Only your god (the government) can give you a break: either a broken bone, or a Get-out-of-jail-free Card.

@GlyndonD I have no god. Certainly not yours.

@BitFlipper, as is always the case, you have no choice in accepting your god. He chooses you. And if you don't believe that, watch what happens when you don't pay your tithings (taxes).

@GlyndonD ahhh, changing the subject. Agnostic.com is probably not the right website for you.

@BitFlipper, nor you, if you continue to worship your government-god.

Yeah. I remember when the government said weed was wrong, and then threw people in jail because of it. Now it's a not-wrong. Gods can do that, you know. Because your opinion on whether weed is right or wrong does not matter -- it's our God's opinion that matters. And He will hold you accountable.

@GlyndonD doubling down like a good old fashioned troll

I LIKE IT!!! KUDOS TO YOUR COMMITMENT!

Actually most gods don't change thier minds, let alone listen to thier followers. I voted to make weed legal in my state, so, uhm, what the fuck is your point?

@1of5, my point is that what you believe to be right or wrong doesn't matter, because you are one step below your God, whose opinion matters. Its opinion -- and only its opinion -- mattered when weed was illegal, and only its opinion mattered when it deemed weed legal. You have a God, you see, and you are a mere mortal, subject to its whims.

@GlyndonD and your own point is self contradictory - in getting what I want I denied the government what you claim it wanted all along and am therefore above it and it isn't a god. If it wanted what I wanted all along then it isn't above me and isn't a god.

What's truly funny about this is that the actual, only definitions of god that exist are those created by that gods followers. So you are making your own god then admonishing others for "following" it.

But anyways, I prefere circle jerks to be live action events so am done with this one.

@1of5, is it happy hour where you live?

The government has become its own entity. It is now independent of any one person or any group of people. It has attained godly status and godly power. Bow to your Superior.

@GlyndonD - Cats bow to no one!!! The Egyptians worshipped us as GODS and we have never forgotten this!

It is the internet, after all.

Congrats on your points (you owe me nothing).

Even in the midst of the direst of posts, come the greatest of quotes, which makes me glad I bothered, when I nearly did not.

Out of the mouths of babes...

@GlyndonD No babes here.

It is not necessary to enable your government to initiate force against an individual or group. To give it this power -- as in the 16th Amendment-- is to give it the power of a god. And for it to put its morals ahead of yours is also to make it a god.

Pray to your god -- or else...

Just to add to your thought. The Linnean hierarchy system led to the taxonomy system we presently use. The author is correct in the premise that Linneaus was operating under. You are correct that that premise is obsolete.

The hierarchical system is based on complex of the anatomy and physiology of organisms. It makes no value assessment of one organism being greater or lesser than any other. All organisms are considered equal, just anatomically and physiologically different. Some more complex in the evolutionary complexity, some less complex. Not better.

I would not be surprised that a Libertarian might actually beleive in the superiority of one organism or another. Their philosophy is flawed in and of itself.

@t1nick Well... I'm a libertarian (small "l" ) in that I believe in the freedom of all to choose for ourselves, and also our responsibility to take the consequences of those choices. Although not a Libertarian in the sense of wishing to do away with all functions of government, which, in our complex modern world, I consider just crazy talk.

Are you getting all defensive about being a homo erectus, or something?

There is no human or group that controls the government. It has become its own entity. And the most accurate label to put on that entity is "God", because humanity's interplay with that entity resembles a God/servant relationship like no other. Government is our God. Don't like that? Then remove its godly powers.

@t1nick, the non-religious, objective interpretation of evolution is survival of the fittest. Extinct species failed their prime reason for existence. We are, therefore, superior to those extinct species that came before us.

No, our government tells us what's right and wrong. It is independent of any human, or group of humans. Can you find one human that agrees with all the laws and programs and actions of the government? Nope. And that's because it has evolved into its own entity, and it has dominion over us. It is our God.

