Posts by unsure

147

Scientism - Nothing But a Childish Insult?

by cofty in

it is not uncommon for theists to accuse rational people on this forum of "scientism".. in my opinion it is nothing but a cheap shot from those who know they lack evidence for their beliefs.

if something like "scientism" actually does exist then i have never encountered it.. here is part of an exchange from another thread - i have brought it here as it was off-topic.... scientism = claim of scientific method being universal and the only valid method of knowledge.

followers of scientism always demand scientific evidence to anything.

unsure

@Rainbow_Troll

(and others)

Not sure if this is a thread derailment; I can create another thread if need be.

I am by no means posting the below as an argument. I would just like to know the opinion of those exponentially more well versed then me, of the following post by another forum poster in response to a previous response. I'm a big fence sitter, I don't know what I believe, but I realize that on days that I feel "there must be something more", it is not provable and based only on faith and hope alone.

That was a new thought to me: atheism requires omniscience.
In other words, a person would have to be God to say there is no God—interesting thought!

51

Why are the evolutionist's so upset?

by Esse quam videri in

so many evolutionist's on this forum are upset at the terror attacks in europe such as recently in sweden.

it is just a logical step in the evolution of the human race.

should you not rather be celebrating the great changes taking place right before your eyes and constructing detailed explanations of the cell structure and dna development in the human brain.. you can't eat your cake and still have it.

unsure

@John_Mann

Why do you assume I have the same position as other forum posters?

I never said anything was a logical flaw. I said it seems contradictory, (to me).

I gave you examples where animals and other things were given personhood; you choose to label them as "strict exceptions".

Regarding the Ganges rivers, "In Hinduism, the river Ganga is considered sacred and is personified as a goddess Gaṅgā."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganges_in_Hinduism

Remember, you as a Christian believe in a God with personhood, just like those who are Hindu believe in these rivers having personhood and we should all be respecting their beliefs.

The topic is very much still up for debate among the scientific community for those things of a biological nature.

My reading comprehension is not the best.

Many people, from many walks of life, with different abilities, read these forums. Please remember that.

Remember, Jesus of the Bible was a humble, patient teacher; this should be emulated by those who believe in him.

51

Why are the evolutionist's so upset?

by Esse quam videri in

so many evolutionist's on this forum are upset at the terror attacks in europe such as recently in sweden.

it is just a logical step in the evolution of the human race.

should you not rather be celebrating the great changes taking place right before your eyes and constructing detailed explanations of the cell structure and dna development in the human brain.. you can't eat your cake and still have it.

unsure

Law it's not biased a priori towards humans.
If a hypothetical strong AI could pass the Turing test our Law would accept it.
Actually there are political groups that want to give legal status to some primates. But always failing...

First you use a hypothetical for your argument, saying that if a hypothetical AI was strong enough Law would accept it. (I'm sure most here will not accept a hypothetical as main argument.)

Then you use an example of intelligent primate legal status cases failing to prove another point. Seems contradictory. Primates are very smart. Primates are also biological; some would say this is a huge difference.

See below:

"A New York Judge Has Granted Legal Person Rights To Chimpanzees [Updated]"

http://io9.gizmodo.com/a-new-york-judge-has-granted-legal-person-rights-to-chi-1699160192

"Ganges and Yamuna rivers granted same legal rights as human beings"

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/21/ganges-and-yamuna-rivers-granted-same-legal-rights-as-human-beings?CMP=share_btn_link

"India has officially recognized dolphins as non-human persons, whose rights to life and liberty must be respected."

http://m.dw.com/en/dolphins-gain-unprecedented-protection-in-india/a-16834519

51

Why are the evolutionist's so upset?

by Esse quam videri in

so many evolutionist's on this forum are upset at the terror attacks in europe such as recently in sweden.

it is just a logical step in the evolution of the human race.

should you not rather be celebrating the great changes taking place right before your eyes and constructing detailed explanations of the cell structure and dna development in the human brain.. you can't eat your cake and still have it.

unsure

So if not by biology then by what exactly Law consider humans not only different but also superior?

One could argue that law is used to preserve our own species. Almost all living species put their own kind first. This is a function of evolution; nothing metaphysical. Everybody "thinks" their own "team" is superior. Superiority can be biased and subjective.

30

I'm 90% PIMO but events in Russia made me stop and think maybe Jehovah is real and helping

by Isambard Crater in

jw
friends

i'm at the stage where i'd love a big scandal to come along showing clearly that the j.w's are not the true religion, but sometimes i get touched inside by various thoughts or events, the russian court trial being one of them.. i mean, j.w's are understandably fixated with attending the memorial, so why didn't the court say it will resume on monday or tuesday, instead setting wednesday 12 april as the date?

part of me believes the comments from pro-j.w's that jehovah moved events so they could attend the memorial.. it seems the j.w's will not be banned, which makes my mind and heart wrestle between thinking jah's behind it, or maybe the ministry of justice is just woefully prepared compared to the superb australian royal commission team who did their homework.

it surprises me the russians seemingly haven't done any homework..

unsure

but having been raised in it and all that, I sometimes get these 'oh, wait a second; maybe...' moments.

This is normal. Seven years out (as a born-in ex JW) and I still get "what if?" moments. We have been well programed. We have been brainwashed. We have been trained to look for any sign of Jehovah's backing in mere coincidences.

