Paul4747's Profile

The manner in which most people use the term "atheist" is unfortunate, because such usage suggests a...

Paul4747 comments on Nov 23, 2019:

I think you're on thin ice. Disbelief and non-belief are the same for some people, but not for all. Agnostic atheists don't believe there is/are a god/gods because of a lack of evidence, but don't claim certain knowledge of this nonexistence. That is non-belief, but not disbelief (if I understand your terms). Disbelief would be a position of certainty about whether gods exist. Gnostic atheists are convinced of the nonexistence of god/gods. That is both non-belief *and* disbelief. All this is just semantics in any case, and I'm moved to ask (as I think others have)- does it move us forward particularly?

Overweight man rejects overweight women. What's up with that?

Paul4747 comments on Nov 23, 2019:

Well now, that's just damn hypocritical (I mean on his part). Number one, he expects a woman to show him consideration for his physical appearance that he's not willing to show in return. Number two, it's apparently *all* about the physical where he's concerned. The only role he seems to see for women is as an audience for his stories. I can't speak for anyone else, but women of all shapes can be appealing (and have been and are) to me. It's the personality, intellect, and desire that's important, especially how those elements click with mine. Of the things that went south in my marriage, the one thing I can say didn't matter to me was my ex's weight.

Women get so emotional.

Paul4747 comments on Nov 21, 2019:

I don't know why I've always been much more willing to follow a strong and compassionate woman, over an egotistical jackass of a man. Maybe because I have more of a team ethos and am not intent on "winning" at the cost of everyone else losing.

It’s time for us to have an unapologetic atheist in the Oval Office

Paul4747 comments on Nov 18, 2019:

But I would settle for any well-trained primate who won't go around soiling the furniture, tearing up precedent, and hurling feces at the foreign policy. Like a gibbon or an orangutan. Even someone from the Greens, at a pinch.

Yeah, like I want to be told by an 81 year old atheist in a PM that he hasn't had sex in a year.

Paul4747 comments on Nov 17, 2019:

I'm not telling... at what point in a conversation or relationship the subject comes up as far as I'm concerned, but it's certainly not in the second message we exchange. It has to be organic to the conversation and feel like it's right to bring it up. It has to feel to me like she is asking the question.

Finally watching Marvel's Endgame and.

Paul4747 comments on Nov 16, 2019:

Sorry about the further spoilers, but- there is another film in this phase of the Marvel film universe that continues the overall setting on, and confirms the aftermath of Infinity War/ Endgame.

Ohio Law Would Allow Students To Give Wrong Answers Because Of Religious Belief | Michael Stone

Paul4747 comments on Nov 14, 2019:

My sincere belief that pi=3 gave me these answers on the math test. Go ahead, flunk me out- I dare ya.

This is that Monty Python Medieval Logic.

Paul4747 comments on Nov 11, 2019:

1) If Vulcans do not exist, Star Trek would not exist. 2) Star Trek exists. 3) Vulcans exist.

An incident concerning the following recently occurred in a political setting; hence, posting it in ...

Paul4747 comments on Nov 11, 2019:

Not to tee off on your friend's one particular analogy, but: "There are no good cops" until you need to call 911. As someone who works within "the system", I would tell your friend that the overwhelming majority of cops are good cops. Also overwhelmed, outnumbered and outgunned in high-crime areas, and faced with a public that is often hostile, distrusting, and shoving camera phones in their faces at traffic stops. I'm the last to say the police are always right. But the officer on the street (and the line officer in the prison system) is making life or death decisions all the time, that most people will never face. The default decision has to be to protect themselves first. It's easier to critique these decisions than to make them. Sorry... this is one of my buttons.

The question of the so-called "fine-tuning" of the universe and its basic constants is one of the ...

Paul4747 comments on Nov 6, 2019:

I'm somewhere between explanations 2 and 3, if I understand them properly. Our thinking about the question, however, is putting the cart before the horse. To say the universe is "tuned" in some way to permit life begs the question, how do we know life would not come about in some other universe with a different set of rules? We imagine that this universe containing life as we know it is the only possible one, because we have a severely constrained imagination. We almost can't imagine what another form of life would be like. It's like trying to imagine what purple sounds like.

