Jang

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Posts by Jang

• 
  8

  ARMAGEDDON MOVIE!!

  by Jang in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  get out your airsickness bag.

  this is truly disgusting.......... http://www.witnessesonline.com/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/witnessesonline/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=21&t=000024.

  jang

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  Jang

  Stephanus, That was a riot!

  Truly, I can remember talking about what houses and properties we would like to have when we
  were out in field service. I think back now and I feel disgusted with myself!

  Where abouts in Oz are you? I am in Brisbane.

  JanG
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  26

  jWs Musing about the Big 'A'

  by Tallyman in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  * http://www.witnessesonline.com/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/witnessesonline/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=21&t=000024

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  Jang

  Mulan wrote: It made me think of the way people in churches use the idea of hellfire.

  The big difference being that the church teaches only those who reject God, (not an organizational
  line) who are truly wicked, will go to hell.

  These people are relishing in the horrible deaths of good people who don't want to join their
  organization!

  JanG
• 
  8

  ARMAGEDDON MOVIE!!

  by Jang in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  get out your airsickness bag.

  this is truly disgusting.......... http://www.witnessesonline.com/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/witnessesonline/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=21&t=000024.

  jang

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  Jang

  Get out your airsickness bag. This is truly disgusting.........

  http://www.witnessesonline.com/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/witnessesonline/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=21&t=000024

  JanG
• 
  3

  Carl Sagan's Baloney Detection Kit

  by Jang in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  carl sagan's baloney detection kit.

  based on the book "the demon haunted world: science as a candle in the dark" published by headline 1996.. the following are suggested as tools for testing arguments and detecting fallacious or fraudulent arguments:.

  wherever possible there must be independent confirmation of the facts encourage substantive debate on the evidence by knowledgeable proponents of all points of view.

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  Jang

  Carl Sagan's Baloney Detection Kit

  Based on the book "The Demon Haunted World: Science as a candle in the dark" published by Headline 1996.

  The following are suggested as tools for testing arguments and detecting fallacious or fraudulent arguments:

  Wherever possible there must be independent confirmation of the facts Encourage substantive debate on the evidence by knowledgeable proponents of all points of view. Arguments from authority carry little weight (in science there are no
  "authorities").

  Spin more than one hypothesis - don't simply run with the first idea that caught your fancy.

  Try not to get overly attached to a hypothesis just because it's yours.

  Quantify, wherever possible. If there is a chain of argument every link in the chain must work.

  "Occam's razor" - if there are two hypothesis that explain the data equally well choose the simpler.

  Ask whether the hypothesis can, at least in principle, be falsified (shown to be false by some unambiguous test). In other words, it is testable? Can others duplicate the experiment and get the same result?

  Additional issues are

  Conduct control experiments - especially "double blind" experiments where the person taking measurements is not aware of the test and control subjects.

  Check for confounding factors - separate the variables. Common fallacies of logic and rhetoric

  Ad hominem - attacking the arguer and not the argument.

  Argument from "authority".

  Argument from adverse consequences (putting pressure on the decision maker by pointing out dire consequences of an "unfavourable" decision).

  Appeal to ignorance (absence of evidence is not evidence of absence). Special pleading (typically referring to god's will).

  Begging the question (assuming an answer in the way the question is phrased).

  Observational selection (counting the hits and forgetting the misses).

  Statistics of small numbers (such as drawing conclusions from inadequate sample sizes).

  Misunderstanding the nature of statistics (President Eisenhower expressing astonishment and alarm on discovering that fully half of all Americans have below average intelligence!) Inconsistency (e.g. military expenditures based on worst case scenarios but scientific projections on environmental dangers thriftily ignored because they are not "proved").

  Non sequitur - "it does not follow" - the logic falls down. Post hoc, ergo propter hoc - "it happened after so it was caused by" - confusion of cause and effect.

  Meaningless question ("what happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object?).

  Excluded middle - considering only the two extremes in a range of possibilities (making the "other side" look worse than it really is).

  Short-term v. long-term - a subset of excluded middle ("why pursue fundamental science when we have so huge a budget deficit?").

  Slippery slope - a subset of excluded middle - unwarranted extrapolation of the effects (give an inch and they will take a mile).

  Confusion of correlation and causation.

  Straw man - caricaturing (or stereotyping) a position to make it easier to attack..

  Suppressed evidence or half-truths.

