9:15 This statement can be true for natural things. However, if this was supernaturally inspired and kept than you wouldn't be able to find the flaw because it's supernaturally kept perfect. Just sayin'.
16:00 There is a new ReligionForBreakfast video on Bible translations which is fascinating! Worth that individual to look into. I went to a KJV only church (which claimed to not be associated with the KJV only groups) where they spent hours discussing how the KJV was divinely kept almost-perfect, but perfect, but better than all the others..?? So I understand this user and highly recommend the ReligionForBreakfast video on it.
@@MindShift-Brandon Brandon, I think that this video is a perfect, one time video. I don't often browse the comments but as you mention they are all in the same vein. Kuddos to the last person adding some Bible context and verses to his thoughts. But honestly, I feel your exhaustion. That's how it is and that's why I dove into history of the times rather than dealing with apologetics. I post on my FB historical documents that discuss the actual context of the times-- the handful of miracle workers of Jesus' time, the crazy hallucinations of Paul and other hallucinations similar during those years, etc. The history grounds the facts. It starts to erase the uniqueness that we think Jesus was as we see it in 2024. Anyways, great video but I think it is a perfect one time video. Thanks and best wishes! (ReligionForBreakfast, Esoterica, Dr James Tabor, etc just a few great insights into academics)
@@n.c.1201 that reminds me of prophets claiming smth like: On the 01.01.2020 the world will be destroyed. Then after the prophesied date, they would claim: I was right, the world was destroyed on that day - it was destroyed spiritually.
Could you imagine if an instruction manual for setting up a router and modem were written the way the bible is written? Or a Chilton's book for how to maintenance your car were written the way the bible is written? It's not like it's impossible to write clear concise directions that everyone derives the same meaning from. People do it all the time when they write any list of instructions for how to do something with the intention that everyone interprets it the same way. If people can do that, why can't God do that?
@@nicholaslindenmeyer6472 I'm guessing that you're saying something like because there's all these denominations and because so many people disagree about the Bible then......What exactly? There must not be any truth when it comes to the Bible or no way to figure out what's true or we can't trust anyone's interpretation?
I feel like all Christian arguments come down to a frog is purple. Then when you show them a green frog they say, well, you need to first understand that frogs are purple, then we can talk about why that one looks green.
Or they will paste a sentence from a book that says "The wise will see the shades of purple for what they truly are, and the fools will deny the truth of their eyes".
Nice. But if they are smart, they will bring one of those exotic frogs that can actually be purple, like Atelopus barbotini (Purple harlequin toad, has dark purple skin like an eggplant).
It’s not that they “can’t” defend it. It’s more like they are not interested in a true discussion in the slightest. They have their church approved apologetics, rationalizations and justifications ready to go and no matter what evidence you present to them, they will ALWAYS default to “faith”. And what is “faith” if not the art of lying to yourself? Remember Brandon: “You cannot wake up someone, who’s pretending to be asleep”.
@14:45 It's not even that god is confusing people on purpose that's the problem for me. It's that he confuses people then punishes them for being confused.
The Bible really only makes sense with predeterminism. God creates some (most) people knowing he’ll make them suffer in life and then go to hell, knowing everything they’ll do before he creates them. It’s written from a Hebrew-centric perspective, when the commandments say “your neighbor” they mean Hebrews which is why it’s ok to kill and loot other tribes. When Jesus says god wants all to be saved, he means the chosen people. Jesus also calls the Samaritan woman and her sick child “dogs” and says he speaks in parables so outsiders won’t understand. God doesn’t want all the world to be saved, only his chosen people and not even all of them. The rest of us are just here because god enjoys the smell of burning flesh
This. If God was simply accepting of the fact that our feeble minds can't fully grasp his mysterious ways and would be understanding towards it... fine. Kind of like when my dog threw up on the carpet, where I would much rather he aimed for the floor, but I didn't scold him for it because I know he can't quite grasp that cleaning the floor is easier than cleaning the carpet, or maybe even why I clean it up at all. And anyway, even though I'm frustrated with the prospect of the mess, I don't have the heart to further distress him when he's clearly already confused and uncomfortable. I was tempted to say that God would hit the dog, but honestly our mortal analogy doesn't have an appropriately severe equivalent to making someone burn in Hell for eternity.
@@cinnamonsplash "our mortal analogy doesn't have an appropriately severe equivalent to making someone burn in Hell for eternity." The dog must eat an unlimited supply of peanut butter.
@@soyevquirsefron990 even with predeterminism, the bible makes exactly 0.00000 sense. the ALL-creating g0d in the most perfect void. Since space-TIME is part of that "All", the g0d never reaches the next moment, when the g0d would choose to create space-time
I am a professional technical writer. My job is entirely based on trying to make information as clear and precise as possible. Without fail, the more precise I am when dealing with evangelicals, the less they will actually engage with the arguments. It’s always non-sequiters, thought-terminating cliches, or verses that don’t address anything. If I am less precise then they’ll throw out red herrings nitpicking on unrelated details. It is so incredibly frustrating to not be able to have a legitimate conversation.
Agreed. For me, I want to understand. I want to listen, but not to tropes. I want to engage with the person, not the doctrine. I want desperately to find middle ground. Maybe just to get back to agreeing on the basic definitions of the words/terms we use?
They know they're being disingenuous, that's why all apologetics revolve around dishonest argumentative tactics. But in their mind the end justifies the means, so lying, misrepresenting things and avoiding reading scripture knowing it won't mesh with their own world view suddenly stops being indicative of the fault with their religion and starts being merely a step on the path. Theyve already convinced themselves it's self evident enough to argue for by any means necessary, even if said means fundamentally disproves their own stance.
They also just repeat their first argument, as if you haven't addressed it. I had a guy say to my face that without God, what Hitler did wasn't wrong, which is an argument I loathe. He even said "who cares" if people get hurt, it's just meat. I talked about humans being a social species and how each of us decides right and wrong based on personal morals, and that largely as a society thanks to mores and history we have come to understand what benefits us as a species vs what harms us, and he just said "well, yeah, but who cares?" as if the fact that there's no god to make us care means no one would.
Additionally, those so-called claims are all borrowed and modified from earlier claims by other groups of people who borrowed their claims from earlier groups and so on and so on.
It's funny how they assume we're just like them. They have faith, so we must also have faith. But isn't faith a virtue? Well, only when it's for their religion. lol They're dogmatic and can't be reasoned with, so we must be like that too. We DEFINITELY don't have any legitimate reasons for dismissing their religion. We just want to sin. Unlike Christians, whose Christ figure takes away the consequences of their sins...
Interesting - but does anybody in the year 2024 CE really have to "look" for excuses to be nonreligious? 🤨Personally I'm knee deep in and tripping over excuses. I'm on the verge of calling a junk removal company before the producers of "Hoarders" try to contact me. 🙁
@@DavidSimic-ig9yd I have a pretty good one. So far no one has ever been able to demonstrate the supernatural. By definition it is unfalsifiable. I'm unable to hold a belief that I am not convinced is true.
you know what amazes me, how people try to defend what shouldn't be defended, As much as I still believe in God/Creator I'm not going to defend stuff in the Bible and why because I can't cause I know it's messed up!, if God is real then he can defend himself!!
Sounds pretty reasonable. Almost sounds like you are using critical thinking to come to a conclusion. Good for you, and continue on your path to seek out truth.
"A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest." Simon and Garfunkel- I was already out by the time I found your channel, but you have helped me. Listen, if not for your obvious intelligence and manner of teaching, I wouldn't have stuck around. Arguing with trolls is exhausting, but I understand why you are doing it. Presenting their objections and then rebutting them in smackdown style is fun to watch. Thank you as always, great video.
There’s no hate like Christian love. Judgment reigns in many Christian circles. Where’s the love of Jesus?! Brandon you have helped me so much. Don’t let them get to you. You are doing great work.
Jesus said some pretty things sure, but humans are capable of morals and teaching love without anything divine 😂😂Jesus also taught a lot of hate. So yeah, the Bible is full of beans. It’s ridiculous.
Tbh, watching your videos was the needle that broke the camels back in my case. If I were to be intellectually honest, despite the fact that I disagreed with you, I couldn’t deny that you weren’t wrong or that there wasn’t something legitimate in what you were presenting. I argued in the comments at first on certain points, but you created enough visibility to my blind spots, that it provoked me to have to challenge my faith. After examining many of people’s opposition against Christianity which led me to learn all sorts of counter apologetics and such, I deconverted. I was only able to do that because I was legitimately on a truth journey and bc I knew enough about the Bible and its context to be able to differentiate what was vs what wasn’t pertaining to what was being taught. If there is one concept that pushed me over the edge from you, it is that you confirmed what I was already concluding about original sin and general revelation not being a thing in scripture. For me, this meant that there was something wrong with God for creating a world in which he knew most people would burn in eternal torment before creating it, and that he wasn’t going to give everyone an equal chance to escape it. I was already suspecting that God might be evil for setting things up this way, and you helped to confirm it. And then I deconverted after exploring many other issues I never saw or actualized. I say all this to say that despite all the expected pushback you get, you are actually causing people to be intellectually honest and logically consistent which will change their views of this biblical narrative and Christian worldview. I am proof of that. I changed in real time😂
@@mightiestalone9851 what a weird question, you know what depresses me though? the thought of an all powerful god sitting idly by watching his people starve and succumb to disease or natural disaster when it would be trivially easy for him to prevent so much unnecessary suffering
@JDrocks4ever so your tipping point is wrestling with God's sovereign decrees and the fallen world (effects of sin)? Where did you fall on the human will aspect?
@@AgnesBooth-zu7tw I’m glad you’re not advocating for religious violence but I’m curious, what do you think about all the times god uses fear and violence throughout the Bible? Even starting in Genesis, his first command included a threat of death for disobedience.
Hell is first the lake of fire comes after that. God will hold you in hell to wait for the Great White Throne Judgement then the lake of fire after that
Honestly, I like Brandon because he approaches this stuff with stone-cold, sober seriousness; one of the reasons why I'm a subscriber. I'm unimpressed and irritated by other atheist YBers who behave like smarmy, condescending pricks; especially the ones who speak through obnoxious cartoon avatars.
@@JanetStarChild Brandon likes to approach apologetics knowing he used to be one of them. he understands what it is like when you try to justify your faith no matter what evidence is brought to you. that is why I like him. I too was once a christian fundamentalist, and I know for a fact that people mocking christianity wouldn't have lead me to deconvert. however it was the slow realisation that my faith was wrong fundamentally and scientifically that lead to my deconversion. now as an atheist I want to respect where religions people come from and hear them out, while gently showing them where they might be wrong.
I thought the best part was when he made fun of the Christians who made weaker arguments but then when that Brian Michael guy came along and brought his whole video down with a counter response, Brandon quickly shut the conversation down, ignored the response and ran for the hills and hurriedly made another video.
@@BrianBull-c8p Might be funny if that actually happened. You are demonstrating that thinking imaginary things are real can stretch beyond just the Bible.
@BluStarGalaxy _Is Brandon calling people names?_ A question of method and style only. One need not directly call names to be unthinkingly dismissive. He has responded to my serious points showing the falsehood of his objections with a total response of, _Your ideas are trash._ If that's not a name, it'll do for a very good substitute. _I have seen many Christians comments calling Brandon names_ I have no doubt of it. Quite a number of us are not quite as far on our journey as we ought to be (of whom might that be said really? We've all wasted time) and therefore do not think as well as we should, including in our emotion disobeying the Lord we say we believe, who said that we should not do that. But, you know, the _tu quoque_ fallacy is not a very good answer.
Or hardening Pharaoh’s heart? Satan being allowed to exist? Not sending a prophet for 2000 years? Having the Bible so unclear there’s thousands of denominations? Judaism and Islam and their different sects? Yeah definitely no confusion here.
Oh my gosh. If I could show this video to my in-laws without getting disowned, I would in heartbeat. They live in a world of hand-waved inconsistencies and keep asking me why I left (but they don't like my answers; it must be my heart). Again, thank you so much for your videos!
Encouraging hugs through the internet to be true to yourself. Good friends who accept you will be much more "golden" than family...though it is sad to say it.
Love that you’re tackling these ridiculous responses head on! I’m not sure if these Christians think that they are earning “treasures in heaven” or just enjoy trolling and arguing.
Their trying to keep you from going to hell. God is making way for the new heaven and new earth. Sin, the devil, and unrepentant man must be dealt with first
Sin began in heaven, of course. And the devil was not kept away from Earth. As for unrepentant men - what should convicted Hebrews, Jains or Sikhs repent of... Exactly? For some examples, here. Or abused people - like Jezebelvibes, say. Nobody would also be at any risk of... hell... if Eve was not rushed to make choices she was not prepared for. And neither was Adam. And all due, to heaven's apparent, shortcomings...
