Street Epistemology: Wally (1) | Faith is Better Than Evidence
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- Опубликовано: 1 апр 2015
- San Antonio, Texas
Recorded: 2 April 2015
Uploaded: 2 April 2015
Twitter: / magnabosco
Facebook: / magnabosco210
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At first Wally appeared to be a curious passerby, wanting to know what I was doing on the campus after seeing me there off and on for the past couple of weeks.
Before long, a discussion was underway.
I don't know if it was because of the odd way Wally approached me, or his appearance with the dark sunglasses and cap, but I had the feeling that Wally (if that was indeed his real name) was perhaps familiar with me in some way.
The comfort that Wally gets from the faith he uses to believe in his God is apparently all he needs. Just like Islamic extremists.
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The views addressed here are mine and mine alone, and are not necessarily shared by members of my family and friends.
One thing is very clear: this guy has NEVER, EVER actually thought about this, at all. It was pumped into him as a child and when confronted, he's just regurgitating any random excuse he can think of.....until we finally just hit, "well, you're going to have to die to find out." +Anthony Magnabosco, you hit him with the perfect follow-up: "If you have to die to find out, how can you possibly be at 100%?"
Doesn't need to think. He and his god have all the answers.
@@1weirddoe571 Answers are not always correct. I had a friend who had the answer to 1 + 1 and his answer was 11. Sure he had an answer, but that does not mean his answer is correct.
@@VodShod The usual symbol for the usual sum is not exclusively a symbol for a sum. It is often used as a symbol for string concatenation, 1 + 1 could theoreticaly give 11. Also, for romans, I+I=II and more generally, in base 1 (which is not less legitimate than base 10) , "1 + 1 = 11" is correct.
@@Dykwiaornot Why did you decide to purposefully miss his point?
(How I would "street epistomologize" you)
“When I die I’ll know!”
(But you have to die first)
“But when I die, I’ll KNOW!”
(But you have to die first!!)
Let’s just call this the American fundie’s
“Lisa needs braces!…DENTAL PLAN!”, shall we?
As an atheist, I like how the guy being interviewed is really honest. He likes the security. I think that is legitmate for many people. Religion is a filter that allows people to settle their mind and not question how they came into existence. In many ways this is a human response for dealing with the utter reality of the chaotic life we live in.
Exactly. That's why it's survived so long, even long after Darwin and/or The Enlightenment. The security and comfort is a priviledge they enjoy because the world mostly doesn't ask them questions like these.
Imagine if believing you were invisible was given as much slack by society.
How many naked people would just be wandering around?
I would really like hell to be brought up in these discussions. When a Christian casually says that they are okay with other people of different faiths believing what they believe and then indicating that they are not going to argue with those people my first response is:
"Do you think there is any consequences for a person who dies as a Hindu or a Muslim when they discover that the Christian god was the real one and they were praying to a false god?"
If they truly believe that hell is real and people will be tortured there forever it can be crushing to contrast that belief with their casual dismissal of people from other religions dying.
And it opens up getting them to consider how they could enjoy heaven knowing that friends and family are being tortured while they try to enjoy paradise.
+Ian G I have confronted somebody about that and sometimes they get a sad face and sometimes they'll respond with sth like: "Well if they were never exposed to Christianity in life I'm sure God will give them a chance to reconsider just after they die to accept Christ into their heart." This reminds me terribly much of the mechanism of deception we endure and/or inflict seemingly and unconsciously upon ourselves in the dream state which is that every time an anomaly occurs in a dream that ought to make us question any assumptions we may have in such moments we or our mind will somehow attempt to explain the anomaly away and most of the time we buy that explanation. The same is true when a believer is presented with an anomaly in their religion/faith...usually it just gets explained away in favour of whatever it is we want to believe at that time for whatever reason.
Ian G They usually say "I can't judge them." And if you stick them on that they will get uncomfortable and close off.
