There are many things that we can debate and argue over with religion.

anglophone comments on Jan 28, 2020:

The most damaging effect is not obvious: it is the sometimes catastrophic impairment of the pre-frontal cortex part of the brain as somebody is growing up. As a result, the ability to engage in cognitive flexibility is lost, which means that they accept as true any bullshit that their parents tell them. In short, their parents and preachers tell them **what** to think rather than **how** to think. (edited for a missing word)

What are some things that you constantly catch yourself saying to theist arguing for their god?

anglophone comments on Jan 28, 2020:

"It is trivial to show that the God of the Bible cannot exist." "Where is your falsifiable evidence to support your existence claim of your God?" Theists tend to go very silent after either of the above.

This from my friend in Japan, just in case it is not clear how serious this new virus is! The ...

anglophone comments on Jan 27, 2020:

"This video is unavailable" :(

Any particular reason why people say "you scared the hell out of me?

anglophone comments on Jan 27, 2020:

Welcome to one of the peculiarities of the English language. :) Here are some more for your amusement: - Of people and dirty dishes "they do the washing *up*", but dirty trucks "get a washing *down*". - People and timber both "get dressed". - "Pop goes the weasel". - You draw up a contract, but you draw down a loan. - It's okay to forge a friendship, but it's not okay to forge a banknote.

Why Religion Is Not Going Away and Science Will Not Destroy It

anglophone comments on Jan 26, 2020:

The idea that science would oust religion is predicated on the assumption that a significant majority of people are able to think, which assumption is manifestly false.

"It just makes sense that god exist"`is an argument that annoys me to no end.

anglophone comments on Jan 25, 2020:

Theist: "It just makes sense that god exists." Me: "And your line of reasoning is?" (Waits for theist's head to explode.)

How educated are people when it comes to deciding their theistic beliefs?

anglophone comments on Jan 25, 2020:

There is a difference between being educated and being able to think. The word "belief" is ambiguous. The God Mob exploit this ambiguity to their own ends. My own usage of the word belief is "acceptance of a claim that is made without any supporting evidence". As such, I have no beliefs. (Hint: my world view is entirely evidence-based.) My world view can and does change in the light of new information. To answer your first question, there are some people who have a very clear understanding of the differences between theism, agnosticism and atheism, and there are other people who have an extremely poor understanding of those differences. The latter group of people are typified by having little or no ability to think analytically.

Watch This Christian Lady Swear Up a Storm While Preaching at Walmart Customers | Hemant Mehta | ...

anglophone comments on Jan 24, 2020:

As well as having an extremely limited intellect, she also has an extremely limited vocabulary.

Why energy drinks are worse for you than coffee of soda pop

anglophone comments on Jan 24, 2020:

I have never been a fan of energy drinks. But I do have one weakness: "I get my one coffee (strong, black, no sugar) at breakfast, and nobody gets hurt.". ;)

Why is it so easy to so many to accept The resurrection of Jesus with so little evidence to support ...

anglophone comments on Jan 24, 2020:

I regard the Bible as nothing more than a highly selective assemblage of fairy tales. The need to believe in the Resurrection usually comes being in denial about one's own mortality.

I don't know a lot about religious beliefs but the fairy tales connected with it are interesting.

anglophone comments on Jan 24, 2020:

One of the things that seems to me to be common among all fundamentalist believers of the Abrahamic religions is the lack of cognitive flexibility. The latter has been shown to be strongly associated with, and possibly caused by, damage to the pre-frontal cortex of the human brain. Putting it another way, such people lack the intellectual capacity to challenge their own thoughts.

Do you think it's possible to deliberately believe something because it makes you feel better about ...

anglophone comments on Jan 24, 2020:

I have seen an atheist become a believer because it brought him comfort even as he also knew that he was being irrational. I have no beliefs, only an evidence-based world view. (I also have personal values, but that is beside the point.)

