Posts by Jerryh

Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary defines a “weasel word” as one that is “used in order to evade or retreat from a direct or forthright statement or position.

*** w79 7/1 How Jehovah Guides His People ***

17. Does the nonfulfillment of our own premature expectations mean that Jehovah has altered his purposes?

(Luke 19:22) . . .‘Out of your own mouth I judge you, wicked slave.. . .

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The Congregational Make Up Research Project: WTB&TS wants to know you.

by oppostate in

we have a bethel speaker on the english side.

they're pretty regular up here since it's only three and a half hours drive from nyc.. but this is a special kind of visit.. it turns out he's involved in doing a special research project and the christian congregation of jw's wants to know us better.. in order for the broadcasting to address issues more meaningful for families, they want to know the demographic make up of the congregations.. he spoke with the secretary about young single publishers and couples 20-35 y.o.

how are they employed.

Jerryh

Market Research 101

http://marketresearch.about.com/od/Market_Research_Basics/a/Market-Research-101-Data-Collection.htm

ἐμπορεύομαι = emporeuomai = emporium 1 a : a place of trade; especially : a commercial center

b : a retail outlet

http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1101985083

James 4:13 καὶ ποιήσομεν ἐκεῖ ἐνιαυτὸν καὶ ἐμπορευσόμεθα καὶ κερδήσομεν·

http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1101985085#h=9

2 Peter 2:3 καὶ ἐν πλεονεξίᾳ πλαστοῖς λόγοις ὑμᾶς ἐμπορεύσονται

through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you:

2

Jehovah's Witnesses View of Jesus Compared to the Early Church by Cofty

by Jerryh in

cofty, just saw your post which you updated from 16 years ago.

if i understand your current view of the bible it's that it is without merit and should not be believed.. i respect that but at the same time your ability to summarize the doctrine is first rate.

this is not a defense of the trinity or of the deity of jesus - that's a whole different thread.. your op is great.

Jerryh

thanks...take care

2

Jehovah's Witnesses View of Jesus Compared to the Early Church by Cofty

by Jerryh in

cofty, just saw your post which you updated from 16 years ago.

if i understand your current view of the bible it's that it is without merit and should not be believed.. i respect that but at the same time your ability to summarize the doctrine is first rate.

this is not a defense of the trinity or of the deity of jesus - that's a whole different thread.. your op is great.

Jerryh

Cofty, just saw your post which you updated from 16 years ago.

If I understand your current view of the Bible it's that it is without merit and should not be believed.

I respect that but at the same time your ability to summarize the doctrine is first rate. You also said :

This is not a defense of the trinity or of the deity of Jesus - that's a whole different thread.

Your OP is great. I realize trinity discussions can be a black hole but given the 9 bullet points, would you say

the trinity was a reasonable thing for the early church to deduce?

Jerryh

18

Evolution is a Fact #35 - Nature Red in Tooth and Claw

by cofty in

genes only get copied to future generations if the bodies they help to build succeed in surviving and reproducing.

these sort of genes thrive in the gene pool and genes that build unsuccessful bodies don't.

this blindingly obvious fact is at the very core of understanding evolution by natural selection.. being born, finding food and shelter, escaping predators, fighting opponents, attracting a mate and raising the next generation - the challenges faced by living things are daunting.

Jerryh

I'm enjoying the conversation, thanks

Me too, though I have not been able to express my bewilderment at molecules evolving free will.

The christian narrative characterises a beautiful newborn baby as a worthless sinner "deserving of wrath" because an ancestor ate a piece of fruit.

Cofty, no doubt you know the Christian answer to this. Even the JWs cite "age of accountability".

Much more important though is what happened on the cross shows the worth of babies.

At what stage in our evolution we acquired the capacity to make moral judgements is difficult to say.

I get the picture that you are a thoughtful man which is why I entered this conversation in the first place.

Some things are difficult to say. Let me end with a hypothetical question. I understand you reject the

Christian story so I realize this is hypothetical. If it was true. If is was true. Would it be a good deal?

18

Evolution is a Fact #35 - Nature Red in Tooth and Claw

by cofty in

genes only get copied to future generations if the bodies they help to build succeed in surviving and reproducing.

these sort of genes thrive in the gene pool and genes that build unsuccessful bodies don't.

this blindingly obvious fact is at the very core of understanding evolution by natural selection.. being born, finding food and shelter, escaping predators, fighting opponents, attracting a mate and raising the next generation - the challenges faced by living things are daunting.

