A Love Letter To Exvangelicals
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- Опубліковано 15 вер 2024
- In this episode of Ask An Atheist, FFRF Director of Strategic Response Andrew L. Seidel talks to Thinking Atheist host Seth Andrews about the process of shaking off lifelong religious beliefs.
Learn more about the Freedom From Religion Foundation at ffrf.org.
My nephew and godson was brought up Lutheran. When it was time for him to be confirmed, he said no. When pressed, he said “I just don’t believe it. I’d like to believe it, but I just don’t. I don’t believe any of it.” I was so proud of him! I told him it took me 50 years to get to where he was. And good for him for escaping Confirmation! There is hope for the future!
As a former Lutheran (LCA, then ELCA), I cannot imagine being *allowed* to say no to confirmation. By my family. I saw a percentage not showing up to church (whole families) after their confirmations.
At the age of 13, I asked my parents if I could *not* be confirmed (in the Catholic faith), and they became angry and said, "you are getting confirmed or else!". I wish that I could have made that decision when I was older even though, by the age of 16, I was a non-believer. A thirteen year old is not old enough to make such a decision, and it should be a decision, not an order or custom. ~ Anastacia in Cleveland
I didn't have a choice. There was huge pressure on me to conform. I said words I didn't believe and vowed I'd never do it again.
My daughter never believed even though she went through the motions with the rest of the family. 25 years later, I joined her. One of the most agonizing shifts in thinking I could imagine but I am now happier than ever to be free to learn without an artificial restraint on what was approved and what was not. Thanks for posting.
The research on how to reach religious people and draw them out of religion is an integral part of reducing the influence of the truly awful Christian nationalists and Dominionists. Thanks for sharing that in this show.
Being a big reader as a kid with tons of curiosity about religions/cultures (along with the desire to know the real truth about how the world works), I started deconverting out of Christianity on my own at the age of about 10 years old. I grew up in a small town in the South. So, I kept my atheism under wraps until I was in college. I’ve always loved science. I believe that is why I was lucky enough to be able to apply critical thinking and evidence-based logic to my irrational beliefs in order to emerge out of that indoctrination into a more rational world.
The only time that I’ve ever second-guessed my atheism was when I was in my mid-20s. My father had just died and, for a few days, I wanted to believe so badly that he went to heaven and that I’d see him again someday. I call it my “crisis of logic” (kind of like when religious people say that they have a “crisis of faith”). In my grief, try as I might, I soon realized that I just couldn’t make myself believe it. It wasn’t rational. I’ve never questioned my atheism ever again.
My personal story and interior childhood scenario was identical to yours, but I had to deal with the pomp and ceremony of a culture based orthodox church. Funnily enough, I think it was the watching of The Wizard of Oz movie, for the first time as a small child of about six or seven at school in Australia 🇦🇺 that helped me to see through the "facade" of the church and what was behind "the curtains". The rest as they say is history... a never ending curiosity driven by the need to understand the truth of everything and make the world a better place by being as kind and courageous as possible. And, of course, once I started to seek and understand the truth about the history of ALL religions, then that whole house of cards built on the sands of control, power and influence, crumbles down fairly quickly.
So many people cling to that idea when someone they love dies, they go to heaven and that means they will be seen again in the future. What the atheist realizes is that yes, we miss them, but when we die, we won't care then anyway. Fade to black, no going back.
The title didn’t even mention Seth Andrews, what a pleasant surprise! Thank you gentlemen, love the discussion.
I agree Devin, it was a pleasant surprise to see Seth Andrews. In my case, I hadn't heard of Andrew Seidel before coming across this blog, and his stunning good looks enhanced the enjoyment of watching this intelligent conversation.
I remember hearing an audio version of this on *"The Thinking Atheist"* podcast. It was Seth Andrews talking to Andrew Seidel.
Great video! The indoctrination from childhood is hard to shake for most religious people
Haha. I totally misread the title and had a cynical reaction of “yes, thanks to evangelicals, more people are turning away from religion”.
