"I think it's essential to enshrine the separation of church and state as an inviolable principle of democracy. That means no "In God We Trust" on our money and no religion in public spaces. No Christmas displays, no religious…"
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Atheist Exile
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- Cebu City, Visayas
- Philippines
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Atheist Exile's Discussions
How could an ex-atheist ever have been an atheist to begin with?
Started this discussion. Last reply by James Cox May 30, 2012. 113 Replies 0 Likes
Greed, Wealth, Anger and Envy
Started this discussion. Last reply by Arcus Jan 22, 2012. 3 Replies 1 Like
Beautiful Souls: Declaration of Secular Islam
Started this discussion. Last reply by Atheist Exile Oct 19, 2010. 1 Reply 0 Likes
Atheist Exile's Groups
Gifts Received (3)
Atheist Exile's Page
Latest Activity
Simon Paynton commented on Atheist Exile's blog post 'Morality, Survival and Religion'"There have been reports of a ghost butterfly. I don't know how you can tell the difference however. "
Atheist Exile commented on Atheist Exile's blog post 'Morality, Survival and Religion'"I wonder if it was okay with God if that horse ate those apples. Were all animals created immortal or just humans? If all animals were created immortal -- and since there's no longer any immortal animals -- did all animals sin somehow and lose…"
Simon Paynton commented on Atheist Exile's blog post 'Morality, Survival and Religion'"Original Sin? We're all flawed. The ego is a machine for looking after us. Sometimes it becomes too over-zealous and we allow it to take over. If we can put it in its proper place then we can achieve the Garden of…"
Simon Paynton commented on Atheist Exile's blog post 'Morality, Survival and Religion'"But maybe it's immoral to deprive an animal of its freedom and life. Maybe it's not. Maybe it's OK if the animal is treated well and killed humanely. "
Atheist Exile commented on Atheist Exile's blog post 'Morality, Survival and Religion'"When I say that "a moral claim can't contradict physical reality and remain valid", one such claim that leaps to mind is the one claiming that (humans) eating meat is immoral. Humans are omnivores, not herbivores. We are…"
Simon Paynton commented on Atheist Exile's blog post 'Morality, Survival and Religion'""sharing out fitness on an optimum basis" - we have to remember that these things don't usually have to be a zero-sum game: it doesn't have to be "I win, you lose". "
Simon Paynton commented on Atheist Exile's blog post 'Morality, Survival and Religion'"I agree, value judgements aren't a reliable guide to right and wrong: we need a different standard. This standard, sharing out "fitness" on an optimal basis, can be objective if we agree what "fitness" is.
A…"
Simon Paynton commented on Atheist Exile's blog post 'Morality, Survival and Religion'""any moral claim: it can't contradict physical reality and remain valid" - what does this mean? Physical facts certainly can't contradict each other. "
Simon Paynton commented on Atheist Exile's blog post 'Morality, Survival and Religion'""value judgments, not physical realities" - here we have the famous fact/value divide. It has to be placed somewhere. In my opinion, the most useful place is "increased fitness".
I'm not a fan of…"
Atheist Exile commented on Atheist Exile's blog post 'Morality, Survival and Religion'"Yeah, Simon, certain themes such as "the greater good" and "increased fitness" do factor into many opinions about morality. But, as I see it, morality is normally about value judgments, not physical realities, and as such tend to…"
Simon Paynton commented on Atheist Exile's blog post 'Morality, Survival and Religion'"Who decides? The individual. "
Simon Paynton commented on Atheist Exile's blog post 'Morality, Survival and Religion'"We don't have to "impose" a moral standard, but we can suggest one that is based on objective facts, that works. The best we can do is describe consequences of following this course of action, or that. "
Atheist Exile replied to The Civilizationalist's discussion 'A theory of competitive ethics'"I edited the OP and am waiting for the re-post to be approved by moderators. The last time I did this, the post and a dozen pages of replies simply disappeared . . . never to be seen again."
Atheist Exile replied to The Civilizationalist's discussion 'A theory of competitive ethics'"One one side of the coin is competition. On the other is cooperation. I think that ethics is better framed from the cooperation side of the coin.
Empathy is supposedly evolved in us to foster cooperation. In social animals like us, cooperation is a…"
Comment Wall (61 comments)
- At 2:23am on October 30, 2013,
M.M. said… Thank you for accepting my friend request!.
Looking forward to your future posts!
peace.
- At 1:06pm on October 26, 2013,
Giddian Beer said… Thank you for the invite. Looking forward to great communications & ideas.
