If you ever attended church, did you ever pay tithe?

Coffeo comments on Feb 3, 2018:

Certainly not. 10% is a ridiculous amount. In the church that I attended with my parents, you simply placed a numbered envelope (or cash, if you were not on their books) in the plate. But the quarterly magazine listed donors at the back, except for those requesting anonymity. My parents chose anonymity for themselves and me. We lived in the first street of the parish, and were the first house with occupants that attended that church, so we were given the numbers 1, 2 and 3 so that no one would know who we were. Except nearly anybody who knew where we lived, of course.

National Secular Lobby - Australia -Other thoughts

Coffeo comments on Feb 3, 2018:

I doubt it would have been 100% back then. The problem is too many religious folk find ways to wriggle around it, or even ignore it altogether.

I have seen Washington DC, Walked on its streets, sure it's an enormous city but Portland OR is now ...

Coffeo comments on Feb 3, 2018:

Maybe the aircraft have different descent speeds? Just a thought...

If you are into physics and had the chance to learn about the double slit experiment.

Coffeo comments on Feb 3, 2018:

I've often wondered about the observer. What if the result of the experiment is observed by a dog, or a baby? Does the wave function "collapse" then? I think Relational Quantum Mechanics (RQM) may provide some answers here. The observer is _part of the system_. A different observer is part of a _different system_. It seems to solve a lot of problems. What I have to do now is to try to understand it. :#

How many places have you lived?

Coffeo comments on Feb 2, 2018:

26 years in Belfast, Northern Ireland 3 years in Cambridge, Massachusetts 45 years in Melbourne, Australia That's it, folks!

A very nice car Too many backseat drivers Is the main drawback

Coffeo comments on Feb 2, 2018:

Parking issues?

Satellite News... [youtube.com]

Coffeo comments on Feb 2, 2018:

She talks fast but she doesn't beat about the bush. Quite a good presentation!

Do you remember your dreams?

Coffeo comments on Feb 2, 2018:

When I was much younger (teens) I sometimes remembered dreams in a huge amount of detail, and sometimes wrote them out along with sketches, diagrams and maps. I still have many of these early notes. Sadly, these days I remember very little of my dreams, although kissing Elizabeth Taylor twice remains fairly vivid.

It's good to have an ignore feature, so that if you don't want to read somebody's posts, you can ...

Coffeo comments on Feb 2, 2018:

'Rational faith' seems to me like an oxymoron.

Is it okay to be an agnostic on a site called agnostic.com?

Coffeo comments on Feb 2, 2018:

I'm agnostic, so I don't know.

What countries have you visited, or would like to visit?

Coffeo comments on Feb 2, 2018:

_Lived in:_ UK, USA, Australia. _Visited:_ Ireland, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland (far north, one night only), Canada, Singapore, New Zealand, New Caledonia. _Would really like to visit:_ Spain.

Are You Brave Enough To Share A Photo From Your Childhood?

Coffeo comments on Feb 2, 2018:

This is quite hard because I have hundreds to choose from. Anyway, here's me with my parents in 1952 (I was eight).

Have always wondered....

Coffeo comments on Feb 2, 2018:

And so the child would be part of someone else's experiment, and so on. As Stephen Hawking calls it "turtles all the way down".

What movie can you watch over and over?

Coffeo comments on Feb 1, 2018:

_Slaughterhouse-Five_, a 1972 movie based on Kurt Vonnegut's book of the same name. Vonnegut said of the movie: "I love George Roy Hill and Universal Pictures, who made a flawless translation of my novel Slaughterhouse-Five to the silver screen ... I drool and cackle every time I watch that film, because it is so harmonious with what I felt when I wrote the book."

Who's your Hollywood Icon or pin up?

Coffeo comments on Feb 1, 2018:

I'm sure I'd have one if I could remember the names of any.

Have you ever found yourself embarrassed after asking a question that didn’t quite come out the ...

