About Jesus

farmboy2017 comments on Dec 7, 2017:

I think he was a conflated figure meaning that his individual characteristics all came from different heroes and combined into one super hero. Is it important that he actually existed? Yes, it would make religion 'real'. As it stands, now, it's mythology just like the Greeks, Mesopotamia, Assyrians,...

Coffeo replies on Dec 24, 2017:

I don't think we will ever know for sure if he really existed.

Does absolute truth exist?

Jay345 comments on Nov 3, 2017:

This question is certainly ambiguous. Absolute truth is a relative term. Quantum mechanics, in a nut shell, explains that the wave function for finding electrons is based on a probability. We can't know for sure the position or the momentum of any one electron without uncertainty. Furthermore, ...

Coffeo replies on Dec 24, 2017:

I agree with everything you say except for the second sentence. I'd prefer to say 'There is no such thing as absolute truth'.

Is there really such a thing as unconditional love?

LeighShelton comments on Dec 18, 2017:

a dog is the closest you will get i think

Coffeo replies on Dec 24, 2017:

I'm a cat person, but I don't get unconditional love from them (nor, I guess, do they from me.) We get along just fine. I can believe it could come from a dog. Maybe not all dogs, though.

You arrived at agnosticism or atheism as a result of:

AMGT comments on Dec 21, 2017:

I voted “other” because I could have included the first two, but that wasn’t all.. I asked my now ex husband whether he prayed. We were dating about 2 months. He said, to whom, for what? No one I knew had ever been so bold. I started reading in religious debate forums on line. I was a ...

Coffeo replies on Dec 23, 2017:

I agree that theists should be welcome here. They can just sit at the back and listen quietly. If they prosyletise they will get pounced on.

Which do you prefer? Season Tickets for your favorite team, or tickets to an Olympic event?

Falcopex comments on Dec 20, 2017:

I don't really like attending sporting events. Too much crowd and noise for my liking. But I would go see some Olympic events. Gymnastics, ice skating, and do they do Olympic events with horses?

Coffeo replies on Dec 23, 2017:

Yes, they do: the Olympic Equestrian sports are dressage, three-day eventing and show jumping.

You get to create a national holiday for non-believers, what would it be?

snytiger6 comments on Dec 13, 2017:

Naturists Day. A day where clothing is (mostly) optional. The day would be filled with skinny dips, naked marches (walks), naked runs and naked bike rides. It is a day of body acceptance instead of "body shame". The primary rule is that naked people cannot be doing anything with the intent ...

Coffeo replies on Dec 23, 2017:

@snytiger6 : too cold here! You need October — spring here, autumn there. (Or April).

For atheists - what makes you believe no deity exists?

JoshuaAshley comments on Sep 30, 2017:

Atheism is a lack of belief. Its why you can be an agnostic atheist. The terms are not really equivalent. Atheism requires nothing be a lack of belief, you don't need reason to be atheist. You are born atheist. You are taught something, then fall out of belief and claim to be agnostic. You are an ...

Coffeo replies on Dec 23, 2017:

@TheMiddleWay: I'll go halfway with you again. I can't state that I believe something. I CAN state that I do not believe something.

In your opinion, what is the most fascinating thing happening in the world of science right now?

azzow2 comments on Dec 22, 2017:

They are tracking of trying to anyway waves of energy that travels faster than light speed.

Coffeo replies on Dec 22, 2017:

Have you any further information on this? It seems highly improbable to me.

For atheists - what makes you believe no deity exists?

JoshuaAshley comments on Sep 30, 2017:

Atheism is a lack of belief. Its why you can be an agnostic atheist. The terms are not really equivalent. Atheism requires nothing be a lack of belief, you don't need reason to be atheist. You are born atheist. You are taught something, then fall out of belief and claim to be agnostic. You are an ...

Coffeo replies on Dec 22, 2017:

@TheMiddleWay: I go along with you most of the way until the very end. As an agnostic, I may indeed be unable to render judgement on whether god exists, but I can certainly state whether I believe something or not.

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.

Coffeo replies on Dec 18, 2017:

My point is that much of the music would not even exist without the religious theme (even if written by non-believers).

For atheists - what makes you believe no deity exists?

SteveM comments on Oct 9, 2017:

God is a human invention. Period.

Coffeo replies on Dec 17, 2017:

Saying 'Period' is like saying 'end of argument'. But you haven't made an argument, you've stated a belief. It's not binding on anyone else. 'Period' is inappropriate.

For atheists - what makes you believe no deity exists?

JoshuaAshley comments on Sep 30, 2017:

Atheism is a lack of belief. Its why you can be an agnostic atheist. The terms are not really equivalent. Atheism requires nothing be a lack of belief, you don't need reason to be atheist. You are born atheist. You are taught something, then fall out of belief and claim to be agnostic. You are an ...

