Matt Dilahunty once made the statement that "Atheists are those that don't BELIEVE in a god, and ...

genessa comments on Apr 29, 2019:

no, i don't agree. what i think is that people spend too much time trying to define words that actually each have more than one meaning in that their meanings are broad. an atheist can be someone who doesn't believe in any gods, or someone who firmly believes there are no gods. both are atheists. some agnostics explain themselves by saying they don't believe in any gods but cannot state that there definitely are none because they don't know; others say they're simply unsure; others are offended when people say agnostics are unsure. there is a RANGE for each and they overlap. i won't oversimplify just so we can have two clearly labeled barrels to toss people into. g

Unequally yoked

genessa comments on Apr 29, 2019:

i don't consider that my job. unlike some christians, do not feel i must save everyone. let people be. if your family is happy as they are, as long as they're not trying to make you be something you're not, why try to make them be something they're not? my guy watches wrestling two nights a week. i think it's stupid. he enjoys it. i leave him alone. g

I call him by the old fashioned term "Asshole"

genessa comments on Apr 29, 2019:

now, now, don't insult assholes. depending on your metabolism, an asshole is useful between one and whatever number of times per day. there is no earthly use for trump. g

Death arrangement

genessa comments on Apr 29, 2019:

from google: Body donation. Contact local medical schools and teaching hospitals. ... Direct cremation. This involves simple cremation, without costly memorial services. ... Direct burial (also known as “immediate burial”). ... Mausoleum. ... Backyard burial. ... Burial at sea. ... “Green” cemetery burial. ... Cryonic freezing. g

this post isn't actually about my being a mess, but i have to explain that i'm a mess for the post ...

genessa comments on Apr 28, 2019:

hey everyone i appreciate all the advice about the tinnitis but what i was eager to share was how the one show that is usually reliable turned into a horror show for me because of my ptsd regarding eyes! lolol! okay, just thought i would mention that. carry on! g

Despite being atheist, im pretty sure I 100% believe in Tarot cards.

genessa comments on Apr 28, 2019:

there definitely are tarot cards in the world. i own a pack. the cards are pretty. when i used to resd them for people, i did NOT, as someone suggested below, ask questions. i read them cold. however, the cards have no magic powers whatsoever. as has also been suggested below, they provoke thoughts and feelings. they enable me, the reader, to give decent advice, and insofar as one can predict predictable things (no, you should not murder your husband or you'll go to prison) it can help in that regard, but it cannot enable me or anyone else to make predictions about things beyond our control. it is not, i repeat NOT, magic, or connected with spirits or spirituality, or anything supernatural. those who have no affinity for the cards will find them useless. those who have unrealistic expectations of them will find them useless. those who want to attribute powers to them will be disappointed. g

It seems like every day at work I get religious people randomly asking me if im Christian and ...

genessa comments on Apr 28, 2019:

from googline texas aclu: How do I contact the ACLU in Texas? If you would like to file a complaint, click here to fill out our legal complaint form. Texas Bar Lawyer Referral Service (click on “find a lawyer”) or call 1-877-9TEXBAR (toll free) Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid or call 1-888-988-9996 (toll free) now, you don't have to contact them right away. you can complain to the powers that be in your company that you are being harassed. make sure you have a concrete request, such as "i would like the other employees to stop giving me christian literature, asking me about religion and/or trying to get me to their churches." be as calm as possible. you can meanwhile mention that you thought of going to the aclu but realized that a simple request might be appropriate, since soliciting religion and harassment in general are INappropriate in the workplace. the mention of the aclu may serve as a kind of protection against being dismissed. i don't know if texas is an at-will state, which, if it was, would mean an employer doesn't need a reason to fire an employee, but if discrimination is involved, that trumps the at-will bit. so mentioning the aclu and making it clear that you feel you're being harassed expressly because of religion could be that much protection. if your efforts there are ineffective, then you will want to contact the aclu and ask how to proceed and whether they think you need them to press charges. g

This editorial cartoon was published in the NY Times international edition, to be followed on Monday...

genessa comments on Apr 27, 2019:

disgusting. g

Deuteronomy 20:16 New International Version (NIV) 16 However, in the cities of the nations the Lord...

genessa comments on Apr 27, 2019:

side note that doesn't really answer your question (but i thought i should mention it): the disorder you wish to mention is not schizophrenia but dissociative identity disorder, once called multiple personality disorder and probably due for another name change in the future because for some reason that always happens. to answer your actual question: yeah, the bibles are inconsistent. note that you mentioned bits of two different bibles. the quotation from deuteronomy is out of context (the context doesn't help that much but is interesting so i link it here, and please note that this is a direct translation from hebrew and did not pass through the hands of emperors, popes or kings): https://www.mechon-mamre.org/e/et/et0520.htm meanwhile, yes, that portion of the hebrew bible is brutal, dealing with war. of course that's people, not a fictional skydaddy, making that recommendation for how to treat conquered people. i know you know that but are presenting this as god's words because you want to make a point. i cannot help you with regard to the chrisrian bible since i have never been christian and have no deep knowledge of that particular bible. i do know that if jesus existed (maybe and maybe not) he was jewish, so i suppose that jesus, even as a fictional character, would be well familiar with deuteronomy. meanwhile, one does not have to be schizoid or dissociative to change one's mind, or to be flighty and inconsistent. if there was a god and he said those things, and if we counted jesus as not only having existed but being a manifestation of the same god quoted in deuteronomy, one could just consider him an untrustworthy son of a bitch, not necessarily mentally ill but just unreliable (at best). good thing there is no such animal, eh? g

I have a buddy I was in Vietnam with. He is one of my best friends. We have only met only once ...

genessa comments on Apr 27, 2019:

alas, his political views and his racism are wrapped up together. i wish i had a solution. there probably is none. he is the product of his upbringing, and his upbringing is largely brainwashing. the best you can do, i think, is ask him not to rant on racistly. explain that it makes you feel bad (i think "offends" would not be a useful word even if it's accurate). explain that you don't feel the same way, offer to explain why but give him a way out -- for example "if you want to know why it makes me feel bad i can tell you, but if you'd rather just drop it, that's okay too, but it hurts me to hear what you're saying so please don't lay that on me." g

