Fernapple's Profile

Serendipity.

Cast1es comments on Jun 27, 2019:

There's a , " face , " on the rock .

Fernapple replies on Jun 27, 2019:

And a hand and and shoulder maybe ?

Serendipity.

Lincoln55 comments on Jun 27, 2019:

I like it. now that I found the crab, I like it even better.

Fernapple replies on Jun 27, 2019:

The crab is cute but not what I was reffering to. Clue look at the rocks coming out of the sea and start by looking for eyes.

Is the universe infinite?

Fernapple comments on Jun 26, 2019:

The correct answer and the one which truly separates the rational from the theist is. 'Don't know.' Almost all cosmologists accept these ideas only at the level of hypothesis not theory, and all of them are considered to be highly speculative. There is no written promise which says that the human ...

Fernapple replies on Jun 26, 2019:

@greyeyed123 Because space is expanding all over. Therefore the farthest things are moving away faster even without moving.

Is the universe infinite?

Amisja comments on Jun 26, 2019:

This makes my little brain pop

Fernapple replies on Jun 26, 2019:

Don't worry, I just posted this below and it may be interesting to youa as well, if only in humour. There is no writen promise which says that the human brain has to be able to understand everything. The human brain evolved as a survival tool on the plains of Africa, that we can understand more than we need just to survive is mere accident, and another thing we do not know is the limits of what we can understand.

Is the universe infinite?

WilliamFleming comments on Jun 25, 2019:

According to quantum gravity theory space is not the smooth infinite expanse that we think. Space consists of a finite number of granules of planck length size. Whenever we formulate questions involving distance or location we are basing our questions on our limited way of perceiving reality, the ...

Fernapple replies on Jun 26, 2019:

It bis not just the senses, there is no writen promise which says that the human brain has to be able to understand everything. The human brain evolved as a survival tool on the plains of Africa, that we can understand more than we need just to survive is mere accident, and another thing we do not know is the limits of what we can understand.

Keep your face to the sun and you will never see the shadows.....Helen Keller.

Fernapple comments on Jun 25, 2019:

No don't agree with that one, that way lies folly, the danger, interest, humanity, and wisdom is often hidden in the shadows. To work with the metaphor. Keep your face to the sun, and you will trip over the kerb.

Fernapple replies on Jun 25, 2019:

@Marionville Of course, but my comments are metaphors too. And you have to admit that both metaphorically and in reality she did pull a lot of good stuff out of the shadows.

Keep your face to the sun and you will never see the shadows.....Helen Keller.

Fernapple comments on Jun 25, 2019:

No don't agree with that one, that way lies folly, the danger, interest, humanity, and wisdom is often hidden in the shadows. To work with the metaphor. Keep your face to the sun, and you will trip over the kerb.

Fernapple replies on Jun 25, 2019:

@Marionville Oh of course the name rings a bell now. Still its a good way to damage your eyes as well.

Yeah, I think so. Someone who values me.

dare2dream comments on Jun 24, 2019:

I believe our lives take on additional meaning when shared. Every thing matters more.

Fernapple replies on Jun 25, 2019:

The older you get the more you see that sharing is the only really worth while thing.

I'm definitely a skeptic of the Bible, but there is an interesting phenomenon regarding the first 5 ...

BestWithoutGods comments on Jun 24, 2019:

I read about the Bible Code, and applied it to various non-religious texts, including a legal disclaimer having nothing to do with religion, and Edgar Allen Poe's poem about the Raven. I found that it works just as much outside the Bible as it does within the Bible. It's a scam.

Fernapple replies on Jun 25, 2019:

Yes I have seen demonstrations of the 'bible code ' methods aplied to others books, and it does seem that you can use the method on any text you like and get results.

I have started a new group called "Taboos" = [agnostic.

PBuck0145 comments on Jun 24, 2019:

Discussing how human overpopulation is the root cause of global warming (climate change).

Fernapple replies on Jun 25, 2019:

It is true that if the human population world wide was only, say, ten thousand, the estimated world population when we first left Africa. Then it would not mater if we all had four cars the effect would be virtually nil, population is a contributing factor in every environmental issue.

Ok today's minor feature.

IamNobody comments on Jun 24, 2019:

Yeah, IamPrettyMild most of the time... I don't think I made the cut in any category !!! 😂😂

Fernapple replies on Jun 25, 2019:

You came third on my list, so you certainly get the bronze medal for stalking. LOL

Elite Runners' Gut Microbe Makes Mice More Athletic — Could It Help The Rest Of Us? [npr.org]

LB67 comments on Jun 24, 2019:

Interesting. I have no need to start running in marathons, but gut bacteria appears to be an important part of general health and weight. I find these studies intriguing.

Fernapple replies on Jun 25, 2019:

@MojoDave We may have evolved a gut based neurons before those in the head, since the gut predates the sense organs like eyes and therefore the need for a brain.

