From There to Here

anglophone comments on Feb 25, 2020:

The models of the natural world that come out of science are far more useful than the models that come out of religion. Putting it simply, "It [science] works, bitches!". There is also the issue that different religions and different sects within each religion often contradict each other. Again ...

anglophone replies on Feb 25, 2020:

@Concolor44 You can read his "The Logic of Scientific Discovery" at http://strangebeautiful.com/other-texts/popper-logic-scientific-discovery.pdf . He goes into falsifiability in that piece.

What do Atheist think about reincarnation?

MichaelSpinler comments on Feb 25, 2020:

we have plenty of evidence that when the brain dies you no longer exist. its pure woo. we see this through brain damaged people. if you could not survive brain damage and keep all of who you are. why the hell would it work with brain death?

anglophone replies on Feb 25, 2020:

Your point is well made.

From There to Here

gearl comments on Feb 25, 2020:

There were undoubtedly many issues but the one that stood out was when I went to a leadership meeting and was told that we could not question anything we were being told by the higher-ups . I had always questioned but thought the good outweighed the bad. At that moment I decided to step down from my...

anglophone replies on Feb 25, 2020:

I regard anybody who tells me that I cannot question anything that I am being told as a dangerous wretch.

What do Atheist think about reincarnation?

RileyStevens comments on Feb 25, 2020:

Hopefully no one here thinks they speak for all of us.

anglophone replies on Feb 25, 2020:

Agreed. The only person I can speak for is myself.

‘Belief’ definition I surmise that one cannot think about beliefs in the singular as if they...

anglophone comments on Feb 24, 2020:

Belief: a position accepted as being true, but in the absence any supporting evidence. Belief system: a set of beliefs on a set of related matters. A belief system need not have a core concept as it can be built around an approach to explaining the natural world. Think of the Greek and Roman ...

anglophone replies on Feb 24, 2020:

@maturin1919 I acknowledge your position.

‘Belief’ definition I surmise that one cannot think about beliefs in the singular as if they...

anglophone comments on Feb 24, 2020:

Belief: a position accepted as being true, but in the absence any supporting evidence. Belief system: a set of beliefs on a set of related matters. A belief system need not have a core concept as it can be built around an approach to explaining the natural world. Think of the Greek and Roman ...

anglophone replies on Feb 24, 2020:

@maturin1919 I find such differences to be highly significant.

‘Belief’ definition I surmise that one cannot think about beliefs in the singular as if they...

anglophone comments on Feb 24, 2020:

Belief: a position accepted as being true, but in the absence any supporting evidence. Belief system: a set of beliefs on a set of related matters. A belief system need not have a core concept as it can be built around an approach to explaining the natural world. Think of the Greek and Roman ...

anglophone replies on Feb 24, 2020:

@maturin1919 The differ sufficiently for this pedant to notice.

‘Belief’ definition I surmise that one cannot think about beliefs in the singular as if they...

anglophone comments on Feb 24, 2020:

Belief: a position accepted as being true, but in the absence any supporting evidence. Belief system: a set of beliefs on a set of related matters. A belief system need not have a core concept as it can be built around an approach to explaining the natural world. Think of the Greek and Roman ...

anglophone replies on Feb 24, 2020:

@maturin1919 And dictionaries often differ in what the offer for any given word.

‘Belief’ definition I surmise that one cannot think about beliefs in the singular as if they...

anglophone comments on Feb 24, 2020:

Belief: a position accepted as being true, but in the absence any supporting evidence. Belief system: a set of beliefs on a set of related matters. A belief system need not have a core concept as it can be built around an approach to explaining the natural world. Think of the Greek and Roman ...

anglophone replies on Feb 24, 2020:

@Mcflewster Are you referring to @maturin1919's comment about a dictionary?

‘Belief’ definition I surmise that one cannot think about beliefs in the singular as if they...

anglophone comments on Feb 24, 2020:

Belief: a position accepted as being true, but in the absence any supporting evidence. Belief system: a set of beliefs on a set of related matters. A belief system need not have a core concept as it can be built around an approach to explaining the natural world. Think of the Greek and Roman ...

anglophone replies on Feb 24, 2020:

@maturin1919 I like your analysis. My own view is that the word "belief" is ambiguous, and that people have a habit of using words imprecisely.

What dissappoints me most when reading posts by many atheists/agnostics is the tendency to blame the...

Marionville comments on Feb 24, 2020:

We don’t all do this, I certainly don’t. I don’t ridicule anyone’s beliefs, nor do I blame them for what they sincerely believe to be true. I do agree however, that sometimes some atheists and agnostics can sound pretty intolerant. When we do that, we become mirror images of them and ...

anglophone replies on Feb 24, 2020:

@Marionville I thought you might be amused by that. :)

What dissappoints me most when reading posts by many atheists/agnostics is the tendency to blame the...

Marionville comments on Feb 24, 2020:

We don’t all do this, I certainly don’t. I don’t ridicule anyone’s beliefs, nor do I blame them for what they sincerely believe to be true. I do agree however, that sometimes some atheists and agnostics can sound pretty intolerant. When we do that, we become mirror images of them and ...

anglophone replies on Feb 24, 2020:

"You're a better man than I, Gunga Din."

What dissappoints me most when reading posts by many atheists/agnostics is the tendency to blame the...

