Posts by Vidqun

40

OMG I'm so happy!!!!

by Julia Orwell in

jw
friends

yup, the apostate is happy.

i shouldn't be, right, because my life is empty without "jehovah" and the organisation.. but i just got a job at one of the best theme parks in the world, which is so what i want to do, and it's the first permanent job i've had since i lost my government job in 2012!.

the job pays minimum wage but i don't care because working in tourism and entertainment is what i want to do!

Vidqun

Cat

609

What is spirit, exactly?

by Viviane in

i've always wondered that.

recently i asked that question on another thread and didn't really get ananswer.

cofty made an excellent point that we often hear what it isn't, but that really isn't useful.. so, what is it?

Vidqun

Spirit, wind, breeze = forms of energy: 1) spirit, the energy involved, keeping the organism alive (where breathing plays an important part). The Bible refers to a living soul and a dead soul, the latter lacking “spirit.” 2) It can also refer to motivational energy of a person, whether internal or external, whether good or bad. 3) It can refer to an inanimate force, e.g., breeze, wind. 3) It can also refer to independent creatures, e.g., angels and demons, whether you believe in them or not. 4) It can refer to the substance of God and that which he uses to accomplish his will, whether you believe in him or not.

609

What is spirit, exactly?

by Viviane in

i've always wondered that.

recently i asked that question on another thread and didn't really get ananswer.

cofty made an excellent point that we often hear what it isn't, but that really isn't useful.. so, what is it?

Vidqun

Here’s an edited discussion of “spirit” from two reputable dictionaries, discussing the Biblical meaning of the word, for those that are interested. From this one can see how Biblical and clergy use would have influenced the modern use of the word. As already mentioned, it has more than one meaning.

RUAHH (according to HALOT).

Statistics: ruahh 387 times; not attested in Lv, Ob, Nah, Ruth, Song, Est; Ezk 52 times, Is 51 times, Ps 39 times, Jb 31 times, see further THAT 2:727; in Sept. (see TWNT 6:366): πνεῦμα 277 times, ἄνεμος 52 times, θυμός 6 times, πνοή 4 times, ψυχή twice, νοῦς once, φρόνησις once, for further citations see KBL and TWNT loc. cit.; signifies air in motion, a blowing, breeze, wind, nothingness, spirit, sense. Generally is fem.; only seldom is it masc., not able to find a reason for this shift in gender.

—1. breath.

—2. breeze.

—3. wind (THAT 2:728-730), over 100 times.

—4. wind, meaning one of the sides of the world.

—5. wind and God ) THAT 2:731-733 ( .

—6. breath which supports life.

—a. among animals Gn 6:17 ; 7:15 .

—b. among people (also meaning spirit).

—7. ) not always distinguished from 6 with certainty) meaning the natural spirit of humanity, as sense, mind, intellectual frame of mind (THAT 2:738-742): the following meanings (a-e) easily merge with one another:

—a. spirit: Ezk 1:15 : 13:3; 20:32; Mal 2:15 , 16 ; Ps 3:22 ) see above, 6 b ii ( , a spirit outside my experience ) NRSV; REB: a spirit beyond my understanding) Jb 20:3 .

—b. mind: Is 57:16 ) for prp., BHK ( , Ezk 13:3 ; Pr 29:11 ; Qoh 7:9 ; 1C 28:12; Ps 51:12 .

—c. temperament: cj. 2 S 13:39 ) textual corruption ( , prp. ) cf. Sept.) cf. NRSV: the heart of the king went out; REB similarly; 1K 215, or under e;

—d. frame of mind: Nu 14:24 ; Dt 2:30 ; Ps 3:22 :: Wolff Anthropologie 66: intention;

—e. courage: Jos 2:11 ; 5:1 ; 1K 2:15 ; Pr 18:14 .

—f. ill temper: Qoh 10:4 , rage, wrath Ju 8:3, Is 25:4 ; 33:11 , cf. spirit of envy Nu 514.30 ) see below, h ( ;

—g. Pr 16:32 : the exact rendering is uncertain, possibilities include:

—i. who masters himself (KBL; cf. ZürBib.).

—ii. he who rules his temper (Gemser Spr.2 72; REB: control one’s temper);

—iii. who masters his wrath, thus with Sept. ἰ δὲ κρατῶν ὀργῆς; NRSV: one whose temper is controlled.

