Midget-Sasquatch

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Posts by Midget-Sasquatch

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  43

  Attention all you wacky evolutionists!

  by AlmostAtheist in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  evolution versus creation has been beat to death lately, this isn't another debate thread.

  i wanted to showcase a hugely funny site i found when researching creationists' views.

  note that i don't believe this site in any way depicts the beliefs of most creationists.

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  Midget-Sasquatch

  

  
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  63

  Evolution of Man

  by bavman in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  here's a question for all you who have been studying evoluition much longer than me.

  i have read in a few places that man has all but stopped evolving.

  is this what is really being taught by science and why?

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  Midget-Sasquatch

  I'd say that the process of evolution is universal , because descent with modification, apparently happens amidst all living things. But evolution isn't teleological, in that all life inherently is progressing in a particular direction.

  So to your implied question of what makes some species chosen ones, so to speak, and others left behind, especially when you've got similar organisms in the same environment: How does this sound to you?

  Like already mentioned, mutations are random. Different ones happen in different species as well as among individuals within a species. Also, there can me many niches within the same local environment.

  But since you don't see fishes generally needing digits or limbs like tetrapods to keep passing on their genes, there's no real pressure to take on those changes. A certain mutation may only be advantageous in a particular niche within an environment, and only individuals with the suitable mutations could exploit it. This could bring about a different subpopulation.
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  63

  Evolution of Man

  by bavman in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  here's a question for all you who have been studying evoluition much longer than me.

  i have read in a few places that man has all but stopped evolving.

  is this what is really being taught by science and why?

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  Midget-Sasquatch

  Q,

  AlanF gave you a thorough list of discovered fossils.

  Just contrasting Australopithecus Afarensis to humans and other apes will definitely show it to be a decent transitional form. I also suggest reading up on and trying to find photos of Homo Habilis and Homo Erectus and comparing them with archaic humans. A nice trend in increasing cranial capacity and other skull changes can be seen. If you can find one, take a look at a close up picture of the skull of Turkana Boy (a young H. Erectus). The skull is a nice blend of human and simian.

  There are even some skulls found that are debated as to whether they are H. Erectus or H Heidelbergensis and are good candidates for transitional forms between those two. Some examples of these that I know of are Tautavel Man and Petralona (some even classify this one as neanderthal).
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  109

  Evidence for evolution, Installment 5: Lake Tanganyika, etc

  by seattleniceguy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hey gang!

  i apologize for my absence of a few weeks.

  i have been very busy with work lately, and i hate to write something that i haven't been able to research properly, so i haven't posted anything in this series for three weeks now.

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  Midget-Sasquatch

  Tijkmo

  Not that Abbadon needs anyone to speak out for him (as I'm sure you've learned ), but if you focus less on style and more on the substance you'll see just how much there can be to learn from his postings. He's made me rethink the basis of my own position on one or two things in the past while lurking through some threads. If you go back and reread all his postings, you can see how all the facts he mentions aren't to flaunt, but they either clarify, validate, or add depth to what he's saying.

  but the main problem i have with evolution is the start...evidence of adaption i accept...but how did it start from nothing...as simply put in laymans terms please...god always existing as a counter argument is not good enough reasoning

  So I guess panspermia is out of the question? Darn, I sorta fancy the notion of being martian.

  Abiogenesis is what to look into then. There are many scenarios thought up about how life started, but really no solid evidence that favours one over another. One hypothesis thats currently in vogue has life starting off as self-replicating RNA. How it switched over to DNA though, is where its still very sketchy as far as I know.
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  26

  If you could create a new canon - what books/ writings would you include?

  by Qcmbr in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  ok so the bible is a work of the early roman church - if you could add any books to a new canon of 'scripture' what would you add - would you take anything out?

  my starter for ten: .

  i think i'd take out song of soloman.

