Ahh, a fellow brother in the worship of Thor. Did you know that according to norse mythology, humanity was born from the ooze in Odin's uncle's armpit? I believe it.
I had someone say to me, 13+ years ago, "You're such a nice person, I. can't believe you don't go to church." That's a comment I've heard many times over the years. Why do I gave to go to church to be a good person? Kind of makes me worry that if a Christian doesn't go to church for some reason that they will lose their religious crutch and turn evil. People at work are always trying to get me to "believe in God". I don't bring up my lack of faith until they start spewing their beliefs, but then they get flustered when I verbalize my lack of belief. They always bring up examples as to why I should believe and struggle when I shoot down every one of them with common sense reasons of why their examples are ridiculous. Our conversations always end with them saying, "You just have to have faith." They seem to think my giving reasonable reasons as to why I don't believe is me trying to make them lose faith when it's really them trying hard to make me believe in their God. Oftentimes, they find comfort when I acknowledge that there's no proof there is no God while ignoring the fact that there is no proof there is a God.
@EvolvedPrimate Exactly..the equation between religion and morality is as old as time. No can be further from the truth, even studies have pointed to morality not having correlation with religion. In essence, being religious or not has no bearing on one's morality.
All thinking men are atheists. - Ernest Hemingway "If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed." --- Albert Einstein Lighthouses are more helpful than churches. --- Benjamin Franklin "I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours." --- Stephen Roberts Professor Stephen Hawking sets out to answer the question: "Did the Universe need a creator?" The answer he gives is a resounding "no". "Gods are fragile things; they may be killed by a whiff of science or a dose of common sense." --- Chapman Cohen "Men never commit evil so fully and joyfully as when they do it for religious convictions" - Blaise Pascal "No man has ever been brainwashed by science" -- Unknown "Which is it, is man one of God’s blunders or is God one of man’s?" ---- Friedrich Nietzsche "A man is accepted into a church for what he believes and he is turned out for what he knows." --- Mark Twain "Religion is an illusion and it derives its strength from the fact that it falls in with our instinctual desires." ---- Sigmund Freud "Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived." -- Isaac Asimov
+Smooth kriminal The irony of this comment is that it reflects what Neil was saying about Christians quoting the bible at aethests. Not sure if that was the point of this comment or not, but the irony is there nonetheless.
What I'm glad to see is there was no interruption. Everybody seemed rather respectful, even the pastor had a good joke here and there, but he didn't intrude on the speech... You don't see this kind of mutual respect on Fox News, I'll tell you that right now.
On the subject of Atheist morality Christians shouldn't assume they have morals just because they profess to believe in Jesus (This is usually the case). They can be the most morally bankrupt of fiends and the mere fact that they professed "acceptance of Jesus into their hearts" somehow makes them feel that they now have the moral high ground. A belief in Jesus has absolutely NOTHING to do with what moral values drive your behavior.
A non-entity can still have a depicted value whether it be philosophical, written, or calculated. God as most call it has value in literature and culture. You can hate something you don't believe in cause what you're actually hating is the depiction of said non-entity. For example I can hate Daffy Duck, he isn't real but he does have values that are shown through animation and literature. I'm atheist, and I hate the notion of a god, do I believe in him no, but his values exist whether I believe in him or not, cause there is literature that claims to be the values of god. This guy was going on a whim by that I mean he may say things that he didn't articulate well in the moment but may have much greater thoughts about the idea or conversation when he is given the opportunity to reflect on this. I'm sure he looked back at this video and thought, why did I say it like that, that's not what I was trying to convey. Assuming he had all his thoughts written out is absurd. Also this wasn't an argument, which you didn't pick up on. This was a reflective conversation. It was for both counter-parties to get a little insight on the other, which he did quite a good job on it. However to assume his ideals or thoughts correspond to every atheist is also absurd. Anyways take care bro!
Accrillia Accrillium objective morality would mean there is a 100% correct moral code. no man could come up with that, only a benevolent diety could, someone who is omnipotent. everyone has their own set of moral codes as morality without a god is subjective
+ƐƖєgαηт OωƖ - It has nothing to do with religion, man will always be self interested and corrupt, Islam aside 90% of wars corruption etc has nothing to do with religion per say.
I used his fourth argument a lot as a comeback. When people here Salt Lake tell me I just "hate God", I ask them "Why do you hate Papatuanuku?" Makes for great discussions and, dare I say it, planting seeds
Devon Kraan If you want an answer you need to enable replies. :P _Just curious, here, so all of you don't be angry at me! As atheists with morals, where do you guys believe they came from? We all have an inherent sense of right and wrong..right? So where do you believe we got this?_ Evolution. (Although believe isn't the right word, really) In fact in many social animals we have observed moral behavior such as empathy, altruism and fairness. Morality isn't even unique to humans.
L1ttleT3d if you think your god is the source of innate morality within us, then you dont need jesus and you dont need your bible. you cant have it both ways, though youll try to. and if we all are inspired by your god and we all have that innate morality in us then quit bashing gays, atheists and pagans. because that would mean that we are all as innately moral as anyone else. also your fuzzy logic again denies evil, immorality. a christian should never debate a deconverted ex christian. non believers are more gullible than we are.
Message to all Atheists: When confronted with the claim "you have no morals because you don't believe in God-given morals you don't follow any Bible blablabla", tell them that we are human, we don't need morals. You only need morals when your humanity is not being closely looked at. Our humanity is intact, we act out of our humanity, we love out of our humanity, we have compassion out of our humanity, we don't harm and don't murder out of our humanity. We don't need someone to tell us not to do these nasty things, we are human enough to instinctively know that we should be decent, compassionate human beings.
At 14:47, he says that he's not an anti-theist but an anti-fundamentalist. Personally, I would argue that they're the same thing because, if there's something wrong with what those who follow the fundamentals of a religion are doing, then there's something wrong with that religion.
I think I get where you're coming from but given the vast and numerous differences between kinds of Christian, I find it necessary not to lump everyone into one single pile. I prefer a bit more nuancing. When I don't do that, I find too many people disengage because I've just described a faith they don't identify with.
+Neil Carter .... So you use to be a Christian and that is the hardest thing for me to imagine having that in my mind, and I can't fathom it much less understand them, I think that is one reason I have a big anger issue towards them and its a almost automatic response. I wish I could somehow have non negative feelings towards any believers. I've been fine suddenly someone say a sentence that shows their Christian, and I feel a aversion to them instantly really not anger but more like loathing I do control it but it changes visibly my demeanor, and I know rationally its the way I am perceiving them more then the reality but I just can't help it. Really I think its the thought that they believe in hell for non believers, and many of my loved ones now alive but many more deceased are or were like me, not exactly from a Christian culture, matter of fact from one that shares a dark history with peoples of faith. I do differentiate to some degree as I have I've found no, to less negative response in degrees, if I have seen them involved in daily activities for a time and had other positive interactions, such as in a social school or common work environment, but to like see them when their say exposing their faith or just leaving a church, it gives me like a cold clammy feeling, its I think a bit fear oddly of them and even a bit of anger, well now I sound crazy now huh. What would you say is there anyway I can ever get that emotional response in check, as its really not a very good feeling at all, I know I most likely need like aversion therapy or something there like and I hate the way I feel as disdain and resentment really has no good context to be expressed or built upon. I am kind of the opposite side of what your speaking on here, and maybe their instant response to atheist, is sort of like my feelings towards believers, I don't know cause that as I can't relate to what their world view looks like, and I can't get under their skin so as to know that, but it is a thought, but this is also why I am a anti-theist big time actually, it really is the why, and we are not so bad nor different as you make us sound here, not a complaint your a good guy I think, but well okay enough said. In any case good post thought provoking for me and well done and by the way damn your just really cute, that is not a come on, as I'm married, but well you are so there said, have a great day and good tidings to you and your kin.
+Julia Winkler My mother was once terrified by "Holy Roller" Christians when she was six(they misinterpreted her terror as the Holy Spirit bringing her to Jesus.); maybe you had a similarly traumatic experience?
Well to the point of not hating God I have to say I hate the character of God in the bible and the awful person that this character is.However I don't believe that he is real so what I hate is the character just like I would hate the character of Voldemort.
I'm an atheist who had a "Santa Claus" epiphany around the age of 13, and who was closeted vis a vis my own very Christian family until very recently. I think it is wonderful that you are doing this. And by "you," I mean both Neil and the minister who invited you to his church to talk about these issues without rancor. We could do with a lot less rancor.
Here are some stupid things that religious people says to Atheist. 1. The Bible says -We don't really care about the bible or the fantasies it shares. In fact, we probably know more about the bible and other sacred text, like the Qur'an, Pali, Vedas, Tanakh and Talmoud. That is one of the reason why we became atheist in the first place, because we had the courage and commitment to read the Bible and think about what it actually says. We don’t limit our knowledge to the words on the page though; we often know why it’s there, where it came from and how it came to be accepted by your religion. We’ve engaged in higher criticism of your religious text and can almost certainly show how and why your book isn’t trustworthy. Don’t pretend we’re not well-versed in what your book says. 2. According to this website... -This is even worse than using the bible. It shows that you think that we are not familiar with various apologetic methods, and it also shows that you are in fact, is not familiar on how to defend your point. When we engage you in a dialogue or debate, we tend to find out if you truly understand what you are talking about. If you do this, then there’s really no point in talking to you because clearly, you don’t understand the argument well enough to defend your point. It means that you are not intelligent enough to continue. 3. You can't prove that god doesn't exist - Maybe I can or maybe I can't. But it is not my job to do so. It is your job to prove that god exists. It is your faith that hangs on the balance, not mine. You’re the one claiming that god is real; it rests solely on your shoulders to prove it. Let me use an analogy. I cannot prove that Kali (goddess of death) does not exist, but does that mean that the Hindus are right and Kali do exist? You can’t prove that unicorns and talking donkeys (they are in the bible) exist, does that make them real? The burden of proof is always on the individual who makes the positive claim. Most atheists do not claim God does not exist, they just reject your claim that he does based on lack of corroboratory evidence. 4. You will go to hell if you don't believe -This is pointless. If we don't believe in god, heaven and the soul, do you really think we will believe in hell? It will be like threatening us with the Harry Potter death spell "Avra Kadaver". Hell, to us, is no more real than the Greek underworld; heaven is no more real than Valhalla. If someone approached you and said that if you don’t accept Odin as your personal lord and savior, you’d be sent to Helheim, to be punished by the Norse goddess Hela (ruler of Hell where the Christians added to their myth) for all time, would that bother you? 5. You don't believe in god so you are a Satanist or follower of Lucifer. -We don't believe in the soul, in angels, in heaven, in hell and in god. So what makes you think that we believe in the Devil? I have studied various religions. Both Christian and non- Christian, but I never encountered anyone belonging in the religion of Satanism. I am starting to think that it is just a myth propagated by Christians to scare themselves. 6. I can prove that god exists or I have evidence to prove his existence -By all means, present it to us. If you ever did that, then you will be the first person will ever do that. You will become famous. You will be rich beyond your dreams. If you ever do that, it will be the end of Atheism and other religions. In fact, there will be only one religion in the world and you will be considered a prophet. But do any of you have evidence of god or gods? You have *CLAIMS* about god. You have *ASSERTIONS* about god. You have *BELIEFS* about god. But you have no evidence about god. 6. You were never religious in the first place -Most Atheists came from a strong religious background. I mentioned that I was a "sagrado katoliko". I sometimes cry while praying, asking god to forgive my sins. Before I apostatized, I also tried other religions. But the more I studied, the less I became enamoured. I tried really hard to believe that god exists. I tried to believe that a wooden boat can hold 7 people, at least 300,000 plus mammals, 200 thousand plus reptiles, tens of thousands amphibians, 1.2 million birds, 3 million insects, at least 50 tons of food and hundred thousand gallons of water. I tried believing that the flood killed everyone except Noah and his family, without realizing that the civilization of China and Japan flourished during the time of the supposedly flood, or that some Africans, Asians and Europeans don't have a flood myth. I used to believe that god is a loving father who forgave David for a lot of indiscretions, but punished Lot's wife for just looking over her shoulder. 7. I'll pray for you or God bless you. -Well, that's nice. But will that in any way help me? I can even consider that as an insult, because this statement really comes off as a final flip of the finger to me when the theist has run out of other arguments. We don’t want you to pray for us, we want you to be able to defend your beliefs. -If you really want to help, then tell me how to solve a problem. Prayer is a lazy man's method. A pair of working hands can accomplish more compared to thousands of hands clasp in prayer. - Now what if I am not am atheist? What if I belong to a different religion? Will you think it silly if I say, "may the elephant headed god Ganesh enlighten you from your wrong beliefs and bless you"? 8. You’re not really an atheist - For some reason, theists tend to feel uncomfortable around the word “Atheist”, mostly, I suspect, because it suggests that there are people who reject the central tenet of their worldview. They don’t like that so they want to get around that word if at all possible. First, it’s not up to you to decide what terms mean and/or what other people believe or do not believe. Atheism is the lack of belief in the existence of gods. Secondly, it’s really not up to you to decide what terms people can adopt for themselves. If I want to call myself an Atheist, I can call myself an Atheist. I have no obligation to choose another term because it softens the blow on you. 9. You must have a terrible childhood -Not all atheist had a traumatic childhood. Most of us were raised by a loving parents. There are many reasons why we became what we are, and it will be erroneous to think that something bad happened to us. 10. Why do you hate god? -We don't hate god. We don't believe in god. How can we hate something that we don't believe exist? If we hate god, then it means that we believe that he exist. So once again, we don't hate god. We also don't hate unicorns, the Easter Bunny, fairies, talking donkeys, Santa Claus and the Wicked Witch of the West. 11. There must be something bad that happened to you that made you an atheist -I can’t say for all atheist, but I became an atheist because I studied too much of religion. A tragic event could be the reason, but it isn't the only reason. Anyway, if reading books, talking to religious scholars and traveling can be considered bad, then I am guilty of it. 12. You just have to have faith I have this mind, but you are asking me to close it in order for me to satisfy your religion? No thanks. No, I don’t have to have faith. I have to understand what I’m thinking. 13. Have you read the Bible? -I guarantee you that if you know an atheist - an outspoken atheist - they know more about the Bible than most random Christians that you know. If you gave them a quiz the atheist would do better… We think about this stuff all the time… What atheist books have you read, because if you want to have that discussion, then you might as well see what some atheists are saying. 14. Isn’t atheism a religion? -Calling atheist a religion is like calling a celibacy a sexual position. Theist mistakes this because they are trying to insinuate their belief of conformity of worshipping a deity to people like me who value individualism and free thinking. 15: Why are you so angry? -People can get angry when some people harass them or if they are experiencing a bad day. But most of us are happy people. We don’t get angry without a reason. Not believing in a god will not give a person some anger management issues.
