Don't forget to watch that diss track that my friends made about me: ruclips.net/video/TmKy0LQmLSQ/видео.html Also, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. What do you label yourself?
Alex, While I absolutely love your videos.l..I could not disagree with you more on this. If someone believes in God they are a theist, if they do not they are a non-theist. p V ~p. While people can use the phrase agnostic atheist it is superfluous. Atheism is a belief claim, and adding a qualifier on it "agnostic" doesn't tell us anything more than someone just saying that they are an "atheist". Logically it is: p=some god exist Theist = Bp Atheist = B~p Agnostic =~Bp&~B~p While I understand why Silverman and Aron Ra want to include agnostics for political demographics, but at what price...to sacrifice philosophical context of words? I reject the atheist label, not because of any stigma of the word, but because it does not properly express my theological position. I would LOVE to discuss this with you and our mutual friend Holy Koolaid and Ozymandias. Would you be willing to?
Alex, I also would submit that you're trying to promote a false disjunction. p V q, not q therefore p. And you are trying to assign q=theist, a=atheist and this presents a false dichotomy. Logically if someone is not a theist, the MOST you can logically follow from that is someone who is not a theist is a non-theist (not a theist). If people want to take on the broad definition of atheism being a "lack of belief" (as per Flew's "presumption of atheism") they most certainly can, but that is not how it is used on philosophy and academics. In academics, atheism is a BELIEF that god or gods do not exist. The concept of atheism existing because of theism is just co-extensive since for any proposition we have the possibility of the rejection of the proposition...but atheism in philosophical terms is an active belief, a rejection of the claim of theism...else it leads to absurd consequences such as rocks being atheist.
Haven't finished watching your video, but I'll already answer: I call myself an "Agnostic Atheist", because I agree with Matts distinction of Agnostic being a position of knowledge and Atheist being a position of believe. I don't believe, but I don't know, therefore I'm an agonstic atheist. But frankly, everyone should be Agnostic by default, because nobody knows about any deities, everybody only has believe or a lack of believe, but nobody knows wether any god exists or not.
I just say that I'm not religious because I live in tennessee and calling myself an atheist is about like saying that I'm a child molester in the eyes of most people here.
Wulris: Road To 10,000 Subscribers! Same, but I'm in wisconsin. An unfortunately VERY religious and conservative part of the state. One time I only told a girl that I didnt go to church very often and she glared at me from across the room for the next 15 minutes.
I live in South Dakota (something I'll never get used to saying) and I get a lot of weird looks when people find out. It's not something I lead with, preferring to wait until people know me for a bit before I'll admit it (usually leading to "but... you seem so nice?"), and I only offer it up at all if they bring religion up first... but I never lie about it. If someone thought to ask me point blank I'd be completely honest.
Yeah, I remember back in middle school at one point I had told somebody that I was an atheist and within an hour it seemed that the entire school knew and they all hated me for it. Deciding that I would rather have friends than have people know my actual beliefs, I just told people that it was a joke.
My daughter is a bit bolder about it than I am, something I've tried to caution her about, which has gotten some interesting reactions from people ("You're a Satanist???"). And for the record I've never "pushed" atheism on her, I've always felt she should make her own informed decision about religion. But with the information at her disposal, she's decided the god thing and blind faith are just silly.
I know some Christians that are legitimately afraid of me because I'm an atheist. They believe I'm some spawn of Satan, only here to push them from the path of light to god. Sometimes have my bible and read it upside down, that's a fun thing to do lol. See them squirm as they try to get away from me with out noticing, then i just lock eyes with one of the people as they leave and they begin to run. I'm a bit of a sadist lmao. *edit 7/26/23 This comment was from 5 years ago and it’s sooooo fucking cringy, and yet I still get likes and comments about it, some obviously sarcastic and some I can’t even tell. But I do want to note, Atheists and Atheism as a group are still demonized and are by far one of the most hated groups within American society. In part to comments like the one I wrote. Regardless of how scholars and academics attempt to make atheism a more digestible and likable identity/ideology, it is stupid fucking comments on the internet like mine that make atheists look stupid, arrogant and unlikeable. Don’t post your cringy comments about how you scare religious people. You’re making your own oppression and for some reason like being an oppressed class. Shut the fuck up and be a normal person, then maybe atheists won’t be the most hated group in America. Rant over.
@@jendoubinour6902 funny thing,I'm Egyptian and ive been exposed to foreign culture through watching Minecraft videos in english at the age of 10,so I can thank Minecraft for making me an atheist
I am from South Africa, in Limpopo. My neighbours here think that my saying I am an atheist translates to I hate God. But I always enjoy the liberty to educate them, even when they think I am Lucifer's son. I AM AN ATHEIST
You are in the Devil's kingdom. There are two kingdom. The Devil's kingdom and God's kingdom. Everything here belongs to Satan. God's kingdom is not of this world, it's out of everything, even time. God can not be limit. In the Devil's kingdom you have religion. And Christianity is not a religion, we are of God's kingdom, he is the king and we are his people. If you look it up, you'll see a king doesn't have anything to do with religion. Jesus claims he's a king. Satan is the prince of the air. Jesus calls him the God of this world. Why don't you think the world can never get peace, why are there dead people, why are there hospitals, why are these bad things happening in the world. It's because we are living in the Devil's king. Good never intended this to happen. Everything would be perfect today if Lucifer kept his place and never wanted a kingdom of his on. God allows him because we want God to allow him, we love to worship him and we love what he has for us and most people don't realize this. They're still blind.
And how do you argue that devil aka Lucifer existed, maybe you can say all the bad things happening around the world then why are good things happening also then you could say god had done some good but this is like saying salt is bad cause it causes blood pressure to rise then devil invent salt to rise bp and salt is used to cook meals so we can get good taste of it.hence it was invented by the god you can also say god and the devil both created salt then you're assertion of god all good fall apart so the concept of devil is invalid.
@@jesusisthekingofkingsandlo3231 I'm going to show you how you sound like to an atheist: P1: I really love collecting stamps, do you? P2: No, not really. P1: Oh, so you like those cheap ones from the dollar store? P2: No, I never said that. P1: But you either like the fancy ones or you like those, it's even written in my first guide for collecting vintage stamps. P2: I don't collect stamps, I don't care about your guide. P1: It's either one or the other, that's objectively true, my guide said so and it is written by professionals, how could it be wrong? P2: Maybe they just want to paint a bad picture for people not collecting stamps, since they are promoting their book about stamps. P1: That's just ridiculous. P2: ....
If you're free and able to state your atheism state it PROUDLY for there are those who cannot do so, do it on our behalf. Edit: For the few who will inevitably question what I mean, I will be hung if those around me find out about my beliefs.
You live in the middle East don't you? Trust me theyll do more than hang you. Not really reassuring but that's why the call this country Kafirs in other words a person who thinks logically. Don't worry fammo, you'll be alright.
I have been referring to myself as an atheist since I was about 14. I am 27 now, and over these 13 years it hasn't gotten easier. People still ask why I turn away from God (I was never turned that way to begin with), or who hurt me (no one). I hate that I have to basically explain myself every time someone asks about my religious beliefs. I still do it though, because acting indifferent about it would be worse. Talking about it is the only way we can ever hope to be treated as normal.
Hang tough..I've been an atheist since 26yo. I'm 58 now and trust me it might not get easier. Once identified as an atheist theists will either demonize you or try to change you. Very few will remain neutral. It literally becomes a battle for your mind. But you have an advantage..you are armed with facts. You do not have to stay up late at nite wondering if what you believe is true. No doubts. No cognitive dissonance. This is who you are! Dont be afraid of yourself.
@@eaglefly1870 Thanks for your comment. It's always good to see someone a bit older than I am who's an open atheist. I'm definitely not going to let people get to me. :)
Me I think I was born an atheist. Despite the fact that I was born and raised in a vey religious country (Greece) and in a very religious and extremely conservative environment, that sh@@ never got into my head. I was lucky I guess.
In my view, there absolutely is a "why" to why the tides go in and out: Because of the moon's gravitational pull. Then you can ask, why does the moon exert a gravitational pull? And the answer is because the Moon has matter (which couples to the Higgs field) and warps space and time according to general relativity - that warping manifests as a pull on the Earth. Then you can ask, why does the Moon's matter warp space and time? And the answer is we don't know.
If by "purpose" you mean why something *must* happen a certain way, it likely is because of increase in entropy. In this context, mountains are created because the Earth's tectonic plates are still moving around to minimize the initial heat of formation of the planet (i.e. minimize the entropy from the Earth's formation) - I **think** thats the right answer not 100% sure. For the coming into existence of the Universe, we don't know the "purpose" yet - but it could very well be because of clear physical reasons like a multiverse or quantum fluctuations or other unknown physics (not just randomness). If by "purpose" you mean some intelligence having made something with intention, I agree the Universe likely has no "purpose".
+ManyProphets OneMessage Even if Science cannot determine *why* the tides go in and out or *why* we're here, neither can any religion. Theism allows one to claim they know why and maybe even believe one does, but the truth is that a theist knows as little about the purpose of our existence as an atheist does.
ManyProphets OneMessage we are not to far away from technology and Medicean and science that will change mankind’s thinking in future about if we need a god maybe not in our life times but quite soon .
@ManyProphets OneMessage I understand the point you're trying to make with the distinction with why and how, but I think that, in this particular context (not the same as baking a cake), why would be acceptable. I think the meaning of why would be more on the line of "for what reason" instead of "for what purpose", where the reason could imply a purpose (like what you are saying) or it could imply any cause of it. Of course the latter implication goes hand in hand with how it happened, but the meaning of why is still acceptable within this context.
14:47 As nice as that would be, I don't think it would ever happen. Parents care about their kids, and if they're apart of a religion where non believers go to hell, they have good reason for concern. Nobody wants their kid to go to hell. But it would be nice if the whole "you're not my child if you dont believe in god!" would stop. I'm currently in a place where I have to go to church every sunday and pretend to believe in god so that I'm not hated by my own family.
Salamander Fuck that shit. Wear your atheism on your sleeve, buy a tent and a flint stone and go live in the wild, surviving off of game, a proud atheist.
Sorry Salamander, that sucks. I understand what you mean about the not wanting your kids to burn in hell... although I can't understand worshipping a god that would allow such a thing in the first place. My daughter has at least two friends whose religious mothers (one who use to be a stripper and one who has 3 kids by three different men and is now married to a fourth that she secretly hates) have told them that if they ever came out as gay, they would be thrown out of the house because it's "wrong". These are 14 year old girls... who the fuck does that? She also has two openly gay friends whose parents are totally accepting of them, one friend I have no idea what her parents beliefs are (as it should be) and the other whose mom is pagan/wiccan. At some point I fully expect at least one of these girls, if not both, will end up living with us because they feel are more loved and accepted here than in their own "Christian" homes, and that is just fucking sad.
Hey, same boat. I'm counting down each day of the last year until I can move out so I don't have to pretend so much. And I'm honestly debating if it would be worth it, even if I have the chance of being kicked out or shunned. Maybe we can be tent-buddies out in the wilderness. :P
I've been calling myself an athiest since my early teens growing up in the Bible belt of America because that's what I am. I'm also gay, so the athiest thing was a cinch.
I hope you haven't based you atheism on the ridiculousness of the bible and those who blindly follow it, as that would be illogical, imo. Disproving religion doesn't disprove God or spirituality.
if you look closely, David Silverman is completely stunned by this question and doesnt give a very good response. Theres a good reason for this. He isnt stunned because he doesnt know the answer, hes stunned because he just got done to talking to the real Bill OReilly (off camera) and he is realizing that this is a fictional character he is speaking to. You can look up interviews with David Silverman talking about this. Bill Oreilly is simply playing a fictional character, he doesnt believe these things, he is just playing a role. Its smarter than you think, in the dumbest way possible.
Why do people feel the need to distance themselves from every single concept used by a group they oppose...? You can believe in some things that religious people believe in without actually being religious...
I love that someone so young can enlighten someone of my age. Thanks. I’ve always taught people and I’ve always said I’ve learned from everyone of them no matter how young or old.
@@crawling309 haha you really wanna play that game?? 9:29 8:60 These are later verses and over rule your "no compulsion in religion" verse. And I'm not even mentioning the violence in the hadiths.
Bill O’Reilly claims: "Tide goes in, tide goes out. Never a miscommunication. You can’t explain that. You can’t explain why the tide goes in.” Palm to forehead.....................This guy graduated from Harvard.
I've been calling myself an atheist since the age of 14 (now 57), though I had to look it up in the dictionary (ateo in Italian) as I only knew the non-believer term. And have been a proud all-out atheist ever since, but even in Catholic Italy, it wasn't as bad as it is in the old US of Stoopid.
Alessandro B thankfully, neither of my parents are religious, it just never came up. I always thought religion was kinda dodgy, and through various channels of information (RDS teacher, History teacher, parents etc.) I have come to the conclusion it is, excuse the language, bullshit. History teacher: religion has been the most effective form of control for centuries, you can stop a crime in a person's head. RS: many think that their seemingly irrational belief is all the evidence they need. Dad: it's just stories to try and explain away the uncertainties of life at the end of the day. Need I go on? My problem was what to do *imagine this in David Attenborough's voice* in an encounter with the wild bible-basher, using their natural defense mechanism of overwhelming by biblical verses.
He waited day after day for his response, but the wise man had forgotten long ago that he had such powerful wisdom caught up in his own mind. Azure Griffin would never lose hope, despite hope being a lost failure, in the sea of RUclips. Will the tale ever come to a close?
@@azuregriffin1116 You want my advice? Just keep watching videos like this. Stay brushed up on your philosophical and scientific arguments. Theists have a fairly small arsenal of arguments that they tend to fall back on, and so you will only get better at debating/debunking them with time.
I find it interesting how similar Atheists struggle for recognition mirrors the LGBTQ community's struggle for the same thing. As a gay man, I've watched how much public opinion has changed over the decades towards us, and I think a large part of that change can attributed to exposure to the general public. As you mentioned in this video, the more the public sees examples of a group as being normal, the more readily they expect other members, and the group as a whole to be normal. I think media has helped the LGBTQ community TREMENDOUSLY (Ellen DeGeneres, Will and Grace, etc.) If we could have more positively portrayed examples of Atheists in the media, I think it will go a long way toward increasing our recognition and acceptance.
Most of Western Europe is atheist these days and it is absolutely not a big deal anymore. Many important people are atheist, but it would never come up, because it barely matters. All religious talk even in religiously founded parties is just lipservice. The idea that atheists are a oppressed minority that has to "come out" is so very American. At best it happens to immigrated Muslim families or the last dying remnants of hardcore conservative Christians in Italy. Atheism has been accepted far earlier than LGBT rights.
All (well, many or most) "isms" revolve around what you DO. Atheism must do something to be an "ism". So y'all need to decide what you ARE, not what you are not. Then be that! But you must all be the same thing or the label won't work. You'll need an authority and some dogma. American Atheists has a pretty good start.
Probably our best hope of an Ellen DeGeneres-type media figure and activist who could help atheism become mainstream is Bill Maher, but I don't know if by himself he's enough... We need Ricky Gervais out there more.
I would love to call myself an atheist, and will once I'm independent. But I'm a teen living in a Young Earth Creationist family in a largely Young Earth Creationist town in the South, and I quite like having a roof over my head, so... Gonna keep on lying to my family and friends about my beliefs. :D (Yes, I do realize Alex said he was not speaking to those who are unable to make their beliefs public)
It musn't be easy for any of you living such a lie. I've come out as an atheist to my Catholic parents. it's still a very touchy subject and they are very disappointed in me but they have accepted it. I would hope that if your parents are good people and love you for who you are they'll get over it. Obviously it's a judgement call only you can make, but you can't hide something like this forever.
