I've had this discussion a number of times with fundamentalist. Very well put together. Thanks for the epistimic work.
Coded Logic
JoinedPosts by Coded Logic
-
27
Did Polonius kill his wife? A problem with apolegetics
by bohm ina basic problem with christian apologetics when applied to the bible is that it relies on the tacit assumption you can draw reliable conclusions on the material.
the most common form of apologetics start out by certain claims (the tomb was found empty, the disciples had post-crusifiction experiences of jesus that transformed their lives, etc.
this is hearsay since the person who made the statement cannot be sworn in.
-
-
-
Coded Logic
Hitchens hits the nail squarely on the head in this interview. Islam is a set of beliefs (and some really bad ones at that) and not a race.
"Islamaphobic" is a word created by fascists, and used cowards, to manipulate morons.
- Andrew Cummins
-
21
Dating processes why the big differences?
by Crazyguy ini watched a documentary last night where they found old bones and spear heads in mexico.
this work was originally started in the 60s but they went back over the decades.
the main researcher dated the items at about 20,000 years old.
-
Coded Logic
What's the name of the "researcher"? What's the name of the documentary? The claims you are making sound wildly inaccurate. Please provide some more information so we can verify what you're claiming. -
33
Islam is a religion of Peace
by Coded Logic inwarning: poes law may apply.
i just wanted to take a moment and remind everyone that all muslims are good people.
"real" muslims would never kill in the name of their religion .
-
Coded Logic
@Crofty,
What does Dr Peter Hammond have to do with anything?
-
4
3 things you didn't know about Rutherford
by Coded Logic ini never realized rutherford was so devious and delinquent.
just found this on a debate forum: .
1) forgery:after c.t.
-
Coded Logic
I never realized Rutherford was so devious and delinquent. Just found this on a debate forum:
1) Forgery:
After C.T. Russell's death, J.F. Rutherford presented a book called: "The Finished Mystery" that was allegedly written by C.T. Russell after his death. But, according to a New York court, this was a forgery: "After his death and after we were in the war they issued a seventh volume of this series, entitled "The Finished Mystery," which, under the guise of being a posthumous work of Pastor Russell...which were not written by Pastor Russell and could not have possibly been written by him...They were proved false.(1)"
As you can see Rutherford wrote a book trying to impersonate a deceased man, it does not matter what your religious beliefs are, impersonating someone is immoral and illegal.
2) Violation of a Last Will and Testament
a) In C.T Russell's last will and testament, he willed: "As the Society has already pledged to me that it will publish no other periodicals."(2) meaning the Watchtower society. But Rutherford soon began publishing another magazine titled: "The Golden Age" in Oct 1919(3) (today's "Awake") Although he published it at first under a different publishing companies name he eventually published The Golden Age under the Watchtower.(3)
b) In addition to not publishing any new periodicals, the Watchtower had to remain separate from any religion(4) in C.T. Russell's own words: We belong to no earthly organization, hence if you should name the entire list of sects, we should answer no to each and all.(4) But under Rutherford. the Watchtower became totally under the Church of Jehovah's Witnesses and exclusively became its publishing arm.(4)
As you can see C.T. Russell had wishes in his will he clearly stipulated and were clearly violated by Rutherford.
3) ) Promoting Anti-Semitic ideologies in an organization that was dedicated to brotherly love.
Before I go any further I will reiterate that this is a debate about LEGALITY and MORALITY, not THEOLOGY there is nothing per se illegal about Mr. Rutherford's anti-Semitic actions but they were clearly immoral. also I am not here to debate about Zionism but about Mr. Rutherford.
a) While he initially was sympathetic towards Zionists as this publication states: "JUDGE RUTHERFORD, known throughout the world as a friend of the Hebrew people, is vigorously supporting the claim of the Jews to the Holy Land." (5) but later he seemed to change his mind by saying: "I'm speaking of the Palestine Jew, not the hooked-nosed, stooped shouldered little individual who stands on the street corner trying to gyp you out of every nickel you've got."(5). Hypocritical, a little bit, but I am not a person to judge anyone on hypocrisy, this however re-enforces my point that he was a swindler for he portrayed himself as pro-Zionist when it was convenient but became anti-Semitic when it was also convenient, in other words he painted a false picture to his followers regarding his views on Zionism so he could remain popular among them.
b) Also, Rutherford was a fan of the Nazis:"Instead of being against the principles advocated by the government of Germany, we stand squarely for such principles, and point out that Jehovah God through Christ Jesus will bring about the full realization of these principles." (5)
IN CONCLUSION:
J.F. Rutherford was a swindler that violated many moral standard (including his own) for he 1) forged C.T. Russell's authorship, 2) violated a legal last will and testament by illegal publishing periodicals using C.T. Russell's society and making said society sectarian despite Mr. Russell's will expressed wishes not to. 3) hypocritical on anti-Semitism and condoning the third Reich's actions, violating most moral standards.
