Seeing that we are all atheists agnostics what makes a person choose good over evil?

zeuser comments on May 8, 2019:

In my view, evil means actions based solely on the self with no regard of the effect your actions may have on others. Pure evil means actions that are designed to deliberately have a negative effect on others.

How do you de-stress?

zeuser comments on May 8, 2019:

Talking to friends really helps me. Of course, most of my friends like to go to bars, so that's a factor worth noting. Nothing lasts, however, until you completely disengage from the source of the stress, at least for a while.

Decade in the Red: Trump Tax Figures Show Over $1 Billion in Business Losses

zeuser comments on May 8, 2019:

The dominoes are starting to fall. Barr will soon be held in contempt. Majority leader Pelosi is floating the idea of jailing Mnuchin. The White House is asserting executive privilege over the entire Mueller report even though most of it has been made public (this didn't work for Nixon). I believe that at least impeachment hearings are around the corner. This is a sad time in the history of the republic.

Took me long enough. I was beginning to think it wasn't ever gonna happen.

zeuser comments on May 8, 2019:

It's not supposed to be easy! Congratulations! 😊

Always, the context is important

zeuser comments on May 7, 2019:

Or pure horseshit. They left that one out.

So, an acquaintance that you run into every week posts THIS; "Muslims HATE pork, beer, bikinis, ...

zeuser comments on May 6, 2019:

Arguing with bigotry using facts and logic is a losing proposition. I have unfriended people with a similar points of view, on social media and in person. At one point of my life, I'd just ignore and pretend nothing was said, but I find I can't do that anymore.

Perhaps atheists need religion to exist to justify their position.

zeuser comments on May 5, 2019:

Without any religion, everybody would be an atheist by default, no? Did I miss something, or is there more context to this than I can detect?

I work in retail.

zeuser comments on May 5, 2019:

Maybe "Have a gesundheit day"? Seriously, if it sets you off, that's too bad. How much do you need this job? I'd blow it off if I were you, but it's up to you.

I am with my family for the weekend, for my younger brother's graduation.

zeuser comments on May 5, 2019:

Well that was a dick move. Blow it off for your brother's sake, and text them to text you back when they get there. If they don't do it, go to a bar. 8-)

"When did I realize I was God?

zeuser comments on May 4, 2019:

Great quote from one of my top ten movies of all time. "I look in a mirror at myself in a mirror, watching myself watching myself watching myself. I smile, I smile, I smile."

How are you all doing today?

zeuser comments on May 4, 2019:

You are such a sweetheart! I am doing well. My biggest challenge is keeping up with my 94 year old dad who lives about 500 miles north of me by himself. I am his last family still alive. I hope you are doing well too. 😊

Morality is not contingent on knowing right from wrong.

zeuser comments on May 3, 2019:

You've got it right. You have no control over how you feel. You feel how you feel, morality doesn't come into it. What you do is indeed what you can control. Behaviors are learned. Good luck on your personal journey, don't give up! You need to get through a lot of no's to get to your yes. 😊

Definitely not going there

zeuser comments on May 3, 2019:

Awww.

More obscene actions from the Trump administration.

zeuser comments on May 3, 2019:

Straight out of the GOP playbook, page 13, "Always make things worse for the most vulnerable people because they can't fight back." Dickheads.

First Confession The new priest is nervous about hearing confessions for the first time, so he ...

zeuser comments on May 2, 2019:

My contempt for confession started my journey to complete atheism. So in a sense it did me some good, but that's a stretch.

AG Barr got his filthy ASS handed to him today.

zeuser comments on May 2, 2019:

All part of the strategy to run out the clock until after the next election. All we got left is impeachment, and the sooner the better. Even if the senate can't get to 2/3, it'll force his collaborators to go on record.

[facebook.com] This is a children's book?

zeuser comments on May 2, 2019:

Sally sounded like she had a little bit of an attitude, but in the end, she got her 3 way.

Oh Yes! and I don't even like Hillary. :)

zeuser comments on May 1, 2019:

Good point.

Barr splutters, deflects in viral questioning by Kamala Harris [sfgate.

zeuser comments on May 1, 2019:

Sweet!! I reeeeally like Senator Harris. I'd love to see the talking yam onstage with her in a debate, wouldn't you? Cmon, you know you would. 😉

After three visits with each other last year, two in Michigan and one in Kentucky, @EllenDale and I ...

zeuser comments on May 1, 2019:

Good luck, you two crazy kids! 💙

How to advertise your religion...

zeuser comments on May 1, 2019:

Too bad all the millennials are running away from churches as fast as they can. Only so many clueless twats they can stand.

