Virtual Sex

Benthoven comments on Dec 28, 2017:

I'm bisexual. If I ever want to have sex again, I'm going to have to buy it.

How Did you Discover Agnostic.Com?

Benthoven comments on Dec 28, 2017:

Facebook. Clicked on an ad.

Baron de'Holbach "If we go back to the beginning, we shall find that ignorance and fear created ...

Benthoven comments on Dec 28, 2017:

Shall we? I feel like I would need to see some actual data to verify that. Fear and ignorance have always existed, but so has love and compassion. We've had a lot of crazy ideas that we corrected as we grew more aware, so there has to be more to it than that. As this article in the NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) points out: Religious belief and behavior are a hallmark of human life, with no accepted animal equivalent, and found in all cultures (1). The biological basis of religion, though, is fiercely debated in fields as diverse as evolutionary psychology, anthropology, genetics, and cosmology. Contemporary psychological theories consider religious belief and behavior as complex brain-based phenomena that may have co-emerged in our species with novel cognitive processes for social cognition, such as Theory of Mind (ToM), and successfully engaged fundamental cognitive mechanisms, such as memory https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2660736/

Which Parent Are, or Were You Closest To?

Benthoven comments on Dec 28, 2017:

I'm closest to my mom. Of course that's because she raised me (with the help of my grandparents - her parents). We're still close, though I have never been good at chatting on the phone, so phone conversations can get weird.

Do you find it difficult to date as a non believer ? Would you date a believer?

Benthoven comments on Dec 28, 2017:

To be honest I find dating difficult period...

familyguy humor funny

Benthoven comments on Dec 28, 2017:

I've often wondered what our society would look like if we hadn't been squelched at every turn by religion and superstition.

What is your plan "B"?

Benthoven comments on Dec 28, 2017:

I don't know that there is a Plan B. We destroy the planet, it's all we've got. Sun spots wipe out our grid, there's not a lot we can do about that. Our fates are tied together. Perhaps this is a great place to talk about how we should find ways to come together so that we can, A) prevent a lot of these tragedies, and B) come together to help each other through when these tragedies happen. It can be done, but it has to be done on purpose. We can't just fall into this.

What is your personality type?

Benthoven comments on Dec 28, 2017:

I think my personality is type O negative.

What is your favorite color/colors?

Benthoven comments on Dec 28, 2017:

Blue... the color of my heart. ;) It sounds like a Country and Western song.

What are your thoughts on “foul” language?

Benthoven comments on Dec 28, 2017:

Swearing can be a good sign. https://www.sciencealert.com/swearing-is-a-sign-of-more-intelligence-not-less-say-scientists

What's your favorite thing about the winter season?

Benthoven comments on Dec 28, 2017:

When it turns into spring.

Ok, say you meet someone here and the two of you really click.

Benthoven comments on Dec 28, 2017:

You couldn't just go out to visit for a couple of weeks, just to see how you got along in person?

What is your response when people say i'll pray for you?

Benthoven comments on Dec 28, 2017:

I'll think for you.

What would it be like to be married to you?

Benthoven comments on Dec 28, 2017:

I barely even know me, and when I'm in a room with myself I tend to ignore myself. I keep forgetting my name, and I refuse to share the covers when I'm cold. I tease myself, and sometimes I pull practical jokes on myself.

What is the non-theist replacement for "I'll pray for you?"

Benthoven comments on Dec 26, 2017:

"I'll think for you."

How do you tell religious people that you're an atheist?

Benthoven comments on Dec 26, 2017:

I don't. They start to figure it out as we talk.

General Profanity for Non-Believers

Benthoven comments on Dec 26, 2017:

No. In fact, my favorite curse is "Jesus F' Christ"! Why? Don't know, it's jut fun to say. Saying something like "F* Buddha" isn't the same (although I say that just as often).

if anyone in my country know my idea about religions .

Benthoven comments on Dec 26, 2017:

That has got to be frustrating. I'm so sorry. I hope that life will protect you. Would that we could put aside the superstition and allow each of us to be who we are.

Do men need 'sexual harassment' training? Agree? Disagree?

Benthoven comments on Dec 26, 2017:

I don't think they do. I think they need to understand what it means to be "human." Most men see women as something "other." A toy. They don't realize that women are human: and only when men are taught to see women as human beings, will they understand how to treat them. This goes back to our Victorian ideologies brought about by a misogynist (Paul) who used "god" to try and devalue women and make them second-class citizens.