I was indoctrinated into Fundmentalist Christianity (of the Pentecostal persuasion) since childhood. It without a doubt fuelled my anxiety, depression and low-self-esteem. I’ve always had lots of questions about god and the bible, but then doubting was a sin among a myriad of other sins! I started asking questions in earnest in my 40s and started looking for answers outside of Christianity and came across the likes of Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennet, Michael Schermer, Bart Erhman, Dan Barker, Annie Laurie Gaylor, Seth Andrews, Andrew Seidel, Matt Dillahunty, Tracy Harris, to name a few. They introduced me to the concept of Rational thinking - praise be to them!! praise be the Internet for making it possible to find the answers. I came out of the “closet” when I was 52. I’m 65 now. I’m really enjoying living in FREEDOM from religion, from going to church, from praying and reading the bible. My self-worth has sky-rocketed. I believe in myself. Actually I occasionally still do bible studies, but only with Matt Dillahunty!!
Are you single?
Deconverting definitely increases self worth!
I’m almost 60. Was raised Southern Baptist. I’ve recently been able to think about the doubts I’ve had all my life. It’s been terrifying but enlightening. The one thing I miss is community. So much so I think of joining a church to gain friends. But I can’t do that because I don’t want to be hypocritical. I have a long way to go but this type of thing really helps me in my deconstruction of my faith.
Religion should be treated with ridicule, and I claim that right.
Great to see the national spot on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert featuring Ron, Jr.
Agree completely with the points made in this very fine discussion.
Would add that Religionists struggle with the meaning of life. "My life has no meaning without God." The simple truth is hard: Each individual must find his/her own meaning and work toward that end. The time on this Earth is all we have.
I credit my lifelong atheism to my god believing parents, they spoke of “god” but in a deistic sense, I grew up respecting science, because I know what it has done for us as a species, it’s pure data that informs by beliefs about the nature of reality, and it’s easy to see how it really was the scientific method, and the philosophy of science that set fire to irrational cultural beliefs, I wish believers could keep their community and drop the moral failures that flood the dogma of our ancestors
Religion. I was steeped in it as a child, embraced it as a teen. Thought my way out as an adult. I had been a student, a teacher, a deacon, and a VP of a bible college.
It was Not easy to walk away; for me it had been more about belonging than believing. I met a lot of wonderful people, and many good things came my way as a result of my involvement (including my lovely wife of 61 years). But my closest friends from those years remained so. And for my new friends, my lack of faith is a nonissue.
A great conversation, making some great points. Let's have chats between Andrew and Seth more often.
Great conversation, Andrew and Seth. I could listen to the two of you talk for three hours over coffee.
Once you said velvety goodness I knew you were talking about Seth Andrews.
This is my first exposure to your channel. Great show! You can never go wrong with having Seth Andrews on as a guest.
History was always dry to me until one teacher told me to put myself in the place and time, and consider the entire experience, like not just seeing some battle somewhere but how I would have had to get there in the first place, realizing that there were no cars or airplanes, how slow news traveled, the fact that your food wasn't just kept fresh in a fridge, and what the differences were between cultures on either side and how their leaders came to their decisions... and when I did just that, history became so much more interesting, and fascinating. I still got a bad grade, because it relied way to heavily on dates and locations... but my teachers told me that I still had a much better grasp of it as a whole, than anyone who just answered the questions right but were completely detached from all that really counted: the human condition in action, and what not to do in order not to repeat the bad parts, and how to aim for all the good within to repeat it, and even improve it.
I have learned that trying to convert believers in religion with data and through reason doesn't work for the most part, and that you really have to give them an experience they can process emotionally. Hearing it is nowhere near as powerful as feeling it. On the other hand I still lean towards punching someone like Kent Hovind square in the face, and taking everything he owns is the only method that may work in his case, because he is doesn't have any feelings other than physical ones, but no emotion as far as I can tell, unless greed and selfishness are emotions.
Apropos of your first paragraph: I periodically take a moment to stop and appreciate how amazing the banal things in my life are. For example, tame lightning comes into my house so that I can have light and heat at any time of day or year. I paid for that privilege while standing in line for coffee on the other side of the world. (I was traveling at the time.) When I mentioned how amazing this was, I got blank stares and "Uh...welcome to the 1950s, if we count wire transfers." People don't recognize the incredible nature of modern existence.
