A blog by Tom Sheepandgoats (aka Tom Harley)
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Anecdotal Evidence and Science
In May of 2020, no hope was held out for victims of Covid-19. The “warp speed” development of a vaccine had not yet landed. Sufferers were advised bedrest and fluids at home. They were only to enter the hospital if they were almost dead (which in most cases would finish off the job for them), President Trump then described a letter he had received: “I…
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Exposing an Inordinate Trust in Science
In the days of ‘Me Too’ a common endorsement of anyone leveling an accusation was ‘Why would she lie?’ I’m almost at that point now with conspiracy theories, so many of them have turned out true. I’m almost at the point (but not quite) of saying that the burden of proof should be upon those denying them, not those asserting them, so awry has gone…
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Qualifications and the New World Translation
What were the qualifications of the men who translated the NWT into English? It’s a common query from those who don’t care for Jehovah’s Witnesses, hoping to embarrass. Just who are these translators, anyway? Do they have letters trailing their name? Do they really know any language besides Pig Latin? Perhaps the Witnesses will admit that they didn’t really use translators at all, but hired…
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An Equal and Opposite Expert
Arthur C. Clarke is the wit who coined the expression, “For every expert there exists an equal and opposite expert.” He may have thought he was arranging a meeting of the two when he introduced Carl Sagan to Stanley Kubrick. They were both experts, and if their respective areas of expertise, science and filmmaking, are not exactly opposites, they will do for the purposes of…
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The Accusations of 2 Corinthians 7:2
You can see the same accusations of today at 2 Corinthians 7:2 “We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one.” Why would the apostle Paul say this other than to counter accusations that they had? The C-word is the latest twist in a narrative that has always been. It was the case when Paul visited Rome…
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The Potter Molds the Clay—Jeremiah 18
(see Part 1) Though the world contain scoundrels a’plenty, though even in the congregation ones are not immune to falling away, the apostle says, “But in your case, beloved ones, we are convinced of better things, things related to salvation, even though we are speaking in this way.” (Hebrews 6:9) Yes. Of course. The potter molds the clay and you hope for the best. It…
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Committing the Sin of Eisegesis—Reading Today into Yesterday
The preamble is clear. God says to his people: “Turn back, please, from your bad ways, and reform your ways and your practices.” “But they said: “It is hopeless! For we will walk after our own thoughts, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his wicked heart.” (Jeremiah 18:12) It’s a tricky verse, for it seems to indicate inner conflict. As…
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Everlasting Life: A Bore? Part 1 and 2
Part 1: When they asked physicist Robert Jastrow about living forever—would it be a blessing or a curse?—he said ‘it all depends.’ “It would be a blessing to those who have curious minds and an endless appetite for learning. The thought that they have forever to absorb knowledge would be very comforting for them. But for others who feel they have learned all there is…
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Conscience, the July 19 2026 Watchtower Study, and Child Sexual Abuse
Prior to the meeting, I met up with the Watchtower Study conductor in the parking lot. He told me of the Jiminy Cricket tune from 1940, Always Let Your Conscience be Your Guide. He had somehow run across it as something that fit in well with the Study to come: Your Conscience—Use Bible Principles to Train It. During the Study, he might just show snippets…
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Endless Grad Students to Propel Evolution
Endless graduate students propelled by endless grant dollars explore every vestage of evolution theory. No nook is too obscure for someone to make a doctorate out of. All are programmed in the purely material Few thing to break from the mold. All are proclaiming their quest for truth. All equate their decisions to chemical reactions and somehow imagine such chemical reactions can discern “truth.” Not…