Twitch

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Posts by Twitch

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  50

  What Would a Country Run by Evangelical Christianity Look Like?

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  on an earlier thread i made the statement that, "an evangelical christian government would look a lot like the taliban".. laika asked me incredulously, "do you really think your friends from your old church would govern like the taliban!?".

  i thought it was a really interesting question and might work as a separate thread.. the people i worshipped with were mostly a nice bunch of people, but the thought of them having secular power would make me shudder.. christianity is mostly harmless because it lacks power.

  christian politicians are restrained by secular laws and constitutions.

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  Twitch

  What Would a Country Run by Evangelical Christianity Look Like

  pretty good in a rear view mirror
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  15

  most of the universe is made up of dark energy and dark matter

  by Ruby456 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  about which we know very little.

  so how can atheists make assertions about reality when they challenge religious reality?.

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  Twitch

  Very carefully, lest they get imprisoned for heresy ;)

  BTW, pls define religious reality
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  188

  A Manual for Creating Atheists by Peter Boghossian

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  a manual for creating atheists offers the first-ever guide not for talking people into faith--but for talking them out of it.

  peter boghossian draws on the tools he has developed and used for more than twenty years as a philosopher and educator to teach how to engage the faithful in conversations that will help them value reason and rationality, cast doubt on their religious beliefs, mistrust their faith, abandon superstition and irrationality, and ultimately embrace reason.

  - amazon.... "boghossian has provided an indispensible chart book for all of us who must navigate the rising sea of magical thinking that is inundating america today.

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  Twitch

  Subjective feelings and emotions are a terrible foundation for belief. That is what it means to be rational.

  I would argue that subjective experience and feelings/emotions are a perfect foundation for belief, given the diversity and history of same.

  However such are poor for advancing knowledge, which is independant of belief and requires rational thought and approach.
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  192

  New Homo erectus Skull Shakes up Palaeontology

  by cofty in

  1. social
  2. current

  a fantastic homo erectus skull has been found in georgia - no not our former colony, the one in asia.. it is one of 5 that have been found at a site in dmanisi, it's the first homo erectus to be found outside of africa and it is in excellent condition.

  the fossils are dated at 1.8 million years ago and comparisions of the specimens have thrown doubt over the details of human evolution.. it is possible that species previously named as h rudolfensis , h gautengensis , h ergaster and possibly h habilis were actually all h erectus.

  the natural variation withing the species may be greater than thought previously.. the "lumpers" and the "splitters" are going to have plenty to argue about for years to come.. note to creationists - please read the article carefully.

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  Twitch

  When I was a kid, Pluto was a planet and the furthest thing out there. Not so anymore.

  I admire those who strive to increase our knowledge of the things behind, around and in front of us.
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  406

  Goodbye JWD/JWN (my last post)

  by slimboyfat in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  after some considerable thought i have decided that i will no longer post on this forum because i want to return to jehovah.

  thank you for all the kindness and many interesting discussions over the years.

  i wish you all well in the future and the decisions you make.

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  Twitch

  I'm not always surprised when I read threads about someone returning to dub land. In this case, I am to some degree. As mentioned, there are other factors that contribute to one's deciding to return and such could be more compelling for some such as FatBoySlim, er, you know. Still, SBF returning is a surprise, if for no other reason than I having the opinion that his zen contrarian approach would conflict with the delivery and content of dub propaganda.

  And the beat goes on...
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  38

  Conjuring Uo Our Own Gods

  by startingover in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  found this interesting article in the ny times.

  i had never heard of a tulpa before.

  for those of us that don't buy into certain posters claims, this may be an explanation.. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/15/opinion/luhrmann-conjuring-up-our-own-gods.html?_r=0.

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  Twitch

  I didn't make a judgment. I simply stated the truth. Not all who claim to be christian ARE christian.

  So you know who is and who isn't a true christian? Is this not a judgement made by you?

  These are YOUR other words, not mine.

  Your point was that because someone agreed with you, this further proved it's "truth". These are your words. By definition this is confirmation bias.

  That was NOT the initial question. Go back and read for yourself.

  My initial question: What of the christians who disagree with what you hear or have different beliefs/interpretations?