Coffeo comments on Feb 1, 2018:

This is the Blue Lake in Mount Gambier, which has this vivid colour during the summer months. An attractive woman in our group asked what made it so blue. I replied that it was because of an orgasm in the water.

I know there is some debate about the existence of climate change, however, here in little NZ the ...

Coffeo comments on Feb 1, 2018:

The evidence for climate change is massive. The case for anthropgenic climate change is perhaps harder to make convincingly, but the evidence for it is building all the time. I have suspected both for decades.

Favorite early SF/Fantasy Book

Coffeo comments on Jan 31, 2018:

I remember reading a book by a Welsh author about a sort of doomsday toxic vapor-thing that turned everything to dust and there was only one material that would keep it out. Thing is, I don't remember the title or author. I'd like to find it again; I'd probably regard it now as complete rubbish, though.

Have you ever burned a bible?

Coffeo comments on Jan 31, 2018:

Not allowed to burn rubbish in our suburb.

What’s a petty reason you won’t date a man/woman?

Coffeo comments on Jan 31, 2018:

Would annoy my wife.

Hubble Spotted Something Massive Coming Out Of Uranus | Sci-Tech Universe

Coffeo comments on Jan 31, 2018:

Is there a ring of debris around Uranus?

How can people think that the earth is flat?

Coffeo comments on Jan 31, 2018:

It's weird, isn't it? Why don't they get on the phone to someone in a different time zone and watch the sunset together? Why don't they go on a round-the-world trip (some of them could definitely afford it)? Why didn't they watch the lunar eclipse we just had? Why don't they show us the edge?

Super Blue Blood Moon (Great band name!! Or EMO song!)... [space.com]

Coffeo comments on Jan 31, 2018:

I got out of bed at midnight to see it soon after it entered totality (11.51 pm here). I was glad I saw it, but also glad I didn't have to go beyond my front porch. It wasn't all _that_ spectacular.

Do you take your cookies apart?

Coffeo comments on Jan 31, 2018:

Yes, with my teeth. Makes them easier to swallow.

Fossil Discoveries Challenge Ideas About Earth’s Start

Coffeo comments on Jan 31, 2018:

I like Quanta Magazine. This is an interesting article: thanks for sharing!

Did science help you realize there is no god?

Coffeo comments on Jan 31, 2018:

Yes, Fred Hoyle's _The Nature of the Universe_, which I read in the 1950s, was a strong influence.

Scientist announces a laser so powerful it can tear empty space

Coffeo comments on Jan 30, 2018:

The first thing to note is that this is a very _powerful_ laser, but not a high-energy one. There are a lot more lasers around that could do much more damage than this one. The pulse is so short that you could fit more of these pulses into a minute than there have been minutes since the Big Bang (assuming there was such a thing). So it's hard for me to see a military use for this (but I don't mind betting somebody will). It will certainly open up some new physics, if it works. The article speaks of creating particles out of 'thin air'. This is an unfortunate expression since it suggests that air is involved. These particles would be formed in a hard vacuum, which is a whole lot 'thinner' than air. [I am a retired physicist with a good deal of experience with lasers, albeit of a much more mundane sort than this.]

Jerusalem expert slams Pence for treating his city like an 'end-of-days Biblical theme park'

Coffeo comments on Jan 30, 2018:

God help us all (figure of speech, of course :-) ) if he ever steps into Trump's shoes.

Had a conversation today with someone who asked if the Answers in Genesis Ark Encounter was ...

Coffeo comments on Jan 29, 2018:

Given that the serpent got a pretty bad rap in Eden, is it not surprising that a pair got included in the Ark? (Well, they're around today...)

Do you openly tell your co-workers you're non-religious?

Coffeo comments on Jan 29, 2018:

Well, I'm retired, so I don't have co-workers any more. But when I did, we didn't talk about religion. I had one co-worker who was in the Salvation Army, but he never talked about that, either. As for the others, I have no idea.

How long have you been nonreligious (if agnostic, atheist, secular, etc.)?

Coffeo comments on Jan 29, 2018:

A fairly gradual process for me, but fist serious doubts around 12 years of age.