Mofo1953 comments on Feb 24, 2020:

How could anybody blame the victim for the brainwashing process? It began when the victim was a child by the perpetrators, the parents, built by schools, peers, the media and society in general. The issue is once the brainwashed is assimilated to the ranks, it is extremely difficult for those ...

anglophone replies on Feb 24, 2020:

@luckytobealive Wow! I thank you ever so much for sharing all that. And ((hugs)) to you as well. My own trauma pales into insignificance compared to your's. I am glad you were able to make your own way out of that evil place.

What dissappoints me most when reading posts by many atheists/agnostics is the tendency to blame the...

Mofo1953 comments on Feb 24, 2020:

How could anybody blame the victim for the brainwashing process? It began when the victim was a child by the perpetrators, the parents, built by schools, peers, the media and society in general. The issue is once the brainwashed is assimilated to the ranks, it is extremely difficult for those ...

anglophone replies on Feb 24, 2020:

@luckytobealive I adore your sense of humour. The answer to your implicit question about the ability to break free lies in the amount of damage to the prefrontal cortex of the human brain during a child's developmental years. This has become clear in studies in neuroscience and psychology over the last decade. In summary, if the damage inflicted by God Mobsters is not too severe, then people can overcome their own brainwashing, otherwise they cannot, and some of the latter cohort go on to inflict further damage on the children of their day.

What dissappoints me most when reading posts by many atheists/agnostics is the tendency to blame the...

Fernapple comments on Feb 24, 2020:

You have to remember that if you read posts and comments here on this site, then it is atheists and agnostics talking to one another, most of the posts and comments here are not intended for the religious. Having said that what you say is perfectly true, and well understood by the churches. That...

anglophone replies on Feb 24, 2020:

@Fernapple What a wonderful response!

What dissappoints me most when reading posts by many atheists/agnostics is the tendency to blame the...

Mofo1953 comments on Feb 24, 2020:

How could anybody blame the victim for the brainwashing process? It began when the victim was a child by the perpetrators, the parents, built by schools, peers, the media and society in general. The issue is once the brainwashed is assimilated to the ranks, it is extremely difficult for those ...

anglophone replies on Feb 24, 2020:

The brainwashed confronting those of non-belief who then defend themselves: I *like* that idea. Thank you.

What dissappoints me most when reading posts by many atheists/agnostics is the tendency to blame the...

Fernapple comments on Feb 24, 2020:

You have to remember that if you read posts and comments here on this site, then it is atheists and agnostics talking to one another, most of the posts and comments here are not intended for the religious. Having said that what you say is perfectly true, and well understood by the churches. That...

anglophone replies on Feb 24, 2020:

@Fernapple They tend to hate me because I expect them to use their brains, to which they take exception: - Why do I need to be saved? - Please demonstrate that the universe was created. - Please demonstrate that the Resurrection happened. - Where did all the water for the Great Flood come from? - etc, etc, etc

What dissappoints me most when reading posts by many atheists/agnostics is the tendency to blame the...

Fernapple comments on Feb 24, 2020:

You have to remember that if you read posts and comments here on this site, then it is atheists and agnostics talking to one another, most of the posts and comments here are not intended for the religious. Having said that what you say is perfectly true, and well understood by the churches. That...

anglophone replies on Feb 24, 2020:

Which explains work the local Watchtower keeps putting unadulterated bullshit in my letterbox.

What dissappoints me most when reading posts by many atheists/agnostics is the tendency to blame the...

RussRAB comments on Feb 24, 2020:

In recalling my own journey out of religion, I recall being the victim of any number of well meaning religionists acting out of their life long indoctrination/brainwashing. Their concern often manifested in a kind of ridicule intended or not and they often encouraged that I ignore or deny things I ...

anglophone replies on Feb 24, 2020:

Very well said!

What dissappoints me most when reading posts by many atheists/agnostics is the tendency to blame the...

Pedrohbds comments on Feb 24, 2020:

We need to understand that when we attack religion we are attacking the identity of the person and most of times his/her definition of self, this don't trigger thinking and reasoning, this triggers self defense. And once self defense is triggered, dialog becomes impossible. Religion knows it, and ...

anglophone replies on Feb 24, 2020:

@Pedrohbds I like your analysis. I wish I had your patience. I am infamous for not suffering fools gladly.

What dissappoints me most when reading posts by many atheists/agnostics is the tendency to blame the...

Pedrohbds comments on Feb 24, 2020:

We need to understand that when we attack religion we are attacking the identity of the person and most of times his/her definition of self, this don't trigger thinking and reasoning, this triggers self defense. And once self defense is triggered, dialog becomes impossible. Religion knows it, and ...

anglophone replies on Feb 24, 2020:

Agreed, I see religious fundamentalists as being inclined to take attacks on their ideas as being personal attacks, which is why I tend to avoid them unless they first approach me. There are times when I despair of their apparent inability to think analytically.

What dissappoints me most when reading posts by many atheists/agnostics is the tendency to blame the...

