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 4, 2019:

@Mcflewster I sold Kirby vacuum cleaners one summer. I was pretty good at it, did well. I haven't owned a TV in years, until I bought this remote cabin and figured it's occasional company'd be nice. THEN I decided I'd have to keep the premium channels despite the cost, because I simply cannot STAND the commercials. Why? Because being a "neo-hippie," or just a hippie (I just like 'neo'), I literally retch at the blatantly materialistic, conscienceless, amoral disregard for men's and women's higher goals, aspirations, and instinctive willingness to contribute to--and sacrifice if necessary-- for the common good. They fill up the airwaves with appeals to the "lowest common denominator:" nice cars, clean floors, bigger houses, constant urgings to consume more, gain higher status, "get over" on the guy or girl next to you, bring capitalist competition into every aspect of your life. So I think TV commercials are an almost invisibly harmful corrosive acid splashed right in the face of people, helping MAKE them "sheeples" as they subconsciously absorb the unspoken but relentless messages: obey submit consume compete and win at any cost. It is corporations drilling their conformist propaganda into the brains of otherwise intelligent, independent people, and slowly but surely making them slaves to the capitalist machine. It's why I liked the movie Matrix (forget the sequels)...I think this what it was really all about.

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 4, 2019:

@AaronAgassi Okay, I'll go back and laboriously dissect your (I argue) deliberately obtuse, ostentatious prose, and see if I can glean your essential points, EVEN THOUGH it'd be easier of you voluntarily simplified, streamlined, and clarified the content. I'll get back to you.

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 No, of course not. I'm an abnormal person and talk funny. How about me? Fixed income, asocial, reclusive...any takers? Once you get past the horribly bad first impression, my true magnificence becomes apparent, but by then she's gone, baby, gone! (Did I mention my hilarious but all-but-impenetrable sense of humor?)

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 4, 2019:

@Mcflewster But as Barry McGuire once sang, "There'll be no one to save, When the world is a grave." Most blind people will just find darker sunglasses to wear, rather than admit to being wrong. It's small consolation to get the rare conversion, when the poor, misguided sheeple you speak of steer society, including us, right off the cliff. Sorry, most of them are more interested in buying into TV commercials than anything we have to say.

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

Geoffrey51 comments on Nov 3, 2019:

Can you break the text down into paragraphs to make the context easier please. It’s quite a long post and it’s not easy to read at a glance to see if it is worth reading

Storm1752 replies on Nov 4, 2019:

@AaronAgassi AND just want him to speak like a normal human being, instead of a philosophy or legal professor?

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 4, 2019:

@AaronAgassi Oookay then, it IS a lawyer's symposium. Problem is, no matter what excellent points you're making, only a handful of people are going to parse your excessive legalese. Are you a bureaucrat lost in the bowels of some huge law conglomerate and get real frisky at the end of the day after your third Scotch? Maybe if you use the Queen's English to explain to us your nuances, so as to make it an enjoyable read? I'm a journalist. In our parlance, you need to address your remarks to the "Kansas City Milkman," not to James Spader pretending to be a lawyer on "Boston Legal." Otherwise, your keenly acute formalizations are quite impressive.

Is the concept of god irrelevant??

Storm1752 comments on Nov 3, 2019:

As a personal deity, yes.

Storm1752 replies on Nov 4, 2019:

@Remiforce Just men masquerading as god.

Are there songs that have distinct religious messages or even religious overtones that you like ...

kmaz comments on Nov 3, 2019:

I enjoy some music even if it is God-focused, though other God-focused music I do not enjoy. I think a God theme bothers me more with some other art forms (novels or movies for example) but with music, I'm not very big on words compared to the music, and even if I pay attention to the words, I ...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 3, 2019:

I think Jesus Christ Superstar is more of a parody of the biblical story. A satire.

Sex appeal in workplace?

Secular_Squirrel comments on Nov 3, 2019:

Both charisma and sex appeal have their use in terms of manipulation of others, in that sense neither of them are virtues. If you take the time to get to know someone, they may repulse you regardless of how they look aesthetically, if you get to know someone, their charisma doesn't really matter, ...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 3, 2019:

Don't charisma and sex appeal go together, usually?

Is the concept of god irrelevant??

FearlessFly comments on Nov 2, 2019:

I like Einstein's view ‘I believe in Spinoza’s God, who reveals himself in the lawful harmony of all that exists, but not in a God who concerns himself with the fate and the doings of mankind. and Stephen Gould's https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-overlapping_magisteria

Storm1752 replies on Nov 3, 2019:

@Remiforce Deists Unite!

Is the concept of god irrelevant??

JacarC comments on Nov 2, 2019:

The god police are the most dangerous on the planet: christian, islamist, buddist, hinduist, communist, socialist, fascist,... They ALL serve for the grace of their most immediate "leader." Their most immediate danger. A most human instinct, to avoid pain. Yet, we are all suffering from some ...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 3, 2019:

You're everywhere with this "progressives are the new god police" b*llsh*t, aren't you?

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

KKGator comments on Nov 3, 2019:

What "old dynamic"?

Storm1752 replies on Nov 3, 2019:

@Wildflower Old or new, Dynamics are good regardless, right? Let's all be very dynamic! It can be a competition, a tug of war! Old to the right, new to the left! Ready? Go! The winner wins...a cupie doll!

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

davers comments on Nov 3, 2019:

So Dear Old Wildflower (hopefully you're not insulted by this expression) has a notion that this site has changed and the change is good. However, others seem to think WF has to explain in the minutest detail her thoughts and expression. Guys, just accept it for what it is, WF's perception of the ...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 3, 2019:

What's WF?

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

JimG comments on Nov 1, 2019:

I am an agnostic atheist. I don't know with certainty that there isn't some form of deity, but the fact that there is no proof makes more sense if there are no gods. Now the strongest argument theist can come up with is that nothing can exist without a creator. That argument however is problematic ...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 3, 2019:

Who created the creator? No matter how far back you go, you end up with the same question. MY inadequate but inescapable conclusion is, no one COULD have created the first thing, because before that nothing (including a creator) would have existed. A creator could not have created itself. Ergo, the universe must have always existed. It must have. Energy, after all, cannot be created or destroyed. Flowing from THAT is, if there IS a "god," it must be the universe itself.

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

Spinliesel comments on Nov 2, 2019:

Why is it a "he" in your theory. Could just as well be a "she". Think on that for a bit. I like your screen name!

Storm1752 replies on Nov 2, 2019:

Deists call "god" an 'it.'

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

david75090 comments on Nov 2, 2019:

I think there's definitely a system that's set up so that things are ongoing, such as water evaporating and going into the air, then raining down to earth to go into plants so that they will grow. Those types of systems are all around. Did those systems just happen or were they implemented by ...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 2, 2019:

Maybe even god couldn't explain where it came from!

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

BBJong comments on Nov 2, 2019:

I see your view ; yet go a step further- mainly because there are too many "strings attached" to the view of God in the background. If a diety is involved , then we are not free/ cannot effect some changes/ there is a score card- and a follow up (after life). The decision of crucial ...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 2, 2019:

Not necessarily. Maybe god set it up so it's ENTIRELY in your hands, or at least given natural, built-in limitations.

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

K9Kohle789 comments on Nov 2, 2019:

For me being Agnostic means to me, like the old old commercial: I'm from Missouri-SHOW ME. If you can't prove it I don't believe it.