Sources:
(1) http://books.google.com...
(2)http://www.pastor-russell.com...
(3) The Watchtower, Apr, 1 1990
(4) The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses, Heather and Gary Botting, University of Toronto Press, 1984
(5) Jehovah's Witnesses, Anti-semitism and the Third Reich: The Watch Tower Society's Attempted Compromise with Nazism By professor M. James Penton University of Lethbridge, pdf file.Copied from - http://www.debate.org/debates/J.D.-Rutherford-was-a-con-man./1/
-
6
Huge Research Finding relates to the brochure: ORIGIN OF LIFE, THE—FIVE QUESTIONS WORTH ASKING
by cognisonance infirst the new finding: summary and the actual paper.. now, consider this snippet from that brochure, especially the bold emphasis i've added (pages 5-7):.
researchers have learned that for a cell to survive, at least three different types of complex molecules must work togetherdna (deoxyribonucleic acid), rna (ribonucleic acid), and proteins.
today, few scientists would assert that a complete living cell suddenly formed by chance from a mix of inanimate chemicals.
-
Coded Logic
What are the odds of proteins forming by chance?
Quite high actually. We've found enzymes, nucleic acids, and proteins in several meteorites. http://lightyears.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/11/dna-discovered-in-meteorites/
The building blocks of life are part of nucleosynthesis. No absurd "what are the odds" numbers required. Molecules are always going to attempt to reach their lowest energy state. Most of the "millions of billions" of "possible arrangements" aren't stable and would collapse near instantaneously. Proteins are NOT like legos where you can just stick any pieces together however you like. Molecules are guided by Ionic, covalent, or metallic bonds - not by "chance". Just because an arrangement can be described doesn't mean its possible.
Whoever wrote this article doesn't have even a high school level understanding of how molecules work.
-
41
Do you believe what the Bible teaches? If "yes", why? If "no", why?
by Tenacious inif you do believe in the bible's message, do you believe society has gotten better, worse, or has remained the same?.
if you don't believe in the bible's message, do you believe society has gotten better, worse, or has remained the same?.
on a personal note, there are many things that i can't help but notice that coincide with what the apostle paul wrote to timothy in his second letter chapter 3 regarding tough times:.
-
Coded Logic
The opinions of Timothy about the following generation being "worse" than the current one has been a theme all throughout history. People always look at history through rose colored glasses acting as though things used to be so much better. This is nothing new. Please reference PERSONAL BIAS for more information.
“Our youth now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for their elders and love chatter in place of exercise; they no longer rise when elders enter the room; they contradict their parents, chatter before company; gobble up their food and tyrannize their teachers.”
- Socrates (400 BC)
-
33
Islam is a religion of Peace
by Coded Logic inwarning: poes law may apply.
i just wanted to take a moment and remind everyone that all muslims are good people.
"real" muslims would never kill in the name of their religion .
-
Coded Logic
JWs being "good people" doesn't pardon all the horrible things done by the religion.
Muslims being "good people" doesn't pardon the crimes against humanity Islam commands its followers to commit.
Just because most Western Muslims are peaceful doesn't mean Islam is a religion of peace.
-
33
Islam is a religion of Peace
by Coded Logic inwarning: poes law may apply.
i just wanted to take a moment and remind everyone that all muslims are good people.
"real" muslims would never kill in the name of their religion .
-
Coded Logic
@Smiddy,
You made several claims. Vivian was kind enough to go through each point you made and explain how they were factually or logically wrong. This is not a simple "difference of opinion." This is about having the correct understanding of how reality works and how our actions manifest in the real world.
Which is the best flavor of ice cream is a difference of opinion. How best to treat living breathing human beings is not subject to your limited personal experience. Facts actually matter. And if you wish to engage in discussion you're going to have to learn to put premises behind your conclusions. If you're not comfortable doing that - please don't subject your opinions to the public sphere.
Thank you.
-
33
Islam is a religion of Peace
by Coded Logic inwarning: poes law may apply.
i just wanted to take a moment and remind everyone that all muslims are good people.
"real" muslims would never kill in the name of their religion .
-
Coded Logic
And what purpose would killing an 18 year old serve?
It won't bring the dead back. It won't make the victims families feel any less worse. And it won't dissuade Jihadist who are already prepared to die.
If he can be reformed and eventually introduced back into society then so be it. If not, keep him permanently removed from the public where he can do no harm. Capital punishment should only be used a last resort when no other options are available. Not as knee jerk reaction.