Has anyone else noticed that religion is portrayed as truth and real history on most TV ...

Paul4747 comments on Mar 18, 2020:

That channel has changed a lot since it started. I remember when it was about actual history. The proliferation of cable networks made them struggle for viewers and go to more sensationalist fare. For instance, every other week is now Nazi Week on the History Channel.

Paul4747 replies on Mar 18, 2020:

@Petter So Yesteryear is a network? When I was there, there were only 4 TV networks plus Sky TV on the satellite, if one was lucky enough to have one. And the 5th channel had just started, but as I recall it was basically highlights from the other 4, so why bother?

Has anyone else noticed that religion is portrayed as truth and real history on most TV ...

Marionville comments on Mar 18, 2020:

Religion is part of history...unpalatable as that may be to us. Human history has religion interwoven through it and cannot be separated, just as past events cannot be changed. I don’t watch the History channel, because I don’t subscribe to cable TV, so am at a disadvantage to knowing what ...

Paul4747 replies on Mar 18, 2020:

Right up to the edge of it. They treat the personalities as more or less real and seek explanations for the "miracles".

Language is interesting.

Fred_Snerd comments on Mar 17, 2020:

I never said I shit my pants.

Paul4747 replies on Mar 17, 2020:

Interesting example.....

Language is interesting.

Novelty comments on Mar 17, 2020:

Like: Lets eat grandpa. or Lets eat, grandpa. See commas save lives. 🥀

Paul4747 replies on Mar 17, 2020:

@Novelty Reasonably firm anyway, certainly round and fully packed.

Language is interesting.

Novelty comments on Mar 17, 2020:

Like: Lets eat grandpa. or Lets eat, grandpa. See commas save lives. 🥀

Paul4747 replies on Mar 17, 2020:

@Novelty I got the reference. And yes, it is ;)

Language is interesting.

Novelty comments on Mar 17, 2020:

Like: Lets eat grandpa. or Lets eat, grandpa. See commas save lives. 🥀

Paul4747 replies on Mar 17, 2020:

@Novelty Who tried to touch my tush?

Language is interesting.

Novelty comments on Mar 17, 2020:

Like: Lets eat grandpa. or Lets eat, grandpa. See commas save lives. 🥀

Paul4747 replies on Mar 17, 2020:

See, commas save lives! Or: See commas, save lives!

When I was a teenager and in a bad place, I believed that there was a God.

Paul4747 comments on Mar 17, 2020:

As a high schooler (especially when I was a senior), I was bookish and had a very offbeat sense of humor. People didn't get me. Hence, I felt very alone and persecuted. My parents were divorced and my brothers were much older, so I was essentially an only child. I felt very alone. I didn't know ...

Paul4747 replies on Mar 17, 2020:

@anglophone I prefer to ask, "What god?" There's insufficient evidence for any god's existence. The best argument I've ever seen, actually, was for the Goddess Eris (aka Discordia), Goddess of Chaos, in the Principia Discordia. It's a counter to the usual argument for some god or another, claiming that the existence of some imagined Order in the universe is an argument for the existence of some god or another who created that order. "Look at all the Chaos in the Universe," goes the counter-argument. "*Who do you think put it there?*"

The Ladies of Firefly- Gina & Jewel & Morena & Summer

JazznBlues comments on Mar 17, 2020:

As a lifelong nerd I have watched firefly way too many times. Love all these gals. Great post! P.S. Jewel Stait was always my favorite. Maroon top

Paul4747 replies on Mar 17, 2020:

That's her after dieting, I think. I couldn't find a curvier pic, the way she looked during the series. I remember hearing her saying she liked being on the show because Kaylee was supposed to have more of a figure, so she was able to eat a cheeseburger or two. ;)

The Ladies of Firefly- Gina & Jewel & Morena & Summer

motrubl4u comments on Mar 17, 2020:

Jewel is special too in her own way. I dont remember Summer at all

Paul4747 replies on Mar 17, 2020:

You don't remember River? The psychic kid, and the reason the Alliance was after all the characters from the beginning? Shocking.

Is there anyone else here, like me, who doesn't watch Youtube?

AnneWimsey comments on Mar 17, 2020:

I go there to learn songs for karaoke.

Paul4747 replies on Mar 17, 2020:

@AnneWimsey I never said I was drinking. I'm just a natural showman, I guess.

Is there anyone else here, like me, who doesn't watch Youtube?

Novelty comments on Mar 17, 2020:

I use YouTube red because I keep it going in my car and I spend a lot of time in my car living in the LA area. I probably listen to music less than 1% of the time. I am subscribed to 47 content providers, some are atheist, most are about science. Lots of TED talks and PBS Space Time with a hint ...

Paul4747 replies on Mar 17, 2020:

@Novelty Pretty sure I had a Bravo hatchback every time. Rental cars, like I said. The hard part was remembering, after a good dinner and a drink or two, that I should drive on the left side of the road on my way back to the B&B for the night.

Is there anyone else here, like me, who doesn't watch Youtube?

AnneWimsey comments on Mar 17, 2020:

I go there to learn songs for karaoke.

Paul4747 replies on Mar 17, 2020:

I have been made to swear great and mighty oaths never again to sing karaoke. There was an incident at a Frickers. I might possibly have stood up on a table, I neither confirm nor deny.

The Ladies of Firefly- Gina & Jewel & Morena & Summer

Cutiebeauty comments on Mar 17, 2020:

I like the lady in blue

Paul4747 replies on Mar 17, 2020:

That's Morena. In order, Gina Torres, Jewel Staite, Morena Baccarin, and Summer Glau.

Is there anyone else here, like me, who doesn't watch Youtube?

Novelty comments on Mar 17, 2020:

I use YouTube red because I keep it going in my car and I spend a lot of time in my car living in the LA area. I probably listen to music less than 1% of the time. I am subscribed to 47 content providers, some are atheist, most are about science. Lots of TED talks and PBS Space Time with a hint ...

Paul4747 replies on Mar 17, 2020:

@Novelty Actually I meant Radio 4. I had a boom box with a cassette player. I would record The News Quiz in my apartment in Glasgow and then, when I rented a little Fiat to tour the wilds of Scotland, I would listen to the programs (or "programmes") again on the cassette player when the mountains blocked the radio signal. Years later I was still listening to those tapes in my car back in the U.S., the nostalgia was terrific. British chat show humor is so much more *humorous* than most American talk shows.

Is there anyone else here, like me, who doesn't watch Youtube?

Novelty comments on Mar 17, 2020:

I use YouTube red because I keep it going in my car and I spend a lot of time in my car living in the LA area. I probably listen to music less than 1% of the time. I am subscribed to 47 content providers, some are atheist, most are about science. Lots of TED talks and PBS Space Time with a hint ...

Paul4747 replies on Mar 17, 2020:

@Novelty Like the way I used to tape shows from BBC4 and listen to them again in the car. :D

Is there anyone else here, like me, who doesn't watch Youtube?

