Posts by Midget-Sasquatch

10

A car that runs on water !

by Simon in

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is this for real?

if so, it could be world-changing .... http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money-savers/article.html?in_article_id=403819&in_page_id=5.

I think Elsewhere is on to something there with the conservation of energy. The exhaust fumes are then going to be used to spin the mechanism splitting the hydrogen? We can't expect a perpetual motion machine, so gas will always be used. How much gas will it save versus an electric hybrid?

24

pure fluff: Find out which super-hero you are!!

by kid-A in

jw
friends

fluff alert: find out which marvel superhero you are!!!.

apparently, i am dr. strange !!!!!

please report back....... http://www.liquidgeneration.com/quiz/superhero_quiz.swf.

Midget-Sasquatch

OK, serendipty. I picked super healing powers and being a loner, but instead of wolverine I got Beast. I knew I should have lied about my looks.

157

Evolutionary establishment tactics

by hooberus in

wednesday evenings (august 24th) fox news program "the oreilly factor" featured an interview life after "intelligent design" with dr. richard sternberg, editor, of the peer-reviewed journal "proceedings of the biological society of washington.

" dr. sternberg's home page discusses the recriminations he faced by certain members of the evolutionary establishment after publishing an arcticle by another person advocating the possibilty of intelligent design in the peer reviewed journal.

http://www.rsternberg.net/

Midget-Sasquatch

Hi hooberus

I had a couple of personal instances where other creationists quoting Remine were unclear on the details. So I'm not surprised that some of the number crunching needed to be reworked was actually from someone else following his lead.

Though alleles are never just one nucleotide base pair in length, the fact remains that a substituting allele can differ from the one it is substituting by only a single base pair.

You're right it can. It can cause frameshift mutations that can result in a number of different amino acids being coded. Even having just one different amino acid in a crucial position for the protein can affect its tertiary or quaternary structure or the active or binding site. The most well known example of a single amino acid change resulting in a mutation is sickle cell anemia. Although I don't know if it is just due to a single base pair mutation or two or three. (each amino acid is coded by a 3 nucleotide base long sequence). But consider whats further down.

According to ReMine evolutionists generally believe that point mutations are what is usually substituted.

Again he's right. And I think this is where alot of the arguments come in. Single nucleotide base pair changes are the most common form of mutation. Single base pair mutations can also bring non-neutral changes (e.g.sickle-cell). But from greater to lesser likelihood, they are more often neutral, then deleterious and finally they may be beneficial. The selective substitutions are beneficial ones and so one would expect that only a very small percentage of those would involve single nucleotide base pair changes. Thats why I think no-one can be too dogmatic with some of the numbers being used. Who knows just how much or how little refining of the code would be needed to go from chimp to human? Maybe even just a 2% to 3% difference say.

36

Why aren't congregations much bigger in size?

by JH in

jw
friends

.

like that, they wouldn't need so many elders and ms. they would have plenty of brothers to read and pass the mic.. no where in the bible do they mention how big or small a congregation should be.

if ever one day they have a hard time forming enough ms and elders, wouldn't it be simpler to just make congregations larger?

Midget-Sasquatch

Scully

Very interesting info on sizes of high control groups.

Along those lines, a few evolutionary psychologists have said that our brains can handle social groups of up to about 150 people. Beyond that its hard to have social relationships, keeping track of their actions and of goings-on.

The claim is that this ball park figure has shown up in several different kinds of organizations, one example being hutterite colonies.

Its all about keeping tabs on everyone.

35

do you resent your parents for bringing you into the WTS?

by kid-A in

for those born into the wts, do you ever feel resentment towards your folks for forcing this upon you?

i went through a stage of strong resentment and anger, but no longer feel this way.

i think they sincerely believed they were acting in my best interests.

Midget-Sasquatch

I don't resent my father for that. He's been duped and thought he was showing us the way to Paradise.