What kind of laugh do you have?

Coffeo comments on Jan 29, 2018:

At least, I think I chortle. My wife might describe it differenly :-) I have to be very careful about laughing out loud too much, because it makes me cough uncontrollably. (And yes, I have seen doctors and a respiratory physician and I've had scans and tubes stuck down my throat and they found nothing amiss.)

Have you ever dreamed you were reading something?

Coffeo comments on Jan 28, 2018:

No, but I often dream that I'm studying _maps_.

How many of your friends know you are atheist or agnostic?

Coffeo comments on Jan 28, 2018:

I can't answer this poll because my answer isn't there. My answer would be 'hardly any', but it's got nothing to do with my closet door. It's because the subject of religion doesn't usually come up in conversations. We don't pry into others' beliefs.

What color (colour) are you?

Coffeo comments on Jan 28, 2018:

The blue in this photo (north coast of Tasmania).

Tell me something random about you...

Coffeo comments on Jan 28, 2018:

I wrote a novel that almost got accepted by a local publisher. Then another publisher advised me to split it into two, which I did, against my better judgement. But then they still didn't want it, so I published it using the web publisher Lulu. I actually sold two e-book copies and one paperback to person or persons unknown, and got the (not exactly massive) royalties.

Good morning everyone! So a friend of mine responded to a pastors video about a black man asking if...

Coffeo comments on Jan 28, 2018:

Now that the meaning of "smh" has been revealed, just whose head was the woman shaking?

So this is real? Finally a group of my people?

Coffeo comments on Jan 27, 2018:

I had to Google Tom Brady. When I lived in Boston the Patriots' quarterback was Jim Plunkett. That's going back a bit!

Intelligent Design.

Coffeo comments on Jan 27, 2018:

Sounds good, but getting rid of religion would not get rid of self-interest, competition and greed.

To those who were raised in a religious household, what made you abandon your family's beliefs?

Coffeo comments on Jan 27, 2018:

Between the ages of 3 and 12 I lived in a household that consisted only of me, my parents, and my father's aunt (I have no siblings). My parents were church-goers, but (luckily for me) far from fanatical: they went once or twice a month (taking me with them, of course). Only my great-aunt was insufferably religious, but not in an evangelical way, more in a strict Presbyterian sort of way — no games, whistling or excessive noise allowed on Sundays, for instance. I think it was she who started me thinking this whole religion thing wasn't all that great. Then there was Sunday school, which I utterly disliked. It was on Sunday afternoon, so if it was one of those Sundays that I'd been to church in the morning, I'd lost pretty much the whole day. And it involved learning by heart some bible verses and bits of the shorter catechism, which made even less sense than the bible. My great-aunt died when I was 12. I think by that time I was well on the way to being an atheist, and when I found out that Sunday school, unlike day school, wasn't actually compulsory, I simply stopped going. Church itself I didn't mind so much, and I can even remember one sunny, frosty Christmas morning that I practically dragged my parents there. But I was already on what my mother would have seen as the slippery slope away from faith. After a number of months of futile attempts at prayer, following the guide at the back of my hymn-book, and after reading Fred Hoyle's _The Nature of the Universe_, I decided that Christianity was not for me. My mother was very unhappy about it, and always hoped I would 'return to the fold'. My father never expressed an opinion at any stage, as far as I can recall.

Inside Flat Earth International Conference, where everyone believes Earth isn't round

Coffeo comments on Jan 26, 2018:

The visitor from New Zealand crossed many time zones. How does he/she explain that?

If you graduated college, did you feel lost and nervous, unsure of what your future would hold and ...

Coffeo comments on Jan 25, 2018:

Yes, I worried a lot, although it's a long time ago now. My first and second jobs were more or less handed to me, but they were both strictly temporary. My third job was a _much_ bigger hassle, because I did not want yet another temporary position. I found what I was after, but it meant moving to Australia. That made me anxious, but I've had no regrets.

I have a couple of suggestions (or maybe just questions): First, if there is a way to disable the...