Novelty comments on Mar 17, 2020:

I use YouTube red because I keep it going in my car and I spend a lot of time in my car living in the LA area. I probably listen to music less than 1% of the time. I am subscribed to 47 content providers, some are atheist, most are about science. Lots of TED talks and PBS Space Time with a hint ...

Paul4747 replies on Mar 17, 2020:

I'm not sure if this is a "yes" or a "no". So this is a form of radio, but it's Youtube?

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volker: "In a crisis, the only asset that we have is our ...

TheMiddleWay comments on Mar 17, 2020:

If that's the case, then die-hard atheists and theists must be very very poor. :D :D :D

Paul4747 replies on Mar 17, 2020:

@TheMiddleWay Nice try.

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volker: "In a crisis, the only asset that we have is our ...

TheMiddleWay comments on Mar 17, 2020:

If that's the case, then die-hard atheists and theists must be very very poor. :D :D :D

Paul4747 replies on Mar 17, 2020:

You're confusing having *credibility* with being *credulous*. *Credibility* means "believability", an earned reputation for telling the truth; something Trump has forfeited, and rightly so. Being *credulous* means you believe unbelievable things. (For instance, believing the Universe was created in 6 days by an invisible alpha male.) Glad I could clear that up for you.

I want to say that I am an agnostic, and I don;t need/want anyone trying to tell me what I "really" ...

fluffystudmuffin comments on Mar 16, 2020:

OK; I am god and therefore according to your sophistry I must be god because it can't be proven that I am not god.

Paul4747 replies on Mar 16, 2020:

@TheMiddleWay Have fun with your semantics. I'll simply mention that the Flying Spaghetti Monster invisibly watches over us all, and nobody can prove he doesn''t. You can't prove you're not Shiva, Destroyer of Worlds. I would only have your word for it, after all.

Prime For The Plucking

Paul4747 comments on Mar 16, 2020:

Oh, *plucking*. "I'm not the pheasant plucker, I'm the pheasant plucker's son I'm only plucking pheasants 'til the pheasant plucker comes."

Paul4747 replies on Mar 16, 2020:

@Rossy92 Well played

I want to say that I am an agnostic, and I don;t need/want anyone trying to tell me what I "really" ...

fluffystudmuffin comments on Mar 16, 2020:

OK; I am god and therefore according to your sophistry I must be god because it can't be proven that I am not god.

Paul4747 replies on Mar 16, 2020:

@TheMiddleWay Proving the absence is not proving a negative. You can prove that I'm not the President because someone else is. You can prove I'm not a member of the Moose Lodge if you have a copy of their membership rolls. But you can't prove I am or am not an atheist, for example, because that's a matter of my internal beliefs. And you can't prove that I'm not a magician, because no-one has proven (to the satisfaction of believers) that magic doesn't exist. See how it works?

I want to say that I am an agnostic, and I don;t need/want anyone trying to tell me what I "really" ...

fluffystudmuffin comments on Mar 16, 2020:

OK; I am god and therefore according to your sophistry I must be god because it can't be proven that I am not god.

Paul4747 replies on Mar 16, 2020:

@TheMiddleWay Actually, you can't prove a negative. Fluffy might be able to do all of those things, just not inclined to do them right now.

Mystery religions were prevalent in Egypt and all the middle east at the time of adoption of the ...

brentan comments on Mar 15, 2020:

It's not that people had any choice in how they thought about religion. It existed in the very fabric of their minds. The evolution of consciousness went the only way it could and brought us to where we are now.

Paul4747 replies on Mar 15, 2020:

Are you certain? Consciousness need not have evolved the way it did in humans, as I read it, any more than humans need have evolved at all. Any one of trillions of contingencies might have led to a different species evolving as the dominant, tool-using, city-builders of our planet. If not for a meteorite 65 million years ago, highly evolved raptors might be speculating on what would have happened if those little furry buggers had evolved to dominance instead... and their type of consciousness might not be geared toward myth-making or storytelling. We flatter ourselves that any other intelligence is going to be similar to ours, but it's not necessarily so.

An Opinion Piece Soul is self.

Mofo1953 comments on Mar 8, 2020:

As an editor, have you heard about Shakespeare's quote from Hamlet, brevity is the soul of wit?

Paul4747 replies on Mar 15, 2020:

@Mofo1953 You got a picture of a soul anywhere?

An Opinion Piece Soul is self.

Mofo1953 comments on Mar 8, 2020:

As an editor, have you heard about Shakespeare's quote from Hamlet, brevity is the soul of wit?

Paul4747 replies on Mar 15, 2020:

@Mofo1953 It wasn't even his piece. He's just saying that sometimes, when you feel you have a lot to say, you have to say a lot. Take *Moby Dick*, for instance. It's considered a classic, but I couldn't wade through all the chapters on the whaling industry and finally just skipped to the end. Melville obviously had a lot to say, but at the time, I didn't have the patience for it. And by the way, if you consider 4 paragraphs "excessive", what do you consider the ideal length? A meme?

Paula White Featured Speaker At Event Promising ‘Supernatural Protection’ From Coronavirus | ...

Paul4747 comments on Mar 14, 2020:

"When we celebrate Passover as Jesus instructed there is a supernatural protection that is activated when we apply Jesus Blood and celebrate the Passover Lamb." So where exactly are they getting their supplies of Jesus Blood? Or is it a brand name? "Jesus Blood, direct from Israel, every drop ...

Paul4747 replies on Mar 15, 2020:

@AnneWimsey Obviously the Jews got it wrong, it took JAYSUS to give new instructions and tell everyone the *right* way to celebrate Passover- the *Christian* way to celebrate a Jewish holiday. It's just silly of me, anyway, to expect any kind of consistency or logic or, let's face it, *sense* from a televangelist who tops it off by being Trump's spirit animal. Among other items linked in the article, she's "issued an order to end 'satanic pregnancies'" (while still claiming to be pro-life, of course), declared the White House "holy ground" "because I was standing there and where I stand is holy", claimed that “'demonic networks' have aligned themselves against the President’s reelection campaign" (probably meaning MSNBC, I guess?) and said that God sent Christians to take over the U.S., and that "any opposition to Trump is opposition to God." She also said that anyone who didn't send her their January paychecks as "seed" would "suffer the 'consequences' for failing to obey God’s command". She's just delightful, don't you think? :|

Some praise for ritualistic practice

Paul4747 comments on Mar 14, 2020:

I always put my left sock on first... and once both socks are on it's the same with shoes. I haven't noticed any effect on my life so far. So much for rituals.

Paul4747 replies on Mar 14, 2020:

@JeffMesser It's simply old military habit; lead with the left foot. If I took the time to notice, I probably walk that way, too.

Paula White Featured Speaker At Event Promising ‘Supernatural Protection’ From Coronavirus | ...