I am a Christian, & I will answer your question. Everyone has freewill, so even though we want everyone to go to Heaven, we know that most won't. They will willingly choose Hell for themselves. When we get to Heaven, we won't remember this life, or who did or didn't make it. Their is no sorrow or sadness in Heaven, so we won't know who didn't make it.
@@chrisanderson8500 what about people who just weren't convinced in Jesus? Why should they go to hell? Shouldnt it be up to god to convince us? He knows exactly what it will take to do so.
Lets assume you aren't colorblind and its a bright sunny, cloudless day. Look up at the sky and convince yourself it isn't blue. Don't listen to what your eyes and knowledge tell you. Make yourself believe (have faith) it isn't blue. Can you do it? Why not? That is what religion is for me. I can't convince myself to believe its true. Even if I pretended it was true, god would see I was only pretending and going through the motions.
Also, if people don't remember this life, wouldn't that just make you a mindless slave in heaven? You won't remember who you are or anyone else there. I guess it would make eternal existence easier though
@@Erik-hi Religion has an answer for everything. Simply because they just have to say it. No requirement for evidence.
I want a job god has, perfect job, whatever happens is the best result.
I've only recently discovered your videos and am fascinated. As a practicing scientist I cringe when people state that they are willing to favor faith over evidence. I can't even get a colorful statement past peer reviewers without evidence and citations, let alone a supernatural verdict pertaining to an afterlife. I appreciate that you repeatedly point out the difference between faith and evidence-based trust, it's an important distinction some people fail to recognize.
That distinction just isn’t there for most fundies, sadly.
This is why so many loathe scientists and other “intellectuals”, they resent that we can make distinctions they won’t out of ignorance/fear.
They hate science, yet they drive cars, use cell phones, utilize modern medical technology...hypocrites through and through. Bet that shirt is made of mixed fibers too, see you in hell with all the gays and rich people.
These videos are fantastic. I love the non-threatening approach. You can see the seeds of doubt take root in the rational mind and watch the cognitive dissonance take over as people try to use words to explain why they place such a high level of confidence on something that can not be seen or demonstrated.
You can see the light bulb switching on as they realize they SAID 100% but really didn't mean it. Their physical discomfort becomes apparent. In this case, when he said "We can't see air" you can see right away that he knows that was a terrible example... in fact it is a counter-example... it is an example of something that you CAN demonstrate.
The preachers are one thing... but the random people tell the real story. They don't have the philosophical arguments memorized. They just muddle through and try to put reasonable sentences together to describe the unreasonable.
I'm confident most of the people will still compartmentalize their religious faith. But I'm sure some people... maybe viewers of this RUclips series... will come to realize that faith is irrational.
Well said.
what an amazing response; would love to connect w/ you on twitter.
Spot on!
Dude you have infinite patience, honestly this guy is saying some dopey stuff and I could feel level of aggravation rising and you are helping me realize that this is counterproductive.
Ive met potheads who speak the same way. They are all about the "good vibes/feelings and one with god, religious experiences".
haha I feel you pain!
I envy those who easily suffer fools...
At least this guy doesn't try to pretend his God belief is based on evidence like so many deluded theists do.
You have sufficient evidence.
Dear @UCWoV7RGxCrydWfTLBHEmPTA,
You appear to be rather confident of your assertion that there is no evidence for the existence of a supreme being. I suppose you have objectively explored and investigated the "alleged evidences" that Christian propose and I assume you are very familiar with the agruments; otherwise you could not honestly make the assertion that there is no evidences.
Give me a list of the various arguments you have evaluated, and objective reasons why you have reason to reject the various arguments.
I am curious concerning your beliefs and assertions. Many Thanks.
DZ
Dear sir
Sorry for the strange rendering of your name. I copied and pasted your name and it came out "@UCWoV7RGxCrydWfTLBHEmPTA," after I posted it. Not sure why, but no disrespect in intended.
