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Do you believe in dreams?
SleepingOnABoat comments on Aug 21, 2018:
I have actually patented more than one idea I had in a dream!
I once had a dream I was riding my motorcycle on a wet night and was constantly struggling to keep it on the road. It was a strange dangerous and twisty road. Years later while riding Hwy-17 between Santa Cruz and San Jose, I felt ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 22, 2018:
@BeerAndWine Indeed, how would we? I would imagine only through glitches or failures, otherwise the simulation is our reality.
SleepingOnABoat comments on Aug 21, 2018:
I have actually patented more than one idea I had in a dream!
I once had a dream I was riding my motorcycle on a wet night and was constantly struggling to keep it on the road. It was a strange dangerous and twisty road. Years later while riding Hwy-17 between Santa Cruz and San Jose, I felt ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 22, 2018:
@BeerAndWine Indeed, how would we? I would imagine only through glitches or failures, otherwise the simulation is our reality.
It would be so nice to die tonight! Sucks! Keep waking up and living! LOL! If you want to call this ...
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 21, 2018:
At the risk of appearing insensitive, I've long felt that suicide is the most selfish act one can make, and that, in a world where billions subsist in extreme poverty and don't even have running water, much less a computer on which to post comments, anyone claiming that life sucks simply lacks ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 22, 2018:
@A2Jennifer I understand your concern, and have had some personal experience in this subject. But please note the distinction between a single act and a quality of being. Speaking generally, just as a selfish person can perform an act of generosity, an unselfish person may commit a selfish act.
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 21, 2018:
At the risk of appearing insensitive, I've long felt that suicide is the most selfish act one can make, and that, in a world where billions subsist in extreme poverty and don't even have running water, much less a computer on which to post comments, anyone claiming that life sucks simply lacks ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 22, 2018:
@A2Jennifer I understand your concern, and have had some personal experience in this subject. But please note the distinction between a single act and a quality of being. Speaking generally, just as a selfish person can perform an act of generosity, an unselfish person may commit a selfish act.
What are the current theories related to the creation of the universe?
TheAstroChuck comments on Aug 20, 2018:
In recent years, the scientific community has provided substantial independent paths of evidence that all support the Big Bang. While there are still a number of details to be worked out, the Big Bang is the only theory with any body of supporting hard evidence. It is far more than simply the ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 22, 2018:
@TheAstroChuck Your advice is appreciated. Peace.
TheAstroChuck comments on Aug 20, 2018:
In recent years, the scientific community has provided substantial independent paths of evidence that all support the Big Bang. While there are still a number of details to be worked out, the Big Bang is the only theory with any body of supporting hard evidence. It is far more than simply the ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 22, 2018:
@TheAstroChuck Your advice is appreciated. Peace.
How dare the pope ask ordinary Catholics to atone for child abuse?
[msn.com]
Paracosm comments on Aug 21, 2018:
I'm really tempted to ask my dad how he feels about this (he's catholic) but I try to avoid starting fights with my parents.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 21, 2018:
No fight needed, in my view. But a question about the behavior of the leadership and the cover-ups would seem appropriate, based on the headlines, beginning with the obligatory, "This isn't anything against you, personally, but how do you feel about...[?]"
Paracosm comments on Aug 21, 2018:
I'm really tempted to ask my dad how he feels about this (he's catholic) but I try to avoid starting fights with my parents.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 21, 2018:
No fight needed, in my view. But a question about the behavior of the leadership and the cover-ups would seem appropriate, based on the headlines, beginning with the obligatory, "This isn't anything against you, personally, but how do you feel about...[?]"
First North American co-occurrence of Hadrosaur and Therizinosaur tracks found in Alaska
August ...
brentan comments on Aug 21, 2018:
The point I drew from this is that it was quite possible to walk from Asia across the now Bering Strait into the North American continent. I think humans could do the same later on.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 21, 2018:
Much, much, much later on. The dinosuars ceased to exist somewhere around 65 million years ago, tens of millions of years before homo sapiens arrived on the scene, much less ventured into North America. Recent fossil evidence places the earliest human settlers in North America at approximatey 130,000 years ago. The geography between the late Cretaceous and the arrival of the original human immigrants simply cannot be viewed as comparable.
brentan comments on Aug 21, 2018:
The point I drew from this is that it was quite possible to walk from Asia across the now Bering Strait into the North American continent. I think humans could do the same later on.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 21, 2018:
Much, much, much later on. The dinosuars ceased to exist somewhere around 65 million years ago, tens of millions of years before homo sapiens arrived on the scene, much less ventured into North America. Recent fossil evidence places the earliest human settlers in North America at approximatey 130,000 years ago. The geography between the late Cretaceous and the arrival of the original human immigrants simply cannot be viewed as comparable.
What are the current theories related to the creation of the universe?
TheAstroChuck comments on Aug 20, 2018:
In recent years, the scientific community has provided substantial independent paths of evidence that all support the Big Bang. While there are still a number of details to be worked out, the Big Bang is the only theory with any body of supporting hard evidence. It is far more than simply the ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 21, 2018:
@gater Again, you're making statements which, may in fact make sense, and with which I might be inclined to agree, but you still haven't provided a credible source for your criticism of the Big Bang Theory, namely, what scientific explanation offers an alternative.
TheAstroChuck comments on Aug 20, 2018:
In recent years, the scientific community has provided substantial independent paths of evidence that all support the Big Bang. While there are still a number of details to be worked out, the Big Bang is the only theory with any body of supporting hard evidence. It is far more than simply the ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 21, 2018:
@gater Again, you're making statements which, may in fact make sense, and with which I might be inclined to agree, but you still haven't provided a credible source for your criticism of the Big Bang Theory, namely, what scientific explanation offers an alternative.
What are the current theories related to the creation of the universe?
TheAstroChuck comments on Aug 20, 2018:
In recent years, the scientific community has provided substantial independent paths of evidence that all support the Big Bang. While there are still a number of details to be worked out, the Big Bang is the only theory with any body of supporting hard evidence. It is far more than simply the ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 21, 2018:
@gater "Wallow in your ignorance."
The beauty of this remark cannot be understated. Those of us who refrain from accepting the incontestable finality of either religious or scientific thought, are pleased to keep an open mind. The beauty of science is that, on the whole, it accepts new data, whereas religion is prone to reject modernity in favor of their favorite book, doctrine or dogma. Science recognizes the vast unknown, whereas religion insists that all that is needed in terms of knowledge has been passed down and documented.
TheAstroChuck comments on Aug 20, 2018:
In recent years, the scientific community has provided substantial independent paths of evidence that all support the Big Bang. While there are still a number of details to be worked out, the Big Bang is the only theory with any body of supporting hard evidence. It is far more than simply the ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 21, 2018:
@gater "Wallow in your ignorance."
The beauty of this remark cannot be understated. Those of us who refrain from accepting the incontestable finality of either religious or scientific thought, are pleased to keep an open mind. The beauty of science is that, on the whole, it accepts new data, whereas religion is prone to reject modernity in favor of their favorite book, doctrine or dogma. Science recognizes the vast unknown, whereas religion insists that all that is needed in terms of knowledge has been passed down and documented.
What are the current theories related to the creation of the universe?
TheAstroChuck comments on Aug 20, 2018:
In recent years, the scientific community has provided substantial independent paths of evidence that all support the Big Bang. While there are still a number of details to be worked out, the Big Bang is the only theory with any body of supporting hard evidence. It is far more than simply the ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 21, 2018:
@gater "No - it will NEVER be proven - it is false and flawed."
Okay ... but if that's your assertion, and you wish to turn the world of cosmology on its head, further detail is warranted to support this assertion, beginning with credible sources.
"The Universe has always been here - I suppose that concept is beyond most peoples comprehension."
Like you, I too supose that terms such as 'eternity' or 'infinity' are beyond the comprehension of finite beings such as ourselves. But are you saying that, based on our observational understanding of the expanding visible universe, the calculations back to an event which occurred some 13.7 billion years ago are not correct? What model do you propose we adopt to explain what we have observed?
TheAstroChuck comments on Aug 20, 2018:
In recent years, the scientific community has provided substantial independent paths of evidence that all support the Big Bang. While there are still a number of details to be worked out, the Big Bang is the only theory with any body of supporting hard evidence. It is far more than simply the ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 21, 2018:
@gater "No - it will NEVER be proven - it is false and flawed."
Okay ... but if that's your assertion, and you wish to turn the world of cosmology on its head, further detail is warranted to support this assertion, beginning with credible sources.
"The Universe has always been here - I suppose that concept is beyond most peoples comprehension."
Like you, I too supose that terms such as 'eternity' or 'infinity' are beyond the comprehension of finite beings such as ourselves. But are you saying that, based on our observational understanding of the expanding visible universe, the calculations back to an event which occurred some 13.7 billion years ago are not correct? What model do you propose we adopt to explain what we have observed?
Do you believe in dreams?
SleepingOnABoat comments on Aug 21, 2018:
I have actually patented more than one idea I had in a dream!
I once had a dream I was riding my motorcycle on a wet night and was constantly struggling to keep it on the road. It was a strange dangerous and twisty road. Years later while riding Hwy-17 between Santa Cruz and San Jose, I felt ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 21, 2018:
In high school, I used to drive the winding highway 17 late at night and with all the inebriates, coming back to Mountain View from Santa Cruz. Back then there was nothing separating the oncoming traffic but two yellow lines. I've had scores, maybe hundreds, of deja vu moments, which causes even this skeptic to wonder if we're not part of a matrix.
SleepingOnABoat comments on Aug 21, 2018:
I have actually patented more than one idea I had in a dream!
I once had a dream I was riding my motorcycle on a wet night and was constantly struggling to keep it on the road. It was a strange dangerous and twisty road. Years later while riding Hwy-17 between Santa Cruz and San Jose, I felt ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 21, 2018:
In high school, I used to drive the winding highway 17 late at night and with all the inebriates, coming back to Mountain View from Santa Cruz. Back then there was nothing separating the oncoming traffic but two yellow lines. I've had scores, maybe hundreds, of deja vu moments, which causes even this skeptic to wonder if we're not part of a matrix.
I've been a fan of the show ' the Atheist Experience ' for about a decade.
LenHazell53 comments on Aug 21, 2018:
I wish Jeff Dee was still on this show, he was awesome when he just lost it with pius aholes
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 21, 2018:
And with assinine pie holes! ;-)
LenHazell53 comments on Aug 21, 2018:
I wish Jeff Dee was still on this show, he was awesome when he just lost it with pius aholes
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 21, 2018:
And with assinine pie holes! ;-)
What are the current theories related to the creation of the universe?
TheAstroChuck comments on Aug 20, 2018:
In recent years, the scientific community has provided substantial independent paths of evidence that all support the Big Bang. While there are still a number of details to be worked out, the Big Bang is the only theory with any body of supporting hard evidence. It is far more than simply the ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 21, 2018:
@gater
Is the Big Bang Theory complete? Obviously not.
Does the theory provide, via mathematical formulas, an explanation as to what occurred in the immediate aftermath of what was originally a derisive term? Clearly the math is there.
Are there additional observations and evidence which support the Big Bang Theory? Obviously, such as the findings from particle physics experiments at CERN, and the discovery of the latent signature of the Big Bang, found in the cosmic background microwave radiation.
Does anyone know with absolute certainty what occurred roughly 13.7 billion years ago? No, and science admits of this.
Is all of this a ‘joke?’ I suppose it depends on your sense of humor.
Look, we do not know what precursors ushered in the Big Bang; how could we? For all we know, the universe is an eternity of big bang-big crunch cycles. But to assail the Big Bang Theory as a joke would, at the very least, require a working alternative, based in science.
