there seems to me to be way to much animosity towards religion.

Storm1752 comments on Dec 15, 2019:

I disagree. I have just the right amount of hostility toward religion...not too much, not too little...just right. Tastes good. Try some.

Storm1752 replies on Dec 15, 2019:

@blzjz Not if you exercise discretion, and respect your enemy and his or her opinions. My handyman is a Christian...good guy, knows his stuff. I don't confront him, find ways around the subject; we get along fine. I have no quarrel with him, just his beliefs. He doesn't know any better. Unlike Christians, I feel no compulsion to 'convert' him. Besides it'd probably only sow discord and discontent and, as you say, might even get me in trouble. Not interested in THAT!

I pray that my first post on this website is a success and that it helps me level up to eventually ...

LiterateHiker comments on Dec 14, 2019:

The Republican Party would be dead and buried in the shameful past. Trump would be in prison. Trump's enablers would be voted out. America would have no gun violence. Assault weapons would be outlawed. Climate change would be reversed. Oceans, rivers and streams would have no ...

Storm1752 replies on Dec 15, 2019:

@dumasarok I'm wondering where you learned your history. Or are you just TRYING to be a smart a*s? Everybody knows the Republican Party of Lincoln's time is now the Democratic Party, to belabor the obvious. A simplification, as is the fact the Republican Party of today used to be the Democratic Party. At least as far as race politics go.

It is impossible to believe a person (a man named 'Jesus,' for instance) did what is described in ...

Word comments on Dec 13, 2019:

According to who ever and wikipedia, the book called James is considered to be written by a sibling of Jesus. The author identifies himself as "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ" who is writing to "the twelve tribes scattered abroad". The epistle is traditionally attributed ...

Storm1752 replies on Dec 15, 2019:

@Word The "Book of James" was written in refined Greek, YEARS after any such 'James' would have and probably DIDN'T live. It wasn't even noticed for centuries. Could that mean it wasn't WRITTEN for centuries? Yes, it could You use the usual weasel words, I notice: "traditionally," and "generally considered to be .." Has it ever occurred to you the "scholars" in question are all committed Christians whose starting point is a strong assumption these books are legitimate historical documents rather than skillfully-wrought fiction?

A lot of the arguments in support of the bible focus on the historical accuracy of the texts, then ...

Storm1752 comments on Dec 15, 2019:

I'll let you sort out the "fact" from fiction, the "accuracies" from the inaccuracies... I just know the whole thing is fictitious inaccuracies and leave it at that. For instance, there was no Moses. No historical record of an Egyptian Captivity, okay? No historical record of any David or ...

Storm1752 replies on Dec 15, 2019:

@Word They discovered some Jewish buildings and you think that "proves" David was an actual king of an actual kingdom? Hahaha.

there seems to me to be way to much animosity towards religion.

Kohelath comments on Dec 14, 2019:

Atheism has gained respectability in the first world countries, but don't rest on your laurels. Still, there is a LOOOOOOT of anti-theist posts here

Storm1752 replies on Dec 15, 2019:

@blzjz Such a saintlike creature you are! Almost like...no! Is it YOU, Lord? Have you come to SAVE us? Hallelujah!

there seems to me to be way to much animosity towards religion.

AnneWimsey comments on Dec 14, 2019:

It isn't exactly "animosity towards religion", it is the way organized religion treats others, IMO, in direct contradiction to WWJD!

Storm1752 replies on Dec 15, 2019:

@AnneWimsey Jesus wants family members to draw their swords and kill each other. There are certain siblings I don't like, but I think I'll not do what Jesus would, in this case.

there seems to me to be way to much animosity towards religion.

Fernapple comments on Dec 14, 2019:

Yes they may pass, (not proved but ok) and I am happy in my freedom. But I reserve the right to be outraged, on behalf of those of my fellow humans, and other creatures, who still suffer, and to fear that I may one day be among them.

Storm1752 replies on Dec 15, 2019:

@blzjz Outrage is a form of violence? Are you high on some hallucinogen?

there seems to me to be way to much animosity towards religion.

dinoid comments on Dec 14, 2019:

Animosity and empathy, love and hate, failure and achievement - which are negative and which are positive? Each compliments the other, so there are no negative emotions in the greater scheme of things. In sport or politics and indeed in religion there are different levels of intellect; this is ...

Storm1752 replies on Dec 15, 2019:

@blzjz How do you figure that? Are you going to muzzle or kill the shouters while you're at it? You may be on to something.

there seems to me to be way to much animosity towards religion.

Paul4747 comments on Dec 14, 2019:

I'm plenty happy with my freedom. Religion, on the other hand, is not. Therefore, like Jefferson, I have sworn eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.

Storm1752 replies on Dec 15, 2019:

@blzjz Where did you get that half-baked idea? Since when does hostility enslave? Seems to me it liberates.

there seems to me to be way to much animosity towards religion.

blzjz comments on Dec 14, 2019:

this seems to be a jackpot post.... are we still having fun?

Storm1752 replies on Dec 15, 2019:

Congratulations! You've discovered many if not most people on this site really, really hate religion. How did you know? Are you psychic?

there seems to me to be way to much animosity towards religion.

skado comments on Dec 14, 2019:

There seems to be way too much misunderstanding about what "religion" is, and isn't. I'm happy to give full credit for that misunderstanding to Richard Dawkins, Chris Hitchens, and a tip o' the hat to Sam Harris. What they really meant was *corrupt* religion, and they know it, and have said as ...

Storm1752 replies on Dec 15, 2019:

Oh gee, thanks for setting us all straight: it's CORRUPT religion we should be hostile toward, not all the good, decent religions full of light and wisdom! Got it. Thanks. Now explain to me how an organization can be wise when it is based on fiction and outright lies. Explain how to reform a falsehood to make it better, how that's preferable to simply eliminating it. Explain to me the shortcomings of OBJECTIVE, verifiable TRUTH, and in what ways exactly it is "unhealhy."

there seems to me to be way to much animosity towards religion.

FlyingEagle1952 comments on Dec 15, 2019:

Well, one thing for sure, the Universe is big and it is all moving way too fast. People are dying around me like flies! This world is short! 99.999 percent of everything we think and do doesn't really mean anything on Jupiter. Ha ha....

Storm1752 replies on Dec 15, 2019:

@FlyingEagle1952 Do we have enough time?

As often as I have brought this up with believers I have never had a lucid response. ?

Paul4747 comments on Dec 14, 2019:

I wouldn't expect their historians to record the execution of an itinerant street preacher and rabble-rouser, either. It's clear that the historical person Yeshua ben Yosef, if he existed, had little of the importance given him by the books of the NT. He would never have been judged by Pilate in ...

Storm1752 replies on Dec 15, 2019:

You say what "doubtless" happened... I say there is a LOT of doubt he existed at all, itinerant street preacher or not. Also in doubt any such person had any disciples because there is considerable "doubt" about that as well. Far more likely is the whole story was made out of whole cloth decades after the events in question supposedly happened. Far more plausible was there WERE no "Christians," including "disciples,' in that period in question, because there was no such man to begin with.

As often as I have brought this up with believers I have never had a lucid response. ?

bobwjr comments on Dec 14, 2019:

There is some evidence of existence that's it

Storm1752 replies on Dec 15, 2019:

There is NO evidence of existence...THAT'S it.

As often as I have brought this up with believers I have never had a lucid response. ?

Aurich comments on Dec 14, 2019:

In Deuteronomy we are told that if a woman gets raped in the mountains, she is innocent, because her cries for help will not be heard. Then Luke writes that Mary went across the mountains to visit her cousin Elizabeth. Luke and the early church knew that Jesus was a good and wise man, but ...

