Just got rejected because I'm an atheist.

David1955 comments on Apr 15, 2018:

Better you find out sooner rather than later, I say.

Why to call yourself "Atheist" instead of "Agnostic."

David1955 comments on Apr 15, 2018:

I'm an atheist. There is no evidence for any God, not a scrap. (Same is true of unicorns, fairies etc etc). Show me some evidence, and by that I don't mean stories from the Bronze Age, and I'll reconsider it. Were I an agnostic, I would have to be equally agnostic about all Gods, past and present, including Apollo and the ancient Gods. I would have to hold the Christian God and the God Apollo, for example, in the same light and be equally agnostic about both. I would feel foolish to say that. I agree with the great Bertrand Russell when he wrote that in reality agnostics don't either. They're are agnostic about the *god they grew up with* and functionally atheist about the rest. That's not a consistent position for me. Moreover, agnostics often say God is unknowable, thus we should be agnostic. This assumption is based on what? A God, as a concept of omnipotence and omniscience, is only as knowable as it chose it be. A thundering from the heavens, a cosmic voice and face in the sky, and, oh hell, let's move a mountain 10 feet to the left, and God would be pretty bloody knowable in my view. So, unknowability isn't a sound argument either. For these reasons, in short, I am an atheist and not an agnostic.

Hi, I am a new member and have already been welcomed by a couple of people, which is really nice.

David1955 comments on Apr 14, 2018:

Welcome from Adelaide. The number of Australians here is growing. Great to see. Yours is an interesting story. Look forward to your contributions. I am unambiguously an atheist myself.

Should there even be the concept of a "billionaire"?

David1955 comments on Apr 14, 2018:

I completely agree. It is monstrous that any individual can be a billionaire. Soon, if things don't change, there will be trillionaires with even greater poverty in the world. If I had my way no human being would be able to have a personal wealth of more than 500 million. I would make it illegal. Surplus wealth to be taxed or returned to public spending. Anyone who cannot live on 500 million is simply not trying.

What is your conspiracy fear that seems like nobody else thinks about?

David1955 comments on Apr 14, 2018:

Mine. That the Manson Cult, specifically he and certain core members, had links to the US government's domestic covert programs( eg Operation Chaos) to infiltrate, subvert, inform on, or provide info on anti establishment movements in the late 60s. Anti Vietnam, Black Panther, politicised hippie groups, for example. When they went rogue and killed large number of innocents, including wealthy white innocents, the Government's legal fixers employed a false flag op, cover story and legal pantomime called the Manson trial. A lot of stuff is known already by those looking into it. But it draws little attention by corporate mainstream media. But like the Gulf of Tonkin false flag, this stuff has a way of coming out eventually.

Move to OZ.

David1955 comments on Apr 14, 2018:

Just bring lots of money with you to pay for the electricity bills, and the high cost of everything else. The gun laws will keep you safe while you are being price gouged for everything else. It's the greatest country in the world. We know this because the politicians and corporate media tell us so every day. So it must be true.

I use Google Photos, and today I'm seriously rethinking that option.

David1955 comments on Apr 13, 2018:

I use google photos but not for personal photos as I don't trust them. I keep other photos I have acquired and like, for chromecast slideshow for example. I might get a notice one day that I'm not observing copyright and goodbye photos. I don't care really. I have my own library. I don't trust any of these services, none of them. I will check this service in light of what you have written. Thanks.

Why do so many people on here, especially the self-described atheists, spend so much time discussing...

David1955 comments on Apr 12, 2018:

Perhaps you might consider that for many here it isn't just that we have made up our minds about religion, but that we feel part of a movement that broadly and collectively aims to struggle against and challenge religion, working however we can in our own ways in pursuit of that struggle. So, it is hardly surprising that those of us of that view would want to what you crudely call religion bash, to share experiences, note where we agree and disagree, share information, and discuss what can be done in pursuit of a secular world. There are so few places where this is possible, and this thankfully is one of them. For my part, and in my own small way, being part of that struggle against religion is what drives me. It's a struggle that, as Bertrand Russell wrote, doesn't just go back to the Enlightenment, but all the way to the Greeks. And when I look at the virulence of religion in the modern world it worries me that it's a struggle we still may lose. It happened once before. It was called The Dark Ages. So yes, some of us like to discuss it in detail here.

Children.....I'm Home! ;-)

David1955 comments on Apr 12, 2018:

I only found it myself yesterday. They've been hiding it from us. :-)

I'm interested in what else you do in Oz in support of your non religious views?

David1955 comments on Apr 12, 2018:

Just thinking that just as most Australians don't take their religions to extremes, compared say to the US, secular minded Australians likewise aren't so animated in their secularism to be part of formal organisations or be activists. I guess it cuts both ways.

Being an agnostic site , how far does religious discussion get here?

David1955 comments on Apr 11, 2018:

Being an atheist/agnostic/nonbeliever site mainly, not agnostic only, quite a lot and the more the merrier as far as I concerned.

How would you explain humanity to a visiting alien?

David1955 comments on Apr 11, 2018:

I've got a better one. How would explain Christianity to a visiting alien? "Well you see alien God turned up here a couple of thousand years ago and we tortured and killed him, which we celebrate, but he came back from the dead and now we are waiting for him to come again." My guess they'd be zooming off for coffee and cake at alpha Centauri as soon as possible.

