Posts by Fadeout

10

The WT's favorite "reasoning" method - the false dilemma

by sir82 in

jw
friends

as defined here: http://skepdic.com/falsedilemma.html.

the false dilemma (or false dichotomy) is a fallacy of reasoning that omits consideration of all reasonable alternatives.

sometimes called the either-or fallacy, one poses what looks like a true dilemma--i must pick one or the other--when, in fact, there are other viable alternatives.

Fadeout

Where did they learn that from?

He that is not on my side is against me, and he that does not gather with me scatters. -Matt 12:30

Oops.

40

Should A JW Be Allowed To Sue A Hospital For Giving Blood Against His Wishes?

by minimus in

jw
friends

in connecticut, a jw went to a catholic hospital for an infection on his heel and specifically ordered them not to give him blood.

evidently, he awoke from his procedure and realized he was receiving blood!

he began to hysterically cry and the hospital acknowledged they had erred.

Fadeout

If he really feels that badly about violating God's law, he can open his veins and return the blood to the ground, as God wishes.

Remember, the path to salvation is down the road, not across the street.

4

Does this "math" sound familiar?

by undercover in

jw
friends

hope these show up good enough to read.... think 606, 607 and 1914.... .

.

Fadeout

This is silly... it's a well-known fact that 607 BCE has been indisputably proven by yet undiscovered evidence.

150

Article: The Atheist's Dilemma

by BurnTheShips in

campos: the atheist's dilemmaby paul camposwhy is stanley fish so much smarter than richard dawkins?

that question occurred to me last week, while attending a lecture at which fish, the well-known literary and legal theorist, did the thing he always does, which is to make the following point over and over again:.

"no believer will find his faith shaken by evidence that is evidence only in the light of assumptions he does not share and considers flatly wrong.".

Fadeout

And I should note in fairness that I think BTS realizes the above, as he stated:

the author is comparing some Atheists to Christians in this respect.

"Some" atheists is right... and I would guess that those constitute a minority of professed atheists.

150

Article: The Atheist's Dilemma

by BurnTheShips in

campos: the atheist's dilemmaby paul camposwhy is stanley fish so much smarter than richard dawkins?

that question occurred to me last week, while attending a lecture at which fish, the well-known literary and legal theorist, did the thing he always does, which is to make the following point over and over again:.

"no believer will find his faith shaken by evidence that is evidence only in the light of assumptions he does not share and considers flatly wrong.".

Fadeout

Fish has spent his whole career pointing out why it wouldn't: not because of the nature of angels, but because of the nature of interpretation. As long as Dawkins remains who he is now, he will remain incapable of seeing an angel of the Lord.
Campos really blows it here IMHO.
Anchoring his argument to an analysis of another's assumed reaction to a hypothetical situation is a poor decision that relies on as much faith as the viewpoint he is attempting to dismantle.
After all, a genuine atheist must interpret such an event as a temporarily inexplicable hallucination, or a sudden psychotic break, or a clever technological trick - in short, as anything but evidence that atheism is false. (An atheist who questions the truth of atheism is ceasing to be a genuine atheist precisely to the extent that he is asking himself a genuine question).
Proceeding to swallow ever more of his own foot, Campos demonstrates an infantile level of knowledge about basic definitions. His invention, the "genuine atheist," has characteristics by which atheists under normal circumstances have never been defined; namely, their ability to consider the concept of a god. He claims that such consideration belies the genuineness of one's atheism.
It is not only the positive affirmation that 'God is not' that falls under the umbrella of atheism, but the lack of belief in a god; no belief. Campos picks only the strain of atheism that is comparable to the equally illogical affirmation of faith found in Christianity, and chooses that as the representative for "genuine atheism."
I say hogwash, bah humbug.

7

Yoga

by shopaholic in

i started doing yoga regularly about 2 months ago.

i have yet to float or have an out of body experience.

but i do feel more "centered" and have greater flexibility.. anyway, yoga is not allowed as a jw.

Fadeout

I had to give the anti-yoga talk once. I scraped up the crap from the litteratrash and made my feeble fallacy-ridden argument, and got told what a good job I did.

One of the cons of yoga is that you might go so far out of your body you can't find your way back, and die. I think that was related in an Awake somewhere...

22

The Governing Body Channels ...

by compound complex in

jw
friends

someone asked a question recently about how the gb acquires new light.

i cannot recall the title of the thread but did find this information in my file that a fellow poster put up a while back:.

just for reference, this is from the jan 1st 2007 watchtower - "the first resurrection now under way ?".

Fadeout

Rutherford said that Russell was directing and influencing the work from heaven... so that's a similar teaching.

Of course, Rutherford later changed his mind and insulted anyone who held that "foolish" belief.

I would love to know how the GB is contacted by these former brethren... hidden messages in their Alpha-Bits?

52

JW self-defense...WT says we are too slow to use a gun!!!.......

by oompa in

you gotta read this to beleive it!.....lately my mind is teaching s we had that "went beyond what is written" and this subject on self defence has cracked me up!!

!.....you if gotta see this to believe it!....not just guns....but almost everthing is bashed...they did leave out the option of us carrying a sword o.j.

style....or a spear.....this will make my list....(and you can have no privileges if you carry a gun at work...cop or security guard).......... *** g91 7/8 p. 12 self-defensehow far can a christian go?

Fadeout

The WT actually was rather generous in simply claliming we're too slow to use a gun... they just as easily could have said, "Your type has neither the cranial capacity nor the opposable digits to operate a firearm."

81