Trump didn't know Britain was a nuclear power and inquired whether Finland was part of Russia, ...

David1955 comments on Jun 18, 2020:

Yes, the most powerful grossly ignorant person in the world. Thank you US electoral college system.

God damn f'n climate-change denying catholics!!!

David1955 comments on Jun 18, 2020:

That's an awful lot of doe from chicks who live lives of modesty in worship of their deity, don't you think?

"There IS NO place for nor is there Superstition in Religion.

David1955 comments on Jun 18, 2020:

So, what does he think religion is, or is based on? Evidence? Science? Facts? Real History?

I don't know why God is going to punish us for what we doing and he already wrote our disteny in the...

David1955 comments on Jun 17, 2020:

I'm going to assume that this is written with sarcasm, which is fine. But you are right, God's alleged omniscience makes all judgement absurb given he knows everything irrespective of time. When I was an atheist teenager I asked a priest this question and feeling proud of himself he told me that God gave us the wonderful gift of free will. I replied that 1. In that case praying to God is pointless since free will means no intervention, and 2. if this god chooses ignorance, that is cannot or does not know, or ignores knowledge of human decisions, then it is an imperfect god and not worthy of the name. He said I was too young to understand. I smiled. Point to me.

Time for some 'UBUNTU' Spirit.

David1955 comments on Jun 15, 2020:

Dang, and I thought it was a Linux Distro.

Due to Trump, how do you think America is perceived?

David1955 comments on Jun 14, 2020:

From a foreign viewpoint I take a broader view. In my opinion American international legitimacy and moral authority has been in decline for more than 20 years, specifically from the time of GWBush. Iraq, Afgranistan, erosion of civil liberties, increasing social and economic equality etc. The world briefly raised its hopes when Obama was elected, only to have those hopes dashed when Obama was quickly revealed as yet another corporate conservative Democrat, with no interest in genuine reform. Then Trump came along. You can attribute all those things to him, correctly, but he is a symptom, not a cause, of the underlining weaknesses of the US which has been revealed for all the world to see: a corrupt country with an oligarchic class controlling a binary duopoly political system, based on a corrupt electoral system, a corrupt legal system, a corrupt financial and governance system, through which the schisms of America -- racial, socio-economic, cultural and class -- are now obvious to the world. Trump has merely pressed those pressure points and revealed the US's weaknesses openly. The US is a country in desperate need of reform, but it lacks any structures to make this happen. Worse, the political and legal corruption of the country would militate against any attempt to do so. You asked how America is perceived? I answer as a country in terminal decline. It gives me no pleasure to say so.

Religious people are often hurt when atheists attack their beliefs, it seems hateful: Being told ...

David1955 comments on Jun 14, 2020:

To whom is this curious post directed? Who are the "you" in this post? Is your last sentence meant for religious people who attack gay people? How many of these types do you think are on this site? I'm hoping none.

okay so I'm new here but I love that it came out when I was 10 but you would have thought by the ...

David1955 comments on Jun 14, 2020:

The point was they envisioned hand held communication devices back then, and not just walkie talkies. And I think they were pretty cool, even now.

The thought police are here, judging art for us.

David1955 comments on Jun 13, 2020:

John Cleese has come out swinging about this nonsense. Don't blame him. Any reasonable person watching that episode knows the theme of the humour is that racial stereotyping is stupid. I suppose next they'll ban Hogan's Heroes because of racism against Germans. Don't mention the humour. I made a slip but I think I got away from it. :-)

Are you at peace with the inevitable, endless non-existence that is coming?

David1955 comments on Jun 11, 2020:

I spend more time concerning myself about how I cannot make the best use of the time I have left, due to lack of resources, rather than worrying about the time after that time has run out. This is how an atheist should think, in my opinion.

According to my physics teacher, people who become atheists will be punished by God.

David1955 comments on Jun 6, 2020:

I'd find another physics teacher, and not because he's a Muslim, but because he sounds like a religious nut!

Well, it's Sunday morning here my aussie sceptics friends and we welcome yet another new chum to our...

David1955 comments on Jun 6, 2020:

So, what's your referral fee for these? A nice little earner? :-)

Researchers report that more than two-thirds of self-identified atheists shed that label after their...

David1955 comments on Jun 4, 2020:

Heard Joni Mitchell say in an underwhelming documentary this week about Laurel Canyon LA and all those hangers-on in the late 60s, that she took acid and saw quantum mechanics, the universe, and the meaning of everything and lots more. Okay, so drugs addle the brain. Guess I always knew that. Guess that's why I have always stayed away from them. Underwhelmed by this research am I Middle.

We’ve Now Entered the Final Phase of the Trump Era - The Atlantic

David1955 comments on Jun 3, 2020:

The question is: Is this really the final phase of the American Era, which began in 1944-45 after the defeat of the fascist states? That remains to be seen but if true will herald in a new global world order and not a good one.

