Just wonder.. is it really story tha JW do pedophile?

brentan comments on Jul 28, 2018:

It's all of them.

brentan replies on Jul 28, 2018:

When they are caught, they focus on human weakness and the Christian obligation for forgiveness.

The only thing that i miss about a relationship is having someone to lay in bed with.

Marcie1974 comments on Jul 27, 2018:

My ex "can't sleep if someone is touching me." I'm a cuddler but trained myself not to touch him at night and to stay on my side of the bed. I'm hoping my next partner likes to cuddle, at the very least until we fall asleep. The only things I miss about being married is having someone else clean ...

brentan replies on Jul 27, 2018:

How could a man live under that reign of terror?

Did you have a religion before being an atheist or agnostic?

snytiger6 comments on Jul 27, 2018:

I was born into a Mormon family. Always doubted in the back of my mind, but did go through periods of trying to believe until I was 16. It still took me until I was 23, due to all the brain wshing I had growing up to come to terms with beign gay, but once I accepted it I came out as both beign ...

brentan replies on Jul 27, 2018:

I guess it must be practically impossible to be Christian (or Muslim too) and rationalise scripture and homosexuality.

What should you do if you meet the Buddha walking up the road?

Tomfoolery33 comments on Jul 25, 2018:

Kill him.

brentan replies on Jul 25, 2018:

@Fornax I think it's because he is an impostor. I'm not sure why. Maybe Buddha is supposed to have reached his destination.

Hello everyone! I'm new to this site

JeffMesser comments on Jul 25, 2018:

enchantez! So ...come up to the lab and see what's on the slab I see you shiver in antici ...

brentan replies on Jul 25, 2018:

@kauva LOL...confirmation!

Hello everyone! I'm new to this site

JeffMesser comments on Jul 25, 2018:

enchantez! So ...come up to the lab and see what's on the slab I see you shiver in antici ...

brentan replies on Jul 25, 2018:

I was thinking "is it Dexter, or maybe it's from The Masochism Tango" but it's The Rocky Horror Show, isn't it?

Bertrand Russell - on faith and evidence. Very good quote by Russell.

brentan comments on Jul 25, 2018:

Many of us must remember the time we had faith. The definition is in Hebrews11:1: Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Some versions use the word 'evidence' instead of 'assurance'. Another word used is 'conviction'. I think they are talking about...

brentan replies on Jul 25, 2018:

@DeeTee Good point - they might have been looking at the destruction of Jreusalem in 70 AD and thinking this is it, the man was right.

Bertrand Russell - on faith and evidence. Very good quote by Russell.

brentan comments on Jul 25, 2018:

Many of us must remember the time we had faith. The definition is in Hebrews11:1: Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Some versions use the word 'evidence' instead of 'assurance'. Another word used is 'conviction'. I think they are talking about...

brentan replies on Jul 25, 2018:

@DeeTee My guess is that Jesus really believed the end of the world was coming within a generation of his death: Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened - Matthew 24:34.

Anyone actually look forward to jehovah's witnesses knocking on their doors?

HeathenFarmer comments on Jul 24, 2018:

I do if I am not busy, they can be great fun. Trouble is they don't seem to come around anymore.

brentan replies on Jul 24, 2018:

That is my impression too. I used to be a rank and file JW and we were out every weekend while the 'professionals' were out every day.

I have noticed some incredibly sloppy and prejudiced thought on this site lately.

MacTavish comments on Jul 24, 2018:

Wow, global labeling will get you nowhere and you call others prejudicial? Apply this yourself, *" If you are going to make public pronouncements of superiority at least put some thought into the arguments.".*

brentan replies on Jul 24, 2018:

@HotAlutiiq Now that was lazy lol.

What about

brentan comments on Jul 24, 2018:

There's a lot of that about. I usually hear it from Muslims on Facebook.

brentan replies on Jul 24, 2018:

@maturin1919 Like, I said - there is no need!

What about

brentan comments on Jul 24, 2018:

There's a lot of that about. I usually hear it from Muslims on Facebook.

brentan replies on Jul 24, 2018:

@maturin1919 Frankly, I doubt that - there's no need!

Gamers– where you at?

brentan comments on Jul 23, 2018:

Just finished Detroit: Become Human. Waiting for Red Dead 2.

brentan replies on Jul 23, 2018:

@BlackSG24 Yes, and Beyond:Two Souls was like that too. All made by the same company. I haven't played Heavy Rain but I will. They are a bit slow, you bet. I need to play a shooter after all that heavy decision-making - when in doubt, take 'em out!

So I'm gonna put this out there right out the gate.

Ella comments on Jul 23, 2018:

I want to find the posts about being Hippocrates. ?

brentan replies on Jul 23, 2018:

Are they very big crates?

