When Y2K rolled around years ago (the year 2000), my religious neighbor kept telling me I would be left behind to burn in Hell while he got raptured. I told him "Bill, can I have your house and car keys as you won't be needing them?" That shut him up pretty well. And we're both still here living on this earth. How about that.
Has Bill’s attitude on the rapture morphed? These religious folks keep just adjusting the date of the rapture further and further out. It’s maddening, it’s not even fun to mock them about it anymore.
I LOVE that statement about morality. If you are being moral for the sake of "reward or punishment", it isn't really morality. Wow, I find that very profound and spot on. If reward or punishment is a factor in morality, that sounds like coercion or maybe blackmail is more appropriate.
sounds like a reward system and or punishment through guilt system. Religions conquer with fear and guilt where there may not be any to start with. and dont forget shaming you into their way or the highway.
I have no idea why the religious claim the moral high ground. It’s like they can’t acknowledge that humans were around for tens if not hundreds of thousands of years before religion came along. Humanity defines morality.
Catholic school did it for me. I had a friend who was asked in class what God was. He gave a wise-ass funny answer and the nun slapped him across the face and said "God is love"! One small example.
I used to be forced to go to Catholic church when staying with a friend of mine. Turns out he was one of the kids that was abused by a priest, and I never knew. We were really close too, I feel so bad for him, horrible stuff.
I became an athiest at 53 after reading the Bible. It's a grotesque book full of hatred and spite. Not being a christian anymore is the best thing that ever happened to me.
@@MizzouRah78 No, I’m not an atheist, though I have a great deal of respect for atheists who put good arguments up against religion. I think that as a person of faith, I benefit from being called out on bullshit, as do the people who have to put up with me in day to day life. I want, and NEED for me, as my assumptions to be challenged by intelligent skeptics. I think that benefits everyone, and every system. But that requires a couple of things that I don’t think that Hitchens, or Harris, or many of the “New Atheists” bring to the table. It requires a willingness to engage in dialogue, and dialogue requires the humility to consider the other side’s strongest arguments, and your own weakest ones, instead of misrepresenting your opponent with the weakest arguments made by anybody who agrees with them. That’s not dialogue, it’s not a search for truth, it’s presuming the discussion is already over, that they possess the truth, and all that’s needed is to insult anybody who disagrees. The second thing is related to the first, and that’s a willingness to pursue knowledge through philosophy. It’s not empirical, but it is rational, and it is an important way of interrogating one’s own self as well as others, and of inferring truths from what is already known. The New Atheists don’t do philosophy. They generally sneer at it, and treat it as pretentious intellectual indulgence. (Well, they necessarily do philosophy, but aren’t aware of it, and so are very bad at it.) As a result, all they do is recycle very old objections to religion - as though nobody ever thought of them before - and present them as their own with no apparent awareness that these objections have been considered for centuries, upon centuries, and that there are very good (not necessarily true) responses to them, or if they are aware of the arguments, they don’t bother to understand them before rejecting them derisively. Although I don’t think Penn’s arguments are particularly original, I don’t see him engaging in that sort of behavior. He is skeptical, not cynical, and he seems the sort person with the humility to listen to the other side, and try to understand it before deciding whether it’s right, wrong, or something in the middle. Sorry that was so long winded…I tend to be that way. Just be grateful you don’t actually have to be around me!
@Chesirecat111 I figured as much. Look, no offense, but you're not going to find much sympathy here. This is because you're asking reasonable, skeptical, and rational people to take the concept of religion or a god seriously when there simply isn't a valid reason to do so. While I do support civil conversation, the arguments people come up with get exhausting, and they aren't founded on anything compelling. Almost all arguments hinge on special pleading and/or ignorance. The same reasons you probably don't put much time into wondering if Santa is real are probably the same or similar reasons for me regarding a god. People try to make the subject too nuanced and philosophical, in my opinion. For me, it's quite simple.
@@MizzouRah78 We simply proceed (hopefully) reasonably from different, unprovable assumptions about the nature of existence. I find the atheist position quite reasonable, and don’t disparage it. It’s the people who are atheist but delude themselves into thinking that in atheism they have found deliverance from faith, and use this misconception to condescend with whom I have issue. Not only are “evangelical atheists” as tiresome, and rude as fundamentalist Christian ones, but they do a lousy job representing their position, and that just makes for bad, dull conversation.
My parents were not religious but were very spiritual. They were smart, they realized a child does not develop their critical thinking skills until 5 to 9 years of age. So they never forced any form of belief onto us kids, but instead waited for us to think about it and start asking questions. They had no expectations that we would follow their beliefs. Christians get their children as young as they can and force their specific doctrine down their throats while they still do not know better and can't challenge what they are being told.
I have a new found respect for Penn after watching this video. The very last thing he talks about is morality. He couldn't me more correct.. and it warmed my heart to hear someone say it such a perfect way. My mother tried to get me to become a Pentecostal. The moment she tried to rebuke demons out of me speaking tongues was the moment I said to myself, "Christianity is wrong."
“It is from the Bible that man has learned cruelty, rapine, and murder; for the belief in a cruel God makes a cruel man.” THOMAS PAINE (1737 - 1809) English-born American Founding Father, French Revolutionary, inventor, and political philosopher in The Age of Reason (1807)
“Life is but a momentary glimpse of the wonder of the astonishing Universe, and it is sad to see so many dreaming it away on spiritual fantasy.” -Carl Sagan
@@mattorr2256 Thank you, same here, he was an excellent educator. Love his books Cosmos and The Demon Hunted World. He was indeed a light in this world obscured by traditions, tribal fantasies and delusions. Best regards to you, Cheers 🍻 to Dr Sagan and to enlightenment.
So you think that Carl Sagan was some great sage? We are not here to have God prove anything to us, we are here to show God who we are. Because someone does not have the wisdom to fathom the Bible's wisdom does not mean that it is not there, true? Falun Dafa answers all the mysteries of creation.
@@jeff_forsythe The God of the Bible is more prideful and narcissistic than the biblical devil.😈 Who makes people so they can worship him? 🧐 Imagine if parents were like that with their children.😱 Think you picked the wrong god buddy!🤪
@@thewb8329 Most religions are nonsense and God only wants to be respected, not us crawling on the floor. There were dishonest people in the ancient times also, controllers. We are God's most precious creation and that is why He created earth. We sinned and were supposed to go to Hell but instead we are here to suffer to redeem ourselves. We have been reincarnated hundreds of times, Falun Dafa explains many mysteries.
“Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived.” - Isaac Asimov "The point is not that I'm an atheist, so I know more about religion; that's the wrong cause and effect. I think the more accurate way to phrase it is that - I know more about religion, so I'm an atheist." -- Isaac Asimov
Proof of God : In Quran Ayats rarely ends with letter "H" but in Surah al Shams (Sun), all the ayats (verses) ends with letter "H". And Sun is made of Hydrogen(H) and Helium(He).
Because someone does not have the wisdom to fathom thee Bible's wisdom does not mean that it is not there, true? Falun Dafa answers all the mysteries of creation.
@@kellydalstok8900 You obviously have lost touch with your own Divine soul, very sad, good luck. You sound quite young so maybe you will find something that opens your heart.
@@kellydalstok8900 One thing that is a fact that you and all atheists are and that is you are all quitters, lets see you talk your way out of that fact, you are the evidence of that. Finding God is work and the more that one puts into something, the more that person is rewarded. quitters get zero, sorry.
"A lot of people just claim to be religious and think doing so is their golden ticket to something." It may well be their golden ticket to something. What's in YOUR wallet?
@@thomasmaughan4798 You can chose anything that you want. You can believe that you came from dogs, insects, accidents, cows, pigs, imagination but the truth of the matter is, and I, unlike you, know the truth, we are all God's most precious creations.
When I was a child I had an imaginary friend called Rupert. He went everywhere with me, I blamed him for all my actions (when I got caught) and he lived in my closet. When I got older people told me to grow up and abandon Rupert. So I changed his name to Jesus and moved him from the closet to heaven and suddenly it became acceptable to have an imaginary friend again.
Stewart Gilligan Griffin, SNAP OUT OF IT! If Brian finds out you're a jesus freak you'll not hear the end of it! Besides, you have a time machine, so...
lost my faith at 13 years old. growing up in a catholic family, I was taught to be afraid of god and how a lot of things are sins. I just got sick of life at that early age and came to realize that religion is toxic. I'm now 38 years old and i still think religion is toxic.
@@Strollmanx He isn't wrong though... if a Christian denomination isn't following the teachings of the Bible it can be faith-dampening. He needs to find a Christian denomination that has solid spiritual values.
Simply disagreeing with something doesn’t make it toxic. I question your not yet fully formed mind at the young age of 13, to determine truth from ignorance. At 13, I believed a lot of ignorant things and untruths. I’m not saying you should be Catholic, but at that age you have to rely on your family to direct you. Yes, you should fear God, and yes there are a lot of what the Bible calls sin that are socially acceptable now. What bothers me is that you are still living according to what your child-brain determined. Have you not questioned your knowledge since then? Have you done any reflection to see if you’re heading in a sound direction or are you all wet? It doesn’t appear that you’ve done this and are proceeding with a direction made by an unformed mind. That is wildly concerning.
I'm a 3rd generation Atheist, and my kids are 4th generation atheists. and I understood that ALL religions are man-made superstitions. Being a good human should be something that you want to be and not have to be. My grandfather was a math and history genius, so growing up, he had over 100 books on different religions around the world. So yes, I've read all of them and Penn's 1000% correct about being an Atheist So I grew up with those books like Greek and Roman stories.
Yes, religions are man made. But the universe, you, and I are not. God didn't create religions. Man did. I'm not a religious person, but I study the Bible and I'm sure there is a Creator. You don't need to read books on religion to have a belief that there is more to our existence than we can comprehend. The sun, the moon, our goldilocks planet, the intricate complexities of the human body, the air we breathe, the water we drink, the fact that we merely exist, is remarkable. Imho, all part of a Grand Design by a loving Creator that has much more to offer us if we just acknowledge the obvious and believe what we see with our own eyes. This incredible creation called life on earth.
I get what you're trying to illustrate, but I've never bought this. If they believe in even just one god, they aren't an atheist at all. This is valuable however for showing them WHY we don't believe in their god -- for us it's as easily dismissed as they do with all the other gods.
@@ziff_1 Well yes they are. If they are Christians then they are theistic (believe in the existence of) towards the Christian faith/god and atheistic (rejecting the belief of) all other gods or religions. Even in my own family there are those that lightly mock some beliefs as "superstition" but they can't seem to apply the same logic to their own faith which I find just as stupid and absurd.
A devout Christian is not going to believe every other god. A devout Christian is monotheistic believing in one God. Atheists steal from God and then deny Him. Atheist are backstabbers they take all the good from God and then backstab Him when He offers them redemption. We are just a bunch of thieves and traitors. But thanks be to God He offers us a better way, love . 1 Corinthians 13:1-13.
A devout Christian is not going to believe every other god. A devout Christian is monotheistic believing in one God. Atheists steal from God and then deny Him. Atheist are backstabbers they take all the good from God and then backstab Him when He offers them redemption. We are just a bunch of thieves and traitors. But thanks be to God He offers us a better way, love . 1 Corinthians 13:1-13.
I'm so glad that my religion teacher in junior year of high school confirmed my agnosticism. Actually sitting down to compare and contrast Catholic biblical scripture is such an eye opening experience. So much bitterness and vile tribalism directly opposing love and acceptance; it shattered my belief in omni-everything God, but not the possibility of a Higher Power. This is such a good call to action to double-check your own understanding of your beliefs!!
Everyone one is an agnostic because no one can KNOW whether or not there is a God. Even believers don't know, they believe. They may be wrong. Just like non-believers may be wrong that there is not a God.
@@davidd7064 they don’t know? Hmm, maybe it was an alien who made Himself manifest and healed me of jaundice and liver disease. Immense miraculous power made manifest and maybe I’d be lying to say I am 100% certain based on facts but to think otherwise is more of a stretch. Get your terms straight, ok? Agnostic means not sure, don’t believe we can know for certain….and you think that really applies to EVERYONE? Sorry. Disagree. Seek. Hopefully you get it right. No, I’m not suggesting hell.
I appreciate Penn Jillette sharing his beliefs so eloquently yet relateably. I was told growing up, all throughout my Baptist schooling, that I was a terrible person only God could redeem. It took me over a decade to unlearn that deep-rooted thinking and realize that I have worth outside of what some arbitrary diety can provide.
I took a world religion course in school that sealed the deal on Atheism for me. I always find it interesting that Atheism seems built on education and knowledge and religion is just ignorance and indoctrination
Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful. Lucius Annaeus Seneca This should be specifically noticed during election time
Sorry, but how would you know how the wise view religion? I am a wise man and I practice Falun Dafa and if you were wise, you would do the same. Truthfulness-compassion-tolerance.
@@jeff_forsythe Truth doesn't really go together with any religion. Not that all of it has to be bad or so, but I'd rather point you to the chapter "there is no eastern solution" in Hitchens' book Religion Poisons Everything to give a hint on how I view most of it. Li Hongzhi is someone I would for instance avoid completely: "Li has stated that he believes extraterrestrial aliens from other dimensions walk the Earth and are responsible for introducing technology, war, and immorality. Li says that he is a being who has come to help humankind from the destruction it could face as the result of rampant evil. When asked if he was a human being, Li replied "You can think of me as a human being."[11]" Quite bananas, this is already a massive lie, as if we don't have human history to dig in, our psychology etc
@@Hirnlego999 I have received God's Divine Blessing so quoting Hitchens to me is like trying to convince someone that up is down. Goethe said that it is rare to find a person with a large enough imagination to grasp reality.
@@jeff_forsythe Really. I just heard from the flying spaghetti monster that heathens shall boil in spaghetti sauce. "Goethe said that it is rare to find a person with a large enough imagination to grasp reality." Kids have plenty of imagination and that's why the religious tend to brainwash the young. Easier when there is little experience and knowledge to fight against the BS. And when the authority is stronger than you, can't say back. And for some reason it seems that most don't even choose their own religion, it mainly comes from the parents who in turn got it from their parents. Ignorance is often passed on and on, and obviously the more educated will see it as the BS that it is. For the poor the rich often sell this as a pacifier. You'll be rewarded in the afterlife they say. I say that won't do.
I called myself an agnostic for a long time because it kept the arguments short. I had learned that calling myself an atheist made certain types of people just redouble their efforts to ‘save’ me.
I honestly call myself a Western practitioner of Shinto, Religious people dont have a clue, Shinto isnt a Religion, its Belief in our own Ancestors, Nature, and Life, Im still an Atheist, but I believe in my Ancestors, and try to be a better person out of respect for them. Quite often you get the Mormons etc banging on your door, and I just say "Not interested I'm Shinto", and close the door, I think several have even 'Converted' as I never saw them again.
Just ask them to prove god exists. Credible data required. Testable. Repeatable. Verifiable. Falsifiable. Ask them to not bear false witness. Only when they satisfy that parameter then can they continue with their delusion. Shut them down, quickly.
I am trying to save you because I swore an oath to God. Atheists are just quitters, nothing more, nothing less, not great thinkers or great sages of our time, Falun Dafa has all the answers.
"I had learned that calling myself an atheist made certain types of people" And pedantic people like me annoyed by the bad logic. You cannot BE an atheist. It is not a thing to BE.
@@thomasmaughan4798 Look at it this way. You are on a web site where some Vegas magician is explaining the meaning of words as if he is talking to a bunch of fourth graders. Maybe you should look for another hero, just a thought, sorry. Oh yes, and I suppose that you think that your comment is profound, maybe it is to the magician. Pick a card, any card.
