Posts by scotoma

44

Heart vs Mind - What Makes Us Human

by ballistic in

jw
friends

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01kpvj1/heart_vs_mind_what_makes_us_human/.

i was watching this bbc iplayer programme on heart and mind, (which is well worth a watch if you can access where you are).

and despite how the programme starts out, it develops into a deep and touching discussion of what makes us human.. i personally was left with the feeling at odds with what i believed as a witness.

scotoma

Emo Phillips was a popular comedian in the late 1980's. He said "I was just thinking - My brain is the most important organ in my body - and then I realized - sure that's my brain talking" Neuroscience has led people to thinking that our brains are the whole show.

Galaxie: You are confusing the brain with the sensory systems. Our sensory organs give us orientation. The brain has NO sensory organs. In fact our brains have no feeling. Our brains depend on the various sensory receptors, sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch/pressure, temperature, proprioception (related to muscle function) nocciception (pain connected to tissue damage).

This is where modern man is still hindered by the religious concept of a soul separate from the body. The brain is only part of the organism. It's plasticity allows it to change according to the tissue demands of the whole body.

The "whole" body -brain, gut, muscle, act together. The brain and nervous system usually dominates the body in the case of a perceived emergency.

The Bible says the desirable thing in man is his "loving-kindness" and the human face of the cherubs suggests this. God is love. Humans are different from animals because of our ability to construct large groups through cooperation (love). Most of our brain power is for perceiving our proper place/function in a clan of about 100-150 and the necessary political/negotiating skills to pull this off.

Let me add that my references to "GOD" is just as a place holder for the order we perceive in the natural world. Until, humans fully understand that they need each other, GOD is a convenient adaptation to bind people together.

44

Heart vs Mind - What Makes Us Human

by ballistic in

jw
friends

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01kpvj1/heart_vs_mind_what_makes_us_human/.

i was watching this bbc iplayer programme on heart and mind, (which is well worth a watch if you can access where you are).

and despite how the programme starts out, it develops into a deep and touching discussion of what makes us human.. i personally was left with the feeling at odds with what i believed as a witness.

scotoma

Education is a misunderstood panacea.

Psychotherapist understand that you can educate a person about their neurosis, resistance, anxiety or whatever maladaptation you want to call it but that won't cure them. Therapy fails if all it consists of is hours and hours of what Fritz Perls (Gestalt Therapist) called mind-f##cking.

Sooner or later the patient (subject) whatever, needs to have an experience that involves their whole body to restructure their emotional reactions.

On a societal level there is a big lesson. Humans will not quit the war business until they practically anhilate themselves.

That's the theme of the Bible. The final lesson isn't a battle of good against evil but escaping the battle royale of evil against evil.

The survivors will be those who can help each other. "By this all will know you are my disciples"

Once the world experiences this they will get the "lesson" which because it is an experience, surpasses the superficial cognitive cortex layer that we label "education" and goes all the way to our core and transforms human behavior.

21

Blood Moons in the Passover being a sign... Debunked pretty easily

by ILoveTTATT in

jw
friends

so there is lots of buzz on the internet, and lots of buzz probably even among jw's, that in 2014 in the passover there will be a blood moon... supposedly that's a sign.... .

what a load of bull.... .

a couple of seconds of critical thinking, and a little googling, and you reach the following conclusion:.

scotoma

prologos,

Your english seems fine to me.

21

Blood Moons in the Passover being a sign... Debunked pretty easily

by ILoveTTATT in

jw
friends

so there is lots of buzz on the internet, and lots of buzz probably even among jw's, that in 2014 in the passover there will be a blood moon... supposedly that's a sign.... .

what a load of bull.... .

a couple of seconds of critical thinking, and a little googling, and you reach the following conclusion:.

scotoma

Addition to post...

The reason I quoted the Urban dictionary as a source is to illustrate what simple street intuition suggests as to the meaning of Babylon the Great beyond the convoluted Watchtower explanation. "Every schoolboy knows..."

The Watchtower also is wrong about the United Nations destroying Babylon the Great.

The final showdown in Daniel which takes place before the Great Tribulation is the King of the North against the King of the South.

This ought to parallel the showdown in Revelation which is the Wild Beast (King of the North) vs. Babylon the Great (King of the South).

Not that anyone cares. And there will be no final exam questions.

