Religion teaches us to be satisfied with not understanding

wordywalt comments on Nov 23, 2017:

An accurate statement.

Are agnostics and atheists and such more intelligent than believers?

wordywalt comments on Nov 23, 2017:

No, I would not say that we are necessarily more intelligent. We are more realistic and more free from the bonds and burdens of ideological dogma.

Recently I came across an Anti Vaccination campaign.

wordywalt comments on Nov 23, 2017:

Unfortunately, you cannot reason wih the irrational.

So my mama is a crazy Christian.

wordywalt comments on Nov 23, 2017:

I would never been so cruel to my mother. You seem to have a sadistic streak in you. I'm glad I don't know you.

Hey folks ! Just wonder ,has everyone knows where we go after we died ?

wordywalt comments on Nov 23, 2017:

We don't go anywhere. We simply cease to exist as entities.

HOW HUMAN BEING CREATED??FIRST HUMAN IN THE WORLD??

wordywalt comments on Nov 22, 2017:

Human beings were created by natural selection in the evolutionary process. Which of our predecessor species were the first truly human is still a matter of debate.

Adding insult to injury...

wordywalt comments on Nov 22, 2017:

True caring about those who have served our country in the military is beyond the immoral ideology of the Republican Party and of the Trump cabal.

What does your family think of your beliefs?

wordywalt comments on Nov 22, 2017:

My parents are dead. My sister is somewhat of a religious believer, but feels that I have a right to my own beliefs. My second wife of 23 years is a devout Catholic and we both respect each other's right to believe or not believe as we see fit. My two daughters vary between atheism and agnosticism. Religion is not a part of my 3 grandchildren's lives.

What do you regret?

wordywalt comments on Nov 22, 2017:

I don't engage in such speculative behavior. I can only change things now, not in the past.

I find myself when really worried about something; I want to pray to God.

wordywalt comments on Nov 22, 2017:

If you have really stopped believing-- yes, it goes away completely.

There’s always been a question I’ve had difficulty answering.

wordywalt comments on Nov 22, 2017:

About all one can do is to give the person a big hug and tell them that you are sorry for their loss. One should also remind them that the memories they hold of the person are theirs and that those will be with them while they live. I have also told them that the person lives on in two senses: (1) through their DNA in their progeny, (2) and in the things they did to influence the lives of other people.

Do you think there's something beyond our intellect ? Let's not assume that is God.

wordywalt comments on Nov 22, 2017:

Of course. The vastness of time and space is more than we can really grasp -- as are the many processes at work within the universe and the unimaginable number of interactions between those processes -- and the complexity of those interactions. We keep adding to our image of that, but we will never get there. That still does not mean that there is a god.

Have you ever performed in front of a crowd? If so, what did you do?

wordywalt comments on Nov 22, 2017:

I have spoken before many audiences -- up to 700 people -- and led many training groups -- large and sall. In addition I have provided input and testimony before local and state government officials on many occasions.

Is anybody still traumatized by the threat of Hell?

wordywalt comments on Nov 22, 2017:

Hell is still a threat to religious true believers. The thread of hell is still the stick which religious leaders to keep people from straying from religion.

For some reason I’m worried Dawkins or Mahar will get knocked next like franken. Jk

wordywalt comments on Nov 22, 2017:

I hate to see intelligent, progressive figures of prominence get pulled down. But, it was their own behavior that got them in trouble, It is a shame, but we cannot defend bad behavior or try to cover it up. We will just have to make damned sure that progressive figures know that they MUST keep their noses clean, or give up their leadership to someone who can!

There are many people who say that race doesn't matter.

wordywalt comments on Nov 22, 2017:

No. When I reject a person it is either due to some aspect of his or her behavior which I find repulsive and/or to his or her personality (for the same reason). Those attributes which I would find repulsive are the same for people of all races and ethnicities.

Entropic musings

wordywalt comments on Nov 22, 2017:

Two implications. First, that our mere existence is due to the sheer randomness of bounded chaos. Second, that our consciousness is the accidental result of that vast scale chaotic dynamic. Third, that random chaos will eventually consume our planet and us, and there will eventually be no trace that human consciousness every existed.