I once was a Christian. I was raised in the church and did everything I could to believe in God and try to prove that he lives in me and the whole nine yards. But deep down, I knew something was wrong with such faith. over time, I've come to the realization that a higher being can't possibly exist. I don't see the bible in the way that Christians see it. I've tried to pray and read and meditation on it, but I get nothing. Then I finally woke up and realized that I've been praying to something that was never there in the first place. I'm actually happier now that I don't believe in a higher being anymore.
My kids are being raised atheist... they are actually more well behaved, get good grades, are polite...and Christians wouldn't know the different between our kids and a Christian families kids.
We as atheist.should define ourselves as critical thinkers.....and lose our religious title.....then champion our belief system.... we analyze life...and separate fact from fantasy.....use reason, logic and statistics to arrive at a conclusion....
sirmike18630 »use reason, logic and statistics to arrive at a conclusion« Reality doesn't work in this simple-minded construct. I understand you, it would be great this way, but we are not robots.
sirmike18630 reason, logic and statistics are part of reality, especially in science. But life on the other hand is more then that, it's complex. I'll make it quick: We have all sin-issues.
Hey! I'm an Anti-theist, but I do NOT get on or attack religious people about their beliefs. I just know the harm it does. I've never tried to 'convert' someone to Atheism or Anti-theism.
Religion is harmful indeed. Science and Liberalism has pushed religion back, but we all know what would happen if religion had a position of power again... Look at Saudi Arabia.
I'm an anti theist myself but I did very much enjoy your interview in the church, You have a great, free flowing way of presenting your point of view. Also don't pick on the internet too much, it has given a very powerful voice to people like ourselves, that previously were drowned out by all types of institutionalized religious bigotry.
I'm kinda sad that there is a lot of hate for atheists. Believe what you want, live a happy life, and just don't hate. It's okay to not believe or believe, but let other people do what they feel is right. And please do not say ridiculous things like atheists eat children and sacrifice puppies. We are people! Most atheists are NOT anti-theists, so we don't hate on you. Also, how many religions do you dismiss, theists? If you think it's okay to dismiss those, isn't it okay for us to ignore yours?
I agree with what you said, generally. The antitheist bit is interesting because, like any of the words in this realm (atheist, agnostic, etc.) it means different things to different people. I think that what it sounds like you mean is "someone who is against theists." By that definition, I'm not an antitheist. I have friends who are believers, and I think a lot of them are awesome. My definition is "someone who is against theism," and by that definition, I am. I think that, at its worst, religion is very harmful to people and to progress, having effects that just wouldn't happen without religion. (Saying you can't have condoms in Africa? Who would do that without religion??) At its best, it's a belief without justification that does no harm, perhaps encouraging people to do the right thing sometimes (and other times the wrong thing) for the wrong reasons.
Finally a youtube atheist who's not angry. His comments don't really apply to the Christianity I come from here in Europe, but interesting nonetheless.
How are the two even related? I don't believe in God, but doing good things and being a good person is a completely isolate thing. Do I believe in empathy? In helping others? In not being selfish? OF COURSE. Do I believe in some all mighty bearded man in the sky? NO - just like Santa.
I really like this video from a Christian perspective. It was helpful, but I'd also like to see a video where the common misconceptions about Christians are addressed. Namely: 1.) We don't hate the gays. The honest truth is that the vast majority of Christians don't really hate anyone. Just because we may disagree with the lifestyle, there is no reason to hate. We are called to love everybody and when people hear that I don't think that homosexuality is right, they also assume that I belong to the Westboro Baptist church and that couldn't be further from the truth. 2.) We are not befriending you to convert you. That doesn't mean that I wouldn't want for you to attend church with me, but I want to know you personally before anything else. If i care about you, i will tell you what i believe is the truth. If you choose not to accept it, that is beyond my control and i accept that. That won't affect my feelings toward you as a person. 3.) Not all churches are preaching hellfire and brimstone on a weekly basis. The majority of churches do not use fear tactics to get you to believe in God(like that would even work). Love and grace are the cornerstones of 90% of all churches. 4.) I believe in God because I have chosen to. Granted, I cannot completely neglect my Christian upbringing, but that doesn't mean that I have been somehow brainwashed into belief. My parents showed me the direction and i chose to follow it. I am an up and coming apologist and spend hours researching both positions in order to gain a full perspective. I seek the truth and this is where i find it. Just because you may not have a religion doesn't mean that you aren't inundating your children with a set of beliefs that could be misconstrued as brainwashing: A belief that there is no God is still a belief that you are passing on to your children. 5.) We aren't perfect. I always make it a point to tell those i meet that I'm no different than an athiest. I mess up and I try to do better the next time. Im not here to constantly call you out on your mistakes. I know that I am very broken and so are you if we were to really look at our lives. I am not disillusioned enough to believe that since I am a Christian, I am better than you.
Actually it's perfectly possible to hate God without believing in Him - as anyone involved in Fandom will know. Many Game of Thrones viewers hated Joffrey, many Harry Potter readers hated Voldemort, and I hate the Abrahamic God in the same way. A vile and evil fictional character, far worse even than Joffrey at his most depraved, with a death count that makes Voldemort look like Winnie the Pooh by comparison. And He's nowhere near as well-written as George R R Martin's characters or even Rowling's (and I think J K Rowling is a terrible writer).
My favorite thing about being an atheist, is that I believe in so many thing Jesus said, like love your neighbor, help the poor and weak, and greed will keep you out of heaven. And so many of my evangelical Christian friends fail that simple test of following Jesus.
Beautifully explained, Neil! You've certainly articulated a viewpoint I share. I am an anti-theist though because theism has both a track-record and a contemporary reality that's destructive to social progress. The anti-science aspects of religion are obstructive to scientific progress, social cohesion and justice. That stated, you've contributed to an understanding that should help Theists to feel much more comfortable with Atheists, and should help doubters & fence-sitters to resolve their convictions. You covered the bases nicely!
In my catechism classes, something he said seminarian I found shocking. I not even remember what it was that particular point. But being the son and grandson of teachers, I was always encouraged to seek out the answers for myself. "The dictionary is your friend," I said, "And if the answer is not in the dictionary, perhaps you find it in another book."So I searched and found a book in the library of my home, entitled "History of religious beliefs". And I found many more answers and many more questions than it was then. Some time later, another kind of catechism, I blurted out, like a bomb, that the date of Christmas is arbitrary. Of course, say such a thing, in a Catholic school run by Marist priests is a scandal. The next thing I knew I was in the hallway, next to the principal's office, the brother Horencio, waiting for my parents while my expulsion was pending. And worse, I could not understand why I was being punished so, just to express what I thought were real facts (incidentally, the date of Christmas is arbitrary).Arrived my parents was the case to convince the director that had not been schooled in atheism, nor prepared to destroy the faith of my classmates, but I was just a curious child with an educated independent mind. Finally, it was a compromise. I would not be expelled from school, but would no longer attend catechism, and never talk to my classmates about issues of religion "not to destroy their faith," Orencio said (Poor Brother Orencio, He never thought saying that he was destroying any faith I could stay: If faith can be destroyed by the words, then the words are more powerful than faith.). In addition, he recommended me to read the Bible.That was the biggest mistake he could make. I being an omnivore and almost obsessive reader, between now and the end of my elementary school, I read the Bilia at least three times, from cover to cover. As Teller says, it is the most efficient way to become an atheist. And I've never regretted.
Thank you very much for your interview. I am not an American and all my life was an atheist. Recently I dicsovered the American christian culture and was deeply shocked. Your rational and tolerant approach towards theists is inspiring, thank you!
I agree that the debate needs to happen (I'll write about that soon on Godless In Dixie) and bad ideas need to be addressed. They don't get a free pass just because feelings would get hurt. But I also am convinced there is some value to starting some conversations which are meant to shoot for a little mutual understanding or at least to encourage a more civil approach to the overall discussion. Not everyone is immovable in his/her theology.
I had a great time becoming an atheist. I was scared of my family because they would assault me verbally, but I feel sorry for them. Nothing bad happened to me. I simply became a curious, open-minded, genius individual who questions the existence of such a thing as "Gods or a God" and found the truth. There is no such thing as a God or Gods.
Jayson Miller however you will still feeling that society is against you , just keep saying : "believe me , don't hate your particular god !, and atheism is not a choice it is the tax of thinking rationally "
in regards to the last point in the video, i always tell people "im an atheist, but i prefer naturalist; you don’t define someone by what they don't believe" I believe there is a natural explanation for everything.
I must say... As much as I truly did appreciate the talk given as well as the attitude of the pastor and his church, there is just this one lingering baby elephant in the room.. And it is that in the minds of the pastor and his church, Neil Carter is going to burn in hell forever. No matter how friendly a christian can possibly be, in the back of their mind, they know what awaits you. And how could you possibly be friends with someone who worships a god that would do that to you? Seems just a tad bit divisive.
What is RCC? For most christians denominations, it is having faith in God that gets you to heaven, and a lack of it that gets you to hell. Therefore, atheists in heaven would not make sense.
13 Tooth Dear idiot, do you always enjoy making such a spectacle of yourself? We were never talking about your popes. I was addressing who founded your religion, so naturally you start with strawman bullshit and only succeed in making yourself look stupid. Nice work. :)
"Why do you hate Zeus?" Reasonable retort. Love it! "8 "Quoting the Bible doesn't work like Jedi mind tricks." Another annoying one that happens all to often. Great video! Thanks for sharing it.
When Christians use that "you'll burn" thing, that is a threat. Imagine selling refrigerators door to door that way. It is should be illegal to make such threats as part of a sales pitch.
does your sense of right and wrong go away when you don't believe in God????!!!!!! The ten commandments are based on COMMON SENSE that anyone with any kind of conscience or brain has!
Which one of the ten commandments?? There's two of them: Exodus 20: 1-17 and Exodus 34: 10-26. That's just a start of how screwed up your book is. And no, there's no common sense in either of them.
It may appear ironic because she is speaking on morality, but coming from an organized belief system, who's god killed babies - I think saying "dickhead" is the least of your worries. Comedian Jim Jefferies does far worse on this subject making fun of Christians. You make no argument and instead all you can conjure is essentially "I'm offended." Ad hominem lameness.
As a Christian, I have to say, that this was a reasonable video with a more than reasonable basis. I've met quite a few other 'Christians' in my time who's attitudes I found to be detrimental to the faith, if not borderline obnoxious and I already understand and/or follow all the points you made. Here's a few points that I would hope certain Atheists can come to realize about some Christians like myself. (cont)
Everyone should see this video. The only part I disagree with is comparing believing in God to believing in Santa Claus. Just didn't sit right with me. Other than that all the points he makes are so solid. Growing up in Texas where everyone is close minded christians it's so refreshing to see an open minded atheist
damienkurast It's offensive in my opinion because comparing God to Santa is like unintentionally implying "these two things aren't real, just something people believe in." That's not the message he's trying to send, and I wasn't personally offended. But I could understand it being perceived as offensive.