Depending on my mood and of course who is asking I may either sarcastically say "Oh loving wise Zeus and Apollo are quite aware of my prayers and offerings." Or on the negative side, "I have a hard time with Venus sprouting out of Jupiter's head, so sort of hadn't bothered with that stuff since I was a young teen." If I don't feel like cheesing people, I just say I don't, but I respect the right to freedom from or to worship whatever one wants. I've learned to soften it to some people for two reasons: either they take your position as being agnostic or atheistic as an insult to their identity, and/or they think that you think they're dumb for believing in the rubbish. Which I don't. Smarter people than I believe or believed in mysticism or religion.... it's a cultural stupidity, not necessarily a personal stupidity.
I have no problem telling people I'm an atheist, but when it comes to my family, it's a tricky one. When my mum and auntie asked if I'm religious the other day, I just froze and told them I'd rather not answer. I don't mind the sense of judgement and disgust directed at me by others, but not if it's coming from my family. Yet, I refuse to be labelled Muslim when I'm not. I only completely lie to my grandmother about it, I love her dearly and her world is too different to ever understand.
Yeah, clearly we can understand that, and you have my sympathy. Stay safe and I hope, if it's something you desire, you are able to get out and move somewhere where you can be open about your beliefs without fear. *hugs*
Same problem. My family is extremely religious and I feel like I can't come out until I have my own job and am completely independent, then I will move out and hopefully get to live in a western country.
atheon 33 Ah have a safe life man, which country do you live in? I live in the UAE and I do call myself an Atheist, they mostly are open minded here I guess :T it is the most western eastern country imo but yet again. STAY SAFE man
i have alot of people who know that i am an atheist, however i have difficulties voicing my real opinions in public or in my school, and the athiest community is very small in jordan compared to saudi arabia
After years of identifying as agnostic, a month ago I called myself an atheist for the first time at a table full of my Christian friends and one my friend's parents. 'Twas interesting and kinda liberating. Nice job on this video Alex! Glad to see you pulled through your procrastination XP
Silent_ Watcher92 We were talking about religion over dinner, and my friend's mom turned to me and asked, "You're agnostic right?" To which I replied, "Agnostic atheist, yes." There wasn't much of a reaction from anyone except my friend's dad who said something along the lines of "What?! Atheist?!" He then muttered "Atheist... Oh my God..." later in the conversation. And at some point I clarified what agnostic and atheist each meant when they asked. Nothing that bad. And my friend's dad got over it pretty quickly.
Silent_ Watcher92 Yeah! I was the same way when I was Catholic growing up. I feel really bad and embarrassed about how unfair I was to this one girl who said she didn't believe in God when I was in grade school. But hey we all grow and change. And getting rid of those prejudices was definitely for the better.
RainasRoom Glad to hear it went somewhat smooth. When I was a theist, I remember how I felt when I heard someone's an atheist, it would instantly change my perception of that person following giving bad attributes for no good reason, even if I knew that person before. It's sad, really. Ofcourse, back then I had religious reasons, which I now realise are immoral and corrupt in its core, but God was God and Hell was Hell. Anyway, I'm glad I got rid of it and I hope everyone else will.
RainasRoom When everyone you know and trust feeds you poison, you swallow it as it's all you know. As Weinberg said, with or without religion you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things, but for good people to do evil things, that takes religion. It's not your fault, be happy you got out.
I was brought up in a non-religious household. (Born 1943). From the age of around twelve (until my late teens) I started going to differing religious groupings, (C of E, Methodist, Congregationalist, etc) largely out of personal interest, trying to find out what I believed. I had quite a few one-to-one's with vicars and others who tried to explain the meaning of various things, (miracles, etc). For years afterwards I called myself an agnostic, because, although I realised that whilst I didn't buy any religious beliefs, nevertheless I was still very interested, (continuing to read the Torah, the Bible, the Koran, amongst other religious and non-religious books). One day, many years ago, I simply owned up, - I don't believe, therefore I am an Atheist. Let's keep it simple.
It never occured to me until I was in my late forties when my daughter suddenly became a christian. I got the shock of my life and so did she when I told her I was an atheiest and so was her entire family. The subject had never come up. I wanted to lend her Carl Sagans series Cosmos and she said. " I won't watch that, he's not a christian" ... Imagine my surprise.
Hey Alex, I would just like to thank you. I was a Mormon, completely brainwashed into their dogma. I use to say things like "evolution is just a theory." and "if we evolved from monkeys why are there still monkeys?". Over the course of 2 years I began to question everything I thought I knew and people like you and Aron ra assisted me in questioning everything and seeing which holds up to scrutiny. I feel like a new person who doesn't rely on others or the possibility of heaven to make me do things. Everything I do is because I want to, you truly do free people. Keep going and you deserve all the support you get!
ruclips.net/video/2AvepssBwzY/видео.html “the Quran: an atheist perspective” by the mathematician Dr Jeffry Lang, hope you will watch this because it talks about suffering and the purpose of life from an atheist point of view, thanks to god he eventually accepted islam after being an atheist for so long, love how you question everything thats great 🌹 also consider questioning atheism and evolution as much if you are truthful, cause I have encountered many atheists with blind faith in macro evolution 😅
@@ga4214 Of course questioning evolution is a good idea, but over the years it has been shown to be a coherent explanation for the world around us. Scientists around the world agree on that and it holds up to scrutiny. The quran does not hold up to scrutiny. As with any other "holy" scripture, there is no good reason to believe that the quran is true.
@@keithboynton bad analogy since both are tested experiences (scientific) unlike macro and micro !!! It looks like they are treating you like a child by giving this stupid example🥱 macro and micro aren’t used with people who “know” evolution because there isn’t any evidence on evolution thats why they use the evidence of micro evolution (which is adaption as evolution doesn’t exist) and use it as an evidence on macro evolution since macro doesn’t have any evidence; bottom line is they treat both as one to fool minds like you who trust scientists blindly, kinda like how your ancestors trusted the Priests blindly; pathetic honestly
@@clemensbock7434 oh is that why any scientists get crucified when questioning and criticizing evolution 🤔 hmm I wonder why they silence them Refer to the documentary: “Expelled: no intelligent allowed”
Actually, I think the term atheist can be a positive force in the same context as non-smoker. The campaign against smoking went through a period where you were marginal if you didn't smoke. Now, the situation seems to have reversed in that people now have to identify themselves as smokers where it use to be a given and non-smoking is now the norm. Unfortunately, I don't think we will have little "don't evangelize" signs everywhere anytime soon but making a point that you are an atheist when someone tries to shove a pamphlet in your hand will only have an effect the more it's done. I would also say that the more vocal atheists are the more people will be aware and relaxed about their freedom to not believe. I of course talk as a Brit and am fully appreciative of how much more of a mountain it is in the USA
"same context as non-smoker." That's a pretty good example. Non smokers might merely not smoke but not care what others do; but other non-smokers are activist and wish for everyone else to not smoke because of course your smoke inflicts upon me if I am in the same room. So long as there's a room I can go to without smoke I don't care if you smoke in yours. But if I am compelled to be in your room, then the person who is doing the most inflicting has the duty to stop inflicting. That means a room of 40 people are inflicted by one smoker, but a room of 39 smokers is not inflicted by one non-smoker. And yes in my Navy days that was about the ratio and it was extremely unpleasant.
I absolutely call myself an Atheist and I am not Agnostic. Here's why: I was a fundamentalist Christian for 46 yrs. I believed the Bible was the inerrant, inspired, historically proven Word of God. The first crack (other than my belief that pushing your nose into another's sex life or freedom to choose is wrong and mean) was when I saw a documentary about the Gospels. I was utterly shocked. The Gospels weren't eyewitness accounts and weren't written by Matthew, Mark, Luke or John! This documentary showed that Mark was actually the first book, and each book that followed clearly built on the one before it. For the first time, I actually examined the Bible narrative from Genesis to Revelations and it became very clear to me that there was no supporting evidence for most of it's claims. Science, history and contemporary accounts disproved so much of what I was taught. So, where did that leave me? Could I now close my eyes and ears and pretend I didn't know the truth? I had so much to lose. I was incredibly involved in the church as a parent, Sunday School teacher, youth worker, volunteer and music leader. My friends were all Christians as was everyone in the office where I worked. What should I do? What would you do? I couldn't make myself believe again. Belief doesn't work that way. I left the church because I couldn't live with myself if I kept pretending. It was really tough, and you know what? I don't regret it. I know the Bible is a book of myths and my whole knowledge of and belief in God was based on that myth. I am not Agnostic, I am a strong Atheist and proud to proclaim it.
I am glad to see people can be so open minded, usually the case is that if someone has had the same world view for almost all their life then they will never change. You sound like a wonderful person, this should be top comment
The documentary is "Excavating The Empty Tomb" by TruthSurge. I found it at topdocumentaryfilms.com and I believe it's available on his youtube channel as well. This documentary is pretty long , however it's in a playlist format so you can watch it in parts as well. Feel free to let me know what you think.
Grandma Mo Says - *I couldn't make myself believe again. Belief doesn't work that way.* This is so absolutely true. It's good to know that there are folks who've been in Christianity for so long and can come to realize that it's all a myth. Thanks for sharing your story.
@@williamswenson3970 "The head of a community tied together by objective standards based on evidence and common values oriented to the well being of life" Fixed it for you.
@@williamswenson3970 "The head of a community tied together by common beliefs and values" If the only thing that ties y'all together is a thing y'all believes does not exist, that's not much of a tie and not much of a community.
That first clip reminds me of this exchange in A:TLA A: "Can your fortune telling explain [why a volcano is currently active when it wasn't supposed to be]?" B: "Can your 'science' explain why it rains?" A: "..Yes it can!"
@@thomasmaughan4798 Reality isn't a being, so no, it cannot have relationships. However, I need to utilize reality in order to HAVE relationships. And by "relationship" I mean with real live beings who actually exist, not imaginary ones.
@@Redhunteur2 I take your point but suggest for your consideration geeks that appear capable of having emotional bonds with artificial intelligence, such as "Siri" or the new breed of companionship androids/robots. A relationship can be one-way, in my opinion and experience. It simply means to "relate" and I might relate to something, an animal, that does not relate back. As to a relationship with something imaginary, good heavens you must live under a rock. That's the normal way even between humans. What you relate to you have imagined exists; and it might, but whether it does or not you have formed a relationship with what you think exists. One of the faults of atheist is to assume *a priori* that gods, angels or other entities in that realm do not and cannot exist; therefore any relationship thereto must be to an imaginary entity. In my experience that realm is filled with a variety of things having, among other things, dimensions of intelligence (a simple scalar) and benevolence (malice/benevolence).
Ok, its time someone stepped up and said to you what desperately needs to be said for your own good....and I mean this with the upmost love and respect.... Its time to get a bookshelf.
As I was going through a Christian course, called Alpha, I would regularly proclaim my atheism and get questions from all the believers on my thoughts. They were quite surprised to learn that I was a good person and had a similar idea of what was good.
Alex, you are a bright, articulate young man. I hope you go far in the movement to make atheism more understood and accepted. I became an atheist about 9 years old. I thought the bible stories were all a joke. 70 now and still feel the same way. I agree with you about the use of the word atheist. We need to use it and be proud of it, proud that we haven't succumbed to religious brainwashing.
"87%" of Americans understand what an Atheist is??? Please point to the poll data for that, I find this VERY hard to believe, since the vast majority of people I interact with don't have a clue.
I'm from Florida, and everyone I ever talked to about religion (which admittedly isn't much outside of my family and closest friends) knew what Atheist meant.
Most theists don't understand the difference between "I don't believe in God" and "I believe there is no God". I think that's part of why so many people call themselves agnostics when they're really soft/agnostic atheists
AllSeeingEye ofGod woah you totally converted us all to theism now after we totally read that whole thing and visited all the links, NEVER rolled our eyes and just wanted to instead be left alone-gee thanks man!
Dogematic Atheism - Being an out atheist is an achievement, at least where I live. It takes a great deal of character to withstand the scorn of a population that largely hates you for simply rejecting one belief.
7:50 We have many words for people who don’t do or believe certain thing: blind do not see; lazy do not exert effort; mute do not speak; celibate do not **** (have sex); antihumanist don’t believe humanist principles are tenable. Granted, we have more words for people who can’t than who don’t.
It give me hope for humanity when I see a younger person such as yourself committed to rational thought and work hard to represent all athiest when we may have little time to do so ourselves. I would like to see you as a future Hitch.. although those are some huge shoes to fill. Keep up the good work...
I had this video on my “Watch Later” list... I’m glad that I FINALLY got around to seeing this because I have been so FIRMLY ensconced to label myself as an “agnostic”. I see the point, now, of the use of the label “atheist”... it seems to be mostly a political convention to give the secular movement more traction and recognition.
Shiroski O Cháros I would disagree. You can read a book and, if you become emotionally invested enough in it, reallllllly despise the villain for killing your main character. You hate a fictional character.
I’ve always identified as an atheist. I had the same conversation with David when he spoke right here in my small town in S.E. Florida. I continue to identify as an atheist but do it for a completely different reason.…and that’s because I had that discussion with him. It makes sense to me and I now refer to myself as a “firebrand” atheist. Not when telling someone that I AM an atheist but in the way I debate theists. It’s not about hurting their feelings but more about the realization that I do not have to be afraid of their hurt feelings. They’re the ones making the choice to allow their feelings to get hurt. And it’s because they take my disbelief as an assault on them, personally. Deal with it and come up with fact based, rational reasons to believe. Defend your beliefs without the typical theist mental gymnastics.
Alex is on the Speedway to being an intellectual genius. He's certainly more ambitious than me. I prefer comedy though, trying my hand at stand up tonight. Wish me well!
Good luck! Let us know how it went. Even if you bomb, you've got more guts than most of us for getting your ass out there and doing it. That's my backhanded encouragement speech.
I've been an atheist practically a huge chunk of my life (since I was 10) and I'm really lucky, and although my dad thinks it's kind of something I'll get over once i begin adulthood, I have a lot of friends that are also atheist and my mom accepts me all the same, F to pay respect for those of you who haven't come out or simply can't
I once participated in a religious camp (I took bible study), where we had to talk about how much religion meant to us. I skipped, given I was shy and young, but I briefly explained to someone there that I don't really have solid views. They asked, bit taken aback, "are you an atheist?". I didn't want that floating around and face who knows what kind of consequences, so I said I was an agnostic, and was just unsure about my beliefs. So while I do think agnosticism is a better description of who I am, I still think it's a safety net to a degree.
I am currently in a similar position. While I am an atheist I could not say it to the people around me, at least not right now. So when asked I take agnostic label.
I love people who listen to new ideas, think about it, admit they were wrong, and change their opinions. However, it requires intelligence, honesty, and humility. This is what the world needs! Kudos to Alex!
