Do you think we ought consider a re-write of the Ten Commandments specifically for the Third ...

Fernapple comments on Nov 13, 2018:

Look on the web and you will find dozens, it has been done a lot of times already. But the real question is what is the point unless someone is going to enforce it, without a church or some central authority it is just another version on the pile. It would be great if some government establishment ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 14, 2018:

@Mcflewster I do not know, their are a lot of people who think that we should give more of our responsiblity over to the state, strangely they are usually people who make their money within the state system. I think that it is a perfect example of the fact that there is nothing even a good percentage of people will agree.

Hi! ? How do you guys address the ole "What if you're wrong?" question?

GrantSmith comments on Nov 13, 2018:

There are 30,000 religions on Earth, and if one of them is right I'm as statistically likely to be wrong as you are.

Fernapple replies on Nov 14, 2018:

I think that's the best answer, and there are ten thousand Chritain sects alone, they can not all be right, and most of them claim an exclusive heaven. Heaven must be a very lonely place with so few in it.

Phygelius is only on the edge of being hardy here.

itsmedammit comments on Nov 13, 2018:

Interesting flowers you have there.

Fernapple replies on Nov 14, 2018:

Its a sub-shrub, hard to find, but has good foliage and gets to four feet with me after five years or so, likes a moist soil.

For those of us who like to grow flowers, are there any colors you prefer not to grow?

Fernapple comments on Nov 13, 2018:

Some people say that orange is a hard colour to use in the garden, because it is the colour which most tends to clash with green, which is of course the main hue in most gardens. It is only a hypothetical clash based on the colour wheel colour theory, but it does seem to be hard to use well even in ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 14, 2018:

@RussRAB I grow a lot of orange day lillies, and it does not bother me too much most days. But they can get a bit brazen sometimes.

What is your favourite season's of the year mine is autumn (Fall) only because it's so colourful.

MichaelSpinler comments on Nov 13, 2018:

spring, because winter is over, and i can plant stuff and watch it bloom and grow. summers are to hot here, so for me its the best.

Fernapple replies on Nov 14, 2018:

@Daz1981 Yep!

Has anyone else been asked, after commenting you're an agnostic to a Christian, what happened in ...

MichaelSpinler comments on Nov 13, 2018:

anti- theist atheist here. yes many times over the years, those types cant imagine a world without a god. that i have to be angry, or something bad happened to me. . most believers are lazy thinkers, so its to be expected. i see it as a chance to get them to think.

Fernapple replies on Nov 14, 2018:

@MichaelSpinler Must be tough sometimes, especially when you are busy.

What is your favourite season's of the year mine is autumn (Fall) only because it's so colourful.

MichaelSpinler comments on Nov 13, 2018:

spring, because winter is over, and i can plant stuff and watch it bloom and grow. summers are to hot here, so for me its the best.

Fernapple replies on Nov 13, 2018:

@Daz1981 Its not that bad. You know it is going to be cold, dry, wet, frosty, windy, snowy, baking hot and foggy, but look on the bright side, it is good to get a change, and tommorow they could come in a different order.

Has anyone else been asked, after commenting you're an agnostic to a Christian, what happened in ...

MichaelSpinler comments on Nov 13, 2018:

anti- theist atheist here. yes many times over the years, those types cant imagine a world without a god. that i have to be angry, or something bad happened to me. . most believers are lazy thinkers, so its to be expected. i see it as a chance to get them to think.

Fernapple replies on Nov 13, 2018:

Yes that's my thought too. Although its a bit irrelivant because on one in the UK would ever ask that sort of question. Don't know if that is a good thing or not.

ARISTOTLE WAS WRONG: STORY AND THE MIND [youtu.be]

cava comments on Nov 13, 2018:

The video is excellent. I have my reservations about some of the things said but it was well thought out and produced. Like #fernapple I don't think Plato's anti-art had anything to do with Fascism. The fascist relied on their misreading of Nietzsche. Unlike #fernapple I don't necessarily see a ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 13, 2018:

Ironically most of us would now think of Platos forms as being but themselves a work of Platos art.

The Best of All Possible Worlds Let's assume for the here and now that the traditional ...

WilliamFleming comments on Nov 12, 2018:

It sounds as though you are arguing against an objective, human-like god, the god of the Bible, who resides out there somewhere and creates, controls and destroys the physical universe. But you have no problem with Nature—a Nature that creates itself, imposes unbreakable laws, brings about ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 13, 2018:

@WilliamFleming Yes but not proveable. It is as I say a possibly harmless idea some agnostics hold to, and good luck with it. But I find it needless.

Phygelius is only on the edge of being hardy here.

Alvinsmama comments on Nov 13, 2018:

Any flower blooming at any time is well worth it. These are unusual.

Fernapple replies on Nov 13, 2018:

@Alvinsmama Sounds lovely. Thanks

Phygelius is only on the edge of being hardy here.

Alvinsmama comments on Nov 13, 2018:

Any flower blooming at any time is well worth it. These are unusual.

Fernapple replies on Nov 13, 2018:

I do not know Jacksonville, you may have much harder winters than we do in the UK, or not. Where in the US is it?

The Best of All Possible Worlds Let's assume for the here and now that the traditional ...

Wallace comments on Nov 12, 2018:

For what it’s worth, some years ago I wrote “Can Theism Survive Without the Devil?” in which I developed a proof that *a perfect God created an imperfect world* is not impossible given the further contention that a devil exists. To make this work I appealed to two common sense assumptions, ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 13, 2018:

I would not in my wildest dreams, accept either of your first place assumptions. And thing that is enough rebuttal.

