Coffeo's Profile

Do you think that the science become a religion for some people today ?

Coffeo comments on Dec 23, 2017:

If you understand science, you cannot possibly worship it.

I like this one so much better!!

Coffeo comments on Dec 22, 2017:

So Joseph was the father after all!

Do you think that science teachers should teach alternatives to evolution in public schools?

Coffeo comments on Dec 22, 2017:

The theory of evolution is continually being refined, which causes some people to gloat 'Darwin was wrong!' But this happens to all scientific theories as data are collected and refined. No scientific theory is ever the last word. Nevertheless, evolution works MUCH better than any other explanation, and so evolution is what scientists should teach.

do you need 100% knowledge about the universe and its origins to know gods are man made?

Coffeo comments on Dec 21, 2017:

Well, no one has that amount of knowledge, so either the answer is YES, in which case nobody know gods are man made, or (my answer) NO.

Why did God hate Esue? I never got that story.

Coffeo comments on Dec 21, 2017:

Do Christians really say that there are things God can't do?

I'm a musician and this lady asks me in a Bar, have you taken Jesus Christ as your personal lord and...

Coffeo comments on Dec 21, 2017:

I hope you hadn't bought her a drink.

Hi everyone! This is my first post, so please be gentle ;-) Have any of you had experience of ...

Coffeo comments on Dec 21, 2017:

I didn't share your experience: my wife, if anything, is less religious now than she was, despite having a number of serious health issues. But there was a time when (perhaps under pressure from her parents) she insisted that our two children go to Sunday School. I didn't approve but reluctantly agreed. Our older child (a girl) quite liked it, but our younger (boy) hated it, and I had to point out that it would do more harm than good to take him there kicking and screaming. So he stopped going, and is an atheist now, anyway. My point, I suppose, is that you shouldn't worry about 'confusing' your children. It's important for them to know that people have different beliefs (or none). They'll work it out for themselves eventually.

God is a ____________?

Coffeo comments on Dec 21, 2017:

bit up himself.

If you could travel anywhere in the world right this second, where would you go?

Coffeo comments on Dec 20, 2017:

I'd really like time to pack first, if that's ok. Then I'd be off to Spain, which I never got around to visiting before, and probably won't, now.

Are you an Empath?

Coffeo comments on Dec 20, 2017:

I'm not really very good at this.

Is there a time and place for a lie or is a lie something you will never do no matter what the ...

Coffeo comments on Dec 20, 2017:

I very rarely tell lies: mainly because I'm no good at it. When I do, it's never malicious: maybe just to avoid a long explanation or something like that.

What is your response when people threaten you with religious punishments? (i.e. Hell/Jahannam)

Coffeo comments on Dec 17, 2017:

I can't really comment, as I don't think I've ever been thus threatened. But I'm amazed, from the comments, at how many people have been.

If religion never existed... (finish the line)

Coffeo comments on Dec 17, 2017:

In general terms, the world would be a much better place, but we would be deprived of some magnificent art and music.

CDC gets list of forbidden words including fetus, transgender, diversity & science based

Coffeo comments on Dec 17, 2017:

They should simply write up their reports as they normally would, then delete the prohibited words and replace them with conspicuous black rectangles.

I want to be entirely clear on the idea of whether or not science is a belief.

Coffeo comments on Dec 17, 2017:

There is no faith or belief involved in science. I agree with most of the comments so far.

OK.

Coffeo comments on Dec 17, 2017:

Any explanation that invokes god requires an answer to the question of the origin of god. It gets you nowhere.

Would you consider using an established religious rite to your benefit?

Coffeo comments on Dec 17, 2017:

My son was married last April. It was a lovely service, and God didn't rate a mention.

What's your favorite thing about the winter season?

Coffeo comments on Dec 16, 2017:

Not having to worry about Christmas for about six months.

I am "brand new" to this site and I have to say I LOVE it.

Coffeo comments on Dec 15, 2017:

Welcome! I've only been here 15 days and I think it's great!

OK.

Coffeo comments on Dec 15, 2017:

I sometimes think that there might be, or have been, a creator, which is why I usually refer to myself as agnostic rather than atheist. But I think it highly likely that this creator, if indeed such a thing exists or ever did exist, has absolutely no interest in humanity, and might in fact be unaware of our existence.

Do you rescind your support in the face of wrong doing?

Coffeo comments on Dec 15, 2017:

My answer is yes, you have definitely made the right decision. That said, I have never understood why people become such fanatical sports fans. I live in Melbourne, home of AFL, and I can only remember the name of one footballer: Gary Ablett (and that's probably because there have been two of them).

What would Immortality be actually like?

