Posts by fulltimestudent

320

Richard Dawkins defends mild pedophilia, says it does not cause lasting harm

by chrisuk in

http://www.salon.com/2013/09/10/richard_dawkins_defends_mild_pedophilia_says_it_does_not_cause_lasting_harm/.

fulltimestudent

I guess, before I post, I should make this clear. I am against any person, of any age or sex, being forced or persuaded into any sexual act. ( And that includes, rape within marriage) I am also against Yahweh's use of rape to accomplish his will, as in Yahweh's approval of the Israelite murder of the men of Jabesh Gilead, so that the surviving men of the tribe of Benjamin could rape their widows and fatherless daughters. That story started when the men of Gibeah wanted to gang-rape a travelling Levite, who in order to escape that threat gave them his wife instead. During the night she was gang-raped so many times that by the morning she was dead.

(Read the whole story In Judges chs. 19 to 21)

I am also against Yahweh's use of rape to punish David, when he told David that his wives/concubines would be raped because of David's sin. (2 Samuel 12: 11, 12.

OK, having announced my caveat, that ends my polemics.

Bohm:

... things viewed as acceptable in the past are unacceptable today?

This is the nux of the problem. For centuries, if not for all of human existence as a species, the age of marriage seems to have been just after puberty. In some parts of the world (e.g. Christian Ethiopia) it is still the custom. (I can provide references if anyone wants them.).

An essay by published by SUNY Press (SUNY Press is an international publisher of distinguished research and notable works of general interest for the State University of New York, on the topic, Statutory Rape Laws in Historical Context, the author makes the point that in the Statute of Westminster (1275 CE.), statutory rape was sexual intercourse with a female under 12, (later changed to under 10). In colonial America, legal jurisdictions essentially imported the clauses. Some states (the above text states), set the age of consent as 10 and some 12. ( Reference: http://www.sunypress.edu/pdf/60840.pdf , pp10,11 ) The author explains that the law was not a moral standard, but a law protecting the female property of some male. Also in the Americas, the laws were usually applied to white women only.

That custom started to change in the late 19th and early 20th C, until we reach the position we are in today.

It may be noted that puberty is clearly a change point in the progress of a human to a position of full adulthood. In earlier times, I think it could be argued that once through puberty, an individual may have been seen as a young adult. Not so today, childhood has been (in western societies) extended so that even a youth of 16 can be seen as a child. (and there is some biological evidence, that full maturity (for a male anyway) is not reached until the mid 20s.

29

Exodus 24:10 - The Israelites saw Jehovah? Has this scripture ever been explained?

by truthseeker in

jw
friends

has anyone really pondered what this means?

jehovah said that no man can see god and live, and here at least 70 people saw jehovah standing on a bright blue pavement.

24 then the lord said to moses, come up to the lord , you and aaron, nadab and abihu, and seventy of the elders of israel.

fulltimestudent

Compare the text with the Genesis account commencing Ch. 18:1.

After 99 y.o Abraham circumcises 13 y.o. Ishmael etc, (Gen. 17:22-27) Yahweh and two other "men" appear to Abraham . Abraham wants to wash his feet and give him some food etc, and Yahweh agrees. Yahweh and the two others who are later identified as angels separate, and the the two angels go onto Sodom, whereas Yahweh just goes on his merry way, (vs 33).

As you see, the concept of what God is and does seems to undergo a lot of modification, particularly if you start from Genesis 1, where this superbeing can create 'the heavens and the earth,' but within 18 chapters can have hs feet washed by his worshipper.

In point of fact most ancient peoples imagined "God" as being able to move among humans, unidentified as "God."

4

America's F-35 Fighter- Is it a flop ?

by fulltimestudent in

its said to be the most expensive fighter plane in history, but its just been grounded ( yesterday a decison to allow them to fly again,) after a massive engine failure in one plane.. .

little australia is buying another 58 (in addition to another 14 already ordered) of the f-35s at a cost of $aust 12.4 billion dollars, and with an estimated cost of around $12 billion for maintenance programs during its life time.. but its not without opposition - .

government backbencher dennis jensen has condemned the prime ministers $12.4 billion plan to buy 58 f-35 joint strike fighter jets as a great national scandal and worse than a disgrace.. in an extraordinary broadside in parliament on monday night, dr jensen warned that australias national security was being corrupted by an industrial-military complex interested in promoting the global arms trade.. .

fulltimestudent

Now the US journal Foreign Policy runs this critical report:

web-reference: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2014/07/08/pentagons_399_billion_plane_nowhere?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-pentagons-399-billion-plane-to-nowhere&utm_term=%2ASituation%20Report

The Pentagon's $399 Billion Plane to Nowhere

The next-generation F-35, the most expensive plane ever built, may be too dangerous to fly. Why is Congress keeping it alive?

That's the question? And, the answer tells us a lot about democracy in the USA.