Is there a purpose in living?

brentan comments on Jul 22, 2018:

Don't go crazy, now! "Moderation in everything", as my dear old Daddy used to say.

brentan replies on Jul 22, 2018:

Dad would be so disappointed!

Five Foundations of Morality in America (Jonathan Haidt) When you decide whether something is ...

KKGator comments on Jul 21, 2018:

I take issue with the notion that conservatives are somehow more "moral" than liberals, or anyone else for that matter. My experiences and observations have been the complete opposite. I also tend to reject these types of 'pronouncements' as frequently false and usually in service to an agenda....

brentan replies on Jul 22, 2018:

@KKGator This raises the question about Antifa and can it really be classed as liberal? Could we say it is a liberal organisation established on conservation values?

Assisted Suicide If you became terminally ill, would you consider ending your life at some point ?

Simon1 comments on Jul 22, 2018:

Recreational drugs , ciggarettes and alcohol is how i plan to go

brentan replies on Jul 22, 2018:

I would like to go like the dude in Soylent Green - pastoral scenes and beautiful music. I wouldn't refuse a few drinks to make me mellow.

I have recently had the misfortune of having to deal with a colleague is one of the most ...

bleurowz comments on Jul 22, 2018:

I've encountered enough. I believe people like that are often very unhappy and filled with self-hate.

brentan replies on Jul 22, 2018:

I guess so, and they are more than happy to pass it on.

I am an Arabic language teacher at a major university in Detroit, the idea that the Arabic language ...

SimonCyrene comments on Jul 13, 2018:

I would very much like to learn it. Can you point me in the direction of some very easy learning introductory material? I'm a pretty old guy who requires the arabic for dummies approach ?

brentan replies on Jul 22, 2018:

@Alex6285 The script is amazing. I started watching the Arabic From The Beginning on YouTube. I think it will need a lot of practice. It was exciting to read the first line in Surah 1 and almost understand the letters used to make the sounds. It's tricky when the letters are slightly different when joined together.

I welcome you to tell us your experience with being thrown out of a place in the world.

brentan comments on Jul 21, 2018:

Wot you talkin' bout, Willis?

brentan replies on Jul 21, 2018:

@Countrywoman That's a kind thought.

Do you give money to beggars?

brentan comments on Jul 21, 2018:

Never. We have a social welfare system. Those who can't access social welfare are illegal.

brentan replies on Jul 21, 2018:

@Crimson67 Maybe you're talking about the system in America and I'm talking about the one in Ireland.

Jul 21 2018 [pbs.twimg.com]

brentan comments on Jul 21, 2018:

I find the apostle Paul's academic approach to interpreting scripture fascinating to read. The idea that there are two laws governing mankind, the old and the new 'covenants'. If you follow the old covenant, you do well but miss the prize of salvation through faith. If you commit to the new ...

brentan replies on Jul 21, 2018:

@zing That’s a tricky one. I think it all hinges on the expression at the end – ‘until all things etc’. You chose ‘take place’. The GNB Bible says ‘until the end of all things’ and Darby says ‘til all come to pass’. All the other versions (in e-Sword) speak of accomplishment or fulfilment, and some interpret that not as accomplishment of historical time but accomplishment of the law itself. This leads to the understanding that Jesus was the fulfilment of the law and that the law accomplished all its objectives in the sacrifice of Jesus. This is the academic, for want of a better word, way the apostle Paul deals with it.

Turn Back Time?

ipdg77 comments on Jul 21, 2018:

This only works if I can take back (knowledge) of what happened on this time line, but I would go back to Aug 2012 and do something differently, the decision I made (although not entirely of my choosing) had ramifications I couldn't foresee. If I couldn't take back the knowledge I don't think ...

brentan replies on Jul 21, 2018:

I think that point is key to the topic.

New Law Declares Israel a Jewish Nation-State with Hebrew as Sole National Language | Democracy Now!

Tecolote comments on Jul 20, 2018:

What's next? Making Palestinians wear yellow crescents? Confiscating Palestinians homes and property? Gas chambers?

brentan replies on Jul 20, 2018:

Gott in himmel. Was sagst du?

Earl Robinson and a song that for a short time was feted but then supressed - "Free and Equal ...

ProudMary comments on Jul 20, 2018:

You might also enjoy this one by Mark Knopfler. I’ve heard a couple of different stories about why he wrote the song. One story is that he wrote it after reading the liner notes on a gospel album. The other is that he wrote it following a conversation with a black man about how difficult it was...

brentan replies on Jul 20, 2018:

I didn't know the album existed. I know the song as one of three bonus songs on a James Taylor album - October Road, I think. I'll check it out on Spotify.

Should there be more women in politics ?

