What made you become an atheist?

Fernapple comments on Jun 6, 2020:

Really evil and obnoxious teachers in a religious school, (UK. C.of E. ) trying to force me to accept bullshit.

People try to do right by each other, no matter the motivation, study finds [phys.org]

Fernapple comments on Jun 6, 2020:

So we are social animals after all, just like wolves, apes, lions, rabbits killer whales, baboons etc.etc. Wow who would have guessed that we are not so exceptional after all. And my religious education teacher told me that we were completely different from the more primitive animals, and also that we needed gods instructions to make us moral. Who would ever have guessed he could have been so wrong.

I recently deactivated all my social media accounts and I'm making an effort to find other ...

Fernapple comments on Jun 6, 2020:

Hello and welcome. Enjoy the site and do check out the groups if you have time, there is something for everyone, and I think that there are groups on both diet/exercise and for ex-forces. Though I would look at the full diversity certainly.

Some people pay so much attention to their reputation that they lose their character. (Unknown)

Fernapple comments on Jun 6, 2020:

You mean that my plan to get the whole world thinking that I am a complete asshole, is going to make me seem bland ?

There is no kind of stupid quite like certainty.

Fernapple comments on Jun 5, 2020:

If you know, why learn.

Researchers report that more than two-thirds of self-identified atheists shed that label after their...

Fernapple comments on Jun 5, 2020:

To quote the article. "Griffiths and the research team caution that the study relied on self-reported responses to a questionnaire, a method that carries substantial possibilities for biased or inaccurate responses among participants."

Pretty similar

Fernapple comments on Jun 5, 2020:

Pass on that, too hard for me.

Cuteness for today

Fernapple comments on Jun 5, 2020:

Not good for the teeth.

God, god we are all atheists. Good evening.

Fernapple comments on Jun 5, 2020:

No there is a wide range of people on this site.

I've been doing StayHome since early March, and heartily tired of it.

Fernapple comments on Jun 5, 2020:

And you took the trouble to frame it, well done. The answer is just don't get out of the car if there is anyone about, no harm in driving then.

"England and America owe their liberty to commerce, which created a new species of power to ...

Fernapple comments on Jun 5, 2020:

That was a very powerful and advanced insight for her day. I have not got round to reading her yet, but have seen many good quotes, must find time.

Today's hike: Extremely rare, endangered plants. Yahoos stay out.

Fernapple comments on Jun 5, 2020:

Well it is good that people respect the rules. Two years ago I went walking in a nature reserve/park on Cyprus. I went on a Sunday and as I walked to the park entrance, which took about half an hour, I was passed by about ten jeeps/pickups loaded with dogs and guns.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from having an account here, it’s that not everyone arrives ...

Fernapple comments on Jun 4, 2020:

No one ever arrives at anything through purely rational means. Reason may say that there is no worthwhile proof of god, or no evidence that it is good to believe, but to leave religion or even to hold a stance on it requires motivation as well as reason. And the motivation to do anything can only come from emotion, and I suspect that a lot of the emotion which drives people to adopt sceptical stances, is that of revulsion. Especially revulsion at the hypocrisy of religion, its crude morals, its basic tribalism, its unfairness and cruelty, its trivializing of the wonders of creation, and even the creation of a little petty god, etc. etc.. Which means that perhaps and in just a tiny way, in most cases, sceptics can make a small claim to higher moral feelings. Which is perhaps something, however small, and laying false modesty aside to be a little pleased about.

Anybody here interested in chatting?

Fernapple comments on Jun 4, 2020:

Hello and welcome. Yes that is what most of us are here for. What you got to start us off?

Why Jesus is white (:

Fernapple comments on Jun 4, 2020:

Mohamad Ali was alway so bright and articulate, it is in complete and horrible contrast to what happen to him in the end. Of all boxers he was the one who should have survived.

Zum Riesen (The Giant) is a hotel in Miltenberg, Germany and is one of the oldest hotels in the ...

Fernapple comments on Jun 4, 2020:

Love it that there is still a pump outside. If you were building a big new house/hotel in 1411, you would of course want to put it next to a good well. Picture the hotel servants drawing buckets of water, to brew the beer, swill the floors and boil the guests cloths in the laundry.

