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Are heathens allowed here
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 17, 2018:
Heathen- a person who does not hold to a widely believed religion(esp. Of the Abrahamic sects).
There is at least a possibility you have found a home.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 17, 2018:
Heathen- a person who does not hold to a widely believed religion(esp. Of the Abrahamic sects).
There is at least a possibility you have found a home.
I have a strange sense of humour, I know... This made me chuckle.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 17, 2018:
I wish people would stop posting pictures of me on the internet!
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 17, 2018:
I wish people would stop posting pictures of me on the internet!
The Internet is evil, I knew it...
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 17, 2018:
As has been recently discussed about the religious having a much higher birth rate and thus out pacing atheism. I made the point that as the internet becomes more available in third world countries the projections may not be accurate.
The real reason the internet tends to make people less religious it's not because of the real factual information that can be easily accessed.....The real reason is.......because Satan!
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 17, 2018:
As has been recently discussed about the religious having a much higher birth rate and thus out pacing atheism. I made the point that as the internet becomes more available in third world countries the projections may not be accurate.
The real reason the internet tends to make people less religious it's not because of the real factual information that can be easily accessed.....The real reason is.......because Satan!
If the Bible Were Law, Would You Qualify for the Death Penalty?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 17, 2018:
No there would be no one left to judge anyone, they would all have been executed. God killed people for killing people, for not killing people. For raping, for not raping, for making fun of a bald guy, picking up sticks on Sunday, for keeping his R.V. from breaking on the ground, for not impregnateing a fellows brother widow the list goes on and on. What God considered punishable by death was completely arbitrary and at his whim. The only way to know for sure someone displeased God was that he dropped dead, only then was his "great sin" revealed.
God created the law knowing that no one could obey it and that he would sentence them to Hell for not being able to.
So pretty much we would run out of people to kill people real quick.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 17, 2018:
No there would be no one left to judge anyone, they would all have been executed. God killed people for killing people, for not killing people. For raping, for not raping, for making fun of a bald guy, picking up sticks on Sunday, for keeping his R.V. from breaking on the ground, for not impregnateing a fellows brother widow the list goes on and on. What God considered punishable by death was completely arbitrary and at his whim. The only way to know for sure someone displeased God was that he dropped dead, only then was his "great sin" revealed.
God created the law knowing that no one could obey it and that he would sentence them to Hell for not being able to.
So pretty much we would run out of people to kill people real quick.
This is from my friend Beckie Saltzman.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 17, 2018:
We as humans unfortunately have the capacity for racism. But let's really look at it from a biological perspective. What happens if a man from Africa has a child with a Norwegian woman. You get a human. What happens if you have a woman from China and she has a child with an Brazilian. You get a human.
When a poodle breeds with a pit bull you get a dog. The dogs don't care about "breed" they see another dog. A cow brown cow is a cow to a black and white cow.
We are all human and scientists now say race does not actually exist in the context we understand it. Some traits are passed down from one generation to another as part of the evolutionary process but we are still all human.
All we are left with is our actions and how we interact with other humans. This may be what we call character.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 17, 2018:
We as humans unfortunately have the capacity for racism. But let's really look at it from a biological perspective. What happens if a man from Africa has a child with a Norwegian woman. You get a human. What happens if you have a woman from China and she has a child with an Brazilian. You get a human.
When a poodle breeds with a pit bull you get a dog. The dogs don't care about "breed" they see another dog. A cow brown cow is a cow to a black and white cow.
We are all human and scientists now say race does not actually exist in the context we understand it. Some traits are passed down from one generation to another as part of the evolutionary process but we are still all human.
All we are left with is our actions and how we interact with other humans. This may be what we call character.
I have a huge problem with atheists who are completely intolerant of those who believe otherwise.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 16, 2018:
I am not intolerant of people. I was a fundamentalist whacko myself. I do respect people. I have no respect for religion. I have no respect for living ones life as if mythology was actually real. There is nothing to respect about that and I am intolerant of living in a fantasy world. We live in a real world without magic sky daddies and it is ridiculous to live our lives according to fairytales.
This being said I am very empathetic towards those who do. I was indoctrinated as a child so I have been there. The best most loving thing I can do for a human being is simply be honest and ask them questions to provoke thought. If they have some basis for understanding how they "know what they know" and why they "know what they know". Then I have helped them. If not putting up with their baseless theology without attempting to bring them to reason is intolerant. I'm intolerant and happy to be so.
My words here may seem strong, but my life was Hell due to religion and I won't tolerate another human beings suffering due to it. I am gentle when I deal with them but I don't "tolerate" living in theological ignorance.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 16, 2018:
I am not intolerant of people. I was a fundamentalist whacko myself. I do respect people. I have no respect for religion. I have no respect for living ones life as if mythology was actually real. There is nothing to respect about that and I am intolerant of living in a fantasy world. We live in a real world without magic sky daddies and it is ridiculous to live our lives according to fairytales.
This being said I am very empathetic towards those who do. I was indoctrinated as a child so I have been there. The best most loving thing I can do for a human being is simply be honest and ask them questions to provoke thought. If they have some basis for understanding how they "know what they know" and why they "know what they know". Then I have helped them. If not putting up with their baseless theology without attempting to bring them to reason is intolerant. I'm intolerant and happy to be so.
My words here may seem strong, but my life was Hell due to religion and I won't tolerate another human beings suffering due to it. I am gentle when I deal with them but I don't "tolerate" living in theological ignorance.
How do you feel about transgender individuals?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 16, 2018:
Some people are transgender, some people are hermaphrodite, some people are gay, I have brown hair.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 16, 2018:
Some people are transgender, some people are hermaphrodite, some people are gay, I have brown hair.
I can't seam to ignore religious comments
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 16, 2018:
It becomes a teaching moment. Most Christians don't know much about the bible. So I drop something like, "I just had a hard time with things like ' did Jesus say all sins are forgiven, or blasphemy is an unforgivable sin, it couldn't be both'". I am not attacking them or their religion. I am simply "sharing" my difficulties with understanding the scripture. Wash,Rinse, repeat.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 16, 2018:
It becomes a teaching moment. Most Christians don't know much about the bible. So I drop something like, "I just had a hard time with things like ' did Jesus say all sins are forgiven, or blasphemy is an unforgivable sin, it couldn't be both'". I am not attacking them or their religion. I am simply "sharing" my difficulties with understanding the scripture. Wash,Rinse, repeat.
Ironically, Jesus is undoubtedly the most ignored and reviled character in Christianity.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 16, 2018:
What you have described is Pauline philosophy. We know almost nothing about the historical Jesus is there was one. Very little of the new testament contains any actual teachings of Jesus. Most of what it is, is the teachings of Paul put on the lips of Jesus. There are some teachings such as the B attitudes that are believed by scholars to have come directly from early Jesus traditions. Even this is code talk ment for his close followers only. The B attitudes are directly related to the mystery religions. While it all sounds great the words had an entirely different meaning to those whom followed the mystery religions. Also the teachings were meant only to apply to his followers as was traditional for both the Jewish and mystery religions.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 16, 2018:
What you have described is Pauline philosophy. We know almost nothing about the historical Jesus is there was one. Very little of the new testament contains any actual teachings of Jesus. Most of what it is, is the teachings of Paul put on the lips of Jesus. There are some teachings such as the B attitudes that are believed by scholars to have come directly from early Jesus traditions. Even this is code talk ment for his close followers only. The B attitudes are directly related to the mystery religions. While it all sounds great the words had an entirely different meaning to those whom followed the mystery religions. Also the teachings were meant only to apply to his followers as was traditional for both the Jewish and mystery religions.
To those of you familiar with atheism's "Four Horsemen" I pose a question.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 16, 2018:
Aron Ra, he is an educator, and an excellent speaker.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 16, 2018:
Aron Ra, he is an educator, and an excellent speaker.
Why do so many on this site use "convert"?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 16, 2018:
Convert though in our language may be the most correct term. I prefer deconvert. The reason for this is the term convert used in the religious context suggest that one is changing from one religion to another. A Religious person, such as I was"discovered" I did not believe. I did not change religions, I dumped the mythology all together.
I don't use any similar term just for this reason. I simply state that I accepted that I did not believe in a god, or something to that effect.
I do not wish to perpetuate the misunderstanding that atheism is "just another religion.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 16, 2018:
Convert though in our language may be the most correct term. I prefer deconvert. The reason for this is the term convert used in the religious context suggest that one is changing from one religion to another. A Religious person, such as I was"discovered" I did not believe. I did not change religions, I dumped the mythology all together.
I don't use any similar term just for this reason. I simply state that I accepted that I did not believe in a god, or something to that effect.
I do not wish to perpetuate the misunderstanding that atheism is "just another religion.
I am of the opinion that the ten commandments of the bible were altered works taken from the ...
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 16, 2018:
Ahmed Osman in his book Out of Egypt, writes about this extensively. As an amateur Early Christian historian I have been forced to study much Egyptology. I frankly don't know how far to take it. What I can say is I'm convinced at the least, that the Egyptian influence on Christianity is vastly underestimated by most Christian scholars.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 16, 2018:
Ahmed Osman in his book Out of Egypt, writes about this extensively. As an amateur Early Christian historian I have been forced to study much Egyptology. I frankly don't know how far to take it. What I can say is I'm convinced at the least, that the Egyptian influence on Christianity is vastly underestimated by most Christian scholars.
Christian movies:
Has anyone started watching a movie on Netflix, maybe the movie had an ...
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 15, 2018:
Netflix has quite a few of them. Some are not sold as Christian movies but have very strong Christian overtones. It's like they are trying to sneak their message in a movie that they made just for the purpose. They are sold as regular movies with the motivation of giving us a good dose of Christian theology.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 15, 2018:
Netflix has quite a few of them. Some are not sold as Christian movies but have very strong Christian overtones. It's like they are trying to sneak their message in a movie that they made just for the purpose. They are sold as regular movies with the motivation of giving us a good dose of Christian theology.
I really wonder what is wrong with these people who deny climate warming.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 15, 2018:
I have heard conservatives say that it's a conspiracy to the extent that if you want a federal grant to deal research you best put climate change in the mix. This may be true to an extent. What they don't understand is science. All the world's scientists are not getting together to fool everyone. In fact if just one scientists could prove the data was wrong She would be the world's most important, sought after scientist on the planet..
If someone presents a hypothesis it becomes anyone, and everyone's opening to prove them wrong. They don't even have to be scientists. The ones who can have the most clout.
So it can't be a conspiracy because their is always some idiot out there that wants recognition, is a rival scientist, or comes from a rival country. There is a lot to be gained by many people for proving a scientific working hypothesis wrong.
