Note worth adding: While the modern sense of the word "secularism" resides with George Holyoake, secularism has been practised since the Ancient Greeks, was prevalent during the Islamic Golden Age, and became increasingly prominent with the Age of Enlightenment. Secularism is a movement towards states and societies who are not focused on religion and religious values, but rather believe in separation between church and state. The term "secular" comes from the Latin word saeculum which means “of a generation” or “temporary”. Secularism also includes the idea of equal rights and respect for all beliefs, regardless of their religious affiliation. It seeks to create a society that is open to everyone, regardless of their faith, race or culture.
I got a question for you. How was the first 7 minutes relevant to anything at bloody all, and how was it not just poisoning the well? I know it's a loaded question, but hey, you get what you give, lad. I watched you for years, but you're really starting to descend into dishonesty. First you stop citing your sources in your Casually Debunked channel, now you poison the well like the best of the apologists. I know it's emotionally appealing to do it, but I also know you are capable of better than that, case and point, every single video you did before this on this channel. What you improved in terms of philosophy and accuracy, you seem to start to loose on honesty.
@@GameTimeWhy Dimwit Denny's personality is not relevant to the content of his "Masters" Program. You know, since we're supposed to address the argument and not the lunatic presenting it?
I expected nothing less but I'm very happy you actually defined the word Secular. Also nothing is more infuriating than listening to someone talk about how secularism is a negative thing, thank god I live in a secular society. I understand it is not the point of your response video but it seems to me there is definitely an argument to be made that there is no such thing as too secular, Would love to hear your thoughts 00:12.
A wise philosopher once said, “It takes ten seconds to say something so unbelievably stupid that properly unpacking and debunking it will now waste three hours of my life”.
We have several thousand years of history showing us that what Dennis Propaganda is actually appealing to is Abject Ignorance, mixed with staggeringly bad "thinking skills".
That stuff about Dennis being a poor student continued! Back when I worked with and for him in the late '80s/early '90s, I used to borrow books from his extensive library. Over time, I noticed that there were never any highlights or notes beyond the second or third chapter. He also used to talk on the air about particular books as if he'd read them - recommending them and everything, when all he'd done was read a review of them in the New York Times Review of Books. I caught him when I bought one of the books he recommended, with which I was very unhappy. He confessed right there and then. Dennis is one of the laziest thinkers, researchers, and just... human beings (in general) I've ever met. This is topped only by his complete lack of interpersonal skills and cluelessness about how people live if they don't make $250,000 a year (back in late '80s dollars). One of his workers - a single mother who was working two jobs at the time to put her kid through a good private school, couldn't make it into work one day because her car broke down. He questioned her the next day, "Why don't you just get a new car?" She told him she couldn't afford it. To which Dennis replied, but you can just say you make more here than you do and get a loan. When she explained that she still wouldn't be able to make the payments, he couldn't process the point. Dennis is the epitome of someone who was born on third base and brags about hitting a triple (sorry for the American sports reference - I'm embarrassed myself). The man is a soulless shill!!! You are doing Mr. Deity's work, Stephen! Well done!!!
I would love to see you join Stephen in a chat once this series is done to recap and add some personal insight. Maybe as episode 14 of this 6 part series. 😘
This is weird... I begun to read this comment without checking who wrote it, and somehow the mental voice I had, the intonation and such, was Dalton's. Probably the writing style.
@@finestPlugins , Why Episode 14 of a 6 part series? Could it be in episode 3.5 in a 1 episode series? Edit: @misterdeity, I'm still waiting for episode 0.95### you promised a few months back...
what you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone reading your post is now dumber for having listened to it. An emotional rant, get a life.
A couple of my good friends recently sent me links to Prager U videos, asking me to watch them and be "open minded". I watched them and then systematically dismantled them, pointing out all the factual & logical errors, fallacies and lies that Dennis spewed, to which, they never replied... I get sad when people I care about fall prey to such charlatans, and lack the tools to identify and debunk such nonsense. Great job once again, and thank you for your hard work, I'll be sharing this video with my friends in hope that they can see reason.
Ah. yeah. I have done this too. There is a delicacy to wooing an un-convivial mind. But it is agonizing. Counter to this, you can tell me point blank I am wrong. If I am wrong, I have learned something and made progress. I'm no saint, but at least I engage. I'm sorry your friends won't. We will still have a tinny at the barby and a proper laugh together I hope!😀
Odds are they just want to validate what they want to believe. Whether its "Christianity is the best," or whatever, it's way easier to validate this with a "smart man saying smart things" than to challenge said beliefs and the ""facts"" used to support said beliefs.
One can be open minded but not to the extent that one's brain falls out one's skull. Being open minded to claims about supernatural matters is starting off at the point of stupidity 🙄
@Duncan Bryson So you are born into this world with the knowledge that an unnameable thing doesn't exist, even before you understand the concepts of language or metaphysics? Ironically, believing that children are close to God is something that Judaism teaches.
Poor Dennis! As a retired high school teacher, I must say that with his lack of valid evidence to support his claims, Dennis could never have passed my 9th grade English class; however, the 11th grade IB Lit and TOK students could have a blast identifying fallacies, loaded language, and other rhetorical weaknesses in his argument! I love to watch you dismantle an argument--in your cool, calm, and calculated way. If I were still teaching, I'd direct students of argument to this channel, to watch a master at work! Thank you for your Secular Service! Sending you BIG LOVE!
General Logic dismantles most of the rhetorical garbage. It's very unsettling that this slight of hand works on a very high number of people. Its amazing the number of people who mail their hard earned cash to someone on TV pretending to talk to their deity. It's the oldest trick in the book.
Have you heard the story of Destiny watching Dennis Prager belittle and shame children? He made at least one cry. They had both been asked to speak at the same middle school. Really unbelievable behavior for a grown man
Few things more satisfying to me, than to watch kids out-think prostlitizers, and methodically shred the claims with no-nonsense critical thinking, and steely eyed cross examination of religious claims.
At the risk of taking a joke seriously, I don't think this is true at all. Trump U is just a hustle, the only purpose of the thing is to transfer wealth towards Trump. They don't give a crap about the quality of their content, because once you've paid the money their work is done. While Prager U is dead serious about their belief that the world should be run by right white christian straight men and that everyone else should be subservient to them. The reason it exists is to spread that gospel, and they do work really hard with considerable success to make it convincing to their audience.
Dennis is a fine example of the Dunning Kruger effect. He is either so confident in his knowledge and intelligence that he is unable to comprehend just how much he does not know and understand. Or, he is so confident in his ability to lie and make up his own arguments that he does not realize that only people who have an education lower than 9th grade buy what he is selling.
Say whatever you wish about Dennis Prager, but you would be hard pressed to convince me that a secular world is better than a world with religious standards. Example, when I was going to primary school 50 years ago, school shootings, police patrolling the halls and stations where you passed through metal detectors were unheard of.
My grandfather on my mom's side dropped out of school because of the depression and he could definitely find and point out all of Dennis Prager falsehoods and illogical arguments.
@@daveSeeks01 See the difference between Dennis Prager and your grandfather is that your grandfather actually had to, yknow, experience life and grow up
Sadly, Dennis is the epitome of conservatism. There is probably not a right-winger on Earth who isn’t equally unjustifiably confident in their intelligence exactly in the way he is. It’s why they are winning: their influence seems only to ever wax while our influence seems only to ever wane.
I watched Prager with my Dad. We’ve discussed these things back and forth for a long time. He looked over at me yesterday and said, “I think he’s lying to me.” There is hope for people to wake up and leave the liars and cheats who’ve been grifting them for years.
That is indeed encouraging to hear (and a credit to your resilience and good relationship with your dad!) but it's still very painful to listen to Prager for anyone who values rational thought and a genuine search for truth and know that many people are taken in by him.
That's really cool to hear. I'm hoping to have more conversations with my younger brother like that. We're in a very religious household and it feels like my younger siblings are having their critical thinking slowly eroded away by this setting. Do you have any advise to help reason with them or explain my own views?
@Dylan Orr I personally think it's great to show how "other side" uses the same, bad arguments. If they use weak arguments to support Christianity - show them a Muslim apologist. If they're falling into right wing funnel - find a lefty creator who uses bad arguments Then give them an alternative. Show them how to reach the truth in a rational manner. Don't push one worldview - show them why you've chosen yours
@@angelikaskoroszyn8495 so for that first part can I have an example? Like if they say, "the biggest trick the devil pulled was making the world think he's not real." And flip it to "god convinced everyone he is real." Or something more in depth than that?
Really, Dennis? Let's see what Jefferson had to say: "It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are 20 gods or none. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg."
I fåcking miss Hitch. You really hit the nail on the head a while back with your sentiment about passionately missing a man you’ve never met. I feel you, brother, I feel you.
The world isn’t the same without Hitch. I just hope we have someone rise up who is on a similar level. Obviously we won’t get another Christopher Hitchens but we need more people like him. Especially right now.
I have noticed a phenomenon, working as I do as an attorney. The more a conman’s con begins to unravel, the more wild, the more strident, and the more forceful the lies become.
