Soon to be North Carolinian.

Heraclitus comments on Jun 21, 2018:

It's really a purple state with a lot of diversity. But if you're scared stick to the cities. :)

Einstein Was Right! Scientists Confirm General Relativity Works With Distant Galaxy [space.com]

Heraclitus comments on Jun 21, 2018:

An Einstein Ring is nothing new, goes back to 1998, but I suppose this is the first time it has been seen around a galaxy cluster. Will be interesting to see if it produces any "enlightenment" about dark matter. ;)

Awwww diddums ...

Heraclitus comments on Jun 21, 2018:

Frankly, I'm not sure I even get Clayton's argument. Freedom of religion (religious identity) is already so protected (overprotected) in our theocratic society by the 1st Amendment that a baker doesn't even have to bake you a cake if he doesn't approve of you.

I was once President Packer's home teacher.

Heraclitus comments on Jun 18, 2018:

I knew someone who was almost disfellowed by BKP because of an article he wrote for the New Era, although obviously the editors of the New Era, located in the LDS Church Office Building, had no problem with it.

What causes people to substitute compassion for those in their own circle with compassion for ...

Heraclitus comments on Jun 18, 2018:

People aren't always compassionate to strangers. There is a lot of ignoring of the suffering of strangers that happens all over the world every day. But, perhaps you are referring to instances in which it is simply easier to have compassion on a stranger that you identify with because you have found yourself in a similar troubling or dangerous situation. Also, you don't know the stranger enough to have anything against them, whereas "familiarity breeds contempt."

This Is The First-Ever Footage of a Star Ripped Into Shreds by a Black Hole [sciencealert.

Heraclitus comments on Jun 16, 2018:

Cool tidal disruption event.

Break free from the bonds of Earth [cnn.com]

Heraclitus comments on Jun 15, 2018:

Kehwl.

Yup, that would produce the sort of person who would believe this crapola

Heraclitus comments on Jun 15, 2018:

This is not to mention Adam's first wife Lilith, the first divorcee. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilith

Anyone had any experience with the challenges and problems of teaching evolution in schools?

Heraclitus comments on Jun 15, 2018:

I would suggest that one of the most common misconceptions of evolution is that is has a direction, that is, that natural selection pushes us towards progress or greater sophistication.

My favorite is from Mark 11:13 God hates figs!

Heraclitus comments on Jun 15, 2018:

Mark 11:13-14 New International Version (NIV) Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.”

Quotes on Academia by Boyd K.

Heraclitus comments on Jun 14, 2018:

Wow! I am speechless. Sounds like he was renouncing Joseph Smith himself. How did he get away with it?

Moon Mystery Solved! Apollo Astronauts Caused Odd Lunar Warming ...

Heraclitus comments on Jun 14, 2018:

Odd story of how to mess up your own measurements. :)

I'm getting to the point where I don't want to ask someone I haven't seen for a while how they've ...

Heraclitus comments on Jun 14, 2018:

How about people on social media who post pictures of what they had for lunch?

Is our Democracy dead?

Heraclitus comments on Jun 13, 2018:

Anyone seen the latest cover of Time? KING ME. It has Trump looking in the mirror and in the mirror is King Trump. Article: "Visions of Absolute Power."

Hello to all, I just joined this group. How are all my fellow heathens to night?

Heraclitus comments on Jun 12, 2018:

Greetings. So why did you join this group? Any story to tell?

Count of Monte Cristo word 5 Vomitorium: 1.

Heraclitus comments on Jun 12, 2018:

Interesting link. Thanks.

Did Jesus even exist?