LiterateHiker comments on Jul 19, 2018:

If we truly want to change the world, we need more female leaders. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/01/bridging-the-gender-gap-in-political-leadership/ Your cartoon is offensive. Being a feminist means we want equal rights and equal pay. It does not mean we are man-haters.

brentan replies on Jul 19, 2018:

@SukiSue Haha. It happens!

Should there be more women in politics ?

LiterateHiker comments on Jul 19, 2018:

If we truly want to change the world, we need more female leaders. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/01/bridging-the-gender-gap-in-political-leadership/ Your cartoon is offensive. Being a feminist means we want equal rights and equal pay. It does not mean we are man-haters.

brentan replies on Jul 19, 2018:

@Cast1es Actually, sweetheart, I was laughing at it!

Should there be more women in politics ?

LiterateHiker comments on Jul 19, 2018:

If we truly want to change the world, we need more female leaders. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/01/bridging-the-gender-gap-in-political-leadership/ Your cartoon is offensive. Being a feminist means we want equal rights and equal pay. It does not mean we are man-haters.

brentan replies on Jul 19, 2018:

@SukiSue I’m not sure I understand your post. I think you’re talking along the lines of ‘what’s good for the goose is good for the gander’. Or ‘if you can ask to look at my legs, I can ask to look at yours’. This is where equity doesn’t work because men and women are not equal, they are different, complimentary to each other. I think that’s why I can laugh at some guy being hauled off by the balls. You might say the real reason is because men have not been abused that way historically so that allows me to just see it as a funny fiction. So I’m not sure and I’m going to go off and think about it a bit more.

Should there be more women in politics ?

LiterateHiker comments on Jul 19, 2018:

If we truly want to change the world, we need more female leaders. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/01/bridging-the-gender-gap-in-political-leadership/ Your cartoon is offensive. Being a feminist means we want equal rights and equal pay. It does not mean we are man-haters.

brentan replies on Jul 19, 2018:

@Cast1es If you look again, you'll see we were talking about men being mistreated.

Should there be more women in politics ?

LiterateHiker comments on Jul 19, 2018:

If we truly want to change the world, we need more female leaders. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/01/bridging-the-gender-gap-in-political-leadership/ Your cartoon is offensive. Being a feminist means we want equal rights and equal pay. It does not mean we are man-haters.

brentan replies on Jul 19, 2018:

Oh lighten up, for goodness' sake!

DT 7/3/18

brentan comments on Jul 19, 2018:

I would like to hear more from JWs who attended elder meetings. I think I would have lost my faith very, very fast if I had been present to watch abuse of scripture because of ignorance or selfishness.

brentan replies on Jul 19, 2018:

@zing That would be great, thanks. I'll send you a message with my email address.

Should everyone read / study the bible ?

educatedredneck comments on Jul 18, 2018:

Seminary destroyed my christianity

brentan replies on Jul 18, 2018:

@educatedredneck I suppose we wouldn't get to think of our years as wasted if we had never woke up to what was happening at all. I can only feel comfortable about wasted years and wrong decisions by putting a value on how it has formed the way I think today. And it is a hard but sobering truth for me to think that it simply had to be that way because if it had been some other way, it couldn't have been me.

What We Have: Plenty of Evidence of Impeachment

brentan comments on Jul 18, 2018:

I would like to read the evidence. Nothing worthy of the name has been produced yet.

brentan replies on Jul 18, 2018:

@Seminarian I think between most legal opinions on the clause viewing it as being targeted at officials working for the government abroad and the fact that he handed over the running of his businesses to his sons, he should be OK.

Should everyone read / study the bible ?

educatedredneck comments on Jul 18, 2018:

Seminary destroyed my christianity

brentan replies on Jul 18, 2018:

@educatedredneck Good for you for not accepting it.

Given that assimilation and appropriation of external culture traits/features is a means through ...

brentan comments on Jul 18, 2018:

I wonder why people get cranky about cultural appropriation. I thought imitation was flattery. The last cranky video I saw was about white girls getting black girl hair-dos. Could there possibly be a good reason for complaining or is it a sign of having very little troubling you?

brentan replies on Jul 18, 2018:

@ghettophilosopher Maybe white people should resent black people wearing suits. Perhaps resent Jessye Norman singing opera and black actors playing Hamlet.

Who is next?

brentan comments on Jul 18, 2018:

I thought you were going to ask who will be the next icon in the music industry to die? Answer: Joni Mitchell. In science, I only know who it won't be. Rupert Sheldrake. They even removed his lecture from the Ted talks.

brentan replies on Jul 18, 2018:

@Renickulous I love Sheldrake, especially his theory of morphic resonance and its relationship to consciousness, especially memory.

Ritual Cannibalism.

brentan comments on Jul 18, 2018:

According to scripture, it troubled a lot of Jesus’ listeners too. It starts with John 6:53: So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. He continues in verses 57 and 58: As the living Father sent...

brentan replies on Jul 18, 2018:

@RussMaughan I was told that turning the other cheek meant not returning offense too quickly. That must be good advice. We're left to decide what to do if the person keeps striking us. I hate that about scripture.

