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Do sacred sites move you?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 7, 2018:
There are a lot of really beautiful churches. I like to soak up that beauty—experience it without thought or judgment.
Then I like to think about the beautiful people who built those churches and those who attend. I am at odds with the creeds of most of them. I think they are mistaken in some of what they teach, but yet there is a core essence that I value and respect.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 7, 2018:
There are a lot of really beautiful churches. I like to soak up that beauty—experience it without thought or judgment.
Then I like to think about the beautiful people who built those churches and those who attend. I am at odds with the creeds of most of them. I think they are mistaken in some of what they teach, but yet there is a core essence that I value and respect.
"Unlike other inscrutable problems, such as the structure of the atom, the molecular basis of ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 6, 2018:
Great article! Thanks. I didn’t expect to read that from the publisher of “Skeptic”, but it confirms my opinions about certain things, and augments my state of bewilderment.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 6, 2018:
Great article! Thanks. I didn’t expect to read that from the publisher of “Skeptic”, but it confirms my opinions about certain things, and augments my state of bewilderment.
One of my biggest pet peeves is when religious people say God told them to do something instead of ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 6, 2018:
Reminds me of my religious kinsman. He has every argument covered. Ask him for example why the Bible is the sole authority on religion and he’ll just say that God told him so. There’s no way to refute that claim—end of argument.
Wait—I just thought of a reply: Next time I’ll say: “That’s odd, God told me that the Upanishads are more meaningful. Have we caught God in a lie?”
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 6, 2018:
Reminds me of my religious kinsman. He has every argument covered. Ask him for example why the Bible is the sole authority on religion and he’ll just say that God told him so. There’s no way to refute that claim—end of argument.
Wait—I just thought of a reply: Next time I’ll say: “That’s odd, God told me that the Upanishads are more meaningful. Have we caught God in a lie?”
Louisville's heat index is the highest in the country
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 6, 2018:
Take heart! The days are growing shorter. Winter is on the way. :-)
I am wet with sweat from morning to eve. Thanks for reminding me—I’ve got to do laundry.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 6, 2018:
Take heart! The days are growing shorter. Winter is on the way. :-)
I am wet with sweat from morning to eve. Thanks for reminding me—I’ve got to do laundry.
Dr Dan Siegel defined the mind as "an embodied and relational process that regulates the flow of ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 6, 2018:
My higher, consciously aware self sits calmly, observing the machinations of a body-based mind.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 6, 2018:
My higher, consciously aware self sits calmly, observing the machinations of a body-based mind.
Are atheists criticising the wrong things about religion?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 5, 2018:
IMO It is improper to lump all religion together. It is a many-sided animal.
Certain religious organizations deserve to be criticized for using fear and guilt to indoctrinate people into believing silly things. That would be nearly all Christian churches.
Instead of trying to make people believe things so they might go to heaven, religious organizations should be fostering deep awareness, appreciation and gratitude for the mystery and grandeur of reality.
They should be promoting love, compassion, and the living of a productive and meaningful life through self-discipline, meditation and introspection.
Religion is not an explanation for what is, and will never be IMO. It is the question that is so important—no one has an answer—not philosophy, not religion, not science. You can talk about God ‘til doomsday but if you can not define or understand God you are just making noise. To say that God did it explains nothing and is just another way of saying you don’t know. Religion can not explain reality but it can and should awaken people to the staggering implications of existence and the miracle of conscious awareness.
It’s not about atheism vs theism. It’s all about being awake vs being asleep.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 5, 2018:
IMO It is improper to lump all religion together. It is a many-sided animal.
Certain religious organizations deserve to be criticized for using fear and guilt to indoctrinate people into believing silly things. That would be nearly all Christian churches.
Instead of trying to make people believe things so they might go to heaven, religious organizations should be fostering deep awareness, appreciation and gratitude for the mystery and grandeur of reality.
They should be promoting love, compassion, and the living of a productive and meaningful life through self-discipline, meditation and introspection.
Religion is not an explanation for what is, and will never be IMO. It is the question that is so important—no one has an answer—not philosophy, not religion, not science. You can talk about God ‘til doomsday but if you can not define or understand God you are just making noise. To say that God did it explains nothing and is just another way of saying you don’t know. Religion can not explain reality but it can and should awaken people to the staggering implications of existence and the miracle of conscious awareness.
It’s not about atheism vs theism. It’s all about being awake vs being asleep.
Sandrine Thuret: You can grow new brain cells. Here's how | TED Talk Subtitles and Transcript | TED
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 4, 2018:
Very interesting. Thanks.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 4, 2018:
Very interesting. Thanks.
Sam Harris: "The Moral Landscape" (a review)
Having read Sam Harris' publications on atheism, ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 4, 2018:
I understand your criticism. My gripe with social reformers in general is that they first seek out a pattern of behavior that they deem is incorrect, ie unfair, unsafe, detrimental, etc. They then embellish and exaggerate the effects of that behavior. The third step is to determine who are the perpetrators and who are the victims. They demonize the ones they have determined to be perpetrators and they extend a sort of condescending pity to the “victims”, calling for them to be helped by government. They want punishment for the perpetrators.
The truth is that usually there are underlying reasons why things are as they are, and after the reformers are done people are often worse off than they were before. You might be able to force behavior patterns that you like for awhile, but the changes are apt to be temporary and superficial.
Of course sometimes changes really are needed. In those cases the reforms are spontaneous, spurred by the people themselves who are affected rather than by academia or the liberal media, looking to make money or win points as great saviors. As you say, values originated bottom-up and they can only be changed bottom-up.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 4, 2018:
I understand your criticism. My gripe with social reformers in general is that they first seek out a pattern of behavior that they deem is incorrect, ie unfair, unsafe, detrimental, etc. They then embellish and exaggerate the effects of that behavior. The third step is to determine who are the perpetrators and who are the victims. They demonize the ones they have determined to be perpetrators and they extend a sort of condescending pity to the “victims”, calling for them to be helped by government. They want punishment for the perpetrators.
The truth is that usually there are underlying reasons why things are as they are, and after the reformers are done people are often worse off than they were before. You might be able to force behavior patterns that you like for awhile, but the changes are apt to be temporary and superficial.
Of course sometimes changes really are needed. In those cases the reforms are spontaneous, spurred by the people themselves who are affected rather than by academia or the liberal media, looking to make money or win points as great saviors. As you say, values originated bottom-up and they can only be changed bottom-up.
One-Third of Americans Don't Believe 6 Million Jews Were Murdered During the Holocaust
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 3, 2018:
How was the question framed? Did they say they didn’t believe or did they say they didn’t know? Were those polled asked to select among various figures? It’s a very misleading title.
The article seems to imply that the US is becoming a terribly anti-Jewish place but if you read carefully you learn otherwise. You can not expect young people of today to have much knowledge or interest in events that took place nearly eighty years ago. Life moves on and historical events fade into the background, eclipsed by more recent events.
If Americans almost universally believe that the holocaust occurred, and 93% think the holocaust should be taught in school, then that is enough IMO.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 3, 2018:
How was the question framed? Did they say they didn’t believe or did they say they didn’t know? Were those polled asked to select among various figures? It’s a very misleading title.
The article seems to imply that the US is becoming a terribly anti-Jewish place but if you read carefully you learn otherwise. You can not expect young people of today to have much knowledge or interest in events that took place nearly eighty years ago. Life moves on and historical events fade into the background, eclipsed by more recent events.
If Americans almost universally believe that the holocaust occurred, and 93% think the holocaust should be taught in school, then that is enough IMO.
The old debate rises again! (or closes again)
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 3, 2018:
The objection I’ve heard from women is that we men tend to splatter all over and create a mess. I get around that problem by using a jar.
It was quite a chore to find one large enough to accommodate my member.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 3, 2018:
The objection I’ve heard from women is that we men tend to splatter all over and create a mess. I get around that problem by using a jar.
It was quite a chore to find one large enough to accommodate my member.
Things that irritate me.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 3, 2018:
What about male authors who depict women? Do they get it wrong? The reason I ask is that I’ve read many female authors who seem confused or ignorant about masculinity and the male experience.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 3, 2018:
What about male authors who depict women? Do they get it wrong? The reason I ask is that I’ve read many female authors who seem confused or ignorant about masculinity and the male experience.
