Posts by StrongHaiku

7

language

by brandnew in

jw
friends

ok so, im wondering if this site and many others can be translated into othe languages, cuz alotta spanish do not know ttatt.

and im concerned.

Good question. I do know that it is easy to have your browser (e.g. Chrome) translate the page for you in a number of languages. I am bilingual and I set my browser to Spanish once in a while just to test the current technology in automated language translation. I can say automated translation is pretty good but is still no match for actual humans doing it. Also, with automated translation some things (e.g. colloquialisms) don't translate very well.

9

PERFECTION (ISM) leaves no trace of YOU

by TerryWalstrom in

jw
friends

the problem of perfection(ism).

the best piece of advice i got was from my art teacher, aubrey mayhew.he told me, "art isn't about 'getting it right.

' it's about your mistaken views which you give yourself permission to explore.".

StrongHaiku

TerryWalstrom, I'm really enjoying your post and insights.

On a side note, I used to commissioned art. When people asked for a definition of art I would tell them "Art is about presenting an objective idea in a subjective way".

78

My experience of christians and religion

by Doltologist in

one or two of you have noticed that i use derogatory terms when talking about matters religion.

i offer no apology.

you do, however, deserve an explanation.. my father, bless him and now dead, was a survivor of belsen, the german concentration camp.

StrongHaiku

Hold Me-Thrill Me - Yes, Jesus "had a mouth" on him. His mouth was directed to the hypocrites leading his religion not to the humble Jews who suffered under their hammer.

Nuance.

Point taken. And, I personally do not engage in name calling. However, JWs call me "mentally diseased". Where is the nuance in that?

78

My experience of christians and religion

by Doltologist in

one or two of you have noticed that i use derogatory terms when talking about matters religion.

i offer no apology.

you do, however, deserve an explanation.. my father, bless him and now dead, was a survivor of belsen, the german concentration camp.

StrongHaiku

Good post.

On a side note, here are some epithets used by Jesus:

fools
hypocrites
blind guides
white-washed graves
murderers
a generation of snakes
an adulterous generation
children of the devil
serpents and snakes

The guy had a mouth on him...

9

PERFECTION (ISM) leaves no trace of YOU

by TerryWalstrom in

jw
friends

the problem of perfection(ism).

the best piece of advice i got was from my art teacher, aubrey mayhew.he told me, "art isn't about 'getting it right.

' it's about your mistaken views which you give yourself permission to explore.".

StrongHaiku

Good post. I am constantly reminded of the quote "A painting is never finished - it simply stops in interesting places." Paul Gardner.

On a side note, it was the JW's obsession with perfection that kept me from going back after I was DF'ed. When I was kicked out I felt so guilty and ashamed of not being "perfect" that I felt I was not worthy of being allowed back into the Organization and deserved having Jehovah kill me at Armageddon. In those early years of being out I had enough distance and time to develop a new perspective, learn to embrace being an imperfect human, and leave the JWs behind for good. Ironically, in my case, the JWs may have done too much of a good job in demanding perfection.

89

Problems with Common Atheist Arguments

by FusionTheism in

the reason i entitled this "problems with common atheist arguments" instead of "the case against atheism" is that many atheists claim that atheism is not a belief system, makes no claims, and has no requirements to follow, so there's no way to argue against atheism itself.

i will go along with this idea, and argue against the most frequently used arguments of atheists instead of atheism itself.disclaimer # 1: this is not an argument against atheism or all atheists.

no, rather this is an argument against the most frequently used claims and arguments made by the atheists i speak to on twitter.

StrongHaiku

FusionTheism - Many atheist arguments boil down to this (once you remove all the fancy words and hyperbole):

1:) I don't like the idea of God.
2:) I don't like the Bible.
3:) I hate the morals found in the Bible.
4:) I believe you should only accept science, even though I accept other things in my life.

Fixed...

