Octopus outsmarts testers in intelligence experiment: [treehugger.com]

Heraclitus comments on Nov 29, 2019:

Octopuses have redefined our understanding of intelligence.

Anyone here experience this internal conflict?

Heraclitus comments on Dec 2, 2019:

They may have different reasons. There are many different ways of being a Christian. But, you don't know how lucky you are that they are not trying to "save" you. And for heaven's sake, don't be offended that they are not trying to control your life!

I always get so enamored of the theory of surplus value.

Heraclitus comments on Dec 6, 2019:

So, I guess that means that the value of a human life is $129,000 a year? Or only $500,000 total if you are a soldier killed in Iraq or Afganistan? http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1808049,00.html

Genetic Behavior

Heraclitus comments on Dec 15, 2019:

How could your DNA not determine your behavior, at least in part? The only question is to what extent.

Oh I so hope this is all true and that the US treasury throws the book at the LDS Mormon Church ...

Heraclitus comments on Dec 18, 2019:

The Second Coming is always only a day away.

and in NY - [theguardian.

Heraclitus comments on Dec 20, 2019:

Yes.

Mark 10:25 (NRSV) - It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who ...

Heraclitus comments on Dec 22, 2019:

I heard it mean the narrow opening of a tent or a small gate in Jerusalem (for which there is no evidence that it ever existed). However, the next two verses prove that Jesus was talking about the impossible: “They who heard it said, ‘Then who can be saved?’ But He said, ‘The things that are impossible with people are possible with God’” (Luke 18:26-27).

This popped up on another site. Does anyone know anything about this study?

Heraclitus comments on Dec 24, 2019:

Children raised in religious families are often raised to be more judgmental and less tolerant.

The Human Brain Evolved When Carbon Dioxide Was Lower There is substantial but inconsistent ...

Heraclitus comments on Dec 24, 2019:

Well, if higher CO2 levels impair human judgment...maybe it has already had an effect. :(

Happy Birthday Sir. Isaac Newton!

Heraclitus comments on Dec 26, 2019:

Now there's a man with gravitas! :)

The phrase "God's wrath" is very strange. How can god have wrath?

Heraclitus comments on Dec 26, 2019:

Yahweh of the Old Testament is really a demiurge like Zeus or Jupiter. A demiurge is notoriously anthromorphic and subject to emotions.

First active fault zone found on Mars Rumbling quakes on the red planet have been traced back to ...

Heraclitus comments on Dec 28, 2019:

Interesting. My understanding has been that Mars' ancient loss of tectonic activity meant that it did not generate a magnetic field to protect it from solar radiation leading to loss of atmosphere.

White Christian America ended in the 2010s

Heraclitus comments on Dec 28, 2019:

And yet...look who's running the country and may get re-elected.

What do you all think of Pascal's Wager?

Heraclitus comments on Sep 19, 2020:

Silly, if there is a God do you think you can fool him by pretending to believe in him just to avoid hell? That is not faith, that is fear. And if you can fool God...he is not God.

Since 1949 the USA has been involved in 72 attempted and actual regime changes throughout the ...

Heraclitus comments on Apr 5, 2022:

No, he was just subtextually calling for attempted regime change number 73.

Is atheism loosing ground owing to religious fundamentalism?

Heraclitus comments on Apr 14, 2022:

We are entering a time of increasing chaos and anxiety for a number of reasons. In such times people tend to turn more toward religion for comfort and hope. The religious fundamentals also tend to become emboldened and more vocal.

Make lying in politics illegal This should be common sense but please feel free to sign the ...

Heraclitus comments on Apr 20, 2022:

Both sides accuse each other of lying as it is. Democrats accuse Trump and Republicans of "the Big Lie" and Republics accuse Democrats of lying about and "stealing" the last election. This would mean no politician can say much of anything....On second thought...that's not a bad idea. :-)

Survival of the fittest?

Heraclitus comments on Nov 2, 2022:

It all depends upon how AI is programmed. AI does not evolve by natural evolution but by how we program it. It also depends upon whether or not AI ever obtains self-awareness and then does its own programming.

I don't get the concept of prayer.