I label myself an atheist, but I'm not in people's faces about it. If asked, I'm not at all afraid to say that I'm an atheist, but I don't wear a t-shirt or carry a banner proclaiming the fact. After watching this video, though. I may just start doing so. If I may be so bold, I'd like to suggest something to you. Alex - it's time that you build, borrow, or buy - a bookshelf. The surfaces behind you are beginning to look cluttered, and it's a distraction. It really was a bit hard to concentrate on your words when all I could think was "Dude - bookshelf". But you are of course free to live your life as you choose, and can completely ignore this comment if you wish. Thanks for the work you do.
www.amazon.com/Trust-Data-Not-Lore-T-Shirt/dp/B071Z2W5S6/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_193_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&refRID=9F4P4YSCK2A5FC14W9W2 If you're a Star Trek fan, this shirt is especially relevant.
morally stable based on what? your own created standard? u r confused, there is no such thing as morality to atheists, if u even mention morality as reality u r confirming theism. u r so morally disobedient u confused politics w/ morality when u mentioned sexism, call someone who respect the fact women were created to procreate and men to provide, sexist, is immoral. feminist is one the most devastating immoral act right in the same level as homosexualism, it causes dysfunctional family and society, since feminism movement started societal problems have tripled caused by more and more dysfunctional families. for atheist there is no moral or immoral but nature. are u theist to say slavery, war, violence... are immoral? never heard about this great Jesus's phrase "love others like yourself"
I usually just say that I am an atheist and (sometimes) I will say that I am ALSO an agnostic, distinguishing the two. I usually only bring up agnosticism when someone asks how I can be arrogant enough to be an atheist. That in and of itself is a whole argument, but I usually divert by saying that as an agnostic I am aware of how much I don't know. Like Bill Maher says in Religulous, "Doubt is humble." Usually the person simmers down a little and I can then address the atheism question. Also, I wish I could go into your room and make a list of every book you have. You have an amazing collection from what I can see!!
Thank you so much for this! I’m loosing my faith and have been for a while now. I’ve begun to look critically at my religion/religious texts. God makes me feel terrible for being alive, as the god dammed bible places these unrealistic expectations, stories, and figures to control people using fear/hell. Not believing in God/religion has made me feel a sense of peace, and to cherish life so much more knowing there is no afterlife. Even if there is one, and I’m wrong I don’t fucking care. I’d rather theie be nothingness after death then go to a place where we’re either forced to worship God or burn in hell for eternity. Fuck religion. I’m not ready to tell my religious family my believes yet; but when I am I’d say it with confidence and pride!
In case you hadn't noticed, there be many gods and many ways of looking at life. Atheism isn't supposed to be a "way", it is a not-way without much guidance as to way.
I'm in the same boat. Married into a religious family, came from a religious family, surrounded by a (fairly) religious circle of friends. It makes you feel alone and frustrated, and when people begin to talk of "biblical terms" it makes you even more frustrated because it's just a book. Just like any other book.
bernice boshoff Yes agreed. At least we have our online communities as a means of escape. I actually told my family that I don’t believe in our faith anymore, and that’d I’d rather lead a more spiritual life no dogma needed. But one of them scared me into staying in the faith. But now that time has passed since this event, I’m no longer angry with my faith, I’ve made peace with it and accept that my family desires to practice this religion. Basically it’s the attitude of live and let live even though I myself am an atheist now.
@@777Rowen I'm trying to get to that point myself. There isn't much I can do to sway another person, and I'm slowly cutting off ties with people who's religious beliefs make them toxic. I'm grateful we have online spaces to express what we really feel. I hope everything gets better for you.
I'd have to disagree with you on that. While atheist myself, agnosticism is the only logical 'belief' if you could call it that. Simply on the premise that we as humans simply do not know if there is a god/gods or not. And as far as we know, we will never find out if there are, hence agnosticism.
gemma robbins Atheist are open to the idea of there being a god but for whatever reason do not believe any of the gods claims. If someone came forward with compelling evidence then Atheist would be excited with the new information. All honesty everyone is a agnostic and if someone claims to be gnostic then they are mentally insane.
@ I don't disagree with you, but I just want to point out that that little word "true" makes it infinitly possible for you to evade any contradictory evidence.
I said that to my grandpa and he said ''you are disrespecting to my religion if you dont believe that.'' and he kicked me out from home. in Muslim countries its really hard
What if we answer truthfully without saying the word atheist? For example, "What are your views on religion?" "I think it can be both helpful and harmful, depending on how it is practiced, but I don't partake in it because it does not align with me personally." "Do you believe in God?" "No." "Are you an atheist?" "Yes, but I'm not sure why you had to ask that, since I already told you I don't believe in God." "Oh....well" At this point the questioner would notice that they have some bias against "atheists" and the conversation might go somewhere interesting You don't have to label yourself to have an impactful voice; you can just speak from honesty and say what feels right, like Socrates. :)
This way not only shows that one does not believe in God, but also opens the conversation up to the contextual/cultural meaning and semantical futility of the word atheist.
The problem with labels is that you assume it to be self-explanatory, which in my opinion gives way too much credit to the person you are speaking to... specially if they are religious. Words have meanings, if everybody doesn't agree on their meaning, then the word doesn't "work" as intended. Atheist means to not believe in god, but the problem is that some people twist the meaning of the word and it's true for a lot labels.
"What are your views on religion?" "Religions are the worst kind of ideologies. They manifest and conserve the worst of tribal and superstitious thought by their very nature. All religions must, to the degree to which they are religions, be eradicated."
A nation is crazy about football. Then for some reason the amount of people who play and watch football drops. People don't talk about a rise of non-footballing. They talk about the gradual disappearance of football. Somehow the rise in atheism sounds like a normal thing to say, but it actually is just fall of religion. The latter should sound more natural, but it doesn't. Weird shit.
God-on-High wrote the DNA Codes, because Evolution by RANDOM Mutation is proven to be Mathematically Impossible >>> 1) STUDY the OKAZAKI FRAGMENTS Process, for God's sake and your own !!! That Process, can NEVER have arisen by Darwin's BLIND LUCK !!! 2) Dear Evolutionist, The first thing you need to understand is, Charles Darwin did NOT make the animals & plant Life on Earth. Furthermore, neither did Darwinian “random mutation” assemble Life on Earth. Random mutation has the following problems ; 1) Mutation is only known to SUBTRACT information from the genome - not to ADD info. ie) A beast ( Emu, Ostrich) might LOSE wings through mutation, but no beast will GAIN wings ; not even half a wing or a quarter of a wing ! The other problem with Random Mutation/Assembly is, mathematicians compute that Life CANNOT be assembled by a Random Process … The statistical probability Against even ONE protein forming by “accident” is a 1 in 10 to the 180th power chance, which is measured as “OPERATIONALLY IMPOSSIBLE “. ( If your horse has 1 in 100 Chance of winning the Race, that is 1 in 10 to the 2nd power.. ) Here is a 5 minute video explaining OPERATIONALLY IMPOSSIBLE. ruclips.net/video/JQ3hUlU0vR4/видео.html IF you want a long video on this same Issue, here it is >>> ruclips.net/video/sq8McNGHrOU/видео.html ( The above video , especially between 34th minute and 37th minute , reveals there is just NO WAY that any Random Process of Darwinism could create or shape Life ! ) Evolution Theory is NOT hard science ; it barely goes beyond the level of Conjecture. Here are some short videos explaining, the Holes in Evolution Theory are about a million times bigger than the brickwork >>> ruclips.net/video/SOtGb8hKyWE/видео.html ruclips.net/video/KeMJn_wd8Wo/видео.html ruclips.net/video/031swKKakB0/видео.html Darwinism & Evolution, are actually PHILOSOPHY not Science !!! Here are some short videos explaining that fact … ruclips.net/video/58Tf_HUZros/видео.html ruclips.net/video/NJhuplCE7WE/видео.html ruclips.net/video/AM-H6NxdCd4/видео.html Darwinism , the viewpoint that “Blind Luck” created Life, is already a KNOWN “Flat Earth “theory. It cannot be ! So what does that leave us with ? STUDY of the complexity of Living Cells and their organs, components , suggests strongly that this organic nano-machinery reveals, INTELLIGENT DESIGN… design by , God-on-High, or The Supreme Being, if you will. HERE is a classic video or 2 on INTELLIGENT DESIGN >>> ruclips.net/video/tzj8iXiVDT8/видео.html Charles Darwin had no electron microscope ; could NOT see the complexity of nano-machinery in MITOSIS here… WATCH this video of MITOSIS, in particular the “copy & paste “ procedure of OKAZAKI fragments and , you see a process that could ONLY come into existence by INTELLIGENT DESIGN ; not luck ! Cutting & Pasting the d.n.a. like a miniature Pierre Cardin Tailor, is self-evidently IMPOSSIBLE to be, by but Blind Luck… ruclips.net/video/yqESR7E4b_8/видео.html ruclips.net/video/TEQMeP9GG6M/видео.html More INTELLIGENT DESIGN accepted >>> ruclips.net/video/fqiXgtDdEwM/видео.html Here is the Scientific Comedian AGAINST Darwinism; Dr D.Berlinski ruclips.net/video/puJnrZW6E14/видео.html ruclips.net/video/S89IskZI740/видео.html AND, here is a scientific video revealing the huge problems of Evolution Theory, that a 15 year old can understand >>> ruclips.net/video/VUZna4aA1fQ/видео.html ooo000ooo Here is a short document, explaining that aTheism is a very poor explanation for the existence of the Universe >>> www.ecclesia.org/truth/thermodynamics.html Last but not least on this list, I give you below Dr William Lane Craig, pointing out to Chris Hitchens, that mathematically only a Miracle ! could have created Humankind, therefore establishing the existence of the Miracle-MAKER, God-on-High… ruclips.net/video/NOJRSmrrM0o/видео.html Dear Friend, IF YOU HAVE STUDIED all I have supplied above, you then KNOW that pure Darwinism is a Dead-Man-Walking… DEAD like a Dodo… kept alive like a corpse on life-support machine… IF Evolution is happening at all, then THE ONLY WAY it can be happening , is through GUIDANCE BY GOD a.k.a Guided Evolution , or Theistic Evolution >>> en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theistic_evolution So… do you wish to find God ??? ??? ??? HERE are some short UNCONVENTIONAL videos, to help you find, The Supreme Being, a.k.a. God-on-High… ruclips.net/video/1mFRUGDY8Ao/видео.html ruclips.net/video/xVUvEy8BbkU/видео.html ruclips.net/video/Bsel8hEp4HM/видео.html ruclips.net/video/pHn2zFU6-zY/видео.html ruclips.net/video/7FEykDoaTHg/видео.html Here is The Bhagavad Gita, for good measure… ruclips.net/video/ZuRvBoLu4t0/видео.html en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagavad_Gita ruclips.net/video/PC0FW407FVs/видео.html Here is The Gospel of John, in audio book & movie form >>> ruclips.net/video/47OkuvT5JFo/видео.html HERE is my own “hand-made” video : ) ruclips.net/video/gdcOGFUQAag/видео.html Have a Nice Day : ) from The All-Seeing Eye … P.S. The Judaeo-Christian Bible was written over millennium ; the further back in time you go, the less accurate it is. The New Testament therefore, being most recent, is most accurate. Events such as Noah’s Ark ; Noah was probably a Carpentry Genius who figured out how to rapidly convert houses & barns into a huge Floating Barge, thereby surviving a nasty, deadly flood. Wild animals too probably clambered on to this Barge… thereby the Legend of Noah’s Ark.. Noah’s Ark probably “saved the world” of ONE large river plain ; NOT the entire Earth ! Jonah, was probably rescued by a Dolphin cetacean NOT a Whale, And probably lived ON its back, not IN its mouth but FROM its mouth the Dolphin may have given Jonah , fish to eat at sea… EVERYTHING written in our Bible, is rooted in SOME Truth or other, albeit perhaps not literally exactly so… To understand, you really sometimes need to… THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX !!!
I identify as an Agnostic Atheist, for the simple reason that I do not feel that I can say that there is no such thing as a "god", but I also do not believe in any existing deity, as defined by any existing religion. Agnosticism is the simple lack of knowledge, and by following it with the term "Atheist" I'm clarifying what I lack definite knowledge of. This does not, in any way, mean that I doubt my stance, or have second thoughts on the lack of existence of gawd, just that I cannot objectively prove to anybody that gawd does not exist.
And yet Atheism too makes no claim of knowledge. I never understood the need to seperate the two. An atheist does not believe in a god and cannot prove a god doesnt exist. It may exist, but the atheist lacks belief. I feel by pretending atheists arent agnostic by default that it paints them as if they had the arrogance to know everything. These two terms go hand in hand.
Dawkins was doing an interview with a reporter, I think it was in NZ. The guy was talking about the difference between agnosticism and atheism and Dawkins said 'Well, I'm technically an agnostoc atheist.' and the guy just scoffed. Paul Henry. Just remembered his name. Anyway, my point's that there are idiots who'll be confused by that title.
@@yoursonisold8743 You're not wrong, but there is a definite subset of atheists who loudly proclaim "there is no such thing as god" as if it is a fact, when they cannot prove it to be a fact. I just like to differentiate between myself and people like that - just another form of arrogant ignorance, almost as bad as religion, imo.
@@michaelcoulter1114 Of course definitions are fleeting. There are some certainties you can have. For example... the god of the bible, Tora and Quran most definitely does not exist. Not the very specific depiction of that being in the books anyway. We know that all religions are made up. Whether *a* god exists is impossible to say of course, but there can be a statement a la " *Your* god does not exist" that is not absolutely arrogant.
Thanks God im an atheist otherwise i'd be terrified of going to heaven. Just imagine. Sin is byproduct of free will ? If theres no sin, theres no free will as well. Jealousy(sin) -some1 has something better/better looks etc. If theres no jealousy then we are all the same, with no free will, no entertainment, no food, no sex, no nothing just worshiping God forever ? Dat sounds scary ! 😱 How can anyone even wants to go there ? Hell...i'd choose hell 😂
I have a bad news for you: In hell, you will also lack free will, so this is a sadistic choice. You want to be tortured by fire and brimstone or by repetitive and boring activity.
@@dan78789 I mean, if God is all knowing, He already knows what we're gonna do, which means everything is planned already, which consequently also means that we don't exactly have free will since everything was already planned
@@mysterious_4053 Also God is immoral sadistic as*hole. He's chosing to burn most of the people and save the few. There is a moral thought...On one rail track theres 5 people tied up. On the second track only 1. You need to pull the lever to save either 5 or 1 person. A truly moral and good person would do nothing because each action is immoral because you are killing somebody. You are choosing that one is better than the other. God is easily pulling the lever and killing 5 people to save one. And he tied all the people to the railtrack(hes all knowing)...How people can really follow such a relligion? If people had just slightly little of a brain cells they would see that GOD is illogical and immoral statement based on 2000yo past events. Im sorry for chaotic message but its middle of a night and im barely awake. I hope you understood me my friend :)
I Proudly called myself an atheist and was active since i was 16, I still make moves to this day to educate/ alert my fellow humans about the subject both directly and indirectly. I live in the middle east.