As a Christian, I was reassured by the thought of an after life.

anglophone comments on Jan 24, 2020:

Your phobia (and I use your word both deliberately and respectfully) is real for you, regardless of whether or not it is "logical". I am content to know that I will one day be forever unconscious. It is those that I will leave behind that concern me.

I asked this question earlier but I never saw it appear, so here goes again: Are there any atheists...

anglophone comments on Jan 24, 2020:

When it comes to the God of the Bible, I am delighted that said genocidal maniac with catastrophic anger management issues does not exist.

Do you think the universe is finite or infinite? Why?

anglophone comments on Jan 24, 2020:

The observable universe has finite mass. Nobody seems yet sure about the curvature of space time, so the question of finite distance is probably not yet known. The question of finite time appears to be open.

The repeal of these regulations will mainly benefit property developers.

anglophone comments on Jan 23, 2020:

Donald Trump does not care about the environment. All he is interested in is inflating his already hugely overblown ego.

My wife was diagnosed with liver cancer a month ago.

anglophone comments on Jan 22, 2020:

I would suggest that your wife is now sufficiently stressed that she has lost the use of the rational part of her mind. Putting it another way, she is not the woman that she once was. I do not envy you. Do you have a prognosis?

White House Streams Church Service Claiming ‘Demonic Spirit’ Causes Homosexuality | Michael ...

anglophone comments on Jan 22, 2020:

Mike Pence is blind to his own prejudice and idiocy.

Pope Francis assures atheists: You don’t have to believe in God to go to heaven | The Independent

anglophone comments on Jan 22, 2020:

YTF should I give any credence to any such imbecilic claim?

Are you surprised when in a hospital they are taken aback when you declare atheist when asked your ...

anglophone comments on Jan 22, 2020:

No. There are so many religious dimwits around here that I am no longer surprised. And .. God help any "man of the cloth" who tries to sell me his or her god while I am under the influence of anaesthetic! ;)

What is the most annoying/hardest to answer argument for a diety?

anglophone comments on Jan 22, 2020:

I regard **all** arguments for the existence of a deity to be equally absurd. I find none of those arguments to be annoying. I instead find all of them to be amusing: for me they all highlight the arrogance and mental insufficiency of those who make such claims.

Trump rolls out policies that would push federal funds to religious groups and advance prayer in ...

anglophone comments on Jan 22, 2020:

Should prayers be said for Satan? Should prayers be said for those who Created the Dreamtime and the Dreaming? Should prayers be said for the Flying Spaghetti Monster (PBUH)? Should prayers be said for the removal of the Chief Dimwit of the White House?

Kentucky Christian School Expels Student For Eating Rainbow Birthday Cake | Michael Stone

anglophone comments on Jan 22, 2020:

Welcome to the absurdities and extremism of the God Mob. Their non-existent brains were given to them by their non-existent god.

The Proof: That God Exists There is a hierarchy in Animalia, not only as quantified by the DNA ...

anglophone comments on Jan 22, 2020:

What a magnificently absurd post! And I thank you for your effort in writing it: it brought a real smile to my lips. :)

Mississippi Bill Would Force Teachers to Say the Ten Commandments Every Day | Hemant Mehta | ...

anglophone comments on Jan 22, 2020:

Should the mentally incompetent legislators of Mississippi be forced daily to pay homage Zeus, Thor, and the Flying Spaghetti Monster (PBUH)?

I am so glad I found this community! Thank you all for your helpful and insightful replies to my ...

anglophone comments on Jan 12, 2020:

Such people are driven by "fear of the other": their personal insecurities are compounded by their lack of cognitive flexibility.

Tell us... WHY did you join this ragtag bunch of disassociated vagabonds?

anglophone comments on Jan 12, 2020:

I thought I could lower the tone by joining.

It’s illegal to own them.

anglophone comments on Jan 12, 2020:

The idea of owning a Christian does not really appeal to me. You have to feed them, clothe them, water them, and cope with enormous quantities of cowdung issuing from their mouths.

