http://thenewstalkers.com/feed/group_discuss Mon, 09 Nov 2026 14:59:00 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/24790/netflixs-military-dramedy-boots-is-tv-gold-that-was-inspired-by-a-true-story http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/24790 Sat, 25 Oct 2025 22:38:44 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/21930/donald-trump-accused-of-overcharging-secret-service-at-hotel-read-report-newsweek http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/21930 Sat, 19 Oct 2024 00:21:41 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/21875/bill-maher-offers-open-letter-to-pop-star-chappell-roan-on-israel-you-dont-know-much-about-history-fox-news http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/21875 Sun, 13 Oct 2024 01:20:59 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/21848/the-truth-about-nanoplastics-in-bottled-water-ucla-health http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/21848 Wed, 09 Oct 2024 16:55:15 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/21768/whats-lurking-in-your-body-mayo-probes-health-risks-of-tiny-plastic-particles http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/21768 Sun, 29 Sep 2024 18:19:59 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/21760/new-poll-new-york-jews-favor-trump-over-harris-by-10-percent http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/21760 Strategically, Crooked Donald cries foul that Jews in America should want an end to the violence (that could already have ended), but it can't end unless this country "aids" Netanyahu by reelecting an old 'hard-case' named Crooked Donald. 
Crooked Donald tries to 'captivate' New York Jews with promises (and *kisses*) that he can solve the Jewish problem in the Middle East. . . but the have got to elect him. Then, 'Voila'! Israel's/USA Middle East 'problem' will poof out of existence!
Now what Jewish person in America would not like that?!
It's crooked politics that is getting innocent people killed—actually. All principled people, and Jewish people largely are principled, should care about the quality and quantity of lives being lost in a war that Jews in Israel are protesting should end for security reasons!
I believe this 'deal' between two 'devils' is prepared, cooked, and being served!
]]> Sat, 28 Sep 2024 21:13:53 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/21532/right-wing-influencers-react-to-being-tied-to-russian-disinfo-campaign http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/21532 All money ain't GOOD money!]]> Thu, 05 Sep 2024 21:58:29 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/21530/e-number-found-in-doritos-can-turn-skin-invisible-scientists-find http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/21530 Thu, 05 Sep 2024 19:18:38 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/21363/black-leaders-launch-counter-to-project-2025-in-battleground-states-abc-news http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/21363
What is Project 2025? A look at the conservative presidential wish list ]]> Mon, 19 Aug 2024 16:29:25 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/21249/fact-sheets-the-harmful-effects-of-project-2025-by-state-center-for-american-progress http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/21249 Wed, 07 Aug 2024 14:08:37 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/19812/charles-koch-believes-there-are-two-kinds-of-people-only-one-of-which-he-has-to-care-about http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/19812 Thu, 25 Jan 2024 01:12:43 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/17725/the-story-of-the-first-mass-shooting-in-us-history-history-smithsonian-magazine http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/17725
I think I want to do a series on mass shooters of the 'ages.'
Why?
Because it is time we look back to see how we arrived where we are today! 
Here's the 'opener'.
I think you will find it quite interesting and a bizarrely 'light-hearted' read
(attesting to Patrick Sauer's even-handed writing style).
]]> Tue, 28 Mar 2023 20:23:24 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/17629/10-more-people-charged-in-250m-federal-food-program-fraud-abc-news http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/17629
See shady people come in all shapes, sizes, skin hues, and of course, political parties!

FILE - Aimee Bock, the executive director of the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, speaks Jan. 27, 2022, in St. Anthony, Minn. Ten more people have been charged in connection with a scheme to steal more than $250 million from a federal program designed to provide meals to low-income children in Minnesota, federal prosecutors said Monday, March 13, 2023. A total of 60 people have now been charged, including Bock. (Shari L. Gross/Star Tribune via AP, File)


https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/10-more-people-charged-in-250m-federal-food-17837200.php#photo-23566472
]]> Tue, 14 Mar 2023 21:43:10 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/17608/he-sprayed-groomer-on-libraries-around-dc-guess-what-cops-found-when-he-was-arrested-lgbtq-nation http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/17608 Sun, 12 Mar 2023 16:54:04 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/17588/majority-of-americans-think-being-woke-is-a-good-thing-poll http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/17588 Thu, 09 Mar 2023 22:53:04 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/17512/dilbert-cartoon-dropped-after-racist-rant-by-creator-scott-adams-reuters http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/17512 Sun, 26 Feb 2023 15:47:11 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/17503/psychiatrists-in-a-shift-declare-homosexuality-no-mental-illness http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/17503
Just like that: *SNAP!*  Homosexuality became permissible in society and oddly 'legal.' 
Thus, solidifying man's control over humanity, because humanity decides what is classified right and what is wrong, too!
]]> Fri, 24 Feb 2023 20:06:54 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/17291/social-justice-programming-for-every-college-student http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/17291
Below from the New York Post is 'high' praise for SUNY [State University of New York] Chancellor John King on December 8, 2022:
With John King as SUNY chancellor, New York gets a solid force for excellence in education





By

Post Editorial Board



December 8, 2022 6:46pm





See link to high praise article:



https://nypost.com/2022/12/08/with-john-king-as-suny-chancellor-new-york-gets-a-solid-force-for-excellence-in-education/







Then comes the





Social-justice programming for every college student



By

Nicholas Giordano



February 1, 2023 6:24pm



(The "seeded article below.")





That did not last long, eh?









