Question.

brentan comments on Oct 4, 2018:

I think they are necessary to combat the spiritual malaise in society caused by the spiritual vacuum. I hope they stay in place until viable alternatives are set in place to give meaning to life and reasons to be just.

p-nullifidian replies on Oct 5, 2018:

Since leaving my faith, I have had more awe-inspiring experiences than I could have imagined, more than enough to overcome my 'spiritual malaise.' In music, in art, in nature and in science, I dug deeper, read more and filled my 'spirit.' I bought some telescopes, joined an astronomy club and began to study the universe. Telescopes are time machines that enable us to see into the distant past. When looking at the Andromeda galaxy, the photons landing on your cornea left their stars millions of years ago. Laying out on the desert floor on a moonless night and staring at the Milky Way inspires me like no church ever could.

Panspermia..

p-nullifidian comments on Oct 4, 2018:

"Has anyone else seen anyone completely reject abiogenesis in favor of panspermia?" Perhaps the most famous example is that of Nobel Laureate, Sir Fred Hoyle, who gave the backers of intelligent design some welcome ammunition with this quote: "If one proceeds directly and straightforwardly in ...

p-nullifidian replies on Oct 5, 2018:

@FatherOfNyx Your intuitions are correct, Hoyle was an atheist, so his intelligent design statement and panspermia beliefs referenced an advanced civilization.

we have a goblin in our midst.

Hathacat comments on Oct 3, 2018:

I was reading about this. How can we be missing a very large planet? With the way we now spot the tiniest things, I just find it unlikely.

p-nullifidian replies on Oct 5, 2018:

@chilehead9 I haven't seen orbital predictions of where The Goblin is at present, but Voyager 1 and 2 are roughly 143 and 118 AUs from the sun, respectively. Well beyond The Goblin's perihelion. At their current velocity, if Voyager 1 (38,610 mph) or 2 (36,970 mph) were to encounter The Goblin at aphelion, it will be some 600 years from now. Pity they will have long since expired. (Please check my math.)

Leftees gone nuts:::: A scientist presents his scientific findings to a group of scientists who find...

p-nullifidian comments on Oct 4, 2018:

Isn't that a clue to what, exactly? That Strumia is correct in his assertion that 'physics was built by men' and that women are demanding jobs in science without being qualified, resulting in men being discriminated against? Or do you believe it's a clue to some other underlying issue?

p-nullifidian replies on Oct 4, 2018:

@genessa No, but then I don't accept Strumia's premise either ... why don't you ask @Jacar? He's the one who made the post.

What is better than wasting your time at church? ??

skado comments on Sep 30, 2018:

Reforming the church.

p-nullifidian replies on Oct 4, 2018:

@skado I wouldn't fault you for working to change my opinion ... I am open to a re-examination of my views in this area, and you express your points eloquently. As I've learned during conversations with others about this subject, the term 'religion' is a grab bag word that encompasses a broad range of groups, ideas, practices and beliefs. To the extent that any system alleviates suffering, seeks objective truth through naturalism and promotes peace in a non-judgmental spirit, even if it's called religion, I could be persuaded of its benefits.

You are my tribe.

Marine comments on Oct 3, 2018:

Let us just hope this strain of humans known as republicans dies out and is replaced with people that care.

p-nullifidian replies on Oct 4, 2018:

@TiernanMcCann That things appear ‘darker’ today than in the recent past is a recognition that we’re passing through a blip in history, when measured in decades and centuries. If you take the time to measure and observe trends over many centuries and over all continents, you cannot ignore the steady tendency, as has been described by many, including Steven Pinker, in his landmark book, ‘The Better Angels of Out Nature.’ We have, on the whole, progressed. We are beoming less violent with each generation. And when it comes to white men, we / they represent a small minority on this planet, and we’d better accept this fact, and learn to deal with it.

Doubt vs gullibilty

ProudMary comments on Oct 3, 2018:

Yes, and I’ll answer with an example. I had a boss who was Catholic. One winter one of his adult children had an organ transplant. In the spring, he lost a non-adult child to the same disease that affected the transplant recipient. Two years later his wife died of the same disease. I saw how ...

p-nullifidian replies on Oct 4, 2018:

Sometimes the most beautiful thing a nonbeliever can do is to allow others who believe, their space. Our bubble bursting activities should, in my opinion, be reserved for the obnoxious and outspoken believers, not for those who suffer.

Open relationships

JanGarber comments on Sep 25, 2018:

I slept with a woman who was in an open relationship. Although it was fun, I never understood the utility of an open relationship.

p-nullifidian replies on Oct 3, 2018:

@xylophonix Tool's one of my favorite bands! ;-)

What is better than wasting your time at church? ??

skado comments on Sep 30, 2018:

Reforming the church.

p-nullifidian replies on Oct 3, 2018:

@skado Thank you for your detailed and well-considered reply. "I don't think Steindl-Rast was saying that mysticism inevitably evolves into religion." Perhaps you missed this point in his article? "How does one get from mystic experience to an established religion? My one-word answer is: inevitably." Your example of the Antikythera mechanism provides an excellent case in point that Greek ingenuity and engineering was more advanced than we realize, and without peer in terms of scientific knowledge during its time. It is a pity how much was lost. And while I don't necessarily agree with all of Ingersoll's characterizations, word meaning and usage have changed over time. Today, when referring to those who accepted the stories of miracles (clearly not as first person witnesses!), we might prefer words like 'ignorant,' 'uneducated,' 'credulous,' 'superstitious' and even 'uncouth.' "I don't think it's as useful to define a religion by its failures as it might be to look for the human need that keeps religions in demand..." The utility argument has never swayed me. Just because something serves a purpose, does not mean it should remain, particularly if, in doing so, it causes other harms. I can tell you this, having escaped religion, I can no longer view it as a resource to alleviate psychological suffering. It was my very departure and acceptance of reality that eliminated my suffering, and opened my mind to an entire universe of awe, wonder and beauty.

Juno is speeding around Jupiter at something like 160,000 mph.

chilehead9 comments on Oct 2, 2018:

18,412 years according to wolfram Alpha. http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=time+to+alpha+centauri+at+160000+mph

p-nullifidian replies on Oct 2, 2018:

Thanks!

What do I do with my mind if he sees himself better than others .

