Posts by Disillusioned JW

10

Science news articles supporting biological evolution, including by discoveries of fossils

by Disillusioned JW in

"a billion-year-old fossil of an organism, exquisitely preserved in the scottish highlands, reveals features of multicellularity nearly 400 million years before the biological trait emerged in the first animals, according to a new report in the journal current biology by an international team of researchers, including boston college paleobotanist paul k. strother.." see https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/528947 and https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/billion-year-old-fossil-reveals-missing-link-evolution-animals for details.. the first article listed above says the following.. "the microfossil, discovered at loch torridon, contains two distinct cell types and could be the earliest example of complex multicellularity ever recorded, according to the researchers.

the fossil offers new insight into the transition of single celled organisms to complex, multicellular animals.

modern single-celled holozoa include the most basal living animals and the fossil discovered shows an organism which lies somewhere between single cell and multicellular animals, or metazoa.".

Disillusioned JW

"Australopithecus sediba Comfortably Walked on Two Legs, But Could Climb Like Ape" - see http://www.sci-news.com/othersciences/anthropology/australopithecus-sediba-locomotion-10301.html . The article says in the part the following.

"The discovery also shows that like humans, Australopithecus sediba had only five lumbar vertebrae."

'The authors concluded that Australopithecus sediba is a transitional form of ancient human relative and its spine is clearly intermediate in shape between those of modern humans (and Neanderthals) and great apes.

“Issa walked somewhat like a human, but could climb like an ape,” Professor Berger said.'

See also https://theconversation.com/fossil-spine-suggests-ancient-human-relative-walked-like-us-but-climbed-like-an-ape-172966 . The scientist who is the lead author of the science journal article article (at https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.05.27.445933v1.abstract ) about the new fossil find for the species says the following.

"To approach A. sediba’s evolutionary relationship to other hominins, character-based analyses of the whole body are needed, and we’re getting more and more of A. sediba every year. Given what this and other research has shown, I think it’s a candidate for a close relative of the genus Homo. Hopefully Issa’s skull was not destroyed by miners: recovering that and other body parts from both her and Karabo will go a long way in resolving the debate."

29

Why some are religious or not?

by Vidqun in

time article: several years before pope francis became pope of the catholic church in 2013, psychologists began to debunk the idea that being more educated meant a person was less likely to be religious.

instead, a new social psychology theoryone that had little to do with education levelarose.

according to dual process theory, people are either deliberative or intuitive when they make decisions.

Disillusioned JW

Vidqun, while searching for news articles about science in the USA a moment ago I found an article which supports to some degree your concerns about Covid-19 vaccines causing blood clots (though it says the blood clots are rare). It pertains to the AstraZeneca vaccines and possibly to the Johnson & Johnson vaccines, since those vaccines use an adenovirus as a helper virus. It does not pertain to the Pfizer vaccines and Moderna vaccines since they don't use a helper virus. The vaccine I had was the Moderna one and I chose it because I thought it was the safest, including in regards to risk of getting blood clots. A person from the Human Resources department at my place of work told me that hardly any of the workers in our company took the Johnson & Johnson vaccine (or any one-dose vaccine). The AstraZeneca vaccine is not approved for use in the USA, but it is allowed to be exported from the USA (see https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-update-august-6-2021#:~:text=The%20AstraZeneca%20vaccine%20is%20not,be%20exported%20for%20use. ). That means nearly all of the workers at my place of work had either the Pfizer vaccine of the Moderna vaccine, and when I asked some co-workers which one they took, they either said Pfizer or Moderna, with only a couple or so saying Johnson & Johnson. I notice you said that J&J and Pfizer were the vaccines offered in your part of the world. The article I read is from the New York Times and thus I probably can't post a link to it, though I see nothing in its content which I think can be construed as liberal. I am not sure if I am allowed to state the title of the article on this site, but the article is dated Dec. 2, 2021. The NYT article has a link to a science journal article about the findings at https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abl8213 .

31

I have come to the conclusion that a lot of JWs don't care if the end is near.

by mickbobcat in

i was in the cult for years about 40. fourth gen born in cult member or for me ex cult member.

i have seen so many cult members who don't seem to really care if the end is near or not.

they are much more concerned with the idea that this is their social network and they need and or want it just the way it is.

