Good morning @Admin 🙂 I cannot comment on posts at the moment.

FrayedBear comments on Dec 30, 2020:

@Admin I applaud the new form. It is clean, elegant and functional in the last few replies/ comment to other's replies that I have made.

Fernapple replies on Dec 30, 2020:

@FrayedBear Windows 10. and Firefox.

The new comments button is not working for me, I click on it and nothing happens.

Fernapple comments on Dec 30, 2020:

People say that it is working now, here is a test comment. Yep, that seems ok, will make it a long one just to check. People say that it is working now, here is a test comment. Yep, that seems ok, will make it a long one just to check. People say that it is working now, here is a test comment....

Fernapple replies on Dec 30, 2020:

Still not working on some posts.

Good morning @Admin 🙂 I cannot comment on posts at the moment.

FrayedBear comments on Dec 30, 2020:

@Admin I applaud the new form. It is clean, elegant and functional in the last few replies/ comment to other's replies that I have made.

Fernapple replies on Dec 30, 2020:

@FrayedBear Not seeing any of those options.

What did you learn in 2020?

Word comments on Dec 29, 2020:

As the days or years pass by as I am alive, I have come to the most optimistic view that I may not be dead yet but I am that much closer to that glorious day when I can finally be in non-existance with the non-existent flying spaghetti monster sky God and be gone from all this pathetic worldly crap ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 30, 2020:

@Krish55 Exactly, and death is our ultimate friend.

Good morning @Admin 🙂 I cannot comment on posts at the moment.

Fernapple comments on Dec 30, 2020:

Still not working on some posts. Like this one. https://agnostic.com/discussion/564615/my-friends-that-know-me-consider-me-to-be-a-statistical-outlier-i-am-hopeful-that-i-won-t-be-so-f

Fernapple replies on Dec 30, 2020:

@FrayedBear Pushed the button fifty times, still did not work, and there is no spell-checker any longer.

Good morning @Admin 🙂 I cannot comment on posts at the moment.

FrayedBear comments on Dec 30, 2020:

@Admin I applaud the new form. It is clean, elegant and functional in the last few replies/ comment to other's replies that I have made.

Fernapple replies on Dec 30, 2020:

@girlwithsmiles No still can't comment, on this post now https://agnostic.com/post/564627/philosophy-post-optimistic-nihilism-i-don-t-normally-resonate-with-single-philosophies and the spell check does not work.

Good morning @Admin 🙂 I cannot comment on posts at the moment.

girlwithsmiles comments on Dec 30, 2020:

This one too: https://agnostic.com/discussion/564603/in-answer-to-dangerdaves-post-are-you-a-humanist-and-the-ten-commitments-altruism-i-wi

Fernapple replies on Dec 30, 2020:

Yes I tried that one too. I think that it must be the earlier posts that came in overnight.

What did you learn in 2020?

Word comments on Dec 29, 2020:

As the days or years pass by as I am alive, I have come to the most optimistic view that I may not be dead yet but I am that much closer to that glorious day when I can finally be in non-existance with the non-existent flying spaghetti monster sky God and be gone from all this pathetic worldly crap ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 30, 2020:

All things end, time is our friend.

The new comments button is not working for me, I click on it and nothing happens.

girlwithsmiles comments on Dec 30, 2020:

Oops just posted about the same thing. Plus now it seems to be working again! Lols.

Fernapple replies on Dec 30, 2020:

Thanks.

What say you?

Gohan comments on Dec 29, 2020:

If you insist. That's not a stick. It's a twig.

Fernapple replies on Dec 30, 2020:

@Sgt_Spanky It becomes a stick when it has been stuck in something. Until then it is a twig.

Reaching for connection but missing every time.

Fernapple comments on Dec 29, 2020:

Never have anything to do with an Englishman they are very annoying.

Fernapple replies on Dec 29, 2020:

@oldFloyd Just about all of them of course. Mind you we do make a good cup of tea.

Atheists like Dawkins say most believers are atheistic about all gods but one, and he ( Dawkins ) is...

Fernapple comments on Dec 29, 2020:

There are very few, true, hard atheists about, an actual certainly held belief in there being no gods is rare, to the point of vanishing, so this is very much a straw-man argument. However, even as an agnostic, I do not think I would find this very convincing. Attempting to define god into ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 29, 2020:

@skado 1. If you do not throw out, reason and evidence, then you have a philosophy, not a religion. You may call it a religion, but that simply means that your usage of the word is not one used by anyone else. And if you really which to communicate with your fellow humans then that is not a good start. By definition a religion is a philosophy which does not require evidence or reason. 2. Artless universe and artless nature. Good 'art' at least in the sense of 'high' art is another religion in which it is a good idea not to believe. 3. Cultural heritage is the main source of corruption, and is synonymous with it. Cultural heritage is exactly the corruption which needs to be kept out. 4. Sorry if you can not understand Stalins meaning. What he meant is, that there is no difference between fake and real when you are dealing with things that are immaterial. Whatever you invent in the immaterial sphere is real in the immaterial sphere, be it a truth in the material world or not. 5. "One of the main sources of power sought by criminals is the ignorance of their victims, whether that ignorance be of religion or of science." Which is why religion is the business of promoting ignorance, by promoting cultural heritage as a source of truth. Which of course it is not, being just the name people give to the collection of old ideas, which they inherit, regardless of whether they contain truth or not. The appeal that religion often makes to the, pseudo - religion of heritage, is done exactly for the reason that it can be used as a cover of corruption. 6. "You can't make humanity uncorruptible by taking religion out of it. As long as there are humans without the checks of self-restraint, integrity, and compassion, corruption will find its way into whatever power structure exists." No, that is looking at it the wrong way round, you certainly, can't make humanity uncorruptable, or it would be very hard, practically imposssible, anyway. But if you did then religion would disappear along with all the other corruption, of which it is merely a sub-set. Religion is not a defence against corruption, because it is a part of it. It is the fact that religion is the appeal to authority without resort, to reason or evidence, which makes it a criminal activety, and beloved by the criminal, indeed religion is no more than the appeal to authority falacy writ large. Just as when the Mafia boss says. "Pay me, money and respect, because my friends have big guns." He is demanding authority without appeal to reason or evidence. So is he also claiming authority, without appealing to reason or evidence, when he says. "Pay me money and respect. Because we are Sicilian and it is our cultural heritage." In fact on the second occassion he is actively religious. That is why I will ...