"Religion is a phase a species goes through when it evolves enough intelligence to ask profound questions but not enough to answer them." - Bill Flavell
Because someone does not have the wisdom to fathom the Bible's wisdom does not mean that it is not there, true? Falun Dafa answers all the mysteries of creation.
Falun Dafa has brainwashed poor Jeff, he is now a serial cut and paster, unable to come up with original arguments, his weak and gullible mind is how he has been taken into the cult.
I became an atheist at 18 while serving in Vietnam. I did not see any actual horrors of battle, but the shear volume of money, resources, and lives wasted convinced me a compassionate loving god, who supposedly answers prayers, would never allow such an event to take place. When you realize it was just another in a long list of wars throughout history you become more convinced there is no god only humans seeking power and domination over others.
"I became an atheist at 18" So what happened? Changed skin color? Grew horns? Is there ANY physical property by which I can spot an atheist, a thing you become?
@@thomasmaughan4798 none, you just aren't convinced of someone's claim. Just like how you can't tell the difference between someone who believes in flat earth or not, untill they start speaking.
@@skindred1888 "you can't tell the difference between someone who believes in flat earth or not, untill they start speaking." Not even then. What you have is words. Someone trolling or punking will use the same or similar words. Whether a person *really* believes the earth is flat, and by that, disk-shaped everywhere and not just in North Dakota; is probably impossible to know just by the words. Then there's the problem of the person that really believes, but is *wrong* . But it helps for a person to believe his own claims.
Except that this is in the nature of human beings. There is ALWAYS a reward, or a penalty driving human behavior. We do things for the rewards they give us, or to escape pains. Is there any such thing as a perfectly altruistic act? When a person acts altruistically , he still receives a payoff, even if it’s only the satisfaction of conforming the world more closely to how he would prefer the world to be. I’m not slagging altruism, but it is rooted in satisfying an unsatisfied desire for a “better” world (however the individual defines that), and resolving the dissatisfaction with the gap between reality and that vision. Wherever there exists a “self”, any action is an assertion of ego, and is therefore “selfish.” Neither am I trying to justify blatantly transactional morality. There are TONS of people of faith who imagine that morality is a ledger totting up good deeds vs. bad deeds to determine who gets a cookie, and who gets a pitchfork up their butts for all eternity. They do good things out of fear, and desire. That’s obviously…problematic, and an atheist who does a good deed without believing in an eternal cookie for it is clearly more moral than the Christian who does it only because he likes cookies. What I am saying is that the morality of an action is a function of how transactional it is. They’re all based upon satisfaction of ego to some degree, but if it’s satisfaction of base appetites that’s less virtuous than if it’s satisfaction of desires for mercy, justice, the happiness of others, etc… What Christianity teaches isn’t so much that you get a cookie if you do good things, and a pitchfork enema if you don’t, it teaches that in choosing to do good deeds you make yourself a more virtuous person, and in sinning, you corrupt yourself, making yourself less of who you could have been. It describes not reward and threat anymore than the Surgeon General’s warning on tobacco products is a “threat”. It describes the meaning of our actions, and their consequences for what kind of person we become. For example, we have all done something wrong in our lives, something for which we feel guilt, something we wish we could take back - that in a small way, I think, is what Christianity means by Hell. It isn’t pitchforks, and sore asses (those are metaphors) it is the unhappiness we feel when we have made ourselves immoral.
"If you are being rewarded for being moral or punished for not being moral, then it's not morality" Says you. If it is "moral" to not murder, and you do not murder, then you are moral. Your reasons are, for this purpose, irrelevant.
@@thomasmaughan4798 I was quoting SemiPerfectDark, who was paraphrasing Penn. That said, I do agree with them. Morality isn’t simply an act, it’s the purpose motivating the act. Murder is immoral, but that isn’t just because it’s homicide. Many people would argue that there is a moral difference between someone because you hate him, killing someone in self defense, accidentally killing a person, and euthanizing someone in pain. Murder describes the killing of a person for illicit reason - hatred. The language you used in your argument concedes a difference between killing out of hatred, killing in self defense, or unintended killing, and that difference is motive.
@@Chesirecat111 "and that difference is motive." Motive is certainly a big part of Christianity. The relevance to religion is how can there be morality (motive) without religion? It is impossible; morals inform religion and religion informs morals. Without "religion" you also have no morals, and without morals you aren't even an animal (my dogs have a sense of right and wrong). Non-theists will argue they have morals, and while this will often seem to be the case, what they don't have is *shared morals* and it is shared morals that creates society.
@@thomasmaughan4798 I’ve thought about this very point a lot because I have seen very many atheists behave in what I would consider moral behaviors, and live even heroically moral lives. Most atheists I know are quite simply good, decent human beings. Conversely, I’ve seen many Christians behave immorally even by their own religious definition of morality, and do so unrepentantly. The notion that religious people are automatically more moral than are atheists is clearly bullshit. But I still can’t get behind the idea that morality is simply a social construct, and that there is no universal moral standard. For instance, things like theft, or murder, or rape are always immoral. Slavery was always immoral even though it was once socially accepted in the United States. We can’t say that anti-Semitism is wrong here and now because there’s a social consensus against it, but the Holocaust was okay in Germany because the culture defined violence, and anti-Semitic as good. Eventually I came to a definition of morality that is objective, rooted in the nature of the universe, doesn’t rely on religion, is self-evident, and can be agreed by theist, and atheist alike. I would say that all morality is ultimately rooted in the truth of the proposition that being/existence is self-evidently superior than “not being”/non-existence. Any choice, or action that increases being (for example, anything that actualizes what had only existed as potential) is good. That which reduces being is evil. This is why it is immoral to kill - it ends a person’s being. It’s why poverty is a form of violence - it violates the individual’s opportunity to actualize his fullest potential. Anyway, those are my thoughts in the matter fwiw.
"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime Give a man a bible and he starves to death praying for a fish." Yve Dara
You'll never hear a believer pray for god to regenerate an amputated limb, or to reveal the whereabouts of a missing child, because it would take an actual miracle for those prayers to be answered. Believers know, whether they'll admit it or not, that there are no actual miracles. Therefore, prayers are limited to things that can be achieved without help from a deity.
There have been countless miracles. Because someone does not have the wisdom to fathom the Bible's wisdom does not mean that it is not there, true? Falun Dafa answers all the mysteries of creation.
@@DrMikeOckhertz Not in my case. When people reject God He respects their choice and does not help nor protect them and that is exactly why that today Satan rules this planet.
@@jeff_forsythe Falun Dafa makes many completely unfounded claims about creation whilst denying modern science and medicine and being anti homosexual and women’s rights.
Yep, I vividly remember being in my early teens and realising that there’s only 50 odd Sundays in the year, and we always hear the same parts almost exactly at the same times of the year year after year when the book is read from in church, and then you actually look at the book and realise that based on the amount of pages and how small the writing is, Massive amounts of that book I never actually being preached or spoken about at church, while the church is saying the entire book is God‘s word, and while it just does the Greatest Hitz every calendar year because they are the more fluffy and light-hearted of the bunch.
Because someone does not have the wisdom to fathom thee Bible's wisdom does not mean that it is not there, true? Falun Dafa answers all the mysteries of creation.
Yup. Most churches aren't going to touch 90% of the OT. Just read Deuteronomy 21:10-14 for example. Here's a passage where God says when you pillage your enemy's town and you see a young woman you find attractive, you may capture her and make her your wife. However, before having sex with her, you must give her 30 days to grieve her dead parents that you murdered. The OT is full of this barbaric garbage.
@@jeff_forsythe You do realize that for those who actually follow Falun Dafa, there is no god? LOL! You are mixing up your belief systems, and Falun Dafa was only invented in the 1990s. You are showing people things which make them realize that anything you post is coming from an idiot.
There are actually 3 different cycles of readings, so it’s not the same readings every year. It’s the same readings every 3rd year. And then if you go daily, not just on Sunday, there are more readings that would eventually cover the whole Bible. And the readings are definitely not just fluffy and light hearted.
I've had doubts that a God existed for many years but have in the last few months decided that I am an Atheist. The pain and suffering formal religions have inflicted on the human race is one of the main reasons for my decision. I'm 77 years old so coming close to the end of my life but I am not afraid of death. I've lived a good life and I can accept that I will not go to Heaven or especially Hell at the end. I have to thank people like Penn Jillette for giving me the information I needed to make that decision.
Penn Jillette was one of my guiding lights when I was a young atheist. I too was inspired by Frank Zappa and Bertrand Russell, but Mr. Jillette always seemed more approachable, or closer to my reality.
When I was Christian, I hated this guy….when I woke up and started using logic and science, he became a hero to me. After almost thirty five years I am Atheist today.
@@ianp3112 What logic and reason justifies atheist belief that no God exists? I won't hold my breath. You atheists are lying phonies who posture with pretenses of science and reason, while denying science and reason when confronted
Because someone does not have the wisdom to fathom the Bible's wisdom does not mean that it is not there, true? Falun Dafa answers all the mysteries of creation.
@@SteveLomas-k6k According to Dava Sobel: 'Galileo missed the discovery of Neptune; could not accept the moon's impact on tides; and was convinced that comets were atmospheric disturbances instead of objects in the heavens."
Gnosticism and theism aren't mutually exclusive. Gnosticism is about knowledge and the other is about belief. You use knowledge to inform your beliefs.
@@marcdaniels9079 The believer is not burdened by the atheists unrealistic expectation of scientific proof. You know perfectly well that the existence of God cannot be scientifically proven.
@@firecloud77 And therein lies your psuedo-saving grace. All that means is that you have an excuse not to prove anything or rationalize. Everything is a "feeling" and feelings are subject to bias based on personal experience and interpretation. A Christian sees a terrible car accident that someone survives and they call it a literal miracle from God. If they don't, they simply "didn't "recieve God's blessing because convientantly it's just that it was God's plan for them to die". I simply see one out of the hundreds that didn't get as lucky.
I see it as an eons-old racket to control the masses, maintain power, and build wealth. Studying the transition of humans from the stone to the metal ages on the Balkan Peninsula and the rise of religion there as a way to consolidate and maintain wealth and power was quite eye opening. Some things never change.
@PapaBear-k4k I tentatively assent to the proposition that a higher power of some kind exists, though I don't assert to know it or anything about its specific attributes. Perhaps, I am mistaken. I simply reject the notion of "nonbelief" as distinct from disbelief as intrinsically incoherent.
@@JustifiedNonetheless I think a creator is necessary, the only explanation for our existence. But that doesn't prove the Biblical God, of course. Have you read the Bible?
@@PapaBear-k4k Open your mind, there are 100’s if not 1000’s of potential explanations for our existence and a god is somewhat low on the likelihood scale!
I relate to Penn Jillette so much on this. Like him, I was raised as a Christian - going to Sunday school every week and sometimes church. I learned all of the stories as they were told to me by the pastors and volunteers, who were, of course, giving me the same interpretations of the Bible that they had been taught. The lessons I learned from that experience were, by and large, positive. But I believe those lessons were positive not because of the actual words in the Bible, but rather in spite of them. When I was 12 or 13, I started reading the Bible on my own. No interpretations, no biased views for how I should understand things - just reading the actual words. That was the beginning of the end of my "faith". When I look back at that time, I'm actually grateful that I had those experiences. I'm glad that I was able to see religion from the inside and also learning about it as an outsider on my own. I'm grateful that I'm able to have an intelligent debate with people about religion and actually have a solid basis and background for what I'm talking about. I didn't "choose" atheism on a whim - I came by it honestly.
And an atheist is just a quitter. He seeks God for a few years maybe, then draws the brilliant con clusion that He does not exist. Great excuse to quit. It so happens in life that you get back exactly what you give out, quit and receive nothing...........FalunDafa
You are just fullfilling Scripture, 2 Peter 3:3 knowing this first: that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts. This was almost not there 2 or 300 years ago. We live in the end times, with the probability of a third WW. with total destruction with atomic bombs.
As a former Christian, yeah i agree with the title. There is so mucb garbage i went through in church as a musician as well and kept going because i liked playing music with a band that was at my level and then that negative crap came over to my wife and children and that is where i drew the line and said Nope! Im out. I have been happy with my family living in peace for the most part not giving my money away like crazy and my kids being held back from enjoying their childhood. Its been sinc 2008 that i gave up on religion and based on what is happening now, im so glad im not involved with those Cult Lunatics. I was only there since my mother raised me in a Christian pentecostal environment. But not anymore.
Hebrews 11:6 KJV [6] But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
I class myself as an anti-theist in that I not only do not believe that any gods exist, I think that believing in a god is detrimental to the mental wellbeing of humans. When religious people claim that they have a ''moral compass,'' that I don't possess, I find that very insulting. I don't NEED 10 commandments from an invisible magic man in the sky, WRITTEN DOWN, to tell me NOT to steal, NOT to murder etc. These things are within me as a human being, which poses the question, does that mean that religious people are devoid of any humanity? Look at the actions of religious people. Are their actions always moral and humane?
Research religiosity in prisons. The percentages tell a very true story about the morality of the killers, rapists, abusers, shooters-- very religious. Now research atheism in prisons. Barely enough to qualify.
religious people are the sneakiest and less compassionate of them all,only use their religion when it pleases them,when they gain something from them or if it saves them from facing the consequences of their horrible actions.
Youre exactly right. These are within us as humans...we know these things to be true. Question is how? Any christian that says you dont possess a moral compass is an ahole. We all do. Not all of us listen to it all the time but its there. How do I know its correct? and/or true?..(without rules or commandments, from god). What happens when you think stealing is wrong but someone else thinks its "ok" in a certain scenario..who is correct?..and who decides?
I don't believe in god. I also don't believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, Leprechauns, Unicorns, Big Foot or the Loch Ness Monster. All for the same reason.
In my opinion... I've been closer to Bigfoot than I am to my computer screen right now, and I can tell you exactly where to go to meet him. Bring lots of Apples, lots and lots of Apples.
@@DavidPerry-do6xt Zappa is probably the best guitar player ever, I really didn't care for his humorous lyrics and his vocals, but when he gets serious, there's not to many musicians that can match his solos, except for maybe Beck and McLaughlin.
I saw a cartoon with two guys walking down the street. One had jeans, a sweatshirt and a beard(just like me). The other was younger, wearing a suit and carrying a bible. The younger guy said "Read this book it will change your life". The bearded guy replied "I did, it made me an atheist". That is exactly what happened to me.
Of course we read the bible n immediately became an atheist. It clearly demonstrates that believers either did not read it themselves or depending on what the pastors told them (cherrypicking n using mental and linguistic gymnastics to bend the obvious blatant meaning into something to their benefit ). For those who actually read the bible from cover to cover but still assert their fairh , still cover up their own conscience in saying that bible is moral, objectively moral, true , the way, etc, they are deceiving themselves n the whole world
People don't need the bible to deceive themselves and the world as YOU claim, there are many, many people out there who are delusional, and who haven't read the bible. People who decide that they were deceived by their religion, and then believe that they have become more intelligent and aware after leaving it make me laugh, because they'll actually end up being deceived by other things lol.
Because someone does not have the wisdom to fathom thee Bible's wisdom does not mean that it is not there, true? Falun Dafa answers all the mysteries of creation.
Well, no. I didn't IMMEDIATE become an atheist after reading the Bible. I DID immediately stop being a fundamentalist, but it actually took about 10 years before I stopped thinking of myself as a Christian, and even then I wasn't an atheist - I was a pantheist. I really, really wanted to keep believing. I hung on long, long after I should have let it go. Rest assured, after reading it, I didn't think the morality of the Bible was good, and I didn't think the Bible was the literal word of God, but it took a while to shake the faith off - I basically hung on until a friend of mine joined the Assemblies of God and I saw her change from a kind, non-judgemental person into a paranoid hate-monger - that was when I finally realised that Christianity is very much not good
@@IanM-id8or You are confusing true Christianity, goodness, compassion, and tolerance with organized religions. I am not a Christian but I see nothing wrong with those tenets. Just read Zhuan Falun online and get some real answers, if you are not already convinced that there are none.