It is only a matter of time before the devil has control over your mind. Listen not to the lies of the non believers. They are of the devil. GOD is the only way to salvation. Have faith and believe it is so easy. Praise the lord and savior who died for our sins and curse those who do not have FAITH. I hope you will come back to the LIGHT OF CHRIST
Indeed, the best thing you can do to create and Atheist, is to trick a Christian to read their Bible. They will become an atheist if they read it TOO closely. This is why Pastors do, what I call, "Fortune Teller Preaching", where they REFUSE to stay on PAGE or on TOPIC, and instead flip around to "create" something to preach about for the evening that isn't supposed to be there.
@@nolanstout9508 great job doing absolutely nothing to help OP deal with their doubts! Hey OP, good on you for actually looking into all this stuff and asking questions!
Excellent video! I think the largest issue Christians have when quoting the Bible to refute arguments is how do you use the “ authority” of the Bible since it is multi-vocal. Matthew illustrates this problem between Jesus and Satan in the desert. Both are quoting Bible verses at each other. The Christian always has to determine which verse supersedes the verse being quoted. This is where the confusion lies.
The problem is that every single author in the new testament considered his story as the only true one and all other inferior or wrong. Luke and Mathew copy Marc and whenever he says crap they make their own stuff up.
Repent ye sinner, for you are unwilling to believe without any evidence! Cursed are ye for not blindly following the ways of the CHURCH and paying your money to it! The lord will find ye and you will be smitten for your hardness of your heart. AMEN PRAISE GOD
The first guy: "How can we make up a God if there isn't one" (I'm assuming that's the end of the sentence. With that logic every single piece of fiction would be real, because we're able to make it up. So that means unicorns are real and fairies are real and mermaids and Iron Man and Superman and Sauron all are real... because how could we make them up if they weren't already somewhere?
@Nexils I hate to correct you...but there ARE unicorns. Just not what we are shown, an equine animal with a horn...it's actually the Indian One Horn Rhinoceros, or Rhinoceros Unicornis. Also called the greater one-horned rhinoceros. Otherwise, spot on comment. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_rhinoceros
"Lol Maybe hermeneutics isn't for you" So in this guy's world, he sees someone he perceives as lacking the capacity to properly interpret the bible, a deficiency that will result in eternal damnation for that person, and his response is to laugh and mock. Cool cool.
I've literally seen my mother do this. Yet these rubes wonder why I quit believing. I've watched pastors get ousted for being compassionate in a way that disagreed with the selective enforcement of barbaric scriptural edict. I've watched the poor mocked because their Sunday best was out of the donation bin from that very church. I've watched "businessmen" peddle their wares using self aggrandizing philanthropy to gain tax-beaks and smoke-screen their greed behind piety and charity. I've sat in pews hearing about love, mercy, and grace only to be beaten and belittled that very day, before being told that God forgives those who simply ask for it. Then when I asked why, I was told that, "The Lord works in mysterious ways, and that he knows the suffering of the least of these..." Finally, and in the interest of looping back to the point, there's the child sexual abuse (sorry if folks can't handle the ugly words, try living through it!). It was your fingers in your ears that made me know you! The church is a place where these monsters go looking for a solution that they will never find in god. They pray their little prayers. They say they are sorry. They bask in the glow of their redemption. Then they figure out how easy it is to hide when they "slip up" and don't get caught. Holiness, piety, charity, and wisdom suddenly become a mode of camouflage for what are people acting 100% in the fashion of ambush predators. So, that being said: Let me make a point to the "good ones" now that my simple reply to this potential bot post is starting to get out of hand. Your inability to question authority, to question the far dubious claims coming from all around you allows you to accept things that are harming you! They're harming us! You are providing safe haven to manipulators at best and monsters at worst. Stop just believing for the sake of believing. That's how suckers are born. Just seek the kindness in others if that's all you believe god is anyway. You know??? Love? So, you can take your fingers out of your ears! To the rest of you bigoted, misogynistic, parasitic, perverted, and preposterous predators. We see your fruit. We know what's under the wool.
I admire the way you respond to negative comments with such grace and clarity. It’s striking how many Christians approach these discussions in a manner similar to how they defend the Bible-taking things out of context, cherry-picking what suits their narrative, and often ignoring the personal journey or background of those who have chosen to leave their faith after embracing reason. Your videos stand out for their depth of knowledge, accuracy, and the calm, composed manner in which you present them. Thank you for creating such thoughtful content. My gratitude and congratulations to you!
Brandon. Don't take that rubbish to heart or let it get to you. Most Christians haven't even read the Bible cover to cover let alone understood it. You're doing the right thing and I support you. Keep it up. I have yet to meet a Christian who's not either a victim or a perpetrator. (edit) all too often victims become perpetrators themselves. You see it all the time with sex crimes. Not to compare Christianity with sex crimes but I think it speaks for itself.
I think the issue and the confusing thing for people like you and me is that we value logic and reason, and frankly the truth, very highly. Others, I came to realize, value other things.
There will always be people who prefer to believe a beautiful and comforting lie rather than seeking the truth regardless of how it makes them feel, it’s part of why religion has been so successful at controlling peoples thinking for so long
And they like to explain particularly the most awful bible stories as being metaphorical, but how can stories that would be horrible if they depicted actual historical events be "good" if they're just metaphors? After all, they mirror morals that are very questionable to say the least.
@@areuaware6842 Wow - that is true when you think about it! All three major Abrahamic religions employed (and still employ) different methods of it depending on the circumstances, but you can't deny it unless you ignore both secular history and the holy texts themselves. Well, that explains a lot then. 😧 Monkey see, monkey do.
@@michaelhenry1763which, tbh, is completely fair. i think that if we’re genuinely wanting change in regards to religion and truth, we have to take this into consideration; we’re asking believers to question absolutely everything that they know, and if you’ve watched brandon for some time, you will know that it’s not an easy journey to deconvert whatsoever. and he isn’t the first person at all to say this. if we don’t have a caring hand waiting when they remove their foundation beneath them, who’s going to help them feel supported? that’s what humans are seeking. we have to work together.
Much like the adage , "abused people abuse" in this particular case its, Confused Confusers Create Confusion. The cycle continues, the confusion chokes the ability of direct observation and spreads until the individuals capable of clarity in a religious community diminish drastically.
@JasonHenderson I am from Germany, and Christians over here are usually not dangerous. But of course there are exceptions. Have you seen the Evangelicals movement in the USA? I wasn't aware, how fond they are of physical warfare. So, unfortunately, even Christians can be dangerous. But yes, maybe not to the same extent as some Muslims. I guess it depends on the doctrine, the level of indoctrination and the commitment of the individual.
Some years ago my neighbor and friend, talked me into attending his local evangelical church. I did this for several years. But I found that asking any questions usually resulted in personal attacks on me. The response to questions was usually like this: "Dale, what YOU do not understand is..,." It seems as though the faith they required was in THEM rather than in their god.
Serious question(s) for Christans. If the Christian worldview is so rife with sources of deception, how does God expect us to discern the truth from the lies? He keeps telling us to eschew skepticism so we don't doubt *him,* but doesn't that make us easy to fool by anyone trying to impersonate him? If our only contact with God is through our fallible senses, how can God expect us to know the real deal from imposters/delusions/mistakes/wishful thinking? If the Holy Spirit gets around that somehow, then why is God so stingy with it and why does he blame us when he hasn't given it to us? I think this is the biggest reason I can't accept Christianity. It's imperative to not let yourself be deceived, yet it gives you no reliable tools to do so or, worse, actively sabotages them. That can't be the work of a God worthy of worship.
exactly. my biggest reason is the fact that god seems to enjoy punishing everyone except the real culprit....sayten. everyone else is punished and sentenced to hell but the great deceiver is allowed to run wild on this earth with no consequence. i can't accept a god who's greatest idea to save mankind was to have a 33 year old innocent man tortured....instead of torturing the real culprit. makes no sense and doesn't sound very divine
It’s not that God is stingy but that humans are…well arrogant. And I’m not saying it’s just atheist who are arrogant. Most people want to justify what they want to be true instead of accepting certain truths. Atheists are similar to Christians in that aspect of not considering evidence. But to further the answer to your question, it’s not that skepticism is bad, but that a lot of people believe that you can’t have it’s with God. There are plenty of cases where people have argued with God (Job, Zechariah, Moses, Jonah, etc). The problem of getting to truth is the unwillingness to wrestle with difficult concepts. It’s easy to say “It’s not true” when something doesn’t make sense to us. God gives believers his Spirit, yes. He also uses his Spirit to draw unbelievers to him. The confusion comes from not understanding what he has revealed. So discernment comes through a relationship with Jesus. Understanding him helps one understand God and point out deception. I may not have answered the main question. I don’t intend to dodge the question, but to point out aspects of the Christian worldview that many modern Christian’s have failed to see. I’ve been in that boat of “You can’t have doubt.” That isn’t true. The point was never to not have the skepticism, but to wrestle through it.
This is pretty close to what i was thinking when I finally gave up on my attempt to believe. I decided that god and satan are competing for my soul & i cant discern which of my thoughts are from which of them. I decided they could fight it out between themselves & i wasn't gonna concern myself with it anymore.
@eellis4180 So what do you estimate your chances of getting the right answer are? Or is the struggle to believe all your god is looking for? If so, why punish us when our struggle leads us to conclude he doesn’t exist? I do enjoy a good mystery game and/or puzzle, but I tend to give up after a few years, not making any progress and none of the available “answers” actually agree/solve the mystery.
@@alexanderingraham8255 I’d estimate that they’re pretty high. God never intended a struggle to believe. The world has too much nuance that we could never fathom. If the conclusion you came to is atheism, that’s on you. And yes, there are very aggressive Christians as there are for any group of people. It’s not good to take every Christian’s attempt to talk to you as a threat to your humanity. The idea is not to confirm a theory, but to consider before putting everything else to the side.
The burden of proof lays on the shoulders of those who claim a god. Not hearsay, not words nor readings from the incoherent "books" themselves. Evidence, a word not used often where Religion resides. Watching Alex O' Connor videos and found yours, good stuff. Critical thinking and poised conversation are good traits. Thanks, keep up the good work.
@@Deedee-im6wb Absolute dung. We are not claiming we can prove God exists. It is atheists claiming they can prove God doesn't exist so the burden of proof is with them. The same thing applies to scientists with the Big Bang, evolution, and their "Star Trek" ideas about stars and distant planets around them. I say to them, "Prove it."
There’s a reason apologists assert that belief in God is the default position. This way they can pretend that disbelief is making a positive claim against the default. For those raised in it, it seems reasonable since they don’t realize the level of indoctrination. It’s really insidious.
@@Deedee-im6wbwhat kind of proof are you looking for exactly? BTW I hate when apologists appeal to evidence to make their case for God's existence, super annoying. You're asking for proof of a metaphysical truth claim, in a physical manner. Such as, "I need to see verifiable proof in logic. Let me see it in real physical form so that I can believe it", eh it's a shaky analogy but what can you do. Btw I'm not trying to be confrontational, I just genuinely like the debate and discussion.
@jtbtdlkt2012 Well, if you are to go to prison, you need? ...evidence. Hence why we have court systems and policing. We don't eat poison anymore as we have learned through trial and error that some choices bear consequences. We understand a tiny amount about the cosmos due to....again that word, evidence. We use science to debunk everything. Crazy thing is science requires peers to asses and add or change as it discovers more, it uses multiple minds and many scientist to agree upon unanimously on a result. And for a while that result is only so until proven otherwise. Science in itself tries to disprove itself so as to prove the result chosen is the only correct one. Religion, well, just is. A book based on only hearsay, not even written by the apostles it claims used in each chapter, updated, modified, and revised as required to suit the ever evolving political climate. It never proves but instead uses the cheapest method ever. Those who believe without seeing will inherit heaven. Haha. Cheap shot I tell you. You can't rely on evidence when you can't open your mind to critical thinking. Notice, people of religion just learn from and do what the Bible says. As it says, sheep will follow. Yet you live with "free will", God is omnipresent tho, so he knows what you do, even if its bad. But its all good. If you live a terrible life, do your worst, vile unspeakable things all your life, at least the day you repent, you will be let into heaven but the person who has always been good, helped the poor, nurtured the underprivileged, lived a good life but never believed in a God will go to hell. Yeah, priorities are a tad broken here I tell you.
What's the upside for Christ? The apostles, the early christians? Why die for a lie you know is false? This point isn't very tenable. Sure, maybe modern people will use religion for control, but why did those people die for a lie they knew was false?
@@mharpold128what was the upside for the people involved with the heavens gate cult? Why would they die for something untrue? What’s the upside for suicide bombers driven by religious faith? Why do they die for something not true? Why should we believe Jesus over any of the other things people have been willing to die for?