Here's the thing: Time is never patient; As it has no reason to be.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 3, 2018:
According to physicist Carlo Rovelli, time doesn’t exist, only interactions and relationships. Time is a human-made concept.
Rovelli could be wrong of course, but if he’s right we should think of reality itself as timeless and immutable, but with covariant interacting fields. (That’s as I understand it.)
Think of a book of trigonometric tables. I can look at that book and see fluctuations and interactions everywhere, but the overall system is fixed and requires no time concept.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 3, 2018:
According to physicist Carlo Rovelli, time doesn’t exist, only interactions and relationships. Time is a human-made concept.
Rovelli could be wrong of course, but if he’s right we should think of reality itself as timeless and immutable, but with covariant interacting fields. (That’s as I understand it.)
Think of a book of trigonometric tables. I can look at that book and see fluctuations and interactions everywhere, but the overall system is fixed and requires no time concept.
I rarely post anything in the Love category, so I figured perhaps it was about time.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 3, 2018:
He looks like a great guy!
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 3, 2018:
He looks like a great guy!
Things that irritate me.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 3, 2018:
If a man is pro-abortion is it ok for him to comment? I need to know this stuff for future reference.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 3, 2018:
If a man is pro-abortion is it ok for him to comment? I need to know this stuff for future reference.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RELIGION AND MAGIC?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 3, 2018:
Is religion a complex of culturally prescribed practices? To me that sounds too narrow. That definition leaves out the religion of those who have mystical or religious experiences directly, and it leaves out the religion of people like Einstein, who had a glimmer of something in the universe profoundly beautiful and mysterious, but who adhered to no culturally prescribed religious practices.
And there’s that last phrase about the purpose of religion being to get good things and avoid bad. My opinion is that deeply felt religion has no “purpose”—it just is, sort of like art, an expression or emotion.
I’ll admit though that the definition fits a high percentage of church members. You provide food for thought Matias. Maybe organized religion in general is akin to magic, while deep religious experience is anchored in reality.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 3, 2018:
Is religion a complex of culturally prescribed practices? To me that sounds too narrow. That definition leaves out the religion of those who have mystical or religious experiences directly, and it leaves out the religion of people like Einstein, who had a glimmer of something in the universe profoundly beautiful and mysterious, but who adhered to no culturally prescribed religious practices.
And there’s that last phrase about the purpose of religion being to get good things and avoid bad. My opinion is that deeply felt religion has no “purpose”—it just is, sort of like art, an expression or emotion.
I’ll admit though that the definition fits a high percentage of church members. You provide food for thought Matias. Maybe organized religion in general is akin to magic, while deep religious experience is anchored in reality.
Do you think that duality in thoughts and actions limit the living "experience"?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 2, 2018:
The concept of opposites has meaning in everyday life. If I feel cold I know to put on my coat. If I feel hot I take it off. By DEFINING hot and cold as opposites I simplify and organize my response options. But if I think about it I realize that temperature is just an indication of average molecular velocity and that hot and cold are only psychological ideas, opposite only in my mind.
I suggest that duality is useful for everyday living but that seeing through the illusion of duality sometimes leads to a better life, with more freedom and understanding. For example, if I understand that good and evil are not opposites I might be less judgmental of others and myself.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 2, 2018:
The concept of opposites has meaning in everyday life. If I feel cold I know to put on my coat. If I feel hot I take it off. By DEFINING hot and cold as opposites I simplify and organize my response options. But if I think about it I realize that temperature is just an indication of average molecular velocity and that hot and cold are only psychological ideas, opposite only in my mind.
I suggest that duality is useful for everyday living but that seeing through the illusion of duality sometimes leads to a better life, with more freedom and understanding. For example, if I understand that good and evil are not opposites I might be less judgmental of others and myself.
The Unnatural Nature of Science
Science involves a special mode of thought and is unnatural ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 2, 2018:
Maybe common sense is the kind of thinking that helped humans survive for over a million years. Scientific analysis might help us survive into the future if we utilize it wisely.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 2, 2018:
Maybe common sense is the kind of thinking that helped humans survive for over a million years. Scientific analysis might help us survive into the future if we utilize it wisely.
For me.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 2, 2018:
That “walking on eggs” feeling wears thin.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 2, 2018:
That “walking on eggs” feeling wears thin.
Do you deal with grief?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 2, 2018:
Grief is natural. We just have to ride it out. IMO it is better to fully experience our feelings in the light of awareness than to try and cover or assuage the feelings.
If you want to be REALLY sad and depressed start thinking untrue negative thoughts about the situation. Think of yourself as a weak, helpless victim who will never again be happy. That ought to do it.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 2, 2018:
Grief is natural. We just have to ride it out. IMO it is better to fully experience our feelings in the light of awareness than to try and cover or assuage the feelings.
If you want to be REALLY sad and depressed start thinking untrue negative thoughts about the situation. Think of yourself as a weak, helpless victim who will never again be happy. That ought to do it.
How the Cyrenaics Invented Hedonism
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 2, 2018:
It seems to me that the natural and default state of a consciously aware entity is supreme joy. If you are looking for pleasure as a way to fill a lack, then that pleasure will be short lived.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 2, 2018:
It seems to me that the natural and default state of a consciously aware entity is supreme joy. If you are looking for pleasure as a way to fill a lack, then that pleasure will be short lived.
How do yall stay positive in rough times?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 2, 2018:
When I was down someone gave me a copy of “Help Yourself to Happiness” by Maxie Maultsby, and it did wonders for me,The book is very easy to read and understand. For me doing the exercises was like flipping a switch. I couldn’t afford a high-priced psychological counselor or a bunch of expensive pills and I’m glad I couldn’t.
Every bad feeling can be traced to an untrue thought. Every day of unhappiness, anger, or depression can be traced to wallowing in those thoughts.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 2, 2018:
When I was down someone gave me a copy of “Help Yourself to Happiness” by Maxie Maultsby, and it did wonders for me,The book is very easy to read and understand. For me doing the exercises was like flipping a switch. I couldn’t afford a high-priced psychological counselor or a bunch of expensive pills and I’m glad I couldn’t.
Every bad feeling can be traced to an untrue thought. Every day of unhappiness, anger, or depression can be traced to wallowing in those thoughts.
What’s the worst or most boring job you’ve ever had?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 2, 2018:
That would be picking cotton.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 2, 2018:
That would be picking cotton.
I have friends and family who don't think there is a god but refuse the label of atheist because of ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 2, 2018:
I know a number of non-believers but not one who says he is an atheist. They don’t want to pointedly identity with a negative “ism”. For most people, opinions about religion are not of much interest. After all, no one really knows or understands the deep questions of existence IMO.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 2, 2018:
I know a number of non-believers but not one who says he is an atheist. They don’t want to pointedly identity with a negative “ism”. For most people, opinions about religion are not of much interest. After all, no one really knows or understands the deep questions of existence IMO.
Is socialism and libertarianism compatible?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 2, 2018:
I lean toward thinking that Libertarian economic thinking is correct as far as it goes, but that some government sponsored social programs are necessary and desirable if well-managed and kept in check. One economic principle not usually discussed is that large groups of starving people are dangerous.
The ultimate social program IMO would be a lifelong subsistence income for every citizen, funded by a massive public trust fund invested in stocks and bonds. Eliminate all other social programs along with public debt and taxes.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 2, 2018:
I lean toward thinking that Libertarian economic thinking is correct as far as it goes, but that some government sponsored social programs are necessary and desirable if well-managed and kept in check. One economic principle not usually discussed is that large groups of starving people are dangerous.
The ultimate social program IMO would be a lifelong subsistence income for every citizen, funded by a massive public trust fund invested in stocks and bonds. Eliminate all other social programs along with public debt and taxes.
Do you think a good person is someone who never gets angry?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 2, 2018:
Everyone is angry now and then—it’s part of being associated with a human body. To stay angry, to wallow in anger does not mean that you are a bad person. It means that you are a mistaken and unhappy person. That can be changed.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 2, 2018:
Everyone is angry now and then—it’s part of being associated with a human body. To stay angry, to wallow in anger does not mean that you are a bad person. It means that you are a mistaken and unhappy person. That can be changed.