—h. the intellectual frame of mind, in certain connections:

—8. the spirit of Yahweh (THAT 2:742-746).

—9. spirit of God.

—a. the spirit of God (so NRSV margin, REB) hovered.

—b. a (the) mighty wind (so NRSV margin) blew.

—c. a (the) divine wind (meaning a divine storm); cf. NRSV: a wind from God blew, but this interpretation is not strictly separable from the previous one (b); see further see W.H. Schmidt, Die Schöpfungsgeschichte der Priesterschrift 81-84 (with bibliography); U. Westermann BK 1/1:147-149; on the first suggestion (a) see esp. O.H. Steck, Der Schöpfungsbericht der Priesterschrift , 233-238: the breath of God was moving.

—10. a holy spirit:

—a. Is 63:10f .

—b. Ps 51:13 ; cf. Caquot RHR 169 ) 1966 ( 147: no hypostasis, but rather the power of prophetic inspiration in Is, and in Ps the power of giving life, the spirit (wind) of life.

—11. ) the ( spirit of God: Nu 1117.25f, Ezk 22 324; the spirit as an autonomous entity over and against God 1K 2221 2C 1820; as a moving spirit Ezk 112.20; the spirit of living things Ezk 120f 1017 (sg. collective, see Zimmerli Ezechiel 7 ( .

—12. transferring the spirit from one person to another (THAT 2:743-746):

—a. Yahweh will take from the spirit that is on Moses and set it upon the seventy elders Nu 11:17 ; this pronouncement is carried out in v. 25f, cf. 29; Moses transfers the on to Joshua Dt 349; ) Joshua ( Nu 27:18; the spirit of Elijah is transferred to Elisha 2 K 2:9 .

—b. see also above, 8 e. God gives spirit

—c. he exhorted them by his spirit: Neh 9:30 ; led upward ) by the spirit of Yahweh ( Ezk 37:1 ; Yahweh put a spirit into the king of Assyria , and he will hear a rumour, 2 K 19:7 ; Is 37:7 .

—13. particular types of spirit: the spirit of wisdom as the spirit of skilled workmanship, Ex 28:3 ; spirit of wisdom, Is 1:12 , divine spirit that manifests itself in wisdom ) skilful craft ? ( and insight, a spirit of cleansing, Is 4:4 ; Is 11:2 ; as a gift of wisdom Pr 1:23 ; the spirit of a destroyer Jr 5:11 ; Zech 12:10 , the spirit of grace and of gracious supplication, the spirit of ) cultic ( impurity Zech 13:2 .

—14. Is 3:13 , see THAT 2:747f.

—15. cj.:

—a. Is 38:16 text uncertain, for “give rest to my spirit; you have refreshed my spirit; my spirit is not destroyed.

—b. Jr 52:23 unexplained, see Rudolph Jer.3 322;

—c. Mal 215 text uncertain, literally, and no one does thus, and retains even a part of his life, thus Horst HAT 142 (1954) 268; or, and no one does something like this, if he possesses even a remnant of his understanding, thus Schreiner ZAW 91 (1979) 216f.

PNEUMA (according to BDAG).

1. air in movement, blowing, breathing (even the glowing exhalations of a volcanic crater: Diod. S. 5, 7, 3).

a. wind

b. the breathing out of air, blowing, breath

2. that which animates or gives life to the body, breath, (life-)spirit

3. a part of human personality, spirit

4. an independent noncorporeal being, in contrast to a being that can be perceived by the physical senses, spirit (ELangton, Good and Evil Spirits ’42).

a. God personally:

b. good, or at least not expressly evil spirits or spirit-beings

c. evil spirits

5. God’s being as controlling influence, with focus on association with humans, Spirit, spirit as that which differentiates God fr. everything that is not God, as the divine power that produces all divine existence, as the divine element in which all divine life is carried on, as the bearer of every application of the divine will. All those who belong to God possess or receive this spirit and hence have a share in God’s life. This spirit also serves to distinguish Christians fr. all unbelievers (cp. PGM 4, 1121ff, where the spirit is greeted as one who enters devotees and, in accordance w. God’s will, separates them fr. themselves, i.e. fr. the purely human part of their nature); for this latter aspect s. esp. 6 below.

a. the Spirit of God, of the Lord (=God) etc.

b. the Spirit of Christ, of the Lord (=Christ) etc.

