Should we give religious believers a little more slack?

wordywalt comments on Jan 12, 2018:

IF they (1) do NOT mix their religion with politics, , (2) treat all people with full dignity and respect, (AND (3) keep their religion to themselves, I don't care what they do. But, the problem is that most can't meet all of these 3 conditions.

Jeff Sessions Rejects Separation of Church and State

wordywalt comments on Jan 12, 2018:

One of the many reasons why Sessions should be removed from office.

If your religion teaches you not to question...

wordywalt comments on Jan 11, 2018:

And, when religion teaches people not to question, it is also making them vulnerable to political demagogues and ideologues -- who also do not want people to question, but to outright "buy the company line." What do you think that we are seeing a linkage between evangelical Christianity, today's Republican politicians, and the ethnocentric and racist right?

I feel sorry for General Kelly.

wordywalt comments on Jan 11, 2018:

I do not feel sorry for hi,. He should have had the sense to have NEVER gotten involved with Trump. I pity him, but he brought this dilemma on himself.

We’ve been told we’re living in a post-truth age. Don’t believe it.

wordywalt comments on Jan 11, 2018:

Truth always matters and always will. This age of an administration characterized by incessant lying, of propaganda masquerading as news, and of planted fake news will pass -- but we must be igilant in exposing and denouncing it all.

The Internet, and subsequent social media platforms that evolved because of it, create a huge ...

wordywalt comments on Jan 11, 2018:

The impact remains to be seen.

Has Evangelical Christianity Become Sociopathic?

wordywalt comments on Jan 11, 2018:

Yes, the extreme "true believers" among the evangelical Christians are now definitely sociopathic in their attitudes, words, and behavior. They are a threat to our democracy!

What song would you want played for your funeral?

wordywalt comments on Jan 11, 2018:

Per my instructions there will be no funeral for me. However, I have asked my daughters and wife to play the "Ashoken Farewell" as they scatter my ashes.

To combat "trolls and baiting", can we have a "dislike" button?

wordywalt comments on Jan 11, 2018:

I like the idea.

How to say many words without saying a damn thing.

wordywalt comments on Jan 10, 2018:

Trump is the most inarticulate buffoon I have EVER heard in public life.

My sister feeds the cats at the same times everyday.

wordywalt comments on Jan 10, 2018:

My little female cat sleeps from about 8 AM to near 6PM After a short period of activity. She settles in to cuddle with me and my wife until about 9 or 10 PM. Then she eats and goes to bed in her room until about 5 or 6 AN. She is a lovable little lap cat -- half Siamese with a black face, a black band and a white tip on her tail, and a white paw on the right front and left rear. In spite of her asymmetrical markings, she is a pretty little cat -- about 8 pounds.

Why We Must Elect Oprah in 2020 in Order to Advance the Radical Leftist Feminist Agenda. - SciBabe

wordywalt comments on Jan 10, 2018:

It would work. How about pairing her with Elizabeth Warren? What a powerful pair!

ahem

wordywalt comments on Jan 10, 2018:

Trump and most of his cabal would fail your criteria miserably on both characteristics or behaviors.

Talking about Oprah. Who would be her vice president.

wordywalt comments on Jan 10, 2018:

If Oprah were to become the Democratic candidate for president, I see two very favorable running mates -- either Elizabeth Warren or Joe Biden. Oprah and either would smash any Republican slate.

Opposition To GMOs Is Neither Unscientific Nor Immoral

wordywalt comments on Jan 10, 2018:

Opposition to GMOs is based more on attitudes than on facts. Mutation is a naturally occurring process, happening millions of times every day. It is the basis of natural selection, ergo evolution. Some mutations produce organisms which are more suited to the environment, meaning that those organisms are more likely to survive and pass on their DNA. Other mutations are harmful to the organism and doom the organisms chances for long-term survival. That is evolution in action. Producing GMOs is producing artificial mutations. Do we know fully what the long term effects of a GMO will be. No. But we can and should study that question as fully as possible in a controlled environment before we decide to move ahead with a GMO. But, if the positive consequences of a GMO appear to outweigh the negative, it is worth a try. Let us not blindly reject all GMOs, but study each carefully before we release it into the environment at large.