Coffeo replies on Dec 17, 2017:

The atheist believes there is no god. The agnostic does not believe there is a god. These are not equivalent positions.

For atheists - what makes you believe no deity exists?

Andrew1954 comments on Oct 9, 2017:

So far, all known gods are made by egocentric males. It is just common sense that no such gods exist.

Coffeo replies on Dec 17, 2017:

I have always been deeply mistrustful of 'common sense' as a justification for anything. It's frequently misused, and often wrong.

For atheists - what makes you believe no deity exists?

Davetheatheist comments on Oct 28, 2017:

My position is not that no gods exist. My position is that the claim of Gods existence should be rejected until such time as there is evidemce to support the claim.

Coffeo replies on Dec 17, 2017:

You're right, but I think you're in for a long wait.

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

twshield comments on Nov 8, 2017:

More people would believe and support science

Coffeo replies on Dec 17, 2017:

Except that science doesn't involve belief. But maybe they would be more inclined to believe SCIENTISTS.

Is faith in anything ever good?

zanyfish comments on Dec 17, 2017:

I have complete faith in science ;-)

Coffeo replies on Dec 17, 2017:

As long as your faith is in scientific METHOD, and not in any scientific THEORIES, that's ok.

Social environments

Worley15 comments on Dec 17, 2017:

Live in the UK. Luckily when I was growing up my parents weren't very religious. They Christened me, to make sure that I had a choice of schools to go to when I reached that age but they left me to make my own decisions about religion and tried not to influence them too much. Despite what many ...

Coffeo replies on Dec 17, 2017:

Sounds pretty much like Australia.

The final report on Child molestation in Australia has shown a conga line from ALL religions of ...

ErichZannIII comments on Dec 16, 2017:

You mean prosecuting? Persecution is torment and/or punishment over belief system, race, creed, gender or other such factor. Prosecution is punishment for a crime committed.

Coffeo replies on Dec 16, 2017:

I can see why some might think persecution entirely appropriate.

Tim Minchin - The Good Book (Live) - YouTube

BobbiArtTrueBlue comments on Oct 31, 2017:

I saw this on Facebook today -- loved it enough to bookmark it. https://youtu.be/OJRe0sxQT80

Coffeo replies on Dec 16, 2017:

I got this: "Tim Minchin -..." The YouTube account associated with this video has been terminated due to multiple third-party notifications of copyright infringement.

Can atheists and agnostics get along?

atheist comments on Dec 15, 2017:

I am an atheist, the fact is the sun is at the centre of our galaxy, I am not free to think otherwise. A&A have a common train of thought but arrive at different conclusions. So be it!

Coffeo replies on Dec 15, 2017:

The sun at the centre of the galaxy? The conventional belief is there there's a massive black hole there.

Does the thought of living forever almost terrify you when you really think about it?

evidentialist comments on Dec 12, 2017:

For me, living forever means learning forever and that is a wonderful idea. It would mean that I could devote time to studying a given subject without the concern that I didn't have it. I think that most people don't think this through. There are a lot of things that come along with being ...

Coffeo replies on Dec 15, 2017:

Would being immortal come with a massive brain? Otherwise you're just going to forget all the new stuff you're learning.

What do you think of people that always says,” But the Bible said.”

moataz comments on Dec 15, 2017:

prove to them by science and knowledge that they are wrong

Coffeo replies on Dec 15, 2017:

That only works if they already have doubts.

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 ...

Coffeo replies on Dec 15, 2017:

Ok, it's the kind of immortality you have when you're not really immortal. Sorry, didn't realize.

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 ...

Coffeo replies on Dec 15, 2017:

If you have yourself vaporized, doesn't that kind of go against the immortality thing?

What would Immortality be actually like?

LeighShelton comments on Dec 7, 2017:

it would be a terrible curse in the end.

Coffeo replies on Dec 15, 2017:

end?

Nothing is Impossible

SteveB comments on Dec 9, 2017:

Thats funny there is a taco place here in Des Moines, IA where this is their saying. "Nada Es Imposible" http://www.tastytacos.com/history.html In any case, I never thought of it as a Christian belief. I always thought of it as just a saying for people to try. That and delicious tacos. ;-)

Coffeo replies on Dec 15, 2017:

I am amused by the idea of God eating tacos (of any size).

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.

Coffeo replies on Dec 14, 2017:

As far as music is concerned, here's an interesting article: http://bit.ly/2C7I79Z I shouldn't be surprised if the situation in the visual arts was similar.

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.

Coffeo replies on Dec 13, 2017:

Still here?

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.

