Posted by Cygnus on March 15, 1999 at 08:14:01 {MWM7sG9btoxsY}:
In Reply to: About this FPP! posted by a7p on March 14, 1999 at 21:02:16:
: When they see atheistic apostates everywhere, they are apt to be nervous and scared and come to believe that ALL apostates have really lost their minds and are not worth consulting. I do not want to be linked to atheists. Sorry.
You may be right, but that's their problem. Those who express their particular leanings towards atheism or agnosticism do so because they are being honest. What's wrong with being honest? Most JWs I know are wholly dishonest, and that dishonesty is not limited to what they tell other people, but its even in what they tell themselves.
Skeptics are honest. They practice objectivity. For instance, they don't exaggerate their sources or claim that they say something when they really do not. In a way, JWs are trained to be skeptical about other religions, are they not? Look at the Search for God book, or other writeups about different faiths in the Watchtower magazine. To JWs, theirs is the only belief system that is rational, that makes sense. We have come to find, however, that it is not. Many of us started on that path by examining the scriptural reasons why JWs don't really have The Truth. Then, we examined other more broad and general religious claims and theories -- is it wrong to become skeptical about the basis and foundation of religion as a whole? I don't think so. I should hope there still exists a market for people who wish to be honest with themselves regarding all sorts of issues, including science and the Bible.
: I would like to engage JW's in meaningful discussions about science. But I end up arguing with atheistic science worshippers instead. It is not why I come here.
Well, you know, the Watchtower Society has written various books and articles on science, and usually that is what gets critiqued here. You will not find a JW that doesn't parrot what he's learned about science from Watchtower publications exclusively. I haven't yet, and I've been doing this for a couple of years now.
The thing that bugs me about guys like you is you attribute evil motives to atheists, as if discussions with them are not
"meaningful" or they do nothing but argue with you malevolently. I appreciate your faith, but if you're going to limit yourself to discussing scientific matters only with people of faith, then that sounds awfully unproductive to me.
Where's the challenge? What is your agenda? Just what would you like to discuss without the input from skeptics and critics?