Gun control is only part of the problem.

Fernapple comments on May 27, 2022:

Good idea. Although here in the UK we have the opposite, you have to be licensed to own a gun and meet strict guidelines, such as, renewing your license often, listing your guns, and keeping the gun always in a locked strongbox which is inspected by the police etc. But one of the qualifications is, that you have to be able to prove, ( receipts from gun shops ) that you are buying ammunition regularly, to prove that you are really using the gun for what are thought to be proper uses, like hunting or practicing marksmanship. And well, it seems to work fairly well for us.

In order to perform marriages in my state, I am a minister of the "Church of Spiritual Humanism.

Fernapple comments on May 27, 2022:

I have read several of these over the years, and that is by far the best one so far. I think that the only thing that I would change, and it is just a personal thing. Is that I would change the vague and woo, "spiritual abilities" in number seven, for the more secular sounding. "Cultivate appreciation of life by application." And two. Base beliefs on reason.

“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our...

Fernapple comments on May 27, 2022:

You make me happy.

Modern day xianity

Fernapple comments on May 27, 2022:

True but there are many who not only still live in the dark ages, but also think that he dark ages are the best place to live.

How the web of lies weaves its way to starve many throughout the world.

Fernapple comments on May 27, 2022:

We all live in the same pool and ripples spread outwards.

If you want to explain the meaning of the word "outlier"

Fernapple comments on May 26, 2022:

A picture paints a thousand words.

Should you wonder what motivation a man can have who kills 20 little children, just like that (not ...

Fernapple comments on May 26, 2022:

And of course in the end they will fail even in their sick intent. Herostratus may be remembered because he was a "first" but who remembers the names of most murderers, even the really famous ones are forgot in a couple of centuries, because they are such a common dish, todays newspaper, tomorrows packaging pulp.

Does love exist?

Fernapple comments on May 26, 2022:

Yes.

Would it be at all possible to persuade ALL or ANY of those who simply want PROTECTION to train to ...

Fernapple comments on May 26, 2022:

That could cause even more deaths. Tazers can be lethal, especially to children and people with heart problems, but the common delusion that they are harmless could get them used frequently in a casual irresponsible, and even joking, way. They are best left to well trained police officers operating within strict guidelines. ( OK, I know a lot of you are going to say that you don't have those in the US, but that's another issue.)

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Fernapple comments on May 26, 2022:

You would think that even the religious know, that they wont bring them back to life again.

Saying what needs to be said that will unfortunately be ignored again. [youtu.be]

Fernapple comments on May 26, 2022:

Your senators are in power, because they need the votes of that small minority to tip the balance in their favour. One of the sad effects of many voting systems is that tiny minorities, with single issues often get to dictate to the majority, simply because their few votes hold the balance.

Spirituality is emotionality.

Fernapple comments on May 26, 2022:

No, that's called morality.

The stubborn refusal of Congress to do anything about guns needs to be called out for what it is: a ...

Fernapple comments on May 25, 2022:

I don't know about a declaration of war, but it certainly shows a level of contempt for their wellbeing way beyond what would be considered even half sane in the civilized world.

Now it’s 18 children and 3 adults….😞

Fernapple comments on May 25, 2022:

To add to all the previous.

I was a member of this church when he was pastor and some of the things he said in church turned me ...

Fernapple comments on May 25, 2022:

The trick is to persuade him to increase his vacation time by a factor of twelve.

Why do we have outbreaks of things like monkey pox?

Fernapple comments on May 24, 2022:

We did, and the putrid Putin seems to be the worst symptom so far.

I am not a Conservative (at least not in the American meaning of this word), but I have to ...