@t1nick, the ideology that believes that humans are not superior to the common house fly is one that will form a government that will seat all those humans just as if they were house flies. I'm sure we'll get there after our economy crashes after our currency is destroyed, and a totalitarian government rises from the ashes.

@t1nick, @Paul4747, I'm not an anarchist, but I don't believe government should be given any more rights than the individual. That means our government should not be able to initiate force. That would be a libertarian government.

@GlyndonD

The idea of survival of the fittest is so misunderstood. Fittest does no necessarily mean predatory at all. It simply means that an organism must find the best strategy for insuring its survival ad finitum in the environment as it exists or as its evolving.

The Robber Barons of the early part of the Twentieth Century tried to use their predatory practices as justified as survival of the fittest. They had no comprehension of what the were talking about. They called it Social Darwinism, but they were so far off base as to be ludicrous.

Please quit using evolutionary biological terminology and concepts when you appear not to understand the principle. It misleads and leads to erroneous conclusions. Religious value judgements based on the the principles of evolution you have alluded to are just plain wrong. The only value judgement that evolution makes is the ultimate fitness of an organism for its environment.

@GlyndonD

I do not beleive in Libertarianism as a viable concept.

@t1nick, I appreciate your comments, but not nearly as much as you do.

@t1nick, stop believing, and start reasoning.

@GlyndonD

????? What is your PhD in? You seem to be tipping at windmills. I teach reason and logic as part of my Science curricula. I also teach reasoning. I'm not sure where you are coming from? Libertarianism is a flawed philosophy and could never work.

@t1nick, Libertarianism is not a philosophy; it is a school of political thought.

I'm sure your skills at indoctrination are second to none.

@GlyndonD I'm not sure about you, but my species is h. sapiens. And unless the government can maketh it to rain upon the just and the unjust alike- in other words, unless that weather control project really did get off the ground- I don't know of any "godlike" powers the government possesses. You may feel the government wields dictatorial power, in which case, vote early and often for the candidates of your choice. That's your power. But if government were as all-powerful as you describe, then there would be no dissent, and you would have been silenced long ago. Your very existence as a protesting voice is proof that your argument is flawed.

"Can you find one human that agrees with all the laws and programs and actions of the government?" This is a straw man. It hasn't been true of any government above the town hall level, in world history.

@Paul4747, your god is overpowering. It takes what it wants, and I have no rights to disagree. It proclaims its morality as greater than mine, and believes it can initiate violence against me. Others of the flock support it's superiority over me, and everyone else.

Christianity took centuries to enter the Dark Ages, and our God is growing more powerful every day. It will soon have total control, and begin purging heretics so that all will be safe from heresy. We will be absorbed, and there will soon be no escape.

@GlyndonD sure, fine, whatever

Your illogic is your sword and shield. Bye now

@Paul4747, you will be spared. Now, say your prayers, and go to sleep -- much evangelizing for you to do tomorrow.

Nope -- deadly serious. But this time, after we die, this God won't send us to heaven. It is trying to create heaven on Earth. But the only entity experiencing this heaven will be the government. That's my problem, and soon it will be everyone's problem.

@GlyndonD You sound like an Ayn Rand believer. I read everything she wrote and outgrew her some 50 years ago.

@wordywalt, but she died 40 years ago.

@GlyndonD Your point?

@wordywalt, you read stuff you've outgrown?

@GlyndonD In the 1960sI did read almost everything she had written. I found her interesting until I figured out what she was really trying to say and why she was saying it. .

@wordywalt, thank you for correcting your statement. Any thing else you want to correct?

@GlyndonD anybody ever mention you are Extremely passive-aggressive?

@AnneWimsey, don't passive-aggressive the messenger.

Yep. T-Rex thinks it's a god, and you better be fearful of it.

If "Pete" is your nickname for our government-god, then I agree with you whole-heartedly that everything the government wants us to do is for Pete's sake.

@GlyndonD more of a nicer WTF, actually.....