Realizing my atheism during covid is an extremely lonely and isolated path. I would like to hear the experience of more women since most all the shows I find are always male dominated.
I hear you. I gave up my beliefs for good when I was stationed in Iceland at the naval base at Keflavik in 1980. I was the only female in my shop, and it was also lonely and isolated.
I deconstructed during the pandemic, too. I love listening to Tracie Harris from the Atheist Experience.
Atheist Experience, Talk Heathen, and The Line are progressively getting a more diverse group of hosts, and more and more regularly at least one of the hosts is a woman. You could check out their clips or streams.
I feel the same way!! Deconstruction during covid has been very lonely and frustrating. My boyfriend was always an atheist. My mom is in between. I agree more women need too support eachother. We can start with eachother. Seth Andrews has helped me soooo much. I've called in three times into his show. And it was so cathartic.
I have two innate traits, I am gay and I have generalized anxiety disorder. As to being gay, I did not so much lose the faith as I was driven away. With the GAD, my mind is always seeking for the non-existent outward source of the resident anxiety, and if someone is telling me blatant lies, that is where I focus the discomfort. So perhaps, I think, if not the one, then surely the other. I flatter myself saying it was my intellectual integrity, but whatever, it took too damned long.
I use the term "un-churched" instead of atheist when asked about my faith. They're both literally true, but me not not having received any religious education at least offers a layer of explanation on top of the implied non-belief. I get offers to "help" me catch up, but I'll just thank them and light-heartedly change the subject to something else of mutual interest, including religion if that's what they want to talk about. Few people ever press further, and if the conversation doesn't involve sermonizing or trying to convert me I'm all ears.
People debrief on another, they go into recovery from (Evangelical) Christianity. Some of the stories I've heard from Recovering Ex-Christians are mild to horrendous including sexual abuse, Religious trauma is a thing.
I just wish I’d have become an atheist a long time before I actually did. But I made it out so for that, I’m very happy!
If religious institutions keep influencing politics like they have been (and will continue to do so) they should pay taxes. Period.
“Make a difference in this life and in this world, because they’re the only ones that we get”.
as an exvengelical, it is completely true. you loose your community and everything you know. it is hard psychologically and emotionally and it took decades.
thus, the person is forced to grow and build new social connections.
but the freedom on the other side? priceless!
Noah Lugeons’ diatribe this week was on the same subject! I can’t tell you how grateful I am for the atheist community.
There is one part of the human development that (Conservative) religion stunts greatly, and it's the emotional development, the ability to connect, understand and empathize with other human beings, especially with those outside of your bubble.
Sheltered environment, lack of exposure to the outside world, strict control of access to information -- books, movies, social media -- all of it greatly reduces the chances of growing up as a well adjusted, emotionally mature human being.
I'm somewhere in between former Christian and life-long atheist. There wasn't really any emphasis on religion, my sister described our family's religion as "non-church goers." I didn't get much indocriination, some vacation bible school, and very sporadic church attendance. In the first 5 1/2 decades of my life, I could probably count the number of times I'd attended a church services on my fingers. I took it for granted that I held some kind of belief in God, Jesus, and the Bible. I had some familiarity with Christian doctrine and the popular Bible stories..
Around the age of 55, I felt that I should start taking my spiritual life more seriously. I figured that reading the Bible would be a good starting point, but apparenlty, I didn't do it right because I was astounded by all the contradictions and inconsistencies I found, and how much the Bible did not line up with the reality, I'd experienced and observed. Later one, I took up yoga and investigated Eastern spiritual thought, and I found that much of it aligned better with my relationship with reality. I found that while I was able to adapt many of these ideas into my life, I didn't fully belief it either.
Eventually, I came to the conclusion that I was an atheist, and probably always had been. My presumption of faith was mistaken. In the last couple of years, I've gotten involved in a fledgling church through my wife and her friends. I have a connection to that community and support them, even if I don'[t share their beliefs. I attend regularly but I find myself questioning the sermons, and it has actually strengthened my non-belief.
It still astonishes me that anyone could read the (whole) bible and still believe in god. Throughout history churches have tried to keep the lay people from reading it, and even now you get bible study groups that only look at the particular passages they want to focus on.