Novelty comments on Feb 24, 2020:

It depends, like I’ve said before, I do have theist friends and we get along because we have plenty of other things to talk about and why would we pick a fight with a dear friend? I have no need to spread atheism. I will encourage people that insist on pushing it to fuck off. My friend isn’t ...

anglophone replies on Feb 24, 2020:

@Cyklone I regard anybody who tries to foist (and I use that word advisedly) their belief system onto me as violating one of my personal boundaries, and I regard such people as being insufferably rude. Like @Novelty, I have no hesitation in telling them to fuck off. Personal relationships are built on mutual respect, and God Mobsters seem to delight in denying such respect.

What dissappoints me most when reading posts by many atheists/agnostics is the tendency to blame the...

JohnnyQB comments on Feb 24, 2020:

The ideals are to be criticized and ridiculed. My ideals are open to critique and ridicule.

anglophone replies on Feb 24, 2020:

@Cyklone I make a sharp distinction between people and ideas. I regard all ideas as being open to critical analysis, and I have no hesitation in launching virulent attacks on manifestly absurd lines of reasoning. If a theist chooses to treat other people with dignity regardless of their faith or lack thereof, I happily return the compliment. However, if a theist chooses to launch a personal attack on me because of my ideas, then they can expect to be derided for their failings of personality.

Who has been the most influential Atheist/Agnostic famous person for you?

Marionville comments on Feb 23, 2020:

David Hume the Scottish philosopher (1711-76), father of the Scottish Enlightenment. He was the most influential of all British philosophers and his philosophical empiricism, scepticism and naturalism influenced the thinking of, amongst others; Emmanuel Kant, Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill, ...

anglophone replies on Feb 23, 2020:

Karl Popper - there is a name to conjure with. His idea of falsifiability is what cemented my atheism.

'Mad' Mike Hughes dies after crash-landing homemade rocket - BBC News

Omnedon comments on Feb 23, 2020:

That's sad. Yes, the stunt was stupid, but there's no need to mock the dead.

anglophone replies on Feb 23, 2020:

Who is mocking the dead?

Who has been the most influential Atheist/Agnostic famous person for you?

anglophone comments on Feb 22, 2020:

Richard Dawkins' "The God Delusion". He was not so much influential in me becoming an atheist (that happened 30 years previously), but I found his perspective enlightening.

anglophone replies on Feb 23, 2020:

@DavidLaDeau You put it most excellent well (to borrow an 18th century English turn of phrase).

What would you say to a friend that was a flat earthist?

anglophone comments on Feb 22, 2020:

I do not have such so called friends.

anglophone replies on Feb 22, 2020:

@kiramea YIKES!

What would you say to a friend that was a flat earthist?

anglophone comments on Feb 22, 2020:

I do not have such so called friends.

anglophone replies on Feb 22, 2020:

@Nardi I would call the local hospital and get brain x-ray for them, as they would have suffered brain damage.

What would you say to a friend that was a flat earthist?

OnTheInside comments on Feb 22, 2020:

Easy, no one I would be friends with would be a flat-earthist. I do my best to avoid the feeble-minded.

anglophone replies on Feb 22, 2020:

Same here.

(PDF) The Dawkins Delusion | Fred Perez - Academia.edu

Storm1752 comments on Feb 22, 2020:

Would you like to summarize, outline, or otherwise distill some of these absurdities for us?

anglophone replies on Feb 22, 2020:

Perez writes "It is the responsibility of the super-curious to ask how his/her world fits into the forgotten puzzle." which immediately begs the question of "What is the forgotten puzzle?", which question he studiously avoids. Perez's "Time may even be considered as a dubious category since its binarisation with space proves that it is a psychotic event ‘felt’ only by the mind." is magnificent in its absurdity. Perez goes on to say "It is now generally accepted by scientists that the universe (the One and only) began with a Big Bang around 20 billion years ago" is wonderful in its misrepresentation of the current debate among cosmologists. I have provided three examples, and I am content with that unless you ask me for additional examples.

(PDF) The Dawkins Delusion | Fred Perez - Academia.edu

Matias comments on Feb 22, 2020:

It is not possible to download the pdf without giving academia.edu access to my Google account. I'd prefer not to....

anglophone replies on Feb 22, 2020:

There is a free option to read on screen. Like you, I am averse to handing out my personal details to such organisations.

So I'm at work and I had a customer ask me if i was a lover of jesus.

linxminx comments on Feb 21, 2020:

Gross on so many levels.

anglophone replies on Feb 21, 2020:

Agreed.

So I'm at work and I had a customer ask me if i was a lover of jesus.

Kymmacg comments on Feb 21, 2020:

My line is that I don't discuss religion or politics at work, but if they want to buy me a whiskey, we can discuss it at happy hour BUT I get to talk first. ;)

anglophone replies on Feb 21, 2020:

"Where is your falsifiable evidence to support your existence claim of your particular god?" - that always seems to shut them up.

Christian parents sue their school district to force it to out trans kids / LGBTQ Nation

AnneWimsey comments on Feb 21, 2020:

Umm, the school keeps records on that? Why? IMO far more of a problem if so

anglophone replies on Feb 21, 2020:

Agreed.

Christian parents sue their school district to force it to out trans kids / LGBTQ Nation

DenoPenno comments on Feb 21, 2020:

Maybe they have succumbed to the nonsense of why people go to the "wrong bathroom." The right is responsible for a lot of this. In the 60's in Germany we had unisex bathrooms in Nurnberg without any problems.

anglophone replies on Feb 21, 2020:

There are parts of France where nobody cares about gender in bathrooms.

