I left a comment under there too mentioning that you can find examples of contradictions and inerrancy in both the Old and New Testament. Also lost wordplay in Genesis, later scribal add-ons in Matthew, and the groans of an Egyptology professor when she has to explain why she is so frustrated with The Prince of Egypt.
I have yet to delete any comments or censor anyone, but if you are going to delete your comment simply to get rid of the trail of replies, I am going to have to start cutting your comments. It is simply not fair to everyone (from both sides) who put time and attention into this thread. It would be one thing, if you wanted to retract your comment, but you reposted it, so you simply wanted to censor those that objected to it and have the last word. This is really silly and low.
This sort of thing always comes back to the same idea. To paraphrase `They do not believe the bible means what it says; They're convinced it says what they mean.` Which is why the number one retort you're likely to see is "you're cherry picking!" Because if anyone knows all about cherry picking, it's Christian apologists.
And it's not even an accurate call-out. Cherry Picking is misunderstood by many to mean "using only a small number of examples", as if that in itself is the fallacy. The actual fallacy at work is not what you choose to look at, it's what you're forced to ignore. If you're fighting against the claim of "Christianity sometimes causes harm", then no amount of examples of people being fine with it, or even it helping people, are going to overpower even one singular example of harm caused by christian beliefs. But if you're fighting against the claim of "Christianity only EVER causes harm", then it only takes one example of it not causing harm or helping someone to soundly refute it.
@@riluna3695 Fair point. I'm using cherry picking incorrectly. I used to call it `the art of verse stringing,` which may be more accurate to what I'm suggesting. I would agree with your conclusion, if you're making one of those two arguments. However, the argument I was making wasn't that Christianity always causes harm or only sometimes causes harm. The argument was that the bible can be made to say just about whatever you want, depending on how you string verses together. Though, perhaps I'm drawing a distinction that isn't correct.
That sounds more like the Black Swan fallacy than a misunderstanding of cherry picking. 🤷♂️ We could just go with Cafeteria Christians, where the Bible is the buffet, but each parishioner only loads their plate with just the things they like, and then the tables they cluster to are each a denomination. Or something like that.
@@somersetcace1 I wasn't saying you'd done anything incorrectly. I was agreeing, actually. They do often claim cherry picking, and it's misused when they do it. And the phrases like "If you're fighting against..." were a universal "you" rather than you specifically. "If one is to challenge this claim, then..." Sorry for the confusion.
24:16 "Scripture is so vague and so contradictory, even when it is NOT vague, that it is impossible to arrive at a one true believe system detailed out from it." That is so true!
Have you considered another option? The Bible says that the carnal man (i.e. the non-believer) cannot understand the Word of God. For example, I eat the Word of God like candy! I am in the Bible for hours and hours every day. I am in constant friendship with Christ - which is the entirety of the Bible's message: you can know God. He died on a Cross so that you may be blessed by friendship with the Almighty. If you do not make it right with God, you will 'weep and gnash your teeth.' You read this message, the Holy Spirit bearing witness that it is true, yet you rejected truth for a lie. Is that your fate? Ask and you shall receive! Hurry! Your day in court will be here sooner than you think! Jesus Christ is the light of the world.
or as i keep saying "its archaic, its archaic, its archaic, its archaic its archaic, but "studying arcaic esoteric and occult is ""sin"" welllll then IDK how one suppose to understand it as its all mostly allagorral.
This video came at just the right moment. A few videos ago, I commented that my family just got the news that my uncle has lung cancer. It has now spread to his lymph nodes and his spine. So my entire mothers side of the family traveled to Texas to visit him. While there, my family prayed. But my family's form of prayer is just like what you described. Shaking, my mother speaking in tongues(I commented about this awhile back as well), claiming to see visions, calling on the blood of Jesus to cover my uncle, crying, and casting out the sickness from his body. My aunt said "i had a vision where i saw my brother and his wife traveling and preaching the word". My grandma said she saw a vision of a bright light coming towards my uncle and then seeing a white dove fly near him. I never realized that my family was fundamentalist lol. I am 31 and I am now just realizing this. Aside from my family praying for my uncles health and healing, my brother, another uncle, and I were singled out and prayed upon. We were told "open your hearts, soften your hearts, for the time is coming where Jesus will return". My uncle, sick, fragile, and tired, wept for me and basically prayed for us because he is afraid that we are going to hell. We were singled out in front of, not only my family, but his wife's family. I have never came out to my family that I have doubts. My brother has always been quiet and respectful of their beliefs as well. We both used to serve in church in different ways. We once believed. But we have never verbalized that we have deconverted. We showed up just as everyone else did. We cancelled work, spent money, and cried for my uncle. Yet, they were still more concerned that we did not shake, wail, scream while in prayer, or speak in tongues. We were singled out because we are not behaving the way they expect us to behave. As for my other uncle that also got called out, I do not understand why, he spent way more money and basically planned the entire trip for all of us but still got told to stop hardening his heart. When my brother and I finally got an opportunity to speak to my sick uncle alone he told us "How come neither of you tried to get close to me while I was living in California?" (my brother and I grew up in a very toxic household, my father is a narcissist and abused us and my mother) I was honest with my uncle and told him we had so many issues because of my father and we have a hard time getting close to anyone. We just have issues. Of course it hurt for him to feel that way about us. We do really love my uncle. But no one in my family ever really asked my mom, brother or I what was going on in our household. No one came to help us. We were trapped and alone in the situation. It broke my hearts in so many ways. When I was finally alone with my brother I told him I was kind of upset about how the prayer unfolded. I was also upset, because even though I dropped everything just to be there for him, it is still not enough for them. We get singled out. We are the black sheep. And they wonder why we don't or can't form super deep relationships with any of them. We are different. We are quiet. Calm. Respectful. But we also stand our ground when we need to. But our family only sees 1 thing. And it hurt. I don't mean to make any of this about me. I'm not here asking for pity. I just am now really getting a sense of where I stand, who my family is and what they think of me. Even though I cried, closed my eyes during prayer, and took the communion because he wanted us all to do so. Still, it was not enough. Like I said, I've never disrespected any one of my family regarding their beliefs, because at one point they were mine as well! But they obviously see things differently. They see me differently. Don't really know what it is. I know who I am and I have avoided so many mistakes that the rest of my family has made. Yet, I am the black sheep. At least I have my brother. He and I hugged it out and told each other we have each others backs. Anyway, that was a long story, but a true one. Thank you Brandon. You really have shed a light into the things I never saw on my own and it might have took me way longer to be able to figure it out on my own if it wasn't for you.
Oh mate. That sounds really shit. So sad to read all that. I still speak in tongues, and could be like your family would want, but i feel more kike you have described. I cant do the cult and cult expectations and culty group dynamic anymore. Its just not in me to not be real. I still pray and believe i God, but my concepts are soooo different now. I feel for you and your brother. You just need your family to be real. To cry, make stupid jokes and be supportive of each other... Even a bit of self reflection and apology for ignoring the abuses of your earlier lives. But narcs like to make these occasions all about themselves, often in God's Name... Ugh. So frustrating. It is beautiful that your family all gathered together.. But show off spirituality is a bit on the nose... Its more about is and them, in or out, crap.. not about kove or your poor suffering uncle. ..basically all the hypocrisy that Jesus yelled at, is what the church has built on. Eff that!! Sending hugs from Australia .. thus the swearing. It is our love language!
By judging you they are blaspheming. According to the Bible it is only God or Jesus who has the right to judge anyone. Ask them why they are assuming God's role. The only person they should be judging is themself. Self judgment is the hardest thing to do because it requires being objective and honest with oneself. Self-awareness is the beginning of wisdom.
@@grepora "Blaspheming" -- did you hear what she said? She _deconverted._ You're literally shoving more Christianity down her throat right after she's just told us she left that belief system years ago. You're not offering help, you're promoting your own beliefs.
And just like the Bible there is a contradictory verse in the Bible. It says He who is holy judges all things.Yet he himself may be judged by no one. So taking the last person's approach may not work. Just depends on who you are talking to. Kinda weird that someone can use the same book and arrive at polar opposites. Anyways. Sucks you going through this. But if you aren't like them then you are the black sheep. Why act surprised about an obvious fact?
As a child, the expectation from my teachers in after school religion class that frightened me the most was *martyrdom*. In our workbooks and our classes, we didn't just learn about the sacrifice of the Crucifixion, we also learned about Stephen, who was considered "the first martyr." We also learned of the gory beheading of Paul, the inverted crucifixion of Peter, and the X-shaped crucifixion of Andrew (I don't know if those last two are in The Bible for sure, nevertheless that was what we were taught). I recall in one of the workbooks, it asked point blank: Would YOU be willing to martyr yourself for Christ? I was a CHILD! I'm expected to submit myself as a human sacrifice if the moment revealed itself? I wanted to run and play with my friends. I wanted to sing and draw and just plain have fun. Now they're asking me to figuratively (or literally?) stare down the barrel of a gun or the tip of a sword and offer up my life for Jesus, someone I wasn't fully sure existed? After that lesson, my mom said I came home with this haunted look on my face. I couldn't even bring myself to tell her. All I knew was that I was just a kid and I did not want to die for any reason.
I feel ya. I had a similar reaction when I read the story of Abraham being asked to sacrifice Issac. I was probably in elementary school when I first understood the implications of that story. “Haunted” is a perfect description. I feared God would one day ask me to thrust a figurative knife into (NOT literally kill) something I dearly loved. Well … I’m working on my memoirs. Maybe one day I’ll publish how that all worked out. Spoiler alert: I deconverted.
If you want a read that'll curdle your blood get a copy of The Martyrs Mirror published in the mid 1600's describing in detail the torture of Christians notably Anababtists (precursors of the Amish and Mennonite faiths). It was written to bolster the faith of Christians to endure martyrdom but what really does is illustrate how horrible and evil people can be to others ...
I remember learning about martyrdom when I was probably 10, and what scares me the most about it now is how unphased I was by the idea at the time, it just built upon all the other crazy doctrine that had been pounded into my head for so long that it seemed natural. I remember even romanticizing the idea of self sacrifice and looking for my “opportunity” or my call from God to die for his glory. It really is true that if you can make believe in absurdities, you can also make them commit atrocities. I’m so lucky I was able to break free from those ideas and deconstruct my beliefs to rebuild a better epistemology
My mom was really big on instructing me how to be a martyr for Christ. She snuck it in whenever she could, including telling me she would kill me if God put her in an Abraham/Isaac situation. I can't imagine why I have anxiety 🙄
I do not listen to Brandon's videos because I love Jesus. For example, would you listen to a video that called your mother a whore? Would you have an 'open mind'? I don't! Yet, what does Brandon say about the definition of Christian? Has he ever said that a Christian is someone who knows God? It is a friendship. I hope you will be open to this because hell gets a bad rap from non-believers. Yet, how could eternity without God be anything but torment? Look at all the pain and suffering in the world, yet it is a world that sees some of God's kindness and grace. However, in eternity, reject God and forget about any semblance of justice. There are no cops, nor judges, nor jails in hell! It is human corruption at its lowest point. In fact, Jesus said that there are torturers there. For example, my friend Richard was tortured in a Communist jail cell. Torture happens now, but in hell, it is apparently epidemic! Will you really play 'Russian Roulette' with an eternity of regret? Really? Christ died on a Cross so that, just by asking, you may know Him. Jesus Christ is the light of the world.
@@timbertome2443 I am so sorry you think that! I was raised by an atheist. At the age of 17, I saw a movie about Jesus and the Holy Spirit bore witness that Christ died on a Cross for my sins. One night, a short time later, I walked onto the lawn of a church and prayed my first prayer, "Is there Jesus? I would like to meet Him!" I saw the Lord descend to the earth, a white silhouette. I could see the outline of His robe. He took a step and took my hands. When I met Christ, all heaven filled my soul and it felt like my heart was made out of gold. I walked away thinking, "That was heaven, but I am on earth. What is heaven doing on earth?" Though, at the time, I did not know a single Bible verse, my experience was right out of the Bible. It says, "We are seated in the heavenlies with Christ." That was 46 years ago, in the Spring of 1977. I have been in continuous, unbroken fellowship with Christ since that day. In fact, since that time, I have not had even one second of doubt that I know Christ and am bound for heaven - not even for a second. While the atheist must rely on their own fallible, limited, and biased opinion, never having anything resembling certainty or assurance in their lives, I have what is called 'absolute assurance.' Moreover, when people call me delusional (it happens all the time), I just feel bad that the person cannot even do what I did, saying, "Is there Jesus? I would like to meet Him!" Christ will not enter your life without invitation. Tragically, if you die in your rejection of Him, you will spend eternity without Him. It is called hell, it is torment, and it lasts forever. Does that sound unfair? Do you know God does not care? Yet, He would love it for you to invite Him into your life. He died on a Cross so that you may know Him - just by asking! Jesus Christ is the light of the world.
@@kenshilohwow. You upfront admit that you have nothing to say about this or any other of Mindshift’s videos because *you do not watch them* yet you still post a load of worthless nonsense spewing your hate. If you are too scared to watch the videos, just don’t come to this channel, and definitely don’t waste people’s time with your irrelevant comments (as how can they be relevant if you haven’t watched it).
Hey Brandon. I hope you read this. Thank you. I’ve just very recently deconverted. I really appreciate what you do and the resources you share. I’m journeying through what this really means and your videos are challenging but comforting. It’s help so much to have people who can eloquently express my thoughts and feelings in such an encouraging way.
Welcome to the deconverted! I have the same thing going on, and it's so refreshing hearing Brandon and others elucidating the problems with christianity/religion so well.
Good for you. It gets easier and more self reaffirming as time goes by. Good that you found this site as it is one of the most consistent, balanced, and with high integrity. There are a few other decent sites with good information done with kindness, honesty and balance, but Brandon is able to knock it out of the park virtually every time.Good luck on your journey.
Hey! Can I ask you a question? I agree with most, if not all of atheistic reasoning, yet at the same time,have had supernatural experiences. Any advice for me?