Zod made a good point on Zodanza about how most people irl dont experience any of the online christian discourse because it almost never actually happens irl. Not that no places have the same christian vitriol irl but that most places do not. Its important to remember that and take a step back. Remember comment sections and formerly known as Twitter are not real life.
Very good point. That's why I'd like to see some knowledgable folks like the @Mindshift community show up for publicly open Bible Study groups. There are several, for example, meeting every week at the university where I work. They are quite welcoming to new people. I'd love to see an army, (excuse me, a 'team') of @Mindhifters going onto campuses equipped with many of Brandon's points, and engaging is a respectful but reason-centered dialog.
Hello Brandon, I'm so glad you spoke up. These people are so blinded just the way I was. I think they attack you because they are so scared you are right, they make so many excuses to believe they are on the right path. You are a very smart and intelligent person, we appreciate you very much ❤
You make many excellent points in this video. When I was a believer, I recognized some discrepancies in the Bible, but it was easier to put them out of mind rather than honestly (courageously) think them through. Eventually, I did wrestle with concepts I'd been taught since childhood and came to understand just how flawed the Bible is and how dangerous accepting ideas with faith alone is. Thank you for what you do.
I agree, it's extremely frustrating when you take the time to lay out your arguments premises clearly and concisely and show clearly how the conclusion follows only to have people respond to it with a general and vague " you're just wrong" or " that's just stupid" without addressing a single one of the premises of your argument nor its coherence. It's like beating your head into a brick wall
I've heard the defense that God not being the author of confusion was only directed towards the Corinthians Church, not everyone. Made me realize that I'm not going to worship a God who is willing to deceive me and allow a metaphysically infinite entity (satan) to toy around with me.
A relevant point here comes from my experience with a person who is currently trying very hard to evangelise me. He says repeatedly that to approach these questions with the intellect is the wrong way to go about it and what I need to do is receive the holy spirit which will teach me all I need to know. This makes no rational sense to me but it's what I get and an indication that there's no intention on their part to have any kind of open discussion about it.
What they want you to do is approach all questions through the filter of “everything God does is good/justified” and if that doesn’t cover it then use “his ways are higher.”
@@michaelhenry1763 I'd always thought this was a cherry-picked half of a statement about knowledge. Something along the lines of "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing because once you've had a taste you'll never get enough" but I can't seem to find that anywhere. The best I can find is this, which argues against shallow learning: A little learning is a dangerous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, And drinking largely sobers us again. Apparently that's an excerpt from a poem by Alexander Pope.
The problem with the statement that if you go looking for something you'll find it is that people don't take into account that you could be simply be honest with what you're engaging with. All it is is an excuse to ignore any criticism of something they hold dear.
Exactly. There's "looking really hard for something that vaguely suggests it's wrong, and then screaming 'I've found it! Everything's a lie!' once you do", and then there's "reading the book and seeing what God claims to be, and whether that matches up with reality and with other claims he makes about who he is." And then finding, whoops, it doesn't line up so nicely after all. Some atheists are the former, some are the latter. Brandon is most definitely the latter type. And of course, there's also the inverse of this comment. "If you are looking for a reason to accept something (even if it's false), you will always find it." Like, for example, looking God's immoral actions right in the face and responding with "It's moral because he's God and God is perfectly moral." Or for those who can't _quite_ stomach that line, it's "I'm sure there's an excessively complicated and completely unnecessary string of logic that makes this actually moral, that God can see and we can't because of how twisty and wild it is." Soon as you come up with an example of such logic, I'll listen and engage with it honestly. Until then, a friendly reminder that you can say exactly the same thing about any human criminal and it holds precisely as much power. "Maybe they're just smarter than us, or know something we don't, and that's why they had to commit that horrible crime. Because it was actually the most moral thing of all!" So I guess the judicial system isn't needed anymore. Reasonable Doubt exists for all actions at all times, apparently. Or at least, all actions performed by people you happen to like. If it's a stranger or an enemy, boy oh boy are they going to court.
I have a friend, who I started to talk to about the inconsistencies of the bible, a few months ago. We talked very shortly, because she shut me down very quickly by saying: well, I choose to believe that God is good. And that's how it is. Christians *choose* to believe God is Good, because it makes life easier. I get it. I was there and said the same. Until I couldn't anymore. I can't pretend that the bible/ god is good, if he is even real, wich I doubt. I just can't unsee the things I saw. Thank you for your videos Brandon. They have helped in my deconversion 😊
A mass murderer would think another mass murder is good. One rapist would say another rapist is good One thief would say another thief is good. The god of Abraham is all of those things so I would beware of your friend ...
I really don't get how they can still see God is good, after people explain to them that hundreds of millions of animals, which are innocent, and all the innocent children were killed by the flood. That is literally punishing good people for the wrongs of others, and it is not justice, it is pure evil. The arguments they have against it are so lame and unsatisfying.
honestly I'm at the point where I don't care to debate if he exists or not, I just argue my case by showing he's not who he says he is. Hasn't worked too much tho...
People have sn identity as a good person and they believe to to a sheep.and get fleeced as in worshiping a book they can't read in the original means to be good. So they want to be good and know no other way buy to pretend in a dead preacher in a foreign land a long time ago is their God.
Readers cannot defend the Bible when they don’t read it anyway. All they do is read what they are told and pick and choose what they want. It’s disgusting!
I agree with you Brandon. These kind of responses are so frustrating. My sister will be so hurt because I’m saying terrible things about her God, her best friend with whom she has an intimate relationship. When I tell her the Bible says these things not me. She says God is just misunderstood. 😮😖😩
@@CatDaddyGuitar sometimes I pretend to belong to some obscure Christian denomination and argue with normal Christians. Like a geocentric flat Earth biblical literalist.
@@CatDaddyGuitar Ephesians 4:29: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” This reminds us to speak in ways that are constructive and beneficial to others.
@@ChristLucifer999 Then engage in an actual conversation instead of throwing verses at me. I have continually answered and questioned people like you where I haven't used one quote, teaching or mentioned a science educator or anything from their writings and managed to articulate my position. I challenge you to do the same. Quoting Bible at me with a little preaching is condescending and in no way supports your position.
Some commenters should just write "nuh uh", it convey as much information as what they write and save time for everyone. This goes for some apologists' reaction videos too.
People who argue or outright insult Brandon on his approach in this and many other issues fail to acknowledge he's giving them a lot of ground in their favour when the whole thing could be shut down by a simple truth: before quoting the Bible as a valid source of argument, you need to first establish it as a valid source or quoting it has absolutely no weight. If I am in charge of prison reform, I can't simply right my own views on what I think works, toss in some unverified opinions of others to support my claims, not bother addressing contradictions and expect my argument to be treated as fact, reasonable, applicable, beneficial. I need to prove my points through establishing my personal credibility and apply exhaustive, verifiable evidence of the feasibility of my proposal. So really, Brandon is giving these people a lot of ground by even allowing them to use the Bible as a source of argument.
@maggienewton8518. That's a very good point. To have a general-purpose rational argument, it is not necessary (and even somewhat dubious) to assume the validity of the/a bible. But what @Mindshift is doing is perhaps more important than that. He adopts the starting point of a 'Bible-believing' christian, and then shows how the assumptions that they make (eg. God does not confuse) are refuted by the Bible.
@@exoplanet11 yes,I agree. Deconverting often starts with that dissonance we feel as believers and Brandon is diamond at addressing this with as you say "the starting point."
These kind of comments is what I have experienced and observed, first hand, while practicing Christianity, just feelings, you get demonized the moment you start asking difficult questions. The typical lie they tell you is that they want everybody to be saved and joyful, but disagree with them and you will start to see the true sentimental nature of their beliefs. I suspect that what they really want is to be in a special group of saved ones, and there is going to come a day when God takes them to a safe place and let them see how he burns every single person who disagreed with their view.
Brandon i have no issues with your work. You definitely have researched and articulated clearly your findings. Sadly, only people who are refusing to see the truth (like my stubborn self 😢 for too many years). 18 months out and still looking back wondering how on earth I kept going in it for ……. so very LONG (over 4 decades) Great work 🎉❤🎉❤🎉❤ Thank you 😊
As I was writing a comment I realized how difficult it must be not to develop a persecution complex reading these. Which is somehow so ironically funny. I want to say something like “don’t let those who fear the truth keep you quiet” or something but doesn’t that sound so religious? 😂 Regardless, try not to let the opposition bother you. You’ve changed lives here in a good way, even if it takes time for some to see that. Thank you Brandon 👍
You were highly reasonable in disputing these comments, very entertaining. I love your videos, you’re a holy grail to the religious discussion. Thank you for your high quality content!
Love the video, I think you handled the negative comments well. The fact that so many believers are watching and commenting leads me to believe that at least some of them are actually listening and genuinely struggling with the divide between the Bible and their own sense of morality, keep up the good work.
Appreciate you going through these, Brandon. It's a slog, for sure, but worth it. It means a lot to have someone making this content who's not resorting to cliches, Christianese, etc. and actually demonstrating clear thinking. Keep it up (but don't burn yourself out!).
You know, I would consider myself Christian, or at least a very spiritual person. And the fun thing is that your channel enhanced my spirituality for a simple reason. To me, true spirituality never has to, desires to or needs to deny any facts, data or truth.. It's like saying you love eating chocolate all day but dont want to know whats in there, what it causes to your health if you inerrantly eat chocolate all day. To me its simple, if there is a God, than that God is truth.. or mayby better put, truth is God.. though thats the kind of "God" that will never be in need to impose itself upon anything or anyone.. I love your approach and dedication to truth... and I found that one simple thing to be of greatest value, true religion, true spirituality faces the facts and data just as you do. I really think you have a tremendous gift of speech.. Keep it going and thanks for all the work you put in. I am sorry for all the Christians and spiritually minded people you encounter that prove not at all to care about the truth... I am concerned when I see how so many christians mistake faith with embracing all sorts of conspiracies without hesitation though a 5 second google search could and would help out greatly. Your YT channel is a great place of honest and authentic wisdom, and every person, whether atheist, religious or something in between, could and would benefit from that if they were honest about themselves.
Hey Brandon. We love you in this house. Engaging with negative comments directed at you is a pretty rough endeavor. As a fan, and as an LPC I hope you're guarding and cultivating your own mental health. You've helped thousands, including these ex-mennonites ❤
Thank you for all you do. Your background is very similar to mine, and I have very much enjoyed your videos since I discovered you a couple months ago. The simple answer for why there are no intelligent Christian responses to your arguments is that if they were intelligent they would have to agree with your points. Peace to you.
As a Christian who has been silent on a few of these videos, I understand the lamenting of the reasonable or articulate being absent from the comments. Honestly, you don’t deserve it. I long since stopped leaving argumentative comments in comment sections for atheist videos because I’d encounter similar replies from Atheist viewers, so I’m sure we understand each other here. However, I love that you made this kind of content. This is encouraging to me to leave a thoughtful comment on your video for interaction. I’ll take a look at the 33 verses and share my thoughts
@@nitramnagrom3574 It's absolutely true that atheists can display the same kind of bad-faith behavior, and I am not innocent of this. All I can do is recognize my mistakes and try to do better.
@@QuintessentialJenesequa-u5o Whoa whoa, don’t be so quick to assume I won’t do what I said. I’ve got a lot going on and I’m in between jobs rn. I’m taking my time, it’s okay
Watching your videos has really helped me understand a better "tone" to take with Believers. I've lived most of my adult life unable to interact with the majority of the people from my life in deeply authentic ways simply because I had lost the faith everyone around me still clings to. Any hint from me of being atheist being met with hostility and rejection, I chose to just go my own way and leave people I've loved behind to live their own lives with their delusions. There may be hope for *some* of these relationships, though... if I can take a few pointers from your personal style. Thank you for your example.
This has always been the problem with debating the bible. It's 66+ books (depending on denomination) from multiple authors, spanning many generations, arbitrarily crammed together and broken up into verses. You can make it say just about anything you want it to say, just by stringing the proper verses together. To paraphrase `They don't believe the bible means what it says, They're convinced it says what they mean.` However, that does work both ways, which is why those debates tend to go nowhere.
Yes for example written in Ge'ez an ancient dead language of Ethiopia it's nearly 800 years older than the King James Version and contains 81-88 books. If the churches that include some of the apocryphal books in their Bibles believe them to be divinely inspired. In contrast, Jews and Protestants believe these books are not divinely inspired and should not be part of their sacred scriptures, nothing confusing about that obviously
If God does not confuse. who does? If his Bible leads to confusion, who wrote it? If not God, who? If He did, he has to accept responsibility for what it says. If he didn't, all bets are off.