Storm1752 replies on Nov 2, 2019:

But I don't disbelieve it if you can't DISprove it.

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

JGARYP comments on Nov 2, 2019:

So, pragmatically, there is no difference from your belief and that of an atheist. Since your deity is not involved, they may as well not exist, right?

Storm1752 replies on Nov 2, 2019:

But natural law is involved, of which we don't know the full scope.

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

freeman99 comments on Nov 2, 2019:

Hey, Veggieman! I consider myself to be an **agnostic** for one reason: Just as no believer cannot prove that god exists, no atheist can prove conclusively that god does ***not*** exist. The only reasonable claim then, is that one is an agnostic (doesn't know if god exist). However... Like ...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 2, 2019:

You say, "...the omnipotent, omniscient, loving God of the Bible..." Which is what atheists always say. What if "god" is NOTHING like what is described in the bible? What if we have NO IDEA what the reality of "god" is? The very idea it may be an "entity" or a "being" might be laughable compared to the real thing. That's where atheists get many agnostics all wrong. Sure, some might think of a "divine being," but I don't. What do I think of? Nothing. I've no idea. But if there IS such a thing, it OBVIOUSLY has nothing to do with human affairs, and how could it? There may be hundreds, thousands, even millions of planets with intelligent life forms. That means untold TRILLIONS of individuals to an infinite power. How could a god keep track of all that? They also say "he" knows the future. That sets up the old "determinalism vs. free will" paradox. But ..who says he knows the future? The bible? We've already established that's nonsense, haven't we? Then any REAL god can't be like the biblical cariacture, can it? So we have no idea what it is. Did "god" create the universe? I don't know...maybe it's always been here. How could that be? I don't know...how could it have been created out of nothing? So the basic mysteries of life can't be answered, god or no god? It seems even god itself wouldn't be able to account for it's own origin...where did god come from? How could it be that god has always been here? But yet, we ask that about the universe. So maybe god and the universe are the same thing? See? Atheists have no idea about any of this but just won't admit it. Given the unanswerable paradoxes all around us, how can we say ANYTHING with certainty? We can't. Afterlife? Maybe. The difference is profound but abstract to some, so it's easy to confuse atheism and agnosticism. Frankly, I think there is no such thing as an "agnostic atheist," just like there's no such thing in my mind as a "agnostic theist." The three are very different from one another, in my opinion. In fact, I think atheists and theists have more in common with one another, because they both have "belief systems." How can you both believe there is no god, but not know if there is one or not? Oh well, the eternal debate rages, or stumbles, or lurches, forward.

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

birdingnut comments on Nov 1, 2019:

There's plenty that would keep me from considering a man; I skip those who golf, fish, hunt, watch sports obsessively, drink commercial beer from cans, eat red meat and/or junk food, men who've never traveled, men who don't read, etc. In my old age I'm pickier than I've ever been because I now know ...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 2, 2019:

I should be perfect for you then, IF I was willing to give up MY freedom.

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

GIjeff04 comments on Nov 2, 2019:

I've been on and off dating sites for a long time now and what I have basically boiled it down to is what women generally want is a guy with money. Rich guys. Of course the dating profile "code" is successful or stable but it seems pretty classist to me. Plus after years of working in wealthy ...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 2, 2019:

@girlwithsmiles Oh insulting men, which you did with obvious relish, is one thing. But when men fire back, it's sexist bullshit... I see. I will say the women here are of a much higher caliber, overall, than those on your typical "dating site." Probably because this isn't "really" a dating site. Not to me, anyway.

I figured I would try to get comfortable sharing here the things that I find interesting for myself ...

Storm1752 comments on Nov 1, 2019:

Do yourself a favor and don't fall into the atheist trap! Keep an open mind. I don't know what's going on either, except I'm pretty sure religion is a hopeless take on reality. It leads nowhere, except to a dead end full of distortions, half-truths, and outright lies. As such, it is worse than a...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 2, 2019:

@Marcie1974 Why do you care what I think? I'm not "god." I'm little 'ol insignificant me. Read back over what I wrote. That's what I think. You and your fellow scoffers, naysayers, doubters and deniers are more than welcome to keep your heads firmly in the sand. I don't care. I wasn't talking to you anyway.

I figured I would try to get comfortable sharing here the things that I find interesting for myself ...

Storm1752 comments on Nov 1, 2019:

Do yourself a favor and don't fall into the atheist trap! Keep an open mind. I don't know what's going on either, except I'm pretty sure religion is a hopeless take on reality. It leads nowhere, except to a dead end full of distortions, half-truths, and outright lies. As such, it is worse than a...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 1, 2019:

@RiverRick, @Marcie1974 If they did years of research, great. Their opinion is a more of an educated guess than is typical. But it's STILL one of those things which cannot be proven, right? How can you research the definition of god, for instance? If I say I define it as e=mXc squared, does it matter if YOU define it as an fictitious deity? I'd say, "no," because it's all mental gymnastics. It has no real meaning. It's nothing tangible, unless you're a pantheist and say god is everything, every grain of sand, every light particle, every quark! Like the song says, "Nobody's wrong, if everybody's right!" Enough. Yes, using the word "trap" WAS arrogant. Sorry for being provocative. It IS my opinion, but so what? No need to p*ss people off.

I figured I would try to get comfortable sharing here the things that I find interesting for myself ...

Storm1752 comments on Nov 1, 2019:

Do yourself a favor and don't fall into the atheist trap! Keep an open mind. I don't know what's going on either, except I'm pretty sure religion is a hopeless take on reality. It leads nowhere, except to a dead end full of distortions, half-truths, and outright lies. As such, it is worse than a...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 1, 2019:

@RiverRick That's YOUR opinion, River. MY opinion is is, there are too many perplexing anomalies, we've all heard of or read about, to simply take categorical "stands" like, for instance, god by ANY definition does not exist. What about legitimate question marks such as crop circles (the ones not made by men with rakes and plywood), reincarnation, psychics (the ones without earplugs, cheat sheets), UFOs, paranormal activity, etc.? To just dismiss it and say, 'I don't care. It's all phony," without bothering to investigate is intellectually evasive, in my opinion. I think some people need to KNOW, to have absolute certainty, an anchor, an immovable foundation, on which to base their life. To have uncertainty and unresolvable mystery is intolerable. I think personally there IS a core explanation, whatever it is. There must be, from my perspective. But I can't prove it. And you can't disprove it. That's why it's just my opinion. And why your opinion is also unproven conjecture.

I figured I would try to get comfortable sharing here the things that I find interesting for myself ...

Storm1752 comments on Nov 1, 2019:

Do yourself a favor and don't fall into the atheist trap! Keep an open mind. I don't know what's going on either, except I'm pretty sure religion is a hopeless take on reality. It leads nowhere, except to a dead end full of distortions, half-truths, and outright lies. As such, it is worse than a...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 1, 2019:

@Marcie1974 Some are so relieved to be free of the strictures of whatever religious trap they fell into by birth and upbringing, or took on themselves for some misguided reason, they overreact and go to the other extreme, fall into ANOTHER trap, another belief system, which is just as limiting of the infinite possibilities of life. The old "out the frying pan, into the fire" syndrome. The "throwing the baby out with the bath water" scenario. Agnosticism, on the other hand, is the correct perspective, in my opinion. Suspended between belief and disbelief, one can fully appreciate the vast wonder of our existence, the reasoning goes. This of course is my opinion, and I'll maintain and protect it, as long as possible, from those who want to tell me opinions are for sissies, that I have to "take a stand!" No, I don't. Neither do you. Because there is no tenable, defendable "stand" (feasibly and rationally) possible.