Storm1752 replies on Dec 15, 2019:

There WAS no "early church." Can you produce one shred of evidence attesting to the existence of "Christians" in the early period when and immediately after "Jesus Christ" supposedly lived? No, you can't, because there is none.

A lot of the arguments in support of the bible focus on the historical accuracy of the texts, then ...

Mofo1953 comments on Dec 14, 2019:

There is zero archeological evidence for most of the events in the bible, and the few that do, are based on ancient stories that were appropriated by the writers.

Storm1752 replies on Dec 15, 2019:

@Word WHAT is WRONG with you?!?

Ummm.

Bungaloebob comments on Jun 6, 2019:

PROOF...a woman doesn't need to starve herself to turn a man on to no ends!!!

Storm1752 replies on Dec 15, 2019:

@Wildflower I like THAT comment (you know me!).

So I am attempting to start a new group, ( it was bound to happen one day ).

Paul4747 comments on Dec 6, 2019:

The entire drive of human history, as far as I can tell, has been to get as far away from nature as possible. Who am I to buck the trend. Good luck, though...

Storm1752 replies on Dec 15, 2019:

@Fernapple DECEPTION... I agree with Paul: nature is a dangerous place. Here in North Florida we have all KINDS of stinging, biting, poisonous creatures...thank the stars for calamine lotion, hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, etc. And that's for the more benign critters. For instance, the adorable Yellow Fly, which in the summer makes going from your front door to your car door a desperate dash for cover. No they aren't trying to "fool" you, they want your blood! Still, winters are nice, if you can stand the temperatures plunging into the 40s and 30s every night! I love nature, but let's not fool ourselves, it is literally a vicious fight for survival, made tolerable only by our ingenious ways of avoiding the worst of it, and maximizing it's more pleasant aspects.

It is impossible to believe a person (a man named 'Jesus,' for instance) did what is described in ...

AnneWimsey comments on Dec 13, 2019:

Hardly anyone could read or write back then, if you knew how you could make a damned good living being a "scribe". Everything was oral....

Storm1752 replies on Dec 14, 2019:

@AnneWimsey I understand, Anne. But, again, NONE of these highly-paid scribes felt the slightest inclination to do some free-lance scribbling about this incredible worker of wonders?!? NONE? Wouldn't at least a one wealthy patron pay at least ONCE for a compilation of his sayings, or a chronicle of his super-adventures? You'd certainly think so.

It is impossible to believe a person (a man named 'Jesus,' for instance) did what is described in ...

LenHazell53 comments on Dec 13, 2019:

It is even more extraordinary when you consider that there are copious historical records of John the Baptist, and in all those records there is no mention of his being the Herald of anyone, but that he is in fact himself the promised messiah of a much older religion one that fragmented after the ...

Storm1752 replies on Dec 14, 2019:

@NeverSure Josephus was in general a reliable historian, and his detailed descriptions of John the Baptist confirm his life and immense influence. The bible casts him as a relatively minor figure, compared to Jesus, but Josephus never even MENTIONS Jesus (except for one fraudulent passage)! This also proves Jesus did not exist.

It is impossible to believe a person (a man named 'Jesus,' for instance) did what is described in ...

Grayghost comments on Dec 13, 2019:

And when someone finally wrote the bible ... they used middle east names like Paul, Peter, James, John, Matthew, and Mark etal ... ?! HA! What bullshit.

Storm1752 replies on Dec 14, 2019:

@Triphid There were VERY few 'Christians' in the beginning. If anything, they were just another Jewish cult with a tiny following. Most likely, there WERE no 'Christians' at all; chances are very good they were an invention.

It is impossible to believe a person (a man named 'Jesus,' for instance) did what is described in ...

indirect76 comments on Dec 14, 2019:

To be fair, I think our modern level of literacy and access to information may contribute to your incredulity.

Storm1752 replies on Dec 14, 2019:

To be respectful, I understand your desire to be fair contributes to your level of credulity. There would have been plenty of literary people with access to information in Jerusalem and it's surrounding environs who would have rubbed elbows with our waterwalker. They would not have been able to contain their fervor to spread the word as soon as possible, to as many people as possible, of this amazing, life-changing phenemenon, this superhero with otherwordly, godlike powers. It would've been as if a fleet of spaceships had set down just outside the city gates. Scribes would be fighting each other for quotes, politicians would be swooning, religious leaders would be signing up.

It is impossible to believe a person (a man named 'Jesus,' for instance) did what is described in ...

Bierbasstard comments on Dec 13, 2019:

Somebody does not understand oral tradition.

Storm1752 replies on Dec 14, 2019:

Maybe YOU don't understand WRITTEN tradition was a commonplace thing at the time

It is impossible to believe a person (a man named 'Jesus,' for instance) did what is described in ...

mordant comments on Dec 13, 2019:

Well there is Bible Jesus, The Miracle-Working God-Man(tm) and then there is -- potentially -- Historical Jesus, on which the fabulist mythos of the gospels might have been (but needn't be) based. But nearly nothing is written about Historical Jesus either, apart from the NT. The most compelling ...

Storm1752 replies on Dec 14, 2019:

Chrestus was a very common name at the time. Tacitus could have been referring to anyone in the Jewish community in Rome, especially one who was a leader of one of the many Jewish cults who was stirring up trouble, a frequent occurrence.

It is impossible to believe a person (a man named 'Jesus,' for instance) did what is described in ...

AnneWimsey comments on Dec 13, 2019:

Hardly anyone could read or write back then, if you knew how you could make a damned good living being a "scribe". Everything was oral....

Storm1752 replies on Dec 14, 2019:

So not one of these scribes wrote ANYTHING about this miracle worker, either for pay or out of his own volition? You'd have to assume people who came later, and wanted confirmation and information about 'Jesus' life, were turning over every stone looking for SOMETHING written about him .. How likely is it they'd find NOTHING if he in fact existed?

It is impossible to believe a person (a man named 'Jesus,' for instance) did what is described in ...

Green_Chile_Type comments on Dec 13, 2019:

As I understand it, whether or not the people of Israel knew how to read or use writing instruments properly is almost moot. The key issue is the lack of paper to write on...Paper was rare and very expensive. ( Leather is a mediocre-to-poor surface for writing, clay tablets very impractical, metal ...

Storm1752 replies on Dec 14, 2019:

Given his miracles and stunningly profound sayings, etc., you'd think SOMEONE is his immediate community or somewhere nearby, who DID have the means to record important events, would have mentioned him at least a FEW times. There were not ONLY the mega-historians around, but many lesser scribes who COULD have said SOMETHING, ANYTHING about him if he was such a remarkable person... But nothing...

It is impossible to believe a person (a man named 'Jesus,' for instance) did what is described in ...

LenHazell53 comments on Dec 13, 2019:

It is even more extraordinary when you consider that there are copious historical records of John the Baptist, and in all those records there is no mention of his being the Herald of anyone, but that he is in fact himself the promised messiah of a much older religion one that fragmented after the ...

Storm1752 replies on Dec 14, 2019:

What's JTB???

It is impossible to believe a person (a man named 'Jesus,' for instance) did what is described in ...

Word comments on Dec 13, 2019:

According to who ever and wikipedia, the book called James is considered to be written by a sibling of Jesus. The author identifies himself as "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ" who is writing to "the twelve tribes scattered abroad". The epistle is traditionally attributed ...

Storm1752 replies on Dec 14, 2019:

Considered by WHOM to be a sibling of Jesus? It has been established Mark was written near the end of the first century (66-70) because of it's internal references to the Jewish revolt and other events. It certainly was NOT written by a 'brother of Jesus.'