Paul4747 comments on Mar 14, 2020:

"When we celebrate Passover as Jesus instructed there is a supernatural protection that is activated when we apply Jesus Blood and celebrate the Passover Lamb." So where exactly are they getting their supplies of Jesus Blood? Or is it a brand name? "Jesus Blood, direct from Israel, every drop ...

Paul4747 replies on Mar 14, 2020:

@The-Krzyz That explains it; I never go into those stores if I can help it.

An Atlantic Magazine article (sorry for the length-entire article): The Trump Presidency Is Over...

Storm1752 comments on Mar 14, 2020:

So you agree with most of his policy positions and are a Republican, and only challenge his character and fitness for the office? Then why should I care what you think?

Paul4747 replies on Mar 14, 2020:

@twill It varies from case to case. Pretty much, though, Trump is "The State".

YouTube: "Kenneth Copeland heals viewers of Coronavirus through their televisions" This disease ...

Paul4747 comments on Mar 13, 2020:

The Justice Department, I heard on NPR, is going to be fining Jim Bakker for selling these quack "cures" for the COVID-19 virus. (I suppose that's if the chief executive doesn't get wind of it and order them to keep their hands off.)

Paul4747 replies on Mar 14, 2020:

@RussRAB 'A few days after New York's letter, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission warned Bakker that his website and Facebook page were selling "unapproved new drugs" in violation of the law' This must be the bit I heard. Thanks for the link.

An Atlantic Magazine article (sorry for the length-entire article): The Trump Presidency Is Over...

Storm1752 comments on Mar 14, 2020:

So you agree with most of his policy positions and are a Republican, and only challenge his character and fitness for the office? Then why should I care what you think?

Paul4747 replies on Mar 14, 2020:

Why should you care? Because it's possible for people of good will to honestly disagree over policy and what's best for the nation. I respect those on the other side who are willing to debate and back up their points with factual arguments. We should care what moderate Republicans think because they're a vital part of the electorate and they're the help we need to get anything done. There aren't enough Democrats at this time to change America by ourselves. The only way forward is through cooperation, not confrontation. The problem with Trump and many of his adherents is that they aren't acting out of good will, nor do they assume goodwill on the part of either moderates or liberals. They assume that any who disagree with them are "enemies of the state" and treat them as such, and they refuse to engage in anything resembling a factual debate; it just becomes a mudslinging match. And "mud" is putting it politely.

I’m seriously beginning to loathe Christians.

Paul4747 comments on Mar 11, 2020:

If this is happening at work, your best response is to reply, "Thank you for your concern, but that's really nobody's business but my own." Eventually they might get the message. Then again, if you're like me, you can ask them if they're not worried that they're breaking God's law by wearing ...

Paul4747 replies on Mar 13, 2020:

@AngiePoo I just had lunch in Dearborn Saturday. Split a combo meal with someone at Masaya Mediterranean Cuisine on Schaefer. The combo for one is big enough for two. (For reasons totally unconnected to the food, it's not going to work out where I see that person again, though.)

If any non-falsifiable evidence of a god's existing came to light, I would be persuaded to change my...

Paul4747 comments on Mar 11, 2020:

Let's take just your first "what if" as a controlled experiment. If a purported god wanted to prove its status as such to me, by turning water into beer (I don't much like wine), then let's get a glass from my cupboard, fill it full of tap water from my faucet, and then "god" can say, "Let there ...

Paul4747 replies on Mar 12, 2020:

@dalefvictor There's no sleight of hand involved in my example. Stipulate that the demonstrator at no time does anything other than speak, which I thought was clear. I'm prepared to accept the evidence of my senses, but the purported beer could also be subjected to any chemical analysis you cared to name if required. My point is, anyone who could turn water instantly into another substance merely by their word has something going on there.

Been a while since I have been here.

Lacucaracha comments on Mar 9, 2020:

What was the controversy about your honor code, if I may know?

Paul4747 replies on Mar 12, 2020:

@Gwendolyn2018 Wow. That's some impossible shit right there. Let's just start with his #1, "I never lie." That's a lie. *Everyone* shades the truth, to themselves and to others, even subconsciously. Not realizing when we're lying is part of lying to ourselves. I just went through a very difficult time because someone failed to reveal some information to me, even though they insisted they had been completely transparent about things; and while I had been told the truth as far as it went, I hadn't been told the *whole* truth, which put a different complexion on things as far as I was concerned. They left out some crucial information because it would have put them in a bad light, but they didn't consider that lying. Well, that's human nature. I almost positively guarantee the OP is no different.

So, I Am Now the Tool of the "Establishment", evidently

Varn comments on Mar 7, 2020:

Thank you, well put. And, you’re far more diplomatic than I :-) What you represent is the adult in the room. And who wants to agree with an Adult? Who isn’t tempted to demand it all at once, to ignore history & culture ..to run with the renegade?! As I attempt to deal with the ...

Paul4747 replies on Mar 8, 2020:

When *George Will* writes an editorial essentially endorsing Biden, you know something fundamental is going on. A voice of the *conservative Republican* establishment, begging someone to rescue the nation from Trump and throwing his weight behind the one he thinks can do it.

A Blast from the Past- the Lovely Sybil Danning, ladies and gentlemen

Cutiebeauty comments on Mar 7, 2020:

What's she known for?

Paul4747 replies on Mar 7, 2020:

Middle budget films like "Chained Heat". She was in the sexploitation industry but she never (in my opinion) gave into it, and she never did outright porn.

I AM A MUSLIM ASK ME ANYTHING? - MUSLIM DEFENDS ISLAM ACROSS AMERICA

BitFlipper comments on Mar 6, 2020:

I've encountered a pair of young men at our local Public Market. Very cordial. They hold a sign that says "Meet a Muslim". They aren't selling anything, they're just offering the opportunity for a little cultural exchange. I hung out with them for awhile. They were nice.

Paul4747 replies on Mar 6, 2020:

@Stilltrying1964 How many Catholics and Protestants have killed one another (and atheists and agnostics) in Northern Ireland? How many Hindus and Buddhists have killed one another in SE Asia? ALL religions have extremists. How many Jews and Christians have killed Muslims in their mosques? ALL religions have murderers. Religion itself is the problem, not any particular religion.

A Blast from the Past- the Lovely Sybil Danning, ladies and gentlemen

freedom41 comments on Mar 6, 2020:

I like the right pic the best.

Paul4747 replies on Mar 6, 2020:

That's the bonus pic for those who actually click on my post. ;)

The Stop Sanders movement has gone public [cnn.

Paul4747 comments on Mar 4, 2020:

I'm not sure how exactly the "Democratic Establishment" can force primary voters to vote one way or the other, but, as I've long predicted, the middle of the country isn't ready for Sanders, and Super Tuesday proved it.

