cofty

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Posts by cofty

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  23

  And now for something you might be able to hear without repulsion

  by TerryWalstrom in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i won't give a long preamble other than to say this.

  listen and see how you respond.

  and now i'm passing it along to get your feedback.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28i3lwxw5xs.

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  cofty

  Terry I disagree. I thought Cathy Newman came across as unintelligent and disingenuous. There was nothing clever about her tactics.

  I suspect it will harm her reputation as a serious journalist.
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  340

  Calling Cofty and others regarding evolution

  by dubstepped in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so i have started down the path of trying to understand evolution, and to get the linear lies that the jws planted in my head out of it.

  i bought an audiobook called "evolution: what the fossils say and why it matters" by donald prothero.

  i heard it recommended on an atheist podcast that i listened to.

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  cofty

  If anybody is wondering whether those who reject evolution might have something interesting to say they would be very disappointed by your contribution Old Navy.

  Dozens of posts and not even one single attempt to present any evidence. When I was a creationist I knew nothing about science but at least I knew how to ask difficult questions.
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  33

  besty - anybody remember me

  by besty in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  just checkin in - all good.

  px.

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  cofty

  are you licking an icecream

  It's a cigar
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  33

  besty - anybody remember me

  by besty in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  just checkin in - all good.

  px.

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  cofty

  Hey fellow Scot great to hear from you. I hope you and yours are doing well?

  Happy Burns Night.
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  20

  Don't Try to Choose Your Beliefs

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  beliefs are not things to be chosen like new clothes; authentic beliefs happen to us without our conscious attention.. i have often seen comments from ex-jws to the effect that they are now unsure about what they 'ought' to believe.

  others express offense when their chosen beliefs are challenged and well-meaning bystanders protest that everybody is entitled to believe whatever they wish.

  this misunderstanding of what it means to believe something is unhelpful.. it's natural to want to quickly replace our old beliefs when our worldview has collapsed around us.

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  cofty

  keep it clean until you research thoroughly and then you can start building up a reliable knowledge bank - sparrowdown

  This is the key thing. When you begin to research information on a controversial topic it's too easy to side with the first thing you read. Like a jurist keeping an open mind until you have a clear grasp of both sides is not easy.
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  20

  Don't Try to Choose Your Beliefs

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  beliefs are not things to be chosen like new clothes; authentic beliefs happen to us without our conscious attention.. i have often seen comments from ex-jws to the effect that they are now unsure about what they 'ought' to believe.

  others express offense when their chosen beliefs are challenged and well-meaning bystanders protest that everybody is entitled to believe whatever they wish.

  this misunderstanding of what it means to believe something is unhelpful.. it's natural to want to quickly replace our old beliefs when our worldview has collapsed around us.

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  cofty

  ha! Great minds think alike Nic. or is something about fools never differ? I forget.

  Interesting that quite a few posters didn't get your point 11 years ago. To me - and you - it seems blindingly obvious. Choosing your beliefs is self-deception.

  Sir82 - I agree it is a huge challenge especially for those of us raised in an environment of intellectual dependence.

  Scary21 - Thanks.
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  20

  Don't Try to Choose Your Beliefs

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  beliefs are not things to be chosen like new clothes; authentic beliefs happen to us without our conscious attention.. i have often seen comments from ex-jws to the effect that they are now unsure about what they 'ought' to believe.

  others express offense when their chosen beliefs are challenged and well-meaning bystanders protest that everybody is entitled to believe whatever they wish.

  this misunderstanding of what it means to believe something is unhelpful.. it's natural to want to quickly replace our old beliefs when our worldview has collapsed around us.

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  cofty

  Beliefs are not things to be chosen like new clothes; authentic beliefs happen to us without our conscious attention.

  I have often seen comments from ex-JWs to the effect that they are now unsure about what they 'ought' to believe. Others express offense when their chosen beliefs are challenged and well-meaning bystanders protest that everybody is entitled to believe whatever they wish. This misunderstanding of what it means to believe something is unhelpful.

  It's natural to want to quickly replace our old beliefs when our worldview has collapsed around us. In reality it's a process that will take many years. Making conscious decisions about what we think we would like to believe is a sure way to restrict our growth and recovery from the cult.

  Is the god of the bible worthy of worship? Is the bible inspired? Does prayer have any value? Why suffering? Is there life beyond physical death? Did life evolve by an unguided process, and if so does that rob life of meaning? What about moral questions regarding relationships, marriage, sex, abortion, child-rearing, politics, war, animal welfare, human rights and equality?

  The only sensible thing to do is to keep acquiring knowledge by every means possible. Read great books. Listen to lectures and debates. Engage in honest debate to try our our current ideas see if they hold up to scrutiny. Seek out the very best presentation of positions that you don't feel attracted to, but don't waste too much time on every bizarre idea. Resist ideological tribes at all costs. Somebody from whom you learn useful things about science might be a total dullard in matters of ethics or politics. There are no gurus any more, don't replace one 'faithful slave' with another.

  Be brave enough to begin from a position of uncertainty about big questions. Keep learning, questioning and challenging everything. With time and much effort our beliefs take care of themselves.
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  23

  And now for something you might be able to hear without repulsion

  by TerryWalstrom in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i won't give a long preamble other than to say this.

  listen and see how you respond.

  and now i'm passing it along to get your feedback.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28i3lwxw5xs.

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  cofty

  If you listen to his first interview with Sam Harris it will make you want to scream. It's almost as if he was trying to sabotage any chance of actual communication.

  I do think he has some very interesting things to say about the cultural Marxism. His recent interview with Cathy Newman was astonishing.
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  40

  What I Learned in the Peace Corps in Africa: Trump Is Right

  by pseudoxristos in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my first thought when seeing this headline was; "how could trump be right?

  " even though i am registered as a republican, i don't really care for trump.

  after reading the article, i still don't care for trump, but i had never considered many of the points brought out by the article.. january 17, 2018. what i learned in the peace corps in africa: trump is right.

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  cofty

  The Wahhabists of present day Saudi Arabia were, more or less, still stuck in the 14th century when Royal Dutch Shell, and others discovered oil in the regiion during the 1920s-30s. Hence, they have had LESS than a century to go from 14th century Wahabbist Islam to the modern world. - Sugar Shane

  I am at a loss to follow your logic.
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  340

  Calling Cofty and others regarding evolution

  by dubstepped in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so i have started down the path of trying to understand evolution, and to get the linear lies that the jws planted in my head out of it.

  i bought an audiobook called "evolution: what the fossils say and why it matters" by donald prothero.

  i heard it recommended on an atheist podcast that i listened to.

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  3. 
• 

  cofty

  To finally develop Faith in a Benevolent Creator

  'Nature red in tooth and claw' proves that there is no benevolent creator.

  Creationism isn't a leap of faith, it's a drunken tumble down Mount Dumbass.

  You will change by your own volition. As you learn more

  I have learned more in the past 20 years than I did in the previous 30. That is why I reject creationism. The men and women who know most about the complexity of the natural world are the strongest advocates for evolution. These are the thousands of scientists - many of them christians - who know more about life than you or I ever will.

  There is a very important difference between you and I Old Navy. I thoroughly understand both creationism and evolution. You have never learned even the most basic information about evolution. You are wilfully ignorant of the evidence. For that reason you have nothing to say about it.

  Why are you still refusing to acknowledge that the vast majority of intelligent christians accept the fact of evolution. You never engage in conversation, you just keep repeating the same old platitudes. When are you going to pay anybody the respect of actually engaging with the subject?