Very good article by author Tim Winton about boys and masculinity and culture [theguardian.com]

brentan comments on Jun 20, 2018:

I enjoyed the article and was intrigued by the idea that young men in society have little or no involvement is rituals anymore. I would love to know more about that - what rituals they used to have, what benefit they had for the individual and the society, how ritual might be reintroduced into society etc.

Where’s all the haters? Disgusted by humanity, where’s the omnicidal maniacs?

brentan comments on Jun 19, 2018:

Does anyone remember how nihilistic Rusty Cohle was in True Detectives?

This was too cute not to post

brentan comments on Jun 19, 2018:

One poor child confused and the other upset. Parents!!

Im 35 today

brentan comments on Jun 19, 2018:

Well, have a great birthday!!

For The Gamers In The Community....

brentan comments on Jun 19, 2018:

I don't think video games are the problem. I think it's a case of an obsessive nature finding a home somewhere.

You got a secret crush on this forum. How many?

brentan comments on Jun 19, 2018:

There are lovely-looking women here and intelligent ones too. I think intelligence in a woman is very sexy. I think they all live far too far away to even think of a relationship. Plus I'm 63 and I wonder am I kidding myself. I'm separated for more than 2 years now and I think I'm too used to having all my time to myself to do justice to a partner. So I stick to the discussions.

I would love to change the world, but they won't give me the source code.

brentan comments on Jun 18, 2018:

! choice[] set a = do the right thing; set b = do the wrong thing; choose b []

Ok ladies, help me out here.

brentan comments on Jun 18, 2018:

I really like to smile and be friendly. I would like to feel free to exchange a few words with people as I meet them informally but it just isn't done anymore. This new loss of sociability can't be good for anyone but I think we need to go with the flow so as not to worry people.

What is the bible to you?

brentan comments on Jun 18, 2018:

It's a very good book to help us understand how we got to where we are today.

Blind Faith by Ben Elton is a must read if you like disturbing dystopian novels.

brentan comments on Jun 18, 2018:

That looks like a good read. Ben Elton is a talented man. I was reading recently about Giambattista Vico who believed that history is circular and each cycle has 4 phases - the age of gods, the age of heroes, the age of men and the return to the age of the gods. If he is right, we are well along in the age of man and I think I can feel a change in the air....

What Fuck-n Bible is Jeff Sessions Reading?

brentan comments on Jun 18, 2018:

He's reading the rules that *othe*r people need to obey.

Balanced people

brentan comments on Jun 18, 2018:

I take a daily anti-depressant that keeps me going but I'm not really balanced. Sometimes I take a valium and I really enjoy that mellow feeling. I was religious too for many years but that never gave the spirit of peace it promised. I suspect, with no proof, that some balance must be bought by compromise with other people - in other words selling a part of yourself to buy smoother relationships with other people.

Weirdness is just a side effect of my being awesome.

brentan comments on Jun 17, 2018:

Normality is overrated.

Instead of using the word "spirituality" I have been using the word "emotionality".

brentan comments on Jun 17, 2018:

I would say no. The two words convey different ideas. Words get commandeered along the way. Rainbow now means two things but we probably won't want to change the name of the mulicoloured thing in the sky. We'll understand which meaning should be taken going by the context.

I do actually have a life, sort of.

brentan comments on Jun 17, 2018:

What! You have a life AND you post on social media. That's just plain greedy.

Early fathers day at The Incredibles 2 in 3D

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2018:

Happy vicarious Father's Day. That's life with young kids!

First steps

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2018:

I never liked the religious idea that independent thinking was an affront to God and the traditional beliefs that an organisation held sacred. I was in the Jehovah's Witnesses and they believed that unity in doctrine was more important than actual truth. The leaders did all the thinking for us, believing that they came to their conclusions by inspiration.

Complete the following sentence: If everyone could have more _______, _______, and ________; the ...

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2018:

Food, sex and sleep.

What are your weaknesses?

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2018:

I went to a training session to help pass the examination for the American Postal Service. They told me that if the interviewers ask me what my weaknesses are, I am to convert my weaknesses into strengths. In other words, my weakness is that I love my family too much or I can't help assisting everyone I know to make the best of themselves. I don't know for sure what my real weaknesses are. Maybe not telling enough people to go fuck themselves. I think I should have challenged people more but my idea of being a good Christian wouldn't let me do that. Now I'm an an elderly man and an atheist and I still don't challenge people. I walk away.