Heraclitus comments on Dec 27, 2022:

I don't get it either. If God needs our advice and direction we are all in a heap of trouble!

[expose-news.com] “Global warming” is not global; the northern hemisphere is cooling

Heraclitus comments on Sep 29, 2023:

A very misleading title. There is nothing new or unexpected about the North Atlantic Oscillation. It was first observed in the 1770s. It is an expected irregular regional short-term fluctuation that affects winter weather. It does not in any way negate global warming. Moreover, consider the source. The Exposé, formerly known as The Daily Exposé, is a British conspiracist and fake news website created in 2020 by Jonathan Allen-Walker. It is known for publishing COVID-19 and anti-vaccine misinformation.

Does Objective Evidence for God Exist?

Heraclitus comments on Oct 8, 2023:

Are you advocating pantheism as the solution?

How do I define God?

Heraclitus comments on Nov 12, 2023:

So you are a pantheist.

This is literally nauseating U.

Heraclitus comments on Dec 6, 2023:

Israelis are aware that many, if not most, evangelicals belief that during the time of tribulation most Jews will either be killed or converted to Christianity. They are not too crazy about this Christian prophecy.

THE CREATOR OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS THE ROMAN EMPEROR FLAVIO VALERIO CONSTANTINO II, IT WAS CALLED...

Heraclitus comments on Dec 26, 2023:

If the Catholic Church started in 325 A.D., what existed as the "Roman Catholic Church" before then? In 325 A.D., Sylvester 1 was the 33rd Pope. What church did the previous 32 popes belong to if it was not the Catholic Church? BTW, papal infallibility does not mean that the pope is never wrong. BTW, the oldest titles used are "pope" and "pontiff" which actually date back to the middle of the 3rd century. It just was not formalized until later. The word pope derives from Greek πάππας or 'páppas', meaning 'father'. Catholic priests are call "father" to this day. BTW, the concept of the Trinity existed long before 325 A.D., but there were different versions of it. Constantine pushed to have it clarified in the Council of Nicea to end the division. BTW, According to a Dominican tradition, in 1208 the rosary was given to Dominic in an apparition by the Blessed Virgin Mary in the church of Prouille. In 1569, the papal bull Consueverunt Romani Pontifices by the Dominican Pope Pius V officially established the devotion to the rosary in the Catholic Church, but it was not "imposed" I am not a Catholic, but you should be careful with the use of the word "invention" and "imposed" A doctrinal clarification is not an "invention". The establishment of a prayer in not an "imposition", etc. By being sloppy in your terminology you only undercut your own argument and appear biased.

Religions origins.

Heraclitus comments on Dec 26, 2023:

Interesting idea, but I certainly don't think religion only exists because of boredom, or religion probably wouldn't exist today, at least to any measurable extent. I think it was originally more of a way of dealing with suffering, fear, and death, as it largely is today. And few people seeking entertainment today first think of going to church....boring!

[rumble.

Heraclitus comments on Jan 8, 2024:

Don't worry, we won't take your word for it, but Moscow, under Putin, is not the most reliable source of information. But, OK, give details. Who planned this alleged strategic operation...for decades? How and where did they create the pandemic virus? Why did it take them decades? How did they spread it? How did they protect themselves from it? How did creating the pandemic give them global control of the planet? Why is it that we cannot tell that they are controlling the planet? Do they plan to keep creating pandemics in order to "control" the world indefinitely? Is this one of those "they are controlling our minds through brainwashing vaccines" conspiracy theories? (I have had all the vaccines and I haven't noticed any loss of mind control...and I haven't gotten Covid.)

Godel on the afterlife.

Heraclitus comments on Feb 9, 2024:

I agree that Godel's Incompleteness Theorems are remarkable and awesome, but this is mostly about Godel's personal religious beliefs. He has good reason, based on his theorems, to denounce the falsity of absolute Materialism and even to hint at the existence of a "god", though that is undefined and indeterminate, but his illogical leap that the human soul is eternal simply does not follow. It is based on personal assumptions, beliefs, and eternal hope, certainly not on mathematical theorems.

