We're losing our religion...but where do we go from here? - The Big Smoke

Fernapple comments on Aug 29, 2021:

I agree with you, and would add that, the article also ignores the almost certain direction of religion in the future. As and intellectual method for understanding the world, religion was superseded twenty five centuries or so ago. When people first noticed it had failed to provide a true ...

anglophone replies on Aug 29, 2021:

@David1955 As brutal as it may seem, the ignorance enforced by religion raises the level of mortality in its adherents. The "God will protect me from Covid-19" phenomenon is just one example of this. The murder by Catholics of the residents in their "care" homes is a loosely related example. In terms of what do we need to replace religion with, this raises the question of does it need to be replaced by anything. Social association will continue, with or without religious overtones. The dogma of religion may give way to enlightenments brought by the Scientific Method. If there is to be a way forward, I see it as gently coaxing people out of the fears imposed upon them by, to put it crudely, God Mobsters.

I am a fucking feminist and I refuse to cower under an onslaught of recent right wing infiltration.

anglophone comments on Aug 28, 2021:

Who or what prompted you to post that? I am with you when it comes right wing lunatics peddling their hateful nonsense and lies.

anglophone replies on Aug 29, 2021:

@BufftonBeotch It is my experience that misandrists claim and misuse the name of feminism. Perhaps whoever wrote that post failed to see that? (That, along with a general inability to think clearly?)

GOP senator says unvaccinated Americans -- not undocumented immigrants -- are to blame for COVID-19 ...

silverotter11 comments on Aug 28, 2021:

Just since this morning I've read of two NON-covid deaths due to there being no hospital beds to treat the patients. Both had treatable conditions but required ICU beds but by the time a bed became available they had passed. One doctor said he had *never* lost a patient to gallstone pancreatitis -...

anglophone replies on Aug 29, 2021:

But I bet the undertakers are doing as roaring trade!

GOP senator says unvaccinated Americans -- not undocumented immigrants -- are to blame for COVID-19 ...

Charlene comments on Aug 28, 2021:

Ooooooh poor Rethug baeby, is his base all dying off due to Fux News lying?..Tillis you're too late, death is here to collect that debt..you so wantonly ignored and disparaged..No fucks given..

anglophone replies on Aug 29, 2021:

"Fux News" I **love** it!

We are a collection of atheists, agnostics and free thinkers many of us are humanitarian and pursue ...

anglophone comments on Aug 28, 2021:

My poultry enjoy their lives while they are alive. I enjoy eating them once I have slaughtered and cooked them. The prevention of suffering to sentient creatures would including banning motorised transport, this to avoid the deaths of billions on insects on windscreens every year, as well as the ...

anglophone replies on Aug 28, 2021:

@JeffMurray I'll see your roast beef, and I'll raise you pork tenderloin. ;)

We are a collection of atheists, agnostics and free thinkers many of us are humanitarian and pursue ...

anglophone comments on Aug 28, 2021:

My poultry enjoy their lives while they are alive. I enjoy eating them once I have slaughtered and cooked them. The prevention of suffering to sentient creatures would including banning motorised transport, this to avoid the deaths of billions on insects on windscreens every year, as well as the ...

anglophone replies on Aug 28, 2021:

@JeffMurray I'll happily buy your line.

We are a collection of atheists, agnostics and free thinkers many of us are humanitarian and pursue ...

Willow_Wisp comments on Aug 28, 2021:

I’m sympathetic to it but I eat meat, chicken and fish mostly but even with that I eat it sparingly. I’m ill informed on how to maintain a healthy vegetarian or vegan diet and I know it. Plant based meat substitutes cost more than meat so it’s like getting punished for making the effort if ...

anglophone replies on Aug 28, 2021:

@JeffMurray I enjoy @Willow_Wisp's gentle humour.

I appreciate all the support I’ve received on here .

Jolanta comments on Aug 28, 2021:

You are welcome there. I would not lash out, after all they are in the same boat as you used to be once. Just let them be.

anglophone replies on Aug 28, 2021:

Madam, you are a better person than I.

We are a collection of atheists, agnostics and free thinkers many of us are humanitarian and pursue ...

barjoe comments on Aug 28, 2021:

I'm never giving up my steak.

anglophone replies on Aug 28, 2021:

Nor me!

We are a collection of atheists, agnostics and free thinkers many of us are humanitarian and pursue ...

Willow_Wisp comments on Aug 28, 2021:

I’m sympathetic to it but I eat meat, chicken and fish mostly but even with that I eat it sparingly. I’m ill informed on how to maintain a healthy vegetarian or vegan diet and I know it. Plant based meat substitutes cost more than meat so it’s like getting punished for making the effort if ...

anglophone replies on Aug 28, 2021:

If there was no market for chicken meat, there would be many fewer chickens in this world.

I had a few of these when I was married..

anglophone comments on Aug 27, 2021:

Your ex-husband did that to you? It's a good job for him that I do not know who he is or where he is!

anglophone replies on Aug 28, 2021:

@Killtheskyfairy Eek! Thanks for sharing all that. I cannot understand what drives mental defectives to be so dangerous towards other people. I am delighted that you escaped what might be termed "a hell on earth".

