Quotations

These are quotations of what I've expressed (usually in written form, almost exclusively on the internet), and they're included here either because others have quoted me, or because I suspect that others may find them meaningful or humourous.  At present, my quotations are sorted chronologically, but over time I hope to organize them into a few key categories as well.

Everyone is welcome to quote me regardless of the context (even if I might disagree with your views).

I don't claim to be real (and the burden is yours if you wish to prove otherwise).
      -- Fidem Turbāre

L.O.V.E. (Logical, Objective, Verifiable Evidence) is the root of effective science.
      -- Fidem Turbāre

If you believe in me, then you have much to learn about skepticism.
      -- Fidem Turbāre

A figure with curves can offer many interesting angles.
      -- Fidem Turbāre

Beauty is only one of many survival traits.  This is why a quest for perfection can never genuinely be sought through to completion.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Jan-04)

All babies are born as atheists.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Jan-05)

Assumptions are fine, as long as we recognize them for what they can be -- fallacies.  The problem with religion is that it claims fallacy as fact, and insists on faith in the absence of proof.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Jan-08)

The beauty of atheism is clarity.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Jan-09)

I wouldn't dare claim to be impartial, for I'm certain that I would be fooling myself.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Jan-16)

If you challenge my ideas, and present to me my errors, then, upon the honour of my character, constructively I shall build.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Jan-22)

Familiarity breeds contempt.  Question everything.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Jan-30)

[Where] Theology is a diversion; atheism is a reversion.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Jan-31)

Mmmmm, whipped cream ... it's appalling to some, and appealing to others.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Feb-01)

Keep on questioning everything, as it will strengthen your sanity.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Feb-18)

I do not hate anyone who posts the truth; in fact, to the contrary, I thoroughly enjoy this type of honesty because I value honour.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Feb-21)

Impartiality is the benefit that may be awarded naturally to those who are not afraid to think freely.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Feb-23)

SQL databases have a boolean data type that, when populated, can be either TRUE or FALSE.  But when this data type presents a NULL value it is neither TRUE nor FALSE -- it represents no position either way.  Atheism is the NULL value in the boolean data type in SQL.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Feb-28)

Us atheists willingly acknowledge that we're often metaphorically banging our heads against brick walls because we have no illusions about their thick solidity ... but don't worry, we're also wearing helmets constructed of highly durable composites of skepticism, logic, and openness melded by our powers of deduction.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Mar-04)

Okay, that makes sense now that you've mentioned the cat.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Mar-04)

For "sink or swim" faith defaults to sinking (and that's not "wishful thinking" on my part).
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Mar-25)

Science rewards us with answers based in reality while objectively rewarding both success and failure with rationality.  Without vague interpretations, fairy tale books lack the flexibility that science naturally allows for and readily supports.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Apr-09)

If enough straw men and straw women get to know each other, we could eventually see some straw babies too (unless the straw fetus doesn't make it for some reason).
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Apr-21)

Science is not adverse to "I don't know."  In fact, "I don't know" justifies science as a necessity.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Apr-22)

I find that discovering a lack of knowledge is profoundly inspiring, for it makes life so much more interesting -- particularly to those who get excited about making new discoveries and learning.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Apr-22)

Double standards are the height of hypocrisy and the epitome of society.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-May-01)

Objective Truth interests me greatly, and any errors discovered in discourse should most preferrably be a means to an end of finding it.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-May-06)

Numerology is a superstition that attempts to find meaning in coincidences by interpreting arbitrary numbers taken from a variety of sources and creating illusions of "cause and effect."
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-May-08)

Evidence is required is where a claim is present that something exists or that a certain "cause and effect" behaves in a particular way, hence the "burden of proof" belongs to the claimant.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-May-09)

People are slaves to their virtues (as Friedrich Nietzsche pointed out), and since religion has many virtues (some conflicting) that can mean that being its slave is more severe (and even irrational).
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-May-10)

Think whatever you like of me -- I do not care beyond finding such views entertaining, for I know myself quite well.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-May-12)

Clear your mind, allow it to soar in the void of nothingness, and you won't even have a need to be enlightened for you'll truly be free.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-May-15)

True love is atheistic.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-May-16)

Atheism doesn't serve agendas because it's about true freedom.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-May-20)

The most effective tool of psychological enslavement is the imposing of virtues and values, for one who completely lacks all virtues and values is entirely free.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-May-21)

Those who possess real power need not brag about it -- they need only use it for its effects to be unquestionably realized.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-May-21)

Unfortunately, credibility is in the eye of the beholder, just like beauty is (but that would have to be the other eye).
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-May-21)

Absence of belief is not based in faith, nor is it right or wrong.  It is, most profoundly, nothing more or less than "nothing" for it is, very simply, "not."
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-May-22)

Things don't work because they are discovered -- they are discovered because they work.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Jun-04)

"Absence of belief" is not a position no matter what your neighbour's cat tells you.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Jun-08)

From cradle to grave atheism is the natural state of life, with the freedom to experience diversions along the way.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Jun-14)

In the interest of discovering "objective truth," isolating ideas from their providers and presentation styles is of paramount importance.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Jun-24)

Faith in an atheist newsgroup is definitely "misplaced faith."
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Jul-08)

That's right, be paranoid about conspiracy theorists!
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Jul-08)

"Addiction."  It tends to be more compelling than reason.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Jul-14)

It's not too difficult to succeed at making others miserable because there are so many who habitually avoid the discovery of objective truth.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Jul-18)

Praying online isn't as exciting as preying online.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Jul-31)

Atheism doesn't take any position at all -- it's pure freedom, unadulterated or adulterated (that's up to each free-thinker).
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Jul-31)

Hypothetically, if evolution did cease to be, that would be the end of all life.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Aug-01)

When dealing with actual verifiable evidence, particularly evidence that can be peer reviewed, this transcends one's own thoughts because it is real.  We are a part of the universe, as is trivially verified by the ground we stand on.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Aug-02)

Creationism appears to be a dysfunctional model designed to confuse the general public about evolution.  I regard it more as a methodology that is the side-effect of the struggle of religion to survive in a world that has been increasingly learning more from scientific endeavors which, by the way, is increasingly also contradicting religious claims that used to be popular in the dark ages before mass education became a standard practice as it is now in modern civilization.
      Religion is trying desparately to catch up, and it can't because it was always based on assumptions and folklore in the absence of progressive tools like scientific methodology.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Aug-03)

A society divided by intolerance has [a greater] potential to defeat itself from within...
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Aug-06)

Humanism is species-specific; atheism, on the other hand, isn't.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Aug-09)

Go easy on the poor lad, he's probably just trying to figure out how to learn from his mistakes.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Aug-10)

Secularism and Communism are not mutually inclusive.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Aug-17)

It's unfortunate for the masses that politicians are so easily corrupted.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Aug-20)

Just for fun, try to count zero lemons when you run out, and I mean really count them ... like a great philosopher would.  (I have zero lemons in my hand, how do I know it's plural, and how do I know they're not apples or oranges?)
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Aug-20; regarding an infinite supply of lemons for making tossed lemon meringue pies)

You're calling others strange now?  That's irony at its "middlist."
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Aug-20)

"What" is not one of the criteria for determining insanity (otherwise Hollywood would be in seriously short supply of straight jackets).
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Aug-21; regarding the "Who, where, and when are you?" criteria)

Death isn't defeat, it's the completion of the life experience; so it is therefore that until a person dies, their life experience is incomplete.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Aug-24; regarding death equating to defeat)

I'm not a mental institution.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Aug-25)

Ideas can only become dangerous if put into action.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Aug-28)

Asking an atheist to prove there are no gods makes as much sense as asking a cat to prove that trees are telepathic.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Aug-29)

Knowledge is so easy for most people to acquire, and yet so few people seem to have the will to expand intellectually.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Aug-30)

Here's an experiment for you:  For the next 10 seconds, try not to think of a black horse.  Many people will attempt to use diversion tactics to think of a white horse instead, or focus on something completely different, and although you may have this idea of a black horse, a white horse, or something else in your thoughts, you can do so without forming any position regarding it.  The same applies to deities.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Aug-30)

Why drag the horse into it?  Is it because the horse is an atheist?
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Aug-30)

Atheists aren't trapped, we're fundamentally and categorically free.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Sep-03)

You found a use for Republicans?  Really?  Oh, the cognitive dissonance!
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Sep-14)

Why?  Atheism has no minimum or maximum intelligence requirements, for it is only the "absence of belief in deities and supernatural agents."  Someone could be dumber than a tree stump and still be an atheist, but the main point is that atheism doesn't discriminate against anyone.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Sep-16; response to an expectation that atheists should be smart enough to find the primary research for a given topic)

Many of them seem to think that respecting this "fear of an eternal afterlife of torture overlooking a lake of fire, etc." is rational, but they're only really deluding themselves for showing fear is not how one earns respect from oppressors -- one earns respect from oppressors by beating them at their own game (or any game that's significant to them).
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Sep-16)

Adolf Hitler was a Catholic, but even if he was an atheist it wouldn't automatically mean that he's an official representative of atheism.  The same goes for religion -- just look at the Muslims with regard to flying aeroplanes into buildings for a good parallel example as there are many Muslims who feel very strongly that Osama bin Laden does not represent Islam correctly.  Morals come from compassion, and compassion is a natural and atheistic value that religion cannot take credit for.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Oct-02)

What's harmful for society is not ideas, but what people do with, or because of, ideas.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Dec-02)

Although all sheep are atheists, not all atheists are sheep.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Dec-04)

Many people have tried to push my buttons, but they always seem to miss.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Jan-20)

Be careful not to favour the bifurcation fallacy, for it promises to lead you astray surreptitiously.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Feb-01)

Skepticism is one of the greatest advantages gained from free thinking.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Feb-06)

Religious right-wing-nuts flying aeroplanes into buildings is a solid argument for not protecting the free exercise of religion.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Feb-22)

Relax.  Cognitive dissonance is only temporary if you're willing to have an open mind.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Feb-26)

Belief systems can always be shaken -- if they couldn't they wouldn't need to be defended.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Mar-02)

As far as my opinion is concerned, the dinosaurs were all atheists.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Mar-05)

Occam's Razor is the ritual blade of skeptics.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Mar-07)

...with all these new-fangled religions popping up over the past few decades (including Raëlism which started in 1974) it almost makes it appear as if some clever prankster pushed evolution's "Reverse" button.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Mar-11)

Fear not, for all political parties are fair game -- if not for any other value (of which they oft promise but fail to deliver), at least for the entertainment value.  It's the final defense against voter apathy to be an active voting participant who is right to make light of them.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Mar-25)

"Vilifying atheists" seems to be the new hunting sport these days.  Well, we atheists have nothing to defend because "absence of belief" does not require defense -- it's just the natural state of things that religion tries vehemently to twist and corrupt, and infect with its subjective virtues and values.
      I don't accept the oppressive impositions of religion on my freedoms, and I always defend my natural right to think freely and not be controlled by the irrational or the superstitious.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Mar-28)

Those who don't desire freedom from their oppressors are slaves.  Those who do desire freedom from their oppressors are prisoners.
      The emphasis of those two points is centred around one's sense of self-righteousness in the context of liberty (but is not necessarily egotistic), for someone or something stronger can overcome and make one a prisoner, yet it is the submission of one's will that renders them a slave.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Apr-12)

