AlmostAtheist

Joined

• started 257 topics
• posted 5,296 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by AlmostAtheist

• 
  46

  If Creationism is true explain races.

  by DeViL DriVeR 76 in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  so the bible speaks of how multiple languages came to be in babylon with the tower of babel, you all know the story.

  ok so thats the bibles view on languages but what about races?

  how are some people light skin others dark?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  AlmostAtheist

  Here are two YouTube videos about the races, once from a creationist point of view, and another from an atheist's point of view:

  (Creationist) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDwuntmK1-0

  (Atheist) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_ojygkX_U0

  Dave
• 
  34

  If you could repeat your life.

  by DJK in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  sorry for the edit.

  this may have been a topic before.. i got the idea for this from crumpets thread "if i could make your dreams come true what would they be?".

  i have been asked many times "if i could go back in my life and change it, what would i do?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  AlmostAtheist

  Tough question, even ignoring all the "if you change this pain now, then you'll not have learned this lesson for later" sort of logic.

  I think I would go back and get a solid education in religion of all types very early in life. Then I could have been an atheist much, much earlier. Many of my poor life decisions stemmed from my beliefs at the time.

  I'd only buy what I could afford, and not finance a car for more than three years.

  I'd drop that rock a foot further to the left when I was 7, so it would splash mud on the kid below -- which was my intention -- instead of landing on his foot and hurting him so much. In fact, hopefully I'd not drop the rock in the first place. (Again, ignoring the valuable lesson I learned from this)

  I'd never have started smoking.

  Before Angie moved away in 8th grade, I'd've gotten her phone number and kept in touch.

  Dave
• 
  23

  Athiests you shall repent or else !!!!!!!!

  by 5go in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  athiests.

  i find your lack of faith disturbing !.

  you don't know the power of the christianity.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  AlmostAtheist

  Zachary handed me a sheet of paper the other day. He had written the number "4" on it several times in various sizes. I looked at for a few seconds, then looked at him quizzically.

  He said, "May the four's be with you."

  The kid kills me!

  Dave of the Jedi class
• 
  10

  Shocking Video (Christian Fundamentalist)

  by Sirona in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i just saw this and i am really shocked by it.. a young lady on stage (at a graduation ceremony) utters a prayer which condemns the intellect and using the mind, but then starts to have some kind of religious "experience" on stage.

  very unusual and shocking.. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=05e_1179404140&p=1.

  sirona.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  AlmostAtheist

  Interesting that she started off by "repenting" for her peers. I'm sure the Jews, pagans, atheists, and Jehovah's Witnesses in the audience appreciated that! ;-)

  Funky's right, that MC really handled it well.

  Dave
• 
  450

  Isn't God Awesome?

  by Perry in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  http://wonderofitall.com/

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  AlmostAtheist

  >>As Einstein astutely stated, "God does not play dice with the universe".

  Einstein was rebutting the growing thinking among his peers that the universe was random, non-deterministic. There was a feeling that at the quantum level, things happened randomly -- truly randomly -- generating effects without causes. He didn't agree with that, and used "god" and "dice" to illustrate his point.

  He was not testifying at the altar, he was making a point.

  This is not to say anything about his personal spiritual beliefs. Only to provide context for his words.

  Dave
• 
  13

  Did the Bible writers think people would suffer in a burning hell?

  by AlmostAtheist in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there's all sorts of reasoning about whether or not there's a real, burning hell contained in the bible.

  the idea is so counter to the idea of a loving god, that even serious bible-thumpers often think of hell as a "separation from god" and not an actual place of torment.. but what did the bible writers really intend when they penned the words?

  did they have in mind a literal place of torment, or not?.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  AlmostAtheist

  Well, I still couldn't sleep, so I had my chance and I took it. I see now why you and others so enjoy digging through this stuff! It's really a science just like any other, this study of the evolution of religion. And it would seem that just as there are people all over the "hell spectrum" today, so it has been for millennia. Just amazingly interesting, thank you!