Marionville comments on Oct 1, 2018:

I have no idea what you are asking here....clarify the question.

p-nullifidian replies on Oct 2, 2018:

@belfodil And thank you for your tone. To reiterate, I wasn't saying that you don't have good ideas, it's just that I have difficulty discerning them. Peace.

What is better than wasting your time at church? ??

skado comments on Sep 30, 2018:

Reforming the church.

p-nullifidian replies on Oct 2, 2018:

@skado Thank you for this article, however I disagree with the author on the role mysticism plays and its inevitability to evolve into a religion. The wisdom of a mystic must be accompanied by a demonstration of power. Once again, I find myself in alignment with a personal hero of mine, Robert Green Ingersoll, who cites the necessity of another ‘m’ word: “The founder of a religion must be able to turn water into wine -- cure with a word the blind and lame, and raise with a simple touch the dead to life. It was necessary for him to demonstrate to the satisfaction of his barbarian disciple, that he was superior to nature. In times of ignorance this was easy to do. The credulity of the savage was almost boundless. To him the marvelous was the beautiful, the mysterious was the sublime. Consequently, every religion has for its foundation a miracle -- that is to say, a violation of nature -- that is to say, a falsehood." The Gods, 1872

What do I do with my mind if he sees himself better than others .

Marionville comments on Oct 1, 2018:

I have no idea what you are asking here....clarify the question.

p-nullifidian replies on Oct 1, 2018:

@belfodil That your posts either represent an early-stage algorithm (artificial intelligence) or one for whom English was a second language language seems clear. I respectfully request that you prepare your remarks in a word processor, checking for spelling and grammar, and then run them by someone who you know speaks / writes well in English, before posting them here. Some of us spend half our time trying to figure out what was being stated!

I'm wanting to challenge my beliefs, but struggling to find a challenge to them.

kasmian comments on Sep 30, 2018:

My kind of guy. See if this helps your case: I believe that it would be morally wrong to go back in time and kill hitler. Same for bush, stalin and all those asswhipes.

p-nullifidian replies on Oct 1, 2018:

@273kelvin You may be right ... the assassination was the match thrown onto a widely dispersed sea of gasoline.

What is better than wasting your time at church? ??

skado comments on Sep 30, 2018:

Reforming the church.

p-nullifidian replies on Oct 1, 2018:

@skado The irony here is that the original Christian church, which began to spread in the late 1st century CE in what is now Turkey, was comprised of small communities expressing a broad range of beliefs, some of which encompassed Eastern philosophies. Paul sought to reign in the ‘misguided’ churches with his visits and letter writing campaigns, but it was Irenaeus who worked tirelessly during much of the 2nd century to identify and wipe out heresy—a new ‘crime’ for the heretofore loosely organized religion. Once Christianity was endorsed by Emperor Constantine, and the First Council of Nicaea held in 325, the creed, doctrines and hierarchical nature of the religion was formalized, spelling an end to congregational churches, many of which held views such as gender equality, Gnosticism and other heresies. A rebuke of formal doctrines, canonical declarations, patriarchies and deeds above beliefs would be a good start for the dinosaurs that are organized religions.

I'm wanting to challenge my beliefs, but struggling to find a challenge to them.

kasmian comments on Sep 30, 2018:

My kind of guy. See if this helps your case: I believe that it would be morally wrong to go back in time and kill hitler. Same for bush, stalin and all those asswhipes.

p-nullifidian replies on Oct 1, 2018:

Apart from including Bush (which one?) in this group, I don't agree. In any case, killing Hitler isn't necessary when you have a time machine. One could simply go back and 'tweak the knobs.' Not outright kill the bastard, but alter the circumstances that made him who he was, either as a child or later in life when he reached for power. I've often thought about the precursors that enabled Hitler's rise, namely, the punitive measures taken against Germany, following World War I. But even prior to this, what if we could have prevented the Archduke Ferdinand's assassination? What if World War I never happened in the first place? We might still have had Imperial Japan, but Hitler would not have risen to power. What's immoral about that?

What is better than wasting your time at church? ??

skado comments on Sep 30, 2018:

Reforming the church.

p-nullifidian replies on Oct 1, 2018:

@skado So, where to begin? I'd vote for shaming them back into keeping their faith to themselves ... make it socially unacceptable to call attention to the prayers of your 10-year old daughter when you're bucking for a seat on the Supreme Court, for example. You don't see billboards for Jesus in Scandinavia, and you don't see a lot of European politicians wearing their religions on their sleeve. And I'm not sure that organized religion's in our DNA ... a sense of awe and wonder, yes, and even the need for a common narrative, but organized religion exploits these apparent wants and needs, making slaves of the hearts and brains it succeeds in recruiting.

What is better than wasting your time at church? ??

skado comments on Sep 30, 2018:

Reforming the church.

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 30, 2018:

Ah, a reformer! But is such a thing possible? To truly reform religion is make it something it is not—an organization that claims to have received wisdom from a source that is not of this world, as well as a set of beliefs based on the attitude of faith, that hideous offspring of ignorance and insanity. “To really reform the church is to destroy it.” Robert Green Ingersoll

Away from the physics laws and scientific theories,When I raise my head to heaven and precisely to ...

mordant comments on Sep 30, 2018:

The sun is my shepherd, I shall not want. It warmeth my face, it calmeth my soul. I mean that is one way to look at it. I will admit that on one level, that it's just in fact a raging ball of blazing helium that our planet orbits, is not comforting or sexy. However ... from another perspective...

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 30, 2018:

It burneth my bald spot. My hat, it doth comfort me.

How many of you know what Wedge Document is?Have any of you read it?

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 29, 2018:

Haven't read it, but am aware of its purpose and goal. As Wendy Wright said in her interview with Richard Dawkins, 'Teach the controversy.'

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 30, 2018:

@Oldcurmudgeon I see ... so it is basically a manifesto then. I have no interest in reading it.

The mind is an gift!!!

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 28, 2018:

"An gift" requires a giver. If we leave a young child alone in the forest, he will die in a few days ... unless of course, he's Mowgli, with a bunch of animal friends who protect him. But then, he will need to find a mate, and so forth. And yet, out of the bush is whence we all came, including ...

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 30, 2018:

@belfodil I see. And when do we suppose, in the evoution of homo sapiens from previous forms, do we pinpoint that 'first man?'

Religious Joke The son of a Rabbi walked up to his dad and said, I have been thinking and I want ...

zephr comments on Sep 28, 2018:

Lol! But both are misogynistic, so... Please try again!

