Almost two years ago, Dad was in hospice.

gearl comments on Mar 7, 2018:

This is something that really bothers me. It’s always supposed to be the non-believer that buckles under to the believer. It gives them comfort. Your Dad was a non-believer and for once your brother should respect that. I’m getting to the age of facing my morality and have little patience for folks that just flat don’t respect my right to not believe. When I go they can give condolences to my wife and daughter and still respect the fact that I didn’t believe in their god. I won’t know the difference but it is just cruel to push unwanted beliefs at a time of grief on relatives.

In the future it may be feasible to selectively delete an unwanted memory.

gearl comments on Mar 7, 2018:

There may be things I would like to go back and change in my life but I can’t think of any memories that I would want to delete.

BOOK: 'godless' by Dan Barker - An interesting & informative journey from preacher to apostate.

gearl comments on Mar 7, 2018:

I really enjoy coming out accounts and this book was well written and enjoyable. I read it a couple of years ago.

Minimalism, environmentalism, consumerism, transcendentalism, Platonist, naturalist, romanticist or ...

gearl comments on Mar 7, 2018:

Environmentalist, naturalist, humanist and minimalist.

Atheist that admire Churches and other religious architecture?

gearl comments on Mar 7, 2018:

When we were visiting Cebu, I spent one very long day visiting most all the very old churches on the island. I guess some of my companions thought I must be pretty religious but I did get a lot of great pictures. A lot of them date back to the 1500s.

OMG!!! Who else is super proud and thinks it's super cute that a U.

gearl comments on Mar 7, 2018:

It would be a fitting reciprocation if Mr. Republican Morality-in-Chief was in the end brought down by a porn star.

Should spousal alimony be a thing? Yes or No and why?

gearl comments on Mar 6, 2018:

I tried to teach my daughter to stand her ground and pay her own way. If women are equal they should stand on their own but children still need support from both parties.

Found this on FB, READ THROUGH before commenting please.

gearl comments on Mar 6, 2018:

A whole lot different than the way I read it in history books.

When will the feds legalize cannabis? When the GOP is defanged

gearl comments on Mar 6, 2018:

Not until.

Have you reduced your spending habits since you retired?

gearl comments on Mar 6, 2018:

We do what we want but yes we do spend less.

Does anyone know of a good candidate for the next president?

gearl comments on Mar 6, 2018:

Kamala Harris

Do you ever talk about politics?

gearl comments on Mar 5, 2018:

My next door neighbor is a hard-core Trump supporter. He came over just before the election and said he wanted to argue. We went at it for about an hour, we shook hands and he went home. He hasn't spoken to me since the election. It wasn't only him but a couple of other acquaintances have shunned me since the election and their guy won. I figure it’s their decision but I guess I haven’t went out of my way to approach them. I wouldn’t know what to say. The country went to hell at that election. The people that do talk pretty much are on the same side as I am.

Guns and Glory [themaven.net]

gearl comments on Mar 5, 2018:

Interesting, especially after watching President bone-spurs talk of running in bare-handed to take down the attacker.

How religion made America go nuts

gearl comments on Mar 5, 2018:

Good video. I honestly would like to know how many Republicans actually are true believers. I hate to say it but I doubt that Trump is but I would bet that he is a believer in all kinds of nonsensical conspiracy theories. One’s about as bad as the other as neither is based on evidence. The religious are the easiest to control and if you can get that bloc voting for you, look what can happen.

[scontent.

gearl comments on Mar 5, 2018:

Let's hope so!

Is it old wine- new bottles or new bottles old wine?. From your small world,what do you see?

gearl comments on Mar 5, 2018:

Right now I don't care if the bottles are new or not, as long as I get the wine!

"We all know Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is a climate ...

gearl comments on Mar 5, 2018:

Tell me one Cabinet position that is a decent pick, just one that supports science. Tillerson would probably be closest because he, I'm sure, believes in technology but probably not the science that created it. Mnuchin, Zinke, Perdue, Ross, Acosta, Azar, Carson, Perry, and especially DeVos all want nothing more than to destroy the agencies they are in charge of.

