Posts by EndofMysteries

49

Elders in Spain Steal Millions from Congregation

by cappytan in

these men are appointed by holy spirit,.

here is the source: http://www.economiadigital.es/es/notices/2015/01/la-fiscalia-imputa-una-estafa-de-mas-de-170-millones-de-euros-a-una-congregacion-de-testigos-de-jeho-65161.php.

basically, if you don't know spanish, it boils down to this: (my personal editorial of what i've read).

EndofMysteries

Something is wrong, if all 1300 donated over 10 years, that's like 10,000 per person per year. Unless they had a lot of wills, life insurance policies, etc, they collected on.

30

How is Genesis scientifically incorrect?

by EndofMysteries in

i'll add many things in the bible i don't agree with, but the bible is a collection of books.

now to make sure i'm reading as closely to what is written in genesis, i look at this hebrew interlinear, because english translating and rearranging of words can change it.

http://www.scripture4all.org/onlineinterlinear/otpdf/gen1.pdf.

Unless I read and interpret things differently, it seems to have strong points. I'll add many things in the bible I don't agree with, but the bible is a collection of books. Genesis however, does seem to have strong points.

Now to make sure I'm reading as closely to what is written in Genesis, I look at this hebrew interlinear, because english translating and rearranging of words can change it. http://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/OTpdf/gen1.pdf

So here is why I think Genesis has some strong points.

Genesis 1:1 states how the earth was vacany and chaos and is generally translated to being without form and void. The wording of it to me describes the birth of a planet, a cloud of dust.

Now the next part many claim proves it's all crap because it says light and darkness came and he made day and night BEFORE the sun and moon. That is because you aren't reading what it says. It doesn't claim the light is from the sun and that day and night are the result of the sun. (it claims the opposite later on, that the sun and moon are to SHOW or mark when it's day and night).

But back to the topic, the heavens and earth. What light is can be debated, if it's light from the other stars then speed of light can mean by this point the light has reached earth.

Next it says all the waters are moved to one place and dry land appears. To me that wording seems to imply one landmass. And it appears that at one point all of Earth's dry land was in one big landmass.

Next is says the seeds for plants are created, not full grown plants out of nowhere but seeds. This is confirmed in Gen 2:5 that explicitly states that all plants originated by seeds. The ground was seeded. I'll also remind that Genesis was NOT written in chapters and verses, but one big letter. Chapters and verses were inserted much later on. At Genesis chap 2:3 ends what was discussed starting in Gen 1:1, in Gen 2:4 it's a new topic, "The generations of the heaven and the earth", so when vs 4 says no plants yet, then vs 5 is talking about man, that's not saying that in the day God made seeds he also made man. (I've seen that mentioned and those people are assuming what is NOT stated).

Back to Genesis, after the seeds are made, then the sun comes. (no animals or water life yet because it would have been impossible. It's interesting how separated plants and then life is. It makes sense because before any plants there was no oxygen. Also the seeds needed sunlight, photosynthesis, so during this period of time the atmosphere and water is getting pumped with oxygen.

It's also interesting that recent studies have shown that some water on the Earth is OLDER than the sun. http://www.astronomy.com/news/2014/09/earths-water-is-older-than-the-sun Anyway after plants and sunlight THEN the first life mentioned is aquatic. Then birds and mammals.

Then man is last. Science has shown man was a late development.

Now if you ignore that a creator is responsible for everything in Genesis, with the description and order of things, what is wrong about it?

69

Science still doesn't have the answers on how life first appeared

by EndofMysteries in

since so many athiests in this thread, and since i'm going to college, i was curious if what i would learn in biology would change my thoughts and show that life clearly and easily spontaneously happened.

just looking up the origins of dna or rna there is nothing conclusive.

for example, scientists today are able to manipulate life.

EndofMysteries

This is the problem - the "simple" explanation actually contains more complexity and moving parts ... to make fire we now need spaces travel to be invented instead of someone just having a good idea one day.
It all seems to be a desperate attempt to deny any scientific explanation and simply cling to the idea that involves there being a god. Specifically, the god that the proponent of the explanation happens to believe in. Yeah, not one of those other fake gods. Splittahs!!
I don't think the "theist method" is as credible as the "scientific method"

I am not saying that either either scientific OR theist. Unless one proves to be absolutely beyond a shadow of a doubt indisputable, then BOTH should be considered. Just because it's possible we were created whether a spirit supernatural God or another biological advanced life form doesn't mean you stop everything and that's the answer. On the other end of the spectrum, it shouldn't be that all scientific research and study must assume we appeared out of nowhere, that may result in not doing research and study that could answer questions if we are the product of another life. Both are open, both should be on the table.

11

What if "IT" was all just a dream?

by titch in

i'm not really sure as to what category that i should put this into, so i'll just try, and put it here.

this is based upon a posting that i saw and read on facebook recently.

and, the question is: what if life---as you know it---was just one big dream?

EndofMysteries

I believe this can be entirely possible but in many other fashions.

For one, when you dream at night, you don't know you are dreaming. Unless you become lucid, you can be in a crazy world that defies rationality and logic and you think it's completely normal.

For those who believe in the eternal soul, if beings of spirit or energy, life like this could be almost like a game, you don't remember like in a dream, live is to experience the universe, when you die you wake up in a sense and remember just like when waking up from a dream, then pick another life, etc.