I agree with the last one. I despise conversions, and do not contradict myself by trying to de-convert. Rather, persuade to check out truth for self, thus free thinking. Atheism does not mean anything unless you discover truth for self.
I was raised as a Christian by a fairly religious mother and a father who believed (still believes) in God but wasn't very religious. I went to church from before I can even remember and was sent to a Church of England primary school and a Church of England high school. All the way through my life until I was 16 I never even considered the possibility that there wasn't a god, specifically the Yahweh/Jehovah/Allah deity of the Abrahamic religions. I was never taught creationism or anything like that, and I've never been religious, but I believed in that particular deity. Then at 16 I got to college (a Catholic college), and for the first time in my life I met atheists. Inevitably, we discussed theology. I tried to tell them why I believed in God, but found that I couldn't actually think of a very good reason. They, on the other hand, had plenty of very good reasons for not believing in God, and gradually they convinced me that there are no deities. They did not set out to counter-convert me, but rather I lost my belief through rational thought and logic
I don't tell religious people that they're wrong and to abandon their faith, so why do religious people feel like they have the right to tell me that I'm wrong and that I should worship a god who apparently has the power to determine the outcome of American sporting events but apparently has neither the power nor the inclination to cure African babies of life-threatening diseases?
1. We have morals too. It is to one's advantage to be perceived as kind and polite, etc. And it feels good to know that people think highly of you. But all of that amounts to a rewards-based morality which is just a somewhat sophisticated opportunism.
Ben Gates correct, you know it's wrong because absolute morals exist. God has placed inside you an absolute moral center so that you know good from evil.
I find it interesting that you keep saying "we," as if all atheists believe as you do. Some atheist do hate God (I've met them). Some atheists do deep down believe, but choose to suppress it (met them, too). Additionally, Christians don't believe atheists to be immoral. We just don't understand how you justify this moral code. God created justice. Ever heard of the Ten Commandments? So to claim there is no God, while at the same time adopting His moral code, all the while clinging to the belief that humans evolved through random processes which require no accountability, morals, or justice... you have to admit there are some contradictions there.
+gerikc It is true that atheist do not all think alike. Just as it is true that people that believe in god do not think alike, hence the reason that christianity has 40,000 different sects. If an atheist says that they hate god, he/she may of misspoken, they may have meant they hate the idea or the teachings of the said god. If you believe that a god exists you are not an atheist. Atheists disbelieve or lack the belief that gods exist. now if you do not believe that bigfoot exists why on earth would you hate something non existent? That makes no sense. Morals come from humans and they have evolved as humans have evolved. Morals do not stay the same and change over time, they evolve. You can claim that god created morals, but you cannot prove it. And the god of the bible in today's world is not considered moral. There is nothing moral about killing children, forcing rape victims to marry their raper, stoning people to death, concurring neighboring tribes because they have a different god and taking their virgin women to be sex slaves, or killing someone for working on the sabbath. Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live? Newsflash witches do not exist. Have you ever heard of the golden rule? Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself. Confucius (c. 500 BC) I could be wrong but I do not believe that Confucius ever had knowledge of your god or christianity, and yet there it is, treat people as you would like to be treated. No god required. Nobody adopted your moral code written by men in the name of their god, those moral already existed around the world in different cultures without knowledge of the christian god. I look forward to your reply proving me wrong, have a nice day!
+Gannicus With no higher power, all things are permissible and subjective. What is moral to you may not be moral to someone else. So who makes the rules? You're also throwing many different religious acts of violence at me, as if I agree with these religious perversions. The God of the Bible hated idol worship, child sacrifice, sex slaves given over to the temple priests, etc. This is why He tried to rid the world of this evil through the flood, and then through war. It may seem harsh to someone who hasn't actually read the Bible, but He did it to protect His faithful from the idolaters, satan worshipers, and child sacrificers, lest they become like them. The tribes that were killed through war were idol worshiping nations. Men, women, and children, all worshiping idols, perpetuating the heinous acts you mentioned, and that's what God wanted to rid the world of. As for the 300 sects of Christianity, this is what happens when man gets in the way. At the end of the day, most of these sects agree that Christ is the Savior sent by God to unite the body of believers. We may be divided by small doctrinal arguments (long skirts, no makeup, playing with snakes, etc.), but for the most part, we're united. Anyone who doesn't believe in Christ as Savior can't be called a Christian. So, of the "300" sects you refer to, I hope those have been discounted. The rest of us have the same basic beliefs. It's as simple as picking up a Bible.
+gerikc *With no higher power, all things are permissible and subjective* Only if you are a rotten person. And if you have to be told not to kill rape and steal, it does not speak well on your behalf. If believing in a god and the bible is the only thing that keeps you from performing heinous crimes and unspeakable acts, then by all means keep believing because atheism and thinking for yourself may not be your cup of tea. And it is almost as if your god doesn't exist because man has had to put systems in place for those who would behave as you if they didn't believe in a god. Maybe you have heard of them, courts of law, police, jails, armies. *What is moral to you may not be moral to someone else* Very true. The godbots of the middle east make their women wear potato sacks. They do not let them have an education other than their holy book. They treat their women as properties. Hell, I bet there are still people in the south that think slavery is still ok because the bible condones it. If we followed the morals set forth in the bible most of america would of been killed for working on the sabbath! *You are also throwing many different religious acts of violence at me, as if I agree with these religious perversions.* Those perversions come from the bible and the god that is in it. Try reading the book, it is the single best way to become an atheist at least to that god. According to the bible Ham seen Noah naked, and what did god do? He cursed his children! Can you imagine committing a murder and then your son or daughter going to jail for your acts? Yea, that is just oozing morality isn't it? *The God of the Bible hated idol worship, child sacrifice, sex slaves given over to the temple priests, etc.* If this god is the only god, why would it care about false gods? What happened to free will? Where was that free will when he commanded the Hebrews to slaughter other tribes, to kill the children (who were innocent) as they had no control on where and to who they were born. He commanded them to to take the untouched women for themselves (sex slaves). I stand in awe of your god's morality. And this is just the tip of the iceberg of your god's awesome morality. Imagine the psychological trauma that Abraham's kid went through when he said come on I have to kill you son to show my obedience to god. What about all of the first born of Egypt being slaughtered because your god hardened Pharaoh's heart? WTF? What did the children do? What an asshole. He's god, he could of just killed the pharoah or snapped his imaginary fingers to set the Hebrews free without getting his bloodthirst on. Yea I really want those morals, not! *It may seem harsh to someone who hasn't actually read the Bible, but He did it to protect His faithful from the idolaters, satan worshipers, and child sacrificers, lest they become like them.* Um, I have read the bible. Probably the biggest reason that I am no longer a christian. *The tribes that were killed through war were idol worshiping nations. Men, women, and children, all worshiping idols, perpetuating the heinous acts you mentioned, and that's what God wanted to rid the world of.* Listen to yourself, excusing the heinous acts of your bloodthirsty god. How can you blame the children for anything? they had no control on where they were born and to whom? Sic bastard! Not to mention you suffer from Stockholm Syndrom, slave of god. Stockholm syndrome, or capture-bonding, is a psychological phenomenon in which hostages express empathy and sympathy and have positive feelings toward their captors, sometimes to the point of defending and identifying with the captors. *As for the 300 sects of Christianity, this is what happens when man gets in the way.* Wrong, there are 40,000 sects of christianity, look it up. And that is what happens when one sect cannot be proven to be true over the others. *At the end of the day, most of these sects agree that Christ is the Savior sent by God to unite the body of believers.* Maybe so, but it does not make it true. Judaism which predates christianity does not believe that Jesus is the Messiah or the son of god. Why? Because Jesus never fulfilled the Messianic prophecies as written in the Torah. If the second book does not match the first book its wrong, no other way to put it. And Just to name a few reasons, Jesus was not from the line of David if his father was god, requirement. The messiah is to be a mortal man, you can hardly call the son of a god that. He never gathered all of the Jews back to Israel, never brung world peace. He never rebuilt the temple unless he built the Dome of the Rock and is a Muslim. All of this the Jewish messiah was suppose to complete during his natural life. And last that I checked the said Jesus is dead. No where does it state in the O.T. prophecies that the messiah will die and thousands of years and later he will complete them. So you see, I the atheist have a better understanding of not just your religion, but of the other religions as well. Now I realize that knowledge was about the first thing forbidden in your book but come on!
+gerikc The 10 commandments are proof of God's Morality? You must be joking --- There isn't an intelligent person on earth who couldn't come up with 10 moral laws better than those... Only 3 of the 10 commandments were even good enough to make it into man's law... Also, a person who "believes deep down" cannot be an Atheist, that would be the same as a married bachelor, it is a contradiction...
I was brought up in a religious home as a child, Baptist that is, but didn't care much about it growing up. I knew that there was a God but couldn't really tell if he exist until one day he showed me who he really is. From that point on everything made perfect sense about those being an atheist, those who put there hope in science, not knowing that any physical instrument science has, it couldn't measure or look into the spiritual realm. In the Bible it says Draw near to me (God) and I will draw near to you. If you take that verse, and put it into action, you'll see God for who he really is. It's your choice, man and there inventions will fail, God won't. If You Believe, no evidence is necessary. If you don't believe, no evidence is enough. I say that because as a believer, and many more like me, we don't rely on evidence for our faith, we are the evidence. We are the ones who came from nothing and turn into someone important, we are the ones who have hope and the power to make a change even when we are put down. We all judge, which is obviously wrong. Until you walked in somebody else's shoes but until then, love one another, like our Lord commanded us. Non-believers have the evidences before them, nothing came by accident, they know this, deep inside you know. Taking heed to facts and theories isn't always correct especially if you didn't witness it in person. God created all, and all of his creation has a purpose. We were designed, intelligently. 1 Corinthians 2:14 But people who aren't spiritual can't receive these truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can't understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. Acknowledge God, Repent, and Be Blessed.
Hey, great job, man! I sent this video to my mom and I'm hoping it helps us understand each other. Christopher Hitchens couldn't do what you do. ;) THANK YOU!
Neil, love all the media you've put out there. Only scratched the surface so far. I'm sure you've probably run across this book, but more in the atheist community need to read it. By Pascal Boyer and it's called "Religion Explained". He's an anthropologist and it goes into the mechanics of belief but most importantly that it is a product of our brain's natural, evolved functioning. There is no "God" centre in the brain, but it is clearly a result of how we think - almost like a vestigial organ that developed out of other non related evolutionary cognition. Valerie Tarico has also done a series of fantastic RUclipss utilizing this theme.
Awesome vid. I'm to #5 and so far you are spot on. I really wish Christians wanted to know this stuff and actually KNOW it. From my experience Christians want to believe what they believe and the moment they get someone trying to teach them how it really is, they tune out. Believing isn't a choice. How many times I have tried to say this in my videos. It's not a switch you can turn off and on.
You are a wonderful speaker. Where are you from? Your accent it delightful! Great talk, I enjoyed it very much, I have subscribed and look forward to watching more.
Yeah, when I was in junior high school, a kid said to me, "You're such a good Christian." I said, "I'm not a Christian. I don't even know if God exists." He said, "If I didn't believe in God, I'd do anything I'd want." And I said, "Then I'm very glad you believe in God." This misconception led me to write a book. It's called, "To The Faithless and The Unbelieving BERTAM GREY." A young Agnostic boy is left to live with his Baptist uncle. Runner-Up in the 2014 Southern California Book Festival. Here's the link if you're interested. www.amazon.com/Faithless-Unbelieving-BERTRAM-GREY/dp/1434929809/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
I'm a Christian and I agree with all of your points. It goes both ways. Atheists (not necessarily you, but in general) make assumptions about Christians too, and it's very disrespectful. I guess we simply have to learn how to have a conversation wherein we listen to understand each other knowing well that we're probably not going to change each others minds.
madamerousseau78, Neil Carter is not making assumptions. He is showing a list of common misperceptions from ***somoe*** religious people. Do you fall into any of those categories he showed? I suspect you might. If so, then you merely match what he was trying to say. He ***didn't*** mean to say that all religious people hold all of those views. (although in my opinion, most will hold more than one of them)
Number Two: You don't know us better than we know ourselves. a. After you tell us how the "Church" (usually the RCC or a weird charismatic church has gotten hold of you at some point in your life) & its hypocritical members messed totally with your life, or how God didn't answer your prayers, or how you FINALLY read the Bible (even though you understood NONE of what it said) & decided that God was a "hateful, violent, sadistic monster!!", THEN we try to respond to this mess (often given to us in a tirade of filthy words, insults, etc), we are accused of "not knowing anything" about the atheist. You've already told us more than we need to know. b. I will grant this point as legitimate when the above has not happened & many immature Christians will start preaching, rather than responding; however, I see many Christians doing this AFTER the atheist(s) have gone off on them already. It doesn't make it right, but it is a reason. c. Atheists can insult YOU Christians, because they're trying to bring you back from your alleged insanity, delusions & naivety, but Katie Bar the Door if a Christian should try to bring the atheist back from the grips of ETERNITY in Hell. Number Three: We don't deep down believe in your God. a. Duh! That is essentially the meaning of "atheist". b. The TRUE God (there can ONLY be ONE God) IS the "only one worth looking into". Atheists assume that Thor, Zeus, etc. are gods; they are not. Basically, IMO, the problem is not mainly that atheists don't believe in God, but that they don't WANT there to BE a God. If there was a God, they'd have to respect & obey said God, & an arrogant man, just like an arrogant angel, will not do that, even if said God was standing in front of him with absolute proof. c. MANY Christians were formerly atheists or agnostics. We KNOW that if we changed OUR minds about Jesus Christ, then there is always HOPE that others will.
