Doltologist

Joined

• started 15 topics
• posted 326 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by Doltologist

• 
  59

  New David Splane Video: No 1900 Year Faithful Slave

  by FusionTheism in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  governing body member david splane has a new video on tv.jw.org where he talks about all the horrible things committed by martin luther and the protestant reformers.. his conclusion is that there has been no faithful and discreet slave on the earth during the past 1900 years (before 1919 i guess.).

  he also says that maybe there were a few anointed on earth, maybe not.. he did add an interesting statement that he doesn't condemn the other churches just for misunderstanding the bible because the society has done that.. another odd point, was that he actually mentioned catholic missionary work in a somewhat positive light, while totally condemning the reformation views on predestination..

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Doltologist

  Does anyone actually listen to this?
• 
  80

  Is RIDICULE acceptable in online debating?

  by nicolaou in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  this topic was inspired by one of fhn's comments on the 'warzone' thread, so i'll just restate my post there .

  .. "i've been wondering for a while now if ridicule really is an unacceptable feature in debate - it certainly isn't a valid form of argumentation.

  the thing is, some individuals really do come out with the most laughable nonsense and parade it as a serious proposition that merits attention.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Doltologist

  Millie210

  You have given me much to read and think about. I will now read and think.

  Thank you and have a nice day. I shall.
• 
  59

  New David Splane Video: No 1900 Year Faithful Slave

  by FusionTheism in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  governing body member david splane has a new video on tv.jw.org where he talks about all the horrible things committed by martin luther and the protestant reformers.. his conclusion is that there has been no faithful and discreet slave on the earth during the past 1900 years (before 1919 i guess.).

  he also says that maybe there were a few anointed on earth, maybe not.. he did add an interesting statement that he doesn't condemn the other churches just for misunderstanding the bible because the society has done that.. another odd point, was that he actually mentioned catholic missionary work in a somewhat positive light, while totally condemning the reformation views on predestination..

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Doltologist

  He did add an interesting statement that he doesn't condemn the other churches just for misunderstanding the Bible because the Society has done that.

  That's real big of him, he said rather sarcastically.
• 
  182

  The Case for Theism

  by FusionTheism in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  "theism" here means "belief in a god" or "the worldview that an intelligent designer created the universe and life.

  " ("god" here means a being with a mind who initiated and/or wound-up the universe, and designed life on earth)the most common claim that i see atheists making on twitter, is that "no evidence" exists in support of belief in a god.this post will remove any excuse atheists have for claiming "no evidence exists" in support of an initiator.

  atheists can still reject this evidence as "weak," but they cannot truthfully say it does not exist.now, it is true that we do not have "observable, repeatable, falsifiable, empirical, scientific" evidence conclusively proving that an initiator exists, but we do have many lines of philisophical, experiential, and logical evidence.and... here... we... go:1:) many leading scientists, including stephen hawking, say that the space-time-matter universe had a beginning at the singularity/big bang.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Doltologist

  Prologos

  Not only that, but all these advanced experiments require extraordinary knowledge, skills and effort. and these are only experiments. Who dare say that the original we are probing required less? Do you see the people at MIT CERN as accident investigators?

  I had to chuckle at the last sentence.

  I don't think that the universe came about by accident. I think that it was inevitable. The timing was probably completely random although to talk in terms of time, pre-universe, isn't quite right but you get my drift, no? The precise nature of the Universe was probably random though and probably the result of chaos theory. Do I believe that the universe was created by some sky wizard? Nope.
• 
  182

  The Case for Theism

  by FusionTheism in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  "theism" here means "belief in a god" or "the worldview that an intelligent designer created the universe and life.

  " ("god" here means a being with a mind who initiated and/or wound-up the universe, and designed life on earth)the most common claim that i see atheists making on twitter, is that "no evidence" exists in support of belief in a god.this post will remove any excuse atheists have for claiming "no evidence exists" in support of an initiator.

  atheists can still reject this evidence as "weak," but they cannot truthfully say it does not exist.now, it is true that we do not have "observable, repeatable, falsifiable, empirical, scientific" evidence conclusively proving that an initiator exists, but we do have many lines of philisophical, experiential, and logical evidence.and... here... we... go:1:) many leading scientists, including stephen hawking, say that the space-time-matter universe had a beginning at the singularity/big bang.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Doltologist

  OGTG

  Cofty/Outlaw

  If anyone I debate this topic with has yet to learn that:

  1. agnosticism is about knowledge

  2. atheism is about belief

  3. knowledge is a subset of belief

  then I find all conversations about the topic are futile

  Cofty, it seems Outlaw is rather jealous of your former elder status.

  I really have to take exception to item 2 above. Atheism isn't about belief, ffs. It is merely a response to an unproven assertion that god exists.
• 
  80

  Is RIDICULE acceptable in online debating?

  by nicolaou in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  this topic was inspired by one of fhn's comments on the 'warzone' thread, so i'll just restate my post there .

  .. "i've been wondering for a while now if ridicule really is an unacceptable feature in debate - it certainly isn't a valid form of argumentation.

  the thing is, some individuals really do come out with the most laughable nonsense and parade it as a serious proposition that merits attention.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Doltologist

  I can see that I'm in a minority with this ridicule idea. I shall now go away and think about whether there's a better strategy.
• 
  63

  HELP - A Guide to Fade

  by cognitivedizzy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hey everybody, been here lurking for years now... i tired of all the gb 2.0 shit and need to fade successfullydo we have a guide, i am very tempted to go out with a bang, but i want my wife with me, she aint a strong witness and would happily trust me ... i love her a lot.

  status as of now,,, read coc isocf, been through jw facts and am convinced this religion is bs, also a ms now :( damn.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Doltologist

  Oh, ffs, is this what jovie world does to people? This is ridiculous. You poor people.