But the right wing and evangelicals deny the evidence. Perhaps because they do not understand science.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 15, 2018:
I have heard conservatives say that it's a conspiracy to the extent that if you want a federal grant to deal research you best put climate change in the mix. This may be true to an extent. What they don't understand is science. All the world's scientists are not getting together to fool everyone. In fact if just one scientists could prove the data was wrong She would be the world's most important, sought after scientist on the planet..
If someone presents a hypothesis it becomes anyone, and everyone's opening to prove them wrong. They don't even have to be scientists. The ones who can have the most clout.
So it can't be a conspiracy because their is always some idiot out there that wants recognition, is a rival scientist, or comes from a rival country. There is a lot to be gained by many people for proving a scientific working hypothesis wrong.
But the right wing and evangelicals deny the evidence. Perhaps because they do not understand science.
Is the bible the basis of morality?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 15, 2018:
Ethics are external motivators for behaviors. I society it may be polite to open doors for other people. Morality comes from within, do I think it is good or right to open doors for other people?
The entire idea of external motivators for morality is fallacious.
Christians believe they get their morality from Church/Christianity. First they still do wrong and immoral things without consequences just like everyone else. So what good does religion actually do if it does nothing to improve morality at any increased rate?
They believe that their morals come from religion. So they go to church and they are issued their morals from GOD. So if one does not have a magical sky daddy to issue them morals then they obviously don't have any.
But let's do a thought experiment. What would the world be like if unbelievers truly had no morals. What if there was no thought of others whatsoever for non believers. What if they really had no conscience at all and no empathy for anyone. Would society not go into immediate anarchy? Would we not just kill people because the got to the cashier first and would cost us time. Wouldn't we just throw away all newborns because the take time and energy to raise. Anyway they cry and poop when you feed them....to the trash.
If we truly had no morals we could not last as a society or even family unit. They really aren't thinking through what they are implying.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 15, 2018:
Ethics are external motivators for behaviors. I society it may be polite to open doors for other people. Morality comes from within, do I think it is good or right to open doors for other people?
The entire idea of external motivators for morality is fallacious.
Christians believe they get their morality from Church/Christianity. First they still do wrong and immoral things without consequences just like everyone else. So what good does religion actually do if it does nothing to improve morality at any increased rate?
They believe that their morals come from religion. So they go to church and they are issued their morals from GOD. So if one does not have a magical sky daddy to issue them morals then they obviously don't have any.
But let's do a thought experiment. What would the world be like if unbelievers truly had no morals. What if there was no thought of others whatsoever for non believers. What if they really had no conscience at all and no empathy for anyone. Would society not go into immediate anarchy? Would we not just kill people because the got to the cashier first and would cost us time. Wouldn't we just throw away all newborns because the take time and energy to raise. Anyway they cry and poop when you feed them....to the trash.
If we truly had no morals we could not last as a society or even family unit. They really aren't thinking through what they are implying.
Do you block the trolls around here?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 15, 2018:
I had one whom asked a ridiculous question. I looked at the persons profile and they were open with the fact that they were "a believer". So due to their honesty after I asked myself why they were on the site I indulged the question. I was being baited and knew it but if they were in fact here to learn and have discussions then so be it. If they were simply trolling they would make it obvious themselves.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 15, 2018:
I had one whom asked a ridiculous question. I looked at the persons profile and they were open with the fact that they were "a believer". So due to their honesty after I asked myself why they were on the site I indulged the question. I was being baited and knew it but if they were in fact here to learn and have discussions then so be it. If they were simply trolling they would make it obvious themselves.
Why Isn’t This A Major National Scandal? | Current Affairs
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 15, 2018:
There have been cases where judges have sent people to mandatory AA meetings. Alcoholics Anonymous is a religious organization. Thus far there have not even been repremands for judges that have forced non-believers to go to these meetings.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 15, 2018:
There have been cases where judges have sent people to mandatory AA meetings. Alcoholics Anonymous is a religious organization. Thus far there have not even been repremands for judges that have forced non-believers to go to these meetings.
6 Protons, 6 Neutrons and 6 Electrons.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 15, 2018:
It may be interesting to know that the number of the beast in our oldest text extant is 636 this tells us that for some reason the spelling was likely changed in later manuscripts either accidentally or as the language and hence spelling changed. What a bummer the horrible number of the beast....isn't.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 15, 2018:
It may be interesting to know that the number of the beast in our oldest text extant is 636 this tells us that for some reason the spelling was likely changed in later manuscripts either accidentally or as the language and hence spelling changed. What a bummer the horrible number of the beast....isn't.
Is anyone else finding it hard to keep up with discussions on this site?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 15, 2018:
This is the first site that I have become a part of that is not intensively focused on discussions concerning religion, atheism or theology. I would like to see a discussion board so that those who wish to ask questions or have deep discussions could post there. I simply thumb through the how's the weather post and only join discussions that are interesting and where I might contribute. This site is much more fun than others as here I can throw down a few jokes.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 15, 2018:
This is the first site that I have become a part of that is not intensively focused on discussions concerning religion, atheism or theology. I would like to see a discussion board so that those who wish to ask questions or have deep discussions could post there. I simply thumb through the how's the weather post and only join discussions that are interesting and where I might contribute. This site is much more fun than others as here I can throw down a few jokes.
I also want to say I’m new on here and I haven’t been asked for money from some who’s says ...
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 15, 2018:
Hi. I'm stuck in a foreign country(Colorado). I am Involved in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster very deeply and need to escape. All these people talk like pirates and do fund raisers for the needy. It's horrible.
Anyway evidently the great FSM ( may you be touched by his noodlely appendage) needs your money very badly.
Fixed that. Anyway welcome!
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 15, 2018:
Hi. I'm stuck in a foreign country(Colorado). I am Involved in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster very deeply and need to escape. All these people talk like pirates and do fund raisers for the needy. It's horrible.
Anyway evidently the great FSM ( may you be touched by his noodlely appendage) needs your money very badly.
Fixed that. Anyway welcome!
I just heard that God updated his 10 Commandments.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 15, 2018:
Amen!
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 15, 2018:
Amen!
so....soul, no soul?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 13, 2018:
The soul is simply a construct of our ancestors minds. Consciousness or the mind if you wish could not be touched. It did not seem to be part of the body. They did know that if you got thumped on the head it would knock you out or cause mental problems, but the mind was not physical.
They did not understand that the mind is a biological,chemical and electrical machine that causes consciousness.
So the myths began. If the mind was not part of the body it was easy to assume it was independent of the body and could not suffer death.
The soul as it is called of course quickly became associated with religious matters and speculation of the afterlife. It's amazing to study ancient cultures and actually see the evolution of thinking......about thinking.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 13, 2018:
The soul is simply a construct of our ancestors minds. Consciousness or the mind if you wish could not be touched. It did not seem to be part of the body. They did know that if you got thumped on the head it would knock you out or cause mental problems, but the mind was not physical.
They did not understand that the mind is a biological,chemical and electrical machine that causes consciousness.
So the myths began. If the mind was not part of the body it was easy to assume it was independent of the body and could not suffer death.
The soul as it is called of course quickly became associated with religious matters and speculation of the afterlife. It's amazing to study ancient cultures and actually see the evolution of thinking......about thinking.
Suck crawfish?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 13, 2018:
I was born in Houston, ya gotta suck the heads, it's just part of how it's done.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 13, 2018:
I was born in Houston, ya gotta suck the heads, it's just part of how it's done.
A Mind-Bending Translation of the New Testament
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 12, 2018:
As serious as this problem is even if translation and transcription was perfect he meaning is affected by interpretation at every level of the process.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 12, 2018:
As serious as this problem is even if translation and transcription was perfect he meaning is affected by interpretation at every level of the process.
Any crazy sounds in your house?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 12, 2018:
I have awfully crazy sounds in my house, crazy and terrifying. I have been married for 20 years. They sound like.....I love you husband.....completely unsettling.......
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 12, 2018:
I have awfully crazy sounds in my house, crazy and terrifying. I have been married for 20 years. They sound like.....I love you husband.....completely unsettling.......
Artificial versus Natural: is there a difference?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 12, 2018:
You just made my philosophical brain explode! I would comment more but there is grey matter to clean off the ceiling.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 12, 2018:
You just made my philosophical brain explode! I would comment more but there is grey matter to clean off the ceiling.
This is potentially a hot button issue, and I'm cringing as I type and anticipate the possible ...
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 12, 2018:
I believe his presidency may strengthen the atheist movement. In order to ensure freedom of and from religion the movement will have to be louder, and more focused and use better strategies than if we had a liberal president that was not concerned with pleasing evangelical voters.
We're just going to have to grab him by his c......I can't believe I went there.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 12, 2018:
I believe his presidency may strengthen the atheist movement. In order to ensure freedom of and from religion the movement will have to be louder, and more focused and use better strategies than if we had a liberal president that was not concerned with pleasing evangelical voters.
We're just going to have to grab him by his c......I can't believe I went there.
Jeff Sessions Rejects Separation of Church and State
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 12, 2018:
Unfortunately he is right. Thomas Jefferson was an admitted deist and more than likely atheist. His idea of separation of state and church was the opposite of what is now believed. We think religion should not be in government. He thought that government should not be in religion.
Let's look at it his way. The government is made up of people. People have religious views even if it is atheism. People in government make decisions based on moral, ethical and religious values all the time even for very minor issues. If there is one just one person working for the government that is in any way religious their religion will have an affect on their decision making. It is impossible to have no religion in government because the government is made up of people. So now we have to look at how those decisions affect the government. Are they actually making laws or regulations based on their religion that effects others or is it something like praying during a smoke break? If it does effect others we need to take a close look at it to protect every ones freedom. It the nature of the beast, a constant battle.
He believed that if people in the community wanted to build a monument to budda that the government should not interfere with that decision. This did have ulterior motives. He lived among very religious people and wanted to ensure that the government also did not make anyone worship any gods thus protecting those who were not religious. He had to throw out the idea of freedom of religion to set the ground work for freedom from religion, he just could not come out and say it in the open.
The separation of church and state is not part of our constitution no matter how much we don't like it. It is an operational principle that exists in our government that is not part of our government.
Eventually, a supreme court justice made a decision and sighted the separation of church and state. That ruling became law and set a president, since then other rulings were based upon that decision and the idea has become Judicial but not Constitutional law. We really need a Constitutional amendment that will remedy this embarrassing and unfortunate oversight. The problem we will run into is, this country is still primarily Christian. If such a law was written it will likely somehow favor Christianity.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 12, 2018:
Unfortunately he is right. Thomas Jefferson was an admitted deist and more than likely atheist. His idea of separation of state and church was the opposite of what is now believed. We think religion should not be in government. He thought that government should not be in religion.