I was saddenned though that he'd have let any of us die rather than have a transfusion. I also was disappointed in how his position as ministerial servant and his keeping face among the dubs was more important to him than how we felt.

47

How can we know there is a God?

by defd in

one way to determine whether there is a god is to apply this well-established principle: what is made requires a maker.

the more complicated the thing made, the more capable the maker must be.. for example, look around your home.

tables, chairs, desks, beds, pots, pans, plates, and other eating utensils all require a maker, as do walls, floors, and ceilings.

Midget-Sasquatch

The Creator then is also responsible for creating all the natural evils like diseases and parasites. Feel the love.

13

Fine new provision for research from the Governing Body

by AlmostAtheist in

jw
friends

(with apologies to the guy who had this idea first, and for watchtower-izing it).

from: governing body, watch tower bible & tract society.

to: all congregations.

Midget-Sasquatch

It is our sincerest hope that all brothers will benefit from this new provision. We anticipate a time when a householder will excitedly ask, "Where did you get that marvelous Bible-based information?" and a brother will be able to confidently reply, "I pulled it out of MI-ASS!"

ROTFLMAO!

45

Jesus or Satan ?

by carla in

the michael changes post reminded me, how many times have the wt confused jesus with satan?

i know there are a few where first they said the person was jesus then satan then back again to jesus.

anyone know of a complete list?

Midget-Sasquatch

I remember being puzzled at how they could say the parable at Matthew 13 was also pointing to a counterfeit kingdom. They still hold to this idea of it covering both the positive and the negative.

Insight in the Scriptures, Vol.1 p. 1179 Illustrations
(4) The mustard grain (Mt 13:31, 32; Mr 4:30-32; Lu 13:18, 19). It is stated that the subject is "the kingdom of the heavens." As shown in other texts, this can refer to some feature in connection with the Kingdom (even those falsely claiming to represent it) and is not limited to the approved membership of that Kingdom.

I wish I had access to material from the turn of the century. From a 1975 WT I've found, it seems they've been contemplating how to interpret this for a very long time. Thats if we can count on them accurately quoting even their own older material.

w75 10/1 pp. 590-591 Things Which the "Kingdom of the Heavens" Is Like

5 "Well, when he said these things, all his opposers began to feel shame; but all the crowd began to rejoice at all the glorious things done by him. Therefore he went on to say: ‘What is the kingdom of God like, and with what shall I compare it? It is like a mustard grain that a man took and put in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of heaven took up lodging in its branches.’ And again he said: ‘With what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three large measures of flour until the whole mass was fermented.’"—Luke 13:17-21.

6 Because "all the crowd began to rejoice at all the glorious things done by him," one would incline to think that Jesus reacted to the rejoicing of "all the crowd" by telling two prophetic illustrations to picture how God’s kingdom would not be made up of only a "little flock," as Jesus had indicated earlier, in Luke 12:32. Instead, it would grow to great size and all the world of mankind would be like birds by their lodging in the refuge provided by the Kingdom. Also, that the great mass of mankind would become impregnated with the true teachings of Christianity. For instance, the Critical and Exegetical Handbook to the Gospel of Matthew, by H. A. W. Meyer, Th.D., English edition of 1884, says on page 259, paragraph three: The parable of the mustard seed is designed to show that the great community, consisting of those who are to participate in the Messianic kingdom, i.e., the true people of God as constituting the body politic of the future kingdom, is destined to develop from a small beginning into a vast multitude, and therefore to grow extensively; . . . "being a small flock, they were increased into a countless one." The parable of the leaven, on the other hand, is intended to show how the specific influences of the Messiah’s kingdom (Eph. iv.4 ff.) gradually penetrate the whole of its future subjects, till by this means the entire mass is brought intensively into that spiritual condition which qualifies it for being admitted into the kingdom.