By the logic being employed by a couple of our more Islamphobic members: because a minority of ...

genessa comments on Apr 27, 2019:

you said it. i've been saying this for a long time but you said it so well (and it's okay that you misspelled pence's name because pence has misspelled his darling christianity, figuratively speaking; it may revolve around a fictional skydaddy but my understanding is that it is supposed to promote some kind of love among mankind. i do need new glasses but i can't manage to blame myself for not being able to see christianity that way. HOWEVER, i do not blame individual christians i know who take the good parts and treat folks kindly and ignore the howlings of the megachurches. as for republicans.... i can somehow manage to distinguish between the ordinary republican voter and republican elected officials and appointees, and between either of them and rabid republican voters who are also terrorists or erstwhile terrorists. the part of your post i like BEST, though, is the part about bibi. he does NOT represent all israelis (and i am convinced he trumpishly stole his election, and no i have no sources, just a gut feeling, so i can't provide evidence much less proof -- i am just stating my feelings here) and certainly does not represent all jews (even if trump wants to call him MY prime minister rofl rofl). meanwhile, every muslim i have met in person has been a kind, normal individual who would no more rape or pillage or terrorize than you or i. oh as for stalin... did you ever notice how saddam hussein physically fashioned himself after stalin? find pictures of each and look at them side by side. spooky! but hussein didn't represent iraquis either. dictators are not in the business of representing the people of their countries, eh? g

Well that'll do it I suppose Christian Teacher Ended Her Husband’s Porn Habit… By Shooting ...

genessa comments on Apr 27, 2019:

yeah that is a viable cure. of course now there is a new disease and the cure is administered through the courts. g

Today I tried to give my mother advice, and she said that the bible says that one should not listen ...

genessa comments on Apr 27, 2019:

is she a trumpkin? if so, then say two words to her: golden calf. and you have my sympathy. g

I just wanted to get some other opinions on this. Have you ever been talking to someone who says ...

genessa comments on Apr 26, 2019:

i encounter it all the time here and on facebook, usually not in connection with religion, and although mostly with regard to politics, sometimes, surprisingly, not. g

Poor Bob Barr

genessa comments on Apr 26, 2019:

funny meme, but it's bill, not bob. actually his name is asshole but still. g

Hannity pondering bailing on Fox News because he no longer feels the network is loyal to Trump: ...

genessa comments on Apr 26, 2019:

good. 'bye-eeeee seanie! g

Birth Of A Nation (Movie) on You Tube is outstanding and will guarantee your anger. It's the Silent...

genessa comments on Apr 25, 2019:

since when i there another version anyway? outstandingly what? it's wonderfully produced and directed and acted and it's horrible. i am not going to purvey that racist horror. g

Would anyone be opposed to mandatory psychological evaluation for all citizens? The military and ...

genessa comments on Apr 25, 2019:

unfortunately, psychiatric evaluation really isn't one-size-fits-all. if it became institutionalized in the way you describe, people who were stable but quirky might be excluded unfairly from... whatever. creative people, gone. i don't like this idea. i think that more attention needs to be paid to trigger behavior, and then the evaluation should be based on whatever is suspected, not standardized. g

Biden boosters telling me another "hold your nose" candidate is the path to victory.

genessa comments on Apr 25, 2019:

by the way, i am not by any means a biden booster. i am a GET A DEM INTO OFFICE AND GET TRUMP INTO PRISON booster. g

If more republicans come forward like this woman, maybe the new POTUS will be somebody decent? What ...

genessa comments on Apr 25, 2019:

too late for the republican party. it is, as a unit, corrupt. g

Biden boosters telling me another "hold your nose" candidate is the path to victory.

genessa comments on Apr 25, 2019:

oh so not being perfect or being too centrist isn't better than having a nazi in the white house? biden is not even close to being my first choice and he won't get my vote in the primary but i'll be damned if i let trump stay put! get REAL! g

I'm in the US Virgin Islands so I can't vote for US mainland elections, sadly. Here is firmly ...

genessa comments on Apr 25, 2019:

welcome! those are legitimate interests for sure. i trust we can gather enough members to get a good conversation going :-)) g

We are open for business! If I can post a cat - it means the site is working right? Ok it's ...

genessa comments on Apr 25, 2019:

can't beat cats for an opening act! :-)) g

Yes, we removed the general forum. It was a tough decision and we eventually moved to a group model...

genessa comments on Apr 24, 2019:

so we all have to join groups, whether we want to or not, to make our voices heard, be it through our original posting or through responses to others' posts? this is quite disappointing. i understand your point of view and i am not savvy enough to offer a solution, but i can't help how i feel, and it WILL affect my participation here. that's not a threat (as if the world would end if i posted less!) it's an observatoin. g

Have you ever been overcome by emotion in a professional setting? I have three bosses in the chain ...

genessa comments on Apr 24, 2019:

emotions are good. if you've been avoiding them, this was a good chance to stop doing that destructive thing. you don't have to emote all over the place; floods cause mudslides! but a little boohoo now and again is a damned good thing. g

There is a good political reason to not impeach trump. And why Pelosi stated “I need to be Speaker...

genessa comments on Apr 24, 2019:

i understand that theory and there is some validity to it, and yet i don't agree that this is the right course to follow. leaving trump in office another two years won't just finish off the republican party (maybe); it will endanger us for those two years, and it may also have the reverse effect and give the republicans time and motivation to secure their permanent power, make trump a dictator, and, oh, i dunno, maybe blow is all up on the side. g

I wonder if there is a certain falseness when someone chooses not to identify themselves; when they ...

genessa comments on Apr 24, 2019:

sometimes. sometimes they're just being playful. role-playing games are fun and some people carry role-playing into more than just games online. i don't, but i know some do. but think of this: sometimes role-playing is an expression of a part of you that really exists and can't practically be expressed in any other way! does that make it dishonest or MORE honest? g

What's the oldest thing you own and still use?

genessa comments on Apr 24, 2019:

my bladder. wait, my nutcracker, bottle openeer and cracked craved antique chair are all older than i am. they joined my family before i did. i still use them. i have books older than i am too. g

Name an old school word that we don't use anymore.

genessa comments on Apr 24, 2019:

i use all the damned words! i use words other people SHOULD be using, like "twice" and "easier" instead of "two times" and "more easy." watch a couple tv commercials or narrated documentaries and you'll see what i mean. copacetic. groovy. i still say those. okay i don't say ice box, but i never did. i'm only 67. i missed ice box. g p.s. glad to see you corrected the meme. "a old school"? seriously?