FP magazine gives this opinion:

the F-35, a juggernaut of a program that apparently has enough political top cover to withstand any storm.

Part of that protection comes from the jaw-dropping amounts of money at stake. The Pentagon intends to spend roughly $399 billion to develop and buy 2,443 of the planes. However, over the course of the aircrafts' lifetimes, operating costs are expected to exceed $1 trillion. Lockheed has carefully hired suppliers and subcontractors in almost every state to ensure that virtually all senators and members of Congress have a stake in keeping the program -- and the jobs it has created -- in place.

We can conclude then that:

1. what we see is pork-barrelling on on enormous scale.

2. That the USA is actually operating on a form of militarised socialism.

3. Socialism is actually a precursor stage in the development of a Communist economy.

4. China is actually planning to sell their SOEs (State Owned Enterprises). So as China becomes more capitalist, the USA becomes more socialist.

What a funny, topsy-turvy world.

4

America's F-35 Fighter- Is it a flop ?

by fulltimestudent in

its said to be the most expensive fighter plane in history, but its just been grounded ( yesterday a decison to allow them to fly again,) after a massive engine failure in one plane.. .

little australia is buying another 58 (in addition to another 14 already ordered) of the f-35s at a cost of $aust 12.4 billion dollars, and with an estimated cost of around $12 billion for maintenance programs during its life time.. but its not without opposition - .

government backbencher dennis jensen has condemned the prime ministers $12.4 billion plan to buy 58 f-35 joint strike fighter jets as a great national scandal and worse than a disgrace.. in an extraordinary broadside in parliament on monday night, dr jensen warned that australias national security was being corrupted by an industrial-military complex interested in promoting the global arms trade.. .

fulltimestudent

Its said to be the most expensive fighter plane in History, but its just been grounded ( yesterday a decison to allow them to fly again,) after a massive engine failure in one plane.

Little Australia is buying another 58 (in addition to another 14 already ordered) of the F-35s at a cost of $Aust 12.4 billion dollars, and with an estimated cost of around $12 billion for maintenance programs during its life time.

But its not without opposition -

Government backbencher Dennis Jensen has condemned the Prime Minister’s $12.4 billion plan to buy 58 F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets as a “great national scandal” and “worse than a disgrace”.

In an extraordinary broadside in Parliament on Monday night, Dr Jensen warned that Australia’s national security was being corrupted by an “industrial-military complex” interested in promoting the global arms trade.

But Dr Jensen argued the F-35 was an inferior aircraft to those being developed by “potential threat nations”.

He said the F-35’s US manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, had misled countries seeking to buy the jets over their cost, capability and readiness. He cited a RAND Corporation assessment of the F-35 as a fighter that “can’t turn, can’t run, can’t climb”.

“The simple fact is, Lockheed Martin and the military-industrial complex may be selling the US, Australia, and allies a pup, but nations that may not be friendly to us are not buying the pitch.”

“It is time to end the madness,” Dr Jensen told Parliament. “It is time to scrap the JSF.”

11

Reactions of Chinese Mothers to their Children 'Coming Out' as Gay

by fulltimestudent in

images and text from the 'people's daily,' july 15, 2014. web reference: http://english.people.com.cn/n/2014/0715/c98649-8755344.html.

in china, the problem's of dealing with a child's sexuality are more likely to relate to questions of grandchildren, rather than religious hate.

mom romantic comes from handan, north china's hebei province.. "my son first told me he was gay when he was in high school.

fulltimestudent

Like other girls her age, Xiaoyu got married to a man. Her parents were content with their son-in-law until one day a phone call disturbed the peace.

"Dear Xiaoyu's mom, please let me free, your daughter's lesbian and our marriage is just a show."

Xiaoyu's mother was stricken numb and Xiaoyu's father has since been confined to bed by the heart-attack inflicted by the news.

Xiaoyu recognized her sexual orientation long before the marriage, but like many other homosexual people, she chose to conceal it and married a gay man. It didn't take long before the partner of her "husband" started to protest against the marriage, and the "son-in-law" had no choice but to tell Xiaoyu's mom the truth.

After the skeleton's were out of the closet, Xiaoyu confided to her mother things that she hadn't been able to talk about for years.

"I know I'll try to accept this," her mom said. "It just takes time."

11

Reactions of Chinese Mothers to their Children 'Coming Out' as Gay

by fulltimestudent in

images and text from the 'people's daily,' july 15, 2014. web reference: http://english.people.com.cn/n/2014/0715/c98649-8755344.html.

in china, the problem's of dealing with a child's sexuality are more likely to relate to questions of grandchildren, rather than religious hate.

mom romantic comes from handan, north china's hebei province.. "my son first told me he was gay when he was in high school.

fulltimestudent

Mrs. Luo is a civil service officer with a 16 year old son. She feels a little abashed since she got her clue by reading her son's SMS messages.