]]> Wed, 01 Feb 2023 20:50:46 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/17155/artificial-womb-facility-could-one-day-allow-parents-to-pick-the-characteristics-of-their-babies http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/17155
Okay. Can science go too far? I get it. But. BIG BUT! Is this a plan/scheme to make girls and women obsolete as far as childbearing is concerned? With this kind of thing interfere with the plans of girls and women to marry? Will girls and women see it as a convenience or 'disruption' in the design?
How are you  going to process this?
Girls and women are side-stepped enough by the boys and men in their lives; without science relegating childbearing and 'advanced foundational enhancements and inducements' coming from the outside.
That is, let's get real, trans-females have one disadvantage where girls and women are (today) concerned for which they could only look on with possible envy: A CIS girl or woman unique ability to sustain life in the womb!
And now science is on the brim to 'counter' this through its search for the truth about how females  'tick.'
]]> Wed, 11 Jan 2023 21:04:45 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/16861/pictures-man-arrested-for-bestiality-following-viral-video http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/16861
Yes, for our believers in a slippery slope. . . well, I am glad to inform those individuals that SAME-SEX MARRIAGE has been constitutionally legal in South Africa since 2007.  And, bestiality is NOT legal in South Africa today!
So there is the model of how issues can stand alone.
]]> Tue, 22 Nov 2022 17:34:03 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/16043/sen-mike-braun-says-interracial-marriage-legalization-should-be-up-to-states-not-federal-govt http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/16043
Was Senator Braun saying the quiet part out loud then, or is he LYING now? You decide.
And what is wrong with his reply? Anything, in your opinion?
]]> Sun, 10 Jul 2022 15:17:34 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/15940/jamestown-how-america-invented-race-the-history-of-white-people-in-america http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/15940
Image credit: https://medium.com/black-history-month-365/the-origins-of-whiteness-8e4b5916096f

This will be a new series on the 'history' of race in the U.S.
]]> Tue, 21 Jun 2022 00:28:21 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/15738/the-need-to-protect-the-internet-from-astroturfing-grows-ever-more-urgent-internet-the-guardian http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/15738 Mon, 09 May 2022 16:31:50 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/15682/21-unwritten-rules-that-people-of-color-follow-every-day http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/15682 Thu, 28 Apr 2022 15:58:39 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/15637/alabama-neighborhoods-with-raw-sewage-flooding-spark-racial-equality-investigation http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/15637 Lowndes County's Raw Sewage Problem | ACRE (Alabama Center for Rural Enterprise)
]]> Sat, 23 Apr 2022 02:36:34 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/15636/the-gops-critical-race-theory-fixation-explained-the-atlantic http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/15636 ]]> Sat, 23 Apr 2022 00:44:10 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/15634/why-republicans-are-turning-against-free-speech-the-atlantic http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/15634
As the Republican Party evolves from a party focused on individual liberty and limits on government power to a party that more fully embraces government control of the economy and morality, it is reversing many of its previous stances on free speech in public universities, in public education, and in private corporations. Driven by a combination of partisan animosity and public fear, it is embracing the tactics that it once opposed. By David French
]]> Fri, 22 Apr 2022 21:00:42 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/15491/sen-marsha-blackburn-criticizes-1965-supreme-court-ruling-on-birth-control-access http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/15491 Tue, 22 Mar 2022 08:17:57 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/15097/donald-trump-is-above-the-law-period-raman-media-network http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/15097
WHY? Why is this permitted in congress, in court, in American society?
Effectively, Donald J. Trump 'waylaids' a pandemic to the tune of initially thousands of deaths and has not offered a basic apology for even one dead American. Keep in mind, President Trump 'killed off' our National Security Council directorate which was set up to be this country's warning system-sounding in event of a coming pandemic.
Donald J. Trump subordinates our laws to his will and whims, by posturing, and making out of whole cloth long delays and 'removal of recognizable landscapes' of people in posts,' such that by the time judgements are reached officials empowered to be a check on violations of law are technically out. It is a mockery!

Donald J. Trump has not voluntarily turned his tax returns to Congress. In fact, the courts are providing 'inference' even against a fellow branch of government. On behalf of Donald J. Trump. It's been nearly a 'decade' of requests for these 'never revealed' documents.

Donald J. Trump, a sitting president at the time, with a team of collaborators, riled up and pitched a riot against a body of government in an attempt to change the outcome of a national election for this country's leader. And yet, he is still fomenting schemes of removing the current president unabridged by any act of congress or the Department of Justice.
The article below is written from a Indian writer's perspective. I could not agree more.
I am compelled to accept and despair that Donald J. Trump has made the justice system of our country his '*itch.'
]]> Wed, 19 Jan 2022 16:14:43 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/9742/trump-says-he-built-a-great-economy-numbers-tell-a-different-story-meet-the-press-nbc-news http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/9742
Okay, caught lying Donald in another 'set' of long-running lies. This article is formatted for documenting the facts of the our 'great economy' under our former and current presidents.
Consequently, when the lying wunderkind himself, Donald, and his supporters spread the lie, we can all gather around this video and its relevant facts.
Thanks to Meet The Press host, Chuck Todd and his Team!
]]> Sun, 23 Aug 2020 16:16:07 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/8078/top-white-house-official-in-charge-of-pandemic-response-exits-abruptly http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/8078 Mon, 20 Apr 2020 02:03:05 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/5673/what-is-materialism-history-and-definition http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/5673
by Austin Cline