Best supporting actor?

gearl comments on Mar 5, 2018:

The problem is we can't just watch the movie and go home. He is actually the VP of the USA.

The American GOP are mobsters.

gearl comments on Mar 5, 2018:

It sure does!

Will the March 14 student walk out for gun control do any good?

gearl comments on Mar 5, 2018:

This will be something they will remember for the rest of their lives. I've got a lot more faith in kids than you apparently have.

Sigh

gearl comments on Mar 5, 2018:

We're just scared shitless!

Check out the juvenility by the NRA! They know they're in trouble, and instead of wanting to find ...

gearl comments on Mar 5, 2018:

I'm old enough to remember the word patriot not being a dirty word.

I so like this

gearl comments on Mar 5, 2018:

But he ain't sweet!

Something's not right in Kansas; [patheos.

gearl comments on Mar 5, 2018:

I'm hoping that the generation now nearing adulthood is well represented by those students in Florida and that they vote and they vote against all the bull shit that the GOP stands for.

Is anyone watching the Sam Nunberg Show on MSNBC and now CNN?

gearl comments on Mar 5, 2018:

Erin Burnett said she smelled alcohol on his breath." The Trump team said ‘You’re drunk or off your meds.’ concerning him." "You talked about Sarah Huckabee Sanders and said she had a 'fat mouth'." "You called her a ‘fat slob’ in another interview." I later watched Anderson Cooper and about the whole show was devoted to him. I'm sure Rachael Maddow will do a number on him. It's fun.

When will Donald Trump leave or be forced from office?

gearl comments on Mar 5, 2018:

I have to say I see no upside whatsoever before 2020 unless there is some sort of a miracle and of course I don't believe in those. The Democrats might get a decent majority this fall and they could then somewhat hold either the current Commander-in-Shit or Pense in check for a couple of years. Trump seems the greater threat because he is clearly unstable.

Formerly religious people: What has become your means to cope with loosing your faith?

gearl comments on Mar 3, 2018:

For me time. I didn't cope with loosing faith as that was a weight removed but the loss of family went much deeper and took a long, long time.

What does everybody think about Richard Carrier and his theory that Jesus was not a real historical ...

gearl comments on Mar 3, 2018:

I've read books by Carrier, Doherty, Price and Ehrman and personally I have come to the conclusion that Jesus was probably much like King Arthur or Hercules, just a myth. Whether there was any real historical evidence for a living person from whom the myth decended, I doubt we'll ever know but I think not. I see every day how quickly people believe in all types of nonsensical creatures, people and events which make a perfect parallel. For centuries the majority of folks believed the earth was a circle with a great firmament over it. I favor Carrier.

Can a atheist and a Christian date.

gearl comments on Mar 2, 2018:

Works for me but my wife is very laid back and practical about it.

As an agnostic/atheist, do you feel you actually have better morals than a christian?

gearl comments on Mar 2, 2018:

Ethics might be a better word because it implies the norms we live by in society. An atheist may have better ethics because he is not living for rewards from a god but because it's the right thing to do.If a Christian follows his holy book then, in my opinion, he would be less ethical than the average person. Many Christians cherry pick and follow only the few good parts so he may be above average but many follow the bronze age thinking that most of the book is composed of and so would fall below the average.

Is it true that there is always an explanation?

gearl comments on Mar 2, 2018:

No, we're working on it but in the meantime we don't know.

Would you rather be poor and work at a job you love or be rich and work at a job you hate? Why?

gearl comments on Mar 2, 2018:

I have switched jobs several times because I hated the previous one and made less because of it but never regretted the decision. I've had to work jobs I hated till I could make the transition but when opportunity presented itself off I went. I also worked a job for eight years that I hated at first but it became the best I ever had.

Here is something some of you might want to try.

gearl comments on Mar 2, 2018:

I tried it with my new Nikon and it's exactly what @jnei said. If your 7 feet from the mirror and you focus on the post it the camera says 7 ft and if you foucus on yourself the camera says 14 ft because that's how far the light travels from you to the mirror and back again.

