it just dawned on me.
the existence of god can't be proved, neither is there evidence of god's inexistence.
so, i'm neither theist neither atheist.
My claim is simple: the only thing that can be said about a deity or deities is that their absence is a verifiable fact. By saying this I'm not asserting God's existence and there's no necessity to define said deity or deities. Don't put claims that I'm not making in my mouth.
Eden
it just dawned on me.
the existence of god can't be proved, neither is there evidence of god's inexistence.
so, i'm neither theist neither atheist.
Nope, not the same thing. My proposition adheres to reality, yours doesn't - it merely relies on a probability.
Eden
it just dawned on me.
the existence of god can't be proved, neither is there evidence of god's inexistence.
so, i'm neither theist neither atheist.
Cofty, God's absence doesn't allow me to make any statements about God. Except that he's absent, which is a verifiable fact.
Eden
it just dawned on me.
the existence of god can't be proved, neither is there evidence of god's inexistence.
so, i'm neither theist neither atheist.
No, this is not a belief in a God that is absent. It's a belief that the only thing that can be said about God is that God is absent.
Eden
it just dawned on me.
the existence of god can't be proved, neither is there evidence of god's inexistence.
so, i'm neither theist neither atheist.
Cofty, by definition there's no evidence of anything's inexistence, God's or otherwise. Yahweh or Thor or the Big Unicorn in the Sky. Gotta love that rabid neo-atheism, huh? However, the ABSENCE of something or someone CAN be attested. And hence, I declare myself "absentheist".
Eden
it just dawned on me.
the existence of god can't be proved, neither is there evidence of god's inexistence.
so, i'm neither theist neither atheist.
It just dawned on me. The existence of God can't be proved, neither is there evidence of God's inexistence. So, I'm neither theist neither atheist. To be an agnostic is to embrace the possibility that God may exist, without evidence to back it up and the certainity that God cannot be known. So, what evidence is there about God? In a word: his ABSENCE. So, here's my newly found belief: I'm ABSENTHEIST.
Are you one also?
Eden
i have seen this over the years that some that get df'd and later reinstated can be the most hypocritical.
one case comes to find about my nephew who was df'd about 10 years ago for cupping a little feel of some dub sisters boobs.
well right away he turns to us non dubs for moral support as he is being ostracized by the dub relatives.
It's all about WHO you know in the Org ...
Eden
i would like this to become a permanent thread, because i think there are grounds - at least in europe - to take this matter up to the european court of human rights.
not sure we'll ever get there, but one must start somewhere.
objective: force, by legal means, the watchtower society and the jehovah's witnesses to stop the practice of shunning ex-jehovah's witnesses, on grounds that it constitutes a violation of human rights.. what is needed: all written material ever published by the watchtower society, especially since 1940's, concerning the practice of shunning.
The discourse of the Jehovah's Witnesses leadership, as published in the authoritative publications of the Watchtower Society can correctly be characterized as "hate speech".
What is "hate speech"?
From Wiki: "Hate speech is, outside the law, speech that attacks a person or group on the basis of attributes such as gender, ethnic origin, religion, race, disability, or sexual orientation. In law, hate speech is any speech, gesture or conduct, writing, or display which is forbidden because it may incite violence or prejudicial action against or by a protected individual or group, or because it disparages or intimidates a protected individual or group."
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) states that "any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence shall be prohibited by law".
The European Court of Human Rights is deeply concerned with hate speech.
“... [T]olerance and respect for the equal dignity of all human beings constitute the foundations of a democratic, pluralistic society. That being so, as a matter of principle it may be considered necessary in certain democratic societies to sanction or even prevent all forms of expression which spread, incite, promote or justify hatred based on intolerance ..., provided that any ‘formalities’, ‘conditions’, ‘restrictions’ or ‘penalties’ imposed are proportionate to the legitimate aim pursued.” (Erbakan v. Turkey judgment of 6 July 2006, § 56). - European Court of Human Rights
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"12. The Assembly reaffirms that hate speech against persons, whether on religious grounds or otherwise, should be penalised by law in accordance with General Policy Recommendation No. 7 on national legislation to combat racism and racial discrimination produced by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI). For speech to qualify as hate speech in this sense, it is necessary that it be directed against a person or a specific group of persons. National law should penalise statements that call for a person or a group of persons to be subjected to hatred, discrimination or violence on grounds of their religion." - Extracted from Recommendation 1805 (2007) from the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly
i would like this to become a permanent thread, because i think there are grounds - at least in europe - to take this matter up to the european court of human rights.
not sure we'll ever get there, but one must start somewhere.
objective: force, by legal means, the watchtower society and the jehovah's witnesses to stop the practice of shunning ex-jehovah's witnesses, on grounds that it constitutes a violation of human rights.. what is needed: all written material ever published by the watchtower society, especially since 1940's, concerning the practice of shunning.
“We do not have spiritual or social fellowship with disfellowshipped ones. (...) Is strict avoidance really necessary? Yes, for several reasons. First, it is a matter of loyalty to God and his Word. We obey Jehovah not only when is convenient but also when doing so presents real challenges. (...) Second, withdrawing from an unrepentant wrongdoer protects us and the rest of the congregation from spiritual and moral contamination (...)” – “Keep Yourself In God’s Love” (Appendix) pp. 207
i would like this to become a permanent thread, because i think there are grounds - at least in europe - to take this matter up to the european court of human rights.
not sure we'll ever get there, but one must start somewhere.
objective: force, by legal means, the watchtower society and the jehovah's witnesses to stop the practice of shunning ex-jehovah's witnesses, on grounds that it constitutes a violation of human rights.. what is needed: all written material ever published by the watchtower society, especially since 1940's, concerning the practice of shunning.
After characterizing dissenters from the Organization as "haters of Jehovah", the Watchtower instructed the Jehovah's Witnesses:
“Haters of God and his people are to be hated (...) We must hate in the truest sense, which is to regard with extreme and active aversion, to consider as loathsome, odious, filthy, to detest. Surely any haters of God are not fit to live in this beautiful earth. (...) What do you do with anything loathsome or repugnant that you detest or abhor? The answer is simple. You get away from it or remove it from your presence. You do not want to have anything at all to do with it. This must be exactly our attitude towards the haters of Jehovah.” – The Watchtower, October 1, 1952, pp. 599
Hate is thus regarded as a desirable quality among Jehovah's Witnesses:
“You have seen the benefit of godly love, but do you know how to hate? The bible psalmist did, and said: “O you lovers of Jehovah, hate what is bad”. Also, he said: “Do I not hate those who are intensly hating you, O Jehovah, and do i not feel a loathing for those revolting against you? With a complete hatred I do hate them. They have become my real enemies” (Ps. 97:10; 139:21, 22) These very strong words are an expression of godly hate, and you too must have this quality to be pleasing to God. Hate causes a feeling of disgust to well up inside you. You loathe, abhor, despise the object of your hatred. (...) Godly hatred never has as its object our Christian brothers, no matter how imperfect.” – The Watchtower, July 15, 1974, pp. 442
Eden