Much respect to Penn. I was raised in religion and have also read the bible many times cover to cover. It took me decades to research my way free of religion.
*Quoting Aron Ra:* _"Atheism means ‘without theism’ - ‘theism’ being a belief system which proposes a deity, so atheism is the lack of belief in a deity; a deity being defined as a magical anthropomorphic immortal._ _A belief is a conviction - a lack of belief is a lack of conviction, so anyone who is not convinced that an actual deity really exists is an atheist._ _I know a lot of people are confused about this, and want to call themselves agnostic instead, but agnosticism refers to knowledge, where atheism refers to belief. So, an agnostic is someone who does not know that they are really an atheist."_
Absolutely fantastic. I'm 40 and have been fighting theocracy for 25 years. I was 15 when I took up the challenge. I'm still reading now. I have more books out every year and , of course, a library in my city. Penn Jillete is a hero for the anti theists. And, quite rightly so. He has a bit of hitch in him.
Proof of God : In Quran Ayats rarely ends with letter "H" but in Surah al Shams (Sun), all the ayats (verses) ends with letter "H". And Sun is made of Hydrogen(H) and Helium(He).
@@herneyse11 Sorry, but that's more proof that you make random associations between words - clang associations (look it up) - than any proof about God (or not God). But, obviously, believe what makes you feel OK. Unless you're just joking, of course...hard to tell. Have a good one.
Seek and ye shall find means exactly that, quit seeking and find nothing. Because someone does not have the wisdom to fathom the Bible's wisdom does not mean that it is not there, true? Falun Dafa answers all the mysteries of creation.
@9:45 This is one of the few ideas I'm grateful for from my religious upbringing (despite it not being how most of them live)... "Integrity is what you do when no one's watching." Of course my question was, "but if God is always watching, how can you truly have integrity?" But still, that saying has helped me make the right decision in many difficult situations throughout my life.
I rejected Christianity because I owned a copy of the "Good News" Bible, and I made a decision to read it, alone in my dorm room at college. It was ultimately this, and the cockamamie bologna I encountered by simply picking up the book and reading it, honestly, that destroyed whatever remnants of my faith that remained in my life. My son is now an avid atheist, to the point where I have to curtail it a bit because he will flip crosses upside down at Wal-Mart! I'm like, "We're here for milk, so.. chill on the inverted crosses for now!" But yes, no religion in my household, and it's mostly thanks to that good ol' Methodist Bible I got as a child.
We atheists don't WANT there to not be a god. We just don't want to delude ourselves into thinking there is. Why wouldn't I want there to be an eternal afterlife where I know my loved ones are safe and happy? That sounds GREAT! It's just sadly not true.
And an atheist is just a quitter. He seeks God for a few years maybe then draws the brilliant con clusion that He does not exist. Great excuse to quit. It so happens in life that you get back exactly what you give out, quit and receive nothing...........FalunDafa
I didn't know it at the time, but I became an atheist when I was six and my parents were asked to stop sending me to Sunday school, because I asked to many awkward questions. I was either to shut up and be indoctrinated, without being allowed to ask question or not be allowed to go. My parents gave me the choice, I picked right, and am a much happier person than many of the people who stayed in that Sunday school class.
I used to share his beliefs almost to the letter when I was younger, that's what I was brought up believing, I became increasingly skeptical of it later in life.
Right thinking? Yes, think for yourselves, which also means that it is you who decides whether to believe in a higher power or not, and there are many who choose to do so and are richer for it, is there a problem with that? I don't need an insignificant nobody telling me what to think, and I couldn't care less of their thoughts, but why do they need to announce it online as if they made some grand discovery or something lol.
@@DEE-qu5mc _"I don't need an insignificant nobody telling me what to think, and I couldn't care less of their thoughts"_ And we don't need another insignificant nobody blathering about how the belief in an invisible man in the sky made him somehow 'richer' (whatever he wants to say with this meaningless babble). If you don't get and don't like what public forums are for then just stop reading them and commenting on them. It is as easy as that.
I refuse to believe that we have a loving caring god that can do everything that looks over us while at the same time allows kids to be born with all sorts of handicaps and diseases
Agreed. That is why i left Christianity. I have twins and both were born with Autism and they are now 19 years old and my son developed additional disabilities like Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Scoliosis, Epilepsy etc. When i cried out asking why did this happened to my son who has done nothing and has never been able to even enjoy his childhood, i was told by many religious people and leaders that its because we are apparently all born as sinners and i was like what? I was also told that Autism in my children was demons controlling them and that i had to have them deliberated. I drew a line there and realized how crazy these people really are and complaint to my mother who obligated me to go to church as a child. This religion thing is a cult and a weird one at that. I left Christianity in 2008 and now my kids get ABA services as well as self help assistance for the so called demons that are possessing my children since birth. What a load of crap that was. Never again will i step into a church.
@@vegastjg there can still be a god with all those things, just not being described the way it is in the bible. There could totally be an all powerful god that isn't that great of a guy.
The belief in reincarnation, accepted by billions, justifies why some are born rich and healthy and other sick and poor. It all depends on how they lived their past lives. If you cannot handle that simple fact, then keep believing that God is bad, Satan is bad, God is just. Unless you think that a child molester in a previous life does not deserve to be punished in this one...................Falun Dafa.........God makes perfect sense always.
@@skindred1888 That is totally true. And this is totally missed by most religious people. Sure, their God might be real, but their notion of him might have some flaws. Maybe he is not almighty! Maybe he is not good! Maybe he do not have all those strange demands on your food and clothing!
The Christian Religion made no sense to me as a child, so I decided to start my own religion. I had my "church" in the backyard (I called it The Fort) and made up chants and songs. I hung up chicken bones and shiny metal things like aluminum pie pans. My mom never said anything negative about it. It was great. I grew bored with it after a few months and stopped observing the Fort Religion. I've been an atheist since childhood.
I’ve been saying for years to anyone who will listen that only being a good person to get rewarded with heaven isn’t being a good person. It’s the opposite. It’s being greedy. It’s a transaction. All religions are cults, no matter how you slice it.
Hoping that someday social proof will yield more non-believers than believers. That's why it's important to speak up. If people start to realize people they know and like are non-believers they can eventually come around to the same conclusion. Let's hope!
Never gonna happen because "social proof" shows degradation and moral decay, destruction of families and murder rates sky rocketing since religion lost its grip on society LOL
Why do you hope that? Do you actually think the world would be any better? And what if "the Faithful" (as we might call them) DON'T come to your conclusion? You gonna persecute them or something? The Truth is this: the belief/assumption (whatever you want to call it) of modern scientific materialism is as metaphysically unprovable as any religion, so in that regard shares the characteristic of the theistic belief, so is in a sense, a religious view. Being agnostic might be a better option than believing/not-believing ANYTHING.
We are not here to have God prove anything to us, we are here to show God who we are. Because someone does not have the wisdom to fathom the Bible's wisdom does not mean that it is not there, true? Falun Dafa answers all the mysteries of creation.
@@jeff_forsythe Copying and pasting your comment multiple times in response to other commentators just makes you look like a complete chop, Jeff. It doesn't make your comment true in any way. Falun Dafa or Falun Gong is just a whack-job cult.
That is probably the best explanation of the Atheist/Agnostic positions that I've heard. Theists seem to use it as a "Gotcha" but it really isn't. Penn is so eloquent and entertaining.
No faith, no chance of ever finding God. Because someone does not have the wisdom to fathom the Bible's wisdom does not mean that it is not there, true? Falun Dafa answers all the mysteries of creation.
@@wfemp_4730 We are here to be tested and to suffer for our sins committed in past lives, that is why life it is so difficult to understand, we have to pay our debts. Falun Dafa explains everything.
He also said something about the devil and how people on earth are doing the devil’s work such as committing murders and rape. So why would he punish you for doing what he wants you to do? He should praise and celebrate you instead.
Reading the Bible may or may not make you an atheist. I know people who have read it cover to cover for years and are still ardent believers. I read it cover to cover for years and was a Christian. The difference was when I read it from a critical point of view. Then I became an atheist. And that didn't happen overnight. It took several years. When you've been brainwashed since a baby I guess it takes longer (or at least those who have nil critical thinking faculties).
@@Pootycat8359 They say they become an atheist, because they read something in the Bible they don't like and they give up. They don't even know God or who God is.
His journey is almost identical to mine. I read the Bible as a 13 year old, and then I knew I was an atheist. I told my mom that if she made me go to church I would say things there that would embarrass her in front of the whole town.
Self delusion can lead to orange leaders...I subscribe to the idea that religion should be treated like sex; practiced out of the public domain among consenting adults only and do not include children under any circumstances...
We are not here to have God prove anything to us, we are here to show God who we are. Because someone does not have the wisdom to fathom the Bible's wisdom does not mean that it is not there, true? Falun Dafa answers all the mysteries of creation.
@@jeff_forsythe Want to base your life on a book of myths with no evidence of factual basis...? Have at it but don't base our society on it because reason has proven much more useful than imaginary deities...
@@timwhite7127 You and all atheists are missing the true point of Christianity. If God showed Himself to us then there would be no need for faith and faith is the reason why we are here. To test our hearts and to show God who We are, not the other way around. Falun Dafa explains everything. good luck.
When I hear the word "God", it gets translated in my brain to the word "Idol". Because that's all it is. It's not an idol made of bronze or stone - it's an idea idol. Oh and it's an idea idol that says "don't worship idols! So you know I'm not an idol because otherwise I wouldn't tell you that! Just worship me - I'm not an idol!" Isn't that a clever thing? An idea idol that tells people not to worship idols, only worship it. Anytime you find an idea of worshipping, you know you're dealing with an idol. That's the dead giveaway.
"There you will have to worship gods made of wood and stone, and these are nothing but idols that can't see or hear or eat or smell." An idol by definition cannot speak or tell you to worship it.
@@PapaBear-k4k You misunderstand atheism. Try watching the video and listening. Atheism is a lack of belief. Atheists don’t have faith in either position, they only believe what is supported by good evidence.
I am agnostic and that term is not a cop out. Anyone who deals in absolutes, especially when there is no knowledge or information either way is being closed minded. It is like saying the speed of light is the absolute speed limit, you cannot go faster. Well, according to what we currently know that appears correct but possibly in a few years or centuries we will learn that is not the case or that there are ways around that "limit." It is the same with the concept of God. I believe a better answer would be, "no, I do not believe in god or a god(s) insofar as what has been interpreted by humanity up to today." That makes sense as only a moron would believe in this thing put forth by the religions who believe in a god or gods. I think if there is a god it is so beyond our comprehension and understanding that we simply currently do not have the capability of conceptualizing or understanding such a thing or being. I have no idea if there is a god, an afterlife, or anything else after we die. Maybe that's it, one and done, sweet oblivion. Maybe we come back in some form, another human, animal, or whatever. Maybe when we die, we are born again back into this exact same life, stuck to live, die, live the same life until we get it right. Who knows? No one, that's who.
@@tedwojtasik8781Agnostics still do not believe in any God or Gods which is the same as being Atheist. If you believe in God you do not say things like, i don't know if God exists and you dont say you dont believe in God. Youre an atheist.
I was sitting in church as a teen and realized I was going to “hell”. My mother was definitely going to heaven. In heaven she expected 100% peace and happiness, yet she would know I was in hell, suffering. How could she be happy and not be a monster? That was the day it all fell apart for me. It never really made any sense, and I distrusted these super confident men and women telling me what God thinks. How did they know? Why didn’t God share this with my mom? It is damn awful to walk away when that is all you knew, but worth it.
Most of the time we reincarnate here. We are not here to have God prove anything to us, we are here to show God who we are. Because someone does not have the wisdom to fathom the Bible's wisdom does not mean that it is not there, true? Falun Dafa answers all the mysteries of creation.
Of all the answers to the question, "Do you believe in God?", the very best answer I have ever heard is from Carl Sagan, who was often asked that question. "I don't dispute the possibility that God exists. I just haven't seen any scientific evidence so far to support that theory." (Carl Sagan)
You can eliminate the word believe from your vocabulary if you only go by the scientific method. And that’s ok. Just don’t use the word because you can’t have it both ways. Belief is reserved for those who can somehow be confident in something without evidence.
One mistake Penn should have fixed in edit was that Lott's daughter wasn't beaten and raped, the messengers of the Lord saved the daughters by blinding the bad guys. But that said, Penn's point is well taken and Lott offering his virgin daughter rs to these thugs is, to us, horrible. Then Penn goes on to describe many of the things that I hate about Christianity. The point about morality is amazingly true. When a Christian asks "where do you get your morality from?" I am now going to use this example as commentary saying, "fear of hell or promise of heaven don't instill morality because morality comes from wanting to do good not because of reward or punishment"
In the Gospel of Mary (purged by the orthodox church as heresy) Jesus is asked what the nature of sin is. He says There is no sin, only the mistaken view of your own nature. I don't believe in God but when you read widely of these texts, and those of Buddhism, Vedanta, it gives you a richer perspective of these things than merely what has been taught to us. Krishna basically says the same as Penn in this regard (in the Bhagavad-Gita) act without desire for reward or results is liberating: do one's duty. Let the zealots of all viewpoints fight amongst themselves.
We are not here to have God prove anything to us, we are here to show God who we are. Because someone does not have the wisdom to fathom the Bible's wisdom does not mean that it is not there, true? Falun Dafa answers all the mysteries of creation.
The Lott's daughters story gets even weirder, and I cannot believe it hadn't been brought up! After Lott's wife turns to salt, he and his daughters eventually end up in a cave. They believe they are the last humans alive. So they get their father drunk and then one of the daughters sleeps with him. The second night they get him drunk again and the other daughter sleeps with him. I have many questions...
@@apexnext That gospel was given for people of that day whose minds were not as sophisticated as our minds are today. Heaven has given us a new Gospel which is explained by the wonderful practice of Falun Dafa. Take a look, no charge.
@@jeff_forsythe No charge for a pile of shit, either. Every religion always says it has all the answers, that's absolutely nothing new, and they all obviously come from someone's imagination, and their founders end up with a huge amount of their followers' money sooner or later. Li Hongzi, founder of "Falun Dafa", can't live in his native country anymore because the Chinese government knows he was trying to con people and were arresting members of his scam. He moved to the United States because he knows that people like L. Ron Hubbard and Joseph Smith were able to successfully create similar huge scams in the U.S., and "there's a sucker born every minute." Science, in contrast, doesn't claim we know everything. It says we still have a lot to learn and it's pointless to lie to oneself. We learn slowly but honestly with the power of logic and the scientific method.
I struggle to understand why you believe Santa Claus knows how to digitally encode amino acid sequences in base 64. Why does Dawkins not see that no random process creates digit as l information?
@@glenliesegang233 DNA is a naturally occurring molecule. Human beings attach the idea of “information” to it. Your point is called an Argument From Ignorance: you can’t understand how something can work, therefore god did it.
But you do need to explain why you're constructing a false equivalence and trying to pass it off as a valid argument. False equivalence: You are essentially saying that the degree to which we know there is no Santa is equivalent to the degree to which we know there is no God. Furthermore, "There is no Santa, therefore there is no God" is a non sequitur.
It's good to hear sanity. In the UK, over 49% of us are irreligious. Of course, some of that 49% will be spiritual, but whatever they believe in, it won't be an insecure, narcissistic, psychopath with delusions of grandeur. I read the bible as an adult some 30 years ago and was horrified. It should have one of those warning stickers on it that they used to put on rock albums and be restricted to over 18s.