The next evolutionary step for the "atheist movement" [sic.] is the restoration of human solidarity.  Christopher Hitchens got a tremendous amount of dialogue started in this area, and the long-term survival of all Tellurian forms of life is profoundly dependent on how the dangerously influencial human species progresses both philosophically and technologically as a whole.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Apr-13)

With the vast number of religions available to choose from, and the interactions between them that more-often-than-not lead to attitudes of exclusivity and the creation of arbitrary class systems, it's not surprising that conflicts arise which ultimately serve to divide human solidarity.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Apr-14)

With the freedom to think is how people are born, and by thinking independently you are exercising that freedom.  In my estimation, not "blindly giving in to conformity or being enslaved by someone else's expectations" is a more meaningful, powerful, and exhilarating way to live well.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Apr-15)

As long as they still have violence-advocating doctrines, they're not religions of peace no matter how many of their adherents are cherry pickers.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Apr-17)

It's obvious without proof that Holy Scriptures are written by people.  A deity who can communicate telepathically and form the world, can also implant knowledge into the minds of babies.
      This has not happened, and so demands to fear and follow all-powerful and all-knowing genocidal creator deities while also requiring suspicious interpretations is obviously a scam.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Apr-18)

Enjoy the solace of your freedom to think independently.  To the deluded you may be pre-judged as "crazy," but why should you have to live up to their expectations?
      Fighting for freedom is a worthwhile endeavor because it benefits everyone (including you).  You don't have to win arguments with your family, but beware that they have no avenue of attack against you as an atheist since atheism is the "absence of belief in deities and supernatural agents" classification that carries no burden of proof, for it makes no claims and is not a position (anti-theism is a position).
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Apr-19)

Regarding fear of spiders, that's, at least, a fear that can be resolved by removing the spider.  A fear of a deity is best resolved by removing the deity.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Apr-19)

Many tailors and seamstresses are also Pantheists, but not necessarily for philosophical reasons.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Apr-19)

Evil is only recognizable when there is morality.  Since morality is subjective due to its relativistic nature, the "all evil" category is a paradox.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Apr-20)

You appear to be suffering from solipsism.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Apr-21)

All schools need to be doing this.  Even proven facts must never be exempt from scrutiny, for critical thinking and analysis is wholly dependent on impartiality.  Invalidating a known fact is as much a worthwhile endeavor as validating a new one.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Apr-22)

The Andromeda galaxy is heading for the Milky Way, so in the far and distant future it's not looking at all promising.  I suggest promoting scientific and technological advancement, with the eventual aim of progressing sooner than later to the point of building a self-contained solar system and/or massive self-perpetuating inter-galactic space travel technology since these will likely be much easier than steering an entire galaxy (even we can find a way to snuff out black holes, which will likely pose its own problems as well since the many objects getting sucked in toward these universal vortexes will still have momentum -- it will become a very messy affair indeed).
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Apr-24)

Access to food, water, shelter, and compulsory education, complimented by a secular government that values personal freedom (including freedom of expression and freedom of thought), usually have a lot to do with this too, for if a particular populace doesn't have these factors in their lives then conformity and/or survival tend to get a higher focus than intellectual and personal development.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Apr-29; response to a racially biased comment favouring higher IQs)

Religion teaches people to avoid fear instead of embracing it, which is disappointing because fear has a tremendous quality of value to offer along the lines of being one's very best friend.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-May-13)

... questioning your assertion that I'm cold and mechanical (which also appears to be a back-handed compliment to a certain degree).  If you really think you have a case for these claims, however, I assure you that I can credibly refute them with absolute certainty: Check mate in one move.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2012-Apr-11; responding to a character assassination attempt that backfired)

Freedom of expression, as a right, guarantees the right to insult, ridicule, and trash ideas -- although it does not grant the right to escalate to violent retaliation, it is essential to truly open and profoundly honest discourse.
      Any restrictions placed on any freedom disqualify it as freedom by moving it into the realm of oppression.  Even if I don't like the views or ideas expressed by someone else, I'll support their right to express them.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-May-21)

Atheism is not an epidemic, it's human nature.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-May-21)

Although death poses a serious threat, fear of it should not be eased, rather it should be embraced and understood.  Fear is like a person's best friend -- it brings attention to what one "needs" to know (as opposed to what one "wants" to know).
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-May-22)

Human solidarity trumps national solidarity.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-May-24)

An argument should be able to stand on its own merits.  If one must rely on the fact that others are atheists, theists, etc., instead of the merit of the argument, then they have probably failed to argue their case reliably.
      Who makes the claim isn't relevant, rather it is Logical, Objective, Verifiable Evidence (L.O.V.E.) that is key to validating or invalidating a claim:  http://www.atheistfrontier.com/glossary/love.pl
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-May-25)

When I'm looking for wisdom (which keeps running off to flirt with other people), holy doctrine is not where I go looking for it.
      Without question, other fictional stories such as Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, whose combined levels of violence pale in comparison to that espoused by either The Holy Bible or The Holy Qu'ran, contain much higher qualities of wisdom [and probably] because their authors weren't motivated by a desire to control people.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-May-25)

The erosion of genuine compassion for fellow humans begins where impartiality is diminished by dividing human solidarity.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-May-25)

We should all incite more insight.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-May-28)

To some, it's also Islamaphobic, which I classify as "profane slang" because it doesn't deserve to be qualified as a real word.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-May-28; regarding the phrase "militant atheism")

I don't build straw men.  However, I do admit to building straw women on occasion (and I normally point it out when I do so intentionally), but only because I'm concerned that the straw people population is suffering from a severe shortage of females.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-May-30)

..., that you consider the fact meaningless is fine, I'm just glad that it's regarded as a fact.
      From the standpoint of impartiality, facts generally are meaningless; meaning arises from the application of facts.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-May-30)

The classification of "absence of theism" that applies to all life in the context of atheism being the natural baseline state [at least unless or until that life conceptualizes one or more deities and then believes they are real] is a logically sound argument that I regard merely as a matter of fact.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Jun-01)

The First of the Ten Commandments dictates that "thou shalt have no other gods before me" curiously doesn't rule out "gods after me" and doesn't mention goddesses at all (before or after), so for Christians it's a matter of choice to stop at one god only even though that commandment clearly doesn't dictate that they have to stop there.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Jun-04)

Saving money is fine, but when it's at the cost of quality that results in putting peoples' lives at risk then it's crossed the line into reckless irresponsibility.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Jun-07; regarding capitalist economies)

The achievement of power only demonstrates a specific social superiority.  It doesn't mean that the powerful are necessarily any more or less intelligent, insightful, or even adaptable to change.  Having power over others is incidental to superiority in survivability.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Jun-08)

Your doctrine appears to be a giant mess of spaghetti -- monster size.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Jun-08)

As long as congregations of people worship deities, there will be battlefields.  A life of skepticism is the acid test of rationality and peace.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Jun-09)

Using violence in retaliation to the non-violent expression of ideas is psychopathic irrationality.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Jun-11)

Lately I've been hearing about an atheist monument going up somewhere which features a few quotations from famous skeptics thoughout history.  I'd actually prefer that no monuments go up at all, and that the court house steps always be kept clear to ensure easier access to justice for everyone.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Jun-11)

Freedom of expression cannot qualify as "freedom" when it is restricted.  Expressing oneself in a friendly manner is protected by freedom of expression just as much as expressing oneself in a hostile manner is, and I refuse to support the oppression of this freedom because it is essential for truly open and truly honest communication.
      Ultimately, what you're advocating is "drawing a line" as to what discourse is acceptable, and that is a form of oppression that I oppose most vehemently.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Jun-17; response to demands to refrain from criticizing certain beliefs)

Put down your holy doctrine and light it on fire by denouncing and rejecting its hateful sexist misogynistic ideals, and the feminists will lovingly drop their swords.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Jun-18; response to "put down your feminist sword" that denied that "often throughout history men claim superiority over women")

Concerning "conflict," I regard it as an essential for quality of life that also has tremendous potential to be highly educational.  Truly (and bluntly) open and honest discourse supports the potential for the more insightful and meaningful "free expressions" of ideas, and so I therefore approve of it.
      I strongly suspect that if more people were more willing to engage in intellectual conflict ... there would probably be a lot less insecurity and fewer social problems in society.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Jun-24)

One who does not exist can never die.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Jun-26)

One of the questions I ask myself is "Does this contribution provide meaningful value?"  So far I have found it helpful in many scenarios where deliberation was requested of, or assigned to, me.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Jun-28; on moderating duties in online discussion forums)

That's why I have a cat -- cats exude a somewhat arrogant sense of self-confidence and upper-classness that even Karl Marx probably wouldn't feel comfortable living with.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Jul-04; response to a disdainful comment about dogs)

Religion is a waste of time, unless you are the one who stands to profit from it.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Jul-04)

...if you're honest and have integrity in your dealings with friends and foes, regardless of how emotionally motivated you might be to act out of character, should that friend or foe ever be in a position of power they will [hopefully] remember you as someone who is consistently credible.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Jul-07)

Selfishness is incidental to atheism, and atheism is incidental to selfishness.  There's no dependence (as you claim) nor inter-dependence at play.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Jul-11; response to an assertion that "selfishness is primary for the atheist")

Righteousness is betrayal -- it betrays us at the very core of what it means to truly be ourselves.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Jul-12)

... atheism really is not liable because it is entirely free of dogma.  There's no horrific story book representing atheism that instructs anyone to do anything, and the mere classification of "absence of theism" doesn't imply that there is any dogmatic fear characteristic or predilection toward abuse, or love, or anything at all.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Jul-16)

Capitalism isn't about quality, it's about profit.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Jul-18)

They think their message is more important than anyone's rights to education, and they intend to impose their corrupt moral views on everyone else because they don't care for freedom, for they demand conformity to delusion.  They are obviously crazy.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Jul-21; regarding religious oppressors)

Atheism has no dogma, so there's nothing to avoid.  With atheism, one freely has the option to live life honestly.  This is not the case with religion, which is highly restrictive and mentally burdensome.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Jul-22)

... it really doesn't matter so much "who" is presenting an idea since truly good ideas can stand on their own merits independently of their authors.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Jul-22)

Silence is sometimes wise, and can also be used to win.  It all depends on the scenario at hand.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Jul-24; response to a claim that silence is for losers)

What the ACLU is doing is correct, and it's ethical.  I give the ACLU my stamp of approval, and I do so without hesitation because they are protecting the most important atheistic right of all -- freedom.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Jul-24)

People who suffer from mental illnesses aren't precluded from being great scientists -- the key is in having the wisdom to ignore religion by being impartial in applying the scientific method.  Making special exceptions to the folly of religion is what leads to pseudo-science.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Jul-25)

Ignoring is not the same as judging, which means that the Church probably regards the officiating of a marriage as a means of judging others -- so, by not marrying homosexual couples, they are keeping their word by not judging them as "married."
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Jul-29; response to skepticism about the Vatican claiming not to judge homosexuality)

The hypocrisy of the Roman Catholic Church has stayed up way past its bed time and has become scarier than the creepy monster that normally lurks under its own bed of nails.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Jul-30)

If all religions treat others kindly, then I have to wonder, "what is your definition of kindness?"  Religious imposition is masochism presented by sadists, and it knows no limits.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Aug-05)