  Weasel words - for example, use of euphemisms for war such as "police action" to get around limitations on Presidential powers. "An important art of politicians is to find new names for institutions which under old names have become odious to the public"

  JanG
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  1

  Hatred: A Unifying Force

  by Jang in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as members we were taught to hate those outside our group ..... it is interesting what hoffer says in his book the true believer about how this works within this mindset...... {b}note{/b} where he states that this mindset eventually becomes like the very image it .

  focuses on - the recipient of the hatred .

  indeed,we often look on those who love with us as rivals and trespassers.

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  Jang

  As members we were taught to hate those outside our group ..... it is interesting what Hoffer says in his book The True Believer about how this works within this mindset.....

  {b}Note{/b} where he states that this mindset eventually becomes like the very image it
  focuses on - the recipient of the hatred

  From THE TRUE BELIEVER by Hoffer

  68

  We do not usually look for allies when we love. Indeed,we often look on those who love with us as rivals and trespassers. But we always look for allies when we hate. It is understandable that we should look for others to side with us when we have a just grievance and crave to retaliate against those who wronged us. The puzzling thing is that when our hatred does not spring from a visible grievance and do not seem justified, the desire for allies becomes more pressing. It is chiefly the unreasonable hatreds that drive us to merge with those who hate as we do, and it is this kind of hatred that serves as one of the most effective cementing agents. Whence come these unreasonable hatreds, and why their unifying effect? They are an expression of a desperate effort to suppress an awareness of our inadequacy, worthlessness, guilt and other shortcomings of the self. Self-contempt is here transmuted into hatred of others -- and there is a most determined and persistent effort to mask this switch. Obviously, the most effective way of doing this is to find others, as many as possible, who hate as we do. Here more than anywhere else we need general consent, and much of our proselytizing consists perhaps in infecting others not with our brand of faith but with our particular brand of unreasonable hatred. Even in the case of a just grievance, our hatred comes less from a wrong done to us than from the consciousness of our helplessness, inadequacy and cowardice -- in other words from self-contempt. When we feel superior to our tormentors, we are likely to despise them, even pity them, but not hate them."

  That the relation between grievance and hatred is not simple and direct is also seen from the fact that the released hatred is not always directed against those who wronged us. Often, when we are wronged by one person, we turn our hatred on a wholly unrelated person or group. Russians, bullied by Stalin's secret police, are easily inflamed against "capitalist warmongers"; Germans, aggrieved by the Versailles treaty, avenged themselves by exterminating Jews; Zulus, oppressed
  by Boers, butcher Hindus; white trash, exploited by Dixiecrats, lynch Negroes. Self-contempt produces in man "the most unjust and criminal passions imaginable, for he conceives a mortal hatred against that truth which blames him and convinces him of his faults.""

  69

  That hatred springs more from self-contempt than from a legitimate grievance is seen in the intimate connection between
  hatred and a guilty conscience.

  There is perhaps no surer way of infecting ourselves with virulent hatred toward a person than by doing him a grave injustice. That others have a just grievance against us is a more potent reason for hating them than that we have a just grievance against them. We do not make people humble and meek when we show them their guilt and cause them to be ashamed
  of themselves. We are more likely to stir their arrogance and rouse in them a reckless aggressiveness. Self-righteousness is a
  loud din raised to drown the voice of guilt within us. There is a guilty conscience behind every brazen word and act and behind every manifestation of self-righteousness.

  70

  To wrong those we hate is to add fuel to our hatred. Conversely, to treat_an enemy with magnanimity is to blunt our hatred for him.

  71

  The most effective way to silence our guilty conscience is to convince ourselves and others that those we have sinned against are indeed depraved creatures, deserving every punishment, even extermination. We cannot pity those we have
  wronged, nor can we be indifferent toward them. We must hate and persecute them or else leave the door open to self-
  contempt.

  72

  A sublime religion inevitably generates a strong feeling of guilt. There is an unavoidable contrast between loftiness of profession and imperfection of practice. And, as one would expect, the feeling of guilt promotes hate and brazenness. Thus
  it seems that the more sublime the faith the more virulent the hatred it breeds.