Heraclitus comments on Jun 12, 2018:

Saw an interesting talk by three Mythicists, Robert Price, Richard Carrier, and David Fitzgerald on the topic "Did Jesus Exist?" Very interesting. Robert Price admitted that the historical Jesus may have existed. Richard Carrier stated that we can't extract "truth" from the Gospels. However, this is a philosophical argument (his training is as a philosopher) and not a historical argument. He is improperly imposing a philosophical judgment upon history. Historians don't even go there. David Fitzgerald said Mysticists love Ehrman because he agrees with them so much and makes their arguments for them such as in his book Forged. He also said that the only difference that Mysticists have with Ehrman is that they take their conclusion a little further than he does. Carrier then agreed and said that Mysticists are only a couple of tweeks away from Erhman. This is exactly correct! The only major difference between Ehrman and the fringe group the Mysticists (they refer to themselves a fringe group in this talk) is that Ehrman, out of scholarly honesty, refuses to leap to the illogical conclusion that the historical man Jesus never existed. Hurray for honesty! Without professional honesty we simply become what we despise...just on the opposite end of the spectrum.

Good morning skeptics! What's on your mind today?

Heraclitus comments on Jun 12, 2018:

I'm skeptical about the NK talks. POTUS gave away our right to hold military exercises in Korea with nothing in return. What's the point of having troops in Korea if they are not battle ready?

What would a party with all introverts be like if they knew it was a only introverts and no ...

Heraclitus comments on Jun 11, 2018:

I'd probably like it. I like to talk. I just don't like to make mindless small talk. I am comfortable with silence and don't like people who aren't because they will say anything to fill the void.

Do you think Introverts on average do or do not like egotists, braggers etc.

Heraclitus comments on Jun 11, 2018:

I certainly don't but you don't have to be an introvert to not like egoists or braggarts. In fact, in a way, it is easier to tolerate them if you an introvert because you simply have no desire to engage with them or give them any attention. Whereas an extrovert, or even more so a fellow egoist/braggart, is far more likely to engage and clash with them. It can be like two rams colliding. Hmm....what POTUS does this remind me of? ;)

How many verses are there where the Tetragrammaton tells people they need to commit genocide?

Heraclitus comments on Jun 10, 2018:

Here's another one: Deuteronomy 20:16-17 However, in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the Lord your God has commanded you.

Haver (hayver) Irish word - to talk nonsense

Heraclitus comments on Jun 10, 2018:

Hava..hava...hava :)

How many verses are there where the Tetragrammaton tells people they need to commit genocide?

Heraclitus comments on Jun 9, 2018:

The Tetragrammaton refers to the Hebrew name of God transliterated in four letters as YHWH or JHVH and articulated as Yahweh or Jehovah. However, as far as the Bible goes, the one that comes immediately to mind is 1 Samuel 15 in which the prophet Samuel is speaking to King Saul, as the Lord God, regarding the defeated Amalekites: Samuel said to Saul, “I am the one the Lord sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the Lord. 2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. 3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’” This is actually more than genocide, kind of a hyper-genocide, because it also involves putting to death all of the animals of the Amalekites, as well.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and am some what of an imbecile when it comes to biology.

Heraclitus comments on Jun 8, 2018:

I once heard a microbiologist say that we are essentially bacteria colonies attached to a human body. Also, that if an alien intelligence discovered earth they might refer to it as the bacteria planet.

Is anyone else infuriated with NC offering an "In God We Trust" license plate?

Heraclitus comments on Jun 8, 2018:

It's not just an option on license plates. The state house passed HB 965 94-15 to require public schools to display in a prominent place the words "In God We Trust." This is far more insidious as it involves the indoctrination of children. This has been promoted by "Project Blitz" launched by the Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation.

Words of science wisdom from 2008: ESSAY The importance of stupidity in scientific research ...

Heraclitus comments on Jun 8, 2018:

Good article. I feel smarter already. :) ( I have a 150 IQ and I have always felt that I was just smart enough to realize how stupid I am. )

TENGU - bird people from Wikipedia: Tengu (天狗, "heavenly dog") are a type of legendary ...

Heraclitus comments on Jun 8, 2018:

Fascinating. Where did you first heard of the tengu?

Curiosity Rover Finds Ancient 'Building Blocks for Life' on Mars ...

Heraclitus comments on Jun 8, 2018:

Evidence of possible life on Mars at one time, maybe? Always possible these organic molecules hitched a ride on an external Mars source such as a comet or asteroid.

I came across this today.

Heraclitus comments on Jun 8, 2018:

How about: You are entitled to your own opinion, but not to your own facts.

