i love how you be picking and choosing crazy TikTok stories to back up your atheism. Just cause you got the Holy Spirit don’t mean you’re gonna suddenly be living some perfect moral life. Ain’t no such thing as perfection except for God. So I don’t know where you got the idea that once you got the Holy Spirit, you’re gonna be a brand new person with no struggles
@@Nobullshit-47 lol from these videos! of which there are thousands, and from every christian testimony i have ever heard. Also, not cherry picking when its constant and contagious. This video had 3.5 million likes from all the other "not real christians" i guess. and then of course the verses that actually say as much like 1 John 3:6 and 1 John 3:9
@@MindShift-Brandon When you follow the Bible and throw yourself into the public (opposite of Bible suggestions) than you are open season. Also, you don't knock HER, you go against the hypocrisy.
@@Nobullshit-47 The "new creation" described in the Bible. The arrows that point to the fact when you are filled with the spirit that you are to produce the FRIUTS....
@@MindShift-Brandon yeah it's true that a lot of people find real strength and motivation from Christian stories and messages. Likethat 3.5 million likes? That’s a sign these stories hit deep for a lot of folks. As for those verses you brought up, 1 John 3:6 and 1 John 3:9, they’re all about how faith can really change you and how you gotta aim to live right. But let's keep it real - everyone’s on their own path Perfection's the goal, but we all mess up. Christianity isn’t about being perfect, it’s about asking for forgiveness, growing your faith, and lifting each other up
I went from not smoking and not drinking when being a Christian, to not smoking and not drinking after I left Christianity. Never knew I was supposed to start doing that. lol.
I’ve heard countless testimonies from people claiming they got jobs after fasting and praying, or after a pastor prayed for them. Inspired by these stories, I fasted for days, prayed intensely, and submitted prayer requests both online and in church, hoping for a breakthrough. But no new job came, and none of the things I prayed for materialized. For a long time, I wondered if I was doing something wrong-why wasn’t God answering my prayers? One day, after a church service, I decided to talk to some of the people who had shared their testimonies. I wanted to hear the full story, from beginning to end. That’s when I realized that some of these stories weren’t what they seemed. The person who got a new position at work had already been selected for it. Another person who claimed her student loan was miraculously canceled hadn’t been entirely truthful-the government had offered the same relief to anyone who had been paying back their student loans for over five years. This experience made me see that not everything is as simple as it appears in these testimonials.
Good on you to fact check these stories. Everyone who ever claims a prayer answered its always a mandane thing that happens everyday to anyone. I'm still waiting to see someone grow a limb, not someone claiming they have to pain after being prayed for, and thr pain returning when all the adrenaline is back to its base level minutes after the prayer euphoria.
I did pretty much the same thing. Only in my case I didn't have my birth certificate because apparently when I was born, the hospital never gave it to either of my parents. Ironically it was a Catholic hospital. Go figure. Fortunately I did receive my SSN, so I was good there. During my high school years and after, I continued praying for it so I could get a job to have income to get my life started and it never happened. It wasn't until about 9 years ago that I realized none of that was going to happen unless I did something about it. A few weeks of jumping through hoops and I finally received it. Took a bit long to get off my lazy butt and get a job, but I have one now and I'm doing pretty good so far.
The thing that Cassie's current and previous life have most in common is a powerful desire to avoid difficult, honest self-reflection. In her former life she used drugs and partying to avoid having to look at herself and take responsibility for who she was, and now she uses Jesus to accomplish the same thing.
@@MindShift-BrandonSwapping addictions is an addict thing. Conversions happen because people look. Some just look for truth and others just look for something specific. I started actually follow God because he ruined my plan. I was born with hyper empathy and we don't care much for ourselves so unlike you for example i go with what is true. Does not matter if I like it or don't like it. When I didn't know God exists(I never was an atheist because that is just human ego nonsense. ) I had a plan to go a certain way. I could be doing the wrong thing but i did not care because it would affect only me. I did not know so leap of faith basically. God ruined it before i got to that point. I won't outlive God so my plan is out.
I was a devout christian Baptist through my teens and 20s. Especially in my teens, the Sunday School teachers and preachers constantly accused us of being tempted to smoke, drink, use drugs, listen to pop music, grow long hair, dress indecently, etc., and that the only way we could save ourselves from such temptations was to put our faith and trust in the lord. Part of this was that the Sunday School teachers and preachers were constantly ridiculing and condemning Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and other pop entertainment celebrities, and that god could save us from the temptations that they posed. (They never condemned or ridiculed Lawrence Welk or Ray Conniff or the local classical symphony orchestra). I was offended even then that the Sunday School teachers and preachers did not first ask us if we were, in fact, tempted by such things--they simply assumed we were. The funny thing was that I never had any desire whatsoever to smoke, drink, use drugs, or dress indecently, never grew long hair (what is wrong with that anyway--Jesus had long hair?), and had only minimal interest in Elvis, the Beatles, or pop entertainment. Now, having been an atheist/agnostic for more than 40 years, I still have no desire whatsoever to smoke, drink, use drugs, or dress indecently, grow long hair, and I have only minimal interest in Elvis, the Beatles, and pop entertainment in general. And my standards of morality only improved in going from christianity to atheism/agnosticism in that I have much greater empathy for people and no long feel a need to judge them.
Isn't it amazing how you far less negatively judge people after you lose faith. I don't see one culture or language as superior to another now. We just evolved in different directions. Nothing wrong with that. It's not the pigs fault it was born a pig, or it was born at all. Sure a pig is less intelligent than me, but that's not its fault. And it still has hopes and desires and wants a relatively happy life. I have a pet pig and I love her. I respect her as a fellow living creature. I'm no better than her, she is no better than me. We are just fellow living creatures who evolved in different directions.
If you follow atheism to its absolute logical conclusion you'd be a nihilist , but you act like it's the answer yet still not follow it to it's absolute conclusions , you half butt atheism and steal from theism to try to make sense of your life and act like it can have meaning from an atheistic belief system , delulu
Actually, the Bible does say to judge and correct, but just not hypocritically or superficially. And Jesus has harshly judged the Pharisees and Saduccees for their hypocrisy.
It's Dumbo's magic feather again. You think you need to hold onto some magical thing to succeed. You don't realize you had the power within yourself all along.
Christianity’s marketing of the Messiah is a masterpiece of religious branding. They’ve turned a humble carpenter from Nazareth into the world’s first 'life coach,' offering salvation as a subscription service.
Someone telling someone else what that someone else thinks is the highest form of arrogance. Christians telling me what I actually believe is a conversation ender for me.
Or its just a way of people trying to grapple with different thoughts from people they disagree with? Who knows how in-depth their thoughts can be? They want to reach as far as they can, and see if they're right about them.
@@randomdude5950 I get that. I wouldn't just end the conversation immediately but would recognize that I'd rather end the conversation than be told what I think. I'd call them out on it first and see where that takes us.
I recently became an atheist when I started watching your channel, digital Hammurabi, mythvision and others. The biggest knock to my faith was reading God An Anatomy when I realized it was all mythology written by men to try and make sense of their world 🌎. Like you, I spent hours begging and pleading for god to change me and take the gay away. My church sent me to conversion therapy, which ended up causing me severe trauma. God never took my gay away. The verses about ask and you shall receive are lies. I was a faithful spirit spirit-filled Christian who prayed constantly in tongues because it said pray without ceasing. Once I became an atheist I felt more free than I had being a Christian I was no longer bound by guilt and I am more moral now than I was before
Sorry you suffered that. Churches in the USA seem particularly adept at telling us we're broken, and only Jeebus can healus. Of course we aren't broken, and Jeebus won't heal anything, but in the meantime the god-botherers have made their $$$s, and don;t care what damage they caused along the way.
I watched the author of that book do a 2 hour interview about her book and the insight made me realize how much humans apply their social relationships to everything to make sense of it. It was brilliant! I still need to order it.
Well, I'm 56 years old and I've now been "without Jesus" for...ooh, 56 years, and I've had a perfectly lovely life, in the main. I've done more than my fair share of hedonistic stuff, enjoyed every last minute of it, and never had a significant negative impact on my life. Still with the same woman I met when I was 19, and I love her more every day. And as far as I can tell from the quoted video, being "with Jesus" entails wearing dodgy clothes and going skiing, neither of which I fancy much, so I'll stick to my godlessness, ta.