I'm probably the outlier here, but I think fireworks are overrated and over done.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 2, 2018:
They are sort of exciting. They arouse some sort of barbaric pleasure. For real excitement observe a B52 raid.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 2, 2018:
They are sort of exciting. They arouse some sort of barbaric pleasure. For real excitement observe a B52 raid.
HUMAN DIGNITY - - In modern liberal democracies, dignity is something every human being has simply...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 2, 2018:
All people should be treated with respect and dignity, regardless of their circumstances or what they’ve done. It’s not because we are trying to be good people or a fair society. It’s because IMO such treatment is a logical necessity.
Every person alive is the culmination of a long line of survivors. That fact alone should elicit respect, but beyond that we are all joined by common awareness IMO. I can not disrespect another person without disrespecting myself. Basically, every person is a wonderous miracle,
No matter, if someone has become a threat it is a duty to deal with that threat—efficiently but not with hatred or anger. For society to function there have to be rules, and there need to be penalties for breaking those rules. But that is a different subject.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 2, 2018:
All people should be treated with respect and dignity, regardless of their circumstances or what they’ve done. It’s not because we are trying to be good people or a fair society. It’s because IMO such treatment is a logical necessity.
Every person alive is the culmination of a long line of survivors. That fact alone should elicit respect, but beyond that we are all joined by common awareness IMO. I can not disrespect another person without disrespecting myself. Basically, every person is a wonderous miracle,
No matter, if someone has become a threat it is a duty to deal with that threat—efficiently but not with hatred or anger. For society to function there have to be rules, and there need to be penalties for breaking those rules. But that is a different subject.
I joined this site because of the Title, Agnostic.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 30, 2018:
I don’t know if the standard labels tell the whole story. As I see it, if you say either that you believe there is a God or you do not believe there is a God, you are talking about yourself. There is no obligation to prove or even explain statements about yourself. If you state that there is a God, or that there is no God, you have made a bald-faced assertion that will need justification if you are to maintain credibility. If you are a Canadian you can just add “aye” at the end of your assertion, thereby turning the statement into a question and slithering away without having to present an argument.
But there are different confidence levels of any belief. Contrary to what is often said, there is almost always SOME evidence for a belief. How much credence a person gives that evidence determines the strength of the belief. Except for a few superficial identities nothing is known with absolute certainty.
I am in the uncomfortable position of being a theist of sorts. So far I haven’t been driven off the site—I’m holding my breath. I lean toward the idea of universal consciousness, with a confidence level of 95%. Whether “universal consciousness” is God is an open question, but it really boils down to semantics. Perhaps the subject will be subjected to scientific investigation at some point.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 30, 2018:
I don’t know if the standard labels tell the whole story. As I see it, if you say either that you believe there is a God or you do not believe there is a God, you are talking about yourself. There is no obligation to prove or even explain statements about yourself. If you state that there is a God, or that there is no God, you have made a bald-faced assertion that will need justification if you are to maintain credibility. If you are a Canadian you can just add “aye” at the end of your assertion, thereby turning the statement into a question and slithering away without having to present an argument.
But there are different confidence levels of any belief. Contrary to what is often said, there is almost always SOME evidence for a belief. How much credence a person gives that evidence determines the strength of the belief. Except for a few superficial identities nothing is known with absolute certainty.
I am in the uncomfortable position of being a theist of sorts. So far I haven’t been driven off the site—I’m holding my breath. I lean toward the idea of universal consciousness, with a confidence level of 95%. Whether “universal consciousness” is God is an open question, but it really boils down to semantics. Perhaps the subject will be subjected to scientific investigation at some point.
Can Americans please comment on the geographical extent of oppression of atheists in your country?
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 30, 2018:
By the “Bible Belt” most people are referring to the South I think, and that description is grossly inaccurate. Religious fundamentalism is rampant all around the country.
http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/region/south/
If you click on the above link you'll see a rating of various religious practices and values in the South. Under each table is a tab to click on and see how the various regions compare in religious practices. If you look you'll see that while the South is indeed more religious, the differences among the regions are not very great. There are certainly not enough differences to warrant labeling the South as the "bible belt". The South is a huge and diverse region, the most populous region, with every conceivable religion and religious opinion.
So far as oppression, I live in a very rural area, and I’ve never heard of anyone being oppressed because of their religious opinions. There are great numbers of people around me who, while not describing themselves as atheists, are definitely non-believers, and they are in no way oppressed. Of course that is just my observation. Others might see it differently.
What about in your country? Do people commonly say that they are atheists? Are there cultic fundamentalist groups? According to something I read, Paul Dirac was denied a professorship at one of the English universities because of his atheism. Is that common? He had no trouble getting on at FSU, right in the heart of Cracker country, and he is buried there, in Tallahassee.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 30, 2018:
By the “Bible Belt” most people are referring to the South I think, and that description is grossly inaccurate. Religious fundamentalism is rampant all around the country.
http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/region/south/
If you click on the above link you'll see a rating of various religious practices and values in the South. Under each table is a tab to click on and see how the various regions compare in religious practices. If you look you'll see that while the South is indeed more religious, the differences among the regions are not very great. There are certainly not enough differences to warrant labeling the South as the "bible belt". The South is a huge and diverse region, the most populous region, with every conceivable religion and religious opinion.
So far as oppression, I live in a very rural area, and I’ve never heard of anyone being oppressed because of their religious opinions. There are great numbers of people around me who, while not describing themselves as atheists, are definitely non-believers, and they are in no way oppressed. Of course that is just my observation. Others might see it differently.
What about in your country? Do people commonly say that they are atheists? Are there cultic fundamentalist groups? According to something I read, Paul Dirac was denied a professorship at one of the English universities because of his atheism. Is that common? He had no trouble getting on at FSU, right in the heart of Cracker country, and he is buried there, in Tallahassee.
Name calling and cursing at someone is not effective in a healthy debate.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 30, 2018:
Those tactics are rare on this forum, thankfully. Using your real name and location keeps a person civil, and I think that should be the standard for all on-line forums.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 30, 2018:
Those tactics are rare on this forum, thankfully. Using your real name and location keeps a person civil, and I think that should be the standard for all on-line forums.
What was the moment you decided that you were done with church and religion?
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 30, 2018:
In college I attended an all-day Baptist seminar. As I sat there it suddenly came into my consciousness that I was at odds with everything that was being taught. At that point I was absolutely finished with Christianity.
I will always be religious in a way, sort of like Albert Einstein:
“Try and penetrate with our limited means the secrets of nature and you will find that, behind all the discernible concatenations, there remains something subtle, intangible and inexplicable. Veneration for this force beyond anything that we can comprehend is my religion. To that extent I am, in point of fact, religious.”
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 30, 2018:
In college I attended an all-day Baptist seminar. As I sat there it suddenly came into my consciousness that I was at odds with everything that was being taught. At that point I was absolutely finished with Christianity.
I will always be religious in a way, sort of like Albert Einstein:
“Try and penetrate with our limited means the secrets of nature and you will find that, behind all the discernible concatenations, there remains something subtle, intangible and inexplicable. Veneration for this force beyond anything that we can comprehend is my religion. To that extent I am, in point of fact, religious.”
Who can really debate this... it's just common sense and rationale combined.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 30, 2018:
Hmmm... North Korea is one of the countries where atheism is enforced.
These blanket statements about religion can indeed be debated.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 30, 2018:
Hmmm... North Korea is one of the countries where atheism is enforced.
These blanket statements about religion can indeed be debated.
Christian group sues to overturn conversion therapy bans in South Florida - Metro Weekly
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 30, 2018:
If a person, adult or minor, wants such treatment, why should it be forbidden? What am I missing?
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 30, 2018:
If a person, adult or minor, wants such treatment, why should it be forbidden? What am I missing?