Queer actresses Ashley Benson and Cara Delevinsgne told "Many strong religious would take you back ...

zeuser comments on May 1, 2019:

Oh FFS. Just the right response from Ms. Cara.

What specifically happened that made you turn into an atheist/ nonbeliever?

zeuser comments on May 1, 2019:

The "sacrament" of confession. That I needed to tell some guy in a dark room how many times I rubbed one of out I'd go to hell , that made the adolescent me start to reconsider the nature of sin, and once you pull that first thread it all starts to unravel. It all came together when I heard this answer from a personal hero of mine, Linus Pauling. They asked him what he believes, he said "I believe that all complicated phenomena can be explained using simple scientific principles." That resonated with me, and still does 45 years later.

How much did Trump pay Barr to dissemble and obfuscate? 5 million? 10 million? 20 million?

zeuser comments on May 1, 2019:

I hope it was a high number. The talking yam will stiff him, just like he stiffs everyone else, if this is a payoff arrangement.

I feel pretty lonely.

zeuser comments on May 1, 2019:

You can't go wrong sticking with the pooch.

Not what you thought, huh? Hehehe...😜

zeuser comments on May 1, 2019:

You're not the only one, either. 8-)

Jeepers .

zeuser comments on May 1, 2019:

You mean like your post?

Robert Reich - Congress should be ready to arrest Barr if he defies subpoena - or risk the end of ...

zeuser comments on May 1, 2019:

Frog march that fat toady to the house hoosegow!

This bumper sticker raises so many questions. What would a 2000-year-old Jesus look like?

zeuser comments on Apr 30, 2019:

He'd still get nailed. Heh.

Single man, looking for life partner.

zeuser comments on Apr 30, 2019:

Quite a catch.Yuck.

I intend to live forever, or die trying....Groucho Marx.

zeuser comments on Apr 30, 2019:

"These are my principles. And if you don't like them, well, I have others." The one, the only....

Well, that's redundant.

zeuser comments on Apr 30, 2019:

This is why using irony on some people is a waste of time.

What is with this Atheist/Agnostic divide stuff lately.

zeuser comments on Apr 29, 2019:

Labels are bullshit. Arguing about labels means arguing about bullshit. It's discouraging that non - believes can and do fall into the same traps and patterns as believers. If you know yourself and stay true to that, why the fuck does what others believe, or how they describe themselves, make any difference? SMH 🙄

Trump has passed the 10,000 mark for number of falsehoods.

zeuser comments on Apr 29, 2019:

If the point system at liars.com is similar to ours, he's a level 7 there. Heh. Yeah, I know, funny /not funny.

I'm sure I only need one guess... [blogs.edweek.org] I'm detecting a pattern here (sarcasm)

zeuser comments on Apr 29, 2019:

Hey, a bigot has got to bigot, you know?

Nope, you're stuck with it now, buddy.

zeuser comments on Apr 29, 2019:

Awww!

If this has been posted here today then I missed it.

zeuser comments on Apr 29, 2019:

I don't think he's fundamentally capable of telling the truth, he just can't do it. His biggest problem: to continuously always top himself he has to reach for bigger and bigger lies. His followers don't care, and you're right, a lot of them actually believe his horseshit.

So instead of wasting my time going to church today I picked up my yard

zeuser comments on Apr 28, 2019:

I went to my favorite bar and watched the canes beat the islanders, and flirted with my bartender. 8-)

2 Weeks on "Plenty Of Fish"

zeuser comments on Apr 28, 2019:

After my divorce, about 9 and a half years ago, I tried both POF and Match. All told I think I had 3 dates, none of which was a second date. Women I was interested in online were generally not interested in me, pretty much like in real life. So I stopped. I did get a date recently on Tinder. Sweet woman, very cute and intelligent, but way too young for me and we both knew it. I've had much better results the old fashioned way. I'm not breaking any records, but it passes the time every so often. It's a crap shoot no matter how you do it.

How many members on here are openly atheists in the bible belt? And are you treated differently?

zeuser comments on Apr 28, 2019:

Granted I live in one of the urban centers of North Kackalacky (the Raleigh area), but I'm surprised by how many people sheepishly say "me too" when I open the door with my admission. Some people say they'll pray for me. (How's that working out for y'all?) Every so often I see someone in the rearview mirror at a stoplight shaking their head and frowning at my Darwin fish. I generally only talk about it when asked, and steer clear of zealots, but I never shy away from admitting it.

