+Mswordx23 the key trait that sets the seeker apart from the passive acquiescent- curiosity. If there is a serious curiosity in any person, it cannot be stopped. The mistake comes when those who would prevent curiosity prematurely tell an individual what the 'Truth' is in the hope they will just accept. They tell the person to value truth, when they have no idea how seriously the curious individual will be about doing exactly that. My preacher father did this same thing to me, his very curious daughter. To this day we cannot speak of how seriously I take the pursuit of truth, or how easy it is for him to be so incurious about anything outside of his holy book.
+leah cox my grandma used to praise me for my search for truth and when i revealed to her that the search persuaded me to shed my faith, she told me to stop studying hahaa. sigh. my mother is upset that she didnt make me go to church more and i always tell her that if she wanted to keep me ignorant she actually should of took me out of public school, take away my microscopes, and should of never told me santa claus wasnt real when i was five. they created a very skeptical boy who is now a man and had no idea that they were doing that. funny how their natural instincts were to nurture my curiosity and made the same error your father made. adults i swear, now we are the adults ahaha suckers
I'm deeply grateful to you for having produced this series. Though I first watched it 14 years ago, the ideas and concepts have stuck with me throughout the years and have helped me articulate my own thoughts more clearly to others, both believers and unbelievers alike. From time to time, I come back and rewatch these and continue to be impressed with how clearly articulated your thought process is. I read many of the books including Ingersoll's "Some Mistakes of Moses." Your perspective served as an essential guidepost for me as I found my way forward out of faith. Thank you for the difference this has made in my life.
I watched these videos 13 years ago while in the middle of a divorce as a young man, deeply involved in the charismatic church. They’ve never left the back of my mind and thanks to ChatGPT finally found them again tonight, my life in a completely different place. It’s wild I was in such a prison while preaching it as freedom to others…
Man, your videos may be old by RUclips standards, but they are gems. As an agnostic with a strong atheist leaning, I think your videos stand out of the current atheist crowd because of the humility and the depth of your reflection. Hope to see you back on track one of those days.
Don’t know why I decided to watch this documentary tonight but I remember this being one of the materials that pushed me over the edge. It’s like all the inquiries I had from my baptism at 11 to my deconversion at 20 were the same thoughts others were having
This was one of the series' that helped me 'de-convert' as well, and I've found myself drawn to rewatching this for some reason, here in 2023. Left my church behind at 22 when I was watching videos like this in 2013. Happy I did.
This is a SPOT ON analysis of most christians, especially those who reject science and reason. It's ironic that this sad lot is afraid to learn even about the origins of their own religion. As if learning too much might endanger their fragile community of elitists. Why fear knowledge? The biggest difference between the narrator and the flock he refers to, aside from his genuine quest for the truth, is that he is in COLLEGE, and was required to take an ethics class. If I had not taken the classes I did in college, I'd likely still have the "child mind" that so many American christians do. Knowledge is power, & with great power comes great responsibility, qualities fundies are sadly lacking. Mostly y'all lack critical thinking skills.
In that case, critical thinking should be taught at a young age, as a form of vaccination against idiocy. On top of that, churches and cathedrals should be banned from indoctrinating children until they are 13 years old, to be on the safe side.
"Proceeding to live with the strength of will and force of conviction present beforehand has proved difficult" I know you feel. I felt exactly the same way for probably 3 years after deconverting. As the professor told me when I insisted on going down this path before establishing another identity for myself, I would be "a turtle without a shell". I don't know how long you have been deconverted but I can tell you, from my experience at least: it gets better. I hope my series helps.
It's so cool how you met this professor guy on the internet, just like that, and that he actually took his time for a random young man, conversing on some high, "have you read these thick books?" level. I see how you were inspired to actually talk to people instead of calling them stupid, and how you were always genuinely interested in truth.
Emisilla Silla, these videos helped me so much during my deconversion. I’m sure this person is STILL an Atheist. Once all these things come together a person can’t go back to anything else.
Boy that was a great pardoxical intervention that the professor pulled on you! "don't go into that briar patch!" CLASSIC! And btw - AWESOME videos! Great work, I'm so glad we have talent like yours in our ranks!
I just found your channel and I want to thank you for such great content. I was once a religious person training to be clergy.. and it's inspiring to see other's deconversion story. one day I wish to tell mine... and hope to be as compelling as yours.
Evid3nc3, you have hit it out of the park with this series. Pure genius! I've heard you comment on your quiet and reflective demeanor as a possible weakness in another video. On the contrary, they are among your strongest assets. They give this series a powerful impact. Where it comes to rational conversations you have become a juggernaut. This series will be a boon to a lot of people trying to find their way into the light of reason. Thank you. Keep doing what you're doing.
I love these videos and they make perfect sense. I am amazed this young man went through this transitional journey so young. Like him, my religion is the truth NOW and nothing else. I have watched all of his videos and have been on a journey much like his but it has taken me twice as long to get to the point where he is (fear held me up). I was a devote Christian but no longer. It didn't happen overnight; it has taken 7-10 years I guess. I really opened my heart, mind and soul to other ideas. If people REALLY open their minds.... wow.... what a different world it would be. Religion had it's time and it was called 'The Dark Ages'. People need to stop being scared and intimidated by the constraints of religion, throw off the shackles and go on a search for the truth. What they find will be nothing short of 'mind blowing'. Don't be afraid to explore other possibilities. Religion was designed to control the masses and that is exactly what it has done and mainly through fear I am no academic but I have been searching for God and for things to truly make sense (which they did not before) all my adult life. Be aware, that if you go down this path, it is like 'The Matrix', you will NEVER go back to your previous way of thinking. You might feel alone to begin with but would you rather stayed clouded in ignorance or take the trip down the rabbit hole and see how far it goes? That is what you have to decide and IF you are strong enough to handle the truth. It is not for everyone. I can not tell you how at peace I am now. I am not scared of religion or the so called repercussions of not following it anymore. I am truly free and I am happy having gained that knowledge, I will never go back.
