the pastor who i knew a few years ago is comming from wva to preach today and i though it would be nice to talk to him again.
the religion doesn't do anything for me but i sometimes like meeting some of the people there.. i hate wearing a tie though, it reminds me so much of all those years years at the kh.
at least i won't have to give a talk and conduct the wt study.. ken p..
"How do you make yourself believe something you don't see any evidence for?"
Why not just live your life the best you can and forget about this supernatural rubbish?
You dont need a god. You dont need a saviour. You just need yourself and the love of your fellow human beings. The answers are already inside you.
in the new awake!
there is a short experience of a young sister who said: "we don't celebrate granparents day".
what is the basis for this conclusion?
I think we need an "APOSTATE DAY", since we have the entire globe represented here on JWD, it would be a truly global event....
I nominate January 8, the date Rutherford kicked the bucket...
i can not remember anything in the bible, that said the book of revelations would be the end of god's word to man.
at the same time, i know there are many parts to the accounts in the bible, that were not put in or are not accepted as inspired by god.
with this in mind, what if your morning started like this;.
The issue is not convincing anybody that said event happened, the issue is proving that such an event could indeed be classified as "supernatural". The term "supernatural" merely denotes an event of object for which there is no known explanation in the physical world. As science progresses, these once "supernatural" events are becoming understood as relatively mundane, "natural" occurrences.
Modern neuroscience is at the point where ANY perceptual experience, no matter how "supernatural" it may seem to the perceiver, may be explained by simple, neurochemical reactions in the brain. Speak to a person who has experienced LSD and you are sure to hear of some "encounters" with the "supernatural"......the reality? Hyperexcitation at the NMDA synapse, most likely in the amygdala and prefrontal cortex.
many here seem to believe that the position of agnosticism is somehow more reasonable than theism or atheism.
nonsense!
it is a misconception to believe that belief or non-belief in the existence of god/s are the two extremes which glare at each other over the fence of agnosticism.
Ross,
I think we can both agree that there either is a god, or there is not. These possibilities are mutually exclusive. I think we would also both agree that the question is important if one is to form the most adaptive conception of one's respective place in the universe, one's view of human mortality, the afterlife, etc. I simply dont accept the notion that it is a "fence sitters" dichotomy. I stand by my original comment that it is intellectual laziness, but obviously this does not imply laziness in every domain, merely on that particular question, so I'm not sure why you are implying this is a blanket insult to those calling themselves agnostics... it is'nt. It is also not an issue of me wanting the "fence sitters" to join my "camp". I could care either way, indeed, I have no axe to grind with any reasonable person professing faith in god or any other supernatural realm for that matter. Life would be rather dull if we all subscribed to the same belief system.
You bring up the issue of evolution. IMHO, we have evolved to the point where we can apply our brain's cognitive faculties of reasoning to logically weigh the evidence and test the hypothesis. You and I have come up with completely different answers: but at least we have made the attempt and have come up with answers that we individually are satisfied with! LOL....
Imagine a research scientist with a well-funded laboratory, great grad students and equipment, etc etc, suddenly taking the position "well, gee, I dont know....maybe there is a cure for cancer, maybe there is'nt....I know I can perform some reasonable experiments to come up with an answer, but since I really CANT be sure a priori, I'm gonna sit on my ass and wait for the answer to come to me!"....Is the position of the agnostic any different? They know they are perfectly capable of weighing the evidence for or against, and as I said previously, it matters not what they choose to count as evidence, either way, is it really so difficult to analyse the evidence (be it emotional, physical, experiential or empirical) and come up with a reasoned conclusion?
hi everyone, just wondering what your thoughts are on people that say they are born gay?
ive heard that this isnt actually possible, and that there is no scientific backing to it, im personaly not gay but i was just wondering what some of you think on this matter, and if you have anything to back it up with, thanks,.
.
There is now overwhelming evidence, particularly from the field of neuroscience and neuroendocrinology demonstrating unequivocally the strong biological, inborn basis for sexual orientation. This evidence has been demonstrated behaviourally, through imaging and detailed morphological and cytological investigations both in humans and other animals.
Qcmbr, once again you have demonstrated brilliantly that you are as ignorant as you are bigoted. This is not particularly surprising given that you received your science education from the book of mormon (the fictional testimony of jesus christ) and the latter-day ignoramuses. Next time, do some research before spouting off a load of horseshit about subject matter you neither understand nor are even remotely aware of.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 May 23;103(21):8269-74. Epub 2006 May 16.
Department of Medicine, and Stockholm Brain Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, 171 76 Stockholm, Sweden.
The progesterone derivative 4,16-androstadien-3-one (AND) and the estrogen-like steroid estra-1,3,5(10),16-tetraen-3-ol (EST) are candidate compounds for human pheromones. In previous positron emission tomography studies, we found that smelling AND and EST activated regions primarily incorporating the sexually dimorphic nuclei of the anterior hypothalamus, that this activation was differentiated with respect to sex and compound, and that homosexual men processed AND congruently with heterosexual women rather than heterosexual men. These observations indicate involvement of the anterior hypothalamus in physiological processes related to sexual orientation in humans. We expand the information on this issue in the present study by performing identical positron emission tomography experiments on 12 lesbian women. In contrast to heterosexual women, lesbian women processed AND stimuli by the olfactory networks and not the anterior hypothalamus. Furthermore, when smelling EST, they partly shared activation of the anterior hypothalamus with heterosexual men. These data support our previous results about differentiated processing of pheromone-like stimuli in humans and further strengthen the notion of a coupling between hypothalamic neuronal circuits and sexual preferences.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005 May 17;102(20):7356-61. Epub 2005 May 9.
Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska University Hospital, 171 76 Stockholm, Sweden. [email protected]
The testosterone derivative 4,16-androstadien-3-one (AND) and the estrogen-like steroid estra-1,3,5(10),16-tetraen-3-ol (EST) are candidate compounds for human pheromones. AND is detected primarily in male sweat, whereas EST has been found in female urine. In a previous positron emission tomography study, we found that smelling AND and EST activated regions covering sexually dimorphic nuclei of the anterior hypothalamus, and that this activation was differentiated with respect to sex and compound. In the present study, the pattern of activation induced by AND and EST was compared among homosexual men, heterosexual men, and heterosexual women. In contrast to heterosexual men, and in congruence with heterosexual women, homosexual men displayed hypothalamic activation in response to AND. Maximal activation was observed in the medial preoptic area/anterior hypothalamus, which, according to animal studies, is highly involved in sexual behavior. As opposed to putative pheromones, common odors were processed similarly in all three groups of subjects and engaged only the olfactory brain (amygdala, piriform, orbitofrontal, and insular cortex). These findings show that our brain reacts differently to the two putative pheromones compared with common odors, and suggest a link between sexual orientation and hypothalamic neuronal processes.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1992 Aug 1;89(15):7199-202.
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of California, Los Angeles 90024.
The anterior commissure, a fiber tract that is larger in its midsagittal area in women than in men, was examined in 90 postmortem brains from homosexual men, heterosexual men, and heterosexual women. The midsagittal plane of the anterior commissure in homosexual men was 18% larger than in heterosexual women and 34% larger than in heterosexual men. This anatomical difference, which correlates with gender and sexual orientation, may, in part, underlie differences in cognitive function and cerebral lateralization among homosexual men, heterosexual men, and heterosexual women. Moreover, this finding of a difference in a structure not known to be related to reproductive functions supports the hypothesis that factors operating early in development differentiate sexually dimorphic structures and functions of the brain, including the anterior commissure and sexual orientation, in a global fashion.
1: Arch Sex Behav. 1995 Dec;24(6):585-93. Links
Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver 80262, USA.
MEG-based auditory M100 source location in the left and right hemispheres of 8 strictly homosexual and 9 strictly heterosexual males were compared to determine if this measure of interhemispheric laterality varies as a function of sexual orientation. MEG fields evoked by auditory tone pips were recorded from left and right hemispheres in response to contralateral ear stimulation. The source of the 100-msec latency component, generated in the superior temporal gyrus, was estimated using a least squares inverse solution algorithm. Auditory sources in heterosexual men were significantly further anterior in the right hemisphere compared to the left hemisphere. Source locations in the homosexual men did not exhibit significant interhemispheric asymmetry, being similarly located in both hemispheres. Findings suggest an anatomic and/or functional difference in the superior temporal gyrus of at least some homosexual men.
Horm Behav. 1995 Mar;29(1):31-41.
Carroll College, Helena, Montana 59601, USA.
This study examined endocrine components of sexual orientation of male sheep. Sexual orientation of adult rams was identified through standardized sexual performance tests. Four rams that copulated with ewes, four rams that never mounted females and copulated with males, and eight ewes were used in the experiments. Exogenous estradiol benzoate (50 micrograms, i.m.) stimulated (P < .05) a preovulatory-like LH surge 16-22 hr after administration to females. Estradiol did not (P > .05) affect LH release of heterosexual or homosexual rams. Thirty days after the estradiol challenge, sheep were euthanized and areas of the amygdala (AMY), hypothalamus (HYP), anterior pituitary (AP), and preoptic area (POA) of the hypothalamus were collected. Occupied and unoccupied content of estradiol receptors (ER) was determined. The content of ER in the amygdala of both homosexual rams and ewes was similar, but less than (P < .05) the content of ER in heterosexual rams. The ER content measured in other brain regions did not differ by sex or orientation. In summary, results from these data show that the preovulatory LH surge mechanism that is a characteristic of the female does not occur in either homosexual or heterosexual rams. Conversely, the ER content of the AMY of homosexual rams is similar to that of ewes and differs from the heterosexual male. Differences in ER content between heterosexual and homosexual rams imply that the amygdala serves as a link for input from potential mates. These data suggest that the amygdala not only plays a role in sexual behavior but may be involved in sexual orientation of rams.
Curr Biol. 2006 Jan 10;16(1):63-8.
Institute of Neuroradiology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland.