Do you sing in the car?

zeuser comments on Apr 28, 2019:

Not only that, I'm the steering wheel percussionist at stoplights.

Despite being atheist, im pretty sure I 100% believe in Tarot cards.

zeuser comments on Apr 28, 2019:

People are wired to detect patterns, even when patterns don't exist. Whether it's Tarot cards, tea leaves, planetary motion, reading entrails or casting wands, people see things in the patterns, and those usually reflect a hopeful desire in the pattern reader being "confirmed" by the pattern. As a tool for intelligent introspection, Tarot cards are as good a device to focus attention inward as anything else. But that's all they are. Good luck in your endeavors.

Her ex is crazy 🤣😂😅

zeuser comments on Apr 28, 2019:

Be careful, he may have a glue gun!

These were on my Facebook feed and were too good not to share, imho

zeuser comments on Apr 27, 2019:

Eww.

Trump is facing impeachment.

zeuser comments on Apr 27, 2019:

I usually don't like to double comment, but did y'all see this? There's trouble in 2nd amendment land. So long Ollie! https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/26/politics/nra-extortion-pressure-to-resign/index.html

I am an atheist.

zeuser comments on Apr 27, 2019:

Not sure if this helps, but all experiences are useful, if not immediately then eventually. Negative experiences are often more instructive than positive ones, and positive experience can also lead to net negative results. I took a job for at a cable tv corporate HQ, strictly for the money, that turned out to be hell on earth, and my position was eliminated in a corporate takeover right after my then wife was laid off. At the time, we had little one year old girl and no prospects. We moved cross-country , both found work, and I lasted 28 years at a great job here. It doesn't always work out that way, but you never know. You don't lose unless you quit, but I think you know that already. Best of luck to you, hon. I'm betting you'll land on your feet. 8-)

Hi I'm thinking of get a tattoo.

zeuser comments on Apr 27, 2019:

I don't have any or anticipate getting any, but get one if you want to. But you can't go wrong with using a symbol of comic book mythology.

If I was to make a sculpture of a half naked, bleeding woman, nailed to a cross and distributing a ...

zeuser comments on Apr 27, 2019:

Well, I wouldn't. However, you may have the marketing skills to make a buck with it, so don't let my opinion stop you. 8-)

400-year-old Bible stolen from US found in Netherlands

zeuser comments on Apr 27, 2019:

Well, one religion with a zillion flavors, each of which detests the other flavors. That's in the book, too.

I just wanted to get some other opinions on this.

zeuser comments on Apr 27, 2019:

This characteristic is not limited to spiritual non denominational types. There are plenty of people who have very strong opinions based on nothing who like to appear reasonable, but will not abide any difference of opinion. Usually, logic is not involved, let alone evidence. Here are some steps to take: don't engage with them, get the hell out of earshot - and stay there.

Trump is facing impeachment.

zeuser comments on Apr 27, 2019:

To Wayne and your fellow thugs: Thoughts and prayers. Hey, why don't you guys ask the Russians for 60 or 70 million more dollars like you've been doing all along? Things getting a little hot on that trail for you, you asswipes?

Daaaamn Grandpa..

zeuser comments on Apr 27, 2019:

Don't get close enough to take a whiff, kid, you'll regret it!

I crave star damage...and vitamin D. Yet, the clouds persist today. Maybe tomorrow!

zeuser comments on Apr 27, 2019:

Gonna be sunny with a high of 73 today in here North Kackalacky. I'll probably get some star damage this afternoon.

Read, read, read.

zeuser comments on Apr 27, 2019:

Good writing comes from effective revisions, and if your lucky, from the advice of a good editor. I think it was Hemingway who said something like "All first drafts are shit." Seeing how writers who you like handle certain things can be very educational, but you do have to do it the way you think is best, or risk becoming derivative. Derivative is good in genre fiction, though, so there is that.

Needs to shave.

zeuser comments on Apr 27, 2019:

At least his balls can't shrink all that much.

[facebook.com] At a theater near you

zeuser comments on Apr 27, 2019:

The screening questions are very thorough.

If a wife do the shopping with the husband!

zeuser comments on Apr 27, 2019:

This is nostalgic. Heh.

"This is the end of my presidency, I'm fucked." Okay, but when is the ACTUAL end?

zeuser comments on Apr 27, 2019:

The impeachment hearings alone are worth the price of admission. I hope they at least do that. Ideally, public officials should do things because they are the right thing to do, not because of some political calculus.