What are peoples thoughts on death and does it scare you?

Benthoven comments on Dec 26, 2017:

I am not scared of death per se, but I am scared of dying.

God is a ____________?

Benthoven comments on Dec 26, 2017:

Reason I drink.

does sanders have a chance in 2020?

Benthoven comments on Dec 26, 2017:

No, but Elizabeth Warren does.

What right does a religious person have to threaten a person that don’t believe how they do?

Benthoven comments on Dec 26, 2017:

If they have to force you to believe the way they do, then that's not "faith." Faith doesn't need to change others, it only needs to change us.

What religion were you originally steeped in? I was raised Mormon.

Benthoven comments on Dec 26, 2017:

Seventh Day Adventist. I call them "Jewish wanna-bes afraid to make the commitment." Still, it's an ugly religion.

Where is the Bible in the Library?

Benthoven comments on Dec 26, 2017:

I've always said it should be in the Fiction section.

So, I haven't been on here very long, but have seen some interesting posts.

Benthoven comments on Dec 26, 2017:

I'm not sure where you're looking. I see driven and successful people everywhere I go. As far as "thinking the way I do," nobody thinks the way you do. We're similar, but that's one of the ways in which we can differ significantly... our thought process.

Do you think some people are luckier?

Benthoven comments on Dec 26, 2017:

I think life is chaos, and sometimes the dice roll in our favor, and sometimes they roll against us. My brother-in-law, a Marine, was killed in the C-130 that broke apart over Mississippi. What are the odds of that happening? (I suck at math, so I can't really say, but I know that they're extremely low. And yet it happened.) Yet, out of all the ways to die, there it is. We need "reasons," even though the world in which we live is adamantly opposed to giving us those reasons. So we make them up. If I may quote the Dread Pirate Roberts... a.k.a. Wesley: "Life is pain, highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something."

If you found out the Christian God of the bible was real, would you worship him?

Benthoven comments on Dec 26, 2017:

NO! I would never give away my soul. I would never allow someone or something to control my actions based on IT's whim. My soul is my own, and I will do everything in my power to protect it.

Well I blocked my first "Jesus freak" on here, I tolerate that stuff on social media because there ...

Benthoven comments on Dec 26, 2017:

There are Jesus Freaks on here? I suspect that a better word would be "Trolls." Why is it that those who wear the name of Jesus are so much like the very people Jesus hated when he was here.

If results were guaranteed, would you want to be cryogenically frozen?

Benthoven comments on Dec 26, 2017:

NO! Why would I want to be trapped in this nightmare? Why not just say "goodbye," and let it all go.

Isn’t it strange how life seems backwards?

Benthoven comments on Dec 26, 2017:

Life IS... That's all I can say. Good people die, bad people prosper, psychopaths become president. We want so very bad to understand it, but maybe there isn't anything to understand. Maybe life is just life.

There is a connection between Bernie Sanders and Jesus. From my Facebook today.

Benthoven comments on Dec 26, 2017:

I find it ironic that the "Party of Jesus" would do anything to harm the very people Jesus gave his life to defend.

If you are not a Christian, is it alright to go to church?

Benthoven comments on Dec 26, 2017:

Why not? That being said, I've spent large amounts of time in church, and it's likely that once they realize they won't be able to "convert you," they may just ostracize you. If they're "true Christians," they won't care, but that's rare among Christians.

Hello, First I need to let folks know that I am a seminary student at a post-modern ...

Benthoven comments on Dec 26, 2017:

My question here is, "What did Jesus teach?" We don't know. We have four gospels which have been filtered through Paul, who turned Jesus into a the Hellenistic deity: Christ. The closest we'll ever get to what Jesus taught is James, the little brother of Jesus... still those books have been written and rewritten and then made up and written down again. However, Matthew's Sermon on the Mount (aka Jesus' Manifesto) has to be one of the greatest documents ever written. That being said, I pray all the time. Who do I pray to? I haven't a clue. Probably me, or that part of me that that has access to resources that the "me" isn't aware of. It's truth that matters. It's that search, and that willingness to challenge our beliefs... that's what gives us the ability to see beyond the superficial... PS: This is a happy post... welcome to the group.