Here’s your answer: If god wanted people to choose him, he’d be clear and wouldn’t need apologists. If he wanted people to choose him, we wouldn’t need to understand the original Hebrew and/or Greek. If he was really god, reality would match his stated intention. But it doesn’t. Great video.
NOT WORSHIPPERS of the CREATOR and NOT FOLLOWERS of JESUS CHRIST Atheists, Jehovah's Witnesses, SDAs, Mormons, Catholics, Methodists, Baptists, Born Again Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and fanatics of all kinds of Religions KNOW and are fully aware that all of them are NOT Worshippers of the Creator and NOT Followers of Jesus Christ too but the believers and preachers of their own assertions and claims that - 1. God and Gods don't exist and 2. all that were written in the Bible about the Creator and Jesus Christ are nothing but lies, myths, fictions, fantasies, and fairy tales WORSHIPPERS of the CREATOR and FOLLOWERS of JESUS CHRIST The Creator KNOWS that his favor and reward of ETERNAL LIFE and existence on earth without sufferings, pains, griefs, sickness, and death as written in Revelation 21: 3, 4 is NOT for Atheists, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and fanatics of all kinds of Religions but ONLY for all his lowly, ordinary, and kind Worshippers who willingly submit to the authority of Jesus Christ in their obedience to what's written in Matthew 28: 18 and the teachings of Jesus Christ about the "Kingdom of God" and "Resurrection of the Dead" written in Luke 4: 43 and John 11: 25, 26 are the guarantee that all his lowly, ordinary, and kind Worshippers who died recently and thousands of years ago like Abel, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Job, Naomi, Ruth, King David, Jesus Christ's Followers and disciples, and many others will all be RESURRECTED back to life in the right and proper time so they can peacefully, happily, and abundantly live and exist on earth forever as submissive and obedient subjects and citizens of the "KINGDOM of GOD" or His Kingdom and fully enjoy his and his Christ's eternal love, kindness, goodness, generosities, compassions, favors, and blessings for eternity under the loving and kind rulership, guidance, and protection of Jesus Christ as his Chosen King and Ruler of the heavens and the earth as written in Revelation 11: 15.
Exactly, if a god desired everyone to be saved, then everyone would go to heaven. And no Christian can argue that he has to be just and fair (not that hell is justified lol), because there are so many times where he is being completely unfair. Imagine being punished for wearing clothing that mixes fabrics from different animals. How is that an evil thing to do? And thought crime is also ridiculous and unfair, and especially generational curses.
Brandon, man I WISH I could be as quick witted and well versed on the Bible as you! I went to a Christian school, church 3x + a week, VBS, Christian sleep away camps, you name it- and you blow my knowledge out of the water! I’ve thought about opening up conversations with my family (or just “coming out”. But tbh I just do not have the mental bandwidth to deal with the emotional outcry I know I’d get. I’ve also been tempted to just send them your channel but I’d still have to have the conversations lol. One day! Great video, love how you’ve addressed these comments. Thank you for what you do!
Amazing Tuesday take down. It’s astonishing to me how well you can break down these arguments off the cuff. I was already digging the whole thing and then you wrapped it up with some “ I was in your shoes” and it was the cherry on top. Chefs kiss 😚.
The sad part is, MOST of the Christian’s I interact with haven’t even read the Bible cover to cover. I quote verses and they have no idea they’re even in there. Imagine being an omnipotent god who has the forethought that one of the biggest obstacles of understanding the Bible would be language barriers but being SOOO concerned that your creation was going to be able to build a tower that would reach into the heaven (an obviously valid concern lol) that you choose to confuse everyone’s language. So much so, that “the word” becomes so confusing for the majority of people reading it. That’s a god that is doing everything in his almighty-power to save souls? Yikes.
It is an absolute joke. He desires everyone to be saved, but confuses people and keeps them in the dark so they won't repent to be saved? Seriously that has to be the worst contradiction in the bible, I don't know how Christians could read this and continue to think that Yahweh is good.
Morning all! Hope you enjoy this kind of video. I’ll be in a bit later for comments.
9:15 This statement can be true for natural things. However, if this was supernaturally inspired and kept than you wouldn't be able to find the flaw because it's supernaturally kept perfect. Just sayin'.
16:00 There is a new ReligionForBreakfast video on Bible translations which is fascinating! Worth that individual to look into. I went to a KJV only church (which claimed to not be associated with the KJV only groups) where they spent hours discussing how the KJV was divinely kept almost-perfect, but perfect, but better than all the others..?? So I understand this user and highly recommend the ReligionForBreakfast video on it.
@@MindShift-Brandon Brandon,
I think that this video is a perfect, one time video. I don't often browse the comments but as you mention they are all in the same vein. Kuddos to the last person adding some Bible context and verses to his thoughts. But honestly, I feel your exhaustion. That's how it is and that's why I dove into history of the times rather than dealing with apologetics. I post on my FB historical documents that discuss the actual context of the times-- the handful of miracle workers of Jesus' time, the crazy hallucinations of Paul and other hallucinations similar during those years, etc. The history grounds the facts. It starts to erase the uniqueness that we think Jesus was as we see it in 2024. Anyways, great video but I think it is a perfect one time video. Thanks and best wishes! (ReligionForBreakfast, Esoterica, Dr James Tabor, etc just a few great insights into academics)
This is an instant Mindshift Classic!
@@n.c.1201 that reminds me of prophets claiming smth like:
On the 01.01.2020 the world will be destroyed. Then after the prophesied date, they would claim: I was right, the world was destroyed on that day - it was destroyed spiritually.
A real holy book inspired by a perfect being wouldn’t require any apologetics.
As I always say: ‘Apologetics exists because gods do not.’
If you truly are perfect none should need to say sorry for you.
I mean is a Glossary too much to ask?
Agree
Could you imagine if an instruction manual for setting up a router and modem were written the way the bible is written? Or a Chilton's book for how to maintenance your car were written the way the bible is written?
It's not like it's impossible to write clear concise directions that everyone derives the same meaning from. People do it all the time when they write any list of instructions for how to do something with the intention that everyone interprets it the same way. If people can do that, why can't God do that?
The truth doesn't require 90 different denominations. A lie does.
Yes!
Well and truly said!
Damn! That's spot on.
Where does this exist?
1 Corinthians 14:26AKJ
@@nicholaslindenmeyer6472 I'm guessing that you're saying something like because there's all these denominations and because so many people disagree about the Bible then......What exactly? There must not be any truth when it comes to the Bible or no way to figure out what's true or we can't trust anyone's interpretation?
I feel like all Christian arguments come down to a frog is purple. Then when you show them a green frog they say, well, you need to first understand that frogs are purple, then we can talk about why that one looks green.
That’s actually one of the best analogies I’ve ever seen. Nice!
Or they will paste a sentence from a book that says "The wise will see the shades of purple for what they truly are, and the fools will deny the truth of their eyes".
If they act dumb I cna play along too.
Did you lick that frog 🐸 by any chance? Maybe that’s why he looks purple. 😂
Nice. But if they are smart, they will bring one of those exotic frogs that can actually be purple, like Atelopus barbotini (Purple harlequin toad, has dark purple skin like an eggplant).
It’s not that they “can’t” defend it. It’s more like they are not interested in a true discussion in the slightest. They have their church approved apologetics, rationalizations and justifications ready to go and no matter what evidence you present to them, they will ALWAYS default to “faith”. And what is “faith” if not the art of lying to yourself?
Remember Brandon: “You cannot wake up someone, who’s pretending to be asleep”.
Yea I’m definitely stealing that one
Are you really interested in a discussion?
Ask me anything.
@@PapaBear-k4k What’s the 25th kissing number?
@@PapaBear-k4kHow many beans make five?
@@ziploc2000 So the answer for you is no?
@14:45 It's not even that god is confusing people on purpose that's the problem for me. It's that he confuses people then punishes them for being confused.
The Bible really only makes sense with predeterminism. God creates some (most) people knowing he’ll make them suffer in life and then go to hell, knowing everything they’ll do before he creates them. It’s written from a Hebrew-centric perspective, when the commandments say “your neighbor” they mean Hebrews which is why it’s ok to kill and loot other tribes. When Jesus says god wants all to be saved, he means the chosen people. Jesus also calls the Samaritan woman and her sick child “dogs” and says he speaks in parables so outsiders won’t understand. God doesn’t want all the world to be saved, only his chosen people and not even all of them. The rest of us are just here because god enjoys the smell of burning flesh
This. If God was simply accepting of the fact that our feeble minds can't fully grasp his mysterious ways and would be understanding towards it... fine.
Kind of like when my dog threw up on the carpet, where I would much rather he aimed for the floor, but I didn't scold him for it because I know he can't quite grasp that cleaning the floor is easier than cleaning the carpet, or maybe even why I clean it up at all.
And anyway, even though I'm frustrated with the prospect of the mess, I don't have the heart to further distress him when he's clearly already confused and uncomfortable.
I was tempted to say that God would hit the dog, but honestly our mortal analogy doesn't have an appropriately severe equivalent to making someone burn in Hell for eternity.
@@cinnamonsplash "our mortal analogy doesn't have an appropriately severe equivalent to making someone burn in Hell for eternity."
The dog must eat an unlimited supply of peanut butter.
@@soyevquirsefron990 even with predeterminism, the bible makes exactly 0.00000 sense.
the ALL-creating g0d in the most perfect void. Since space-TIME is part of that "All", the g0d never reaches the next moment, when the g0d would choose to create space-time
That's not true. God is not the author of confusion. Satan is.
I am a professional technical writer. My job is entirely based on trying to make information as clear and precise as possible. Without fail, the more precise I am when dealing with evangelicals, the less they will actually engage with the arguments. It’s always non-sequiters, thought-terminating cliches, or verses that don’t address anything. If I am less precise then they’ll throw out red herrings nitpicking on unrelated details. It is so incredibly frustrating to not be able to have a legitimate conversation.
Agreed. For me, I want to understand. I want to listen, but not to tropes. I want to engage with the person, not the doctrine. I want desperately to find middle ground. Maybe just to get back to agreeing on the basic definitions of the words/terms we use?
I've had the same experience. So I've given up and let them continue in their willful ignorance.
They know they're being disingenuous, that's why all apologetics revolve around dishonest argumentative tactics. But in their mind the end justifies the means, so lying, misrepresenting things and avoiding reading scripture knowing it won't mesh with their own world view suddenly stops being indicative of the fault with their religion and starts being merely a step on the path. Theyve already convinced themselves it's self evident enough to argue for by any means necessary, even if said means fundamentally disproves their own stance.
@@toastcrunch9387 In the case of Christians it's simply a matter of putting their thumb on the scale for Jesus.
They also just repeat their first argument, as if you haven't addressed it. I had a guy say to my face that without God, what Hitler did wasn't wrong, which is an argument I loathe. He even said "who cares" if people get hurt, it's just meat. I talked about humans being a social species and how each of us decides right and wrong based on personal morals, and that largely as a society thanks to mores and history we have come to understand what benefits us as a species vs what harms us, and he just said "well, yeah, but who cares?" as if the fact that there's no god to make us care means no one would.
One problem is god doesn't say anything, all we have is a book of hearsay claims.
Additionally, those so-called claims are all borrowed and modified from earlier claims by other groups of people who borrowed their claims from earlier groups and so on and so on.
@@ziploc2000 yep. Technically you have some other religion's holy book and then a bunch of fanfiction written by cult leaders tacked on at the end.
But God says, believe yee without seeing and you will inherit heaven. I mean, how can you not. It's written in bold so it must mean conviction!
on top of that, the hearsay claims also apply to the cultural standard of the places those claims were invented in.
@@Deedee-im6wb oh shit, the Bible says that? Well I guess I believe now. I must have missed that part
One guy said to me "you are just looking for excuses to be nonreligious" 😂
It's funny how they assume we're just like them. They have faith, so we must also have faith. But isn't faith a virtue? Well, only when it's for their religion. lol
They're dogmatic and can't be reasoned with, so we must be like that too. We DEFINITELY don't have any legitimate reasons for dismissing their religion. We just want to sin. Unlike Christians, whose Christ figure takes away the consequences of their sins...
Interesting - but does anybody in the year 2024 CE really have to "look" for excuses to be nonreligious? 🤨Personally I'm knee deep in and tripping over excuses. I'm on the verge of calling a junk removal company before the producers of "Hoarders" try to contact me. 🙁
"One of us! One of us! One of us!"
@@DavidSimic-ig9yd I have a pretty good one. So far no one has ever been able to demonstrate the supernatural. By definition it is unfalsifiable.
I'm unable to hold a belief that I am not convinced is true.