“When men choose not to believe in God, they do not thereafter believe in nothing, they then ...

Kelsey comments on Nov 1, 2019:

We reject the idea of gods because lack of evidence for them gives us no reason to think they exist, and critical thinking shows fatal problems with most descriptions of gods. This doesn't mean we believe everything. Many things fail one or both of the requirement of evidence, or critical ...

Storm1752 replies on Nov 1, 2019:

WE "believe" nothing of the sort. YOU reject the idea of gods. SOME reject the idea "god" has a set of rules OF ANY SORT for us to follow. SOME reject everything but the Golden Rule. SOME reject ANY idea, be it god, anti-god, semi-god, as the "truth." ALL IS CONJECTURE, according to them. SOME reject atheism as just another failed "belief system," made up by yet more fallible, pig-headed men, trying to tell the rest of us what to think.

What's the symbol of atheism

Geoffrey51 comments on Nov 1, 2019:

Hopefully there isn’t one!

Storm1752 replies on Nov 1, 2019:

@Geoffrey51 Didn't you get the memo? Atheism IS a religion! You just can't see it.

What's the symbol of atheism

LiterateHiker comments on Nov 1, 2019:

Here you go. I like the Darwin fish with feet.

Storm1752 replies on Nov 1, 2019:

What's the crab signify?

What's the symbol of atheism

PondartIncbendog comments on Nov 1, 2019:

Raised middle finger to the sky.

Storm1752 replies on Nov 1, 2019:

Great picture.

I'm agnostic & somewhat spiritual but that doesn't necessarily mean I want to talk about it.

Mofo1953 comments on Nov 1, 2019:

Religion = spirituality = bullshit!

Storm1752 replies on Nov 1, 2019:

@Mofo1953 Present evidence yourself, if you are able, for NOT believing all the "spirituality bs." It's all a matter of opinion. Believe what you want; we're all ears. But don't get in someone else's grill for thinking something else.

House of representatives are voting on a formal impeachment process resolution of Trump.

dave1459 comments on Oct 31, 2019:

Not yet... The Senate will not uphold by pronouncing Trump guilty.

Storm1752 replies on Oct 31, 2019:

The Senate has the CONVICTION-and-removal from office phase. Bill Clinton was also impeached by the House, but not convicted by the Senate. Trump: same thing, for 100% sure.

As an Agnostic I am always interested when the sciemce takes a serious look at a spiritual topic.

Casey07 comments on Oct 31, 2019:

It's true, just ask Big Foot.

Storm1752 replies on Oct 31, 2019:

@WilliamFleming Atheists ARE very flippant, Bill, as you must know. After all, they have "faith" in their own half-baked positions, just like their theist cousins.

As an Agnostic I am always interested when the sciemce takes a serious look at a spiritual topic.

dare2dream comments on Oct 31, 2019:

This article is evidence that even a professor of psychiatry can do pseudo science. His opinion is in contrast to the consensus of scientific community.

Storm1752 replies on Oct 31, 2019:

What consensus please? Would you cite the contrarian position?

As an Agnostic I am always interested when the sciemce takes a serious look at a spiritual topic.

Davesnothere comments on Oct 31, 2019:

The problem with such research is bias. When you interview a mother who's child said something of the sort you mention, and then the family repeats that tale over time, it is a game of telephone. Its the one that got away, and your bias in favor of reincarnation (geographically where most of his ...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 31, 2019:

It sounds like you're the one with the bias. The article says they did exhaustive debunking and eliminated all cases possible, leaving only those bulletproof to denial. Why don't you read his material before you prop up your own straw dogs to shoot down? You simply quote snippets from the article and make up your own supporting 'facts.' I suggest you read some case studies about reincarnation on your own, and you'll see there are some of interest. Or are you afraid your cherished atheism may take a hit? By the way, it IS possible to not believe in "god" and still have an open mind about paranormal activity.

Is hope realistic?

Storm1752 comments on Oct 29, 2019:

The very question is hopeful. But irrelevant. Hope is NECESSARY. Without it we can forget about the "pursuit of happiness!" Hope is the future. Without the future we are morose and despondent. Is hope realistic? Beside the point. Hope is real. So ignore all the grouches who say it isn't. ...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 30, 2019:

@OwlInASack Fine. I don't want get into a p*ssing contest with yet another atheist. Glad you're optimistic despite your rational mind. Good luck.

Is hope realistic?

Storm1752 comments on Oct 29, 2019:

The very question is hopeful. But irrelevant. Hope is NECESSARY. Without it we can forget about the "pursuit of happiness!" Hope is the future. Without the future we are morose and despondent. Is hope realistic? Beside the point. Hope is real. So ignore all the grouches who say it isn't. ...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 30, 2019:

@OwlInASack This is why I'm an agnostic neo-deist, and not an atheist. For atheists, hope isn't "realistic" because there is no future, beyond this life. Ergo, they are morose and despondent and a lot of other negative things, almost by definition. I couldn't live like that. I don't think organisms on this planet are inherently depressed and despairing. I don't see it elsewhere in nature, so I don't see why it should be that way for us. So, to answer the question directly (even if it IS irrelevant), I do think hope is realistic. If you don't, I feel sorry for you.

What is agnosticism?

Heraclitus comments on Oct 28, 2019:

Agnosticism is disbelief. Agnosticism is honesty. To claim that agnosticism is nothing more than closet atheism is narrow-minded arrogant militant atheistic dishonesty and intolerance. It's just another way of claiming that everyone must see the universe as I do, they just won't admit it. There ...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 29, 2019:

Thank you Well said. Though I question the term "agnostic atheism" as self-contradictory, I acknowledge the point (while disputing it). Do you mean to say, atheists are really agnostic and just don't know it? If so, I'd demur. They SAY they disbelieve; I'd be predisposed to take them at their word. Just because WE know such a claim of certain KNOWLEDGE cannot be correct, THEY insist such is the case. It is a fallacious position; we both know that, just as we know theists are also wrong. But what are you going to do?

What is agnosticism?

TheMiddleWay comments on Oct 28, 2019:

"Without good evidence, the default is disbelief." I disagree with this statement. In rational science, there is no default belief or disbelief. This is, to me, the true nature of agnosticism: we withhold judgement one way or another until evidence tells us to go one way or the other or, ...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 29, 2019:

Thank you my fellow, well-spoken agnostic Every now and then we have to pull the old, obvious distinctions between atheism and agnonocism down from the shelf, dust them off, and trot them out once again. Why they don't "get it" is a rich ground for speculation, up from which many seedlings sprout, and many flowers bloom. And those distinctions are not academic and/or semantic; they are real, significant, and profound.

What is agnosticism?

DougTElmira comments on Oct 28, 2019:

You need to read Thomas Huxley's (coiner of the word agnostic) information, even on Wikipedia. He simply said that without evidence one can not know something. For example, in the absence of evidence for either the existence or not existence of a supreme being, one can not know whether such a being ...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 29, 2019:

I respectfully disagree, my friend. You are correct Agnostics neither believe nor disbelieve in God. HOWEVER, to say I'm therefore an atheist because I don't believe in God is incorrect, because I DON'T DISBELIEVE EITHER. That's the defining difference, I aver: Atheists DO disbelieve in God. Is that a fair distinction?