So I'm at work and I had a customer ask me if i was a lover of jesus.

Observer-Effect comments on Feb 21, 2020:

Yeah, too bad you were at work! Otherwise "oh, yeahhhhh I'm a *lover* of Jesus baby! Can I tell you about my fantasys? They involve midgets, leather and the LORD! Praise! I want to Feeeeel the Lord inside me! Glory!" :-)

anglophone replies on Feb 21, 2020:

I am partial to eating babies, though I do prefer them to be roasted rather than boiled.

Mormon Church Formalizes Punishments for Trans Members

bobwjr comments on Feb 21, 2020:

Religious right strikes again

anglophone replies on Feb 21, 2020:

It's funny (perverse) that they are called the religious right when they are also the religious wrong. (Sorry, I could not resist that joke in very bad taste.)

State/church separation dealt major blow in 11th Circuit cross ruling - Freedom From Religion ...

JackPedigo comments on Feb 20, 2020:

Seems we are headed closer and closer to a theocratic dictatorship.

anglophone replies on Feb 21, 2020:

@JackPedigo Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims, American style perhaps?

State/church separation dealt major blow in 11th Circuit cross ruling - Freedom From Religion ...

JackPedigo comments on Feb 20, 2020:

Seems we are headed closer and closer to a theocratic dictatorship.

anglophone replies on Feb 20, 2020:

@of-the-mountain Quite!

80 year old Atheist scores a token win.

anglophone comments on Feb 20, 2020:

That some petty oik thought Hart's request was being vulgar and obscene shows the obscenity of the oik's thinking processes.

anglophone replies on Feb 20, 2020:

@Robecology https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/oik

State/church separation dealt major blow in 11th Circuit cross ruling - Freedom From Religion ...

JackPedigo comments on Feb 20, 2020:

Seems we are headed closer and closer to a theocratic dictatorship.

anglophone replies on Feb 20, 2020:

A theocratic dictatorship is **exactly** what the evangelical Christians want.

Christian Lawmakers Group Blames Satan After Twitter Poll Goes Badly Awry

DavidLaDeau comments on Feb 19, 2020:

It blamed atheist and satan for them not getting the results they wanted. 95.8 % of voters in the poll said "no" to "Do you believe America would be better off if more Christians served in elected office".

anglophone replies on Feb 20, 2020:

Such people get really annoyed when their echo chambers get broken into.

Evolution is just a Theory? CORRECT.

Storm1752 comments on Feb 15, 2020:

Hypothesis: IF we evolved from apes, aliens MUST have altered our DNA, which is the "missing link" everybody is looking for. This must be rigorously tested, subjected to double-blind studies, and peer-reviewed. For starters.

anglophone replies on Feb 19, 2020:

@Storm1752 I have never claimed that we evolved from octopi. /@Robecology

Evolution is just a Theory? CORRECT.

Storm1752 comments on Feb 15, 2020:

Hypothesis: IF we evolved from apes, aliens MUST have altered our DNA, which is the "missing link" everybody is looking for. This must be rigorously tested, subjected to double-blind studies, and peer-reviewed. For starters.

anglophone replies on Feb 19, 2020:

@Storm1752 Yes, genetically altered by natural selection.

Evolution is just a Theory? CORRECT.

Storm1752 comments on Feb 15, 2020:

Hypothesis: IF we evolved from apes, aliens MUST have altered our DNA, which is the "missing link" everybody is looking for. This must be rigorously tested, subjected to double-blind studies, and peer-reviewed. For starters.

anglophone replies on Feb 19, 2020:

I annoy the brown stuff out of religious fundamentalists by pointing out that human beings are apes by definition.

If you ever come across someone trying to say atheists can't be good people because without religion...

bobwjr comments on Feb 18, 2020:

Religion has lost morals

anglophone replies on Feb 19, 2020:

Did religion ever have morals?

It is an established fact that believers are deluded and liars.

anglophone comments on Feb 17, 2020:

As @Novelty suggests, if you cannot say it in at most 20 words, then it is not worth saying. (The above is 19 words long.)

anglophone replies on Feb 18, 2020:

@Leontion I thank you for giving me that insight. I had not thought of it that way.

It is an established fact that believers are deluded and liars.

anglophone comments on Feb 17, 2020:

As @Novelty suggests, if you cannot say it in at most 20 words, then it is not worth saying. (The above is 19 words long.)

anglophone replies on Feb 18, 2020:

@Leontion I see the multiple angles of attack as flogging a dead horse.

It is an established fact that believers are deluded and liars.

anglophone comments on Feb 17, 2020:

As @Novelty suggests, if you cannot say it in at most 20 words, then it is not worth saying. (The above is 19 words long.)

anglophone replies on Feb 18, 2020:

@Leontion Perhaps conflating something such as On the Origin of Species with a single thought was a mistake?

It is an established fact that believers are deluded and liars.

anglophone comments on Feb 17, 2020:

As @Novelty suggests, if you cannot say it in at most 20 words, then it is not worth saying. (The above is 19 words long.)

anglophone replies on Feb 17, 2020:

@Leontion I do so **love** a misrepresentation!

