Someone asked me the other day as to why I am an athiest.

genessa comments on Oct 25, 2018:

it sounds good but i worry about one thing: there is a belief among theists that atheists really do believe there is a god and that we're just mad at him. i hear it a lot, actually. i would not want to play into that, even with that low percentage you mention lol. if i were asked why i am an atheist, chances are i would answer "you're an atheist too. you don't believe in the tooth fairy, do you? you're an atheist with regard to the tooth fairy because there is no tooth fairy. i'm an atheist with regard to the tooth fairy too, but i am also an atheist with regard to your god, because there is no god either. it's that simple." g

Abraham, assuming he even existed, was mentally ill.

genessa comments on Oct 25, 2018:

well, if you can get past the talking snake with no particular unease, how hard can it be to say "uh huh, okay" when you get to abraham? g

That is scary! I know he's just yawning but....

genessa comments on Oct 25, 2018:

electric relaxation. g

Older People Are Worse Than Young People at Telling Fact from Opinion [theatlantic.com]

genessa comments on Oct 25, 2018:

i love the atlantic but this is total crap. first of all, people of all ages do or don't pay attention and understand what's going on; it has nothing to do with age. among those who DO pay attention, all else being equal, people who have a lifetime of political history can compare and contrast and tell what's true and not MORE easily than someone who's been paying attention for less time. maybe senile people have a harder time. not all older people are senile, and not all young people give enough of a shit to learn the difference. nope, not buying this premise ONE little bit. g

Why is the label African Americans used to describe black Americans

genessa comments on Oct 25, 2018:

people will use labels no matter what. we use them for others and for ourselves. labels can be intentionally or unintentionally offensive by virtue of categorizing people by attributes that are considered (by some) negative, or that have in the past been considered negative, or that are irrelevant to a person's value as a human being. if a group of people want to identify themselves and be identified by their relatively recent origins (a couple hundred years is recent) rather than by their superficial resemblance to one another in terms of skin tone, why not? but not all black people want to be called something other than black; black is short and snappy and using it as mere description is different from using it to imply that black is bad in some way. it's no more or less accurate (since i have never seen a black person who is literally black) than african american. i don't go around calling myself a ukrainian american and my folks came from the ukraine a lot more recently than most black americans came from africa. but that's my choice; i get to choose for myself. i don't get to choose for others. exception: messianists. i get to say they're not jewish even when they say they're jews for jesus. that's not my opinion; that's a definitional thing. other than that... be who you want to be is what i say! g

I have to wonder.

genessa comments on Oct 25, 2018:

you REALLY can't tell? even from outside, can't you see the difference between them? they're nothing alike. one of them is a kind, intelligent, educated, thoughtful, competent, skillful, humorous, handsome, loving, caring family man, and the other is donald trump. g

Would you consider yourself difficult to get along with, deal with, or live with?

genessa comments on Oct 25, 2018:

i have been told numerous times, by people who know me well and those who don't know me well alike, that i am very easygoing and friendly. g

Hello. Anybody in here?

genessa comments on Oct 25, 2018:

gentle hint: you'll get a better response if you actually have something to say. comment on someone's post. make a post about something that interests you. it works. g

What is Love?

genessa comments on Oct 25, 2018:

nobody knows and everybody thinks they know. also every 10th person here has asked that. g

Experience 2001: A Space Odyssey on one of the biggest screens in the UK, with 10 times the image ...

genessa comments on Oct 25, 2018:

airfare to the uk would be such that i could probably buy myself a pretty big screen to watch it on here in the states instead. g

I’ve reached my limit.