Jerryh

Thanks for your patience. In the Christian narrative we see when "immorality" arose.

Whether a person accepts it or not we still have the narrative.

In the narrative where impersonal energy gels into the Higgs bosen- quarks - Hydrogen - water

amoeba - etc. when did amoral become immoral? not a gotcha, I am interested.

18

Evolution is a Fact #35 - Nature Red in Tooth and Claw

by cofty in

genes only get copied to future generations if the bodies they help to build succeed in surviving and reproducing.

these sort of genes thrive in the gene pool and genes that build unsuccessful bodies don't.

this blindingly obvious fact is at the very core of understanding evolution by natural selection.. being born, finding food and shelter, escaping predators, fighting opponents, attracting a mate and raising the next generation - the challenges faced by living things are daunting.

Jerryh

uuumm no I associate "thing" with molecules.

Red necks don't know many words but, status maybe. The thesaurus is no help.

I'm thinking of morality, whether natural or supernatural. It is just that I as a believer in God

have to admit that I see through a glass darkly. I do not have quick easy answers and saw in this

thread a chance to get the viewpoint of some folks the see things from a different starting point.

I am not down on J. Bruce Irsay, I just saw an article on the Titanic and then this thread. Bruce did

what came naturally. My starting point comes from Ephesians 2:3, no surprise. Bruce and I share

a natural birth defect that is not molecular and 1 Corinthians 11:31 applies.

The more I think about it, free will better refers to what I was asking about. I see an unbridgeable

gap between what a hyena naturally does and what I naturally do, not singling out Mr. Irsay but using

him as a useful example. We can say what he did was natural but was it evil? What do you think?

18

Evolution is a Fact #35 - Nature Red in Tooth and Claw

by cofty in

genes only get copied to future generations if the bodies they help to build succeed in surviving and reproducing.

these sort of genes thrive in the gene pool and genes that build unsuccessful bodies don't.

this blindingly obvious fact is at the very core of understanding evolution by natural selection.. being born, finding food and shelter, escaping predators, fighting opponents, attracting a mate and raising the next generation - the challenges faced by living things are daunting.

Jerryh

Hi Cofty

I know about Christian theism but I am hoping for non-christian non-believer thought

which technically is still theism I guess. I am not asking about why might be called evil. I am asking

about evil. Red tooth and claw evil. Enjoy your posts btw.

http://www.c-span.org/video/?312542-1/words-sally-satel Leads to a good talk on neuroscience.

18

Evolution is a Fact #35 - Nature Red in Tooth and Claw

by cofty in

genes only get copied to future generations if the bodies they help to build succeed in surviving and reproducing.

these sort of genes thrive in the gene pool and genes that build unsuccessful bodies don't.

this blindingly obvious fact is at the very core of understanding evolution by natural selection.. being born, finding food and shelter, escaping predators, fighting opponents, attracting a mate and raising the next generation - the challenges faced by living things are daunting.

Jerryh

it is an uncomfortable thing to view but a perfect paradigm of evolution.

Half banana referring to "survival of the fittest"

there is no sentimentality in the real scientific world of nature.

I was never a JW and visit this board only to gain from others experience. I am a Christian, not much of one,

but that's another story. I see that many posters here have rejected the existence of God based on the

"problem of evil". This problem is not new of course and has its own name (theodicy) and is unlikely to

be settled in a forum post. I usually visit here for JW insight but in this thread I see an opportunity to ask

for another kind and I am genuinely asking. In the USA April 15 is evil but that also another story.

This man was J. Bruce Ismay. You can read about Bruce at Wikipedia. Was he evil on April 15 1912?

Can you identify with Bruce in any way? Any sentiment at all? Was Bruce only driven by a proven scientific

principle? Please don't hear this as questioning evolution. It takes more pesticides / antibiotics. Case closed.

Next case. Evolution exists and is a topic for consideration. Evil exists and is a topic for consideration. Was

J. Bruce Ismay, Leslie Van Houton, me and you altogether molecules? In my culture there are few

people openly unbelievers, hypocrites aplently but that still another story. I honestly am asking, how do

self professed unbelievers explain evil?