How do you make a living?

David1955 comments on Jan 18, 2018:

On-line instructor.

How long has everyone been single. For me it's been over 2 years.

David1955 comments on Jan 17, 2018:

Everyone here is single?

I look at this group as my own little hippie commune.

David1955 comments on Jan 17, 2018:

Hey, what's happen' man? Oh, that's beautiful baby, I really dig that man....:-) . I wish I had a time machine. I would go back to the 60s of my youth. I belong there. I hate the modern world. Trump, Muslim terrorists, NSA spying on everything, Kim Jong Crazy, China taking over the world, the US in decline, the climate's ruined, the world owned by 0.1%, everybody is permanently depressed... What's to like? Maybe I'll end up in my Twilight Zone episode and go back and stay in the 60s. Yes, yes, I know there was bad s--t going on back then...but still....

How did God create the sun on the 4th day?

David1955 comments on Jan 17, 2018:

A religionist would say, "God's idea of a day is a mystery and unknowable to us and is a matter of faith." See, problem solved. :-)

Some times I wish I believed in a god, so I'd have someone to get pissed at.

David1955 comments on Jan 17, 2018:

Yes. John Lennon wrote in a song, "God is a concept by which we measure our pain." I think this is truly insightful. God or equivalent is something we can create to have an external reference to vent our frustration and anger. It's a natural thing for specks like us on a ball in space to do, to point "up" and either literally or figuratively shake our fist in frustration, to blame, or to look for salvation or something else. Religionists do this and believe it's true. That's their delusion. A true atheist can't; we know it's a falsehood, and knowing this it cannot bring any solace. I think that makes us realists. Yes, God is a CONCEPT by which we measure our pain. A human concept. And, paraphrasing Lennon, God is also a concept by which we define our ignorance. That's why humans, when they didn't understand something, would say "God did it" until science showed otherwise. The tragedy is that many people still think like this.

The World's Newest Major Religion: No Religion

David1955 comments on Jan 17, 2018:

It's true the religion is, generally speaking, on the decline in western countries, but in the third world it's a different matter. And Christianity is looking there for its expansion plans. We focus a lot on religion in our countries, but it's what religions are doing in the developing world, away from the publicity, away from the media, away from scrutiny, that bothers me. I don't think this is discussed enough. I'm doing some research now and will post on this in time. This includes the Catholic Church and evangelists.

Did the historical Jesus exist?

David1955 comments on Jan 17, 2018:

Can I just point out to the community I've seen this poster before, and I'm pretty sure it was in a Google Community Group on Atheism which I signed on very briefly until I read a lot of verbose texting by, I'm fairly certain JohnSmith, with his emphatic assertions that Jesus really existed and don't you say otherwise! I recognise the same text. I recognise the same put downs of Richard Carrier in particular. I think the terms bees in bonnets and hobby horses might apply. Now, if I'm right, he's come here. Make of that what you will, but that's my recollection. I'm going to stay out of this web. Got better things to do and posters to read. FYI

Am I the only one on the planet who prefers reading to movies?

David1955 comments on Jan 17, 2018:

Yeah I'm watching fewer movies these days, but maybe more quality tv series. I think the movie format might be beginning the journey to its end. Only beginning. The whole big blockbuster superhero thing just bores me witless. Not many movies really appeal now. I have a particular dislike of movies by HWood about "true stories" and "real events". They are always crap. I have a strong history focus, and when they make these so-called true story movies I know they're rubbish, especially when I know the history and facts. I'll take a well made documentary or history book any day. Now Tarrantino is making a movie about Manson. Spare us! I know this history very very well, and I can just imagine the bloodbath he'll create. He should stick to revisionist history entertainment. Like a lot of movies I probably will just not see it. I ignore a lot of movies these days, and I can stream anything I want, if I wish.

Have you had 9 lives or less ? What's your story ?

David1955 comments on Jan 17, 2018:

I used to be Shirley McLaine

I can't believe it-made it to Level 8!!!!!

David1955 comments on Jan 17, 2018:

Are we seeing an aristocracy evolving here......the 1.0% ers.. Careful @sassygirl3869. Never forget where you came from.... :-)

Did the historical Jesus exist?

David1955 comments on Jan 17, 2018:

Do you know, I have noticed this before. Non believers who nevertheless believe in a historical Jesus are more passionate and obsessive than believers who naturally believe that Jesus existed. No, no, the mythicists are all full of crap.... Of course he existed....they say...well he wasn't God but he was real.. he was...he was...he was..!!! Because there is so little evidence, the subject is still debated. Richard Carrier (no doubt the poster will dismiss him) has said that Jesus may have existed, but his view is on balance there's not enough evidence to say so. I agree. The passion of the "nonbeliever - Jesus was real!" brigade is becoming irritating to me. They remind me of religionists, actually.

A Story that Grew in the Telling The source evidence that exists that purports to show that ...

David1955 comments on Jan 17, 2018:

I think it was Richard Carrier who once noted that people who come back from the dead are either ghosts or zombies. Which one was Jesus, I wonder? My guess is zombie. Jesus the walking dead. @gearl I agree with you below.

