No scapegoats allowed for atheists.

brentan comments on Jun 22, 2019:

It doesn't address the need many have for forgiveness that leads to everlasting life. I'm enjoying the poet William Blake's concept of The Last Judgment as a time when people judge each other for the last time. He has some really curious alternative understandings of scriptural ideas.

A freebie audiobook.

brentan comments on Jun 22, 2019:

Thanks.

The things some people believe!

brentan comments on Jun 22, 2019:

It's lonely out there.

Save the world👍✌❤😊

brentan comments on Jun 22, 2019:

It's child abuse, I tell you!

Love your.....

brentan comments on Jun 22, 2019:

I'm on it. Better late than never.

From your personal experience, are some people simply not wired (say, neurologically or ...

brentan comments on Jun 22, 2019:

I think the mind is capable of believing in god because it has the ability to hope, to conceive of perfection, to aspire. My guess is it would be unusual, and maybe a sign of something not working well if a person couldn't conceive of the idea of god. That's where I think wiring comes into it. Believing might just be the externals affecting the wiring - where you're born etc. Not believing might just be not seeing the evidence to support belief.

[youtu.be] This is an intetesting take on religion.

brentan comments on Jun 22, 2019:

'What would it take us to get beyond that kind of solution to the real needs people have? That cuts to the heart of the matter. Socialism tried a secular alternative which was disastrous. Sam Harris says socialism wasn't really atheistic; he says it was religious in its psychology. Social democracy is well worth a try. It is a feature of Irish society. Real poverty is controlled well but it doesn't remedy the hole left in the spiritual lives of people. I wonder what it would really take.

Age can change you... agree or disagree?

brentan comments on Jun 22, 2019:

Yes, they are tiresome fuckers.

A Ruben Blades Famous Salsa Composition .

brentan comments on Jun 22, 2019:

I enjoyed that. Blades' lyrics are really good at getting into the soul of the individual and the family. I first came across him in the video called Encuentro with Robi Draco Rosa and Juan Luis Guerra. These three are still my favourite Hispanic singers.

Good advice.

brentan comments on Jun 21, 2019:

You mean a shake isn't enough!

agelast Noun.

brentan comments on Jun 21, 2019:

That baby looks like he's doing some serious thinking.

Get some fluids....lol

brentan comments on Jun 21, 2019:

A man can dream.

"We are repeatedly told these days that we are living in a new and frightening era of ...

brentan comments on Jun 21, 2019:

I've just started reading Sapiens. If I understand him correctly, Harari is saying religion is a unifying factor that grew over time from tribal totems to global religions. He put the underlying reason for unity as a way to create trust among people who didn't know each other. It is curious that trust based on myths about common background is built on lies. In the Bible, the writers take it for granted that we cannot strip back our systems of living and try to live lives based on truth within these systems. An apocalypse must destroy this world of people first. There is one issue I often think about, that maybe the whole idea of truth-telling is unnatural and not conducive to our lives as human animals. Living as we do in a world of lies, fake news, bullshit etc., it will be interesting to see if all this has no adverse effect on society. If it does seriously damage society, we might have to consider telling the truth again.

David Hume: aka St.

brentan comments on Jun 21, 2019:

It seems so obvious now but back in the day everybody thought it was OK.

Africa Oye festival.

brentan comments on Jun 21, 2019:

Very nice. Cat Stevens' song all reggaed up.

Hippie Kitty ✌❤

brentan comments on Jun 21, 2019:

'She is a kitty of the canyon'.

NESCIENCE.

brentan comments on Jun 21, 2019:

Not to be confused with omnescience - knowing nothing about Buddhism.

She's nice, but look carefully, is it true what I see?

brentan comments on Jun 20, 2019:

For me, the curious thing is the amount of transgender people over there. Nobody seems bothered to find out why.

Were the "remainers" correct all along? [facebook.com]

brentan comments on Jun 20, 2019:

No. This is the beginning of a new era. Have faith. Be bold, Britannia!

Lol.

brentan comments on Jun 20, 2019:

Thank goodness French wine is better than French philosophers.