TheAstroChuck comments on Aug 20, 2018:
In recent years, the scientific community has provided substantial independent paths of evidence that all support the Big Bang. While there are still a number of details to be worked out, the Big Bang is the only theory with any body of supporting hard evidence. It is far more than simply the ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 21, 2018:
@gater
Is the Big Bang Theory complete? Obviously not.
Does the theory provide, via mathematical formulas, an explanation as to what occurred in the immediate aftermath of what was originally a derisive term? Clearly the math is there.
Are there additional observations and evidence which support the Big Bang Theory? Obviously, such as the findings from particle physics experiments at CERN, and the discovery of the latent signature of the Big Bang, found in the cosmic background microwave radiation.
Does anyone know with absolute certainty what occurred roughly 13.7 billion years ago? No, and science admits of this.
Is all of this a ‘joke?’ I suppose it depends on your sense of humor.
Look, we do not know what precursors ushered in the Big Bang; how could we? For all we know, the universe is an eternity of big bang-big crunch cycles. But to assail the Big Bang Theory as a joke would, at the very least, require a working alternative, based in science.
It would be so nice to die tonight! Sucks! Keep waking up and living! LOL! If you want to call this ...
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 21, 2018:
At the risk of appearing insensitive, I've long felt that suicide is the most selfish act one can make, and that, in a world where billions subsist in extreme poverty and don't even have running water, much less a computer on which to post comments, anyone claiming that life sucks simply lacks ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 21, 2018:
@MARDUK My apologies for reading too much into your post. On a planet of 7 billion hearts and minds, it would seem unlikely that there exists no one who could help you, even if only to remind you 'how love felt.' Peace.
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 21, 2018:
At the risk of appearing insensitive, I've long felt that suicide is the most selfish act one can make, and that, in a world where billions subsist in extreme poverty and don't even have running water, much less a computer on which to post comments, anyone claiming that life sucks simply lacks ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 21, 2018:
@MARDUK My apologies for reading too much into your post. On a planet of 7 billion hearts and minds, it would seem unlikely that there exists no one who could help you, even if only to remind you 'how love felt.' Peace.
As an atheist I don’t feel the need to flaunt my beliefs, or persuade anyone to believe what I ...
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 21, 2018:
'Flaunt' may be an unfortunate choice of words. Would this include a bumper sticker, or t-shirt? How about a lapel pin? Or is flaunting only verbal, in your view? I try not to preach, and would rather ask questions. Socratic reasoning is often preferable to a frontal assault. But overall, in a ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 21, 2018:
@ZelB Such evangelical fervor seems out of place for a nonbeliever. Again, to quote others, would you flaunt non-stamp collecting (i.e, not having picked up the hobby of collecting stamps)? In my experience, interactions of signficance occur naturally, organically between people who know and even trust one another.
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 21, 2018:
'Flaunt' may be an unfortunate choice of words. Would this include a bumper sticker, or t-shirt? How about a lapel pin? Or is flaunting only verbal, in your view? I try not to preach, and would rather ask questions. Socratic reasoning is often preferable to a frontal assault. But overall, in a ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 21, 2018:
@ZelB Such evangelical fervor seems out of place for a nonbeliever. Again, to quote others, would you flaunt non-stamp collecting (i.e, not having picked up the hobby of collecting stamps)? In my experience, interactions of signficance occur naturally, organically between people who know and even trust one another.
FutureLearn has what looks to be an excellent beginner course in geology: The Earth in My Pocket: an...
t1nick comments on Aug 17, 2018:
Cool, I have a degree in geology and teach a dual enrollment high school/ college course in geology. Have fun.. Rock on. Lol
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 21, 2018:
Dude, you rock!
t1nick comments on Aug 17, 2018:
Cool, I have a degree in geology and teach a dual enrollment high school/ college course in geology. Have fun.. Rock on. Lol
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 21, 2018:
Dude, you rock!
Religion is like a penis.
Juggler67 comments on Aug 8, 2018:
This has potential.
My religion worked better when i was a younger man.
Who has the longest religion?
Whats the hardest religion?
If i told you you had a great religion, would you hold it against me?
Is there something about your fathers religion that youre afraid of?
It works ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 21, 2018:
@LucyLoohoo Perhaps when Eve was in the mood, she said, "Adam, you and I need to get something straight between us."
Juggler67 comments on Aug 8, 2018:
This has potential.
My religion worked better when i was a younger man.
Who has the longest religion?
Whats the hardest religion?
If i told you you had a great religion, would you hold it against me?
Is there something about your fathers religion that youre afraid of?
It works ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 21, 2018:
@LucyLoohoo Perhaps when Eve was in the mood, she said, "Adam, you and I need to get something straight between us."
What are the current theories related to the creation of the universe?
TheAstroChuck comments on Aug 20, 2018:
In recent years, the scientific community has provided substantial independent paths of evidence that all support the Big Bang. While there are still a number of details to be worked out, the Big Bang is the only theory with any body of supporting hard evidence. It is far more than simply the ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 21, 2018:
@gater A joke? Do let us in on it!
TheAstroChuck comments on Aug 20, 2018:
In recent years, the scientific community has provided substantial independent paths of evidence that all support the Big Bang. While there are still a number of details to be worked out, the Big Bang is the only theory with any body of supporting hard evidence. It is far more than simply the ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 21, 2018:
@gater A joke? Do let us in on it!
'We Are Climbing Rapidly Out of Humankind's Safe Zone': New Report Warns Dire Climate Warnings Not ...
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 20, 2018:
I remember seeing this video on YouTube before it was popular to watch videos on YouTube ... before Google bought it. Anyway, scientists have been concerned for a very long time that CO2 release would alter the climate. The public seems bored by all of it, unfortunately.
...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 20, 2018:
@BD66 Just fine? According to whom? Is the climate changing? No doubt there. Is it related to human activity? Again, the science indicates such. Were the models in 1958 as accurate as those today? Of course not. Are people motivated by political bias to accept or reject the impact of human activity on climate? Evidently.
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 20, 2018:
I remember seeing this video on YouTube before it was popular to watch videos on YouTube ... before Google bought it. Anyway, scientists have been concerned for a very long time that CO2 release would alter the climate. The public seems bored by all of it, unfortunately.
...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 20, 2018:
@BD66 Just fine? According to whom? Is the climate changing? No doubt there. Is it related to human activity? Again, the science indicates such. Were the models in 1958 as accurate as those today? Of course not. Are people motivated by political bias to accept or reject the impact of human activity on climate? Evidently.
How rigid are you?
Martie1965 comments on Aug 20, 2018:
I was thinking along these lines recently, after joining this site. On fb for instance ALL my religious and political friends just want to argue their side. No discussion no enlightenment, I'm right you're wrong. I love listening to different points of views and different ideas. I have adjusted my ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 20, 2018:
You have, indeed. Peace.
Martie1965 comments on Aug 20, 2018:
I was thinking along these lines recently, after joining this site. On fb for instance ALL my religious and political friends just want to argue their side. No discussion no enlightenment, I'm right you're wrong. I love listening to different points of views and different ideas. I have adjusted my ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 20, 2018:
You have, indeed. Peace.
Thoughts on Interracial Dating & Marriage
bubaj50 comments on Aug 13, 2018:
I see no difference in Colour. What I do acknowledge is Culture compatibility .
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 20, 2018:
@Piratefish Agreed. Most are what we might call, comfortable. Change can be stressful, and growth almost painful. But just like gang, gun or rape culture (to the extent that such a thing may be called such), the culture that we as adults find ourselves in today can either be embraced or abandoned.
bubaj50 comments on Aug 13, 2018:
I see no difference in Colour. What I do acknowledge is Culture compatibility .
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 20, 2018:
@Piratefish Agreed. Most are what we might call, comfortable. Change can be stressful, and growth almost painful. But just like gang, gun or rape culture (to the extent that such a thing may be called such), the culture that we as adults find ourselves in today can either be embraced or abandoned.
Naughty Jesus
PalacinkyPDX comments on Aug 16, 2018:
With his biiig Hebraic schlong! Yeah baby.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 16, 2018:
@LimitedLight Greetings Gershom, or is it Eleazer? The Biblical obsession with foreskins would seem to culminate in the example of David, that strident overachiever:
"Saul replied, “Say to David, ‘The king wants no other price for the bride than a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies.’” Saul’s plan was to have David fall by the hands of the Philistines. When the attendants told David these things, he was pleased to become the king’s son-in-law. So before the allotted time elapsed, David took his men with him and went out and killed two hundred Philistines and brought back their foreskins. They counted out the full number to the king so that David might become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal in marriage."
1 Samuel 18:25-27 (NIV)
PalacinkyPDX comments on Aug 16, 2018:
With his biiig Hebraic schlong! Yeah baby.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 16, 2018:
@LimitedLight Greetings Gershom, or is it Eleazer? The Biblical obsession with foreskins would seem to culminate in the example of David, that strident overachiever:
"Saul replied, “Say to David, ‘The king wants no other price for the bride than a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies.’” Saul’s plan was to have David fall by the hands of the Philistines. When the attendants told David these things, he was pleased to become the king’s son-in-law. So before the allotted time elapsed, David took his men with him and went out and killed two hundred Philistines and brought back their foreskins. They counted out the full number to the king so that David might become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal in marriage."
1 Samuel 18:25-27 (NIV)
Naughty Jesus
PalacinkyPDX comments on Aug 16, 2018:
With his biiig Hebraic schlong! Yeah baby.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 16, 2018:
@LimitedLight Foreskinless, for sure!
PalacinkyPDX comments on Aug 16, 2018:
With his biiig Hebraic schlong! Yeah baby.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 16, 2018:
@LimitedLight Foreskinless, for sure!
Would you date a woman that had sex on the first date?
Junkman comments on Aug 14, 2018:
(Km(kmkkck#k
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 16, 2018:
@Junkman Butt texting? Doesn't it usually go like this: Pfffffft... ?
Junkman comments on Aug 14, 2018:
(Km(kmkkck#k
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 16, 2018:
@Junkman Butt texting? Doesn't it usually go like this: Pfffffft... ?
Space, Time, and Matter.
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 9, 2018:
"Space, Time, and Matter. Are all one."
According to whom?
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 15, 2018:
@Anubis83 On the contrary, it confuses me and sounds much like Deepak Chopra's 'woo-woo.' Energy is missing, by the way.
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 9, 2018:
"Space, Time, and Matter. Are all one."
According to whom?
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 15, 2018:
@Anubis83 On the contrary, it confuses me and sounds much like Deepak Chopra's 'woo-woo.' Energy is missing, by the way.
Don't you agree?
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 15, 2018:
When we are called to the witness stand--something I've actually experienced--we agree to tell the truth. The great problem here is that, no matter how forthright we hope to be, our testimony is subject to our flawed memories, incomplete picture, misperceptions, inexact vocabulary and subjective ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 15, 2018:
@Matias Not sure how I would reply, but I know that this individual's interpretation of the divine is uniquely his/hers. We know that in nature there are no two organisms or objects of any kind that are identical. It seems absurd to me, and rather arrogant, to believe that my subjective interpretation of a being that cannot be accurately described, has never been seen or heard and will never be geolocated, may be exported to others.
The most hubristic and overbearing people are those who take it upon themselves to prosletyze, or bear witness for their faith. The prophets, preachers, apostles and missionaries are, and have been, among the most delusional. They never seem to understand that their experience, their 'truth' is entirely their own and that whatever they feel has been 'revealed' to them is necessarily limited to the first person. Here again, my avatar said it best.
"It is a contradiction in terms and ideas to call anything a revelation that comes to us at second hand, either verbally or in writing. Revelation is necessarily limited to the first communication. After this, it is only an account of something which that person says was a revelation made to him; and though he may find himself obliged to believe it, it cannot be incumbent on me to believe it in the same manner, for it was not a revelation made to me, and I have only his word for it that it was made to him."