- At 11:58pm on May 7, 2012,
Helena said… yeah! Dogs will do that, though to be honest I love dogs too. As a matter of fact one of my cats thinks she is a dog - sure of it. Hope your ranga (strine - ie. Aussie, for red haired, ie. orangatan, eg. our prime minister is a ranga) cat is OK.
yeah, I can handle deadly snakes too, they fascinate me - used to rescue them from peoples homes - we don't have rattlers here, but our snakes are the deadliest in the world, (though the red belly black snakes generally have a pleasant temper, unlike some rattlers I have handled when I used to work in a zoo).
I It was the atheist thing that got me into snakes the first place... poor vilified animal! LOL
- At 4:41am on May 7, 2012, Helena said…
Hi,
Now that I have some time, thought I would get back to you!
Yes I am a cat lover, and most animals actually. My cats are rescues from a hoarder. Ordinarily I would never get cats as I also have snakes. However, after giving a few of my snakes a new home as they wanted the cats for lunch, the remaining beasties actually seem to get along quite well... much to my amazement.And I am always somewhat surprised when people friend me due to the fact that I oppose pc!
I have also gone and had a read of some of your work here. And I can say... well said, quite a word smith arn't you!
cheers
- At 7:48pm on May 1, 2012, Helena said…
Hi, Thank you for friending me! I really appreciate it!
- At 11:36am on April 29, 2012,
Helen Pluckrose said… Thank you! I love the powerful way you write. :)
- At 12:54pm on April 14, 2012,
Okinawa R. said… nope, unfortunately i havent been there :(
my name was given by a friend of my father who's happened to be a japanese soldier which sadly i have never met because he went back to japan when i was born...guess he's from okinawa hence my name :)
- At 11:21am on June 24, 2011,
Mo Trauen said… Hi,
I am sorry. I didn't see your friend add until today. I should have sent you one myself months ago. Your posts are always incredibly intelligent.
- At 12:57pm on June 21, 2011,
JerBear said… - Thanks for adding me as a friend. I'm glad to hear that my short comment resonated with you.
- At 3:18am on June 21, 2011,
Arcus said… - Tnx for add! :)
Profile Information
- Your Religious Status
- Atheist
- About Me:
- I'm the webmaster of AtheistExile.com. I retired early, at the age of 52, in June of 2006. I've been in the Philippines ever since as an American expatriate.
- Age
- 53-58
- Why are you here?
- To enjoy the company of my fellow atheists.
- The religion you left
- Christian
- Why you left your religion.
- Because NOBODY knows ANYTHING about the supernatural and God is as supernatural as it gets.
- twitter.com/#!/AtheistExile
Atheist Exile's Videos
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The gathering storm
Added by Atheist Exile 3 Comments 1 Like
Atheist Exile's Photos
Atheist Exile's Blog
Morality, Survival and Religion
Posted on December 23, 2013 at 3:00am 16 Comments 1 Like
Morality is a human construct, by and for humans. If not, we'd have to get it from a natural source . . . or a supernatural one. I'm an atheist, so a supernatural source isn't a serious alternative to me. That leaves one alternative: Nature. But I can't detect the slightest whiff of morality in nature. Mother nature is red in tooth and claw. She is indifferent to violence,…
Continue Humanist convention, sponsored by IHEYO and PATAS
Posted on April 21, 2013 at 10:25am 1 Comment 0 Likes
The Philippine Atheists and Agnostics Society(PATAS) and the International Humanist and Ethical Youth Organization (IHEYO) invite you to join a three-day conference on Humanism scheduled on June 21-23, 2013 in Cebu City, Philippines. The conference will tackle human rights issues affecting our…
Continue A Full Life: A nice point of view
Posted on May 8, 2012 at 2:01am 0 Comments 0 Likes
My brother sent this to me. I had never seen it before even though it's been circulating for some time. I thought that I'd post it here in case you've never seen it either.
The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Cups of Coffee
When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.
A professor stood before his…
Continue Why Harris Lost the "Is Good from God?" debate to Craig
Posted on May 6, 2012 at 11:04am 36 Comments 0 Likes
I just stumbled upon a year-old YouTube video named, “Sam Harris gets destroyed by Dr. William Lane Craig”. It’s the 2-hour University of Notre Dame debate held on April 7, 2011, between Harris and Craig. It was titled: “The God Debate II: Is Good from God?” The video can be found at the bottom of this page.
And guess what? Harris really was destroyed by Craig!…
Continue Maps: Comparison of Beliefs
Posted on May 3, 2012 at 8:09am 1 Comment 0 Likes
The following maps were originally published by the London Times Faith Central blog. It's an interesting contrast between religion and science.
As much as we hear about U.S. Christians pushing I.D. in public schools and building multi-million dollar creation-themed parks, it's good to be reminded that…
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