Fernapple comments on May 24, 2022:

The left certainly do make a big mistake. They see the threat to people from uncontrolled capitalist institutions, and think that the solution lies with the state, but that forgets that the state is also an institution, which can just as easily be manipulated to create wealth and privilege for a spoiled few, as any private company. And the state is not always under even as much democratic control as a private company, a company has ultimately to sell its product to gain wealth, where the state can, and does usually enforce the sale of its products, whether wanted or not. (And to some degree the left are blind to the problems of the state, because they indulge in the same tribal cognitive dissonance that religious people do. That "people like us" who believe in good things like us, can not do any harm. ) However a large degree of power always exists with the greater number of the people, because they can and do, at least in a mixed economy, decide where they obtain their products, employment and services, by voting with their feet. If used thoughtfully ( A big ask. ) that can be used to enforce democracy, in ways that extend far beyond the ballot box, manipulating the institutions one against the other for the peoples gain. Which is I think, is the one value the religion always offered, by being a third institutional block to give another device for the population to manipulate and obtain a voice through. However the optimist in me, thinks that secular charities can fill that gap, and certainly there are many political and human rights charities that seem to be stepping up to do the job as religion fades, in fact perhaps even better, since they do not have complex additional issues to muddy the waters. Which may be one of the many reasons why social health improves as religion fades. The one real threat which creates the greatest wealth and power divisions and social injustice, is disinformation and deceit. Which usually results from everybody, singing from the same song sheet, so that therefore whoever can write something in to the song sheet gets their way. Human diversity is not just useful because it is kind to the minorities, but because it creates debate and fuels questioning, which makes it much more difficult for a corrupt few power brokers to manipulate public opinion. Someone on this site recently asked why European culture became so dominant in the world by the nineteenth century, and I suspect that it did so because Europe was such a divided continent, with many different competing factions and states, and could not therefore become so trapped and immobilized by totalitarianism as the great empires did. ( However cynical and criminal the motivation, there is still a large grain of truth in Harry Lime's cuckoo clock argument. )

I am not a Conservative (at least not in the American meaning of this word), but I have to ...

Fernapple comments on May 24, 2022:

That is very true to a degree, but the reverse also applies. Of what use is power if you have nothing to do with it ? ( Certainly not hedonism, since that is easy to obtain with only moderate power, and the effort required to obtain power and hold it, only wastes time if you only want hedonism, while too much hedonism will only make you miserable anyway. ) Ultimately we are all under the control of our ideals, even the powerful have no freedom from their own thinking, and therefore, if the collective ideas are good the powerful will always be moderated.

I just came back from a two week vacation in Cancun.

Fernapple comments on May 24, 2022:

Hello and welcome, enjoy the site, and do check out the groups. A perfect example of self promotion, well spotted. If the Bible says that it is the word of god, it must be true, because the bible is the word of god. How do we know because the bible says so.

Well said...

Fernapple comments on May 24, 2022:

Religion can be used as an excuse to promote anything, therefore if you want to promote something vile, what is your first go to ?

Nothing makes sense anymore.

Fernapple comments on May 24, 2022:

If you wait for logic, you will miss a many thousand buses.

For those who have only wonderful things to say about the time when whites settled here from England...

Fernapple comments on May 23, 2022:

Freedom of religion was not really an issue for the early religious migrants, it was more the freedom to impose there own religion which they sought.

Christianity Has An Unfair Advantage:

Fernapple comments on May 23, 2022:

And don't forget the pork scratchings.

“It takes less time to do a thing right, than it does to explain why you did it wrong”……….

Fernapple comments on May 23, 2022:

It also takes longer to refute and explain why an argument is wrong, than it does to state an argument. Which is why the Gish gallop, also known as "spreading" was invented, by a religious apologist of course. It is when a debater confronts an opponent with a rapid series of many specious arguments, half-truths, misrepresentations, and outright lies in a short space of time, which makes it impossible for the opponent to refute all of them within the format of a formal debate.

What was Newton's 1st law?

Fernapple comments on May 23, 2022:

Every action causes an equal and opposite reaction. Not sure if that was the first, but it was certainly one of them.

Old Park Slope, Brooklyn 1976. They should have named this shop "Reboot".

Fernapple comments on May 22, 2022:

The word reboot did not I think exist then, at least not in popular culture, it is amazing how things change so quickly when you are not looking.

After decades of pains-taking digging and research, Archaeologists have finally found the reason why...

Fernapple comments on May 22, 2022:

Ah yes. Potus Trump was indeed a master strategist.

Just had a most lovely bath.

Fernapple comments on May 22, 2022:

Do you ever share ?

