The whole notion religion was thought up as a means to control society, where as politics has simply evolved into a means to control society. To begin with politics had rather good intentions id say. There for they differ, so for you to use my response in answer to your question of whether following a political party makes you a moron and turning that into us being on the same page because you can be part of a religion but not condone many of its actions is sly and aggravating.
If you believe, in a man made fiction, created to control other human beings, your a moron, its simple as that man, please try to explain your view point without twisting my words this time.
I sense that many pretend they are outraged only at the injustices and abuse that do happen in some religious institutions; but really, the one thing they are most offended by, in my opinion, is the idea that there is a God and that he has rules. Admit it.  After all, if the 1st humans were created by God, they would not only know about God, they would pass the story down to their children. If there was no God, how could you prevent the truth from getting out? Since evolution allegedly started with two humans, one male and one female, who exactly are they trying to control when they invented religion? If there truly was no God, there would be a vocal majority of people who would testify that their ancestors never told any such stories of creation or God. Where are these people? I cannot recall to mind any society which does not have some form of creation and God legends in their history. If there were such a society, and there was indeed no God, they would flourish unimpeded by the advantages of not "wasting" time and resources with religion, to dominate the whole world. Eventually eradicating all religious beliefs entirely. Since evolution theory claims humanity has existed with the mental capacity for religion (and the debunking of it) for tens of thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of years, where is this super race that is free of the heavy yoke of a supreme creator? If the simplest answer is usually true, I submit that the function of religion is very simply humanity's (flawed) effort to acknowledge and worship the true and living God. |
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I am aware of that. For this reason I will deal only with well-established forum members with a clean history.
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When the half of you guys is doing what is that funmaking of the OP he is not leening the english. Talk. But do not have the fun of thems.
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So far I think I have one pending sale of the first order. Anyone care to make an offer for the remaining 4?
I'm interested in order #2. But without escrow.... Why should I take all the risk?  Because you're getting a better place in line. That doesn't make any sense for me. I have to trust you and BFL. Why not just ask a higher price? If I thought I could get it... I would. I PM'd you with a better offer that includes escrow. |
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So far I think I have one pending sale of the first order. Anyone care to make an offer for the remaining 4?
I'm interested in order #2. But without escrow.... Why should I take all the risk? Because you're getting a better place in line. That doesn't make any sense for me. I have to trust you and BFL. Why not just ask a higher price? |
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So far I think I have one pending sale of the first order. Anyone care to make an offer for the remaining 4?
I'm interested in order #2. But without escrow.... Why should I take all the risk? |
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Information does not need a conscious mind to exist, yet I understand this is a tricky philosophical question.
Not a human mind, no. The tree falling in the forest is indeed a tricky philosophical question. A logical contradiction, is not a philosophical idea at all. Its a true or false law. Philosophy typically has no bearing to the physical world. Just try to occupy the same space as someone else, and you'll quickly understand the physical reality of the problem.  |
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The universe, and our minds, are not chaotic. They are structured, ordered. There is no such thing as chaos in this universe, chaos being the absence of information. Besides, if what you say is true about the human mind, then how can you argue anything at all? Just give up, its pure chaos in our heads. Information is only information if there is something to understand it, record it, and recognize it. That sentence is correct! That 'something' is a supreme creator God. Information cannot exist without being created first. Since obviously information existed before any physical mind (otherwise we could have actual logical contradictions), the only rational conclusion that can be reached, is that there is an omnipresent, all-powerful, all-knowing God. Other theories can be formulated, but none of them are rational if they don't make an exception for a supreme being. |
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Who is to say that our minds and thought processes are not chaotic? If anything, the fact that our minds and thoughts are so random, chaotic, unpredictable, and most importantly unreliable, is proof that they are a product of a "non-living chaotic process devoid of consciousness."
No information exists in a sense of physical matter. Books are composed of paper and ink, computer files are composed of steel and electrons, and your memories are composed of carbon-based cells that form neural networks. "Abstract ideas" are just electrical impulses, racing through your complex neural network, that decide to take a detour and try to explore a different neural pathway. There is nothing special about redirecting electrons to go down a different path, no matter how much your ego wishes there was.
Also, atheism isn't a religion or a belief. The "a" in atheism specifically means "lack of." I am an atheist not because I "believe" there is no god, but because I "don't believe" others when they tell me there is a god. I don't have a belief, I just don't find other's beliefs convincing.