Your point in the "inconsistency" chapter about radio silence is what I JUST had a conversation about yesterday. 30 years of ask, seek, knock, and adherence, but nothing but SILENCE
@@areuaware6842if being an atheist didn't attract views and subscribers, but being a Christian did, the guy running this channel would be trying to convert you all to Christianity 😂
I used to drink, sleep around and take drugs back when i was a believer, why? Because i believed that as long as i believed all my sin would be washed away. Now that I'm no longer a believer I know that there is no god to forgive me, and so i am responsible for my own life and actions Edit: I love the christian comments so much lmao: "You just need to ask God", or "you just don't understand".
No God to forgive you? No moral law? No 'right and wrong'? Know this: if you die in you amorality, you will live with amoral people for all eternity. Heaven is real, but so is hell. Christ died on a Cross so that you may know Him - just by asking! Jesus Christ is the light of the world.
One time I heard the classic sermon about some drug-addicted woman (2nd or 3rd hand) who hated everyone and then came to a revival meeting and was changed, and all the stereotypical stuff about a new life. I was initially conflicted on hearing that sermon as a non-believer, because it was a genuinely good thing that she turned her life around, but something was bugging me about it. It took me a while to put my finger on exactly what it was. I finally realized that while a story of a changed life is a good thing, it had come under the weight of a proof story. The people in the audience didn't give me any indication that they cared about her as a person, they were just using her traumatic story for their own confirmation for the belief system. It's a tricky line because we should be genuinely happy for her and any person who manages to change their life, but we should not be using those stories of others to sell something or some ideology. We should want her to be better whether it was through Christianity or not.
This bugs me every homily as well. I started to notice a pattern. Here's some life story, then boom, insert some life-changing factor, and they double down to saying that faith = good. But at the end of the day, it is actually the self-reflection and the change you do to yourself that makes you a better person. Once you acknowledge and work through your issues, you will eventually cross the other side, alive. The universe is a big gamble, but you don't have to suffer just because you have a bad hand. You can turn it around, into something creative or whatever makes you happy, but also healthy.
@ Yeah, I think that's a better mindset, that life might deal a bad hand but we can change that with self reflection. Sometimes there are no easy answers, but that doesn't mean to stop trying.
1000% right on. Moreover, that attitude of those Christians (extolling the narrative but not caring about the actual person) reveals volumes about the actual "transformative work of the Spirit" within them. That's a red flag not only about them but also about the real-life impact of their ideology.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. One thing I have learned in the last few years is that everything comes down to money. The more money you have the more god loves you.
Yes, that was exactly the conclusion of Max Weber's "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism" and the belief system of the Puritans who helped spearhead European settlement of the U.S. (and displacement of the First Nation peoples). Woo-hoo.
True followers of Christ would never say they are morally superior. All humans fall short of perfection, hence the phrase “I’m only human”. Jesus lived here on Earth to lead by example of how we should live our lives. Forgiveness, love and empathy, humility. We’ve all made mistakes but human pride doesn’t allow for people to admit their wrongdoings. We are not here my chance or mistake, God put you here for a reason. No matter how far you are from the Lord, if you have an honest open heart to encounter him, it will happen. We don’t live for human approval anymore. God bless ❤️
Im grateful your exposing the hypocrisy in christianity. It needs to be exposed. And I love how you explain your not being a jerk about it. Yet being honest in holding them accountable for what they are doing. Love ya brother 🤟🏼
I lived the life of the perfect Christian for decades , all the while suffering from severe depression and anxiety. No amount of praying helped, but shockingly what did eventually cure me was therapy and my deconstruction. And turns out I didn’t even have to do any sinning to start enjoying life, just let go of the toxic shame that Christianity instilled in me.
Exactly right indeed. The problem stems from the Bible - for example, Jeremiah 17:9 (“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick”), Isaiah 64:6 (“all our righteous acts are like filthy rags”), Job 42:5-6 (“I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees thee; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes”), Romans 7:24 (“Wretched person that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?”), or Revelation 3:17 (“For you say, ‘I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.’ You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked”). Anyone who reads the Bible and takes it to heart (or who sits under preachers who do) is going to be immersed in toxic shame, guilt, and fear - all false. It took me years to realize that little children, at least, need to be shielded from that toxic narrative. "Freedom of religion" should not, in a civilized society, be extended to "freedom of religion to abuse people." That's merely abuse, plain and simple.
Same. I’ve found that in Christianity the fear of giving freedom stems from thinking that all of us will choose drugs, drinking etc …. Religious or not, my choices are still the same.
so from what I’ve picked up from talking to Christians, some of them say when they get the Holy Spirit, they feel mad powerful and confident, like something's different. But then, after a day or two, they’re back to being the same old person they were before. I asked them how they know for sure that what they felt was the Holy Spirit but they didn’t have an answer.
I remember when I was a young Christian, I heard many similar testimonies from various people in the church, on mission trips, etc. It made me feel ashamed I didn't have such a wonderful testimony. I grew up in the church and never had any interest in drugs, drinking, sex, smoking, sex, etc. I never went down that path. And growing up I was assured if I ever strayed from God, my life would turn to turmoil and I'd try to fill the "God shaped hole" in my heart with those things she depicted in her life before conversion. But here I am... a few years realizing I'm now an atheist, and I still live the same, boring life. If anything, it helped give me more empathy and a willingness to learn and grow as a person more so than when I was a believer. But now I have the added bonus of people telling me I just want to "sin." I wonder what sins they think I do... I'm asexual and not interested in sex. Haven't tried alcohol worth continuing to drink. Never been interested in those other things. The only thing that may have changed since leaving is I no longer think cussing is bad. That would be a stupid reason to abandon the one religion I knew the best and followed the most, though. And like you, I sought for years to hear from God, to help guide my life, and he never showed up. I thought he was a "lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path," but I guess I'm just not worthy enough of hearing from him like this lady supposedly was.
About "God's radio silence"--this seems to be such a common experience for Catholic mystics and saints that they created a whole genre of literature about it called "the Dark Night of the Soul." If I recall correctly, it was the fifteenth century Spanish mystic monk St. John of the Cross who first used the term in one of his books. His contemporary, St. Teresa of Avila, who was also a mystic, also wrote about going through periods of spiritual dryness and emptiness. It seems to be a paradox that the closer you want to come to God, the more he hides himself, at least according to saints and mystics; in fact, this is a necessary part of a person's spiritual journey and a positive thing. It is actually a sign you are on the right path. We've been through it, they wrote, and you can get through it as well. Here are the tools you will need. So the Catholic Church actually acknowledges that there is such a thing as "God's radio silence", and stresses it is not because the believer has failed in any way. God, for his mysterious reasons, has simply chosen to withdraw himself from the believer for a time. In contrast the Protestant world, especially the Evangelicals, does not seem to have such a concept, so when a believer starts experiencing these feelings, they have no tools for dealing with them, except to blame themselves or others when those others express those feelings. Of course this whole idea of the "dark night" or "God's radio silence" has its own set of problems, but I find this difference in approach quite interesting.
I didn't realize how it was encoraged to exaggerate your testimony in churches until I had gone over seas on a missions trip and our leaders embellished the things we were doing so much that it didn't even seem real, just so people would give us more money. Yet they try to say we must be authentic.
Something I try to tell people is that there were millions of Israelites in the old testament, and God chose a handful of them. The rest were “grunts”. It’s hard for some people to swallow if they’re told, I’m a grunts, and you probably are too.
I've seen a few of these and notice that with many, in the after clips the person has the same superficial, narcissistic look sometimes even more smug.
One doesn't need to believe in imaginary Jewish gods to get one's life together in order to stop drinking, stop being materialistic, and stop being sexually loose.
@@eigelgregossweisse9563 Realize that what they do affects them negatively, and decide to try and fight it. Remember that things like excessive drinking, sleeping around, materialism, etc., aren't one of those "because God said so" bad things, they actually have negative consequences. Addiction, liver cirrhosis and risk of doing something you wish you didn't. STDs, unplanned pregnancy and difficulty committing to a healthy, long-term relationship. Not fulfilling one's emotional needs. Why does one need a God to notice that they're unhappy and/or ruining their life?
