@@yogi147 @YoGi147 Brian? I hope youre alright. Its not easy. Much like Matt, I wound up not convinced anymore after trying to defend the bible more. I was a christian and I understand how tough it can be.
“One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we've been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We're no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It is simply too painful to acknowledge -- even to ourselves - that we've been (taken.)so credulous. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back. (So the old bamboozles tend to persist as the new bamboozles rise.)” - Carl Sagan
Poor guy. Religious institutions, much like abusive relationships, seem to create a tragic codependency and, in many instances, a trauma bond that shackles people with so much fear and confusion that they don't feel like they have the ability to walk away.
At 5:48, the caller Brian asks Matt if he ever seen Star Trek. It reminded me of what Spock said. "If this is your god, he's not very impressive. He has many psychological problems. He's so insecure that he demands worship every seven days. He goes out and created faulty humans and then blames them for his own mistakes. He's a pretty poor excuse for a supreme being." -From The Original Draft Of Star Trek The Motion Picture.
When I declared myself to be an atheist on Facebook I immediately lost ninety percent of my followers. It feels great to know who your real friends are and to dump the ones who only want you as a friend if you think like they do.
One of the best AE calls ever. Someone who is truly honest - so many Christians on this show are constantly making excuses for their beliefs and their book, and dishonest when asked questions. I feel he is someone who is clearly searching for the truth. I hope you find it Brian, no matter how hard it is,
Matt D is nice to listen to his early yrs till to 2016..after that maybe cos of his medical problem n age..he gets very angry n disrespectful to his callers.. although I side with Matt cos some of the callers are disgusting too..
@Terrence Bullock I've been saying for years that if I was a supreme being who had created a universe, people claiming I cared about the clothes they wear, what they do with their genitals, etc. would make me quite irate.
It's very refreshing to hear people like Brian question their misguided faith in the God delusion...let's hope he continued and eventually freed himself from the utter poison of religion.
I was a Mormon for 45 yrs. Around 2007 I started watching a local show in Utah that was an ex-Mormon/Born again Christian criticizing the Book of Mormon in many different ways. I would laugh and think that every one of his criticisms could also be used against the Bible. It wasn’t long before I decided to do just that. And within a week of studying the history of the Bible with the same critical view, I realized that not only Mormonism was false, but that every religion on earth was just man made mythology. I hope these believers that watch this show can hear the fallacy of their arguments and find the courage to just search for and accept the truth, no matter how difficult it may be. Life is still a mystery for me, but it’s so peaceful being okay with that, and not having to constantly bend my brain around the nonsense of religion.
I am doing well, and yes not long after this call I informed my friends and family, I also wouldn’t recommend doin it like that, I should have been way more casual with it.
@@Toobielove that’s my twin brothers name, I was worried about the viewers tracking me down and telling my church members. But yea I’ve long since giving up supernatural beliefs.
@@yogi147 Oh wow! It's really nice to hear a follow up from someone with whom I know most of the audience empathised and were invested. Sorry if it hasn't been smooth sailing with your family. Maybe that situation will improve, but if not you still have a grasp on reality and therefore control over your life that sadly the religious can't achieve.
If you're stranded at sea you don't wait for an angel to air lift you to a tropical island, you wave down ANY passing boat. And if you're not stranded at sea then there is no reason to wave down a passing boat because you don't need to be 'saved'. 'God' doesn't enter that scenario at any point.
This is one of Matt's better conversations. At some point this person will admit to themselves that their beliefs aren't valid. Anyone who has travelled that path can empathize with the caller. Eventually the evidence or lack of it leaves you with two choices. Let go of the belief or fake it.
My oldest son has 3 children that I love more than I ever thought possible. Now I can't see them because my beliefs about religion changed when I began to be skeptical and study. The pain of losing them is unbearable sometimes. But I have to be honest with myself and everyone. It is the worst thing anyone could have done to me. It's terrible.
@Glasschin2.0 Because I don't agree with his religious beliefs. I wasn't trying to teach his children any kind of doctrine, all I care about is being their grandfather and loving them. I don't care what they grow up to be, I'll love them no matter what. Very sad for me, it's now been over a year since I saw them. I still cry daily.
@Glasschin2.0 He cherry picks just like all the rest do. I go back to what The physicist Steven Weinberg said, " In a normal universe good people will do good things, bad people will do bad things, but if you want good people to do bad things, you need religion".
@@yogi147 Hiding from your church and buybile thumping family isn't anything to be ashamed of. My mother is a fundamentalist buybile thumper and still holds out hope that not only will I start going to church, but also become a powerful preacher winning souls for Cheesus. She knows that I know the content of the buybile, she doesn't know that I'm a hard core atheist and that chit (me becoming a preacher) is never ever going to happen. I will never reveal to her my stance, not only will she not be able to accept it, she'll disown me and has made that clear. I'm not going to allow her primitive childish belief to destroy what relationship we do have.
I hope Brian is doing well today. There are some hard truths in this life and coming to the realization of some of them can be a difficult process. I just hope he knows that he isn't alone.
Brian, I was you also, took me till almost 50yrs old to finally push it all away. You're right there, evaluate these questions over and over, and if you stay honest to yourself as you were here, you really will become a free man....
I have hopes for this caller. It seems like he was right on the edge but is afraid because of the sunk cost fallacy. "I spent years doing this, it can't have all been for nothing!"
Atheism isn't intended to provide answers. It's a starting point not an end point. It's like alcoholism: you can't do anything to help yourself until you acknowledge you have a problem. Theists are drunk on God and the 'answers' they claim to see are really just illusions feeding their addiction.
@SPEIRS OMNHURST Athiesm is a single position on the belief in a god. Athiesm makes no pronouncements regarding any other question other than the existence of a God….so what answers do you think they should be giving? Theists believe in a god. Athiests ask if Thiests can provide evidence for this belief……and so far theists have failed to do so. Please tell me an answer for any issue that religion offers an answer for , that a secular world view doesn’t also provide an answer for? Can you provide evidence that ANYTHING supernatural exists? Because the only LOGICAL way to approach life is to withhold belief until you are provided with sufficient evidence.
@SPEIRS OMNHURST The point is that god-believe is not an answer to anything if you really care about if your believes are true. You could stick in god for any question that you don't have an answer to so it has no explanatory power at all. If you don't care and think that you need an answer to lead a healthy life no matter if that answer is true then sure religion is a way to do that. But to suggest that someone needs made up answers to lead a good life is demonstrably false. In short: Theism has no answers either.