As a former journalist, a few (hopefully) helpful hints to fellow posters: 1.

anglophone comments on Jan 12, 2020:

My posts range from just a few words to long and highly structured pieces. I find that a good structure in other people's posts to be very helpful in reading. My posts on technical subjects necessarily include technical words. I aim for style to suit both the medium and the audience; it is rare for me to write in my journalist style on this site.

Less fear of hell?

anglophone comments on Jan 12, 2020:

Once I realised that all claims about the existence of God were absurd, my fear of Hell immediately ceased to exist. I regard Hell as a means by which vile wretches control the gullible.

my father was portuguese and my mother was not.

anglophone comments on Jan 12, 2020:

I commend @KKGator's comment to you. Additionally, it is rational to make decisions based on all the information known at the time. Your choices were rational.

Although I cannot/do not feel it would be feasible due to my job to come "out" as atheist, I would ...

anglophone comments on Jan 12, 2020:

Reading Karl Popper's "The Logic of Scientific Discovery", and crucially his concept of falsifiability therein, caused me to realise that all the claims of the God/Jehovah/Allah squad were baseless and absurd.

Christian “Prophetess”: Heaven Has a “Portal” So Your Dead Relatives Can See You | Hemant ...

anglophone comments on Jan 12, 2020:

Part of me feels sorry for the gullible idiots that believe this sort of crap.

Many years ago when my religious doubts were still in flux, I spent some time in Christian chat ...

anglophone comments on Jan 11, 2020:

The notion that having a worldview based on falsifiable evidence seems foreign to such people.

Does anyone else have a homophobic family member?

anglophone comments on Jan 11, 2020:

Anybody who opposes the LGBTQ community is merely flaunting their own deficiencies of personality. More specifically, they feel threatened by the behaviour of other people with whom they have no involvement.

Do atheists overreach?

anglophone comments on Jan 10, 2020:

Sorry, but anybody who answers "no" to the question "Can you be good without God?" is suffering a catastrophic failure of cognition. This immediately voids the rest of his book. I stopped reading your post when I reached that point in it. My reaction is much the same as that of @Indirect76: TLDR.

Anyone who claims to know what god wants you to do is clearly lying.

anglophone comments on Jan 10, 2020:

... for blessed are the deluded.

Martin Luther's formula for ignorance .

anglophone comments on Jan 9, 2020:

What splendidly self-contradictory words!

As a long term resident of the Philadelphia area and a casual sports fan I have to withstand the ...

anglophone comments on Jan 9, 2020:

Too much damage to their brains, perhaps?

What is the one Truth or Method of finding the truth that you hold sacred above all others?

anglophone comments on Jan 9, 2020:

Part of my own truth is that there is no such thing as "the truth". Another part of my own truth is that the word "sacred" refers to religion. Yet another part of my own truth recognises that I have values. And yet another part of my own truth is that I have used a methodology (specifically, the Scientific Method) to arrive at my atheism. Yes, I can be a fiercely argumentative so-and-so sometimes.

Do you think we'll ever reach a point when atheists are the majority and when?

anglophone comments on Jan 9, 2020:

No. I cite animism, voodoo, and violent versions of Islam, all of these coupled with the manifest scarcity of common sense in the human species. If anybody says that I am being unduly pessimistic, part of me would agree with them.

My grandma told me that a Christian evangelist told her yoga isn't good.

anglophone comments on Jan 9, 2020:

Was that piece written by G. Ullible and D. Eluded, by any chance?

When, if ever, will the stigma toward " mental illness" (ugh..chemical brain disorder) end?

anglophone comments on Jan 9, 2020:

I have no time for anybody stigmatises, or attempts to stigmatise, mental health issues. One of my brothers is a high-functioning autistic. Edit: P.S. I am currently experiencing mental ill health, and if anybody tries to tell me I am less of a person because of it they will **really** regret their words.