genessa comments on Oct 25, 2018:

you know when i thank men for holding doors open for me? when they get to the door first, or when my hands are full. i thank women for doing that too. you know when i don't thank men for holding doors open for me? when they practically knock me out of the way to get there to hold the door open for me even when my hands are free and i don't need any help. i had a coworker who would get MAD if i held a door open for him, even if i was a mile ahead of him and his arms were stacked high with file folders. i don't care about gentlemanly things. i care about common courtesy and consideration. it is courteous and more importantly considerate to help someone who needs help. it is incourteous and sometimes inconsiderate to "help" people who don't need or want help. it is also incourteous and inconsiderate not to thank people who are being helpful. i cannot see through the screen what has been happening, but if you're holding doors open to be gentlemanly, as you describe, then i can only gently ask you to look at what i cannot: your motivations and your modus operandi. if you're only holding the door open if you get there first, or if someone needs help, and not making a chivalrous pest of yourself, then people are being rude to you by not at least smiling. g

I believe in nature, be it in the woods or on the water in my kayak.

genessa comments on Oct 25, 2018:

are there people who don't believe in nature? i can see nature too. i can also see buildings. i believe in buildings. and music. and cats. i don't understand why you declare that you believe in nature. i think you mean you enjoy nature, right? g

What do you think .

genessa comments on Oct 25, 2018:

this must be old; he has heard at least one case already. he's a disgusting pig. next? g

What made some of you change your mind about religion? Ie, become a freethinker

genessa comments on Oct 25, 2018:

i didn't change my mind about religion. i was not raised religiously. i just realized, age 15, there were no gods. g

Are we Becoming too Careful not to Offend any Group of People? –

genessa comments on Oct 25, 2018:

no. we're not. some people seem to think that when we're actually not bigoted, or when we try to be kind, we're just afraid of offending people. that's incorrect and it's a sad assessment of our behavior. there is nothing wrong with being kind and there certainly is nothing wrong with not being bigoted. g

How many used to have one in there home? My parents had one in their bedroom. ??

genessa comments on Oct 25, 2018:

that looks EXACTLY like one we had! g

Religious ppl keep insisting that they experience and feel god everyday.

genessa comments on Oct 25, 2018:

alas, it is. g

Does anyone else feel pressure on this point?

genessa comments on Oct 25, 2018:

i have had people attack me on this issue. i refuse to bite my tongue. i feel no pressure at all. if i am a good person, and i hope i am, it is because i believe in being a good person. fictional characters from ancient texts have nothing to do with it. g

There is a question of "Do you believe in god" My answer was no.

genessa comments on Oct 25, 2018:

nothing can disprove the existence of god; that doesn't mean there are any gods, of course. i like what asimov said, after a lifetime of saying something a little different: “I am an atheist, out and out. It took me a long time to say it. I've been an atheist for years and years, but somehow I felt it was intellectually unrespectable to say one was an atheist, because it assumed knowledge that one didn't have. Somehow, it was better to say one was a humanist or an agnostic. I finally decided that I'm a creature of emotion as well as of reason. Emotionally, I am an atheist. I don't have the evidence to prove that God doesn't exist, but I so strongly suspect he doesn't that I don't want to waste my time.” g

CN VIDEO—Jill Stein Talks to Consortium News: ‘We Are Being Robbed Blind by the War ...

genessa comments on Oct 25, 2018:

you won't find a positive comment from me in support of that faker, that russian tool, that nobody, jill stein. g

I have a concern.

genessa comments on Oct 25, 2018:

some are already claiming that. i know a democrat who thinks that, and that's alarming. there is NO WAY this is ANY kind of play by the democrats. there is a distant possibility that it's some misguided individual who associates himself (bombers are usually male) with democratic causes, which would not redound to the democrats because this simply is not a blue modus operandi. i don't even believe it's that. this is someone stoked by trump's continual rhetoric against the very people who have received the bombs, and furthermore i think there could well be more bombs out there yet undiscovered -- which means someone still could get hurt or killed. so back to the claim: yeah of COURSE they're going to claim that. but trump cannot oversee this investigation and the truth WILL come out. g

Birthday fundraisers?

genessa comments on Oct 25, 2018:

it IS weird. it's not as weird a friendversaries, or sharing videos of how you met someone on facebook a year ago whom you've known since high school, but it's still weird. g

