If religion equaled morality, the Middle-East would the the happiest, safest, sanest place on earth rather than the never-ending horror story it is. If you need God to be good, then you're not a good person. You're just a bad person on a leash.
Hey, just because they have high crime rates, including high murder rates, doesn't mean they're immoral. Just like having the highest divorce rates and the highest rates of porn usage doesn't mean they don't believe in biblical marriage and sexual morality. I'm shocked--shocked, I tell you!--that you could be so judgmental.
I think perhaps Covid had something to do with that. Church attendance dropped, and I think a lot of people came to the realization they never needed church, and that the preachers need them more than they ever needed the preachers.
God says to be a moral person, you must kill anyone who works on the Sabbath, mixes their crops, wears clothing of mixed fabrics, and a bunch of other petty reasons. So yay, religious morality, I guess.
In the Infancy Gospel of Thomas (apocrypha), Jesus killed a boy on the street for the egregious error of simply bumping into him. Apparently Jesus had the morals of a MS-13 gang member.
No one but the priests is allowed to touch the ark. That's why. Also, David was not aware that hauling the ark in a ox cart is not a good idea. But months later, David managed to learn the appropriate way to handle the Ark, which is have the priests carry the ark on their shoulders into Jerusalem. This time around, no deaths occurred.
Hey – I presume everyone knows about the space rocket blowing up? I'm conflicted. It's sad a space rocket blows up but on the other hand it did belong to Elon Musk.
I watched as it went up. One camera, aimed at the tail of the launch vehicle, showed at least four or five engines OUT, which obviously was a big problem to begin with. Frankly, that many engines in a first stage is begging for disaster, IMHO. For example, I refer you to the Russian N-1, which was to be their moon rocket.
I still think that the revised version of the Rocketdyne F-1 is the way to go.
The N-1 was many years ago. The ship that blew up was the first prototype. They expected it might blow up. What they learn will make beta version two better. They keep building 50 or a hundred million dollar rockets making each one a little better. That's how space-x made the Falcon 9 which is the cheapest and most reliable rocket of its size in the world. Most old school rocket companies spend billions of dollars a year for ten or 15 years trying to make it perfect on the first launch.
The recorded history of religion reveals an inconvenient truth to adherents: It is not unbelievers who lack morality.
Religion has been an absolute horror for humanity. Even the most allegedly benign ones have their vicious sides. It is believers who need to take a page or several out of the nonbelievers playbook.
Watch it! This world is absolutely not screwed up. Jesus and the Founders wanted a world where toddlers get shot if their ball rolls into a neighbor's yard.
Yes, more work. It would be a great help if we had a 24/7 TV channel that creates stories and programs that promote reason and sanity and exposes the futility of all religions.
Oh, sure! Seth Andrews at the top of the heap. Aron Ra right behind him and Matt Dillahunty not far off! I'm not being flip, either, considering what those three men and many other men and women without belief have done as well!
Um, the Disney channel promotes unrealistic white knights, shining armor and sleeping princesses (and *maybe* the occasional prince) I blame Disney, in part, for my fucked up love life. I keep expecting Kit from Cinderella (live-action)
Has anyone else got the email from only sky to say they are merging with American atheists? There's a survey, which I've just filled in. I think you can make comments about the comment system. I didn't bother because they should know about that by now but I did mention the fact that half the bloggers don't write anything.
I got that email and deleted after reading the first few sentences. They never paid even token attention to our feedback when we were mired there; I can't imagine they give a fart what we think or would like to see now.
Personal to Hemant: Please, please, PLEASE don't migrate back to OnlySky.
I think we're at a crossroads now. I stopped being a paid supporter when it became thumpingly obvious OnlySky couldn't have cared less about our input or about fixing their Christ-awful comment system. When they kept making a show of wanting feedback then ignored every last bit of it, the insult became too much to bear. I've been holding off re-subscribing because of the multiple reports that Hemant is only marking time here, waiting to go back to OS. This may be the moment. If it becomes clear we're staying here (or moving someplace even better), I'll happily start supporting again. If we go back to a site the repeatedly insults its users, no way. Mama Jomicur didn't raise any children dumb enough to pay to be insulted.
I had to abandon that platform early on. The comment system was beyond atrocious. I just recently discovered Hermant was on substack, which has a more user friendly comment section.
Got it. Couldn't respond to it because they wanted you to log on to Google, which I do not have an account with. And the last time I tried logging in to OS, they told me my log in was successful but then told me I needed to log in.
I use edge and just checked. After waiting several minutes for comments to load, I'm still auto-logged in at OS.
The internet is weird. Over at Freethoughtblogs, I have to log in every time I want to comment. I don't remember my password, so I log in via Google+. As far as I know, Google+ has been shut down for over a year. It still works for logging in though.