I was lucky to also be brought up in a very non-religious way, despite singing in a church choir from age 5-13, and by age 14 had rejected all church attendance and supposition that there was anything behind it except a desire to squeeze money out of willing fools.
Thank you both for your work.
Two of my favorites!
IMHO a lot of good advice in this. Thank you gentlemen
I'm not only a former evangelical Christian, I'm a former minister. My devolution from the "faith" was a very long, slow process. I began to become more "liberalized" way back in seminary college, as I studied not only the bible but theology and world religions. I started to preach and teach with tongue-in-cheek, interpreting my own words symbolically and metaphorically, but as I continued to move further into reason and logic and away from conservative Christian doctrine, I found it impossible to keep up the facade. I didn't quit, I was kicked out for "teaching liberal, heretical doctrine", and even my wife didn't support me, leading to a divorce. I ended up joining a liberal branch of the same denomination, but soon found that even that didn't satisfy my new freethought worldview. I finally ended up in the Unitarian-Universalist denomination and was fully accepted, of course, but eventually found that I had issues with certain aspects, which I won't go into. I'm still loosely connected, but I no longer identify as a UU. So now I'm 100% atheistic, though I still generally identify as a "freethinker", only because it's a broader and more inclusive "label". That's not terribly important, of course: materialist, naturalist, secularist, humanist, atheist, rationalist, freethinker... It's all essentially the same, no matter how one chooses to identify by name.
Your video title gave me *the feels* as the young would say. FFRF is doing good work for humanity's sake not only to survive but to thrive while alive! (Hey that was catchy lol)
Good work yet again. Be well!
Always love hearing from you two.
What does a world without religion look like? It looks exactly like it does now, only with one less thing to fight about. And this is the problem - secular humanism doesn't offer a utopia, it just offers acceptance of reality. Religion offers a denial of reality, which is the source of its power as community. This is why secular humanist communities are no replacement for religious communities. This is also why we should be wary of becoming allies with religious groups merely for political expediency. I don't know that we will defeat nationalism by accepting Christianity.
Thank you so much as always. What you do is so validating to my experiences deconverting in my highly religious community :)
35 years ago I left the catholic church. Had issues dealing with the church and my sexuality. since then i have questioned how true was all that was taught in catholic school for 12 years. so i have lived since then doubting all of it and yet i have no desire to talk my brother into not believing. he is an evangelical now who is the nicest person you could meet. i love him. so i choose to live and let live. anyway. love your stuff. keep it up. thank you!
Evangelists arrange the letters a little differently and you get (Evil's agents)
Very clever anagram.
Great show. Many thanks to everyone.
Thank you. It was really hard to deconstruct. I was born into Mormanism. Stopped going to church in my early twenties and still afraid not to believe for years. Finally able to let go of it completely. First I let go of God and then easier transition to let go of Satan and Hell.
Great commentary Andrew and Seth. I appreciate you guys!
To the question of the source of our emotions, that they come from our limbic brains: emotions and their degree are Results too, of culture, nurture, habit, behavior as well as nature. Changing them is a mighty task and part of the deconversion project.
Deconverting was a long process.Just naturally occurring through efforts to understand the creator our origins and our destiny.Beliefs turn to understanding . Some have a hunger to understand and others don't. Through the freedom of religion we became free enough to explore and question the foundation of our beliefs and grow in understanding
Substitute the words “lesbian” or “gay man” for “atheist” and you have the gay rights movement in the 70s. Don’t be too open right away; let people get to know you first. Good advice, but one needs to be ready to stand whole.
Religious Trauma Syndrome
- this pretty much describes my experience being brought up steeped in the evangelical religion
This, and all similar talks you have on this channel, would be great as a podcast.
It's completely hard to totally remove the shackles of the abusive relationship that is the Christian Faith. I renounced my faith 10 years ago. I still find myself thinking about heaven and hell. When I first gave up my faith I wept and grieved for a long time because it was hard because I felt that I was fooled, misled, and taken advantage of/gaslit. It was like being in an abusive relationship except y'know, you're in a relationship with someone who doesn't really exist. Sh*t's crazy, man.