Human enlightenment is here. It is the future of the civilization, this species, humanity. One of many of the most beautiful living creatures of the known universe. Thank you, Brandon.
Thank you for your discussions on these topics. I grew up fundamentalist Chrisitian and a big reason why I didnt try a more progrssive Christian version during my deconstruction process was because of these issues. I spent most of my childhood hearing all of the in-text justifications for the beleifs that I was being taught and I wouldnt be able to honestly interact with progressive Christianity without knowing in the back of my mind that there were whole verses, passages, and directives from Jesus himself that werent being acknowledged. I had to stop beleiving because the anxiety and shame that I lived with on a daily basis was making my life a living hell. God never felt like love to me. He felt like a voice in my mind screaming that I didnt deserve to live. So becoming agnostic has more or less saved my life. Thanks again for your in-depth dicussions on all of these topics. Having people like you lay out all of the things that are harmful about this faith has really helped me find some peace with my journey.
I actually went harder in the fundamentalist direction before I deconstructed. I was convinced that it all had to be true, so I dug into the scripture and was convinced that only a fundamental devotion to the text could be possible. I dug myself right out of the whole thing. 😏
When you use the holy book of a religion, to dismantle that religion, it shows what those of us who don't believe actually see. You won't have any affect on those deep in, but the help you bring to those struggling to make sense of it is invaluable. You are giving them a path to a freedom that many will never have.
I so regret all the time, money, energy and emotional investment I made in this totally manmade mythology. I even more regret raising my children to believe all this crap. (Whew, they escaped.) Just think if mankind put all those resources into helping others how much better off we would all be!
If only their God actually communicated with them, he'd make sure to tell all Christians if they're right or wrong. But God can't do anything by himself 😂
The funny thing is it never occurs to Christians that with over 30,000 different denominations, which clearly disagree on what scripture means, that it should draw into question its overall truth! Jesus obviously failed miserably at providing a clear, concise and unambiguous message. Surely this couldn't have been some omniscient being's plan to create misunderstanding and confusion.
Friend, I see your point, however, it is undermined by the use of “30,000”. That number is from the World Christian Encyclopedia whose methodology confines a “denomination” to a country; this yields 270 denominations of “Roman Catholic” on account of the Roman Catholic Church is present in 270 countries. Granted, your point of division would stand were there only two denominations (as there were in 1054 AD).
@@ZacharyTLawson Though there were multiple sects of Christianity before the Bible was even compiled. The Catholic/Romans just overrid them claiming holy superiority and stamped them all out as heretics and attempted to bury the truth of their existence. They nearly succeeded.
Ha! That's good. Yes, how did we get from Saturday, the Sabbath, the 7th day of the week, the day of Rest, to the Sabbath being Sunday, the 1st day of the week? Why does no one say, "I was headed to Memphis, how did I wind up in St. Paul? Oh well, where's the McDonalds?"
@@scrider5493 exactly! It’s literally CLEAR in the damn Ten Commandments. And then they make excuses for it on top of that. But everybody is supposed to take them seriously.
One hour video from Brandon! You spoil us! I love this longer form content, its always great to listen to while working or doing something else, and soaking in all this info is fantastic! Being raised in a fundamentalist house, this has always been an issue and being able to gather more info or learn things I never have before about something that traumatized me is amazing Keep up the good work
The reason why fundamentalist forms of religions almost always dominate these religions is because they csn slways point back to their holy books for some support of their beliefs and practices. Every crazy idea in fundamentalist Judaism, Christianity, and Islam has some crazy text supporting the craziness.
@@michaelhenry1763 Yes indeed, and it also creates a beautiful "in-group" which satisfies our tribalistic nature. Further, the rituals and practices necessary to become a member of this "in" group (i.e. becoming a "True Christian" or what have you) create a high-bar for entry, so it results in an inflated ego (not in a bad way--and many may not even be conscious of it (and perhaps 'ego' is the wrong word)). We see similar things in U.S. Navy SEALS, for example--they form a strong bond through the extremely high barrier of entry, so they know that all members of their group have a certain "special" thing about them...I'm sure you can connect the dots here. I think this lens is helpful when looking at fundamentalist religious sects; and it helps provide a naturalistic explanation for why Fundamentalist sects grow fast and stay strong and influential...rather than the account THEY would give for themselves, which is likely "we are successful because we are correct". No. You are successful because you artificially inflate your egos and take advantage of psychological and sociological traits that humans evolved.
Thank you for how much work you put into these videos. You are creating useful tools to help those of us feeling alone in our non-belief to convey our issues with the Bible. It's truly disheartening when people you love defend the ugliness of it, or decide it doesn't matter, or preach to you condescendingly without having read it. Listening to you helps my sanity.
💯. After deconstructing, I have Christian friends who are terrified of engaging in a conversation with me. I just get an occasional “I’m praying for you”. I have one family member who honestly said “I don’t ever want to hear your reasons”. It’s really sad, but I just try to show them that my love for them hasn’t changed a bit, hoping they realize I am not an immoral degenerate now. ❤
The fact that you specify the difference between verses that DIRECTLY CALL FOR these things, vs. passages that provide a BASIS for these things shows your intellectual integrity, Brandon. Thank you for that! You preach the TRUE, HONEST bible better'n anyone I've ever heard! :)
@@EmeraldEyesEsotericyeah the actual true authors of the buybull had enslaved the scribes. The truth is so much more interesting than the lies we've been told.
Bravo Brandon!!! I threw my son's cassette tape with secular music, my heart hurts when I remember him crying about it. I think I would be a better mom if I wasn't a Christian. I asked my 2 kids to forgive me and they did. Now I am better with my grandkids ❤❤
Thank you for your channel. I'm 48, from Indiana, raised and traumatized by the AoG. Fortunately I left at 19. It's hard findingnppl online who understand exactly what it's like to grow up in that church. It's so different than di many others, and the unrelenting indoctrination… sigh. Just thank you from one atheist to another. Truly.
@@MindShift-Brandon I can't grow a beard. I can grow a goatee effortlessly, but I can't grow a beard. Why God, why? If you exist, make me grow a beard.
You're doing great work and I appreciate you. I'm a fundamentalist ex-Christian. I believe that the fundamentalist interpretation is the most valid way to interpret what the bible is trying to say, but it's just so obviously nonsense.
If the Bible were the guide to life authored by the deity that Christians claim it to be, there would be no need for biblical scholars, biblical apologists, and thousands of books claiming to explain the Bible. Why would the author of the most important book ever written, write it in such a way that is confusing and often contradictory, leading to endless conflicts and disagreements?
I’m so happy god led me to this video and your account. Joking. But, also not. Your videos are just what I needed. I’m a non-believer, but my wife, who has always been a xtian but more worldly and progressive, has in the last few years become more enthusiastic in her religion; and is definitely fundamentalist now. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to see her in a respectful light when I over hear her talking about doing “warfare” on someone’s house, or spirit spouses invading her dreams, or casting out demons on certain products in a natural food store because she saw a video of a witch putting spells on those things. She’s so deep into it, it’s heartbreaking. The youtube algorithm is pushing content all about demons and end times. I know the new church she joined is also putting things into her head like she has the gift of prophesy and healing. Even though she suffers from chronic back pain, and I watched them join together like Voltron do to a super duper prayer to heal her back pain. Spoiler alert: she still has back pain. I appreciate your videos. I have a lot to catch up on, but I know it’s exactly what I need to shine my “armour of disbelief” and hopefully talk some sense into her. I miss my wife.
Religion. . Santa for grown ups. It sounds cute on paper; Theres a place we go when we die with eternal life and happiness, seeing our passed loved ones. A father-like figure that loves us and keeps an eye on things etc. (At least thats what they interpret scripture as) Humans just love finding creative ways to cope with reality. Or as George Carlin would say, we just love to bull**** ourselves. These videos are very well done!
Man! So glad you covered this topic. I remember reading New Testament and seeing all these contradictions and thinking “no wonder we have so many denominations and arguments. It’s all in there and it doesn’t make sense! Then I thought I was going crazy bc why didn’t anyone else notice this! I’d bring it up and they tell me I was reading it wrong and that God’s word can’t contradict itself. Ummm but it does! That was the beginning of the end for me. Took me from 2018 to December to officially see it for what is. Then I found you on RUclips and felt validated. 😊
Holy shit! I actually used to go to the church at 18:08. I recognize some of the people in that video. That was the last church I went to before I finally fell out of religion. They are very "charismatic" and you see altar calls like the one in the video all the time.
Excellent video! As for the false prophet thing they were talking about, wouldn't Paul be counted as a false prophet? I'm guessing I'll hear more about it when you get that far in the Bible Study videos but didn't Paul say some things that went against the supposed teachings of Jesus?
I know this is random but you were talking about Jesus and curing someone with a disability and it just got my head rolling... so... I'll be 22 in July and that will mark me having Hydrocephalus for 22 years. This disability has stumped so many things I've wanted to do in life, but I physically can't do them because I'd get injured and even possibly die. I can't do anything too physical, I had multiple surgeries over my life time and I have no idea how I'm alive. I also have Asperger's so I have sensory issues out the ass, I constantly lose things, I get drained just taking the trash out and it's very mentally draining. I play videogames a lot because it's my escape from both these disabilities and from the shit world we live in. And I no longer believe in the Christian God nor any God. I've lost my brother's. My father isn't in my life. My mom is slowly going insane. I'm mentally exhausted. And there's been countless times I've wanted to self delete myself because of all this weighing shit... My mom and my girlfriend are the only reasons I'm even here anymore... I'm the only son my mom has left... But I'm not even 22 and I feel like I'm double my age mentally. I don't have a job. I don't have a car. I don't have a license. I'm not even on disability at the moment because I haven't be able to reapply for it ever sense I turn 18 nearly 4 years ago because I'm antisocial as fuck. I get anxiety easily. It's... It's a lot... And that's not even without me saying all the shit my mom and her relationship history and constant fights throughout my entire life. I've also been dumped in every relationship I've been in. And that doesn't help worth a fuck. I'm on the verge of going insane. And there's so much shit I'm not even mentioning because there's just so much of it... I'm fucked... And it's all this shit that's made me conclude the only way I'd believe in a God at this point is if one spawned in front of me and made me do something so impossible the only explanation would be a God.
Sending you a virtual hug (the kind that makes you feel better without disturbing your sensory issues). Having relatively mild sensory disturbances, I can empathize a little but can’t imagine the overwhelm of all of that together. Glad you have anchors like your games, and even 2 people in your corner. 💪🏼💪🏼🧩
Sounds really tough ❤️ I’m so sorry to hear how challenging your life is. This might sound weird, but if you ever use music to help handle anxiety, the singer song writer ren has been really helpful for me. Especially his songs, depression, hi ren and suicide. He does a lot of songs on mental health and suffered for most his life with chronic pain due to years of undiagnosed Lyme disease. Just thought I’d share as sometimes an escape and listening to someone who somewhat gets it can be a life saver ❤️
Not to be entirely sarcastic or ironic…but… preach, brother! You are so right on, Brandon! You have an amazing way of showing that the issues are with the Bible itself. The foundational text. It’s the source of every problematic belief, and the harm that comes from those beliefs can be traced back to it. You are doing great work. Thank you for this channel . 👏👏👏
It’s absolutely insane how much of this I saw all the time as a kid and thought was so normal at the time I was growing up in it(except the snakes lol). Being in a southern Pentecostal holiness church there would be people speaking in tongues, shouting deliverance from “evil spirits”, doing faith healing, calls to the altar, warnings of end time prophecy and so on… every single week. I even did a lot of it myself, trying to feel the thing everybody else claimed they had. So confusing looking back on it now. Brandon thank you for your work on this video and your channel as a whole, really helps keep my head on straight and reminds me why I left faith in search of truth, I’m sure I’m not the only one
There's no objective Christianity that exists outside of people's heads. There's no arbiter who can decide who is right and who is wrong. Any version of Christianity is as correct as any other and disagreements can never be settled.
Fantastic! This type of criticism, from within, should provoke questions in believing minds. But I suppose that, since the inconsistencies are so evident, these considerations are very effective in those who are just beginning to adhere to Christianity. Much more so if they are done with knowledge and kindness.
Thank you for your content Brandon, you keep me sane in a world follow of crazy people, the logic and understanding you provide is something you’d expect from a god that loves me but here we are 🤷🏼♂️
@ 37:26 Love it! "You can't know if you're deceived. That's the definition of deception." - Now you have eyes that truely see truth! Your message is very powerfull. And you are very skilled with the language. Thank you so much for your story, skills, and for sharing them with the world. Wonderful work!
Well done as usual. You are doing a great job and a great service. I've been out of the Jesus cult since I was 33 ,..... 32 years ago.... and you are " a blessing" to me. I love your Sunday talks. Truth! Reason! Keep going, my man. You're amazing.
Thank youuu! Love this!! My CHRISTIAN family and friends watched me become more and more radical, hard core, and fundamental in my faith and in my thinking… They tried encouraging me to chill out, slow my roll a little bit, live in the real world… so I would respond “All I’m doing is reading the book!” Then… everything broke and faith became nonsense and I deconverted. Now, the same Christian family and friends try to encourage me to come back into the fold… and I respond “All I did was read the book!”
Your channel’s subtitle could easily be, The Great Commission.” You are educating people on their Bible and not letting them off the hook. Confronted by the words in their own scripture, your work forces people to be honest about their beliefs and convictions. I appreciate what you’re doing.
this was outstanding, Brandon. I love the section on factions, how each one believes it has come upon the one, true interpretation of the bible, of what it means to be Christian.
I love your bible studies! When I was 19, in 1978, I was dating my future husband. We were very strong in our Southern Baptist belief and he talked me into marrying him BEFORE I finished college. He convinced me to quit, because of the impending rapture. This was the first of many mistakes I made , as a fundamentalist believer, which affected my life and my children's. That marriage ended, horribly, after 18 years. I am an athiest now after decades of guilt, shame and regret. I am now at peace!! The reading of scriptures no longer have that abusive hold on me mentally or physically.