Thomas Paine, 'The Age of Reason'
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 15, 2018:
When we are called to the witness stand--something I've actually experienced--we agree to tell the truth. The great problem here is that, no matter how forthright we hope to be, our testimony is subject to our flawed memories, incomplete picture, misperceptions, inexact vocabulary and subjective ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 15, 2018:
@Matias Not sure how I would reply, but I know that this individual's interpretation of the divine is uniquely his/hers. We know that in nature there are no two organisms or objects of any kind that are identical. It seems absurd to me, and rather arrogant, to believe that my subjective interpretation of a being that cannot be accurately described, has never been seen or heard and will never be geolocated, may be exported to others.
The most hubristic and overbearing people are those who take it upon themselves to prosletyze, or bear witness for their faith. The prophets, preachers, apostles and missionaries are, and have been, among the most delusional. They never seem to understand that their experience, their 'truth' is entirely their own and that whatever they feel has been 'revealed' to them is necessarily limited to the first person. Here again, my avatar said it best.
"It is a contradiction in terms and ideas to call anything a revelation that comes to us at second hand, either verbally or in writing. Revelation is necessarily limited to the first communication. After this, it is only an account of something which that person says was a revelation made to him; and though he may find himself obliged to believe it, it cannot be incumbent on me to believe it in the same manner, for it was not a revelation made to me, and I have only his word for it that it was made to him."
Thomas Paine, 'The Age of Reason'
"Blessed, but for some dark undercurrent of woe; That seems to draw, but it shall not be so: Let all...
Carin comments on Aug 15, 2018:
What is that from?
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 15, 2018:
Tennyson's 'Beat Happy Stars.' Here's a nice reading.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TV-A4JNZ4Uc
Carin comments on Aug 15, 2018:
What is that from?
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 15, 2018:
Tennyson's 'Beat Happy Stars.' Here's a nice reading.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TV-A4JNZ4Uc
Faith over Reason
snytiger6 comments on Aug 13, 2018:
I have said many times that faith without evidence or facts is fine with me.
However, when people choose to believe in spite of evidence and facts, then that crosses the line, to where it is no longer faith, but willful ignorance. Most religious persons do nto make the distinction between the ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 15, 2018:
"I have said many times that faith without evidence or facts is fine with me."
Why would you say that? BTW, 'faith without evidence' is a redundancy. The very definition of faith may be found in the New Testament, according to Paul:
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)
The substance of hope and the supposed evidence of the unseen are the twin pillars of religous faith. In other words, credulity.
snytiger6 comments on Aug 13, 2018:
I have said many times that faith without evidence or facts is fine with me.
However, when people choose to believe in spite of evidence and facts, then that crosses the line, to where it is no longer faith, but willful ignorance. Most religious persons do nto make the distinction between the ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 15, 2018:
"I have said many times that faith without evidence or facts is fine with me."
Why would you say that? BTW, 'faith without evidence' is a redundancy. The very definition of faith may be found in the New Testament, according to Paul:
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)
The substance of hope and the supposed evidence of the unseen are the twin pillars of religous faith. In other words, credulity.
Another chapter on,
"being embarrassed to be an American lately ..."
CallMeDave comments on Aug 14, 2018:
On a Japanese car
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 15, 2018:
Made in Alabama by non-union employees.
CallMeDave comments on Aug 14, 2018:
On a Japanese car
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 15, 2018:
Made in Alabama by non-union employees.
Tokyo medical school admits changing results to exclude women
Cast1es comments on Aug 9, 2018:
If men were really men , they wouldn't have to keep cutting women down to their own size . You can't prove you're really better , if you can't stand on your own two feet .
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 14, 2018:
I'd say that calling a woman a 'dog' falls into the category of not being a real man. Agreed?
Cast1es comments on Aug 9, 2018:
If men were really men , they wouldn't have to keep cutting women down to their own size . You can't prove you're really better , if you can't stand on your own two feet .
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 14, 2018:
I'd say that calling a woman a 'dog' falls into the category of not being a real man. Agreed?
So, let me get this straight. Satan incites God to act without reason?
Sydland comments on Aug 14, 2018:
This makes no sense.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 14, 2018:
Very little in the Bible actually does!
Sydland comments on Aug 14, 2018:
This makes no sense.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 14, 2018:
Very little in the Bible actually does!
I don't understand the metaphor.
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 9, 2018:
What metaphor?
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 14, 2018:
@Jdkglobal My tongue-in-cheek question was an attempt to highlight the fact that the ancients viewed their model of the world not as metaphor, but reality.
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 9, 2018:
What metaphor?
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 14, 2018:
@Jdkglobal My tongue-in-cheek question was an attempt to highlight the fact that the ancients viewed their model of the world not as metaphor, but reality.
Tokyo medical school admits changing results to exclude women
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 10, 2018:
Consider this: In Japan and the US, as well as many other democratic nations, women outnumber men. With a single vote, they have the power to change the status quo, and yet women in these two countries and elsewhere continue to endure discrimination! This is nothing less than male apartheid! For ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 13, 2018:
@I_dont_know Exactly my point, made earlier in this thread.
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 10, 2018:
Consider this: In Japan and the US, as well as many other democratic nations, women outnumber men. With a single vote, they have the power to change the status quo, and yet women in these two countries and elsewhere continue to endure discrimination! This is nothing less than male apartheid! For ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 13, 2018:
@I_dont_know Exactly my point, made earlier in this thread.
Was Thomas Hobbes an Atheist?
eric788 comments on Aug 13, 2018:
JMO, but he would be better described as a Deist, as a lot of Enlightenment philosphers/thinkers were. The modern idea of an atheist didn't really exist at the time and I think it's fair to say there were no or very, very few, atheists back then. At least none who would admit it. This is, after ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 13, 2018:
@jeshuey I'm not sure I fully agree. The term 'atheist' has evolved over time, and was used as an epithet for those who rejected the church in the period of Thomas Hobbes, as well as my avatar, a century later. Criticism of the altar, no matter how well justified, was all it took to earn this label. Today's atheist not only rejects religion, in general, but the exitence of a deity, specifically.
eric788 comments on Aug 13, 2018:
JMO, but he would be better described as a Deist, as a lot of Enlightenment philosphers/thinkers were. The modern idea of an atheist didn't really exist at the time and I think it's fair to say there were no or very, very few, atheists back then. At least none who would admit it. This is, after ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 13, 2018:
@jeshuey I'm not sure I fully agree. The term 'atheist' has evolved over time, and was used as an epithet for those who rejected the church in the period of Thomas Hobbes, as well as my avatar, a century later. Criticism of the altar, no matter how well justified, was all it took to earn this label. Today's atheist not only rejects religion, in general, but the exitence of a deity, specifically.
Thoughts on Interracial Dating & Marriage
273kelvin comments on Aug 12, 2018:
Did you watch the royal wedding? Move on.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 13, 2018:
@273kelvin Until 1967 when the US Supreme Court ruled in Loving vs. Virginia, it was a crime in many states to marry someone of a different race. One need not refer to the map showing the states that were forced by the courts to rescind their anti-miscegenation laws, but here it is for your information--no surprises here!
https://www.aclu.org/other/map-leadup-loving
273kelvin comments on Aug 12, 2018:
Did you watch the royal wedding? Move on.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 13, 2018:
@273kelvin Until 1967 when the US Supreme Court ruled in Loving vs. Virginia, it was a crime in many states to marry someone of a different race. One need not refer to the map showing the states that were forced by the courts to rescind their anti-miscegenation laws, but here it is for your information--no surprises here!
https://www.aclu.org/other/map-leadup-loving
Thoughts on Interracial Dating & Marriage
bubaj50 comments on Aug 13, 2018:
I see no difference in Colour. What I do acknowledge is Culture compatibility .
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 13, 2018:
We should all remember that culture is a choice, not something one is genetically coded for.
bubaj50 comments on Aug 13, 2018:
I see no difference in Colour. What I do acknowledge is Culture compatibility .
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 13, 2018:
We should all remember that culture is a choice, not something one is genetically coded for.
Tokyo medical school admits changing results to exclude women
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 10, 2018:
Consider this: In Japan and the US, as well as many other democratic nations, women outnumber men. With a single vote, they have the power to change the status quo, and yet women in these two countries and elsewhere continue to endure discrimination! This is nothing less than male apartheid! For ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 13, 2018:
@Graham88 That one's a hot button topic ... in some circles, at least. Harsh criticism of the treatment of women by Muslim-majority countries can earn one the label of Islamophobic bigot, or even racist. Peace.
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 10, 2018:
Consider this: In Japan and the US, as well as many other democratic nations, women outnumber men. With a single vote, they have the power to change the status quo, and yet women in these two countries and elsewhere continue to endure discrimination! This is nothing less than male apartheid! For ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 13, 2018:
@Graham88 That one's a hot button topic ... in some circles, at least. Harsh criticism of the treatment of women by Muslim-majority countries can earn one the label of Islamophobic bigot, or even racist. Peace.
I believe in fluid truth.
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 9, 2018:
Truth is, in fact, fluid. When I was younger, it was accepted as scientific fact that Pluto was our 9th planet. We may fancy the notion that ‘absolute truths’ exist, with or without humankind’s awareness of them, and this may be the case. But as we have no other means to observe and describe ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 13, 2018:
@Bobby9 So, would it be fair to say then that there exists facts of nature or the universe, outside of our limited capacity to fully appreciate or even recognize, much less accurately measure?
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 9, 2018:
Truth is, in fact, fluid. When I was younger, it was accepted as scientific fact that Pluto was our 9th planet. We may fancy the notion that ‘absolute truths’ exist, with or without humankind’s awareness of them, and this may be the case. But as we have no other means to observe and describe ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 13, 2018:
@Bobby9 So, would it be fair to say then that there exists facts of nature or the universe, outside of our limited capacity to fully appreciate or even recognize, much less accurately measure?
Tokyo medical school admits changing results to exclude women
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 10, 2018:
Consider this: In Japan and the US, as well as many other democratic nations, women outnumber men. With a single vote, they have the power to change the status quo, and yet women in these two countries and elsewhere continue to endure discrimination! This is nothing less than male apartheid! For ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 13, 2018:
@Graham88 I'm well aware of what is being perpetrated against women in the Muslim world, but that was not what this original post was about, and I confined my remarks to Japan and the US only--two democracies which use the Australian (secret) ballot voting process, and which are majority female.
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 10, 2018:
Consider this: In Japan and the US, as well as many other democratic nations, women outnumber men. With a single vote, they have the power to change the status quo, and yet women in these two countries and elsewhere continue to endure discrimination! This is nothing less than male apartheid! For ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 13, 2018:
@Graham88 I'm well aware of what is being perpetrated against women in the Muslim world, but that was not what this original post was about, and I confined my remarks to Japan and the US only--two democracies which use the Australian (secret) ballot voting process, and which are majority female.
Young Science Geeks... represent!!!
[youtube.com]
Lukian comments on Aug 10, 2018:
it's invigorating and sad all at once: Can't wait to see this movie but I wonder about the pressure these kids have put on themselves or has been put on them if it is healthy. I hope the motivation is the right one i.e. helping advance science and make life healthier vs making it big! (reminiscing ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 10, 2018:
Agreed! Like the national spelling bee? Talk about pressure!
Lukian comments on Aug 10, 2018:
it's invigorating and sad all at once: Can't wait to see this movie but I wonder about the pressure these kids have put on themselves or has been put on them if it is healthy. I hope the motivation is the right one i.e. helping advance science and make life healthier vs making it big! (reminiscing ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 10, 2018:
Agreed! Like the national spelling bee? Talk about pressure!
I believe in fluid truth.