21

Blood Moons in the Passover being a sign... Debunked pretty easily

by ILoveTTATT in

jw
friends

so there is lots of buzz on the internet, and lots of buzz probably even among jw's, that in 2014 in the passover there will be a blood moon... supposedly that's a sign.... .

what a load of bull.... .

a couple of seconds of critical thinking, and a little googling, and you reach the following conclusion:.

scotoma

prologos:

Babylon the Great is not False Religion.

False Religion is a placeholder explanation for Babylon the Great.

Babylon the Great is a political entity that the faithful have to flee.

If they understood the real meaning of Babylon The Great they would at that point be obligated to flee.

They can't know the real meaning of Babylon the Great untiil they absolutely need to.

In the meantime they believe in the World Empire of False Religion non sense which is nebulous enough to obscure any need for actual literal flight.

You must not have read my above quote from Urban Dictionary about Babylon

21

Blood Moons in the Passover being a sign... Debunked pretty easily

by ILoveTTATT in

jw
friends

so there is lots of buzz on the internet, and lots of buzz probably even among jw's, that in 2014 in the passover there will be a blood moon... supposedly that's a sign.... .

what a load of bull.... .

a couple of seconds of critical thinking, and a little googling, and you reach the following conclusion:.

scotoma

Love..TTAT,

You expressed a slight wave of anxiety on another post about "blood-moon".

Obviously you continue to grapple with this idea.

Relax.

There would have to be a cry of peace and security before the April 14 memorial.

Such an event would be a cue to pay attention. But you would still need some situation that would emerge comparable to the Roman armies presence in the first century. Perhaps a nuclear terrorist attack might be big enough to shock people. I can't think of anything else that would be significant.

If something qualified for "the disgusting thing" then it would be a good time to throw your lot in with the JW's if they show they have a reasonable explanation and a good plan. Even if events were to match this scenario I wouldn't do ANYTHING just because someone told me. I would still need to see a demonstration of some kind of sensible objective.

Anyhow there are 75 days to April 14. So whatever happens - something or nothing - the Watchtower hasn't given any information on this.

15

Jehovah WILL provide......

by quellycatface in

jw
friends

hi guys.. just found out today that my landlord is selling my apartment.

he says he selling it with me as a sitting tenant, so should be okay.

i'm still a bit apprehensive as i've been here nearly 8 years and my son is in year 9 at the local school.. my mum's words of wisdom, were, of course, "jehovah will provide.".

scotoma

"Observe intently the birds of heaven....."

Seen too many dead birds.

21

Blood Moons in the Passover being a sign... Debunked pretty easily

by ILoveTTATT in

jw
friends

so there is lots of buzz on the internet, and lots of buzz probably even among jw's, that in 2014 in the passover there will be a blood moon... supposedly that's a sign.... .

what a load of bull.... .

a couple of seconds of critical thinking, and a little googling, and you reach the following conclusion:.

scotoma

JW's are going to be surprised when they find out that Babylon the Great isn't false religion.

That will be the shocker for them.

Babylon the Great is identified by its wealth. Wealth that is so immense that all those who have ships at sea are rich due to it's shameless luxury.

Babylon (Urban Dictionary) Used to indicate a strong and powerful, yet corrupted and immoral place. A city in bible propecy. Some believe it may be the future fate of the United States. Prophecies:

(Revelation 14:8) A second Angel followed, calling out, "Ruined, ruined, Great Babylon ruined! She made all the nations drunk on the wine of her whoring!"

(Revelation 16:19) The Great City split three ways, the cities of the nations toppled to ruin. Great Babylon had to drink the wine of God's raging anger--God remembered to give her the cup!

(Revelation 17:5) A riddle-name was branded on her forehead: GREAT BABYLON, MOTHER OF WHORES AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

(Revelation 18:2) his voice thunderous: Ruined, ruined, Great Babylon, ruined! A ghost town for demons is all that's left! A garrison of carrion spirits, garrison of loathsome, carrion birds.

(Revelation 18:10) They'll keep their distance for fear they'll get burned, and they'll cry their lament: Doom, doom, the great city doomed! City of Babylon, strong city! In one hour it's over, your judgment come!

(Revelation 18:21) A strong Angel reached for a boulder--huge, like a millstone--and heaved it into the sea, saying, Heaved and sunk, the great city Babylon, sunk in the sea, not a sign of her ever again.