Let's look at it his way. The government is made up of people. People have religious views even if it is atheism. People in government make decisions based on moral, ethical and religious values all the time even for very minor issues. If there is one just one person working for the government that is in any way religious their religion will have an affect on their decision making. It is impossible to have no religion in government because the government is made up of people. So now we have to look at how those decisions affect the government. Are they actually making laws or regulations based on their religion that effects others or is it something like praying during a smoke break? If it does effect others we need to take a close look at it to protect every ones freedom. It the nature of the beast, a constant battle.
He believed that if people in the community wanted to build a monument to budda that the government should not interfere with that decision. This did have ulterior motives. He lived among very religious people and wanted to ensure that the government also did not make anyone worship any gods thus protecting those who were not religious. He had to throw out the idea of freedom of religion to set the ground work for freedom from religion, he just could not come out and say it in the open.
The separation of church and state is not part of our constitution no matter how much we don't like it. It is an operational principle that exists in our government that is not part of our government.
Eventually, a supreme court justice made a decision and sighted the separation of church and state. That ruling became law and set a president, since then other rulings were based upon that decision and the idea has become Judicial but not Constitutional law. We really need a Constitutional amendment that will remedy this embarrassing and unfortunate oversight. The problem we will run into is, this country is still primarily Christian. If such a law was written it will likely somehow favor Christianity.
Why do the religious people have a hard time respecting trans women and men?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 12, 2018:
I'm going to oversimplify and generalize as I was taught at the United Methodist Church. Men are genetically male and Females are genetically female. DNA has penises and vaginas. So one can only be one or the other. If you "choose " to be anything other than what "God made you" you are doing so only because you hate God and are going against nature.
They do not understand that DNA has no gender but only is a blueprint for lets say a hand and that it is not male or female. When the chromosomes join it is then that gender is determined yet we still do not actually have it yet. As we grow different amounts of male and female hormones are secreted thus determining how masculine or feminine we become according to our "gender". There are also times when they can be both. But this ain't in the book so it ain't so.
One can only have only boy DNA with penises and girl DNA that comes equipped with vaginas....no exceptions. We simply ignore science and those people that do not fit into these categories as if they did not exist. If they insist on being what they actually are we deny the facts and treat them like the evil horrible people they are. They hate God so the only way to show them our unconditional love is to be so hateful they will want to come to Jesus and be "normal".
I have been a little cheeky here but this is exactly how they think. I was raised that way here in Canon. Since you live 45 min. from here when you drive through town.....drive through town.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 12, 2018:
I'm going to oversimplify and generalize as I was taught at the United Methodist Church. Men are genetically male and Females are genetically female. DNA has penises and vaginas. So one can only be one or the other. If you "choose " to be anything other than what "God made you" you are doing so only because you hate God and are going against nature.
They do not understand that DNA has no gender but only is a blueprint for lets say a hand and that it is not male or female. When the chromosomes join it is then that gender is determined yet we still do not actually have it yet. As we grow different amounts of male and female hormones are secreted thus determining how masculine or feminine we become according to our "gender". There are also times when they can be both. But this ain't in the book so it ain't so.
One can only have only boy DNA with penises and girl DNA that comes equipped with vaginas....no exceptions. We simply ignore science and those people that do not fit into these categories as if they did not exist. If they insist on being what they actually are we deny the facts and treat them like the evil horrible people they are. They hate God so the only way to show them our unconditional love is to be so hateful they will want to come to Jesus and be "normal".
I have been a little cheeky here but this is exactly how they think. I was raised that way here in Canon. Since you live 45 min. from here when you drive through town.....drive through town.
Dumb Religious News.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 12, 2018:
Maybe we can start a atheist "Darwin awards" for the most ridiculous theist stories of the year! What a great feature for the site!
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 12, 2018:
Maybe we can start a atheist "Darwin awards" for the most ridiculous theist stories of the year! What a great feature for the site!
One thing so far I'm loving so much about this site is how receptive and welcoming it is to ...
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 11, 2018:
There are indeed many good philosophical ideas that are in the book. We can learn many good ideas from religious text. The difference is that we can take what is good from it and throw away the rest. People whom believe the mythology is real are unable to differentiate the mythology from reality and many believe it to be actual history. If people looked at the bible as we do Socrates, Plato, Aristotle,Homer etc. We all could benefit from it.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 11, 2018:
There are indeed many good philosophical ideas that are in the book. We can learn many good ideas from religious text. The difference is that we can take what is good from it and throw away the rest. People whom believe the mythology is real are unable to differentiate the mythology from reality and many believe it to be actual history. If people looked at the bible as we do Socrates, Plato, Aristotle,Homer etc. We all could benefit from it.
Two trees have stood side by side in a forest for many, many years.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 11, 2018:
Thank you, my wife thinks less of me for reading it aloud.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 11, 2018:
Thank you, my wife thinks less of me for reading it aloud.
Closet atheism
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 11, 2018:
I hid the fact that I was an Atheist from my wife for 15 years. I was afraid she might divorce me. I did not lie to her ever. I have studied Christianity and the bible all my life, I spend a lot of time studyingng it, hours a day. Everyone thought I was a Christian including my wife and children, peoplewould ask me questions, I would answer them according to Christian theology. They never, ever asked what I thought. I kept my thoughts to myself.
One day my son said "oh my god" in class. His teacher said "you are a Christian, don't say that" he responded "I'm an atheist". She sent him to the principles office. He was in the 8th grade.
He came home and told me he got in trouble and expected to get in trouble. I questioned him for an hour. I wanted to know if he was being belligerent or if he did not actually believe in God. Once he finally got mad, and said "I just don't believe dad" I knew he was an Atheist.
That moment changed my life. When my wife came home she was mad as could be as she had already heard what had happened.
In defense of our son I confessed to being an atheist. This is the interesting thing. She of course started in with I have no morals and just want it be bad. I told her I'm the same person I was 5 minutes ago that you've been married to for fifteen years. The only difference is that now you know I don't actually believe in a god. It was the only argument I have ever won in 20 years!
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 11, 2018:
I hid the fact that I was an Atheist from my wife for 15 years. I was afraid she might divorce me. I did not lie to her ever. I have studied Christianity and the bible all my life, I spend a lot of time studyingng it, hours a day. Everyone thought I was a Christian including my wife and children, peoplewould ask me questions, I would answer them according to Christian theology. They never, ever asked what I thought. I kept my thoughts to myself.
One day my son said "oh my god" in class. His teacher said "you are a Christian, don't say that" he responded "I'm an atheist". She sent him to the principles office. He was in the 8th grade.
He came home and told me he got in trouble and expected to get in trouble. I questioned him for an hour. I wanted to know if he was being belligerent or if he did not actually believe in God. Once he finally got mad, and said "I just don't believe dad" I knew he was an Atheist.
That moment changed my life. When my wife came home she was mad as could be as she had already heard what had happened.
In defense of our son I confessed to being an atheist. This is the interesting thing. She of course started in with I have no morals and just want it be bad. I told her I'm the same person I was 5 minutes ago that you've been married to for fifteen years. The only difference is that now you know I don't actually believe in a god. It was the only argument I have ever won in 20 years!
A Scientist's Gender Can Skew Research Results : Shots - Health News : NPR
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 11, 2018:
I will be hiding this post and blocking you. I don't want my wife to find out there is a scientific reason she is always right!!!!!!!!
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 11, 2018:
I will be hiding this post and blocking you. I don't want my wife to find out there is a scientific reason she is always right!!!!!!!!
How do I tell my family I'm an atheist?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 11, 2018:
This is almost impossible to answer, I have a friend whom is gay and an atheist. His family accepted that he is gay but he had to move to where he was safe (from the bible belt to California) because he is an Atheist.
For me it was easy, after my wife's head exploded and caused a small earthquake she deals with it as long as I'm not "an activist" locally. Thus here I am. In live in Colorado and have had little push back, I have even befriended the most, very most unlikely of people....(clergy).
I am care full to "share" my thoughts. "I just couldn't believe there was a talking snake." I did not attack anyone's belief or religion. I simply "shared" my doubts. With this technique there is no debate and the listener might actually not only "share" your thoughts(even though they don't have to admit it) but it's difficult to debate about your doubts, they are yours....and it just might plant a seed of thought for them to work out on their own.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 11, 2018:
This is almost impossible to answer, I have a friend whom is gay and an atheist. His family accepted that he is gay but he had to move to where he was safe (from the bible belt to California) because he is an Atheist.
For me it was easy, after my wife's head exploded and caused a small earthquake she deals with it as long as I'm not "an activist" locally. Thus here I am. In live in Colorado and have had little push back, I have even befriended the most, very most unlikely of people....(clergy).
I am care full to "share" my thoughts. "I just couldn't believe there was a talking snake." I did not attack anyone's belief or religion. I simply "shared" my doubts. With this technique there is no debate and the listener might actually not only "share" your thoughts(even though they don't have to admit it) but it's difficult to debate about your doubts, they are yours....and it just might plant a seed of thought for them to work out on their own.
Looking down the road, education is the most important issue and should treat all religions as ...
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 11, 2018:
Education should focus on what is real and factual. That is not provable or factual should be taught a Mythology. If we teach children to live their lives based on not real, we cannot expect to have realistic expectations of them.
One of the most important things recently that needs to be addressed is sex education and biology. Christians believe that our DNA is male and female not a combination of traits that are affected by hormones that determine genders (with an "s"). This they believe we are only make and female not that we have genderless DNA that is affected by chemicals that affect our degree of gender. Even our best schools teach things like there are boys and girls and some boys like boys. They simply have not clue.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 11, 2018:
Education should focus on what is real and factual. That is not provable or factual should be taught a Mythology. If we teach children to live their lives based on not real, we cannot expect to have realistic expectations of them.
One of the most important things recently that needs to be addressed is sex education and biology. Christians believe that our DNA is male and female not a combination of traits that are affected by hormones that determine genders (with an "s"). This they believe we are only make and female not that we have genderless DNA that is affected by chemicals that affect our degree of gender. Even our best schools teach things like there are boys and girls and some boys like boys. They simply have not clue.
Religion has ever been anti-human, anti-woman, anti-life, anti-peace, anti-reason and anti-science.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 11, 2018:
We owe much to her boldness. We would not have an "atheist movement" with out her. There would be no "New Atheist" or even memes. Her influence will not be fully appreciated for much time to come.....She must not have played much attention to the "shut up and your husband will explain it to you" part of the bible.....Thank God!
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 11, 2018:
We owe much to her boldness. We would not have an "atheist movement" with out her. There would be no "New Atheist" or even memes. Her influence will not be fully appreciated for much time to come.....She must not have played much attention to the "shut up and your husband will explain it to you" part of the bible.....Thank God!
I sometimes asked to speak at various organizations.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 11, 2018:
Secular hub in Denver would love you, they have atheist stand ups you would be GREAT!
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 11, 2018:
Secular hub in Denver would love you, they have atheist stand ups you would be GREAT!
NASA just released these some images of Jupiter taken by the Juno spacecraft, the highest ...
