GrreatTeacher

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Posts by GrreatTeacher

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  8

  Long article, but it explains a lot of things

  by JeffT in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i found this the other day, and read it last night.

  i think it explains a lot of what is going on in both american politics and many religions around the world.

  https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/03/this-article-wont-change-your-mind/519093/?utm_source=feed.

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  GrreatTeacher

  I liked this article. It'll take another read-through, but it's very interesting.
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  34

  Have You Found Your Place in the World?

  by Rainbow_Troll in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  we were all told when we were in the watchtower that we should be grateful to be part of such a loving family.

  we were told that just beyond the superficial glamour of the world was a quagmire of despair, emptiness and pain waiting to suck us in.

  obviously, we took that part with a mountain of salt or we wouldn't be here today.

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  GrreatTeacher

  Eh, finding a community that shares your values is overrated.

  Yeah, young people do drugs and screw up relationships. They're inexperienced.

  I'm over 40 and now most of the people I know don't do drugs, are in stable relationships, are homeowners and are raising lovely children.

  Most of them were also stupid and did stupid things when they were young.

  You, yourself is the only one you can count on to make good choices that will put you on the path to a fulfilling life.

  I do hope you can believe that your social milieu is not the only one out there, and you have the ability to trade up. But, you've got to do it alone.
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  205

  Mathematically Measuring Evolution.

  by towerwatchman in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  mathematically measuring evolution.. when judging relationships in terms of morphological characteristics we will always be bound by the subjective.

  morphologically one cannot exactly measure the distance between two organisms strictly in mathematical terms.

  using the standard method of taxonomy we cannot quantify the difference between a horse and a mouse, or know which is closer mouse to cat, or mouse to fish.

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  GrreatTeacher

  "All you have is a fish with 5 bones."

  Exactly. No animal is ever more than it is in that moment.
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  205

  Mathematically Measuring Evolution.

  by towerwatchman in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  mathematically measuring evolution.. when judging relationships in terms of morphological characteristics we will always be bound by the subjective.

  morphologically one cannot exactly measure the distance between two organisms strictly in mathematical terms.

  using the standard method of taxonomy we cannot quantify the difference between a horse and a mouse, or know which is closer mouse to cat, or mouse to fish.

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  GrreatTeacher

  Nope, what you are doing is changing the subject.

  You started the discussion on the subject of evolution, and now you are changing it to abiogenesis.

  Stick with your own thesis.
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  205

  Mathematically Measuring Evolution.

  by towerwatchman in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  mathematically measuring evolution.. when judging relationships in terms of morphological characteristics we will always be bound by the subjective.

  morphologically one cannot exactly measure the distance between two organisms strictly in mathematical terms.

  using the standard method of taxonomy we cannot quantify the difference between a horse and a mouse, or know which is closer mouse to cat, or mouse to fish.

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  GrreatTeacher

  Eusthenopteron is a very cool fossil. I showed my class a picture of a Coelocanth fossil that had front fins that had 5 bones similar to hand bones. Very cool.

  

  What really blew my kids away was when I told them that these creatures still exist! An organism that shows transitional features and has happened to live in the west Indian Ocean off the east coast of Africa for millions of years. It hasn't evolved further because it hasn't had to. It's suited for its environment. Had the environment changed, it would have had to adapt or die. But, the ocean environment has been very similar for millions of years.

  

  That's the interesting thing and what a lot of people misunderstand: if an animal is suited to its environment, the environment doesnt change, and no mutations pop up that are useful for survival, the species survives as is.

  If the environment changes, then the organism can either benefit from mutations that may provide a useful advantage in survival, or, if there are no helpful mutations, it dies. It either ADAPTS or DIES. So many have died and are now extinct. Only the fittest survive to reproduce.

  Lovely work, Cofty.
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  26

  Ranting

  by FedUpJW in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  please excuse me for long-winded ranting.

  i know, as do most of us here that "love" is not something that the jdub's are known for except in their deluded, feeble minds.. i can handle their hypocrisy when it is directed at me, but when it is aimed at family who for decades have genuinely been the type of jw that the watchtower presents to the public, and when it is motivated by pure hate, then i get pissed!.

  my mother was dunked in the 1940's and my father in the 1950's.

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  GrreatTeacher

  The problem with a works based religion is that you can never stop working and retire.

  This is a problem when you physically can no longer keep up and have to "retire."

  In the world, when you retire, you get a pension.

  In the JWs, you get insults and contempt for being so "weak" as to actually age, get sick, slow down and become unable to participate.
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  7

  My son was accepted to prestigious universities

  by never a jw in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  some background needed.

  five years ago i decided to research what i thought was a good religion, the religion of my jw wife, to whom i have been married for almost 23 years.

  what prompted my research was my then 14 y.o.

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  GrreatTeacher

  So many congratulations! This is great to hear.
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  205

  Mathematically Measuring Evolution.

  by towerwatchman in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  mathematically measuring evolution.. when judging relationships in terms of morphological characteristics we will always be bound by the subjective.

  morphologically one cannot exactly measure the distance between two organisms strictly in mathematical terms.

  using the standard method of taxonomy we cannot quantify the difference between a horse and a mouse, or know which is closer mouse to cat, or mouse to fish.

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  GrreatTeacher

  ????????????????
• 
  205

  Mathematically Measuring Evolution.

  by towerwatchman in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  mathematically measuring evolution.. when judging relationships in terms of morphological characteristics we will always be bound by the subjective.

  morphologically one cannot exactly measure the distance between two organisms strictly in mathematical terms.

  using the standard method of taxonomy we cannot quantify the difference between a horse and a mouse, or know which is closer mouse to cat, or mouse to fish.

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  GrreatTeacher

  Once you start playing the cut-n-paste game with the same information over and over again, you've lost the argument.
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  44

  The Latest Trend in NW England: Homeschooling Your Children

  by pale.emperor in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i dont know if this is becoming a national thing or even globally.

  but im hearing more and more people i knew from my jw days have taken their kids out of school to home school them instead.

  in my sisters case she's taken her 8yo and 6yo children out already and her 3yo wont ever start a school.

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  GrreatTeacher

  Rainbow Troll, you are being ridiculous.

  I live in the suburbs where the schools are very good and have sent my own child to school here.

  However, I work in an urban school (in Baltimore) in an extraordinarily poor area. 85% of our students live in poverty.

  First, a lot of learning happens in my school. If students misbehave by bullying or getting violent, they are suspended. If they break the law, then they are reported to the police, and the judicial system takes over. They get their FAPE (free and appropriate public education) behind bars.

  I bristle at the insinuation that my students aren't learning. I just recently got the results from the District Science Assessment, which is given to every pupil in the district, "good" school or "bad," and they were very encouraging. My students are learning.

  Some of those students require extra parenting, though. We provide free breakfast and lunch, I have to teach them about the importance of getting enough sleep, washing their hands, and treating others the way they would like to be treated. We also have a school nurse who provides some of the only medical care that these kids get.

  Yes, it is harder to teach where I teach. But, to feel that universal education is an unworthy goal frankly bristles. Having masses of uneducated people is a nightmare for democracy.

  So, sure, play the public school system: move to a nice suburb to get a great education for your kids. It was my number one priority when buying my home. We have a long commute, but it is worth it to us.

  But, there are amazing things happening in poverty-stricken schools. There are principals with extraordinary vision and leadership and dedicated teachers who want to work with the students who need them most. I'm sorry you've never had the opportunity to see that.