Perhaps some went to a "talkin' " school?

A lot of that can be attributed to dyslexia.

So that you would read it.

@GlyndonD Lesson learned, I won’t make that mistake again.

@Redheadedgammy, your other mistake was saying you didn't believe in a god. So, stop worshipping the government, and please help me stop them from destroying life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness of the flock.

@GlyndonD fuck your god! Now you’re blocked !

Disprove it, then.

But not if the government deems it so.

@GlyndonD The Gov's opinion on the Op won't change the nature of the OP

@Davesnothere OP?

@GlyndonD original post = OP

Our government becoming our God is not a laughing matter. It leads to extermination of those not god-like.

@GlyndonD Too many specious conjectures to be anywhere close to true.

@t1nick, well, I must admit that trying to form a proof around faith is difficult, but it can be done. But your religion is grounded in reality, so I was successful.

@GlyndonD

???? Successful???? I don't have a religion. I have facts and the scientific process, but not religion.

@t1nick, you have blind Faith in the government as your god. That's religion.

@GlyndonD

Nick shrugs and shakes his head in disbelief and exasperation.

@t1nick, you may disbelieve me, but not your government-god.

We all lose.

@GlyndonD We do whenever a justification is made for the existence of a God.

@rainmanjr, or when we create an artificial god and then let it rule over us.

@GlyndonD All Gods are artificial.

@rainmanjr, exactly. And the latest manufactured god is in the form of our modern government.

Because I like you.

Species survive. That's what they do. Previous species died out. They failed. In the case of homo, they're gone because they had smaller brains.

Equal under the law (note CAPS)

Superior: having higher status, and thus receive special treatment under the law

Government has to exist for a cvilized society.

You're right -- this is boring.

@GlyndonD Cyanobacteria are the oldest living species (https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/10-oldest-animals-on-earth.html) and therefore, using survival as a measure, are the most successful.

Equal under the law is incredibly flawed in practice. The impoverished often have no recourse to legal mechanisms. The law in our current system is only"equal" if you can afford it (remember 'Animal Farm' - some animals are more equal than others).

Status is a social construct and not an objectively verifiable and measurable property. It is therefore inherently subjective and not an appropriate measure. Besides, basing superiority on status is circular.

Historically there have been instances of civilized society without rigidly defined government. See [en.m.wikipedia.org]

@towkneed, oh, the efforts that some go to to defend their irrational beliefs...

Wise words from the experienced?

@GlyndonD Oh, you're an Ayn Rand cultist. That explains it. Meds won't help. You need a lobotomy.

And yes, I do have experience with my ex who would stop her meds and then go catatonic.

@racocn8, obviously, I'm not catatonic, so you have mis-diagnosed me, and your prescription is reckless.

@GlyndonD how do you know you are not almost catatonic! Pretty damn incoherent..

@AnneWimsey, have you given thought to the idea that it is you who is catatonic?

@GlyndonD buwahahahahaaaaa, wow are you a fool

@AnneWimsey, it is the fool who is duped by the charlatan. Your charlatan is the government. And you say you don't believe in gods or that you are not a member of a cult. Poppycock!

@GlyndonD you ASSume a lot, sweetie.

@AnneWimsey, I've made an ass out of you?

See above.

Well said.

@Storm1752, thanks.

The government has morphed into an independent entity, not controlled by any individual, or any group of individuals. And it has given itself rights above the individual. It has proclaimed itself as God, and we have submitted to its authority as our God.

@GlyndonD I disagree, America is a great nation, the land of opportunity where anyone can grow up to be rich enough to buy a senator.

@273kelvin, and why would you want to buy a senator? Because he can use the power of the government-god to deliver riches to you.

Why did the atheist cross the road?

Because he believes in government as his god.

and man created god.

@jlynn37 ....in order to dominate the minds of his fellow men!

@jlynn37 The main difference is that governments are real. Gods are just immaginary.

After our economy crashes when our god destroys our currency, we will never again be able to overthrow this totalitarian god.