@LoreleiLeigh Nude profile pic, yet a stern warning about blocking sexually explicit messages.

David1955 comments on Apr 11, 2018:

Oh, it's cute actually. Good on her. I wonder what Stormy Daniels might post as a pic if she joined the site? :-)

What is your knowledge of religion?

David1955 comments on Apr 11, 2018:

Religion, what? Religious history, religious doctrine, religious practise, religious diversity..? Well, I like to think that while I defer to others who are specialists in these various aspects, usually people with Phds after their names and recognised published works, my knowledge is certainly better, in my opinion, than the majority of so-called religious believers, many of whom have never read a serious book about the subject of their so-called 'faith' in their lives. I have been impressed by the high number of similarly well-informed people on this site.

I really want to have a safe place to have discussions.

David1955 comments on Apr 11, 2018:

Does the creator of this group, or anyone here, have any thoughts on what factors might apply in posting something here compared to the total community? For example, mainly posts that relate to issues concerning non religious belief? Just wondering.

Where do agnostics go when they die?

David1955 comments on Apr 11, 2018:

To the cemetery, a lot of them, like most other people.

Anyone listen to Zuckerberg today?

David1955 comments on Apr 11, 2018:

I'm enjoying watching Mr 'Suckerberg' under the glass. They are talking about huge fines. Hope so. Despite his billions he looks like a boy doing a man's job. In a suit he looks like a boy wearing a man's suit. I hope this is the beginning of the end of FB and general awareness of social media privacy. What about all the other sites that FB owns now too, photo social media sites? What are they doing with your data?

I am wondering why this site isn't called non-believers.com?

David1955 comments on Apr 11, 2018:

This has been dealt with before, and the name doesn't mean it is primarily an agnostic site. Admin has indicated previously it came down to the availability of the domain name. One or two agnostics have tried to suggest that the site name, agnostic, reflects this site's leanings. It doesn't. I agree with you that nonbeliever.com would have been better, but that's a moot point. I'm an atheist too, without qualification. I'm not an agnostic. So no need to feel excluded. They had to call it something.

I am a former atheist, but after using psychedelics I have come to believe there is some form of ...

David1955 comments on Apr 10, 2018:

My friend, you would have fit right in back in the 1960s. That's the kind of thing many people thought back then. Of course, many of them turned up dead, or brain dead, so not sure what that says about that cosmic energy. I do recall that some followers of the thankfully very late Charles Manson found through hallucinogens an energy that helped them slaughter a whole lot of innocent mostly young people. So, I would have to say I'm not a fan of this sort of thing.

I believe that if I expect people to respect my right to be an atheist, then I have to respect other...

David1955 comments on Apr 8, 2018:

Respect their right of belief, not the belief itself. Very important distinction.

Attn: All Door Knockers

David1955 comments on Apr 8, 2018:

Payable in advance. Receipt upon request.

Scientists discover the universe has much less phosphorus than we thought, potentially meaning there...

David1955 comments on Apr 8, 2018:

So now we're so smart that we can say link phosphorous in the cosmos to the likelihood of aliens out there. I agree with Mr Tyler, on his Secure Team YouTube channel, now sporting 1.5 million followers and being picked up by other media, when he says it sounds like another government sanctioned story to deflect attention away from an awful lot of stuff being observed now and filmed on all those HD cameras that people carry these days all the time. I don't know if any of it aliens or not. We need clear evidence. But a mainstream news story "No phosphorous = No aliens" doesn't do a thing for me.

Do you trust the Mainstream Media?

David1955 comments on Apr 8, 2018:

I'm not an American, but I agree with list given by @sassygirl3869 and I watch these from afar. I do not think lumping CNN and Fox together, as some do, as equally bad, is right. Fox is simply the commercial propaganda wing of the US conservative movement. It is not a news service at all. I agree with left wing criticism of CNN as corporate media. As Noam Chomsky has said, mainstream media in the US is about manufactured consent and dissent, providing so called news within a range that is acceptable to your country's elites. That said, CNNs anchors aren't just brainless mouthpieces; the range of contributors is impressive, and something like a balanced discussion is evident. Trump's half witted apologists are mouthing off on CNN all the time. It's just that nothing too progressive, challenging or critical of the power structure in the US gets a hearing. Also NBC is also interesting and leftish, in an acceptable way to power there. PBS is excellent, but again, nothing too radical folks. If you want to see discussion in the US about crazy ongoing wars, mindless expenditure on defence, rampant inequality and poverty, disgraceful corporate greed, political corporate corruption, crumbling infrastructure in the face of mindless wars and military spending, electoral systems that are antiquated, to put it mildly, and an out of control surveillance state, then you won't find it on US mainstream media. You need to go to new media, and the audiences they reach via alternate means. I certainly do.

What is you favorite Beatles song?

David1955 comments on Apr 6, 2018:

I share Across the Universe with you. I would have it played at my funeral, but I'm not going to have one, so too bad. I'm a huge Beatles fan. They played in my city in 1964. I was 9. Too damn young. Story of my life. Either I'm too young or too old for it. Oh well.

Is atheism linked to depression/anxiety?