So strong a delivery without need for severe emoting and condescension. The best stick is a smooth well seasoned piece of hardwood with a nice well rubbed finish. These are truly brilliantly delivered vids. Nobody says it better than an ex.
These videos are beautiful. I feel like I'm seeing how my own conversion happened. I was a Catholic once when at 22 years of age I took a course in Philosophy of Science and started questioning religion and started my own quest for truth, ultimately becoming an atheist.
I've watched these videos once before and am coming back to them just now. I forgot just how inspiring the words of the professor were. It's just so beautiful listening to them. And of course, the rest of your videos are brilliant and thought-provoking as well. I deeply respect the path you took to get to where you are now. It also inspires me, as an atheist, to better respect the beliefs of others as well. Thank you so much for these.
Fascinating how much the internet has been an avenue in the search for your truth. Even being able to find books to order to read appears thanks to the internet. Makes sense that you are using this medium to reach out to others. I am old enough that I had no such avenue and was very isolated. Enjoying your series. Hopefully others seeing your journey won't feel so alone in theirs.
At first I thought the slow manner in which you speak was going to bore me before I could finish the videos you have put up so far but I was completely wrong. At this point I really enjoy it because I feel you are selecting your words carefully without pausing to think. As someone else commented before, your tone is rather calming which is something that helps get the point across without being frightening. That is a very good thing because for some the subject is scary enough. More please! ;)
This video hit me on such a personal level. That "orange guy" was totally conveying to you the pain and stress coming from deconversion. I've been a bit blinded by my own pain, and I've been trying to hold myself back from trying to deconvert my friends, to free them from the pain of Christianity. But after watching this video and listening to "orange guy's" advice, I realize now that I might be just introducing my friends to the pain of deconversion that I am going through. He hit the nail on the head with the "out of the frying pan and into the fire" analogy.
Wow, this is good storytelling. It's good not only how you came to your conclusions, but it's artfully put together with such an empathic perspective that I can't imagine someone not being able to relate to your story, especially those who care about the truth. Rock Chalk!
Love, love, love this series of videos. Both in content and presentation. Very, very well done. I just wish more people would take the time to watch and absorb what you present here. Very impressed.
This is a great series that I am constantly awaiting the next video. A de-converted christian myself, I am intrigued to hear and understand other people's stories. It would also be interesting to see how you confronted your family with the change and, if at all, try to get your family to think critically as well. I am looking forward to the videos in the series that follow.
Evid3nc3, this is truly a great series of videos. It is interesting for me as someone who was never religious to hear how the process of deconversion can take place. And you also manage to present it in an aesthetically pleasing way, both graphically and vocally (i.e. you have a great story-telling way of talking). Keep it up.
Wow. Thus far this series is probably the most honest and comprehensive look into the mentality of a very intelligent person who happened to had been of Christian faith. I commend you for putting this information out there for the world.
Once again, a wonderfully calm, sensitive, and rational explanation of deconversion experiences. I'm sure these videos will leave a lasting impression in their viewers, whether religious or not.
Evid3nc3, you are so fucking awesome. The #1 deconversion video maker... hands down... no contest. It is a very rare gift to be able to speak both believer-language and non-believer-language. I was once able to do both... but now that my days of being a believer have been over for so many years... i find that I am loosing my ability to communicate so well to the believers. Once your series is complete, and someone asks about how it is that I don't believe: I will be linking your videos.
as a recent deconvert, i can say that i found videos and articles like these very therapeutic and reassuring when i otherwise felt very alone and rejected. they didn't necessarily point out new problems to me so much as let me know i wasn't the only who noticed such things. i no longer feel like i need the support and reassurance, but i still find them very interesting and enjoyable, especially taking note of the similarities and differences with my own search.
I am a medical doctor and a former christian. Your videos were so brilliantly done with very clear step wise structure and very logical. Your experience really reminded me of my past struggles.
This video touched me on some very deep levels, as I too am on the deconversion train. I was especially intrigued by the older man's replies to you. He seemed to be very concerned with not getting in the way of your spiritual evolutionary process. A very humble and ego-less position to hold. VERY honorable indeed.
This has to be one of the most intellectually compelling series on youtube. As a former Christian, I've never really thought about how my deconversion happened and how many experiences it took to shatter my belief in God. Looking back on my life, I too can see a graceful degradation.
This is a very inspiring video. I wasn't raised religious; I've never had to face the test of whether I could search for truth despite the fear of finding a truth I didn't like. I try to be rational, but I've never shown the kind of intellectual honesty and courage you did... not to mention your effort not to condescend to your fellow believers. Thank you for making these videos.
Today my therapy for anxiety ended. Iam a former Evangelical member of the cult 'The door' after the birth of my daughters and the dead of a good friend I started to think about my personal beliefs. I feared to lost my faith and going to hell because of the questions and doubts, this led me in therapy that just ended. I really appreciate your videos they help me to overcome fear from the immoral teachings of the church. Peace and love from Amsterdam!
