As a former Mormon, I made similar errors in thinking. When I found a bit of evidence I felt backed up my beliefs I simply stopped looking. It was always enough for me to think: "Well, that's all the proof I need. That's the answer." My mistake was not going further and asking additional questions. I had my answer, why dig deeper? It took me years before realizing that I had been dishonest with myself and those around me. I claimed that I had thought it through, but in reality I simply stopped thinking once I found the shred of truth that backed up LDS claims. Evidence was only useful when I perceived it supported my faith. The very moment I applied reason beyond that point, the LDS church's claims fell like a house of cards.
OMFSM! That is a brilliant retort! "Why should I trust a book written by a people that didn't know where the sun went at night." I am so going to use that!
Theists think they know, are too scared to know, or don't care to know. I hope they pull out of that theological matrix soon. I'd like to see some really cool stuff happen with all those free minds before I die. Such a waste.
Don't you HATE having to explain the joke? Speaking of "faith," Hamza Tsortzis argues that we should all eschew the reasoning skills we develop as we grow older, as well as experience and education that teaches us to be skeptical of fantastical claims. According to Tsortzis, toddlers are pre-disposed to believe in magic and gods and we'd all be better off maintaining their rudimentary reasoning skills (and presumably, their preference for instant gratification and demonstrative distress when not getting it). Inadvertently, he probably offered the perfect explanation for why religious fundamentalists react with unbridled rage when one questions their religion.
WildwoodClaire1 The oddity of this notion that Tsortzis presents is that it ignores the nature of teaching knowledge and ideas. Teaching is a form of a short-cut. It imparts knowledge to a person without that person needing to go through the entire process of exploring, observing, theorizing, testing, re-testing, and making a conclusion all by themselves. All of the collective human knowledge that uses this process is based on those rudimentary skills he values so much and is just lifetimes upon lifetimes of those skills being applied time and time again. Teaching is just circumvents the hard way and gives a conclusion to a problem while briefly summarizing how the conclusion was reached. On one hand, this also explains how religious teaching works. The belief structures of most world religions has been interpreted, debated, refined, questioned, and redefined over time, thus giving it believability due it's age, detail, and simplified explanations. The real problem lies in those simplified explanations. In science, we can confidently assume that most conclusions are true as we can see the practical results and applications of it (i.e. an engine, planes flying, etc.), whereas religions don't have that. There is no real, useful, apparent results, though there are displays of faith which are convincing in their own way. As such, they do not explain their logic the masses and simply gloss over the how or why. In the end, religion really just perverts the human system of learning and passing on knowledge to shrug the burden of proof.
As I have typed many times before, here on this medium(from science of course), to be a Theist, one must suspend all logic, sense, reason and facts. All facts we currently know and understand, point away from supernatural causation or explanation. Pretty simple really. No need for the wizard behind the curtain. We know stuff now. Great vid.
Brian, that was excellent! You make so damn much sense, and you put your thoughts articulately, and in a matter-of-fact manner. Like you, I was raised in a devoutly religious family, and gradually came to recognize that I didn't want to believe in fairy tales or imaginary friends anymore. Thank you so much, for this and for all your work.
Former Christian Fundamentalist here. Don't give up people, there is light at the end of the tunnel. People can and do break free from a lifetime of indoctrination. It is hard but so are most things worth doing.
I don't hate God. I don't hate those who believe in God. I hate that those who believe in God think it is perfectly fine for them to impose their suppositions that come with that belief over and above actual evidence. Such impositions upon society are neither reasonable, nor healthy for people.
drfoxcourt Yes, but, if _you_ believed in what they believe, you would likely feel just as compelled as they do to impose those suppositions upon society.. Besides prophesying that Christianity will eventually conquer the world (via the "Great Tribulation" and "Armageddon" (nice, huh?)), Christianity also commands it's followers to 'spread the "Word."' So, for many Christians, keeping their beliefs to themselves simply isn't an option, because it would actually be a sin to do so. The only effective way I know of to keep them from imposing themselves upon [American] society today is to keep them out of power politically. And the simplest way to do that would be to vote the Republican party out of existence. The Christian right has invested heavily in politics over the last few decades and they've become a powerful political force, but, they're not a majority and I think that if we can get Bernie Sanders elected President we just might be well on our way to defeating them once and for all.