Just a quick one about huge things, I enjoyed the presentation. [youtube.com]

Robecology comments on Jun 22, 2019:

And can we "shut up about Mars"? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrGFEW2Hb2g

Fernapple replies on Jun 23, 2019:

If you have time my comment on Dhiltongs post may amuse you. https://agnostic.com/group/ScienceHealthHistoryBits/post/362998/new-mars-curiosity-rover-pictures-https-www-youtube-com-watch-v-yl-5yqqgjc0?aid=1832416

I’ve been claiming to be Agnostic for over a year and a half now, but I’m leaning more towards ...

Fernapple comments on Jun 22, 2019:

A lot of people have taken that route before you, you are far from alone. I always regard myself as an agnostic atheist, since I can not prove that something supernatural does not exist, therefore atheism is a belief. But it is not hard to prove that the god of the bible or any other religious ...

Fernapple replies on Jun 22, 2019:

@EvoApe On the whole yes, but the final detail of, hard atheism, as it is called, is unprovable. Not really a hard atheist anyway.

We have just reached the top of the analemma.

Fernapple comments on Jun 21, 2019:

Speed at which day length changes.

Fernapple replies on Jun 22, 2019:

@GuyKeith Thanks thats lovely, will make a copy. Is it latitude specific ?

Latest on Tory leadership contest .

Fernapple comments on Jun 20, 2019:

Come on, I come to this site to escape the news about these sad b-------s. Having said which maybe all the anti Boris will get behind Gove.

Fernapple replies on Jun 20, 2019:

@Marionville No prob, don't take me too seriously, I don't.

An old story which you probably know quite a bit of, but this is a refreshing new look, with some ...

Haemish1 comments on Jun 20, 2019:

I love these old stories:)

Fernapple replies on Jun 20, 2019:

Yep, me too.

I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers which can't be questioned.

IamNobody comments on Jun 19, 2019:

One of a kind, Mr Feynman. This quote encapsulates his very own way of thinking.

Fernapple replies on Jun 20, 2019:

Not just his, but in theory at least, the basic philosophy of science.

Everything in the garden seems to be coming up pink.

dede18 comments on Jun 18, 2019:

how heavenly they must smell together! I've had that specific peonie in the past, I think its name is Festiva Maxima? just gorgeous with the dramatic dash of red in its heart

Fernapple replies on Jun 19, 2019:

I think this one is 'Bowl Of Beauty'.

Everything in the garden seems to be coming up pink.

itsmedammit comments on Jun 18, 2019:

Love pink. Not familiar with Phuopsis. Has it another name?

Fernapple replies on Jun 19, 2019:

Sometimes known as Caucasian Crosswort, or Creeping Crosswort. Very fast ground cover, some people say it smells of skunk, others that it smells nice, I can not smell anything.

Everything in the garden seems to be coming up pink.

Alvinsmama comments on Jun 18, 2019:

Peonies are my favorite. I miss them. They don't grow well on the coast of North Carolina because of our hot, humid temps and our short winters. I think they are one of the most beautiful flowers.

Fernapple replies on Jun 18, 2019:

They are not easy even here. Worth trying to find that one special spot, with its own microclimate if you can.

“If we believe absurdities, we shall commit atrocities“ — Voltaire (1694-1778) ...

brentan comments on Jun 18, 2019:

I think there is so much good in many religious concepts. They go beyond logic and rationality because they are aspirational. I don't believe the glue that will bring different cultures together will be education. Education quite often does the very opposite. So far, secular humanism only holds ...

Fernapple replies on Jun 18, 2019:

To be fair to Voltaire, Nietzsche and Dostorvsky, came nearly a century later.

What is happening in America to stop Female Genital Mutilation these days?

bobwjr comments on Jun 15, 2019:

Religion of anti christ primitive horrendous acts if it was penectomy would be banned immediately

Fernapple replies on Jun 15, 2019:

@bobwjr If it succeeds that is doubly horrendous, but even if it does not, the intention to turn a human into a passive beast of burden, by mutilating them, as you would when castrating a donkey is bad enough. Then to do it without any form of pain control or antiseptic, as it often is, goes quite beyond all reason; and that is without its intended consequences.

“The All Scripture Baptist Church includes its belief in the death penalty for homosexuality in ...

MayQueen comments on Jun 13, 2019:

Many religious people invent their own doctrines under the guise of "interpreting the scripture" or "talking with God." They can create whatever they want to fit their agenda.

Fernapple replies on Jun 14, 2019:

Yet they still claim that their views have extra authority, because they come from a higher source, unlike secular views which are just someones oppinion. Case of having it both ways ? And of course it really helps if your book was writen by many people at different times, contains lots of contraditions which need a lot of interpreting, and plenty of vague bits for good measure.

“The All Scripture Baptist Church includes its belief in the death penalty for homosexuality in ...