A very logical and well thought out argument [youtube.com]

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2018:

William Laine Craig holds his own very well against our favourite atheists. I like listening to him to hear how well-educated folk think about religion. When all is said and done, though, I think Craig is an apologist, not just in the sense of defending faith, but in the ordinary sense too of just making excuses for God. The YouTube video between himself and Lawrence Krauss was really good. Craig's reasoning for justifying God's command to commit genocide against the Canaanite people is shocking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb1-F_UEtS4&t=238s

Language is important, at least it is to me.

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2018:

Let me think out loud: I’m sure there is a god I’m sure there isn’t a god I’m not sure either way If I’m not sure there is a god, there is no god in my life. There might be a god but he and I don’t have a relationship. I’m not an atheist because I’m not stating emphatically that there is no god.

Gearing up for Father's day BBQ. Sangria... rest overnight in the fridge. Done!

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2018:

Have a great day!

Famous last words...

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2018:

That makes me wonder if all the world's a movies set and we're just actors, and the Great Director in the sky knows all the answers.

The Feared Path to Serenity.

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2018:

Gosh, that's a very good poem. I wish I could say "Pull your socks up, man" but sometimes there isn't the inner strength to do even that. That I know. I don't know what horrors cause a person to take permanent refuge in alcohol or how hereditary alcoholism works.

Yup, that would produce the sort of person who would believe this crapola

brentan comments on Jun 15, 2018:

In the first case, brothers and sisters would have had children. In the second case, it would be first cousins.

How do you feel about drivers who text and drive?

brentan comments on Jun 15, 2018:

Manslaughter on wheels. They should be punished severely. I'm not sure what the punishment should be.

If I tell you my best reason for labeling myself as an Agnostic Humanist, will you tell me one ...

brentan comments on Jun 15, 2018:

Agnostic Humanist as opposed to what?

"Humanism is the transformation of this Christian doctrine of salvation into a project of universal ...

brentan comments on Jun 14, 2018:

Here's the first three paragraphs from The Goal of Humanism. It is on their Truth Magazine website at ://www.truthmagazine.com/archives/volume28/GOT028224.html As a philosophy, humanism has several goals. Among some of humanism's positive goals are: (1) freedom in the realm of civil liberties; (2) world peace; (3) elimination of poverty; (4) world unity; etc. These aspirations may be summarized by saying that humanism hopes to make this world "heaven" on earth. Humanists deny life after death and are concentrating their energies on improving this world. Promises of immortal salvation or fear of eternal damnation are both illusory and harmful. They distract humans from present concerns, from self-actualization, and from rectifying social injustices. Man's most sacred duty, and at the same time his most glorious opportunity, is to promote the maximum fulfilment of the evolutionary process on this earth; and this includes the fullest realization of his own inherent possibilities.

Shakespeare was born over 400 years ago and most people have some idea who he was, will anyone ...

brentan comments on Jun 14, 2018:

I'm not sure it would matter much to me.

Today is a new day

brentan comments on Jun 14, 2018:

I don't know who is more scary!!!!

Favorite Band/Musician?

brentan comments on Jun 14, 2018:

James Taylor Yes

"Humanism is the transformation of this Christian doctrine of salvation into a project of universal ...

brentan comments on Jun 14, 2018:

I think secular humanism is a modified version of Judeo-Christian values. It adds values such as equality for minorities and subtracts laws such as stoning adulterers. But I've never actually read a mission statement of a secular humanist group so I don't know how they express their goals and values. I have a fear that as the average Western person loses awareness of Judeo-Christian values and the average secular humanist tends to be academic or intellectual, there will be a huge proportion of people in society with no sense of objective values at all.

An oldy but goody

brentan comments on Jun 13, 2018:

Such a nice man. I blame his father.

IHOB response from Wendy's

brentan comments on Jun 11, 2018:

Happy memories - all those syrups!

Singapore and Photo op.

brentan comments on Jun 11, 2018:

I can see it now. Trump gets the Nobel Peace Prize for North Korea and with that out of the way he then prepares to start war with Iran. He will delight Israel and the fundies back home but cause utter havoc in the Middle East.