I am articulate, and opinionated.

Fernapple comments on Jun 4, 2020:

Yes that is a good reason and mainly why I do it. **But** you never know with an idea or a thought, they almost have lives of their own. You put them out there, and you never know where they will go, what lives they may change, or what avalanches of change that affect the whole world, one small thought may trigger, if it lands in the right place at the right time, perhaps long after its originator lost all track of it.

The government just released Trump's physical report.

Fernapple comments on Jun 4, 2020:

Perhaps they misread the scale, and mistook the kilos for pounds.

Why Jesus is white (:

Fernapple comments on Jun 4, 2020:

Because the economically dominant culture, gets to write the history and paint the pictures of it.

Hint of Summer

Fernapple comments on Jun 4, 2020:

More than a hint, that looks perfect.

I enjoy being part of this group , being almost two years since I joined.

Fernapple comments on Jun 3, 2020:

Well done, yes have enjoyed your posts.

Interesting article: [apple.news]

Fernapple comments on Jun 2, 2020:

Yes interesting. Great introduction that.

Do people really fall for this crap?

Fernapple comments on Jun 2, 2020:

Sadly yes, and even more sadly, it tends to be the frail, sick, elderly and those with learning difficulties who fall most often. It is a truly inhuman crime, because there is no way that the fraudsters do not know full well who they are stealing from. And they must get away with even more obvious tricks. I often get demands for bill payments and bank details, from people who give the name 'service provider' as the organization they represent.

What does anyone think of the switch from deciding problems on certainty to deciding mainly on ...

Fernapple comments on Jun 2, 2020:

I always did think in probabilities and percentages, mainly because I never believed in absolutes. Absolutes are firstly faith based positions, secondly they are anti-progressive, (nothing more to learn), and thirdly they do not accept nuance, and not accepting nuance is the basis of nearly all conflict, and the foundation stone of anti- intellectualism. But most of all you hardly ever find them in nature. (Note the "hardly ever" qualifier. LOL)

Seriously need a boost to have some sort of "faith" in humanity as a whole.

Fernapple comments on Jun 2, 2020:

Hello and welcome. Enjoy the site. I don't know about boost your faith in humans, but you will certainly find genuine people here, who will offer genuine support when needed. It helps however to tell them more about yourself, so best write your Bio, then you are more likely to be understood.

Proof of a pre-existing condition? [agnostic.com]

Fernapple comments on Jun 2, 2020:

Yep, your mother and father should have paid your fees, there were forms available in the fertility clinics. Not paying attention.

Trust you are not disapointed.

Fernapple comments on Jun 2, 2020:

My granny warned me about ladies who post photos of naked butts on line, especially really cute butts. Think she was wrong, really love your butt photo.

Help me choose a sign for the police brutality protest today.

Fernapple comments on Jun 1, 2020:

One. But add. 'Be an angel.' To it, because for some people you have to spell it out. As someone once said. "Not at time or audience, for appealing obliquely to the shared literary heritage."

God: What a trap!

Fernapple comments on Jun 1, 2020:

Yep.

[theweek.

Fernapple comments on Jun 1, 2020:

Don't you mean, ' increases risk '.

Sat like a numpty waiting for the chat

Fernapple comments on Jun 1, 2020:

Sweet ladies should never go short of chat, is there something wrong with the people where you live ? Take care of every precious ounce of yourself.

Do any Covid-19 ‘cures’ actually work? [unherd.com]

Fernapple comments on Jun 1, 2020:

If any of them worked, don't you think that every hospital in the world would be using them. And 'no' I did not read the link.

I stopped paying attention to the news and social media about a month ago, and started reading some...

Fernapple comments on Jun 1, 2020:

'Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it." Perhaps George Santayana, though also attributed to many others. And sadly the number one thing that history does teach, is the truth of that. Yet we live in a world which claims to be highly advanced, but scorns history as never before.

Actually, natural is neutral | Nature Human Behaviour

Fernapple comments on Jun 1, 2020:

Yes in whole agreement with that. And don't even get me started on the meaningless organic movement. But in one other sense, not really the one the article is about, nature is not neutral, and that is, in the sense that the study of it, as a learning experience, leads to greater understanding and less misunderstanding than does the study of gods.