So what is the opposite of being impressed?

brentan comments on Jun 20, 2019:

Remember that saying that the opposite of love is not hate - it's indifference? I think something like that is going on. I suppose the feeling would have to hang around for a while.

Story of Jesus Christ was ‘fabricated to pacify the poor’, claims controversial Biblical scholar...

brentan comments on Jun 20, 2019:

I read the book and I wouldn't dismiss it. I know the Bible pretty well because I was heavily involved for a while. The reason I'm saying this is because if the book is right, the level of learning of all the religions in the Roman Empire at the time is spectacular and the sophistication needed to draw them together and manipulate them to create a passive people blows my mind.

Ihave a slightly ot question but it might be pertinent to the group.

brentan comments on Jun 20, 2019:

All I can say is theists don't have the monopoly on it.

In the Midnight Hour.....

brentan comments on Jun 20, 2019:

I guess it's the haircut.

For those of you who like Vin Diesel and NSYNC, I present to you....

brentan comments on Jun 20, 2019:

How did Milo Yiannopoulos get in there?

I have, finally, found my grace!

brentan comments on Jun 20, 2019:

Can you still hit them?

To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer.

brentan comments on Jun 20, 2019:

Passive aggression, I think. Sneaky.

Another mysterious disappearance

brentan comments on Jun 19, 2019:

Ah here. I guess not.

SORRY, long post coming up! I have a secret; or at least I hope to keep it low-key for a while; but...

brentan comments on Jun 19, 2019:

It sounds good. Enjoy. Be careful!

Book, idea, community, sharing/recommendations

brentan comments on Jun 19, 2019:

Hello and welcome to the forum! I just read a lot. That got me out of religion and keeps me interested.

Found this amusing.

brentan comments on Jun 19, 2019:

What's good for the gander is good for the goose and the other gander.

Chad Thornberry [youtube.com]

brentan comments on Jun 19, 2019:

I enjoyed that! Loved the laid-back style.

This seems to be a great time of life to travel.

brentan comments on Jun 19, 2019:

I think they see no point in leaving what they believe is the best country in the world.

Way to go, god.

brentan comments on Jun 19, 2019:

To think the good book said god would never test anyone!

I hope everyone does

brentan comments on Jun 19, 2019:

Not to be sniffed at.

Don't know why.

brentan comments on Jun 19, 2019:

Is that the movie The Mariachi?

Dan just took this from our breezeway a few minutes ago while drinking coffee! Good Morning ...

brentan comments on Jun 19, 2019:

That's a lovely sight!

Bee Gees - Immortality [youtube.com]

brentan comments on Jun 19, 2019:

That falsetto is seriously high. I don't know what to make of it!

Achilles' heels.

brentan comments on Jun 19, 2019:

Patroclus would love him in those.

I wondered how that worked.

brentan comments on Jun 18, 2019:

That reminds of an old saying 'you don't look at the mantelpiece when you're poking the fire'.

I'm pretty certain this means goats, but given the Biblical insanity, it could be interchangeable ...

brentan comments on Jun 18, 2019:

There was a morality back then that thought using something for a purpose opposite to its natural function was a bad thing. So using milk intended for nurturing to kill the kid was immoral.

You must be a blockhead, I'm guessing.

brentan comments on Jun 18, 2019:

I got this from Matthew Henry's Commentary: There was a superstition even in trimming themselves used by the heathen, which must not be imitated by the people of God: You shall not round the corners of your heads. Those that worshipped the hosts of heaven, in honour of them, cut their hair so as that their heads might resemble the celestial globe; but, as the custom was foolish itself, so, being done with respect to their false gods, it was idolatrous.

A history note:

brentan comments on Jun 18, 2019:

That's playful.

Who is the best guitarist? Feel free to add to the list.

brentan comments on Jun 18, 2019:

Rory Gallagher.

Trump vows mass immigration arrests, removals of ‘millions of illegal aliens’ starting next week

brentan comments on Jun 18, 2019:

I think enforcing the law is a good thing.

Good Morning my Fellow Hippies.

brentan comments on Jun 18, 2019:

I would have thought that dealing effectively with lawbreakers was a good thing.

"Shakespeare" was a woman! A genius woman. Let's celebrate. [theatlantic.com]

brentan comments on Jun 18, 2019:

I think he was something far more threatening than that - he was a Catholic.