7 However, there is a fact that is here worth considering as significant. It is this: Right after recording those two parables of Jesus and telling how thereafter he went teaching from place to place, the Gospel writer Luke injects the question of a certain man: "Lord, are those who are being saved few?" Did Jesus’ answer seem to agree with that suggestion? Did it indicate a kingdom of a "little flock"?—Luke 13:22, 23.

8 Listen: "He said to them: ‘Exert yourselves vigorously to get in through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will seek to get in but will not be able, when once the householder has got up and locked the door, and you start to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, "Sir, open to us." But in answer he will say to you, "I do not know where you are from." Then you will start saying, "We ate and drank in front of you, and you taught in our broad ways." But he will speak and say to you, "I do not know where you are from. Get away from me, all you workers of unrighteousness!" There is where your weeping and the gnashing of your teeth will be, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves thrown outside.’" (Luke 13:23-28) So, as many as do get in through the "narrow door" will have to ‘exert themselves vigorously.’—Note also Luke 13:5-9.

9 Back in the issue of Zion’s Watch Tower dated April 1881, on page 5, there appeared a contribution by J. H. Paton, on the parable of the leaven. In the course of his discussion he said: This work of progression and glorious success, seems to be illustrated by the Saviour’s parable, in which He compared the kingdom of heaven to leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal until the whole was leavened. Matt. 13:33. A very plausible and we will add, forcible objection to this application of the parable, is based on the fact that leaven of bread and of doctrine are spoken of in the Bible as elements of impurity and of corruption. Would the Saviour represent the kingdom of heaven by an element and process of corruption? We understand the Saviour here uses one feature of the leaven only, in His illustration, that is its permeating power. It does not cease until the work is done, so God’s kingdom will not cease its operations until the curse is removed.

10 However, Zion’s Watch Tower, under date of May 15, 1900, page 154, took exception to that view. Under the subheading "The Parable of the Leaven," it said: "Leaven represents corruption throughout the Scriptures: In every other instance of its Scriptural use it is represented as an evil, an impurity, something that is defiling. . . . It would not seem reasonable that our Lord should use the word leaven here as Christian people generally suppose, in a good sense, as implying some grace of the holy spirit. On the contrary, we recognize consistency in all of his teachings, and we may be as sure that he would not use leaven as a symbol of righteousness as that he would not use leprosy as a symbol of holiness."

11 The Watch Tower, under date of June 15, 1910, page 205, pursued that same line of thought. It said, under the heading "Leaven Hidden in the Meal," the following: "The parable of the ‘leaven’ (v. 33) illustrates the process by which, as was foretold, the church would get into the wrong condition. As a woman would take her batch of flour for baking and put leaven (yeast) in it and the result would be that the mass would become leavened, so it would be with the church of Christ; the food of the entire household would become leavened or corrupted. Every portion would become more or less vitiated with the leaven of false doctrines which would permeate the entire mass. Thus today nearly every doctrine inculcated by Jesus and his apostles has become more or less perverted or twisted by the errors of the dark ages."—See also The Watch Tower as of June 15, 1912, pages 198, 199, under the heading "Parable of the Leaven"

16 Does the former explanation in the 1900, 1910 and 1912 issues of The Watch Tower on the parable of the leaven hold good today, when Jesus’ parabolic illustrations are reaching the climax of their fulfillment? Yes, indeed! Some students of the Bible might incline to object, because, say they, it is "the kingdom of the heavens" that is said to be like the leaven and like the grain of mustard seed. (Matt. 13:31-33)

Edit: I hate formatting long quotes.

87

What was Jesus implying...........................

by defd in

at john 10:30 jesus said " i and the father are one" what was he implying?

was it a claim to be almighty god?

what is your thoughts and why?

Midget-Sasquatch

Tetra,

You've probably heard of book clubs where people get together and discuss particular books. What was the author trying to get across here or there? Is it making some kind of commentary for its contemporary society (like very good sci-fi ooften does)? Etc. It can be very interesting when these works incorporate alot of historical research too (Like Dorothy Dunnett's several books).