"Flag of Treason" ad by the Lincoln Project

David1955 comments on Jun 1, 2020:

Rick and his buddies really know to turn the knife, don't they?

And here Australia's Prime Minister expresses concern.

David1955 comments on Jun 1, 2020:

That's a typical Shangrilaian Australian attitude that permeates Australia and Australian thinking, perpetuated by our pollies, both sides, and the mainstream media. I find it self-congratulatory and obnoxious.

Did you get the over 65 flu vaccination or the under 65 version?

David1955 comments on May 29, 2020:

I'm 65 in JULY. Should I rush out and get the pre 65er, or wait and risk it to JULY?

Henry Cavill's Superman to Return in Multiple DC Movies

David1955 comments on May 28, 2020:

I think it's time they retired superman. I remember the first 1978 movie, indeed I saw it again last year. It was fun, had a feisty Lois Lane at a time when feisty women were appearing in movies (Princess Leia etc). I know Hollywood just keep remaking movies because they have long since run out of ideas. But really, enough superman and enough superhero movies generally.

MSNBC Viewers Lash Out at Joy Reid for Tepid Criticism of Joe Biden - YouTube

David1955 comments on May 27, 2020:

No doubt their total viewership lashed out. All six of them. :-) I must confess, as an international viewer, I watch some of MSNBC, just to check what today's 'ain't Biden great?' spin. There's 'I love Hillary' Rachel Maddow. 'West Wing Lawrence O'Donnell, 'Tall Story' Brian Williams, and my favourite (sarcasm included) 'I'm just a stupid country lawyer' Joe Scarborough. I suspect they're very proud of undoing Bernie and propping up Biden. Pryrric victory there.

[msn.

David1955 comments on May 25, 2020:

Yeah, US complaints about foreign interference in their affairs is hypocrisy writ large. The bubble the yanks live in is enormous.

I wonder if Aussie Sceptics would be interested in a get together.

David1955 comments on May 25, 2020:

Interesting idea. If I'm still around...(sympathy grab) I'm heading off to surgery on Wednesday. Ok, it's only hernia repair, but stuff happens in surgery, right? So, if I make it back count me in, if possible. And if I don't make it.....Well, it's been a pleasure... remember me when you'all get together. (More sympathy grab).

Lincoln Project is going after McConnell - and I think they will get the turtle!

David1955 comments on May 24, 2020:

As deserving a recipient as Trump, perhaps even more so.

Too many atheists are hostile to the religious.

David1955 comments on May 24, 2020:

Many of us are hostile to *religions*. The *religious* we take on a case by case basis.

Hyperianism

David1955 comments on May 24, 2020:

Since you declined to define it for us, I will: "Hyperianism is a crazy New Age belief system created by some person who goes by the name Morgue (really) who claimed to have come into contact with "secret societies" that revealed the means to bring "timeless knowledge to the public" so that the world can reach "the next step of evolution" and "become whole". If that seems hopelessly vague to you, that’'s because it definitely is. If the concept of "the next step of evolution" strikes you at nonsense under the context of the theory of evolution and natural selection, that is because it is absolute nonsense under the context of the theory of evolution and natural selection. Morgue argues that material reality is a myth and that we all exist in a shared dream in which one can manipulate and control, with some seeming god-like abilities that Hyperians share.Hyperianism gives all the major red flags that it is an attempt to establish a cult." https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Hyperianism OK, so it's one of the New Age Mystic Pizza religions that many new agers like because it makes them feel "spiritual" but not religious. Pass the incense please.

Was Jesus a man who became mythicized or a myth that became historicized or something else?

David1955 comments on May 23, 2020:

Well, you can read secular real historians (not theologians) like Bart Erhmann and other historicists like him who believe a real person lived and died and became mythologized, or you can read mythicists like Richard Carrier who consider that the case for an historical Jesus, when applied to a rigorous historical method, does not meet the standard of proof required. These, and other similar academics, are very credible professional people who engage in this field of Christology. My own view, as a reader of the subject, is that I lean towards mythicists, because of the rigorous historical method they apply. All we layman can do is read on the subject and form an opinion. I do take a point by Dr. Robert Price, another mythicist, that were *one* early first century AD contemporaneous historical document be dug up even now which clearly referred to the activities of this person Christians call Jesus Christ, then mythicists would yield the point and move on. But there isn't one. Not one. Not one document or source that was not written decades or many decades or centuries later. A profoundly important point Christians blithely ignore in making all their extraordinary claims about this person.

[youtu.

David1955 comments on May 23, 2020:

The left have been warning and warning... Every time he talks from now on... he'll open his mouth to change feet.

A very serious question here.