Unmgpf!

Killtheskyfairy comments on Aug 28, 2021:

Men love their junk. It’s no surprise.

anglophone replies on Aug 28, 2021:

P.S. I must admit to being rather attached to my own junk.

Unmgpf!

Killtheskyfairy comments on Aug 28, 2021:

Men love their junk. It’s no surprise.

anglophone replies on Aug 28, 2021:

"Welcome to Jamaica. I hope you have a wonderful day."

COVID: Vaccine complications dwarfed by virus risks: We really need those people who continue ...

Castlepaloma comments on Aug 27, 2021:

Since roll out it has caused more than double the covid deaths worldwide and created variants. Killed all animals tested according to health organization. And worldwide often associated to Dr. Fauci of what he dictatorship to the media.

anglophone replies on Aug 27, 2021:

@Marionville I have given up on the sack of hammers that is Castlepaloma.

COVID: Vaccine complications dwarfed by virus risks: We really need those people who continue ...

BDair comments on Aug 27, 2021:

More than 99% of the population has proven to be at little or no risk from the virus. The long term side effects of the vaccines are as yet unknowable. The cure may turn out to be worse than the disease. There is already an indication of that.

anglophone replies on Aug 27, 2021:

@Marionville I long ago gave up engaging with BDair - he seems to me to be severely allergic to both facts and reason.

Shane Vaughn Claims COVID-19 Vaccines Don’t Work Because The U.

MrDragon comments on Aug 27, 2021:

Another uneducated religious nut bag.

anglophone replies on Aug 27, 2021:

He is a product of the very worst of the Amerikkkan education system.

I find it interesting that many atheists, including ones on this platform, give up their belief in a...

Willow_Wisp comments on Aug 26, 2021:

So much for being open minded. If Progressives are so prone to believing the government then why are we so skeptical of idiots like Reagan, Trump, and Bush? I think you're fooling yourself about who's buying government propaganda, there's far more idiots on the Conservative side. Let's take ...

anglophone replies on Aug 27, 2021:

@BufftonBeotch Yes. I see him as conflating progressivism with gullibility. I cannot be bothered with detailing his other logical fallacies.

I find it interesting that many atheists, including ones on this platform, give up their belief in a...

Willow_Wisp comments on Aug 26, 2021:

So much for being open minded. If Progressives are so prone to believing the government then why are we so skeptical of idiots like Reagan, Trump, and Bush? I think you're fooling yourself about who's buying government propaganda, there's far more idiots on the Conservative side. Let's take ...

anglophone replies on Aug 27, 2021:

@Willow_Wisp As was once said to me, if you cannot express your idea in at most thirty words, then you have no real idea what you are talking about.

I find it interesting that many atheists, including ones on this platform, give up their belief in a...

Willow_Wisp comments on Aug 26, 2021:

So much for being open minded. If Progressives are so prone to believing the government then why are we so skeptical of idiots like Reagan, Trump, and Bush? I think you're fooling yourself about who's buying government propaganda, there's far more idiots on the Conservative side. Let's take ...

anglophone replies on Aug 26, 2021:

It seems to me that @Heavykevy1985 is conflating progressiveness with gullibility.

This guy has balls of steel! He goes right in the belly of the beast to expose the Trumplicans for ...

anglophone comments on Aug 26, 2021:

"The uploader has not made this video available in your country." :(

anglophone replies on Aug 26, 2021:

@Barnie2years Thanks for thinking of me. :)

Anti-vaxx lawyer for dozens of Capitol rioters is now on a ‘ventilator’ with COVID-19 Attorney...

bobwjr comments on Aug 25, 2021:

Darwin wins again

anglophone replies on Aug 26, 2021:

I would not want any such dumbfuck representing me in court.

Disinformation and this site.

Leelu comments on Jul 25, 2021:

I haven't seen any anti-vax posts. Where are these showing up. The open format isn't showing any.

anglophone replies on Aug 24, 2021:

@FearlessFly I see BDair as being an attention seeker, nothing more.

According to Urban Dictionary: Religionist An arrogant, prideful, egoistic, religious person ...

Redheadedgammy comments on Aug 23, 2021:

Met them? Hell I lived among the idiots while living in Texass. So glad to be out of that state!!!!

anglophone replies on Aug 23, 2021:

"May the Lord of Misrule be your Master!" (Woops, He already is!)

“I Am Christian”: Alabama Cop Convicted of Murder Begs for Lighter Sentence | Hemant Mehta | ...

racocn8 comments on Aug 23, 2021:

An utter psycho. Ugh. I hope he remembers the murder relentlessly.

anglophone replies on Aug 23, 2021:

A daily kick in the balls would be a good start.

Hopefully no one here is pushing Ivermectin, or has the poison control number handy after they OD.

anglophone comments on Aug 22, 2021:

Anybody who claims that any anti-parasitic is also an anti-viral is clearly mentally defective.

anglophone replies on Aug 23, 2021:

@glennlab I have no time for BDair. In fact, I have no time for anybody who cherry picks their "facts".

One of the new anti-vax rumors debunked by the CDC and reported by Reuters.