A Resolution Condemning White Supremacy Causes Chaos at the Southern Baptist Convention ...

brentan comments on Jun 18, 2019:

Christianity, my ass. I'm fascinated at how Christians can read the gospels, say they believe them, and then live according to different principles. Then again, I'm a bit autistic.

Conservative Christian Activist Warns Masturbation Is Gay Sex | Michael Stone

brentan comments on Jun 18, 2019:

I think we should understand these guys in the sense of 'the lady doth protest too much'.

Tools to overcome religion.

brentan comments on Jun 18, 2019:

Patience is a fine thing too. But I really feel you've shown the value of philosophy over science.

Meldrop - A drop of mucus at the nose whether produced by a cold or otherwise.

brentan comments on Jun 18, 2019:

That's a doozie!

“If we believe absurdities, we shall commit atrocities“ — Voltaire (1694-1778) ...

brentan comments on Jun 18, 2019:

I think there is so much good in many religious concepts. They go beyond logic and rationality because they are aspirational. I don't believe the glue that will bring different cultures together will be education. Education quite often does the very opposite. So far, secular humanism only holds traction for a minority. I don't know what to make of Voltaire's saying because the 20th century has shown us the atrocities of alternative absurd secular beliefs. To be fair to Voltaire, he couldn't see what was coming down the pike. Nietzsche and Dostorvsky did.

Cognitive systems that underpin religious belief:

brentan comments on Jun 18, 2019:

It was curious how different tribes used different animals as their totems. It said something about the clan. I can't help but see the same idea in medieval coats of arms. Today, many companies use these icons and presumably they mean something to the founders (I'm thinking of Peugeot's lion emblem). Perhaps this can be viewed as the gradual loss of real meaning from totem to symbol to icon.

It's quite lonely here in the 50+ group, tumbleweed just went passed my screen along with whooshing ...

brentan comments on Jun 17, 2019:

I died in here so I could see what it was like.

Did you know that the thing we call a hashtag actually has another name, which is Octothorpe?

brentan comments on Jun 17, 2019:

OK, so it's not eight villages.

Do you have to be a rationalist to be agnostic/ atheist? Is there space for magical thinking?

brentan comments on Jun 17, 2019:

I wonder...

Definition of "The Law of Attraction": The law of attraction suggests that you can attract ...

brentan comments on Jun 17, 2019:

I'm happy-go-lucky (interesting expression in itself) most of the time. I think there is a lot of negativity out there so I'm not surprised when happy does not go down well.

Gandhi: “There are people in the world so hungry that God cannot appear to them except in the form...

brentan comments on Jun 17, 2019:

A Saviour, baked for your survival.

DragonForce - Cry Thunder [youtube.com]

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2019:

I'm all for catharsis but a little talent would help.

Is it too early to tell?

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2019:

Would identical wigs help?

Can't say you weren't warned

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2019:

There's more important things than being right. Kick his ass! Or put it down to experience.

Inspirational

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2019:

Move your ass! Time's a-wastin'.

That oughta do it.

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2019:

The idea of hearing unpleasant sounds at unearthly hours of the day! Where's Oscar Wilde when you need him?

Thanks Science!

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2019:

Science is a good thing. It doesn't do everything and isn't entirely reliable but we should be very grateful for what it does.

SGB: A possible breakthrough treatment for PTSD [cbsnews.com]

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2019:

I don't know what to make of this. For me, PTSD is the enormous cognitive dissonance between how humans know they should behave and how they behave in war. Can you numb that dissonance and if yes, should you?

Metalhead222 is almost a level 8! Let's help him get there!

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2019:

Don't encourage him. He needs to get a life.

Why So Irritated By Believers Comments?

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2019:

Many of us were those believers.

What is th....Oh, never mind.

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2019:

We need to settle down.

10 characters

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2019:

If he has his side of the story, noone cares.

Being busy can be hard.

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2019:

What's wrong with saying I'm struggling right now? Does the fault lie with the listeners?

Yo mama....

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2019:

Distance is changed. Perspective is different.

Quote .

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2019:

Oh, all right.

