David1955's Profile

There has been a lot of discussion over time about the name of this site, agnostic.

josephr comments on Aug 5, 2018:

FYI, for argument's sake. LLOL Agnosticism is of the essence of science, whether ancient or modern. It simply means that a man shall not say he knows or believes that which he has no scientific grounds for professing to know or believe. Consequently, agnosticism puts aside not only the greater ...

David1955 replies on Aug 6, 2018:

@josephr I assure you my post was not about relitigating the agnostic-atheist debate, and the site is diverse and inclusive. I was interested in raising this unbeliever.org point and how I like it and would happily wear it on a shirt.

There has been a lot of discussion over time about the name of this site, agnostic.

josephr comments on Aug 5, 2018:

FYI, for argument's sake. LLOL Agnosticism is of the essence of science, whether ancient or modern. It simply means that a man shall not say he knows or believes that which he has no scientific grounds for professing to know or believe. Consequently, agnosticism puts aside not only the greater ...

David1955 replies on Aug 5, 2018:

Excuse me sir, I'm not sure of your point. The agnostic position is recognised, as per the definition of it, but many of us are not agnostic but atheist and attest to that. Hence my point, we are unbelievers in religion, not hung up on questions of knowability.

Only Two-Thirds Of American Millennials Believe The Earth Is Round

EricJones comments on Aug 5, 2018:

Have they ever heard of NASA????

David1955 replies on Aug 5, 2018:

Problem is, hardly anyone believes a thing NASA says anymore, especially highly cynical young people. On that I can hardly blame them, though believing that the world is a globe shouldn't be a stretch for anyone.

Only Two-Thirds Of American Millennials Believe The Earth Is Round

TheAstroChuck comments on Aug 3, 2018:

These results are shocking. I agree with you that the results are valid and statistically significant. However, I can't help thinking that the numbers might be somewhat inflated due to some portion of millennials it's fashionably cool to claim to be a Flat Earther - or something like that. ...

David1955 replies on Aug 4, 2018:

Yes, I was thinking that one would really have to mine into these kinds of figures with more depth.

What is your absolute favorite TV show of all time?

David1955 comments on Aug 2, 2018:

You have to identify genres. Comedy - Frazier Sci Fi - Star Trek TOS 66-69 Mystery - Twilight Zone Adventure - Game of Thrones Spy - Man from Uncle Drama - Brideshead Revisted.

David1955 replies on Aug 3, 2018:

@JenBeberstein I'm sure you must know Game of Thrones, it's like a global TV cult. The Man from Uncle, 1964-68, great classic from the 60s, absolute who's who of acting from that time support roles, a really cool show, Robert Vaughn is great. Hard to see unless you have them. Not streamed, sadly. Brideshead Revisited, UK, 1982, based on the Evelyn Waugh novel, total classic, beautifully made series. All these years later it's a joy to watch.

New Atheism, Worse Than You Think

Matias comments on Jul 31, 2018:

A somewhat lengthy but very informative and interesting article! Thank you very much for sharing. I can fully agree with the author on many points.

David1955 replies on Aug 2, 2018:

@Matias I don't see the word fanatic, so thank you for illustrating my point. You seem obsessed in proving that there is debate about the contribution of Dawkins and co, which *everyone* knows, and there are both admirers and detractors. You're a detractor, fine, you are hardly the only one even on this site. For those of us who are part of the huge number of admirers we know the dismal failure of 20th century atheism to challenge religion, the failure of the 'let's show respect to religion' brigade while religion weaponised, politicised, and corrupted everywhere it could, all the while the appalling practices of religion continuing, thrawting progress. Dawkins and co are change agents, and lead the charge against religion their way. Movements need change agents. You don't like it, tough. Many of us do. What have you done to help bring about a secular world compared to Dawkins? Little or nothing, I'll bet. Most of us don't have the profile to have great impact. I admire those who do.

This poll is inspired by this article: The venomous ideology of religious intolerance ...

David1955 comments on Aug 1, 2018:

I admit to being intolerant towards religion, though tolerant of people's right to believe in any nonsense they wish, providing it doesn't become hateful or legally actionable. I am also intolerant of - - racists, bigots and white supremacists. - right wing fanatics who pursue an oligarchic world....

