Where do you draw the line between run-of-the-mill Bible Thumpers and Cults?

ChestRockfield comments on Jan 12, 2018:

To be honest, I think "regular" religious people are more dangerous to society at large.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 13, 2018:

@buck1977 Plus, without moderates, extremists lose their ability to gain members, support, and funds. Imagine how the world would view someone who believes in one of mankind's dead gods, and proselytized about how he was going to smite those that don't believe and repent. Is he really going to convince anyone to do anything other than maybe offer him their leftovers? That's how all cult members would be viewed if there were no "regular" believers.

Is this an agnostic site or a dating site? ????

ChestRockfield comments on Jan 12, 2018:

I can't find a compatible woman on the biggest dating sites, not sure a site whose target audience is only 7% of the population is going to have the peeps to support a dating component.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 13, 2018:

@FrayedBear That is a stupid saying; it's full or empty depending on whether you are drinking or pouring. Anyway, I don't know what the world population of atheists has to do with anything. I highly doubt I'm falling in love with someone I can't even understand.

How do I tell my family I'm an atheist?

ScottAHurst comments on Jan 11, 2018:

I don't know how much you have had a chance to read or watch videos from your new community. There is a lot of wonderful stuff out there. They can be useful two ways, as you more fully explore the world view you will be more eloquent in answering their questions and be more confident to do so. ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 12, 2018:

@ScottAHurst Did anyone else get so annoyed by the double negative (and the victory bell nonsequitur) that they had to turn that video off?

How do I tell my family I'm an atheist?

ReadyforaChange comments on Jan 12, 2018:

Why do you have to say anything at all? You don't owe them an explanation...it's your life.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 12, 2018:

Yeah, when they come to him and explain why they don't believe in unicorns, he can just say "Ditto, but for your god".

Trump and Pence race off a cliff. Who wins?

KKGator comments on Jan 12, 2018:

The whole country!

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 12, 2018:

Not everyone. There are a handful of people that are benefiting tremendously from the Trump presidency.

Since joining this site, I've seen an excessive amount of posts referencing choice in the held ...

icolan comments on Jan 7, 2018:

Most people believe what they are taught and never challenge it, for them it was a choice made by someone else. Some make the choice to change their beliefs between the existing religions. For those of us who have escaped it was a choice to not believe, we made the choice to follow rationality and...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 12, 2018:

@icolan You are wrong about that. Your subconscious mind works as sort of a "black box" and evaluates potentially millions of bits of information in fractions of a second and "tells" your consciousness the answer. Anything you think is conscious decision making is actually just rationalization. Sam Harris has several cited and linked in his book Free Will, plus it's a great, short read.

There's a woman named Joyce M Short who believes if someone is lied to before consenting to sex, the...

JohnnyThorazine comments on Jan 12, 2018:

If that lie is, "no, I don't have any sexually transmitted diseases", I think you should be prosecuted for giving someone a disease. Other then that, not sure what lie constitutes prosecution. HE/SHE WAS NOT A VIRGO!!! TO THE PENS WITH HIM/HER!!!

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 12, 2018:

That example was not brought up in our argument, but she would say that if the person who said they were a Virgo knowing it would get the person looking for a Virgo into bed, it would invalidate their consent and it would be rape.

There's a woman named Joyce M Short who believes if someone is lied to before consenting to sex, the...

Sarahroo29 comments on Jan 12, 2018:

I'm a little confused. Can you give a better example please?

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 12, 2018:

Literally, any example you can think of would count, because she believes any lie can potentially invalidate consent. If you need an example: a man lying about having had a vasectomy would mean that the woman consented to sex with someone different than who she had sex with, thus, the sex was rape.

Since joining this site, I've seen an excessive amount of posts referencing choice in the held ...

icolan comments on Jan 7, 2018:

Most people believe what they are taught and never challenge it, for them it was a choice made by someone else. Some make the choice to change their beliefs between the existing religions. For those of us who have escaped it was a choice to not believe, we made the choice to follow rationality and...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 12, 2018:

@icolan Zero. All decisions are made in the subconscious, then the conscious mind is made aware of them. There are reproducible scientific experiments that have proved this.

You have any sick friend's that need help?

azzow2 comments on Jan 12, 2018:

Is a tough disease. Many years back before( Al Gore invented the internet LOL) I spent many hours in the library. A friend of mine was diagnosed with MS so I wanted to better explain what it was to him. In my search I had discovered that they have known since the early 1960's that cancer is a virus....

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 12, 2018:

@azzow2 Cancer is a cell. Viruses are not. Quite different.

You have any sick friend's that need help?

sassygirl3869 comments on Jan 12, 2018:

My ex husband who lives in my house had a tumor in his spine removed 3 years ago and has prostate cancer, lymphademia, heart failure, diabetes, copd, and degenerative disk disease. I have a nursing asst come in during the week. Since he is hospital bed bound I bring him breakfast and dinner. We ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 12, 2018:

@sassygirl3869 Eew. Fuck that. If someone in that bad of shape doesn't recognize that Trump's policies are horrible for those that have the greatest need, I'd kick his stupid ass to the curb so he can learn for himself. Hopefully he won't be around in 3 years to vote for him again.

You have any sick friend's that need help?

azzow2 comments on Jan 12, 2018:

Is a tough disease. Many years back before( Al Gore invented the internet LOL) I spent many hours in the library. A friend of mine was diagnosed with MS so I wanted to better explain what it was to him. In my search I had discovered that they have known since the early 1960's that cancer is a virus....

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 12, 2018:

@azzow2 While there are some viruses that can cause cancer, only about a seventh of all cancer cases are caused by a virus or bacteria. Cancer is ultimately caused by genetic mutation.

Since joining this site, I've seen an excessive amount of posts referencing choice in the held ...

DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 7, 2018:

Christopher Hitchens one said, "Atheism is not chosen, it is discovered". One can not choose ones beliefs. One can look at the facts and ones understanding will be affected.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 12, 2018:

@DavidLaDeau Yes. In my head, the first example I was thinking about people who believe in free will, but I guess theists are just as good of an example.

Since joining this site, I've seen an excessive amount of posts referencing choice in the held ...

meerasate comments on Jan 7, 2018:

I love this question. I think about it All. The. Time. I tend to believe in determinism (a belief I didn't choose lol) but I'm always open to evidence to the contrary.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 12, 2018:

@meerasate Thank you. I would love to hear the rest of your thoughts on the subject and what influenced you.

Since joining this site, I've seen an excessive amount of posts referencing choice in the held ...

hlfsousa comments on Jan 7, 2018:

We choose what we are exposed to, at least to an extent. And what we are exposed to heavily influences what we believe. So yes, in a way we do choose what to believe.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 12, 2018:

@hlfsousa Except that we're not. You are no more in control of the next thought that pops into your head as you are of the next one that pops into mine. How you feel about any aspects of what you think you're pondering is completely a product of everything that you have experienced coupled with the physical and chemical composition of your brain. I don't think it's really too technical to play the "Why" game kids play where they ask you why indefinitely until you are finally left saying, "I don't know". All of those "I don't knows" you always reach are the proof that every "decision" you ever make is a result of things outside of your control.

Since joining this site, I've seen an excessive amount of posts referencing choice in the held ...

DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 7, 2018:

Christopher Hitchens one said, "Atheism is not chosen, it is discovered". One can not choose ones beliefs. One can look at the facts and ones understanding will be affected.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 12, 2018:

I'd like to add that the second part is not necessarily true. People look at facts all the time without being affected by them whatsoever. There are also people that look at works of pure fiction and it changes their entire world.

Since joining this site, I've seen an excessive amount of posts referencing choice in the held ...

icolan comments on Jan 7, 2018:

Most people believe what they are taught and never challenge it, for them it was a choice made by someone else. Some make the choice to change their beliefs between the existing religions. For those of us who have escaped it was a choice to not believe, we made the choice to follow rationality and...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 11, 2018:

@icolan That is a huge contradiction. "Consciously or not, we make the choice"?? You think that subconscious decisions are a choice?

I deleted my Facebook several months ago.

HeathenFarmer comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Facebook is just a tool you need to know how to use it and when to use it, the problem is that, too many people come to think of it as their life.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 11, 2018:

@HeathenFarmer Your original comment seemed to be saying that the reason I couldn't tolerate it was because *I* was using it incorrectly. The only thing I need to keep up on, apparently, is how poorly people use pronouns.

I deleted my Facebook several months ago.

buck1977 comments on Jan 8, 2018:

the elimination of ignorance starts with identifying it....FB allows the crazies a platform where more people can ridicule them into silence...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 10, 2018:

@buck1977 I'm not the one with the cryptic, pseudo-racist comments.

I'm getting hit with stupid at work too.

Jello_vero comments on Jan 10, 2018:

Omnivores are allowed to eat meat AND want the animal to be treated humanely. Those desires are not mutually exclusive.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 10, 2018:

Saying you want people who mistreat one animal to go to jail while actively contributing to the mistreatment of others is hypocritical and annoying as fuck, regardless of their desires.

Since joining this site, I've seen an excessive amount of posts referencing choice in the held ...

josmi6699 comments on Jan 7, 2018:

Personally I think that for a lot of issues, believing is just the lazy way out. The alternative is thinking, thinking hard, desperately trying to find answers, having incredibly complex things make your brain explode. Ahhh, how much easier it is to believe!

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 10, 2018:

@josmi6699 There is no difference. If anyone can, they all could. Also, just because you think your reasoning process is better (even if it may be) doesn't change the fact that what you end up believing (regardless of how long you think you put it off or how much thinking you did on the subject) was still governed by things outside of your control. Also, your last comment is not the same as the first. In the last you admit to having beliefs you were guided to by thinking, in the first, you insinuated you didn't and were in a constant state of contemplation.

I deleted my Facebook several months ago.

buck1977 comments on Jan 8, 2018:

the elimination of ignorance starts with identifying it....FB allows the crazies a platform where more people can ridicule them into silence...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 10, 2018:

@buck1977 I think you mean *we* do. Not explaining what you meant after someone tells you it sounded super racist can't be 0% your fault...

I deleted my Facebook several months ago.

HeathenFarmer comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Facebook is just a tool you need to know how to use it and when to use it, the problem is that, too many people come to think of it as their life.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 10, 2018:

@HeathenFarmer Did you forget what this post was about??

I deleted my Facebook several months ago.

HeathenFarmer comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Facebook is just a tool you need to know how to use it and when to use it, the problem is that, too many people come to think of it as their life.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 9, 2018:

@HeathenFarmer You have a smartphone that has FB messenger, but you don't text, or you messenger them from your computer because you don't have a cell at all?

I deleted my Facebook several months ago.

buck1977 comments on Jan 8, 2018:

the elimination of ignorance starts with identifying it....FB allows the crazies a platform where more people can ridicule them into silence...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 9, 2018:

@buck1977 That was either the most classist/racist post I've read on this site since joining, or we seriously have a breakdown in communication. Can you please explain what that comment was supposed to mean?

Will you help me settle this debate with my friend: can a Christian be a freethinker?

Druvius comments on Jan 8, 2018:

I'm an ignostic episcopalian. I'm a free thinker. Happy to answer your question for you.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 9, 2018:

@Druvius I'm not defining it, the tenets of faith are. Saying you are two things in an effort to prove those things can coexist (you said you were a freethinker and a Christian) and then backing out and saying that you're not one of the things (not a believer in the divinity of Jesus) is a waste of everyone's time. Plus the "God bless" is pretty non-freethinkery of you...