DZ
@@douglaszachary8318There is no evidence, that is demonstrable for "god". This is strictly in the desist sense. By saying the "Christian god" is the one true creator actually makes it less likely. The more you define your unobservable beleif, the less likely its actually "True".
Dear @@burt3724,
I do find some of the evidence compelling. If you say there is no evidence, then I must wonder if you have ever mindfully considered any of the various arguments for the existence of a metaphysic being.
There have been many people who at one time did not believe in a metaphysic being but changed their mind because of evidence. Perhaps one of the most famous of my generation, was the philosopher, Antony Flew. He changed his mind because of the evidence, as have many others (C S Lewis, Frances Collins, John Warwick Montgomery, Allen Sandage, J. Warner Wallace, etc.)
In all honesty, I have found that many people who assert there is no evidence for the existence of any metaphysic being, have not spent much time considering the various arguments very deeply, if at all. This was true of one of one of my philosophy of history professors. When we started asking questions, as to why he did not accept various arguments we discussed, it became very apparent his understanding of the arguments was very weak. He had a very superficial understanding of the various lines fo arguments and he had significant misunderstandings about the arguments.
I suppose if you are going to make the assertion that there is no evidence for the existence of a metaphysic being, then I assume you have spent a lot of time investigating the various arguments (it does take a lot of time to look in to them).
Which argument did you find the most compelling and what weakness did you find in it, that led you to believe it was not adequate ?
What kind of evidence would you find acceptable ?
DZ
The more I watch your videos the more I see that many people simply don't apply critical thinking into their beliefs. They just believe because it either comforts them or because they can't fathom a reality without an intelligent designer. Most of these people aren't stupid by any means, just confused, ignorant, or brainwashed. Proper education and learning how to think critically is the cure to end religon.
Most ppl don't really understand the things they are taught growing up. Most Americans probably can't tell you why you say "I am" instead of "I is" nor can they probably explain why 2+2=4. These are things that we just memorize and regurgitate for the rest of our lives. Religious beliefs aren't any different - and they also rely on the child's ability to trust authority figures and simply accept what they are told without question (well, you know what I mean - endless rounds of "why?" that are never answered notwithstanding).
We all went through it in one way or another. Whether it was "God exists and you need to believe these religious doctrines to be a Christian" or "look both ways before you cross the street." Religion relies on the child's evolutionary need to learn how to operate in society and not get themselves killed by dangers they don't understand in order to survive and transmit itself to the next generation. Adult converts are slightly different, although I'd contend a lot of them never outgrew a child's unquestioning acceptance of authority. They also tend to rely far more on "religious experiences" for "proof" of whatever religion they accepted - hence all the stories about horrible lives turned around and suddenly great and wonderful after [insert god/religion] got a hold of their lives.
03chrisv I agree. Theses videos have really brought home to me how, once someone attaches to a belief (almost ANY belief) they find it not only easy to cleave to it but will, and without supporting evidence, defend it as resolutely as they can.
Is science not a kind if religion to satisfy the human need for certainly sometimes I think atheists need to go a bit deeper and stop having so much faith in intellect .
Does your critical thinking come from acidemic education only ? Have you critically thought were you got your beliefs from ?
@@stevebenic1345 I think you don't understand the difference between faith and trust. Religions have dogma that does not change. Science changes all the time as new discoveries are made. Religion is not to be challenged/critique. Science welcomes the critique. Science is the opposite of religion. Also, there is no need to have faith in intellect. Faith is hoping/believing in something to be true without sufficient evidence. We trust in scientific method, natural laws, etc, because those processes and theories are supported by factual, experimental evidence anyone can apply. There's no need for faith.
I'd say the young fellow in this interview hasn't a clue about what constitutes critical thinking.
"Mom, I want bigger muscles."
"Just pray and believe they will appear, son, if you have faith they will come"
"not lift heavy stuff like everyone says and does and is proven to be a reliable way to get bigger muscles?"