Hard to imagine being bigger hypocrites than these peeps…..👀 [yahoo.com]

Heraclitus comments on Feb 27, 2024:

Which edition of the bible? Which translation of the 10 commandments? Which version of the 10 commandments? The text of the Ten Commandments appears in three different versions within the Bible: Exodus 20:2–17: This passage in Exodus provides the first account of the Ten Commandments. It includes the familiar commands such as not having other gods before the Lord, not making idols, keeping the Sabbath holy, honoring parents, and refraining from murder, adultery, theft, false witness, and coveting Deuteronomy 5:6–21: In Deuteronomy, we find a nearly identical repetition of the Ten Commandments. The wording is very similar to the version in Exodus, emphasizing the same moral principles. Exodus 34:11–26: This passage, known as the “Ritual Decalogue”, differs from the other two versions. Despite the claim in Exodus 34:1 that God would write the same words as on the former tablets, the content here diverges significantly. Moses is said to have written these words on the tablets, which include instructions related to worship practices and festivals. Most surface cultural Christians never deal with these questions because although they will swear on a stack of bibles that the bible is the true literal word of God, they don't bother to actually read the bible.

Seeing is believing

Heraclitus comments on Mar 21, 2024:

Now I know why there are so many atheists in the world.

Seeing is believing

Heraclitus comments on Mar 21, 2024:

Now I understand why there are so many atheists in the world.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS IN THEIR OWN WORDS “We don’t take an oath to a king or a queen...

Heraclitus comments on May 24, 2024:

And he has sworn revenge against all who have dared oppose him once he is President again, which it is beginning to look like it will happen. As Nikki Haley said, chaos follows him where ever he goes. Get ready for four years of chaotic revenge. Oh, and you can add this... https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/mitt-romney-eviscerate-donald-trump-phony-and-fraud-msna807426

Is Raising Your Kids Without Religion Better?

Heraclitus comments on Jun 29, 2024:

Not only are we losing separation of Church and State, but we are also losing our Freedom of Religion. I don't even really understand why, if you really believe in religion, what is the point of forcing it on people. What good is pretentious religion? It cannot possibly get you to heaven. If anything, you will go to hell for being a hypocrite. The problem of raising children to be religious is that it just perpetuates the pretentious cycle. Children soak up what they are taught as children out of absolute trust in authority. They may never recover from this trust and continue to believe in religious mythology, superstitions, and delusions their entire lives. But, even if they do eventually recover they tend to raise their children in a religion by rationalizing that their children can change their minds later when they are adult. And so it goes, and so it goes...

Human-like intelligence in animals is far more common than we thought | New Scientist

Heraclitus comments on Jul 9, 2024:

Maybe humans are not as intelligent as we like to think. With all of our intelligence we have had great difficulty understanding animal languages. We have barely scratched the surface.

Scientists Sound the Alarm Amid 13 Consecutive Months of Record-Breaking Heat | Truthout

Heraclitus comments on Jul 13, 2024:

Sadly, I think we will continue to fiddle around while Earth burns.

...Archie is always right? [youtu.be]

Heraclitus comments on Jul 21, 2024:

He certainly ain't left! :-)

According to pollster George Barna, the phrase “God helps those who help themselves” topped a ...

Heraclitus comments on Jul 26, 2024:

Well, since when do Christians actually read the Bible? Actually, it goes back to Aesop fables. Close enough to the Bible, right? https://www.biblegateway.com/blog/2017/06/did-you-know-the-saying-god-helps-those-who-help-themselves-isnt-in-the-bible/

Everything wrong with Candace Owens' conspiracy-laden anti-evolution rant -- Friendly Atheist

Heraclitus comments on Aug 2, 2024:

Ken Ham is very slick. He quickly flashes slides with a lot of small print in front of the audience to make his arguments look scientific, but they are not. Never trust what Ken Ham says about evolution.

No one who is young, or planning on having kids, or has kids, or has grandkids, or has great ...