I can't believe it-made it to Level 8!!!!!

David1955 comments on Jan 17, 2018:

Some of us from S H countries can only dream. (Well done)

I can't seam to ignore religious comments

David1955 comments on Jan 16, 2018:

My advice is, clarify in your own mind why you are not a believer; consider the reasons and think about them carefully; then consider all the counter arguments that religionists make, and why you don't accept them. When you do that, you can or should be in a position to respond to religionists views, and explain why you reject them. You can only make your own position as clear and logical as possible. The rest is up to them.

To those of you familiar with atheism's "Four Horsemen" I pose a question.

David1955 comments on Jan 16, 2018:

Yes, Lawrence Krauss. And I would like the horsemen thing replaced by horse people. There are a lot of very active women in the atheist movement, look at Richard Dawkins site for example, but the leading activists Dawkins etc are thought of a group of men. It gets criticised for that. I would like to see that change. I also have to say that, despite the obvious sadness of his death, that Hitchens was my least favourite horseman. Liked his views on religion, but not his politics.

I believe in GOD.

David1955 comments on Jan 16, 2018:

Talk about trying to have the best of both worlds. If I thought like that I'd have cognitive dissonance. What then, in your view, is the link between your God and human beings. Obviously it's not religion, as you have discounted that. So what is it?

Greetings.

David1955 comments on Jan 16, 2018:

Wherever I hear someone say something like, I'm not religious but.... I believe in a higher power....I believe in something after death....I believe in a higher spiritual level....etc I kind of think it's like someone saying, l don't drink, but every Saturday night I go out and get drunk.... Well, one night a week will do it. No disrespect, friend, I guess it's ok keep the options open. Like @tsjames I don't agree however.

I've been thinking a lot about death recently and what I would like to happen with my remains when I...

David1955 comments on Jan 16, 2018:

If I could I would have my remains put into a rocket and shot into the Sun. I've never forgotten that Uncle Carl Sagan told us we are star stuff, and I'd like to be recycled that way. Bit difficult, I know.

I've had a lot of people think because I'm an atheist that I have no morals.

David1955 comments on Jan 16, 2018:

If people think an atheist is a bad person or immoral due to that then their opinion is worthless and they are irrelevant.

What is your favorite kind of dog ?

David1955 comments on Jan 16, 2018:

None. I like cats. Only cats. I find dogs annoying. Sorry, I know you dog owners will hate me.

If you could live anywhere in the world except your homeland, where would that be?

David1955 comments on Jan 16, 2018:

Thailand. I used to live and work there. I've never felt more at home than when I was there. Unfortunately I can't live there at the moment. I like not being in a Christian country.

Do you block the trolls around here?

David1955 comments on Jan 15, 2018:

Can I just add that in addition to trolls, fully commented on here by others, there's the issue of a trend of posters who I don't think have an interest in higher ideas really at all. Now I'm the last one who wants to censor posting, and I've said so, and we can all raise lighter or humorous issues from time to time. But I would be sad to see the promise of this excellent initiative, which I'm sure all serious posters respect and would wish for better things, be lost as it becomes a sort of FaceBook MiniMe. Please no.

Hello all you thinkers out there.

David1955 comments on Jan 15, 2018:

I like your definition of Gods...its down there on my list, oh I'm sure they'd not be missed..... :-). Welcome. I think @Hominid is mistaken: you've got to bring your own booze. :-)

Besides religion, what's an example of magical thinking?

David1955 comments on Jan 15, 2018:

I desperately wanted to add something, but the good folks got it covered. So I'll just say all the below. Wait, there is something...fortune telling..specifically divining bird poop stains on statues, as per the ancient Roman skill. :-)

I've been studying religious philosophy for more then 20 years now from modern to ancient from ...

David1955 comments on Jan 15, 2018:

So, since I doubt very many if anyone here believes in the devil, evil before the devil was created (your term) religious dark matter that separates our two dimensions, whatever that means, not to mention "a higher power", I'm wondering what you hope to learn here from a community overwhelmingly of religious non believers?

What is your opinion about Alexa?

David1955 comments on Jan 15, 2018:

I wanted to get Alexa, but stupid Amazon made it very difficult here in Australia to get. So I'm a Google Home guy. It's amazing how quickly I have gotten used to AI in the house. I've got 2. Haven't got to turn on lights and so on, but music, Chromecast, etc,,,I'm doing it all now. Apple have missed the boat. Amazon lost the initiative on the world stage and they'll regret it.

Watching V for Vendetta again.

David1955 comments on Jan 15, 2018:

Remember remember, the 5th of November... I adore this movie. Watch it every November. Brings out my inner anarchist.

Why Religion is Outdated in the 21st Century - Lawrence Krauss - YouTube

David1955 comments on Jan 14, 2018:

I think Lawrence Krauss is the true inheritor of the Carl Sagan role model. (Some people say Neil Degrass Tyson, but I don't agree) Krauss is wonderful.

Hello Everyone! I am new here and just wanted to say hi!