LenHazell53 comments on Aug 22, 2021:

This NEEDED debunking?

anglophone replies on Aug 22, 2021:

Anti-vaxxers are self-selectively committing suicide because they are too damned thick to see the blindingly obvious.

Woman who drove into two children because of their race gets 25 years in prison

glennlab comments on Aug 22, 2021:

Wait until she gets to prison and finds out that the people she hates make up a majority of fellow prisoners.

anglophone replies on Aug 22, 2021:

@glennlab Thanks for sharing that with me. I am not familiar with America's penal system.

Woman who drove into two children because of their race gets 25 years in prison

glennlab comments on Aug 22, 2021:

Wait until she gets to prison and finds out that the people she hates make up a majority of fellow prisoners.

anglophone replies on Aug 22, 2021:

I hope she goes through 25 years of hell and has repeated and major panic attacks.

What a bunch of selfish stupid Australian fuckwits.

Castlepaloma comments on Aug 21, 2021:

Less than a 1000 covid deaths in total in Australia. Flu seasons show more deaths unless they just switched the numbers around for political and pharmaceutical fraud power

anglophone replies on Aug 21, 2021:

@FrayedBear Hmm. There is a truth in that picture.

What a bunch of selfish stupid Australian fuckwits.

Castlepaloma comments on Aug 21, 2021:

Less than a 1000 covid deaths in total in Australia. Flu seasons show more deaths unless they just switched the numbers around for political and pharmaceutical fraud power

anglophone replies on Aug 21, 2021:

@FrayedBear Ah, Sinny, the Covid-19 capital of the Land of the Convict. :(

So here's a part of the big bang idea that just never worked for me.

anglophone comments on Aug 21, 2021:

Why should space-time bounce of anything? How can we know that the concept of "time before the Big Bang" even makes sense? Why does the universe even need such a thing as a "centre"? Why should superluminal expansion be regarded as an issue?

anglophone replies on Aug 21, 2021:

@hankster Sorry to be nuisance about such ideas. I would only go as far as to say that we do not have a good understanding of what was happening at t=0 (as we currently understand spacetime). I would conjecture that we may never have a good understanding.

So here's a part of the big bang idea that just never worked for me.

anglophone comments on Aug 21, 2021:

Why should space-time bounce of anything? How can we know that the concept of "time before the Big Bang" even makes sense? Why does the universe even need such a thing as a "centre"? Why should superluminal expansion be regarded as an issue?

anglophone replies on Aug 21, 2021:

@hankster Even the word "birthplace" in that context makes me wonder, as "place" requires some sort of spatial coordinate system. (And my extremely limited understanding of these things is that our equations of spacetime become meaningless at t=0.)

So here's a part of the big bang idea that just never worked for me.

anglophone comments on Aug 21, 2021:

Why should space-time bounce of anything? How can we know that the concept of "time before the Big Bang" even makes sense? Why does the universe even need such a thing as a "centre"? Why should superluminal expansion be regarded as an issue?

anglophone replies on Aug 21, 2021:

@hankster I make no claims about the "centre of the universe". I cannot be sure that idea even makes any sense.

Finally a doctor who is standing up against the madness.

Paracosm comments on Aug 21, 2021:

I understand his point of view but I'm not sure its ethical.

anglophone replies on Aug 21, 2021:

Yes, there is the Hippocratic Oath, but the doctor has a moral duty to society and a personal duty to himself to avoid putting himself in harm's way.

So here's a part of the big bang idea that just never worked for me.

anglophone comments on Aug 21, 2021:

Why should space-time bounce of anything? How can we know that the concept of "time before the Big Bang" even makes sense? Why does the universe even need such a thing as a "centre"? Why should superluminal expansion be regarded as an issue?

anglophone replies on Aug 21, 2021:

@hankster Your ground zero can be found when time as we know it was 0.0 .

What a bunch of selfish stupid Australian fuckwits.

Castlepaloma comments on Aug 21, 2021:

Less than a 1000 covid deaths in total in Australia. Flu seasons show more deaths unless they just switched the numbers around for political and pharmaceutical fraud power

anglophone replies on Aug 21, 2021:

@FrayedBear Let me correct my mistake: "hello". :)

What a bunch of selfish stupid Australian fuckwits.

Castlepaloma comments on Aug 21, 2021:

Less than a 1000 covid deaths in total in Australia. Flu seasons show more deaths unless they just switched the numbers around for political and pharmaceutical fraud power

anglophone replies on Aug 21, 2021:

@Castlepaloma I have no time for anybody who cherry picks their data. Goodbye. /@FrayedBear

What a bunch of selfish stupid Australian fuckwits.

Castlepaloma comments on Aug 21, 2021:

Less than a 1000 covid deaths in total in Australia. Flu seasons show more deaths unless they just switched the numbers around for political and pharmaceutical fraud power

anglophone replies on Aug 21, 2021:

@FrayedBear I have issues whenever i see false comparisons, false divisions and false inferences being drawn.

I am NOT kidding, trying to pull your leg, etc, etc, when I tell this, it IS 110% the Truth.

anglophone comments on Aug 20, 2021:

What does it feel like to be living next door to a bag of hammers?

anglophone replies on Aug 21, 2021:

@Triphid Um, thank you for your magnificently kind and delightful offer, but I feel the need to decline it.