  I don't know if anyone has tried this. It does take effort and practice but it does work.

  One of the reasons why people can't solve problems is that they tend to get too emotional and not logical enough. Consequently, all too often, the solution tends not to solve the issue. Also, they can't see the wood for the trees. Things just go round and round in their heads and, with each circuit, they just get bigger and bigger and more problematic until the problem is just too large to even contemplate, let alone solve.

  Type the term 'Mind Map' into Google and read. Mind mapping is a way of organising and visualising the issues surrounding a problem in a clear and coherent way.

  By constructing a mind map, a solution should naturally fall out.

  You may not like the solution but, if it falls out with the minimum of effort, it's probably the right one.

  I hope that this helps you as much as it has helped me.

  If anyone wants any help with this method, just PM me. I'll be happy to do what I can.
• 

  The curious case of the Nepal coffee morning, Red Kites, Arlo Guthrie, life in the boonies and god

  by Doltologist in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  it's a beautiful morning here so instead of driving to the local shops, i decided to walk.. on the way, i was treated to an aerial and vocal display by a pair of red kites.

  what magnificent birds they are.

  so graceful, so elegant.. i passed by the local methodist church hall where a coffee morning to raise funds for nepal was being held.

• 

  Doltologist

  It's a beautiful morning here so instead of driving to the local shops, I decided to walk.

  On the way, I was treated to an aerial and vocal display by a pair of Red Kites. What magnificent birds they are. So graceful, so elegant.

  I passed by the local Methodist church hall where a coffee morning to raise funds for Nepal was being held. I fancied a coffee and also wanted to do my bit for the Nepal disaster. I've given several times before but a bit more always helps.

  I'd just got my coffee an a couple of biscuits when the local vicar introduced himself. 'I haven't seen you before, are you new to the village?' he says. 'No', I said, 'I've lived here for a few years.' 'Are you a member of another congregation?' he said. 'No', I said, 'I'm an atheist'.

  I don't know how many of you have listened to Arlo Guthrie's Alice's Restaurant but there's a part where Arlo tells people that he was put in jail for littering and he says 'And they all moved away'. Well, I felt like Arlo Guthrie. Those around me went completely silent. That's the problem with 'life' out here in the boonies.

  He asked my why I was an atheist and then proceeded to go on and on and on about god's magnificence, yada, yada.

  Finally, I was able to mention Dawkins, Hitchins, Krauss and Carrier.

  Mistake, big mistake.

  He said 'I think it's best you leave'. 'Why?' I said, taken completely aback. 'I think that it would be best'.

  I could have understood it had I been disrespectful or loud or derogatory but I wasn't. I was politeness itself.

  And that, folks, is why we need places like this.

  That's one thing that I do like about jovies. They are always willing to get into a verbal fight over god. OK, they are not much good at it but at least the ones I've met will stand up to the plate and go at it toe to toe.
• 
  182

  The Case for Theism

  by FusionTheism in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  "theism" here means "belief in a god" or "the worldview that an intelligent designer created the universe and life.

  " ("god" here means a being with a mind who initiated and/or wound-up the universe, and designed life on earth)the most common claim that i see atheists making on twitter, is that "no evidence" exists in support of belief in a god.this post will remove any excuse atheists have for claiming "no evidence exists" in support of an initiator.

  atheists can still reject this evidence as "weak," but they cannot truthfully say it does not exist.now, it is true that we do not have "observable, repeatable, falsifiable, empirical, scientific" evidence conclusively proving that an initiator exists, but we do have many lines of philisophical, experiential, and logical evidence.and... here... we... go:1:) many leading scientists, including stephen hawking, say that the space-time-matter universe had a beginning at the singularity/big bang.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Doltologist

  Ruby456

  Doltologist: with that interesting statement and no movement through time, the concept of an un-created creator becomes a possibility.
  

  And so does the case for a universe without a creator.

  MIT, last year performed an experiment whereby all the matter in a largevessel was pumped out. The vessel is surrounded by 18 inch thick aluminium to ensure that cosmic rays and the like are excluded. The process took a week (approx.) after which elemental particles were seen to be spontaneously created within the vessel. Investigation determined that the particles were created in particle/anti-particle pairs which self destructed by recombining.

  The process did not compromise any known physical laws eg. conservation of mass and energy since the matter created consists of particle/anti-particle pairs.

  It is this process that the press term 'the free lunch' and the 'something from nothing'.

  Does this mean that the universe was created by this mechanism?

  Maybe but there is an issue and it's a biggie. In the MIT experiment, the vessel exists in a pre-created universe. When our universe was created, there wasn't a pre-created universe.

  What this seems to indicate is that there is some kind of natural unknown force/driver which will create matter where none exists.
• 
  80

  Is RIDICULE acceptable in online debating?

  by nicolaou in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  this topic was inspired by one of fhn's comments on the 'warzone' thread, so i'll just restate my post there .

  .. "i've been wondering for a while now if ridicule really is an unacceptable feature in debate - it certainly isn't a valid form of argumentation.

  the thing is, some individuals really do come out with the most laughable nonsense and parade it as a serious proposition that merits attention.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Doltologist

  Talesin

  The weak and the ill don't have a voice - let's not give them one. After all they are either stupid or mentally lazy, right? *heavy sarcasm*

  I have no wish to mock the afflicted. There's another issue here, though.

  I can't say for certain but my best guess is that there's as many people lurking and reading as there is posting, and maybe more. What's written in this hollowed forum is going to influence others. Seeing people ridiculed for their beliefs may just stop some poor sod from catching religion. It might just cause someone who is thinking of leaving jovie land to leave.

  Let's also face the fact that there are often frank exchanges of views on this forum. It is no place for the weak.