Here are 5 historical truths that suggest Jesus never existed

Word comments on Dec 8, 2019:

You do not have to debate truth ot fiction to "shoot them down". You just take what is written and understand how all the written text points to Jesus being Angelic lord of host Lucifer the devil. B The LORD Almighty will bless them, saying, "Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and ...

Storm1752 replies on Dec 12, 2019:

Sh*t"s getting deep!

Here are 5 historical truths that suggest Jesus never existed

Davesnothere comments on Dec 9, 2019:

To me it is not relevant whether or not Jesus existed as the underlying religion containing Jesus makes no sense and contradicts itself, further it is repugnant on a very base level and that very repugnance is whitewashed by the Dogma of the faith, whitewashed into sacrament. To be Christian is ...

Storm1752 replies on Dec 12, 2019:

@Heraclitus The Flavian emperors came WAY before popes!

Here are 5 historical truths that suggest Jesus never existed

Heraclitus comments on Dec 11, 2019:

This is really evidence that the Jesus Christ of legend did not exist rather than Yeshua ben Yosef, an itinerant rabbi, never existed. Even the author's note says that the Jesus stories probably had some historical kernel, as does the historian Bart Erhman. Richard Carrier and Robert Price are ...

Storm1752 replies on Dec 12, 2019:

It's also extremely hard to believe the fantastic New Testament stories about miracles and widespread fame for this person, if he DID exist. Where are the testamonials from historians, scribes, and other chroniclers of the people and events of that time? There was not a single speck of a mention by ANYBODY! AND, if the miracle stories are NOT true, this person, if he DID exist, was either a lunatic or a charlatan... OR simply was a mannequin others decorated and adorned with jewelry and fine clothes.. LOTS of speculation about that, but no matter the details--who, why, how--we can be confident Jesus either was a fictional character or a flesh-and-blood man with no miraculous powers. The whole edifice thus comes tumbling down. Did those responsible (Essenes, in tandem with extraterrestrials, for example!) seek to birth a new Jewish mystery religion, based on lost ancient knowledge, or something? Maybe. Or maybe the Romans DID make the whole thing up!

Good morning 🌞 it's pose-your-question-day.

MrLizard comments on Dec 1, 2019:

If you could watch anything on TV, without interruption and in the comfort of your home, what would you watch?

Storm1752 replies on Dec 2, 2019:

I loved the HBO series, "Rome." I'd pay whatever they asked for a Season 3 and Season 4, etc. They stopped at two seasons for financial reasons. What a shame.

Good morning 🌞 it's pose-your-question-day.

Zster comments on Dec 1, 2019:

For those of you who feasted on Thanksgiving, what's the first sanity food that you reach for after days of feast food? I just froze leftover turkey after eating it for three straight days. I am thinking that pizza sounds good.

Storm1752 replies on Dec 2, 2019:

Easy: chocolate-covered peanuts!

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

Storm1752 comments on Nov 23, 2019:

Pure semantics. Disbelief and non-belief are the same exact thing. I'm agnostic, not atheist. Big difference.

Storm1752 replies on Nov 28, 2019:

@Triphid I tend to think god is not an entity/being, but rather a collective universal consciousness. But I wouldn't know. Congratulations on your 100% certainty on all things god-related.

Good morning! It's pose your question day!

bleurowz comments on Nov 24, 2019:

Do you like the city or town you live in? Why or why not? My answer: I have mixed feelings about this. I like where I live because it's relatively easy to hop on a train and make it to midtown NYC in less than an hour; while, I don't like where I live because it's a suburb where you need a car to...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 25, 2019:

@MissKathleen I'm trying to forget California. Encinitas, a coastal town just north of San Diego, used to be so NICE, but now it's just another playground for the rich, a 'perfect place to raise a family,' and home to every wanna be status-seeker who thinks they're better than everybody else, just because of the sheer fact they live THERE and you live wherever you have the misfortune to be stuck! They have a point, too.

Hey you sexy people. Anyone have some fun going on?

Storm1752 comments on Nov 24, 2019:

I'm thinking 'cat.' I'm in the deep woods. Cats keep themselves clean, keep critters away. I just have my fantasies and memories, which sometimes meld together to great effect. I'll leave it at that.

Storm1752 replies on Nov 25, 2019:

@Wildflower I'm sure there are! And you name it! But MY cat will rule! MY cat will strike terror into every fiber of their being! AND it'll take my mind away from the sheer pointlessness of my existence! Plus I won't be able to masturbate as often, with a furry friend constantly underfoot, meowing at me! 🙀

I’m a Buddhist. Do you regard Buddhism as a religion? Or philosophy?

DavidDuhon comments on Nov 22, 2019:

Buddhists regularly claim that theirs is not a religion. For me, for this to be true they would need to reject reincarnation and the beliefs about Buddha that require the setting aside of science.

Storm1752 replies on Nov 22, 2019:

To think reincarnation is a "thing," all that's required is an open mind, not gullibility. There is plenty of circumstantial evidence

In case you missed it.

Storm1752 comments on Nov 18, 2019:

It's a plot to get Mike Pence elected! He's much more the right-wing fundamentalist Christian true believing fanatic the 'base' goes nuts over. He has none of the Looney Tunes baggage Trump has, won't energize the Democrats, and stands a better chance of sneaking into office, than Trump has of ...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 22, 2019:

@Robecology Why we could Pence not run? Are you serious? Of course he would.

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

SCal comments on Nov 18, 2019:

Its time to get rid of the office of president, and to start dismantling the worlds governments. They do not work. Power does not belong in these ridiculous structures. They cause wars and worse.

Storm1752 replies on Nov 19, 2019:

One World Government!

The religiously unaffiliated share of the population, consisting of people who describe their ...

girlwithsmiles comments on Nov 16, 2019:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_religious_populations Not according to wiki 🤔

Storm1752 replies on Nov 19, 2019:

To that's a breakdown of those who say they are affiliated, not the entire population.

The religiously unaffiliated share of the population, consisting of people who describe their ...

CharlatanUK comments on Nov 17, 2019:

This number has been going up for years, but I’m less sanguine about it than many nonbelievers. It would be one thing if people were quitting religion because they found Bertrand Russell, but it’s that lazy non commitment that also reduces everything to false equivalencies (“The atheists are ...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 19, 2019:

Lazy no-commitment is better than zealotry, however. (And firebrand committed self-satisfied smug atheists CAN be as annoying as religious whackjobs, btw.)

The religiously unaffiliated share of the population, consisting of people who describe their ...

SeaGreenEyez comments on Nov 17, 2019:

That's actually misleading, should you include *all* the info, it is still atheists/agnostics about 8-9%. Those "nothing in particular" folks are simply not a member of an organized theist religion. *From the linked article* Self-described atheists now account for 4% of U.S. adults, up ...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 19, 2019:

You're putting too negative a spin on it, it seems to me. When someone says thay're unaffiliated, it could also mean they're actually agnostic in the sense they are questioning organized religion in general, call themselves 'spiritual' but not 'religious,' are looking for meaning in all sorts of ways both spiritual and secular, or any combination of ideas. Cold numbers like 4% atheist, 5% agnostic may refer to those who consciously label themselves so. The actual numbers of people who actually THINK that way could be very different. It COULD be just another form of "fluidity." That wouldn't be surprising in a diverse, educated society; people are exposed to such a vast array of ideas even a nominal affiliation doesn't necessarily amount to 'true belief' in a rigid 'belief system.'

Religion or Culture or Both

Storm1752 comments on Nov 18, 2019:

Sometimes it boggles my mind the questions some people ask. You're obviously talking about Islam, so why don't you just say so? My answer is a resounding NO regardless of what religion they're talking about.

