Posts by DJS

53

questions

by DanielC in

i've been dating a jw girl for about 4 years and we've recently had a lot of issues with the fact that her family doesn't like that i'm not a jw.

i've been looking into the religion and am interested in it.

but is it wrong to join just so i don't lose her?

I don't mean to be mean but I'm still waiting for you to make one single response on this site that makes any sense. Daniel has made it clear that he has "Never been invited over for dinner or ever invited to a family event." In my book that is called relationship destroying behavior.

This is almost certainly the tip of the iceberg. This young woman is controlled by her family, and the family is controlled by the Dark Lords. Even if they are Dub-lite, the control exists and it can change, as many posters have noted, in an instant. That isn't likely to change. It is more likely that this situation will only get worse for Daniel.

One of these days you just might say something that makes sense. I doubt it, but we can hope.

53

questions

by DanielC in

i've been dating a jw girl for about 4 years and we've recently had a lot of issues with the fact that her family doesn't like that i'm not a jw.

i've been looking into the religion and am interested in it.

but is it wrong to join just so i don't lose her?

DJS

Daniel,

You should do what you need to do. You asked, however. I have no reservations telling you to RUN. There are billions of women on the planet; finding her replacement will be far easier than you think.

9

"Christians are leaving the faith in droves" - Pew Research

by EdenOne in

according to this article, a recent pew research concluded that until 2050, an estimated cumulative net number of 65.050.000 will opt out of the christian faith, and the trend is accelerating.

on the other hand, the "unaffiliated" will have a net growth of 61.490.000.. eden.

DJS

D4g,

Excellent comment. Thank you. Churches have been one of the primary springboards for those with political ambitions and political power bases for politicians for centuries, so it makes sense that state legislatures are overly stocked with fundies or the very religious. A lot of politicians are no doubt atheist or at the most, irreligious, but 'coming out' as such is political suicide. That is changing slowly, but it is changing.

The perception in much of the US and the rest of the world, unfortunately, is that the irreligious and god forbid the atheists are soul-less, baby killing, war mongers. We used to see these types of comments every few weeks on this site, thankfully not much anymore.

48

Evidence based folks: what is your stance on GMO's and why?

by cappytan in

jw
friends

so, the anti-gmo movement scored another victory today.

chipotle has opted to only use non-gmo food items.. hooray for them.

i'm pretty neutral on the subject, mostly because, other than questionable treatment of farmers, i have seen no evidence to avoid gmo's for health reasons.. basically, my neutrality boils down to the stance that i'll buy non-gmo, so long as the price is reasonable.

DJS

For several years independent researchers at various US universities have had unfettered access to GMO seed stock. The studies I referenced in an earlier comment were conducted by researchers at the Universities of Nebraska and Georgia, both of which state that, based on their intensive, independent research there are no known concerns with GMO food.

The Internet is full of nonsense; GMOs and vaccines are both targeted by a lot of people who don't have bona fides, such as the former yoga instructor who is leading the charge against GMOs in the US. A University of Ga. researcher has stated that a few very badly conducted studies exist that state GMOs cause problems, but there are several thousand well researched studies showing no problems.

That Africa would ban GMOs is hardly surprising; they killed a number of medical professionals giving vaccines a few months ago based on their superstitions. And countries that do not have their own GMOs have a vested interest in banning GMOs, such as to protect their own seed stock sales.

The best research on this topic finds no concerns with GMOs. But the hysteria surrounding it has a life of its own, just like the anti-vaxxers.

118

"In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth . ."

by nicolaou in

so where did god exist before he created the heavens?

DJS

Hold Me,

Bible stuff isn't dumb. I have a lot of respect for the historical account of the Hebrews. They tried to make it accurate, and it sometimes is when compared to other accounts. However, it ultimately is the Hebrew spin and an account of their history based on how they perceived the world in which they lived. If they were defeated, they typically said it was because they were bad and god had abandoned them.

