maksutov

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Posts by maksutov

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  13

  Our Eyes Are Wired Backwards For a Good Reason

  by cofty in

  1. social
  2. current

  it is often said that our retinas are are an example of sub-optimal design.. a few years ago i was intrigued by a passing comment in one of nick lane's to the effect that this is not a good argument but he didn't go into much detail.. researchers at leipzig have revealed the role of glial cells in transmitting light from the surface of the retina to the cones, acting like fiber-optic cables.. erex ribak has built a model of the eye and demonstrated some fascinating details.... so, the question is - does this reflect good "design" or a retro-fitted repair like the hubble telescope's glasses?.

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  maksutov

  I don't think any evolutionist would suggest that apparent design flaws prove there is no designer, just that they are not entirely consistent with an all-knowing designer whose works are perfect. It is not possible to prove there is no designer, as the existence of a designer is not falsifiable. Evolution is a well established scientific theory with an overwhelming amount of supporting evidence and does not rely on weak and subjective arguments such as whether or not something seems to have been designed.
  
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  19

  Great article about intelligent design in science without being religious

  by EndofMysteries in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  for those who think that belief or the possibility of intelligent design means you must accept or believe everything or anything you have heard about god or a god is incorrect.

  i'll quote one line from the article, " but intelligent design, unlike creationism, is not based upon the bible.

  design is an inference from biological data, not a deduction from religious authority.

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  maksutov

  There is no such thing as the 'theory of intelligent design', not a scientific theory anyway. If there was, it could be tested and peer reviewed. It doesn't really matter that the source of the hypothesis is biological data rather than religious authority - that is pretty much irrelevant in regard to its claims of veracity. Intelligent design is supported by logical fallacies (in particular, personal incredulity, false analogy, arguments from ignorance, begging the question, and often straw men), not testable evidence.
  
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  18

  UK- Watchtower is in court TODAY, is anyone able to attend and tell us what happened?

  by defender of truth in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  here are the court details and the story behind it all... man suing watchtower for disfellowshipping/defamation.

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  maksutov

  I received a copy of the judgement, and yes, it says the case is being dismissed due to being filed one day late. The judge was distinctly unimpressed with the claimant, and not in the least bit bothered about shunning. He also seemed to make a strong distinction between the claimant seeking to be re-instated and being defamed - as though seeking to be reinstated meant that the claimant was not bothered about the slander. The judge comes across as surprisingly cold and harsh - not pleasant reading.
  
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  UK- Watchtower is in court TODAY, is anyone able to attend and tell us what happened?

  by defender of truth in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  here are the court details and the story behind it all... man suing watchtower for disfellowshipping/defamation.

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  maksutov

  I don't get why they would hear the case at all if it was filed late. Nor why the guy on the phone told me that a £15,000 payment had to be made. I have asked for a copy of the judgment, but have not received it yet.
  
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  12

  Your Expert Research is needed!

  by Atlantis in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  friends:.

  doug mason needs no introductions here.

  we all know him to be an excellent writer, such as: blondie, terry, jwfacts, barbara anderson and countless others on this board.. doug is asking for assistance on a new project he is working on to explain in terms easy to understand, the changes the watchtower now expects jehovah's witnesses and others to believe.. your expert knowledge on these subjects such as: 144,000, great crowd, order of special full time servants, and governing body would be greatly appreciated.

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  maksutov

  The term 'overseer' is used in the NWT (eg. 1 Tim 3:1,2). The New International Version also uses it. King James says 'bishop'.
  
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  18

  UK- Watchtower is in court TODAY, is anyone able to attend and tell us what happened?

  by defender of truth in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  here are the court details and the story behind it all... man suing watchtower for disfellowshipping/defamation.

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  maksutov

  I phoned Salisbury Crown Court and was told to phone Winchester. I phoned Winchester, and after a lot of 'umming and ahing' the guy found the case and said that the result is that "£15,000 to be paid within 28 days". I asked for clarification over who would have to pay that, and he said he thinks it is Watchtower, but it is not entirely clear, and that to get a definite answer, one would have to send an e-mail so they can investigate with Salisbury. However, it certainly looks as though they found in favour of Otuo, and Watchtower is having to pay up (I can't imagine that a case brought by Otuo would result in him having to pay up anything other than his own legal fees).
  
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  10

  Reasons for Leaving

  by maksutov in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i finally got my book finished.

  it is available as a free ebook here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/527252 i'm sure the contents are familiar territory to most people here, but hopefully it will be of some use to those who are either thinking about joining or thinking about leaving.

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  maksutov

  I did a bit more research and it seems you are right - birthday celebrations are not explicitly listed as grounds for disfellowshipping. There is anecdotal evidence that some have been disfellowshipped for it though, and the elder's book could be read both ways. I will remove references to it being a disfellowshipping offense from my book, just to be on the safe side. Thanks fastJehu for raising that.
  
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  10

  Reasons for Leaving

  by maksutov in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i finally got my book finished.

  it is available as a free ebook here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/527252 i'm sure the contents are familiar territory to most people here, but hopefully it will be of some use to those who are either thinking about joining or thinking about leaving.

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  maksutov

  fastJehu: For celebrating birthday you will not DF (elders book).

  Really?! If so, I can change it to celebrating Christmas (that's what they tried to get me on), but I really thought Christmas and birthdays were both viewed equally as pagan and therefore apostasy. Do you know what page number that appears on in the elder's book?
  
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  10

  Reasons for Leaving

  by maksutov in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i finally got my book finished.

  it is available as a free ebook here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/527252 i'm sure the contents are familiar territory to most people here, but hopefully it will be of some use to those who are either thinking about joining or thinking about leaving.

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  maksutov

  SAHS: email the complete contents of your free book to all of them at once

  I kind of like the concept, although I'm not sure about provoking people who are happy in their delusional world - in many cases I think sending them this book will just upset them, make them afraid of me, and cause them to cling even tighter to the religion. Also, I am not (yet) disfellowshipped, and although I can live with being shunned by the dubs if necessary I would rather avoid it. Still, the book is published under a creative commons license - anyone is free to copy, print, and redistribute it as they see fit - so if you want to send it to anyone, feel free.

  OnTheWayOut: I will take a look at your book, although I am no longer thinking about leaving.

  You must have great mental strength to stay in knowing it's not true! When I first admitted to myself that I no longer believed, I thought I would keep going to meetings just until my grandmother died, as I knew it would be hard on her. I only lasted one meeting, lol - just couldn't stand it. Grandma lived another two years, and although she shed a tear, she soon got used to the idea, and we remained close.
  
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  10

  Reasons for Leaving

  by maksutov in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i finally got my book finished.

  it is available as a free ebook here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/527252 i'm sure the contents are familiar territory to most people here, but hopefully it will be of some use to those who are either thinking about joining or thinking about leaving.

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  maksutov

  I finally got my book finished. It is available as a free eBook here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/527252
  
  I'm sure the contents are familiar territory to most people here, but hopefully it will be of some use to those who are either thinking about joining or thinking about leaving.