  73

  It is easier to hate an enemy with much good in him than one who is all bad. We cannot hate those we despise. The Japanese had an advantage over us in that they admired us more than we admired them. They could hate us more fervently than we could hate them. The Americans are poor haters in international affairs because of their innate feeling of superiority over all foreigners. An American's hatred for a fellow American (for Hoover or Roosevelt) is far more virulent than any antipathy he can work up against foreigners. It is of interest that the backward South shows more xenophobia than the rest of the country. Should Americans begin to hate foreigners who wholeheartedly it will be an indication that they have lost confidence in their own way of life. The undercurrent of admiration in hatred manifests itself in the inclination to imitate those we hate. Thus every mass movement shapes itself after its specific devil. Christianity at its height realized the image of the antichrist. The Jacobins practiced all the evils of the tyranny they had risen against. Soviet Russia is realizing the purest and most colossal example Of monopolistic capitalism. Hitler took the Protocols of the Wise Men of Zion for his guide and textbook: he followed them "down to the veriest detail."13

  74

  It seems that when we are oppressed by the knowledge of our worthlessness we do not see ourselves as lower than some
  and higher than others, but as lower than the lowest of mankind. We hate then the whole world, and we would pour our
  wrath upon the whole of creation. There is a deep reassurance for the frustrated in witnessing the downfall of the fortunate and the disgrace of the righteous. They see in a general downfall an approach to the brotherhood of all. Chaos, like the grave, is a haven of equality. Their burning conviction that there must be a new life and a new order is fueled by the realization that the old will have to be razed to the ground before the new can be built. Their clamor for a millennium is shot through with a hatred for all that exists, and a craving for the end of the world.

  75

  Passionate hatred can give meaning and purpose to an empty life. Thus people haunted by the purposelessness of their lives
  try to find a new content not only by dedicating themselves to a holy cause but also by nursing a fanatical grievance. A mass
  movement offers them unlimited opportunities for both.

  76

  Whether it is true or not as Pascal says that "all men by nature hate each other," and that love and charity are only "a feint and a false image, for at bottom they are but hate," " one cannot escape the impression that hatred is an all-pervading
  ingredient in the compounds and combinations of our inner life. All our enthusiasms, devotions, passions and hopes, when
  they decompose, release hatred. On the other hand it is possible to synthesize an enthusiasm, a devotion and a hope by activating hatred. Said Martin Luther: "When my heart is cold and I cannot pray as I should I scourge myself with the thought of the impiety and ingratitude of my enemies, the Pope and his accomplices and vermin, and Zwingli, so that my heart swells
  with righteous indignation and hatred and I can say with warmth and vehemence: 'Holy be Thy Name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done!' And the hotter I grow the more ardent do my prayers become.""

  77

  Unity and self-sacrifice, of themselves, even when fostered by the most noble means, produce a facility for hating. Even
  when me league themselves mightily together to promote tolerance and peace on earth, they are likely to be violently
  intolerant toward those not of a like mind. The estrangement from the self, without which there can be neither selflessness nor a full assimilation of the individual into a compact whole, produces, as already mentioned," a proclivity for passionate attitudes, including passionate hatred. There are also other factors which favor the growth of hatred in an atmosphere of unity and selflessness. The act of selfdenial seems to co f n us the right to be harsh and merciless toward others. The impression somehow prevails that the true believer, particularly the religious individual, is a humble person. The truth is that the surrendering and humbling of the self breed pride and arrogance. The true believer is apt to see himself of the chosen, the salt of the earth the light of the world a prince disguised in meekness, who is destined to inherit this earth and the kingdom of heaven, too 18. He who is not of his faith is evil; he who will not listen shall perish. There is also this: when we renounce the self and become part of a compact whole, we not only renounce personal advantage but are also rid of personal responsibility. There is no telling to what extremes of cruelty and ruthlessness a man will go when he is freed from the fears, hesitations, doubts and the vague stirrings of decency that go with individual judgment. When we lose our individual independence in the corporateness of a mass movement, we find a new freedom -- freedom to hate, bully, lie, torture, murder and betray without shame and remorse.

  JanG
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  10

  Should Christians charge interest?

  by GinnyTosken in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  interspersed amidst the text of the five gospels are short cameo essays about topics related to subject matter at hand.

  one that caught my eye is called hard sayings softened:.

  hard sayings are frequently softened in the process of transmission to adapt them to the conditions of daily living.. luke 6:30a give to everyone who begs from you.

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  Jang

  Hi Ginny. The Jews don't charge interest on loans to other Jews either. They are permitted to charge
  interest from outsiders though.

  I think your observation about the WTS keepign the blood thing so strictly and falling down on
  'charity' to their brethren was interesting. It reminded me of Jesus' statement to the Pharisees when
  he told them they strained the gnats and swallowed the camels.