Believe in you

brentan comments on Jun 11, 2018:

Whatever you do, don't be self-deprecating. It doesn't pay anymore. Speak well of yourself.

Devine wisdom, or sevant....one who all the sudden wakes up and KNOWS stuff they've never studied?

brentan comments on Jun 11, 2018:

That would be wonderful in college!

We all have some flaws.Do you have any of these?

brentan comments on Jun 10, 2018:

I really wanted to have at least one of those flaws so I could fit in. Darn it, it sucks being flawless.

Can you believe how many fucking churches there are?

brentan comments on Jun 10, 2018:

There sure is great variety. The wonderful thing about them is they all preach the absolute spiritual truth, even though they disagree. You can rest assured you are on the narrow path to salvation and enjoy the fact that all those other losers are on the broad road to damnation.

How can I stop acting feminine/gay?

brentan comments on Jun 10, 2018:

I think testosterone injections for starters. Add to that alcohol abuse, aggression and bad language. Watch John Wayne movies and study his mannerisms. Be careful, though, not to copy his weird walk!

I just discovered this awesome book for those unbelieving 12 steppers amount us. [amazon.com]

brentan comments on Jun 8, 2018:

I'm sure that believing in a god is a great motivator and it gives a person a higher power to look to for support. I was a very addicted smoker and had to give cigarettes up to become a Jehovah's Witness. It was a dreadful experience (yes, being a JW was a dreadful experience too) but my wish to please god pushed me through barriers that I could never have motivated myself to overcome just for my own sake. I've never heard of a similarly powerful secular alernative to the 12 steps but it would be great if spirituality was powerful enough to motivate without the religion bit. I suspect that a belief in the afterlife is part of this spirituality.

Ok, I admit to being a spelling and diction Nazi.

brentan comments on Jun 8, 2018:

I really like good English. I would read Joseph Conrad books even if they had no story. I'm Irish so I'm raised on lots of travesties of the English language. Many of them are very funny. I think it mostly has to do with lower income people getting a very bad education. I read enough to know how language aspires to express complex ideas and inspires through communication. I think it's criminal that poor people can be robbed of a share in this level of consciousness. Using 'axe' instead of 'ask' sounds bad but not being able to 'axe' the right questions is worse.

Why don't men actually READ and pay attention to women's profiles before sending "I think we'd be a ...

brentan comments on Jun 8, 2018:

That's a curious post. I think you're being mostly serious, though. I get the idea that you're attracting and rejecting men at the same time. You seem to be telling men that you're open to meeting somebody but you are so accomplished you don't need anyone. Even if they have a talent for something, such as cooking, you will reject that talent. If you're discouraging men who are less academic than yourself, that's probably a good thing, unless he happened to be a very special person.

Solving the Pronoun Problem "I propose that simple solution, a small change in language that ...

brentan comments on Jun 8, 2018:

I don't like that idea. It would be worse in America where people are referred to as he or she when they are right there beside you. Everybody would just be a thing.

Is This Really The United States?- Redneck Area?

brentan comments on Jun 7, 2018:

I'm sure they're just misunderstood.

Is there anyone here who isn't "into weed?"

brentan comments on Jun 7, 2018:

I never really got into it. I was brought up in a culture of alcohol. My two sons both prefer weed.

Thankful to Miss America for eliminating the swimsuit competition, even if they still insist on ...

brentan comments on Jun 6, 2018:

So long, Miss World, where women parade their beauty for the male world. Men, always interested in the physical side of female beauty! Women don't care how they look. They especially never cared how other women look.

I love your thoughts on this one. [youtube.com]

brentan comments on Jun 6, 2018:

Brian Wilson being murdered for Christ.

Guys, please reconsider using plastic bags while shopping.

brentan comments on Jun 6, 2018:

I have the Mother Gaia way of thinking so I do my best to recycle and avoid plastic bags. I have two small bags that fit in my pocket. But the guys at the shop counter seem to take it personal. "Oh, I *suppose* you don't need a bag" and words to that effect. What's that about? Could the profit on plastic bags be good?

Could you stay isolated for five days in total isolation as an asocial experiment?

brentan comments on Jun 6, 2018:

That a good one. I do that anyway without trying to be antisocial.

