Its time to stop trying to control womens lives based on the primitive beliefs of people who have been dead for more than 2000 years. A developing embryo requires two people to initiate, but the male only contributes a set of chromosomes, basically 50% of the instructions which will be used. I've never, ever, met a man who wasn't willing to "donate instructions", whether or not construction actually began. On the other hand the woman contributes the other 50% of the instructions, and 100% of the actual building material used for construction of the growing body within her. This 100% investment on her part gives her total say in whether or not she wants to go ahead with the project. If she decides NOT to proceed with construction of a new body, no one dies. Abortion can be likened to halting construction on a house. If construction is stopped early enough, no one moves in. If construction is halted later, or if the house is destroyed, whoever is in residence just moves out. No one can say with certainty exactly when a soul takes residence in a growing body, but if the soul is in residence, it simply moves out to another body.
gaiagirl
JoinedPosts by gaiagirl
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36
Abortion
by Ellie in.
i don't know if any of you brits saw the 'this morning' show today but they had a woman on it whos mother had tried to abort her at 7 and a half months pregnant, apparentely they gave her mum some stuff to drink which burns the baby inside and out, but fortunately this baby survived and now as a woman she is campaigning for anti abortion laws to be brought in.. so, what are your views on abortion?
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Creation Ex-Nihilo - Did God Create Everything Out of Nothing?
by Ianone inor did god create everything out of pre-existent and eternal matter?
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gaiagirl
I would answer that there was never a time when "nothing" was all that existed. There has always been either energy, or both energy and matter (I doubt that there was ever a time when there was only matter, but no energy). It has been demonstrated that matter can change form, i.e. become a different type of matter and also how it can, under the right conditions, transform directly into energy. This is in fact how the Sun and other stars create heat and light. The process is considered to be reversible, i.e. energy can form matter. So, the material Universe formed from pre-existing energy. In a sense, matter can be said to have "condensed" from energy. "God" was an invention by primitive people who didn't understand the process.
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apocolypse delayed.....................................
by telltruth incan anyone tell me how many times the wts has changed or indicated a date for the end since 1975?.
actually if anyone feels like it just give me the whole bag o crap... from the beginning of the wts to what ever the date is now.
if there are direct quotes from the wt the better.
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gaiagirl
Oops, AuldSoul, my error! As you correctly point out, the WTBTS didn't exist yet. What I should have written was that C.T. Russell predicted Armageddon in 1874 (according to Pocket Guide to the Apocalypse). When nothing happened, he claimed that Jesus had returned INVISIBLY, and only those with "eyes of faith" could see him. Shortly thereafter, the predicted date was updated to 1914. Of course, Russell went on to form the WTBTS just a few years later, and many of those who had been his followers for years were among the membership. Thanks for pointing out my error.
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apocolypse delayed.....................................
by telltruth incan anyone tell me how many times the wts has changed or indicated a date for the end since 1975?.
actually if anyone feels like it just give me the whole bag o crap... from the beginning of the wts to what ever the date is now.
if there are direct quotes from the wt the better.
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gaiagirl
According to "The Pocket Guide to the Apocalypse" by Jason Boyett, the Watchtower Society has predicted Armageddgon for the years 1874, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1920, 1925, and 1975 (although the list may not be exhaustive). This book is really entertaining, and highly recommended reading. Also recommended is "Apocalypse Wow", by James Finn Garner (not the actor).
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Great Book Review-Witch Child by Celia Rees
by gaiagirl ini just finished witch child, by celia rees.
this is an absorbing novel about a 14 year old named mary newbury living in 1659 england.
her grandmother is accused, tried, and convicted of being a witch, and arrangements are made for mary to be taken to the new world.