The one thing this survey doesn't answer is the evolution of the attitude of being good without god. I'm not especially surprised at the current numbers, but have they tracked with the onset of the nones, or is the correlation not quite that tight.
I agree that you do not have to believe in God to behave morally. Now, if we could only agree when it comes to issues of morality particularly when it comes to individual ethics.
Like the ethics of placing a child in the home of a bigot? It isn't ethical to place a child (even a white child) in the home of a white supremacist or anti-Semite. Likewise it isn't ethical to place a child (even a cis het child) in the home of a homophobe/transphobe.
He's still part of the SBC despite its history of pro-slavery and the fact that they are desperately trying to catch up with the RCC when it comes to having child molesters within their ranks and trying to cover it up (not to mention their rabid hatred of women and LGBTQs).
I'll be surprised if he responds. I'm never going to forget it. It's when I realized his supposed liberal Christianity is at best, a live and let live attitude. Not support of the LGBT community.
I agree and as long as all the hypocritical Christians keep coming out of the woodwork, religious organizations keep showing how rich their churches, etc., are and how rich and high off the hog their priest, ministers, pastors, etc., live, and how many of them lie day in and out, those numbers will grow. When you show your support for the likes of the Trumps and DeSantis's of the world and in the Republican Party, your racism, bigotry, love for guns and the unnecessary force against people, just because you can, you show you have no moral compass, I don't care how many Gods you believe in, or how many religious organizations you are part.
I'm questioning the statistical validity of this survey. Perhaps those who now answer cold calls for surveys like this are more likely to not be conspiratorial crazies. Most of 'murica remains stuck in the God Delusion.
Haven't got time to read thoroughly - skimmed through it couldn't find anything about Facebook. I've been on Facebook for quite a long time, but haven't posted for about 20 years. So what's the guts? No hurry – going out in 10 minutes or so. 😁
I dropped mine a few months ago. I had stayed on for family, but realized their Jesus and Trump posts had me logging in about once a month, so I finally pulled the plug.
If religion equaled morality, the Middle-East would the the happiest, safest, sanest place on earth rather than the never-ending horror story it is. If you need God to be good, then you're not a good person. You're just a bad person on a leash.
And all those Bible Belt states would be crime free. (Not to mention child abuse, because that's been taking a hammering lately.)
Hey, just because they have high crime rates, including high murder rates, doesn't mean they're immoral. Just like having the highest divorce rates and the highest rates of porn usage doesn't mean they don't believe in biblical marriage and sexual morality. I'm shocked--shocked, I tell you!--that you could be so judgmental.
https://img.ifunny.co/images/9fbd7a75b8b8e3b7e7a9038d98b3c5bf0f0641708e67a57ee8239be96af79ef7_1.webp
And the prisons would be full of atheists! (They're not.)
Most of America is finally coming around to what we've been saying for a very long time.
I think perhaps Covid had something to do with that. Church attendance dropped, and I think a lot of people came to the realization they never needed church, and that the preachers need them more than they ever needed the preachers.
They also suddenly found themselves with a lot more cash in their wallets/pocketbooks.
Pretty sure they might just have put 2 and 2 together.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/apr/20/mike-lindell-mypillow-trump-2020-election-lie
You gotta laugh. Has he got any money left?
I picture him crying into several of his crappy pillows.
*tsktsktsk*
I can't hear his name anymore without seeing him inside that claw machine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGlDEbZvwLI
His head is stuffed fuller than all of those plushies combined.
Mike Pillow could always sell some blow to Don Jr. to raise a little capital.
Or just blow Don Sr. It seemed to work for Ms. Daniels.
It's not like he hasn't had his tongue stuck up the orange ass for 3 years or anything.
Someone had to give Lindsey Graham some time off from that task.
Yeah, I guess Mitch was too busy up front.
"Has he got any money left?"
Stashed in his pillow.
Maybe he can pay it in feathers (if he an spare any out of his head).
God says to be a moral person, you must kill anyone who works on the Sabbath, mixes their crops, wears clothing of mixed fabrics, and a bunch of other petty reasons. So yay, religious morality, I guess.
YHVH struck a man dead with lightning because the man tried to right the Ark of the Covenant to keep it from touching the ground.
Got that? The biblical god killed a man for trying to help him. Sounds like Trump.
In the Infancy Gospel of Thomas (apocrypha), Jesus killed a boy on the street for the egregious error of simply bumping into him. Apparently Jesus had the morals of a MS-13 gang member.
Or an old man watching Fox News.
Maybe the man's basketball bounced into the ark.
