Posts by slimboyfat

51

Without god what is the basis of morality?

by OneEyedJoe in

i'm sure most here who've questioned or left behind their belief in god have encountered this question - without god, what basis can there be for morality?

my exwife, when i admitted that i was an atheist, once asked me "if you don't believe in god, what's to stop you from going out and raping and murdering?

" previously, whenever i got this objection, i would tend to turn it around on the other person with a response along the lines of "if fear of god is the only thing that stops you from murdering, that makes me rather nervous to be around you.

slimboyfat

Sometimes in these discussions it seems as if we assume that unless there is an objective or absolute basis for morality, then it is empty or there is no point.

It is as if morality is either an exact form of knowledge like mathematics, or else it’s just a matter of opinion like your favourite colour. I tend to think it’s something in between those extremes. We can give good reasons and arguments in favour of moral positions, but we can’t prove absolutes. I can live with that.

And Cofty I already know you don’t believe God exists. You think I would still be unsure where you stand on this?

51

Without god what is the basis of morality?

by OneEyedJoe in

i'm sure most here who've questioned or left behind their belief in god have encountered this question - without god, what basis can there be for morality?

my exwife, when i admitted that i was an atheist, once asked me "if you don't believe in god, what's to stop you from going out and raping and murdering?

" previously, whenever i got this objection, i would tend to turn it around on the other person with a response along the lines of "if fear of god is the only thing that stops you from murdering, that makes me rather nervous to be around you.

slimboyfat

There can be lots of bases for moral stances. We can rely on tradition, instinct, aesthetics, authority, religion, ethical systems such as utilitarianism and so on. So there are lots of different ways of constructing your system of ethics.

But is there an objective or absolute answer to ethical questions? Without God personally I don’t see how there can be. God gets to decide what is right and wrong. If not God, then what?

4

looking for old lapel badges

by blownaway in

other than ebay anyone have any idea of where to look?.

slimboyfat

Is one with a Unitarian insert any use?

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.