What is agnosticism?

JacarC comments on Oct 28, 2019:

I am an agnostic - anti-theist. I'm with Penn Jillette on this: Agnostic and atheist answer two different questions: Agnostic: We cannot know fur shur how our universe started: without knowledge Atheist: There ain't no all powerful invisible critters: there is no reliable proof of such a ...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 29, 2019:

But not anti-agnostic, I hope. I oppose belief systems, whatever the sacred cow. Atheism is as much a sacred cow as theism. Agnostics don't HAVE sacred cows. They have opinions, speculations, theories, educated guesses, postulations, which can change on a dime. Depends on which "true believer," theorist, or wild-eyed dreamer you happen to be talking to at the moment. Atheists hate that. They KNOW, god-d*mn-it, and that's all there is to it! lol

What is agnosticism?

t1nick comments on Oct 28, 2019:

FYI: Never heard of the website, "FoolQuest", so here is their claim about thrmselves: FoolQuest.com is the website dedicated towards collaborative social engineering of new and better alternatives in how we lead our lives, anything conceivably more honest, congenial, user-friendly and ...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 29, 2019:

Want to try that again in plain language?

The agnostic crowd is much more intelligent than the rest!! Sorry, but it is the truth.

Pralina1 comments on Oct 29, 2019:

Unfortunately , that's not true . I know many brilliant other ways humans , who are religious . Some how religion eases what ever pain and fear they have . Also I have known some atheists , who grew up atheists , studied religions in some extent ( nothing huge ), educated selves w degrees , and...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 29, 2019:

Your humility is very welcome, and admired.

The agnostic crowd is much more intelligent than the rest!! Sorry, but it is the truth.

MsAl comments on Oct 29, 2019:

Since I have been spending here (and other secular online groups) I have learned it not to be as true as I once thought. It is a more intelligent opinion. There are plenty of "it's my way or the highway" fanatics here too. And not all religious people are like that. These days it is really a select ...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 29, 2019:

I like your reasoning about why you think some religious people are not inherently fanatical. But I disagree. They may strive to APPEAR open-minded and moderate, but are at their core close-minded about their particular religion, and about it dogmatically outspoken. Now SPIRITUAL people are perhaps those to whom you are referring? Aside: please explain what you mean, "...and creeps into poor people and ethnic shaming." I HAVE noticed some Ayn Rand-style "Objectivism,' that is, the secular belief in human "survival of the ideological fittest," a faith in capitalism as a way to weed out the inferior, etc. (These theorists are, of course, among the superior "winners.") I just chalk that up to overactive ego, and leave it at that.

This morning I received a mesage from Admin that several groups have been cancelled.

Geoffrey51 comments on Oct 27, 2019:

Well I hope not, and I didn’t know the Bob Dylan group existed or I would have been on it!😔

Storm1752 replies on Oct 27, 2019:

Me 3.

Good morning! I want silly questions today!

IamNobody comments on Oct 27, 2019:

American Football or soccer?

Storm1752 replies on Oct 27, 2019:

American football is superior in every way.

Good morning! I want silly questions today!

moonmaid comments on Oct 27, 2019:

Why is it that the food you love the most is so very bad for you? And don't say you love kale, because we'll all know you're lying.

Storm1752 replies on Oct 27, 2019:

A tie! Milk chocolate. Ice cream. They ARE foods, right?

A simple syllogism- if evil exists there cannot be a god both benevolent and all powerful Some ...

Allamanda comments on Oct 26, 2019:

this is the third rehash of the Epicurean Trilemna in a week!

Storm1752 replies on Oct 27, 2019:

The what? I'm writing that down. Oh, never mind, no need.

A simple syllogism- if evil exists there cannot be a god both benevolent and all powerful Some ...

Moravian comments on Oct 27, 2019:

Until the Jewish tribe adopted and developed monotheism the gods worshiped were mirrors of men with all their faults. The god of the old testament was invented to support the actions of the Jewish people and destroy anyone else. The god of the new testament is a more benign character but it must be ...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 27, 2019:

IS the "new testament god" more benign? In some ways maybe, but when you really think about it, not so much: "Forces son to kill himself *Commands us to be perfect *Insists we suck 'cause we can't perform miracles *Tells us to drop everything and become a Bum for Christ *"Reveals" our every normal human desire, impulse and instinct is evil. Even THINKING about them punches our ticket to hell. *Announces the Earth as we know it is hopelessly doomed (so why try?). *Advises family is meaningless and even bad, as are all human relationships. To the sword with them, he declares. *Countless other gems of "wisdom" flow from his perfect, pursed lips proving he really, really loves us.

A simple syllogism- if evil exists there cannot be a god both benevolent and all powerful Some ...

RiverRick comments on Oct 27, 2019:

Why do people post this stuff? We already know there isn't a god. Why do people like to post stuff still asking questions? Whatever your question is... The answer is, THERE IS NO GOD!

Storm1752 replies on Oct 27, 2019:

You don't know that, Einstein.

Hello people

RoyMillar comments on Oct 26, 2019:

Hello how are you doing,we all like to hear naughty talk

Storm1752 replies on Oct 27, 2019:

Yep, for sure. Got anything? I'll follow along and contribute my thoughts as well, IF you do.

Only Ever Vote For Your Own Race - AOC should have endorsed Julian Castro because he is Latino, ...

Storm1752 comments on Oct 23, 2019:

I confess: I'm white, and if it was a choice between two women, one white, one from some other grouping (I won't say 'race' because there's only one of those, contrary to what some people think), say, Latino, and everything else being roughly equal, I'd vote for the white candidate. But ...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 25, 2019:

@Flowerwall I loved Obama, still do. Everybody makes mistakes. Two things come to mind: his handling of the "Arab Spring," and I PERSONALLY think he should've gone for universal health care right out the gate, OR pick other, more winnable fights. Maybe Obamacare will be resuscitated down the line...I doubt it, we'll see. As it was, his enemies dragged down his administration using the ACA as an albatross around his neck. I think his instincts told him to "compromise," which is fine if the other side is willing to meet you half way. They are not. Not then, not now, not ever.

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

Storm1752 comments on Oct 23, 2019:

You're assuming the old myths still apply, but our knowledge of the world is expanding at an exponential rate, especially with the computer and man's mushrooming interconnectedness. The old myths are certain to dissolve into one new, common myth and one culture as the world shrinks. This will seem...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 24, 2019:

@Metahuman You mean as in, Joseph Campbell's Hero With a Thousand Faces? That just describes typical human behaviour. Since I'm one, I guess so.

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

Storm1752 comments on Oct 23, 2019:

It surprises me too, how bitter and resentful and downright territorial they sound, as if this is their turf and no talk of 'spirit' here! I consider myself to be striving for understanding of life, the world, the universe, and as an "agnostic neo-deist" (though I think labels are ridiculous) I ...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 24, 2019:

@Truthseeker1968 Yes it does. Any "true believer" sounds like that.

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

TristanNuvo comments on Oct 23, 2019:

Some one else quite a while back mentioned something like this, and it got my attention like your's did too. For me. And well quite a few others I know, the word "spititual" doesn't always mean godly, or a religious kind of thing. Rather it is a good way to describe one, who can meditate, or get ...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 23, 2019:

Well said.

Only Ever Vote For Your Own Race - AOC should have endorsed Julian Castro because he is Latino, ...

