Today I received a second confirmation of what is wrong with my hand.

AtheistReader comments on Nov 19, 2018:

Ouch.

Sadly true.

AtheistReader comments on Nov 22, 2018:

Hmmmm. Then it is either I have a shitty heart, or all my friends are beggars, liars, etc.... Not sure which is the most offensive part about that statement...

Help. Is it worth it turning down everything I believed since I was born in this world?

AtheistReader comments on Nov 23, 2018:

I used to be a devout catholic. I became an atheist. The transition took a long time, but it wasn't like I consciously tried to be one. Everyone's experience and values are different. I can't answer what might be "worth it" for you. But we can certainly hear your thoughts, and let you know that you are not alone in this.

Do you believe?

AtheistReader comments on Nov 30, 2018:

That I am.

Question 5: When did you last sing to yourself? To someone else?

AtheistReader comments on Dec 4, 2018:

8 months or so ago. In a karaoke.

The Classic Holiday Movie 'Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer' Is Now Being Called Abusive And ...

AtheistReader comments on Dec 6, 2018:

Most fairy tales are rooted in then existing social values, and therefore problematic when those values expire....

Well, I thought I'd get your guys' thoughts on this: Those of you who know me well enough know ...

AtheistReader comments on Dec 7, 2018:

To my understanding, psychopathy is not a mental disorder in DSM. It is a scale developed by Dr. Robert Hare, to categorize a special constellation of personality traits that he found to be meaningful, in measuring anti-social traits... It is said to be diminish with age. What did they tell you about this "diagnosis"?

Let us speak of heresy.

AtheistReader comments on Dec 19, 2018:

I've never believed in free speech for the sake of free speech. And speech is regulated already to some extent. I agree that the politicians should be held accountable to what they say, based on facts. But that is called the election and democracy. How else can it be regulated? That is the role supposedly belonging to the free press, the counterpart of the free speech. But the press is not free. This is just a matter of power imbalance. That needs to be solved.

Finally, a reason to look forward to going to work. [meaww.com]

AtheistReader comments on Jan 18, 2019:

Lol. Now if I see a happy colleague at work.....

Seeing as the worlds going to end in 12 years we might as well enjoy the time we have left.

AtheistReader comments on Jan 24, 2019:

We have a remarkable capacity to fall into self-delusions and willful ignorance. https://www.businessinsider.com/global-warming-point-of-no-return-temperature-2018-8 "The new study calculates that if the world's governments don't initiate a transition to clean energy sources by 2035 — meaning that the share of renewables starts to grow by at least 2% each year — we'll almost certainly pass that point of no return. The exact year could change, according to the researchers' model, if new technology can remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, or if we see quicker growth in renewables. But no matter what, the deadline is coming soon." If we don't get our heads out of our collective asses, we may be fucked. But hey, it won't be MY problem, right?

Daily Blasphemy: To me, the very idea of the Holy Trinity is horse-shit.

AtheistReader comments on Jan 27, 2019:

Those are three of my favorites.

What's your Haram score?

AtheistReader comments on Jan 30, 2019:

Hmmmm.. It would be much easier if I count the scores of the things that I had done within one hour period. Wait.... Ok, it's not that different...

The socialist snowplow...

AtheistReader comments on Feb 9, 2019:

We could use some socialist snow plows here in Seattle.

I’ve been dating this guy for a little over a month.

AtheistReader comments on Feb 14, 2019:

Yeah, well, I was always afraid that if I pushed too much too soon I would come across as needy. I don't know the level of communication you both have regarding each other. Would you say that you have both established that you are both pretty committed to each other in an exclusive or semi-exclusive relationship? I know I sucked in dating, but not knowing what the status is, I would be very careful about what to do in a relationship that is only about a month old..... It could simply mean that he didn't want to push it too much. But hey, what do I know.. take this with a grain of salt. But I don't think you should feel "shallow." I think "getting something" was more a symbol of deeper feelings. I don't think it is ever shallow to be wanted and loved.

I like this video, however I'm open to the idea I might be missing something. [m.facebook.com]

AtheistReader comments on Apr 1, 2019:

Same here. I thought it was solidly done. Good affirmative proposals...

Difference among the progressive parties in the U.