Truly. There lies were the only thing holding it together, so when it starts falling apart it’s like they have to spackle more lies to keep it together, but it never holds
while true, i rate this pun a 1/10 for low effort conman already is just a portmanteau of confidence man, so you just swapped the noun for the adjective
@@ArKritz84 indeed i am - thank you for recognizing that i also do company events and small pubs though childrens birthdays require some extra preptime for the roasting of the easter bunny
I've been waiting for a debunking of prager and his "university" for a loooong time. This video makes me as excited as little kid on his 1st day to school
@@zed739 True. But i was hoping for it to be done on this channel in particular. PragerU is a disease on this earth and videos like this one are the vaccine.
It is perfectly possible for a devout religious person to be secular when it comes to how to treat others well, and how to organize a well-functioning society. I'm from Denmark, where it is common that the clergy accepts and supports that they are not supposed to dictate values and standards for culture and society. And we have a country consistently ranking near the top of indexes for being good places to be, along with our nordic neighbor countries.
No, I don't know what that would be. Obviously, crime happens, including a moderate amount of organized crime, but not something that people in general need to take into consideration when aiming to have a good life. Gangs does not have much influence, and mainly fight each other.
Depends on the religion. There are a great many people who's religious beliefs require them to impose them on the world around them. A significant portion of those beliefs aren't candid about it either, with that aspect buried within the faith such that it is not immediately obvious that it is the case. Including to the person themselves not fully realizing the ramifications of how their beliefs, assumptions, and habits affect those around them. (This isn't unique to religion. Lots of ideas do this, we just happen to be discussing religion.) In those cases, they cannot be a devout religious person and secular, because being secular is against the faith. Which means they aren't devout in that faith. And most worryingly the farther people are along that path the harder it tends to be for them to understand what secular is. As a real life example, I've had a conversation with someone who argued that not being able to "deliver the gospel" to other people prevents them from practicing their religion. The necessary unsaid part being that preaching their religion to people is a necessary part of practicing their faith. The context of that conversation explicitly included being able to do it in areas where others would prefer not to have religion pushed on them. And that's not exactly an uncommon thing. The most common faiths tend to be most common precisely because they have tenets that make them spread and become common. So it is perfectly possible for a devout religious person !of a religion that does not explicitly OR implicitly bake in anti-secular practices! to be secular as you described. And it is also very common for it not to be possible due to the nature of the religious beliefs. Again stressing the implicit, subtle parts because that is what is most easily missed.
Sure, but then they are good DESPITE their religion, not because of it. They'd still be good people without religion. The world would be better off without religion, but if someone insists on having one, the least they can do is not to try to dictate other people how to live their lives because of what their 2000 years outdated book says other people can't do.
If the Nazis were a secular regime why did my granddad have "God with us!" embossed on his belt buckle when he was marched to death into Russia as a conscript?
This how the likes of WLC gets away with his 🐂💩. Academic bearing and he's got a doctorate 🙄. He comes across as learned and erudite but male bovine excrement, even when presented in an erudite manner, is still just 🐂💩
No, Dennis, you can NOT be "too secular", because the word is an infinitive. Secular means absent of, or not bound by, religion. If you remove all the water from a cup, the cup is empty; it can never be "too empty". If you remove religion from government, it is secular; it can't be too secular. If you remove religion from education, it is secular; it can never be too secular. It seems to me, Dennis, that you really would have benefited from completing your formal education.
playing devils advocate here but a cup can be "too empty" if your end goal is to drink water. the real thing to examine is what exactly is the water he is proposing is so important to fill the glass with
"Have your cake and make me eat it too" is a perfect description of what they are trying to do. Holy crap he is so dishonest yes he absolutely is arguing that you have to believe in his God because to accept his rules being given by his God you kind of have to believe in his. It is intellectually dishonest to come to any other conclusion.
I'm glad others are having real debate and deep conversation about religion. I unfortunately burned out after 30 years of doing that. Now I just avoid the religious. It's embarrassing to live in an age of information, knowledge, science and yet, still have to deal with these lunatics.
The modern conservative movement shares way too much in common with borderline and narcissistic personality disorder. I say this as someone who both loves and has been hurt by people with BPD. It’s just strange to see an entire political movement display mass gas lighting, wild emotional appeals devoid of fact, rampant projection, and an inability to read others intentions unless they are extreme. For someone who struggles with this in people, it’s hard to watch a country succumb to a severe, untreated mental illness.
@@88mphDrBrown - Oh, I think it matters to a certain extent. After all, surveys of atheists reliably find that the biggest cause of atheism is reading the bible.
For a Jew he _really_ adores The Bible. I do not know why he is so obsessive about the parts of the book he own faith views as heresy but he appears to find it more important that people read the heresy than the parts of the same book his own faith holds as sacred.
@@RictusHolloweye Do you have a citation for that? It sounds like a statistic you're completely pulling out of your ass. I've read a lot of polls and surveys and am completely unaware that most surveys conclusively agree on "the most reliable biggest cause of atheism". I've read studies positing multiple factors like age, disagreements with religious authority, dislike/ disagreements with their religious community, geographic area, etc.. Seems like a completely bullshit claim especially considering that not even a 1/3 of the world is Christian. Over half the Chinese population (over 700 million) polls as atheist/unaffiliated, I find it hard to believe that much of that atheism has anything to do with reading the bible.
Outstanding work as usual, dude. The dishonesty of PragerU must be called out. Thank you for doing so. (also come to American Atheists in Phoenix this April :) )
I, too, have made this point with a number of christians: for over 1000 years christianity was perfectly compatible with every possible form of dictatorship and totalitarianism.
@@ericsonofjohn9384 Western values can be traced to a numerous amount of philosophies and religions. Western values are not exclusively Christian. The whole idea that Western civilization was inspired by christianity is simply propaganda that was instilled into our previous generations when Christian Nationalism started to gain traction. That propaganda made its way into many tv and radio stations as well as newspapers. People came to the west in order to escape religious persecution. What ended up happening after people came here was no different. More religious persecution between the religions. That chain of events on top of many others causes the founding fathers of the US to include freedom FROM religion in our 1st amendment.
@@ericsonofjohn9384 first you need to explain why Christianity is a value. And no you are wrong because Christianity only makes up about 30% of the world's population.
I saw a video from Prager U that talked about how people are more likely to save a dog over another human being (idk if they actually use any real data to back this up btw), and I will say this: If it's between saving my cats or saving Dennis, I'm picking my cats all the time.
@@AdaptorDieChannel Specifying a particular human you wouldn't save is not the same as saying you wouldn't save humans generally. You could be willing to save 8 billion humans over an animal, but not 4 or 5 particular humans. In that case you can still say that generally you would save humans over animals. So it doesn't really prove his point.
I love the “unholy” trinity of cosmic skeptic, genetically modified, and rationality rules, but I have to say, RR is by far my favorite UA-cam channel to watch on these types of topics.
Denny "We become stupid when we stop listening to the book with talking animals!" *lip quivers as he's almost in tears* "How will people know right from wrong if not from a book that condones genocide, slavery, and forcing women to marry the men that graped them?"
I shall dispute him from the beginning. As i live in the buckle of the Bible belt, within a highly red conservative state. Due to the state government which all at the very least lip service to religion, they have devastated public education. We pulled, (my daughter and i), my grandchildren to home school them, when the oldest was in 5th grade. Why? Because the school system had not bothered to teach any of them to READ. You get this right? A highly Christian state and it's government that caters to them, keeps the children ignorant. I wonder why.
That’s cool. Many conservatives are leaving public schools because every class has become social studies of sexual orientation and how to hate white people 101.
@@JackgarPrime I find it highly dubious an actual accredited school wouldn’t teach reading, especially due to the government being conservative or religion being Christian. Most Christian’s I know place a high priority in grades and doing well in school. I mean how did they even test them? Shouldn’t they all just fail the standardized testing if they couldn’t read and not be able to continue to the next grade? Unless they didn’t have them, which is why I’m thinking it has more to do with the school, if op is truthful that reading wasn’t actually taught, then what the actual government enacted
You are a better man than I Stephen! 😂 Even with the incentive to make a video - I’m not sure I could sit though that “Program” lol fair play to you. And thanks for the vid.
I love how he says something, and then agrees with himself. He's his own hype man. "What happens if society get's too secular? It ends. *beat* That's right, it ends! Good point, Dennis! Thanks, Dennis!"
Nothing like having someone say that if you don't bealive a 100% of what I say then you are intellectually dishonest to tell you that there is no reason to listen to said person.
The irony of hosting a "Master's Program" for a university that doesn't actually exist, while denouncing the academic system that it's trying to be disguised as.
I wouldn't say that It's trying to be an alternative version of one so it's using the same terminologies for itself. There's intentional irony but it doesnt create any dissonance
You can use Dannis Prager's channel as a benchmark. If someone shows up in a Prager-u video, you can reasonably assume they are a fraud and/or a grifter in life too. Pretty infallible.
@@KangMinseok sorry, you're right. Pray more, kid. Prager will be pleased. And you'll graduate for sure. Top in list. Meanwhile, entertain us. You're so good.