David1955 comments on Jan 14, 2018:

Have they taught you the secret handshake yet? .....Joking......Welcome :-)

What We All Have in Common

David1955 comments on Jan 14, 2018:

I don't know why people have a problem getting this, about diversity, really. I got it back in the 60s as a kid watching Star Trek, thanks to Roddenberry

Is christianity truely monotheistic?

David1955 comments on Jan 14, 2018:

Dr Richard Carrier, atheist, Jesus Mythicist, once said Christianity is a complex mixture of prophecy (from pre Jesus period) history, some real and lot bad, theology and mythology, and teasing out the truth and facts require great intellectual rigour. Christians generally don't do that. And it evolved adding different elements, like the Jesus story in the 4th Century, and I think Satan wasn't added until a century or two after that. I'd have to check that, but this would surprise Christians I'm sure. Now the Virgin Mary story came much later, and she's been turning up in French toast and alike ever since. Also let's not forget that at the the time of the canonisation of Jesus, 4th Century, there were all these different Christian groups with various versions of who and what Jesus was. Well they were hunted down and dealt with by the Christians. Bart Erhman's last book, How Jesus Became God, goes into that in detail. Take any point in Christian history. It's not a nice story. And it still isn't.

Who is Going to Pay for the Assanine Wall?

David1955 comments on Jan 14, 2018:

I'd say it will be the American tax payers, or the people in the US, or American citizens, or from money acquired by your government through taxation. One of those certainly.

When/how did you realise you were an atheist?

David1955 comments on Jan 14, 2018:

I never not knew it. I got to an age when I was able to articulate it., in my teens.

Conservatives are generally against a welfare state, but it also seems like the majority of ...

David1955 comments on Jan 14, 2018:

They...don't...care....Individual welfare - bad! Corporate welfare.....good! Even Adam Smith, the so-called father of capitalist free market economics, wrote the unrestrained capitalism will destroy itself it too successful. Modern conservatism, actually reactionary conservatism has more in common with religion than economics or political science. Faith.

Hello, all. happy to be amoungst like-minded individuals. :)

David1955 comments on Jan 14, 2018:

We are like-minded except for all the things that we don't think alike. :-). If you know what I mean.... Welcome.

Getting pissed at a church sevice?

David1955 comments on Jan 14, 2018:

I haven't had the colourful experiences that some have had, just dragged to Catholic Church on Sundays, but I have to say I do not like and have never liked being in churches. I go now only for B, D and M s. There is something I loathe about churches. No, not fear of God. It's the feeling like I'm in the Bronze Age; dudes in silly hates and costumes, and all the looking "up" at God. Looking where? There is no up, just a ball in space and we are on it. It's just creepy. Some love all the churchy pantomime, but I loathe it and can't wait to leave to rejoin the 21st Century. I think I find it child-like. And I don't like childish behaviour.

What do you have faith in?

David1955 comments on Jan 14, 2018:

This is a loaded question. The word faith is used in 2 ways. The first is a synonym for hope or trust. You can have faith that people will do the right thing. It's based on some evidence or assessment that what you have faith in will occur. I think this is the meaning of your question. The second meaning of faith is belief in something in the total absence of evidence because you just "believe" that it is true. That's how religions use it. As for me, I avoid the word completely.

Dumb Religious News Stories No.

David1955 comments on Jan 14, 2018:

Ever noticed that whenever a group or industry commissions a poll about themselves, the poll results are always positive? A Meat industry commissioned poll says meat is so good, you should eat it 5 times a day. A sugar industry commissioned poll finds sugar is the best thing you can eat. Dairy industry poll....yes, dairy is the best thing you can have. Apparently the same holds true of religious polls. I wish someone would spare us from these damn polls!

If you don't believe in God , and feel that man made religion is just a vain attempt to tell some ...

David1955 comments on Jan 13, 2018:

Posters here have covered all the points that I would make, so I won't rehash. I will say that one of the biggest divides in this community, though conducted cordially, is between agnostics and atheists. Note the phrase in the post - agnostic as opposed to atheist. (I know it's not meant to mean opposition). But this divide has really surprised me. Agnostics really often seem to have a real problem with the word atheism. But atheists, like me, have no problem with someone choosing agnostic. It seems to me that agnostics think that atheism is presumptuous or arrogant in some way. One poster told me he thought it was insane (his word) to be atheist, and just as bad as being a theist. Yet to me atheist is just a logical deduction. I don't believe a cosmic duck made the universe. I'm a Acosmicduckist. I don't believe, due to no evidence, that a God made the universe. I'm an atheist. New evidence, maybe my view would change. Not sure why some agnostics have a problem with this.

More Dawkins moments... [youtube.com]

David1955 comments on Jan 13, 2018:

I often think that Dawkins could put up his feet, enjoy some kind of retirement, I'm sure he's financially comfortable, and yet there he is going around the world, including here in Australia from time to time, spearheading, with others, the atheist movement, and taking endless crap from detractors. His passion and determination to neutralise religious nonsense is inspiring. Certainly has been for me. I'm not one to think about meeting celebrities or famous people, but I would like to meet and thank Richard Dawkins.

Does the Universe have to make sense?