Many atheist arguments boil down to this (once you remove all the fancy words and hyperbole):

1:) I have not been provided good evidence that there is a God (or any other deity).

The rest are not particular with atheism, but may be responses to theist arguments to their propositions...
2:) I have not been provided good evidence that the Bible (or any other holy book) is the unerring word of God (or any other deity).
3:) I find many of the morals of the Bible to be questionable if not immoral ((e.g. slavery, subjugation of women, treatment of gays, etc.) by modern standards

4:) The scientific method is the best process we currently have for understanding our universe. But I need not apply the scientific method in every facet in my life (e.g. My girlfriend loves me and I need not squeeze her into an FMRI machine to validate that)

57

Are atheists more likely to be morally good than Christians?

by FusionTheism in

i have no problem saying atheists and christians are equal.. but some people seem to have the belief that atheists are more likely to be morally good, or more likely to change the world for good, than christians and theists.. but what evidence do you have to support this claim?.

if atheism is what causes people to do great positive things for the world, then why weren't martin luther king, jr., william wilberforce, isaac newton, francis collins, barack obama, mother theresa, abraham lincoln, or john f. kennedy atheists?.

StrongHaiku

I have no problem saying atheists and Christians are EQUAL.

Not sure what you mean by "EQUAL". I am assuming you mean that "atheists and Christians" are two groups that are both "equally"capable of good and bad. If that is the case, sure, I'll play along.

But some people seem to have the belief that atheists are MORE likely to be morally good, or MORE likely to change the world for good, than Christians and theists.

But what evidence do you have to support this claim?

I am an atheist, and I do not make the claim that an atheist is likely to do more good than a Christian. Other atheists may disagree.

What I would claim is that a person that is a <insert preferred religion here> that gets their marching orders from <insert preferred deity here> from their <insert preferred holy book here> and follows unquestioningly, is likely to do more bad. And, if people can't grasp that by looking at history and current events, I don't know what to tell you.

If atheism is what causes people to do great positive things for the world...

I do not agree with that proposition. Atheism, again, is not a world-view or a religion, etc. All it tells you is what I don't believe in on a very specific issue (i.e. God's existence). It does not tell you anything about my morality, what I fight for (e.g. social equality), how I make decisions (e.g. critical thinking), or inform you on my motivations for doing "good" or "bad", or tell you what is my favorite flavor of ice cream, etc.

..., then why weren't Martin Luther King, Jr., William Wilberforce, Isaac Newton, Francis Collins, Barack Obama, Mother Theresa, Abraham Lincoln, or John F. Kennedy atheists?

So, should my response be a long list of non-Christian believers and atheists, and then debate who has the longer list or who has better/more famous people in it? In reality, I don't know why any of the above were not professed atheists. If I could answer that I would probably have the cure for religion.

7

Who's will is it?

by freemindfade in

in our super cappy fallacious public talk today.

i kept hearing "we do jehovahs will" "do jehovahs will" "not our will...jehovahs" there was a lot of crap in the talk to be irritated by.

but this got me thinking.... if you are required under penalty of death!

StrongHaiku

It is "free will" in the same way the Mafia comes to you and offers you a deal you can't refuse. "You have a nice life. I'd be a shame if something happened to it..."

34

JW terminology

by punkofnice in

paradise earth after god kills all non jws.

StrongHaiku

Reaching Out - The sisyphean treadmill of activities and positions that is designed to keep male JWs busy and obedient through guilt and ambition.

25

An interesting theory on Stephen Lett

by joe134cd in

interesting theory i thought on stephen lett.

if anything i would of thought tomo3 would of caused them more grief with his comments.. http://insidethewatchtower.com/governing-body/stephen-lett-dumped-from-governing-body/.

StrongHaiku

Vidiot - Now I have this bizarre image stuck in my head of the GB as an aging, over-the-hill boy-band.

Then my work here is done...

"We all live in a yellow submarine, yellow submarine, yellow submarine..."