Interesting post, thanks.
I think some of the older generation were more realistic and less cultish. Perhaps they genuinely felt they had a relationship with god that was not dependent on the mediation of the organisation.
in the late 80's when i was in my late teens i used to with my then wife to be attend a monday night pre-watchtower study at a local elders house.. this guy was revered as very knowledgable and he was scholarly and interesting to listen to; so at the time it was a genuinely enjoyable monday evening spent with oftentimes discussion would veer far of the subject at hand and lasting to well after 11pm some evenings.. this particular night, the subject up for discussion was "the faithful and discreet slave" and how we should be obeying them without question.
right in the middle of the study this elder said as a question not in the wt article; "how do we really know the current fds as lead by the governing body are the real deal.
i mean what actual proof do we have?".
Interesting post, thanks.
I think some of the older generation were more realistic and less cultish. Perhaps they genuinely felt they had a relationship with god that was not dependent on the mediation of the organisation.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-50916544.
kent refugee action network's bridget chapman, (idiot!
) who works directly with asylum seekers arriving by boat, said the home office's response was "disgraceful".
I really don’t want Muslims here unless they want to convert. I know personally, 3, and they became Christians.
What?
I know many Muslims who practice their faith and enjoy peaceful relationships with non-muslims. You need to get out more.
and i thouroughly enjoyed it ,i almost got to the stage of wanting to become a catholic.
it was a joy to watch the two main actors in dialogue and banter with each other..... and i`m an atheist ?.
pope benedict & pope francis.
We watched it a couple of days ago too. It's a blatant piece of pro-Catholic propaganda but for entertainment I thoroughly recommend it.
i find it funny how many people want to broad cast their religion on fb then whine whine when others critique it.
its like the ny times saying no one has a right to criticize its oped.
don't put it on the world wide web if you don't want others opinion on it.
JY - Do you accept that your OP is an attack on fundamentalist Christianity?
Biblical literalism demands belief in impossible things and is very easy to destroy. But that ignores the millions of christians - and people of other faiths - who find utility in religion without needing to lie to themselves.
Religion is nothing like Mein Kampf is it? National Socialism was founded on the doctrine of Aryan racial superiority. There is absolutely nothing positive that can be retrieved from that. Christianity incorporates a lot of useful memes that go beyond the dictate that 'murder is wrong'.
Have you read Jonathan Haidt's book The Righteous Mind? There is an interesting chapter titled Religion Binds and Blinds in which he looks at the evolutionary roots of religion and the way it enabled group cohesion. I'm still not sure how we replace that in a post-faith society. So far we seem to have come up environmentalism and intersectionality. I'm not in any hurry to see the end of Anglicanism and Universalists.
Full disclosure - There is no supernatural realm and I would rather stick pins in my eyes than attend church. I'm genuinely thinking out loud on this. Dawkins sees all religion, however benign, as a mind virus. Hitch (god rest his genius soul) said that religion belongs to the infancy of our species. Harris allows for a distinction between more and less harmful religions but fears that mainstream religion facilitates dangerous ideas. You seem to see all religion as akin to Nazi dogma or a rotting carcass.
I'm really not convinced.
i've not been on this site for awhile now.
and i haven't posted in several years.
at times i'll pull up jwd and read a little bit.
AGuest was the lady who claimed to hear Jesus talking to her and gained a lot of followers - mostly other women who wished Jesus would talk to them too. When challenged to she turned out to be a maliciously vindictive woman.
She started her own forum for her band of disciples called EXJWs for Christ or something like that. Outlaw left and became moderator of her forum.
The other black transvestite was as mad as a box of frogs. Basically another attention seeker. Can't remember his name.
i find it funny how many people want to broad cast their religion on fb then whine whine when others critique it.
its like the ny times saying no one has a right to criticize its oped.
don't put it on the world wide web if you don't want others opinion on it.
JY - You appear to be making an assumption that all Christians are fundamentalists.
What about all the millions of believers who accept the findings of biblical scholarship and of science?
Do you think religion might have some utility even if it's not objectively true?
https://jwstudies.com/_the_origin_of_life_-_fails_to_deliver.pdf .
I'm thinking 16 year old home schooled.
Blue - your conflation of science and morality is irrational. There are scientists who believe passionately in the truth of scripture and who reject all the same morals that you object to, but who still accept the fact of evolution. Then there are creationists who have deplorable personal morals.
The two things are completely unconnected.
My offer stands. Simply reply to my personal message any time. Even if it's in a few years time when you finally grow a pair.
https://jwstudies.com/_the_origin_of_life_-_fails_to_deliver.pdf .
You dont sound like you've read or checked what i posted before so why would i talk anymore to you. - blue
I have. I am thoroughly familiar with Michael Behe, Stephen Meyer, William Demsky and all the other charlatans at The Discovery Institute.
That is why I offered to have a respectful conversation with you about the facts. I am more than ready to discuss the claims of the Intelligent Design movement including the ones involving specified complexity, irreducible complexity and information.
I doubt if there is a single objection to evolution or a single argument in favour of a designer that I have not investigated previously.
I remain ready to hold a respectful and detailed conversation with you. I have more than 23,000 posts in this forum and I have never knowingly failed to reply to a reasonable argument against my position once. Please don't be yet another hit-and-run creationist who runs away screaming when they are challenged to back up their assertions. We both know you are not a science teacher so let's drop that charade.
In your own words 'have a pair of balls' and let's engage in a rational debate.
in recent months i have noticed more and more people on the net (including here) are using this latest perversion of the english language -.
"i would of done this..........or he would of tried to change things".
it's would've - short for would have!.
It's right to allow for casual or colloquial use of language in appropriate circumstances.
My concern is that so many people have not got a clue how to use language correctly when they need to.
I agree with the poster above who identified lack of reading as the problem. I think there has also been a neglect of basic education in schools. There has to be lessons where being correct is more important than expressing yourself.
https://jwstudies.com/_the_origin_of_life_-_fails_to_deliver.pdf .
So I was correct. You have never read a single textbook that presents the scientific evidence for evolution.
What an absolute car crash of a response.
I have to be honest if you are a science teacher then that is just incredible that you found employment.
I would be very happy to have a respectful conversation with you specifically about the fact of biological evolution. I think you have done enough harm to Doug's thread already so I propose starting a new one.
Please let me know if you accept the invitation and I will post an OP this evening.
At this point I want to point out one obvious misconception that you present above. Evolution is not about atheism.
The vast majority of Christians accept the fact of evolution. Many scientists who research and teach evolution are evangelical Christians.
Accepting the fact of evolution does not commit somebody to favouring any moral position.