David1955 comments on Jan 13, 2018:

I think the cosmologists and theoretical physicists like Krause and Degrass Tyson are right when they say the universe may or may have purpose, we just don't know. It's foolishly human to assume that it does, or that it should conform to our expectations. Religions make this mistake.

Apparently in 2013 Oprah made the comment that Athists cannot feel awe and wonder.

David1955 comments on Jan 13, 2018:

It's a religious believer prejudice I've heard before. Atheists and non believers might look for evidence and science and skepticism, but they lack a spiritual side, a sense of wonder and awe. Baloney! I agree with what others have said here on that. As for Oprah, she's good at what she does, and good luck to her, but on that show of hers she had a lot nonsense and twaddle that pandered to her market. She is not suitable as a Presidential candidate. She might support someone who is, like Bernie, and help that way. She couldn't handle a political environment and I suspect she's smart enough to know that.

Where do you draw the line between run-of-the-mill Bible Thumpers and Cults?

David1955 comments on Jan 13, 2018:

Love the fact that so many here say exactly what I think too: Cult = small unpopular religion. Religion = large popular cult. Before Christianity became a theologised religion it was a Jesus Cult, and there various versions of it. They all start off the same way.

Should we give religious believers a little more slack?

David1955 comments on Jan 13, 2018:

Depends what is meant by slack. Religious extremists, no slack. Genuine people who have a religion but are tolerant and progressive, yes. Religious organisations that take money from people, support reactionary policies, teach superstitious nonsense to children instead of critical thinking, cover up appalling deeds by their members and do all they can to thwart human progress, absolutely no slack whatsoever.

When I first told someone I was an Atheist they said I didn’t seem like an Atheist. ?????? Lol

David1955 comments on Jan 13, 2018:

You know, those jokes about atheists eating babies or whatever are amusing, but what concerns me is when I come across polls that show how many people still associate atheists with immoral people, untrustworthy, lacking credibility and so on, and it's crazy that this is the case. We know that many politicians won't admit to being atheist because it may be a negative with voters. There's work to be done to correct this negative correlation. Even a guy as direct and forthright as Bernie Sanders, who is thought to be a non believer, isn't forthright about that. That's not a criticism; it's understandable.

Atheist, unfortunately, is a word with extreme negative connotations for many people, try saying you...

David1955 comments on Jan 12, 2018:

I don't care less about getting less of an emotional reaction. Quite the contrary. I agree with Dr Richard Carrier who said in an interview that it's time to take religions on. If we don't do it in this century then I fear it will be too late.

What are some of the best books?

David1955 comments on Jan 12, 2018:

Sam Harris Letter to a Christian Nation. A perfect treatise. I just wish the Christian Nation would read it. Also a personal favourite, perhaps less well known, is Mathew McCormick Atheism and the Case Against Christ (2012). The focus is far wider than just the Christ myth, and is very interesting analysis of religion from many angles.

What are some of the best books?

David1955 comments on Jan 12, 2018:

Sam Harris Letter to a Christian Nation. A perfect treatise. I just wish the Christian Nation would read it.

We all know the types, that believe God intervenes when something wonderful happens, some kind of ...

David1955 comments on Jan 12, 2018:

A really fundamental question. There are two points here. The first is the inconsistency between God being responsible for anything good, but not responsible for anything bad. Theists always seems to come back to one answer: it's God's plan, it's beyond our comprehension, it's a mystery etc, That's their way of avoiding thinking about it. The second question is about God not just not preventing bad, but doing it himself. Look at the bible. God's consent of murder, rape, enslavement and retribution. So many atheists have pointed this out. Read Dawkins. How can this be? Because monotheists create their God then put him outside of the moral and sin framework that he apparently created. He is not subject to it. So, if we murder, rape, and enslave, we are guilty of sins, and also human crimes. But if God does it, that's OK. God is always good, they say. God cannot be other then good. Whatever he does is always good. He is Goodness. Not only absurd and a contradiction, but dangerous. If whatever God does it good, even if bad, then it's good. If religionist zealots follow God's Will, and do bad, that's OK because the cosmic diplomatic immunity that He has flows on to them. All religious atrocities, including modern terrorist thinking, is based on this false reasoning. It stems from a God concept. It follows inevitably.

What type of coffee is your favorite?

David1955 comments on Jan 12, 2018:

The old fashioned coffee brewer on the stove. None of this high tech coffee gadgetry for me. And Blue Mountain coffee.

What's Going On.... Bernie Sanders

David1955 comments on Jan 12, 2018:

I'm a big admirer. Many outside the US are. 2016, he was robbed! I only wish he were 20 years younger. I intend nothing ageist about that. I wish him full steam ahead. But there are some realities about ageing that can't be ignored. I wish he had a protege, someone following in his footsteps, utterly genuine, like him. Perhaps someone will emerge. But that Democratic Party there.. It looks rotten from the top down. The Clintons have left it an empty shell.

Why are agnostics still on the fence about Jesus?