Or a very advanced virtual reality.

I agree with OTWO though.

38

What is the main reason the Watchtower Society baptize their children so young?

by RULES & REGULATIONS in

jesus was thirty was he was baptized.

today, you hear of young children getting baptized as young as 10 years old.

the parents, family and congregation think it's a wonderful idea that someone dedicates their life to jehovah at such a young age.

EndofMysteries

They do it because the rules are they don't have to shun if they were never baptized, and they know many are waking up younger and want them baptized before they can really think and know what's going on and find out about the lies so when they inevitably do, then they can make their parents shun them and not risk them learning TTATT.

69

Science still doesn't have the answers on how life first appeared

by EndofMysteries in

since so many athiests in this thread, and since i'm going to college, i was curious if what i would learn in biology would change my thoughts and show that life clearly and easily spontaneously happened.

just looking up the origins of dna or rna there is nothing conclusive.

for example, scientists today are able to manipulate life.

EndofMysteries

My point is that if scientifically ALL possibilities must be looked at. Saying that if we were made from an alien race doesn't answer where life came from, the fact also stands that if we were made from an alien race, then there is no skipping past them to discover the origin of any and all life. If we made robots or created some life form, then they couldn't discover the origin of all life without knowing about us and our origins, etc.

69

Science still doesn't have the answers on how life first appeared

by EndofMysteries in

since so many athiests in this thread, and since i'm going to college, i was curious if what i would learn in biology would change my thoughts and show that life clearly and easily spontaneously happened.

just looking up the origins of dna or rna there is nothing conclusive.

for example, scientists today are able to manipulate life.

EndofMysteries

So your explanation of how life began is that some life put it there?

Let me explain it another way. Not how 'any' life began but how 'our' life began. Let's say we humans create a life, using computers, etc. The answer of how life began for THEM would be different then us. So if life on this planet came from other life, it COULD have, it doesn't answer how THEIR life came to be, but it would answer how our life came to be. We would have no way of knowing how their life came to be without direct answers, interaction, study, etc of them.

69

Science still doesn't have the answers on how life first appeared

by EndofMysteries in

since so many athiests in this thread, and since i'm going to college, i was curious if what i would learn in biology would change my thoughts and show that life clearly and easily spontaneously happened.

just looking up the origins of dna or rna there is nothing conclusive.

for example, scientists today are able to manipulate life.

EndofMysteries

Since so many athiests in this thread, and since I'm going to college, I was curious if what I would learn in biology would change my thoughts and show that life clearly and easily spontaneously happened. Well it hasn't, at all.

Just looking up the origins of DNA or RNA there is nothing conclusive.

I wonder are athiests convinced life (on planet Earth and life as we know it) convinced that it all happened by chance? Or are athiests just convinced the creator as described in religion is incorrect but believe our life may have had some intelligent life preceeding it?

For example, scientists today are able to manipulate life. They can't create it out of thin air but they can manipulate it, GMO, etc.

Even if I did not believe in a creator as described in religion, based on everything so far, I'd say some type of other life was responsible for us. It's like breaking down a building, if you see a building and with enough research it comes down to blueprints, but the blueprints, where did they come from?

It would be easier to believe an advanced life/civilization with scientists who mastered biology were able to create cells, code DNA to make any sort of biological life they wanted, features, etc. They would have programmed it to adapt as well to environmental changes, evolution.

In biology class, when talking about plants, going over how fruit trees make fruit sweet to attract animals to eat it so it spreads it's seeds, etc. There is some type of intelligence in that.

With computers, perhaps soon able to create AI, advances in science and biology, it seems we are all biological robots programmed with advanced AI and self aware.

It's almost a possibility we are all just a computer program/simulation as well. Could WE produce a program and AI so advanced within a computer it becomes self aware? A video game of a simulated universe and Earth, having creatures on it, etc. Then having people on it, programmed with really advanced AI where they become self aware. Have constraints where they can't possibly travel or see the edges of the world. If they became as smart as us, they still couldn't go beyond what we allow them to see. If they investigate their life origins, they would hit the end of the road for how the first ones appeared as well.

Anyway, I just wonder how so many are convinced everything is by chance. If it's because of religion then have you considered maybe all religions have it wrong?

26

New forum: one month progress report

by Simon in

well, we survived the first month at least!

yes, the new forum is now 1 month old.. of course there have been some issues and i'm grateful that people have been patient while i worked on them.

a big thank-you to everyone who's been patient, have provided useful feedback or just been willing to adapt to something new during the transition.. i've also made some improvements along the way and am fairly happy with how things are from a basic functionality and performance perspective so it's time to start looking at some of the new features i've been planning.

EndofMysteries

My inbox is still showing 2 unread messages when all are read. (same since first day of update, unsure if everybody is showing wrong number still or not).

Also I still think it would be nice if total page views were shown again.

Other then that everything else is great.

17

JWs versus Scientology

by millie210 in

i have been discussing scientology with a friend who is reading dianetics by l. ron hubbard.. both groups are considered cults by many.. both have a policy of shunning members who leave.. so in your opinion, what are the similarities you find between them?.

what are the differences?.

is one group "worse"?.

EndofMysteries

I've been to one of the scientologists BIG events, they throw big luxurious parties. Seems to be many members have $$. They are also very secretive/paranoid, having been in one of their top events, you feel like you're in a spy movie w/ cia agents everywhere, etc.