Welcome to five new members to the group: - @Blindbird who is into blues, bluegrass, sad Irish ...

FrayedBear comments on Jul 18, 2018:

Welcome to @Brentan from Dublin. He knows Irish Gaelic so perhaps we will have some interesting contributions from him. Pull up a seat lad and tell us your "Traditional and Folkmusic Group" preferences, we're an international group here with many contributors and fine examples of the genre. The ...

brentan replies on Jul 18, 2018:

Thanks for a lovely welcome! I was one of those rare Irish school-children who liked learning Irish. Really, I'm not very good at it at all. I love pop, rock, classical, opera, even a tiny bit of rap. I really love Christy Moore - his heart is so much in the songs. The American James Taylor has a wonderful flair for folk. I think he comes from Scottish seafaring folk. And Alison Krauss' bluegrass music is so good.

A good read Queues can be great levellers.

brentan comments on Jul 18, 2018:

I enjoyed the article. I didn't know who wrote it but it was great to see such insight into what is going on. I really hope he has got it right about America going downhill while South Africa is improving. If South Africa's new president turns out just like so many other African presidents, I won't ...

brentan replies on Jul 18, 2018:

@VAL3941 I hear you. Fingers crossed!

Should everyone read / study the bible ?

brentan comments on Jul 18, 2018:

I would recommend a few hours being spent listening to Christina Hayes' free YouTube lectures on the Hebrew Scriptures. The lectures come from Yale University, I think. When you get the jist of what's happening in the book, you can decide how detail you want to read.

brentan replies on Jul 18, 2018:

@Scottzillyun The gist of it is a people who are lost in every sense of the word when they feel their god has deserted them and left them enslaved in places like Babylon. They had to create a national story to keep them together and survive as a separate people. This started about 650 BC, I think. There two strands to the story - the priestly and the scribe - forgive me if memory serves me badly. That first shows up in the two different accounts of creation. Looking at the stories as written in the 7th century BC to create a past rather than document the past is the angle taken in the Yale lectures.

Do people still have favorite poetry?

brentan comments on Jul 15, 2018:

@Bryn This thread has turned out great. My Favourite poem is (Spring and Fall) Goldengove by Gerard Manley Hopkins. I didn't understand the reference to Dante in T.S. Eliot's poem.

brentan replies on Jul 18, 2018:

@Bryn It's very sad, I think. I would love to drink coffee all day and talk about things like Michelangelo. It sounds great and poor old Prufrock is all messed up inside; empty too, despite the potential stimulation around him.

What song would you want played for your funeral?

FrayedBear comments on Feb 15, 2018:

Have ye no Irish blood in you? For if you did you'd be like Tim Finnegan and make sure a wee drop of whiskey plashed your lips to resurrect you! Here's the Dubliners with their rendition: https://youtu.be/qstUxos2cBs #FolkMusic, #TheDubliners, #FinnegansWake "Traditional and Folkmusic Group"

brentan replies on Jul 18, 2018:

@FrayedBear I understand you better now. No, in all honesty, @Dhiabhal isn't me. Thanks very much for the invite to the folk group!

What song would you want played for your funeral?

FrayedBear comments on Feb 15, 2018:

Have ye no Irish blood in you? For if you did you'd be like Tim Finnegan and make sure a wee drop of whiskey plashed your lips to resurrect you! Here's the Dubliners with their rendition: https://youtu.be/qstUxos2cBs #FolkMusic, #TheDubliners, #FinnegansWake "Traditional and Folkmusic Group"

brentan replies on Jul 18, 2018:

@FrayedBear I don't know. I'm on FB but that's about it these days.

What song would you want played for your funeral?

FrayedBear comments on Feb 15, 2018:

Have ye no Irish blood in you? For if you did you'd be like Tim Finnegan and make sure a wee drop of whiskey plashed your lips to resurrect you! Here's the Dubliners with their rendition: https://youtu.be/qstUxos2cBs #FolkMusic, #TheDubliners, #FinnegansWake "Traditional and Folkmusic Group"

brentan replies on Jul 18, 2018:

In ainm an dhiabhal (in the devil's name), do you think I'm dead?

Obvious Stupid Question...

brentan comments on Jul 17, 2018:

He has to break the law first.

brentan replies on Jul 18, 2018:

@Secretguy Wow. Ad hominem again!

Should everyone read / study the bible ?

SeeCanU comments on Jul 18, 2018:

my fave verse is proverbs 13:3. i don't like to read much so i'm going to pass on reading the whole thing. i'll wait till the movie comes out....again...and then probably wait for the next one

brentan replies on Jul 18, 2018:

Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin. I like that verse because it focuses on a certain type of talk. I hate all those other ones going on about the more talk, the more sinning you'll do.Then keeping quiet became secular wisdom too so now it's safer to stick on a pair of headphones than talk.

