Sometimes it just takes a little common since to see through the lies, I feel religion is made up ...

genessa comments on Sep 29, 2018:

that is not why it was made up. in fact it wasn't made up. it was developed. it was sustained and organized for the purpose of controlling people but it was developed out of fear and ignorance, which was not superimposed by some ruling power. religion predated governments or even religious hierarchy. and pardon me for mentioning it, but that word is SENSE, not since. i know you might be doing this by voice, or while sleepy, or whatever, but i thought i should point it out just in case. g

Here is a poser.

genessa comments on Sep 29, 2018:

nope. you are not a nation. besides, invading a foreign nation is a violation of that nation's sovereignty and a crime in and of itself. g

I was raised agnostic and respect people’s right to choose.

genessa comments on Sep 29, 2018:

i respect people's right to choose too. i do not always respect their choices and i certainly don't respect their presumed right to choose for me. g

Thinking time! I'm working on a game concept that explores individual beliefs, with several ...

genessa comments on Sep 29, 2018:

that is an important issue that may be the crux of your game, and as such it is something you must decide. g

What is the secret

genessa comments on Sep 29, 2018:

dogs are not generally consumed by humans in what is considered the western world but they have been, and in some cases still are, consumed by humans elsewhere and elsewhen. at least some native american tribes considered dog a delicacy. i don't know if koreans still eat dog; if they don't, they've only stopped recently. there are still japanese alive who remember eating dog. your puzzle does not take into account the number of sheep bred to begin with. that is an important missing number. g

Wow the prices on these beautiful shoes. I wonder what year these were made?

genessa comments on Sep 29, 2018:

babydolls, yes. heels? no! g

I have been watching the Kavanaugh hearings, and I am pretty horrified.

genessa comments on Sep 29, 2018:

he hasn't got the temperament to be a dogcatcher. i think he should retire, wherever they retire rapists. prison maybe? g

Science of light and the darkness of ignorance

genessa comments on Sep 29, 2018:

science is a study, not a thing. there is no point in trying to prove the nonexistence of a god; first you'd have to pick which god, and you'd end up having to disprove the existence of the tooth fairy too. g

Does anyone truly "believe"?

genessa comments on Sep 29, 2018:

obviously not! you're expecting logic from theists? g

If you were paid $50 million (tax free) today to take a pill that would cause you to die peacefully ...

genessa comments on Sep 28, 2018:

since i am 66 and a half and have a guy i need to take care of, that's an easy question. NO! g

Palestine or isreal

genessa comments on Sep 28, 2018:

oh i misread the question, read FOR instead of FROM. i'm an american. i have relatives in israel. i don't know them well. most of them i don't know at all. most of my relatives are in the united states, although i have a branch i don't know at ALL in south american.

Palestine or isreal

genessa comments on Sep 28, 2018:

i am a zionist. you know what a zionist is? not someone who believes israel can do no wrong. not someone who believes israel should dominate palestine. not someone who believes palestinians should not have a homeland. a zionist is someone who believes israel should exist. that's what it actually is. and that's what i believe: that israel should exist. i also think that by now the palestinians, regardless of history, need to have a homeland too, and a two-state solution is the only way to go. however, both countries have dreadful leadership right now. palestine's leadership still wants to blow israel to smithereens and furthermore kill all the jews in the world. israel's leadership is corrupt and inhumane. i do not think either leadership reflects the people of its respective nation. g

Sen.

genessa comments on Sep 28, 2018:

he always says one thing and does another. no one is going to listen to him. i wish.... g

So I grew up in a rather religious Muslim family and I remember my family being pretty superstitious...

genessa comments on Sep 28, 2018:

someone pointed out the difference between religion and superstition. sometimes they're muddled. for example, in judaism, there is no devil, and no heaven or hell as described in christianity. ha-satan, in the bible, isn't a devil, just a kind of prosecutor. but in jewish folklore? devils, demons, heaven, hell and yeah, a few unrelated superstitions too. i am not so familiar with them because i grew up in a modern, secular household, in a city and then a suburb, but elsewhere in the world, these things still existed, maybe still do out in the sticks, or among the orthodox. g