Storm1752 replies on Nov 19, 2019:

@Burner No I did not read the link. It doesn't matter. The answer is NO. The world would be a happier place if there was just ONE culture, one country, one language, one society. Since that's not the case, at least within one particular culture newcomers should be encoraged to assimilate, in my opinion. Besides, what's the point learning about false religions other than the false religion with which one is already familiar? Children in classrooms SHOULD be taught all religions are unfortunate relics from the past the world has outgrown.

Bill Nye would choose to die.

gater comments on Nov 18, 2019:

When the freezing and unthawing processes are perfected - I wouldn't mind being frozen and thawed out for a month or two every hundred years. :)

Storm1752 replies on Nov 18, 2019:

That WOULD be cool!

Bill Nye would choose to die.

Mofo1953 comments on Nov 18, 2019:

That was a no brainer especially considering that the alternative is a fantasy that can never happen.

Storm1752 replies on Nov 18, 2019:

@Joanne I AM truly sorry for thinking this, but what you just said is ridiculous. What's so great about 'new life?' Are you going to enjoy the agony of growing weak, frail, and slowly dying? Is getting elderly and a burden on others your idea of fun? Don't you feel just a little guilty bringing naive youngsters into this meat grinder of an existence. THEY didn't choose this for themselves and if they're anything like me they would have chosen non-existence over this raw deal. Don't get me wrong: there's a lot about my life I enjoy very much, but given a choice I would've said, 'No thanks!'

Bill Nye would choose to die.

EdEarl comments on Nov 18, 2019:

There is another option. If we survive climate change, we will move into space, and live in habitats called O'Neil Cylinders. It is possible to build enough of them to have our population be trillions of times larger. Moreover, if we develop fusion power plants, we can live further from the sun, and...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 18, 2019:

@Joanne What's so great about children?!? To me childhood is mistakenly made a seemingly unending fantasy ride which abruptly ends when the little brats realize the true nature of the dog-eat-dog world into which they were born. It's an unfortunately necessary phase one goes through guaranteed to make the rest of one's life seem like torture by comparison.

Bill Nye would choose to die.

Sgt_Spanky comments on Nov 18, 2019:

Why would anyone want to live forever? There are no set of circumstances that wouldn't make eternity a mindnumbing hell after just a few hundred years even if it were an eternity of beer, pizza, and blowjobs. Death has a practical purpose and shouldn't be feared.

Storm1752 replies on Nov 18, 2019:

Speak for yourself!

Bill Nye would choose to die.

resserts comments on Nov 18, 2019:

I'm an antinatalist, so ending procreation doesn't seem like such a bad thing to me — but eternal life sounds truly excruciating. So I choose a short life *and* I choose to not have children. Basically, no change for me.

Storm1752 replies on Nov 18, 2019:

Antinatalist, so that's what I am...thank you. I decided to never get married and have children because, among other things, I thought it was immoral to bring children into such a terrible world. But I didn't know there was a NAME, a school of thought, for it...wow...now I can describe myself as an 'agnostic neo-deist antinatalist.' Cool. I'm always looking to upgrade and/or update my label, so I'm grateful.

Bill Nye would choose to die.

Storm1752 comments on Nov 18, 2019:

Sorry, but a silly, pointless question.

Storm1752 replies on Nov 18, 2019:

@Joanne Sure, of course, why not? When I think of living forever (to humor your question if I may) I think of 1) here on Earth 2) about 35-40 year old 3) invulnerable, best of health 4) limitless amount of money 5) extreme good looks 6) no hidden gimmicky downside. (Which is basically what Jehovah Witnesses believe. Too bad I don't.) The reason for children is to replace dying adults. If the adult population stabilized, why have to go through the growing-up-and-maturation process over and over again? And since everybody has it made in the shade, everybody'd be ecstatically happy! Sounds good to me! Like I said, silly question.

Most of the world now thinks religion is the cause of the world's problems! [usnews.com]

xenoview comments on Nov 17, 2019:

Interesting that christianity is shrinking and islam is raising.

Storm1752 replies on Nov 18, 2019:

Not really. They kill you if you abandon Allah. So very few do!

Hi and happy Sunday! It's pose your question day!

KKGator comments on Nov 17, 2019:

Happy Sunday!! Do you believe aliens exist? My answer is, yes. It doesn't make any sense to me that humans are the ONLY "intelligent" life in the universe. It makes more sense that there are other beings, and they're just avoiding us because they realized that we "bring down the average" ...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 18, 2019:

I believe they exist...just wonder how they got HERE. IF they did.

Hi and happy Sunday! It's pose your question day!

ZantiMisfit comments on Nov 17, 2019:

If you could invent your own holiday, what would it be?

Storm1752 replies on Nov 18, 2019:

Hollowmas. It would run from Halloween to New Year's Day.

Hi and happy Sunday! It's pose your question day!

Robecology comments on Nov 17, 2019:

Ever get "scammed"? I'm awaiting a call from PayPal because they, through Discover, and an electric bike company named "Zhanjang" allegedly delivered a bike to me for $99.99.....that I never saw. Discover said call PayPal. PayPal said contact discover. Both told me to contact the seller. The ...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 18, 2019:

Forked over $2000.00 for a too-good-to-be-true RV , from a fake eBay site.

Hi and happy Sunday! It's pose your question day!

MrLizard comments on Nov 17, 2019:

Why does my fucking back bother me so much today?

Storm1752 replies on Nov 18, 2019:

@Zster awww....thanks for thinking about me!

Hi and happy Sunday! It's pose your question day!

BeeHappy comments on Nov 17, 2019:

What's the most useless thing you still have memorized? Mine: From a bathroom stall when I was a kid... If you sprinkle when you tinkle, be a neatie and clean the seatie. 😁

Storm1752 replies on Nov 18, 2019:

The first line of Caucer's Cantebury Tales in Old English.

Hi and happy Sunday! It's pose your question day!

bleurowz comments on Nov 17, 2019:

Can you describe your life in a six word sentence? Me: Curiously moving forward day by day.

Storm1752 replies on Nov 18, 2019:

Interested but clueless All the time

Most of the world now thinks religion is the cause of the world's problems! [usnews.com]

Storm1752 comments on Nov 17, 2019:

Politics and religion are often tied together. I'm glad I'll probably be dead in 2050, if that's what we have to look forward to, but I'm hesitant to agree the number of non-religious will dwindle. I DO agree Islam is a real and growing danger, another version of Naziism, and will be the cause of...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 17, 2019:

@Allamanda I think they assume a zero-sum, one subtracted from one group is automatically added to the other. It's got to be a more dynamic process than that. The overlooked variable, I think, is the magnitude of present-day problems and the utter uselessness of thousand-year-old solutions. I'm optimistic people are waking up to that reality, and will face it before it's too late. If true, the numbers will eventually reflect it. Besides, I think the numbers are skewed anyway.

Most of the world now thinks religion is the cause of the world's problems! [usnews.com]

Marcel3405 comments on Nov 16, 2019:

I don’t think religion is the problem in and by itself. It’s the rigidity of the interpretation of the Bible. We have far right fundamentalists and ISIS. they are virtually the same. It’s not religion which is virtuous by many. It’s the minority that gives religion a bad name. ...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 17, 2019:

@girlwithsmiles You must be a journalist. I think ANY world government, based upon almost anything, would be preferable to what we have now. As we've seen from Muslims, true religionists are willing to die for their faith. So if religion continues it's control over the majority, a "final" war is inevitable. Once a world government is formed, it makes sense the POWER of religion would wane. BUT if it's the 'us' versus 'them' which keeps the whole cycle going, we'd eventually end up with two men on a field littered with corpses facing off for the final battle.