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 10, 2018:
I never thought I would live to see anything like it thank you. It's truly beautiful.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 10, 2018:
I never thought I would live to see anything like it thank you. It's truly beautiful.
This isn't really a question.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 10, 2018:
Atheist sites particularly Facebook type seem to have a culture of poke fun at theist and run. Not to my taste, I was in fact a fundamentalist whacko, it's just not nice or productive. Other atheist sites are very issue oriented and or political. On this site there are deep conversations and just people that pop in to say hello, I'm trying to get used to that. I was wondering last night, what do I tell my wife that I'm on a social site? A dating site as it is a portion of its content. I am really curious where this site is going. What I do like is I think the future will be determined by its users.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 10, 2018:
Atheist sites particularly Facebook type seem to have a culture of poke fun at theist and run. Not to my taste, I was in fact a fundamentalist whacko, it's just not nice or productive. Other atheist sites are very issue oriented and or political. On this site there are deep conversations and just people that pop in to say hello, I'm trying to get used to that. I was wondering last night, what do I tell my wife that I'm on a social site? A dating site as it is a portion of its content. I am really curious where this site is going. What I do like is I think the future will be determined by its users.
What kind of pets do we all have?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 10, 2018:
My wife is an occupational therapist and we have a small farm. Animal therapy can be a part of occupational therapy. We do petting zoos for nursing homes and fund raisers for free. Llamas, alpacas, pigs, goats, sheep, miniature horses, mules, dogs, chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits etc. We call it ladeauzoo.
The best story we have is I met a lady that does hospice. She told me she was with a lady that said her best day there was when a lady brought in a baby goat. After a few questions I knew it was my wife. This lady was dying and the best thing that happened to here was something we did!
I brag, but pets can a do make a difference in people's lives, even when they are actively dying.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 10, 2018:
My wife is an occupational therapist and we have a small farm. Animal therapy can be a part of occupational therapy. We do petting zoos for nursing homes and fund raisers for free. Llamas, alpacas, pigs, goats, sheep, miniature horses, mules, dogs, chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits etc. We call it ladeauzoo.
The best story we have is I met a lady that does hospice. She told me she was with a lady that said her best day there was when a lady brought in a baby goat. After a few questions I knew it was my wife. This lady was dying and the best thing that happened to here was something we did!
I brag, but pets can a do make a difference in people's lives, even when they are actively dying.
My favorite: Lord memes!!!
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 10, 2018:
One time my daughter role me all about memes.....I told her about Richard Dawkins the creator of the term.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 10, 2018:
One time my daughter role me all about memes.....I told her about Richard Dawkins the creator of the term.
I'm thinking that there are a lot more atheists and agnostics than we know about.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 10, 2018:
This is very true. I have a friend that is in a very high ranking position in a church. I am quite certain that due to my honesty as an atheist, I am the only person that the person has confessed not to believe what they must teach.
Clergyproject.org was recommended.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 10, 2018:
This is very true. I have a friend that is in a very high ranking position in a church. I am quite certain that due to my honesty as an atheist, I am the only person that the person has confessed not to believe what they must teach.
Clergyproject.org was recommended.
I just became aware of a brilliant experiment that some 4chan users did one time.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 10, 2018:
Brilliant! Next time how about "Its ok to be human" Would theist or animal rights activists get upset? This is exactly why the American Atheists ad campaigns are so successful. They put up a simple sign and people go nuts. The strategy is simple. When they do make a big deal about it, the media swoops in and conversions begin.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 10, 2018:
Brilliant! Next time how about "Its ok to be human" Would theist or animal rights activists get upset? This is exactly why the American Atheists ad campaigns are so successful. They put up a simple sign and people go nuts. The strategy is simple. When they do make a big deal about it, the media swoops in and conversions begin.
What do you feel makes you a good friend?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 10, 2018:
On time when I was young a friend came over to MY house just to tell me what a jerk I was, and everyone was completely good with it, because well....he was right. It was he that loved me enough to tell me what an idiot I actually was and spoon feed it to me no matter how awful it tasted.
I then knew what it was to have a true friend, and I did clean up my act.
So now I do tell it like it is to those whom I love....gently but I call a duck a duck.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 10, 2018:
On time when I was young a friend came over to MY house just to tell me what a jerk I was, and everyone was completely good with it, because well....he was right. It was he that loved me enough to tell me what an idiot I actually was and spoon feed it to me no matter how awful it tasted.
I then knew what it was to have a true friend, and I did clean up my act.
So now I do tell it like it is to those whom I love....gently but I call a duck a duck.
Do you still find yourself praying from time to time? In what circumstances?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 10, 2018:
Never which is strange. I study religion every day, particularly early Jesus traditions. I just don't believe and have no desire to make supplications to a God I don't believe exist. I can not believe in the unbelievable, even if I wanted to, so I don't have any inclinations to pray.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 10, 2018:
Never which is strange. I study religion every day, particularly early Jesus traditions. I just don't believe and have no desire to make supplications to a God I don't believe exist. I can not believe in the unbelievable, even if I wanted to, so I don't have any inclinations to pray.
Does religion interest you?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 10, 2018:
I was a fundamentalist whacko. I studied all the time. I am now a solid active atheist. My fascination for religion has not diminished, it may have in fact increased all the more. My focus and reason for study has changed. I really don't as a historian care what the dogma is. I am more concerned with the origins of that dogma. Why do people believe what they do and what are the origins of that belief.
Most Christians can tell you what they believe, but it is very rare they can tell you why. Just because I do is not the underlying reason.
I study so I can with great empathy, having been there myself, help those who wish escape religion.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 10, 2018:
I was a fundamentalist whacko. I studied all the time. I am now a solid active atheist. My fascination for religion has not diminished, it may have in fact increased all the more. My focus and reason for study has changed. I really don't as a historian care what the dogma is. I am more concerned with the origins of that dogma. Why do people believe what they do and what are the origins of that belief.
Most Christians can tell you what they believe, but it is very rare they can tell you why. Just because I do is not the underlying reason.
I study so I can with great empathy, having been there myself, help those who wish escape religion.
Any theories on common archetypes and such?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 10, 2018:
I have pondered this myself and have come to a very simple solution. As human beings our brains function similarly. In fact we often use the same methodology of reasoning simply by our nature. The very fact that we are so similar as we are all from the same descendants our brains function the same. We are capable of unique thoughts but the mechanisms of those thoughts derive from the same biological chemical and electrical processes.
So it is much like a computer we can have individual programs but the computers are limited according to function. So it is no surprise to me that the outputs of the computers will be similar no matter what the program.
In short, we are humans and I would expect humans to do what humans do and for what humans do, do to be similar.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 10, 2018:
I have pondered this myself and have come to a very simple solution. As human beings our brains function similarly. In fact we often use the same methodology of reasoning simply by our nature. The very fact that we are so similar as we are all from the same descendants our brains function the same. We are capable of unique thoughts but the mechanisms of those thoughts derive from the same biological chemical and electrical processes.
So it is much like a computer we can have individual programs but the computers are limited according to function. So it is no surprise to me that the outputs of the computers will be similar no matter what the program.
In short, we are humans and I would expect humans to do what humans do and for what humans do, do to be similar.
Is religion necessary in the world?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 10, 2018:
Religion is not necessary by any means. There have been cultures that had no concept of God's or spirits, not even words to express the idea. Morals are internal and ethics are external. If one lacks morals, ethics due to social pressures tend to "keep" people in line. This is however not always the case. Theist do in fact harm others despite their religion that may teach otherwise. If religion is in fact the source of their morals and ethics but does not work then it is useless.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 10, 2018:
Religion is not necessary by any means. There have been cultures that had no concept of God's or spirits, not even words to express the idea. Morals are internal and ethics are external. If one lacks morals, ethics due to social pressures tend to "keep" people in line. This is however not always the case. Theist do in fact harm others despite their religion that may teach otherwise. If religion is in fact the source of their morals and ethics but does not work then it is useless.
What are your favorite Atheist songs?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 10, 2018:
Saved by Shelley Segal. I've met her and she is not only a great musician but a great person.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 10, 2018:
Saved by Shelley Segal. I've met her and she is not only a great musician but a great person.
Why do guys like tits?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
We are products of evolution. We are in fact apes. Sexual attraction ensures we have sex and reproduce. Breast are simply organs that not only provide sustenance for babies, but stimulate us to want to have sex and produce those babies.
The interesting thing here is that from a biological, evolutionary perspective it is not important for us to have sexual identities or even have heterosexual relationships. It is "good enough" for us to simply have sexual desire. As long as we as a whole are having sex the next generation will come.
This does fly in the face of religious doctrine and man conceived gender roles. But evolution doesn't care.
Btw this is the reason women often "like tits".
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
We are products of evolution. We are in fact apes. Sexual attraction ensures we have sex and reproduce. Breast are simply organs that not only provide sustenance for babies, but stimulate us to want to have sex and produce those babies.
The interesting thing here is that from a biological, evolutionary perspective it is not important for us to have sexual identities or even have heterosexual relationships. It is "good enough" for us to simply have sexual desire. As long as we as a whole are having sex the next generation will come.
This does fly in the face of religious doctrine and man conceived gender roles. But evolution doesn't care.
Btw this is the reason women often "like tits".
What's your take on demonic possession and the churches ritual for expelling demons?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
There are churches in the U.S. that specialize in exorcism. Interesting the people whom start going to these churches do not have demon problems until they "discover" them once going to the church. The moral of the story here is they literally "create their own demons".
It becomes in this micro-culture, to be expected to go through the rights of exorcism to show the group they are "saved from Satan".
It is really a sociological phenomenon.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
There are churches in the U.S. that specialize in exorcism. Interesting the people whom start going to these churches do not have demon problems until they "discover" them once going to the church. The moral of the story here is they literally "create their own demons".
It becomes in this micro-culture, to be expected to go through the rights of exorcism to show the group they are "saved from Satan".
It is really a sociological phenomenon.
Sapiosexuals
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
I actually had to look that one up. I have always been attracted to women more intelligent than myself. Hmmm... how to be tactful. If they are not more intelligent than myself there is no challenge and they simply are not attractive. I find it interesting that in my case high intelligence makes them more sexually appealing to me. I must admit I do not understand the correlation there but it seems to be how I am wired. This being said I did find a very intelligent woman that I have been happily married to for 20 years.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
I actually had to look that one up. I have always been attracted to women more intelligent than myself. Hmmm... how to be tactful. If they are not more intelligent than myself there is no challenge and they simply are not attractive. I find it interesting that in my case high intelligence makes them more sexually appealing to me. I must admit I do not understand the correlation there but it seems to be how I am wired. This being said I did find a very intelligent woman that I have been happily married to for 20 years.
