this notice is not official yet and it should be confidential until released thru the proper channels.
a friend of mine told me about a huge elders meeting in southern california.
the subject was the relocation and dissolution of some congregations; it seems that this is the result of some project that has been going on for some time and is going to be implemented right now.. please let me know if this is happening all over the country?.
and WT Society's credit rating has gone to shit with Bank of America who blackballed them for defaulting on construction loans, which probably means they cannot get credit with other major lenders now for construction.
Interesting. Any lInks/verification of that?
while reading the magazines the other day it occurred to me that jws never really had a very good answer to that question.
because it was aimed at young people and it said something along the lines, "if you believe in god you have a purpose, but if you don't believe in god your life has no purpose or meaning".
i think that is a faulty analysis of the situation.
Life doesn't have a purpose other than what you choose to make it.
in recent years significant progress has been made in solving the question of how life originated on our planet.. how do you think theists will respond when it finally happens?
as a former christian i know my reaction would have been something like "well that just goes to show that it takes intelligent life to make life", but for two reasons that defense doesn't work.. firstly it would prove that life is not an ethereal force that originates with god.
there is no 'ghost in the machine', no elan vital.
@JM - is it really Catholic doctrine that God 'injected' humans with consiousess 6k years ago?
if so that's a new one to me.
or do they stay at hotels?
do most jws know who's on the governing body?
if one just showed up at church would he be immediately recognized?
I'm pretty sure they won't turn right when they walk on to a plane either.
i've taken the bible lessons but have never attended a kingdom hall.
i was curious as to what point they begin to tighten the screws of control?
let's say you're a baptist.
You sound like a good honest Mormon Cold Steel,
You should stick with it.
in recent years significant progress has been made in solving the question of how life originated on our planet.. how do you think theists will respond when it finally happens?
as a former christian i know my reaction would have been something like "well that just goes to show that it takes intelligent life to make life", but for two reasons that defense doesn't work.. firstly it would prove that life is not an ethereal force that originates with god.
there is no 'ghost in the machine', no elan vital.
Landy I think you are right. I wonder how more rational christians would handle it. Evolution has been accepted by millions of christians but very few Muslims. Would the realisation that life can arise spontaneously from geochemistry be any more of a challenge?
I honestly believe it would make little or no difference. People who believe in a god do it based on a faith. They have to as there's no evidence available to support their beliefs. As their faith mechanism has no basis in rationality to start with they would simply shrug their shoulders and carry on believing what they've always believed. The opium of the people does a great job of dulling the senses.
Yes there will be exceptions and some would question their faith, but it wouldn't be on grand scale.
in recent years significant progress has been made in solving the question of how life originated on our planet.. how do you think theists will respond when it finally happens?
as a former christian i know my reaction would have been something like "well that just goes to show that it takes intelligent life to make life", but for two reasons that defense doesn't work.. firstly it would prove that life is not an ethereal force that originates with god.
there is no 'ghost in the machine', no elan vital.
If we could demonstrate that life could begin on its own, the upshot is, nothing would change.
JWs and other fundamentalists would just ignore it and carry on, in much the same way they did as evolution became generally accepted.
They would probably react by releasing a book entitled 'Life. How did it get here? By Abiogenesis or Creation?' It would be filled with quotes from dodgy out of date scientists, misquotes from respected scientists and that many logical falllicies it would make your head swim.
i have just read an interesting article by astrobiologist jacob haq-misra.. in this article he describes a process called "directed panspermia" as a plausible way that one form of intelligent design - one not related with religious driven agendas involving theism - could be involved in the process by which life developed on earth and possibly in other planets as well.. sounds like a speculation that's worth entertaining.
your thoughts?.
Sounds like a speculation that's worth entertaining. Your thoughts?
The bottom line is that the speculation is worthless.
In scientific terms and hypothesis that is not observable in not worth the paper it's written on and can be discarded.
If you can find a way to observe or demonstrate it then that becomes a different matter.
i have just read an interesting article by astrobiologist jacob haq-misra.. in this article he describes a process called "directed panspermia" as a plausible way that one form of intelligent design - one not related with religious driven agendas involving theism - could be involved in the process by which life developed on earth and possibly in other planets as well.. sounds like a speculation that's worth entertaining.
your thoughts?.
Sure, it's only speculative thinking. But a lot of great scientific discoveries started out as speculations too. It could be a viable path of future investigation.
And how would you propose to investigate it?
There's a difference between reasoned hypothesis leading to a theory and blind guesswork based on what you want to be true.
in recent years significant progress has been made in solving the question of how life originated on our planet.. how do you think theists will respond when it finally happens?
as a former christian i know my reaction would have been something like "well that just goes to show that it takes intelligent life to make life", but for two reasons that defense doesn't work.. firstly it would prove that life is not an ethereal force that originates with god.
there is no 'ghost in the machine', no elan vital.
Only if you think God cannot use natural means. The two are not mutually exclusive.
Proving that life can come into existence through natural means does not prove God doesn't exist. It simply proves that a god is not necessary.