Physicist Sabine Hossenfelder claims in her new book "Lost in Math" desire for beauty and other ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 30, 2018:
Interesting article. To me it seems that answers to the deep questions of existence are out of reach of us humans. Those questions are certainly out of my reach, and I feel nothing but bewilderment along with a sense of gratitude. appreciation, and the utmost awe.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 30, 2018:
Interesting article. To me it seems that answers to the deep questions of existence are out of reach of us humans. Those questions are certainly out of my reach, and I feel nothing but bewilderment along with a sense of gratitude. appreciation, and the utmost awe.
Is Religion an addiction?
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 30, 2018:
Perhaps for some people atheism is an addiction. That little surge of pleasure in thinking that your opinion in the matter is the only correct one correlates with certain neural activity, That proves that atheism is nothing but brain chemistry.(sarcasm)
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 30, 2018:
Perhaps for some people atheism is an addiction. That little surge of pleasure in thinking that your opinion in the matter is the only correct one correlates with certain neural activity, That proves that atheism is nothing but brain chemistry.(sarcasm)
So grateful for simple things these past few days.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 29, 2018:
Ah, a fellow optimist. Enjoy!
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 29, 2018:
Ah, a fellow optimist. Enjoy!
My closest and best friend who is also my first cousin visited me today.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 29, 2018:
I don’t know if anybody truly knows “what’s out there”. We all pass through phases of life when we behave in ways that later seem dishonorable. Yet, we had to have those phases. Feeling guilt or shame is irrational—better to think nothing at all than to think judgmental, untrue things about yourself.
I’m just reading “The Untethered Soul”, which seems very uplifting. Nice photo.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 29, 2018:
I don’t know if anybody truly knows “what’s out there”. We all pass through phases of life when we behave in ways that later seem dishonorable. Yet, we had to have those phases. Feeling guilt or shame is irrational—better to think nothing at all than to think judgmental, untrue things about yourself.
I’m just reading “The Untethered Soul”, which seems very uplifting. Nice photo.
"The myth of religious violence"
This is the title of a very interesting book by William T.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 29, 2018:
Interesting idea. People who love discord will find one way or another to divide people into “us vs them” and religion is only one of many ways. That alone is not sufficient reason to devalue or falsify religion.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 29, 2018:
Interesting idea. People who love discord will find one way or another to divide people into “us vs them” and religion is only one of many ways. That alone is not sufficient reason to devalue or falsify religion.
First day here.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 29, 2018:
Welcome.
I think you are probably correct about the foundation of Christianity. As for me, I think Jesus was a smart, gutsy guy in some ways and I agree with a lot of what he taught, but I am definitely not a Christian in the way taught by traditional churches.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 29, 2018:
Welcome.
I think you are probably correct about the foundation of Christianity. As for me, I think Jesus was a smart, gutsy guy in some ways and I agree with a lot of what he taught, but I am definitely not a Christian in the way taught by traditional churches.
Gender differences.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 29, 2018:
Boys are born with XY chromosomes in every cell, and their bodies develop in a number of ways associated with masculinity. They are different than girls and there is no way to change that.
I know that a rare few individuals are born with attributes of both sexes, and they deserve our full respect and empathy. But in general I think that it is better for each gender to celebrate the way they were born and to make the most out of it—play the hands they were dealt as they see it.
Bodies are just bodies. IMO our higher and truer selves are not physical bodies. At that level there is no male vs female. There is only pure awareness.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 29, 2018:
Boys are born with XY chromosomes in every cell, and their bodies develop in a number of ways associated with masculinity. They are different than girls and there is no way to change that.
I know that a rare few individuals are born with attributes of both sexes, and they deserve our full respect and empathy. But in general I think that it is better for each gender to celebrate the way they were born and to make the most out of it—play the hands they were dealt as they see it.
Bodies are just bodies. IMO our higher and truer selves are not physical bodies. At that level there is no male vs female. There is only pure awareness.
Why are hard-to-believe faiths more popular? Baptists vs. Quakers
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 29, 2018:
Church membership in general is in rapid decline, and the Baptists are no exception. My opinion is that churches begin to alienate people when they become political in nature. Churches such as the Quakers and Unitarianism became very politically oriented and they ceased promoting spiritual experiences and values—as a result they have dwindled away to almost nothing. Every time a church takes a strong stance on some social or political cause, members with differing views are alienated. It is as if some members announce that their opinion on an issue is THE correct one and that the church MUST endorse that view.
In the case of the Southern Baptists, as long as they stuck with fundamentalist doctrines and promoted love and harmony they thrived, because many people need and want that kind of structure. Some years back however, a few zealous right wingers wormed their way into leadership and plunged the churches into turmoil and controversy. The members are now rejecting that orientation en masse, but a lot of damage has been done.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 29, 2018:
Church membership in general is in rapid decline, and the Baptists are no exception. My opinion is that churches begin to alienate people when they become political in nature. Churches such as the Quakers and Unitarianism became very politically oriented and they ceased promoting spiritual experiences and values—as a result they have dwindled away to almost nothing. Every time a church takes a strong stance on some social or political cause, members with differing views are alienated. It is as if some members announce that their opinion on an issue is THE correct one and that the church MUST endorse that view.
In the case of the Southern Baptists, as long as they stuck with fundamentalist doctrines and promoted love and harmony they thrived, because many people need and want that kind of structure. Some years back however, a few zealous right wingers wormed their way into leadership and plunged the churches into turmoil and controversy. The members are now rejecting that orientation en masse, but a lot of damage has been done.
Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 28, 2018:
Excellent, excellent post! Thank you very much.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 28, 2018:
Excellent, excellent post! Thank you very much.
Seven reasons why the Internal Combustion Engine is a dead man walking – Tom Raftery's Internet of...
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 28, 2018:
LENR (cold fusion) power is just around the corner IMO. Another nail in the coffin of the internal combustion engine. The world is about to change dramatically, and I mean starting this year.
http://www.e-catworld.com/
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 28, 2018:
LENR (cold fusion) power is just around the corner IMO. Another nail in the coffin of the internal combustion engine. The world is about to change dramatically, and I mean starting this year.
http://www.e-catworld.com/
The Coming Collapse
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 28, 2018:
Fear-mongering at its worst.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 28, 2018:
Fear-mongering at its worst.
Am I on the right track?
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 28, 2018:
Please remember that religion has already been stamped out in various places, and the children indoctrinated into the tenets of atheism. So far as I can tell those places are no better than religious places, and in some ways they are worse.
It’s been tried already.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 28, 2018:
Please remember that religion has already been stamped out in various places, and the children indoctrinated into the tenets of atheism. So far as I can tell those places are no better than religious places, and in some ways they are worse.
It’s been tried already.
Am I on the right track?
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 28, 2018:
You’d do better to sterilize the women. A single man is capable of impregnating every woman on the globe.
Are you suggesting that polytheism is the correct belief to have? Hmm... Please explain.
If I lean toward the idea of universal consciousness at a 95% confidence level, are you going to quarantine me? I don’t need sterilizing.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 28, 2018:
You’d do better to sterilize the women. A single man is capable of impregnating every woman on the globe.
Are you suggesting that polytheism is the correct belief to have? Hmm... Please explain.
If I lean toward the idea of universal consciousness at a 95% confidence level, are you going to quarantine me? I don’t need sterilizing.
Where do we go from here.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 27, 2018:
I doubt seriously if the Supreme Court does what you predict. Even if it did, the world would not end.
Not all conservatives are religious fanatics. Many conservatives think that the balance of power between the states and the federation should be honored and maintained as prescribed by the US constitution.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 27, 2018:
I doubt seriously if the Supreme Court does what you predict. Even if it did, the world would not end.
Not all conservatives are religious fanatics. Many conservatives think that the balance of power between the states and the federation should be honored and maintained as prescribed by the US constitution.
Why Atheists are not bound to subjective morality:
Often I see members of religious groups make ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 27, 2018:
Whether objective or subjective, I lean toward moral relativism—that our actions should be freely adaptable to circumstances. If society or instinct prescribes a correct behavior pattern then it is objective. If a person figures it out on his own, then it is subjective. The goal of behavior either way is well-being and survival, with balance between individuals and the group in mind.