Coffeo replies on Dec 13, 2017:

I can walk to Bunnings from here! (Not much use if I'm buying a lawnmower or something.)

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.

Coffeo replies on Dec 12, 2017:

I think I had those conversations long ago. I don't need to have them again.

There's no need to look any further.

Hominid comments on Dec 11, 2017:

"You people don't get it. The God of the universe lives outside of time and space, so creating a universe only 6,000 years old (with aged evidence) should be enough proof to any person reading the bible seeking God." I debated a Xtian today on FaceBook that believes that shit. He also says it's ...

Coffeo replies on Dec 12, 2017:

So if God planted evidence to make us believe the universe is billions of years old, go ahead and believe it. He clearly wants us to.

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.

Coffeo replies on Dec 11, 2017:

@Kieran: my friends do not talk about God. That's the way they like it, and it's the way I like it. Why would I want friends that do?

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.

Coffeo replies on Dec 11, 2017:

When I finish my morning coffee, Darcy is waiting. He wants me to pick him up, comb him, and give him a little more food. I guess the combing was my idea, obviously - it began with the warmer weather a few months ago. That's only an example. Mia jumps up on her bench for food already in her bowl, but prefers me to be there - don't know why. If I pick up a pen to write something and Darcy is around, he will attempt to control the motion of the pen, rendering my writing unintelligible. I should be cross, but you can't really be cross with him: he's a nice cat. I don't really know how these habits get established.

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?

Coffeo replies on Dec 10, 2017:

From Wikipedia: 'In 2015, Mukund Vengalattore and his group at Cornell University demonstrated a quantum Zeno effect as the modulation of the rate of quantum tunnelling in an ultra-cold lattice gas by the intensity of light used to image the atoms." This does not seem to me to be the same thing as saying that the atoms are not moving.

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?

Coffeo replies on Dec 10, 2017:

This is quite a complicated situation. It would be more accurate to say that the atoms' state is not changing, rather than that they are not moving. This is not straightforward physics.

Researchers claim that humans have souls which can live on after death

Maya405 comments on Dec 10, 2017:

Yes, there's spirit or energy in living beings that does not die with the body. It's not superstition or religion, it's a fact.

Coffeo replies on Dec 10, 2017:

Maybe there is, maybe there isn't. It's not a fact, it's a belief.

Anyone else think the rapture is bullshit?

tsjames comments on Dec 6, 2017:

>99% of people on this web site?

Coffeo replies on Dec 9, 2017:

So you think 1% of the people on the website DO believe in the rapture? I highly doubt it, unless there is a bunch of sixth columnists among us. Um... That's a worrying thought...

Why won’t God just destroy the Devil?

nowhereman55 comments on Dec 6, 2017:

The Devil keeps God and Religion in business

Coffeo replies on Dec 8, 2017:

I grew up in a Christian family where God and Jesus were spoken of quite often, but the devil hardly ever rated a mention. I don't think my parents believed in him in the same way that they believed in God.

Why won’t God just destroy the Devil?

Walrus comments on Dec 6, 2017:

My theory is that the devil isn't evil. I read the history of the bible and Constantines' Council had political leanings no different than today, and pacifying the population was part of that. Nothing is more pacifying than someone to blame, a scapegoat. But what if Lucifer's job is to tempt people ...

Coffeo replies on Dec 8, 2017:

So the devil is not evil because he tempts us, and we resist, and are therefore good? Seems a bit convoluted to me. What about those who yield to temptation, but might have been good if they hadn't been tempted?

Why won’t God just destroy the Devil?

Sarahroo29 comments on Dec 7, 2017:

God isn't real and the devil isn't either. Christians know prayer doesn't work. They keep believing it does. I told a Christian to pray for money. They knew that would not work.

Coffeo replies on Dec 8, 2017:

Most Christians believe that selfish prayer does not work. Otherwise they'd all be very, very rich.

So,how will the universe end ( not that I care,but,scientists seem to have a fascination with this)?

MustardSeed comments on Nov 29, 2017:

From all measurements so far it looks like heat death will happen. I love the idea of the big crunch but that is definitely off the table.

Coffeo replies on Dec 7, 2017:

Not necessarily the heat death. The Big Rip is looking ever more likely. From the latest edition of New Scientist: "Something is tearing everything apart even faster than we thought – and not even atoms will survive." None of us will be around, yet somehow it does seem to matter. Why?

Not trying to generalize, but to you agree, do you think religion is a mental illness?

ErichZannIII comments on Nov 25, 2017:

No. I believe that it originated from a necessary institution that explained that which could not be explained logically. The fact that it has survived into modern times is not an indication of mental illness, but an indication of how badly people need to be able to "understand" everything, even if ...

