Posts by The Rebel

405

Origin of Life

by cofty in

in recent years significant progress has been made in solving the question of how life originated on our planet.. how do you think theists will respond when it finally happens?

as a former christian i know my reaction would have been something like "well that just goes to show that it takes intelligent life to make life", but for two reasons that defense doesn't work.. firstly it would prove that life is not an ethereal force that originates with god.

there is no 'ghost in the machine', no elan vital.

The Rebel

I have to say "tornapart " I agree with you, this thread has also been way over my head. But some great points have been made by Cofty, and then Slim replys with his investigating work and we have another epic thread.

90 % of the time I learn so much from a Cofty thread, he prepares the O.P so well. I do appreciate that, but having started a great O.P, the responsibility is to assure the O.P stays calm. Slim seems brilliant at taking those threads and creating fireworks. The questios are why is Slim a inconvenience to a Cofty O.P? Should Cofty respond differently to Slims comments?

In my opinion Slim does on occasion come up with some good results, and therefore raises some intersting thoughts which I appreciate. Therefore in my opinion it's a shame when Slim puts his needle into a Cofty O.P because the communication always becomes a lethal injection to a great O.P

405

Origin of Life

by cofty in

in recent years significant progress has been made in solving the question of how life originated on our planet.. how do you think theists will respond when it finally happens?

as a former christian i know my reaction would have been something like "well that just goes to show that it takes intelligent life to make life", but for two reasons that defense doesn't work.. firstly it would prove that life is not an ethereal force that originates with god.

there is no 'ghost in the machine', no elan vital.

The Rebel

nicolaou: -.Noted

405

Origin of Life

by cofty in

in recent years significant progress has been made in solving the question of how life originated on our planet.. how do you think theists will respond when it finally happens?

as a former christian i know my reaction would have been something like "well that just goes to show that it takes intelligent life to make life", but for two reasons that defense doesn't work.. firstly it would prove that life is not an ethereal force that originates with god.

there is no 'ghost in the machine', no elan vital.

The Rebel

Cofty, my aim is simply gain this indication:-

if those reading the thread feel Slim has made reasonable and balanced arguments .I therefore equate convincing evidence and not popularity as the deciding factor to a like. That is the objective. And I hope that post establishes that objective not his popularity. And in so doing it will give an interesting indication on how those following the debate are thinking.

405

Origin of Life

by cofty in

in recent years significant progress has been made in solving the question of how life originated on our planet.. how do you think theists will respond when it finally happens?

as a former christian i know my reaction would have been something like "well that just goes to show that it takes intelligent life to make life", but for two reasons that defense doesn't work.. firstly it would prove that life is not an ethereal force that originates with god.

there is no 'ghost in the machine', no elan vital.

The Rebel

Well Slim seems to be taking a bashing from Cofty and Viv. So for an interesting challenge, let's address Slims arguments from those reading the debate between Slim, Cofty & Vivianne.

a) If you think Slim has essentially made reasonable and balanced arguments to Cofty & Viviane give a like.

b) If you think Slim has essentially made unreasonable and unbalanced arguments to Cofty & Viviane give a dislike.

405

Origin of Life

by cofty in

in recent years significant progress has been made in solving the question of how life originated on our planet.. how do you think theists will respond when it finally happens?

as a former christian i know my reaction would have been something like "well that just goes to show that it takes intelligent life to make life", but for two reasons that defense doesn't work.. firstly it would prove that life is not an ethereal force that originates with god.

there is no 'ghost in the machine', no elan vital.

The Rebel

Xanthippe : " Ah yes JWs separate spirit and soul"

The Rebel: The O.P is " Origin of Life" but the question is raised on a ex JWs site, and I think comparatively few exiting JWs, have thought any deeper on the " Origin of Life" than watchtower literature. My point is for many, you leave the organisation on reasons of concience,then you scrabble to maintain your family connections, and then you get bewildered by the " Origin of Life."

In my opinion when a person has escaped that mental darkness, surely we can forgive or at least tolerate that for all people the understanding of universal reality will take time? So why become so antagonized by opposing viewpoints? If a point is well made with humility, and timidly,it doesn't need ill-temperd words to counter opposing viewpoints.

p.s

Konceptual99, we must have posted at the same time,but your post ended up before mine, and it said all I tried to say, but much better.

pp.s if we had the privalige to conduct a bible study, we were so "right" and we got away with it by being so sincerly wrong. Having been there, I never want to be so " right" again.