  JanG
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  3

  Recovering our Self Image

  by Jang in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  recovering your self image .

  we often exit without a healthy self image - especially us ladies.

  encouragement and support.. from recovery of your self-esteem, by carolynn hillman, 1992. compassion: compassion is like a healing potion that goes directly to where you.

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  Jang

  Jez, children learn what they live. If you teach them these things and do your best to live them they will get the message.

  I have found with my grandchildren (I stuffed up my kids in the org) that they respond to being told
  how much they are loved and wanted and I have been helping my children learn those things I
  failed to teach them back then.

  JanG
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  2

  Characteristics of True Adulthood

  by Jang in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  another area we have problems with when we exit is findoug our feet as adults in.

  the world around us.

  thes are some guidlines on what to work towards.. characteristics of true adulthood.

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  Jang

  Another area we have problems with when we exit is findoug our feet as adults in
  the world around us. Thes are some guidlines on what to work towards.

  Characteristics of True Adulthood

  1.Accepts criticism gratefully. Being honestly glad for an opportunity to improve

  2.Does not indulge in self-pity. Has begun to feel the laws of compensation
  operating in all life.

  3.Does not expect special consideration from anyone.

  4.Controls temper.

  5.Meets emergencies with poise.

  6.feelings are not easily hurt.

  7.Accepts the responsibility of own acts without trying to "alibi'.

  8.Has outgrown the all or nothing stage. Recognizes that no person or situation is
  wholly good or wholly bad. And begins to appreciate the golden rule.

  9.Is not impatient at reasonable delays

  10.Have learned they are not the arbiter of the universe and that must often adjust
  to other people and their convenience

  11.Is a good loser can endure defeat and disappointment without whining or
  complaining.

  12.Does worry unduly about things he cannot help.

  13.Is not given to boasting or "showing off" in socially unacceptable ways.

  14.Is honestly glad when others enjoy success or good fortune.

  15.Has outgrown envy and jealousy.

  16.Is open-minded enough to listen thoughtfully to the opinions of others.

  17.Is not a chronic 'faultfinder'.

  18.Plans things in advance rather than trusting to the inspiration of the moment.

  JanG
• 
  3

  Recovering our Self Image

  by Jang in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  recovering your self image .

  we often exit without a healthy self image - especially us ladies.

  encouragement and support.. from recovery of your self-esteem, by carolynn hillman, 1992. compassion: compassion is like a healing potion that goes directly to where you.

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  Jang

  Recovering your Self Image

  We often exit without a healthy self image - especially us ladies. Here is some
  encouragement and support.

  From Recovery of Your Self-Esteem, by Carolynn Hillman, 1992

  COMPASSION: Compassion is like a healing potion that goes directly to where you
  are hurting. Listen to your inner voice that is caring, healing, and ready to cheer &
  encourage you. IT IS THERE; it's just been stifled for so long you really have to
  listen for it.

  ACCEPTANCE: No human is perfect, and that includes you. No matter what parts of
  yourself you may like to change, it is important to value yourself for who you are
  now--as a moving, changing, evolving being with very specific attributes and
  abilities.

  RESPECT: Women as a group are not respected in our society. Traditional roles are
  viewed as not difficult, demanding, or impressive. In the business world unequal
  access to the symbols of respect and the need to walk a thin line between being
  too passive and too assertive sets women up to feel lesser than most others.
  Remember a time when somebody showed you respect when you feeling
  down on yourself. Remember the feeling that radiated through you when you took
  the comment in as truth. It's time to give that to yourself.

  ENCOURAGEMENT: We all need encouragement to set goals and to believe that we
  can attain them. Generally, women are encouraged to BE beautiful objects that
  should wait to be judged and chosen, rather than to become active, striving human
  beings. Often women are very good at encouraging others who are struggling. Take
  those same skills inward while acknowledging the realistic barriers most women face,
  and the value of valiant effort.

  SUPPORT: Have you ever felt so bad that you just wanted to stay in bed and hide
  from the world? You probably longed for someone to nurture you and give you
  courage to go on. We can be that kind of loving parent to ourselves by letting
  ourselves know that no matter what, we will still be in our own corner.

  STROKING: Have you ever petted a cat, gently stroking it all over as it purred in
  pleasure. Can you remember being stroked this way? A gentle massage? Being
  rocked in a nurturer's arms? Let yourself remember in your body. Even if we get little
  stroking from others, we can learn to give ourselves some. We can do it physically,
  emotionally, with words, with gifts. You deserve it. YOU DESERVE IT!