Disillusioned JW

The prior two posts remind me that back in the 1990s and/or 1980s I asked why does the WT Society keep on building more more buildings for their headquarters, since they teach that the great tribulation is very near? I accepted the explanations I was given by fellow JWs but now I wish I hadn't. I probably would have gotten better grades in high school and college and better jobs after college (or at least had more time for doing things I like) if I hadn't put so much time in pursuing "kingdom interests". By time in pursuing "kingdom interests" I mean studying for Kingdom Hall meetings and also reading WT literature/articles that isn't/aren't used at meetings, attending Kingdom Hall meetings, preparing for field service, conducting meetings for field service, participating in field service (including as a pioneer), and accepting only jobs which don't require work on Saturdays.

31

I have come to the conclusion that a lot of JWs don't care if the end is near.

by mickbobcat in

i was in the cult for years about 40. fourth gen born in cult member or for me ex cult member.

i have seen so many cult members who don't seem to really care if the end is near or not.

they are much more concerned with the idea that this is their social network and they need and or want it just the way it is.

Disillusioned JW

Regarding the statement of "The young born in jws today under the age of 18 can't wait till they turn 18 to leave the religion." I hope that is true. Is there any evidence of that available to those who no longer attend JW congregational meetings?

Are there any JWs (whether baptized or not) in the age range of 20-30 years old who were raised in the religion since their infancy? If so, about how many of them are there compared to other age groups?

31

I have come to the conclusion that a lot of JWs don't care if the end is near.

by mickbobcat in

i was in the cult for years about 40. fourth gen born in cult member or for me ex cult member.

i have seen so many cult members who don't seem to really care if the end is near or not.

they are much more concerned with the idea that this is their social network and they need and or want it just the way it is.

Disillusioned JW

Abraham1, though the Covid-19 vaccines might not work well for new strains of Covid-19, regarding all vaccines do you really believe that "vaccination serves no useful purpose other than a mental satisfaction"? My doctor (as part of my physical), after pulling up my vaccination records from a database, told me to get the shingles vaccine. She urged me to do it soon, instead of waiting a few years. [Even before my doctor told me to get it, I had already decided to get, though I was in no hurry to get it. My prior doctor, now retired, when I saw him three years ago also said I should get the shingles vaccination.]

My high school biology textbook (copyright 1977) says how the first vaccine was discovered, namely the first one for small pox (developed by Dr. Edward Jenner way back in 1796) and that the vaccine was a success! The textbook also mentioned the success of the rabies vaccine developed by Louis Pasteur way back in 1885! The textbook also mentions polio vaccines and typhoid vaccines, and it says regarding those vaccines that "they cause antibody production and create immunity." I have thus known for decades that a number of vaccines work. The science says many vaccines work and I believe in science. Do you really believe the following vaccines don't work: small pox, polio, chickenpox, measles, mumps, diphtheria, tetanus, Hepatitis A and B, and rabies? Do you really believe that none of the available vaccines listed at https://www.who.int/teams/immunization-vaccines-and-biologicals/diseases work?

29

Why some are religious or not?

by Vidqun in

time article: several years before pope francis became pope of the catholic church in 2013, psychologists began to debunk the idea that being more educated meant a person was less likely to be religious.

instead, a new social psychology theoryone that had little to do with education levelarose.

according to dual process theory, people are either deliberative or intuitive when they make decisions.

Disillusioned JW

Vidqun, about 87% of the work force of my employer's staff of about 500 people (including temps) are now fully vaccinated for Covid-19. None of those people appear to have been harmed from the vaccines, other than some of them briefly having soreness and related symptoms at the injection site. Our employer paid (in the form of a store gift card) the employees to get the vaccine and they still offer to pay (in the form of a store gift card) those who are currently unvaccinated for Covid-19 if get vaccinated. Now the employer has Safeway pharmacists give the Covid-19 vaccines at the job site (even at the same sitting that flu shots are given), and for at least 3 years Safeway pharmacists also have been giving flu shot vaccines at the job site. If the conspiracy claims of the Covid-19 vaccines being very dangerous are true, then I and others at work would have noticed it in the work place. But, I have not heard any talk at all by my coworkers saying the Covid-19 vaccines they received have harmed their health.

63

Is Bible prophecy now starting to come true regarding the prelude to the great tribulation?

by Disillusioned JW in

is bible prophecy now starting to come true regarding a prelude to the great tribulation?.

full disclosure: i still don't believe in the bible's claims about the existence of the supernatural, even of jehovah god (i'm an atheist and a scientific/philosophical naturalist), but i am asking this question because recent events are starting to seem (to me) to fit well the description of some prophecies in the bible.

consider the following.. several hours ago (on 11-26-2021) as i was about to enter a local fred meyer store of my city (in suburb or small city in the metro area of a large city) a person i know told me that a moment earlier a person left the store in a hurry with a cart load up with unpaid merchandise (i think i was told it was groceries but i don't remember that for sure).