David1955 comments on Apr 6, 2018:

You have to take care with a question like that. Are some atheists depressed or anxious? Without doubt. So, there's the link. Doesn't mean anything. All sorts of things are linked. Marriage and childbirth are linked. People get married. A year or two they might have a child. So, marriage causes pregnancy. Nope. There's no causal link. There's no causal link between atheism and depression. Some atheists might be depressed but there are a great many other characteristics about them in addition to being atheists. Many might like Chinese food. Maybe liking Chinese food causes their depression. Nope, no link there. So, is there an implied but unproven causal link suggested here, perhaps that atheists feel life is a bit hopeless (no afterlife) or lacks some big cosmic meaning, so nihilism and depression creeps in. Well, it would be wrong. We live in an age when people are frustrated, angry, feel powerless in the face of powerful elites, often unsatisfied, unfulfilled, under loved, lonely, isolated, and yes, depressed. Personally, I don't think it matters these days if you're religious or not. It's the state of things.

Then & now,...thoughts?

David1955 comments on Apr 6, 2018:

Careful, you'll all be descended upon by a horde of Regressive Left folk accusing you to being prejudiced against culture and religion, which is very, very, very bad, they say. Fortunately, while a far left person myself, I don't concern myself with the Regressive Left, taking my cue from Dawkins and Harris in that sense. How can such practices as above be in the 21st Century?

What are some “classic” movies that you think suck?

David1955 comments on Apr 6, 2018:

This is a question this one could write an essay about. But I'm just going to reply that I completely disagree about Clockwork Orange. I saw C O at age 18 and thought I hope I never live in a Clockwork Orange world. At age 62 I'm now living in a Clockwork Orange world. The film was scarily right about the future, even if the style of the film now looks like retro 60s chic and a bit odd. If you don't see the point of the film of a disconnected purposeless culture and people so desperate for meaning that they commit terrible violence just to feel alive, then I suggest you watch it again. Then turn on and watch the daily news.

Am I alone in having issues with understanding lyrics?

David1955 comments on Apr 6, 2018:

In my opinion lyrics are not meant to be listened to in modern pop/rock music. The songs are constructed so that lyrics, such as they are, blend into a kind of computer-techno sound and word blended noise that sort of surrounds listeners but doesn't pentrate them in any meaningful way. At some point in the past pop, rock and techno Muzak combined to make this kind of modern corporate 'surround me but don't penetrate me' music. It fits the modern Age and corporate culture of seducing, distracting and anaesthetising people while ruling over them in every more subtle ways. The age of singers, songwriters, artists, performers with something to say, such as the music I grew up with, has largely disappeared, a few niche exceptions aside. Music always reflects the Age in which it is produced. So, there's little point trying to understand the lyrics now; they've got nothing to say.

I've been working at home/online as a virtual assistant since dealing with personal setbacks a few ...

David1955 comments on Apr 5, 2018:

Hello. I'm wondering what an online virtual assistant line of work involves? I'm an online English instructor myself.

What is better than sex?

David1955 comments on Apr 4, 2018:

Watching President Donald "Spanky" Trump being hauled off to prison. Or it would be.

Why can't the U.S. have a strong third political Party?

David1955 comments on Apr 4, 2018:

You don't need a new central party, but a new progressive party, like under Bernie Sanders. A central party between the Democratic Party (right wing) and the Republican Party ( bat-shit crazy anti modernist reactionary conservative religious lunatic right wing) would still place it somewhere between right wing and bat-shit crazy right wing, so that's hardly an advance. Try a social democratic Bernie type party, and maybe the trump people, who don't give a damn about left or right or the two parties, as well as progressive folk in America, of whom there are huge huge numbers, might vote for it and you might see some real change. Also try.. Compulsory voting A fair and independently run voting system, and Reform of donations to political parties. Your democracy, as an electoral system, is a joke. You are a role model to no one. You'll get nowhere without serious reform.

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

David1955 comments on Apr 4, 2018:

A word to the wise David. Never look desperate. Like, Ah, who needs that old agnostic Tshirt. 'Don't mean nothin' to me.' Who needs to be at level 8 anyway. It's just a Tshirt. Just ..a ..Tshirt. Just keep telling yourself that. That's what I'm doing. :-) BTW, who is your tailor for those atheists Tshirts you mentioned you wear now? Just interested.

Besides Agnostic.com what other websites do you spend time on?

David1955 comments on Apr 3, 2018:

If you mean social media, then none, other than this. I've just started looking at Atheist Republic to check that out. One Google+ group on my favourite star I contribute to. I use YouTube a lot. Other than that, it's info, news, wiki sites, sites for my teaching work, and some commercial sites I keep an eye on. FB - never in a billion years. Twitter, got better things to do with my time. I'm not that wrapped in humanity that I need a lot of social media contact. This site shows that there's always an exception, even for me.

Yay!! Got my t-shirt today! Woot woot! ????

David1955 comments on Apr 3, 2018:

What's the deal on the Tshirt? Do you order it on the site?

“Millions of innocent men, women, and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been ...

David1955 comments on Apr 3, 2018:

Christianity in its purest, viral, unrestrained form, is one of the worst memes in human history, a mental disease which has been broadly medicated, tamed, and ameliorated since the age of reason, but now seeks to reassert itself in its more original vile toxic form, and all people of reason and good conscience must do all we can to fight it and prevent its return to strength and full toxicity. Anyone doubt this? Read the history of this religion to the modern age.