No one but the priests is allowed to touch the ark. That's why. Also, David was not aware that hauling the ark in a ox cart is not a good idea. But months later, David managed to learn the appropriate way to handle the Ark, which is have the priests carry the ark on their shoulders into Jerusalem. This time around, no deaths occurred.
Sounds like fun – so where does this happen? Asking for a friend.
Where? I'm not sure. But I hear the Gaza Strip is nice this time of year.
Gee, thanks general public! It's so nice to finally get the recognition we so richly deserve. Now stop distrusting atheists and vote for us, please.
Hey – I presume everyone knows about the space rocket blowing up? I'm conflicted. It's sad a space rocket blows up but on the other hand it did belong to Elon Musk.
They were testing the self-destruct button. /s
Q: What were Christa McAuliffe's last words?
A: Oooooo, what's this button do?
I still feel a little guilty for having laughed at that when I first heard it.
Ditto for the Vic Morrow one.
I know what you mean. But hey, cheap laughs are cheap laughs,
What does NASA stand for?
Need Another Seven Astronauts
NASA’s official drink changed from Tang to Ocean Spray.
I don’t remember any more of them off the top of my head. But we gen Xers coped with witnessing that tragedy by making jokes.
Too soon. I chuckled, but too soon.
https://www.pinterest.co.kr/pin/515099276116530508/
It was the 1st beta version built almost a year ago. They expected it would probably blow up.
I can't stand Musk either but I don't like throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
I watched as it went up. One camera, aimed at the tail of the launch vehicle, showed at least four or five engines OUT, which obviously was a big problem to begin with. Frankly, that many engines in a first stage is begging for disaster, IMHO. For example, I refer you to the Russian N-1, which was to be their moon rocket.
I still think that the revised version of the Rocketdyne F-1 is the way to go.
The N-1 was many years ago. The ship that blew up was the first prototype. They expected it might blow up. What they learn will make beta version two better. They keep building 50 or a hundred million dollar rockets making each one a little better. That's how space-x made the Falcon 9 which is the cheapest and most reliable rocket of its size in the world. Most old school rocket companies spend billions of dollars a year for ten or 15 years trying to make it perfect on the first launch.
It's mixed emotions. Like seeing your hated mother-in-law driving off a cliff in your brand-new car.
I had a quick flash of Thelma and Louise there. Although I did like them both.
The recorded history of religion reveals an inconvenient truth to adherents: It is not unbelievers who lack morality.
Religion has been an absolute horror for humanity. Even the most allegedly benign ones have their vicious sides. It is believers who need to take a page or several out of the nonbelievers playbook.
This massively screwed up world is, to a very large extent, the work-product of believers.
Tru dat.
Watch it! This world is absolutely not screwed up. Jesus and the Founders wanted a world where toddlers get shot if their ball rolls into a neighbor's yard.
Oh, they don't even need a ball. Sleeping in their bed they can get shot. Or finding a toy gun that happens to be a little too real.
Don't tell that to the Muslims...they'll blow you up for that kind of blasphemy.
Maybe they'll cool down now that they have the go-ahead to blast their amplified prayers all over Minneapolis at all hours.
Yes, more work. It would be a great help if we had a 24/7 TV channel that creates stories and programs that promote reason and sanity and exposes the futility of all religions.
Know any good producers?
Oh, sure! Seth Andrews at the top of the heap. Aron Ra right behind him and Matt Dillahunty not far off! I'm not being flip, either, considering what those three men and many other men and women without belief have done as well!
What about that bloke that does the Orville – he should know something about television surely?
Another Seth (MacFarlane). He's also an atheist. :)
He knows television, movies, music and is a huge advocate of science and reason.
Seth MacFarlane of 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘎𝘶𝘺 and 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘋𝘢𝘥.
We posted simultaneously. :)
That only happens in the movies.
But...but...it happened here. For realz.
JINX!
I've been a dedicated follower of Forrest Valkai ever since I discovered him on AXP.
According to Rhonda Santis, that would be the Disney Channel.
Um, the Disney channel promotes unrealistic white knights, shining armor and sleeping princesses (and *maybe* the occasional prince) I blame Disney, in part, for my fucked up love life. I keep expecting Kit from Cinderella (live-action)
Something we've long known.
“With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil - that takes religion.”
Has anyone else got the email from only sky to say they are merging with American atheists? There's a survey, which I've just filled in. I think you can make comments about the comment system. I didn't bother because they should know about that by now but I did mention the fact that half the bloggers don't write anything.
I got that email and deleted after reading the first few sentences. They never paid even token attention to our feedback when we were mired there; I can't imagine they give a fart what we think or would like to see now.
Personal to Hemant: Please, please, PLEASE don't migrate back to OnlySky.