@@LabGecko Yeah, pretty sure Dan's comment is more of the, "We are the real victims.", and, "Everything is a religion, when talking about beliefs, but not if talking about if mine is the right one.", among other absurdities. He seems to miss the whole - what you should believe is what is actually true, not just what you feel should be true, and religion... has nothing at all to do with what is actually real/true. If it did, it wouldn't keep coming into direct conflict with, literally **everything** we discover about how the universe, or even humans, for that matter, work. Mind.. I have been rewatching some of these and.. I do have a minor quibble with Mr. Deities obsession with British skeptics. Much like the US "atheist" movements "leaders" (or at least the ones that get paid a shit ton of money to go to conventions, while everyone else is actively excluded), which seems to have, in recent years, gone whole hog right wing, conservative, and whose message seems to be, "All the horrible social ideas in the Bible are fine, as long as you don't attribute them to a god!", the British skeptic movement seems to have a set of core ideologies, like being anti-trans, which they happily ignore biology, and our expanding understanding of how things work, to obsess over - because, somehow, those things are, "Ones we are just right about, we don't need to reexamine our ideas about them." Yeah, OK, its human nature to have some of these hang ups. However, the whole "point" of their society is supposed to be critical examination of ideas, and testing them against discovered facts, but there are things, not just trans issues, which BOTH groups refuse to critically examine, as actual institutions, at all, and which they actively exclude other people, who don't share this inflexible set of views with - almost all of them ideas that just happen to be a) fairly, or extremely, conservative, b) things that religions argue against as well, with even less legitimacy, and c) privilege certain classes of people - who they, weirdly, tend to be (such as, in nearly all cases, cis, white, male, and with million dollar book deals). Odd.... I don't disagree with Mr. Deity in his assertion that these people made contributions in the past, and those still stand as useful contributions. I do have a massive problem, as more and more of these flaws are exposed, with the assertion that, not them, but **EVERYONE ELSE** somehow deserve these people to be treated as "leaders". Its a bit like reelecting a 90 year old conservative to congress... maybe what we need for both movements is term limits, so that people with less, or at least different, biases get a chance to lead, not just the same old, increasingly inflexible, over certain, people, who refuse to change their minds about more and more things, even in the face of evidence that they are dead wrong.
Hi Brian, just a random thank you for making these videos over the years, and putting these arguments out there so clearly and with good humour. Can't afford to donate right now, but when I can I will!
***** If what misterdeity (or anyone else for that matter) says disagrees with what a fundamentalist believes it cannot be accepted as correct by the fundamentalist (He kind of explained this in the video).
Well said. I have no personal stake in any of the beliefs I hold, but simply in the rational assurance that whatever beliefs I do hold correspondent with evidence and reality.
Excellent video. Very well stated and precise arguments. I loved this mostly because it helped me clarify my own stance and I always like it when someone can do that for me.
I am not that grounded, I am a chaotic free spirit! Welcome to my gutter flowing of all types of water . . . faith_it is for the diametrically opposed; in that they are grounded, instead of making themselves grounded in something . . . like they are missing numbers somewhere #ExistentialPerceivedPhilosophy #Psychiatry
Loved the "Live by the sword, die by the sword". It may be possible to be religious and a scientist/rational. But reason support faith only as long as you don't use your reason to check your beliefs.
Just makes too much sense. And I love the bit about Dennis Praeger. What a tool that guy is. But you were much more eloquent about it. Great points. He doesnt want to know. What a shame/sham. Cheers. Enjoy your vids
6:53 This is something I'm surprised I don't hear more often. Realizing one's entire world view is broken really isn't enjoyable. I imagine that having your house broken into would feel similar. You just keep finding broken stuff.
I think you are right sir. People of faith don't make sense to me. People don't question hardly at all. These people show why this world isn't so advanced. They don't have curiosity. It is so sad.
WOW, BRIAN YOUR ELOQUENCE HAS GARNERED YOU A WELL EARNED DONATION (AGAIN)! COME ON OUT THERE, AT LEAST BUY SOME SWAG! Brain, you really deserve an award, so I'm melting down a few Oscars I bought at Goodwill! (unfortunately, they're just gold plate)
thanks so much! i dont know what know! i do know that i died and came back! i heard the dr say so i saw the spirit of my great great grandmother who told me to wait not to go that i had things to do still! i heeded her words though i knew i was only going to be miserable till i could escape my parents. there was only her and me and a light that called! i am humble enough to say i dont know if there is a god but i do know that death isnt the end!
The middle button of your shirt is undone(fifth one down, basically the button at the bottom of the screen), and its bugging me. other then that, great video.
key issue, the key point of debate and dialogue is epistemology. I can readily relate with the disillusionment or disaffection with the Abrahamic religions; I find they're histories and scripture to be ineffective or criptic and requiring too much interpretation. I think Mr Deity is sincere about changing his mind if the logic compels him to do so.
“Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe anything because it s found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept and live up to it.” --- Buddha Siddhartha Gautama Shakyamuni “Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.” --- François-Marie Arouet
If god wrote the bible, it would have been in words that any and all people could understand without an interpreter. God would have put that linguistic ability into out heads at the time of conception (or at least birth) But it wasn't, so a god didn't write it, individuals did for whatever reason.
If I am wrong, show me the evidence, but just because you proved that this particular deity exists, don't think I'm going to start worshiping it on a whim. I need to know why I should worship it, and whether or not it is even worthy of worship. If genocide can possibly be a good thing, then I would see no problem arresting you on the charges of _accessory to the murder of thousands_. You are supporting the murderer, and that IS a criminal offense. Oh, and don't act like you didn't know of his genocidal ways, you've read his book.
Well, atheistic fundamentalism means nothing more than being fundamentally convinced that there is no good reason to believe in anything supernatural. I personally prefer the anti-theistic stance, which means I am reasonably convinced that religion at the end of the day is harmful to humanity. Mostly because it is the origin of absolutism and servile thinking.