@SPEIRS OMNHURST ZERO ANSWERS ASSERTED WITHOUT EVIDENCE. Isn't that a beautiful thing? Do you want actual answers? Because I can sell you the Brooklyn bridge if it makes you feel better.
It’s was so kind of Brian to tell us all what god wants. Thanks, Brian. You can now join the millions of other people that all claim to know what god wants.
"Suppose I just agreed with everything you're saying. What am I suppose to do, just walk away from my church?" That really does make me sad! Because the answer is a resounding YES, though it will come at a cost. One that he may not be able to bare!
I know. This is really the same dilemma people who were in a band for all of their young life face, when the band reaches the end of its viability. Almost all of us have to adjust at some point or drown basically.
@@skippy675yip, great analogy. The only difference I can see is that walking away from a band typically doesn't include suddenly distant and cold shouldered friends and family who think that the devils got ya!
De-conversion is a process that’s unique to everyone and their personal circumstances. Regardless of where you wind up, Brian, I thank you for taking the brave step to call into a show and have your ideas challenged.
Religious "predators" use faith as a tool. Human preying on human, at the end of the day. ...it's been like this since the beginning of our civilization. Theists just doesn't learn from our ancestors' mistakes so they keep being the prey.
It's sad listening to Brian's internal struggles, It's a shame we don't get to know how it all panned out for him in the future? I hope he found the truth and I hope he found peace. All the best Brian.
@@yogi147 ...It was a rare moment of compassion on my part for a floundering theist, normally I'd recommend a sharp blow to the back of the neck with a seal club; ....except something about the short pauses Brian took before responding and his resigned replies, you could see he was having an epiphany right there before our eyes....it was refreshing....and something I'd never seen before. ...probably my favourite athiest experience episode. All hail Matt.
The rarest thing in the world is a person who can admit the superiority of an opponent's argument, esp on a topic as sensitive and emotionally charged as religion. Wherever Brian from Chicago ended up after this conversation, he has my respect for being willing to listen with a open mind, and concede that his adherence to religion was founded, to some extent, upon fear for loss of social connections if he became an admitted non-believer. But whatever his public stance toward religion might be now, I'd bet that he no longer truly believes--people who are open-minded enough to honestly consider opposing viewpoints are seldom able to continue within organizations that make exclusive claims to truth.
Must say as far as Theist callers go, Brian is certainly a diamond in the rough. Has to be one of the most honest conversations I've ever witnessed (pun intended) on this show. This call is almost seven years old, I hope Brian sees this and calls back in. Would be interesting to see where he "is" regarding all of this now.
I do see this, but I don’t see the need to call back in as people wanna hear theist callers and I’m now an atheist. But yea I’m here and I read the comments.
@@nicolab2075 not one specific thing, but if I had to point to one thing, it would be the atheist experience being put on RUclips. I had reasons, I realized it, and gave them up. I’m happily married to the girl of my dreams, and I’m doing much better without believing in supernatural stuff.
@yogi147 i like coming back to rewatch this video. It reminds me that there are still people willing to learn no matter how hard it can get. We need more people like you brian. i hope you're doing well.
Brian, there is a community happy to receive you if or whenever you want to take that first step back. That community is this community. As humanists, we don't hate other humans; we just don't like bad ideas or the methodology those bad ideas use to manipulate others. I wish you the best on your journey of life.
Brian is on the precipice of a great realization, he just has to have the courage to go that one more step! I will, to my dying day, remember when (just like Neo when he “woke up” and burs through his cocoon/egg sack/embryo-thing, I was sitting in church and I said to myself, “What in the hell am I doing?!” And from that nanosecond, until now, it’s the most liberating thing that I’ve ever done (leaving organized religion)!
Caller's boat analogy: The boat is leaking, the captain and the crew show signs of serious delusion, and they think the owner of the boat is an invisible magical ghost, who had his son murdered on a cross. I wouldn't set a single foot on board of that horror show. The caller's struggle is very recognizable. I wonder where he is at now.
When a woman was stuck in the side of the road, a pastor, a woman and her daughter chose to come out and help out of the goodness of their hearts. God sent Ethan Couch.
This caller talks like he really 110% sure there is a “ purpose “ and that his “God “ uses that for whatever purpose it makes ,or whatever sounds good .! 😳
He thought he made a point and watched the show randomly to see if he did. So he thought his point would be powerful enough to influence the show significantly. Like he destroyed the show with his boat story. Weird..
Only 3 members of my family know I'm an atheist, the rest would disown me (although I have a suspicion I'm not the only non-believer) If they find out, I won't lose anything.
What a remarkable call. It's completely understandable that Brian is afraid of what he might lose but I imagine that once you get to the point where you're honestly facing what would be different in your life without faith, it's very difficult to un-think those thoughts. Unstable faith is very weak.
Matt it would have been cool if you had brought up how God has the same Prime Directive because he screwed up once and gave advanced tech to a primitive culture and EVERYTHING TURNED InTO A SHIT STORM!!!! 7:07 and that’s why God had been silent. You know he has a prime directive too.
This guy has the most un-godlike definition of a god that I’ve ever heard. If god isn’t all-knowing, and if god isn’t all-powerful, and if god actually has to learn things, then what makes him god? 🤦🏼♂️
@dayone Is there any necessity for God to be all-knowing and all-powerful? I do not think so. But God should have sufficient power and knowledge necessary for creating the universe. That much is needed. But that does not make God all-knowing and all-powerful.
@@udaybhanuchitrakar8812 So are you saying that there are certain things god cannot do because it’s not powerful enough? Are you saying that there are certain things that god does not know? What about learning? Are you suggesting that god had to learn how to be god? Who taught it, and how? From what, some kind of god textbook? Is there a school for gods? What kind of a weak ass ignorant god is this?
@Jimmy James “𝘐𝘍….𝘐𝘍….𝘐𝘍….𝘪𝘧 it’s proven that life was the result of a creator…” That’s a pretty big fucking 𝘐𝘍 Jimmy. Your whole argument is based on 𝘐𝘍 something happened. You yourself don’t even know if it happened, you’re just assuming that it did so that you even have an argument to begin with. You accuse atheists of making backwards claims, but that is exactly what you are doing here. You assume god exists and then work backwards using his existence as a reason for life, without proving that he actually exists in the first place. You must prove that this god or yours exists before using it as an explanation for something. Right now, universe farting pixies are just as viable as an explanation for creation as your god is.