  Your response: Our personal beliefs and interpretations do not matter. What CHRIST teaches is the Truth... not what we personally intepret

  My follow up: Which begs the initial question vis a vis, are christians who disagree with your direct revelation beliefs wrong or any less "christian"?

  To which the response was: That was NOT the initial question. Go back and read for yourself.

  So....

  My reasoning is sound. Though the follow up to the initial question is not verbatim, the argument is consistent

  You claim you have truth that transcends personal belief or interpretation. Those "christians" who do not "hear" as you do are false.

  Thank you for answering my question as to why there are so many sects of christianity; all claim to have the truth and none admit to it being interpretation.

  And I would add that the idea in general lends credence to the OP with regard to creating one's spiritual "muse"
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  38

  Conjuring Uo Our Own Gods

  by startingover in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  found this interesting article in the ny times.

  i had never heard of a tulpa before.

  for those of us that don't buy into certain posters claims, this may be an explanation.. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/15/opinion/luhrmann-conjuring-up-our-own-gods.html?_r=0.

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  Twitch

  Not all who claim to BE christian ARE christian.

  Interesting. Wouldn't have thought that it was up to you to make such a judgement, but it seems to go with the territory what with you having the "truth" and those other christians being misled and false. Thank you for proving my point so succinctly

  Has nothing to do with confirmation bias. (this thread is confirmation bias for some who want to believe that hearing Christ is a result of something else) It just happened.

  In other words, if someone agrees with you, it's the truth. If not, it's confirmation bias attributed to something not truth. Again, interesting.

  As for those who disagree... see above.

  Exactly

  Our personal beliefs and interpretations do not matter. What CHRIST teaches is the Truth... not what we personally intepret.

  Which begs the question, are christians who disagree with your direct revelation beliefs wrong or any less "christian"?

  It would seem you prove the point of the OP more than you realize or care to admit and it's rather obvious
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  38

  Conjuring Uo Our Own Gods

  by startingover in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  found this interesting article in the ny times.

  i had never heard of a tulpa before.

  for those of us that don't buy into certain posters claims, this may be an explanation.. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/15/opinion/luhrmann-conjuring-up-our-own-gods.html?_r=0.

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  Twitch

  My Lord speaks the same message to all of His Body... teaching and speaking to them the same things. Evne though they have never met in person. Even though they do not even live in the same countries. Even though they might not have lived in the same time, for that matter. Yet we hear the SAME things from Him.

  If all christians hear the same things, then why are there so many sects of christianity?

  One time that does come to mind is having heard something from my Lord... something new... and a sister in Christ phoned me at some point that day to tell me what she had received from Him, and it was the same as He had told me. That has happened too often to be dismissed.

  Confirmation bias. What of the christians who disagree with what you hear or have different beliefs/interpretations?
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  38

  Conjuring Uo Our Own Gods

  by startingover in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  found this interesting article in the ny times.

  i had never heard of a tulpa before.

  for those of us that don't buy into certain posters claims, this may be an explanation.. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/15/opinion/luhrmann-conjuring-up-our-own-gods.html?_r=0.

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  Twitch

  Reminds me a bit of my interest in shamanism and guided meditation not long after I left the dub world. The idea of meditating on the "spirit world" and searching out my power animal was very much like creating a world and things in it out of my own imagination. I was told that in time I would find such spirits would talk to me and guide me. That it was a personal journey and not objective or verifiable was the main reason I lost interest; creating a fantasy complete with spirits I make up wasn't very satisfying, though some seem to put great faith in it. Ultimately, I reasoned it was me anyways and I didn't need the fantasy to trust in or believe in myself

  I can see how our ancestors believed in it and how such things "evolved" into pantheism and eventually monotheism, something everyone could identify with without much meditative effort.

  Modern day charismatics who promote direct revelation aren't much different than yer average shaman of old IMO
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  49

  Conspiracy theories.

  by chrisuk in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  i'd just like the opions of some of the more clear thinking member on this please:.

  let me just start this by saying i don't really buy into conspiracy theories, but sometimes they seem to make sense, i suppose that's the point of them.

  all this business with edward snowden seems to add a little more weight to certain conspiracy theories.

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  Twitch

  America was the land of the free back in the 50's, for a lot of people.

  Not so much anymore today.

  There was less regulation back in the 50's and 60's and that made most people more free. Even the Blacks and the Indians.

  OMG

  I ain't even gonna start...