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 29, 2018:

@zephr Oh, yes ... I totally agree! Sorry for the misunderstanding!

Religious Joke The son of a Rabbi walked up to his dad and said, I have been thinking and I want ...

zephr comments on Sep 28, 2018:

Lol! But both are misogynistic, so... Please try again!

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 29, 2018:

Really? How is this joke about father-son relationships 'misogynistic?'

Is scientific knowledge limited in principle?

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 27, 2018:

I think you know my propensity on this subject, based on prior conversations, so I’d like instead to offer a related question, as a diversionary thought experiment. When the singularity arrives, then what? When the artificial intelligence we create surpasses our capacity to acquire knowledge ...

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 28, 2018:

@Matias “Sorry, but all that talk about AI and the "singularity" smacks of religion in my opinion.“ It’s generally useful to be a skeptic, but a religion? Seriously? So would that make the scientists, engineers and computer experts who, due to their intimate knowledge are able to make such predictions, prophets? Or perhaps they’re false prophets in your opinion? There isn’t anything religious about seeing where things are headed, based on one’s understanding of the science, seeing how far we’ve come, and how fast technology is advancing. Our AI will evolve, but in seconds, as opposed to generations, and it will develop its own algorithms to prioritize information and stimuli, just as our brain determines what remains on the periphery. It’s understandable, even laudable, to be skeptical, but there’s often a fine line between doubt and denial.

The mind is an gift!!!

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 28, 2018:

"An gift" requires a giver. If we leave a young child alone in the forest, he will die in a few days ... unless of course, he's Mowgli, with a bunch of animal friends who protect him. But then, he will need to find a mate, and so forth. And yet, out of the bush is whence we all came, including ...

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 28, 2018:

@belfodil Please, help me understand then.

Missouri City Councilman Shuts Down Christian Bigot During Debate Over Equality | Hemant Mehta

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 21, 2018:

Here's something to consider: What if the argument (associating pedophilia with sexual orientation) were being made by a Catholic priest?

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 28, 2018:

@ThisGuy I agree with what you're saying, however the point I was making has more to do with the optics of such a juxtaposition in this particular setting.

Just found out my only "non-religious" friend believes in reincarnation, even to the extent that she...

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 27, 2018:

The terms 'non religious' and 'reincarnation' are not reconcilable.

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 28, 2018:

@Meili The problem with the word faith is that it is used to apply to instances where other words like ‘confidence’ and ‘trust’ would better apply. When I use the word, I am only referring to instances of ‘blind hope’ or ‘belief without evidence,’ as I have described. I do not use the word 'faith' to illustrate accepting the expertise of others, or when placing confidence in someone, such as the pilots of the plane you’re about to fly on, for example. Thus adhering to medical advice from experts is not comparable with believing in reincarnation, and I would not attempt to make that case. By the way, as the information collected about sleeping positions in cases of SIDS, or ‘crib death’ increased, an increased risk was identified with sleeping on the stomach. That is why most pediatricians advise parents to place their sleeping infants on their backs. Faith does not, in either case, play a role. Rather, an acceptance of evidence and the advice of experts was taken based on reason, which is quite the opposite of faith.

3 prophets walk into a bar...

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 28, 2018:

... oh, come on, what's the punch line? Clearly this is not just any bar! Don't go all New Yorker on us and expect us to come up with our own ... let's have it!

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 28, 2018:

@reponeus Holy Moses! ;-)

What's the most amusing encounter you've had with a religious person?

oldFloyd comments on Sep 27, 2018:

Someone actually asked me to remove the good without a god bumper sticker on my car they said the proof of God was all around me I politely said go away! And may your God go with you.

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 28, 2018:

Bumper stickers can be great conversation starters, if you're open to hostile engagements, that is! One of the weirdest bumper stickers I ever saw attempted to capture a wide range of hot button issues, a few decades ago: "Nuke the Unborn Gay Whales for Jesus!" I laughed so hard when I first saw it that I almost rear-ended the guy!

What's the most amusing encounter you've had with a religious person?

242Foxtrot comments on Sep 27, 2018:

Mine was with a door to door Mormon missionary woman who had a couple of Pacific Islander women in tow. I was in my garage working, with the door open and my Newfie mix dog laying on the garage floor. She barges right up my driveway and into my garage without asking, and then offers to help with ...

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 28, 2018:

A 'Schwarzwalder Humpenschtupper?' I'm gonna have to steal that one! Tschüss!

I exist in this world without clothes, and all animals have special clothes,why?

azzow2 comments on Sep 27, 2018:

Your ancestors were obsessed with shaving so over millennia of cutting off their hair you have evolved into a hairless ape-man.

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 28, 2018:

Ha ha ... funny one!

So I grew up in a rather religious Muslim family and I remember my family being pretty superstitious...

indirect76 comments on Sep 28, 2018:

As a child we always avoided stepping on any distressed areas of pavement that showed wear. We believed that placing our feet on the fissures would cause serious spinal injury to our mothers.

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 28, 2018:

Indeed, and this practice extends to any line ... watch how often baseball managers avoid stepping on the chalk baseline when visiting the mound! Baseball might be viewed as a religion with all its superstitions!

So I grew up in a rather religious Muslim family and I remember my family being pretty superstitious...

Ktruin comments on Sep 28, 2018:

I am soooo leaving my prayer mat out tonight! Does satan piss have magic properties? I'd try it once.

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 28, 2018:

Only if he pees in the direction of Mecca! ;-)

So I grew up in a rather religious Muslim family and I remember my family being pretty superstitious...

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 28, 2018:

So there's religion, and then there's superstitious customs which may not have any direct bearing on the faith. The practice, for instance, of saying 'bless you' after someone sneezes, is a superstition that has little to do with a doctrine. I just have one question, what does it mean to "leave a ...

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 28, 2018:

@BufftonBeotch Oh, shoes ... yes, I'd forgotten how significant they are to some cultures. I found it amusing when the Iraqi protester hurled his shoes at George W. Bush. To George, it was a relatively harmless projectile, which he easily dodged, but to the region, it meant something entirely different. Peace.

Richard Dawkins : Why atheists are not as rational as some like to think [theconversation.com]

Dhiltong comments on Sep 27, 2018:

Religion and science both originated from the same place, the human mind. Both ideology's like to claim their view of the universe is the correct one, but science has yet to come up with a mathematical equation that explains or predicts either viewpoint. So, in the big scheme of things is any one ...

