the april 1, 1986, watchtower, questions from readers is still the basis upon which jehovah's witnesses see fit to act against so-called apostates.
it is, however, completely shot through with discrepancies and weak arguments.
all of these can be used to build a solid defence.
Jehovah’s Witnesses declare as good news something beyond what Paul declared. C.T. Russell identified the 144,000 as literal number of elite elect, and the great crowd as a lesser class of Christian. From 1935, Rutherford widened this difference even more with the earthly class.
If Russel and Rutherford were alive today, they would have been disfellowshipped.
there are 23 species of tsetse flies.
diseases transmitted by tsetse flies kill 250,000300,000 people per year.. why create such a thing?.
Here’s a few quotes from the eminent Robert Jastrow. One should keep in mind, he was agnostic, but with a open mind and very tolerant to other beliefs. His credentials are impeccable. Unfortunately he is dead, so you cannot shoot him. I like what he says, but I can see why most of you will not like what he says. The bias runs deep. What can one learn from this: Tolerance, mutual respect and an open mind go a long way:
"Now we see how the astronomical evidence supports the biblical view of the origin of the world. The details differ, but the essential elements in the astronomical and biblical accounts of Genesis are the same: the chain of events leading to man commenced suddenly and sharply at a definite moment in time, in a flash of light and energy."
"There is a strange ring of feeling and emotion in these reactions [of scientists to evidence that the universe had a sudden beginning]. They come from the heart whereas you would expect the judgments to come from the brain. Why? I think part of the answer is that scientists cannot bear the thought of a natural phenomenon which cannot be explained, even with unlimited time and money. There is a kind of religion in science; it is the religion of a person who believes there is order and harmony in the Universe. Every event can be explained in a rational way as the product of some previous event; every effect must have its cause, there is no First Cause. … This religious faith of the scientist is violated by the discovery that the world had a beginning under conditions in which the known laws of physics are not valid, and as a product of forces or circumstances we cannot discover. When that happens, the scientist has lost control. If he really examined the implications, he would be traumatized."
"Consider the enormity of the problem. Science has proved that the universe exploded into being at a certain moment. It asks: What cause produced this effect? Who or what put the matter or energy into the universe? And science cannot answer these questions, because, according to the astronomers, in the first moments of its existence the Universe was compressed to an extraordinary degree, and consumed by the heat of a fire beyond human imagination. The shock of that instant must have destroyed every particle of evidence that could have yielded a clue to the cause of the great explosion."
"For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountain of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries."
there are 23 species of tsetse flies.
diseases transmitted by tsetse flies kill 250,000300,000 people per year.. why create such a thing?.
There's a book called God and the Astronomers by Robert Jastrow. In an interview with Christianity Today, Jastrow says: "Astronomers now find they have painted themselves into a corner because they have proven, by their own methods, that the world began abruptly in an act of creation to which you can trace the seeds of every star, every planet, every living thing in this cosmos and on the earth. And they have found that all this happened as a product of forces they cannot hope to discover. That there are what I or anyone would call supernatural forces at work is now, I think, a scientifically proven fact." Don't know whether that'll constitute as proof. Seems like I should rather have said: More astronomers belief in God than e.g., biologists and geologists.
there are 23 species of tsetse flies.
diseases transmitted by tsetse flies kill 250,000300,000 people per year.. why create such a thing?.
Designs, prions is a fascinating subject. On the one hand, their prediction and discovery testifies to the brilliance of man. On the other hand, they exemplify the man's stupity, when he doesn't follow the manual. I specifically refer here to Jakob-Creuzfeldt Syndrome, which is inherited from mad cow disease. When animals (herbivores) are fed animals (or animal protein) you are looking for trouble, as the English Meat Industry had to find out the hard way. A subject worthy of its own thread.
Still thinking, as Sabs said, to choose from a god from all the godly pantheons, one needs a discerning eye and mind. When you see the blue screen of death on your computer, is it because of a faulty programmer, courtesy of Microsoft, or is it a case of shit happens. Interestingly, many astronomers “see” and believe in a god or superior being, whereas most biologists and geologist do not. Are they influenced by their subject matter?
Ziddina, time will tell. I believe things are coming to a head. If man is allowed to carry on, he will ruin the earth. If there is a God, now would be a good time to intervene. So, one way or the other, we are going to find out about it soon enough
At this stage, the best part of evolution, that makes hundred percent sense, is the Darwin Awards. That’s when you take yourself out of the human race by your stupidity. With your death you get a Darwin Award, i.e., for not reproducing and spreading your stupidity.