Paul4747 replies on Mar 5, 2020:

@jorj The media loves a horse race. They mostly don't give a flying fuck about issues (although it's been getting better). The narrative over this primary race, as far as I've seen it up to the last couple weeks, has been that Sanders was a runaway favorite and Biden was a hapless loser. How is that "media propaganda sabotaging Sanders", if I may paraphrase what I think you're saying?

US strikes Taliban forces, in first hit since peace deal - AOL News

Novelty comments on Mar 4, 2020:

What peace? There was peace? Why didn’t someone tell me there had been peace! Nobody ever tells me anything.

Paul4747 replies on Mar 4, 2020:

Probably because the announcement of peace wasn't really peace... just an illusion of peace. Everyone figured, by the time we got around to telling everyone else, the bombing would start up again, so why bother.

What do you suppose gives rise to and supports belief in God?

FilthyMONKEYgirl comments on Mar 1, 2020:

Human beings have an innate desire to worship. Celebrities, monarchs, e.t.c. I do believe that the god belief was created as a way to explain the natural world. A good case in point are the dietary laws laid out in the old testament of the bible. People had no idea why folks were getting ...

Paul4747 replies on Mar 1, 2020:

Archaeologists have found gnawed pig bones in ancient settlements in the Middle East from all but the Hebrew's cities, meaning other peoples ate pork and were perfectly healthy. It was religion alone, not dietary health, that lead to the prohibition against the pig. Maybe something to do with the way pigs in captivity appear "filthy", because- surprise- humans tend to keep them penned up in filthy conditions.

I love how most people who believe the bible can trace their belief to the notion that the bible ...

maturin1919 comments on Feb 25, 2020:

No clue what 'magic' you're talking about, but it would originate with god. The best 'magick', however, comes from Led Zeppelin.

Paul4747 replies on Feb 25, 2020:

Nah, according to America, *you* can do magic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt4cR9szMS8

Why are many Christian people against D&D (Dungeons and Dragons.) playing?

BitFlipper comments on Feb 25, 2020:

Christians think that everything that's not in there book is evil. It's like cops think everyone who's not a cop is a criminal.

Paul4747 replies on Feb 25, 2020:

Well, we are. I personally broke the speed limit the other day (on my way to work as a corrections officer, i.e. a cop). "It's basically impossible to get through 24 hours without breaking some law unless you sit quietly in a room with your hands in your lap, and even then you're probably guilty of loitering." - Terry Pratchett

Why are many Christian people against D&D (Dungeons and Dragons.) playing?

sterlingdean comments on Feb 25, 2020:

The same reason they don't like Harry Potter. It has magic in it, magic that people can perform. For Christians, magic is the province of their god and no one else is supposed to do it unless God gives them the power.

Paul4747 replies on Feb 25, 2020:

Worse, it has *competing* gods who the characters can worship, and who do give out magic. That's a major commandment breaker. YHVH hates competition.

Why are many Christian people against D&D (Dungeons and Dragons.) playing?

DenoPenno comments on Feb 25, 2020:

It's a game. Never played it and don't want to even try it coz I do not play games. I don't even play the games on my computer. Life is full of too many games.

Paul4747 replies on Feb 25, 2020:

@TCorCM I don't want to contest the point either, but with as many arguments as I've sat through over the precise interpretations of obscure rules, it most certainly is a game as well. Or else it's law school. :D

Why are many Christian people against D&D (Dungeons and Dragons.) playing?

Sgt_Spanky comments on Feb 25, 2020:

Wow! This is a real blast from the past. The last time I played D&D Regan was in the White House and MTV had just gone on the air. I think the problem they have with it is that these are silly ppl who think magic and the supernatural are real things and playing the game is like invoking evil ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 25, 2020:

Games are perfectly safe. "Invoking evil powers to come in and fuck up your life" is what happens when you talk to telemarketers and insurance salesmen.

Why are many Christian people against D&D (Dungeons and Dragons.) playing?

RichCC comments on Feb 25, 2020:

I truly believe that a lot of them don't distinguish between the reality of the world and the fantasy they live in. Years ago I found a late 19th century book of spells at a used book show. It was fascinating to me because the authors seriously believed their stuff. There were probably a dozen ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 25, 2020:

@RichCC I'm still a part-time member of the group that I joined at 18 (and I wasn't the youngest member then). 2 of the group ran a game shop in the back room of a used bookstore, where one was part owner and where we met nights and weekends. The building had a full basement where eventually we met on Saturday nights after hours for epic sessions which are still the stuff of legend (minor, local legend, anyway). One game, the climax of the campaign, started at 6 PM Saturday and didn't break up until nearly dawn. We're into a second generation, with the grown children and their friends sometimes DMing games. Some people bought crystal skull ornaments or dragon tooth pendants or daggers or swords with display stands, because they looked cool. But in all that time, I've never seen anyone who thought the magic was real...

Why are many Christian people against D&D (Dungeons and Dragons.) playing?

Mofo1953 comments on Feb 24, 2020:

It's just so fucking ridiculous like the fact they tried to ban Harry Potter too, there's just no limit to the brainwashed who think they own the planet, fuck them!

Paul4747 replies on Feb 25, 2020:

@Novelty Marty Stu? Is that you?

State/church separation dealt major blow in 11th Circuit cross ruling - Freedom From Religion ...

WilliamFleming comments on Feb 20, 2020:

It seems rather hypocritical that atheists are applauding the decision in Switzerland that the cross on the Jagermeister logo has been used long enough to become “neutral”, while in this case a similar decision is seen as the end of religious freedom. The only difference is that in Switzerland ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 23, 2020:

@WilliamFleming Nobody objected, or nobody realized there was a legal avenue to pursue? Or nobody was prepared to spend the time and money going to court over the matter, and make themselves a pariah in the proocess? You do realize how unpopular someone can become once they're known as "that atheist who sued to take the monument down"? It takes a lot to put yourself and possibly your family through that sort of ordeal. Anyway, whether anyone objected or was offended is beside the point legally. It's a government endorsement of religion. Are you saying that government-sponsored religion would be perfectly legal as long as nobody objected to it?

State/church separation dealt major blow in 11th Circuit cross ruling - Freedom From Religion ...

WilliamFleming comments on Feb 20, 2020:

It seems rather hypocritical that atheists are applauding the decision in Switzerland that the cross on the Jagermeister logo has been used long enough to become “neutral”, while in this case a similar decision is seen as the end of religious freedom. The only difference is that in Switzerland ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 21, 2020:

@WilliamFleming A religious symbol as a grave marker presumably indicates the religion of the person buried there. It serves a purpose for the family of that person. It's not there to proselytize. People don't go to the cemetary other than for the purpose of visiting graves; they should reasonably expect to see grave markers. On the other hand, the cross in Pensacola is *not* a war memorial. Citing the court decision: 'In 1941, the National Youth Administration erected a wooden cross in the eastern corner of Pensacola’s Bayview Park to be the “focal point” of what would become an annual Easter sunrise program. The program itself was organized by the Pensacola Junior Chamber of Commerce (a/k/a the “Jaycees” ) and soon became a tradition, with people gathering for Easter services during World War II to pray, among other things, for “the divine guidance of our leaders” and for faith to “see through the . . . dark days of war.” ' It was set up by an adjunct to the Chamber of Commerce, a functionary of the city government, for an Easter program in a public park: how much more overtly proselytizing can you get? How much more of a religious icon do you want? Because it has been a religious icon in the same place since 1941, doesn't make it "neutral"; it just makes it an old religious icon. That's akin to saying Notre Dame is just an old building in Paris; it misses the point that its main function is "cathedral".