Why do people cheat in monogamous relationships?! You don't have to answer me but think objectively...

genessa comments on Apr 24, 2019:

if they're cheating, they're not IN a monogamous relationship. they might think, or pretend that they are. the other party in the relationship may or may not believe it's monogamous. it's just not. g

I have come to realize there is no where to escape "god talk". I know this is an agnostic site & a ...

genessa comments on Apr 24, 2019:

that's why we have categories other than "relgion & spirituality" here. don't like? don't click! g

This has most likely been discussed multiple times, so apologies for creating yet another ...

genessa comments on Apr 24, 2019:

i have been suicidal and sometimes still feel that way, and there is nothing anyone can say or do. it just has to pass, and for some it doesn't. the more situational it is, the less likely it is to pass without effort (o if someone is suicidal out of desperation for being homeless, telling that person it will pass is stupid; helping the person get a home would be useful!) if it is totally internal, medical intervention may be called for. there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and sometimes there is no solution. as for religious folks wondering why we don't kill ourselves, the answer is simple: this is the only life we have. i have heard us wondering why they don't kill themselves since they are so eager to go to heaven! g

[friendlyatheist.patheos.com] This is discrimintation

genessa comments on Apr 23, 2019:

here. this is the article: Missouri Bill Banning Anonymity of Atheist Plaintiffs in Lawsuits Passes House BY HEMANT MEHTA APRIL 10, 2019 A bill that will paint a giant target on atheists’ backs for any Christian vigilante who wants to attack them has just passed the Missouri State House. A little background here: Whenever a church/state separation lawsuit lists the plaintiffs, it’s not unusual to see initials in place of their real names, if not a pseudonym like “Jane Doe.” That’s for good reason: If their names ever became public, they could be stalked or bullied (or worse) in their communities, many of which are extremely religious, which is why there are church/state separation problems in the first place. Judges understand this. They may require the plaintiffs to appear before them or use their real names in sealed documents, but they usually allow the people to remain anonymous in the public record if there’s a legitimate reason for it. Missouri State Rep. Hardy Billington, a Republican Baptist who recently said his goal in office was to “stand up for Christian values,” wants those atheists to suffer. Billington filed a bill earlier this year, HB 728, that would force adult plaintiffs to use their real names in any cases involving church/state separation… and only in cases involving church/state separation. Apparently, if you sue over a Ten Commandments monument outside of a public school, everyone needs to know your real name. Not so in other kinds of lawsuits. Here’s the change he wants to make: Except if the party in interest is a minor, in any action involving the separation of church and state, such action shall be prosecuted in the name of the real party in interest. There is no benefit to the public here. All Billington is doing is creating a new obstacle to deter atheists from coming forward about potentially illegal issues. Those who still go through with it will have to deal with the inevitable Christian backlash. Why are we treating these plaintiffs different from other ones? Why is church/state separation the one issue in which anonymity is not an option? When Eric Wells, the Missouri Assistant State Director for American Atheists, spoke in front of the House Judiciary Committee, urging them to reconsider this thoughtless piece of legislation, he offered a long list of atheist plaintiffs who were threatened and faced harassment after bringing forth a lawsuit. (In one famous case from 2000, for example, Wells noted that the “speculation about their identities was so intense that before the trial, the district court judge issued an unusual order specifically instructing the school district’s representatives not to reveal the families’ identities to anyone for any reason ...

[friendlyatheist.patheos.com] This is discrimintation

genessa comments on Apr 23, 2019:

i like patheos well enough to click but many people are shy about clicking various links. could you summarize for those at least trying to decide whether or not to go to the article? g

Belief is the death of intelligence do you agree?

genessa comments on Apr 23, 2019:

it depends on what it is you believe, how strongly you believe it, how important that belief is to your life, what your evidence is for belief in whatever it is, and why you believe it. belief is a pretty general word, isn't it? it begs the question "belief in what" as well as all i've just said. i totally believe my throat is sore right now. it's not a religious belief but you didn't specify that. (nor does that belief control my lifetime of behavior; it did stop me from going outside today.) you indicated that with your picture but on the other hand your picture appears (by virtue of your words) to indicate that christianity is the only possible belief for a person to hold. that simply isn't true. even religion is not the only possible kind of belief for a person to hold. besides, intelligent people can be brainwashed too. g

Rant: As a society, we have socialized women to be in constant competition with other women. This ...

genessa comments on Apr 23, 2019:

i am a curvy older woman and i have never done such a thing, nor experienced such a thing, frankly. i see it on tv, where it appears to be a myth perpetuated to make us think this is how women not only do but should behave. in real life i have never seen it. moreover, when curvy women say that real women have curves, it is like black lives matter. it is a counter to prejudice AGAINST curvy women. i have actually been discriminated against for being overweight (and the discrimination started when i was just a little bit overweight, too). i have also been discriminated against for being older. i have not turned around and discriminated against younger or slimmer women. i HAVE on occasion seen women presented, for example on tv or in magazine ads, as being beautiful when in fact to me they look anorexic, or like holocaust victims. when i see such things, i may express what i think about what i have seen. this is NOT the same thing as being in constant competition with other women, or being hypocritical or even insecure. there are women who have internalized misogyny; i have not experienced, in real life, the examples of it you mention. real women are supportive, or not, of other women, based on their individual qualities, not based on their being women. g

Does being amoral give you an advantage in some situations? Lets say there are identical twins ...

genessa comments on Apr 23, 2019:

it is a bit suspicious to be asking this on a site for agnostics and atheists, since so many believers mistakenly think of us as amoral. however, setting that aside, the question itself is weird even without that context because it has not been established that there is a moral or immoral quality to gambling. it may be foolish, it may be wise, it may be fun or it may be a drag but your question assumes it is immoral. it also assumes that the definition of morality has something to do with mutual benefit, and seems to define benefit as material, ignoring the fact that benefit can consist of pleasure, which means the gamblers benefit because they enjoy gambling. until you better define morality and eschew assumptions, the question will continue to make no sense at all. g

