Following up on my previous post on nuclear energy: It seems that people generally favor ...

Heraclitus comments on Oct 1, 2018:

There are also new revolutionary reactor designs available. The Fukushima, Chernobyl, and Three Mile Island type reactors will never be built again. https://www.foronuclear.org/en/ask-the-expert/120691-the-new-reactors-of-the-future

So. Why do people expect others to accept their reality but scoff at other people's reality.

Heraclitus comments on Sep 30, 2018:

Because we are fundamentally subjective beings, not objective beings.

MARY OSBORNE. THE MAN I LOVE. COMMENTARY BY MARIAN MCPARTLAND. [youtube.com]

Heraclitus comments on Sep 30, 2018:

Love the Billie Holliday cameo.

I'm interested in opinions on what Arthur Conan Doyle wrote in, "A Study in Scarlet": “I ...

Heraclitus comments on Sep 30, 2018:

This is a rather antiquated analogy that doesn't really hold up very well. Though he studied medicine, A. C. Doyle was not a cognitive scientist, but a fiction writer who wrote this back in 1887. Cognitive Interference Theory provides a better explanation of forgetfulness. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interference_theory

I have an intuition that there's somehow a metaphysical power that brings order into the world.

Heraclitus comments on Sep 29, 2018:

Perhaps it is cognitive dissonance that "intuitively" pushes our minds to find patterns in the universe including, for example, patterns in clouds where none really exist. We are more comfortable making sense out the world than living in a nonsensical world, and so we do.

The Sunset limited (2011) by Cormac McCarthy [m.

Heraclitus comments on Sep 28, 2018:

A classic that few people know about.

I've seen a few long-term members leaving lately.

Heraclitus comments on Sep 27, 2018:

When I joined this website I had no idea that it was a dating website. If it becomes nothing more than that, or even mostly that, then I will leave, too.

Why do scientists try to apply rules to the working of the universe when in fact there are none that...

Heraclitus comments on Sep 27, 2018:

Science is a work in progress. Since when did scientists claim to already have all the answers to the Universe? Claiming to have all the answers is the domain of religion, not of science. Not sure at all what you mean by "apply rules". That is not a scientific term. It was expected that this star would not have a jet according to the current understanding of this type of star. Something new has been observed that we do not yet totally understand. It may even turn out to be a different type of star than originally thought. This is called scientific discovery. Without scientific discovery, there is no science. It has nothing to do with "applying rules".

This is soft science but explains why I tell my sister about wind and solar power, she dismisses ...

Heraclitus comments on Sep 27, 2018:

The number of birds killed annually by wind turbines is minuscule compared to the number of birds killed annually by both cats and collisions with cell towers. Many environmentalists also say wind power ultimately benefits birds. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/09/15/wind-turbines-kill-fewer-birds-than-cell-towers-cats/15683843/

The Vatican never apologized for the Inquisition.

Heraclitus comments on Sep 26, 2018:

I was raised Catholic. I agree that an apology would be nice. There are no surviving family members after all this time. The last execution was in 1826. If you mean family descendants, that would number at least the in the millions if not the tens of millions after all these centuries. It started in the 12th century, you know, about 900 years ago. The genealogical research to identify every descendent would be virtually impossible and any compensation would be in the billions, so don't hold your breath. Oddly, the RCC didn't take over the Inquisition until the 1250s, when inquisitors were generally chosen from members of the Dominican Order, replacing the earlier practice of using local clergy as judges. Believe it or not, the RCC officially took over the Inquisition from the local clergy because the clerical judges were becoming way too zealous, often torturing and executing mere suspects (often it took no more than a rumor) without even the courtesy of a clerical trial.

What do you say to people who say you can’t have morals without god?