Are we alone in the universe?

wordywalt comments on Jan 10, 2018:

?

As an Angostic Humanist commitment to the use of critical reason, factual evidence, and scientific ...

wordywalt comments on Jan 10, 2018:

Unlike Grassley, Feinstein did the moral and patriotic thing!

I'm thinking that there are a lot more atheists and agnostics than we know about.

wordywalt comments on Jan 10, 2018:

I think you may be right. We atheists do not wear our atheism on our sleeves, nor is it the central focus of our lifes -- as religion is for the true believers.

I just saw this on FB. I may have to cut my eyes out.

wordywalt comments on Jan 10, 2018:

What absolute filth!

What do you feel makes you a good friend?

wordywalt comments on Jan 10, 2018:

The qualitiesz you list are good choices. I would only add common interests.

Technology and age

wordywalt comments on Jan 10, 2018:

Yes, technology is advancing so rapidly that it is leaving many of my generation behind. Some of us old farts make decisions about which devices we wish to remain current with and which we do not really want, need, or wish to be controlled by. I am computer literate, but do not own or want a cell phone. I value my peace, quiet, and privacy. T do not tweet or text as I do not see the sense in it. If I want to communicate, I would rather speak directly with the person..

Anyone else as surprised as I am that there are so many Atheist Republicans on here?

wordywalt comments on Jan 10, 2018:

I think that most atheist Republicans would be hesitant to admit it.

War. Does it make a difference?

wordywalt comments on Jan 10, 2018:

The start of World War II by Nazi Germany and Japan was not justified. Standing up to those nations and their attempts to control most of the rest of the world was justified. The alternative would havbe been to live under an evil Nazi regime and/or under an exploitative Imperial Japanese empire.

What 3 political issues would your chosen candidate have to align with your viewpoint on?

wordywalt comments on Jan 10, 2018:

1. Truly open and democratic elections (no restrictions on voting rights, no gerrymandering, no PACS or dark money, the overturn of Citizens United). 2. Focus on the development of human potential and economic opportunity for ALL. 3. Full environmental protection (including moving from fossil fuels to renewable energy).

Another great show was kids say the darnedest things with Art Linkletter.

wordywalt comments on Jan 10, 2018:

A very pragmatic kid!

Tonight, I used a "senior" discount for the first time. I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

wordywalt comments on Jan 10, 2018:

Welcome to senior citizenry. Just accept it as a part of life and keep on keeping on.

Atheism is a product of unrestrained critical-thinking.

wordywalt comments on Jan 10, 2018:

No. Any thought and action process that is totally unrestrained includes the potential for destructive and hurtful consequences.

Is religion necessary in the world?

wordywalt comments on Jan 10, 2018:

No, religion is not necessary. It depends entirely on he effects of the religious doctrine as to whether or not it is evil. There is no doubt that it is limiting.

How capable are we of abandoning our point of view?

wordywalt comments on Jan 10, 2018:

That depends primarily on two things: (1) the personality of the individual ( the insecure person who needs the security of a fixed and immutable dogma will find change almost impossible, and (2) the commitment of the individual to critical and independent thinking.. Over my life time I have moved from being religious as a child to an atheist position, from a conservative political perspective in my early 20s to a strong progressive stance today, in economics from a conventional to a mixed economy model.l

Why do so many people in the US seek out therapy?

wordywalt comments on Jan 10, 2018:

I am not sure that a high percentage of Americans seek psychotherapy. I am 80 years old and have never been in psychotherapy and do not know of anyone among my friends, associates, and colleagues who has.

Donald Trump's Spiritual Adviser Paula White Suggests People Send Her Their January Salary or Face ...

wordywalt comments on Jan 9, 2018:

I find it amazing that anyone takes Paula White seriously. She is a greedy charlatan and con artist. She and her husband used their demagoguery to create a huge church in Tampa, Florida. But she wanted more power and wealth, so she left her husband and her church in Tampa simply because she wanted more. Without her skilled demagoguery, the Tampa church failed and her congregation of believers were left out in the cold. So, her latest ploy is just another reach to serve her greed..