Secularism isn't defined by who implemented it, but by what it is.  Since secularism denotes "attitudes, activities, or other things that have no religious or spiritual basis," it is therefore also atheistic since it is, by its very nature, "without theism."  Definition of "secular":  http://www.google.com/search?q=define+secular
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Aug-06; response to claim that "secularism isn't atheistic because it was authored and implemented in the USA mostly by Christians")

I agree, but religion serves as a vehicle that supports their justification of their psychopathy because it postures itself as if it is above the law.  Remove their vehicle of hate, and their car keys are rendered useless.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Aug-09; response to "... people will still be evil without religion")

John Lennon was right in his song "Imagine" when he sung the words "And no religion too.  Imagine all the people living life in peace."  He truly had the correct frame of mind that still codifies "human solidarity" today.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Aug-09)

I'm an atheist who never needed convincing to be "absent of theism" because I simply enjoy freedom so much that atheism is merely an unavoidable by-product.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Aug-13)

I don't censor myself.  I'm a staunch advocate for freedom, particularly freedom of expression, and the imposition of destructive practices like Censorship and Political Correctness and Blasphemy Prevention are intolerable because they ultimately manifest into highly oppressive justifications for meting out punishments for "thought crimes."
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Aug-13)

Churches can help those who are living on the street, but instead choose to close their doors at night and keep their pews empty.  They claim to be the world's authority regarding compassion, but they don't practice what they preach.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Aug-13)

These "freedom of religion" clauses are starting to create some serious problems.  I've often thought it peculiar that a special clause is needed for religion when other freedoms already cover religious belief (e.g., expression, thought, and conscience, in particular, which are protected here in Canada anyway).  It's as if religion is getting special consideration despite being effectively redundant.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Aug-14)

Beware of the straw woman argument from theists who try to refute the Big Bang Theory by trying to find some agreement of what "nothing" is.  Without "nothing" to examine, measure, and experiment with, even the best scientists are at a loss for precisely defining it.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Aug-20)

Argument and conflict provides tremendous potential for progress.  I view it as a healthy process in discourse regardless of how uncomfortable it may be.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Aug-20)

The Abrahamic doctrines are really just poorly written horror stories.  It would have been nice if even one quarter of what was written about the Christian god was written about Santa Claus' wonderful inspirations and contributions to the world.  Fictional too?  Perhaps (wink, wink), but balancing off the psychopaths with the generously largess practices of other deities can give people a better quality of hope that's based on a happy and jolly role model instead of an angry and jealous one.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Aug-21)

Religion can never be above the law, or else it becomes a perversion of justice.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Aug-23)

Dungeons & Dragons is a lot more fun than The Holy Bible.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Aug-25; response to a debate about dragons in scripture)

Ha ha!  Ceiling Cat is watching you vaccinate!
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Aug-26; response to news article about anti-vaccination that featured a picture of "Ceiling Cat")

... atheism needs proponents who are distributed to the point of redundancy like the internet, that way while one host goes down the others can keep the show running.
      To do this is easy, it just takes a little bit of effort to promote books, blogs, radio stations, pod casts, web sites, online communities, and activities in real life (like clubs, camps, and public events) that all emphasize atheism, or at the very least, a notably secular philosophy.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Aug-26; regarding who will replace Christopher Hitchens)

A deity who is also regarded as everyone's real parent and whom you can't have any "alone time" away from, even after you're dead, is beyond creepy and obsessive to me.  It seems downright weird that someone would believe in such a scheme and then expect to be treated as rational.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Aug-27)

Society's in trouble at the moment, and probably always will be, but a big part of the the problem right now is that vicars and prophets are providing safe passage for child molesters; resolving this problem with a hammer greater than Thor's is desperately needed because the children being abused right now can't wait for diplomacy to take its course.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Aug-30)

Mom and Dad [created you].  It was a coordinated effort (no matter how uncoordinated it may have appeared to be).
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Aug-30; in response to "Who created us?")

Children need to experience childhood, to learn about the world as they grow, and to play on playgrounds at school and in local parks.  Marriage is a serious responsibility that is appropriate for adults who use different kinds of playgrounds, such as the bedroom, the living room, or the kitchen.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Sep-04; in response to news about a 10-year-old girl marrying a 13-year-old boy)

If you can make people feel ashamed about their sexuality, then any justification you can provide as a means to circumvent the problem not only becomes appealing to people, but it also causes people to recognize you as an authority (at least in some respects) at a subconscious level.  In the end, sex multiplies while religion divides.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Sep-04; concerning how sexual inhibition is used in religion to control people)

A life with more challenges is a life that's more worthwhile.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Sep-05)

I take great comfort in understanding that there is much more to become known in this lifetime.  The unexplained is far more inspiring than giving up on wonder by merely assuming.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Sep-05; response to the "fine tuning of the universe" hypothesis)

Schools are places of education, where people are supposed to learn how to question things intelligently, and differentiate between fact and fiction.  Religion is inappropriate because it conflicts with these important secular values that are necessary for both social and technological progress.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Sep-05)

Imperfection is one of the hallmarks of humanity because being an exception to the rule is a core capability.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Sep-08)

Questioning someone else's claims (or even one's own) is skepticism.  Although atheism is a by-product of skepticism (that is, it is where the ideology of skepticism leads to), atheism itself doesn't require skepticism and isn't automatically "on the hook" just because an atheist chooses to question a claim.  This regularly confuses people who live with a bifurcated world view, such as many religious people often do, because they refuse to accept "grey areas," and it begets the invalid assumption that anyone who questions a claim must therefore be opposed to it.  It's clearly invalid because one need not be opposed to something to question its veracity.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Sep-08)

Religion provides a vehicle for its believers to shift their burden of responsibility off of their shoulders and onto one or more deities.  On the other hand, atheists (and anti-theists too for that matter) are intrinsically more accountable for their actions and opinions insofar as "scape goat" deities simply aren't a realistic option.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Sep-10)

People should speak out against religion more often so that it gradually goes beyond being a popular trend and becomes an integral part of human culture.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Sep-10)

Actually, science does leave room for myth and fantasy, it's just that these particular rooms remain consistently empty.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Sep-11; in response to "no room for incredible fantasies that perpetuate man's myths within science" by Melissa Aaron)

I sometimes wonder if those who believe in a utopian afterlife are being masochistic by not committing suicide.  If they're not masochistic, then perhaps they're not true believers?
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Sep-11)

Responding to those who claim to have authority doesn't necessarily give them more power, because if their claims are being met with skepticism then their power, real or perceived, diminishes unless they defend their position(s) that give them that power in the first place.  To stand idly by in silence while someone else convinces the masses, unchallenged, is one way in which people give up their freedom while implicitly allowing others to assume power.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Sep-11)

Suicide isn't the same as murder.  Although one could argue that suicide is a form of murder against oneself, even this extreme argument is flawed absent the violation of consent -- if the victim is willing, it's only a killing, for it's murder that is unfair.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Sep-11)

I've put down beliefs before, and I intend on doing it again.  Beliefs are like opinions; they can either stand on their own merits or they can't.  The reason my attitude is okay is that I'm not advocating attacking the individuals who hold those beliefs and opinions, and in fact I also embrace and support their right to hold any beliefs and opinions of their choosing, regardless of how vehemently I might agree or disagree with them.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Sep-12)

Of course, not all Catholic leaders are pedophiles (although, in recent years, that seems like the exception to the rule.)
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Sep-13)

Skepticism, which obviously leads to atheism, is essential to the long-term progressive survival of the human species.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Sep-13)

The Holy Qu'ran, like The Holy Bible, The Book of Mormon, and various other religious doctrines and scriptures, all depend on the premise that at least one deity exists, which is why I won't be reading them -- I have interests in books about reality, and when I am interested in fiction I'll consider great masterpieces like The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Lord Of The Rings, the Harry Potter series, or Game of Thrones, to name just a few.  In fact, there is far greater meaning in Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, which is an amazing masterpiece that is plenty long enough to compete with any religious doctrine just in case size is something that you're after, and it teaches more deeply and insightfully about compassion and empathy than even Buddhism, which is considered to be the most compassionate among the famously popular religions of the world.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Sep-17)

"Not playing well with others" is one of the characteristics of any "atheism" community that makes it valuable.  If the intent is to prevent this, then that will manifest as a demand for conformity which threatens the core of what it means to be an atheist -- to be free from having to conform to certain expectations that are reminiscent of theism in its many forms.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Sep-17)

[With] the vehement intent by some Muslims to push Sharia Law and The Holy Qu'ran on the rest of the world, there seems to be a tremendously strong effort underway to find all possible means to justify Islam, which is just one of many psychopathic religions that should have been abandoned like most of the other outdated failed mythological attempts at philosophy have been.
      The fact that many Muslims are grasping at straws to keep their irrational dream of an angry, hateful, misogynistic, psychopathic deity and a child-molesting prophet alive, is a sign to me that they've already come to the grave realization that they've lost, and although they probably don't understand it clearly yet, they're really just desperate to keep cognitive dissonance at bay (they've been brainwashed to think of it as betraying themselves).  Unfortunately for them, the rest of the world, including their children who learn to think critically, will leave them behind in a world that is progressing so rapidly that there is less and less time for the childish notions of gods and goddesses.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Sep-17)

People cope with what happens to them in their lives in a variety of different ways, and so trying to avoid a potential situation just because of a label is usually less effective than putting that same energy into more constructive endeavors such as trying to gain a better understanding of others.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Sep-18)

The fact that people have to feel ashamed (in some manner) about being an atheist is, to me, a clear indication that the efforts of the "atheism vilification community" continues to be effective in these modern times, and it's a disappointing testament to the incredulity of many people in emphasizing freedom and human solidarity over blindly supporting the arbitrary theistic discriminatory style.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Sep-19)

A lack of credentials doesn't necessarily indicate a lack of capability.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Sep-19)

Any doctor who is dumb enough to follow the advice of The Catholic Pope, who is in charge of an organization that has intentionally tried to obscure widespread child sexual abuse over the past few decades, obviously lacks the crucial intellect required to be a doctor who can exercise impartiality to the degrees required to help all patients regardless of who they are or what they've done.
      Doctors are in highly important positions of trust, which is why impartiality applied to edicts like "doing no harm to patients" is essential in their careers.  There's nothing wrong with reminding doctors that their impartiality is appreciated because it can be extremely hard work at times given the massive number of patients who are generally unhappy due to usually having some health problem for which they're seeking a solution.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Sep-20; regarding the Catholic Pope urging doctors on Friday, September 20, 2013 to refuse to perform abortions)

Only the dead can be truly impartial.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Sep-21; in response to an observation that people "are all biased to some extent")

One of the worst assaults in recent history against the freedom to think comes from the religious reich who insistently demand that anti-blasphemy laws be instituted, particularly in civilized nations like Canada and the USA that already have constitutional protections for freedom of thought, of expression, of opinion, etc.  Giving even the slightest concession to any oppressors of freedom is intolerable, and I implore everyone to fight it while you still can.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Sep-22)

When people are standing up for what's right, it will help a lot if more free thinkers would express their support for them.  This isn't an expectation of conformity though, it's a matter of self defense for freedom, the preservation of which concerns everyone.  I will never be comfortable with "not worrying about seeing a sequel to the Dark Ages" as long as there is even one person demanding special exemptions for their psychopathic, genocidal, misogynistic, child hating, oppressive religious doctrine, and anyone who doesn't stand up for it is implicitly allowing it to foster into a movement of self-loathing and preys on society in its designs to sabotage human solidarity at its core.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Sep-22)