I would like to know who will debate me on this one

genessa comments on Oct 25, 2018:

i won't debate something as ignorant and false as this, but i will comment. i see you have an anti-vaxxer meme -- a meme that tells an egregious lie about the cdc -- posted elsewhere. i see from what you say on this site that debating you, a person who either deliberately or in complete and utter ignorance spreads lies, is a fruitless job. i am only making this comment so others can see it, because there are those who might accidentally mistake it for a fact. @lerlo is right and i have no need to repeat what he has said; he's said it clearly and well. as for powder, i can only guess what he said from lerlo's responses (and i am not wasting time or energy doing that) because i have that unpleasant member blocked. g

And they tell us we must vaccinate

genessa comments on Oct 25, 2018:

um, no. this is NOT TRUE. https://vaxopedia.org/2018/05/19/does-the-cdc-own-any-patents-on-vaccines/ g

A thought crossed my mind and I'd like the input/opinions of others on it.

genessa comments on Oct 25, 2018:

no. they're not envious. they're truly brainwashed and consider us anything along a spectrum ranging from evil through misguided and in danger of going to hell. envy doesn't enter into it. g

I used to take this little bit of scripture and take it to heart.

genessa comments on Oct 24, 2018:

i will go further and say there are no gods. g

Did you read it

genessa comments on Oct 24, 2018:

why would i read it? even out of morbid curiosity, i wouldn't, since he didn't write it. g

Will Trump win re-election in 2020?

genessa comments on Oct 24, 2018:

i can't vote because your options don't include what i think and hope, which is that he is gone before 2020, possibly in prison. g

Just thinking how research says those that believe in and worship god get dopamine hits to the ...

genessa comments on Oct 24, 2018:

i think we do. i get it from watching murphy brown! g

Atheists don’t exist?

genessa comments on Oct 24, 2018:

this article is well thought out and well written, and totally BOGUS. almost everything presented at the beginning of the article is the opposite of the truth, and the rest of the article is based on it. it's not stupid. it's sneaky. if it can get you to accept its initial statements, you have to give SOME credence to its conclusions. it's not written by morons. it's written by deceivers. g

I have been so stressed lately, I have been on short term disability and I have to have surgery, but...

genessa comments on Oct 24, 2018:

mazel tov! it took me 13 years to get on social security disability. i hope your surgery goes well. mine is set for a couple weeks from now and i'm terrified. g

Say again?

genessa comments on Oct 24, 2018:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJCTgICYkjA g

My 12 year old granddaughter came to me this morning and said she is not sure about jesus because ...

genessa comments on Oct 24, 2018:

i can't help wondering why someone would NOT be "into science and stuff"! anyway mazel tov. i can understand why a kid might want to believe; kids get upset when they learn santa claus doesn't exist; imagine their discomfort when they find out god doesn't either! but she sounds smart and especially with your help she will get over it and grow up to be a happy atheist :-)) g

Sitting in a church, not struck by lightning.

genessa comments on Oct 24, 2018:

i have never been christian a day in my life, have been tormented by christians, more for being jewish than for being an atheist (since i don't have an "atheist name," whatever that would be!) and think christianity is a particularly illogical religion, beyond the original illogic of being centered around the existence of a god or gods. however, this does not deter me from visiting beautiful buildings, including but not limited to churches. more often than not, my polling place happens to be a church (although i generally use an absentee ballot, and yes, i have already voted in the midterms). i used to patronize and food shelf that was located in a church. my favorite church is the parish church of st. martin-in-the-fields, across the street from trafalgar square in london, mostly because of its great acoustics and free chamber music concerts many weekday afternoons, but also for its lovely summer weekend flea markets in the parking lot, and the overpriced but atmospheric cafe in the crypt, under the church. i have no fear of churches. churchgoers... that's another matter. g

The idea that the events of the last two days might come to a revolution or uprising, as much as ...