405

Origin of Life

by cofty in

in recent years significant progress has been made in solving the question of how life originated on our planet.. how do you think theists will respond when it finally happens?

as a former christian i know my reaction would have been something like "well that just goes to show that it takes intelligent life to make life", but for two reasons that defense doesn't work.. firstly it would prove that life is not an ethereal force that originates with god.

there is no 'ghost in the machine', no elan vital.

The Rebel

Cofty, your challenges to Slims comments fail to answer me why you say Slim is a troll?

In my opinion Slim has posted over 9000 times, and of course with over 9000 posts he can't be infallible, but those posts indicate to me a poster whose thinking has a different preference for logic than you. Anyway I don't think Slim is a troll, but like us I think he has found a place where people, who also like us have developed a certain compulsive habit to return regularly to voice our sincere opinion.

So why is Slim a troll? Because if I understand your definition of a troll, then the parallel figure with opposing viewpoints would make you and I also trolls?

34

Do you have / admire Charisma?

by The Rebel in

jw
friends

"charisma is a certain quality of an individual personality by virtue of which the person is set apart from ordinary people and treated as exceptional".

as a kid i was afraid of such charisma, as it was usually the quality i noticed elders, head masters, and parents had to exercise with unloving authority over me.. but now i think about it "charisma" doesn't need be only for people with authority.

" charisma" is something even we can have?

The Rebel

LoveUnHateExams " if your purpose for starting this thread is something like ' ordinary people arnt boring- dig deeper and you,will find them really quite interesting, I agree with that premise. But we can't start changing definitions of words to suit ourselfs- it's intellectually dishonest"

The Rebel. Words are fragile, and definitions should change, to precariously conform to the readers definition. This is not intellectual dishonesty it's a sharp intake of breath and a twist of thought when you realize the guest reading your thoughts, has overlooked the point attempted to be made. I say this because no amount of forethought can entirely understand the genius and thinking of another poster who puts an alternative and different viewpoint.

So a thread is all angles and opinions, it's not injury in a grave, but living emotion and opinion, shared by a gallery of posters. This is why I love starting a post and seeing 5 or 6 angles presented, it demonstrates I have something to learn...I wish I had the brain and intellect to debate on some of the more controversial threads.

20

If anyone claimed that god speaks to them personally.....

by jambon1 in

jw
friends

they'd be viewed as completely mentally ill and laughed at.. so, how do the governing body get away with it?.

The Rebel

Jambon : O.P " If anyone claimed that God spoke to them personally"

"They would be viewed as completely mentally ill and laughed at"

" So, how do the G.B get away with it?

The Rebel (A) One of the baptism requirements is the making of a personal dedication to God. Were we viewed as completely mentally ill, and laughed at when we got baptized? In fact it would have been the reverse, we would have been viewed as completely mentally ill and laughed at if we claimed God hadn't personally spoken to us.

That is how the G.B get away with this noncence.

p.s I am now rolling around the floor both crying & laughing that I was so stupid.

30

After 52 years a Watchtower slave 9/11 gave me the push I needed to get out.

by new boy in

jw
friends

i turned in my letter of disassociation on september 18, 2001 but it was 9/11 that showed me what the witnesses really feel about human lives and the future wished for.. i was in limbo after my wife of 27 years left me on july 30, 2001. she knew i wasn't buying the jw program anymore.

she told me she come back to me when "i got my head straighten out about god and the church".. so for 40 days i was in limbo.

i stopped going to meetings.

The Rebel

I honestly think Jehovers Witnesses take Shakespeare's " All the world is a stage, and all the men and women merely players" personally to their own perverted drama. Anyway a further and deeper reading of the play will find " we all have our exists". I am glad after 52 years as a watchtower slave, you found your exit " new boy"

405

Origin of Life

by cofty in

in recent years significant progress has been made in solving the question of how life originated on our planet.. how do you think theists will respond when it finally happens?

as a former christian i know my reaction would have been something like "well that just goes to show that it takes intelligent life to make life", but for two reasons that defense doesn't work.. firstly it would prove that life is not an ethereal force that originates with god.

there is no 'ghost in the machine', no elan vital.

The Rebel

OK, I am not out of here.

In my opinion Slim is one of the few posters who can openly say his not happy with Coftys logic, and defend himself, with " reasonable" arguments. However in my opinion Slim and Cofty will never take each other's points of view on board. However I think Cofty cuts a very hard level of logic to refute, and sometimes Slims, simply audacious comments if honest and sincere, do challenge and create what could be an interesting debate.

Anyway we all want the same thing from a thread, and that's not tiresome repetitive name calling, but informative questions, rightly asked/ answered to create a great thread and challenge our thinking. So I don't think a thread should ever become fickle with questions and opposing viewpoints. People who change their viewpoint too quickly and without thought are those that convert and become Jehovers Witnesses.