That would be a BEAUTIFUL segment, I can see them jumping all over this. Please do pass it to them!
Dave
AlmostAtheist
JoinedPosts by AlmostAtheist
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6
A suggestion re: WT$ settlement
by darth frosty ini was just watching the daily show and they did a regular feature of theirs called this week in god ( for reference http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbyrpy-siuu).
any way a thought hit me(i dont in any way condone making light of these victims suffering) what if the daily show did a feature in this segment where they talk about the settlement and coverup, compared against the special km tract the wt$ destributed last year.
they can highlight the part in the tract where they speak against the catholic church and there law suit issues.. .
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91
The Watchtower and Creation
by AlanF init struck me this past year, with respect to jw teachings about the timing of genesis 1, that even in things that really have no impact on what most jws think of as "core doctrine" the watchtower society sticks to its traditions over what the bible says.
this was again brought home in the september, 2006 awake!
17 between me and the sons of israel it is a sign to time indefinite, because in six days jehovah made the heavens and the earth and on the seventh day he rested and proceeded to refresh himself.
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AlmostAtheist
I have no idea. Does that make you happy? I am sure there is an explanation, I just don't have it at my fingertips right now....
I wasn't trying to be mean, TopHat, nor was I trying to force you into a corner. It wasn't even directed exclusively at you. I was just trying to get the discussion back on the subject and off the participants.
You have expressed your faith. I don't share it, but I don't deride you for it.
Dave
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The Watchtower and Creation
by AlanF init struck me this past year, with respect to jw teachings about the timing of genesis 1, that even in things that really have no impact on what most jws think of as "core doctrine" the watchtower society sticks to its traditions over what the bible says.
this was again brought home in the september, 2006 awake!
17 between me and the sons of israel it is a sign to time indefinite, because in six days jehovah made the heavens and the earth and on the seventh day he rested and proceeded to refresh himself.
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AlmostAtheist
Is all the name calling and bluster leading us away from the issue? There is a simple question on the table and it's getting lost in all the peripheral stuff.
How do you reconcile a billions-year-old earth with the scriptures cited in Exodus?
If you don't have an answer, that's ok. Faith means moving ahead with a belief, even when you face stuff like this. But if anyone has an answer, it would be great to hear it.
By "answer", I mean one that addresses the issue raised. Listing all the ways the word day can be defined doesn't address it at all. Ignoring it, since creation wasn't the subject under discussion doesn't address it. (If you think those two arguments DO address it, please explain.)
Dave
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AlmostAtheist
>>Okay, is it just me or does anyone else kinda miss Terry's man-boobs?
Yeah, it's just you. ;-)
Dave
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Spirits of the Dead - love this brochure
by moomanchu inthis is a fun brochure to read after you have been out for awhile makes you realize how crazy it all was.. i listed some good quotes, there's more.. .
spirits have no tlived and died on earth (cept those bad angels before the flood).
spirits exist!
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AlmostAtheist
>>Its the second time i hear from trusty people a demon-story about opened doors.
There are stories like that, tons of them. Like you, I find it hard to believe that these people are all lying, fooling themselves, or having pranks pulled on them.
I wonder though, why people are so quick to assume they know what it is? Why does "unexplained open door" mean "evil spirit", or a spirit at all? I know it doesn't help answer the question to ask MORE questions, but it seems curious to me that whenever someone sees a glowing thing that is human shaped, they call it a ghost. And whenever books fly off the wall, they assume it's an evil spirit.
Germs and viruses cause horrific effects, but they don't KNOW they do it. They aren't "evil" in any conscious sense. And until only recently in human existence, we lacked the technology to know they were there. Why doesn't anyone wonder if these effects are also non-intelligent effects of some low-level creature? Or perhaps not a creature at all?
I think I tend to give less credence to these types of stories exactly because the people telling them "have seen a ghost", when in fact they have no idea what they've seen. They don't know what it is, and they've labeled it "ghost".
Dave
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The Watchtower and Creation
by AlanF init struck me this past year, with respect to jw teachings about the timing of genesis 1, that even in things that really have no impact on what most jws think of as "core doctrine" the watchtower society sticks to its traditions over what the bible says.
this was again brought home in the september, 2006 awake!