Coffeo comments on Jan 24, 2018:

Got caught in the emoji trap myself yesterday. Had to edit to include a space, which looked silly.

"Evangelicals Sacrificing The Future In Search Of The Past?

Coffeo comments on Jan 24, 2018:

This is a very interesting article and offers some grounds for cautious optimism.

What would be the definition of hell to you?

Coffeo comments on Jan 24, 2018:

Practically anything at all that went on forever.

You heathens eat pineapple on pizza?

Coffeo comments on Jan 24, 2018:

Depends entirely on what else is in the topping. Definitely NOT if it's a meat-lover's. Fine with ham etc.

This night I have been thinking about a subject that I wanted to post about.

Coffeo comments on Jan 23, 2018:

I am 74 (as of two days ago), and this sort of thing happens to me quite a lot. The thing I am trying to remember generally comes back to me, though not necessarily at the most opportune time. I don't think the fact that I long ago lost my religious faith has anything whatever to do with it.

What Am I?

Coffeo comments on Jan 23, 2018:

As a scientist, and a physicist at that, I have been impressed with the idea that scientific method is the best approach to solving problems. But in my later years, I have come to recognise this as what some people call 'scientism'. In the final chapter of his book _The Mind of God_, published in 1992, the physicist Paul Davies remarks: 'There is no doubt that many scientists are opposed temperamentally to any form of metaphysical, let alone mystical arguments.' I would put myself in that group of scientists, but perhaps I should be more open-minded. Davies goes on to say: 'We are barred from ultimate knowledge, from ultimate explanation, by the very rules of reasoning that prompt us to seek such an explanation in the first place. If we wish to progress beyond, we have to embrace a different concept of "understanding" from that of rational explanation. Possibly the mystical path is a way to such an understanding. I have never had a mystical experience myself, but I keep an open mind about the value of such experiences. Maybe they provide the only route beyond the limits to which science and philosophy can take us, the only possible path to the Ultimate.' Like Davies, I have never had a mystical experience, and, to be honest, have tended to scoff at the supposed value of such a thing. But now I am less sure. Perhaps I have been wrong.

Introduction - Sydney Skeptic Saying Hello

Coffeo comments on Jan 23, 2018:

Hello and welcome from south of the border!

Milkshakes and Root Beer Floats I’ve heard that root beer and/or sarsaparilla is not widely ...

Coffeo comments on Jan 23, 2018:

Bundaberg makes root beer. Haven't tried it — I didn't care much for American root beer when I was there.

God=Aliens=Humans traveling time?

Coffeo comments on Jan 23, 2018:

I have come across this idea before, perhaps in something that Paul Davies wrote, but I haven't been able to find the reference. The notion can be extended to the idea that the evolved intelligence has actually been involved in setting up the universe with the necessary fine-tuning to support their own future existence. The evolved intelligence, of course, need not necessarily be human.

Are you able to allow others to be who they are with out judgement?

Coffeo comments on Jan 23, 2018:

I judge people and am yet to be convinced that I shouldn't.

Tyrannical Governments

Coffeo comments on Jan 23, 2018:

Fine apart from embezzling taxes? No, the Australian government is far worse than that, and getting worse all the time. They are now trying to silence dissent and cripple charitable organisations, they are breaching international laws on refugees with complete impunity, and have no regard whatever for the environment. Their fiscal policies are all geared to increasing the gap between rich and poor. It is most definitely _not_ fine, and is on no account to be trusted. I doubt there is any government that can be completely trusted, although some are much worse than others.

Flat Earth

Coffeo comments on Jan 23, 2018:

There are so many ways to demonstrate that the earth isn't flat that it astonishes me that the issue is still alive.

Where does the discussion of alien life fit in this forum?

Coffeo comments on Jan 22, 2018:

'All of space' is a lot. But much of it is far beyond any hope of exploration or discovery, if for no other reason that the speed of light is so woefully slow. So the chance of there being alien life out there, somewhere, has to be close to 100%. The chance of alien life that we can ever find out about is probably a lot less.