David1955 replies on Aug 2, 2018:

@TheMiddleWay by living in hope that current religions will go the way of ancient religions that once millions believed in, fought for and died believing, following their phoney celebrants, and that is to die the death of irrelevance. Given human weakness for the simplistic answers of religion, and the phoney authority on which it is based, it is, I admit, idealistic to hope for a religion free world. But the trend line of history is clear, the right and wrong side of history all too apparent, as is which side of that history religion belongs.

What is your absolute favorite TV show of all time?

David1955 comments on Aug 2, 2018:

You have to identify genres. Comedy - Frazier Sci Fi - Star Trek TOS 66-69 Mystery - Twilight Zone Adventure - Game of Thrones Spy - Man from Uncle Drama - Brideshead Revisted.

David1955 replies on Aug 2, 2018:

@JustKip all are good, but I have special spot for M from U. I have all of them. Big fan of Robert Vaugnn, and it was cool series, and even Sharon Tate appeared in it.

What is your absolute favorite TV show of all time?

David1955 comments on Aug 2, 2018:

You have to identify genres. Comedy - Frazier Sci Fi - Star Trek TOS 66-69 Mystery - Twilight Zone Adventure - Game of Thrones Spy - Man from Uncle Drama - Brideshead Revisted.

David1955 replies on Aug 2, 2018:

@JenBeberstein which three?

New Atheism, Worse Than You Think

Matias comments on Jul 31, 2018:

A somewhat lengthy but very informative and interesting article! Thank you very much for sharing. I can fully agree with the author on many points.

David1955 replies on Aug 2, 2018:

@Matias I don't care if you or others have criticisms of Dawkins and others. I am extremely aware of commentary on that. That can be debated. But these individuals are distinguished in their fields, prolific in their publishing, and deserve more respect than being labelled "fanatic" which is used for dangerous extreme people for whom logic and reason mean nothing. You have the right to say it, and I have the right to respond that the term is inappropriate and wrong, and by the way, I have generally heard such terms used about Dawkins and co by religious apologists, not serious scholars of religion. More serious individuals use less intemperate speech.

New Atheism, Worse Than You Think

Matias comments on Jul 31, 2018:

A somewhat lengthy but very informative and interesting article! Thank you very much for sharing. I can fully agree with the author on many points.

David1955 replies on Aug 2, 2018:

@Matias I don't block. When I see comments like yours, that Dawkins et.al are fanatics, I call it out. You degrade the real meaning of fanatic, you reduce the real meaning as applied to real fanatics. Blocking reflects fear, in my view, fear of being challenged. I have no fear of anyone here, including you.

New Atheism, Worse Than You Think

Matias comments on Jul 31, 2018:

A somewhat lengthy but very informative and interesting article! Thank you very much for sharing. I can fully agree with the author on many points.

David1955 replies on Aug 1, 2018:

@Matias then you have a very strange definition of the word "fanatic". I profoundly disagree. I'm used to reading that kind of crap, but it profoundly disappoints me to read it here. The more I read of your posts and comments, the less impressed I am with your views, I'm sorry to say.

"The modern age has witnessed the rise of a number of new natural-law religions, such as liberalism,...

TiberiusGracchus comments on Jul 31, 2018:

“If religion is a system of human norms and values that is founded on a belief in a superhuman order,” well there it is, his own definition of what “religion” is. Sure, I can call anything anything if I just tweak word meanings to fit my narrative. Even his own definition is problematic, as ...

David1955 replies on Aug 1, 2018:

Wholeheartedly agree. Very well said.

"The modern age has witnessed the rise of a number of new natural-law religions, such as liberalism,...

David1955 comments on Jul 31, 2018:

Sounds like a dangerous form of false equivalence to me, full of assumptions, like liberalism (the philosophy) is a "creed". Also religions are based on a *supernatural power*, not superhuman order. It's the kind of quote that seeks to sound clever but isn't. It's true that some political movements ...

David1955 replies on Jul 31, 2018:

@Matias all that might be true, but I decline to believe what is suggested in the quote that philosophies and ideologies are somehow defacto religions of some kind. Philosophies and ideologies are debatable, with strengths and weaknesses, that at least have the potential to help us move forward, whereas religions are universally repugnant, non rational, and do nothing but retard our development and progress, and I include the mumbo jumbo of eastern religions that the middle class "spiritual" set like to get into.