A high school teacher told me that if I learned to speak well I could conquer the world. Obviously she was exaggerating but the point was understood. The ability to persuade crowds with clear and confident speech is a powerful tool. And it doesn't matter if the words are true.
If you look at the flat earth community they all praise 'Witsit gets it' or 'Witless' which is a more suitable nick, that speaks gobbledegook and gibberish in fast pace with so much confidence that the flat earth idiots think he knows the science stuff. He don't.
Khajiit has wares if mdhj has coin. [Persuasion] 20% discount, fail = 10% increase in cost. [Threaten] 100% discount and free. Aggro in region for many hundreds of days. [Barter] 0-10% discount. No negative effect at high probability. [Buy] At Cost. Time saved equals time spent elsewhere.
If Dennis Prager was around in the early 1900s, he would oppose women's suffrage. If he was around in the 1840s and '50s, he would support slavery. If he was born in South Africa, he would have defended apartheid. That's just the kind of person he is. Someone committed to preserving the status quo even when the status quo is harmful to others. He then takes credit for positive changes by saying that they were in line with the status quo the whole time.
I gave myself a PHD from Prager U. If I had the energy, I would properly forge the credentials and make a borat level joke out of it. The truth is...I am way to lazy for that and the sarcastic joke is more valuable
My advice to DP would be the one his teachers should have given him: If you want to contribute to society, become a house wife or a sex worker, there is nothing else productive he could have done.
My message to Americans from Pakistan 🇵🇰: respect your country and never let go of your constitutional values especially secularism. I live in a country where religion has been a force for pushing country’s resistance to human rights.
Yeah but your religion is to be taken as is without questioning anything + the draconian religion police who kill you in the streets for mundane "crimes". That's why all you people are deeply oppressed wherever there is sharia law. In christian countries nobody would argue that you're forced to be christian.
Depending how you're defining "secularism," since this video was so focused on how it's defined, America was solidly founded on the existence of God. The American Revolution was about disagreeing with the Empire's compulsory religion and the Declaration of Independence specifically mentions the creator of the universe.
@@461weavile God is referenced in the declaration of independence, this is true, not the constitution, which I think is a more important document to look at when discussing this topic. The only reference to a unspecified god in the declaration of independence is in reference to "nature's god" and "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator", which isn't very specific and doesn't seem to point to one single god. In relation to the role of religion in American society, according to Wikipedia: "In keeping with the lack of an established state religion in the United States, unlike in many European nations at the time, Article Six of the United States Constitution specifies that "no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States" meaning that there will be no official state religion lawfully established." Secular societies can be religious, however they stop being secular when religion begins to dictate state action. America was created to be secular, hence why so many Christian denominations were tolerated, however American Christian fundamentalists have been trying to subvert this conception for decades nows, especially after WW2 when Christian nationalists scared the American population into believing that you are either a Christian or a Communist.
@@SleepyMatt-zzz most of that is based on an opinion that the constitution is more important that the declaration of independence. No argument there; if somebody has that opinion, it's not like there's a correct or incorrect. Although I don't have much of a background in this area, I consider the laws of the infant country to be aligned with God's laws. I'm very curious to see what would've happened to an infant country in a similar political scenario which had no foreknowledge of God's law. It's really only a thought experiment, because most people know that God's law exists and some of the most basic components of it.
Looking back, i was a big fan of Prager U, and thought that a lot of the points they made in regards to things like gender and race were intelligent and well thought out. What a difference 10 years makes.
Last year Dennis received a free speech prize in Denmark. It was given to him at the town hall in Copenhagen. I don't doubt that he took it as a victory, but I have to add that the same town hall, has been flying the rainbow flag publicly for decades, in respect of all the citizens of said city. He was quite adamant with telling he was still on Danish time, as he returned to America, and was interviewed about the meaning of his trip.. I must also admit, as a dane I didn't know what prize they gave him, before he told about it in his own outlet and the sphere he is comfortable in. So ultimately he received a bogus thing that wasn't announced, or promoted by any news agency here in Denmark, so I kinda take it as a joke, and I do hope it's meant as a slow burn..
Free speech is ok.. i don not wan't to cancel Dennis - but giving him a price for spewing nonsens that is really crazy.. Do they now he is talking against evolution? Can you give me the link i will send a mail immediately.
@@svendtang5432 I think the problem with Prager's interpretation of free speech is that, like many other Conservatives, they believe only they should have it and no one else.
Denmark along with next door neighbour Sweden are among the most secular countries in the world, and where you can find the most happy people. Besides the civil rights, the health care and school system is open to everyone unlike in religion-infested homeland of Dennis P.
“I’ve just completed my Masters!” “Wow, amazing, well done! That’s like, the pinnacle of education, recognised the world over by all the major educational institutions!” “Yeah from Prager U” “Right…No, um…that’s…super”.
Acoording to Dennis, the more you learn the stupider you get …. 😮 Wasn’t there a book on that theme - Freedom is Slavery, War is Peace and maybe Knowledge is Stupidity ….
Good analysis of Dennis Prager of PragerU, who masters Grift and privatizes Stupid (capitalized for emphasis, as Freedom of Speech permits). It's a double standard of relativists to suppose they have freedom of speech, or that they possess rationality, but no one else does. White Christina nationalism has the very same problem, which doesn't apply to all nationalism). Secularism liberates government from religious ideology, not from reality.
I have enjoyed your videos and ideology immensely. You have a keen insight and intellect. I was raised Christian and have found out for myself that it’s a quaint story filled with some good ideas. I consider myself moral but secular. I’ll save any tittles for others to throw about. Keep up the good work Steven
All that is good in the western world. Humanism, progress, stability, technology, comfort of life. Everything is secular. Everything bad in the Western world, is what it shares with Middle Eastern culture: religion. Religious culture looks like the Middle East. Secular culture looks like Europe. The entire Judeo-Christian world was exactly the same as the modern Middle East, before it became secular. These are the Judeo-Christian "values".
The best part is those "judeo-christian values" dont exist because there is no such thing as "judeo-christian whatever". They propose some weird hybrid but only refer to the bible and christian theocratic ideas, never to judaism.
Before Europe acquired Christianity, it had a sh!t ton of it's own religions, many of which seem to have had features fully as horrific as anything the Middle East gave us. For example: Druidism, with its human sacrifice. Norse religion, with its Valhalla, the afterlife paradise only available to merciless warriors. Slavery was just as prevalent in Europe as anywhere else, no doubt fully endorsed by all the local religions. So don't give us any bigoted narrative about European superiority. During the late middle ages, the Islamic world was a far more humane and enlightened realm than Christian Europe. And actually more secular as well. Present day barbaric religious fundamentalism is a pan-global phenomenon, afflicting parts of southeast Asia in the form of Buddhism; India, in the form of Hinduism; and North and South America, in the form of Christianity; as well as a huge swath of Eurasia, in the form of Islam. Christianity, by the way is not a purely Middle Eastern religious form. It is a hybrid between Judaism, Greek Platonism, and a widespread Eastern Mediterranean trend of mystery cults with personal savior gods. The character it has today was constructed principally in the Hellenistic and Roman world, and most specifically in Rome itself, which you may recall is part of Europe.
@@donnievance1942 *_"Before Europe acquired Christianity"_* Europe was conquered by christianity, it didnt ask to aquire it. *_"it had a sh!t ton of it's own religions, many of which seem to have had features fully as horrific as anything the Middle East gave us."_* Some, yes. All, no. Yet christians instantly outlawed every other religion no matter what they did the moment they gained political power. Like they did in the middle east when they first rose to power. Christians instantly banned other religions, established a militia, burned down temples, executed priests and even killed children for "playing with pagan objects". *_"For example: Druidism, with its human sacrifice."_* As opposed to christians burrying their first born with their first house and executing alledged witches by burning them at the stake? *_"Norse religion, with its Valhalla, the afterlife paradise only available to merciless warriors."_* As opposed to the crusaders that burned down entire villages for not submitting? *_"Slavery was just as prevalent in Europe as anywhere else, no doubt fully endorsed by all the local religions."_* As opposed to by christianity that endorsed slavery for 1.700 years since its conception and still practises it in some cases in the US? *_"So don't give us any bigoted narrative about European superiority."_* Europe didnt get an upgrade with christianity. Europe is now filled with the best countries in the world when it comes to society health factors. Clearly europe evolved since the christian dark ages DESPITE christianity, not because of it. *_"the Islamic world was a far more humane and enlightened realm than Christian Europe"_* And then came islam and fucked things up. We see the same happening in the US, brazil and africa these days with christianity. *_"Present day barbaric religious fundamentalism is a pan-global phenomenon, afflicting parts of southeast Asia in the form of Buddhism"_* Where do you get this nonsense from? *_"India, in the form of Hinduism; and North and South America, in the form of Christianity; as well as a huge swath of Eurasia, in the form of Islam."_* Doesnt compare to europe where religious fundamentalism is a minority problem due to secularism kicking theocrats out. *_"Christianity, by the way is not a purely Middle Eastern religious form."_* Clearly it had its own evolution to remain relevant especially with the rise of newspapers and the internet to show people the many crimes of christianity that are still ongoing. *_" The character it has today was constructed principally in the Hellenistic and Roman world, and most specifically in Rome itself, which you may recall is part of Europe."_* Yeah... Rome and vatican are in europe therefor europe bad. This is such a moronic take. I cant tell if thats supposed to be a diss at europe or a defense of christianity. Either way its just embarassingly ignorant and stupid.