Atheists like Dawkins say most believers are atheistic about all gods but one, and he ( Dawkins ) is...

Fernapple comments on Dec 29, 2020:

There are very few, true, hard atheists about, an actual certainly held belief in there being no gods is rare, to the point of vanishing, so this is very much a straw-man argument. However, even as an agnostic, I do not think I would find this very convincing. Attempting to define god into ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 29, 2020:

@skado No of course not. Both science and philosophy have been corrupted, that is why corruption is so dangerous and the appeal to evidence and reason, our only defences against it, are so important, and why religion, which starts by throwing those out, quite deliberately, is so dangerous. And why therefore, it is so important to guard respectable and appealing philosophies, such as pantheisim, especially in the form I would call, default pantheism, if you throw out god and the supernatural, then the universe and nature are what you have left in its place, ( Which I would say is the true meaning of Religious Naturalism.) against corruption. And why, it is best not to encourage corruption to enter, by giving it an open door and putting up signs for it. I have to think of Stalin, who, whatever his limitations, put his finger on the truth, when he allegedly said. " Power is the one aspect of the human condition you can not fake." Meaning that if you give anyone fake power, you give them the real thing, because if you create the illusion of power, then, people will still obey them, just as they do real thing. Put a fool in a generals uniform, and troops will still take his orders. One of the main sources of power, most sought by criminals of all types, is religious power, especially since that comes without the need for justification by evidence or reason, exactly what every criminal wants. You can not therefore sanitize religion just by taking the supernatural out of it. As long as it has authority without the checks of reason, evidence and democracy, with appeal to things like tradition, old books, prejudice, etc., it will be not corruptable, but the very wellspring of corruption.

Ridiculous tales 💭 Exodus 12:29 At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, ...

barjoe comments on Dec 29, 2020:

The angel of death cast a pox upon their house. That sounds like a benevolent deity? If God was so powerful, why couldn't he get inside Pharoah's head? How could 19th century Christians, if they believe the book of Exodus, justify owning slaves? Rhetorical questions.

Fernapple replies on Dec 29, 2020:

Because, according to the account, god got inside Pharoah's head, and it was god who "hardened his heart".

Mormon church sued for alleged role in Boy Scouts sex abuse : atheism

xenoview comments on Dec 29, 2020:

It's not surprising that the morons abused little boys. I hope the law suit rips them a big hole leaking tons of cash.

Fernapple replies on Dec 29, 2020:

Sadly they can afford tons of cash, the Moron, sorry my spelling again, Mormon Church is mega -rich.

Atheists like Dawkins say most believers are atheistic about all gods but one, and he ( Dawkins ) is...

Fernapple comments on Dec 29, 2020:

There are very few, true, hard atheists about, an actual certainly held belief in there being no gods is rare, to the point of vanishing, so this is very much a straw-man argument. However, even as an agnostic, I do not think I would find this very convincing. Attempting to define god into ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 29, 2020:

@skado Only pure reason, evidence and care, which are the ideals (perhaps never quite achieved) of science and philosophy, because if they are used for abuse, they cease to be, and so may then be questioned.

Question to atheists and agnostics: Are you sure no god exists that you believe in?

Fernapple comments on Dec 29, 2020:

There are very few, true, hard atheists about, an actual certainly held belief in there being no gods is rare, to the point of vanishing, so this is very much a straw-man argument. However, even as an agnostic, I do not think I would find this very convincing. Attempting to define god into ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 29, 2020:

@skado Did not say that the syphilitic taint was pantheist, I said that pure pantheism needed to avoid being infected, read it again.

Welsh Poppy, so beautiful

Fernapple comments on Dec 26, 2020:

Very pretty, but also an invasive little thug, which sows itself everywhere you don't want it, and is almost impossible to kill. I once knew a lady whose garden was almost swamped by it, and it was one of the reasons she sold the house.

Fernapple replies on Dec 27, 2020:

@Jolanta Try Iceland poppies instead, a lot safer.

“There is not enough love and goodness in the world to permit giving any of it away to imaginary ...

Fernapple comments on Dec 26, 2020:

Or the pockets of those who claim to represent them.

Fernapple replies on Dec 26, 2020:

@Freedompath I grew up in a largely secular family too, as many people in the UK do. Because therefore I never really encountered any religious people as a child, I grew up imagining that they must be really good people who lived up to their prophets values of virtue and charity, and looked forward to the days when I should meet some. One of the main reasons for being and active agnostic, rather than just a nominal default one, was because of the shock I experienced when I first met with religion in school, and higher education, and found that it was followed, not by selfless saints as I thought, but often by truly nasty people, who set low values of truth and behavior, which were far lower than those I had been raised to believe were the norm, in the secular world.

I know that some people think that Hyper-realism, is a bit old hat, but here is what has been done ...

Wisterious comments on Dec 26, 2020:

That's cool. Had never seen this. Thanks! I appreciate him doing away with a couple of the ladies' double chins 😂. What he does, he does masterfully, although I hope he moves on to painting original works vs recreations. Faces are 100% difficulty. Even garment/cloth, ...very difficult. I tried...

Fernapple replies on Dec 26, 2020:

I have seen him before, and he does do portraits as well in more or less the same style. Onne of the things I like, though perhaps he overdoes it a bit, is the way he adds acne spots and other blemishes. Perhaps he gets bored doing perfect skin.

Another population of blue whales found in Indian ocean: [science.slashdot.org]

Wisterious comments on Dec 26, 2020:

Yeah! but now that they've been found, are they safe? I hope so. 🤞

Fernapple replies on Dec 26, 2020:

Well lets hope that the Japanese 'scientific' whalers don't find them.