Should everyone read / study the bible ?

educatedredneck comments on Jul 18, 2018:

Seminary destroyed my christianity

brentan replies on Jul 18, 2018:

What happened?

Prochoice-What Does it Mean?

brentan comments on Jul 17, 2018:

The woman can choose. That's nice. The prospective father can't That's not nice. What to do?

brentan replies on Jul 18, 2018:

@HippieChick58 I don't want a child.. So I'm not speaking personally, so to speak. I'm giving my personal opinion on the situation in general..I think you hit on a very important part of this talking about 'make sure your partner is on board'. It seems the trust level between a man and woman would want to be extremely high. And still, if the woman is sincere about having the child and then genuinely changes her mind along he way, the man has no say in the matter.

Prochoice-What Does it Mean?

brentan comments on Jul 17, 2018:

The woman can choose. That's nice. The prospective father can't That's not nice. What to do?

brentan replies on Jul 18, 2018:

@Surfpirate Foetus, baby, child, teenage, adult, elderly – all fully viable stages of life to me. I can’t accept that that the matter should be out of the prospective father’s hands. I do accept that that is how things are going to be and I’m curious to find out how men are going to deal with it.

I would like your thoughtful answers about the following:.

brentan comments on Jul 17, 2018:

One of the odd things about the Jehovah's Witnesses was that even though they weren't fans of Darwin, they were solid believers in evolution when it came to finding a mate. Just like the powerful males got the beautiful women since time immemorial and people take what they can down the hierarchy, ...

brentan replies on Jul 18, 2018:

@Compassion8doubt Or our experiences.

Would you consider a relationship with a sex-bot?

brentan comments on Jul 17, 2018:

No. Not even the little sex toys! It just seems wrong. I can't say for sure what it is that I think is wrong. Could it be I believe flesh and plastic don't go together? Or (God forbid) I still think a god looking down on my strange shenanigans would disapprove?

brentan replies on Jul 18, 2018:

@MsDemeanour You bet! Someone to talk to inbetween sex would be nice. And the inbetween periods are getting longer!

Prochoice-What Does it Mean?

brentan comments on Jul 17, 2018:

The woman can choose. That's nice. The prospective father can't That's not nice. What to do?

brentan replies on Jul 18, 2018:

@HippieChick58 That only helps if you don't want a child.

I would like your thoughtful answers about the following:.

brentan comments on Jul 17, 2018:

One of the odd things about the Jehovah's Witnesses was that even though they weren't fans of Darwin, they were solid believers in evolution when it came to finding a mate. Just like the powerful males got the beautiful women since time immemorial and people take what they can down the hierarchy, ...

brentan replies on Jul 18, 2018:

@Compassion8doubt You must admit that doesn't mean I'm wrong.

Obvious Stupid Question...

brentan comments on Jul 17, 2018:

He has to break the law first.

brentan replies on Jul 18, 2018:

@Secretguy @AnneWimsey Really? Ad hominem. That's it?

Prochoice-What Does it Mean?

brentan comments on Jul 17, 2018:

The woman can choose. That's nice. The prospective father can't That's not nice. What to do?

brentan replies on Jul 18, 2018:

@Surfpirate I don't think men could accept that their total input into the matter of their children will be an opinion. But what interests me is what men will do when they have no legal protection for their wishes.

I have fixed a hard date for myself - unless there is any improvement in my life over the next ...

brentan comments on Jul 14, 2018:

I think life is an opportunity. It is relatively short anyway. It used to 'nasty, brutish and short'. Now it's better but our minds are so sophisticated we tend to criticise what might be the best of times. Good writers usually have read avidly. We don't even need to read books to make favourable ...

brentan replies on Jul 17, 2018:

@squiggy_70 So sorry to hear that. No pain relief, just mood changers. I hear a lot these days about medical marijuana or herbal weed, if they're the same thing. Perhaps you've tried it already.

I've discovered I was on the autism spectrum late in my life (i.

AbZinthe comments on Jul 17, 2018:

Something that I have always had trouble with was remembering the words to songs, especially verses. It was earlier this year that I googled it and found out that I was not the only one and could be one of the indicators of Asperger's. I didn't think much it of it then until a few weeks later when I...

brentan replies on Jul 17, 2018:

@Michel Thanks for that link! I scored 32 where 30-50 was the high risk category.

Ladies: I’m curious.

brentan comments on Jun 1, 2018:

Even as a youngster, I always wanted to stay clean down there. In a family of six boys, it seemed very odd indeed that anyone might ask for anything more than toilet tissue. But I never felt ‘right’ without more protection. When in my late teens, I finally got my mother to consider purchasing ...

brentan replies on Jul 17, 2018:

@Cast1es No.