Storm1752 comments on Oct 23, 2019:

I confess: I'm white, and if it was a choice between two women, one white, one from some other grouping (I won't say 'race' because there's only one of those, contrary to what some people think), say, Latino, and everything else being roughly equal, I'd vote for the white candidate. But ...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 23, 2019:

@Flowerwall I DID say, "all things being equal," and immediately qualified that by saying things never are. I, like a lot of people, voted for Obama (even though Hillary MAY have been the better choice, given how he insisted on trying to "work with" his enemies even though all they wanted to do was eat him for lunch). AND squandered an historic majority in Congress we'll probably never see again. (Knock on wood, I hope I'm wrong).

Does this quote resonate with you?

Storm1752 comments on Oct 23, 2019:

No, I don't think "you are here" for any specific reason at all. Some people have wonderful lives, some terrible lives, some somewhere in the spectrum between the two. It's just the luck of the draw. I DO think believing that can make life more bearable for those who suffer. I suffer sometimes. ...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 23, 2019:

@Allamanda If you can do that, good for you and I absolutely agree.

Only Ever Vote For Your Own Race - AOC should have endorsed Julian Castro because he is Latino, ...

Storm1752 comments on Oct 23, 2019:

The future of the party is to become increasingly secular, agnostic, progressive and futuristic, one would hope. I say this because as the U.S. becomes increasingly non-religious, SOMEONE from the major liberal party will time it just right and come out and point to the obvious, SAY the emperor has...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 23, 2019:

@Flowerwall I'm surprised you asked me that. Institutions grow, adapt, evolve, or are replaced over time; they don't just collapse (unless there's a revolution or an invading army (us) destroys them (Iraq, Libya, etc.). Besides, I was being somewhat wildly optimistic

One of the posts I read indicated that being an atheist or an agnostic is a choice we make.

RileyStevens comments on Oct 22, 2019:

Belief is not a choice. Choosing to believe is a lie.

Storm1752 replies on Oct 23, 2019:

I've puzzled over your words. "Choosing to believe is a lie?" Bring an "agnostic neo-deist," I believe SOMETHING; not sure what, exactly. Does that count?

Anyone else NOT raised in a religious family?

AnonySchmoose comments on Oct 22, 2019:

I'm second generation non-religious. My mom would not marry my dad until he quit being Catholic. My other relatives are different percentages religious.

Storm1752 replies on Oct 23, 2019:

Good for your mother! In my family it was (almost) the opposite: she wouldn't marry him unless he stopped being a so-so Presbyterian and became a so-so Catholic!

Anyone else NOT raised in a religious family?

brentan comments on Oct 22, 2019:

My mother was angry at the Church for its intrusions into her personal life and my father was more interested in middle-class morality. The emptiness of the latter motivated me to look into religion for deeper meaning. Middle-class morality and Church power died during my lifetime and now I feel my ...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 23, 2019:

I totally disagree with this false choice. Yes, atheism is empty, and most of the "atheists" here are actually Agnostics with atheistic opinions, because they can't possibly know for sure there is no god-in-any-sense-of-the-word. I've not the slightest idea if there's a "god" or not, so I call myself an "agnostic neo-deist." But I DO know life has meaning for me personally, and I feel there's a REASON it has meaning. To me, that meaning has to do with an impersonal god who doesn't answer prayers and doesn't even know (if there is such a thing as an entity who knows anything at all) I exist, but nevertheless infuses the natural world with matter and energy and light. And, for me anyway, meaning. Morality? The Golden rule is the only "morality" I need. (On the other hand, if someone punches ME in the nose, I punch back.)

Anyone else NOT raised in a religious family?

BlueWave comments on Oct 23, 2019:

Dad was always atheist. My mom was catholic. We were baptized catholic, but I don't remember every attending church regularly. When I was 6, they divorced and the only time I went to church was with a friend or something. Dad's new wife was catholic/christian, but very reserved about it. ...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 23, 2019:

Your one brother is probably a NEO-deist, as am I. About as good as you can hope for, being an "atheist."

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

Word comments on Oct 22, 2019:

John 1:1 In the beginning was the word (logos) the word (logos) was with God and was God. John 1:14 ... the word(logos) become flesh.

Storm1752 replies on Oct 23, 2019:

Someday, Fred, Jesus will take his place in the pantheon of obsolete gods and we'll all laugh about it all as ignorant mutterings, as we all do those of a silly, innocent baby gurgling in it's crib. And you can see them there On Sunday morning, Singin' all about, what it's like up there. They call in paradise. I don't know why, Call something paradise, Kiss it goodbye. Go tell it to someone who cares, my friend.

Ok.

Storm1752 comments on Oct 20, 2019:

I don't believe in that either. I DO believe it's so okay to sharply disagree with beliefs contrary to my own, often returning tit-for-tat abusive, derisive, or derogatory language. Having been on the receiving end of such abuse several times, I find it has had a corrective effect on my own ...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 23, 2019:

@Castlepaloma Interesting. Sounds like you have most of the answers to life's riddles. Must be nice. I'd say, 'Let's share a bottle of wine and solve the rest of them,' but I don't drink. And without it I'm speechless. I'm no genius but I certainly drank like one.

Ok.

Storm1752 comments on Oct 20, 2019:

I don't believe in that either. I DO believe it's so okay to sharply disagree with beliefs contrary to my own, often returning tit-for-tat abusive, derisive, or derogatory language. Having been on the receiving end of such abuse several times, I find it has had a corrective effect on my own ...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 23, 2019:

@Castlepaloma Right. Which raises the question:what's a 'tat???'

Wolfgang Streeck wrote in his book "How will Capitalism end?

Storm1752 comments on Oct 20, 2019:

I posit it will become obsolete. Irrelevant. No longer applicable to the "facts on the ground." Technology, I predict, will provide for all physical needs without need for MANual labor. I believe we are so still in thrall of old thinking generated by the "old religions," which of course are ...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 20, 2019:

@WilliamFleming I didn't SAY Marxist-Leninist, did I? I said COMMUNIST. And I didn't say, "Soviet-style communism," did I? No. I'm talking about something ENTIRELY DIFFERENT, as I said above.

Wolfgang Streeck wrote in his book "How will Capitalism end?

WilliamFleming comments on Oct 20, 2019:

Without reading the book it’s hard to give an opinion. In a free and open society there is constant change, constant shuffling of business formations. There’s plenty of room for improvement—for reform, but that doesn’t mean that capitalism needs to be brought down and replaced with ...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 20, 2019:

@WilliamFleming Ahem, excuse me, but the scarcity of supply (of doctors) relative to the demand has more to do with the hegemony and dominance of the American Medical Association (AMA) over the fundamental capitalist levers of health care. What made you think the insurance companies might've had to be non-profit? No, premiums were meant to be paid by the employer, that's all. That they got too expensive just means the number of patients (population),and thus DEMAND, rose faster than the number of doctors, that is, SUPPLY, and premiums got too expensive. That simple.

Wolfgang Streeck wrote in his book "How will Capitalism end?

