soft+gentle

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Posts by soft+gentle

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  1495

  An Old Argument.... does it hold water?

  by AK - Jeff in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  estimates range from 4 million to 15 million children die from starvation each year on this planet.

  that's between 500 and 1700 children a day, depending on what numbers you accept.

  still, no matter which numbers you use, doesn't this make you arrive at one of the following conclusions?.

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• 

  soft+gentle

  nice summation gladiator.

  I do have a theory for Gog, N.drew, and i did not get it from a blog. what is your blog called btw?

  gog to me suggests the hordes who threaten settled people.
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  37

  UK Congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses

  by JWB in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  uk congregations of jehovah's witnesses[a].

  aberaeron.

  aberdare.

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  soft+gentle

  I recognise a few names too. what is interesting is that the elders of each congregation is a trustee. So is each congregation listed as a separate charity with its own set of trustees?
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  1495

  An Old Argument.... does it hold water?

  by AK - Jeff in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  estimates range from 4 million to 15 million children die from starvation each year on this planet.

  that's between 500 and 1700 children a day, depending on what numbers you accept.

  still, no matter which numbers you use, doesn't this make you arrive at one of the following conclusions?.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  soft+gentle

  N.Drew, please tell us who gog is.
• 
  56

  Effects of the Evolution Theory

  by mankkeli in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  effects of the evolution theory.

  in the early 19th century, religion and science enjoyed a fairly amicable relationship.

  just two years before the origin of species was published, biologist and harvard professor louis agassiz wrote that the living world shows premeditation, wisdom, greatness and that a major purpose of natural history was to analyze the thoughts of the creator of the universe.. agassiz viewpoint was not uncommon.

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• 

  soft+gentle

  NC, I'm not very good at tennis but it does seem that you have put the ball outside the court so I'm not going to return that ball (for example I did not say that there was a prevailing view of inadequacy. Did you say prevailing because you wanted to allow the possibility of some inadequacy on the part of the Europeans. If you did then you understood what I was actually saying and in that case the ball was in). And I am definitely not romantic - more of a realist/idealist with romantic edges that have disappeared to achieve my exit form JWs.

  But as is it now my turn to bat, this what I will say. Political structures use religion to achieve their ends and these political structures when focused on their own aims to the exclusion of all else are brutal and dangerous. Politicians (kings, chieftians in the old days) seem to have used religion to get themselves into office and then used it to justify killing and genocide in order to keep themselves in power. Mind you they believe that they are the best thing for their people and they probably are at that particular time in history (there is no denying this if we set aside judgement and examine figures like Julius Caesar and Napoleon - mind you they died early and many considered this a blessing. But they brought in much needed changes by breaking up the power of the aristocracy who at the time were using religion as one of their many measures to keep power in their own hands). Of course all members of the aristocracy were not like this. It is no different today but will we learn from the past? it seems to me that the evolution theory was used in the same way that religion was used.
• 
  56

  Effects of the Evolution Theory

  by mankkeli in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  effects of the evolution theory.

  in the early 19th century, religion and science enjoyed a fairly amicable relationship.

  just two years before the origin of species was published, biologist and harvard professor louis agassiz wrote that the living world shows premeditation, wisdom, greatness and that a major purpose of natural history was to analyze the thoughts of the creator of the universe.. agassiz viewpoint was not uncommon.

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• 

  soft+gentle

  NC

  Long before evolutionary theory, European christians viewed cultures outside themselves as inferior and not to be respected. They viewed the people in such cultures as subservient. Slavery (as practiced by Europeans and Americans) and colonialism was made possible by the the prejudice fostered by religion.

  I have to disagree with you to an extent. Europeans had a mixed response to cultures outside themselves. Yes in one sense they did view cultures outside of themselves as inferior but these cultures also made them feel inadequate because they saw how completely different societies managed themselves successfuly. This then occasioned for them a downgrading of European culture as just one among others.
• 
  56

  Effects of the Evolution Theory

  by mankkeli in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  effects of the evolution theory.

  in the early 19th century, religion and science enjoyed a fairly amicable relationship.

  just two years before the origin of species was published, biologist and harvard professor louis agassiz wrote that the living world shows premeditation, wisdom, greatness and that a major purpose of natural history was to analyze the thoughts of the creator of the universe.. agassiz viewpoint was not uncommon.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  soft+gentle

  superiority is a good one psac and it is usually born of insecurity.
• 
  56

  Effects of the Evolution Theory

  by mankkeli in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  effects of the evolution theory.

  in the early 19th century, religion and science enjoyed a fairly amicable relationship.

  just two years before the origin of species was published, biologist and harvard professor louis agassiz wrote that the living world shows premeditation, wisdom, greatness and that a major purpose of natural history was to analyze the thoughts of the creator of the universe.. agassiz viewpoint was not uncommon.

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  2. 
  3. 
• 

  soft+gentle

  Ubermensch,

  greed, ideology taken to extremes, nationlism taken to extremes, insecurity, fear, fighting over resouces, appropriation - all these things create hate and violence
• 
  1495

  An Old Argument.... does it hold water?

  by AK - Jeff in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  estimates range from 4 million to 15 million children die from starvation each year on this planet.

  that's between 500 and 1700 children a day, depending on what numbers you accept.

  still, no matter which numbers you use, doesn't this make you arrive at one of the following conclusions?.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  soft+gentle

  so what I get from this thread is that the problem of evil is as much a problem for God as it is for man? God suffers while we suffer. If changes need to come then this involves intense suffering.
• 
  53

  I found it!

  by N.drew in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  this is an illustration that best describes in human terms what i believe eve did.. picture the litle pieces of paper that contain an alcohol prep swab.. sometimes i come accross one that is old*, and it's been hanging around for a while.. so what comes to mind is; "i wonder if it is still damp?".

  i could open it to check (that is what our mother did).. or i could throw it away (that is what god did not do).. or i could leave it alone.. if i open it, then i will either pretend i need it and use it, then throw it away.. or i should throw it away.

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• 

  soft+gentle

  thank you N.drew - and peace and love to you too - I very much enjoy all the perks of being distractively unhinged - woud not have it any other way! For goodness sake!
• 
  1495

  An Old Argument.... does it hold water?

  by AK - Jeff in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  estimates range from 4 million to 15 million children die from starvation each year on this planet.

  that's between 500 and 1700 children a day, depending on what numbers you accept.

  still, no matter which numbers you use, doesn't this make you arrive at one of the following conclusions?.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  soft+gentle

  bingo sizemik, lots we can agree on

  @soft+gentle . . . I believe I've felt something similar. For quite a few years after leaving the JW's I prayed to Christ a lot, read the gospels for a time, and did a lot of other reading. But I recall feeling that biological evolution ran concurrently with our moral and spiritual evolution. It enabled me to relieve the dissonance between contemporary scientific knowledge, the Bible, and the desire for God to remain. I still have that desire . . . for God to remain . . . but if he does exist, I don't think he's anything like humans have believed or portrayed. The debate is moot from this personal point of view . . . if he has these supreme qualities we like to believe he has . . . he has not made it evident in any way to me. By his choice we live in different worlds at present. I'm not loaded with guilt over it.