REFUSING BLOOD DONATIONS FROM VACCINATED DONORS by Aldous J Pennyfarthing, The Daily KOS ...

anglophone comments on Aug 20, 2021:

The donated blood of whites and non-whites was segregated in South Africa for decades. It seems to me those idiots are trying to introduce apartheid into the USA. They want to commit suicide by ignorance? Well, good death to them!

anglophone replies on Aug 20, 2021:

@PondartIncbendog Yes - keep their echo chamber of stupidity ringing in their ears.

G'day and Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening to Friends, Acquaintances and Members all, as you'll see ...

anglophone comments on Aug 19, 2021:

Welcome back to the madhouse! :)

anglophone replies on Aug 19, 2021:

@Triphid G'Day! July was seriously wet. It's great to hear that you are getting back to normal. :)

G'day and Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening to Friends, Acquaintances and Members all, as you'll see ...

Lilac-JadeCanada comments on Aug 19, 2021:

WOW!!!! That's terrible news, but glad it's all getting better!!!! I for one did miss you, & kept looking for you, wondering if you were ok.

anglophone replies on Aug 19, 2021:

Likewise here.

Want to be pissed off, read this account from a nurse.

powder comments on Aug 19, 2021:

Bloody hell had to look up intubation. The parents sound anti medical science rather than antivax. Are 14 year olds targeted for vaccination in the US?

anglophone replies on Aug 19, 2021:

My wife was intubated at the doctors' suggestion when she had pneumonia. It is a completely standard procedure and very safe. The girl's parents might be Mor[m]ons.

School wins legal battle to electric shock children to ‘correct behaviour’ ...

DenoPenno comments on Aug 19, 2021:

I could not even read all of this. The reason is that it is NOT a good idea.

anglophone replies on Aug 19, 2021:

How to grow your own psychopaths and cause greater mental health issues in the future.

“The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ...

Marionville comments on Aug 17, 2021:

I think this quote should more correctly be attributed to Bertrand Russell who said in an essay in 1933 titled “The Triumph of Stupidity”, addressing the rise in Germany of Hitler’s Nazi movement…”the fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure ...

anglophone replies on Aug 18, 2021:

@JackPedigo I am sorry to hear that about your late partner. You have given me cause to wonder from where I got my habit of critical thinking.

Let's discuss doctors / nurses/ health professionals fed up with the unvaccinated.

powder comments on Aug 18, 2021:

Relearn the Hippocratic oath and perhaps seek a new career. Plenty of ambulance drivers are sick of scraping drunk body parts off the road too. I wonder how he feels when the fully vaccinated are treated.

anglophone replies on Aug 18, 2021:

@powder How do such failures in vaccinations admit the non-administration thereof?

Let's discuss doctors / nurses/ health professionals fed up with the unvaccinated.

powder comments on Aug 18, 2021:

Relearn the Hippocratic oath and perhaps seek a new career. Plenty of ambulance drivers are sick of scraping drunk body parts off the road too. I wonder how he feels when the fully vaccinated are treated.

anglophone replies on Aug 18, 2021:

@powder I see the doctor's decision as being one of judgement, not of prejudice. Society in eastern Australia is already being threatened by the abysmal response of some state leaders, this regardless of the number of deaths. I see it as perfectly legitimate for health care employers and similar businesses to require their employees to be vaccinated. There is society's expectation that those in care are not exposed to unnecessary health risks, and the employers do not wish to be sued by anybody exposed in that manner. What are your metrics for a vaccine to be highly effective?

Let's discuss doctors / nurses/ health professionals fed up with the unvaccinated.

powder comments on Aug 18, 2021:

Relearn the Hippocratic oath and perhaps seek a new career. Plenty of ambulance drivers are sick of scraping drunk body parts off the road too. I wonder how he feels when the fully vaccinated are treated.

anglophone replies on Aug 18, 2021:

@powder I see consent as being a complex area, not just a simple yes/no decision for some people. I cite @LiterateHiker's experience with her daughter ( https://agnostic.com/discussion/616093/vaccine-mandate-hits-home-hooray ). I also see any comparison between vaccine refusal for the reasons given by the anti-vaxxers and diabetes (for example) as not holding up: apart from anything else, Type II diabetes has a genetic factor. As a personal aside, when it comes to snarky nurses I simply interact with them for their medical expertise and I don't engage with them as people.

Haha!!! Alabama's completely out of ICU beds... pathetic.

Apunzelle comments on Aug 18, 2021:

Why is this funny? No everyone in the state is an arse or deserves to die. 😒

anglophone replies on Aug 18, 2021:

@Dyl1983 And the selfishness of those bastards annoys the crap out of me.