Its interesting that as I watch these videos, my faith is actually growing somewhat stronger in God. I find these videos very interesting and well put together and I have a lot of respect for the maker and the face that his presentation is respectful of myself and my beliefs.
Man, your videos are so awsome. I just wish they came a little sooner. But I guess you have your real life to deal with. Anyway, thanks for contributing your story. Your voice overs are clear and to the point yet they still manage to have a narative.
Absolutely amazing. I always eagerly await these videos. This is also an interesting perspective to me. My Christian ties were always very weak in comparison. I didn't go to church on a regular basis, and my inquisitive mind was always delved deeply into science. So to see a deconversion from someone who had very strong ties to Christianity is interesting and enlightening.
@@skullo5557 hey! Sorry to disappoint you, but I am still a Christian :) yes, even after watching all of this guy’s videos. They are very well edited, but none of his reasons are anything I haven’t encountered before.
@@skullo5557 There are many reasons why I believe in God, and many of them have to with reality, truth, and objectivity. Those things aren’t material, and only exist in our minds. Yet they’re different for each of us - we all create our own worlds in our own minds. Since truth is in the mind only way we can say anything is absolutely true is if there is an absolute mind. Whether or not we believe in God, we all believe that certain things are good and bad, we all believe in moral duties, and we all believe in absolute truth. I don’t see how any of those can exist without a supreme mind
I'm perplexed and awed by the professor's approach. It is so complex, with many variables to which he is experienced, and he is understanding of a "natural path" of rational growth an individual must undertake alone. However, this path is by and large the path least taken, and it should be an emphasis of people like the professor to begin to encourage more people down this path, instead of idly watching the flames of ignorance perpetuate. It's quite a double-edged sword... no easy answer.
As someone who never believed in any god, it is fascinating to me to follow a former theistic mindset on the path to atheism. I will definitely continue on with your videos! Well done!
P.S. This was another *great* video, Evid3nc3. Although your path to apostasy isn't parallel to my own, I find it intriguing how others experience their deconversion. I must say, I admire your methods and rationale. They were quite similar to how I was thinking throughout my experience, though I concede that you were much more educated than I. Myself, I approached it by comparing the teachings of the RCC with the text and reading parts of the Bible I didn't know existed. And here's the result.
This video is amazing. Although I never had beliefs in any particular religious faith, I did carry with me in Junior High and early on in High School some beliefs that were irrational. It's wonderful that I can hear a story similar to my own in the sense that education and reason soon changed my entire view on life.
Very nice. As you yourself speak on in this video and further on, and several of your viewers comment, it is the seeking of knowledge and truth that most often (inevitably) clashes with ones religious beliefs. Goes on to fuel my conception that it is only through a combination of lack of knowledge, a questionin/critical mind and capability to exert proper self-criticism that one can hold onto the faith of major religions.
fuck i almost cried. i got that old feeling back when i was 14 or so praying in the local mosque, back when i used to believe. the sort of feeling you got when you felt like god talked to you and understood you. it felt as though i have been revealed important truths about the universe. but mehh it's probably just the bg music and your NLP therapist voice. but man i think you are going to deconvert a hell lot of people. good luck and "god" bless.
Very interesting. I love the diagrams you use in your videos, for someone my age, they give me a better understanding of what you're talking about. Thanks for the video.
the professor that you were speaking with had a great deal of wisdom when he advised to stop seeking whats true in reality and what is (arguably) false. Although I've become somewhat dejected since loosing my religious foundation; one which had borne me most of my conscious life. Proceeding to live with the strength of will and force of conviction present beforehand has proved difficult, but, I think its ultimately necessary not only sustain the quality of life that was but to surpass it
I'm a HUGE Robert Green Ingersoll fan. I also have recommended that theists read his writings as well as Thomas Paine's "Age of Reason" Excellent video. One day I see you as famous as Richard Dawkins.
+Andrew Zheng Separating reverse psychology from a genuine attempt to dissuade someone from taking a certain action can be pretty difficult. In this case, I think the professor was being sincere, because he understood first hand just how damaging and painful deconverting can really be.
Heh. A year later and I find myself clicking 'show replies' on a comment I forgot I replied to while listening to this series again out of nostalgia, only to find both glaring grammatical errors in my old post _and_ that I had somehow managed to post it twice. Naturally I had to fix that shit post-haste, even though it's doubtful you even read my reply in the first place. Well, on the off-chance you _do_ get this, Mr. Zheng, my apologies for my sloppiness and subsequent tardiness in the correction.
This is an excellent series, but I wish you would give some indicator of when you are changing between your emails and his, as it gets a bit confusing.
+K IRA there is actually and indicator on the bottom left and right corner of the vids. E on the left for the creator of the vid, P on the right side for the professor. i never use them because i could always follow but im glad they are there. hope that helps
"If I find the truth, I take it-bitter or not." That's reminiscent of a quote from Thomas Henry Huxley: "Sit down before fact as a little child, be prepared to give up every preconceived notion, follow humbly wherever and to whatever abysses nature leads, or you shall learn nothing."
I don't know if you'll read this, but I must say, the only thing I learned from your videos is "there are others like me". But I thank you, cause that's of indescribable importance, the moment I see someone took the very same steps as mine, searching for the truth, and coming to essentially, the same answers, I feel free to keep going, I feel that I'm not alone anymore, I thank you, cause I never wanted to live a world of ignorance.
your videos are absolutely brilliant, its very encouraging to see your videos specially with this next election we have coming up and religion being such a big part of it. Keep it up!