Updated March 06, 2017

What is Materialism?
Materialism is the idea that everything is either made only of matter or is ultimately dependent upon matter for its existence and nature. It is possible for a philosophy to be materialistic and still accord spirit a (secondary or dependent) place, but most forms of materialism tend to reject the existence of spirit or anything non-physical.
What is Matter?
If materialism argues that matter is the only or primary thing that exists, what is matter supposed to be? Materialists disagree on this, but generally accept that something is material if it has physical properties: size, shape, color, electrical charge, spatial and temporal location, etc. The list of attributes is open-ended and disagreements tend to be in what qualifies as a “physical property.” It can be, therefore, difficult to identify the boundaries of the class of material things.
Materialism and the Mind
A common critique of materialism involves the mind: are mental events material or themselves the result of matter, or are they the result of something immaterial, like a soul? Consciousness is not usually though of as a property of material things — atoms and tables are not conscious, for example. How is it possible then for particular configurations of matter to give rise to consciousness?
Materialism and Determinism
Because materialists only accept the existence or primacy of material things, they also only accept the existence or primacy of material explanations for events. Whatever happens in the world, it must be explained and explainable by reference to matter. Materialism thus tends towards determinism: because there are material causes for every event, then every event follows necessarily from its causes.
Materialism and Science
Materialism is closely associated and aligned with the natural sciences. Modern science involves the study of the material world around us, learning about material events, and theorizing about their material causes. Scientists are materialists in that they only study the material world, although they may personally believe in non-material entities. Science in the past has tried to incorporate vitalist ideas and the supernatural, but those efforts failed and have since been discarded.
Atheism and Materialism
Atheists are usually materialists of some sort, rejecting the idea that there exists anything independent of the workings of matter and energy. Materialism often entails atheism unless a person believes in a purely physical god, but atheism does not entail materialism. It may be hard to believe in a god in a materialistic philosophy, but an atheistic philosophy need not be materialistic.
]]> Fri, 01 Feb 2019 02:25:52 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/5549/atheism-positive-and-negative http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/5549

(Excerpt from) The Presumption of Atheism by: Antony Flew The presumption of atheism which I want to discuss is not a form of presumptuousness. Indeed it might be regarded as an expression of the very opposite, a modest teachability. My presumption of atheism is closely analogous to the presumption of innocence in the English law; a comparison which I shall develop in Section 2. What I want to examine is the contention that the debate about the existence of God should properly begin from the presumption of atheism, that the onus of proof must lie upon the theist . The word 'atheism', however, has in this contention to be construed unusually. Whereas nowadays [1976] the usual meaning of 'atheist' in English is 'someone who asserts that there is no such being as God', I want the word to be understood not positively but negatively . I want the originally Greek prefix 'a' to be read in the same way in 'atheist' as it customarily is read in such other Greco-English words as 'amoral', 'atypical', and 'asymmetrical'. In this interpretation an atheist becomes: not someone who positively asserts the non-existence of God; but someone who is simply not a theist. Let us, for future ready reference, introduce the labels ' positive atheist ' for the former and ' negative atheist ' for the latter. The introduction of this new interpretation of the word 'atheism' may appear to be a piece of perverse Humpty-Dumptyism, going arbitrarily against established common usage. 'Whyever', it could be asked, 'don't you make it not the presumption of atheism but the presumption of agnosticism?' It is too soon to attempt a full answer to this challenge and this suggestion. My justification for introducing the notion of negative atheism will be found in the whole development of the present chapter. Then in Chapter Two I intend to argue for a return to the original usage of the word 'agnosticism', as first introduced by Thomas Henry Huxley. In the meantime it should be sufficient to point out that, following the present degenerate usage, an agnostic is one who, having entertained the proposition that God exists, now claims not to know either that it is or that it is not true. To be in this ordinary sense an agnostic you have already to have conceded that there is, and that you have, a legitimate concept of God; such that, whether or not this concept does in fact have application, it theoretically could. But the atheist in my peculiar interpretation, unlike the atheist in the usual sense, has not as yet and as such conceded even this. This point is important, though the question whether the word 'agnosticism' could bear the meaning which I want now to give to the word 'atheism' is not . What the protagonist of my presumption of atheism wants to show is that the debate about the existence of God ought to be conducted in a particular way, and that the issue should be seen in a certain perspective. His thesis about the onus of proof involves that it is up to the theist : first, to introduce and to defend his proposed concept of God; and, second, to provide sufficient reason for believing that this concept of his does in fact have an application. https://web.archive.org/web/20051012172554/http://www.positiveatheism.org/writ/flew01.htm
]]> Fri, 25 Jan 2019 13:19:55 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/5462/definition-of-atheism http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/5462


https://i.pinimg.com/originals/bf/ab/25/bfab25e07b5b31d0c3925f71bb04f747.gif Definition of Atheism

