Some parts of the bible are nice and some are nasty.

Fernapple comments on Oct 24, 2019:

The main thing to remember about the bible is it history. The bible is not a book, in fact it is a scrap book of cuttings, containing parts from at least sixty six books, written by forty or more authors, and put together by numberless editors over more than a thousand years, and then frequently mistranslated several times. It contains therefore just about every form of writing, and just about every political, social and religious opinion you can think of, expressed both well and badly, in just about every possible way. That is the secret of its popularity, because that means that you can use it to justify anything you wish, just by cherry picking the parts that agree with you, or interpreting them the way you wish, since much of it is now so garbled that it is meaningless without interpretation. Yet the very thing that makes it popular is the very thing which renders it useless as a guide to truth, since by requiring both selection and interpretation anything read in it is no more than the invention of the reader.

I hate the “Karl Marx was racist so we shouldn’t use Marxist methodology”.

Fernapple comments on Oct 24, 2019:

One of the favorites of theists is to say that Darwin was racist. The best response is to point out that while Darwin was mildly racist, speaking of lesser races, Jesus was very racist, speaking of other races as no better than dogs.

“Why is patience so important?

Fernapple comments on Oct 24, 2019:

"All good things come to those who wait." Therefore the only reason for crime is a lack of patience. On the other hand if you are not impatient with the crimes against others, are you doing what morality demands ? Life gets complicated ! Therefore I need more patience.

Some of the replies to my posts have led me to ask this question. Is this a religious hate group?

Fernapple comments on Oct 24, 2019:

Any group is bound to spend some effort on self definition, and since this is a group for the none religious it is natural that its definition should refer to religion, and no one would join any group if they did not think it a better place to be. Yet self definition is mainly for those finding their feet on the front page, if you get out into the groups, you will find a lot of life that has nothing to do with religion.

Throughout history cults and religious leaders alike have often interpreted scripture in way which ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 23, 2019:

No interpretation needed to find scripture supporting slavery and the oppression of women, except the simple literal interpretation. PS. Playing the game. Judges 14 : 2 And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife. Taken to mean. Always use your parents to do the donkey work, then you can go have a beer or two with your mates while all the courtship stuff is done for you. And make sure they find you a stupid wife, who wont stop you.

Do you think that God posts here?

Fernapple comments on Oct 23, 2019:

Yep, sure this one comes here often. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttevamkS6gw=LL_715bOSsuSbbQz3Cnu2muw=2&t=75s

Well I'm back sort of.

Fernapple comments on Oct 23, 2019:

Find lots of work to do, it stops you thinking too much and when you emerge from the tunnel you will have something to show for it. It may sometimes feel like nothing is worthwhile, but that is the illusion grief creates, you have to keep plodding forward. Because in the end there is nothing else but moving forward.

The term logos, the root word of ``logic,'' refers to the sum total of our rational understanding ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 23, 2019:

That we are all conditioned by our culture, and that it is impossible for the cultural antidote, scientific rationalism, to completely remove it from our system, though the effects can be made quite small if we try. Is the main theme of much modern thinking, including such things a R. Dawkins meme theory. But obviously it goes back a long way into, ironically, human culture, is useful and heartening to know, and it sounds quite smart when you use the old Greek. Certainly mythos is more general and better sounding than meme, but whether the difference between it and the word culture, is worth the worry, questionable.

HOLY TRIGGERED, BATMAN! I cannot believe how outraged some atheists get when they see someone ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 23, 2019:

Yes I have no problem with spiritual in the form you use it. The only problem with spiritual is that it has so many usages, all different, that it has become a virtually meaningless word, and can therefore be used as a cover to get all sorts of woo in under the door. Which is what upsets people. Perhaps in part because they think that, using it without exactly defining it, is wasting their time.

If I had written down all the posts that I ever thought of I would be on level 9 by now - or close.

Fernapple comments on Oct 23, 2019:

I don't. I think of a really great post in the middle of the day when working, and when I sit down at the computer in the evening I have completely forgotten it. Getting old, guess I should carry a notepad or smart phone. Nah, too much bother. PS. You don't want to get to level nine, that is when they send you the invoice for the tshirt you got at level eight, and sell your address to Christian mailing groups. LOL

What do you do when people insist they have seen a "ghost"?