Who read Terry Pratchett’s Disc world novel, The Last Continent, set in Australia? I think it involved the wizard Rincewind. The god of evolution was busy developing the cockroach as his main project. This should appeal to evolutionist and creationist alike. And for those that are a little tense, to loosen up. Here's a summary:
The wizards soon encounter plants that rapidly evolve to suit their needs but (apart from Ponder) do not question the turn of events until a large dinosaur evolves into a chicken in front of their eyes. After finding a plant-based boat, the wizards start to question their surroundings even more and the god of Evolution, who has been causing the events, then turns up and helps explain things a bit. He created the boat plant so that the wizards would leave him in peace, as the plants are going haywire attempting to evolve to suit the wizards' every needs. The god doesn't understand the purpose of the seeds and is, it turns out, unaware of the concept of sexual reproduction. After Mrs. Whitlow explains it to him, the much excited god decides to almost completely redesign the creatures on the island in order to incorporate the idea. Ponder decides to stay to help the god while the wizards load up on provisions and leave. Ponder soon catches up with them, as he discovered that the God was fixated with beetles and built the cockroach as his primary project rather than humans. The wizards then reach Fourecks and meet the Creator of Fourecks (not of the Disc) in the process of creating it by way of impressionistic cave paintings. The wizards bicker over the Creator's technique and inadvertently create the duck-billed platypus. The Librarian meanwhile steals the Creator's bullroarer and spins it, causing the drought Rincewind is in the process of stopping. The wizards are then frozen in time for thousands of years by the stray magic left over from creating the continent.
.
there are 23 species of tsetse flies.
diseases transmitted by tsetse flies kill 250,000300,000 people per year.. why create such a thing?.
Cofty, you either agree with God (and his laws) or you don't. You're friends with him, or you aren't. It's a choice. Well, it's either pre-programmed, or you program yourself. I'll go for the former.
there are 23 species of tsetse flies.
diseases transmitted by tsetse flies kill 250,000300,000 people per year.. why create such a thing?.
Ziddina, we see things from different perspectives. You see evolution in Christianity. I see evolution in reverse. All the break-away groups did not improve the situation. See word "schism," and "schismatic": a division, separation into mutually opposed or hostile parties. I see a similar process in language development, evolution in reverse, with complex languages being simplified all the time, e.g., English and Hebrew.
Natural Immunity: You see it as self-improvement, evolution in action. I see it as pre-programmed. Yes, some people have built up resistance against sleeping sickness. If not the whole lot, living in endemic areas, would have been dead.
Cofty, I see "spirituality" as being in tune with God (his way of thinking). Some people are, some people are not.
there are 23 species of tsetse flies.
diseases transmitted by tsetse flies kill 250,000300,000 people per year.. why create such a thing?.
Cofty, have you heard of natural immunity? E.g. Europeans are naturally more resistant to HIV, whereas Africans are more prone to contract the disease. Some of those populations in endemic sleeping sickness areas, have become resistant against the parasite. So the potential is there. Through inoculation, one can "train" the immune system to recognize harmful antigens.
Another reason why humans are superior to animals. Because of our intelligence, we have become aware of these diseases and we can do something about it. Talking of parasites, there is a good reason why the Jews avoided pork. They definitely had an advantage over the nations. In a documentary the other day, they discussed Roman toilets. How people sat next to each other, and used communal spunges to wipe their backsides. Not a pleasent thought. Again the Jews were far ahead, washing hands, etc.
there are 23 species of tsetse flies.
diseases transmitted by tsetse flies kill 250,000300,000 people per year.. why create such a thing?.
Cantleave, I used that as an illustration. Now that you mention it. The only place I see evolution in action is DC Comics, cartoons and Science Fiction movies. Must say, I do enjoy them, but at the same time I remember that they are all based on fiction.
there are 23 species of tsetse flies.
diseases transmitted by tsetse flies kill 250,000300,000 people per year.. why create such a thing?.
What's going to control the animal populations? Nature is in balance. You take out, e.g. lions, the antelope population will decimate the savannah. Perhaps this is where the tsetse comes in. Your guess is as good as mine.
there are 23 species of tsetse flies.
diseases transmitted by tsetse flies kill 250,000300,000 people per year.. why create such a thing?.
Hi all. Sorry, I'm somewhat late for this thread, but allow me to enter the fray on thew side of Sabs. And I am still working through the comments. My initial thoughts:
As usual, you are trying God in absentia, just like Job's false comforters all those years ago. Hopefully, one day God will stand up and defend himself. But now the defense of imperfect men will have to do.
Let me ask you all a question: Would the tsetse fly (or the mosquito for that matter) have any effect on, say, Superman? Well, according to the Bible that's how Adam and Eve started out? The green stuff (krypton?) = sin, was added, and now mankind is not so super anymore.
To defend their arms industry a French general commented that French cars kill off more people than French bullets. Another person said if a motor car was discovered now, it would be banned, because it was too dangerous. So is the purpose of the motor car designer to kill or to transport people? Whose fault is the carnage on the roads?