Are you an atheist, but believe in aliens (as in extraterrestrials)?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
I don't understand the "but" in the sentence. An unfounded belief in a mythical God is one subject. The idea that we exist and the universe is as far as we know is infinite, therefore it is almost statistically certain that intelligent life exist somewhere else, is a different subject.
This being said I do not believe that saucer aliens travel across the universe because they have nothing more important to do than indulging their fascination with probing our rectums.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
I don't understand the "but" in the sentence. An unfounded belief in a mythical God is one subject. The idea that we exist and the universe is as far as we know is infinite, therefore it is almost statistically certain that intelligent life exist somewhere else, is a different subject.
This being said I do not believe that saucer aliens travel across the universe because they have nothing more important to do than indulging their fascination with probing our rectums.
What if you are wrong and there IS a god
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
I do not believe there is a God. If I am wrong and God does in fact exist then he was not concerned enough to let me know. If he is unconcerned about letting me know he exist, then neither should I be concerned with his existence.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
I do not believe there is a God. If I am wrong and God does in fact exist then he was not concerned enough to let me know. If he is unconcerned about letting me know he exist, then neither should I be concerned with his existence.
When Is It Time For Sex?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
I should be having sex instead of writing a response.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
I should be having sex instead of writing a response.
I had someone get really mad at me the other night.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
I really empathize with them. I was raised a fundamentalist and was one. They don't anger me, they make me feel sorry for them and want to help them. Some are just too brainwashed to be helped.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
I really empathize with them. I was raised a fundamentalist and was one. They don't anger me, they make me feel sorry for them and want to help them. Some are just too brainwashed to be helped.
[youtu.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
Awesome the only thing this video lacks is......evidence.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
Awesome the only thing this video lacks is......evidence.
Do you think scientist will some day ever find the cure for cancer and AIDS patients?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
Since you have appealed to my unscientific understanding I shall give it a try. I think that with the advances of medicine that the study of genetics may actually make curing such diseases unnecessary. I if we can prevent genetic sequencing that causes such diseases cures will be a very low priority.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
Since you have appealed to my unscientific understanding I shall give it a try. I think that with the advances of medicine that the study of genetics may actually make curing such diseases unnecessary. I if we can prevent genetic sequencing that causes such diseases cures will be a very low priority.
"Being an atheist means you have to realise that when you die, that really is it.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
Good morning to you! Theist often like to say because we have no God that life is meaningless. I respond that knowing that I won't live forever makes it all the more valuable. When I die I will cease to exist, I will not have a brain to know the universe exist. It will continue but I will be unaware of it.
What give me meaning and purpose it to do whatever I can to contribute to mankind now while I can, I got just one chance and no one to "just forgive me" when I screw up, what a rush!
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
Good morning to you! Theist often like to say because we have no God that life is meaningless. I respond that knowing that I won't live forever makes it all the more valuable. When I die I will cease to exist, I will not have a brain to know the universe exist. It will continue but I will be unaware of it.
What give me meaning and purpose it to do whatever I can to contribute to mankind now while I can, I got just one chance and no one to "just forgive me" when I screw up, what a rush!
In making the case for a benevolent God how would you explain such suffering in the world?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
I have read many books on suffering by biblical scholars. If suffering exist then an omnibenevolent God can not exist. By definition an omnibenevolent God can not do anything but good and therefore cannot do anything but good.
If God is omnibenevolent and can not do anything good than he can not be omniscient, that is all powerful.
I am an atheist, I do not believe there is a God. This being said there could be a God that is not all powerful or all good. So this argument does not prove there is no God, only that if there is a God it can not be what Christians claim her to be.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
I have read many books on suffering by biblical scholars. If suffering exist then an omnibenevolent God can not exist. By definition an omnibenevolent God can not do anything but good and therefore cannot do anything but good.
If God is omnibenevolent and can not do anything good than he can not be omniscient, that is all powerful.
I am an atheist, I do not believe there is a God. This being said there could be a God that is not all powerful or all good. So this argument does not prove there is no God, only that if there is a God it can not be what Christians claim her to be.
Unintended condescension: what's your best example?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
"I'll pray for you"
The speaker thinks they are somehow helping. But what they are projecting is their unconscious belief that you are totally wrong and they are completely right so they are going to ask their God to "make" you think like them.
Sometimes if something bad is happening in your life it is a good persons intent to try to help.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
"I'll pray for you"
The speaker thinks they are somehow helping. But what they are projecting is their unconscious belief that you are totally wrong and they are completely right so they are going to ask their God to "make" you think like them.
Sometimes if something bad is happening in your life it is a good persons intent to try to help.
Debate or not debate?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
I am with David Silverman, I think the most important thing we can do is normalize the word atheist. Once the masses accept that it is a normal and rational world view, then we will not have near as much to debate.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
I am with David Silverman, I think the most important thing we can do is normalize the word atheist. Once the masses accept that it is a normal and rational world view, then we will not have near as much to debate.
Has anyone else had one of those friends that expects god to provide for them yet won't make the ...
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
Benjamin Franklin is famous for his quote "God helps those who help themselves".
What most people don't realize is that he was an atheist as satirist. I have often wondered if he wasn't poking fun at Christianity in a way they would not understand and love.
Was his actual intent to say "Get off your butt because God isn't going to do anything for you."? Did he get much pleasure out of the fact that Christians were actually quoting him?
Personally am very disturbed when people live their lives as if mythology was real. People whom do have flown airplanes into buildings, though thankfully most live moderate lives and are good neighbors. If I really do care about them I feel obligated to at least try to get them to ask questions about their beliefs for themselves.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
Benjamin Franklin is famous for his quote "God helps those who help themselves".
What most people don't realize is that he was an atheist as satirist. I have often wondered if he wasn't poking fun at Christianity in a way they would not understand and love.
Was his actual intent to say "Get off your butt because God isn't going to do anything for you."? Did he get much pleasure out of the fact that Christians were actually quoting him?
Personally am very disturbed when people live their lives as if mythology was real. People whom do have flown airplanes into buildings, though thankfully most live moderate lives and are good neighbors. If I really do care about them I feel obligated to at least try to get them to ask questions about their beliefs for themselves.
Interpretation of the bible
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
The Bible was written by many authors with many ideas of what god was. So we have many opinions of God's opinions in the book. Interpretation is the readers opinion of the authors opinion of God's opinions. We have many translations of the bible. So now we have translators opinions of the original authors opinions, of God's opinion that must be assessed through the readers opinions, that all end up with different opinions of what it actually ment.
Of course that's just my opinion.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
The Bible was written by many authors with many ideas of what god was. So we have many opinions of God's opinions in the book. Interpretation is the readers opinion of the authors opinion of God's opinions. We have many translations of the bible. So now we have translators opinions of the original authors opinions, of God's opinion that must be assessed through the readers opinions, that all end up with different opinions of what it actually ment.
Of course that's just my opinion.
Dating Scams
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
I've been married for 20 years and am here to converse with agnostics. What is a dating scam?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
I've been married for 20 years and am here to converse with agnostics. What is a dating scam?
According to the bible; Will Suffering Ever End? Would you say yes or no and why?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
No. According to the bible God made Hell. Hell is the place he sends people who offend him to suffer forever.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 9, 2018:
No. According to the bible God made Hell. Hell is the place he sends people who offend him to suffer forever.
What is your best argument against the teleological argument for theism?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 8, 2018:
They can only make assertions without evidence. I do not know about the origins of the universe but I will be honest about that. They do not know the origins of the universe they just claim to know what they do not know.
I do not believe there is a God, this has nothing to do with explaining the origins of the universe. I am in no way obligated to know the origins of the universe. I simply do not claim to know what I can not know.
They often assert we think something came from nothing, I assert I don't know, nor does it matter. Just because neither of us knows the origin of the universe does not mean we can assert that a being we can't prove exist, Does exist and created it.
The central problem with any philosophical argument is the only reason they resort to such mental gymnastics is they have no actual proof for God. I like to address that and avoid apologetics, none of them are good and they distract from the fact they can not prove their God exist.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 8, 2018:
They can only make assertions without evidence. I do not know about the origins of the universe but I will be honest about that. They do not know the origins of the universe they just claim to know what they do not know.
I do not believe there is a God, this has nothing to do with explaining the origins of the universe. I am in no way obligated to know the origins of the universe. I simply do not claim to know what I can not know.
They often assert we think something came from nothing, I assert I don't know, nor does it matter. Just because neither of us knows the origin of the universe does not mean we can assert that a being we can't prove exist, Does exist and created it.
The central problem with any philosophical argument is the only reason they resort to such mental gymnastics is they have no actual proof for God. I like to address that and avoid apologetics, none of them are good and they distract from the fact they can not prove their God exist.
How we learn and what we learn is an important area of study.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 8, 2018:
Schools neglect to teach the most important thing they could. This is teaching kids to discover how they learn as individuals. Instead they tend to throw every stimulus out there all at once. If someone learns visually they will still use oral teaching methods and insist that the student uses tactical skills thus actually distracting them from actually learning.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 8, 2018:
Schools neglect to teach the most important thing they could. This is teaching kids to discover how they learn as individuals. Instead they tend to throw every stimulus out there all at once. If someone learns visually they will still use oral teaching methods and insist that the student uses tactical skills thus actually distracting them from actually learning.
Ultimately I must forgive my opponents for the way that they are.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 8, 2018:
I don't know I wasnt going to respond to this post, but I had no choice. I did it anyway.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 8, 2018:
I don't know I wasnt going to respond to this post, but I had no choice. I did it anyway.
Where do you get yours?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 8, 2018:
The reason he conducted the experiment was he wanted to discover the language of God. That language must be death. Touch? I've been married for 20 years I obviously touch....myself.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 8, 2018:
The reason he conducted the experiment was he wanted to discover the language of God. That language must be death. Touch? I've been married for 20 years I obviously touch....myself.
In a discussion with a believer, I was asked, "where was my moral authority?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 8, 2018:
A tip for reading and understanding the bible. Sin and Evil share the same two meanings:
1) anything that causes harm
2) anything that pisses off God
The second one can be tricky. It can be for raping or not raping, murdering or not murdering, stealing from those you have murdered or not stealing from those you have murdered, taking sex slaves or not taking sex slaves. What God decides is completely arbitrary and usually revealed after he has killed or not killed someone.
"Praise God!"
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 8, 2018:
A tip for reading and understanding the bible. Sin and Evil share the same two meanings:
1) anything that causes harm
2) anything that pisses off God
The second one can be tricky. It can be for raping or not raping, murdering or not murdering, stealing from those you have murdered or not stealing from those you have murdered, taking sex slaves or not taking sex slaves. What God decides is completely arbitrary and usually revealed after he has killed or not killed someone.
"Praise God!"