David1955 comments on Jan 12, 2018:

I think agnosticism is about belief or otherwise in God. I don't see the agnostic position on that, though I respect their right. Ask an agnostic: Do you believe the universe was created by a Cosmic Duck? Is the universe a Cosmic Egg, and we cosmic ducklings? No? No possibility that that is true? Congratulations, you're a A-Cosmic-Duck-ist. Same thing with God. It's just a word. Sounds from our brain. Instead of the word God we might say, Hairyknucklehead. In churches they might say, Oh Hairyknucklehead we ask for your blessing..... May Hairyknucklehead forgive you... God is just a word. People are frightened by it. Ignorant people from primitive times said it a lot, so it has more meaning. No it doesn't. So, just in case there's a God, I'll say agnostic, some people say. If I am wrong he wont be so pissed off at me. Really? There's no proof of Hairyknucklehead, there's no proof of a Cosmic Duck, and no proof of God. No difference. If anyone has any proof of these, give me a call. On the question of Jesus, it's not so much agnosticism, but whether you believe he existed at all, and, if he did, was he Son of God. The first is about historical evidence. It is debated. The second has nothing to do with evidence but non-reason based faith. Believers don't care about the history.

What does “Spiritual Atheist” mean? Isn’t it a contradiction?

David1955 comments on Jan 12, 2018:

Carl Sagan used to say he had a spiritual feeling looking up at the Cosmos. His credentials were impeccable. If you disconnect the word spiritual from supernatural and use it mean a sense of wonder about the universe and our world, then there's no problem. If you say you are an atheist but run around with phoney spiritual gurus or whatever, then you do have a problem. Personally, I don't like the word and don't use it because of its connection to religion and new age mumbo jumbo. But that's me.

Donald, actually the "shithole" is about two inches below your nose.

David1955 comments on Jan 12, 2018:

Watching Mr Mark Shields on the US PBS NewsHour a while back I think he referred to him as President Potty Mouth. That's about right.

Well, der Donald has figured some things out.

David1955 comments on Jan 12, 2018:

He had better not visit here in Australia. Even the conservatives here think he's a nut job, though they're tactful about it. Only a few loonies on the further Right like him, or used to. Many at least pretended to be polite to GW Bush when he visited years ago. I'm not sure even that pretense could be maintained with Trump, apart from key Government officials. I think there was even a petition by some politicians and supporters specifically asking that he not be invited. Now when Obama visited the reception was genuinely warm.

This isn't really a question.

David1955 comments on Jan 12, 2018:

Hope they don't use the old drug dealers trick of getting us hooked and then say, now you have to pay $500 bucks a year to stay here.... What!? Noooo!?.... I'm joking I'm joking... I'm as grateful and delighted to find and use this site as everybody else. This won't interest you much but I read references to Facebook users, or ex users, and so on, and the truth is I have never used FB, I don't do Twitter, or other social media. I'm very technological and watch the impact of these media, but I don't do them. It's never been my thing. Nor chat sites, or anything similar. So to connect with this site, and the community, is really exceptional for me. It fills a gap that I hadn't realised I really wanted: reaching a group of non believers, to use a general term, and exchange about all manner of subjects. I'm really grateful for that. I try to be as tolerant as possible, even if people have very different views. If they really have those views, then I respect that, and take the issues on point. The only posters I have a problem with, and it's a small number, are those who post provocative things, whether they believe them or not, just to get a rise out of the group. Trolling, I guess. It's just pointless. Anyway, I just wanted to add these points.

Neoliberalism, how we got into this mess. [theguardian.com]

David1955 comments on Jan 11, 2018:

Excellent. This is the ideology that has contaminated and corrupted politics, economics, social policy for nearly 40 years. The worst of it is, the political parties on the left cannot free themselves from it and cling to its myths, and wonder why they are so unpopular. Putting on my historian hat, NL will be damned by the judgement of history. I have said before that this ideology has allowed a global weaponised capitalism to evolve, with all of the problems we can see every day.

What song would you want played for your funeral?

David1955 comments on Jan 11, 2018:

Well I have specified a Burt Lancaster funeral for me - that's one with no fuss. But, theoretically, the song I would have is George Harrison, ANY ROAD (WILL GET YOU THERE). "I keep travelling around the bend There is no beginning, there is no end It wasn't born and it never dies There are no edges, there is no sides Oh yeah, you just don't win It's so far out the way out is in Bow to God and call him sir And if you don't know where your going Any road will take you there." Case you wondering, George doesn't mean God, God, he means, well the whole big universe mystery thing. Oh and @HeyHiHullo I think they offed Mama Cass in London in 1974. She knew too much. Great singer.

I'm really liking this site.

David1955 comments on Jan 11, 2018:

Welcome. I don't suppose the magic crystals thing works with lottery tickets, does it? That would be great. :-)

Any one found love here?

David1955 comments on Jan 11, 2018:

I'd be happy just to make a good friend, so keeping the goals modest. But for the "young ones" (spoken in an old dude voice) I wish them every success.

If God was a real being, how would you see him as being?