Just so everyone knows, I was able to find "Mistakes of Moses" for free on Amazon Kindle. They charge for "Some Mistakes of Moses" on Kindle, which apparently is an inferior, poorly scanned reprint from the 1980's. I hope that more people can now get a hold of this book.
I agree with the professor: If you deconvert someone, you’ve taken something away from him, something that has been very important to him, so you leave him empty, at least for a while. That gives you a moral responsibility to fill the void with something else, something equally as important. In other words, if you tear something down, you have to build something in its place. Religion is a crutch, but many people cannot walk without a crutch. If you take it away, you must teach them to walk.
I am very much enjoying these videos as I stumbled across them after stumbling across the video's by eli (purplefox), I had to pause it when I heard you were studying at KU at the time. Rock Chalk! that is all, back to watching.
The part where the professor is trying to warn you away from all this reminded me of the scenes from that Dewey Cox movie where he keeps walking in on the guy doing drugs and the guy keeps saying 'Get out of here Dewey, you don't want none of this!'
I understand the experiences you've had with the religious that would motivate that hypothesis. There are a couple of different important rebuttals, though. One is that the series serves a multitude of purposes other than deconverting Christians. Those purposes align with the goals listed on my profile page. The other is that I actually already have had several intelligent and open-minded Christians inform me that the series has challenged them an engaged them. Their comments are on the vids.
You said "I seek the truth above all things." And that's why you ultimately became an atheist. As much as Christians enjoy professing themselves in possession of and beholden to "the truth," a critical exploration of their beliefs inevitably turns up examples of either deep ignorance or systemic intellectual dishonesty. After long debate, some will eventually admit that what they really rely on is faith--not truth. Because commitment to truth really will lead to atheism. Great series of videos.
This part of your story reminds me of Pilgrims Progress. The part where Christian encounters Mr. Worldly Wise man who attempts to allure him with his excellence of speech and cynical perspective on life. I'm also reminded of James 3:13-18 which gives us a clear distinction between the wisdom of this world in stark contrast to the wisdom that God grants. I understand how this Professor of Linguistics can seem so persuasive do to his personal experience, yet experience does not determine truth.
Your correspondence sounded like a scene from the Matrix. "This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes."
What else I will say is that I do plan on looking into the same books that you looked into. Textual criticism comes in many packages, yet it is fundamentally the same across the board.
@Garu279 Amen Garu! I am a christian, but am thoroughly enjoying this series and the open minded views of this man. I have had these very same conflicts myself and more and more am leading to his very same conclusion. I don't think I could ever give up on a belief in a higher being, our LORD GOD, but it is to what extent we allow ignorance over the truth to guide our lives. There is nothing wrong in believing just don't allow truth to be buried. of course Truth is truth
Thanks for the feedback on this. It has been a challenge for me to design a format that shows clearly who is talking while not distracting from the clarity of the diagrams. It is important for me to know that it still isn't quite clear and that I need to do some more thinking on the design.
Thank you everyone. While I would publish the series anyways as a reference to Christians and atheists of how (apparently many) deconversions work, it is phenomenally motivating to receive such high marks of praise for my efforts. Thank you so much.
This section is actually honourable, since blind faith indeed does not please God. The truth in love is what it is all about, but to connect the dots and see the bigger picture does require knowledge, wisdom, understanding and spiritual discernment to remain proper balance and to not get deceived in the process. You went on this search by not knowing and understanding God good enough, and that allowed your foundations to be destroyed way to easy.
Hunger for the truth. Valuing truth and evidence above all else. The perfect recipe for an atheist.
+Mswordx23 the key trait that sets the seeker apart from the passive acquiescent- curiosity. If there is a serious curiosity in any person, it cannot be stopped. The mistake comes when those who would prevent curiosity prematurely tell an individual what the 'Truth' is in the hope they will just accept. They tell the person to value truth, when they have no idea how seriously the curious individual will be about doing exactly that. My preacher father did this same thing to me, his very curious daughter. To this day we cannot speak of how seriously I take the pursuit of truth, or how easy it is for him to be so incurious about anything outside of his holy book.
+leah cox my grandma used to praise me for my search for truth and when i revealed to her that the search persuaded me to shed my faith, she told me to stop studying hahaa. sigh. my mother is upset that she didnt make me go to church more and i always tell her that if she wanted to keep me ignorant she actually should of took me out of public school, take away my microscopes, and should of never told me santa claus wasnt real when i was five. they created a very skeptical boy who is now a man and had no idea that they were doing that. funny how their natural instincts were to nurture my curiosity and made the same error your father made. adults i swear, now we are the adults ahaha suckers
+Mswordx23 Dang, I would have never thought I'd see the Steven Universe music channel here.
Haha, its like the professor you spoke to was Morpheus and you had the option of taking the blue pill or the red pill.
Perfect analogy XD. He even warned him and tried to convince him to continue living his life like this interaction never happened.
I kind of wish I had someone tell me this though.
This guys story must mirror so many of us deconverts. I love hearing how my trail to truth and religious freedom is shared by many others too.
This series is remarkable.
Thank you once again everyone for the kind, articulate, and insightful comments.
I'm deeply grateful to you for having produced this series. Though I first watched it 14 years ago, the ideas and concepts have stuck with me throughout the years and have helped me articulate my own thoughts more clearly to others, both believers and unbelievers alike.
From time to time, I come back and rewatch these and continue to be impressed with how clearly articulated your thought process is. I read many of the books including Ingersoll's "Some Mistakes of Moses."
Your perspective served as an essential guidepost for me as I found my way forward out of faith. Thank you for the difference this has made in my life.