It has come to my attention that some atheists on the internet are trying to redefine the words “atheism” and “atheist” to mean anyone who simply lacks a belief in gods.  This definition would include babies, agnostics, and people who have not come to a conclusion about the existence of gods. This “lack of belief” definition is a bad definition for many reasons.  It is not commonly used.  It is not defined that way in any reputable dictionary.  It is too broad because most agnostics and babies don’t consider themselves atheists.  And it makes no sense for an “-ism” to be based on a lack of belief. These atheists are usually motivated to redefine the word “atheist” because they want to enlarge the definition of “atheist” to include as many people as possible, or because they perceive it to be an advantage in debates with theists.   Unfortunately, some of these people have used lies and distortions to support their opinions, and some have made extremely ignorant and grossly incorrect statements that may reflect badly on all atheists.  I will correct some of these incorrect statements later in this essay. But first I will try to illustrate the problem by using three groups of people: Group A believes that gods do not exist (atheists). Group B neither believes that god exists nor do they believe that gods do not exist.  This would include agnostics, babies, and the undecided. Group C believes that at least one god exists (theists). It is generally agreed that the people in group A are atheists and the people in group C are not.  The main point of disagreement is whether the people in group B are considered atheists or not.  The people who want a “lack of belief” definition would define group B as atheists while most people, and all reputable dictionaries, do not.  Many of the people who are pushing a “lack of belief” definition call group A “strong atheists” and call group B “weak atheists. One of the main problems of a “lack of belief” definition is that it is too broad.  If someone told you they were an atheist, you would still not know if they were agnostic, undecided, believed that gods don’t exist, or never thought about it.  This makes the word nearly useless. Another problem with a “lack of belief” definition is that it is not accepted by the vast majority of people.  I personally don’t know anyone who considers babies atheists because they lack belief in gods.  I also don’t know of any people who are agnostic or undecided about the existence of God who call themselves atheists. The lack of public acceptance for a “lack of belief” definition of atheism is reflected in the fact that no reputable dictionary has a “lack of belief” definition for either “atheism” or “atheist”.   However, this has not kept a few morons from incorrectly claiming that various dictionary definitions have a “lack of belief” definition.
]]> Tue, 08 Jan 2019 22:00:33 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/5289/any-sufficiently-advanced-extraterrestrial-intelligence-is-indistinguishable-from-god http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/5289 Shermer’s Last Law
Any sufficiently advanced extraterrestrial intelligence is indistinguishable from God
As scientist extraordinaire and author of an empire of science-fiction books, Arthur C. Clarke is one of the farthest-seeing visionaries of our time. His pithy quotations tug harder than those of most futurists on our collective psyches for their insights into humanity and our unique place in the cosmos. And none do so more than his famous Third Law: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” This observation stimulated me to think about the impact the discovery of an extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI) would have on science and religion. To that end, I would like to immodestly propose Shermer’s Last Law (I don’t believe in naming laws after oneself, so as the good book says, the last shall be first and the first shall be last): “Any sufficiently advanced ETI is indistinguishable from God.” God is typically described by Western religions as omniscient and omnipotent. Because we are far from possessing these traits, how can we possibly distinguish a God who has them absolutely from an ETI who merely has them copiously relative to us? We can’t. But if God were only relatively more knowing and powerful than we are, then by definition the deity would be an ETI! Consider that biological evolution operates at a snail’s pace compared with technological evolution (the former is Darwinian and requires generations of differential reproductive success; the latter is Lamarckian and can be accomplished within a single generation). Then, too, the cosmos is very big and very empty. Voyager 1, our most distant spacecraft, hurtling along at more than 38,000 miles per hour, will not reach the distance of even our sun’s nearest neighbor, the Alpha Centauri system (which it is not headed toward), for more than 75,000 years. Ergo, the probability that an ETI only slightly more advanced than we are will make contact is virtually nil. If we ever do find an ETI, it will be as though a million-year-old Homo erectus were dropped into the 21st century, given a computer and cell phone and instructed to communicate with us. The ETI would be to us as we would be to this early hominid — godlike. Because of science and technology, our world has changed more in the past century than in the previous 100 centuries. It took 10,000 years to get from the dawn of civilization to the airplane but just 66 years to get from powered flight to a lunar landing. Moore’s Law of computer power doubling every 18 months or so is now approaching a year. Ray Kurzweil, in his book The Age of Spiritual Machines , calculates that there have been 32 doublings since World War II and that the singularity point — the point at which total computational power will rise to levels so far beyond anything that we can imagine that it will appear nearly infinite and thus be indistinguishable from omniscience — may be upon us as early as 2050. When that happens, the decade that follows will put the 100,000 years before it to shame. Extrapolate out about a million years (just a blink on an evolutionary timescale and therefore a realistic estimate of how far advanced ETIs will be), and we get a gut-wrenching, mind-warping feel for how godlike these creatures would seem. In Clarke’s 1953 novel, called Childhood’s End , humanity reaches something like a singularity and must then make the transition to a higher state of consciousness. One character early in the story opines that “science can destroy religion by ignoring it as well as by disproving its tenets. No one ever demonstrated, so far as I am aware, the nonexistence of Zeus or Thor, but they have few followers now.” Although science has not even remotely destroyed religion, Shermer’s Last Law predicts that the relation between the two will be profoundly affected by contact with an ETI. To find out how, we must follow Clarke’s Second Law: “The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.” Ad astra!
]]> Sat, 17 Nov 2018 20:15:34 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/5287/can-atheists-be-religious-are-there-religious-atheists http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/5287
by Austin Cline
Atheism and religion are often portrayed and treated as polar opposites; although there is a strong correlation between being an atheist and being irreligious, there is no necessary and inherent connection between the two. Atheism is not the same as being irreligious; theism is not the same as being religious. Atheists in the West tend not to belong to any religion, but atheism is quite compatible with religion. Theists in the West tend to be religious, but theism is compatible with irreligion.
To understand why, it is necessary to keep in mind that atheism is nothing more than absence belief in the existence of gods. Atheism is not the absence of religion, the absence of belief in the supernatural, the absence of superstitions, the absence of irrational beliefs, or anything else along those lines. Because of this, there is no inherent barrier preventing atheism from being part of a religious belief system. It may not be common, but it's not impossible.
So why does the confusion exist? Why do so many people seem to reflexively assume that atheists must necessarily be irreligious, if not anti-religious?
Quite simply, most religious belief systems (especially those dominant in the West) are theistic — they include belief in the existence of at least one and this belief is often a central, defining characteristic of that religion. It would be very difficult (and probably impossible) for a person to combine atheism with adherence to such a religious faith because doing so would require redefining the religion to such an extent that most members might not recognize it anymore.
This is likely the reason why you will even see some atheists assuming that theism and religion are so deeply intertwined that they won't bother to distinguish between the two, using the labels almost interchangeably. However, just because most religions we encounter incorporate theism, that shouldn't lead us to assume that all religions are therefore necessarily theistic. Just because atheism is incompatible with the sort of religion we are used to seeing doesn't mean we are justified in concluding that it's compatible with all possible religions.
Defining Religion