"He was talking with his friend about not knowing how to ‘come out' to his parents, and I didn't know what ‘come out' meant so I searched it on the internet," she said.

Her son confirmed that he had feelings for boys and didn't like girls that same day quite frankly.

"I'm glad that he didn't have to keep it too long, because the longer he keeps it to himself, the more he suffers," she said.

"We're a democratic family and everyone is an independent unit, his dad and I have no right to interfere with this," she said, while conceding that she does have worries about his future.

"My biggest concerns are whether he'll be engaged in unbecoming activities, how he's going to get married and have children."

11

Reactions of Chinese Mothers to their Children 'Coming Out' as Gay

by fulltimestudent in

images and text from the 'people's daily,' july 15, 2014. web reference: http://english.people.com.cn/n/2014/0715/c98649-8755344.html.

in china, the problem's of dealing with a child's sexuality are more likely to relate to questions of grandchildren, rather than religious hate.

mom romantic comes from handan, north china's hebei province.. "my son first told me he was gay when he was in high school.

fulltimestudent

Xinyu's son came out simply.

"He sent me a text message that said ‘mom I'm gay'," she said.

At first she thought he was suffering from some kind of psychological disease and went about looking for treatment. Then she realized it was not going to work but still hoped that one day things would change. "Even if it's just getting married, having a child and then divorce," she said.

She dared not to tell her husband and had to take it all by herself. "I asked myself ‘why, did I do something wrong and this is God punishing me? '"

Her husband turned hysterical when he came to know that his son was gay. "Let him die!" He yelled and then burst into tears.

Half a year later, Xinyu was still full of tears when speaking of her son's coming out of the closet. But the tears were of understanding and tolerance. Now she's been in contact with a large number of gay people through various means and is beginning to throw her support behind the group.

11

Reactions of Chinese Mothers to their Children 'Coming Out' as Gay

by fulltimestudent in

images and text from the 'people's daily,' july 15, 2014. web reference: http://english.people.com.cn/n/2014/0715/c98649-8755344.html.

in china, the problem's of dealing with a child's sexuality are more likely to relate to questions of grandchildren, rather than religious hate.

mom romantic comes from handan, north china's hebei province.. "my son first told me he was gay when he was in high school.

fulltimestudent

Anran had a smile on her face all the time as she recounted her daughter first telling her she was lesbian.

"I noticed there was something going on when she was in junior high school," Anran said. "She was getting very intimate with girls while she treated boys as her buddies. But I didn't say anything."

It was not until her daughter had a job that Anran knew for sure. "One day by chance she confided to me that she liked girls and not boys, and then it all made sense."

Well educated herself, Anran wasn't surprised that her daughter was lesbian because she knew of the existence of homosexuals and knew that it was a normal social phenomenon.

"What surprised me was that she'd been dating a girl for years and I didn't have the faintest idea about that," Anran said, smiling.

11

Reactions of Chinese Mothers to their Children 'Coming Out' as Gay

by fulltimestudent in

images and text from the 'people's daily,' july 15, 2014. web reference: http://english.people.com.cn/n/2014/0715/c98649-8755344.html.

in china, the problem's of dealing with a child's sexuality are more likely to relate to questions of grandchildren, rather than religious hate.

mom romantic comes from handan, north china's hebei province.. "my son first told me he was gay when he was in high school.

fulltimestudent

Muyezi's son has always been the pride of the family. Everything went well for him – A grades, med school, and bright future – until right before the final exams of his third year in college.

"I remember clearly that he called me over the phone and said he was under so much pressure that he couldn't properly prepare for the exams and that he wanted to quit," said Muyezi. "I asked him why several times and at last he told me the truth," said she.

It took her a while to come to terms with herself, and when she did, she drove to her son's school and accompanied him reviewing for the exams all day and all night.

"He told me a lot during those days, from how awkward it was to live in the same dorm with boys, to the fact that he hadn't made any good friends since he entered college. He said he never liked to be with the crowd because he knew he was different," Muyezi said, unable to hold her tears back.

11

Reactions of Chinese Mothers to their Children 'Coming Out' as Gay

by fulltimestudent in

images and text from the 'people's daily,' july 15, 2014. web reference: http://english.people.com.cn/n/2014/0715/c98649-8755344.html.

in china, the problem's of dealing with a child's sexuality are more likely to relate to questions of grandchildren, rather than religious hate.

mom romantic comes from handan, north china's hebei province.. "my son first told me he was gay when he was in high school.

fulltimestudent

Ping'an, 30, works in Shenzhen while his parents live in Shenyang, Liaoning province.

Tears kept rolling down her face as his mom recounted the experience when Ping'an first told her he was gay.

"I came to accept it the next day, and it gives me heartache to think that he had to go through everything all by himself," she said.

But she also shared her concerns.

"His father has Okayed this as well, but he wouldn't accept his boyfriend. We worry that when he grows old, nobody's going to take care of him; we worry about his future," she said.