Hey, gentlemen, do us both a favor and please add a picture to your profile! It's not so much about...

David1955 comments on Apr 3, 2018:

I agree with your post. Male or female, here for community or for dating/ personal contact, it's just reasonable to match a person and their posting to an image of that person. It is an adult site for information and opinion sharing, and, if desired, meeting others. I worry about privacy on the Internet as much as anyone, but this site is run very honestly from my experience here, and when I exchange views with a graphic or icon and username it just doesn't seem quite the same as with someone with an image.

Even though I have become an agnostic atheist I still feel pulled in by Pantheism, seeing a God just...

David1955 comments on Apr 2, 2018:

I'm not impressed by these new age God as jello definitions, everywhere and nowhere, everything and nothing, it's a 'creative process' (another one) universal energy, everything connected and we're all one big thingamy. Like all versions of God, there's never a scrap of proof. When pressed on this the usual reply is, "it comes from another way of knowing." Well, doesn't it always.

Explain "angry atheists" to me.

David1955 comments on Apr 2, 2018:

Well, I think we live in an age of anger, and that's what has happened to discourse in the world. Atheists are angry. We want to take on religions. Christians are angry. (Watch this crazy Fox News for a while). The western world is changing and becoming more secular, inexorably, and they're angry. Conservatives are angry at progressives. Progressives ( like me ) are angry at reactionary conservatives. Affluent classes are angry at any suggestion that anyone take their wealth. Underclasses are angry at the disparity of wealth now and will follow anything or anyone that seems to connect with their angst. (Hello Trump supporters). We live in an age of incomprehensible change, and that creates fear which translates into anger. Atheist anger is just part of that wider trend of challenging old patterns of thinking. The old ideologies are breaking down, and old patterns of thinking are being challenged. Whether you think this anger is good or bad just depends which side you are on.

Hell?

David1955 comments on Apr 2, 2018:

Don't know whether you've noticed but the papal spin doctors have essentially withdrawn what he supposedly or allegedly said, or implied or suggested, just as they always do when his mouth runs off or he gets his script wrong. So hellfire and damnation is still good to go in Catholic land.

Do you think that Burt Langcaster was an exceptional actor who deserved more recognition by the ...

David1955 comments on Apr 1, 2018:

I read about this actor and, by the way, he was a life long openly non religious person, would not take roles that he thought promoted religious views, and had very specified instructions for his funeral, including a low key affair, no religion to be mentioned. In addition to this, he was a very fine actor with great presence. Also his views on religion were looked upon poorly by religious actors and alike in Hollywood. He didn't care.

I use Google+ a bit, and there are several professed Christians who troll many atheist posts as a ...

David1955 comments on Apr 1, 2018:

My main, well I won't say complaint but issue, is not what are called negative trolls, whom I just ignore, but those I feel are not honest brokers, maybe even to themselves. By that I mean some here who call themselves nonbelievers, often but not always agnostic, but are residually religious. Criticise religion too much, particularly the Roman Catastrophic Church, the Pope, and alike and in they come in a defensive posture. Then I think, oh here we go. People have the right to believe what they like. But you look at my profile and posts and you know exactly where I stand. I like fellow honest brokers, even if we don't always agree. I don't block anyone, or I haven't yet, but once I recognise a residue religious person, whatever their designation here, I mostly ignore them. That's just purely a personal observation here.

I use Google+ a bit, and there are several professed Christians who troll many atheist posts as a ...

David1955 comments on Apr 1, 2018:

I checked out a couple of Google+ atheist communities, only for a few days last year. They didn't seem to be very good. A few hobby horse posters mainly. I left. But, as luck would have it, I saw a reference to this site, and I'm grateful for that. I think you'll find trolling bullying religionists don't get very far here.

Hi all, I am new to this site and look forward to meeting interesting and like-minded individuals.

David1955 comments on Apr 1, 2018:

Sounds like you'll be a worthy addition to the sand pit.

Extended Survey about Atheism - This survey is for atheists/non-believers/agnostics, etc.

David1955 comments on Mar 31, 2018:

It's the longest survey on non believers I have ever filled out. I had some comments about some questions, and the assumption that people came out, as they put it, which in my case never happened. I made the comment that it very common for people to be born into a religion, never believe it, go along with it because you're a kid and that's what kids do in families, and then at an early age just say I don't believe this stuff. That's not giving up a religion, it's just getting old enough to say you never believed it. That's me.

How many people found it hard to "come out" as atheist?

David1955 comments on Mar 31, 2018:

I came out as an atheist the day I was born, so coming out wasn't difficult for me at all, it was just the way I came out, so to speak. I guess religion just doesn't work on some of us, thankfully.

Are Atheist hateful towards spiritual people?

David1955 comments on Mar 31, 2018:

Well this is a straw man post, the kind of thing that gets an airing on Fox News. Answer, no. Dismissive of religious nonsense is the basis of atheism, not hatred of people.

Come check out our booth at the American Atheist convention going on now for the next few days in ...

David1955 comments on Mar 31, 2018:

I'll take a pen, coffee mug, a badge, and a "I'm a pagan heathen bastard" t-shirt thanks.

So tired of being alone on the weekends.