Heraclitus comments on Sep 26, 2018:

Tell them that if the only reason they think that they have morals is because they are afraid of going to hell then they have no real morals, just fear motivation. Conversely, if the only reason that they think have morals is because they selfishly think it will get them into heaven, then God will see through their hypocrisy and send them to hell. In fact, if God can't see through their self-centered hypocrisy, then he is not God. Oops! It is only atheists and agnostics who are good for goodness sake.

I am agnostic and I am dating a mormon. Is this a recipe for disaster?

Heraclitus comments on Sep 26, 2018:

If she is a True Blue Mormon, most definitely. Better ask her before you get exiled from the planet Kolob and banished to Outer Darkness.

Going towards theocracy in Alabama.

Heraclitus comments on Sep 26, 2018:

I wonder which version of the ten commandments they will choose? They're not all the same you know. They will have to choose one version and discriminate against all the others.

Climate Change Killed the Aliens, and It Will Probably Kill Us [livescience.com]

Heraclitus comments on Sep 26, 2018:

Sorry, bad copy. Corrected link.

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

Heraclitus comments on Sep 26, 2018:

Holy Pascal! If you don't exist, what are you doing asking questions?

Creationism for Dummies

Heraclitus comments on Sep 25, 2018:

I was taught Creationism in Catholic school but it was taught as religion and no one really had a problem with it because you could take it or leave it, and no one ever confused it with science. Now, to my amazement, it is actually taught as an "alternative science". Why does this country keep taking backward steps?

What simple thing bothers you the most in this current society?

Heraclitus comments on Sep 25, 2018:

Not Trump so much as nearly 63M people who voted for him because they have lost the ability to detect a con man, even though he bragged about it in The Art of the Deal. If our society is becoming that divorced from reality, then bad things are in our future. (Who knows, maybe someday some crazy man will declare climate change to be nothing but a Chinese hoax and people will actually believe him.)

I just hit 400,000 points! Only 40,000 more for 9.

Heraclitus comments on Sep 25, 2018:

Congrats and good luck. But what then? Retirement? :)

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

Heraclitus comments on Sep 25, 2018:

Yes, there are a heck of a lot of agnostic Christians. But if they admit to being agnostic they will suffer the wrath of hateful Christians.

A Mind-Bending Translation of the New Testament

Heraclitus comments on Sep 25, 2018:

It also has to be transliterated from one alphabet to another alphabet, and there is not always a one-to-one correspondence. This is much more of a problem than many people recognize. Not only that, but there are language idioms in other languages that don't exist in English. I once studied Biblical Hebrew. I could never read the Old Testament in English again and really feel that I was reading the same book.

Have you ever started a conversation with a person who seems normal enough until the topic switches ...

Heraclitus comments on Sep 25, 2018:

Yep. Can be a scary and upsetting experience if you like the person. It's like they suddenly transform into an alien with a 50 pt lower IQ.

Dizzy Gillespie - Blues Walk - 1958- [youtube.com]

Heraclitus comments on Sep 24, 2018:

Sonny Stitt on sax.

Can suicide be a part of God’s plan?

Heraclitus comments on Sep 24, 2018:

Your profile says you are 100% atheist. So why do you ask this?

Do you believe in soulmates?

Heraclitus comments on Sep 23, 2018:

I have known people who thought they had found their soulmates...and then they got married.

The one thing we all have in common is that we don't buy into organized religion, however, is there ...

Heraclitus comments on Sep 23, 2018:

I believe in Bacchus.

What happened to the Tea Party? Deficits are being run up and they don’t seem to care...?

Heraclitus comments on Sep 23, 2018:

Good question. All it took for no one to care about our 21T and growing deficit anymore was for the Republicans to get power. Even under Bush Junior the deficit grew twice as fast as it did under Clinton. It seems our only real choice is between the tax-and-spend Democrats and the cut-taxes-and-spend Republicans. Trump has absurdly proclaimed that our deficit doesn't matter because we can always print money, a formula for inflation, and the Tea Party remained silent. We are the richest country in the world with the poorest government in the world. Stayed tuned.

