patio34

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Posts by patio34

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  4

  Evolution or Creation or something else?

  by bboyneko in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  it's a nasty circle, if you beleive in god, how can you say evolution is impossible since the argument goes "humans and life and the universe are so complicated they could not possibly arrise by mere chance" yet god is by definition infinitly more complicated than mere carbon-based life forms.

  and where did god come from?

  he was always there, or has no beginning or end, mystical answers like that.

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  patio34

  Hi Dan,

  That was a very insightful post. I'm referring to the argument that humans had to be created due to their complexity, but God was not. God, who should be infinitely more complex, just 'was.' A good point for religionists to ponder.

  Pat
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  65

  The dim people

  by Norm in

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  the dim people.

  the new world society.

  the chosen, brain dead, scared people.. the watchtower's obedient parrots.

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  patio34

  Atheism is not a belief system. It takes no faith. The following info is from 'Atheism--The Case Against God' by George H. Smith.

  Theism is the belief in a god or gods. The prefix 'a' means 'without,' so the term 'a-theism' literally means 'without theism.' It is the absence of theistic belief. Atheism in its basic form is not a belief; it is the absence of belief. An atheist is not primarily a person who believes that a god does not exist; rather, (s)he does not believe in the existence of a god.

  If one presents a positive belief, one has the obligation to present evidence in its favor. The burden of proof lies with the person who asserts the truth of a posposition. If the evidence is not forthcoming, if there are not sufficient grounds for accepting the proposition, it should not be believed.
  The theist who asserts the existence of a god assumes the responsibility of demonstrating the truth of this assertion; if he fails in this task, theism should not be accepted as true.
  Some believers attempt to escape the responsibility of providing evidence by shifting this responsibility onto atheism. Atheism, which is represented as a rival belief to theism, allegedly cannot demonstrte the nonexistence of a god, so it is claimed that the atheist is no better off than the theist.

  When atheism is recognized as the absence of theism, the preceding maneuver falls to the ground. Proof is applicable only in the case of a positive belief. To demand proof of the atheist, the religionist must represent atheism as a positive belief requiring substantiation.

  The atheist is not obligated to 'prove' anything. Ther designation of 'atheist' tells us, not what he believes to be true, but what he does not believe to be true.

  There's much more in this vein, but the point is atheism is not a belief system. Children, the author argues, are born atheists and remain so until taught differently.

  TTFN,
  Pat
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  23

  Flood and bristlecone pine

  by Moxy in

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  2. friends

  i mentioned that the dc in our area featured a talk where the speaker, as an illustration of endurance, mentioned methusaleh, the bristlecone pine that had lived for 4700+ years.

  i asked here for some possible explanations of this that allow for the wt flood dating.

  i had assumed that the standard response would be that the dating of the tree was wrong, that the rings had gotten doubled a few times or something.

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  patio34

  Hi Moxy,

  What an interesting question! I don't have time now to look at the links Nic provided. But if you find a succinct answer you feel like posting, I'd sure be interested.

  BTW, AlanF is on vacation I heard, so won't be on the board for a while, I guess.

  Pat
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  7

  Many Thanks

  by patio34 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  about 3-4 weeks ago, i posted a thread "daughter od'd on heroin--help!

  " so many helped me with experiences and good advice.

  here's an update on the situation.

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  patio34

  Lol Six, you're right! It's the lack of belief in something, or social interaction, or . . . you're just right. There is no void now. I would have had the need anyway with the family situation!

  Thanks Tina, Mommy, Thinks, Farkel. It's great being here at this esteemed 'coffee house' and I love it!

  Warmly,
  Pat
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  18

  Has Englishman Got A Bigger.....?

  by Englishman in

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  ask her ladyship!

  here she is answering questions at last weekends barbie..... .

  englishman.. ..... fanaticism masquerading beneath a cloak of reasoned logic.

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  patio34

  Eman,

  What a laugh riot--but Think41self one-upped you! Thanks for the laugh!

  Pat
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  7

  Many Thanks

  by patio34 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  about 3-4 weeks ago, i posted a thread "daughter od'd on heroin--help!

  " so many helped me with experiences and good advice.

  here's an update on the situation.

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  patio34

  Hi all,

  About 3-4 weeks ago, I posted a thread "Daughter od'd on heroin--help!" So many helped me with experiences and good advice. I want to say thanks to all!! :)

  Here's an update on the situation. Things are more stable now. I no longer keep her two children with me, they're with her and well cared for. She's in a drug rehab program.

  I started attending Al-Anon meetings and they have been a tremendous help for me. An unexpected benefit is they help fill the void left after not attending jw meetings any more.

  So, things are looking up and I'm using the time to develop the skills and strength to deal with it should it happen again.

  THANKS TO ALL WHO HELPED ME!!!

  All the best,

  Pat
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  86

  Submit your favorite quote!

  by Spartacus in

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  when a difficulty is deep and painful, the triumph is glorious and jubilant.. -spartacus 2001

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  patio34

  1. Hard work brings good luck.

  2. I'd rather go thru life with questions I can't answer than with answers I can't question (or questions I can't ask). --from JanG

  Pat
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  44

  10 movies > stuck on an island

  by Bendrr in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  to carry the island thing further, if you were stuck on an island what 10 movies would you have?.

  1. superman.

  2. airplane!.

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  patio34

  Hi!

  Thanks for the idea. Here's mine:

  1. G I Jane (Demi Moore)
  2. Somewhere in Time (Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymour)
  3. Monty Python's Search 4 Holy Grail
  and . . . .
  er. . .
  I'll have to do some more thinking . . .

  pat
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  46

  Apostate Swimsuit Calendar

  by SlayerLayer in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  we would like to take this opportunity to recognize those that were just too ugly to make it into aour calendar.

  we thank you for your audition photos, but we're afraid that you would hurt our business.

  again thank you for auditioning.

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  patio34

  Slayer Layer,

  I almost passed this thread by! Would have missed some hearty laughing! (Man, do I sound like an old grandma or what! I'm a middle-aged grandma!)

  It was hilarious!

  Pat
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  6

  Awake 22.8.01 Coping With Post-Traumatic Stress

  by ISP in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  awake 22.8.01 coping with post-traumatic stress.

  the awake article deals with the tricky and sensitive subject of ptsd (post traumatic stress disorder).

  certainly there are many grievous situations that bring about this situation today.

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  patio34

  Thanks ISP for advising what is in the magazines. I don't read them, but like to hear what the latest scare is. They never change the tune, do they? Talk about formula writing!
  1. Everything is SO bad
  2. No solutions from man
  3. But wait! God's kingdom blah blah.

  Pat