I have lived most of my life in the UK, and most of the people I have known have been atheists ( although that is recently changing). I first read the Bible as an adult 45 years ago, and it confirmed the beliefs I had independently arrived at. I have read it many time since and remain a committed member of the Christian minority. As for sanity, St.Paul was accused of being insane, so I am happy to join him in the asylum.
It was the hymns that did it for me. We used to have school assembly with a reading, prayers and a hymn. The hymn seemed always to be about blood. They made me feel actually nauseous.
Proof of God : In Quran Ayats rarely ends with letter "H" but in Surah al Shams (Sun), all the ayats (verses) ends with letter "H". And Sun is made of Hydrogen(H) and Helium(He).
Because someone does not have the wisdom to fathom the Bible's wisdom does not mean that it is not there, true? Falun Dafa answers all the mysteries of creation.
The important point for me is not over the existence of god or belief in god, but the relevance of religion in the world which has been diminishing at a very fast rate in the modern world. Religion exists in the environment of mass ignorance where knowledge is held and controlled by small groups of MEN.
I began as an agnostic before I read the bible and was converted. I now lean towards the existence of God. I now refer to myself as misotheistic or I hate God. I've come to the conclusion that if God exists, he is a malevolent sadistic bastard who enjoys torturing his creation. God only works in mysterious ways if you are not properly applying Occam's Razor. If you accept the evil nature of the supreme deity then it all makes sense.
There was a sect of Christians in the middle ages, what they came to believe is the Old Testament God was the evil god who became the "devil" and the New Testament God was the good god who we should worship for actual salvation. It really does fit in so many ways, I can see why they believed in that. Until the catholic church did what it does best and eradicated the sect. Your interpretation reminded me of that, hehe.
@@childlessdoggentleman746 see I'm trying to teach and end up learning myself. 😆 I couldn't remember their name and will investigate further. Thanks for the info and sharing!
The Sacrifice of Abraham is a horrible story. In some mythological traditions the final test is whether you're willing disobey the deity rather than violate a moral principle. In the Bible there is no principle other than what God says is right.
At least in the Abraham and Isaac story the "God" character intervenes at the last minute, but the very idea of killing your own child to prove you are faithful to your imaginary friend is repulsive. The story of Jephthah and his daughter is even more disgusting since the "God " character does not intervene before Jephthah burns his daughter to death. And remember, Christianity is based entirely on child sacrifice, as "God" murders his own child to "save" humanity from the absurd curse that he himself placed upon them.
@@rwk1music Yes, I can't understand why more Christians aren't repulsed by the whole "Eat my flesh and drink my blood" aspect of their religion. Oh well, it must be a cult.
Everyone is born an a-theist. Then, depending on your cultural background, you are told that there is a God/god/gods. That is not an evidence of any of them. They are only claims, without any proof.
It was reading the Bible cover to cover at age nine. That's all it took. Nine year olds are generally too straight forward to have the mental gymnastics to say "wow, that makes sense to me!" just because someone else believes it.
I remember reading my little Bible kids get. At age 10 , I was impressed. I am much older now and I have a bigger Bible and I love it. I thank God every day for his word.
We are not here to have God prove anything to us, we are here to show God who we are. Because someone does not have the wisdom to fathom the Bible's wisdom does not mean that it is not there, true? Falun Dafa answers all the mysteries of creation.
The first 30 seconds of the video is spot on. I can't recall how many times I've read comments or heard someone say "I'm agnostic" when asked if they believe in god, as if that was a logical or acceptable answer.
Any God who would ask you to be willing to murder your own child to prove your faith, is morally beneath you, undeserving of anything but rejection. My key to understanding the fallacy of God at the age of 9 was a conversation I had with my priest about Genesis. I pointed out that the Bible says God made man in his own image, and forbade him of eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Doesn’t that essentially say that God is Amoral, and created man to be Amoral, just like himself? But man Chose to know the difference between good and evil, and that makes man morally superior to an Amoral God. God did not give us morality. We Chose it, against his will. The priest had no answer to this. I looked at him and I said, “ you don’t even know the answer, do you?” In that moment I knew religion was no different than Santa, leprechauns, or the Easter bunny, except that people took religious yarns way too seriously. You can find moral instruction in Star Wars, or Star Trek stories. But no SW fan would kill a ST fan over the fact that they like the ‘wrong’ franchise. But they Would, if they they did not understand the stories were fiction.
Millions of people have had out of body experiences and know that death is not the end. We reincarnate. In the past, people understood certain things that certain churches have removed from their teachings to keep us in the dark. Reincarnation explains why some of us receive more blessings than others, all based on what seeds we sowed in previous lifetimes. The Bible was written for the people of long ago and our minds now are sophisticated enough for a new Gospel..........Falun Dafa is that Gospel.
@@jeff_forsythe Many people have had all kinds of delusions and halicunations. People hear voices that aren’t real. People have vivid ‘memories’ of things they were not even present for, because they have been told stories. ALL near death experiences can be replicated at will in a centrifuge and/or hypobaric chamber, and have been proven to be related to the brain running out of oxygen. But no one has actually come back from zero brain activity to report any such experineces. That people hallucinate in a near death state that affects oxygenation or metabolism in the brain is to be expected. In much the same way that you can hallucinate in a sensory deprivation tank. This is because your entire experience of reality is an illusion created within your brain. This is demonstrated by the fact that you can have very vivid dreams in which your brain creates its own reality, entire, unrelated to any external sensory experience at all. Reality, as far as we can tell, ONLY exists as an experience created within the functioning brain. So, yes, as your brain and body are shutting down, it certainly can Invent experiences that are pure fantasy. But there is no reason to assume that those experiences are any more ‘real’ than your dreams. It makes no sense to have ‘half’ an eternity. To have a beginning, and no end. And folks grasping at a pretended ‘forever’ may neglect to try and pay attention to the Actual life they really do have. The problem with religious belief is that it promises justice, after you die. It promises heaven, after you die. This tends to make people Not even try to make the world they really live in more just, and more heavenly, here and now.
@@christopherpardell4418 We are all born with a Divine soul. We have lived many lives and all of us have accrued a certain amount of black karma on our soul. Those, like me, who were lucky enough to be born with not too much karma have still retained the ability to sense the Divinity of our soul and others have not. The religion Falun Dafa does not promise anything when you die, it is only concerned with life. You have the ability to discern right from wrong, do not lose it.
@@jeff_forsythe If it promises no afterlife, then you have no need of it. I do not deny the transcendent nature of consciousness, but there is no rational reason to place faith in the notions of your consciousness leaving your body. In that sense, just being an epicurean stoic, or Taoist, is more than spiritual enough to live a fulfilled and happy life.
@@christopherpardell4418 We are not here to lead a happy life. Go to any retirement home and look at so many staring out the window, waiting for some one to come and change their diaper. Falun Dafa can show us the Way to avoid losing our alertness and even how to return home to Heaven without dying.
There is no evidence that there is no God. Childish statements. Because someone does not have the wisdom to fathom the Bible's wisdom does not mean that it is not there, true? Falun Dafa answers all the mysteries of creation.
Spot on. We aren’t born with predetermined beliefs or any other knowledge for that matter. In due time, we’re educated and indoctrinated depending on our circumstances. That said, it is therefore common to become a theist and later revert to becoming an atheist. I’m an apostate, therefore, I became an atheist. Now the question is which position do I hold: 1. I do not believe in a god (or gods), or 2. I believe there isn’t a god (or gods). I’m the first option; I have a lack of belief in a god. And as Dawkins said referring to his scale of religiosity, I’m a “6.9” (7 being a gnostic atheist). Being agnostic is mutually exclusive from being an atheist. The former addresses your epistemological position, the latter addresses your general worldview.
@@lenloving I've seen first hand the ways in which belief can limit what we view as our options. A person who thinks they are X will behave as if they are X. As such, I try to always push back on expressions of BEING. When somebody begins a sentence "I am" the only acceptable next word is human. Everything else is a thought, a preference, etc. The fact that you shifted is proof that we're not talking about a state of being. I only mention this because I don't know what is meant by "I am an apostate." Before I continue, I wanted to share my bias. I think "belief" is only useful as a motivator to test the hypothesis. At which point, it becomes either factual or not. Belief is not something that serves a useful purpose as an ongoing state. I mention this because the phrase you used "I believe there isn't a god" stood out to me. I had never heard that before and when I first read it, it landed as absurd to me. For reasons pertaining to my bias. For every thing we could describe, it either exists or it does not exist. If it exists, there would be evidence of its existence. If there is no evidence, then it doesn't exist. Thus to "believe there is no (something that doesn't exist)" seems like a mismatched way of expressing an idea. So I don't see it as an either you don't believe there's a god or I believe there isn't a god. The sum of human understanding hasn't produced any evidence of a deity. Thus there is no deity. If the day comes when we have proof there is a deity, then it would behoove us to update our understanding of what is real/true to reflect that. For me, belief never enters into it. Which says nothing of the fact that most descriptions of a deity I've heard are extraordinary or self-detonating. i.e. God is all knowing and all powerful.
“Religion belonged to the infancy of humanity. Now that humanity has come of age, it should be left behind.” -Sigmund Freud
Freud was wrong about the “coming of age” part. He’s not around in the trump age.
Religion deters human progress.
@@leoaguinaldo65 And it is done purposely. The more people know about science, the more they flee from religion.
@@williamgreenfield9991you nailed it. Great comment.
@@williamgreenfield9991 Darwin wasn't a scientist .
When Y2K rolled around years ago (the year 2000), my religious neighbor kept telling me I would be left behind to burn in Hell while he got raptured. I told him "Bill, can I have your house and car keys as you won't be needing them?" That shut him up pretty well. And we're both still here living on this earth. How about that.
Start a new business, tell the religious whack jobs you will take care of their pets after the rapture for 250. dollars in advance.😝
i was in st augestine fl at that time. these folks had sign and such saying the end is near .
It seems weird to me that you would have to clarify the time but I guess I'm old now lol. Great response though 😅
Has Bill’s attitude on the rapture morphed? These religious folks keep just adjusting the date of the rapture further and further out. It’s maddening, it’s not even fun to mock them about it anymore.
@@harrydoherty8299 So was I.
I LOVE that statement about morality. If you are being moral for the sake of "reward or punishment", it isn't really morality. Wow, I find that very profound and spot on. If reward or punishment is a factor in morality, that sounds like coercion or maybe blackmail is more appropriate.
I call it "spiritual extortion". Which is exactly what it is.
sounds like a reward system and or punishment through guilt system. Religions conquer with fear and guilt where there may not be any to start with. and dont forget shaming you into their way or the highway.
I have no idea why the religious claim the moral high ground. It’s like they can’t acknowledge that humans were around for tens if not hundreds of thousands of years before religion came along. Humanity defines morality.
@@brendanpmacleanour choices define our morality
@@NickLinke
That’s fair.
Catholic school did it for me. I had a friend who was asked in class what God was. He gave a wise-ass funny answer and the nun slapped him across the face and said "God is love"! One small example.
I used to be forced to go to Catholic church when staying with a friend of mine. Turns out he was one of the kids that was abused by a priest, and I never knew. We were really close too, I feel so bad for him, horrible stuff.
So love is being slapped across the face?
If I've said it once I have said it a billion times: There is no hate quite like Christian Love!
Oh no. I wouldn't have put up with that!
@@ryanrose8856 ...according to the catholic church...perhaps yes...! 😞
I became an athiest at 53 after reading the Bible. It's a grotesque book full of hatred and spite. Not being a christian anymore is the best thing that ever happened to me.
It's never too late. Welcome to the rest of your life without that cancer of the mind.
And the best thing that ever happened to Christianity.
@@MarkoVukovic0 The cancer of the mind is this thing called woke.
@@DEE-qu5mcdefine woke as you understand it.
@@jag1963 Good for you, though 2.4 billion people would disagree with you.
I enjoy how simply Penn puts things. I love Hitchens and Harris, but Penn is so genuine and easy to understand at all times.
@@MizzouRah78 I’m not a fan of Hitchens, or Harris, but Penn is fair minded as well as clear. I disagree with him, but I respect him
@@Chesirecat111 Why don't you like Harris or Hitchens? The fact that you disagree with Penn implies you aren't an Atheist.
@@MizzouRah78 No, I’m not an atheist, though I have a great deal of respect for atheists who put good arguments up against religion. I think that as a person of faith, I benefit from being called out on bullshit, as do the people who have to put up with me in day to day life. I want, and NEED for me, as my assumptions to be challenged by intelligent skeptics. I think that benefits everyone, and every system.
But that requires a couple of things that I don’t think that Hitchens, or Harris, or many of the “New Atheists” bring to the table. It requires a willingness to engage in dialogue, and dialogue requires the humility to consider the other side’s strongest arguments, and your own weakest ones, instead of misrepresenting your opponent with the weakest arguments made by anybody who agrees with them. That’s not dialogue, it’s not a search for truth, it’s presuming the discussion is already over, that they possess the truth, and all that’s needed is to insult anybody who disagrees.
The second thing is related to the first, and that’s a willingness to pursue knowledge through philosophy. It’s not empirical, but it is rational, and it is an important way of interrogating one’s own self as well as others, and of inferring truths from what is already known. The New Atheists don’t do philosophy. They generally sneer at it, and treat it as pretentious intellectual indulgence. (Well, they necessarily do philosophy, but aren’t aware of it, and so are very bad at it.)
As a result, all they do is recycle very old objections to religion - as though nobody ever thought of them before - and present them as their own with no apparent awareness that these objections have been considered for centuries, upon centuries, and that there are very good (not necessarily true) responses to them, or if they are aware of the arguments, they don’t bother to understand them before rejecting them derisively.
Although I don’t think Penn’s arguments are particularly original, I don’t see him engaging in that sort of behavior. He is skeptical, not cynical, and he seems the sort person with the humility to listen to the other side, and try to understand it before deciding whether it’s right, wrong, or something in the middle.
Sorry that was so long winded…I tend to be that way. Just be grateful you don’t actually have to be around me!
@Chesirecat111 I figured as much.
Look, no offense, but you're not going to find much sympathy here. This is because you're asking reasonable, skeptical, and rational people to take the concept of religion or a god seriously when there simply isn't a valid reason to do so. While I do support civil conversation, the arguments people come up with get exhausting, and they aren't founded on anything compelling. Almost all arguments hinge on special pleading and/or ignorance. The same reasons you probably don't put much time into wondering if Santa is real are probably the same or similar reasons for me regarding a god. People try to make the subject too nuanced and philosophical, in my opinion. For me, it's quite simple.
@@MizzouRah78 We simply proceed (hopefully) reasonably from different, unprovable assumptions about the nature of existence. I find the atheist position quite reasonable, and don’t disparage it. It’s the people who are atheist but delude themselves into thinking that in atheism they have found deliverance from faith, and use this misconception to condescend with whom I have issue. Not only are “evangelical atheists” as tiresome, and rude as fundamentalist Christian ones, but they do a lousy job representing their position, and that just makes for bad, dull conversation.
My parents were not religious but were very spiritual. They were smart, they realized a child does not develop their critical thinking skills until 5 to 9 years of age. So they never forced any form of belief onto us kids, but instead waited for us to think about it and start asking questions. They had no expectations that we would follow their beliefs. Christians get their children as young as they can and force their specific doctrine down their throats while they still do not know better and can't challenge what they are being told.
Exactly! And then you get punished (often physically) when you DO start challenging! My childhood in a nutshell.
Indoctrination
mental abuse
I have a new found respect for Penn after watching this video. The very last thing he talks about is morality. He couldn't me more correct.. and it warmed my heart to hear someone say it such a perfect way. My mother tried to get me to become a Pentecostal. The moment she tried to rebuke demons out of me speaking tongues was the moment I said to myself, "Christianity is wrong."