It would be incredibly ethnocentric if we allowed ourselves to define religion in general solely based on our encounters with a couple of specific (and closely related) religions like Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. There is a much wider and more varied religious universe out there than those three faiths represent, and that's just taking into account3 religious which exist today, never mind all the religions which have existed throughout human history. Religion is a human creation and, as such, it is just as varied and complex as human culture generally is.
For example, many forms of Buddhism are essentially atheistic. At most they regard the existence of gods as possible, but often they dismiss gods as simply irrelevant to the important task of overcoming suffering. As a consequence, many Buddhists not only dismiss the relevance of gods but also the existence of gods — they are atheists, even if they aren't atheists in the scientific, philosophical sense that many atheists in the West are.
In addition to old and traditional religions like Buddhism which are accessible to atheists, there are also modern organizations as well. Some humanists call themselves religious and many members of Unitarian-Universalism and Ethical Culture societies are also nonbelievers. Raelians are a relatively recent group which is recognized as a religion legally and socially, yet they explicitly deny the existence of gods, making them "strong" or "gnostic" atheists.
There has been some debate as to whether such forms of humanism truly qualify as religions, but what is important for the moment is the fact that atheist members themselves believe that they are part of a religion. Thus, they do not see any conflict between disbelieving in the existence of gods and adopting a belief system which they consider a religion — and these are, without a doubt, atheists in the Western sense of scientific, philosophical atheism.
The answer to the question is thus an unequivocal yes: atheists can be religious and atheism can occur in conjunction with, or even in the context of, religion.


]]> Sat, 17 Nov 2018 00:45:12 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/5275/neil-degrasse-tyson-we-might-be-living-in-higher-dimensionsbut-our-senses-cant-tell-yet http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/5275
I wanted to title this one:      Is Neil deGrasse Tyson a Scientist, Philosopher, or Gone Crazy?! ]]> Sun, 11 Nov 2018 19:55:40 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/5269/philosophical-naturalism-who-you http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/5269
Metaphysical naturalism, also called philosophical naturalism , is a philosophical worldview and belief system that holds that there is nothing but natural elements, principles, and relations of the kind studied by the natural sciences, meaning those required to understand our physical environment by mathematical modeling.
Metaphysical naturalism holds that all properties related to consciousness and the mind are reducible to, or supervene upon , nature. More specifically, metaphysical naturalism rejects the supernatural concepts and explanations that are part of many religions.
Many contemporary thinkers adopt a naturalist view of the mental realm because they are fully persuaded that we will be unable otherwise to explain how mental processes can causally influence non-mental processes, how the nonphysical can affect the physical, how the mental and spiritual supernatural realm can affect the material natural world (or if it can actually have any effect on it in any way).
Many professional, academic and scientific careers, and reputations, have been made and destroyed solely on the basis of an acceptance or rejection of these principles and precepts, as a kind of litmus test of intellectual integrity and professional competence imposed by the philosophical and scientific communities (see ostracize) . Two categories of Philosophical Naturalism
There are different varieties of Metaphysical Naturalism, but they are usually separated into two general categories: Physicalism (or Materialism)
The belief that everything which exists is no more extensive than its physical properties, and that the only existing substance is physical. Thus, everything that has ever been observed is in actual fact the product of fundamentally mindless arrangements or interactions of matter-energy in space-time, and it is unreasonable to believe anything else exists.
Pluralism

Naturalism is inconsistent with any kind of Theism and is compatible with Atheism.   The direct opposite of Naturalism is Supernaturalism, which accepts the existence of such things as supernatural beings, magical objects, Platonic forms or the existence (for example) of love, or of evil, as a cosmic force.
"Methodological naturalism"
In science, the assuming of naturalism as a valid approach in working methods, without necessarily considering naturalism as an absolute truth with philosophical entailments, is called methodological naturalism . Thus, in contrast to metaphysical naturalism, methodological naturalism refers exclusively to the methodology of science, for which metaphysical naturalism provides only one possible ontological foundation. Compare Agnosticism. Philosophical prejudice
A modern prejudice drawn from philosophical naturalism holds that " if it's not scientific, it's not a fact, and has no reality; and if it's not a part of nature, it doesn't exist ". This belief is held by many ordinary persons who with simple unquestioning faith believe in the reliability of the scientific method as the sole means of establishing truth. They dismiss all supernatural interventions in human history, and the possibility of divine revelation and miracles, by categorizing these phenomena as having only a psychological genesis ( wishful thinking ). And from this assumption all reports of them, as being phenomena directly caused by supernatural agency, are represented as being ipso facto (by that very fact alone) solely a record of the product of ignorance and primitive thinking, misinterpretations of natural phenomena, superstition and delusion, " which any rational person of intelligence can safely dismiss as entirely unreliable nonsense, since all the available empirical evidence acceptable to legitimate and impartial researchers proves scientifically beyond any reasonable doubt that the supernatural cannot possibly exist. Photo credit: https://civitashumana.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/inflation-and-the-multiverse.jpg
]]> Thu, 08 Nov 2018 00:39:41 -0500 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/5177/the-dodgy-science-of-wiping-your-backside http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/5177
S cience is now a massive and expensive international project and one of the, perhaps inevitable, downsides of this success is the growth of dishonest practices. I have written before about the unreliability of a substantial fraction of the current scientific literature, ranging from outright fraud to slap-dash work prematurely published that cannot be replicated by other scientists.
There has also been a recent explosion of “predatory” science journals that aggressively solicit research papers from scientists who pay to have the papers published. These journals claim they use the highest standards of peer review, but most subject submitted papers to little or no review. This undermines the credibility of scientific publishing.
This problem is highlighted by a recent hoax perpetrated by Dr Gary Lewis , senior lecturer in psychology at Royal Holloway , University of London. Dr Lewis submitted a ridiculous fictitious research paper to a typical predatory journal to test “how low the bar for publication might be”. He tells the story in The Conversation (July 20th, 2018), an independent news/commentary website produced by academics and journalists.
Nine politicians were interviewed, including a Boris Johnski' and a `Teresa Maybe`
A well-known theory in social psychology, called unconscious social priming, proposes that words or concepts can prime our behaviour, eg saying words associated with old-age to people, such as “bingo”, makes them walk more slowly afterwards. Based on this concept, Lewis composed a fictitious study to test the hypothesis that right-wing politicians wipe their bottoms with the opposite hand to that used by left-wing politicians. Since the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body, and vice versa, Lewis specifically hypothesised that right-wing politicians wipe their bums with their left hands and left-wing politicians wipe with their right hands.
‘Sophisticated’ statistical analysis