IMO, morality is a rather shallow concept. A moral person is one of whose actions we approve. An immoral person is one who doesn’t please us. Maybe it would be better to speak of behavior rather than morality. Immorality is a sin against God in some circles, while misbehavior is is just making mistakes. God does not judge our behavior—we judge our own behavior and make adjustments as needed. We are extensions of God IMO.
If you don’t like what somebody’s doing, it seems more logical to try and understand why they are doing that thing rather than to judge them to be immoral.
Of course if they are a threat you might have a duty to take action against them, but that is not moral judgement.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 27, 2018:
Whether objective or subjective, I lean toward moral relativism—that our actions should be freely adaptable to circumstances. If society or instinct prescribes a correct behavior pattern then it is objective. If a person figures it out on his own, then it is subjective. The goal of behavior either way is well-being and survival, with balance between individuals and the group in mind.
IMO, morality is a rather shallow concept. A moral person is one of whose actions we approve. An immoral person is one who doesn’t please us. Maybe it would be better to speak of behavior rather than morality. Immorality is a sin against God in some circles, while misbehavior is is just making mistakes. God does not judge our behavior—we judge our own behavior and make adjustments as needed. We are extensions of God IMO.
If you don’t like what somebody’s doing, it seems more logical to try and understand why they are doing that thing rather than to judge them to be immoral.
Of course if they are a threat you might have a duty to take action against them, but that is not moral judgement.
Thought experiment concerning the self
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 27, 2018:
It’s a good question. It makes you think about the enigma of personal identity. We often think that we are our bodies, but that might not be true at all.
We are very different people than we were at six years old, with a handful of memories being the only apparent connection. IMO, even though we are split off into different personalities, at heart our essence is pure consciousness, shared by all. As individuals we just play our assigned roles for awhile. Then the curtain closes.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 27, 2018:
It’s a good question. It makes you think about the enigma of personal identity. We often think that we are our bodies, but that might not be true at all.
We are very different people than we were at six years old, with a handful of memories being the only apparent connection. IMO, even though we are split off into different personalities, at heart our essence is pure consciousness, shared by all. As individuals we just play our assigned roles for awhile. Then the curtain closes.
I recently made a post that referenced a hideous creature called Alzheimer's Disease.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 27, 2018:
I was going to make a response but I forgot what I was going to say. Must be the early onset of Alzheimer’s, except that it ain’t that early.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 27, 2018:
I was going to make a response but I forgot what I was going to say. Must be the early onset of Alzheimer’s, except that it ain’t that early.
Should we genetically modify our species?
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 27, 2018:
It’s a tempting idea, and could potentially lead to great improvements. However, I feel that any such experimentation should be done very gradually. There are reasons why things are the way they are, reasons for which no one may be aware. Alter DNA, and down the line you are apt to discover that the original version was better.
There is something to be said for natural selection. For example, look at dogs. Selective breeding has caused the emergence of a variety of genetic types that are favored by humans, and which work well in a human dominated environment. Yet most of those varieties suffer from various deficiencies that would keep them from surviving without humans. Wild canines are superior in a wild environment.
That is not to say there should be no experimentation, just don’t throw out the old version until after many years of analysis. Remember that no one knows what the environment of the future will be like. Morals have nothing to do with it.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 27, 2018:
It’s a tempting idea, and could potentially lead to great improvements. However, I feel that any such experimentation should be done very gradually. There are reasons why things are the way they are, reasons for which no one may be aware. Alter DNA, and down the line you are apt to discover that the original version was better.
There is something to be said for natural selection. For example, look at dogs. Selective breeding has caused the emergence of a variety of genetic types that are favored by humans, and which work well in a human dominated environment. Yet most of those varieties suffer from various deficiencies that would keep them from surviving without humans. Wild canines are superior in a wild environment.
That is not to say there should be no experimentation, just don’t throw out the old version until after many years of analysis. Remember that no one knows what the environment of the future will be like. Morals have nothing to do with it.
There are three types of religious ideas, just like symbionts in biology (for example bacteria):
...
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 27, 2018:
I am in total agreement with this post. There are many religious groups that require no belief or faith in dogma, and that provide valuable services to their members and to the community. There are also significant numbers of people who are deeply religious in a personal and private way and who harm no one. It is irritating to me to see constant hateful remarks directed at all religion of all forms.
I do think that the great majority of the most visible religious groups are malignant parasites, especially when their leaders promote fear and guilt to advance their power-hungry agendas. Even so, it is not religion itself that is at fault. The vulnerable people who are trapped in those groups are still deserving of respect and support. Attacking them will do only harm IMO.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
—Martin Luther King, Jr.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 27, 2018:
I am in total agreement with this post. There are many religious groups that require no belief or faith in dogma, and that provide valuable services to their members and to the community. There are also significant numbers of people who are deeply religious in a personal and private way and who harm no one. It is irritating to me to see constant hateful remarks directed at all religion of all forms.
I do think that the great majority of the most visible religious groups are malignant parasites, especially when their leaders promote fear and guilt to advance their power-hungry agendas. Even so, it is not religion itself that is at fault. The vulnerable people who are trapped in those groups are still deserving of respect and support. Attacking them will do only harm IMO.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
—Martin Luther King, Jr.
I happened to see this today and while I don’t know much about multiple personality disorder, it ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 25, 2018:
Thanks for that link. I see that the article was first published in Scientific American. I take the ideas very seriously and hope to learn more.
I now learn that one of the authors of the article is coauthor of “Irreducible Mind”, which is said to present evidence for universal consciousness.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 25, 2018:
Thanks for that link. I see that the article was first published in Scientific American. I take the ideas very seriously and hope to learn more.
I now learn that one of the authors of the article is coauthor of “Irreducible Mind”, which is said to present evidence for universal consciousness.
Soulmates: do they exist?
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 25, 2018:
Just grab a willing partner who looks good to you. After making love a few times you’ll begin to feel like soulmates.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 25, 2018:
Just grab a willing partner who looks good to you. After making love a few times you’ll begin to feel like soulmates.
Any Foreign Film Fans out there.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 25, 2018:
I love Russian films but don’t get to see many of them.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 25, 2018:
I love Russian films but don’t get to see many of them.
Assuming evolution is correct, do you think that if humans went extinct another species as ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 25, 2018:
Maybe reality is made out of consciousness, and life-forms and everything else in the physical universe are extensions of that universal consciousnesses. In that case the issue is moot.
Imagine that a cataclysmic event wiped out all organisms, and that a trillion years later intelligent life-forms arose anew. From the perspective of consciousness itself there would be no time lapse at all—just a smooth continuation of awareness.
Time is a function of awareness. According to physicist Carlo Rovelli in “Reality is not What it Seems”, time does not exist. (chapter 7)
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 25, 2018:
Maybe reality is made out of consciousness, and life-forms and everything else in the physical universe are extensions of that universal consciousnesses. In that case the issue is moot.
Imagine that a cataclysmic event wiped out all organisms, and that a trillion years later intelligent life-forms arose anew. From the perspective of consciousness itself there would be no time lapse at all—just a smooth continuation of awareness.
Time is a function of awareness. According to physicist Carlo Rovelli in “Reality is not What it Seems”, time does not exist. (chapter 7)
Soulmates: do they exist?
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 25, 2018:
I don’t much favor the idea of us “having” souls. If I have a soul, who is it that is doing the having? To me it makes more sense to think that our true selves exist in a higher realm than the physical universe that we see before us. I’m not talking about anything supernatural, just the part of reality that we can’t understand with our space/time/matter model.
I lean toward the idea that consciousness is primary, and that the sense of self a a separate individual is an illusion. In that respect we might be considered a single, unified entity. We would all be soulmates together.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 25, 2018:
I don’t much favor the idea of us “having” souls. If I have a soul, who is it that is doing the having? To me it makes more sense to think that our true selves exist in a higher realm than the physical universe that we see before us. I’m not talking about anything supernatural, just the part of reality that we can’t understand with our space/time/matter model.
I lean toward the idea that consciousness is primary, and that the sense of self a a separate individual is an illusion. In that respect we might be considered a single, unified entity. We would all be soulmates together.
"Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 24, 2018:
Wow! A hundred upvotes!
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 24, 2018:
Wow! A hundred upvotes!
Why don't you ever hear about demons possessing atheists?
