Topics Started by whereami

3
Jehovahs Witnesses and blood transfusion- Article
by whereami in
1. watchtower
2. medical
http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2013/03/01/jehovahs-witnesses-and-blood-transfusion/.

jehovah's witnesses and blood transfusioni had forgotten that the jehovah's witnesses (jw) forbid blood transfusions, but this article in last sunday's new york times reminded me.

it's about physicians who are performing bloodless operations to accommodate the jws who can't receive blood.. the piece starts with the tale of rebecca tomczak, a jw who needed a lung transplant because her own lungs had been destroyed by the disease sarcoidosis.
2
Rationing Organs for Religious Refuseniks
by whereami in
1. watchtower
2. medical
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/daylightatheism/2013/02/rationing-organs-for-religious-refuseniks/.

rationing organs for religious refuseniksfebruary 27, 2013 by adam lee 18 comments.

since new medical advances always catch my attention, i read with interest this article about "bloodless" lung transplants being pioneered at some hospitals - that is, salvaging and re-infusing the patient's own blood, rather than relying on transfusions from donors.
Study: Atheists more driven by compassion than highly religious people
by whereami in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2012/04/30/religionandgenerosity/.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/01/religious-compassion-atheists-agnostics_n_1468006.html.

highly religious people are less motivated by compassion than are non-believers .
12
Thinking can undermine religious faith, study finds.
by whereami in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
thinking can undermine religious faith, study findsthose who think more analytically are less inclined to be religious believers than are those who tend to follow a gut instinct, researchers conclude.those who think more analytically are less inclined to be religious believers than are those who tend to follow a gut instinct, researchers conclude.

(uriel sinai / getty images / april 26, 2012).

by amina khan, los angeles times.
EARTH NIGHT SEEN FROM SPACE- Spectacular Video
by whereami in
1. jw
2. friends
i love this stuff.. enjoy: http://news.discovery.com/earth/earth-night-from-space-vid-120420.html#mkcpgn=fbsci1.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hwz5lte_i4c.

the sequences in the video are stitched together from photographs taken by the expedition 30 crew aboard iss and show the following (a tag appears as well on the lower left of the screen during the video):.
6
Psychiatric drugs to enhance conformity to religious norms, and conscientious objection
by whereami in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
i hope this doesn't give the wts any ideas!!!.

http://blog.practicalethics.ox.ac.uk/2012/04/psychiatric-drugs-to-enhance-conformity-to-religious-norms-and-conscientious-objection/ .

psychiatric drugs to enhance conformity to religious norms, and conscientious objectionpublished april 10, 2012 | by katrien devolder.
3
The lives less lived: Sons & daughters of perdition- EXCELLENT article.
by whereami in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
the lives less lived: sons & daughters of perdition --http://dailymaverick.co.za/article/2012-03-11-the-lives-less-lived-sons-daughters-of-perdition.

for people who have been indoctrinated into fundamentalist faiths from an early age, losing their religion can feel a lot like losing their minds.

the experience brings grief, anger, depression, social rupture, alienation and a loss of meaning for many.
4
Critical thinking explained
by whereami in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
critical thinking explained in six kid-friendly animationsif you've been looking for a crash course in basic logic - or just want to explain to a friend exactly what a logical fallacy is - turn your attention to these simple, easy-to-understand videos, which lay out the basics of critical thinking.. creative solutions agency bridge 8 created these animations to offer a basic overview of critical thinking.

the videos were designed for an audience of kids (edit: australian grades, not ages) 8-10, but they're handy for anyone who wants to brush up on their logic.. the first video (up top), provides an introduction to critical thinking and how we form judgments and opinions.. .

the second video introduces formal logic and explains logical fallacies.. .
2
Dan Dennett's response to Rick Warren- "Religions are just as natural as cows". Great stuff.
by whereami in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
philosopher dan dennett calls for religion -- all religion -- to be taught in schools, so we can understand its nature as a natural phenomenon.

then he takes on the purpose-driven life, disputing its claim that, to be moral, one must deny evolution.. philosopher and scientist dan dennett argues that human consciousness and free will are the result of physical processes and are not what we traditionally think they are.

his 2003 book freedom evolves explores the way our brains have evolved to gives us -- and only us -- the kind of freedom that matters, while 2006's breaking the spell examines religious belief through the lens of biology.. .
3
Essential Readings in the Cognitive Science of Religion
by whereami in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/17123.essential_readings_in_the_cognitive_science_of_religion .

essential readings in the cognitive science of religionthe cognitive science of religion is fairly new and it is an endlessly fascinating area of research.

the mundane questions of religion such as "does god exist?