Benthoven's Profile

Why are we hated for hating xmas?

Benthoven comments on Apr 3, 2018:

I love Christmas. I love the lights, the concept of giving, the mythologies, the sense that miracles happen. And that it happens in the darkest part of the year I think is relevant since darkness can get rather depressing.

Are you a coffee person? If so, what's your favorite coffee?

Benthoven comments on Apr 3, 2018:

Yes. And my favorite coffee is coffee... and coffee flavored coffee... ;)

What's your favourite wild animal?

Benthoven comments on Apr 3, 2018:

The Wolf.

What movie trope is the worst?

Benthoven comments on Apr 3, 2018:

I don’t understand the concept of brats in shows. Yes, brats exist, and if they are pertinent to the show, I get it. But this need to put a brat into every show just makes me crazy.

Does anyone here also enjoy a dark sense of humor?

Benthoven comments on Apr 3, 2018:

For me it’s all about intent. Humor that’s meant to entertain, to bring laughter, to get us to take a second look at whatever the author thinks is troubling, whether I like it or not, is still productive. It’s humor that’s meant to bring harm and to cause pain... that’s what bothers me. And it’s a fine line... one that isn’t easily explained, but that’s a different conversation.

Who's your favorite atheist comedian?

Benthoven comments on Apr 3, 2018:

Jim Jefferies.

What's a phrase you vehemently despise?

Benthoven comments on Apr 3, 2018:

I hate the phrase, "Jesus didn't exist." Ever time I hear it, I hear the same fundamentalistic notion as those who insist he was a god.

The question we should be asking Christians.

Benthoven comments on Apr 2, 2018:

I run across a lot of street preachers, and so I’ve developed some answers for them. Preacher: Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal savior? Ben: Thanks, but I’m already seeing a savior at this time. Preacher: Have you met Jesus? Ben: Of course. I’m dating his dad. Preacher: Jesus loves you. Ben: Yah, but he also loves Franklin Graham, so his taste in men is pretty bad. Preacher: Jesus sent me to you. Ben: That makes sense. Jesus has had it out for me for years. Preacher: Have you seen Jesus? Ben: Yah, he’s passed out under my coffee table. Preacher: The fool has said in his heart there is no God. Ben: The wise tweet it.

Have you ever: drank too much & made a fool of yourself?

Benthoven comments on Apr 2, 2018:

You mean since Wednesday?

Do you want a funeral, or a celebration of your life?

Benthoven comments on Apr 2, 2018:

I want my funeral at a discotheque with a full bar. I want my casket in the middle of the room, and everyone dancing to my favorite songs, getting as drunk as they can without falling into my casket. And this is the song they paly for me at the end. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6rP-YP4c5I

DON'T BE AN ATH-HOLE.

Benthoven comments on Apr 2, 2018:

I noticed you never mentioned condescension, because there’s a lot of condescension in this post. If I may offer some citations. “If YOU cannot achieve that in everyday...” “I find the balance of YOU...” “Would YOU PEOPLE really be proud...” “What YOU are all experiencing is collective deindividuation...” “YOU should think very carefully before jumping on bandwagons... “ I see you’re familiar with the word “deindividuation,” but are you familiar with the word “Projection”? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_projection “That is the test I always use for any content I post online as a writer with a social media following.” It’s ironically that you SAY you use this particular test, and yet, here’s your post, online, on a page that has a following, being just as condescending as you possibly be. Let me ask you... “Would you like some self-righteous muttonhead putting on his best ‘I’m better than you’ voice and taking his stand atop the ‘I’m so special’ soap box in an effort to force the rest of the world to fit into his very narrow viewpoint”? If you’re this bothered and offended because of what other people are talking about, then it’s quite clear you’re not ready to have this conversation. And the beautify of it all, is that you’re not required to be here either.

If I had it all to do again, I doubt very much I would meet my husband.

Benthoven comments on Mar 31, 2018:

If I could do it again AND retain my memories AND could make life take the same trajectory, I might... but the odds of that would be astronomical.

Why is nudity considered "a bad thing"?

Benthoven comments on Mar 31, 2018:

No, it’s more from the Victorian age. Even the mediaeval painters did nudes. It was the pilgrims and their bizarre fear of the human body that still lingers here today. In Europe, it’s not as big of a deal.

Which Cosmos was better 1980 or 2014?

Benthoven comments on Mar 31, 2018:

That’s a tough question. Has the cosmos really changed all that much in thirty-plus years? ;)

Are Atheist hateful towards spiritual people?