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 9, 2018:
Truth is, in fact, fluid. When I was younger, it was accepted as scientific fact that Pluto was our 9th planet. We may fancy the notion that ‘absolute truths’ exist, with or without humankind’s awareness of them, and this may be the case. But as we have no other means to observe and describe ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 10, 2018:
@Bobby9 Mere existence is not enough for science. Categories, taxonomies and scientific classifications also form the basis for much of our factual knowledge.
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 9, 2018:
Truth is, in fact, fluid. When I was younger, it was accepted as scientific fact that Pluto was our 9th planet. We may fancy the notion that ‘absolute truths’ exist, with or without humankind’s awareness of them, and this may be the case. But as we have no other means to observe and describe ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 10, 2018:
@Bobby9 Mere existence is not enough for science. Categories, taxonomies and scientific classifications also form the basis for much of our factual knowledge.
I believe in fluid truth.
Gwendolyn2018 comments on Aug 9, 2018:
There might be fluid truth, but not fluid TRUTH, aka "facts." Much of what some people call "truth" is their subjective truth; the earth was never flat, that is a fact. People relied on their subjective perspective based on what they "saw" to make this decision. The sky was never a bowl suspended ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 10, 2018:
@Gwendolyn2018 I suppose what I'm trying to say, clearly not as well as I'd hoped, is that what we now know as facts is tied to our ability to detect and describe them. As we have evolved and our understanding of the universe increased, our detection and description of facts has likewise evolved. And if knowledge is provisional, we may occasionally be required to reexamine that which we had known to be a fact.
Gwendolyn2018 comments on Aug 9, 2018:
There might be fluid truth, but not fluid TRUTH, aka "facts." Much of what some people call "truth" is their subjective truth; the earth was never flat, that is a fact. People relied on their subjective perspective based on what they "saw" to make this decision. The sky was never a bowl suspended ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 10, 2018:
@Gwendolyn2018 I suppose what I'm trying to say, clearly not as well as I'd hoped, is that what we now know as facts is tied to our ability to detect and describe them. As we have evolved and our understanding of the universe increased, our detection and description of facts has likewise evolved. And if knowledge is provisional, we may occasionally be required to reexamine that which we had known to be a fact.
Of all the verses in the Bible, I've had the most fun with this one, introducing it to my bible ...
EMC2 comments on Aug 10, 2018:
Wow there were trump supporters back then
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 10, 2018:
The lewd and crude have always been with us.?
EMC2 comments on Aug 10, 2018:
Wow there were trump supporters back then
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 10, 2018:
The lewd and crude have always been with us.?
Where do your facts come from? How do you discuss politics if you can't trust sources?
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 10, 2018:
The disciplines of math and science are agnostic and apolitical. Likewise, facts are statements that reflect reality. As Senator Patrick Moynihan so famously noted, "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but they are not entitled to their own facts."
If a person with whom we seek a ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 10, 2018:
@Matias Agreed. One can champion reason while holding humanity in contempt, though I would proffer that to do so is unreasonable. But then, like Paine, I am more of an optimist. Thus while recognizing our flaws, I tend to agree with Steven Pinker that our species has evolved over the centuries, as with each generation more are listening to the better angels of our nature.
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 10, 2018:
The disciplines of math and science are agnostic and apolitical. Likewise, facts are statements that reflect reality. As Senator Patrick Moynihan so famously noted, "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but they are not entitled to their own facts."
If a person with whom we seek a ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 10, 2018:
@Matias Agreed. One can champion reason while holding humanity in contempt, though I would proffer that to do so is unreasonable. But then, like Paine, I am more of an optimist. Thus while recognizing our flaws, I tend to agree with Steven Pinker that our species has evolved over the centuries, as with each generation more are listening to the better angels of our nature.
Tokyo medical school admits changing results to exclude women
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 10, 2018:
Consider this: In Japan and the US, as well as many other democratic nations, women outnumber men. With a single vote, they have the power to change the status quo, and yet women in these two countries and elsewhere continue to endure discrimination! This is nothing less than male apartheid! For ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 10, 2018:
@Cast1es, @memorylikeasieve I'm just saying that women hold the majority and have it in their power the make real change at the ballot boxes. But they do not always vote in their own best interest--53% of white women in America voted for a misogynist over a woman.
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 10, 2018:
Consider this: In Japan and the US, as well as many other democratic nations, women outnumber men. With a single vote, they have the power to change the status quo, and yet women in these two countries and elsewhere continue to endure discrimination! This is nothing less than male apartheid! For ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 10, 2018:
@Cast1es, @memorylikeasieve I'm just saying that women hold the majority and have it in their power the make real change at the ballot boxes. But they do not always vote in their own best interest--53% of white women in America voted for a misogynist over a woman.
Tokyo medical school admits changing results to exclude women
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 10, 2018:
Consider this: In Japan and the US, as well as many other democratic nations, women outnumber men. With a single vote, they have the power to change the status quo, and yet women in these two countries and elsewhere continue to endure discrimination! This is nothing less than male apartheid! For ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 10, 2018:
@Cast1es Are you saying that elections in Japan and the US are dishonest?
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 10, 2018:
Consider this: In Japan and the US, as well as many other democratic nations, women outnumber men. With a single vote, they have the power to change the status quo, and yet women in these two countries and elsewhere continue to endure discrimination! This is nothing less than male apartheid! For ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 10, 2018:
@Cast1es Are you saying that elections in Japan and the US are dishonest?
I believe in fluid truth.
Beowulfsfriend comments on Aug 9, 2018:
I would change the wording to fluid understanding. Many Greeks in BC estimated the size of a round earth and their books misplaced or lost or hidden. And people like Copernicus were understood at the highest levels of the Church to be correct, but the Church had to prepare for a fundamental change ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 9, 2018:
I've worked with the Vatican Observatory, at its installation in Arizona.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatican_Advanced_Technology_Telescope
Beowulfsfriend comments on Aug 9, 2018:
I would change the wording to fluid understanding. Many Greeks in BC estimated the size of a round earth and their books misplaced or lost or hidden. And people like Copernicus were understood at the highest levels of the Church to be correct, but the Church had to prepare for a fundamental change ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 9, 2018:
I've worked with the Vatican Observatory, at its installation in Arizona.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatican_Advanced_Technology_Telescope
I believe in fluid truth.
powder comments on Aug 9, 2018:
A good term for science, fluid truth.
Science is from the Latin for knowledge. The accumulation of knowledge is science. Knowledge is constantly being added to, always changing. Fluid. It is treated as truth until new evidence proves otherwise.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 9, 2018:
@TheAstroChuck The opposite is, in fact, the case. All knowledge is subject to revision and change. This is what distinguishes science from religion. Science evolves and reconsiders its premises, while religion behaves like a fossil, forever locked in a prehistoric mold.
powder comments on Aug 9, 2018:
A good term for science, fluid truth.
Science is from the Latin for knowledge. The accumulation of knowledge is science. Knowledge is constantly being added to, always changing. Fluid. It is treated as truth until new evidence proves otherwise.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 9, 2018:
@TheAstroChuck The opposite is, in fact, the case. All knowledge is subject to revision and change. This is what distinguishes science from religion. Science evolves and reconsiders its premises, while religion behaves like a fossil, forever locked in a prehistoric mold.
I believe in fluid truth.
Gwendolyn2018 comments on Aug 9, 2018:
There might be fluid truth, but not fluid TRUTH, aka "facts." Much of what some people call "truth" is their subjective truth; the earth was never flat, that is a fact. People relied on their subjective perspective based on what they "saw" to make this decision. The sky was never a bowl suspended ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 9, 2018:
@starwatcher-al All truth is necessarily flawed since it is observed and reported by human beings. We work hard to get it right, but from time to time, facts, as we know them, change. Once thought to be fact, we now know that Pluto's not our 9th planet and my martini's not killing off my brain cells.
Gwendolyn2018 comments on Aug 9, 2018:
There might be fluid truth, but not fluid TRUTH, aka "facts." Much of what some people call "truth" is their subjective truth; the earth was never flat, that is a fact. People relied on their subjective perspective based on what they "saw" to make this decision. The sky was never a bowl suspended ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 9, 2018:
@starwatcher-al All truth is necessarily flawed since it is observed and reported by human beings. We work hard to get it right, but from time to time, facts, as we know them, change. Once thought to be fact, we now know that Pluto's not our 9th planet and my martini's not killing off my brain cells.
Has anyone ever noticed that most atheist and agnostics know more about the Bible than most ...
Science-guy comments on Aug 9, 2018:
I am told that I take the bible out of context. No I say. Read the words. Lol
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 9, 2018:
@PalacinkyPDX I'm old enough remember the early days of backpacking with just two ingredients: good ol' raisins and peanuts (GORP). Today's trail mix is way too sugary for me. ;-)
Science-guy comments on Aug 9, 2018:
I am told that I take the bible out of context. No I say. Read the words. Lol
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 9, 2018:
@PalacinkyPDX I'm old enough remember the early days of backpacking with just two ingredients: good ol' raisins and peanuts (GORP). Today's trail mix is way too sugary for me. ;-)
This is what I think!
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 9, 2018:
Indeed! As my avatar so beautifully stated:
"I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Turkish church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church."
"The world is my country, all ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 9, 2018:
@Marionville It feels like regression, doesn't it? And yet there are so many decent, competent and caring people, exchanging ideas and solving problems, that we never seem to hear about, except in the occasional TedTalk!
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 9, 2018:
Indeed! As my avatar so beautifully stated:
"I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Turkish church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church."
"The world is my country, all ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 9, 2018:
@Marionville It feels like regression, doesn't it? And yet there are so many decent, competent and caring people, exchanging ideas and solving problems, that we never seem to hear about, except in the occasional TedTalk!
According to Jared Diamond's excellent book 'Guns, Germs, and Steel', priests appear in all ...
Matias comments on Aug 7, 2018:
In a later book ("The world until yesterday") Diamond gives a much more nuanced account of religions. He lists seven functions of religion for societies, from "providing explanations for all kinds of phenomena" to "justification for wars".
Kleptocracy is no longer on the list.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 9, 2018:
Thank you for that tip ... I will get this book. Guns, Germs and Steel opened my eyes, as I was, at one point in my life, an anglo-chauvinist. I later came across a similar sentiment to Diamond's in the words of Robert Green Ingersoll:
"All that is good in our civilization is the result of commerce, climate, soil, geographical position, industry, invention, discovery, art, and science."
Matias comments on Aug 7, 2018:
In a later book ("The world until yesterday") Diamond gives a much more nuanced account of religions. He lists seven functions of religion for societies, from "providing explanations for all kinds of phenomena" to "justification for wars".
Kleptocracy is no longer on the list.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 9, 2018:
Thank you for that tip ... I will get this book. Guns, Germs and Steel opened my eyes, as I was, at one point in my life, an anglo-chauvinist. I later came across a similar sentiment to Diamond's in the words of Robert Green Ingersoll:
"All that is good in our civilization is the result of commerce, climate, soil, geographical position, industry, invention, discovery, art, and science."
The creation of life
Because Earth had a gaseous atmosphere.
TheAstroChuck comments on Aug 9, 2018:
Flatulent Earth - I like it. I used to say the world is one big cesspool and we're all little turds. :D
I would add to your blurb that the creation of life was a little more than flatulent chemistry arising from the bowels of the Earth. Some of the building block came from outer space and ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 9, 2018:
Panspermia?
TheAstroChuck comments on Aug 9, 2018:
Flatulent Earth - I like it. I used to say the world is one big cesspool and we're all little turds. :D
I would add to your blurb that the creation of life was a little more than flatulent chemistry arising from the bowels of the Earth. Some of the building block came from outer space and ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 9, 2018:
Panspermia?
Of all the verses in the Bible, I've had the most fun with this one, introducing it to my bible ...