This seemed like a very busy schedule to me, I don't know where I would find the time to add all of ...

Fernapple comments on May 22, 2022:

Have you been spying on me ?

Nowadays it is fashionable to constantly pillory white people and to put Western culture in the ...

Fernapple comments on May 22, 2022:

It is true that as Western culture has made some wonderful contributions to the world, but, it should be remembered that most of those contributions were made exactly because of "systematic self-criticism". Just as with people, only societies and cultures which can admit and own their faults, ever move forward. Perhaps the greatest strength of western, especially European culture in the past was that its diversity enabled it to ask and reply to questions, in a way that more totalitarian cultures could and did not.

17 Sex Tricks Men Learn From Porn That Women Wish We Could Wipe From Your Brain

Fernapple comments on May 22, 2022:

Why would anyone think that porn was a good guide to sex ? That's like thinking that sitting and watching sport on TV is a way to get fit. ( Oh wait though. People do do that, and we live in a world where there are people who think that having the Bible read in church, is a good way to learn about science and the universe. )

Wonderful.

Fernapple comments on May 22, 2022:

I don't know anything about Australian politics, but I do know that when one party has been sitting in power for a long time, in any country, then it is well time for a change.

The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness.

Fernapple comments on May 22, 2022:

No sorry. Those who flatter themselves that they can achieve higher dimensions of consciousness, are just narcissists heading down a rabbit hole, to a dead end so narrow, they can not ever turn round or escape their narcissism.

A study examines the perception of atheists and agnostics, a child is killed in California during ...

Fernapple comments on May 21, 2022:

Poor little kid probably woke up crying and screaming in the night, because she knew her relationship with her mother offered her no safety anyway.

They are cute helping each other 🥰 [instagram.com]

Fernapple comments on May 20, 2022:

Facinating behavior, I guess they must respond to the splashing.

That's why I'm proud to be a Wiccan

Fernapple comments on May 20, 2022:

Funny how, what glorifies god, always seems to be very like what they wanted to do anyway.

I can tell if a person is judgmental just by looking at them.

Fernapple comments on May 20, 2022:

Sometimes just by reading their posts, even.

"Naturally being a migrant wanting to outdo American bullying & anarchic behaviour it follows that ...

Fernapple comments on May 19, 2022:

That is very insulting, and I am sure that any reasonable sites guidelines should preclude that level of misbehavior.

It is getting colder and colder -1C 33.8 F during the night. So happy to have a warm bed.

Fernapple comments on May 19, 2022:

Sorry to be a pedant, but, 33.8 F is nearer to plus one C.

Okay, let's REALLY get to know each other.

Fernapple comments on May 19, 2022:

My first thought is, that, at my age I could probably not find the time or energy to deal with a huge amount of money anyway, what the heck could I do with it ? Poor sad old bloke, with little interest in the obvious things that money can buy, like houses and cars, that I am. But then I thought. Well you could always give it to charity, where it may do more good. You could even just put it back in a bank, but this time, into an ethical lending bank with a record for supporting good causes. But then the first bank would probably claim on its insurance, and the insurance companies would recoup the money they lost, by putting everyones premiums up. Which would hit the poorest and most vulnerable people who are finding it hard to pay their premiums most. So would there be a net gain in human wellbeing ? And that is the problem with most crime, we all swim in the same economic pool, but who pays the most for crime and everything else as well, is always the poorest and most vulnerable because they are the main direct and the final producers of all the wealth. And it is they who have to pay as well for all the policing and security, and suffer most from the bureaucracy which are the indirect costs of crime and distrust. ( The bank decides that it must cut costs, so it closes some smaller branches. Then Mom and Pop, who are very frail and can't cope with doing everything on line, have to get on to a bus and pay for an extra half hour ride, just to go to the bank, every couple of weeks. Can you picture them ? Trying to save money by going to the shops at the same time, and she wants him to help her get the shopping cart up the step of the bus, but he is too frail to manage it, so she loses her temper, and the driver looks grumpy and only grudgingly helps out with a rude remark. And they can't even get a free bus pass anymore, because the banks who have clout demand extra policing, and welfare is easy to cut. ) Which is why the old excuse that many criminals give. "I only stole from the rich who can afford it." Does not really work. So. No I would not.