The Bar Association is calling for a halt to the Kavanaugh nomination until an FBI investigation ...

genessa comments on Sep 28, 2018:

if kavanaugh was even remotely qualified even for the bench upon which his unworthy tushie sits now, he would at least have some respect for the bar association's wishes... unless, of course, he is a sexual predator and black-out drunk and doesn't want anyone to know it! gee, ya think? g

How do you reply?

genessa comments on Sep 28, 2018:

it just means "so be it." people say it at the end of prayers but it can be said any time you wish something to happen, and it's not necessarily a CALL for something to be, any more than "i sure hope so" would be. g

How do you reply?

genessa comments on Sep 28, 2018:

i do nothing. it doesn't have to be a religious word, actually. g

Well, I lost another facebook friend.

genessa comments on Sep 28, 2018:

their loss, but i am sorry nonetheless. g

My companion today

genessa comments on Sep 27, 2018:

pretty kitty! g

Despite a common misconception, statistics do not lie.

genessa comments on Sep 27, 2018:

statistics might not lie, but they don't always say what they appear to be saying. if you take an exit poll after an election and you interview only black women, your statistics will tell what black women exiting THAT polling place choose to say, and if you say that it represents black women everywhere, then the statistics are being USED in a lie. if you say it represents all women, either at that polling place or everywhere, that's a bigger lie. if you say it represents all voters, either at that polling place or everywhere, it's an even bigger lie. statistics can be misstated, misused, misunderstood or gathered in a way that renders them meaningless or deceptive. they can also be lied about deliberately, even if the numbers themselves are not changed (although sometimes they are). i once read an article about the results of a california study of fraud among welfare recipients. i don't remember the number so please do not take these numbers as anything but place-holders so that i can tell what people did with them. the study found that 30 percent (let's say) of welfare recipients were worthy of being investigated further. of that 30 percent, 10 percent proved to be sufficiently iffy to continue the investigation. of that 10 percent of the 30 percent, one percent turned out to be perpetrating fraud on the system. people took that study and cried "30 percent of welfare recipients in california are committing fraud!" that's dumb but that's what happens. (i repeat, those are not the real numbers; i read this report a few years ago, and i admit that numbers have a tendency to fall out of my head fairly rapidly.) statistics don't mean anything by themselves. they have to be understood in some kind of context, and they have to be understood correctly. i don't pretend to be able to do that in any more depth than it took to understand my example above, which is a no-brainer (you'd think!) those who can and do are not always honest. g

Were you a sick child in the 80s?

genessa comments on Sep 27, 2018:

i was not a child in the 1980s. i was sick, though. it wasn't with anything those items would have helped, but i make my own chicken soup at any rate, and while i enjoy a good cracker, the kind pictured would not have pleased me. these days, almost anything i would use vaporub for i'd treat with tiger balm instead! but we haven't been in the '80s for a long time :-)) half of the '80s i spent in japan at any rate. things are different there! g

Was your childhood awesome?

genessa comments on Sep 27, 2018:

i have never heard of it, but if i had, my mom wouldn't have let me watch it anyway. my childhood was rocky, to put it mildly. g

Let's talk keyboards::: What do you use, have tried, prefer?

genessa comments on Sep 27, 2018:

aww i can't help out here! i use a laptop! i had to use a regular computer at the library recently and was shocked to find how unused to it i was, after so many years of using one. the laptop spoiled me. g

Think about the peel of vegetables and fruits

genessa comments on Sep 27, 2018:

sorry, but i have an awful lot of interesting (and sometimes vital) things to think about. if you actually said something informative, interesting or even amusing ABOUT peels, i might spare some time and energy thinking about that, but you just say to think about it. no, thank you. g

Why Are People So Damn Defensive On Everything?

