one of the key plot points of my novel (which i'm rewriting again - probably as a result of a personal issue i'll discuss some other time) is a higher up similar to ray franz is about to go public with some information, knowing this the top dog has him killed.
my fictitious religion is similar to the wtbs, but not exactly.
it has similar controls, and a history of false prophecy which it has survived, much like the watchtower.
A religion can withstand anything in its past... just look at Catholicism and the Inquisition.
No, for something to be that earth-shattering, he would have to have knowledge, not of a past scandal, but of a future plan so heinous that, if revealed, the public at large would take action and put a stop to it.
according to august kingdom ministry for u. s., memorial attendance was 2,469,036. in 2008, it was 2,418,903..
Sorry to be a math geek, but here's the calculation for percentage gain:
1st, find the numerical gain: 2,469,036 - 2,418,903 = 50,133
2nd, divide the numerical gain by last year's number: 50,133 / 2,418,903 = .0207 = 2.07% gain
well, using parts i had on hand and buying what i didn't, i am now typing on my new pc.
i'm $150 out of pocket.
not bad for a 3 ghz dual core intel processor with 4 gb of ram.
I'm under the impression that a quad core would be unnecessary for my purposes and that a dual core would actually be faster in most applications... I'm not a gamer.
well, using parts i had on hand and buying what i didn't, i am now typing on my new pc.
i'm $150 out of pocket.
not bad for a 3 ghz dual core intel processor with 4 gb of ram.
Thanks leavingwt... who is this "Senator Obama" I've been hearing so much about?
well, using parts i had on hand and buying what i didn't, i am now typing on my new pc.
i'm $150 out of pocket.
not bad for a 3 ghz dual core intel processor with 4 gb of ram.
That's what I'm about to purchase (3GHz dual w/ 4GB RAM) but I don't have any parts on hand so it'll cost somewhere around $800, including a 23" LCD. And I like to splurge on the case... don't tell the WTS I'm getting aluminum.
so i'm still stuck on the jw email spam train, and my mom sends me this powerpoint with a horrible, horrible presentation with job 38 set to a bunch of pictures of the universe and whatnot.
you know the passage, it's all "where were you when i created the earth, you insignificant gnat".
and the point, i guess, is to show that god is all powerful and awesome.
Good stuff. So true, and full of lulz.
Basically, the WT religion emphasizes the point that as humans, our reason is imperfect and untrustworthy. They make us doubt and even discard our mental capabilities on the basis that 1) We have no right to decide things for ourselves and 2) We are incapable of doing so anyway.
The WT didn't make this up; it's in the Bible, no more evident than in Job. God performs actions that by any human standard are unequivocally immoral, even evil. And Job, as a rational person, calls God out on this fact, claiming, 'What you've done to me is unjust.'
And God responds, 'You tiny little puke, who do you think you are to question me? I determine what's right around here. My justification? I'm older, bigger and more powerful than you.'
Natural human ethics are quashed according to the ever-changing whims of this Supreme Bully. Fear God!
russell taught that 1914 ce would bring in an unprecedented era of peace.
in 1930, rutherford moved russells date of the parousia from 1874 to 1914. .
thus until 1930 not one follower had recognised the currently ascribed significance in heaven to the time that corresponds to 1914 on our earth.
"scholar": Our claims for certain modern-day dates are based upon a careful study of eschatology as revealed in the Bible.
And that counts for what, exactly? My claims that the WTS is full of crap are based upon a careful study of its ridiculous teachings as revealed in its laughable publications.
It's sad how the WTS cripples its members ability to reason.
this is my first post.
i was a born in jw and baptised as a teen.
i have faded over 20 yrs.
I'm in the area... PM me if ya like...
ok, i am hooked and the new season starts tonight.
plus the show looks great on my new hdtv.
here is my question:.
I'm pretty doubtful that 800-900 whales are being taken legitimately for "research"... think the whalers are being rather slimy and using a loophole to continue their morally dubious business to the extent legally possible.
That said...
Then maybe we need to learn to speak whale-ese. Cause I'm guessing the whales don't much like being harpooned out ovf existence.
There's a couple problems there... first, you don't have evidence to suggest that legal whaling is threatening these species with extinction, and second, you don't have evidence that the whales are both aware of this and against it.
As much as I think we have a moral obligation to treat animals, and all of nature, with a measure of respect, I can't help but think that the scumbag terrorist hypocrites committing violence against the whalers only do so because it's a relatively acceptable and approved thing to do in our society. If they were to harass and attack duck hunters here in the U.S., the backlash to vigilante glory ratio would be insufficient for their egos. They only do what they do (incompetently) because they have a fawning fanbase cheering them on every step of the way.
my version of the "moral argument for god": .
(i have derived the following arguments after studying c.s.
lewis', norman geisler's, and victor reppert's arguments, and i want to give credit where credit is due).
If, as we are told by Atheists/Naturalists/Materialists, unguided evolution and unguided natural processes are the only causes of our existence and our thoughts, then why should we even believe that our thoughts about the world are accurate, and why should assume that our reasoning is sound?
I'm not sure why there would be an assumption that "unguided natural processes" should not be capable of producing reasoning, self-aware beings. Where is that rule written? That's just it; there are no rules written. It's a marvelous universe, with infinitely more questions than answers.
As far as "unguided" evolution, we must clarify that we mean 'unguided by a supernatural intelligent force,' since the principle of natural selection in conjunction with natural physical laws serves to guide living things into adaptable forms for long-term survival and replication.
An observer may see a river and reason that the cohesion and constant course of the water particles demands an intelligence at work, when in reality the very nature of water and the surface over which it flows determines its pattern.