genessa comments on Oct 24, 2018:

the question regarding a modern civil war is quite simple: are enough people insane? i do not see an organized group of any significant (except for the damage they do, but i mean significant in terms of starting an actual war) size declaring war and implementing it in a way that could be translated as anything more than terrorism, to be squelched, rather than battles to be lost and won. g

Have any plans for Halloween?

genessa comments on Oct 24, 2018:

i do have a scarecrow i made a while back and in recent years have taped to it the scariest face i can think of: that of donald trump. i set it out on the chair on the stoop. apart from that, i do pretty much nothing. since it falls on a day i might be going to a buffet, i could eat lots of food on hallowe'en this year. i would do that even if it were not hallowe'en. it's a really nice buffet! g p.s. my cat golde celebrates.

Perhaps in my lifetime, I will be able to experience to some degree a world where labels don’t ...

genessa comments on Oct 24, 2018:

that's fair. i call myself an atheist because it means i either don't believe in any gods or (more accurate in my case) i believe there are no gods. it means nothing else, whatsoever. it doesn't mean i do or don't listen to others, do or don't respect others, do or don't accept others. it has nothing to do with any of that. it merely means i believe there are no gods. i do believe there are people. g

Is Voodoo real or a bunch of crap???

genessa comments on Oct 24, 2018:

voodoo, a religion, relies a bit on a sort of hypnosis for its effects. the trance bit may be real, but it's not magic. a ouija board is a toy. it can be entertaining. it certainly has no magic to it. g

Today is the one-year anniversary of joining agnostics.

genessa comments on Oct 24, 2018:

i have people of different political persuasions calling me names and telling me to fuck off ALL the time and they never get suspended. but religious trolls SHOULD be told to fuck off, and furthermore, they should be suspended, themselves. g

Long hair/short hair

genessa comments on Oct 24, 2018:

i'm an old hippy. i don't approve of short hair on men! g

Does this site work for anyone? Ive had better luck at Schnucks grocery store.

genessa comments on Oct 24, 2018:

it works for me, but then, i am not using the dating section. i am here for the community. but then, you have ONE post (this is it) and NO comments. how is anyone supposed to know who you are and start liking you? communicate! comment on interesting posts; make interesting posts. people who think like you, or like the way you think, will start to follow you, maybe want to communicate with you, or maybe you can find someone by browsing the posts, see who attracts you, checking the profiles of course to make sure you don't flirt with someone who isn't into it. it's not computer dating; the computer doesn't match you up! g

Why white people don't get to use the N-word

genessa comments on Oct 24, 2018:

i already know why white people don't get to use the n-word. what i don't understand is why any white person (or any person at all, come to think of it) would WANT to use the n-word. g

Brown shoes with a blue suit?

genessa comments on Oct 24, 2018:

it depends on the other appointments. brown shoes with a blue suit and a black tie would be a bit jarring -- not so much that i would consider banning or censuring someone for arranging that, but just not coordinated. brown shoes with a blue suit and a brown tie and hankie, sure! or no tie, and a brown leather wrist band. g

What are three things on your bucket list?

genessa comments on Oct 24, 2018:

not kicking the bucket. g

Maureen O'Sullivan and Johnny Weissmuller. What TV series did they play in? And did you watch it?

genessa comments on Oct 24, 2018:

ron ely played tarzan on tv. weissmuller was one of the film tarzans. nope, never got into it. g

Going backwards

genessa comments on Oct 24, 2018:

not all atheists ever WERE christian, so not everyone has that to go back to. for those who used to be christian, i suppose anything is possible. it makes no sense to me. if one can withstand peer pressure to the extent of realizing and admitting there are no gods, it seems odd that they suddenly relapse. as for what "most people" can or cannot do, in terms of standing alone with their ideas, that's a good sound byte but it doesn't sound like a fact to me. most people haven't GOT fully baked ideas as far as i can tell, but those who do have them seem pretty well able to stand alone with them. g

Dont say yes, if an unknown caller asks you to confirm your name. Just ask whos calling ?

genessa comments on Oct 24, 2018:

the ones that are harvesting "yes" answers -- some of them are live. if someone asks me if i am me, i say "i am" instead of "yes." g

Which comic book series did you grow up on?