If they won it was typically because they were good and god was with them. The vile things they wanted to do or did they sought to rationalize by crediting/blaming god for it, just like little kids do with parents or employees with managers. The laws they created, some of which were likely necessary based on the world in which they lived, were supported by telling everyone it was god's idea. That no doubt gave them more authority and the law more weight.

But all of that ultimately was their story, spin, reasoning, rationalization, legend, myth. It holds significance only because those of us who were raised in it wanted it to. And the only confirmation we employed for so many years was biased. Once some of us opened our eyes and made a 360 degree evaluation, it was simply spin. Perhaps a better version than others, but spin nonetheless.

So by now it means no more to me and some other non-theists than Grimms Fairy Tales. I know that is difficult for those who still hold it to be god's word to understand, but that is what it is to us.

48

Evidence based folks: what is your stance on GMO's and why?

by cappytan in

jw
friends

so, the anti-gmo movement scored another victory today.

chipotle has opted to only use non-gmo food items.. hooray for them.

i'm pretty neutral on the subject, mostly because, other than questionable treatment of farmers, i have seen no evidence to avoid gmo's for health reasons.. basically, my neutrality boils down to the stance that i'll buy non-gmo, so long as the price is reasonable.

DJS

CrazyGuy,

Once again you make definitive statements, now assertions, based solely on anecdotal experiences and emotions. Lots of people thought tobacco wasn't dangerous too, but research proved otherwise. Science has proven that tobacco use is dangerous.

GMO foods have been analyzed and researched at an extremely high level by independent scientists in a meticulous manner, and there are no known problems with them after nearly 2 decades. There are no Killer Tomatoes (yet); there are no known allergies to GMO food. The resistance to GMO, if it were rational, would be understandable, but it has taken on a Jenny McCarthy existence.

Dear god CrazyGuy,Do you ever research anything:

"Jeffrey Smith’sclaim of rampant GMO/gluten allergies rebuked by Celiac Disease Foundation (Mywords - the Celiac Disease Foundation is the foundation that monitors allthings related to gluten allergies, so they kinda sorta know what they aretalking about).

The Celiac DiseaseFoundation has challenged a recent reportfrom the Institute for Responsible Technology—an organization founded byanti-GMO crusader and former yoga instructor Jeffrey Smith—that claimedthat the rise of gluten allergies and sensitivities can be tied to theconsumption of genetically modified foods.

“There has been noscientific evidence put forward for a GMO/celiac disease link that is supportedby the CFD Medical Advisory Board,” says Marilyn Geller, CDF’s CEO. There is noGM wheat on the market, so any gluten that is consumed comes fromconventionally bred wheat.

Plant geneticist Dr. WayneParrot, professor of crop science at the University of Georgia, says thatSmith’s claims are based on a “handful of deeply flawed” studies and makes noreference to the 2000 plusstudies from international, independent scientists that found that GMOs do notcause any adverse health effects."

48

Evidence based folks: what is your stance on GMO's and why?

by cappytan in

jw
friends

so, the anti-gmo movement scored another victory today.

chipotle has opted to only use non-gmo food items.. hooray for them.

i'm pretty neutral on the subject, mostly because, other than questionable treatment of farmers, i have seen no evidence to avoid gmo's for health reasons.. basically, my neutrality boils down to the stance that i'll buy non-gmo, so long as the price is reasonable.

DJS

CrazyGuy,

When you aren't posting videos of KH intrusions you are making ridiculous unsubstantiated, reactionary comments. Your 'friend' is likely full of theist bullshit:

"According to Food Allergy Research and Education, “nearly any food is capable of causing an allergic reaction.” Most allergens are proteins, and the organization states that ninety percent of food-allergic reactions in the United States are caused by allergens from only eight foods: peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, wheat, soy, shellfish and fish.

Of those, only soy is commercially available in genetically modified varieties. But if a person is allergic to conventional soy, s/he will also be allergic to GM soy as it is not different compositionally. The Food Allergy Service, maintained by the Institute of Food Research in the United Kingdom, asserts that “to date, no food derived from GMOs has been found to cause new allergies.”