@@JasonHenderson I have better one: Bible
you know what amazes me, how people try to defend what shouldn't be defended, As much as I still believe in God/Creator I'm not going to defend stuff in the Bible and why because I can't cause I know it's messed up!, if God is real then he can defend himself!!
a reasonable theist for once
Yeah, hearing apologists defend genocide in the bible is disturbing.
Sounds pretty reasonable. Almost sounds like you are using critical thinking to come to a conclusion. Good for you, and continue on your path to seek out truth.
"A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest." Simon and Garfunkel-
I was already out by the time I found your channel, but you have helped me.
Listen, if not for your obvious intelligence and manner of teaching, I wouldn't have stuck around.
Arguing with trolls is exhausting, but I understand why you are doing it. Presenting their objections and then rebutting them in smackdown style is fun to watch.
Thank you as always, great video.
god is a horrorcow that doesn't deserve defending
There’s no hate like Christian love. Judgment reigns in many Christian circles. Where’s the love of Jesus?!
Brandon you have helped me so much. Don’t let them get to you. You are doing great work.
He doesn't
He just want a debate.
Jesus said some pretty things sure, but humans are capable of morals and teaching love without anything divine 😂😂Jesus also taught a lot of hate. So yeah, the Bible is full of beans. It’s ridiculous.
get to him? He couldnt care less what we say. Hes so full of himself theres no room for contemplation.
I've learned that when people insult or use emotion to argue, they have nothing. Keep doing what you do.
Yeah, Ad-hominem is a persons last resort. Not their first.
"When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser." --Socrates
@@Akira-jd2zr thanks, I knew there was an appropriate quote somewhere, but couldn't remember it
Untrue, I can call you a rabid jackass while I'm making my point.
Theist cry me a damm river ladies.
Tbh, watching your videos was the needle that broke the camels back in my case. If I were to be intellectually honest, despite the fact that I disagreed with you, I couldn’t deny that you weren’t wrong or that there wasn’t something legitimate in what you were presenting. I argued in the comments at first on certain points, but you created enough visibility to my blind spots, that it provoked me to have to challenge my faith. After examining many of people’s opposition against Christianity which led me to learn all sorts of counter apologetics and such, I deconverted.
I was only able to do that because I was legitimately on a truth journey and bc I knew enough about the Bible and its context to be able to differentiate what was vs what wasn’t pertaining to what was being taught.
If there is one concept that pushed me over the edge from you, it is that you confirmed what I was already concluding about original sin and general revelation not being a thing in scripture. For me, this meant that there was something wrong with God for creating a world in which he knew most people would burn in eternal torment before creating it, and that he wasn’t going to give everyone an equal chance to escape it. I was already suspecting that God might be evil for setting things up this way, and you helped to confirm it. And then I deconverted after exploring many other issues I never saw or actualized.
I say all this to say that despite all the expected pushback you get, you are actually causing people to be intellectually honest and logically consistent which will change their views of this biblical narrative and Christian worldview. I am proof of that. I changed in real time😂
Has your deconversion depressed you at all?
@@mightiestalone9851 what a weird question, you know what depresses me though? the thought of an all powerful god sitting idly by watching his people starve and succumb to disease or natural disaster when it would be trivially easy for him to prevent so much unnecessary suffering
@@elilane8627 That would be a depressing thought. Luckily you and I don't think like that 😉
@JDrocks4ever so your tipping point is wrestling with God's sovereign decrees and the fallen world (effects of sin)?
Where did you fall on the human will aspect?
@@jtbtdlkt2012 Effects of sin that began first in heaven, yes.
Not Earth.
Never forget that.
"If you are looking for a reason not to accept something (even if it's true), you will always find it."
I love irony
so, so accurate!
True on both sides!
I acept God exist
I don't acept people preaching with violence and fear
They'll be take down with their own bible.
That includes atheism, you know.
@@AgnesBooth-zu7tw I’m glad you’re not advocating for religious violence but I’m curious, what do you think about all the times god uses fear and violence throughout the Bible? Even starting in Genesis, his first command included a threat of death for disobedience.
I've been told many times "When your burning in hell for all eternity, don't say I didn't warn you."
Living life well and not as part of a cult, is the best "revenge" !!
Total nonsense they may as well claim , when you're having a bad dream don't say I didn't warn you.
Except dreams are a real thing.
literally. so fucking whack.
Hell is first the lake of fire comes after that. God will hold you in hell to wait for the Great White Throne Judgement then the lake of fire after that
@@Giwii-ojimin
Are you sharing a diagram of a fictional realm ?
Do you have a clear map of
these places you mentioned?
How can batman be invented by our minds if batman isn’t real?
lol, thank you for saying this. That part of the question nearly broke my brain.
awww....Batman's not real? Nooooo! :)
I have faith that Batman is real.
Well, if Batman isn’t real, then who keeps stealing my cookies at night? 🤔🍪 #BatMystery”
My religion is not believing in batman
The best part of this video is Brandon reading the comments in such a serious tone 🤣😂
Honestly, I like Brandon because he approaches this stuff with stone-cold, sober seriousness; one of the reasons why I'm a subscriber.
I'm unimpressed and irritated by other atheist YBers who behave like smarmy, condescending pricks; especially the ones who speak through obnoxious cartoon avatars.
@@JanetStarChild
He is sarcastic too without really trying, which is hilarious.
@@JanetStarChild Brandon likes to approach apologetics knowing he used to be one of them. he understands what it is like when you try to justify your faith no matter what evidence is brought to you.
that is why I like him. I too was once a christian fundamentalist, and I know for a fact that people mocking christianity wouldn't have lead me to deconvert. however it was the slow realisation that my faith was wrong fundamentally and scientifically that lead to my deconversion. now as an atheist I want to respect where religions people come from and hear them out, while gently showing them where they might be wrong.
I thought the best part was when he made fun of the Christians who made weaker arguments but then when that Brian Michael guy came along and brought his whole video down with a counter response, Brandon quickly shut the conversation down, ignored the response and ran for the hills and hurriedly made another video.
@@BrianBull-c8p
Might be funny if that actually happened.
You are demonstrating that thinking imaginary things are real can stretch beyond just the Bible.
At least they're helping to boost your channel.😂😂😂😂😂😂
@BluStarGalaxy10/10 comment
I had this thought too... at least they are so upset they throw effort at the algorithm...🎉
And yet he's so *angry* about them.
@BluStarGalaxy And it's Brandon making angry comments to Christians. No win, there.
@BluStarGalaxy _Is Brandon calling people names?_
A question of method and style only. One need not directly call names to be unthinkingly dismissive. He has responded to my serious points showing the falsehood of his objections with a total response of, _Your ideas are trash._ If that's not a name, it'll do for a very good substitute.
_I have seen many Christians comments calling Brandon names_
I have no doubt of it. Quite a number of us are not quite as far on our journey as we ought to be (of whom might that be said really? We've all wasted time) and therefore do not think as well as we should, including in our emotion disobeying the Lord we say we believe, who said that we should not do that.
But, you know, the _tu quoque_ fallacy is not a very good answer.
God: Literally causes humans to be confused at Babbel
Christian: What confusion? You just don’t believe enough!
Or hardening Pharaoh’s heart? Satan being allowed to exist? Not sending a prophet for 2000 years? Having the Bible so unclear there’s thousands of denominations? Judaism and Islam and their different sects? Yeah definitely no confusion here.
Oh my gosh. If I could show this video to my in-laws without getting disowned, I would in heartbeat. They live in a world of hand-waved inconsistencies and keep asking me why I left (but they don't like my answers; it must be my heart).
Again, thank you so much for your videos!
Encouraging hugs through the internet to be true to yourself. Good friends who accept you will be much more "golden" than family...though it is sad to say it.
Love that you’re tackling these ridiculous responses head on!
I’m not sure if these Christians think that they are earning “treasures in heaven” or just enjoy trolling and arguing.
Maybe they can’t comprehend someone not falling for the scam they still buy into.
@@The_Cylly or it’s the sunk cost fallacy of it…”I’ve invested this much already…so I can’t give up now”.
Their trying to keep you from going to hell. God is making way for the new heaven and new earth. Sin, the devil, and unrepentant man must be dealt with first
@@Giwii-ojimin Then maybe they shouldn’t be so condescending.
Sin began in heaven, of course.
And the devil was not kept away from Earth.
As for unrepentant men - what should convicted Hebrews, Jains or Sikhs repent of...
Exactly? For some examples, here.
Or abused people - like Jezebelvibes, say.
Nobody would also be at any risk of... hell... if Eve was not rushed to make choices she was not prepared for.
And neither was Adam. And all due, to heaven's apparent, shortcomings...
As a Christian I also did this I would watch atheist videos and try to find a way to debunk what they are saying ...... I failed and now I'm skeptical
It is only a matter of time before the devil has control over your mind. Listen not to the lies of the non believers. They are of the devil. GOD is the only way to salvation. Have faith and believe it is so easy. Praise the lord and savior who died for our sins and curse those who do not have FAITH. I hope you will come back to the LIGHT OF CHRIST
Indeed, the best thing you can do to create and Atheist, is to trick a Christian to read their Bible. They will become an atheist if they read it TOO closely. This is why Pastors do, what I call, "Fortune Teller Preaching", where they REFUSE to stay on PAGE or on TOPIC, and instead flip around to "create" something to preach about for the evening that isn't supposed to be there.
@@nolanstout9508 great job doing absolutely nothing to help OP deal with their doubts!
Hey OP, good on you for actually looking into all this stuff and asking questions!
Me too.
@@nolanstout9508 What B.S.
Excellent video!
I think the largest issue Christians have when quoting the Bible to refute arguments is how do you use the “ authority” of the Bible since it is multi-vocal.
Matthew illustrates this problem between Jesus and Satan in the desert. Both are quoting Bible verses at each other.
The Christian always has to determine which verse supersedes the verse being quoted. This is where the confusion lies.
right and right and yes!
@KatMo7121 where's the lie? That's what that story is about.
The problem is that every single author in the new testament considered his story as the only true one and all other inferior or wrong. Luke and Mathew copy Marc and whenever he says crap they make their own stuff up.
@@TorianTammas great point!
Hey Brandon! Thank you so much for your hard work! You're such a powerful voice in this community! 🎉
This is great. Thank you.
These replies have only deepened my unbelief!! Thank you for a job well done as always!!
Repent ye sinner, for you are unwilling to believe without any evidence! Cursed are ye for not blindly following the ways of the CHURCH and paying your money to it! The lord will find ye and you will be smitten for your hardness of your heart. AMEN PRAISE GOD
@nolanstout9508
Be gone random 1600s foe
It's 2025 get with the times
You can't make this up this is screeching not preaching 😭
Or wait you're trolling? Cuz I swear I saw another one of ur comments and thought you were being fr am so sorry 😭
Your channel has lifted me up! It is helping me free myself of the rot left over in my head from my traumatic childhood indoctrination.
The first guy: "How can we make up a God if there isn't one" (I'm assuming that's the end of the sentence.
With that logic every single piece of fiction would be real, because we're able to make it up. So that means unicorns are real and fairies are real and mermaids and Iron Man and Superman and Sauron all are real... because how could we make them up if they weren't already somewhere?
Frodo lives!
THE ONE PIECE
THE ONE PIECE IS REAL
The Divine Hiddenness...of Iron Man 🤣
Not only that, a lot of fiction is wayyyyy better written than the Bible! So sure, it's all real! Because you can't possibly make it up!
@Nexils I hate to correct you...but there ARE unicorns. Just not what we are shown, an equine animal with a horn...it's actually the Indian One Horn Rhinoceros, or Rhinoceros Unicornis. Also called the greater one-horned rhinoceros. Otherwise, spot on comment. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_rhinoceros
"Lol Maybe hermeneutics isn't for you"
So in this guy's world, he sees someone he perceives as lacking the capacity to properly interpret the bible, a deficiency that will result in eternal damnation for that person, and his response is to laugh and mock. Cool cool.
Ain't no hate like christian love
Heaven doesn't want me and Hell is afraid I will take over.
The dumb is proud of presuming how dumb he is
@@jdevlin1910Jesus set the example already as he was fully man and fully God.
@@Giwii-ojimin What convinced you that Jesus was fully man and fully this God? Be as specififc as you possibly can.
Essentially, the apologists are plugging their ears and screaming "Lalala I can't hear you"
I've literally seen my mother do this. Yet these rubes wonder why I quit believing. I've watched pastors get ousted for being compassionate in a way that disagreed with the selective enforcement of barbaric scriptural edict. I've watched the poor mocked because their Sunday best was out of the donation bin from that very church. I've watched "businessmen" peddle their wares using self aggrandizing philanthropy to gain tax-beaks and smoke-screen their greed behind piety and charity. I've sat in pews hearing about love, mercy, and grace only to be beaten and belittled that very day, before being told that God forgives those who simply ask for it. Then when I asked why, I was told that, "The Lord works in mysterious ways, and that he knows the suffering of the least of these..." Finally, and in the interest of looping back to the point, there's the child sexual abuse (sorry if folks can't handle the ugly words, try living through it!). It was your fingers in your ears that made me know you!