Fernapple comments on Jun 13, 2019:

The King James is also thought by many, historians especially, to be one of the most dishonest versions of the bible. The editors made large additions and alterations to the texts they were working from, including extra laws and commandments, many extra verses and an extra version of the ...

Fernapple replies on Jun 13, 2019:

@Geoffrey51 Yes that is true, and then of course the Book of Mormon was writen in the same King James English more than two centuries later, which must mean that the all knowing god can't do modern languages.

“The All Scripture Baptist Church includes its belief in the death penalty for homosexuality in ...

bobwjr comments on Jun 13, 2019:

Bullshit Bullshit Baptist church is a fairly recent invention had some friends in high school who claimed that Jesus only drank grape juice not wine . Evangelical Christians are so delusional that they accept Orange Cheeto as a good President. The bible says nothing about homosexuality death penalty...

Fernapple replies on Jun 13, 2019:

@bobwjr Yes, though L.P. also introduced sealed containers for sterilized foods and drinks, the whole system of preserving in fact. He is well worth study, one of the really great creators of the modern world. At least look him up on google or wiki, if you have the time, I think you will find it fun and rewarding.

“The All Scripture Baptist Church includes its belief in the death penalty for homosexuality in ...

bobwjr comments on Jun 13, 2019:

Bullshit Bullshit Baptist church is a fairly recent invention had some friends in high school who claimed that Jesus only drank grape juice not wine . Evangelical Christians are so delusional that they accept Orange Cheeto as a good President. The bible says nothing about homosexuality death penalty...

Fernapple replies on Jun 13, 2019:

Do I wonder do they ever ask themselves how people kept grape juice, two thousand years before Louis Pasteur.

That’s one thing that got me thinking. They can’t all be right so how do we know who is?

Arouet comments on Jun 11, 2019:

While his conclusion may well be true, it does not follow logically from his premise. It is the same sort of fallacy common among Intelligent Design enthusiasts: "There are only two possibilities, X and Y. If X is not true, then Y must be true." Throwing in the word "reasonable" does not make it...

Fernapple replies on Jun 12, 2019:

@Arouet Quite.

Better by far you should forget and smile than that you should remember and be sad.

bobwjr comments on Jun 11, 2019:

Sadness is reminder of past joy and pain must be remember both to be human

Fernapple replies on Jun 11, 2019:

@Marionville Yes I am sure you are correct, and it is very true. But I was refering more to bobwjr's remark, which is also in a different way very true.

I have noticed that the emails being sent to members often suggesting members people might be ...

Petter comments on Jun 11, 2019:

What e-mails? I've never received one!

Fernapple replies on Jun 11, 2019:

I signed up for the community, and the dating side of the site seems to be invisible if you do that. I keep seeing references like this to it sometimes, but it seems like a ghostly other world that exists in another universe.

“You are not controlling the storm, and you are not lost in it. You are the storm.” Sam Harris

Fernapple comments on Jun 3, 2019:

We are a storm which is doing horrible damage across the face of the planet.

Fernapple replies on Jun 11, 2019:

@mrdunn Yes sorry to start of badly when I said, "of course" it implied more convition than I really have, and it was a flip answer meaning that I usually regard myself as deteriminist in the macro way of most none believers, not that I held to determinsim being proved in every way. And I did not think that it would lead to a conversation, which has been very interesting though. The only real issue being that since the quantum world is usually regarded as a model by most scientists, and subject to possible change as are all scientific theories, that even Einstien got his fingers scorched over it, and that philosophy and neurological determinism may be quite different and come from different fields. It is, I think you will argree, questionable whether you can make really make a jump from one to the others.

Agnostics??

Freespirit64 comments on Jun 11, 2019:

I'm 98% percent in favor of no "omniscent presences". I just can't get over the hump that there's some legitimate reason humans started that nonsense. Was it aliens? Are there entities here we don't understand? The great mystery I don't lose any sleep over!

Fernapple replies on Jun 11, 2019:

There could be lots of reasons, but there is no reason to go for aliens etc.. Sometimes at night when I am sleeping have a dream in which my dead parents play ar part, its just they way the brain works and if you lived before neurology it was reason enough.

Better by far you should forget and smile than that you should remember and be sad.

bobwjr comments on Jun 11, 2019:

Sadness is reminder of past joy and pain must be remember both to be human

Fernapple replies on Jun 11, 2019:

@bobwjr Or improve yourself if you don't remember your errors.

That’s one thing that got me thinking. They can’t all be right so how do we know who is?

Arouet comments on Jun 11, 2019:

While his conclusion may well be true, it does not follow logically from his premise. It is the same sort of fallacy common among Intelligent Design enthusiasts: "There are only two possibilities, X and Y. If X is not true, then Y must be true." Throwing in the word "reasonable" does not make it...