Haven't watched tons of your videos yet but......sooooooo good. The radio silence of God is so true......yet you have people like my mom who hear from Him on the regular. I hate that she says I'm deceived. ( i started deconstructing in April).
When I became Agnostic (am an atheist now) I noticed religious people thank their God for everything even if the deed was done by humans. I was oblivious about it until I got out of my bubble.
There's also this two way dehumanization : they dehumanize the people/culture of having fun, being in community in ways not centered around the church, etc, and also cut themselves off from humanity and human interaction/culture in the name of "holiness"
Yes, that's what they're taught to do because the Bible sez humanization is bad - for example, Jeremiah 17:9 (“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick”), Isaiah 64:6 (“all our righteous acts are like filthy rags”), Job 42:5-6 (“I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees thee; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes”), Romans 7:24 (“Wretched person that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?”), or Revelation 3:17 (“For you say, ‘I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.’ You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked”). It all comes from the book.
@@tiburd7It does not come just from book I have witnessed this by staying in God’s presence. He was just too Holy for me to even compare and it humbled me greatly and strike unimaginable fears however it led me to ttue repentance
Everything said is so true. To be honest, Iraq was my turning point. The people there had as much conviction in their religion as everyone else, if not more, so than people I know. At that point, I thought they all couldn't be right. If that's so, they're all wrong.
It is interesting you went with the merchandise aspect- first thing I thought of was all the money involved in traveling, her NEW clothes, make up, etc.etc. Great video because I hated reading the Bible and saw the opposite at church. I felt obligated to change my dress but didn't have the money for a new wardrobe... So I was often spoken to about my pants. I also was pissed off kids at the church co-op needed to wear dresses despite running around and playing sports.... The one pastor who led it did not have a problem. When he left the pastors son (also our pastor) changed the rules on the kids.
Thank you. I need reassurance at the moment because of all the videos I see talking about the end times and to repent before it’s too late. Watching your videos brings me back to reality.
Christians framing everyone who isn't a believer as "evil" is simply not true, you can absolutely be a charitable person, that has never drank alcohol in their lives without ever having a "relationship with Jesus" or any other god.
Excellent observation. However, they are simply following the Bible, as they are taught to do. It is truly eye-opening to recognize this pattern. For example: Philippians 3:2-3, “Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh! For it is we who are the circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh….” (we = good, everyone else = evil) Philippians 3:18-20, “For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (same idea) Colossians 1:21-23, “And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him, provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven.” (…claiming that all Christians were evil before they were converted) 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2, “Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us, so that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified everywhere, just as it is among you, and that we may be rescued from wicked and evil people, for not all have faith.” (…conveying the idea that everyone who does not “have faith” is wicked and evil and a threat to others) 1 John 5:19, “We know that we are God’s children and that the whole world lies under the power of the evil one.” (…again: we = good, everyone else = evil) Should we be focusing on the people who succumb to that belief system, or instead on the source of that toxicity? Are its followers agents of toxicity, or instead its unwitting victims?
When I was a Christian, I also used to share my testimony in that dichotomous way because everyone else was doing so. But the truth was that, as someone raised in the church, there were no spectacular changes after "giving my life to Jesus." I was also convinced that if I ever stopped believing in Jesus, my life would become pointless, empty, and that I would end up depressed and anxious. What was really surprising to me was that when I stopped believing, nothing changed in my life. I'm still the same person, with the same morals, and I haven’t lost my inner peace, happiness, or anything else. In fact, I’d say that now I'm more authentic and true to myself and others.
Weird. I stopped drinking all on my own and the clarity of my mind is a huge part of stopping believing. It’s almost like everyone’s story is different and it has nothing to do with jesus.
The way you respond to comments even on your older videos is admirable. I’m a new subscriber and I’ve noticed this as I’ve been going through your videos. I hope it doesn’t stress you out too much.
Thank you for all of the videos. Especially the one on indoctrination, which I found to be extremely clarifying and which explained soooo much of what I have personally observed. The before/after Jesus trope reminds me so much of new parents. Let's see where these converts are after 5 or 6 years. New parents are all, "It;s the best thing that's ever happened to us," or "I want to preserve the earth for the sake of my children," and "I want to be the best parent ever." This new sincere belief changes quite a bit once the babies start screaming all night, have toilet training issues, may have developmental issues, and start developing a personality of their own--to say nothing of how they act once hormones kick in. The parents have quite a different attitude. Again, let's see how the converts are doing in a few years and reality sets in. Newness and eagerness are exhilarating, like being in love. Reality, sometimes not so much. I lead the same life I always did--bumps along the way, but basically a very liberal individual who cares about others.
She just went from one form of witchcraft to the other. Like her “this prayer didn’t find you by accident” is no different than the “this tarot pull did not find you by accident”.
The before pics amuse me, when I attended church the pastor was constantly reminding us not to be found in a bar when jesus returns. I finally pointed out to him one day that some of the best people I know I met at my local bar.
That pastor obviously never read Matthew 11:19 - "the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”
🤭 I always have to watch the beginnings of Brandon's videos again, because I am so happy about the comment section, too! So nice, the early gang is here, so it feels as if watching together! Everyone enjoy the video! 🎉
When I was a young Christian, I was extremely self-conscious. I would have never flaunted my Christianity like that. She seems to be more prone to flaunt herself, whether in heathen or Christian mode. Just one more clue that it's all in your head.
i appreciate your humility and highlighting the double standards that many Christians have. If you lose your faith they dismiss your whole experience by saying you must’ve done something wrong, but when they head a different testimony of someone who wasn’t even seeking God, who was doing everything ‘wrong’ by their own standards, they celebrate and shout it’s God’s undeserved grace, but they don’t acknowledge the validity of testimonies from the other side. Like you, I acknowledge we each have our own experiences and I can’t speak to that, but it IRKS ME when these Christians have the audacity to tell you that you were not genuine… it just shows spiritual ego, lack of humility, and is opposite to Jesus teachings.
Personally, I am living a better, more moral, more productive, less harmful (to myself and others) life now, after having left Christianity behind than I ever did before.
right! And you own it. You decide to be decent, moral, even outlining what you determine is moral without having it fed to you and forced on you out of fear.
So you left Christ who is the only way truth and life and decided to be the god of your life no one is gonna live a better life by leaving Jesus the devil has his tricks brudda
@@Blackwarrior7585Reality says otherwise. Believing in a deity has nothing to do with morality. Have you been to church and really know people? I did. Every church I went to, the same pattern of evil people. There are good and bad people, regardless of their beliefs. I didn't decide to be no god in my life. I just make good decisions based on love and good information, and I practice self-improvement. Actions matter. Also, if you really pay attention, "tribulations" that Christians go through are caused by their own poor choices in life. Because if it was god, then it would contradict with your "no one is going to live a better life without Jesus"
I think people sometimes falsely attribute a positive change in their life to Jesus when in reality they just needed some friends to help them onto the right path. You don't need a god for that.
My experience of radio silence from God is almost identical to yours. At my time of doubt, after 40 years of being an evangelical, I spent a year in bible study and prayer asking for truth. I got nothing from God. For a while, I thought Calvinism had to be the truth because I had sincerely sought God; I just wasn't one of the elect like Cassie.
Spiritual, not religious here. More of a theist. I grew up in Christian/Baptist churches since preschool. I broke away in my late teenage years. Just deconstructed/deconverted fully this year. Didn't even know there was a such thing. Been on a Spiritual journey for over a decade, following an awakening I had. When I was still Christian, I prayed only to God and never got an answer. A few years into this Spiritual journey I read something that mentioned to try praying to the angels, as they are messengers and always waiting to help. The article also mentioned praying to the Ascended Masters (Jesus, Buddha, Krishna etc. you don't have to pray to them separately). When I tried this my prayers were answered with 20 minutes 9 times out of 10! And at the end of my prayers I don't finish with, Amen. I say "so be it, so be it, so mote it be." To make it happen. I believe the God of the Bible is a Narcissist God made in man's image. The true Creator God, may go by a different name, "Source". I have also prayed to Source and had my prayers answered. Try it and see if it works for you 😊
@@katiewalker1023 Yes, bravo! Many (though not all) Near Death Experiencers also report learning something like that during their experience, which in many cases deeply contradicted what they had been taught in church.