Unfortunately "tolerance begets intolerance" and so the whole idea should be thrown away in favour of human solidarity that more closely resembles a network of streets that go in more than just two directions.
      Why should one have to be "tolerated?"  What a condescending attitude that is, and it's an assault on conflict which is one of the most important communications tools available to everyone who truly values freedom of expression.
      Accepting of differences, embracing of fear, etc., are the more important priorities.  Screw tolerance, for it's as offensive as intolerance.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Sep-26; in response to an assertion that "tolerance is supposed to be a two-way street")

Demanding a "truce" is inappropriate because it implies that atheists are naturally inclined to attack theists.  Stop attacking atheists, remove passages from holy doctrines that vilify and advocate for the killing of infidels, and then maybe many theists will stop attacking atheism and competing theisms.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Sep-26; response to an assumption that a truce between theists and atheists is needed)

I'm a shadow.  You'll have to find your own way.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Oct-02; response to a request to enlighten someone)

The problem with tolerance is that it is almost as bad as intolerance, which it ultimately fosters by the offensive notion that someone else needs to be "tolerated."  Remove both of those words from the discourse and we end up with a conversation that isn't closed to variation and curiosity, and doesn't immediately dispose of it as if it's a defective product.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Oct-02)

From a psychological standpoint that's probably a good sign, and it's that characteristic of stubbornism that can be a useful quality.  He probably wants to be a skeptic, but he's just having difficulty getting over the giant mountain of irrationalism that is likely the result of years (or even decades) of brainwashing.
      Should he succeed in climbing over that metaphorical mountain to climb down the other side to the lake of skepticism, his stubbornism will be a major asset as an ally of "impartiality."  I hope, for his sake, that he's truly headed in this direction, and if it is I suspect that it will be a tough road for him.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Oct-05)

If tax exemptions weren't awarded to church businesses, each religion's officials would have less time to meddle with society.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Oct-06)

I think it's safe to say that religions can be blamed for a lot of things, and that they're rarely blamed for enough.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Oct-07; concerning "religion misunderstanding reality")

It occurs to me that the potential is sadly lost by so many people worshipping religion, who could utilize much of that time instead for something enlightening and far more meaningful, such as getting an education, advancing scientific progress, helping others in need, creating art, or exploring the world to enhance their life experience by learning more about other cultures, etc.
      Religion destroys societies by locking them in to tradition instead of embracing change which begets progress, and it saddens me deeply to think of what the human species has missed out on because of impudence and impedance.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Oct-07)

Don't fear controversy; embrace her, for she may embrace you in return.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Oct-07)

Respect for the living is crucial.  Respect for ideas is optional.  It is reasonable to expect ideas to withstand the scrutiny of critical examination, on their own merits, etc., without the need of a democracy or tyranny of supporters.  When someone keeps their beliefs to themselves, or at least isn't trying to impose them on others, that's fine because they're being respectful.  But respect is also earned, and it is up to each individual's value system to determine whether someone else should be respected for making choices about what they believe in.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Oct-07)

For science and religion to match and reciprocate with support, either science will have to be dishonest, or religion will have to be honest.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Oct-11)

Given some of the nasty things I've seen throughout my lifetime, I generally find the internet to be pretty tame, but noticing the perversions is not lost on me.  I feel that the high number of perverts using the internet provides a somewhat worrisome insight about the less noble side of humanity and indicates that there are a lot more social problems in the world than is apparent on the surface (it seems that people aren't satisfied with their sexuality, and I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of this ties into the taboos that are often promulgated by religion).
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Oct-23)

Consent is not the Christian god's style, for he is an all-powerful obsessive oppressor who administers his powers with a dash of reverse psychology and some "guilt tripping rainbow sprinkles" on top to forcefully induce conformity.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Oct-23)

Men are just as important as women, it's just a matter of "how (in which ways)" that varies.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Oct-24)

It's not tremendously important to me whether someone is a theist, for that's incidental to whether they're decent.  Decency becomes apparent in how a person conducts themselves in their dealings with others.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Oct-26)

Ridicule is a form of discourse, and although the style may not be "friendly," that doesn't necessarily preclude it from being accurate.  Ideas, beliefs, assertions, etc., are not entitled to rights or respect (animals, people, etc., on the other hand, are).
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Oct-28; in response to an expectation that religion is entitled to respect)

I submit that "compassion" is one of the fundamental building blocks of a psychologically healthy society.  Tolerance (and intolerance) does not foster compassion -- helping those in need does, even if that help is encompassed only by a minor gesture.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Nov-08)

... aging is also something that I've always embraced as an ongoing enhancement of one's life experience.  Although aging is associated with time, it is only truly connected with change, which merely provides mostly inconsistent evidence of the passage of time.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Nov-16)

Making fun of people for being crazy is something that I have never been comfortable with because it appears to me to be similar to making fun of people for being of a particular race, or having a speech impediment, or having a disability, etc.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Nov-16)

I regard attempts to arbitrarily replace a country's legal system with a different one (such as Sharia Law) as an act of treason, and in that context the removal of people (who commit such an offense) from the country is clearly a matter of "national defense."
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Nov-17)

Don't make the mistake of expecting "freedom of expression" to imply that honesty is a requirement.  What "freedom of expression" provides is the impartial protection for all ideas so that honesty can't be prevented from prevailing.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Nov-17)

Velvet gloves are among my most favoured fashion items.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Nov-20)

Where someone exercises their right to [freely] express their views, I submit that it's reasonable to assume that it should not come entirely unexpected to them that those views could be scrutinized, questioned, or otherwise challenged.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Nov-28)

Just because a person is crazy, it doesn't necessarily mean that their ideas and opinions are wrong.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Dec-09)

Many politicians seem to care for human rights to about the same degree as many religions do.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Dec-11)

Does your all-powerful and all-knowing deity demand attention?  If yes, then her ego is flawed.  If no, then it's not necessary to worship her.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Dec-14)

Political Correctness is not my master.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Dec-21)

... at first it can be very disconcerting to allow people to express their opinions truly openly and truly honestly, but that's the whole point of "freedom of expression" -- to facilitate clear communication, for any hindrance imposed upon this freedom results in diminishing the abilities of one to truly understand another.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Dec-24)

Conflict often begets progress, but censorship stifles both.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Dec-24)

In essence, technology also functions as "an extension of the senses," and it provides reproducible results that withstand the scrutiny of scientific peer review.  Religion, on the other hand, fails to withstand the scrutiny of peer review, and isn't consistently reproducible or else there wouldn't be so many variations of a single flavour of religion.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Dec-27)

There is a great satisfaction to be had not only in having the better argument, but also in having a flawed argument that someone else can beat and from which one can learn and progress.  It is through progress that true satisfaction pervades life experience by enhancing it.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Dec-27)

Although there are certain "consentual scenarios" where having slaves is quite a lot of fun, there's a lot more to life than persuing a single activity.  It's especially enjoyable to have someone who can challenge you as an equal (or at least somewhat close to being equal) instead of always having to have the upper hand.
      There is a great satisfaction to be had not only in having the better argument, but also in having a flawed argument that someone else can beat and from which one can learn and progress.  It is through progress that true satisfaction pervades life experience by enhancing it.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Dec-28)

Since I do not recognize any organized religion as a moral authority, I am therefore not a sinner.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Dec-28)

The more you challenge ideas, most importantly including your own, the better your arguments will be.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2013-Dec-30)

It's not usually the guns that kill people, it's usually the bullets as a result of someone activating the trigger.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Jan-02)

Although impartiality is codified by an absence of bias, it can also be your most reliable ally.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Jan-09)

Science doesn't work like group prayer sessions -- it doesn't matter how many scientists' opinions agree, facts always stand on their own merits.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Jan-10)

Making fun of people for their choices is fair game, but in my strong opinion it's not fair game to make fun of people for things that they can't change (e.g., race, certain physical uniquenesses, etc.).
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Jan-10)

If theists could convert animals into believers, there would be fewer atheists in the world, and a lot more valuable time and effort being spent on the objectively unnecessary effort of converting other species into believers instead of contributing to world progress.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Jan-11)

... atheism isn't attackable because it isn't a position -- it's merely a classification of the "absence of belief in deities."
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Jan-11)

... being "absent of belief in deities" (atheism) is incidental to whether one believes that one or more deities can exist.  Theism requires crossing that line of "possibility" to "being sure" of a deity's existence.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Jan-11)

Conflict is an important part of experiencing life, which I value as something that should be embraced because it has the potential to foster integrity by necessitating truly open and truly honest discourse.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Jan-16)

I take delight in being corrected because I regard "being wrong" as a valuable prelude to learning something.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Jan-16)

There's a somewhat common misunderstanding about atheism in that some people mistake it for anti-theism.  While anti-theism is better-suited to nihilism, atheism is merely a classification of "absence of belief in deities."
      I find it interesting that so many people "want" (not "need") for life to have some purpose, divine or otherwise (although this desire seems to inflict the "divinely inspired" far more ubiquitously), and it's an expectation that I find also undermines one's ability to truly enjoy great philosophical works like Friedrich Nietzsche's.
      It's curious to me that those who carry the burden of an expectation that life has a purpose - or that there is meaning to life - tend to find Nietzsche's works depressing, while those who are absent of such an expectation often find a tremendous sense of profound joy in Nietzsche's works.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Jan-18)

Calling me a "sinner" is really just a fallacious ad hominem attack because I'm an atheist, and atheism is merely a classification of "absence of belief in deities," henceforth to accept the justification of "sin" would require that I accept the authority of a deity (which in turn would require that I believe in that deity being real).
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Jan-19)

Religion requires maintenance and upkeep, and if it's neglected it doesn't survive; atheism, on the other hand, is what remains in the absence of religion, and so it is that atheism, as per its intrinsically universal nature as a classification, truly is indestructible.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Jan-21)

A fundamental mistake is in trying to justify sexual preferences using science.  Sexual practices (which includes respect for sexual orientation, types of sexual acts, etc.) among consenting adults is a matter of freedom that does not require justification.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Jan-26)

If your deity will judge everyone including non-believers, and your deity is an ally to or otherwise favours believers, then your deity fails to qualify as a fair and impartial judge due to being biased.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Jan-28)

Compassion, which religion often claims authority over, is not actually a trait that religion can take full credit for, and in fact the very exclusionary nature of religion that distances itself from non-believers fosters the practice of intolerance rather than any genuine semblance of compassion.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Jan-28)

"Considering a concept or an idea" is a far cry from "believing that it's real."  The testing of ideas or concepts, and subjecting them to the scrutiny of peer-review, is where the ideology of skepticism and the methodologies of science differ so significantly from faith.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Jan-28)

Whenever religion is worth more than a child's life, that's one of those rarest of golden opportunities for when starting a movement to eradicate religion has the potential gain the most traction and succeed.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Jan-31)

I love it when people make fun of atheism.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Feb-01)

Religion should never be exempt from being reevaluated, and there shouldn't be need for justification for anyone to commence a reevaluation.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Feb-03)

The whole BDSM community is naughty -- that's why "Special Santas" were invented.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Feb-06)