I truly do not understand how someone can be an atheist and a conservative.

gearl comments on Feb 27, 2018:

I guess not believing in god doesn't automatically make one reasonable or good or smart. It's just that reasonable, good and smart people are more apt to be atheists.

Just saw a quote from Pence "abortion will end in our time".

gearl comments on Feb 27, 2018:

It's surprising how many people seem to vote for a single issue. In my neck of the woods I know folks that vote almost exclusively on abortion, the second amendment or making any changes that would help the environment recover especially climate change issues. To them they're just black/white issues.

I am concerned about the future our country.

gearl comments on Feb 27, 2018:

I think the most of us here feel the same.

Let's be clear - yes, there is a problem.

gearl comments on Feb 27, 2018:

Sad where we are! I'll do what I can though.

We all (or most of us) know that Trump is bad but Pence is worse.

gearl comments on Feb 27, 2018:

I thought that Pence would be worse for a long time. I believe I have been proved wrong.

Has anyone read the, "Left Behind" books?

gearl comments on Feb 27, 2018:

I was leaving religion when the first book came out.At the local library I saw it and thought it was sci-fi so I took it out and read about two chapters. That was all I could stomach. I told the librarian that it was the most immoral book I had come across.

Does wisdom come with age?

gearl comments on Feb 27, 2018:

I'm 74. Naaah!

I am starting to really not like the word "Patriot" because the meaning has become so charged.

gearl comments on Feb 27, 2018:

I agree 100%.

Michelle Obama 2020! Any thoughts?

gearl comments on Feb 27, 2018:

I really want someone with some experience, who knows how to at least have a somewhat normal cabinet again. I love Michelle but she has no experience.

There have been several mentions of the "political compass" in politics discussion recently.

gearl comments on Feb 27, 2018:

Here's mine.

How many others are offended because of Billy Graham's body being placed in the US capitol?

gearl comments on Feb 27, 2018:

He certainly did nothing to deserve it.

Man shoots his penis [chicago.suntimes.com]

gearl comments on Feb 27, 2018:

The only thing that will stop a bad guy with a gun is a dickhead with a gun.

It is frequently asked if we announce that we are atheists.

gearl comments on Feb 26, 2018:

The local library sponsors programs where professors from either ASU or U of A come and we discuss sometimes very controversial topics. I will usually make a few comments and I do usually introduce myself as a liberal. I find that if I do so, people figure I'm being up front and on several occasions I have had people on the other side of the fence approach me with really good discussion points after the program.

Statistics published recently suggest 42% of US households have at least one gun.

gearl comments on Feb 26, 2018:

I have a 22 handgun that I bought when I was 18. It would probably take me ten minutes to even find it in the bowels of the closet. I think the last time I shot it was about 30 years ago. I do have friends that have guns and most also believe in sensible gun control.

Do you have a favorite decade of music?

gearl comments on Feb 25, 2018:

I was a young adult in the 60s and I still like music from the 60s and 70s above more recent music so I absolutely agree.

Does being in a gay relationship with a Jehovah's witness (not baptized) work?

gearl comments on Feb 25, 2018:

I know a lady that was raised JW who is now about 50 and who at times says that she is a lesbian. I have been her shoulder to cry on, when need be, which is OK but she never takes advice. She can't seem to completely shake free of the religion because of family. She is somewhat shunned but not completely which I find more troublesome than having a clean break and this has completely screwed up her life. My point is be careful as their tentacles run deep even for some who have left. Also their views on sex are bat-shit crazy and screw up straight people that were raised in the cult.

What books are you all reading right now?

gearl comments on Feb 25, 2018:

I'm part of a book discussion group and we are reading: Full Body Burden: Growing Up in the Nuclear Shadow of Rocky Flats by Kristen Iversen.

What is unconditional love, and if so, what do people mean when they speak of it?

gearl comments on Feb 25, 2018:

I'm with the folks that state it's for your kids. When I think of it, I'm immediately drawn to the idea of folks that only love their kids if they believe what their parents do and always live up to the parents expectations and have the correct sexual preference then that's what unconditional love is not. To the rest of us we love our kids even if they disagree with us and go down a different path than we had envisioned but we still love them. That's what I think of when I hear the phrase.