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

i never read comic books as a kid. weird, huh? i was reading greek mythology and my dad's college psych texts. but there is ONE exception: when i went into the hospital, age nine or so, to have my tonsils out, i asked for a comic book from the gift shop and got a green lantern. it's the only one i ever owned. g

Any Reggae Recommendations?

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

from an unlikely-seeming source, check out el rayo x and mr dave by david lindley. it's not all reggae. quite a bit of it is. some samples: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYRVyBgjE2U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDa1h5oI754=4 g

The Humanist Dilemma: Can an Agnostic Teen Be Honest and Keep up the Good Work? - TheHumanist.com

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

not all churches do good. some do dreadful things. every good thing a church does can be done without a church, too. g

I'm trying to get there: What a miracle it is to wrap my hands around happiness and still, ...

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

it's a lovely poem and i mean no disrespect by putting a caveat on it -- only that if the poem reflects your philosophy, may i suggest that happiness, often presented as a goal, is not a good or realistic goal to have? it can be the byproduct of striving for (not even necessarily reaching) other goals. now, back to poetry! lovely, as i say! g

Philosophers Name the Best Philosophy Books: From Stoicism and Existentialism, to Metaphysics & ...

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

some of those recommendations are indeed philosophical, but many seem to be more concerned with physics -- which is fine by me, since without an understanding of SOME sort of the latter, the former isn't going to mean a whole lot. "the moon's a balloon" may be a grand autobiography title (david niven, as it happens) but it would make a really stupid philosophy book title, right? so i am glad to see so much stuff about the brain and consciousness, even though i can't guarantee they're not flights of fancy (they look as if they might not be) even though i don't know that philosophy is the right category for them. g

Does a post or comment make you feel a little ill? We now have a nausea icon under "Like".

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

i expect to be receiving some of those lol. g

This weekend I participated in one of my favorite fall traditions, making apple butter.

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

those are nice traditions. my fall traditions are becoming seriously ill, refusing to close the windows and wearing short shorts. g

Atheists - Less Vices

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

fewer. and i don't know if that is true. i have seen no data on it. where do you get your data? you mention demographics but i've seen nothing except that there are fewer atheists in prison than christians. that doesn't speak toward anything but actual crime and prosecution. in addition, "vice" is not defined the same by everyone. some christians think dancing is a vice, maybe even a sin! to a jew, dancing is prayer of the highest order. so... what's vice and who says atheists have fewer of them? g

Seems awfully appropriate with the current administration.

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

the words ring true. i have no clue what they have to do with the picture. g

It does beg an answer.

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

gay heart surgeons would never be so cruel. there are probably straight heart surgeons who would refuse to save the lives of gays and that is the natural next step now that it's legal for bigoted cake shop owners to discriminate. alas. g

The Resistance Is Voting

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

vote! vote blue! the wave doesn't happen unless you join it! g

Robocall Calling Gillum a "Negro" and "Monkey"

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

i have heard the tape. it doesn't CALL him those things; it pretends to BE him, calling HIMSELF those things! it's disgusting. g

Is Marriage Outdated?