From a young age i always got the impression that the bible teaches people to feel ashamed to be human, to accept what is natural, and turned our instincts against us.
@@MindShift-Brandon Absolutely. And btw, I know I’ve plugged this before, but I figured I might need to build some familiarity with you before I prove myself worth your time to talk to - but I would love to send you a short explanation of what I believe is the optimal way to explain morality. I believe Christians constantly walk away from debates with atheists thinking they’ve won because atheists don’t have a great means of talking about morality. Lmk if there is somewhere to send that and if you could take 10 min to decide if you think it’s a simple explanation
Lately I've taken to trying this: if the Abrahamic religions and Christianity in particular are going to be deconstructed, maybe it's a good idea to have people working on that from within as well as from without. (I mean people who are sincere, who really want to help the world, and use religion as a tool for doing that.) The work could go quicker that way.
@@NeedSomeNuancehis email is in the description and I think he regularly invites any and all to share their thoughts. I say go for it, send him your description. 👍🏼
@@NeedSomeNuanceAron Ra, Viced Rhino and Paulogia have some videos covering some ideas on how morality can be explained via natural processes. Roughly, as a social species, we developed empathy for others, so that we could appreciate suffering not just in ourselves but in others too. So the basic framework for morality is simply that which promotes overall well-being or happiness, or reduces suffering (or both) and converse for immorality. Simple to say, but has many complexities in practice.
Brandon, thanks for taking the time to make this video. At the same time, don't take all of us here in the Comments section too seriously... I'd like to quote a great Zen master on his deathbed, "From bathtub to bathtub I've uttered stuff and nonsense. The bathtub in which the baby is washed at birth and the bathtub in which the corpse is washed before burial, all this time I have said many nonsenses." Your work is very much appreciated!
This video is extraordinarily thorough and detailed. It must have taken a lot of work to put it together, especially the research and analytical detective work before making it could even begin. Much appreciated. Just a pity it will be lost on Christians.
Hey Brandon, Brad from Australia here, I've only just discovered your channel a few months ago and been watching since around late last year. Like many, I was raised in the Christian faith (quite a few actually) and like yourself struggled with many of the bible's teachings, especially the new testament stuff. Just wanna say, I love your work mate, I have never really been able to put how I feel into words, but you nail it every time, (no pun intended). I thank you sir for your time, energy and courage to post and just all around appreciate your approach and rational thought. For me, Christopher Hitchens and the 4 horseman (Krauss, Dawkins and Harris) really helped, but there was a book that I came across many years ago (about 8) that really interested me. If you ever get time, read a book called "The God Part of the Brain" by Matthew Alper, specifically pages 153-154. It takes a scientific view of how our brain works and the neurochemistry behind it. I myself subscribe to Buddhist philosophies and that along with many others, including your good self, who continue to support me in my journey of atheism and scientific rational thought, cheers
I grew up in a Latino Pentecostal household where “spiritual warfare” was constantly preached to us. Which led to strict religious parents. Which led to me being a religious leader in the church. Leaving was the best thing for my life, but I’m still struggling with all the trauma that atmosphere caused.
Thousands of years and nothing has changed, the BATTLE to the DEATH on planet Earth is still TRUTH vs. LIES ETERNAL LIFE and EXISTENCE on EARTH for the VICTORS DISHONOR and ETERNAL DEATHS for the VANQUISHED ATHEISM and RELIGIONS All Atheists who are filling the world with their Satanic LIE and false claim that the BIBLE is just a worthless book of lies, myths, fictions, fantasies, and fairy tales and all Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, SDAs, Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, Born Again Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, and fanatics of all kinds of Religions who are filling the world with their Satanic LIES and UNBIBLICAL teachings and doctrines about "Trinity", "hellfire", "Armageddon", "afterlife", "immortality of the souls", "rapture", and "reincarnation" obviously don't respect and value their own lives, dignities, and existence..... unbothered and just don't care even if their Satanic hatred, mockeries, opposition, and defiance of the Creator's Sovereignty and Jesus Christ's authority and teachings bring them nothing but their own dishonor, disgrace, downfall and ETERNAL DEATHS, just worthless and useless dusts on earth forever. The CREATOR and JESUS CHRIST All persons on earth who rejected Atheism and all Religions as worthless and useless and willingly submit instead to the AUTHORITY of Jesus Christ as written in Matthew 28: 18 and believe too his teachings about the "Kingdom of God" and "Resurrection of the Dead" as written in Luke 4: 43 and John 11: 25, 26 will definitely bring themselves honor and the loving, kind, and merciful Creator's favor and reward of ETERNAL LIFE and existence on earth without sufferings, pains, griefs, sickness, and death as written in Revelation 21: 3, 4. All Atheists, Christians, and fanatics of all kinds of Religions DON'T BELIEVE that the teaching of Jesus Christ about the "RESURRECTION of the DEAD" is the Creator's guarantee that lowly, ordinary, kind, and respectful persons on earth who died recently and thousands of years ago like Abel, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Job, Ruth, Naomi, King David, Daniel, Jesus Christ's Followers and disciples, and many others will all be RESURRECTED back to life in the right and proper time so they can happily, abundantly, and peacefully live and exist on earth forever as subjects and citizens of the "KINGDOM of GOD" and fully enjoy the eternal love, kindness, goodness, generosities, compassions, favors, and blessings of the Creator and his Christ for eternity under the loving and kind rulership, guidance, and protection of Jesus Christ as the Creator's Chosen King and Ruler of the heavens and the earth as written in Revelation 11: 15.
The one thing I think the fundamentalists don't stay faithful to the text in its original context is slavery. And I am very glad excuses are made to not practice slavery I only wish excuses would be made for the LGBTQ+ communities as well to be more loving.
Im always so torn on this idea. Like on one hand people making the bible and thus religion more palatable means it will continue much longer and still do harm. If it was left as horrific as it really is, it would indeed be more harmful but also might die out much sooner.
@@MindShift-Brandon just so you know I'm living in Jamaica, apart of a highly religious police force, and you've been inspiring me to take up this mantle and also be a voice of the Caribbean I hope I develop the enough courage one day to be as good as you are.
I really appreciate that you don't shy away from these realities about biblical consistency and the harm of the book people CLAIM to take literally. When I was a fundie, people even at my own church would say I was being harsh or condeming or not showing Christ's love, but I was basing everything I believed off the bible and what I was taught about it, including the urging to read the Bible and be guided by it. As an autistic person, it confused me because to me, you should take literally the teachings you believe to genuinely be "divinely inspired" when you are told "all scripture is useful for teaching, rebuking [etc]". Too many people just hold onto cognitive dissonance, and yes, so did I to a degree, but it was through trying to be consistent that I actually found my way out. I did become "progressive" because I started believing a teaching that the law was overcome by Jesus and that we were to be saved purely by grace and unable to lose our salvation, but I still sought to actually find out what was true and eventually had to be consistent with my own beliefs - that if the Bible truly WAS the truth that was undeniable, searching for God couldn't possibly lead me away from him ("You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord." Jer 29:13-14a). Truly believing that I couldn't lose my salvation and wasn't going to hell gave me the courage to say "well God, you understand why I have to question and allow myself the space to doubt if need to, as a stop-gap to searching harder and seeking truth that strengthens my faith and makes me a better Christian and apologist". If I hadn't truly believed, (and become extreme in the sense of being fundie and then extremely progressive, both times in accordance with what I genuinely BELIEVED to be true) I wouldn't have been able to truly doubt, if that makes sense. Fortunately that was enough to overcome the biases and cognitive dissonance I had been taught before. But I recall friends of mine who couldn't answer my questions without saying "Pastor X says..." and couldn't give me their OWN answer that wasn't just "man's opinion" or separate their own perceived relationship with God from what other people said it must be. They couldn't question whether their pastors could be wrong and I remember years later coming back to the same church which used to kick out gay people with no questions asked or answered, which now had a much more "tolerant" policy of trying to "help them" and "pray with them to overcome their sin" (which I know isn't better, but it was a way different take to before, and they had no self-awareness of how their entire policy had still changed, which is really something if you believe the whole time you are being led by God and that his word never changes). It's weird but even heavily indoctrinated into this cult my own belief in God actually was an anchor against that tide, given the discrepancies, because in practicality, no church today can actually follow biblical literalism. They'd end up in prison for sure. And I guess my own values and the emphasis of forgiveness and love made me have to seek out consistency. Still, I feel bad for my parents, who refused to accept me for being trans and who have lost me now. They lost so much freedom for this cult. But then again they are narcissists who tend to believe what's convenient and suits them and flip flop so, maybe they didn't lose that much, and in their mind they probably think "well we have two spare children to take care of us in our retirement". Idk why I ranted about all of this. It sounded more coherent when I was writing it. But it felt kind of important to get out anyway lol. Hopefully this unstructured ramble is relatable to someone or somewhat helpful in some way. Or maybe it just helped me get some thoughts out lol.
It gets even worse when you come across people that just straight-up bold-faced "Don't believe what your eyes see and your ears hear" lie and claim _the exact opposite_ about what is not or, even more brazenly, is in Bible - or, as some like to use as some kind of demented defense, "Scripture," as if no one, let alone people like us, can tell what they are trying to do.
I had such bad end time anxiety. I remember skipping certain trips with other family or friends because I was scared I’d miss out on time with my immediate family before the rapture or something terrible happened. I kept expecting the horror…i remember certain times in my youth only because of My anxiety around this topic At the time.
It's admirable that you can sort it all out and now see clearly. It's an accomplishment that few followers can match. You have intense critical thinking and communication skills.
To this day I am still so sad... mad even... that I destroyed my entire Superman comic collection, because it gave me sinful thoughts... There were some really special issues in that pile of comics. 😪... I really wish I could go back and stop myself...
When people talk about "the rapture" they always say, "You don't want to be left behind." But in Matthew 24:36 - 41 it seems like the ones left behind are the ones that are saved. If it's like the days of Noah, then the wicked are the ones taken...🤔
@@Volleyball_Chess_and_Geoguessr i mean, the people do it to themselves. the snakes have no choice in the matter. and taking thise out of the wild has a bigger overall impact than a vew moronic people dying.
You are a genius in Bible interpretation, and honest and accurate. You are accurately pointing out the same 2-sided opposing views and pairs of opposing views that I myself have noticed in the last couple decades that exists in Scripture on just about every Biblical doctrine and piece of advice that there is within it. Your work is vitally necessary when one finds oneself in conflict from the Scriptures - and sooner or later that conflict shows up.
It's amusing how Christians are able to shift gears so effortlessly from insisting that a "plain reading" of scripture should be taken, to asserting that a complex textual analysis is required in order to justify their particular interpretation of what some Biblical passage "really" means.
Thousands of years and nothing has changed, the BATTLE to the DEATH on planet Earth is still TRUTH vs. LIES ETERNAL LIFE and EXISTENCE on EARTH for the VICTORS DISHONOR and ETERNAL DEATHS for the VANQUISHED ATHEISM and RELIGIONS All Atheists who are filling the world with their Satanic LIE and false claim that the BIBLE is just a worthless book of lies, myths, fictions, fantasies, and fairy tales and all Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, SDAs, Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, Born Again Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, and fanatics of all kinds of Religions who are filling the world with their Satanic LIES and UNBIBLICAL teachings and doctrines about "Trinity", "hellfire", "Armageddon", "afterlife", "immortality of the souls", "rapture", and "reincarnation" obviously don't respect and value their own lives, dignities, and existence..... unbothered and just don't care even if their Satanic hatred, mockeries, opposition, and defiance of the Creator's Sovereignty and Jesus Christ's authority and teachings bring them nothing but their own dishonor, disgrace, downfall and ETERNAL DEATHS, just worthless and useless dusts on earth forever. The CREATOR and JESUS CHRIST All persons on earth who rejected Atheism and all Religions as worthless and useless and willingly submit instead to the AUTHORITY of Jesus Christ as written in Matthew 28: 18 and believe too his teachings about the "Kingdom of God" and "Resurrection of the Dead" as written in Luke 4: 43 and John 11: 25, 26 will definitely bring themselves honor and the loving, kind, and merciful Creator's favor and reward of ETERNAL LIFE and existence on earth without sufferings, pains, griefs, sickness, and death as written in Revelation 21: 3, 4. All Atheists, Christians, and fanatics of all kinds of Religions DON'T BELIEVE that the teaching of Jesus Christ about the "RESURRECTION of the DEAD" is the Creator's guarantee that lowly, ordinary, kind, and respectful persons on earth who died recently and thousands of years ago like Abel, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Job, Ruth, Naomi, King David, Daniel, Jesus Christ's Followers and disciples, and many others will all be RESURRECTED back to life in the right and proper time so they can happily, abundantly, and peacefully live and exist on earth forever as subjects and citizens of the "KINGDOM of GOD" and fully enjoy the eternal love, kindness, goodness, generosities, compassions, favors, and blessings of the Creator and his Christ for eternity under the loving and kind rulership, guidance, and protection of Jesus Christ as the Creator's Chosen King and Ruler of the heavens and the earth as written in Revelation 11: 15.
Talking about "interpretation of tongues" reminds me of a pretty funny (to me) memory of a worship session I was in where someone went up and spoke in tongues over the microphone and then the pastor asked if anyone had been given the gift to interpret that message and several people came up to "interpret" it and I recall there were at least several people with different interpretations of one message and we all just went with it lol. The first part started with a very clearly repeated phrase, which two interpreters identified in their "interpretation" which is how I "knew" they were both interpreting the same message not referring to something else or simply prophesying. I remember the one interpreter translated that first repetition as "My child, my child" (it sounded like relaying message from God, like a prophecy) and the other as something totally different message with a different repeated starting phrase, I think it was from the perspective of the person speaking to God. I remember believing that the "Wow. Amazing that there are heavenly languages where a whole message [of about two or more paragraphs as I recall] has a coherent meaning in one angelic language and a whole other coherent meaning in another one!" Bizarre, and just so much indoctrination, looking back on it now. No wonder they fearmongered us against external influences and poisoned us against the cricicism of outsiders as "persecution" and attempts to "steal" our faith or seeing our heavenly "wisdom" of Christ as "foolishness to the world" (though for me it was the shame culture and teaching to not be truly honest in order to reel people into the church that made me mask the extremeness of my beliefs) - people not raised in that cult environment would have been shocked at how credulous and naive we were raised to be and would have concernedly pointed it out immediately!