What is “worse” to you – being lied to spare your feelings, or being told the truth when the ...

gearl comments on Feb 24, 2018:

I hate lies but I must say that at times just keeping one's mouth shut is better than either.

Is it correct to debate someone who is fond of using bible as his source reference?

gearl comments on Feb 24, 2018:

I was a true believer for many years so I know a fair amount about the Bible and enjoy debating it if they're somewhat honest. Most won't debate the Bible but only their interpretation of it. That's not what it really means. You're using the wrong translation. Of course the most popular is using it to prove itself and because god says it so it's gotta be true. Noooo. It's still fun to point out the shear nonsense and lack of morality contained in it's pages. Those are low hanging fruit.

Sam Harris. What's your take on him?

gearl comments on Feb 23, 2018:

It seems that for some reason we can openly criticize Christianity all we want but my goodness don't take issue with Islam or your a bigot.

How Manafort’s inability to convert a PDF file to Word helped prosecutors | Ars Technica

gearl comments on Feb 23, 2018:

I guess folks in the swamp aren't tech savvy.

Define miracles!

gearl comments on Feb 23, 2018:

One small child survives a plane crash while 200 die. Which is the miracle, that he lived or that 200 died? I would surmise that events happened in a particular way that he alone was in a particular position to survive. Time and unforeseen circumstances. It's a matter of probability that one person out of 1,000 lives while the rest don't. I you wish to believe that a supernatural force saved you that is your prerogative but I too survived several motorcycle accidents and I chose to chalk it up to being lucky as in things fell in line for my survival. I could as easily have been killed.

Atheism

gearl comments on Feb 22, 2018:

I was raised very religious but can't say that I was forced to go. I have to bear that burden all by myself. It took me till I was almost 40 to see the light of the hypocrisy that I had been taught to believe. Guess that I was just dumber than most.

Billy Graham's Legacy Is Conflating White Christianity And Patriotism | HuffPost

gearl comments on Feb 22, 2018:

I've always viewed Graham as one of those preachers that pretty much founded the mess we have now with Christianity becoming more and more divorced from morality.

Do you have family members that refuse to upgrade technology?

gearl comments on Feb 22, 2018:

I'm somewhat of a Luddite. I have a flip-Track-phone that costs me $150 every 2 years. I do watch some TV but not a lot. We both have tablets in addition to a decent computers and we keep appliances somewhat up-to-date as the newer ones are much more energy efficient. We heat with wood, had a dishwasher but never used it, and we hang our clothes outside. Somethings we like and somethings we don't. My wife and I aren't much for keeping up with the Jones's but if it's something we personally want we get it.

Do you think some religious attitudes could be the downfall of the human race?

gearl comments on Feb 22, 2018:

A big one for me is the self-fulfilling prophecy of Armageddon and the rapture. A lot of those folks want it bad enough that they will vote for someone that wouldn't be afraid of pulling the trigger or pushing the button. Does that sound familiar?

What is your favorite genre of music?

gearl comments on Feb 22, 2018:

I used to listen to a lot of country but because so much music has become politicized I now listen to classic Rock 'N Roll and blues. It's funny how musical tastes could be changed by idealism but most country just sounds awful to me any more.

Religious niece asked to pray with her.

gearl comments on Feb 22, 2018:

My daughter has a young girl about eleven that idolizes her. When the girl asked her a question about god, Sam told her straight up she didn't believe. I guess the young lady didn't realize that there were people that "didn't believe in God." The shock didn't last long and they are still as close. It's usually best to just be honest.

Jake took his last walk this evening.

gearl comments on Feb 22, 2018:

I've had to have my last two dogs put down. That was really hard. Jake at least went out doing what he loved and he was with the folks he loved. Condolences.

Do you think my position is too extreme? (Warning: graphic descriptions inside)

gearl comments on Feb 22, 2018:

Nah, Sounds good to me.