Neil, I genuinely appreciate this video and as a Christian, your points about others thinking they know you better than you know yourself is insulting. I do have to respond to the next point about hating God. You asked the church member if he believed/hated Zeus? I understand the analogy but there is something more to the claim of the Christian God. He claims to be the one and only Creator and all other gods are false gods. In fact, He says over and over again how foolish it is to believe in idols and false gods (this would include Zeus among many others). Paul says in Romans 1 that everyone (atheists, Buddhists, Muslims) should know God by his invisbile qualities in creation itself. And that everyone who doesn't acknowledge the One, True, God is "suppressing the truth". Now, I realize you don't believe this and my point here is not to try and sway you- I respect your honest approach too much for that- but I didn't just pick my particular God and claim if you don't believe you must hate him- Zeus is not making the same claims- nor any other god, for that matter. All gods are not equal in value- IF in fact there is only one true God. The "problem" with the biblical God is that He claims too much- If none of the other gods did indeed create me- I can not believe in any of them and not hate them. It may be wrong- but THE CLAIM, at least, of THIS God- is that there is no neutral "non-belief" position possible. At least that's the claim as differentiated from all others in the Christian view. Thanks again for the video
This gentlemen appears to be very balanced. Not condescending, arrogant or holding a black & white view regarding issues of faith. In my experience there are a huge proportion of people that are so unbalanced and close minded on these very issues. There's too much of this "you believe in a magic man in the sky" attitude or you are "an evil person who is going to burn in hell" viewpoints. This man deserves respect for his attitude.
Hell doesn't worry me, but which one are you talking about: Hell is an unincorporated community in Putnam Township of Livingston County in the U.S. state of Michigan, population 266, ZIP Code 48169. Hell is a village in the Lånke area of the municipality of Stjørdal in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway, population 1,418.
I want to believe in a higher power. A place afterlife where we can all go and hang out for eternity. See our passed friends who died before us. Sure. But it's not logical to believe in it. It's fantasy. There are so many things in the bible that are morally wrong and just wrong in general, but people still believe it. Would you believe a liar? Also, i think it's ironic that the US court system makes you swear on the bible to tell the TRUTH!!!
Thank you Neil for this presentation, I've favourited this and will use it as a means of letting Christians and theists in general gain a better understanding of my viewpoint.
While I am an atheist, I believe in peace, I loath paedophilia, murder, and using ones God/s to justify such horrific acts. why is it the human condition to create stories to explain everything? Why can't we just appreciate the world as it is instead of conflicting over which God is best and who's right or wrong? I am certain that if you and I just sat down and just talked to each other, then we would realise that we are the same or similar. Cause we as a race from cave men to cannibals to desert hermits to philosophers to conquerors to rulers...and so on have come far on a 200,000 year long road. Better yet, we haven't reached the end and I doubt we will in our lifetimes. So let's just rest and relax at this century's roadside café. :-)
Great video! As a former Christian, I can especially relate to points 2 and 3. People say, "Well, you were never a *real* Christian, if you left the faith." You know, the No True Scotsman argument. Talk about arrogance! (I thought the *atheists* were stereotyped as arrogant.) You don't know me; how do you *presume* to know what the sincerity of my belief was?
I feel so bad for you Mr Carter, I have experienced none of these problems across the pond. The indoctrination must be quite ingrained in Mississippi. Great video!
I once heard somebody say something like: if you reject God, you allow Satan to come into your heart. Just because somebody says something doesn't mean I'm going to believe it but I figured, IF it was true, it just might explain why atheists seemingly can't just say calmly, politetly and respectfully, they don't believe in God, they almost always feel the need to include insults and anger. Though I was far from sure that God existed at the time, I just didn't want to turn into that.
I am so grateful to have been born in an atheist household. They would have supported me no matter what but they felt that as a young child and already being bombarded in daily life with Christian and religious beliefs. My parents wrote to my school and asked me to be excluded from hymn and prayers in the morning. I am so grateful i was not indoctrinated by my own family.
To those theists that say (#6) that I "choose" not to believe in god, and insist that a person can choose what they _believe,_ I challenge them to 'choose' to believe my claim "Bigfoot lives in my backyard." I've not got an honest response yet from any theists.
Belief in God does much more harm than good for the individual as well as society. Atheism is a more evolved state of mind than a believer's. The death of God is progress.
Nice interview. Congrats for being such a positive and polite atheist. Anti-theism is a tricky term, I kinda agree that the main beef is fundamentalism, but the problem with belief in the supernatural is that anyone can move towards fundamentalism pretty easily if they rely on such shakey reasons as blind faith. However I also see that religion and superstition is not something society is going to drop anytime in my lifetime so we must tolerate it.
As far as I am concerned my behavior was atrocious when I was a Christian as I became an agnostic my behavior improved but it did not become completely acceptable until I became and embraced atheism.
It's been a while since I had to remember the distinction. I think for the purposes of this interview, either would work. Painting with a broad brush, and all that.
Theists don't think you don't have morals. You all just never understood the moral argument. Without God, you don't have moral facts, only moral opinions. Your morals aren't based on anything good. They're based on preference and taste.
"You really feel it appropriate to stand up and oppose your creator that way, again assuming he exists?" Why does being our creator mean he deserves respect? Parents can be abusive.
I use to be Christian and believe me when you hear an athiest speak you just ignore what they say completely and just try to convert them when I think that is wrong.
We totally should, though. Wouldn't it be a fascinating experiment? "Pardon me, ma'am. Do you have a moment to talk about empirical evidence and the scientific method?"
I've never quite understood the point of labelling oneself an "atheist." It's very odd if you think about it. Most people label or identify themselves based on what they DO believe, not what they DON'T. This is the case for pretty much every philosophical (e.g., empiricist), political (e.g., communist), or economic (e.g., capitalist) position. Even a retail store or restaurant advertises what it does sell, not what it doesn't. No one goes around calling himself an "aextraterrestrialist."
I really wish I was as eloquent as this guy. I usually just tell folk that I think God is a load of shit and I guess it doesn't make us atheist look very well.
Fascinating. Do you have a reference or some kind of citation for this "great council"? Who convened this council and where was it? Also, I'm assuming you already know that Charles Darwin wasn't born until 1809, am I right?
Nice video to educate the christians that still think some of these things about Atheists. Also that you can be moral without the need of a supervising parent that never quits. Also, that it is important to believe in something where there is evidence and not the other way around, Good video though.
"your comment does not belong in a discussion" this comment is just an answer. "You are merely using generalized hearsay and stereotyping" - not really, it's from experience - I've read stuff, and I know many people that are atheists only because they don't like to go to church, hate priests-pedophiles etc. It's really common, and it works both ways - for example many people walk to church to pray, but in fact they really don't care about faith etc.
If you're unsure, an offer to monetize your videos would come fairly quickly (2-4 months). In the form of a 5 second advertisement in front of your videos, you'd recover what you'd spend on a simple camera in a very brief period of time (payment per thousand views). You seem to give comments on your videos some thought, why not digitalize and archive those thoughts in your spare time? I'd gladly sate any curiosity regarding the process of starting up on RUclips.
if Christianity never existed during the Roman empire, the world will be still the same with barbarians in Northern Europe and Islamic army conquering all of Europe and the world. if Christianity never existed there would be no hope or change for some former criminals and other disadvantage population of the world . some people with depression are saved through the power of the gospel of Christ.
To close by addressing your last point, science and religion can and do coexist. Not all people of faith claim to be young earth creationists who reject the advances of modern science. Many hard working, notable scientists are people of faith.
I often say the same thing. Excellent suggestion. I can also identify with secular humanism because it is a set of positive beliefs that are consistent with my own aims in life. I also like to say that I'm a polyatheist, because there are MANY gods I don't believe in ;-)
Jesus=The first disciples are also disciples of John the Baptist and are Andrew,and brother Simon Peter. Julius Caesar=Started out with 2 supporters Quintus Scribonius Curio,and Mark Antony,whom were also friends of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus,then helped Caesar in the civil war against Pompeius.
This is to eggertswart. First for some people, the fear of a fake god might deter people from commenting crimes. For some people they might say I can comment crimes, and ask for forgiveness, and still go to a fake heaven. In my opinion it does not even matter if it does. If people are intentionally being lied about a god that does not existence, it's morally wrong. The time taken to tell people what the bible says, could be used to teach people how to you reasoning, to become more moral.
Believe is a choice, it is a choice whether you choose to believe or not? Believe is Trust. Trust is to put your faith beyond something your capabilities or your understanding or your knowledge. In another word, your faith goes beyond unseen things. In some points, you already insult them as well as they do. No different, human as I thought.
14:11 "Not everybody who doesn't believe in god is an anti-theist. Many people are just what you would call and agnostic, and in some ways I am that too." You can be an agnostic, atheist and anti-theist. These concepts are not mutually exclusive.
Those Muslims are wrong. So are those Christians who think the same thing. Morals are about the kind of person you are in your heart. It doesn't take a god.
Hi, there, can I tell you the good news about Thor? :)
Ahh, a fellow brother in the worship of Thor. Did you know that according to norse mythology, humanity was born from the ooze in Odin's uncle's armpit? I believe it.
I had someone say to me, 13+ years ago, "You're such a nice person, I. can't believe you don't go to church." That's a comment I've heard many times over the years. Why do I gave to go to church to be a good person? Kind of makes me worry that if a Christian doesn't go to church for some reason that they will lose their religious crutch and turn evil. People at work are always trying to get me to "believe in God". I don't bring up my lack of faith until they start spewing their beliefs, but then they get flustered when I verbalize my lack of belief. They always bring up examples as to why I should believe and struggle when I shoot down every one of them with common sense reasons of why their examples are ridiculous. Our conversations always end with them saying, "You just have to have faith." They seem to think my giving reasonable reasons as to why I don't believe is me trying to make them lose faith when it's really them trying hard to make me believe in their God. Oftentimes, they find comfort when I acknowledge that there's no proof there is no God while ignoring the fact that there is no proof there is a God.
I love the one about people thinking you're Atheist because something "bad" happen to you
Ah that's a classic haha
@EvolvedPrimate Exactly..the equation between religion and morality is as old as time. No can be further from the truth, even studies have pointed to morality not having correlation with religion. In essence, being religious or not has no bearing on one's morality.
All thinking men are atheists. - Ernest Hemingway
"If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed." --- Albert Einstein
Lighthouses are more helpful than churches. --- Benjamin Franklin
"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I
dismiss yours." --- Stephen Roberts
Professor Stephen Hawking sets out to answer the question: "Did the Universe need a creator?" The answer he gives is a resounding "no".
"Gods are fragile things; they may be killed by a whiff of science or a dose of common sense." --- Chapman Cohen
"Men never commit evil so fully and joyfully as when they do it for religious convictions" - Blaise Pascal
"No man has ever been brainwashed by science" -- Unknown
"Which is it, is man one of God’s blunders or is God one of man’s?" ---- Friedrich Nietzsche
"A man is accepted into a church for what he believes and he is turned out for what he knows." --- Mark Twain
"Religion is an illusion and it derives its strength from the fact that it falls in with our instinctual desires." ---- Sigmund Freud
"Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived." -- Isaac Asimov
so inspiring words from great minds....
+Smooth kriminal Whooooooo, I thought you were going to leave out Nietzsche. What a brilliant philosopher he was.
+Smooth kriminal The irony of this comment is that it reflects what Neil was saying about Christians quoting the bible at aethests. Not sure if that was the point of this comment or not, but the irony is there nonetheless.
W
this is coming from someone who cant push the "enter" key while typing a response......
What I'm glad to see is there was no interruption. Everybody seemed rather respectful, even the pastor had a good joke here and there, but he didn't intrude on the speech... You don't see this kind of mutual respect on Fox News, I'll tell you that right now.