"that's silly, stop questioning your beliefs son, just pray and have faith"
This poor guy is clearly brain washed and was grasping at straws trying to find reasons to defend his faith. I feel bad for him. He even admitted that his upbringing and location had everything to do with his beliefs.
I'm wondering if you should establish two scales: 1) The belief scale and 2) How important is it for you that your beliefs are true? Again, the second scale could also be 0% to 100%. It seems this guy was 100% on belief but, actually, pretty low on the Importance or truth scale--he just enjoyed the emotional benefits of belief. However, if asked to rate the importance of truth scale he would probably have put that at 100% too. And that might have made it more difficult for him to brush off the obvious contradiction that he discovered during the intervention. Just a thought, might be worth trying.
That's a great suggestion. Watch me use it next time I run into Wally--and maybe with others.
Anthony Magnabosco Cool. You do a great job Anthony. Of course, we have Peter Boghossian's book but you are providing the video tutorials which are greatly appreciated--it is so important to see the process in action. I travel to Africa several times a year to give talks to atheist groups and sometimes to religious groups, I almost always show one or two of your videos (with full credit to you) and they are always well received. Many thanks!
Wow. That's awesome. Are you on the Private SE Facebook Group yet?
Anthony Magnabosco No, I've just applied to join. Thanks.
Bill Flavell Glad to see you hanging around here too. Love the FB posts!
How anyone can be so confident in being pretty objectively clueless is beyond me. Thank you for handling the interview professionally.
I would say I was where Wally was at one time. I hate having to use the work indoctrination but it is the only one that I can use given my own circumstances. I too was around his age when I had it too. It is like tunnel vision you only see in the direction you are facing and not what is all around you. For me it took a massive shock to take me out of it.
What shock was that?
9-11 did it for me.
Please don’t hate having to make distinctions like ‘indoctrination’, especially when compared to education. For me this is the pivotal difference between faith and reason that America has lost touch with.
There’s nothing wrong with admitting you (or others) were indoctrinated, nor does it imply those who did so were “abusive” or did so with malice, because they too were likely indoctrinated.
This is true for religion as well as more mundane and limiting beliefs like “You can’t trust people!”, something my own mother tried to “teach” me.
Distinctions matter!
Congrats on breaking free of the chains in your mind, bro!
Man, I know this video is old, but your aproach is brilliant. Just asking simple questions in a friendly passive way, allows these people to drop their guard and perhaps even question their reasoning. Keep up the good work!
You're looking at the most dangerous type of mind.
Also , in danger. Cult leaders love these people...see you at Waco.
I think what we've found through all these talks is that faith is a reliable way to attain peace and a sense of community.
I have nothing wrong with that. But what I do have an issue with is when that community (or community leaders) tells its members to hate/attack other people... either by rule of law or physical? Then it no longer is peace.
Great videos! I really relate to this, because it was the same kind of arguments that caused me to doubt in the first place. Also, I love the approach you have. This could really have a positive impact on religious people everywhere and get them to really think about their "faith".
Sage Autumn Nyland Thanks! Please share a favorite video with a friend.
“I would freely like him to be here.” AWESOME!!!
I seriously love how quickly you're able to challenge one's thoughts ON THE SPOT.
Is it just me, or does Wally seem completely unaware of other religions and belief systems?
these videos are Extremely Compelling... I'm an agnostic/atheist and these arguments are some of the best I've ever seen from of course Anthony... right on my brother keep up the good work.
I've come to the opinion that parents are harming their children with their religion.
I would've asked him toward the end if he actually cared what was true or just wanted to be happy
It takes supreme arrogance to think like this guy.
+TheAnniepies I actually don' think so. It WOULD take arrogance to deny his childhood belief system - and obviously he hasn't even looked at those beliefs logically according to his own admission; accepting faith alone. Instead, I would suggest that he's just scared to escape the comfort of his delusion. God is much like a drug, and we are see a person who just doesn't want to get sober and take on reality. The thing that concerns me though, is that while Wally is under the influence of the God drug he could end up offending/hurting someone in a way he would not if he could see the world through reality.