Great coverage of so many political, cultural, and theological topics! It's sad to see almost every liberal Chrisian destroyed in debates with their fellow Christians because they just don't have Jesus and the Bible backing them up.
Brandon, you're a cool potatoe on top of being a smart cookie! Glad to see you becoming more assertive in the defence of your views mate! Much love from Europe!
Your channel has become one of my favorite channels on RUclips. Thank you for putting out rational and helpful content for the viewers like myself, who are still struggling with tough questions regarding our faith/religion despite getting continually hit with the word salad and mental gymnastics from pastors/apologists etc.
This was such an amazing display of holding two ideas at once in order to compare them honestly. You’re honest with your bias and go above and beyond to see the other point’s of view. They’ll never be satisfied until they are in a place in their own lives where they are willing to question and seek beyond their current perspective.
I truly believe progressive christianity is a watered down, modern and more palatable portion of christianity that is not entirely biblical. If you have to improve on gods character to worship him, then what is the point?
another great video my man :D its so embarrassing to me to think about how I also did the whole speaking in tongues thing! I am so happy there is no tape of that :D have a great day my man :)
Brandon - another perfect video, reinforcing the points made previously about the explicitly crazy components of the holey babble words of god. The main (wrong) premise of any fundamental religious people is their strict adherence to a book as "Truth(tm)". And a close examination of these books, as you are pointing out, is that these books are ancient anthologies (well, not Book of Mormon or Scientology). All one has to do is listen to the shocking Alex O'Conner/William Lane Craig discussion on "moral genocide" to be appalled at how such fealty corrupts ones humanity, and why planes can be flown into buildings !! Why religions ARE accepted is, there is a component of those books, or what is "taught" from such books, that resonates with the person who hear it. Plus, it is a human desire to belong to a group. It is very fortunate that most people believe that "being good" is the core component of their "faith". However, sadly, there are a plethora of sects from unitarians, fundamental LDS, ISIS, greek orthodox etc that distract humanity from simply contributing to a world with less pain/suffering and more flow (see Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi) Fighting the irrationality of religion is one of the most noble battles of the 21st century!! Keep up the phenomenal work !!
Try these verses: Galatians 3:13, Hosea 13:4, Hosea 13:7-8, Revelation 13:1-8, Revelation 14:9-11. Isaiah 1, Isaiah 66. "Who has demanded this of you?" Or what God wanted offerings? Revelation 12:9
Hell yeah Brandon! I haven’t watched yet, but I hella agree with you and still would champion that position even though I no longer have a dog in the fight lol
At least the anointing oil used to contain opioids and/or cannibinoids, which would at least provide _some_ medicinal value. 🤷♂️ Somewhere along the way, though, whether intentionally or not, someone omitted the anointing oil altogether, or just blessed oil without the opioids and/or cannabinoids, and the placebo effect worked well enough without it.
I have a friend who is like yours, the one who claimed prophetic visions. My friend however claims to be able to see angels. That’s his “gift.” He can see everyone’s “guardian angels.” I’m really concerned for him because he is fairly far on the spectrum and his family is convincing him he has these powers. He is believing them with no real evidence other than his own delusions. It’s a shame because he is bright and a really great co-worker. A kind soul. He is so distracted by this that it takes away from his potential greatness.
Look up Elizabeth Struhs. The Bible got this 8 year old girl un-alived. This case really awakened me and that is when I began to question the validity of this doctrine. That is when I walked away from this blood sacrifice death cult. Great presentation Brendan, thanks for sharing.
Re: the “electric guitars aren’t on the list of approved instruments” claim I’m 99% sure that some old guy heard a macabre song with a cool guitar solo that scared him because of his belief in demonic energies, and so he blamed it on the guitar.
I was raised in a strict "christian" home. Both my parents were abusive aside from the religious abuse. Besides the abuse my mother would constantly tell me I was going to hell. When some of the abuse became known to the church, they did nothing, and my parents spread lies about myself and my sibling(s) so as to protect their reputation and they still go to the same church to this day. My parents were also leaders in this church. Even though I know it's not for me, I still struggle with the fear of going to hell and I still get rapture anxiety from time to time. Even with everything I know and don't want anything to do with god, I still feel the need to believe in Jesus. I've been in and out of counseling for 20 yrs and I still struggle with issues because of it all. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. I am glad you are approaching this. You are really good at explaining what it's like and why there is so much division and how it really doesn't make sense if you step back and start thinking for yourself.
Sounds like they used an abusive and manipulative religion to validate and support the abusers they already were. I’ve been there, you are not alone. Keep thinking.
There is a sense in which this is true. Most of the Bible is Tanakh, which demands Jews follow the 613 commandments. But almost no Christians are Jewish, and much of the Christian Old Testament contradicts what Biblical Fundamentalists seem to believe, yet they still think they're literalists. I don't see most of them trying to get slaves (even if they weirdly use moral relativism to defend Bible slavery). Most of them eat pork. They wear.mixed fabrics. They want to say we're supposed to follow the Commandments, even though those are supposed to be rules for Jews to follow. They say Jesus did not change one jot or tiddle of the law, yet they are not commanded to follow it. Christian fundamentalism is a strange bird.
@@Volleyball_Chess_and_Geoguessrthey still don’t follow the ones that anybody can follow today. None of them keep kosher laws and keep the sabbath which is not hard to do in this time.
@@a.b.2405 Some Christians worship on Saturday. Seventh Day Baptists, Messianic Jews, and Seventh Day Adventists for example. The new testament says that all things are made clean. So if you believe the new testament, foods are clean. But I think there are some denominations that don't eat pork. Seventh Day Adventists again. Not that I would recommend you go over there to find true Christianity.
I think your argument is way more reasonable than what others have argued in this topic, however one important problem I see for arguing that fundamentalism is 'closer to scripture' version of christianity compared to progressives is beacuse fundamentalism as we know it today is a quite recent phenomenon, since it can be traced back to the late 1800's. Other problems I find with some of your points are, for example, the theology of rapture is also a pretty recent idea that scholars like Dan Macclelan have argued is unbiblical, purity culture is extremely weird given how jesus himself would have disagreed that a woman is at fault for the sexual thoughts men might have, telling to pluck their eyes out, along with many other myths of purity culture that are unbiblical at best. Secular censorship seems like weird point IMO, since the reason the we know things like prohibiting rock or videogames is foolish beacuse these things dont have the negative effects that fundies argue they have, and thus they have arguibly nothing to do with the 'deeds of darkness' Other thing I find issue with is that the belief that creationism as we know it was a nessecary belief before evidence of evolution came out is not completely true, since there where many prominent figures in chruch history that advocated the allegory camp way before evidence rose. But ultimately, the problem you laid out about christiand not agreeing is a legetimate one, I would argue that disagreement partialy brought by material conditions of its readers, but is nontheless a legit problem you lay out, besides that this comment is taking way too long... But anyway, i hope you have a pleasant sunday Brandom, peace.
In the section "secular censorship" made me wonder if these ideas are also where the ideas of Christian nationalism come from? In the US at least, there seems to be this drive by some Christians to force the rest of us submit to their ideas of "morality". Which, to me, seems at odds with the Bible where Christians are supposed to not concern themselves with this world but, to separate from it and be devoted to Christ. Anyway, would love to hear your thoughts on the christian nationalism trend. Thanks for the great videos.
If it is believed that God is flawless and intended to convey his message perfectly for us to comprehend without any confusion, then understanding his word should be effortless. However, the Bible's complexity, contradictions, and scientific inaccuracies suggest human authorship lacking divine inspiration, raising doubts about the existence of a perfect deity. The issue of understanding the Bible has puzzled many. If a supremely perfect deity, such as Jehovah, aimed to communicate with humanity, clear and understandable communication would seem reasonable. Consider how newspapers tailor their content to an 8th-grade reading level to reach a broader audience. Remarkably, the average person today with such reading skills is likely much more educated than people 2,000 years ago when the final biblical book was penned. Moreover, a significant portion of the ancient population was illiterate. One might argue that a divine being would ensure unmistakable clarity, possibly imparting inherent knowledge to individuals from birth to diminish ambiguity. Additionally, it is conceivable that a divine being, when invoked, would readily provide assistance. Such a deity could have also planted his holy and divine word into our psyche without having to read it. A truly supreme being might have even created a world devoid of evil, eliminating the need for rescue. Given the difficulty in comprehending these narratives, it is reasonable to empirically conclude that Christianity is mythology and not a divine truth.
Agreed 💯% then add how difficult it is as a NT believer "to hear God's voice", in a "personal relationship", as opposed to all the physical and audio ways God" spoke " to convey his demands in the OT. It's ridiculous. It's confusing. If theism were true, it shouldn't be.
"But you need to learn ancient Hebrew, Aramaic, and koine Greek to truly understand the Bible." Well, dear Christian, I myself already speak English, Spanish, and Portuguese fluently, and have an intermediate French level, and I have a decent level in Italian. I learned those languages to communicate with people. I'm not going to waste my time learning languages that nobody today speaks to understand a God's word who doesn't even have the decency to appear and speak English to me. If he came, spoke English to me, and clarified his word in plain English, then I would believe in him. @amypieterse4127
I’m fairly certain the possessed lady at around the 6:00 minute mark listens to Cradle of Filth. She had an AWESOME metal vocal scream. 😂😂😂 Good job, brother! Another slam dunk!
![Megan Thee Stallion - Roc Steady (feat. Flo Milli) [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/HozPPyqW0dY/mqdefault.jpg)
I get a shout out! Neat!
That's nice…I can name 150 verses that show fundamentalism isn't biblical and proves the video wrong.
Did you really delete your comment that had 100s of comments, most of which rebutting you and then repost your original?
Besides, they didn't rebutt jack.
I left a comment under there too mentioning that you can find examples of contradictions and inerrancy in both the Old and New Testament.
Also lost wordplay in Genesis, later scribal add-ons in Matthew, and the groans of an Egyptology professor when she has to explain why she is so frustrated with The Prince of Egypt.
I have yet to delete any comments or censor anyone, but if you are going to delete your comment simply to get rid of the trail of replies, I am going to have to start cutting your comments. It is simply not fair to everyone (from both sides) who put time and attention into this thread. It would be one thing, if you wanted to retract your comment, but you reposted it, so you simply wanted to censor those that objected to it and have the last word. This is really silly and low.
@@VictoriousCatholic It doesn’t depend at all goofball.
This sort of thing always comes back to the same idea. To paraphrase `They do not believe the bible means what it says; They're convinced it says what they mean.` Which is why the number one retort you're likely to see is "you're cherry picking!" Because if anyone knows all about cherry picking, it's Christian apologists.
And it's not even an accurate call-out. Cherry Picking is misunderstood by many to mean "using only a small number of examples", as if that in itself is the fallacy. The actual fallacy at work is not what you choose to look at, it's what you're forced to ignore.
If you're fighting against the claim of "Christianity sometimes causes harm", then no amount of examples of people being fine with it, or even it helping people, are going to overpower even one singular example of harm caused by christian beliefs.
But if you're fighting against the claim of "Christianity only EVER causes harm", then it only takes one example of it not causing harm or helping someone to soundly refute it.
@@riluna3695 Fair point. I'm using cherry picking incorrectly. I used to call it `the art of verse stringing,` which may be more accurate to what I'm suggesting. I would agree with your conclusion, if you're making one of those two arguments. However, the argument I was making wasn't that Christianity always causes harm or only sometimes causes harm. The argument was that the bible can be made to say just about whatever you want, depending on how you string verses together. Though, perhaps I'm drawing a distinction that isn't correct.
@@riluna3695 If a tree bears even one bad fruit, then it is not a perfectly good tree.
That sounds more like the Black Swan fallacy than a misunderstanding of cherry picking. 🤷♂️
We could just go with Cafeteria Christians, where the Bible is the buffet, but each parishioner only loads their plate with just the things they like, and then the tables they cluster to are each a denomination. Or something like that.
@@somersetcace1 I wasn't saying you'd done anything incorrectly. I was agreeing, actually. They do often claim cherry picking, and it's misused when they do it. And the phrases like "If you're fighting against..." were a universal "you" rather than you specifically. "If one is to challenge this claim, then..."
Sorry for the confusion.
Brandon out here bringing receipt after receipt after receipt.
Absolutely love it.
Ha! No better way to show something. Thank you!
24:16 "Scripture is so vague and so contradictory, even when it is NOT vague, that it is impossible to arrive at a one true believe system detailed out from it."
That is so true!
It's literal.
Have you considered another option? The Bible says that the carnal man (i.e. the non-believer) cannot understand the Word of God. For example, I eat the Word of God like candy! I am in the Bible for hours and hours every day. I am in constant friendship with Christ - which is the entirety of the Bible's message: you can know God. He died on a Cross so that you may be blessed by friendship with the Almighty. If you do not make it right with God, you will 'weep and gnash your teeth.' You read this message, the Holy Spirit bearing witness that it is true, yet you rejected truth for a lie. Is that your fate? Ask and you shall receive! Hurry! Your day in court will be here sooner than you think! Jesus Christ is the light of the world.
@@kenshilohthis a bot guys don’t worry
@@kenshiloh I could make the same arguments for the Catholic church, and tell you you're going to hell because you reject Christ's church.
or as i keep saying "its archaic, its archaic, its archaic, its archaic its archaic, but "studying arcaic esoteric and occult is ""sin"" welllll then IDK how one suppose to understand it as its all mostly allagorral.
This video came at just the right moment.