“Blind belief in authority is the greatest enemy of truth.” Do you agree?

wordywalt comments on Jan 9, 2018:

Absolutely true!! When one commits himself or herself to absolute adherence to any person creed, or ideology, he or she stops exercising independent though and use of reason.

One person I think (unnamed) on this site was saying that to be rich is somehow evil.

wordywalt comments on Jan 9, 2018:

Being rich is not evil. Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are very good men who have done great things with much of their money. What is evil is greed -- the amassing of wealth and power for yourself only by any means possible.

Environment if not science is being destroyed.

wordywalt comments on Jan 9, 2018:

Trump and the culture of greed constitute a menace to our people, country, and environment!

This whole series is pretty good, I recommend it, especially for those of us who are self-taught.

wordywalt comments on Jan 9, 2018:

Well done.

I was curious

wordywalt comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Love it!!

From conflict comes progress

wordywalt comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Sometimes, not always.

I want to know what you think on the subject of Global Warming?

wordywalt comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Global warming is natural, but accelerated by human activity using fossil fuels. The earth has gone through a number of periods of global warming in its history, and it will do it again.

James "Mad Dog" Mattis for president in 2020!!! Thoughts?

wordywalt comments on Jan 8, 2018:

I would not even consider voting fgor a man who has chosen to be a member of the Trump administration.

Is Agnostic.com a left wing echo chamber?

wordywalt comments on Jan 8, 2018:

The answer is NO WAY IN HELL! First, just because we reject racism, ethnocentrism, and reactionary thinking does not mean that we are left wing. We are reasoning, critical thinking, fair-minded people who believe in democracy. Second, you are playing the old extreme right wing trick -- accusing people who disagree with you of being Marxists. That is a morally corrupt, damnable lie! Most of us understand Marxism and its threats to our democracy and freedom. But, the threat of right wing racist autocrats is just as bad!

Supreme Court Allows Draconian ‘Religious Freedom’ Law To Stand

wordywalt comments on Jan 8, 2018:

A damnable decision. The Powell court includes 4 extreme ideologies incapable of rendering reasonable decisions which are based on reason justice. Thank Republicans for the worst Supreme Court in our history!

Discrimination of conservative white men ?

wordywalt comments on Jan 8, 2018:

I am a white man, and the only people I feel who discriminate against me are evangelical Christians, racists, and ideologically bankrupt Republicans.

State Representative Steve Alford from Kansas revived a Jim Crow era myth that African Americans are...

wordywalt comments on Jan 8, 2018:

One would expect such crap from s member of Brownback's Cabal that has formulated a vile, caustic brew mixing politics and pseudo-Christianity. They are a damnable lot!

Christian leader calls for a day of ‘fasting and prayer’ to protect Trump from impeachment – ...

wordywalt comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Tell that charlatan preacher: Ain't nothing going to protect that slimeball Trump!!

Why does it anger you when a person tries to convert you to their belief?

wordywalt comments on Jan 8, 2018:

You feel anger because the person is failing to show respect for you and your beliefs -- as well as for your right to believe what you wish,.

How do you cope with the fact that any day you will die and that will be the end?

wordywalt comments on Jan 8, 2018:

What is there to cope with? Your just accept reality and go n today. As far is death itself. there is nothing to cope with.. You simply cease to exist.

Elizabeth Warren & Oprah Winfrey 2020 ticket?

wordywalt comments on Jan 8, 2018:

I can think of a lot worse tickets. I would support the combination.

Careful what you wish for.

wordywalt comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Love it!!

After living in Sacramento for the past 3 years I am making plans to move back to Missouri.

wordywalt comments on Jan 8, 2018:

I understand your situation. Hope you are able to sustain yourself attitudinally and emotionally back vin the Ozarks.