Let's discuss doctors / nurses/ health professionals fed up with the unvaccinated.

powder comments on Aug 18, 2021:

Relearn the Hippocratic oath and perhaps seek a new career. Plenty of ambulance drivers are sick of scraping drunk body parts off the road too. I wonder how he feels when the fully vaccinated are treated.

anglophone replies on Aug 18, 2021:

@powder You raise two interesting philosophical points. Firstly, I cannot give treatment to those who refuse to receive it, but then we come down to the detail what treatment or treatments are being offered. Secondly, doctors, being human, will be inclined to work to achieve the greatest benefit to the greatest number of people: I would far rather treat somebody who has taken all the right precautions and is much more likely to become healed rather than somebody who has chosen to impair their own health and thereby make my task more difficult.

Let's discuss doctors / nurses/ health professionals fed up with the unvaccinated.

powder comments on Aug 18, 2021:

Relearn the Hippocratic oath and perhaps seek a new career. Plenty of ambulance drivers are sick of scraping drunk body parts off the road too. I wonder how he feels when the fully vaccinated are treated.

anglophone replies on Aug 18, 2021:

How does the Hippocratic oath refer to those who reject medical assistance?

“The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ...

Marionville comments on Aug 17, 2021:

I think this quote should more correctly be attributed to Bertrand Russell who said in an essay in 1933 titled “The Triumph of Stupidity”, addressing the rise in Germany of Hitler’s Nazi movement…”the fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure ...

anglophone replies on Aug 18, 2021:

@JackPedigo We all make bad decisions. It is how we address those decisions afterwards that is important in my view. To answer your implicit question, it is that some people are more willing and able to think things through.

If Agnosticism is one of a group of things that we hope will eventually rid us of religion, then ...

DenoPenno comments on Aug 16, 2021:

Atheism and agnosticism will not rid the world of anything. As to that question of being "saved" I want to know what we are being saved from.

anglophone replies on Aug 18, 2021:

@Mcflewster Yes, but would you be willing to share her with me at the same time as you are "using" her?

“The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ...

Marionville comments on Aug 17, 2021:

I think this quote should more correctly be attributed to Bertrand Russell who said in an essay in 1933 titled “The Triumph of Stupidity”, addressing the rise in Germany of Hitler’s Nazi movement…”the fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure ...

anglophone replies on Aug 18, 2021:

@JackPedigo Hence the appellation of "Rethuglicans".

“The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ...

Marionville comments on Aug 17, 2021:

I think this quote should more correctly be attributed to Bertrand Russell who said in an essay in 1933 titled “The Triumph of Stupidity”, addressing the rise in Germany of Hitler’s Nazi movement…”the fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure ...

anglophone replies on Aug 18, 2021:

I also point out that same reference whenever I feel the need, and I point enquiring readers to the source: https://russell-j.com/0583TS.HTM

Michigan man branded ‘racist terrorist’ sentenced for attacking Black neighbors’ home outside...

dkp93 comments on Aug 17, 2021:

He fired into their home and only got a few years?! And please explain how that is not a personal attack! Imagine what the sentence would be had this been a young black man shooting into a white family's home.

anglophone replies on Aug 18, 2021:

I bet the judge was a white supremacist.

Mask-Hating Texas Governor Now Demanding Feds Provide Mobile Mortuary Trailers NBC News reports ...

Killtheskyfairy comments on Aug 17, 2021:

Sorry, Texas. If you don’t want to act responsibly, pay for your own morgues. PS: should this guy be tested for mental illness? His behavior is sociopathic.

anglophone replies on Aug 17, 2021:

"Welcome to the psychiatrist's office. Are you a Republican?" "Yes." "That'll do me. Take him to the funny farm."

Cop Brags About Misconduct, Now He's Getting Charged - YouTube

Apunzelle comments on Aug 16, 2021:

HOW did he pass the psych tests to become a cop?!

anglophone replies on Aug 16, 2021:

The psych tests, if they are administered at all, are a joke, which jokes are probably delivered by a corrupt psychologist.

US coronavirus: 'This is starting to look really ominous in the South,' expert says, as US is among ...

Cast1es comments on Aug 14, 2021:

We needed a reliable vaccine , so we developed a reliable vaccine . We needed the vaccine in huge quantities , so we created huge quantities of the vaccine . We needed to see that it was available for everyone , so it is being given free of charge at local pharmacies , grocery stores , and hospitals...

anglophone replies on Aug 15, 2021:

"There is no cure for stupid" is so sadly true.

Jesse Lee Peterson: Educating Women is “One of the Worst Mistakes” Ever Made | Hemant Mehta | ...

freedom41 comments on Aug 14, 2021:

Stick in a time machine and send him back 400 years.

anglophone replies on Aug 15, 2021:

I reckon 7,000 years might be better, and put him the middle of the Nile Valley at the same time.

Appeals Court: Atheist Parolee Jailed for Rejecting Bible Study Can Sue Over It | Hemant Mehta | ...

Healthydoc70 comments on Aug 14, 2021:

Excuse me. How would reading the bible against your natural inclination "cure" anyone of being an athiest. IMO, it would only solidify one's lack of belief.

anglophone replies on Aug 14, 2021:

The judge was clearly prejudiced. The judge was also several billion grey cells short of a brain.

8-Year-Old Boy Becomes Youngest Person Ever Charged With Blasphemy in Pakistan | Hemant Mehta | ...

xenoview comments on Aug 14, 2021:

Barbaric beliefs backed by religious beliefs.

anglophone replies on Aug 14, 2021:

A country run by evil shits for the benefit of evil shits.