Magnetic Force Does NOT Exist! Science Asylum [youtube.com]

Heraclitus comments on Jun 8, 2018:

It appears to be a fun, weird way of saying that there is not really such a thing as a separate magnetic force. It is all electromagnetism.

If the Christian god is just, then how can their god choose a group of people (Israel) and say that ...

Heraclitus comments on Jun 7, 2018:

Christians will tell you that the Jews were only the chosen people in the sense that they were chosen to give us the Bible and the Messiah. No religion on the face of the earth has been more anti-semitic or massacred more Jews than Christianity.

Jesus is toast!

Heraclitus comments on Jun 7, 2018:

Easier to find the hooded Virgin Mary in a dept store window at sunset, however.

Why would a loving god who claims to be a forgiving and just creator say that death and the spilling...

Heraclitus comments on Jun 7, 2018:

FYI, Blood Atonement is the extension of Blood Sacrifice practiced in the Old Testament. The OT is incredibly brutal and bloody.

The first miracle that Jesus performs should show everyone exactly what Jesus' ministry really ...

Heraclitus comments on Jun 7, 2018:

You certainly have a point, though when I have tried this argument, Christians argue that wine back then was watered down because it had to be, as people drank it all the time. Water was not purified like it is today and was often full of bacteria. When sailors went to sea they took kegs of beer, wine, brandy or grog with them, not water. Water was too dangerous. Arguing that feeling merry was the same as being drunk didn't get me anywhere either.

Jesus the judge- The bible is clear that judging other people is not only wrong but is also a sin! ...

Heraclitus comments on Jun 7, 2018:

Sorry, but you would not win that argument with a knowledgeable Christian. They would simply point out that only God has the right to judge, and Jesus was God. He told others not to judge because they were not divine and so did not have the right to judge as He did.

Advice for the day

Heraclitus comments on Jun 7, 2018:

Heard Christopher Hitchens completely overwhelm a Christian pastor in a debate.

Jesus not only hated the Jewish religious leaders but also hated the gentiles.

Heraclitus comments on Jun 7, 2018:

The acceptance of Gentiles into Christianity is not found in the Gospels but started with Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 22). He and Peter, who became the first Pope, clashed over this, as Peter insisted that gentiles convert to Judaism (Galatians). Paul eventually won the argument. For this reason, some scholars regard Paul as the true founder of Christianity as we know it today.

The bible clearly shows that Jesus could not control his temper and on one occasion went crazy and ...

Heraclitus comments on Jun 7, 2018:

You would not win an argument with knowledgeable Christians on this point. They would call his anger "self-righteous anger" and describe it as a godly emotion. Only God is entitled to self-righteous anger because only God is righteous.

This explains it all

Heraclitus comments on Jun 7, 2018:

Change "symbolically" with "literally" and you have a Catholic.

Salvation, Damnation and everything in between thanks to Tommy Johnson. [youtube.com]

Heraclitus comments on Jun 7, 2018:

Crossroads was resurrected by Cream in 1966.

Cult Dressing & Religious Behavior

Heraclitus comments on Jun 7, 2018:

"Secular religion" is an oxymoron.

I think I just proved Darwin wrong.

Heraclitus comments on Jun 7, 2018:

It never was survival of the most intelligent, but rather the survival of those best adapted (fitted) to their environment...and that for the purpose of getting their genes into the next generation. Now if someone dies from sheer stupidity before they can reproduce then they get a Darwin Award. Also, genius intelligence may have a evolutionary benefit for the species as a whole, but not necessary for the individual.

Have you ever debated with a Scientologist?

Heraclitus comments on Jun 7, 2018:

Yes, they usually identify so strongly with their belief system that a debate is useless. I think they feel that if they admit they are wrong, they are admitting they have wasted their lives.

Does anyone else see the difference in not believing in a god and believing there is no god?

Heraclitus comments on Jun 7, 2018:

The latter involves a conviction.

Does anyone else feel this way?

Heraclitus comments on Jun 7, 2018:

I can hardly believe the truth-defying adolescent ad hominem level our political discourse has degraded to. That I can tell you. Believe me. Sad.

How has atheism or agnosticism made you a better person?