David1955 comments on Mar 31, 2018:

Weekends are the only time I get to stream TV and movies, so I look forward to it. Not only do I not mind being alone but I enjoy it. Anyway, if you don't mind me saying, you appear to be very attractive so maybe time to hit the dating scene over there and do different things at the weekend.

Vatican scrambles after pope appears to deny existence of hell | World news | The Guardian

David1955 comments on Mar 30, 2018:

Again. And as I predicted yesterday. Someone should tell that old wanker to read his prepared scripts and avoid extemporaneous embellishment. Play your part Frank, and do what your handlers tell ya.

Do you consider religious people delusional?

David1955 comments on Mar 30, 2018:

I agree with those here saying yes. It is important to remember that delusional thinking is the product of beliefs not based on reality or evidence. We are all delusional at some time or another, like when we fall madly in love and then look back in a detached way and think, well that was silly of me. A person's religion can be a life long delusion, especially if they really believe it. But a lot of people are religious only notionally; they don't really believe it, but think being religious is good for one reason or another - fitting in with the group, following the family, social and other reasons. I don't think that's delusional as much as social conformity and frankly intellectual laziness. Religions rely on huge numbers of people like this. Personally, I look down on people like that more than the truly religiously delusional.

Just got asked what atheists do on Easter.

David1955 comments on Mar 30, 2018:

I ignore it and I don't like it. I work with students on both Friday and Monday so it's the same as any weekend apart from inconvenient shopping. I avoid the religiosity of Easter like the plague. I watch no live TV to avoid any Easter nonsense, but then I avoid live TV anyway, apart from streaming CNN. I actively dislike Easter so I make it the same as any weekend. Even fabricated family gatherings I avoid.

Is the strength of atheists increasing?

David1955 comments on Mar 30, 2018:

The problem here is the vagueness of the question as posed, if I may say so. Is the strength of global atheism increasing? Yes, in some areas more than others, notably in the Western world, if strength means growing numbers of people indentified in survey and census figures. Are atheists individually becoming stronger in their confidence and outspokenness in promoting atheism and criticising religion? Again yes, though the nonreligious movement is broad, as we see on this site, with atheists, agnostics, anti theists, secular religionists and alike. This fracturedness tends the weaken the overall impact and strength of the movement, I think, from an external perspective, since it's seen as divided and bickering. There are signs of growing strength, but atheism is still largely ignored by media, negative stereotypes of atheists still abound, and public figures still often avoid identifying themselves as nonreligious because it isn't a good look for them. When those things start to change it would reflect a strengthening movement. It's a long road.

You died, I lived, god is good!

David1955 comments on Mar 30, 2018:

In a way it's a clumsy way for people to express gratitude for being spared by fate some terrible events. Sometimes there can be guilt when others are not spared. It's an understandable human reaction, but the religious nonsense is not only silly, but also begs the question "well, why didn't God spare others?". As always, religious explanations lead nowhere but to logical inconsistency and absurdity.

Breaking News: An Italian journalist and athiest, who struck up a friendship with the Pope, has ...

David1955 comments on Mar 30, 2018:

And as usual, the papal apparatchiks will come out soon and say, "what the holy Father meant was..." This is what happens every time he makes these comments. The press report the comment, but ignore the "nuancing" by his handlers in which what he said is qualified to mean very little. It's their strategy to handle progressives and the media.

Are most modern spiritual movements a net positive?

David1955 comments on Mar 30, 2018:

No. It's the same religious guff brandished in a new way, with new age twaddle, pseudo science and feel good nonsense for those who want low-cal religion-light. Cut through it and that's what you find.

I'm a Blade Runner nut.

David1955 comments on Mar 30, 2018:

I'm a Bladerunner fan too. I remember seeing the original in 1982 and nobody quite knew what to make of it. I still prefer the first theatrical release, voiceover and all, despite what they say. I like the noir quality. I saw the 2049 film. I don't think it needed to be made. That Ryan fellow is a boy in a man's role. Didn't cut it. Say what one may about H Ford, he's a man's man. Also, back in 1982 dystopian futures were a shock to think about and unsettling. Now, every second movie is dystopian, the world's stuffed, so just let the elites rule the world and get used to it, the movie industry tells us as the propaganda machine of capitalism. No thanks. I will always have a special affection and regard for the masterpiece of the original Bladerunner. The new film, like most sequels, was an attempt to make money, and it failed. I also hate to say this, but grumpy H Ford should retire. He's lost the moody charm he once had, and, his last Star Wars role an exception, his movies don't work now and aren't successful. Sorry to say.

Jehovah's Witness was canvassing the neighborhood yesterday.

David1955 comments on Mar 29, 2018:

I tell JWs and other door banging evangees to go read Richard Dawkins. Honestly, invoking his name sends a bigger chill down their spines than invoking Satan. Seems if you're lost to Satan you're lost, but if you're lost to Dawkins you're REALLY lost. He should be proud.

God likes Atheist better, we never ask for anything!

David1955 comments on Mar 29, 2018:

Yeeessss but many of us also say some quite unpleasant things about him and his dumb ass religions, so I'm figuring we're not going to be on his Christmas card list, know what I mean?

What random act of kindness do you practice regularly?