Have you ever seen a movie that you wished you never seen?

David1955 comments on Jul 28, 2018:

The last Blade Runner movie. Unnecessary. Sometimes Follywood should just leave perfection the hell alone. Had Follywood been around in Shakespeare's time they'd have said, "OK Will, we want you to do a sequel for us. We'll call it 'Hamlet Rides Again'. It'll be a smash!" Changing your question ...

David1955 replies on Jul 29, 2018:

@Maggiemay no disagreement here.

It is amazing how many folks on agnostic.

CallMeDave comments on Jul 27, 2018:

Look up at the top at the name of the place you are now. Does is say Atheism.com? Alrighty then. Now take a bath.

David1955 replies on Jul 27, 2018:

@CallMeDave quote me where she says or implies that agnostics are somehow intellectually inferior?

It is amazing how many folks on agnostic.

CallMeDave comments on Jul 27, 2018:

Look up at the top at the name of the place you are now. Does is say Atheism.com? Alrighty then. Now take a bath.

David1955 replies on Jul 27, 2018:

If you are suggesting that this is purely an agnostic site, you are wrong. They had to call it something but this is not a purely agnostic site. There have been many threads hammering out this point and clarifying this confusion about this amongst agnostics here. I thought your comment was inappropriate. She doesn't need to take a bath, but you need to take a reality check on the site name.

Why are there so many people who are lonely?

ProudMary comments on Jul 26, 2018:

I think a lot of it has to do with setting our standards too high. No one's going to be perfect and we need to stop looking for it. And the most crucial thing in a healthy relationship is honesty.

David1955 replies on Jul 26, 2018:

I think that is right, and we are bombarded on TV and in movies with the "beautiful people" who have perfect bodies and mind blowing sex every time and relationships that are total fantasy, and these things don't even exist perpetually for the "stars" so how can they exist for people in the real world. These media have distorted our perceptions of real relationships, in my view.

That was then. This is now. The Law of Unintended Consequences.

David1955 comments on Jul 25, 2018:

Big subject, interesting post. As a student of history I'm also aware of the folly of thinking that past solutions can be applied simply. History doesn't repeat itself but cycles do apply. Your post seems to relate to the current crises in capitalism, specifically US capitalism. We are now in a ...

David1955 replies on Jul 25, 2018:

@TheAstroChuck cheer up, dear professor, there is always hope. Do what I do and watch some old Star Trek TOS 1966-69 for comfort. ("Who cries for Andonais?" always cheers me up.) They did it, why can't we? I know, it's delusional, but there are better and worse delusions. Methinks, however, that you are right.

That was then. This is now. The Law of Unintended Consequences.

David1955 comments on Jul 25, 2018:

Big subject, interesting post. As a student of history I'm also aware of the folly of thinking that past solutions can be applied simply. History doesn't repeat itself but cycles do apply. Your post seems to relate to the current crises in capitalism, specifically US capitalism. We are now in a ...

David1955 replies on Jul 25, 2018:

@TheAstroChuck Indeed. Not my field, but it seems to me there is a need to make huge leaps in technologies, energy and alike to create a new production and consumption economic paradigm. So much of the economic and political debate is based on old paradigms that are rapidly becoming obsolete.

Now level 7 yea! Actually don't care, but I am the guy that wears atheist t shirts whenever I go to ...

LiterateHiker comments on Jul 23, 2018:

It feels like a long slog to go from level 7 to 8. I'm at 7.6.

David1955 replies on Jul 24, 2018:

Doesn't it though? I'm 7.4. When I started level 7 dinasours still roamed the earth, or it feels that way. Good thing I'm not motivated by points. :-)

[nypost.

TheAstroChuck comments on Jul 22, 2018:

This is amazing. I had no idea the National Prayer Breakfast was so antidemocratic and so sinister right from the start.

David1955 replies on Jul 22, 2018:

Until recently, although generally well informed of US politics as I am, it was not known to me as well.

[nypost.

HippieChick58 comments on Jul 22, 2018:

There is no doubt in my mind that the Christian Right has lost its mind.

David1955 replies on Jul 22, 2018:

Indeed. When regressive thinking takes over the mind, a kind of madness inevitably follows.