@@donnievance1942 The Europe of that time was more religious, more violent and shittier. I compared it to the modern Middle East. Not the Middle East then. Today's Europe is secular, therefore it is progressive. Europe at that time was religious, and therefore bad. The Middle East was (compared to Europe) more secular, and therefore better (again, compared to the worst situation in Europe) The Middle East today is a religious shitshow. By the way I'm from the Middle East As you can perhaps see from my eastern surname: Farjun
As the parent of a transgender kid, I know of one clear consequence of the end of the Judeo-Christian God and Judeo-Christian values...no more hate campaigns against my kid. All by itself that's worth it to me.
How old is the kid? Don't get the wrong idea, i support adults doing what ever they want but as a parent i don't know how i'd feel if my kid wanted to transition. My kids have a hard time deciding if they like food that isn't mac n cheese. My oldest is a girl who has crazy mode swings (puberty) and loves us one moment and hates us the next. I can't imagine my kids being developed enough both physically and mentally to make that sort of choice.
@@jacoblee5796 I appreciate the question. Well, it wasn't a whim. It came up when he was a teen, and we were not pleased. Being good christians at the time, we of course resisted...for two years, lots of talking, therapy, discussions, and so on. It became very clear that this was not a whim and it was not going to change, so we had what I call an Abraham choice: sacrifice my kid to save my righteousness, or put aside my "righteousness" to save my kid. I was watching a previously cheerful and happy kid descend into depression. So I decided my kid was more important, and we allowed the transition therapy she (at that time) wanted. So my daughter became my son...and the depression ended, I got my kid back. That means more to me than every preacher alive and every verse they can preach at me. I don't regret anything about that decision...ultimately, it is the kid's decision, it is their life to live. I'm not sure I could tell other parents what to do, but once it becomes clear it's not a whim, the parent(s) involved have a choice of priorities to make.
@@njhoepner Thank you for responding and not getting defensive. I’m not a Christian, an atheist actually so I could care less about that. I do see how coming from that world view though would make that hard choice even harder. I suppose every kid is different, it just seems so permanent and life changing. Such a huge decision for someone so young to make.
@@jacoblee5796 It's a huge decision no matter the age. As for transition, some parts are permanent and some aren't, some people do the small things first. I don't think there can be a hard and fast rule - parents and children need to be open with each other. For my wife and I, once it was clear even to our stubborn heads that it was not a whim, the right decision became more obvious.
The note about art cracks me up. There is some truly exceptional atheistic music out there. "Endless Forms Most Beautiful," Nightwish's 2015 album is a great example. Tribal off their most recent album is another fantastic piece of anti-religious music. Another great one is Epica's debut album. Their song "Cry for the Moon" is particularly excellent.
I remember that the first time I heard the word secular in English (here in a YT video, about 10 years ago) I was confused about its meaning because in my homeland, Argentina (I’m an ex-Catholic), I had only heard the word being utilised to refer to clergymen that are not cloistered: secular clergy. I didn’t even know of other acceptations of the word because we use the word “laico” (lay) instead (and there’s also the word “seglar”, a synonym of secular). For me it was a word only used by religious people to name this specific type of clergy. But it seams to me that the word secular is being used more and more by Spanish speakers to also mean non-religious (“laico”) due to globalisation and influence from the English speaking world.
Laico has the same background. it originally referred to Christian believers who were not part of the clergy, who could be "called to serve" in absence of a priest. Christianity wasn't in a hurry to make up a word for non-religious people, because they were not supposed to survive long if they failed to convert.
@@revlarmilion9574 Indeed. Laico is anyone that has no clerical orders and also denotes that something is independent of any religious organisation or faith (estado laico/secular state; educación laica/secular education).
Note worth adding: While the modern sense of the word "secularism" resides with George Holyoake, secularism has been practised since the Ancient Greeks, was prevalent during the Islamic Golden Age, and became increasingly prominent with the Age of Enlightenment. Secularism is a movement towards states and societies who are not focused on religion and religious values, but rather believe in separation between church and state. The term "secular" comes from the Latin word saeculum which means “of a generation” or “temporary”. Secularism also includes the idea of equal rights and respect for all beliefs, regardless of their religious affiliation. It seeks to create a society that is open to everyone, regardless of their faith, race or culture.
*practiced
I got a question for you. How was the first 7 minutes relevant to anything at bloody all, and how was it not just poisoning the well?
I know it's a loaded question, but hey, you get what you give, lad. I watched you for years, but you're really starting to descend into dishonesty. First you stop citing your sources in your Casually Debunked channel, now you poison the well like the best of the apologists. I know it's emotionally appealing to do it, but I also know you are capable of better than that, case and point, every single video you did before this on this channel. What you improved in terms of philosophy and accuracy, you seem to start to loose on honesty.
@@SnlDrako in what way is it poisoning the well or not related to the subject?
@@GameTimeWhy Dimwit Denny's personality is not relevant to the content of his "Masters" Program. You know, since we're supposed to address the argument and not the lunatic presenting it?
I expected nothing less but I'm very happy you actually defined the word Secular. Also nothing is more infuriating than listening to someone talk about how secularism is a negative thing, thank god I live in a secular society. I understand it is not the point of your response video but it seems to me there is definitely an argument to be made that there is no such thing as too secular, Would love to hear your thoughts 00:12.
A wise philosopher once said, “It takes ten seconds to say something so unbelievably stupid that properly unpacking and debunking it will now waste three hours of my life”.
Isn't that the truth!!!
Traps r geh.
The amount of energy needed to refute B.S
is in order of magnitude
greater than that needed to produce it.
@@micktaylor891 Brandolini's law.
Wise man often once said nothing
Bless you for subjecting yourself to this torture for all of us.
He's like the Jesus of the internet. :P
I hope that's a secular Richard Dawkins blessing...
@@jeffengel2607 darn, you beat me to it lol. Only I was going to say “kind of sounds like that Jesus fellow *wink wink*”.
Dog bless!
@@Ebiru2387 Dogs are too pure to be compared with such a cruel entity
Prager: I'm appealing to your intellect.
Also Prager: immediately proceeds to appeal exclusively to emotion.
this
We have several thousand years of history showing us that what Dennis Propaganda is actually appealing to is Abject Ignorance, mixed with staggeringly bad "thinking skills".
Not his fault since he thinks emotions are arguments.
Look, you just aren't intellectually honest.
If you were, you wouldn't be using your intellect to judge Pragers arguments
@@sorenjensen3863 i lold.
That stuff about Dennis being a poor student continued! Back when I worked with and for him in the late '80s/early '90s, I used to borrow books from his extensive library. Over time, I noticed that there were never any highlights or notes beyond the second or third chapter. He also used to talk on the air about particular books as if he'd read them - recommending them and everything, when all he'd done was read a review of them in the New York Times Review of Books. I caught him when I bought one of the books he recommended, with which I was very unhappy. He confessed right there and then.
Dennis is one of the laziest thinkers, researchers, and just... human beings (in general) I've ever met. This is topped only by his complete lack of interpersonal skills and cluelessness about how people live if they don't make $250,000 a year (back in late '80s dollars). One of his workers - a single mother who was working two jobs at the time to put her kid through a good private school, couldn't make it into work one day because her car broke down. He questioned her the next day, "Why don't you just get a new car?" She told him she couldn't afford it. To which Dennis replied, but you can just say you make more here than you do and get a loan. When she explained that she still wouldn't be able to make the payments, he couldn't process the point. Dennis is the epitome of someone who was born on third base and brags about hitting a triple (sorry for the American sports reference - I'm embarrassed myself). The man is a soulless shill!!!
You are doing Mr. Deity's work, Stephen! Well done!!!
I would love to see you join Stephen in a chat once this series is done to recap and add some personal insight.
Maybe as episode 14 of this 6 part series. 😘
@@finestPlugins Hahahahahaha!!!!
This is weird... I begun to read this comment without checking who wrote it, and somehow the mental voice I had, the intonation and such, was Dalton's. Probably the writing style.
@@finestPlugins ,
Why Episode 14 of a 6 part series? Could it be in episode 3.5 in a 1 episode series?
Edit: @misterdeity, I'm still waiting for episode 0.95### you promised a few months back...
what you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone reading your post is now dumber for having listened to it. An emotional rant, get a life.
A couple of my good friends recently sent me links to Prager U videos, asking me to watch them and be "open minded".
I watched them and then systematically dismantled them, pointing out all the factual & logical errors, fallacies and lies that Dennis spewed, to which, they never replied... I get sad when people I care about fall prey to such charlatans, and lack the tools to identify and debunk such nonsense.
Great job once again, and thank you for your hard work, I'll be sharing this video with my friends in hope that they can see reason.