"Reddit Conversation between Plymouth Shooter Jake Davison and a Teenage Girl" [reddit.

Redneckliberal comments on Aug 13, 2021:

would a hooker be cheaper and more effective than therapy?!!

anglophone replies on Aug 13, 2021:

No. The issue must first be acknowledged for what it is (a serious mental health issue) by the individual concerned and by the people around the individual (family in this case) before therapy becomes a possibility.

Why Aren't We All Conspiracy Theorists?

Willow_Wisp comments on Aug 12, 2021:

I was immunized by attending the Clayhatchee Assembly of God Church for eleven years while attending school at the same time. I default believed the church, my studies showed the church wrong, which is why religion hates academics and science. It also helps to not give a fuck about the ego self. ...

anglophone replies on Aug 13, 2021:

@Paul4747 Thanks for the tip. :)

Why Aren't We All Conspiracy Theorists?

Willow_Wisp comments on Aug 12, 2021:

I was immunized by attending the Clayhatchee Assembly of God Church for eleven years while attending school at the same time. I default believed the church, my studies showed the church wrong, which is why religion hates academics and science. It also helps to not give a fuck about the ego self. ...

anglophone replies on Aug 13, 2021:

@Paul4747 Ah, my ignorance is showing. :)

Why Aren't We All Conspiracy Theorists?

Willow_Wisp comments on Aug 12, 2021:

I was immunized by attending the Clayhatchee Assembly of God Church for eleven years while attending school at the same time. I default believed the church, my studies showed the church wrong, which is why religion hates academics and science. It also helps to not give a fuck about the ego self. ...

anglophone replies on Aug 13, 2021:

@Paul4747 As the one great ape said to the other great ape "When in America, speak Navajo!".

So isn't God placing Adam and Eve into a garden with a sociopath nicknamed "the Dragon" after ...

Willow_Wisp comments on Aug 13, 2021:

If the God story were correct then God would be like a narcissistic parent that wrote a pamphlet about themselves and left it in the bassinet of their child as they dropped the kid off at the orphanage. As the child grows up there’s no further contact but when the kid turns 40 Dad shows up ...

anglophone replies on Aug 13, 2021:

Now now my good woman. It is extraordinarily rude of you to point out salient facts and details to believers. ;)

Why Aren't We All Conspiracy Theorists?

linxminx comments on Aug 12, 2021:

"...our minds are fundamentally lazy and like to take shortcuts." As a professional educator for 35 years, and working with thousands of young people, I have observed and can say with overwhelming certainty that.... This is TRUE!!!

anglophone replies on Aug 12, 2021:

My attitude as a former lecturer was always the same: you need to have a good grasp of all the underlying theory as well as a thorough grasp of all the relevant facts before you can make a well-informed decision. I led by example and it seemed to rub off on all my students. When I came across shortcuts in the students' minds I always gave examples where such shortcuts would fail. They learned soon enough.

Why Aren't We All Conspiracy Theorists?

JonnaBononna comments on Aug 12, 2021:

My favorite part of reading that was "QAnonsense" 🤣

anglophone replies on Aug 12, 2021:

Same here!

Isn't this a rather baseless, false claim?

Deb57 comments on Aug 11, 2021:

I'm an American and this is the first I've heard of Michael Savage or any opinion attributed to him. If he did say this, he's an uninformed putz spreading dangerous misinformation. He reminds me of the dolts who think mental illness can be cured by spending more time outside.

anglophone replies on Aug 12, 2021:

He would have been a good fit in Adolf Hitler's eugenics program.

Isn't this a rather baseless, false claim?

BD66 comments on Aug 11, 2021:

Michael Savage is an idiot.

anglophone replies on Aug 12, 2021:

That is a grievous insult to idiots.

Trump fans springing to action.

OldGoat43 comments on Aug 12, 2021:

Imagine being chastised for trying to keep your kids safe by wearing masks. What business is it of their's?

anglophone replies on Aug 12, 2021:

The raging idiots (and I use that phrase advisedly) are terrified that reason and logic will overcome their prejudice and ignorance.

Why Aren't We All Conspiracy Theorists?

anglophone comments on Aug 12, 2021:

While your post expresses an ideal that would be attractive to every mind that is allergic to bullshit, I have difficulty with drawing too close a parallel between bodily immunology and cognitive immunology. I have seen countless minds who feel immensely threatened by engaging in critical thinking ...

anglophone replies on Aug 12, 2021:

@KKGator Thank you for sharing that news. :)

At this point in my life I’m not going to be able to respect Bible thumpers.

Budgie comments on Aug 12, 2021:

I would be polite but firm to the people at work as I do not believe, unless you are living in a strictly religious country where atheism is illegal, that they are allowed to harass you at work. That said I had one of my coworkers put some religious rubbish in my pigeon hole, I knew who it was so...

anglophone replies on Aug 12, 2021:

I love your comeback to them.

Religion was the original traditional culture of the world, which was used to explain and justify ...