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

marriage has historically been a financial arrangement, not so much between individuals as between households and even dynasties. in the past couple centuries people have changed their thinking about it to include the concept of love between the individuals involved, which wasn't COMPLETELY new (or shakespeare wouldn't resonate) but as an overall view of the institution it is certainly new. at the same time, the church (you know which church) had taken it over as, somehow, their own business, and it retains that stranglehold to a huge extent. the tax system (assuming we actually have something we can legitimately call a system) discriminates in some ways against the single and in other ways against the partnered. this needs to change. don't look at me; i faint when i see numbers. i can recognize a problem when i see one, though. all my life i equated marriage with prostitution because of the traditional woman's role in the arrangement. it was basically an agreement that in exchange for being supported financially, the woman would give services that included, without by any means being limited to, sex. however, the idea of a life partner was an appealing one. love! who can argue with love? who can argue with wanting to be with your lover forever, with or without the piece of paper? now i am old, and i was getting old by the time i found my love, too. i still view traditional marriage as i did when i was young, but i don't think that we can necessarily judge people by how traditional their marriages LOOK. we're not walking in their bedroom slippers. i know it sure wouldn't be right for me. i am my own person and i don't want to be mr's, which is what missus means. i want him to be mine as much as i am his, and we should still be our own people, with conjoined and combined interests both economic and otherwise. we also want to have legal standing in each other's affairs, and yes we've made out wills and directives, but sometimes medical staff don't refer to those right away. i have been turned away trying to find out how is was when he had to be hospitalized. that's changing slowly too. there is more but you get the picture. we're not married yet. we're poor and disabled, and we'd lose some crucial benefits if we married. did i mention a tax overhaul? not just taxes (and not trump's way, thank you). so as an institution, is marriage outdated? which institution do you mean, among those i mentioned or others you can think of, all called (and honored in some way) as marriage? yes, no, maybe! g

Did Dems/Soros Fund Caravan?

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

i am listening to chris hayes and the headlines said something about a bomb in soros' house... we haven't got to that story yet! this blaming everything on soros has to stop! g

What Food or Drink Would You Want People to Leave at Your Grave?

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

lox g

Has your Atheism affected your patriotism?

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

no. why would it? i still love my country. i still hate the criminals running it. what's that got to do with whether or not there are any imaginary thingies in the sky running the universe? g

[yahoo.

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

on the one hand, it is always good to show the world what a fool hannity is. on the other hand, anything rivera ever gets right has to be by accident. he's such a phony. so he's jumped sides again? sorry, not trusting him for an instant. g

What would you do if the priest slaps your baby for crying?

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

i don't have a priest. i also don't have a baby. if i had a baby i wouldn't let it anywhere near a priest. if anyone, priest or otherwise, slapped a baby, or for that matter a cat or dog, be it mine or someone else's, i would call the cops. g

A concept of a god.

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

that's not god. that's nature. what is the point of renaming it "god" when "god" has such an evocative meaning for so many people? that's certainly not my concept of a god. a god is a deity. deities are imaginary. nature is not imaginary. therefore there is no point in calling nature a deity. g

Religious parents?

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

nope. i was raised as a secular jew. i knew we were jewish and had a strong cultural identity but religiously... after i left home and lived three thousand miles away, someone asked me whether my parents believed in god, and i didn't know the answer! i called them long-distance to ask them. they were annoyed that i was spending the money to ask such an unimportant question. g

Did Dems/Soros Fund Caravan?

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

thing is, there are people who actually BELIEVE this stuff, and not only believe it, but panic, and some of them may grab their guns and go to the border and wait for some obviously threatening women and children to come charging at them, and shoot in self-defense. trump is setting the stage for disaster. wait, trump IS the disaster. g

Good News....Tax Cuts For The Middle Class!

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trumps-tax-cuts-were-dud-so-hes-made-new-ones-dont-exist?cid=sm_fb_maddow=IwAR23eHhYKXezJ3lI2KIWYo5UVk3Y24PzR-kO1zRK5l4ZV8z9C51KDn99JxQ note that congress is not in session.... g

1) Is freethinking possible or are we all conditioned by culture, class, past, environment etc.

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

we are conditioned but we do not have to be totally bound. experienced at what? i don't get what experience has to do with it, nor how we can answer whether WE are experienced enough, since there are a bunch of us here and we're not all the same. i think even a small child might be experienced enough to judge a belief that the sky is green is crazy. g

What should people get to know about family?

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

sorry, not trying to be critical, but your question is rather vague. with whom do you wish to bring up this subject? people who want to have families should bring it up with their partners. no one should have to bring it up to them. it's not anyone else's business. if you're bringing up your own wish to have, or not have, a family, then the answer will be different depending on with whom you wish to bring up this subject, and what you want to say about it. everyone has different concerns. if you can be more specific, maybe i can answer. g

What is your favorite song to get you motivated?