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 28, 2018:

@Dhiltong Science is at least three things, none of which may be called an 'ideology.' 1) Science, first and foremost, is a body of knowledge—facts about the universe and the phenomena by which we are surrounded. 2) Secondly, science is a collection of practitioners, theorists and researchers, engaged in the effort to increase our understanding and broaden our knowledge. 3) Finally, science involves a process—the scientific method—which enables scientists from diverse backgrounds and cultures to reproduce, or, as the case may be, falsify the experiments and results. When comparing (or contrasting) science and religion, the important point to remember is that, when it comes to knowledge, there is an inverse relationship between the two. Over the centuries, as fast as science has acquired knowledge, religion has been forced to retreat, conceding ground to factual understanding demonstrated by science. That now-famous gap filled by religion grows narrower with each scientific discovery. Soon, religion will be left with little ground to claim.

Is scientific knowledge limited in principle?

Livia comments on Sep 27, 2018:

Ha! It’s impossible to answer this question. Or the answer is both are possible at the same time. Our knowledge is limited by our physical bodies and our social environments. Yet what we experience physically or via subjective perception cannot be trusted as reality (even our eyes see the word ...

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 28, 2018:

You raise a very good point. All it takes is a unique mind of creative genius and insight to change everything, and propel science in directions previously unimagined. Isaac Newton, James Clerk Maxwell and Albert Einstein, to name three--without these, and so many others, our scientific knowledge would be greatly diminished. If we are to evolve as a species, ask questions we've yet to consider and gain broad knowledge and understanding of the universe, women and men of genius must lead the way ... at least until our AI takes over! ;-)

Is scientific knowledge limited in principle?

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 27, 2018:

I think you know my propensity on this subject, based on prior conversations, so I’d like instead to offer a related question, as a diversionary thought experiment. When the singularity arrives, then what? When the artificial intelligence we create surpasses our capacity to acquire knowledge ...

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 27, 2018:

@MichaelBaribeau Agreed ... we will start with implants, and go from there. Perhaps we will eventually be like the Borg.

We live in the worst of possible worlds.

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 27, 2018:

How about Case #2: Scenario 3? In this case, the Almighty created the universe and the laws governing it, and moved on to other things, never to be seen or heard from. In this case, the Creator never interacts, never tweaks, never inspires, never punishes. The Creator is the ultimate absentee ...

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 27, 2018:

@Stig "Situation optimization" is a goal here?

Chris Hedges is a man worth listening to. Where are we headed as a country? [youtu.be]

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 27, 2018:

Mr. Hedges is worth listening to? The man who gave us the term, 'the cult of science' and wrote the book, 'I Don't Believe in Atheists?' Seriously?

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 27, 2018:

@skado Opinions are all we really have, and it's good that we can share them rationally. I consider Harris more a Nullifidian (one who has no faith or religious belief) who is hypercritical, as am I, of organzied religion. I don't agree with everything Harris says, but I personally found his book 'Letter to a Christian Nation,' very helpful during my gradual exodus from my religion.

Is scientific knowledge limited in principle?

hippydog comments on Sep 27, 2018:

Maybe limited for us.. but maybe not limited for our future robot/AI overlords ???

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 27, 2018:

I apologize for plagerizing your idea ... I didn't read your post before I replied to @Matias. Peace.

God was fired.

DavidLaDeau comments on Sep 27, 2018:

I asked Jesus to be my God. When he never showed up to work I just could not keep him on the payroll.

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 27, 2018:

Dude ... I'm stealing that one!

Chris Hedges is a man worth listening to. Where are we headed as a country? [youtu.be]

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 27, 2018:

Mr. Hedges is worth listening to? The man who gave us the term, 'the cult of science' and wrote the book, 'I Don't Believe in Atheists?' Seriously?

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 27, 2018:

@skado In 'Waking Up,' Sam Harris charts an interesting path that might make someone like Richard Dawkins uncomfortable. But Harris, whose books I have read, is clearly an atheist, whereas Hedges, while he may not be, as you’ve noted, a literalist, is nevertheless a theist. In one of his debates with Harris, Hedges stated, 'God is better understood as a verb, than a noun.’ That's pretty much where he lost me. However, although I am a Positivist, in addition to being a Nullifidian, I prefer to keep an open mind when it comes to the potential benefit of some of the disciplines and practices claimed by religion, beginning with meditation.

Chris Hedges is a man worth listening to. Where are we headed as a country? [youtu.be]

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 27, 2018:

Mr. Hedges is worth listening to? The man who gave us the term, 'the cult of science' and wrote the book, 'I Don't Believe in Atheists?' Seriously?

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 27, 2018:

@skado Hedges is highly critical of atheists, particularly the more notorious public figures like Harris, Hitchens, Dawkins, Dennett and Maher, who he believes have made a religion of atheism, and created their own 'cult of science.'

Just found out my only "non-religious" friend believes in reincarnation, even to the extent that she...

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 27, 2018:

The terms 'non religious' and 'reincarnation' are not reconcilable.

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 27, 2018:

@Meili I understand, and agree with you, as I've seen views unsupported by evidence espoused by agnostics or atheists on this site--things like reincarnation, anti-GMO, anti-vax'ers, conspiracy theories and even flat-Earthers! My point is that these beliefs represent, in the larger sense of the term, a religious frame of mind, as they require faith (i.e., claiming knowledge about which one cannot possibly know in the absence of evidence, or even in denial of counter-evidence).

Just found out my only "non-religious" friend believes in reincarnation, even to the extent that she...

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 27, 2018:

The terms 'non religious' and 'reincarnation' are not reconcilable.

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 27, 2018:

@Meili If you're implying that one can believe in reincarnation based on evidence as opposed to faith, what evidence are you prepared to provide?

Can science and religion be reconciled?

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 10, 2018:

As you know me fairly well by now, Matias, you can expect that I might disagree. On the whole, I consider religion and science to be at odds with one another, if for no other reason than the means by which each arrives at factual claims about the universe. The epistemology of religion is fatally ...

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 27, 2018:

@Jimmyboy Exactly! If I understand @Matias correctly, not only are there things we do not know, but there are things we cannot possibly know in our present evolutionary chimp-brained state. And this is assumed to be true, based on what information? Absent evidence for these unknowable unknowns that may never be known, to believe in such is like believing in a deity.