A fictional research assistant asked known left- and right-leaning members of the UK House of Parliament what hand they used. Nine politicians were interviewed, including a “Boris Johnski” and a “Teresa Maybe”, but only eight answers were usable because one subject, a “Nigel F Arage”, rudely told the researcher to “bog off”.
The data collected from these eight politicians, after “sophisticated” statistical analysis, fully confirmed the hypothesis. Lewis wrote up the paper – “Testing Inter-Hemispheric Social Priming Theory in a Sample of Professional Politicians – a Brief Report” by Gerry Jay Louis , Institute of Interdisciplinary Political and Faecal Science, England , and submitted it for publication.
A prompt email reply informed him his manuscript was under review. A few days later the journal informed him it was accepted for publication and asked him to pay $581 publishing costs. Lewis pleaded that he had no funds and the journal waived all charges.
Promptly published

The article was promptly published, but when The Conversation contacted the publisher for comment the article was retracted. The publisher told The Conversation: “We strictly follow double blinded peer process for all the articles we receive.” Lewis received no peer review comments from the journal. But, in any event, the idea that this paper was reviewed at all is simply not credible. Was the paper even read? You don’t have to be an expert to see that the paper is entirely ridiculous – eg N = 8. I urge you to read this short paper here – it is a laugh-out-loud piece and I congratulate Dr Lewis on his comic talent.
Dodgy work published in journals can then be quoted as scientific evidence in public debates
Of course, nobody claims all papers published in predatory journals are worthless. Some of these journals operate conventional review processes and, also, some researchers submit high-quality papers to predatory journals thinking they are submitting to journals using conventional reviewing procedures. More than 5,000 UK scientists have published articles in the past five years in these journals.
But, as Lewis points out, the overall problem with predatory journals is they contaminate the scientific literature by presenting many studies of unacceptable quality as rigorous scientific reports. Dodgy work published in these journals, for example on climate change, genetic modification, alternative medicine and so on, can then be quoted as scientific evidence in public debates.
There is no shortage of science journals that employ rigorous peer review. The international scientific academies should prepare and publicise a list of all these journals, keep it updated, and make it plain it is expected that all serious scientific research will be published in these outlet s.


]]> Tue, 02 Oct 2018 02:31:50 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/5155/the-el-salvador-pastors-saving-ms-13-gang-members-the-only-way-out-is-through-jesus http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/5155
MS-13 gang members: 'The only way out is through Jesus’

Oh, yeah. Oh yeah. Oh yeah.



]]> Tue, 25 Sep 2018 03:02:42 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/5150/paul-kurtz-86-humanist-publisher-dies http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/5150




Paul Kurtz, a philosopher whose advocacy of reason ahead of faith helped define contemporary secular humanism, died on Saturday at his home in Amherst, N.Y. He was 86.
He had been treated for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, said his son, Jonathan, who is the president of Prometheus Books, the publishing house his father founded in 1969, and who confirmed the death.
Professor Kurtz taught philosophy at the University at Buffalo, part of the State University of New York, from 1965 until his retirement as professor emeritus in 1991. But his wider influence came as a publisher of books and magazines devoted to fact-based, rather than faith-based, solutions to human problems, and as a writer who, in more than 40 books and hundreds of articles, promoted an ethical system independent of religion.
Professor Kurtz founded the Center for Inquiry , which promotes evidence-based reasoning and opposes organized religion, and the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (known as Csicop), which is dedicated to debunking pseudosciences.
In 1973, as editor of the magazine The Humanist, Professor Kurtz drafted what came to be known as Humanist Manifesto II, in which he updated a 1933 document by addressing issues that the earlier document, which was largely a critique of theism, had failed to touch on, among them nuclear arms, population control, racism and sexism.








The document was signed by 120 religious leaders, philosophers, scientists and writers, including the dissident Soviet physicist Andrei D. Sakharov; Dr. Francis Crick, a discoverer of the structure of the DNA molecule; and the novelist Isaac Asimov. It argued for a system of world law that would “transcend the limits of national sovereignty.”
“Traditional dogmatic or authoritarian religions that place revelation, God, ritual or creed above human needs and experience do a disservice to the human species,” the document said.
In its best-known dictum, it declared, “No deity will save us; we must save ourselves.”
In 1980, in response to the conservative religious movement the Moral Majority, Professor Kurtz founded the journal Free Inquiry. In its inaugural issue he drafted another statement, “A Secular Humanist Declaration,” in which he warned that “the reappearance of dogmatic authoritarian religions” had become a threat to intellectual freedom, human rights and scientific progress. The statement, signed by 61 scholars, directed its objections toward “fundamentalist, literalist and doctrinaire Christianity; a rapidly growing and uncompromising Muslim clericalism in the Middle East and Asia; the reassertion of orthodox authority by the Roman Catholic papal hierarchy; nationalist religious Judaism; and the reversion to obscurantist religions in Asia.”






