gearl's Profile

Trump said" if I get impeached everyone will be poor,the market will crash".

gearl comments on Aug 23, 2018:

I would imagine that the economy will go to shit in the near future and it will be entirely because of the shit he has endorsed and pushed. Remember we still have two more years of a Republican in the White House. I just hope it happens before 2020.

Is it better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all?

gearl comments on Aug 23, 2018:

I've loved and lost and loved again. I sure wouldn't want to erase the first go-around from my memories.

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow reveals Trump's three eldest children are at serious risk of criminal charges

gearl comments on Aug 23, 2018:

She's sure had her share of material the last couple of days. I hope it continues.

Not all tRump supporters are racist, but all of them decided racism wasn't a deal breaker.

gearl comments on Aug 23, 2018:

Very good point.

Should public nudity be legal?

gearl comments on Aug 21, 2018:

I'm all for having areas where nudity is permissible, I don't know about everywhere. At least go in stages.

OK, you have lived your whole life as an atheist, and now, you are on your deathbed, moments away...

gearl comments on Aug 21, 2018:

I haven't lived my whole life as an atheist and possibly because of that I have considered this possibility more than others and I can't even imagine myself having a relapse into faith.

Sex-abuse hotline calls surge after grand jury report - Philly

gearl comments on Aug 20, 2018:

I hope this will set the stage for similar actions in other churches where abuse in rampant.

Are we living in an era of "post-truth" ?

gearl comments on Aug 19, 2018:

I see this more of an issue of redefining truth and evidence and facts. If the truth is not the opposite of lie or falsehood then what word can we use? It shouldn't be Trump's truth or her truth but only the truth, something that is factual.

Nine not-so-good reasons to be an atheist | Pakistan Today

gearl comments on Aug 19, 2018:

I enjoyed your rebuttal.

I've noticed that quite a few people here are awfully religious about their atheism.

gearl comments on Aug 19, 2018:

Exactly how is one religious about one's atheism?

I was just on FB and someone posted this “prayer” to pastafarians.

gearl comments on Aug 18, 2018:

That's a keeper.

Rapture

gearl comments on Aug 18, 2018:

I'm not sure I'm at seven or eight now. I'll go check.

I have a tremendous fear that a religious fanatic will gain access to a weapon of mass destruction ...

gearl comments on Aug 18, 2018:

It's two minutes till midnight. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBhJUD1Tgb0

I go on the computer and i listen to videos on different atheist like same harris, richard dawkins ...

gearl comments on Aug 18, 2018:

With a "them-us" mentality sprinkled with a whole lot of hate for them, this is what you get. Love doesn't even factor in.

Former faith or religion?

gearl comments on Aug 17, 2018:

I was a JW until almost 40 and it took almost 10 more years to completely shed religiosity. I became agnostic for a while and finally admitted to myself that I was an atheist.

This is just NOT normal for Yuma. Much lightning and thunder...no rain...yet.

gearl comments on Aug 17, 2018:

I'm on the other side of the state and we have gotten very little so far. Really nothing to speak of in July and nothing of consequence in August and the monsoon season will soon end. There have been enough rains to wet the ground but nothing to soak in and most of the lakes are almost dry.

Who can relate?

gearl comments on Aug 17, 2018:

Thank goodness!

Alabama Democrats' party chair is really awful at her job | AL.com

gearl comments on Aug 17, 2018:

I don't know if this is entirely relevant in this instance but somehow we need to get big money out of politics. When super-pacts can infuse unlimited amounts of money into either party the rich start buying candidates. There are terrible decisions being made by Democrats all over the country but they certainly are better than the alternative. This woman having a job has to come from some very well to do rich SOB supporting her and not from common sense folk.

I am absolutely loving the book. "Homo Deus"

gearl comments on Aug 17, 2018:

I loved "Sapiens" and much of "Homo Deus" but disagreed with his views on humanism.

Truth and such.

gearl comments on Aug 13, 2018:

I still believe in truth, not my truth or his truth just the truth.