David1955 comments on Mar 29, 2018:

I resist the temptation to punch religionists and conservatives in the nose. Oh, all right, I do what I can to help people out in any way I can. (They might leave me in their Will.) I never said that!

What are people listening to these days?

David1955 comments on Mar 29, 2018:

My heart is the 50s, 60s and 70s popular and rock music (though I like classical music). Live with it everyday, including exercise. Spotify has a great collection, and internet radio. Love "FlowerPower radio! online. I overhear some free to air stations with so called modern pop music: tuneless, lyric-less, mumbo jumbo nothing music, by overpaid lightweights largely produced by computers. In the old days we use to call it MUZAC and it was played on elevators. Now it makes nobodies stinking rich and they get Grammy Awards. You never hear the lyrics. Real lyrics might make you think. That’s bad. Funny thing is, a lot of younger people also connect to classic rock and pop 50-70s, which is really great. I wonder if they’ll still be playing the pop crap music of today in 50 years time? Somehow I doubt it. Yes, yes I know. I'm just getting old.You don't have to tell me.

Anyone Like Tarot Cards?

David1955 comments on Mar 29, 2018:

OK, big shameful admission from me. When I was young, eons ago, I used to do Tarot Card readings and people thought I was pretty good. Oh, the shame of it now. It's all intuition and guesswork, and a bit of a show, but it's amazing how you can fool yourself into thinking it's "reading" people's futures. Still got my old pack of traditional TCs. It's a reminder how mystical things can get you in.

What kind of atheist are you?

David1955 comments on Mar 29, 2018:

Antitheist atheist. Time for religions to go, atheist.

How are you gonna spend Easter Sunday?

David1955 comments on Mar 29, 2018:

I loathe Easter, symbolism and the inconvenience of public holidays. But since you ask, I’ll be eating, and streaming my favorite TV series and a few movies. I only get the weekend to do that;

Show us your desktop! What do you have as your desktop background?

David1955 comments on Mar 29, 2018:

Here;

What's more important?

David1955 comments on Mar 29, 2018:

I have reached the point in life where I believe the word friend is a relative term, and not qualified by an adjective;

How would you like to identify yourself

David1955 comments on Mar 29, 2018:

But I am also Anti-Thiest if someone asks. Atheist is a position on the God/s question; Anti-Thiest is a view towards religion and Gods;

What is the plural of Jesus?

David1955 comments on Mar 29, 2018:

When did Jesus become the SONS of God?

What say you??

David1955 comments on Mar 29, 2018:

Gravity from the Big Bang.... No wait, Donald Trump... at least according to him;

Currently watching the 2 Ronnies an English TV Comedy series from the 70's and a group called New ...

David1955 comments on Mar 28, 2018:

My nonexistent God. Reading your post makes me feel I'm back in the 70s, with Benny Hill, Mod Squad, flares, and long hair, the days of my youth before religion, weaponised capitalism and freemarket economics destroyed the world. And it's goodnight from me. And goodnight from him. Goodnight.

How is a grassroots movement started?

David1955 comments on Mar 28, 2018:

To see these young people in the US mobilising and getting political about it, gives you hope for the US. Journalist Mark Shields on the PBS NewsHour put it well when he said in America at the moment the children (young people) are acting like adults and adults are acting like children.

Would you want to be popular on YouTube?

David1955 comments on Mar 28, 2018:

Only to promote atheism, but there are already people doing it.

Do you talk to yourself?

David1955 comments on Mar 27, 2018:

Only when I really need some intelligent conversation, which is often. Problem is, I'm a bit worried about my Google Home Assistant recording it, and one day a couple of men in white coats with pills and syringes might come a-knocking and off I'll be dragged. Just so you know, I also talk to the TV, my ipad, my computer, my phone and my tablet, and sometimes it's not pretty.

One of my favorite Atheists in the public eye is Seth McFarlane.

David1955 comments on Mar 27, 2018:

I didn't know him before The Orville. I really liked it. The last episode of season 1 was a cracker, and very Roddenberrian in theme. Loved Ms Palacki, his no 1 "Kelly". Georgeous girl. There are many atheist celebrities I like. Can't choose just one.

Australia

David1955 comments on Mar 27, 2018:

And here, but between you, me and the black stump I'd rather be somewhere else.

I am not a cry baby, I am a fighter and a freedom seeker.

David1955 comments on Mar 26, 2018:

It is regrettable this you received this from a conservative paranoid individual, but I really believe that overwhelmingly people on this site are sensible and respectful, despite political and other differences. If he wants to complain to someone he can send a message to me; see if I care. I really am a socialist and the very essence of left wing. And proud of it.

Just watched the 60 Minutes interview w/ Stormy Daniels. Thoughts?

David1955 comments on Mar 26, 2018:

As always, it's never the 'crime' (there wasn't one here, at least the sex) but the coverup. It really wasn't a big deal. One time of intimacy. Don't know why his heavies went to so much trouble to hassle her. The other allegations about him, essentially groping women or imposing himself on them, are much more serious. The whole case is a bit odd. Was it because she was a porn star? Anyway, I like her, she's smart and courageous. I hope she succeeds.

Hey, I am Rosie. Been an athiest for about 10 years.

David1955 comments on Mar 25, 2018:

We can use all the atheists we can get. Never have too many. :-). Hi.

Why are we hated for hating xmas?