Phone rings blocked number.

sassygirl3869 comments on Jan 9, 2018:

Fake Microsoft Guy what is his purpose in the story? What was his goal?

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 9, 2018:

They get you to give them remote access to your computer, then they lock you out of it and make you buy gift cards to chain stores and send them the number to unlock it. Basically, they virtually steal your computer and make you pay ransom to get it back, all over the phone from another country so we can't even find them and arrest them.

Phone rings blocked number.

jlynn37 comments on Jan 9, 2018:

He is trying to get you to send money so he can fix imaginary issue on your computer. Microsoft does NOT call ANYONE concerning computer problems. If you have a Microsoft computer and you have problems, YOU call Microsoft.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 9, 2018:

Have you ever tried to find a number to call when you need help? Impossible.

WHAT'S YOUR POSITION ON ABORTION ?

Charles1971 comments on Dec 25, 2017:

Personally I don't believe that I nor anyone else, including the government or religion, has any say in the medical decisions of another person. The decision to have an abortion should be between a woman and her doctor. There should not be any waiting period unless the doctor believes that having an...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 9, 2018:

@Charles1971 Correct, you don't believe in free speech. Neither do I. And if you want to not believe in a woman's freedom to choose as well, that's up to you. And you can call it argumentative, but I have a problem seeing someone label himself as one thing when he's clearly not. Furthermore, because there are other people and factors in the 'obtaining an abortion' freedom, it is not on the same footing as the freedom of speech. By putting the 21-week restriction on it, you necessarily also put other restrictions in place as well. If you don't know what TRAP laws are, I beg you to go read about them. Seriously, if you read about them and don't agree that if legislators were doing shit like that to subvert your rights you'd be outraged, I will shut the fuck up after this post. They use what rational people like you feel are fair, common-sense restrictions to completely deny a woman her rights. One example is when pro-life organizations set up "abortion clinics" in areas that have 21-week laws on the books, only to lure women in and lie to them about the reason they need to postpone their procedure (most often they "have a fever"). They string them along until their 21-week mark and then the woman is no longer legally allowed to get an abortion. So no, restrictions on free speech are not the same as restrictions on abortion. Not allowing you to scream "fire" in a crowded building doesn't get parlayed into you not being allowed to scream "fire" while playing Call of Duty. And yes, my analogy was correlative. You comparing 'baby took a breath' with 'fetus could potentially breathe and live outside of the womb' as points on a 'when you can abort scale' is analogous to comparing 'bombs could drop' and 'bombs already dropped' as both being on a 'when you can abort scale'.

Will you help me settle this debate with my friend: can a Christian be a freethinker?

Druvius comments on Jan 8, 2018:

I'm an ignostic episcopalian. I'm a free thinker. Happy to answer your question for you.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 9, 2018:

@Druvius Being a member of a church community is not the same thing as being a member of its faith. Does signing up on an atheist website mean someone is an atheist?

Since joining this site, I've seen an excessive amount of posts referencing choice in the held ...

josmi6699 comments on Jan 7, 2018:

Personally I think that for a lot of issues, believing is just the lazy way out. The alternative is thinking, thinking hard, desperately trying to find answers, having incredibly complex things make your brain explode. Ahhh, how much easier it is to believe!

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 9, 2018:

@josmi6699 That is not true at all, there are plenty of things you and I (and most other people) would agree are incontrovertibly true, yet somehow, there are still people that don't believe them. None of any of that, however, has anything to do with the topic at hand. We are discussing whether one can choose those beliefs.

Since joining this site, I've seen an excessive amount of posts referencing choice in the held ...

Eponymous comments on Jan 7, 2018:

Yes, of course we can chose what to think, what to believe and what we manifest. I say I'm going to comment on this post, then put down my phone and then go to sleep. Then I do it. I'm manifesting my reality. I'm not praying for guidance, and supplicating to a deity to aid me my decisions. I decide ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 9, 2018:

@Eponymous But if you can choose what to think and feel, why not just choose to be happy about it, then you don't even have to compare it to bad stuff to get over it.

Since joining this site, I've seen an excessive amount of posts referencing choice in the held ...

Sophialyn comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Maybe I’m missing the point, but yes...belief is a choice.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 9, 2018:

@Sophialyn So just a case of intellectual dishonesty? Can you choose to believe something that direct observable evidence is telling you is false?

Will you help me settle this debate with my friend: can a Christian be a freethinker?

ChestRockfield comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Going by the definition, you cannot. Some have claimed that you can be and that's how they transitioned. I do not believe this to be true. Just because the journey may seem longer than an instant, it's really not. Kind of like being pregnant, whatever your definition of pregnancy is, you are ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 9, 2018:

@Castlepaloma I have no idea what your comment is about...

I love being Agnostic. Everything is better.

ChestRockfield comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Not for me. My pool of potential mates is incredibly small because I don't want children. Being an agnostic atheist has just made things even worse for me. I wish I could have just stayed a believer to give me a little bit of a chance.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 9, 2018:

@Agnostic_chick It's not, actually.

I'm getting hit with stupid at work too.

Donwelty comments on Jan 9, 2018:

According to many, there was no death before Eve ate the apple. Maybe they only ate fruit. Maybe they did not have sex either because that was something they did know. Adam didn't know Eve til after the apple. What the heck did they do all day? Maybe God did not want the writers of Genesis to ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 9, 2018:

Did this get posted on the right thread??

WHAT'S YOUR POSITION ON ABORTION ?

