Posts by cofty

322

God and Suffering

by AK - Jeff in

a few weeks back, in the midst of the haiti tragedy, much discussion took place in cyberland about the tolerance [or indeed the insistence on] suffering by a loving god.

the furor over haiti has settled a bit [as unfortunately most tragedy is wont to do far too quickly in the human mind], but this persistent matter continues to chew at my subconscience.

today i came across this:.

cofty

The blind faith statements being made here are not just an offense to intellect, they are morally bankrupt.

Its not enough to be able to argue that your views are harmonious with biblical teachings. To those of us who have grown beyond slavish obedience to an ancient book it would be more relevant to hear how your god's inaction can be reconciled with morality.

Is your god impotent, uncaring or vindictive? Statements of the "who are we to question god" kind wont do, our days of groveling before a tyrant are over.

13

Volunteering

by Quillsky in

jw
friends

now that you, as a former jw, have a few evenings and some weekend time freed up, and "charity" is no longer a dirty word, ........ do you do any kind of volunteer work?.

i'm seriously thinking about it..

cofty

I would recommend it. I set up a junior football (soccer) club 12 years ago, its been very rewarding. It now has around 150 members and has led to loads of opportunities and friendships. Volunteering is a good way to met people and learn new skills

322

God and Suffering

by AK - Jeff in

a few weeks back, in the midst of the haiti tragedy, much discussion took place in cyberland about the tolerance [or indeed the insistence on] suffering by a loving god.

the furor over haiti has settled a bit [as unfortunately most tragedy is wont to do far too quickly in the human mind], but this persistent matter continues to chew at my subconscience.

today i came across this:.

cofty

Who am I to judge God? - BTS

I am more than happy to judge god.

If we don't understand what is loving and decent then we don't understand anything; god is neither.

The god of the 3 great Abrahamic faiths is beneath us. I am a better person than god and I am certain you are too. All attempts to excuse god are what Daniel Dennett called "the fine print in a fraudulent contract"

36

Christopher Hitchens Interviewed by Unitarian Minister Marilyn Sewell

by leavingwt in

jw
friends

embedded video, transcript and mp3 available at link below.. .

christopher hitchens interviewed by unitarian minister marilyn sewell maryiln sewell: the religion you cite in your book is generally the fundamentalist faith of various kinds.

im a liberal christian, and i dont take the stories from the scripture literally.

cofty

bluesapphire - Hitch does not say anything about the doctrines you mention.

He says that a person who does not believe Jesus was the Christ who died as a sacrifice for sin and rose from the dead is not a christain in any meaningful sense.

Seems like a bare minimum surely? If a word is diluted of all meaning whats the point of using it?

35

"Does the Christian God Exist?"

by leavingwt in

jw
friends

last night, author and ex-christian, john w. loftus debated dinesh d'souza on the topic, "does the christian god exist?".

below is loftus' opening statement.. .

in every single case dineshs response will be pretty much the same.

cofty

To dismiss his arguments as "whining" is one way of avoiding the challenging questions he raises.

35

"Does the Christian God Exist?"

by leavingwt in

jw
friends

last night, author and ex-christian, john w. loftus debated dinesh d'souza on the topic, "does the christian god exist?".

below is loftus' opening statement.. .

in every single case dineshs response will be pretty much the same.

cofty

That's an outstanding introduction, sadly Dinesh De Souza is immune to reason.

I like the way he preempts the cosmological argument..

But just showing that something is consistent with his faith does not show his faith is probable. That’s a huge non-sequitur. For instance, even if Dinesh can successfully argue that our universe began to exist and that this is consistent with his belief that there is a creator, so what?

I hope somebody records the debate and posts it online

3

Animals before flood - vegetarians? Ever published in WT pablications?

by Albert Einstein in

i heard countlessly from zealous jw, that before flood all animals were vegetarians, not killing and eating each other ... as it will be in paradise again.. but was this ever published in a wtbs publications?.

do you have an idea?.

thanks.. albert.

cofty

Yeah a cheetah can accelerate to 60mph so its not last to the straw

10

Foxnews Today- "Two Street Preachers shot to death in Florida."

by Witness 007 in

a 23 year old and 24 year old man were shot in the head after "preaching" to another man who recieved a phone call then returned to execute both men...".

sounds like witnesses to me.....anyone else have more info?.