Posts by JanH

Mixed drinks: G&T, Cap'n Morgan & Coke, Vodka & red bull, and I like most fresh long drinks, like Sling and a hell of a lot of stuff we've mixed that has no name

- Jan

Edited by - JanH on 6 August 2002 19:17:27

21

Religion Explained

by JanH in

jw
friends

this is about the most ambitious book title i can remember.

religious studies have been able to collect and present millions of facts about the world's religions, and made a lot of fascinating general theories about belief, myth and rituals, but it would be stretching the truth a lot to say that any general theory of religions stand out as totally convincing.. so far, nobody has even been able to produce a totally convincing defintion of the word "religion".. but if anyone can produce a book actually explaining religion in a credible way, it must be pascal boyer.

i read his book the naturalness of religious ideas: a cognitive theory of religion for my master's exam, and it was really an eye opener in many ways.

JanH

This is about the most ambitious book title I can remember. Religious studies have been able to collect and present millions of facts about the world's religions, and made a lot of fascinating general theories about belief, myth and rituals, but it would be stretching the truth a lot to say that any general theory of religions stand out as totally convincing.

So far, nobody has even been able to produce a totally convincing defintion of the word "religion".

But if anyone can produce a book actually explaining religion in a credible way, it must be Pascal Boyer. I read his book The Naturalness of Religious Ideas: A Cognitive Theory of Religion for my Master's exam, and it was really an eye opener in many ways. Perhaps it raised more questions than it answered, but I don't see that as a bad thing. Obviously, religious ideas are based on cognitive processes in our brains, so it follows that the constraints and properties of the human mind guides their development. Boyer explains how.

It can be ordered at Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0520075595/qid=1028662163/sr=1-5/ref=sr_1_5/103-1336388-4773466 if anyone's interested. Boyer is a very knowledgable person, a clear thinker and an excellent writer. That is what good text books are made of.

I have still not obtained this new book, but after I read the presentation I have pasted in below, it made it to the top of my books-to-read list right now.

Book of the Month

Religion Explained (Paperback)
by Pascal Robert Boyer

Synopsis:

What's it all about? Though we might never answer the really big questions--with good reason--maybe we can understand why we ask them. Cognitive anthropologist Pascal Boyer tackles this topic in the unapologetically titled Religion Explained, and it is sure to polarize his readers. Some will think it's an impermissible invasion of mental territory beyond the reach of reason; others will see it as the first step toward a more complete understanding of human nature--and Boyer is acutely aware of the emotionally charged nature of his work. This knowledge informs his decision to proceed without caution, as he warns readers early on that most will risk being offended by some of his considerations. Readers who can lay aside their biases will find great rewards here; Boyer's wide scholarship and knack for elegant writing are reasons enough for reading his book.

That gods and spirits are construed very much like persons is probably one of the best-known traits of religion. Indeed, the Greeks had already noticed that people create gods in their own image.... All this is familiar, indeed so familiar that for a long time anthropologists forgot that this propensity requires an explanation. Why then are gods and spirits so much like humans?

Peppering his study with examples from all over the world, particularly the Fang people of Africa, Boyer offers plenty of evidence for his theory that religious institutions exist to maintain particular threads of social integrity. Though he uses the tools of evolutionary psychology, he is more careful than most EP proponents to avoid ad hoc and circular arguments. Best of all, at least to those unmortified at the idea of examining religion critically, his theories are potentially testable. Even if he turns out to be dead wrong, at least Religion Explained offers a new and powerful framework for thinking about our spiritual lives. --Rob Lightner

Click here to order: [ US | UK ]

From http://www.secweb.org/bookstore/books.asp

- Jan

10

Joanie, The Jehovah Witness Stripper

by LB in

jw
friends

i downloaded this song and can't seem to get enough of it.

the song and lyrics are by paul thorn.. .

she drives a new car.

JanH

I downloaded this song a year or so ago. It's hilarious! It should be around on kazaa, bearshare, etc. Go get it!

- Jan

22

My pickup lines never worked

by LB in

jw
friends

i guess it's good i'm married.

i wasn't all that great at picking up girls.

here are some of my old lines... didn't i just meet you on the bus??.

JanH

A very good looking friend was hit on with the following line while I was talking to her:

"I have a fork-lift licence."