Werner Heisenberg your initial question was about morality. What does that have to do with “objective logic”? And you’re right, atheism doesn’t have grounds for logic. Atheism is just the rejection of the notion of god(s)
Werner Heisenberg You are correct, atheism has no ground for logic. Nor can it have, it would be illogical for atheism to have a ground for logic, since atheism itself is grounded in logic. You look at all the information available to you and logically conclude there is not enough evidence to prove the existence of a god, therefore, you find it unlikely a god exists and you now identify as an atheist. If that logic was grounded in atheism in the first place, it would be: "Logic is defined by atheism, and atheism is correct because it is logical", which makes as much sense as: "The word of God is written in the Bible, and what's in the Bible is true because it is the word of God." It's circular reasoning. That some religious people are oblivious to that massive fallacy in the latter statement and perhaps even think it's how you're supposed to support your religious beliefs does not make it any less of a logical fallacy. So summarizing, atheism does indeed have no grounds for objective logic. It has grounds in objective logic. If you're still not convinced those two cancel each other out, I'll spell it out for you: - Assume there is a statement X that is true according to logic - By definition, if something is true according to logic, its reasoning contains no logical fallacies. Combining those two, we can deduce that: - The reasoning to deduce statement X is correct contains no logical fallacies If we add that: - A logical fallacy is reasoning that can lead to false solutions - Circular reasoning, by definiton, means that the argument you use to support your statement only works if your statement is true - If your argument only works if your statement is true, it gives no information about wether or not your statement is true We can deduce that: - Circular reasoning is a logical fallacy Combining our two deductions thus far, we get: - The reasoning to deduce statement X is correct contains no circular reasoning So now we know: - Statement X is true according to logic - Statement X does not contain circular reasoning (The validity of the deduction that points out that statement X is true does not depend on wether or not statement X is true) So: - The validity of the deduction that points out that statement X is true does not depend on wether or not statement X is true - The deduction that points out that statement X is true depends on logic Here comes the final proof by contradiction: - If an assumption leads to at least one contradicition with at least one proven statement, the assumption is false. - Assume logic depends on wether or not statement X is true - The deduction that points out that statement X is true depends on wether or not statement X is true - The deduction that points out that statement X is true contains circular reasoning But we had already concluded that the deduction that points out that statement X is true does not contain circular reasoning. - The assumption that logic depends wether or not statement X is true leads to a contradiction with a proven statement. - Logic does not depend on wether or not statement X is true. Summarizing: - If statement X is logically deduced to be true, logic cannot depend on wether or not statment X is true. Filling statement X in with atheism we get: - If atheism is logically deduced to be true, logic cannot depend on wether or not atheism is true.
In Denmark 70% still call themselves christians. However, only something like 30% claim to actually believe in god. Only a few of those actually go to church on a regular basis - most just stay in the church because of tradition. I honestly don't know a single person (family, friends and co-workers), who is openly religious. It's just not important to most people here.
Yes, the four horsemen of Atheism, a thing that is not supposed to be an ism, not supposed to have dogma or beliefs, not supposed to have leaders. But it has all those things; it is a *religion* with "prophets" and evangelists and acolytes, deacons and millions, well some thousands anyway, of followers. They even have a website and take donations!
after reading Fighting God, I came out to my family and in-laws as an atheist. I had not done so because I knew it would be bad/sad news for them. But I had to do it for me. I needed to come out of the closet. I felt liberated.
My brother characterizes himself as a non-practicing agnostic. Meaning that though in principle he would question the existence of a god, he generally doesn't waste his time thinking about non-existent things.
That's how i identified myseld pretty much all my life bc ppl didn't know what an agnostic was so id just say "it means that i don't give a f*ck" and no one ever questioned me further, it was great. Now, i proudly call myself an atheist tho it has cost me some of the best ppl i have ever met.
I love the word Athiest. I am an Athiest. I am a great many other things as well but being an Athiest is one of the things I am most proud of being. It has done so much for me for understanding our reality and human social structure.
The most frightening thing about this video as that Alex's stack of books keeps growing. Soon enough his room will be consumed by books and he will suffocate
I'm an ex-muslim ( athiest now ) living in saudi arabia .. you can imagine the situation .. i can't tell anyone i know cause they are going to hate me .. and if my mother found out she is going to literally kill me ..
I’m an “I don’t know” person when it comes to a universal creator, there’s no proof of one other than some basic laws of universe (which are pretty compelling IMO) nothing comes from nothing and chaos does not create, while on the other hand our planet and solar system is PERFECT for life, the math is almost magical in its perfection to me, saying that you know for sure that there is no God is just as bad as saying you know beyond a shadow of a doubt there is a God, because no one knows and anyone who says they do is either lying or are brainwashed if there is a “God”/intelligent being that created the entire universe, humans trying to understand this powerful of a being would be like the microscopic lice living on the back of ant trying to understand humans, it’s just not possible
I know this post is a year old, but I'll reply to it anyway. 1. "Nothing comes from nothing" is a sign of misunderstanding the logic behind the begining of the Universe as understood right now. The Big Bang is not just the begining of space, it's also (to our understanding) the begining of time. So, in a way, you could say that the universe never really came into existance, rather that it existed since the very first moment and will exist until the last. Time is just another dimension that the universe encomposses. When scientists say there was nothing before the Big Bang, they don't mean "there was a black void of nothingness." What they are actually saying is that the Big Bang is the first point in time. You can't go before the Big Bang. You can't do anything before the Big Bang. Nothing can happen before the Big Bang because there is no time and every action requires time to accomplish. As Stephen Hawking explains: "God couldn't create the Universe before the Big Bang because there would be no time for him to create the Universe." 2. Our planet is far from perfect for life and absolutely awful for human life. The math is not "magical to it's perfection." Let me explain just how bad Earth is for human life. Say you had a lottery machine that instantly transports you to any location on the surface of Earth. How many times out of a 100 do you think you would survive this? Well, around 71% of the planet's surface is comprised out of oceans, where you'd drown in hours, unless you were VERY lucky and somehow got teleported very close to the coast. Even then, you would probably still die due to water currents, high waves and potentially bad weather. Next, around 3% of the Earth's surface is the poles, where you'd freeze to death in hours. Then we have the deserts, covering about 9,6% of Earth. Now, depending on where you get dropped off, you MIGHT survive a desert, but that certainly doesn't make it "perfect for life." So, at the moment, not accounting for other hazzardous terrain, you'd probably end up dead over 80% of the time. Still think that the Earth is perfect for life? 3. Of course saying that you know that there is no God as some sort of fact is just as stupid as saying you know for a fact a God exists. The thing is, most atheists don't actually say that. Most atheists are just fairly certain that there is no God. There's still a small chance that there is one, but there's no reason to believe in one until actual evidence in favour of them is presented. 4. Saying that humans could never understand God is just your opinion. It's not a fact. Also, even if they couldn't, humans could still potentially unerstand and demonstrate that there is a God.
For me it's human freewill to chose to believe in a Supreme Being wether that is a Personal or an Impersonal One that maintains the balance of the Universe. There are infallible Universal/Cosmic Laws. There is no higher religion than the Absolute Truth. No man can claim that he had gain that absolute truth, we are finite beings, limited of understanding, life is short. You cannot outrule the existence of the supernatural. There are other existent realities which are incomprehandable by the human mind. The truth is out there and you can never be too sure.
Jon Coda omfg i have nothing against any of the aforementioned but that would be horrible. im an atheist bisexual hispanic girl. close enough i'd say? (pray for me)
I'm a 42 YO Nurse Practitioner... lol. It would be my wife asking if I cleaned our room, and the answer would be no, no I haven't! To your question, I haven't made that claim. The Sun is a star called Sol in Latin. It's the star that's closest to us. Other named stars aren't called distant Suns... we gave them other names. Can you clarify your question if I misunderstood? (I'm also curious as to why you're asking me, if you have any medical questions I'd be happy to help with those).
When i was younger i always proclamed my self as an atheist. I now feel more comfortable with the term "secularist", as atheism seems, to me, as in giving the ayre of .."protesting to much". I made valid this, my "new proclamation" -- though it was more in casual small conversation to be honest, and just sort of...slipped out -- to a preist durring the undertakings in the arranging of my fathers funeral and, which i now regret deeply, ....the "slippage" as opposed to the sentiment.
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
Don't forget to watch that diss track that my friends made about me: ruclips.net/video/TmKy0LQmLSQ/видео.html
Also, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. What do you label yourself?
You better make a response diss track smh
CosmicSkeptic If you dont make a response track I will....be moderately dissatisfied
Alex, While I absolutely love your videos.l..I could not disagree with you more on this. If someone believes in God they are a theist, if they do not they are a non-theist. p V ~p. While people can use the phrase agnostic atheist it is superfluous. Atheism is a belief claim, and adding a qualifier on it "agnostic" doesn't tell us anything more than someone just saying that they are an "atheist". Logically it is:
p=some god exist
Theist = Bp
Atheist = B~p
Agnostic =~Bp&~B~p
While I understand why Silverman and Aron Ra want to include agnostics for political demographics, but at what price...to sacrifice philosophical context of words? I reject the atheist label, not because of any stigma of the word, but because it does not properly express my theological position.
I would LOVE to discuss this with you and our mutual friend Holy Koolaid and Ozymandias. Would you be willing to?
Alex, I also would submit that you're trying to promote a false disjunction. p V q, not q therefore p. And you are trying to assign q=theist, a=atheist and this presents a false dichotomy.
Logically if someone is not a theist, the MOST you can logically follow from that is someone who is not a theist is a non-theist (not a theist). If people want to take on the broad definition of atheism being a "lack of belief" (as per Flew's "presumption of atheism") they most certainly can, but that is not how it is used on philosophy and academics. In academics, atheism is a BELIEF that god or gods do not exist.
The concept of atheism existing because of theism is just co-extensive since for any proposition we have the possibility of the rejection of the proposition...but atheism in philosophical terms is an active belief, a rejection of the claim of theism...else it leads to absurd consequences such as rocks being atheist.
Haven't finished watching your video, but I'll already answer:
I call myself an "Agnostic Atheist", because I agree with Matts distinction of Agnostic being a position of knowledge and Atheist being a position of believe. I don't believe, but I don't know, therefore I'm an agonstic atheist.
But frankly, everyone should be Agnostic by default, because nobody knows about any deities, everybody only has believe or a lack of believe, but nobody knows wether any god exists or not.
I just say that I'm not religious because I live in tennessee and calling myself an atheist is about like saying that I'm a child molester in the eyes of most people here.
Wulris: Road To 10,000 Subscribers! Same, but I'm in wisconsin. An unfortunately VERY religious and conservative part of the state. One time I only told a girl that I didnt go to church very often and she glared at me from across the room for the next 15 minutes.
I live in South Dakota (something I'll never get used to saying) and I get a lot of weird looks when people find out. It's not something I lead with, preferring to wait until people know me for a bit before I'll admit it (usually leading to "but... you seem so nice?"), and I only offer it up at all if they bring religion up first... but I never lie about it. If someone thought to ask me point blank I'd be completely honest.
Yeah, I remember back in middle school at one point I had told somebody that I was an atheist and within an hour it seemed that the entire school knew and they all hated me for it. Deciding that I would rather have friends than have people know my actual beliefs, I just told people that it was a joke.
Honestly, it's like telling people you're a Christmas elf. People think you're not right in the head.
My daughter is a bit bolder about it than I am, something I've tried to caution her about, which has gotten some interesting reactions from people ("You're a Satanist???"). And for the record I've never "pushed" atheism on her, I've always felt she should make her own informed decision about religion. But with the information at her disposal, she's decided the god thing and blind faith are just silly.
I'm an atheist and if you critisize me you're atheiophobic - says no atheist ever.
I know some Christians that are legitimately afraid of me because I'm an atheist. They believe I'm some spawn of Satan, only here to push them from the path of light to god. Sometimes have my bible and read it upside down, that's a fun thing to do lol. See them squirm as they try to get away from me with out noticing, then i just lock eyes with one of the people as they leave and they begin to run. I'm a bit of a sadist lmao.
*edit 7/26/23
This comment was from 5 years ago and it’s sooooo fucking cringy, and yet I still get likes and comments about it, some obviously sarcastic and some I can’t even tell. But I do want to note, Atheists and Atheism as a group are still demonized and are by far one of the most hated groups within American society. In part to comments like the one I wrote. Regardless of how scholars and academics attempt to make atheism a more digestible and likable identity/ideology, it is stupid fucking comments on the internet like mine that make atheists look stupid, arrogant and unlikeable. Don’t post your cringy comments about how you scare religious people. You’re making your own oppression and for some reason like being an oppressed class. Shut the fuck up and be a normal person, then maybe atheists won’t be the most hated group in America. Rant over.
Billys Tutorial my own fuckin dad is like that lmao
You are amazing
Billys Tutorial Sometimes I'd like to be somewhere where id get that type of reaction but not get hunged in public for that...
@Ian M Do you realize where the human race comes from? I carbon dated my girlfriend, she's 6,000 years old !!!
Since I'm living in Saudi Arabia, I can't help you my fellow atheists, so good luck
you must be a very brave person. good luck to you
He's dead by now
I hope u get out of there man 😴
I understand you
@@jendoubinour6902 funny thing,I'm Egyptian and ive been exposed to foreign culture through watching Minecraft videos in english at the age of 10,so I can thank Minecraft for making me an atheist
I am from South Africa, in Limpopo. My neighbours here think that my saying I am an atheist translates to I hate God. But I always enjoy the liberty to educate them, even when they think I am Lucifer's son. I AM AN ATHEIST
You are in the Devil's kingdom. There are two kingdom. The Devil's kingdom and God's kingdom. Everything here belongs to Satan. God's kingdom is not of this world, it's out of everything, even time. God can not be limit. In the Devil's kingdom you have religion. And Christianity is not a religion, we are of God's kingdom, he is the king and we are his people. If you look it up, you'll see a king doesn't have anything to do with religion. Jesus claims he's a king. Satan is the prince of the air. Jesus calls him the God of this world. Why don't you think the world can never get peace, why are there dead people, why are there hospitals, why are these bad things happening in the world. It's because we are living in the Devil's king. Good never intended this to happen. Everything would be perfect today if Lucifer kept his place and never wanted a kingdom of his on. God allows him because we want God to allow him, we love to worship him and we love what he has for us and most people don't realize this. They're still blind.
I don’t believe in the devil either. He and god must have the same press agent.
@@jesusisthekingofkingsandlo3231 that’s nice.
And how do you argue that devil aka Lucifer existed, maybe you can say all the bad things happening around the world then why are good things happening also then you could say god had done some good
but this is like saying salt is bad cause it causes blood pressure to rise then devil invent salt to rise bp and salt is used to cook meals so we can get good taste of it.hence it was invented by the god you can also say god and the devil both created salt then you're assertion of god all good fall apart so the concept of devil is invalid.
@@jesusisthekingofkingsandlo3231 I'm going to show you how you sound like to an atheist:
P1: I really love collecting stamps, do you?
P2: No, not really.
P1: Oh, so you like those cheap ones from the dollar store?
P2: No, I never said that.
P1: But you either like the fancy ones or you like those, it's even written in my first guide for collecting vintage stamps.
P2: I don't collect stamps, I don't care about your guide.
P1: It's either one or the other, that's objectively true, my guide said so and it is written by professionals, how could it be wrong?
P2: Maybe they just want to paint a bad picture for people not collecting stamps, since they are promoting their book about stamps.
P1: That's just ridiculous.
P2: ....
I call myself a non-stamp collector
Ayyyyyy, that was the channel that first convinced me to deconvert.
Why do you hate Philately? I will tell my fellow philatelists about you and we will convert you ;)
Karl Jones Philately will get you nowhere.
I call myself a water-drinker
Yeeeessssssss
I came out last night to my muslim parents. They took it pretty well
what di they say
Red Hiding Hood very nice. It’s hard to do but glad to hear they took it ok.
Cheers !
My parents are catholic and I don't think I can ever tell them
سوف تحرق في جهنم 😅🤣🤣😂🤣😂
هنيئا لك الخروج من جهل الديانة الصلعمية
If you're free and able to state your atheism state it PROUDLY for there are those who cannot do so, do it on our behalf.
Edit:
For the few who will inevitably question what I mean, I will be hung if those around me find out about my beliefs.
Don't worry, mate, I got you.
You live in the middle East don't you? Trust me theyll do more than hang you. Not really reassuring but that's why the call this country Kafirs in other words a person who thinks logically. Don't worry fammo, you'll be alright.