Storm1752 comments on Oct 20, 2019:

I posit it will become obsolete. Irrelevant. No longer applicable to the "facts on the ground." Technology, I predict, will provide for all physical needs without need for MANual labor. I believe we are so still in thrall of old thinking generated by the "old religions," which of course are ...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 20, 2019:

@WilliamFleming A NEO-communism based on democracy and intelligent use of modern technology, not on a fascist, totalitarian political system and a top-down command economy. One of the main reasons the old system failed was because it was impossible to adequately control and coordinate all the elements of production. For instance, an automobile requires hundreds of constituent parts. To arrange for the correct allocation of resources, any bureaucracy would be stretched to it's limit for even that one product. Multiply that by countless products over the width and depth of a gigantic economy, and efficiency would be impossible. Add to that a demoralized, underpaid, unmotivated work force, and failure over time was inevitable. HOWEVER, employing automation guided by computers, no such limitations would apply. Sometimes the lessons of history are fallacious. Applying old outcomes to new conditions and potentialities can be misleading. A failed, coercive communistic system managed and administered by a hopelessly incompetent bureaucracy is no model on which to base future applications. Moreover, old-style communism was not ECLIPSED by capitalism, but rather was pre-dated by capitalism. Capitalism has been around since the first Caveman traded with his neighbor a stout stick for a pretty rock! Communism was meant to correct some of its glaring shortcomings. That it failed because of the aforementioned deficiencies does NOT mean capitalism's shortcomings do not exist. It just means the right remedy was not yet found.

Your veiws on Spiritual?

JacarC comments on Oct 14, 2019:

"Spiritual" is a feeling.

Storm1752 replies on Oct 17, 2019:

@Castlepaloma Mario's "divine" need not be anything other than the truth, or coming closer to an understanding of it, rather than a 'thing' in time and space. If he means "experience" as in a flash of insight into the true nature of matter and energy, and calls that a "spiritual experience," so be it. It's too bad the Jesus myth created so much misunderstanding of what spirituality really is, by dressing it up with "miracles" and other tangible "proofs" of legitimacy, when it's really available to anyone who thinks hard enough about life, death, reality. This world is wondrous enough without trying to escape into another one. I DO think other planes of existence, other dimensions, are possible, even probable, but I'll never experience them here and now. But I AM experiencing this world, even if my powers of perception can only detect a fraction of it.

Your veiws on Spiritual?

Castlepaloma comments on Oct 14, 2019:

At least on this post, I got a closer understanding of what spiritual means to non- believers and the confusion between the two.

Storm1752 replies on Oct 17, 2019:

Between 'the two' what?

"What marks modernist thought above all is the belief that human existence is contingent - that it ...

Storm1752 comments on Oct 15, 2019:

I totally disagree with the bleakly hopeless tone of Eagleton's exposition. Seems like he's just another talented wordsmith with very little of substance to say. Agnostics are much less defeatist and depressing. Rather than say our finest moments are worthless (despite the fact they "may" on the ...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 17, 2019:

@Allamanda I always say English as IT is spoken.

"What marks modernist thought above all is the belief that human existence is contingent - that it ...

Storm1752 comments on Oct 15, 2019:

I totally disagree with the bleakly hopeless tone of Eagleton's exposition. Seems like he's just another talented wordsmith with very little of substance to say. Agnostics are much less defeatist and depressing. Rather than say our finest moments are worthless (despite the fact they "may" on the ...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 17, 2019:

@Allamanda A "multitude of sins?!?" Sounds almost biblical! You believe in "sins?" Some (but not all) atheists, I mean, refuse to acknowledge ANY speculation or inquiry focused on the possibility of an interconnectedness of all energy and matter. For instance, of a "collective unconscious" or an "akashic record" or anything which AT THIS TIME cannot be proven. If scientists had always had that attitude, almost everything we know now about the universe would've remained hidden. They say something to which we could refer to as "god," for want of a better word, cannot and will not ever be proven. How do they know? Isn't their definition of "god" arbitrarily narrow? If god doesn't have a beard or sit in a lotus position, god does not, cannot, exist? Maybe THESE atheists are as rigid in their thinking as the theists to whom they so strenuously object to, and reject? Then again, close-minded atheists are the only extant ones, in my mind. Open-minded atheists are actually a separate species, a sub-branch, if you will, of agnosticism.

Your veiws on Spiritual?

Storm1752 comments on Oct 15, 2019:

Putting your atrocious grammar and syntax aside, I agree with what I THINK you are trying to say. Yes we are bio-organisms above all else, and our "spirituality," if we choose to have one, need not have anything to do with "religion" past or present, but can rather be a personal thing of one's very...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 17, 2019:

@Castlepaloma I for one do not "worship" the sun! Why should I "adore" and "venerate" it? It's only doing what suns do. Its enormous gravitational and centrifugal forces smash its atoms together so forcibly it causes a fusion reaction, which in turn creates incredible heat. EVERY sun does that. Similarly, some planets are precisely the correct size and distance from that sun to harbor life. That's nothing to "adore," just a common physical reality in a (possibly) infinite universe.. On those planets, creatures intermingle and struggle for life. Some are human. Some are female; some male. They depend on each other in countless ways, principally to procreate, and to provide physical, emotional, psychological, and some may say "spiritual" support. There is nothing amazing about that, nothing worthy of exceptional "reverence." If it is NOT provided, the implicit agreements humans form to facilitate and improve their lives fail. To a greater or lesser extent they are EXPECTED to do their share to enable the species to survive and prosper. To say you find any of this "awe-inspiring," and deserving of "hero worship," is ludicrous and betrays an underdeveloped, immature mind. ALWAYS there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself, the Desiderata says, and to become vain or bitter about it simply means you refuse to accept your place in society. It does NOT mean the lesser "worships" the greater, nor does it mean a better-positioned person should accept from the less fortunate, as their due, bowing and scraping at their feet. All from top to bottom have a "place," just as any proposed "god," whomever or whatever that may mean, has a place, and that most certainly wouldn't be sitting on a majestic throne in some Asgard somewhere accepting alms from mere mortals! A "god," whether it be energy and matter itself, or some "presence" or "intelligence," would just do what a god or gods do. Nothing more, nothing less. Of course we debate that every day. It's sort of what WE do. Grow up!

I know I'm talking to an international group here.

Storm1752 comments on Oct 15, 2019:

Wow, and this from you, a conservative atheist about a make-believe-conservative atheist?!? Or is your complaint he's just not conservative enough, or too blatant and obvious about his criminality? Our erstwhile and maybe future friends DO understand there are some sane Americans. Our enemies ...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 16, 2019:

@Robecology Too bad we couldn't go back in time and remove Raegan and George W. while we're at it, and half the Supreme Court, and a whole lot of Senators and Congressmen, and state governors and legislators and school board members and... But I guess to do that we'd have to get rid of all the people who voted for them too, and the people they listen to who warp their minds, and the think tanks and foundations who sponsor, support, fund and provide personnel for the whole "vast right-wing conspiracy" Hillary talked about. So, you see, getting rid of Donald Trump is an absurdly futile enterprise. As I said he's just the tip of the iceberg which is threatening to sink Titanic Earth. Good thing we're agnostics or atheists. We at least realize in the long run it matters not one single bit.

Your veiws on Spiritual?

Storm1752 comments on Oct 15, 2019:

Putting your atrocious grammar and syntax aside, I agree with what I THINK you are trying to say. Yes we are bio-organisms above all else, and our "spirituality," if we choose to have one, need not have anything to do with "religion" past or present, but can rather be a personal thing of one's very...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 16, 2019:

@Castlepaloma Why do you want to "worship" nature? To what end? Maybe APPRECIATE it, or stand in awe of it's orderly beauty or whatever, but WORSHIP? I wouldn't want anybody worshipping anything or anybody for any reason. Give me a break. That's a gesture of obesiance to that which is infinitely greater than yourself. Even if there WAS a god it wouldn't consider you inferior. Does a watchmaker consider himself "superior" to the watch? No of course not that's absurd. Is a mother "superior" to her daughter? Does a backhoe operator look down on the dirt he shoves around? They all are rather exactly equal, only in a different shape and size. Basically you would be worshipping yourself.