On the subject of Atheist morality Christians shouldn't assume they have morals just because they profess to believe in Jesus (This is usually the case). They can be the most morally bankrupt of fiends and the mere fact that they professed "acceptance of Jesus into their hearts" somehow makes them feel that they now have the moral high ground. A belief in Jesus has absolutely NOTHING to do with what moral values drive your behavior.
Exactly!!!
Loren Sims
Exactly!!! x2
A non-entity can still have a depicted value whether it be philosophical, written, or calculated. God as most call it has value in literature and culture. You can hate something you don't believe in cause what you're actually hating is the depiction of said non-entity. For example I can hate Daffy Duck, he isn't real but he does have values that are shown through animation and literature. I'm atheist, and I hate the notion of a god, do I believe in him no, but his values exist whether I believe in him or not, cause there is literature that claims to be the values of god. This guy was going on a whim by that I mean he may say things that he didn't articulate well in the moment but may have much greater thoughts about the idea or conversation when he is given the opportunity to reflect on this. I'm sure he looked back at this video and thought, why did I say it like that, that's not what I was trying to convey. Assuming he had all his thoughts written out is absurd. Also this wasn't an argument, which you didn't pick up on. This was a reflective conversation. It was for both counter-parties to get a little insight on the other, which he did quite a good job on it. However to assume his ideals or thoughts correspond to every atheist is also absurd. Anyways take care bro!
the question they should be asking is where do you get your OBJECTIVE morals from
Accrillia Accrillium objective morality would mean there is a 100% correct moral code.
no man could come up with that, only a benevolent diety could, someone who is omnipotent. everyone has their own set of moral codes
as morality without a god is subjective
after seeing how much damage religion has caused and still does cause within our world i would definitely call myself an anti theist
+dan hollis Yeah, because Godless societies haven't contributed to death and mayhem in this world. Godless China and the USSR ring a bell?
+dan hollis - LoL at your naivety.
+Timothy Bradford They're Marxist and Communist that happened to atheists. But hey, they're atheists! Let's just blame that instead!
+ƐƖєgαηт OωƖ - It has nothing to do with religion, man will always be self interested and corrupt, Islam aside 90% of wars corruption etc has nothing to do with religion per say.
Ross Beale Read my comment again, past the first sentence, I'm being sarcastic.
I used his fourth argument a lot as a comeback. When people here Salt Lake tell me I just "hate God", I ask them "Why do you hate Papatuanuku?" Makes for great discussions and, dare I say it, planting seeds
Devon Kraan If you want an answer you need to enable replies. :P
_Just curious, here, so all of you don't be angry at me! As atheists with morals, where do you guys believe they came from? We all have an inherent sense of right and wrong..right? So where do you believe we got this?_
Evolution. (Although believe isn't the right word, really)
In fact in many social animals we have observed moral behavior such as empathy, altruism and fairness. Morality isn't even unique to humans.
Morals come from social evolution for Thousands and Thousands of years
Nick Woodruff "Believe" sounds strange. No need to "believe" that which is backed by evidence.
Common sense. I don't steal your car 'cause I don't want you stealing mine.
L1ttleT3d if you think your god is the source of innate morality within us, then you dont need jesus and you dont need your bible. you cant have it both ways, though youll try to. and if we all are inspired by your god and we all have that innate morality in us then quit bashing gays, atheists and pagans. because that would mean that we are all as innately moral as anyone else. also your fuzzy logic again denies evil, immorality. a christian should never debate a deconverted ex christian. non believers are more gullible than we are.
"is the pastor a friend of yours?"
He is now :-)
Message to all Atheists:
When confronted with the claim "you have no morals because you don't believe in God-given morals you don't follow any Bible blablabla", tell them that we are human, we don't need morals. You only need morals when your humanity is not being closely looked at. Our humanity is intact, we act out of our humanity, we love out of our humanity, we have compassion out of our humanity, we don't harm and don't murder out of our humanity. We don't need someone to tell us not to do these nasty things, we are human enough to instinctively know that we should be decent, compassionate human beings.
Number 8.
"These are not the droids you are looking for."
Sandra Noneofyourbusiness no it's these are not the atheist your looking for
At 14:47, he says that he's not an anti-theist but an anti-fundamentalist. Personally, I would argue that they're the same thing because, if there's something wrong with what those who follow the fundamentals of a religion are doing, then there's something wrong with that religion.
I think I get where you're coming from but given the vast and numerous differences between kinds of Christian, I find it necessary not to lump everyone into one single pile. I prefer a bit more nuancing. When I don't do that, I find too many people disengage because I've just described a faith they don't identify with.
+Neil Carter .... So you use to be a Christian and that is the hardest thing for me to imagine having that in my mind, and I can't fathom it much less understand them, I think that is one reason I have a big anger issue towards them and its a almost automatic response. I wish I could somehow have non negative feelings towards any believers. I've been fine suddenly someone say a sentence that shows their Christian, and I feel a aversion to them instantly really not anger but more like loathing I do control it but it changes visibly my demeanor, and I know rationally its the way I am perceiving them more then the reality but I just can't help it.
Really I think its the thought that they believe in hell for non believers, and many of my loved ones now alive but many more deceased are or were like me, not exactly from a Christian culture, matter of fact from one that shares a dark history with peoples of faith.
I do differentiate to some degree as I have I've found no, to less negative response in degrees, if I have seen them involved in daily activities for a time and had other positive interactions, such as in a social school or common work environment, but to like see them when their say exposing their faith or just leaving a church, it gives me like a cold clammy feeling, its I think a bit fear oddly of them and even a bit of anger, well now I sound crazy now huh.
What would you say is there anyway I can ever get that emotional response in check, as its really not a very good feeling at all, I know I most likely need like aversion therapy or something there like and I hate the way I feel as disdain and resentment really has no good context to be expressed or built upon.
I am kind of the opposite side of what your speaking on here, and maybe their instant response to atheist, is sort of like my feelings towards believers, I don't know cause that as I can't relate to what their world view looks like, and I can't get under their skin so as to know that, but it is a thought, but this is also why I am a anti-theist big time actually, it really is the why, and we are not so bad nor different as you make us sound here, not a complaint your a good guy I think, but well okay enough said.
In any case good post thought provoking for me and well done and by the way damn your just really cute, that is not a come on, as I'm married, but well you are so there said, have a great day and good tidings to you and your kin.
+Julia Winkler My mother was once terrified by "Holy Roller" Christians when she was six(they misinterpreted her terror as the Holy Spirit bringing her to Jesus.); maybe you had a similarly traumatic experience?
I think by fundamentalist he means people who do bad things, such as Daesh (isis) (If we look at the extreme end of isis.)
Well to the point of not hating God I have to say I hate the character of God in the bible and the awful person that this character is.However I don't believe that he is real so what I hate is the character just like I would hate the character of Voldemort.
I applaud this man's civility. If only there were more people around like him, we might actually have some productive conversations.
person: why do you hate god
me: how can you hate something that doesn't exist
I'm an atheist who had a "Santa Claus" epiphany around the age of 13, and who was closeted vis a vis my own very Christian family until very recently. I think it is wonderful that you are doing this. And by "you," I mean both Neil and the minister who invited you to his church to talk about these issues without rancor. We could do with a lot less rancor.
Here are some stupid things that religious people says to Atheist.
1. The Bible says
-We don't really care about the bible or the fantasies it shares. In fact, we probably know more about the bible and other sacred text, like the Qur'an, Pali, Vedas, Tanakh and Talmoud. That is one of the reason why we became atheist in the first place, because we had the courage and commitment to read the Bible and think about what it actually says. We don’t limit our knowledge to the words on the page though; we often know why it’s there, where it came from and how it came to be accepted by your religion. We’ve engaged in higher criticism of your religious text and can almost certainly show how and why your book isn’t trustworthy. Don’t pretend we’re not well-versed in what your book says.
2. According to this website...
-This is even worse than using the bible. It shows that you think that we are not familiar with various apologetic methods, and it also shows that you are in fact, is not familiar on how to defend your point. When we engage you in a dialogue or debate, we tend to find out if you truly understand what you are talking about. If you do this, then there’s really no point in talking to you because clearly, you don’t understand the argument well enough to defend your point. It means that you are not intelligent enough to continue.
3. You can't prove that god doesn't exist
- Maybe I can or maybe I can't. But it is not my job to do so. It is your job to prove that god exists. It is your faith that hangs on the balance, not mine. You’re the one claiming that god is real; it rests solely on your shoulders to prove it. Let me use an analogy. I cannot prove that Kali (goddess of death) does not exist, but does that mean that the Hindus are right and Kali do exist? You can’t prove that unicorns and talking donkeys (they are in the bible) exist, does that make them real? The burden of proof is always on the individual who makes the positive claim. Most atheists do not claim God does not exist, they just reject your claim that he does based on lack of corroboratory evidence.
4. You will go to hell if you don't believe
-This is pointless. If we don't believe in god, heaven and the soul, do you really think we will believe in hell? It will be like threatening us with the Harry Potter death spell "Avra Kadaver". Hell, to us, is no more real than the Greek underworld; heaven is no more real than Valhalla. If someone approached you and said that if you don’t accept Odin as your personal lord and savior, you’d be sent to Helheim, to be punished by the Norse goddess Hela (ruler of Hell where the Christians added to their myth) for all time, would that bother you?
5. You don't believe in god so you are a Satanist or follower of Lucifer.
-We don't believe in the soul, in angels, in heaven, in hell and in god. So what makes you think that we believe in the Devil? I have studied various religions. Both Christian and non- Christian, but I never encountered anyone belonging in the religion of Satanism. I am starting to think that it is just a myth propagated by Christians to scare themselves.
6. I can prove that god exists or I have evidence to prove his existence
-By all means, present it to us. If you ever did that, then you will be the first person will ever do that. You will become famous. You will be rich beyond your dreams. If you ever do that, it will be the end of Atheism and other religions. In fact, there will be only one religion in the world and you will be considered a prophet. But do any of you have evidence of god or gods? You have *CLAIMS* about god. You have *ASSERTIONS* about god. You have *BELIEFS* about god. But you have no evidence about god.
6. You were never religious in the first place
-Most Atheists came from a strong religious background. I mentioned that I was a "sagrado katoliko". I sometimes cry while praying, asking god to forgive my sins. Before I apostatized, I also tried other religions. But the more I studied, the less I became enamoured. I tried really hard to believe that god exists. I tried to believe that a wooden boat can hold 7 people, at least 300,000 plus mammals, 200 thousand plus reptiles, tens of thousands amphibians, 1.2 million birds, 3 million insects, at least 50 tons of food and hundred thousand gallons of water. I tried believing that the flood killed everyone except Noah and his family, without realizing that the civilization of China and Japan flourished during the time of the supposedly flood, or that some Africans, Asians and Europeans don't have a flood myth. I used to believe that god is a loving father who forgave David for a lot of indiscretions, but punished Lot's wife for just looking over her shoulder.
7. I'll pray for you or God bless you.
-Well, that's nice. But will that in any way help me? I can even consider that as an insult, because this statement really comes off as a final flip of the finger to me when the theist has run out of other arguments. We don’t want you to pray for us, we want you to be able to defend your beliefs.
-If you really want to help, then tell me how to solve a problem. Prayer is a lazy man's method. A pair of working hands can accomplish more compared to thousands of hands clasp in prayer.
- Now what if I am not am atheist? What if I belong to a different religion? Will you think it silly if I say, "may the elephant headed god Ganesh enlighten you from your wrong beliefs and bless you"?
8. You’re not really an atheist
- For some reason, theists tend to feel uncomfortable around the word “Atheist”, mostly, I suspect, because it suggests that there are people who reject the central tenet of their worldview. They don’t like that so they want to get around that word if at all possible. First, it’s not up to you to decide what terms mean and/or what other people believe or do not believe. Atheism is the lack of belief in the existence of gods. Secondly, it’s really not up to you to decide what terms people can adopt for themselves. If I want to call myself an Atheist, I can call myself an Atheist. I have no obligation to choose another term because it softens the blow on you.
9. You must have a terrible childhood
-Not all atheist had a traumatic childhood. Most of us were raised by a loving parents. There are many reasons why we became what we are, and it will be erroneous to think that something bad happened to us.
10. Why do you hate god?
-We don't hate god. We don't believe in god. How can we hate something that we don't believe exist? If we hate god, then it means that we believe that he exist. So once again, we don't hate god. We also don't hate unicorns, the Easter Bunny, fairies, talking donkeys, Santa Claus and the Wicked Witch of the West.
11. There must be something bad that happened to you that made you an atheist
-I can’t say for all atheist, but I became an atheist because I studied too much of religion. A tragic event could be the reason, but it isn't the only reason. Anyway, if reading books, talking to religious scholars and traveling can be considered bad, then I am guilty of it.