Benthoven comments on Mar 31, 2018:

The short answer is “Yes.” The longer answer is “Yyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeesssssssssssssssssssssssss.” I had a weird conversation on this very site over capitalizing God as a proper noun. I got bitched out by some lady for pointing out that proper grammar was still a thing.

What was your best experience with drugs or alcohol? Your worst experience?

Benthoven comments on Mar 31, 2018:

One day I got too stoned and watched Monty Python’s Life of Brian... For two hours I couldn’t stop laughing... and hard. I hurt. I couldn’t breathe. At the stoning scene I really thought I was going to laugh myself to death. I’m not sure if that’s in the “good” column or the “bad” column.

What was your best experience with drugs or alcohol? Your worst experience?

Benthoven comments on Mar 31, 2018:

I was tripping one day in the back seat of a car, when my legs got up and walked away from me. My friends told me they had just gone to order pizza, but when they weren’t back by the time I had to pee, I started to get worried.

Have you ever looked back on something did and wondered how you survived?

Benthoven comments on Mar 31, 2018:

I call that High School.

I belive in evolution but my religious friends say to me that my gramps is monkey they don't even ...

Benthoven comments on Mar 31, 2018:

Make fun of them for knowing nothing about science. Don’t engage them with reason, it won’t work. Just make fun of how scientifically illiterate they are.

I am frustrated by a hyper religous christian in an email chain I'm cc'd on.

Benthoven comments on Mar 31, 2018:

She found out you weren’t a believer, and now it’s her new mission to convert you. The only thing you can really do at this point is block her emails, block the phone calls, and keep your relationship on a professional level only. If you engage, she’s going to think she’s getting to you and therefore try harder.

What is something your parents told you as a kid that you realized later it was an outright lie?

Benthoven comments on Mar 31, 2018:

We were just wrestling.

What is your quest? What is your favorite color? What is your next goal in life?

Benthoven comments on Mar 30, 2018:

What is your quest? > > I seek the Holy Grail What is your favorite color? > > Blue... No green... aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhgggggggggggggg

Paster attacked by lions expecting the lord to intervein. [disclose.tv]

Benthoven comments on Mar 30, 2018:

It’s events like this that make me realize that the fact that we have NOT been visited from other life is proof that there’s intelligent life out there.

I am struggling with my conscience, and compassion.

Benthoven comments on Mar 30, 2018:

First of all, she’s 81 years old—the odds that she is ever going to change her mind at this time in her life are pretty much stacked against you. God is her thing and she probably wishes she could share that with you. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that she’s not also frightened... worried that after she dies she will never see you again (because of her beliefs). I also suspect that she wants your life to be better, and she’s recommending the one thing she believes will do that. I think it’s okay to set boundaries and simply keep the conversation toward those areas where you can both share. If she pushes too hard, let her know that you’ve given your position a lot of thought, and you’re sure of where you stand, and you feel confident in your decision. And whenever you can, look for the ways she inspires you.

Do you over think? Do you under think? Do you feel like you might be forgetting something?

Benthoven comments on Mar 29, 2018:

I spend so much time in my head I don’t even know the way back to the outside world anymore.

How are you gonna spend Easter Sunday?

Benthoven comments on Mar 29, 2018:

Probably on my back. It's been out for a couple of weeks, and it’s kind of killing me.

What do you look forward to in spring time the most?

Benthoven comments on Mar 29, 2018:

Heat.

Favorite podcasts?

Benthoven comments on Mar 29, 2018:

The Infinite Monkey Cage https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00snr0w/episodes/player

Q: What is your favorite starch/complex carb

Benthoven comments on Mar 29, 2018:

Pizza, French fries, nachos, beer.

What do people do that grosses you out? X(

Benthoven comments on Mar 29, 2018:

Stick their finger in their ear then smell it afterwards. Pick their noses. Chew tobacco, and then spit into cups, bottles, onto the floor, anywhere they desire.

What if you are wrong and there IS a god

Benthoven comments on Mar 29, 2018:

And what if an earthquake knocks the entire western United States into the ocean? What if a comet wipes out all life on planet earth? What if Jesus hasn’t returned yet because his GPS got him lost? What if coconuts CAN migrate?

Would you accept a job or position within a company that was built around religious beliefs?

Benthoven comments on Mar 29, 2018:

I have a feeling I wouldn't even pass the interview...

Christian extremists want Bill Maher punished for blasphemy

Benthoven comments on Mar 29, 2018:

And how are they NOT like Islamic extremists?

When aging is unavoidable, why is ageism a thing?

Benthoven comments on Mar 29, 2018:

I think it goes back quite a while. When you read the mythologies, see the statues, see the artwork, societies tend to worship youth. Ironically, in those days we didn’t live too late into old age because we didn’t have the technology and medicine to keep us around. Now we get a first-hand view of it.