A few videos ago, I commented that my family just got the news that my uncle has lung cancer. It has now spread to his lymph nodes and his spine.
So my entire mothers side of the family traveled to Texas to visit him.
While there, my family prayed. But my family's form of prayer is just like what you described. Shaking, my mother speaking in tongues(I commented about this awhile back as well), claiming to see visions, calling on the blood of Jesus to cover my uncle, crying, and casting out the sickness from his body.
My aunt said "i had a vision where i saw my brother and his wife traveling and preaching the word". My grandma said she saw a vision of a bright light coming towards my uncle and then seeing a white dove fly near him.
I never realized that my family was fundamentalist lol. I am 31 and I am now just realizing this.
Aside from my family praying for my uncles health and healing, my brother, another uncle, and I were singled out and prayed upon. We were told "open your hearts, soften your hearts, for the time is coming where Jesus will return". My uncle, sick, fragile, and tired, wept for me and basically prayed for us because he is afraid that we are going to hell.
We were singled out in front of, not only my family, but his wife's family.
I have never came out to my family that I have doubts. My brother has always been quiet and respectful of their beliefs as well. We both used to serve in church in different ways. We once believed. But we have never verbalized that we have deconverted. We showed up just as everyone else did. We cancelled work, spent money, and cried for my uncle. Yet, they were still more concerned that we did not shake, wail, scream while in prayer, or speak in tongues. We were singled out because we are not behaving the way they expect us to behave. As for my other uncle that also got called out, I do not understand why, he spent way more money and basically planned the entire trip for all of us but still got told to stop hardening his heart.
When my brother and I finally got an opportunity to speak to my sick uncle alone he told us "How come neither of you tried to get close to me while I was living in California?"
(my brother and I grew up in a very toxic household, my father is a narcissist and abused us and my mother)
I was honest with my uncle and told him we had so many issues because of my father and we have a hard time getting close to anyone. We just have issues.
Of course it hurt for him to feel that way about us. We do really love my uncle. But no one in my family ever really asked my mom, brother or I what was going on in our household. No one came to help us. We were trapped and alone in the situation.
It broke my hearts in so many ways.
When I was finally alone with my brother I told him I was kind of upset about how the prayer unfolded. I was also upset, because even though I dropped everything just to be there for him, it is still not enough for them. We get singled out. We are the black sheep. And they wonder why we don't or can't form super deep relationships with any of them. We are different. We are quiet. Calm. Respectful. But we also stand our ground when we need to. But our family only sees 1 thing. And it hurt.
I don't mean to make any of this about me. I'm not here asking for pity. I just am now really getting a sense of where I stand, who my family is and what they think of me.
Even though I cried, closed my eyes during prayer, and took the communion because he wanted us all to do so. Still, it was not enough.
Like I said, I've never disrespected any one of my family regarding their beliefs, because at one point they were mine as well! But they obviously see things differently. They see me differently. Don't really know what it is. I know who I am and I have avoided so many mistakes that the rest of my family has made. Yet, I am the black sheep. At least I have my brother. He and I hugged it out and told each other we have each others backs.
Anyway, that was a long story, but a true one.
Thank you Brandon. You really have shed a light into the things I never saw on my own and it might have took me way longer to be able to figure it out on my own if it wasn't for you.
Oh mate. That sounds really shit. So sad to read all that. I still speak in tongues, and could be like your family would want, but i feel more kike you have described. I cant do the cult and cult expectations and culty group dynamic anymore. Its just not in me to not be real. I still pray and believe i God, but my concepts are soooo different now.
I feel for you and your brother. You just need your family to be real. To cry, make stupid jokes and be supportive of each other... Even a bit of self reflection and apology for ignoring the abuses of your earlier lives.
But narcs like to make these occasions all about themselves, often in God's Name... Ugh. So frustrating.
It is beautiful that your family all gathered together..
But show off spirituality is a bit on the nose... Its more about is and them, in or out, crap.. not about kove or your poor suffering uncle.
..basically all the hypocrisy that Jesus yelled at, is what the church has built on.
Eff that!!
Sending hugs from Australia .. thus the swearing. It is our love language!
By judging you they are blaspheming. According to the Bible it is only God or Jesus who has the right to judge anyone. Ask them why they are assuming God's role. The only person they should be judging is themself. Self judgment is the hardest thing to do because it requires being objective and honest with oneself. Self-awareness is the beginning of wisdom.
@@grepora "Blaspheming" -- did you hear what she said? She _deconverted._ You're literally shoving more Christianity down her throat right after she's just told us she left that belief system years ago. You're not offering help, you're promoting your own beliefs.
And just like the Bible there is a contradictory verse in the Bible. It says He who is holy judges all things.Yet he himself may be judged by no one.
So taking the last person's approach may not work. Just depends on who you are talking to.
Kinda weird that someone can use the same book and arrive at polar opposites.
Anyways. Sucks you going through this. But if you aren't like them then you are the black sheep. Why act surprised about an obvious fact?
But are you an Atheist? I've come to find they are fundamentalist as well - doubts are rarely tolerated.
As a child, the expectation from my teachers in after school religion class that frightened me the most was *martyrdom*. In our workbooks and our classes, we didn't just learn about the sacrifice of the Crucifixion, we also learned about Stephen, who was considered "the first martyr." We also learned of the gory beheading of Paul, the inverted crucifixion of Peter, and the X-shaped crucifixion of Andrew (I don't know if those last two are in The Bible for sure, nevertheless that was what we were taught). I recall in one of the workbooks, it asked point blank: Would YOU be willing to martyr yourself for Christ? I was a CHILD! I'm expected to submit myself as a human sacrifice if the moment revealed itself? I wanted to run and play with my friends. I wanted to sing and draw and just plain have fun. Now they're asking me to figuratively (or literally?) stare down the barrel of a gun or the tip of a sword and offer up my life for Jesus, someone I wasn't fully sure existed? After that lesson, my mom said I came home with this haunted look on my face. I couldn't even bring myself to tell her. All I knew was that I was just a kid and I did not want to die for any reason.
that's horrifying D:
I feel ya. I had a similar reaction when I read the story of Abraham being asked to sacrifice Issac. I was probably in elementary school when I first understood the implications of that story. “Haunted” is a perfect description. I feared God would one day ask me to thrust a figurative knife into (NOT literally kill) something I dearly loved. Well … I’m working on my memoirs. Maybe one day I’ll publish how that all worked out. Spoiler alert: I deconverted.
If you want a read that'll curdle your blood get a copy of The Martyrs Mirror published in the mid 1600's describing in detail the torture of Christians notably Anababtists (precursors of the Amish and Mennonite faiths). It was written to bolster the faith of Christians to endure martyrdom but what really does is illustrate how horrible and evil people can be to others ...
I remember learning about martyrdom when I was probably 10, and what scares me the most about it now is how unphased I was by the idea at the time, it just built upon all the other crazy doctrine that had been pounded into my head for so long that it seemed natural. I remember even romanticizing the idea of self sacrifice and looking for my “opportunity” or my call from God to die for his glory. It really is true that if you can make believe in absurdities, you can also make them commit atrocities. I’m so lucky I was able to break free from those ideas and deconstruct my beliefs to rebuild a better epistemology
My mom was really big on instructing me how to be a martyr for Christ. She snuck it in whenever she could, including telling me she would kill me if God put her in an Abraham/Isaac situation. I can't imagine why I have anxiety 🙄
In this video: Brandon gets accused by Christians of not knowing the Bible, and Brandon said, "Bet!" Good video!
Thanks, Danny!
I do not listen to Brandon's videos because I love Jesus. For example, would you listen to a video that called your mother a whore? Would you have an 'open mind'? I don't!
Yet, what does Brandon say about the definition of Christian? Has he ever said that a Christian is someone who knows God? It is a friendship. I hope you will be open to this because hell gets a bad rap from non-believers. Yet, how could eternity without God be anything but torment? Look at all the pain and suffering in the world, yet it is a world that sees some of God's kindness and grace. However, in eternity, reject God and forget about any semblance of justice. There are no cops, nor judges, nor jails in hell! It is human corruption at its lowest point. In fact, Jesus said that there are torturers there. For example, my friend Richard was tortured in a Communist jail cell. Torture happens now, but in hell, it is apparently epidemic! Will you really play 'Russian Roulette' with an eternity of regret? Really?
Christ died on a Cross so that, just by asking, you may know Him. Jesus Christ is the light of the world.
@@kenshiloh
Jesus isn't your mother, and doesn't love you 💓
@@timbertome2443 I am so sorry you think that!
I was raised by an atheist. At the age of 17, I saw a movie about Jesus and the Holy Spirit bore witness that Christ died on a Cross for my sins. One night, a short time later, I walked onto the lawn of a church and prayed my first prayer, "Is there Jesus? I would like to meet Him!" I saw the Lord descend to the earth, a white silhouette. I could see the outline of His robe. He took a step and took my hands. When I met Christ, all heaven filled my soul and it felt like my heart was made out of gold. I walked away thinking, "That was heaven, but I am on earth. What is heaven doing on earth?" Though, at the time, I did not know a single Bible verse, my experience was right out of the Bible. It says, "We are seated in the heavenlies with Christ."
That was 46 years ago, in the Spring of 1977. I have been in continuous, unbroken fellowship with Christ since that day. In fact, since that time, I have not had even one second of doubt that I know Christ and am bound for heaven - not even for a second. While the atheist must rely on their own fallible, limited, and biased opinion, never having anything resembling certainty or assurance in their lives, I have what is called 'absolute assurance.'
Moreover, when people call me delusional (it happens all the time), I just feel bad that the person cannot even do what I did, saying, "Is there Jesus? I would like to meet Him!" Christ will not enter your life without invitation. Tragically, if you die in your rejection of Him, you will spend eternity without Him. It is called hell, it is torment, and it lasts forever. Does that sound unfair? Do you know God does not care? Yet, He would love it for you to invite Him into your life. He died on a Cross so that you may know Him - just by asking! Jesus Christ is the light of the world.
@@kenshilohwow. You upfront admit that you have nothing to say about this or any other of Mindshift’s videos because *you do not watch them* yet you still post a load of worthless nonsense spewing your hate. If you are too scared to watch the videos, just don’t come to this channel, and definitely don’t waste people’s time with your irrelevant comments (as how can they be relevant if you haven’t watched it).
Hey Brandon. I hope you read this. Thank you. I’ve just very recently deconverted. I really appreciate what you do and the resources you share. I’m journeying through what this really means and your videos are challenging but comforting. It’s help so much to have people who can eloquently express my thoughts and feelings in such an encouraging way.
So glad to be helpful. I know what a crazy and hard journey Deconversion is. Just take it one step at a time!
Former theist here, it's a long journey but the truth is worth the discomfort. I hope you find your peace
Welcome to the deconverted! I have the same thing going on, and it's so refreshing hearing Brandon and others elucidating the problems with christianity/religion so well.
Good for you. It gets easier and more self reaffirming as time goes by. Good that you found this site as it is one of the most consistent, balanced, and with high integrity. There are a few other decent sites with good information done with kindness, honesty and balance, but Brandon is able to knock it out of the park virtually every time.Good luck on your journey.
Hey! Can I ask you a question? I agree with most, if not all of atheistic reasoning, yet at the same time,have had supernatural experiences. Any advice for me?
You don’t need to keep apologizing for the length of your video(s). You make awesome content so, IMO, the longer the better :)
Many thanks for that!
@@MindShift-Brandon you’re welcome sir! keep up the great work!
Agree!
Human enlightenment is here. It is the future of the civilization, this species, humanity. One of many of the most beautiful living creatures of the known universe. Thank you, Brandon.
Thank you for your discussions on these topics. I grew up fundamentalist Chrisitian and a big reason why I didnt try a more progrssive Christian version during my deconstruction process was because of these issues. I spent most of my childhood hearing all of the in-text justifications for the beleifs that I was being taught and I wouldnt be able to honestly interact with progressive Christianity without knowing in the back of my mind that there were whole verses, passages, and directives from Jesus himself that werent being acknowledged.
I had to stop beleiving because the anxiety and shame that I lived with on a daily basis was making my life a living hell. God never felt like love to me. He felt like a voice in my mind screaming that I didnt deserve to live. So becoming agnostic has more or less saved my life.
Thanks again for your in-depth dicussions on all of these topics. Having people like you lay out all of the things that are harmful about this faith has really helped me find some peace with my journey.
Thanks for sharing!
I actually went harder in the fundamentalist direction before I deconstructed. I was convinced that it all had to be true, so I dug into the scripture and was convinced that only a fundamental devotion to the text could be possible.
I dug myself right out of the whole thing. 😏
When you use the holy book of a religion, to dismantle that religion, it shows what those of us who don't believe actually see. You won't have any affect on those deep in, but the help you bring to those struggling to make sense of it is invaluable. You are giving them a path to a freedom that many will never have.
Thank you!
I so regret all the time, money, energy and emotional investment I made in this totally manmade mythology. I even more regret raising my children to believe all this crap. (Whew, they escaped.) Just think if mankind put all those resources into helping others how much better off we would all be!
❤❤❤
I am so grateful to have abandoned religion well before becoming a dad.
If only their God actually communicated with them, he'd make sure to tell all Christians if they're right or wrong. But God can't do anything by himself 😂
Makes you wonder how omniscient God really is when the Bible indicates that Adam & Eve managed to hide from him in the Garden of Eden.
@@gilleruadhThis is an ancient writing style…. But I mean, whatever you need to tell yourself?
He does, just ask them. Both God and Jesus talks to them. For some he's the same though. By that logic my mother and sister are the same too.
@@TK.D36 Well that's what they THINK. Or what they tell themselves.
@@TK.D36 prove it
I'm a simple human. I see a MindShift upload, I click.
Lol! Thanks, Jenna!
Me too😂
💯
Yep, Mind shift presentations/narratives are brilliant!!!
It's been percolating for awhile.