Plainjane comments on Nov 19, 2017:

I think that any man who thinks a bad decision should lead to a lifelong sentence of resentment, guilt and an unwanted child should maybe go through what a woman has to go through before making such a statement. It's easy to sit there and judge and make blanket statements " it takes 2", " if ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 9, 2018:

"I think that any man who thinks a bad decision should lead to a lifelong sentence of resentment, guilt and an unwanted child..." I don't understand why that doesn't apply to both sexes?

WHAT'S YOUR POSITION ON ABORTION ?

Zster comments on Nov 19, 2017:

I think its awful to need one or to have to contemplate one, though I honestly do not see it as "murder" if the embryo cannot survive on it's own. What I do NOT understand is also blocking access to birthcontrol. It's as if folks WANT to beat ladies up over abortion when pregnancy is preventable. ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 9, 2018:

To clarify, if a woman were to have an abortion at 23 weeks, you believe she should be charged with murder?

Since joining this site, I've seen an excessive amount of posts referencing choice in the held ...

josmi6699 comments on Jan 7, 2018:

Personally I think that for a lot of issues, believing is just the lazy way out. The alternative is thinking, thinking hard, desperately trying to find answers, having incredibly complex things make your brain explode. Ahhh, how much easier it is to believe!

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 9, 2018:

@josmi6699 See, we were using it differently. Your last statement where you defined beliefs is more the definition of faith, and your "fact-based insight" is a type of belief. A belief can be based on a lot of evidence, bad evidence, or no evidence at all.

I'm getting hit with stupid at work too.

Annaleda comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Abuse and humane killing are two different things. Too bad you can’t see that. It seems to me that you make your choice to not eat meat on an emotional level.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 9, 2018:

@Annaleda So you can only use a hashtag if the post is related to that thing and you take a pro stance, got it.

Will you help me settle this debate with my friend: can a Christian be a freethinker?

Druvius comments on Jan 8, 2018:

I'm an ignostic episcopalian. I'm a free thinker. Happy to answer your question for you.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 9, 2018:

@Druvius How exactly are you Episcopalian if you don't?

Since joining this site, I've seen an excessive amount of posts referencing choice in the held ...

Sophialyn comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Maybe I’m missing the point, but yes...belief is a choice.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 9, 2018:

@Sophialyn You're confusing saying you believe in Santa Claus with actually believing in Santa Claus.

WHAT'S YOUR POSITION ON ABORTION ?

Charles1971 comments on Dec 25, 2017:

Personally I don't believe that I nor anyone else, including the government or religion, has any say in the medical decisions of another person. The decision to have an abortion should be between a woman and her doctor. There should not be any waiting period unless the doctor believes that having an...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 9, 2018:

@Charles1971 Also, it's disingenuous to try to compare my definition of when the baby takes a breath with yours as if they're just different points on the same scale, they are not. To claim that they are is like saying you can abort an air strike after you've already dropped the bombs.

WHAT'S YOUR POSITION ON ABORTION ?

Charles1971 comments on Dec 25, 2017:

Personally I don't believe that I nor anyone else, including the government or religion, has any say in the medical decisions of another person. The decision to have an abortion should be between a woman and her doctor. There should not be any waiting period unless the doctor believes that having an...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 9, 2018:

@Charles1971 That's fine that that's your position, but you should definitely not describe yourself pro-choice, as you are actively advocating a partial ban on abortion.

I deleted my Facebook several months ago.

buck1977 comments on Jan 8, 2018:

the elimination of ignorance starts with identifying it....FB allows the crazies a platform where more people can ridicule them into silence...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 9, 2018:

@buck1977 Again, I wish that were true. Do you not think that taking away Healthcare from millions of people constitutes a form of burning their neighborhood down?

I deleted my Facebook several months ago.

HeathenFarmer comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Facebook is just a tool you need to know how to use it and when to use it, the problem is that, too many people come to think of it as their life.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 9, 2018:

@HeathenFarmer I'm not telling other people to delete their Facebook pages, but don't you have your real friends phone numbers?

Will you help me settle this debate with my friend: can a Christian be a freethinker?

mzee comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Many people I Know are Christian by label only; going thru the motions, be it out of habit, family, social or other reasons.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

That's just semantics. Am I a Catholic because my mom had me baptized into the Catholic Church, or am I not a Catholic because I do not believe in God or any Catholic/Christian teachings whatsoever?

Will you help me settle this debate with my friend: can a Christian be a freethinker?

Hellbent comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Once you become a freethinker you have stopped being a Christian.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

Wow, you said it with a lot fewer words than me.

Will you help me settle this debate with my friend: can a Christian be a freethinker?

Druvius comments on Jan 8, 2018:

I'm an ignostic episcopalian. I'm a free thinker. Happy to answer your question for you.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

I'm confused, how can you believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ while at the same time claiming it is absurd to even propose to have a conception of god?

Will you help me settle this debate with my friend: can a Christian be a freethinker?

twitch comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Could be a free thinker about anything which isn't related to religion (though there aren't really that many things this would apply to, since an omnipotent god would trump science, and everything is tied together by science)...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

I don't think one is a freethinker ABOUT individual things, they are just a freethinker, and it applies to everything.

I'm getting hit with stupid at work too.

Annaleda comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Abuse and humane killing are two different things. Too bad you can’t see that. It seems to me that you make your choice to not eat meat on an emotional level.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

@Annaleda Again, what does that have to do with anything? Hashtags are used to denote topics included in a post, not describe personal details about the author. Like I said before, someone using #god is not trying to tell everyone they are a god...

WHAT'S YOUR POSITION ON ABORTION ?

Charles1971 comments on Dec 25, 2017:

Personally I don't believe that I nor anyone else, including the government or religion, has any say in the medical decisions of another person. The decision to have an abortion should be between a woman and her doctor. There should not be any waiting period unless the doctor believes that having an...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

@Charles1971 Is not that I don't like your view it's that you are not supporting it. If you want to have opinions that are contradictory and ill supported, that's fine. Lots of people do. But if you wish to actually examine your beliefs the way you probably did regarding religion, I'd be more than happy to bounce ideas back and forth and challenge you on some things. Good luck either way.