David1955 comments on May 23, 2020:

He's looking for a virgin in her fifties? Really? What's your concern, that she might fleece him? Well, he's not a kid, is he? On 'tother hand the world is full of couples that defy convention but work out. Like Woody Allen pointed out in that movie of his, whatever works. So, I'd keep out of it, were it I. Good luck. Oh and I agree with you about sex workers. These archaic religious-based negative attitudes about people who do this work, of their own volition, without sleazy pimps exploiting them, should be a thing of the past.

Golden Eagle Snatches Kid - YouTube

David1955 comments on May 22, 2020:

If this eagle has a thing for snatching infants, perhaps he might visit the White House for a quick snatch.

'Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player ,that struts and frets his hour upon the stage And ...

David1955 comments on May 21, 2020:

One of my favourite Shakespeare quotes. Mind you, Macbeth was having a terrible day when he said it.

Trump says he's taking hydroxychloroquine to prevent COVID-19

David1955 comments on May 19, 2020:

Lets just hope and pray that nothing happens to that dear dear man, like an adverse reaction or something worse putting his precious life at risk. Life couldn't be that unfair, could it? :-)

Notifications, Settings and Mail icon is superimposed over text on my phone currently.

David1955 comments on May 19, 2020:

Yep.

Where are all the obese people on the sixties, what has changed!

David1955 comments on May 19, 2020:

I've been watching a lot of archival street and city footage on YouTube, some of it going back to the early 20th century. Speed corrected, digitally enhanced, and stabilized. Much of it is amazing; as close to a time machine as we are likely to see. Two things always strike me. First, people are formally dressed, just people swarming in cities going about their business. Men in suits, women in formal dresses. Secondly, people are *thin*. Some stout folk, but overwhelmingly people's body shapes and size are nowhere near obese. It's amazingly to me, compared to now. The food industry, the rampant use of food chemicals, fast food, absurd sized meals, and the rest in the post WW2 world have a lot to answer for. It started particularly from the 1960s with mass fast food and the food chemical industry. I think it is shocking. I expect current generations will die younger or live on medicines from a much earlier age than previously. The West is already in a state of decline. This will be another factor, in my opinion.

Are the Democrats Dead (Again)?

David1955 comments on May 18, 2020:

Yes. Been saying it since they mobilized against Bernie and puffed up old duffer bags Joe. Yes I am a foreigner. But from a distance the perspective is clear. Trump will win again. God help America. God help us all. (spoken like a true atheist)

Definitely need to get that Australian "Eduction" fixed!

David1955 comments on May 18, 2020:

Australians are notoriously rigid in rejecting change, if it is from the left. I am wondering if this crisis might lift the Australian consciousness a bit on some of these issues. Probably not. They have been conditioning by the Murdoch media and the Right to regard Green policies as loopy.

Is it just me or do other find it kind of strange/odd that we have heard very little from the ...

David1955 comments on May 18, 2020:

They are too busy being locked down with their boyfriends. I did read that it is causing havoc with their finances. They are down on their dough. Poor dears. They will have to tap into the billions they have locked away. Alternatively, Frank might bring back his Enforcer -- Cardinal George "Frank Nitti" Pell, who is quite good at finding lost billions of the church. All hands to the wheel...

Many people accuse Atheists as being “Devil worshipers or evil doers.

David1955 comments on May 18, 2020:

I have never heard atheists called devil worshipers. It's theists who also believe in the Devil and other nonsense. Atheists are called terrible people, immoral, untrustworthy, and host of other names, but anyone who thinks a rejection of deities involves a belief in Satanism or alike is too stupid for words. Usually I hear that we don't believe in 'anything' which is also wrong and stupid. I have also asked believers how is it that an omnipotent and omniscient god is unable to vanquish a Satan, or even how could such an being exist under such a god, and I've yet to hear an answer that makes any sense. (no surprise there). By believing in the devil or satan they believe in a flawed god. Logic. Gets you every time.

How should Australia run from now on? Has globalisation & so called free trade gone too far?

David1955 comments on May 17, 2020:

Funny, they call it globalization, but it's really 'Chinaization' of the world. I know Europe is rethinking of lot of its reliance on and outsourcing to China. (I teach a lot of business people in Europe, online). Australia should do the same. If one good thing comes out of this catastrophe, let it be that.

Why THE FUCK are we allowing senior members of this site telling junior members to SHUT UP, to STOP,...

David1955 comments on May 17, 2020:

Yeah I agree. In a comment to a post about restricting this kind of debate i joking said i agreed in theory but not in practise as it would set a bad precedent. My point of humour was that while I grow tired of these recycled posts myself, you can't arbitrarily restrict discussion like that. No one is ever forced to comment on any post. Problem solved, if one sees a problem.

The Australian Broadcasting commission is Australia's version of the BBC eg mainstream media/ ...

David1955 comments on May 16, 2020:

One thing is sure. Whatever the Yanks say, PM Scumblo will go along with it. The faint echo behind him will be the worthless ALP.