The funny thing is it never occurs to Christians that with over 30,000 different denominations, which clearly disagree on what scripture means, that it should draw into question its overall truth! Jesus obviously failed miserably at providing a clear, concise and unambiguous message. Surely this couldn't have been some omniscient being's plan to create misunderstanding and confusion.
Yup!! Its a huge one. Will be one of my upcoming sunday vids sometime in April.
He did say that he was here to sow the seeds of chaos
Friend, I see your point, however, it is undermined by the use of “30,000”. That number is from the World Christian Encyclopedia whose methodology confines a “denomination” to a country; this yields 270 denominations of “Roman Catholic” on account of the Roman Catholic Church is present in 270 countries. Granted, your point of division would stand were there only two denominations (as there were in 1054 AD).
Surely this CAN BE a plan to throw certain churches into tribulation exactly as spelled out in the book of Revelation .
@@ZacharyTLawson
Though there were multiple sects of Christianity before the Bible was even compiled.
The Catholic/Romans just overrid them claiming holy superiority and stamped them all out as heretics and attempted to bury the truth of their existence.
They nearly succeeded.
The bible says keep the sabbath holy but Christians don't even know when the sabbath is
Say it louder for the Christians in the back!!
Not even the church respects the sabbath, i as a child went to church on saturdays
Ha! That's good. Yes, how did we get from Saturday, the Sabbath, the 7th day of the week, the day of Rest, to the Sabbath being Sunday, the 1st day of the week? Why does no one say, "I was headed to Memphis, how did I wind up in St. Paul? Oh well, where's the McDonalds?"
@@scrider5493 exactly! It’s literally CLEAR in the damn Ten Commandments. And then they make excuses for it on top of that. But everybody is supposed to take them seriously.
Yep, Sunday is the 1st day of the week. So if the sabbath is said to be the 7th day, then that would be Saturday.
One hour video from Brandon! You spoil us!
I love this longer form content, its always great to listen to while working or doing something else, and soaking in all this info is fantastic!
Being raised in a fundamentalist house, this has always been an issue and being able to gather more info or learn things I never have before about something that traumatized me is amazing
Keep up the good work
Thanks for the love!
The reason why fundamentalist forms of religions almost always dominate these religions is because they csn slways point back to their holy books for some support of their beliefs and practices. Every crazy idea in fundamentalist Judaism, Christianity, and Islam has some crazy text supporting the craziness.
I think that is why the fundamentalist strands are the fastest growing of each religion.
@@michaelhenry1763 Yes indeed, and it also creates a beautiful "in-group" which satisfies our tribalistic nature. Further, the rituals and practices necessary to become a member of this "in" group (i.e. becoming a "True Christian" or what have you) create a high-bar for entry, so it results in an inflated ego (not in a bad way--and many may not even be conscious of it (and perhaps 'ego' is the wrong word)). We see similar things in U.S. Navy SEALS, for example--they form a strong bond through the extremely high barrier of entry, so they know that all members of their group have a certain "special" thing about them...I'm sure you can connect the dots here.
I think this lens is helpful when looking at fundamentalist religious sects; and it helps provide a naturalistic explanation for why Fundamentalist sects grow fast and stay strong and influential...rather than the account THEY would give for themselves, which is likely "we are successful because we are correct".
No. You are successful because you artificially inflate your egos and take advantage of psychological and sociological traits that humans evolved.
Be the same ones ignoring the more progressive parts of the bible.
Side cults, or as we call them, denominations. 🤣
Thank you for how much work you put into these videos. You are creating useful tools to help those of us feeling alone in our non-belief to convey our issues with the Bible. It's truly disheartening when people you love defend the ugliness of it, or decide it doesn't matter, or preach to you condescendingly without having read it. Listening to you helps my sanity.
You are so welcome and i appreciate the comment!
💯. After deconstructing, I have Christian friends who are terrified of engaging in a conversation with me. I just get an occasional “I’m praying for you”. I have one family member who honestly said “I don’t ever want to hear your reasons”. It’s really sad, but I just try to show them that my love for them hasn’t changed a bit, hoping they realize I am not an immoral degenerate now. ❤
Critical thinking is religion's Kryptonite.
That is absolutely correct.
True.
None believing is religion's kryptonite.
The fact that you specify the difference between verses that DIRECTLY CALL FOR these things, vs. passages that provide a BASIS for these things shows your intellectual integrity, Brandon. Thank you for that! You preach the TRUE, HONEST bible better'n anyone I've ever heard! :)
Appreciate that very much!
Brandon, love your videos and cant get enough of them. The longer the better. 😁
Glad to hear it. Thank you so much!
Live 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Interesting that the perfect word of god can allow for so many factions to branch off from one perfect book.
Suspicious right?
@@MindShift-Brandon Very sus 🧐
Perfect you say? "The Pen of the scribe is a liar. The law was created in vain." Jeremiah 8:8
@@EmeraldEyesEsotericyeah the actual true authors of the buybull had enslaved the scribes. The truth is so much more interesting than the lies we've been told.
Bravo Brandon!!! I threw my son's cassette tape with secular music, my heart hurts when I remember him crying about it. I think I would be a better mom if I wasn't a Christian. I asked my 2 kids to forgive me and they did. Now I am better with my grandkids ❤❤
Its all you can do! Taking responsibility is hard but your kids are so lucky
What a wonderful to be able reconcile your past with your grandchildren. It was not too late for you. ❤❤❤
Omg people may do weird stuff when they blindly believe
I went to 3 different churches, same denomination, that split due to differing beliefs.
All too very common!
Thank you for your channel. I'm 48, from Indiana, raised and traumatized by the AoG. Fortunately I left at 19. It's hard findingnppl online who understand exactly what it's like to grow up in that church. It's so different than di many others, and the unrelenting indoctrination… sigh. Just thank you from one atheist to another. Truly.
Thank you for that!
Happy Sunday! Time to get biblical
Hey my brother!! Yer Beard is looking really nice!!! Let's get Biblical 😂
@@williamcoleman7398Do not fear the Lord. Fear the beard
@@Johnmhatheisthaa!!
@@MindShift-Brandon I can't grow a beard. I can grow a goatee effortlessly, but I can't grow a beard.
Why God, why? If you exist, make me grow a beard.
@@Johnmhatheistmaybe this too was Paul’s thorn
You're doing great work and I appreciate you. I'm a fundamentalist ex-Christian. I believe that the fundamentalist interpretation is the most valid way to interpret what the bible is trying to say, but it's just so obviously nonsense.
Appreciate that!
If the Bible were the guide to life authored by the deity that Christians claim it to be, there would be no need for biblical scholars, biblical apologists, and thousands of books claiming to explain the Bible.
Why would the author of the most important book ever written, write it in such a way that is confusing and often contradictory, leading to endless conflicts and disagreements?
I’m so happy god led me to this video and your account. Joking.
But, also not. Your videos are just what I needed.
I’m a non-believer, but my wife, who has always been a xtian but more worldly and progressive, has in the last few years become more enthusiastic in her religion; and is definitely fundamentalist now. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to see her in a respectful light when I over hear her talking about doing “warfare” on someone’s house, or spirit spouses invading her dreams, or casting out demons on certain products in a natural food store because she saw a video of a witch putting spells on those things.
She’s so deep into it, it’s heartbreaking. The youtube algorithm is pushing content all about demons and end times. I know the new church she joined is also putting things into her head like she has the gift of prophesy and healing. Even though she suffers from chronic back pain, and I watched them join together like Voltron do to a super duper prayer to heal her back pain. Spoiler alert: she still has back pain.
I appreciate your videos. I have a lot to catch up on, but I know it’s exactly what I need to shine my “armour of disbelief” and hopefully talk some sense into her.
I miss my wife.
Religion. . Santa for grown ups. It sounds cute on paper; Theres a place we go when we die with eternal life and happiness, seeing our passed loved ones. A father-like figure that loves us and keeps an eye on things etc. (At least thats what they interpret scripture as)
Humans just love finding creative ways to cope with reality. Or as George Carlin would say, we just love to bull**** ourselves. These videos are very well done!
Man! So glad you covered this topic. I remember reading New Testament and seeing all these contradictions and thinking “no wonder we have so many denominations and arguments. It’s all in there and it doesn’t make sense! Then I thought I was going crazy bc why didn’t anyone else notice this! I’d bring it up and they tell me I was reading it wrong and that God’s word can’t contradict itself. Ummm but it does! That was the beginning of the end for me. Took me from 2018 to December to officially see it for what is.
Then I found you on RUclips and felt validated. 😊
Its amazing what can blind us for long from such simple realizations. Group think and indoctrination really do their job well.
Holy shit! I actually used to go to the church at 18:08. I recognize some of the people in that video. That was the last church I went to before I finally fell out of religion. They are very "charismatic" and you see altar calls like the one in the video all the time.
Thats wild!
Excellent video! As for the false prophet thing they were talking about, wouldn't Paul be counted as a false prophet? I'm guessing I'll hear more about it when you get that far in the Bible Study videos but didn't Paul say some things that went against the supposed teachings of Jesus?
Indeed he did!
Fantastic observations! My wheels are turning! Thank you so much for all the work you put into these videos!
Love to hear it. Thank you!
I know this is random but you were talking about Jesus and curing someone with a disability and it just got my head rolling... so... I'll be 22 in July and that will mark me having Hydrocephalus for 22 years. This disability has stumped so many things I've wanted to do in life, but I physically can't do them because I'd get injured and even possibly die. I can't do anything too physical, I had multiple surgeries over my life time and I have no idea how I'm alive. I also have Asperger's so I have sensory issues out the ass, I constantly lose things, I get drained just taking the trash out and it's very mentally draining. I play videogames a lot because it's my escape from both these disabilities and from the shit world we live in. And I no longer believe in the Christian God nor any God. I've lost my brother's. My father isn't in my life. My mom is slowly going insane. I'm mentally exhausted. And there's been countless times I've wanted to self delete myself because of all this weighing shit... My mom and my girlfriend are the only reasons I'm even here anymore... I'm the only son my mom has left... But I'm not even 22 and I feel like I'm double my age mentally. I don't have a job. I don't have a car. I don't have a license. I'm not even on disability at the moment because I haven't be able to reapply for it ever sense I turn 18 nearly 4 years ago because I'm antisocial as fuck. I get anxiety easily. It's... It's a lot... And that's not even without me saying all the shit my mom and her relationship history and constant fights throughout my entire life. I've also been dumped in every relationship I've been in. And that doesn't help worth a fuck. I'm on the verge of going insane. And there's so much shit I'm not even mentioning because there's just so much of it... I'm fucked... And it's all this shit that's made me conclude the only way I'd believe in a God at this point is if one spawned in front of me and made me do something so impossible the only explanation would be a God.
Sending you a virtual hug (the kind that makes you feel better without disturbing your sensory issues). Having relatively mild sensory disturbances, I can empathize a little but can’t imagine the overwhelm of all of that together. Glad you have anchors like your games, and even 2 people in your corner. 💪🏼💪🏼🧩
@@riseofdarkleela ❤️
Sending you hugs! It’s really hard and you’re not alone. ❤
Sounds really tough ❤️ I’m so sorry to hear how challenging your life is. This might sound weird, but if you ever use music to help handle anxiety, the singer song writer ren has been really helpful for me. Especially his songs, depression, hi ren and suicide. He does a lot of songs on mental health and suffered for most his life with chronic pain due to years of undiagnosed Lyme disease. Just thought I’d share as sometimes an escape and listening to someone who somewhat gets it can be a life saver ❤️
Not to be entirely sarcastic or ironic…but… preach, brother! You are so right on, Brandon! You have an amazing way of showing that the issues are with the Bible itself. The foundational text. It’s the source of every problematic belief, and the harm that comes from those beliefs can be traced back to it. You are doing great work. Thank you for this channel . 👏👏👏
Ha. Love that. Thanks so much, Kathryn!
It’s absolutely insane how much of this I saw all the time as a kid and thought was so normal at the time I was growing up in it(except the snakes lol). Being in a southern Pentecostal holiness church there would be people speaking in tongues, shouting deliverance from “evil spirits”, doing faith healing, calls to the altar, warnings of end time prophecy and so on… every single week. I even did a lot of it myself, trying to feel the thing everybody else claimed they had. So confusing looking back on it now. Brandon thank you for your work on this video and your channel as a whole, really helps keep my head on straight and reminds me why I left faith in search of truth, I’m sure I’m not the only one
Thank you for sharing and for the thoughtful kindness.
Hi Brandon, amazing content. Huge long form enthusiast here, this was such a treat. Thank you for your time and effort!
Thats so kind and lovely to hear. Thank you!
There's no objective Christianity that exists outside of people's heads. There's no arbiter who can decide who is right and who is wrong. Any version of Christianity is as correct as any other and disagreements can never be settled.
Fantastic! This type of criticism, from within, should provoke questions in believing minds.
But I suppose that, since the inconsistencies are so evident, these considerations are very effective in those who are just beginning to adhere to Christianity.
Much more so if they are done with knowledge and kindness.
Thank you very much. Thats the hope!
Thank you for your content Brandon, you keep me sane in a world follow of crazy people, the logic and understanding you provide is something you’d expect from a god that loves me but here we are 🤷🏼♂️
Glad to be of any help. Thank you!
Yes! fundamentalism is what the bible teaches! great video thank you so much Brandon! 💥🎯🔥
Thank you!
@ 37:26 Love it! "You can't know if you're deceived. That's the definition of deception." - Now you have eyes that truely see truth! Your message is very powerfull. And you are very skilled with the language. Thank you so much for your story, skills, and for sharing them with the world. Wonderful work!
Well done as usual. You are doing a great job and a great service. I've been out of the Jesus cult since I was 33 ,..... 32 years ago.... and you are " a blessing" to me. I love your Sunday talks. Truth! Reason! Keep going, my man. You're amazing.
Thanks for the great encouragement!
Thank youuu! Love this!! My CHRISTIAN family and friends watched me become more and more radical, hard core, and fundamental in my faith and in my thinking… They tried encouraging me to chill out, slow my roll a little bit, live in the real world… so I would respond “All I’m doing is reading the book!”