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

i don't have a motivational song but i have one that calms me down: it's actually about four songs lol. it's the first three sides of the (red) live dead album. g

How to reply when someone says 'have a blessed day'

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

as joe said: context. context includes mood. it actually does bother me but i never heard it from anyone i actually know. it's always from strangers. i do hate it though. g

Nothing is more wondrous than a human being when he begins to discover himself.

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

well... you obviously have not lived with cats! g

[foxnews.

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

humor me please -- i won't give fox the click. can you summarize or copy and paste for me (and any others who don't want to click through to faux news)? thanks! g

Students of Life

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

everyone has different interests and aptitudes. everyone should learn a little of everything but not everyone is mentally equipped to go in depth into every topic. however, everyone should, MUST learn to respect the rights of other people. skills... that's another story. ideally everyone should be financially independent, healthy and knowledgeable about how the universe works. since when is anything ideal? g

Is love real? Is it really nothing?

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

no one knows, because love is an emotion, and everyone experiences emotions differently, albeit often similarly. there is a chemical component (not just endorphins but yeah them too), a sexual component, other components. everyone is unique. a lot of people can tell you what love is NOT, but no one can tell you definitively what love IS (though plenty of people will try). i forget who said (approximately) that in real love you want the other person's good, and in romantic love you want the other person. that's not definitive but it's a clue. g

Why is it that the religious bible thumpers tend to be the most racist and unforgiving?

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

i don't know about ALL the time but i do know they tend to be under the influence of a charismatic leader, and one way such leaders keep control is by separating his flock from the general population, so little things like facts and reality don't interfere with his business. the best way to separate people is to teach them not to trust "the other." g

“Is man merely a mistake of Gods? Or is God merely a mistake of man? — Friedrich Nietzsche

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

i think we know the answer. g

Why I don't care for the "nation" of israel. This is Why!!!!

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

so... it would have been okay for them to stay in germany or poland and be murdered, huh? besides which, unlike our taking of america from the native americans by slaughtering them, the jews 1. did not take the land from anyone; the british did, and assigned a tiny bit of it to the fleeing jews and a much huger bit of it (jordan, then trans-jordan) to the arabic population that was already being displaced (not by the jews). 2. invited all palestinian residents to remain and be israeli citizens. some did. there are arabs in the knesset. many fled because the surrounding arab nations lied to them and said the jews were planning to kill them all. they fled to jordan, which britain had set aside for them, but the people already in jordan rejected them. so do they blame jordan? no! do i like israel's current policies? hell no! do i like the united states' current policies? hell no! does this mean i hate the united states and it shouldn't exist? well, NO! so why should i think israel shouldn't exist? it should kick bibi out and work toward a two-state solution, which will be difficult since the palestinian leadership still expresses its desire not only for israel to be destroyed but for jews all over the world to be killed as well. but it's still something toward which to work. g

Is it good to read the news?

genessa comments on Oct 23, 2018:

information is power. g

Are you happy?

genessa comments on Oct 22, 2018:

i think the word "happy" needs "about" or "with" after it. g

This will be my first post here, and it is very difficult to write, as silly as that may seem.

genessa comments on Oct 22, 2018:

well, you know, a good, honest profile is an excellent beginning, and a thoughtful post such as your is a good continuation! g

Ya know?

genessa comments on Oct 22, 2018:

i like that too. however, i could really use a nice new pen. g

Atheist = Depressed?

genessa comments on Oct 22, 2018:

i very much believe it NOT to be true. i don't think we're any more depressed than anyone else, and observing that one group has a certain percentage of depressed people does not indicate its relationship to the percentage applicable to the general population. on what basis do you think we're more depressed than theists? i've never seen an iota of evidence of this. i do not think lack of belief in a higher being leads to depression, nor do i think depression leads to the lack of belief in a higher being. it's not an either-or. it's a neither. i myself am clinically depressed. i was depressed BEFORE i realized there were not gods. i awoke during eye surgery at the age of three. i have ptsd as a result of this (and some other factors also not related to religion). i know plenty of depressed people. some believe in a deity; some do not. g