Sebastian Koenig "no good reason to believe in anything supernatural", you mean no good reason to believe in a deity/be a theist. I know atheists who believe in supernatural things like ghosts and an afterlife, but not in god or gods. They're distinct. The more you know~
Sebastian Koenig I find it's easier to use binary terms like (a)theist and (a)gnostic as the others have more baggage attached. I wouldn't call an atheist who believes in an afterlife and some supernatural things a skeptic, naturalist or materialist. Unbeliever is also a great term as it literally means "someone who doesn't believe" where the context provides what belief isn't believed.
Well done. Thank you again. I sleep just a bit better at night knowing there are at least a few rational people with a voice in the world. My question: Has reason ever ultimately triumphed over the will of fundamentalism or irrational behavior in history and if so, at what point? After all, Copernicus is probably still rolling in his grave at the thought of the mindless masses who are even now, contemplating a complete reversal of the advancement of human knowledge (creationists, flat earthers, etc.). Can we safely assume that the evolution of the human mind can progress in a linear and positive direction without setbacks? It seems to me that periods of enlightenment are often followed by "dark ages" in historical terms. The common man has little use for the truth.
Even if one is wrong, it really doesn't matter. A being that could create the universe and life could not be as primitive as the gods of the religions in this world.
godzuka I've actually seen a mountain move. Shortly after the Northridge earthquake in 1994, I was flying a small plane over the San Fernando Valley. Suddenly, the entire length of the Santa Susana mountain range on the northern edge of the valley appeared to spew dust. After I landed, I found out there was another significant aftershock. A perfect illustration of Plate Tectonics!
While I've far from listened to Zappa's entire body of work, l can't say as l recignise any of the music used is Frank. P-I-N-K-Y. 69.95 boy. Give her a try!
Me, I've heard enough Christian Apologetics in my lifetime that I'm full up on it. Seriously - I start with Genesis - when Cain slew Abel. How Cain was sent out of the garden eastward toward the land of Nod. There Cain found a wife. So if you follow the logic - there were other people aside from Adam, Eve, Cain and Abel. If you follow it further those other people weren't part of god's little garden experiment. And we're likely descended from those 'other' people. Chew on that for awhile.
I was gonna say all that stuff almost exactly the way you said it! We're SO much alike! Except I was never a Mormon. That must have been odd. I feel bad for you. Kind of. However, as a born-again Pentecostal BeLEEVah, I *did* think I was given "the gifts" of tongues and interpretation andIcan'tbelieveI'mactuallyadmittingthat. I love to watch what I call "The Dance" after bringing up the Mat 18:20. Almost immediately, I hear, "OUT OF CONTEXT!!" or "...according to His will!" etc. - to which I can only say, "Dudes! I'm just reading what it says!" I usually ask, "Next time y'all talk to your god or pray to your all-knowing savior, ASK HIM TO REVEAL TO ME WHERE ALL THE MISSING/ABDUCTED CHILDREN ARE. As soon as any one (or all THREE...which are/is ONE...ummm) do this, I'll shout his wisdom from the rooftops and you'll never shut me up." It isn't surprising, then, that you'll soon hear, with an ever-present tone of condescension - as if I'm somehow DENIED their special insight to the mystic realm where demons and angels freely meddle in human reality-only-we're-too-blind-to-recognize-it - "He doesn't work that way..." (as the music multiplies and the pirouettes proliferate). P.S.: I love your work and mind!
DigitEyezInc He doesn't work that way. He just said he would. So apparently, this all-knowing Being is simply the worst communicator in the history of bad communication. And people wonder why I play God as a babbling idiot? Really? Didn't Jesus know we'd take him and his magical superpowers seriously? Did the gospel writers toss all the asterisks that should have come after? Oooh! I think I see a Deity episode in the works. Thanks for the kind words!
misterdeity Wait. Did you just write: "He doesn't work that way"???... Are you punking me, Mr. D? :-o You don't really need to qualify "idiot" with "babbling." You know, you're onto something with the whole "magical superpowers" thingy. Jessup walks on water-but is he immune to currents and rip tides? He heals the blind (which is great, of course) - but can he do something about my astigmatism? Contact lenses aren't free, y'know. He even punished a fig tree for not bearing fruit (out of season) - Do you think he could assist - just once! - with the dandelions that cover my lawn? He can do ANYthing, right? So why waste time helping my mom find a parking space close to the front door of Walmart (for which she offers ebullient 'Thank You, Lord!'s -- but then, you KNOW that already) and do something REALLY godworthy? Destroy Nickleback, forYoursake!! And what's with all the handicapped parking spaces outside a church, anyway? Another Deity episode MUST happen. Please (!)(?)
Frankly, theists, if not for wanting me and several billion of my fellow humans dead, would engender a lot of sympathy from me. It takes immense courage to do the work to become an atheist. Most of what theists have to fall back on to justify faith in a diety is it makes you feel better. A snoogie. A blanky. A stuffed animal. The universe is beautiful but it kills everything. Theists just dont have what it takes to deal with reality. I dont really blame them. Reality is stark. Most of them just dont realize that this faith opens a door in their mind that allows them to do horrible things to others. Fueled by trauma and fear they latch onto rage and outrage to blind themselves from the horrors in their own minds. But I cant feel much sympathy for them as they cause so much suffering. They hate people not like them, especially atheists, because they cant look inside and see that darkness inside their own minds that fuels the darkness they create. Make claims to all the good deeds you want. None of them excuse one crime. Christians break their ninth commandment with startling alacrity. They lie all the time. They just convince themselves its for a good cause. Until you can stop hurting people you will not have my trust.
