanka. > > > > Bethel is co-ordinating some relief efforts, and we are busy receiving > > supplies, sorting them and then sending them out to the brothers. As > > brothers return from delivering their first lot of supplies, we are able > > to get a clearer picture of what is required. > > > > A second truck has just left for Trincomalee, on the east of the island. > > It will take them about 10 hours to get there. Relief has been sent down > > south to Galle, North to Negombo, and East to Trinco and Batticoloa. > > Obtaining clean drinking water is a priority, and the brothers on the way > > to Batticoloa were able to stop at a water plant and fill up many > > containers full. > > > > We are also sending out matting and bedding, clothes, cooking equipment, > > candles, basic medical supplies, in addition to dry rations. Some of our > > brothers have lost their homes and all their posessions. Some are still > > missing. One local sister and her husband went down to Galle today to look > > for her mother, father and two sisters who were on holiday there when the > > wave struck. A group of 15 italian tourists, brothers and sisters, who > > were missing were found to be safe. In fact they have just visited Bethel > > on their way to the airport! So that was some good news. > > > > We appreciate so much your loving concern and prayers. > > > > Our warmest love," -
MySuperSecret
More
Dear Brothers,
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> So many of you have shown interest in the welfare of the brothers staying in the coastal areas affected by tsunamis this past Sunday (Dec.26, 2004) ... emphasizing the truth expressed in our day's text today (Prov. 17:17). We are happy to report that to the best of our knowledge none of our local brothers were hurt or lost their lives.
>
> However we are sorry that we cannot say the same of our tourist brothers vacationing in these areas. Just a few minutes ago I talked with Sister Renate Steinl from Austria, now in Bangkok, who was staying in Kao Lak (a resort very popular with Europeans north of Phuket) with her husband who is also in the truth. She described how they were alerted by someone yelling at the top of his voice, realizing that some terrible thing must have happened. So they ran out of the bungalow they were staying in and soon saw the tsunami bearing in on them -- "higher than the trees" she described it. Of course they didn't get far before being swept away... She survived, but so far we have no clue on what happened to her husband. So there is still hope that he is found, though many people died in the resort area.
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> Just yesterday I got the glad news that a Sister from England who had a similar experience, was reunited with her (unbelieving) husband who by some had been presumed dead already. Several ones of our brothers (including two special pioneers from Switzerland and one from Britain who serve here in Thailand) are touring the area, looking up hospitals etc. and showing pictures of the missing Austrian brother. It could be that he is severely injured or suffers from memory loss and thus was unable to make contact himself ... however I personally rate the chances are rather slim that he will be found; hopefully I will be proven wrong in this regard.
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> Then there is the Finish sister who also was separated from her husband. We were alerted by the brothers in Finland of her ordeal. The brothers spent many hours till finally locating her in a hospital in Phangnga. She doesn't speak English (like the Austrian sister) and needed help to explain her stand on blood. Finally she was operated on successfully without blood. Her husband, a brother, is presumed dead--as far as I heard it. While still in the operating room our special pioneer phoned we should select a hospital in Bangkok because she would be taken there with an ambulance shortly. I tried to arrange for that, asking a Finish Sister (former missionary here) to be ready to receive her. Soon afterwards he phoned again, saying that no ambulance was available (something I doubted from the very beginning), and that we should find one in Bangkok to get her (a round trip of about 1,700 km). Government agencies said they couldn't help and I should try to find a private hospital who would be willing to let us hire an ambulance... It finally turned out that it was agreed that she should be transported to nearby Phuket and there a special plane from Finland would pick her up. Hopefully she is back in Finland now. I had so far no news on her husband.
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> Now just as I am writing this email, I got a call from an elder from Krabi. He phoned yesterday telling us that a German couple who had been vacationing at Kao Lak (the same resort mentioned above) hasn't been seen since and that he is worried that they may have been victims of the tsunami. I spent a couple of hours yesterday trying to trace them (via many phone calls, Internet searches), to no avail. Now he gives me the good news that some sister found their names on a list of those having been able to return to their home countries. Thus one worry less.
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> Interestingly some Swedish Brothers went in the field service with the Phuket congregation on Sunday morning rather than frolicking in the sea. It may have saved their lives as when they came back to their living quarters many cabins had been destroyed by the huge waves. They thanked Jehovah that they had put his service first over enjoying swimming and sunning themselves.
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> There are a number of other foreign brothers having atteded meetings but that have not been heard of since. At this stage we just can't say what happened to them. Well, one thing we all can do is keeping our affected brothers in our prayers-- I am sure you all will and already do. One positive aspect of the disaster is that surely people will here and elsewhere give more attention when we quote Mt. 24:7 where it says about the time of the end that there will be "earthquakes in one place after another."
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> With much brotherly love,
>
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Elsewhere
And not a word about helping anyone who is not a JW.
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kls
Mysupersecret ,your post here proves what we have said, the JWS think only of themselves and their own. : {
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MySuperSecret
Do you think that the jws are equiped to do mass relieve? No there not, but they do what they can. I know everyone reading this hates jws, but if someone says there not doing anything they are.
There doing more then anyone of you,