Ah. yeah. I have done this too. There is a delicacy to wooing an un-convivial mind. But it is agonizing. Counter to this, you can tell me point blank I am wrong. If I am wrong, I have learned something and made progress. I'm no saint, but at least I engage. I'm sorry your friends won't. We will still have a tinny at the barby and a proper laugh together I hope!😀
You'll do more for humanity in that one gesture than Prager u will ever do lol.
Odds are they just want to validate what they want to believe. Whether its "Christianity is the best," or whatever, it's way easier to validate this with a "smart man saying smart things" than to challenge said beliefs and the ""facts"" used to support said beliefs.
One can be open minded but not to the extent that one's brain falls out one's skull. Being open minded to claims about supernatural matters is starting off at the point of stupidity 🙄
@Duncan Bryson So you are born into this world with the knowledge that an unnameable thing doesn't exist, even before you understand the concepts of language or metaphysics?
Ironically, believing that children are close to God is something that Judaism teaches.
When a person says, 'I'm not here to sell you anything'...they are, without a doubt, trying to sell you something!
In the same light, the more someone claims to be honest, the more you can be assured they are hiding their dishonesty!
I'm not here to sell you anything
@@farrex0 Bare minimum, you're trying to sell that idea. 😒
@@hattielankford4775 Not really, I am giving it to you for free.... xD
And most likely something you don't need.
Poor Dennis! As a retired high school teacher, I must say that with his lack of valid evidence to support his claims, Dennis could never have passed my 9th grade English class; however, the 11th grade IB Lit and TOK students could have a blast identifying fallacies, loaded language, and other rhetorical weaknesses in his argument!
I love to watch you dismantle an argument--in your cool, calm, and calculated way. If I were still teaching, I'd direct students of argument to this channel, to watch a master at work!
Thank you for your Secular Service! Sending you BIG LOVE!
General Logic dismantles most of the rhetorical garbage. It's very unsettling that this slight of hand works on a very high number of people. Its amazing the number of people who mail their hard earned cash to someone on TV pretending to talk to their deity. It's the oldest trick in the book.
Have you heard the story of Destiny watching Dennis Prager belittle and shame children? He made at least one cry. They had both been asked to speak at the same middle school. Really unbelievable behavior for a grown man
Few things more satisfying to me, than to watch kids out-think prostlitizers, and methodically shred the claims with no-nonsense critical thinking, and steely eyed cross examination of religious claims.
"I am appealing to your intellect." Pretty tall order for someone at the intellectual level of a comatose aardvark. :P
@Conon the Binarian - I think the OP is calling him stupid and lacking in reasoning skills. Granted, it's an odd analogy.
Prager U is like Trump University with less academic rigor
Is Trump University with the academic rigor of Answer in Genesis.
@@MicheleGardini no, that's just Trump university. PragerU would be comparable to Genesis Apologetics.
At the risk of taking a joke seriously, I don't think this is true at all. Trump U is just a hustle, the only purpose of the thing is to transfer wealth towards Trump. They don't give a crap about the quality of their content, because once you've paid the money their work is done. While Prager U is dead serious about their belief that the world should be run by right white christian straight men and that everyone else should be subservient to them. The reason it exists is to spread that gospel, and they do work really hard with considerable success to make it convincing to their audience.
to be fair, Prager U costs a lot more: your intellect and integrity.
🤣Good one!
Dennis is a fine example of the Dunning Kruger effect. He is either so confident in his knowledge and intelligence that he is unable to comprehend just how much he does not know and understand. Or, he is so confident in his ability to lie and make up his own arguments that he does not realize that only people who have an education lower than 9th grade buy what he is selling.
Say whatever you wish about Dennis Prager, but you would be hard pressed to convince me that a secular world is better than a world with religious standards.
Example, when I was going to primary school 50 years ago, school shootings, police patrolling the halls and stations where you passed through metal detectors were unheard of.
My grandfather on my mom's side dropped out of school because of the depression and he could definitely find and point out all of Dennis Prager falsehoods and illogical arguments.
@@daveSeeks01 See the difference between Dennis Prager and your grandfather is that your grandfather actually had to, yknow, experience life and grow up
Might as well call it the Dennis Prager effect.
Sadly, Dennis is the epitome of conservatism. There is probably not a right-winger on Earth who isn’t equally unjustifiably confident in their intelligence exactly in the way he is. It’s why they are winning: their influence seems only to ever wax while our influence seems only to ever wane.
I watched Prager with my Dad. We’ve discussed these things back and forth for a long time. He looked over at me yesterday and said,
“I think he’s lying to me.”
There is hope for people to wake up and leave the liars and cheats who’ve been grifting them for years.
I love hearing stories like this… good job with conversing with your dad in such a way :)
That is indeed encouraging to hear (and a credit to your resilience and good relationship with your dad!) but it's still very painful to listen to Prager for anyone who values rational thought and a genuine search for truth and know that many people are taken in by him.
That's really cool to hear. I'm hoping to have more conversations with my younger brother like that. We're in a very religious household and it feels like my younger siblings are having their critical thinking slowly eroded away by this setting. Do you have any advise to help reason with them or explain my own views?
@Dylan Orr
I personally think it's great to show how "other side" uses the same, bad arguments. If they use weak arguments to support Christianity - show them a Muslim apologist. If they're falling into right wing funnel - find a lefty creator who uses bad arguments
Then give them an alternative. Show them how to reach the truth in a rational manner. Don't push one worldview - show them why you've chosen yours
@@angelikaskoroszyn8495 so for that first part can I have an example? Like if they say, "the biggest trick the devil pulled was making the world think he's not real." And flip it to "god convinced everyone he is real." Or something more in depth than that?
05:15 "You can also enjoy some private time with Dennis hinslef." That is possibly the most disturbing sentence I have ever heard.
Bad touch, Dennis! BAD TOUCH!
Prager Ewwwww!
I want mommy, I want milk, I want to be held, I want to be comforted
@@MrAdamo Most based sentence from PagerU ever.
"You can also enjoy..." No. I wouldn't enjoy it.
Really, Dennis? Let's see what Jefferson had to say: "It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are 20 gods or none. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg."
But the concept of live and let live is lost on him, your completely valid aand sane argument is destroying his fragile ego
It only sends you to HELL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I fåcking miss Hitch. You really hit the nail on the head a while back with your sentiment about passionately missing a man you’ve never met. I feel you, brother, I feel you.
Me too!😢 There are so many who still need a real good Hitchslapping 👋🥵 and so few who can do it like him!
Me too. I wish he was with us longer to critique these far right clowns.
@@Bob-of-Zoid And he did it all with such charm and wit. I miss him too, every freaking day.
@@angelamaryquitecontrary4609 😢
The world isn’t the same without Hitch. I just hope we have someone rise up who is on a similar level. Obviously we won’t get another Christopher Hitchens but we need more people like him. Especially right now.
I have noticed a phenomenon, working as I do as an attorney. The more a conman’s con begins to unravel, the more wild, the more strident, and the more forceful the lies become.
Absolutely.
Truly. There lies were the only thing holding it together, so when it starts falling apart it’s like they have to spackle more lies to keep it together, but it never holds
I am sooo sorry you had to go through that - thanks for taking one for the team
Dennis is so confident. Such a CONfident MAN
Oooooh good one.
Oy vey
while true, i rate this pun a 1/10 for low effort
conman already is just a portmanteau of confidence man, so you just swapped the noun for the adjective
@@SharienGaming You must be fun at parties.
@@ArKritz84 indeed i am - thank you for recognizing that
i also do company events and small pubs
though childrens birthdays require some extra preptime for the roasting of the easter bunny
It's almost as if Mr Prager is shouting loudly "I am pig ignorant and proud of it!"
Pigs aren't THAT ignorant.
Prager lives in an imaginary alternative universe of his own making.
Master class in logical fallacies, yes.
I've been waiting for a debunking of prager and his "university" for a loooong time. This video makes me as excited as little kid on his 1st day to school
People have been tearing PragerU apart for years. It doesn't seem to make much of a difference
@@zed739 True. But i was hoping for it to be done on this channel in particular. PragerU is a disease on this earth and videos like this one are the vaccine.
Where have you been for the past 5 years or so? PragerU has been a punching bag for the left for years now. To the point it's almost a bit cliche.
@@StoutShako hope so. They need to become a joke with a beard so large no one ever takes them seriously ever again.
Look out for the leftist UA-camrs that did debunk videos on Prager U. They’re really good.
It is perfectly possible for a devout religious person to be secular when it comes to how to treat others well, and how to organize a well-functioning society. I'm from Denmark, where it is common that the clergy accepts and supports that they are not supposed to dictate values and standards for culture and society. And we have a country consistently ranking near the top of indexes for being good places to be, along with our nordic neighbor countries.
Doesn't one of the most powerful organized crime groups/magia reside in the north?
No, I don't know what that would be. Obviously, crime happens, including a moderate amount of organized crime, but not something that people in general need to take into consideration when aiming to have a good life. Gangs does not have much influence, and mainly fight each other.