“It is from the Bible that man has learned cruelty, rapine, and murder; for the belief in a cruel God makes a cruel man.”
THOMAS PAINE
(1737 - 1809)
English-born American Founding Father, French Revolutionary, inventor, and political philosopher
in The Age of Reason (1807)
Man, I love Thomas Paine, the most underrated of all the Founders.
Paine was the most important Founder. Without his pamphlet "Common Sense" there would have been no "Spirit of '76".
“Life is but a momentary glimpse of the wonder of the astonishing Universe, and it is sad to see so many dreaming it away on spiritual fantasy.” -Carl Sagan
Gotta love Carl. I miss him every day. He is my hero and I still learn as much as I can from his lectures and videos
@@mattorr2256 Thank you, same here, he was an excellent educator. Love his books Cosmos and The Demon Hunted World.
He was indeed a light in this world obscured by traditions, tribal fantasies and delusions. Best regards to you, Cheers 🍻 to Dr Sagan and to enlightenment.
So you think that Carl Sagan was some great sage? We are not here to have God prove anything to us, we are here to show God who we are. Because someone does not have the wisdom to fathom the Bible's wisdom does not mean that it is not there, true? Falun Dafa answers all the mysteries of creation.
@@jeff_forsythe The God of the Bible is more prideful and narcissistic than the biblical devil.😈
Who makes people so they can worship him? 🧐
Imagine if parents were like that with their children.😱
Think you picked the wrong god buddy!🤪
@@thewb8329 Most religions are nonsense and God only wants to be respected, not us crawling on the floor. There were dishonest people in the ancient times also, controllers. We are God's most precious creation and that is why He created earth. We sinned and were supposed to go to Hell but instead we are here to suffer to redeem ourselves. We have been reincarnated hundreds of times, Falun Dafa explains many mysteries.
“Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived.” - Isaac Asimov
"The point is not that I'm an atheist, so I know more about religion; that's the wrong cause and effect. I think the more accurate way to phrase it is that - I know more about religion, so I'm an atheist." -- Isaac Asimov
Proof of God : In Quran Ayats rarely ends with letter "H" but in Surah al Shams (Sun), all the ayats (verses) ends with letter "H". And Sun is made of Hydrogen(H) and Helium(He).
Because someone does not have the wisdom to fathom thee Bible's wisdom does not mean that it is not there, true? Falun Dafa answers all the mysteries of creation.
@@jeff_forsythe there is no wisdom in the bible, just deepities that the gullible take to have true significance
@@kellydalstok8900 You obviously have lost touch with your own Divine soul, very sad, good luck. You sound quite young so maybe you will find something that opens your heart.
@@kellydalstok8900 One thing that is a fact that you and all atheists are and that is you are all quitters, lets see you talk your way out of that fact, you are the evidence of that. Finding God is work and the more that one puts into something, the more that person is rewarded. quitters get zero, sorry.
A lot of people just claim to be religious and think doing so is their golden ticket to something. They use religion to justify their hate.
Forget about those people and focus on why you are here. Zhuan Falun can explain all of life's mysteries.
They also use it for an excuse for their behavior
"A lot of people just claim to be religious and think doing so is their golden ticket to something."
It may well be their golden ticket to something. What's in YOUR wallet?
@@jeff_forsythe "focus on why you are here"
To an atheist, there is no WHY nor can there be. You are an accident of chemistry.
@@thomasmaughan4798 You can chose anything that you want. You can believe that you came from dogs, insects, accidents, cows, pigs, imagination but the truth of the matter is, and I, unlike you, know the truth, we are all God's most precious creations.
When I was a child I had an imaginary friend called Rupert. He went everywhere with me, I blamed him for all my actions (when I got caught) and he lived in my closet. When I got older people told me to grow up and abandon Rupert. So I changed his name to Jesus and moved him from the closet to heaven and suddenly it became acceptable to have an imaginary friend again.
😂😂😂😂
Sounds like Rupert was lucky to finally get away
Who are you and what have you done with Stewie?
Yes!!!
Stewart Gilligan Griffin, SNAP OUT OF IT! If Brian finds out you're a jesus freak you'll not hear the end of it! Besides, you have a time machine, so...
lost my faith at 13 years old. growing up in a catholic family, I was taught to be afraid of god and how a lot of things are sins. I just got sick of life at that early age and came to realize that religion is toxic. I'm now 38 years old and i still think religion is toxic.
Catholicism is not the sum of religion. That idea is Catholic propaganda.
You stud pimp!
I remember my first time. All 30 seconds of it.!
Okay that's one experience. Others I have known from Catholic families are well adjusted. Blame your family. What has that got to do with believing?
@@Strollmanx He isn't wrong though... if a Christian denomination isn't following the teachings of the Bible it can be faith-dampening. He needs to find a Christian denomination that has solid spiritual values.
Simply disagreeing with something doesn’t make it toxic. I question your not yet fully formed mind at the young age of 13, to determine truth from ignorance. At 13, I believed a lot of ignorant things and untruths. I’m not saying you should be Catholic, but at that age you have to rely on your family to direct you. Yes, you should fear God, and yes there are a lot of what the Bible calls sin that are socially acceptable now. What bothers me is that you are still living according to what your child-brain determined. Have you not questioned your knowledge since then? Have you done any reflection to see if you’re heading in a sound direction or are you all wet? It doesn’t appear that you’ve done this and are proceeding with a direction made by an unformed mind. That is wildly concerning.
I'm a 3rd generation Atheist, and my kids are 4th generation atheists.
and I understood that ALL religions are man-made superstitions.
Being a good human should be something that you want to be and not have to be.
My grandfather was a math and history genius, so growing up, he had over 100 books on different religions around the world. So yes, I've read all of them and Penn's 1000% correct about being an Atheist
So I grew up with those books like Greek and Roman stories.
Yes, religions are man made. But the universe, you, and I are not. God didn't create religions. Man did. I'm not a religious person, but I study the Bible and I'm sure there is a Creator. You don't need to read books on religion to have a belief that there is more to our existence than we can comprehend. The sun, the moon, our goldilocks planet, the intricate complexities of the human body, the air we breathe, the water we drink, the fact that we merely exist, is remarkable. Imho, all part of a Grand Design by a loving Creator that has much more to offer us if we just acknowledge the obvious and believe what we see with our own eyes. This incredible creation called life on earth.
Sad
@sstaners1234 what's sad?
@@sstaners1234
Why? Cheer up. If you're a citizen of the US, I'd have thought atheism would be your bag because it's very liberating.
@@scottdykema5385 I don't believe any god created the world for us. There are too many imperfections in it.
The most devout christian is also an atheist with respect to every other god they don't believe in.
I get what you're trying to illustrate, but I've never bought this. If they believe in even just one god, they aren't an atheist at all. This is valuable however for showing them WHY we don't believe in their god -- for us it's as easily dismissed as they do with all the other gods.
@@ziff_1 I understand what he's trying to say, but it's poor choice of words. What he means is that all christians are athiesitic towards other gods.
@@ziff_1 Well yes they are. If they are Christians then they are theistic (believe in the existence of) towards the Christian faith/god and atheistic (rejecting the belief of) all other gods or religions. Even in my own family there are those that lightly mock some beliefs as "superstition" but they can't seem to apply the same logic to their own faith which I find just as stupid and absurd.
A devout Christian is not going to believe every other god. A devout Christian is monotheistic believing in one God. Atheists steal from God and then deny Him. Atheist are backstabbers they take all the good from God and then backstab Him when He offers them redemption. We are just a bunch of thieves and traitors. But thanks be to God He offers us a better way, love . 1 Corinthians 13:1-13.
A devout Christian is not going to believe every other god. A devout Christian is monotheistic believing in one God. Atheists steal from God and then deny Him. Atheist are backstabbers they take all the good from God and then backstab Him when He offers them redemption. We are just a bunch of thieves and traitors. But thanks be to God He offers us a better way, love . 1 Corinthians 13:1-13.
I'm so glad that my religion teacher in junior year of high school confirmed my agnosticism. Actually sitting down to compare and contrast Catholic biblical scripture is such an eye opening experience. So much bitterness and vile tribalism directly opposing love and acceptance; it shattered my belief in omni-everything God, but not the possibility of a Higher Power.
This is such a good call to action to double-check your own understanding of your beliefs!!
@@RatzBuddie you went down the wrong path. Hopefully you figure it out. Right now, you’re lost
Everyone one is an agnostic because no one can KNOW whether or not there is a God. Even believers don't know, they believe. They may be wrong. Just like non-believers may be wrong that there is not a God.
@@davidd7064 they don’t know? Hmm, maybe it was an alien who made Himself manifest and healed me of jaundice and liver disease. Immense miraculous power made manifest and maybe I’d be lying to say I am 100% certain based on facts but to think otherwise is more of a stretch. Get your terms straight, ok? Agnostic means not sure, don’t believe we can know for certain….and you think that really applies to EVERYONE? Sorry. Disagree. Seek. Hopefully you get it right. No, I’m not suggesting hell.
I appreciate Penn Jillette sharing his beliefs so eloquently yet relateably. I was told growing up, all throughout my Baptist schooling, that I was a terrible person only God could redeem. It took me over a decade to unlearn that deep-rooted thinking and realize that I have worth outside of what some arbitrary diety can provide.
I took a world religion course in school that sealed the deal on Atheism for me. I always find it interesting that Atheism seems built on education and knowledge and religion is just ignorance and indoctrination
And that's the ENTIRE heart of the matter.
Just look at the red states in USA and note their dropout rate, their graduation rate, their dependency on federal aid, their health, their lifespan.
Good example of a thinking man.Bravo mr.Jillette.
Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca
This should be specifically noticed during election time
Yeah. I always saw religion as a means to keep the commoners from eating the rich / royalty.
Sorry, but how would you know how the wise view religion? I am a wise man and I practice Falun Dafa and if you were wise, you would do the same. Truthfulness-compassion-tolerance.
@@jeff_forsythe Truth doesn't really go together with any religion. Not that all of it has to be bad or so, but I'd rather point you to the chapter "there is no eastern solution" in Hitchens' book Religion Poisons Everything to give a hint on how I view most of it.
Li Hongzhi is someone I would for instance avoid completely:
"Li has stated that he believes extraterrestrial aliens from other dimensions walk the Earth and are responsible for introducing technology, war, and immorality. Li says that he is a being who has come to help humankind from the destruction it could face as the result of rampant evil. When asked if he was a human being, Li replied "You can think of me as a human being."[11]"
Quite bananas, this is already a massive lie, as if we don't have human history to dig in, our psychology etc
@@Hirnlego999 I have received God's Divine Blessing so quoting Hitchens to me is like trying to convince someone that up is down. Goethe said that it is rare to find a person with a large enough imagination to grasp reality.
@@jeff_forsythe Really. I just heard from the flying spaghetti monster that heathens shall boil in spaghetti sauce.
"Goethe said that it is rare to find a person with a large enough imagination to grasp reality."
Kids have plenty of imagination and that's why the religious tend to brainwash the young. Easier when there is little experience and knowledge to fight against the BS. And when the authority is stronger than you, can't say back.
And for some reason it seems that most don't even choose their own religion, it mainly comes from the parents who in turn got it from their parents. Ignorance is often passed on and on, and obviously the more educated will see it as the BS that it is. For the poor the rich often sell this as a pacifier. You'll be rewarded in the afterlife they say. I say that won't do.
I called myself an agnostic for a long time because it kept the arguments short. I had learned that calling myself an atheist made certain types of people just redouble their efforts to ‘save’ me.
I honestly call myself a Western practitioner of Shinto, Religious people dont have a clue, Shinto isnt a Religion, its Belief in our own Ancestors, Nature, and Life, Im still an Atheist, but I believe in my Ancestors, and try to be a better person out of respect for them.
Quite often you get the Mormons etc banging on your door, and I just say "Not interested I'm Shinto", and close the door, I think several have even 'Converted' as I never saw them again.
Just ask them to prove god exists. Credible data required. Testable. Repeatable. Verifiable. Falsifiable. Ask them to not bear false witness. Only when they satisfy that parameter then can they continue with their delusion. Shut them down, quickly.
I am trying to save you because I swore an oath to God. Atheists are just quitters, nothing more, nothing less, not great thinkers or great sages of our time, Falun Dafa has all the answers.
"I had learned that calling myself an atheist made certain types of people"
And pedantic people like me annoyed by the bad logic. You cannot BE an atheist. It is not a thing to BE.
@@thomasmaughan4798 Look at it this way. You are on a web site where some Vegas magician is explaining the meaning of words as if he is talking to a bunch of fourth graders. Maybe you should look for another hero, just a thought, sorry. Oh yes, and I suppose that you think that your comment is profound, maybe it is to the magician. Pick a card, any card.
"Religion is a phase a species goes through when it evolves enough intelligence to ask profound questions but not enough to answer them." - Bill Flavell
Because someone does not have the wisdom to fathom the Bible's wisdom does not mean that it is not there, true? Falun Dafa answers all the mysteries of creation.
@@jeff_forsythe You're broken record mantra only makes you sound like a nonsensical bible-thumper.
@@jesseeverhart There is evidence that Homo Neanderthals had formed some sort of belief system, indicated by the treatment of their dead.
Falun Dafa has brainwashed poor Jeff, he is now a serial cut and paster, unable to come up with original arguments, his weak and gullible mind is how he has been taken into the cult.
@@jesseeverhartwe have strong evidence the Neanderthals were religious or spiritual.
But yeah i get your point!
Cheers, Mr. Jillette! Well said.
I became an atheist at 18 while serving in Vietnam.
I did not see any actual horrors of battle, but the shear volume of money, resources, and lives wasted convinced me a compassionate loving god, who supposedly answers prayers, would never allow such an event to take place.
When you realize it was just another in a long list of wars throughout history you become more convinced there is no god only humans seeking power and domination over others.
So true. You might not have seen actual horrors of battle, but I bet some of them are still haunting you. I lost 2 in that war.
"I became an atheist at 18"
So what happened? Changed skin color? Grew horns? Is there ANY physical property by which I can spot an atheist, a thing you become?
@@thomasmaughan4798 none, you just aren't convinced of someone's claim.
Just like how you can't tell the difference between someone who believes in flat earth or not, untill they start speaking.
@@skindred1888 "you can't tell the difference between someone who believes in flat earth or not, untill they start speaking."
Not even then. What you have is words. Someone trolling or punking will use the same or similar words. Whether a person *really* believes the earth is flat, and by that, disk-shaped everywhere and not just in North Dakota; is probably impossible to know just by the words.
Then there's the problem of the person that really believes, but is *wrong* .
But it helps for a person to believe his own claims.
@@thomasmaughan4798 you asked if there's a way to tell if someone is an atheist for whatever reason...
If you are being rewarded for being moral or punished for not being moral, then it's not morality
What a great point
Except that this is in the nature of human beings. There is ALWAYS a reward, or a penalty driving human behavior. We do things for the rewards they give us, or to escape pains. Is there any such thing as a perfectly altruistic act? When a person acts altruistically , he still receives a payoff, even if it’s only the satisfaction of conforming the world more closely to how he would prefer the world to be.
I’m not slagging altruism, but it is rooted in satisfying an unsatisfied desire for a “better” world (however the individual defines that), and resolving the dissatisfaction with the gap between reality and that vision. Wherever there exists a “self”, any action is an assertion of ego, and is therefore “selfish.”
Neither am I trying to justify blatantly transactional morality. There are TONS of people of faith who imagine that morality is a ledger totting up good deeds vs. bad deeds to determine who gets a cookie, and who gets a pitchfork up their butts for all eternity. They do good things out of fear, and desire. That’s obviously…problematic, and an atheist who does a good deed without believing in an eternal cookie for it is clearly more moral than the Christian who does it only because he likes cookies.