@bob smith exactly my point - I’m trying to explain it from his perspective not mine.
I'm absolutely hooked to your videos and your method but I feel that if I were to try that I couldn't cleverly think of the questions like you so quickly and easily...it's impressive
I'm always amazed how few of the people you interview have ever questioned there own beliefs before you interview them.
"I believe, my family believe, it's what we do" seems to be the mindset.
I wonder if you have considered asking them if they have ever considered not believing.
Or "are there ways you could be wrong in how you came to you god belief".
Keep up the good work. Love the non confrontational approach.
I think I would lose patience with people after a while. "What the fuck are you talking about?! Why not just believe in flying butt monkeys if all you're using is faith?!" But seriously, at about 9:55. "It's not what's right or wrong." I would've jumped on that. "It's not about what's true? Are you saying truth is relative? How is that possible?"
Thank you Anthony. You are doing a great job and doing it better than anybody else I know.
Its amazing how much they sound like skeptics when you talk to them except they don't see the negative aspect of many religions. Although he doesn't grapple with the idea of hell at all.
Love your videos! Really enjoy them! Keep it up!
this guy has the faith wall built high and strong!!!!! Thanks for making these videos, i love them!
"You have to die to know 100% and I'm okay with dying because I'm 100% sure I'll go to heaven when I die even." Wat.
Another good one Anthony. I'm doing street epistemology in Birmingham UK and have used a few techniques of yours. I just need to take the camera along as do we all really, so we can share our tactics
I think a good tactic to maybe try in the future for those who are at the 100% mark is to get them to acknowledge that 100% implies that they are also 100% confident that the Muslim or the Hindu is wrong. He seemed to waver on declaring the Muslim or Hindu wrong, which contradicts his 100% confidence claim.
From his attire and manner, I get the feeling Wally was disingenuous. I think he believes in a god, but I think he wasn't there to talk seriously.
Wow Anthony, what a difference of your interviews now and back then in 2015! :D
I have to admit I love seeing them squirm when faced with the other gods notion. You can really tell they've never put any thought to it at all.
I think if you brought up the efficiency of faith in a question, "Is faith efficient given there is many people using it and arriving at the wrong conclusion?" It would allow for more of an examination of faith from his POV, rather than allowing him to fall back on his "that's how religions work" answer he was giving you. A way to have him identify a negative effect of faith would have been a good idea.
This was just my two cents, though. Thanks for the videos!
I felt I needed to add that maybe you can have them place a 1-100% efficiency on faith. Similar to how you place them on their scale, but with efficiency.
Good suggestion. I'll try to use that.
There was a slight pause at the Bible is evidence part.
You are awesome keep going.
I'm subscribed.
Coming from an agnostic person
AndreSaysHello Just so you know :) : Gnosticism and Agnosticism mean "knowing" and "not knowing". Theism and Atheism mean "believing" and "not believing". So these are NOT mutually exclusive. The reason why Anthony is on the 1-3%mark on the scale is, that he is an agnostic Atheist. He doesn't know and doesn't believe. Actually in my experience, almost all Atheists are actually agnostic :) thats just how the terms of Gnosticism and Atheism are used "correctly". Have a good day.
Thanks, Anthony. This is a very refreshing and interesting approach to "outreach". When they offer you the hemlock, please do not go gently into the night.
How did you not bust out laughing at 2:45?!
I want to do this so badly but I know that there is no way I could keep a straight face through some of their responses.
"everybody dies" - my brain came close during this discussion....
The biggest gift I have given my three children is no religion teachings of any kind. That is an excellent way of starting your life without the heavy weights of religion clouding an otherwise intelligent mind.
I am still amazed at how many people even at college campuses never learned how think. 90% of the interviewees can not justify their beliefs nor does it seem that they have ever questioned what they have been taught.