Fernapple comments on Oct 23, 2019:

Tell them about the two I saw when young, and why I know I was mistaken.

Here is a rather interesting religious twist

Fernapple comments on Oct 23, 2019:

If you are going to pick a fictional hero, why not go for Whinny the Pooh's Eeyore, a much wiser and far more realistic persona. With a really good take on stoic philosophy.

Dwight D. Eisenhower- When preparing for battle, planning is essential but plans are useless.

Fernapple comments on Oct 23, 2019:

Belt and braces. Winners in everything, make the best and most detailed plans they can and put the greatest effort into them, but are prepared to scrap the whole at a moments notice.

Highlight weighted metering? The great God Nikon has blessed me.

Fernapple comments on Oct 23, 2019:

Great photo, and good expossure certainly. Or, tip for beginners. On important shots take three times, override the auto exposure and and do one over and one under.

Anyone else NOT raised in a religious family?

Fernapple comments on Oct 22, 2019:

No real religion or interest in it in my upbringing, which is fairly commonplace in the UK.

In order to understand ourselves, a crucial step is to acknowledge that the “self” is a ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 22, 2019:

If it is all you have got, then your fiction is your reality.

A woman is like a teabag you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water Eleanor...

Fernapple comments on Oct 22, 2019:

I have never in all my days wanted to put a woman in hot water, either the real or the metaphorical kind. ( I have put one or two in warm soapy water, and then joined them. But that is another story. )

Is everybody getting ready for the holiday season Or are you dreading it

Fernapple comments on Oct 22, 2019:

Like the season, don't like the holidays. Best called Yuletide; and I shall take my cue from the old pagans, who celebrated the turning of the winter, when the days get longer. So I shall avoid buying any Christmas tat, make a donation to charity, send a very few of my best friends a secular Yule card, bring some evergreens into the house to keep up tradition, (no bought decorations) have a good meal and drink to the coming spring with my friends.

How about some thoughts and silent prayer for my sister undergoing heart surgery?

Fernapple comments on Oct 22, 2019:

One thing to remember is that your sister is not alone, she has you at the very least, and that is something worthwhile to get through surgery for. Because if you have someone who cares, then you have won the best thing you can in life's lottery, there are millions who don't even have that to think of when they face troubles.

First post! Looking for similar minded people in Chicago area.

Fernapple comments on Oct 22, 2019:

Look at the map under members, when you have enough points you can message people. And of course do not forget to google Humanist, sceptic groups etc.. Chicago is a big city there are bound to be some.

It seems life never stops stomping on me.

Fernapple comments on Oct 22, 2019:

You are not alone, there are a lot of people here , who will value your input. And if things get really bad message some of those near you and meet up. Most of all if you are isolated think about travel, there is a whole world out there, and we live in the first age when travel is really easy, and you can meet people. And if none of that works do not be afraid to see you doctor mental health is a real need, and there is nothing to be ashamed of in seeking help to attain it. If you are retired, think about charity work to give your life purpose, there are lots of charities who need all the help they can get.

Thomas Paine - “The most detestable wickedness, the most horrid cruelties, and the greatest ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 22, 2019:

Yep. Don't think it though, just go with the first thing that comes into your head, refuse to ever revise it, don't accept any debate, and claim it has great authority because it has a supernatural origin. That should sort things out alright, best way to truth there ever could be.

How you stay motivated for your goal?

Fernapple comments on Oct 22, 2019:

Don't worry about it, as long as you complete enough of the things you need to ensure that you don't starve, that is more than enough. The rest is just enjoyable experience and a chance to learn, the butterfly will never build a great high nest like the toiling ant, but it sees vast worlds the ant can never dream of, and in the end both end up dead. Failing is not about how much we don't achieve but how realistic our targets were in the first place. Also remember that half the time we fail, it is because as well as the difficulties there was also the daunting magnitude of the task as a pychological preasure, break big jobs into small pieces, be prepared to leave them and come back later.

Nothing can be above thought.

Fernapple comments on Oct 22, 2019:

Good quote.

For that special someone on your xmas list: [babylonbee.com]

Fernapple comments on Oct 22, 2019:

That's no good, why should the doorbell have all the fun.