What I am saying is that the morality of an action is a function of how transactional it is. They’re all based upon satisfaction of ego to some degree, but if it’s satisfaction of base appetites that’s less virtuous than if it’s satisfaction of desires for mercy, justice, the happiness of others, etc…
What Christianity teaches isn’t so much that you get a cookie if you do good things, and a pitchfork enema if you don’t, it teaches that in choosing to do good deeds you make yourself a more virtuous person, and in sinning, you corrupt yourself, making yourself less of who you could have been. It describes not reward and threat anymore than the Surgeon General’s warning on tobacco products is a “threat”. It describes the meaning of our actions, and their consequences for what kind of person we become.
For example, we have all done something wrong in our lives, something for which we feel guilt, something we wish we could take back - that in a small way, I think, is what Christianity means by Hell. It isn’t pitchforks, and sore asses (those are metaphors) it is the unhappiness we feel when we have made ourselves immoral.
"If you are being rewarded for being moral or punished for not being moral, then it's not morality"
Says you. If it is "moral" to not murder, and you do not murder, then you are moral. Your reasons are, for this purpose, irrelevant.
@@thomasmaughan4798 I was quoting SemiPerfectDark, who was paraphrasing Penn.
That said, I do agree with them. Morality isn’t simply an act, it’s the purpose motivating the act. Murder is immoral, but that isn’t just because it’s homicide. Many people would argue that there is a moral difference between someone because you hate him, killing someone in self defense, accidentally killing a person, and euthanizing someone in pain. Murder describes the killing of a person for illicit reason - hatred.
The language you used in your argument concedes a difference between killing out of hatred, killing in self defense, or unintended killing, and that difference is motive.
@@Chesirecat111 "and that difference is motive."
Motive is certainly a big part of Christianity. The relevance to religion is how can there be morality (motive) without religion? It is impossible; morals inform religion and religion informs morals. Without "religion" you also have no morals, and without morals you aren't even an animal (my dogs have a sense of right and wrong).
Non-theists will argue they have morals, and while this will often seem to be the case, what they don't have is *shared morals* and it is shared morals that creates society.
@@thomasmaughan4798 I’ve thought about this very point a lot because I have seen very many atheists behave in what I would consider moral behaviors, and live even heroically moral lives. Most atheists I know are quite simply good, decent human beings. Conversely, I’ve seen many Christians behave immorally even by their own religious definition of morality, and do so unrepentantly.
The notion that religious people are automatically more moral than are atheists is clearly bullshit.
But I still can’t get behind the idea that morality is simply a social construct, and that there is no universal moral standard. For instance, things like theft, or murder, or rape are always immoral. Slavery was always immoral even though it was once socially accepted in the United States. We can’t say that anti-Semitism is wrong here and now because there’s a social consensus against it, but the Holocaust was okay in Germany because the culture defined violence, and anti-Semitic as good.
Eventually I came to a definition of morality that is objective, rooted in the nature of the universe, doesn’t rely on religion, is self-evident, and can be agreed by theist, and atheist alike.
I would say that all morality is ultimately rooted in the truth of the proposition that being/existence is self-evidently superior than “not being”/non-existence. Any choice, or action that increases being (for example, anything that actualizes what had only existed as potential) is good. That which reduces being is evil. This is why it is immoral to kill - it ends a person’s being. It’s why poverty is a form of violence - it violates the individual’s opportunity to actualize his fullest potential.
Anyway, those are my thoughts in the matter fwiw.
Glad you are a rational man... love you, Penn. I am an atheist for some time now. It has given me such peace.
"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day
Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime
Give a man a bible and he starves to death praying for a fish." Yve Dara
the Bible changed the world.....
@@philipbuckley759 For the far worse.
haha thank you ill remember that one for sure
@@philipbuckley759 No, people changed the world, sometimes for the better, sometimes not.
@@philipbuckley759It screwed it up due to mass delusions.
You'll never hear a believer pray for god to regenerate an amputated limb, or to reveal the whereabouts of a missing child, because it would take an actual miracle for those prayers to be answered. Believers know, whether they'll admit it or not, that there are no actual miracles. Therefore, prayers are limited to things that can be achieved without help from a deity.
No-one in their right mind prays for anything. One just quiets the mind in a contemplative act.
There have been countless miracles. Because someone does not have the wisdom to fathom the Bible's wisdom does not mean that it is not there, true? Falun Dafa answers all the mysteries of creation.
God answers all prayers. It's just that his answer is always "No".
@@DrMikeOckhertz Not in my case. When people reject God He respects their choice and does not help nor protect them and that is exactly why that today Satan rules this planet.
@@jeff_forsythe
Falun Dafa makes many completely unfounded claims about creation whilst denying modern science and medicine and being anti homosexual and women’s rights.
As someone who isn’t atheist I still appreciate the points he’s making.
Yep, I vividly remember being in my early teens and realising that there’s only 50 odd Sundays in the year, and we always hear the same parts almost exactly at the same times of the year year after year when the book is read from in church, and then you actually look at the book and realise that based on the amount of pages and how small the writing is, Massive amounts of that book I never actually being preached or spoken about at church, while the church is saying the entire book is God‘s word, and while it just does the Greatest Hitz every calendar year because they are the more fluffy and light-hearted of the bunch.
Because someone does not have the wisdom to fathom thee Bible's wisdom does not mean that it is not there, true? Falun Dafa answers all the mysteries of creation.
Yup. Most churches aren't going to touch 90% of the OT. Just read Deuteronomy 21:10-14 for example. Here's a passage where God says when you pillage your enemy's town and you see a young woman you find attractive, you may capture her and make her your wife. However, before having sex with her, you must give her 30 days to grieve her dead parents that you murdered. The OT is full of this barbaric garbage.
@@jeff_forsythe You do realize that for those who actually follow Falun Dafa, there is no god? LOL! You are mixing up your belief systems, and Falun Dafa was only invented in the 1990s. You are showing people things which make them realize that anything you post is coming from an idiot.
@@jeff_forsythe nope
There are actually 3 different cycles of readings, so it’s not the same readings every year. It’s the same readings every 3rd year. And then if you go daily, not just on Sunday, there are more readings that would eventually cover the whole Bible. And the readings are definitely not just fluffy and light hearted.
I've had doubts that a God existed for many years but have in the last few months decided that I am an Atheist. The pain and suffering formal religions have inflicted on the human race is one of the main reasons for my decision. I'm 77 years old so coming close to the end of my life but I am not afraid of death. I've lived a good life and I can accept that I will not go to Heaven or especially Hell at the end. I have to thank people like Penn Jillette for giving me the information I needed to make that decision.
We are many.
Penn Jillette was one of my guiding lights when I was a young atheist. I too was inspired by Frank Zappa and Bertrand Russell, but Mr. Jillette always seemed more approachable, or closer to my reality.
When I was Christian, I hated this guy….when I woke up and started using logic and science, he became a hero to me.
After almost thirty five years I am Atheist today.
Another sane person who chooses logic and reason!😊
That's wonderful 👍😊
@@ianp3112 What logic and reason justifies atheist belief that no God exists? I won't hold my breath. You atheists are lying phonies who posture with pretenses of science and reason, while denying science and reason when confronted
where did all of this come from.....
You never were a Christian.
@@philipbuckley759 For example, I believe the resurrection was staged by the Romans, as explained in "The Gospel of Afranius"
“There are no miracles or exceptions to the laws of Nature.” -Stephen Hawking
'Nature is the executor of God's laws': Galileo
Because someone does not have the wisdom to fathom the Bible's wisdom does not mean that it is not there, true? Falun Dafa answers all the mysteries of creation.
@@jeff_forsythe BS!
@@AFMMD-q8 Yes, BlessingS to you too.
@@SteveLomas-k6k According to Dava Sobel: 'Galileo missed the discovery of Neptune; could not accept the moon's impact on tides; and was convinced that comets were atmospheric disturbances instead of objects in the heavens."
🖖🏽 *This is why I love Penn Jillette.* 🖖🏽
As Aron Ra says - an atheist doesn't believe in a god or gods, and an agnostic doesn't KNOW - that they are an atheist ;-)
Gnosticism and theism aren't mutually exclusive. Gnosticism is about knowledge and the other is about belief. You use knowledge to inform your beliefs.
The fact that one doesn't believe in a god or gods is not proof there is no god.
@@firecloud77The burden of proof is with the believers.
@@marcdaniels9079 The believer is not burdened by the atheists unrealistic expectation of scientific proof. You know perfectly well that the existence of God cannot be scientifically proven.
@@firecloud77 And therein lies your psuedo-saving grace. All that means is that you have an excuse not to prove anything or rationalize. Everything is a "feeling" and feelings are subject to bias based on personal experience and interpretation. A Christian sees a terrible car accident that someone survives and they call it a literal miracle from God. If they don't, they simply "didn't "recieve God's blessing because convientantly it's just that it was God's plan for them to die".
I simply see one out of the hundreds that didn't get as lucky.
Religion really feels like some weird excuse for some people to stay living in the past and never think for themselves.
I see it as an eons-old racket to control the masses, maintain power, and build wealth.
Studying the transition of humans from the stone to the metal ages on the Balkan Peninsula and the rise of religion there as a way to consolidate and maintain wealth and power was quite eye opening.
Some things never change.
After reading the bible and Roman mythology in the 8th grade, I started down the road of learning.
Thanks for this fantastic video.
I respect Penn for having the courage to actually say he believes there is no such thing instead of hiding being "nonbelief."
Do you also believe God doesn't exist?
@PapaBear-k4k
I tentatively assent to the proposition that a higher power of some kind exists, though I don't assert to know it or anything about its specific attributes. Perhaps, I am mistaken. I simply reject the notion of "nonbelief" as distinct from disbelief as intrinsically incoherent.
@@JustifiedNonetheless I think a creator is necessary, the only explanation for our existence. But that doesn't prove the Biblical God, of course. Have you read the Bible?
@@PapaBear-k4k
Open your mind, there are 100’s if not 1000’s of potential explanations for our existence and a god is somewhat low on the likelihood scale!
@@Captain101-x1o Hundreds or even thousands?! Wow! Which one do you feel is most likely?
Being asked to leave a youth group is a powerful illustration of why that system is broken.
I relate to Penn Jillette so much on this. Like him, I was raised as a Christian - going to Sunday school every week and sometimes church. I learned all of the stories as they were told to me by the pastors and volunteers, who were, of course, giving me the same interpretations of the Bible that they had been taught. The lessons I learned from that experience were, by and large, positive. But I believe those lessons were positive not because of the actual words in the Bible, but rather in spite of them. When I was 12 or 13, I started reading the Bible on my own. No interpretations, no biased views for how I should understand things - just reading the actual words. That was the beginning of the end of my "faith". When I look back at that time, I'm actually grateful that I had those experiences. I'm glad that I was able to see religion from the inside and also learning about it as an outsider on my own. I'm grateful that I'm able to have an intelligent debate with people about religion and actually have a solid basis and background for what I'm talking about. I didn't "choose" atheism on a whim - I came by it honestly.
And an atheist is just a quitter. He seeks God for a few years maybe, then draws the brilliant con clusion that He does not exist. Great excuse to quit. It so happens in life that you get back exactly what you give out, quit and receive nothing...........FalunDafa
Hoping to see many theists in the comments. They are the ones who need these wake-up calls the most!
They are too far in by now
@@mattorr2256 Yeah, I sent my Father some videos much like this one and it didn't get him out but I hope it planted some seeds of doubt.
I'm a theist or believer whichever one you want to use against me.
How can consciousness exist in a constrained system without the system itself being able to process the necessary functions to contain and sustain it?
You are just fullfilling Scripture, 2 Peter 3:3 knowing this first: that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts. This was almost not there 2 or 300 years ago. We live in the end times, with the probability of a third WW. with total destruction with atomic bombs.
As a former Christian, yeah i agree with the title. There is so mucb garbage i went through in church as a musician as well and kept going because i liked playing music with a band that was at my level and then that negative crap came over to my wife and children and that is where i drew the line and said Nope! Im out. I have been happy with my family living in peace for the most part not giving my money away like crazy and my kids being held back from enjoying their childhood. Its been sinc 2008 that i gave up on religion and based on what is happening now, im so glad im not involved with those Cult Lunatics. I was only there since my mother raised me in a Christian pentecostal environment. But not anymore.
Did they warn you about the evils of secular music? I was told I was going to hell for singing about my girlfriend
Hebrews 11:6 KJV
[6] But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
I class myself as an anti-theist in that I not only do not believe that any gods exist, I think that believing in a god is detrimental to the mental wellbeing of humans.
When religious people claim that they have a ''moral compass,'' that I don't possess, I find that very insulting.
I don't NEED 10 commandments from an invisible magic man in the sky, WRITTEN DOWN, to tell me NOT to steal, NOT to murder etc. These things are within me as a human being, which poses the question, does that mean that religious people are devoid of any humanity?
Look at the actions of religious people. Are their actions always moral and humane?
Research religiosity in prisons. The percentages tell a very true story about the morality of the killers, rapists, abusers, shooters-- very religious.
Now research atheism in prisons. Barely enough to qualify.
I'm not saying you're wrong but I always thought anti-theist meant someone who believes there is no god.
religious people are the sneakiest and less compassionate of them all,only use their religion when it pleases them,when they gain something from them or if it saves them from facing the consequences of their horrible actions.
@@DemstarAus Atheist - a belief there is no god. Anti-theist - a belief that religion is actively harmful and think it should be opposed.
Youre exactly right. These are within us as humans...we know these things to be true. Question is how? Any christian that says you dont possess a moral compass is an ahole. We all do. Not all of us listen to it all the time but its there. How do I know its correct? and/or true?..(without rules or commandments, from god). What happens when you think stealing is wrong but someone else thinks its "ok" in a certain scenario..who is correct?..and who decides?
I don't believe in god. I also don't believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, Leprechauns, Unicorns, Big Foot or the Loch Ness Monster. All for the same reason.
Look out, we found the edgy 8th grader in the chat. 😂
But what if a dinosaur had fell in a lake?
In my opinion...
I've been closer to Bigfoot than I am to my computer screen right now, and I can tell you exactly where to go to meet him.
Bring lots of Apples, lots and lots of Apples.
@@miner79r Me too, he lives near Micanopy, Florida, in the woods out by the moonshine stills. We saw him but it was scary.
Do you believe in me?
God bless Zappa for his anti censorship work!
@@DavidPerry-do6xt Zappa is probably the best guitar player ever, I really didn't care for his humorous lyrics and his vocals, but when he gets serious, there's not to many musicians that can match his solos, except for maybe Beck and McLaughlin.
I saw a cartoon with two guys walking down the street. One had jeans, a sweatshirt and a beard(just like me). The other was younger, wearing a suit and carrying a bible. The younger guy said "Read this book it will change your life". The bearded guy replied "I did, it made me an atheist".
That is exactly what happened to me.
Of course we read the bible n immediately became an atheist. It clearly demonstrates that believers either did not read it themselves or depending on what the pastors told them (cherrypicking n using mental and linguistic gymnastics to bend the obvious blatant meaning into something to their benefit ).
For those who actually read the bible from cover to cover but still assert their fairh , still cover up their own conscience in saying that bible is moral, objectively moral, true , the way, etc, they are deceiving themselves n the whole world
@@tongleekwan1324
When you say cherry picking
Are you talking about marchino cherries or what.
People don't need the bible to deceive themselves and the world as YOU claim, there are many, many people out there who are delusional, and who haven't read the bible.