Bangladesh starlet apologises after 'atheist' comments - Bangladesh Weekly

genessa comments on Apr 23, 2019:

too bad she has to recant. it happened to galileo too. most of us cannot imagine living in a world where we could be persecuted and even murdered for declaring our disbelief. g

If the person you were dating told the friends who were helping you out with expenses that they were...

genessa comments on Apr 23, 2019:

on what basis do they suggest forgiving him? he obviously would be okay with a loveless marriage based on dependence. that's not love on his part. that's not even like on his part. in true love you want the other person's good. in romantic love you want the other person. pardon the unattributed quotation; i forget who said it. anyway, why would you want to see someone who wants to trap you into a marriage by making you need him for his money? ick! the forgiving friend is giving you bad advice. g

Hello everyone! I'm a recovering ex-cult member and joined this site in an effort to learn more ...

genessa comments on Apr 23, 2019:

i can't even imagine -- i was raised so differently. i admire your ability to break free and to sound so cheerful even during such a ride. welcome! g

Is it correct that Atheists are smarter than religious?

genessa comments on Apr 23, 2019:

some are and some are not. atheists have ONE thing in common: a lack of belief in gods. everything else is anyone's bet. you can't even say they're necessarily more logical because not everyone came to atheism the same way. g

Nothing in my feed

genessa comments on Apr 23, 2019:

click the NEWEST heading; it defaults to GROUPS. g

Something happening with site?

genessa comments on Apr 23, 2019:

content has not dropped off. you just have to choose the leftmost link, newest, to see the newest stuff. i see new stuff added all the time that way. g

what is an atheist? what do they believe?

genessa comments on Apr 23, 2019:

cute. (to answer the sober question we all thought you were going to ask: atheists believe there are no gods. that's all. we may or may not have anything else in common. some people ask, can atheists eat meat, can atheists listen to christian music, do atheists this, can atheists that. it's silly. atheism isn't a religion or a sect and has no rulebook or tenets. all it has is a definition. if you fit the definition you're an atheist!)

Were you a "late-bloomer"?

genessa comments on Apr 22, 2019:

i went on a blind date my sister set up for me. it was a disaster. i had lovers but we didn't meet on, or get to know each other on, dates; we went out together after becoming lovers. i met people through other means. i did go on two newspaper ad dates in the 1980s. one showed up drunk. with the other i hit it off and we were really enjoying ourselves when he put his hands around my throat. i don't LIKE that. it was a dealbreaker. (he went back to his ex, anyway.) and i met ONE guy on a computer date. he turned out to be married. so i am 67 now and have been with my guy for 19 years now. we didn't realy date. i am a late bloomer in terms of falling in love. in terms of dating... that's a bloom that passed me by. g

Note to self: Stay away from political discussions, too much negativity. Anyone else agree?

genessa comments on Apr 22, 2019:

nope. i jump on in. it's important. that doesn't mean you should, but you asked for agreement and i cannot, for myself, agree. g

I have rejected the Allah of Quran and have made social media my new Allah. The new Allah guides my ...

genessa comments on Apr 22, 2019:

how nice FOR you. f

Could swimming in cold water treat depression? [bigthink.com]

genessa comments on Apr 22, 2019:

this is the second post i've seen in the last hour that links to bigthink dot com. the premises of both articles made me distrust that site so i'm not going there. but the short answer is: no, i don't think so. g

If Trump get dementia how will we know?

genessa comments on Apr 22, 2019:

too late! g

How long does it take English speakers to really learn another language? (and why don't we?) ...

genessa comments on Apr 22, 2019:

it depends on the person him/herself, since not everyone is equally attuned to languages including his/her own; it depends on the method of learning, be it immersion or a wobbly old tape or a class or a tutor; it depends on what you mean by "really" learn, since no one knows EVERYTHING about a language, whether one's own or another; and it depends on how well the speaker speakers english already, too. it depends on whether a person is visually oriented, audially oriented or both. it depends a whole lot on what other language one is trying to learn! it depends on SO many things. this is not a question one can just answer with a number and a time frame! as for why we don't, i did, so.... assumptions, assumptions! g

Over 20% of Sanders supporters say they’ll vote for Trump if Buttigieg or Warren win

genessa comments on Apr 22, 2019:

i bet over 20 percent of actual sanders supporters haven't even been polled. you just added to the negative print about sanders, by the way. g

What's the Difference Between Agnosticism and Atheism? | HowStuffWorks

genessa comments on Apr 22, 2019:

there are no gods, i don't care whether there are any gods, you can't prove there are any gods, i don't care enough to try to prove a negative, and i'm too busy to go disproving all the gazillions of nonexistent gods, one by one, and when i was done with that i'd have to start in on the tooth fairy and every mythological creature ever imagined. life is too short. call me what you want. i'll correct you if i disagree (and care). g

How agressive should athiesm be? Should athiests leave religious people alone or try to reason with ...

genessa comments on Apr 22, 2019:

the first thing atheists should do is learn how to spell "atheist." after that, they should continue not to believe in any gods. if you do not want to be interfered with, why would you want to interfere with others? do you tell people not to eat foods you don't enjoy? do you stop people on the street and tell them their ugly clothes are ugly or their kids are fat? leave them alone. spend your aggression on working for separation of church and state. g

Atheists have easter fun too.

genessa comments on Apr 22, 2019:

not jewish atheists! g

I've thrown this out there to other pages and gotten some helpful answers. I was a minister for...

genessa comments on Apr 22, 2019:

if you were a good minister, you helped people with psychological counseling, even if you couched that in religious terms. you may have brought people together who needed to be together. it is possible that your religious constraints caused harm as well, but don't focus on that. focus on your new life as an unbeliever. g

How many people have recently lost friends because they were on the wrong side of the political ...