Then… everything broke and faith became nonsense and I deconverted. Now, the same Christian family and friends try to encourage me to come back into the fold… and I respond “All I did was read the book!”
Your channel’s subtitle could easily be, The Great Commission.” You are educating people on their Bible and not letting them off the hook. Confronted by the words in their own scripture, your work forces people to be honest about their beliefs and convictions. I appreciate what you’re doing.
Thanks for that very kind feedback!
this was outstanding, Brandon. I love the section on factions, how each one believes it has come upon the one, true interpretation of the bible, of what it means to be Christian.
Thanks so much, Maggie!
I love your bible studies! When I was 19, in 1978, I was dating my future husband. We were very strong in our Southern Baptist belief and he talked me into marrying him BEFORE I finished college. He convinced me to quit, because of the impending rapture. This was the first of many mistakes I made , as a fundamentalist believer, which affected my life and my children's. That marriage ended, horribly, after 18 years. I am an athiest now after decades of guilt, shame and regret. I am now at peace!! The reading of scriptures no longer have that abusive hold on me mentally or physically.
That’s so disgusting! I’m so sorry that happened to you!
Mindshift: "Oh no! My videos are too long!"
Me: *listening intently* "Nah bro, keep going!"
Ha. Thank you!
From a young age i always got the impression that the bible teaches people to feel ashamed to be human, to accept what is natural, and turned our instincts against us.
100%!
Yes thank you!
I never knew who Jesus was until I was 18 and knew instantly He was God in the flesh.
@EnthusiasticTent-xt8fh Unfortunately I was already too educated and raised with more self respect.
@melon9680 A family of hominids no doubt.
Literally thank you so much for making this 🙏🏻 it’s so annoying when liberal Christians cherry-pick what they want to follow from the Bible
It was my pleasure! Thanks for watching!
@@MindShift-Brandon Absolutely. And btw, I know I’ve plugged this before, but I figured I might need to build some familiarity with you before I prove myself worth your time to talk to - but I would love to send you a short explanation of what I believe is the optimal way to explain morality. I believe Christians constantly walk away from debates with atheists thinking they’ve won because atheists don’t have a great means of talking about morality. Lmk if there is somewhere to send that and if you could take 10 min to decide if you think it’s a simple explanation
Lately I've taken to trying this: if the Abrahamic religions and Christianity in particular are going to be deconstructed, maybe it's a good idea to have people working on that from within as well as from without. (I mean people who are sincere, who really want to help the world, and use religion as a tool for doing that.) The work could go quicker that way.
@@NeedSomeNuancehis email is in the description and I think he regularly invites any and all to share their thoughts. I say go for it, send him your description. 👍🏼
@@NeedSomeNuanceAron Ra, Viced Rhino and Paulogia have some videos covering some ideas on how morality can be explained via natural processes. Roughly, as a social species, we developed empathy for others, so that we could appreciate suffering not just in ourselves but in others too. So the basic framework for morality is simply that which promotes overall well-being or happiness, or reduces suffering (or both) and converse for immorality. Simple to say, but has many complexities in practice.
Brandon, thanks for taking the time to make this video. At the same time, don't take all of us here in the Comments section too seriously... I'd like to quote a great Zen master on his deathbed, "From bathtub to bathtub I've uttered stuff and nonsense. The bathtub in which the baby is washed at birth and the bathtub in which the corpse is washed before burial, all this time I have said many nonsenses."
Your work is very much appreciated!
Love that! And yes the individual comments dont get to me all that much. Its more about using them to represent the christian arguments. Thank you!
This video is extraordinarily thorough and detailed. It must have taken a lot of work to put it together, especially the research and analytical detective work before making it could even begin. Much appreciated. Just a pity it will be lost on Christians.
Thank you for that. These verse heavy videos do take much longer, but I think/hope build a stronger case.
Hey Brandon, Brad from Australia here, I've only just discovered your channel a few months ago and been watching since around late last year. Like many, I was raised in the Christian faith (quite a few actually) and like yourself struggled with many of the bible's teachings, especially the new testament stuff. Just wanna say, I love your work mate, I have never really been able to put how I feel into words, but you nail it every time, (no pun intended). I thank you sir for your time, energy and courage to post and just all around appreciate your approach and rational thought. For me, Christopher Hitchens and the 4 horseman (Krauss, Dawkins and Harris) really helped, but there was a book that I came across many years ago (about 8) that really interested me. If you ever get time, read a book called "The God Part of the Brain" by Matthew Alper, specifically pages 153-154. It takes a scientific view of how our brain works and the neurochemistry behind it. I myself subscribe to Buddhist philosophies and that along with many others, including your good self, who continue to support me in my journey of atheism and scientific rational thought, cheers
Thank you much for the very thoughtful and encouraging message! I will check that book out asap
Excellent video. Thanks Brandon!
Thank you!
I grew up in a Latino Pentecostal household where “spiritual warfare” was constantly preached to us. Which led to strict religious parents. Which led to me being a religious leader in the church. Leaving was the best thing for my life, but I’m still struggling with all the trauma that atmosphere caused.
Thousands of years and nothing has changed, the BATTLE to the DEATH on planet Earth
is still
TRUTH vs. LIES
ETERNAL LIFE and EXISTENCE on EARTH for the VICTORS
DISHONOR and ETERNAL DEATHS for the VANQUISHED
ATHEISM and RELIGIONS
All Atheists
who are filling the world with their Satanic LIE and false claim that the BIBLE is just a worthless book of lies, myths, fictions, fantasies, and fairy tales
and
all Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, SDAs, Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, Born Again Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, and fanatics of all kinds of Religions
who
are filling the world with their Satanic LIES and UNBIBLICAL teachings and doctrines about "Trinity", "hellfire", "Armageddon", "afterlife", "immortality of the souls", "rapture", and "reincarnation"
obviously
don't respect and value their own lives, dignities, and existence.....
unbothered and just don't care even if their Satanic hatred, mockeries, opposition, and defiance of the Creator's Sovereignty and Jesus Christ's authority and teachings
bring
them nothing but their own dishonor, disgrace, downfall and ETERNAL DEATHS, just worthless and useless dusts on earth forever.
The CREATOR and JESUS CHRIST
All persons on earth who rejected Atheism and all Religions as worthless and useless
and
willingly submit instead to the AUTHORITY of Jesus Christ as written in Matthew 28: 18
and
believe too his teachings about the "Kingdom of God" and "Resurrection of the Dead" as written in Luke 4: 43 and John 11: 25, 26
will
definitely bring themselves honor and the loving, kind, and merciful Creator's favor and reward of ETERNAL LIFE and existence on earth without sufferings, pains, griefs, sickness, and death as written in Revelation 21: 3, 4.
All Atheists, Christians, and fanatics of all kinds of Religions
DON'T BELIEVE
that the teaching of Jesus Christ about the "RESURRECTION of the DEAD"
is
the Creator's guarantee that lowly, ordinary, kind, and respectful persons on earth who died recently and thousands of years ago like Abel, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Job, Ruth, Naomi, King David, Daniel, Jesus Christ's Followers and disciples, and many others
will
all be RESURRECTED back to life in the right and proper time so they can happily, abundantly, and peacefully live and exist on earth forever as subjects and citizens of the "KINGDOM of GOD"
and fully enjoy the eternal love, kindness, goodness, generosities, compassions, favors, and blessings of the Creator and his Christ for eternity
under the loving and kind rulership, guidance, and protection of Jesus Christ as the Creator's Chosen King and Ruler of the heavens and the earth as written in Revelation 11: 15.
The one thing I think the fundamentalists don't stay faithful to the text in its original context is slavery. And I am very glad excuses are made to not practice slavery I only wish excuses would be made for the LGBTQ+ communities as well to be more loving.
Im always so torn on this idea. Like on one hand people making the bible and thus religion more palatable means it will continue much longer and still do harm. If it was left as horrific as it really is, it would indeed be more harmful but also might die out much sooner.
I've never skipped any video... masterclass stuff my bro👏
Too kind, my friend!
@@MindShift-Brandon just so you know I'm living in Jamaica, apart of a highly religious police force, and you've been inspiring me to take up this mantle and also be a voice of the Caribbean I hope I develop the enough courage one day to be as good as you are.
Thats very nice. Jamaica is such a Christian country. I am sure that is very tricky!
I really appreciate that you don't shy away from these realities about biblical consistency and the harm of the book people CLAIM to take literally. When I was a fundie, people even at my own church would say I was being harsh or condeming or not showing Christ's love, but I was basing everything I believed off the bible and what I was taught about it, including the urging to read the Bible and be guided by it.
As an autistic person, it confused me because to me, you should take literally the teachings you believe to genuinely be "divinely inspired" when you are told "all scripture is useful for teaching, rebuking [etc]".
Too many people just hold onto cognitive dissonance, and yes, so did I to a degree, but it was through trying to be consistent that I actually found my way out. I did become "progressive" because I started believing a teaching that the law was overcome by Jesus and that we were to be saved purely by grace and unable to lose our salvation, but I still sought to actually find out what was true and eventually had to be consistent with my own beliefs - that if the Bible truly WAS the truth that was undeniable, searching for God couldn't possibly lead me away from him ("You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord." Jer 29:13-14a).
Truly believing that I couldn't lose my salvation and wasn't going to hell gave me the courage to say "well God, you understand why I have to question and allow myself the space to doubt if need to, as a stop-gap to searching harder and seeking truth that strengthens my faith and makes me a better Christian and apologist".
If I hadn't truly believed, (and become extreme in the sense of being fundie and then extremely progressive, both times in accordance with what I genuinely BELIEVED to be true) I wouldn't have been able to truly doubt, if that makes sense. Fortunately that was enough to overcome the biases and cognitive dissonance I had been taught before.
But I recall friends of mine who couldn't answer my questions without saying "Pastor X says..." and couldn't give me their OWN answer that wasn't just "man's opinion" or separate their own perceived relationship with God from what other people said it must be. They couldn't question whether their pastors could be wrong and I remember years later coming back to the same church which used to kick out gay people with no questions asked or answered, which now had a much more "tolerant" policy of trying to "help them" and "pray with them to overcome their sin" (which I know isn't better, but it was a way different take to before, and they had no self-awareness of how their entire policy had still changed, which is really something if you believe the whole time you are being led by God and that his word never changes). It's weird but even heavily indoctrinated into this cult my own belief in God actually was an anchor against that tide, given the discrepancies, because in practicality, no church today can actually follow biblical literalism. They'd end up in prison for sure. And I guess my own values and the emphasis of forgiveness and love made me have to seek out consistency.
Still, I feel bad for my parents, who refused to accept me for being trans and who have lost me now. They lost so much freedom for this cult. But then again they are narcissists who tend to believe what's convenient and suits them and flip flop so, maybe they didn't lose that much, and in their mind they probably think "well we have two spare children to take care of us in our retirement".
Idk why I ranted about all of this. It sounded more coherent when I was writing it. But it felt kind of important to get out anyway lol. Hopefully this unstructured ramble is relatable to someone or somewhat helpful in some way. Or maybe it just helped me get some thoughts out lol.
Your channel is like therapy!!!
Im very glad to hear it. Thanks for being here!
👏Listening to Brandon is a wonderful way to start a Sunday morning. Yay Mindshift for the masses!
Thank you much for that!
People need to hear this. Many struggle so. Very good job as usual
Thank you!
11:15 "You can get with this, or you can get with that..." -Black Sheep
It gets even worse when you come across people that just straight-up bold-faced "Don't believe what your eyes see and your ears hear" lie and claim _the exact opposite_ about what is not or, even more brazenly, is in Bible - or, as some like to use as some kind of demented defense, "Scripture," as if no one, let alone people like us, can tell what they are trying to do.
I had such bad end time anxiety. I remember skipping certain trips with other family or friends because I was scared I’d miss out on time with my immediate family before the rapture or something terrible happened. I kept expecting the horror…i remember certain times in my youth only because of
My anxiety around this topic
At the time.
It's admirable that you can sort it all out and now see clearly. It's an accomplishment that few followers can match. You have intense critical thinking and communication skills.
To this day I am still so sad... mad even... that I destroyed my entire Superman comic collection, because it gave me sinful thoughts... There were some really special issues in that pile of comics. 😪... I really wish I could go back and stop myself...
When people talk about "the rapture" they always say, "You don't want to be left behind." But in Matthew 24:36 - 41 it seems like the ones left behind are the ones that are saved. If it's like the days of Noah, then the wicked are the ones taken...🤔
Fascinating! Coming from a JW background in the (conservative) UK, your insights into Bible-Belt Fundamentalism are amazing...
I saw a news thing about a church that handled snakes because of this. Needless to say, it didn't go well.
Yes, many that try to prove that verse.
jup. they catch rattle snakes and damce around with them. its quite literally animal abuse
@@theflyingdutchguy9870 Yeah it's the snakes we need to worry about...
@@Volleyball_Chess_and_Geoguessr i mean, the people do it to themselves. the snakes have no choice in the matter. and taking thise out of the wild has a bigger overall impact than a vew moronic people dying.
You are a genius in Bible interpretation, and honest and accurate. You are accurately pointing out the same 2-sided opposing views and pairs of opposing views that I myself have noticed in the last couple decades that exists in Scripture on just about every Biblical doctrine and piece of advice that there is within it. Your work is vitally necessary when one finds oneself in conflict from the Scriptures - and sooner or later that conflict shows up.
It's amusing how Christians are able to shift gears so effortlessly from insisting that a "plain reading" of scripture should be taken, to asserting that a complex textual analysis is required in order to justify their particular interpretation of what some Biblical passage "really" means.