The Best of All Possible Worlds Let's assume for the here and now that the traditional ...

WilliamFleming comments on Nov 12, 2018:

It sounds as though you are arguing against an objective, human-like god, the god of the Bible, who resides out there somewhere and creates, controls and destroys the physical universe. But you have no problem with Nature—a Nature that creates itself, imposes unbreakable laws, brings about ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 13, 2018:

@WilliamFleming You are quite correct; I can not be sure that nature is not in some deep hidden way conscious, and can keep an open mind to it should some real evidence turn up. But, the consciousness of nature only has relevance if it communicates with you. If you have not heard it speak or seen any signals, then its possible existence, is irrelevant, and can logically be treated the same as none-existence. The same thing applies to god. I know that some agnostics treat nature as an alternate god, in place of the fairy story one of the theists, but while there is perhaps little harm in that, it is still a mistake, and what is more it is needless, since any intelligence which is hidden must also have hidden and therefore irrelevant for us intentions, and those can, also therefore, be treated as logically the same as none existant.

Capital punishment?

ValJ comments on Nov 13, 2018:

None of the above. I'm against the death penalty because too many innocent people are wrongly convicted.

Fernapple replies on Nov 13, 2018:

@273kelvin I just posted this elsewhere on this page but will do it again. Speaking as someone who has sat on juries twice, and therefore had first hand experience of the legal system without being involved in it. I have to say that anyone who thinks that the courts, of even the most civil and best run nations can truely separate the guilty from the innocent, is living in cloud cuckoo land. It is, as common sense will tell anyone, quite impossible to begin with, and far from possible in fact. It may be a needful myth which the state creates in order to make its people content that they are being protected, but it is no more a truth than fairies at the bottom of the garden. There is no such thing as 100% certain.

Capital punishment?

Marionville comments on Nov 13, 2018:

Too many cases of miscarriages of justice have been exposed to ever consider it again. I am British and we abolished it in 1965.....!

Fernapple replies on Nov 13, 2018:

Speaking as someone who has sat on juries twice, and therefore had first hand experience of the legal system without being involved in it. I have to say that anyone who thinks that the courts, of even the most civil and best run nations can truely separate the guilty from the innocent, is living in cloud cuckoo land. It is, as common sense will tell anyone, quite impossible to begin with, and far from possible in fact. It may be a needful myth which the state creates in order to make its people content that they are being protected, but it is no more a truth than fairies at the bottom of the garden.

The Best of All Possible Worlds Let's assume for the here and now that the traditional ...

WilliamFleming comments on Nov 12, 2018:

It sounds as though you are arguing against an objective, human-like god, the god of the Bible, who resides out there somewhere and creates, controls and destroys the physical universe. But you have no problem with Nature—a Nature that creates itself, imposes unbreakable laws, brings about ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 13, 2018:

@WilliamFleming No that is only me thinking. Nature is just the word we give to a set of objects, (Usually the set of all objects which exist.) if some subset of a subset of that set should think, that does not mean that the whole thinks.

Who thinks asking inane questions is a good way to get points?

genessa comments on Nov 13, 2018:

not me. i think it's a good way to turn off people who seek interesting or even just amusing dialogue. the points come just as fast or slowly with a thoughtful or funny post as with an inane one. g p.s. this site's spellcheck things dialogue should be spelled dialog. sad!

Fernapple replies on Nov 13, 2018:

The sights spill chuck "things" doe nut spit every "think".

The Best of All Possible Worlds Let's assume for the here and now that the traditional ...

WilliamFleming comments on Nov 12, 2018:

It sounds as though you are arguing against an objective, human-like god, the god of the Bible, who resides out there somewhere and creates, controls and destroys the physical universe. But you have no problem with Nature—a Nature that creates itself, imposes unbreakable laws, brings about ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 13, 2018:

The difference between nature and god is that nature does not think, it therefore can not claim to have meaning purpose or morallity, and so the argument does not apply to it.

The Best of All Possible Worlds Let's assume for the here and now that the traditional ...

Fernapple comments on Nov 12, 2018:

This is basically the "argument from evil" which is one of the better arguments against god, since it cuts to the quick and is easy to understand. Some people do not like it because it does have some weakness. First: in that, as you say at the start, you are assuming that humans do not have free ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 13, 2018:

@johnprytz I do not beleive in free will either, I said that the argument assumes that "god does".

For those of us who like to grow flowers, are there any colors you prefer not to grow?

Fernapple comments on Nov 13, 2018:

Some people say that orange is a hard colour to use in the garden, because it is the colour which most tends to clash with green, which is of course the main hue in most gardens. It is only a hypothetical clash based on the colour wheel colour theory, but it does seem to be hard to use well even in ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 13, 2018:

@FrayedBear Yes it is the colour of ripeness beyond all others.

For those of us who like to grow flowers, are there any colors you prefer not to grow?

HippieChick58 comments on Nov 12, 2018:

I prefer pinks, purples, blues, but I'm good with almost any colors. My least favorite would be orange. You won't find much orange (if any) in my house, closet, or yard. My ex did not like white flowers either, I never understood that one. It's not like the whole yard is in white, but a few whites ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 13, 2018:

Too much white can leave a garden looking washed out, especially in strong sun. Many people copy white gardens like the famous one at Sissinghurst but fail to realize that that garden was actually called the grey, green and white garden, using large amounts of all three, and it also uses shade to create patches of light and dark, there is much more to it than just putting lots of white flowers together, It is best I think not to go for single colour gardens, unless you are sure you are very clever, and white is best used only as single highlights here and there.