genessa comments on Apr 22, 2019:

not recently. i lost them in 2015 and 2016. most of them were not even real-life friends. two were and i was sad to see them go. one was a friend i had known for years, longer than i was even on facebook, where we settled in because we don't live in the same part of the country. he is an orthodox jew (i am a secular one) and he was offended when, in 2015, i compared the rise of trump to the rise of hitler. i stand by my comparison, which grows stronger almost by the hour, but he said i was cheapening the holocaust. i feel i was, rather, trying to prevent another one. he said he couldn't be my friend anymore. i gave him sources that agreed with me. he said it was fake news. i gave up. the other friend was someone i knew in college, and we'd been close enough that i was at his (catholic) wedding. he's a born-again christian now. he said he could not longer be friends with me because i am pro-choice. i have never had an abortion, but my very OPINION drove him away. i am quite sad about that but i am who i am and i stand by my pro-choice position. he left, not me. i have had to unfriend and block people who were facebook friends because of racist crap they posted; i don't do that just because they support trump. delusion isn't a crime. racism, in terms of keeping my friendship, is. there was one exception. i had a friend i never met in real life but with whom i hung out in a virtual universe called there, so we were pretty good friends. we never talked politics there that i recall, but when there (briefly) closed down and we migrated to facebook (not even close to being the same thing but the there friends wanted to keep in touch somehow) suddenly politics not only drove a wedge between us but drove her to start calling me names and being BEYOND rude; she was vile. i had to block her. i wonder if she ever figured out that her life was not better because of trump? probably not. g

Finally, website is working. Yeah. And hello. Did others have problem?

genessa comments on Apr 22, 2019:

yep. g

I decided to take some time and dissect the definition of God: all powerful, all knowing, all good. ...

genessa comments on Apr 22, 2019:

since there is no god, you may as well be discussing oliver twist. all the points you made have been made in various forms by an awful lot of folks over the past couple/few thousands of years. they're useless, of course, unless you think there might be some kind of god or gods. most of us here already do not, and it's not because he's a meanie, or not as smart as we once thought he was, or because he lets children die of cancer, or because he lost or won at lotto. it's because there is no evidence that he ever existed or even could exist. it's that simple. g

Is it possible that Islam coexists with democracy and state secularism?

genessa comments on Apr 22, 2019:

well, yeah. there are muslims living in the united states and not blowing up planes, crashing them into buildings, murdering people or insisting that everyone follow their religion. in fact, most muslims in the united states are just peacefully minding their own business, or running for office to ensure, among other things, separation of church and state. g

@admin Seeing @jacar ‘s post in Politics on’Muslims’ I really would like to know what is ...

genessa comments on Apr 22, 2019:

y'all have named but one of the folks i have already blocked, and with good reason, as you have acknowledged. there are so many! and i don't block easily -- yet the list has become long. there are people who cross the line from talking about how silly or even destructive abrahamic religions are into dissing members who still put up a tree or hold a seder. there IS a difference. they cross the line from talking about how muslims are not, after all, going to find their virgins in a fictional heaven to calling all muslims terrorists and saying that those who are not terrorists in action are so, nonetheless, at heart, because of their belief in their holy book. they cross a line by getting personal when someone calmly and impersonally disagrees with them. they cross lots of lines and still they are here. it makes me feel as if our task, which is to be who we are without fear of persecution, is difficult even in this purportedly safe place. i don't take it personally -- i don't care what some rude idiot thinks of me or my ideas -- but i do despair of our ever working out our humanity. g

To those who whine about being blocked:

genessa comments on Apr 21, 2019:

i don't know who is whining about my blocking them because i blocked them. g

Should anti-vaxxers be prosecuted?

genessa comments on Apr 21, 2019:

that was the plot of a law and order svu episode and the ending was inconclusive (unless you consider the jury verdict a conclusion). g

How would you respond to this sermon?

genessa comments on Apr 21, 2019:

all i know about paul is that he had a choice between converting the greeks to judaism (and judaism forbids proselytization so why would he be doing that if he really understood the religion?) because jesus was a jew, or converting them to believers in the divinity of said jesus, who never himself said he was divine. greeks didn't rely on tourism back then; they raised pigs and fished (including for shellfish). so no way they were going to become jews (and give up all their statues of gods). paul saw that and opted for the latter. christianity is born! that and the fact that he sounds about as constipated as luther are all i know about the gentleman, since i was raised a secular jew. but i can tell you that this sermonizer needs to do a little legal research re burden of proof; he has that all wrong. g

Someone meme with me

genessa comments on Apr 21, 2019:

meme is not a verb. g

Does it matter where your belief came from?

genessa comments on Apr 21, 2019:

sometimes it matters and sometimes it doesn't. you can learn a lot from fiction, too. the trick is knowing that it's fiction. g

Franklin Graham Cites Death-to-Gays Bible Verse in Post About Pete Buttigieg | Hemant Mehta | ...

genessa comments on Apr 21, 2019:

sodom and gomorrah, just so y'all know, is a story (yes, a STORY!) about how the mythical character god punished the mythical sinners of sodom for being INHOSPITABLE. it had nothing to do with homosexuality. curiously this god did not punish the mythical characters, lot's daughters, for getting their mythical father lot drunk and raping him, impregnating themselves thereby. that part was apparently okay. anyway, it is about being inhospitable rather than welcoming to strangers. someone needs to educate mister graham (and ICE). g

why should we use social Justus in our government? this is an honest question i have always ...

genessa comments on Apr 21, 2019:

seriously? maybe you don't know what social justice is. your question is like asking "what's so good about not being an asshole." someone who asks that is either an asshole or doesn't understand the term. so... can you explain what YOU mean by social justice before i attempt to give you a serious answer? g

?It’s not necessary to impeach. There is a simple way to get Trump out. So far 3 states have bills...

genessa comments on Apr 21, 2019:

he will be even MORE likely not to run if impeachment proceedings have begun. while it is true that you can't have one tuchos and dance at two weddings, you can begin impeachment, let the states present and hopefully pass their bills AND use the primaries to choose the best challenger in 2020, all at the same time! don't put all your easter eggs in one basket! g