Just found out my only "non-religious" friend believes in reincarnation, even to the extent that she...

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 27, 2018:

The terms 'non religious' and 'reincarnation' are not reconcilable.

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 27, 2018:

@Meili And your point is?

Chris Hedges is a man worth listening to. Where are we headed as a country? [youtu.be]

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 27, 2018:

Mr. Hedges is worth listening to? The man who gave us the term, 'the cult of science' and wrote the book, 'I Don't Believe in Atheists?' Seriously?

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 27, 2018:

@Condor5 Yes.

Its been proven that Jesus did not exist. So why hasn't Christianity collapsed yet?

Danjango23 comments on Sep 26, 2018:

Its been proven that Jesus did not exist. So why hasn't Christianity collapsed yet?​

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 27, 2018:

Do you have a stuttering problem? Why are you repeating yourself?

Its been proven that Jesus did not exist. So why hasn't Christianity collapsed yet?

gearl comments on Sep 27, 2018:

I also don't really believe that Jesus lived as a man but where is your proof.

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 27, 2018:

No proof can ever be offered ... sometimes folks are just full of shit, and other times, they're just pieces thereof.

Dalai Lama says all religions are the same.

AntaresRose comments on Sep 13, 2018:

I have heard ALL paths lead to GOD.

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 26, 2018:

@BettyColeman At least!

I was sitting on an airplane this afternoon and got the chance rewatch Contact for the first time ...

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 25, 2018:

Absolutely! I remember when this film came out ... and I will never forget the scene where Jody Foster is on the gantry of the Japanese machine, looking down on the spinning gyros. Sagan had it right, if we are all that there is when it comes to "intelligent" life, it sure would be a waste of ...

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 26, 2018:

@VAH1979 I'm not sure, but I would imagine he meant 'sentient,' or 'self-aware,' which could mean other mammals, as well as beings not unlike our ancestors, or a species well beyond our development.

Asking for the thoughts/opinions of others here.

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 26, 2018:

Having been raised in a conservative protestant faith, experienced baptism by immersion, and a rebirth of a kind, I can offer the following: 1. I didn't "run to religion" as an escape--it was all I had known. 2. The "reality of life" exists within the cocoon--those who are born again and accept ...

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 26, 2018:

@Triphid No need to apologize ... I must apologize, as I was the one who misunderstood. In the grand scheme of things, the term 'new' may be rather ancient, as in "New Testament." When it comes to your neighbor, there is often an overwhelming urge to 'share' one's 'testimony,' following an emotional vector change brought about by a religious experience. Your neighbor's sense of guilt may have played a role here. Personally, having lived through all of this crap, I wish these people would just keep it to themselves. Their experiences should be viewed as being unique to them, and not meant for mass distribution.

This post is for a debate. What caused the universe?

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 26, 2018:

Our universe is roughly 13.7 billion years of age, but there may be an endless number of universes that predate, or even coexist with, our own. There is, it seems to me, an infinite regression / succession of causes and effects, which do not require an 'uncaused cause,' or deity. This only raises ...

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 26, 2018:

@Christologist The concept of infinity is clearly an abstraction. At this point we need to depart from math and physics (as we understand them) in order to contemplate the 'infiinite' past and future. Thus, we enter the realm of philosophy, wherein objectivity and logic are indeterminate. And, just to be clear, whether or not you have a hidden agenda, and are merely moving pawns at this juncture, based on your correspondence thus far, I don't take you to be an 'opinionated asshole.'

Can science and religion be reconciled?

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 10, 2018:

As you know me fairly well by now, Matias, you can expect that I might disagree. On the whole, I consider religion and science to be at odds with one another, if for no other reason than the means by which each arrives at factual claims about the universe. The epistemology of religion is fatally ...

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 26, 2018:

@Matias "Science and its scope of explanation is limited..." Agreed. Science is limited by our ability to collect, analyze, recognize and characterize data. That being admitted, the fact that there remains a vast number of 'unknown unknowns' (i.e., questions we've yet to even consider) should never be in dispute. However, the limitations to which you refer are not fixed, and as we gain knowledge regarding the universe and the phenomena by which we are surrounded, the realm of science (including our ability to reason on the relevant subjects) continues to expand.

Values from facts?

Matias comments on Sep 25, 2018:

In moral philosophy, inferring from "is" to "ought" is considered a fallacy. But people like Sam Harris try to do it the following way: they are saying that the supreme value that all moral system should use as an objective yardstick is "human flourishing" ; moral values should help increase ...

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 26, 2018:

@Matias I disagree. Despite being influenced by cultural uniquenesses, human flourishing may consist of a wide range of cross-cultural (i.e. human) quantifications. In other words, we share more in common across cultures than we may wish to admit! When we finally recognize that we are more alike in our values than we are dissimilar, what is next, Matias?

You are not responsible for anybody else's happiness.

genessa comments on Sep 26, 2018:

maybe responsibility is the wrong concept here. it is not our job to ensure anyone's happiness, and that's good, because we can't. it would be an impossible job. on the other hand we do have responsibilities: not to abuse people, not to sabotage people's rightful attempts to be happy, stuff ...

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 26, 2018:

Wish I'd said that ... well stated!

Open relationships

JanGarber comments on Sep 25, 2018:

I slept with a woman who was in an open relationship. Although it was fun, I never understood the utility of an open relationship.

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 26, 2018:

The terms 'utility' and 'fun' are, essentially, mutually exclusive, are they not? Or, maybe there's a book to be written on the 'utlility OF fun?'

Creationism for Dummies

TheAstroChuck comments on Sep 25, 2018:

T-Rex is my friend - indeed.

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 25, 2018:

Wait, isn't it 'My Friend the Brachiosaurus?' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKShhdIF6QM

For all of you Trekies out there...lol

Beowulfsfriend comments on Sep 25, 2018:

That's right. Too bad they never went there. And please, do not mention the blasphemy that was ST5. I found the video of it in my house, long ago, and asked my son how it got there, to which he replied, a friend left it and wouldn't take it back.

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 25, 2018:

Yes, but what does god need with a starship? ;-)

Is the human embryo sacred or something special ?