For those of us who like to grow flowers, are there any colors you prefer not to grow?

SkagwayKim comments on Nov 13, 2018:

I love every color flower but the scent of some is intolerable for me.

Fernapple replies on Nov 13, 2018:

Yes. Lilly scent gives me a headache, and I do not usually get headaches.

Morality is doing right, no matter what you are told.

MojoDave comments on Nov 11, 2018:

Many have said it in various ways. Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not. - Oprah Winfrey

Fernapple replies on Nov 12, 2018:

Thank you, nice quote from O.W. as well. I looked up and found your picture too its very good.

I don't get this whole level thing

Fernapple comments on Nov 11, 2018:

You do not have to pay any attention to it, just enjoy the site and the people in your own way and ignore it if you want.

Fernapple replies on Nov 11, 2018:

@Olnoseven Enjoy

Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is a prison.

rcandlish comments on Nov 11, 2018:

Got to be careful not to fall into the old error that sees persecution as a proof of righteousness.

Fernapple replies on Nov 11, 2018:

Very true, I do not think that it is one of his best quotes, but it made a good intro. to the video so I went with it.

The Parable of the Passing Bird One cold winter night, Socrates was invited to the home of one of...

Fernapple comments on Nov 11, 2018:

I have heard the same story attributed to saint Collumba, it just shows you how easy it is to plagiarize, and how much of Christianity may be borrowed. I really like the photo.

Fernapple replies on Nov 11, 2018:

@CallMeDave No, if I remember, it was said to the king as a first shot intending to belittle this life, and then of course build up the future one that the confidence trickster was trying to sell.

"Thank God" for those people who attribute the hard word, dedication and perseverance I exert on a ...

indirect76 comments on Nov 11, 2018:

You do gods work.

Fernapple replies on Nov 11, 2018:

@indirect76 Yes that is true, but he does not do it often enough.

"Thank God" for those people who attribute the hard word, dedication and perseverance I exert on a ...

indirect76 comments on Nov 11, 2018:

You do gods work.

Fernapple replies on Nov 11, 2018:

He never does any of his own, he even get his church sweeping done for him by frail old people.

First Communion.

Cassiopeia comments on Nov 11, 2018:

Yes, it is creepy. Brides did not wear white until Queen Victoria started the fashion in 1840. So I wonder when communion dresses followed suit and what did little girls wear prior to that? Or were they white first?

Fernapple replies on Nov 11, 2018:

I think they were white first yes.

The easiest most versatile plant to have are daylilies.

HippieChick58 comments on Nov 10, 2018:

I have some daylillies, they were already planted when I moved in. I haven't added any yet. I love the color of yours. Mine are just plain yellow :( I like a variety of colors.

Fernapple replies on Nov 11, 2018:

Yes I have the same problem, a garden full of a not very good orange form, but they do so well I need to start collecting better ones.

What is it that makes humans still think that God and heaven and hell exists.

Fernapple comments on Nov 10, 2018:

Look for a second at the big picture. Christians, who do hold that all three are real, may seem to dominate in the western world especially the US today, but though they are the largest single group they are not the majority world wide. Many among them do not believe in all three, many more people ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 10, 2018:

@damien75 Good idea, especially the photos, but ask them to tell you how you can replicate the photos, and certainly do not trust eye witness, that is the least of all evidence. I find the big three are quite fascinating myself, and often wonder about the fact that all three came from the harsh desert regions of the world where nature is at its most hostile, and I wonder if it is that lack of basic kindness in the environment that makes a cruel human like god seem so acceptable there. Rich complex hinduism came from the lush green plains of India, and Buddism though founded there found its natural home in the cool clean northern lands north of the Hymalias.

I just had to share this, i was arguing religion with my mother and she said i'm not a very good ...

Fernapple comments on Nov 10, 2018:

It may be flip and not relevant to your talk with your mother. But; you can not be a bad atheist; (which means not a theist) anymore than you can be bad at not playing golf, or bad at not being an airline pilot.

Fernapple replies on Nov 10, 2018:

@Zster Me too. Someone once said. "If I am ever caught looking longingly at a golf bag, you will know it is time to shoot me."

What is the meaning of life?

Pralina1 comments on Nov 10, 2018:

Well , I think my life has a meaning , and a purpose . It took me 500 yrs to find out what it was but I like it the way it feels ! I am here to support my friends and their troubles , I am here to laugh and think w my sister , I am here to nurse strangers , I am here to enjoy the company of my ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 10, 2018:

Love your careful post. Knowing that you have tried your best to do all of those things , is as far as I have found the only comfort we will have on our death beds, but I do not think we need more or should expect more.

What is the meaning of life?

TheoryNumber3 comments on Nov 10, 2018:

The mind boggles. There's only one thing I know for sure. None of us are getting out of this alive!

Fernapple replies on Nov 10, 2018:

True life is a terminal illness.

Education.