None of This Really Happened | And no, this time I’m not talking politics, although that does ...

gearl comments on Feb 22, 2018:

The same people that believe Trump's lies overall, are the ones that have invisible friends and enemies, believe that the earth stopped spinning from 1,000 mph and just as quickly started up again, believe in talking snakes and donkeys and that zombies walked the streets of Jerusalem. If your gullible, your gullible. In that regard religion and politics do go together.

This fascinates me because they try to explain certain things that most here consider supernatural ...

gearl comments on Feb 21, 2018:

I've had OOBE, astral-projection experiences, heard voices and I have seen UFOs. The first two were training my mind to see things that weren't really there. I worked at it. It's called imagination. Voices I chalked up to something like lucid dreaming and the UFO was something I couldn't immediately identify. I see no reason to see the supernatural in any of those things. The mind is a complex machine that we are just beginning to study and some of the ways it affects our senses makes things seem beyond what is normal. Attributing supernatural significance just makes things more complicated than they already are and hinders honest exploration into their true significance.

What was a fact taught to you in school that has been disproven in your lifetime?

gearl comments on Feb 20, 2018:

The steady state theory. A whole lot concerning biology.

Man created both his God and his Devil in his own image.

gearl comments on Feb 20, 2018:

That makes sense.

If man doesn't exist does the the universe exist?

gearl comments on Feb 20, 2018:

Somebody typed that question on a keyboard of a computer and uploaded to this website or I wouldn't be reading it. I would say he exists which makes the question nonsensical.

Religious suffering

gearl comments on Feb 20, 2018:

Pictures of Armageddon were always just a page or two away when reading their literature.

Kids

gearl comments on Feb 20, 2018:

A son who shuns me because of religion and a daughter who is a junior at university. She makes up for him.

Favourite Book Genre?

gearl comments on Feb 20, 2018:

Nonfiction then Sci-Fi.

5 Founding Fathers Whose Skepticism About Christianity Would Make Them Unelectable Today | Alternet

gearl comments on Feb 19, 2018:

Good talking points in these crazy times.

Proving the unseen

gearl comments on Feb 19, 2018:

I don't see the correlation. There is evidence that dark matter exists but none that a god exists.

Congrats to all of you for seeing that the ideas presented by organized religion are a load of ...

gearl comments on Feb 19, 2018:

Most comments that I’ve seen on this site all say that the reason these individuals don’t accept that a god exists is lack of evidence. There is no difference between their lack of belief in god than there is in fairies, unicorns, UFOs, or any god other than the one you happen to envision. If you wish to believe in something without any definition of what that something is then that something can be logically dismissed. That belief becomes nothing but faith which is believing without any evidence.

If you were to be another animal what would it be and which chracteristic appeals to you about this ...

gearl comments on Feb 18, 2018:

I agree with Abbey, the turkey vulture.

Atheists are under threat: discrimination against non-religious people increases - micetimes.asia

gearl comments on Feb 18, 2018:

We never know what the future holds or what catalyst will appear to change it. Most folks would have not foreseen the change in general attitude toward LGBT community coming as quickly as it did. There might be a chance that attitudes on guns could change because of the outspokenness of the high-schoolers in Florida. What if anything will change the poll numbers on 45? Polls can tell us where we are today but they can't predict where we will be tomorrow other than giving us historical trends. Shit happens that change trends.

Who gave you the 'birds and bees' lecture

gearl comments on Feb 18, 2018:

Nearly every day, at lunch, in home room, a guy named Paul would get up and tell everybody in the class all the intimate details of his sexual encounters.

What are some of your favorite films?

gearl comments on Feb 17, 2018:

From the last few years and for a host of reasons, I love Avatar.

Since this is an agnostic website, I thought it would be appropriate to ask the community what their...

gearl comments on Feb 16, 2018:

I did read and enjoy: "The Great Agnostic: Robert Ingersoll and American Freethought" by Susan Jacoby.

Which bible story for you was the most comedic?

gearl comments on Feb 16, 2018:

Weird may be a better term but I like: Exodus 4:24–26 “At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses and was about to kill him. But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it. ‘Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,’ she said. So the Lord let him alone.”