[nypost.

KKGator comments on Jul 22, 2018:

Nope. When this all goes south (and it will, eventually), 45 is exposed, and Putin goes wherever Putin goes, the religutards will just give themselves a "mulligan" and keep on truckin'. That's what they do.

David1955 replies on Jul 22, 2018:

@KKGator ideas are indeed hard to kill as you say, both good ones and bad ones. The whole human struggle, it seems to me, is about the struggle between good and bad ideas.

[nypost.

Freedompath comments on Jul 22, 2018:

I read about that earlier and it made it clear to me that it is their Christian agenda that they are supporting! The Christians have made it their life’s work, ‘to spread the gospel to every corner of the earth!’ However, they simply do not understand the Russian historical and social ...

David1955 replies on Jul 22, 2018:

Indeed.

Forty-nine years ago today (July 20) marks the first manned landing on the Moon.

Ozman comments on Jul 21, 2018:

I just wrote a thing about this on facebook. 49 years. Forty. Nine. Years. 49 years after Kitty Hawk, there was a thriving, world-wide aviation industry. 49 years after Trinity, despite a huge backlash, 20% of US electricity was produced by nuclear power. 49 years after becoming the ...

David1955 replies on Jul 21, 2018:

Good last point. I believe the astronauts themselves express their great sadness that their heroic efforts have largely not been followed up in space. For me the US space program is a perfect metaphor for the US as a whole: lost its way, lost its nerve, doesn't know what it stands for, no longer has the will to do the "hard things", as JFK put it.

Does anyone ever wish Aliens would come down and just shut up every theist.

David1955 comments on Jul 18, 2018:

We want to avoid a pseudo alien-religion thinking, as Carl Sagan said, but the idea that aliens might arrive and raise our consciousness is a nice fantasy. However it seems to me that if aliens arrive they might - - kill us, eat us. (Thank you Rod Serling) - rule us. - convert us into a new ...

David1955 replies on Jul 20, 2018:

@Bamboodread take me with you, I'm sick of this planet.PS: I'm not good eating. :-)

Who are some famous people you wish would just go away?

AnneWimsey comments on Jul 19, 2018:

Any Kardashian whatsoever

David1955 replies on Jul 19, 2018:

Absolutely. And add that awful woman Paris Hilton. I can't stand these famous for being famous no talent people.

New study casts doubt on the existence of alien life in our galaxy.

TheMiddleWay comments on Jul 16, 2018:

I've always thought that speculation about life on other planets is futile. I mean consider that it is very plausible that we are the FIRST intelligent species in the universe... after all, there logically has to be a first species. Then, while life on other planets is very possible, they haven't ...

David1955 replies on Jul 18, 2018:

@TheMiddleWay so sorry for thinking that speculation might include serious consideration of evidence. You are starting to become amusing, middle, which is fine except when it's unintended, then it's a worry. :-)

New study casts doubt on the existence of alien life in our galaxy.

Xena comments on Jul 16, 2018:

Humans are so arrogant to even suggest that we are the ONLY life in the hundred billion galaxies we claim to know exist

David1955 replies on Jul 17, 2018:

@TheMiddleWay finally something we can agree on. :-)

New study casts doubt on the existence of alien life in our galaxy.

TristanNuvo comments on Jul 16, 2018:

Drakes equation concludes otherwise.

David1955 replies on Jul 17, 2018:

Interesting answer, as always. Forgive me but it sounded a little like having your cosmic cake and eating it too. :-) . I'm not a scientist so I'm wary of speaking beyond my pay grade, but the thought that we are alone in this immensity, even if they are far away, is hard to imagine. But, could be. I admire the enthusiasm of some UFO people but in the end it has got to be definitive evidence.

New study casts doubt on the existence of alien life in our galaxy.

TheMiddleWay comments on Jul 16, 2018:

I've always thought that speculation about life on other planets is futile. I mean consider that it is very plausible that we are the FIRST intelligent species in the universe... after all, there logically has to be a first species. Then, while life on other planets is very possible, they haven't ...

David1955 replies on Jul 17, 2018:

@TheMiddleWay false. You should read some real agnostics. They speculate about God/s all the time.