Australian misgovernment

David1955 comments on May 16, 2020:

Don't worry, the gallant ALP will be there to hold them to account! (It is April 1st, isn't it?) :-)

[cnn.

David1955 comments on May 16, 2020:

They were just pulling his rig. :-)

I understad now why tRump is winning !! [thedailybeast.com]

David1955 comments on May 16, 2020:

As a foreigner I know exactly why Trump is winning. The Democratic Party.

Trump, Unveiling Space Force Flag, Touts What He Calls New 'Super-Duper Missile' Super duper ...

David1955 comments on May 16, 2020:

Add that to his other biggy wiggy and hugy doogy and beautiful wootiful and perfect werfect policies. Someone change his bib, please.

Hello everyone, just joined the group.

David1955 comments on May 15, 2020:

Hello. Yes, this group was created some time ago for members to share their experiences and suggestions. In the current situation we are living through, I would have thought it was more relevant than ever. As for myself, now the moderator, I teach English online to business professionals and I've been doing it for a long time. The company is now a sub group of Berlitz, and we work by telephone and increasingly by Skype, using their learning platform to connect with students, mostly in Europe but all over the world. We can be quite flexible in our teaching. You have to be assertive about getting an hourly rate, but you can work your own hours and without too much interference. Personally I would like to move into online research. I have a research background in adult education, but I haven't found a good gig online. Personally I could no more work in an office again than I could drink glue. Enough of that for me. If you have experiences yourself, please share. Thanks. David

I am agnostic because I want to have an open mind! Really?

David1955 comments on May 15, 2020:

My only comment, why is it hard for some to acknowledge that you can be an atheist and *still be open to any evidence of the existence of ANY damn God*? An atheist position is always open to new evidence, in fact that's the point. We're not holding our breath, given 40,000 years of unproven human gods, but open we always are. For this reason I don't see the value of agnosticism, but people are welcome to it.

[theweek.

David1955 comments on May 13, 2020:

Technically he's already a broken defective man, so falling apart should be in the past tense: fallen apart.

I wonder how much death and mayhem Trump voters are willing to accept before they admit a mistake.

David1955 comments on May 13, 2020:

I will tell you one thing. Back when this site began, and I was around then or not long after, there were a lot of people on this site claiming their non religious credentials but justifying voting for Trump and supporting him. A lot of scuffles back then. Not now. 'Where have all the flowers gone?' as the song goes. Same place as the Trump supporters here, I suspect. Don't recall any of them admitting WE were right and they were delusional.

How much longer do you guys in USA have to put up with this nonsense?

David1955 comments on May 12, 2020:

It is shocking to watch the US descend into a third world banana republic. The impact will be enormous on the world. America's resilience has always been its strength, but it's hard to see that now.

Democracy is Broken: Why 51% of Sanders Supporters are Considering a 3rd Party ...

David1955 comments on May 10, 2020:

Can you blame them? The argument that anyone but Trump isn't cutting it. Personally, I don't think Biden will even make it to the election. His effective brain functioning time is declining with each interview. Imagine him squaring off with Trump in a debate. Game over.

COUNTRIES BEATING COVID-19 and those that aren't quite there yet.

David1955 comments on May 10, 2020:

In Australia we have done well. Of course we haven't had state and federal authorities at each other's throats; we haven't had people storming parliaments with assault rifles crying out liberty or death!; we haven't had our leaders advising drinking bleach or shining torches into their open chests; we haven't had leaders saying that maybe testing isn't really that important; we haven't had leaders calling it a hoax, and we haven't had leaders saying absolutely contradictory things contrary to facts, science and the evidence. I believe those things have happened in some countries /country.

Is it possible for a subjective concept of God (if everyone agrees with it) be a positive force for ...

David1955 comments on May 9, 2020:

I would say definitely no. If you mean a single mono theistic god, then all such gods ( in theology created by their worshippers) are the one true God, with the one true beliefs, the one true commands, the one true sins, the one true heaven or hell, the one true heretics... etc etc. On it goes. Having a universally agreed god is as unlikely as a universal culture. If on the other hand you mean a kind of new age type vague 'good god' then it would be whatever people wanted it to be. No chance of being a positive force for anything. In my view, no god belief is ever a positive force for humanity, as it is always a non rational belief.

Thoughts?

David1955 comments on May 8, 2020:

Well, I take this as a kind of rejection of agnosticism, implied anyway. Being a strident atheist, I broadly agree here, though I see atheism not merely as a proposition but a statement that there is not a scrap of evidence that any god exists. Anyone got any evidence, then give us a call. I note that some have chewed you out for not defining God. Well, I think that's being picky, since no matter how you define it -- supernatural being, great cosmic energy thingy thing, or whatever -- by definition it is supernatural and metaphysical. My point would be different: don't use God singular, but Gods plural, since people believe, or have believed, in thousands of them. Again, no evidence for *any* of them. I dislike the use of God in the singular in such debates, and have said so here before. The reason is *too often people are referring to the god they grew up with, mostly here the Christian God, since they don't care about all the other gods.* We need to think bigger and reject all god beliefs equally.