I often work late Mondays so made quick meal.

DenoPenno comments on Jul 16, 2018:

Looks good. Tonight I tried out my brand new never used Presto pressure cooker that I got from a yard sale for a buck. It made me nice potatos, pork loin chops, and carrots in 20 minutes. This made me happy because I've never used one before.

brentan replies on Jul 16, 2018:

I didn't know a pressure cooker would cook meat!

What kind of philosophical school of thought do you adhere to in your daily lives??

Salo comments on Jul 16, 2018:

Humanism. And don't eat the yellow snow ism.

brentan replies on Jul 16, 2018:

Is that the lyric about husky piss?

What is your favorite kind of Ice Cream? Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry?

brentan comments on Jul 16, 2018:

Just plain vanilla, unpolluted. Please, no double meanings!

brentan replies on Jul 16, 2018:

@Bendog Some lady was kind enough just a day or two ago to explain the new meaning of vanilla to me. I dread to think what 'meatloaf' means in this context!

A pastor and his wife are putting their eight month old son to bed.

COGITOERGOSUM comments on Jul 16, 2018:

I dont get it. Maybe I am dumb.

brentan replies on Jul 16, 2018:

@MrLizard ...and then there were three.

A interesting thought

Bierbasstard comments on Jul 16, 2018:

No. Just No.

brentan replies on Jul 16, 2018:

That's a funny nic!

Good morning you good people. I am about to go forth and kick Monday's ass. Who's with me?

brentan comments on Jul 16, 2018:

I admire your confidence. Monday would always frighten and depress me. Coffee was the only weapon I had in my arsenal so I was under-equipped. I'm told that eating a protein-rich breakfast is a must to get you through the day. But confidence might be the very best thing!

brentan replies on Jul 16, 2018:

@ProudMary Smart move. I alway went out with coffee only (coffee and a smoke before I quit). All nerves and no fuel. I would head off to work running on empty and start to fade about mid-morning. It wasn't fair to my employer but my stomach could never a breakfast after my smoking years.

Many television shows are based on god or religious themes, and was wondering if any of my fellow ...

jlynn37 comments on Jul 16, 2018:

I can not tolerate commercial TV of any stripe and just do not watch any of it. Commercials suck big time.

brentan replies on Jul 16, 2018:

@jlynn37 I do like to be entertained but I have a feeling we might have more in common than meets the eye. What do you like to spend time doing?

Many television shows are based on god or religious themes, and was wondering if any of my fellow ...

jlynn37 comments on Jul 16, 2018:

I can not tolerate commercial TV of any stripe and just do not watch any of it. Commercials suck big time.

brentan replies on Jul 16, 2018:

I wonder could you be missing out. TV has gone onto a new level in recent years with ideas that really make you think. Dexter, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead etc. These programs have characters in them as complex as any in novels, perhaps even in literature.

Good morning you good people. I am about to go forth and kick Monday's ass. Who's with me?

ProudMary comments on Jul 16, 2018:

@VAL3941 @brentan @Sheannutt Apparently I was a little over-anticipatory and Monday has now kicked my ass. I dropped my office keys in my car between the seat and the console where they are now firmly wedged and will not come out. I found out I need new brakes and a wheel alignment. I purchased ...

brentan replies on Jul 16, 2018:

Oh gosh, I don't know whether to laugh or just sympathise. I hope you can cope with the setbacks. Is it cheese cake masquerading as humble pie?

What do you make of the many UFO sightings this last year? [ctvnews.ca]

kltuckmn comments on Jul 15, 2018:

Take me. Take me. Please.

brentan replies on Jul 16, 2018:

That's what she said last night (in my dreams).

It is stupid to underestimate the power of stupidity.

brentan comments on Jul 15, 2018:

I can't help thinking a huge part of the world population is stupid. That's in terms of IQ. Stupidity, like cleverness, has its benefits as well as problems. The downside of wisdom is articulated well in the Bible, Ecclesiastes 1:18: For with much wisdom comes much sorrow, and as knowledge grows,...

brentan replies on Jul 15, 2018:

@evidentialist I looked back at my comment. Preachy. Sorry, I wasn't being judgemental. Just thinking out loud. Were you thinking of some group in particular or just people in general?

If you had to sit and listen to an album today from beginning to end , what would it be?

sassygirl3869 comments on Jul 15, 2018:

Days of Future Past-Moody Blues-background music.

brentan replies on Jul 15, 2018:

Yes. I keep that in the Music folder on my phone for easy access.