Depends on the religion. There are a great many people who's religious beliefs require them to impose them on the world around them. A significant portion of those beliefs aren't candid about it either, with that aspect buried within the faith such that it is not immediately obvious that it is the case. Including to the person themselves not fully realizing the ramifications of how their beliefs, assumptions, and habits affect those around them. (This isn't unique to religion. Lots of ideas do this, we just happen to be discussing religion.) In those cases, they cannot be a devout religious person and secular, because being secular is against the faith. Which means they aren't devout in that faith. And most worryingly the farther people are along that path the harder it tends to be for them to understand what secular is.
As a real life example, I've had a conversation with someone who argued that not being able to "deliver the gospel" to other people prevents them from practicing their religion. The necessary unsaid part being that preaching their religion to people is a necessary part of practicing their faith. The context of that conversation explicitly included being able to do it in areas where others would prefer not to have religion pushed on them. And that's not exactly an uncommon thing. The most common faiths tend to be most common precisely because they have tenets that make them spread and become common.
So it is perfectly possible for a devout religious person !of a religion that does not explicitly OR implicitly bake in anti-secular practices! to be secular as you described. And it is also very common for it not to be possible due to the nature of the religious beliefs. Again stressing the implicit, subtle parts because that is what is most easily missed.
also people are very good at spinning words and rules to justify actions they would otherwise be against
Sure, but then they are good DESPITE their religion, not because of it. They'd still be good people without religion. The world would be better off without religion, but if someone insists on having one, the least they can do is not to try to dictate other people how to live their lives because of what their 2000 years outdated book says other people can't do.
If the Nazis were a secular regime why did my granddad have "God with us!" embossed on his belt buckle when he was marched to death into Russia as a conscript?
wow
They were anti-clerical and minimised the influence of the churches on the public sphere, the Nazis themselves were, for a large part Christians.
Speaking with confidence in an authoritative voice is enough to keep believers believing.
This how the likes of WLC gets away with his 🐂💩. Academic bearing and he's got a doctorate 🙄. He comes across as learned and erudite but male bovine excrement, even when presented in an erudite manner, is still just 🐂💩
@@duncanbryson1167 I was thinking the same about JBP and Ben Shapiro.
@@davex444
But can you imagine Ben Shapiro on helium 😂
@@duncanbryson1167 Now I can't stop. Thanks!
Thank god Mr. Prager wasn't raised with a British accent or else he would be seeing more success here in America lmao
Rights came IN SPITE of religion, not BECAUSE of it.
No, Dennis, you can NOT be "too secular", because the word is an infinitive. Secular means absent of, or not bound by, religion. If you remove all the water from a cup, the cup is empty; it can never be "too empty". If you remove religion from government, it is secular; it can't be too secular. If you remove religion from education, it is secular; it can never be too secular.
It seems to me, Dennis, that you really would have benefited from completing your formal education.
nicely done
😆 yup.
playing devils advocate here but a cup can be "too empty" if your end goal is to drink water. the real thing to examine is what exactly is the water he is proposing is so important to fill the glass with
@@hefdef9961 No. "Too empty" is not correct.
@@HiramLoki what is it, then? "Not full enough?"
"Have your cake and make me eat it too" is a perfect description of what they are trying to do.
Holy crap he is so dishonest yes he absolutely is arguing that you have to believe in his God because to accept his rules being given by his God you kind of have to believe in his. It is intellectually dishonest to come to any other conclusion.
Also a perfect description of climate extremists and gr00mers.
@@461weavile Geez…buy a brain please, they sell them at PragerU
@@461weavile You're just describing republicans, exclusively.
I'm glad others are having real debate and deep conversation about religion. I unfortunately burned out after 30 years of doing that. Now I just avoid the religious. It's embarrassing to live in an age of information, knowledge, science and yet, still have to deal with these lunatics.
The modern conservative movement shares way too much in common with borderline and narcissistic personality disorder.
I say this as someone who both loves and has been hurt by people with BPD. It’s just strange to see an entire political movement display mass gas lighting, wild emotional appeals devoid of fact, rampant projection, and an inability to read others intentions unless they are extreme.
For someone who struggles with this in people, it’s hard to watch a country succumb to a severe, untreated mental illness.
Dennis is a legend in his own mind. He’s counting on no one actually reading the Bible and seeing what it says.
Doesn't really matter, people usually interpret the Bible the way they want to anyway.
@@88mphDrBrown - Oh, I think it matters to a certain extent. After all, surveys of atheists reliably find that the biggest cause of atheism is reading the bible.
For a Jew he _really_ adores The Bible. I do not know why he is so obsessive about the parts of the book he own faith views as heresy but he appears to find it more important that people read the heresy than the parts of the same book his own faith holds as sacred.
@@RictusHolloweye Do you have a citation for that? It sounds like a statistic you're completely pulling out of your ass. I've read a lot of polls and surveys and am completely unaware that most surveys conclusively agree on "the most reliable biggest cause of atheism". I've read studies positing multiple factors like age, disagreements with religious authority, dislike/ disagreements with their religious community, geographic area, etc.. Seems like a completely bullshit claim especially considering that not even a 1/3 of the world is Christian. Over half the Chinese population (over 700 million) polls as atheist/unaffiliated, I find it hard to believe that much of that atheism has anything to do with reading the bible.
@@n0etic_f0x probably has something to do with the kinds of people who actually bankroll pragerU and other such outfits. Same as Ben Shapiro.
Thank you for paying for a look at this this so we don't have to.
I am anticipating the next installment with great interest. Fantastic so far!
Outstanding work as usual, dude. The dishonesty of PragerU must be called out. Thank you for doing so.
(also come to American Atheists in Phoenix this April :) )
I, too, have made this point with a number of christians: for over 1000 years christianity was perfectly compatible with every possible form of dictatorship and totalitarianism.
Dennis .. look at all religious countries and watch bigotry, prosecutions and the suppression of women run rampant with the good book as a backer.
So the bible didn’t build the freest and most liberal society to ever exist?
@@ericsonofjohn9384 if you think it did please explain how.
@@A-non-theist Western values are based historically in Christianity. Are you disputing that?
@@ericsonofjohn9384 Western values can be traced to a numerous amount of philosophies and religions. Western values are not exclusively Christian. The whole idea that Western civilization was inspired by christianity is simply propaganda that was instilled into our previous generations when Christian Nationalism started to gain traction. That propaganda made its way into many tv and radio stations as well as newspapers. People came to the west in order to escape religious persecution. What ended up happening after people came here was no different. More religious persecution between the religions. That chain of events on top of many others causes the founding fathers of the US to include freedom FROM religion in our 1st amendment.
@@ericsonofjohn9384 first you need to explain why Christianity is a value. And no you are wrong because Christianity only makes up about 30% of the world's population.
Dennis likes to believe he's the smartest person in the room, which is only true whenever he's alone.
I saw a video from Prager U that talked about how people are more likely to save a dog over another human being (idk if they actually use any real data to back this up btw), and I will say this: If it's between saving my cats or saving Dennis, I'm picking my cats all the time.
If it's between saving a cockroach or Prager, I'll pick the cockroach.
It’s laughable that you guys prove his point in your comments that rebuke his initial point…
@@AdaptorDieChannel Specifying a particular human you wouldn't save is not the same as saying you wouldn't save humans generally. You could be willing to save 8 billion humans over an animal, but not 4 or 5 particular humans. In that case you can still say that generally you would save humans over animals. So it doesn't really prove his point.
I love the “unholy” trinity of cosmic skeptic, genetically modified, and rationality rules, but I have to say, RR is by far my favorite UA-cam channel to watch on these types of topics.
Denny "We become stupid when we stop listening to the book with talking animals!" *lip quivers as he's almost in tears* "How will people know right from wrong if not from a book that condones genocide, slavery, and forcing women to marry the men that graped them?"
Thank you for this, needed to be done and I'm so glad it's you doing it.
I shall dispute him from the beginning. As i live in the buckle of the Bible belt, within a highly red conservative state. Due to the state government which all at the very least lip service to religion, they have devastated public education. We pulled, (my daughter and i), my grandchildren to home school them, when the oldest was in 5th grade. Why? Because the school system had not bothered to teach any of them to READ. You get this right? A highly Christian state and it's government that caters to them, keeps the children ignorant. I wonder why.
How did they manage to not teach reading until 5th grade? That should be starting in Kindergarten at least!
That’s cool. Many conservatives are leaving public schools because every class has become social studies of sexual orientation and how to hate white people 101.
@@JackgarPrime it should be to be certain.
How sad and sadly fitting to want the flock dumb
@@JackgarPrime I find it highly dubious an actual accredited school wouldn’t teach reading, especially due to the government being conservative or religion being Christian. Most Christian’s I know place a high priority in grades and doing well in school. I mean how did they even test them? Shouldn’t they all just fail the standardized testing if they couldn’t read and not be able to continue to the next grade? Unless they didn’t have them, which is why I’m thinking it has more to do with the school, if op is truthful that reading wasn’t actually taught, then what the actual government enacted
I'm looking forward to this series very much.