Kellyanne Conway's Husband Writes Brilliant Op-Ed Explaining Why Trump Went "Ballistic" On Him: "The...

David1955 comments on May 6, 2020:

Good one. Those guys, and Rick Wilson is another one, know exactly how to push Trump's buttons, and being Republicans they do so ruthlessly. I understand they haven't even started on him yet, and they have a ton of dough to do it. He deserves it.

I knew the fuckers were over stepping their authority.

David1955 comments on May 5, 2020:

Too often Australians are push overs, especially at the hands of conservative governments, something I have always found baffling since these parties are clearly the political instruments of Capital and little more. All you have to do is couch the language in terms of "mateship", not doing anything "UnAustralian", we're the "Lucky Country" so give it "a fair go" and other mythologized Australianisms, and people will fall for it. They're doing it now with this virus App, but the Right are masters at this in Australia on everything. Australians are not sufficiently distrustful of governments encroaching on their liberty, but far too lame in not demanding the government services they should have and pay for in high taxes. On the other hand, their skepticism and rejection of parties on the Left (supposedly) knows no bounds. I find Australians hard to figure, myself.

"In a certain sense, postmodernism seems to be the last step of secularization.

David1955 comments on May 5, 2020:

"Nature, Humanity, Reason, History, Progress, and so on..." are majestic new names for God?! Brother, you need to go back to the basics of secularism. You're a little lost.

Hello, I am Muhammad.

David1955 comments on May 4, 2020:

The more diverse and global this community becomes the better, from my point of view. I wonder how many other 'closet' atheists there might be where you are.

[finance.

David1955 comments on May 4, 2020:

Trump never went to school. His father just bought him qualifications. He is utterly uneducated.

Yep, our glorious leaders have it all totally under control Bahahahaha [abc.

David1955 comments on May 2, 2020:

I see PM BloJo is now using blackmail to get people to use this damn App -- if not enough people do not download it then we can't *possibly* open restaurants and such like. Right there makes me suspicious that this is backdoor right wing national surveillance. Fuck me, they're already taking Telco data and ISP data more than most countries other than China and Russia etc, and now this! BTW, I haven't heard what the alleged ALP's policy is, have any of you? I assume it's complicity. The alleged ALP never wants to be wedged by the principles it long ago abandoned.

Did God know that sin would still exist and continue on Earth after he drowned everyone on Earth ...

David1955 comments on Apr 28, 2020:

If theists were ever remotely thoughtful about what an omnipotent and omniscient God really is, they might understand that their god would know, even before the universe was created, everything that was going to happen, up until the end of the universe, including every thought, action, good and bad deed, every wonder and every calamity, of every being on earth, or any where else for that matter, and every sin (which it created). So, what the hell is the point of commandments, punishments and forgiveness, and all the rest of the theological clap trap, since nothing could surprise, anger, disappoint or please a God that knew it all before it happened? I asked that question when I was 15 years old. Almost 50 years later I still have never heard a religious reply. I've decided they are not remotely thoughtful.

Trump Strikes Out At Media-Insisting Reporters Return Nobel Prizes President Trump has launched...

David1955 comments on Apr 28, 2020:

If there is one person on this planet who most definitely should not receive either a 'Nobel" or a "Noble" prize, it is Donald J. "Blagard" Trump.

I thought I was having a great day today until I knocked my Burr coffee grinder in the floor and ...

David1955 comments on Apr 28, 2020:

Yes Indeed. Some days we should just stay in bed.

Why am I agnostic?

David1955 comments on Apr 28, 2020:

This post is a bit of an art form in conflation of ideas. Right wing/religious/ Trump/ agnosticism... Still, your 'heart' is in the right place, and I agree with your sentiments. But I'm an atheist, myself.

Pentagon formally releases 3 Navy videos showing "unidentified aerial phenomena" [cbsnews.

David1955 comments on Apr 28, 2020:

Ah, UAPs. That's a relief. Thought they might have been UFOs. Dodged a bullet there. Extraordinary Rendition, Enhanced Interogation, Collatoral Damage, and now UAPs. Of course.

Make up your own mind - 5G mobile network [youtu.be]

David1955 comments on Apr 28, 2020:

The mobile phone industry, as we know, is driven by two bright shiny objects. The first is annual, ever more expensive phones, with more and more 'features' and stats the users don't need or understand, to create the demand and profit the corporations crave. The second is faster and faster connectivity, which again most neither need nor understand. Capitalism. So, I buy a mid range phone, replace only when necessary, and 4G is more than good enough.

Is televangelist Jim Bakker about to lose his religious empire (again)? / LGBTQ Nation

David1955 comments on Apr 26, 2020:

Goddam right wing religious phoney. It's seems right wing Evangelists will forgive any "sinner" as long as he's a Republican.