Do people still have favorite poetry?

brentan comments on Jul 15, 2018:

@Bryn This thread has turned out great. My Favourite poem is (Spring and Fall) Goldengove by Gerard Manley Hopkins. I didn't understand the reference to Dante in T.S. Eliot's poem.

brentan replies on Jul 15, 2018:

@Bryn I found it, thanks very much. It's Dante's Inferno Canto 27:61-66, that hints that Prufrock wouldn't talk about all his failings if he thought everyone would get to hear about them.

Yep, friday night.

Scottzillyun comments on Jul 13, 2018:

It seems that the social media world bends over backwards to deprive the public of reasonable means of socializing ! A vast conspiracy perhaps ?

brentan replies on Jul 14, 2018:

You made me think about whose fault it is. I think, on the face of it, it's ours. You should make an initial post about it. Maybe there was an element of social engineering behind what happened. Maybe we just got caught up in the technology.

Respecting movies that are musicals

archer5691 comments on Jul 13, 2018:

Lol..."faint"??? How gay ARE you??? :D....and please understand, this is coming from a gay man who used to perform in many musicals.

brentan replies on Jul 13, 2018:

@MrChange Just one word and you're labelled.

My post too long?

brentan comments on Jul 9, 2018:

It probably is too long for this media. I would still like to read it -there isn't much about Islam that's humourous to read. Why not try to post it and see if the app will accept it?

brentan replies on Jul 13, 2018:

@Bob_Heitzman Will do. Thanks a lot!

To all agnostic users, My time here on agnostic has come to an end.

zeuser comments on Jul 13, 2018:

In everyone's life, there comes a time when you just gotta book. I hope you get to where you are going. All the best, bro.

brentan replies on Jul 13, 2018:

@Sasha289 Google translator says 'will certainly go to jail'. Why say that and why say it in a foreign language?

It has to be hard to save lives!

FrayedBear comments on Jul 13, 2018:

Good job he hadn't gone in five minutes earlier when Mummy was on top and Daddy was pushing up! ????????

brentan replies on Jul 13, 2018:

That's a good one. Daddy pushing Mummy towards heaven might be construed as murder!

Proselytizing

Humanistheathen comments on Jul 13, 2018:

No. I don't need to sway others to my side. I used to evangelize as a believer. It was foolish then.

brentan replies on Jul 13, 2018:

I used to preach too. I'm reluctant now to impose my beliefs on people.

For those that are superstitious

Donotbelieve comments on Jul 13, 2018:

Sheesh, I wrote the date down and didn't even realize it! Guess I'm as far from superstitious as it gets?

brentan replies on Jul 13, 2018:

i wasn't aware of it either. Now I'm feeling uncomfortable. Darn Templars had to go and get themselves murdered!

It amazes me how little people know about evolution, although it probably shouldn't since so little ...

brentan comments on Jul 13, 2018:

I doubt people in general have read The Origin of the Species. I just pick up bits of knowledge along the way. If I was asked to explain something like 'the god of the gaps', I couldn't.

brentan replies on Jul 13, 2018:

@Ray13 Thank you. I'll look that up!

Respecting movies that are musicals

brentan comments on Jul 13, 2018:

Maybe his family have Nazis in the closet?

brentan replies on Jul 13, 2018:

@Paul4747 Yes, and clothes.

Sexy Time.

SallyInStitches comments on Jul 12, 2018:

Just call it a bukkaki prayer circle.

brentan replies on Jul 13, 2018:

I had to look that one up. Thanks!

Okay, then!

Matias comments on Jul 13, 2018:

That is probably the reason why in American movies when people have sex they are still wearing their pants and bra ... In Europe that would cause fits of laughter.

brentan replies on Jul 13, 2018:

America is odd that way. They would be more comfortable if the couple in bed produced guns and shot the hell out of each other!

Are atheists criticising the wrong things about religion?

LenHazell53 comments on Jul 13, 2018:

Wow isn't it amazing that since Jordan Peterson started arguing apologetics from the POV of Dostoevsky, so many others have started doing the same?

brentan replies on Jul 13, 2018:

Yes indeed. Peterson has opened up the conversation for discussion again. But there's no need to worry. Peterson (who I think is a perfect example of an agnostic) discusses the topic regularly with atheists like Sam Harris and Matt Dillahunty. He will be involved in another tomorrow evening in Dublin and I think I'll go, even though it is expensive. I love to hear great intellects expound on complicated issues and I come away much the wiser for it.

Most Christians are unaware of this

brentan comments on Jul 12, 2018:

There you go now. God said "My thoughts are high above your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8).

brentan replies on Jul 13, 2018:

@LenHazell53 I'm just play acting. I used to be a Jehovah's Witness and had to defend God a lot when I preached to people. I'm just drawing on that experience to send up the arguments we would use. I understand it's not possible to see tongue-in-cheek in this media.