Your friendly Neighborhood pessimist I live in a bigoted country too where being an Atheist is illegal.
will do
Your friendly Neighborhood pessimist
Good luck, please don’t get caught
I have been referring to myself as an atheist since I was about 14. I am 27 now, and over these 13 years it hasn't gotten easier. People still ask why I turn away from God (I was never turned that way to begin with), or who hurt me (no one). I hate that I have to basically explain myself every time someone asks about my religious beliefs. I still do it though, because acting indifferent about it would be worse. Talking about it is the only way we can ever hope to be treated as normal.
Hang tough..I've been an atheist since 26yo. I'm 58 now and trust me it might not get easier. Once identified as an atheist theists will either demonize you or try to change you. Very few will remain neutral. It literally becomes a battle for your mind. But you have an advantage..you are armed with facts. You do not have to stay up late at nite wondering if what you believe is true. No doubts. No cognitive dissonance. This is who you are! Dont be afraid of yourself.
@@eaglefly1870 Thanks for your comment. It's always good to see someone a bit older than I am who's an open atheist. I'm definitely not going to let people get to me. :)
I considered my self an athiest since i was 12
@@eaglefly1870 thanks
Me I think I was born an atheist. Despite the fact that I was born and raised in a vey religious country (Greece) and in a very religious and extremely conservative environment, that sh@@ never got into my head. I was lucky I guess.
We DEFINITELY know why the tides go in and out - the moon's gravitational pull on Earth.
In my view, there absolutely is a "why" to why the tides go in and out: Because of the moon's gravitational pull.
Then you can ask, why does the moon exert a gravitational pull? And the answer is because the Moon has matter (which couples to the Higgs field) and warps space and time according to general relativity - that warping manifests as a pull on the Earth.
Then you can ask, why does the Moon's matter warp space and time? And the answer is we don't know.
If by "purpose" you mean why something *must* happen a certain way, it likely is because of increase in entropy. In this context, mountains are created because the Earth's tectonic plates are still moving around to minimize the initial heat of formation of the planet (i.e. minimize the entropy from the Earth's formation) - I **think** thats the right answer not 100% sure.
For the coming into existence of the Universe, we don't know the "purpose" yet - but it could very well be because of clear physical reasons like a multiverse or quantum fluctuations or other unknown physics (not just randomness).
If by "purpose" you mean some intelligence having made something with intention, I agree the Universe likely has no "purpose".
+ManyProphets OneMessage
Even if Science cannot determine *why* the tides go in and out or *why* we're here, neither can any religion. Theism allows one to claim they know why and maybe even believe one does, but the truth is that a theist knows as little about the purpose of our existence as an atheist does.
ManyProphets OneMessage we are not to far away from technology and Medicean and science that will change mankind’s thinking in future about if we need a god maybe not in our life times but quite soon .
@ManyProphets OneMessage I understand the point you're trying to make with the distinction with why and how, but I think that, in this particular context (not the same as baking a cake), why would be acceptable. I think the meaning of why would be more on the line of "for what reason" instead of "for what purpose", where the reason could imply a purpose (like what you are saying) or it could imply any cause of it. Of course the latter implication goes hand in hand with how it happened, but the meaning of why is still acceptable within this context.
14:47 As nice as that would be, I don't think it would ever happen. Parents care about their kids, and if they're apart of a religion where non believers go to hell, they have good reason for concern. Nobody wants their kid to go to hell.
But it would be nice if the whole "you're not my child if you dont believe in god!" would stop. I'm currently in a place where I have to go to church every sunday and pretend to believe in god so that I'm not hated by my own family.
Lol I understand that feeling I was a muslim and was forced in going to the mosque every friday.
Salamander Fuck that shit. Wear your atheism on your sleeve, buy a tent and a flint stone and go live in the wild, surviving off of game, a proud atheist.
Micah Middleton that's not practical :/
Sorry Salamander, that sucks. I understand what you mean about the not wanting your kids to burn in hell... although I can't understand worshipping a god that would allow such a thing in the first place.
My daughter has at least two friends whose religious mothers (one who use to be a stripper and one who has 3 kids by three different men and is now married to a fourth that she secretly hates) have told them that if they ever came out as gay, they would be thrown out of the house because it's "wrong". These are 14 year old girls... who the fuck does that? She also has two openly gay friends whose parents are totally accepting of them, one friend I have no idea what her parents beliefs are (as it should be) and the other whose mom is pagan/wiccan.
At some point I fully expect at least one of these girls, if not both, will end up living with us because they feel are more loved and accepted here than in their own "Christian" homes, and that is just fucking sad.
Hey, same boat. I'm counting down each day of the last year until I can move out so I don't have to pretend so much. And I'm honestly debating if it would be worth it, even if I have the chance of being kicked out or shunned. Maybe we can be tent-buddies out in the wilderness. :P
I've been calling myself an athiest since my early teens growing up in the Bible belt of America because that's what I am. I'm also gay, so the athiest thing was a cinch.
Steven DuVall I’m gay as fuck
@Donald McCarthy lul
That must be hard. I heard some parents disowning their child, because they are atheist.
Steven DuVall lol
I hope you haven't based you atheism on the ridiculousness of the bible and those who blindly follow it, as that would be illogical, imo.
Disproving religion doesn't disprove God or spirituality.
My brother is an atheist and he used to say "I am God". I told him that he should believe in himself more...
Did you come up with that yourself? That's really funny lol
"Tide goes in. Tide goes out. YOU CAN'T EXPLAIN THAT!"
This genius get's me every time 😂
Willie Zhang and then he actually explains it, and he’s like “Nonononono....” XD
if you look closely, David Silverman is completely stunned by this question and doesnt give a very good response. Theres a good reason for this. He isnt stunned because he doesnt know the answer, hes stunned because he just got done to talking to the real Bill OReilly (off camera) and he is realizing that this is a fictional character he is speaking to. You can look up interviews with David Silverman talking about this. Bill Oreilly is simply playing a fictional character, he doesnt believe these things, he is just playing a role. Its smarter than you think, in the dumbest way possible.
You People should see this one. ruclips.net/video/1n-zYRZy5NQ/видео.html
The MOOOOOOON's gravity!
The moon-
I-
All my atoms enjoyed this.
Why do people feel the need to distance themselves from every single concept used by a group they oppose...?
You can believe in some things that religious people believe in without actually being religious...
I love that someone so young can enlighten someone of my age. Thanks. I’ve always taught people and I’ve always said I’ve learned from everyone of them no matter how young or old.
Then u should learn from this too. ruclips.net/video/1n-zYRZy5NQ/видео.html
@@crawling309 shut up man, no one cares about islam here. Bye now.
@@dilz2467 Relax,, There is no compulsion in Islam.
@@crawling309 haha you really wanna play that game??
9:29
8:60
These are later verses and over rule your "no compulsion in religion" verse. And I'm not even mentioning the violence in the hadiths.
I'm from Bahrain and I'm an atheist. I wish you guys the best of luck!
Change your name to atheist😂
@@sultansaywell4038 yeah lol
@@sultansaywell4038 and change your name to anti atheist
Actually we should wish you best of luck ye know
Bill O’Reilly claims: "Tide goes in, tide goes out. Never a miscommunication. You can’t explain that. You can’t explain why the tide goes in.” Palm to forehead.....................This guy graduated from Harvard.
Bob Smith i learned that in 8th grade lmao
Confidence and Ignorance is a bad combination.
O'really graduated from Harvard?
Yeah but he studied law or something silly like that.
That's what happens when you think magic does everything. You don't learn the actual explanation.
I've been calling myself an atheist since the age of 14 (now 57), though I had to look it up in the dictionary (ateo in Italian) as I only knew the non-believer term.
And have been a proud all-out atheist ever since, but even in Catholic Italy, it wasn't as bad as it is in the old US of Stoopid.
I'm 14 now, any advice? 😄
@ Azure Griffin
Depends on your situation. Where do you live, what do your parents think regarding atheism/beliefs, could it be dangerous etc etc.
Alessandro B thankfully, neither of my parents are religious, it just never came up. I always thought religion was kinda dodgy, and through various channels of information (RDS teacher, History teacher, parents etc.) I have come to the conclusion it is, excuse the language, bullshit. History teacher: religion has been the most effective form of control for centuries, you can stop a crime in a person's head. RS: many think that their seemingly irrational belief is all the evidence they need. Dad: it's just stories to try and explain away the uncertainties of life at the end of the day. Need I go on? My problem was what to do *imagine this in David Attenborough's voice* in an encounter with the wild bible-basher, using their natural defense mechanism of overwhelming by biblical verses.
He waited day after day for his response, but the wise man had forgotten long ago that he had such powerful wisdom caught up in his own mind. Azure Griffin would never lose hope, despite hope being a lost failure, in the sea of RUclips. Will the tale ever come to a close?
@@azuregriffin1116
You want my advice? Just keep watching videos like this. Stay brushed up on your philosophical and scientific arguments. Theists have a fairly small arsenal of arguments that they tend to fall back on, and so you will only get better at debating/debunking them with time.
I wish I could say proudly that I'm an atheist, but I don't want to be fucking kick out of my house
Nota Robot Oh, I will! I'm just 18 now tho, and I want them to pay for collegue :P so I'll have to pretend to be a christian for a little more time
Nota Robot I guess
it is the same as saying murder, homo, pedo... are just nature taking its course
HELENO HENZO what
little ass Kicker Ignore Heleno, he's just spouting ignorant garbage. Statistics he has no evidence or sources to back up.
I find it interesting how similar Atheists struggle for recognition mirrors the LGBTQ community's struggle for the same thing. As a gay man, I've watched how much public opinion has changed over the decades towards us, and I think a large part of that change can attributed to exposure to the general public. As you mentioned in this video, the more the public sees examples of a group as being normal, the more readily they expect other members, and the group as a whole to be normal. I think media has helped the LGBTQ community TREMENDOUSLY (Ellen DeGeneres, Will and Grace, etc.) If we could have more positively portrayed examples of Atheists in the media, I think it will go a long way toward increasing our recognition and acceptance.
Most of Western Europe is atheist these days and it is absolutely not a big deal anymore. Many important people are atheist, but it would never come up, because it barely matters. All religious talk even in religiously founded parties is just lipservice.
The idea that atheists are a oppressed minority that has to "come out" is so very American. At best it happens to immigrated Muslim families or the last dying remnants of hardcore conservative Christians in Italy.
Atheism has been accepted far earlier than LGBT rights.
All (well, many or most) "isms" revolve around what you DO. Atheism must do something to be an "ism". So y'all need to decide what you ARE, not what you are not. Then be that! But you must all be the same thing or the label won't work. You'll need an authority and some dogma. American Atheists has a pretty good start.
Probably our best hope of an Ellen DeGeneres-type media figure and activist who could help atheism become mainstream is Bill Maher, but I don't know if by himself he's enough... We need Ricky Gervais out there more.
Lmao you guys receive more than enough attention
I would love to call myself an atheist, and will once I'm independent. But I'm a teen living in a Young Earth Creationist family in a largely Young Earth Creationist town in the South, and I quite like having a roof over my head, so... Gonna keep on lying to my family and friends about my beliefs. :D
(Yes, I do realize Alex said he was not speaking to those who are unable to make their beliefs public)
Definitely keep doing that. I'd much rather you and any other atheist be safe if it means hiding your beliefs for a little bit longer.
Same boat except Roman Catholic with strict Hispanic parents with everyone in my small town in Texas being christian
Same. Knowing my parents, I'd get disowned right away if I do that. I still come to church with them twice a week :/
How do you know if your relationship with your family will be damaged by coming out Atheist? I want to come out, but I'm afraid.
It musn't be easy for any of you living such a lie. I've come out as an atheist to my Catholic parents. it's still a very touchy subject and they are very disappointed in me but they have accepted it. I would hope that if your parents are good people and love you for who you are they'll get over it. Obviously it's a judgement call only you can make, but you can't hide something like this forever.
When someone asks if I believe in God, I always respond with "What God?" even if the answer is negative for all
Same haha
Depending on my mood and of course who is asking I may either sarcastically say "Oh loving wise Zeus and Apollo are quite aware of my prayers and offerings." Or on the negative side, "I have a hard time with Venus sprouting out of Jupiter's head, so sort of hadn't bothered with that stuff since I was a young teen."
If I don't feel like cheesing people, I just say I don't, but I respect the right to freedom from or to worship whatever one wants.
I've learned to soften it to some people for two reasons: either they take your position as being agnostic or atheistic as an insult to their identity, and/or they think that you think they're dumb for believing in the rubbish. Which I don't. Smarter people than I believe or believed in mysticism or religion.... it's a cultural stupidity, not necessarily a personal stupidity.
You should see this one, ruclips.net/video/1n-zYRZy5NQ/видео.html
I do likewise. Until the term is defined any discussion is somewhat meaningless. Maybe a lot meaningless.
If someone says that to me, I clarify by saying, “The Christian God.”
I have no problem telling people I'm an atheist, but when it comes to my family, it's a tricky one. When my mum and auntie asked if I'm religious the other day, I just froze and told them I'd rather not answer. I don't mind the sense of judgement and disgust directed at me by others, but not if it's coming from my family. Yet, I refuse to be labelled Muslim when I'm not. I only completely lie to my grandmother about it, I love her dearly and her world is too different to ever understand.
I'm atheist, loudly and proudly.
Lucky.
MAKE IT ALL CAPS. LOUDER AND PROUDER. Not sure what it gets you but oh well.
I wish I could say that but I'm stuck in an Islamic country living with an Islamic family praying and fasting to a god that I don't believe exist.
@@MrWick-oe5ij Same. But unlike you I am not in an Islamic country.
@@MrWick-oe5ij I'm an exmuslim
the problem is i cant, considering i am in a arab muslim country
Yeah, clearly we can understand that, and you have my sympathy. Stay safe and I hope, if it's something you desire, you are able to get out and move somewhere where you can be open about your beliefs without fear. *hugs*
Same problem. My family is extremely religious and I feel like I can't come out until I have my own job and am completely independent, then I will move out and hopefully get to live in a western country.
atheon 33 Ah have a safe life man, which country do you live in? I live in the UAE and I do call myself an Atheist, they mostly are open minded here I guess :T it is the most western eastern country imo but yet again. STAY SAFE man
atheon 33 it's all about who your with I'm an open Atheist in Saudi Arabia and I don't have any issues here.
i have alot of people who know that i am an atheist, however i have difficulties voicing my real opinions in public or in my school, and the athiest community is very small in jordan compared to saudi arabia
After years of identifying as agnostic, a month ago I called myself an atheist for the first time at a table full of my Christian friends and one my friend's parents. 'Twas interesting and kinda liberating. Nice job on this video Alex! Glad to see you pulled through your procrastination XP
RainasRoom what happened
Silent_ Watcher92 We were talking about religion over dinner, and my friend's mom turned to me and asked, "You're agnostic right?" To which I replied, "Agnostic atheist, yes." There wasn't much of a reaction from anyone except my friend's dad who said something along the lines of "What?! Atheist?!" He then muttered "Atheist... Oh my God..." later in the conversation. And at some point I clarified what agnostic and atheist each meant when they asked. Nothing that bad. And my friend's dad got over it pretty quickly.
Silent_ Watcher92 Yeah! I was the same way when I was Catholic growing up. I feel really bad and embarrassed about how unfair I was to this one girl who said she didn't believe in God when I was in grade school. But hey we all grow and change. And getting rid of those prejudices was definitely for the better.