You are a better man than I Stephen! 😂 Even with the incentive to make a video - I’m not sure I could sit though that “Program” lol fair play to you. And thanks for the vid.
This math teacher would like Dennis to explain Hypatia's death.
Great start. Looking forward to the next episode.
"when society gets too religiously accepting, christianity declines"
wonder why
"The Celebration of Poop" would be a better title for almost any contet produced by PragerU
After all, Dennis Prager shts from both ends. Alternatively, nobody at PragerU has an anus.
“Universities are where all the most ridiculous ideas come from” might be the single dumbest thing I’ve heard this year.
“The death of art and architecture” sounds a lot like the argument that fascists make.
it is the exact argument fascists make and have made, especially you-know-where-and-when
To be fair, modern art mostly sucks 😂
Wicked good stuff, mate.
I love how he says something, and then agrees with himself. He's his own hype man.
"What happens if society get's too secular? It ends. *beat* That's right, it ends! Good point, Dennis! Thanks, Dennis!"
Beautifully done! can't wait for the next part
Where women were elevated 😂😂😂😂😂 i died right there
I look forward to the continuation of this series. Thank you for your work.
Nothing like having someone say that if you don't bealive a 100% of what I say then you are intellectually dishonest to tell you that there is no reason to listen to said person.
DENNIS DOESNT THINK someone can be "to rich" even if the rest of the population has literally 0
The irony of hosting a "Master's Program" for a university that doesn't actually exist, while denouncing the academic system that it's trying to be disguised as.
I wouldn't say that
It's trying to be an alternative version of one so it's using the same terminologies for itself. There's intentional irony but it doesnt create any dissonance
It’s a play off of Prager University, which is his UA-cam channel.
When said taking the master program I thought "there is now a course in lying and misrepresentation".
A solid, well thought out and consistently on target argument. Subscribed.
The further we get from religion, the further we get from the dark age.
You can use Dannis Prager's channel as a benchmark. If someone shows up in a Prager-u video, you can reasonably assume they are a fraud and/or a grifter in life too. Pretty infallible.
he's like The Young Turks of the Right 🤣
@@KangMinseok lol honestly
@@KangMinseok cry more, kid. You're funny.
@@MicheleGardinitell me something I don't know 😂
@@KangMinseok sorry, you're right. Pray more, kid. Prager will be pleased. And you'll graduate for sure. Top in list. Meanwhile, entertain us. You're so good.
Seems a lot easier than my university's masters program.
A high school teacher told me that if I learned to speak well I could conquer the world. Obviously she was exaggerating but the point was understood. The ability to persuade crowds with clear and confident speech is a powerful tool. And it doesn't matter if the words are true.
If you look at the flat earth community they all praise 'Witsit gets it' or 'Witless' which is a more suitable nick, that speaks gobbledegook and gibberish in fast pace with so much confidence that the flat earth idiots think he knows the science stuff. He don't.
Khajiit has wares if mdhj has coin.
[Persuasion] 20% discount, fail = 10% increase in cost.
[Threaten] 100% discount and free. Aggro in region for many hundreds of days.
[Barter] 0-10% discount. No negative effect at high probability.
[Buy] At Cost. Time saved equals time spent elsewhere.
Yep, look at Hitler.
If Dennis Prager was around in the early 1900s, he would oppose women's suffrage. If he was around in the 1840s and '50s, he would support slavery. If he was born in South Africa, he would have defended apartheid.
That's just the kind of person he is. Someone committed to preserving the status quo even when the status quo is harmful to others. He then takes credit for positive changes by saying that they were in line with the status quo the whole time.
Thanks for the high quality rebuttal videos!
You got yourself a new sub least I can do for the torture you put yourself through to bring us this video
I gave myself a PHD from Prager U.
If I had the energy, I would properly forge the credentials and make a borat level joke out of it.
The truth is...I am way to lazy for that and the sarcastic joke is more valuable
My advice to DP is the same advice his teachers probably gave him. Try Harder, no one likes an ignoramus who thinks he is the smartest guy in the room
I like DP
🤣
My advice to DP would be the one his teachers should have given him: If you want to contribute to society, become a house wife or a sex worker, there is nothing else productive he could have done.
@@shizachan8421 You need to start with SP first.
No one likes one? How got Trump elected then? 😂
I look forward to part 2. Thank you
Thanks! I love your work. Only wish I had more to give.
really excited for this series
Did anyone else notice Ol' Dennis started his analogy with "too rich". For him, there's no such thing as too rich. How Christian of him.
I did.
**Dennis hand rubbing in distance intensifies**
My message to Americans from Pakistan 🇵🇰: respect your country and never let go of your constitutional values especially secularism. I live in a country where religion has been a force for pushing country’s resistance to human rights.
Yeah but your religion is to be taken as is without questioning anything + the draconian religion police who kill you in the streets for mundane "crimes". That's why all you people are deeply oppressed wherever there is sharia law. In christian countries nobody would argue that you're forced to be christian.
Depending how you're defining "secularism," since this video was so focused on how it's defined, America was solidly founded on the existence of God. The American Revolution was about disagreeing with the Empire's compulsory religion and the Declaration of Independence specifically mentions the creator of the universe.
@@461weavile God is referenced in the declaration of independence, this is true, not the constitution, which I think is a more important document to look at when discussing this topic. The only reference to a unspecified god in the declaration of independence is in reference to "nature's god" and "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator", which isn't very specific and doesn't seem to point to one single god.
In relation to the role of religion in American society, according to Wikipedia:
"In keeping with the lack of an established state religion in the United States, unlike in many European nations at the time, Article Six of the United States Constitution specifies that "no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States" meaning that there will be no official state religion lawfully established."
Secular societies can be religious, however they stop being secular when religion begins to dictate state action. America was created to be secular, hence why so many Christian denominations were tolerated, however American Christian fundamentalists have been trying to subvert this conception for decades nows, especially after WW2 when Christian nationalists scared the American population into believing that you are either a Christian or a Communist.
@@SleepyMatt-zzz most of that is based on an opinion that the constitution is more important that the declaration of independence. No argument there; if somebody has that opinion, it's not like there's a correct or incorrect.
Although I don't have much of a background in this area, I consider the laws of the infant country to be aligned with God's laws. I'm very curious to see what would've happened to an infant country in a similar political scenario which had no foreknowledge of God's law. It's really only a thought experiment, because most people know that God's law exists and some of the most basic components of it.
Love the new editing/music in your videos 👍
Thanks, you and your videos are gems!
The 'revealed morality' of Dennis' deity is comprised of 4 obvious rules for a society and 6 narcissistic prattles from a supposedly peerless mind.
Looking back, i was a big fan of Prager U, and thought that a lot of the points they made in regards to things like gender and race were intelligent and well thought out.
What a difference 10 years makes.
15:28 telling us he isn't selling a singular religion and then seconds later telling us about how a singular religion is the correct one. Nice.
Brilliant Video as always, Thank you!!!
Watching these directly out of order lol. Great content bro!
Last year Dennis received a free speech prize in Denmark. It was given to him at the town hall in Copenhagen.
I don't doubt that he took it as a victory, but I have to add that the same town hall, has been flying the rainbow flag publicly for decades, in respect of all the citizens of said city.
He was quite adamant with telling he was still on Danish time, as he returned to America, and was interviewed about the meaning of his trip..
I must also admit, as a dane I didn't know what prize they gave him, before he told about it in his own outlet and the sphere he is comfortable in.
So ultimately he received a bogus thing that wasn't announced, or promoted by any news agency here in Denmark, so I kinda take it as a joke, and I do hope it's meant as a slow burn..
interesting, and worthy of further investigation.
Free speech is ok.. i don not wan't to cancel Dennis - but giving him a price for spewing nonsens that is really crazy.. Do they now he is talking against evolution? Can you give me the link i will send a mail immediately.
@@svendtang5432 I think the problem with Prager's interpretation of free speech is that, like many other Conservatives, they believe only they should have it and no one else.
Denmark along with next door neighbour Sweden are among the most secular countries in the world, and where you can find the most happy people.
Besides the civil rights, the health care and school system is open to everyone unlike in religion-infested homeland of Dennis P.
@@Soundbrigade you will find that in most European countries.
Pennis Drager is such a good source of YTPs, I wouldn't recommned consumming it any other way.
“I’ve just completed my Masters!”
“Wow, amazing, well done! That’s like, the pinnacle of education, recognised the world over by all the major educational institutions!”
“Yeah from Prager U”
“Right…No, um…that’s…super”.
Acoording to Dennis, the more you learn the stupider you get …. 😮
Wasn’t there a book on that theme - Freedom is Slavery, War is Peace and maybe Knowledge is Stupidity ….
@15:30, So much choice! It's like that bar in Blues Brothers that plays both kinds of music: country, and western.
Thank you, for your pain and wisdom.
Well, I have to give Prager his props. He was smart enough to pull off a pretty groovy con.
well, if you take into account the IQ of the audience....
@@HarryNicNicholas Meh... the IQ might be ok, but the intellectual laziness is off the charts.