genessa comments on Sep 27, 2018:

there is a difference between opinions and facts, and if opinions are based on something presented as a fact but which isn't really a fact, then that opinion can be countered realistically with a correction of the nonfact. this is not the same as an attack. disagreeing with someone isn't an attack. it can be phrased as one, but the fact of the disagreement isn't one. when i see an opinion with which i disagree, i say i disagree and i say why. this is often taken as an attack. that's weird. even weirder, i often get attacked back, for real, and by attacked i mean called names, or told that i'm obviously too stupid to understand what it is i am disagreeing with, or condescendingly told i have missed the point. (i don't usually miss points. sometimes i disagree with them, though!) so then if i don't like being called a moron, for example, am i the one being too sensitive, or is the person who responds to a civil disagreement by calling me a moron the one being too sensitive? at any rate i assume that if i express an opinion without crediting it to someone else, it is understood that i am expressing my own opinion. i also assume that if i express a fact, and back it up, normal people will understand that that's a normal thing to do and it doesn't make me a bitch who is attacking someone. if i don't apologize for facts or opinions, then some people will doubtless be offended, but that is their problem, not mine. even if i call a ridiculous premise bullshit (come on -- if someone says, in seriousness, that the moon is made of green cheese, by god, on a wednesday, i think i can safely call it bullshit!) i am not calling the PERSON bullshit. exception: trolls. i will call trolls trolls. more often, i have cautioned people who call others trolls not to do so without evidence. g

Just something I was thinking about.

genessa comments on Sep 27, 2018:

i find kindness and intelligence, along with a refusal to play head games (as opposed to mind games) a very attractive combination. g

The mind is an gift!!!

genessa comments on Sep 27, 2018:

the mind is not a gift. it's not well understood, but we know it's not been given to us by anyone. if we leave a young child anywhere -- forest, city, 'burbs -- he won't become anything in millions of years because he'll be dead, and if he's alone, as you said, he won't even reproduce, so his progeny, after millions of years, won't exist. g

Did you have any experience that makes you question your non beliefs?

genessa comments on Sep 27, 2018:

nothing to describe. it hasn't happened. i have been an atheist for 51 years. i am not holding my breath. g

Please. Don't. Stop. ?

genessa comments on Sep 27, 2018:

is this one of those no means yes things? g

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, is it a consumer guardian or dangerous bureaucracy?

genessa comments on Sep 27, 2018:

it's nothing at the moment. when it is funded and has laws backing it up, it is a consumer guardian. don't hold your breath as long as republicans are in power. g

How many women still have this? My mother dose and still uses it. ?

genessa comments on Sep 27, 2018:

i never had or wanted one. g

For an ordained minister, one has to respect this man... [youtube.com]

genessa comments on Sep 27, 2018:

he keeps saying this bad thing and that bad thing happened "under obama," as if obama ordered occupy shut down, as if obama ordered the devastation at standing rock. this just isn't true. he has many astute observations but he keeps missing there. (i might add that being able to name a problem is not the same as being able to solve it. it is not necessary for everyone who can name a problem to be able to solve it, but you have mentioned drafting him for potus. no. just no. he seems to be a good guy and a smart guy but everyone who says smart things (obama-bashing aside) isn't automatically qualified to be president. oh, and he's wrong about the democrats too. i hear what he says from a lot of people and they're wrong too. it makes a nice sound bite but it's just not true. g

The 40s were a little before our time, but does anyone remember this?

genessa comments on Sep 27, 2018:

ah, post louisiana purchase! g

Richard Dawkins : Why atheists are not as rational as some like to think [theconversation.com]

genessa comments on Sep 27, 2018:

atheists are just like anyone else. just because you realize there are no gods doesn't mean you have all the answers. look how many atheists can't even spell "atheist"! g

Water that makes us?

genessa comments on Sep 27, 2018:

'sigh why, if you don't actually have anything to talk about? just for the t-shirt? slow way to go. g