Should an atheist study world religions or not?

wordywalt comments on Nov 22, 2017:

It is always useful to study all total system ideologies (religious and political) to understand what attracts people to them and to understand the flaws in them (ALL total system ideologies have serious internal flaws). That way, one can point out the flaws in the statements of true believers.

There are two types of people in the world. Everyone else is somewhere in between.

wordywalt comments on Nov 22, 2017:

This is not a pearl of wisdom. It is a meaningless statement.

Why is so difficult ....?

wordywalt comments on Nov 22, 2017:

There ar a lot more of us out there than you think. We just don't advertise it unless something really rankles us.

Hello everyone! I've been working on an idea for a while now, and I wanted to asked my fellow ...

wordywalt comments on Nov 22, 2017:

Spare me. You are creating an anti-religion religion? I left religion to escape the pressure of "true believer" congregations . And you are trying to create a new anti-religion dogma and creed? There is no way that your claim to be an atheist minister is legitimate. I reject ministers of all kinds.

If you could change one rule of your choice?

wordywalt comments on Nov 22, 2017:

I am not interested in reforming religion. I simply want nothing to o with it and will protect myself from intrusions on my rights.

Does people in your country trust astrology in personal affairs like marriage?

wordywalt comments on Nov 22, 2017:

A few people in this country might take astrology seriously in the USA, but not many. I would guess that the percentage is less than 5 percent.

What is your definition of a life worth lived?

wordywalt comments on Nov 22, 2017:

Which do you mean (1) "a life worth living", or (2) "a life well lived"? As phrased, your question is just a grammatically incorrect sentence.

What countries have you traveled to?

wordywalt comments on Nov 22, 2017:

Have been in Canada, Iceland, Scotland, Ireland, England, the Netherlands, Luxemburg, Belgium, and France. Spent over 2 and 1/2 years in Berlin, Germany and speak German fluently. Actually living in a different culture is a mind-clearing and mind-expanding experience. It gives one the distance from which to reflection on one's own culture without blinders on, and gives one different ways of thinking and viewing th world.

Does it really matters to know how the Universe came to existence?

wordywalt comments on Nov 22, 2017:

No.

What do you think the world would be like without any religion?

wordywalt comments on Nov 22, 2017:

It could go in many different directions -- could be great, could be a brutal disaster. Depends on the exercise of both reason and moral judgment independent of religion.

You die and find out you were wrong, there is a god. What do you say to it/him/her?

wordywalt comments on Nov 22, 2017:

Ain't gonna happen!

In the battle between tradition and progress, beliefs and science, where do you stand and why?

wordywalt comments on Nov 22, 2017:

It depends entirely on how you define progress and the uses to science will be put. Science has no morality: It is neutral. The question is always: To what ends will science be used and what will the consequences of such use be? Your question is so broad and ill-defined that it is meaningless.

Position Vacant: BENEVOLENT DICTATOR.

wordywalt comments on Nov 22, 2017:

Your question is a fantasized pipe-dream. "Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely." I will always oppose the idea of a dictator of any type or ilk!

If Given the choice, Would you want to live forever?

wordywalt comments on Nov 22, 2017:

No. Why would I want to?

What brings you peace?

wordywalt comments on Nov 22, 2017:

Being in the outdoors with just the sounds of nature, poignant classical music.

We need a secret gesture.

wordywalt comments on Nov 22, 2017:

So, we need a secret sign, like the KKK? I don't think so.

If everything has a meaning then why does nothing not have a meaning?

wordywalt comments on Nov 22, 2017:

Everything that exists simply is. It has no inherent meaning. We human create meaning in our own minds by weaving together experiences and information into cognitive structures to help us understand and cope with the realities we face. Ergo, your question does not make sense.

Taking Elon Musk's Name in Vain!

wordywalt comments on Nov 22, 2017:

What a weird, egomaniacal nut! I hope he does launch himself, then we will be rid of him.

