Island Man

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Posts by Island Man

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  34

  "There will be earthquakes...."

  by Fisherman in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  given: the prophecy is true.. what did jesus mean?

  i have an app that alerts me of any earthquake all over the world.

  since i got the app, it is one earthquake after another all over the world.

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  Island Man

  What Bobcat said. JWs and others are doing exactly what Jesus was telling his disciples not to do!
  
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  29

  What's next?

  by Grey Goose in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hi everyone.. thanks for the welcome a few days ago, it was nice to hear your support.. this is a pure speculation thread, but what do you think the next changes are going to be?.

  will we see tything come into play?.

  more evangelical style meetings?.

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  Island Man

  A nightly world news program on JW broadcasting. I think it's just a matter of time. Also, I think they're going to eventually stop printing one magazine each month and switch to printing a 32-page quarterly (once every 3 months). That way they can further reduce their printing costs while producing a product that looks more respectable and substantive.
  
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  31

  The GB know it's all lies and wants to dismantle the WTS ... then what?

  by Simon in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  so imagine the gb have a sudden attack of honesty and realize "crap, this whole thing is lies - we're not god's spokespeople at all !".

  how do you dismantle a religion that has +8 million members in a responsible way?

  you can't just publish a watchtower saying "we were wrong" because that would be irresponsible - you need to let people down gently, put people off gradually.

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  Island Man

  Pull off a Worldwide Church of God apology and reformation?
  
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  27

  You Are Unsuitable!

  by Divergent in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  today's text -.

  sunday, january 24. they collected the fine ones into containers, but the unsuitable they threw away.—matt.

  13:48.. understanding the lesson of this illustration helps us to avoid being overly distraught or disappointed if a bible student or one of our children does not make the truth his own.

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  Island Man

  So I am labelled "unsuitable" based on my refusal to follow a cult ... which has misinterpreted the Bible

  Speaking of which, their interpretation of this very text is a blatant misinterpretation. The text is obviously referring to the final judgment and destruction of the wicked and preservation of the righteous at the very end of "the system of things".
  
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  46

  Starlight in a Young Universe

  by Perry in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the scientific method begins with a faith statement called a hypothesis, and then goes on to look for evidence, for or against support of the faith statement.. secular materialists often change their ideas on exactly how things have made themselves, but never whether they did.. the manifesto for this self imposed mental ban seems to be summed up by geneticist richard lewontin:.

  ‘our willingness to accept scientific claims that are against common sense is the key to an understanding of the real struggle between science and the supernatural.

  we take the side of science in spite of the patent absurdity of some of its constructs, in spite of its failure to fulfill many of its extravagant promises of health and life, in spite of the tolerance of the scientific community for unsubstantiated just-so stories, because we have a prior commitment, a commitment to materialism.. it is not that the methods and institutions of science somehow compel us to accept a material explanation of the phenomenal world, but, on the contrary, that we are forced by our a priori adherence to material causes to create an apparatus of investigation and a set of concepts that produce material explanations, no matter how counter-intuitive, no matter how mystifying to the uninitiated.

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  Island Man

  Regarding your Richard Lewontin quote. There is a reason why scientists are committed to materialism - it's testable and it works. You can't say the same for mythology and superstition.

  Richard Lewontin was basically saying that we cannot give up sound Math and Science - no matter how counter-intuitive the conclusions - to accept fanciful, unproven and unprovable myths and superstitions. Reality always trumps make-believe.
  
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  46

  Starlight in a Young Universe

  by Perry in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the scientific method begins with a faith statement called a hypothesis, and then goes on to look for evidence, for or against support of the faith statement.. secular materialists often change their ideas on exactly how things have made themselves, but never whether they did.. the manifesto for this self imposed mental ban seems to be summed up by geneticist richard lewontin:.

  ‘our willingness to accept scientific claims that are against common sense is the key to an understanding of the real struggle between science and the supernatural.

  we take the side of science in spite of the patent absurdity of some of its constructs, in spite of its failure to fulfill many of its extravagant promises of health and life, in spite of the tolerance of the scientific community for unsubstantiated just-so stories, because we have a prior commitment, a commitment to materialism.. it is not that the methods and institutions of science somehow compel us to accept a material explanation of the phenomenal world, but, on the contrary, that we are forced by our a priori adherence to material causes to create an apparatus of investigation and a set of concepts that produce material explanations, no matter how counter-intuitive, no matter how mystifying to the uninitiated.

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  Island Man

  The Scientific Method begins with a faith statement called a hypothesis

  Wrong. A hypothesis is not comparable to a faith statement.

  A hypothesis is an idea put forward as a possible explanation for a phenomenon. The idea is then subjected to tests designed to disprove it.