I’ve been on this site almost a week now, and haven’t received a single unsolicited dick pic so ...

Benthoven comments on Dec 26, 2017:

Wow, that's awesome. On this site I'm doing well, but on my Facebook page I get at least thirty dick-picks a day. Granted, they're AGAINST Donald Trump, but they still keep posting his picture all over the place.

Can an atheist be a racist? What are your views on racism?

Benthoven comments on Dec 25, 2017:

I think it's a human thing. https://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/18/a-shocking-test-of-bias/ https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/user/agg/blindspot/tablet.htm

Hello guys, well, my friend Shana told me that I should not be so open minded, in telling people ...

Benthoven comments on Dec 25, 2017:

I would say, "Thank you for the added power you're ceding over to give me, but I don't control your feelings. That's on you."

What moral code do you follow now that you are non-religious?

Benthoven comments on Dec 25, 2017:

My moral code is actually someone else's moral code. It's often ascribed to Hippocrates, though it night not have been him. Still, I think it's distills morality down to its essence: "First do no harm." When I think about that, I think it covers how we treat each other and the world around us. It causes us to think through our actions, and to consider what effect they will have beyond us.

I’m coming to the realization that Agnosticism, or Atheism, is just another philosophy.

Benthoven comments on Dec 25, 2017:

So would you say evolution is a philosophy? Or physics? Atheism and agnosticism are simply the "null" position in a scientific debate. Do we have evidence to support "god." No. So what doe we do? We accept that and move on. If evidence shows up, then our position changes.

Incest: Immoral or Moral?

Benthoven comments on Dec 25, 2017:

I would ask him, "Was it moral or immoral when Josh Duggar... Christian... molested his sisters and Mike Huckabee... former pastor... defended him?" There was no penetration... that's about as safe as it gets.

I have a friend, who I bowl with.

Benthoven comments on Dec 25, 2017:

I've found the best way to deal with people like that is to gently mock them. When he says no atrocities were committed by Christians, you can reply, "Yah, that whole Dark Ages thing was just a Liberal Coverup." When and if he gets belligerent, you could ask him, "You pray to Jesus with that mouth?" You could make jokes, "If Jesus were alive today he'd tell you to knock it off." Or, "Oh, Mike Huckabee, yah, he's the guy who defends incest and child molestation." Reason and logic doesn't work with these people. If it did, we'd be in a different place. So the best thing to do is turn their statements against them, gently, and humorously.

If you could see any movie remade, what would it be?

Benthoven comments on Dec 25, 2017:

Killer Tomatoes from Outer Space.

My 17 year old came home from public school the other day.

Benthoven comments on Dec 25, 2017:

If fascinates me that saying "Jesus Christ" is considered taking the Lord's name in vain, but stripping away healthcare, giving tax cuts to the wealthy (people Jesus hated) and abusing the poor (the very people Jesus cared most about) isn't...

In my country Christians celebrate Christmas Eve, the evening before Christmas a family and ...

Benthoven comments on Dec 25, 2017:

It all depends on who's house I'm in. If it's my house... then no, I'm not going to join hands. You're welcome to join hands if you like. If it's their house... then I'll join hands.

Out with the old & in with the new. In retrospect, how satisfied are you with the year past?

Benthoven comments on Dec 25, 2017:

I have to say, 2017 was probably the worst year of my life, and I'm not being hyperbolic about that. I cannot wait until I get to stop writing 2017 on any correspondence legal documents. It's a year that I will black out on every calendar I come across.

I like Christian music. Do you see a problem with that?

Benthoven comments on Dec 24, 2017:

Depends on the Christian music. I grew up on it, so there's a lot of it that I still like. But there's a lot of it that I never really cared for. Especially the old 'gospel' sounding stuff. I was a huge fan of The Second Chapter of Acts as a teenager and into my twenties, but they're a little hard to listen to now. I used to love the Altar Boys, but when I tried listening to them again, the lyrics really turned me off... though the music is still pretty good. Quickflight is still one of my favorite bands, and I still listen to Steve Taylor and Lost Dogs. From time to time I'll pull out Barnabas albums. That's right, I have them all on vinyl.

The nature of beauty and awe.

Benthoven comments on Dec 24, 2017:

If you need someone to tell you what's beautiful, then how would you know what beauty really is?