When I was young we where there to change the world I grew up in the 70.

wordywalt comments on Jan 8, 2018:

It was a good time to be alive!~ Unfortunately, we did not accomplish enough social and cultural change for the age to persist. The fear of many in seeing the culture they knew going away scared the hell out of them and they reacted with the very things we were trying to get rid of -- racism, ethnocentrism, reactionary thought and action, anger and fear. That led to Nixon, Reagan, the culture of greed and the political disaster we are dealing with today.

Patriotism and religion have many similarities in the way they are practiced.

wordywalt comments on Jan 8, 2018:

What you describe is blind, irrational patriotism -- an extreme position which is harmful to both people and to the nation and what it stands for. I consider myself patriotic: I served in the military. I value most of the principles on which this nation was founded. I vote and pay my fair share of taxes to support needed governmental services. I believe in democracy. I am offended by your putting my patriotism in the same categorty as that you describe.

Humanists Stop Bible Distribution in Elementary School - American Humanist Association

wordywalt comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Both the Herington superintendent and elementary principal should be removed from office for constitutionally forbidden activity. This shows how the culture of Kansas has regressed over the past 25 - 30 years under the morally bankrupt and aggressively "Christian" leadership of Brownbach and Kobach. As he head of an educational service center serving 12 rural districts in Kansas from 1977 - 87, I worked with the Herington district. I can say without doubt that such illegal action would NOT have occurred at that time in Herington.

As a result of a recent discussion I (sort of) just had.....

wordywalt comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Real journalism is on the decline in the USA. None of the media invest in real investigative journalism as they did in the 1960s and 1970s. On too many media, the majority of what one sees consists of talking heads and obsession on a single topic (while ignoring other news). Fox "News" bears absolutely no semblance to real journalism.

Silence is a political stance. It is a full throated endorsement of the status quo.

wordywalt comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Hear! Hear! Any person with any semblance of a moral backbone MUST speak out against Trump and today's morally bankrupt Republican party!

The single most important thing you need to know about Trump.

wordywalt comments on Jan 8, 2018:

Trump's behavior is, without any doubt, sociopathic.

Anthropomorphism & God How do your religious friends wrap their mind around a god that both: ...

wordywalt comments on Jan 7, 2018:

And, I know a true believer Baptist who thinks that both are true.

I think large portions of the US population (and possibly other countries) are affected with this, ...

wordywalt comments on Jan 7, 2018:

It is a proven principle. And, yes, Trump is a perfect example.

I dislike Dr.

wordywalt comments on Jan 7, 2018:

I agree. Just living with a problem is harmful to one's mental and physical health. Acknowledging that there is a problem and doing something to solve it is the only healthy scourse of action.

I believe that the NSA, FBI, CIA, etc.

wordywalt comments on Jan 7, 2018:

Yes, I think that they know that Trump has committed crimes, but they are not the prosecutors. It will be up to Mueller to file charges in the courts, to the courts to try Trump, to the Congress to file impeachment charges and act on them.

To get back a sense of true democracy, those of us already out make a call to the rest to step out ...

wordywalt comments on Jan 7, 2018:

Democracy is not dead. It has been damaged by the Citizens United Decision, and by legislation which established big money and dark money PACs, by Fos News and by Russian meddling. It is us to all of us -- one citizen after the other -- to take back our democracy.

Your thoughts on gun ownership?

wordywalt comments on Jan 7, 2018:

I would go further and say that no private citizen should own a pistol, assault weapon, or semi-automatic weapon. The only real purpose of such weapons is killing people. I am an Army vet and fired "expert with the M-1 Graand rifle. I also own a shotgun and a lever action rifle.

What is it about life that keeps you going without the promise of an afterlife?

wordywalt comments on Jan 7, 2018:

Life simply is. The only meaning there is in it, is what meaning we create by our thoughts and actions.

I absolutely love the level of thinking/writing on here, the provocative posts, in fact.

wordywalt comments on Jan 7, 2018:

I agree. I also like the freedom and perspective that being a thinking old coot gives me.