Brandon, I have been watching your videos for several months now. You really help me with my further deconstruction. Greetings from Slovakia (central Europe)
Great video Brandon. Yet another example of the lie that if you just accept Jesus and trust him as your lord and savior your problems in life will disappear it's really kind of Insidious because many people have very serious mental health issues that can only truly be improved by professional medical and/or psychological help
yes! but then add on that they get some small effect from the new community/identity. so it really seems like it worked, then when it wears off, it must now be because of their sin, and the loop continues.
@@Apost8Paul Yes, and the dogma progressively sucks them in deeper and deeper because the Biblical “requirements” form a succession of moving goalposts, starting innocuously enough with faith (John 3:16) but progressively adding good works (James 2:14), obedience (1 John 2:4, 3:24), confession of faith to others (Romans 10:9; Matthew 10:32-33), baptism (1 Peter 3:21), enough zeal (Revelation 3:16), fruitfulness (Matthew 7:16-20), fear (Philippians 2:12), suffering (Romans 8:17), denial of self and “taking up your cross” (Mark 8:34-35), and many other such things. Even the core commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8) is subject to the dire warning not to love anyone too much (Luke 14:26). Within the full belief system, no one can ever do enough; it's a veritable bait-and-switch.
I once applied for a job in the mental health field (years ago) and during the interview the conversation swung around to religious mania and how it was not so common as it used to be as we have better, more effective medication and treatment plans. I think they changed the formula as it seems to have increased wildly the last many years.
My grandparents had a record of an evangelical preacher, Rocky Freeman, who talked all about his murderous, pimping, racketeering life of crime before he started going to church to get the girl and his whole life changed. Now I realize he just switched to the much easier and safer racket. He didn't change a bit. Still a hustler and liar. 🤷
Your points are valid. I remember Kristi Burke said you're allowed to enter Christianity on a fleeting feeling but if you leave, there's no reason good enough for Christians to accept. My concern is I don't want people to use this video as an excuse to go harass Cassie on her channels.
lol yup. thats why i laugh so hard when christians accuse me of having this channel as a grift, like what. i could fake a reconversion and x10 my income.
The most problematic thing for Christianity in this case is not the lack of actual change - a Christian may say Cassie is a perfect example of Matthew 7:22, so there is that. The problem is Christians actually condone this kind of behavior! I've talked to Christians about similar issues before; when it comes to people or events which help Christianity's case in the eyes of non-believers who aren't as perceptive as others, Christians tend to not care if said events aren't true or if said people are hypocrites! No sweat, they say, anything that leads people to the Lord is fine! Sometimes they go even further - if we show the dishonesty, they claim, that may do more harm than good! Such way of thinking clearly demonstrates one of Christianity's biggest problems - the very nature of religious belief requires you to respect convenient nontruths, more than actual truth. This fact alone throws so called "objective morality" in the garbage!
The dishonesty - there's some news today about where that leads to in the UK, with the Archbishop of Canterbury stepping down after a cover-up. Funny how this kind of thing keeps happening.
Somehow the new age spiritual movement walked right past me as I was just going from christianity to atheism. So much so that when I saw a local youtuber posting about her "new age" experience I left her a comment thinking she meant new age atheism LOL. That's the exact moment I found out there were people believing in crystals, tarot, witchcraft or, I mean, not all of them were that far gone... some were just following asian practices such as buddhism or buddhism with a twist and calling that 'new age'. My shock when that girl replied "I'm not atheist now, what are you talking about?" 😆 I was genuinely curious why she went back to christianity after leaving it in the first place. I found more answers here though, as it seems the cases are similar
Hypocrisy was the thing that pushed me away from Christianity. The evil that is salvation by faith and the problem of evil itself slammed that door shut
Well, I used to be a Cleric in the Church of Atheism, then one day I sat staring at my toaster and noticed it didn't evolve into a robot. It was then I realised that the Prophet Sir Richard Darwin lied about evolution and so now accept that god gave up a weekend for me because a caveman couple ate some fruit. Also a mean goatman wants to spank me in a fiery pit or something
Yes and, along those lines, it's interesting that the Christian publisher Zondervan has a 41-volume "Counterpoints" series in which each volume presents debates among devout Christian theologians, all vehemently disagreeing with each other and each claiming to speak for God (or to be inspired by the Holy Spirit or to be proclaiming the One True Interpretation of the Bible etc.). According to some sources, 200 Christian denominations in the U.S. and 25,000 worldwide. People need to think about the implications of that empirical fact, particularly since Jesus had prayed that all Christians "may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me" (John 17:23).
The one area I think modern Christianity truly shines, is in providing social support. And strong social networks came be a major impetus for change. Whether we God credit, is another question. One thing I took note of in her displays, was how important "proper" clothing was. And if that isn't the epitome of virtue signaling, I don't know what is. So while I think she had some legitimate changes, I suspect social pressure played a larger part than the bible. Especially since she apparently had the bible before her "after". I'm not even sure what she specifically called it.
It’s sad people give their testimony ppl say they are lying or exaggerating. Why can’t truly have changed their lives? When you have the Holy Spirit you change whether you realise immediately or not. If all the mnths and years or decades of praying, reading and going to church show no change you were not a Christian.
You know, i just that phrase, "we can never understand God." It adds such a gentle mystery to the word of God for Christians that we're all supposed to bow down to, except, never once have I ever heard it explained why when we ask, "if we can't understand God's ways (or some such nonsense) then why bother writing a holy book in the first place? Why not put some common sense "commandments" down and call it a day. Just another example of the Christian hypocrisy. Or are we just supposed to look at those neat little stories and say, nevermind about that other stuff?
I've been an athiest since I was 13. My life is completely fine. I live in the bible belt and I was and still am too smart to fall for the tricks to get me to waste my time and money on belief. Before some body says something I have fully read 6 versions of the bi le and watched over 153 different apologicets yotubers, I still am not convinced. Do before someone else says I know nothing about the bible, I know more that 97% of christians, and I am an atheist.
@LunarEclipseIsCoool Imagine doing it in the bible belt, if you don't live here. People were not happy when I started qestioning the bible. I remember I was 11 did something bad then was told to take the morality of God into heart. I read the bible and was like, "Man, God is evil." Two years later and 100s of hours of research I just stopped believing in him. 7 years later I can fully deduce manipulative languages in everyday life and make up my own morals by what each everyone safe, happy, and free.
@@burkettnathan822your acting like your life is holy false statement everyone is a sinner and is gonna potentially sin and be deceived by satan like u my friend if u don’t understand the bible just do research or ask a follower to gain some understanding instead u opposed god u were never really a follower of Christ if u never believed
Honestly what I always found interesting is how readily Christians dismiss personal reasons for leaving faith. While I always maintained that beliefs should first and foremost be dictated by rational thinking and logic, I also cannot deny the impact some personal events may have. These events often serve as catalysts that enable us to re-assess our worldview. Sure, in the end my atheism was a result of thinking and analysis, but what initially made me question things were things like being a sickly child and almost dying or becoming crippled numerous times throughout my life, dealing with abuse at hands from both relatives and schoolmates back in my home country of Russia, church hypocrisy, or hell, even something fairly minor in comparison like my child self being absolutely confused and disgusted at people cheering after calling themselves slaves of god. Now, I don't think any of this should be used as proof when it comes to validity of religion or existence of god, but it would be foolish to deny that things like that don't plant the seed of doubt in you and make you start questioning your beliefs. And it's somewhat amusing when Christians try to dismiss it, especially when I explicitly tell them that none of the personal matters I described can serve as argument against their claims about existence of god or whether Jesus rose from the dead because the only thing I do by talking about these things is illustrating the potential factors that can put you onto this soul-searching journey. However, they readily use personal testimonies to convert people. A bit hypocritical, don't you think.
Thank you for this! I love recommending your videos to Christians cos you make so many good points that knock Christians out of their bubble and force them to think.
5:40 it just hit me… all of these “ conversion” narratives are about the teenage or young adult life. Could it be that people are simply growing up? We know that our brains are not fully formed and organized until we are 25. Maybe people are just trying to find themselves and are growing up.
A family member of mine just got publicly baptized for at least the 3rd time. Each time it’s like, “I’m a new creation in Christ, can’t believe what he’s done for me,” etc. From the outside, NOTHING has changed, she’s just a semi decent person with some flawed opinions who still makes mistakes like the rest of us. I wish people could get to the roots of their issues but religion is a thought stopping device at all junctions.