IamNobody comments on Nov 9, 2018:

What is worth reading for one may not be the same for the other and viceversa

Fernapple replies on Nov 9, 2018:

@Marionville Yes I did miss-read you, you did say, "most Christians", I am sorry, but you perhaps missed the fact that in my comment I was not offering a criticism of the Bible as such, since I take that as a given for people on this site. But was only using the Bible and science as a metaphor for the results of relativism. I would not start by trashing the Bible if talking to a Christian, but I stand by my right to do so, and in support will quote your reply, "The so called “fake news” that large numbers of people are reading and believing because they are too lazy and gullible to read more reputable publications." as a fairly good description of the book. Headlines from the gutter press. "Chief executive arranges death of co-worker after spying on his beautiful wife taking bath." "Pimp kicks call-girl as she lay dead." "Pregnant girl claims to be a virgin." "Elderly couple treat surrogate mother as slave, then leave her to starve." "Mad general orders that even animals in fallen city are to be killed." Oh sorry, not from the papers, my mistake those are from the Bible.

Education.

IamNobody comments on Nov 9, 2018:

What is worth reading for one may not be the same for the other and viceversa

Fernapple replies on Nov 9, 2018:

@Marionville I usually find that I agree with most of your thoughts, but I can not agree that the Bible is a great read. In fact what it is, is a scrapbook made up by who knows who, from the Bronze early Iron Age equivalent of just the sort of gutter press you are talking about, with some fake news and political propaganda thrown in, also by unknowns. Of course, being a scrapbook, they kept the most easy read and juicy bits, and threw out the boring bits, which is why it has always been popular and pushed peoples buttons so well; but the fact that it is an easy and stimulating read does not make it good, that is just putting style over substance. Which is just what G.M. T. was talking about.

Education.

IamNobody comments on Nov 9, 2018:

What is worth reading for one may not be the same for the other and viceversa

Fernapple replies on Nov 9, 2018:

@Marionville Thinking that the difference between good reading and trash is only subjective, is just relativism by another route. And if you go there, then the Bible is a science book.

Meet Lilith, the original representation or icon of feminism i.

maturin1919 comments on Nov 5, 2018:

Why does she have wings?

Fernapple replies on Nov 5, 2018:

@Lukian Yes you can find all those strands. There is nothing about religion which is logical or consistent. Like all of these fictions she can stand for anything and everything. (That is why the Bible still remains popular.) Many popular things become that way by being ambiguous so that they can appeal to anybody, Some politicians work the same trick, if you stand for nothing you can claim everything.

Meet Lilith, the original representation or icon of feminism i.

maturin1919 comments on Nov 5, 2018:

Why does she have wings?

Fernapple replies on Nov 5, 2018:

She has wings because usually in many traditions she is seen as an angel, later fallen angel, because of course Eve was adams first human wife. That usually fits her into the theology; but there is more to it, since she almost certainly started as a much earlier Summarian godess. In fact her roots are so many and so tangled you can find almost anything you want, or make it up, like everyone else of course. She is certainly not a good feminist icon, since traditionally she is thought to have hated women, (the daughters of Eve), And to have given them night sweats and nightmares, as well as stealing children etc. Bet you know more now than you ever wanted or needed.

How disgusting is this?

mordant comments on Nov 5, 2018:

It's at least better than imagining god has it "under control"; at least it acknowledges that "if it is to be, it's up to me". So to me it's not disgusting so much as a pathetic attempt to frame actual reality through some sort of theistic lens. In other words I would rank the disgust factor, if ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 5, 2018:

@HonkyBMcfunky That's Ok pleased I could help.

How disgusting is this?

mordant comments on Nov 5, 2018:

It's at least better than imagining god has it "under control"; at least it acknowledges that "if it is to be, it's up to me". So to me it's not disgusting so much as a pathetic attempt to frame actual reality through some sort of theistic lens. In other words I would rank the disgust factor, if ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 5, 2018:

You missed 4. People who think that suffering makes you a better person and gets you into heaven. ( You may think that there are none of these left today, but it is not dead yet.)

Ten characters

AtheistReader comments on Nov 5, 2018:

Yeah, but not without Higgs Boson. Amirite, @Gurahl?

Fernapple replies on Nov 5, 2018:

@Gurahl If you enjoy it, you can not be arrested for it. ( Not yet anyway, but I am sure the theists are working on it.)

Ten characters

AtheistReader comments on Nov 5, 2018:

Yeah, but not without Higgs Boson. Amirite, @Gurahl?

Fernapple replies on Nov 5, 2018:

@KenChang Thank You. That is much better than my attemp at the same joke. I will try to remember that one.

What experience and history teach is this, that peoples and governments have never learned anything ...

Fernapple comments on Nov 5, 2018:

It is very like the quote. "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat its mistakes." I do not know who said that, but even the slightest knowledge of history itself teaches you the truth of it. Which is why the worlds political establishments are so often opposed to the teaching of ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 5, 2018:

@Marionville Thank you.

Ten characters

AtheistReader comments on Nov 5, 2018:

Yeah, but not without Higgs Boson. Amirite, @Gurahl?

Fernapple replies on Nov 5, 2018:

@memorylikeasieve He has passed away now sadly, and did not live quite long enough to see his particles existence confirmed.

Ten characters

AtheistReader comments on Nov 5, 2018:

Yeah, but not without Higgs Boson. Amirite, @Gurahl?

Fernapple replies on Nov 5, 2018:

Higgs Boson is a priest?

My father passed away not long ago, one of the last things he did was to make, with my help, this ...

jacpod comments on Nov 4, 2018:

Beautiful craft work well done

Fernapple replies on Nov 5, 2018:

Thank you. He was A blacksmith in youth.