The church is a place where these monsters go looking for a solution that they will never find in god. They pray their little prayers. They say they are sorry. They bask in the glow of their redemption. Then they figure out how easy it is to hide when they "slip up" and don't get caught. Holiness, piety, charity, and wisdom suddenly become a mode of camouflage for what are people acting 100% in the fashion of ambush predators.
So, that being said: Let me make a point to the "good ones" now that my simple reply to this potential bot post is starting to get out of hand. Your inability to question authority, to question the far dubious claims coming from all around you allows you to accept things that are harming you! They're harming us! You are providing safe haven to manipulators at best and monsters at worst. Stop just believing for the sake of believing. That's how suckers are born. Just seek the kindness in others if that's all you believe god is anyway. You know??? Love? So, you can take your fingers out of your ears!
To the rest of you bigoted, misogynistic, parasitic, perverted, and preposterous predators. We see your fruit. We know what's under the wool.
I admire the way you respond to negative comments with such grace and clarity. It’s striking how many Christians approach these discussions in a manner similar to how they defend the Bible-taking things out of context, cherry-picking what suits their narrative, and often ignoring the personal journey or background of those who have chosen to leave their faith after embracing reason.
Your videos stand out for their depth of knowledge, accuracy, and the calm, composed manner in which you present them. Thank you for creating such thoughtful content. My gratitude and congratulations to you!
Hilarious that reading their own book to them has them accusing you of misleading.
IKR
Brandon. Don't take that rubbish to heart or let it get to you. Most Christians haven't even read the Bible cover to cover let alone understood it. You're doing the right thing and I support you. Keep it up. I have yet to meet a Christian who's not either a victim or a perpetrator. (edit) all too often victims become perpetrators themselves. You see it all the time with sex crimes. Not to compare Christianity with sex crimes but I think it speaks for itself.
I think the issue and the confusing thing for people like you and me is that we value logic and reason, and frankly the truth, very highly. Others, I came to realize, value other things.
There will always be people who prefer to believe a beautiful and comforting lie rather than seeking the truth regardless of how it makes them feel, it’s part of why religion has been so successful at controlling peoples thinking for so long
Believers call the bible "Word of God" but then they begin cherry-picking and decide what is really "word of god" and what isn't.
while not even trying to explain (let alone to show) what the g0d is.
And they like to explain particularly the most awful bible stories as being metaphorical, but how can stories that would be horrible if they depicted actual historical events be "good" if they're just metaphors? After all, they mirror morals that are very questionable to say the least.
I like when they quote a verse. Like you’ve never read it before.
"A-ha! This verse’ll show’em!"
This has probably already been said, but these apologists just want you to shut up and obey them. They want everyone to kneel down to their beliefs.
I agree. They do it because they are scared of the afterlife.
The Abrahamists invented conversion by the sword.
@@areuaware6842 Wow - that is true when you think about it! All three major Abrahamic religions employed (and still employ) different methods of it depending on the circumstances, but you can't deny it unless you ignore both secular history and the holy texts themselves. Well, that explains a lot then. 😧 Monkey see, monkey do.
The Bible is filled with genocide and conquest for God so why does anyone wonder about this? 😅
@@michaelhenry1763which, tbh, is completely fair. i think that if we’re genuinely wanting change in regards to religion and truth, we have to take this into consideration; we’re asking believers to question absolutely everything that they know, and if you’ve watched brandon for some time, you will know that it’s not an easy journey to deconvert whatsoever. and he isn’t the first person at all to say this. if we don’t have a caring hand waiting when they remove their foundation beneath them, who’s going to help them feel supported? that’s what humans are seeking. we have to work together.
Much like the adage ,
"abused people abuse"
in this particular case its,
Confused Confusers
Create Confusion.
The cycle continues, the confusion chokes the ability of direct observation and spreads until the individuals capable of clarity in a religious community diminish drastically.
I hope you stay safe Brandon because these people might not stop at comments.
@@studiosandi He's good as long as he stays away from Islam. Christians can threaten you with hell, Muslims threaten to cut off your hand lol
@JasonHenderson I am from Germany, and Christians over here are usually not dangerous.
But of course there are exceptions. Have you seen the Evangelicals movement in the USA? I wasn't aware, how fond they are of physical warfare. So, unfortunately, even Christians can be dangerous. But yes, maybe not to the same extent as some Muslims.
I guess it depends on the doctrine, the level of indoctrination and the commitment of the individual.
🙄 that’s Muslims. And let’s be honest,all the violence has been in another direction.
Keep doing what you are doing,man. I am very thankful for you and the others that I watch. Cheers from central Florida, the Dumbshine State.
Man, appreciate that! Thanks so much.
Some years ago my neighbor and friend, talked me into attending his local evangelical church. I did this for several years. But I found that asking any questions usually resulted in personal attacks on me. The response to questions was usually like this: "Dale, what YOU do not understand is..,." It seems as though the faith they required was in THEM rather than in their god.
Serious question(s) for Christans.
If the Christian worldview is so rife with sources of deception, how does God expect us to discern the truth from the lies? He keeps telling us to eschew skepticism so we don't doubt *him,* but doesn't that make us easy to fool by anyone trying to impersonate him? If our only contact with God is through our fallible senses, how can God expect us to know the real deal from imposters/delusions/mistakes/wishful thinking? If the Holy Spirit gets around that somehow, then why is God so stingy with it and why does he blame us when he hasn't given it to us?
I think this is the biggest reason I can't accept Christianity. It's imperative to not let yourself be deceived, yet it gives you no reliable tools to do so or, worse, actively sabotages them. That can't be the work of a God worthy of worship.
exactly. my biggest reason is the fact that god seems to enjoy punishing everyone except the real culprit....sayten. everyone else is punished and sentenced to hell but the great deceiver is allowed to run wild on this earth with no consequence. i can't accept a god who's greatest idea to save mankind was to have a 33 year old innocent man tortured....instead of torturing the real culprit. makes no sense and doesn't sound very divine
It’s not that God is stingy but that humans are…well arrogant. And I’m not saying it’s just atheist who are arrogant. Most people want to justify what they want to be true instead of accepting certain truths. Atheists are similar to Christians in that aspect of not considering evidence.
But to further the answer to your question, it’s not that skepticism is bad, but that a lot of people believe that you can’t have it’s with God. There are plenty of cases where people have argued with God (Job, Zechariah, Moses, Jonah, etc). The problem of getting to truth is the unwillingness to wrestle with difficult concepts. It’s easy to say “It’s not true” when something doesn’t make sense to us. God gives believers his Spirit, yes. He also uses his Spirit to draw unbelievers to him. The confusion comes from not understanding what he has revealed. So discernment comes through a relationship with Jesus. Understanding him helps one understand God and point out deception.
I may not have answered the main question. I don’t intend to dodge the question, but to point out aspects of the Christian worldview that many modern Christian’s have failed to see. I’ve been in that boat of “You can’t have doubt.” That isn’t true. The point was never to not have the skepticism, but to wrestle through it.
This is pretty close to what i was thinking when I finally gave up on my attempt to believe. I decided that god and satan are competing for my soul & i cant discern which of my thoughts are from which of them. I decided they could fight it out between themselves & i wasn't gonna concern myself with it anymore.
@eellis4180 So what do you estimate your chances of getting the right answer are? Or is the struggle to believe all your god is looking for? If so, why punish us when our struggle leads us to conclude he doesn’t exist? I do enjoy a good mystery game and/or puzzle, but I tend to give up after a few years, not making any progress and none of the available “answers” actually agree/solve the mystery.
@@alexanderingraham8255 I’d estimate that they’re pretty high. God never intended a struggle to believe. The world has too much nuance that we could never fathom. If the conclusion you came to is atheism, that’s on you. And yes, there are very aggressive Christians as there are for any group of people. It’s not good to take every Christian’s attempt to talk to you as a threat to your humanity. The idea is not to confirm a theory, but to consider before putting everything else to the side.
The burden of proof lays on the shoulders of those who claim a god. Not hearsay, not words nor readings from the incoherent "books" themselves. Evidence, a word not used often where Religion resides. Watching Alex O' Connor videos and found yours, good stuff. Critical thinking and poised conversation are good traits. Thanks, keep up the good work.
@@Deedee-im6wb Absolute dung. We are not claiming we can prove God exists. It is atheists claiming they can prove God doesn't exist so the burden of proof is with them. The same thing applies to scientists with the Big Bang, evolution, and their "Star Trek" ideas about stars and distant planets around them. I say to them, "Prove it."
There’s a reason apologists assert that belief in God is the default position. This way they can pretend that disbelief is making a positive claim against the default. For those raised in it, it seems reasonable since they don’t realize the level of indoctrination. It’s really insidious.
@@Rhewin preach on. 🙌
@@Deedee-im6wbwhat kind of proof are you looking for exactly? BTW I hate when apologists appeal to evidence to make their case for God's existence, super annoying.
You're asking for proof of a metaphysical truth claim, in a physical manner. Such as, "I need to see verifiable proof in logic. Let me see it in real physical form so that I can believe it", eh it's a shaky analogy but what can you do. Btw I'm not trying to be confrontational, I just genuinely like the debate and discussion.
@jtbtdlkt2012 Well, if you are to go to prison, you need? ...evidence. Hence why we have court systems and policing. We don't eat poison anymore as we have learned through trial and error that some choices bear consequences. We understand a tiny amount about the cosmos due to....again that word, evidence. We use science to debunk everything. Crazy thing is science requires peers to asses and add or change as it discovers more, it uses multiple minds and many scientist to agree upon unanimously on a result. And for a while that result is only so until proven otherwise. Science in itself tries to disprove itself so as to prove the result chosen is the only correct one. Religion, well, just is. A book based on only hearsay, not even written by the apostles it claims used in each chapter, updated, modified, and revised as required to suit the ever evolving political climate. It never proves but instead uses the cheapest method ever. Those who believe without seeing will inherit heaven. Haha. Cheap shot I tell you. You can't rely on evidence when you can't open your mind to critical thinking. Notice, people of religion just learn from and do what the Bible says. As it says, sheep will follow. Yet you live with "free will", God is omnipresent tho, so he knows what you do, even if its bad. But its all good. If you live a terrible life, do your worst, vile unspeakable things all your life, at least the day you repent, you will be let into heaven but the person who has always been good, helped the poor, nurtured the underprivileged, lived a good life but never believed in a God will go to hell. Yeah, priorities are a tad broken here I tell you.
Christ is simple. He was a traveling doomsday preacher who got executed by the state. It's the apologetics that he is a God that makes it complicated.
What's the upside for Christ? The apostles, the early christians? Why die for a lie you know is false? This point isn't very tenable. Sure, maybe modern people will use religion for control, but why did those people die for a lie they knew was false?
It is terrible because it is based on countless presuppositions as well as being incredibly leading and manipulative.
The Divine Trinity, p. 150
... the Didache, or "Teaching of the Twelve Apostles," the oldest literary monument of Christian antiquity outside of the New Testament canon, ... contains no formal profession of faith in the Divinity of Jesus Christ and the Atonement.(The Divine Trinity. A Dogmatic Treatment by Pohle, Joseph, Rt. Rev. Msgr., edited by Arthur Preuss, B. Herder Book Co., © 1911.)
What does the Didache not contain? According to Pohle, "no formal profession of faith in the Divinity of Jesus Christ." Hence, such a belief was not yet held in the First Century.
Systematic Theology, p. 305
The earliest time known at which Jesus was deified was, after the New Testament writers, in the letters of Ignatius, at the beginning of the second century.(Systematic Theology by Strong, Augustus Hopkins, D.D., LL. D., Philadelphia: The Judson Press, © 1907.)
Who was the first to deify Jesus? According to Strong, "Ignatius". However, this did not catch on immediately.
The Faith of Millions, p. 99
Thus, Celsus, a scoffing pagan philosopher of the third century, contended that … worship of Christ was essentially polytheistic. … Origen, the greatest of the early Christian writers, defended the Christians … by showing that the Savior was worthy of such adoration because He was God.(The Faith of Millions, by O'Brien, John A., Ph.D., Huntington, Indiana: Our Sunday Visitors, Inc., © 1974.)
What did a pagan philosopher by the name of Celsus accuse the Christians of? According to O'Brien, "worship of Christ was essentially polytheistic". How did a Christian writer by the name of Origin counter this? According to O'Brien, "by showing that the Savior was worthy of such adoration because He was God."