IS THIS THE MEANING OF FATE

genessa comments on Apr 21, 2019:

now i am going to ask you a question mostly (not totally) unrelated to your post, but i don't want to engage in a private message with you, so forgive me. i can't help noticing that you say in your profile that you are religious and are 100 percent sure of (presumably the divinity of) jesus. that's fine. all are welcome here. you also say you're interested in meeting women. that's also fine; this is partly a dating site. but i can't help wondering, because of the experience i, and many here, have had with those who claim to be religious and yet join this site, why you would specifically be looking for a woman who is almost certainly an atheist or an agnostic. the experience i mentioned is not a good one. it is that most people who come here claiming to be religious are one of the following: 1. coming here to convert as many of us as possible, 2. looking for a nonbelieving partner to convert, 3. looking for hook-ups in the mistaken belief that atheists are more sexually active than religious people (specifically christians) because there is no god telling us "no," 4. curious, or 5. outright scammers. i don't think you are here for 1 or 5. i am not sure about 2, 3 or 4. so my question, and i mean no offense, is: why DOES a person claiming to be religious come to agnostic.com? i will add that i don't look at the profile of every single person to whose post i make a response; your question about fate made me think you might be religious so i went and looked, and presto i-thought-so-oh, there it was. thus i ask. g

IS THIS THE MEANING OF FATE

genessa comments on Apr 21, 2019:

fate? what fate? are you a fatalist? anyway you are misquoting john lennon. it's LIFE that happens to you WHILE you're making other plans. he may have been quoting someone else. fate is not a thing. g

Did anyone else here do festive holiday baking this weekend?

genessa comments on Apr 21, 2019:

funny. but no, my holiday cooking did not include baking. i slathered a rock cornish hen with maple syrup and stuffed it with matza and onions, stuck it in a slow cooker with sweet potato and carrot slices, and make charoseth (apples, walnuts, a touch of wine, and in my case a touch of hazelnut syrup). the nice thing about a seder is that although we get 10 plagues, no nails are involved. g

There are some physicists saying that the universe may have been created by an alien species so ...

genessa comments on Apr 21, 2019:

um, which physicists are these? g

Fearless is not the absence of fear, it’s overcoming it Fearless, not stupid it sharpens my ...

genessa comments on Apr 21, 2019:

fearlessness literally IS the absence of fear. the word that should be there is COURAGE. courage is not the absence of fear but the ability to overcome it or the act of overcoming it. even overcoming is tricky -- you can fail at overcoming it and yet press on as if it's not there, which is a kind of overcoming. but please do not confuse fearlessness and courage. g

With easter being tomorrow obviously. How do yall do easter if you have children?? Personally I do ...

genessa comments on Apr 21, 2019:

i've never celebrated easter a day in my life. say, that's a dangerous holiday for a diabetic, isn't it? anyway, we have a nice second seder last night, and there was a chocolate mousse cake with raspberry sauce, fresh strawberries and whipped cream. uh oh, passover is dangerous too.... g

Can a relationship be described in terms of tangible objects? I thought about this during a long ...

genessa comments on Apr 21, 2019:

i have always thought the complete opposite -- that relationships don't even exist in advance of their subject/objects. when little girls are raised to want to be in love and be married, i think, but... but... those are not things. until you meet the person, being in love has no meaning, because that relationship is not the same between any two people, and wanting to be married is like wanting to have a certain job, no more and no less, unless you have the PERSON in the picture. then you want to be married to THAT person, and it's different. (at the very least, the job description changes!) your metaphors may have validity once the relationship exists, but until then, they're just words. now, i am talking ahout your long-drive musings, not the meme, with which i also do not agree totally, since i do not consider coupleship an addiction and do not agree that if one partner leaves the other will be as happy as if the partner hadn't left. think about it. is that freedom or just indifference? if you love someone, of COURSE you will be sad if, say, the other party dies, or leaves for some other reason. you will be the same person you were, but you will not be as happy as you were! happiness is an emotion, not a condition. if you are perpetually happy, you're on some kind of drug, or insane. g

How do you stay or get more disciplined as an atheist?

genessa comments on Apr 20, 2019:

your troubles do not stem from atheism. self-discipline is not nurtured by outside discipline -- it could work the opposite way, in fact. but you seem to be rather hard on yourself. you don't have to change your life suddenly in every aspect all at once. set small goals for yourself (or just one goal at a time); they're easier to achieve and you get used to them and then you're ready for more. you can't go from sleeping all day to running the four-minute mile. one day you set the goal of getting out of bed. the next day you set the goal of getting dressed. by the time you've got your running shoes on and the door open, you've achieved a lot! but i will say that alcohol is a depressant and apart from anything else it's doing to you, it is depressing your mood. you may want to set a schedule for yourself in terms of cutting down (rather than quitting outright). set an easy one. there is no shame in taking things slowly. g p.s. you're right -- do not take your uncle's medicine. a doctor may have the same idea or a different one, but consult one, definitely. and remember: a selective seratonin reuptake inhibitor won't cure all your problems, and it won't do anything quickly at any rate. do you know how those work? there are two possible seratonin problems. one would be that your brain isn't producing enough of it. seratonin is a neurotransmitter that tells various parts of your brain what to do, from sleeping to having a certain mood to all kinds of stuff. if you don't have enough, your brain isn't getting the messages it needs and it starts goofing off, so to speak. my understanding is that this isn't the more common of the two problems. the more common problem is that your brain produces enough seratonin but drinks it back up before it can circulate and give its commands. zoloft is one of many ssris that prevent that from happening. but not all people respond to every ssri the same way, so the doc may want to give you a different one, or one that works with different (or more) neurotransmitters, or even want to give you zoloft and then realize that's not the one for you. so definitely consult with a doctor you intend to keep in touch with so you can work on finding JUST the right one -- but you can't drink alcohol with any of them.