Australian journalist gives insight into the systemic faults in Australian Corporate Law, the ...

David1955 comments on Apr 26, 2020:

Don't forget to download that Govt COVID App, FB. Old Scumbo is lookin' out for you baby!

Is atheism an essentially conservative or fundamentally liberal stance?

David1955 comments on Apr 26, 2020:

It's not essentially or fundamentally stanced on politics. However, research, such as PEW and others I have read, indicate that the profile of atheists politically and on social and economic issues generally is progressive. I do recall the stats were skewed towards atheists in the US, due to this being the largest surveyed group. But this can only be taken as a suggestive finding, and even though as a progressive atheist I would like to believe it, I wouldn't take too much from it. There are plenty of right wing atheists around.

North Korea dictator Kim Jong-un dead at 36 - YouTube

David1955 comments on Apr 26, 2020:

I wouldn't want to be his surgeons in North Korea. Bet they've been shot already. Poor bastards. Even if true, it will be 'The Monster is dead. Long Live the Monster". Failed state with state religion predilections.

Gnostic Atheist, Agnostic Atheist, Agnostic Theist, or Gnostic Theist?

David1955 comments on Apr 25, 2020:

This is the sort of post based on these graphs and charts that, as an atheist, makes me figuratively weep, as I see non-religious people fracture and splinter like something out the 'People's from of Judea' scene from Monty Python. Divided we fall.

What is more damaging in Western societies religion or conspiratorial thinking?

David1955 comments on Apr 24, 2020:

Well, my loathing of religions is well known. On conspiracies, the more I see of the corruption, officially santioned criminality, collusion, and perversion of good governance in the US, the more I understand why so many people there see conspiring going on at the highest levels. Of course, I have lived through the 60s assassinations, Pentagon papers, Watergate, CIA and FBI revealed criminal collusion, just to name some, so I tend to take nothing at face value anymore. Power corrupts, power colludes and power conspires to conceal it. This the great lesson of the past 50 years.

Read a comment that said being "atheist" was claiming there is no god.

David1955 comments on Apr 24, 2020:

Some theists and even agnostics claim this. It is false. You don't have to prove a negative. And anyway, there are literally thousands of gods in human culture. Ought atheists prove each one does not exist? Stupid. In response I usually say, "Do you believe in dragons? No? Then prove they don't exist. "

Smokers 'four times less likely' to contract Covid-19, prompting nicotine patch trials on patients

David1955 comments on Apr 24, 2020:

Well now I've heard everything. I have read that those with weakened lungs often succumb to this virus. Last I heard, smoking is not real beneficial to the lungs. The world has truly gone crazy.

Ok I've seen christianity described as a 'doomsday cult" and a "death cult", but can we describe it ...

David1955 comments on Apr 22, 2020:

I consider it a death cult. Always have. Torture and death go together in such cults. What else would glorifying crucification be?

It is dumb to blame China, or any country for the epidemic.

David1955 comments on Apr 21, 2020:

While we can criticise the Chinese government's handling of the crisis initially, that's the corrupt authoritarian government of that country. As to the virus, I also wrote in a post a while back that ultimately where these come from is still a mystery. The 1918 Spanish Flu may have originated in the US. Do we blame America? No. I got dumped on in the post by people saying that, supposedly, all these people predicted years ago a virus would come from that part of China. Ok, fine. They are fortune tellers.

Corona virus has shown us once again how useless religion is.

David1955 comments on Apr 19, 2020:

Yes. I keeping asking what the impact will be on the increasingly secular younger populations. The irrelevance of religion and the power of science in evidence.

This was one of my favorite Dawkins Debates.

David1955 comments on Apr 19, 2020:

Terrible performance by Pell. I remember watching it back then. Why did God choose the Jews, since the Egyptions were more advanced, he asks? Duh! We evolved from Neandathols. Double Duh! We know this because they aren't around anymore. Triple Duh! The look on Dawkin's face. It was shameful to pitch a doofus like Pell against Dawkins. But that's our ABC, now. Anything for ratings, entertainment, forget serious debate. As an Australian I was appalled by this episode.

The presumptive nominee.

David1955 comments on Apr 19, 2020:

Another disastrous Biden interview again today, on CNN I see. It is going to be tortuous watching this Biden Train Wreck when he actually has to stand next to Trump and try to get a sentence out. After the catastrophe, all the corporate media and the corrupt Democratic Party will stand there saying, 'We never saw it coming." No, it's hard to see things when you close your eyes, hold your hands over your ears, and say, like the recently late comic (due to COVID-19) Tim Brooke-Taylor used to say in humour, 'I'm a tea pot! I'm a tea pot! I'm a tea pot!".

Bill had a great interview with a very astute Conservative from Texas.