I deleted my Facebook several months ago.

buck1977 comments on Jan 8, 2018:

the elimination of ignorance starts with identifying it....FB allows the crazies a platform where more people can ridicule them into silence...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

@buck1977 You think that's good, but ponder that while you have gerrymandering in mind.

I'm getting hit with stupid at work too.

AccursedHalo comments on Jan 8, 2018:

As a meat eater who takes the good fight to people who abuse animals and keep the animals we eat in horrible condition, she is not stupid. Animal abuse is a felony at least in some states as far as I am aware. I can't stop eating meat because I'm such a picky eater, I've tried going vegan but I ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

@AccursedHalo And I completely understand that and have zero objections to that position. It's the arbitrary and hypocritical shit that drives me fuckin' nuts.

Since joining this site, I've seen an excessive amount of posts referencing choice in the held ...

josmi6699 comments on Jan 7, 2018:

Personally I think that for a lot of issues, believing is just the lazy way out. The alternative is thinking, thinking hard, desperately trying to find answers, having incredibly complex things make your brain explode. Ahhh, how much easier it is to believe!

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

@josmi6699 You think the entire abstract concept of believing is the easy way out, so you don't do it? At all? You hold zero beliefs? I think our wires are still crossed.

WHAT'S YOUR POSITION ON ABORTION ?

JHeyoka comments on Nov 19, 2017:

Woman's body, woman's decision. End of story. I've heard it's awful and wreaks havoc on the body and mind, but that's better than not committing to raising a child because you didn't really want it to exist. I'll never experience that so i can't say, really.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

@Betty I didn't say sign away rights. I said all rights and responsibilities, and the only condition should be that he doesn't get a say in whether to abort the pregnancy. And if you really wanted a disclosure clause added in that made the man provide family history he was aware of or had access to, I'd be totally fine with that. I think we're closing the gap on this, and you wanted to agree to disagree.

I deleted my Facebook several months ago.

JWDiaz comments on Jan 8, 2018:

I'm finding that many people in this site also like to express their opinions, but are very intolerant of other people's opinions. It isn't nearly as bad as Facebook, but give it a year and many of us will be scrambling to find another place to go.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

@JWDiaz Are we to assume then that you think the opinions "white people are superior to all other races" and "women are for making babies and keeping the house, but nothing more" should be tolerated? Good to know.

I'm getting hit with stupid at work too.

AccursedHalo comments on Jan 8, 2018:

As a meat eater who takes the good fight to people who abuse animals and keep the animals we eat in horrible condition, she is not stupid. Animal abuse is a felony at least in some states as far as I am aware. I can't stop eating meat because I'm such a picky eater, I've tried going vegan but I ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

@AccursedHalo Yes, but that designation is arbitrary. In fact, the entire taxonomic system is arbitrary. Some of the animals we eat are far more advanced than some of the animals that we don't, and there's no legitimate reason why one class should be protected and the other shouldn't.

I'm getting hit with stupid at work too.

twshield comments on Jan 8, 2018:

this wounds like a conversation for the younger gens? Did you ear a lot of "LIKE" and "OMG"?

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

A comparative analysis of treatments for different arbitrary classes of animals is too amateurish for you? Like, I'm totally sure you have totes smarter things to dish.

I'm getting hit with stupid at work too.

Annaleda comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Someone is not a hypocrite for wanting humane treatment of non food animals. Ignorance of harvesting practices and knowingly encouraging/accepting of inhumane treatment are two different things. I have a bigger issue with what they do to the meat after harvesting. Soaking in bleach, ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

She is not ignorant regarding the inhumane treatment of her food.

I'm getting hit with stupid at work too.

Benthoven comments on Jan 8, 2018:

I think most of us know that our food is being tortured, and it bothers us. There's nothing unethical about wishing for better treatment for our food. Nor do I see a need to argue with someone who wants a more ethical process in how we treat the animals we eat.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

Maybe my OP was unclear? She eats meat. She knows it's tortured. She has no problem with that and is not fighting for that cause, yet she thinks somebody who abuses an animal should be charged with a felony and thrown in jail. I guess to her it only counts as an animal if it's not one of the ones that we eat in this country.

I'm getting hit with stupid at work too.

Nanart comments on Jan 8, 2018:

At least that person was aware that animal abuse in general is a terrible thing. Hopefully that realization will expand to their eating of dead flesh. I have not eaten meat for about 50 years, but I didn't come to that immediately. I ate meat for the first 20 years of my life. I tell others, ;just ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

See that's the problem she does realize how incredibly terrible butcher houses are and how poorly treated the animals are that she eats, but then doesn't see the correlation between that and animal abuse that she's so worked up about.

I'm getting hit with stupid at work too.

Annaleda comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Abuse and humane killing are two different things. Too bad you can’t see that. It seems to me that you make your choice to not eat meat on an emotional level.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

@Annaleda The post is related to a vegetarian issue that's why there was a hashtag vegetarian. I was not aware that you had to be the thing that the post was about. I've seen several post that had hashtag god yet I'm pretty sure none of the people that were writing those posts were gods.

I'm getting hit with stupid at work too.

HippieChick58 comments on Jan 8, 2018:

That is what the meat industry wants everyone to believe. The reality is gross and one of the reasons I eat less meat.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

@evergreen I hate all hypocritical behavior, this is just the rant of the day.

I love being Agnostic. Everything is better.