(Revelation 18:24) The only thing left of Babylon is blood-- the blood of saints and prophets, the murdered and the martyred. "Oh, Babylon, the whole earth has drank the maddness in your wine. Now a day has come when you must pay for every crime."

21

Blood Moons in the Passover being a sign... Debunked pretty easily

by ILoveTTATT in

jw
friends

so there is lots of buzz on the internet, and lots of buzz probably even among jw's, that in 2014 in the passover there will be a blood moon... supposedly that's a sign.... .

what a load of bull.... .

a couple of seconds of critical thinking, and a little googling, and you reach the following conclusion:.

scotoma

ILoveTTAT:

We're not talking astrology. All sorts of phenomena are possible. There are probabilities for everything.

As stated before every poker hand is as rare as the next. A royal flush is just as probable as any random sequence of cards in a deal.

The thing that singles events out is the occurence in a certain context.

The moon turning to blood is significantly connected to the "great and fear inspiring day of Jehovah".

The whole 2nd chapter of Joel is an interesting chapter for eschatologists.

The last 2 verses Joel 2:31,32

"The sun itself will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood before the great and fear inspiring day of Jehovah."

References are made to escaping. "everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will get away safe".

For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will prove to be the escaped ones, just as Jehovah has said, and in among the survivors whom Jehovah is calling."

A similar theme involving heavenly phenomena is given in Isaiah chapter 13 That chapter has to do with the destruction of Babylon by the Medes

Again the theme of flight is emphasized as away of avoiding the forces that would be sweeping through the land.

Jesus referred in Matt 24, Mark 13, Luke 21 to celestial signs. Revelation 6:12 speaks of the moon turning to blood before the Lamb turns his attention to the military commanders of the earth.

So start adding up the points in this graph.

1. Signs in the heaven including blood moon.

2. Blood moon on the passover 2014

3. Blood moon again on passover 2015 2014 passover starts the period of bloodshed which is completed by passover of 2015 framing a period of 1 year.

4. Jeremiah 51:45-47 tells people to get out of Babylon when they recognize impending disaster. "In one year the report will actually come and after it in another year there will be the report and violence in the earth and ruler against ruler. "

The Watchtower has focused on the cry of peace and security and the importance of being ready to do what one is told to do even though they don't understand why.

Peace is looming between Palestine and Israel. Follow the news reports to become informed of the difference between this drive for peace and previous efforts at peace in the mid-east.

The deadline for achieving a break-through was set for April 2014 back in July of 2013.

April is the month this year of passover/memorial. Passover - the day the Jews escaped slavery in Egypt.

If they actually achieve an agreement I personally will be on the watch.

One more thing about this upcoming eclipse on the memorial.

Titus began his attack on Jerusalem on the passover in AD 70. There was an eclipse of the moon on that passover too. And stranger yet -

THAT PASSOVER WAS ALSO ON APRIL 14.

Read again 1Thessalonians 5:3 Whenever it is that they are saying Peace and Security THEN sudden destruction is to be instantly upon them... and THEY WILL BY NO MEANS ESCAPE.

Will JW's be willing to flee physically to the designated place of safety?

22

Top evolution researchers agree: There is A Creator! The Watchtower is Right!

by mariu in

jw
friends

okay, it's just one scientist: http://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/g201404/frederic-dumoulin-interview/.

but he's a very eminent one!.

for more than a decade, frederic dumoulin has worked in the field of pharmaceutical research ... studied the effects of medications and toxins on living creatures ... such design simply could not have evolved.

scotoma

This is so wrong on a couple levels. How dare they take one of their own as proof of anything.

The only thing it proves is that going to the university and studying bio-chemistry, probably getting a bachelor's degree, can get you a pretty good job.

What ever happened to the concept "let those making use of the world shouldn't make use of it to the full".

Let these educated guys quit their jobs so that they don't set a bad example for others.

Let these educated guys get a mop and bucket and pioneer.

How dare they parade out these selected examples and insult the witnesses who sacrificed so much they can't even afford medical care for their families.

Obviously education can't protect you from getting ensnared in a cult.

His argument was also fallacious. It goes like this:

SINCE life is so complex that no one really understands it THEREFORE we really DO understand it and have CONCLUDED that it must have been created by GOD.

I wouldn't let a technician with such poor diagnostic abilities analyze my dogs feces.