Face perception is mediated by a distributed neural system in the human brain . The response to faces is modulated by cognitive factors such as attention, visual imagery, and emotion ; however, the effects of gender and sexual orientation are currently unknown. We used fMRI to test whether subjects would respond more to their sexually preferred faces and predicted such modulation in the reward circuitry. Forty heterosexual and homosexual men and women viewed photographs of male and female faces and assessed facial attractiveness. Regardless of their gender and sexual orientation, all subjects similarly rated the attractiveness of both male and female faces. Within multiple, bilateral face-selective regions in the visual cortex, limbic system, and prefrontal cortex, similar patterns of activation were found in all subjects in response to both male and female faces. Consistent with our hypothesis, we found a significant interaction between stimulus gender and the sexual preference of the subject in the thalamus and medial orbitofrontal cortex, where heterosexual men and homosexual women responded more to female faces and heterosexual women and homosexual men responded more to male faces. Our findings suggest that sexual preference modulates face-evoked activation in the reward circuitry.
Brain Res. 2004 Oct 22;1024(1-2):251-4.
Committee on Human Development, University of Chicago, 5848 S. University Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, USA. [email protected]
A number of studies have shown a relationship between "sexual orientation" and size of various brain nuclei. We hypothesized that neurotransmitter differences might parallel neuroanatomical differences in the hypothalamus. We administered 40 mg of fluoxetine as a challenge to the serotonergic systems of exclusively homosexual and exclusively heterosexual men and measured cerebral metabolic changes with fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET). The metabolic differences we observed might reflect underlying neurochemical differences between homosexual and heterosexual men.
Science. 1991 Aug 30;253(5023):1034-7.
Salk Institute for Biological Studies, San Diego, CA 92186.
The anterior hypothalamus of the brain participates in the regulation of male-typical sexual behavior. The volumes of four cell groups in this region [interstitial nuclei of the anterior hypothalamus (INAH) 1, 2, 3, and 4] were measured in postmortem tissue from three subject groups: women, men who were presumed to be heterosexual, and homosexual men. No differences were found between the groups in the volumes of INAH 1, 2, or 4. As has been reported previously, INAH 3 was more than twice as large in the heterosexual men as in the women. It was also, however, more than twice as large in the heterosexual men as in the homosexual men. This finding indicates that INAH is dimorphic with sexual orientation, at least in men, and suggests that sexual orientation has a biological substrate.
do you ever feel like god really hates you?
when nothing ever works out for you?
when you're stupid enough to actually think that you might find happiness?
Cheer up my dear, there are better days ahead!
Sounds like we need a Toronto Apostafest so we can buy you a few cocktails!
many here seem to believe that the position of agnosticism is somehow more reasonable than theism or atheism.
nonsense!
it is a misconception to believe that belief or non-belief in the existence of god/s are the two extremes which glare at each other over the fence of agnosticism.
"Atheism is not the belief that there is no god, it is the lack of belief that god does exist."
Nic raises a valid point. I believe the label of agnosticism results from a misunderstanding of the atheist position. As has been stated many times before, atheism is not a "de novo" theory or hypothesis, because it only exists as a philosophical position as the result of the pre-existing theory that "there is a god". The onus is NOT on the atheist to prove or disprove the existence of a god, the onus is upon the believer (who is putting forth the hypothesis) to prove its existence either way. The atheist has simply conducted their OWN tests, and given the complete lack of evidence for a god, has accepted the null hypothesis of the god theory: the hypothesis is not correct, ergo, there is no god.
Therefore, simply waving ones hands in the air and saying "I dont know" represents intellectual and empirical laziness. Either there IS a god, or there is NOT a god. There is no "middle ground" in this equation. If there IS a god, you should be able to find evidence, and it is irrelevant what form you chose that evidence to take. Little Toe has his own evidence for his beliefs. Those claiming the atheist position have decided there is no sufficient evidence.
Those claiming agnosticism, IMHO, simply lack the respect for their own belief structures to carefully examine the evidence, for or against and arrive at some coherent position.
i read a poll today that said atheists numbered 26% in israel.
russia and europe were about the same percentage, too.
the united states had the fewest at only 1% who identified as atheists.
I think these polls hugely underestimate the number of "non-believers" in North America, or any other region of the world.
The problem is the questions inevitably are highly superficial "surface" questions like "do you believe in a higher power" or "do you believe in god".
Most people raised in a Western culture simply say "yes" as a means of conforming to what they percieve as a cultural norm. Dig deeper, and I would
estimate the overwhelming majority of those saying yes (with the exception of the hard-core religious) would not be able to elaborate on the purpose or meaning
of this cultural "belief" structure. These polls are about as meaningful as 99% percent of people answering "yes" to the question: do you believe the sky is blue?
The other major problem comes from trying to precisely define what "belief in god" actually means. I believe it is simply a default position most people in Western
society take, without seriously questioning or examining the meaning of the belief, simply because the concept of a "god" is an ancient social meme.
Here, watch Batman running with a bomb....LOL.....
i have often wondered..... they say jehovah is the begining and the end, and that he can read every heart.
if so, did he not know eve would eat the fruit and then adam would follow?
did he not know satan would try to pull his weight?
"You should write lad."
LOL....I dont really need to, Shazard has been supplying me with all my material, free of charge!