  A faith statement is a claim put forward as truth that must be accepted with confidence and not doubted. Attempting to disprove a faith claim is seen by theists as a bad thing and theists will often reject any evidence disproving a faith claim.

  Sorry, but comparing a hypothesis to a faith claim is just ridiculous.
  
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  46

  Starlight in a Young Universe

  by Perry in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the scientific method begins with a faith statement called a hypothesis, and then goes on to look for evidence, for or against support of the faith statement.. secular materialists often change their ideas on exactly how things have made themselves, but never whether they did.. the manifesto for this self imposed mental ban seems to be summed up by geneticist richard lewontin:.

  ‘our willingness to accept scientific claims that are against common sense is the key to an understanding of the real struggle between science and the supernatural.

  we take the side of science in spite of the patent absurdity of some of its constructs, in spite of its failure to fulfill many of its extravagant promises of health and life, in spite of the tolerance of the scientific community for unsubstantiated just-so stories, because we have a prior commitment, a commitment to materialism.. it is not that the methods and institutions of science somehow compel us to accept a material explanation of the phenomenal world, but, on the contrary, that we are forced by our a priori adherence to material causes to create an apparatus of investigation and a set of concepts that produce material explanations, no matter how counter-intuitive, no matter how mystifying to the uninitiated.

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  Island Man

  The Scientific Method begins with a faith statement called a hypothesis

  Wrong. A hypothesis is not comparable to a faith statement.

  A hypothesis is an idea put forward as a possible explanation for a phenomenon. The idea is then subjected to tests designed to disprove it.

  A faith statement is a claim put forward as truth that must be accepted with confidence and not doubted. Attempting to disprove a faith statement is seen by theists as a bad thing and theists will often reject any evidence disproving a faith statement. A faith statement is almost antithetical to a scientific hypothesis. Just about the only thing they have in common is that they're both statements.
  

  Sorry, but comparing a hypothesis to a faith statement is just ridiculous.
  
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  46

  Starlight in a Young Universe

  by Perry in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the scientific method begins with a faith statement called a hypothesis, and then goes on to look for evidence, for or against support of the faith statement.. secular materialists often change their ideas on exactly how things have made themselves, but never whether they did.. the manifesto for this self imposed mental ban seems to be summed up by geneticist richard lewontin:.

  ‘our willingness to accept scientific claims that are against common sense is the key to an understanding of the real struggle between science and the supernatural.

  we take the side of science in spite of the patent absurdity of some of its constructs, in spite of its failure to fulfill many of its extravagant promises of health and life, in spite of the tolerance of the scientific community for unsubstantiated just-so stories, because we have a prior commitment, a commitment to materialism.. it is not that the methods and institutions of science somehow compel us to accept a material explanation of the phenomenal world, but, on the contrary, that we are forced by our a priori adherence to material causes to create an apparatus of investigation and a set of concepts that produce material explanations, no matter how counter-intuitive, no matter how mystifying to the uninitiated.

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  Island Man

  The Scientific Method begins with a faith statement called a hypothesis

  Wrong. A hypothesis is not comparable to a faith statement.

  A hypothesis is an idea put forward as a possible explanation for a phenomenon. The idea is then subjected to tests designed to disprove it.

  A faith statement is a claim put forward as truth that must be accepted with confidence and not doubted. Attempting to disprove a faith statement is seen by theists as a bad thing and theists will often reject any evidence disproving a faith statement. A faith statement is almost antithetical to a scientific hypothesis. Just about the only thing they have in common is that they're both statements.
  

  Sorry, but comparing a hypothesis to a faith statement is just ridiculous.
  
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  44

  Proof the earth can be flat

  by slimboyfat in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  "our perception of reality has more to do with what is going on in here (our brain) than what's going on out there (in the world).".

  http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03g221y.

  is it a dark square or a light square?

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  Island Man

  Our knowing the shape of the earth is not based solely on visual perception. The spheroid shape of the earth can be proven by other means. So no, the earth can't be flat.
  
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  24

  Theism is a Fact #1

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  nope sorry i got nothing.. wouldn't it be really interesting though if somewhere there was a theist who could challenge unbelievers with facts and evidence?.

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  Island Man

  Theism IS a fact!

  Note Google's definition of the word:

  belief in the existence of a god or gods, especially belief in one god as creator of the universe, intervening in it and sustaining a personal relation to his creatures.

  Is it not a fact, Cofty, that there exists the belief in the existence of a god or gods? Therefore theism is a fact. It is a fact that people believe in the existence of god(s)

  However, as for the actual existence of god(s) - That's not a fact, only a belief, and an unfounded one at that.