How to respond to the "God is energy" belief/claim.

gearl comments on Feb 14, 2018:

I have to admit that I went through that phase for a short period of time in my life. It was hard for me to give up on god. Pantheistic thinking isn't normally harmful but it is as nonsensical as any other religion. I guess when I read "The God Delusion" it erased the last vestiges of that kind of thinking from my mind.

I am afraid of ghosts, though I don't believe in them

gearl comments on Feb 14, 2018:

When I left religion I had many irrational fears. What I did was purposefully do things that put me face to face with my fears. The greatest fear I had was going to empty building after dark so I just made myself do it. I walked under ladders and didn't worry about broken mirrors. Actually my life grew much brighter with much fewer bouts of bad periods when I openly flaunted my fears.

Are you proud of your parents?

gearl comments on Feb 14, 2018:

My folks, especially my dad let me grow up to think for myself. It didn't take for a while but it was there in the back of my brain and won out in the end. That was decades before anyone ever heard of critical thinking skills. They also loved me unconditionally.

How much time do you spend on here?

gearl comments on Feb 14, 2018:

The Olympics came through and saved me. I've been weened for the next couple of weeks.

Astral projection

gearl comments on Feb 14, 2018:

More Deepak Chopra woo.

Do you have a favorite outspoken atheist?

gearl comments on Feb 14, 2018:

Gotta be Dawkins.

Have any of you read the book "WHAT THE BLEEP DO WE KNOW!?

gearl comments on Feb 11, 2018:

I watched the movie years ago but found it pretty underwhelming.

10 Reasons Aliens Won't Invade Earth... [youtube.com]

gearl comments on Feb 11, 2018:

I tend to think that #3 is number one but the rest have merit.

American found with weapons in Uganda - Daily Nation

gearl comments on Feb 11, 2018:

I hope he is dealt with by their laws.

I am a photographer.

gearl comments on Feb 11, 2018:

I've had a lot of great cameras in my life. The one I have now is 24MP and the pictures I get from it all far, far above what I could ever have gotten with film. The ISO aspects,the cost per picture and being able to work on them with a computer using PS just seals the deal.

2018 Winter Olympics, who's watching?

gearl comments on Feb 9, 2018:

Front and center. Most everything.

Really glad for this community.

gearl comments on Feb 7, 2018:

Evolution, the future of biology and AI.

At what point is charity necessary? At what point do you say NO?

gearl comments on Feb 7, 2018:

The biggest problem I have with organized charity is that if you give to one then it appears that they sell your information to everyone else and you become inundated with mail and phone calls because you have become a mark. That was my personal experience and because of it I have become more suspicious of anyone asking for aid. One organization that I get hounded by is the fraternal order of police. At least a call or two a week. Cops make triple what I ever made and have a pension, so why should they ever think that I need to support them as I live on SS.

I have basically written that I cannot not grasp the kind of mentality do trophy hunters have that ...

gearl comments on Feb 6, 2018:

I have friends that hunt but none that trophy hunt. I hear the arguments that the money helps endangered species but I just cannot understand anyone's need to kill animals especially those with small populations for no other reason than "sport" whatever that is. I agree "it is not a sport." Go in naked with a pocket knife to hunt lions or that leopard above. That would be sport.

I get bored in the mountains of boondock Idaho.

gearl comments on Feb 6, 2018:

I'm in the same boat in the mountains of Arizona.

[forbes.com] Are they setting us up for bankruptcy?

gearl comments on Feb 6, 2018:

I've thought it was obvious. They want to get rid of the majority of social services and cut the hell out of SS and medicare. If we're bankrupt then there is no other option. We will be very similar to Russia at that point.

Is this the real reason he donated his salary? :D

gearl comments on Feb 6, 2018:

Defense is big bucks for the people promoting war or threat of war. All that talk about the button and making America the greatest military in the world when we are already, many times over.

Trump always has an ulterior motive.

gearl comments on Feb 6, 2018:

I am afraid that even if we remove him that he has emboldened a viciousness that will take years to repair. You keep speaking out though and I will too and maybe we can, with the help of all our friends, repair the damage.

Are there any others out here that feel as I do?

gearl comments on Feb 6, 2018:

Many of us.