What if a God was proven real. Would you worship that god?

Heraclitus comments on Sep 23, 2018:

It is a nonsensical question. How could God ever be proven? God is unprovable by definition. If God could be proven, then such a being would be material in some manner, and therefore not God.

At a recent Catholic funeral, the priest discussed (bragged?

Heraclitus comments on Sep 22, 2018:

I was raised Catholic. Catholics have sacraments that Protestants don't recognize going back to Martin Luther and the Reformation. This was that Last Rites, Anointing of the Sick, or Extreme Unction (Final Anointing). Sacraments have no validity without the Atonement of Christ. The Anointing of the Sick is generally accompanied by celebration of the sacraments of Penance and sometimes Viaticum (Eucharist administered to the dying). Penance is also a sacrament alternatively known as Reconciliation or Confession which is also dependent upon the Atonement of Christ and the repentance of the individual. The priest was not forgiving sins, though he may have expressed himself clumsily, but was administering a sacramental rite of the forgiveness of sins, acting in persona Christi Capitis, which again, means nothing without the Atonement. So, it is not that the Catholics don't understand their own story, (at least those who bother to learn it) but that this priest was assuming that his audience did.

Last night I was out with The Phoenix Atheists Meetup group at a local restaurant.

Heraclitus comments on Sep 22, 2018:

It's amazing what some people call "proof". It's as if the word has ceased to have any meaning.

If you talk to God, you're religious, if he talks back, you're delusional.

Heraclitus comments on Sep 22, 2018:

Most theists will tell you that God answers their prayers...just a step away from saying that God actually talks to them.

Somebody tell me why we love the ones who make us suffer and leave the ones who love us most?

Heraclitus comments on Sep 21, 2018:

I don't think that's quite accurate. I think we can love those who we perceive as better than we are, and that makes us suffer. We keep trying in hopes of one day proving ourselves worthy and that makes us suffer more. We may leave those who we perceive as not actually being in love with us, but as being obsessed and/or infatuated with us, and so see the relationship as artificial and potentially toxic.

Which God is best?

Heraclitus comments on Sep 21, 2018:

The one whose name people shout all the time, "Ohmygod".

Winton Marseilles and Willie Nelson doing LIVE jazzy blues Night Life [youtube.com]

Heraclitus comments on Sep 19, 2018:

Country blues as jazz. Love it.

Being Jewish

Heraclitus comments on Sep 17, 2018:

At first, I thought you meant you were culturally Jewish but didn't buy into the religious beliefs. But if you were raised a Baptist, went to Bob Jones University and majored in Christian Ministries, how did you get to be culturally Jewish?

I’m tired of living in the south & hearing the same lines & religious conversations.

Heraclitus comments on Sep 17, 2018:

Not all of the South is the same. Live in Raleigh. Plenty of churches here but I rarely hear people even mention religion. I think all the diversity here causes people to respect each other to the point of rarely bringing up the subject.

Interesting article on quantum physics: [outerplaces.com]

Heraclitus comments on Sep 17, 2018:

A nice fun thing to believe in, but where is the evidence for an after death "upload" into the spiritual quantum field. And what the heck is a "spiritual quantum field"? The term makes no sense unless you can, at the very least, scientifically define "spirit" and show evidence for its existence.

Still can't edit my comments. I have to delete and re-submit them constantly. Is this common?

Heraclitus comments on Sep 17, 2018:

I have no such problem on Chrome.

I think that more people should use open source ie free software and operating systems like Linux.

Heraclitus comments on Sep 17, 2018:

I am all in favor of Open Source, but how exactly do you think government (Federal?) should force businesses to develop software for Linux? What manner of coercion do you think should be used? And why is such coercion necessary?

My One And Only Love (36:34-45:45) by Igor Bril & The All-Star Soviet Jazz Band feat.