@@misterdeity I hope you don't mind that I'm going to put your name on those church signs outside the buildings, maybe some sheep will find you. I certainly won't vandalize but I really want them talking about you.
fun·da·men·tal·ism ˌfəndəˈmen(t)lˌizəm/ noun a form of a religion, especially Islam or Protestant Christianity, that upholds belief in the strict, literal interpretation of scripture. strict adherence to the basic principles of any subject or discipline. plural noun: fundamentalisms "free-market fundamentalism" This part: strict adherence to the basic principles of any subject or discipline. If you are convinced there is no god and adhere to it strictly, you may be a fundamentalist.
How can there BE a better way than through showing evidence. Suppose another method that does not require the showing of evidence, and is superior to it, exist, but you don't believe it. Then I have to show you it works, which is evidence, meaning EVIDENCE is necessary for this method to be convincing, implying it still requires the showing of evidence to some degree. Which is a contradiction.
Are you talking about atheism or skepticism? because skepticism is a preference for having a world view based on evidence and logic, while atheism is non-belief in any gods. You can be an atheist but not a skeptic, and (if evidence of actual gods is available), you can be a skeptic but not an atheist.
George Carlin and had a wonderful set about heaven and hell. According to him there are far too many blondes in heaven and you meet a more interesting pliant tell in hell. That is if beleive in either
He gives the definition of fundamentalism. Within that definition he uses the word 'they'. Its similar to saying 'they do not have a spouse' after stating that bachelors are unmarried men
Hey, I'm a 68y old, I should say "atheist", I live in Europe and find you fascinating. Religion is for me a by-product of philosophy, I never believed in one. I understand what conditioning people have in the US, for me, I should consider it as illegal, you can start teaching it to a minimum age of 12-13 years old, in my memory, when I was a child and was in the church with my parents, was BORING. The O.T had some action and fun, some magic too; the N.T. was funny in the 60's where Jesus was a hippie and you could be high with hm; but I have never here the degree of insanity, you have over there. I have taken drugs for a while, wow, it seems easier to stop coke...Why is it not illegal?
Huh. I must disagree. Atheism or antitheism says nothing about one holding humanist values. One could be an atheist and an absolute monster. And in the same way, one can be an atheist and not a skeptic.
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As a former Mormon, I made similar errors in thinking. When I found a bit of evidence I felt backed up my beliefs I simply stopped looking. It was always enough for me to think: "Well, that's all the proof I need. That's the answer."
My mistake was not going further and asking additional questions. I had my answer, why dig deeper? It took me years before realizing that I had been dishonest with myself and those around me. I claimed that I had thought it through, but in reality I simply stopped thinking once I found the shred of truth that backed up LDS claims.
Evidence was only useful when I perceived it supported my faith. The very moment I applied reason beyond that point, the LDS church's claims fell like a house of cards.
OMFSM! That is a brilliant retort! "Why should I trust a book written by a people that didn't know where the sun went at night." I am so going to use that!
I really appreciated the simplicity of, "if I'm wrong then I'd like to know." Great video, Mr. D.
Theists think they know, are too scared to know, or don't care to know. I hope they pull out of that theological matrix soon. I'd like to see some really cool stuff happen with all those free minds before I die. Such a waste.
Don't you HATE having to explain the joke? Speaking of "faith," Hamza Tsortzis argues that we should all eschew the reasoning skills we develop as we grow older, as well as experience and education that teaches us to be skeptical of fantastical claims. According to Tsortzis, toddlers are pre-disposed to believe in magic and gods and we'd all be better off maintaining their rudimentary reasoning skills (and presumably, their preference for instant gratification and demonstrative distress when not getting it). Inadvertently, he probably offered the perfect explanation for why religious fundamentalists react with unbridled rage when one questions their religion.
WildwoodClaire1 The oddity of this notion that Tsortzis presents is that it ignores the nature of teaching knowledge and ideas. Teaching is a form of a short-cut. It imparts knowledge to a person without that person needing to go through the entire process of exploring, observing, theorizing, testing, re-testing, and making a conclusion all by themselves. All of the collective human knowledge that uses this process is based on those rudimentary skills he values so much and is just lifetimes upon lifetimes of those skills being applied time and time again. Teaching is just circumvents the hard way and gives a conclusion to a problem while briefly summarizing how the conclusion was reached. On one hand, this also explains how religious teaching works. The belief structures of most world religions has been interpreted, debated, refined, questioned, and redefined over time, thus giving it believability due it's age, detail, and simplified explanations. The real problem lies in those simplified explanations. In science, we can confidently assume that most conclusions are true as we can see the practical results and applications of it (i.e. an engine, planes flying, etc.), whereas religions don't have that. There is no real, useful, apparent results, though there are displays of faith which are convincing in their own way. As such, they do not explain their logic the masses and simply gloss over the how or why. In the end, religion really just perverts the human system of learning and passing on knowledge to shrug the burden of proof.