Fernapple replies on Jun 11, 2019:

No there are not only two conclusions. The analogue is like that of a horse race, horse X may win, one possible outcome, horse Y may win, second possible outcome, both horses may fall and break their legs or fail to arive at the track, no horse wins, third possible outcome.

"Confronting the question most commonly asked of the growing number of Americans who support ...

Fernapple comments on Jun 10, 2019:

As a none American I can not really comment on these issues about which I have only a limited fringe knowledge. But from the outsiders view. Is it not also true, that if you make a huge profit making industry out of medicine, with only a finite number of customers. Will they not then try to sell you...

Fernapple replies on Jun 10, 2019:

@Robecology It is very sad, we have had a few problems over here with pharma companies giving doctors who opt for their expensive named drugs, instead of generic ones, freebees and things for their surguries, and a few other cases of bribery etc. but nothing like you have.

“You are not controlling the storm, and you are not lost in it. You are the storm.” Sam Harris

Fernapple comments on Jun 3, 2019:

We are a storm which is doing horrible damage across the face of the planet.

Fernapple replies on Jun 10, 2019:

@mrdunn On the contrary, there is no connection between a universe which may be deterministic, and the understanding of determinism, which may never exist. But yes I do appologize when I said deterministic I did not state that I hold that as a belief based possition not as one based on evidence based knowledge, which as you will have guessed I hold belief to be a very weak form of truth.

"Think of it as evolution in action..." [facebook.com]

Athena comments on Jun 9, 2019:

How is this evolution in action?

Fernapple replies on Jun 10, 2019:

@Athena I do not know if any bystander actually died, and if they did then the posting was in very bad taste. I was only trying to point the way to, Lizard of Ahaz's reference if you were not familiar with it.

“You are not controlling the storm, and you are not lost in it. You are the storm.” Sam Harris

Fernapple comments on Jun 3, 2019:

We are a storm which is doing horrible damage across the face of the planet.

Fernapple replies on Jun 10, 2019:

@mrdunn I do not see that the statement is in any way a contradition of the hierarchy of understanding, quite the reverse it comes directly from it, and that everyones cave is dimly lit is the whole point of it. ( Even Einstein is said to have gone wrong with the playing dice metaphor.) Especially since there is only a tenuous link between the scientific quantam theory and the popular and philosophical questions of freee will etc.. I did not say that religion contains no truth whatsoever, the statement was "that religion could ever be a way to truth" in the context of the cave metaphor. Of course religion contains some truth, it is hard to prevent truth entering any belief system, if you toss a coin and say heads every time, you will probably be right half of the time, but that does not make tossing a coin is a good way to truth. Please try not to straw man me, that is usually the last resort of the religious appologist when they think they have lost and loose their dignity. As to my interpretation of Plato it was, I admit, speculative, but I am reasonably confident about it , though well prepared to accept correction from historians of philosophy. Though it has to be said it came from a light hearted paying with the metaphor, and it was fifty years ago that I read Plato, so memory fades. (Which is another of the many ways that it is possible to go astray in the search for truth, adding to the dim confusion of the cave. ) I am certain of very little, but two things. One being the uncertainty of nearly everything and the need to hold everything as questionable. And the other being that, the only philosophy which started by accepting uncertainty and the and the need to hold everything as questionable as it first and guiding priciple, science, has because of that, become paramount far above all other philosophies, and yeilded far more worth because of it.

"Think of it as evolution in action..." [facebook.com]

Athena comments on Jun 9, 2019:

How is this evolution in action?

Fernapple replies on Jun 9, 2019:

Its a joke, google Darwin Awards.

As an atheist and raising my sons as such I found the philosophy Stoicism a fantastic alternative to...

KevinMR comments on Jun 9, 2019:

Why can't we just live without subscribing to a philosophy or looking for meaning? We're making life more complicated than it is because our brains are more imaginative than every other creature on Earth, who never contemplate this stuff and get by just fine.

Fernapple replies on Jun 9, 2019:

You may still find that the Stocis still have a lot to offer since they are not really about finding a meaning in life, more indeed the exact opposite, being about practical solutions to living a life without meaning.

I've posted this before but every time I do I get berated for doing so.

Fernapple comments on Jun 4, 2019:

No words have meanings, only usages. They are just tags which we attach to ideas which we can move and change, and do move and change, at will. If we are lucky those tags attach to approximately, ( never exactly ) the same ideas in the minds of others and that helps us to communicate. However ...

Fernapple replies on Jun 9, 2019:

@EdwinMcCravy I can't for the very simple reason that theists do not intend that anyone can. It is the oldest way to sell a con-trick in the book. Never say or make plain what you intend or mean, let the victim work at it and come to their own wrong conclusions, they will then be all the more convinced because they think that they have worked it out for themselves, and if critisism or doubts are offered by anyone, then the conman can simply step back and say. "That is not what I meant." That idea applies whatever name you give to god, and is the whole point of how a good con works. If I wish to be specific then I often choose words such as 'god of the bible' though even that could mean a lot of different things, since it is almost certainly a different god in each book of the bible. But more often I choose an even more vague word such as supernatural, since if you want to combat vague then you must be plain that it is the vague you mean.