I had the meeting st interesting discussion on the topic The opposite of addiction is connection.

brentan comments on Jun 6, 2018:

I think of addiction as having a big empty space inside that needs to be filled. I'm not sure connection is the answer because so many people can make the situation worse. It's something to do with feeling fulfilled. I'm not sure how people can achieve that 'in this graceless age' as Glen Frey sang.

I'm a survivor, how about you???

brentan comments on Jun 6, 2018:

Yes, I guess I am a survivor. But every time I look at the news or read the paper, oh dear, people suffer. I'm probably just somewhere in the middle for problems. How things go seem to be in the lap of the gods, so to speak. Best to be grateful things aren't so much worse.

I drive by a Johovahs witness ware house/church all the time.

brentan comments on Jun 6, 2018:

Preaching is a one-way street for the JWs. They used always complain that traditional clergy were remote and inaccessible. Once they became established, they behaved the same way.

Got a book (or poem, come to that) you consider particularly erotic?

brentan comments on Jun 5, 2018:

I think Lady Chatterly's Lover, but I'm not sure if I read the book or watched it on TV.

So, am I sitting here typing right now due only to an utterly improbable sequence of events that go ...

brentan comments on Jun 5, 2018:

And here I am recognising your post and replying to it. I guess I'm here thanks to the big-bang but this reply is more than that. It's the problem - consciousness, this ability to look inwards and question things to a degree you demonstrated in your post. But maybe I'm jumping the gun and should only be thinking here about how we got to be who we are. Destiny, God's will, biology! Combinations of those things. Are there any more possible reasons? I think that it is very improbable you will come to be the person you are at any time before your birth but once you are born, you can take it that it was always meant to be.

The bible clearly shows that Jesus could not control his temper and on one occasion went crazy and ...

brentan comments on Jun 5, 2018:

It would be better to compare what happened back then to some entrepreneurs using the premises of a cathedral as a marketplace. If the priest got angry and drove them out, he might be arrested for aggression but serious questions would be asked about the abuse of the premises by the businessmen. In John's Gospel, Jesus' anger is explained in chapter 2, verse 17 "His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” This is in Psalm 69:9.

Atheists Are Sometimes More Religious Than Christians - The Atlantic

brentan comments on Jun 4, 2018:

It is fascinating, and horrifying too, to see how playing with words can seem to alter the truth.

I've recently realized that for most of my life I was a romantic, playing with gauzy notions about ...

brentan comments on Jun 4, 2018:

I think it's about aspiring to better things. To try to give life meaning. Poets and religious folk share a search for meaning. I gave up religion late in life. I seemed to shift quickly and naturally (for me) into art and culture. It's not real in the sense of eternal but it gives my current life meaning as I read more and more about what it is to be human and how we developed over history. In one sense, all I'm doing is diverting myself from reality. In another sense, my head is full of the richness that culture give us through art, literature, theatre etc. I hope you too have or find something (or indeed, someone) to love, to give meaning to life.

The US Supreme Court has sided with the baker who refused, on religious grounds, to make a wedding ...

brentan comments on Jun 4, 2018:

I'm not bothered much about the cake issue. Mostly it was about gay activists targeting fervent Christians. And it's not about the cake, it's about what goes on top. Having a socialist tendency, I never thought I would be happy to hear 'let the market decide'. I never heard of the decorations, such as two guys kissing, being sold separately. Maybe they are. That could help too.

The man Jesus can also be accused of hatred for the Jewish leaders, or maybe it was jealousy because...

brentan comments on Jun 4, 2018:

It's true that Jesus gave the religious leaders verbal lashings and could be violent towards furniture. He seems to have friendly relations with some religious leaders and we can infer how well he got on with Joseph of Arimathea. He hated hypocrisy and the way religious tradition had perverted the spirit of the law. Having said that in defence of Jesus' dealings with the these guys, I also feel sure it is a myth and was used to check rebellion in Judea.

Any poetry suggestions?

brentan comments on Jun 4, 2018:

This is my favourite poem. It’s by Gerard Manley Hopkins. Margaret gets her first sense of decay as the trees ‘unleave’ in autumn. The poet thinks about how she’ll encounter decay and death in more profound ways as she goes through life. He finishes with the thought that the bottom line for young Margaret (who I think must stand for all of us) is that she has had the first inkling of the sense of her own death. To a young child Margaret, are you grieving Over Goldengrove unleaving? Leaves, like the things of man, you With your fresh thoughts care for, can you? Ah! as the heart grows older It will come to such sights colder By and by, nor spare a sigh Though worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie; And yet you will weep know why. Now no matter, child, the name: Sorrow’s springs are the same. Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressed What heart heard of, ghost guessed: It is the blight man was born for, It is Margaret you mourn for.