RainasRoom
Glad to hear it went somewhat smooth. When I was a theist, I remember how I felt when I heard someone's an atheist, it would instantly change my perception of that person following giving bad attributes for no good reason, even if I knew that person before. It's sad, really. Ofcourse, back then I had religious reasons, which I now realise are immoral and corrupt in its core, but God was God and Hell was Hell. Anyway, I'm glad I got rid of it and I hope everyone else will.
RainasRoom
When everyone you know and trust feeds you poison, you swallow it as it's all you know. As Weinberg said, with or without religion you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things, but for good people to do evil things, that takes religion. It's not your fault, be happy you got out.
I was brought up in a non-religious household. (Born 1943). From the age of around twelve (until my late teens) I started going to differing religious groupings, (C of E, Methodist, Congregationalist, etc) largely out of personal interest, trying to find out what I believed. I had quite a few one-to-one's with vicars and others who tried to explain the meaning of various things, (miracles, etc).
For years afterwards I called myself an agnostic, because, although I realised that whilst I didn't buy any religious beliefs, nevertheless I was still very interested, (continuing to read the Torah, the Bible, the Koran, amongst other religious and non-religious books).
One day, many years ago, I simply owned up, - I don't believe, therefore I am an Atheist.
Let's keep it simple.
It never occured to me until I was in my late forties when my daughter suddenly became a christian. I got the shock of my life and so did she when I told her I was an atheiest and so was her entire family. The subject had never come up. I wanted to lend her Carl Sagans series Cosmos and she said. " I won't watch that, he's not a christian" ... Imagine my surprise.
That's unfortunate
Hey Alex, I would just like to thank you. I was a Mormon, completely brainwashed into their dogma. I use to say things like "evolution is just a theory." and "if we evolved from monkeys why are there still monkeys?". Over the course of 2 years I began to question everything I thought I knew and people like you and Aron ra assisted me in questioning everything and seeing which holds up to scrutiny. I feel like a new person who doesn't rely on others or the possibility of heaven to make me do things. Everything I do is because I want to, you truly do free people. Keep going and you deserve all the support you get!
So glad you found reason!!! Yay!!!
ruclips.net/video/2AvepssBwzY/видео.html “the Quran: an atheist perspective” by the mathematician Dr Jeffry Lang, hope you will watch this because it talks about suffering and the purpose of life from an atheist point of view, thanks to god he eventually accepted islam after being an atheist for so long, love how you question everything thats great 🌹 also consider questioning atheism and evolution as much if you are truthful, cause I have encountered many atheists with blind faith in macro evolution 😅
@@ga4214 Of course questioning evolution is a good idea, but over the years it has been shown to be a coherent explanation for the world around us. Scientists around the world agree on that and it holds up to scrutiny. The quran does not hold up to scrutiny. As with any other "holy" scripture, there is no good reason to believe that the quran is true.
@@keithboynton bad analogy since both are tested experiences (scientific) unlike macro and micro !!! It looks like they are treating you like a child by giving this stupid example🥱
macro and micro aren’t used with people who “know” evolution because there isn’t any evidence on evolution thats why they use the evidence of micro evolution (which is adaption as evolution doesn’t exist) and use it as an evidence on macro evolution since macro doesn’t have any evidence; bottom line is they treat both as one to fool minds like you who trust scientists blindly, kinda like how your ancestors trusted the Priests blindly; pathetic honestly
@@clemensbock7434 oh is that why any scientists get crucified when questioning and criticizing evolution 🤔 hmm I wonder why they silence them
Refer to the documentary: “Expelled: no intelligent allowed”
The piles of books in the back grow larger
I'm installing shelves on Sunday
CosmicSkeptic Just use the CosmicDrawers
CosmicSkeptic if I don't see shelves on your next vid I'm gonna unsubscribe...lol just messing live the vids
You are a book-hoarder, seek help! ;-p
Omega0850 Knowledge hoarding is best hoarding
I got a Dennis Prager ad on this video *facepalm*
I keep getting purflix ads before atheist videos... I'm pretty sure youtube doesn't know us very well
I got one for a conservative conspiracy theory "news" channel.
My personal favourite is Israeli Bible Studies. I always watch it all the way through, in the hope that Alex gets a Credit for it.
Just wasted ad money
Do you need trauma counselling now? 😂
Actually, I think the term atheist can be a positive force in the same context as non-smoker. The campaign against smoking went through a period where you were marginal if you didn't smoke. Now, the situation seems to have reversed in that people now have to identify themselves as smokers where it use to be a given and non-smoking is now the norm. Unfortunately, I don't think we will have little "don't evangelize" signs everywhere anytime soon but making a point that you are an atheist when someone tries to shove a pamphlet in your hand will only have an effect the more it's done. I would also say that the more vocal atheists are the more people will be aware and relaxed about their freedom to not believe. I of course talk as a Brit and am fully appreciative of how much more of a mountain it is in the USA
"same context as non-smoker." That's a pretty good example. Non smokers might merely not smoke but not care what others do; but other non-smokers are activist and wish for everyone else to not smoke because of course your smoke inflicts upon me if I am in the same room. So long as there's a room I can go to without smoke I don't care if you smoke in yours. But if I am compelled to be in your room, then the person who is doing the most inflicting has the duty to stop inflicting. That means a room of 40 people are inflicted by one smoker, but a room of 39 smokers is not inflicted by one non-smoker. And yes in my Navy days that was about the ratio and it was extremely unpleasant.
I absolutely call myself an Atheist and I am not Agnostic. Here's why: I was a fundamentalist Christian for 46 yrs. I believed the Bible was the inerrant, inspired, historically proven Word of God. The first crack (other than my belief that pushing your nose into another's sex life or freedom to choose is wrong and mean) was when I saw a documentary about the Gospels. I was utterly shocked. The Gospels weren't eyewitness accounts and weren't written by Matthew, Mark, Luke or John! This documentary showed that Mark was actually the first book, and each book that followed clearly built on the one before it.
For the first time, I actually examined the Bible narrative from Genesis to Revelations and it became very clear to me that there was no supporting evidence for most of it's claims. Science, history and contemporary accounts disproved so much of what I was taught. So, where did that leave me? Could I now close my eyes and ears and pretend I didn't know the truth? I had so much to lose. I was incredibly involved in the church as a parent, Sunday School teacher, youth worker, volunteer and music leader. My friends were all Christians as was everyone in the office where I worked. What should I do? What would you do?
I couldn't make myself believe again. Belief doesn't work that way. I left the church because I couldn't live with myself if I kept pretending. It was really tough, and you know what? I don't regret it. I know the Bible is a book of myths and my whole knowledge of and belief in God was based on that myth.
I am not Agnostic, I am a strong Atheist and proud to proclaim it.
I am glad to see people can be so open minded, usually the case is that if someone has had the same world view for almost all their life then they will never change. You sound like a wonderful person, this should be top comment
Grandma Mo Says. I was just wondering wat was the name of this documentary. I would love to watch it.
The documentary is "Excavating The Empty Tomb" by TruthSurge. I found it at topdocumentaryfilms.com and I believe it's available on his youtube channel as well. This documentary is pretty long , however it's in a playlist format so you can watch it in parts as well. Feel free to let me know what you think.
True, but no one "knows" fairies exist either.
Grandma Mo Says - *I couldn't make myself believe again. Belief doesn't work that way.*
This is so absolutely true. It's good to know that there are folks who've been in Christianity for so long and can come to realize that it's all a myth. Thanks for sharing your story.
A 18 yo casually having a drink with a president of atheism... Lol
Atheism isn't supposed to have a "president". It isn't even supposed to be an "ism". But, clearly it is!
Not the president of atheism. The president of the atheIST community.
The head of a community tied together by common beliefs and values. Not even close to a church.
@@williamswenson3970 "The head of a community tied together by objective standards based on evidence and common values oriented to the well being of life"
Fixed it for you.
@@williamswenson3970 "The head of a community tied together by common beliefs and values" If the only thing that ties y'all together is a thing y'all believes does not exist, that's not much of a tie and not much of a community.
Great video, Alex. I came out to all my family and friends after reading "Fighting God", and now I'm an out and proud atheist.
Thanks for sharing!
I'm an anti-golfer.
I like miniature golf, so maybe I'm only an anti-golfer when it comes to those big golf courses . . . ;-)
Hhh i love this analogy
It's such an Elitist Game!!!
An Agolfer, if you will.
Your extremist views are making all is a-golfers look bad
That first clip reminds me of this exchange in A:TLA
A: "Can your fortune telling explain [why a volcano is currently active when it wasn't supposed to be]?"
B: "Can your 'science' explain why it rains?"
A: "..Yes it can!"
That was an excellent episode. I think Sokka was fighting the urge to murder someone.
I prefer Christina Rad's definition: "I have a personal relationship with reality."
I love that. I'm going to steal it! ;)
Reality is what you have in your head.
That's great, but does reality have a personal relationship with you?
@@thomasmaughan4798 Reality isn't a being, so no, it cannot have relationships. However, I need to utilize reality in order to HAVE relationships. And by "relationship" I mean with real live beings who actually exist, not imaginary ones.
@@Redhunteur2 I take your point but suggest for your consideration geeks that appear capable of having emotional bonds with artificial intelligence, such as "Siri" or the new breed of companionship androids/robots.
A relationship can be one-way, in my opinion and experience. It simply means to "relate" and I might relate to something, an animal, that does not relate back.
As to a relationship with something imaginary, good heavens you must live under a rock. That's the normal way even between humans. What you relate to you have imagined exists; and it might, but whether it does or not you have formed a relationship with what you think exists.
One of the faults of atheist is to assume *a priori* that gods, angels or other entities in that realm do not and cannot exist; therefore any relationship thereto must be to an imaginary entity. In my experience that realm is filled with a variety of things having, among other things, dimensions of intelligence (a simple scalar) and benevolence (malice/benevolence).
Ok, its time someone stepped up and said to you what desperately needs to be said for your own good....and I mean this with the upmost love and respect....
Its time to get a bookshelf.
It's for aesthetic
I'm Muslim in my ID card but I have same opinion with you, and want to learn more
Very poor person u are. you should see this one, May Allah hedayet u. ruclips.net/video/1n-zYRZy5NQ/видео.html
There you go
Dipto Hossain Shohag should apostate be killed?
@@WhatYourGrandpaSays Trust me,
you wont hear the answer.
Learning With The Smiley Yellow Face I know. Used to live in a Islamic country. They are best at tap dancing.
Awww your emotive story about David Silverman at the beginning was so cute!
As I was going through a Christian course, called Alpha, I would regularly proclaim my atheism and get questions from all the believers on my thoughts. They were quite surprised to learn that I was a good person and had a similar idea of what was good.
Alex, you are a bright, articulate young man. I hope you go far in the movement to make atheism more understood and accepted. I became an atheist about 9 years old. I thought the bible stories were all a joke. 70 now and still feel the same way. I agree with you about the use of the word atheist. We need to use it and be proud of it, proud that we haven't succumbed to religious brainwashing.
No but u bet ur still a sheep and follow societys norms 😂😂 id put money on it
"proud that we haven't succumbed to religious brainwashing." Don't forget arrogance. it is a requirement.
"87%" of Americans understand what an Atheist is??? Please point to the poll data for that, I find this VERY hard to believe, since the vast majority of people I interact with don't have a clue.
Maybe "think they understand" would be more accurate
I'm from Florida, and everyone I ever talked to about religion (which admittedly isn't much outside of my family and closest friends) knew what Atheist meant.
Most theists don't understand the difference between "I don't believe in God" and "I believe there is no God". I think that's part of why so many people call themselves agnostics when they're really soft/agnostic atheists
They strawman atheism that's why it seems they dont understand.. alot of people are just dishonest..
You're a Satan worshipper, aren't you? What more is there to know? Y'all just wanna sin...
Facebook status changed: Atheist and a Vegan. Done!
AllSeeingEye ofGod woah you totally converted us all to theism now after we totally read that whole thing and visited all the links, NEVER rolled our eyes and just wanted to instead be left alone-gee thanks man!
Ditto!
Ditto to FB profile changed!😁
CandieArt Man, I wish I had your bravery and balls. I can't even say 'atheist' in front of my family..
@@gotdropkicked It really depends on your circumstances and how comfortable you feel about it. When it's time, you will know.
That golfer world thought experiment (aside from it being hilarious) was brilliant and enlightening, thank you.
I'm atheist and proud of it.
I do
Tbh, being proud of being an atheist is just as retarded as religious pride. Or ethnic pride. Be proud of your personal achievements in life.
Dogematic Atheism It's okay to be prideful of your identity, but you shouldnt see it as a quality that makes you better. That's my take on it.
Dogematic Atheism - Being an out atheist is an achievement, at least where I live. It takes a great deal of character to withstand the scorn of a population that largely hates you for simply rejecting one belief.
Last Guy Minn Yeah, its the same in my area. If you say youre an atheist people assume you have no morals and are some sort of horrible person
7:50 We have many words for people who don’t do or believe certain thing: blind do not see; lazy do not exert effort; mute do not speak; celibate do not **** (have sex); antihumanist don’t believe humanist principles are tenable. Granted, we have more words for people who can’t than who don’t.
It give me hope for humanity when I see a younger person such as yourself committed to rational thought and work hard to represent all athiest when we may have little time to do so ourselves. I would like to see you as a future Hitch.. although those are some huge shoes to fill. Keep up the good work...
I had this video on my “Watch Later” list... I’m glad that I FINALLY got around to seeing this because I have been so FIRMLY ensconced to label myself as an “agnostic”. I see the point, now, of the use of the label “atheist”... it seems to be mostly a political convention to give the secular movement more traction and recognition.
I'm a bit of an anti theist. I don't want to force religion out of society, but it would be better with out religion.
MRdaBakkle I don't know if that's anti theistic though, you're just able to see the benefits of not having religion in society, you don't hate god
Ellie Collins you can't hate someone if that guy don't exist
Shiroski O Cháros I would disagree. You can read a book and, if you become emotionally invested enough in it, reallllllly despise the villain for killing your main character. You hate a fictional character.
MRdaBakkle me too. Tbh I never understood how someone can be an atheist and not an anti theist at the same time
I do hate god. I'd hate someone who would eternally torture someone for not kissing his butthole.
I’ve always identified as an atheist. I had the same conversation with David when he spoke right here in my small town in S.E. Florida. I continue to identify as an atheist but do it for a completely different reason.…and that’s because I had that discussion with him. It makes sense to me and I now refer to myself as a “firebrand” atheist. Not when telling someone that I AM an atheist but in the way I debate theists. It’s not about hurting their feelings but more about the realization that I do not have to be afraid of their hurt feelings. They’re the ones making the choice to allow their feelings to get hurt. And it’s because they take my disbelief as an assault on them, personally. Deal with it and come up with fact based, rational reasons to believe. Defend your beliefs without the typical theist mental gymnastics.
Atheist is like "not guilty" instead of "innocent" in a court of law.
And guilty on the judgement day. ☝️
Thor on top of mount Olympus?! Badass crossover event?
Let's throw Anubis up there with him
@@KhaosDancer nah,annubis is busy sleeping with Venus
Marvel meets DC.
sounds like a fortnite event lol
@@butterskywalker8785 Or with Ishtar
Alex is on the Speedway to being an intellectual genius.
He's certainly more ambitious than me. I prefer comedy though, trying my hand at stand up tonight. Wish me well!
Ryan Swanson good luck
Best of luck to you! Ans thanks for the kind words.
Good luck! Let us know how it went. Even if you bomb, you've got more guts than most of us for getting your ass out there and doing it. That's my backhanded encouragement speech.