State/church separation dealt major blow in 11th Circuit cross ruling - Freedom From Religion ...

WilliamFleming comments on Feb 20, 2020:

It seems rather hypocritical that atheists are applauding the decision in Switzerland that the cross on the Jagermeister logo has been used long enough to become “neutral”, while in this case a similar decision is seen as the end of religious freedom. The only difference is that in Switzerland ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 21, 2020:

If Jagermeister were a goverment corporation, festooning public places with its logo in the name of a god, then yes, it would be hypocritical. But the fact is, they're a private company selling booze. They have the same right to advertise their brand as, for example, churches have to rent a billboard. Christians can't ask the government to shield them from offense. That's why we no longer have blasphemy laws. The issue here is whether a *public space* should have a *permanent religious display* on it, paid for and maintained *with tax dollars*, including the tax dollars of atheists. That is a case of the government promoting religion, not a company promoting a product. And it's rather hypocritical to pretend not to understand the fundamental difference between government sponsorship of religion, and a private company's use of a religious symbol on their logo.

America Isn’t Growing Hostile Towards Christians, It’s Growing Hostile Towards Religious ...

Paul4747 comments on Feb 10, 2020:

*We’re just growing hostile towards hypocrites and religious bullies who aren’t content to just live their lives the way they please, but who instead seek to impose their extremist beliefs on the rest of us.* Except that the Bible calls for precisely that, in so many words. The Torah demands ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 19, 2020:

@EskieMom A great insight. It's ironic, therefore, that, like most fascist states in modern history, Trump's is actually a cult of personality, having little or nothing to do with religion. He only pays lip service to the Christians and lives his life by standards that they would denounce if he were a Democrat. It's only because he promises to support their agenda that they, in return, give him their votes. It's a deal with the devil; they don't give a shit how many women he's grabbed or how many lies he's told (over 16,000 now!) as long as he bans abortion for them. I seem to remember Jesus denounced hypocrites in the Bible; I wonder if that verse gets much reading these days in the fundy churches?

What does he have in that bottle, anyway?

morlll comments on Feb 16, 2020:

He's the team Captain. This must be quite the brain trust.

Paul4747 replies on Feb 16, 2020:

You know, those helmets can't prevent *every* concussion...

Your grammar, backwards it is

joeymf86 comments on Feb 16, 2020:

It took me a minute to figure out it's supposed to read "The power of women working together" For awhile I couldn't figure out if it was supposed to read "Working of the power together women" or "Working together of women the power"

Paul4747 replies on Feb 16, 2020:

Could have been "Working together: the power of women"

Don't Worry, Be... well, not happy, as it turns out

glennlab comments on Feb 16, 2020:

They have instruments that will do it.

Paul4747 replies on Feb 16, 2020:

The organ?

A moment of truth at the church?

MissKathleen comments on Feb 15, 2020:

Prolly a fake sign, but funny never-the-less.

Paul4747 replies on Feb 16, 2020:

@MissKathleen I actually can believe someone put that on a sign, thinking people would read it and get some kind of deep meaning. Or it was a completely accidental double meaning, like the British "Invalid Toilet" or the street signs that read "Slow Children Playing".

Man, this is awkward...

glennlab comments on Feb 15, 2020:

3 out of four of those need to be taught, the fourth is just for fun to make is prejudgist ass disappear.

Paul4747 replies on Feb 16, 2020:

Well, it's the Devil. Witchcraft is probably an elective class.

I am a member that left for several months.

Paul4747 comments on Feb 13, 2020:

I've truly never thought about the age of other members very much. People are who they are. Most don't live near me in any case, so it hasn't entered into the equation. Since we're a self-selecting group, I've no idea how to go about "attracting" anyone of any particular demographic... I ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 15, 2020:

@RavenCT There's a profile setting to hide your age. I was fooling around with my settings trying to figure out why I have worse match options than I thought I should.

I am a member that left for several months.

Paul4747 comments on Feb 13, 2020:

I've truly never thought about the age of other members very much. People are who they are. Most don't live near me in any case, so it hasn't entered into the equation. Since we're a self-selecting group, I've no idea how to go about "attracting" anyone of any particular demographic... I ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 15, 2020:

@RavenCT That's the thing, I don't see your age now. I do see our theoretical match %. Maybe it's because my hover is set to "off"? I don't see your thumbnail (I think I used that correctly, but again, I'm an old fossil) when I move the curser over your name. I only see that you have a heart, and I can see that all the time. :) I see ages in the comments list, maybe that's the mystical "feed" of which someone spoke? But I see that for everyone, including other males (who I'm definitely not looking to date) and people who are here for community. And I just realized that ages also show when I look at who liked a comment I made, but in that case they have to have the dating function active.

He's an original OG

Jetty comments on Feb 15, 2020:

Hi, I had a doctor called "Hurtworth" once.

Paul4747 replies on Feb 15, 2020:

Ouch

He's an original OG

EricJones comments on Feb 15, 2020:

I bet he's a real animal at heart.

Paul4747 replies on Feb 15, 2020:

It's the neighbors the Groundh's that I feel sorry for this time of year.

I am a member that left for several months.

Sofabeast comments on Feb 12, 2020:

I agree with you, but it would appear that there is a colour divide in atheism. I have encountered very few Afro-atheists as an example. Age, well I cannot answer that as easily. I have encountered a diverse age range, but I tend to try keep my attempts to 'date' closer to my age, but will ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 14, 2020:

@demifeministgal Here's the thing: *slang* is just that, "a type of language that consists of words and phrases that are *regarded as very informal*, are **more common in speech than writing**"... So if someone where I work says "I'm gone the liberry", I know what they mean, but if the same person *writes* "I need go the liberry", I begin to suspect it's because they don't actually know how to properly write, "I need to go to the library," in English. If that makes me a snob, well, so be it. And this forum is for the written word. There's nothing "borderline racist" about it. It's a spellchecker, for frak sake.

I am a member that left for several months.