Heraclitus comments on Jun 7, 2018:

Less self-deluded, more honest. Less susceptible to social pressure, more free. Free from all the stress of trying to please a judgmental God. Less judgmental of others. Free from constantly trying rationalize the paradoxes, inconsistencies, and contradictions of religion, and consequently I actually feel more intelligent. Feel more like myself, because I am more myself. Happier and I often feel the bliss of freedom.

Why Won't Congress Stop Herr Trump?

Heraclitus comments on Jun 7, 2018:

Because they are not patriots, they are partiests.

Meaning of existence

Heraclitus comments on Jun 7, 2018:

Just because you don't believe in a mythical god doesn't mean your life is devoid of meaning and happiness. Don't buy the trick assumption of the question.

Compatibilism (Free Will)...g:3 [youtube.com]

Heraclitus comments on Jun 5, 2018:

Though I find this quite interesting I am not a fan of these sort of one-sided formats in which one person gets to interpret the other's conversation but not vice versa. This would have been much better as a dialogue. I suspect that if Matt would have had the ability to respond, he would not have always agreed the with interpretations and assumptions that Stephen was making about his beliefs.

"For those who believe in God, most of the big questions are answered.

Heraclitus comments on Jun 5, 2018:

Always been a Bukowski fan. Few are more bluntly honest and insightful of human nature.

Teleporters I was having an odd but fun conversation the other day and thought I'd being it over ...

Heraclitus comments on Jun 4, 2018:

Shades of Blade Runner in which Deckard thinks he is human, but turns out to be a replicant. Is Deckard still Deckard? Was Deckard ever Deckard? What if you were a human clone but didn't know it? Are you still you? What does it even mean for a human clone to be "you"? And if you are not you, then who are you? But, if there is no constant human soul, does the question even make any sense? Nonsensical questions have no sensible answers.

Why must we respect people's religious beliefs when such respect is not reciprocated?

Heraclitus comments on Jun 4, 2018:

1) manners? 2) don't become what you hate. 3) don't take the bait.

On skepticism. Do you think it harder to be skeptical in the information age?

Heraclitus comments on Jun 4, 2018:

For the very reasons you name I actually find it easier to be skeptical. I am painfully aware we are living in a tribal post-truth society with a woefully inadequate educational system. For example, for the most part, it seems that the Theory of Evolution is not even taught in most schools because teachers want to avoid the whole political/religious controversy. Consequently, most of the questions I read about evolution display an almost total lack of knowledge about the science so that it is even difficult to answer the questions.

Atheists Are Sometimes More Religious Than Christians - The Atlantic

Heraclitus comments on Jun 4, 2018:

The title is misleading. This is more about surface religiosity, the trappings of a religious service, then it is about religion. Yet, it is an interesting phenomenon of humans that they often crave ritual and ceremony devoid of any real belief. People are often superstitious as well for no apparent reason

Not good when a POTUS thinks like this. [flip.it]

Heraclitus comments on Jun 4, 2018:

If POTUS is right, then how is the Presidency now really much different than a dictatorship as long as he has the Party of Trump behind him? Perhaps his next act will be to declare himself President for Life and then pardon himself for doing so.

Question everything and everyone! Demand proof! ?

Heraclitus comments on Jun 4, 2018:

What constitutes proof?

How Jesus Died: Rare Evidence of Roman Crucifixion Found [livescience.com]

Heraclitus comments on Jun 4, 2018:

NBD. The Roman capital punishment method of crucifixion is not controversial. It is just that it is unusual for the evidence of such to remain intact and survive 2000 years. Wood rots.

Here is an example of religion run amuck .

Heraclitus comments on Jun 4, 2018:

Think of how good and special it feels to believe that God reached out and saved you personally.

are you afraid of death?

Heraclitus comments on Jun 4, 2018:

Afraid of dying, but not of death.

Who thinks ghosts are real?

Heraclitus comments on Jun 4, 2018:

I never met anyone who had a good reason for believing in ghosts. It's usually been unexplained noises or reflections in a window, usually in an old noisy house. Either that or something they thought they saw when waking up in the morning. No reason to call tricks of the imagination ghosts. But some people like to believe in ghosts because they think it is evidence of an afterlife.