Most of the world now thinks religion is the cause of the world's problems! [usnews.com]

Moravian comments on Nov 17, 2019:

I note that nationalism is not included in the list. surprising.

Storm1752 replies on Nov 17, 2019:

@ExculpatoryLover There are more atheists in Israel than almost anywhere else.

Most of the world now thinks religion is the cause of the world's problems! [usnews.com]

ExculpatoryLover comments on Nov 17, 2019:

Unfortunate, since religion is merely a tool of control. The root of the evil is greed, the desire for more at any cost. When the Romans understood that religion and a fear of God was more cost effective than the standing armies at controlling the empire, we got the Vatican. But the evil did not ...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 17, 2019:

@LisaFultonave Very perceptive.

Most of the world now thinks religion is the cause of the world's problems! [usnews.com]

Fernapple comments on Nov 17, 2019:

Religion is merely a symptom of greed, the lust for power and the willingness to use deceit for selfish ends, as many here have said. Yet it is perhaps the most dangerous symptom, because it allows those who use it, to claim extra supernatural authority, beyond that which they themselves could ...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 17, 2019:

I think the two go hand in hand. You can't GAIN power unless you truly believe what your supporters believe. This is what makes the Donald unique. He's not a true believer This is why I'd rather he not be fired now---a REAL true believer--Pence--will take his place and be a much more formidable foe.

Most of the world now thinks religion is the cause of the world's problems! [usnews.com]

Davesnothere comments on Nov 17, 2019:

"Spiritual beliefs create an inherent "us vs. them" scenario, experts say." I have said so myself many times and it has been said better. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGwtXfIH3bc

Storm1752 replies on Nov 17, 2019:

@Allamanda I think it's about RELIGION, not spirituality.

We've had some new members join us and we're so close to 200! Welcome! Anything you want to talk ...

Storm1752 comments on Nov 15, 2019:

Just for clarification: the implication is, there's a distinction to be made between an 'ethical' slut and a non-ethical slut. The understood, meant-to-be-derogatory definition is of a woman (or man, for that matter) who has many casual sexual partners. I'd put the emphasis on CASUAL, as in, ...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 16, 2019:

@Wildflower It's hard to write good fiction, especially porn!

We've had some new members join us and we're so close to 200! Welcome! Anything you want to talk ...

Storm1752 comments on Nov 15, 2019:

Just for clarification: the implication is, there's a distinction to be made between an 'ethical' slut and a non-ethical slut. The understood, meant-to-be-derogatory definition is of a woman (or man, for that matter) who has many casual sexual partners. I'd put the emphasis on CASUAL, as in, ...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 15, 2019:

@Wildflower Oh nothing glamorous...the difference between religion and spirituality for instance (yawn). I today championed more porn fiction on Talk Dirty to Me, so it's not ALL boring.

We've had some new members join us and we're so close to 200! Welcome! Anything you want to talk ...

Storm1752 comments on Nov 15, 2019:

Just for clarification: the implication is, there's a distinction to be made between an 'ethical' slut and a non-ethical slut. The understood, meant-to-be-derogatory definition is of a woman (or man, for that matter) who has many casual sexual partners. I'd put the emphasis on CASUAL, as in, ...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 15, 2019:

@Wildflower Oh really? That'd be interesting... It couldn't be La Femme Boheme anyway if you included slutty men! Btw I haven't gone anywhere! Been elsewhere unravelling some of life's OTHER great mysteries...not that there's anything more mysterious than sex.

SPIRITUAL.

Storm1752 comments on Nov 9, 2019:

I like that definition. One idea is it's the sense there's something "outside" or "more important" than the four-dimensional world, deserving respect. If that causes "awe" or "reverence" in some, so be it...but it's not required. It's enough to simply acknowledge life, OUR lives included, ...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 12, 2019:

@uuberdude Well I'm not religious. When you say a "religious experience," are you (or is James) referring to an ecstatic, transformational breakthrough, like a religious 'vision?' Or just a feeling about , a sense of, a way of looking at, an UNDERSTANDING of, the natural world. As one who has become independent of religion and churches, I DO have insights. I claim them as uniquely my own, and carry them with me wherever I go, whatever I do. Not as some one-off, blindingly miraculous EVENT. Do others see things in a similar way? How could I possibly know? Why should I care? IS there a difference between experiences which are 'religious' as distinct from 'spiritual?' Yes, I believe there is. RELIGIOUS experiences, I'd think, are gleaned through the filter of the particular religion to which one adhers. Maybe one feels the presence of Jesus or Allah, for instance. Believes a 'guardian angel' looks after him or her and thanks that creature for percieved help/guidance. And so on. SPIRITUAL experiences, to me, would be very different: As I alluded, I'm frequently amazed at my/our existence, the sheer apparent 'impossibility' of a creature who has evolved into an awareness of itself. Looked at with naked clarity, it is overwhelmingly mysterious...how can this BE? I maintain the mystery ITSELF is the 'spiritual experience.' One pre-disposed, on the other hand, to either agree with, or react against, a set of beliefs and meanings surrounding a personal deity--and all the images, suppositions, and assumptions attached to that orientation--cannot see life as a singular phenomenon in and of itself. He or she merely attributes the whole thing to 'god' and leaves it at that. This IS the perpective, the orientation, which precludes them from looking through an untinted lens at one's very existence. That preclusion is the (potentially) deadening wall to be removed. So it doesn't matter what a church, or an advertising agency, or a 'society,' THINKS. I believe this must be percieved in the solitude of one's own mind...shared, and it is automatically belittled, discounted, and discarded. Any sign you think you have "special insights"--rather than "normal, socially-sanctioned" ones--is viewed with suspicion or outright hostility.

The burden of evidence upon the positive The Skeptics of antiquity espoused open mindedness to ...

Storm1752 comments on Nov 8, 2019:

Skepticism in ancient times was based on the presumption nothing could be known for sure. It insisted the only logical position was complete open-mindedness. Today, we would regard that as utter nonsense. Did Sasquatch assasinate Kennedy? Maybe! Today, skepticism via the "scientific method" ...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 12, 2019:

@AaronAgassi No, but the existence or non-existence of miracles is not an issue for believers. The Church merely "certifies" them and, coupled with already willing suspension of disbelief, they are assumed true. Yes evolution is called a "theory" because of silly semantics, but is nevertheless established fact. Why then the cuteness? And your distinction between Skeptics and Socrates seems a fine one, at best. They ask the same questions, and come up with the same answers. If the Skeptics, on one hand, always leave the door open for doubt, so does Socrates, on the other. Both assume there are no firm answers. While this may be true of the unanswerable "mysteries" of life, it may NOT be true of other as yet answered questions, and yet others for which we DO have the answers but insist on saying we don't. That is absurd stubbornness. Besides, all this is beside-the-point sophistry, whether religious or secular. Always well-grounded facts support a theory, which by definition is nevertheless still not "proven." But evolution IS proven, even with it's minor problems. But Karl Popper would leave it an open question anyway? Of course the yet-to-be-cleared-up inconsistencies need to be addressed, but the central fact is evolution irrefutably explains how life developed and became more complex. Moreover, evolution continues to adapt life to changing circumstances. Humans themselves continue to evolve. Were it not for misguided ethical issues, we'd have already accelerated the process even more than we are already. That humans are doing so is in itself a proof of evolution. It's just it is a unique and unprecedented TYPE of same, so in fairness needs to be somehow regulated and channelled to prevent abuse. Anyway, my point is, it is very easy to indulge in facile wordplay, but we do nobody favors by obscuring the truth beneath an avalanche of meaningless argumentation over definitions. They're important, but only insofar they clarify, not confuse. Things MUST be justified and verified, for instance. If you're going to agree with Popper, explain how science can "never be certain or rest on a firm foundation," which is ridiculous, in my opinion. I think the more correct way to put it is, scientific knowledge--through skeptical refutation and justification, and exhaustive verification--advances incrementally. Each FACT, once established, inevitably generates new questions and uncertainties at that level, and the process continues, always advancing basic knowledge built gradually on ever-new but always reliable foundations.