What started the big bang?

Benthoven comments on Dec 24, 2017:

Mrs. O'Leary's cow?

Do you like rituals, routines, and traditions?

Benthoven comments on Dec 24, 2017:

I have a ritual. Hang my keys on the hook as soon as I get home, so I don't lose them.

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

Benthoven comments on Dec 24, 2017:

Baby it's Cold Outside... or as I like to call it, Christmas Assault.

I am an agnostic, but I'm also psychic at times. Does anyone else feel the same way?

Benthoven comments on Dec 24, 2017:

I have ESPN myself. And I can do Remote Control Viewing.

Do you think you would be happier and healthier if you had sex more often?

Benthoven comments on Dec 24, 2017:

Or at ALL!

Please share one awesome thing about where you live. :)

Benthoven comments on Dec 24, 2017:

New York is the most oft-destroyed city on earth. In almost every disaster movie, New York is the first to go. I've seen the city razed dozens of times. Whats' fun is that I can see which parts of town get hit first (usually Lower Manhattan) and watch as it comes my way.

What's an unusual talent or skill you have that most people don't know about?

Benthoven comments on Dec 24, 2017:

When I listen to music, I can often hear the various instruments as if they're playing separately but together, and then I can hear how they're interacting with each other. Depending on how complex this interaction is, I can sometimes get so moved by it that I feel as if I'm surrounded by it.

What’s always been your biggest dream?

Benthoven comments on Dec 24, 2017:

That I'll wake up and find out that this here... was all just a dream.

Topless men but not women on profile pics.

Benthoven comments on Dec 24, 2017:

Topless men? Where... WHERE?

Does happiness really come from within?

Benthoven comments on Dec 24, 2017:

Yes: Within a bottle of vodka. Within a tub of Ben and Jerry's. Within a box of pizza.

What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?

Benthoven comments on Dec 24, 2017:

Ask more people out on a date.

How do you tell religious people that you're an atheist?

Benthoven comments on Dec 24, 2017:

I just tell people that *I* am god, and when I pray, I talk to myself.

God is a ____________?

Benthoven comments on Dec 24, 2017:

God is a thought in the mind of God.

How do you deal with Door-knockers?

Benthoven comments on Dec 24, 2017:

Baby oil and a dirty magazine.

I recently posted about losing one of my cat family,and,got very little response.

Benthoven comments on Dec 24, 2017:

I wouldn't worry about who responds and who "likes." Just do you. Or as I like to say, "I'ma gonna do what I do best. I'ma gonna do me." That being said, no matter how nice and friendly I try to be, people refuse to worship me.

Do people actually find a soulmate or is that fake?

Benthoven comments on Dec 24, 2017:

I think we can make deep connections with others. Those could be called "soul mates." I think it's unlikely that there's one person out there who is just right for us. Knowing my luck, my soul mate lives in Tahiti, in 1778. But there are people who call out the better of us... or who open us up. I would even say that people who frustrate us, but still call out the better, can be soulmates as well. And those relationships don't have to last a life time... they can come and go. All that matters is that a connection was made and it was effective.

What are peoples thoughts on death and does it scare you?

Benthoven comments on Dec 24, 2017:

Death, per se, doesn't scare me... DYING on the other hand, does.

What is the non-theist replacement for "I'll pray for you?"

Benthoven comments on Dec 24, 2017:

Christian: I'll pray for you. Ben: I'll think for you.

My dads entire life he was an Atheist.

Benthoven comments on Dec 24, 2017:

To me that's "spiritual rape..." Overriding someone's will and forcing your will upon them... when they cannot speak for themselves.

I got into a discussion a few days ago with a religious person who had said, "everything happens for...

Benthoven comments on Dec 24, 2017:

What the reason? Give me the reason.

When do you find sex the most enjoyable?

Benthoven comments on Dec 24, 2017:

When I finally get it.

Are you on a path or a journey?

Benthoven comments on Dec 24, 2017:

I think I'm in the middle of a disaster movie.

If you could have any supernatural power in the world, what would you choose?

Benthoven comments on Dec 24, 2017:

The power to eat whatever I want and drink as much beer as I want and still have that beefy body with a nice tone and flat stomach.

In your opinion, what is the most fascinating thing happening in the world of science right now?