Does learning about nature, plants and animals and their lives, seem spiritual to you?

wordywalt comments on Nov 22, 2017:

I don't know what spiritual means. Still, learning about nature is satisfying.

Is there a meaning of life?

wordywalt comments on Nov 21, 2017:

Life simply exists. Its only meaning is that which (1) we synthesize in our minds, and (2) the meaning we give life through our thoughts and actions and the consequences of those.

I got into an argument recently with my friends(believers).

wordywalt comments on Nov 21, 2017:

Some great scientists are and have been religious believers. But, what they have done is compartmentalize their existence so they don't have to deal with the true conflict. It is a cop-out device. Still that does not take away from valid and valuable work they have done.

Does the context of a verse in a religious text really justify it?

wordywalt comments on Nov 21, 2017:

The irony is that the statement is absolutely true in the only important sense. God is and will always be the same -- nothing. He/she/it does not exist and never will exist.

I'm really hitting a brick wall.

wordywalt comments on Nov 21, 2017:

Why do you fear it???? Oblivion offers no pain, no misery, no confusion, no conflict. You have only one shot, so use it well!

Empathy Vs Sympathy

wordywalt comments on Nov 21, 2017:

Yes. Too many people are too self-absorbed to be empathetic.

Don't you think the Roy Moore campaign is getting desperate trying to save their flawed holier than ...

wordywalt comments on Nov 21, 2017:

What else do you expect from Trump, the total moral idiot? the orange, fetid blob of feces is incapable of doing anything that is just and moral.

Have you ever looked back on a belief and later asked yourself how you could have ever believed ...

wordywalt comments on Nov 21, 2017:

Of course. Any honest and rational person has. The important thing is recognize and face it when facts prove the old belief wrong and to have the courage to change.

An atheist friend of mine told me that when he was in school he believed in evolution.

wordywalt comments on Nov 21, 2017:

Some people compartmentalize so that they do not have to admit a contradiction. Ir is a deliberate cop-out.

What do fellow members do for a living?

wordywalt comments on Nov 21, 2017:

Retired educator who spent his career in a number of roles with the intent of improving teaching and learning in public schools.

Is spirituality holding us back as a species?

wordywalt comments on Nov 21, 2017:

I don't know what you mean by spirituality. But, if you mean is religion holding the human species back, the answer is a resounding YES!

I posted the question," Should we educate or exterminate religious people?

wordywalt comments on Nov 21, 2017:

In a democracy, we have no right to impose a set of beliefs on anyone, much less exterminate them. All we can do is to keep providing empirical information and rational thought on one side, and protect ourselves from religious intrusion and imposition on the other. The way you phrased your question, I also think you were WAY OFF BASE!

Mind Control: How to Win the War in Your Head

wordywalt comments on Nov 21, 2017:

It was exactly this religious negativism that started my journey away from religion when I was in my early teens. I did not like -- no, I resented -- being made to feel myself a sinner just for having normal thoughts and feelings, and basically said to myself, "I'm better than that!" The journey to independence started with that.

Remember to forgive yourself.

wordywalt comments on Nov 21, 2017:

I am not really angry. My journey away from religion started early (in my teens). It was a process of freeing myself from the curses of the culture in which I grew up. To me, it was simply a matter of growing up -- intellectually, morally, and culturally. I chose my path, and I am glad I did!

Ways to Express Gratitude?

wordywalt comments on Nov 21, 2017:

A lot of easy ways (1) tell the person(s) directly, followed by a firm handshake (2) a well thought-out letter of gratitude, (2) a small gift to make the person's work easier or more enjoyable, etc, etc.

To be truly free one must abondon any attachments for its our desires that weigh us down from the ...

wordywalt comments on Nov 21, 2017:

Nice statement: Now tell me what you really mean.

With teen mental health deteriorating over five years, there's a likely culprit

wordywalt comments on Nov 21, 2017:

I can believe that. Excessive use of depersonalizing electronics inhibits the formation of real human relationships.