I watched these videos 13 years ago while in the middle of a divorce as a young man, deeply involved in the charismatic church. They’ve never left the back of my mind and thanks to ChatGPT finally found them again tonight, my life in a completely different place. It’s wild I was in such a prison while preaching it as freedom to others…
Man, your videos may be old by RUclips standards, but they are gems. As an agnostic with a strong atheist leaning, I think your videos stand out of the current atheist crowd because of the humility and the depth of your reflection. Hope to see you back on track one of those days.
Don’t know why I decided to watch this documentary tonight but I remember this being one of the materials that pushed me over the edge. It’s like all the inquiries I had from my baptism at 11 to my deconversion at 20 were the same thoughts others were having
This was one of the series' that helped me 'de-convert' as well, and I've found myself drawn to rewatching this for some reason, here in 2023. Left my church behind at 22 when I was watching videos like this in 2013. Happy I did.
@@TheGrades90 nice dude. Enjoy your life free of the shackles of religious burden
Maybe the best deconversion series on the web today. You're the man, Evidence! You're doing the tremendous service for the world at large.
This is a SPOT ON analysis of most christians, especially those who reject science and reason. It's ironic that this sad lot is afraid to learn even about the origins of their own religion. As if learning too much might endanger their fragile community of elitists. Why fear knowledge? The biggest difference between the narrator and the flock he refers to, aside from his genuine quest for the truth, is that he is in COLLEGE, and was required to take an ethics class. If I had not taken the classes I did in college, I'd likely still have the "child mind" that so many American christians do. Knowledge is power, & with great power comes great responsibility, qualities fundies are sadly lacking. Mostly y'all lack critical thinking skills.
In that case, critical thinking should be taught at a young age, as a form of vaccination against idiocy.
On top of that, churches and cathedrals should be banned from indoctrinating children until they are 13 years old, to be on the safe side.
Ryan Sample Bloody brilliant idea.
"Proceeding to live with the strength of will and force of conviction present beforehand has proved difficult"
I know you feel. I felt exactly the same way for probably 3 years after deconverting. As the professor told me when I insisted on going down this path before establishing another identity for myself, I would be "a turtle without a shell".
I don't know how long you have been deconverted but I can tell you, from my experience at least: it gets better. I hope my series helps.
It's so cool how you met this professor guy on the internet, just like that, and that he actually took his time for a random young man, conversing on some high, "have you read these thick books?" level.
I see how you were inspired to actually talk to people instead of calling them stupid, and how you were always genuinely interested in truth.
Gee thx for the videos :p everything was going fine until I watched your videos and end up reading the books you mentioned and now I am an Atheist
Really? Are you still an atheist, four years later?
Emisilla Silla, these videos helped me so much during my deconversion. I’m sure this person is STILL an Atheist. Once all these things come together a person can’t go back to anything else.
Boy that was a great pardoxical intervention that the professor pulled on you! "don't go into that briar patch!" CLASSIC!
And btw - AWESOME videos! Great work, I'm so glad we have talent like yours in our ranks!
I just found your channel and I want to thank you for such great content. I was once a religious person training to be clergy.. and it's inspiring to see other's deconversion story. one day I wish to tell mine... and hope to be as compelling as yours.
Tell yours now!
Evid3nc3, you have hit it out of the park with this series. Pure genius! I've heard you comment on your quiet and reflective demeanor as a possible weakness in another video. On the contrary, they are among your strongest assets. They give this series a powerful impact. Where it comes to rational conversations you have become a juggernaut. This series will be a boon to a lot of people trying to find their way into the light of reason. Thank you. Keep doing what you're doing.
This series continues to be a superior piece of work, Evid3nc3. A true pleasure to watch. Thanks for doing it.
I love these videos and they make perfect sense. I am amazed this young man went through this transitional journey so young. Like him, my religion is the truth NOW and nothing else. I have watched all of his videos and have been on a journey much like his but it has taken me twice as long to get to the point where he is (fear held me up). I was a devote Christian but no longer. It didn't happen overnight; it has taken 7-10 years I guess. I really opened my heart, mind and soul to other ideas.
If people REALLY open their minds.... wow.... what a different world it would be. Religion had it's time and it was called 'The Dark Ages'. People need to stop being scared and intimidated by the constraints of religion, throw off the shackles and go on a search for the truth. What they find will be nothing short of 'mind blowing'. Don't be afraid to explore other possibilities. Religion was designed to control the masses and that is exactly what it has done and mainly through fear
I am no academic but I have been searching for God and for things to truly make sense (which they did not before) all my adult life. Be aware, that if you go down this path, it is like 'The Matrix', you will NEVER go back to your previous way of thinking. You might feel alone to begin with but would you rather stayed clouded in ignorance or take the trip down the rabbit hole and see how far it goes? That is what you have to decide and IF you are strong enough to handle the truth. It is not for everyone.
I can not tell you how at peace I am now. I am not scared of religion or the so called repercussions of not following it anymore. I am truly free and I am happy having gained that knowledge, I will never go back.
Who is Jesus Christ to you?
This whole series so far is the most complex and well told in detailed stories I have seen of deconversion, can't wait for more
This is the best series I needed this I am newly deconverted at 57.
Same here at 53.
This video is spot on. I can't wait for the future installments of this series.
So strong a delivery without need for severe emoting and condescension. The best stick is a smooth well seasoned piece of hardwood with a nice well rubbed finish. These are truly brilliantly delivered vids. Nobody says it better than an ex.