David1955 comments on Mar 25, 2018:

I don't hate Christmas, but I don't enjoy it anymore. I do hate Easter, though. The holidays are inconvenient but mostly it's the celebration of the Christian Death Cult I loathe, the imagery and the Bronze Age twaddle they peddle. Yes, Christmas and Easter are poached from paganism, but Christian Easter is a nasty bit of religious propaganda.

How do you deal with Backstabbers in the workplace?

David1955 comments on Mar 24, 2018:

By no longer working in an office or workplace where people sit around gossiping and backstabbing rather than do something useful. Yes, I had my fill and more of that. In my own office the only backstabber now is me. I discovered in any office you find the same people: the Burnout; the Gossiper; the Hypochondriac; the Martyr; the Controlfreak, and yes, the Backstabber. Only the names change.

Have you ever found a religious person that was genuinely interested in hearing what you had to say ...

David1955 comments on Mar 23, 2018:

No. I've met many who pretend to be interested in my views on religion while hoping they can somehow put the spirit if Jesus in me. Some have been almost convincing, almost. You're right about the agnostic/atheist point. An agnostic might somehow be saved or turned, but atheists are lost, from their viewpoint. I think also that some agnostics prefer to call themselves that because atheist seems too 'extreme'. I've come to learn that big arguments with believers is mostly a waste of time. If a believer renounces it's usually for a complex range of personal, experiential or internal reasons, not because a moment of insight from an atheist. In debate believers get defensive and the mind shutters go up. It's a human reaction when we want to believe something no matter what. It can happen to all of us on something; for a believer it's religion.

Most attractive actor/actress? Or other well known face.

David1955 comments on Mar 23, 2018:

Living actresses, well I'm odd and I seem to likely idiosyncratic "B" actresses rather than “A” grade actresses. My big crushes are: January Jones (Madmen), God she’s gorgeous and there’s just something about her when she speaks. I like articles about her saying they can't quite figure her out. I like that. Also secondly, Olivia Munn (Newsroom), seriously gorgeously Japanese-American, and smart and unpredictable. I like that. No current ‘A' grade actresses do anything for me. Its about presence for me, not how successful they are. As for most beautiful of all time, including deceased, well that’s Goddess level and you’d have to check my profile for that.

When life gets you down and you're having your worst day, what helps you to feel better?

David1955 comments on Mar 23, 2018:

I take comfort from Monty Python: "So, always look on the bright side of death A-just before you draw your terminal breath Life's a piece of shit When you look at it Life's a laugh and death's a joke, it's true You'll see it's all a show Keep 'em laughing as you go Just remember that the last laugh is on you" Now that's philosophy boys and girls.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's key comments on the data scandal

David1955 comments on Mar 23, 2018:

I decided long ago that I've met used car salesman in the shoddiest car yards that are more genuine and more convincing than Mr Zuckerberg. You only have to research about how he started that FB to see that this is a person who is ethically challenged, to put it politely. After this story, I cannot imagine why anyone would keep a FB account. I understand that rival sites to FB are developing, and if they can operate on a more ethical basis than FB then more power to them. Personally I have no interest but I know others do. Surely such sites can be managed transparently and ethically.

Has anyone tried the website [ratracerebellion.

David1955 comments on Mar 22, 2018:

Thanks for this. Hadn't seen it before.

The Historicity of Jesus?

David1955 comments on Mar 22, 2018:

Yes this topic has come up before and I've said before that I have read and watched him and like his work a lot. He is attacked quite a lot and on two fronts; obviously by Christians, by more stridently, it seems to me, by non religious historicists who believe there was a historical preacher that grew into the Jesus story. Authors like Bart Erhmann fall into this category. They attack the mythicist movement, I suppose not surprisingly since they write books telling us about the 'real Jesus' and along comes a movement by writers like Carrier who say the premise of their work is arguably wrong. Carrier is often characterised as saying that there was no historical figure at the centre of the Jesus story, but in fact what he says is there may be, but the evidence is so slight that in his opinion there wasn't. As a student of history I like the fact that Carrier applies the strictest historical method to his work, he places the Jesus story so well within the prophecy, history, theology and mythology of the period from which it derives, and in debate he does a great job of neutralising phoney Christian claims, allegations, false history, and assumptions. He's also funny and entertaining, which is important if you want to teach history to general audiences, holding their interest.

The thing that bothers me about christianity is that most of it is centered around the afterlife.

David1955 comments on Mar 21, 2018:

I agree with you, but this is true of all religions, including Buddhism which goes on about reincarnation and reaching nirvana. They're all the same: pay now, die later and reach heaven, or equivalent. In so doing they distract us from being the best we could be here, and I mean as a species.

I have finally watched Black Panther, I have failed to see the hype it received, the whole movie to ...

David1955 comments on Mar 21, 2018:

I've long since ceased to understand why some movies are huge, since clearly they are not that good. Like the Wonder Woman movie last that made billions. What a yawn movie! I haven't seen this yet. But superhero movies have worn their welcome out with me.

It might have been only in the UK but yesterday was Atheist Pride Day.

David1955 comments on Mar 21, 2018:

Great idea. We need a global atheist pride day, just like they have with other pride days now. Bet the mainstream media wouldn't cover it. The atheist rallies they had in Washington drew very large numbers, virtually ignored by media.