Worst date?

Benthoven comments on Mar 27, 2018:

I'm going to go with July 10, 2017.

Is there better men on here after you get higher points.

Benthoven comments on Mar 27, 2018:

Better men? What are you looking for? Super heros are fictional, and even if they were real, they're going to want people who are more like them.

Do you talk to yourself?

Benthoven comments on Mar 27, 2018:

I do, sometimes. > > No you don’t, not at all. Of course I do, what do you know? > > I know you’re making shit up. Dude, you always do this. You always try to start a fight. > > You’re the one fighting here, I was just pointing out the obvious. Alright, we’re done here.

What are some of your favorite movie quotes?

Benthoven comments on Mar 27, 2018:

There's more to life than just being really, really, really good looking... ~ Derek Zoolander

What are some of your favorite movie quotes?

Benthoven comments on Mar 27, 2018:

“I tell you one thing. I've been to a parallel universe, I've seen time running backwards, I've played pool with planets, and I've given birth to twins, but I never thought in my entire life I'd taste an edible Pot Noodle." - Lister, From Red Dwarf

I started reading the bible recetly, and I'm 11 pages into genisis, and the shear substance of what ...

Benthoven comments on Mar 27, 2018:

Most of the people who "live by the bible" have never read the bible.

Could be this new generation is going to destroy the NRA! I think we have a wonderful group of youth...

Benthoven comments on Mar 27, 2018:

I hope so. But let's remember, cockroaches can survive almost anything.

What gives your life meaning? What keeps you going?

Benthoven comments on Mar 27, 2018:

Vodka.

It's hard for me to understand how some people are able to sleep in until at least 11am-1 pm.

Benthoven comments on Mar 27, 2018:

Sometimes I’ll sleep until noon or 1:00. But then I don’t have regular hours. Some nights I’ll go to be at two or three in the morning because I’m working on a project. Other times, I’ll go to bed early, but end up waking up in the middle of the night, and so I find myself up for a while. Almost every day I wake up between six and eight, but rarely get up. I usually end up trying for a couple more hours. On average I’m up by eleven...

What's your favourite wild animal?

Benthoven comments on Mar 27, 2018:

Tough call. I really love wolves, but I love big cats too, especially panthers.

Is a snake in the kitchen a message from the universe?

Benthoven comments on Mar 24, 2018:

A snake in the kitchen means it might be time to have some work done on your house. Is that a message from the universe? Well, you’re sharing space with the universe, and one of your attending critters has found a way into your house. Do you want to share your space with those critters? If yes... congratulations, the universe says you can have snakes in your kitchen. If not... beware, the universe says there are snakes in the area and they can get into your house.

Describe your love life in one word.

Benthoven comments on Mar 24, 2018:

WHAT... love life?

Marriage vs. long term relationship: what is everyone's preference?

Benthoven comments on Mar 24, 2018:

I think it all depends on what you do for a living, and whether or not you can protect your assets in the even that one of you dies. My sister’s husband was a marine, and was killed on July 10 when his C-130 fell apart over Mississippi. Because she was married, she had access to everything, even over Brendan’s parents. She got to decide where he was buried (Arlington), she decides what happens to his assets. One of the other wives, on the other hand, was only engaged, and she had access to nothing. None of his benefits, his retirement, anything. That all went to his family. Fortunately, they’re good people and are taking care of her, but that might not always be the case. Even in states with common-law marriages, there can be issues. If you’re thinking long-term, but not “full-term,” it might not be as big of a deal. Or if you live in a state, or have wills made up (which can be fought) things like that in place, then that might works as well. But you never know what the future holds. Basically what I’m saying is this: whether you “marry” or not, you’re still going to need to make a legal commitment to each other in one form or another.

If you were raised religious, how much did you dread prayer?

Benthoven comments on Mar 24, 2018:

I’ve always prayed. I did it naturally. I talked to God while I was walking down the street, I prayed about silly things, like which color I looked better in when trying to dress up. I asked God questions about anything. I told him I was bored, or that what that person did to me was painful, or that I worried about future events. I told God jokes, and called him “Godfather...” (long story). I even told him when I was mad at him, or hated him because he let something awful happen. Prayer was a way of life for me growing up. Now that I’m aware that I was only talking to myself, I still do it. There’s a part of me that has some pretty good insight, and why not call upon that from time to time. There’s a part of “me” that’s a little smarter than the “me” I think I know, and I have been engaging that so that I may have more insight into who I really am.

Do you spend time debating your views on religion with the religious?