People who decide that they were deceived by their religion, and then believe that they have become more intelligent and aware after leaving it make me laugh, because they'll actually end up being deceived by other things lol.
Because someone does not have the wisdom to fathom thee Bible's wisdom does not mean that it is not there, true? Falun Dafa answers all the mysteries of creation.
Well, no. I didn't IMMEDIATE become an atheist after reading the Bible. I DID immediately stop being a fundamentalist, but it actually took about 10 years before I stopped thinking of myself as a Christian, and even then I wasn't an atheist - I was a pantheist.
I really, really wanted to keep believing. I hung on long, long after I should have let it go.
Rest assured, after reading it, I didn't think the morality of the Bible was good, and I didn't think the Bible was the literal word of God, but it took a while to shake the faith off - I basically hung on until a friend of mine joined the Assemblies of God and I saw her change from a kind, non-judgemental person into a paranoid hate-monger - that was when I finally realised that Christianity is very much not good
@@IanM-id8or You are confusing true Christianity, goodness, compassion, and tolerance with organized religions. I am not a Christian but I see nothing wrong with those tenets. Just read Zhuan Falun online and get some real answers, if you are not already convinced that there are none.
Much respect to Penn. I was raised in religion and have also read the bible many times cover to cover.
It took me decades to research my way free of religion.
*Quoting Aron Ra:*
_"Atheism means ‘without theism’ - ‘theism’ being a belief system which proposes a deity, so atheism is the lack of belief in a deity; a deity being defined as a magical anthropomorphic immortal._
_A belief is a conviction - a lack of belief is a lack of conviction, so anyone who is not convinced that an actual deity really exists is an atheist._
_I know a lot of people are confused about this, and want to call themselves agnostic instead, but agnosticism refers to knowledge, where atheism refers to belief. So, an agnostic is someone who does not know that they are really an atheist."_
Absolutely fantastic. I'm 40 and have been fighting theocracy for 25 years. I was 15 when I took up the challenge.
I'm still reading now. I have more books out every year and , of course, a library in my city.
Penn Jillete is a hero for the anti theists. And, quite rightly so. He has a bit of hitch in him.
I was the opposite, I was brought up atheist and only became skeptical of it later in life. I'm glad to be free of it now.
Proof of God : In Quran Ayats rarely ends with letter "H" but in Surah al Shams (Sun), all the ayats (verses) ends with letter "H". And Sun is made of Hydrogen(H) and Helium(He).
What country do you live in with a theocracy to fight against? Just curious.
@@herneyse11 Sorry, but that's more proof that you make random associations between words - clang associations (look it up) - than any proof about God (or not God). But, obviously, believe what makes you feel OK. Unless you're just joking, of course...hard to tell. Have a good one.
Seek and ye shall find means exactly that, quit seeking and find nothing. Because someone does not have the wisdom to fathom the Bible's wisdom does not mean that it is not there, true? Falun Dafa answers all the mysteries of creation.
@9:45 This is one of the few ideas I'm grateful for from my religious upbringing (despite it not being how most of them live)... "Integrity is what you do when no one's watching." Of course my question was, "but if God is always watching, how can you truly have integrity?" But still, that saying has helped me make the right decision in many difficult situations throughout my life.
I rejected Christianity because I owned a copy of the "Good News" Bible, and I made a decision to read it, alone in my dorm room at college. It was ultimately this, and the cockamamie bologna I encountered by simply picking up the book and reading it, honestly, that destroyed whatever remnants of my faith that remained in my life. My son is now an avid atheist, to the point where I have to curtail it a bit because he will flip crosses upside down at Wal-Mart! I'm like, "We're here for milk, so.. chill on the inverted crosses for now!"
But yes, no religion in my household, and it's mostly thanks to that good ol' Methodist Bible I got as a child.
Fantastic post! Glad you read "The Bad News" with an open mind and could see through the gaslighting.
Ever heard of the band "Bad Religion"? They have some t-shirts that your son would love! 😎
We atheists don't WANT there to not be a god. We just don't want to delude ourselves into thinking there is.
Why wouldn't I want there to be an eternal afterlife where I know my loved ones are safe and happy? That sounds GREAT!
It's just sadly not true.
And an atheist is just a quitter. He seeks God for a few years maybe then draws the brilliant con clusion that He does not exist. Great excuse to quit. It so happens in life that you get back exactly what you give out, quit and receive nothing...........FalunDafa
I didn't know it at the time, but I became an atheist when I was six and my parents were asked to stop sending me to Sunday school, because I asked to many awkward questions. I was either to shut up and be indoctrinated, without being allowed to ask question or not be allowed to go. My parents gave me the choice, I picked right, and am a much happier person than many of the people who stayed in that Sunday school class.
How can any right thinking person disagree with what Penn says here. Think for yourselves, simple.
I used to share his beliefs almost to the letter when I was younger, that's what I was brought up believing, I became increasingly skeptical of it later in life.
@@SteveLomas-k6k You are skeptical about thinking for yourself?
@@SteveLomas-k6k So which argument convinced you that the condoning of slavery and all the other terrible stuff in the bible actually is acceptable?
Right thinking? Yes, think for yourselves, which also means that it is you who decides whether to believe in a higher power or not, and there are many who choose to do so and are richer for it, is there a problem with that?
I don't need an insignificant nobody telling me what to think, and I couldn't care less of their thoughts, but why do they need to announce it online as if they made some grand discovery or something lol.
@@DEE-qu5mc _"I don't need an insignificant nobody telling me what to think, and I couldn't care less of their thoughts"_
And we don't need another insignificant nobody blathering about how the belief in an invisible man in the sky made him somehow 'richer' (whatever he wants to say with this meaningless babble).
If you don't get and don't like what public forums are for then just stop reading them and commenting on them. It is as easy as that.
I refuse to believe that we have a loving caring god that can do everything that looks over us while at the same time allows kids to be born with all sorts of handicaps and diseases
Agreed. That is why i left Christianity. I have twins and both were born with Autism and they are now 19 years old and my son developed additional disabilities like Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Scoliosis, Epilepsy etc. When i cried out asking why did this happened to my son who has done nothing and has never been able to even enjoy his childhood, i was told by many religious people and leaders that its because we are apparently all born as sinners and i was like what? I was also told that Autism in my children was demons controlling them and that i had to have them deliberated. I drew a line there and realized how crazy these people really are and complaint to my mother who obligated me to go to church as a child. This religion thing is a cult and a weird one at that. I left Christianity in 2008 and now my kids get ABA services as well as self help assistance for the so called demons that are possessing my children since birth. What a load of crap that was. Never again will i step into a church.
Not to mention, but also being sexually assaulted by the very men of "god".
@@vegastjg there can still be a god with all those things, just not being described the way it is in the bible.
There could totally be an all powerful god that isn't that great of a guy.
The belief in reincarnation, accepted by billions, justifies why some are born rich and healthy and other sick and poor. It all depends on how they lived their past lives. If you cannot handle that simple fact, then keep believing that God is bad, Satan is bad, God is just. Unless you think that a child molester in a previous life does not deserve to be punished in this one...................Falun Dafa.........God makes perfect sense always.
@@skindred1888 That is totally true. And this is totally missed by most religious people. Sure, their God might be real, but their notion of him might have some flaws. Maybe he is not almighty! Maybe he is not good! Maybe he do not have all those strange demands on your food and clothing!
Penn, I agree and I'm proud to say I'm an atheist.
The Christian Religion made no sense to me as a child, so I decided to start my own religion. I had my "church" in the backyard (I called it The Fort) and made up chants and songs. I hung up chicken bones and shiny metal things like aluminum pie pans. My mom never said anything negative about it. It was great. I grew bored with it after a few months and stopped observing the Fort Religion. I've been an atheist since childhood.
I’ve been saying for years to anyone who will listen that only being a good person to get rewarded with heaven isn’t being a good person. It’s the opposite. It’s being greedy. It’s a transaction. All religions are cults, no matter how you slice it.
I'm a proud atheist. I just discovered this channel and subscribed to it 👍🏻
You are welcomed into a church for what you believe and are turned away because of what you know
Many churches, then and now, are full of malarky, why let those frauds stop you from seeking, aren't you stronger than that?..............Falun Dafa
Well said.
Hoping that someday social proof will yield more non-believers than believers. That's why it's important to speak up. If people start to realize people they know and like are non-believers they can eventually come around to the same conclusion. Let's hope!
And you believe it.
Never gonna happen because "social proof" shows degradation and moral decay, destruction of families and murder rates sky rocketing since religion lost its grip on society LOL
Why do you hope that? Do you actually think the world would be any better? And what if "the Faithful" (as we might call them) DON'T come to your conclusion? You gonna persecute them or something? The Truth is this: the belief/assumption (whatever you want to call it) of modern scientific materialism is as metaphysically unprovable as any religion, so in that regard shares the characteristic of the theistic belief, so is in a sense, a religious view. Being agnostic might be a better option than believing/not-believing ANYTHING.
We are not here to have God prove anything to us, we are here to show God who we are. Because someone does not have the wisdom to fathom the Bible's wisdom does not mean that it is not there, true? Falun Dafa answers all the mysteries of creation.
@@jeff_forsythe Copying and pasting your comment multiple times in response to other commentators just makes you look like a complete chop, Jeff. It doesn't make your comment true in any way. Falun Dafa or Falun Gong is just a whack-job cult.
That is probably the best explanation of the Atheist/Agnostic positions that I've heard. Theists seem to use it as a "Gotcha" but it really isn't.
Penn is so eloquent and entertaining.
Invisible man in the sky that grants wishes. Yeah. That checks out.
No faith, no chance of ever finding God. Because someone does not have the wisdom to fathom the Bible's wisdom does not mean that it is not there, true? Falun Dafa answers all the mysteries of creation.
Correct. And when wishes aren't granted, Christians simply say "we shouldn't question god" or "it was god's will".
@@wfemp_4730 We are here to be tested and to suffer for our sins committed in past lives, that is why life it is so difficult to understand, we have to pay our debts. Falun Dafa explains everything.
@@jeff_forsythe No god to find, and no mysteries of creation because our world and our universe wasn't created.
I refer to the invisible dude as Santa Claus for adults.
Religion easily has the greatest bullshit story ever told. George Carlin
i agree 100000%
well politics would give them a good run
He also said something about the devil and how people on earth are doing the devil’s work such as committing murders and rape. So why would he punish you for doing what he wants you to do? He should praise and celebrate you instead.
And they always need money
He just can’t handle a buck
Keep up the good work, Penn.
Reading the Bible may or may not make you an atheist. I know people who have read it cover to cover for years and are still ardent believers. I read it cover to cover for years and was a Christian.
The difference was when I read it from a critical point of view. Then I became an atheist. And that didn't happen overnight. It took several years. When you've been brainwashed since a baby I guess it takes longer (or at least those who have nil critical thinking faculties).
Same here.
@@glenngibson9201 I get that! Luckily, I read it before indoctrination managed to get hold of me.
I still read my Bible.
I love it.
Why become an Atheist, simply because you become aware that the "God of the Bible" is not God?
@@Pootycat8359
They say they become
an atheist, because they read something in the Bible they don't like and they give up.
They don't even know God or who God is.
Atheism is not a religion, it is a personal relationship with reality!
And can also be a social outlet to provide some of what religion does, but without the expectation to believe in a specific thing.
@@YogiTheBearMan Doesn't cost 10% either.
His journey is almost identical to mine. I read the Bible as a 13 year old, and then I knew I was an atheist. I told my mom that if she made me go to church I would say things there that would embarrass her in front of the whole town.
Self delusion can lead to orange leaders...I subscribe to the idea that religion should be treated like sex; practiced out of the public domain among consenting adults only and do not include children under any circumstances...
We are not here to have God prove anything to us, we are here to show God who we are. Because someone does not have the wisdom to fathom the Bible's wisdom does not mean that it is not there, true? Falun Dafa answers all the mysteries of creation.
@@jeff_forsythe Want to base your life on a book of myths with no evidence of factual basis...? Have at it but don't base our society on it because reason has proven much more useful than imaginary deities...
@@timwhite7127 You and all atheists are missing the true point of Christianity. If God showed Himself to us then there would be no need for faith and faith is the reason why we are here. To test our hearts and to show God who We are, not the other way around. Falun Dafa explains everything. good luck.
@@jeff_forsythe Faith is the opiate that keeps the suckers coming back when the magic doesn't work.
@@timwhite7127 No faith, no magic.
When I hear the word "God", it gets translated in my brain to the word "Idol". Because that's all it is. It's not an idol made of bronze or stone - it's an idea idol. Oh and it's an idea idol that says "don't worship idols! So you know I'm not an idol because otherwise I wouldn't tell you that! Just worship me - I'm not an idol!" Isn't that a clever thing? An idea idol that tells people not to worship idols, only worship it.
Anytime you find an idea of worshipping, you know you're dealing with an idol. That's the dead giveaway.
As well as having created "other gods". Read Genesis. It's all about "Other gods".
@@Sue-xv8os all gods are idols. The phrase "other gods" is trying to hide that fact. "Those other gods are idols, but I'm not" is the implication.
"There you will have to worship gods made of wood and stone, and these are nothing but idols that can't see or hear or eat or smell."
An idol by definition cannot speak or tell you to worship it.
@@danielswan2358 if I make an idol of thought, that is just as bad. Only idiots believe in idols made of stone/wood. Those days have long passed.
I never knew this guy was so smart, a new appreciation for him.
"Faith" is defined as "belief without evidence".
"Moron" is defined as "person of faith".
Do you have faith God doesn't exist? Or do you have evidence God doesn't exist?
You lied about the definition of faith. Typical atheist liar.
@@PapaBear-k4k
You misunderstand atheism.
Try watching the video and listening.
Atheism is a lack of belief.
Atheists don’t have faith in either position, they only believe what is supported by good evidence.
@@PapaBear-k4kdo you have evidence that there isn't an invisible Ford Focus circling Saturn right now?
So witty!! I'm going to stop listening to JESUS b/c of your mind blowing erudition. cheers
I am agnostic and that term is not a cop out. Anyone who deals in absolutes, especially when there is no knowledge or information either way is being closed minded. It is like saying the speed of light is the absolute speed limit, you cannot go faster. Well, according to what we currently know that appears correct but possibly in a few years or centuries we will learn that is not the case or that there are ways around that "limit." It is the same with the concept of God. I believe a better answer would be, "no, I do not believe in god or a god(s) insofar as what has been interpreted by humanity up to today." That makes sense as only a moron would believe in this thing put forth by the religions who believe in a god or gods. I think if there is a god it is so beyond our comprehension and understanding that we simply currently do not have the capability of conceptualizing or understanding such a thing or being. I have no idea if there is a god, an afterlife, or anything else after we die. Maybe that's it, one and done, sweet oblivion. Maybe we come back in some form, another human, animal, or whatever. Maybe when we die, we are born again back into this exact same life, stuck to live, die, live the same life until we get it right. Who knows? No one, that's who.
But there are absolutes. Search for them. They are there.
@@Sue-xv8os Great, can you give me just one example?
@@tedwojtasik8781Agnostics still do not believe in any God or Gods which is the same as being Atheist. If you believe in God you do not say things like, i don't know if God exists and you dont say you dont believe in God. Youre an atheist.
@@brightonm218 Not believing in something is not the same as disbelieving in something. Blew your mind
@@senob44 It doesn't really matter since either way means a lack of belief in something.🤷
I was sick for about 18 years with epilepsy. I prayed and read the Bible daily, and I was healed.
I was sitting in church as a teen and realized I was going to “hell”. My mother was definitely going to heaven. In heaven she expected 100% peace and happiness, yet she would know I was in hell, suffering. How could she be happy and not be a monster? That was the day it all fell apart for me. It never really made any sense, and I distrusted these super confident men and women telling me what God thinks. How did they know? Why didn’t God share this with my mom? It is damn awful to walk away when that is all you knew, but worth it.