Nothing so absurd can be said, that some philosopher has not said it. Cicero.

brentan comments on Nov 4, 2018:

I suppose that's what you get for musing out loud.

Fernapple replies on Nov 4, 2018:

@brentan Yes I know what you mean, and most of those people seem not able to read the posts properly in the first place. So with me posting in haste and them reading in haste, need I say more....

A Washington state lawmaker is under FBI scrutiny for writing a how-to guide on killing ...

Flyingsaucesir comments on Nov 4, 2018:

Genocide is nothing new in Christianity. Moses ordered his generals to kill every last man, woman, and child in opposing tribes. When Christians sacked Jerusalem they killed just about everybody in the city. Religious zeal at its finest.

Fernapple replies on Nov 4, 2018:

One instruction reads. "Every man, woman, child and every ANIMAL belonging to them." And it then goes on to add. "Excepting the young women who have not yet laid with a man, these you may keep for yourselves." Even Stalin/Hitler/Pol Pot did not go quite that far. This is the book you are supposed to use to teach children morality.

Is there anyone here that values the teachings of the bible, but rejects it's supernatural elements?

Fernapple comments on Oct 30, 2018:

There is one all important teaching you can get from the bible, if not find in the bible, and that is. Don't base your whole life on just one book, if you do read more than one book make sure they are not all derived from one book, and if you can only read one book try to find a better one.

Fernapple replies on Nov 4, 2018:

@BBJong Wow thanks! You just taught me an Americanism (British) I did not know. Coolaid: I will remember that one.

Nothing so absurd can be said, that some philosopher has not said it. Cicero.

brentan comments on Nov 4, 2018:

I suppose that's what you get for musing out loud.

Fernapple replies on Nov 4, 2018:

Oh yes. that is one of my failings, and it gets me into trouble all the time; I just can't do self control when an idea pops into my head. I really should not be on sites like this, except perhaps to give people a laugh.

Nothing so absurd can be said, that some philosopher has not said it. Cicero.

Eldovis comments on Nov 4, 2018:

That is putting all philosophers in the same sack ..

Fernapple replies on Nov 4, 2018:

Not really, Cicero did say "some". Though I know there are a lot of people who would. Cicero was of course a Roman and there was at the time a zenophobic feeling that all philosophy was a Greek trick.

True it's disgustingly true!!!!

AbdullaUW comments on Nov 4, 2018:

I view religion as a bus for humanity, it took us to where we are and now it’s time to move by first leaving it.

Fernapple replies on Nov 4, 2018:

We should have got off a couple of stops earlier.

True it's disgustingly true!!!!

MsAl comments on Nov 4, 2018:

Any time I hear"people from other religions going to hell" question put to someone they have always said that its OK as long as they follow some religion. Basically only I'm going to hell..

Fernapple replies on Nov 4, 2018:

It is not logical. If you take the, "any other religion is ok" position, then you have to include deists, and the idea that the supernatural is a mystery, only perhaps, reached by spirituality. And if they do that, then all their claims that religion is the only source of morallity etc. go out of the window. Religion has to be exclusive and divisive, because in the end; the tribal " we are special" is all it has to offer.

True it's disgustingly true!!!!

SLBushway comments on Nov 3, 2018:

*Her religion didn't tell her that nonsense - that's her interpretation or the result of brainwashing from someone she turned to that didn't understand religious doctrine any more than she did.*

Fernapple replies on Nov 4, 2018:

She got her information from someone who did not understand history either. ( If you want religion it is a good idea not to seek understanding or knowledge of any real subject.)

Why is 1.618034 So Important? [youtu.be]

MrLink comments on Nov 4, 2018:

But can I use it somehow to make a lot of money?

Fernapple replies on Nov 4, 2018:

A lot of people have.

Is there something big out there? This video has a lot in a small space. [youtube.com]

Druvius comments on Nov 3, 2018:

We live in the Golden Age of space exploration.

Fernapple replies on Nov 3, 2018:

Very true it seems to get more exciting every day.

My father passed away not long ago, one of the last things he did was to make, with my help, this ...

Alvinsmama comments on Nov 3, 2018:

That's very attractive. I'm glad you and your father were able to do something together before he died. So sorry for your loss.

Fernapple replies on Nov 3, 2018:

Thank you, I have to try and keep it perfect now.

I posted this on another page but it is worth posting twice.

Charlene comments on Nov 2, 2018:

Another beautiful animal gone extinct because of human cruelty..??

Fernapple replies on Nov 3, 2018:

And when it stands on its hind legs to see its keepers face through the wire, you know that here was a creature with a social capacity, maybe who knows even like that of a dog. Yet we will never know what its behaviour could be, because the keeper, now suely himself long gone, was the very last person and perhaps one of the few who ever ineracted with a thylacine. The End.

The Final Sermon I Should Have Preached

Fernapple comments on Nov 2, 2018:

I read a stat. somewhere, (perhaps someone can help me there I would love to re-find it) that atheists are more common among the clergy than in the population generally, because they are usually better educated in the history of religion, but most of them just keep it secret.

Fernapple replies on Nov 2, 2018:

@VictoriaNotes I am sure it is, forgive me but I was criticing the system not the people.

The Final Sermon I Should Have Preached

Fernapple comments on Nov 2, 2018:

I read a stat. somewhere, (perhaps someone can help me there I would love to re-find it) that atheists are more common among the clergy than in the population generally, because they are usually better educated in the history of religion, but most of them just keep it secret.