So a cultural Christian who as a kid made some dumb decisions decides to get sober, quit abusing drug, s and grow up. Oh it must be the work of Jesus . Or simply maturing and changing enough to realize she wasn't on a great trajectory for a healthy future. Something people the world over also do,, with or without religion.
I wrote that comment only after watching her clip. After watching your entire video it seems even worse. It appears to be the born again grift in action.
Brandon you're absolutely right and on point as always buddy! Most of the time these type of religious people are egotistical, narcissistic and hypocritical
As a Christian I completely understand where you and the comments are coming from and the type of image these videos create which is something I haven’t put much thought into before until seeing it from another perspective. Before I met Jesus there were many amazing parts of my life and I enjoyed my life to an extent before but since then I enjoy it substantially more. The “before and after” things are from my perspective showing the worst parts of your life before becoming a Christian and then showing how Christ transformed those bad parts of her life into better things afterwards. And that being said, it doesn’t necessarily mean that life is perfect one way or another and I think that’s a very toxic image Christianity on the internet has produced and it’s simply unrealistic. But I hope this comment can add some sort of insight or perspective and I appreciate this video it was definitely very insightful :)
When you're in a bad spot, they tell you that the only cure to your problems is Jesus. And then what do they provide you with that improves your life? That's right - Community. Community is not Jesus. Other religions can also provide community. It can also be found without religion of any kind. Book clubs, chess clubs, music-genre lovers. Anything you enjoy, you can find other people who enjoy it too, and that is where community is found.
I get these before after stories often in debate groups. I tell people, "Great! You had a moral awakening and changed from some self destructive and harmful behavior and a mythology /fable was helpful in that awakening. Doesn't mean the folklore is true. You did it. Give yourself the credit."
Morning all! thanks for being here.
i love how you be picking and choosing crazy TikTok stories to back up your atheism. Just cause you got the Holy Spirit don’t mean you’re gonna suddenly be living some perfect moral life. Ain’t no such thing as perfection except for God. So I don’t know where you got the idea that once you got the Holy Spirit, you’re gonna be a brand new person with no struggles
@@Nobullshit-47 lol from these videos! of which there are thousands, and from every christian testimony i have ever heard. Also, not cherry picking when its constant and contagious. This video had 3.5 million likes from all the other "not real christians" i guess. and then of course the verses that actually say as much like 1 John 3:6 and 1 John 3:9
@@MindShift-Brandon When you follow the Bible and throw yourself into the public (opposite of Bible suggestions) than you are open season. Also, you don't knock HER, you go against the hypocrisy.
@@Nobullshit-47 The "new creation" described in the Bible. The arrows that point to the fact when you are filled with the spirit that you are to produce the FRIUTS....
@@MindShift-Brandon yeah it's true that a lot of people find real strength and motivation from Christian stories and messages. Likethat 3.5 million likes? That’s a sign these stories hit deep for a lot of folks. As for those verses you brought up, 1 John 3:6 and 1 John 3:9, they’re all about how faith can really change you and how you gotta aim to live right. But let's keep it real - everyone’s on their own path Perfection's the goal, but we all mess up. Christianity isn’t about being perfect, it’s about asking for forgiveness, growing your faith, and lifting each other up
I went from not smoking and not drinking when being a Christian, to not smoking and not drinking after I left Christianity. Never knew I was supposed to start doing that. lol.
Haha, same 👍
lol dangit!
@@SeekingTruth2023 All I got was more free time on Sundays and an increased interest in science. I feel robbed. Haha.
@@MindShift-Brandon So much potential time wasted. 😂
@@BluStarGalaxy all that time and money and i didn't see any "7 fold increase " or whatever crap they were peddling at the time 😂
I’ve heard countless testimonies from people claiming they got jobs after fasting and praying, or after a pastor prayed for them. Inspired by these stories, I fasted for days, prayed intensely, and submitted prayer requests both online and in church, hoping for a breakthrough. But no new job came, and none of the things I prayed for materialized. For a long time, I wondered if I was doing something wrong-why wasn’t God answering my prayers?
One day, after a church service, I decided to talk to some of the people who had shared their testimonies. I wanted to hear the full story, from beginning to end. That’s when I realized that some of these stories weren’t what they seemed. The person who got a new position at work had already been selected for it. Another person who claimed her student loan was miraculously canceled hadn’t been entirely truthful-the government had offered the same relief to anyone who had been paying back their student loans for over five years. This experience made me see that not everything is as simple as it appears in these testimonials.
to your credit that you felt it important to ask those people about their testimonies and that you could analyze them.
Good on you to fact check these stories. Everyone who ever claims a prayer answered its always a mandane thing that happens everyday to anyone. I'm still waiting to see someone grow a limb, not someone claiming they have to pain after being prayed for, and thr pain returning when all the adrenaline is back to its base level minutes after the prayer euphoria.
😮😮😮
God in the bible: I hate a lying tonge!
Christians: I will pretend I didn't hear or read or understand that!
I did pretty much the same thing. Only in my case I didn't have my birth certificate because apparently when I was born, the hospital never gave it to either of my parents. Ironically it was a Catholic hospital. Go figure. Fortunately I did receive my SSN, so I was good there.
During my high school years and after, I continued praying for it so I could get a job to have income to get my life started and it never happened. It wasn't until about 9 years ago that I realized none of that was going to happen unless I did something about it. A few weeks of jumping through hoops and I finally received it. Took a bit long to get off my lazy butt and get a job, but I have one now and I'm doing pretty good so far.
The thing that Cassie's current and previous life have most in common is a powerful desire to avoid difficult, honest self-reflection. In her former life she used drugs and partying to avoid having to look at herself and take responsibility for who she was, and now she uses Jesus to accomplish the same thing.
yes swapping out addictions is a huge part of many peoples conversion i believe.
Yes! This was the very first thought I had when watching the clips of her in this video!
Wow! What a parallel! I'm so glad that you called out using Jesus to cover all flaws and lack of self-reflection.
@@MindShift-BrandonSwapping addictions is an addict thing. Conversions happen because people look. Some just look for truth and others just look for something specific. I started actually follow God because he ruined my plan. I was born with hyper empathy and we don't care much for ourselves so unlike you for example i go with what is true. Does not matter if I like it or don't like it. When I didn't know God exists(I never was an atheist because that is just human ego nonsense. ) I had a plan to go a certain way. I could be doing the wrong thing but i did not care because it would affect only me. I did not know so leap of faith basically. God ruined it before i got to that point. I won't outlive God so my plan is out.
You nailed it
She didn't find Jesus she found a hustle.
Most profitable grift ever.
@@markboz3366 Yes because atheism isn't a grift.
@@Nobullshit-47 Exactly, it isn't 👍
@@Nobullshit-47 it's not
@@markboz3366 What an echo chamber
I’m a Christian and I can’t stand these “Christian” influencers.
Faith/ religion is not a marketing tool!
Thank you for speaking up on this.
But did you get the overall message tho?
@nkcgamer115 funny that you’d ask, I wouldn’t be saying that I can’t stand those “Christian” influencers if I didn’t get his message.
Life before Jesus: * *uses Snapchat filters* *
Life after Jesus: * *no filters* *
Us: * *Shocked Pikachu Face 😮* *
It’s not about that
@Blackwarrior7585then wat is it back warrior😂
@@nkcgamer115 not how you spell black but it’s about trying to keep the commandments and having faith not living for satan
I was a devout christian Baptist through my teens and 20s. Especially in my teens, the Sunday School teachers and preachers constantly accused us of being tempted to smoke, drink, use drugs, listen to pop music, grow long hair, dress indecently, etc., and that the only way we could save ourselves from such temptations was to put our faith and trust in the lord. Part of this was that the Sunday School teachers and preachers were constantly ridiculing and condemning Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and other pop entertainment celebrities, and that god could save us from the temptations that they posed. (They never condemned or ridiculed Lawrence Welk or Ray Conniff or the local classical symphony orchestra). I was offended even then that the Sunday School teachers and preachers did not first ask us if we were, in fact, tempted by such things--they simply assumed we were. The funny thing was that I never had any desire whatsoever to smoke, drink, use drugs, or dress indecently, never grew long hair (what is wrong with that anyway--Jesus had long hair?), and had only minimal interest in Elvis, the Beatles, or pop entertainment. Now, having been an atheist/agnostic for more than 40 years, I still have no desire whatsoever to smoke, drink, use drugs, or dress indecently, grow long hair, and I have only minimal interest in Elvis, the Beatles, and pop entertainment in general. And my standards of morality only improved in going from christianity to atheism/agnosticism in that I have much greater empathy for people and no long feel a need to judge them.