Heraclitus comments on Aug 15, 2024:

Trump once claimed that global warming was a Chinese hoax in order to make it appear like a communist enemy plot. He also used to be against EVs, but since Elon Musk embraced him, Trump is now in favor of Tesla EVs. He recently claimed that the oceans only rise 1/8 inch over 400 yrs. Actually, they rise about 1/8 inch every 9 months. He then claimed that nuclear warming is much more of a threat than global warming, apparently as a nod to the use of fossils fuel over nuclear energy. Nuclear reactors, of course, have extensive cooling systems and give off little heat. Enormously more heat is given off by the cars of the world.

Supreme Court on ballot

Heraclitus comments on Oct 8, 2024:

Scarier than Trump are all the people who blindly follow this anti-Christ because they think he is their savior.

Welcome Superwhiff

Heraclitus comments on Nov 25, 2018:

Welcome

What will historians 2000 years from now regard as a barbaric practice of the 21st century that we ...

Heraclitus comments on Nov 25, 2018:

Colonoscopies.

Overpopulation – The Root Cause of Our Problems – Why Is It a Taboo Topic?

Heraclitus comments on Nov 25, 2018:

Didn't know it was taboo. Have heard people talk about it all my life, although I heard more talk about it when I was young. Also, I heard more talk about the possibility of nuclear war when I was young. Maybe it is just because we are more focused on terrorism, climate change and being replaced by robots. It is difficult to panic about too many things at once.

Randy Credico Exclusive Tell-All with Abby Martin on Wikileaks & Roger Stone--Abby Martin ...

Heraclitus comments on Nov 29, 2018:

Amazing. The circus never ends. Why did Trump surround himself with a bunch a amoral corrupt opportunists?

Welcome Dakin

Heraclitus comments on Nov 30, 2018:

Welcome and share your experiences.

alfa - look what I made beta - we don't have enough testers release - we can't sit on one project ...

Heraclitus comments on Dec 1, 2018:

Software is the only business that makes a fortune fixing its own mistakes.

Truer words were never spoken.

Heraclitus comments on Dec 1, 2018:

1 Corinthians 4:10

Dan Bongino - Obama, Mueller and the Biggest Scam in American History [youtube.

Heraclitus comments on Dec 3, 2018:

At the end he starts talking about the pearly gates and cosmic justice. Whoa.

Libertarians should also be atheists.... NO GOD in politics.....

Heraclitus comments on Dec 7, 2018:

Gee, that pretty much sums it up.

@JimPlatt2 Welcome Jim

Heraclitus comments on Dec 11, 2018:

Welcome

I’m With Progressives Against Impeachment [commondreams.

Heraclitus comments on Dec 12, 2018:

There could be a case made against impeachment, but I don't think you have made one. I think the calls for impeachment are premature, but to address your points: 1) If there is a case made for impeachment it won't be about personal morals. That wasn't even true for Clinton, Nixon, or Andrew Johnson. It would be about abuse of power, obstruction of justice, conspiracy to influence the election, perjury, etc. And if we never do anything to stop that, we can kiss what's left of our democracy goodbye. 2) You are ignoring the importance of scale as those are not the leader of our nation and the Free World. Corruption on a lesser scale does not justify corruption on a greater scale. But that notwithstanding, so what? Maybe they should be thrown out of office, too. Should we really just give up and declare all corruption to be OK? 3) The fact that other people are corrupt and culpable (who BTW are not the President and not as important) doesn't make the guilty innocent? What if we let a murderer off because other people murder. What if we let thieves off because other people steal? Etc. Try telling a cop that it makes no sense to give you a speeding ticket because other people speed. You can't justify corruption and evil with the excuse that other people are corrupt and evil. If that makes it OK we might as well throw out all our laws. What kind of a world would that be? 4) This simply is not true. There was a very extensive Stop Trump movement. It just failed. The fault lies with the American public who voted for Trump anyway, not those who tried to stop him and failed.

Sam Harris demolishes Christianity.

Heraclitus comments on Dec 12, 2018:

The Christian God is obviously not a loving God. Even if there was a God, I don't see how it could be the hateful Christian God.

I believe that religion is an early, primitive attempt to understand the world.

Heraclitus comments on Dec 15, 2018:

Agreed. Without the mystery of unanswered questions there would be no religion.

I rely on experts in their field to give me the facts or hypotheses.