Christians say their god does this or that, what they don't seem to understand is if they can not show that their god exists then their god doesn't do anything.
I like the way Christians think they are saying something important by constantly declaring they believe this or they believe that. As though that adds anything to the discussion or is anything to care about.
I was born into atheism, so coming to the truth was made so easy for me. This conversation drove home how lucky I was as I never needed to wrestle with these feelings and take the risks the caller feels he takes by opening himself to doubt.
I was also raised without religion and very thankful for it. Poor Brian, i was almost crying when he said "but where will i go, what will i do?" I hope he didn't have to choose between clear thinking and a warm social circle. I hope he got both!
Probably the best caller on this show ever. So many more calls would be productive if the theist would actually listen and have an honest conversation.
I was raised as a Jehovahs Witness and escaped the cult at the age of 30, for the exact reasons Matt has stated. As a cult, Jehovah's Witnesses practice a strict shunning policy called 'disfellowshipping', which means even loved ones can no longer talk with you, if you dissacociate yourself from the religion. I particularly felt this discussion.
I God suddenly appears from nowhere in front of me, I would at least think it's possible that God to exist since this being is clearly supernatural, but it would take more tricks to convince me that this is THE God that created the universe and came to earth 2000 years ago as Jesus, but if it is THE God I'm sure it knows how to convince me
BTW: my Mother in Law claims all of her prayers have been answered (she of the "Happy Clappy" variety)! Err well that's a fascinating claim because she my well have had most of her prayers answered, or indeed all of them but not the one for me!
Something I notice with arguing for theism or atheism, atheism is extremely easy to argue for. It requires little effort to make strong arguments. With theism, you have to work your brain into a million turns just to get 1 answer. (Even then that answer tends to be a bad one, or mediocre at best.)
Atheism doesn’t need any arguments. It doesn’t make any claims or assertions…it’s a lack of belief in the claims or assertions made by Theists. The entire Atheist position is; Theist - “There is a God” Atheist - “Can you demonstrate that?” Theist - “No” Atheist - “I’ll believe you when you can”. If you replaced the word “god” with “Bigfoot”, “Fairies” or “The Loch Ness Monster” - nobody would argue that the Atheist wasn’t just being logical & using basic common sense. It’s only when you take that position in regards to “God” that people have an issue with it.
@@Ben-no4lz Technically. But what I think is happening is that theism doesn’t actually describe reality, (because god isn’t very likely to be real) I think there are a few good reasons to think there’s straight up no god end of story. Mainly having to do with what our world is vs what a god could do. Like is it at all reasonable that anything with infinite power would create everything specifically as to be indistinguishable from no god at all? And if it’s all loving, what is he doing allowing the existence of predatory animals that he knew would attack random children? So really what I’m doing is arguing for a description of reality that doesn’t use any gods. Because god as a concept can only really seem to be plausible where there’s variables we can’t account for, like how the Big Bang happened, or how exactly life began. But yeah, most of the time atheism pretty much boils down to exactly what you’ve said. It’s quite rare we’re the ones making the positive claims.
@@Trollsagan69420 But that’s the thing, neither Atheism or Theism are a “description of reality” They are positions on a single question; “Are you convinced a God exists?” Yes = Theist No = Atheist
@@Ben-no4lz To be fair the only reason we hold a position is because we believe it’s a description of reality. If you don’t have a reason to believe in a god, then you are agnostic and don’t make any claims about reality. If you lean atheist, then you believe reality is likely to be better described by no god at all. My original comment mainly points out that it’s easier to describe a truth than it is to defend a lie. Lies by definition do not in fact describe reality, so naturally they are flawed. The truth however, does not contradict itself because of the law of non contradiction. But yeah, it’s possible to make the positive claim that god doesn’t exist. Just like it’s possible to make the positive claim Santa doesn’t exist. It’s difficult to prove negatives like this, but all you need is the right weapon.
@@Trollsagan69420 You seem to be confused about what Agnostic & Atheist mean. Because they’re not mutually exclusive and you can be both, because they address different thing. Atheist - “I don’t BELIEVE a god exists” Agnostic - “I don’t KNOW if a god exists or not” Atheism addresses Belief. Agnosticism addresses Knowledge. “Do you BELIEVE a god exists? Yes = Theist No = Atheist The reason I do not believe a god exists is the same reason I do not believe Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster exist…….a lack of Convincing Evidence. Atheism is the logic default position.
@@yogi147 Are you Brian from the call? If so, I admire your honesty. As an Irish ex-Roman Catholic, I can empathise with the psychological and emotional turmoil associated with letting go of such a deeply entrenched and insidious belief system. The lock-in and lock-out clauses, that are central to such rigid and irrational doctrines, are deliberately constructed to cause these very human distresses. That being, "believe unquestioningly, or be lost for eternity", and "To question or doubt, is the Devil's work". I hope things have gotten clearer for you since and you're enjoying the immense liberation that comes with shedding a deeply flawed weight of baggage ?👍 It's far from easy, but the rewards are very real and immeasurably outweigh the alternative.
@@yogi147 proud of you man - it happened to me as well - you get to a point with the rational thinking that you have to let go and the fear goes with it. The whole world becomes a better place
If "God" showed himself to everyone, humanity would ban together, call him a 'despot', and work to kill him. Faith and religion help some people to feel better; so do many Disney movies.
This man sounds like a man asking for help. He seems like he doesn't really believe anymore but is afraid of the fallout of him admitting it. Isn't one the main reasons atheist organizations exist is to try to help people like him?
I can understand his fear of fallout with people he associates with. It's happened to me. I have had relationships ruined and an engagement broken off because they were more in love with their church / religion or so fearful of accepting someone who thinks and believes differently that they felt I was a threat.
A nice and honest young man struggling with the dishonesty of religion having to think for the first time within his religiously closeted life. Life is better as an honest atheist than a dishonest religious person. His question really is, will my religious family and friends like me if I am absolutely honest as he is in this conversation with them. Best of luck in life young man.
Before theists can make any claims about gods doing anything, they need to prove any gods exist first. It's basic logic. I guess that explains why theists can't understand it. The caller might be qualified to teach Sunday school, but he isn't qualified to teach basic logic at kindergarten level.
@SPEIRS OMNHURST That's not proof, that bull shit assertions. You must have been pretty young when you decided to be superstitious, otherwise you would have chosen to believe in a bad ass god like Allah.
@SPEIRS OMNHURST Wrong- you could prove a “Non-Temporary cause”. But you would still have to prove that that cause was, concious, intelligent, & had intentionally created this universe.