Catholic Church investigating nuns who returned pregnant after Africa trip

Paul4747 comments on Nov 6, 2019:

Shouldn't they be investigating the fathers? As usual, the women get the blame and the babies, too.

Criticizing the doctrine of Islam does not mean the person doing so is a xenophobe,Islamophobe, or ...

Paul4747 comments on Nov 6, 2019:

The problem is that so many xenophobes, Islamophobes, and people who hate Muslims do simply hide behind the banner of, "I'm just criticizing the doctrine!" All religions are equally false and fictional. I refuse to be co-opted into one side or the other of the religious war. I'm against all of them, because they're all (with a few honorable exceptions) against me.

Picture Not Perfect

Paul4747 comments on Nov 6, 2019:

I seem to be able to. And now I see the solution was found, so now I leave you with this meme.

It is my birthday.

Paul4747 comments on Nov 4, 2019:

I'm about to be 54 and I *wish* I were in as good a shape as you ;)

Religious anonymous??

Paul4747 comments on Nov 4, 2019:

Motivated by your question, I went looking for atheist support networks on the internet. It was a little depressing, but I did find this resource guide for atheists recovering from religion: https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/secular-living And have you considered looking for atheist groups on Meetups?

Well hello everyone, I'm brand new here and still working out navigating the site and have stumbled ...

Paul4747 comments on Nov 4, 2019:

Yes. @LiterateHiker can explain it all. Don't ask me, though, I'm rubbish. But welcome aboard.

Anyone in Australia ?

Paul4747 comments on Nov 4, 2019:

I see the quota of clever remarks about the population of Australia has already been filled, so I will abstain for the time being.

Sweet Jesus 😂🤣

Paul4747 comments on Nov 4, 2019:

I feel like he might go against the tide and use something European. FN or maybe H&K. I always find myself bemused when European nations criticize the American arms industry. They have quite major and well-financed arms exporting businesses of their own, that support a lot of workers and would lose a lot of money without foreign sales, including sales to civilians in the U.S.

It's great to see lots of new members sharing interests and discussion.

Paul4747 comments on Nov 4, 2019:

How can I tell if I'm the old dynamic or the new dynamic? Because I feel kind of old and not very dynamic right now, until I get my arm out of this frakkin' sling.

Poll: Can we not have questions directed at one group or another without the other non-requested ...

Paul4747 comments on Nov 4, 2019:

Sometimes I answer poll questions if it seems to me that I have something to contribute, even if I'm not in the specified group that was being asked. It ought to be pretty clear from my photo what group I do belong to, in some cases, but I try to make it clear in others. If I think it's a case where I would get upset over the question, I often just stay above the fray.

Sex appeal in workplace?

Paul4747 comments on Nov 2, 2019:

As someone who, over the course of 20 years in a career, has witnessed more couples of different rank in relationships than I can count on a long day, and against regulations as they have almost all been between direct supervisors and the staff under them (no pun intended)- I'm going to say "no". It causes nothing but trouble.

Real 'Garden of Eden' where ALL humans originated 200,000 years ago finally found in Botswana

Paul4747 comments on Nov 2, 2019:

I would be disappointed if the scientists were the ones who used this phrase. As for theists- they have trouble with metaphors. They won't understand that this isn't scientific evidence of a Biblical myth.

PA Lawmakers Spent $1.

Paul4747 comments on Nov 2, 2019:

There is one (count'em, one) openly atheist member of the PA legislature. He is not allowed to give the invocation, *He is a member of the freaking House*. Everyone else, even the first Muslim member, can give the invocation, I'm baffled by the court's mental gymnastics to get around the Establishment clause and reverse the lower court decision.

Most people on here are atheists and that's cool and all but who on here is truly agnostic.

Paul4747 comments on Nov 2, 2019:

This was the view of many of the Founders. The question, though, has to be: if a god set up the universe by natural law, what set up that god? Where did god come from?

Religious Conservatives Lash Out at Kellogg’s Over “Anti-Christian” Cereal | Hemant Mehta | ...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 29, 2019:

Did I miss where "Spirit Day" is the new non-threatening Halloween or something?