Ingi comments on Sep 23, 2018:

What an interesting observation. I can’t speak from an intellectual point of view with this. I don’t believe I could abort a child in uterine because it is a living being who has the right to live. However I would not push this on others. This is central to my beliefs. I recognize the biology ...

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 25, 2018:

@Ingi Okay, I think I understand. Your spouse is (was?) your partner who went against your wishes, and because of your spouse's behavior, men should stop being assholes before we can have a conversation about who has a say in a woman's right over her body? If it is your position that you have (or should have had) veto power over your husband's reproductive decisions, then it follows that he would hold similar power over yours. But all of this is between the two of you, and should have no direct bearing on the public debate. Just as our partners hold infinitely more significance than our elected representatives, there's a huge difference between the intimate decisions made in the privacy of our homes and laws made in statehouses.

Values from facts?

Matias comments on Sep 25, 2018:

In moral philosophy, inferring from "is" to "ought" is considered a fallacy. But people like Sam Harris try to do it the following way: they are saying that the supreme value that all moral system should use as an objective yardstick is "human flourishing" ; moral values should help increase ...

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 25, 2018:

@Matias “That Scandinavian societies score high on the ‘happiness’ spectrum is a fact, but what do we infer from that fact?” Inference is not needed here, as these facts (or scores) are based on information (or data), from survey questions and observations regarding a society at large. If the metrics used by reputable institutions, such as the Pew Research Center, are to be questioned, let us examine them. But to be dismissive of these data or the implications they offer is akin to not wishing to ‘go there,’ and I for one don’t believe in behaving like an ostrich. I agree with Harris that well being is comparable to health—both can, and should, be analyzed, diagnosed and improved upon. I am one who is never satisfied with the status quo—as my avatar famously said, “We have it in our power to begin the world over again.”

Values from facts?

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 25, 2018:

I would assert that facts inform, but do not determine, our values. Values are inherently subjective, and while facts may call our values into question, facts alone cannot determine them.

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 25, 2018:

@HereticSin Indeed! A baseline set of values is elusive. Back in the late 1940's, the so-called universal values of human dignity seemed self-evident, as the U.N. fashioned the UDHR. Read it, and weep! Today, one cannot assert such a consensus! And yet, if we are able to strip away power and the subjection of tyrannical suppression, we should, in my opinion, unanimously agree that self determination forms the groundwork of human rights. From there, we (collectively) must build our lattice work of values.

Values from facts?

Matias comments on Sep 25, 2018:

In moral philosophy, inferring from "is" to "ought" is considered a fallacy. But people like Sam Harris try to do it the following way: they are saying that the supreme value that all moral system should use as an objective yardstick is "human flourishing" ; moral values should help increase ...

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 25, 2018:

Philosophical fallacies aside, realizing that Sam Harris may not be your ideal spokesperson, dare we dismiss outright the opportunity for growth and flourishing, due to the potential arm wrestling over the ‘ought’ vs. ‘is’ argument? We are at risk of oversimplification if we think that terms like ‘flourishing’ and ‘well-being’ are beyond description. Let us at least begin with ‘happiness’ or ‘contentment’ as descriptors, and move from there. There are metrics already in place, such as Scandinavian societies' score on the ‘happiness’ spectrum, but we can always refine our criteria. The point is, we must begin somewhere when describing values such as flourishing and happiness. What metric might you rely upon?

Who do priest confess to about their sexual abuse?

DavidLaDeau comments on Sep 24, 2018:

Many confide to each other, others to those in higher positions, some "to God" and others never confess. Priest are humans, and this must not be forgotten.

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 24, 2018:

"Priests are humans, and this must not be forgotten." I doubt that anyone, here in this environment at least, is saying that they aren't human, nor is anyone guilty of forgetting that simple fact. It is for this reason that, from the pope on down, each priest must be held accountable, just as the 'bad uncle' or local child molestor.

I'm far from a christian, but of all the versions of Jesus I ever came across, the ones of him as a ...

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 24, 2018:

All the versions of Jesus, from the gentle, meek and mild to a ripped carpenter who led a revolt and 'came not to send peace, but a sword,' are made-up characters out of a made-up character. We have nothing in the historical record upon which to even base the existence of this person, much less his ...

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 24, 2018:

@towkneed To be fair, my writing style does not always convey the tounge that's in my cheek, or so I've been told! Peace.

Is the human embryo sacred or something special ?

Mooolah comments on Sep 21, 2018:

It is very special. Especially when stir fried & served with a nice bordeaux.

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 24, 2018:

@Triphid My reference was to Hannibal 'The Cannibal' Lecter in his now-famous Silence of the Lambs line. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIahXVJrvT0

Many atheists groups on f/b advocate that they should be closed groups mainly because it's useless ...

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 21, 2018:

When it comes to just about any social media platform I’m familiar with, most of the exchanges between differing points of view are void of civility and respect. As a result, the platforms become echo chambers of like-minded automatons. If a platform exists where the ideas are more important than ...

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 24, 2018:

@Matias Of course I don't believe that such a world exists, but you did ask if I thought that THIS platform might be a place where 'ideas were more important than personalities' and, to me at least, the jury is still out on that one.

Is the human embryo sacred or something special ?

Ingi comments on Sep 23, 2018:

What an interesting observation. I can’t speak from an intellectual point of view with this. I don’t believe I could abort a child in uterine because it is a living being who has the right to live. However I would not push this on others. This is central to my beliefs. I recognize the biology ...

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 24, 2018:

@Ingi Your body, your choice ... and as a man, I don't even think we (males) should have a say in the matter! Peace.

Many atheists groups on f/b advocate that they should be closed groups mainly because it's useless ...

Marine comments on Sep 21, 2018:

Go public loud and clear.

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 24, 2018:

...and locked and louded? ;-)

Many atheists groups on f/b advocate that they should be closed groups mainly because it's useless ...

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 21, 2018:

When it comes to just about any social media platform I’m familiar with, most of the exchanges between differing points of view are void of civility and respect. As a result, the platforms become echo chambers of like-minded automatons. If a platform exists where the ideas are more important than ...

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 24, 2018:

@Matias Sadly, even on this platform, Matias, I've found, or been found by, trolls and shills, and the occasional thin-skinned whiner who seems to prefer to interpret comments in a manner that enables them to claim an injury. As a student of Stephen Covey, I strive to practice the 7 habits, the 5th of which is "seek first to understand, then be understood."