c. Because of its heavenly origin and nature this Spirit is called (the) Holy Spirit (cp. PGM 4, 510 ἵνα πνεύσῃ ἐν ἐμοὶ τὸ ἱερὸν πνεῦμα.—Neither Philo nor Josephus called the Spirit πν. ἅγιον; the former used θεῖον or θεοῦ πν., the latter πν. θεῖον: Ant. 4, 118; 8, 408; 10, 239; but ἅγιον πνεῦμα Orig. C. Cels 1, 40, 16).

d. abs.

e. The Spirit is more closely defined by a gen. of thing: τὸ πν. τῆς ἀληθείας (TestJud 20:5) J 14:17; 15:26; 16:13 (in these three places the Spirit of Truth is the Paraclete promised by Jesus upon his departure).

f. Of Christ ‘it is written’ in Scripture: (ἐγένετο) ὁ ἔσχατος Ἀδὰμ εἰς πνεῦμα ζῳοποιοῦν 1 Cor 15:45 . The scripture pass. upon which the first part of this verse is based is Gen 2:7 , where Wsd 15:11 also substitutes the words πνεῦμα ζωτικόν for πνοὴν ζωῆς (cp. Just., D. 6, 2). On the other hand, s. Philo, Leg. All. 1, 42 and s. the lit. s.v. Ἀδάμ ad loc.

g. The (divine) Pneuma stands in contrast to everything that characterizes this age or the finite world gener.: οὐ τὸ πν. τοῦ κόσμου ἀλλὰ τὸ πν. τὸ ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ 1 Cor 2:12 ; cp. Eph 2:2 and 1 Ti 4:1ab .

α. in contrast to σάρξ, which is more closely connected w. sin than any other earthly material (Just., D. 135, 6): J 3:6; Ro 8:4-6 , 9a , 13 ; Gal 3:3 ; 5:17ab ; 6:8 . Cp. B 10:9. πᾶσα ἐπιθυμία κατὰ τοῦ πνεύματος στρατεύεται Pol 5:3.

β. in contrast to σῶμα (=σάρξ) Ro 8:10 and to σάρξ (=σῶμα, as many hold) J 6:63a (for τὸ πν. ἐστιν τὸ ζῳοποιοῦν cp. Philo, Op. Mund. 30; Herm. Wr. in Cyrill., C. Jul. I 556c=542, 24 Sc. the pneuma τὰ πάντα ζῳοποιεῖ καὶ τρέφει. S. also f above). Cp. Ro 8:11b .

γ. in contrast to γράμμα, which is the characteristic quality of God’s older declaration of the divine will in the law: Ro 2:29 ; 7:6 ; 2 Cor 3:6ab , 8 (cp. vs. 7).

δ. in contrast to the wisdom of humans 1 Cor 2:13 .

6. the Spirit of God as exhibited in the character or activity of God’s people or selected agents, Spirit, spirit (s. HPreisker, Geist u. Leben ’33).

7. an activating spirit that is not fr. God, spirit: πν. ἔτερον a different (kind of) spirit 2 Cor 11:4 . Cp. 2 Th 2:2 ; 1J 4:1-3 . Because there are persons activated by such spirits, it is necessary to test the var. kinds of spirits (the same problem Artem. 3, 20 περὶ διαφορᾶς μάντεων, οἷς δεῖ προσέχειν καὶ οἷς μή) 1 Cor 12:10 ; 1J 4:1b . ὁ διάβολος πληροῖ αὐτὸν αὐτοῦ πν. Hm 11:3. Also οὐκ οἴδατε ποίου πνεύματός ἐστε Lk 9:55 v .l. distinguishes betw. the spirit shown by Jesus’ disciples, and another kind of spirit.—Even more rarely a spirit divinely given that is not God’s own; so (in a quot. fr. Is 29:10 ) a πνεῦμα κατανύξεως Ro 11:8 .

8. an independent transcendent personality, the Spirit, Syn. II 218-50. New Docs 4, 38f. DELG s.v. πνέω. M-M. Dict. de la Bible XI 126-398. EDNT. TW. Sv.

Personal conclusion: From the above one can conclude that “spirit” refers to: 1) the energy involved, keeping the organism alive (where breathing plays an important part). The Bible refers to a living soul and a dead soul, the latter lacking “spirit.” 2) It can also refer to motivational energy of a person, whether internal or external, whether good or bad. 3) It can refer to an inanimate force, e.g., breeze, wind. 3) It can also refer to independent creatures, e.g., God, angels and demons.