Coffeo comments on Dec 15, 2017:

Regardless of how few or how many of the humans became immortal, how could they survive the eventual destruction of the Earth itself? Well, they might be able to leave the Earth, I suppose. But if it was only you? Or only me? I don't see that working out. And then there's the end of the universe to worry about, if you're truly immortal.

Religions have inspired believers to create wondrous works of art.

Coffeo comments on Dec 13, 2017:

A significant (perhaps not large) proportion of these wondrous works were created by non-believers. The theists paid.

What genre of music do you listen to?

Coffeo comments on Dec 13, 2017:

Easier to say what I DON'T listen to: C&W, most opera, and certain kinds of jazz that are probably great to play but boring as hell to listen to. I'll give most other things a hearing - classical (e.g. Beethoven, Shostakovich, Glass, Prokofiev) female vocal (e.g. Enya, Carla Bruni, Sarah Brightman) 70s pop (Beatles, Moody Blues, ELO) some film music, Portuguese and African music and lots else. (Even a lot of sacred music, if I dare say it in this group.)

Hot dogs and onions

Coffeo comments on Dec 12, 2017:

You live in England, so presumably you have a English sausages, a bit like our Australian ones and not remotely like American ones. In which case, grilled onion and tomato sauce on top of the sausage. If American sausage, I don't care: I wouldn't eat one no matter where you put the onion.

Hi looking forward to meet some like minded friends

Coffeo comments on Dec 12, 2017:

G'day from Australia!

Energy Cannot Naturally Be Created or Destroyed! isn't this scientific principle proof of Eternity?!

Coffeo comments on Dec 12, 2017:

The sun has not been there forever, and it will not last forever. It's just a lot longer than biological times. The moon does spin. It spins once in the time it takes to go around the Earth. This is not a coincidence.

Why do you allow the religious here! GAH! If I want to be subjected to drivel about an afterlife, ...

Coffeo comments on Dec 12, 2017:

Nobody's making you stay.

Atheism Has a Suicide Problem | HuffPost

Coffeo comments on Dec 12, 2017:

I didn't see the earlier post and don't know how to find it, so I'll just comment here. It would be interesting to see if atheist suicide rates differ between places where they are surrounded by pushy religious people, and places like here (Australia) where the religious people are much fewer and not so noisy about it.

This is the time of the year when we are inundated with Christmas everywhere we look.

Coffeo comments on Dec 11, 2017:

Luckily such people are thin on the ground in these parts.

Do you feel pity for snake handling Christians, who lost their lives from their delusions?

Coffeo comments on Dec 11, 2017:

I feel pity for children who are brought up to believe in such stupid, dangerous nonsense.

Flat Earthers

Coffeo comments on Dec 11, 2017:

Ignore the first type because nothing you can say will change their minds (well, you could try buying them a round-the-world trip). Ignore the second type because that's the only way to deal with attention-seekers (or you could buy them a one-way ticket to somewhere far away).

Can you be an agnostic or atheist and still believe in angels, demons, ghosts and life after death?

Coffeo comments on Dec 11, 2017:

Hard to see how. You mean you could have all those weird things and just leave out God? Don't see the point.

There's no need to look any further.

Coffeo comments on Dec 11, 2017:

The supernovae that produced the heavy elements needed for life were more recent than 13.8 billion years. But the idea's right.

Living on a sphere thats spinning in space, I don't think so

Coffeo comments on Dec 11, 2017:

Do you know anyone who lives in a different time zone? Get on the phone with them, or better still Skype, and watch the sunset together.

Living on a sphere thats spinning in space, I don't think so

Coffeo comments on Dec 11, 2017:

Certainly not. The solar system's path through the universe is not a spiral.

Has anyone else made games or rituals with their pets?

Coffeo comments on Dec 10, 2017:

We have two cats: not much into games, but plenty of rituals.

Atoms are odd little suckers Physicists from Cornell University have proved that atoms will not...

Coffeo comments on Dec 10, 2017:

But do they move when you're not looking?

Does The Universe Have Intention?

Coffeo comments on Dec 9, 2017:

It often seems to me that, given the extraordinary combination of circumstances that are required for live to evolve, it is entirely likely that we are the only intelligent (well, sort of) species in the galaxy. But there are billions upon billions of galaxies. Suppose there is one intelligent species in each? They would evolve independently, with no possibility of ever communicating with each other. Now that seems to me suspiciously like a Plan. Is this the 'intention of the universe'? Oh dear! As an atheist, I don't like that idea much.

I have to say that I feel incredibly lucky to not only have parents who didn't freak out when I said...

Coffeo comments on Dec 9, 2017:

Yes, you are lucky. My mother was distressed when I left the church, but she always hoped (and prayed, I guess) that I would come back. My father never talked much about religion, and didn't express a view on the matter.