This afternoon I was informed of my good friend’s death.

wordywalt comments on Jan 7, 2018:

It is hard to loose contact with those who truly mean something to us. The absence of that contact will be felt for a long time.

Do have friends to keep you entertained, or do you entertain yourself?

wordywalt comments on Jan 7, 2018:

I do not expect anyone to entertain me, nor do I feel any obligation to entertain others.

I have noticed a significant positive correlation between the religious (beliefs not supported by ...

wordywalt comments on Jan 7, 2018:

It is not just fear. "True believer" evangelicals see Trump as a vehicle to advance the coming of the kingdom of God. The irony is that they would sell their souls to support an evil man to promote the coming of the kingdom of God.

I have noted the strong hysteria of human rights compaigners,focusing only on one field, lets say ...

wordywalt comments on Jan 7, 2018:

I agree with the content of your post, but find its tone repulsive.

I thought we were supposed to be freethinkers.

wordywalt comments on Jan 7, 2018:

Civility should be the order of the day on this site.

Trump defends his sanity amid questions about his mental state - CNNPolitics

wordywalt comments on Jan 7, 2018:

TOTALLY agree!!!

Stable Genius.

wordywalt comments on Jan 6, 2018:

If Trump is a genius, then , those people classified as intellectually challenged are the wonder minds

Do any of you have to consciously avoid religious topics or 'hide' when you are with members of your...

wordywalt comments on Jan 6, 2018:

Religion does not come up in our conversations. Although some members of my family are religious, we have better things to talk about.

In his latest tweets - Trump said he was a "Stable Genius".

wordywalt comments on Jan 6, 2018:

No way in hell! A person would have to be an imbecile to believe that.

Evangelicals

wordywalt comments on Jan 6, 2018:

I damned sure hope so!

Did you let your children go to religious activities with their friends?

wordywalt comments on Jan 6, 2018:

Yes. They did a few times. It did not influence them at all.

No religion has a monopoly on moral or ethical posturing. Why do they think they do?

wordywalt comments on Jan 6, 2018:

there are always going to be people who are going to feel that they are "holier than thou." The fact that they act in this manner means that they are not!

How do you deal with anti-vaxxers?

wordywalt comments on Jan 6, 2018:

This is an issue about which I feel strongly. If anyone ever said something to me on the topic, expressing agreement with the anti-vaccination lcrap, I would feel compelled to say, "I beg you to reject all of this bunch of manufactured anti-vaccination lies. Anyone who accepts it is endangering public health.!

What is your take on having a "higher power"?

wordywalt comments on Jan 6, 2018:

If an analyst ever asked me that question, I would feel compelled to ask, in return, " Explain exazctly what you mean by that question? And, what is your purpose in asking the question?"

Hello Australians - I need your help! I'm leaving on Monday for Australia for 5 weeks to visit my ...

wordywalt comments on Jan 6, 2018:

If asked, I would simply and politely say, "I do not talk about religion." If someone persists, I would either move away from that person, or say, "Excuse me. You are pressuring me, and I feel that is disrespectful." If anyone wants to get nasty, tell them, "You are being unchristian."

Are there any Scientologists here?

wordywalt comments on Jan 6, 2018:

Why would anyone want to be a scientologist?

I stopped watching tv in 2011 after I couldn't afford it anymore.

wordywalt comments on Jan 6, 2018:

I have a TV, but spend more time listening to NPR and to classical music stations.

I have known two people who have told me, in different ways, that they need religion to be moral.

wordywalt comments on Jan 6, 2018:

Unfortunately, there are people who seem to lack an internal moral compass. To be moral, they seem to need some kind of external direction. Religion may help some of them to be better people. But, it also makes them very vulnerable to manipulation by demagogues who are more than willing to use them for their own ends.

Ginsburg Slaps Gorsuch in Gerrymandering Case | The New Yorker

wordywalt comments on Jan 6, 2018:

Bravo, Ginsburg!

First Israel deported a convert from Kenya.

wordywalt comments on Jan 6, 2018:

Israel is in danger of becoming a racist state seeking ethnic purity -- and a state characterized by aggressive nationalism.