I think we're at a crossroads now. I stopped being a paid supporter when it became thumpingly obvious OnlySky couldn't have cared less about our input or about fixing their Christ-awful comment system. When they kept making a show of wanting feedback then ignored every last bit of it, the insult became too much to bear. I've been holding off re-subscribing because of the multiple reports that Hemant is only marking time here, waiting to go back to OS. This may be the moment. If it becomes clear we're staying here (or moving someplace even better), I'll happily start supporting again. If we go back to a site the repeatedly insults its users, no way. Mama Jomicur didn't raise any children dumb enough to pay to be insulted.
I decided to join his Patreon. That way he gets money no matter where he ends up.
At this point a WordPress with Disqus would be better than OnlySky.
I had to abandon that platform early on. The comment system was beyond atrocious. I just recently discovered Hermant was on substack, which has a more user friendly comment section.
Welcome back. Would that several others would. I'd like to "see" Foxglove and WallOfSleep again.
Space Cadet, yazikus, our 2 guys from Maine, Atheist King, etc.
Modus.
Holytape.
Our old Canadian contingent.
Good to see you here. Welcome to the monkey house. 🤪
They aren't "bloggers". It's a serious news site, they are ....... something. ; )
Got it. Couldn't respond to it because they wanted you to log on to Google, which I do not have an account with. And the last time I tried logging in to OS, they told me my log in was successful but then told me I needed to log in.
OS goes on shooting itself in the foot.
That happens to me, but only with edge.
I use edge and just checked. After waiting several minutes for comments to load, I'm still auto-logged in at OS.
The internet is weird. Over at Freethoughtblogs, I have to log in every time I want to comment. I don't remember my password, so I log in via Google+. As far as I know, Google+ has been shut down for over a year. It still works for logging in though.
Never used to be a problem with me on ME until it suddenly was.
Same. So I migrated to chrome which works fine.
Some discussion about it on yesterday's story.
The one thing this survey doesn't answer is the evolution of the attitude of being good without god. I'm not especially surprised at the current numbers, but have they tracked with the onset of the nones, or is the correlation not quite that tight.
Inquiring minds want to know!
I agree that you do not have to believe in God to behave morally. Now, if we could only agree when it comes to issues of morality particularly when it comes to individual ethics.
Like the ethics of placing a child in the home of a bigot? It isn't ethical to place a child (even a white child) in the home of a white supremacist or anti-Semite. Likewise it isn't ethical to place a child (even a cis het child) in the home of a homophobe/transphobe.
You beat me to it. We mustn't let David ever forget that he advocates that profoundly immoral practice.
He's still part of the SBC despite its history of pro-slavery and the fact that they are desperately trying to catch up with the RCC when it comes to having child molesters within their ranks and trying to cover it up (not to mention their rabid hatred of women and LGBTQs).
I'll be surprised if he responds. I'm never going to forget it. It's when I realized his supposed liberal Christianity is at best, a live and let live attitude. Not support of the LGBT community.
I agree and as long as all the hypocritical Christians keep coming out of the woodwork, religious organizations keep showing how rich their churches, etc., are and how rich and high off the hog their priest, ministers, pastors, etc., live, and how many of them lie day in and out, those numbers will grow. When you show your support for the likes of the Trumps and DeSantis's of the world and in the Republican Party, your racism, bigotry, love for guns and the unnecessary force against people, just because you can, you show you have no moral compass, I don't care how many Gods you believe in, or how many religious organizations you are part.
I'm questioning the statistical validity of this survey. Perhaps those who now answer cold calls for surveys like this are more likely to not be conspiratorial crazies. Most of 'murica remains stuck in the God Delusion.
𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐧𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐎𝐤𝐥𝐚𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐚 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭
https://friendlyatheist.substack.com/p/christian-missionaries-can-no-longer
Just saw it. You beat me to it.
OT - 𝐀𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝟏𝟔 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲. 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fox-news-dominion-voting-systems-lawsuit-settlement-staple-street-private-equity/
Haven't got time to read thoroughly - skimmed through it couldn't find anything about Facebook. I've been on Facebook for quite a long time, but haven't posted for about 20 years. So what's the guts? No hurry – going out in 10 minutes or so. 😁
Damn! Is MySpace giving out settlement money?
I wasn't on there either. I not even sure if that's an appropriate reference.
I dropped mine a few months ago. I had stayed on for family, but realized their Jesus and Trump posts had me logging in about once a month, so I finally pulled the plug.
You're still eligible. The only other class action lawsuit I was involved in netted me enough for a steak dinner.
If only I ever had. I've clung to my conviction that Zuckerberg has enough money already and sure doesn't need any of mine.
Finally a good reason to be on Facebook. :)