RichCC comments on Aug 12, 2021:

One of my favorite thoughts came years ago from a blogger named Greta Christina. As I've said before on Agnostic, please excuse the specific wording because I'm paraphrasing from memory. *** Over the years we've had many supernatural explanations for various events -- the sun was Apollo carrying a...

anglophone replies on Aug 12, 2021:

Everything that we can observe is by definition part of the natural world. The supernatural is by definition unobservable. Anybody who claims to have seen, heard, felt or smelled anything supernatural is talking nonsense. The only "evidence" for the supernatural is fake by definition.

Religion was the original traditional culture of the world, which was used to explain and justify ...

Petter comments on Aug 12, 2021:

The greatest anomaly of all is "Religious Philosophy".

anglophone replies on Aug 12, 2021:

See also Scientology.

This is not a surprise.

Unity comments on Aug 11, 2021:

What is it about Trump that so many are loyal to him? I don't understand it.

anglophone replies on Aug 11, 2021:

@K9Kohle789 "A lobotomy may make them smarter, who knows." Yep!

This is not a surprise.

anglophone comments on Aug 11, 2021:

Trumpty Dumpty's pigeons are coming to roost, and they are shitting all over him in the process.

anglophone replies on Aug 11, 2021:

@barjoe I see his minions as using any excuse or none to further their causes of ignorance, intolerance, stupidity, social envy and "Fuck you, Democrat!".

This is not a surprise.

Unity comments on Aug 11, 2021:

What is it about Trump that so many are loyal to him? I don't understand it.

anglophone replies on Aug 11, 2021:

Trump has multiple catastrophic delusions, one of which is that loyalty to which you refer.

Must be 18 to enter....

Lizard_of_Ahaz comments on Aug 11, 2021:

https://youtu.be/aG5Y4VXlk-w

anglophone replies on Aug 11, 2021:

"Video unavailable. The uploader has not made this video available in your country." Dang, I knew there must be a drawback to living in the Land of the Convict!

Coronavirus: Is There A Hidden Purpose To The Pandemic? ... [irishtimes.com] .

anglophone comments on Aug 11, 2021:

The under headline of "Unthinkable: People – even atheists – tend to think things happen ‘for a reason’" immediately invalidates the rest of the article. The Irish Times' Catholicism still runs deep.

anglophone replies on Aug 11, 2021:

@Marionville My position is based on having lived on the side of the Irish Sea for decades, and while I am aware that the influence of Catholic Church from before the turn of the century, I can still see that influence today from other hemisphere. My knowledge of the current editorial thrust of the Irish Times is nil, and I thank you for educating me.

Yes, I know this is from 2017; it still holds true though.

Paracosm comments on Aug 9, 2021:

Paywall. Just curious though... when exactly could America be trusted?

anglophone replies on Aug 10, 2021:

@PBuck0145 Specially Faux News!

Does anyone else have family members who refuse the COVID-19 vaccine?

anglophone comments on Aug 9, 2021:

Your daughter has become irrational for reasons that are not obvious from your post. If she is determined to play Russian Roulette with her own life, there is ultimately nothing you can do about it. No one in my family is sufficiently insane to refuse. (Insane, not sane, not of sound mind,...

anglophone replies on Aug 9, 2021:

@LiterateHiker I feel for her parents. They have invested 31 years of love, care and attention on her, and now she threatens to throw it all away.

Does anyone else have family members who refuse the COVID-19 vaccine?

anglophone comments on Aug 9, 2021:

Your daughter has become irrational for reasons that are not obvious from your post. If she is determined to play Russian Roulette with her own life, there is ultimately nothing you can do about it. No one in my family is sufficiently insane to refuse. (Insane, not sane, not of sound mind,...

anglophone replies on Aug 9, 2021:

P.S. Your daughter is a classic example of a little learning being a dangerous thing.

I’m An ICU Doctor And I Cannot Believe The Things Unvaccinated Patients Are Telling Me “My ...

anglophone comments on Aug 5, 2021:

The war against the criminally stupid and the terminally stupid will never be won.

anglophone replies on Aug 9, 2021:

@Robecology I make a distinction between the simply stupid on the one hand and the criminally stupid and terminally stupid on the other. I have no empathy for the criminally stupid. I can tolerate the terminally stupid for as long as they do not seek to impose their terminal behaviour on other people. Society needs to put in a lot of effort to protect itself from any aggression shown by the terminally stupid.

A grand jury has been convened in the Trump criminal investigation which means the DA has proof of a...

Killtheskyfairy comments on Aug 8, 2021:

About freaking time! We all watched him admit to and commit crimes on TV. What’s he have to do? Actually kill someone on Fifth Avenue?

anglophone replies on Aug 8, 2021:

From memory, he has claimed to being able to get away with doing something similar.

From time to time I hear people on talk shows call in to say that evolution is fake or simply plain ...

Charles1971 comments on Aug 7, 2021:

There is an overwhelming amount of empirical evidence spanning more than a century that supports evolution. Denying it at this point is just a choice to be ignorant. Believing in myths and the supernatural requires no thought whatsoever. It's easy. Gaining even a basic understanding of evolution ...

anglophone replies on Aug 7, 2021:

Yes, why bother to think for yourself when your local cleric can tell you what to believe.