@SPEIRS OMNHURST Your argument is circular. You’re saying that the only way that the Universe can exist is if it had an intelligent designer. Then you are saying that because the universe exists, that proves God. You don’t just get to assert that the only way the universe comes into being is by intelligent design. You would first need to demonstrate that this universe did indeed come into existence (Since we cannot blobserve beyond the Planck time, there is no way of proving that our universe hasn’t been here forever & the Big Bang was part of a cycle of expansion & contraction) Then you would have to rule out; Multiverse theory, Experimentation by advanced Aliens, Giant space monsters that shit out universes etc…. Anyone can come up with a magic explaination for everything- but they shouldn’t be believed until they have proved their explaination actually exists. So you do not get to claim “The only way the universe could happen is if it was created by an intelligent being” - Until you have demonstrated that such a being even exists. The Bible!? Really 🤦🏻♂️ The Bible is a collection of manuscripts from anonymous authors, with no originals- only copies of translations from dead languages based on source material dated 100s of years after the events it described. Multiple manuscripts have been removed & others have been replaced with forgeries, just to keep up the magical lie it’s trying to tell. If the Bible is true then even if some god exists, it’s clearly not Moral or Loving. •Drowning the entire world because you gave them free will then didn’t like how they acted? = Psycho/Murderer/Immoral •Banning the eating of shellfish but not banning Slavery = Idiot/Immoral/Evil •Commanding Witches to be killed even though there’s no such thing as Witches = proof that the Bible is a bunch of myths,legends & superstitions of Iron Age Sheperds that men have altered and corrupted over the centuries to gain control over uneducated & gullible people (Like you) PROVE TO ME THAT YOUR GOD EXISTS. Or you DO NOT get to offer it as an explaination and offer the Bible as evidence. Because I can offer Magic fairies as an explaination & offer all the books about Fairies as my evidence.
@@Ben-no4lz That’s the resident troll here. I call him moist rock moron. He keeps losing all credibility on one account, so he starts another account and destroys his credibility again with the same stupid crap.💩 He just craves attention.
It's now August 2021. I'd love to know where Brian is on his journey. Is he still a theist and does he have better answers (to the questions he was asked to think about)?
@@nicolab2075 yes and no, I gave my twin brothers name when I called as I was worried about the viewers hunting me down, but yea that’s me in the call.
This caller is operating from mythological reasoning. He makes arguments under the assumption that there is a theistic cosmology. This is definitely mythology.
The caller is basically summarizing Pascal's wager. The issue with it is that there are many many versions of god presented. Believing in any one god just in case does not give you a 50% chance of being right, plus an omnipotent god would instantly peg you as disingenuous and may not take kindly to posers.
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
I have respect for this guy Brian. He sounds like he realizes how painful it will be admitting the truth he no longer believes in God.
I felt for the guy when he asked “well what will I do? Where will I go?” He clearly was searching in this moment.
Thank you. I appreciate it.
I wanted them to tell him about the Clergy Project. I hope he found his way out.
@@yogi147 Brian? How are you doing re your beliefs?
@@yogi147 @YoGi147 Brian? I hope youre alright. Its not easy. Much like Matt, I wound up not convinced anymore after trying to defend the bible more. I was a christian and I understand how tough it can be.
@@RaulPerez-jj5jj thank you, Matt has changed my life forevermore.
“One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we've been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We're no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It is simply too painful to acknowledge -- even to ourselves - that we've been (taken.)so credulous. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back. (So the old bamboozles tend to persist as the new bamboozles rise.)” - Carl Sagan
Poor guy. Religious institutions, much like abusive relationships, seem to create a tragic codependency and, in many instances, a trauma bond that shackles people with so much fear and confusion that they don't feel like they have the ability to walk away.
At 5:48, the caller Brian asks Matt if he ever seen Star Trek. It reminded me of what Spock said. "If this is your god, he's not very impressive. He has many psychological problems. He's so insecure that he demands worship every seven days. He goes out and created faulty humans and then blames them for his own mistakes. He's a pretty poor excuse for a supreme being." -From The Original Draft Of Star Trek The Motion Picture.
When I declared myself to be an atheist on Facebook I immediately lost ninety percent of my followers. It feels great to know who your real friends are and to dump the ones who only want you as a friend if you think like they do.
Don’t get why it’s such a big thing in America, no one would bat an eyelid in the uk.
Brian is amazing. I like him for actually listening, I hope he makes the right decision for himself.
Thank you. I was listening intently.
You can almost hear the moment it clicks in Brian. “What will I do? Where will I go?”
One of the best AE calls ever. Someone who is truly honest - so many Christians on this show are constantly making excuses for their beliefs and their book, and dishonest when asked questions. I feel he is someone who is clearly searching for the truth. I hope you find it Brian, no matter how hard it is,
He is now an atheist
Brian can't give himself credit for living his life, he must lay it to something else. How the hell do you get on doing that?
Me too. Big whoop hope he keeps searching
This is the best conversation I have seen so far with Matt. I have book marked it for future reference. Matt is amazing.
Yep. Me too!
2012-2014 Matt is my favorite 🙂
Just being honest and willing to admit defeat in an argument is the best way to get on his good and compassionate side.
Matt D is nice to listen to his early yrs till to 2016..after that maybe cos of his medical problem n age..he gets very angry n disrespectful to his callers.. although I side with Matt cos some of the callers are disgusting too..
@Deedak I agree. Halfway through, I began to download it. The caller was so courteous & genuine; Matt responded in kind.
I read the title as “God is a tool.”
He certainly is.
"God is a tool" - Just as the theist. At least the trolls here.
Edit: And the caller in the beginning of the call.
@@nobs997 Imaginary tool. He's the left-handed monkey wrench of the tool box.
People use God as a tool
@@MireVale They TRY to use god as a tool. :p
@Terrence Bullock I've been saying for years that if I was a supreme being who had created a universe, people claiming I cared about the clothes they wear, what they do with their genitals, etc. would make me quite irate.
At least Brian gives evidence he is thinking, and he is not stupidly arrogant.
Thanks, I follow this show very closely since that call.
@@yogi147 9oo.o
I feel like this kind of call is the reason this show exists.
Yes
Dying for an update on Brian. His honesty was refreshing, we’ve all been this guy.
@Jo Ol oh wow, thanks for letting me know! If the comment is legit that makes me super happy to hear.
I was never that guy!