Would you rather (2)

Marcie1974 comments on Jul 11, 2018:

I once had a switch try to get me to dominate him. I failed miserably, lol. He basically had to tell me what to tell him to do. Kind of defeats the purpose....

brentan replies on Jul 12, 2018:

@Marcie1974 Isn't that interesting that bad life can be better than no life? It's good to hear that you're back in control. I have read that you struggled with alcohol on account of things and I hope the future will work out good for you.

On a bit of a serious note, here is a podcast on cults.

Freeofcancer comments on Jul 12, 2018:

I still suffer from seven years in a semi cloistered convent. The memories....the dreams....

brentan replies on Jul 12, 2018:

Now that story needs to be told!

Life it's to short to be normal, Keep the freakyness

evergreen comments on Jul 12, 2018:

Ok - now define "normal"

brentan replies on Jul 12, 2018:

Would average be a good description of normal? Average might mean an approximation of acceptable mental stability. But the word is probably too vague, too wide in application.

I thought this as interesting. Would you agree, does the heart make you happier than the wallet?

mordant comments on Jul 12, 2018:

Research demonstrates that money DOES buy happiness, up to the point that you have all your necessities and aren't under threat of losing them ... then beyond that it no longer helps. What is really going on there is that you're removing a source of anxiety and UNhappiness. Beyond that it's a ...

brentan replies on Jul 12, 2018:

I always enjoy your very perceptive comments.

Would you rather (2)

Marcie1974 comments on Jul 11, 2018:

I once had a switch try to get me to dominate him. I failed miserably, lol. He basically had to tell me what to tell him to do. Kind of defeats the purpose....

brentan replies on Jul 12, 2018:

@Marcie1974 Which do you think was worse, Marcie, the boring part or the 'wild' part?

Would you rather (2)

valerina comments on Jul 11, 2018:

Even though I'm capable of being a switch, I prefer to be more submissive. And nothing wrong with a little vanilla.

brentan replies on Jul 12, 2018:

@valerina Thanks. That was good of you to bother explaining it.

Mistakes suck.

btroje comments on Jul 10, 2018:

I recently made a mistake on here with a poorly played joke. NO chance to correct it

brentan replies on Jul 12, 2018:

@btroje LOL I guess we're only as good as our most unacceptable post. Asking for an average might be a bit too complicated.

What kind of Atheist are you?

Strabo comments on Jul 12, 2018:

I identify as an Alcoholic Atheist - religious people drive me to drink!

brentan replies on Jul 12, 2018:

And some people think religion is useless!

Would you rather (2)

valerina comments on Jul 11, 2018:

Even though I'm capable of being a switch, I prefer to be more submissive. And nothing wrong with a little vanilla.

brentan replies on Jul 12, 2018:

Gosh I must be old. I don't understand what you just said.

Would you rather (2)

Marcie1974 comments on Jul 11, 2018:

I once had a switch try to get me to dominate him. I failed miserably, lol. He basically had to tell me what to tell him to do. Kind of defeats the purpose....

brentan replies on Jul 12, 2018:

You've had an interesting life, Marcie.

Mistakes suck.

btroje comments on Jul 10, 2018:

I recently made a mistake on here with a poorly played joke. NO chance to correct it

brentan replies on Jul 12, 2018:

Absolvo te. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

Most Christians are unaware of this

brentan comments on Jul 12, 2018:

There you go now. God said "My thoughts are high above your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8).

brentan replies on Jul 12, 2018:

Oh, if only we had the insight to see things as God sees them but our puny minds are stuck in the gutter. I suppose prayer might help to encourage God to give us his holy spirit and we could see things in His exalted way!

I do not use these, how many of you do?

escapetypist comments on Jul 12, 2018:

It's not the check out machines that I have issues with. It's the people who cannot figure out how to use them. I end up waiting longer to use the machines than to get a person to check me out.

brentan replies on Jul 12, 2018:

I always mess up. I get nervous. I think if I got angry and thought 'you bastards can just fuck off' I would go through the process like no-one was waiting on me. It sucks getting old sometimes. When there's a choice of getting an automatic checkout or waiting for a cashier, I prefer to wait.

The ten commandments of logic.

brentan comments on Jul 12, 2018:

Well, I might as well as just give up now.

brentan replies on Jul 12, 2018:

@tnorman1236 I'll never win another argument!

Penises.

graceylou comments on Jul 12, 2018:

What? Who are these women who hate penises? Mmmm. I think penises go great with my morning coffee.

brentan replies on Jul 12, 2018:

You reminded me when we were young, older men would often say to us about our ignorance of sex "it's not for stirring your tea, you know".

Masturbating

Tomfoolery33 comments on Jul 12, 2018:

Is anybody stupid enough to believe this? Or is it just a joke?

brentan replies on Jul 12, 2018:

@tnorman1236 Here's a funny YouTube video of the Jehovah's witnesses teaching deaf people not to masturbate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfV8eHsfexU=1