Tsortzis also says that freedom=slavery, and we know where we've seen that before.
***** "Arbeit macht frei"
No it's from Orwell's '1984'.
***** I'd forgotten about 1984 - many years. In my defence it's the same principle of doublethink/newspeak though...
Because I can't leave comments when I'm at home; LOVE YOUR SHOW
They keep you on a short leash at home? I hope you find a way out of that situation. Glad you're enjoying the videos.
As I have typed many times before, here on this medium(from science of course), to be a Theist, one must suspend all logic, sense, reason and facts. All facts we currently know and understand, point away from supernatural causation or explanation. Pretty simple really. No need for the wizard behind the curtain. We know stuff now.
Great vid.
Yes, but to be fair, theists do have the answer to everything that may currently evade scientists:
"Because magic"
Brian, that was excellent! You make so damn much sense, and you put your thoughts articulately, and in a matter-of-fact manner. Like you, I was raised in a devoutly religious family, and gradually came to recognize that I didn't want to believe in fairy tales or imaginary friends anymore. Thank you so much, for this and for all your work.
Fabulously eloquent ! I think you have made your point, very clearly. Don't hold your breath, waiting for 3 Christians to end world hunger though. . .
Well said!
Former Christian Fundamentalist here. Don't give up people, there is light at the end of the tunnel. People can and do break free from a lifetime of indoctrination. It is hard but so are most things worth doing.
Thanks so much for this quick note. People like you are the reason I do what I do. Your comment renews my belief in what I'm doing.
I don't hate God. I don't hate those who believe in God. I hate that those who believe in God think it is perfectly fine for them to impose their suppositions that come with that belief over and above actual evidence. Such impositions upon society are neither reasonable, nor healthy for people.
drfoxcourt Yes, but, if _you_ believed in what they believe, you would likely feel just as compelled as they do to impose those suppositions upon society..
Besides prophesying that Christianity will eventually conquer the world (via the "Great Tribulation" and "Armageddon" (nice, huh?)), Christianity also commands it's followers to 'spread the "Word."' So, for many Christians, keeping their beliefs to themselves simply isn't an option, because it would actually be a sin to do so.
The only effective way I know of to keep them from imposing themselves upon [American] society today is to keep them out of power politically. And the simplest way to do that would be to vote the Republican party out of existence. The Christian right has invested heavily in politics over the last few decades and they've become a powerful political force, but, they're not a majority and I think that if we can get Bernie Sanders elected President we just might be well on our way to defeating them once and for all.
Ironic that Mt Deity wants us to not believe one thing or another. Like a church guy, he tries to take your Property as his own.
@@danjones9007 Huh? Explain please.
@@LabGecko Yeah, pretty sure Dan's comment is more of the, "We are the real victims.", and, "Everything is a religion, when talking about beliefs, but not if talking about if mine is the right one.", among other absurdities. He seems to miss the whole - what you should believe is what is actually true, not just what you feel should be true, and religion... has nothing at all to do with what is actually real/true. If it did, it wouldn't keep coming into direct conflict with, literally **everything** we discover about how the universe, or even humans, for that matter, work.
Mind.. I have been rewatching some of these and.. I do have a minor quibble with Mr. Deities obsession with British skeptics. Much like the US "atheist" movements "leaders" (or at least the ones that get paid a shit ton of money to go to conventions, while everyone else is actively excluded), which seems to have, in recent years, gone whole hog right wing, conservative, and whose message seems to be, "All the horrible social ideas in the Bible are fine, as long as you don't attribute them to a god!", the British skeptic movement seems to have a set of core ideologies, like being anti-trans, which they happily ignore biology, and our expanding understanding of how things work, to obsess over - because, somehow, those things are, "Ones we are just right about, we don't need to reexamine our ideas about them."
Yeah, OK, its human nature to have some of these hang ups. However, the whole "point" of their society is supposed to be critical examination of ideas, and testing them against discovered facts, but there are things, not just trans issues, which BOTH groups refuse to critically examine, as actual institutions, at all, and which they actively exclude other people, who don't share this inflexible set of views with - almost all of them ideas that just happen to be a) fairly, or extremely, conservative, b) things that religions argue against as well, with even less legitimacy, and c) privilege certain classes of people - who they, weirdly, tend to be (such as, in nearly all cases, cis, white, male, and with million dollar book deals). Odd....
I don't disagree with Mr. Deity in his assertion that these people made contributions in the past, and those still stand as useful contributions. I do have a massive problem, as more and more of these flaws are exposed, with the assertion that, not them, but **EVERYONE ELSE** somehow deserve these people to be treated as "leaders". Its a bit like reelecting a 90 year old conservative to congress... maybe what we need for both movements is term limits, so that people with less, or at least different, biases get a chance to lead, not just the same old, increasingly inflexible, over certain, people, who refuse to change their minds about more and more things, even in the face of evidence that they are dead wrong.
Very well spoken, son of dad! But seriously, thanks for the clarification. Clear and concise and earnest.
Thank you for your contributions to the conversation!
great video!
Love the monologue.