Paul Kurtz, in 2010, published books and magazines devoted to fact-based, not faith-based, solutions to human problems. Credit Doug Benz for The New York Times

Not surprisingly, Professor Kurtz and the secular humanist movement drew the wrath of the religious.
“Humanism is basically Satan’s philosophy and program,” the evangelist H. Edward Rowe wrote in a 1976 book, “Save America.” “Certain features of it may sound reasonable, but it always leads to tragedy, simply because it ignores the guidance of God.”
Humanists in general and Professor Kurtz in particular have also been criticized by some atheists as not aggressive enough in opposing the credibility of religious myths. But Professor Kurtz wrote that humanists, who “may be agnostics, atheists or skeptics,” believed that their obligation was to go beyond deriding religion. In 2009, he resigned from the board of the Center for Inquiry, in part because he felt it was on too contentious a path.
“If religion is being weakened, what replaces it in secular society?” Professor Kurtz said in an interview with The New York Times in 2010. “Most of my colleagues are concerned with critiquing the concept of God. That is important, but equally important is, where do you turn?”
Paul Winter Kurtz was born in Newark on Dec. 21, 1925. His father was a restaurateur in Irvington, N.J. He attended public schools and enrolled in New York University but soon left to enlist in the Army during World War II . He fought in the Battle of the Bulge and entered the concentration camps at Buchenwald and Dachau shortly after their liberation, helping with the care of survivors.
After the war he returned to N.Y.U., where he studied with the philosopher Sidney Hook. He graduated in 1948 and went on to earn an M.A. and a Ph.D. in philosophy from Columbia.
Before Professor Kurtz landed in Buffalo, he taught at Trinity, Vassar and Union Colleges. In addition to editing The Humanist and Free Inquiry, he was the founding editor of Skeptical Inquirer, a magazine that sought to debunk paranormal phenomena, sightings of Bigfoot and extraterrestrials, communications with the dead, and other pseudoscientific claims.
Among his books on humanism is “Forbidden Fruit: The Ethics of Secularism” (2008), a prescription for living a happy, productive life free of religious dogma.






]]> Sat, 22 Sep 2018 17:44:26 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/5148/humanist-manifesto-i http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/5148
FIRST: Religious humanists regard the universe as self-existing and not created.
SECOND: Humanism believes that man is a part of nature and that he has emerged as a result of a continuous process.
THIRD: Holding an organic view of life, humanists find that the traditional dualism of mind and body must be rejected.
FOURTH: Humanism recognizes that man’s religious culture and civilization, as clearly depicted by anthropology and history, are the product of a gradual development. This implies cultural evolution and cultural relativity.
FIFTH: Humanism asserts that the nature of the universe depicted by modern science makes unacceptable any supernatural or cosmic guarantees of human values.
SIXTH: We are convinced that the time has passed for theism, deism, modernism, and the several varieties of “new thought”.
SEVENTH: Religion consists of those actions, purposes, and experiences which are humanly significant. Nothing human is alien to the religious. It includes labor, art, science, philosophy, love, friendship, recreation–all that is in its degree expressive of intelligently satisfying human living.
EIGHTH: Religious Humanism considers the complete realization of human personality to be the end of man’s life and seeks its development and fulfillment in the here and now.
NINTH: In the place of the old attitudes involved in worship and prayer the humanist finds his religious emotions expressed in a heightened sense of personal life and in a cooperative effort to promote social well-being.
TENTH: It follows that there will be no uniquely religious emotions and attitudes of the kind hitherto associated with belief in the supernatural.
ELEVENTH: Man will learn to face the crises of life in terms of his knowledge of their naturalness and probability.
TWELFTH: Believing that religion must work increasingly for joy in living, religious humanists aim to foster the creative in man and to encourage achievements that add to the satisfactions of life.
THIRTEENTH: Religious humanism maintains that all associations and institutions exist for the fulfillment of human life.
FOURTEENTH: The humanists are firmly convinced that existing acquisitive and profit-motivated society has shown itself to be inadequate and that a radical change in methods, controls, and motives must be instituted.
FIFTEENTH AND LAST: We assert that humanism will: (a) affirm life rather than deny it; (b) seek to elicit the possibilities of life, not flee from them; and (c) endeavor to establish the conditions of a satisfactory life for all, not merely for the few.


]]> Sat, 22 Sep 2018 02:53:19 -0400 http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/5124/the-treatment-of-non-israelite-slaves-from-moses-to-moses http://thenewstalkers.com/cb/group_discuss/5124
Maimonides and the Problem of Non-Israelite Slaves:
The Mishneh Torah Law Code
Moses Maimonides (1138-1205) is the first to take a big step towards a more humane treatment of gentile slaves.  In the final section of his Laws of Slavery, Maimonides, expresses moral discomfort with the idea, endorsed by the Torah, that an Israelite master is to work his non-Israelite slaves with harsh labor ( pharekh ), [6]  which he defines as ( Mishneh Torah , “Laws of Slaves” 1:6): No defined limit is set for the work.
Useless work. [7]
In both cases, the slave is not allowed a semblance of accomplishment that could salvage some sense of self-worth or empowerment as a human being. [8] In effect, the master replaces God as the supreme object of the slave’s obedience and dependence. Thus, this may account for why the classical rabbis considered keeping a slave past the obligatory sabbatical limit tantamount to idolatry. [9]  
Focusing on the imposition of pharekh labor, Maimonides writes, ( Mishneh Torah , Laws of Slaves 9:8):
Best to be compassionate and not overburden slaves.