Jellyfish's stinging cells hold clues to biodiversity: [sciencedaily.com]

Fernapple comments on May 19, 2022:

So they probably started by having two different types of neuron, determined by the single mutation, which then went in different directions as evolution progressed.

I wrote "Don't blame women for men's bad behavior." Got blocked.

Fernapple comments on May 18, 2022:

Most failed relationships, not just marriages, started with the false premise. I will change them. Which is about the hardest thing in the world to do, even for trained therapists, with the full cooperation of the person involved.

This is such a wholesome little story.

Fernapple comments on May 17, 2022:

Its cold outside.

Just a comment this time.

Fernapple comments on May 17, 2022:

Then god did it again after Noah.

I'd like to explore stoicism more in depth. Any comments regarding stoicism?

Fernapple comments on May 17, 2022:

You may also find it profitable to study the Epicureans as well, they are often misunderstood and misrepresented as by a member below. But it is incorrect to think that the Epicureans were mere hedonists saying. "Do as you please and everything will work out fine." Quite the contrary, the Epicureans said that success and happiness comes from learning to curb and regulate the pleasure impulse. Since they saw misfortune as coming from uncontrolled desire. As in. If I drink too much I will get a hangover, if I have too much sex, I will get more children than I can support, whereas if I drink very moderately, I will make social bonds more easily, and moderate sex will get you a supportable family, of well provided for children, who will then support you in old age. The big difference with the Stoics came about, because the Stoics believed that misfortune alone was the main cause of suffering, and that morale behaviour had little effect on that, so that a degree of nihilism was needful to face the inevitable unhappiness. The misassociation of the Epicureans with hedonism, comes from early Christian propaganda, and was at least philosophically quite untrue, though of course any large scale movement is bound to have some corruption. And is ironic in at least one way, because the early Christian monastic tradition probably got a lot of its inspiration from the Epicurean communities, where the followers of Epicurus lived lives of austerity and simplicity following the teachings of the philosopher. It is little doubted by historians that most of the portrayal of Epicureanism as mere hedonism is an invention of the propagandists. Perhaps in part, because, as well as being a rival cult, the Epicureans also treated men and women as equals, which made it easy in the misogynistic mindset of many people then , to portray the Epicureans as sexually immoral. It is sad that such misunderstandings and strawmanings of the movement still persist to this day, when there is no good reason not to understand the truth, but the Christian sub-culture still passes on its own version of history untouched by mainstream history, and it is very pervasive.

If atheism is a religion...

Fernapple comments on May 16, 2022:

That is a mistake that religious apologists often make, because they think that they can prove that atheism is a belief, which is quite correct, it can be, ( Not always but sometimes.) but the mistake is in thinking that a belief is the same things as religion. But it is not. A belief is something we hold as probably true without supporting evidence, where a religion is something we hold true without evidence but support with fake authority. As in. "Because my holy book says so." "Because my tradition says so. " " Because my God says so. " Etc. Religion in short is the same thing as the fallacy of proof by authority. And is quite different from honest belief, which accepts that it is belief.

A thought experiment: Let's imagine a utopian society that wants to abolish all differences ...

Fernapple comments on May 16, 2022:

Yes they would, for them not to there would have to be no genetic determinism at all, and we know without any but the most technical of scientific doubt that there is a lot.

I’ve pretty much been single since my ex wife wandered off in 2009.

Fernapple comments on May 16, 2022:

There are many countries in the world my friend. And a lot of them are civilized and friendly, why not try travel, you may not find "the one" but it does give purpose to life and is perhaps the most fulfilling thing to do with your life after being in a relationship, or founding a charity.

“I cannot forecast to you the actions of Russia.

Fernapple comments on May 16, 2022:

Or the interest of whatever tweerp is leading at the time.

The happiest nations on Earth are strongly secular

Fernapple comments on May 16, 2022:

Also compare with this. https://rsf.org/en/index?year Perhaps some countries are just moving forward on all fronts, and of course some are going backwards. ( USA is at forty nine. )

7th Russian oligarch to die this year dies of toad venom.