Groovy? Hardly
Good analysis of Dennis Prager of PragerU, who masters Grift and privatizes Stupid (capitalized for emphasis, as Freedom of Speech permits). It's a double standard of relativists to suppose they have freedom of speech, or that they possess rationality, but no one else does. White Christina nationalism has the very same problem, which doesn't apply to all nationalism).
Secularism liberates government from religious ideology, not from reality.
Thanks Stephen! You’ve got a decent amount of material to sift through, but I’m looking forward to it!
I have enjoyed your videos and ideology immensely. You have a keen insight and intellect. I was raised Christian and have found out for myself that it’s a quaint story filled with some good ideas. I consider myself moral but secular. I’ll save any tittles for others to throw about. Keep up the good work Steven
All that is good in the western world.
Humanism, progress, stability, technology, comfort of life.
Everything is secular.
Everything bad in the Western world, is what it shares with Middle Eastern culture: religion.
Religious culture looks like the Middle East.
Secular culture looks like Europe.
The entire Judeo-Christian world was exactly the same as the modern Middle East, before it became secular.
These are the Judeo-Christian "values".
The best part is those "judeo-christian values" dont exist because there is no such thing as "judeo-christian whatever". They propose some weird hybrid but only refer to the bible and christian theocratic ideas, never to judaism.
Before Europe acquired Christianity, it had a sh!t ton of it's own religions, many of which seem to have had features fully as horrific as anything the Middle East gave us. For example: Druidism, with its human sacrifice. Norse religion, with its Valhalla, the afterlife paradise only available to merciless warriors. Slavery was just as prevalent in Europe as anywhere else, no doubt fully endorsed by all the local religions.
So don't give us any bigoted narrative about European superiority. During the late middle ages, the Islamic world was a far more humane and enlightened realm than Christian Europe. And actually more secular as well.
Present day barbaric religious fundamentalism is a pan-global phenomenon, afflicting parts of southeast Asia in the form of Buddhism; India, in the form of Hinduism; and North and South America, in the form of Christianity; as well as a huge swath of Eurasia, in the form of Islam.
Christianity, by the way is not a purely Middle Eastern religious form. It is a hybrid between Judaism, Greek Platonism, and a widespread Eastern Mediterranean trend of mystery cults with personal savior gods. The character it has today was constructed principally in the Hellenistic and Roman world, and most specifically in Rome itself, which you may recall is part of Europe.
@@donnievance1942 *_"Before Europe acquired Christianity"_*
Europe was conquered by christianity, it didnt ask to aquire it.
*_"it had a sh!t ton of it's own religions, many of which seem to have had features fully as horrific as anything the Middle East gave us."_*
Some, yes. All, no. Yet christians instantly outlawed every other religion no matter what they did the moment they gained political power. Like they did in the middle east when they first rose to power. Christians instantly banned other religions, established a militia, burned down temples, executed priests and even killed children for "playing with pagan objects".
*_"For example: Druidism, with its human sacrifice."_*
As opposed to christians burrying their first born with their first house and executing alledged witches by burning them at the stake?
*_"Norse religion, with its Valhalla, the afterlife paradise only available to merciless warriors."_*
As opposed to the crusaders that burned down entire villages for not submitting?
*_"Slavery was just as prevalent in Europe as anywhere else, no doubt fully endorsed by all the local religions."_*
As opposed to by christianity that endorsed slavery for 1.700 years since its conception and still practises it in some cases in the US?
*_"So don't give us any bigoted narrative about European superiority."_*
Europe didnt get an upgrade with christianity. Europe is now filled with the best countries in the world when it comes to society health factors. Clearly europe evolved since the christian dark ages DESPITE christianity, not because of it.
*_"the Islamic world was a far more humane and enlightened realm than Christian Europe"_*
And then came islam and fucked things up. We see the same happening in the US, brazil and africa these days with christianity.
*_"Present day barbaric religious fundamentalism is a pan-global phenomenon, afflicting parts of southeast Asia in the form of Buddhism"_*
Where do you get this nonsense from?
*_"India, in the form of Hinduism; and North and South America, in the form of Christianity; as well as a huge swath of Eurasia, in the form of Islam."_*
Doesnt compare to europe where religious fundamentalism is a minority problem due to secularism kicking theocrats out.
*_"Christianity, by the way is not a purely Middle Eastern religious form."_*
Clearly it had its own evolution to remain relevant especially with the rise of newspapers and the internet to show people the many crimes of christianity that are still ongoing.
*_" The character it has today was constructed principally in the Hellenistic and Roman world, and most specifically in Rome itself, which you may recall is part of Europe."_*
Yeah... Rome and vatican are in europe therefor europe bad. This is such a moronic take.
I cant tell if thats supposed to be a diss at europe or a defense of christianity. Either way its just embarassingly ignorant and stupid.
@@donnievance1942
The Europe of that time was more religious, more violent and shittier.
I compared it to the modern Middle East.
Not the Middle East then.
Today's Europe is secular, therefore it is progressive.
Europe at that time was religious, and therefore bad.
The Middle East was (compared to Europe) more secular, and therefore better (again, compared to the worst situation in Europe)
The Middle East today is a religious shitshow.
By the way I'm from the Middle East
As you can perhaps see from my eastern surname: Farjun
As the parent of a transgender kid, I know of one clear consequence of the end of the Judeo-Christian God and Judeo-Christian values...no more hate campaigns against my kid. All by itself that's worth it to me.
How old is the kid? Don't get the wrong idea, i support adults doing what ever they want but as a parent i don't know how i'd feel if my kid wanted to transition. My kids have a hard time deciding if they like food that isn't mac n cheese. My oldest is a girl who has crazy mode swings (puberty) and loves us one moment and hates us the next. I can't imagine my kids being developed enough both physically and mentally to make that sort of choice.
@@jacoblee5796 I appreciate the question. Well, it wasn't a whim. It came up when he was a teen, and we were not pleased. Being good christians at the time, we of course resisted...for two years, lots of talking, therapy, discussions, and so on. It became very clear that this was not a whim and it was not going to change, so we had what I call an Abraham choice: sacrifice my kid to save my righteousness, or put aside my "righteousness" to save my kid. I was watching a previously cheerful and happy kid descend into depression. So I decided my kid was more important, and we allowed the transition therapy she (at that time) wanted. So my daughter became my son...and the depression ended, I got my kid back. That means more to me than every preacher alive and every verse they can preach at me.
I don't regret anything about that decision...ultimately, it is the kid's decision, it is their life to live. I'm not sure I could tell other parents what to do, but once it becomes clear it's not a whim, the parent(s) involved have a choice of priorities to make.
@@njhoepner Thank you for responding and not getting defensive. I’m not a Christian, an atheist actually so I could care less about that. I do see how coming from that world view though would make that hard choice even harder.
I suppose every kid is different, it just seems so permanent and life changing. Such a huge decision for someone so young to make.
@@jacoblee5796 It's a huge decision no matter the age. As for transition, some parts are permanent and some aren't, some people do the small things first. I don't think there can be a hard and fast rule - parents and children need to be open with each other. For my wife and I, once it was clear even to our stubborn heads that it was not a whim, the right decision became more obvious.
He gives away the game when he says you can't be too rich lol
In the '60's, my Harvard educated brother said that "PIG" (a reference to police) stood for "Protector of Interest Groups". Dennis is doing just that.
When there is no such thing as religion in the world, then we will see our true golden age.
The note about art cracks me up. There is some truly exceptional atheistic music out there. "Endless Forms Most Beautiful," Nightwish's 2015 album is a great example. Tribal off their most recent album is another fantastic piece of anti-religious music. Another great one is Epica's debut album. Their song "Cry for the Moon" is particularly excellent.
Also Pink Floyd, they’re atheists and they made some of the greatest and most influential music in rock history
@@enzoarayamorales7220 music by atheists and anti-theist music aren't the same thing.
Guy that failed at school thinks school is stupid… ok
Mad cause bad
'I don't care what religion you are. As long as it is Christianity a different kind of Christianity or Jewdisim.' Dennis Prager
Looking forward to the follow up!
I remember that the first time I heard the word secular in English (here in a YT video, about 10 years ago) I was confused about its meaning because in my homeland, Argentina (I’m an ex-Catholic), I had only heard the word being utilised to refer to clergymen that are not cloistered: secular clergy. I didn’t even know of other acceptations of the word because we use the word “laico” (lay) instead (and there’s also the word “seglar”, a synonym of secular). For me it was a word only used by religious people to name this specific type of clergy. But it seams to me that the word secular is being used more and more by Spanish speakers to also mean non-religious (“laico”) due to globalisation and influence from the English speaking world.
Laico has the same background. it originally referred to Christian believers who were not part of the clergy, who could be "called to serve" in absence of a priest. Christianity wasn't in a hurry to make up a word for non-religious people, because they were not supposed to survive long if they failed to convert.
@@revlarmilion9574 cool info!
@@revlarmilion9574 Indeed. Laico is anyone that has no clerical orders and also denotes that something is independent of any religious organisation or faith (estado laico/secular state; educación laica/secular education).
"Women were elevated in the west". Yes dennis but it was not the religious christian movement that elevated them , it was a secular movement.