James Comey on Twitter: "This was the day an American president stood on foreign soil next to a ...

powder comments on Jul 17, 2018:

You Americans are a weird mob. Complain about foreign interference in your domestic politics yet openly call for a coup in Venezuela (not to mention how many countries you have "interfered" with). OK with DNC rigging primaries Understand the USSR is dead. Russia is not communist anymore....

David1955 replies on Jul 17, 2018:

You are absolutely right about the double standard. I've said similar things here myself. But Trump's betrayal is more than US double standards. He's betrayed the western alliance, liberal democracy, notions of liberty and freedom that has come at great cost, and is actively supporting an authoritarian world order. These are much bigger stakes than US foreign policy hypocrisy.

New study casts doubt on the existence of alien life in our galaxy.

TheAstroChuck comments on Jul 16, 2018:

As an astrophysicist, I'm not buying the logic on either side. Fermi paradox does not take into account the length of survival of any species or the length of time any civilization exists. There is every indication that humans will exhaust their supply of fuels and other natural resources long ...

David1955 replies on Jul 16, 2018:

Just a question, while any determination on alien life must be evidence based, just thinking speculatively, would you think it is more likely rather than less that with the billions of galaxies, and presumably trillions of planets in the universe, that we are alone? I find that hard to imagine, honestly.

New study casts doubt on the existence of alien life in our galaxy.

TheMiddleWay comments on Jul 16, 2018:

I've always thought that speculation about life on other planets is futile. I mean consider that it is very plausible that we are the FIRST intelligent species in the universe... after all, there logically has to be a first species. Then, while life on other planets is very possible, they haven't ...

David1955 replies on Jul 16, 2018:

So, speculating if life exists on other planets is futile, but endlessly speculating on whether there is a god or gods and maintaining a strictly agnostic position on it is makes perfect sense. I see.

New study casts doubt on the existence of alien life in our galaxy.

Xena comments on Jul 16, 2018:

Humans are so arrogant to even suggest that we are the ONLY life in the hundred billion galaxies we claim to know exist

David1955 replies on Jul 16, 2018:

@TheMiddleWay Oh, come in spinner....

New study casts doubt on the existence of alien life in our galaxy.

Xena comments on Jul 16, 2018:

Humans are so arrogant to even suggest that we are the ONLY life in the hundred billion galaxies we claim to know exist

David1955 replies on Jul 16, 2018:

Yes indeed.

Theists and believers

JustKip comments on Jul 15, 2018:

There actually are a few theists here. Very few, but there are quite a few more believers of "woo". I actually prefer theists over the woo crowd

David1955 replies on Jul 16, 2018:

It's Woo Woo isn't it!?And I agree, they give me the pips. No tolerance for woo wooers.

I was a real Republican. I don't recognize my party now, or what it stands for.

David1955 comments on Jul 16, 2018:

With all due respect to people who claim the Republican Party was somehow wonderful in the past but has lost its way under Trump and now they can't identify with it, might a reality check be in order. This was a party that * didn't help the progressive measures on racial tolerance or social ...

David1955 replies on Jul 16, 2018:

Oh, and l left out the fantasy known as the Reagan presidency which bears little resemblance to the reality of the actual man and his presidency.

NASA X-Files

David1955 comments on Jul 13, 2018:

You can believe everything Never A Straight Answer tells you, all you have to be is totally gullible. It amazes me that NASA thinks anyone believes anything they say, but then I watch something NASAish on mainstream media, buying it hook, line and cover story, and I realise how it still works in ...

David1955 replies on Jul 13, 2018:

@LibrePenseur I know the xfiles. The truth is out there.:-)

Do you consider Barack Obama a Super Hero?

David1955 comments on Jul 12, 2018:

A decent man, but in the end a Chicago democrat who gave great speeches but couldn't follow up. As the late Gore Vidal said in 2007 about Obama, yes 2007, Chicago democrats always give great speeches but never stand for anything. He forsaw what we couldn't see then. Nothing will remain of his ...