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gaiagirl
I just finished Witch Child, by Celia Rees. This is an absorbing novel about a 14 year old named Mary Newbury living in 1659 England. Her grandmother is accused, tried, and convicted of being a witch, and arrangements are made for Mary to be taken to the New World. Unfortunately, she ends up living in a Puritan settlement, and has to try hard to fit in and conceal her own identity. Because Mary is a witch herself. Not in the sense of riding a broom and casting spells, but in the sense of gathering herbs and using them to make medicine, and of being attuned to the changing seasons. However, her Puritan neighbors don't see much of a difference. And things begin to go bad when "evidence" of witchcraft is found in the forest just outside of town. Tongues wag and fingers point, eventually to Mary. The book paints a chilling image of the society which forms the foundation of many American religions, indeed, former Jehovahs Witnesses may see uncomfortable similarities in the manner in which Puritan society was governed. Want to know what living in a theocracy would REALLY be like? Look no further. I found this book very difficult to put down, and will likely read it again.
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A couple of thoughts on the whole global flood thing...
by Hecklerboy ini was watching the history channel this weekend and they had a show on the global flood story.
it was pretty interesting, mostly the same old stuff and some commentators from different religions.
while i was watching this, two thoughts kept coming to mind:.
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gaiagirl
"The flood of Noahs day" is supposed to have taken place WHEN? Oh, yes, during the time that China, India, Sumeria and Egypt ALL had advanced civilizations with writing, monuments, etc. How strange that NONE of them mention a flood occurring at that time. I suppose they just didn't notice, in the same way that most of the world didn't notice the war in heaven, Jesus becoming king in 1914? The bible account is not the original version, but borrowed from Sumerian and Babylonian sources. For example, the rainbow was originally said to be a necklace worn by Astarte, who cast it into the heavens. The historical event upon which the legend was based was sizeable, but not global in scope, and it took place much earlier than the Bible account.
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Did you hear about the congregation where.........
by enlightenedcynic ini am new to the board and am looking forward to many insightful discussions here.. a good friend of mine attends a congregation where sisters are working behind both the literature and magazine counters.
the brothers who were handling those responsibilities were removed because in the elder body's opinion, none of them were "exemplerary".police officer explained that save for the elders and a few of the ministerial servants, none of the men in the congregation were meeting the national average in field service time, so for the foreseeable future, "exemplerary".
the irony here though is that the same men who are unfit to handle the literature and magazine counters are qualified to offer opening and closing prayer for meetings and do reading for the watchtower study.
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gaiagirl
I have seen this in one of the congregations in Texas I once visited. I don't think they did it for very long. Also, I don't remember the sister wearing a head covering of any kind.
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Search for historical Hercules
by startingover innote how herculean myth resembles jesus in many areas.
hercules was born from a god (zeus) and a mortal virgin mother (alcmene).
similar to herod who wanted to kill jesus, hera wanted to kill hercules.
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gaiagirl
Was there a historical Paul Bunyan? The answer to both questions is the same.
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Christianity BEFORE Christ?
by freedomlover inokay, was there really nothing resembling christianity before christ established christianity and the ideas behind that?
i mean, a lot of what the principles of christianity contain seem to be very common sense, such as loving neighbor, not stealing, don't covet neighbor's wife, etc.
do you really think the concept of christianity was so ground breaking when it did occur?
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gaiagirl
If one does a google search for "sacrificial king", they will have many hits which illustrate how earlier religions embodied themes similar to those incorporated in christianity. Some of the "kings" who could be said to prefigure Jesus include Osiris, Dionysius, Balder, and others. This was commented on in the first couple of centuries of the common era, and the "christian explanation" was that Satan, knowing what was going to happen, arranged for these other people to do these things first, to discredit Jesus.
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Mankind doesn't have the ability to govern himself, true or false?
by JH injeremiah 10:23.
23 i well know, o jehovah, that to earthling man his way does not belong.
it does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step.
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gaiagirl
Some nations are models which the rest of the world would do well to emulate. I'm thinking in particular of Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Canada. The U.S. is better than many, but at least since 2000, kind of embarrassing. I think that over time, the good tends to outweigh the bad in more and more places, although some places do experience setbacks.