Heraclitus comments on Sep 17, 2018:

great sax

Legends of a Medieval Female Pope May Tell the Truth [livescience.com]

Heraclitus comments on Sep 17, 2018:

Yes, having been raised a Catholic I have heard the legend of Pope Joan several times, but I still have problems believing that the RCC was that liberal back in the middle ages. It's not even near that liberal now. Still waiting for an explanation of how a woman could become a pope when she couldn't even become a priest. Also, the name "Joan" and "John" or "Jon" are easily confused. People weren't the best of spellers back then.

Matthew 5:29-30 (NIV): If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away.

Heraclitus comments on Sep 15, 2018:

Never met a literalist who literally took all of the bible literally.

Are you happy enough?

Heraclitus comments on Sep 15, 2018:

Yep. I could die happy.

Where do you find meaning?

Heraclitus comments on Sep 15, 2018:

So, if the purpose of this life is supposed to be to get to heaven, what is the purpose of heaven once you are there? Does life become meaningless once you are in heaven? Does heaven then leave a vacuum in your afterlife?

Are you very concerned what happens to your body after death?

Heraclitus comments on Sep 15, 2018:

Nope. I'll be dead. Nuff said.

Why is it that most people here are from the US?

Heraclitus comments on Sep 15, 2018:

Not even close to being close. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Importance_of_religion_by_country

Who created the creator?

Heraclitus comments on Sep 15, 2018:

Ah, therein lies the Great Mystery of the Always Was. Without mystery there is no religion.

Could we admit that Buddhism is a religion where God is irrelevant?

Heraclitus comments on Sep 15, 2018:

In 1995 Pope John Paul was forced to apologize to Buddhists for referring to them as atheists. https://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/21/world/pope-in-sri-lanka-seeks-to-soothe-buddhist-critics.htm The idea that Buddhists are atheists is a Western myth and insult. Buddhists do not believe in a personal diety such as Yahweh or Zeus, but they most certainly believe in Brahman, the highest Universal Principle and the Ultimate Reality. Unfortunately, many Westerners insist that if you do not believe in a personal deity in the same manner that they do, then you are an atheist. They refuse to open their minds and acknowledge that there is more than one way to believe in divinity. It is sad that such narrow-mindedness continues to this day.

Do you celebrate Christmas?

Heraclitus comments on Sep 15, 2018:

Sure, why not? A family holiday is a family holiday. Unless you put out a manger, almost nothing about Christmas, except some carols, mentions or even acknowledges the existence of Jesus. Its not even his real birthday. It is the feast of Sol Invitcus as historically appropriated by the RCC.

Anyone else here enjoy reading Alan Watts or Joseph Campbell?

Heraclitus comments on Sep 15, 2018:

Follow your bliss.

I'm going to post something here because I'm tired and I was really hoping for a weekend where ...

Heraclitus comments on Sep 15, 2018:

?

Deuteronomy 25:11-12 New International Version (NIV) 11 If two men are fighting and the wife of one...

Heraclitus comments on Sep 14, 2018:

Wow! Of course, you realize the Hebrews would not have made this part of their strict law unless it was happening on a regular basis.

Religious children are meaner than their secular counterparts, study finds | World news | The ...

Heraclitus comments on Sep 14, 2018:

Makes sense. They are taught to be judgemental and intolerant.

BREAKING: An Asteroid Is Going To Scoot Too Close To The Earth, So NASA Is Going To Nuke It ...

Heraclitus comments on Sep 14, 2018:

A lot can happen between now and 2135. Chances are they will divert it from its path and not use nukes.

Luke 14 25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26“If anyone ...

Heraclitus comments on Sep 14, 2018:

And don't forget when Jesus violently overthrew the tables of the moneychangers who were there legitimately. They had to exchange Roman money, with the image of Caesar, for Jewish coin as Roman money was forbidden in the temple, and money was necessary to buy sacrifices for temple worship. There are different images of Jesus presented in the Gospels, and this is the one of Jesus the revolutionary and zealot who came as the conquering Messiah to violently overthrow earthly kingdoms and establish the Jewish Kingdom of God in their place. Didn't work out too well, though.