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  Midget-Sasquatch

  Oh if only we had some of the apocryphal stories, like the capricious/spiteful divine child jesus, or even the Peter vs. Simon Magus saga. Think of the cool dramas we could have had with them. A little Jesus giving the audience the evil eye and the kids in the drama are turned into animals! Maybe they could even bring in wires for when Peter prays to have Flyin Simon come crashin down. He doesn't die so thats not too shocking for the kiddies. But the whole audience can cheer on the mob that will drive him out of the town.

  On a more 'upbuilding' note (did I make ya puke with that wording?), I did seriously like some of the parables and visions in The Shepherd of Hermas. Like how the rich and poor were compared to a vine and a tree, giving each other mutual support. But its position of one other strike after baptism and you're definitely out was a bit harsh.
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  58

  Can You See Thru A Phoney Poster?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  are you able to tell the real from the phonies?

  i see some posters that automatically raise suspicions because of how they state things.

  others, after reading what they have to say over a period of time, show their true colors.

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  Midget-Sasquatch

  You know, as someone who does go to some meetings from time to time, I do feel like a phoney. Having Minimus act like a mirror, hasn't caused me to bat an eye though. I like his style.

  I've already had it said to my face by my kid sister and that was cutting. I wanted to share with her what I've learned, and I ended up learning that I said too much to her.

  IPSec: that was too funny!
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  60

  Coming clean about what's been going on lately, I need to talk......

  by Jez in

  1. social
  2. family

  well, my sil and best friend came to this site on my recommendation (jw).

  i just wanted her to check it out without judgement as we have always been able to talk about everything.

  she basically was disgusted, said it was full of crap and lies and would never look at it again.

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  Midget-Sasquatch

  Jez, I'm saddenned and p*$$ed at how your SIL threw away your sacrifice. She's either too self-centered or blinded to realize the extent of your love for her. Who knows what the future may bring in her outlook, but with her present mindset I doubt she'll have alot of fulfilling friendships at the kingdom hall. What goes around comes around. You though are a class act Jez. She made her choice, and now I believe you're truly free to move on.
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  58

  Can You See Thru A Phoney Poster?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  are you able to tell the real from the phonies?

  i see some posters that automatically raise suspicions because of how they state things.

  others, after reading what they have to say over a period of time, show their true colors.

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  Midget-Sasquatch

  Okay, Okay, Min " the polygraph" inimus:

  I'm not officially a midget. But I come pretty damned close being a guy who's only 5' 2".

  As for how hairy and smelly I am: all I can say is times 2.
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  90

  How many of you are still in?

  by IP_SEC in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

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  i just thought i'td be neet to get a poll of how many people on this board are still meeting attending, time reporting publishers, who believe the wts is all crap?.

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  Midget-Sasquatch

  I guess you can count me too, since my fading has been altogether a failure.

  I'm irregular at meetings and put in a service report every so often to bring me back from the ranks of the inactive/spiritually dead. The hour or so I put in every so often though is actual time spent telling people about WT beliefs. Mind you, I'm telling them the truth about "The Troof".

  Midget of the "wants his paradise and still be able to piss in it " class.
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  109

  Evidence for evolution, Installment 5: Lake Tanganyika, etc

  by seattleniceguy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hey gang!

  i apologize for my absence of a few weeks.

  i have been very busy with work lately, and i hate to write something that i haven't been able to research properly, so i haven't posted anything in this series for three weeks now.

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  Midget-Sasquatch

  ...if i did experimented i would be excercising control of the experiment and setting up the procedures as i presume Mr Lenski did...the point about evolution is that it was not done in the comfort of ones own lab.

  Very valid point you raised there. If the experimental conditions needed to be very constraining to yield the desired results, then its not a very good model of whats happening in nature. All experiments, to an extent, forfeit being completely natural, so that we can get data that can give us usable answers.

  The experiment I was thinking of in particular was very simple though. They simply grew batches of bacteria in broths extracting samples every so often and freezing them. The variable was the kind of carbohydrate source put into the liquid broths the bacteria were being grown in (e.g. mannose or lactose etc.). So the conditions that were being changed were so simple that you could expect something like that in nature. Again, its not absolute proof of evolution, but its a strong indicator, that lines up well with other lines of evidence.