These videos are beautiful. I feel like I'm seeing how my own conversion happened. I was a Catholic once when at 22 years of age I took a course in Philosophy of Science and started questioning religion and started my own quest for truth, ultimately becoming an atheist.
I've watched these videos once before and am coming back to them just now. I forgot just how inspiring the words of the professor were. It's just so beautiful listening to them. And of course, the rest of your videos are brilliant and thought-provoking as well. I deeply respect the path you took to get to where you are now. It also inspires me, as an atheist, to better respect the beliefs of others as well. Thank you so much for these.
Fascinating how much the internet has been an avenue in the search for your truth. Even being able to find books to order to read appears thanks to the internet. Makes sense that you are using this medium to reach out to others. I am old enough that I had no such avenue and was very isolated.
Enjoying your series. Hopefully others seeing your journey won't feel so alone in theirs.
At first I thought the slow manner in which you speak was going to bore me before I could finish the videos you have put up so far but I was completely wrong. At this point I really enjoy it because I feel you are selecting your words carefully without pausing to think. As someone else commented before, your tone is rather calming which is something that helps get the point across without being frightening. That is a very good thing because for some the subject is scary enough. More please! ;)
This video hit me on such a personal level. That "orange guy" was totally conveying to you the pain and stress coming from deconversion. I've been a bit blinded by my own pain, and I've been trying to hold myself back from trying to deconvert my friends, to free them from the pain of Christianity. But after watching this video and listening to "orange guy's" advice, I realize now that I might be just introducing my friends to the pain of deconversion that I am going through. He hit the nail on the head with the "out of the frying pan and into the fire" analogy.
The pain of deconversion is very severe. I would like to see a video on the pain of deconversion.
Wow, this is good storytelling. It's good not only how you came to your conclusions, but it's artfully put together with such an empathic perspective that I can't imagine someone not being able to relate to your story, especially those who care about the truth.
Rock Chalk!
Love, love, love this series of videos. Both in content and presentation. Very, very well done. I just wish more people would take the time to watch and absorb what you present here. Very impressed.
This is a great series that I am constantly awaiting the next video. A de-converted christian myself, I am intrigued to hear and understand other people's stories. It would also be interesting to see how you confronted your family with the change and, if at all, try to get your family to think critically as well. I am looking forward to the videos in the series that follow.
Wow, what you said about "Feeling like you're in a different rational 'room' than everyone else in your church" is exactly how I felt.
Evid3nc3, this is truly a great series of videos. It is interesting for me as someone who was never religious to hear how the process of deconversion can take place.
And you also manage to present it in an aesthetically pleasing way, both graphically and vocally (i.e. you have a great story-telling way of talking).
Keep it up.
Wow. Thus far this series is probably the most honest and comprehensive look into the mentality of a very intelligent person who happened to had been of Christian faith. I commend you for putting this information out there for the world.
Once again, a wonderfully calm, sensitive, and rational explanation of deconversion experiences. I'm sure these videos will leave a lasting impression in their viewers, whether religious or not.
Really like this vid. Awesome storytelling.
I love this series and I totally relate with your experience. Thanks for taking the time and effort to make it and share it with us.
Evid3nc3, you are so fucking awesome. The #1 deconversion video maker... hands down... no contest.
It is a very rare gift to be able to speak both believer-language and non-believer-language.
I was once able to do both... but now that my days of being a believer have been over for so many years... i find that I am loosing my ability to communicate so well to the believers.
Once your series is complete, and someone asks about how it is that I don't believe: I will be linking your videos.
just want to say your videos thus far are fantastic, this almost mirrors my own personal experience.
Thank you very much for these.
as a recent deconvert, i can say that i found videos and articles like these very therapeutic and reassuring when i otherwise felt very alone and rejected.
they didn't necessarily point out new problems to me so much as let me know i wasn't the only who noticed such things.
i no longer feel like i need the support and reassurance, but i still find them very interesting and enjoyable, especially taking note of the similarities and differences with my own search.
I am a medical doctor and a former christian. Your videos were so brilliantly done with very clear step wise structure and very logical.
Your experience really reminded me of my past struggles.
This video touched me on some very deep levels, as I too am on the deconversion train. I was especially intrigued by the older man's replies to you. He seemed to be very concerned with not getting in the way of your spiritual evolutionary process. A very humble and ego-less position to hold. VERY honorable indeed.
this story brings me to tears... that professor is so touching
This has to be one of the most intellectually compelling series on youtube. As a former Christian, I've never really thought about how my deconversion happened and how many experiences it took to shatter my belief in God. Looking back on my life, I too can see a graceful degradation.
This is a very inspiring video. I wasn't raised religious; I've never had to face the test of whether I could search for truth despite the fear of finding a truth I didn't like. I try to be rational, but I've never shown the kind of intellectual honesty and courage you did... not to mention your effort not to condescend to your fellow believers. Thank you for making these videos.
Simply amazing and you're doing a lot better with the voice over as you go along! Awesome work.
This is powerful stuff! I love how humble both this professor and you are about this whole debate. I can't wait to watch the next installment!
Today my therapy for anxiety ended. Iam a former Evangelical member of the cult 'The door' after the birth of my daughters and the dead of a good friend I started to think about my personal beliefs. I feared to lost my faith and going to hell because of the questions and doubts, this led me in therapy that just ended. I really appreciate your videos they help me to overcome fear from the immoral teachings of the church. Peace and love from Amsterdam!
This is amazing.... everything mentioned so far seems so right. i like the responses of the professor.
Sorry for repeating myself, but this is just a fantastic series! I'm very much looking forward to its continuation. Keep it up!