The burden of evidence upon the positive The Skeptics of antiquity espoused open mindedness to ...

Storm1752 comments on Nov 8, 2019:

Skepticism in ancient times was based on the presumption nothing could be known for sure. It insisted the only logical position was complete open-mindedness. Today, we would regard that as utter nonsense. Did Sasquatch assasinate Kennedy? Maybe! Today, skepticism via the "scientific method" ...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 11, 2019:

@AaronAgassi I was not aware of your third 'version' unless it is the above offering, about which I am intrigued. (I never heard of demands leveled AGAINST a post...usually CHARGES or ACCUSATIONS are. DEMANDS are usually made ON a post.) Anyway, it took some effort to unravel your verbiage, and I think I did a reasonable job, and yet...I feel some of your subtleties and nuance might've been lost. About your assertion science never arrives at perfect certainty, I take pause. Is that true? Doesn't the scientific method settle on absolute fact sometimes? I don't know; I'm asking you. They annoyingly call it the THEORY of evolution, for instance (a wording which leaves it open to constant attack by its some would say ignorant critics), though it is about as close as one can get to established fact. Why is that? In what way is it merely a 'theory?' Your larger points seem seem legitimate yet somehow obscure. Are you drawing a distinction between Skepticism and Religion, saying one insisted on complete open-mindedness and the other on complete certainty? Certainty based on faith almost exclusively (along with the rare and exceptional saintly miracle, which supposedly proved the rule)? Religion now has it's scientific apologists, some would say 'quack' scientists, who lend academic credibility to biblically-based nonsense. But it's still mostly a faith-based belief, of course. Does this mean ancient, secular Skepticism has evolved into science? Were the Skeptics Socratic? Just asking.

I started a post in Love and Relationships about the concept of infidelity, cheating,.

Storm1752 comments on Nov 10, 2019:

I think people are polyamorous anyway, and it's a shame they're locked into monogamous relationships. It's like being in prison. Everyone should have full jurisdiction over their own bodies, to do with them what they will. Unfortunately that's not the case, unless one demands it of oneself and ...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 11, 2019:

@Jacar Of course for women the opportunity is omnipresent, in direct correlation to their sexual attractiveness.

Good morning and happy Sunday! It's post-your-question-day!

MsHoliday comments on Nov 10, 2019:

I am curious to know if anyone does intermittent fasting or eating just one meal a day? Women?

Storm1752 replies on Nov 10, 2019:

My friend does it regularly...she's a thin, wiry ball of energy. 84 and'll probably make it to 100.

Good morning and happy Sunday! It's post-your-question-day!

DavidDuhon comments on Nov 10, 2019:

How do you feel about your feet--like them, think they are ugly, etc.

Storm1752 replies on Nov 10, 2019:

I ditto Cutiebeauty. I don't think about them much... They work fine, and are about the right size.

SPIRITUAL.

Storm1752 comments on Nov 9, 2019:

I like that definition. One idea is it's the sense there's something "outside" or "more important" than the four-dimensional world, deserving respect. If that causes "awe" or "reverence" in some, so be it...but it's not required. It's enough to simply acknowledge life, OUR lives included, ...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 10, 2019:

@Rodatheist Well I'm flattered. I just re-read what I wrote, then your response. All I can say is, I have the facility of stating the obvious with occasional eloquence. I HAVE been thinking of the difference between religion and spirituality, and unless some people are "spiritual" and some are not--an open question but I think EVERYBODY is to one degree or another--perhaps one example is interesting to consider, to help draw a distinction between the two: I personally don't think there is any such thing as 'evil,' and never have. The concepts of good and evil are foreign to me, and I believe should be to anyone aware of modern 'abnormal psychology,' if that's the right phrase. One is a product of both environment (nurture) and genetic makeup (nature). The product is an always developing and evolving human being. Religion would deny that and, due to past ignorance, label that person 'good' or 'evil,' or some combination of both, and describe the cause in terms of angelic or demonic forces. Spiritualism? It would depend. A SECULAR spiritualist would acknowledge we don't know enough yet about the workings of the human brain to figure out each individual case, BUT we know enough to say one is born with a baseline of characteristics, a superstructure, upon which everything else is built. Take that factor and add environmental influences, all experiences from upbringing to friends, events, decisions, even 'luck,' and we have an explanation for why people are who they are, and do what they do. I might add, there MAY be a 'paranormal' aspect to it as well, ultimately explainable in scientific terms, but again, our knowledge is limited. As an agnostic I certainly don't rule that out. There is sufficient inconclusive yet compelling evidence to to think there is more to reality than what we can detect with our five senses. I could go on, but I've already rambled on long enough. Thank you again for the invitation.

The argument of intelligent design is very popular among the religious because on the surface it ...

Storm1752 comments on Nov 9, 2019:

I think there may be such a thing as intelligent design, if meant in the deist sense things were set in motion and then left alone. In that case, did the "designer" then know it'd unfold precisely as it did? I think not. "God" can NOT know the future, I propose. At least not every little detail,...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 10, 2019:

@BirdMan1 I could only guess. Some scientists think the universe itself is interconnected and in "communication" with itself. I've not read enough to say what that means. What always strikes one is it always comes back to one question: 'But who created THAT?' And THAT is an unanswerable question, unless you suppose it ALWAYS existed, and always will. Which begs, of course, the further question: 'How is that possible?' I can only say, how is it not?

SPIRITUAL.

evergreen comments on Nov 7, 2019:

"we should stick to the two dictionary definitions" How 'bout this ? You follow whatever works for ya, and we'll all do the same - or different - or none ! Ha.

Storm1752 replies on Nov 9, 2019:

Perfect.

SPIRITUAL.

Eric_in_bham comments on Nov 7, 2019:

I never understood how people can call themselves spiritual but not religious, unless they specifically mean they're a believer but not practicing. Does it not follow that to be spiritual that one has to acknowledge the existence of said spirit or soul, and that idea itself is set forth by religious...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 9, 2019:

I don't think it means you have to believe in actual "spirits," does it?

SPIRITUAL.

Austin-Cambridge comments on Nov 7, 2019:

There are more things in heaven and earth Horatio than are dreamt of in your philosophy! If anybody is 100% sure that an essence or spirit does not exist, they are surely fools with closed minds.

Storm1752 replies on Nov 9, 2019:

@Austin-Cambridge Anne, Anne, Anne! You know what you sound like, don't you? I won't say it; I'm asking you.

Good morning! Did you get your flu shot yet? I did! If you didn't, why not?

SukiSue comments on Nov 7, 2019:

Never!

Storm1752 replies on Nov 7, 2019:

@SukiSue Ditto. If you DO get it, just remember as you lay there sicker than a very sick dog, "It's good for my immune system, I'm fine, it's good for my immune system..."

The burden of evidence upon the positive The Skeptics of antiquity espoused open mindedness to ...

Storm1752 comments on Nov 3, 2019:

Huh? This isn't a lawyer's symposium.

