M*A*S*H

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Posts by M*A*S*H

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  579

  Won't get fooled again ...Moon Landing.

  by The Rebel in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so i was fooled by the witnesses.

  what can i learn from that?

  not to accept things at face value but to seek out opinion and different view points.. hence my question " do you believe man landed on the moon?.

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  M*A*S*H

  So is this a good time to mention that the moon is actually a holographic projection? http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread844642/pg1
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  579

  Won't get fooled again ...Moon Landing.

  by The Rebel in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so i was fooled by the witnesses.

  what can i learn from that?

  not to accept things at face value but to seek out opinion and different view points.. hence my question " do you believe man landed on the moon?.

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  M*A*S*H

  Holy cow... just popped in to say hello and arrived here right at the end of this particularly stinky thread.

  Now this topic is littered with links to and had much evidence posted that help demonstrates that 'we' went to the moon... I am wondering if anyone has changed their mind on the subject?
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  284

  I'm an ABSENTHEIST. Are you also?

  by EdenOne in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  it just dawned on me.

  the existence of god can't be proved, neither is there evidence of god's inexistence.

  so, i'm neither theist neither atheist.

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  M*A*S*H

  I consider myself an agnostic, sceptical atheist. As I mentioned previously... I

  • do not believe in a god
  • do not believe a god actually exists
  • admit you cannot "prove" all gods do not exist
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  "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence". I would say that well known expression is a big deal breaker for your new term.

  
  
  
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  284

  I'm an ABSENTHEIST. Are you also?

  by EdenOne in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  it just dawned on me.

  the existence of god can't be proved, neither is there evidence of god's inexistence.

  so, i'm neither theist neither atheist.

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  M*A*S*H

  Obviously this contribution is hearsay but, I know quite a few atheists;

  • all do not believe in a god
  • all do not believe a god actually exists
  • all would admit you cannot "prove" all gods do not exist
  • most (I think) agree some gods can be effectively dis-proven due to their definition

  I think all are comfortable with the label atheist... as am I. Would other self professed atheists agree with this set of statements?
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  284

  I'm an ABSENTHEIST. Are you also?

  by EdenOne in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  it just dawned on me.

  the existence of god can't be proved, neither is there evidence of god's inexistence.

  so, i'm neither theist neither atheist.

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  M*A*S*H

  I am not sure I agree with your logic.

  As others have pointed out the term Absentheist does IMHO suggest a bias (although I understand it is not intended). 'Absent' conjures up the idea that although we cannot find God in this universe, God probably does exist somewhere (perhaps heaven even)!?

  I also disagree with saying you "... CAN prove that God is absent", especially using the definition you proposed. In the definition a) states god is "Immaterial"... by this definition god could be sat on your lap and but you would not be able to prove he is not. Once something is defined as immaterial or spiritual - what evidence can you suggest that proves this god is absent?

  I think I understand why you would like a new term, but personally I do not like absentheist. Maybe others like the idea?
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  284

  I'm an ABSENTHEIST. Are you also?

  by EdenOne in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  it just dawned on me.

  the existence of god can't be proved, neither is there evidence of god's inexistence.

  so, i'm neither theist neither atheist.

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  M*A*S*H

  If you are using the word "absent" in the traditional sense of a person being absent, we would need to assume the person exists to be absent (which is bad in this case). If you are using the word "absent" in the sense there is no evidence for the person or god in our universe to prove their existence then I would say that is a pretty good estimation of the definition of the word "atheist".
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  74

  The Science Is In: God Is The Answer...

  by OUTLAW in

  1. social
  2. current

  the science is in: god is the answer.

  research shows kids raised with spirituality are happier and healthier in the vulnerable teen years.

  why arent we all signing up?.

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  M*A*S*H

  For religion to be as successful as it is in our society there must be some benefits, otherwise it would die out; IMHO religion would die out if it was purely driven by fear.

  It is an interesting study - although I would be worried the first study is suffering by a bit of confirmation bias...Lisa Miller seems to be part of the "SCP" which ...

  Spirituality in Clinical Practice (SCP), a journal of the American Psychological Association, is a practice-oriented journal that encompasses spiritually-oriented psychotherapy and spirituality-sensitive cultural approaches to treatment and wellness. SCP is dedicated to integrating psychospiritual and other spiritually-oriented interventions involved in psychotherapy, consultation, coaching, health, and wellness.

  It would be interesting to see if other unidentified factors were at play in the Miller study. Perhaps if the questions from the original study were followed up by "I have a healthy relationship with my parents... and I would turn to them when I need help"- I wonder if the responses to that question would yield similar results when related to depression?