Phil. 2:9-11 NKJV
Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.(Holy Bible: New King James Version. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982.)
What do we bow down to? Paul said, "the name of Jesus". Who gave Jesus this name? Paul explained, "God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name". Hence, we worship Jesus not because He is God, but because this is the will of God.
Who is the God who is glorified when we follow this will? Paul said, "the Father".
Thus, by the turn of the Fourth Century, had everyone accepted the premise the Jesus is God?
Philo. of the Church Fathers, Vol. 1, p. 306
… as late as the fourth century there were those within Christianity who … still argued against the divinity of the preexistent Christ ...(The Philosophy of the Church Fathers, Wolfson, Harry Austryn. Volume 1: Faith, Trinity, Incarnation. 2nd rev. ed. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1964.)
Who was among the most vocal?
Ancient & Medieval Hist., p. 394
A priest in Alexandria named Arius ... said that if God and the Son were both divine, then there were two gods, which meant that Christianity was not a monotheistic religion, ...(Ancient and Medieval History, by Magoffin, Raph V.D., New York: Silver Burdett Press, 1934.)
Who argued against the divinity of Christ? According to Magoffin, "A priest in Alexandria named Arius".
Christianity Through the Centuries, p. 143-144
In 318 or 319, Alexander, the bishop of Alexandria, discussed with his presbyters "The Unity of the Trinity." One of the presbyters, Arius, … backed by Eusebius of Nicomedia (to be disinguished from Eusebius of Caesarea) and a minority of those present, insisted that Christ … was not coequal, coeternal or cosubstantial with the Father. … Constantine then called a council of the bishops of the Church to work out a solution to the dispute. This council met at Nicaea in the early summer of 325.(Christianity Through the Centuries, by Cairns, Earle E., Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, © 1996.)
Who responded to the growing dispute? According to Cairns, "Constantine". This was the emperor at the time.
What did Cairns call for? ...."a council of the bishops of the Church to work out a solution to the dispute."
When Jesus Became God, p. 46
Constantine was far too canny … His true goal, beyond favoring his co-religionists, was to unite the empire’s diverse, quarrelling peoples in one huge spiritual fellowship. … Constantine’s advisors called his attention to a situation that appeared to jeopardize all these dreams. Its locale, not surprisingly, was that seedbed of religious controversy, Alexandria … Clearly something should be done to investigate the case and formulate a sensible policy to resolve the conflict.(When Jesus Became God, by Rubenstein, Richard E., New York San Diego London: Harcourt Brace & Company, © 1999.)
What was Constantine's goal? According to Rubenstein, "to unite the empire's diverse, quarrelling peoples in one huge spiritual fellowship." Hence, his motivations were not to ascertain the truth, but purely political.
The Jesus Establishment, p. 173-174|
The victor at Nicaea was not the Church, but an Emperor who believed in the sun god as one of several deities, ...(The Jesus Establishment, by Lehmann, Johannes, translated by Martin Ebon. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1974.)
What did Constantine personally believe in? According to Lehmann, "several deities". Constantine was polytheistic.
The Jesus Establishment, p. 173
This is what happened at Nicaea. Some six weeks after the Council opened, on June 19, 325, Emperor Constantine insisted that all bishops who had been present should endorse a new creed that confirmed Christ as God and condemned Arius. Anyone who did not sign this document was to be excommunicated and exiled.(The Jesus Establishment, by Lehmann, Johannes, translated by Martin Ebon. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1974.)
What did Constantine insist upon by pain of excommunication? According to Lehmann, "a new creed that confirmed Christ as God."
The Emerging Church, p. 110
Once this "Nicene Creed" had been publicly signed by all the bishops and promulgated by Constantine, it became the official creed for all Christians. To deny the divinity of Christ in any way was to put oneself outside of the Christian community and was a crime against the state.(The Emerging Church, by Wilkens, Ronald J., Dubuque, Iowa: W.M.C. Brown Company Publishers, © 1975.)
From this point on, what were Christians who argued against the divinity of Christ accused of? According to Wilkens, "a crime against the state."
When was this?
A. Creed, p. 206
Thus, for example, it was not until 325 A.D. at the Council of Nicaea, that the Church defined for us that it was an article of faith that Jesus is truly God.(Discourses on the Apostles’ Creed. By Rev. Clement H. Crock. Nihil Obstat: Arthur J. Scanlan. Imprimatur: Patrick Cardinal Hayes. New York: Joseph F. Wagner, 1938.)
When did the belief that Jesus is truly God become an article of faith that went unchallenged? According to Crock, "not until 325 A.D."
This is the reason why people assume as a premise that Jesus is God.
@@revenant_of_history didn't they obviously make it up?
@@mharpold128what was the upside for the people involved with the heavens gate cult? Why would they die for something untrue? What’s the upside for suicide bombers driven by religious faith? Why do they die for something not true? Why should we believe Jesus over any of the other things people have been willing to die for?
Tuesday Comment Take Down! love it!!!!
Zod made a good point on Zodanza about how most people irl dont experience any of the online christian discourse because it almost never actually happens irl. Not that no places have the same christian vitriol irl but that most places do not. Its important to remember that and take a step back. Remember comment sections and formerly known as Twitter are not real life.
A good point for sure but also worth addressing these comments as well
@@jdevlin1910 oh yeah for sure. Not meaning it shouldn't be addressed.
Very good point. That's why I'd like to see some knowledgable folks like the @Mindshift community show up for publicly open Bible Study groups. There are several, for example, meeting every week at the university where I work. They are quite welcoming to new people. I'd love to see an army, (excuse me, a 'team') of @Mindhifters going onto campuses equipped with many of Brandon's points, and engaging is a respectful but reason-centered dialog.
Hello Brandon, I'm so glad you spoke up. These people are so blinded just the way I was. I think they attack you because they are so scared you are right, they make so many excuses to believe they are on the right path. You are a very smart and intelligent person, we appreciate you very much ❤
You make many excellent points in this video. When I was a believer, I recognized some discrepancies in the Bible, but it was easier to put them out of mind rather than honestly (courageously) think them through. Eventually, I did wrestle with concepts I'd been taught since childhood and came to understand just how flawed the Bible is and how dangerous accepting ideas with faith alone is.
Thank you for what you do.
You dropped this 🎤
Perfect !
I agree, it's extremely frustrating when you take the time to lay out your arguments premises clearly and concisely and show clearly how the conclusion follows only to have people respond to it with a general and vague " you're just wrong" or " that's just stupid" without addressing a single one of the premises of your argument nor its coherence. It's like beating your head into a brick wall
I've heard the defense that God not being the author of confusion was only directed towards the Corinthians Church, not everyone.
Made me realize that I'm not going to worship a God who is willing to deceive me and allow a metaphysically infinite entity (satan) to toy around with me.
A relevant point here comes from my experience with a person who is currently trying very hard to evangelise me. He says repeatedly that to approach these questions with the intellect is the wrong way to go about it and what I need to do is receive the holy spirit which will teach me all I need to know. This makes no rational sense to me but it's what I get and an indication that there's no intention on their part to have any kind of open discussion about it.
What they want you to do is approach all questions through the filter of “everything God does is good/justified” and if that doesn’t cover it then use “his ways are higher.”
@@Jon45678 LOL which doesn't help the argument that their God is not confusing 😂
I think the fitting response would be "why did God give us the best brain on the planet if we need to forgo its use to know him?"
Yes, the idea that too much knowledge is bad for you.
@@michaelhenry1763 I'd always thought this was a cherry-picked half of a statement about knowledge. Something along the lines of "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing because once you've had a taste you'll never get enough" but I can't seem to find that anywhere. The best I can find is this, which argues against shallow learning:
A little learning is a dangerous thing;
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring:
There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
And drinking largely sobers us again.
Apparently that's an excerpt from a poem by Alexander Pope.
The problem with the statement that if you go looking for something you'll find it is that people don't take into account that you could be simply be honest with what you're engaging with. All it is is an excuse to ignore any criticism of something they hold dear.
Exactly. There's "looking really hard for something that vaguely suggests it's wrong, and then screaming 'I've found it! Everything's a lie!' once you do", and then there's "reading the book and seeing what God claims to be, and whether that matches up with reality and with other claims he makes about who he is." And then finding, whoops, it doesn't line up so nicely after all. Some atheists are the former, some are the latter. Brandon is most definitely the latter type.
And of course, there's also the inverse of this comment. "If you are looking for a reason to accept something (even if it's false), you will always find it." Like, for example, looking God's immoral actions right in the face and responding with "It's moral because he's God and God is perfectly moral." Or for those who can't _quite_ stomach that line, it's "I'm sure there's an excessively complicated and completely unnecessary string of logic that makes this actually moral, that God can see and we can't because of how twisty and wild it is."
Soon as you come up with an example of such logic, I'll listen and engage with it honestly. Until then, a friendly reminder that you can say exactly the same thing about any human criminal and it holds precisely as much power. "Maybe they're just smarter than us, or know something we don't, and that's why they had to commit that horrible crime. Because it was actually the most moral thing of all!" So I guess the judicial system isn't needed anymore. Reasonable Doubt exists for all actions at all times, apparently. Or at least, all actions performed by people you happen to like. If it's a stranger or an enemy, boy oh boy are they going to court.
I have a friend, who I started to talk to about the inconsistencies of the bible, a few months ago. We talked very shortly, because she shut me down very quickly by saying: well, I choose to believe that God is good.
And that's how it is. Christians *choose* to believe God is Good, because it makes life easier. I get it. I was there and said the same. Until I couldn't anymore. I can't pretend that the bible/ god is good, if he is even real, wich I doubt. I just can't unsee the things I saw.
Thank you for your videos Brandon. They have helped in my deconversion 😊
A mass murderer would think another mass murder is good.
One rapist would say another rapist is good
One thief would say another thief is good.
The god of Abraham is all of those things so I would beware of your friend ...
I really don't get how they can still see God is good, after people explain to them that hundreds of millions of animals, which are innocent, and all the innocent children were killed by the flood. That is literally punishing good people for the wrongs of others, and it is not justice, it is pure evil. The arguments they have against it are so lame and unsatisfying.
honestly I'm at the point where I don't care to debate if he exists or not, I just argue my case by showing he's not who he says he is. Hasn't worked too much tho...
People have sn identity as a good person and they believe to to a sheep.and get fleeced as in worshiping a book they can't read in the original means to be good. So they want to be good and know no other way buy to pretend in a dead preacher in a foreign land a long time ago is their God.
Readers cannot defend the Bible when they don’t read it anyway. All they do is read what they are told and pick and choose what they want. It’s disgusting!
I just want to say thank you for all of your hard work. You have been instrumental in my journey away from the faith.🧡
Congrats Audrey!
I agree with you Brandon. These kind of responses are so frustrating. My sister will be so hurt because I’m saying terrible things about her God, her best friend with whom she has an intimate relationship. When I tell her the Bible says these things not me. She says God is just misunderstood. 😮😖😩
Yup. I was talking to my mum about some problematic verses and she said it’s the enemy that maligns god, who is absolutely good. Like…what? 🤦♀️
@@rosalindc9651
I know right! All you can say is that makes no sense and they say your heart is hard that’s why you don’t get it. 😬😬
Most of these people are trolls who don't care about logic and reasoning and just want to pontificate and argue.
Thats the overwhelming majority of online theists.
@@CatDaddyGuitar sometimes I pretend to belong to some obscure Christian denomination and argue with normal Christians.
Like a geocentric flat Earth biblical literalist.
@@JasonHenderson Reverse psychology? Show how nonsensical "we" are? Brilliant 😂
@@CatDaddyGuitar Ephesians 4:29:
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
This reminds us to speak in ways that are constructive and beneficial to others.
@@ChristLucifer999 Then engage in an actual conversation instead of throwing verses at me. I have continually answered and questioned people like you where I haven't used one quote, teaching or mentioned a science educator or anything from their writings and managed to articulate my position. I challenge you to do the same. Quoting Bible at me with a little preaching is condescending and in no way supports your position.
The comment #1 was the most funny because he just confirmed what you said in the entire video 😂😂😂
"How can we make up a God if there isn't one?" Is a pretty funny question.
Someone actually said that? Guess they haven’t heard of Greek mythology, Norse mythology, or the plethora of other religions.
How can we make up Santa Claus if there isn't one? Wait, what??? Does that mean the Tooth Fairy is not real either?
it proves that Artemis is real. Funny that the proof comes from crissschunz :- )
Definitely like this. More videos responding to comments
Facts
Even Confucius is less confusing than the Bible😂
Amusing someone would say you just don't understand these things, as you pointed out you are more qualified than most people on this topic.
Some commenters should just write "nuh uh", it convey as much information as what they write and save time for everyone. This goes for some apologists' reaction videos too.