I believe in fluid truth.

gearl comments on Aug 9, 2018:

I would call that belief. It was believed that the world was flat without any evidence. Actually even then there were a few that believed otherwise. Truth is usually spoken of as something that can be demonstrably proven with some sort of evidence otherwise it is belief. People speak of "my truth" or in your example, belief that is accepted as true, which I would still say is belief. That is why it's always good to ask people to state how they think a word should be defined.

Wrong side of history

gearl comments on Aug 9, 2018:

I have several friends that are somewhat Trumpers and we avoid politics like the plague. I know others and we simply don't speak anymore.

Who's into debating with religious people?

gearl comments on Aug 8, 2018:

To me it's the moral issue. Can't be moral without god. Pretty easy to debate but it seems to me the most used.

Why are men and women put under so much pressure to have kids in this society?

gearl comments on Aug 8, 2018:

Most people in this country are religious and popping out those little critters fills the pews.

In the U.

gearl comments on Aug 8, 2018:

Yes and I don't know.

Do you think most church goers are really "believers"?

gearl comments on Aug 8, 2018:

I would say the more fundamental the church the higher the rate of true believers. They don't know squat about their holy book but most are too lazy to examine evidence and church is the easy way out.

If you could interview a deity of your choosing, who?

gearl comments on Aug 8, 2018:

Kinda hard to interview any nonexistent being.

Why are Jews and Moslems granted much more deference (given a free pass) than Xtians in the U.

gearl comments on Aug 8, 2018:

Many Jews are cultural Jews and not overly or at all religious. As for Muslims, they get no free pass from this atheist.

EPA is now allowing asbestos back into manufacturing

gearl comments on Aug 7, 2018:

Every day I wake up to see what the latest destructive policy Trump is enacting or what useful policy he is destroying. Without doubt it is one or the other.

Just 2 words, have fun ?

gearl comments on Aug 7, 2018:

Never religion.

That irreverent imp is up to it again; check out Sacha Baron Cohen's hilarious exchange with ...

gearl comments on Aug 7, 2018:

As the link tells me I have to have a special app to see the video, perhaps this one will work for the rest of us: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXSDbOEWvWc I have to say I love this guy.

I am a member of a minority group.

gearl comments on Aug 7, 2018:

I can only hope that the hypocrisy of the evangelical support for the abuses that we see each and everyday in the present administration will possibly move the scale in our direction.

Does religion equal goodness

gearl comments on Aug 7, 2018:

For me at least religious belief equals belief without evidence which is of itself dangerous and can and does lead to atrocity.

When was your ephiphany about god?

gearl comments on Aug 7, 2018:

I seem to be on the other side of the coin as I was a true believer. I got out of a cult in 1983 but it took years for me to completely give up on god. I looked for a reasonable church and found none and then became agnostic and then finally came to the realization that I was an atheist around 2006. Sometimes that indoctrination is really hard to shake. Of course there was little internet then.

My mother wants to take my daughter to church every sunday.

gearl comments on Aug 4, 2018:

In my opinion you are the parent so it should be up to you. I can offer my experience for what it's worth. I did nothing to stop my son from continuing to go to JW meetings and he hasn't spoken to me in nearly 20 years because of that decision on my part. I remarried with a Catholic lady and agreed to let her send our daughter to CCD but my daughter and I discussed what she was learning. She decided on her own to quit going and because it was her decision we had no problem with my wife. My wife has even become very secular. At the least I would certainly be discussing the things that are being discussed with my daughter and the problems with them. I assume you spend a lot more time with your daughter than you mother does and now is the time to teach your daughter how to think more than what to think. It's still, of course, your decision.

I Walked Away From The Democrats..........America First Policies

gearl comments on Aug 4, 2018:

Sassy, funny but true. Things have changed so much.

Member Groups

gearl comments on Aug 4, 2018:

In my personal point of view, I enjoy groups because they are places to go for individuals with certain interests. For example photography allows people to go there to see what people of similar interest are doing. I am an ex-JW so the JW group is of special interest to me. I don't see this dividing anyone but if we think about it, I would imagine that a majority of people on agnostic.com are here because we want to be able to share thoughts with like minded individuals without as much fear of being constantly attacked for our views. So if folks have right or left leading groups it's about the same thing.

