tom sarbeck

TheEncogitationer wrote:
PopeBeanie and Unseen, I know it does sound utopian. […]

And that’s ok! I don’t do enough reading on these things but still develop my own ideas. I’m thinking, e.g. that new “parties” will be willing to join forces one day to overcome the hurdles of running against the two party system. The theme, at least at first,…[Read more]

By the way, back to the original post. I also read his book on the historicity of Jesus and his case was indeed quite compelling. I was left with the feeling that there is a reasonable chance a trouble maker named Jesus was crucified but there are no sources that claim he had x and y qualities (especially magical ones). The story evolved years…[Read more]

TheEncogitationer wrote:
Others have also suggested getting rid of parties entirely and letting individual candidates run solely on their ideas and past records.

I’m close to believing that, I just don’t know how to make it happen. I think the founders of USA had no idea how two-party politics would be able to hang on to power and then corrupt…[Read more]

1) Only if the computer (ironically) requires infinitesimal energy; 2) Or any object with circularity.

What if the only meaning of “infinity” is that there can be nothing larger (or smaller) within the context wherein it refers to a quantity? E.g. if a Big Bang starts off with infinite density in infinitesimal space and time, assuming no other…[Read more]

As for voting vs praying, I’d say they’re more equivalent as “faiths”, and specifically “group faiths”. When I vote, which I will mail in as soon as I study the local ballot measures, I know it won’t really make a difference. So I vote with the faith that I’m doing the right thing for my fellow citizens, as I think my fellow citizens are also…[Read more]

Yes. Second time voting, haven’t voted since 2008. Can’t wait until this goddamn crap is over with.

Trump is utterly distained and hated by the overwhelming majority of people in Canada, Western-Europe and New Zealand. His very name raises people’s blood pressure and causes lots of rolling eyes.  Remember he has seriously disrupted world trad…[Read more]

It is quite extreme to claim that voting doesn’t have real life consequences. If 1,000 reasonable minded people all think that way and a ballot measure to not impose ridiculous abortion measures, legalise medical marijuana, extend medicare for thousands of people who cannot afford it…all fails by 900 votes, say, in California, then that would be…[Read more]

Thanks again Anna. The best I can tell, Sue’s had earlier IDs set up and we’re now seeing use of those past IDs.

I’ve taken more measures but am not sure how well they’ll work. (By the way, I got the same email, but I have no way to know who else or how many other members also get them.)

TheEncogitationer wrote:
I know I probably come off angry […]

No, if I responded sounding as if I felt that way, it was my mistake. Half my reason for being here is to give any theists that come by a chance to see that there’s an alternative to the traditional religious attitudes that were invented by human beings long ago, and imo, after…[Read more]

Votes count in the aggregate. The popular vote does mean something (even if it doesn’t win the electoral college) as it gives an added amount of legitimacy to a president. If people in states like California don’t vote because they are certain their state will go Democrat, that is still a lot of votes that aren’t given that skew the overall…[Read more]

Ivy your claim likely comes from a heavily American-centric view of Atheism and doesn’t represent the rest of the world very well. This is especially the case in East Asia where literally a Billion people do not encounter nor confront the idea of “God” (or only extremely sparingly) and do not take a position on God one way or another. They don’t…[Read more]

TheEncogitationer wrote:
Here’s one of those interesting stories that comes up when you put “Atheism” in the news search engine:

Black Skeptics Find Meaning in Uplifting Their Community Through Social Justice

Black nonbelievers have for years been working to redefine what it means to be an Atheist, a word too often linked to white spaces mostl…

[Read more]

Alejandro, my apologies if you are reading this. In my haste, I foolishly deleted you as an AtheistZone member after reading Anna’s post. Please sign up again. (I have no other way to contact you.)