Isn't it amazing how you far less negatively judge people after you lose faith. I don't see one culture or language as superior to another now. We just evolved in different directions. Nothing wrong with that. It's not the pigs fault it was born a pig, or it was born at all. Sure a pig is less intelligent than me, but that's not its fault. And it still has hopes and desires and wants a relatively happy life. I have a pet pig and I love her. I respect her as a fellow living creature. I'm no better than her, she is no better than me. We are just fellow living creatures who evolved in different directions.
If you follow atheism to its absolute logical conclusion you'd be a nihilist , but you act like it's the answer yet still not follow it to it's absolute conclusions , you half butt atheism and steal from theism to try to make sense of your life and act like it can have meaning from an atheistic belief system , delulu
@@Tony1771-yj8mcBut christians are not called to judge, I mean Jesus ate and cared for the outcasts and never judged them.
Actually, the Bible does say to judge and correct, but just not hypocritically or superficially. And Jesus has harshly judged the Pharisees and Saduccees for their hypocrisy.
It's Dumbo's magic feather again. You think you need to hold onto some magical thing to succeed. You don't realize you had the power within yourself all along.
i love this!!
Fascinating how so many stories have this trope, but people never really apply it to anything.
Daily dose of creative analogy here...
Only you can create the miracles you seek.
Jesus was the stone in her stone soup.
Flawless
The major constant I see in her before and after illustration is superficiality.
The nature of superficiality warrants the conception of some sort of salvation
Salvation from a state of perpetual peril
Christianity’s marketing of the Messiah is a masterpiece of religious branding. They’ve turned a humble carpenter from Nazareth into the world’s first 'life coach,' offering salvation as a subscription service.
Someone telling someone else what that someone else thinks is the highest form of arrogance. Christians telling me what I actually believe is a conversation ender for me.
Yeppers
Or its just a way of people trying to grapple with different thoughts from people they disagree with? Who knows how in-depth their thoughts can be? They want to reach as far as they can, and see if they're right about them.
@@randomdude5950 I get that. I wouldn't just end the conversation immediately but would recognize that I'd rather end the conversation than be told what I think. I'd call them out on it first and see where that takes us.
A friend tried to tell me I don’t actually have peace…
@@BriannaWeldon virtually no one ever really has one buddy...
"Behold I say to thee, using Filters is an abomination in the Lord's eyes"Delulu chapter 1 verse 2
lol! yes i originally made a joke that if the biggest change after Jesus is less filters then maybe Christianity isnt so bad.
@MindShift-Brandon my day has been made, Brandon replied 😂😂
@@twalumbaphiri6278 Clearly a loving God would make it so that filters don't work 👍
@@MindShift-Brandon😂😂😂
I recently became an atheist when I started watching your channel, digital Hammurabi, mythvision and others. The biggest knock to my faith was reading God An Anatomy when I realized it was all mythology written by men to try and make sense of their world 🌎.
Like you, I spent hours begging and pleading for god to change me and take the gay away. My church sent me to conversion therapy, which ended up causing me severe trauma. God never took my gay away. The verses about ask and you shall receive are lies. I was a faithful spirit spirit-filled Christian who prayed constantly in tongues because it said pray without ceasing.
Once I became an atheist I felt more free than I had being a Christian I was no longer bound by guilt and I am more moral now than I was before
That book will do it!
Sorry you suffered that. Churches in the USA seem particularly adept at telling us we're broken, and only Jeebus can healus.
Of course we aren't broken, and Jeebus won't heal anything, but in the meantime the god-botherers have made their $$$s, and don;t care what damage they caused along the way.
I watched the author of that book do a 2 hour interview about her book and the insight made me realize how much humans apply their social relationships to everything to make sense of it. It was brilliant! I still need to order it.
Well, I'm 56 years old and I've now been "without Jesus" for...ooh, 56 years, and I've had a perfectly lovely life, in the main. I've done more than my fair share of hedonistic stuff, enjoyed every last minute of it, and never had a significant negative impact on my life. Still with the same woman I met when I was 19, and I love her more every day. And as far as I can tell from the quoted video, being "with Jesus" entails wearing dodgy clothes and going skiing, neither of which I fancy much, so I'll stick to my godlessness, ta.
🎉❤ yip.
So what? If you have been abandoned by your parents, all your life is an extension. So what?
@@theol64 Non sequitur is...confusing. Were you replying to my comment? If so, I'm not sure I can see the relevance, perhaps you'd explain?
Hell yeah 💯
@@beresfordquimbydon’t worry about “theol64” - it’s just a grumpy apologist who frequently trolls the comment section
Your point in the "inconsistency" chapter about radio silence is what I JUST had a conversation about yesterday. 30 years of ask, seek, knock, and adherence, but nothing but SILENCE
The most materialistic, vain, and superficial people I know personally are devout Christians. Just my personal anecdote.
Same!
Same here, and all narcissistic
@@KatMo7121 Same for me, too. Although I also know some sensitive, intelligent Christians. Exceptional, but they exist.
Yes. Often the same people who treat kids like inanimate lifestyle accessories to be showed off.
That is how you know that there are Christians in tongue only
It's a money grab. Many people are learning that there is money in religion.
This channel is proof of that.
@@areuaware6842if being an atheist didn't attract views and subscribers, but being a Christian did, the guy running this channel would be trying to convert you all to Christianity 😂
@@nate666 No he wouldn't.
I used to drink, sleep around and take drugs back when i was a believer, why? Because i believed that as long as i believed all my sin would be washed away. Now that I'm no longer a believer I know that there is no god to forgive me, and so i am responsible for my own life and actions
Edit: I love the christian comments so much lmao: "You just need to ask God", or "you just don't understand".
Good for you! 👍
Yeah its funny how the church usually paints non believers as the worst that do the most immoral things. Couldn't be further from the truth.
No God to forgive you? No moral law? No 'right and wrong'? Know this: if you die in you amorality, you will live with amoral people for all eternity. Heaven is real, but so is hell. Christ died on a Cross so that you may know Him - just by asking! Jesus Christ is the light of the world.
@@kenshiloh is it too difficult to take responsibility for your own actions?
@kenshiloh Jesus must have copped the new airpods Pro or smth cuz he didn't reveal himself though I asked for years.
Before Jesus: Cosplay as Rapper
After Jesus: Cosplay as TradWife
It’s giving addictive personality traits.
right. It really does come across as cosplay.
@@maggienewton8518 It really does. I'm like, okay girl...
yes i think swapping out personalities and/or addictions is all that is happening here.
Nothing wrong with a little cosplay in life. Dress for success and all that. I wore a suit at work simply give a aura of professionalism.
I feel as a lifelong atheist I missed out on the hedonistic lifestyle.
So that first lady went from vain to vain for Jesus. Cool.
"Don't boast in anything, but boast in the lord," amirite?
Ho is a ho is a ho.
One time I heard the classic sermon about some drug-addicted woman (2nd or 3rd hand) who hated everyone and then came to a revival meeting and was changed, and all the stereotypical stuff about a new life.
I was initially conflicted on hearing that sermon as a non-believer, because it was a genuinely good thing that she turned her life around, but something was bugging me about it. It took me a while to put my finger on exactly what it was.
I finally realized that while a story of a changed life is a good thing, it had come under the weight of a proof story. The people in the audience didn't give me any indication that they cared about her as a person, they were just using her traumatic story for their own confirmation for the belief system. It's a tricky line because we should be genuinely happy for her and any person who manages to change their life, but we should not be using those stories of others to sell something or some ideology.
We should want her to be better whether it was through Christianity or not.
This bugs me every homily as well.
I started to notice a pattern. Here's some life story, then boom, insert some life-changing factor, and they double down to saying that faith = good.
But at the end of the day, it is actually the self-reflection and the change you do to yourself that makes you a better person. Once you acknowledge and work through your issues, you will eventually cross the other side, alive.