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 24, 2018:
I’ve never thought about that. I think it is the atheists who possess demons.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 24, 2018:
I’ve never thought about that. I think it is the atheists who possess demons.
Agnostic vs Athiest
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 24, 2018:
Very interesting. Finally I get it, I think. To say you believe or do not believe something is just a statement about yourself, and requires no proof or even an explanation. If you make a bald-faced statement, presented as absolute fact, then that is something else again. If however you are a Canadian you can add “aye” at the end, thereby turning the assertion into a question and letting you off the hook.
As for me, I learn that I am an agnostic theist, which means I have no “burden of proof”. I would have no burden anyway though because I only claim to know at the 93.47% confidence level.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 24, 2018:
Very interesting. Finally I get it, I think. To say you believe or do not believe something is just a statement about yourself, and requires no proof or even an explanation. If you make a bald-faced statement, presented as absolute fact, then that is something else again. If however you are a Canadian you can add “aye” at the end, thereby turning the assertion into a question and letting you off the hook.
As for me, I learn that I am an agnostic theist, which means I have no “burden of proof”. I would have no burden anyway though because I only claim to know at the 93.47% confidence level.
With grave goods being a prominent aspect of funerary customs from many of the ancient cultures, ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 24, 2018:
Good question. I doubt if those ancients had a concept of religion. They were just following social customs.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 24, 2018:
Good question. I doubt if those ancients had a concept of religion. They were just following social customs.
Someone just stated that those without religion amounts to 23% of the population in the USA.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 24, 2018:
I know numerous non-believers right here in this rural neighborhood. They don’t describe themselves as atheists, and neither do I. When you say you are an atheist it sounds as though you are identifying that way—that you are first an atheist and only secondly a human being, a good neighbor and friend. It’s might be seen as an in-your-face kind of thing, as elitist, as though your opinion is the only reasonable one. When you say you are an atheist you are saying something negative. It would be better received if you described what it is that you DO believe.
There are a few who say they are Christians, but generally not in an obtrusive way. I think maybe if you just walked up and said that you were a Christian you’d be shunned by half the population. We’re just not that interested in your religious opinions either way.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 24, 2018:
I know numerous non-believers right here in this rural neighborhood. They don’t describe themselves as atheists, and neither do I. When you say you are an atheist it sounds as though you are identifying that way—that you are first an atheist and only secondly a human being, a good neighbor and friend. It’s might be seen as an in-your-face kind of thing, as elitist, as though your opinion is the only reasonable one. When you say you are an atheist you are saying something negative. It would be better received if you described what it is that you DO believe.
There are a few who say they are Christians, but generally not in an obtrusive way. I think maybe if you just walked up and said that you were a Christian you’d be shunned by half the population. We’re just not that interested in your religious opinions either way.
“Do not judge, or you will be judged.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 24, 2018:
If you judge a person to be a beautiful child of the universe you will have judged correctly. If you see them as ugly, evil, or deficient you will have made a mistake—hopefully a mistake to be corrected at some point.
Of course the person might be a threat to be dealt with somehow, but that is another issue entirely. I love trees but if one is about to fall on me I’ll jump back.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 24, 2018:
If you judge a person to be a beautiful child of the universe you will have judged correctly. If you see them as ugly, evil, or deficient you will have made a mistake—hopefully a mistake to be corrected at some point.
Of course the person might be a threat to be dealt with somehow, but that is another issue entirely. I love trees but if one is about to fall on me I’ll jump back.
Is Panentheism a viable position to take?
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 24, 2018:
Brahman as described in the Bhagavad Gita sounds very pantheistic, and the Qur’an opens on that note also IMO. I think that in order to see that philosophy as viable you have to consider the part played in reality by consciously aware entities such as ourselves. Yes, the universe is aware, and we are a part of that awareness.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 24, 2018:
Brahman as described in the Bhagavad Gita sounds very pantheistic, and the Qur’an opens on that note also IMO. I think that in order to see that philosophy as viable you have to consider the part played in reality by consciously aware entities such as ourselves. Yes, the universe is aware, and we are a part of that awareness.
UFO’s, science, and religion
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 24, 2018:
Of course there are unidentified flying objects! I have seen various objects in the sky that I couldn’t identify. Just don’t know what they were.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 24, 2018:
Of course there are unidentified flying objects! I have seen various objects in the sky that I couldn’t identify. Just don’t know what they were.
Most admired human being in your lifetime
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 24, 2018:
Dr. Maxie Maultsby Jr.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 24, 2018:
Dr. Maxie Maultsby Jr.
Do we really have the right to believe whatever we want?
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 23, 2018:
I don’t know about others, but I don’t think it’s my choice whether or not to believe something. If the evidence is there I’ll tend to believe despite myself, and vice versa. Not mentioned are the various shades of belief. There is usually a small amount of doubt, or if I lean toward thinking something is true, there’s at least some possibility that it’s false.
Maybe truth is relative.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 23, 2018:
I don’t know about others, but I don’t think it’s my choice whether or not to believe something. If the evidence is there I’ll tend to believe despite myself, and vice versa. Not mentioned are the various shades of belief. There is usually a small amount of doubt, or if I lean toward thinking something is true, there’s at least some possibility that it’s false.
Maybe truth is relative.
If you have been called out for mansplaining or microaggressions, if you resist calling people by ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 22, 2018:
The only person lately who has made up a new name for me is a woman. She calls me “Billy Bob” in a jocular way. At first I was offended but then realized that I was creating my own bad feelings and that she meant no harm. I made up a pet name for her, and we get along fine. It was good practice for me in watching my ego.
In school a few people started calling me “Willie”, which I didn’t like at all. At this stage of my life I rather like the name. There’s Willie Mays, Willie Nelson, Willie Brandt—lots of prominent Willies.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 22, 2018:
The only person lately who has made up a new name for me is a woman. She calls me “Billy Bob” in a jocular way. At first I was offended but then realized that I was creating my own bad feelings and that she meant no harm. I made up a pet name for her, and we get along fine. It was good practice for me in watching my ego.
In school a few people started calling me “Willie”, which I didn’t like at all. At this stage of my life I rather like the name. There’s Willie Mays, Willie Nelson, Willie Brandt—lots of prominent Willies.
What activities do you participate in regularly that are environmentally friendly and do your ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 22, 2018:
Walking in the woods.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 22, 2018:
Walking in the woods.
Energy + Spirituality = Existence?
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 22, 2018:
You sound like my kind of guy.
You might get flak from some quarters but don’t let that keep you from speaking up.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 22, 2018:
You sound like my kind of guy.
You might get flak from some quarters but don’t let that keep you from speaking up.
I'm contemplating going to morning services at my old church some Sunday.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 22, 2018:
It sounds like a great idea. I expect you’re totally over all that childhood indoctrination.
A few times I’ve been to funerals that turned into proselytizing sessions. I am disgusted to the core when I hear that garbage again. I’ll NEVER be a member of that kind of church again.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 22, 2018:
It sounds like a great idea. I expect you’re totally over all that childhood indoctrination.
A few times I’ve been to funerals that turned into proselytizing sessions. I am disgusted to the core when I hear that garbage again. I’ll NEVER be a member of that kind of church again.
Did any of you guys go to Vacation Bible School when you were a kid?
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 22, 2018:
We made waste baskets out of striated plywood, cut on a bevel with hand saws no less. Once I made a gun rack. I mainly remember the cookies and Kool Aid.
Lots of singing, praying, bible readings. It was hot and humid, and I was happy not to be home working. The people were well meaning but mistaken IMO, but who knows? Maybe I am mistaken.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 22, 2018:
We made waste baskets out of striated plywood, cut on a bevel with hand saws no less. Once I made a gun rack. I mainly remember the cookies and Kool Aid.
Lots of singing, praying, bible readings. It was hot and humid, and I was happy not to be home working. The people were well meaning but mistaken IMO, but who knows? Maybe I am mistaken.
Would you? Could you?
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 22, 2018:
You’d be talking about just averages. Individual results will always vary. A local man who lived to 109 was often seen in Hardy’s with his two girl friends.
How about if we just eat sensible portions and take long walks?