I am subject to change because the world around me never stays the same

Heraclitus comments on Sep 13, 2018:

True

What do you guys think.

Heraclitus comments on Sep 13, 2018:

People like to think that they are part of a chosen elite group. Thinking you are a member of the chosen elite also makes it easier to ignore those who disagree with you.

Seven months ago, my mother implied that I would go to hell if I became an catholic.

Heraclitus comments on Sep 12, 2018:

I've often wondered if that has ever worked? Telling someone, or implying, that they are going to hell if they don't believe as you do always seems to have the opposite effect. Why would it be convincing?

A better Jesus

Heraclitus comments on Sep 12, 2018:

Staying alive!

This is exactly why I can’t deal with most Christians!!! Someone posted this on Facebook and had ...

Heraclitus comments on Sep 12, 2018:

Don't feed the trolls and don't let the turkeys get you down.

My dads entire life he was an Atheist.

Heraclitus comments on Sep 12, 2018:

Are those really the only two choices? Seriously?

What is your response when people threaten you with religious punishments? (i.e. Hell/Jahannam)

Heraclitus comments on Sep 10, 2018:

I threaten them with freezing in Scandinavian hell forever if they don't worship Odin. :)

How did you become an Atheist/Agnostic.etc?

Heraclitus comments on Sep 10, 2018:

Reading the bible cover to cover began the process.

On The Beach (1959) I think this is one of the better and more sensitive films about the end of the...

Heraclitus comments on Sep 8, 2018:

Great movie with Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire, and Anthony Perkins.

Ecclesiastes 7:3 (NIV): Frustration is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the ...

Heraclitus comments on Sep 8, 2018:

I'll try and remember that next time I am frustrated. :)

What do YOU think? [youtube.com]

Heraclitus comments on Sep 7, 2018:

Reminds me of the 1957 Costa Plan for Brasilia. Didn't live up to expectations, however.

I was prompted by a comment the other day to write this post, a person I had just met asked me what ...

Heraclitus comments on Sep 7, 2018:

I am retired and value my time as much as ever. There simply isn't enough time in the day to do all the things I want to do.

Is it acceptable in this site to call your political opponents "mentally deranged"?

Heraclitus comments on Sep 7, 2018:

If you were more open-minded you would realize it is the radical extremists on both ends that are full of hatred. The real personality difference is between the radicals and the rest of us.

So today is my last day with current employer, essentially it was resign or misery.

Heraclitus comments on Sep 7, 2018:

I had a friend in a high-stress job who continued to work because the people in his family usually lived into their mid and late 80s and he wanted to make sure he had enough money for about 20 years of comfortable retirement. He died of a stroke at age 67.

The things we do for science.

Heraclitus comments on Sep 6, 2018:

TMI

(So absurd & pitiful...) The Zack Smack - AXP [youtube.com]

Heraclitus comments on Sep 6, 2018:

Anyone who claims the bible predicts and validates modern science knows neither science nor the bible.

Bob Woodward brought down the White House and Nixon with his writings in the Washington Post with ...

Heraclitus comments on Sep 5, 2018:

Doubt it. It seems to take a lot more nowadays to shock people. Its as if we are suffering as a nation from outrage fatigue. We simply don't expect as much from our national leaders now. Back then conservatives were shocked when they heard Nixon say "hell" and "damn" on the tapes. Today many Trump supporters look upon him as a heathen who nevertheless is doing God's will. Consequently, they simply overlook his bad and bizarre behavior and "forgive" him as Jesus would do. If the "savior" overturns the money lenders' table in the temple, so what?

How does one go about being a polite atheist?