I'm 15 minutes from going on! Ventura, California. An open mic. I'm so excited and nervous. A weird combo that makes me ill.
Ryan Swanson GOOD LUCK!
I've been an atheist practically a huge chunk of my life (since I was 10) and I'm really lucky, and although my dad thinks it's kind of something I'll get over once i begin adulthood, I have a lot of friends that are also atheist and my mom accepts me all the same, F to pay respect for those of you who haven't come out or simply can't
I once participated in a religious camp (I took bible study), where we had to talk about how much religion meant to us. I skipped, given I was shy and young, but I briefly explained to someone there that I don't really have solid views. They asked, bit taken aback, "are you an atheist?". I didn't want that floating around and face who knows what kind of consequences, so I said I was an agnostic, and was just unsure about my beliefs. So while I do think agnosticism is a better description of who I am, I still think it's a safety net to a degree.
I am currently in a similar position. While I am an atheist I could not say it to the people around me, at least not right now. So when asked I take agnostic label.
BASICALLY...Build a tribe.
Until it becomes so big and hopefully normal that we don't even need the label anymore.
Tribes have tribal markers and recognition signs. What is the dogma of an atheist? How can you determine True Atheists?
I love people who listen to new ideas, think about it, admit they were wrong, and change their opinions. However, it requires intelligence, honesty, and humility. This is what the world needs! Kudos to Alex!
Try being a minority within a minority.
#BLACKATHEISTSTANDUP
Jesus Price hey 7 people stood up I had no idea there were that many
#ARABATHEISTSTANDUP
Natural Selection mine too!! I live in Czech republic where more tan 95% of the poeple are atheist... ✌
I'm a bisexual left-handed atheist.
I'm from South Africa and even though black people are the majority, atheism is shunned. So I guess I'm a minority within a majority
I label myself an atheist, but I'm not in people's faces about it. If asked, I'm not at all afraid to say that I'm an atheist, but I don't wear a t-shirt or carry a banner proclaiming the fact. After watching this video, though. I may just start doing so.
If I may be so bold, I'd like to suggest something to you. Alex - it's time that you build, borrow, or buy - a bookshelf. The surfaces behind you are beginning to look cluttered, and it's a distraction. It really was a bit hard to concentrate on your words when all I could think was "Dude - bookshelf". But you are of course free to live your life as you choose, and can completely ignore this comment if you wish.
Thanks for the work you do.
Thanks! I've got all that stuff on my desk because I'm in the process of putting up shelves. Should be gone by the next video!
Good news! You no doubt need the work space anyway.
That's great for you, but I do not share your enjoyment of such conversations. Thanks anyway.
www.amazon.com/Trust-Data-Not-Lore-T-Shirt/dp/B071Z2W5S6/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_193_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&refRID=9F4P4YSCK2A5FC14W9W2
If you're a Star Trek fan, this shirt is especially relevant.
Thanks! I am a fan, and Data is my favorite character, way better than spock. Bookmarked it.
I'm an Atheist, and proud of it.
that means u cant act as intelligently created and you cant claim to have morals
I have morals. BOOM!!!!!!
+Heleno Henzo You dipshit, you developed your morals without a god just like the rest of us, yours have just been corrupted by theism.
HELENO HENZO joke on you
morally stable based on what? your own created standard? u r confused, there is no such thing as morality to atheists, if u even mention morality as reality u r confirming theism. u r so morally disobedient u confused politics w/ morality when u mentioned sexism, call someone who respect the fact women were created to procreate and men to provide, sexist, is immoral. feminist is one the most devastating immoral act right in the same level as homosexualism, it causes dysfunctional family and society, since feminism movement started societal problems have tripled caused by more and more dysfunctional families. for atheist there is no moral or immoral but nature. are u theist to say slavery, war, violence... are immoral? never heard about this great Jesus's phrase "love others like yourself"
I usually just say that I am an atheist and (sometimes) I will say that I am ALSO an agnostic, distinguishing the two. I usually only bring up agnosticism when someone asks how I can be arrogant enough to be an atheist. That in and of itself is a whole argument, but I usually divert by saying that as an agnostic I am aware of how much I don't know. Like Bill Maher says in Religulous, "Doubt is humble." Usually the person simmers down a little and I can then address the atheism question. Also, I wish I could go into your room and make a list of every book you have. You have an amazing collection from what I can see!!
Thank you so much for this! I’m loosing my faith and have been for a while now. I’ve begun to look critically at my religion/religious texts. God makes me feel terrible for being alive, as the god dammed bible places these unrealistic expectations, stories, and figures to control people using fear/hell. Not believing in God/religion has made me feel a sense of peace, and to cherish life so much more knowing there is no afterlife. Even if there is one, and I’m wrong I don’t fucking care. I’d rather theie be nothingness after death then go to a place where we’re either forced to worship God or burn in hell for eternity. Fuck religion.
I’m not ready to tell my religious family my believes yet; but when I am I’d say it with confidence and pride!
In case you hadn't noticed, there be many gods and many ways of looking at life. Atheism isn't supposed to be a "way", it is a not-way without much guidance as to way.
Thomas Maughan Oh, okay 👌🏻
I'm in the same boat. Married into a religious family, came from a religious family, surrounded by a (fairly) religious circle of friends.
It makes you feel alone and frustrated, and when people begin to talk of "biblical terms" it makes you even more frustrated because it's just a book. Just like any other book.
bernice boshoff Yes agreed. At least we have our online communities as a means of escape.
I actually told my family that I don’t believe in our faith anymore, and that’d I’d rather lead a more spiritual life no dogma needed. But one of them scared me into staying in the faith. But now that time has passed since this event, I’m no longer angry with my faith, I’ve made peace with it and accept that my family desires to practice this religion. Basically it’s the attitude of live and let live even though I myself am an atheist now.
@@777Rowen I'm trying to get to that point myself. There isn't much I can do to sway another person, and I'm slowly cutting off ties with people who's religious beliefs make them toxic.
I'm grateful we have online spaces to express what we really feel. I hope everything gets better for you.
Atheism is the only logical and coherent way.
The way of life, thinking, and rationalizing the reality that we live in.
Invincible Nightmare You obviously haven't been in a debate with Christian. Because i can destroy that claim you made!
I'd have to disagree with you on that. While atheist myself, agnosticism is the only logical 'belief' if you could call it that. Simply on the premise that we as humans simply do not know if there is a god/gods or not. And as far as we know, we will never find out if there are, hence agnosticism.
Smiling Bolt - What are you waiting for? Destroy it then.
gemma robbins Atheist are open to the idea of there being a god but for whatever reason do not believe any of the gods claims. If someone came forward with compelling evidence then Atheist would be excited with the new information. All honesty everyone is a agnostic and if someone claims to be gnostic then they are mentally insane.
Alex, which presidents do you think are/were closeted atheists? Is it possible to make a video surrounding this issue?
In the last half century? I think only Jim Carter probably was a real Christian.
@ I don't disagree with you, but I just want to point out that that little word "true" makes it infinitly possible for you to evade any contradictory evidence.
Didn't you hear the smart guy, It's obviously Thor on top of Mount Olympus.
Lincoln was not crazy about Christians but I would stop short from say he was atheist. Bernie Sanders most likely is but is not president.
@ I would add Bush Jr to that list.
I said that to my grandpa and he said ''you are disrespecting to my religion if you dont believe that.'' and he kicked me out from home. in Muslim countries its really hard
I'm so sorry for that but I with statistics, though slow, it shows things are getting better with identifying as non-delusion/atheists
What if we answer truthfully without saying the word atheist? For example,
"What are your views on religion?"
"I think it can be both helpful and harmful, depending on how it is practiced, but I don't partake in it because it does not align with me personally."
"Do you believe in God?"
"No."
"Are you an atheist?"
"Yes, but I'm not sure why you had to ask that, since I already told you I don't believe in God."
"Oh....well"
At this point the questioner would notice that they have some bias against "atheists" and the conversation might go somewhere interesting
You don't have to label yourself to have an impactful voice; you can just speak from honesty and say what feels right, like Socrates. :)
This way not only shows that one does not believe in God, but also opens the conversation up to the contextual/cultural meaning and semantical futility of the word atheist.
The problem with labels is that you assume it to be self-explanatory, which in my opinion gives way too much credit to the person you are speaking to... specially if they are religious. Words have meanings, if everybody doesn't agree on their meaning, then the word doesn't "work" as intended.
Atheist means to not believe in god, but the problem is that some people twist the meaning of the word and it's true for a lot labels.
"What are your views on religion?"
"Religions are the worst kind of ideologies. They manifest and conserve the worst of tribal and superstitious thought by their very nature. All religions must, to the degree to which they are religions, be eradicated."
wonderful, again and as always.
CosmicSkeptic, what do you think about the rise in atheism and general non-belief in the western world?
Would be an interesting video. It's probably due to the rise of technology and ease of access of information.
What the fuck does your name mean?
There is no "rise in atheism", only a fall of religion.
A nation is crazy about football. Then for some reason the amount of people who play and watch football drops. People don't talk about a rise of non-footballing. They talk about the gradual disappearance of football. Somehow the rise in atheism sounds like a normal thing to say, but it actually is just fall of religion. The latter should sound more natural, but it doesn't. Weird shit.
Higher education = less religion
Alex--you shifted my whole thinking on this in just one video! I too, was persuaded by Harris's argument that atheism shouldn't be a word. Nice job.
so glad I found this channel... Thanks to Rationality Rules I think
God-on-High wrote the DNA Codes, because Evolution by RANDOM Mutation is proven to be Mathematically Impossible >>> 1) STUDY the OKAZAKI FRAGMENTS Process, for God's sake and your own !!! That Process, can NEVER have arisen by Darwin's BLIND LUCK !!! 2) Dear Evolutionist, The first thing you need to understand is, Charles Darwin did NOT make the animals & plant Life on Earth. Furthermore, neither did Darwinian “random mutation” assemble Life on Earth.
Random mutation has the following problems ; 1) Mutation is only known to SUBTRACT information from the genome - not to ADD info. ie) A beast ( Emu, Ostrich) might LOSE wings through mutation, but no beast will GAIN wings ; not even half a wing or a quarter of a wing ! The other problem with Random Mutation/Assembly is, mathematicians compute that Life CANNOT be assembled by a Random Process … The statistical probability Against even ONE protein forming by “accident” is a 1 in 10 to the 180th power chance, which is measured as “OPERATIONALLY IMPOSSIBLE “. ( If your horse has 1 in 100 Chance of winning the Race, that is 1 in 10 to the 2nd power.. ) Here is a 5 minute video explaining OPERATIONALLY IMPOSSIBLE. ruclips.net/video/JQ3hUlU0vR4/видео.html
IF you want a long video on this same Issue, here it is >>> ruclips.net/video/sq8McNGHrOU/видео.html ( The above video , especially between 34th minute and 37th minute , reveals there is just NO WAY that any Random Process of Darwinism could create or shape Life ! )
Evolution Theory is NOT hard science ; it barely goes beyond the level of Conjecture. Here are some short videos explaining, the Holes in Evolution Theory are about a million times bigger than the brickwork >>> ruclips.net/video/SOtGb8hKyWE/видео.html ruclips.net/video/KeMJn_wd8Wo/видео.html ruclips.net/video/031swKKakB0/видео.html Darwinism & Evolution, are actually PHILOSOPHY not Science !!! Here are some short videos explaining that fact … ruclips.net/video/58Tf_HUZros/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/NJhuplCE7WE/видео.html ruclips.net/video/AM-H6NxdCd4/видео.html
Darwinism , the viewpoint that “Blind Luck” created Life, is already a KNOWN “Flat Earth “theory. It cannot be ! So what does that leave us with ? STUDY of the complexity of Living Cells and their organs, components , suggests strongly that this organic nano-machinery reveals, INTELLIGENT DESIGN… design by , God-on-High, or The Supreme Being, if you will. HERE is a classic video or 2 on INTELLIGENT DESIGN >>> ruclips.net/video/tzj8iXiVDT8/видео.html Charles Darwin had no electron microscope ; could NOT see the complexity of nano-machinery in MITOSIS here… WATCH this video of MITOSIS, in particular the “copy & paste “ procedure of OKAZAKI fragments and , you see a process that could ONLY come into existence by INTELLIGENT DESIGN ; not luck ! Cutting & Pasting the d.n.a. like a miniature Pierre Cardin Tailor, is self-evidently IMPOSSIBLE to be, by but Blind Luck… ruclips.net/video/yqESR7E4b_8/видео.html ruclips.net/video/TEQMeP9GG6M/видео.html
More INTELLIGENT DESIGN accepted >>> ruclips.net/video/fqiXgtDdEwM/видео.html
Here is the Scientific Comedian AGAINST Darwinism; Dr D.Berlinski ruclips.net/video/puJnrZW6E14/видео.html ruclips.net/video/S89IskZI740/видео.html AND, here is a scientific video revealing the huge problems of Evolution Theory, that a 15 year old can understand >>> ruclips.net/video/VUZna4aA1fQ/видео.html ooo000ooo Here is a short document, explaining that aTheism is a very poor explanation for the existence of the Universe >>> www.ecclesia.org/truth/thermodynamics.html Last but not least on this list, I give you below Dr William Lane Craig, pointing out to Chris Hitchens, that mathematically only a Miracle ! could have created Humankind, therefore establishing the existence of the Miracle-MAKER, God-on-High…
ruclips.net/video/NOJRSmrrM0o/видео.html
Dear Friend, IF YOU HAVE STUDIED all I have supplied above, you then KNOW that pure Darwinism is a Dead-Man-Walking… DEAD like a Dodo… kept alive like a corpse on life-support machine… IF Evolution is happening at all, then THE ONLY WAY it can be happening , is through GUIDANCE BY GOD a.k.a Guided Evolution , or Theistic Evolution >>> en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theistic_evolution
So… do you wish to find God ??? ??? ??? HERE are some short UNCONVENTIONAL videos, to help you find, The Supreme Being, a.k.a. God-on-High… ruclips.net/video/1mFRUGDY8Ao/видео.html ruclips.net/video/xVUvEy8BbkU/видео.html ruclips.net/video/Bsel8hEp4HM/видео.html ruclips.net/video/pHn2zFU6-zY/видео.html ruclips.net/video/7FEykDoaTHg/видео.html Here is The Bhagavad Gita, for good measure… ruclips.net/video/ZuRvBoLu4t0/видео.html en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagavad_Gita ruclips.net/video/PC0FW407FVs/видео.html Here is The Gospel of John, in audio book & movie form >>> ruclips.net/video/47OkuvT5JFo/видео.html HERE is my own “hand-made” video : ) ruclips.net/video/gdcOGFUQAag/видео.html
Have a Nice Day : ) from The All-Seeing Eye …
P.S. The Judaeo-Christian Bible was written over millennium ; the further back in time you go, the less accurate it is. The New Testament therefore, being most recent, is most accurate. Events such as Noah’s Ark ; Noah was probably a Carpentry Genius who figured out how to rapidly convert houses & barns into a huge Floating Barge, thereby surviving a nasty, deadly flood. Wild animals too probably clambered on to this Barge… thereby the Legend of Noah’s Ark.. Noah’s Ark probably “saved the world” of ONE large river plain ; NOT the entire Earth ! Jonah, was probably rescued by a Dolphin cetacean NOT a Whale, And probably lived ON its back, not IN its mouth but FROM its mouth the Dolphin may have given Jonah , fish to eat at sea… EVERYTHING written in our Bible, is rooted in SOME Truth or other, albeit perhaps not literally exactly so… To understand, you really sometimes need to… THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX !!!