I don't think any caption is needed

Fernapple comments on Oct 22, 2019:

So just ignore them, and join the gardening group, or the completely wild sex group whatever rocks you boat. The front page is really just for newbies. Mind you, I joined an international agnostics/atheists group, and found that most of it is about US politics. LOL

We are the same animal...

Fernapple comments on Oct 21, 2019:

P. S. Best photo of the week.

We are the same animal...

Fernapple comments on Oct 21, 2019:

A chimpanzee is born with white skin and changes to black at adolescence, it is exactly the same animal. And also our nearest relative.

There must be something out there, but to give it a name etc and say "that's it" is more than a bit ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 21, 2019:

You can speculate all you wish, and there is no harm in that, as long as you label it clearly as speculation. You can only be mistaken when you think you have solved something, you can only be wrong when you think you know something. And if you think you know something that everyone else should know, then you had better bring some evidence.

31% of White Evangelicals Say They’ll Support Trump No Matter What He Does | Hemant Mehta | ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 21, 2019:

That means that 69% even of his core supporters won't.

Not all who wander are lost...

Fernapple comments on Oct 21, 2019:

Beer.

Life is constantly throwing bad news at us.

Fernapple comments on Oct 21, 2019:

I like these. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yu7n0XzqtfA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCUtn-sO6tE

Life is constantly throwing bad news at us.

Fernapple comments on Oct 21, 2019:

Always took the stoic view, that if you expect the worst, life will always turn out better than you expected. I usually assume a very bleak outlook and life seems good. Only disappointed optimists fall into Cynicism and depression. I also remember that there is little profit for anyone in telling you good news, in order to sell you something you have to be persuaded that you have a need or are under threat, therefore all the media and all advertising are trying to distort your world view to the negative. Therefore remember that for every bit of bad news you see reported there are twenty bigger good bits that don't get mentioned.

Why so many posts about God?

Fernapple comments on Oct 21, 2019:

Lots of new people coming on the site and testing the water I think. You should not stop them really , best to just ignore them, they will either settle in or move on in the end.. And sometimes they are funny.

LOL 😂 well, the bible was translated so many times! How do we really know??!

Fernapple comments on Oct 21, 2019:

Come on, he hung about with twelve other men, who he told to leave their families behind and love one another, just as the country was being culturally colonized by the Greeks who idealized homosexuality as the highest form of love. Come on who are you kidding. LOL

Being against fascism -

Fernapple comments on Oct 21, 2019:

That's being 'rude polite' in grand fashion.

This Guy Just Found a Faster Way to Multiply [popularmechanics.com]

Fernapple comments on Oct 21, 2019:

Are but you need a computer, think I will just stick with my slide rule for now thanks. LOL

Ok I would like to reclaim some words here from the vested interests that commandeered them for ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 21, 2019:

Yes it just goes to show how times have changed. Einstein wrote in a more innocent age, when it was possible to redefine words as you liked, to create poetic metaphors, without the risk that you would be taken literally and seriously by charlatans, or at least that the charlatans would not be hugely influential and use your words to justify all forms of folly to their victims.

Excellent question

Fernapple comments on Oct 21, 2019:

R. Dawkins, pointed out the strange fact that you do not call a baby born to communist parents, a communist baby, nor one born to conservative parents a conservative baby. Why then do we have Catholic, Moslem, Jewish, Protestant, and Hindu etc. babies ?

Meet The Linux Desktop That Will Embarrass Windows 10 And macOS in 2020 [forbes.com]

Fernapple comments on Oct 20, 2019:

Always wanted to try Linux, and have a spare computer to try it on, but all attempts failed so far. I think you need someone to hold your hand through the first installation, and such people are thin on the ground out here. Still may have another bash.

Reality Check! [youtu.be]

Fernapple comments on Oct 20, 2019:

Great video. Sorry you did not get more likes and comments, but it was quite a long video, and guess what, it affects the attention span too.

If more countries were as cleaver as Portugal when it comes to drugs

Fernapple comments on Oct 19, 2019:

That's great news, Portugal is a wonderful country. Though there are still a few drug related problems, such as street vendors, who assume that all foreign visitors are there for the drugs, and pester you. But on the whole it works very well.

