Posts by slimboyfat

if this does turn out to be the case it could have very serious implications.... turkey hovers between western freedom and democracy and an islamic hell.

europe has been bending over backwards to keep turkey on-side and promising it fast-tracked entry to the eu in return for it's cooperation in controlling mass migration from the east.. the situation is unclear at the moment but there are tanks on the streets....

slimboyfat

It doesn't look good. I wouldn't like to be the generals if they fail...

I wonder what I would do in the middle of a coup.

1. Try to figure out which side has the upper hand an jump on board quickly.

2. Decide which side I think has justice on their side and join them regardless of the odds of success.

3. Steer clear of making any sort of commitment to either side and lay low until it's all settled.

39

Possible Military Coup in Turkey!

by cofty in

if this does turn out to be the case it could have very serious implications.... turkey hovers between western freedom and democracy and an islamic hell.

europe has been bending over backwards to keep turkey on-side and promising it fast-tracked entry to the eu in return for it's cooperation in controlling mass migration from the east.. the situation is unclear at the moment but there are tanks on the streets....

slimboyfat

Very unlikely at this stage Russia would do anything, but if it becomes very unstable in Turkey who knows. It's a close neighbour. Russia thinks it has a right in the region. America has its Monroe doctrine after all. Even the remote possibility of conflict between Russia and NATO over Turkey is something to worry about.

The idea of Trump as president has made me dwell more recently on the fragility of continued human existence in the nuclear age. I am very pessimistic about our prospects of surviving the century. In fact you could say we are lucky to have survived as long as we have. View any more years avoiding nuclear war as a kind of bonus, looking on the bright side.

Read this story recently about a strategist who asked US general what procedures were in place to stop an irrational president setting off a nuclear war. The answer was basically that there are no safeguards, the president can do as he wishes. The only safeguard against an irrational president is "not to elect one".

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2016-05-11/possible-trump-presidency-showcases-fatal-flaw-in-nuclear-command-safeguard

39

Possible Military Coup in Turkey!

by cofty in

if this does turn out to be the case it could have very serious implications.... turkey hovers between western freedom and democracy and an islamic hell.

europe has been bending over backwards to keep turkey on-side and promising it fast-tracked entry to the eu in return for it's cooperation in controlling mass migration from the east.. the situation is unclear at the moment but there are tanks on the streets....

slimboyfat

Boris Johnson's only been foreign secretary for barely a day and now this? I hope it wasn't his poem that pushed them over the edge!

Seriously. The implications as regards ISIS are trivial compared with the fact Turkey is a member of NATO and occupies an awkward position in the emerging new Cold War between Russia and the West.

If things go bad in Turkey it's not inconceivable Russia may want to move in troops. And the US would not stand for that.

That's what to worry about here.

30

What would you like to have known about JWs before deciding whether to get baptised?

by slimboyfat in

if you could go back in time and tell yourself one thing about jws would you do it?

and what would you choose to say to yourself?

do you think you could have convinced yourself not to get baptised if you chose the right thing to say?

slimboyfat

If you could go back in time and tell yourself one thing about JWs would you do it? And what would you choose to say to yourself? Do you think you could have convinced yourself not to get baptised if you chose the right thing to say?

I find it actually a more difficult question to answer the more I think about it. Not so easy at all.

Factual statements turn out not to be the best idea:

1. There is no historical basis for the 1914 date, check out the fall of Jerusalem in any history book.

2. Many of the arguments in WT literature rely on misquotes from other sources, for examples the Trinity brochure, Reasoning book and the Creation book.

3. JWs taught that organ transplantation was cannibalism until 1980.

I don't know, I somehow doubt any of those arguments would have worked.

Maybe something more along the lines of:

1. Once you get baptised you can't question or disbelieve anything the governing body says publicly any more without being shunned.

2 There's no rush getting baptised, you can still go to meetings as long as you want without getting baptised. Why not wait a few years and see if it's what you want?

3. Why not work out what you want to accomplish in life first. And work out later if getting baptised fits in with your goals.

I think I might have had better luck with that sort of argument. Even so I would have had a hard time I reckon.

What would you say to youself? Do you think anything would have changed your mind about getting baptised?

12

Fundamentalism Vs Radicalism

by freemindfade in

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"?

.

slimboyfat

Etymologically they are similar. Radical means going back to the roots and fundamentalism is back to the bottom or foundation.

12

Fundamentalism Vs Radicalism

by freemindfade in

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"?

.

slimboyfat

Radical and fundamentalist have similar connotations to me: modern strict interpretations of old religions under the guise of faithfulness to tradition. A difference between the two might be that radical groups tend to challenge the stability of society whereas fundamentalists seek to live quietly within society.

Fundamentalism in a Christian context also has a particular meaning in relation to the American evangelical churches who signed up to the five "fundamentals" of the Christian religion in the early 20th century.

It's an interesting and open question whether JWs are either fundamentalist or radical. I don't think they qualify as radical, but possibly as fundamentalist.

21

What is the real purpose of attending your JC?

by StarTrekAngel in

i was compelled to ask this question because i have seen several of the youtube videos on jcs.

on striking similarity among all these videos is that most of the people bringing the arguments to the elders are pretty much atheists or have turned to another religion altogether.. i can easily see that the common concern in most of the people involved, is their ability to keep in touch with family and friends, which by all means would be my concern as well, when and if i ever end up in one.. however, i can't help but to notice something.

it is difficult enough to think of the day that the wt would accept a loose canon in their ranks, let alone someone who openly claims to no longer believe in god.

slimboyfat

Ironically, I have found, elders appear more forgiving of disbelief in God or the Bible than disbelief in the Governing Body.

So tell them you find it hard to believe in God, but you are nevertheless convinced that he is using the Governing Body as his faithful slave. Scratch their heads they will, but be appeased they might.

9

Anyone in the UK know about this?

by punkofnice in

one of my jw spies told me that a us jw speaker was visiting the uk.

some bigwig, on a tv screen, i believe.

sorry, that's all i have.. anecdotal i admit, but i was told he said, "you british think you are superior.".

slimboyfat

Yes I heard about this!

It was during a branch or special visit(?) talk beamed into local Kingdom Halls on a Saturday afternoon a few weeks ago. I think the speaker was Flodin but I could be wrong. He said the British think they are superior. It could have been a joke that went flat, or he thought he was making a serious observation for the brothers to "work on". Apparently some took offence. Less so perhaps in Scotland because many Scots don't identify as British anyway, although as an American he's probably oblivious to that nuance.

Yeah it was during the Flodin talk.

https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5770009745817600/programme-uk-branch-visit