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 22, 2018:
You’d be talking about just averages. Individual results will always vary. A local man who lived to 109 was often seen in Hardy’s with his two girl friends.
How about if we just eat sensible portions and take long walks?
The foulest word in the the English language: Cancer;
I try to be a positive person, and I am a ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 22, 2018:
Sorry.
You’ll get through this eventually and live in peace and joy. All our bodies are temporary by design so it’s ok to suffer and die.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 22, 2018:
Sorry.
You’ll get through this eventually and live in peace and joy. All our bodies are temporary by design so it’s ok to suffer and die.
How many languages do you speak? List them in the comments.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 22, 2018:
I know a little bit of English. I know enough German words to make an ass out of myself.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 22, 2018:
I know a little bit of English. I know enough German words to make an ass out of myself.
What would you think if a religious person said they did not believe in magic ?
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 22, 2018:
Einstein and a host of other creative geniuses described themselves as religious. Would it be ok for them not to believe in magic, or at least to assign a very low level of likelihood to certain magical events?
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 22, 2018:
Einstein and a host of other creative geniuses described themselves as religious. Would it be ok for them not to believe in magic, or at least to assign a very low level of likelihood to certain magical events?
You can be a realist and a believer at the same time
Having a sense for reality and believing in ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 22, 2018:
Excellent post! and just as meaningful today as it was throughout human evolution.
Niels Bohr:
I myself find the division of the world into an objective and a subjective side much too arbitrary. The fact that religions through the ages have spoken in images, parables, and paradoxes means simply that there are no other ways of grasping the reality to which they refer. But that does not mean that it is not a genuine reality. And splitting this reality into an objective and a subjective side won't get us very far.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 22, 2018:
Excellent post! and just as meaningful today as it was throughout human evolution.
Niels Bohr:
I myself find the division of the world into an objective and a subjective side much too arbitrary. The fact that religions through the ages have spoken in images, parables, and paradoxes means simply that there are no other ways of grasping the reality to which they refer. But that does not mean that it is not a genuine reality. And splitting this reality into an objective and a subjective side won't get us very far.
According to the book of fairy tales (bible), a man without religion is a fool.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 21, 2018:
Some forms of religion make sense IMO. They are the ones with no required beliefs.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 21, 2018:
Some forms of religion make sense IMO. They are the ones with no required beliefs.
Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 21, 2018:
Evil is just stuff we don’t like. From a higher perspective, it might be that things are as they ought to be and as they must be.
Epicurus had a limited perspective, thinking of God in human terms.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 21, 2018:
Evil is just stuff we don’t like. From a higher perspective, it might be that things are as they ought to be and as they must be.
Epicurus had a limited perspective, thinking of God in human terms.
The evolution of religion: Why belief systems are literally false and metaphorically true
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 21, 2018:
“Belief systems” could include a lot more than just religion. There are philosophical systems and political belief systems for example. A devout Marxist would survive better under communism I would think.
As I see it, religion is more of a behavior pattern than a set of beliefs.
I’m thinking that you could generalize and say that human behavior patterns exist for reasons that were once good reasons, and might still be good in some ways, but we get to decide if they are good for us.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 21, 2018:
“Belief systems” could include a lot more than just religion. There are philosophical systems and political belief systems for example. A devout Marxist would survive better under communism I would think.
As I see it, religion is more of a behavior pattern than a set of beliefs.
I’m thinking that you could generalize and say that human behavior patterns exist for reasons that were once good reasons, and might still be good in some ways, but we get to decide if they are good for us.
"What makes Earth feel like hell is our expectation that it should feel like heaven" -Chuck ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 20, 2018:
IMO we really are in heaven at all times but we usually are thinking of other things and lack awareness and appreciation. Our perception of reality is not reality. You can think of heaven as a higher realm—not supernatural, but just beyond our understanding based on our space/time/matter model.
As for hell, there’s no such thing, but a person can create great unhappiness for himself by thinking judgmental, untrue thoughts. That is the only way of attaining unhappiness in fact.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 20, 2018:
IMO we really are in heaven at all times but we usually are thinking of other things and lack awareness and appreciation. Our perception of reality is not reality. You can think of heaven as a higher realm—not supernatural, but just beyond our understanding based on our space/time/matter model.
As for hell, there’s no such thing, but a person can create great unhappiness for himself by thinking judgmental, untrue thoughts. That is the only way of attaining unhappiness in fact.
We have to make our own mistakes. We have to learn our own lessons.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 19, 2018:
Excellent point! And IMO those mistakes are good and necessary—they are not sins against God. There’s no such thing as a sin.
For example, as a little kid I ran around kicking everything, peeing in the flower pots, and I sawed notches in the furniture. I HAD to go through that stage of development. No sins were involved. As a horny young man I would lie or do about anything to get laid. Now that was definitely a mistake because I was projecting my neediness and offering nothing of value. I had to go through that stage.
Things have to happen. It is our choice to view the world with an air of grievance and dismay, or we can look with appreciation and love.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 19, 2018:
Excellent point! And IMO those mistakes are good and necessary—they are not sins against God. There’s no such thing as a sin.
For example, as a little kid I ran around kicking everything, peeing in the flower pots, and I sawed notches in the furniture. I HAD to go through that stage of development. No sins were involved. As a horny young man I would lie or do about anything to get laid. Now that was definitely a mistake because I was projecting my neediness and offering nothing of value. I had to go through that stage.
Things have to happen. It is our choice to view the world with an air of grievance and dismay, or we can look with appreciation and love.
What are some effective ways to get out of your broke, depressed, hopeless slump?
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 19, 2018:
Every sad, fearful, or guilty feeling can be traced directly to an untrue thought. Every day of unhappiness, loneliness, bitterness and depression can be traced directly to wallowing in those untrue thoughts. That’s my opinion anyway.
One answer to the question is to read and follow the books of Dr.Maxie Maultsby Jr. That’s what I did, and the result was spectacular.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 19, 2018:
Every sad, fearful, or guilty feeling can be traced directly to an untrue thought. Every day of unhappiness, loneliness, bitterness and depression can be traced directly to wallowing in those untrue thoughts. That’s my opinion anyway.
One answer to the question is to read and follow the books of Dr.Maxie Maultsby Jr. That’s what I did, and the result was spectacular.
Please don't be this guy.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 19, 2018:
Nice to give each other gifts because we like each other, not because we have judged others to be deficient and needing a fish OR needing to be taught how to fish.
That said, a few modest, well-managed social programs seem desirable. IMO, the ultimate social program would be a guaranteed subsistence income for everyone, funded by a massive public trust fund invested in stocks and bonds.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 19, 2018:
Nice to give each other gifts because we like each other, not because we have judged others to be deficient and needing a fish OR needing to be taught how to fish.
That said, a few modest, well-managed social programs seem desirable. IMO, the ultimate social program would be a guaranteed subsistence income for everyone, funded by a massive public trust fund invested in stocks and bonds.
What are some ways we can make the world a "better" place?
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 19, 2018:
Look at the world with deep awareness, appreciation, gratitude, and love. Maybe it doesn’t need fixing.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 19, 2018:
Look at the world with deep awareness, appreciation, gratitude, and love. Maybe it doesn’t need fixing.
Generations -----
1. Which named generation do you most identify as your own?
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 19, 2018:
I’m a silent, and the name fits me well. No social activist am I. My only desire is to promote harmony and gratitude for life and avoid trouble if possible.
An example is the Trump guy. I didn’t like him and didn’t vote for him, yet, since he was legally elected I feel that it is a duty to acknowledge him as my president and give him due support. Good citizenship requires that we respect the judgments of the electors.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 19, 2018:
I’m a silent, and the name fits me well. No social activist am I. My only desire is to promote harmony and gratitude for life and avoid trouble if possible.
An example is the Trump guy. I didn’t like him and didn’t vote for him, yet, since he was legally elected I feel that it is a duty to acknowledge him as my president and give him due support. Good citizenship requires that we respect the judgments of the electors.