So yesterday my sons mom asked me If I became an atheist so I can do bad things (lol!).

Fernapple comments on Oct 19, 2019:

Just posted this on another post but it works here too. Most people are born into a religion, nominally at least, and for most people the reason for leaving it is lack of evidence, but the motivation for leaving it, is usually moral repugnance at the poor moral values of religion. And since leaving it takes effort and thought, plus has often a real price, I have generally found that sceptics tend to be very moral people.

I keep reading and hearing about how atheists and agnostics have no morals and do all sorts of ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 19, 2019:

Most people are born into a religion, nominally at least, and for most people the reason for leaving it it lack of evidence, but the motivation for leaving it, is usually moral repugnance at the poor moral values of religion. And since leaving it takes effort and thought, plus has often a real price, I have generally found that sceptics tend to be very moral people.

You know what really frosts my ass?

Fernapple comments on Oct 19, 2019:

If your ass is cold, Amazon do a good line in thermal knickers. Also I have very warm hands, but unfortunately I am on the other side of the Atlantic. (Plus, you may block me if I go any farther, with that idea.)

good question

Fernapple comments on Oct 19, 2019:

Good question, makes a change to see a question about real life that really matters. No idea though, in my case I always knew the spouse first.

I was wondering if God anesthetized Adam when he did the surgery to take the rib and if so did he ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 19, 2019:

Says he did it while Adam was sleeping.

Hi everyone My world has been bonkers. Are you all ok? Much love Jayne

Fernapple comments on Oct 19, 2019:

Hello, long time no see,. I do hope that is good productive bonkers and not the harmful kind.

Lately, I've been reading back issues of National Geographic.

Fernapple comments on Oct 19, 2019:

Real travel is even better, I do not think that even Pascal could promote his wager in todays multicultural and linked up world. You soon see that there are two many different gods and routes to the gods for it to ever work.

I've been to church a few times as a kid and later with my sister and my niece.

Fernapple comments on Oct 19, 2019:

They don't. Most of them are faking it.

It caught me by suprise

Fernapple comments on Oct 19, 2019:

The body painters seem to be upping their game all the time, some of them are making really great illusions. Gone are the days when a painted on swimming outfit was considered clever.

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed a significant drop in the number of posts/commentary ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 19, 2019:

Yes something strange has certainly happened, posts disappear and people too, it is getting like the legend of the Bermuda Triangle. I just read a post in the forum about the return of Antifred, under a new name, which was complaining about how over active he is. And yet though I used to see him all the time under his old name , I do not think I have seen him once under the new name.( No correct that, I checked and I have seen him once or twice, maybe he is just keeping a low profile.)

Fellow Members of the Community Senate and the Administrator of Agnostic.

Fernapple comments on Oct 19, 2019:

He has been banned once or twice from the site, but keeps coming back with a new name and account. Most of the time he is harmless and usually only gets banned on the odd occasions when he goes too far. Most people just see him as harmless and amusing, but on a good day sometimes, I suspect when he has not been taking chemicals, you can have quite a good conversation with him. Speaking as one, "illogical atheist", who needs to be informed about the, "true meaning of religion", I like having him.

Sssssooooo, if god was/is/use to be without form and void, to the point that there was nothing ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 18, 2019:

He/ she /it is still struggling with the plan, if you want proof, you should come and look how badly i'm put together.

I'm at that awkward age. Somewhere between 18 and 25-to-life.

Fernapple comments on Oct 18, 2019:

Was that 18 plus 25 ?

Hello, I am Adam and I am a person that loves philosophy, learning new and different perceptive out ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 18, 2019:

Hello and welcome, enjoy the site and don't worry about points and levels too much, they come fastest when you are not looking. Also check out the groups, there is something there for everyone. But sorry we only do deep conversation if you want that for hard cash, tell us what you want to talk about and we will send you an invoice. No only kidding. LOL

Mystery Solved - 'African Mona Lisa' mesmerises after shock rediscovery.

Fernapple comments on Oct 18, 2019:

Note says video not available.

The importance of being literate...

Fernapple comments on Oct 18, 2019:

But if you stick with it, it will get you to the point where the hair on your head starts to curl. LOL

Drop dead gorgeous or genius?

