Thanks for these, Hope! Both videos are good, and you're right about the kid -- he does an excellent job!
Dave
AlmostAtheist
JoinedPosts by AlmostAtheist
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7
The kid deserves an Oscar !
by Hope4Others ini recieved this in an email, did a quick search to see if this had been already posted here but did not see anything...... .
about 3 minutes the end is real funny http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwdihtv6t6s.
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You woke up yet?
by What-A-Coincidence inhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npfu_bykomc.
whether you love him or hate him, no one can deny alex jones' tireless passion for finding the truth and getting that truth out to the people.
this short video is an edited version of alex's 60-minute tv show from february 11th 2008 (his birthday!).
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AlmostAtheist
I understand there have been studies on fluoride and its effect on the brain. But have there been studies of the populations at large that are actually consuming the fluoride-water? Comparing France and the fluoride-consuming parts of Britain would be good for starters. Or for that matter, just comparing the fluoride-consuming parts of Canada to the non-fluoride-consuming parts. Those seem like they would be much more valuable than lab tests on rats.
Ideally, you'd like to think somebody would've done those sorts of studies, determined if it was really safe or not, then decided to add fluoride to the water. But since it's already been done for years, we have a great opportunity to study it in situ.
I skimmed the studies you listed, but holy cow, I can't begin to decipher a line like "Increasing the concentration of K+ from 5 to 20 mM potentiated [3H]inositol monophosphate production induced by carbachol but not by NaF." I did see one study in rats that used crazy-high levels of fluoride. But we don't have levels anywhere near that in our water.
Dave
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No birthdays doctrine destroyed
by DoomVoyager innot sure if anyone has pointed this out before, but behold the january 8th awake!, 2008, pages 26-27;.
are customs?.
customs are practices that apply to social life and are common to a particular place or class of people.
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AlmostAtheist
When I was about to leave, I mentioned the Pinata article from the Awake magazine to the elders, which made the same points about how something was viewed years ago need not affect how Christians view it today. I said, "If that's our attitude toward the Pinata, why don't we have the same attitude toward birthdays?"
One elder said, "We're not talking about Pinata's, we're talking about birthdays." In his mind, they were two completely different things. And I guess they are. One is in the "Watchtower says it's ok" category, and one isn't. :-)
You're right, of course. It just shows that the Watchtower is completely arbitrary about what it allows and what it forbids. The scriptures and "pagan origins" and all that crap serve only as justification.
Dave
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You woke up yet?
by What-A-Coincidence inhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npfu_bykomc.
whether you love him or hate him, no one can deny alex jones' tireless passion for finding the truth and getting that truth out to the people.
this short video is an edited version of alex's 60-minute tv show from february 11th 2008 (his birthday!).
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AlmostAtheist
I haven't looked into the fluoride-in-water thing, which the video seems mostly concerned about. Primarily, the video suggests that our IQ's have been reduced due to consumption of fluoride-water. Most of the U.S. puts fluoride in its drinking water, but only about half of Canada does. And France doesn't do it at all.
Are you aware of any studies comparing intelligence of populations where fluoride water is used, versus not? I see a few general intelligence studies lying around, and there doesn't seem to be any correlation between fluoride use and intelligence.
That's a lousy way to test it, granted, but the populations are there. We might as well use them.
Dave
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Islam's foundation cracking-Disillusioned and skeptical youth in war's wake
by nvrgnbk inviolence leaves young iraqis doubting clerics by sabrina tavernisepublished: march 4, 2008baghdad after almost five years of war, many young people in iraq, exhausted by constant firsthand exposure to the violence of religious extremism, say they have grown disillusioned with religious leaders and skeptical of the faith that they preach.
the reach of war.
after two months of interviews with 40 young people in five iraqi cities, a pattern of disenchantment emerged, in which young iraqis, both poor and middle class, blamed clerics for the violence and the restrictions that have narrowed their lives.
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AlmostAtheist
>> “The sheiks are making a society of nonbelievers.”
Sounds very much like, "Lord Jesus, protect me from your followers!"
Or as one woman put it, "I don't mind church -- it's the people I can't stand!"
Leadership ruining an otherwise good thing is pretty much standard practice...