It is an established fact that believers are deluded and liars.

chiara23k comments on Feb 17, 2020:

Is it really lying, if that is what you actually believe?

anglophone replies on Feb 17, 2020:

I note that @nogod4me claims "It is an established fact that believers are deluded and liars." without providing any supporting evidence. I also disagree with his claim. It is my experience that many, or perhaps even most, self-proclaimed believers are deluded. Those who are not deluded are liars by definition. Some of those who are deluded also tell lies about other matters.

A friend of mine posted this on FB today : So it seems that God has all these universes and species ...

anglophone comments on Feb 17, 2020:

LOL! If Man is made in the image of God, with what or whom does God have sex with?

anglophone replies on Feb 17, 2020:

@EdEarl Uh-huh. So what's with the absence of XX chromosomes?

know why you re an Agnostic because you re not afraid to think.

Novelty comments on Feb 17, 2020:

I’m agnostic because there’s a chance that there may be something as large and powerful compared to me as I am to a virus. Perhaps such a thing exist beyond my perceptions, although I don’t in any way believe it’s true, which is why I am an atheist. To be 100% clear, such a creature ...

anglophone replies on Feb 17, 2020:

You touch upon the "ever increasing complexity" problem: if God designed the universe, then who or what designed God, and so on *ad infinitum*.

This is a summary of an excellent BBC programme I watched on "chronic" pain and pain killers.

LeighShelton comments on Feb 17, 2020:

being a long term pain sufferer you do get used to being in pain which makes it less painful in itself.

anglophone replies on Feb 17, 2020:

Thank you for that insight.

know why you re an Agnostic because you re not afraid to think.

t1nick comments on Feb 16, 2020:

IMO, to be an Agnostic is fear of committing. Having the fear to take the next step of abandoning your previous paradigm and accepting that there is no God of any type, or any need for religion.

anglophone replies on Feb 16, 2020:

@Archeus_Lore I am happy to state that I know the God of the Bible cannot exist. The same goes for the God of the Torah. I regard all othder gods as fictional.

Can sex overcome religion? You know what I mean!

anglophone comments on Feb 12, 2020:

Umm, it's easier to f^ck a woman than it is to f^ck a religion. ;)

anglophone replies on Feb 16, 2020:

@Atheist3 Certainly not in my case!

Richard Carrier - Testing Religion Claims with Science and History - YouTube

JohnnyQB comments on Feb 14, 2020:

Yes, this is a good one by Carrier. I like his vids on jesus as well. Being approached by the street preachers/recruiters, I like to take advantage. It's my opportunity to plant a seed. Especially if they show up at my door [provided i have time] I invite them in and offer something to drink. I ...

anglophone replies on Feb 14, 2020:

@WilliamCharles Your phrase "underlying insecurity" is a key point in all this.

How many of you have lied or decieved a potential employer about your being agnostic or atheist.

Cinco comments on Feb 12, 2020:

In USA it is illegal to ask and illegal to discriminate on basis of religious affiliation. Though the Catholic Church has been guilty of firing teachers for violating church doctrine for things like divorce, pregnancy if not married, etc. Not sure if that still goes on.

anglophone replies on Feb 12, 2020:

As far as I can see, the Catholic Church still holds much of the USA in its vile clutches in much the same way that it held much of Australia until recent times. New South Wales was notorious for having its police, its politicians and its education system in the thrall of the Catholic Church up until around 1990. The corruption of the police by the Catholic Church was quite scandalous.

I wish Christians would just be honest and say they have NO idea what happens when a person dies?

FilthyMONKEYgirl comments on Feb 11, 2020:

Pascal's Wager is a fucking fallacy of arguement.

anglophone replies on Feb 12, 2020:

Pascal's Wager is just one of many logical fallacies used by the God Mob.

Incredibly, it seems to be so... There are Atheists who fear hell! [patheos.com]

mordant comments on Feb 11, 2020:

Not surprising. Some atheists are former Christians and some of those had hellthreat drilled into them for years. You can't just shut that off because you intellectually know it's BS. I came from a relatively mild evangelical group and never really bought into that as a personal concern. But I've...

anglophone replies on Feb 12, 2020:

I had the Fear of God and the Fear of Hell put into me at age 10. It terrified me at the time. It was at age 30 that I realised that my tormentor was an evil liar. He was also my headmaster. I am one of the lucky ones: with the intellectual realisation that I had been lied to my fear of hell "went to hell" (sorry for the dreadful joke) and ceased to exist. If that headmaster was still alive today, I would reduce him to a quivering wreck in two minutes.

Incredibly, it seems to be so... There are Atheists who fear hell! [patheos.com]

Davesnothere comments on Feb 11, 2020:

Of course there are Atheists who fear hell. The fact that you can see that as odd shows me you never suffered deep indoctrination. That is why https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/ was formed--(many thanks to anglophone for this repair) It is an irrational fear from indoctrination similar ...

anglophone replies on Feb 11, 2020:

That link goes to something that looks not quite right. Did you mean https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/ ?

MICE brings muon collider closer to reality [symmetrymagazine.org]

yvilletom comments on Feb 10, 2020:

@FearlessFly: One way to get past the press releases is to do a search at www.thunderbolts.info In the search box near the upper right corner (on my iPad), type higgs and the RETURN key becomes a SEARCH key. I see about six articles about the Large Hadron Collider, three of them dated 2009, 2011...

anglophone replies on Feb 10, 2020:

Is there a law about bigger machines making bigger messes, perhaps in the same way that modern computers can turn out gibberish in much greater quantities than only even 10 years ago? If not yet named, could we christen it "Yville's Law"?