Fernapple comments on Oct 18, 2019:

Moderate intelligence at least. Drop dead gorgeous can get you almost anything you want in life. But one bad stupid mistake, especially when you have got the chance for almost anything, can completely destroy your whole life. The world is full of drop dead gorgeous people, who were given everything and everything destroyed them and left them lying in the gutter.

Heard on news commentary (paraphrased) The large doors of leadership turn on the small hinges of ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 18, 2019:

Which hang on the even smaller pins of self interest, and are locked in place by party politics.

95% of baby foods tested contain toxic metals, new report says

Fernapple comments on Oct 18, 2019:

Yes that may be true. But even if you grow your own food organically in your own garden, it will still contain a measurable amount of toxic heavy metals. They are everywhere, including in the natural rocks which weathered down to make soil in the first place. In wind carried dust which has been blowing across the planet for millions of years. And now there is, since the atom bomb tests, man made radio active waste everywhere. In 1918 at the end of the first world war the Germans sank their own navy. The steal from those ships is now being salvaged and sold at a high price. Because it contains no radio active contamination from man made sources, it is therefore very useful in Gieger counters, and medical scanners, since it is almost impossible to make modern steal without that contamination.

Nhilism and existence

Fernapple comments on Oct 18, 2019:

Just the same worth it always had. To me my best friends life is priceless and it matters not if she is an atheist or not, and it matters even more if she only gets the one life.

92% of Atheists Who Watch This Leaked Video Become Christian! Cure for cancer! How could you ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 18, 2019:

Oh they are preying on cancer victims again. Wonderful, I kind of wished I had not looked now.

Just had this post removed pointing out some of the atrocities happening in India.

Fernapple comments on Oct 17, 2019:

The business of the parents of girls having to pay huge dowries on their marriage, does not help, it has been outlawed for many years, but to little effect.

Who would be interested in having this done?

Fernapple comments on Oct 17, 2019:

I understand that in Japan the gangsters have their skins dried and preserved to keep the tattoos, and that is an old custom.

What If the Earth Was One Living Organism? [youtube.com]

Fernapple comments on Oct 17, 2019:

This does not seem too bad, but should perhaps be worth noting that Lovelock himself renounced the Gaia hypothesis, because too much new age babble was becoming attached to it. Gaia was just a metaphor in his mind for a few quite unrelated and wholly materialistic hypotheses, about how the chemistry of life affects the planet, he hated the idea that the planet was an organism.

Paris zoo exhibits the world's weirdest living thing | TreeHugger

Fernapple comments on Oct 17, 2019:

I always loved slime molds ever since I found a bright pink one in the woods years ago. There are I am told many different slime molds, not all of which are related to one another. Some can live as separate parts, which can then come together to form one organism when they want to reproduce and make spores.

Deepfakes: For now women, not democracy, are the main victims [zdnet.com]

Fernapple comments on Oct 17, 2019:

It was bound to happen in the end. The other thing that could suffer is the internet itself, and all its users.

Anyone else not getting new posts to load in General Forum?

Fernapple comments on Oct 17, 2019:

No problem here, steady stream. May pay to tweek your preferences.

Hello. I like science man

Fernapple comments on Oct 17, 2019:

Hello and welcome. Who is 'science man', should that not have capitals ?

I hate to say it, but in the last few months this whole site has become inundated with a lot of very...

Fernapple comments on Oct 17, 2019:

Discussion, debate, talk and conversation, are all great things, but are of no use if different people do not bring different things to the table. An echo chamber is just an empty box. We all hopefully learn from different opinions, and that learning helps to raise the standard of debate. While in my experience there are not hoards of believers trying to troll the site, one or two perhaps now and again, and those of them that do and that have truly closed minds, usually give up and go quite quickly.

“We are told about the world before we see it.

Fernapple comments on Oct 17, 2019:

"You have to be carefully taught." Rogers and Hammerstien.

"The analogy of opposites is the relationship of light to shadow, fullness to void, peak to abyss.

Fernapple comments on Oct 17, 2019:

Interesting , but perhaps not as good or as clever as it sounds at first reading, basically a little banal. That allegory is making a fiction out of truth, or a truth out of a fiction, is only really a definition of the word itself, such as you would read in a dictionary.