Wild ponies at Chincoteague Wildlife Refuge,

Fernapple comments on Jun 1, 2020:

Lovely photograph. What state is that?

“If you’re reading this .

Fernapple comments on May 31, 2020:

Very like R. Dawkins. "If you are able to read this, then you are one of the lucky ones, you won the lottery of life"

Does anyone else wonder how much the Covid-19 situation is factoring into all this rioting?

Fernapple comments on May 31, 2020:

Yes of course you have to wonder about that. Certainly when people are afraid they often turn to violence, even against things and people which have no connection with the source of the fear. Things like racism , nationalism and all the movements of hate, rise and rise when people are fearful and stressed. But even more you may well find that you are up against the greatest factor in human life, which is even more powerful than fear, or hate, which is simply boredom. The speed drunk monkey, creates religions, nations, empires, art and architecture, drains the earth of its resources, poisons land and sea, and then destroys all that it has made equally swiftly, mainly just to feed its need for novelty. And to fulfill its need never to sit still. After weeks of lock down ?

Atheist Bible Study Today's Lesson: Rev 4:11 -- Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and...

Fernapple comments on May 31, 2020:

The Bible is not to be used with logic. Just like it says on the bleach , not to be used internally. LOL

When theists ask, "If you dont believe in God, then what is our purpose?"

Fernapple comments on May 30, 2020:

It really means. What purpose do you serve if you are not helping to serve my purpose.

Hi all, Haven't been here in forever.

Fernapple comments on May 30, 2020:

This too will pass. It does not matter if you can not see the light at the end of the tunnel, if you keep going forward you always come to the other side of the mountain. Sorry metaphors are all I have to offer.

We are so fucked UK Government refusing to sign up to Brexit safeguards so it can change Human ...

Fernapple comments on May 30, 2020:

We will end up as the fifty second state of the USA, but without any voting rights.

Hey everybody! My Italian parsley is ridiculously happy and as little container and I'm afraid it's ...

Fernapple comments on May 30, 2020:

Keep splitting and repotting. then you can give it away sell it, or sometimes you just have to put things on the compost.

"Once foot soldiers of the Elite will no longer protect the Elite, they are done." Chris Hedges

Fernapple comments on May 30, 2020:

While there is payment, there will be foot soldiers. All that sometimes happens, is that the foot soldiers decide they can manage better without the establishment, then you just get a new establishment.

That reminds me, I've got a few Vanilla Pepsi's that could use some disinfecting...

Fernapple comments on May 30, 2020:

You don't need to disinfect cola, that stuff kills everything. Tip some into your bleach to make it work better. LOL

It's inevitable this might happen ... [agnostic.com]

Fernapple comments on May 30, 2020:

"The ocean, its so big, and I am so small, what do I mean to the ocean ?"

Is Trump an hypocrite?

Fernapple comments on May 30, 2020:

"Is trump a hypocrite ?" Silly question. especially about Trump. Are there any world leaders who are not hypocrites ? Better question.

It's amazing that Science has managed to progress as much as it has when there are so many ...

Fernapple comments on May 29, 2020:

"Dinos are not real, read the Bible." Nor it appears are viruses, and you don't even need to dig to find them.

this is priceless Dominic Cummins and the The Durham Dash [youtube.com]

Fernapple comments on May 29, 2020:

That was funny and unlike some of the satirical songs posted, it was musical.

Trading Standards officers are seeking to halt sales of a device that has been claimed to offer ...

Fernapple comments on May 29, 2020:

Wow that quantum stuff again. Do people really know how small them quantum things are, and how easy it would be to lose one down the back of a cushion. LOL

I have no recollection of how that happened.

Fernapple comments on May 29, 2020:

I find that happen more and more as I get older. I find injuries which would have made me squeal when younger, and I have no idea how they happened. Sadly I think that the power to feel things is another one which fades as you get older. Kids are not wimps it really does hurt more when you are young.

Everyone needs a service animal these days ...[agnostic.com]

Fernapple comments on May 29, 2020:

They are so cute I think that idea may backfire. At least if they don't backfire first.

Planted 36 broccoli starts today.

