altruism describes an unselfish attention to the needs of others and is central to the main religions: jesus told his followers to; "love your neighbour as yourself, mohammed said none of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself and buddhism advocates seeking for others the happiness one desires for oneself.. .
throughout history the debate has been whether this benevolence towards others is part of our make-up and natural inclination or a virtue we must impose on ourselves through effort, religious or otherwise.
then of course came darwin with his ideas about competition and natural selection the origin of species described a world where every organism struggles for it's own supremacy.. .
I like 'reciprocal altruism',
A potential example of reciprocal altruism is
blood-sharing in the vampire bat , in which bats feed regurgitated blood to those who have not collected much blood themselves knowing that they themselves may someday benefit from this same donation; cheaters are remembered by the colony and ousted from this collaboration (DA or DF'd?)The JW's would just love it too.
fokyc
that's technological singularity http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/technological_singularity .
we are looking at the heaven scenario, by ray kurzweil.
ni'o(new topic) i just want to clear some things up.
I had a strange feeling that you were on the wrong boat!
fokyc
wow, i'm asking elders for advice, how strange.
anyway if you want to know my history and where i am look at my first 1/2 dozen or so posts, it'll bring you up to speed.
here's where i need advice.
A sister in our cong. married outside the truth and was put on reproof, she separated and divorced within 18 months
BUT
was on reproof for a further 7 YEARS!!fokyc
"i still have trouble with depression, sometimes.
lately its been bad.
but boy, i haven't felt the the kind of endless, abysmal blackness that i used to feel when i was a depressed christian.
You seem to be on a downer, so different from some of your previous postings:
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/106660/1852440/post.ashx#1852440
it's certainly better out than in, it will seem better tomorrow!
fokyc
do you think people who are brought up as witnesses have a negative, judgemental attitude?.
i ask because i don't seem to like many people, i make a new friend, think they are womderful to begin with and then before long i start to notice loads of bad points, people start to annoy me.. or maybe this happens to everyone, i dunno.. what do you think?.
negative, judgemental attitude?
That's how I have found most to be in recent years, particularly the elders who are supposed to be uplifting, the elders in our local cong. wouldn't make a good 'bra' between all 6 of them!!
fokyc
while i was someones "bible study", i recall being assured that king solomon was so wealthy, that .
"most of the gold in circulation today was originally owned by him!
this supposed fact was even stated in one of the wts publications.
w 1996
10/15 pp.8-9 Is King Solomon’s Wealth Exaggerated?"The weight of the gold that came to Solomon in one year amounted up to six hundred and sixty-six talents."—1 Kings 10:14.
ACCORDING to that Bible verse, King Solomon acquired over 25 tons of gold in a single year! This would be valued today at $240,000,000. It is almost twice as much gold as was mined worldwide in the year 1800. Is this possible? What does archaeological evidence show? It suggests that the Bible’s record of Solomon’s wealth is certainly plausible. Biblical Archaeology Review says:
? King Thutmose III of Egypt (second millennium B.C.E.) presented approximately 13.5 tons of gold items to the temple of Amon-Ra at Karnak—and this was just part of the gift.
? Egyptian inscriptions record gifts totaling approximately 383 tons of gold and silver offered by King Osorkon I (early first millennium B.C.E.) to the gods.
Furthermore, the volume Classical Greece of the series Great Ages of Man reports:
? The mines of Pangaeum in Thrace yielded more than 37 tons of gold each year for King Philip II (359-336 B.C.E.).
? When Philip’s son Alexander the Great (336-323 B.C.E.) captured Susa, the capital of the Persian empire, treasures amounting to well over 1,000 tons of gold were found.—The New Encyclopædia Britannica.
So the Bible’s description of King Solomon’s wealth is not farfetched. Remember, too, that Solomon was "greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth" at that time.—1 Kings 10:23.
How did Solomon use his wealth? His throne was overlaid with "refined gold," his drinking vessels were "of gold," and he possessed 200 large shields and 300 bucklers of "alloyed gold." (1 Kings 10:16-21) Above all, Solomon’s gold was used in connection with Jehovah’s temple in Jerusalem. The temple lampstands and sacred utensils, such as forks, bowls, pitchers, and basins, were made of gold and silver. The 15-foot-tall [4.5m] cherubs in the Most Holy, the altar of incense, and even the entire inside of the house were overlaid with gold.—1 Kings 6:20-22; 7:48-50; 1 Chronicles 28:17.
What about a gold-plated temple? Interestingly, such use of gold was by no means unusual in the ancient world. Biblical Archaeology Review notes that Amenophis III of Egypt "honored the great god Amun with a temple at Thebes that was ‘plated with gold throughout, its floor adorned with silver, [and] all its portals with electrum’"—an alloy of gold and silver. Furthermore, Esar-haddon of Assyria (seventh century B.C.E.) plated the doors and coated the walls of the shrine of Ashur with gold. Regarding the temple of Sin at Harran, Nabonidus of Babylon (sixth century B.C.E.) recorded: "I clad its walls with gold and silver, and made them shine like the sun."
Thus, historical records suggest that the Biblical account of King Solomon’s wealth is not exaggerated.
fokyc
hi all,.
i am not a member of the jw, is todays date 21st november a speacel date in your religion?.
.
Perhaps you've looked at this thread?
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/124406/1.ashx
Nothing special about the date just to wish all those people well.
fokyc
I'll run faster next time!!
while i was someones "bible study", i recall being assured that king solomon was so wealthy, that .
"most of the gold in circulation today was originally owned by him!
this supposed fact was even stated in one of the wts publications.
Watchtower 1996
10/15 pp.8-9 Is King Solomon’s Wealth Exaggerated?fokyc
found here: http://www.chefmarc.com/index.
there are videos; and also go down to "other features" for written instructions.. i have followed his instructions the past two years for all the many turkeys baked, and they always come out crispy on the outside and superbly moist on the inside.. i also recommend doing a salt brine soak the night before baking: http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/10-9-2001-5239.asp.
you'll love.
525 F = 274 Celsius