Heraclitus comments on Dec 16, 2018:

The Multiverse is possible but it is just speculation. It is unlikely we will ever know one way or the other. BTW, the universe(s) could also take thousands of other forms that would also sustain life, just not life as we know it. I don't consider such speculation to be interesting, but not something to "believe" in one way or the other.

Did Adam have a belly button?

Heraclitus comments on Dec 22, 2018:

Hmm, this seems to be an argument for a Trickster God https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trickster

Welcome @Chris443

Heraclitus comments on Dec 23, 2018:

Welcome

Joseph's Myth

Heraclitus comments on Dec 23, 2018:

:)

Welcome Chris

Heraclitus comments on Jan 3, 2019:

Welcome, welcome.

How likely do you think it is that we will see a catabolic collapse of civilization globally by 2100...

Heraclitus comments on Jan 15, 2019:

I think the odds that civilization as we know it may collapse are about about even. The worst estimates that I have read are that about 90% of the human race will be destroyed. But, that would effectively mean the end of civilization as we know it. The human race is notoriously short-sighted.

"Only sheep need a shepherd." Voltaire

Heraclitus comments on Jan 16, 2019:

Well, that's most of us, unfortunately.

"Not far from the invention of fire... we must rank the invention of doubt." Thomas Henry Huxley

Heraclitus comments on Jan 16, 2019:

I doubt that doubt was ever actually invented.

Meaning of existence

Heraclitus comments on Jan 17, 2019:

Who says an atheist has no meaning for their existence? That is the false assumption of the narrow-minded theist.

From a mate of mine in Ecuador.

Heraclitus comments on Jan 19, 2019:

Interesting.

Welcome Vladman and Kamote

Heraclitus comments on Jan 19, 2019:

Welcome to outer darkness. :)

You can't be agnostic and athiest so..

Heraclitus comments on Jan 22, 2019:

How Can Someone be an Agnostic and an Atheist at the Same Time? https://www.patheos.com/blogs/godlessmom/2019/01/how-can-someone-be-an-agnostic-and-an-atheist-at-the-same-time/?utm_source=Newsletter=email

Don't think there is "method" in philosophy, especially modern philosophy.

Heraclitus comments on Jan 25, 2019:

No method or no method that you recognize? Please give some examples of "methodless" philosophy.

Welcome sharkymama

Heraclitus comments on Jan 27, 2019:

Welcome.

I am a big fan of Matt.

Heraclitus comments on Feb 2, 2019:

Matt Dillahunty is great at dismantling the pseudo-logic of theists.

[askforevidence.org] EVIDENCE HUNTER PACK available

Heraclitus comments on Feb 2, 2019:

Sounds encouraging. Something adults could use, as well.

This is the narrative from: God's 12 Biggest Dick Moves in the Old Testament, Rob Bricken, ...

Heraclitus comments on Feb 2, 2019:

So, God creates someone a certain way and then disowns his "mistakes"?

So, why are you an Atheist?

Heraclitus comments on Feb 3, 2019:

Honesty. Why pretend to believe something you don't know?

Apparently out Islamic Brethren are in a flap again because if one takes the term "Nike air max" ...

Heraclitus comments on Feb 4, 2019:

Stepping on Allah is considered pretty badly blasphemous in the Muslim world. And there are probably some who suspect this similar design was intentional. It is so hard not to blaspheme nowadays.

???? you have to laugh that anyone ever believed

Heraclitus comments on Feb 4, 2019:

Sounds a lot like the legend of Heracles, doesn't it?

Can Anti-Matter Generate Anti-Gravity?