  The brutal imagery in some of that stuff was beyond comprehension. People hanging from their tongues? I actually laughed, though, when it said that these tongue-hangers were ALSO suspended over fire. Like the torturer hung these guys from their tongues, then thought, "No, it's not quite enough." Love it!

  BTW, there is a scholarly reference book I think you might want to take a gander at. It's called "Reasoning From the Scriptures". It helps you to understand that words like "torment" and "hanging from their tongues" actually mean "locked in a prison-like state of death" and "given a cookie and told to go away". I'm sure you'll enjoy it. ;-)

  Dave
• 
  13

  Did the Bible writers think people would suffer in a burning hell?

  by AlmostAtheist in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there's all sorts of reasoning about whether or not there's a real, burning hell contained in the bible.

  the idea is so counter to the idea of a loving god, that even serious bible-thumpers often think of hell as a "separation from god" and not an actual place of torment.. but what did the bible writers really intend when they penned the words?

  did they have in mind a literal place of torment, or not?.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  AlmostAtheist

  >>It took quite a while to put that list together

  And it's appreciated! I have my kids all this weekend, so I haven't had time to read it all through. But I will, and I thank you for it!

  Dave
• 
  31

  Dog fighting: What do you think of it?

  by UnConfused in

  1. social
  2. current

  for me the concept of pitting animals together to fight, maim and rip the flesh off one another is beyond cruel and inhumane.

  what do you think of dog fighting at all - does anyone out there condone or enjoy that type of "entertainment"?

  football player michael vick in being investigated for dog fighting.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  AlmostAtheist

  My first, knee-jerk reaction is be revolted at the thought. It's slavery, forcing a creature to do something that doesn't benefit it, for your own pleasure. Absolutely wrong.

  Then I remember seeing a truck yesterday driving down the highway. It was tractor-trailer, fully stacked with tiny cages into which had been stuffed live chickens. These birds were crammed in, feathers askew, legs sticking out thru the wire. They were on their sides, couldn't move at all. At first, I assumed they were dead, or perhaps not birds at all. But then I saw a few moving, shifting around. It occurred to me that they were probably on their way to become the next chicken sandwich I would buy.

  And after a moment's consideration, I decided that I WOULD be buying that sandwich. Despite the cruel way I think those animals were treated.

  So, I'm still thinking dog fighting (and cock fighting, and anything like it) is not right. I'm even of the opinion that no one should be allowed to do it, thus suggesting that everyone's opinion ought to match my own. (Eek!) But I still have to remember those chickens... and know I don't own the moral high ground.

  Dave
• 
  13

  Did the Bible writers think people would suffer in a burning hell?

  by AlmostAtheist in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there's all sorts of reasoning about whether or not there's a real, burning hell contained in the bible.

  the idea is so counter to the idea of a loving god, that even serious bible-thumpers often think of hell as a "separation from god" and not an actual place of torment.. but what did the bible writers really intend when they penned the words?

  did they have in mind a literal place of torment, or not?.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  AlmostAtheist

  There's all sorts of reasoning about whether or not there's a real, burning hell contained in the Bible. The idea is so counter to the idea of a loving God, that even serious Bible-thumpers often think of hell as a "separation from God" and not an actual place of torment.

  But what did the Bible writers really intend when they penned the words? Did they have in mind a literal place of torment, or not?

  I'm shooting this toward the Nark's and Leo's of the world, but anyone's thoughts are welcome.

  Dave
• 
  4

  JW POSITION ON SILICON MICROCHIP IMPLANTS

  by badboy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  some alzheimer's patients have had silicon chips implanted into them to keep track of them.. already one christian group says his could lead to the mark of the beast.. what is jw position?.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  AlmostAtheist

  I seriously doubt the Watchtower would say anything about it at all. Privately, individual dubs would kick it around in Field Service, and then the "I heard that one Circuit Overseer said..." stories would start up.

  In the end, they probably wouldn't care. They didn't freak out about social security numbers to my knowledge.

  Dave