Thousands of years and nothing has changed, the BATTLE to the DEATH on planet Earth
is still
TRUTH vs. LIES
ETERNAL LIFE and EXISTENCE on EARTH for the VICTORS
DISHONOR and ETERNAL DEATHS for the VANQUISHED
ATHEISM and RELIGIONS
All Atheists
who are filling the world with their Satanic LIE and false claim that the BIBLE is just a worthless book of lies, myths, fictions, fantasies, and fairy tales
and
all Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, SDAs, Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, Born Again Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, and fanatics of all kinds of Religions
who
are filling the world with their Satanic LIES and UNBIBLICAL teachings and doctrines about "Trinity", "hellfire", "Armageddon", "afterlife", "immortality of the souls", "rapture", and "reincarnation"
obviously
don't respect and value their own lives, dignities, and existence.....
unbothered and just don't care even if their Satanic hatred, mockeries, opposition, and defiance of the Creator's Sovereignty and Jesus Christ's authority and teachings
bring
them nothing but their own dishonor, disgrace, downfall and ETERNAL DEATHS, just worthless and useless dusts on earth forever.
The CREATOR and JESUS CHRIST
All persons on earth who rejected Atheism and all Religions as worthless and useless
and
willingly submit instead to the AUTHORITY of Jesus Christ as written in Matthew 28: 18
and
believe too his teachings about the "Kingdom of God" and "Resurrection of the Dead" as written in Luke 4: 43 and John 11: 25, 26
will
definitely bring themselves honor and the loving, kind, and merciful Creator's favor and reward of ETERNAL LIFE and existence on earth without sufferings, pains, griefs, sickness, and death as written in Revelation 21: 3, 4.
All Atheists, Christians, and fanatics of all kinds of Religions
DON'T BELIEVE
that the teaching of Jesus Christ about the "RESURRECTION of the DEAD"
is
the Creator's guarantee that lowly, ordinary, kind, and respectful persons on earth who died recently and thousands of years ago like Abel, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Job, Ruth, Naomi, King David, Daniel, Jesus Christ's Followers and disciples, and many others
will
all be RESURRECTED back to life in the right and proper time so they can happily, abundantly, and peacefully live and exist on earth forever as subjects and citizens of the "KINGDOM of GOD"
and fully enjoy the eternal love, kindness, goodness, generosities, compassions, favors, and blessings of the Creator and his Christ for eternity
under the loving and kind rulership, guidance, and protection of Jesus Christ as the Creator's Chosen King and Ruler of the heavens and the earth as written in Revelation 11: 15.
Talking about "interpretation of tongues" reminds me of a pretty funny (to me) memory of a worship session I was in where someone went up and spoke in tongues over the microphone and then the pastor asked if anyone had been given the gift to interpret that message and several people came up to "interpret" it and I recall there were at least several people with different interpretations of one message and we all just went with it lol.
The first part started with a very clearly repeated phrase, which two interpreters identified in their "interpretation" which is how I "knew" they were both interpreting the same message not referring to something else or simply prophesying. I remember the one interpreter translated that first repetition as "My child, my child" (it sounded like relaying message from God, like a prophecy) and the other as something totally different message with a different repeated starting phrase, I think it was from the perspective of the person speaking to God.
I remember believing that the "Wow. Amazing that there are heavenly languages where a whole message [of about two or more paragraphs as I recall] has a coherent meaning in one angelic language and a whole other coherent meaning in another one!"
Bizarre, and just so much indoctrination, looking back on it now. No wonder they fearmongered us against external influences and poisoned us against the cricicism of outsiders as "persecution" and attempts to "steal" our faith or seeing our heavenly "wisdom" of Christ as "foolishness to the world" (though for me it was the shame culture and teaching to not be truly honest in order to reel people into the church that made me mask the extremeness of my beliefs) - people not raised in that cult environment would have been shocked at how credulous and naive we were raised to be and would have concernedly pointed it out immediately!
wow! thanks for sharing.
Great coverage of so many political, cultural, and theological topics! It's sad to see almost every liberal Chrisian destroyed in debates with their fellow Christians because they just don't have Jesus and the Bible backing them up.
Brandon, you're a cool potatoe on top of being a smart cookie! Glad to see you becoming more assertive in the defence of your views mate! Much love from Europe!
So kind, My man. Thanks!
These are GREAT videos!!!
Thank you!
I love this Chanel and amazing content. It's crucial to have open mind and keep learning and always morally look for the truth
Many thanks!
Your channel has become one of my favorite channels on RUclips. Thank you for putting out rational and helpful content for the viewers like myself, who are still struggling with tough questions regarding our faith/religion despite getting continually hit with the word salad and mental gymnastics from pastors/apologists etc.
I am glad to be of any help!
This was such an amazing display of holding two ideas at once in order to compare them honestly. You’re honest with your bias and go above and beyond to see the other point’s of view. They’ll never be satisfied until they are in a place in their own lives where they are willing to question and seek beyond their current perspective.
Thank you!
I’m waiting for the altar call. I was leaning toward Progressive Christianity but now under conviction and being drawn to agnosticism.
I truly believe progressive christianity is a watered down, modern and more palatable portion of christianity that is not entirely biblical. If you have to improve on gods character to worship him, then what is the point?
another great video my man :D its so embarrassing to me to think about how I also did the whole speaking in tongues thing! I am so happy there is no tape of that :D have a great day my man :)
Lol that would be awful!
@@MindShift-Brandon I would die of embarrassment
with your intellect I'm surprised how long you stayed in the faith
Thats very kind, but whatever smarts I had were no match for an upbringing of indoctrination.
💯 I wish I had someone like you around in my life years ago!
Brandon - another perfect video, reinforcing the points made previously about the explicitly crazy components of the holey babble
words of god.
The main (wrong) premise of any fundamental religious people is their strict adherence to a book as "Truth(tm)". And a close examination of these books, as you are pointing out, is that these books are ancient anthologies (well, not Book of Mormon or Scientology). All one has to do is listen to the shocking Alex O'Conner/William Lane Craig discussion on "moral genocide" to be appalled at how such fealty corrupts ones humanity, and why planes can be flown into buildings !!
Why religions ARE accepted is, there is a component of those books, or what is "taught" from such books, that resonates with the person who hear it. Plus, it is a human desire to belong to a group. It is very fortunate that most people believe that "being good" is the core component of their "faith". However, sadly, there are a plethora of sects from unitarians, fundamental LDS, ISIS, greek orthodox etc that distract humanity from simply contributing to a world with less pain/suffering and more flow (see Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi)
Fighting the irrationality of religion is one of the most noble battles of the 21st century!! Keep up the phenomenal work !!
Thank you so much!
Try these verses: Galatians 3:13, Hosea 13:4, Hosea 13:7-8, Revelation 13:1-8, Revelation 14:9-11.
Isaiah 1, Isaiah 66. "Who has demanded this of you?" Or what God wanted offerings? Revelation 12:9
Hell yeah Brandon! I haven’t watched yet, but I hella agree with you and still would champion that position even though I no longer have a dog in the fight lol
At least the anointing oil used to contain opioids and/or cannibinoids, which would at least provide _some_ medicinal value. 🤷♂️
Somewhere along the way, though, whether intentionally or not, someone omitted the anointing oil altogether, or just blessed oil without the opioids and/or cannabinoids, and the placebo effect worked well enough without it.
I have a friend who is like yours, the one who claimed prophetic visions. My friend however claims to be able to see angels. That’s his “gift.” He can see everyone’s “guardian angels.” I’m really concerned for him because he is fairly far on the spectrum and his family is convincing him he has these powers. He is believing them with no real evidence other than his own delusions. It’s a shame because he is bright and a really great co-worker. A kind soul. He is so distracted by this that it takes away from his potential greatness.
oh man, thats so very sad to hear and scary.
Look up Elizabeth Struhs. The Bible got this 8 year old girl un-alived. This case really awakened me and that is when I began to question the validity of this doctrine. That is when I walked away from this blood sacrifice death cult. Great presentation Brendan, thanks for sharing.
Re: the “electric guitars aren’t on the list of approved instruments” claim
I’m 99% sure that some old guy heard a macabre song with a cool guitar solo that scared him because of his belief in demonic energies, and so he blamed it on the guitar.
I was raised in a strict "christian" home. Both my parents were abusive aside from the religious abuse. Besides the abuse my mother would constantly tell me I was going to hell. When some of the abuse became known to the church, they did nothing, and my parents spread lies about myself and my sibling(s) so as to protect their reputation and they still go to the same church to this day. My parents were also leaders in this church. Even though I know it's not for me, I still struggle with the fear of going to hell and I still get rapture anxiety from time to time. Even with everything I know and don't want anything to do with god, I still feel the need to believe in Jesus. I've been in and out of counseling for 20 yrs and I still struggle with issues because of it all. I wouldn't wish this on anyone.
I am glad you are approaching this. You are really good at explaining what it's like and why there is so much division and how it really doesn't make sense if you step back and start thinking for yourself.
Sounds like they used an abusive and manipulative religion to validate and support the abusers they already were. I’ve been there, you are not alone. Keep thinking.
There is a sense in which this is true.
Most of the Bible is Tanakh, which demands Jews follow the 613 commandments. But almost no Christians are Jewish, and much of the Christian Old Testament contradicts what Biblical Fundamentalists seem to believe, yet they still think they're literalists. I don't see most of them trying to get slaves (even if they weirdly use moral relativism to defend Bible slavery). Most of them eat pork. They wear.mixed fabrics.
They want to say we're supposed to follow the Commandments, even though those are supposed to be rules for Jews to follow. They say Jesus did not change one jot or tiddle of the law, yet they are not commanded to follow it. Christian fundamentalism is a strange bird.
Most of the commandments can't be followed because there is no temple...
@@Volleyball_Chess_and_Geoguessrthey still don’t follow the ones that anybody can follow today. None of them keep kosher laws and keep the sabbath which is not hard to do in this time.
Behold the power of the poly/cotton blends and surf-n-turf on Fridays!
@@a.b.2405 Some Christians worship on Saturday. Seventh Day Baptists, Messianic Jews, and Seventh Day Adventists for example. The new testament says that all things are made clean. So if you believe the new testament, foods are clean. But I think there are some denominations that don't eat pork. Seventh Day Adventists again. Not that I would recommend you go over there to find true Christianity.
@@Volleyball_Chess_and_Geoguessr and then other Christian groups would say they’re being legalistic.
Happy Sunday bros
I think your argument is way more reasonable than what others have argued in this topic, however one important problem I see for arguing that fundamentalism is 'closer to scripture' version of christianity compared to progressives is beacuse fundamentalism as we know it today is a quite recent phenomenon, since it can be traced back to the late 1800's.
Other problems I find with some of your points are, for example, the theology of rapture is also a pretty recent idea that scholars like Dan Macclelan have argued is unbiblical, purity culture is extremely weird given how jesus himself would have disagreed that a woman is at fault for the sexual thoughts men might have, telling to pluck their eyes out, along with many other myths of purity culture that are unbiblical at best. Secular censorship seems like weird point IMO, since the reason the we know things like prohibiting rock or videogames is foolish beacuse these things dont have the negative effects that fundies argue they have, and thus they have arguibly nothing to do with the 'deeds of darkness'
Other thing I find issue with is that the belief that creationism as we know it was a nessecary belief before evidence of evolution came out is not completely true, since there where many prominent figures in chruch history that advocated the allegory camp way before evidence rose.
But ultimately, the problem you laid out about christiand not agreeing is a legetimate one, I would argue that disagreement partialy brought by material conditions of its readers, but is nontheless a legit problem you lay out, besides that this comment is taking way too long...
But anyway, i hope you have a pleasant sunday Brandom, peace.
In the section "secular censorship" made me wonder if these ideas are also where the ideas of Christian nationalism come from? In the US at least, there seems to be this drive by some Christians to force the rest of us submit to their ideas of "morality". Which, to me, seems at odds with the Bible where Christians are supposed to not concern themselves with this world but, to separate from it and be devoted to Christ. Anyway, would love to hear your thoughts on the christian nationalism trend. Thanks for the great videos.
If it is believed that God is flawless and intended to convey his message perfectly for us to comprehend without any confusion, then understanding his word should be effortless. However, the Bible's complexity, contradictions, and scientific inaccuracies suggest human authorship lacking divine inspiration, raising doubts about the existence of a perfect deity.
The issue of understanding the Bible has puzzled many. If a supremely perfect deity, such as Jehovah, aimed to communicate with humanity, clear and understandable communication would seem reasonable. Consider how newspapers tailor their content to an 8th-grade reading level to reach a broader audience. Remarkably, the average person today with such reading skills is likely much more educated than people 2,000 years ago when the final biblical book was penned. Moreover, a significant portion of the ancient population was illiterate.
One might argue that a divine being would ensure unmistakable clarity, possibly imparting inherent knowledge to individuals from birth to diminish ambiguity. Additionally, it is conceivable that a divine being, when invoked, would readily provide assistance. Such a deity could have also planted his holy and divine word into our psyche without having to read it. A truly supreme being might have even created a world devoid of evil, eliminating the need for rescue.
Given the difficulty in comprehending these narratives, it is reasonable to empirically conclude that Christianity is mythology and not a divine truth.
Also, all the translation issues.
Agreed 💯% then add how difficult it is as a NT believer "to hear God's voice", in a "personal relationship", as opposed to all the physical and audio ways God" spoke " to convey his demands in the OT. It's ridiculous. It's confusing. If theism were true, it shouldn't be.
"But you need to learn ancient Hebrew, Aramaic, and koine Greek to truly understand the Bible."
Well, dear Christian, I myself already speak English, Spanish, and Portuguese fluently, and have an intermediate French level, and I have a decent level in Italian. I learned those languages to communicate with people. I'm not going to waste my time learning languages that nobody today speaks to understand a God's word who doesn't even have the decency to appear and speak English to me. If he came, spoke English to me, and clarified his word in plain English, then I would believe in him.
@amypieterse4127
Yes! Well put. Issues everywhere!
"But but it's not God's fault, it's because of our fallible nature that we can't understand God's message"
-Apologists.
I’m fairly certain the possessed lady at around the 6:00 minute mark listens to Cradle of Filth. She had an AWESOME metal vocal scream.
😂😂😂
Good job, brother! Another slam dunk!