I'm a better Christian than most Christians and I'm an atheist.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 19, 2018:
I suspect that only a small minority of Christians behave in the unchristian way that you are talking about. I have received nothing but love, respect, and support from church members that I knew from long ago. To stereotype them seems unchristian. Our opinions about religion are but a tiny part of who we are IMO.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 19, 2018:
I suspect that only a small minority of Christians behave in the unchristian way that you are talking about. I have received nothing but love, respect, and support from church members that I knew from long ago. To stereotype them seems unchristian. Our opinions about religion are but a tiny part of who we are IMO.
Anyone else just tired of FOX vomit?
I just want a reasonably sane world, with no ultrarich people.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 18, 2018:
No one has to watch it.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 18, 2018:
No one has to watch it.
Aliens are often portrayed as being anthropomorphic which is highly unlikely given that on earth ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 17, 2018:
They could be our cousins from an ancient civilization from 50,000 years ago—not likely, but possible.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 17, 2018:
They could be our cousins from an ancient civilization from 50,000 years ago—not likely, but possible.
Language is important, at least it is to me.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 16, 2018:
I don’t think you have to be either a theist or an atheist and nothing in between. I lean toward thinking there is a universal awareness in which we all participate, and I equate that awareness with God. I do not know such a thing 100%, but I give the concept high odds of being true—maybe 95%
There are a whole range of probabilities either way. Does anyone really know 100%?
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 16, 2018:
I don’t think you have to be either a theist or an atheist and nothing in between. I lean toward thinking there is a universal awareness in which we all participate, and I equate that awareness with God. I do not know such a thing 100%, but I give the concept high odds of being true—maybe 95%
There are a whole range of probabilities either way. Does anyone really know 100%?
Complete the following sentence: If everyone could have more _______, _______, and ________; the ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 16, 2018:
Awareness, appreciation & gratitude
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 16, 2018:
Awareness, appreciation & gratitude
I always knew that religion created conflict across the world.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 16, 2018:
IMO, the influence of religion is greatly overstated. The media loves to cry out in alarm about “evangelicals” and how they are taking over government. People I know do not vote the way they do because of religion. They vote according to their political and social opinions. If they were basing their vote on religion, wouldn’t they have voted for Clinton, who is an avowed Methodist, rather than Trump, who is a borderline secularist?
http://www.pewforum.org/2016/01/27/faith-and-the-2016-campaign/
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 16, 2018:
IMO, the influence of religion is greatly overstated. The media loves to cry out in alarm about “evangelicals” and how they are taking over government. People I know do not vote the way they do because of religion. They vote according to their political and social opinions. If they were basing their vote on religion, wouldn’t they have voted for Clinton, who is an avowed Methodist, rather than Trump, who is a borderline secularist?
http://www.pewforum.org/2016/01/27/faith-and-the-2016-campaign/
Jacques Berlinerblau "How to Be Secular: A Call to Arms for Religious Freedom"
Some quotations ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 16, 2018:
To maintain hatred and disdain for the expression of any religious sentiment of any sort at all is not only lacking in efficacy, it borders on insanity. Many of the most brilliant geniuses down through history have been theists, and even today, approximately half of scientists believe in God.
A person’s opinion about theology is a trivial thing, and if the person is open minded that opinion tends to evolve. To cling doggedly to one opinion or the other, pro or con, and to make that narrow opinion your identity reflects irrationality IMO.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 16, 2018:
To maintain hatred and disdain for the expression of any religious sentiment of any sort at all is not only lacking in efficacy, it borders on insanity. Many of the most brilliant geniuses down through history have been theists, and even today, approximately half of scientists believe in God.
A person’s opinion about theology is a trivial thing, and if the person is open minded that opinion tends to evolve. To cling doggedly to one opinion or the other, pro or con, and to make that narrow opinion your identity reflects irrationality IMO.
Adulting is hard.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 15, 2018:
Wow, when did “adult” become a verb? Without TV I must be badly out of touch.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 15, 2018:
Wow, when did “adult” become a verb? Without TV I must be badly out of touch.
Christian SMITH: " Religion.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 14, 2018:
I agree, it sounds like a weak definition fraught with personal prejudice.
Compare with “The Varieties of Religious Experience” by William James, a truly robust treatment.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 14, 2018:
I agree, it sounds like a weak definition fraught with personal prejudice.
Compare with “The Varieties of Religious Experience” by William James, a truly robust treatment.
Eternity or nothingness
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 14, 2018:
Sense of self as a separate individual is only an illusion as I see it. You can’t lose what you never had. It is conscious awareness itself that is worthy of immortality, but consciousness is immortal by default. That awareness is us. At that level time doesn’t exist and the question is meaningless.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 14, 2018:
Sense of self as a separate individual is only an illusion as I see it. You can’t lose what you never had. It is conscious awareness itself that is worthy of immortality, but consciousness is immortal by default. That awareness is us. At that level time doesn’t exist and the question is meaningless.
Interesting article in Australian newspaper "Universal Income back on the agenda"
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 13, 2018:
I am unable to read the article on my iPhone, however I think there is merit to the idea if the funding is on a solid basis. Governments should stop borrowing and pay off their debts. Then they should start trading in securities—build up huge managed funds. At some point taxing would become unnecessary. Later a guaranteed subsistence income could be instituted, with all citizens sharing, and every social program could be eliminated.
This is not such a radical proposal—Alaska has its permanent fund, and I believe Norway has something similar. Canada funds pensions through investments.
The program would have to be closely monitored and regulated but the benefits are potentially great IMO.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 13, 2018:
I am unable to read the article on my iPhone, however I think there is merit to the idea if the funding is on a solid basis. Governments should stop borrowing and pay off their debts. Then they should start trading in securities—build up huge managed funds. At some point taxing would become unnecessary. Later a guaranteed subsistence income could be instituted, with all citizens sharing, and every social program could be eliminated.
This is not such a radical proposal—Alaska has its permanent fund, and I believe Norway has something similar. Canada funds pensions through investments.
The program would have to be closely monitored and regulated but the benefits are potentially great IMO.
The only certainty is that i know nothing for certain other than that i am conscious, for all we ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 13, 2018:
You sound sort of like me—you must be on the right track. :-)
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 13, 2018:
You sound sort of like me—you must be on the right track. :-)
One of my favorite quotes, “the fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 13, 2018:
The implication is that only a drunken type person, ignorant and mentally deficient would believe in a higher power. Shaw and others might wallow in that thought, but it is not true. Many of the most intelligent people throughout history have been deeply religious. Among them are nearly all of the founders of modern physics.
To dehumanize and denigrate your opponents in a debate does not seem a very fruitful tactic for persuasion.
Come to think of it, why is there a debate at all? I thought the burden of proof was all on the theists.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 13, 2018:
The implication is that only a drunken type person, ignorant and mentally deficient would believe in a higher power. Shaw and others might wallow in that thought, but it is not true. Many of the most intelligent people throughout history have been deeply religious. Among them are nearly all of the founders of modern physics.
To dehumanize and denigrate your opponents in a debate does not seem a very fruitful tactic for persuasion.
Come to think of it, why is there a debate at all? I thought the burden of proof was all on the theists.
Does anyone or has anyone here attend a Unitarian church?
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 13, 2018:
I was a member of a Unitarian Church for a few years. Yes, there were atheists who were members (even our minister leaned toward atheism), along with Christians, Jews, and others. Many were just seekers, with no specific belief about religion.
No belief is required to be a Unitarian, however in the church I attended there was an overwhelming majority of humanists and very left-leaning political types. In fact, almost every “service” was about some left-wing political cause. Politics merely bores me, but when there is a lot of hateful negative rhetoric about Republicans, about Southerners, about soldiers, then I become defensive. (It was the Vietnam War era)
Not my cup of tea.
WilliamFleming comments on Jun 13, 2018:
I was a member of a Unitarian Church for a few years. Yes, there were atheists who were members (even our minister leaned toward atheism), along with Christians, Jews, and others. Many were just seekers, with no specific belief about religion.
No belief is required to be a Unitarian, however in the church I attended there was an overwhelming majority of humanists and very left-leaning political types. In fact, almost every “service” was about some left-wing political cause. Politics merely bores me, but when there is a lot of hateful negative rhetoric about Republicans, about Southerners, about soldiers, then I become defensive. (It was the Vietnam War era)
Not my cup of tea.
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