David1955 replies on Jul 13, 2018:

@Freedompath I see your point but Obama wasted his first term when had the most authority and control. Truth is, speeches aside, he was not a reformer and had no intention of being one, the very example of what progressives who wish to reform the Democratic Party say is wrong with it. Truth is, with his gang of recycled Clinton corporate democrats at his side, his presidency was little more than a resumption of the Clinton years with an African American guy at the helm. I agree about the decency of Obama and Carter, but political power is about achievements, and Obama whipped up an appetite for change, failed to even try to take advantage of it, and then left hungry people who sublimated that desire into the evil Trump presidency. I believe history will so judge.

What kind of Atheist are you?

Strabo comments on Jul 12, 2018:

I identify as an Alcoholic Atheist - religious people drive me to drink!

David1955 replies on Jul 12, 2018:

Sounds like any excuse to me. :-)

What kind of Atheist are you?

KKGator comments on Jul 12, 2018:

Active atheist, militant anti-theist. Being anti-theist is much more important to me than merely being an atheist.

David1955 replies on Jul 12, 2018:

Ditto

So Asset Trump is meeting his handler Putin in private soon.

Marionville comments on Jul 12, 2018:

Trump is a megalomaniac and a narcissist. Nobody pulls his strings, he plays by his own rules. He is also a contrarian and takes a delight in being out of kilter with the other world leaders. He admires Putin because he has a similar personality and they both see in each other what they admire In...

David1955 replies on Jul 12, 2018:

@Marionville no doubt. Mueller had better get smart and get ahead of the curve or Trump will do him. It's my worst fear. Play by the rules Mueller getting squashed. The Grand Old Pirates party won't do a thing. The Ruskies have them too.

So Asset Trump is meeting his handler Putin in private soon.

Marionville comments on Jul 12, 2018:

Trump is a megalomaniac and a narcissist. Nobody pulls his strings, he plays by his own rules. He is also a contrarian and takes a delight in being out of kilter with the other world leaders. He admires Putin because he has a similar personality and they both see in each other what they admire In...

David1955 replies on Jul 12, 2018:

He let Stormy pretend to spank him. Beneath the bluster I suspect when the pressure is on he folds. His business career is full of it. Compromised by the Russians I suspect he would fall into a heap. Behind every bully is a coward. See if I'm wrong when the full truth about Trump comes out.

So Asset Trump is meeting his handler Putin in private soon.

meister268 comments on Jul 12, 2018:

Trump is coming to Britain this week, he can expect a hostile reception from the British people because we all know that he is a total prick and we hate him because he is trying to prepare our once great country for an economic invasion which would include the destruction of our NHS in favour of ...

David1955 replies on Jul 12, 2018:

Yes, do give him a "warm" reception.

I'm tired of being punished, ostracised, or mistreated in one way or another because I don't buy ...

Cassiopeia comments on Jul 11, 2018:

Here in the UK no one cares about other people’s religion, or lack of it, in general. Church going Christians are actually quite rare, although quite a few people profess Christianity. I have never been vilified by religious friends or acquaintances.

David1955 replies on Jul 11, 2018:

Yes, I have read in various articles that the UK can be considered now to be a secular place. Notionally there may be a large number of people there who are Christians but in reality they are not functionally religious. It's the same here in Australia too, and even Europe is thought of now as largely a secular continent. Religion remains an identity with a broad group or idea, but not a reality in practice. I do think that Christian intolerance and harassment of nonbelievers is a reality in some parts of the US, however. Various posters have written about this over the months. Sometimes their stories are quite shocking. The poster here might fall into that category as well.

Human Ancestors Were Nearly All Vegetarians ...

David1955 comments on Jul 9, 2018:

I've always wondered, if we are meant to eat meat, why do we have to cook it first? Does your cat or dog need a steak cooked medium to well done? Nope.

David1955 replies on Jul 10, 2018:

@AnneWimsey I suspect eating raw meat would make us very sick. Raw chicken? I don't think so.

"The American people are a welcoming and generous people.

David1955 comments on Jul 9, 2018:

Some comments have been made here about US intrusions into other countries and the damage caused by US foreign policy. I totally agree. With great respect to the people in America, there is indeed a need for some balance to this ledger. US invasions, interference in other countries and their ...

David1955 replies on Jul 9, 2018:

@KKGator I don't assume that. I frequently watch progressive channels there online, and read widely, and there is a growing movement I know who want to change the situation. But it is also true that millions of people are snowed by the mainstream narrative. It's no less true in my country.

@Admin I just encountered an Anti-Semite here.

