Posts by Galileo

49

The Dawkins Deception (bogus reasoning on the "improbability" of God)

by hooberus in

recently i carefully read (and highlighted) chapter 4 of richard dawkins book "the god delusion".

dawkins argument is meant to show that "there almost certainly is no god".

his reasoning (taken from various points on different pages by myself) is basically as follows:.

Galileo

And the argument is deceptive, unless you think that it is valid to equate improbability of to Gods existence with the the improbability of God having come about by chance (something virtually no one even believes).

Of course it's valid. If god exists then he must have "come about" somehow. As I have already stated, the idea of his having always existed is an argument with no evidence. If he did indeed "come about", then he was either created by another god, which is not an idea many believers seem to support, or he came about by chance. There is nothing deceptive about that equation. However, since you seem hung up on the fact that he didn't argue the point against the "god has always existed" idea, I'll do it for him, as per my first post: "No he hasn't". There. Done.

49

The Dawkins Deception (bogus reasoning on the "improbability" of God)

by hooberus in

recently i carefully read (and highlighted) chapter 4 of richard dawkins book "the god delusion".

dawkins argument is meant to show that "there almost certainly is no god".

his reasoning (taken from various points on different pages by myself) is basically as follows:.

Galileo

Complex things are improbable as to coming about by chance.

This is what I was referring to. This is a Creationist argument, and one that has some merit. The flaw of course, is what he ponts out: that if human life coming about without an intelligent designer is hard to believe, then how much more so the infinitely complex god?

Of course the response to this, as you have stated and as no doubt most creationists would agree, is that god has always existed. However there is no evidence of this, no mechanism suggested through which this is possible, no hypothesis put forward to test the validity of the claim. If this is the nature of god, he has not chosen to make anythng else with this nature, as everything we have ever observed has had a beginning and has had or will have an end. There is no way to argue against an invisible god that has always existed, just as there is no way to argue against a great many things that most likely don't exist (invisible unicorns, etc.).

32

Latest Witness comments about no more Bookstudy- Rejoicing and happy????

by Witness 007 in

i've asked afew witnesses at work and around town about no more bookstudy.........they are all so relieved!

one elder with four kids said..."it will make things alot easier, with rushing home from work, the society understands our needs.

"......another brother said: "it's great, now we can go to the cinema on half price tuesday's!

Galileo

It's funny. The day before this announcement no witness would have been able to openly express this viewpoint (that not going to the bookstudy is a relief, that going is a buden). The day after the same comment displays appreciation for the Governing Body's provision. Makes you wonder what other pent up feelings are common amongst the Witnesses but they are afraid to express. *cough. field service. cough*

50

Atheist need to start fighting fire with fire LITERALY

by 5go in

i was watching some program on the inquisition.

you know that thing christianity would love for you to forget happened.. when the court system of rome failed the christian courts took over they instituted trial by ordeal.. simply put any accused of a crime would be tortured tested to see if they were innocent by many forms of painful test to see if god would come to the accused's defence.

if they were innocent then no harm would happen to them because of their faith, of course pretty much 100% of the time they were hurt an were summarily executed punished with all the love of jesus in mind.. atheist should due the same accuse all of christians of crimes and force them into trial by ordeal to prove their innocence and backed by god.

Galileo

I'm pretty sure 5go was joking. Dear god I hope he was! Besides, torturing Christians doesn't work. They like it! It validates their entire worldview. What Christians should really be sentenced to is a class on critical thinking. Then let them try and defend their beliefs with logic. That would change more minds than torture ever would.

59

a couple of movies I don't get

by Hortensia in

jw
friends

i watched "children of men" a couple of nights ago.

it was pretty interesting, but i have to say i didn't get it completely.

maybe because i missed the beginning.

Galileo

Cinematically, Children of Men is an amazing piece of work. Watch the scene where Clive Owen carries the baby through the battlefield. That gos on for what seems like 10 minutes, single camera, massive special effects, and no edits. It is absolutely amazing.

As for the story, it seems to be about the value of human life, and believing in something worth sacrificing yourself for. I really liked it.

70

If you believe in nothing, then how do you know JW's are wrong?

by slimboyfat in

jw
friends

many who leave the witnesses go on to affirm other recognisable sets of beliefs.

some become christians of various sorts, others tend toward patriotism as a kind of rejection of the anti-patriotic stance of the watchtower, while yet more simply affirm in general the secular values of mainstream society.

do you believe jehovah's witnesses are wrong?