Benthoven comments on Mar 24, 2018:

It depends: on the conditions, on my mood, on the person in front of me. If they’re someone who “thinks they know the bible,” well, I can’t help but engage. I’ve been studying that book for most of my life, so I know a thing or two about it, and I don’t mind correcting misinformation. If it’s an obnoxious person, then I’m more inclined to engage just because... well... obnoxious is MY thing. But I know this: they don’t respond to reason, and I don’t try using reason. If they’re quoting the bible, I quote it back. When it comes to their beliefs, I gently mock them, or poke fun. I’m no Jon Stewart, but his is the best approach I’ve seen. After all, if this were a “reasonable” debate, we wouldn’t be having it.

When on Facebook and I read "pray" for this that or whatever my answer is: "Faith means not wanting...

Benthoven comments on Mar 24, 2018:

I’m not entirely sure prayer doesn’t help. Prayer is about asking questions, making requests, or seeking guidance. There is a part of us, deep inside, that probably has most of the answers we seek on a daily basis (regarding daily life, not necessarily the global questions). Every day our brain is living out our lives in ways we don’t even think about. The mind has insight into who we are, why we do some of the things we do, and what decisions might be better for us. I’m not convinced that our minds are determined to keep us in the dark about these things (though they do tend to have a strong sense of irony). In fact, if we “ask nicely,” our mind might be more than willing to share answers with us. Just as “not ever prayer is answered” in religious mythology, there are some things our mind can’t tell us... or we just aren’t listening. Or we need the guidance and council of others. It’s true that if I have cancer and I pray for it to go away, that’s not going to help. Or if I pray that God will help those poor people but do nothing myself to help them, then no, it is useless. But if I get cancer, and I “pray,” I might learn things that I can do to slow it down... or learn ways to embrace the inevitable and make the best of what’s left. If I “pray” for those poor people, my mind might suggest, maybe even demand, that I get off my ass and try to help. Praying, out loud, could articulate the question, focus the mind on possible answers, and open us up to whatever possibilities might be facing us. How many times have we had a question, and suddenly the answer popped into our heads... Our brain knows these things (or can learn these things), it just needs us to focus. In that sense, asking myself to help myself can be very productive. Especially if I’m willing to listen to what I have to say.

For Douglas Adams fans. The answer to life, the universe, and everything.

Benthoven comments on Mar 24, 2018:

"The answer to this is very simple. It was a joke. It had to be a number, an ordinary, smallish number, and I chose that one. Binary representations, base thirteen, Tibetan monks are all complete nonsense. I sat at my desk, stared into the garden and thought '42 will do'. I typed it out. End of story." ~ Douglas Adams

Has anyone ever had an encounter with a celebrity?

Benthoven comments on Mar 24, 2018:

I've worked with minor celebrities, as an actor.

Greatest Story Ever Told???

Benthoven comments on Mar 24, 2018:

The greatest story ever told is Harry Potter. Behind that, I would say Radioland Murders, followed by the series, Supernatural.

Have you ever done a good deed and someone assumed it's because you're Christian?

Benthoven comments on Mar 24, 2018:

If a Christian wants to "help" someone, they pray. They don’t get off their ass until it’s time to persecute someone.

A serious event occurs that wipes out the power grid.

Benthoven comments on Mar 24, 2018:

Walk down the streets with my arms in front of me chanting, "Braaaiiiinnnnnssss!"

Favorite funny, satirical or spoof msuci video?

Benthoven comments on Mar 22, 2018:

This one still cracks me up! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqqZWAhNRlE

Yay! I got awarded $2,230 for each semester in college.

Benthoven comments on Mar 22, 2018:

If I may quote the great philosopher:

Favorite books of fiction?

Benthoven comments on Mar 22, 2018:

I happen to love the Harry Potter books. The movies too, but the books are more in-depth/involved. I read the Lord of the Ring series when I was younger, but in a way I like the movies better. I have not read or seen Game of Thrones, but I hear it’s an amazing series. Even to this day, I enjoy the Chronicles of Narnia. But my all-time favorite book is Dracula. NOT the movies. There have been no movies that have done the book any justice. The brilliance of telling the story through the journals of those who were living the story, and the psychological warfare the monster played with his victims... it was all far more frightening than the blood.

Do you feel that religion robs people of living life to the fullest?

Benthoven comments on Mar 22, 2018:

I think that “life” robs people from living to the fullest. Disease, poverty, natural disaster, incidentals, lack of access, loss of loved ones, aging and the toll it takes on the body... Life is rough for most of us. I think religion is an attempt to find relief (or at least a reason) for suffering. It’s devastating to humanity, but all it does is magnify problems that already exist in human nature.

Do you as an atheist feel more intelligent than believers?