Apparently different christian communities favoured different gospels. I see these sorts of discussions (even if all these texts were purely works of fiction) as giving us insight into the beliefs of the authors and those communities. Also by keen observations, noting incongruous shifts in themes etc., one can detect possible locations where these texts were redacted to favour one side or another on a debated issue. That's appealing from a historical perspective.

157

Evolutionary establishment tactics

by hooberus in

wednesday evenings (august 24th) fox news program "the oreilly factor" featured an interview life after "intelligent design" with dr. richard sternberg, editor, of the peer-reviewed journal "proceedings of the biological society of washington.

" dr. sternberg's home page discusses the recriminations he faced by certain members of the evolutionary establishment after publishing an arcticle by another person advocating the possibilty of intelligent design in the peer reviewed journal.

http://www.rsternberg.net/

Midget-Sasquatch

ReMine's main Haldane calculation (the 1667 figure) deal with only selective substitutions. For more on the the cost situation with neutral mutations see Chapter 9 in his book (a brief chapter 9 summary is online).

Thats the calculation I was referring to with my analogy of two men travelling.

From : http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v19/i1/dna.asp?vPrint=1

What if human and chimp DNA was even 96% homologous? What would that mean? Would it mean that humans could have ‘evolved’ from a common ancestor with chimps? Not at all! The amount of information in the 3 billion base pairs in the DNA in every human cell has been estimated to be equivalent to that in 1,000 books of encyclopaedia size.6If humans were ‘only’ 4% different this still amounts to 120 million base pairs, equivalent to approximately 12 million words, or 40 large books of information. This is surely an impossible barrier for mutations (random changes) to cross.7

Note this difference is the result of two lines diverging...like the combined distance between two men who moved away from each other in opposite directions.

Now I don't take issue with Remine coming up with the figure of 1,667 selective substitutions and then applying this to the combined distance because in footnote 7 we see that he doubled the time estimate he used for the divergence. I marked the relevant part in red below. Others unfamiliar with some of the details would be mislead though into thinking that Remine was such a sport that he even gave the other side double the time. A doubling was required. The wording can be misleading.

This is from footnote 7:

Haldane’s Dilemma recognises the problem for evolutionists of getting genetic changes in higher organisms, especially those which have long generation times. Due to the cost of substitution (death of the unfit) of one gene for another in a population, it would take over 7x10 11 years of human–like generations to substitute the 120 million base pairs. Or in 10 million years (twice the time since the chimp/human common ancestor is alleged to have lived), only 1667 substitutions could occur, or 0.001% of the difference. There has simply been insufficient time for ape–like creatures to turn into humans. And this understates the problem by assuming perfect efficiency of natural selection and ignoring deleterious processes like inbreeding and genetic drift, as well as problems posed by pleiotropy (one gene controlling more than one characteristic) and polygeny (more than one gene controlling one characteristic)—most real genes. See W.J. ReMine, The Biotic Message (St. Paul Science, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1993), pp. 215–217. Return to text.

However, like I've mentioned before, there are some mistakes with how other calculations are made. The Haldane model is talking about selective alleles being replaced. Alleles (genes) are never just one nucleotide base pair in length though. (The average mammalian gene is about 16,000 base pairs in length). The calculation above is misleading because its linking each of the theoretical 1,667 substitutions to individual base pair changes. Its trying to diminish the likely amount of base pair differences that could occur per substitution. Now I'm not saying that it should be 16,000 bp, but there's quite a bit of error by only going with one.

Let's not forget that some of the genome sequence differences are also neutral mutations. Just how much I don't know. Neither does Remine. So using 120 million base pairs is also overestimating. Thats why I say no-one can be so sure of the figures being bandied about.

P.S. Unrelated: I just read all the research you posted in that thread on the Archangel Micheal. Very cool.