Better u should get this one. ruclips.net/video/1n-zYRZy5NQ/видео.html
@@kevinOneil6742 Thank you for refuting his/her arguments ,Ryan :)
I identify as an Agnostic Atheist, for the simple reason that I do not feel that I can say that there is no such thing as a "god", but I also do not believe in any existing deity, as defined by any existing religion.
Agnosticism is the simple lack of knowledge, and by following it with the term "Atheist" I'm clarifying what I lack definite knowledge of.
This does not, in any way, mean that I doubt my stance, or have second thoughts on the lack of existence of gawd, just that I cannot objectively prove to anybody that gawd does not exist.
And yet Atheism too makes no claim of knowledge. I never understood the need to seperate the two.
An atheist does not believe in a god and cannot prove a god doesnt exist. It may exist, but the atheist lacks belief.
I feel by pretending atheists arent agnostic by default that it paints them as if they had the arrogance to know everything. These two terms go hand in hand.
Dawkins was doing an interview with a reporter, I think it was in NZ. The guy was talking about the difference between agnosticism and atheism and Dawkins said 'Well, I'm technically an agnostoc atheist.' and the guy just scoffed.
Paul Henry. Just remembered his name.
Anyway, my point's that there are idiots who'll be confused by that title.
@@yoursonisold8743
You're not wrong, but there is a definite subset of atheists who loudly proclaim "there is no such thing as god" as if it is a fact, when they cannot prove it to be a fact.
I just like to differentiate between myself and people like that - just another form of arrogant ignorance, almost as bad as religion, imo.
@@Empedocles449
The great truth of life is that there will always be idiots confused by ANYTHING😂
@@michaelcoulter1114 Of course definitions are fleeting. There are some certainties you can have. For example... the god of the bible, Tora and Quran most definitely does not exist. Not the very specific depiction of that being in the books anyway. We know that all religions are made up.
Whether *a* god exists is impossible to say of course, but there can be a statement a la " *Your* god does not exist" that is not absolutely arrogant.
Thanks God im an atheist otherwise i'd be terrified of going to heaven. Just imagine.
Sin is byproduct of free will ? If theres no sin, theres no free will as well.
Jealousy(sin) -some1 has something better/better looks etc. If theres no jealousy then we are all the same, with no free will, no entertainment, no food, no sex, no nothing just worshiping God forever ? Dat sounds scary ! 😱
How can anyone even wants to go there ?
Hell...i'd choose hell 😂
I have a bad news for you: In hell, you will also lack free will, so this is a sadistic choice. You want to be tortured by fire and brimstone or by repetitive and boring activity.
@@xwtek3505 One is just as bad as the other.
@@robertramberg8219 That's the point.
@@dan78789 I mean, if God is all knowing, He already knows what we're gonna do, which means everything is planned already, which consequently also means that we don't exactly have free will since everything was already planned
@@mysterious_4053 Also God is immoral sadistic as*hole. He's chosing to burn most of the people and save the few.
There is a moral thought...On one rail track theres 5 people tied up. On the second track only 1. You need to pull the lever to save either 5 or 1 person.
A truly moral and good person would do nothing because each action is immoral because you are killing somebody. You are choosing that one is better than the other.
God is easily pulling the lever and killing 5 people to save one. And he tied all the people to the railtrack(hes all knowing)...How people can really follow such a relligion? If people had just slightly little of a brain cells they would see that GOD is illogical and immoral statement based on 2000yo past events.
Im sorry for chaotic message but its middle of a night and im barely awake. I hope you understood me my friend :)
I Proudly called myself an atheist and was active since i was 16, I still make moves to this day to educate/ alert my fellow humans about the subject both directly and indirectly. I live in the middle east.
Atheism is the only view that has left me with no cognitive dissonance.
If Atheism is true, why is it wrong to be cognitively dissonant?
Werner Heisenberg+ Do you really need to ask why is wrong to have beliefs that are contradictory to your thoughts?.
DieHard300, If you believe in objective logic you don't. But Atheism has no grounds for objective logic, so these questions hold validity.
Werner Heisenberg your initial question was about morality. What does that have to do with “objective logic”? And you’re right, atheism doesn’t have grounds for logic. Atheism is just the rejection of the notion of god(s)
Werner Heisenberg You are correct, atheism has no ground for logic. Nor can it have, it would be illogical for atheism to have a ground for logic, since atheism itself is grounded in logic. You look at all the information available to you and logically conclude there is not enough evidence to prove the existence of a god, therefore, you find it unlikely a god exists and you now identify as an atheist. If that logic was grounded in atheism in the first place, it would be: "Logic is defined by atheism, and atheism is correct because it is logical", which makes as much sense as: "The word of God is written in the Bible, and what's in the Bible is true because it is the word of God." It's circular reasoning. That some religious people are oblivious to that massive fallacy in the latter statement and perhaps even think it's how you're supposed to support your religious beliefs does not make it any less of a logical fallacy.
So summarizing, atheism does indeed have no grounds for objective logic. It has grounds in objective logic.
If you're still not convinced those two cancel each other out, I'll spell it out for you:
- Assume there is a statement X that is true according to logic
- By definition, if something is true according to logic, its reasoning contains no logical fallacies.
Combining those two, we can deduce that:
- The reasoning to deduce statement X is correct contains no logical fallacies
If we add that:
- A logical fallacy is reasoning that can lead to false solutions
- Circular reasoning, by definiton, means that the argument you use to support your statement only works if your statement is true
- If your argument only works if your statement is true, it gives no information about wether or not your statement is true
We can deduce that:
- Circular reasoning is a logical fallacy
Combining our two deductions thus far, we get:
- The reasoning to deduce statement X is correct contains no circular reasoning
So now we know:
- Statement X is true according to logic
- Statement X does not contain circular reasoning (The validity of the deduction that points out that statement X is true does not depend on wether or not statement X is true)
So:
- The validity of the deduction that points out that statement X is true does not depend on wether or not statement X is true
- The deduction that points out that statement X is true depends on logic
Here comes the final proof by contradiction:
- If an assumption leads to at least one contradicition with at least one proven statement, the assumption is false.
- Assume logic depends on wether or not statement X is true
- The deduction that points out that statement X is true depends on wether or not statement X is true
- The deduction that points out that statement X is true contains circular reasoning
But we had already concluded that the deduction that points out that statement X is true does not contain circular reasoning.
- The assumption that logic depends wether or not statement X is true leads to a contradiction with a proven statement.
- Logic does not depend on wether or not statement X is true.
Summarizing:
- If statement X is logically deduced to be true, logic cannot depend on wether or not statment X is true.
Filling statement X in with atheism we get:
- If atheism is logically deduced to be true, logic cannot depend on wether or not atheism is true.
Well in norway we are well on our way. Over 40 percent i think.
sigve beyer I ought to move there
Isn't it more? I'm from sweden and i think we have around 80%. Of course that's probably changed now with all the muslims we take in.
I dont know we have practicly no statistics because of a the governmental church.
But theres nothing quite like a state church to make atheists.
Like he says in the video the term is a little reduntant.
In Denmark 70% still call themselves christians. However, only something like 30% claim to actually believe in god. Only a few of those actually go to church on a regular basis - most just stay in the church because of tradition. I honestly don't know a single person (family, friends and co-workers), who is openly religious. It's just not important to most people here.
Alex uploaded? Am I in Heaven?
donuts101 I agree with the point of your comment, but I can't get over the irony of your wording, considering the type of channel he has.
love the irony
donuts101 nope, youre still on earth ;)
Sadly no, you’re still on earth. But you must be very happy though.
Ryland Kyle the initial shock must have given you some type of coma.
The rational, dispassionate, convincing force of your arguments are impressive. Atheism needs a voice like yours. A calm champion. Nice werk.
I just wanted to say I really enjoy your videos and it really helped be learn more about atheism. Keep up the good work
Atheism is my gender
Overpusher don't normalise that small section of tumblr by making it into a joke
Atheism is my city
atheism is my rifle, there are many like it, but this one is mine.
this is the best thing i have read all day, i laughed out loud, thank you!
Overpusher i snorted too loud at this 😂 please put your homour away, its clearly dangerous
We're a big and growing minority 👍
You are incredibly articulate. I see you being elevated to the level of Harris, Dawkins, and, yes, even Hitchens!
Yes, the four horsemen of Atheism, a thing that is not supposed to be an ism, not supposed to have dogma or beliefs, not supposed to have leaders. But it has all those things; it is a *religion* with "prophets" and evangelists and acolytes, deacons and millions, well some thousands anyway, of followers. They even have a website and take donations!
*Humans have achieved immortality*
I sleep
*CosmicSkeptic posted a new video*
R E A L S H I T
8:37 Replace golf with hockey, and you have Canada.
(I'm joking of course)
Mercure250 Replace it with soccer and you have Brazil
Oh I love the analogy about veganism:
_"What kind of meat do you eat?"_
_The answer is not "Salad"._
after reading Fighting God, I came out to my family and in-laws as an atheist. I had not done so because I knew it would be bad/sad news for them. But I had to do it for me. I needed to come out of the closet. I felt liberated.
I leave labels for myself to others.
To me to believe really means 'I want this to be true'. I only use the word in philosophical terms.
Hah! The ad for this video was a mormon "how can i follow jesus christ" video.
I Just found that hilarious.
NB: The second "m" is silent.
@@hrh2842
...what?
@@Richard_Nickerson Sometimes it takes a while. You'll get it, eventually.
@@hrh2842
Who the fuck is NB?
A good start is to show charity to your neighbors. Maybe some kindness. That seems to be in short supply on this topic.
My brother characterizes himself as a non-practicing agnostic.
Meaning that though in principle he would question the existence of a god, he generally doesn't waste his time thinking about non-existent things.
That's how i identified myseld pretty much all my life bc ppl didn't know what an agnostic was so id just say "it means that i don't give a f*ck" and no one ever questioned me further, it was great. Now, i proudly call myself an atheist tho it has cost me some of the best ppl i have ever met.
I love the word Athiest. I am an Athiest. I am a great many other things as well but being an Athiest is one of the things I am most proud of being. It has done so much for me for understanding our reality and human social structure.
The most frightening thing about this video as that Alex's stack of books keeps growing. Soon enough his room will be consumed by books and he will suffocate
Only command Lord Of Light,Lucifer is:
,,Thou Shallt Know Thyself.''.
I agree...
I'm an ex-muslim ( athiest now ) living in saudi arabia .. you can imagine the situation .. i can't tell anyone i know cause they are going to hate me .. and if my mother found out she is going to literally kill me ..
How r u doing love
@@Aliyahsarchive bad, really bad.. my mom found out about my atheism and my life is in danger..
@@user-er3jl9gr9q oh my , I’m so sorry to hear that, how can I help
@@Aliyahsarchive thank you so much, but i have no idea how am i even gonna help myself
@@user-er3jl9gr9q I hope the best for you, if you ever need someone to talk to, my Instagram is _iwannacryrn
This was recommended so many times now. I gotta watch it
Whatever you do, don’t go to timestamp 4:05
I knew it, I heard that and I fucking knew that there was going to be a comment about that
I’m an “I don’t know” person when it comes to a universal creator, there’s no proof of one other than some basic laws of universe (which are pretty compelling IMO)
nothing comes from nothing and chaos does not create, while on the other hand our planet and solar system is PERFECT for life, the math is almost magical in its perfection
to me, saying that you know for sure that there is no God is just as bad as saying you know beyond a shadow of a doubt there is a God, because no one knows and anyone who says they do is either lying or are brainwashed
if there is a “God”/intelligent being that created the entire universe, humans trying to understand this powerful of a being would be like the microscopic lice living on the back of ant trying to understand humans, it’s just not possible
I know this post is a year old, but I'll reply to it anyway.
1. "Nothing comes from nothing" is a sign of misunderstanding the logic behind the begining of the Universe as understood right now. The Big Bang is not just the begining of space, it's also (to our understanding) the begining of time. So, in a way, you could say that the universe never really came into existance, rather that it existed since the very first moment and will exist until the last. Time is just another dimension that the universe encomposses. When scientists say there was nothing before the Big Bang, they don't mean "there was a black void of nothingness." What they are actually saying is that the Big Bang is the first point in time. You can't go before the Big Bang. You can't do anything before the Big Bang. Nothing can happen before the Big Bang because there is no time and every action requires time to accomplish. As Stephen Hawking explains: "God couldn't create the Universe before the Big Bang because there would be no time for him to create the Universe."
2. Our planet is far from perfect for life and absolutely awful for human life. The math is not "magical to it's perfection." Let me explain just how bad Earth is for human life. Say you had a lottery machine that instantly transports you to any location on the surface of Earth. How many times out of a 100 do you think you would survive this? Well, around 71% of the planet's surface is comprised out of oceans, where you'd drown in hours, unless you were VERY lucky and somehow got teleported very close to the coast. Even then, you would probably still die due to water currents, high waves and potentially bad weather. Next, around 3% of the Earth's surface is the poles, where you'd freeze to death in hours. Then we have the deserts, covering about 9,6% of Earth. Now, depending on where you get dropped off, you MIGHT survive a desert, but that certainly doesn't make it "perfect for life." So, at the moment, not accounting for other hazzardous terrain, you'd probably end up dead over 80% of the time. Still think that the Earth is perfect for life?
3. Of course saying that you know that there is no God as some sort of fact is just as stupid as saying you know for a fact a God exists. The thing is, most atheists don't actually say that. Most atheists are just fairly certain that there is no God. There's still a small chance that there is one, but there's no reason to believe in one until actual evidence in favour of them is presented.
4. Saying that humans could never understand God is just your opinion. It's not a fact. Also, even if they couldn't, humans could still potentially unerstand and demonstrate that there is a God.
For me it's human freewill to chose to believe in a Supreme Being wether that is a Personal or an Impersonal One that maintains the balance of the Universe. There are infallible Universal/Cosmic Laws. There is no higher religion than the Absolute Truth. No man can claim that he had gain that absolute truth, we are finite beings, limited of understanding, life is short. You cannot outrule the existence of the supernatural. There are other existent realities which are incomprehandable by the human mind. The truth is out there and you can never be too sure.
Yay, I get to be a double minority! (Black and Atheist)
Wow, must suck to be a half-black/half-jewish gay atheist.
Jon Coda omfg i have nothing against any of the aforementioned but that would be horrible. im an atheist bisexual hispanic girl. close enough i'd say? (pray for me)
That's definitely close enough. lol. Somehow, I bet you're doing just fine though.
Jon your mom asked me to ask you if you cleaned your room.
in addition, how do you know stars are distant suns?
I'm a 42 YO Nurse Practitioner... lol. It would be my wife asking if I cleaned our room, and the answer would be no, no I haven't!
To your question, I haven't made that claim. The Sun is a star called Sol in Latin. It's the star that's closest to us. Other named stars aren't called distant Suns... we gave them other names.
Can you clarify your question if I misunderstood? (I'm also curious as to why you're asking me, if you have any medical questions I'd be happy to help with those).
ok why do you think our sun is a star when they are clearly not the same?
When i was younger i always proclamed my self as an atheist. I now feel more comfortable with the term "secularist", as atheism seems, to me, as in giving the ayre of .."protesting to much". I made valid this, my "new proclamation" -- though it was more in casual small conversation to be honest, and just sort of...slipped out -- to a preist durring the undertakings in the arranging of my fathers funeral and, which i now regret deeply, ....the "slippage" as opposed to the sentiment.