David1955 comments on Jan 11, 2018:

Don't wish to be pedantic, but a God isn't a being, I don't think, otherwise it wouldn't be a God. So, whatever form it would take to appear before beings like us would be an assumed appearance for that purpose. So it wouldn't BE anything permanent that we might speculate on. It seems to me.

To combat "trolls and baiting", can we have a "dislike" button?

David1955 comments on Jan 11, 2018:

All I want to say is, if there is a "Dislike" button, I won't use it. If I like a post or comment a lot I indicate it, sometimes I add a comment. It's a conscious decision to do that. If I have an issue with a comment or post then I will add a comment to that effect. But I'm not going to go through ticking dislike and just that. A dislike should include a comment. So I won't use it. Others may have a different view, but that's mine. Thanks.

"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich." Napoleon Bonaparte LOL :-)

David1955 comments on Jan 10, 2018:

Channeling my inner Robespierre I wondering if this is another good reason to get rid of religion. No, well of course we all believe in peaceful change. Which is fine except we know from history that a lot progress in the human condition has come about through insurrection, revolution and struggle. Personally I don't think that's over.

Does religion interest you?

David1955 comments on Jan 10, 2018:

I think religion, as a construct, is a left over from our species childhood when we sought supernatural explanations for what we couldn't explain.. We should outgrow it. Some of the moral, ethical and philosophical issues that are included as part of religious discourse should be considered in a post religious reason based world. Many will think that idealistic. But I agree with Gene Roddenberry of Star Trek fame who said he thought the human species would only begin to achieve its potential if we had three things: a fair economic system; a fair social justice system; and finally a world where religion had been left behind.

Something that has been becoming more and more clear to me lately is that our society,the way we ...

David1955 comments on Jan 10, 2018:

Interesting. So it seems we're socially isolated, technologically dependant, economically and financially exploited, politically alienated, morally ambiguous, emotionally disconnected from family and society, psychologically stressed, perpetually fearful and scared, and chronically unfulfilled and unhappy. Actually, we are exactly where 21 Century capitalism wants us to be: isolated, marginalised and manipulable. And the irony is people with religions, despite pretensions, are no better off. Press and push them, and they're no more consoled than anyone else, certainly no more than non believers. It doesn't even give them that, anymore. That's why most of them never or seldom go to church.

Is religion necessary in the world?

David1955 comments on Jan 10, 2018:

First sentence answer: Better. Third sentence answer: No. Fourth sentence answer: Have you found any correlation between very religious countries and people kept "in line" I haven't. Fifth sentence answer: No, it's an unnecessary distraction.

What canceled T.V, shows you wish you knew the future of?

David1955 comments on Jan 10, 2018:

They cancelled DARK MATTER late last year, and I still haven't gotten over it. Signed every petition. Loved that show. Networks are the pits.

Do agnostics have common ground with these characteristics?

David1955 comments on Jan 10, 2018:

I prefer the more global term "progressives" rather than the American term "Liberals" but I know what you mean. I'd expect a backlash from some of the more conservative folk here though, including some Trump admirers, so be ready for that.

I've been a dedicated atheist for 9 years now.

David1955 comments on Jan 10, 2018:

It's very understandable to have such thoughts, being mortal beings. I wouldn't criticise anyone for hoping that. In my own case I prefer not to entertain such ideas because it makes me feel better. I like to remain rooted in reality.

What if you are wrong and there IS a god

David1955 comments on Jan 9, 2018:

What if theists are wrong and find there is a god but it's not their God? Oops. Well, when you choose one God from about 3,000 invented human gods, let's face it, the odds aren't good.

Why do guys like tits?

David1955 comments on Jan 9, 2018:

Harvey Weinstein hasn't join us, has he?

Are you an atheist, but believe in aliens (as in extraterrestrials)?

David1955 comments on Jan 9, 2018:

Despite my atheist credentials I see no reason why one cannot keep an open mind on this issue. Aliens are not gods or angels, but presumably beings or life form that might reach here. I do agree with the late great Carl Sagan that UFOism can be where science and religion intersect.He didn't mean that in a complimentary sense. He meant you have the impetus of religion, wondrous things coming down from above to be worshipped, and science meaning the universe. So the strictest application of evidence must apply, and please spare us the Steven Spielberg aliens crap. Some of the UFO people are far from crazies wearing aluminium hats to keep the Martian death rays of their head. They watch satellite feeds, and other sources carefully, are very well informed about events that might be misconstrued as aliens, look for explanations of things that are sighted, and use technology to closely examine material sent to them. My personal recommendation is Secure Team on YouTube. The guy impresses me with his work. He's heading towards 1.5 million subscribers. That's impressive.

Anyone else as surprised as I am that there are so many Atheist Republicans on here?

David1955 comments on Jan 9, 2018:

Interesting thread here. Without commenting on others, I can only say that I could never support a political party that is closely linked to fundamentalist religions and policies. Without attacking individuals I do think there is question to ask about how people reconcile their political views with their views on religion. One further point: I don't think I have read any supporter of the Republican Party say here that they support the policies of this party but reject it's close association with Christian extremists. Maybe I missed that. I

Whats the worst argument you have ever heard for the existence of god

David1955 comments on Jan 9, 2018:

I remember Richard Dawkins recounting an email from some drippy religionist who said of course God exists and evolution was nonsense because without His influence our heads wouldn't be on our shoulders but under our armpits. Yeah, I mean, you know...