There’s always gotta be that one Christian that thinks they’ve caught you in a lie about your ...

JohnnyQB comments on Feb 10, 2020:

But yes christians do try to catch us making inconsistent statements because it is all they have, they mirror. They have no evidence so they project their weakness for consistency of their beliefs onto what we might say in a discussion. You know the old ''you can't prove it doesn't exist''

anglophone replies on Feb 10, 2020:

I have yet to find any Christian who can properly be said to think. The reason is simple: if they were able to think properly, they would be atheist.

Christian Blogger on Hitting Kids: “You Must Make Sure It Hurts to be Effective” | Beth ...

RussRAB comments on Feb 9, 2020:

Christisns can be so far behind the times. "Spanking is correlated strongly and quite exclusively with multiple negative outcomes for children. The negative outcomes often appear only after the spanking has begun, and the effects of spanking remain significant and sizable even after controlling ...

anglophone replies on Feb 9, 2020:

Christians are still waiting for the return of Jesus Christ after 2,000 years. It would be wrong to accuse them of using their brains.

Christian Blogger on Hitting Kids: “You Must Make Sure It Hurts to be Effective” | Beth ...

maturin1919 comments on Feb 9, 2020:

Sure, if you deny the all the evidence to the contrary.

anglophone replies on Feb 9, 2020:

Evidence means nothing to such wilfully ignorant people.

I fail to understand how the (allegedly) Greatest Nation on Earth (i.

neutralite comments on Feb 9, 2020:

Bugs, angl. Bugs in the computer code and bugs in the walls of our houses. And in the stomachs of our bodies etc. etc.

anglophone replies on Feb 9, 2020:

Thank you for disrupting my thinking processes. :) I get it now: bugs in (what passes for) their brains.

Bill Barr’s secularism-bashing Notre Dame speech is far from over | Rick Snedeker

Rossy92 comments on Feb 9, 2020:

Promoting Christianity is not only a slap against the non-religious, but against those of other religious faiths. And if he wants to promote Christianity publicly, then I say game-on to us being more vocal in our non-belief and criticisms of Christianity whenever the opportunity presents, instead of...

anglophone replies on Feb 9, 2020:

His refusal to acknowledge the validity of other religious faiths shows the man up for what he is: a bigot.

Bill Barr’s secularism-bashing Notre Dame speech is far from over | Rick Snedeker

rogueflyer comments on Feb 8, 2020:

trump, pemce and his crew are turning America into a theocracy.

anglophone replies on Feb 9, 2020:

And Islamic State are trying to do exactly the same thing.

Bill Barr’s secularism-bashing Notre Dame speech is far from over | Rick Snedeker

rainmanjr comments on Feb 8, 2020:

It's the butt hurt. They're really bothered by their butt hurt.

anglophone replies on Feb 9, 2020:

I'll say one thing for Barr: he makes for a jolly good laugh at the God Mob!

Borrowed from Facebook: By Donald Phagan When I worked in the funeral business as a counselor to ...

anglophone comments on Feb 5, 2020:

That difference may come from different people's different abilities to accept cold hard facts and to come to terms with such facts as may be upsetting.

anglophone replies on Feb 8, 2020:

@Davesnothere Thank you for sharing that perspective.

Was sex more fun when you still believed in original sin?

thinktwice comments on Jul 6, 2019:

never once did I think about that...although someone besides god watching me is kind of a turn on...

anglophone replies on Feb 7, 2020:

Kinky!

A convoluted argument hard to grasp for agnostics, but if it were to succeed...? [sojo.net]

Eazyduzzit comments on Feb 7, 2020:

One reason I stopped going to a particular church is because I heard so many of the people in it laughing about something scientists had said about climate change, or vaccines or whatever science had to say. This was years before I called myself atheist. They had the attitude that god would take ...

anglophone replies on Feb 7, 2020:

I shake my head at the intellectual laziness of such people.

A convoluted argument hard to grasp for agnostics, but if it were to succeed...? [sojo.net]

Fernapple comments on Feb 7, 2020:

There is an obvious illogic in the end times ideology of most fundamentalists, once expressed as. "How can you claim to honour god , and yet despise his creation." If you follow the Abrahamic religious logic, that the children of Adam and Eve were given the task of caring for and tending god's ...

anglophone replies on Feb 7, 2020:

Yes, the God Squad finds rational thinking to be an anathema.

Attorney General Warns of 'Militant Secular Effort' to Drive Out Religion

linxminx comments on Feb 6, 2020:

1. **Who** is considered "militant secular effort?" 2. **What** specifically are they doing that is undermining religion? 3. **How** exactly is this undermining religion? 3. The christian right-wing conservatives are the ones with the guns. 4. Shoddy...very, very shoddy reporting.

anglophone replies on Feb 6, 2020:

1. Anybody who points out the absurdity of the claims of religion. 2. Pointing out the irrationality of religious belief. 3. By making religious believers question what they have been told about God. 4. Agreed. 5. Agreed.

If Adam and Eve only had two sons, Where did the son that lived wife come from?