12. You just have to have faith
I have this mind, but you are asking me to close it in order for me to satisfy your religion? No thanks. No, I don’t have to have faith. I have to understand what I’m thinking.
13. Have you read the Bible?
-I guarantee you that if you know an atheist - an outspoken atheist - they know more about the Bible than most random Christians that you know. If you gave them a quiz the atheist would do better… We think about this stuff all the time… What atheist books have you read, because if you want to have that discussion, then you might as well see what some atheists are saying.
14. Isn’t atheism a religion?
-Calling atheist a religion is like calling a celibacy a sexual position. Theist mistakes this because they are trying to insinuate their belief of conformity of worshipping a deity to people like me who value individualism and free thinking.
15: Why are you so angry?
-People can get angry when some people harass them or if they are experiencing a bad day. But most of us are happy people. We don’t get angry without a reason. Not believing in a god will not give a person some anger management issues.
I once was a Christian. I was raised in the church and did everything I could to believe in God and try to prove that he lives in me and the whole nine yards. But deep down, I knew something was wrong with such faith. over time, I've come to the realization that a higher being can't possibly exist. I don't see the bible in the way that Christians see it. I've tried to pray and read and meditation on it, but I get nothing. Then I finally woke up and realized that I've been praying to something that was never there in the first place. I'm actually happier now that I don't believe in a higher being anymore.
My kids are being raised atheist... they are actually more well behaved, get good grades, are polite...and Christians wouldn't know the different between our kids and a Christian families kids.
We as atheist.should define ourselves as critical thinkers.....and lose our religious title.....then champion our belief system.... we analyze life...and separate fact from fantasy.....use reason, logic and statistics to arrive at a conclusion....
sirmike18630 »use reason, logic and statistics to arrive at a conclusion«
Reality doesn't work in this simple-minded construct.
I understand you, it would be great this way, but we are not robots.
filip Antiochia
could you please explain???......I don't have a clue what point you are trying to make!!
sirmike18630
reason, logic and statistics are part of reality, especially in science.
But life on the other hand is more then that, it's complex.
I'll make it quick: We have all sin-issues.
yes...and why is it so void in religion?
There's already a word for that. Not all atheists are critical thinkers. They're different words with different meanigns.
Hey! I'm an Anti-theist, but I do NOT get on or attack religious people about their beliefs. I just know the harm it does. I've never tried to 'convert' someone to Atheism or Anti-theism.
Religion is harmful indeed. Science and Liberalism has pushed religion back, but we all know what would happen if religion had a position of power again... Look at Saudi Arabia.
I'm an anti theist myself but I did very much enjoy your interview in the church, You have a great, free flowing way of presenting your point of view. Also don't pick on the internet too much, it has given a very powerful voice to people like ourselves, that previously were drowned out by all types of institutionalized religious bigotry.
I'm kinda sad that there is a lot of hate for atheists. Believe what you want, live a happy life, and just don't hate. It's okay to not believe or believe, but let other people do what they feel is right. And please do not say ridiculous things like atheists eat children and sacrifice puppies. We are people! Most atheists are NOT anti-theists, so we don't hate on you. Also, how many religions do you dismiss, theists? If you think it's okay to dismiss those, isn't it okay for us to ignore yours?
I agree with what you said, generally. The antitheist bit is interesting because, like any of the words in this realm (atheist, agnostic, etc.) it means different things to different people.
I think that what it sounds like you mean is "someone who is against theists." By that definition, I'm not an antitheist. I have friends who are believers, and I think a lot of them are awesome.
My definition is "someone who is against theism," and by that definition, I am. I think that, at its worst, religion is very harmful to people and to progress, having effects that just wouldn't happen without religion. (Saying you can't have condoms in Africa? Who would do that without religion??) At its best, it's a belief without justification that does no harm, perhaps encouraging people to do the right thing sometimes (and other times the wrong thing) for the wrong reasons.
Nice one, Neil.
The "gentle approach" seems to be what works best when explaining these things to people who are taught intolerance from an early age.
Finally a youtube atheist who's not angry. His comments don't really apply to the Christianity I come from here in Europe, but interesting nonetheless.
Hostile American Atheists are a product of insane and oppressive American Christianity. I grew up in it. I envy you.
sprontos You need to read his blog regarding the movie "God isn't dead"; it spews hostility!
Krysta David and truth
Krysta David
Even generally calm people have a right to be angry from time to time.
Russia isn't European, and I doubt this is the case in the majority of Italy.
How are the two even related? I don't believe in God, but doing good things and being a good person is a completely isolate thing. Do I believe in empathy? In helping others? In not being selfish? OF COURSE. Do I believe in some all mighty bearded man in the sky? NO - just like Santa.
I really like this video from a Christian perspective. It was helpful, but I'd also like to see a video where the common misconceptions about Christians are addressed. Namely:
1.) We don't hate the gays. The honest truth is that the vast majority of Christians don't really hate anyone. Just because we may disagree with the lifestyle, there is no reason to hate. We are called to love everybody and when people hear that I don't think that homosexuality is right, they also assume that I belong to the Westboro Baptist church and that couldn't be further from the truth.
2.) We are not befriending you to convert you. That doesn't mean that I wouldn't want for you to attend church with me, but I want to know you personally before anything else. If i care about you, i will tell you what i believe is the truth. If you choose not to accept it, that is beyond my control and i accept that. That won't affect my feelings toward you as a person.
3.) Not all churches are preaching hellfire and brimstone on a weekly basis. The majority of churches do not use fear tactics to get you to believe in God(like that would even work). Love and grace are the cornerstones of 90% of all churches.
4.) I believe in God because I have chosen to. Granted, I cannot completely neglect my Christian upbringing, but that doesn't mean that I have been somehow brainwashed into belief. My parents showed me the direction and i chose to follow it. I am an up and coming apologist and spend hours researching both positions in order to gain a full perspective. I seek the truth and this is where i find it. Just because you may not have a religion doesn't mean that you aren't inundating your children with a set of beliefs that could be misconstrued as brainwashing: A belief that there is no God is still a belief that you are passing on to your children.
5.) We aren't perfect. I always make it a point to tell those i meet that I'm no different than an athiest. I mess up and I try to do better the next time. Im not here to constantly call you out on your mistakes. I know that I am very broken and so are you if we were to really look at our lives. I am not disillusioned enough to believe that since I am a Christian, I am better than you.
Actually it's perfectly possible to hate God without believing in Him - as anyone involved in Fandom will know. Many Game of Thrones viewers hated Joffrey, many Harry Potter readers hated Voldemort, and I hate the Abrahamic God in the same way. A vile and evil fictional character, far worse even than Joffrey at his most depraved, with a death count that makes Voldemort look like Winnie the Pooh by comparison. And He's nowhere near as well-written as George R R Martin's characters or even Rowling's (and I think J K Rowling is a terrible writer).
My favorite thing about being an atheist, is that I believe in so many thing Jesus said, like love your neighbor, help the poor and weak, and greed will keep you out of heaven. And so many of my evangelical Christian friends fail that simple test of following Jesus.
Beautifully explained, Neil! You've certainly articulated a viewpoint I share. I am an anti-theist though because theism has both a track-record and a contemporary reality that's destructive to social progress. The anti-science aspects of religion are obstructive to scientific progress, social cohesion and justice. That stated, you've contributed to an understanding that should help Theists to feel much more comfortable with Atheists, and should help doubters & fence-sitters to resolve their convictions. You covered the bases nicely!
In my catechism classes, something he said seminarian I found shocking. I not even remember what it was that particular point. But being the son and grandson of teachers, I was always encouraged to seek out the answers for myself. "The dictionary is your friend," I said, "And if the answer is not in the dictionary, perhaps you find it in another book."So I searched and found a book in the library of my home, entitled "History of religious beliefs". And I found many more answers and many more questions than it was then. Some time later, another kind of catechism, I blurted out, like a bomb, that the date of Christmas is arbitrary. Of course, say such a thing, in a Catholic school run by Marist priests is a scandal. The next thing I knew I was in the hallway, next to the principal's office, the brother Horencio, waiting for my parents while my expulsion was pending. And worse, I could not understand why I was being punished so, just to express what I thought were real facts (incidentally, the date of Christmas is arbitrary).Arrived my parents was the case to convince the director that had not been schooled in atheism, nor prepared to destroy the faith of my classmates, but I was just a curious child with an educated independent mind. Finally, it was a compromise. I would not be expelled from school, but would no longer attend catechism, and never talk to my classmates about issues of religion "not to destroy their faith," Orencio said (Poor Brother Orencio, He never thought saying that he was destroying any faith I could stay: If faith can be destroyed by the words, then the words are more powerful than faith.). In addition, he recommended me to read the Bible.That was the biggest mistake he could make. I being an omnivore and almost obsessive reader, between now and the end of my elementary school, I read the Bilia at least three times, from cover to cover. As Teller says, it is the most efficient way to become an atheist. And I've never regretted.
Thank you very much for your interview. I am not an American and all my life was an atheist. Recently I dicsovered the American christian culture and was deeply shocked. Your rational and tolerant approach towards theists is inspiring, thank you!
I agree that the debate needs to happen (I'll write about that soon on Godless In Dixie) and bad ideas need to be addressed. They don't get a free pass just because feelings would get hurt. But I also am convinced there is some value to starting some conversations which are meant to shoot for a little mutual understanding or at least to encourage a more civil approach to the overall discussion. Not everyone is immovable in his/her theology.
I had a great time becoming an atheist. I was scared of my family because they would assault me verbally, but I feel sorry for them. Nothing bad happened to me. I simply became a curious, open-minded, genius individual who questions the existence of such a thing as "Gods or a God" and found the truth. There is no such thing as a God or Gods.
+Jayson Miller me too almost the same experience :D
+newdhia hassen Twins. lol.
Jayson Miller however you will still feeling that society is against you , just keep saying : "believe me , don't hate your particular god !, and atheism is not a choice it is the tax of thinking rationally "
+newdhia hassen Yeah
Once you believe in something fake, you are stuck in that, but human mind needs to explore,agree.
in regards to the last point in the video, i always tell people "im an atheist, but i prefer naturalist; you don’t define someone by what they don't believe" I believe there is a natural explanation for everything.
I must say... As much as I truly did appreciate the talk given as well as the attitude of the pastor and his church, there is just this one lingering baby elephant in the room..
And it is that in the minds of the pastor and his church, Neil Carter is going to burn in hell forever. No matter how friendly a christian can possibly be, in the back of their mind, they know what awaits you. And how could you possibly be friends with someone who worships a god that would do that to you? Seems just a tad bit divisive.
What is RCC? For most christians denominations, it is having faith in God that gets you to heaven, and a lack of it that gets you to hell. Therefore, atheists in heaven would not make sense.
Sharker2400
Your church was founded by Paul, not Jesus.
TheZeroAssassin Peter, dipstick. Peter is the Rock of the Church. Read your bible.
When I was religious, me and my family thought people who weren't bad, but didn't believe in god dont go to heaven or hell...
13 Tooth Dear idiot, do you always enjoy making such a spectacle of yourself? We were never talking about your popes. I was addressing who founded your religion, so naturally you start with strawman bullshit and only succeed in making yourself look stupid. Nice work. :)
"Why do you hate Zeus?" Reasonable retort. Love it!
"8 "Quoting the Bible doesn't work like Jedi mind tricks." Another annoying one that happens all to often.
Great video! Thanks for sharing it.
When Christians use that "you'll burn" thing, that is a threat. Imagine selling refrigerators door to door that way. It is should be illegal to make such threats as part of a sales pitch.
it's annoying that it's the atheist who has to defend himself, when it's Christians who are making the absurd unsubstantiated claims.
does your sense of right and wrong go away when you don't believe in God????!!!!!! The ten commandments are based on COMMON SENSE that anyone with any kind of conscience or brain has!
Which one of the ten commandments?? There's two of them: Exodus 20: 1-17 and Exodus 34: 10-26. That's just a start of how screwed up your book is. And no, there's no common sense in either of them.
Yeah there are only like 4 that matter. The rest are absolutely nonsense. From a perspective of descriptive ethics, it looks insane.
Krysta David Your comment was no better. :(
etiquettefiend Could you please further explain your response to my comment?
It may appear ironic because she is speaking on morality, but coming from an organized belief system, who's god killed babies - I think saying "dickhead" is the least of your worries. Comedian Jim Jefferies does far worse on this subject making fun of Christians. You make no argument and instead all you can conjure is essentially "I'm offended." Ad hominem lameness.
As a Christian, I have to say, that this was a reasonable video with a more than reasonable basis. I've met quite a few other 'Christians' in my time who's attitudes I found to be detrimental to the faith, if not borderline obnoxious and I already understand and/or follow all the points you made.