Ricky Gervais -- "I am an agnostic atheist" .

Heraclitus comments on Jun 3, 2018:

I once knew someone who was an Agnostic Agnostic. He didn't know if he was an agnostic or not.

Ugh.

Heraclitus comments on Jun 2, 2018:

Agnosticism, in fact, is not a creed, but a method, the essence of which lies in the rigorous application of a single principle ... Positively the principle may be expressed: In matters of the intellect, follow your reason as far as it will take you, without regard to any other consideration. And negatively: In matters of the intellect do not pretend that conclusions are certain which are not demonstrated or demonstrable. — Thomas Henry Huxley Agnosticism is of the essence of science, whether ancient or modern. It simply means that a man shall not say he knows or believes that which he has no scientific grounds for professing to know or believe. Consequently, agnosticism puts aside not only the greater part of popular theology, but also the greater part of anti-theology. On the whole, the "bosh" of heterodoxy is more offensive to me than that of orthodoxy, because heterodoxy professes to be guided by reason and science, and orthodoxy does not. — Thomas Henry Huxley

Persecuting Christians in America A Simple Guide!

Heraclitus comments on Jun 2, 2018:

Christianity was founded on a legacy of martyrs. If you deny Christians their persecution complex, you deny them their identity.

Baptist Church Removing Jesus Statue

Heraclitus comments on Jun 2, 2018:

Now if it was a crucified Christ I would understand it, but it's too "Catholic" just because his arms are not down by his side?!? Will the different Jesus Christs never cease?

Did Jesus really die for our sins?

Heraclitus comments on Jun 2, 2018:

Where is the logic in that? How does dying erase sin? For yourself, let alone anyone else? Actually, blood atonement is just an extension of the ancient practice of blood sacrifice to propitiate an angry god. Why blood placates God is kind of scary to think about. Sounds more like the great cosmic vampire in the sky, doesn't it?

Where did American Christians get the idea that this country was founded on Christian Values?!

Heraclitus comments on Jun 2, 2018:

A false impression given by our heavily edited school textbooks.

Are there limits to your skepticism?

Heraclitus comments on Jun 2, 2018:

David Hume was the model skeptic who asserted that we cannot even know cause and effect. However, while denying the possibility of knowing the causal connection between objects, he accepted the causal principle, writing, "I never asserted so absurd a proposition as that something could arise without a cause."

Dealing with Fundamentalists [youtu.be]

Heraclitus comments on Jun 2, 2018:

All believers cherry-pick the Bible. Otherwise, life would be unbearable. Ever see the series "Living Biblically"? It is, of course, a comedy.

You May Have a 'Second Brain' in Your Butt... And It's Smarter Than You Think [livescience.com]

Heraclitus comments on Jun 2, 2018:

Most of your immune system resides in your gut, as well.

7 Fascinating Facts About The Old West [youtube.com]

Heraclitus comments on Jun 2, 2018:

Thanks. Hurray for unfettered history! All textbooks are political instruments that have to be approved by a political state board of education, either elected or politically appointed, and they are usually heavily edited. Real history isn't taught until the college level. Read Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States."

A Major Physics Experiment Just Detected A Particle That Shouldn't Exist [space.com]

Heraclitus comments on Jun 2, 2018:

Sterile neutrino could be Dark Matter. "Shouldn't exist" is an editorial comment designed to get attention. Actually, it should exist according to the Theory of Dark Matter.

Should anyone suggest that the US is a Christian nation: 'Philip Alston, the UN special ...

Heraclitus comments on Jun 2, 2018:

Unfortunately, it is probably only going to keep getting worse. The USA is the richest nation in the world, but has the poorest government in the world. Name another nation's govenment that has a $21,000,000,000 debt that is rapidly getting worse. Sad.

I came here to share info with other like-minded individuals.

Heraclitus comments on Jun 2, 2018:

Profile's gone. Anyone know what the flouncer's beef was? What would constitute "other like-minded individuals"?