For theism, you are free to present all the arguments you can contemplate, but it's an undeniable fact that religion expresses an inherent will do three things; demand belief in one or more deities, impose limitations and restrictions on certain and various thoughts and behaviours, and ultimately divide people to exclude non-conformists.  All three of these fundamental theistic desires run contrary to freedom.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Feb-08)

Darkness is important and valuable, for the discernment of light is dependent upon it.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Feb-11)

If humans are all made in god's image, then why are humans not invisible?
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Feb-12)

The key is not being married to your opinions, for even facts aren't entirely immutable since there's no guarantee that they're immune to new information.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Feb-15)

I strongly suspect that there is more truth in most memes than there is in most holy scripture.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Feb-17)

That someone else's suffering concerns you is, in my estimation, a great indication that your senses of empathy and compassion are in check.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Mar-12)

Reciprocity is necessary in honest and genuine relationships.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Mar-12)

If the threat of violence looms on the horizon in response to proposing the removal of a special treatment for any ideology, then that stands alone as more than sufficient justification for the eradication of that ideology.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Mar-17)

Genuine friendship doesn't come with any arbitrary requirements.  That is one of the characteristics that helps us discern between those who manipulate people they know and those who honestly value their friends.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Mar-18)

To me, pro-life is about protecting the mother and the baby (a foetus isn't a baby, it's a parasite that puts the mother's life at risk until it leaves the womb, regardless of how or when it leaves).
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Mar-19)

Compassion isn't exclusive to atheists.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Mar-21)

The freedom to thoroughly "question everything" and "challenge all ideas and previously established facts" are essential elements of progress.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Mar-30)

I believe that there probably is evolved intelligent life on multiple planets throughout the universe, but I don't believe any of them know anything about, nor are aware of, tellurians.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Mar-30)

Ha ha!  Liberating the Moo!
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Mar-31; in response to Randy Rose' comment "We're taking the cow back!" regarding a new cow logo for an atheism community)

Regarding a disdain for religion, no, not all atheists can agree on this point.  We do, however, have a simple characteristic in common which classifies us ultimately as "atheists," which is "absence of belief in deities," while it is the anti-theists and miso-theists who typically exhibit disdain for theism (and for various reasons) which oft yields the byproduct of atheism as a matter of logical consequence (I welcome all, of course).
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Apr-02)

Atheism isn't an epidemic, it's just epic.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Apr-01)

The fact that a person's voice can earn respect without need to consider their sex, race, family background, etc., is a quality that is often lost in the implementation, adherence to, and practice of religion.  It is a characteristic of "freedom" that is fundamental to atheism that seems to come about naturally as a logical consequence of attitudes of wonder and curiosity rather than of tolerance (which typically begets intolerance).
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Apr-14)

The problem usually isn't that these people don't have a moral compass, but that they refuse to recognize or make use of the one that they do have.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Apr-18)

Religious adherents demand "no contraception" and "no abortion," but then they're not willing to pay for the expenses incurred by parents to raise children.  So, isn't it a double-standard when the same religious adherents also demand "no gay adoptions?"  Don't they want what's best for the children, which includes having caring parents?
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Apr-23)

Conflict begets progress.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Apr-25)

The more difficult choices in life are often accompanied by burden.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Apr-26)

Always remember that your own priorities are more important than any deity's expectations or other theistic demands -- you have a real life to live.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Apr-26)

How much one says is not as important as the meaning of their message.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Apr-26)

Conflict fosters progress.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-May-12)

One of the reasons religions have so much difficulty successfully attacking atheism is that non-conformity (which doesn't exclude optional conformity) is an insurmountable strength, for it cannot be conquered or divided.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-May-13)

I'm not convinced that everything in life has to be justified as being somehow beneficial to humanity (or any species for that matter).  Many people take up hobbies for a wide variety of reasons that are incidental to humanity's benefit, and I don't see why pornography should be treated any differently from any other hobby.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-May-15)

The world has toiled over and suffered from more than 2,000 years of religion and superstition, but now the emergence of the Age of Rational Enlightenment has commenced, and religion is rapidly losing its countless footholds.
      Every cry for equal treatment is really just a last ditch effort erupting from pervasive desperation because, deep down, the vast majority of theists know that religion's days are numbered.
      What the world really needs is the cure for Cognitive Dissonance, which is served best as a cocktail of education, freedom of expression, and critical thinking with an emphasis on impartiality.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-May-15)

If anyone is smart enough to escape from a mental hospital once, then they deserve to have their case peer-reviewed; if they escape more than once, then as a matter of principle they have earned the right to be regarded as an equal in the peer-review process concerning their case.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-May-20)

It's easier to regard the anti-science types as entertainers.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-May-21)

The fundamentals of exclusiveness manifest from the ritual application of exclusion.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-May-22)

Science comes in many forms, and with the right presentation it can also be poetic.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-May-26)

Superstitious people tend to fear the sharpness of Occam's Razor.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-May-29)

Deities are not accountable, and yet theists routinely expect that everyone be accountable to deities.  It's a horrific double-standard that reeks of the reminiscence of compulsory love and other vile and oppressive concepts, some of which seem to be imposing variants of Stockholm Syndrome.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Jun-02)

A world population that agrees on everything would likely be unexciting.  Conflict is the celebratory byproduct of diversity.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Jun-03)

Questioning is among the highest forms of intellectual flattery that should never be excused nor apologized for.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Jun-04)

Theists want, so desperately, for atheists to take a position so that they can have an avenue of attack.  The problem for theists is that atheism is a classification that doesn't present any claims, and so it is simply not subject to any burden of proof (unlike theism, which does present claims).
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Jun-05)

The division that forms between disparate sets of laws is a division that puts a society at tremendous risk of major instability and severe injustice that will surely foster petty competitions amidst an onslaught of serious social problems.
      For a nation to be united, there can only be one unified set of laws that serve its citizens fairly and protect everyone equally.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Jun-08)

I consider the internet to be doing a far better job, overall, than most universities when it comes to challenging ideas (the number of participants is one obvious factor, anonymity is another, multi-cultural interaction on a global scale is another, and the list goes on...).
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Jun-12)

Concerning intention in effective leadership, integrity is the easy part; the hard part is getting the ego to take a permanent vacation.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Jun-19)

... ideas need no protections, for if they are meritorious then they can survive all challenge and scrutiny.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Jun-28)

The fact that so many theists have to keep explaining "the true meaning" of the various passages in their holy doctrines is, itself, a compelling testament to their unreliability.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Jul-07)

Conformity is the arch enemy of diversity.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Jul-29)

... Education is helping, but there needs to be more education, and it has to be secular for so many reasons ...
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Aug-04)

A problem with assumptions is that opportunities are sometimes missed.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Aug-26)

... those who are being oppressed are being denied, or robbed of, their dignity.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Aug-28)

The mystery of the unknown keeps reality more interesting.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Sep-05)

Being a celebrity requires fame; it does not require intellect or wisdom.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Sep-07)

This is one of the great things about being an atheist -- we make our own rules, and we get to choose what peer pressures are acceptable.  There is no doctrine, oppressive or otherwise.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Sep-10)

Curiosity should be cherished.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Sep-16)

Art is greater without limits.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Sep-21)

It's truly sad that politicians so easily get so off-track with multiculturalism that anti-freedom extremism begins to settle in.  And its initial disguise is Political Correctness.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Sep-24)

Respect is earned, and the same goes for a loss of respect when that respect is genuine.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Sep-26)

Anti-blasphemy legislation that results in death sentences is a human rights atrocity that is using violence to inhibit freedom of expression.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Oct-18)

I value diversity as a fundamentally important precursor to innovation that affects progress, regardless of wherein the vast spectrum of intentional research to accidental discovery its progenitors reside.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Nov-02)

¡Viva la freedom de expresión!
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Nov-06)

Buddhism aspires to gain that which, for atheism, is innate:  Nothing.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Nov-12)

One of Friedrich Nietzsche's greatest assets was that his thinking was clear like that of a young, curious, critical-thinking child.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Nov-21)

Halal is a business model disguised as a religious edict.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Nov-28)

Curiosity promotes discovery and fosters diversity, and the conflict which arises from this inspires progress.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Dec-01)

Many people say that "time heals all wounds," and my corollary is that "such healing may leave scars."
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Dec-18)

They fear atheism because they so choose to be intimidated by it, but it proffers no avenue of attack because it is merely a classification of "absence of belief in deities."  Hence, to them it is an enigma which is inherent in their newborns and their pets, and its formless and mysterious scope permeates all walks of life, so their constant struggles against it manifest from their high-maintenance efforts to deviate from nature, ultimately causing grief, regret, frustration, and fear due to the potential of losing that which they so vehemently strive to preserve.  Rooted in their self-induced feelings of despair, they toil fervently over their desire to eradicatate this naturally free state of all life, and therefore deny what is intrinsically obvious -- the impossibility of winning against it, for atheism has nothing to lose and nothing to gain.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2014-Dec-24)

World peace (or peace at any level), in my estimation, is not possible without freedom.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Jan-07)

Separation of religion from government should necessitate separation of religion from education.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Jan-17)

If you're going to get deities into a room together to argue about anything, you'd probably be wise to have The Ghostbusters on standby just down the hall -- you know, to keep things safe.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Jan-22)

The psychological damage that a so-called "honour killing" experience inflicts on a person is unimaginable to [probably] most people, and with children it's ever the more tragic because its impact also forms some of the more prominent foundations of life experiences that can profoundly shape a young person's character in the long term.
      Helping children who have endured abuse (which includes exposure to psychopathic acts of violence) is an important profession in modern, civilized societies that value freedom, progress, human rights, and intellectual enlightenment, but in nations where religious extremism reigns supreme this type of human development is not available (or it's not available in the unbiased manner in which it is needed).  This is a key difference between a civilized society and a barbaric one.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Jan-27)

Abuse of power, particularly when levied against an individual by the state, is an assault on both the victim and the nation alike.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Jan-29)

Quality of life in these modern, progressive, technologically luxurious, and intellectually enlightened times offers so much more to each individual compared to "just trying to survive" 2,000 years ago, hence what seems boring to people now in a cloud-padded afterlife could very well have seemed like a wonderful luxury to people of the past.  This serves as yet another example of how the ideals of ancient religions are sorely outdated.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Feb-13)

Vicarious Redemption is a corrupt ideological value which, in spirit, is an attempt to circumvent justice in a manner that inspires further corruption.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Feb-13)

There are, unfortunately, some people who choose to escalate the free exchange of ideas to acts of violence, and they tend to be people who either don't respect free expression, or don't understand it.  As long as freedom of expression is protected as an internationally recognized human right, the world will continue to have opportunities to benefit from the progress that is oft more easily manifest from the open and honest discussion of conflicting ideas.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Feb-18)

Freedom is at the core of consciousness, and my favouritism toward it is a bias that I choose not to deny.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Feb-20)

If one or more deities is proven to be real, should that not obviate any need to believe in their existence?
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Feb-23)

Consciousness enhanced by memory is a fundamental prerequisite for emotions.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Feb-23)

Apparently there are weekly meetings held by some people who hate me but nobody's told me when and where, which is disappointing because I'd probably be willing to attend as a featured presenter.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Feb-25)