Why do people keep asking about God ?

Coffeo comments on Dec 9, 2017:

I have not heard anyone asking about God for a long time.

Is forcing religion on your children as bad as child abuse?

Coffeo comments on Dec 8, 2017:

I think it is a mild form of abuse. But then denying your kids knowledge of religion could also be considered abuse. A balance needs to be found.

Doubt

Coffeo comments on Dec 7, 2017:

Saying the science community 'believes in' something is misleading. Scientists accept various theories because they enable progress, but they are not the last word. Usually they work fine for a while, they they are found lacking and refinements are needed, or sometimes a complete rethink. The best theories, like relativity and quantum mechanics go on being useful for decades, and they still are. But we know they're not the last word, because they're incompatible with each other. Our 'belief' in them is temporary and conditional. This is very different from an unshakable belief in god.

Should public nudity be legal?

Coffeo comments on Dec 7, 2017:

I have no moral or ethical objection to it; I just don't really want to see other men's pubes. There's also the hygiene issue that others have commented on.

Just curious, are you planning a search feature for the forums?

Coffeo comments on Dec 7, 2017:

I often read a post, an then later on think of a comment that I'd like to make. Sometimes I make a comment and think later of something I'd like to add. But then I can't find the post! How do the tags work?

Theory of relativity?

Coffeo comments on Dec 7, 2017:

It does add up. It's been tested over and over and over again. It works. (It has a slight problem with black holes, though.) It really isn't a matter of believing it or not — it's a matter of it giving correct answers.

Facial hair: What do you think of it? Do you have it? Like it?

Coffeo comments on Dec 6, 2017:

Have it (as you see). Hated shaving, so like it. Grew beard while living in America and someone stole my electric razor. Good riddance!

An essay on atheism that I wrote for the Harrisburg Patriot-News and PennLive.

Coffeo comments on Dec 5, 2017:

Beautifully written essay! So glad I live in Australia (from that point of view, anyway). Sure, we have religious crackpots, but they're not so thick on the ground.

Should euthanasia or "death with dignity" be available to anyone upon demand under controlled ...

Coffeo comments on Dec 5, 2017:

There need to be some obvious safeguards, but definitely yes.

Does it baffle your mind how Christians claim the Christian God is the only true God?

Coffeo comments on Dec 5, 2017:

The chaplain at my school (Methodist College) told us that there was just one god, and he was the same one that all the other religions worshipped, too, except they used different names for him. I suppose this was a fairly enlightened attitude.There was certainly supposed to be something rather special about Jesus, though.

What book have you read that was recommended to you in order to convince you of God?

Coffeo comments on Dec 5, 2017:

I was given a book of Bible stories when I was little. I liked the story of Jesus bringing Jarius's daughter back from the dead, and the one about young Samuel hearing the voice of God in the temple. But that was before I developed doubts, so I guess they don't count. Then there was the Bible, of course. I had to learn bits of it by heart. Most of it was way too boring to read. Worst of all was the Shorter Catechism, sections of which I was expected to recite. (Glad I wasn't given the longer version!) Take Q&A #87, for instance: Q87. What is repentance unto life? A. Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavour after, new obedience. Enough already.

Have you ever tried to believe in god, but you found yourself not able to?

Coffeo comments on Dec 5, 2017:

I suggest you stop trying so hard. If you're going to end up religious, it's not going to be because you've tried hard. As for the church music, I couldn't agree more. There is some truly magnificent church music out there, but most people never hear it. Music was the only thing I DID like about church!

One of these maps is not like the others

Coffeo comments on Dec 5, 2017:

On the face of it, these maps tell a damning story, and they're not hard to believe, either. But I'd want to know a lot more about the research behind them before drawing any definite conclusions.

If aliens landed on Earth, would that spell the end of Earth's religions?

Coffeo comments on Dec 5, 2017:

There'd just be a crop of new ones.

The Universe. What is it?

Coffeo comments on Dec 4, 2017:

I find it a little sad that there must be countless wonders out there that we do not have a hope in hell of ever finding out about.

Are we not supposed to be able to discuss ideas and possibilities here that perhaps haven't been ...

Coffeo comments on Dec 4, 2017:

Outside of mathematics, very little has ever been PROVED. That is not how scientific progress is made. Many theories that were once considered 'proved' have outlived their usefulness. They were never really proved in the first place; they were just the best currently available.Theories are continually tested. General Relativity has passed countless tests, but that doesn't mean it's proved. In fact, it has a glaring inadequacy — quantum theory. Quantum theory, too, has passed countless tests, but has a glaring inadequacy — gravity, or General Relativity. They're not compatible! Doesn't mean we can't use them, though. I believe there will always be unanswered questions, but progress continues to be made.