ARE WE ALONE. So the question,are we alone in the universe?

Coffeo comments on Jan 22, 2018:

Life elsewhere in the solar system is certainly possible, if not exceptionally likely. However, restricting the domain of the question from the universe to the solar system is a _colossal_ restriction. We surely need to consider, at the very least, our galactic neighborhood. And judging by the number of exoplanets already discovered which are at least candidates for hosting life, there is likely to be life within some tens of light-years.Now we only need to think slightly farther afield, still within our own galaxy, and not beyond possible reach some day, and we are very likely to find other life forms, with some level of intelligence. Or they will find (or have found) us.

Why don't we have a agnostic church ?

Coffeo comments on Jan 20, 2018:

I've often wondered the same thing. I tried a humanist society (a long time ago); there was some sense of purpose but none of community.

Life and Taxes

Coffeo comments on Jan 20, 2018:

I think I might have misinterpreted the question. I answered 'yes', but I think I meant 'no'. I'm in favor of taxes, just to clarify.

Life and Taxes

Coffeo comments on Jan 20, 2018:

There are things that I actually want the government to provide. I would even be prepared to pay more tax for better service if we had a more trustworthy government. (I am in Australia.)

Looking forward to chatting with like minded folks.

Coffeo comments on Jan 19, 2018:

Welcome! There are a _lot_ of folk here from the bible belt. (Not me, though.)

How can there be global warming? It's cold outside! [livescience.com]

Coffeo comments on Jan 19, 2018:

Not hard to believe at all. It was about 42°C (107°F) here today.

Discussion about the latest site footer It reads "Agnostic.

Coffeo comments on Jan 19, 2018:

There are a lot of comments on this post, and I must confess to not having read all of them in detail. So if what I'm about to say reiterates anything in an earlier comment, I apologize in advance. If it is really the case that an agnostic regards the existence or non-existence of god as equiprobable, then I am not, as I had thought, an agnostic. But I do not deny the existence of god, so I am not an atheist. A _de facto_ atheist, perhaps, but not a hard atheist. I regard the probability of the existence of god (depending on what sort of god we're talking about) as something less than 1%. But not zero. Suddenly I find there isn't a word that describes my position (or not a polite one, anyway). Please can I go back to being an agnostic?

Are you born with common sense or is it a learned trait?

Coffeo comments on Jan 18, 2018:

I have a very deep mistrust of 'common sense'. Too often people use it as a reason for doing something that releases them from having to consider the matter seriously. Although I think common sense is not always without merit, it always rings alarm bells with me when I hear the phrase.

Pat Robertson: Non-Religious Children Should Be Beaten Until They Respect Christian Beliefs

Coffeo comments on Jan 18, 2018:

I bet, if asked, he would say: "yes, I was beaten as a child and it didn't do _me_ any harm."

The penal colony of Earth?

Coffeo comments on Jan 17, 2018:

Do you have a link about the supposed massive collision on Venus? I haven't heard of it. It sounds unlikely to me, but I'd like to know more.

New Study: Global Warming Caused by ‘Cosmic Rays’ from Outer Space [westernjournal.com]

Coffeo comments on Jan 17, 2018:

Regardless of what is causing global warming, we should still do what we can to minimize it.

What is your opinion on capital punishment?

Coffeo comments on Jan 17, 2018:

There are certainly people that the world would be better off without. But killing people seems wrong to me no matter who does it. (That's not to say that there are no circumstances in which I'd kill someone.)

I don't mean to be critical but the level of poor writing, punctuation, and grammar (more-so than ...

Coffeo comments on Jan 16, 2018:

I agree with you in principle, but I have (I hope) learned to be more tolerant than I used to be. Apparent errors that are in fact due to a different style (e.g. non-US English) are of course not errors at all, and must be ignored. And if the writer is not a native English speaker, that too requires us to be gentle. Simple typos should be corrected in proof, but they can slip through even then. Furthermore — language keeps changing, whether we like it or not.