Hi Brian, just a random thank you for making these videos over the years, and putting these arguments out there so clearly and with good humour. Can't afford to donate right now, but when I can I will!
This is extremely well put, I literally dont see how people could disagree but maybe i'm short sighted
*****
If what misterdeity (or anyone else for that matter) says disagrees with what a fundamentalist believes it cannot be accepted as correct by the fundamentalist (He kind of explained this in the video).
Great work, Brian. And especially from someone who used to be a believer. I appreciate it.
Well said. I have no personal stake in any of the beliefs I hold, but simply in the rational assurance that whatever beliefs I do hold correspondent with evidence and reality.
Excellent video. Very well stated and precise arguments. I loved this mostly because it helped me clarify my own stance and I always like it when someone can do that for me.
Awesome! Well Said Mister! Love your Stuff!
Happy Birthday Brian!
That was awesome Mister.
Amen, brother, well done.
Well said, as usual.
Good video my friend
great speech!!!
This was probably the greatest video ever.
I like these kind of videos. Please more.
must share video.
Me and two of my closest friends came together and prayed, and then soon after I found my car keys, what more do you want???
Praise be. He helps find your car keys, and at the same time watches women getting raped and babies starving without intervening.
Once again, Bri-Bri - a continued inspiration!
Remember guys, reality is actually more flexible than human ideology.
This was bananas good bro.
Satire is funnier when you have to explain it. :)
I concur.
I am not that grounded, I am a chaotic free spirit! Welcome to my gutter flowing of all types of water . . . faith_it is for the diametrically opposed; in that they are grounded, instead of making themselves grounded in something . . . like they are missing numbers somewhere #ExistentialPerceivedPhilosophy #Psychiatry
AntiCitizenX I don't get it, how do you mean?
Baddum tish.
Loved the "Live by the sword, die by the sword".
It may be possible to be religious and a scientist/rational. But reason support faith only as long as you don't use your reason to check your beliefs.
Just makes too much sense. And I love the bit about Dennis Praeger. What a tool that guy is. But you were much more eloquent about it. Great points. He doesnt want to know. What a shame/sham. Cheers. Enjoy your vids
well said. as always.
Your my new favorite leader. than you sir
6:53 This is something I'm surprised I don't hear more often. Realizing one's entire world view is broken really isn't enjoyable. I imagine that having your house broken into would feel similar. You just keep finding broken stuff.
Fantastic as always
I think you are right sir. People of faith don't make sense to me. People don't question hardly at all. These people show why this world isn't so advanced. They don't have curiosity. It is so sad.
Brilliant!
WOW, BRIAN YOUR ELOQUENCE HAS GARNERED YOU A WELL EARNED DONATION (AGAIN)! COME ON OUT THERE, AT LEAST BUY SOME SWAG! Brain, you really deserve an award, so I'm melting down a few Oscars I bought at Goodwill! (unfortunately, they're just gold plate)
How did it take me so long to find your channel? Awesome video!
Let's try and get some Patreon support for this man so we can get videos much more frequently! I'm in, who's with me?
Perfectly said!!
Thank's be to all powerful Godless
I think people got the joke, I think they were just salty that it's true.
ShouVertica Bullseye.
thanks so much! i dont know what know! i do know that i died and came back! i heard the dr say so i saw the spirit of my great great grandmother who told me to wait not to go that i had things to do still! i heeded her words though i knew i was only going to be miserable till i could escape my parents. there was only her and me and a light that called! i am humble enough to say i dont know if there is a god but i do know that death isnt the end!
The middle button of your shirt is undone(fifth one down, basically the button at the bottom of the screen), and its bugging me. other then that, great video.
The main reason for me to deny The biblical God is a moral one. If that monster is the source of love, we're doomed.
Nature laughs at prayers.
Rational people laugh at prayers.
Great job. We need our own Richard Dawkins here in the usa
Brilliant as always :)
Really interesting point of view. Can´t tell you more becouse my english is´nt very good. Mi lenguaje nativo es el Español.
Love the pun at 5:14
key issue, the key point of debate and dialogue is epistemology.
I can readily relate with the disillusionment or disaffection with the Abrahamic religions; I find they're histories and scripture to be ineffective or criptic and requiring too much interpretation.
I think Mr Deity is sincere about changing his mind if the logic compels him to do so.
Excellent
It's painful when you have to explain a satire! :D Nice video.
way good.... thanks so much..... christians be cray cray!
“Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe anything because it s found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept and live up to it.” --- Buddha Siddhartha Gautama Shakyamuni
“Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.” --- François-Marie Arouet
If god wrote the bible, it would have been in words that any and all people could understand without an interpreter. God would have put that linguistic ability into out heads at the time of conception (or at least birth) But it wasn't, so a god didn't write it, individuals did for whatever reason.
If I am wrong, show me the evidence, but just because you proved that this particular deity exists, don't think I'm going to start worshiping it on a whim. I need to know why I should worship it, and whether or not it is even worthy of worship. If genocide can possibly be a good thing, then I would see no problem arresting you on the charges of _accessory to the murder of thousands_. You are supporting the murderer, and that IS a criminal offense. Oh, and don't act like you didn't know of his genocidal ways, you've read his book.