Why QAnon is so scary - The Washington Post

gearl comments on Aug 3, 2018:

I was watching Gary Tuchman on CNN questioning those fools and he kept asking what evidence they had and always they kept coming back saying that he couldn't disprove it. Sound familiar? It seems the majority of folks just never learned about the burden of proof. I honestly believe that many schools have ceased to teach kids how to think or reason and it seems that many of those in power want it that way.

23 and Me, Ancestry DNA Services

gearl comments on Aug 2, 2018:

I read the article but it just didn't give me a lot of information. I tried playing the videos but all I get are ads, one after the other. Maybe I'll try later.

Show of hands. Who would rather go to the mountains than the beach? Anyone else?

gearl comments on Aug 2, 2018:

I'm prejudiced as I live in the mountains.

Just because someone has achieved senior citizen status does not grant one the right to go ...

gearl comments on Aug 2, 2018:

I'm 74 and I hope I don't come across that way unless I am challenging someone else who I feel is being nasty, bitter and grumpy.

What's the last book you read that you really enjoyed? I just finished "Dear Hamilton", loved it.

gearl comments on Aug 2, 2018:

I just finished "The President is Missing" by Patterson and Clinton and really enjoyed it.

Well shit.

gearl comments on Aug 2, 2018:

Like a lot of other things he says, that one too was nonsense.

This poll is inspired by this article: The venomous ideology of religious intolerance ...

gearl comments on Aug 1, 2018:

As a comparison, I think that Islam has many things in the Koran that are in opposition to ethical behavior. The same can be said for Christians and the Bible. Do I believe than Muslims or Christians can't be ethical and moral? No. I still think there are many things in those books that are bad. Do I think that a world without those teachings be a more moral place to live? Yes. I believe I can argue against ideas without being intolerant toward someone's else's beliefs. We both have the right to believe what we want and we both should have the right to argue against the other's beliefs.

Forget about organized religion; do you believe that there is a soul that survives death?

gearl comments on Aug 1, 2018:

If there is a soul why do brain injuries damage our thinking capacity? Our mind is chemical reactions in the brain and the soul is a myth like god and devils and angels. I don't know about you but I figure when I die I'm dead.

Filipino atheists and agnostics

gearl comments on Aug 1, 2018:

My wife is Filipina and still somewhat Catholic but somewhat. Our daughter who turns 21 in a couple of weeks is atheist and my wife has no problem with that.

What supernatural phenomena do you wish were real?

gearl comments on Aug 1, 2018:

Sometimes karma or at least justice.

I just read that I have Trump Derangement Syndrome.

gearl comments on Aug 1, 2018:

Hell, that must be what I have been down with for the last 18 months.

Are Trump and the Russians in a Family Way? - TheHumanist.com

gearl comments on Jul 31, 2018:

I had forgotten about Jeff Sharlet's book "The Family" until I read this article. Scary stuff.

Seen an article that said 72% of the land in America is privately owned. Thoughts?

gearl comments on Jul 30, 2018:

Sounds about right to me.

I got into a debate with my brother about medicare for all or universal healthcare.

gearl comments on Jul 29, 2018:

I don't know why not. A lot of other countries are doing fine with it. A very few folks at the very top could pay for it and not hurt them in the least.

Now that's an IQ!

gearl comments on Jul 29, 2018:

That's a keeper.

I am curious of people's thoughts of science here. Are you confident in science?

gearl comments on Jul 28, 2018:

I am very confident in the scientific method. When there are unanswered questions, science isn't afraid to say, we just don't know. Sometimes something is not completely validated and scientists say that current evidence points us toward this conclusion and folks jump on it because it's still under question. So what? They're working on it.

How your family responded when they learned about your atheism? How did you approach telling them?

gearl comments on Jul 28, 2018:

I was pretty agnostic when I married my wife and by the time I figured out I was in fact atheist we had an about 8 year old daughter. My wife had her go to catechism for a couple of years when my daughter decided it was nonsense and asked me what to tell her Mom. I told her to be honest and my wife just said OK. My daughter didn't take long to decide she was an atheist also and told her friends at school. As far as I know it was never a problem there even though all of her friends were very religious.

