by slimboyfat 99 Replies latest members campaign
I don't see how.
The material environment can affect human flourishing of course. Which is what it means, I think. For example it's difficult to be an Einstein or a Mozart in a famine.
The other aspect is to extend healthy human life, another project supported by JW David Gobel is the Methuselah Foundation.
Read The Blank Slate - The Modern Denial of Human Nature by Steven Pinker.
The Venus Project is based on a version of psychology and anthropology that depends on a dogmatic ideology that is indistinguishable from the foundational beliefs of Mao, Stalin and Pol Pot.
Do any research at all on identical twin studies to see how thoroughly misguided Fresco was. Humans cannot be manipulated by their environment to behave against our innate nature.
I think I read that book years ago.
I don't think the Venus project depends on denying human nature. It's about fostering human potential by reducing or eradicating the things that prevent us from fully exploring our potential, whether that be food or resource scarcity, ill health, conflict and so on. Who could be against that!?
I don't think the Venus project depends on denying human nature. - SBF
From the Venus Project website...
It is difficult for many people to appreciate the fact that what they call “human nature” just doesn’t exist.
There is no such thing as human nature
.
Who could be against that!?
Who could possibly have been against the stated utopian aims of Marx, Stalin or Mao? In retrospect their tens of millions of victims perhaps.
Promises of utopia that are based on an unscientific premise are doomed to destroy everybody who stands in the way. Maybe you should read books more carefully before you recommend them.
There are no good or bad people but conditions that make people behave the way they do. - Venus Project Website
Dangerous nonsense.
Yep if this religion has any chance at growing in the developed world they would need to preach love not judgment, drop shunning and stupid doctrines like blood transfusions etc. They would also need to drop mandatory witnessing and many of their stupid teachings like anti holidays focusing on love of others. In this way people would be genuinely happy to be apart of this religion and actually have a better chance at getting their family members to join.
A religion like the Jehovah's Witnesses tends to attract and retain people with a certain set of traits. Those will always feel comfortable within it, no matter what the religion does, no matter how much it will morph into a different beast, they will remain there, nodding and disregarding all evidence to the contrary.
The creative people, the independent thinkers do not fit, and sooner or later they fall out. They are the minority.
Interesting thread.
I also think, dropping the shunning might even contribute to growth or at least halt the decline in more western countries.
A lot of bad press is driven by former members, who are, righlty so, often upset because their leaving the religion resulted in so much harm and damage, seperating them from their loved ones even.
It was even one important topic to the investigators in Australia (JW were called a captive religion)
And, I also agree, that most of JW remain because they believe, even though subconsciously the threat of being shunned plays a role.
If for example taking blood would not result in shunning, then lots of critques would remain silent, and this doctrine, that hunts JW anyway, can be dropped more easily.
The so called core doctrines, like paradies earth or preaching, could remain, and would bother nobody anymore.
Are they ridicolous ? Maybe, but so is a belief in heaven, hell, reincarnation, astrology , rapture and so on..
just my 2 cents
The so called core doctrines, like paradies earth or preaching, could remain, and would bother nobody anymore
I don't agree that 'paradise earth' is a harmless delusion. It prevents JWs from living the only life they will ever have.
cofty,
in principle I agree with you, but it would apply to most religions, who promise some kind of afterlife.
If people want to believe, they should be able to, but also have no repercussions in case they decide not to ( or rather face the fact, that most likely there is nothing afterwards).
As a catholic for instance, if you decide to leave, mostly it will just receive a shrug of shoulders, as a JW it can mean social death.