  Also, it would be interesting to follow up the outliers in the study... do fanatical religious groups have negative effects when compared to the study? Does the 'zeal' of one's spirituality (if that can be measured) have an effect? etc... The Dew study was interesting in this front.

  Are there links between socio-economic factors and religion? That too would be interesting.

  Why do I not 'sign up'? Well I realise that my two kiddies need something in their life to help them through the hard times... the something is our family, their education, their interests and hobbies which I support fully. I do not think religion would add anything. In fact if my experience is anything to go by, it would only detract.

  
  

  
  

  
  
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  20

  I admit it, I believe in evolution.

  by Louise in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  after leaving the dub religion behind, i read everything that i could get my hands on, be it about other religions, beliefs, gods, occult, evolution - you name it - i read it.

  i did this to 'catch up' and to educate myself, so that when i can to a decision it would be an intellectual / educational one.

  not just because some book or person told me to believe it.. i have over time and with reading aids come to totally believe and accept evolution.

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  M*A*S*H

  I think Phizzy is bang on. I try to always say "I accept Evolution" rather than "believe". I would never say "I believe in Gravity"... you tend to see the evidence for gravity and then accept it.
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  10

  The stars will fall from the sky... but maybe they are better where they are?

  by M*A*S*H in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  as an atheist interested in debate i have often accused religious folk of suffering cognitive dissonance on many issues.

  i stupidly thought i might be immune to such dissonance.

  however now i find myself in a battle for my own mind with no obvious end in sight.. i remember being taught as a young jw that the following passage in mark "the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

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  M*A*S*H

  @Finkelstein

  
  

  My reference to biblical prophecy was not supposed to indicate anything other my recollection of the prophesy as it relates to my OP.

  
  

  Perhaps the somewhat suspicious and condescending vibe I am picking up from your post may in part be the result of my failed attempts to explain or communicate effectively in my OP.

  
  

  To explain; it not the fear of religion being removed from society or the fulfilment of prophecy that worries me, it is the fear of "how" religion might be removed from society.

  
  

  Like most Humanists and Atheists I too watch the extremism fuelled by religion with horror. I believe the world would be a better place without religion. The reality of the situation currently is that we all live with religion in our societies, we tolerate religious practices where they do cross the advancing social norms and laws we have created.

  
  

  You said "No fear is warranted or justified". I may now be taking your statement out of context... but this for me just is not true.

  
  

  Here are a few examples that I consider warranting fear and demonstrate the issues I am increasingly concerned about.
  

  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/british-muslim-school-children-suffering-a-backlash-of-abuse-following-paris-attacks-9999393.html

  http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jun/28/women-targeted-attacks-muslims

  http://www.theweek.co.uk/uk-news/59333/anti-muslim-hate-crimes-increase-in-england-and-wales
  

  http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/05/antisemitic-attacks-uk-community-security-trust-britain-jewish-population

  http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/police-investigate-religious-hate-claims-after-video-emerges-birmingham-sikh-being-attacked-1494447
  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/05/muslim-woman-hijab-delta_n_6616806.html
  

  
  

  So for example, in the past I probably would have supported the law passed in France banning the hijab , now I think I would be against it. Attempting to legislate against religious practices such as the hijab will IMHO increase the intolerance against the groups that it effects, has unintended effects on society in general (in this case a banning of certain costumes) and further isolates religious communities which can lead to radicalism.

  
  

  Without wanting to create a monster post, I hope that better explains my point more clearly. How we deal with religious people may soon become one of the greatest tests for our society. I now am more religiously tolerant than ever before, despite my personal feelings regarding religion. I especially fear the growth of far right politics in Europe, in part fuelled by religious intolerance.

  
  
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  10

  The stars will fall from the sky... but maybe they are better where they are?

  by M*A*S*H in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  as an atheist interested in debate i have often accused religious folk of suffering cognitive dissonance on many issues.

  i stupidly thought i might be immune to such dissonance.

  however now i find myself in a battle for my own mind with no obvious end in sight.. i remember being taught as a young jw that the following passage in mark "the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

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  M*A*S*H

  @Vanderhoven7

  I always feel the JW's have to walk a fine line... they desperately want some of their prophesies to come true, but of course once they have judged a particular prophesy 'to have occurred', they have now used it up (if you know what I mean). Potentially they then run the risk of having to back down and admit what they thought occurred was wrong too. I suppose that is a good reason to pluck out somewhat dubious prophesies and fear monger with them!