I was just thinking about taxing the churches. There are huge unfunded pensions in local, state, and federal gov. One of the things they can do is simply say "what do you want, your full pensions or churches not paying taxes? we don't have the money to pay your full pension and we can't raise taxes to pay for it". Religion for years has been making crazy profits and not paying any taxes.
Religion is for most, a social club. Convince people they don't need the religious aspect & it more or less goes away.
The truth does set us free!
I think Andrew makes an important point about having fun at the bar mitzvah. As a teenager I went to church with a lot of friends, and the churches with active youth groups stand out in my memory. We went to amusement parks, the Smokey Mountains, had game nights, etc - all with a hefty side dose of indoctrination. Building that camaraderie works. I almost joined one of them.
Many believers claim that religion isn't cultural, yet churches draw people in and keep them by using culture in just this way. By the time members reach adulthood, it's part of their routine to go to church on Wednesday night and Sunday and join the social groups and activities.
The LDS church has this methodology perfected. Fill up people's calendars, remind them of the alternative (the Big Eternal Outer Darkness), and keep them away from other influences. Leaving then becomes unthinkable for many people.
I love *"The Thinking Atheist".* I listen once a week, sometimes once a month, depending on what else I've been listening to that month. I wish I had *The Thinking Atheist* and *Freedom From Religion Foundation* when I was growing up. I was always skeptical of all I was taught in Bible School and in the Bible. And even as an adult when I was attending church.
Reductive to say that "religion is an idea" when it is also often a set of experiences related to purported invisible beings and worlds. Whether mental illness or not, there is a difference between accepting a proposition or subscribing to dogma that God exists and believing that God actively speaks to you or leads you to open parking spaces. Virtually every believer I have known imagines that God is personally present and speaking clearly, and a good many see things, too, not just feel or hear. That aspect of religion is much more than "an idea".
I didn't grow up in an Evangelical Christian household. I did, however, and still do, have Christian family members. I have an aunt who would have my head on a platter if she knew I was an Atheist, that I'd long ago rejected the notion of God and of Jesus Christ as being anyone's *"lord and saviour".* She used to tell me growing up that I was born a *"sinner",* that I was *"born of Adam and Eve" (supposedly the first human born on Earth),* that unless I *"repent and come to know Jesus Christ",* that I was going to *"burn in Hell".* I never bought it. I would just laugh it off, and say things like *"Yeah, right! Prove it!"*
I love Seth Andrews!
Do you ever think that evangelicals are taught to proselytize in such a directly abusive way so that normal people with a decent degree of self-worth will push back against them, as you should to such behavior, and then they can think those people are evil.
Two incredibly intelligent people. Great discussion.
Who better than Seth Andrews to have on this show?
The public needs your help doing something about duopoly problems, instead of using the right business management for the working class !
you gotta love the andrews
"Selling fear" -- Nailed that one.
Considering hell, you're far better situated as an Atheist if there's _is_ a God. No, you have very little to worry about. But those who've placed their bet on a specific religion _should._ If an Atheist can live a good moral life without a god, and his only excuse for not believing is "I didn't believe in you, _not because I didn't want to,_ but because every reason given, was unsolid an disprovable," I think that'll work with _any_ religion, contrary to someone who've chosen one specific. Doing moral deeds because god's watching you, how moral actually _is it?_ - Doing good deeds when you're on national TV to earn points, aren't moral. Doing good when not _is._ I think any _sane_ god will agree on that, and will also agree to the argument for not believing is solid enough, as it's not about hatred or anger, nor about being stubborn - _or believing in other gods._
Interesting that many Christians don't know their Bible well enough. They think they have a total free pass if they just believe, but Jesus himself said "The gates of heaven are narrow. Work hard to get in..."
Pity manmade origins is so hard for most to grasp. Even as a child l rejected these notions . Lying is not new, it,s always been a control mechanism, you do it to children in a subtle way.
The four type of brainwashing,
Parental, educational, religious, commercial.
A rushed show😄 atheist is spelled wrong in the description...no link to your article...and you and Seth need links to each other's channels and books...
But Seidel and Andrews are always a great listen...
Question...where do freethinkers meet in Indiana ( aka MAGAstan )???
I am 76 years old and I had to go to church and summer church school. I just could not believe. It doesn't make any sense.