Fernapple comments on May 16, 2022:

Could make him unique, the first person poisoned in Russia for years, who did not first fall out with Putin.

It's enough to make a person wonder if this whole Roe vs Wade thing isn't just about patriarchical ...

Fernapple comments on May 16, 2022:

Another way of looking at it, especially from the point of view of the evangelicals, less so the Catholics. Is that. If you want to boost your public image, political standing and earn a reputation as moral crusaders, then the unborn are the perfect political choice. Since they are the only ethnic group that have no agenda of their own, and will never turn round on you and say. "No don't want that." And they are the only group you can make into victims and back who are not already supported by at least some of the hated liberals, forcing you to side with them. The choice to support the, so called, rights of the unborn, may therefore be seen as a cynical political propagandists move, albeit a mostly unconscious one. "Why should the liberals get all the moral high ground, we want a share of that. Who can we champion ? What nobody wants us. Well who can we force ourselves on to then ?"

I'd like to explore stoicism more in depth. Any comments regarding stoicism?

Fernapple comments on May 16, 2022:

No comments any better than those already given below, but you will I am sure find the journey rewarding. One of the great things about philosophy, is that the early philosophers did the big core things, and they are still as valid today as they always were.

THE SKELETON FLOWER, WHOSE PETALS TURN FROM WHITE TO TRANSLUCENT WHEN IT RAINS.

Fernapple comments on May 15, 2022:

I have never met with that one, it is truly beautiful, but sadly it sounds like it would not like my chalk soil.

Who says that America & its sycophant Britain do not interfere in other country's citizens ...

Fernapple comments on May 15, 2022:

Yes, but the world moves on and what was bad in the sixties, is truly horrible now.

Harry S. Truman: "It's amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit."

Fernapple comments on May 15, 2022:

When spelling there is no "I" in team.

How much do you agree with here?

Fernapple comments on May 15, 2022:

A basic but banal truth wearing fancy dress.

The Lahaina Noon phenomenon begins today May 14th, 2022 at the southernmost point in the State of ...

Fernapple comments on May 15, 2022:

No the sun is never directly overhead here in the UK. But you may be amused by the story of how Erastosthenes discovered the size of the earth using just that fact. Its a well known story, so forgive me if you have heard it before. https://medium.com/roaming-physicist/looking-down-a-well-in-egypt-to-measure-the-size-of-the-earth-5e12f2df0b2

I'm listening.

Fernapple comments on May 15, 2022:

Well don't hold your breath while you wait for an example of logic from certain quarters, or you will end up not alive too.

A new report claims Putin is on the way out.

Fernapple comments on May 14, 2022:

A coup to reverse Russia's course would be a better outcome, if Putin passes away as a cultural hero, his close allies will just carry on the same.

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who ...

Fernapple comments on May 14, 2022:

Yep, could not agree with that more.

If Facebook is for faces, what is Buttbook for?

Fernapple comments on May 14, 2022:

Pedants, there should only be one T, But-book.

Is this the real reason the number 13 is thought to be unlucky by men?

Fernapple comments on May 14, 2022:

Not heard that one before, and odd numbers are usually considered to be male in most traditional lore.

Do you agree that religious morality "comes down from savage ages" like Bertrand Russell said in ...

Fernapple comments on May 14, 2022:

If you want to be an ultra conservative, or promote views based on a prejudice so bad that you can not find rational arguments, then your last resort is God. Whose mixed up scriptures and revelations are easily mined to support any view you wish.

I have a question that no Christian I have ever asked can answer.

Fernapple comments on May 14, 2022:

In the middle ages it was considered a mater of importance, if Adam and Eve had belly buttons. So much so that the theology often changed with the administration, so artists were forced to use fig leaves etc to cover the area, in fear of being charged with a crime if they got it wrong, or a new bishop had different ideas.

Greece bans LGBTQ conversion therapy

Fernapple comments on May 13, 2022:

It is not where you are, but the direction in which you are moving that counts.

It's Friday the 13th. Can I get lucky enough to get 300 points to reach level 8 today?

Fernapple comments on May 13, 2022:

Here you go, my favourite date. And I will comment and react to you post.