A Major Physics Experiment Just Detected A Particle That Shouldn't Exist [livescience.com]

Heraclitus comments on Jun 2, 2018:

Sterile neutrino could be Dark Matter. "Shouldn't exist" is an editorial comment designed to get attention. Actually, it should exist according to the Theory of Dark Matter.

I think, therefore, I am.

Heraclitus comments on Jun 1, 2018:

Happiness is inversely proportional to awareness and sensitivity to the painful realities of planet Earth.

Does anyone agree, that our country is being torn apart

Heraclitus comments on May 31, 2018:

Yep, people no longer have differing opinions, they have differing realities.

What do you think is the difference between a religion and a cult?

Heraclitus comments on May 31, 2018:

Here's 14 characteristics of a cult: http://www.apologeticsindex.org/268-characteristics-of-cults

I miss Ripley....

Heraclitus comments on May 31, 2018:

Yes, I miss Ripley too. Believe it or not. ;)

I'm of the opinion that anything labeled "supernatural" is simply some natural phenomenon that we ...

Heraclitus comments on May 31, 2018:

Agreed. No need for a God of the Gaps.

Study shows how Earth slows the solar wind to a gentle breeze

Heraclitus comments on May 31, 2018:

Either a weak magnetic field exposing us to extensive cosmic radiation, or worse, a pole shift would be a disaster. It is believed that Mars became barren after it lost its magnetic field. Immanuel Velikovsky became famous writing about the global cataclysm caused by a pole shift. His science is questionable, but it makes for interesting reading on what it could mean for the future of earth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R8giRIyVvw

What are the implications of relativity [m.facebook.com]

Heraclitus comments on May 31, 2018:

Forward time travel is easy to accept because it is essentially just the "Rip Van Winkle" effect. You are not instantaneously zapped into the future. It is just that only a few minutes, or even seconds, have passed for you while a few years, or centuries, has passed for everyone else. Backward time travel is something altogether different as it requires spacetime reversal, probably the Universe looping back on itself, and runs into the "Grandfather Paradox." Some physicists believe that the astronomical amount of energy required to loop the Universe back on itself would essentially tear the Universe apart.

Spot the false prophet

Heraclitus comments on May 31, 2018:

I used to hear Mormons say that what the living Prophet says isn't doctrine unless he says, "Thus sayest the Lord." When I asked them when the last time was they heard the Prophet say, "Thus sayest the Lord" they couldn't think of any time he said that. It made me wonder what was the point in having a living Prophet?

Do they not see how utterly insane they are. There are adults encouraging this. [youtu.be]

Heraclitus comments on May 31, 2018:

How could anyone think that repeating "ba ba ba" is a foreign tongue? I guess people believe what they want to believe...as long as the news is good.

In last few days, a man was snatched from the street, imprisoned without trial and then reporting on...

Heraclitus comments on May 31, 2018:

Good old Voltaire was always very Candide. ;)

Curious how US skeptics feel about this viewpoint.

Heraclitus comments on May 31, 2018:

Unfortunately, separation of church and state has been reinterpreted by many. Some now say it simply means that the establishment of a State Religion would be unconstitutional.

Sam Harris. Why Atheists win arguments. [youtube.com]

Heraclitus comments on May 31, 2018:

No need to fall into the trap of "believing in creation without a creator." 1) The stuff of the universe always existed, as believed by Aristotle, and other Greek philosophers. Supernatural creation is not even necessary to explain the Universe. 2) Creation out of nothing is a logical contradiction. Only nothing can come from nothing. Something can only come from something. 3) The creative force of the Universe is nature itself. No need for a personal god. That's an unnecessary illogical leap. 4) It's not even a matter of belief, but of not accepting a supernatural explanation of nature without convincing evidence/proof. 5) Occam's razor, or why posit the existence of a personal god when there is no need to. The Universe behaves as you would expect it to if there were no god. But if you posit the existence of a god, then you have a lot of explaining to do.

When is no evidence, evidence?

Heraclitus comments on May 22, 2018:

Only in the sense that atheists ask for evidence and reject blind faith.

I hope you like this.