Like yourself.
I never could believe what was being taught.
Many of the scriptures quoted. Didn't match the meanings given in the bible.
The Book of Malachi is a good example.
The Book tells of corrupt holy people. Using the church to steal from the people, and slave labor.
It tells of the day when nobody will be in the isles of the churches and temples. Once people can worship of their own.
*Preachers say this is an order to tithe ten percent of all you own.*
Not What The Holy Bible Says!
For most people I am an out atheist, but with family not so much. I really don't know how to go their with them. One sibling is a pastor's wife, the rest are "go to Mass early to pray the Rosery" kind of Catholics.
oops. I used the wrong word, I should have typed "there" instead of their. I don't want the grammar police to get me. :)
Can't wait, this is going to be good!
102 thumbs up at this point. 1 thumb down. Something's telling me that the hands behind that thumb are praying for us all now.
The community thing is HUGE. I get in in very small doses as an Ex-vangelical. But nothing like the fully systematic version you find in a good church. I think I'm used to standing alone (or against the tide) for various reasons, but a lot of people are really not built that way. "Finding your tribe" after belief is definitely not easy especially for people who come out of this at an older age.
My grandchildren are 20 and 21 and working to go to college. Completely indoctrinated and unquestioning. I don't hope much hope for them ever questioning, or giving themselves permission to not conform.
Any sites like this in Spanish that you would recommend?
I'm looking for a channel who is willing to interview me or just chat. I have a compelling story to share. My entire family is pentocostal.
Have you tried one of the UA-cam atheist/skeptic call-in shows? I like Truth Wanted (live on Fridays) and Skeptic Generation (live on Sunday mornings).
The host of Truth Wanted ("Objectively Dan") grew up in a charismatic fundamentalist faith. He's very nice with callers and I'm sure the channel followers would enjoy hearing your story. I would :)
Sacred Cows is AWESOME. Get it, NOW !
Organized religion is detrimental to the freedom of religion as well as promotes unquestioning obedience to the authority of the state - James Madison
Amazing, atheism FTW
To religious people who believe in the *fictional* Abrahamic god YHWH/Yahweh/Jehovah/Allah, please learn his origins. He was originally a lesser god in the Canaanite pantheon and son of the chief Canaanite god El.
Yes, the *fictional* god of the Israelites and Christians is the same *fictional* god of the Muslims as well - the Abrahamic god.
------------------‐-----------------------------------------------
*Although the biblical narratives depict Yahweh as the sole creator god, lord of the universe, and god of the Israelites especially, initially he seems to have been Canaanite in origin and subordinate to the supreme god El.* Canaanite inscriptions mention a lesser god Yahweh and even the biblical Book of Deuteronomy stipulates that *“the Most High, El,* gave to the nations their inheritance” and that “Yahweh's portion is his people, Jacob and his allotted heritage” (32:8-9). A passage like this reflects the early beliefs of the Canaanites and Israelites in polytheism or, more accurately, henotheism (the belief in many gods with a focus on a single supreme deity). *The claim that Israel always only acknowledged one god is a later belief cast back on the early days of Israel's development in Canaan.*
*It is generally accepted in the modern day, however, that Yahweh originated in southern Canaan as a lesser god in the Canaanite pantheon* and the Shasu, as nomads, most likely acquired their worship of him during their time in the Levant.
*Yahweh in the Canaanite Pantheon*
The biblical narrative, however, is not as straightforward as it may seem as it also includes reference to the Canaanite god El whose name is directly referenced in `Israel' (He Who Struggles with God or He Who Perseveres with God). *El was the chief deity of the Canaanite pantheon and the god who, according to the Bible, gave Yahweh authority over the Israelites:*
When the *Most High [El]* gave to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of men, he fixed the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the Sons of God. For Yahweh's portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage. (Deuteronomy 32:8-9, Masoretic Text).