Fernapple replies on Nov 2, 2018:

@VictoriaNotes Yes Its called dishonesty.

I posted this on another page but it is worth posting twice.

GuyKeith comments on Nov 2, 2018:

LInk broken

Fernapple replies on Nov 2, 2018:

Done should work now.

I posted this on another page but it is worth posting twice.

Charlene comments on Nov 2, 2018:

Broken..

Fernapple replies on Nov 2, 2018:

Done should work now.

I posted this on another page but it is worth posting twice.

GuyKeith comments on Nov 2, 2018:

LInk broken

Fernapple replies on Nov 2, 2018:

Sorry will try to fix it.

I posted this on another page but it is worth posting twice.

Charlene comments on Nov 2, 2018:

Broken..

Fernapple replies on Nov 2, 2018:

Sorry wuill try to fix it.

The Final Sermon I Should Have Preached

Fernapple comments on Nov 2, 2018:

I read a stat. somewhere, (perhaps someone can help me there I would love to re-find it) that atheists are more common among the clergy than in the population generally, because they are usually better educated in the history of religion, but most of them just keep it secret.

Fernapple replies on Nov 2, 2018:

@TristanNuvo It is indeed that would be great.

What is the most underrated movie in your opinion?

powder comments on Nov 1, 2018:

Recognised as great but doubt many here have seen it, Citizen Cane.

Fernapple replies on Nov 2, 2018:

That theme of lose, is something that no one seems able to do now, maybe the world has become too shallow to face mortallity any longer.

But leave the Wise to wrangle, and with me / The Quarrel of the Universe let be: / And, in some ...

Grecio comments on Nov 1, 2018:

I have no idea what this means, but my area is science and math. Maybe that is why.

Fernapple replies on Nov 2, 2018:

You maybe need to know the context a bit, he was reffering to theological and philosophical thinking especially, the "wise" being ironic, and anyone who follows science has I think already left the "wise" behind.

There are posts here about the recent shooting at the synagogue in pittsburgh.

Fernapple comments on Nov 1, 2018:

All lands are stolen, usually several times over, if you accept the idea of "race" and that a race can own land. Yet the idea of race is technically disproved by science, we are all one family more closely related and with less genetic diversity that the average family of chimps. And the Jewish ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 2, 2018:

@genessa Yes that is my point, it is the people who hate who are unable to disentangle religious. racial and ethnic reasons for hating, you misread my post.

How a Jellyfish and a Sea Slug Illuminate the Mystery of the Self – Brain Pickings

SLBushway comments on Nov 2, 2018:

*Do you have a dating life - is this the kind of stuff you read for pleasure? I read the article attached to the link and came away thinking "I could have spent that 15-minutes doing a ton of things that would have been more pleasurable. More often than not the simplest answer is the right one - ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 2, 2018:

Yes I agree completely, ( see my comment below if you like).

There are posts here about the recent shooting at the synagogue in pittsburgh.

Fernapple comments on Nov 1, 2018:

All lands are stolen, usually several times over, if you accept the idea of "race" and that a race can own land. Yet the idea of race is technically disproved by science, we are all one family more closely related and with less genetic diversity that the average family of chimps. And the Jewish ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 1, 2018:

@GarethYes, and It is I think an error to make too much of the difference between racial, religious an ethnic hate, we may do so but people who hate often do not, it is all one to most of them.

There are posts here about the recent shooting at the synagogue in pittsburgh.

Fernapple comments on Nov 1, 2018:

All lands are stolen, usually several times over, if you accept the idea of "race" and that a race can own land. Yet the idea of race is technically disproved by science, we are all one family more closely related and with less genetic diversity that the average family of chimps. And the Jewish ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 1, 2018:

@genessa Yes that it quite true. But to many of the people attacking Jews their motive is racial, and saying that I do not approve of attacking people for reasons of race, does not mean that I approve of attacking them for other reasons either.

There are posts here about the recent shooting at the synagogue in pittsburgh.

MsAl comments on Nov 1, 2018:

I have noticed that alot here. It makes me sad. Some are hateful toward religious people and some seem to use that as an excuse to veil racism. I noticed it in a thread after that earthquake in Guatemala where the people were grieving and praying because their families and homes were lost. Also ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 1, 2018:

Whatever people believe because of religion, even if they believe that they should hate others, they are still victims of religion and are to be shown pity not hatred back. It is good to oppose ideology but not the people who are its prisoners.

There are posts here about the recent shooting at the synagogue in pittsburgh.

Fernapple comments on Nov 1, 2018:

All lands are stolen, usually several times over, if you accept the idea of "race" and that a race can own land. Yet the idea of race is technically disproved by science, we are all one family more closely related and with less genetic diversity that the average family of chimps. And the Jewish ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 1, 2018:

@273kelvin I do indeed, that is why I am on a site for people who reject tribal and ideological claims, especially those made with no evidence.

There are posts here about the recent shooting at the synagogue in pittsburgh.

Fernapple comments on Nov 1, 2018:

All lands are stolen, usually several times over, if you accept the idea of "race" and that a race can own land. Yet the idea of race is technically disproved by science, we are all one family more closely related and with less genetic diversity that the average family of chimps. And the Jewish ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 1, 2018:

@jacpod The chimps have another lesson for us, since most chimps, who are our closest relatives, are born white and turn black at maturity. Some things are very superficial.