It's very refreshing to hear people like Brian question their misguided faith in the God delusion...let's hope he continued and eventually freed himself from the utter poison of religion.
I was a Mormon for 45 yrs. Around 2007 I started watching a local show in Utah that was an ex-Mormon/Born again Christian criticizing the Book of Mormon in many different ways. I would laugh and think that every one of his criticisms could also be used against the Bible. It wasn’t long before I decided to do just that. And within a week of studying the history of the Bible with the same critical view, I realized that not only Mormonism was false, but that every religion on earth was just man made mythology.
I hope these believers that watch this show can hear the fallacy of their arguments and find the courage to just search for and accept the truth, no matter how difficult it may be.
Life is still a mystery for me, but it’s so peaceful being okay with that, and not having to constantly bend my brain around the nonsense of religion.
This makes me wonder how Brian has been doing since this call. Hope he is free from the shackles.
I am doing well, and yes not long after this call I informed my friends and family, I also wouldn’t recommend doin it like that, I should have been way more casual with it.
@@yogi147 Brian? Goodness! Great to hear you're doing well!! Though it sounds like there's been some fallout with your close ones...
@@Toobielove that’s my twin brothers name, I was worried about the viewers tracking me down and telling my church members. But yea I’ve long since giving up supernatural beliefs.
@@yogi147 Oh wow! It's really nice to hear a follow up from someone with whom I know most of the audience empathised and were invested.
Sorry if it hasn't been smooth sailing with your family. Maybe that situation will improve, but if not you still have a grasp on reality and therefore control over your life that sadly the religious can't achieve.
@@chriskelly3481 I’m looking toward the bright side of things. For the most part it’s been really good.
If you're stranded at sea you don't wait for an angel to air lift you to a tropical island, you wave down ANY passing boat. And if you're not stranded at sea then there is no reason to wave down a passing boat because you don't need to be 'saved'. 'God' doesn't enter that scenario at any point.
This is one of Matt's better conversations. At some point this person will admit to themselves that their beliefs aren't valid. Anyone who has travelled that path can empathize with the caller. Eventually the evidence or lack of it leaves you with two choices. Let go of the belief or fake it.
Back when Matt actually enjoyed doing the show!
@@MarxistKnight
🤣😂🤣
@@MarxistKnight
Back when you serious callers with serious questions! Now the callers are mostly insane, which eventually wears on you!!!
My oldest son has 3 children that I love more than I ever thought possible. Now I can't see them because my beliefs about religion changed when I began to be skeptical and study. The pain of losing them is unbearable sometimes. But I have to be honest with myself and everyone. It is the worst thing anyone could have done to me. It's terrible.
Why can’t you see them?
@Glasschin2.0 Because I don't agree with his religious beliefs. I wasn't trying to teach his children any kind of doctrine, all I care about is being their grandfather and loving them. I don't care what they grow up to be, I'll love them no matter what. Very sad for me, it's now been over a year since I saw them. I still cry daily.
@@ScottRoberts-el2jn tell him the commandment , Honour thy father and thy mother.
Crazy what religion does to people
@Glasschin2.0 He cherry picks just like all the rest do. I go back to what The physicist Steven Weinberg said, " In a normal universe good people will do good things, bad people will do bad things, but if you want good people to do bad things, you need religion".
@@ScottRoberts-el2jn glad I wasn’t born into a religious community.
This was an honest and good discussion.
Not entirely, I lied about my first name.
@@yogi147 Regardless of your beliefs, you're among friendly folks, sir.
@@Tupelo927 thanks 😊
@@yogi147
Hiding from your church and buybile thumping family isn't anything to be ashamed of.
My mother is a fundamentalist buybile thumper and still holds out hope that not only will I start going to church, but also become a powerful preacher winning souls for Cheesus. She knows that I know the content of the buybile, she doesn't know that I'm a hard core atheist and that chit (me becoming a preacher) is never ever going to happen.
I will never reveal to her my stance, not only will she not be able to accept it, she'll disown me and has made that clear.
I'm not going to allow her primitive childish belief to destroy what relationship we do have.
@@theanti-anti-intellectual5026
You are awesome!
I love Brian, I feel his honesty is unmatched by damn near all (if not all) of the many other callers I've heard on this show.
It`s amusing to hear how every believer has his own version of what God thinks and God wants.
There are over a billion Christians and over a billion separate, independent denominations of Christianity!
Exactly. They make up all sorts of stories to rationalize god on the fly, in response to what Matt says. Brian was doing a lot of this here.
@@paulmorris8188
And they can’t agree!!!! Smh!
I hope Brian is doing well today. There are some hard truths in this life and coming to the realization of some of them can be a difficult process. I just hope he knows that he isn't alone.
Brian, I was you also, took me till almost 50yrs old to finally push it all away. You're right there, evaluate these questions over and over, and if you stay honest to yourself as you were here, you really will become a free man....
I have hopes for this caller. It seems like he was right on the edge but is afraid because of the sunk cost fallacy. "I spent years doing this, it can't have all been for nothing!"
@SPEIRS OMNHURST I'd rather have questions you can't answer than answers you can't question.
Atheism isn't intended to provide answers. It's a starting point not an end point. It's like alcoholism: you can't do anything to help yourself until you acknowledge you have a problem. Theists are drunk on God and the 'answers' they claim to see are really just illusions feeding their addiction.
@SPEIRS OMNHURST Athiesm is a single position on the belief in a god.
Athiesm makes no pronouncements regarding any other question other than the existence of a God….so what answers do you think they should be giving?
Theists believe in a god.
Athiests ask if Thiests can provide evidence for this belief……and so far theists have failed to do so.
Please tell me an answer for any issue that religion offers an answer for , that a secular world view doesn’t also provide an answer for?
Can you provide evidence that ANYTHING supernatural exists? Because the only LOGICAL way to approach life is to withhold belief until you are provided with sufficient evidence.
@SPEIRS OMNHURST The point is that god-believe is not an answer to anything if you really care about if your believes are true. You could stick in god for any question that you don't have an answer to so it has no explanatory power at all. If you don't care and think that you need an answer to lead a healthy life no matter if that answer is true then sure religion is a way to do that. But to suggest that someone needs made up answers to lead a good life is demonstrably false.
In short: Theism has no answers either.
@SPEIRS OMNHURST ZERO ANSWERS ASSERTED WITHOUT EVIDENCE. Isn't that a beautiful thing? Do you want actual answers? Because I can sell you the Brooklyn bridge if it makes you feel better.