48

Abiogenesis takes another step forward.....

by snare&racket in

jw
friends

spark of life: metabolism appears in lab without cells19:42 25 april 2014 by linda geddesfor similar stories, visit the evolution and human evolution topic guidesmetabolic processes that underpin life on earth have arisen spontaneously outside of cells.

the serendipitous finding that metabolism the cascade of reactions in all cells that provides them with the raw materials they need to survive can happen in such simple conditions provides fresh insights into how the first life formed.

it also suggests that the complex processes needed for life may have surprisingly humble origins.. "people have said that these pathways look so complex they couldn't form by environmental chemistry alone," says markus ralser at the university of cambridge who supervised the research.. but his findings suggest that many of these reactions could have occurred spontaneously in earth's early oceans, catalysed by metal ions rather than the enzymes that drive them in cells today.. the origin of metabolism is a major gap in our understanding of theemergence of life.

Vidqun

Bear facepalm

48

Abiogenesis takes another step forward.....

by snare&racket in

jw
friends

spark of life: metabolism appears in lab without cells19:42 25 april 2014 by linda geddesfor similar stories, visit the evolution and human evolution topic guidesmetabolic processes that underpin life on earth have arisen spontaneously outside of cells.

the serendipitous finding that metabolism the cascade of reactions in all cells that provides them with the raw materials they need to survive can happen in such simple conditions provides fresh insights into how the first life formed.

it also suggests that the complex processes needed for life may have surprisingly humble origins.. "people have said that these pathways look so complex they couldn't form by environmental chemistry alone," says markus ralser at the university of cambridge who supervised the research.. but his findings suggest that many of these reactions could have occurred spontaneously in earth's early oceans, catalysed by metal ions rather than the enzymes that drive them in cells today.. the origin of metabolism is a major gap in our understanding of theemergence of life.

Vidqun

There is one big problem, however. "For origins of life, it is important to understand where the source molecules come from," Powner says. No one has yet shown that such substances could form spontaneously in the early oceans.

I thought I would highlight what I find interesting. At least the scientists are honest. The fact that teams of researchers need to do these experiments in state-of-the-art labs give an indication of the complexities involved. What Perry said. What's this about copy and paste? Since when is that illegal. Or is it only reserved for a select few? I think it's a case of "the truth hurts."

37

Largest Genome Ever Sequenced - and it's 82% Junk

by cofty in

by developing new techniques, a team of scientists led by david neale at the university of california have succeeded in sequencing the genome of the loblolly pine pinus taeda.. the genome is 16 billion base pairs long - 7 times larger than the human genome.

so why does it take so much dna to make a tree?

well it turns out it doesn't.. the new sequence confirmed that the loblolly genome is so large because it is crammed full of invasive dna elements that copied themselves around the genome.

Vidqun

I would rather trace the path of the left laryngeal nerve to the development of the embryo, than to an evolutionary throwback. Those that have a problem with the design of the body, ought to try and do better, or is that too much to ask? For the moment, mine works fine (bad design or not), so I'll stick to what I've got. Junk bonds, junk DNA, it's a misnomer whichever way you look at it.

37

Largest Genome Ever Sequenced - and it's 82% Junk

by cofty in

by developing new techniques, a team of scientists led by david neale at the university of california have succeeded in sequencing the genome of the loblolly pine pinus taeda.. the genome is 16 billion base pairs long - 7 times larger than the human genome.

so why does it take so much dna to make a tree?

well it turns out it doesn't.. the new sequence confirmed that the loblolly genome is so large because it is crammed full of invasive dna elements that copied themselves around the genome.

Vidqun

Snare, wondered where you were? Sorry to disappoint, but the appendix is a very useful little appendage. I still have mine, and I will hold onto it until it goes wrong. Vestigial/junk, same difference, very short-sighted, for later one must eat one's words.

37

Largest Genome Ever Sequenced - and it's 82% Junk

by cofty in

by developing new techniques, a team of scientists led by david neale at the university of california have succeeded in sequencing the genome of the loblolly pine pinus taeda.. the genome is 16 billion base pairs long - 7 times larger than the human genome.

so why does it take so much dna to make a tree?

well it turns out it doesn't.. the new sequence confirmed that the loblolly genome is so large because it is crammed full of invasive dna elements that copied themselves around the genome.