  JanG
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  14

  Independent Thinking

  by Jang in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  independent thinking .

  a skill we all need .

  what is independent thinking?.

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  Jang

  Independent Thinking
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  A skill we all need

  What is Independent Thinking?
  by Sharon Presley, Ph.D., Executive Director, RIT

  The Oxford Unabridged Dictionary offers many definitions of independent, including "not depending on the authority of others" and "not dependent on others for forming an opinion." Making up your own mind, in other words. But what does that really mean? Does it mean forming an opinion without input from others? No, of course not, otherwise we "reinvent the wheel" every time we make a decision. We all need relevant information and data on which to base our opinions. It's the way that we seek information and how we apply it that makes us dependent or independent thinkers. If we uncritically accept whatever values or ideas we've been taught by parents, teachers or church, never questioning these ideas or asking ourselves if these ideas really make sense, then we are dependent thinkers (even if the ideas are true!).

  If we reject what our parents, teachers or church have taught us simply because they say something is right, does that make us independent thinkers? No, that's just what psychologists call "anti-conformity" rather than non-conformity. Making up your own mind is an action, not a reaction.

  Independent thinking means making sense of the world based on your own observations and experiences rather than jut depending on the word of others. It means trusting your own ability to make judgments, even if they contradict what others say. It means acting in accordance with these judgments, even if you sometimes make mistakes. An independent thinkers knows it's psychologically better to make your own mistakes than someone else's.

  Independent thinking is not necessarily rational or critical. Sometimes you make mistakes; sometimes it's difficult to know if your beliefs are your own or simply uncritically borrowed. No one ever said independent thinking is easy.
  Critical thinking is a tool that you as an independent thinker can use. It can help you decide whether your old beliefs are sensible. It can help you examine new ideas or help you solve problems in reasonable ways.

  What is Critical Thinking?

  There are many reasonable definitions of "critical thinking" but I like the one offered by Wade and Tavris because it emphasizes the positive side to critical thinking. Too often people think that being critical means just tearing some argument down: "Critical thinking," they write, "is the ability and willingness to assess claims and make objective judgments on the basis of well-supported reasons. It is the ability to look for flaws in arguments and resist claims that have no supporting evidence.
  Critical thinking, however, is not merely negative thinking. It also fosters the ability to be creative and constructive - to generate possible explanations for findings, think of implications, and apply new knowledge to a broad range of social and personal problems. You can't really separate critical thinking from creative thinking, for it's only when you question what is that you can begin to imagine what can be."

  Nor is being an independent thinker and a critical thinker merely being "open-minded." As Wade and Tavris point out, "Sometimes people justify mental laziness by proudly telling you that they are 'open-minded.' 'It's good to be open-minded, replies philosopher Jacob Needleman, 'but not so open that your brains fall out.'"

  Wade writes that sometimes her students think that being open-minded means that every opinion is just as good as every other opinion. "What comes across to students," she says," is that they shouldn't defend their own beliefs too passionately or criticize someone else's beliefs too strongly." When they complain 'it's just my opinion', she replies "Well, is it a good opinion or a bad opinion? Is it well-supported by evidence or reasons? The goal is to teach students how to take a position and defend it strongly and with passion, and yet fairmindedly."

  Commitment and Fair-mindedness

  A theory that complements Wade's idea of fair-mindedness, as well as the notion of critical thinking, is one offered by developmental psychologist William Perry. He suggests that, as we mature to adulthood, we go through different stages in our thinking about beliefs. As young teens, many of us see the world from an authoritarian perspective. There's only one right answer and it's the teacher or authority figure's job to give us "the" answer. [Sadly, many adults never get out of this stage!]

  Then, as we mature, we begin to see things in a more relative perspective, recognizing that different people have different points of view. At this point, we can take several paths - we can slip into complete relativism, believing like those students of Wade's, that any opinion is as good as any other; or we can slip into nihilism, giving up any belief; or, if we keep growing, we move forward to the final stage. Here, we recognize the need to make a commitment to personal beliefs that we have arrived at by careful thinking and a need to take responsibility for these beliefs. But at this stage, we also accept and respect the idea that others may hold contradictory values to which they are equally committed. In other words, we see the need defend our values and to be fair-minded

  JanG