I think BTS and I were inadvertently being too vague, and should more properly have said "infinite causal regress," i.e. a cause-event chain which extends infinitely backwards in time. Unfortunate, though, that this quick and dirty definition has some incredibly high-order abstractions ("what is 'time?' " etc), and is therefore practically semantically null. Maybe we can all agree on it superficially for the sake of this argument, though we could probably quibble endlessly about the meanings of the words used in defining it--assuming time extends infinitely forwards as well and we're all going to live forever on a paradise earth. ;-)
A.Fenderson
JoinedPosts by A.Fenderson
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87
How To Construct a Creationist/Theistic Argument
by darkl1ght3r inhow to construct a creationist/theistic argument - by ben spencer.
step 1. come up with a supposed self-apparent, universal, unbreakable, and yet ultimately unprovable "law".. for example:.
all effects require a cause.
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What is the JW talk outline for a wedding at the KH? And vows.
by ThomasCovenant indoes anyone know what the vows are during a witness wedding?
is there a wedding talk outline wt approved?
thanks in advance.
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Do you atheists resent the believers on here and do you believers resent the atheists?
by Lozhasleft ini'm wondering how people feel about us exjws either becoming atheists or continuing on with a faith in god?.
do you get angry or frustrated at the opposing view?.
i'm new but i've seen different reactions to both on here...as for me i am happy to live and let live nowadays...its ok with me whatever people want to choose for themselves..... personally i still have enormous faith and love for god....if the jws couldnt destroy it i dont think much else could...?.
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A.Fenderson
This site is great in that we can (mostly) all agree on one thing--that the WTS/JW religion has in some way or another negatively impacted our lives and/or that we want to help others escape from this type of abuse--while at the same time we have differences that we can calmly and kindly discuss without the conversations declining into shouting matches, name-calling, or argumentum ad Hitlerum.
And on that note...
I truly think we are all agnostic...
Very true, and very important.
...but I am taking a leap of faith just like the atheist and putting my money on Jesus.
This equivocation of the term "faith" seems potentially dangerous to me, as it leads to imprecise thinking and glosses over the very important epistemological differences between having a belief in the existence of something of which one has no empirical evidence verses choosing not to believe in the same.
@jaguarbass: in what ways do you feel the "faith" that (some? all?) atheists have is similar, and in what ways different, to the faith that theists exhibit?
My position? If you're TRULY an atheist, you have nothing to fear because there is no one TO fear.
Excepting those religious extremists whose motto is "death to the infidel!" :-)
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What is the JW talk outline for a wedding at the KH? And vows.
by ThomasCovenant indoes anyone know what the vows are during a witness wedding?
is there a wedding talk outline wt approved?
thanks in advance.
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A.Fenderson
and of course theres always the annocement about no confetti
Is this official WTS doctrine? I don't remember this aspect.
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10 good reasons why celebrating birthdays should be allowed
by bluecanary ini cannot take credit for any of the gems below but i did want to polish and organize them.
much of the information was borrowed from this thread.
if you can come up with any more, please post them.. the bible does not ban birthdays.
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A.Fenderson
actually one can worship by accident...do some people know they are worshipping and/or making Satan happy when they are fornicating?? ....
Never once has Satan lifted a finger or even offered a kind word to show the slightest bit of appreciation at my having fornicated for his viewing pleasure--ingrate bastard!
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Relationship with god, what is it really?
by highdose inin this thread i'm speaking as a atheist who used to be comended for her close realtionship with jehovah.
i realised that he dosn't exsist about a year and a bit ago.
so who or what did i have a realtionship with?
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A.Fenderson
I used to feel calm after having prayed and feel that it was god comforting me. But i now belive that it was just all in my own head.
A favorite author of mine would refer to this as "programming your own trip," and it can take on any number of forms--so long as it's done consciously, it can be a very powerful and positive force in your life.
I was so quick to attritbute good things to god, rather than my own doing. bad things came from saturn,....
Hell, even astrology can be a tool for well-being if done properly. ;-)
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guys, when you were JW's did you feel sorry for the subjugated sisters?
by highdose inin my cong i could name more than half the brothers who seemed to revel in squashing the sisters back into the door mat where they belonged.
nothing personaly irrated me more than being treated like a lower form of life simply because i didn't have a penis!.
but i never saw any brothers make a stand, or try to treat the sisters better.
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A.Fenderson
I remember one night at bookstudy (don't remember the pub we were reading) the concept of the wife submitting to sex whenever the husband wanted it was presented as being good, proper, biblical, etc. I was about 16, and this slightly-younger (15?) girl then raised her hand and added that if sex was forced on the female against her will, even within the confines of marriage, it was still legally considered rape, so be careful not to cross that line, etc. I thought it was quite the valid point to make, and also very gutsy of her--I gained instant respect for her. However, the young woman's own mother then raised her hand and was called on, and took the opportunity to announce to the group that she would later be "correcting" her daughter in private (?!), and that the scenario she had brought up would not be considered rape in God's eyes or somesuch.
I very randomly ran into that young woman half-way across the state years later, no surprise that she had gotten out of the dubs at roughly the same time I had.
So, in answer to the question: yes, for those women who resented it; no, for those women who embraced and defended it.
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When will we have Armageddon, according to the last new light?
by dgp ini'm just curious: has the watchtower said when we will have armageddon, or they are avoiding to give any date, or are they avoiding noticing that all the signs are there to suggest that there is a specific date we should look forward to?
any dates?.
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A.Fenderson
No Dates - Just supa dupa close - soooooo close you can almost taste the kiss of your great great great grandmother!
Both histerical and utterly disgusting--kudos!
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How To Construct a Creationist/Theistic Argument
by darkl1ght3r inhow to construct a creationist/theistic argument - by ben spencer.
step 1. come up with a supposed self-apparent, universal, unbreakable, and yet ultimately unprovable "law".. for example:.
all effects require a cause.
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A.Fenderson
Infinite regression is a logical impossibility. There had to be a beginning of the series, no matter what you want to call it.
The prevailing form of logic is incredibly useful and yet incredibly limited and demonstrably flawed. Besides which, I've never seen a properly-formatted logical arument that concludes that an infinite regression is impossible. I think you're making the flaw of aruing from personal incredulity--you can't imagine or make sense of an infinite regress, so you dismiss it as impossible.
There only has to be a beginning to a finite series--an infinite series has no such restriction and can be extended infinitely in both directions from any arbitrary point--in this case, "now" on the timeline.
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Golden Age Quotes--You have to see it to believe it.
by blondie inquestion: will husband and wife live together after the resurrection is completed, if both are in harmony with god?.
answer: the scriptures do not reveal what the relationship of men and women will be after the resurrection is completed.
the most that we know is that there will be no children born during the last 100 years of the millennium (isa.
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A.Fenderson
Wow, this is pure gold.
Has anyone ever heard of any ballsy secret "apostate" answering questions at the meeting by relating a previously-held JW doctrine that's very contrary to current doctrine and citing some of these older sources? That would be unbelievably sweet.