Religious Conservatives Lash Out at Kellogg’s Over “Anti-Christian” Cereal | Hemant Mehta | ...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 27, 2019:

Also, it's some kind of balls for Ken Hamm (rabid creationist) to call something "anti-science". I can't even...

Religious Conservatives Lash Out at Kellogg’s Over “Anti-Christian” Cereal | Hemant Mehta | ...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 27, 2019:

I don't know about "anti-Christian" but I don't fancy eating a bowl of that. Too many flavors mixed up. Diversity is one thing, but not in my breakfast cereal.

I have asked on social media, did God know Adam and Eve were going to sin when he created them.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 27, 2019:

It's all a paradox and can't be answered. If there is omniscience, then it means that "God" knows what I'm going to do of my own free will, and if there's omnipotence, "He" made me that way; therefore, how can I be blamed for anything? It's like setting up a row of dominoes and being angry when they fall. The only real answer is that religionists prefer to believe in their god, even when logic dictates he can't possibly exist. Or is insane, if he does...

Green Potatoes for Six

Paul4747 comments on Oct 26, 2019:

My first thought was, "Is this a Dr Seuss poem?" 🤔🙄

So this is a poll... do atheists believe in capital in capital punishment?

Paul4747 comments on Oct 25, 2019:

I doubt there's a correlation, any more than between religious people who supposedly believe in the "right to life" and at the same time, often support and push for execution. Personally, I don't, except in the most clear-cut and egregious cases- say, a school shooting or serial killer in which there is no doubt whatsoever that *this*, this here, *this right here* is the guy who did it. (And it is overwhelmingly males who commit crimes of this nature.) I supported the death penalty for those involved in planning the 9/11 attacks as well, to the extent we could prove who were the masterminds, not simply messengers or cogs in the machinery. Simply belonging to Al-Qaeda during 2001 was not sufficient to be tortured to death in some shithole country that extradited people for us.

"Just whip it out."

Paul4747 comments on Oct 25, 2019:

I thought this was something to do with Blazing Saddles.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0wKf8KEYnY

Does this quote resonate with you?

Paul4747 comments on Oct 22, 2019:

I have a visceral reaction to this. I don't believe life will break me (or by extension, anyone else) as long as I resist. The act of resistance is victory.

SHOULD AGNOSTICS & ATHEISTS CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN?

Paul4747 comments on Oct 22, 2019:

I might add, should atheists or agnostics celebrate any holiday, since technically we would have no holy days whatsoever? I hark back to the golem Constable Dorfl in Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels, one of that world's only atheists, who said, "Either All Days Are Holy, Or None Of Them Are." (That's how golems talk on the Discworld, just go with it.) And it should be noted that this was a fictional world where gods actually intervene, and live physically on a mountain, so it takes some chutzpah to be an atheist. He demanded rational proof of the existence of gods. When holy lightning struck him, melting his helmet off, Dorfl commented, "I Don't Call That A Very Convincing Argument."

Why so many posts about God?

Paul4747 comments on Oct 22, 2019:

I feel it's probably by those who are still not certain of their beliefs (technically non-beliefs) and want to clarify their thinking. Those like me, who are interested in theology, even though we don't believe a word of it, tend to respond and keep the threads going. I also keep an open mind and read this kind of thing because, who knows, someone may have a logical argument that I've never seen before that will make me believe, against all expectation, in the existence of some god. It hasn't happened yet and I don't expect it, but just in case...

SHOULD AGNOSTICS & ATHEISTS CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN?

Paul4747 comments on Oct 22, 2019:

It's basically a holiday that celebrates giving away candy, scaring the snot out of little children, & lurking in the bushes with a garden hose to drench any kid that looks like he has intentions of egging or toilet papering your house. Why not join in?

Green Party communications manager Michael O’Neils, peaking on behalf of the Green Party, Friday.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 21, 2019:

"Ranked choice voting and proportional representation" aren't in the Constitution. Maybe the Greens want the US to look more like Italy or something, but it doesn't. The fact is, the Greens and Libertarians sucked votes from the Democratic party and that's how Trump managed to slither in in a few key races. The same happened in Florida 2000, then we got Bush II. Way to go, guys. Now they blame the 2 parties for their inability to drum up votes. Greens and Libertarian voters want the perfect but they aren't going to get it. What they get instead is the satisfaction of making a statement. Meanwhile, the Republicans get the White House.