There are posts here about the recent shooting at the synagogue in pittsburgh.

Fernapple comments on Nov 1, 2018:

All lands are stolen, usually several times over, if you accept the idea of "race" and that a race can own land. Yet the idea of race is technically disproved by science, we are all one family more closely related and with less genetic diversity that the average family of chimps. And the Jewish ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 1, 2018:

@273kelvin You still do not seem to realize that I am not disagreeing with you, please try to read more carefully. When I said what is happening in America I was talking about the shootings, (topical) not about the Jewish community.

There are posts here about the recent shooting at the synagogue in pittsburgh.

Fernapple comments on Nov 1, 2018:

All lands are stolen, usually several times over, if you accept the idea of "race" and that a race can own land. Yet the idea of race is technically disproved by science, we are all one family more closely related and with less genetic diversity that the average family of chimps. And the Jewish ...

Fernapple replies on Nov 1, 2018:

@273kelvin That's my point, that the justification for what the Nazis, Russians, Spanish, Turks etc. did/does not exist. Nor does the justification for what takes place in America now exist.

If you support shutting down a site because it's members are allowed to promote anti-semitic views ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 30, 2018:

It should always be the last resort to stop people voicing whatever they wish, however evil it may be. Because if it is hateful, then let it be seen in the clear light of day, and let it be exposed to reasoned counter argument, you will not always win but you will some of the time, while forcing it ...

Fernapple replies on Oct 30, 2018:

@OwlInASack No I did not say that it would win, only that any other way only makes it worse.

I hold it true, whate’er befall; I feel it when I sorrow most, ‘‘Tis better to have loved and ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 30, 2018:

My wife fell ill when we were engaged, we had to rush the wedding forward in case she died quickly; but fortunately she had a long period of remission, and was healthy enough to travel and visit people for some eight weeks. (I drove her round.) Then she went down fast at the end. The marriage only ...

Fernapple replies on Oct 30, 2018:

@Marionville Good, I am glad you found someone, in many ways it must be much harder to loose someone when you have built up a mutual life over many years.

I think that this one could be very useful if someone has just been negative about your post, or ...

IamNobody comments on Oct 30, 2018:

And yet those critics keep trying to bring down the confederate ones (Not a critic to your quote by any means, just an ironic fact)

Fernapple replies on Oct 30, 2018:

I think the irony adds a lot. It would perhaps be fun to ask people which statues they would most like to pull down. Do you have one?

Is there anyone here that values the teachings of the bible, but rejects it's supernatural elements?

Dietl comments on Oct 30, 2018:

You assume that there are "the teachings of the bible". But the book contradicts itself numerous times and then there are multiple interpretations. By ignoring the supernatural you are cherry picking and when you choose which part you like you add another layer of cherry picking. Sorry but this ...

Fernapple replies on Oct 30, 2018:

That about sums it up.

There's a few quotes I live by: Every man is my better in that I might learn from him.

Fernapple comments on Oct 30, 2018:

Yes I like that quote. It is very similar to, I think it came from Cicero. " There is no book however bad you can not learn something from it."

Fernapple replies on Oct 30, 2018:

@Diogenes Very true we often learn just as much if not more from bad people, even if we only learn don't be like that. I knew a really nasty person once, they ended life sad, lonely, disappointed and frustrated. That can be the bad luck anyone can get, but if you are negative then you bring the bad luck to yourself.

The Ginkgo in the garden now is just coming up to full colour, I hope this weeks winds are not going...

JackPedigo comments on Oct 23, 2018:

Wow, I will think about planting that in my area.

Fernapple replies on Oct 30, 2018:

@JackPedigo Super web page, thank you.

Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe. H. G. Wells

brentan comments on Oct 29, 2018:

I suspect that education has taught us more reasons to hate each other than understand each other.

Fernapple replies on Oct 29, 2018:

True, I think that H.G. W. may have had an optomistic view of education, he was after all a teacher himself. And I am also sure that he was thinking mainly of political education, preventing conflict. But I think that most people today would see it as being about technical and economic understanding, racing with environmental destruction, but I do not see great harm in taking it either way.

Just thinking that my dog loves me more than I love him, I feel shame. Konrad Lorenz

Lincoln55 comments on Oct 29, 2018:

I have been in that relationship. If you are not in love, move on. Life is too short.

Fernapple replies on Oct 29, 2018:

@brentan It no doubt it has a whole complex of emotions which are hard for us to understand, but K. L.s point was that whatever they are, they are far stronger, at least in the primitive breeds that he was using, than the human attachments to dogs. And while it is very wrong to see human emotions and values in animals, anthromorphizing them without trying to visualize the world from their perspective; it is equally wrong to think that their feelings are greatly different from ours, firstly because there is no evidence for that, and secondly because evolution tends only to tinker to the minimum with successful plans when once they are running. It is difficult for evolution to throw out a good design and start again from scratch, since most of the first generation would simply die. Therefore it tends to modify existing plans to the minimum amount needed, which is why we inherit a backbone from proto -fish and ear bones from bony-fish jaws, and four limbs from early amphibians etc. It is hard to see any reason why therefore the emotional life of most social mammals should differ greatly, closely related as they are. Moreover there is a danger with that view of falling into speciesisim, including the belief held by many theologians that animals have no feelings at all or only 'primitive' ones, in order to put humans, and their followers especially, on a pedestal specially privilaged in their relationship with god. That is a view which eventually leads to the belief that only religion can impart morality, to racisim and in the end to all the evils of theocracy.