Grovelling for an eternity sounds like it would get tiring real quick.
"Almost 10 yrs, wow that's a long time"
7 yrs later...
Lol. I literally thought the same thing 😀
This is a fantastic call. I felt so engaged in the entire conversation.
It’s was so kind of Brian to tell us all what god wants. Thanks, Brian. You can now join the millions of other people that all claim to know what god wants.
"Suppose I just agreed with everything you're saying. What am I suppose to do, just walk away from my church?" That really does make me sad! Because the answer is a resounding YES, though it will come at a cost. One that he may not be able to bare!
I know. This is really the same dilemma people who were in a band for all of their young life face, when the band reaches the end of its viability. Almost all of us have to adjust at some point or drown basically.
@@skippy675yip, great analogy. The only difference I can see is that walking away from a band typically doesn't include suddenly distant and cold shouldered friends and family who think that the devils got ya!
De-conversion is a process that’s unique to everyone and their personal circumstances. Regardless of where you wind up, Brian, I thank you for taking the brave step to call into a show and have your ideas challenged.
Religious "predators" use faith as a tool.
Human preying on human, at the end of the day.
...it's been like this since the beginning of our civilization. Theists just doesn't learn from our ancestors' mistakes so they keep being the prey.
It's sad listening to Brian's internal struggles,
It's a shame we don't get to know how it all panned out for him in the future? I hope he found the truth and I hope he found peace.
All the best Brian.
I turned out okay 👍
@@yogi147 ...Hey! Buddy! ...the Brian I know is right handed! ...you must be some sort of Brian imposter!!!
@@Yossarian. haha I was!
@@yogi147 ...It was a rare moment of compassion on my part for a floundering theist, normally I'd recommend a sharp blow to the back of the neck with a seal club; ....except something about the short pauses Brian took before responding and his resigned replies, you could see he was having an epiphany right there before our eyes....it was refreshing....and something I'd never seen before. ...probably my favourite athiest experience episode.
All hail Matt.
The rarest thing in the world is a person who can admit the superiority of an opponent's argument, esp on a topic as sensitive and emotionally charged as religion. Wherever Brian from Chicago ended up after this conversation, he has my respect for being willing to listen with a open mind, and concede that his adherence to religion was founded, to some extent, upon fear for loss of social connections if he became an admitted non-believer. But whatever his public stance toward religion might be now, I'd bet that he no longer truly believes--people who are open-minded enough to honestly consider opposing viewpoints are seldom able to continue within organizations that make exclusive claims to truth.
Kudos to the caller tor being open to think about things.
5:46 I love Star Trek so much. Have seen all of it. Has Matt ever said which Series/Episode/Movie/Character he likes most?
Not that I'm aware of, but I'd wager TOS/TNG
The caller is honest and confronting things he has believed for years. It must be hard when you have grown believing something. I wish him luck.
Finally, an honest theist! I have been going through the same thing. I was brought up to always be honest, and so I can no longer justify my beliefs.
Must say as far as Theist callers go, Brian is certainly a diamond in the rough.
Has to be one of the most honest conversations I've ever witnessed (pun intended) on this show.
This call is almost seven years old, I hope Brian sees this and calls back in. Would be interesting to see where he "is" regarding all of this now.
I do see this, but I don’t see the need to call back in as people wanna hear theist callers and I’m now an atheist. But yea I’m here and I read the comments.
@@yogi147 I think we would all be really interested to hear what convinced you, and whether life is as rewarding without a god etc
@@nicolab2075 not one specific thing, but if I had to point to one thing, it would be the atheist experience being put on RUclips. I had reasons, I realized it, and gave them up. I’m happily married to the girl of my dreams, and I’m doing much better without believing in supernatural stuff.
@@yogi147 Really pleased it worked out for you xxx
I'm so happy this call actually helped the caller.
@yogi147 i like coming back to rewatch this video. It reminds me that there are still people willing to learn no matter how hard it can get. We need more people like you brian. i hope you're doing well.
Best speech ever given by Matt….perfectly said sir!
👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
Brian, there is a community happy to receive you if or whenever you want to take that first step back. That community is this community. As humanists, we don't hate other humans; we just don't like bad ideas or the methodology those bad ideas use to manipulate others. I wish you the best on your journey of life.
Brian is on the precipice of a great realization, he just has to have the courage to go that one more step! I will, to my dying day, remember when (just like Neo when he “woke up” and burs through his cocoon/egg sack/embryo-thing, I was sitting in church and I said to myself, “What in the hell am I doing?!” And from that nanosecond, until now, it’s the most liberating thing that I’ve ever done (leaving organized religion)!
It was a bit like that.
MATT THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I THINK OF GOD. YOU NAILED THIS ON THE HEAD PERFECT
Caller's boat analogy: The boat is leaking, the captain and the crew show signs of serious delusion, and they think the owner of the boat is an invisible magical ghost, who had his son murdered on a cross. I wouldn't set a single foot on board of that horror show.
The caller's struggle is very recognizable. I wonder where he is at now.
When a woman was stuck in the side of the road, a pastor, a woman and her daughter chose to come out and help out of the goodness of their hearts. God sent Ethan Couch.
This caller talks like he really 110% sure there is a “ purpose “ and that his “God “ uses that for whatever purpose it makes ,or whatever sounds good .! 😳
I'd like to know what the point of this purpose is.
He thought he made a point and watched the show randomly to see if he did. So he thought his point would be powerful enough to influence the show significantly. Like he destroyed the show with his boat story. Weird..
This is an excellent episode!
Only 3 members of my family know I'm an atheist, the rest would disown me (although I have a suspicion I'm not the only non-believer)
If they find out, I won't lose anything.
Did the caller say God was a tool? Finally something truthful from a theist.
What a remarkable call. It's completely understandable that Brian is afraid of what he might lose but I imagine that once you get to the point where you're honestly facing what would be different in your life without faith, it's very difficult to un-think those thoughts. Unstable faith is very weak.
Matt it would have been cool if you had brought up how God has the same Prime Directive because he screwed up once and gave advanced tech to a primitive culture and EVERYTHING TURNED InTO A SHIT STORM!!!! 7:07 and that’s why God had been silent. You know he has a prime directive too.
This guy has the most un-godlike definition of a god that I’ve ever heard. If god isn’t all-knowing, and if god isn’t all-powerful, and if god actually has to learn things, then what makes him god? 🤦🏼♂️
@dayone
Is there any necessity for God to be all-knowing and all-powerful?