Always remember that correlation does not imply causation. This is considered a questionable cause logical fallacy.

Always remember Occam's Razor.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/scientific-experiments/occams-razor.htm

6

Octopuses Are Even More Amazing Than We Thought

by unsure in

"published in the journal cell, scientists have found that cephalopods are able to edit their rna, at the expense of evolution in their genomic dna.

in other words, they are able to rapidly change on the cellular level to suit their environment, rather than relying on the slow evolution of dna to make changes.".

http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/octopuses-are-even-more-amazing-than-we-thought/.

unsure

"Published in the journal Cell, scientists have found that cephalopods are able to edit their RNA, at the expense of evolution in their genomic DNA. In other words, they are able to rapidly change on the cellular level to suit their environment, rather than relying on the slow evolution of DNA to make changes."

http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/octopuses-are-even-more-amazing-than-we-thought/

Aaaaand DISCUSS!

56

"There is evidence of a Creator if you just look for it"

by unsure in

(for the record, i’m agnostic who is earnestly seeking an objective, honest and concrete hope for something greater).

“there is evidence of a creator if you just look for it”.

many of us have heard similar sentences from believers regarding proof of creator, proof that their religion is the correct one, proof that their particular sect is the right one, proof that their individual sects interpretation of a certain religious text is the right one, proof that their own personal interpretation of a certain religious text is the right one; the list goes on.. in one of my previous posts, i shared the following thought of mine:.

unsure

right. You are asking for a special audience with a possible creator, who appears to rest his case about the evidence of his existence in the indisputable fact of our existence.
Even if you heard a response, it would be considered a miracle, or an one a trillion chance of your synapses firing, connecting in such a way. so:
stick with the knowable.

@waton

I said I was not going to reply to you but I'll bite.

You've already assumed a few things about me in your posts.

Why do you assume I'm only asking for a "special audience with a possible creator"? Where have I said this? I'm asking for any undeniable proof that this Creator seems fit to provide me. Why do you continue to assume things about me?

Putting aside any instances where God spoke directly to someone in the Bible, it is full of supposed accounts of "miracles" and other supposed undeniable "proofs" that occurred right in front of those earnestly seeking a God and even those that were not.

Also, is prayer not a common practice for those that believe in a personal Creator? Is prayer not a personal channel of communication with this Creator? Is prayer not a personal, "special audience" with this Creator?

Do you see how some may think that your posts are a contradiction?

Once again, I personally believe that it is not fruitful (for me) to be replying to each other, but please stop assuming things about me.

56

"There is evidence of a Creator if you just look for it"

by unsure in

(for the record, i’m agnostic who is earnestly seeking an objective, honest and concrete hope for something greater).

“there is evidence of a creator if you just look for it”.

many of us have heard similar sentences from believers regarding proof of creator, proof that their religion is the correct one, proof that their particular sect is the right one, proof that their individual sects interpretation of a certain religious text is the right one, proof that their own personal interpretation of a certain religious text is the right one; the list goes on.. in one of my previous posts, i shared the following thought of mine:.

unsure

To add to my last post: I do not suffer from Schizophrenia or similar mental illnesses with hallucinations; my heart goes out to those that do. I have been diagnosed with a mental illness that is categorized as an anxiety disorder.

However I can especially appreciate how missfiring neurons can severely alter ones emotions, perceptions and beleifs.

Mental illness can unexpectedly manifest itself in anyone. Even if one does not suffer from mental illness, emotions or feelings alone in a healthy brain can be enough to alter ones perceptions and beleifs. To disregard this would be disingenuous. Emotions, feelings, thoughts and beleifs based on confirmation bias is not proof of a Creator.

33

Why are the individuals who make up the Governing Body so deluded

by UnshackleTheChains in

surely these men must see what's going on.

if they can afford fancy pinky rings, they must have smart phones.

if they have smart phones, they must be inquisitive as to how they are perceived.

unsure

I give them the benefit of the doubt that they are actually deluded and beleive their own teachings. Many of us were deluded at one time too.

56

"There is evidence of a Creator if you just look for it"

by unsure in

(for the record, i’m agnostic who is earnestly seeking an objective, honest and concrete hope for something greater).

“there is evidence of a creator if you just look for it”.

many of us have heard similar sentences from believers regarding proof of creator, proof that their religion is the correct one, proof that their particular sect is the right one, proof that their individual sects interpretation of a certain religious text is the right one, proof that their own personal interpretation of a certain religious text is the right one; the list goes on.. in one of my previous posts, i shared the following thought of mine:.

unsure

As mentioned in my last post, I do still humbly pray for this irrefutable proof and give God the benefit of the doubt, BUT if I ever do receive it, I hope I do not expect to be able to explain it realizing that it is still nothing but confirmation bias. I hope to be humble enough to remain silent on this PERSONAL irrefutable proof I received. I hope to remain humble enough to realize that this proof would be mine alone and would not stand up to TRUE objectiveness.

I am already clinically diagnosed with mental illness; I take the maximum dose prescribed by the drug manufacturer, so I would always still be doubting if this proof I received is not the result of my missfiring neurons. No, I'm not saying that beleif is a result of mental illness, rather that I PERSONALLY would check myself and hold my own mind up to objective scrutiny and even then I would not be sure.