Posts by Tiktaalik

130

Questions on Evolution and the Existence of God and...

by ILoveTTATT in

jw
friends

i know this is one huge rant, but i want to put my own questions and doubts in writing.. i am a fading jw who has become agnostic... i still believe in "god" and "jesus," but i simply cannot explain to people why i believe in them.

i just do.. about the existence of god: it is an infinite regress.

"all things were created by someone"... well... who created god?

Tiktaalik

Thanks for asking such insightful questions. Here's a few points to help you with your search for some answers:

1. Humans are just one of 10 million or so other species. All species are totally reliant on a suite of other species for their survival. Other species provide us with the necessary goods and services for the continuation of life. For example, you are totally reliant on the colonies of bacteria that live within your gut, and you need other species of bacteria to dispose of all the wastes that you produce, and you need to take in energy by eating various other species. Humans are just one part of a complex web that links all species to all other species.

The concept of "survival of the fittest" is widely misunderstood. In evolutionary terms it relates to the likelihood of any individual passing its genes on to the next generation. It is a mathematical model, where the "fittest" individuals have a greater chance to pass on more of their DNA than do their conspecifics. Fitness, thus defined, refers to how well an individual animal is able to obtain and utilise the resources available to it from its environment. It is a measure of how well it is adapted to its environment. It has little to do with physical fitness (although it can mean that in some instances).

2. Humans are not the current pinnacle of evolution. Evolution is a genetic response to environment conditions. How evolution proceeds in the future is totally dependent on environmental forcings. A meteor could slam into the Earth next month and wipe out every animal bigger than a mouse. Only the animals and plants who are fortunate enough to have the right genotypes to enable them to survive in that new environment will survive, all the others will join the overflowing ranks of the extinct. Just such a scenario has happened at least 5 times in Earth's history. The species alive today represent the tiniest fraction of all the species who have ever lived. It is the fate of every species to suffer extinction. And humans will be no different. It is hubristic to think otherwise.

3. Evolution is a continuum. Every organism alive today is a another link in the long unbroken chain that stretches back through 3.5 billion years of history to the first life form. Every organism is slightly different to its parents, and it's offspring differs slightly to it. The fossil record preserves snapshots of various stages along that unbroken chain. If every organism became fossilised at death than this "family album" would show all these changes. You wouldn't spot the differences between individuals only a few generations apart but as more generations went by the changes would become noticeable. Fossils are a record of the process of evolution in action.

You are correct in assuming that evolution is observable in small, short-lived species. In large animals and plants, evolution can be observed by its effects, but in bacteria it can be observed in action. Laboratory experiments have developed new species of bacteria in a matter of months. In bacteria, this time frame represents thousands of generations and allows the accumulation of genetic differences to allow speciation to occur.

53

VERY CONFIDENTIAL LETTER - Child abuse 10/01/2012

by WatchTower87 in

confidential letter child abuse http://adf.ly/auxbu.

to all bodies of elders.

the congregation secretary should arrange for this letter to be retained in the congregation permanent file of policy letters.

Tiktaalik

Are you still an elder, committechairman?

You don't seem to understand that the problem is about control. The letter reveals that the wts's primary motive is not to protect children at risk, nor the wider congregation, it is about controlling the information.

You trumpet that the society told you to call the authorities immediately as if it that's a good thing. Well durrrr! You are indoctrinated and still trying to protect the name of the wts. You are a true company man. So you have to call the boss first, who then oks you to call the police. As confusedandalone says above this is just foolish.

This letter is vile and creepy. So many references to the all powerful controlling Service Dept as being the arbiter in all matters, not the local authorities, nor even the local elders. That the society's first response in these matters is legalistic, rather than humanitarian, reveals much.

If you are still an elder, then you are part of the structure enabling this perverted and repulsive situation to continue.

5

My notes from my WT study for/ Creation Reveals the Living God

by suavojr in

jw
friends

i leave you with the notes i wrote in the margins of my mag during today's wt study.

this was the only way i was able to survive this horrible article.

have fun reading and hopefully this will help lurkers.. .

Tiktaalik

If creation is evidence of a creator then what do tape worms, malaria, dental plaque, ticks, HIV, tsetse fly, hepatitis, and for good measure, naegleria -a brain eating amoeba, tell us about the creator. That he is one sick mofo, that's what.

For a 'loving' creator, he sure has a perverse preoccupation with creating the most disgusting, sickening and agonising human parasites.

51

Christmas - love it or leave it?

by Xanthippe in

jw
friends

i am just watching my neighbours across the road putting up christmas lights while their children run around bursting with excitement.

i am feeling all christmassy now.

can't wait for my daughter to come home from uni next weekend so we can go and buy a tree from the garden centre.

Tiktaalik

I love saying it, so: Merry Christmas to you all!!