Just imagine, if Brett Kavanaugh was black!

genessa comments on Sep 27, 2018:

ask anita hill about that. g

Next time someone asks you how slept, answer: "Like god during the holocaust".

genessa comments on Sep 27, 2018:

it's clever but it would play into the popular belief that atheists actually believe in a god but are mad at him. besides, i have sleep issues. g

What would you do if Jesus showed up at your door?

genessa comments on Sep 27, 2018:

i don't wear clothing in the house. people can't just show up at my door and expect it to be answered. if jesus wants to come visit, he has to call first. g

OUTED? How did it change your path?

genessa comments on Sep 27, 2018:

i have never been outed because i have never hidden anything of importance (yeah i've planned surprise parties; that doesn't count). g

Has anyone else been berated, belittled, threatened, blacklisted, or assaulted for being an atheist?

genessa comments on Sep 27, 2018:

berated and belittled online, by strangers, yes. it bothers my guy, who isn't religious but still believes in a kind of vague, nebulous god he can't really tell me about, that i am and atheist, and even more that sometimes i mention it. he doesn't berate or belittle me but he gets uncomfortable, and when i asked him what kind of god he believed in, he got mad. i took a lot of crap for being jewish; still occasionally do. some of that was horrific. g

If a criminal repents he/she goes to heaven.

genessa comments on Sep 27, 2018:

that's a christian thing. that doesn't work in judaism. still, i would not want to go to a heaven where i could not control the music and the menu. g

I have learned a lot from this site .

genessa comments on Sep 27, 2018:

married men can't chat? chatting with an eye toward romance, yeah, that's a no-no, but chatting? i'm a straight woman and i am spoken for anyway, but i'll chat with anyone who doesn't get rude lol. g

Just found out my only "non-religious" friend believes in reincarnation, even to the extent that she...

genessa comments on Sep 27, 2018:

it is not necessary to debate every controversial issue with every friend. if she isn't voting for trump and she isn't committing crimes, and she brings it up, tell her with a smile you think this reincarnation thing is silly and you'd rather go get a bite to eat, or see a movie, or play scrabble. if she insists on talking about it all the time, that's different. g

It seems to me that for a circuit court judge, he chooses odd things to present as evidence in his ...

genessa comments on Sep 27, 2018:

he hasn't got anything better. he's guilty. oh wait, am i judging him before there has even been an investigation? funny how he doesn't want one.... g

Hello everyone.

genessa comments on Sep 27, 2018:

welcome! there is a lot to see here, much more just dating. snoop around to your heart's content :-)) g

Believe in karma?

genessa comments on Sep 27, 2018:

if you mean karma the way most people describe it, namely, what goes around comes around, then no. that's bunk. if you mean karma the way i understand it -- the cycle of cause and effect WITHOUT any regard for justice as in... you know, the butterfly effect, for example -- then yeah. but that's not what most people mean, alas. g

Its been proven that Jesus did not exist. So why hasn't Christianity collapsed yet?

genessa comments on Sep 27, 2018:

it hasn't been proven. it's been shown to be unlikely. it's been shown also that if he did live it's unlikely he was what he is made out to be. but none of it has been proven. meanwhile, christianity is too profitable an enterprise to collapse. g

My middle child hit 25 last week and I quickly did the gift shopping and picked out the card (gift ...

genessa comments on Sep 27, 2018:

wow, you look almost human today! g

What happened to sanity..?

genessa comments on Sep 27, 2018:

is the dog asking? g

Just wanting to know...

genessa comments on Sep 27, 2018:

well, lots of stuff. can you be more specific... and, not to be picky, but you appear to have two identical posts. g

Does anyone know where I could take a class on properly crafting a novel?

genessa comments on Sep 26, 2018:

lots of universities have classes that unenrolled students may take. g

I think Kavanaugh should be rejected just for the fact that he's a Catholic.