“You are not controlling the storm, and you are not lost in it. You are the storm.” Sam Harris

Fernapple comments on Jun 3, 2019:

We are a storm which is doing horrible damage across the face of the planet.

Fernapple replies on Jun 9, 2019:

@mrdunn Sorry but I do not call quantum theory questionable only that use of it. Except of course in so far as all science is regarded by all scientists as questionable, since the phiosophy of science is basically that nothing is ever proven. I can not however ever agree that religion could ever be a way to truth, or out of the cave, since I am sure that it is itself a cave of the very worst sort. Though to use the metaphor as I have little doubt Plato intended it, then religion is almost certainly one, perhaps all, of the shadows on the wall. It would then have been dangerous no doubt to openly address a criticism of religion, especially in the aftermath of what happened to Socrates. So that therefore addressing it indirectly in a cryptic metaphor was the only safe way, and perhaps the reason for inventing the metaphor in the first place, though of course he then ran with it and made it say much more.

What Are Your Thoughts About Spiritualism ?

Paracosm comments on Mar 27, 2019:

As long as they aren't trying to force their beliefs on others, legislate it to deny others rights, or use it to justify harm it doesn't bother me.

Fernapple replies on Jun 8, 2019:

@Geoffrey51 Well taxes certainly make me feel weak and vunerable. LOL. But seriously there is a real problem in many ways. There is in my village a regular meeting held each week by a so called spiritualist, and I know that some of the people who go, and that the spiritualist is preying especially on the bereaved, weak and unhappy, almost certainly picking at the scabs and keeping the wounds open to maximize the profits for as long as possible. Yet it is hard oppose the parish council who voted rent the room for these meetings, because it pays much needed funds into the village, (and no doubt the spiritualist pays taxes). Yet much of these funds come from the poorest people, who are themselves supported by the tax payers and who are at their most vunerable and least able to budget.

“You are not controlling the storm, and you are not lost in it. You are the storm.” Sam Harris

Fernapple comments on Jun 3, 2019:

We are a storm which is doing horrible damage across the face of the planet.

Fernapple replies on Jun 7, 2019:

@mrdunn That's it. Or to use the modern anology, "We would never know if we were a brain in a vat." Our brains have to model truth for us in our heads using the information that our senses provide, and so therefore we are in the cave of our own skulls to a degree anyway, there being no escape from that cave for anyone, even Plato. But there is also the point that, even if there was a second outer cave like Plato's within which we sit, we have no way of knowing of outer reality, or there may even be a whole series of nested caves one within the other, which we have no way of knowing the boundaries of or escaping. ( Except perhaps Plato's alone which we escape when we abandon our belief in human culture as a source of truth.) Therefore the point is that in the end the search for an outer reality is (with the one exception of Plato's cave) pointless and profitless, so that our model of the caves core being our nearest approximation to reality we have, we can only regard them as the equivalent of reality. The search for that outer truth being without profit or point, since we can not even see the caves walls, then it follows we can only then look for evidence based truth about the laws which explain the universe as we see it, be that within or without a cave. And the best evidence based model of how our brains work that has been found so far, to my mind at least, is the view that our brains evolved by mutation and natural sellection inorder to aid survival /reproduction, on a medium sized planet. In which case we can reasonable assume that they are adapted to provide, a model within our skulls, which is a fairly good approximation, to the reality of life on the surface of a medium sized planet. It will of course be an unknown degree short of perfect, and we can also therefore conclude that any talent we have for understanding the greater universe, cosmology or the quantum world is purely an accidental side effect, and must therefore be treated with caution. It is good or wise therefore, to my mind, to regard even sense based perception with care, and then to set a hierarchy to our understanding, with scientifically tested evidence first, the evidence of senses second, what can be logically reasoned from those two third, (Though since the first two are doubtful and logic imperfect it is wise to regard that as unlikely to be good truth. ) cultural information which is the third at second hand with deliberate lying sometimes added may be held very unlikely to contain any truth except by accident. Which is why I tend to regard speculation about things such as determinism, based on things such a quantum physics, about which we have only limited and qualified scientific knowledge, as questionable. Great fun if you are only doing it for fun, but not ...

"An elder is wise, not because they are always right, because they have more experiences of being ...

IamNobody comments on Jun 6, 2019:

An elder is elder...... the end

Fernapple replies on Jun 7, 2019:

And the end is come faster every day.

“You are not controlling the storm, and you are not lost in it. You are the storm.” Sam Harris

Fernapple comments on Jun 3, 2019:

We are a storm which is doing horrible damage across the face of the planet.

