Posts by slimboyfat

32

This Article Won't Change Your Mind - Great Read

by cofty in

this article won’t change your mind - the facts on why facts alone can’t fight false beliefs.

brilliant article in the atlantic by julie beck discussing the phenomena of cognitive dissonance and how it affects religious and political beliefs.

it includes some interesting thoughts on how social media has magnified the problem.. spoiler - she is not optimistic about the possibility of successfully reasoning with members of religious cults.. the article also has a link to the 45 minute audio version.. link....

slimboyfat

While it is true that facts and logic don’t change people's mind, that’s not to say that nothing will change people’s mind.

Social proof and arguments from authority often persuade people to reevaluate their position.

So the most effective things to say to JWs may include: JW growth has slowed down dramatically in recent years and many are leaving the organisation after finding information online. Or, the royal commission in Australia found that JWs are very poor at protecting children. In fact they found over a thousand cases of abuse and not a single one was reported to the police.

22

Do You Typically Accept The Press As Being Unbiased And Honest?

by minimus in

jw
friends

there is more “ yellow journalism “ than ever before!

newscasters and writers that you thought were trustworthy often miss the mark.. do you generally accept the “news” as being honest?.

slimboyfat

The anti-Russia bias on the BBC is getting quite alarming actually.

The other day Radio 4 informed me that “flat out denial is Putin’s favourite tactic”, and that, “offering to help with investigations in other countries is straight out of the Russian playbook”.

I don't know if those assemments are fair or not, but I wish BBC would stick to reporting what happens rather than telling me what to think about it.

They tell us so often on the BBC that Russia is behind the chemical attacks it really makes me wonder if they protest too much.

24

Elon Musk causing an uproar on Twitter

by Tallon in

elon musk has called one of the thai cave rescue divers a 'paedo' on twitter.. this could prove to be a very costly post should the diver sue him for defamation.. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jul/15/elon-musk-british-diver-thai-cave-rescue-pedo-twitter.

slimboyfat

Elon Musk, is he the perfume guy?

32

This Article Won't Change Your Mind - Great Read

by cofty in

this article won’t change your mind - the facts on why facts alone can’t fight false beliefs.

brilliant article in the atlantic by julie beck discussing the phenomena of cognitive dissonance and how it affects religious and political beliefs.

it includes some interesting thoughts on how social media has magnified the problem.. spoiler - she is not optimistic about the possibility of successfully reasoning with members of religious cults.. the article also has a link to the 45 minute audio version.. link....

slimboyfat

Facts and logic don’t convince people. I’m glad you’re coming round!

https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5674413485719552/how-do-we-know-jws-wrong-how-do-we-convince-others-jws-wrong-logic-versus-persuasion

43

Be Couragous! - (Like The Governing Body?)

by pale.emperor in

i was watching lloyd evans rebuttal to the saturday program of the be courageous convention.

lloyd pointed out something that had occurred to me as well:.

all this talk and examples of courage, whether it be standing up in class defending intelligent design, putting up with being imprisoned, not running away from bullies, always having a reply to someone who tries to ridicule your faith... the young ones are encourages - nay, commanded - to stand their ground and be courageous.

slimboyfat

And Jaracz refusing to speak to the BBC.

56

Signs You Would Like To See At Watchtower Convention

by Brokeback Watchtower in

i think gb loesch has made some pretty bold statements that could be put in quotes with his picture attached could be a real killer!.

believe and obey only the faithful slave, don't believe any negative comment about us in the press believe only us.. google: child molestation watchtower bible and tract society, klick on wikki.. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/jehovah%27s_witnesses%27_handling_of_child_sex_abuse.

slimboyfat

“There are people in your congregation who don’t believe it but are afraid to say so.”

9

Sells out of KHs

by asp59 in

i just wonder about the 3000 buildings that are gonna be sold out.

seems like a lot.

but how much is it in percentage of the buildings they own that are gonna be sold?.

slimboyfat

I think I remember one of the videos said there are something like 70,000 Kingdom Halls worldwide. That would mean just under two congregations per Kingdom Hall on average, which sounds about right when you consider the combination of rural Kingdom Halls with one congregation, urban Kingdom Halls with multiple congregations, and congregations in poorer countries with no Kingdom Hall that rent out facilities.

I wonder if there are any other religious groups with that many buildings worldwide? My guess is that only the Catholic Church and maybe the Anglican Church actually own more buildings.

28

What happened to Caleb and Sofia?

by Sliced in

where are the "golden children" lately?

lol .

slimboyfat

It would be neat if some apostate with skills “extended” the series to where Caleb and Sophia grew up, went to college, acquired critical thinking, and struck out on their own.

62

Is There Life After Death

by Brokeback Watchtower in

i think this is a well developed discussion, of ian stevenson's work in investigating people's past lives claims.

it's a little long.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0attm9hgcdw.

slimboyfat

There is no evidence for us to believe that humans have been singled out for this extraordinary experience.

Really? As far as we know we are the only beings that have ever contemplated the origins of the universe and its purpose. The very fact we can pose the question, and apparently make sense of the universe, puts us in an extraordinary and unique position. Why did the universe give rise to beings that can pose these questions? Just random luck and for no reason? Maybe, I guess. But even that possibility seems utterly mysterious and awe inspiring.

62

Is There Life After Death

by Brokeback Watchtower in

i think this is a well developed discussion, of ian stevenson's work in investigating people's past lives claims.

it's a little long.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0attm9hgcdw.

slimboyfat

But does it really?

I know for sure that I feel the sensation of a chair because I feel that sensation directly. I can see the chair, touch it, or sit on it. All these sensations I can vouch for personally. But as for the physical reality of the chair, I’m pretty confident about that too, but it is one step removed from my direct experience inasmuch as I am not myself the chair. I only sense the existence of the chair secondhand, whereas I experience my own existence first hand. So should I be more confident about my own existence as a conscious being or about the existence of the chair as a physical reality? Surely my own consciousness takes priority.

Dennett seems to say we should be sure about the existence of the chair, but our own consciousness is a kind of delusion. But this kind of materialism is self defeating since it is only through our conscious experience that we know anything about the physical world in the first place. If we doubt our consciousness then how can we know anything about the physical world?