genessa comments on Sep 26, 2018:

so kennedy should not have been president? or basically no one who was ever president should have been, since while only kennedy was catholic, they were/are all christian (except trump, whose belief system is basically "screw everyone," which is not incompatible with religion but in his case is unconnected with one)? seriously? i don't care what people believe. i care what they DO. g

So when you give your cats treats do they want you to stay there and watch then eat them?

genessa comments on Sep 26, 2018:

the cats, of whom i am owned by five, no. the dog, who is young and alone among the cats, won't eat anything unless i watch! g

Fact-Checking Trump’s Speech to the United Nations

genessa comments on Sep 26, 2018:

alleged mind. fox and sinclair are not showing the laughter. g

More and more I am noticing intolerant and closed minded people joining this site.

genessa comments on Sep 26, 2018:

not all of the participants here are from or even in the united states. there were trolls and mini-dictators before there was an internet. this is a convenient venue for them but they always existed and they were not shy or hidden. there is no reason to expect that they won't show up here. they're everywhere. g

I’m curious about the “level”criteria. What is this all about?

genessa comments on Sep 26, 2018:

this doesn't resemble scientology in any way, shape or form. it's just a matter of rewarding participation. that's really all. unfortunately i don't think it is a good way to deter scammers or trolls. or maybe it's working great and the ones that get through are a small proportion of those who try. (i still see some folks here to try to rope us into christianity -- yes, not just religion but specifically christianity.) g

Melania Trump announces October trip to Ghana, Malawi, Kenya, and Egypt, won't she loose her ...

genessa comments on Sep 26, 2018:

why would her whiteness become loose? isn't it tightly white? g

What The World Was Before The White Man Took Over

genessa comments on Sep 26, 2018:

that is a portion of the world, not the whole world. it is still an interesting map, though. g

In today's society,though it is true that one must confront common reality to exist in this mortal ...

genessa comments on Sep 26, 2018:

there is no single thing called society. there are many societies. there are places where you would be burned for making this post. even where agreements are semi-civilized, you may feel free to explore all the things you said but in fact you may have to wade through a lot of crap without a map. g

1976??? ?

genessa comments on Sep 26, 2018:

first finishing up my undergrad degree, having dropped out of college due to ill health in my senior year in 1972, then working for the department of justice. first living with my parents, then moving to my own apartment (not my first) in virginia. seeing a hell of a lot of movies. reading a hell of a lot of books. g

Where Did the Universe Come From?

genessa comments on Sep 26, 2018:

you expect to learn where the universe came from by asking people on agnostic dot com, and processing the answers until you think you know? nobody knows! nobody with any education even CLAIMS to know. we can present and argue about possibilities, but no one knows, and if you expect to know, your expectations will be dashed. g

Do I exist? Can I really know anything? Where do you begin in philosophy?

genessa comments on Sep 26, 2018:

if you don't exist, you've been hacked, because i see posts by you. as for philosophy, i do try to avoid it. it appears to be situational. g

This post is for a debate. What caused the universe?

genessa comments on Sep 26, 2018:

the question is not what caused the big bang. the question is what IF ANYTHING caused the big bang or whatever came before it. if we believe in infinity forward it behooves us to believe at least in its possibility backwards. we're used to cause and effect; cause and effect is a good thing to get used to -- but maybe it just keeps going in both directions. it's like grammar: there are exceptions! g

Do I have free will?

genessa comments on Sep 26, 2018:

even people who believe in gods (and i am not one of those people) generally do not believe that we are just puppets played by a puppetmaster god. free will is not something anyone can answer convincingly here, or perhaps anywhere. philosophers have been debating this for ages. the more certain a respondent is, the more likely s/he is to be wrong, because the one thing we should all know is that we don't know. "i don't know" is the only appropriate answer here. you can talk about the likelihood of free will, partial free will and destiny (or whatever you want to call it) but no one knows, and anyone who claims to know doesn't understand the question. g