I do not think so. But God should have sufficient power and knowledge necessary for creating the universe. That much is needed. But that does not make God all-knowing and all-powerful.
@@udaybhanuchitrakar8812 So are you saying that there are certain things god cannot do because it’s not powerful enough? Are you saying that there are certain things that god does not know?
What about learning? Are you suggesting that god had to learn how to be god? Who taught it, and how? From what, some kind of god textbook? Is there a school for gods?
What kind of a weak ass ignorant god is this?
@Jimmy James “𝘐𝘍….𝘐𝘍….𝘐𝘍….𝘪𝘧 it’s proven that life was the result of a creator…”
That’s a pretty big fucking 𝘐𝘍 Jimmy.
Your whole argument is based on 𝘐𝘍 something happened. You yourself don’t even know if it happened, you’re just assuming that it did so that you even have an argument to begin with.
You accuse atheists of making backwards claims, but that is exactly what you are doing here. You assume god exists and then work backwards using his existence as a reason for life, without proving that he actually exists in the first place.
You must prove that this god or yours exists before using it as an explanation for something. Right now, universe farting pixies are just as viable as an explanation for creation as your god is.
This color is the most honest person who is called into one of these shows this is handled so masterfully
One of the most honest conversations with a theist I have ever heard.
Christians say their god does this or that, what they don't seem to understand is if they can not show that their god exists then their god doesn't do anything.
What was said here was incredibly emotionally moving. I’m glad I listen to it
Loving the uploads of old video's. Cheers.
I wonder where this guy is now. He seems extremely intelligent and in some ways, intellectually humble.
An amazing conversation. This is obviously an old clip. Wonder how Brian is doing now.
I like the way Christians think they are saying something important by constantly declaring they believe this or they believe that. As though that adds anything to the discussion or is anything to care about.
brian you have support
I was born into atheism, so coming to the truth was made so easy for me. This conversation drove home how lucky I was as I never needed to wrestle with these feelings and take the risks the caller feels he takes by opening himself to doubt.
Indeed, but it does bring a smile at the chance that after hearing him, he just may wake up and start living his life free from the shackles
It was a long journey
I was also raised without religion and very thankful for it. Poor Brian, i was almost crying when he said "but where will i go, what will i do?" I hope he didn't have to choose between clear thinking and a warm social circle. I hope he got both!
Sounds like a good guy, definitely not like the usual smug attempt to down the host. Great convo
Probably the best caller on this show ever. So many more calls would be productive if the theist would actually listen and have an honest conversation.
I was raised as a Jehovahs Witness and escaped the cult at the age of 30, for the exact reasons Matt has stated. As a cult, Jehovah's Witnesses practice a strict shunning policy called 'disfellowshipping', which means even loved ones can no longer talk with you, if you dissacociate yourself from the religion. I particularly felt this discussion.
I God suddenly appears from nowhere in front of me, I would at least think it's possible that God to exist since this being is clearly supernatural, but it would take more tricks to convince me that this is THE God that created the universe and came to earth 2000 years ago as Jesus, but if it is THE God I'm sure it knows how to convince me
BTW: my Mother in Law claims all of her prayers have been answered (she of the "Happy Clappy" variety)! Err well that's a fascinating claim because she my well have had most of her prayers answered, or indeed all of them but not the one for me!
wow as soon as he said a man in a boat, my brain went somewhere completely different.
Excellent call to use as a reference for whatever reference categories you use for website access.
Great caller, hope he's doing well
Something I notice with arguing for theism or atheism, atheism is extremely easy to argue for.
It requires little effort to make strong arguments.
With theism, you have to work your brain into a million turns just to get 1 answer. (Even then that answer tends to be a bad one, or mediocre at best.)
Atheism doesn’t need any arguments.
It doesn’t make any claims or assertions…it’s a lack of belief in the claims or assertions made by Theists.
The entire Atheist position is;
Theist - “There is a God”
Atheist - “Can you demonstrate that?”
Theist - “No”
Atheist - “I’ll believe you when you can”.
If you replaced the word “god” with “Bigfoot”, “Fairies” or “The Loch Ness Monster” - nobody would argue that the Atheist wasn’t just being logical & using basic common sense.
It’s only when you take that position in regards to “God” that people have an issue with it.
@@Ben-no4lz Technically. But what I think is happening is that theism doesn’t actually describe reality, (because god isn’t very likely to be real)
I think there are a few good reasons to think there’s straight up no god end of story.
Mainly having to do with what our world is vs what a god could do.
Like is it at all reasonable that anything with infinite power would create everything specifically as to be indistinguishable from no god at all?
And if it’s all loving, what is he doing allowing the existence of predatory animals that he knew would attack random children?
So really what I’m doing is arguing for a description of reality that doesn’t use any gods. Because god as a concept can only really seem to be plausible where there’s variables we can’t account for, like how the Big Bang happened, or how exactly life began.
But yeah, most of the time atheism pretty much boils down to exactly what you’ve said.
It’s quite rare we’re the ones making the positive claims.
@@Trollsagan69420 But that’s the thing, neither Atheism or Theism are a “description of reality”
They are positions on a single question;
“Are you convinced a God exists?”
Yes = Theist
No = Atheist
@@Ben-no4lz To be fair the only reason we hold a position is because we believe it’s a description of reality.
If you don’t have a reason to believe in a god, then you are agnostic and don’t make any claims about reality.
If you lean atheist, then you believe reality is likely to be better described by no god at all.
My original comment mainly points out that it’s easier to describe a truth than it is to defend a lie.
Lies by definition do not in fact describe reality, so naturally they are flawed.
The truth however, does not contradict itself because of the law of non contradiction.
But yeah, it’s possible to make the positive claim that god doesn’t exist.
Just like it’s possible to make the positive claim Santa doesn’t exist.
It’s difficult to prove negatives like this, but all you need is the right weapon.
@@Trollsagan69420 You seem to be confused about what Agnostic & Atheist mean.
Because they’re not mutually exclusive and you can be both, because they address different thing.
Atheist - “I don’t BELIEVE a god exists”
Agnostic - “I don’t KNOW if a god exists or not”
Atheism addresses Belief.
Agnosticism addresses Knowledge.
“Do you BELIEVE a god exists?
Yes = Theist
No = Atheist
The reason I do not believe a god exists is the same reason I do not believe Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster exist…….a lack of Convincing Evidence.
Atheism is the logic default position.
Uncomfortable truths are abundant in this episode, Well done Matt.