What does spiritual mean to those of you who list that as part of your identity?

gearl comments on Jul 28, 2018:

I dislike the spirit in spirituality as it points to the supernatural. I prefer awe and like terms when I have a moment of bliss from a majestic view, or listening to a piece of music or considering how magnificent the universe is.

When I downloaded this app about a couple of weeks ago I definitely categorized myself as agnostic ...

gearl comments on Jul 28, 2018:

It took me about ten years.

What is the difference between faith and belief?

gearl comments on Jul 28, 2018:

Since both have multiple definitions, it's hard to say.

Just wonder.. is it really story tha JW do pedophile?

gearl comments on Jul 28, 2018:

Of course people in all organizations are going to be pedophiles. The issue is how the particular organization handles the accusations. With the Catholic church it was slightly different because they have priests without outlet for the sexual desires but many times when things happen the results were the same because they didn’t want “reproach” or bad publicity so they swept it under the rug by moving the perpetrator to another church. Jehovah’s Witness have a Biblical rule that in order to prove the accusation the victim must have two witnesses to the attack. How often does a pedophile or a rapist attack somebody with an audience? When the victim reports the crime, in most cases, he/she is told “It is in Jehovah’s hands” and nothing is done. If the victim then makes it public he/she is then again victimized by the elders for bringing reproach on the organization and many times disfellowshipped. The victim is more often than not told not to tell the authorities. The Witnesses have a database of nothing but sexual accusations that the court in California learned about and told the organization to turn over as evidence. When they refused the court fined them $4,000 a day which they have not as yet settled and it is now in the millions. https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2017/aug/30/citylights-judge-orders-jehovahs-witness-release/#

How did your neigbors vote?

gearl comments on Jul 26, 2018:

I knew it was bad where I live but I didn't know it was that bad.

GOP Politician Switches Parties Over Trump Administration's 'Racism' And 'Misogyny' | HuffPost

gearl comments on Jul 26, 2018:

I'm proud of the fact that she made the switch.

In my times of depression.

gearl comments on Jul 26, 2018:

That's a wonderful story. Christians have it both ways because no matter what happens if it's good it's God's will and if it's not then it's Satan or God works in mysterious ways.

"Libtards".

gearl comments on Jul 26, 2018:

Let’s start our rant by poisoning the well and then continue with false equivalency and straw men. I don’t know if you are demonizing Clinton because she dared change her mind or she didn’t. If you were a JW then you were anti-gay and when you got out you either changed you mind or you didn’t. Trump says something clearly, and it’s alleged and we’re hypocritical? Clinton didn’t wear her religion on her sleeve and bend over backward to support evangelicals like your new-found hero. The folks who support the book of Revelation as literal truth are certainly mostly not liberals. My goodness!

The comparisons are there.

gearl comments on Jul 26, 2018:

I would say that their president and their god have very similar characteristics.

Why do people on the Left have such a problem acknowledging that Western Civilization is superior to...

gearl comments on Jul 26, 2018:

Having read your original post and then your subsequent posts it would appear that the wording of the original was to stir the pot. I live in the USA and believe that the idealism of our founding fathers was instrumental in establishing what we could call Western Civilization as it exists today. As you are aware of, we, people on the left living in the USA, are not too happy with the way our government is going over the last year and a half. We certainly believe in the superiority of Western democracy and a superior way of life but we are afraid of losing it here in the USA. Having said all that, the way you word your original question just stirs the pot with us and get a rise out of us, because of current circumstances so it does seem apparent to most of us that you seem hell-bent on pissing us off more than we already are.

Unwanted Solicitors

gearl comments on Jul 26, 2018:

I discuss the Bible.

Whats defines what is right and what is wrong, in the past it was religions, traditions, culture.

gearl comments on Jul 26, 2018:

Reciprocity and empathy will do it.

Huge fires are burning all over the world, including the Arctic Circle.