my ex husband and father of my daughter was never baptized but is still a believer in the wt.. a couple years ago we were talking about evolution ( which he does not believe in ) i brought up the subject of the neanderthals and how we all have their dna except africans ( the ones that never left africa ).
he said neanderthals are apes and not humans and jw's do not teach that they are humans.
i said i believe they do.. in the life- how did it get here book, under the sub heading " the human family "is says " neanderthal man....... was undoubtedly human.. his response was " they are just talking about what other people believe " ahhhhh .
So Perry, which of the species that have been fossilized do you believe are human versus something that's human-like but not quit us?
Homo Erectus with 2/3 of our brain capacity? Homo Rudolfensis with even less cranial capacity but walking upright nonetheless? Their tools get simpler and simpler with the passage of time (hundreds of thousands of years)and the difference in their brain capacity. Is that not evolution?
it has been the history of mankind that they proceed from the crude to the subtle in all spheres of life: they seek the subtle amidst the crude, and in the subtle, they seek the subtlest.
when hunger is extinguished, humans looked for art.
ancient humans appreciated the harmony of music; they also liked to dance in joy.
"REASON demands that everything requires a cause!"
A cause, maybe, but not necessarily a causer.
) which person/source first made you reconsider your position on creationism?.
) how long a period of time did it take to fully convince you?.
) what books and videos did you read and watch?.
1.) How old were you?
About 21 a few months after my disfellowshipping.
2.) Which person/source first made you reconsider your position on creationism?
Carl Sagan and his series Cosmos.
3.) How long a period of time did it take to fully convince you?
Almost immediately.
4.) What books and videos did you read and watch?
Cosmos book and television series. Other books like People of the Lake by Richard E. Leakey.
5.) How much better do you think you understand biology is now vs. before?
Not too much into biology per se but I have a general grasp of the full spectrum of evolutionary change in inanimate matter - elements being made inside of stars - and how it leads up to elements that make up life.
my ex husband and father of my daughter was never baptized but is still a believer in the wt.. a couple years ago we were talking about evolution ( which he does not believe in ) i brought up the subject of the neanderthals and how we all have their dna except africans ( the ones that never left africa ).
he said neanderthals are apes and not humans and jw's do not teach that they are humans.
i said i believe they do.. in the life- how did it get here book, under the sub heading " the human family "is says " neanderthal man....... was undoubtedly human.. his response was " they are just talking about what other people believe " ahhhhh .
Brokeback Watchtower, make my day.
underpinning all the claims of the jw org is a belief in the sanctity of the bible as gods word.
this holy assumption is certainly never challenged by the watchtower and neither does the believer dare to use critical thinking to evaluate the source of his or her beliefs.
the watchtower org, for obvious reasons would not do this as they would need to sell up and hand back the money were they to admit that the bible is just a piece of literature and not divine in origin.
i am not a jw ...however i began having bible studies (i d call them watchtower studies).
i was beginning to get lured in and brainwashed into accepting the religion as the true religion...but something inside of me told me there was something odd.
some time passes and i was invited to a meeting and i accepted.
sowhatnow:
"14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?" 2 Corinthians 6:14-15 New International Version
An unbeliever in Paul's mind would be any non-Christian. In JWdom it would be any non-JW.
underpinning all the claims of the jw org is a belief in the sanctity of the bible as gods word.
this holy assumption is certainly never challenged by the watchtower and neither does the believer dare to use critical thinking to evaluate the source of his or her beliefs.
the watchtower org, for obvious reasons would not do this as they would need to sell up and hand back the money were they to admit that the bible is just a piece of literature and not divine in origin.
cofty:
"I have always taken the view that there was a Jesus of history. Now I'm not so sure. His new 700 page book "On the Historicity of Jesus: Why We Might Have Reason for Doubt" is on my wish list."
I'm sure the same logic can be applied to Mohammed and other leaders who started their respective religions.
I have not read Richard Carrier's book but if he follows that same logic as others who say the same thing then he is questioning the existence of Jesus simply because he was mythologized by his early followers. So what if Jesus is pictured as a pagan demi-god? The same thing could happen to any other charismatic leader that actually existed.
the internet is the archive for civilization.. watchtower cannot hide it's history.. are we seeing the beginning of a mass exodus out of her?.
sir82: "After all that......What, exactly, would prompt this "mass awakening"?"
It may not be a "mass awakening" but if only 10% leave it will be due to the money grabbing by the organization. That would lead them to start researching TTATT. We've already seen an upsurge of ex-JWs in and out of the organization here on this site.
underpinning all the claims of the jw org is a belief in the sanctity of the bible as gods word.
this holy assumption is certainly never challenged by the watchtower and neither does the believer dare to use critical thinking to evaluate the source of his or her beliefs.
the watchtower org, for obvious reasons would not do this as they would need to sell up and hand back the money were they to admit that the bible is just a piece of literature and not divine in origin.
Half banana: "...I have little doubt now that Jesus is a fabrication..."
I disagree. Cults like Christianity do not invent leaders. Their members won't have the imagination to do so. That Jesus was mythologized is obvious. That 'pagan' texts were used to that purpose is also obvious. But it takes a charismatic leader to jumpstart a religion.
Would you also believe that Mohammed was made up by the first Muslims? I'm sure you can find evidence that he too was mythologized but that doesn't mean that he did not exist.
the internet is the archive for civilization.. watchtower cannot hide it's history.. are we seeing the beginning of a mass exodus out of her?.
The up surge in JWD members is an indication of an awakening, no matter how small compared to their membership numbers. I believe that a good percentage of JWs (~10%?) might leave the organization over recent events. That would create a massive upsurge in newbies on this site.