Clearing land to feed 2050’s human population threatens biodiversity | Science News

Triphid comments on Dec 22, 2020:

Farming efficiency CAN be achieved IF it is done correctly right from the start. First step, imo, GET RID of man-made Chemical based fertilizers, replace them with NATURAL fertilizers that WILL NOT pollute the lands and the water sources, etc. Do NOT grow crops in region/climates,etc, where they ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 26, 2020:

@Triphid It tells me that organic practices, well used, are a lot better for the environment and the cropped land than chemical farming. No argument with that. But the problem is in the phrase, 'well used'. My point is that badly used organic farming, can be just as harmful as chemical farming. For some twenty years in my youth, I helped my father run an organic fruit and veg smallholding, and was an enthusiastic member of the soil association. We did the very best we could to create a good environment, and produce good quality healthy products, without chemicals. But then I reached an age where I began to move and circulate with a wider range of, so called, organic farmers, I found that many of them had appalling practices, terrible animal welfare, were relabeling inorganic produce as organic, and that one of our wholesale merchants was putting our boxes, of quality organic produce, on the top of pallets containing very poor chemically fed produce and selling them as one. Many organic growers were no more interested in the environment than the conventional farmers over the fence, sometimes less so, were only interested in the higher ticket value of organic produce, and were sometimes using highly doubtful sources, chemical, industrial, intensive farms, for their 'organic' fertilizers.That the movement was handing out organic lables to just about anyone, regardless of the qualifications. And that the public buying the products with organic labels on them, who beleived they were getting environmentally responsible husbandry and high animal welfare, when they bought the label. Were actually often getting the very opposite, or at least things which were produced no differently from mainstream agriculture. And that the movement was often being used by extremists, to pedal political agendas. At that point I realized that I had been taken in by a religious cult, and that the innocent buyers of organic products were being taken in the same. I am still sure that their are many good organic growers out there, doing a good environmentally sound job, and good luck to them. I anm also stiioll sure that organic, is a better way to farm. But I am now convinced that the only way to improve the environmental impact of agriculture, if it can be done at all. Is by getting down to the hard nitty gritty, of enquiring into every single product, employing a lot more people, people being the one resource the the world has lots of, and making people aware that they have to enquire deeply into the source of their food and make a big effort. The cult of buying organic, is just that, a cult, and it is holding back real progress in addressing the business of making agriculture more environmentally sustainable, because it creates the false impression that it is a done deal.

In the bleak mid winter, only yesterday.

Wisterious comments on Dec 25, 2020:

Very nice! Does the UK designate 'Hardiness Zones' like the US? If so, am wondering yours. My area of Central FL is "9B."

Fernapple replies on Dec 25, 2020:

@Wisterious They will not stand deep frost when it hits of course, and the Jasmine stand in front of a south facing wall. While the very hard winter of 2010 to 2011, which was about a one ten with us, cut the Mahonia to the ground and it is still not back to its former size.

In the bleak mid winter, when only the moss is green.

RoyMillar comments on Dec 25, 2020:

We are having a green Christmas so far in Eastern Ontario 2 hours west of me lots of snow,may get some latter today or tomorrow

Fernapple replies on Dec 25, 2020:

We had a tiny little sprinkle last night, for the first time this winter.

In the bleak mid winter, only yesterday.

Wisterious comments on Dec 25, 2020:

Very nice! Does the UK designate 'Hardiness Zones' like the US? If so, am wondering yours. My area of Central FL is "9B."

Fernapple replies on Dec 25, 2020:

In Europe we tend to use an adapted version of the North American zone system, and I am on the border of eight and nine.

In the bleak mid winter, only yesterday.

tinkercreek comments on Dec 25, 2020:

"Wonderful photos, thank you! I wonder if Mahonia is related to our "Bear's Breeches", acanthus mollis? Did a little research, and Mahonia augustopholie is our Oregon Grape, which grows in the wild as well as landscaping. Yours looks like the Mahonia fortunei, so nice and airy in the heavy winter ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 25, 2020:

I think that it is a hybrid called M. X bealleia, or something like that.

In the bleak mid winter, when only the moss is green.

Theresa_N comments on Dec 25, 2020:

I like photographs like this, but the more texture the better so more real resolution the better too.

Fernapple replies on Dec 25, 2020:

Here you go.

In the bleak mid winter, when only the moss is green.

Theresa_N comments on Dec 25, 2020:

I like photographs like this, but the more texture the better so more real resolution the better too.

Fernapple replies on Dec 25, 2020:

Yes I am sorry, I downsize them to get a faster upload on this site, especially when doing several. But the site is getting better so maybe I should try the larger.

What have been some of the best ways you’ve put your newly found truth to productive use?

Fernapple comments on Dec 24, 2020:

I hope that I am productive, and I know that many of the members here certainly are. But why assume that anyone has to have a new found truth, my new truths are many, and most of the truths that are important in my life are old. Not every sceptic is a new born one, I was never really part of any ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 25, 2020:

@Albronem I see. I am sorry but you did not make that plain. One small tip if I may. It is, I have found, on this site generally helpful to be very plain, or stupid people like me will misunderstand, you have to spell it out really carefully in detail. You will still be misunderstood quite often even then.

Clearing land to feed 2050’s human population threatens biodiversity | Science News

Triphid comments on Dec 22, 2020:

Farming efficiency CAN be achieved IF it is done correctly right from the start. First step, imo, GET RID of man-made Chemical based fertilizers, replace them with NATURAL fertilizers that WILL NOT pollute the lands and the water sources, etc. Do NOT grow crops in region/climates,etc, where they ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 25, 2020:

@Triphid That's what I said. It is not the use of organic or inorganic, though organic is better, that is important, but the use of tons and tons of it especially in concentrated form. Which is what can happen and does happen, on industrial farms where organics are overused in exactly the same way as chemicals.

My first poem, age 7. What was your first writing?

Fernapple comments on Dec 23, 2020:

I find it hard to believe that you kept it. Wow, how did it survive the teenage years ?

Fernapple replies on Dec 24, 2020:

@LiterateHiker Since it is one of the few things I have of my grandmother, it would have to be, perhaps, the last thing to go.

I dream of living in a post-religious society.

Fernapple comments on Dec 24, 2020:

Nothing that can't be replicated in other ways, no.

Fernapple replies on Dec 24, 2020:

@Canndue Then I would say, that the things which really matter, are the things which give community. Shared stories, shared rituals, and meeting places. And I have good hopes that two of those three will come, in time, to the secular world. Good stories because of multiculturalism, the common heritage of science and the collective need to respect the environment, all of which generate stories. Shared rituals for the same reasons. The hard one is the meeting places, because we are an increasingly a traveling society, and I can not see the secular world, creating enough agnostic coffee shops and atheist charity shops , on the street corners to ever replace the churches and their meeting halls, empty though those may be.

study-milky-way-may-be-full-of-dead-alien-civilizations

Fernapple comments on Dec 23, 2020:

Interesting article up to a point, but a bit short on detail.

Fernapple replies on Dec 24, 2020:

@Salo Thank you, will do.

My first poem, age 7. What was your first writing?