Hello Free Thinkers Any Fellow Australians on Here ?

Fernapple comments on Oct 15, 2019:

There are quite a few, this site gets around. It is perhaps still US centric, but the world wide numbers grow.

My sister says unicorns existed.

Fernapple comments on Oct 15, 2019:

I always though that the unicorn story in the bible was a wonderful example, of what is sometimes called the 'telephone game'. When you read the original, especially in Job, it seems obvious, to me at least, that the bible is talking about a rhino. At what time I wonder, did the misunderstanding of that become a quite different mythical creature. Or perhaps my judgment about it being a rhino is just stupid, and there really are one horned horses waiting in the woods to ravish human maidens.

Who’s in PSL

Fernapple comments on Oct 15, 2019:

Welcome to the site, get involved and earn a few points then you can message the people you find on the map page under members. Also check out the groups there is something for everyone.

Cecilia Bartoli singing the aria Ombra Mai Fu .

Fernapple comments on Oct 15, 2019:

More familiar with the mans voice, and seems more lyrical, but her voice is so rich, it is hard to say whether it is the sex that is important, or if it is just her voice especially that makes it sound so good and different.

Three old men were out walking. The first man says, “Windy, isn’t it?

Fernapple comments on Oct 15, 2019:

The old ones are the best ones, both men and jokes.

For anyone on the east coast of Florida, near Ft.

Fernapple comments on Oct 15, 2019:

You are still having garden events at this time of year ! ENVY.

Christmas stuff already!?

Fernapple comments on Oct 15, 2019:

Same here in the UK, there is just no escaping it. And what horrid tat, masses of it, mostly plastic and wood pulp, and mostly one use only. Why not just go out and burn down a forest for fun. I have heard that what the US alone spends on christmas in one year, would provide enough funds to cure world hunger forever.

The anger over Extinction Rebellion protests is more about the cause than the commotion, writes Jeff...

Fernapple comments on Oct 15, 2019:

While I support the views of the rebellion, it is hard to see how he makes the jump from the first part to the second. Could he not do a bit of research and find a real political response from the present. Quoting some old clip and paste piece for years ago about an almost totally unrelated issue as an intro., that I think is not just a straw-man argument but a very lazy argument as well.

Has anyone else here been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder?

Fernapple comments on Oct 14, 2019:

I always think that it is good to break large tasks requiring long sustained attention, into small bits, taking them one at a time and not worry about the end goal. Not only does it make it easier, but it removes one of the things that makes A.D.D. worse, which is pressure and the fear of failing. Take away that strain and you only have the problem of the A.D.D. to deal with. Also go for walks and think problems though while relaxed and employed, so that the outer mind is busy and can not distract the inner. Walking has been proved to help concentration. Make a game of trying to remember things by finding or inventing logical or historical narratives. If for example you are having difficulty with spelling and you can not spell, psychological. Look up and learn the Greek legend of the demi-goddess Psyche, and then add a story you make up yourself about an Irish philosopher called O'Logical and you have it. Those sort of ways of working are used by people who do memory stunts, but they work just as well with A.D. D. as well. And remember that mnemonics that you research and make up for yourself, work better than the ones that other people give you.

How would you respond to "You can't have true love without God"?

Fernapple comments on Oct 14, 2019:

Ask them back if they love or are loving, they have to say, yes. Then you say. And are you truly loving ? They say yes. And than you say. That proves then that you can love without god, since you love and I am sure that your god does not exist, and I can observe the actions of love but not god. It is near to a circular and presuppositional argument, but it is not quite, and since theists are fond of those sort of arguments, it is fun to throw one back and watch them puzzling. (Make it plain that the god you are talking about is just their theist god, which can be disproved, and not any vague deist god, which you can't.)

Please provide your definition of the phrase "common sense".

Fernapple comments on Oct 14, 2019:

It can mean a lot of things depending on the person using the phrase and the subject. Usually it is most used by people who have it the least. Sometimes it is just another cheap anti-intellectual shot, like "geek", "nerd" and "bluestockings", but if there is any thing called common sense which has value. Then I would say that it is the ability to make good value judgments about issues, where there is not time, freedom or resources for testing and fact checking, it is therefore a good last resort when we have nothing else.