Here's a few points that I would hope certain Atheists can come to realize about some Christians like myself.
(cont)
Everyone should see this video. The only part I disagree with is comparing believing in God to believing in Santa Claus. Just didn't sit right with me. Other than that all the points he makes are so solid. Growing up in Texas where everyone is close minded christians it's so refreshing to see an open minded atheist
Erik Murrah No yeah the point he was trying to make came across, no argument there
Why does the analogy fail to you?
damienkurast I should have specified, I just found it offensive, though I was not personally offended. Does that make sense?
borrowedtoe
But why do you find it offensive? Do you accept that the comparison is justified?
damienkurast It's offensive in my opinion because comparing God to Santa is like unintentionally implying "these two things aren't real, just something people believe in."
That's not the message he's trying to send, and I wasn't personally offended. But I could understand it being perceived as offensive.
I agree with the last one. I despise conversions, and do not contradict myself by trying to de-convert. Rather, persuade to check out truth for self, thus free thinking. Atheism does not mean anything unless you discover truth for self.
I was raised as a Christian by a fairly religious mother and a father who believed (still believes) in God but wasn't very religious. I went to church from before I can even remember and was sent to a Church of England primary school and a Church of England high school. All the way through my life until I was 16 I never even considered the possibility that there wasn't a god, specifically the Yahweh/Jehovah/Allah deity of the Abrahamic religions. I was never taught creationism or anything like that, and I've never been religious, but I believed in that particular deity. Then at 16 I got to college (a Catholic college), and for the first time in my life I met atheists. Inevitably, we discussed theology. I tried to tell them why I believed in God, but found that I couldn't actually think of a very good reason. They, on the other hand, had plenty of very good reasons for not believing in God, and gradually they convinced me that there are no deities. They did not set out to counter-convert me, but rather I lost my belief through rational thought and logic
***** Who are you to say that.
I don't tell religious people that they're wrong and to abandon their faith, so why do religious people feel like they have the right to tell me that I'm wrong and that I should worship a god who apparently has the power to determine the outcome of American sporting events but apparently has neither the power nor the inclination to cure African babies of life-threatening diseases?
''God'' didn't make humans, humans made a ''God" if you ask me.
This way they feel more confident about questions that we cannot yet answer.
***** Why he can only interfere when it gets really bad? And how do you know that ''Jezus'' will come back?
1. We have morals too. It is to one's advantage to be perceived as kind and polite, etc. And it feels good to know that people think highly of you. But all of that amounts to a rewards-based morality which is just a somewhat sophisticated opportunism.
i'm an atheist and i do not eat babies
What absolute moral standards do you follow that leads you to not eat babies? Or is it that you do not like the way they taste?
I don't need a higher power to tell me that, I just know it's wrong, atheists are not immoral, most of us are good people.
Ben Gates correct, you know it's wrong because absolute morals exist. God has placed inside you an absolute moral center so that you know good from evil.
FindingTruthToday But morality does not come from God, it comes from within. It was inside us all along, based on our own actions.
Ben Gates so you are claiming that you are an atheist and that morals are absolute?
You are refreshingly nice.
I find it interesting that you keep saying "we," as if all atheists believe as you do. Some atheist do hate God (I've met them). Some atheists do deep down believe, but choose to suppress it (met them, too). Additionally, Christians don't believe atheists to be immoral. We just don't understand how you justify this moral code. God created justice. Ever heard of the Ten Commandments? So to claim there is no God, while at the same time adopting His moral code, all the while clinging to the belief that humans evolved through random processes which require no accountability, morals, or justice... you have to admit there are some contradictions there.
+gerikc
It is true that atheist do not all think alike. Just as it is true that people that believe in god do not think alike, hence the reason that christianity has 40,000 different sects.
If an atheist says that they hate god, he/she may of misspoken, they may have meant they hate the idea or the teachings of the said god.
If you believe that a god exists you are not an atheist. Atheists disbelieve or lack the belief that gods exist. now if you do not believe that bigfoot exists why on earth would you hate something non existent? That makes no sense.
Morals come from humans and they have evolved as humans have evolved. Morals do not stay the same and change over time, they evolve. You can claim that god created morals, but you cannot prove it. And the god of the bible in today's world is not considered moral. There is nothing moral about killing children, forcing rape victims to marry their raper, stoning people to death, concurring neighboring tribes because they have a different god and taking their virgin women to be sex slaves, or killing someone for working on the sabbath. Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live? Newsflash witches do not exist. Have you ever heard of the golden rule? Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself. Confucius (c. 500 BC) I could be wrong but I do not believe that Confucius ever had knowledge of your god or christianity, and yet there it is, treat people as you would like to be treated. No god required. Nobody adopted your moral code written by men in the name of their god, those moral already existed around the world in different cultures without knowledge of the christian god. I look forward to your reply proving me wrong, have a nice day!
+Gannicus With no higher power, all things are permissible and subjective. What is moral to you may not be moral to someone else. So who makes the rules? You're also throwing many different religious acts of violence at me, as if I agree with these religious perversions. The God of the Bible hated idol worship, child sacrifice, sex slaves given over to the temple priests, etc. This is why He tried to rid the world of this evil through the flood, and then through war. It may seem harsh to someone who hasn't actually read the Bible, but He did it to protect His faithful from the idolaters, satan worshipers, and child sacrificers, lest they become like them. The tribes that were killed through war were idol worshiping nations. Men, women, and children, all worshiping idols, perpetuating the heinous acts you mentioned, and that's what God wanted to rid the world of. As for the 300 sects of Christianity, this is what happens when man gets in the way. At the end of the day, most of these sects agree that Christ is the Savior sent by God to unite the body of believers. We may be divided by small doctrinal arguments (long skirts, no makeup, playing with snakes, etc.), but for the most part, we're united. Anyone who doesn't believe in Christ as Savior can't be called a Christian. So, of the "300" sects you refer to, I hope those have been discounted. The rest of us have the same basic beliefs. It's as simple as picking up a Bible.
+gerikc
*With no higher power, all things are permissible and subjective*
Only if you are a rotten person. And if you have to be told not to kill rape and steal, it does not speak well on your behalf. If believing in a god and the bible is the only thing that keeps you from performing heinous crimes and unspeakable acts, then by all means keep believing because atheism and thinking for yourself may not be your cup of tea. And it is almost as if your god doesn't exist because man has had to put systems in place for those who would behave as you if they didn't believe in a god. Maybe you have heard of them, courts of law, police, jails, armies.
*What is moral to you may not be moral to someone else*
Very true. The godbots of the middle east make their women wear potato sacks. They do not let them have an education other than their holy book. They treat their women as properties. Hell, I bet there are still people in the south that think slavery is still ok because the bible condones it. If we followed the morals set forth in the bible most of america would of been killed for working on the sabbath!
*You are also throwing many different religious acts of violence at me, as if I agree with these religious perversions.*
Those perversions come from the bible and the god that is in it. Try reading the book, it is the single best way to become an atheist at least to that god. According to the bible Ham seen Noah naked, and what did god do? He cursed his children! Can you imagine committing a murder and then your son or daughter going to jail for your acts? Yea, that is just oozing morality isn't it?
*The God of the Bible hated idol worship, child sacrifice, sex slaves given over to the temple priests, etc.*
If this god is the only god, why would it care about false gods? What happened to free will? Where was that free will when he commanded the Hebrews to slaughter other tribes, to kill the children (who were innocent) as they had no control on where and to who they were born. He commanded them to to take the untouched women for themselves (sex slaves). I stand in awe of your god's morality. And this is just the tip of the iceberg of your god's awesome morality. Imagine the psychological trauma that Abraham's kid went through when he said come on I have to kill you son to show my obedience to god. What about all of the first born of Egypt being slaughtered because your god hardened Pharaoh's heart? WTF? What did the children do? What an asshole. He's god, he could of just killed the pharoah or snapped his imaginary fingers to set the Hebrews free without getting his bloodthirst on. Yea I really want those morals, not!
*It may seem harsh to someone who hasn't actually read the Bible, but He did it to protect His faithful from the idolaters, satan worshipers, and child sacrificers, lest they become like them.*
Um, I have read the bible. Probably the biggest reason that I am no longer a christian.
*The tribes that were killed through war were idol worshiping nations. Men, women, and children, all worshiping idols, perpetuating the heinous acts you mentioned, and that's what God wanted to rid the world of.*
Listen to yourself, excusing the heinous acts of your bloodthirsty god. How can you blame the children for anything? they had no control on where they were born and to whom? Sic bastard! Not to mention you suffer from Stockholm Syndrom, slave of god.
Stockholm syndrome, or capture-bonding, is a psychological phenomenon in which hostages express empathy and sympathy and have positive feelings toward their captors, sometimes to the point of defending and identifying with the captors.
*As for the 300 sects of Christianity, this is what happens when man gets in the way.*
Wrong, there are 40,000 sects of christianity, look it up. And that is what happens when one sect cannot be proven to be true over the others.
*At the end of the day, most of these sects agree that Christ is the Savior sent by God to unite the body of believers.*
Maybe so, but it does not make it true. Judaism which predates christianity does not believe that Jesus is the Messiah or the son of god. Why? Because Jesus never fulfilled the Messianic prophecies as written in the Torah. If the second book does not match the first book its wrong, no other way to put it. And Just to name a few reasons, Jesus was not from the line of David if his father was god, requirement. The messiah is to be a mortal man, you can hardly call the son of a god that. He never gathered all of the Jews back to Israel, never brung world peace. He never rebuilt the temple unless he built the Dome of the Rock and is a Muslim.
All of this the Jewish messiah was suppose to complete during his natural life. And last that I checked the said Jesus is dead. No where does it state in the O.T. prophecies that the messiah will die and thousands of years and later he will complete them.
So you see, I the atheist have a better understanding of not just your religion, but of the other religions as well. Now I realize that knowledge was about the first thing forbidden in your book but come on!
+gerikc The 10 commandments are proof of God's Morality? You must be joking --- There isn't an intelligent person on earth who couldn't come up with 10 moral laws better than those... Only 3 of the 10 commandments were even good enough to make it into man's law... Also, a person who "believes deep down" cannot be an Atheist, that would be the same as a married bachelor, it is a contradiction...
+gerikc Very well put!
I was brought up in a religious home as a child, Baptist that is, but didn't care much about it growing up. I knew that there was a God but couldn't really tell if he exist until one day he showed me who he really is.
From that point on everything made perfect sense about those being an atheist, those who put there hope in science, not knowing that any physical instrument science has, it couldn't measure or look into the spiritual realm. In the Bible it says Draw near to me (God) and I will draw near to you. If you take that verse, and put it into action, you'll see God for who he really is. It's your choice, man and there inventions will fail, God won't.
If You Believe, no evidence is necessary.
If you don't believe, no evidence is enough.
I say that because as a believer, and many more like me, we don't rely on evidence for our faith, we are the evidence. We are the ones who came from nothing and turn into someone important, we are the ones who have hope and the power to make a change even when we are put down.
We all judge, which is obviously wrong. Until you walked in somebody else's shoes but until then, love one another, like our Lord commanded us.
Non-believers have the evidences before them, nothing came by accident, they know this, deep inside you know. Taking heed to facts and theories isn't always correct especially if you didn't witness it in person. God created all, and all of his creation has a purpose. We were designed, intelligently.
1 Corinthians 2:14
But people who aren't spiritual can't receive these truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can't understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.
Acknowledge God, Repent, and Be Blessed.
Hey, great job, man! I sent this video to my mom and I'm hoping it helps us understand each other. Christopher Hitchens couldn't do what you do. ;) THANK YOU!
I am a Christian and I think you made some really good points!
Wow, this guy is very well spoken, and very likeable, very respectful. You go atheist guy.
Neil, love all the media you've put out there. Only scratched the surface so far. I'm sure you've probably run across this book, but more in the atheist community need to read it. By Pascal Boyer and it's called "Religion Explained". He's an anthropologist and it goes into the mechanics of belief but most importantly that it is a product of our brain's natural, evolved functioning. There is no "God" centre in the brain, but it is clearly a result of how we think - almost like a vestigial organ that developed out of other non related evolutionary cognition. Valerie Tarico has also done a series of fantastic RUclipss utilizing this theme.
Awesome vid. I'm to #5 and so far you are spot on. I really wish Christians wanted to know this stuff and actually KNOW it. From my experience Christians want to believe what they believe and the moment they get someone trying to teach them how it really is, they tune out. Believing isn't a choice. How many times I have tried to say this in my videos. It's not a switch you can turn off and on.
You are a wonderful speaker. Where are you from? Your accent it delightful! Great talk, I enjoyed it very much, I have subscribed and look forward to watching more.
