all object-oriented languages have some means,.
the dog class defines messages that the dog.
this is the key for someone with no bias toward evolution.
the basic problem with this argument for most people is that it DOES attribute human qualities to the Creator.I guess it does, many beleive that Man was created in God's image.
i think you had to read the entire paragraph (and farkel's post too) to see which 'human qualities' i was refering to.
as we have known for some time the bible didnt describe mary as a virgin but simply as a young woman.
that is what the word which for so long was translated virgin means in the original text.
read about it in the independent:.
you have to read between the lines a bit in this article. lets clarify. the dead sea scrolls do not contain copies of any of the gospels. the point about the word 'virgin' is not related to what matthew or luke meant. matthew unquestionably meant that mary was a virgin when she conceived (luke is less certain) and the reason is that he quoted from Is 7:14 from the septuagint which says a 'virgin would conceive a son.' THAT's the mistranslation. the greek translators used the word 'virgin' to translate the hebrew word meaning 'young maiden.' presumably the article is refering to hebrew or aramaic versions of Isaiah or other OT books that make this clear.
now the word for 'young maiden' may imply virginity but the simple sentence, 'the young maiden will conceive a son' certainly implies the opposite. if it meant something extraordinary and miraculous, the point would need to be explicitly and carefully stated. there is no question that matthew made use of a bad translation to support the legend of the virgin birth. he made a mistake.
mox
i'm still currently a jw myself and i'm serving as a minsterial servant in a limited capacity.
(a few weeks ago i was vocal about the doubts i've had and the elders made the decision to allow me to stay on as a ms but without giving talks) .
1. recently as in the last few years i've been paying more attention to the various members in the congregation and i've observed some interesting things.
excellent posts, leander and neon.
to this day, it is understood that slacks are required to match jacket for a public talk but not required for school or service meeting parts. every now and again the rule we will be restated in an elder&ms meeting.
mox
all object-oriented languages have some means,.
the dog class defines messages that the dog.
this is the key for someone with no bias toward evolution.
i think this a perfectly valid argument. the analogy with OOP is stretched a bit but is basically sound. any creationist that wants to reconcile the genetic evidence with special creation will pretty much have to follow this route, that god creates in such a way that resembles evolution. it is left to the individual to decide what sounds most likely.
however.
the basic problem with this argument for most people is that it DOES attribute human qualities to the Creator. humans cut-and-paste code from previous programs because they know that if they try and write it out anew each time, custom built for each specific use, they will almost certainly make mistakes and will definitely take longer. better to build a general code library that can do several things and can be tested thoroughly for bugs. it is this aspect of allowing for human error and limitations that makes this argument seem unlikely.
mox
i thought id post this now, because firstly were just coming into that time of year, and secondly the thread started by mulan called confession got into this subject and started me thinking.. i couldve posted this as a reply in that thread, i suppose, but i wanted to discuss it separately.
besides, its been months since i saw my name up there in a thread started by capacity, so i thought it was time.
concerning santa claus, then.. the whole christmas issue is, of course, one of the meanest, most joy-denying, life-diminishing teachings in the whole miserable jw mindset.
just a word of caution. it seems too simplistic to say that because no kids complain about santa deceptions, there is no adverse effect. people can't nessecarily perceive the little ways that their upbringing effects them. everyone here should understand that. after all, many say 'i grew up getting lickings from dad for everything and i turned out fine' but im sure you dont agree that this makes corporeal punishment ok.
i dont think its really the same as just 'playing.' when i see parents staging elaborate santa get-ups and the kids absolutely buying right into it, i wonder if they really explain to them thats its just play. i hope they do and i think most probably do but it does worry me a bit. am i the only one here?
mox
there has been a number of threads related to evolution in the last month or so.
some posters, like penn, subscribes to a form of creationism, which i for this purpose will define as denial of large scale evolution (sometimes called macro-evolution).. even saner people sometimes alleges that scientists are unnecessarily 'dogmatic' about evolution, and that this is 'just a theory.
' these people may be recent exjws or jws, still believing the watchtower propaganda against evolutionary science, or accepting similar claims from various fundamentalist preachers and groups.
there has been a number of threads related to evolution in the last month or so.
some posters, like penn, subscribes to a form of creationism, which i for this purpose will define as denial of large scale evolution (sometimes called macro-evolution).. even saner people sometimes alleges that scientists are unnecessarily 'dogmatic' about evolution, and that this is 'just a theory.
' these people may be recent exjws or jws, still believing the watchtower propaganda against evolutionary science, or accepting similar claims from various fundamentalist preachers and groups.
altho i appreciate marvins and anewperson's well expressed comments, i think they get a little off-topic. jans arguments do not argue directly against god's existence. neither do they argue for the spontaneous development of life from non-living matter (abiogenesis.) they relate to the evolution of life and argue against special creation, the creation of different species independantly of one another without any biological relationship. tho these other two issues invariably get tied up in any evolutionary debate, by raising them without directly answering the issue on the table, you seem to be using a straw man argument.
(i see rem basically said the same thing as i was posting this)
mox
the story about the instructions jesus allegedly gave to his disciples before they were to set out on their evangelizing journey illustrates the type of contradictions which are found in the gospel stories.
in their two accounts of this event, the authors of mark and matthew disagree about whether jesus wanted the disciples to carry a staff with them.
mark tells us jesus told the disciples to go forth with a staff:.
hehe. jesus and his disciples talking with english accents is just funny on principle.
friday.
well sad to say it was not revelations of sweeping reform or "new light" on caring for the flock.
the first day was primarily rehash of old stuff.
i should just like to mention again, in case im missing something, that there is NOTHING NEW in the points on judicial procedures. these are strictly reminders. one might speculate that the need for reminders was due to a laxness among the elders themselves. but for those who are focused on policy rather than practice, nothing has changed here.
mox
the boys in our area are out at crownsville asembly hall in md today i understand for their school.
bro sam herd is doing the honors of instructing them in the ways of jehovah- a brotha for a gb=== i love it.
so how was school today and what is the latest - i know there are some elders out there lurking .
aside from the procedural adjustments, i dont see any new points here at all. the time being handed in the book study conduc-oh i mean overseers isnt a big change since, in practice, this is what would often happen anyways. and when the SO visits the book study group, he reviews the record cards for all members with the conductor. this new way reinforces the role of the book study as a service centre.
was nothing said about general declines in attendance and service??
mox