Is religion detrimental to every day politics?

David1955 comments on Jan 9, 2018:

Religion is detrimental to everyday everything. It's a contaminant.

The Next Democratic Presidential Candidate?

David1955 comments on Jan 9, 2018:

I'm not an American, but he's really liked by progressives outside of the US. I love the guy.

Should you be fully able to defend your atheism/ agnosticism ?

David1955 comments on Jan 9, 2018:

I'll tell you what I think. From my experience religionists, in the face of confident, thoughtful atheists, retreat and withdraw as fast as their theological legs can carry them. There are exceptions. But espousing religionists are a bit like a virus: they look for weakness and exploit it. They will try to spread it if they find a weakened or vulnerable host. Confronted by direct very forward non believers they usually know better and demure. A couple of up-front arguments and they have somewhere else they need to be. See that with door knocking evangelists if you tell them straight. Mention a bit of history, theology, or an opinion about religious practise, and the discussion doesn't last long. I repeat, they look for vulnerable people. The analogy of religion as a virus is quite apt, in my view.

Is Agnostic.com a left wing echo chamber?

David1955 comments on Jan 8, 2018:

There is a certain type of poster here who likes to throw cats amongst the pigeons. Hence this question. I won't comment further on nihilism and Marxism; others have covered that false link, nothing to add. The political spectrum is covered here, I don't think any criticism can be made about a left wing chamber.

If we all met together in the real world, what would happen?

David1955 comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Interesting responses. I think it would very interesting, but I was wondering if you could all be trusted to behave at night. You would behave at night, wouldn't you? :-). @PeppermintDreads - you could only bring your dogs if they're atheist dogs. My favourite comment goes to @Varn - that we'd bicker but at a higher level. That's kind of how it is here.

The single most important thing you need to know about Trump.

David1955 comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Yes, I'm no psychologist, but I have always thought he was too. No one can lie like he does, without guilt or awareness, and not be one.

What would Dr. Carl Sagan say?

David1955 comments on Jan 8, 2018:

He would encourage them to look at the science as he always did to those who took nonscientific views. I also think, but do not know for sure, that he would take a stronger line against religion. A lot has change since he passed in 1996. I think his more softly softly approach to religions, often quoted by agnostics now, would change. But who knows for sure. I miss him more than any passed scientist.

Do you trust easily or do you trust no one?

David1955 comments on Jan 7, 2018:

I regret that I must agree with you. Despite human altruism, we are self-interested and self-protecting beings. It may be part of our evolutionary development; I don't know, I'm not an expert on this. At my age I have few illusions about people, how they will turn on you if tested, and it's best to assume the worst and be pleasantly surprised, rather than assume the best and be horribly disappointed about people. But let's also make a wider context point: political ideology over past decades has promoted selfish individualism, a winner and loser culture, a succeed at all costs mentality, it's you against the other guy (person) attitude, and the prevailing ideology and human behaviour are inextricably linked. We build dog-eat-dog societies and then we are surprised that people act like dogs.

Someone just asked about the educational level of this group.

David1955 comments on Jan 7, 2018:

@Admin The terms College and Graduate School are from the US perspective. I thought about this before and meant to ask, but here we would say university and post graduate, the latter being higher. Is it the same?

The latest Star Wars movie doesn't dwell a lot on The Force, but it did remind me of something.

David1955 comments on Jan 7, 2018:

@mymysticcrow I rather fancy that you consider yourself as an ultimate SW authority, and other's references to the subject don't meet with your approval. You might want to watch that. I made a reference to the subject recently and your reply was dismissive, though I felt my post was misunderstood. It's only Star Wars; it's no big deal.

I dislike Dr.

David1955 comments on Jan 7, 2018:

@HippieChick58 I quite agree with you. When I hear him says things to people like, "What you've gotta do... Is this ... And that..." I flinch. I'm not a mental health professional but I doubt what he does is serious mental health care practice.

A song about Donald Trump.

David1955 comments on Jan 7, 2018:

May you become ruler of the Queen's Navy. :-)

I wish the people on this site would stop being so political.

David1955 comments on Jan 7, 2018:

I wish posters would stop posting about drugs... I hate drugs.... I wish posters would stop posting about favourite rock stars.. Boring.... I wish posters would stop posting about their favourite wacky religion.... I wish posters would stop posting about sex..... Well, you see where this goes.... Personally, when I see posts about things like drugs, I ignore them, because I truly dislike drug use. But I'm not about to criticise the poster or complain about what is on their mind. I do the editing in my mind and exercise that freedom. Religion and politics, by the way, in my view are inextricably linked, at local, national and international level. Is anything more important to discuss. @Admin. Thy Will Be Done. But people here are overwhelmingly well behaved and the site should reflect what is on all our minds.

Do any of you have to consciously avoid religious topics or 'hide' when you are with members of your...