Fernapple replies on Jun 7, 2019:

@mrdunn Quite, but how would you know that anything you perceived was anything but an illusion, unless your brain was an evolved structure which evolved by a mechanism such as natural selection, which placed a premium on a brain which could create a good model of that reality, because those with a poor model do not survive and reproduce as well.

“You are not controlling the storm, and you are not lost in it. You are the storm.” Sam Harris

Fernapple comments on Jun 3, 2019:

We are a storm which is doing horrible damage across the face of the planet.

Fernapple replies on Jun 6, 2019:

@mrdunn Of course an illusion can be the equivalence of reality, if you are part of the illusion then without any alternative viewpoint then the illusion has to stand in for reality because there is nothing else.

I've posted this before but every time I do I get berated for doing so.

Fernapple comments on Jun 4, 2019:

No words have meanings, only usages. They are just tags which we attach to ideas which we can move and change, and do move and change, at will. If we are lucky those tags attach to approximately, ( never exactly ) the same ideas in the minds of others and that helps us to communicate. However ...

Fernapple replies on Jun 6, 2019:

@EdwinMcCravy The point is that you have to ask them that, since the point of the usage rule is that every user has a different usage, and that therefore every believer has a different god. In the post with genessa below, you state that you know exactly what a unicorn is when someone uses the word, actually no you don't. When someone uses the word unicorn the picture that you will have in your mind will be quite different from the one they have in theirs, and the one in mine. As will the picture of a thing which really does exist, such as elephant. That is the nature of all words not just god, that they are only vague and the details are different with usage. And the whole point of god is that it is perhaps impossible to define, even more than most words, ( except perhaps that other joke word "spiritual" ). Since that enables the believer to evade all need to prove the existence of god by simply redefining it when challeged, and to attract the widest support, (holy books are usually valued exactly because they are vague and can mean anything,) if you fail to see that then you fall into their trap. Atheism is perhaps more the opposition to poor definition than anything else.

Politics has slain its thousands,but religion has slain its tens of thousands.

Fernapple comments on Jun 5, 2019:

And not just slain in the violent sense, but how many millions died because religion encouraged poor hygiene, bad medical practices, dangerous rituals and and slowed technical progress ?

Fernapple replies on Jun 6, 2019:

@actofdog Yes even R. Dawkins said that he found the catholic church more sensible than a lot of the more fringe potestant churches, but sadly I get the feeling that the mad fundamentalists are begining to pull even the church of Rome in their direction.

“You are not controlling the storm, and you are not lost in it. You are the storm.” Sam Harris

Fernapple comments on Jun 3, 2019:

We are a storm which is doing horrible damage across the face of the planet.

Fernapple replies on Jun 6, 2019:

@mrdunn It is of no importance in that sense if there is an illusion of reality or not, because if everything is an illusion then the illusion stands in the place of reality and may therefore be treated as the equivalent of reality. And the illusion therefore still obeys laws, such as those of evolution, which can be understood or not. Certainly there could be two degrees of illusion in that sense, both the illusion that is the universe and the inner model of the outer illusion which may exist in the smaller illusion which we call our brains, (which certainly is an illusion even if there is an outer reality ) but that does not alter anything since the perceptions that we have, are all that we have, and nothing about them changes if we regards them as illusions or reality since there is no alternative with which to compare them.

Pastor Busted for Asking Underage Girl to Join Other Underage Girl for Threesome | Hemant Mehta | ...

Piratefish comments on Jun 4, 2019:

Where the @#$%& do these degenerates get the balls to actually do some of these sick and highly illegal things? I mean, you would either have to have stones the size of tennis balls, or be incredibly stupid. I hope he gets all 5 years, and then has to register for life (not to mention, ...

Fernapple replies on Jun 5, 2019:

If you think you are the voice of god, then you are both very dumb and oversized in the self confidence (balls) area.

“You are not controlling the storm, and you are not lost in it. You are the storm.” Sam Harris

Fernapple comments on Jun 3, 2019:

We are a storm which is doing horrible damage across the face of the planet.

Fernapple replies on Jun 5, 2019:

@mrdunn Yes of course all possibles are unsupported by evidence, that is accepting what listing possibles are all you can do is for. I did not claim that they could be said in any way to be true, only "possibles" and I leave it open ended, because I am sure there are many more possibles, some of which will no doubt occure to you. At the point where there is an end to evidence the most sensible thing to do is to list the possibles as well as you can, and then accept your need for more evidence, or else you are in danger of postulating magical answers. It is not an appeal to ignorance, but an acceptance of ignorance, which is quite a different thing. Appeal to ignorance is a fallacy in informal logic, which asserts that a proposition is true because it has not yet been proven untrue. At no time did I assert that any of the ideas were true which is why I use the word possibles. It is another related "possible" that since humans are creatures whose brains evolved for survival on the plains of Africa, not for understanding the working of the universe, that therefore although the universe may follow its own perfect laws, our brains are quite incapable of understanding them. For example, perhaps one day, we may invent a robort/computer, which can gather all the evidence needed and solve the riddles, but there is no certainty that it would be able to explain its results to us however hard it tried. Nor is there any certainty that they are solvable by any brain.