Sydland comments on Aug 9, 2018:
Holy shit.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 9, 2018:
Well stated! ;-)
Sydland comments on Aug 9, 2018:
Holy shit.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 9, 2018:
Well stated! ;-)
Trinidad and Tobago's religious leaders call on government to uphold anti-LGBT laws - Religion News ...
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 6, 2018:
Inclusion of a minority by a majority has always been viewed as ‘threatening.’ It is in the nature of an imperialist to marginalize diverse and contrasting cultures, groups and persons. Religion is an imperialist organization. Thus, much like the frog who learned the fatal lesson when choosing ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 9, 2018:
@LucyLoohoo Only societies which do not value pluralism and diversity, and in which the majority seeks hegemonic control, at the expense of minorities. Can you think of any socieities that fit this description?
Returning to religion (and here I’m mainly concerned with the Abrahamic faiths), the defenders of their creed have long believed that to allow new ideas and differences of opinion—such as same sex marriage, for example—leads to eventual compromise, dilution and eventual disintegration of the church as they know it to be. These ‘keepers of the faith’ do not wish, after all, to become Unitarians, which in their minds would be a step closer to unbelief, agnosticism and atheism—the oblivion that awaits all religions. As one of my favorite writers noted:
“From the organization of the first church until this moment, to think your own thoughts has been inconsistent with membership. Every member has borne the marks of collar and chain, and whip. No man ever seriously attempted to reform a church without being cast out and hunted down by the hounds of hypocrisy. The highest crime against a creed is to change it. Reformation is treason.”
Robert Green Ingersoll, 'Individuality' (1873)
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 6, 2018:
Inclusion of a minority by a majority has always been viewed as ‘threatening.’ It is in the nature of an imperialist to marginalize diverse and contrasting cultures, groups and persons. Religion is an imperialist organization. Thus, much like the frog who learned the fatal lesson when choosing ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 9, 2018:
@LucyLoohoo Only societies which do not value pluralism and diversity, and in which the majority seeks hegemonic control, at the expense of minorities. Can you think of any socieities that fit this description?
Returning to religion (and here I’m mainly concerned with the Abrahamic faiths), the defenders of their creed have long believed that to allow new ideas and differences of opinion—such as same sex marriage, for example—leads to eventual compromise, dilution and eventual disintegration of the church as they know it to be. These ‘keepers of the faith’ do not wish, after all, to become Unitarians, which in their minds would be a step closer to unbelief, agnosticism and atheism—the oblivion that awaits all religions. As one of my favorite writers noted:
“From the organization of the first church until this moment, to think your own thoughts has been inconsistent with membership. Every member has borne the marks of collar and chain, and whip. No man ever seriously attempted to reform a church without being cast out and hunted down by the hounds of hypocrisy. The highest crime against a creed is to change it. Reformation is treason.”
Robert Green Ingersoll, 'Individuality' (1873)
Is there reason to doubt findings from the Pew Research Center?
OpposingOpposum comments on Aug 8, 2018:
Nothing and no one is above questioning. That is how we ensure accuracy and honesty. Furthermore these numbers only reflect those who answered the survey.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 9, 2018:
"Furthermore these numbers only reflect those who answered the survey."
This is a misleading and potentially dangerous remark which appears to reflect a lack of understanding of the science behind conducting surveys, not to mention, statistics.
OpposingOpposum comments on Aug 8, 2018:
Nothing and no one is above questioning. That is how we ensure accuracy and honesty. Furthermore these numbers only reflect those who answered the survey.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 9, 2018:
"Furthermore these numbers only reflect those who answered the survey."
This is a misleading and potentially dangerous remark which appears to reflect a lack of understanding of the science behind conducting surveys, not to mention, statistics.
I'm new here and really enjoying it.
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 8, 2018:
The problem of overpopulation is, in my opinion, overblown. The population is certain to level off. I tend to agree with Hans Rosling's research on the topic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LyzBoHo5EI
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 9, 2018:
@Matias Rosling is merely reporting on the trends as shown by the data and extrapolating from there. If he is proven wrong, we all lose. I am unaware of the distinction between ‘human development’ and ‘natural development.’ Finally, whether it be the destruction of the environment or any number of negative outcomes, the actions that would serve to harm us are not the result of sheer numbers of persons, but rather the consequences of misplaced priorities, poor planning and an inability to act.
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 8, 2018:
The problem of overpopulation is, in my opinion, overblown. The population is certain to level off. I tend to agree with Hans Rosling's research on the topic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LyzBoHo5EI
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 9, 2018:
@Matias Rosling is merely reporting on the trends as shown by the data and extrapolating from there. If he is proven wrong, we all lose. I am unaware of the distinction between ‘human development’ and ‘natural development.’ Finally, whether it be the destruction of the environment or any number of negative outcomes, the actions that would serve to harm us are not the result of sheer numbers of persons, but rather the consequences of misplaced priorities, poor planning and an inability to act.
Here's what happens when religious teachings become immoral
ShuMei2018 comments on Aug 9, 2018:
As an anti-theist, I posit that all religion is harmful, and immoral. Many disagree with me.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 9, 2018:
I don't.
ShuMei2018 comments on Aug 9, 2018:
As an anti-theist, I posit that all religion is harmful, and immoral. Many disagree with me.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 9, 2018:
I don't.
I'm new here and really enjoying it.
NoMagicCookie comments on Aug 8, 2018:
That is the classic Elephant In The Room question.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 8, 2018:
Elephant? Or a paper tiger?
NoMagicCookie comments on Aug 8, 2018:
That is the classic Elephant In The Room question.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 8, 2018:
Elephant? Or a paper tiger?
Every year I open my symphony guide / calendar hoping to find new gems instead of the same old ...
schway comments on Aug 7, 2018:
Reminds me a little of Bruckner. Nice, thanks. Listening now.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 8, 2018:
@cmadler That quote, if accurate, and I have no reason to believe otherwise, explains why I felt as though I were undergoing Chinese water torture when listening to Reich.
schway comments on Aug 7, 2018:
Reminds me a little of Bruckner. Nice, thanks. Listening now.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 8, 2018:
@cmadler That quote, if accurate, and I have no reason to believe otherwise, explains why I felt as though I were undergoing Chinese water torture when listening to Reich.
Evolution, religion, and why it’s not just about lack of scientific reasoning ability - On Biology
Matias comments on Aug 7, 2018:
We can see that again and again, in various areas: identity and ideology are more important than data and facts. My guess about what is behind this pattern: humans are very groupish animals and identity and ideology are forces that bind people together to form a "we". And then people defend this ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 8, 2018:
Agreed. As Jonathan Haidt has called it, "binds and blinds."
Matias comments on Aug 7, 2018:
We can see that again and again, in various areas: identity and ideology are more important than data and facts. My guess about what is behind this pattern: humans are very groupish animals and identity and ideology are forces that bind people together to form a "we". And then people defend this ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 8, 2018:
Agreed. As Jonathan Haidt has called it, "binds and blinds."
Every year I open my symphony guide / calendar hoping to find new gems instead of the same old ...
schway comments on Aug 7, 2018:
Reminds me a little of Bruckner. Nice, thanks. Listening now.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 8, 2018:
@schway Early Schoenberg, like this gorgeous work, as well as Verklarte Nacht, Gurrelieder, etc. is downright Straussian. But when he ventured into his twelve tone method he lost me. I find some Berg and Webern to my liking, but on the whole, I view the method as a solution searching for a problem. Meanwhile, we had Bartok, Barber, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, and even Strauss for good measure, whose Four Last Songs were written in 1948! I recommend the Jessye Norman recording. Am a native Northern Californian myself ... studied choral conducting at San Jose State in a prior life. Cheers!
schway comments on Aug 7, 2018:
Reminds me a little of Bruckner. Nice, thanks. Listening now.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 8, 2018:
@schway Early Schoenberg, like this gorgeous work, as well as Verklarte Nacht, Gurrelieder, etc. is downright Straussian. But when he ventured into his twelve tone method he lost me. I find some Berg and Webern to my liking, but on the whole, I view the method as a solution searching for a problem. Meanwhile, we had Bartok, Barber, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, and even Strauss for good measure, whose Four Last Songs were written in 1948! I recommend the Jessye Norman recording. Am a native Northern Californian myself ... studied choral conducting at San Jose State in a prior life. Cheers!
Every year I open my symphony guide / calendar hoping to find new gems instead of the same old ...
schway comments on Aug 7, 2018:
Reminds me a little of Bruckner. Nice, thanks. Listening now.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 8, 2018:
@schway No, but will listen now that you've referred me to it ... our tastes appear similar. Where did you teach music?
schway comments on Aug 7, 2018:
Reminds me a little of Bruckner. Nice, thanks. Listening now.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 8, 2018:
@schway No, but will listen now that you've referred me to it ... our tastes appear similar. Where did you teach music?
Every year I open my symphony guide / calendar hoping to find new gems instead of the same old ...
schway comments on Aug 7, 2018:
Reminds me a little of Bruckner. Nice, thanks. Listening now.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 8, 2018:
@schway He made so many fine recordings with Vienna! Mahler too! Thanks!
schway comments on Aug 7, 2018:
Reminds me a little of Bruckner. Nice, thanks. Listening now.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 8, 2018:
@schway He made so many fine recordings with Vienna! Mahler too! Thanks!
Every year I open my symphony guide / calendar hoping to find new gems instead of the same old ...
schway comments on Aug 7, 2018:
Reminds me a little of Bruckner. Nice, thanks. Listening now.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 8, 2018:
@schway Gotta love that Teutonic mysticism in the brass! For me, nothing says it quite like Nielsen's horns...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niylCGU_YQs
...except maybe for Struass and Mahler's ginormous brass sections ... love the end of Mahler's 5th!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOvXhyldUko
schway comments on Aug 7, 2018:
Reminds me a little of Bruckner. Nice, thanks. Listening now.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 8, 2018:
@schway Gotta love that Teutonic mysticism in the brass! For me, nothing says it quite like Nielsen's horns...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niylCGU_YQs
...except maybe for Struass and Mahler's ginormous brass sections ... love the end of Mahler's 5th!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOvXhyldUko
Every year I open my symphony guide / calendar hoping to find new gems instead of the same old ...
schway comments on Aug 7, 2018:
Reminds me a little of Bruckner. Nice, thanks. Listening now.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 7, 2018:
To me it's more melodic than Bruckner, and less repetitious. Sounds a bit like an amalgamation of Vaughan Williams and Alan Hovhaness, with a touch of film score composers like Bernard Hermann, John Barry and Jerry Goldsmith thrown in.
schway comments on Aug 7, 2018:
Reminds me a little of Bruckner. Nice, thanks. Listening now.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 7, 2018:
To me it's more melodic than Bruckner, and less repetitious. Sounds a bit like an amalgamation of Vaughan Williams and Alan Hovhaness, with a touch of film score composers like Bernard Hermann, John Barry and Jerry Goldsmith thrown in.
Hey folks — I'm Larry, I'm a composer, taught music and love tomatoes.
pixiedust comments on Aug 5, 2018:
Welcome. Larry! I have no significant musical talent. I joined this group to learn from other people and because I enjoy classical music. I certainly look forward to reading your posts.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 7, 2018:
@schway I've been into Rautavaara for a few years now. I find the 2nd movement of his 3rd piano concerto mesmerizingly sublime. The recording of Ashkenazy with Helsinki is superb.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqG5vRm7afw
pixiedust comments on Aug 5, 2018:
Welcome. Larry! I have no significant musical talent. I joined this group to learn from other people and because I enjoy classical music. I certainly look forward to reading your posts.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 7, 2018:
@schway I've been into Rautavaara for a few years now. I find the 2nd movement of his 3rd piano concerto mesmerizingly sublime. The recording of Ashkenazy with Helsinki is superb.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqG5vRm7afw
A kakistocracy (/ˌkækɪsˈtɒkrəsi, -ˈstɒk-/) is a system of government which is run by the ...