Its interesting that as I watch these videos, my faith is actually growing somewhat stronger in God. I find these videos very interesting and well put together and I have a lot of respect for the maker and the face that his presentation is respectful of myself and my beliefs.
Premium quality video with fascinating insight into your journey to deconversion. Captivating work, as always.
Again, well versed. Your narratives are nice to listen to. Awaiting the next one patiently...
I've enjoyed your story and your well written, and soft spoken explanation of your path.
As always I look forward to the next installment.
Man, your videos are so awsome. I just wish they came a little sooner. But I guess you have your real life to deal with.
Anyway, thanks for contributing your story. Your voice overs are clear and to the point yet they still manage to have a narative.
Can't wait for the next episode. I love deconversion stories but this is becoming an epic!
Keep them coming!
Absolutely amazing. I always eagerly await these videos.
This is also an interesting perspective to me. My Christian ties were always very weak in comparison. I didn't go to church on a regular basis, and my inquisitive mind was always delved deeply into science. So to see a deconversion from someone who had very strong ties to Christianity is interesting and enlightening.
I am a Christian, listening to find out why certain people lose their faith. I wish all of you the best
updates?
@@skullo5557 hey! Sorry to disappoint you, but I am still a Christian :) yes, even after watching all of this guy’s videos. They are very well edited, but none of his reasons are anything I haven’t encountered before.
@@crafterman2345 wow that’s crazy, may i ask why you still believe in God?
@@skullo5557 There are many reasons why I believe in God, and many of them have to with reality, truth, and objectivity. Those things aren’t material, and only exist in our minds. Yet they’re different for each of us - we all create our own worlds in our own minds. Since truth is in the mind only way we can say anything is absolutely true is if there is an absolute mind. Whether or not we believe in God, we all believe that certain things are good and bad, we all believe in moral duties, and we all believe in absolute truth. I don’t see how any of those can exist without a supreme mind
@@crafterman2345 so i guess your creation pillar made you stand as a christian lol?
I'm perplexed and awed by the professor's approach. It is so complex, with many variables to which he is experienced, and he is understanding of a "natural path" of rational growth an individual must undertake alone.
However, this path is by and large the path least taken, and it should be an emphasis of people like the professor to begin to encourage more people down this path, instead of idly watching the flames of ignorance perpetuate.
It's quite a double-edged sword... no easy answer.
As someone who never believed in any god, it is fascinating to me to follow a former theistic mindset on the path to atheism. I will definitely continue on with your videos! Well done!
You have some great videos man! Keep pumping them out! I'll keep promoting them!
P.S. This was another *great* video, Evid3nc3. Although your path to apostasy isn't parallel to my own, I find it intriguing how others experience their deconversion.
I must say, I admire your methods and rationale. They were quite similar to how I was thinking throughout my experience, though I concede that you were much more educated than I. Myself, I approached it by comparing the teachings of the RCC with the text and reading parts of the Bible I didn't know existed. And here's the result.
This video is amazing. Although I never had beliefs in any particular religious faith, I did carry with me in Junior High and early on in High School some beliefs that were irrational. It's wonderful that I can hear a story similar to my own in the sense that education and reason soon changed my entire view on life.
YAY!! I love these so much! So well made, please keep them coming!
Quality of your videos are just stunning. I love the content too. Keep it up!
Very nice.
As you yourself speak on in this video and further on, and several of your viewers comment, it is the seeking of knowledge and truth that most often (inevitably) clashes with ones religious beliefs.
Goes on to fuel my conception that it is only through a combination of lack of knowledge, a questionin/critical mind and capability to exert proper self-criticism that one can hold onto the faith of major religions.
fuck i almost cried. i got that old feeling back when i was 14 or so praying in the local mosque, back when i used to believe. the sort of feeling you got when you felt like god talked to you and understood you. it felt as though i have been revealed important truths about the universe. but mehh it's probably just the bg music and your NLP therapist voice. but man i think you are going to deconvert a hell lot of people. good luck and "god" bless.
Very interesting. I love the diagrams you use in your videos, for someone my age, they give me a better understanding of what you're talking about.
Thanks for the video.
the professor that you were speaking with had a great deal of wisdom when he advised to stop seeking whats true in reality and what is (arguably) false.
Although I've become somewhat dejected since loosing my religious foundation; one which had borne me most of my conscious life.
Proceeding to live with the strength of will and force of conviction present beforehand has proved difficult, but, I think its ultimately necessary not only sustain the quality of life that was but to surpass it
if there was a love button for this video I'd choose it. One of my favourite from this series so far.
Amazing series, I just watched through the whole thing and it has amazing narration and the video editing is top notch stuff.
Subscribed.
I'm a HUGE Robert Green Ingersoll fan. I also have recommended that theists read his writings as well as Thomas Paine's "Age of Reason"
Excellent video. One day I see you as famous as Richard Dawkins.
That guy's attempt to dissuade you sounds more like a temptation to search for the truth more.
+Andrew Zheng Separating reverse psychology from a genuine attempt to dissuade someone from taking a certain action can be pretty difficult. In this case, I think the professor was being sincere, because he understood first hand just how damaging and painful deconverting can really be.
Heh. A year later and I find myself clicking 'show replies' on a comment I forgot I replied to while listening to this series again out of nostalgia, only to find both glaring grammatical errors in my old post _and_ that I had somehow managed to post it twice. Naturally I had to fix that shit post-haste, even though it's doubtful you even read my reply in the first place.
Well, on the off-chance you _do_ get this, Mr. Zheng, my apologies for my sloppiness and subsequent tardiness in the correction.