Heraclitus comments on Sep 5, 2018:

I don't think there really is a polite way to tell someone you think their mythical beliefs are foolishness, plus I don't like it when people preach to me so I don't preach to them. Now if they bring it up, then I start asking questions similar to the way Street Epistemology does, telling them that I am curious about their beliefs. It usually doesn't take long for them to start stumbling over their own beliefs and admit that it is all very personal and subjective.

Ezekiel 23:20 There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and ...

Heraclitus comments on Sep 5, 2018:

That must be from the part of the bible where people keep the pages glued together. :)

LSD was invented in 1938, I have to disagree.

Heraclitus comments on Sep 5, 2018:

Yahweh was a tripping ancient volcano god. A volcano god's lava typically sets bushes on fire, don't ya know. ;)

(A short one, & funny!) Five Easy Steps To Looking Stupid - Atheist Experience 465 [youtube.com]

Heraclitus comments on Sep 5, 2018:

Why do people pretend they know what they are talking about when they obviously don't? Whatever happened to Christian honesty?

Plaque......

Heraclitus comments on Sep 4, 2018:

Ever notice that whenever people wish to display the 10 commandments in a public place they avoid, like the plague, the discussion of which version of the 10 commandments they want to display?

When to switch primarily identifying as an Agnostic to Atheist?

Heraclitus comments on Sep 3, 2018:

Interesting that you assume both that there are only two choices and that the switch is inevitable. I myself am an ignostic. My wife is an apatheist.

A Great Response to Pascal's Wager - Atheist Experience [youtube.

Heraclitus comments on Sep 3, 2018:

Here are my 10 arguments against Pascal's Wager: 1) Even if there is a God, what makes you think God would condemn you to eternal torment simply because you can not force yourself to believe in a particular version of Him/Her/Them/It? Who told you that, and why did you believe it? Not only is it absurd, but it's not actually in the Bible, you know. Even if there is a God, don't you really think, yea verily, don't you deep down feel, that this must be a false god? 2) This is MOST important. One cannot force oneself to believe in God, or a god, if one truly does not believe. It simply can not be done. Try it. Let's start with a deity-like figure called Santa Claus. (He knows when you are sleeping. He knows when you're awake. He knows when you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake!) Can't do it, can you? Can't do it with The Great Pumpkin either, right? OK, now try it with Baal, Zeus, Thor, Osiris, or any of a thousand other mythical gods. No luck there either, right? Just can't force yourself to do it. You can fake it, pretend to believe, lie to yourself and others, live a life of blatant hypocrisy, but you cannot really believe no matter how many times you hit your head against the wall. Not only your brain, but your heart won't let you do it. Now suppose I am a true believer in Woden/Odin and tell you that, just to be on the safe side, you better offer up an altar sacrifice to Woden/Odin least He condemn you to freeze forever in a Scandinavian hell. Would you go out and offer a blood sacrifice to Woden/Odin, just in case? No, of course, you wouldn't. The whole idea is just so absurd as not to be contemplated. So, why are you even considering something similar for the ancient tribal volcanic Hebrew god Jehovah/Yahweh, god of fire and brimstone, burning bushes, and a volcano-like hell buried in the bowels of the earth? Only one reason, right? Because you were raised to believe in such a god. There is no other reason. OK, Pascal's Wager, if taken seriously, is so absurd on face value that one could simply stop there. But frankly, this is too much fun to stop short, and this brings us to the important concepts of Salvation/Justification. 4) SALVATION BY HYPROCISY If there is a God, do you truly believe that God would reward you with heaven for living a life that is a total lie? Really? 5) SALVATION BY WAGER OR BETTING. Do you really think you can hedge a bet with an omniscient, all-powerful deity and win the bet? Really? Do you think you can fool God that you really believe in Him if you don't? If God can be fooled, then He is not God. Even Santa Claus would not fall for this. 6) SALVATION BY FEAR. The real reason you are contemplating pretending to believe in such a God is fear of hell, right? So, God will reward all ...

I may be wrong, but I see religiosity as more of a generational belief system.