The AllergenOnline database at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, independently managed by a panel of internationally recognized allergy experts who review and vote on allergen inclusion, does not list any allergens coming from GMOs. The database “lists every known protein that has been shown to cause an allergy and or even might be suspected of possibly causing a reaction,” said Richard Goodman, a food allergy research professor who runs the database at the university. Three main tests are conducted to ensure that any new proteins from GM foods do not cause allergies: in vitro test, in silico test and digestion.

The in vitro test introduces new proteins into serum from people with existing allergies. The new proteins pass the test if the antibodies in the serum do not attack it. The in silico test compares the new proteins to known allergens, making sure that they are not similar. Finally, digestion involves destroying the proteins with heat, acid and stomach enzymes, going by the rationale that many allergens are resistant to digestion.

These tests kept the only documented case of a GM soybean that was potentially allergenic off the market. Researchers who tried to improve the nutritional quality of soybeans using a Brazil nut protein realized that they were working with an allergen and immediately stopped the work. This is strong evidence that scientific methods to prevent allergy-causing GMOs from reaching consumers are robust and work."

118

"In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth . ."

by nicolaou in

so where did god exist before he created the heavens?

DJS

Hold Me, "I would recommend all those who believe in God and the Bible to seek other venues for their Bible discussion."

Since you only recently arrived, it is awfully presumptuous of you to suggest such. If it isn't working out for you so well, perhaps everyone else should stick around and you should leave. Just a thought. As I explained to CalebFromFlorida, evidence is required to make an argument on this site. Perhaps you should find a better venue for you - one that revels in myths, legends, talking snakes and fiery dragons.

We've ALL done the bible research you are talking about. I immersed myself in that when I was a Dub. Likely, so did Cofty and Viviane and everyone else on this site. It all turned out to be Hebrew spin and nonsense.

48

Evidence based folks: what is your stance on GMO's and why?

by cappytan in

jw
friends

so, the anti-gmo movement scored another victory today.

chipotle has opted to only use non-gmo food items.. hooray for them.

i'm pretty neutral on the subject, mostly because, other than questionable treatment of farmers, i have seen no evidence to avoid gmo's for health reasons.. basically, my neutrality boils down to the stance that i'll buy non-gmo, so long as the price is reasonable.

DJS

20 years,

Some states have passed such laws.

And there is a consensus as to the safety of GMO food. To suggest otherwise is to search for the very few antagonists who 'feel' differently. From Scientific American: "The American Association for the Advancement of Science, the World Health Organization and the exceptionally vigilant European Union agree that GMOs are just as safe as other foods. Compared with conventional breeding techniques—which swap giant chunks of DNA between one plant and another—genetic engineering is far more precise and, in most cases, is less likely to produce an unexpected result. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has tested all the GMOs on the market to determine whether they are toxic or allergenic. They are not."

Based on meta-data studies, GMOs are safe, kinder to the environment and more profitable for farmers. Soon those few extremist reactionaries will be likened to Jenny McCarthy and her rants about vaccinations. Unless, of course, Killer Tomatoes terrorize the villagers.

Once again theists and non-theists are on essentially opposite sides of an OP, This occurs whether the topic is religious or secular. Feeling, Believing, Thinking, Knowing, Proving.

16

Do you think you should have the right to decline business on Personal or Religious grounds?

by PokerPlayerPhil in

should individual businesses have the right to pick and chose who they serve?

if a muslim decides he won't bake the cake of a radical zionist that says "reclaim the temple in jerusalem" should the government be allowed to punish the muslim baker?

maybe you can help me understand the issues more clearly because were becoming hyper-sensitive and soon your going to need a handbook what's the proper thing to say.

DJS

OrphanCrow,

Excellent comment. I've often thought that the same could be said for the Dark Lords' DFing policy. Destroying families can't be in the vested interest of governments. It has to hurt the economy and stress health care, etc. It is hate speech/actions. We need a few liberal EU countries to establish laws against it, and the dominoes will begin to fall. Thanks again.