When I think of rules (especially for breaking) it's usually cultural, religiously influenced rules....

genessa comments on Apr 20, 2019:

that is not how i was (barely) brought up. cultural identity was strong in my family but not religion itself. now that i am an adult and free to decide whether or not i want to go to shul (we didn't) i find that the emphasis is not on rules, and there is no shaming or fire and brimstone (well, i knew that, actually). i like most of the tenets of judaism (i'm not talking about what we can or can't eat, or stuff like that; i'm talking about the social justice bit). it's just that there isn't any god. i'm not mad at him. there just isn't any such thing as him. i still like the "if one person isn't free, no one is free" thing. as i say, i still like the emphasis on social justice. i was at second-night seder tonight and i enjoyed myself thoroughly (the new cantor had a great voice, the parody songs were hysterical, the food was fabulous and the company friendly) but the god stuff used to hang me up. i felt like a hypocrite. lately i came to realize that we're just telling stories. i wouldn't feel funny talking about what oliver twist means, or moby dick, and everyone knows they're fictional, so why not treat god that way too? it's just a story. i don't know if i could do that if i'd been raised christian. religious christians tend to be cray-cray and i do NOT like all that fire and brimstone. besides, bunnies don't lay eggs! g

Celebrate this a change gonna come over and out i don't trust anything that gets nailed to a ...

genessa comments on Apr 20, 2019:

i don't think about jesus unless someone mentions him on tv, which science and history channels persist somehow in doing. otherwise he has never even been a blip on my radar. i was raised in a secular jewish household. in fact, i am going to shul tonight for second-night seder; the cab will be here in about half an hour. i enjoy the seder; i held one just for me and my guy (and the cats, and the dog) last night. we used the social justice haggadah and we talked about helping people in haiti, cambodia, congo and elsewhere, and NO, unlike christian "help," the help we were discussing had nothing to do with converting people or making them grateful to anyone or anything, or heaven or hell, or any particular religion, or religion at all except insofar as judaism (that's the one with which i am familiar) tells us that if one person isn't free, no one is free, and we should not just SAY we love one another (that seems big in christianity but i see no love in, for example, westboro) but act accordingly, by making sure no one goes hungry or is enslaved, or is tormented by war, or is suffering due to a natural (or unnatural) disaster, or is persecuted because of who they are whom they love (that last bit is the exact phrasing). (this haggadah also reminded us that we can't just say we'll do nothing because we can't solve the whole problem; we do what we can, and together we can make a difference.) so i enjoyed that as well, but tonight, let someone else make the decisions, cook the food and direct the proceedings. i'm wiped! too wiped to railing at anyone, too wiped to be saying fuck this, and fuck that person, and fuck that concept. fuck all that. i don't throw out the baby with the bath water. g

The meaning of life.

genessa comments on Apr 20, 2019:

who says life has an objective intrinsic meaning? my life might not mean the same thing yours does, and our lives might not mean the same thing as a random tree's does. you would have to accept that there is a meaning hidden out there and if only you knew where, you could find it, to answer your question. i do not happen to accept that premise. g

So what should an atheist do if being sworn in for a testimony in court? The swearing in question ...

genessa comments on Apr 20, 2019:

i do not know of any legitimate court that requires people to swear on a bible without the option to affirm, biblelessly, instead. if you are a defendant, you have a lawyer, and if you have a lawyer, you can discuss this beforehand and be prepared to ask for a mistrial if you find yourself in a less legitimate court. g

Do you feel mentally exhausted by analysis of Robert Mueller's Report?

genessa comments on Apr 20, 2019:

no. i don't. maybe it is partly because i didn't speculate. maybe it is because i think something WILL come of it despite barr's disgustingly partisan lies. that's a kind of speculation too, i guess. g

Eat fish or red meat in the holy friday

genessa comments on Apr 19, 2019:

i'll be making seder tonight. i'll be using the social justice haggadah. it's not about a fictional deity (is there any other kind?) it's about the fact that if one person isn't free, no one is free. i can get behind that, and every year, i do. ritual can help as reminders of real-life ideas. it doesn't have to be about fantasy. (besides, i love charoset, and i put a little hazelnut syrup in it this time -- nontrad i know, but yummy!) g p.s. dinner will be rock cornish hen slathered in maple syrup and stuffed with matza, prunes, onion and a little honey; sweet potatoes and carrots; virgin sangria; matza of course; and the stuff on the seder plate (except for the ceremonial lamb bone, which cub foods gives out for free!) the roasted egg is good.

Is there any way that religion can be proved to be man made?

genessa comments on Apr 18, 2019:

is there any way to prove it isn't? of course it is man-made. each one is curiously favorable to the group that has created it. there is no religion that says "the other guys is better; you're not as good; god doesn't love you as much as those other guys." not a single one. why is that? if religion is not made by man but rather created by some deity, why would that deity make so many conflicting ones, and why would s/he tell every group it is the best and everyone else sucks? (well, ALMOST every other group, anyway.) you may as well ask if we can prove santa claus is not real. g

A lot of whovians in the UK did not take to Peter Capaldi. I think the main reason is that he was so...

genessa comments on Apr 18, 2019:

i liked him. i knew him slightly, VERY slightly, from a brief appearance on the vicar of dibley, and if you saw that brief appearance you might not even recognize him -- tall, dark, handsome, hot! well, he is no longer dark but the rest still applies, not that any of it is enough to make a good doctor, but i liked him as the doctor for less superficial reasons. not being british, i had no other experience of him to distract me. quite frankly, i didn't care that much for smith as the doctor, and that had at least as much to do with the writing as anything else. he did better in some episodes than in others, but they gave him that stupid "geronimo" right off the bat and that was hard to overcome even after he stopped saying it. besides, tennant was a tough act to follow. capaldi was a relief after smith. g

White Privilege Is it real? Please answer honestly.

genessa comments on Apr 17, 2019:

of course it is real. (and if we were not inclined to be honest, why would saying "please be honest" change that?) g

What do you think about this old Oreo ad?

genessa comments on Apr 17, 2019:

lol i am not an unbiased judge here because i think oreos taste really icky. g

What if voting is made mandatory? Will it reduce public apathy towards participation in the ...

genessa comments on Apr 17, 2019:

there is apathy -- that is undeniable -- but when you look at the number of people who did not vote in recent elections, please also be aware that a huge number of them wanted to vote and were turned away, or had provisional ballots that were not counted, often for ridiculous reasons. i believe that apathy is a problem but voter suppression and outright cheating (not by voters) is a much bigger problem. g

Fox News is reporting.... ..... When you die ‘you know you’re dead because your brain keeps ...