LenHazell53 comments on Feb 5, 2020:

The answer I used to get from my teachers and my mother was , "when you are dead God will answer all these difficult questions." A nice way of say STFU sinner!

anglophone replies on Feb 5, 2020:

I *love* the stupid responses given by stupid people!

Attorney General Warns of 'Militant Secular Effort' to Drive Out Religion

BestWithoutGods comments on Feb 4, 2020:

I, for one, am NOT militant. I will talk to anyone who will listen to facts and evidence, but I do not do so with a gun to anyone's head. :)

anglophone replies on Feb 5, 2020:

@RhondaShotwell I had forgotten about the backfire effect. Thanks for reminding me. :)

I would like to know how many of you would vote against someone soley due to their open religious ...

whiskywoman comments on Feb 5, 2020:

I would vote for mayor pete and he is clearly Christian

anglophone replies on Feb 5, 2020:

@twshield Okay, I am about to put my head in the noose: when the time comes that the USA elects a black openly lesbian woman as its president then the country could be regarded as emancipated.

This is not about "relationships," per se, but it about relationships between women and men.

wolf041 comments on Feb 4, 2020:

If you want to see condescending discriminatory ignorance, try being a male going after a dietetics degree ( that's a home ec degree for the uninitiated...i.e. the last bastion of total female dominance in the western world). I had to put up with an endless string of 19 year olds ( most of ...

anglophone replies on Feb 5, 2020:

@Gwendolyn2018 LOL! I have a client in her 80s who runs her own computer training organisation, and she teaches in it!

This is not about "relationships," per se, but it about relationships between women and men.

CarolinaGirl60 comments on Feb 4, 2020:

Fairly recently, I had a guy on Facebook who mansplained how my vagina works. Other people came to my defense; the idiot kept doubling down. It was so absurd, I just started laughing. I only wish I could have laughed at him in person.

anglophone replies on Feb 4, 2020:

@Gwendolyn2018 I cannot understand the mentality of such men. If a woman is confident enough in her relationship with me to tell me about her menopause, be it future current or past, I will happily *listen*.

This is not about "relationships," per se, but it about relationships between women and men.

KKGator comments on Feb 4, 2020:

Wow. You are WAY nicer about that kind of stuff than I am. On more than one occasion, when confronted with a mansplainer, I've shut them down with a very pointed "I know what I'm doing, thank you." If they persist, I get a little more "direct". That's when I usually hear the word "bitch" or ...

anglophone replies on Feb 4, 2020:

Yay You! :) :) :)

Attorney General Warns of 'Militant Secular Effort' to Drive Out Religion

BestWithoutGods comments on Feb 4, 2020:

I, for one, am NOT militant. I will talk to anyone who will listen to facts and evidence, but I do not do so with a gun to anyone's head. :)

anglophone replies on Feb 4, 2020:

The issue appears to be that their minds are already made up, and giving them facts and reasons merely confuses them.

I would like to propose that we view religions in a manner that would make them a lesser source of ...

anglophone comments on Feb 4, 2020:

Please be aware that religions are systems of thought. As such, they cannot supply services. Religious *people* may supply services, but that is an entirely separate issue.

anglophone replies on Feb 4, 2020:

@evhemere I can go with that. :)

Attorney General Warns of 'Militant Secular Effort' to Drive Out Religion

snytiger6 comments on Feb 4, 2020:

I'm not militant about driving out religion... but am militant about the teaching of critical thinking skills. Let people make up their own minds instead of blindly accepting what they have bene told.

anglophone replies on Feb 4, 2020:

The problem with the Attorney General is that critical thinking skills are anathema to him, just like all the other cognitive skills.

Attorney General Warns of 'Militant Secular Effort' to Drive Out Religion

PBuck0145 comments on Feb 4, 2020:

Many Christians accept proselytizing to be a sacred duty. Consequently, our refusal to succumb is interpreted by the AG as "trying to impose our values on religious people".

anglophone replies on Feb 4, 2020:

The Attorney General cannot properly be accused of using his brain.

Thought I’d share this video to discuss.

neutralite comments on Feb 4, 2020:

Never give me the last word - God

anglophone replies on Feb 4, 2020:

Amen to that! ;)

I have recently developed a strong feeling of self-loathing/self-hatred.

Davekp comments on Feb 2, 2020:

I can certainly relate. In my case identifying the cause of the feelings was, I think, the key to minimizing the damage. My source of self depreciation usually stems from procrastination. I can get bogged down in my own inactivity and then become overly stressed and anxious about the time passing...

anglophone replies on Feb 2, 2020:

What a beautiful description of your issue and how you are overcoming it. Thank you. (L)

Christian groups are outraged by the Super Bowl drag queen ad / LGBTQ Nation

freedom41 comments on Feb 1, 2020:

They need get over themselves.

anglophone replies on Feb 2, 2020:

There is no chance of that!

Christian groups are outraged by the Super Bowl drag queen ad / LGBTQ Nation

RavenCT comments on Feb 1, 2020:

Also 'Some Men do Menstruate' .... Man they need to go read a text book.

anglophone replies on Feb 2, 2020:

Hmm. They may be able to read, but can they comprehend what they read?

I have recently developed a strong feeling of self-loathing/self-hatred.