Any poetry suggestions?

brentan comments on Jun 4, 2018:

To me, it reads like an archetype for Saturday nights after the pub. We read all about it in the Sunday papers. Well, perhaps not all about it. The emotional distress, family breakup, betrayal are suffered privately.

Do you feel that the current trend in universities being/having a "safe space" is detrimental or ...

brentan comments on Jun 3, 2018:

"You want to be safe - stay home with your mom" - Jordon Peterson on safe spaces.

Do you read Tolkien? C. S. Lewis?

brentan comments on Jun 3, 2018:

I would like to read C.S. Lewis because I'm always interested in religious conversations and many references are made to the arguments in his books.

How are you different from most people ?

brentan comments on Jun 3, 2018:

I'm probably somewhere on the autistic scale, the Asperger Syndrome. There is no way for an adult to test for it in my country so I'm just guessing. I'm honest and not tactful, intelligent but not clever. Old age has allowed me to remove myself from society apart from necessary dealings, but nonetheless I keep an eye out for more solid contact.

Reasons to Remain Single

brentan comments on Jun 3, 2018:

I was married for 25 years. I'm separated now. One of the really nicest things I enjoy about being single is reading in bed at night, with some music playing too! On a different but related issue, what about the MGTOW guys who have renounced relationships with women? Between Incels and MGTOWs, it's becoming a strange world.

Is anyone else on Goodreads?

brentan comments on Jun 3, 2018:

I'm on Goodreads too. For a long time, I've only gone on the site accidentally, thinking it a book store. But for some reason,it knows the last book I was reading. Perhaps I was a bit intoxicated because I really enjoy having a drink and reading. The site says not all books are being displayed in the read section but they are working to fix it. In my case, it only shows the last book I was reading. We all seem to have very different tastes but sure, not send me your profile. Mine is Swords Shakespeare.

Sometimes life just throws a big pile of shit at you and then laughs.

brentan comments on Jun 2, 2018:

Family can be a big disappointment and still we expect so much from them. In Dante's Inferno, he puts betrayers in the lowest circle of hell.

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 serious hygienic products for me. I liked the security of the pad but the tampon had a little ‘je ne sais pas’ that felt good inside. When I went to college and met more people outside the family circle, I discovered that pads and tampons were for women and my need for inner cleanliness called for different solutions. I still sometimes blush at my innocence but I must admit I miss the tampons.

Can you name the next president?

brentan comments on Jun 1, 2018:

I keep reading about this young whippersnapper from the Kennedy family.

Here is a question for men: how do you react to a woman crying?

brentan comments on Jun 1, 2018:

1. Recognise that tears validate everything she says 2. Accept blame if possible 3. If you are not to blame, offer to beat up the offender 4. Try to turn the situation into an opportunity for sex

Why Are Atheists Generally Smarter Than Religious People? | HuffPost

brentan comments on Jun 1, 2018:

The apostle Paul laid out the reason for the lack of wise ones in the faith at 1 Corinthians 1:26-30: Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. The odd thing about this is Paul himself was very intelligent and he practically gave us Christianity as we know it today. In my years as a Christian, I found my fellow Christians to be very proud of their lack of wisdom by human standards. I didn’t find that lack of wisdom by human standards was any indication of wisdom in spiritual matters. Perhaps I shouldn’t make judgment; call it an observation.

A Massive Clue on Pregnancy And The Development of Schizophrenia Was Just Found

brentan comments on Jun 1, 2018:

Super! I really hope cancer is next. I wonder, though, will it mean schizophrenia can be cured or be a situation where pregnancies will be terminated to stop the afflicted person coming to be born. That would raise another moral dilemma like terminating pregnancies of children with Down's Syndrome.

The apple didn't fall far from the tree.

brentan comments on Jun 1, 2018:

I wish you all the best. I can't imagine how difficult it must be to deal with the addiction. Then to worry about your son's addiction. I hope you stay strong and over time, both of you stay sober.