Doctors: Then and Now

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2019:

How can we rely on these guys? I guess we don't anyway, now that we know how many mistakes they make.

They call these Gauffered pages, done with a heated tool. 19th century

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2019:

I didn't know that. I think they're very attractive.

What would you have said?

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2019:

If I'm not careful, I'll add 'Thank God' myself. Old habits die hard.

This is a feckin' joke, it's both very Jewish and very English, OK?

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2019:

Fit to be killed!

Romans 13:1 (NRSV) - Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no ...

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2019:

Here's a bit more: Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed (Romans 2-7).  This is meant to be inspired? I think it was an effort to make Christianity more acceptable to Rome.

Ha ha ha. Popular feature.

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2019:

Sacred shadenfreude.

Happy Father's Day!!!

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2019:

Toxic but loveable!

Since the weekend is almost over, here ya go

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2019:

Guilty conscience or having a quiet weekend?

Pretty much part of the human condition

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2019:

They did, and the level of sophistication of the shit has been awesome.

Even alternate universe Spock is in the background, goatee and all.

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2019:

Throw in a few Rodney Dangerfields.

Religion began when the first charlatan met the first fool. - Voltaire

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2019:

I've just started reading Sapiens. Harari explains it as a way to unify a tribe under a banner, such as a lion-spirit or whatever. As societies grew, more universal banners were created to do the job.

I know nothzing...

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2019:

We need a woman in the job. That will bring some sanity into this crazy man's world.

[youtu.

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2019:

Who would have thought having children was a political act? I guess, in a sense, it always was.

Does modern philosophy still make valuable contributions that create new knowledge, or are ...

brentan comments on Jun 16, 2019:

John Vervaeke, a lecturer in philosophy at the University of Toronto, is making YT videos called Awakening From The Meaning Crisis. These lectures trace the search for meaning from shamanism to today. If you would like to see how philosophy has progressed over time, the first is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54l8_ewcOlY&t=3091s

That will be me talking to HR one of these days. Lol

brentan comments on Jun 15, 2019:

I guess it's technically different.

This is nicely put.

brentan comments on Jun 15, 2019:

You would want to be good at dealing with loneliness.

Catholic Priest Claims Autistic Children Are ‘Like Animals’ Caused By Porn, Masturbation, ...

brentan comments on Jun 15, 2019:

An Irish priest recently referred to homosexuals as zombies. Now this guy says this. There is something desperate about this behaviour. Perhaps they want to go down shouting.

Any support organizations for Asperger's Syndrome and forging new relationships?

brentan comments on Jun 15, 2019:

I find the functioning autistic life a joy only spoiled by dissenting neurotypicals. I thought I lost something when my marriage ended and quickly found I gained far more than I lost simply by enjoying who I am. Find what you love if you haven't already and enjoy your new life.

Sounds rights

brentan comments on Jun 15, 2019:

I wonder is the meme true that suffering is proof that life isn't an illusion.

long way to go, but worth it. I laughed a little too hard

brentan comments on Jun 15, 2019:

That joke is terrific!

Well , I will like mention , actually not sorry at all .

brentan comments on Jun 15, 2019:

Uppity atheists!

Unbelievable! Tennessee preacher-cop calls execution of LGBTQ people [cnn.com]

brentan comments on Jun 15, 2019:

That boyo needs to read the New Testament. The Mosaic Law has been superseded for Christians. With love, would you believe?

Call them like I see them

brentan comments on Jun 15, 2019:

Fascinating!

"Puritanism: the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy." H.L.Mencken

brentan comments on Jun 15, 2019:

Sin and fun in unholy marriage Go together like horse and carriage

I must confess that this is pretty accurate for me:

brentan comments on Jun 14, 2019:

Is it a cop out to just think fuck the world and let it stew in in its own juice?

"The amount of noise that anyone can bear undisturbed stands in inverse proportionto his mental ...

brentan comments on Jun 14, 2019:

LOL. Maths and psychology. I guess he was a smart man.

Even more savings!

brentan comments on Jun 14, 2019:

Being the accountant in the family is a cross we have to bear.

One way to get out of a traffic ticket.

brentan comments on Jun 14, 2019:

Maybe that's stoicism.