David1955's Profile

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. :-)

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 ...