Compute the day of the week for any date... [youtube.com]

Coffeo comments on Jan 16, 2018:

The best thing about this video was the link to the __brilliant__ website. I didn't have much use for the date algorithm, although it was very ingenious.

This is awesome and rather fun.

Coffeo comments on Jan 16, 2018:

I just copied and pasted it into Word, so I could read the whole thing without using arrow keys etc. It's very good.

Self-awareness not unique to mankind

Coffeo comments on Jan 16, 2018:

Self-awareness is difficult to measure objectively, but I am very confident that many animals have it in varying degrees. Can't prove it, though.

Greetings.

Coffeo comments on Jan 16, 2018:

An interesting position. While I no longer believe in a divine existence, if I did, I would do so without any help from a church, thank you very much.

Is belief a choice?

Coffeo comments on Jan 16, 2018:

I agree with some previous comments: when I stopped believing in the Christian faith, I went on _wanting desperately_ to go on believing it, but I couldn't. It was, for me at least, not a matter of choice. _Not believing_ isn't generally a choice, either. I really do not want to believe that Trump is POTUS, but I still believe it. If anyone can convince me that it isn't true, I will be very grateful.

Heisenberg gets pulled over for speeding. The cop asks him, "Do you know how fast you were going?

Coffeo comments on Jan 16, 2018:

Anyone who doesn't 'get' this: google the _Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle_.

Republican Former Lawmaker Kills Himself in Response to Child Molestation Probe – Friendly Atheist

Coffeo comments on Jan 14, 2018:

I wonder if he thought he would fetch up in heaven?

One of Nova's best and most recent documentaries on Black Holes.

Coffeo comments on Jan 12, 2018:

Not available here :-(

[youtu.be]

Coffeo comments on Jan 11, 2018:

This is (in case you didn't recognize him) retired Bishop John Spong.

This is right up my alley but it's a hard thing to talk about without people thinking you are crazy.

Coffeo comments on Jan 11, 2018:

Makes one wonder what is the _real_ reason these things are illegal.

What's the best aspect of religion?

Coffeo comments on Jan 10, 2018:

I agree completely about cathedrals: I love them. Also the great masterworks of Christian music — the wonderful masses, requiems and anthems (not always written by religious composers).

To Trump or not to Trump?

Coffeo comments on Jan 10, 2018:

I think you're right about all of the above. But I hope he doesn't get removed from office, because I think Pence would be _much_ more dangerous. (A view from Australia.)

Moon landing deniers

Coffeo comments on Jan 9, 2018:

This seems like a fairly harmless delusion. I wouldn't even try to change their minds.

What is the bible to you?

Coffeo comments on Jan 8, 2018:

I've read more entertaining anthologies of fiction.

How much of a skeptic are you?

Coffeo comments on Jan 8, 2018:

What does the big bang have to do with democracy and share prices? In any case, to a scientist, the big bang is either a likely explanation of the origin of the universe, or an unlikely one. It isn't something you either believe in or don't believe in. Science doesn't do belief.

So, I have a good friend who is an amazing musician, and he's also an evangelical christian.

Coffeo comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Probably the best thing about Christianity is the huge amount of astoundingly beautiful music that it has led to — but you will never hear any of it in an evangelical church, where all they want is 'happy clappy' music for the idiot masses to get excited about.

Answered prayers

Coffeo comments on Jan 8, 2018:

People pray for all kinds of stuff. Just once in a while they will get the stuff. Of course they think their prayer was answered, and never mind all the ones that weren't.

One thing I see occasionally is the "if there is no proof then it must be fake/non-existant" ...

Coffeo comments on Jan 8, 2018:

You can't expect proof, although disproof is possible. That which is not disproved remains possible, however unlikely it may be.

I seriously love Sam Harris' book, 'Letter to a Christian nation.' [youtu.be]

Coffeo comments on Jan 8, 2018:

I haven't heard of this guy before, but he has an excellent speaking style and is very eloquent. I've only heard 25 minutes so far but I'll be back for more. I do hope he's being heard in the places where it matters.