Fernapple comments on Dec 23, 2020:

I find it hard to believe that you kept it. Wow, how did it survive the teenage years ?

Fernapple replies on Dec 24, 2020:

@LiterateHiker My grandmother, made clothes for my Teddy Bear, to stop him, (only male in name, ) wearing out, and it was then kept as an example of her crafting. I then many years later found that I have, in a drawer bottom, a collectable vintage model, worth real money, and doubly so because the collectors like original hand crafted clothing. Maybe one rainy day if I am short of money.

Clearing land to feed 2050’s human population threatens biodiversity | Science News

Triphid comments on Dec 22, 2020:

Farming efficiency CAN be achieved IF it is done correctly right from the start. First step, imo, GET RID of man-made Chemical based fertilizers, replace them with NATURAL fertilizers that WILL NOT pollute the lands and the water sources, etc. Do NOT grow crops in region/climates,etc, where they ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 24, 2020:

@Triphid That is very good, and I am sure and your land sounds very well cared for, but that is in part the point, not every organic user is like you. The point is when triphid says, " massive amounts". There is no doubt that when used carefully and in small amounts, organic fertilizers do break down slowly, and cause much less harm than chemical fertilizers. As they did in pre-industria agriculture when only small amounts were obtainable, and they were applied carefully. But there have been some terrible records of ecological damage, cause by organic fertilizers, when they have been used in an industrial manner, especially on a large scale. They contain by the nature of fertilizers, exactly the same chemicals as artificial fertilizers. The only benefit to organics is that those chemicals are bound into organic matter and generally only leach out slowly, hopefully at the rate which the environment can cope with, and the plants use. Some organic fertilizers, such as slurry, sewage, and chicken waste especially, are just as strong and just as inclinded to leach through the soil, at a faster rate than the plants and natural environment can use them, causing exactly the same sort of damage, you see with artificial chemicals, to the soil wettland rivers and the seas etc. They can also contain traces of toxic chemicals, including those from animal disease control and cleaning products, which acumillate in the environment. Because of which, for example, some 'organic' farmland in New Zealand is now classified as toxic, and may not now be legally used. Organic is certainly good and can improve soil structure, but a lot of that benefit is lost on an industrial scale, where 'concentrated' organics are used, in part to save transport and application costs. The big problems for the environment are those of scale, cost cutting, over application, and uninteligent use, and they apply nearly as much to organic farming as to chemical farming. While organic fertilizers are a step in the right direction, and can help, they are not a magic bullet, and on their own will have little effect on the environmental damage caused by agriculture.

Getting my COVID vaccine today.

Fernapple comments on Dec 23, 2020:

Yes, I suspect it is just an example of sloppy lazy writing. What they mean when they say 'prevent' Covid-19 is. 'After a week or two, you are less likely to develop the full range of symptoms usually associated with Covid-19.' Using the diseases name as shorthand to stand for the range of ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 24, 2020:

@glennlab Yes, the same thing really. Often they use the 'lazy' shorthand, because they think that readers won't understand or bother with something accurate.

Got my vaccine today!!!!! Cannot describe the relief.

Emerald comments on Dec 23, 2020:

"Describe." Damn my texting skills.

Fernapple replies on Dec 23, 2020:

I would describe them as quite good. Bit den I haf diphiculti spilling mi own name. LOL

Getting my COVID vaccine today.

ASTRALMAX comments on Dec 23, 2020:

The new variant of the coronavirus spreads more easily. This is what we have been told here in the UK. However, there is no explanation of how the new variant of the virus spreads more easily or how it has become 70% more transmissible. It is claimed that the new variant of Covid-19 is not any ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 23, 2020:

I think that the reason they are not saying why the new variant spreads faster, is because no one knows yet. Certainly that was what was reported on the BBC last night. The reason why there are different flu jabs each winter, is not so much because the flu viruses mutate, though they do, as that there are some two hundred plus of them to begin with. The twenty or so types which are picked out to go into the vaccine each year, are basically a bet, based on what may have been found already in places like China, where a lot of them start, and what has not been arround for a bit, could be due a comeback. In other words informed guess work, which they do often get wrong as we know.

I’ve seen quite a few posts on here where something is deemed to be “unknowable”.

Fernapple comments on Dec 22, 2020:

Good point. If it is unknown, then you can not know it properties, including if it is unknowable. For if you know it is unknowable then you know something about it. Wonderfully silly.

Fernapple replies on Dec 23, 2020:

@JeffMurray Yes I think that is right.

Are Religion and Philosophy Same?

SocialDarwin comments on Dec 23, 2020:

If you think you don’t, your lying. You follow a a calendar that’s biblical. You wear clothes when it’s a heat wave (which in pure non-biblical terms is insane). You take ONE SPOUSE when every natural cell in your body says you are not monogamous (especially males). Don’t lie. Be ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 23, 2020:

The calendar is not biblical. In the west people use a variation on the Roman calendar, which was later refined by the Catholic Church, and more resently by science.

I’ve seen quite a few posts on here where something is deemed to be “unknowable”.

Fernapple comments on Dec 22, 2020:

Good point. If it is unknown, then you can not know it properties, including if it is unknowable. For if you know it is unknowable then you know something about it. Wonderfully silly.

Fernapple replies on Dec 23, 2020:

@JeffMurray Good point. I love a good paradox. My point is. How can something be unknowable, because if you know it is unknowable, then you know something about it. And how can you say something is unknowable without, you know something about it. Another one I love is. I have a black box, you can not know without taking the lid of the locked box, what the contents are. But you can say a lot about the comntents of a black box, even without knowing what they are, because if the box measures a foot square and is three pounds, then you can say that the contents are less than a foot square, and less than three pounds. You can also say things like it does not make any sound. This can be a useful way of thinking about the god thingy when debating with theists, who say things like. "Prove god does not exist." I can not prove god does not exist, but I can prove your god does not exist, if it is not self consistent, for example.