Guys got a sense of humour I guess. :)

genessa comments on Sep 26, 2018:

lol maybe it has to do with his appearance in costume, as the beast: g

Who remembers this commercial?

genessa comments on Sep 26, 2018:

yep, i remember jan miner. if you only ever saw her as madge you'd be blown away to see her as lenny bruce's mother, sally marr, in "lenny." she's done a lot of other stuff but that's what i remember her in, apart from the ads. g

Someone has posted this video for fun, but I'm wondering if it has scientific value.

genessa comments on Sep 26, 2018:

i had a cat, rossini, who would play pattycake with the kitty in the mirror. another one, robin, screamed and ran when i held her up to the mirror. i still have the scars. every other cat i've ever known has looked in the mirror, seen me in the mirror, and looked up and back to see whether i was really in the mirror or still in the room. they could all recognize me, but not necessarily themselves. g

Seemingly you will not read about it in the NY Times but this possibly started in New York and now ...

genessa comments on Sep 26, 2018:

oh, i see from your profile you have something against feminists, so this story is right up your alley, right? this represents feminism to you, eh? well, feminism is not about pouring bleach on dicks' dicks. it's about wanting to be considered human beings, not objects, and it's about wanting equal pay for equal work, and you're already thinking stuff about me that isn't true and that i will never change in you so why am i bothering? g

Seemingly you will not read about it in the NY Times but this possibly started in New York and now ...

genessa comments on Sep 26, 2018:

it might be true. it might not. it might be true but reported skewedly. rt is not exactly an unbiased entity. g

Being a woman is worse than being a farmer

genessa comments on Sep 26, 2018:

it's funny of course, but gets me thinking, too: women don't HAVE to be like farmers. i am 66 and a half years old and stopped shaving my legs decades ago; i only shave my armpits when i feel i am collecting more sweat than necessary. i don't pluck my eyebrows and i don't wax anything. nails, lashes, nope, they are what they are. once in an extremely long while i feel blonde or auburn and match my hair to my feelings. more often, i don't. and you know what? i'm not the ugliest critter on the face of the earth. i just look like me. of course if bridget jones, the character, knew how to do that, there wouldn't be a book and then there wouldn't be a movie, right? g

Are women happier being single ? [independent.co.uk]

genessa comments on Sep 26, 2018:

silly question. some women are happier being single and some aren't. you can't accurately generalize about women that way! g

Humanism was a movement centered around ?

genessa comments on Sep 26, 2018:

was? past tense? still is! it sounds as if it's centered around humans to the exclusion of other species but that's not the idea at all. it's about being humane, not just human. g

I saw the simple word TAG and I flashed back how we used to play it.

genessa comments on Sep 26, 2018:

you're it! and yes, i hear kids playing outside. g

You are not responsible for anybody else's happiness.

genessa comments on Sep 26, 2018:

maybe responsibility is the wrong concept here. it is not our job to ensure anyone's happiness, and that's good, because we can't. it would be an impossible job. on the other hand we do have responsibilities: not to abuse people, not to sabotage people's rightful attempts to be happy, stuff like that. and beyond our responsibilities, how nice if we can contribute to people's happiness even though we don't have to. g

Is the universe God?

genessa comments on Sep 26, 2018:

no. the universe is the universe, which exists. god is a fictional character who does not exist. they're not that easy to confuse with one another. g

Jon had a lot of words of wisdom.

genessa comments on Sep 26, 2018:

i have no especial respect for this guy and i'm not hearing anything wise here. g

Road to theocracy

genessa comments on Sep 26, 2018:

vote blue. g

If there is a country left whenever Trump and Trumpists fall from power, we're going to be in a ...

genessa comments on Sep 25, 2018:

that will never happen. everyone is partisan and there is one party that is no longer even a party at all, but rather a criminal organization. if there is no blue wave, the criminal organization stays in power, trump or no trump. split the liberal vote, elect republicans. call it nonpartisan, but it can't be. g

From my experience there are large numbers of people that will not come out and call themselves an ...