ChestRockfield comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Not for me. My pool of potential mates is incredibly small because I don't want children. Being an agnostic atheist has just made things even worse for me. I wish I could have just stayed a believer to give me a little bit of a chance.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

@pfreddie62 Don't get me wrong, I hope I find someone. But it is a fact that being an atheist (and consequently not wanting to date someone who isn't) has reduced my pool of potential mates even more than it already was and I wish that wasn't so.

WHAT'S YOUR POSITION ON ABORTION ?

BobFenner comments on Dec 25, 2017:

It's the law of the land; and rightfully so. It IS up to the individual to decide what to do w/ their own life.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

@BobFenner Okay, I'm not understanding you. It's reading like an ancient proverb or something. You seemed to take issue with me claiming some women have had their autonomy taken away because of the way it was taken away. I asked why that mattered, and I haven't been able to glean a response out of anything you've said since.

WHAT'S YOUR POSITION ON ABORTION ?

JHeyoka comments on Nov 19, 2017:

Woman's body, woman's decision. End of story. I've heard it's awful and wreaks havoc on the body and mind, but that's better than not committing to raising a child because you didn't really want it to exist. I'll never experience that so i can't say, really.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

@Betty So you're saying that a man SHOULD be allowed to sign away rights and responsibilities IF he provides family history information?!? What if he was orphaned and grew up in foster care and doesn't know any of it? You realize that there are tons of humans in the world that have zero family history knowledge, right?

I'm getting hit with stupid at work too.

evergreen comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Yes - many do. Which is how most folks rationalize their choices. I've actually spoken to some that think the flesh products originate in the stores ! Some magic process ... People love to show their children farms, and fruit orchards. Ever wonder why no one wishes to tour a slaughterhouse ? ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

Haven't seen the rest, but I've heard from many people (and I agreed) that after seeing Super-Size Me, all I wanted to do was eat a Big Mac.

Since joining this site, I've seen an excessive amount of posts referencing choice in the held ...

Stevil comments on Jan 7, 2018:

it's your mind. You are the one who controls beliefs

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

@Stevil You are conflating being deluded and choosing to believe something. Can you choose to believe Santa Claus is real??

I'm getting hit with stupid at work too.

AccursedHalo comments on Jan 8, 2018:

As a meat eater who takes the good fight to people who abuse animals and keep the animals we eat in horrible condition, she is not stupid. Animal abuse is a felony at least in some states as far as I am aware. I can't stop eating meat because I'm such a picky eater, I've tried going vegan but I ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

Also, most animal abuse laws do not cover poultry and sometimes all livestock, which is precisely my issue. Why does someone who contributes to chickens getting dipped in boiling water while alive to help get their feathers off get a pass, yet someone who LETS put bulls fight goes to federal prison for year and a half?!?

I'm getting hit with stupid at work too.

HippieChick58 comments on Jan 8, 2018:

That is what the meat industry wants everyone to believe. The reality is gross and one of the reasons I eat less meat.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

That's commendable. Again, though, not my issue. My problem is with the hypocritical behavior.

I'm getting hit with stupid at work too.

Annaleda comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Abuse and humane killing are two different things. Too bad you can’t see that. It seems to me that you make your choice to not eat meat on an emotional level.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

@pfreddie62 I totally agree. That's not my issue. I have a problem with someone who contributes to the lifelong suffering and horribly inhumane slaughter of animals telling someone else they should be charged with a felony and possibly thrown in jail because they left their dog in the car or left their cat outside when it was below freezing.

I'm getting hit with stupid at work too.

AccursedHalo comments on Jan 8, 2018:

As a meat eater who takes the good fight to people who abuse animals and keep the animals we eat in horrible condition, she is not stupid. Animal abuse is a felony at least in some states as far as I am aware. I can't stop eating meat because I'm such a picky eater, I've tried going vegan but I ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

Sorry, I just believe that if you contribute the the torture and death of animals, you have no right to tell someone else how or why they abuse animals is wrong, regardless of why you think your reasons are special.

I'm getting hit with stupid at work too.

Annaleda comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Abuse and humane killing are two different things. Too bad you can’t see that. It seems to me that you make your choice to not eat meat on an emotional level.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

Who said I don't eat meat?

WHAT'S YOUR POSITION ON ABORTION ?

JHeyoka comments on Nov 19, 2017:

Woman's body, woman's decision. End of story. I've heard it's awful and wreaks havoc on the body and mind, but that's better than not committing to raising a child because you didn't really want it to exist. I'll never experience that so i can't say, really.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

@Betty So why exactly did you object to my proposition that men should be allowed to sign away all rights and responsibilities for a child they don't want because they have exactly ZERO PERCENT say in whether or not the fetus is aborted or not?

WHAT'S YOUR POSITION ON ABORTION ?

Charles1971 comments on Dec 25, 2017:

Personally I don't believe that I nor anyone else, including the government or religion, has any say in the medical decisions of another person. The decision to have an abortion should be between a woman and her doctor. There should not be any waiting period unless the doctor believes that having an...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

@Charles1971 "I don't believe that I nor anyone else, including the government or religion, has any say in the medical decisions of another person." "I do think that abortions should only take place before a point in which the fetus could potentially survive outside the womb" Those two statements are contradictory. Either no one should have a say in another person's medical decisions, or there is a time when one can be told they can't make the medical decision they wish. They cannot coexist. So when you say there are limitations on freedoms (like how you can't scream fire in a crowded building) because your freedom will infringe on the freedoms of others, you are essentially saying that taking away the freedom for a woman to abort after 21 weeks is to protect the freedom of the person inside her? I believe the legal cutoff is when the offspring takes a breath. The laws may be location dependant, I'm not sure. But once there is no more additional risk to the mother to carry than to abort, like if the baby is already out of her just connected by the cord, and the cord has to be cut either way, killing the baby on the table would be an obvious over-stepping of the argument for a woman's right to choose. But let's use your 21 week rule for argument's sake. What steps as a society are we willing to take to protect a fetus a woman wants to abort that we won't let her because it's after the cut off? Can we stop her from riding rollercoasters? How about smoking, drinking, or taking fetotoxic (legal) drugs? Can we lock her in a padded room? Force her to get, or stop her from getting a c-section whenever she wants? (I mean, if she's told she can't have an abortion because the fetus could survive on its own, can she just say, "Well, then, cut it out of me.") If she goes on a hunger strike, can we tie her down and feed her through a tube?