Evangelicals... speak up

Fernapple comments on May 13, 2022:

If you wait for logic, you will miss several thousand buses.

In the "greatest democracy", USA, it is reported that genocide occurred between 1819 &1969 against ...

Fernapple comments on May 13, 2022:

Almost all countries in the past have committed genocide and other atrocities, and that is nothing to be proud of. But yes you may have a limited and very reasonable pride in your country, if its culture has grown up enough to admit and acknowledge it past fully, since that is a real achievement and true patriotism is based on where we are today, not on the achievements or crimes of long gone ancestors, whose doings now belong to all of humanity, and not just single states.

Scientists find a forest growing inside a giant newly discovered sinkhole in China: ...

Fernapple comments on May 13, 2022:

Really interesting and beautiful. But Boy! There are a lot of annoying pop-ups and adds on that site.

Using the term Justice and Samuel Alito in the same sentence is just wrong.

Fernapple comments on May 12, 2022:

Citations are a strange idea anyway. If a jury are not allowed to hear reports of former crimes, because they must judge each case on its merits alone. Why are lawyers allowed to cite previous cases to judges, so that judges are not judging the case on its own merits ? ( OH! But of course I forget, lawyers can charge large fees for doing the research and time spent in court quoting old stories.)

Call me Psychic, but I'm guessing that it's going to turn out to be a 350 lb.

Fernapple comments on May 12, 2022:

Maybe they were told that as a psychic, work clothing was not a tax deductable expence.

It's true. One can have the prettiest face imaginable and still be ugly as fuck.

Fernapple comments on May 12, 2022:

The pretty and the hansom child is often a spoiled one, and a bit of a pain in latter life. All the more credit therefore to those who still keep their humanity.

Republican Next Crusade

Fernapple comments on May 11, 2022:

Their bible already got there first, its ban on masturbation, is based on the so called sin of wasting your seed ( sin of Onan). Although in fact the more sexual activity a male has, the more sperm his body makes, so there is an increase in sperm production. Another bit of biology the bible got wrong.

have a nice day

Fernapple comments on May 11, 2022:

Been a few days, nice to have you back.

How long can a debacle the size of Putin's Ukraine adventure be kept under wraps?

Fernapple comments on May 11, 2022:

Don't worry, all those oligarchs, generals, and corrupt officials around Putin will only wait a little while longer. After all, they did not set him up to fail in the first place, for no reason you know.

If a fertilized egg is a person, then why don't we celebrate conception days instead of birthdays?

Fernapple comments on May 11, 2022:

Yes but. "Did you not tell me, that daddy was away at sea on that day ?"

New UK government data shows the COVID vaccines kill more people than they save I've been asking ...

Fernapple comments on May 10, 2022:

I live in the UK, and after several attempts, plus following the links in the webpage cited which do not lead to anything of the sort, and checking the data bases, and news media, I can say certainly that no such government data exists. This is a complete fake.

11 brutally honest reasons millenials don't want kids

Fernapple comments on May 10, 2022:

They all seem like very reasonable and perfectly valid reasons.

New research uncovers stereotype differences between agnostics and atheists

Fernapple comments on May 10, 2022:

Interesting but not exactly ground breaking, fairly predictable results.

"Instead of teaching children the evil of Third Reich and to never let that happen again Putin used ...

Fernapple comments on May 9, 2022:

Of course he did, he is a perfect fascist, his big failing is to forget to look in the mirror. People who know him well, have nearly all said, that his basic understanding of history is completely lacking, he does not read foreign news media, does not use the internet, and even thinks that he can get away with faking not understanding English. Which silly childish trick, no doubt inherited from his KGB days, when it was a daft idea even then, shows just how out of touch with reality he is.

“Politics is supposed to be the second-oldest profession.

Fernapple comments on May 9, 2022:

Politics was the third, priest was the second, and those two bear a very close resemblance.

Jane is indeed a fucking genius.

Fernapple comments on May 9, 2022:

And. If it is someone who opinion you care about. "Sorry, I had to rush out in an emergency, in the middle cleaning, that's why the house is a mess. "

Proper labeling products is important

Fernapple comments on May 9, 2022:

Where can you buy reals of those stickers ?