Right handed, Left handed, or Ambidextrous?

wordywalt comments on Nov 21, 2017:

Has had no effect.

Do you believe the BIBLE BELT is also THE LYNCHING BELT?

wordywalt comments on Nov 21, 2017:

Yes. There is a direct link between evangelical Christianity and racism going back to before the Civil War in the American south. In fact, the Southern Baptist Convention was formed as a breakaway sect from the American Baptist church in 1860 for the express purpose of supporting the Confederacy and the institution of slavery. After the Civil War, it supported segregation, Jim Crow laws, and more. It still condones racism by allowing openly racist ministers in its midst, and allowing congregation to pick their own pastors (guess who the racist congregations pick)<

One bad apple

wordywalt comments on Nov 21, 2017:

Tell her what an ass she is, and avoid her.

How many here exercise regularly?

wordywalt comments on Nov 21, 2017:

At the age of 80, I work out with weights 3 days a week -- on 13 different machines, exceeding my body weight on 9 of them.

Is arguing about what's rational or not about religion or deities worth losing relationships with ...

wordywalt comments on Nov 21, 2017:

Depends. A friend of 50 years has become ultra-religious in his old age. I have had to tell him that I will not talk about religion with him, nor will I accept conversion attempts.

It's nice having all these intellectual conversations with like-minded people (.

wordywalt comments on Nov 21, 2017:

Sounds interesting, but would depend entirely on what the rules would be. And, I sincerely doubt that demagogues like Roberson would accept the challenge -- and if they did, would abide by the rules.

Religion vs Race

wordywalt comments on Nov 21, 2017:

he irony is that those racists are contradicting the very tenets of their purported faith. It goes all the way back to the act of the Southern Baptist convention in 1960. The Convention was formed as a breakaway sect from the larger American Baptist church with the specific intent of expressing full support of the Confederacy and for the institution of slavery. The comingling of politics, racism, and religion of today is a direct result. Although they will not say so th southern Baptists are still condoing racism to be expressed within too many of their churches.

isnt it annoying that people assume atheist are evil, bad people?

wordywalt comments on Nov 21, 2017:

Those people who make that assumption are "true believers" who see us as threatening the thing they have sold their souls to. We scare them.

"I trust Trump more than Jesus!" Trump cult member.

wordywalt comments on Nov 21, 2017:

The Trump cabal and many evangelical Christian leaders are simply using each other in collusive manner. The evangelicals are saying, in effect, to the cabal that they will allow them to pursue their aim of unchecked greed if the cabal will allow them to gain power to legislate their theology into law and. Both of them are morally bankrupt, undemocratic, conspiratorial, and destructive.

Stereotypes. Sure they are not always right but are they still valid?

wordywalt comments on Nov 21, 2017:

Steriotyping is intellectually and morally lazy behavior. It is largely a way of avoiding serious and objective evaluation of the individual case.

Is anyone else fed up with people using their religion as an excuse to discriminate?

wordywalt comments on Nov 20, 2017:

Such people are moral idiots!

Even if there was a God, Allah, or Chumk-Lala, I will not bow and worship, because this is the main ...

wordywalt comments on Nov 20, 2017:

Why waste your time speculating about imagined beings that do not exist?

Does the religion become stronger in middle east or it will becom weak in the next couple years?

wordywalt comments on Nov 20, 2017:

Religion has dominated the middle east for many centuries and will continue to do so for a while. But, all cultures eventually fail. But, it will probably be many years yet.

It could be argued that we are now living with - and, to large extent, under - a Republican ...

wordywalt comments on Nov 20, 2017:

You are mixing oranges and apples. A caliphate is a dictatorship controlled by religious dogma and its "true believers." Republican actions, on their own, are leading to an oligarchy dominated by a few with wealth. But, the current collusion between evangelical Christian leaders who are morally bankrupt and the Trump cabal is that Trump and company are giving the corrupt evangelicals an entrance into serious comingling of church and state which could -- if not stopped -- destroy our democracy and lead to religious tyranny. The culprits are the Trump cabal, those evangelicals who have sold their "souls" for power, and the Republicans who stand aside and let them do it.