Amazing work Anthony.
At least he admits there’s no good reason to believe 😂🍻
I don't remember if you have said it one of these way before, but I think some clearer ways to put it might be: "If you couldn't know until you die if you were correct or not, is it *accurate* to say you are at 100% belief?" or "...how could you *claim* to be 100% confident...", or "... how could you *describe* that as 100% belief." Just some alternate suggestions try out if you haven't already.
Thanks for your channel, and I don't think I could handle doing what you. I am fascinated by these conversations.
I would love to ask you what would it take for you to move up the scale of belief?
How on earth do you keep calm when talking to these people?
It looks like you're taking notes on a marker board. Did you do that with your previous encounters?
This is a really excellent talk. Great job!
Thanks. Wally did all the heavy lifting. Be sure to watch our second talk (link in the video description field).
Anthony, maybe you can ask people like this if they have so much faith, if their pastor (or other religious leader) told them God said they should jump off the Grand Canyon and that they would float effortlessly to the bottom of the canyon would they do it? I'm betting that their faith would be out the window. Most times, what people say and think (and claim to believe) and how they actually live their lives, are two different things. The saying that "God helps them who help themselves" really means that you've got to take action instead of sitting around waiting on (an imaginary) God. Those who only pray, statistically, must fare worse than those who take action (with or without prayer). Your videos are very entertaining and informative and you have a lot more patience than I would in these conversations.
Ok, what do you say on a second intervention? I recently had an intervention with somebody I see often, but I don't know how to start a second intervention.
I've actually posted my notes of what I plan to discuss on my next encounter with Wally on the Private Street Epistemology Facebook Group.
Sometimes people need repeat doses of intervention to effect a lasting cure. Having them stay away from the infective sources is vital to allow the mind time to heal. Without the crutch of religion, some people feel lost and unsure of themselves and their direction so they look again for some power outside themselves to get that illusion of comfort again. The medicine is always the same for every dose - simple Truth.
Very well-said, *****.
Analytical Atheist - An update to this thread would be that he has now had 3 videos with Wally from what I can gather (you probably know this already though).
It's really interesting how he answers the questions, but not based on the scenarios. He doesn't consider that he's using the same method as the muslim and sikh to arrive at his belief, he just explains the method he's using.
Great discussion! What I take away from it is that free will allows people to take unjustified positions on issues, and death is the only hope of justification that 100% faith in a certain god has.
Stupid answer followed by smug confidence. Amazing.
Personally I like Wally a lot. These were challenging questions and he took them very well in stride. He did not try to give answers to all life’s questions but instead kept returning to his own life’s journey. One question that could have been asked is that what if when you die the state of existence is no more certain or explanatory than this one, ie. There are no sign posts that say you are in heaven, hell , purgatory or all three, just like now? Then all this waiting for answers would have been for naught, right?
Early Anthony was a lot pushier 😄 fascinating to see the refinement of the method and its application over time.
What amazes me about faith and evidence is that people are totally happy with the idea that god in the bible had to prove his existence with signs, miracles and showing up to people but that he somehow now demands belief without proof? Why would that standard change? When Wally refers to miracles in the bible as proof of god's existence it merely makes me wonder why they got to have "certain proof" but its somehow ok that I have to have blind faith.....
That being said, I just discovered this channel and these chats are fascinating.... very thought provoking
Give me one book that was written over the period of 1500 years with over 59 authors all believing in the same God , all giving evidence for the same God.
That smirk at the start meqns he's already not going to think about what you're saying, hes concentrating on "why" you're saying it.
LOVED THIS VIDEO
Anthony,
Did I miss something or did you not ask him to define faith?
Also it seems you did not fully do the outsider test of faith - you did not ask him if the Hindu was right or wrong although there was some implication in the discussion but not explication.
Why do I feel scared when I listen to him....I don't know if it's the smirk or tone of his voice...I almost get a fight or flight.