VictoriaNotes comments on Feb 12, 2020:

From the research I've read on the subject, it seems that the younger generations are not as interested in discourse. Here's an example: *"Trends in how generations use social media channels correlate with the types of content people prefer and what people hope to gain from online interactions. ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 14, 2020:

@VictoriaNotes I was actually thinking about your original post: "From the research I've read on the subject, it seems that the younger generations are not as interested in discourse. Here's an example: 'Trends in how generations use social media channels correlate with the types of content people prefer and what people hope to gain from online interactions. Social media users across generations are drawn to visual content such as images and videos. This has led to growth in visually driven platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat, especially among younger generations.'" I suppose from there, I made a possibly unwarranted conclusion, but my experience is that people now, and especially younger people, are less interested in reading and more consumed with other "media". If it doesn't have flashy images and a soundtrack, it's nowhere. It's to the point that I often can't find simple written instructions on how to do things when I look online, like a user's manual; all I can find are video guides that go by too fast for me to follow. That seems like the opposite of statistics showing young readers at an all-time high. Maybe I'm just slow, but I think the world's become too fast.

I am a member that left for several months.

Paul4747 comments on Feb 13, 2020:

I've truly never thought about the age of other members very much. People are who they are. Most don't live near me in any case, so it hasn't entered into the equation. Since we're a self-selecting group, I've no idea how to go about "attracting" anyone of any particular demographic... I ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 13, 2020:

@RhondaShotwell I can only guess... maybe it's the main page where you click the Agnostic.com logo, and a number of member pictures appear off to one side, along with "favorite members" and then "new posts" on the other side of the page, plus a lot of links to useful information? Then again, maybe it's on the phone page? I don't really know, by the standards of internet users I seem to be clueless and possibly senile. My therapist is half my age and she gets endless amusement from my not knowing things like, "What the hell is a 'podcast'?" and "Who is 'Ted' and what is he talking about?" I don't get this whole You Tube thing. I learn by reading, I have all my life. If someone couldn't take the time to write it down, the way I see it, it can't be that important. ;)

Being intelligent , unfortunately , does not mean a person is moral .

Davesnothere comments on Feb 13, 2020:

Please define morality. Spartens left weak disabled children to starve, Romans drown unwanted babies, all through history what we call morality is shaped by the society we exist in. America is "a melting pot", as such what one person sees as moral (ALL LGBTQ issues for instance) are also seen by...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 13, 2020:

@Davesnothere ...... ........ ....I'm thinking it over.

Being intelligent , unfortunately , does not mean a person is moral .

twshield comments on Feb 13, 2020:

I dont think its possible to analyze a persons situation because that would require walking in that persons shoes or experiencing that persons unique situation. Its less challenging to plan for the future when a person has the resources such as property or High Income, but a person living ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 13, 2020:

@twshield I want to be very clear on what I mean: Therapy involves voluntary behavior modification entered into with the patient's consent. Manipulation, as I use the term, is involuntary influence over someone, through fear, bribery, flattery, coercion, or whichever combination of a host of possible means. You might say they're the same thing, but the fact of consent changes everything. A therapist doesn't force anyone to do anything. Therapy is a collaborative process. Someone being manipulated is forced into actions against their will; for example, they might be told that they need to announce political investigations or they won't get vital military aid (to use a purely fictional and made-up example that we are assured would never happen in real life).

Being intelligent , unfortunately , does not mean a person is moral .

twshield comments on Feb 13, 2020:

I dont think its possible to analyze a persons situation because that would require walking in that persons shoes or experiencing that persons unique situation. Its less challenging to plan for the future when a person has the resources such as property or High Income, but a person living ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 13, 2020:

@twshield The essential difference is that a counselor isn't trying to get you to do something for them, but something for yourself.

I am a member that left for several months.

Paul4747 comments on Feb 13, 2020:

I've truly never thought about the age of other members very much. People are who they are. Most don't live near me in any case, so it hasn't entered into the equation. Since we're a self-selecting group, I've no idea how to go about "attracting" anyone of any particular demographic... I ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 13, 2020:

@FilthyMONKEYgirl I don't even have a feed... I just keep on the main page for new posts. (I'm also on a laptop, not a phone, maybe that makes a difference to what I'm seeing.) That's probably why I don't see ages. Diversity can't be enforced... I don't know how we could. I can only suggest looking through all the groups and seeing what the memberships look like, compared to the overall site. Maybe the people you're looking for cluster in a few particular groups? Out of curiosity, what is "enough" diversity? Because when I think about it, and taking into account that half the people here are male, or have cartoon avatars, the membership looks about like who I see when I look through the matches I'm offered on any other dating site.

Being intelligent , unfortunately , does not mean a person is moral .

twshield comments on Feb 13, 2020:

I dont think its possible to analyze a persons situation because that would require walking in that persons shoes or experiencing that persons unique situation. Its less challenging to plan for the future when a person has the resources such as property or High Income, but a person living ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 13, 2020:

Actually, language skills are a great way to judge intelligence. "Cunning" is not the same thing as "intelligence". Being able to manipulate or intimidate people doesn't make someone smart, it makes them a bully.

Being intelligent , unfortunately , does not mean a person is moral .

Davesnothere comments on Feb 13, 2020:

Please define morality. Spartens left weak disabled children to starve, Romans drown unwanted babies, all through history what we call morality is shaped by the society we exist in. America is "a melting pot", as such what one person sees as moral (ALL LGBTQ issues for instance) are also seen by...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 13, 2020:

Who is this "We" of whom you speak? I voted for Clinton. I even donated to the DNC. He's not my fault.

I am a member that left for several months.

VictoriaNotes comments on Feb 12, 2020:

From the research I've read on the subject, it seems that the younger generations are not as interested in discourse. Here's an example: *"Trends in how generations use social media channels correlate with the types of content people prefer and what people hope to gain from online interactions. ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 13, 2020:

@prometheus There are exclusively Xian dating sites. Why should they get all the niche marketing?

I am a member that left for several months.

VictoriaNotes comments on Feb 12, 2020:

From the research I've read on the subject, it seems that the younger generations are not as interested in discourse. Here's an example: *"Trends in how generations use social media channels correlate with the types of content people prefer and what people hope to gain from online interactions. ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 13, 2020:

@VictoriaNotes That seems to be diametrically opposite what you mentioned earlier, though. I'm not disputing it, it's just interesting.

I am a member that left for several months.

Allamanda comments on Feb 12, 2020:

I find it regrettable that the site is so Americanized. That makes generational differences much more noticeable and the political and other attitudes skew right. Apart from that it doesn’t bother me much.

Paul4747 replies on Feb 13, 2020:

@Allamanda I skew middle.

I am a member that left for several months.

Allamanda comments on Feb 12, 2020:

I find it regrettable that the site is so Americanized. That makes generational differences much more noticeable and the political and other attitudes skew right. Apart from that it doesn’t bother me much.

Paul4747 replies on Feb 13, 2020:

This site skews right wing? Not from where I'm sitting... then again, maybe I'm illustrating what you're saying.

I am a member that left for several months.