Benthoven comments on Mar 22, 2018:

It’s been my “observation” that those who “think” they’re better than others tend to be somewhat overconfident people that nobody wants to hang around. There’s intelligence, and “emotional intelligence,” and without emotional intelligence—intelligence is just a number to some person who’s difficult to be around. I think that they’re probably better read, and rely more on data rather than feelings, but they get stuck in ideologies too. It’s a human thing, and nobody’s immune to it. I think the trick is, introspection, challenging our beliefs, even our “data-based” beliefs, and paying attention when those who love us tell us that we’re not as great as we think we are. We’re human after all, and that’s the same for everybody. IQ is merely one aspect of that humanness.

Has anyone here had a NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE?

Benthoven comments on Mar 22, 2018:

A couple of "close calls," but nothing involving an "experience."

I read somewhere that atheists eat babies.

Benthoven comments on Mar 22, 2018:

Actually that's a myth. Babies are too small and way to hard to cook. We prefer toddlers. They have less baby fat, and more meat, which actually sticks to the bone without falling off.

God and Ghosts

Benthoven comments on Mar 22, 2018:

It's not about "believing," it's about finding evidence. At the moment, there isn't evidence... in fact, Brian Cox once said that if ghosts existed, we would have found evidence in the Hadron Collider. https://futurism.com/brian-cox-if-ghosts-existed-wed-have-found-evidence-for-them-by-now/

What is your favorite response when people say "god bless you", "have a blessed day", and/or "I will...

Benthoven comments on Mar 22, 2018:

"Thank you."

Did you ever find your calling? Or, are you still looking?

Benthoven comments on Mar 22, 2018:

I found “a” calling, but it turned out to be someone else’s and when I tried to return it, they refused to take it back.

Do you fear clowns?

Benthoven comments on Mar 22, 2018:

I’m not afraid of clowns, but I don’t like them either. I find them somewhat creepy.

Does the ends justify the means?

Benthoven comments on Mar 22, 2018:

I would say, if you take that approach, then the means will poison the ends until they're something completely different.

If we were all forced to wear a warning label, what would yours say?

Benthoven comments on Mar 20, 2018:

Fragile!

This gorilla doesn’t like getting his hands muddy, so he walks like a human, zoo says - The ...

Benthoven comments on Mar 20, 2018:

Couldn't read the article, but it looked interesting.

Banning child marriage in America: An uphill fight against evangelical pressure

Benthoven comments on Mar 20, 2018:

You gotta love how it's always those who make the biggest deal about morality who end up being the most immoral.

Perseverance

Benthoven comments on Mar 19, 2018:

Many years ago I picked up a book called The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck, and the opening paragraph has never left me. “Life is difficult. This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult-once we truly understand and accept it-then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.” A bit Buddhist I know, but that was the Buddha’s calling, to understand the sufferings of life.

What is the worst X-mas song ever? I'll go first.

Benthoven comments on Mar 19, 2018:

Silent Night. You’ve got a thirteen-year-old girl, giving birth, in a barn... and you’re gonna tell me it was a “silent night”? But I also have a favorite Christmas song version: A Great Big World: I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYlC5CXWHZI

What do you find sexy?

Benthoven comments on Mar 19, 2018:

Tall... I find tall men sexy. Tall men with long hair... even sexier. And I totally agree about the slightly bowlegged aspect. Personality-wise, I like a little bit gregarious, mysterious, and smart. Smart is super sexy.

I would be interested in hearing what what the group thinks about this question: Is there a ...

Benthoven comments on Mar 19, 2018:

I guess I would use the concept of gravity. Fact: what comes up must come down. But “truth” is the “reasons” or the structure behind it. if I throw something off the roof, it will fall. But gravity is the truth behind the fact. Truth is hard to know because of everything that is involved. Facts tell us certain ‘aspects’ of truth, but only bits and pieces.

What was your favorite thing to do when you were a child?

Benthoven comments on Mar 19, 2018:

I used to love to dig in the dirt. I would build cities, roads, and if there was water nearby, dams so that I could dam the water and then destroy the city I built below me. Anytime there was water I dug pits for rivers... Let’s jut say it was difficult for my mom to keep the house clean.

Perseverance

Benthoven comments on Mar 19, 2018:

I know of only one way, but it makes it worse for everybody else.

If we were all forced to wear a warning label, what would yours say?

Benthoven comments on Mar 19, 2018:

I'm not sure if this is so much a warning label or just a secret fantasy.

Why Men Send Dick Pics

Benthoven comments on Mar 19, 2018:

I suspect that they don't understand how a woman can't be as fascinated with their dick as they are.

Do you think touching money is gross?