Seeing "murders in the streets" on a regular basis in any countries is, to me, a clear indication that these societies are not psychologically healthy.  And a populace seeing and experiencing these horrors regularly is also likely to endure the effect of "desensitizing the masses," which ultimately stifles empathy and eradicates compassion.
      Such a society is doomed to collapse from within if it isn't saved by a revolution inspired by love that also appeals to human decency.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Feb-28)

In addition to its obvious general disdain for women, Islam is also sexist against men because, in its designs to restrict, conceal, obscure, and hide the female body (which, to many, is a most beautiful form appreciated by many men and women alike), it imposes the presumption that men are incapable of controlling their own behaviours (and implicitly therefore stupid) in the presence of women who aren't conservatively dressed.
      But I find that this presumptuous vilification of men is oft overlooked, especially by men who have been indoctrinated in the plagiarized ideology of Islam which seems to have taken the emotionally retarded, morally defective, and nuanced leaf coverings of the genitalia of the Biblical Adam's lover, Eve, to extremes by simply covering all skin with the arbitrary exception of what's needed for practical reasons -- the eyes, which would likely also have been covered if sight wasn't necessary for travel by foot, even merely to cross a room, not to mention the various other necessary life duties (e.g., preparing food, home and laundry chores, gardening, etc.).
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Mar-04)

Smart people make civilizations advanced, and they aren't only limited to living only in modern times.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Mar-05)

Those who favour their egos tend to fear being told by others that they may be wrong, which contrasts with the intellectually enlightened who generally embrace criticisms as potential opportunities to improve.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Mar-13)

Embracing and understanding one's fears, instead of avoiding them, is psychologically healthy in my opinion.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Mar-23)

Abandoning religion is a reversion to atheism, for "absence of belief in deities" is the natural state of life.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Mar-24)

Censorship is an assault on freedom of expression that impedes and undermines intellectual discourse.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Mar-25)

Military service is far more educational than I suspect most people realize.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Mar-25)

Freedom of Expression:  Includes the right to ridicule religion ... and atheism.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Mar-25)

"Religious Liberty" is an oxymoron.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Mar-27)

Walk softly and carry a big "skepstick."
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Apr-07)

Individuals who fear deities have effectively capitulated their autonomy, freedom, and power to those who use religion to manipulate others.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Apr-10)

That so many people regard themselves as slaves to their beloved deities is, to me, a gigantic red warning flag that an ideology is inherently dangerous.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Apr-12)

Strongly religious people tend to vilify non-conformists, and atheists are the epitome of non-conformity from a perspective that's solely informed by a bifurcated theistic world view.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Apr-12)

I appreciate it when people are inquisitive; it's important to question because that's a vital step toward finding answers, and I feel very strongly that free inquiry should be a level playing field for intellectual interaction with all ideas (and ditto for facts, etc.).
      I regard religions as "collections of ideas" that, just like other ideas, deserve no entitlement to exemptions from scrutiny in any form.
      Where the critical thinking that encompasses scrutiny and free thought is restricted, progress wanes and stagnation gradually becomes its prominent replacement.  Change is an essential in the arena of life experience, and without it quality of life becomes limited with the populace ultimately robbed of mysteries and wonders that might otherwise enrich their lives.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Apr-15)

Interrogators must be impartial because justice depends on objectivity in every aspect of the entire process of investigating crimes and gathering evidence.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Apr-16)

The concept of slavery is abhorrent.  The practice of slavery is atrocious.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Apr-18)

Religion is relative.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Apr-28)

The state, because of its responsibilities, must be impartial to be effective in ensuring that the individuals it serves and protects are free to explore and enjoy their personal biases.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Apr-28)

Trust can be earned, but validation of that trust depends on whether the recipient honours it, hence trust carries a characteristic of reciprocity.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Apr-29)

Blogs are important because, by way of the exercise of freedom of expression, they have the power to inform others of different perspectives, and I believe that a global populace with a more diverse understanding of different perspectives is better attuned to progress.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Apr-30)

I question why an omniscient and omnipotent deity should have any need to delay judgement.  If the delay is intended to teach a lesson, that is sufficient reason to doubt omniscience.  If the delay is not preventable, then that is sufficient reason to doubt omnipotence.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-May-02)

Religion and science are ideologically juxtaposed -- religion ignores evidence and reproducibility in favour of faith, while science abandons faith in favour of evidence and reproducibility.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-May-02)

What's popular rarely correlates with what explains reality.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-May-02)

Among the best military leaders are those who are skilled at preventing wars, and make genuine efforts to develop solutions and build alliances.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-May-05)

Any restrictions imposed on freedoms is entry into the realm of oppression.  Additionally, the free exchange of ideas, when escalated to acts of violence, is entry into the realm of coercion.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-May-15)

When theists claim that their holy scripture is scientific, does that mean they are seeking science as an authority because they doubt the veracity and sufficiency of statements put forth by their deities?
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-May-19)

The escalation of the free exchange of ideas to acts of violence is hateful coercion.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-May-19)

Whenever an individual tries to convince me that "not having an answer for everything" is somehow bad, I'm reminded of Dr. Albert Einstein's wonderful perspective, not only as a point of refutation but also as an endorsement for the inherent beauty of mystery:
      "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious.  It is the source of all true art and all science.  He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead:  his eyes are closed."  -- Dr. Albert Einstein
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Jun-01)

Whenever someone states that there's "only one way to solve problems" then I can rest assured that they are probably using the wrong tool for the job.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Jun-06)

Diversity is every society's strength.  Those societies that place a greater emphasis on conformity tend to stagnate and miss out on opportunities to progress.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Jun-06)

The secret to success in religion lies most prominently in the indoctrination of children.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Jun-07)

Teach children how to think (e.g., with skepticism), rather than what to think (e.g., as religion does), and compassion will come naturally as future generations of critical thinkers will be well-practiced at questioning what's best for everyone.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Jun-13)

Although my intention is not to create a sense of curiosity, I certainly do like to encourage it because I think that it plays an important role in the progressive nature of modern, civilized societies.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Jun-14)

Peace?  Be wary of those who proclaim themselves peaceful, for those who truly are don't need to advertise it.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Jun-16)

A true leader wants for their subjects to live under their own power and to be free.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Jun-21)

Just because a person is a religious kook, it doesn't necessarily mean that their ideas and opinions can't be well organized.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Jun-30)

If more religious people actually believed that atheism was evil, perhaps more of them would feel tempted to try it.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Jul-03)

The ego provides an important social shield that protects our sense of insecurity from scrutiny.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Jul-12)

Religion is divisive by nature, shunning non-conformists.  Efforts against divisiveness are beneficial to everyone.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Jul-20)

Skepticism is particularly helpful, I've found, when I attempt to apply it to its ultimate conclusion.  In other words:  Question everything, for doubt is the antithesis of a closed mind.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Jul-22)

Anonymity doesn't have to be justified, because it's freedom in the form of free expression.  It is the specific messages that individuals convey that are important because that is historic and can be archived for the memories of future generations, but the essence of an individual is intrinsically fluid and can change without notice.  Who you are at any particular moment can only ever be temporarily reflected by your ideas, the things you choose to promote (and choose not to promote), and your actions, and so your character becomes known best by the culmination of what you contribute to the world and share with others.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Jul-24)

Marijuana:  It's the narcotic of peace!
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Jul-24)

Religion is an idea, and like all ideas it doesn't need respect, rather it needs to be honestly open to any and all types of scrutiny no matter how harsh or gentle, for applying challenge to any idea by way of scrutiny implicitly grants respect without sacrificing self-respect.
      Instead of calling for respect for ideas, the correct priority is to call for respect for all tellurians.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Aug-02)

To the omniscient nothing is lost, even when it seems like a big mess to everyone else.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Aug-10)

To fear atheism is to fear oneself as a newborn.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Aug-19)

The internet is a stage for great masquerades.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Aug-20)

The freedom to think necessitates the possibility of abstention from thinking.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Aug-25)

Coercion is a terrible source of morality.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Aug-26)

The devil may be tempting, but atheists are real.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Aug-31)

Nurture the curiosity of the younger generations and encourage them to explore the mysterious, and so many more of them will become inspired to drive progress to the benefit of the species as a whole.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Sep-02)

The power of prayer impedes progress.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Sep-04)

Mockery is a form of scrutiny that's protected by freedom of expression, and it has a wonderfully comedic way of inspiring the contemplation of absurdities that may not otherwise be considered amidst the advocacy and marketing for a given idea.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Sep-16)

Allah has no authority over me.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Sep-18)

I don't want to be treated equal to Christians.  I prefer that everyone have equal entitlement to freedom so that each can decide how much freedom to exercise on their own.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Oct-04)

If a deity is to be credited with creating all individuals, then he or she should also be credited for creating all individuals as atheists.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Oct-22)

Political Correctness "retards" clarity in communication, and despite its intrinsic vagueness it ultimately oppresses free expression.  It's high time to take back freedom and liberty by encouraging everyone to enjoy disregarding Political Correctness in any manner they choose.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Nov-03)

The eagerness of victims to blame themselves for Islamofascist terrorist attacks is a form of self-inflicted masochism with an unhealthy vice for Political Correctness.  Since I'm not a masochist and because Political Correctness is not my master, this is not an acceptable ideal in my estimation.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Nov-15)

Rationality is not necessarily required to discern what's ridiculous or whether others are rational.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Nov-24)

Kindergarteners tend to be clearer thinkers than so-called "religious gurus."
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Nov-25)

Through education, freedom can be appreciated in different ways, and utilized more extensively, yet freedom remains under constant threat from oppressors.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Dec-02)

That's one of the great advantages of "freedom of expression" -- it makes it easier to discern the rational from the irrational, the intelligent from the inept, and wise from the ignorant, the compassionate from the psychopathic, the insightful from the reactionary, etc.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Dec-06)

Religious ideology promotes corrupt morals and encourages the corruption of ethics.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Dec-10)

Maybe "ambigram" should have been spelled "wejbigram."
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Dec-19)

It matters more what an individual does now and with their future than what they did in the past.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Dec-24)

It's terrible that so many governments fail to understand what the word "freedom" really means, and that they prefer to oppress their citizens to avoid confronting their own insecurities.  A government that is insecure is a dangerous government indeed, and needs to be replaced immediately.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2015-Dec-31)

Politicians are so keen to be Politically Correct that they're willing to sacrifice their own sensibilities.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Jan-09)

It's bad enough that many religions foster a divisive sense of hatred at a fundamental level by vilifying those who do not conform to believing in the same deity or deities under the auspices of the same religion.  With the immense variety of justifications that many religions provide for arbitrarily vilifying non-conformists, it's no wonder that religious divisiveness begets hatred for the diversity that naturally arises in society from freedom and personal independence that religion truly never can have any monopoly over.  Hence, I regard religious-based violence as an act of religious war.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Jan-12)

Political Correctness is offensive.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Jan-16)

When a theist claims that atheism is a religion, they're also admitting to being an apostate because their first conversion to theism was an implicit renunciation of their absence of belief in deities.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Jan-17)

Putting religion ahead of any life is a recipe for atrocity.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Jan-22)

It seems to me that the source of homophobia is religion.  I'm not aware of any other sources.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Jan-22)

It's far easier to defend existing rights as they are now, than it is to recover them later after they've been lost.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Jan-22)

Freedom Of Thought and Freedom Of Opinion are two of many important freedoms that every individual is entitled to.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Jan-23)