It seems as though there is so much talk about how expensive drugs are and how evil big pharma is ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 14, 2019:

You have also to remember that one of the biggest medical costs, but one which is hidden inside all the others, is public liability insurance. And a lot of that is caused by people and their lawyers who push spurious claims, and also the vast cost of testing drugs and procedures for safety to allay that. Which often has to be repeated over and over for every single country where they are to be sold, because different countries do not accept each others findings, (No profits for their lawyers and government agencies if they did.) so that legal costs often make up the biggest part of a drug/ procedures price.

I just wanted to say, "I love this app! " you thinkers are awesome! Sometimes its just what I ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 14, 2019:

Yep. long cold wet day here. The only thing that gives me a break from doing my bookkeeping is this site.

Answer to trumps claim that kurds didnt help during WWII

Fernapple comments on Oct 14, 2019:

Of course, those with no interest in history are not only bound to repeat its mistakes, but are also bound to expose their lack of interest in humanity at every turn.

Maybe I'm twisting words, but doesn't that seem opportunistic comparing people to money, as if ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 14, 2019:

No that is how caring human beings think. The deist god make not pay any attention, and the theist god thinks. " If the addict is not in church groveling, then I will burn them in great pain forever."

“I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 14, 2019:

And the need to do what everyone wants as well.

"Without a winking smiley or other blatant display of humor, it is utterly impossible to parody a ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 13, 2019:

Sadly all too true, some people do indeed go beyond parody. Someone once said that the greatest strength is given to all institutions by people with no sense of humour.

Adam Ruins Everything - Christopher Columbus Was a Murderous Moron [youtube.com]

Fernapple comments on Oct 13, 2019:

Apart from, arguably, the Caribbean, the one thing he really did discover which was very important for many centuries, was the trade winds. The idea that you could use go east by first sailing south, and then go back west by first sailing north, and have the wind with you most of the way. Though even that was an accident.

A pastor at a church I went to w/my grandmother when I was a teen said that "reading Revelations is ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 13, 2019:

Numbers 22 : 28. all about the talking donkey.

"The Spoon Theory" -- For anyone who doesn't understand why anyone without a visible illness or ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 13, 2019:

My best friend has a bowel problem. It does not affect her much, nor would you notice anything by looking at her, except that she has to wear what is effectively a nappy, and sometimes she needs to change it quickly very quickly. The powers that be, are so unsympathetic to invisible illness, that they took away her Blue Disability badge, which helped her to park her car near to public toilets. Because they said she could walk fine and the badges are only for people with walking difficulties.

I made an exploratory trip to the Albuquerque Biopark zoo yesterday, using the free ABQ senior ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 13, 2019:

A small adventure perhaps, but maybe the first of many, when the treatment is over the wold is still out there.

In the city where you live, how an atheist person is looked upon or considered in general?

Fernapple comments on Oct 13, 2019:

None of the above, just everyday, or at most. "Why are these people still bothering about religion when most of us have forgotten it."

What activity has most consistently given you a feeling of inner peace?

Fernapple comments on Oct 13, 2019:

Walking alone, and meeting friends.

I was happy to meet a fellow member tonight.

Fernapple comments on Oct 13, 2019:

Good for you. Don't think I will ever meet another member, I live right out in the rural backwoods, at least by UK standards.

Should trump's mouth be washed out with soap?

Fernapple comments on Oct 13, 2019:

It would be nice if the news media, simply refused to quote him, and just gave a summary instead. Especially if they did so with a disclaimer such as. "We can not play the recording of the presidents speech, because of the offensive nature of the words used."

Why do they worship?

Fernapple comments on Oct 13, 2019:

Praise is not for the god/s, but indirectly for those who claim to represent the god/s. Remember the in Christianity, for example, the god thing and the church are said to be one of the same.

So earlier at work I met a guy who works for the NASA branch in Maryland.

Fernapple comments on Oct 13, 2019:

No one with any wisdom, ever judged anyone for not knowing something, after all it is just an chance to share, and knowledge costs the giver nothing but brings great joy to both. Stupid is not knowing, and thinking that, not knowing, makes you smart. You are a wise man.