The word “happy” would lose it’s meaning if it were not balanced by sadness.......Carl Jung.

AnonySchmoose comments on Jun 5, 2019:

At about twenty, I knew that some people lived in a perpetually indifferent state, and preferred to 'live' that way. It was difficult to comprehend why they would shut off an array of emotions. They were choosing to live a drab life.

Fernapple replies on Jun 5, 2019:

To quote a Christian for once."But if in your fear you would seek only love's peace and love's pleasure, Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love's threshing-floor, Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears." K. Gibran

“You are not controlling the storm, and you are not lost in it. You are the storm.” Sam Harris

Fernapple comments on Jun 3, 2019:

We are a storm which is doing horrible damage across the face of the planet.

Fernapple replies on Jun 5, 2019:

@mrdunn No I think that it is a paradox. The religious believe that they can get round the paradox of course by just dropping in god, as they always do. But of course it is equally possible to ask the same question of a creator. "Is there a beginning to this chain of causality (god), an original uncaused cause (god), or is it an infinite regression (of god)?" As it is of the physical universe, the question who created god is just as valid. Therefore that does not resolve the paradox but only moves it back a stage, and the statement that god is eternal and outside of time, so that therefore it trumps the paradox out of existence, is merely an assertion not supported by any evidence and so just an appeal to magic/miracles. For interests sake you may also like to think about two other possibles. One: the universe goes round in a loop. (the big bang being a stage in the loop). Two: the universe is static and cause and effect plus time are only local illusions, which form part of a static whole; like one of those old paintings where the sails of the windmill went round by clockwork.

Why do you use agnostic.com?

Fernapple comments on Jun 4, 2019:

Yes sometimes the stories are almost too hard to read, they certainly make my small troubles seem easy to endure. Grounded yes.

Fernapple replies on Jun 5, 2019:

@Bigwavedave Some maybe sick or house bound or insomniacs, for such people it may be a great blessing that they have a site like this, where they can get social interaction at all hours. I am self employed without regular times, so often there is a odd half hour to relax at strange times of the day and therefore the fact that this site is always there is good for me too.

“You are not controlling the storm, and you are not lost in it. You are the storm.” Sam Harris

Fernapple comments on Jun 3, 2019:

We are a storm which is doing horrible damage across the face of the planet.

Fernapple replies on Jun 4, 2019:

@mrdunn Unknown.

Why do you use agnostic.com?

Jolanta comments on Jun 3, 2019:

Don’t worry about hitting level 8 or higher, nothing different happens there.

Fernapple replies on Jun 4, 2019:

Nine is when they send you the invoice isn't it ?. LOL

“You are not controlling the storm, and you are not lost in it. You are the storm.” Sam Harris

Fernapple comments on Jun 3, 2019:

We are a storm which is doing horrible damage across the face of the planet.

Fernapple replies on Jun 4, 2019:

@mrdunn All the way back.

“You are not controlling the storm, and you are not lost in it. You are the storm.” Sam Harris

Fernapple comments on Jun 3, 2019:

We are a storm which is doing horrible damage across the face of the planet.

Fernapple replies on Jun 3, 2019:

@mrdunn Yep.

“You are not controlling the storm, and you are not lost in it. You are the storm.” Sam Harris

BestWithoutGods comments on Jun 3, 2019:

So, if I am the storm and I am not controlling it, do I have no self-control? 😮

Fernapple replies on Jun 3, 2019:

No, I think that self control is an illusion just as much a god. We are completely deterministic.

There are two ways of exerting one’s strength: one is pushing down, the other is pulling ...

Fernapple comments on Jun 3, 2019:

Or you can just stand. Which is sometimes enough.

Fernapple replies on Jun 3, 2019:

@Marionville Yes that is how I understood it. But sometimes just setting an example of enduring is the best and most useful thing you can do.

Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood.

Theresa_N comments on May 29, 2019:

She should have been more afraid, of radiation. It killed her.

Fernapple replies on May 29, 2019:

@Marionville I think that to a large extent she was just unaware of the risks. She did after all help to promote the "health" benefits of radiation. The fears she faced politically were perhaps more real to her, after all she only gained an education in the first place because the resistance movement in occupied Poland ran an underground university.

Have you ever been annoyed by just the sight or voice of a person?

CommonHuman comments on May 26, 2019:

Grown women who speak in little girl voice, or intentionally hiss their ss's trying to be cute/sexy. Any adult whose voice is 1/2 whine. It is nails on chalkboard.