What was your worst church experiance?

Coffeo comments on Jan 7, 2018:

So many dreadful experiences of church from you and in the comments! I can't even begin to match those: my worst experience of church was being bored to tears by prayers and sermons. I didn't mind some of the hymns.

Hello Australians - I need your help! I'm leaving on Monday for Australia for 5 weeks to visit my ...

Coffeo comments on Jan 7, 2018:

I hope you will have a wonderful time in our country. In a big city you would have no problem, and I hope that would be the case in most outback towns, but I've never lived in the outback, so I can't be sure. Other people have made good suggestions. Enjoy your stay!

The "power" of faith

Coffeo comments on Jan 7, 2018:

I think that the idea of _faith_ is the most seriously damaging thing about most religions.

Do any of you have to consciously avoid religious topics or 'hide' when you are with members of your...

Coffeo comments on Jan 6, 2018:

It rarely comes up. My wife has said that if she predeceases me, she wants an Anglican funeral, which surprises me a little since she hasn't had a connection with any church for almost twenty years. Still, I would accede to her request. I know my son is an atheist, but we've never actually spoken about it. Nothing to say, I suppose. My daughter has settled on some sort of spirituality that doesn't involve organised (excuse Aussie spelling) religion. We don't talk about that, since she lives in a distant city and we don't see her much — we have other things to talk about! My parents and parents-in-law have all died: I am the oldest in our family now. But when they were alive, I did feel it necessary to be a little cautious with my in-laws: both were very strong Anglicans, and I think they thought of me as a sort of dilatory Anglican who didn't go to church much but whose heart was in the 'right' place. I think out-and-out atheism would have been unacceptable to them. As for my own parents, my father never talked about religion, although he attended a Presbyterian church. He refused to take communion. My mother had been Anglican before her marriage, and she remained that at heart even after joining the Presbyterian church. She would sometimes talk about her beliefs and was greatly saddened when I left the church. I was sorry about this, and when she expressed the hope that I might rejoin the church I'd say things like 'We'll see; maybe some day.' But I knew it wouldn't happen.

Here’s your Grammar Police Badge! - What written mistakes bug you?

Coffeo comments on Jan 5, 2018:

I get annoyed when people use _it's_ to mean anything other than _it is_ or _it has_. And that awful grocer's apostrophe for almost anything plural. Plenty more but that will do for starters.

Legally Dealing With Christians That Troll

Coffeo comments on Jan 5, 2018:

Can you come to Australia? I simply can't imagine people behaving like that here.

Am I the only one that isn’t saddened by my life coming to a complete end after death?

Coffeo comments on Jan 5, 2018:

I think I'd admit to being a little sad at the prospect, but there is nothing to be done. I won't be sad afterwards! The main thing is to hope that it will not be a painful end.

Why is it so hard to realize we are just like any creature that has ever lived on this planet?

Coffeo comments on Jan 5, 2018:

Maybe it's possible to believe in an afterlife or reincarnation without believing in god. (Not that I do.)

Should prostitution be illegal?

Coffeo comments on Jan 4, 2018:

Of course it should be legal, and regulated. Here in Australia, the laws vary between the states. Brothels are legal only in some states, where prostitution is regulated. In other states. independent sex work is legal, but brothels aren't.

How long will it be before we have an open Agnostic/Atheist presidential candidate?

Coffeo comments on Jan 4, 2018:

Not for a while — we're not even a republic yet! Oh, are you talking about the USA? Sorry.

What is god?

Coffeo comments on Jan 4, 2018:

Would your teacher friend be equally comfortable with the proposition that _love is god_?

Congratulations to @atheist. They're the second person on the site to make it to Level 8.

Coffeo comments on Jan 4, 2018:

How many levels before we get to Heaven?

Should people that disagree with science be allowed to use advanced technology created by scientific...

Coffeo comments on Jan 4, 2018:

They probably shouldn't, but how would you stop them?