TheMiddleWay comments on Jul 5, 2018:

UGH! How many times must we have people single out other people merely because they disagree with their opinions? For one, there is nothing wrong with being a holocaust denier or a flat earther or a religious believer as long as you present your case and don't proselytize. I went to the thread in...

David1955 replies on Jul 5, 2018:

@icolan absolutely. Middle Way is just raving. His antipathy towards atheism knows no bounds.

Hello everybody.

Kimba comments on Jul 5, 2018:

"Fascinating figures released on a new website today show the South Australian capital is far from deserving its title as the City of Churches, but does have more adult entertainment shops per person than any other Australian city."

David1955 replies on Jul 5, 2018:

Really? I would have thought in the Internet age these places would be in the history books. Shows you what I know.

Question to atheists: Do you attend religious family events or decline on principle?

IAJO163 comments on Jul 2, 2018:

Beware! Muah ha ha ha haaaa .... You will be known as that family member who only comes for the food! Go, be a part of your niece's life and refrain from religious conversations. It's a one time event that you may regret one day. They're family. Love them for who they are.

David1955 replies on Jul 3, 2018:

I will say this. My sister does put on a good spread. :-)

Question to atheists: Do you attend religious family events or decline on principle?

Mikey5236o6 comments on Jul 3, 2018:

Come up with a lame excuse to be just late enough to miss the ceremony but enjoy the family time together. Live and let live on the philosophy conversation for this day. Unless they really push the point

David1955 replies on Jul 3, 2018:

They may be Catholics but they're not stupid. :-) Anyway, I don't do passive aggressive so well.

What’s the worst or most boring job you’ve ever had?

David1955 comments on Jul 2, 2018:

Picking olives. Trust me boyfriends and girlfriends, you don't want to go there. :-)

David1955 replies on Jul 2, 2018:

@EmeraldJewel I was young and needed the money!

Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality.

David1955 comments on Jun 28, 2018:

Were Carl Sagan still with us and reading your post, he would, in my view, greatly object to your attempt to conflate religious notions of spiritualism with his meaning of a sense of wonder and awe at the cosmos in which we live. I've heard this attempted proposition before, in fact I suspect I have...

David1955 replies on Jul 2, 2018:

@skado Yeah, Ok, I get what you are saying. I guess I'm not sure what the point of the post was, really, as the word spiritual, whatever its etymology, is a loaded word, hence I balk when I see it. If we are talking about the majesty and mystery of the cosmos and existence, that Carl often referred to, which all of us should contemplate, rationally, then I prefer to express it that way. The words spiritual and spirituality are so bound up with religion now they are inseparable. But we are both clearly on the same side of this issue, so to speak.

Agnostic.

chalupacabre comments on Jul 1, 2018:

I've got a Note8 and it works fine. Different from the website, but the same could be said of fb, too.

David1955 replies on Jul 1, 2018:

Yeah, I think it's the build of the Note 3. It's very annoying that the App won't work on it, thanks.

I joined this site because of the Title, Agnostic.

TheMiddleWay comments on Jun 30, 2018:

Your observation is correct. The name of the site and it's stated mission are at odds. After all, an agnostic is not one that is "happy withour religion" but rather one that is "happy with evidence". While many an atheist would claim that these are the same, that being happy with evidence ...

David1955 replies on Jul 1, 2018:

"plenty of dogmatic and close-minded atheists who make claims based on what their 'priests' have told them...." Well there's a open-mined statement if ever I've heard one. Duh! This site mission would never please you unless it met your peculiar brand of algorithmic passion-less agnosticism. But keep raising it with Admin. Give you something to do.

I joined this site because of the Title, Agnostic.

LiterateHiker comments on Jun 30, 2018:

What is your question?

David1955 replies on Jul 1, 2018:

That's what I was wondering?

Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality.

David1955 comments on Jun 28, 2018:

Were Carl Sagan still with us and reading your post, he would, in my view, greatly object to your attempt to conflate religious notions of spiritualism with his meaning of a sense of wonder and awe at the cosmos in which we live. I've heard this attempted proposition before, in fact I suspect I have...