I love Twitter The White House posted a Happy Birthday to Melania - just sitting alone on a sofa ...

zeuser comments on Apr 27, 2019:

"I brought you that Russian sausage you like so much for your birthday."

This company is number 1 in the number 2 business!

zeuser comments on Apr 26, 2019:

Gives a new meaning to "step on the gas". Heh. 🤣

I just can't decide who's most deplorable, Trump himself, his ardent supporters or Congress for ...

zeuser comments on Apr 26, 2019:

Without his followers, he wouldn't be where he is, but without his senate henchmen, he be gone by now. I think there is no wrong answer in that they are all odious traitors.

OMG.

zeuser comments on Apr 24, 2019:

"I'll preserve, protect and defend the constitution like you've never seen before. Nobody preserves, protects, and defends the constitution better than I do." Dipshit.

God is everywhere.....it seems!

zeuser comments on Apr 24, 2019:

You mean god didn't friend you? No, I see it more and more too. It's not healthy, IMHO.

[friendlyatheist.patheos.com] This is discrimintation

zeuser comments on Apr 24, 2019:

The "show me" state, huh? I got something in my pocket I want to show you. Want to guess what it is? Damn, I hate these bullyboy dickwads, I really do.

A Favorite Hike: Ingalls Creek Trail

zeuser comments on Apr 24, 2019:

Great looking hike, LH! I eat food that I dropped all the time - but you gotta get it in 5 seconds. Heh.

@Admin, I come home to find this! Kessie swears it was addressed to her but she doesn't even have a ...

zeuser comments on Apr 24, 2019:

You have to admit, it looks good on her! Congrats on the level up. Kessie looks like she needs some cheese. 8-)

Hello everyone! I'm a recovering ex-cult member and joined this site in an effort to learn more ...

zeuser comments on Apr 23, 2019:

It's tough to wriggle out of the grasp of cultists, especially if your parents are members. I congratulate you, sympathize that you had to go through that, and welcome you to the world of reason, as well as to this site. Your mind will take you as far as you let it. 8-)

Belief is the death of intelligence do you agree?

zeuser comments on Apr 23, 2019:

Linus Pauling, one of my atheist heroes who won two Nobel prizes (the peace prize, and one for chemistry), said this when asked what he believed. "I believe that all complicated phenomena can be explained using simpler scientific principles." That quote galvanized my own atheism some 45 years ago, but it is in essence a statement of belief. He was not an unintelligent man. So though I know what you are driving at here, no, I don't think that's universally true.

Do you think this can be a good name for a church? (Big potential for a massive men following)

zeuser comments on Apr 23, 2019:

I dunno. A lot of men wouldn't be able to find it. 8-)

Trump's New Enemy: Survivors of Sexual Violence

zeuser comments on Apr 23, 2019:

That's our theocrats for you. If men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament.

Jimmy Carter says the US is the most warlike nation and that is costing it the progress it could be ...

zeuser comments on Apr 22, 2019:

Yep.

Alexa truly understands our sex lives... 3 easy steps, right on the box... ?

zeuser comments on Apr 22, 2019:

I don't need no stinking timer! LOL

I'm just turning 65 today. What's your relationship to that number and age?

zeuser comments on Apr 21, 2019:

I am 65, gonna be 66 in July, and I've been retired about a year and a half. They started buying out us dinosaurs, and replacing us with younger, cheaper, and more technologically current replacements. I've applied for social security to start after I turn 66 and I was prudent with my savings so I am quite comfortable. I have no urge or need to return to the work force. This shit is great! ?

What's your super power?

zeuser comments on Apr 21, 2019:

I raise the ability to fart to a transcendent level. I can really scorch them.

Jesus is risen! Great!! So he finally dragged his lazy ass out of bed.

zeuser comments on Apr 21, 2019:

So, you're having a tough time getting anything meaningful out of Jesus? Competition can be inspirational. Give the contract to Jorge and see if that lights a fire under Jesus's resurrected ass. ?

Dandelion on steroids?

zeuser comments on Apr 21, 2019:

Goats like to eat shit like that. So if you can get access to a goat, that'd be one organic approach to mitigating any spread.

It's Sunday.

zeuser comments on Apr 21, 2019:

Where I hail from originally in NEPA, the few churches that remain in my hometown have switched to using recordings of musical bells blasted over loudspeakers instead of actual bells. Here in NC, there are a lot of strip mall level congregations without any bells at all. Nothing from the hindu or Mormon temples either. The megachurches generally are in auditoriums, and again no bells. The Buddhists mainly show up for the food. Sorry you've got a ringing in your ears, I know it can be irritating.