Any religion that condemns non-believers to an eternity of suffering should be emotionally disturbing to everyone.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Jan-23)

"Blaming the victim" is, in my strong opinion, an unfortunately common form of "intentional stupidity championing for injustice."
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Jan-23)

One of the greatest things about being an atheist is being free.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Jan-24)

Conflict born from the free exchange of ideas proffers clearer understanding and a greater potential for progress.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Jan-26)

Accepting someone else's death as payment for one's own misdeeds is unethical because it circumvents proper justice.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Jan-29)

Do those who fear known side-effects of vaccinations also fear the ultimate side-effect of life, which is death?
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Jan-29)

Although I'm an atheist, my sense of morality is not influenced by empty threats of eternal torture for not obeying certain arbitrary edicts.  My morals are based primarily on the well-being of individuals, and my motivation for that is manifest from my sense of compassion.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Feb-14)

I suspect that the total number of ex-Muslims in the world is far greater than it seems.  Please encourage apostasy.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Feb-19)

Anti-apostasy and anti-blasphemy laws are atrocious, oppressive, systematic crimes against humanity.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Feb-21)

A big problem with religion is that it fosters bigotry and hatred while discouraging freedom and critical thinking.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Feb-21)

Why do people believe in gods?  If it's because they are afraid of being punished for not doing so, that's coercion.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Feb-21)

Why should informed, willfully consenting, adults who fall in love, regardless of their sexes, be blamed for the downfall of society because of their sexual orientation?  Genuine love between people is, in my strong opinion, one of the most important fundamental building blocks of any excellent nation.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Feb-22)

Many people don't desire success -- they just want to live normal lives and enjoy family, nature, hobbies, etc., without any notion of having a goal of beating everyone else who enjoys those interactions and activities with them.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Feb-27)

The fundamental right of "freedom" makes it okay for all women and men to wear, or not wear, whatever clothing they choose.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Feb-27)

Homeopathy is for people who want to be fanatical about something other than religion or politics.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Mar-15)

The religious proscription against suicide ultimately is yet another restriction of freedom.  And yet the religious prescription for killing infidels is permitted?  Although that's not quite a double-standard, it is a bias toward self-preservation that ironically favours killing others.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Mar-17)

I don't follow any religion.  I never have.  I'm an atheist.  Here in Canada everyone has that choice to make freely on their own.  It doesn't matter if all your friends and family disagree with your choice, that choice belongs to you and only you.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Mar-29)

When people don't have freedom of expression, it makes it very difficult for [them] to present themselves honestly.  That's very bad for society.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Mar-29)

I believe that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.  That's the default, unless they demonstrate otherwise.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Mar-29)

Governments who impose limits on freedom of expression are themselves ruled by fear of the truth.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Mar-30)

Karma appreciates mockery -- it would be more difficult to understand if it had never been mocked.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Mar-30)

Compared to the god of Christianity, Darth Vader is a Saint.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Apr-02)

Life without risk would be very boring.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Apr-09)

If religious fanatics truly had no doubts about their personal religious convictions then they wouldn't feel threatened by anyone else's choice to leave their religion.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Apr-10)

God masturbates in mysterious ways.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Apr-10)

Being crass is your prerogative, for freedom of expression know no bounds.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Apr-15)

Oppressive regimes that banish books are insecure about their own personal theocratic ideological convictions.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Apr-16)

I don't have a problem with people taking offense to something, for everyone is free to have their own thoughts, perspectives, and opinions.  It's the misappropriation of offense, when used to justify the oppression of others, that I categorically and wholeheartedly reject.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Apr-16)

Political Correctness ("PC") is so much more than mere "tactfulness" or even "diplomacy," for it is a corrupt ideology of a vagueness that is confusingly akin to "walking on the eggshells of bad ideas that were recently hatched and being spoiled rotten by viciously insecure parents."
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Apr-19)

Those who escalate the free exchange of ideas to acts of violence are likely harbouring insecurities about their own opinions and beliefs.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Apr-23)

Submit to fear, and it will become your nemesis; embrace it as your equal, and it will be your ally.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Apr-23)

True happiness cannot be gained through oppression.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-May-01)

The divisive nature of religion is atrocious, and the hate fostered should be regarded as a crime against humanity.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-May-03)

Dishonesty anywhere is a threat to honesty everywhere.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-May-03)

Skin colour, which can be misused to discern race, is not important.  Compassion and Human Solidarity are important.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-May-03)

Racism doesn't belong anywhere, but if it must belong somewhere then my choice is in the past before there was life.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-May-06)

A life without pain is a life that lacks perspective.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-May-21)

Having access to more information increasingly necessitates the freedom to think independently."
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-May-30)

Conflict in discourse is the firestone of productivity.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Jun-14)

Science is constantly under attack, and I have no objection to this because science is consistent and reliable.  I would be disappointed if science was believed without scrutiny because then it would be more like an ideology, and ideologies can easily become extremely dangerous.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Jun-21)

Yes, atheists often do have a mental affliction ... to think freely.  And I will not apologize for this.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Jun-22; in response to a quip that "atheists may have a mental affliction")

The "atheism" classification label is like any label -- a useful linguistic construct.  The problem is bigots, not labels.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Jun-22; in response to a concern about the use of labels)

I like to believe that the Critical Thinking demographic is growing, but I worry that I might be deluding myself.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Jun-25)

It would be helpful to the world if Islamic religious leaders and Christian/Catholic religious leaders would encourage people to stop making so many babies.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Jul-26)

Islam is not a race, but it is racist.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Aug-06)

Talk is cheap, but faith is cheaper.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Aug-07)

Solipsism is the ultimate arbiter of the ego.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Aug-10)

How does one target atheism?  It's impervious to attacks because it carries no burdens.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Aug-14)

6,000 years is a minuscule time-period compared to the actual estimated age of Earth, life, the universe, and everything.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Aug-14)

Someone actually got around to changing the name of this chat channel to Procrasti Nation?  Wow, that's ambition I can admire.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Aug-19)

Abstinence is just a marketing gimmick.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Aug-20)

Whenever I encounter laws that are designed to restrict womens' freedoms or prevent women from doing natural things (e.g., breastfeeding a baby, terminating a pregnancy, etc.), I can't help but wonder what the religious motivation behind it is.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Sep-04)

Tolerance is a terrible thing to promote.  Would you want to be "tolerated" by someone or would you prefer honesty?  I'll take honesty every time, thank you.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Sep-26)

It is every individual's natural right to make personal health decisions for themselves.  Pregnant people have just as much right to terminate their pregnancy at any time, without having to justify it, just like people also have the right to cut their hair, bite their lip, punch a wall, or donate their organs, etc.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Oct-05)

Should a flat Earth have straight rainbows?
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Oct-06)

Telling someone that "they are toast" is a threat, but telling them that "Jesus is toast" is an exception.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Oct-07)

I'm an atheist and I have no objections to anyone mocking me or atheism -- the reason is that I'm an advocate for freedom of expression.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Oct-11)

An illiterate person can observe a book without being influenced by what the words in it are meant to convey.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Oct-13)

Islam is not the Religion Of Peace; Buddhism is far superior as a contender in that category of Religion Of Peace.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Oct-21)

Killing in the name of a real god would be just as terrible a crime as killing in the name of a false god.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Oct-22)

That demand for conformity is one of the most egregious aspects of all organized religions, regardless of whether it's demanded clearly or written between the lines by way of implication.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Oct-22)

Jesus Christ is the Lord and Saviour ... of Empty Promises.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Oct-28)

It was fortunate for Occam that his barber didn't discount his head as unnecessary.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Nov-16)

Sharia Law is an instrument of social torture that promulgates the systemic violation of human rights with the capability of scaling effectively like Communism because it falsely positions itself as a system of justice -- it doesn't even qualify as a system of law because it's biased to Islamic Byzantine-era bigotry and hatred.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Nov-26)

Donald Trump is too busy trash-talking women and generally being an immature bigot to be taken seriously as being suitable for the role of President of any country other than North Korea (and I don't feel entirely confident about that either).  If he's to save the USA, then he'd better get his mind out of the locker rooms where idiots brag about how they like to abuse and victimize women, and start studying the basics of war, and he had better get started on that yesterday.
      I have more confidence in ex-President Bush Jr. than I do in President-Elect Trump, and I don't think very highly of Bush Jr. in the intellectual arena.
      At present, the USA is the laughing stock of the world for electing a President who has made it clear that he is racist, bigoted, xenophobic, misogynistic, and severely lacking in class and decency.  It's fantastic that Political Correctness is not his master, but he's gone in other completely inappropriate directions that don't contribute to the meaningful ongoing development of the USA.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Dec-02)

Prayer is an unbelievably difficult thing to do because it requires faith.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Dec-05)

Apparently everyone needs to be more patient because the Christian god is a terrible communicator.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Dec-05)

Indeed, the Xmas trees are fine.  The problem is the cross because instruments of extreme torture are inappropriate for the Xmas season.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Dec-16)

The ACLU does excellent work.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Dec-16)

The Islamofascists who send children to perform extreme acts of violence do so because they believe that their religion is more important than life.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Dec-18)

... opinions are akin to that of beauty -- subjective value wrought by way of individualized perception.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Dec-18)

Oh Xmas tree, oh Xmas tree, thy leaves still be evolving...
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Dec-21)

Islam is not a solution because it is the problem.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Dec-22)

Nobody is forcing you to accept reality.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Dec-24)

The fact that Islam has to be interpreted as peaceful should be regarded as a "red flag" just as casuallyas pyramid schemes and stock scams are regarded also as "red flags."
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2016-Dec-30)

Free thinking is a wonderful choice.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Jan-01)

One need not identify as an atheist to be one.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Jan-02)

Anyone who joins a religion is wasting their own time.  Anyone who attempts to convince others to join a religion is wasting everyone's time.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Jan-02)

I take great comfort in having my own ideas questioned, challenged, scrutinized, etc., because it provides me with an opportunity to improve (or abandon) those ideas, as well as the social aspect wherein others are taking an interest in the concepts that I've chosen to share.
      If I'm to be known to others, at least in part, by my ideas, then, as much as possible, I prefer to be known for favouring credible ideas rather than flawed ones.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Jan-10)

If Islam can "keep the way of life" then why should anyone need to submit to it?  Such a need is obviated, otherwise Islam has no such power as long as it depends on even one individual's submission.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Jan-22; in response to a claim that "Islam keeps the way of life")

The point that "the punishment does not fit the crime" is one of the many key problems with Sharia Law, which is based on corrupt byzantine-era ideals that ignorantly lack foresight and were very obviously designed to oppress the masses.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Jan-24)

Theists seem to be the most prolific objectors to God's Plan given that they pray so regularly to alter or counteract some dissatisfying aspect of their lives or the lives of others, for if God's Plan was perfect why should anyone have need to pray to change anything?
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Jan-28)

The Pope is not a valid arbiter of morality.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Feb-24)

Cognitive dissonance can be fun for everyone.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Feb-24)

An individual's credibility is not necessarily correlated with their choice of profession.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Feb-25)

Even hypocrites can be effective in revealing the truth about others.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Mar-03)

Hypocrisy comes from religion, because religion is an enormous source of immorality.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Mar-04)

If morality isn't possible without god, then why do so many Christians object to slavery?
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Mar-10; in response to Exodus 20-21 from The Holy Bible)