Clearing land to feed 2050’s human population threatens biodiversity | Science News

Triphid comments on Dec 22, 2020:

Farming efficiency CAN be achieved IF it is done correctly right from the start. First step, imo, GET RID of man-made Chemical based fertilizers, replace them with NATURAL fertilizers that WILL NOT pollute the lands and the water sources, etc. Do NOT grow crops in region/climates,etc, where they ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 23, 2020:

@Triphid Yes chemical fertilizers are a big problem. But it is also true that organic ones can be a problem too, the real cause of the problems are not the origin of the fertilizer, but how it is used. If fertilizer is aplied in large concentrations and in a highly soluble form , to land which is not buffered against run off by large areas of none cropping vegetation, water absorbent organic content in the soil, and the wind and rain shelter provided by mature standing crops. Then both will be a problem. And the underlying problem, (besides human population ) is that the application of fertilizer costs money and time, therefore, there is a big incentive to use limited numbers of large applications, with the smallest bulk, (bulk also slows leaching, especially with organic which takes time to break down). One of the obvious solutions to the problem, would be to get more of that excess human population back into agriculture, especially working manually, so that fertilizer and cropping can be done more slowly and intelligently. But guess what, that ain't going to happen, any time soon.

I’ve seen quite a few posts on here where something is deemed to be “unknowable”.

Fernapple comments on Dec 22, 2020:

Good point. If it is unknown, then you can not know it properties, including if it is unknowable. For if you know it is unknowable then you know something about it. Wonderfully silly.

Fernapple replies on Dec 23, 2020:

@JeffMurray Because knowning a thing and knowing everything about a thing are not the same. "I think therefore I am. " Means I know me, but I certainly do not know everthing about me.

I’ve seen quite a few posts on here where something is deemed to be “unknowable”.

Fernapple comments on Dec 22, 2020:

Good point. If it is unknown, then you can not know it properties, including if it is unknowable. For if you know it is unknowable then you know something about it. Wonderfully silly.

Fernapple replies on Dec 22, 2020:

@JeffMurray No but it does mean that it is not unknowable.

Just thought members may like see a few pictures of Australian fossil remains.

Fernapple comments on Dec 21, 2020:

Interesting. Do you know what number three is ?

Fernapple replies on Dec 22, 2020:

@Triphid Thank you.

To philosophize is to learn detachment: we are not born free; rather, we become that way, and it is ...

Mcflewster comments on Dec 20, 2020:

To philosophize is also to come away from direct action to establish an idea. This does not mean that I think philosophers are useless. I see them as writing unlimited and fantastic NUMBERS of words just so they can sell more books [I would buy a copy of yours BTW] . There is no "Crunch" point in ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 21, 2020:

@Mcflewster I generally find that the most useful of philosophy is the most basic, the old stuff. Such as the philosophy of science, the scientific method, the classical Stoics etc.

So much for moral absolutes.

BD66 comments on Dec 20, 2020:

Forgive me, I haven't been to church, so I'm a little rusty on my Jesus quotes. I don't believe Jesus ever recommended taking money away from some people at gunpoint (or under the risk of imprisonment), then giving it to other people in order to buy their votes. Jesus was more into giving ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 20, 2020:

Actually, if I remember right, and the book reports things correctly, (big if). He did say. “Render unto Caesar what is due unto Caesar.” In other words. Pay your taxes. It was one of the least ambiguous statements. And that was the Roman Empire , which did not have a lot of democratic ceredibility to back its demands.

To philosophize is to learn detachment: we are not born free; rather, we become that way, and it is ...

Mcflewster comments on Dec 20, 2020:

To philosophize is also to come away from direct action to establish an idea. This does not mean that I think philosophers are useless. I see them as writing unlimited and fantastic NUMBERS of words just so they can sell more books [I would buy a copy of yours BTW] . There is no "Crunch" point in ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 20, 2020:

Ps. I have started debating with Skado again. He asked me to stop, a bit since, but I can not just stand by, because of the priciple of, he who stands by is complicit. https://agnostic.com/group/ReligiousNaturalism/discussion/562114/ive-mentioned-that-im-not-prepared-to-discard-religion-simply-because-religious-fundamentalists

What Kinda Funeral Do Atheist Have?

Fernapple comments on Dec 20, 2020:

One of my friends had one a couple of weeks ago, pretty much like any other except no god mentioned. Some readings of poems and a short biography, and he picked a couple of fun songs. Personally I do not care what sort of service, if any, they give me. Though, if I had a choice, I would like to ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 20, 2020:

@jlynn37 I just hope, that the magpies do not start to peck me, before I am properly dead.

To philosophize is to learn detachment: we are not born free; rather, we become that way, and it is ...

Mcflewster comments on Dec 20, 2020:

To philosophize is also to come away from direct action to establish an idea. This does not mean that I think philosophers are useless. I see them as writing unlimited and fantastic NUMBERS of words just so they can sell more books [I would buy a copy of yours BTW] . There is no "Crunch" point in ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 20, 2020:

I have always thought that philosophy was useful, to address the questions, such as some moral questions, which science can not. Mainly because that excludes the need for religion. And that philosophy can be judged good if it complies with and defers to science first. And in practice I have found that if you take the information given by science, and then cherry pick the best and most basic of philosophy, there remain no worthwhile and answerable questions left, for any other system to complete.

So much for moral absolutes.

Fernapple comments on Dec 20, 2020:

I do not know your US politics well obviously. But I would not say Republican, more extreme. How about 'Fascist' . Look at it this way Fascism has got a bad name, and while a few really extreme Fascists may still accept the name, even they would admit that it is not going to help win them any ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 20, 2020:

@Freespirit64 THank you.

Did i miss some rule disclosure where the use of the word fuck was prohibited?

Marionville comments on Dec 20, 2020:

Less fucking around with the written word and more actual fucking is what’s needed in 2021....my New Year wish to all!

Fernapple replies on Dec 20, 2020:

Able and willing.

“Once you label me you negate me”.............Soren Kierkegaard.

Word comments on Dec 20, 2020:

I like the way he ends his video with the statement: ... at the end of the day , I don't want to be any category at all. https://youtu.be/CzSMC5rWvos

Fernapple replies on Dec 20, 2020:

Nice video. PS. sorry I got grumpy with you the other day, sleepy and bothered.

I am having a hard time understanding why I have to have a certain amount of points to join a group.

LisaLisa92806 comments on Dec 19, 2020:

It's discrimination and stupid. Some of us are introverts and don't want to post and comment in order to get points.

Fernapple replies on Dec 19, 2020:

Some groups feel open to trolling, they set a certain value in points, so that only members who have proved that they are trustworthy can join. That is the main reason for the points system, it gives the site a chance to block and weed out, hackers, trolls, dealers and fakes etc. before they can do real damage. Some groups are more paranoid than others, sometimes with good reason (If they have, say, political content. ), sometimes not. But points come quickly if you take part, and taking part may only mean liking.