Heraclitus comments on Sep 3, 2018:

I've noticed several things in this regard. Religiosity has increased as our educational system has declined. For example, I run into people all the time now who know nothing about evolution other than the falsehoods they learned about "Darwinism" in Sunday school. Religiosity has also increased as cosmology has become less "commonsensical." This probably began with the Theory of Relativity and The Heisenburg's Uncertainy Principle and has gotten worse as people find they cannot understand, let alone relate, to the universe around them. Religiosity has increased as people have become increasingly fearful of the future, whether it is climate change, the genetic revolution, the robotic revolution and the coming Singularity, or anticipation of nuclear war. Religiosity has increased as we have lived in an endless war against a faceless foe of terrorism. "Making America Great Again" is a nostalgic retreat into an illusory past by those who fear to look forward. Sadly, I think things will get worse before they get better.

I really like this group and appreciate all of your feedback, ty! So here I go again.

Heraclitus comments on Sep 3, 2018:

Hey, Zeus did it all the time. ;)

Can there be a libertarian defense of socialism?

Heraclitus comments on Sep 2, 2018:

In our current socialistic democratic republic, we already own many things in common. That's a large part of what government does. It sounds like you are adding to the "commons" and attempting to prorate it for everyone. But, I have no idea how you would "prorate" all the resources to satisfy everyone. If you could come up with a way to do that you would be a very famous person.

I had my first ever dealings with the morons, I mean Mormons, yesterday .

Heraclitus comments on Sep 1, 2018:

By their bible I assume you mean their Book of Mormon. Mormons believe in the bible too, but they seldom pass out bibles.

I had my first ever dealings with the morons, I mean Mormons, yesterday .

Heraclitus comments on Sep 1, 2018:

Can't tell if you are joking, but "Elder" wasn't their names it was their missionary title.

Environment and Workers: The Essential Link [counterpunch.org]

Heraclitus comments on Aug 31, 2018:

It is not just the 1% elite though. The 99% elected Trump who considers climate change a Chinese hoax, and China is doing more to contain climate change than we are. As long as we wallow in a world of short-sighted self-deception I am afraid there is not much hope for avoiding global disaster. It's Nero fiddling while Rome burns all over again. :(

UK: Syrian Terrorists Can’t Possibly Be Planning Chemical Weapons False Flag, Because Russia Said ...

Heraclitus comments on Aug 31, 2018:

Ouch. Such logic. The Russians don't lie all the time.

Why Confronting Israel Is Important [israelpalestinenews.org]

Heraclitus comments on Aug 30, 2018:

The problem lies not so much with Israel, in perpetual survival mode, but with the USA. Why have we let the tail wag the dog for 70yrs?

I called to wish my grandma a happy birthday, she's 90, devout Catholic.

Heraclitus comments on Aug 30, 2018:

My grandmother was a devout Catholic who was surprisingly understanding when I left the Catholic church. I didn't tell her though, my mother did. It helped that I was her favorite grandchild. To my amazement, my father who never attended Mass (a mortal sin for which you go to hell if you don't repent and he never did) was very intolerant of my leaving and argued about it constantly. You never really know.

Robot Rights

Heraclitus comments on Aug 30, 2018:

How would it ever be proven that robots have all the human properties that one would expect? They may pass the Turing test and appear to have such properties, but you can't put emotions in a test tube. I think humans will deny that robots are truly "human" long after they appear to have attained human equivalency, and so will deny them equal rights until forced to do so by the robots themselves.

Is Faith Rational? | David - Oklahoma | Atheist Experience 22.34 [youtube.com]

Heraclitus comments on Aug 30, 2018:

David didn't even seem to realize that if God is subservient to the laws of men, then he is not God.

Greeting to our new friends! What titles are you currently reading? Please share.