Dave
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Been on JWD One Year Now - It's Been Nice Getting to Know You All
by flipper ini have certainly enjoyed this first year on jwd !
i've learned so much from you all, through the ups and downs of what any community experiences !
we all have something special to bring to jwd , and i want to thank each and every one of you for bringing what you do in an authentic way !
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AlmostAtheist
Your contributions are always appreciated, Mr. Flipper. So glad you and Flippette are here!
PEACE OUT
Dave
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No Bible = No God ???
by Sirona insomething has gotten on my nerves a bit recently.
there are numerous discussions regarding the validity of the bible which usually result in the following:.
* an exjw who has doubts about the bible concludes there is no god .
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AlmostAtheist
I see what you're saying Sirona. If you follow any of the "I'm leaning toward atheism" threads, it's not at all unusual to hear an atheist telling the poster, "Remember, BibleGod isn't the only god out there. You don't have to reject god to reject BibleGod."
So there are those that see things the way you do. I admit I've seen comments like the ones you're posting about. They make me cringe, too.
Dave
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Let's ask a question about Jesus
by hamilcarr inwhy are some of the pivotal events of jesus' life as recorded in the gospels shamelessly borrowed from pagan predecessors?
the following list is not supposed to be exhaustive: immaculate conception, son of god, death and resurrection, the last supper celebrated with bread and wine, an incarnate god who dies on a cross to redeem all sins, .... h. .
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AlmostAtheist
>> I haven't a clue what will satisfy you, so I just quote from wikipedia:
You don't need to satisfy me, I'm already satisfied that's they are ALL myths. You said you were curious about what the Christians on the board think about it. I can tell you what they think -- they've seen lengthy lists of so-called parallels, seen them slashed to nothing by research, and walked away feeling like there are no parallels at all.
It's the same trap people fall into when they assemble lists of contradictions in the Bible. Rather than present 10 really good ones that are unarguably contradictions, they present 100's of them that are at best only marginally contradictory. A bible-believer scans the lists, says "same ol', same ol'" and walks away believing the Bible is solid.
Which is why just saying, "Alexander the Great was thought to have been born of a virgin" or quoting a Wikipedia article specifically designed to make the "parallel point" isn't going to work. You need a few specific, well-documented examples.
Dave
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Let's ask a question about Jesus
by hamilcarr inwhy are some of the pivotal events of jesus' life as recorded in the gospels shamelessly borrowed from pagan predecessors?
the following list is not supposed to be exhaustive: immaculate conception, son of god, death and resurrection, the last supper celebrated with bread and wine, an incarnate god who dies on a cross to redeem all sins, .... h. .
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AlmostAtheist
>> Dionysus was, for example, the Son of God, born from a virgin.
That's another one that kind of iffy, especially from a Christian's perspective. Dionysus was the son of Zeus, who impregnated Semele by taking the form of a lightning bolt. A person might say, "Well, it's the same thing. A non-human impregnation took place, whether you call it 'holy spirit' or a 'lightning bolt', it's still a virgin birth." But I don't get the impression it's presented as a "virgin birth" in the legend. It doesn't help that the mother is destroyed in the process of conception, and it is ultimately Zeus that carries the fetus.
To call this story a parallel with the Jesus one seems a bit of a stretch, when you get all the details laid out.
>> I was curious to hear what some of the christians on JWD think about this.
I'm curious too, but the more well-read of the group will slash single-sentence items like this to ribbons. Or just ignore them.
>> Also real Greek heroes like Alexander the Great were believed to be born from a virgin, conceived by God. Wine and bread were widely used symbols of redemption of sins in a variety of mystery cults.
You seem to be well-read on the topic, too. Could you perhaps assemble a brief list of references that support the "Alexander" and "bread/wine" comments? Then we'd have something to discuss.
Dave
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Roll Call - Muster Time ...
by snowbird inwho's on the board right now?.
snowbird checking in.. sylvia.
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AlmostAtheist
>> it's supposed to continue to snow until 4pm tomorrow. I took some pictures this morning before I left for work.
When I started work this morning at 830am (at home, sitting in my chair, with the blinds open) there wasn't a snowflake to be found. By noon, everything was completely covered. And now it's blowing by in giant, wintry, amorphous specters.
Pretty, but I surely wouldn't wanna be out in it!
Dave