Benthoven comments on Dec 23, 2017:

Donald Trump...

Why do people here hate Christmas?

Benthoven comments on Dec 23, 2017:

Hate Christmas? It's all about enjoying life and celebrating that.

Do you guys think morality is something inherent to the human condition, or is it something purely ...

Benthoven comments on Dec 23, 2017:

Yes... and yes, We live in a universe that is pretty violent, and pretty destructive. Have you watched National Geographic? Watch the turtles trying to make it to the sea. This is torture. Period. God hates innocence.

So, I have a friend who is theist.

Benthoven comments on Dec 23, 2017:

We live in a universe that goes to great lengths to create life, and even greater lengths to destroy it. It's a paradox that all of us must live with, like it or not.

Happy Solstice Season! The Holidays are becoming more and more alienating each year :/

Benthoven comments on Dec 23, 2017:

Because: why not?

A thought just struck me.

Benthoven comments on Dec 23, 2017:

How about turning failure into money? That's the real miracle.

What is the feeling of freedom

Benthoven comments on Dec 23, 2017:

If I may quote Meg Ryan in "Joe Versus the Volcano": "I have no response for that."

I grew up with a Catholic father, and a Southern Baptist mother.

Benthoven comments on Dec 23, 2017:

I was AG for a while. OMFG... There really isn't any way to explain to evangelicals how "pagan" their religion really is. They just don't want to see it.

Wisconsin Lawmaker: Convert To Christianity Or Be ‘Destroyed’

Benthoven comments on Dec 23, 2017:

Yah, I've been down that road, and it's not only painful, but disastrous. "God" whatever it is, likes "me..." just me... as I am... who I am... what I am.

As Agnostic, are you more inclined to believe in higher power (of any kind) or more inclined to deny...

Benthoven comments on Dec 23, 2017:

To be honest, I'm more inclined to "believe" in a "higher power" than deny it. That doesn't mean I'm talking about "God," but only that there is a part of me that has access to the resources I currently don't understand. There is a potential that exists within me that "transcends" me, which probably comes from the me that really knows me.

I like this one so much better!!

Benthoven comments on Dec 23, 2017:

Whatever you do, DON'T light a fire.

Can being gay be a choice? Is it possible to teach yourself to be gay?

Benthoven comments on Dec 21, 2017:

First of all, it’s not a “choice,” but a discovery. Hell, most of the people around me knew I was gay before even I knew I was gay. If you talk to just about any gay or lesbian person born before this new century, they’ll tell you they did everything they could think of to change. I personally spent over fifteen years in various forms of Reparative Therapy, which basically messed me up for life. I know a lot of men and women who dated, and even married thinking that would change things. My favorite analogy about “choice,” is the computer, which works on two basic principles: hardware and software. The hardware is the computer itself. The hard drive, the box, the processor, the chip, the wiring. On a computer, those things technically cannot be changed without going into the box itself and even then it can be a challenge. The software on the other hand is what runs the computer: the operating system, a word processor, graphics programs, apps. All these things help the computer do its work, and they can be added or removed as the user feels the need. So in real life, we have height, eye color, hair color, genetic makeup, and gender. Our hard drive. For software we have beliefs, which change from day to day. We can change where we live, what clothes we wear, friends… In other words, our religious beliefs are software, our sexuality is hardware. I see a sexuality as a line. On the far left, “gay.” On the far right, “straight.” In the center, “Bi.” Most people are on one side or the other, but not necessarily all the way on one side or the other, but maybe not so far away from the center that they’re curious about what happens on the other side of the line. That curiosity may not actually change their sexual “location,” but that they were close enough so as to be able to try another location. I personally am so gay I can’t even think straight. When I have this discussion, I will often ask the person debating this with me, “Be gay. Just for a week. Be gay.” The very look on their face says exactly what I already knew… they can’t.

Is "brutal honesty" unnecessary?