AtheistReader comments on Apr 19, 2019:

So, among all the progressive parties out there, the Green Party is the strongest contender? What was the Green Party's reasoning behind putting up a separate presidential candidate in 2016? Was it because the party believed that Hillary would definitely win regardless of what happened? If not, wasn't that decision a bit irresponsible?

Seeing that we are all atheists agnostics what makes a person choose good over evil?

AtheistReader comments on May 8, 2019:

Social conditioning?

"Beliefs define how we see the world and act within it; without them, there would be no plots to ...

AtheistReader comments on Jun 3, 2019:

This is more of an epistemological discussion. Without defining what it means to "know," this "belief as the foundation of knowledge" proposition is .... meaningless.

Ignorance is a Choice

AtheistReader comments on Jun 7, 2019:

I have to agree with those who say it isn't exactly a choice. I think ignorance is an artificially created condition, carefully orchestrated, but somewhat willingly consumed.

if there is not God, I would like to know where did everything come from?

AtheistReader comments on Jul 2, 2019:

The same place God would have come from. That is, if there is God, where did He (She?) come from? Can you give me a scientific answer. No, screw that. Can you give me a religious answer?

I came across the word "soul" in a book I'm reading and wondered if the word (aside from relating to...

AtheistReader comments on Jul 11, 2019:

This is a matter of materialism vs. idealism (or spiritualism), isn't it? Soul isn't necessarily a religious term, if a religion is defined by a belief in some higher beings. The idea of soul is that it is some non-material essence of a person, that may or may not continue to exist after death. I am a materialist, and that means I don't believe in "soul" as defined. What I believe to be "soul" is the "programming" of our natural and physical self. Intelligence and self-awareness based on the complexity and the organization of the arrangements of the matter that make up our bodies.

Are people that don't reason humans?

AtheistReader comments on Aug 10, 2019:

I would disagree that is the defining characteristic.

Is there an easy answer to the old question "Is religion useful, useless or detrimental?

AtheistReader comments on Aug 19, 2019:

I think your question assumes that there is one single entity that the usefulness of "religions" can be measured. Useful to whom and detrimental to whom? The religion is a self-replicating set of ideas, and if it is good at self-replicating, and if it benefits the powerful sectors of its hosts, it doesn't necessarily mean that it is "beneficial" to everyone in general. If you look at pre-jesus hebrew religion, the religious elites maintained power, using the religions as a reason why they should wield the power. If the religion benefits the ruling class to persist in their rules, and the ruling class as a result of the religion continue to florish, is it beneficial or detrimental? Is it useful or useless?

This post is for fun and philosophical thought: If you could change lives with ONE person in the ...

AtheistReader comments on Aug 20, 2019:

Kublai Khan?

❤️You are holding a cup of coffee when someone comes along and bumps into you or shakes your ...

AtheistReader comments on Nov 19, 2019:

Yeah well what's in my cup isn't as important as what I spilled them on. And they are not entirely on my choices.

Alright, alright! Everybody has a bitch! Tell me - what have you done to further the age of ...

AtheistReader comments on Dec 9, 2019:

Nothing. You can't blame me for it.

Not knowing that Gods and Devils are made up fictional characters is like not knowing that ...

AtheistReader comments on Feb 21, 2020:

How here is a great example of how this fiction crosses the thin line into the realm of fraud. https://www.newsweek.com/bush-ethics-lawyer-paula-white-1471524

I will vote.

AtheistReader comments on Sep 29, 2020:

There is a bit of "vote-fetishism" in this country. We are so indoctrinated into the concept of "market place of ideas" that we become passive consumers of political platform; they create it, and we choose the ones we like the most. We have to understand that we should be the creators of the political platforms and agendas. We are not passive consumers, but should be active creators of the public forum and opinions. In order to get there, we have to realize that we, to varying degrees, are prisoners of the shared beliefs that may or may not match with the external realities. In the 70's there was a popular slogan, "Question Authority." I think it should be, in our times, "Question Capitalism."

I would like to submit the idea that religion IS politics.

AtheistReader comments on Oct 7, 2020:

"The personal is political." - Carol Hanisch- It has always been political. I agree. "Politics" is not a four-letter word :) It is how the power and wealth are distributed and controlled. We can ignore it, but we can't avoid it.