I know I'm talking to an international group here.

Storm1752 comments on Oct 15, 2019:

Wow, and this from you, a conservative atheist about a make-believe-conservative atheist?!? Or is your complaint he's just not conservative enough, or too blatant and obvious about his criminality? Our erstwhile and maybe future friends DO understand there are some sane Americans. Our enemies ...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 16, 2019:

@Robecology I meant HE'S a make-believe-conservative (closet) atheist, not you! You're the real thing (mostly). As far as "minimalist government" AND "health care for all?" Yeah right. Frankly I'm sick of the "I want the best but I don't want to pay for it" mentality, the "supply-side" budget balancers, in short the "I want it all for nothing" lies. Raise taxes and lower spending or shut up! You want few or no abortions? Then get real with sex education and contraception! I could go on and on and on. Suffice to say conservatives live in an Objectivist fantasy world. Ayn Rand is their heroine. Has nothing to do with reality but that hasn't stopped them yet.

"What marks modernist thought above all is the belief that human existence is contingent - that it ...

Storm1752 comments on Oct 15, 2019:

I totally disagree with the bleakly hopeless tone of Eagleton's exposition. Seems like he's just another talented wordsmith with very little of substance to say. Agnostics are much less defeatist and depressing. Rather than say our finest moments are worthless (despite the fact they "may" on the ...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 16, 2019:

@Matias Well that may be true. I only have this to go by. The old 'foundations" are overrated, never did a thing for me, and are not missed, by the way. In fact, it was only when I became convinced--at my core--of their illegitimacy I felt the full force and power of my new freedom. Now I can investigate alternative spiritual choices without the "Jesus" anchor (and all it's attendant nonsense) around my intellectual neck. Apologies to all my atheist friends, but I posit they are so intent on throwing out the baby with the bath water they overlook the limitless opportunities for intellectual speculation and informed scientific inquiry this freedom affords. The loss of a few ridiculous myths is a small price to pay.

I think dirty talk is very erotic.

Storm1752 comments on Oct 15, 2019:

You could always just start by talking dirty, instead of talking about talking dirty. For instance, a close, bi, platonic (married) female friend and I text constantly. She is disenchanted with her sex life with hubby and wants to meet another woman for emotional and sexual intimacy. I of course...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 15, 2019:

@StephenTerry No I mean try it NOW. That's what this group is about. Tell us something erotic and stimulating! Make something up. Or is that reserved for special, more private occasions? Seems to defeat the whole purpose of being here.

EDIT: Please keep in mind this is relative to a debate group/consortium I belong to comprised of ...

Storm1752 comments on Oct 15, 2019:

Pontificating, bloviating, expounding, getting into the weeds--waste of time. A simple, "I'm an agnostic, open-minded but my personal opinions are fact-based," might not be much better, but it's better for a climate already too full of hot air.

Storm1752 replies on Oct 15, 2019:

@DallasKimmerzzz Like I said, I'll go so far and no farther. That's usually not very far. Good luck!🦊

EDIT: Please keep in mind this is relative to a debate group/consortium I belong to comprised of ...

Storm1752 comments on Oct 15, 2019:

Pontificating, bloviating, expounding, getting into the weeds--waste of time. A simple, "I'm an agnostic, open-minded but my personal opinions are fact-based," might not be much better, but it's better for a climate already too full of hot air.

Storm1752 replies on Oct 15, 2019:

@DallasKimmerzzz You're right, of course. By "skeptics" do you mean "atheists" or "agnostics?" I guess I'M a skeptic, but I try not to debate, because that would mean I have a position to defend, one I feel passionate about. If my position is, I THINK "Jesus" is a fictional character, for instance, or a composite straw man created by the Romans, or maybe an actual human being lost to history and without miraculous powers--maybe psychic or something but no more--OR...I'm sure true-blue believers would find issue with that, and insist on a debate. At that point, depending on my mood, energy level, the tone and quality of the general discourse, I MIGHT tentatively engage, but only to a point. As soon as the opposing camps--fact vs. faith--hardened, I'd look for the exit. And that time always comes. I know it, you know it, so why bother in the first place?

Your veiws on Spiritual?

Storm1752 comments on Oct 15, 2019:

Putting your atrocious grammar and syntax aside, I agree with what I THINK you are trying to say. Yes we are bio-organisms above all else, and our "spirituality," if we choose to have one, need not have anything to do with "religion" past or present, but can rather be a personal thing of one's very...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 15, 2019:

@Castlepaloma It's "understandable," I think, to call Nature your religion, in that I COMPREHEND that's what you propose to do. And you CAN do it. But is it valid? Or is it like calling an apple a vegetable? For what IS a religion? If you mean, "a system of faith and worship," then no, doesn't fit, right? If you mean, "a pursuit or interest to which someone ascribes supreme importance," well, do you? Do you consider nature (or the universe in general) supremely important; that is, god? Then you're a pantheist. If nature's forces--electromagnetism, etc.-- UNITE each individual particle to every other one, into a collective grid in constant communication with itself--via a mechanism our instruments cannot yet detect--then a system of KNOWLEDGEABLE belief could then be developed. Do you mean "religion" in that speculative yet possibly valid sense? In that case, I can see regarding Nature as a POTENTIAL, speculative religion with a valid hypothesis. To prove it out, we would need better technology. I'm sure they're working on it.

Your veiws on Spiritual?

Pedrohbds comments on Oct 15, 2019:

When I say spiritual I am saying: "I know this have a logical explanation, but I don't need to look for it now, just enjoy the feeling."

Storm1752 replies on Oct 15, 2019:

@Pedrohbds The problem with your take is you make it unnecessarily obscure and complicated. Could you distill it into 10-15 words?

Good Sunday morning! It's pose-your-question-day!

bleurowz comments on Oct 13, 2019:

The Museum of Modern Art in NYC has this piece in their permanent collection, a "sculpture" (if you want to call it that) originally created in 1913 by Marcel Duchamp (and yes, the piece is literally named "Bicycle Wheel"). It's considered a famous piece, but a total head-scratcher to me, and I ...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 13, 2019:

It's kinda cool, right? I wouldn't BUY it because I could get a bar stool and an old bicycle rim and ..voila! Art! I may just do that, too. It just occurred to me: maybe that's it's artistic appeal: it can be so easily reproduced. True, soup cans can be too but who wants THAT in their house? I making one and putting it on my porch!

Good Sunday morning! It's pose-your-question-day!

ZantiMisfit comments on Oct 13, 2019:

Why am I always getting up at 6am now?!?! -No Clue :(

Storm1752 replies on Oct 13, 2019:

You're getting older?

Good Sunday morning! It's pose-your-question-day!

Cutiebeauty comments on Oct 13, 2019:

What does food mean to you? How important is it? Do you eat to live or live to eat?

Storm1752 replies on Oct 13, 2019:

Eat to live. I allow into my body only the finest fuel. (Usually.)

Good Sunday morning! It's pose-your-question-day!