David1955 comments on Apr 18, 2020:

I saw it. His conservative spin was: Trump doesn't lie, he justs projects 'positive' because that's what marketing people do. (rationalization). The Democrats are just as bad. (false equivalence) I don't agree with all Trump's actions, but look how great he has been at the economy! (Well, before the virus) (false equivalence, evasion) How could Trump have handled COVID-19 better? What is he, a fortune teller? (blatantly false, given facts) I'm a veteran, so be nice and don't challenge my thinly disguised right wing views too much. (emotional blackmail) In my view, though I'm a great fan of Bill Maher, he wasn't up to this interview. A better progressive doing a deconstruction of this guy's smiley devious apologism for Trump was needed.

Feds charge San Diego physician Jennings Staley, the drug hydroxychloroquine​, approved to treat ...

David1955 comments on Apr 18, 2020:

Because your President is effectively above the law, a situation which is absurd given American posturing and bragging about breaking away from the Old World and Kings.

I would love to see how they make this app compulsory, and what would they do with me?

David1955 comments on Apr 17, 2020:

It's so stupid. It assumes people won't leave them behind or off. But, on the other hand it's curious that people are happy to have their lives tracked by big brother both corporate and government, as long as they don't think about it. (Ever listened to Edward Snowden? We know so much about this stuff due to him.) But publicly tell people about an App, and up their backs get.

When I am explaining about Atheists, Many People are not ready to listen but due to Covid-19 ,All ...

David1955 comments on Apr 17, 2020:

Well, this is an interesting issue, but it needs a little parsing, in my view. Usually, catastrophes work to religion's advantage. But this is different. No good flocking to churches now. God's "House' will not save you. God and Jesus won't turn up either. (They never do.) This terrible virus has brought home how fundamentally important science is, and how impotent religion is, in my view. But the real issue, in my humble view, will be the impact on the young, eg Millennials. We know from research that secularism and apatheism is rife amongst the younger groups. This experience has been a further wake up call for them, namely how *irrelevant* religion is when the chips are really down; how important facts, evidence, science and reason are instead. It is hard to say, but I am looking forward to reading research in the future about the impact of this virus on their thinking and behavior. I do not believe it will be in religion's favour. Also to mention the appalling behaviour of evangelical religions in America, especially during this crisis. Real colours revealed. Rampant hypocrisy.

I have just started reading Bertrand Russell's essay "Why I am not a Christian".

David1955 comments on Apr 17, 2020:

If you haven't read his essay about why he was an atheist instead of an agnostic, I recommend it. His thinking on the subject is unsurpassed in my view, and I've yet to encounter serious challenge to his argument that agnosticism is a problematic position.

I'd like to see Joe Biden challenge trump to a fistfight.

David1955 comments on Apr 15, 2020:

Trump would KO Biden in 5 seconds. Don't be fooled. Trump is a street fighter. Coward, yes, but he'd drop Biden standing there playing by Queensberry rules. I fear the same will happen figuratively in any debate they have. Biden is fast on his feet like a dinosaur in quicksand.

Ever wonder what possesses a religious person to come onto an Agnostic/Atheist site and pretend that...

David1955 comments on Apr 15, 2020:

Who? Such people should be outed, if the case is made. I have suspected that a few so called agnostics here fall into that category and I have called them out as pseudo religionists. John Lennon put it well: 'One thing you can't hide, is when you're crippled inside.' As to why, it's obvious. Religious people get self confirmation when they feel they are infecting others.

To the Biden Supporters.

David1955 comments on Apr 13, 2020:

Speaking from an international perspective, you absolutely nailed the situation. Biden's supporters can be delusional; the corporate corrupt media can be delusional; the Democratic Party can be delusional. However, there is no reason why progressives and the Left need or should be delusional. Again speaking from an international perspective, I expect Trump to win, yes, despite Corona virus, and may the God I don't believe in help us all, wherever we are. This situation has not resulted in a vacuum, but is the result of America's utter corruption at the top. I know huge numbers of good Americans know this too.

I'd like to introduce you to our new community manager, @CommunityTom who is starting this week.

David1955 comments on Apr 13, 2020:

"help us to advocate atheist-related causes"....."has proved himself to be a kind and motivated atheist leader"...."runs a centrist atheist organization.." I like him already! Thou art most welcome @CommunityTom

Just a thought for Americans.

David1955 comments on Apr 13, 2020:

Do you think the impact will be that great, statistically? Moreover, the US has optional voting. Huge numbers of younger people may not vote, due to the hopeless Democratic Party and silly old Biden. It is clear that the US Establishment will destroy any real progressive candidate. Look what Obama did to Bernie recently. Don't know where they go from here. The US is so corrupt at the top. I fear Trump will win gain. 'God' help America; 'God' help us all.

Biggest COVID 19 threat to the world - USA [independentaustralia.net].

