Sunday School

[Reg the Fronkey FarmerModerator]

Despite my requests, The Cuddly One refuses to disband the Catholic Church and instead asks for prayers to keep the devil at bay. You would have to believe in miracles for that to work out.

There is no freedom of religion in Turkey anymore. Imagine if our Atheist Zone social media accounts were blocked by the State or one where it promoted just one religion.

I have spoken with many teachers in Ireland who privately admit to being atheists.

Law, Religion and the Secularization of Nigeria.

This is not fake news.

This weeks’ Woo: New Age quackery is common to both the religious and the non-religious.

Climate Change: What chance do we have of keeping climate change under control?

Some years ago while having breakfast in a hotel, a few tables full of Christians decided to say “grace” before eating. They were very loud so I picked up a slice of toast, stared at it in anger and demanded to know “What are you looking at?”

What an audacious hoax reveals about Academia. (Helen was a member of Think Atheist).

I thought I was so cool because I am an atheist. Turns out I just suffer from a superiority complex.

Maura Quint and all the men who never assaulted her.

Freewill debate: Can we be held morally responsible for our actions?

As scientists rethink the evolutionary time-frames of the first animals, could the building blocks of life be found in liquid crystals? Researchers create “Quantum Artificial Life” for the first time while the power of the artificially directed evolution of enzymes will be big news for years to come.

Could the cosmic Big Rip lead to another Big Bang?

Could you tell if a video is a deepfake video?

Anyone for Tetris?

This week I am reading this book: Against Empathy by Paul Bloom.

We pause to remember: Omid T.

Some photographs taken last week

While you are waiting for the kettle to boil…..

Coffee Break Video:  The KJV is a bad translation. How to grow new brain cells.

 

[Reg the Fronkey FarmerModerator]

Have a great week everyone!!

It is the mark of an educated mind, to entertain a thought without accepting it.

– Aristotle.

[StregaModerator]

Thanks, Reg!

[ClearskyParticipant]

Thanks Reg,

 

[Reg the Fronkey FarmerModerator]

You are both very welcome and thanks for the video Clearsky.

[_Robert_Participant]

Random empathy is no way to run a society. Instead of an organized effort to advance the quality of life for all, we have these random acts of charity.

[JadeBlackOliveParticipant]

Lots of good ones, thanks, Reg.

[Reg the Fronkey FarmerModerator]

I agree Robert. One line I read today stuck with me.

Once malice is embraced as a virtue, it is impossible to contain.

I will reread the source article later as there is a lot in it.

 

[Simon PayntonParticipant]

@regthefronkeyfarmer – “source article”

– I think that’s a great article until it goes off the rails at the end.  You can almost hear the guy break down sobbing.

It’s interesting to study Trump as a narcissist, from a moral point of view.  Each narcissist has a punch bag, or various punch bags, but Trump’s punch bag seems to be most of the world (i.e. everyone except him and his cronies and admirers, which is completely typical of narcissism).  Outside of punch bags, however, there is a belief in some kind of fairness by some narcissists, I think.  They have the normal approve/disapprove evaluation of people that we all have, but it is mixed up with a power dynamic of “cruelty” or destructive power and control.  Sometimes, hero worship of their own – look at the way Trump is with Putin.

[Reg the Fronkey FarmerModerator]

Not quite sure what part led to the “sobbing” conclusion. I can detect restrained anger in the tone of it.

Paul Krugman (as always imo) has a good opinion piece in the NYT.

Maybe we should just roll one up, pass it about and sing a song about voting them out or as Bill Maher’s New Rule states, Power begets Power 🙂

[Reg the Fronkey FarmerModerator]

Thanks Jade – I might be in Canada for a few days soon for work.

[ClearskyParticipant]

Is atheism a religion?

[_Robert_Participant]

I am starting to resent the word “atheism”. It gives  god fantasies too much credit. I don’t think evidence supports the existence of ancient aliens, werewolves, fairies, or Baphomet but there are no “-isms” for any of those.

I don’t believe in a bunch of bullshit. I do believe that if not for a mass extinction that killed off TREX and his buddies; we wouldn’t even be here. Why isn’t there a -ism for all the deluded clueless ones who don’t believe in that !

 

[Daniel W.Participant]

Thanks Reg.

I loved the hoax link.  Peter Boghossian is the author of “A manual for creating atheists” but you probably already knew that.

I have never assaulted anyone, in any way.   (Quint article).  I have been assaulted in various ways, a few times over the years, sexual and not sexual, by women and men.  I wonder if anyone has not. In a puritanical society, especially among liberals, it seems like sexual assault, of women by men, trumps all other evils.  Well, except sexual assault of children by adults – which I do think is a top-10 evil thing.  I think it’s bad, and the people who assault others, female or male, younger or older, sexually, physically, or emotionally, are assholes.  But to me, sexual assault comes in all nuances, degrees, and variabilities, and does not always trump all other evils.  And, depending on tne situation and the person, sometimes we have to get over it, and sometimes the person who did it evolves into someone better than they were.  My 2 cents.

I know some atheist new agers.  It’s not important enough to me to convince anyone otherwise.  Better a little woo, than evangelical, or rabid catholic, or fundamentalist baptist, muslim, hindu, or jew.

[Simon PayntonParticipant]

“What an audacious hoax reveals about Academia.”

– I am a huge fan of Helen Pluckrose.  She’s so articulate and intelligent.  She was on a radio programme recently:  “Thinking Allowed”, 24 September 2018.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bk1llv

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