Heraclitus comments on Feb 7, 2019:

Hello, I agree that there is no causal correlation between electrical charge and gravity, and I do not know why some people assume that. There is no causal correlation between electrical charge and gravity in matter, so why would there be in anti-matter? The fact that some particles are their own anti-particle would seem to shoot that assumption down. I do not agree that a TOE demands that casually demands that electrical charge be connected to gravity. Though you may find a TOE that demands that, there are and have been many TOEs, none of which has proven to be successful theories, BTW. I also don't agree that dark energy means creation ex-nihilo. There is no "extra" energy involved, but rather the idea is that there is inherent energy in the quantum field(s) that is, is essence, released as the effect of gravity via constant space-time expansion is continually diminished. This is not hard to explain or imagine. Any object accelerates as the gravity restraining it diminishes as any object escaping the gravity of Earth would do if the same continual energy was applied. Also, it is not true that there "should" be an equal amount of matter and anti-matter in the Universe. That is an assumption made by symmetry worshipers (Einstein was one). The Universe is full of random fluctuations, and just a slight fluctuation would result in a universe like ours. The amount of matter in our Universe is relatively speaking very, very small. Also, it is not true that an electron and a positron always go Ka-Boom when they meet. As with any two charged objects, electrons and positrons may also interact with each other at high energies without annihilating, in general by elastic scattering. At high energies, other particles, such as B mesons or the W and Z bosons, can be created. It is also interesting to note that an anti-matter universe would be going backwards in time relative to us, but would be experienced by the life in it as going forward in time. We would appear to be going backwards in time to them. The behavior of a matter particle going backwards in time, and that of a antiparticle are exactly the same...which I find fascinating.

Hello fellow Carolinians! I was going to say Tarheels but I remembered our southern sister ...

Heraclitus comments on Feb 7, 2019:

Well, some say its gamecocks. Don't think that's official, though.

Religion = intolerance

Heraclitus comments on Feb 8, 2019:

Scarily true.

PS 16 11 - In your right hands, there are pleasures forever

Heraclitus comments on Feb 22, 2019:

Now that's my kind of church...and it's free. :)

The Bible Awaits You

Heraclitus comments on Feb 23, 2019:

Has such hateful ranting EVER converted anyone?

Welcome BestWithoutGods

Heraclitus comments on Feb 25, 2019:

Welcome!

I was raised in a Mormon family and I currently attend a Unitarian Universalist.

Heraclitus comments on Feb 28, 2019:

You seem to fit the agnostic category.

"A foolish faith in authority is the worst enemy of the truth.

Heraclitus comments on Mar 3, 2019:

Yes, Einstein had a brilliant imagination but struggled with math because of his youthful rebellion. He often had to call on mathematician friends if his, including his wife, to help him with the complex math. https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/may/22/science.research

Dial L for Life You exist.

Heraclitus comments on Mar 3, 2019:

Yes, there might be a Multiverse, but I do not buy the pseudo-logic of a finely-tuned universe. As you you yourself have stated, our universe is 99.999% plus NOT bio-friendly. Our universe is extremely hostile to life. So, if there is a creator god, why is he so incredibly incompetent, wasteful and sloppy? Also, it is not necessarily true that if these "dials" were not all set to 5's there would not be any life. Just not life as we know and understand it. It is our extremely human-centric pride and lack of imagination that causes us to assume that if life were not as we know it, it couldn't exist.

Welcome Marcus

Heraclitus comments on Mar 13, 2019:

Welcome

I DO believe this: to talk incessantly about something is to give it life, in this case totally ...

Heraclitus comments on Mar 16, 2019:

I think that the only way you can believe in science is in the sense that you believe that the scientific method is a valid approach to discovering empirical reality. Beyond that I don't believe in the theory of evolution. I don't believe in the theory of gravity. I don't believe in thermodynamics. I don't believe in electromagnetism. I don't believe in trigonometry. Perhaps, the biggest mistake of recent times is to make a religion out of science and a science out of religion. Both get cheapened and undermined in the process.

Welcome alpha

Heraclitus comments on Mar 16, 2019:

Welcome to outer darkness. :)

I have a question for everyone that I think is kind of interesting.

Heraclitus comments on Mar 16, 2019:

The wink of God's eye. ;)

Welcome @Recordstatic

Heraclitus comments on Mar 20, 2019:

Welcome apostate. :)

“Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I will bring on them a disaster they cannot escape.

Heraclitus comments on Mar 26, 2019:

Hmm, I deaf god...that's all we need in addition to his blindness to human misery.

Ezekiel 14:9 (NRSV) - If a prophet is deceived and speaks a word, I, the Lord, have deceived that ...