WHAT'S YOUR POSITION ON ABORTION ?

SCOTT63 comments on Dec 26, 2017:

I believe it is entirely the woman's business. Personally I am against it. Good thing I will never need one. And if a friend decided to have one, good thing I would be too busy being a supporting caring friend to worry about it.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

@SCOTT63 I know, I was asking why though. Is it because you think it's a person, because you think it has a soul, etc.

Since joining this site, I've seen an excessive amount of posts referencing choice in the held ...

Sophialyn comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Maybe I’m missing the point, but yes...belief is a choice.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

So I'll ask you as well, if belief is a choice, can you choose to believe in Santa Claus?

WHAT'S YOUR POSITION ON ABORTION ?

BobFenner comments on Dec 25, 2017:

It's the law of the land; and rightfully so. It IS up to the individual to decide what to do w/ their own life.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

@BobFenner I don't understand your point...

Reiki

Hominid comments on Jan 7, 2018:

From the standpoint that at the atomic level, *everything* is energy and vibrates at various frequencies (talk to any quantum physicist), it's not too much of a stretch for me to think that living organisms have concentrations of this energy due to the fact that they are *living*. So although it...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

@TheMiddleWay Oh, I know. It was so well said though that I have zero reason to doubt it and would likely forget everything I verified sooner than later because I never use such information in my daily life. Doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the show though.

Since joining this site, I've seen an excessive amount of posts referencing choice in the held ...

Lonely comments on Jan 7, 2018:

Can someone help me to grab the meaning of this post. JeffMurray, can you clarify for me. Are you talking about belief in god or other supernational forces, or about figurative belief in oneself?

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

@Lonely Not at all. I hold tons of beliefs. I believe judging people for arbitrary reasons makes someone a piece of shit. What I'm saying is that I am not the author of those beliefs, and I have no power or freedom to change them. A concise, elementary example for explanatory purposes would be the one that has been used several times on this thread: if you can choose what you believe, that means you are free to choose to believe Santa Claus truly exists. Similarly, you could start believing in god, you could believe the sky is neon green, or any other such claims. The fact is that just because you can pinpoint why in those examples it's out of your control to choose to believe it, but not in others doesn't mean you actually choose those others. I'll give you example of that last part. If I offer you A or B with zero context, and you select one, and I ask you why, you probably can't give me an answer. Likely you'll just say, "I don't know I just did." If I offer you chocolate or vanilla ice cream and then after you start eating one I ask you why you picked it, you may be able to offer me several reasons why. Just because you can verbalize reasons doesn't mean you had conscious control over the choice. Your reasons are actually nothing more than rationalizations for why your subconscious mind picked the vanilla. Most importantly, why would you think you made a conscious decision in one area and not the other?

Since joining this site, I've seen an excessive amount of posts referencing choice in the held ...

josmi6699 comments on Jan 7, 2018:

Personally I think that for a lot of issues, believing is just the lazy way out. The alternative is thinking, thinking hard, desperately trying to find answers, having incredibly complex things make your brain explode. Ahhh, how much easier it is to believe!

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

@josmi6699 You seem to be referring to a specific singular belief. I was taking about the concept of beliefs, and if there's any personal control over them.

Since joining this site, I've seen an excessive amount of posts referencing choice in the held ...

Stevil comments on Jan 7, 2018:

it's your mind. You are the one who controls beliefs

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

@Stevil So then back to my first two questions in this chain with you: Can you choose to believe Santa Claus is real or that the sky is purple with green polka dots?

In a world free of religion, what rules would no longer apply to you?

Bam85 comments on Jan 6, 2018:

In a world void of religion, nothing in my day to day life would change. I would continue on as i do now. I am content.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

@Benmonk Unless there were restrictions on the volume you could buy and if you could gift it to other people, an arbitrary amount of time on any day isn't going to do anything once people learn they need to plan ahead for that period of time.

Since joining this site, I've seen an excessive amount of posts referencing choice in the held ...

GoldenDoll comments on Jan 7, 2018:

I choose not to answer your question.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

@GoldenDoll Dogs suck. Cats are way better.

My mom's religious boyfriend came up with a silly theory he claims 'disproving' evolution.

CarnifexSith comments on Jan 8, 2018:

So he's trying to disprove evolution by claiming the skulls evolved to adapt to brain size?

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

No, that's not what he's saying. He's claiming that reach individual skull's size is directly proportional to the length of time the human was alive, and since the bible stated people lived to be near a thousand years old, their skulls would be much larger.

My mom's religious boyfriend came up with a silly theory he claims 'disproving' evolution.

godef comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Has he told you about dragons and unicorns?

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

You don't even need to exaggerate. There's a talking donkey and snake in the bible...

Does it matter anymore who makes the first move?

daniellaws comments on Jan 8, 2018:

I have a lovely lady and a great family. Neither of these would exist if SHE had not made the first move. Initially I turned her down but she was persistent and not taking no for an answer. She won me over with a strip tease (no straight man or gay/bi woman could have said no after those moves ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

You just think it's a great time because you were lucky and it worked out for you. Try being single with all the stuff going on these days; it's awful.

I deleted my Facebook several months ago.