Storm1752 replies on Nov 7, 2019:

@AaronAgassi Are you okay? Whatever gave you the idea I was going to "work with" you on a rewriting? You're smart, go ahead.

Unlike the plantations of antiquity, the modern-day African American church is the new plantation.

Storm1752 comments on Nov 6, 2019:

First, 'antiquity' means the long, long ago past, not about 150 years ago. Also, comparing the experience of real, flesh-and-blood, actual SLAVES with that of relatively much better-off free people, while maybe tempting--there ARE similarities--is in my humble opinion an insult to African Americans...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 6, 2019:

@Sapio_Ink I Before I read further: whatever you mean about a 'Freudian Slip,' forget it. I don't believe in psychoanalysis, okay? Or anything having to do with Freud. Please. I SAID 400 years ago. The 150 years ago referred to the END of slavery...at least the end of the Civil War; I'm aware vestiges lasted through Reconstruction, the Jim Crow laws, and Brown vs. the Board of Education in 1954. Vestiges of the vestiges, or whatever, remain to this day; more than "vestiges," true, but compared to the way it was even in the year I was born (1952), it's better. I don't need a history lesson, okay? As far as my initial allusion to "white, affluent, etc." people, SIR, I at first misunderstood the context of your post. I normally don't read other replies, but for some reason I had the feeling I got the whole thing wrong, and it took me about two minutes to figure it out. THEN (I hope) I said something more appropriate. (Not that what I originally said wouldn't have been appropriate given a different context--that is, affluent white people can't compare their "slavery" to religion as comparable to actual black SLAVERY in any way, shape, or form. I objected to using the word in that manner. Of course, that was a non sequitar, but if you're looking for some sort of apology, forget it. However, if you'd care to re-read the one I settled on and apologize to ME, I accept your apology in advance. If not, that's life. (PS. About my editing, my career was as a journalist, so I usually re-write, copyedit, and proofread everything I write, anyway.)

The god police are the most dangerous on the planet: christian, islamist, buddhist, hinduist, ...

brentan comments on Nov 3, 2019:

I'm looking forward to reading Douglas Murray's new book The Madness of Crowds to read how he expounds the idea of lefties becoming the new god police.

Storm1752 replies on Nov 6, 2019:

@Jacar Well I'll leave you now. If I see that book I'll be sure to ignore it like a zombie (which is what you are). I hope you have a very bad day. Bad bye.

The god police are the most dangerous on the planet: christian, islamist, buddhist, hinduist, ...

aintmisbehaven comments on Nov 3, 2019:

I've not perceived any "demand" from "them" nor have I demanded of others that I am their moral authoritarian. somehow, this sounds like religious infiltration bent on sowing discord.....

Storm1752 replies on Nov 6, 2019:

@Jacar You are a fraud.

The god police are the most dangerous on the planet: christian, islamist, buddhist, hinduist, ...

Marionville comments on Nov 3, 2019:

Complete nonsense.

Storm1752 replies on Nov 6, 2019:

@Jacar You're a robot Oh I'd love to banish you if only I could! I'd make you and everyone like you disappear forever, ESPECIALLY the men who create the slogans you parrot like a good little sheeple---Rush, Sean, and your other 'heroes.' They captured your mind lock, stock and barrel and you are their slave. You should be ashamed but you're too brainwashed by their lies. Either that or you're a paid, full-time cancerous growth, sent to sow anger where there is usually only thoughtful deliberation, polite debate, and a honest search for truth.

The god police are the most dangerous on the planet: christian, islamist, buddhist, hinduist, ...

Deb57 comments on Nov 3, 2019:

Pretty much the only social rules I have seen coming from progressives boil down to "Try not to be an asshole." Do you feel that your right to be an asshole is being impinged upon by somebody?

Storm1752 replies on Nov 6, 2019:

@Jacar I'M not for open borders. I want Muslims kept out. There. Conformist enough for you? You're against Universal Health Care? How original of you! Isn't every right-wing asdhole in the world against it? You're compliance police have taught you well!

The god police are the most dangerous on the planet: christian, islamist, buddhist, hinduist, ...

bobwjr comments on Nov 3, 2019:

Not progressive but evangelical, get it right they are doing it at religious colleges

Storm1752 replies on Nov 6, 2019:

@Jacar A simple sloganish lie. Were you abused as a child, Jacar?

The god police are the most dangerous on the planet: christian, islamist, buddhist, hinduist, ...

benhmiller comments on Nov 3, 2019:

Were do you come up with socialist in there?

Storm1752 replies on Nov 6, 2019:

@Jacar Such easy, mindless effluence. Conservative mindspeak is everywhere, and part of the strategy is to take the very exact things they are guilty of and accuse it of their opponents. So typical.

The god police are the most dangerous on the planet: christian, islamist, buddhist, hinduist, ...

BitFlipper comments on Nov 3, 2019:

Come down off your soap box. Progressives don't demand anything except justice. You either watch Fox "news" or you're having a psychotic episode. Tell your handler that you did as ordered but that nobody bought what you were selling.

Storm1752 replies on Nov 6, 2019:

@Jacar Nice language. Wash your mouth out. Is gutter talk part of the conservative strategy?

The god police are the most dangerous on the planet: christian, islamist, buddhist, hinduist, ...

David_Cooper comments on Nov 4, 2019:

They're all attempts to define and impose morality, and all of that is driven by good motivations. The problem is that where their proposed morality is wrong, they've set it in stone and people with simple minds then want to kill you for trying to correct the errors. As soon as they tie it to a God,...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 6, 2019:

What nonsense.

The god police are the most dangerous on the planet: christian, islamist, buddhist, hinduist, ...

Storm1752 comments on Nov 3, 2019:

Conservatives are the "god police..." Is this the newest, trendiest thing, to somehow make progressives the bad guys? Hey, Sean, Rush---and the multitude of minions all over talk radio (and soon coming to the internet)---beat you to it! Now, let's all get out there are finish up the jobs of ...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 6, 2019:

@Jacar Oh yes obviously. Not. I believe what I want, or do you think they demanded compliance from me and I fell in line? I think these are self-evident, serious problems. Nobody told me what to think. When's the last time you deviated from the conservative line, aside from religion? Even there you're probably a troll. Why do you even bother harassing us? Isn't there some other site where your views are more favorably received? But I know you're a long-time permanent troll, if there is such a thing. Just like to pester people, huh? Go ahead, give me a self-righteous, sarcastic, or devastating cute blowback I could care less.

Why is it that if you argue or defend a topic/issue passionately, you must be directly effected by ...

Storm1752 comments on Nov 5, 2019:

Well, HAVE you, or somebody you know, been a victim of "revenge porn?" Never heard that exact term before, but of course it'd be terrible

Storm1752 replies on Nov 6, 2019:

@MarkiusMahamius Yes I've generally heard about it being done. He's a lousy creep, obviously. I think most people have to be affected by something personally to be sensitized to it.

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

Storm1752 comments on Nov 4, 2019:

The way you posed your question (about the pictures men post) led me to believe you preferred replies from women, but men's were okay too. I misunderstood. Sorry.

Storm1752 replies on Nov 5, 2019:

@girlwithsmiles I'm making myself "enjoy' it, yes.

We, quite rightly have been giving a lot of attention to leaders lately.

moosepucky comments on Nov 2, 2019:

They would have to change their perceptions. Most are too sure of their "righteousness" to even consider rational thinking.

Storm1752 replies on Nov 5, 2019:

@rogueflyer, @Mcflewster Who is WE, white man? Sounds you are on a crusade to reconcile believers and skeptics so we all can sing 'I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke' around the campfire some day, hand in hand, as the last vestiges of the scales of discord and strife fall from distrustful eyes everywhere. O come the day! Hallelujah! From where did this almost religious fervor come? It's breathtakingly inspiring!