Meep70 comments on May 5, 2018:
Awww, it sounds like home!
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 7, 2018:
Hadn't heard this word until November 9, 2016.
Meep70 comments on May 5, 2018:
Awww, it sounds like home!
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 7, 2018:
Hadn't heard this word until November 9, 2016.
Defenestration is the act of throwing someone or something out of a window.
empirical comments on Jul 30, 2018:
And fenetre is window in French.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 7, 2018:
And in Italian, it's 'finestra.'
empirical comments on Jul 30, 2018:
And fenetre is window in French.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 7, 2018:
And in Italian, it's 'finestra.'
Calibration of time.
Insatiapaul comments on Aug 7, 2018:
Time is merely an illusion anyway.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 7, 2018:
Indeed! Reading this book at present ... I highly recommend it!
https://books.google.com/books?id=Wu91DQAAQBAJ=PR1&pg=PR1#v=onepage&q&f=false
Insatiapaul comments on Aug 7, 2018:
Time is merely an illusion anyway.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 7, 2018:
Indeed! Reading this book at present ... I highly recommend it!
https://books.google.com/books?id=Wu91DQAAQBAJ=PR1&pg=PR1#v=onepage&q&f=false
What are the best come-backs someone pushing flat earth science?
mratheistshirt comments on Jul 16, 2018:
I like Bill Nye's remark the best. "No problem with the flat earth hypothesis, tell me where the edge is and I'll go see for myself,"
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 7, 2018:
@mratheistshirt In a funny way, I wish it were true ... I would go there in a heartbeat for the experience!
mratheistshirt comments on Jul 16, 2018:
I like Bill Nye's remark the best. "No problem with the flat earth hypothesis, tell me where the edge is and I'll go see for myself,"
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 7, 2018:
@mratheistshirt In a funny way, I wish it were true ... I would go there in a heartbeat for the experience!
Pascals Wager Is A Terrible Argument - EssenceOfThought
[youtube.com]
Omots comments on Aug 6, 2018:
I have a problem with anyone who presumes to know the mind of god. God, by my definition, is beyond anything rational. God is found in the irrational. In Pascal's Wager I must accept the irrational premise that I would go to hell if I do not believe in that god. His premise is that if I pretend to ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 7, 2018:
@Omots You and I appear to have a similar journey ... may I 'steal' this excellent point?
"If there is a sin, it is to define a deity."
Peace,
PN
Omots comments on Aug 6, 2018:
I have a problem with anyone who presumes to know the mind of god. God, by my definition, is beyond anything rational. God is found in the irrational. In Pascal's Wager I must accept the irrational premise that I would go to hell if I do not believe in that god. His premise is that if I pretend to ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 7, 2018:
@Omots You and I appear to have a similar journey ... may I 'steal' this excellent point?
"If there is a sin, it is to define a deity."
Peace,
PN
Pascals Wager Is A Terrible Argument - EssenceOfThought
[youtube.com]
DenoPenno comments on Aug 6, 2018:
When Blaze came up with his argument it was as if Christianity was the only religion. He also assumes that you can pretend to believe and all will be find. You have lost nothing at the time of your death.
This can only be logical if the person making the wager does not believe and there is no god ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 6, 2018:
Does your saddle 'Blaise?' ;-)
DenoPenno comments on Aug 6, 2018:
When Blaze came up with his argument it was as if Christianity was the only religion. He also assumes that you can pretend to believe and all will be find. You have lost nothing at the time of your death.
This can only be logical if the person making the wager does not believe and there is no god ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 6, 2018:
Does your saddle 'Blaise?' ;-)
Pascals Wager Is A Terrible Argument - EssenceOfThought
[youtube.com]
Omots comments on Aug 6, 2018:
I have a problem with anyone who presumes to know the mind of god. God, by my definition, is beyond anything rational. God is found in the irrational. In Pascal's Wager I must accept the irrational premise that I would go to hell if I do not believe in that god. His premise is that if I pretend to ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 6, 2018:
Whatever you may choose, it should be between you and your deity, not between you and some definition of a god that some other group, or a book or an individual attempts to impose ... agreed? The whole point for Pascal was, it seems to me, about 'faking it 'til you make it' in accepting the Roman Catholic god, not any competing definition a deity.
Omots comments on Aug 6, 2018:
I have a problem with anyone who presumes to know the mind of god. God, by my definition, is beyond anything rational. God is found in the irrational. In Pascal's Wager I must accept the irrational premise that I would go to hell if I do not believe in that god. His premise is that if I pretend to ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 6, 2018:
Whatever you may choose, it should be between you and your deity, not between you and some definition of a god that some other group, or a book or an individual attempts to impose ... agreed? The whole point for Pascal was, it seems to me, about 'faking it 'til you make it' in accepting the Roman Catholic god, not any competing definition a deity.
This is an interesting ensemble:
dalefvictor comments on Aug 3, 2018:
It looks to me like they are all spinning in the same direction, this should mean something, I would expect there to be one spinning the opposite direction. This means something is going on that I do not understand.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 6, 2018:
@Lukian Don't think you need to research this ... you're right in that Venus spins in the opposite direction. It's just that the 'point' of the 'arrow' in this drawing is on the wrong end. Peace.
dalefvictor comments on Aug 3, 2018:
It looks to me like they are all spinning in the same direction, this should mean something, I would expect there to be one spinning the opposite direction. This means something is going on that I do not understand.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 6, 2018:
@Lukian Don't think you need to research this ... you're right in that Venus spins in the opposite direction. It's just that the 'point' of the 'arrow' in this drawing is on the wrong end. Peace.
I've said many times that the conspiracy nut jobs need a beating.
Salo comments on Aug 6, 2018:
Completely the wrong way to deal with it. But Buzz is human, his buttons were pressed, I find it hard to blame him :)
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 6, 2018:
If I'm in my '80's after having experienced what Buzz Aldrin experienced, including the loss of my colleagues (Grissom, White and Chaffee), and blasted into space on the top of a Saturn rocket, and after having landed on the moon with Armstrong, if some guy came up to me and accused me of being a 'thief' and other character assassinations? Well, hell ya, I'm punching him!
Salo comments on Aug 6, 2018:
Completely the wrong way to deal with it. But Buzz is human, his buttons were pressed, I find it hard to blame him :)
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 6, 2018:
If I'm in my '80's after having experienced what Buzz Aldrin experienced, including the loss of my colleagues (Grissom, White and Chaffee), and blasted into space on the top of a Saturn rocket, and after having landed on the moon with Armstrong, if some guy came up to me and accused me of being a 'thief' and other character assassinations? Well, hell ya, I'm punching him!
This is an interesting ensemble:
Squirrel comments on Aug 3, 2018:
What axis are these being measure from?
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 6, 2018:
Of course, the very concept of 'clockwise' comes from sundials, which, like our 'up-down,' 'north-south' orientation (and even the orbital plane itself) is northern-hemisphere centric.
Squirrel comments on Aug 3, 2018:
What axis are these being measure from?
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 6, 2018:
Of course, the very concept of 'clockwise' comes from sundials, which, like our 'up-down,' 'north-south' orientation (and even the orbital plane itself) is northern-hemisphere centric.
This is an interesting ensemble:
dalefvictor comments on Aug 3, 2018:
It looks to me like they are all spinning in the same direction, this should mean something, I would expect there to be one spinning the opposite direction. This means something is going on that I do not understand.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 6, 2018:
@Lukian While we realize that Venus spins 'clockwise,' the arrow for Her in this illustration, while located in a different position, still conveys the same direction of spin. Weak!
dalefvictor comments on Aug 3, 2018:
It looks to me like they are all spinning in the same direction, this should mean something, I would expect there to be one spinning the opposite direction. This means something is going on that I do not understand.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 6, 2018:
@Lukian While we realize that Venus spins 'clockwise,' the arrow for Her in this illustration, while located in a different position, still conveys the same direction of spin. Weak!
What causes people to reject the fact of evolution?
kiramea comments on Aug 1, 2018:
I'm not religious, however I have never completely believed in evolution. Evolution within a species has been proven over and over again. Evolution from one species to another (in my opinion) hasn't.
I do keep an open mind and wait for that evidence.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 6, 2018:
@powder To be fair, even facts can change. Pluto was the ninth planet, the Earth has 4 oceans, the expansion of the universe is slowing down, the more complex the organism the more genetic material it has, and too much alcohol will kill your brain cells, were facts of science that we were once taught, and are no longer held to be true. As the brilliant philosopher of science, Karl Popper, observed, "All knowledge is provisional, temporary, capable of refutation at any moment." Note that no exclusion is given for facts here. This is what, among several key attributes, sets science apart from religion—the willingness to reexamine fundamental concepts and discard, where appropriate, accepted theories, laws and facts.
kiramea comments on Aug 1, 2018:
I'm not religious, however I have never completely believed in evolution. Evolution within a species has been proven over and over again. Evolution from one species to another (in my opinion) hasn't.
I do keep an open mind and wait for that evidence.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 6, 2018:
@powder To be fair, even facts can change. Pluto was the ninth planet, the Earth has 4 oceans, the expansion of the universe is slowing down, the more complex the organism the more genetic material it has, and too much alcohol will kill your brain cells, were facts of science that we were once taught, and are no longer held to be true. As the brilliant philosopher of science, Karl Popper, observed, "All knowledge is provisional, temporary, capable of refutation at any moment." Note that no exclusion is given for facts here. This is what, among several key attributes, sets science apart from religion—the willingness to reexamine fundamental concepts and discard, where appropriate, accepted theories, laws and facts.
I know that a lot of people don't care about celebrities, some people do.
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 2, 2018:
There is a universe of difference between being 'celebrated' for one's unique, or at least rare, talents or skills, and being famous for nothing other than being famous. I think most of us could recognize the difference between celebrity that is earned and celebrity that is conferred without merit. ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 2, 2018:
@LouElmo Yes indeed, the royals are the ultimate in undeserving fame--our version of royalty are the political families like the Kennedys and Bushes.
p-nullifidian comments on Aug 2, 2018:
There is a universe of difference between being 'celebrated' for one's unique, or at least rare, talents or skills, and being famous for nothing other than being famous. I think most of us could recognize the difference between celebrity that is earned and celebrity that is conferred without merit. ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 2, 2018:
@LouElmo Yes indeed, the royals are the ultimate in undeserving fame--our version of royalty are the political families like the Kennedys and Bushes.
What decade do you think put out the best music? You can break it up genre if you want
PBuck0145 comments on Aug 1, 2018:
1700-1709
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 2, 2018:
Fan of the Baroque, eh?
PBuck0145 comments on Aug 1, 2018:
1700-1709
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 2, 2018:
Fan of the Baroque, eh?
What causes people to reject the fact of evolution?
powder comments on Aug 2, 2018:
Not all scientific theory is agreed upon by all scientists. Evolution is theory not fact.
There is plenty of evidence supporting this theory which some scientist question. This is healthy for science. They rest of us accept peer review and treat the theory as fact until some Einstein comes up with ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 2, 2018:
@powder Fair enough, I misspoke, and you and I may agree on more than I at first assumed. A scientific theory incorporates numerous facts (repeatedly confirmed observations, considered to be true) and scientific laws (descriptions of natural phenomena under certain conditions), as well as tested hypotheses and even inferences. As is the case with all knowledge, scientific theories, whether the theory of evolution, electromagnetism or relativity, will always be open to new information which could expound, alter, or even refute the theory. As Karl Popper famously noted, knowledge is provisional. Therefore all scientific theories, laws and even facts are subject to change. Peace.
powder comments on Aug 2, 2018:
Not all scientific theory is agreed upon by all scientists. Evolution is theory not fact.