@245....air can be tested, we know what air is composed of. How do we test God, what is this entity composed of? What elements and compounds? They will say spirits are not made of anything. Then how do they interact with the natural world? I have yet to receive a rational answer.
What I have found is that in these interviews people seem to have the same rationalizations for their beliefs. the homogeneity of their statements and opinions is disconcerting.
Contrast and compare that with what I know about which is computers.
Of you were to ask a number of techies what they consider to be important, just with regard to building or buying a computer you would get many different, disparate, and diverging opinions.
For instance for me the most important thing in building a computer is the Power Supply Unit (PSU) and my main focus at present is undervolting system whilst still retaining the stock speeds for the CPU, GPU and RAM.
When people cite faith as the reason why they believe in God(s), are they not side tracking the question? God, by most definitions, cannot be seen, tested, etc, so by them believing in him, they are already acknowledging that it is a faith based belief. They haven't actually explained what led them to the belief in the first place. It's sort of like saying I believe in the unseen because I believe in the unseen.
these videos are awesome. Anthony is doing it perfectly. I always think he should ask "if the Hindu is 100% and you are at 100% and you know they both can't be right, one of you is actually 100% wrong."
"at least one of you is actually 100% wrong."
Both can be wrong
"Faith is better than evidence." That statement is music to a con man's ears. Just ask any televangelist.
This guy made a lot of logical sense. He is doing a scientific experiment where he won't know the results until he dies and feels he has nothing to lose if he is wrong, compared to what he would lose if he were an atheist and he were right
perhaps another approach would be to question more on that aspect. about what there is to lose by being wrong as a christian vs being right as an atheist. what value is there in being an atheist if you end up with the same thing in the end?
perhaps failing to live life to its fullest, is the default position but does he really believe that he is missing out on living life to its fullest.
What if you're wrong for not believing in Islam, or Hinduism, or Zeus, or the goddamn flying spaghetti monster, and you're going to suffer as a result?
The idea that believing in some particular god or deity is more logical is ridiculous.
In any case, few, if any, disbelievers disbelieve out of choice.
It's not as if they know God is really there, but somehow willfully refuse to believe in it (for example, see if you can choose to truly believe that Australia does not exist).
Most disbelievers disbelieve simply because they know of no compelling evidence or reasons to believe. If you want to convince unbelievers, show them some good evidence or reasons. Don't just say it's in their best interests to believe even if there is no God.
A person cannot sincerely choose to believe in something, just because it is pragmatic to do so. Even if you said all the right prayers and attended church regularly, that would still not be the same thing as believing from the heart, and any real God would obviously see straight through that.
Your arguments and the arguments of the gentleman interviewed in the video are clearly the illogical, nonsensical ones.
Wally has been force fed the narrative that faith is admirable and desirable and it also conveniently absolves him of any burden of evidence or even of logical thought.
This guy says "I just don't feel comfortable trusting what you can't see". You trust your senses "by faith". And therefore, everything that you have learned through the senses you believe by faith. Can you know with certainty that your senses are reliable? If you say yes, then how do you know? If you say "by use of them" then you are using circular reasoning. You cannot validate your senses through your senses. And if you admit that you cannot know for certain that your senses are reliable then you have admitted that you trust them by faith.
Might be just me...but I can sense some frustration and antagonism in your voice. I don't see it much, if at all, in the videos a year later. The questions now are much less confrontational, and more focused on the the root cause. Was there a change in the way you select the next question to ask?
Would he cross a road using faith? Eyes closed and no peeking a sly look!
Would he prefer evidence?
Did you remove some videos from your account?
Just trying to organzie them. Most all will be back soon. Sorry about that.
It's cool. I was looking to share a couple of my favs and they were not there. I will do it another day. Thanks for the reply and love the vids.
amazing.
I really like your interrogation.
The way he goes "really" when Anthony says he isn't a believer is the most american thing I have seen in a long time. The fact that americans are so used to everyone being a christian or not daring to be honest about their lack of belief always surprises me. Like how did the US end up like that?