We, quite rightly have been giving a lot of attention to leaders lately.

moosepucky comments on Nov 2, 2019:

They would have to change their perceptions. Most are too sure of their "righteousness" to even consider rational thinking.

Storm1752 replies on Nov 5, 2019:

@rogueflyer You're ALMOST sure.

We, quite rightly have been giving a lot of attention to leaders lately.

Allamanda comments on Nov 2, 2019:

https://www.unicef.org/about/partnerships/index_60231.html

Storm1752 replies on Nov 5, 2019:

@Mcflewster Weapon? So this is war? Shall I gird my loins? So we have identified an "enemy" whom we must "fight?" I'd RATHER think the truth is the truth and will not change. It's only a matter of time before that truth comes to light. How much time? Who cares? Prediction: A world government will eventually form, a lot sooner than anyone realizes. This is not pie-in-the-sky, it's a quickly accelerating process on the way to becoming reality. Maybe at first 1) No one may realize it's happening, and by the time they do it'll be a fait accompli, 2) It won't matter how it begins, whether as some kind of authoritarian dictatorship, a loose confederation, just invisibly evolve, or something else.. In the end it will just be. The Computer Age and the rapidly interconnecting grid being formed will make this inevitable. 3) In the end, it will be a VERY good thing and make the religionists look like fools. So I'm fighting my receding hairline instead. I could be TOTALLY wrong about this, but I don't think so The severity of the problems now upon us are so extreme we will be forced into this scenario. If mankind doesn't face reality, it will perish. Simple as that. If THAT'S the case, it's been nice knowing you.

We, quite rightly have been giving a lot of attention to leaders lately.

MichaelSpinler comments on Nov 2, 2019:

well yeah its a special time. elections coupled with an impeachment. i am glad we are having this focus on our so called leaders.you will never get religious leaders as a whole or in great numbers to address atheist and skeptics in any fair way. they are in the business of lies and power and money. ...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 5, 2019:

@MichaelSpinler Good point. Having unprecedented power, the true ambitions of God, Inc., are becoming transparent, and will alarm fence-sitters. Maybe best to let corporate religion identify THEMSELVES.

We, quite rightly have been giving a lot of attention to leaders lately.

KKGator comments on Nov 2, 2019:

I do not believe it's possible. Religious "leaders" fear skeptics and non-believers. We're a direct threat to their revenue stream. They have no interest in "balanced and fair".

Storm1752 replies on Nov 5, 2019:

@Mcflewster Have YOU made a "serious attempt" to engage with religionists? Are you one yourself, by any chance? When you say you're not judging a "fully serious try at debunking religion," what do you mean? Why would you judge? Does "fully serious try" mean you think some are not really serious? Do you think debunking religion takes serious effort, and that many attempts are not sufficiently robust? Finally, you seem to imply the onus is on the skeptical majority to ingratiate ourselves to the minority religionists. Why? What is to be gained? We are not apostles, commisioned to go forth and multiply our numbers. In the Internet Age the facts are at anyone's fingertips. There are plenty of champions of any "side" imaginable. Besides, in the end, it doesn't matter. It.Just.Doesn't.Matter.

We, quite rightly have been giving a lot of attention to leaders lately.

Storm1752 comments on Nov 3, 2019:

Oh please...get them to be nice to US??? I wouldn't say we're particularly nice to THEM, would you??? And for good reason! With exceptions, like Unitarian Universalists and a few other progressive churches, it'd be better for all concerned if they'd all just disappear. I could care less what ...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 5, 2019:

@Mcflewster Also, what do you mean, "Sell without money the things that I in this life have learned?" Quite a riddle! You mean "preach" my "gospel;" that is, convince people of the blinding truths of my lessons learned? I detect just the SLIGHTEST wisp of...sarcasm? Nah, I doubt that. But if so, your gift for understating your gently applied reproofs is exquisite.

We, quite rightly have been giving a lot of attention to leaders lately.

Storm1752 comments on Nov 3, 2019:

Oh please...get them to be nice to US??? I wouldn't say we're particularly nice to THEM, would you??? And for good reason! With exceptions, like Unitarian Universalists and a few other progressive churches, it'd be better for all concerned if they'd all just disappear. I could care less what ...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 5, 2019:

@Mcflewster Yes I think of myself as a "citizen of the world;" of the universe for that matter. Why do you ask? Is my xenophobic myopia that obvious? To what specifically are you referring? Am I able to think of basic human needs? Are you from poor country without them? Without this information I have no context. Though living in a "affluent" country, I am not rich. Are you saying I can naively resent the excesses of some of my avaricious countrymen because I am swimming in an ocean of material comfort? Please make your meaning clear. Your wording seems cryptic and ironic.

The burden of evidence upon the positive The Skeptics of antiquity espoused open mindedness to ...

Storm1752 comments on Nov 3, 2019:

Huh? This isn't a lawyer's symposium.

Storm1752 replies on Nov 5, 2019:

@AaronAgassi In journalism, we learn to: Tell them what we're going to tell them, Tell them, then Tell them what we told them. Or, imagine an inverted triangle. At the top you give a clear, brief, precise outline of your central point. The "who, what, where, when, and how, in order of importance. Next paragraph, the 'W' or 'H' of primary importance, and on from there. Try it. I for one tried going back and rr-reading your prose, but quickly lost interest (again). Put your point up front, free of clutter.

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

Storm1752 comments on Nov 4, 2019:

The way you posed your question (about the pictures men post) led me to believe you preferred replies from women, but men's were okay too. I misunderstood. Sorry.

Storm1752 replies on Nov 5, 2019:

@girlwithsmiles I've never seen men's posts, but I've heard there's lots of fancy boats, cars, houses, and I'm sure they're very effective. But slobby one? To attract slobby women? I've no idea. All I know is very rarely got a response. Even if wrote them, usually nothing. But it"s true I was only writing the attractive ones to whom everybody else (including the guys with Corvettes and yachts) were writing, so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. I get much more of a response here, I think because it is more a market of ideas, not meat. But that's only a guess. I'm no longer seriously in the market anyway Tired of looking.

Back due to popular demand, but please stick to subject of dating photos.

Storm1752 comments on Nov 2, 2019:

I've tried POF and it was nothing short of a nightmare. The "ladies" were for the most part the biggest collection of losers I ever saw: ugly, overweight, ignorant, you name it. OR so conceited you better be a fortuitous combination of Robert Redford and Bill Gates or you don't stand a chance. ...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 4, 2019:

@Marcie1974 I was ranting, reacting angrily. I've been thinking a lot about this today, and my considered opinion we ALL have our "ideal" in mind; unfortunately our ideal is probably also everybody else's in our "subculture," AS WELL AS in the dominant culture. In the culture at large, why do the rich men always have the most beautiful women? Because women want rich men, and men want beautiful women? It would certainly seem so! In OUR group, it may be incrementally different. I believe it is. Our overall opinions on the fundamentally BASIC issues of life take a more central role. It's not as blatant a sell-out with us, as it is on meat-market sites like POF, where the quid pro quo is nakedly obvious. BUT, things such as physical attractiveness, intelligence, financial stability, etc., etc., are still important. I'd say that's fair. I'd have thought our choices are more enlightened, but the basic, nuts-and-bolts realities are the same. To the original question, maybe that's why a lot of men don't CARE about their physical appearance? Maybe they know it's irrelevant; they've always been successful looking like slobs, why change? Maybe the well-groomed guys are just telegraphing their shortcomings!