Is the human embryo sacred or something special ?

resserts comments on Sep 23, 2018:

If the joining of a sperm and egg is somehow a sign of a spiritual reality or a sacrament of sorts (however he's defining that), I have to wonder whether he believes the same for chickens and pigs, whose embryonic development is so similar to that of humans, and if not *why* not. He seems to have no...

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 24, 2018:

Well stated! Humanocentric hubris is behind all of this 'specialness' and 'sacred' nonsense. And when in our evolutionary history was this designation achieved? Were our hominid ancestors endowed with the same 'sacred spark' that we inherited? How many millions of years have we been 'special?'

Is the human embryo sacred or something special ?

Ingi comments on Sep 23, 2018:

What an interesting observation. I can’t speak from an intellectual point of view with this. I don’t believe I could abort a child in uterine because it is a living being who has the right to live. However I would not push this on others. This is central to my beliefs. I recognize the biology ...

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 24, 2018:

A child? Is that what women are calling blastocysts nowadays? And what is divine about IVF? Are each of the numerous fertilized eggs, nearly all of which are discarded, considered 'sacred?' These embryos are typically frozen, so is the 'divine spark' likewise 'on ice?' Consider what the future of IVG holds, where women, with or without the assistance of a male donor, will have their eggs harvested and fertilized by sperm-like cells in a laboratory so that they can analyze the candidates for genetic characteristics, freeze the promising ones, and discard the rest. This is already happening in a number of countries. This genie will not return to the bottle. Soon, genetic analyses and engineering will enable the ideal traits to be selected, and unwanted embryos will be discarded by the hundreds of millions.

Is the human embryo sacred or something special ?

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 21, 2018:

What about IVF or IVG? In the not-too-distant future, all human embryos may be conceived in a lab, and a sperm donor won't even be required, as stem cells can be used to manufacture sperm-like cells. A significant number of blastocysts may result from a single egg harvest, which may then be frozen ...

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 24, 2018:

@Deiter I believe you're right. It's up to the potential parent(s).

Is the human embryo sacred or something special ?

Mooolah comments on Sep 21, 2018:

It is very special. Especially when stir fried & served with a nice bordeaux.

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 21, 2018:

Not fava beans and a nice chianti?

Which God is best?

242Foxtrot comments on Sep 21, 2018:

Why, the Love God, of course!

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 21, 2018:

OMG! How did I ever not see this!

Was asked why I am agnostic and not athiest or religious.

LenHazell53 comments on Sep 20, 2018:

"To quote Bill Cosby," you really want to do that, I think it is more like "the getting of the pudding is dependant on the %proof in the drink he gave you"

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 21, 2018:

Nice! My first thought exactly ... why quote Bill Cosby?

If I told you I had a Beautiful Mind would you understand what I am telling you.

exilesky comments on Sep 20, 2018:

A beautiful mind is a terrible thing to waste.

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 21, 2018:

@exilesky We've really lowered the bar on embarrassing politicians, haven't we?!!

If I told you I had a Beautiful Mind would you understand what I am telling you.

exilesky comments on Sep 20, 2018:

A beautiful mind is a terrible thing to waste.

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 20, 2018:

Indeed! Or, as the 'esteemed' speaker and former Vice President once declared: "What a waste it is to lose one's mind. Or not to have a mind is being very wasteful. How true that is." Dan Quayle (addressing the United Negro College Fund, whose slogan is "a mind is a terrible thing to waste")

If I told you I had a Beautiful Mind would you understand what I am telling you.

MrLizard comments on Sep 20, 2018:

You'd cheat on your wife and go nutso?

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 20, 2018:

A mind fuck?

Why are people convinced the sense of self will exist beyond death?

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 20, 2018:

I have what you might call a ‘kinder and gentler’ perspective about the inspiration for an afterlife, which involves love and loss, as opposed to an egocentric extension of oneself. When you’ve lost someone you deeply love, and dearly miss them, you are open to any idea or philosophy that ...

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 20, 2018:

@rabidazzle Sadly, I caved into Pascal's Wager in my late teens, doubling down on faith, following a period of rebellion and doubt. It wasn't until much later in life, and as a parent of young adults, that I allowed myself the luxury of doubt, once again. Peace.

What do you really believe.

Donotbelieve comments on Sep 20, 2018:

I love satin.

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 20, 2018:

@Donotbelieve How about those 'knights in white satin?' :-)

Christianity: because you're so awful you made god kill himself... lol

chalupacabre comments on Sep 20, 2018:

If suicide's a crime & God kills himself . . .? Oh, that's right - He was resurrected after 3 days. Wasn't actually a death, so much as a wasted weekend

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 20, 2018:

@chalupacabre It's been a while since I read it, but you're right, there are discrepancies, interpelotations and let's be honest, no eyewitness testimony.

Christianity: because you're so awful you made god kill himself... lol

chalupacabre comments on Sep 20, 2018:

If suicide's a crime & God kills himself . . .? Oh, that's right - He was resurrected after 3 days. Wasn't actually a death, so much as a wasted weekend

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 20, 2018:

Don't you get tired of the 'after 3 days' crap? I mean, since when is a period of less than 40 hours—from 3:00 p.m. on a Friday to sometime before sunrise, NLT 7:00 a.m. on a Sunday—equivalent to three (3) days?

What do you really believe.

Donotbelieve comments on Sep 20, 2018:

I love satin.

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 20, 2018:

Nice feel, but too slippery ... always falling out of the sheets and onto the floor! ;-)

TESS first science images... hunting for planets. The LMC on the edge ❤️ [nasa.gov]

AntaresRose comments on Sep 18, 2018:

The sky is beautiful in the day but also just as beautiful at night.

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 20, 2018:

Yes, but this image was taken in space, where the concepts of 'day,' 'night' and 'sky' don't apply.

David, it is said, was 'a man after God's own heart.' Really?

LenHazell53 comments on Sep 18, 2018:

David and Saul's son Jonathon were also gay

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 20, 2018:

@EMC2 My point exactly ... thanks!

Fresh Air podcast - Neil deGrasse Tyson examines the unspoken alliance between science and war.

MacTavish comments on Sep 19, 2018:

That was an interesting comment concerning the Space Force origin.