I have just seen "the bug" remove two successive posts remove the word c-h-i-l-d .

Fernapple comments on Dec 18, 2020:

The exact opposite happened to me yesterday, something duplicated several words in a comment I made.

Fernapple replies on Dec 18, 2020:

@Krish55 Yep, thought I had been writing song lyrics. LOL

A Problem with Sacred Texts – TRUE? GOOD? BEAUTIFUL?

Fernapple comments on Dec 18, 2020:

Part of the problem with religious texts is expressed in the. "True, Good, Beautiful ? Part of your heading. The point being that for a text to attract followers, especially when those followers have come through education systems which do not teach the strongest critical thinking, the texts need ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 18, 2020:

@Word Can you do this in English please ?

A Problem with Sacred Texts – TRUE? GOOD? BEAUTIFUL?

Fernapple comments on Dec 18, 2020:

Part of the problem with religious texts is expressed in the. "True, Good, Beautiful ? Part of your heading. The point being that for a text to attract followers, especially when those followers have come through education systems which do not teach the strongest critical thinking, the texts need ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 18, 2020:

@Word Quite. the issues of truth and beauty are quite different. Though you could actually find beauty in that one, strange as it seems. Because it could lead you to the greater truth, that we, including human females, are the results of a less than perfect design priciple called evolution by natural selection, which leaves us with many health problems. Some people may find that a 'beautiful' confirming truth.

“History is but the polemics of the victor.” - William F. Buckley Jr.

WilliamCharles comments on Dec 17, 2020:

"Until the lion learns how to write, every story will glorify the hunter."

Fernapple replies on Dec 18, 2020:

I like that one, it is even better than the common version.

A resurrection story for just before Christmas, enjoy because this one is real.

Wisterious comments on Dec 17, 2020:

Really enjoyed it. Thanks. Question: do you have a subscription? Am thinking about it or National Geo, but maybe digital access. Any thoughts? Thanks.

Fernapple replies on Dec 17, 2020:

No, I do not subscribe, the access on line seems to be free, and pocket gives me news of what is new.

So where was everyone before they started "living in the moment?" 🙃

Fernapple comments on Dec 17, 2020:

A lot of people are still living in Dreamland.

Fernapple replies on Dec 17, 2020:

@RoyMillar Do they even know there is a way out ?

16th December 1773.

Fernapple comments on Dec 16, 2020:

(Fun fact).Turkey went the other way. Being very vexed by the Arab domination of the coffee trade, when the Ottomans fell out with the Arab world. They took to growing their own tea, and now take a lot of national pride in their tea drinking culture. ( And it is lovely tea too.)

Fernapple replies on Dec 16, 2020:

@altschmerz Strangely not that much drunk in Turkey, though there is some.

16th December 1773.

Fernapple comments on Dec 16, 2020:

(Fun fact).Turkey went the other way. Being very vexed by the Arab domination of the coffee trade, when the Ottomans fell out with the Arab world. They took to growing their own tea, and now take a lot of national pride in their tea drinking culture. ( And it is lovely tea too.)

Fernapple replies on Dec 16, 2020:

@Marionville Very nice, it has a fruity and slightly peppery flavour, and is usually drunk black with or without sugar, but it is not as harsh when drunk black as Indian/China tea. It is made with great ritual, very hot water and really fun double teapots. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7RxWSXkpRg

“Parents can only give good advice or put us on the right paths, but the final forming of a ...

yvilletom comments on Dec 16, 2020:

Did Anne, perhaps so alone, know her fate when when she wrote this? I ask because I know parents, with or without advice, put us on paths.

Fernapple replies on Dec 16, 2020:

Interesting. I am inclined towards a personal idea, based on nothing more than experience, starting with the old genetic determinism (nature) versus environment (nurture ) argument. Which goes that they are not constant but perhaps the relative values of the two change through life. Though not perhaps in the way that most peoples first reaction may lead them to think, because perhaps we only generally consider children, and that of course, nurture overcomes nature with time, but that in fact a lot of personal growth through life involves bringing out your nature (genes), and becoming comfortable with it, by out growing the suppressive effects of nurture.

Between stimulus and response there is a space.

Fernapple comments on Dec 15, 2020:

Bit obvious, or am I missing something ?

Fernapple replies on Dec 16, 2020:

@yvilletom That's OK your reply to MarionVille does the job.

Try to ignore the obvious oxymoron in the title of the article if you can 🤣🤣🤣 THE FLAT ...

Fernapple comments on Dec 15, 2020:

Sorry it says, video not available in the UK.

Fernapple replies on Dec 15, 2020:

@TheoryNumber3 Thank you, I wish I had not looked now. LOL

What if money was no object?

ChestRockfield comments on Dec 15, 2020:

Do I need to watch to take part in the thought experiment?

Fernapple replies on Dec 15, 2020:

No it is farly well summed up in FrayedBear's two lines.

Yes, there is a war between science and religion

Triphid comments on Dec 14, 2020:

That may be so in the minds of the Faithfools BUT we, the Atheists, Agnostics, etc, etc, did NOT start this imaginary 'War,' the advent of Christianity, and in some part Islam as well, started the whole thing. The Sciences, Logic, Reasoning and the like are, imo, Polar Opposites to Religions and ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 15, 2020:

I have a simple personal working definition of religion, which has always seemed to serve me well enough, and has not failed so far, which is. "Religion is the awarding of false authority." Whether it is to people in office, sky fairies, old books, tradition, false metaphor, cultural norms, linguistic conventions, or even in some cases science. To explain the last, in an extreme and unlikely case, but a real one I actually witnessed. It would be like asking a scientist, who was physicist, to give his authority on a issue of history, as I once saw a TV presenter do. Despite the fact that he confessed to having no knowledge of the subject, but in the presenters eyes, he was a scientist, right.

Yes, there is a war between science and religion

Fernapple comments on Dec 14, 2020:

Putting it simply. I will probably never have absolute truth, but if I work really hard at it, and question everything especially my assumptions, perhaps I can get nearer to it. Science. I have absolute truth given to me, because I am chosen. Religion.

Fernapple replies on Dec 14, 2020:

@bbyrd009 Perhaps, but see that would be easy. LOL

[aeon.

Fernapple comments on Dec 14, 2020:

Sorry it says, "video not availlable."