Heraclitus comments on May 22, 2018:

BS ;-)

Prof Stephen Hawking's multiverse finale - BBC News

Heraclitus comments on May 21, 2018:

It's metaphysics, not physics. BTW, inflation is not unproven, though everything else is. So what? No scientist ever claimed the multiverse hypothesis was proven science. If it was it wouldn't be an hypothesis.

Solution to Gun Problem

Heraclitus comments on May 21, 2018:

Yes, we've been having the same arguments about gun control for at least the last half century. The worse things get, the more the NRA just tells everyone to buy more guns to defend themselves.

Why a sitting President cannot be indicted for crimes he committed before being elected?

Heraclitus comments on May 21, 2018:

The Constitutional method provided to remove a president from office is impeachment, not indictment. Consequently, even if a president were indicted, and convicted, successful impeachment would still be necessary to remove that president from office. Consequently, actual indictment and prosecution of a president for a crime, which has never been tried and so has never been 100% settled, is almost a mute point, but which makes for great political theater. Impeachment does not require a previous indictment, let alone a conviction of a crime, to remove a president from office. If a president were to indicted and convicted of a crime, it would, of course, raise the possibility that such a president would then be successfully impeached, but it would not guarantee it. It's really all about the votes.

Proof of no god?

Heraclitus comments on May 21, 2018:

You will always be waiting. You will never get scientific proof one way or the other. You cannot get material proof of an immaterial object. Can't put God in a test tube.

Science and Reason

Heraclitus comments on May 21, 2018:

Used to read it, but it got a little repetitive after a few years.

Bring in the machine that goes PING!

Heraclitus comments on May 21, 2018:

Have talked to several people who thought a house was haunted. None were convincing. Just sounds or reflections they could not identify which I think of as something to be expected in an old house. Funny how new or even relatively old houses are never haunted, or even hospitals which is where most people die.

I saw a meme with Stephan Hawkins in the stars .

Heraclitus comments on May 20, 2018:

I don't think Stephan does either. ;)

What about panentheism?

Heraclitus comments on May 20, 2018:

In several ways. That is an oversimplified definition, and not the best one. Panentheists don't believe in a transcendent personal God, so that immediately rules out religions like Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. There is the more traditional German idealist (Hegelian) form and there is the more modern process (Whiteheadian) form of panentheism. Neither one posits a "God" in any traditional faith sense or involves any form of worship. It is rather a philosopher's god. It is more of an admission, or rather an assumption, that there may be something more to nature, or beyond nature, that can be explained by nature alone and generates the laws of nature as we know them. Something more akin to the Elan Vital, or creative energy of Henri Bergson. The only real difference between Pantheists and Panentheists, as far as I can tell, is that Pantheists would say that this creative energy is inherent to nature itself, while Panentheists would place this creative energy as a prime mover of nature.

An interesting algorithm

Heraclitus comments on May 19, 2018:

Thanks for sharing this. Older Mormons have told me that the semi-deification of Joseph Smith is a relatively recent phenomenon. When they were growing up JS was talked about as a more failable human being and it was only gradually that it got to the point that you didn't dare say anything even slightly negative about JS. More recently, however, it seems the lid has come off. BTW, before the days of computers, this used to be called a flow chart.

Do you think the United States would ever have an atheist president?

Heraclitus comments on May 19, 2018:

"Ever" is a long time, but don't hold your breath.

As an atheist/agnostic, what would you do if the Dark Ages were to come back?

Heraclitus comments on May 19, 2018:

Are you sure that the Dark Ages ever really left? Even the so-called Age of Enlightenment was for intellectuals only, and most of them did not discard their religious beliefs. Even those who did were usually very cirumspect about it for fear of their own lives.

Not sure if I belong here.

Heraclitus comments on May 19, 2018:

I don't see why you wouldn't belong here. This is Agnostic.com, not Atheist.com, though some hard atheists may show intolerance. Actually, a lot of people believe in "some sort of" a creative force or intelligence but not a personal God. You either have to believe that the elementary stuff of the Universe has somehow existed forever without being able to explain how, or you have to believe that there was some sort of creative force behind the stuff of the Universe without being able to explain what. In fact, in my experience, at some point arguing about those two options starts to seems like a distinction without much of a difference.