Posts by rem

14

Genetic evidence for "macroevolution"?

by fodeja in

jw
friends

first genetic evidence uncovered of how major changes.

in body shapes occurred during early animal evolution.

biologists at the university of california, san diego have uncovered the first genetic evidence that explains how large-scale alterations to body plans were accomplished during the early evolution of animals.. in an advance online publication february 6 by nature of a paper scheduled to appear in nature, the scientists show how mutations in regulatory genes that guide the embryonic development of crustaceans and fruit flies allowed aquatic crustacean-like arthropods, with limbs on every segment of their bodies, to evolve 400 million years ago into a radically different body plan: the terrestrial six-legged insects.. the achievement is a landmark in evolutionary biology, not only because it shows how new animal body plans could arise from a simple genetic mutation, but because it effectively answers a major criticism creationists had long leveled against evolutionthe absence of a genetic mechanism that could permit animals to introduce radical new body designs.

rem

ThiChi,

As per usual from you, it’s another cut and paste 'rebuttal' filled with many assertions, yet no evidence. Evolution is seen and reproducible. The only distinction between micro-evolution and macro-evolution is an arbitrary one made up by Creationists. The Theory of Evolution is one of the most successful and explanatory theories ever. The Theory has only gotten stronger in the last 150 years as more and more evidence comes to light.

The very first sentence you pasted is hilarious:

Notice that macroevolution would require an upward change in the complexity of certain traits and organs

No, I didn't 'notice' that. Where is the evidence for this absurd claim?

Microevolution involves only horizontal (or downward) changes—no increasing complexity.

Sounds pretty arbitrary to me. Can you back this claim?

We also see birds, In-between forms (or intermediates), which should be vast in number if macroevolution occurred, are never seen as fossils or living species.

I guess a 3rd grader wrote this piece because this has to be one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. Every animal existing or that has existed is in transition. But every animal is just right for it's environment, so we don't notice animals as being intermediates - they just look right to us the way they are. Of course if we could live thousands or millions of years, (or take a quick look at the fossil record) we would see this transition in action.

Ever since Darwin, evolutionists have had to make excuses for why the world and our fossil museums are not overflowing with intermediates.

No excuses, just facts - only a tiny fraction of animals will fossilize when they die. It's a very rare event. Also, there are many intermediates in the museums. And when you visit a museum, you are yet another intermediate inside a museum. New-fangled DNA evidence also gives us more of the picture that the fossil record simply cannot provide.

It is a theory without a mechanism

What the hell? Do you even read this stuff before pasting? Darwin's theory provided the mechanism for evolution (he didn't invent the concept of evolution). The mechanism is called Natural Selection, or as some call it, Survival of the Fittest. Of course, other factors are involved as well, such as genetic drift and sexual selection. A person would have to be extremely ignorant to make the claim that Evolution is a "theory without a mechanism"! LOL

There is so much more ignorance in this cut and paste, but I'll just focus on one last thing:

Finally, research in the last several decades has shown that the requirements for life are incredibly complex.

Agreed. I don't believe any scientist argues that life is not complex, but complexity is not evidence against evolution or natural selection. Evolution is not a theory of Chance - it is a theory of gradual change through NON-random selection. The argument from design has been debunked for hundreds of years now – even before Paley made his infamous “watch in the sand” analogy and long before Darwin was even born. See David Hume’s Dialogues for a logical discussion about perceived design in the universe.

I suggest you read "The Blind Watchmaker" by Richard Dawkins for a good primer to the Theory of Evolution because you seem to be hopelessly uninformed, and your posts only serve to expose your ignorance.