I hope you all enjoyed your 420 Day celebrations!

zeuser comments on Apr 21, 2019:

Luckily, being retired has no drug tests.

On impeachment, Warren just stole the show from her dodging Democratic rivals

zeuser comments on Apr 20, 2019:

She's right. Just about everybody knows she's right, including those who defend the talking yam for their own purposes, which usually include discriminating against any one of a number of ethnic or gender related communities and raping the planet for profit.

oh thank goodness there is a group on here that's anti-trump.

zeuser comments on Apr 20, 2019:

Always good to meet someone who isn't a brainwashed bigoted moron. Happy you found us. 8-)

What wouldn't Trump be prepared to do if it meant one upping Hillary?

zeuser comments on Apr 19, 2019:

Well, he's a pussy all right. So...

Tried watching a good Friday BBC programme called The Easter Story but found it intensely irritating...

zeuser comments on Apr 19, 2019:

I guess it would depend on how technology developed without a religiously inspired profit motive which ignores externalities and runs roughshod over anything in its way. Would that happen any differently in a largely pagan world? Good question. At the very least, though, that whole dark ages vibe with the inquisition and the elimination of scientific minds in favor of superstitious bullshit would definitely have panned out differently. Great thought experiment. Good post.

I'm a substitute teacher.

zeuser comments on Apr 19, 2019:

Good on you, brother. You've got some company here. Just jump in and hang on!

Too bad, I would like to hear their rendition of " The Reptilian Romp".......

zeuser comments on Apr 19, 2019:

Sounds like a croc to me.

If you can make a woman laugh, then you can make her do anything.....Marilyn Monroe.

zeuser comments on Apr 19, 2019:

Nope, nope that's a damn lie.

Exactly!!!

zeuser comments on Apr 18, 2019:

I can get behind this.

Teach your children well

zeuser comments on Apr 18, 2019:

I got two like that. *Proud*

I have read the ‘double speak,’ of this demented government report.

zeuser comments on Apr 18, 2019:

Yeah, you're right.

Lesley, ya'll need less Jesus. [ladbible.com]

zeuser comments on Apr 17, 2019:

People actually go through life with this level of inane self-deception. Sadly, they also reproduce.

RNC has released the 2020 platform

zeuser comments on Apr 17, 2019:

I like how they use Obama and BLM rolled up with the KKK as examples of "racist". Also, I might not know a whole hell of a lot, but it doesn't seem like a good idea to antagonize "women MMA fighters". Just sayin'.

More proof that Donald is a racist [thinkprogress.org] DonaldTrump racism UN

zeuser comments on Apr 17, 2019:

Kind of like proving that fire is hot.

Thought I share something that made laugh and smile.

zeuser comments on Apr 17, 2019:

Nice to see your roots run true. My folks were always Democrat, in unions, pro solidarity, walking picket lines. My dad admitted he voted for Ike, who would now be labeled a socialist. Embrace your heritage!

Knock Knock

zeuser comments on Apr 16, 2019:

No, no. You have to knock *three * times on the ceiling if you want me. Twice on the pipe if you ain't gonna show. 🤣

Demanding know the oranges

zeuser comments on Apr 16, 2019:

In spite of his skin tone, and unlike oranges, he does not have "a peel". Not to me at least.

🍜🍟🍔 If you had to live inside an underground bomb shelter for one year, and could only ...

zeuser comments on Apr 16, 2019:

Duh, menudo of course. 🤣

Evangelical Taylor U community in uproar over Pence speech: "Deeply at odds with following Christ"...

zeuser comments on Apr 13, 2019:

The Taylor folks who objected to Pence have empathy, integrity, and a true desire to not persecute vulnerable groups. Respect.

Four years ago today I took a ride in an ambulance that would change my life.

zeuser comments on Apr 13, 2019:

Good on you for staying with it while they did their jobs inside your chest, and for being aware enough to know who to thank.

Only one more sleep till winter comes for us all.

zeuser comments on Apr 13, 2019:

I wouldn't bet against Arya.

Movie theatre ???

zeuser comments on Apr 13, 2019:

I just make sure I get a seat close to the aisle since I have to leave at least one time to take a whiz. I eat snacks after I leave the theater. 8-)

If you do , run...they are crazy!

zeuser comments on Apr 13, 2019:

I've yet to meet someone like that. But I'll keep the advice in mind.