Vidqun

In the Natural History Museum is displayed the growth rings of a Sequoia. The growth rings indicate time, going back thousands of years = dendronchronology. Major events in the tree's life, e.g., fires, volcanic eruptions, droughts, drastic climate change, etc. are noticible in the growth rings. Now scientists predict that all those changes would be transcribed in the DNA, from there DNA cell memory, assisting future generations to adapt. The fact that not all of the information in the DNA has been translated, should make one wary of calling it junk.

37

Largest Genome Ever Sequenced - and it's 82% Junk

by cofty in

by developing new techniques, a team of scientists led by david neale at the university of california have succeeded in sequencing the genome of the loblolly pine pinus taeda.. the genome is 16 billion base pairs long - 7 times larger than the human genome.

so why does it take so much dna to make a tree?

well it turns out it doesn't.. the new sequence confirmed that the loblolly genome is so large because it is crammed full of invasive dna elements that copied themselves around the genome.

Vidqun

Transposons or “jumping genes”, earlier viewed as "junk":

Later researchers have found similar results—that TEs can influence gene transcription—in other species, such as fruit flies, morning glory flowers, and (vindicating McClintock's suspicions) maize (Slotkin & Martienssen, 2007). Moreover, in primates, scientists have identified a SINE known as Alu that seems to play an important role in gene regulation and evolution. These new discoveries are prompting scientists to think twice about dismissing such a large portion of the genome as nothing but "junk."

Recently scientists have established that the older the man, the greater the chance that his children will be born with abnormalities. So, some of his gene sequences are skipped, creating mutated strands. Contrary to de novo mutations which occur during cell division, inherited gene mutations are transferred at an equal rate by the father and mother, are more common and thus more commonly responsible for disease. Scientists believe that both inherited and new mutations are responsible for diseases like autism and schizophrenia, but have not worked out the ratio of blame. On the positive side, de novo gene mutations are a necessary element, allowing us to adapt to our changing environment.

In some cases DNA sequences are duplicated, e.g. men with XYY chromosomes. So letters to the code are constantly being added or subtracted. Certainly, similar processes would be taking place in the DNA of trees and plants.

Your arrogant (but very humorous and crude) scientist will obviously not benefit from above mentioned research, because he has made his mind up that all inactive DNA ("the white stuff") is junk. By the way, the coding of proteins by m-RNA is a separate process. Because m-RNA doesn't use the "white bits," (e.g., transposons or "jumping genes") does that mean it should all be classified as junk? I call it bad science.

37

Largest Genome Ever Sequenced - and it's 82% Junk

by cofty in

by developing new techniques, a team of scientists led by david neale at the university of california have succeeded in sequencing the genome of the loblolly pine pinus taeda.. the genome is 16 billion base pairs long - 7 times larger than the human genome.

so why does it take so much dna to make a tree?

well it turns out it doesn't.. the new sequence confirmed that the loblolly genome is so large because it is crammed full of invasive dna elements that copied themselves around the genome.

Vidqun

Here's a Time-article on Junk DNA which is not junk at all:

Junk DNA — Not So Useless After All

Researchers report on a new revelation about the human genome: it’s full of active, functioning DNA, and it's a lot more complex than we ever thought

Junk. Barren. Non-functioning. Dark matter. That’s how scientists had described the 98% of human genome that lies between our 21,000 genes, ever since our DNA was first sequenced about a decade ago. The disappointment in those descriptors was intentional and palpable.

It had been believed that the human genome — the underpinnings of the blueprint for the talking, empire-building, socially evolved species that we are — would be stuffed with sophisticated genes, coding for critical proteins of unparalleled complexity. But when all was said and done, and the Human Genome Project finally determined the entire sequence of our DNA in 2001, researchers found that the 3 billion base pairs that comprised our mere 21,000 genes made up a paltry 2% of the entire genome. The rest, geneticists acknowledged with unconcealed embarrassment, was an apparent biological wasteland.

But it turns out they were wrong. In an impressive series of more than 30 papers published in several journals, including Nature, Genome Research, Genome Biology, Science and Cell, scientists now report that these vast stretches of seeming “junk” DNA are actually the seat of crucial gene-controlling activity — changes that contribute to hundreds of common diseases. The new data come from the Encyclopaedia of DNA Elements project, or ENCODE, a $123 million endeavor begun by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) in 2003, which includes 442 scientists in 32 labs around the world.