Benthoven comments on Dec 21, 2017:

Absolutely not. Brutal honesty is just "criticism" at best, and condemnation at worst. If you're brutally honest with someone you love, they'll be hurt and may end up not trusting you anymore. If you're brutally honest with someone you don't love, they'll just call you a d!ck and ignore everything you said. There are subtler and gentler ways to make your point. If "lying" is troubling, then find a way to say what you need to say in a kinder more gentle way. OR... if it's not life and death, just don't say it. For example, if you're around someone who has a weight problem... they know they have a weight problem. They probably also know that bacon cheese burger they're garnishing with a combination of Ranch, mayo, mustard and ketchup isn't helping them either. They also know that those fries and that milkshake are preventing them from obtaining that god-like body. The goal of communication is "communicate," and that means "influence." If you desire to influence another person, then it's best to find the ways in which they respond best, and use that as your starting point. Some people like it when those around them are straight-forward. Others prefer a gentler approach. I think brutal honesty is just lazy communication. And besides... what makes you right? Seriously! Do you have research? Clearly you've constructed a hypothesis, but have you tested it? What experiments have you done? What analysis have you done? I want to see your charts and graphs. I want to see your PowerPoint presentation. ONLY THEN, do you have the right to be brutally honest.

Why Americans believe in god?

Benthoven comments on Dec 21, 2017:

Ninety percent of all humanity believes in God in one form or the other. It's part of our evolution. We've believed in gods since we started learning how to reason. So that we believe in god now isn't all that surprising. I think there are two deeper questions: "Why did we start to believe in god in the first place?" and "Why are so many people abandoning the idea of a god now?" I think there are a lot of pretty straight-forward answers, many of which are answered by neurologists and psychologists. We live in a cause-and-effect system, so it makes sense the we're looking for that cause and trying to explain the effect. Still, there's probably a lot more than that. Karen Armstrong has a great book on how the God of the Big-Three has evolved over the centuries: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005DB6LSG/, and believe it or not, there's a lot of politics involved. Humans need reasons, and they need someone bigger than they are, but who also looks a lot like them, to give "reasons" for their existence. The fact that "god" seems to be our default system suggests that it's more than just the belief, but something else is underneath. We share certain emotions: a sense of smallness, isolation, helplessness, abandonment, and a plethora of other unnerving sensations that probably come at the cost of having awareness and consciousness.

How do we get atheism/nonreligion to influence politics

Benthoven comments on Dec 21, 2017:

First of all, I would say that it already is, but probably not in ways that are necessarily visible to the rest of us. That being said, we are currently trying to extricate ourselves from the influence of a radical extremist group: Evangelicals. These people are doing everything in their power to destroy anything that is sacred or beautiful. And right now, they pretty much run our government. The solution is to get those who aren't insane to also vote. The current President lost the Popular Vote, and was only elected by a very small majority... because nearly a third of the country didn't vote. I also think it's time for non-theists to start running for local offices, to get involved in their local politics. It's a ground-up proposition, but we need to do it.

I'm new and don't quite know how to work this thing.

Benthoven comments on Dec 21, 2017:

All avatars are protected on this site. But if you do accidentally hurt one, someone on the site probably knows how to fix them. I haven't tried posting anything in "theology/philosophy" yet, but judging by the response you got, it makes me feel as if I should... Just for funzies. And as far as rocks go, I suspect that God just gets confused trying to convert from Standard Weights to Metric System... thus never getting his rocks right.

BEING COMPLETELY HONEST! Do you sometimes accidentally say "Thank God" out of Habit from your ...

Benthoven comments on Dec 19, 2017:

I say it all the time, and it doesn't bother me at all. The important thing is the gratitude, and some habits can stick around for a really long time. Especially if they've been that deeply ingrained. That being said, I also say, "oh god..." "goddammit," "god only knows" "swear to god" "good god..." it's a word that is so ingrained into my way of thinking, I'll probably never get rid of it.

UFOs 'Are Real': Ex-Navy Pilot Describes Encounter With Tic-Tac-Shaped Extraterrestrial

Benthoven comments on Dec 19, 2017:

The reason we call them UFOs is that one word... UNIDENTIFIED. Unidentified does NOT automatically translate to "aliens." Until you can explain the physics behind how such a craft would travel light years, with biological life aboard-somehow able to 'survive' the millions of years of travel, and interact with a culture they wouldn't know much about, who's viruses they probably wouldn't have developed immunities to, and yet manage to "embed" themselves into our government, we have to take the "null" hypothesis. It's either "unidentified," or there's a perfectly logical, earthly explanation for it.

It's the holiday season so religion obvs comes up.