Galileo

I'm a little puzzled by your premise. I don't know anyone that believes in nothing. Personally, I believe in a great many things, but god is no longer one of those. Are you saying that you believe in nothing?

49

The Dawkins Deception (bogus reasoning on the "improbability" of God)

by hooberus in

recently i carefully read (and highlighted) chapter 4 of richard dawkins book "the god delusion".

dawkins argument is meant to show that "there almost certainly is no god".

his reasoning (taken from various points on different pages by myself) is basically as follows:.

Galileo

Dawkins was trying to use logic to analyze the probability of a god existing, using the creationists own arguments. Therefore, he was trying to give the creationists argument at least a modicum of credibility. That is why he didn't address the "god has always been there" or "god is outside of time" argument, as this is a nonsensical statement, goes contrary to everything ever observed, and is not backed up by even a single piece of evidence. Since "god has always existed, god is eternal" is simply a statement with no supporting evidence offered, there is no evidence required to refute it. It is the equivalent of my saying "I can fly" but then not offer any proof of any sort to back it up. That statement can be refuted by saying "no you can't", just as "god has always existed" can be refuted by saying "no he hasn't". Not a lot of material there for a book.

Anyone can make a claim. If you want your claim to withstand scrutiny, however, you have to offer evidence to support it.

26

Nobody is talking about the Generation change!!

by hamsterbait in

jw
friends

every time i have raised the noolite on this, it is met with blank looks and no comment.. on the phone it has been met with silence while they wait to see why i am talking about it.. has anybody else noticed this - it is a trend that less and less witlesses discuss doctrines and teachings when socializing.. could it be that they don't want to acknowledge a creeping disernment that they have been strung along, and so the gibbering buddy can no more be trusted on this claim than all the other failures, or is it that they are afraid of being called apostos?.

one elderly sister (90) who really thought she would never die, and is now, when i said i was atonished at the recent changes in 1935 annointed, generation and now no book group, just waited at the other end of the phone..

"so does this mean you think it is all rubbish?

Galileo

The trouble is, the JW's that think about it at all realize that it's all tentative, but they don't want to say so. They are afraid to comment, and most wish the Governing Body would just stop with the esoteric bible trivia. When I was going through my serious soul searching and realized I didn't know why I believed any of it anymore, I asked all of my closest friends why they believed, including my pioneer wife, elders, and two C.O.s why they believed. Not one of them had an answer. Not one.

36

I totally cross Xbox 360 off my want list.

by 5go in

my cousin has one and loves it.

though i don't see why he has had in the shop more than he has played it.

it sent it in threee time for one issue.

Galileo

Get a PS3 they're far more versatile with bluray capability, flash memory slots and you can use your computer as a media server to your PS and play everything
on your computer such as mp3. movie files and pictures
And they do look a lot better than the X-box too

Yeah, I love my PS3 as a Blu-Ray player. It is a better built machine. If your not into FPS's, it's probably the way to go. I actually much prefer the WMC interface for streaming movies and mp3s on my 360. Personally, I could never give up Halo 3 or Gears of War (and the upcoming Gears of War 2). If you're just going to have one, it really depends on what you're going to do with it. If Blu Ray is your main concern, than it's a no brainer. If games are,I'd say go with the 360 unless there's a specific game you want to play that's PS3 exclusive.

20

Which is worse, Adam's sin, or God's reaction to his sin?

by Dirty Rat in

when you look at all the pain and suffering in this world, and then wonder why god decided that mankind should pay for one man's sin, with interest on top of that, it's revolting.. no way can the added pain and suffering of billions of people equal the fault that adam did.. .

ps: this is jh .

Galileo

The God of the bible is a big dick. I don't know how the sole creator of all things develops such self-esteem problems, but its pretty sick to torment people into loving you, whether you're the supernatural creator of all things, or anyone for that matter.
Good thing he gave me free will so I can say so. You're a Big DICK, sir. Thanks for creating me, now leave me the fuck alone Mr. Crazypants.
Maybe God needs to sit down with Dr. Phil for a few hours to really get his issues out there. That's the only way the healing can begin.

Best post ever! I laughed my ass off.