Anyone care to Share?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 7, 2018:
The worst experience I had was listening to B.S constantly falling out of pastors mouths. Even as a teen I could see that they often cherry picked the bible. I remember one time preacher was trying to make the point that God has everything in the bible was perfect. He said something to the affect of you notice that the Sun gives us life and Gods Son gives us life. He was different words that I knew would not be homonyms in the original original language or more than likely in any other language.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 7, 2018:
The worst experience I had was listening to B.S constantly falling out of pastors mouths. Even as a teen I could see that they often cherry picked the bible. I remember one time preacher was trying to make the point that God has everything in the bible was perfect. He said something to the affect of you notice that the Sun gives us life and Gods Son gives us life. He was different words that I knew would not be homonyms in the original original language or more than likely in any other language.
Religious Homosexuals?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 7, 2018:
We have a tendency to conflate the bible with religion. Religion is a belief and worship in a God. The Bible is believed to be a book inspired by him.
The worship and how one honors said God has nothing to do (believe it or not) with the bible. Their have been thousands of Christianities based on bible teachings yet the religions are different and hold different opinions.
Their is more religion attributed to the bible than is actually in the bible.
It does not matter what is actually in the bible religion is dependent on what people want to believe. This is why Christianity constantly evolves. As cultures and ideas change so does the religion to fit the times.
Christians observe the Sabbath on the wrong day. God actually killed people in the bible for the most trivial of offenses concerning the Sabbath. There is nothing giving them permission to observe it whenever they feel like it.
Christianity claims that they believe in the bible and do. They observe any and every part as much as they wish to and ignore the rest.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 7, 2018:
We have a tendency to conflate the bible with religion. Religion is a belief and worship in a God. The Bible is believed to be a book inspired by him.
The worship and how one honors said God has nothing to do (believe it or not) with the bible. Their have been thousands of Christianities based on bible teachings yet the religions are different and hold different opinions.
Their is more religion attributed to the bible than is actually in the bible.
It does not matter what is actually in the bible religion is dependent on what people want to believe. This is why Christianity constantly evolves. As cultures and ideas change so does the religion to fit the times.
Christians observe the Sabbath on the wrong day. God actually killed people in the bible for the most trivial of offenses concerning the Sabbath. There is nothing giving them permission to observe it whenever they feel like it.
Christianity claims that they believe in the bible and do. They observe any and every part as much as they wish to and ignore the rest.
Anthropomorphism & God
How do your religious friends wrap their mind around a god that both:
...
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 7, 2018:
I can tell you from personal experience as I was very heavily active in many churches that they don't bother to war their minds around it. Christians usually don't bother to think about theology and science. Philosophy vs. Theology. If they go to church they will hear that they are terrible people that deserve torture but but God loves them and will send them to heaven if they only believe in the unbelievable....a bit paraphrased....
Christians are taught not to question god. If one thinks about god too much there will be questions. If one asks too many questions they are wrong because they are having "faith issues". It's just easier to smile and nod without stirring the pot. Anyway there football games to watch.
Again my purpose here is not to bash them only to explain my personal experience and observations.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 7, 2018:
I can tell you from personal experience as I was very heavily active in many churches that they don't bother to war their minds around it. Christians usually don't bother to think about theology and science. Philosophy vs. Theology. If they go to church they will hear that they are terrible people that deserve torture but but God loves them and will send them to heaven if they only believe in the unbelievable....a bit paraphrased....
Christians are taught not to question god. If one thinks about god too much there will be questions. If one asks too many questions they are wrong because they are having "faith issues". It's just easier to smile and nod without stirring the pot. Anyway there football games to watch.
Again my purpose here is not to bash them only to explain my personal experience and observations.
A lot of the religious people look down on atheist people and consider them to be immoral.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 7, 2018:
Why stop there? My Methodist, fundamentalist church taught that atheist are possessed with Satan and don't know it. That part was true. If I am possessed with Satan I'm certainly am not aware of it. My wife and I have certainly made a few imps.
It's very simple actually, Christians believe that they get their moral values from their God. If one does not have a God to issue them morals they simply cannot have them.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 7, 2018:
Why stop there? My Methodist, fundamentalist church taught that atheist are possessed with Satan and don't know it. That part was true. If I am possessed with Satan I'm certainly am not aware of it. My wife and I have certainly made a few imps.
It's very simple actually, Christians believe that they get their moral values from their God. If one does not have a God to issue them morals they simply cannot have them.
There's an old wartime saying that "there are no atheists in foxholes.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 7, 2018:
I once did, since then the more dire the circumstances the less time I have to worry about a magic genie commuting to the rescue. When it comes to life and death situations I'm much more worried about doing what it takes to resolve the situation than stopping to take time for anything else. The atheist is foxhole is simply a catchy sounding cheeky myth.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 7, 2018:
I once did, since then the more dire the circumstances the less time I have to worry about a magic genie commuting to the rescue. When it comes to life and death situations I'm much more worried about doing what it takes to resolve the situation than stopping to take time for anything else. The atheist is foxhole is simply a catchy sounding cheeky myth.
Does anybody come into contact with people who actually believe that the world is around 6,000 years...
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 7, 2018:
Yes indeed I have, I am forced to look at his ugly mug every day.... In a mirror. I was raised as a young earth creationist, fundamentalist. I have thought back about what type of Christian was more extreme than we were in this regard. There is simply none. As a child I did buy into it completely. There was simply no reason to even consider that Mom and Dad and everyone else I knew in church could be wrong. I wanted be the very best servant of God that I could be. Life was short but eternity last forever, we only had one chance to get it right. Even among my peers and elders I was believed to be the most likely to become a pastor. I wanted to do whatever God wished. There was no questioning God or the church, not only would it be taboo but why would anyone? I was completely and thoroughly indoctrinated. I like to use the harsher term brainwashed from birth. Due to my enthusiasm I wanted to know the bible as much as possible so as a teen about 13 I studied it obsessively and not for a little while about for 30 years now but for other reasons I will get to. I was taught by my Methodist church that the bible was the inerrant word of God. This means it was gods words put into his book for us. So it was in fact perfect. I began to find problems Jesus is said to have said, that all sins are forgiven and that the sin of blasphemy was unforgivable. It simply could not be both. This made me feel like in was an inadequate idiot, the word was perfect. So I studied even more to resolve the building conflict inside of me. The more I studied the more I found conflicting ideas in the bible, so I felt worse about myself and studied even harder, the cycle continued and of course got worse. At some time I came to realise that the bible was not written by God but men whom did not agree with each other about what god was. I then realised that I did not believe in God. Not because I rejected him but because I was in fact seeking him. There are many atheist that say they don't believe in God due to science. I believed in Christian pseudo science. I instead found that the bible refuted its self that was all it took for me to realise I no longer believed in what I was taught as a child. I now study theology, Christian history, and many forms of textual and form criticism. To understand the bible one must understand it's origins. I study not only what's in the bible but more importantly about the bible. I do this as I do personally know how difficult it is to be a Christian extremists whacko and to escape. Not to whine here but it is very emotionally difficult to realise you have lived a lie. So now I write on May websites and proffer questions to theist to get them to question how they know what they know and how they know it is real. I do this not to "make atheist" but to ...
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 7, 2018:
Yes indeed I have, I am forced to look at his ugly mug every day.... In a mirror. I was raised as a young earth creationist, fundamentalist. I have thought back about what type of Christian was more extreme than we were in this regard. There is simply none. As a child I did buy into it completely. There was simply no reason to even consider that Mom and Dad and everyone else I knew in church could be wrong. I wanted be the very best servant of God that I could be. Life was short but eternity last forever, we only had one chance to get it right. Even among my peers and elders I was believed to be the most likely to become a pastor. I wanted to do whatever God wished. There was no questioning God or the church, not only would it be taboo but why would anyone? I was completely and thoroughly indoctrinated. I like to use the harsher term brainwashed from birth. Due to my enthusiasm I wanted to know the bible as much as possible so as a teen about 13 I studied it obsessively and not for a little while about for 30 years now but for other reasons I will get to. I was taught by my Methodist church that the bible was the inerrant word of God. This means it was gods words put into his book for us. So it was in fact perfect. I began to find problems Jesus is said to have said, that all sins are forgiven and that the sin of blasphemy was unforgivable. It simply could not be both. This made me feel like in was an inadequate idiot, the word was perfect. So I studied even more to resolve the building conflict inside of me. The more I studied the more I found conflicting ideas in the bible, so I felt worse about myself and studied even harder, the cycle continued and of course got worse. At some time I came to realise that the bible was not written by God but men whom did not agree with each other about what god was. I then realised that I did not believe in God. Not because I rejected him but because I was in fact seeking him. There are many atheist that say they don't believe in God due to science. I believed in Christian pseudo science. I instead found that the bible refuted its self that was all it took for me to realise I no longer believed in what I was taught as a child. I now study theology, Christian history, and many forms of textual and form criticism. To understand the bible one must understand it's origins. I study not only what's in the bible but more importantly about the bible. I do this as I do personally know how difficult it is to be a Christian extremists whacko and to escape. Not to whine here but it is very emotionally difficult to realise you have lived a lie. So now I write on May websites and proffer questions to theist to get them to question how they know what they know and how they know it is real. I do this not to "make atheist" but to ...
Since joining this site, I've seen an excessive amount of posts referencing choice in the held ...
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 7, 2018:
Christopher Hitchens one said, "Atheism is not chosen, it is discovered". One can not choose ones beliefs. One can look at the facts and ones understanding will be affected.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 7, 2018:
Christopher Hitchens one said, "Atheism is not chosen, it is discovered". One can not choose ones beliefs. One can look at the facts and ones understanding will be affected.
Was there a reason why you chose "Agnostic" for this site?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 6, 2018:
I didn't. I was invited to this site and have made no bones about being an atheist. I do enjoy communicating with the agnostics on this site as most tend to be skeptics as I am myself.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 6, 2018:
I didn't. I was invited to this site and have made no bones about being an atheist. I do enjoy communicating with the agnostics on this site as most tend to be skeptics as I am myself.
How free did you feel when you finally broke free out of the shackles and chains of religion?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 6, 2018:
Well Free. I do not feel guilty about being human. If I see breast I appreciate them. I do try not to stare so much I make a woman feel uncomfortable, but I don't feel guilty about appreciating her femininity. I don't worry about abiding by some magical gods arbitrary rules that often contradict themselves. I can accept that I'm human and make mistakes and that what happens to humans, it's not something that I need to feel guilty about. I can be very happy with the fact that if I actually try to do good that it is in fact good enough. I don't feel guilty or worry about unknown crimes that I didn't know I committed.
Sex is better than ever I can fantasize about a neighbor, I can act out any sexual behavior as long as my partner is up for it. What goes on in my mind is my business and does not affect anyone else. If I do have sex as long as my partner or partners are consenting and no one gets hurt, thats great. I am married and have a monogamous relationship but if we decided to do something different we could with no perverse God watching us.