Fernapple comments on May 29, 2020:

I am glad that I only have rabbits to deal with, enjoy your broccoli you have earned it building all that.

religious people threaten me

Fernapple comments on May 28, 2020:

I do not know it is not my county, but there will be people on this site who do, so just hang in there, and you will get help.

In these difficult times this gave me a chuckle

Fernapple comments on May 28, 2020:

My dog was terrified of those bales. Now I know why. I does not however have quite the same threatening power as . "Beware of the bull."

On a serious note .

Fernapple comments on May 28, 2020:

Good to hear you are on the mend.

I propose we start correcting people saying god with Zod.... lol

Fernapple comments on May 28, 2020:

How about, 'Pod' the great 'has bean'.

Trump Fears Next Election Will Be Decided by Americans | The New Yorker

Fernapple comments on May 28, 2020:

Now would that not be a turn up for the books !

It is better to be a has-been than a never-was. - C. Northcote Parkinson

Fernapple comments on May 28, 2020:

Fast headed for retirement, and really looking forward to becoming a 'has been'. Bring it on, yes.

The sad emoticon in main reaction emojis. I want it back. That is all. Thank you

Fernapple comments on May 28, 2020:

Yes a lot of people have been saying that for a long time. And a 'thank you' would be good.

Remarkable findings on Neanderthal genes - [mpg.de]

Fernapple comments on May 28, 2020:

That and red hair too so they say.

Accountable Media [newsweek.com]

Fernapple comments on May 27, 2020:

And I suppose that he gets to define what 'conservative' is.

You must agree that defies logic.

Fernapple comments on May 27, 2020:

Incubation is between 1 to 14 days, but a typical time is three days. This however smells fishy, wait a month and see.

Never in a million years could I have imagined I would go up to a bank teller wearing a mask and ask...

Fernapple comments on May 27, 2020:

What is even more amazing is that, they let you have it and no bells go off. LOL

I’m confused is this a dating site or just an atheist forum?

Fernapple comments on May 27, 2020:

It is mainly an agnostic and atheist social forum. There is it seems some dating on the side, and I am told we have a couple of marriages to add to the score, but I do not think the dating side is strong.

A picture is worth a thousand words

Fernapple comments on May 27, 2020:

Yes any religion that puts, **my** relationship with god, **my** salvation and **my** church first, then adds no clear moral code, but is prepared to justify any form of "I want". Is bound to attract the spoiled entitled brat element.

Well this should do something interesting.

Fernapple comments on May 27, 2020:

Some people say, that the gene which programs for large amounts of body hair in males, is the same one which programs for high intelligence. There you go, a thought to cheer your day up.

Amazing history

Fernapple comments on May 27, 2020:

Good term. We should bring that back, along with 'Spiv' for those who are profiting. Do you have, spiv in the US or is it just a UK term ?

To live a long prosperous life.

Fernapple comments on May 27, 2020:

That is sadly very true. Though I have always found that the advice to, live each day as if it was to be your last, was very hard to live up to.

[sciencealert.com] as if the Pandemic isn't bad enough, there's this....

Fernapple comments on May 27, 2020:

Having said that, with their food resources depleted, the populations could collapse quite quickly.

We all want something to look forward to as we watch our own society suffer, but there isn’t a way...

Fernapple comments on May 27, 2020:

I am sorry but the link is not working.

"How can I begin anything new with all of yesterday in me?" ---- Leonard Cohen

Fernapple comments on May 27, 2020:

A plant grows at the top of the old stem.

Grammar Nazi.

Fernapple comments on May 26, 2020:

"You are." Avoids the problem. But does not the devil have perfect grammar anyway, surely he invented it.

You know your garden has gotten too big when ..

Fernapple comments on May 26, 2020:

You have five seats in the garden, and have never sat on any of them.

From this, to this. ...Boy how have we digressed

Fernapple comments on May 26, 2020:

Yes I think that the walls were certainly made by masons using simple tools. To anyone familiar with stone work the shape of the beveled edges are a dead give away to the technique used.