Human controlled evolution

wordywalt comments on Nov 20, 2017:

Genetic modification to prevent disease and infirmity, yet -- and available to all. The kind of enhancements you are talking about NO. People with wealth will use it to their advantage and that of their offspring.

In your experience, when discussing religion with a believer, what's the most common thing they say ...

wordywalt comments on Nov 20, 2017:

In most cases, it is not worth the effort to discuss religion with a believer. You cannot reason with a person whose beliefs are irrational.

There are three things that “Morality” does to corrupt humanity.

wordywalt comments on Nov 20, 2017:

I don't know what in the hell you call morality, but it damned surely is not what I believe morality to be. Frist, morality is acting to help people and choosing not to hurt people. What morality conflicts with is greed, self-indulgence at the expense of others, senseless violence, dishonesty, egomaniacal behavior, dishonesty, etc. What is bad is not morality, but depicting morality to be what it is NOT! Simply put, you are way the hell off base!

The Buffet Story - Are our plates the same size?

wordywalt comments on Nov 20, 2017:

we are not equal in abilities, productive attitudes, personalities, etc. But, we each deserve equal opportunity to prove what we can do.

So many men and women have died for the values that our flag represents.

wordywalt comments on Nov 20, 2017:

In cases in which the treasonous acts have resulted in irreparable harm to our country and/or resulted in American deaths, yes. Otherwise, 25 years to life.

Does anybody as an atheist ever feel that we have to fight for our sanity?

wordywalt comments on Nov 20, 2017:

No, but we do have to fight against the insanity of religious and political "TRUE BELIEVERS."

What's your take on this evil bloody money grubbing c Joel Olsteen?

wordywalt comments on Nov 20, 2017:

Osteen is a greedy con man selling the "prosperity gospel" to enrich himself.

Is it me or does it seem some religious people are obsessed with death?

wordywalt comments on Nov 19, 2017:

It is not surprising that religious "true believers" are obsessed with death. They believe in eternal life and both heaven and hell. Death is the dividing line, and most true believers fear that there is a chance that they will be going to hell instead of heaven.

Political Morals

wordywalt comments on Nov 19, 2017:

Read my piece: Evangelical Christianity is no Pillar of Piety: Part III (also Parts I and II)

why have the American people become blind and deaf to what the government is doing to this once ...

wordywalt comments on Nov 19, 2017:

Why don't you tell us exactly what you mean, so that we don't have to guess. When you assume, you make an ass out of you and me.

Does anybody see a discrepancy between Roy Moore and Al Franklin?

wordywalt comments on Nov 19, 2017:

There is a HUGE difference. Franken showed damned poor judgment and taste and has admitted it. Moore intended to prey on those young girls and did it over and over -- and does not have the honesty or moral courage to admit it!

Shooting the bull: Why do we shoot the bull instead of the elephant?

wordywalt comments on Nov 19, 2017:

Idiomatic expressions in one language are difficult to explain in another. Ich habe das schon erlebt waehrend die Zeit dass ich in Deutschland verbrachte.

In lieu of prayers, how is an agnostic show concerns or empathy

wordywalt comments on Nov 19, 2017:

Simply by telling and showing others that we understand their feelings and offering to help, if needed.

The critical challenges we now face are not a matter of one ideology against another, of one ...

wordywalt comments on Nov 19, 2017:

Ethnocentirm, in all its forms, is one of the greatest curses of culture that we face. We must fight against it and its pernicious effects with everything we have!

Combat training

wordywalt comments on Nov 19, 2017:

We, as parents, need to do such training. I would not entrust that to anyone else, as I would want to equip them for self0defense while -- at the same time -- teaching my children to use those techniques and devices to take advantage of others.

Afterlife

wordywalt comments on Nov 19, 2017:

I am at peace with my mortality.

Would you give a monthly donation to a local Atheist group if they held a weekly Atheist meeting on ...

wordywalt comments on Nov 19, 2017:

I night, if -- and only if -- the group would agree to being fully audited by a well known accounting firm every year. All groups should have to face public accountability.