It is simply good enough to want to be a good human. I am comfortable with that and what is different is I am now happy with what and who I am.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 6, 2018:
Well Free. I do not feel guilty about being human. If I see breast I appreciate them. I do try not to stare so much I make a woman feel uncomfortable, but I don't feel guilty about appreciating her femininity. I don't worry about abiding by some magical gods arbitrary rules that often contradict themselves. I can accept that I'm human and make mistakes and that what happens to humans, it's not something that I need to feel guilty about. I can be very happy with the fact that if I actually try to do good that it is in fact good enough. I don't feel guilty or worry about unknown crimes that I didn't know I committed.
Sex is better than ever I can fantasize about a neighbor, I can act out any sexual behavior as long as my partner is up for it. What goes on in my mind is my business and does not affect anyone else. If I do have sex as long as my partner or partners are consenting and no one gets hurt, thats great. I am married and have a monogamous relationship but if we decided to do something different we could with no perverse God watching us.
It is simply good enough to want to be a good human. I am comfortable with that and what is different is I am now happy with what and who I am.
Couterapologetics: what's your favorite angle of approach?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 6, 2018:
First of all read Peter Boghossians book A Manuel for Creating Atheist. I think it's a horrible title,but the most neglected book in all of atheism.
I was a young earth creationist, fundamentalist. My beliefs were probably more radical than anyone ill talk to. I call myself that because I haven't found any Christian religion with more hard core beliefs. I was in the Ken Ham, Greg Hovand school of thinking before they were known.
I never question anyone's religious doctrine. I do causally mention that I had issues with know how I know what I know. So I will take control of the conversation sometimes changing the subject if I don't like where it is going so that we can find topics that we agree on. This is very important. I want them to say yes so we agree on everything. As a student of people and religion, particularly considering my past, this is very easy for me.
I don't talk about them or their religion, again if I have to pretend not to hear or understand their last comment I will steer the conversation in the direction I want, rude yes but effective.
I then drop a reason somehow pertinent to the conversation that I personally struggled with concerning religion. Now we have agreed on everything so I'm an ok guy and I am now sharing an intimate personal thought. I am not attacking them or their religion at all I am sharing my struggle with a friend. People just don't take this personal.
I will give a brief example.
You know I had a hard time with blasphemy. Jesus said that all sins are forgiven and in another place he said it is the only sin that can't be forgiven, I mean what do you do with that? They both can't be right. So it just made me wonder if it wasn't just a bunch of people's opinions, ya know? Sorry I've got to go to the bathroom.
We have been agreeing on everything, now that I have dropped my personal question I abruptly end the conversation and get out. This is designed to leave them with the thought to hash out for themselves without distracting them with further conversation. I have not attacked them I have simply shared my difficulties, I'm not really a jerk and my ideas made since.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 6, 2018:
First of all read Peter Boghossians book A Manuel for Creating Atheist. I think it's a horrible title,but the most neglected book in all of atheism.
I was a young earth creationist, fundamentalist. My beliefs were probably more radical than anyone ill talk to. I call myself that because I haven't found any Christian religion with more hard core beliefs. I was in the Ken Ham, Greg Hovand school of thinking before they were known.
I never question anyone's religious doctrine. I do causally mention that I had issues with know how I know what I know. So I will take control of the conversation sometimes changing the subject if I don't like where it is going so that we can find topics that we agree on. This is very important. I want them to say yes so we agree on everything. As a student of people and religion, particularly considering my past, this is very easy for me.
I don't talk about them or their religion, again if I have to pretend not to hear or understand their last comment I will steer the conversation in the direction I want, rude yes but effective.
I then drop a reason somehow pertinent to the conversation that I personally struggled with concerning religion. Now we have agreed on everything so I'm an ok guy and I am now sharing an intimate personal thought. I am not attacking them or their religion at all I am sharing my struggle with a friend. People just don't take this personal.
I will give a brief example.
You know I had a hard time with blasphemy. Jesus said that all sins are forgiven and in another place he said it is the only sin that can't be forgiven, I mean what do you do with that? They both can't be right. So it just made me wonder if it wasn't just a bunch of people's opinions, ya know? Sorry I've got to go to the bathroom.
We have been agreeing on everything, now that I have dropped my personal question I abruptly end the conversation and get out. This is designed to leave them with the thought to hash out for themselves without distracting them with further conversation. I have not attacked them I have simply shared my difficulties, I'm not really a jerk and my ideas made since.
How hard is it for you to openly be Atheist in your community?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 6, 2018:
I live in Colorado. I was very much afraid to come out. Once I did I have had no problems what so ever. I did loose one very close friend, she is very religious and simply decided to stop spending time with my family in favor of spending more time with her church.
I have avoided contact with the fundamentalist I grew up with. If I tell them that I am an atheist they will by their teaching "know" I'm possessed by Satan. So the conversation will end before it begins. So if I do have contact with them I will have to ask them questions that will make them think rather than just vomit out that I'm possessed by the Devil. That might be called tact.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 6, 2018:
I live in Colorado. I was very much afraid to come out. Once I did I have had no problems what so ever. I did loose one very close friend, she is very religious and simply decided to stop spending time with my family in favor of spending more time with her church.
I have avoided contact with the fundamentalist I grew up with. If I tell them that I am an atheist they will by their teaching "know" I'm possessed by Satan. So the conversation will end before it begins. So if I do have contact with them I will have to ask them questions that will make them think rather than just vomit out that I'm possessed by the Devil. That might be called tact.
As technology advances in all the applicable areas, especially in human physiology and brain ...
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 6, 2018:
I have given it much thought. I believe within the next 50 years the ethics of what it is to be human will be a heated debate. If we are able to augment DNA and make people smarter then in a couple of generations augmented humans could be considered sub-human. This is not to mention implants, and connections to interfaces such as computers. What if we all have perfect memory? We know this is possible as some, very few humans do. So human beings will not be what they were even 50 years before. We will augment our own evolution. So at what point will we no longer be considered humans but something else a new species that is not able to breed with the former due to genetic incompatibility. I think this could happen as soon as the next 100 years.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 6, 2018:
I have given it much thought. I believe within the next 50 years the ethics of what it is to be human will be a heated debate. If we are able to augment DNA and make people smarter then in a couple of generations augmented humans could be considered sub-human. This is not to mention implants, and connections to interfaces such as computers. What if we all have perfect memory? We know this is possible as some, very few humans do. So human beings will not be what they were even 50 years before. We will augment our own evolution. So at what point will we no longer be considered humans but something else a new species that is not able to breed with the former due to genetic incompatibility. I think this could happen as soon as the next 100 years.
In a world free of religion, what rules would no longer apply to you?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 6, 2018:
Th only rule that would be important is the rule I've made for myself. I was raised as a young earth creationist, fundamentalist. I had no choice. I did buy into it completely, I was very close to becoming a preacher. The only reason I didn't was that I'm a perfectionist. I want to know everything perfectly before I taught anyone else. So as a child I studied the bible obsessively.
Long story short I saw the bible was very flawed and became an Atheist. So what would change? I would stop studying religion, particularly Christianity every day. I was trapped by my indoctrination, now I have to understand religion better than those who hold religious beliefs in order to help them let go also.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 6, 2018:
Th only rule that would be important is the rule I've made for myself. I was raised as a young earth creationist, fundamentalist. I had no choice. I did buy into it completely, I was very close to becoming a preacher. The only reason I didn't was that I'm a perfectionist. I want to know everything perfectly before I taught anyone else. So as a child I studied the bible obsessively.
Long story short I saw the bible was very flawed and became an Atheist. So what would change? I would stop studying religion, particularly Christianity every day. I was trapped by my indoctrination, now I have to understand religion better than those who hold religious beliefs in order to help them let go also.
No religion has a monopoly on moral or ethical posturing.
Why do they think they do?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 6, 2018:
One very important part of religion and or many groups is the teaching of exclusivity. That is we are special because we are a part of this particular team, club etc. It's just a part of social psychology. All religions do in fact teach exclusivity. Their God becomes their identifier. It is not like being part of a local softball team, it is much more intense and the identifier becomes associated with one's identity. People play softball they do not think of themselves as softball players or randomly walk up and identify themselves as such.
They also have a lot of time and money invested into their religion. The more someone invest into something the more attached they become to an idea. This builds on the psychological aspect thinking. People are far less likely to give up on something even if it's a bad investment or idea if they have put a lot of energy into it. Con artist take advantage of this all the time.
The God factor..... a person with great charisma can convince many people to do many things. If they can convince them that God wants them to do it they might do anything.
Once we throw the God concept into the lot everything becomes much more intense. It is believed by many that man has no authority over God. So whatever man thinks does not matter at all. Once humans have been dehumanized, humans become completely unimportant, it is only gods will that matters, it does not matter if humans are hurt if it is God's will. So in order to build up the God the entire culture is about minimizing the importance of humans and stressing the importance of God.
Special knowledge.... every religion has its own "special knowledge". This is vital for any religion and sets it apart from others. If there was no special teachings the religion itself would not be special. This is one of the major factors that feeds into the idea of exclusivity. Morals and ethics tend to be the core of this "special knowledge". Added to this is special teachings on how to conduct ones lives. This does two things first it makes people more dependent on the religion, second it ties people together that practice it making them feel closer together as a group. Religion is about feeding into people's psychological and sociological tendencies thus making them "feel" special and thus making them more dependent on the given religion.
Religion is all about teaching that they do have a monopoly on morals and ethics. If they did not, it would not then be a religion as it would lack the previously stated factors.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 6, 2018:
One very important part of religion and or many groups is the teaching of exclusivity. That is we are special because we are a part of this particular team, club etc. It's just a part of social psychology. All religions do in fact teach exclusivity. Their God becomes their identifier. It is not like being part of a local softball team, it is much more intense and the identifier becomes associated with one's identity. People play softball they do not think of themselves as softball players or randomly walk up and identify themselves as such.
They also have a lot of time and money invested into their religion. The more someone invest into something the more attached they become to an idea. This builds on the psychological aspect thinking. People are far less likely to give up on something even if it's a bad investment or idea if they have put a lot of energy into it. Con artist take advantage of this all the time.
The God factor..... a person with great charisma can convince many people to do many things. If they can convince them that God wants them to do it they might do anything.
Once we throw the God concept into the lot everything becomes much more intense. It is believed by many that man has no authority over God. So whatever man thinks does not matter at all. Once humans have been dehumanized, humans become completely unimportant, it is only gods will that matters, it does not matter if humans are hurt if it is God's will. So in order to build up the God the entire culture is about minimizing the importance of humans and stressing the importance of God.
Special knowledge.... every religion has its own "special knowledge". This is vital for any religion and sets it apart from others. If there was no special teachings the religion itself would not be special. This is one of the major factors that feeds into the idea of exclusivity. Morals and ethics tend to be the core of this "special knowledge". Added to this is special teachings on how to conduct ones lives. This does two things first it makes people more dependent on the religion, second it ties people together that practice it making them feel closer together as a group. Religion is about feeding into people's psychological and sociological tendencies thus making them "feel" special and thus making them more dependent on the given religion.