This is an excellent series, but I wish you would give some indicator of when you are changing between your emails and his, as it gets a bit confusing.
+K IRA there is actually and indicator on the bottom left and right corner of the vids. E on the left for the creator of the vid, P on the right side for the professor. i never use them because i could always follow but im glad they are there. hope that helps
lowlowseesee OK, thanks. I didn't realise the first time I watched it because I had turned off the annotations.
+K IRA no problem. some of the later vids only use the figures that represent the professor and Evid3nc3.
"If I find the truth, I take it-bitter or not." That's reminiscent of a quote from Thomas Henry Huxley: "Sit down before fact as a little child, be prepared to give up every preconceived notion, follow humbly wherever and to whatever abysses nature leads, or you shall learn nothing."
I don't know if you'll read this, but I must say, the only thing I learned from your videos is "there are others like me".
But I thank you, cause that's of indescribable importance, the moment I see someone took the very same steps as mine, searching for the truth, and coming to essentially, the same answers, I feel free to keep going, I feel that I'm not alone anymore, I thank you, cause I never wanted to live a world of ignorance.
I really appreciate your making these videos. Thank you.
Totally captivating. Seriously good program making.
This series is awesome, I wish my deconversion was this powerful and systematic haha.
your videos are absolutely brilliant, its very encouraging to see your videos specially with this next election we have coming up and religion being such a big part of it. Keep it up!
Much appreciated. Looking forward to more stuff from you.
That is exactly what it felt like when I came out of it
Just so everyone knows, I was able to find "Mistakes of Moses" for free on Amazon Kindle. They charge for "Some Mistakes of Moses" on Kindle, which apparently is an inferior, poorly scanned reprint from the 1980's. I hope that more people can now get a hold of this book.
+RevNoch its an easy read and one of my favorite books. i also have it on kindle and a print version. thanks for posting that
Thank you
awesome as usual, can't wait to your next video
I agree with the professor: If you deconvert someone, you’ve taken something away from him, something that has been very important to him, so you leave him empty, at least for a while. That gives you a moral responsibility to fill the void with something else, something equally as important. In other words, if you tear something down, you have to build something in its place.
Religion is a crutch, but many people cannot walk without a crutch. If you take it away, you must teach them to walk.
I am very much enjoying these videos as I stumbled across them after stumbling across the video's by eli (purplefox), I had to pause it when I heard you were studying at KU at the time. Rock Chalk! that is all, back to watching.
I like this guy's voice. It sounds like an AI or robot.
The part where the professor is trying to warn you away from all this reminded me of the scenes from that Dewey Cox movie where he keeps walking in on the guy doing drugs and the guy keeps saying 'Get out of here Dewey, you don't want none of this!'
I understand the experiences you've had with the religious that would motivate that hypothesis. There are a couple of different important rebuttals, though.
One is that the series serves a multitude of purposes other than deconverting Christians. Those purposes align with the goals listed on my profile page.
The other is that I actually already have had several intelligent and open-minded Christians inform me that the series has challenged them an engaged them. Their comments are on the vids.
You said "I seek the truth above all things."
And that's why you ultimately became an atheist. As much as Christians enjoy professing themselves in possession of and beholden to "the truth," a critical exploration of their beliefs inevitably turns up examples of either deep ignorance or systemic intellectual dishonesty. After long debate, some will eventually admit that what they really rely on is faith--not truth. Because commitment to truth really will lead to atheism. Great series of videos.
This part of your story reminds me of Pilgrims Progress. The part where Christian encounters Mr. Worldly Wise man who attempts to allure him with his excellence of speech and cynical perspective on life. I'm also reminded of James 3:13-18 which gives us a clear distinction between the wisdom of this world in stark contrast to the wisdom that God grants. I understand how this Professor of Linguistics can seem so persuasive do to his personal experience, yet experience does not determine truth.
Fantastic, I cannot wait for the next one.
Your correspondence sounded like a scene from the Matrix. "This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes."
What else I will say is that I do plan on looking into the same books that you looked into. Textual criticism comes in many packages, yet it is fundamentally the same across the board.
@Garu279 Amen Garu! I am a christian, but am thoroughly enjoying this series and the open minded views of this man. I have had these very same conflicts myself and more and more am leading to his very same conclusion. I don't think I could ever give up on a belief in a higher being, our LORD GOD, but it is to what extent we allow ignorance over the truth to guide our lives. There is nothing wrong in believing just don't allow truth to be buried. of course Truth is truth
These videos are really touching me emotionally because my story is so similar
Thanks for the feedback on this. It has been a challenge for me to design a format that shows clearly who is talking while not distracting from the clarity of the diagrams. It is important for me to know that it still isn't quite clear and that I need to do some more thinking on the design.
Thank you :) I usually put an annotation in the lower right corner of the last 12 seconds of each video foreshadowing what the next video will be.
Thank you everyone. While I would publish the series anyways as a reference to Christians and atheists of how (apparently many) deconversions work, it is phenomenally motivating to receive such high marks of praise for my efforts.
Thank you so much.
This section is actually honourable, since blind faith indeed does not please God. The truth in love is what it is all about, but to connect the dots and see the bigger picture does require knowledge, wisdom, understanding and spiritual discernment to remain proper balance and to not get deceived in the process. You went on this search by not knowing and understanding God good enough, and that allowed your foundations to be destroyed way to easy.
Each time I watch the videos, I learn something new. (And I am an atheist).
Powerful stuff
5/5
can't wait for the next