genessa comments on Sep 25, 2018:

not i. i know atheists and i know theists and they are pretty clear about who they are and what they do or do not believe. g

Which state is most represented on this site.

genessa comments on Sep 25, 2018:

i have no idea! i know what state i'm in: confusion. also minnesota. g

I am very angry at the AARP Foundation as I write this.

genessa comments on Sep 25, 2018:

i cannot clearly separate, from your story, whether the organization is at fault or whether this difficult person or people is/are at fault. is this an aarp problem or an aarp employee problem, and if the latter, shouldn't that person's (the director's) supervisor be told so that she/they can be investigated and perhaps chastised or even fired? g

Talk about your death while you're still healthy

genessa comments on Sep 25, 2018:

presumes two things: correctly, that the reader is still alive, and in my case incorrectly, that the reader is still healthy (or ever was). be that as it may, my alzheimer's-stricken guy and i (my unhealthy self) do talk about death. at least i do. it makes him uncomfortable. too bad. we can't talk about it AFTER we die! g

[yahoo.com] bILL Cosby sentenced 3-10 years in Prison for Sexual Assault

genessa comments on Sep 25, 2018:

that's not even one year per assaulted person. g

As a woman I have never flashed any of my body parts to anyone unless asked.

genessa comments on Sep 25, 2018:

i have a friend who used to work in the health club section of a community center. there is a women's locker room, a men's locker room and a family locker room. my friend tells me that one customer repeatedly visited and changed out of her street clothes and into her swimsuit right at the indoor pool, being naked in front of everyone. now, i am actually in favor of changing the laws so that public nudity is permitted, but the laws have NOT yet changed, and this is a private enterprise with its own rules that included NOT permitting people to be naked at the pool (in the women's locker room she could've been naked and no one would've thought anything of it; i run around naked in the locker room myself!) and she was asked several times not to do that but persisted. i am afraid i don't know the outcome so i have no ending to this tale, but yes, women do this too. g

Save me from the TV

genessa comments on Sep 25, 2018:

you need someone to save you? is there no off button? g

Yes, kneeling during the National Anthem is unpatriotic.

genessa comments on Sep 25, 2018:

no, kneeling during the national anthem is NOT unpatriotic! how is it unpatriotic? what does patriotic mean? what has patriotism have to do with reacting to symbols and songs, or bodily posture? patriotism is love of country (as opposed to nationalism, which is a kind of contempt for all OTHER countries). how does kneeling show lack of love for a country, especially if the kneeling is to protest against mistreatment of the people IN the country? your yes should be a NO! g

I may not be at all religious but still always do unto others as I would like to be treated.

genessa comments on Sep 25, 2018:

some would argue that you just believe in a god to be good. i don't get their argument. let's see: according to them it's better to be good because someone wrote down a bunch of rules for you so you wouldn't have to think for yourself, and if you're very good you get to live forever in a nice place, and if you're not you burn in a very bad place, than to be good because it's the human thing to do. it makes no sense to me! g

Echo chambers This morning I have been annoyed by a conservative troll equating ...

genessa comments on Sep 25, 2018:

trolls don't have opposing points of view. they don't have points of view at all. they just like to provoke reactions. the only thing you CAN do with a troll is twofold: 1. call him out and then immediately 2. block him. the calling out is for the benefit of lurkers who might not recognize trollery for what it is. g

VOTE!!!! I received an email this morning advising me that my sample voting ballot and voters ...

genessa comments on Sep 25, 2018:

i have my absentee ballot and have voted. i will mail it in very soon. g

Holy shit guys! Christians who actually act like Christians!

genessa comments on Sep 25, 2018:

in what way is any of that behavior christian? why don't we say they're behaving like jews? jesus, as portrayed (whether or not he existed) was a jew, and most of what he is purported to have said and done is just plain ol' judaism. the only original stuff is what got said about him afterwards. so if they're acting like jesus, they're acting jewish, not christian. but i have this strange idea that maybe they're acting human, and that it has nothing to do with religion at all. g