David1955 replies on Jul 1, 2018:

@skado well, Carl Sagan was an absolute gentleman who had very much a 20th century attitude that we were inexorably moving towards more secular science driven world, and he believed that tolerance between religious believers and non religious was the way to move forward. I think his comment on spiritual reflected that kind of thinking. A lot of people thought like that back then. But he died in 1996. A lot has happened since: Islamic fascism, the growth of pernicious abrahamic religious fundamentalism, evangelical politicisation of public dialogue, and regressive anti modernist religious power. Were he alive today his views and attitudes on religion might have toughened up a lot, like a lot of us. Who is to know. But I do not think the name of Carl Sagan can be used to justify any kind of "spiritualism" however it is defined. I just don't.

Question to atheists: Do you attend religious family events or decline on principle?

PhoebeCat comments on Jun 30, 2018:

I avoid family events as a general rule but wouldn't even consider attending an event forcing religion onto an unsuspecting child.

David1955 replies on Jun 30, 2018:

I so, so agree with the sentiment in your comment. It's a real dilemma for me. I would not go to any non family event like this, that is definite.

Do you regularly meet up with other atheists/agnostics?

MetalMelissa comments on Jun 30, 2018:

I'd love to, I know of a few meetings in my area for atheists, but being the nervous person I am, meeting new people is scary.

David1955 replies on Jun 30, 2018:

Well, I'm not giving advice really but were it myself I would take the plunge. There's nothing like that in my orbit. Can't see there's a lot to lose.

Why is it easier to believe 150,000,000 Americans are to lazy to raise themselves from poverty than ...

Rugglesby comments on Jun 29, 2018:

Same in most countries, something will give way. This type of inequality has been the downfall fo many civilizations.

David1955 replies on Jun 29, 2018:

I could not agree more. I fear the US will crumble from within rather than succumb to external force. And all the aircraft carriers and military might in the world won't stop it. Ruling classes never understand this.

Question to atheists: Do you attend religious family events or decline on principle?

Denker comments on Jun 29, 2018:

I think its warranted to say a few words about it... religious indoctrination of children is pernicious and this is a first step. I think children should be left without religion, that daily life should be largely without religious observance.

David1955 replies on Jun 29, 2018:

I think so too.

Question to atheists: Do you attend religious family events or decline on principle?

Hazydays comments on Jun 28, 2018:

By voicing your non religious beliefs to your sister, I assume she already knows your views, you’re acting just like the religious fundamentalists that spout their beliefs in unwarranted situations. Let it be. Let her have her beliefs. You do you, let them be them and just enjoy the day. Put ...

David1955 replies on Jun 29, 2018:

That's a little harsh but thanks for the considered comment. The application of convictions and principles in life is always a challenge, and while family is always important, they still apply. Thanks.

I received a letter from Getup, the great Australian political mover and shaking group claiming that...

Geoffrey51 comments on Jun 28, 2018:

Being a pom, but with Australian citizenship I don't know if it is my place to comment but it seems quite 'un-Australian' to me

David1955 replies on Jun 29, 2018:

@Geoffrey51 Indeed. There's enough of a Marxist in me to know that culture and values reflect the dominant ideology of any period. The dominant ideology in the Anglo Saxon western world of the past decades in that of economic rationalism and aggregious individualism. Australia as much as anywhere.

I received a letter from Getup, the great Australian political mover and shaking group claiming that...

Geoffrey51 comments on Jun 28, 2018:

Being a pom, but with Australian citizenship I don't know if it is my place to comment but it seems quite 'un-Australian' to me

David1955 replies on Jun 28, 2018:

Yeah, but the phrase un- Australian used to mean a lot more than it does now, sadly. As I'm getting old I remember.

I received a letter from Getup, the great Australian political mover and shaking group claiming that...

Coffeo comments on Jun 28, 2018:

If Dutton got his way he would be Führer. I would support Getup! over Dutton any day.

David1955 replies on Jun 28, 2018:

Yes, he's the loathsome kind of conservative with a born to rule mindset I despise most in right-wingers.

Question to atheists: Do you attend religious family events or decline on principle?

lck1256 comments on Jun 27, 2018:

I read this earlier today at work and have thought about it almost all day. One thousand percent go! You only this planet for a certain amount of time and that precious time should be used to make memories. I would trade every wasted moment I have spent in my entire life if I could get my Grandpa ...