Lovely story about the holly tree, Xanthippe.

7

From Prostitute to College Professor

by His Excellency in

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqy8uhqbqaa.

Tiktaalik

And the relevance of this is....what?

34

1973 "Divine Victory" International Assemblies

by Bungi Bill in

jw
friends

how many here attended the "divine victory" international assembly that was held 12- 16 december in christchurch, new zealand?.

the venue was lancaster park.

if the truth be known, that stadium was probably a casualty of the february 2011 earthquake?.

Tiktaalik

I got dragged along to the one held at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney. I was only 7 at the time, so don't remember that much. We were from the country and got billeted with some strangers. Weird when I think back on it now.

What I do remember was going to Taronga Park Zoo afterward and seeing the poor tiger pacing endlessly around in its concrete bunker.

5

What is the difference between decorating a Xmas tree and decorating the face?

by I_love_Jeff in

decorating the christmas tree is not scripturally condemned yet the jehovah's witnesses are not allowed to decorate it let alone have one in the house.. .

as for makeup, watchtower says the following: .

modest and tasteful use of cosmetics and articles of adornment is not scripturally condemned.

Tiktaalik

Finding inconsistancies in the doctrines and dogma of JWs is not difficult.

15

Humans are 6,000 years old...promise!

by notsurewheretogo in

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25193442.

this kind of satanic propaganda is obviously satan "misleading" and changing the evidence to suit...and boy is he good at it and very busy doing it!.

leg bone gives up oldest human dna.

Tiktaalik

To answer data-dog's question:

Almost anything can be dated using one of the several radiometric clocks, depending on how far back in time you wish to date.

Several elements are useful for dating purposes, because they can exist in different forms, or isotopes. An isotope is an element whose atoms have a different amount of neutrons in their nucleus. This gives the isotopes different properties and usually renders them unstable. This instability means that they decay at a set rate over time, and this is how they can be used to date objects.

For dates stretching back to around 50,000 years isotopes of carbon are very useful and accurate. Carbon dating measures the abundance of the isotope carbon 14 (that is carbon with an extra 2 neutrons in its nucleus, normal carbon has 12) in the material you are seeking to date. Carbon 14 is formed in the atmosphere when high energy rays from the sun strike atoms of nitrogen and form carbon 14. The rate of creation equals the rate of decay, so the overall proportion of carbon 12 to carbon14 remains the same over time.

All living things take up carbon 14 in the same relative abundance as it exists in the environment. Some of the carbon atoms in our bodies are actually carbon 14, and this is proportional to the abundance in the background environment. When we die, however, the intake of all carbon is halted. The proportion of carbon 12 does not change as it is stable, but the proportion of carbon 14 begins to decline. For the first time in the organism's existance, the ratio of c12 to c14 begins to differ from the normal background level. Because c14 decays at a known rate, the difference between the c12:c14 ratio in the object you are dating to that in the surrounding environment provides you with an accurate date on when that organism died.

As I said earlier, carbon dating, or more accurately, radiocarbon dating since carbon 14 is radioactive, is only useful for dating objects no older than around 50,000 years. For objects older than that other radiometric clocks with other elements are used. Radioactive decay is termed the half-life. This is the time it takes for the one half of an unstable isotope to decay into a more stable (not radioactive) form. Carbon 14 has a half-life of around 5700 years. Other elements have much longer half-lives. One isotope of uranium has a half-life of around 80,000 years, so it was most probably used to date the bone sample above.

Rocks can be dated many different ways, including radiometric dating. Other elements have much longer half-lives, stretching into the millions and even billions of years. These slower clocks are very useful for dating very old rocks.

I hope that helps to answer your question.

32

best sermon of all time

by unstopableravens in

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxncd-yffwo.

Tiktaalik

Great summary. No punctuation and misspelled. Typical of everything you post.

When you can't be bothered to take even the slightest care with the written word, why should any of us be bothered to read what you write?

Your lame "sorry about the spelling lol" tags that you put at the end of some of your posts serve as flags for just another worthless piece of drivel from usravens.

51

Christmas - love it or leave it?

by Xanthippe in

jw
friends

i am just watching my neighbours across the road putting up christmas lights while their children run around bursting with excitement.

i am feeling all christmassy now.

can't wait for my daughter to come home from uni next weekend so we can go and buy a tree from the garden centre.

Tiktaalik

When I first left the dubbers, I pretty much ignored Chrissy. But then I met someone who, despite being an atheist, introduced me to the wonder of Christmas. I love it now and embrace it wholeheartedly. The lights, the tree, the baking, the feasting, the gift giving, the family. That's what it means to me. Getting together with family and everyone being at their best. You don't have to embrace the religious side of it to enjoy it.

About to head over to the US again for a (hopefully) White Christmas in Boston. Can't wait!