The universe is a big gamble, but you don't have to suffer just because you have a bad hand. You can turn it around, into something creative or whatever makes you happy, but also healthy.
@ Yeah, I think that's a better mindset, that life might deal a bad hand but we can change that with self reflection.
Sometimes there are no easy answers, but that doesn't mean to stop trying.
1000% right on. Moreover, that attitude of those Christians (extolling the narrative but not caring about the actual person) reveals volumes about the actual "transformative work of the Spirit" within them. That's a red flag not only about them but also about the real-life impact of their ideology.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. One thing I have learned in the last few years is that everything comes down to money. The more money you have the more god loves you.
Yes, that was exactly the conclusion of Max Weber's "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism" and the belief system of the Puritans who helped spearhead European settlement of the U.S. (and displacement of the First Nation peoples). Woo-hoo.
Tithes in our church definitely proved that statement. The more you paid, the better you were treated.
True followers of Christ would never say they are morally superior. All humans fall short of perfection, hence the phrase “I’m only human”. Jesus lived here on Earth to lead by example of how we should live our lives. Forgiveness, love and empathy, humility. We’ve all made mistakes but human pride doesn’t allow for people to admit their wrongdoings. We are not here my chance or mistake, God put you here for a reason. No matter how far you are from the Lord, if you have an honest open heart to encounter him, it will happen. We don’t live for human approval anymore. God bless ❤️
Im grateful your exposing the hypocrisy in christianity. It needs to be exposed. And I love how you explain your not being a jerk about it. Yet being honest in holding them accountable for what they are doing. Love ya brother 🤟🏼
Thanks for that, man!
I would give that two or three upvotes if the algorithm allowed it.
I lived the life of the perfect Christian for decades , all the while suffering from severe depression and anxiety. No amount of praying helped, but shockingly what did eventually cure me was therapy and my deconstruction. And turns out I didn’t even have to do any sinning to start enjoying life, just let go of the toxic shame that Christianity instilled in me.
Exactly right
Exactly right indeed. The problem stems from the Bible - for example, Jeremiah 17:9 (“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick”), Isaiah 64:6 (“all our righteous acts are like filthy rags”), Job 42:5-6 (“I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees thee; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes”), Romans 7:24 (“Wretched person that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?”), or Revelation 3:17 (“For you say, ‘I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.’ You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked”). Anyone who reads the Bible and takes it to heart (or who sits under preachers who do) is going to be immersed in toxic shame, guilt, and fear - all false. It took me years to realize that little children, at least, need to be shielded from that toxic narrative. "Freedom of religion" should not, in a civilized society, be extended to "freedom of religion to abuse people." That's merely abuse, plain and simple.
Tell me what did you know about God?
@@warriorofthelord4142 ua-cam.com/video/jARp24AJWLk/v-deo.html
Same. I’ve found that in Christianity the fear of giving freedom stems from thinking that all of us will choose drugs, drinking etc …. Religious or not, my choices are still the same.
so from what I’ve picked up from talking to Christians, some of them say when they get the Holy Spirit, they feel mad powerful and confident, like something's different. But then, after a day or two, they’re back to being the same old person they were before. I asked them how they know for sure that what they felt was the Holy Spirit but they didn’t have an answer.
good ol changing emotions...yes its quite frustrating to get them to apply logic or consistency to the holy spirit.
@@InfernalAlgorithms lmao 🤣 I said the same about booze
Nothing in her vid compares to the change Siddartha Gautama experienced, yet I doubt she's ready to become a Buddhist.
@AGNOSTIC_incomprehensibleXIV she'd have to sell her business and give up her privileged life of christian luxury 😂
Many of them claim they lose the urge to go back to their addictions.
I remember when I was a young Christian, I heard many similar testimonies from various people in the church, on mission trips, etc. It made me feel ashamed I didn't have such a wonderful testimony. I grew up in the church and never had any interest in drugs, drinking, sex, smoking, sex, etc. I never went down that path. And growing up I was assured if I ever strayed from God, my life would turn to turmoil and I'd try to fill the "God shaped hole" in my heart with those things she depicted in her life before conversion. But here I am... a few years realizing I'm now an atheist, and I still live the same, boring life. If anything, it helped give me more empathy and a willingness to learn and grow as a person more so than when I was a believer. But now I have the added bonus of people telling me I just want to "sin." I wonder what sins they think I do... I'm asexual and not interested in sex. Haven't tried alcohol worth continuing to drink. Never been interested in those other things. The only thing that may have changed since leaving is I no longer think cussing is bad. That would be a stupid reason to abandon the one religion I knew the best and followed the most, though. And like you, I sought for years to hear from God, to help guide my life, and he never showed up. I thought he was a "lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path," but I guess I'm just not worthy enough of hearing from him like this lady supposedly was.
About "God's radio silence"--this seems to be such a common experience for Catholic mystics and saints that they created a whole genre of literature about it called "the Dark Night of the Soul." If I recall correctly, it was the fifteenth century Spanish mystic monk St. John of the Cross who first used the term in one of his books. His contemporary, St. Teresa of Avila, who was also a mystic, also wrote about going through periods of spiritual dryness and emptiness. It seems to be a paradox that the closer you want to come to God, the more he hides himself, at least according to saints and mystics; in fact, this is a necessary part of a person's spiritual journey and a positive thing. It is actually a sign you are on the right path. We've been through it, they wrote, and you can get through it as well. Here are the tools you will need. So the Catholic Church actually acknowledges that there is such a thing as "God's radio silence", and stresses it is not because the believer has failed in any way. God, for his mysterious reasons, has simply chosen to withdraw himself from the believer for a time. In contrast the Protestant world, especially the Evangelicals, does not seem to have such a concept, so when a believer starts experiencing these feelings, they have no tools for dealing with them, except to blame themselves or others when those others express those feelings. Of course this whole idea of the "dark night" or "God's radio silence" has its own set of problems, but I find this difference in approach quite interesting.
From "new age witchcraft" to christian blood magic. 😂
from witchcraft to witchcraft!
😂
Hey! Wow,it's not witchcraft when Jesus does it. Cause it's just different.
The Abrahamists have always been an evil bloodthirsty cult.
Earliest depictions of Christ portray him using a wand to perform healings and miracles
I didn't realize how it was encoraged to exaggerate your testimony in churches until I had gone over seas on a missions trip and our leaders embellished the things we were doing so much that it didn't even seem real, just so people would give us more money. Yet they try to say we must be authentic.
Yup! Its always been that way
All these type of ppl have main character syndrome, 'oh God chose me!!!'.
"Hashtag: blessed"
it's always "God chose me", and never "God didn't choose me...and I haven't heard from him in a bit 🤔...but I'm speaking up anyway!"
@@ct7246 you're expecting a call from someone you've blocked
Something I try to tell people is that there were millions of Israelites in the old testament, and God chose a handful of them. The rest were “grunts”. It’s hard for some people to swallow if they’re told, I’m a grunts, and you probably are too.
I've seen a few of these and notice that with many, in the after clips the person has the same superficial, narcissistic look sometimes even more smug.
Narcissistic is the BIGGEST takeaway that it is all faked! Upvoted.
She didn't find God. She learned how be an responsible adult. Maturity≠Divinity
Well perhaps on the road to becoming a responsible adult. Christianity is a way of virtue signaling without actually being virtuous.
Yep.
Best comment 💯
One doesn't need to believe in imaginary Jewish gods to get one's life together in order to stop drinking, stop being materialistic, and stop being sexually loose.
1000%
All you need is to be broke. That stops all those things.
So how do they do it then without believing in a "God"? It's a legitimate question.
@@eigelgregossweisse9563 Realize that what they do affects them negatively, and decide to try and fight it.
Remember that things like excessive drinking, sleeping around, materialism, etc., aren't one of those "because God said so" bad things, they actually have negative consequences. Addiction, liver cirrhosis and risk of doing something you wish you didn't. STDs, unplanned pregnancy and difficulty committing to a healthy, long-term relationship. Not fulfilling one's emotional needs.
Why does one need a God to notice that they're unhappy and/or ruining their life?
Well said! @@nataliaborys1554
Haven't watched tons of your videos yet but......sooooooo good. The radio silence of God is so true......yet you have people like my mom who hear from Him on the regular. I hate that she says I'm deceived. ( i started deconstructing in April).
welcome to the fam here! half a year in is a hard place to be! stay strong.