There is plenty of evidence supporting this theory which some scientist question. This is healthy for science. They rest of us accept peer review and treat the theory as fact until some Einstein comes up with ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 2, 2018:
@powder Fair enough, I misspoke, and you and I may agree on more than I at first assumed. A scientific theory incorporates numerous facts (repeatedly confirmed observations, considered to be true) and scientific laws (descriptions of natural phenomena under certain conditions), as well as tested hypotheses and even inferences. As is the case with all knowledge, scientific theories, whether the theory of evolution, electromagnetism or relativity, will always be open to new information which could expound, alter, or even refute the theory. As Karl Popper famously noted, knowledge is provisional. Therefore all scientific theories, laws and even facts are subject to change. Peace.
What causes people to reject the fact of evolution?
kiramea comments on Aug 1, 2018:
I'm not religious, however I have never completely believed in evolution. Evolution within a species has been proven over and over again. Evolution from one species to another (in my opinion) hasn't.
I do keep an open mind and wait for that evidence.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 2, 2018:
One of the definitions of a species is the inability to interbreed. Evolutionary biologists have catalogued a number of Ring Species, whereby the genes of an animal—such as a salamander, for example—are altered gradually over time and, more importantly distance (or change in habitat), such that, while the adjacent genetically altered and physically dissimilar examples may procreate, by the time they arrive at the bottom of the ring, these animals cannot breed with their counterparts on either side of the ring (or now-closed horseshoe), not to mention the animals at the top—speciation has occurred. Just one, relatively recent development supporting evolution in a list of findings that is extensive.
One is compelled to ask, in the absence of religion, what is preventing you from accepting the theory of evolution, which even Catholics acknowledge? What do you believe the evidence points to?
kiramea comments on Aug 1, 2018:
I'm not religious, however I have never completely believed in evolution. Evolution within a species has been proven over and over again. Evolution from one species to another (in my opinion) hasn't.
I do keep an open mind and wait for that evidence.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 2, 2018:
One of the definitions of a species is the inability to interbreed. Evolutionary biologists have catalogued a number of Ring Species, whereby the genes of an animal—such as a salamander, for example—are altered gradually over time and, more importantly distance (or change in habitat), such that, while the adjacent genetically altered and physically dissimilar examples may procreate, by the time they arrive at the bottom of the ring, these animals cannot breed with their counterparts on either side of the ring (or now-closed horseshoe), not to mention the animals at the top—speciation has occurred. Just one, relatively recent development supporting evolution in a list of findings that is extensive.
One is compelled to ask, in the absence of religion, what is preventing you from accepting the theory of evolution, which even Catholics acknowledge? What do you believe the evidence points to?
What causes people to reject the fact of evolution?
jujuofthesea comments on Aug 1, 2018:
You lost me at Brigham Young ?
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 2, 2018:
Indeed! Although, consider how a man with 55 wives and 59 children might effect the gene pool! ;-)
jujuofthesea comments on Aug 1, 2018:
You lost me at Brigham Young ?
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 2, 2018:
Indeed! Although, consider how a man with 55 wives and 59 children might effect the gene pool! ;-)
What causes people to reject the fact of evolution?
powder comments on Aug 2, 2018:
Not all scientific theory is agreed upon by all scientists. Evolution is theory not fact.
There is plenty of evidence supporting this theory which some scientist question. This is healthy for science. They rest of us accept peer review and treat the theory as fact until some Einstein comes up with ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 2, 2018:
"Not all scientific theory is agreed upon by all scientists. Evolution is theory not fact."
While the first sentence is obvious, the second is preposterous, and provides the reader with evidence of your lack of understanding. The Theory of Evolution (by means of natural selection) has been upheld and strengthened since Darwin published the Origin of the Species. Fields of study, not yet dreamt of, or in their infancy in the 19th century, such as genetics, embryology, paleontology, plate tectonics, molecular biology and anthropology, have solidified this scientific theory, which, once again, just so everybody knows, is fact. Please note the definition of a scientific theory here, where the contributors to Wikipedia have summed this issue up quite well:
"A scientific theory is an explanation of an aspect of the natural world that can be repeatedly tested, in accordance with the scientific method, using a predefined protocol of observation and experiment. Established scientific theories have withstood rigorous scrutiny and embody scientific knowledge.
The definition of a scientific theory (often contracted to theory for the sake of brevity) as used in the disciplines of science is significantly different from the common vernacular usage of the word theory. In everyday speech, theory can imply that something is an unsubstantiated and speculative guess, the opposite of its meaning in science. These different usages are comparable to the opposing usages of prediction in science versus common speech, where it denotes a mere hope."
powder comments on Aug 2, 2018:
Not all scientific theory is agreed upon by all scientists. Evolution is theory not fact.
There is plenty of evidence supporting this theory which some scientist question. This is healthy for science. They rest of us accept peer review and treat the theory as fact until some Einstein comes up with ...
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 2, 2018:
"Not all scientific theory is agreed upon by all scientists. Evolution is theory not fact."
While the first sentence is obvious, the second is preposterous, and provides the reader with evidence of your lack of understanding. The Theory of Evolution (by means of natural selection) has been upheld and strengthened since Darwin published the Origin of the Species. Fields of study, not yet dreamt of, or in their infancy in the 19th century, such as genetics, embryology, paleontology, plate tectonics, molecular biology and anthropology, have solidified this scientific theory, which, once again, just so everybody knows, is fact. Please note the definition of a scientific theory here, where the contributors to Wikipedia have summed this issue up quite well:
"A scientific theory is an explanation of an aspect of the natural world that can be repeatedly tested, in accordance with the scientific method, using a predefined protocol of observation and experiment. Established scientific theories have withstood rigorous scrutiny and embody scientific knowledge.
The definition of a scientific theory (often contracted to theory for the sake of brevity) as used in the disciplines of science is significantly different from the common vernacular usage of the word theory. In everyday speech, theory can imply that something is an unsubstantiated and speculative guess, the opposite of its meaning in science. These different usages are comparable to the opposing usages of prediction in science versus common speech, where it denotes a mere hope."
New Atheism, Worse Than You Think
Matias comments on Jul 31, 2018:
A somewhat lengthy but very informative and interesting article!
Thank you very much for sharing.
I can fully agree with the author on many points.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 1, 2018:
@Matias I didn't intend to imply that the sterilization of religion would require a centralized, government-controlled plan. But when we examine the way religion is prioritized in Scandinavia, we see that a small minority of the polity attend church, and of them, less than half actually believe there is a god, much less the official doctrines. This irrelevancy is an excellent start toward religious sterility.
In the Atlantic article, Artificial Intelligence Shows Why Atheism Is Unpopular, the author reports how researchers used modeling in drawing the conclusion that “people tend to secularize when four factors are present: existential security (you have enough money and food), personal freedom (you’re free to choose whether to believe or not), pluralism (you have a welcoming attitude to diversity), and education (you’ve got some training in the sciences and humanities). If even one of these factors is absent, the whole secularization process slows down. This, they believe, is why the U.S. is secularizing at a slower rate than Western and Northern Europe.”
In the U.S. we are free, but we have a problem with income inequality, we have a broken educational system as schools range widely in their ability to provide children with critical thinking skills, and we are experiencing a level of hostility toward plurality and diversity not seen in years, thanks in large part to the present leadership. When, and only when, these issues are fully addressed will the U.S. have the chance of approximating Scandinavia’s societal attitude toward religious faith.
Matias comments on Jul 31, 2018:
A somewhat lengthy but very informative and interesting article!
Thank you very much for sharing.
I can fully agree with the author on many points.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 1, 2018:
@Matias I didn't intend to imply that the sterilization of religion would require a centralized, government-controlled plan. But when we examine the way religion is prioritized in Scandinavia, we see that a small minority of the polity attend church, and of them, less than half actually believe there is a god, much less the official doctrines. This irrelevancy is an excellent start toward religious sterility.
In the Atlantic article, Artificial Intelligence Shows Why Atheism Is Unpopular, the author reports how researchers used modeling in drawing the conclusion that “people tend to secularize when four factors are present: existential security (you have enough money and food), personal freedom (you’re free to choose whether to believe or not), pluralism (you have a welcoming attitude to diversity), and education (you’ve got some training in the sciences and humanities). If even one of these factors is absent, the whole secularization process slows down. This, they believe, is why the U.S. is secularizing at a slower rate than Western and Northern Europe.”
In the U.S. we are free, but we have a problem with income inequality, we have a broken educational system as schools range widely in their ability to provide children with critical thinking skills, and we are experiencing a level of hostility toward plurality and diversity not seen in years, thanks in large part to the present leadership. When, and only when, these issues are fully addressed will the U.S. have the chance of approximating Scandinavia’s societal attitude toward religious faith.
New Atheism, Worse Than You Think
Matias comments on Jul 31, 2018:
A somewhat lengthy but very informative and interesting article!
Thank you very much for sharing.
I can fully agree with the author on many points.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 1, 2018:
@Matias Abolish religion? No, just sterilize it. Put it in the autoclave and eliminate the harmful bacteria. Once this is done, they will be no different than any other secular social club.
Matias comments on Jul 31, 2018:
A somewhat lengthy but very informative and interesting article!
Thank you very much for sharing.
I can fully agree with the author on many points.
p-nullifidian replies on Aug 1, 2018:
@Matias Abolish religion? No, just sterilize it. Put it in the autoclave and eliminate the harmful bacteria. Once this is done, they will be no different than any other secular social club.
New Atheism, Worse Than You Think
poetdi56 comments on Jul 31, 2018:
Thank you VERY much for sharing this. I have had some issues with what I call "angry atheists" and hope that if any of them are here, that they read at least this article and see that they're not solving any problems with this approach.
p-nullifidian replies on Jul 31, 2018:
I'm sorry if I seem angry at times. It's just that when I look at the Constitution and the philosophy espoused by so many of the Framers, including my avatar, Thomas Paine, as well as Franklin, Jefferson and Madison—who strongly believed in a secular government—I get a tad upset with regard to the relationship between church and state, in this the 21st century. I wouldn’t be angry at religion if it didn’t have its hands in our pockets with favorable tax policies, and its finger on the scales of justice. After all, there’s no reason for us nonbelievers to be pissed off when looking at our currency, or reciting the pledge, or witnessing the recent actions of the judiciary, justice department and laws passed in some statehouses. I mean, why be angry when you have this institution that seeks to take away women’s reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights and in their place impose their own definition of morality. Nothing to be angry about at all, right?
poetdi56 comments on Jul 31, 2018:
Thank you VERY much for sharing this. I have had some issues with what I call "angry atheists" and hope that if any of them are here, that they read at least this article and see that they're not solving any problems with this approach.
p-nullifidian replies on Jul 31, 2018:
I'm sorry if I seem angry at times. It's just that when I look at the Constitution and the philosophy espoused by so many of the Framers, including my avatar, Thomas Paine, as well as Franklin, Jefferson and Madison—who strongly believed in a secular government—I get a tad upset with regard to the relationship between church and state, in this the 21st century. I wouldn’t be angry at religion if it didn’t have its hands in our pockets with favorable tax policies, and its finger on the scales of justice. After all, there’s no reason for us nonbelievers to be pissed off when looking at our currency, or reciting the pledge, or witnessing the recent actions of the judiciary, justice department and laws passed in some statehouses. I mean, why be angry when you have this institution that seeks to take away women’s reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights and in their place impose their own definition of morality. Nothing to be angry about at all, right?