Fernapple replies on Dec 14, 2020:

@rogerbenham Will try. Thank you

Eat your vegetables. Be kind when you can. Peace.

yvilletom comments on Dec 14, 2020:

Look down as if the feet are yours. What do you see?

Fernapple replies on Dec 14, 2020:

Blurry, out of focus. I must need an eye test.

This pisses me off.

Fernapple comments on Dec 13, 2020:

It may piss you of even more to know, that in the UK, female doctors keep the name under which they gained their doctorate, and do not change it when married. But then the US is a whole other world.

Fernapple replies on Dec 14, 2020:

@Gwendolyn2018 Thank you. I learned something today.

“Education is education.

Diogenes comments on Dec 14, 2020:

But there are many types of learning- I have a bit of book-learning. But I have gotten into situations that even the 'village fool' wouldn't have touched. 'Street-smarts', in this corrupt society, may be the most important education of all. Even the moronic fool, D.J. Trump, knows how to con the ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 14, 2020:

And how not to be a sucker, is perhaps the most important real education there is.

This pisses me off.

Fernapple comments on Dec 13, 2020:

It may piss you of even more to know, that in the UK, female doctors keep the name under which they gained their doctorate, and do not change it when married. But then the US is a whole other world.

Fernapple replies on Dec 14, 2020:

@Gwendolyn2018 I am sure they do, but the point was in the UK it is considered automatic.

“They fuck you up, your mum and dad.

yvilletom comments on Dec 13, 2020:

Happily, I complied with the "no kids" part. I do sometimes wish my parents had complied.

Fernapple replies on Dec 13, 2020:

We would miss you here.

“It’s four hundred million million million million watts.

Fernapple comments on Dec 11, 2020:

Brian Cox is always fun.

Fernapple replies on Dec 13, 2020:

@Diogenes Sorry Marion and I are doing Uk talk, there is no reason why a USA person should know. Prof. B. Cox, is a popular science presenter in the UK. He manages a light touch without being silly, which is rare, and I am told that the ladies tend to like him. Here is a small sample. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIXbAuEzJN8

Morning Americans.

CuddyCruiser comments on Dec 12, 2020:

It took nearly 10 years for AIDS / HIV treatments to be developed after it was discovered. So, I’m supposed to rush to put something that was developed this fast into my system? I think I’d rather do illegal drugs.

Fernapple replies on Dec 13, 2020:

@MikeInBatonRouge Well said.

misanthropy philosophy

AnneWimsey comments on Dec 12, 2020:

I am deeply distrustful of that feel-good BS

Fernapple replies on Dec 12, 2020:

Wise. I thought that the quote is generally true, but only with the many exceptions of people who see through the trick. It seems I don't need to prove my point, because along you came.

Morning Americans.

CuddyCruiser comments on Dec 12, 2020:

It took nearly 10 years for AIDS / HIV treatments to be developed after it was discovered. So, I’m supposed to rush to put something that was developed this fast into my system? I think I’d rather do illegal drugs.

Fernapple replies on Dec 12, 2020:

Everyone has to choose what they wish to risk, and I would never tell anyone what to do. But for me given the choice between a small part of an inactive, 'dead', virus in my system and a whole 'live' one, I will take the part one every time.

Morning Americans.

linxminx comments on Dec 12, 2020:

He's a narcissist. They take credit for the good, and bear no responsibility for the bad. He may take credit if, and only if, he takes a break from the "election was stolen from me!!" diatribe he's been on since November 3. Unfortunately the Trump influence is going to be with America for awhile,...

Fernapple replies on Dec 12, 2020:

It may not have been show in the US, at least yet, but the first thing on TV new this morning in the UK was Trump making a speach taking credit for the discovery.

I may have posted this here earlier, I can't remember.

linxminx comments on Dec 12, 2020:

I would respond back, "So what does god sound like?"

Fernapple replies on Dec 12, 2020:

"He speaks English, cos' 'e wrote the Bible." King James version of course.

Who created man with such a complex structure?

nicestuff comments on Dec 10, 2020:

Evolution and the origin of life on earth may be counterintuitive. It is extremely unlikely that - at any given moment, in any given place - organic molecules floating in a primordial sea would spontaneously generate life. Yet such an event actually becomes quite likely to happen when given the ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 11, 2020:

Great answer.

Horse nose shot. Because.... He wanted to sniff the camera OK.

Word comments on Dec 10, 2020:

At least it's not the horse's ass

Fernapple replies on Dec 10, 2020:

Next week.

Who created man with such a complex structure?

273kelvin comments on Dec 10, 2020:

You say, man. but you could just as easily say pigs. cats (in fact they have a second set of eyelids which is cool) or pretty much any mammal. There are also wonderfully complex species of reptiles as well but let's concentrate on mammals for now. One clue to man's evolution is the appendix. a ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 10, 2020:

Thanks. Done it now. See above.

Who created man with such a complex structure?

273kelvin comments on Dec 10, 2020:

You say, man. but you could just as easily say pigs. cats (in fact they have a second set of eyelids which is cool) or pretty much any mammal. There are also wonderfully complex species of reptiles as well but let's concentrate on mammals for now. One clue to man's evolution is the appendix. a ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 10, 2020:

Really interesting reply. Though I think that the mouse gene which was inplanted into the fly, was only the hox gene, which switches on the eye making genes, and not the whole suite of eye genes. Which still means that the fly and the mouse, share enough in common genetically for an identical hox gene to work. You have also given me an idea though for another point which should be made.

Do you think the Pandemic will change the way we shop permanently?

Cast1es comments on Dec 10, 2020:

I find that ordering things online for home delivery , increases the costs of most delivered items . With everyone claiming being underpaid for working , and also loosing income due to the pandemic , I keep wondering how they think they can waste their income for this kind of convience ?

Fernapple replies on Dec 10, 2020:

For a lot of people, it is not just convience but safety, in this country the government asked certain parts of the population to remain in their homes, and not go out, even shopping.

Deadliest Days In American History

Fernapple comments on Dec 9, 2020:

Agree with the idea. But I have to ask, is that only in the last century, what about the civil war ? Not my history but were not some of the days of battle very deadly ?

Fernapple replies on Dec 10, 2020:

@skado Yes that say seven and a half thousand which is a lot more, but that includes those who died later.

Village portrait.

HumanistJohn comments on Dec 9, 2020:

Great composition in #1 & #9.