Dorothy, you're not on Facebook anymore.

wordywalt comments on Jan 6, 2018:

In general, this is a site in which civility is the order of the day. I appreciate your comment.

How are relationships formed?

wordywalt comments on Jan 6, 2018:

You are correct. In order to form a close relationship, one must be willing to allow oneself to be vulnerable. When that vulnerability is reciprocated, a real basis for a relationship exists.

No religion has a monopoly on moral or ethical posturing. Why do they think they do?

wordywalt comments on Jan 6, 2018:

Because they have been taught that their religion is the absolute basis for all morality.

After you became a non believer, did you also go back through all the other supernatural claims out...

wordywalt comments on Jan 5, 2018:

I never believed in any of the other crap.

How long do you think until religion is the minority on this planet, or in america

wordywalt comments on Jan 5, 2018:

Not in this century. We still have and are still creating too many emotionally needy people who will find or create some total system ideology.

TOTAL ATHIEST WORLD?

wordywalt comments on Jan 5, 2018:

No, an atheist world is not going to solve all our problems. As a species, we will still make enough mistakes to give us nightmares.

I asked Trump a blunt question: Do you read? - The Washington Post

wordywalt comments on Jan 5, 2018:

The problem is that Trump lacks the basic intelligence to read serious writing with any substance.

Morning musing: One of my issues with religion vs science: "Thou shalt not test the lord your god".

wordywalt comments on Jan 5, 2018:

The key difference to the advance of humanity!!! Asking questions and testing reality is the only avenue to human progress. This is a message we should all trumpet to the world!!

Here is a "What If". Role reversal.

wordywalt comments on Jan 5, 2018:

Because the biochemistry of the female body leads to different drives and imbedded nurturing tendencies. I recommend that you read the brilliant satire on the topic, THE FOUNDER, written by Gunther Grass. Grass was also highly critical of the women's movement in Germany during the 1980s. His criticism stated that the problem was that the German feminists were trying to use power like men, and that "we already had too many stupid men in the world."

Are people really this dumb?

wordywalt comments on Jan 5, 2018:

Yes, they do. Because their minds are ruled by racial hatred, bigotry, greed, and stupidity.

THE AMERICAN IDENTITY.

wordywalt comments on Jan 5, 2018:

A person's heritage is that which they identify with and can legitimately claim to be a part of. We all have multiple heritages we could claim, but we are not obligated to claim any of them. The choices are ours, and ours alone. As an example, My family has lived in the deep south of the USA for over 280 years. The family was Methodist for a number of generations. I reject both of those, as they are at odds with who I am.I am descended from a mixture of German and Scotch-Irish ancestors. At the same time, my DNA tells me that I have traces of African, American Indian (Pima or Aztec), Scandinavian, and South European (probably Spanish) ancestry That makes me identify with American melting pot. I believe in an American democracy and in ther principles on which that democracy was founded.. Most of my roots are here in this country. So, yes, I am an American and proud of it.

If you were having a marriage ceremony, is there a specific style that would influence you?

wordywalt comments on Jan 5, 2018:

It is the joint commitment that counts. The rest is optional. I was married on-=once in the government marriage office of the city of Berlin , Germany, and again in a chapel ceremony arranged by my second wife.

Why are so many people still OK with the abhorrent practice of male genital mutilation ...

wordywalt comments on Jan 5, 2018:

Genital mutilation should be banned, period. The practice arises from a combination of religion, culturally based male domination, and sheer ignorance.

Upon the inevitable...,.

wordywalt comments on Jan 5, 2018:

Cremated, ashes scattered. No service of any kind.

What should one do when asked to tell the truth so help you god?

wordywalt comments on Jan 5, 2018:

I would respond, "I tell the truth without any outside help."

Do atheists have morals without religion?

wordywalt comments on Jan 5, 2018:

Go back and read past posts on this topic.

Why is it so hard to realize we are just like any creature that has ever lived on this planet?

wordywalt comments on Jan 5, 2018:

Totally agree!