New Atheism, Worse Than You Think
maturin1919 comments on Jul 31, 2018:
'Secular religion'
-_-
p-nullifidian replies on Jul 31, 2018:
@Wurlitzer Anywhere there's a nativity scene, cross or a 10 commandments erected on public (taxpayer funded) property, there should be monuments of everything from Ganesh to a colander! Peace.
maturin1919 comments on Jul 31, 2018:
'Secular religion'
-_-
p-nullifidian replies on Jul 31, 2018:
@Wurlitzer Anywhere there's a nativity scene, cross or a 10 commandments erected on public (taxpayer funded) property, there should be monuments of everything from Ganesh to a colander! Peace.
New Atheism, Worse Than You Think
maturin1919 comments on Jul 31, 2018:
'Secular religion'
-_-
p-nullifidian replies on Jul 31, 2018:
@Wurlitzer I remember reading the Satanic Bible as a teen, and recall how it seemed to be an inversion. If Satanists don't 'worship' their 'lord' or 'master,' or are in no way beholden to him, I withdraw my assertion. If the human species can come to the agreement that the word 'religion' need not imply a supernatural force of any kind, and may simply be a philosophy, I would be fine with that. If that be the case, my philosophy is the scientific method, making of science my religion.
maturin1919 comments on Jul 31, 2018:
'Secular religion'
-_-
p-nullifidian replies on Jul 31, 2018:
@Wurlitzer I remember reading the Satanic Bible as a teen, and recall how it seemed to be an inversion. If Satanists don't 'worship' their 'lord' or 'master,' or are in no way beholden to him, I withdraw my assertion. If the human species can come to the agreement that the word 'religion' need not imply a supernatural force of any kind, and may simply be a philosophy, I would be fine with that. If that be the case, my philosophy is the scientific method, making of science my religion.
New Atheism, Worse Than You Think
brentan comments on Jul 31, 2018:
Could it be a new church for belief in science - whites only, please! With a copy of The Selfish Gene in one hand and a firearm in the other, we'll track down out and extirpate the unprivileged, ignorant believers!
p-nullifidian replies on Jul 31, 2018:
...he said with wink and a nudge...
brentan comments on Jul 31, 2018:
Could it be a new church for belief in science - whites only, please! With a copy of The Selfish Gene in one hand and a firearm in the other, we'll track down out and extirpate the unprivileged, ignorant believers!
p-nullifidian replies on Jul 31, 2018:
...he said with wink and a nudge...
New Atheism, Worse Than You Think
archer5691 comments on Jul 31, 2018:
Atheism isn't a "religion"....unless you also Believe that "OFF" is a t.v. channel???
p-nullifidian replies on Jul 31, 2018:
Personally, I've taken up the hobby of not collecting stamps. ;-)
archer5691 comments on Jul 31, 2018:
Atheism isn't a "religion"....unless you also Believe that "OFF" is a t.v. channel???
p-nullifidian replies on Jul 31, 2018:
Personally, I've taken up the hobby of not collecting stamps. ;-)
New Atheism, Worse Than You Think
maturin1919 comments on Jul 31, 2018:
'Secular religion'
-_-
p-nullifidian replies on Jul 31, 2018:
@Wurlitzer The examples provided should be unpacked. Like antimatter to matter, Satanism replaces God with his adversary—maybe not quite as powerful, but godlike to us. Taoism, like Confucianism, appears more philosophy or ideology than pure religion. Pantheism asserts that ‘God’ or ‘the divine’ exists in all things, whereas Buddhism is beholden to a spiritual leader who attained, in the minds of many, the status of a demigod—some even believe he was miraculously born or was the avatar of Vishnu.
maturin1919 comments on Jul 31, 2018:
'Secular religion'
-_-
p-nullifidian replies on Jul 31, 2018:
@Wurlitzer The examples provided should be unpacked. Like antimatter to matter, Satanism replaces God with his adversary—maybe not quite as powerful, but godlike to us. Taoism, like Confucianism, appears more philosophy or ideology than pure religion. Pantheism asserts that ‘God’ or ‘the divine’ exists in all things, whereas Buddhism is beholden to a spiritual leader who attained, in the minds of many, the status of a demigod—some even believe he was miraculously born or was the avatar of Vishnu.
Although I do not subscribe wholesale to the religion, I do believe there is some historical basis ...
p-nullifidian comments on Jul 31, 2018:
Well I would hope you doubt miracles. Turning water to wine, raising people from the dead, and feeding 5,000 people with a single lunch basket containing five rolls and a couple of sardines, etc. That would require an intervention in the laws of nature. And if he did exist--a big if, in that all we ...
p-nullifidian replies on Jul 31, 2018:
@Piratefish If he existed at all, the man known as Jesus was assuredly more like the image here, than any painting, fresco or mosaic we've ever seen.
p-nullifidian comments on Jul 31, 2018:
Well I would hope you doubt miracles. Turning water to wine, raising people from the dead, and feeding 5,000 people with a single lunch basket containing five rolls and a couple of sardines, etc. That would require an intervention in the laws of nature. And if he did exist--a big if, in that all we ...
p-nullifidian replies on Jul 31, 2018:
@Piratefish If he existed at all, the man known as Jesus was assuredly more like the image here, than any painting, fresco or mosaic we've ever seen.
New Atheism, Worse Than You Think
pixiedust comments on Jul 31, 2018:
He called us "wayward" as if that was a bad thing.?
p-nullifidian replies on Jul 31, 2018:
Might you agree that there are some who would not welcome a wayward spouse?
pixiedust comments on Jul 31, 2018:
He called us "wayward" as if that was a bad thing.?
p-nullifidian replies on Jul 31, 2018:
Might you agree that there are some who would not welcome a wayward spouse?
New Atheism, Worse Than You Think
TristanNuvo comments on Jul 31, 2018:
There are some people that take things to far, even Atheists. I read an article once of a group was trying to make an Atheist church.And others wanted to make an Atheist bible.
My only guess is that most of them were once believers and just miss that kind of community.
p-nullifidian replies on Jul 31, 2018:
The real Bible is our understanding of the universe and the phenomena by which we are surrounded. The real Bible has almost nothing to do with organized religion.
TristanNuvo comments on Jul 31, 2018:
There are some people that take things to far, even Atheists. I read an article once of a group was trying to make an Atheist church.And others wanted to make an Atheist bible.
My only guess is that most of them were once believers and just miss that kind of community.
p-nullifidian replies on Jul 31, 2018:
The real Bible is our understanding of the universe and the phenomena by which we are surrounded. The real Bible has almost nothing to do with organized religion.
New Atheism, Worse Than You Think
Matias comments on Jul 31, 2018:
A somewhat lengthy but very informative and interesting article!
Thank you very much for sharing.
I can fully agree with the author on many points.
p-nullifidian replies on Jul 31, 2018:
Really? Do tell.
Matias comments on Jul 31, 2018:
A somewhat lengthy but very informative and interesting article!
Thank you very much for sharing.
I can fully agree with the author on many points.
p-nullifidian replies on Jul 31, 2018:
Really? Do tell.
Why people say RIP (Rest in Peace) for anyone who has died?
arnies comments on Jul 31, 2018:
Quickly sounds ok, but I will probably go screaming into the long night!
p-nullifidian replies on Jul 31, 2018:
Rage against the dying of the light!
arnies comments on Jul 31, 2018:
Quickly sounds ok, but I will probably go screaming into the long night!
p-nullifidian replies on Jul 31, 2018:
Rage against the dying of the light!
"The modern age has witnessed the rise of a number of new natural-law religions, such as liberalism,...
davsmith4156 comments on Jul 30, 2018:
I loved that book, he has a very provocative way of looking at things. However religion is not a system of human norms and values that is founded on belief in a superhuman order. It's based on believing in the existence of one or more Gods. That opening "if" is doing a whole lot of work there.
p-nullifidian replies on Jul 31, 2018:
@nosferatu_cat You're right, not capital “G” god, but almost divine. Many Buddhists venerate their founder, Gautama Buddha, as a demigod. Some traditions claim a miraculous birth, while other traditions believe The Buddha was an avatar of the god Vishnu.
Granted, Buddhism is not the patriarchal, authoritative Jehovah/God/Allah type of religion, but it has its monastic system and is, in many Asian countries, politically involved. Until recently, I had thought Buddhism to be a pacifistic almost harmless religion, then I saw footage of Buddhist monks leading violent persecution of the Rohingya minority in Myanmar.
davsmith4156 comments on Jul 30, 2018:
I loved that book, he has a very provocative way of looking at things. However religion is not a system of human norms and values that is founded on belief in a superhuman order. It's based on believing in the existence of one or more Gods. That opening "if" is doing a whole lot of work there.
p-nullifidian replies on Jul 31, 2018:
@nosferatu_cat You're right, not capital “G” god, but almost divine. Many Buddhists venerate their founder, Gautama Buddha, as a demigod. Some traditions claim a miraculous birth, while other traditions believe The Buddha was an avatar of the god Vishnu.
Granted, Buddhism is not the patriarchal, authoritative Jehovah/God/Allah type of religion, but it has its monastic system and is, in many Asian countries, politically involved. Until recently, I had thought Buddhism to be a pacifistic almost harmless religion, then I saw footage of Buddhist monks leading violent persecution of the Rohingya minority in Myanmar.
Artificial Intelligence Shows Why Atheism Is Unpopular - The Atlantic
nosferatu_cat comments on Jul 29, 2018:
This is good stuff. These kinds of modeling exercises are always no better than their assumptions but have the advantage of being able to be compared to real world phenomena. I think the danger is that some people may take them literally. I did business programming. One thing I encountered over ...
p-nullifidian replies on Jul 31, 2018:
Agreed. You don't need a model to tell you that the most effective extremist groups are led by a charismatic leader who practices what he preaches, and that the logical response is to eliminate him.
nosferatu_cat comments on Jul 29, 2018:
This is good stuff. These kinds of modeling exercises are always no better than their assumptions but have the advantage of being able to be compared to real world phenomena. I think the danger is that some people may take them literally. I did business programming. One thing I encountered over ...
p-nullifidian replies on Jul 31, 2018:
Agreed. You don't need a model to tell you that the most effective extremist groups are led by a charismatic leader who practices what he preaches, and that the logical response is to eliminate him.
Morality! Where does it come from ?
PhoebeCat comments on Jul 30, 2018:
Morality much like sin is a worthless expression. Too me it's about actions and consequences. If the consequences are untenable, then the action is wrong. If you are willing to face the consequences, go for it. Consequences can be small and personal or big and societal. It's about accepted behavior ...
p-nullifidian replies on Jul 30, 2018:
Agreed. Perhaps we should be focusing on ethics rather than morality.
PhoebeCat comments on Jul 30, 2018:
Morality much like sin is a worthless expression. Too me it's about actions and consequences. If the consequences are untenable, then the action is wrong. If you are willing to face the consequences, go for it. Consequences can be small and personal or big and societal. It's about accepted behavior ...
p-nullifidian replies on Jul 30, 2018:
Agreed. Perhaps we should be focusing on ethics rather than morality.
Atheists Are Brainwashed By The Scientific Method
Healthydoc70 comments on Jul 30, 2018:
Reminds me again of George Carlin. What are you eFFin Stupid? As if this Canard guy has any credibility? Like the guy below: Theological Institute is all I need to read. Goodbye!!
And How can you know if you’re spiritually fulfilled if you’re not in church regularly?” This is so stupid I ...
p-nullifidian replies on Jul 30, 2018:
Please, don't shoot yourself ... take another look at this article ... it's satire!
Healthydoc70 comments on Jul 30, 2018:
Reminds me again of George Carlin. What are you eFFin Stupid? As if this Canard guy has any credibility? Like the guy below: Theological Institute is all I need to read. Goodbye!!
And How can you know if you’re spiritually fulfilled if you’re not in church regularly?” This is so stupid I ...
p-nullifidian replies on Jul 30, 2018:
Please, don't shoot yourself ... take another look at this article ... it's satire!
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