I agree…..

Fernapple comments on May 9, 2022:

Life may not be immortal, but it will probably last, and has already lasted, for as long as this planet remains and was habitable. And relative to a single human life, that is, all but immortal.

Why the Lack of Religion Breeds Mental Illness [youtu.be] .

Fernapple comments on May 9, 2022:

That is not possible, if you identify religion correctly as a mental illness.

Planting time in the northern part of the US is usually Memorial Day weekend…get ready!

Fernapple comments on May 9, 2022:

When you weed, prune and dig, you are a hunter gatherer once more, just as nature designed you to be.

I named my cats...

Fernapple comments on May 8, 2022:

Yes but I bet they are not boring.

Oppressors vs. oppressed …

Fernapple comments on May 8, 2022:

The winners wrote the history. Fortunately they did not do too good a job, and their lies can be seen through.

Did I mention that I'd fail miserably at trying to leave agnostic.com for a week?

Fernapple comments on May 8, 2022:

Yes but we all had a great week. LOL

Vladimir Putin is an atheist, but he's not above using churches and religion to persuade and control...

Fernapple comments on May 7, 2022:

If my ideal leads me into pretty deceits, what value and use are my ideals. Life is short, there is no time to waste on ideas that do not make me, or anyone else, a better person.

I'm thinking of signing up as a driver for whenever someone needs to go camping.

Fernapple comments on May 6, 2022:

Well done. Sadly a small increase in the number of camping trips expected soon, you will find a need no doubt.

Oh shit and here was I thinking that I might a get few days of relative peace and quiet.

Fernapple comments on May 5, 2022:

Wow, sixteen Celsius, you are so lucky ! In the UK that counts as a heat wave, we can go for six months without the temp getting that high. ( I would guess the false alarm came from next door ?)

“Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its ...

Fernapple comments on May 5, 2022:

Up to a point yes, but mainly I think whether you are happy or not, also depends simply upon genetics. If you are disposed by genes to have glands which generate happy hormones, you will be happy, if you get sad ones you will be sad.

It's that time of year that I welcome back my fern friends! And yes, I am somewhat obsessed with ...

Fernapple comments on May 5, 2022:

I love to see them unfurl. Especially as with photo five, where the Polystichum still shows the silvery gray curls along the edges of the fronds.

What's with the humanist website" I tried to go to it and my browser warned me as follows: ...

Fernapple comments on May 4, 2022:

It is a sister site to this one, so that it is possible that Firefox just thinks you are being redirected away from the site you normally log in to, and thinks that is suspicious. Just tried the link, and it does the same to me, then I tried getting to it from an on line search, and it just sent me here like skado says. maybe admin. has just merged the sites so it is just an invalid link.

Fetus and baby - what is the ethical difference?

Fernapple comments on May 4, 2022:

The ancient Greeks and Romans were not just subjective in their choice, they actually set the age at which killing an infant became murder, at two years. Because that was they age at which they thought you first became aware of your self as a person, and with that your own mortality. Which while I would not advocate for it, it is in many ways a much more logical and realistic choice, than the common modern. "When they are able to live outside of the womb. "

I don't know if you get it, but this is a typical English way of showing sympathy for the ...

Fernapple comments on May 4, 2022:

Yep, viewed from this side of the Atlantic, that is about normal.

Know thine enemy. Know thine friend.

Fernapple comments on May 4, 2022:

I wonder, if you did a list of religious groups by, need to improve their public image by earning a reputation for being morality champions. Would it look similar ? See also Redbai's post. https://agnostic.com/post/664217/a-pastor-i-agree-with-an-event-so-rare-i-had-to-post-the-cause I also notice that atheist and agnostic, both have exactly the same percentages. Which makes you wonder about how the survey was conducted. Was it only very small samples, did it originally just have a "non" box or did people tick both boxes, or is it just coincidence.

A pastor I agree with. An event so rare I had to post the cause.

Fernapple comments on May 4, 2022:

And put simply, if you wish to pose as a morality crusader and big yourself up, the unborn are the one group you can champion, who will never say. "No thank you, we don't need your help."