What Time do you get up in the morning?

brentan comments on May 31, 2018:

I'm not familiar with morning. I read into the night, it just seems right. Recently, I broke my arm and the appointment times I got to have it X-rayed were for times like 8 or 9 am. What a shock to the system to be up at 6.30! And this dream-like sequence I experienced, seeing all these people moving around with coffee in paper cups as if that was a perfectly reasonable activity. I was disturbed by it and I'm going to be more careful in future to avoid accidents because I never want to experience it again!

Does anyone think we will live in a post-religious society?

brentan comments on May 31, 2018:

I think Ireland fits the label. I was a boy in the 60s when Ireland was a very oppressive society. The country has shown signs that it no longer accepts the authority of the Catholic Church, voting not too long ago for gay marriage and just recently for abortion. We are expecting a visit from the Pope in a couple of months so it will be interesting to see how the public react to that.

Are most Canadians Atheists?

brentan comments on May 31, 2018:

I don't know either but I sure would like to know what is fuelling the liberal attitude in the country recently. I tend to think of liberalism as secular values trumping religious values, such as Ireland voting against the Catholic Church in the gay marriage and abortion referenda. But maybe I'm wrong - maybe modern Christians see liberal values as the core of Christianity, loving your neighbour as yourself and not judging so that you are not judged.

This is curiously hopeful! Cracks in the armor of conservative religious society. [patheos.com]

brentan comments on May 30, 2018:

We have a gay Indian man for prime minister. Some people can't make up their minds which is worse! He's a symbol of a real change in thinking in what used to be Catholic Ireland.

Sometimes I want to sound so smart truly then Socrates reminds me how fricking stupid I can be.

brentan comments on May 30, 2018:

I feel very lucky that I can, if I concentrate, understand a lot of what clever people say.

If the Christian god is just, then how can their god choose a group of people (Israel) and say that ...

brentan comments on May 30, 2018:

This is how I understand it. The Jews became God's chosen people because of the special relationship He formed with their ancestor Abraham. They never were special in the sense of being better quality human beings. Their own history acknowledges the many times they were anything but faithful to their god. But my dealings with Jewish people (which isn't much, to be honest) convinces me that they truly believe they are special and I find that nauseating. That claim is usually about their intellect rather than anything spiritual.

Richard Dawkins was on Facebook the other day, wishing Lawrence Krauss a happy birthday — and in ...

brentan comments on May 30, 2018:

I think I'll leave the law to deal with Lawrence Krauss. So many people refuse to enjoy good artists - writers like James Joyce, poets like Dylan Thomas, movie-makers like Woody Allen, and of course Krauss with his wonderful book A Universe From Nothing. The singer/songwriter James Taylor once quipped in concert that 'it pays us not to know each other too well'. I accept their art separate from their personal lives.

Summer’s coming.

brentan comments on May 30, 2018:

James Taylor's Summer's Here c/w lyrics

Do you find it offensive when theist think without a belief in god/gods, it’s impossible to have ...

brentan comments on May 30, 2018:

Yes. They also don't seem to realise that many of us carry the core of Judeo-Christian morality with us after we have left religion.

Dawkins with the astute observation:

brentan comments on May 29, 2018:

Richard Dawkins has made a great contribution to knowledge. I read The Selfish Gene and learned so much from it. I tried to read The Extended Phenotype but it was too difficult for me. He comes across as a testy old fart but he was really up against it when he started out. His refusal to bow down to cultural certainties paved the way for many others to follow. Having enjoyed Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens for many years, I now enjoy the proponents of the middle way such as Jordon Peterson and Rupert Sheldrake.

If you could sit down for an hour or two with a writer or two - not necessarily novelists - living ...

brentan comments on May 29, 2018:

Oh gosh, I would love to talk with Dante – about his spiritual love for Beatrice and his feeling that he had lost his way in the complicated world of medieval Florence. Something happened at that time to make him change his muse from courtly love to holding the woman up as a paragon of virtue and salvation, a Christ. I would love to get him to explain about his notion of the logical conclusions of sin which would be suffered in Hell, and why he chose Hell to be freezing cold instead of boiling hot, and to ask did he really believe those evil characters were in Hell or actually resting in peace until Judgement Day.

How’s everyone doing this evening?

brentan comments on May 29, 2018:

Fine, thanks. I got a new book, I'm drinking cider, I'm writing posts and I'm listening to some loudmouth on Paltalk. It could be a lot worse. I hope you're doing good too!