Also, it is common courtesy to name your source when you do a cut and paste.

rem

"We all do no end of feeling, and we mistake it for thinking." - Mark Twain

37

Most hated Bible stories....

by PopeOfEruke in

years ago, i had a pet-hate bible story, and it was this one story that actually started me on the path to freedom from the borg-org.. it was the story of lot when he was living in sodom and the 2 angels visited (dressed like men of course).

and the crowd of sodomites were yelling "send out the visitors so we can bonk them senseless".

remember?.

rem

There is a similar story elsewhere in the OT where a man offers his mistress/wife/whatever to the horny bastards outside and after they rape her to death he cuts her into little pieces and distributes them around the land. I can't remember the Bible book this account comes from, but it's basically an example of a duality (I think that's what it's called) where there are two similar stories, where one was basically a copy of another or they both came from the same older oral tradition.

Anyway, I always thought that story was pretty sick.

rem

"We all do no end of feeling, and we mistake it for thinking." - Mark Twain

23

Why the Bible anyway?

by willy_think in

why do i believe the bible is the inspired word of god anyway?

here are some answers i consider wrong .

1. it just fell out of the sky.

rem

Did Joseph Smith inherit this hoax or did he create it? If you look in the book of Mormon, supposedly several people witnessed these tablets and they were persecuted for this. All it takes is a psychologically unbalanced person to create a hoax or a lie and actually believe it is true. Did not David Koresh really believe he was Jesus? He died for his belief, and he was the perpetrator - the hoaxter. Some people believe their own lies - they are stuck in their own fantasy. I don't understand why that is so difficult to understand.

Anyway, the whole thing about Peter being hung upside down on a cross is just tradition - it is not based on any eye witness or contemporary evidence. For all we know, the original perpetrators may not have suffered for their faith, but the followers years later believed the stories and martyred themselves.

rem

"We all do no end of feeling, and we mistake it for thinking." - Mark Twain

126

adam & eve

by gotcha in

does anyone here take the creation story literally?

if yes, did u do ample research and think carefully but still believe in it?

if u don't think that the story should be taken as literal, what is your reading of it and do u still believe in the bible as the inspired word of god?...thanks in advance..

rem

Christianity is a God established spirtuality

And the evidence for this assertion...?

rem

"We all do no end of feeling, and we mistake it for thinking." - Mark Twain

126

adam & eve

by gotcha in

does anyone here take the creation story literally?

if yes, did u do ample research and think carefully but still believe in it?

if u don't think that the story should be taken as literal, what is your reading of it and do u still believe in the bible as the inspired word of god?...thanks in advance..

rem

I hate man made religion

And yet you are a Christian? Sorry to burst your bubble, but Christianity is a man-made religion just like the rest of them.

rem

"We all do no end of feeling, and we mistake it for thinking." - Mark Twain

22

Are the Gospel Stories Fictional?

by JosephAlward in

there is abundant evidence that marks stories are fictional.

in this post, i will explain how marks story of jesus miraculous feeding of the five thousand (mark 6:32-42) was copied from scripture.. at the beginning of his story, mark wants his readers to believe that his jesus is just as compassionate as the lord, so he introduces him as a person who was just as concerned as the lord is for people who are like sheep without a shepherd.

the lord is my shepherd, i shall not be in want.

rem

Engineered? For what? The existence of rocks? If this universe was created for humans, then it's one collosal waste of space. And even on this earth, humans anre not optimized for most climates. We have to build structures and wear clothes to survive. The universe is and most parts of the earth is an inhospitable place for human life (not to mention life in general).

So far as we know, life is just a thin film on this lonely planet. I certainly don't see design in this universe - especially design for human life. So far it looks like humans have evolved and thrived in spite of this dangerous place. And someday we will go the way of the dodo, er, the Neanderthal.

rem

"We all do no end of feeling, and we mistake it for thinking." - Mark Twain

118

Average age of apostates survey.

by sleepy in

jw
friends

i thought it might be a good idea to find out at what age or after how long we descided to leave the watchtower.. prehaps we my find a patern in it which we could use .. i think what we need to know are ,.

1.age you left the watchtower.

(or age you found out it was wrong).

rem

1. Learned the truth about the Troof at 23. DA'd at 26
2. Baptized at 13
3. Raised in this crap

rem

"We all do no end of feeling, and we mistake it for thinking." - Mark Twain

23

Why the Bible anyway?

by willy_think in

why do i believe the bible is the inspired word of god anyway?

here are some answers i consider wrong .