Fernapple replies on May 27, 2019:

And when they tilt their heads to give a cutesy look out of the side of their eyes. Best given up when you turn ten.

Have you ever been annoyed by just the sight or voice of a person?

FrostyJim comments on May 26, 2019:

YES ...the great orange orangutan himself donny trump !!!

Fernapple replies on May 27, 2019:

Don't malign orangutans, they are lovely animals with feelings.

Does this group do anything consrtuctive that benefits society?

Amisja comments on May 27, 2019:

I exist ;)

Fernapple replies on May 27, 2019:

And the benefitts of that are beyond measure.

Pics of polar bears playing in flowers...bittersweet beauty...

Babyoda comments on May 25, 2019:

I know what you mean by bittersweet. With the climate changes I feel like the last polar bear could evolve to have a magenta/fushia camouflage.Beautiful pictures of a very clean and healthy polar bear.

Fernapple replies on May 26, 2019:

@Gmak Politicians don't taste good, polar bears are picky.

Selfishness as a virtue?

Fernapple comments on May 25, 2019:

I do not agree, but it is true that misplaced or ill thought out altruism perhaps does more harm in the world overall than bad intent.

Fernapple replies on May 26, 2019:

@OwlInASack Yet most people are well meaning, really evil intent is rare. At the extreme for the sake of argument; you save someone from drowning, you save a life, but you also contribute to the population crisis. At the extreme it may often be that there are no good choices. Therefore how likely is it that we make the best ones any of the time. It was once said that all the worlds problems would be solved overnight, if everyone was content with a bowl of gruel for each meal, gave up their houses and spent the rest of their, none working, time in a well insulated box like a coffin. With modern technology we would have to work perhaps an hour or two a week for that lifestyle and would use very little land or resouces. Our negative impact on the world and each other would then be small, ninety nine percent of everything we do and nearly all of the harm the human population causes, is caused by our need for entertainment, including all that we call "meaning and community". When we help others to fullfill their potential in any way, we contribute to the problems of the planet.

Many religious institutions have in the past tried to limit secular entertainment, usually under the...

thinktwice comments on May 25, 2019:

Secular entertainment contains too much sex and violence and also might show different views or bad behavior...it is not just the religious that are concerned about this....we all should be...many of the movies and entertainment dumb people down with ridiculous plots, poor behavior, violence toward ...

Fernapple replies on May 26, 2019:

Yes that is true, I was thinking more historically about the deep tradition, but it could well be said that it is no bad thing to have organized opposition to mainstream culture, and that that is one of the few benefits of religion.

Everything is lush and full of flower now, especially in the wood.

JackPedigo comments on May 25, 2019:

It looks so manicured and neat. Not like our woods. Ours is mostly 2nd and 3rd growth and is overcrowded and full of dead branches.

Fernapple replies on May 26, 2019:

Its just a small wood at the bottom of my garden, I keep it tidy.

"I think the call to prayer, despite what I think about the doctrine of Islam, is one of the most ...

Marionville comments on May 23, 2019:

No....but I suppose the things that already have been built...such as the beautiful churches, cathedrals and mosques, some of them the most magnificent structures ever designed and built by man, dedicated to the glory god, but nevertheless made by man. The wonderful music too, some of the best ...

Fernapple replies on May 25, 2019:

That is sad. For me the middle east meant traveling and botany, so the call to prayer is associated in my mind with waking up somewhere warm and sunny with the prospect of interesting plants and mountain walking in the day to come. I guess that association makes a big difference.

"I think the call to prayer, despite what I think about the doctrine of Islam, is one of the most ...

Marionville comments on May 23, 2019:

No....but I suppose the things that already have been built...such as the beautiful churches, cathedrals and mosques, some of them the most magnificent structures ever designed and built by man, dedicated to the glory god, but nevertheless made by man. The wonderful music too, some of the best ...

Fernapple replies on May 25, 2019:

@Arouet The churches of course were the only institutions with money to spend on entertainments, and the only place most people could go for entertainment or to see art. They did their best often to squash secular arts usually giving the promotion of vice as the reason, but of course it was really just to maintain their monopoly on the entertainments industry.

I think that someone blocked me, that never happened before, does it mean that I am now a proper ...

ipdg77 comments on May 21, 2019:

Only if they blocked you because you thoroughly pissed them off :-)

Fernapple replies on May 22, 2019:

Sadly I think it is just a profesional bore being a big baby.

I got a stupid question to ask : Let's say u are arrested today and your closest people are ...

Donna_I comments on May 20, 2019:

A moving violation of some sort though I mostly keep it under control.

Fernapple replies on May 21, 2019:

@Pralina1 Driving your car badly.

I have been thinking about getting married again after so many years of being a widower.

THHA comments on May 18, 2019:

I figure it this way, if I marry when I have one foot in the grave, at least I will have a way out . . .