Great job, Matt! Brian is probably still chewing on this (watching in 2021).
Nope I gave it up not long after the call
“Family is more important than ideas.” Brilliant discussion John. Thank you!
I sense that Brian is on the edge of letting go of his faith in his god. Thanks be to the Lard! Or His Noodlyness.
Praise cheesus.
You’re right, I gave up my belief not long after this call
@@yogi147 Are you Brian from the call?
If so, I admire your honesty. As an Irish ex-Roman Catholic, I can empathise with the psychological and emotional turmoil associated with letting go of such a deeply entrenched and insidious belief system.
The lock-in and lock-out clauses, that are central to such rigid and irrational doctrines, are deliberately constructed to cause these very human distresses.
That being, "believe unquestioningly, or be lost for eternity", and "To question or doubt, is the Devil's work". I hope things have gotten clearer for you since and you're enjoying the immense liberation that comes with shedding a deeply flawed weight of baggage ?👍
It's far from easy, but the rewards are very real and immeasurably outweigh the alternative.
@@skateboardingjesus4006 that is me thank you
@@yogi147 proud of you man - it happened to me as well - you get to a point with the rational thinking that you have to let go and the fear goes with it. The whole world becomes a better place
If "God" showed himself to everyone, humanity would ban together, call him a 'despot', and work to kill him. Faith and religion help some people to feel better; so do many Disney movies.
Not the one with the leemings
If I was God, I wouldn't send anybody to Hell
I'm just too nice.
18:36 I want NO parts of it either 🤷🏾♂️😂
This man sounds like a man asking for help. He seems like he doesn't really believe anymore but is afraid of the fallout of him admitting it. Isn't one the main reasons atheist organizations exist is to try to help people like him?
I can understand his fear of fallout with people he associates with. It's happened to me. I have had relationships ruined and an engagement broken off because they were more in love with their church / religion or so fearful of accepting someone who thinks and believes differently that they felt I was a threat.
I wanna hug the caller.
A nice and honest young man struggling with the dishonesty of religion having to think for the first time within his religiously closeted life. Life is better as an honest atheist than a dishonest religious person. His question really is, will my religious family and friends like me if I am absolutely honest as he is in this conversation with them. Best of luck in life young man.
I think Brian was so very close of freeing himself from religion at this point. I would love to know if he managed to do it by now.
Before theists can make any claims about gods doing anything, they need to prove any gods exist first. It's basic logic. I guess that explains why theists can't understand it.
The caller might be qualified to teach Sunday school, but he isn't qualified to teach basic logic at kindergarten level.
@SPEIRS OMNHURST Too bad nobody can find any proof for that fairy tale. That’s why theists have been failing for thousands of years.😈
@SPEIRS OMNHURST That's not proof, that bull shit assertions. You must have been pretty young when you decided to be superstitious, otherwise you would have chosen to believe in a bad ass god like Allah.
@SPEIRS OMNHURST Wrong- you could prove a “Non-Temporary cause”.
But you would still have to prove that that cause was, concious, intelligent, & had intentionally created this universe.
@SPEIRS OMNHURST Your argument is circular.
You’re saying that the only way that the Universe can exist is if it had an intelligent designer. Then you are saying that because the universe exists, that proves God.
You don’t just get to assert that the only way the universe comes into being is by intelligent design.
You would first need to demonstrate that this universe did indeed come into existence (Since we cannot blobserve beyond the Planck time, there is no way of proving that our universe hasn’t been here forever & the Big Bang was part of a cycle of expansion & contraction)
Then you would have to rule out; Multiverse theory, Experimentation by advanced Aliens, Giant space monsters that shit out universes etc….
Anyone can come up with a magic explaination for everything- but they shouldn’t be believed until they have proved their explaination actually exists.
So you do not get to claim “The only way the universe could happen is if it was created by an intelligent being” - Until you have demonstrated that such a being even exists.
The Bible!? Really 🤦🏻♂️
The Bible is a collection of manuscripts from anonymous authors, with no originals- only copies of translations from dead languages based on source material dated 100s of years after the events it described.
Multiple manuscripts have been removed & others have been replaced with forgeries, just to keep up the magical lie it’s trying to tell.
If the Bible is true then even if some god exists, it’s clearly not Moral or Loving.
•Drowning the entire world because you gave them free will then didn’t like how they acted? = Psycho/Murderer/Immoral
•Banning the eating of shellfish but not banning Slavery = Idiot/Immoral/Evil
•Commanding Witches to be killed even though there’s no such thing as Witches = proof that the Bible is a bunch of myths,legends & superstitions of Iron Age Sheperds that men have altered and corrupted over the centuries to gain control over uneducated & gullible people (Like you)
PROVE TO ME THAT YOUR GOD EXISTS.
Or you DO NOT get to offer it as an explaination and offer the Bible as evidence.
Because I can offer Magic fairies as an explaination & offer all the books about Fairies as my evidence.
@@Ben-no4lz That’s the resident troll here. I call him moist rock moron. He keeps losing all credibility on one account, so he starts another account and destroys his credibility again with the same stupid crap.💩
He just craves attention.
One of the best AE clips! Open minds are the best
childish stories progressing into delusions and eventually madness.
It's now August 2021. I'd love to know where Brian is on his journey. Is he still a theist and does he have better answers (to the questions he was asked to think about)?
I bet he's free.
@@nicolab2075 you’re right. I am.
@@yogi147 Are you Brian? How are you doing?
@@nicolab2075 yes and no, I gave my twin brothers name when I called as I was worried about the viewers hunting me down, but yea that’s me in the call.
@@nicolab2075 I’m doing well!
Would genuinely love to know how this guy is getting these days.
But you must admit that the best trick Jahwe did was burning a bush on the desert. No one could do this.
On the bright side, faith is no less useless for determining the truth as a coin toss.
The ultra-rare, honest caller. Good luck, sir.
I have a feeling Matt stroking his goatee had at least a little something to do with Brian thinking he might be of the devil and out to trick him.
Love that you're a huge trekkie too Matt!
Wooooow. I hope this guy is doing well.
This caller is operating from mythological reasoning. He makes arguments under the assumption that there is a theistic cosmology. This is definitely mythology.
The caller is basically summarizing Pascal's wager. The issue with it is that there are many many versions of god presented. Believing in any one god just in case does not give you a 50% chance of being right, plus an omnipotent god would instantly peg you as disingenuous and may not take kindly to posers.
He seemed like a good dude.