Opposite beliefs in a relationship

Paul4747 comments on Oct 21, 2019:

I wish I could help. I only know that the worst kind of opposite beliefs in marriage are the most intimate. For instance, I believe the toilet paper should be hung so that the paper rolls off the top. My ex believed it should roll off the bottom. It was irreconcilable differences.

Ok.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 21, 2019:

Point of order: Calling out factually incorrect beliefs is not the same thing as "bashing". For example, if someone believes that the Universe is 6,000 years old, or that no species ever alive evolved from another, and these are cornerstones of their belief system, these are factually wrong and should be corrected. How these beliefs then reflect on a belief in a Creator entity is up to the person involved to decide. And then, of course, we have the realm of politics, which you didn't bring up, but which currently contains a very fertile ground for bashing, especially when there are so many verifiable factual statements that are being misstated. Now, the manner in which one goes about correcting can be seen as "bashing", but that's subjective. Surely you're not calling for errors of fact to be left unchallenged for eternity?

How many of you have been told you are going to hell?

Paul4747 comments on Oct 19, 2019:

Already been there. It's up near this town called Pinckney. I've seen worse. Now if I had to spend eternity in, for instance, Flint, that might frighten me. The size of the motel cockroaches alone...

Stephen Hawking Says, in Final Book, “There Is No God.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 17, 2019:

He's dead??! When did that happen? Shit, I got to start watching the news again...

Ideally, should religious people be:

Paul4747 comments on Oct 16, 2019:

Seen & not heard. They have such childlike minds.

Very many of us talk about the negativity in the media, in the public conversation such as it is, in...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 16, 2019:

Here's what it is: The nice things that are happening, on a small scale (such as, my group insurance through work is going to cover massage therapy starting next year, so that's nice, and laser eye surgery will have a one-time payout, so I will think about it, maybe I can lose these glasses for a decade or two...), are outweighed by the shit things that are happening on the world scale. So, it may feel nice to contemplate when something nice happens for someone, but it doesn't change the fact that we just abandoned the Kurds and gave Russia a huge advantage in the Middle East. All because our president doesn't have a damn clue about foreign policy, he just thinks it will appeal to the America First crowd.

Why are you a humanist?

Paul4747 comments on Oct 16, 2019:

They taste good when properly cooked. No, wait, that's "Why are you a humanitarian". Like, "Why are you a vegetarian".

Ralph Reed: Christians Have a “Moral Obligation” to Support Donald Trump in 2020 | Sarahbeth ...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 16, 2019:

"Your moral obligation is to support this abominably indecent and immoral man. He may be a liar and a rapist, but he's *our* liar and rapist." The Republican party and the Religious Right are riding into this election with their double standard waving proudly in the air, and somehow *nobody* is calling them on it.

Televangelist: Christians Who Don’t Vote Trump Are ‘Guilty Of Murder’ | Michael Stone

Paul4747 comments on Oct 16, 2019:

So, he doesn't seem very concerned about Trump's hurry-up on resuming Federal executions then? Because I personally consider the death of a born, possibly innocent, definitely human human being more provoking than the fate of a not-born, not-yet-thinking embryo. Yet somehow the "Christians" don't. It's amazing how, before the 1980s, this was a non-issue, but then it was chosen as *the* cultural wedge to drive religious voters away from the Democrats and into the Republican party.

Should the Supreme Court Be Reformed?

Paul4747 comments on Oct 15, 2019:

FDR tried adding justices back in the '30s, it didn't work then either. America is a deeply conservative nation, with brief spurts of liberalism. This is reflected in our history. The liberal periods bring about vast reactionary forces, which we are living through right now. Partly this is because it's so much easier to unite and hate something new than it is to unite and push for change. It's easier, for instance, to hate Obamacare than it is to support a complex health care law. But slowly, liberalism becomes the status quo.

Trump: Mexicans Are a Bigger Threat Than the ISIS Prisoners I Let Escape [vanityfair.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 15, 2019:

"Let the rest of the world go to hell, as long as I get my wall..." Betray your allies and let your friend, Putin, step into the vacuum, because he is a very fine person. He told you he is, after all. Next up- American troops pulling out of South Korea.