Yeah, it is hard to walk away from.
Most of the time we reincarnate here. We are not here to have God prove anything to us, we are here to show God who we are. Because someone does not have the wisdom to fathom the Bible's wisdom does not mean that it is not there, true? Falun Dafa answers all the mysteries of creation.
@@jeff_forsythe Exactly the not helpful type of woo that repelled me. I am glad it helps you answer your questions.
@@jimpartridge9634 Everyone has a divine soul and it is very sad that you have lost touch with yours.
@@jeff_forsythePlease present your evidence for a soul. I won't even ask for proof of a divine soul, a regular one will do.
I give him credit, i couldn't get through genesis
Wonderful conversation!
Respect to Penn for being very kind to his former pastor and not disrespecting him for still believing.
One should disrespect no-one for a belief. Only for an action.
Of all the answers to the question, "Do you believe in God?", the very best answer I have ever heard is from Carl Sagan, who was often asked that question.
"I don't dispute the possibility that God exists. I just haven't seen any scientific evidence so far to support that theory." (Carl Sagan)
You can eliminate the word believe from your vocabulary if you only go by the scientific method. And that’s ok. Just don’t use the word because you can’t have it both ways. Belief is reserved for those who can somehow be confident in something without evidence.
"What's it like after you die? Exactly the same as it was before you were born."
One mistake Penn should have fixed in edit was that Lott's daughter wasn't beaten and raped, the messengers of the Lord saved the daughters by blinding the bad guys. But that said, Penn's point is well taken and Lott offering his virgin daughter rs to these thugs is, to us, horrible. Then Penn goes on to describe many of the things that I hate about Christianity. The point about morality is amazingly true. When a Christian asks "where do you get your morality from?" I am now going to use this example as commentary saying, "fear of hell or promise of heaven don't instill morality because morality comes from wanting to do good not because of reward or punishment"
In the Gospel of Mary (purged by the orthodox church as heresy) Jesus is asked what the nature of sin is. He says There is no sin, only the mistaken view of your own nature. I don't believe in God but when you read widely of these texts, and those of Buddhism, Vedanta, it gives you a richer perspective of these things than merely what has been taught to us. Krishna basically says the same as Penn in this regard (in the Bhagavad-Gita) act without desire for reward or results is liberating: do one's duty. Let the zealots of all viewpoints fight amongst themselves.
We are not here to have God prove anything to us, we are here to show God who we are. Because someone does not have the wisdom to fathom the Bible's wisdom does not mean that it is not there, true? Falun Dafa answers all the mysteries of creation.
The Lott's daughters story gets even weirder, and I cannot believe it hadn't been brought up!
After Lott's wife turns to salt, he and his daughters eventually end up in a cave.
They believe they are the last humans alive. So they get their father drunk and then one of the daughters sleeps with him. The second night they get him drunk again and the other daughter sleeps with him.
I have many questions...
@@apexnext That gospel was given for people of that day whose minds were not as sophisticated as our minds are today. Heaven has given us a new Gospel which is explained by the wonderful practice of Falun Dafa. Take a look, no charge.
@@jeff_forsythe No charge for a pile of shit, either. Every religion always says it has all the answers, that's absolutely nothing new, and they all obviously come from someone's imagination, and their founders end up with a huge amount of their followers' money sooner or later. Li Hongzi, founder of "Falun Dafa", can't live in his native country anymore because the Chinese government knows he was trying to con people and were arresting members of his scam. He moved to the United States because he knows that people like L. Ron Hubbard and Joseph Smith were able to successfully create similar huge scams in the U.S., and "there's a sucker born every minute." Science, in contrast, doesn't claim we know everything. It says we still have a lot to learn and it's pointless to lie to oneself. We learn slowly but honestly with the power of logic and the scientific method.
You don’t need to explain why you don’t believe in gods any more than you need to explain why you don’t believe in Santa Claus.
I struggle to understand why you believe Santa Claus knows how to digitally encode amino acid sequences in base 64.
Why does Dawkins not see that no random process creates digit as l information?
@@glenliesegang233 DNA is a naturally occurring molecule. Human beings attach the idea of “information” to it. Your point is called an Argument From Ignorance: you can’t understand how something can work, therefore god did it.
But you do need to explain why you're constructing a false equivalence and trying to pass it off as a valid argument.
False equivalence: You are essentially saying that the degree to which we know there is no Santa is equivalent to the degree to which we know there is no God.
Furthermore, "There is no Santa, therefore there is no God" is a non sequitur.
@@firecloud77 The degrees are exactly equivalent as there is zero material evidence for the existence of either.
@@gweilospur5877 If everything is random chance, then why do all the healthy foods taste bad and all the unhealthy ones taste good? Seems deliberate.
Thanks for the video, Penn. 💙
It's good to hear sanity. In the UK, over 49% of us are irreligious. Of course, some of that 49% will be spiritual, but whatever they believe in, it won't be an insecure, narcissistic, psychopath with delusions of grandeur. I read the bible as an adult some 30 years ago and was horrified. It should have one of those warning stickers on it that they used to put on rock albums and be restricted to over 18s.
I have lived most of my life in the UK, and most of the people I have known have been atheists ( although that is recently changing). I first read the Bible as an adult 45 years ago, and it confirmed the beliefs I had independently arrived at. I have read it many time since and remain a committed member of the Christian minority. As for sanity, St.Paul was accused of being insane, so I am happy to join him in the asylum.
It was the hymns that did it for me. We used to have school assembly with a reading, prayers and a hymn. The hymn seemed always to be about blood. They made me feel actually nauseous.
Proof of God : In Quran Ayats rarely ends with letter "H" but in Surah al Shams (Sun), all the ayats (verses) ends with letter "H". And Sun is made of Hydrogen(H) and Helium(He).
Because someone does not have the wisdom to fathom the Bible's wisdom does not mean that it is not there, true? Falun Dafa answers all the mysteries of creation.
The important point for me is not over the existence of god or belief in god, but the relevance of religion in the world which has been diminishing at a very fast rate in the modern world. Religion exists in the environment of mass ignorance where knowledge is held and controlled by small groups of MEN.
I began as an agnostic before I read the bible and was converted. I now lean towards the existence of God. I now refer to myself as misotheistic or I hate God. I've come to the conclusion that if God exists, he is a malevolent sadistic bastard who enjoys torturing his creation. God only works in mysterious ways if you are not properly applying Occam's Razor. If you accept the evil nature of the supreme deity then it all makes sense.
There was a sect of Christians in the middle ages, what they came to believe is the Old Testament God was the evil god who became the "devil" and the New Testament God was the good god who we should worship for actual salvation.
It really does fit in so many ways, I can see why they believed in that.
Until the catholic church did what it does best and eradicated the sect.
Your interpretation reminded me of that, hehe.
@@apexnext You are referring to the Cathari sect. I am familiar with them.
@@childlessdoggentleman746 see I'm trying to teach and end up learning myself. 😆
I couldn't remember their name and will investigate further. Thanks for the info and sharing!
@@apexnext They were called "Gnostics".
Makes vastly more sense than the garbage "real" religions are selling.
I just prefer to believe in "shit happens"
So much respect for Penn....
Religion is all about power, control and money.
The Sacrifice of Abraham is a horrible story. In some mythological traditions the final test is whether you're willing disobey the deity rather than violate a moral principle. In the Bible there is no principle other than what God says is right.
At least in the Abraham and Isaac story the "God" character intervenes at the last minute, but the very idea of killing your own child to prove you are faithful to your imaginary friend is repulsive. The story of Jephthah and his daughter is even more disgusting since the "God " character does not intervene before Jephthah burns his daughter to death. And remember, Christianity is based entirely on child sacrifice, as "God" murders his own child to "save" humanity from the absurd curse that he himself placed upon them.
@@williamgreenfield9991 plus a dash of vampirism and cannibalism at the last supper, and the whole zombie narrative of the resurrection
@@rwk1music Yes, I can't understand why more Christians aren't repulsed by the whole "Eat my flesh and drink my blood" aspect of their religion. Oh well, it must be a cult.
I’ve met Penn and Teller at the end of a show years ago. Super nice guys.
Everyone is born an a-theist. Then, depending on your cultural background, you are told that there is a God/god/gods.
That is not an evidence of any of them. They are only claims, without any proof.
I wasn't born an atheist.
@@LuciferAlmighty So you were born theist?
There are thousands of gods, which did you believe in?
@@ollivainikainen9388 i wasn't born an atheist or a theist. I had no ability to comprehend the proposition.
@@LuciferAlmighty So you were born an atheist, afilatestic, afeminist, aschouvionist, analcholisist etc.
It was reading the Bible cover to cover at age nine. That's all it took. Nine year olds are generally too straight forward to have the mental gymnastics to say "wow, that makes sense to me!" just because someone else believes it.
Seems like your a smart guy
@@mattorr2256 I probably would be were I a guy! 😄
I remember reading my little Bible kids get.
At age 10 , I was impressed.
I am much older now and I have a bigger Bible and I love it.
I thank God every day for his word.
@@RandomStuff-i4i do you thank him for 1 Samuel 15:3?
We are not here to have God prove anything to us, we are here to show God who we are. Because someone does not have the wisdom to fathom the Bible's wisdom does not mean that it is not there, true? Falun Dafa answers all the mysteries of creation.
The first 30 seconds of the video is spot on. I can't recall how many times I've read comments or heard someone say "I'm agnostic" when asked if they believe in god, as if that was a logical or acceptable answer.
I considered myself agnostic on my way to being atheist. I was the same person, just with a new label.
It's a process. A slow but sure letting go.
Any God who would ask you to be willing to murder your own child to prove your faith, is morally beneath you, undeserving of anything but rejection.
My key to understanding the fallacy of God at the age of 9 was a conversation I had with my priest about Genesis.
I pointed out that the Bible says God made man in his own image, and forbade him of eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Doesn’t that essentially say that God is Amoral, and created man to be Amoral, just like himself?
But man Chose to know the difference between good and evil, and that makes man morally superior to an Amoral God.
God did not give us morality. We Chose it, against his will.
The priest had no answer to this. I looked at him and I said, “ you don’t even know the answer, do you?” In that moment I knew religion was no different than Santa, leprechauns, or the Easter bunny, except that people took religious yarns way too seriously.
You can find moral instruction in Star Wars, or Star Trek stories. But no SW fan would kill a ST fan over the fact that they like the ‘wrong’ franchise.
But they Would, if they they did not understand the stories were fiction.
Millions of people have had out of body experiences and know that death is not the end. We reincarnate. In the past, people understood certain things that certain churches have removed from their teachings to keep us in the dark. Reincarnation explains why some of us receive more blessings than others, all based on what seeds we sowed in previous lifetimes. The Bible was written for the people of long ago and our minds now are sophisticated enough for a new Gospel..........Falun Dafa is that Gospel.
@@jeff_forsythe Many people have had all kinds of delusions and halicunations. People hear voices that aren’t real. People have vivid ‘memories’ of things they were not even present for, because they have been told stories. ALL near death experiences can be replicated at will in a centrifuge and/or hypobaric chamber, and have been proven to be related to the brain running out of oxygen. But no one has actually come back from zero brain activity to report any such experineces. That people hallucinate in a near death state that affects oxygenation or metabolism in the brain is to be expected. In much the same way that you can hallucinate in a sensory deprivation tank.
This is because your entire experience of reality is an illusion created within your brain. This is demonstrated by the fact that you can have very vivid dreams in which your brain creates its own reality, entire, unrelated to any external sensory experience at all. Reality, as far as we can tell, ONLY exists as an experience created within the functioning brain.
So, yes, as your brain and body are shutting down, it certainly can Invent experiences that are pure fantasy. But there is no reason to assume that those experiences are any more ‘real’ than your dreams.
It makes no sense to have ‘half’ an eternity. To have a beginning, and no end. And folks grasping at a pretended ‘forever’ may neglect to try and pay attention to the Actual life they really do have. The problem with religious belief is that it promises justice, after you die. It promises heaven, after you die.
This tends to make people Not even try to make the world they really live in more just, and more heavenly, here and now.
@@christopherpardell4418 We are all born with a Divine soul. We have lived many lives and all of us have accrued a certain amount of black karma on our soul. Those, like me, who were lucky enough to be born with not too much karma have still retained the ability to sense the Divinity of our soul and others have not. The religion Falun Dafa does not promise anything when you die, it is only concerned with life. You have the ability to discern right from wrong, do not lose it.
@@jeff_forsythe If it promises no afterlife, then you have no need of it. I do not deny the transcendent nature of consciousness, but there is no rational reason to place faith in the notions of your consciousness leaving your body. In that sense, just being an epicurean stoic, or Taoist, is more than spiritual enough to live a fulfilled and happy life.
@@christopherpardell4418 We are not here to lead a happy life. Go to any retirement home and look at so many staring out the window, waiting for some one to come and change their diaper. Falun Dafa can show us the Way to avoid losing our alertness and even how to return home to Heaven without dying.
theres no evidence for a god, and which god are we talking about anyway?
All are equal in time.
There is no evidence that there is no God. Childish statements. Because someone does not have the wisdom to fathom the Bible's wisdom does not mean that it is not there, true? Falun Dafa answers all the mysteries of creation.
There’s no evidence that there’s not a god.
@@thatoneguyRyan1There's no evidence that there aren't magic unicorns.
@@A15degreeperhourdrift exactly
This is so encouraging for me. I’m an atheist but I consider myself a very moral person. I don’t need a cookie for doing the right thing.
I sure wish Christians would learn that lesson. I am fed up with the notion that you can't be moral without God.
0:37 - A foolish question. Atheism is the default. One does not become an atheist.
Spot on. We aren’t born with predetermined beliefs or any other knowledge for that matter. In due time, we’re educated and indoctrinated depending on our circumstances. That said, it is therefore common to become a theist and later revert to becoming an atheist. I’m an apostate, therefore, I became an atheist.
Now the question is which position do I hold:
1. I do not believe in a god (or gods), or
2. I believe there isn’t a god (or gods).
I’m the first option; I have a lack of belief in a god. And as Dawkins said referring to his scale of religiosity, I’m a “6.9” (7 being a gnostic atheist).
Being agnostic is mutually exclusive from being an atheist. The former addresses your epistemological position, the latter addresses your general worldview.
@@lenloving I've seen first hand the ways in which belief can limit what we view as our options. A person who thinks they are X will behave as if they are X. As such, I try to always push back on expressions of BEING.
When somebody begins a sentence "I am" the only acceptable next word is human. Everything else is a thought, a preference, etc. The fact that you shifted is proof that we're not talking about a state of being. I only mention this because I don't know what is meant by "I am an apostate."
Before I continue, I wanted to share my bias. I think "belief" is only useful as a motivator to test the hypothesis. At which point, it becomes either factual or not. Belief is not something that serves a useful purpose as an ongoing state.
I mention this because the phrase you used "I believe there isn't a god" stood out to me. I had never heard that before and when I first read it, it landed as absurd to me. For reasons pertaining to my bias.
For every thing we could describe, it either exists or it does not exist. If it exists, there would be evidence of its existence. If there is no evidence, then it doesn't exist. Thus to "believe there is no (something that doesn't exist)" seems like a mismatched way of expressing an idea.
So I don't see it as an either you don't believe there's a god or I believe there isn't a god. The sum of human understanding hasn't produced any evidence of a deity. Thus there is no deity. If the day comes when we have proof there is a deity, then it would behoove us to update our understanding of what is real/true to reflect that. For me, belief never enters into it.
Which says nothing of the fact that most descriptions of a deity I've heard are extraordinary or self-detonating. i.e. God is all knowing and all powerful.