(Where the sun goes at night) lol....I love that
Well, atheistic fundamentalism means nothing more than being fundamentally convinced that there is no good reason to believe in anything supernatural. I personally prefer the anti-theistic stance, which means I am reasonably convinced that religion at the end of the day is harmful to humanity. Mostly because it is the origin of absolutism and servile thinking.
Sebastian Koenig "no good reason to believe in anything supernatural", you mean no good reason to believe in a deity/be a theist. I know atheists who believe in supernatural things like ghosts and an afterlife, but not in god or gods. They're distinct.
The more you know~
FreeHomeBrew Depends on how you define the term "god". But yes, skeptic, unbeliever, naturalist or materialist would probably be more exact.
Sebastian Koenig I find it's easier to use binary terms like (a)theist and (a)gnostic as the others have more baggage attached. I wouldn't call an atheist who believes in an afterlife and some supernatural things a skeptic, naturalist or materialist. Unbeliever is also a great term as it literally means "someone who doesn't believe" where the context provides what belief isn't believed.
It's easy to miss subtlety when lacking discernment.
Well done. Thank you again.
I sleep just a bit better at night knowing there are at least a few rational people with a voice in the world.
My question: Has reason ever ultimately triumphed over the will of fundamentalism or irrational behavior in history and if so, at what point? After all, Copernicus is probably still rolling in his grave at the thought of the mindless masses who are even now, contemplating a complete reversal of the advancement of human knowledge (creationists, flat earthers, etc.). Can we safely assume that the evolution of the human mind can progress in a linear and positive direction without setbacks? It seems to me that periods of enlightenment are often followed by "dark ages" in historical terms. The common man has little use for the truth.
Beautiful :-)
Even if one is wrong, it really doesn't matter. A being that could create the universe and life could not be as primitive as the gods of the religions in this world.
Perfectly said/done Brian ᵔᴥᵔ ★★★★★
Katalyzt
Great video, if someone moves a mountain for you, I'd love to be there! That would be so cool to see!
godzuka I've actually seen a mountain move. Shortly after the Northridge earthquake in 1994, I was flying a small plane over the San Fernando Valley. Suddenly, the entire length of the Santa Susana mountain range on the northern edge of the valley appeared to spew dust. After I landed, I found out there was another significant aftershock. A perfect illustration of Plate Tectonics!
My most nightmarish 'F' word is when I smile knowingly and waggle my eyebrows at my girl friend and she says "Forgetitbub". Fuck 'F' words ;)
+Paul Dickens - Jesus man, don't you know that means YES!
Bonnie Callahan here. I am in all of your corners and on all of your sides. If I come up with special insights, may I please share them with you?
Hi, Is the background music you play Frank Zappa?
While I've far from listened to Zappa's entire body of work, l can't say as l recignise any of the music used is Frank.
P-I-N-K-Y. 69.95 boy. Give her a try!
God I love this video, lol. It's a shame we need it in 2023. If you still don't understand, decrease the playback to 0.75.
The rape of the mind and stealthy mental coercion are among the oldest crimes of mankind. ~ Joost A. M. Meerloo, M.D.
Me, I've heard enough Christian Apologetics in my lifetime that I'm full up on it. Seriously - I start with Genesis - when Cain slew Abel. How Cain was sent out of the garden eastward toward the land of Nod. There Cain found a wife. So if you follow the logic - there were other people aside from Adam, Eve, Cain and Abel. If you follow it further those other people weren't part of god's little garden experiment. And we're likely descended from those 'other' people. Chew on that for awhile.
did you keep your magic underwear? i'm an atheist and find the underwear thing very funny and odd
I was gonna say all that stuff almost exactly the way you said it! We're SO much alike!
Except I was never a Mormon. That must have been odd. I feel bad for you. Kind of.
However, as a born-again Pentecostal BeLEEVah, I *did* think I was given "the gifts" of tongues and interpretation andIcan'tbelieveI'mactuallyadmittingthat.
I love to watch what I call "The Dance" after bringing up the Mat 18:20. Almost immediately, I hear, "OUT OF CONTEXT!!" or "...according to His will!" etc. - to which I can only say, "Dudes! I'm just reading what it says!"
I usually ask, "Next time y'all talk to your god or pray to your all-knowing savior, ASK HIM TO REVEAL TO ME WHERE ALL THE MISSING/ABDUCTED CHILDREN ARE. As soon as any one (or all THREE...which are/is ONE...ummm) do this, I'll shout his wisdom from the rooftops and you'll never shut me up."
It isn't surprising, then, that you'll soon hear, with an ever-present tone of condescension - as if I'm somehow DENIED their special insight to the mystic realm where demons and angels freely meddle in human reality-only-we're-too-blind-to-recognize-it - "He doesn't work that way..." (as the music multiplies and the pirouettes proliferate).
P.S.:
I love your work and mind!
DigitEyezInc He doesn't work that way. He just said he would. So apparently, this all-knowing Being is simply the worst communicator in the history of bad communication. And people wonder why I play God as a babbling idiot? Really? Didn't Jesus know we'd take him and his magical superpowers seriously? Did the gospel writers toss all the asterisks that should have come after? Oooh! I think I see a Deity episode in the works. Thanks for the kind words!
misterdeity Wait. Did you just write: "He doesn't work that way"???... Are you punking me, Mr. D? :-o
You don't really need to qualify "idiot" with "babbling."