Spanish driver rams his SUV into church in attempt to ‘ESCAPE THE DEVIL’ — RT World News

anglophone comments on Jan 9, 2020:

Will the Church accept blame for terrorising that poor man with claims that the Devil exists? Of course not!

I don't have much knowledge in Astronomy or Physics and would like to ask these questions to ones ...

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

Your first question involves a circular argument. The answer to your second question depends on debate currently happening among cosmologists, as time might only have become observable at the Big Bang, and the fate of the universe is as yet unknown.

A close friend of mine goes back and forth between extreme antithiesm and Pascal's Wager.

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

He might be able to help himself if he first learned to think.

My atheist family was appalled when I converted to Catholicism – but it’s given me great peace |...

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

His "I had always had a sense of God" shows his disconnect from science. It's his life, and his choice.

Are you truely agnostic or an athiest in hiding?

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

What do agnosticism or atheism have to do with not having fully explored our own planet? Why do some people imagine that great knowledge is required to know that the God of the Bible cannot exist?

The more time I spend on this site, the more I realize that atheists know WAYYYYY more about ...

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

I accepted the existence claim of the Christian God until I was 30. That makes me an ex-Christian. I am now a thorough going atheist. I now know the Bible for what it is: a pack of lies written by psychopaths intent on controlling the masses. (Joseph Stalin, anybody?)

Jim Bakker To Christians: You Must Love Trump To Prove You're 'Saved' | HuffPost

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

"And God placed Believers upon the Earth for the amusement of Atheists." (Okay okay okay, I admit to having a very warped sense of humour.)

Pastor Arrested For Hiring People To Fake Miracle Healing (Photo)

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

It's called "Lying in the Name of the Lord" (snigger).

The question of the so-called "fine-tuning" of the universe and its basic constants is one of the ...

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

Sorry, but I have this really annoying habit of challenging assumptions that underlie all such questions. Please demonstrate that the universe was "fine-tuned".

It seems there are people in this world that believe that there is historical truth and accuracy in ...

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

Religious fundamentalists do not allow their minds to be troubled by facts that contradict their views.

Came across this and found it interesting.

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

Sigh. Yet another cognitive failure getting unwarranted "air time".

What do you think about Myers-Briggs personality types? Do you find it scientific?

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

It measures what it measures (a bit like the IQ test). The same person can give different responses at different times depending on a number of factors, resulting in different measurements over time. There are other and more useful measures, such as the Big Five as mentioned by @Matias

Some of you are adamant that Republicans efforts to secularize government at the federal ad state ...

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

That means that I can write anything I like provided that it is written in the Pastafarium! ALL HAIL THE FLYING SPAGHETTI MONSTER (PBUH, Parmesan Be Upon Him)!

[youtube.com]

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

Answer: superluminal expansion not long after the Big Bang.

What's your biggest objection to this argument for the existence of God

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

It makes unjustified assumptions about the nature of time. It also makes unjustified assumptions about the nature of causality. Whoever dreamed this one up must have been severely cognitively challenged at the time.

The first semester of my program, I went over my compass test results.

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

I love mathematics for two reasons. ( 1 ) The patterns are beautiful. ( 2 ) I find it incredibly useful when solving real-life problems.

so I was on a site for the city I grew up in and someone posted something angry about trump and God ...

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

I amuse myself by hurling reason and logic at such people.

[alternet.

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

That does not surprise me. I see cognitive flexibility to be remarkably absent among religious fundamentalists.

Scientists build particle accelerator on chip

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

Wow! :) :)

Greetings I'm new to the site, look forward to some fun, educational discussions.

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

Greetings from the Land of the Convict.

I’ve listened patiently for a few months trying to understand the dichotomy between Agnostics & ...

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

I am a highly introverted atheist. "Your move" as they say.

I am often told that god is unknowable.