JWDiaz comments on Jan 8, 2018:

I'm finding that many people in this site also like to express their opinions, but are very intolerant of other people's opinions. It isn't nearly as bad as Facebook, but give it a year and many of us will be scrambling to find another place to go.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

Some opinions are deserving of intolerance...

I deleted my Facebook several months ago.

buck1977 comments on Jan 8, 2018:

the elimination of ignorance starts with identifying it....FB allows the crazies a platform where more people can ridicule them into silence...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

Except that's not what's happening. Instead the crazy shit gets the platform, gains momentum, and convinces others it's correct. (Partially because people like me either stop interacting, block the crazy stuff, or delete the whole thing all together.)

I deleted my Facebook several months ago.

HeathenFarmer comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Facebook is just a tool you need to know how to use it and when to use it, the problem is that, too many people come to think of it as their life.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

Then only "when" I found acceptable was never.

I deleted my Facebook several months ago.

Zster comments on Jan 8, 2018:

I've quit following ALL friends who preach or politicize and joined numerous nonreligious, scientific, and humor groups. The resulting version of FB is much improved, for me for the time being.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

I tried that. I unfollowed and deleted tons of people, but Facebook's algorithms still needed to fill my feed with something so posts of friends of friends showed up with aggravating shit in them that I couldn't let go without saying something. Let's not forget, clicks = money, and pissing people off is one thing Facebook knows gets clicks.

I deleted my Facebook several months ago.

Sir-Roger comments on Jan 8, 2018:

I've been thinking of doing just that but I play many word games and that is the reason I stick with it. Where else can you do that? I am in my latter years (70) and want to keep my mind active for as long as I can. Any suggestions? I have downloaded the Bookworm game which allows me to play for as ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

We bought my mom a Nintendo DS with games precisely for that purpose. You can take it anywhere, too. She lowered her "mental age" by well over a decade. I'd look into it. Nowadays, you can probably get one cheap on eBay or Craigslist.

Since joining this site, I've seen an excessive amount of posts referencing choice in the held ...

Duke comments on Jan 7, 2018:

Of course. We all have our individual thought processes. We all have deductive reasoning capabilities. As we learn, our choices about what we believe can change based on our individual growth by understanding. Unless, of course, you are thinking that we are preordained to think something based ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 8, 2018:

@Duke To say that you could have selected another meat is another way to say that you didn't. And saying "it sounded good at the time" is not the end of this chain of regression. Why did it sound good? Why does ham and cheese produce pleasure your brain from impulses from your tongue but it doesn't other people? Why did you know you liked it/ who fed it to you the first time? Why were you at the grocery store instead of a Chinese take out place? If you honestly investigate, you will invariably come to questions you can't answer or answers that are things outside of your control. I'm not trying to make you mad, I'm just trying to get you to think more in depth about it. My brother had a friend who's mother had depressingly sad taste buds. She hated the taste of almost everything. 98% of what she consumed was a plain hamburger with no condiments and some obscure soft drink I had never heard of. Everything else she tried made her gag. So when she was in the grocery store of a million options, and she picked up ground beef and buns, how much choice did she really have in the matter?

Imagine you could say "take me to Hell" into your GPS. Where on the map would it lead you?

buck1977 comments on Jan 7, 2018:

My version of hell is being sweaty and shirtless and carrying an angry wet cat while listening to gospel music and trying to find a place to take a dump...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 7, 2018:

And hands made out of sandpaper.

Reiki

Hominid comments on Jan 7, 2018:

From the standpoint that at the atomic level, *everything* is energy and vibrates at various frequencies (talk to any quantum physicist), it's not too much of a stretch for me to think that living organisms have concentrations of this energy due to the fact that they are *living*. So although it...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 7, 2018:

@TheMiddleWay That was straight baller. Seriously, dope as fuck. And because I'm definitely not any kind of physicist, without doing some research, I don't even know how right or wrong any of that was. Yet for some reason, it was like watching someone launch a game-winning 3 and turning his back before it even went in.

WHAT'S YOUR POSITION ON ABORTION ?

BobFenner comments on Dec 25, 2017:

It's the law of the land; and rightfully so. It IS up to the individual to decide what to do w/ their own life.

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 7, 2018:

@BobFenner Not all of them are under age. I mentioned how many types of women can be robbed of their autonomy. Regardless, how does it possibly matter what avenue someone uses to take away a woman's access to abortion?

Since joining this site, I've seen an excessive amount of posts referencing choice in the held ...

Stevil comments on Jan 7, 2018:

it's your mind. You are the one who controls beliefs

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 7, 2018:

@Stevil I'm not asking about delusion, I'm asking if you can choose to believe something.

Since joining this site, I've seen an excessive amount of posts referencing choice in the held ...

Crimson67 comments on Jan 7, 2018:

Absolutely. You may be encouraged or taught to believe something when you are young but once you reach the age of maturity we all have the capacity to think and learn so we can alter what we believe. We choose to believe in something or not believe. Take Santa for instance. As children we are ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 7, 2018:

@witchymom Of course they do, but they're not choosing it. That wasn't my question though. Can YOU choose to TRULY believe in the existence of Santa Claus?

Since joining this site, I've seen an excessive amount of posts referencing choice in the held ...

Duke comments on Jan 7, 2018:

Of course. We all have our individual thought processes. We all have deductive reasoning capabilities. As we learn, our choices about what we believe can change based on our individual growth by understanding. Unless, of course, you are thinking that we are preordained to think something based ...

ChestRockfield replies on Jan 7, 2018:

@Duke I'm speaking of ALL advertising, paid and even free (actually free is probably even more influential). But what made you choose ham and cheese? What if it had not occurred to you as an option? You would not have had it today in the exact way that you did not have 8 orders of crab rangoons. You had what you had and didn't have everything else simply because of what did and didn't occur to you, and you simply couldn't have picked otherwise. Where is the freedom in that?