Heraclitus comments on Mar 27, 2019:

So, God creates false prophets? Wow! He sure has created a lot of them.

You need both a certain point balance and have some morality and know when not cross a certain ...

Heraclitus comments on Mar 27, 2019:

So, what's to debate?

As an ex science teacher, everyday I think " If only they had learned ' that ' bit of science they ...

Heraclitus comments on Mar 27, 2019:

The theory of evolution. Everyone I have met who doesn't "believe" in evolution has not understood it.

Unbelievable, that they had to do this Utah Legalizes Sex Outside Marriage After Governor Signs ...

Heraclitus comments on Mar 29, 2019:

Someone must have been attempting to enforce this law forcing the Utah government to roll it back to keep a lot of people from being jailed.

God Will Provide?

Heraclitus comments on Apr 1, 2019:

Uh...how about God help those who help themselves? ;)

OK folks... What's a free thinker and why aren't there many posts in this group?

Heraclitus comments on Apr 6, 2019:

I think most people are attracted to the idea of being a freethinker, but it implies subjects so broad that it doesn't immediately bring posts to mind.

Kennedy said "ask not what your country can do for you.

Heraclitus comments on Apr 6, 2019:

Who writes this guy's comedy routines?

Classic Sartre . . .

Heraclitus comments on Apr 6, 2019:

Same as it always was.

Greta Christina: Do believers in a tri-omni God act like they believe in one?

Heraclitus comments on Apr 6, 2019:

In my experience, not only do not most Christians not really believe in what their church teaches, they don't even really know what they are supposed to believe according to their church.

Did Jesus of Nazareth exist?

Heraclitus comments on Apr 15, 2019:

I have no problem accepting that an itinerant Jewish peacher Jesus (not really named Jesus as that is a Greek name) actually existed and was later mythologized into the Jesus of the Gospels. The Mythists like to deny that such a man even existed, but they have their own agenda and stretch the truth to arrive at a conclusion that they started out with. In the light of serious historical scholarship, the Mythists simply perpetuate another myth. http://stevendimattei.com/case-mythists/

Arguments about God?

Heraclitus comments on Apr 16, 2019:

I too find the argument by Plantinga incredible, but I do think he is right about one thing. Most people do believe without any real reason to do so other than they were raised to so believe and it makes them feel good, comfortable and secure to continue to do so. It is called blind faith. The fine-tuning argument is basically bogus: 1) The so called fine-tuning is not as "fine" as theists would often have you believe. There is a range to these variables, though a small one, so it is not as precisely "tuned" as they would have you believe. So, if God is perfect, why didn't he get it precisely right in his so-called "fine tuning"? This is an argument for a somewhat sloppy God. 2) It is not true that if any of these variables were changed beyond these ranges that life would not exist. Just that life as we know it would not exist. It is this narrow-minded assumption and lack of imagination, along with anthropic arrogance that life must be modeled after us, that underlies the theistic fine-tuning argument. We really have no idea what kind of life forms might exist in hypothetical different universes as we have no such experience to relate it to. 3) This universe, as far as we know, is actually extremely hostile to life. It appears that in 99% plus of the universe life, as least we know it, doesn't exit and it may be impossible for it to exist. This is the theist argument of an extremely wasteful God. 4) If any of the multiverse theories (hypotheses) are correct, then there is actually a virtual certainty (you approach a mathematical limit) that life would exist in at least one, if not many, universes. Theists dishonestly fail to mention this because it would undercut their entire argument. As for your Simulated (Virtual Reality) Universe proposal, it is entirely possible and there is even some evidence for it at the quantum level of physics.

Closer to Reality: Some Theology About Jesus.

Heraclitus comments on Apr 18, 2019:

Look, I don't believe in Jesus Christ, but you are being silly. Of course, he could handle 3 nails, but he chose to die for sake of the Atonement. Very, very basic Christian theology. We don't know what Jesus actually said. It is all hearsay.

Closer to Reality: Some More Theology About Jesus.

Heraclitus comments on Apr 18, 2019:

That's right. It is a matter of pure faith, or perhaps more accurately, blind faith. So, what's new?