Heraclitus comments on Aug 30, 2018:

The Plague by Camus. Deliciously depressing. :)

As the Christian Church Crumbles, is Humanism Ready to Step Up? - TheHumanist.com

Heraclitus comments on Aug 29, 2018:

First of all, I don't know where you get the 20% from, as Wikipedia says 37%. Secondly, I've been hearing that the Christian churches were dying for over 50 years since the Death of God movement and though most of the mainline churches did diminish, the evangelical churches just kept getting stronger. Religion adapts. Thirdly, in my experience, most Christians are surface social Christians who barely understand their own religion, and don't read the Bible, and don't give that much. Churches are often more of a social organization than a theological one. Fourthly, if churches did go away, it would actually free up billions that now go to the upkeep, and in some case luxury living, of the churches, which could certainly be put to much better use. I don't really agree that churches are a very strong giving culture when you consider that billions are wasted internally on the church hierarchies rather than being put to good use. Fifthly, you certainly don't have to belong to a church to care about the human race. In fact, humanists have more of a reason to care about this planet and its inhabitants than those who think its all about getting to heaven and this life really doesn't matter. Some theists even think that suffering is noble and good for strengthening your faith, so why interfere with the "Will of God". So, unless they think you can buy your way into heaven, which of course you can't, why give money away? Sixthly, there are plenty of humanistic charities that are not associated with religion in any way. But, if you are implying that there should or need to be charities overtly associated with agnosticism or atheism, I'm afraid that society will have to change a lot more before that would attract a lot of money. In fact, I see no reason why I would give money to a charity for that reason alone. I think that the effectiveness of a charity is much more important.

Would you raise your children religious just to fit in?

Heraclitus comments on Aug 29, 2018:

If either you or your children are being religious just to "fit in" then you are not religious. You are hypocrites. Is "fitting in" worth a hypocritical inauthentic life?

What is your Idea about the "SUPREME BEING"?

Heraclitus comments on Aug 29, 2018:

You don't need to believe in a Supreme Being for life to have meaning. That's a false assumption that Theists make because they feel that THEIR life has no meaning without a God.

So here is a question.

Heraclitus comments on Aug 29, 2018:

You say you believe in logic and reason, but give no logic or reason for your belief in a "god/goddess". This is not logic, but an assertion of belief or faith in a general type of Theism. Since you believe that this is an intelligence that "we are part of it and it is part of us" this is an Immanent Theist belief as opposed to a Transcendent Theism. But this assertion of belief does not fit well in the Atheist/Agnostic realm. However, if you were instead to claim you don't know what this "god/goddess" is like, then you could then refer to yourself as an Agnostic Theist.

Have you had an abusive advisor/ co-worker? [nature.com]

Heraclitus comments on Aug 29, 2018:

Who hasn't?

I was raised Catholic and always questioned why priests and nuns could never get married.

Heraclitus comments on Aug 29, 2018:

It goes back to Paul and 1 Corinthians 7:8 "Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do." The idea is that you are "married" to the Church and theoretically you will be more dedicated to the Church if you don't have a family to worry about. But there is more to it than that. Priests and nuns are supported by the Church, and if they were allowed to marry then the Church would be obligated to support their whole families which would cost considerably more money.

Does religion tell us what is right or wrong or does that come from society and training by our ...

Heraclitus comments on Aug 28, 2018:

Didn't you get your religion from society and your parents?

I am considering joining our Republican Atheist group, even though I'm more like a socialist.

Heraclitus comments on Aug 28, 2018:

The Conservative Atheist group says: This is not a debate group, if you do not identify with conservative values, then you are in the wrong group. So, unfortunately, I do not think you would be welcome there.

I wonder how many people here were born Atheist/Agnostic or were perhaps brought up religiously then...

Heraclitus comments on Aug 28, 2018:

I suspect we are all born apatheists. We don't care about theology until it is drilled into our heads.

A neuroscientist explains what tech does to the reading brain - The Verge

Heraclitus comments on Aug 28, 2018:

I started to skim read the article...then I slowed down. :)