Benthoven comments on Dec 19, 2017:

I get that with New Age people all the time as well. But I respond, "Children's Hospitals!" That's why I don't believe in God. It usually convinces them that I'm not going to buy into their silliness.

The book of Job.

Benthoven comments on Dec 19, 2017:

It was actually a "bet." A high-stakes bet at that. God pointed out Job, and then bet Satan that he wouldn't turn. It was initiated by God. That's what I think Christians find most disturbing, and that's why they insist that it was something else, like Job's fear that brought on the disaster. It's the typical "blame the victim" mentality that they wholeheartedly embrace. If they were to allow, even for a minute, that this was God's doing, it would destroy their self-righteous ideology, and force them to deal with the very hard questions about life and suffering.

New here and can't help but notic quite a few of the posts imply that some seem to be "closeted", ...

Benthoven comments on Dec 19, 2017:

Our laws are still very much influenced by Right-wing bigoted leaders, and they have done everything in their power to make life miserable for us who don't conform to their very narrow idea of what it means to be human. Yes, it is "illegal" to discriminate, but good luck trying to pursue it. Especially in a Red State. Right now they are doing everything in their power to make it legal to discriminate. We may have won the right to marry, but we still haven't been given the right to earn a living or eat pizza or wedding cake.

Are IDC s welcome here?

Benthoven comments on Dec 19, 2017:

IDK whether IDK or IDC, but MMW, FWIW, IIRC, LOL, PEBKAC. That Being said, AFAIK, by EOD, it's still TBA.

What is your favorite beverage?

Benthoven comments on Dec 19, 2017:

Wow, that's a tough one. In the summer, I like vodka. But in the winter I prefer vodka. For breakfast, I really love vodka, and sometimes for an Apéritif I'll have vodka. In my cereal I use vodka, and as a nighttime snack I'll sip some vodka.

Frequency of (reported) Miracles chart

Benthoven comments on Dec 14, 2017:

Thank god for Photoshop!

Compliments..

Benthoven comments on Dec 14, 2017:

I always get confused. A friend of mine told me, "Dude, you are on fire..." Turns out I was standing too close to the fireplace.

WHY WON'T ALIENS TALK TO US?

Benthoven comments on Dec 14, 2017:

I'm convinced that the fact that we HAVE NOT been visited by beings from outer space is proof that there's intelligent life out there.

If you were fortunate enough to be a philanthropist, what causes would you be passionate about and ...

Benthoven comments on Dec 14, 2017:

I'd like to be in a position where I could purchase bad student loan debt (pennies on the dollar in most cases) from a collection agency, and then forgive it... just erase it. Remove it from their credit record.

What one question do you want answered the most?

Benthoven comments on Dec 12, 2017:

Is there a purpose to the universe. If yes, does that include me? If no, then WTF am I doing here in the first place.

Intuition versus rational decision making: "analysis paralysis" overthinking and putting off a ...

Benthoven comments on Dec 12, 2017:

Rational thinking, I think, is tough on us humans. We don't DO rational very well (at least not yet) and our brains are still hardwired to our emotions. Still, we try to keep rationality in the mix. Yet if we get too rational we lose empathy, and that's just as bad. I also think intuition is part of our evolutionary history (and we haven't figured out how to use it well). Out in the jungle, if something was sneaking up on us, our survival depended upon our ability to "sense" that even if we couldn't see it. If I'm walking down the street and someone's following me, I've got to suss out if they're just going the same direction I am, or if they have nefarious motives. I think this is why we have practice dealing with emergency situations, so that "instinct" can take over. Fire drills, earthquake drills... self-defense classes... all of these "teach" us how to better understand intuition, while helping us balance that with reason. We get better at each of these if we practice them. One of the best books on the subject is called The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals. https://www.amazon.com/Gift-Fear-Gavin-Becker-ebook/dp/B0036Z9U2A/ The book talks about how situations arise that carry with them warning signals. In some cases, it takes a certain amount of intuition, in others it's more common and recognizable if you know what you're looking for. As with so many things in life, knowledge and awareness are the key.

Before being put under oath, should I inform that I am a non-believer?

Benthoven comments on Dec 12, 2017:

When they say, "Do you promise to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth," I like to argue the concept of "truth." What is truth anyway, and can we really know it? And even if we could know the truth, how could we possibly understand the "whole truth." Not sure it would get me anywhere, but it could be fun.