Sofabeast comments on Feb 12, 2020:

I agree with you, but it would appear that there is a colour divide in atheism. I have encountered very few Afro-atheists as an example. Age, well I cannot answer that as easily. I have encountered a diverse age range, but I tend to try keep my attempts to 'date' closer to my age, but will ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 13, 2020:

@demifeministgal What exactly is wrong with using standard English, and how does using and encouraging it make one a nazi? I've never understood that term. Surely, knowing the difference between "two", "to", and "too", for instance, can only help us understand one another.

I am a member that left for several months.

VictoriaNotes comments on Feb 12, 2020:

From the research I've read on the subject, it seems that the younger generations are not as interested in discourse. Here's an example: *"Trends in how generations use social media channels correlate with the types of content people prefer and what people hope to gain from online interactions. ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 13, 2020:

"Kids don't read". It was true when I was in school, it's even more so today. Sad but true... and I wish I could figure out what to do about it. You just can't "make it more interesting", the kids have to take an interest for themselves.

How many of you have lied or decieved a potential employer about your being agnostic or atheist.

Paul4747 comments on Feb 12, 2020:

Out of curiosity, what does any employer have any business doing asking about your social media? Or anything you do on your own time? Only if you're running it on company time is it any of their concern. And then, only to tell you to quit fooling around and get back to work.

Paul4747 replies on Feb 12, 2020:

@DavidLaDeau They're gonna be disappointed in my case. There's absolutely NOWHERE on the Internet where I'm known by my own name. I yam what I yam, and that's all that I yam.

Bernie is the opponent Trump wants.

Paul4747 comments on Jan 29, 2020:

It doesn't really matter to me who Trump wants. The point is, *I*'m against a lot of Sanders' (and Warren's) proposals. Let's take "Medicare For All". How do you pay for it? What will it cover? Why *must* I give up my employer-paid health care, if the government plan isn't better? My union went ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 12, 2020:

@SanDiegoAirport The same can be said for any Democrat, though. Sanders may appeal to the Democrat left, but I have grave doubts about his appeal to the wider center and thus his chances of actually making it into the position to do anything.

Incredibly, it seems to be so... There are Atheists who fear hell! [patheos.com]

Paul4747 comments on Feb 11, 2020:

People are afraid of a lot of irrational things. My daughter is so afraid of spiders that she won't step on one, she'll scream for me to come do it. People are afraid of harmless species of snakes. People are afraid of cats or dogs. You say, "But all those things exist"? So what? It's the ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 12, 2020:

@Moravian I leave them alone outside. I'm encouraging natural selection for spiders who stay out of my house.

America Isn’t Growing Hostile Towards Christians, It’s Growing Hostile Towards Religious ...

Paul4747 comments on Feb 10, 2020:

*We’re just growing hostile towards hypocrites and religious bullies who aren’t content to just live their lives the way they please, but who instead seek to impose their extremist beliefs on the rest of us.* Except that the Bible calls for precisely that, in so many words. The Torah demands ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 11, 2020:

@p-nullifidian Thank you for the correction, his Roman citizenship caused me to make what proved to be a lifelong mistake. Nonetheless, I'm sure I'm correct in saying that his position as a Roman citizen is what concerned him to bring the message to a bigger audience than the Jews.

America Isn’t Growing Hostile Towards Christians, It’s Growing Hostile Towards Religious ...

Paul4747 comments on Feb 10, 2020:

*We’re just growing hostile towards hypocrites and religious bullies who aren’t content to just live their lives the way they please, but who instead seek to impose their extremist beliefs on the rest of us.* Except that the Bible calls for precisely that, in so many words. The Torah demands ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 11, 2020:

@DavidLaDeau That's because Saul was a Gentile who wanted to spread Christianity to fellow Gentiles. Yeshua (Jesus) was an apocalyptic Jewish cult preacher with a message exclusively for other Jews. (At least, that's how he was portrayed in the original source books... which were compiled decades later, by people with their own agendas and points of view.)

Anyone else find that there are very few agnostics where you live?

Paul4747 comments on Feb 9, 2020:

There are plenty within 50 or 75 miles, but that seems a long way to ask anyone to drive for dating. Either to ask her to meet me, or me to meet her, or even meeting half way, if it were to be a regular thing. It's hard enough starting up a relationship, much less one where you only see each other ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 10, 2020:

@TomMcGiverin I hear you. I'm lucky to live fairly close to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, both well-known bastions of liberal thought and agnosticism, atheism, and alternative religions. I don't know what the situation is in Iowa, I can only imagine that the standard for "liberal" there is a little bit different than here.

America Isn’t Growing Hostile Towards Christians, It’s Growing Hostile Towards Religious ...

Paul4747 comments on Feb 10, 2020:

*We’re just growing hostile towards hypocrites and religious bullies who aren’t content to just live their lives the way they please, but who instead seek to impose their extremist beliefs on the rest of us.* Except that the Bible calls for precisely that, in so many words. The Torah demands ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 10, 2020:

@BirdMan1 What I was trying to point out (maybe without the clarity I should have) is that it's not just "religious bullies" that are the problem; it's the very nature of the three main Middle Eastern religions to demand subservience. Islam divides the world into "The House of Submission" and "The House of War". God himself is a bully on a cosmic scale. Jesus insists that following and submitting to him is more important than family. Given this, what can we expect out of the true believers? We basically ask them to compromise their beliefs, however irrational they are, in order to live with the rest of the world. And remember, they don't see them as irrational.

Anyone else find that there are very few agnostics where you live?

Paul4747 comments on Feb 9, 2020:

There are plenty within 50 or 75 miles, but that seems a long way to ask anyone to drive for dating. Either to ask her to meet me, or me to meet her, or even meeting half way, if it were to be a regular thing. It's hard enough starting up a relationship, much less one where you only see each other ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 10, 2020:

@motrubl4u Well, that remains to be seen, I haven't tried to message most of them.

Not having been on a real date in a very long time, I was thinking of inviting someone.

Paul4747 comments on Feb 9, 2020:

I was hoping someone might jump me in celebration of leap year. So far, no such luck...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 10, 2020:

@MissKathleen When there are several Pauls living in the same quad, so one of us adopts his middle name as a nickname. We already had a Tall Paul and a Short Paul, so I was running out of alternatives. I didn't want to take a physical description as a nickname, that could have gotten ugly. I've lost a little weight since then. :) Plus, I got to tell people "You don't know Jack."

Not having been on a real date in a very long time, I was thinking of inviting someone.

Paul4747 comments on Feb 9, 2020:

I was hoping someone might jump me in celebration of leap year. So far, no such luck...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 10, 2020:

@MissKathleen Maybe Jumping Jacks could become a new craze? Jack was my nickname in grad school, it could catch on again.

Not having been on a real date in a very long time, I was thinking of inviting someone.

Lorajay comments on Feb 10, 2020:

It looks like I need to find myself an Irishman. I. almost have a glove fetish. Did it say whether or not I could specify leather?