Have you ever regretted the time you have wasted?

wordywalt comments on Nov 19, 2017:

We all regret some things we have done and wish that we had sometimes acted differently. But, I don't dwell on it, as to do so is futile. I cannot go back and change those things. I can only move forward from here and now.

How open are you about debate?

wordywalt comments on Nov 19, 2017:

I enjoy debating a topic. But, one cannot reason with irrationality. All one can do, in that case, is to point out the irrationality and ask how and why a person would engage in it?

Arab Atheists and agnostics are risking their lives as they express their opinions and spread facts ...

wordywalt comments on Nov 19, 2017:

I feel for you. You express exactly the dangers of a society controlled by dogmatic true believers in a total system ideology.

do souls truly exists?

wordywalt comments on Nov 19, 2017:

I do not believe that there is a soul or spiritual entity in our bodies.

Televangelist Jim Bakker: Buy My Pancake Mix Or Your Grandkids Go To Hell

wordywalt comments on Nov 19, 2017:

Bakker has always been an unprincipled, self-serving fraud.

Why do people ask if something happened to make me not believe in god?

wordywalt comments on Nov 19, 2017:

My anwers are (1) life happened, I read and learned a great deal and developed my own power of independent judgment.

As an atheist, I think Homosexuality should not come into mainstream. What's your take ?

wordywalt comments on Nov 19, 2017:

I am not a homosexual and I don't really understand homosexuality. Still, I see no reason to discriminate against homosexuals. Are you sure that your motivation is not a desire to feel better than some other group?

Is the church of FSM an insult to atheism?

wordywalt comments on Nov 19, 2017:

What is FSM?

How do you feel about the word "Heathen"?

wordywalt comments on Nov 19, 2017:

"Heathen" arose entirely as a derogatory term and has not changed. All words which bigots think they can use as weapons should be expunged from civil discourse.

Arab Atheists and agnostics are risking their lives as they express their opinions and spread facts ...

wordywalt comments on Nov 19, 2017:

If you find that you have great disagreement with the culture in which you grew up and feel threatened by that culture, perhaps it is time to move away from that culture -- both physically and mentally. I grew up in the southern US bible belt culture. Today, except for contact with my sister, I have zero contact with that culture and am proud of that fact.

What about Thanksgiving?

wordywalt comments on Nov 18, 2017:

Well-said!

Thumbs Up: What is your motivation for NOT 'liking' someone's response to a post?

wordywalt comments on Nov 18, 2017:

Those are my top reasons, too. I would also add" simply not interested in the topic."

I'm off to my nans for chrismas(bleugh), but the issue being is all the family over there refuse to ...

wordywalt comments on Nov 18, 2017:

Your comment seems self-absorbed. Everybody else does not do what you want, so you are pissed off and maybe even uncivil to them. I hope that I am misinterpreting. If my perception is correct and if you were my daughter, I would tell you to do something to contribute to the relationship or stay the hell away! I find selfishness and incivility revolting!

In love, how much does money matter?

wordywalt comments on Nov 18, 2017:

Lack of money to maintain a decent life can play a big role in hurting a relationship. For greedy people and for those who so misguided that they want to live a lifestyle of "conspicuous consumption" it matters too damned much.

Why do we have the arrogance to call ourselves intelligent, when most of our species is at one time ...

wordywalt comments on Nov 18, 2017:

As a species, we DO have a great deal of intellectual capacity. However, we also let that intelligence be dominated by greed, ideology. ethnocentrism, and other forms of irrationality.

Most people confuse knowing ,with believing.

wordywalt comments on Nov 18, 2017:

We never "know" anything with absolute certainty/. What we have is the best current evidenced based data available now. Knowledge is intense evidence-based belief so intense that we are willing to act on it.

Given that Satanism is an atheistic religion focused on the self I'm curious if there are any on ...

wordywalt comments on Nov 18, 2017:

Satanism creates an alternative master. I DO NOT need any masters!