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 20, 2018:

@Denker IF a Space Force is stood up, it seems likely that the role of the military would remain suborbital. Missiles—ICBMs, SLBMs, TBMs—which never attain orbit would likely continue under the Air Force, Navy and Army. And while the military branches fund and control a number of satellites in mission areas such as communication, navigation and early warning, it is the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) which builds, launches and operates reconnaissance satellites. The NRO would likely be one of the founding members of a Space Force. ASAT programs are quite controversial, not the least of which for the vast debris fields left through the limited tests that have been conducted to date. Should an ASAT weapon be used against another nation’s asset, the platform from which it would be launched is irrelevant, as the decision to “go” would likely be made by the National Command Authority (NCA). Generally speaking, while the budgetary and mission area debates between the various branches can, at times, be contentious, it is the UCC (Unified Combatant Command), led by a 4-star, which acts as the warfighter. If combat is anticipated in space, the envisioned Space Force would, it seems to me, require a command, with its own doctrine, strategy, tactics and commander.

Dalai Lama says all religions are the same.

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 14, 2018:

Until seeing the recent video evidence of men dressed similarly to the Dalai Lama committing acts of violence and persecution against an ethnic / religious minority, I had thought Buddhism to be incapable of such intolerance. But seeing the hardline monks of Myanmar as they conducted ethnic ...

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 20, 2018:

@Jolanta Agreed. Hence my criticism of Burma and comparison of the treatment of Native Americans in the third paragraph.

David, it is said, was 'a man after God's own heart.' Really?

LenHazell53 comments on Sep 18, 2018:

David and Saul's son Jonathon were also gay

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 18, 2018:

@LenHazell53 Since I view the entire Bible as a work of fiction, I am willing to accept your interpretation. We are not, after all, talking about historical facts.

What really fascinates me is, when we starve we some times act like our primate ancestors.

AnneWimsey comments on Sep 18, 2018:

Not so much....even the Donner Pass people waited until their friends were dead

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 18, 2018:

Not friends, exactly, but two Miwok Indians, who were shot for use as food. This was justified on the grounds that they were not deemed as 'fully human.' Ironic, isn't it? The Miwoks did not engage in cannibalism, but were eaten by the white folk who claimed to be superior!

David, it is said, was 'a man after God's own heart.' Really?

LenHazell53 comments on Sep 18, 2018:

David and Saul's son Jonathon were also gay

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 18, 2018:

Clearly David was not gay, as he fathered numerous children, and even arranged to have Bathsheba's husband, his general Uriah, killed in battle so that he would not discover that David had impregnated his wife with whom he had conducted an affair! That Jonathan and David were emotionally intimate is clear from the story, but it is speculation to suppose that they were lovers. If so, David would have to have been bisexual.

Can a person believe in evolution and the Bible at the same time?

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 13, 2018:

My vote of "NO" implies an acceptance of the voracity of the Bible by the Christian, irrespective of the fact that there are hundreds, if not thousands of ways in which it has been interpreted. Apart from all the stories of miracles that directly impinge on science, including biology, the two ...

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 18, 2018:

@Matias Thank you for clarifying. I had not considered that you were referencing me directly. Having blown straight through from a literalist view of scripture where the Bible is history to not believing a single word of it, I fail at times to recognize that there remains a middle ground filled with hand waving reinterpreters, creative justifiers and lukewarm Laodecian apologists. Suffice to say, I've never heard the Neolithic Revolution interpretation. Peace.

It is the moments of decision that shape your destiny.

242Foxtrot comments on Sep 17, 2018:

I should never have agreed to eating at Casa Bonita.

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 18, 2018:

Ah, Casa Bonita in western Denver ... the food is hideous (a cafeteria style selection of 'Swanson's' type frozen Mexican-ish faire!) But the spectacle of high divers, magicians and other side shows is, well ... let's just say that Casa Bonita is like a place where Mickey Mouse meets Chucky Cheese!

Can a person believe in evolution and the Bible at the same time?

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 13, 2018:

My vote of "NO" implies an acceptance of the voracity of the Bible by the Christian, irrespective of the fact that there are hundreds, if not thousands of ways in which it has been interpreted. Apart from all the stories of miracles that directly impinge on science, including biology, the two ...

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 18, 2018:

@Matias "You give very good reasons why it is VERY difficult to reconcile both, but that was not the question." Huh? Was not this the very question? "Can a person believe in evolution and the Bible at the same time?"

Can a person believe in evolution and the Bible at the same time?

HeatherRobson comments on Sep 13, 2018:

Most religious people who have talked to who also believe in evolution simply attribute Evolution to God. They think it's a process that he created for the creatures of this world. Sort of a middle management thing I think.

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 17, 2018:

@HeatherRobson The differences here are not minute, at least to the believer. The first model may be Deistic in nature, where a Creator set up all the laws of nature, and allowed them to run, open loop, while he/she/it is never to be seen or heard from; the second, or Theistic, model yields the more common 'miracle worker,' who can and does interfere in the steady chain of natural causes and effects. The first model allows for agnosticism, while the second does not.

"(University of the Witwatersrand) The earliest evidence of a drawing made by humans has been found ...

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 13, 2018:

These scratches don't work for me as art, but then I'm just not into abstraction. ;-)

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 14, 2018:

@Avicenna Thomas Paine ... but Jefferson was his friend. :-)

"(University of the Witwatersrand) The earliest evidence of a drawing made by humans has been found ...

Sofabeast comments on Sep 12, 2018:

Aside from light hearted comments, the human self is amazing. This find not only demonstrates our collective history is earlier than we knew, but adds an indication of cultural development too. It indicates thought and planning through production of pigments, and concept of pleasing designs.

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 14, 2018:

"Aside from light hearted comments, the human self is amazing." Or, because of light hearted comments?

Capitalism works on much the same principle as evolution.

273kelvin comments on Sep 13, 2018:

Could the reverse also be said? Atheists who know that natural selection has produced the rich diversity of flora and fauna on our planet, still crave the top down thinking of socialism?

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 14, 2018:

@JeffB True, the Framers didn't really need to have it written in the Constitution that white male property owners are the only ones allowed to vote, since voting rights were controlled at the State level. And it is in the Statehouses where the conversations throughout history on who should, and should not, vote get even more dramatic.

"(University of the Witwatersrand) The earliest evidence of a drawing made by humans has been found ...

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 13, 2018:

These scratches don't work for me as art, but then I'm just not into abstraction. ;-)

p-nullifidian replies on Sep 14, 2018:

@Avicenna "Neo-primitive?"