A Pastor Used the Death of an Atheist Mom’s Baby as a Sermon Illustration | Hemant Mehta | ...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 15, 2019:

So let me get his "message" straight. Tragedy can strike you due to your "sin" of lacking faith in god. So, god (who controls everything) drowned this woman's child because she's an atheist. How, then, does he explain the tragedies which happen to all the believers in his church every Sunday? He reminds me of the guest pastor who spoke at my ex-wife's great-aunt's funeral and really started me down the road to atheism. That one said that if you had led a blameless life, but were in danger of backsliding and falling into sin, god might "take you before your time" to prevent you from going to hell. So... god killed an 89-year-old woman who was about to do some type of sin, according to this theory. Right...

I decided to do the DNA test to discover who I really am.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 12, 2019:

I wanted to know who I really was, so I looked in a mirror until I was sure that was me.

What book (or series) would you like to see made into a movie?

Paul4747 comments on Oct 12, 2019:

*Armor* by John Steakley. We certainly have the technology now to do the 3m tall alien ants now, although it would take some imagination to pull off the biggest twist of the book without completely blowing the reveal. It would make up for the mess John carpenter made of Steakley's second novel, *Vampire$*, turning it into the absolutely awful and formulaic *John Carpenter's "Vampires"*. In, fact, tell you what, I'd like to see a proper adaptation of *Vampire$* as well. Probably a series would be needed to do either one right, they're both incredibly rich and complex novels.

Elizabeth Warren trolls Facebook with ad claiming Zuckerberg supports Trump.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 12, 2019:

Well... I'm going to be forced to support whoever eventually is on the ballot with a D next to their name. Doesn't mean I'll like them necessarily. I'll probably end up working for change from within.

Watching a talk by Neil deGrasse Tyson and thought of the fact that trump is building cathedrals ...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 12, 2019:

It's a Freudian thing. His hotels are phallic symbols. Ask Melania what he's compensating for...

The nightmare scenario! Glenn Kirschner @glennkirschner2: 1.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 12, 2019:

How do you get to "#9 he can cancel the election altogether"? I'm sure he would like to, but that would be beyond the pale even for this Court.

High Court Chief Justice Susan Kiefel gives Capilano Honey the green light to poison the Australian ...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 12, 2019:

What I'm reading here is that Shane Dowling is the Alex Jones of Australia, a conspiracy theorist accusing companies of selling poisonous fake honey and accusing judges of being pedophiles, then being surprised when his seemingly frivolous allegations and lawsuits don't get resolved the way he expected. In this current matter, from what I can tell, he made a motion to appeal to the High Court and the justices dismissed it because his cases hadn't been through the lower courts in New South Wales yet. "In each matter, the applicant’s application for an order for removal under s 40 of the Judiciary Act 1903 (Cth) of a cause now pending in the Supreme Court of New South Wales is refused. No proper basis for removal of each cause is identified and, given the current state of each cause, an order for removal is premature. Moreover, there is no basis identified to fragment the ordinary judicial process." This is corruption?

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

Paul4747 comments on Oct 12, 2019:

I used to masturbate a lot, but the older you get, the less practical that becomes... now I read a lot more.

The US lets down another ally.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 12, 2019:

Make sure you distinguish between "The United States" and the moron currently commanding the troops to bail out. Turkey mortared our Special Forces already, aiming at Kurds who were in the same neighborhood, and gave a lame excuse... Trump has put our troops in danger, but you don't hear Republicans talking about it. He is unfit to be Commander In Chief. But that's something we always knew.

William Barr: Our Less Christian Society Is To Blame For Mental Illness And Drug Abuse

Paul4747 comments on Oct 12, 2019:

He doesn't read his own DoJ statistics, does he? Violent crime is *down*, in this era of increased secularism... maybe people these days feel it's not excusable to commit incest or rape or murder because there are so many example in the Bible?

Ex-U.S. Attorney Reveals Sign Trump Is About To Throw Giuliani Under The Bus

Paul4747 comments on Oct 12, 2019:

I suggest a new nickname: Rudy "Speed-Bump" Giuliani

Not the tan suit!