The first of the winter colour is now showing in the garden, with Jasmine, Lamium, red crab apples ...

JackPedigo comments on Oct 28, 2018:

Really nice crabs. I have one tree but it has purple leaves and tiny (berry sized) fruit.

Fernapple replies on Oct 29, 2018:

@JackPedigo I don't know Centennial, but it depends what you mean by edible, all crabs are edible in the form of clab apple jelly etc. but most are not good to eat raw, and they can be used to add colour/sharpness to dishes made with cultivated apples.

Just thinking that my dog loves me more than I love him, I feel shame. Konrad Lorenz

Lincoln55 comments on Oct 29, 2018:

I have been in that relationship. If you are not in love, move on. Life is too short.

Fernapple replies on Oct 29, 2018:

@Lincoln55 Yes true.

Just thinking that my dog loves me more than I love him, I feel shame. Konrad Lorenz

Lincoln55 comments on Oct 29, 2018:

I have been in that relationship. If you are not in love, move on. Life is too short.

Fernapple replies on Oct 29, 2018:

Yes, in context I do not think he meant that he did not love his dog, quite the reverse; he just meant that a human being is not capable of loving as much as a dog is.

Just thinking that my dog loves me more than I love him, I feel shame. Konrad Lorenz

Marionville comments on Oct 29, 2018:

He also said “There is no faith which has never yet been broken, except that of a truly faithful dog.”

Fernapple replies on Oct 29, 2018:

Yes that is even better.

Is This Taboo?

Fernapple comments on Oct 29, 2018:

Even more strange is the fact that marriage is nearly the only contract you enter into, in which most of the people entering it have no say in the writing of its terms, because they are dictated by the church/state. And this is doubly odd, because it is perhaps the most personal of all contracts.

Fernapple replies on Oct 29, 2018:

@ealbers That is the worst.

Is This Taboo?

Jolanta comments on Oct 29, 2018:

There are those who will respect it and those who wont. It is up to the individuals that it affects. Once upon a time a woman had to be a virgin and a man was supposed to be experienced, rather one sided in my book.

Fernapple replies on Oct 29, 2018:

Also not possible without prostitution, if you think about it.

7 Ridiculous Feats of Strength in the Animal Kingdom - SciShow [youtube.com]

Cast1es comments on Oct 28, 2018:

Animals , are equal to comic super heros .

Fernapple replies on Oct 29, 2018:

Generally more intelligent too.

All too willingly man sees himself as the centre of the universe, as something not belonging to the...

Diogenes comments on Oct 29, 2018:

Solipsism: As a metaphysical position, solipsism goes further to the conclusion that the world and other minds do not exist. That would seem to say, that his wife is a 'thing', that he owns, and that, being his third wife, will vanish, as soon as his tiny brain wills it.

Fernapple replies on Oct 29, 2018:

Solipsism is yes the ultimate in arrogant ego trips, most people manage to dismiss it out of hand as irelevant to normal life, if they think of it at all, only the most egocentric cling to it; so it is of course built into Christian theology.

The first of the winter colour is now showing in the garden, with Jasmine, Lamium, red crab apples ...

JackPedigo comments on Oct 28, 2018:

Really nice crabs. I have one tree but it has purple leaves and tiny (berry sized) fruit.

Fernapple replies on Oct 29, 2018:

Yes there are a lot of types that you can collect this one is Red Sentinel, and it is in every way from the flowers in the spring to the fruits which last all winter a first class choice, really good in the snow; a good gold one is Golden Hornet.

If you want begin understanding yourself at the most basic, then this is a good watch.

Heraclitus comments on Oct 28, 2018:

But this could be the real "Adam and Eve" story that got mythologized.

Fernapple replies on Oct 28, 2018:

I do hope that is irony, since surely the historic gap of 200,000 years would be far too long a time for any folk tradition to survive. And it is worth mentioning while on the subject that the bible/koran strangely make no mention of DNA, which is odd because an all seeing god must have known about it. Not to mention germs, the solar system etc.

The first of the winter colour is now showing in the garden, with Jasmine, Lamium, red crab apples ...

FrayedBear comments on Oct 28, 2018:

Looks good.

Fernapple replies on Oct 28, 2018:

Thank you, we are lucky with our climate here, some colour stays most winters through.

Who's a person who inspires you?

Varn comments on Oct 27, 2018:

My ‘Boss,’ and what a treat.. After a lifetime in the working world, finally, I can choose who I care to give more than I receive… Though like a big brother I never had, he’s decided to retire. Wants me to work with him on some home projects, I’m honored.

Fernapple replies on Oct 27, 2018:

Good for choosing someone real.

Did the Bible make you an Atheist?

Fernapple comments on Oct 9, 2018:

No arrogant theists, and especially some of my school teachers made me an Atheist. (Including one who tried to teach his pupils that animals had no feelings or emotions, only mechanical behaviour which just seemed to replicate human emotion, and that therefore it was wrong to feel empathy for ...

Fernapple replies on Oct 27, 2018:

@NoMagicCookie Yes It was just theistic school teachers, that is what I meant, though this was a long time ago and most school teachers were theistic in those days. I am of course talking about the UK where the separation of church and state was never a fact, and indeed R.E. was the only subject teachers were compelled to teach.

What makes/made you happy today?

Hebert54 comments on Oct 26, 2018:

Waking up.

Fernapple replies on Oct 26, 2018:

Another day!