1. it just fell out of the sky.

rem

Why the Bible anyway?
Why not? Do you think that there hasnt been interaction between mankind and their maker?

Then why the Bible over the Hindu Vedas or the Quran or the Book of Mormon or the Book of the Dead, or A Tale of Two Cities? How do you even know that we have a maker with a personality? Because the Bible says so? Sounds circular to me.

rem

"We all do no end of feeling, and we mistake it for thinking." - Mark Twain

13

Human Anatomy;a Question for JWs

by badboy in

jw
friends

if god created man,why is the modern vocal tract posited so people are more likely to choke to death.. cf.

eve spoke-human language and human evolution,pp139-140.

the position of the larynx means that modern humans are more likelier to choke to death.. would a loving god create man in such a way that he would be likely to choke to death

rem

And not even just humans. Why did god create panda bears with such jacked up thumbs?

rem

"We all do no end of feeling, and we mistake it for thinking." - Mark Twain

23

Why the Bible anyway?

by willy_think in

why do i believe the bible is the inspired word of god anyway?

here are some answers i consider wrong .

1. it just fell out of the sky.

rem

First one must prove the "historicity" (historical accuracy) of the Bible.

Good start.

Now Jesus was either a madman or he was everything he claimed to be. He could not have been just an ordinary, but exceptionally good man, because he claimed to be God. No "good" man goes around claiming to be God. So which is it, madman or God?

False dichotomy. What if there really was no Jesus and it was made up? What if he did exist and didn’t claim to be anything that later writers wrote? How do you know Jesus claimed to be God? Did he write those words himself, or did you get this information from second-hand sources?

Well, all his followers died for their preaching that Jesus was God and risen from the dead. They could not have been perpetuating some kind of hoax, (the old empty tomb objection). People never voluntarily sacrifice their lives for what they know is a hoax. This reasoning authenticates the historical value of the Bible; therefore, Jesus must be God.

Ever heard of the Mormons and the golden tablets? Do you assume that the golden tablets must be real because people would not risk their health/life over things that are made up? Do you not believe that people can really believe in things that are not true and can be willing to risk their life for things that are obviously false to an outsider?

Well, God said he would build a church against which the gates of Hades would not prevail (Matt 16:18), Hades means death. Thus the church would never die. It must be the same church in the year one as in the year 2001 and so on until he returns.

How do you know these are the words of God and not just the words of men? Have you heard of other non-Christian religions? Surely you realize that there are other religions that are older than Christianity. It’s also difficult to say to what extent the original Christian church has stayed constant. What do you consider the original Christian church and what is the correct church today? Ever heard of the Gnostic Christians? How do you know that they were not the original Christians and the Literal Christians just arose by a fluke of history?

To this church he gave his own stamp of authority. (Luke 10:16) "He who hears you hears me." (John 21:21) "As the father sent me, even so I send you." The church has "power of attorney". (Matt 16:18) "I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven." (see also Isaiah 22:22)
This church has declared that the Bible is inspired. When? The church listed the inspired books and letters at the synods of Carthage and Hippo in 393AD and 397AD and confirmed infallibly the table of contents of the Bible at later ecumenical councils.
How was this possible? To the church Jesus also gave the power to bind and to loose (Matt 16&18) (see: Binding and Loosing ). Prior to the above mentioned councils, many ancient texts existed which Christians thought were inspired. Among these were, Epistle of Barnabus, two epistles of Clement, Shepherd of Hermas and Gospel of Thomas. The church bound these as not inspired. At the same time, some Christians rejected the letter to the Hebrews, Revelations, Jude and 2nd. Peter, which the church declared among the inspired works.
This is how a Christian knows that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, because the authoratative voice which Christ left here on earth tells us so.

So basically you know the Bible is inspired because the Bible and the Catholics said so with authority. Wow, you’ve convinced me!

rem

"We all do no end of feeling, and we mistake it for thinking." - Mark Twain