Why Doesn't Ancient Fiction Talk About Feelings?

genessa comments on Oct 22, 2018:

the article is about reshaping the mind; the observation, which may or may not be apt (i think it is partly true and partly untrue), that ancient literature doesn't deal with feelings, is almost a side issue. g

What is a childhood movie that still haunts you until this day as an adult?

genessa comments on Oct 22, 2018:

the manchurian candidate. g

Did you know: melted Velveeta is a quantum fluid?

genessa comments on Oct 22, 2018:

it is not of this world. g

So good people of the universe, how do you all handle the assumption from Christians that you ...

genessa comments on Oct 22, 2018:

you will have to put up with their condemnation. tell them as politely as you can, which i am sure you're already doing, and then their attitude is THEIR problem. g

Do you agree that all forms of religion should be banished from the Earth as a bad case of mental ...

genessa comments on Oct 22, 2018:

no. if we do not allow people to have their delusions, we will one day not be allowed to have our evidence-based lives. power shifts. we must protect those with whom we least agree or we are not protected either. freedom of religion and freedom from religion go hand in hand. only education will help dispel the delusions, if anything indeed can. legislating against it will drive it underground and strengthened it. g

How much older or younger than you would you date someone?

genessa comments on Oct 22, 2018:

none of the above. i am taken but if i were dating i would not worry about age at all. g

The Hollies were one of the most awesome groups from the 1960's.

genessa comments on Oct 21, 2018:

loved them until nash left. :-)) carrie anne is still special to me. g

My sister's catholic wedding that I'm a groomsman in is next weekend.

genessa comments on Oct 21, 2018:

that would be mean, wouldn't it? g

SPOILERS S11 E3 - Rosa Discussion post.

genessa comments on Oct 21, 2018:

i enjoyed it but can't help thinking it resembled a quantum leap more than a doctor who. i suppose what the shows have in common (not just time travel) is part of why i like both of them, but i've never before felt that a plot was misplaced from one to the other. g

It's starting to feel like I'm being pushed away by my family and friends who are Christian since I ...

genessa comments on Oct 21, 2018:

it's odd because i KNOW there are christians who keep it to themselves and don't bother others with it. i know some of them. they accept me for the atheistic jew i am. i have taken a lot more shit in my life for being jewish than for being an atheist, actually, but that is probably because there is no such thing as an atheistic name lol. anyway, i certainly took no flak from my family over it. however, i know you're not alone because i see here all kinds of tsuris people get from their family and so-called friends in the rabid christian community, and i am sorry you're going through that. g

Religion Classes My nieces were just over for a few hours and towards the end of the day one of ...

genessa comments on Oct 21, 2018:

it's disgusting enough but there is nothing you can do about it, as it's not public school. if you think mentioning it to your sibling, go for it, but i suspect that you'll get blank stares at best, considering s/he has put your nieces into religion class to begin with. g

I'm sure this question must have been asked here before.

genessa comments on Oct 21, 2018:

age 15, figured it out all by myself! it had nothing to do with books or religion; it was just that i had thought there was a god and realized that there wasn't. g

“Some theists, observing that all ‘effects’ need a cause, assert that God is a cause but not ...

genessa comments on Oct 21, 2018:

theists make all kinds of observations of things that cannot be observed because they are not real or true. if we spend all our time countering those so-called observations, we may not have time to live our lives. g

Is the world becoming more atheist?

genessa comments on Oct 21, 2018:

no, i don't think so. anyway even if it were, it could be a temporary, normal fluctuation. g

What's the best response to "why are you so quiet'?

genessa comments on Oct 21, 2018:

perhaps a silent grin. g