This looks like a good idea! No tools required DIY pallet cucumber trellis. [lovelygreens.com]

Fernapple comments on May 26, 2020:

Clever idea. A friend asked me if he could leave a big pile of old pallets in my back yard for a few days, then of course, he forgot about them. It is a pity I already have the bean and cucumber supports up.

Don't blame the politicians who are trying to keep us safe; blame the covidiots who don't care about...

Fernapple comments on May 25, 2020:

Yes but the politicians are to blame, in part, for the covidiots.

Cf. Lockdown to Retirement. After retirement comes death. Discuss?

Fernapple comments on May 25, 2020:

I retire next year, thank for the heads up, but can I ask. How is that any different from working life?

I have learned to seek my happiness by limiting my desires, rather than in attempting to satisfy ...

Fernapple comments on May 25, 2020:

Epicurus to a tee.

If spaceships from "other" worlds could reach our Earth much less our Galaxy, could they be organic ...

Fernapple comments on May 24, 2020:

Really did they not tell you to take your medication ?

The allegation of "Fascism" is too often used as a pejorative against those who disagree with one's...

Fernapple comments on May 24, 2020:

Name calling in general is not helpful.

Rod Stewart's 1,500 Square-Foot Model Train City Will Blow You Away

Fernapple comments on May 24, 2020:

Yes, it seems he used to work on it in hotel rooms while traveling. Good way to cope with hotels.

Austria Has 90% Drop in Coronavirus Cases After Requiring People to Wear Face Masks | Science Times

Fernapple comments on May 24, 2020:

In the UK the government tried to pedal the line that, masks were no help, to cover the fact that due to their own incompetence, they could not get enough to go round. And now they are stuck having to defend a position which is increasingly at odds with the rest of the world and the advice of the WHO.

Trump Administration to Redirect WHO Funding to Evangelist Franklin Graham’s Samaritan’s Purse, ...

Fernapple comments on May 24, 2020:

No doubt Franklin Graham will be redirecting some of his funding into Trumps purse as well. Especially his private one that he only brings out in carefully chosen company.

These Tiny Nuclear Power Stations Could Be, Well, Huge [popularmechanics.com]

Fernapple comments on May 24, 2020:

I have heard that fusion is now moving forward fast, and may be a reality within a couple of decades. These could soon be out of date before they are hardly built.

I'm looking to buy a new bicycle to get some more exercise and my research has shown me that ...

Fernapple comments on May 24, 2020:

I am thinking that the prices will come down a lot when the lockdown has been over a month or two, the market may then be flooded with a lot of second hand, and overall demand should go down. I am not going out much now anyway, since the lockdown here in the UK is very strong, so meh! I can wait.

Two words have always attracted attention from me in the headlines.

Fernapple comments on May 24, 2020:

Sorry but this post needs more explanation. Or at least a link.

Was Jesus a man who became mythicized or a myth that became historicized or something else?

Fernapple comments on May 24, 2020:

Why not both. Or all three, because you can also throw in, that there may have been several persons involved and some deliberate falsification. Its just a mess, and anyone who thinks that they can unpick the threads after all this time, and the many attempts deliberately made to hide the truth over the years, is just deluding themselves.

The devil in me finds this funny, even if it’s not true.

Fernapple comments on May 24, 2020:

Yes, like William said, it lost a bit, especially when I viewed it on the front page where only the video was visible, and the text did not seem to relate to it. Interesting video though. Though I do wonder if baboon cultures do not vary from troop to troop, and change over time a lot anyway. I remember seeing a documentary about a group of Langur Monkeys, whose culture changed almost overnight, when a single bullying leader was overthrown in a coup, and a similar one about chimps. Which makes me wonder if he is not perhaps overstating the case and the uniqueness of his own, special troop, of which no doubt he is very fond.

Ghana or Senegal can do it, but USA and UK can't... [theguardian.com]

Fernapple comments on May 24, 2020:

Africa of course, both their governments and populations, has previous experience with a wide range of tropical diseases, especially malaria. They also take things seriously, and don't pander to spoiled brat elements within the population.

How many US citizens will be dead or permanently incapacitated from C19 by November?

Fernapple comments on May 24, 2020:

In my opinion, only opinion, looking at the data, my own country the UK is opening up too much and a little too soon, and may have to suffer a second wave. **BUT THE US!** You have not even got to the top of the first wave yet.