Information does exist apart from any human mind. A contradiction is an abstract idea. For example: I can say, "my car is in the parking lot, and my car is not in the parking lot." That would be a contradiction that cannot happen apart from the laws of logic being a reality. Your brain does not need to be processing an abstract thought, in order for information to exist. If this was the case, if you were the only living mind, every time you went to sleep, the universe would implode. The universe, and our minds, are not chaotic. They are structured, ordered. There is no such thing as chaos in this universe, chaos being the absence of information. Besides, if what you say is true about the human mind, then how can you argue anything at all? Just give up, its pure chaos in our heads. |
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I think religion does a lot for peoples mental health and to create social order. It doesn't matter that there is no actual God.
You're right. Religion doesn't require a God. Atheism, for example. Everyone believes in something. Call it their religion if you like. The person that believes in nothing at all, is mentally ill. |
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How can anyone that believes themselves to be enlightened, possibly think that a non-living chaotic process devoid of consciousness can implant or shape abstract ideas (or manipulate their processing) in a mind?
The scientific evidence? That's funny. I was taught that science is used to explain the physical universe. Information and abstract ideas exist in the absence of any physical matter. |
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Religion is ubiquitous and universal in human culture (in some form for hundreds of thousands of years). Anthropologically that suggests it's a pretty significant component of evolved human behavior.
It's only after the enlightenment that we get any notion of the possibility that it's all nonsense.
The question really isn't one of belief - it must be one of evolution. Religion must have provided a substantial evolutionary advantage otherwise it couldn't have existed at all.
You haven't read my quote above of Daniel Dennet comparing religion to the common cold, have you? Religion has an evolutionary advantage... for religion. Same as a common cuckoo has an "evolutionary advantage" other a reed warbler: Parasitism does exist. And it does not give any evolutionary advantage to the host. You know, slavery also has been common for thousands of years. Does that make it a good thing? I'm not sure evolution cares about good or bad (you think cookoos are bad?)- a human judgement that parasites are bad is irrelevant (unless it gives you an evolutionary advantage). Morality and good and evil etc are myths just like religion. We're all parasites (look at what you had for dinner today) How can anyone that believes themselves to be enlightened, possibly think that a non-living chaotic process devoid of consciousness can implant or shape abstract ideas (or manipulate their processing) in a mind? |
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"No one will ever guess 123456. It will take them 3 hours, and $50 in phone charges."
"You're right, Mr. Chief of Bank Security. Its secure."
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NSA is not always an evil organization.....
Well that's comforting. |
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I find this depressing and homophobic. Frankly, I would try and woo her, but not for the reward. Her sexual orientation is her business, not her fathers, and the fact that he's trying to break up a relationship makes him an unsupportive, unaccepting bastard of a father.
Who cares? She doesn't care, & is doing whatever she wants. |
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Im no coin expert but... I dont think even the '45 is worth a numi premium.
If its just a standard half dollar with no special features, and in less than mint condition, these are worth spot price. A discount over spot silver, with the large amount of wear present on these coins, would not be an unfair assessment. This is what an MS (mint state) 45' half (sell for $120 on ebay) looks like:  |
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If you believe the case studies of various hypnotherapists, there is a continuity of consciousness. It's just there is amnesia when you are born and you only remember your entire timeline of consciousness after death. Supposedly there are lifeforms that can remember certain parts of their previous lives.
This seems comically self-contradictory to me. If there is amnesia, then there is no continuity of consciousness. Amnesia is, pretty much by definition, a break in the continuity of consciousness. And saying "you" remember something after your death would require first establishing what was this "you" that survived your death, which seems incoherent. Agreed. Hypnosis takes away conscious thought. Before I'd accept any scientific conclusion of hypnosis, it would have to be shown to me that the results of hypnosis are not influenced by external factors. Arguably the most important spiritual figure in history, Jesus of Nazareth, did support reincarnation, but in the context of a) being born again in the spiritual realm which gives enhanced spiritual abilities and b) being given a new immortal body at the last day, which would exist in a 'new heaven' and a 'new earth'. Reincarnation in the context of returning in physical form to the same physical plane was not supported by Jesus. Jesus did support the assertion that there is a great impassable gulf that separates the place of the living and the dead. |
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What's stopping someone from obtaining my wallet address and stealing from me?
It seems to me that once you have the actual address you can pretend to be that person with any other wallet application out there.
You're new here, aren't you.  |
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Investing in BFL hardware doesn't seem any more risky than investing in BTC in the first place. It's a gamble. Don't put in more than you can stand to lose.
Bitcoin isn't vaporware. |
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