ToolGuy comments on Oct 13, 2019:

Do you still think of money as a commodity like gold or silver as shown by Scrooge McDuck and his nephews in a vault or do you think of it in another way?

Storm1752 replies on Oct 13, 2019:

Richard Burton called it, "The Necessary." Just so

Do people just know know about this site?

Storm1752 comments on Oct 12, 2019:

Compared to...? A lot of people come and read and think but don't say anything. They observe, like scientists a rare, exotic species. But considering the meteotic growth in agnostic thought, the numbers could be small. So what? Many agnostics are not activist (or even ACTIVE) by nature and simply...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 13, 2019:

@Sameasis Interesting, because I just added, 'I speak up' to, 'I remain silent' and 'I go away.' I also have noticed, speaking 'digitally,' an effective tool is to include both an idea and it's opposite in the same phrase. For example, The Desiderata: "Go placidly amidst the noise and haste," or "Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time." Or, "Speak your truth clearly and quietly, and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant...," or "...in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace with your soul." Dylan does the same thing, but I'll spare you. As for the "pattern of three (Kennedys do that)" you say it's "correct." Is that in some book of rhetoric? Rock, soil, road? Yes, maybe, no? I strongly suspect so! In any case, thank you for the compliment.

Leviticus 20:13 “‘If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of ...

JimG comments on Oct 6, 2019:

No, I hate to burst your bubble, but there are churches that preach that shit very strongly and sincerely. They may not enforce the punishment, but I seriously doubt that they wouldn't stone "offenders" if they could get away with it. I can think of two very famous examples right off the top of ...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 10, 2019:

Maybe you could interpret that as the (fictitious) "Jesus" saying the OT got it all wrong, that the "Golden Rule" is the fulfillment of the "law" and the only thing that really matters. Didn't "he" say that too? Just sayin'...

ARE YOU ANNOYED AT TV EVANAGLISTS AND DOOR KNOCKING BIBLE THUMPERS?

Storm1752 comments on Oct 8, 2019:

Maybe alien-human hybrid sculpture.

Storm1752 replies on Oct 9, 2019:

@273kelvin A fabricated sculpture!

Confederate Flag ::: A comment about those who revere the Confederacy, and the Confederate Flag ...

BestWithoutGods comments on Oct 6, 2019:

The confederates rebelled against the USA because they did not want "liberty and justice for all." They wanted to continue enslaving people based on racism. Shame on the confederacy. I salute their battle flag with my middle finger. Everyone should have equal rights, and no person has a right to ...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 8, 2019:

@Jacar Economics and clashing cultures? So THAT'S what it was about? Oh, and "state's rights," don't forget that one! It was about S-L-A-V-E-R-Y, fool!

Confederate Flag ::: A comment about those who revere the Confederacy, and the Confederate Flag ...

MarkiusMahamius comments on Oct 6, 2019:

Im fairly sure I could find another post from you, railing about "identity politics", yet here you are.

Storm1752 replies on Oct 8, 2019:

@Jacar Blame the slave masters, not the Northerners who came to free the enslaved.

Do You Hate God? | The Life and Times of Bruce Gerencser

Storm1752 comments on Sep 30, 2019:

If something is by some definition "God," it most certainly isn't any God of which I am aware! THAT God would not be hate-worthy. The Abrahamic gods are, however, loathsome cariactures, not in any way connected to reality. Since I'm an "agnostic Neo-Deist," however, unlike my atheist ...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 2, 2019:

@altschmerz, @Joanne Neither do I. But you DO claim to "know" there is no god by any definition, which is a LOT to know!

Do You Hate God? | The Life and Times of Bruce Gerencser

Storm1752 comments on Sep 30, 2019:

If something is by some definition "God," it most certainly isn't any God of which I am aware! THAT God would not be hate-worthy. The Abrahamic gods are, however, loathsome cariactures, not in any way connected to reality. Since I'm an "agnostic Neo-Deist," however, unlike my atheist ...

Storm1752 replies on Oct 2, 2019:

@altschmerz Except for natural law, which is uniformly constant. Every quark, every molecule, every animal--including man--follows it. No exceptions.

Amazing how there are still people out there that think banning books is a good thing.

Storm1752 comments on Sep 30, 2019:

How about the Romans burning down the library at Alexandria? History is full of such examples of men wanting to shape, erase, or change reality.

Storm1752 replies on Oct 2, 2019:

@AtheistReader Read a little more about it, and gather it was a slow, gradual decline, with the penultimate blow struck by the Christians determined to destroy all things pagan. In other words, yes, Muslims would've done the same thing, only destroying all things non-islamic, but the Christians got there first and, despite the graphic descriptions of fires burning for weeks, there was apparently nothing left to burn. Whatever. Whether it was the Christians or the Muslims or both, the central point remains, even to the present day: Regardless of the presence of physical books, each person keeps in his or her mind a private library which cannot be erased or burned. It informs their opinions, which at some point may harden into true belief. Then, it cannot be amended For true belief, once established, seems intractable and will disregard any or all information to the contrary

Amazing how there are still people out there that think banning books is a good thing.

Storm1752 comments on Sep 30, 2019:

How about the Romans burning down the library at Alexandria? History is full of such examples of men wanting to shape, erase, or change reality.

Storm1752 replies on Sep 30, 2019:

@davknight Part of the library was accidentally destroyed by Julius Caesar in 48 BC, and slowly dwindled away over the years through lack of Roman Imperial support, and was finally demolished around 275 A.D. when Rome put down a rebellion in Alexandria. This was well before there was any such thing as Islam. Anyway, I was wrong too about it's relevance to the central point about "book-burning," though the validity of the general idea remains.

I asked my sister how her Philosophy class in college is going when she visited today.

Storm1752 comments on Sep 26, 2019:

VAGUE

Storm1752 replies on Sep 29, 2019:

@vjohnson51 Thank you.🙂

A good discussion of the situation with climate change in Florida. [forbes.com]

evergreen comments on Sep 24, 2019:

Ironically, Florida, while being one of the first states to be inundated by the sea, is also in danger of running out of available drinking water. As water management districts continue to issue pumping permits to bottling companies, and developers, the Floridan aquifer goes down each year - ...

Storm1752 replies on Sep 28, 2019:

This is true. Like all men's dysfunctions--the massacres, the wars, the destruction of our environment-- it is a frustrating mess, isn't it? The worse part is it is so easily ameliorated by common cause and action, yet there is a political faction, and a percentage of the population, which makes an ideological religion of individuality, both out of miguided sincerity and as a cover for greedy selfishness. But you already know that. This is what we've lost: the willingness to make individual sacrifices for the good of the commonweal. This is the real damage the Ayn Rands of the world have wrought.

I asked my sister how her Philosophy class in college is going when she visited today.

Storm1752 comments on Sep 26, 2019:

VAGUE

Storm1752 replies on Sep 27, 2019:

@vjohnson51 I am calm. You misspelled it twice.

She has a cute little hinny.... 😘😘

Storm1752 comments on Sep 25, 2019:

Friend of yours?

Storm1752 replies on Sep 26, 2019:

@Cutiebeauty I think it is. Look closely...gotta be. GREAT ass, btw!

She has a cute little hinny.... 😘😘

Storm1752 comments on Sep 25, 2019:

Friend of yours?

Storm1752 replies on Sep 25, 2019:

@Cutiebeauty Only reason I ask is she looks like the same one from the photo of her on her back from the waist up. Is it? (Well that and I have a lewd mind as you know!)