I'm not demonizing the government. I'm calling it our chosen and created God.

@GlyndonD Who chose it? You? Please.

@Mofo1953, the population, as codified in the 16th Amendment.

@GlyndonD the 16th amendment has nothing to do with gods or religion, it talks about taxes and amendments are not chosen, don't waste my time with your libertarian nonsense.

@Mofo1953, the 16th Amendment gave the government the right to take your money whether you like it or not. No human or other group has been given this right to inflict violence and to take from anyone else without their consent. That is a right that only a god can inflict.

I apologize for any inconvenience I might have caused.

@GlyndonD they are called taxes, all countries have them, the roads you use, tge army that protects you, the police that enforces the law, etcetera are paid by them, don't wantbto pay, move to the moon? But to get there youbwould have to use government onfrastructure paid by the taxesvwe all pay, sorry dude, all nonsense.

@Mofo1953, and you forgot to mention the war machine that we use to kill people in other countries that our God doesn't like. Funny how the government was able to operate before the 16th Amendment. And funny how the country was able to accomplish so much without a government of godly proportions.

@GlyndonD stop with your idiotic nonsense already, paranoid much? Still with the god crap! Just stop with the lunacy. Taxes wrere paid before the 16th, learn history or at least google to find out.

@Mofo1953, not an income tax. Not at the point of a gun.

@GlyndonD point of a gun? Libertarian paranoia makes you make things up????

@Mofo1953, if the taxman shows up at your door, and demands the money you owe them, You say, "I ain't gonna pay it."
"If you ain't gonna pay it", said the taxman, "I'm gonna go get the sheriff, and he's gonna put you in jail."
"I'm not going with you."
"Then he'll have to shoot you", said the taxman.
"I'll shoot back."
"Then we will kill you", said the Government.

That's what I made up.

@GlyndonD you break the law you go to jail, that is news for you? Crazy for cocoa puffs???

@Mofo1953, exactly! Government has been given rights above that of any individual or group -- to take your money via an income tax. That has been made law. Break that law, and you risk death.

It's whatever the individual or group makes of it, I suppose. And what I'm saying is that our society is intent on making it our god, forever, here on Earth. How does that sound to you?

@GlyndonD Now we have the horse pushing the cart in a sense. While I agree that we are the wellspring from which deities arise, I don't think that they actually manifest in such a ham-handed fashion. That is to say that gods do not exit the realm of idealism. Governments might wish to be portrayed as the factories that turn dreams into reality. But we know otherwise. Taxes are not a form of worship. At worst, it's blackmail. At best, it's a oft misused shared resource. Like everything else, work in progress.

@Hicks66, it's not just taxes, but many people believe that the right place to get something done is the government. They would think that of anything their god is asked to do. But government turns out to be the worst place to get anything done. Blind faith counteracts that argument, however.

@GlyndonD To a point. Government at its best is a force multiplier of resources. Infrastructure, defense and justice are the things that the ruled forfeit to the rulers. Faith would lie in the ruled trusting their motivations. It seems that there is a rift between the ruled and rulers. Whether you call it a social contract or noblesse oblige, it seems to have been overshadowed by enlightened self-interest.It reflects how we treat one another out of the reach of retribution.

@Hicks66, there is much greater risk to the species with too much governmental control than there is with individual freedom. I think there is also risk of a permanent totalitarian state if our economy crashes, coupled with today's potential for surveillance of individuals and the public. We have to keep our vigilance such that that does not happen.

@GlyndonD Nothing artificial is permanent. How come things didn't go haywire during the Dirty Thirties? Are we even the same species as those of less than a century ago?

@Hicks66, totalitarianism didn't happen in the US. If the US goes down -- having been the bastion of individualism and capitalism -- I don't think it will rise again. And I think it will stick, as the people are now hooked on their social media, which can be easily controlled by a central authority. Dissent will not be given a chance to build into a viable opposition.