What is your favorite response when people say "god bless you", "have a blessed day", and/or "I will...

David1955 comments on Mar 21, 2018:

The only one I will clearly react to is "I will pray for you". It's patronising and condescending and I will tell them why. One reply of mine was, don't pray for me, I don't want or need it. Pray for all the people your religion has hurt, or better yet, don't pray, do something about it. I make my anti theist position quite clear. Too bad if they are offended. I'm well beyond that.

Any teachers out there?

David1955 comments on Mar 21, 2018:

On line English instructor, with adult business people. There is reference to it in employment group here. Taught history as well in the past. Only ever worked in adult education. Also worked in support fields of adult education, curriculum review, HR, policy and planning. A humble instructor these days.

So of all the captains in all the Star trek series... Which was the best and why?

David1955 comments on Mar 21, 2018:

Captain Kirk. Because he was bigger than life; he made you believe that the crew of the Enterprise would follow him anywhere, as great Captains do; because we believed the illusion of that ship and that mythology. Had ST TOS failed, Star Trek would have disappeared without trace. The other characters were very important and great, but he was the glue that made it work. Shatner should be recognized for this. The later Captains, all very good. But Kirk was the model. And the best Klingon captain was Christopher Lloyd, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , as Kruge. Really great.

Today's atheists are bullies -- and they are doing their best to intimidate the rest of us into ...

David1955 comments on Mar 21, 2018:

Just to add to this, I just happened to catch a few minutes of Fox (alleged) News streamed live on Youtube recently (I don’t watch Fox, I was flipping through channels) and it was a discussion about how Christians are being victimized and attacked and suppressed in the USA, and how terrible it all was, and the anchor and the guest fell over each other with tales about the suppressed Christians there and how they have to fight back etc. And I thought, if aliens were watching this in their spaceship in space, from this, they would have thought that there was this terrible country on Earth called USA where poor Christians were being persecuted and ostracized for their religion and it is just terrible. Pure Christian martyrdom and fantasy. White Christians form a large part of the US military industrial cooperate elite who run the country and have the power.

Describe your love life in one word.

David1955 comments on Mar 21, 2018:

Intermittent

Hi Everyone.

David1955 comments on Mar 21, 2018:

Hopefully you don't believe in religion as well. That's one really good reason to be here. If only we could have some background Vivaldi playing, it would be perfect here. Yes, the site is more American in membership than other, but the diversity of membership is growing.

No longer an anti thiest I must admit when I first heard the phrase, and so eloquently argued by ...

David1955 comments on Mar 21, 2018:

So your point here is what exactly? Is it that we should more tolerant of religions and religious practices, and less critical of them, and not be anti theists? I respectfully disagree. Just because things got us through the past doesn't mean we shouldn't oppose them now if we believe they are wrong. If you feel you personally are less anti religion now than previously, well that's a personal position and I respect that. Personally, I believe we should be more strident in dealing with religions, anti theists if you like, and I hope more people will start to think this way, especially younger people who are the future. Past generations using imaginary gods and afterlives to cope with tough times doesn't dissuade from that view.

Today's atheists are bullies -- and they are doing their best to intimidate the rest of us into ...

David1955 comments on Mar 20, 2018:

I read this article online and thought about posting it as well. Glad you did. This writer is, to pardon my language, a complete dick, and this article is typical of the shrill nonsense that gets published today by the pro religion media about atheism. All it does is show the fear that religionists have about a growing nonreligious movement and trend in the western world. It reflects on them, not atheists.

I call myself agnostic for a few reasons.

David1955 comments on Mar 20, 2018:

So, you mention ghosts and how they might be based on reality though haven't been proven to exist, suggesting an agnostic view on that. Well, what about leprechauns, dragons, fairies, visitors from other dimensions, aliens amongst us, and so on, that have neither been proven or disproven by science. For consistency, don't you have to be equally agnostic about these and anything else not definitively disproved by science, just as God or Gods haven't? And by the way, the great Bertrand Russell wrote highly regarded essays on atheism compared to agnosticism, was an atheist himself, and I don't think anyone would seriously suggest he didn't have 'a nuanced mind'.

I have noticed that theists seem to more readily accept "I'm a nonbeliever" than "I'm an atheist.

David1955 comments on Mar 20, 2018:

Yes, the word itself, to some, conjures up a kind of extremism, a sort of fundamentalism, not to mention negative personal attributes. Nonbeliever and even agnostic seems more neutral and acceptable to many, which is simply silly. But that's how it goes. And if an atheist is quite upfront, clear and assertive about their atheism, then it worries them even more. Part of the so called new atheist movement over the past decade has been to address that, and focus on an awareness that atheists are just like anybody else except we take a clear position on religion.

When did you become Atheist/Agnostic

David1955 comments on Mar 20, 2018:

Natural born nonbeliever. By my teens I had already starting reading about the facts of religion to co firm what I suspected.

Hypatia [m.ranker.com]

David1955 comments on Mar 19, 2018:

Hypatia is both an atheist martyr and feminist symbol and her story should be even better known than it is. A mythical Jesus died on the cross for our sins, whatever the hell that means, but a very real Hypatia (confirmed in multiple primary historical sources) died for Christian zealotry and ignorance, which they then foisted on the West for Millenia.