I like this so much 😂
People who argue or outright insult Brandon on his approach in this and many other issues fail to acknowledge he's giving them a lot of ground in their favour when the whole thing could be shut down by a simple truth: before quoting the Bible as a valid source of argument, you need to first establish it as a valid source or quoting it has absolutely no weight. If I am in charge of prison reform, I can't simply right my own views on what I think works, toss in some unverified opinions of others to support my claims, not bother addressing contradictions and expect my argument to be treated as fact, reasonable, applicable, beneficial. I need to prove my points through establishing my personal credibility and apply exhaustive, verifiable evidence of the feasibility of my proposal. So really, Brandon is giving these people a lot of ground by even allowing them to use the Bible as a source of argument.
No worries all sinners will be punish
You, who claim God to support your beliefs, God himself will say I don't know you and you were nver with me.
@maggienewton8518. That's a very good point. To have a general-purpose rational argument, it is not necessary (and even somewhat dubious) to assume the validity of the/a bible. But what @Mindshift is doing is perhaps more important than that. He adopts the starting point of a 'Bible-believing' christian, and then shows how the assumptions that they make (eg. God does not confuse) are refuted by the Bible.
@@exoplanet11 yes,I agree. Deconverting often starts with that dissonance we feel as believers and Brandon is diamond at addressing this with as you say "the starting point."
These kind of comments is what I have experienced and observed, first hand, while practicing Christianity, just feelings, you get demonized the moment you start asking difficult questions. The typical lie they tell you is that they want everybody to be saved and joyful, but disagree with them and you will start to see the true sentimental nature of their beliefs. I suspect that what they really want is to be in a special group of saved ones, and there is going to come a day when God takes them to a safe place and let them see how he burns every single person who disagreed with their view.
Brandon i have no issues with your work. You definitely have researched and articulated clearly your findings. Sadly, only people who are refusing to see the truth (like my stubborn self 😢 for too many years). 18 months out and still looking back wondering how on earth I kept going in it for ……. so very LONG (over 4 decades)
Great work 🎉❤🎉❤🎉❤
Thank you 😊
"Then, as I am about to be thrown into Hell, I will say to God, 'I am going there because _you didn't make me patient!'"_
- Lewis Black
holy shit
"Why Can’t Believers Defend Their Own Bible?" Because it's actually indefensible. And the way apologetics is done today proves this point.
I think we all have an obligation to reach truth, but only some people have a serious hunger for it.
As I was writing a comment I realized how difficult it must be not to develop a persecution complex reading these. Which is somehow so ironically funny. I want to say something like “don’t let those who fear the truth keep you quiet” or something but doesn’t that sound so religious? 😂
Regardless, try not to let the opposition bother you. You’ve changed lives here in a good way, even if it takes time for some to see that. Thank you Brandon 👍
You were highly reasonable in disputing these comments, very entertaining. I love your videos, you’re a holy grail to the religious discussion. Thank you for your high quality content!
Love the video, I think you handled the negative comments well. The fact that so many believers are watching and commenting leads me to believe that at least some of them are actually listening and genuinely struggling with the divide between the Bible and their own sense of morality, keep up the good work.
Appreciate you going through these, Brandon. It's a slog, for sure, but worth it. It means a lot to have someone making this content who's not resorting to cliches, Christianese, etc. and actually demonstrating clear thinking. Keep it up (but don't burn yourself out!).
You know, I would consider myself Christian, or at least a very spiritual person. And the fun thing is that your channel enhanced my spirituality for a simple reason. To me, true spirituality never has to, desires to or needs to deny any facts, data or truth.. It's like saying you love eating chocolate all day but dont want to know whats in there, what it causes to your health if you inerrantly eat chocolate all day.
To me its simple, if there is a God, than that God is truth.. or mayby better put, truth is God.. though thats the kind of "God" that will never be in need to impose itself upon anything or anyone..
I love your approach and dedication to truth... and I found that one simple thing to be of greatest value, true religion, true spirituality faces the facts and data just as you do.
I really think you have a tremendous gift of speech.. Keep it going and thanks for all the work you put in. I am sorry for all the Christians and spiritually minded people you encounter that prove not at all to care about the truth...
I am concerned when I see how so many christians mistake faith with embracing all sorts of conspiracies without hesitation though a 5 second google search could and would help out greatly.
Your YT channel is a great place of honest and authentic wisdom, and every person, whether atheist, religious or something in between, could and would benefit from that if they were honest about themselves.
Hey Brandon. We love you in this house. Engaging with negative comments directed at you is a pretty rough endeavor. As a fan, and as an LPC I hope you're guarding and cultivating your own mental health. You've helped thousands, including these ex-mennonites ❤
This is going to be good, I know it.
Always!!! I love his videos so much!!!
I love how I got an ad for a Pure Flix movie about interviewing god before this video started.
There is such a deliciously sick irony in that...
Fucking love this channel and this man!! You are very well spoken, always courteous and right to the point!!
Thank you for all you do. Your background is very similar to mine, and I have very much enjoyed your videos since I discovered you a couple months ago.
The simple answer for why there are no intelligent Christian responses to your arguments is that if they were intelligent they would have to agree with your points.
Peace to you.
As a Christian who has been silent on a few of these videos, I understand the lamenting of the reasonable or articulate being absent from the comments. Honestly, you don’t deserve it. I long since stopped leaving argumentative comments in comment sections for atheist videos because I’d encounter similar replies from Atheist viewers, so I’m sure we understand each other here. However, I love that you made this kind of content. This is encouraging to me to leave a thoughtful comment on your video for interaction. I’ll take a look at the 33 verses and share my thoughts
@@nitramnagrom3574 It's absolutely true that atheists can display the same kind of bad-faith behavior, and I am not innocent of this. All I can do is recognize my mistakes and try to do better.
I bet five dollars that you will not
OP still hasn't! No justifying the madness of that book.
So horrible I was lost in it for so long. Horrendous
@@QuintessentialJenesequa-u5o Whoa whoa, don’t be so quick to assume I won’t do what I said. I’ve got a lot going on and I’m in between jobs rn. I’m taking my time, it’s okay
@@romnarz344 Uh?? Why?
Watching your videos has really helped me understand a better "tone" to take with Believers. I've lived most of my adult life unable to interact with the majority of the people from my life in deeply authentic ways simply because I had lost the faith everyone around me still clings to. Any hint from me of being atheist being met with hostility and rejection, I chose to just go my own way and leave people I've loved behind to live their own lives with their delusions. There may be hope for *some* of these relationships, though... if I can take a few pointers from your personal style. Thank you for your example.
Wishing you the best of luck!!
Thanks!
Appreciate the support!
Thank you for what you do on the channel. Fantastic Work.!
Insults and assumptions have been my general experience with Christians.
This has always been the problem with debating the bible. It's 66+ books (depending on denomination) from multiple authors, spanning many generations, arbitrarily crammed together and broken up into verses. You can make it say just about anything you want it to say, just by stringing the proper verses together. To paraphrase `They don't believe the bible means what it says, They're convinced it says what they mean.` However, that does work both ways, which is why those debates tend to go nowhere.
Abrahamism is an ideology of lie, hate and conflict, their books do exactly what they are supposed to do, feed that hate and conflict.
Yes for example written in Ge'ez an ancient dead language of Ethiopia it's nearly 800 years older than the King James Version and contains 81-88 books. If the churches that include some of the apocryphal books in their Bibles believe them to be divinely inspired. In contrast, Jews and Protestants believe these books are not divinely inspired and should not be part of their sacred scriptures, nothing confusing about that obviously
@@cesariglesias297 , the Bible is Satan's book, it is a weapon.
You’re doing good work man. Those that can understand and process logic will hear you.
Not a bad idea for a new topic. Commenter reactions. Enjoyed this!
If God does not confuse. who does? If his Bible leads to confusion, who wrote it? If not God, who? If He did, he has to accept responsibility for what it says. If he didn't, all bets are off.
Here’s your answer:
If god wanted people to choose him, he’d be clear and wouldn’t need apologists.
If he wanted people to choose him, we wouldn’t need to understand the original Hebrew and/or Greek.
If he was really god, reality would match his stated intention. But it doesn’t.
Great video.
NOT WORSHIPPERS of the CREATOR and NOT FOLLOWERS of JESUS CHRIST
Atheists, Jehovah's Witnesses, SDAs, Mormons, Catholics, Methodists, Baptists, Born Again Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and fanatics of all kinds of Religions
KNOW
and are fully aware that all of them are NOT Worshippers of the Creator and NOT Followers of Jesus Christ too
but
the believers and preachers of their own assertions and claims that -
1. God and Gods don't exist
and
2. all that were written in the Bible about the Creator and Jesus Christ are nothing but lies, myths, fictions, fantasies, and fairy tales
WORSHIPPERS of the CREATOR and FOLLOWERS of JESUS CHRIST
The Creator KNOWS
that
his favor and reward of ETERNAL LIFE and existence on earth without sufferings, pains, griefs, sickness, and death as written in Revelation 21: 3, 4
is
NOT for Atheists, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and fanatics of all kinds of Religions
but
ONLY for all his lowly, ordinary, and kind Worshippers
who
willingly submit to the authority of Jesus Christ in their obedience to what's written in Matthew 28: 18
and
the teachings of Jesus Christ about the "Kingdom of God" and "Resurrection of the Dead" written in Luke 4: 43 and John 11: 25, 26
are
the guarantee
that
all his lowly, ordinary, and kind Worshippers
who
died recently and thousands of years ago like Abel, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Job, Naomi, Ruth, King David, Jesus Christ's Followers and disciples, and many others
will
all be RESURRECTED back to life in the right and proper time so they can peacefully, happily, and abundantly live and exist on earth forever
as submissive and obedient subjects and citizens of the "KINGDOM of GOD" or His Kingdom
and
fully enjoy his and his Christ's eternal love, kindness, goodness, generosities, compassions, favors, and blessings for eternity
under the loving and kind rulership, guidance, and protection of Jesus Christ as his Chosen King and Ruler of the heavens and the earth as written in Revelation 11: 15.
Exactly, if a god desired everyone to be saved, then everyone would go to heaven. And no Christian can argue that he has to be just and fair (not that hell is justified lol), because there are so many times where he is being completely unfair. Imagine being punished for wearing clothing that mixes fabrics from different animals. How is that an evil thing to do? And thought crime is also ridiculous and unfair, and especially generational curses.
Hiya Brandon! That's what people who have no answer do. It's great that I no longer have to excuse all that kind of BS now that I'm atheist.
Brandon, man I WISH I could be as quick witted and well versed on the Bible as you! I went to a Christian school, church 3x + a week, VBS, Christian sleep away camps, you name it- and you blow my knowledge out of the water!
I’ve thought about opening up conversations with my family (or just “coming out”. But tbh I just do not have the mental bandwidth to deal with the emotional outcry I know I’d get.
I’ve also been tempted to just send them your channel but I’d still have to have the conversations lol. One day!
Great video, love how you’ve addressed these comments. Thank you for what you do!
Amazing Tuesday take down. It’s astonishing to me how well you can break down these arguments off the cuff.
I was already digging the whole thing and then you wrapped it up with some “ I was in your shoes” and it was the cherry on top. Chefs kiss 😚.
Thank you for explaining how people respond to these arguments. I would not have the patience to read through all of them.
The sad part is, MOST of the Christian’s I interact with haven’t even read the Bible cover to cover. I quote verses and they have no idea they’re even in there. Imagine being an omnipotent god who has the forethought that one of the biggest obstacles of understanding the Bible would be language barriers but being SOOO concerned that your creation was going to be able to build a tower that would reach into the heaven (an obviously valid concern lol) that you choose to confuse everyone’s language. So much so, that “the word” becomes so confusing for the majority of people reading it. That’s a god that is doing everything in his almighty-power to save souls? Yikes.
It is an absolute joke. He desires everyone to be saved, but confuses people and keeps them in the dark so they won't repent to be saved? Seriously that has to be the worst contradiction in the bible, I don't know how Christians could read this and continue to think that Yahweh is good.
The fact that at there are so many different translations and versions just strengthens the argument that it is confusing!
I love your videos so MUCH!!! KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!!!!!!
Loved this one! 🥶🥶
16:26 if I remember correctly there's a unicorn in KJV of Bible.😂😂
The Bible says whatever the Christian using it needs it to say for the sake of their argument.
amen
Here we go!
You were first !! 🎉😊👍
Haha, I am so late today 😅
HI Seeking....were you busy studying the Korean language?@@SeekingTruth2023
@@SCP-SAM Exactly :)
@@SeekingTruth2023 having my foldgers, yum
@SCP-SAM Even without a new video? ;) Yes, I just had a coffee too. So I hope you have a great day! ☀️☕️