Just testing if my photo works

Fernapple comments on May 23, 2020:

No photo sorry. On this site it is best to make the photo fairly small, say 1800pics square, and it only seems to be doing landscape format at this time. You must wait for the upload bar to finish and then a couple of seconds more for the picture to appear before hitting submit.

Wild flowers i dont think we planted = weeds.

Fernapple comments on May 23, 2020:

I love the term outdoor pet, awarded when the animal gets a name. I have a squirrel, now it seems I have to think of a name.

Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors, must arm ...

Fernapple comments on May 23, 2020:

Not sure. Ignorance often invests the most in weapons.

You are all great to me ! Thanks !! Why level 2 ?

Fernapple comments on May 22, 2020:

Hello and welcome. Do enjoy the site and if you have time check out the groups, there is something for everyone.

[agnostic.

Fernapple comments on May 22, 2020:

Link still not working, sorry.

Biased media, confirmation bias, conspiracy theories, the pandemic of misinformation - this stuff ...

Fernapple comments on May 22, 2020:

To not believe can never be quite as tribal as believing, there is danger, but not as much if you are careful. This site is no echo chamber. Don't let it spoil your nights rest therefore.

The hard-to-imagine alternate reality of 'the intellectual right'... [newrepublic.com]

Fernapple comments on May 22, 2020:

Big cookies and pop ups, no thanks.

Does anyone else get annoyed at lack of explanations that are hidden in the following phrases.

Fernapple comments on May 22, 2020:

Murder is meat. If you don't shut up, you could end up as meat, sooner. Marriage is a subjective state, and therefore like anything subjective, exploitable by churches for profit. If you are only a kid, everyone is free to use you. Money is the measure of life. Length = inches, weight = pounds, capacity = pints, the hours I work = dollars. Therefore why are some able to use my life, because they got money for doing nothing. God does not exist, so it can be anything you want to claim it is. Good, evil and happiness are absolutes, and like all absolutes they belong in the same box with things that don't exist. There you are, do you feel better now.

Both agnostic and atheist?

Fernapple comments on May 22, 2020:

I posted this bit about muffins before, but this seems like a good time to bring it out again. And muffins are fun. Suppose for a minute, and for the sake of argument only, that there is a god, and an afterlife, including heaven and a hell; and that the god chooses whether people go to heaven, or if some go to hell, in fact the whole theist deal. Not only that, but the criterion on which the god makes the choice is based on the type of muffins they eat. ( Note: “eat” not prefer, this is not about free will or anything like that.) People who eat lemon muffins go to heaven and people who eat chocolate muffins go to hell, with limbo for those who don't eat muffins at all, naturally. Would that make a difference to your life ? Would you give up your chocolate muffins for an eternity of joy, and all the lemon buns after death you could ever eat ? Perhaps you would. But there is one vital thing that I forgot to mention about this god, which is that; this particular god, does not tell you about the muffins, or how they affect your afterlife, in fact it keeps the whole thing a big secret just to itself, so that you have no way of knowing which muffins you have to eat. Then in that case, of course, you could not make the appropriate changes to your life, or save your soul anyway. In fact muffins, the gods preferences and even that god, would not impact on your life at all. The point is this. That a gods, souls, the afterlife etc. have no effect on anything, unless that god, or someone who knows, tells you about it, and you therefore have some knowledge of god's cake prejudices. Making this the big difference between religion, which pretends to offer knowledge of god the afterlife etc., and none belief which does not. Which is why the difference between atheists, humanists, agnostics and even deists, is so small and unimportant by comparison, because none claim any knowledge of gods preferences, and it is the pretense of fake knowledge, and of god given authority, which makes the big difference. Compared with that the differences between atheist and agnostic, even deist, are trivial to the point of vanishing.

I'm beginning to hear that people I know have contracted the bug.

Fernapple comments on May 21, 2020:

It is bound to take longer to reach rural areas, which are less connected, unlike big cities with multiple rail air and bus links. But when it does get there it will be just as bad, perhaps in the second wave, if people are casual in their behavior. Its later arrival in rural areas should not be mistaken for thinking it is only a big city problem, but it will be.