Freedom of expression is an internationally-recognized human right that includes clothing.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Mar-13)

Religion is probably the world's most prolific source of bigotry.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Mar-15)

If it wasn't for science, religious apologists couldn't use the internet to express their disdain for it.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Mar-20)

The desire for power oft includes a disdain for boundaries.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Mar-25)

God is a narcissist.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Mar-27)

Let us not just talk about Islam -- let us criticize it and also condemn it for its violent disdain for life, the universe, and everything.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Mar-27)

It's a sad state of affairs for any society when its members don't want to engage in open and honest discussions with one another.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Mar-27)

I do not respect The Holy Bible as a credible authority of reality.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Mar-27)

Jihadis destroy art because they are jealous that they can't build great things, then a whole world in ruins becomes a level playing field.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Mar-27)

It's really not all that surprising of a stretch that many of those who mutilate the genitalia of youngsters also enjoy molesting children.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Mar-29)

Without trolls, the internet would be a lot less interesting.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Mar-29)

Better to smell a false flag than to smell "chloroform."
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Mar-30)

Solipsism is a subtle variation of narcissism.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Mar-30)

The larger a democratic nation gets, the more dysfunctional its democratic government becomes.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Apr-08)

I'm Spartacus and I broke the dam.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Apr-09)

"Political Correctness" isn't culture; it's corruption.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Apr-11)

Urban Dictionary is a much higher quality source of information than Conservapedia.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Apr-12)

Those who escalate discourse to acts of violence against those with opposing views about their religion don't want to admit that they agree.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Apr-13)

A zombie's respect can be urned.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Apr-14)

I encourage all Muslims to be apostates.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Apr-16)

Christopher Hitchens was probably the smartest and most effective debater in history.  The whole world lost a great ally when he passed away.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Apr-16)

People have the freedom to express whatever opinion they want to concerning freedom of expression and therefore all other concepts, facts, and ideas, for that is everyone's natural right, and this freedom must always be protected by the supremacy of law as an inalienable natural right if society is to bask in the beauty of its diversity whilst forever flourishing psychologically and technologically.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Apr-17)

If I had to choose a "master of magic" for all of history, I would choose J.R.R. Tolkien for his authorship of The Lord of the Rings, because with that beautiful six-volume masterpiece he created an epic baseline that inspired countless authors since to "conjure" even more fantastic stories and ideas, particularly in the fantasy and science-fantasy genres.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Apr-17)

Why hassle people at an abortion clinic?  Why not just adopt impoverished children without parents who are presently in need?
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Apr-18)

It's not possible for atheists to be accountable for the behaviours of all other atheists, for there are no behavioural standards therein.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Apr-18)

If I'm offended, that's my problem and mine alone.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Apr-21)

Friends are always welcome.  Enemies are often interesting.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Apr-21)

Blasphemy is beautiful.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Apr-22)

The most common reason that Chiropractors and anyone else advises against immunizations is either ignorance or serious disdain for humanity.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Apr-22)

The only surefire way that religions can win the war against atheism is to kill all newborn babies.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Apr-24)

It's possible to critique something while also having respect for it, since testing or challenging an idea can be one of the most effective means of genuinely justifying this sense of respect.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Apr-24)

Concerning "The Lord's Prayer":  Why should The Lord need to pray?  Who would The Lord be praying to?
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Apr-28)

My "Safe Space" is Canada.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Apr-29)

The biggest problem with religion is its promoters.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Apr-29)

Theocracies have had thousands of years to bring peace, [but] they've invariably brought oppression and psychopathy.  Secularism is superior.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Apr-30)

The problem with freedom of expression in the USA is the violent reactions by those who disagree with you.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Apr-30)

An "atheistic culture" I won't deny.  An "atheist culture," on the other hand, is probably impossible to define.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-May-01)

I certainly do question the relevance of religion, and I'm not convinced that it is relevant in modern, progressive, civilized society.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-May-01)

Religions that fail to adapt to reality in the context of scientific progress will eventually diminish into oblivion.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-May-01)

Belief is transient.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-May-01)

If anyone were to tell me that they are a Prophet guided by one or more deities, I would immediately question their sanity.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-May-05)

Herein lies a beauty of honest discourse -- controversy abounds because of the plethora of conflicting views and intellectual diversity.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-May-06)

Skepticism, rather than anti-theism, may be the intellectual saviour needed at writ, starting foundationally in reform of public education.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-May-06)

Although I am an atheist, I don't expect anyone to have respect for atheism because, from my perspective, it's not necessary.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-May-07)

Societies that refuse to adapt risk fostering civil war.  Most evil dictators know this, and use oppression to prevent the threat of change.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-May-10)

Those who feel comfortable enough to openly admit to wrongdoing may think it's comparatively minor to other transgressions not yet revealed.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-May-11)

I would much rather be baffled by the universe than by religion.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-May-13)

Islam, like other religions, is a collection of ideas.  It is inappropriate for any ideas to be off-limits from critique, disapproval, favour, challenge, parody, ridicule, etc., because freedom of thought and freedom of opinion, combined with freedom of expression, are natural and internationally-recognized human rights.
      If an idea cannot withstand scrutiny, then the idea is probably flawed and it is reasonable to recognize it accordingly as such.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-May-17)

Keep religions out of government, and progress prevails to the benefit of all.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-May-26)

What are you eating this Ramendan?  I'll probably consume spaghetti with shredded pork again (they're actually surprisingly delicious together).
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Jun-11)

It's scary for any rational individual to live in a Muslim-majority country that's oppressively ruled under the iron fist of Sharia Law.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Aug-08)

I find it more satisfying to discover the answers than to just know them.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Aug-10)

Governments are supposed to serve and protect citizens, incidental of each individual's personal preferences, sex, beliefs, etc.  It is reasonable to expect that governments should also strive to serve and protect the very populace from whom they collect taxes.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Oct-20)

If societies can't find ways to get along better and not be so intolerant of differing viewpoints, then the retardation of progress is more likely to prevail.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2017-Oct-20)

Life would be so much easier for everyone if people stopped leaving their children in churches.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2018-Feb-04)

While I support what the #MeToo movement represents, I don't like that people are vilified and presumed guilty by the general public absent the due course of justice.  Actual evidence of the claims is important, but some employers unwittingly risk facing wrongful dismissal suits.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2018-Mar-19)

Cats like to read "dog is not Great" by Catstopher Hitch-hens.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2018-Apr-04)

Why would Jesus Christ embrace the crucifix upon his return?  Assuming he's not an extreme masochist, wouldn't he be naturally inclined to distance himself from that?  But if he was such a masochist, who enjoyed being tortured to death, maybe he didn't really sacrifice anything?
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2018-Apr-22)

As per freedom of expression, intelligence isn't a pre-requisite for critique, although I do value it too.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2018-Apr-22)

The anti-abortion ethos is a means of justifying the practice of enslaving pregnant people.  It is a systemic violation of human rights because it violates the natural and internationally-recognized right to "integrity of the person."
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2018-Apr-23)

Christopher Hitchens is indubitably one of my favourite extreme intellectuals, brilliant philosophers, and over-qualified debaters of all time.  I'm sad that he passed away ... and before he could pontificate on my solution to his famous challenge:  http://www.fidemturbare.com/philosophy/christopher-hitchens-challenge.pl
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2018-May-11)

To truly qualify as "freedom," the concept of "freedom of religion" logically necessitates an option of non-religion.  If this isn't an option, then it's oppression rather than freedom because individuals are therefore forced to choose from a limited subset of pre-defined options.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2018-May-12)

I'm not convinced that the Founding Fathers of the USA were all theists.  But even if they were, it's abundantly clear today that, for the good of the populace and of society in general, religion must be separated from government.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2018-May-12)

Crucifixion is a "cruel and unusual punishment" that completely fails to qualify for inclusion in the fundamentals of "fair and reasonable justice," for it is nothing short of torture.  The people from the past who used crucifixion were not enlightened -- they were sadistic.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2018-May-14)

Casting people into Hell for eternity is not justice ... it's extreme torture.  The concept of justice did not arise from that, and The Holy Bible is most certainly not where I get my inspiration for the fundamentals of justice.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2018-May-17)

I don't know of anyone who calls themself an "evolutionist," and so it follows logically that I couldn't even trust one if I wanted to.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2018-Jun-08)

Religion should not have any rights at all.  I don't want religion to be the runner-up for anything because it could fill in for something that human rights didn't include protection for.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2018-Jun-09; in response to the proposition that "human rights should trump religious rights")

My decisions are not motivated out of fear of consequence.  I prefer to make decisions based on credible information, compassion, ethics, conscientiousness, etc., with the intention of my decisions having the best possible impact for everyone.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2018-Jun-09; in response to decisions lacking morality with no fear of consequence)

Keep thinking for yourself, life is much more enjoyable that way.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2018-Jun-09)

Has the Satan ever asked for money?  Of course not, he prints his own.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2018-Jun-10)

The Holy Bible pre-dates the Pope and the Catholic Church, and I do not recognize their authority to be the sole interpreters of it.  They are, however, as free to interpret The Holy Bible as everyone else is.  My interpretation:  The Holy Bible is [comprised of] poorly-written horror stories.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2018-Jun-12)

Honest people tend not to expect dishonesty from others, and dishonest people tend not to expect honesty from others.  The same generally occurs for crazy people.  This is probably one of the main reasons that dishonest and crazy people more often get into positions of power -- because they tend to have the element of surprise.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2018-Jun-13)

... most religions are intimidated by female superiority so they compete with women by promoting the fake and illogical concept of a more superior male creator deity.  (Women don't respond in kind because it's a waste of perfectly good intellect.)
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2018-Jun-27)

The interesting thing about the truth is that it's incidental to one's feelings.  How one copes with reality is an important factor too, but of course there are different manners in which the truth can be delivered -- some individuals are simply better at being tactful.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2018-Jul-02)

In my strong opinion, anyone who attempts to restrict the natural rights of pregnant people is a pro-slavery pervert who is inappropriately involving themselves into the private matters of others.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2018-Jul-22)

In Canada, thought isn't a crime ... it's a freedom.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2018-Jul-24)

The needs of the many obviate the wants of the few.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2018-Aug-05)

Nobody should have to be careful about their sexual orientation, or anyone else's.  What makes variety in sexual orientations dangerous is when hateful religious ideologies have large numbers of followers.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2018-Aug-10)

If your god created everything and knows everything, then he has only himself to blame for Lucifer's transgressions.  And if your god is truly all-powerful, then why should he feel so threatened by Lucifer that he needs to punish her or anyone?
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2018-Aug-29)

Perhaps Jesus Christ is feigning patience because, deep down, he's afraid of Thor's wrath.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2018-Aug-30)

The Catholic Church more closely resembles a parasite of pandemic proportions.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2018-Sep-04)

Diversity is the new normal.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2018-Sep-19)

If Jesus is offering a way of escape instead of making the options truly free, then he is either evil or powerless.  Which is it?
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2018-Oct-06)

It's always okay to laugh at the absurdities, as long as we're not laughing at the travesties.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2018-Oct-10)

... I don't consider most Psychiatrists to be mentally ill.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2019-Jul-20)

Batteries can be useful when combined with the right electronics.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2019-Oct-17)

Nudity is a virtue.
      -- Fidem Turbāre (2020-May-13)