genessa comments on Apr 17, 2019:

fox news is an oxymoron. fox personnel are just plain morons. g

Hello everyone. I met a Muslim girl on another dating site and I was wondering what exactly I should...

genessa comments on Apr 17, 2019:

does she know you're not a believer? i am sure she knows you're not muslim lol but does she know beyond that? i'd introduce that sort of soon. meanwhile, whatever you do, don't judge her by the quran any more than you'd judge a reform jew by biblical stonings and such. don't push her but be there for her when she questions beliefs, and try not to make your responses specific to islam, which could be read as bigotry even if it's not (which, from your post, i think it would not be). and meanwhile, have fun getting to know each other! g

Which ones did you like best back in 71. 5 & 11. Didn't care much for the others listed here.

genessa comments on Apr 17, 2019:

2,3,16,20. in the case of two others i liked the artist but not especially the song. those would be 11 and 18. for the rest, no. g

I just need to kvetch. I bought a house last year. It's been mine for 14 months one week and 6 ...

genessa comments on Apr 17, 2019:

i think you need to get a restraining order to keep him and his friends off your land and him out of your face. a fence may be necessary. if he touches the fence, you can get him for destroying your property. do you have a deed and whatever comes with a deed that tells you where the borders of your property are? if you don't, get that. have a copy handy for disputes. (and find out whether that meadow is for sale! if you have to have a straw purchaser for it that's fine; they may even be able to pretend to sympathize with him and he may let something damaging slip!) g

Okay so can someone explain without swearing why? I want to see what you all say.

genessa comments on Apr 16, 2019:

yes, he has proposed taking away some of our constitutional rights. apart from his party's steady eroding voting rights with gerrymandering and outright cheating, and its flagrant violation of established law, roe v wade, trump has proposed "getting rid of the judges," going back to roughing up arrested people instead of protecting their rights (remember, not everyone arrested ends up being indicted, much less tried and convicted, which isn't the point but still should be remembered) and suing journalists for criticizing him (first amendment). so yes, he has proposed that and more. yes, our rights to protest are disappearing too; peaceful protesters are being hauled away and arrested (if they're white) and hosed if they're not white. yes, tax returns are astonishing lower for the middle class now; only the super-rich have not suffered -- nay, they have benefited greatly -- from his tax "reform." yes, minorities are suffering more under his administration. cops feel freer than ever to bully and even kill minorities; if you're brown, someone may call the cops on you even if you're just sitting on your own porch. if you are brown and call the cops, they may come and shoot you or a family member. if you are brown someone may call ice on you even if you're a u.s. citizen and you may be detained no matter how much documentation you offer. if you are a minority you are much more likely now to be beaten up or worse, because the president is himself a racist. he has not done a thing about swedish nannies overstaying their visas, which makes them illegal residents, because, well, they're white. but if you are from central america and you come to a port of entry and legally apply for asylum, your rights will be violated. you may be tear-gassed, along with your kids, or you may be incarcerated like a criminal, and have your kids taken from you and put in cages, without anyone's documenting which kid belongs to whom, so you might never again see your kid, who meanwhile is being told you just didn't want him anymore, don't love her, went off without them. he did not ask the irs to target leftist groups any more than obama directed that agency or anyone else to target rightist groups. the irs actually examined and delayed more leftwing applications than rightwing ones, AND DENIED NOT A SINGLE RIGHTWING ONE, even though many of them were clearly not nonprofit and should not have been considered nonprofit. no, instead, trump is illegally interfering with black-letter irs law that requires that agency to comply if certain congressional committee heads demand tax returns. spy on journalists? no, but he hates them and denies them access and wants to sue them for telling the truth. your opinion that he has humiliated leftists is not rooted in anything ...

Good Evening! Only you know Dave Mason [youtu.be]

genessa comments on Apr 16, 2019:

also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj2h0LSTY3U=PLchVlYnu3LomRfAEIjvCRrGfLCe10EYMI shouldn't have took more than you gave g

Steven Miller is the guy who would turn in the Von Trapp family just because.

genessa comments on Apr 16, 2019:

maria (or random nun): "the hills are alive..." miller: "kill those hills!" g

Name something that’s perfectly normal to do as a child but super creepy to do as an adult...

genessa comments on Apr 16, 2019:

announce your really big poo-poo. g

The fire in Paris at the Cathedral of Notre Dame was a terrible loss...but no mention of injuries, ...

genessa comments on Apr 16, 2019:

i don't know about headlines but on msnbc last night they said several times there were no deaths and one firefighter was injured. g

[rawstory.com] i posted this in politics and then decided to share it to this group too. i was ...

genessa comments on Apr 16, 2019:

he appears to have given up on his claim that he was hacked and he has admitted writing the post. g

I wish Nancy Pelosi (or as Chump calls her, Nancy) would run. She'd castrate him in verbal assaults...

genessa comments on Apr 16, 2019:

oh but we need her where she is. we need her desperately where she is. g

Bill interviewed Julian Assange right after he posted thousands of DNC emails....which not only ...

genessa comments on Apr 16, 2019:

sorry, but the leaked podesta emails gave the nomination to clinton? those emails were, rightly or wrongly (and no one seems to be talking about their not just being stolen and publicized but ALTERED in between) widely considered to be DAMAGING to hillary. they certainly didn't sink the sanders campaign. the democratic public voting for hillary to be the candidate did. meanwhile assange is an accused rapist (remind you of anyone?) and a rand paul libertarian, supported the russian troll jill stein for president, and is in general pretty rightwing and antifeminist. oh yeah, and he lies. g

Surprise, surprise, a cathedral burns in Paris, and US media gives it maximum coverage. A horrific ...

genessa comments on Apr 16, 2019:

i am seeing stories on the mozambique cyclone crisis online on cnn, the guardian, al jazeera, reuters, some african sites that i think we in the west don't frequent, the world health organization, axios, the red cross, huffo, it's in wikipedia already, the weather channel and other weather-related sites, nbc news, abc news, fox news (but they probably found a way to make this obama's fault), vox and others. there is more than one story from most of the sources, as if they're on top of it. i don't watch a lot of tv so i can't say what the tv versions are doing. g