Posts by rem

42

Aliens having some fun??

by Okidok in

jw
friends

this formation appeared as usually suddenly last sunday at wherwell,hampshire.

this can not be called crop circle.

lots of spots are making a pattern of a face.. this image maker is clever whoever it is.. .

rem

Okidok,

I suppose you would like me to 'think' like you? Hmm here's an example of the type of thinking I've seen you do since you started posting here:

Wow! Have you seen these crop circles? Weird, eh? I don't think humans could have done them, so it must be aliens.

Yeah - ever heard of an argument from incredulity? Methinks you could use some pointers in critical thinking and some education in logic. And you are challenging me to think?

A good start would be for you to read Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan. After digesting that, you may be able to browse conspiracy theorist web sites without believing everything you read.

rem

p.s.: You would also do well to read Why People Believe Weird Things by Mike Shermer.

"Most people would rather die than think; in fact, they do so."
..........Bertrand Russell

42

Aliens having some fun??

by Okidok in

jw
friends

this formation appeared as usually suddenly last sunday at wherwell,hampshire.

this can not be called crop circle.

lots of spots are making a pattern of a face.. this image maker is clever whoever it is.. .

rem

Okidok,

And if u spend some time surfing crop circles topics, you will one day understand the difference between hoaxes and the real one.

"Real one"? What is that supposed to mean? No one denies the phenomenon of crop circles - they are all real. Real hoaxes.

Some hoaxsters are more talented than others. Let's not underestimate human enginuity!

rem

"Most people would rather die than think; in fact, they do so."
..........Bertrand Russell

30

What is the real meaning of life?

by Nicolas in

jw
friends

i mean, if we have been created by the evolution then, our life really have no purpose.

we live about 80 years and then we die and it's finish.

it seem really dull to me.

rem

It seems to me that the purpose of most religions is to convince people that life really sucks and keep them waiting for a better fantasy land to come.

To me life is neither good nor bad. It just is. To me that explains why we have fortunate ones with easy lives and unfortunate ones who never have a chance to reach their full potential - or even enjoy life. No apologetics necessary for some schitzo sky daddy who it is claimed loves us, but has apparently abandoned us all if he does indeed exist.

I don't believe there is a purpose to life, but I'd still like to get one. :)

rem

"Most people would rather die than think; in fact, they do so."
..........Bertrand Russell

36

Evolution vs Creation and spontaneous generation

by MrMoe in

jw
friends

please read it all, i know it's a bit long, but you need to read it all to see where i am coming from.

i beleive in creation in the sense that the big bang and spontaneous generation don't make logical sense to me.

i am sure funkyderek and jan will have some fun with me on this one.

rem

MrMoe,

Your understanding of evolution and even scientific theories is highy flawed. Your posts show many misconceptions about what scientific theories really are and what the theory of evolution is all about.

The basis of evolution is the belief that life originally evolved from nonliving matter, or "spontaneous generation."

This is a completely false statement. This is a typical misconception that Evolution is the same thing as Abiogenesis. It is not - they are two completely separate theories. Abiogenesis deals with life from non life. Evolution deals with the change in life after it was started (either by abiogenesis or special creation or whatever). Evolution does not prove or disprove god in any way.

Believe me - these misconceptions are very typical and I see them almost every day. If you are truly serious about researching this topic a great and interesting read is The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins. This book is great for people who want a simple explanation of evolution and how it works and it also goes into some depth in explaining natural selection.

I highly recommend that book. It cleared up many misconceptions of my own about evolution. You sound like you are in a similar spot I was in a year or so ago. I made it a goal to try and research both sides of the issue as objectively as possible. After reading many books I came to the conclusion that the theory of evolution is an accurate explanation of the development of life on the planet Earth.

Happy researching!

rem

"Most people would rather die than think; in fact, they do so."
..........Bertrand Russell

161

Remote Viewing

by funkyderek in

jw
friends

following on from the anybody else had visions?

thread below ( http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=10144&site=3).

i have offered a prize of 50 american dollars or the equivalent in your currency of choice for whoever can guess (or envision or whatever) the contents of a picture i have chosen.. i will be emailing the picture, in password zip format to [email protected] along with unambiguous details of what qualifies as a correct guess.

rem

I think it's a picture of a penguin. Or maybe I'm just getting a linux vibe. :)

rem

"Most people would rather die than think; in fact, they do so."
..........Bertrand Russell

119

Validity of 607 BCE date

by stevieb1 in

jw
friends

has anyone on here ever come across the tiniest shred of evidence supporting this date for the fall of jerusalem.

i understand rolf furuli is about to but something out on this subject (see elihubooks.com), however even a table of contents has been a long time in coming from this site.

if no evidence exists what can he possibly be writing about?

rem

Scholar,

In short you have a choice of which date that you believe is correct, if prophecy is important then go for the 607 date. This date succeeds because it establishes the Gentile Times concluding in 1914

You don't see the logical fallacy of circular reasoning here? And you call yourself Scholar?