Coffeo replies on Dec 6, 2017:

While I think you are broadly correct about the three possibilities, I don't understand the significance of the value -0.1. What is it a measurement of? And why the strangely exact value of -1/10 in decimal notation? And doesn't Dark Energy get involved too, especially with the Big Rip?

Scientology

twshield comments on Dec 6, 2017:

I dont know alot about Scientology. but i did see one of the Documentaries by Leah Remini and it painted a pretty dark picture of this faith. I would imagine a faith named Scientology would be about a belief in science without all the badness associated.

Coffeo replies on Dec 6, 2017:

Yes, it's a respectable-sounding name for a horrible idea.

Scientology

davtim68 comments on Dec 6, 2017:

You put the word science in front of anything and people are going to read about it. Fortunately I wasn't interested in science when his bullshit came out. If I was I probably would have fallen for it too.

Coffeo replies on Dec 6, 2017:

I don't see how anyone who was really interested in science could fall for any of his crap. Understanding science would protect you from it.

Scientology

azzow2 comments on Dec 6, 2017:

Aleister Crowley is the reason Hubbard got the idea for Scientology Croweley was a double agent during WWII except he could not decide which side to be the double agent for.

Coffeo replies on Dec 6, 2017:

Interesting...

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.

Coffeo replies on Dec 5, 2017:

Yes of course. If we explore, we may find many amazing things. My point was that no matter how much we explore, the universe is so unimaginably huge that there will be much, much more that we never come close to finding out about.

The Universe. What is it?

evidentialist comments on Dec 4, 2017:

The Universe is large enough to reach from one side of it to the other. The end of it is right at the edge of its terminus. Beyond the end is something else or nothing at all. What will become of it all? If the current most accepted theory is true, it will die a slow death as it all cools down...

Coffeo replies on Dec 5, 2017:

@evidentialist ... Nothing. But not everybody agrees.

Can both Diocese be correct

gsiamne comments on Nov 25, 2017:

Considering that the Catholic leadership is filled with sociopaths and narcissists I don't find it very abnormal.

Coffeo replies on Dec 5, 2017:

I think these diocese were Anglican (Episcopal). Sydney Anglicans seem to be more conservative than most.

The Universe. What is it?

M121 comments on Dec 4, 2017:

The universe is bigger than what the eye can see and even what the brain can comprehend.

Coffeo replies on Dec 4, 2017:

By quite a lot!

The Universe. What is it?

BucketlistBob comments on Dec 4, 2017:

I like these posts... I tell my wife that earth is a space craft. We're moving through space and time. Can you imagine the majestic that built this.

Coffeo replies on Dec 4, 2017:

Built?

The Universe. What is it?

MarcO comments on Dec 4, 2017:

The Universe is extremely large and expanding, but the question about what it's expanding on has a strange answer (according to my current understanding): on nothing, because the expansion of the universe creates both time and space - there is no concept of time nor space outside of it! This is very...

Coffeo replies on Dec 4, 2017:

One widely held view is that it could be done with a 'wormhole' in space-time, connecting different regions. The technology needed to make one would be mind-bogglingly advanced. Could there be any naturally-occurring ones? Or some created by mind-bogglingly advanced civilizations that they no longer need, or could share?

The Universe. What is it?

evidentialist comments on Dec 4, 2017:

The Universe is large enough to reach from one side of it to the other. The end of it is right at the edge of its terminus. Beyond the end is something else or nothing at all. What will become of it all? If the current most accepted theory is true, it will die a slow death as it all cools down...

Coffeo replies on Dec 4, 2017:

The Great Heat Death has a certain fascination. I wondered just how slow it would be; tried to get some sort of grasp of how long it would take. I thought, if I draw a line representing time from the Big Bang to the Great Heat Death, how far along that line would the present moment in time be? I would have trouble drawing a long enough line. My admittedly rough back-of-the-envelope calculations indicated that if I made my line really, REALLY long (though not straight), passing through every cubic millimetre of the entire observable universe, the distance we've travelled along it so far would be about the thickness of a human hair. So it's a while to wait (even if I'm out by quite a few orders of magnitude). Excuse Aussie spelling.

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? :-\

Coffeo replies on Dec 3, 2017:

Seems to me that 'enough people' might be a sticking point.

Religions without faith

sourceofdesire comments on Dec 3, 2017:

I'm not a Buddhist, not ever wanna be. But I think Buddhism is a religion without faith. A Buddhist have only one goal & that is to achieve salvation. Salvation has no definition in Buddhism, but it is referred to as something we gotta have ultimately. One more is Jainism, a godless religion like ...

Coffeo replies on Dec 3, 2017:

If I understand you, then, a Buddhist need not have faith in god, but would still need to have faith in salvation, undefined though it may be?