What is your standard of evidence, regarding religious claims?

Coffeo comments on Dec 3, 2017:

Any evidence AT ALL would be a start.

Do you believe you will see your love ones again after you die? Why?

Coffeo comments on Dec 3, 2017:

Even if there were an afterlife (which I do not believe), it's hard to see how this would actually work.

Do I have to carry a Title?

Coffeo comments on Dec 3, 2017:

It's a waste of effort asking a religious person a question if you expect a meaningful answer. Politicians the same. Religious politicians worst of all.

Tomato or Tomato

Coffeo comments on Dec 3, 2017:

Aussies pronounce it like Brits (sort of).

Should children be constitutionally protected from a specified list of abuses including ...

Coffeo comments on Dec 3, 2017:

Constitutional change does seem to be needed. How could it be brought about? :-\

Should an atheist study world religions or not?

Coffeo comments on Dec 3, 2017:

Provided such study interests them, of course. It doesn't interest me much, but there's no reason why atheists shouldn't study them, and probably many reasons why they should.

Does anyone believe that theists are generally honest and sincere in their claims?

Coffeo comments on Dec 3, 2017:

I think only a handful of people who claim to be Christians actually are.

calling science an atheist religion

Coffeo comments on Dec 3, 2017:

All religions require faith. Science does not. Therefore it is not a religion.

Does praying over every meal seem a bit ridiculous?

Coffeo comments on Dec 3, 2017:

I have a cousin who is a rector (Anglican priest). When I had dinner with him, I paused at the start of the meal, expecting a prayer, but he just tucked in. "You don't say grace?" I asked. "No. Never a tradition in our family," he replied. His tone suggested he thought it was a silly idea.

How does one define consciousness?

Coffeo comments on Dec 2, 2017:

I'm sorry I didn't finish reading your post: I lost consciousness long before the end.

Do you have a 'Pet theory' about what you think is the most likely explanation for Christianity ...

Coffeo comments on Dec 2, 2017:

The Christmas image of Jesus as an innocent babe has a lot to do with it.

Can someone be religious and scientific at the same time?

Coffeo comments on Dec 2, 2017:

I'm a retired scientist. I'm a de facto atheist, but I've worked with a number of good scientists who were religious. Also many older relatives in my extended family who were religious (all gone now) but were perfectly happy with scientific theories like evolution.

How could you prevent your child from becoming brainwashed by religion?

Coffeo comments on Dec 2, 2017:

In the case of my son, he was sent to Sunday school (over my ineffectual objections), hated it, and became an atheist. Worth a try, but it might backfire.

Would you raise your children religious just to fit in?

Coffeo comments on Dec 2, 2017:

My two children were baptised when they were quite young, but not babies. This was mainly to satisfy the concerns of my in-laws, and I no special problem with it, except that in the prayer-book it was stated that it was the god-parents who were to make the vows, but on the day the vicar asked both parents and god-parents to make the vows and I felt a huge hypocrite. I was a good deal more concerned when my wife said she wanted them to go to Sunday school (I think, again, her parents had something to do with this, her mother being a Sunday school teacher in a different city). Our daughter, the older child, liked it. Our son hated it. I eventually put my foot down when I saw how much he didn't want to go. He is now a confirmed atheist. Our daughter's position is more nuanced: she went on to get confirmed and served for a time on the vestry (committee) of a different church (same denomination — Anglican/Episcopal). But she became disillusioned about organised religion, although she is an accomplished chorister and sometimes sings at special services. I don't think she now regards herself as a Christian. So, to answer the question: no, not 'just to fit in', but perhaps yes, to avoid friction within the family. They turned out OK in spite of Sunday school!

Why doesn't God just show up and sort us out?

Coffeo comments on Dec 2, 2017:

One reason I hope I'm right in thinking there is no god, is that if it turns out there is one, I'm not going to like him (her/it) very much.

A holiday message from S K Deitch: There may be fewer people guilty of this in this group than ...

Coffeo comments on Dec 2, 2017:

When I was little, I knew (was told, I guess) that the Santas in department stores and the like were all pretend, but that there was just one real one, who came on Christmas Eve. Then, when I was eventually told the truth about that one, I was very sad. It was the beginning of my doubts about God. If Santa wasn't real, how sure could I be about God? I find it surprising that other kids don't develop such doubts in the same way. So, in a sense, I agree that parents should not pretend that Santa is real. On the other hand, it was only the discovery of this lie that started my freethinking views about God. Without that, I might have been a Christian today, which would not have been a good thing! (Although I guess I would have thought it was, and would have been glad. Confusing.)

When does nationalism become dangerous?