Disillusioned JW

Vanderhoven7, the quote you made of Adam Clarke regarding a spiritualized meaning of the sun and moon is the same (or very nearly so) as what the WT teaches. That tells me the WT got its ideas on that matter from Adam Clarke's commentary and/or other pre-1870 Christian commentaries.

29

Why some are religious or not?

by Vidqun in

time article: several years before pope francis became pope of the catholic church in 2013, psychologists began to debunk the idea that being more educated meant a person was less likely to be religious.

instead, a new social psychology theoryone that had little to do with education levelarose.

according to dual process theory, people are either deliberative or intuitive when they make decisions.

Disillusioned JW

Corrections: In my prior post where I said "much ideologically" I should have said "much more ideologically". Where I said "in regards in 'dueling' words" I should have said "in regards to 'dueling' words".

29

Why some are religious or not?

by Vidqun in

time article: several years before pope francis became pope of the catholic church in 2013, psychologists began to debunk the idea that being more educated meant a person was less likely to be religious.

instead, a new social psychology theoryone that had little to do with education levelarose.

according to dual process theory, people are either deliberative or intuitive when they make decisions.

Disillusioned JW

Update: Vidqun, I notice that the Australian National Review webpage you posted a link to looks scientific on the surface. But, then I also noticed that the bottom of the page says the following. "Australian National Review is Australia’s first real free and independent press, one with no editorial control by the elite, but a publication that can generate critical thinkers and critical debate and hold those spreading mistruths and deliberate propaganda in mainstream media to account." Since it is thus biased (at least in my mind) against the mainstream media and since I have found the mainstream media to be very reliable and not lying propaganda, I thus am very suspicious of the the Australian National Review article about the vaccines. Notice that though it said "those spreading mistruths and deliberate propaganda in mainstream media" it said nothing about "those spreading mistruths and deliberate propaganda in non-mainstream media" nor in conservative media. To me that indicates it is biased, despite that it also says 'free and independent press, one with no editorial control by the elite".

We are in a situation where there are news sources which say things which contradict what other news sources say, which it makes hard to decide what to believe. We thus tend to choose those sources whose content is consistent with our existing experiences, beliefs and values. As a result, we likely won't be able to reach consensus/agreement on certain topics. That is disappointing, but that is the way it is - and human society will likely become much ideologically divided over time. When it comes to news content it is like we are living in the wild west time period of the USA, but in regards in 'dueling' words in news, videos, and blogs - instead of gun fights in the wild west. Parts of the internet are wild places fraught with dangerous ideas and dangerous lies being promoted as truths.

29

Why some are religious or not?

by Vidqun in

time article: several years before pope francis became pope of the catholic church in 2013, psychologists began to debunk the idea that being more educated meant a person was less likely to be religious.

instead, a new social psychology theoryone that had little to do with education levelarose.

according to dual process theory, people are either deliberative or intuitive when they make decisions.

Disillusioned JW

Vidqun, I might have been incorrect in thinking that the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine contains graphene. I say that because the CDC at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/Moderna.html#ingredients in their "Full list of ingredients" for that vaccine doesn't list graphene, at least not by that name. See also https://www.fda.gov/media/144638/download . There the FDA lists the ingredients and there it doesn't list graphene either.

I put much more confidence in the FDA information (even more when also confirmed by fact checking of news agencies I consider to be highly reliable in their reporting) about the ingredients in the vaccines than I do in the clams of some conspiracy blog about the same substances.

The FDA at https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/moderna-covid-19-vaccine-frequently-asked-questions under the heading of "Q: What data did the FDA evaluate in support of the emergency use authorization of Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine for individuals 18 years of age and older?" says "Based on the scientific evidence available, the FDA concluded that the known and potential benefits of a two-dose primary series of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine outweigh the known and potential risks for people 18 years of age and older." On the same web page the FDA says "There is no scientific evidence to suggest that the vaccine could cause infertility in women."

It is true that the manufacturers of the vaccines are the ones who test them and report their safety data to the FDA, but that is because all manufacturers (at least to my knowledge) of drugs/medications are required by the FDA to test their products and report the safety data to the FDA.