Christmas Celebrations

genessa comments on Sep 25, 2018:

i never liked christmas. it's ubiquitous and it's overwhelming. i've never been christian. why do i have to be inundated with this stuff? half the people who celebrate it say "aww, it's not a religious holiday, it's fun, enjoy it!" it is TOO, and it is NOT, and i don't WANT to. the other half want to put the christ back in christmas. if that's what they want, why are they making a public spectacle of it? g

Some of the best parts of the bible r when Jesus was alone speaking to god but somehow it would ...

genessa comments on Sep 25, 2018:

it couldn't have been any of the guys who wrote the christian bible (and jesus isn't in any other bibles) because they never met jesus (assuming he even existed). g

Does a ring really matter?

genessa comments on Sep 25, 2018:

we do things for each other. we compromise. there is no intrinsic meaning to the ring; it's a ring. it obviously means something to him. it might be about religion; it might not. it might be about tradition; it might not. it isn't necessarily slavery to groupthink. it might be. if you want to know what it means to him, ask him! tell him what it means, or doesn't, to you, too... but you've already decided to compromise to make him happy. that isn't necessarily a bad thing. g

The Platters - Only You 1955, ok so this is before I was born, definitely Baby Boomers.

genessa comments on Sep 25, 2018:

i was only three. g

As a child, were you forced to hug/kiss relatives or friends when you didn't want to?

genessa comments on Sep 25, 2018:

sorry, no kids here. as a kid i wasn't forced to kiss or hug anyone. i wanted to. one uncle always said he couldn't because he had a cold. i guess he didn't want to be forced! g

What is something that you were told by a religious figure that made you mad?

genessa comments on Sep 25, 2018:

i can't think of a single personal experience in which a religious figure said anything in my presence that made me mad, but that's because i was raised a secular jew, and those few times i have gone to shul the sermons have been really interesting and not weird or offensive. i mean, i remember one sermon that encouraged recycling and it wasn't because god said to recyle lol, it was just because we have to take care of the earth. so no, really not. what famous religious figures say on tv is another story. gays cause hurricanes and god wants us to worship trump, feh! total crap. g

What type of area do you live in? Why?

genessa comments on Sep 25, 2018:

suburban because that is where my guy found the house to buy to rent to me. that's not the arrangement anymore but that's how it started. i was dependent on the bus line so it had to be on one. it had to have a yard so we could get a dog. stuff like that. i am more of a city girl but it is what it is. g

Thinking on Gods plan on Monday evening driving through Aberdeen traffic on our way home.

genessa comments on Sep 25, 2018:

fictional characters are often bad planners. remember, the best stories are built around conflicts. it this god thing was a good planner, there would be no story! look what a bad planner hamlet was. romeo and juliet, even worse! g

Values from facts?

genessa comments on Sep 25, 2018:

both of those. our particular evolution has been based largely on our ability to cooperate so that's built in. since we are at least theoretically a thinking species, we also have agreements. we sometimes have disagreements about our agreements, too. g

Can't stand constantly barking, hyper little dogs

genessa comments on Sep 25, 2018:

i don't hike anymore; i used to hike around on mountainsides in japan and they're not big on walking their dogs, so i never really ran into them there. dogs have always liked me and i have always liked them, despite my being more of a cat person. dogs run up to me not barking but wagging, licking, loving. i have one hyper little dog and she doesn't bark much. she usually barks when the biggest cat stops kissing her. she likes kitty kisses and is insatiable. he loves to kiss her, sometimes putting an arm around her when he gets really serious and bathes her, but he eventually stops and she begs for more. she does bark in her sleep sometimes but it just sounds like little hiccups. i didn't set out to get this type of dog but it happened and now i love her. she is crazy about me (and the cats) too. i admit she is hyper and she does jump up to get attention and be petted but she holds still once she is being petted. she's not perfect but she's a good girl. g