Bwhahahahahahhaaaa

rem

"Most people would rather die than think; in fact, they do so."
..........Bertrand Russell

21

how do i shut a j.w up?

by h2o in

jw
friends

i know many j.w's and they are allways hassling me with there beliefs and making me feel pretty hacked off at times,is there anything i could say to shut them up or any good questions that they don't like being asked,i assume there are a few ex j.w's on this forum so you must have come across some tricky questions before,hope someone can give some advice?thanks

rem

Seriously, h20, a there are a few JW stumpers. The biggest ones are about the date of Jerusalem's destruction (JW's say 607, scholars say 587/586). This throws off their whole end-times chronology since it is all based upon that 607 date. Basically, they have no evidence for the 607 date - there are a few sites on the net that deal specifically with this question if you want to read up on it.

Another stumper is the changing blood policy. JW's claim that they do not take blood into their bodies - blood must be spilled upon the ground, but the fact is that they are allowed many blood fractions including HemoPure which is made from cow's blood. JW's are not even allowed autologous transfusions (storing their own blood for later) but they are allowed blood fractions from other humans/animals which were obviously stored before processing. Doesn't make any sense. http://www.ajwrb.org has some good info on this topic.

Also, they shun former members and have a bit of a reputation for harboring pedophiles now days.

Hope that shuts them up, but it'll probably only open up a can of worms. It would be fun to watch them struggle with those questions, though! :)

rem

"Most people would rather die than think; in fact, they do so."
..........Bertrand Russell

81

Anybody else had visions?

by philo in

jw
friends

when i was separating from my wife and leaving the jws, i had some visions.

for some strange reason, i decided not to eat for a day, then when i found my thinking clearer and my emotions mellower, i fasted for another two days.

so after the third day, i was walking down our street and i saw the houses burning after me, i felt this was an affirmation that marriage was decay and destruction, or wasteage.

rem

Intro,

Thanks for clearing that up. I appreciate your views. I do believe, though that people are trying to proove psi - there are numerous studies and reports that attest to that, along with misleading pseudoscience TV programs.

I think my main concern is for people who waste their money on innefective treatment when they are not presented with the facts (statistical) but only convincing anecdotes. If they still want the treatment, then that is fine, but they should have the facts before a decision is made for them. I think leaving such therapy practices in the hands of religious figures is a fine solution.

As far as Tai Chi and Qi Gong - I've not looked into that. I don't see any problem with internal aspects of such practices. What I'm more concerned with is external effects that are claimed with other practices - such as with TT therapy. If a practice gives someone peace or makes them feel well, then they should continue that practice, but Hospitals should not be endorsing or funding practices that have been shown to have little to no value, statisticaly speaking.

rem

(I hope to meet you at the picnic in Golden Gate Park!) :)

"Most people would rather die than think; in fact, they do so."
..........Bertrand Russell

81

Anybody else had visions?

by philo in

jw
friends

when i was separating from my wife and leaving the jws, i had some visions.

for some strange reason, i decided not to eat for a day, then when i found my thinking clearer and my emotions mellower, i fasted for another two days.

so after the third day, i was walking down our street and i saw the houses burning after me, i felt this was an affirmation that marriage was decay and destruction, or wasteage.

rem

I also wanted to add that the one doctors response about germ theory being disputed and without any scientific support at the time hand washing was suggested.

This reasoning is flawed because even if the theory of microorganisms was not known back then, hand washing had clear, indisputable positive effects that could be seen in controlled experiments. An experiment could have been set up to see how many patients actually faired better with hand washing than without. If the positive effect was much greater than chance or placebo (some doctors could have said they washed their hands, but didn't and vica versa), then a real phenomenon could be determined. It would not matter whether TV cameras were watching the doctors or not through the experiment or how old the patient was.

So far there has been no study of TT or any other psi claims that have been able to do better than chance or placebo.

rem

"Most people would rather die than think; in fact, they do so."
..........Bertrand Russell

81

Anybody else had visions?

by philo in

jw
friends

when i was separating from my wife and leaving the jws, i had some visions.

for some strange reason, i decided not to eat for a day, then when i found my thinking clearer and my emotions mellower, i fasted for another two days.

so after the third day, i was walking down our street and i saw the houses burning after me, i felt this was an affirmation that marriage was decay and destruction, or wasteage.

rem

Intro,

I suggest you read all of the letters. It is clear that many missed the point of the study and others are defending the effectiveness of the placebo effect. The statistical criticisms are dealt with in the last letter. Note that the study was peer reviewed before JAMA published it. Peer review also takes into account statistical analysis and experiment controls.

The fact is that there has not been one study that has provided any hope for TT therapy. Time and time again the results are negative or the study is higly flawed. I would expect to see many angry letters from people when their mode of therapy is criticized and yet they have no positive evidence to put forward.

Remember - TT therapy proponents claim that the practicioners can feel the energy field of the patient. The practitioners that agreed to be involved in the test had the utmost confidence that they could feel the presence of the child's hands with knowledge of the protocol of the experiment. They were suprised that they had done so badly - they didn't see any reason why their powers would not work. Then after the results were announced, others complained on their behalf.

I'm convinced that any improvement on the patient's part can be attributed to the placebo effect. Modern healing institutions such as hospitals should not rely on treatments that have no measurable effect other than the placebo effect. Nurses don't provide sugar pills instead of Tylenol when a patient is suffering from pain, do they?

rem

"Most people would rather die than think; in fact, they do so."
..........Bertrand Russell