מֻתָּר לַעֲבֹד בְּעֶבֶד כְּנַעֲנִי בְּפָרֶךְ. וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהַדִּין כָּךְ מִדַּת חֲסִידוּת וְדַרְכֵי חָכְמָה שֶׁיִּהְיֶה אָדָם רַחְמָן וְרוֹדֵף צֶדֶק וְלֹא יַכְבִּיד עֻלּוֹ עַל עַבְדּוֹ וְלֹא יָצֵר לוֹ.

It is permissible to have a Canaanite slave perform excruciating labor ( pharekh) . Although this is the law, the attribute of piety and the ways of wisdom is for a person to be compassionate and to pursue justice, not to excessively burden his slaves, nor cause them distress.
Feed slaves well.
וְיַאֲכִילֵהוּ וְיַשְׁקֵהוּ מִכָּל מַאֲכָל וּמִכָּל מִשְׁתֶּה. חֲכָמִים הָרִאשׁוֹנִים הָיוּ נוֹתְנִין לָעֶבֶד מִכָּל תַּבְשִׁיל וְתַבְשִׁיל שֶׁהָיוּ אוֹכְלִין. וּמַקְדִּימִין מְזוֹן הַבְּהֵמוֹת וְהָעֲבָדִים לִסְעוּדַת עַצְמָן.
He should feed them and give them drink from all his available food and drink. This was the practice of the ancient Sages who would give their slaves from every dish of which they themselves would partake. And they would provide food for their animals and slaves before partaking of their own meals. A master to his slave has the power of God.

הֲרֵי הוּא אוֹמֵר (תהילים קכג-ב) “כְעֵינֵי עֲבָדִים אֶל יַד אֲדוֹנֵיהֶם כְּעֵינֵי שִׁפְחָה אֶל יַד גְּבִרְתָּהּ [כֵּ֣ן עֵ֭ינֵינוּ אֶל־ה’ אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ עַד שֶׁיְּחָנֵּנוּ]”.
And so, it is written Psalms 123:2: “As the eyes of slaves to their master’s hand, and like the eyes of a maid-servant to her mistress’ hand, [so are our eyes to the Lord our God awaiting his favor].” Do not verbally abuse a slave, but speak kindly.

וְכֵן לֹא יְבַזֵּהוּ בַּיָּד וְלֹא בִּדְבָרִים. לְעַבְדוּת מְסָרָן הַכָּתוּב לֹא לְבוּשָׁה. וְלֹא יַרְבֶּה עָלָיו צְעָקָה וְכַעַס אֶלָּא יְדַבֵּר עִמּוֹ בְּנַחַת וְיִשְׁמַע טַעֲנוֹתָיו. וְכֵן מְפֹרָשׁ בְּדַרְכֵי אִיּוֹב הַטּוֹבִים שֶׁהִשְׁתַּבֵּחַ בָּהֶן (איוב לא-יג) “אִם אֶמְאַס מִשְׁפַּט עַבְדִּי וַאֲמָתִי בְּרִבָם עִמָּדִי” (איוב לא-טו) “הֲלֹא בַבֶּטֶן עשֵֹׁנִי עָשָׂהוּ וַיְכֻנֶנּוּ בָּרֶחֶם אֶחָד.”
Similarly, we should not embarrass a slave verbally or physically, for the Torah only contemplated work for them not humiliation. Nor should one excessively scream at or exhibit anger with them. Instead, one should speak to them gently, and listen to their complaints. This is explicitly stated with regard to the positive paths of Job for which he was praised Job 31:13, 15: “Have I ever shunned justice for my slave and maid-servant when they quarreled with me…. Did not He who made me in my mother’s belly make him? Did not One form us both in the womb?” The children of Abraham are kind and not cruel like idolaters.

וְאֵין הָאַכְזָרִיּוּת וְהָעַזּוּת מְצוּיָה אֶלָּא בְּעַכּוּ”ם עוֹבְדֵי עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה אֲבָל
זַרְעוֹ שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ וְהֵם יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁהִשְׁפִּיעַ לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא טוֹבַת הַתּוֹרָה וְצִוָּה אוֹתָם בְּ”חֻקִּים וּמִשְׁפָּטִים צַדִּיקִים” רַחְמָנִים הֵם עַל הַכּל.
Cruelty and arrogance are common only among idolaters. By contrast, the descendants of Abraham our patriarch, i.e. Israel on whom the Holy One, blessed be He, endowed the goodness of the Torah and commanded to observe “righteous statutes and judgments,” (Deut 4:8) are compassionate to all. God is merciful so we should be as well.
וְכֵן בְּמִדּוֹתָיו שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שֶּׁצִּוָּנוּ לְהִדָּמוֹת בָּהֶם הוּא אוֹמֵר (תהילים קמה-ט) “וְרַחֲמָיו עַל כָּל מַעֲשָׂיו . וְכָל הַמְרַחֵם מְרַחֲמִין עָלָיו שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים יג:יח) “וְנָתַן לְךָ רַחֲמִים וְרִחַמְךָ וְהִרְבֶּךָ”:
And similarly, with regard to the attributes of the Holy One, blessed be He, which He commanded us to imitate, it is written Psalms 145:9: “His mercy is upon all of His works.” And whoever shows mercy to others will have mercy shown to him, as implied by Deuteronomy 13:18: “He will show you compassion, and in His compassion merciful increase you.” s
This codified recommendation represents the high water mark of Jewish law in expressing noble and equitable ideals.  It also presents an exquisite weave of biblical texts, philosophy, theology, and law. This emerges most clearly if we follow the logic of  four verses Maimonides cites and how he integrates them into a kind of philosophically theological mini-treatise that touches on the nature of man, his relationship with the divine, the nature of God, and imitatio dei .

Slave Market in Cairo, Egypt & Nubia. Artist David Roberts, between 1845 and 1849 . Wikimedia 
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