Religion is all about teaching that they do have a monopoly on morals and ethics. If they did not, it would not then be a religion as it would lack the previously stated factors.
Why Won't God Heal Amputees?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 6, 2018:
Godhatesamputees.com
If God is all powerful and does not heal amputees he is not benevolent.
If God is benevolent and does not heal amputees he is not all powerful.
If he is not benevolent or all powerful then he is not a God.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 6, 2018:
Godhatesamputees.com
If God is all powerful and does not heal amputees he is not benevolent.
If God is benevolent and does not heal amputees he is not all powerful.
If he is not benevolent or all powerful then he is not a God.
Telepathy - Science or Superstition?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 6, 2018:
Telepathy has been not been studied even for military use. Both the U.S. and U.S.S.R. did attempt to study it during the cold war. Why did they not in fact study it? There was nothing to observe at all. After all kinds of experiments made years of research there was no evidence there was in fact anything to study.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 6, 2018:
Telepathy has been not been studied even for military use. Both the U.S. and U.S.S.R. did attempt to study it during the cold war. Why did they not in fact study it? There was nothing to observe at all. After all kinds of experiments made years of research there was no evidence there was in fact anything to study.
The "power" of faith
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 6, 2018:
Anytime anyone lives their lives on based on things that are not real it is not beneficial. It is far better and healthy to make sound decisions based on reality. If something "just makes someone feel better" is it really good or worthwhile? I don't care if mother might feel better thinking she will be with Jesus. Entertaining a delusion is not loving or kind. If someone really cares about another human being it is better to help the come to reality because reality is much better than thinking we will go to Hell.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 6, 2018:
Anytime anyone lives their lives on based on things that are not real it is not beneficial. It is far better and healthy to make sound decisions based on reality. If something "just makes someone feel better" is it really good or worthwhile? I don't care if mother might feel better thinking she will be with Jesus. Entertaining a delusion is not loving or kind. If someone really cares about another human being it is better to help the come to reality because reality is much better than thinking we will go to Hell.
Debate or not debate?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 5, 2018:
I personally operate on the theory that in the public venue what is ridiculous about religion should be ridiculed.
In person I do not debate unless it's necessary. Just prefer to keep it conversational. I will often give reasons that I personally could no longer believe to hopefully provoke thought. Perhaps when the conversation is done they might ask themselves the same questions.
Peter Boghossian in his book a manual for creating atheist, highlights that we should not go after specific beliefs, as people take this personally. Rather he says we should focus on "how we know what we know", that being faith.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 5, 2018:
I personally operate on the theory that in the public venue what is ridiculous about religion should be ridiculed.
In person I do not debate unless it's necessary. Just prefer to keep it conversational. I will often give reasons that I personally could no longer believe to hopefully provoke thought. Perhaps when the conversation is done they might ask themselves the same questions.
Peter Boghossian in his book a manual for creating atheist, highlights that we should not go after specific beliefs, as people take this personally. Rather he says we should focus on "how we know what we know", that being faith.
Hey, fellow rational people, when do you trust your gut?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 5, 2018:
Trusting ones instincts can be and always will be very important for humans. Richard Dawkins goes into this quite thoroughly. If primitive man saw a rustling in the Bush it could be the wind or a loin. The fellow that ran was more likely to survive.
As a correctional officer for 15 years in maximum security prisons following my instinct likely saved my life.
This being said, it is important to understand when and more importantly why we feel compelled to follow our instincts. Most times when we have "gut" feelings it is simply due to our evolutionary baggage and has nothing to do with what actually is rational. So I constantly evaluate what instinct I have in order to determine its origin.
If the instinct is justified I run away from the loin, if I'm in a zoo I take a picture.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 5, 2018:
Trusting ones instincts can be and always will be very important for humans. Richard Dawkins goes into this quite thoroughly. If primitive man saw a rustling in the Bush it could be the wind or a loin. The fellow that ran was more likely to survive.
As a correctional officer for 15 years in maximum security prisons following my instinct likely saved my life.
This being said, it is important to understand when and more importantly why we feel compelled to follow our instincts. Most times when we have "gut" feelings it is simply due to our evolutionary baggage and has nothing to do with what actually is rational. So I constantly evaluate what instinct I have in order to determine its origin.
If the instinct is justified I run away from the loin, if I'm in a zoo I take a picture.
Upon the inevitable...,.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 5, 2018:
I am an organ donor as hopefully my parts and pieces could help someone else. As far as what happens to my body after I die, I really don't care. It could be "properly" respected or fed to dogs I won't be too concerned about then.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 5, 2018:
I am an organ donor as hopefully my parts and pieces could help someone else. As far as what happens to my body after I die, I really don't care. It could be "properly" respected or fed to dogs I won't be too concerned about then.
I want to change my name.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 5, 2018:
There are many atheist with religious names, I am David. My impulse here is to say don't worry about as it has never been a problem for me. This being said if it is a problem for you it is possible to get ones name changed. I wish you the best of luck.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 5, 2018:
There are many atheist with religious names, I am David. My impulse here is to say don't worry about as it has never been a problem for me. This being said if it is a problem for you it is possible to get ones name changed. I wish you the best of luck.
After you became a non believer, did you also go back through all the other supernatural claims out...
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 5, 2018:
I was a young earth, fundamentalist. After I realised there was no Christian God I did not go God shopping. The reason is simple. All gods proffered by man require faith. If they require faith it is because they are not real, that is they have no empirical evidence for their existence. No other religion had gods that actually did answer prayers or preform miracles or we would all know about it. There simply was no other religion or God that had any more credibility than any other mythology.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 5, 2018:
I was a young earth, fundamentalist. After I realised there was no Christian God I did not go God shopping. The reason is simple. All gods proffered by man require faith. If they require faith it is because they are not real, that is they have no empirical evidence for their existence. No other religion had gods that actually did answer prayers or preform miracles or we would all know about it. There simply was no other religion or God that had any more credibility than any other mythology.
Why should we respect religion, when they don't respect atheist?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 5, 2018:
Human beings should be respected as human beings. There is nothing to respect about living as though mythology was real. There is no reason to respect anyone for holding false beliefs. Atheist hold position of believing in what is believable. So theist wish to disrespect atheist simply for not complying with their mythical beliefs which is far less respectable than just holding those beliefs. With this being said, I do not respect any of their beliefs and am quite closer about that, but I do make it clear I respect them as humans.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 5, 2018:
Human beings should be respected as human beings. There is nothing to respect about living as though mythology was real. There is no reason to respect anyone for holding false beliefs. Atheist hold position of believing in what is believable. So theist wish to disrespect atheist simply for not complying with their mythical beliefs which is far less respectable than just holding those beliefs. With this being said, I do not respect any of their beliefs and am quite closer about that, but I do make it clear I respect them as humans.
It is far better to be an honest atheist than a hypocritical Christian.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 5, 2018:
One of the most difficult things for a theist is to be honest with one's self. Once they can admit that they question god in any way, it opens up a world of possibilities. This is spoken from personal experience as a former theist.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 5, 2018:
One of the most difficult things for a theist is to be honest with one's self. Once they can admit that they question god in any way, it opens up a world of possibilities. This is spoken from personal experience as a former theist.
Do you agree/
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 5, 2018:
I have been involved with a few public events in which I was involved in the organization of. Not once did the news media get the story right. Every time there were many, many mistakes throughout the story. My local news media television and radio are so concerned with jumping out with a flashy headline they fail to even give a basic story. There was a hug fire today in California that was devastating. And George how's the weather? I don't bother with it.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 5, 2018:
I have been involved with a few public events in which I was involved in the organization of. Not once did the news media get the story right. Every time there were many, many mistakes throughout the story. My local news media television and radio are so concerned with jumping out with a flashy headline they fail to even give a basic story. There was a hug fire today in California that was devastating. And George how's the weather? I don't bother with it.
So, I got scolded by some “Free the Nipple” advocates (who I fully support) because they promote...
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 3, 2018:
Evolution doesn't care. Breast serve the purpose of making milk, ensuring the survival of babies. They also stimulate the males to be attracted to females ensuring that they have babies and make milk with the very same organs. In evolution the mammary tissue is an excellent example of multifunctional organs. Not exactly particularly sexy to be put this way but that is why they are so impressive to the male species. We are simply products of evolution as such we function as necessary to reproduce and procreate. Now I will try all this sexy talk with my wife and see how far it gets me.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 3, 2018:
Evolution doesn't care. Breast serve the purpose of making milk, ensuring the survival of babies. They also stimulate the males to be attracted to females ensuring that they have babies and make milk with the very same organs. In evolution the mammary tissue is an excellent example of multifunctional organs. Not exactly particularly sexy to be put this way but that is why they are so impressive to the male species. We are simply products of evolution as such we function as necessary to reproduce and procreate. Now I will try all this sexy talk with my wife and see how far it gets me.
I believe in the power of faith.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 2, 2018:
The problem here is the word faith. In this case you are using it as optimism, or confidence. You are not using it in the context of believing without evidence. You have confidence because you have done this many times before. You are not believing without any factual evidence as it has happened before. As it has happened you have both the confidence and optimism that it will occur again.
Faith in the religious context is simply believing in the unbelievable. You do not do this. Words often have different meanings and we must be careful not to switch meanings and get the different meanings mixed up and out of context.
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 2, 2018:
The problem here is the word faith. In this case you are using it as optimism, or confidence. You are not using it in the context of believing without evidence. You have confidence because you have done this many times before. You are not believing without any factual evidence as it has happened before. As it has happened you have both the confidence and optimism that it will occur again.
Faith in the religious context is simply believing in the unbelievable. You do not do this. Words often have different meanings and we must be careful not to switch meanings and get the different meanings mixed up and out of context.
Have you written a Letter To an Editor for publication?
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 2, 2018:
I wrote a few in a small town. My wife banned me. When she went into a grocery store and heard many people talking about what I wrote. Some people don't get satire.... I thought that partial birth abortions were taking abortions too far, so I suggested I wanted to mount one like a moose head but with scissors stickin out of it head, since partial birth abortions were O.K. and all. Well it certainly did get people talking about what a partial birth abortion was all right! None the less my wife was less than impressed.....
DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 2, 2018:
I wrote a few in a small town. My wife banned me. When she went into a grocery store and heard many people talking about what I wrote. Some people don't get satire.... I thought that partial birth abortions were taking abortions too far, so I suggested I wanted to mount one like a moose head but with scissors stickin out of it head, since partial birth abortions were O.K. and all. Well it certainly did get people talking about what a partial birth abortion was all right! None the less my wife was less than impressed.....
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