You know, you're onto something with the whole "magical superpowers" thingy. Jessup walks on water-but is he immune to currents and rip tides? He heals the blind (which is great, of course) - but can he do something about my astigmatism? Contact lenses aren't free, y'know. He even punished a fig tree for not bearing fruit (out of season) - Do you think he could assist - just once! - with the dandelions that cover my lawn? He can do ANYthing, right? So why waste time helping my mom find a parking space close to the front door of Walmart (for which she offers ebullient 'Thank You, Lord!'s -- but then, you KNOW that already) and do something REALLY godworthy? Destroy Nickleback, forYoursake!! And what's with all the handicapped parking spaces outside a church, anyway?
Another Deity episode MUST happen. Please (!)(?)
Frankly, theists, if not for wanting me and several billion of my fellow humans dead, would engender a lot of sympathy from me. It takes immense courage to do the work to become an atheist. Most of what theists have to fall back on to justify faith in a diety is it makes you feel better. A snoogie. A blanky. A stuffed animal. The universe is beautiful but it kills everything. Theists just dont have what it takes to deal with reality. I dont really blame them. Reality is stark. Most of them just dont realize that this faith opens a door in their mind that allows them to do horrible things to others. Fueled by trauma and fear they latch onto rage and outrage to blind themselves from the horrors in their own minds. But I cant feel much sympathy for them as they cause so much suffering. They hate people not like them, especially atheists, because they cant look inside and see that darkness inside their own minds that fuels the darkness they create.
Make claims to all the good deeds you want. None of them excuse one crime. Christians break their ninth commandment with startling alacrity. They lie all the time. They just convince themselves its for a good cause.
Until you can stop hurting people you will not have my trust.
This is one of my all-favorite comments!!! ❤️
"the occasional mauling of children by a she-bear"
oddly specific. lol :D
- i know it's something from the Bible.
Some children mocked a guy's baldness, so God mauled 42 children with 2 bears.
Moral of the story: HELL if I know.
You have never the burning bush?
Full sentences please.
@@misterdeity I hope you don't mind that I'm going to put your name on those church signs outside the buildings, maybe some sheep will find you. I certainly won't vandalize but I really want them talking about you.
If I die and go to heaven, and don't believe I'm really there, does that make me an atheist or a solipsist?
There are no better pragmatists than we ex-Mormon atheists.
fun·da·men·tal·ism
ˌfəndəˈmen(t)lˌizəm/
noun
a form of a religion, especially Islam or Protestant Christianity, that upholds belief in the strict, literal interpretation of scripture.
strict adherence to the basic principles of any subject or discipline.
plural noun: fundamentalisms
"free-market fundamentalism"
This part: strict adherence to the basic principles of any subject or discipline.
If you are convinced there is no god and adhere to it strictly, you may be a fundamentalist.
How can there BE a better way than through showing evidence. Suppose another method that does not require the showing of evidence, and is superior to it, exist, but you don't believe it. Then I have to show you it works, which is evidence, meaning EVIDENCE is necessary for this method to be convincing, implying it still requires the showing of evidence to some degree. Which is a contradiction.
I tend to think of them as funigenitalists and eenygeniyalists since they really are a hoot.
Are you talking about atheism or skepticism? because skepticism is a preference for having a world view based on evidence and logic, while atheism is non-belief in any gods. You can be an atheist but not a skeptic, and (if evidence of actual gods is available), you can be a skeptic but not an atheist.
George Carlin and had a wonderful set about heaven and hell. According to him there are far too many blondes in heaven and you meet a more interesting pliant tell in hell. That is if beleive in either
The most terrible f* word is: faith
Christopher Hitchens would be proud.
Careful you don't fall into their favourite mode of setting up a strawman. I don't like saying "they believe" for this reason.
He gives the definition of fundamentalism. Within that definition he uses the word 'they'. Its similar to saying 'they do not have a spouse' after stating that bachelors are unmarried men
Hey, I'm a 68y old, I should say "atheist", I live in Europe and find you fascinating. Religion is for me a by-product of philosophy, I never believed in one. I understand what conditioning people have in the US, for me, I should consider it as illegal, you can start teaching it to a minimum age of 12-13 years old, in my memory, when I was a child and was in the church with my parents, was BORING. The O.T had some action and fun, some magic too; the N.T. was funny in the 60's where Jesus was a hippie and you could be high with hm; but I have never here the degree of insanity, you have over there. I have taken drugs for a while, wow, it seems easier to stop coke...Why is it not illegal?
Look, if the Bible is divinely inspired, why is it so badly written?
Apologetics = an organized way to keep your head buried in the sand. NICE one. 😉
Joke explanation with a sassy overtone that lays down the law on religion.
Huh. I must disagree. Atheism or antitheism says nothing about one holding humanist values.
One could be an atheist and an absolute monster.
And in the same way, one can be an atheist and not a skeptic.
The best about us atheists is that we dont have scripture, clerics, or popes. But you would be a good pope, Not-Pope misterdeity I. :)
Mor(m)ons!