Fernapple replies on Dec 10, 2020:

Yes, thank you, they were intended as the art shots. Two as well to try and capture the misty damp day, but I do not think that worked as well, not so punchy, but that of course is in part the point.

Village portrait.

RoyMillar comments on Dec 9, 2020:

Love your shots ,just average everyday settings we so easily miss in our busy lives ,Thanks for posting

Fernapple replies on Dec 9, 2020:

Thank you. I try to contribute something interesting if I can.

Just for fun.

Theresa_N comments on Dec 9, 2020:

Very cute. I've been thinking about what animals might make a good companion in an assisted living center and that I wouldn't be allergic to. I'm allergic to cats, shedding dogs, pigs, horses, cows, and who knows what else.

Fernapple replies on Dec 9, 2020:

Nearest domestic animal usually available is a ferret. They are larger and really fun.

Do you have a question that you'd like to know the answer to?

Fernapple comments on Dec 8, 2020:

Yes. I would love to know if there is a lot of dark matter hidden somewhere, and where, or does the standard model need revising ?

Fernapple replies on Dec 9, 2020:

@waitingforgodo Did not think you could. But the question intrests me , mainly because I would love to know if the standard model is basically correct, or, from a human interest point of view, how and why the physics community will own the need to amend it, if that does prove to be needed. I do understand that there are many other problems with the standard model, I just picked that one as the most obvious. I do not really have any great preferences in terms of things I 'need' to know, having reached a time of life when I know that I will never know everything, and that there is often just as much joy in finding a answer to a trivial problem as one of lifes great puzzles.

This is a worthwhile read even if you knew something about it.

Mcflewster comments on Dec 7, 2020:

I believe that it was a particular Caliph who turned Islam against science and probably mathematics.

Fernapple replies on Dec 7, 2020:

That idea was promoted by a number of people it is true, especially famously by Neil Degrasse Tyson. But as many have pointed out, it is really a bit over simplified, it really took quite a long time. What happened was the usual cycle of decline, when the golden age faded, as all things do in the end, and things got bad. Everyone started to look for someone to blame, and that played into the hands of the evangelical fundamentalists who were good at spreading blame. They insisted on less tolerance, that in turn of course made things worse, which in turn made people turn even more to the fundamentalists, who gained more power, becoming more intolerant, making things worse yet, so people gave them more trust and power etc.etc. Sound like anywhere you know ?

Just because a person is agnostic doesn't mean that they have to believe in evolution and the same ...

MakeItGood comments on Dec 6, 2020:

You mean the theory that was proven three different ways not only through observations by Darwin of modern creatures, but through paleontology, and through genetic analysis? The theory that also has been proven through documented animal and plant farming of us breeding dogs vows chickens goats ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 6, 2020:

@Mcflewster No point just back up Makeitgood, for fun, (slight irony. )

Just because a person is agnostic doesn't mean that they have to believe in evolution and the same ...

MakeItGood comments on Dec 6, 2020:

You mean the theory that was proven three different ways not only through observations by Darwin of modern creatures, but through paleontology, and through genetic analysis? The theory that also has been proven through documented animal and plant farming of us breeding dogs vows chickens goats ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 6, 2020:

Don't forget, morphology changes over continental climate zones, comparative anatomy, (important before genetics ) embryology, ring species, and observed modern adaptions, including things like antibiotic resistence in disease organisms. Not being pedantic, just throwing more fuel on your fire.

Is being agnostic more positively correlated with intelligence than being theistic?

snytiger6 comments on Dec 5, 2020:

I've posted several studies on this site about how that correlation is true.

Fernapple replies on Dec 6, 2020:

I have read some of those posts. To a degree, I think that, as we learn more from such things, then judging by the replies this time, the usual tsunami of modesty, which used to always greet this question when it was asked is fading.

Is being agnostic more positively correlated with intelligence than being theistic?

TheMiddleWay comments on Dec 5, 2020:

On the whole, the answer is "no". Evidence for this is the preponderance of science nobel science prizes that have gone to theist as well as the majority of medical doctors and scientists worldwide that are theists. But to best answer that question, one needs to properly define terms, ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 5, 2020:

@Canndue Certainly counting Nobel prizes is a very bad way to measure it, but I think that Middleway is being tongue in cheek there. Though I remember the flak a well known atheist got when he used that measure to compare Jews with Mohammedans. LOL

Almost All COVID Transmission Is Happening in These 5 Places, Doctor Says

Julie808 comments on Dec 3, 2020:

My weakness is my friendly neighborhood open air restaurant, where my safe social circle and I bring our own beverages, listen to live music and dance under the stars. Have always felt safe there when we had zero cases on the island, but 6 weeks ago we opened up to visitors, and our cases shot up ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 4, 2020:

The one small point is, that outside should be safer than a typical indoor restaurant.

Making a life, and a walk with Rose.

Wangobango3 comments on Dec 3, 2020:

Why is this on my home page and why can't I delete it?

Fernapple replies on Dec 4, 2020:

No idea, strange things happen on this site, sometimes. Do you mean your home page, aor the Agnostic front page ?

Some thing you don't think of as a climber, but animals alway throw out something new.

Wisterious comments on Dec 3, 2020:

That was cool. Agile.

Fernapple replies on Dec 4, 2020:

@Wisterious I wonder where it thought it was going, and if it had a plan.

Hi - I'm not sure what to do about something.

273kelvin comments on Dec 3, 2020:

If you think that is bad? Try writing a little satirical humour. A couple of years back I wrote about women who sit on their boyfriend's shoulders at festivals. The gist being, that if you're gonna block everyones view then at least take your top off. Like I said it was an attempt at humour but so ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 3, 2020:

You should know the first rule of Agnosics, is. Don't try humour. And the second rule is. Especially not irony.

I was trying to figure out who actually wrote the books of the bible and everyone thinks its these ...

DenoPenno comments on Dec 2, 2020:

In our time today there is very little of anything left to actually hint at original authorship. We have pieces and fragments and everything is a copy of a copy of a copy. You cannot tell the religious this however. They think the gospels were written by those who's names are on them. They ask why ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 3, 2020:

Its interesting to note, that the bible passages we know the most about the origins of, are the forgeries, such as the many parts added, including Maths account of the resurection, the eleventh commandment, and the last verses of Song Of Solomon, which were added by the King James editors. (King James being the fundamentalists favourite of course, as well as the most inaccurate.)