The Canaanites, like all ancient civilizations, worshipped many gods but chief among them was the sky-god El. *In this passage from Deuteronomy, El gives each of the gods authority over a segment of the people of earth and Yahweh is assigned to the Israelites who, in time, will make him their supreme and only deity; but it is clear he existed beforehand as a lesser Canaanite god.*
Yahweh, according to Amzallag, was transformed from one god among many to the supreme deity by the Israelites in the Iron Age (c.1200-930 BCE) when iron replaced bronze and the copper smelters, whose craft was seen as a kind of transformative magic, lost their unique status. *In this new age, the Israelites in Canaan sought to distance themselves from their neighbors in order to consolidate political and military strength and so elevated Yahweh above El as the supreme being and claimed him as their own.* His association with the forge, and with imagery of fire, smoke, and smiting, worked as well in describing a god of storms and war and so Yahweh's character changed from a deity of transformation to one of conquest.
*As the Israelites developed their community in Canaan, they sought to distance themselves from their neighbors and, as noted, elevated Yahweh above the traditional Canaanite supreme deity El.* They did not, however, embrace monotheism at this time. The Israelites remained a henotheistic people through the time of the Judges, which predates the rise of the monarchy, and throughout the time of the Kingdom of Israel (c.1080-c. 722).
Google *"Yahweh - **WorldHistory.Org.**"*
Watch Dr Christine Hayes at Yale University. Watch lecture 7 from 30:00 minutes onwards and lecture 8 from 12:00 to 19:00 minutes.
Google *"Jews and Arabs Descended from Canaanites - Biblical Archaeology Society."*
Google *"Canaanite Religion - New World Encyclopaedia."*
Google *"Canaanite Religion - **Realhistoryww.com**"*
Google *"Canaanite Phoenician Origin of the God of the Israelites."*
Google *"God's Wife Edited Out of the Bible - Almost."*
Google *"Yahweh's Divorce from the Goddess Asherah in the Garden of Eden - Mythology Matters."*
Google *"Married Deities: Asherah and Yahweh in Early Israelite Religion - Yahweh Elohim."*
Google *"How the Jews Invented God and Made Him Great- Archaeology - Haaretz."*
Google *"The Boundaries of the Nations - Yahweh Elohim."*
Google *"How Did the Bible’s Editors Conceal Evidence of Israelite Polytheism - Evolution of God by Robert Wright."*
Google *"Biblical Contradiction #3: Which God is the Creator of the Heavens and Earth: Yahweh or El?"*
Google *"Biblical Contradiction #27. Are Yahweh and El the Same God or Not?"*
Mark Smith: *"Yahweh as El’s Son & Yahweh's Ascendancy - Lehi's Library."*
Google *"Quartz Hill School of Theology - B425 Ugarit and the Bible."*
Google *"The Origins of Yahweh and the Revived Kenite Hypothesis - Is That in the Bible?"*
Google *"Yahweh, god of metallurgy - Fewer Lacunae."*
Google *"Polytheistic Roots of Israelite Religion - Fewer Lacunae."*
Google *"Religious Studies: El, Yahweh and the Development of Monotheism in Ancient Israel."*
Google *"Decoupling YHWH and El - Daniel O. McClellan."*
Google *"Yhwh, God of Edom - Daniel O. McClellan."*
Google *"The Most Heiser: Yahweh and Elyon in Psalm 82 and Deuteronomy 32 - Religion at the Margins"* based on the *majority scholarly consensus.*
“They got to know me first”… I love Seth Andrew’s & Andrew Seidel and I’d love to share some of the more benign videos with religious friends & family just to help them get to know y’all but the word “atheist” or freedom FROM religion in the title of the video would be a huge STOP sign for them and they’d never look at it. As an atheist I easily found y’all and wanted to listen to literally every word because I already don’t believe. I wish there was a cache of atheist-produced videos of about random stuff where the viewer doesn’t find out that the host is an atheist until the viewer gets to know them. People like David Avocado Wolfe use that tactic to spread woo-filled bullshit by sharing benign cute memes and it leads people to search out their bullshit agenda. I think the same plan could work for helping religious people change their bias against atheists and atheism if it could be introduced without triggering words that set off alarms in their heads and shut down their brains and send them spiraling into protect mode.
I do realize that Anthony Magnabosco sort of fill this need but he’s mostly featuring conversations with others and asking them questions. Street epistemology is awesome but his format doesn’t let us get to know Anthony and see what a great person he is unless you watch a ton of his videos…
I am like number 666. Yaaay