David1955 comments on Jan 7, 2018:

I've only got older siblings. They're sort of kitchen Catholics. They know my views on religion. They know better than to mess with it. I don't do "hide". :-)

Humans are incredible at making fictional beings.

David1955 comments on Jan 7, 2018:

Actually, I think fictional beings are or can be helpful, as long as they are known to be that. Robin Hood - altruistic vigilante. King Arthur - wise King. Sherlock Holmes - logic, reason, deductive detective. They become kind of role models or symbols of characters we admire, maybe inspire us. Jesus is like this too for some - goodness, forgiveness, etc. The problem with Jesus is that Christians delude themselves he was real, and then construct a bizarre theology based on it, reflecting their own biases.

Trump defends his sanity amid questions about his mental state - CNNPolitics

David1955 comments on Jan 7, 2018:

"I am not a crook" Richard Nixon, 1973. "I am not crazy" Donald Trump, 2017.

Could the Force Really Be With Us? »

David1955 comments on Jan 7, 2018:

I'll tell you this: if I had to choose (as in compelled) to choose between the God concept, the big dude out there, peering down, judging and condemning us, commanding and begging worship, and The Force, which as Obi Wan told us, is an energy source that connects all living things, that surrounds us, partially controls us and partially obeys our commands (something like that) then I'd take the Force. It's a more interesting idea, and who knows what Quantum Theory might find. Just for the record, I don't choose either for lack of evidence.

Would Christianity be as popular if Jesus were portrayed more accurately?

David1955 comments on Jan 7, 2018:

The problem is, there's no consensus about who the "real" Jesus was, any more than there's consensus amongst Christians who the supernatural Jesus was. Any portrayal is going to be one group's take on him. The debates between scholars who don't accept a supernatural Jesus but believe they know who the real Jesus was is endless. I would be pleased if Christians would just acknowledge the mythology of the Supernatural Jesus and admit they no proof for their extraordinary claims. But they won't do that. Supernatural Jesus is their big selling and marketing point. It's been that way since the 4th Century AD when they decided they couldn't just have a prophet, no he had to be a Son of God. Various scholars, like Bart Erhmann and others, account for the suppression and elimination of Christian groups then who wouldn't go along with it. The Caucasian Jesus is just part of a process of concealing the Jewish cult roots of this religion.

Well I've only just begun on this wonderful site and the folk on here seem like the right stuff to ...

David1955 comments on Jan 6, 2018:

It's amazing how many say that after they connect here. I think I said it myself. Welcome. I think we all hope it will get bigger and better.

I seriously love Sam Harris' book, 'Letter to a Christian nation.' [youtu.be]

David1955 comments on Jan 6, 2018:

Sam Harris gets attacked mercilessly by some, not just religionists, but also by some on the Left (the Regressive Left, so called) who think you can't criticise anybody's anything because if you do you are a bigot or racist or whatever. Nonsense. My own politics are very left, but not regressive left. Harris's critique of religion is strident, but reasoned and fair. In debate he is deadly. He will cut through to the central point, and expose religionists' ambiguities and inconsistencies brilliantly. There is no one I enjoy more in debate than Harris.

Was there a reason why you chose "Agnostic" for this site?

David1955 comments on Jan 6, 2018:

Well the discussion about this is interesting. Truth is whatever word had been chosen some would prefer it and others wouldn't. I would have liked atheist.com but that's because I'm an atheist. And I get the distinction that people make when they say they prefer agnostic. Interesting that some think that the term atheist suggest a certainty that they are not comfortable with. Yet I agree with Dawkins on this point when he says I am not an agnostic about fairies, I just don't believe in them. Same for God. I think this will always be a point of difference amongst the non religious. Thanks.

What do you think spiritualism really is?

David1955 comments on Jan 6, 2018:

I think it is a word people use when they want to sound a bit superior. It sounds good, but never really means anything. It never impresses me. I'm sorry if that sounds cynical, but it's how I see it.

I love the term Flattards for people who believe in a flat earth.

David1955 comments on Jan 6, 2018:

I thought they were called Flat Earthers. Shows you how much I know. Perhaps they're right. One day I'll be jogging and fall of the edge. :-)

Who here was never religious?

David1955 comments on Jan 6, 2018:

I actually have a term I use and it is Natural Born Atheist. I use it to describe myself. Doesn't matter what religion you were exposed to when young you just don't believe it. I read others here say that too, Typically, it seems, as a kid it might go on around you but you don't connect to it. You reach teenage years and you know you don't believe it. That was me. Also I was big on history at an early age, and any serious reading of Christianity in particular and it disintegrates in a puff of nonsense. That, in brief, is my story.

I seriously love Sam Harris' book, 'Letter to a Christian nation.' [youtu.be]

David1955 comments on Jan 6, 2018:

I totally agree. It's one of my favourite atheist texts. Written as a passionate, I would say, appeal to believers. I like Sam Harris a lot, and I re read this every year.

Apparently, Jesus not only died for our sins, he also...

David1955 comments on Jan 6, 2018:

You're not suggesting that Jesus didn't have blue eyes and white skin and look like actor Jeffrey Hunter are you? ????