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

Welcome to the doublethink of those who refuse to use their (God given) brains!

Just trying to get a head count here. Who's an atheist and who isn't, and why?

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

I was once a theist. I was a theist because I was lied to as a child by theist adults (all of whom should have known better). At age 30 I saw through lies of my chief tormentor, and I have become more condemnatory of god mobsters ever since.

Is 'god' an impersonal force of nature, a 'universal consciousness' similar in quality to other ...

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

All claims of all gods are absurd.

A GOP legislator in Washington called for a 51st state led by a military Christian government

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

Is he a plant by Islamic State?

Harvard Law Professor: Atheists “Can’t Be Trusted” to Hold Public Office | Hemant Mehta | ...

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

Anybody who claims that atheists "can't be trusted [simply because they are atheists]" shows that they cannot themselves be trusted because of their own cognitive deficiencies.

Does god exist?

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

Of which god do you speak?

A question you see pop up on here is, when did you become an atheist,which to me sounds like when ...

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

I became an atheist when I realised that all arguments for the existence of any and all gods were irrational. This happened when I was 30 years old.

Agnostic?

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

Technically, I am atheist about both the Jewish God and the Christian God. Again technically, I am agnostic about all other gods. But both the above refer to dictionary definitions. I see the two terms as being quite distinct. In realistic terms, I am a functional atheist, as nobody has ever demonstrated the existence of any god in the last 5,000 years.

Should the USA try to keep Muslims out of their country?

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

"Should the USA try to keep all religious nutcases our of their country? And while we are about it, should the USA expatriate all its own religious nutcases?"

Why Do So Many Hate Religion? What's ToHate?

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

I do not have an issue with religion. I have issues with people who try to ram their own particular sky fairy down the throats of other people, and who are also prepared to commit murder as part of that process.

One thing that puzzles me about believers in any religion is the conviction that it’s their God ...

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

It is called a "disastrous failure of reasoning". In terms of logic, it is the logical fallacy of special pleading.

Most common/ridicuous argumento pro religion?

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

- The Kalam cosmological argument - Pascal's wager - You cannot be good without God - You cannot prove that God [of the Bible] does not exist - All other gods are false gods

My wonderful and sweet dad drove me to work because my car battery died.

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

I find the comments made by other people to be well said. I would one other thought: it is not given to everybody to be able to think critically, analytically, cogently and dispassionately. It is this last quality that your dad might be missing.

A path to whittling away religious power.

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

The concept of Hell was routinely taught by the religious fundamentalist headmaster of a certain primary school in New South Wales when I was a child. It took me 20 years to rid my mind of his poison. That experience has made me the rabid attacker of god mobsters that I am today (at age 66).

The hospital clerk asked my religion before a medical procedure.

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

Anybody who includes "atheist" as a religion is displaying a serious failure of cognition.

Would u marry a theist?

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

No, I would not marry a theist because I place far too much value on intellectual honesty.

I recently returned from Christmas with friends in NSW.

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

I am content to let such nincompoops amuse themselves in any way that they see fit.

When someone says "There is no god" they're idiots! At that point it's up to then to prove that ...

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

Better yet: "If you make the existence claim of any god or gods, please provide your falsifiable evidence in support of your claim.". (As an aside, there is no such thing as proof in science, only "the weight of [falsifiable] evidence". Proof exists in mathematics, liquor and numismatics.)

I have come to find agnostic/atheists decrying "know it all" atheists to be nearly as wrong and ...

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

I am quite dogmatic with my claim "Nobody has ever produced any falsifiable evidence to support the existence of any god in the last 5,000 years.". For what it is worth, that claim is trivially falsifiable by design. It is also worthwhile pointing out that neither the God of the Torah nor the God of the Bible can exist.

Does anybody believe in miracles?

anglophone comments on Jan 8, 2020:

There are unexplained observations. The existence of such observations does **not** mean GodDidIt. (Edited for a missing word: "such")