AnneWimsey comments on Feb 2, 2020:

Have you started any meds within, say the last year? ALWAYS suspect physical causes before jumping into psychological ones!

anglophone replies on Feb 2, 2020:

@AnneWimsey Thanks for the suggestion. Curiously enough, it was my physician that gave me a referral to my current psychologist. My breathing appears not to be at risk.

I have recently developed a strong feeling of self-loathing/self-hatred.

BitFlipper comments on Feb 2, 2020:

It may not be the same thing, but I have periods of extreme hopelessness, extreme lack of self worth, emotional paralysis, and depression. I wouldn't call it "self loathing" because I'm always doing that. It's like loathing at a

anglophone replies on Feb 2, 2020:

Thank you for sharing that. From what you say, I *think* that our experiences and our personal issues are slightly different between us.

I have recently developed a strong feeling of self-loathing/self-hatred.

bleurowz comments on Feb 2, 2020:

I know the hardest thing to do when I get like that -- and maybe the most important thing -- is to take care of myself. My impulse is to want to deny myself self-care because I feel like I don't deserve it. I have to remind myself that sometimes I need to be my own parent, and to give myself respect...

anglophone replies on Feb 2, 2020:

Thank you for sharing that. I accepted the need for self-care a few years ago, and I still have that acceptance. In terms of the parent-adult-child model, I made peace with my (inner) parent about three years ago. It is perhaps telling that I used the word "compassion" with my psychotherapist last week, and I still have compassion for both other people and myself. However, there is something particularly nasty that has started growing in my psyche, and I find it utterly repellent.

I have recently developed a strong feeling of self-loathing/self-hatred.

AnneWimsey comments on Feb 2, 2020:

Have you started any meds within, say the last year? ALWAYS suspect physical causes before jumping into psychological ones!

anglophone replies on Feb 2, 2020:

I have looked at that, having recently come across an article on exactly that issue. My medications were unchanged for 15 months before the event (in September 2019) that eventually triggered my self-loathing last week, and has remained unchanged since that September event.

Could I be considered an atheist or a deist?

Cyklone comments on Feb 1, 2020:

The trouble with the concept of a god is that it just pushes the evolution theory further back. Did this higher force just spring into a fully cognizant being out if nowhere or did it have to evolve into being.. And if you accept accept that it is unlikely to have just suddenly come into existence ...

anglophone replies on Feb 1, 2020:

@DenoPenno Not only that, it also makes an unwarranted assumption about the nature of time. They are taking the Newtonian view of space and time rather than the Einsteinian view of space-time.

I have recently developed a strong feeling of self-loathing/self-hatred.

altschmerz comments on Feb 1, 2020:

I have feelings like that sometimes. My therapist says I have to forgive myself, and think more about my good qualities than my flaws.

anglophone replies on Feb 1, 2020:

@altschmerz Thank you for that link. It looks extremely promising.

Could I be considered an atheist or a deist?

Cyklone comments on Feb 1, 2020:

The trouble with the concept of a god is that it just pushes the evolution theory further back. Did this higher force just spring into a fully cognizant being out if nowhere or did it have to evolve into being.. And if you accept accept that it is unlikely to have just suddenly come into existence ...

anglophone replies on Feb 1, 2020:

I would question the assumption that the universe was created.

Humans Are Hardwired to Dismiss Facts That Don’t Fit Their Worldview

anglophone comments on Feb 1, 2020:

I see this as a manifestation of the lack of cognitive flexibility among conservative people.

anglophone replies on Feb 1, 2020:

@Vpatel "But the difficult part for many is to actually realise, in the first place, that their thinking may be faulty." YES! :) :) :)

Humans Are Hardwired to Dismiss Facts That Don’t Fit Their Worldview

anglophone comments on Feb 1, 2020:

I see this as a manifestation of the lack of cognitive flexibility among conservative people.

anglophone replies on Feb 1, 2020:

@Vpatel I think the word "hard-wired" is a trifle too strong in this context. The recovery of stroke victims from their strokes shows that the brain demonstrates plasticity.

Christian TV Host: Coronavirus Sent To Punish Those Who Mock God | Michael Stone

Sticks48 comments on Jan 30, 2020:

Christians were sent here to show the rest of us how smart we are.

anglophone replies on Feb 1, 2020:

GENESIS 1. In the Beginning, God created the Atheists. 2. The Atheists pointed that God did not exist, because He had not got as far as to create Himself. 3. This annoyed the crap out of God, so He created the Theists to in turn annoy the crap out of the Atheists. 4. And the rest, as they say, is history. A-MEN!

Are we afraid of religion?

RichCC comments on Jan 30, 2020:

I'm only afraid of religion from the standpoint of the things** *people* ** do in its name. In other words, God doesn't scare me at all --* **people** *very much do.

anglophone replies on Jan 30, 2020:

I can go with that.

Coronavirus is a punishment from God: Conservative Christian TV Host Rick Wiles claims that the ...

Omnedon comments on Jan 29, 2020:

Having looked at the video, he criticizes the Chinese government as being godless and communist. He specifically said, "I'm not talking about the Chinese people. I'm talking about the government." Why would god attack the people if the government is the problem? Of course, biblically, this is in ...

anglophone replies on Jan 30, 2020:

The likes of Rick Wiles are not given to using their brains.