So you can get to know me.

brentan comments on May 29, 2018:

I was very bad at history in school. I couldn't see it as real. I went for historical fiction and I read War and Peace and loved it. Lately I'm either reading or watching Checkov plays. I almost feel sorry for the Russian aristocrats in the plays. I want to read The Gulag Archipeligo some time soon.

It seems like everyone has been exposed to some form of media that has religious overtones.

brentan comments on May 29, 2018:

I like films like The Matrix because they leave you with so much food for thought afterwards. I liked Logan because it seems based in myth. And some of those anime films like Spirited Away. That's a little gem!

I feel this is true for most people who finally open their eyes to reality.

brentan comments on May 29, 2018:

It is liberating to feel you know the hard truth about life. It's hard because it takes away the foggy notion of everlasting life. This life is it. For very religious people and people who were steeped in what seemed like scriptural certainties about the next life, it is a very palpable loss.

(meme) Asking about the size of my ass..

brentan comments on May 28, 2018:

I think it's more important in winter.

Is contentment a mini-death?

brentan comments on May 28, 2018:

The only thing I ever read that might be related to this is the Elizabethan view on orgasm. You don't hear this notion anymore really. I think I heard it expressed in the song 'I nearly died in your arms tonight'.

How about Ireland voting to change their constitution over abortion?

brentan comments on May 27, 2018:

I read that euthanasia will be coming up soon in Ireland.

Do we really need God or religion to tell us what's right and wrong?

brentan comments on May 27, 2018:

I think we need an objective authority to tell us what is wrong. Laws like thou shalt not steal were ideal. Left to ourselves, we can add provisos like he stole it in the first place, he has too much or he is an asshole. Modern legal systems are bad at recognising the injustice caused the rich and powerful. The old Mosaic law condemned the servitude of the poor and used Jubilee years to free people from oppression. America had bankruptcy laws to help those in chains to debt but I think they are gone now. Civil law is probably just as good as any ideal religious law if it deals with the crimes of the powerful.

Some notable quotes on evil: "Hell is other people.

brentan comments on May 27, 2018:

I think that all these quotes have something in common: the evil men do to others, and in many cases, the evil we do to ourselves.. We also have to deal with the harsh nature of being, from illness, traffic accidents to earthquakes. I think we need a 'Be Nice' day all over the world to the value of politeness, kindness, patience etc. in just one day. The apostle Paul asked Christians to adopt this way of life on a permanent basis in his letter to the Galatians. Christians can't do this and neither can we - it's just so very . But we could make an effort.

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brentan comments on May 27, 2018:

I don't want to let my personal feelings about their private lives affect how I look at their work. Too many artists have questionable morals while their work can be terrific.

Hi all! In recovery for 36 years.

brentan comments on May 26, 2018:

That's good to hear. I didn't understand a lot of the terms you used but I got the jist of it. I wonder do they really think you need to believe or is it like soup kitchens where they preach to the needy for a meal. Anyway, it must have taken enormous inner strength to go your own and succeed. All the best for the future!

For The Europeans.

brentan comments on May 25, 2018:

It has been a great opportunity to offload the most intrusive of spammers. The worst offender in my case was Multilotto.

Do you think that the religious are Gullible?

brentan comments on May 25, 2018:

They can't be categorised very easily. I think people try to psychoanalyse them too but I don't think that works either. And what about people like me who used to fervently believe in god and don't anymore? I think the sincere ones are aspiring people who get caught up in group-think. The ones who are raised in a religion are completely bound up in the mentality of family and congregation members. Nonetheless, even some of them find the spirit to question and leave.

How important is your family history or lineage to you?

brentan comments on May 25, 2018:

I would like to know where my family came from. My father got as far back as 1750 and then the trail went cold. I often think of DNA testing to get a general idea but I'm suspicious that they might be telling people any old story because they can't check it themselves.

I shouldn't have to state the obvious, but men on this website who are hoping to date might want to ...

brentan comments on May 25, 2018:

I don't know whether to laugh or not at all the YouTube videos where one person allegedly 'DESTROYS' another person's argument. Even if it were true, and I I've never found the claim to be true, it would be so counter-productive that it would be something like a Pyrrhic victory.