Pastor: Christians Should Reject Vaccines Since God’s Law Overrides Man’s Law | Beth Stoneburner...

Fernapple comments on Aug 7, 2021:

I was going to point out an obvious, logical flaw, in the pastors thinking. But it is so pathetic I don't think I can be bothered. Sorry.

anglophone replies on Aug 7, 2021:

You remind me of the Apathy Party. I was thinking of joining, but I could not be bothered.

Is there not more Darkness than there is light?

KateOahu comments on Aug 7, 2021:

Depends on the time of year. Longest period of darkness falls on a day in December, Winter Solstice, this year on December 21.

anglophone replies on Aug 7, 2021:

@MsKathleen Having swapped between both hemispheres for much of my life, this sort of thing comes easily to me, but I appreciate that experience is uncommon.

Is there not more Darkness than there is light?

KateOahu comments on Aug 7, 2021:

Depends on the time of year. Longest period of darkness falls on a day in December, Winter Solstice, this year on December 21.

anglophone replies on Aug 7, 2021:

True in the northern hemisphere.

Vaccine skeptics and anti-​maskers are sucking down horse paste promoted by Trump's 'alien DNA' ...

glennlab comments on Aug 6, 2021:

Damn, I was planning on worming my animals this weekend.

anglophone replies on Aug 6, 2021:

You should be treating them with anti-virals instead! ;)

A ‘Christian nation’ no longer: why Australia’s religious right loses policy battles even when...

anglophone comments on Aug 6, 2021:

I am delighted to read that Australians are consigning Christian politics to the dustbin of history.

anglophone replies on Aug 6, 2021:

@FrayedBear I would be content if the idiocy rate fell to less than 10%.

If there is nothing to hide, he has nothing to worry about

racocn8 comments on Aug 4, 2021:

That would be a fool's errand. Given how many crimes he's committed, his level of protection is plainly supernatural. I'd love to hear a viable alternative explanation.

anglophone replies on Aug 6, 2021:

@Diagoras That claim about draining the swamp should pursue him for the rest of his putrid little life.

The headstone of people who aren't sheep. I know, right?

UrsiMajor comments on Aug 5, 2021:

How this isn't the fate of so many anti-vaxxers, I don't know.

anglophone replies on Aug 5, 2021:

Not everybody dies when they each play Russian Roulette.

Emotions, beliefs, and absolute certainties belong in one category, and a willingness to look at the...

xenoview comments on Aug 4, 2021:

What absolute certainties are you talking about? Emotions and beliefs are subjective, coming from the mind. Theism is based in subjective evidence. Agnostics seek knowledge that a god exist. Atheist have a lack of belief in any god. Both agnostic and atheist want objective evidence for a god ...

anglophone replies on Aug 5, 2021:

@Moravian I disagree with the example of the Salvation Army "doing good". I accept that it may do some limited good under some limited circumstances (but other people and other organisations also do some limited good under some limited circumstances) but I see it as being unutterably evil when it comes to religious scepticisim and LGBTQI.

Emotions, beliefs, and absolute certainties belong in one category, and a willingness to look at the...

hankster comments on Aug 4, 2021:

absolute certainty destroys reasoned evaluation/inquiry.

anglophone replies on Aug 5, 2021:

Yes, but please don't tell that to those who are wedded to their own absolute certainties. ;)

Emotions, beliefs, and absolute certainties belong in one category, and a willingness to look at the...

Fernapple comments on Aug 5, 2021:

Then you mean to tell me, that you are taking back, all that which you wrote about your absolute certainty that the biblical authors, editor and scribes all wrote in the one literary genre, namely the metaphorical one ?

anglophone replies on Aug 5, 2021:

I can with absolute certainty give you this answer: "no". ;)

MASK RESISTING MORONS: The delta variant is 'ripping through the unvaccinated' and crowding ...

Sticks48 comments on Aug 4, 2021:

One cannot reason with the STUPID because they are STUPID. They were born STUPID and will die STUPID, many sooner than later. As someone said, and l am paraphrasing, "lntelligent people know they don't know everything, while stupid people think they know everything". That pretty much says it all.

anglophone replies on Aug 4, 2021:

You might be interested in Bertrand Russell's words on the same point: "The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt." from his "The Triumph of Stupidity" in 1933: https://russell-j.com/0583TS.HTM

Florida surpasses all-time record for Covid hospital admissions [bbc.com]

barjoe comments on Aug 3, 2021:

MoRon DeathSantis shows a lack of leadership he wants to ride to the presidency.

anglophone replies on Aug 3, 2021:

Why rely on science when you can rely on the gross stupidity of your constituency?

Say Hello to Alice112, the newest christian troll to post a picture in her profile of her big tits.

Charles1971 comments on Aug 3, 2021:

You're just one of those anti-boobists aren't you? You probably want to ban all the boobs everywhere! You won't be happy until you live in a boob-free world.

anglophone replies on Aug 3, 2021:

Jeepers man. Do know what a heavy pair of knockers does to a woman's back? And those shoulder straps can dig in as well. I really must call my local surgeon.