Wow, just WOW
This charming guy, ( Wally If I remember correctly) is walking example of pascals wager, I wonder if he even knows that it is just a wager?
Towards the end of the video he talks about having to die to find out the truth, but wouldn't the death of the Muslim spell eternal damnation in the Christian hell or vice versa? Why would a god use faith as the method of coming to know that they're real when the stakes are so high? A method where if you're born in the wrong place you're almost certainly doomed through no fault of your own.
I've watched a ton of your videos and I don't think I've seen you ask it in this way, Anthony. Do you think direct questions about the consequence of hell in regards to faith are useful?
Either way, your videos are amazing and I'm always hoping you'll film more of these talks, you really make me want to go out and try SE myself!
I don’t agree with anything the interviewee is saying, but I love his demeanor. Seems like a pretty cool guy.
I think a useful question here would be whether he thinks that blind faith until death is costless to society. Is extremist terrorism costless, is homophobia costless, is short sighted rapture timelines costless to environmental protection etc.
If the belief is not right, the paradigms and behaviours born of the belief have no benefit, so only the costs remain.
I can't help but get the sense that some of these people are just messing with you, maybe it's time to change venues?
I've only been at this location about five times. But with "Wally", something isn't right. I got the impression that maybe he's wacthed some footage, and had a plan. Kind of cloudy today for dark sunglasses and cap.
If he had planned ahead, I don't think he thought about it a whole lot. He really didn't have any arrows in his quiver that even came close to throwing you off balance or sidetracking the conversation. His response to everything about his faith method could be boiled down to "just because". He was completely impervious to anything. Not one time did I think he was really and truly reflecting on the points you were making. He would pause, or hem and haw, but I don't think there was a single gear turning in his head during any of those times.
Wow this guy is more patient with the religious than i would be
You've definitely gotten better at this over time. You were a bit judge toward him and in your later vids it seems like you're much better able to keep it about them than your judgment of their reasoning.
Interesting to see the gears click in in mind.
Do they even realise what they are saying? Mind-boggling you'd have to die to know, yet im gonna stand here in front of you (clearly alive) and say im 100% certain i know,and not even flinch or acknowledge how inconsistent and dishonest im being. man!!!!!!
Wall, if a Hindu missionary came to you and tried to convert you to Hinduism, would you convert? If not, what makes you think a Christian missionary would convert Hindus in a country that is mostly Hindu?
Wow. Wally got caught up in many contradictions. Plus, you can physically see when these questions made him uncomfortable and how he was thinking about the questions. His verbal responses and what he was thinking, because you made him think, were two different things. He “verbally” stuck to his guns but it appeared he wasn’t quite as confident in his mind. This was apparent in his physical uncomfortableness.
This guy appears to have no reason to want to test orchallenge his faith. I dont know whether he is faking it or not. But what would happen if his life took a turn for the worse? Would he wake up and see that his belief is not going to work, and that he needs to take control of his own life? I want to know more about him.
There are strains of European Catholicism that says ‘the less evidence, the better’. That means your faith has to be even stronger. Twisted.
Sad to know this is happening in Universities, guess is hard to change stubborn minds !
I thought this guy was good, seemed pretty good at guessing your point of view on issues, to were you even agreed to his guesses a couple times. Maybe because you introduced a lot about yourself at the beginning. But still seemed like he was understanding your position. Like when he guessed that you would probably say that anyone could have written the Bible, was great I thought.
All I can say about this is WOW.
"Faith is Better Than Evidence" oh man this otta be good. lol
This is a joke I made up. why do I have to go to school because I want to know what the teachers don't know.
I was raised to be Catholic (or Protestant) but it never took and I've always wondered how it 'took' in others....still mystified by the efficacy of religious dogma and indoctrination
Faith is Better Than Evidence... if you give up on whats true...
This young man's ignorance is his bliss. Sad.