David1955 comments on Apr 13, 2020:

I've had to stop watching TV cable news. Just too terrible. I feel very sorry for our American cousins. And still millions or moronic Trump Cultists follow him, many to their deaths. An American Tragedy, indeed. A failure of US systems, political, legal, administrative, and medical, all leading to Trump and from Trump to tragedy. The only bright spot is that some Governors are doing such a good job, given their circumstances. Overall, it's like watching a third world country, which, as some commentators have said, America has sort of become.

One might say that there is an air of intellectual superiority about enthusiastic libertarians, ...

David1955 comments on Apr 12, 2020:

There is and has been, particularly post 1930s Depression. It is called a Mixed Economy, a balance of public and private enterprise, which is the basis of social democratic political and economic ideology, much maligned by the Right as 'Socialism" which they falsely equate to Communism. It was particularly effective in the post WW2 decades, in both economic and social outcomes, until the rise of economic rationalism and its ilk in the late 1970s which has been disastrous, again both in economic and social outcomes. So, it is not a matter of creating something new in economics, but returning to economic theory that balances both economic and social outcomes. Simply put, the contagion of extreme Right Wing ideology needs to be neutralized in much the same way that the current viral contagion needs to be.

‪Pastor says his worshippers would rather die than miss his services [the-sun.com]‬

David1955 comments on Apr 9, 2020:

As long as they give some money to him before they die. Bastard.

With all these churches having services and spreading a deadly disease, it feels like survival of ...

David1955 comments on Apr 9, 2020:

Let's be honest. These churches want people to turn up at services so they can GET MONEY out of them. They are businesses, first and foremost, all of them, especially these evangelist religions, but all of them really. They are exposing their real motives.

Out in time for Easter ... Unreal!

David1955 comments on Apr 9, 2020:

He doesn't seem to be Cardinalling, I see, I mean in Cardinal garb.. He hasn't had his frock taken away, has he? Pope Frank-the-Wanker will probably want him back in the 'Holy City' to start looking for more billions of money, like last time. He's good at that, apparently. What a farce! Still, I blame millions of kitchen Catholics who hang on to this criminal organization, for no good reason that I can see.

Who avoids discussing religion and spirituality?

David1955 comments on Apr 8, 2020:

I don't. I condemn the first, and dismiss the other as woo woo. That's why I'm so popular! :-) One shouldn't be apathetic about religion in my view; but proactive, in neutralizing it.

Joe Biden Ad: Medicare for All Would Be an Insult to My Dead Son - VICE

David1955 comments on Apr 7, 2020:

Watching US cable tv, CNN and MSNBC in particular, you can tell that they know that Biden is in significant mental decline, and they shield it as much as possible, and since they've invested so much in supporting him, though thinly veiled, they are just praying that he'll get there, win the election, and somehow it will work out. Purely delusional behaviour. He won't get there; the Democratic Party nomination process will fall into a heap, and you can see this train wreck a mile off.

What a bloody travesty of Justice in Australia and a Judicial "Up Yours" to ALL Victims and ...

David1955 comments on Apr 6, 2020:

How about you tell us what you really think? :-) You know, I'm beginning to think there really is a God, and he's a total prick and pricks serve him.

Fuck me George Pell just got his conviction squashed. Lost for words except fuck the high court

David1955 comments on Apr 6, 2020:

Hate to play devil's advocate, but the case was problematic, and though I despise the man, in a way I'm not surprised.

Why are we condoning our members wishing infection and death upon people for flaunting gathering ...

David1955 comments on Apr 6, 2020:

Quite wrong to say such things, and you are right to call it out.

The end of capitalism.

David1955 comments on Apr 6, 2020:

Not Communism surely, but social democracy, which in fact was the dominant economic model post depression and WW2, to varying degrees in the western world, and which yielded major socio-economic gains, until the economic virus of neoliberalism infected the western world in the late 70s and 80s. It would be an irony indeed if a biological virus helped wipe out that economic virus. But know this: after the so-called GFC a decade or more ago, (I call it CCC - Cyclical Collapse in Capitalism) there was a lot of talk about reforming Capitalism that never happened. The right wing economic fundamentalists took the money and then thwarted serious reform. I predict the same here. They'll take the money then subvert reform.

Trump Fires Inspector General Who Handled Impeachment Complaint In what critics say is ...

David1955 comments on Apr 5, 2020:

Straight out of the Autocrat playbook. Hitler didn't create the Nazi state overnight. Bit by bit, dismantle by dismantle, elimination by elimination. The Weimar Republic's structures looked strong but were weak. The US Republic now likewise.

Mike Huckabee Claims COVID-19 Death Risk Small and Sin Risk Lethal Former Republican ...

David1955 comments on Apr 4, 2020:

Birdbrain Republican. Oh, that's a tautology, isn't it? If there's one positive outcome from this terrible virus, it might be that conservatives might learn that science and facts can't be ignored just because they are inconvenient or contrary with mysticism. Maybe.