I still wonder why he thought that would make him the perfect guy for her.

- Jan

51

Explain this then

by Legendary U.2.K. in

(quote, messiah christ jesus) - "but of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but "my father only" <--that's proof that christ is not god, cause if christ was infact god,'dont you think he would know about the coming of his kingdom, also christ said" my father only" , um he said my father, therefore christ is the son of god, infact !!

!christ prayed to god!!

!<---you cant ignore that.. all this cometh str from the bible, and the bible tongues has/been change, but no the words, everything is true.. so prove me wrong, um you cant, so pay attention....

JanH

Kenneson,

The Trinity is the teaching that there is only one God. This one God exists as three persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are not three gods, but one God.

Essentially, then, God is a committee

- Jan

27

Paganism is ok when we say it is

by zenpunk in

jw
friends

we all probably know already that jws don't celebrate christmas, labeling it a pagan holiday and telling its whole sordid history to anyone who'll listen.

however, i found out that wedding rings are pagan in origin.

the jws know it but they include the exchange of rings during the wedding ceremony, explaining that rings are exchanged as an outward symbol to everyone that this couple is married, thus justifying the pagan origin of the whole thing.

JanH

Crazy,

So then JW's should not use the English or Spanish days of the week, or any name based on latin or anglo language. So basicly they are screwed! Maybe they will just make up some new names. They make everything else up.......

Believe it or not, this actually was about to happen once. Woodowrth, the eccentric editor of The Golden Age (now Awake!) suggested in his magazine to change month names to take away all pagan names. Rutherford was sane enough to put an end to the idea, and humiliated Woodworth publicly over it. You can read about this, and see the calendar, in James Penton's Apocalypse Delayed.

Incidentally, the arch-tyrant Robespierre also tried to remove "pagan" month names from the calendar during the French revolution. It didn't last long, as he lost his head in the end.

- Jan

27

Paganism is ok when we say it is

by zenpunk in

jw
friends

we all probably know already that jws don't celebrate christmas, labeling it a pagan holiday and telling its whole sordid history to anyone who'll listen.

however, i found out that wedding rings are pagan in origin.

the jws know it but they include the exchange of rings during the wedding ceremony, explaining that rings are exchanged as an outward symbol to everyone that this couple is married, thus justifying the pagan origin of the whole thing.

JanH

Imbue,

This is a topic I've been discussing privately since I think it is hypocritical for atheists to celebrate religious holidays.

Why should it be? Christians adapted a pre-christian festival to their own purposes. This is true about Christmas, and of course all other Christian holidays as well.

Atheists simply do the same thing. There is a public celebration going on, and we adapt the parts we like (giving gifts, lights, eating and drinking) and throw out the superstitious junk.

How is this more hypocrisy than Christians celebrating e.g. Easter, which is a Christian adaptation of Jewish, Mithraic and a number of other celebrations?

Giving old customs new meaning is not exactly a novel idea. Why should atheists be prevented from doing the same?

- Jan

114

15 Answers to Creationist Nonsense

by JanH in

jw
friends

scientific american runs an article rebutting some of the most common creationist arguments.

short and to the point.. this is the first page.

click for the following ones.. see http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleid=000d4fec-7d5b-1d07-8e49809ec588eedf&catid=2.

JanH

plm,

Is it true or not true that "race" is a process of evolution?

The physical characteristics associated with race, yes.

But race is as much a cultural construction as a biological one. In some cases, "race" is almost entirely a cultural concept (e.g. Jews).

- Jan

6

JW's tried to cheat state in Norway

by Aaac in

jw
friends

jw's tried to cheat money of the norvegian government.

they told the authorities that they have more members than they actually do.

eventually, they got nothing.

JanH

Frank,

I must be missing something. How do JWs get money from the gummint of Norway? Is this some sort of state subsidy of religion?

Yes, it is. For historical reasons Norway has a Lutheran state church, which is financed by the state. To compensate for this, registered religions apart from the state church receives funds from the government based on membership. The argument is that the "church tax" from its members should go to whatever religion they belong to, not to the Lutheran state church.

It's a stupid idea, but here we are.

- Jan

Edited by - JanH on 5 August 2002 16:47:54