17 between me and the sons of israel it is a sign to time indefinite, because in six days jehovah made the heavens and the earth and on the seventh day he rested and proceeded to refresh himself.
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AlmostAtheist
This is inaccurate HS, just as his inability to accept other texts using the word "day" for an event or epoch of known or unknown length.
I don't think there's any disagreement that "day" CAN mean something different than a 24-hour day. It clearly can. The question is "How was it meant to be understood by the one that wrote it?"
There are many clues pointing to a literal 24-hour day being the intent. I haven't seen any arguments against that from this thread. The only argument that has been repeated over and over is, "But 'DAY' doesn't always mean '24 HR DAY'!" Yes, that's true. But sometimes it does. What reason do you have to say this isn't one of those times?
Saying "The physical facts of the universe show it to be non-literal" isn't much of an argument, in light of the many other things in the Bible that are in conflict with physical facts.
Saying, "Creation wasn't being discussed -- the sabbath was!" doesn't hold water, either. You don't apply that same sort of reasoning to the "circle of the earth" and 'hanging the earth upon nothing' verses that get pointed to as proof of the scientific accuracy of the Bible. Whether creation was the central theme of the discussion or not, the statement was made.
Would you accept that sort of reasoning anywhere else? If I said to you, "Oh, I've seen that movie! I was in Fresno with some friends and we saw it," would you be comfortable when I later told you I'd never been to Fresno? And when you called me on it, if I told you "Well, we were talking about the MOVIE, not places we've been," would that assuage you? You might buy that I got my facts wrong, but would you buy that God got HIS wrong? I'm really not able to understand how you can blow this off.
Dave
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As "Believers" in the bible do you feel "foolish" at the things you swallow
by booker-t ini was listening to a radio program the other day and i must admit after the dj finished i felt so foolish to be a believer in the bible.
he was asking listeners if someone were to come up to them now and say that their donkey talked to them or their snake said a sentence to them or that their neighbor turned into a pile of salt would they want that person committed as "crazy" or want to know what "drugs" they were on.
but as believers in the bible we swallow anything it says without proof and rely solely on faith.
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AlmostAtheist
If there really is an almighty god, it would be child's play for him to make a donkey talk, or any of the other miracles. If I were a believer, I wouldn't have a problem with any of that.
Some of it, though, doesn't make logical sense. Like the donkey talking. No problem there. But Balaam listened to him, and even carried on a conversation! In reality, he would've run away scared, thinking his donkey was full of demons. THAT's the sort of thing that would make me feel foolish for believing.
Dave
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Gone before his time -- Phil Hartman
by AlmostAtheist ini was youtube'ing the other day and ran across this memorial to phil hartman.
it is only his work on newsradio, but it captures the man nicely.
the song it's set to brought tears to my eyes: .
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AlmostAtheist
Just watched this YouTube thingy again. I really, really wish he hadn't died. :-(
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Nothing.
by Narkissos inperhaps this paradoxical "topic" is one with which we here have dealt a little more, or a little more consciously, than the average population.. we used to have our heads full of beliefs (which we called "truth") in every direction: on theology, on cosmology, on paleontology, on past history, on so-called prophetic future, on heaven above, on earth, on she'ol beneath.
on many things -- current events, traditions, other peoples' beliefs and behaviours -- we had strong opinions which were directly or indirectly (the famous "conscience" matters) part of the same deal.
and of course our life was filled with activities and relationships, a community of "friends," people to "help" or "teach," etc.. then, gradually or suddenly, we came to suspect, often with a measure of terror, that all of this was not what we had thought and might sooner or later turn into... nothing.. this "nothing" is perhaps one of the most scary thoughts to people contemplating leaving the org one way or another.
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AlmostAtheist
>>It is our own consciousness that causes fear because we have no gauruntees in life.
Is it our consciousness, or our thoughts, that cause fear? Stopping thought is not easy, but if you manage it even for a moment, you'll love it. No thought, no fear, no hope, no dread. Nothing is Everything.
Dave
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Why did/do Jewish folks not believe Jesus was their messiah?
by Kudra inalso, what would constitute the presence of the messiah today (or whenever he does come)?
could a jewish guy just say that he is the messiah?
how would he prove this?
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AlmostAtheist
I had a thread on this once, Kudra, you might glean some info from it: The Jewish Messiah?
Dave