Yeah, when I was in junior high school, a kid said to me, "You're such a good Christian." I said, "I'm not a Christian. I don't even know if God exists." He said, "If I didn't believe in God, I'd do anything I'd want." And I said, "Then I'm very glad you believe in God." This misconception led me to write a book. It's called, "To The Faithless and The Unbelieving BERTAM GREY." A young Agnostic boy is left to live with his Baptist uncle. Runner-Up in the 2014 Southern California Book Festival. Here's the link if you're interested. www.amazon.com/Faithless-Unbelieving-BERTRAM-GREY/dp/1434929809/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
I'm a Christian and I agree with all of your points. It goes both ways. Atheists (not necessarily you, but in general) make assumptions about Christians too, and it's very disrespectful.
I guess we simply have to learn how to have a conversation wherein we listen to understand each other knowing well that we're probably not going to change each others minds.
madamerousseau78,
Neil Carter is not making assumptions. He is showing a list of common misperceptions from ***somoe*** religious people. Do you fall into any of those categories he showed? I suspect you might. If so, then you merely match what he was trying to say. He ***didn't*** mean to say that all religious people hold all of those views. (although in my opinion, most will hold more than one of them)
Number Two: You don't know us better than we know ourselves.
a. After you tell us how the "Church" (usually the RCC or a weird charismatic church has gotten hold of you at some point in your life) & its hypocritical members messed totally with your life, or how God didn't answer your prayers, or how you FINALLY read the Bible (even though you understood NONE of what it said) & decided that God was a "hateful, violent, sadistic monster!!", THEN we try to respond to this mess (often given to us in a tirade of filthy words, insults, etc), we are accused of "not knowing anything" about the atheist. You've already told us more than we need to know.
b. I will grant this point as legitimate when the above has not happened & many immature Christians will start preaching, rather than responding; however, I see many Christians doing this AFTER the atheist(s) have gone off on them already. It doesn't make it right, but it is a reason.
c. Atheists can insult YOU Christians, because they're trying to bring you back from your alleged insanity, delusions & naivety, but Katie Bar the Door if a Christian should try to bring the atheist back from the grips of ETERNITY in Hell.
Number Three: We don't deep down believe in your God.
a. Duh! That is essentially the meaning of "atheist".
b. The TRUE God (there can ONLY be ONE God) IS the "only one worth looking into". Atheists assume that Thor, Zeus, etc. are gods; they are not. Basically, IMO, the problem is not mainly that atheists don't believe in God, but that they don't WANT there to BE a God. If there was a God, they'd have to respect & obey said God, & an arrogant man, just like an arrogant angel, will not do that, even if said God was standing in front of him with absolute proof.
c. MANY Christians were formerly atheists or agnostics. We KNOW that if we changed OUR minds about Jesus Christ, then there is always HOPE that others will.
"We Beat Puppies... And Sacrifice Things :3"
Neil, I genuinely appreciate this video and as a Christian, your points about others thinking they know you better than you know yourself is insulting. I do have to respond to the next point about hating God. You asked the church member if he believed/hated Zeus? I understand the analogy but there is something more to the claim of the Christian God. He claims to be the one and only Creator and all other gods are false gods. In fact, He says over and over again how foolish it is to believe in idols and false gods (this would include Zeus among many others). Paul says in Romans 1 that everyone (atheists, Buddhists, Muslims) should know God by his invisbile qualities in creation itself. And that everyone who doesn't acknowledge the One, True, God is "suppressing the truth".
Now, I realize you don't believe this and my point here is not to try and sway you- I respect your honest approach too much for that- but I didn't just pick my particular God and claim if you don't believe you must hate him- Zeus is not making the same claims- nor any other god, for that matter. All gods are not equal in value- IF in fact there is only one true God.
The "problem" with the biblical God is that He claims too much- If none of the other gods did indeed create me- I can not believe in any of them and not hate them.
It may be wrong- but THE CLAIM, at least, of THIS God- is that there is no neutral "non-belief" position possible. At least that's the claim as differentiated from all others in the Christian view.
Thanks again for the video
This gentlemen appears to be very balanced. Not condescending, arrogant or holding a black & white view regarding issues of faith.
In my experience there are a huge proportion of people that are so unbalanced and close minded on these very issues. There's too much of this "you believe in a magic man in the sky" attitude or you are "an evil person who is going to burn in hell" viewpoints.
This man deserves respect for his attitude.
Hell doesn't worry me, but which one are you talking about:
Hell is an unincorporated community in Putnam Township of Livingston County in the U.S. state of Michigan, population 266, ZIP Code 48169.
Hell is a village in the Lånke area of the municipality of Stjørdal in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway, population 1,418.
I want to believe in a higher power. A place afterlife where we can all go and hang out for eternity. See our passed friends who died before us. Sure. But it's not logical to believe in it. It's fantasy. There are so many things in the bible that are morally wrong and just wrong in general, but people still believe it. Would you believe a liar? Also, i think it's ironic that the US court system makes you swear on the bible to tell the TRUTH!!!
Thank you Neil for this presentation, I've favourited this and will use it as a means of letting Christians and theists in general gain a better understanding of my viewpoint.
While I am an atheist, I believe in peace, I loath paedophilia, murder, and using ones God/s to justify such horrific acts.
why is it the human condition to create stories to explain everything? Why can't we just appreciate the world as it is instead of conflicting over which God is best and who's right or wrong? I am certain that if you and I just sat down and just talked to each other, then we would realise that we are the same or similar. Cause we as a race from cave men to cannibals to desert hermits to philosophers to conquerors to rulers...and so on have come far on a 200,000 year long road. Better yet, we haven't reached the end and I doubt we will in our lifetimes. So let's just rest and relax at this century's roadside café. :-)
Great video!
As a former Christian, I can especially relate to points 2 and 3. People say, "Well, you were never a *real* Christian, if you left the faith." You know, the No True Scotsman argument.
Talk about arrogance! (I thought the *atheists* were stereotyped as arrogant.) You don't know me; how do you *presume* to know what the sincerity of my belief was?
I feel so bad for you Mr Carter, I have experienced none of these problems across the pond. The indoctrination must be quite ingrained in Mississippi.
Great video!
I once heard somebody say something like: if you reject God, you allow Satan to come into your heart. Just because somebody says something doesn't mean I'm going to believe it but I figured, IF it was true, it just might explain why atheists seemingly can't just say calmly, politetly and respectfully, they don't believe in God, they almost always feel the need to include insults and anger. Though I was far from sure that God existed at the time, I just didn't want to turn into that.
I am so grateful to have been born in an atheist household. They would have supported me no matter what but they felt that as a young child and already being bombarded in daily life with Christian and religious beliefs. My parents wrote to my school and asked me to be excluded from hymn and prayers in the morning.
I am so grateful i was not indoctrinated by my own family.
To those theists that say (#6) that I "choose" not to believe in god, and insist that a person can choose what they _believe,_ I challenge them to 'choose' to believe my claim "Bigfoot lives in my backyard." I've not got an honest response yet from any theists.
Belief in God does much more harm than good for the individual as well as society. Atheism is a more evolved state of mind than a believer's. The death of God is progress.
Nice interview. Congrats for being such a positive and polite atheist.
Anti-theism is a tricky term, I kinda agree that the main beef is fundamentalism, but the problem with belief in the supernatural is that anyone can move towards fundamentalism pretty easily if they rely on such shakey reasons as blind faith.
However I also see that religion and superstition is not something society is going to drop anytime in my lifetime so we must tolerate it.
As far as I am concerned my behavior was atrocious when I was a Christian as I became an agnostic my behavior improved but it did not become completely acceptable until I became and embraced atheism.
It's been a while since I had to remember the distinction. I think for the purposes of this interview, either would work. Painting with a broad brush, and all that.
Theists don't think you don't have morals. You all just never understood the moral argument. Without God, you don't have moral facts, only moral opinions. Your morals aren't based on anything good. They're based on preference and taste.
Stoning is bad - is a moral opinion. One EASY to share, though.
@@chrissonofpear3657 That's not necessarily true.
i like that for xtians at least, being born again gives you the superpower of mind reading.
"You really feel it appropriate to stand up and oppose your creator that way, again assuming he exists?"
Why does being our creator mean he deserves respect? Parents can be abusive.
I've had to deal with this A LOT. It's seen as a moral failing, not an intellectual difference.
I use to be Christian and believe me when you hear an athiest speak you just ignore what they say completely and just try to convert them when I think that is wrong.
We totally should, though. Wouldn't it be a fascinating experiment?
"Pardon me, ma'am. Do you have a moment to talk about empirical evidence and the scientific method?"
I've never quite understood the point of labelling oneself an "atheist." It's very odd if you think about it. Most people label or identify themselves based on what they DO believe, not what they DON'T. This is the case for pretty much every philosophical (e.g., empiricist), political (e.g., communist), or economic (e.g., capitalist) position. Even a retail store or restaurant advertises what it does sell, not what it doesn't. No one goes around calling himself an "aextraterrestrialist."
I don't think this comment should be flagged as spam, it's a perfectly reasonable point for a Christian to make.
Very well presented. Thank you.
Indeed. A lot less knee-jerk fear-and-loathing and a lot more compassion and understanding would do us all well.
I really wish I was as eloquent as this guy. I usually just tell folk that I think God is a load of shit and I guess it doesn't make us atheist look very well.
Fascinating. Do you have a reference or some kind of citation for this "great council"? Who convened this council and where was it?
Also, I'm assuming you already know that Charles Darwin wasn't born until 1809, am I right?
Nice video to educate the christians that still think some of these things about Atheists. Also that you can be moral without the need of a supervising parent that never quits. Also, that it is important to believe in something where there is evidence and not the other way around, Good video though.
"your comment does not belong in a discussion" this comment is just an answer.
"You are merely using generalized hearsay and stereotyping" - not really, it's from experience - I've read stuff, and I know many people that are atheists only because they don't like to go to church, hate priests-pedophiles etc. It's really common, and it works both ways - for example many people walk to church to pray, but in fact they really don't care about faith etc.
If you're unsure, an offer to monetize your videos would come fairly quickly (2-4 months). In the form of a 5 second advertisement in front of your videos, you'd recover what you'd spend on a simple camera in a very brief period of time (payment per thousand views). You seem to give comments on your videos some thought, why not digitalize and archive those thoughts in your spare time?
I'd gladly sate any curiosity regarding the process of starting up on RUclips.
if Christianity never existed during the Roman empire, the world will be still the same with barbarians in Northern Europe and Islamic army conquering all of Europe and the world. if Christianity never existed there would be no hope or change for some former criminals and other disadvantage population of the world . some people with depression are saved through the power of the gospel of Christ.
***** C.S. Lewis's fan fiction, maybe? Frank Turek's wet dreams? You got me.
And without enlightenment, secularism, and separation of church and state, we would still be burning non-believers and witches alive.
Hitch Slap I love your user name.
To close by addressing your last point, science and religion can and do coexist. Not all people of faith claim to be young earth creationists who reject the advances of modern science. Many hard working, notable scientists are people of faith.
I love how he's wearing a dark shirt and the Christian guy is wearing a light coloured shirt. SYMBOLISM!!!
Atheists: 0
Christians: 0
Me: 1
I often say the same thing. Excellent suggestion. I can also identify with secular humanism because it is a set of positive beliefs that are consistent with my own aims in life.
I also like to say that I'm a polyatheist, because there are MANY gods I don't believe in ;-)
Why was it flagged? I'll try and remove that...
Jesus=The first disciples are also disciples of John the Baptist and are
Andrew,and brother Simon Peter.
Julius Caesar=Started out with 2 supporters Quintus Scribonius Curio,and Mark Antony,whom
were also friends of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus,then helped Caesar in the civil war against
Pompeius.
This is to eggertswart. First for some people, the fear of a fake god might deter people from commenting crimes. For some people they might say I can comment crimes, and ask for forgiveness, and still go to a fake heaven. In my opinion it does not even matter if it does. If people are intentionally being lied about a god that does not existence, it's morally wrong. The time taken to tell people what the bible says, could be used to teach people how to you reasoning, to become more moral.
9:06 He's shocked because he figured out everyone in his life he considered a trustworthy authority was fucking lying to him.
Believe is a choice, it is a choice whether you choose to believe or not? Believe is Trust. Trust is to put your faith beyond something your capabilities or your understanding or your knowledge. In another word, your faith goes beyond unseen things. In some points, you already insult them as well as they do. No different, human as I thought.
+Js Cing the mere existance of religion is insulting to science and also the other way around.
14:11 "Not everybody who doesn't believe in god is an anti-theist. Many people are just what you would call and agnostic, and in some ways I am that too."
You can be an agnostic, atheist and anti-theist. These concepts are not mutually exclusive.
Those Muslims are wrong. So are those Christians who think the same thing. Morals are about the kind of person you are in your heart. It doesn't take a god.