Paul4747 replies on Feb 10, 2020:

I'm partly clan Menzies, does a Scot do anything for you? ;)

Anyone else find that there are very few agnostics where you live?

richiegtt comments on Feb 9, 2020:

How the hell am I supposed to know how many agnostics live in my area .I don’t go around asking strangers or even people I know if they are agnostics nor do I give a shit if they are or are not .

Paul4747 replies on Feb 9, 2020:

I think the question's based on this site's "members in your area", but I'm only guessing, now I think about it.

With Vindman firing, Trump gets especially vindictive - The Washington Post

alliwant comments on Feb 9, 2020:

Firing Eugene Vindman was particularly obnoxious, since he is only related to a witness. An example of Trump's mobster mentality.

Paul4747 replies on Feb 9, 2020:

I've read that he was a counsel in the NSA's Legal Division, which would put him on the "enemies list", since he could be in a position to learn about the evidence witheld from the impeachment inquiry... at least in Trump's world, where anyone who knows or could know the truth is an enemy. Someone compared the firings to watching a mob movie where people are gunned down in sequence along with an operatic score...

My friend and user-interface designer who helped with this site has emerged from his hibernation and...

Paul4747 comments on Feb 7, 2020:

The "similar posts" hover pop up appears off the page (in other words, can't be read) when using the Firefox browser. I don't recall this issue before switching browsers. On a Dell laptop, I should have said originally.

Paul4747 replies on Feb 9, 2020:

@FrayedBear I didn't mention "laptop" originally, I edited that line in after your question. No need to apologize. I almost never go to this site on my phone... it has so much less functionality there, it seems. I really hesitate to try a different browser, every time I switch it seems to take me an hour to sey up my preferences and import everything. I'm just barely computer literate as it is. (Well, maybe more than that, but it's a case of "grudgingly" literate. I hate being computer literate.)

Punctuation is a thing! Just sayin'.

Paul4747 comments on Feb 9, 2020:

It's killing me not saying "just saying"... :D

Paul4747 replies on Feb 9, 2020:

@Wildflower You know how you do, beautiful ;)

Punctuation is a thing! Just sayin'.

Fit50something comments on Feb 8, 2020:

Commas matter:

Paul4747 replies on Feb 9, 2020:

@RichCC Either one is a real humanitarian. The second one, in the same sense as a vegetarian.

My friend and user-interface designer who helped with this site has emerged from his hibernation and...

Paul4747 comments on Feb 7, 2020:

The "similar posts" hover pop up appears off the page (in other words, can't be read) when using the Firefox browser. I don't recall this issue before switching browsers. On a Dell laptop, I should have said originally.

Paul4747 replies on Feb 9, 2020:

@FrayedBear Laptop, and I don't know what that is.

Curse of the Hope Diamond is a legacy of the Supernatural that I have long heard of.

DavidLaDeau comments on Feb 6, 2020:

I kinda hope to have a diamond of that value! Yep I would spend much of the money and my fortune would eventually be spent by my children or grandchildren. Gosh I could handle that kind of misfortune!

Paul4747 replies on Feb 8, 2020:

@PondartIncbendog Are you rich, then? There's a difference between leaving your kids filthy rich, so that they don't have to work a day in their lives and can live like irresponsible teenagers until the day they die, and taking care of your family so they're comfortable and don't have to struggle the way you did (we used to call this the American Dream). There's also how you raise your kids; whether they have an attitude of being entitled and special, or whether they know they're lucky and feel a duty to make the world a better place.

Curse of the Hope Diamond is a legacy of the Supernatural that I have long heard of.

RiverRick comments on Feb 7, 2020:

su·per·nat·u·ral (of a manifestation or event) attributed to some force beyond scientific understanding or the laws of nature. Going by the pure definition of supernatural... There are definitely supernatural events in the universe! (And, perhaps, on our own planet!) We do not have a grasp...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 8, 2020:

I have to disagree with your logic there, Rick. "Beyond scientific understanding" some things may be, but *nothing* is "beyond the laws of nature". We just haven't reached a sufficient understanding of those laws yet. At one time, lightning and thunder were thought to be supernatural. Ben Franklin's lightning rod was criticized because, people said, he was thwarting the will of God. An almighty god, yet his will can be thwarted by science. Science wins.

Religion is not the source of morality, as we all here know, everything is natural and does come ...

TheMiddleWay comments on Feb 7, 2020:

"That is why religion is, and increasingly is, only a source of bad ideas, especially in areas such morality, " So "thou shall not kill" or "thou shall not lie" are both bad ideas because they comes from a religious source and not a secular one? Interesting... ;) Theres a distinction between ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 7, 2020:

@TheMiddleWay The fact that the same basic rules, "don't murder," "don't steal," "don't chase after someone else's spouse," appear in all religions, argues strongly that these ideas predate religion and evolved independently of it. These same behaviors also appear in many other species; therefore they seem to be innate behaviors geared toward mutual survival and the common good. It's also undeniable that YHWH, to take an example, not only instructed his followers to murder, but did so personally in the mythology of the Hebrews. His followers not only murdered, but stole, committed incest, stole the wives of their friends and followers, lied and cheated, and are considered herooes on that account. The Torah is largely a tale of land theft on a grand scale, with murders and rapes thrown in. Religion clearly coopted the language of morality, but it has little to do with being moral. And that's just Judaism. The ideas and ideals of morality clearly predate religion, no matter how hard the religious try to pretend otherwise. Furthermore, religion flips morality and inspires people to do horrendous deeds "in the name of God." As Steven Weinberg writes, "With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil — that takes religion."

I didn't think my opinion of Trump could sink any lower.

Lauren comments on Feb 5, 2020:

They've been buddies for a very long time, and Limbaugh promoted 45 a lot on his show and in his books. 45 only does things for his own benefit, for people he likes, and it's a given that he doesn't actually know someone who would truly be deserving of the Medal of Freedom.

Paul4747 replies on Feb 5, 2020:

That's also assuming he knows the purpose of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, other than "Ooo, shiny!!"

The Science of Death: The Best Eulogoy, According to a Physicist.

Paul4747 comments on Feb 4, 2020:

I prefer the sentiments of Thomas Hardy, as quoted in *The Dogs of War*: "That _ be not told of my death, or made to grieve on account of me; & that I be not bury'd in consecrated ground; & that no sexton be asked to toll the bell; & that nobody is wished to see my dead body; & that no mourners ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 5, 2020:

@Geoffrey51 Yes, but that's not where I first encountered it. *The Dogs of War* quote omits the lady's name, hence "_".

Attorney General Warns of 'Militant Secular Effort' to Drive Out Religion

WilliamFleming comments on Feb 4, 2020:

Judging by the more militant remarks on this forum, maybe the claim is legitimate. It is common to hear a call to end religion, but I’ve never heard of a call to end atheism.

Paul4747 replies on Feb 4, 2020:

You've never read a Bible. One basic tenet of Christianity is that all must either convert, or perish when Jesus comes back (whenever that is). Logically that means no more atheists.