Welcome to the outside world friend. 😊
Thank you for the video Brandon! I've never really appreciated this trope! Happy Tuesday!
Many thanks!
When I became Agnostic (am an atheist now) I noticed religious people thank their God for everything even if the deed was done by humans. I was oblivious about it until I got out of my bubble.
Yes, and many of them also attribute to God (or to the Devil) anything that goes wrong.
More CALLING OUT PEOPLE videos please!!! ❤
There's also this two way dehumanization : they dehumanize the people/culture of having fun, being in community in ways not centered around the church, etc, and also cut themselves off from humanity and human interaction/culture in the name of "holiness"
Yes, that's what they're taught to do because the Bible sez humanization is bad - for example, Jeremiah 17:9 (“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick”), Isaiah 64:6 (“all our righteous acts are like filthy rags”), Job 42:5-6 (“I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees thee; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes”), Romans 7:24 (“Wretched person that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?”), or Revelation 3:17 (“For you say, ‘I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.’ You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked”). It all comes from the book.
@@tiburd7It does not come just from book I have witnessed this by staying in God’s presence. He was just too Holy for me to even compare and it humbled me greatly and strike unimaginable fears however it led me to ttue repentance
Before jesus: self-centred look at me.
With Jesus: self-centred look at me.
😂 yep
Even more so, after Jesus. Before Jesus, she had no merch, now she has incentive to have Jesus.
If there really were an "after Jesus", there would be no footage.
Absolutely correct.
Lol. Deep.
That's actually a really good point!
Everything said is so true. To be honest, Iraq was my turning point. The people there had as much conviction in their religion as everyone else, if not more, so than people I know. At that point, I thought they all couldn't be right. If that's so, they're all wrong.
Here for it
Appreciate that!
All eyes shall be open to the truth. Dooberonomy 4: 21 Great job as always!
Thanks for pointing out the hypocrites! Don't ever stop! ❤❤❤
It is interesting you went with the merchandise aspect- first thing I thought of was all the money involved in traveling, her NEW clothes, make up, etc.etc. Great video because I hated reading the Bible and saw the opposite at church. I felt obligated to change my dress but didn't have the money for a new wardrobe... So I was often spoken to about my pants. I also was pissed off kids at the church co-op needed to wear dresses despite running around and playing sports.... The one pastor who led it did not have a problem. When he left the pastors son (also our pastor) changed the rules on the kids.
a lot of inconsistency and hypocrisy all over!
Being told I must have never been a Christian is so annoying.
This is really helpful. I never drank or smoked before I was a Christian. I wasn't popular or invited to parties. Just a hurt kid looking for answers.
Thank you. I need reassurance at the moment because of all the videos I see talking about the end times and to repent before it’s too late. Watching your videos brings me back to reality.
Christians framing everyone who isn't a believer as "evil" is simply not true, you can absolutely be a charitable person, that has never drank alcohol in their lives without ever having a "relationship with Jesus" or any other god.
indeed! the insinuation is insulting and factually untrue.
Abrahamism is evil.
Excellent observation. However, they are simply following the Bible, as they are taught to do. It is truly eye-opening to recognize this pattern. For example:
Philippians 3:2-3, “Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh! For it is we who are the circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh….” (we = good, everyone else = evil)
Philippians 3:18-20, “For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (same idea)
Colossians 1:21-23, “And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him, provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven.” (…claiming that all Christians were evil before they were converted)
2 Thessalonians 3:1-2, “Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us, so that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified everywhere, just as it is among you, and that we may be rescued from wicked and evil people, for not all have faith.” (…conveying the idea that everyone who does not “have faith” is wicked and evil and a threat to others)
1 John 5:19, “We know that we are God’s children and that the whole world lies under the power of the evil one.” (…again: we = good, everyone else = evil)
Should we be focusing on the people who succumb to that belief system, or instead on the source of that toxicity? Are its followers agents of toxicity, or instead its unwitting victims?
@@MindShift-Brandon their only metric as to why we are evil is because we don't believe in cheezits.
When I was a Christian, I also used to share my testimony in that dichotomous way because everyone else was doing so. But the truth was that, as someone raised in the church, there were no spectacular changes after "giving my life to Jesus." I was also convinced that if I ever stopped believing in Jesus, my life would become pointless, empty, and that I would end up depressed and anxious. What was really surprising to me was that when I stopped believing, nothing changed in my life. I'm still the same person, with the same morals, and I haven’t lost my inner peace, happiness, or anything else. In fact, I’d say that now I'm more authentic and true to myself and others.
Weird. I stopped drinking all on my own and the clarity of my mind is a huge part of stopping believing. It’s almost like everyone’s story is different and it has nothing to do with jesus.
True
Are u even a believer if u aren’t who are u to judge
The way you respond to comments even on your older videos is admirable. I’m a new subscriber and I’ve noticed this as I’ve been going through your videos. I hope it doesn’t stress you out too much.
Hey thanks. I enjoy it! I cant always. And I’m ok with that fact. But when i can i do.
Thank you for all of the videos. Especially the one on indoctrination, which I found to be extremely clarifying and which explained soooo much of what I have personally observed. The before/after Jesus trope reminds me so much of new parents. Let's see where these converts are after 5 or 6 years. New parents are all, "It;s the best thing that's ever happened to us," or "I want to preserve the earth for the sake of my children," and "I want to be the best parent ever." This new sincere belief changes quite a bit once the babies start screaming all night, have toilet training issues, may have developmental issues, and start developing a personality of their own--to say nothing of how they act once hormones kick in. The parents have quite a different attitude. Again, let's see how the converts are doing in a few years and reality sets in. Newness and eagerness are exhilarating, like being in love. Reality, sometimes not so much. I lead the same life I always did--bumps along the way, but basically a very liberal individual who cares about others.
She just went from one form of witchcraft to the other. Like her “this prayer didn’t find you by accident” is no different than the “this tarot pull did not find you by accident”.
may God help you all. 🙏🏽
The before pics amuse me, when I attended church the pastor was constantly reminding us not to be found in a bar when jesus returns. I finally pointed out to him one day that some of the best people I know I met at my local bar.
That pastor obviously never read Matthew 11:19 - "the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”
🤭 I always have to watch the beginnings of Brandon's videos again, because I am so happy about the comment section, too!
So nice, the early gang is here, so it feels as if watching together!
Everyone enjoy the video! 🎉
ha! i love that
@@SeekingTruth2023 yep we're here!
"feels as if watching together" :)
When I was a young Christian, I was extremely self-conscious. I would have never flaunted my Christianity like that. She seems to be more prone to flaunt herself, whether in heathen or Christian mode. Just one more clue that it's all in your head.
i appreciate your humility and highlighting the double standards that many Christians have. If you lose your faith they dismiss your whole experience by saying you must’ve done something wrong, but when they head a different testimony of someone who wasn’t even seeking God, who was doing everything ‘wrong’ by their own standards, they celebrate and shout it’s God’s undeserved grace, but they don’t acknowledge the validity of testimonies from the other side. Like you, I acknowledge we each have our own experiences and I can’t speak to that, but it IRKS ME when these Christians have the audacity to tell you that you were not genuine… it just shows spiritual ego, lack of humility, and is opposite to Jesus teachings.
Living a clean, healthy lifestyle is NOT exclusive to Christianity!
In fact, I feel soooo much better AND healthier after leaving the absurd religion!
Thank you for bringing this up!!!
Personally, I am living a better, more moral, more productive, less harmful (to myself and others) life now, after having left Christianity behind than I ever did before.
right! And you own it. You decide to be decent, moral, even outlining what you determine is moral without having it fed to you and forced on you out of fear.
So you left Christ who is the only way truth and life and decided to be the god of your life no one is gonna live a better life by leaving Jesus the devil has his tricks brudda
@@Blackwarrior7585Reality says otherwise. Believing in a deity has nothing to do with morality. Have you been to church and really know people? I did. Every church I went to, the same pattern of evil people. There are good and bad people, regardless of their beliefs. I didn't decide to be no god in my life. I just make good decisions based on love and good information, and I practice self-improvement. Actions matter. Also, if you really pay attention, "tribulations" that Christians go through are caused by their own poor choices in life. Because if it was god, then it would contradict with your "no one is going to live a better life without Jesus"
@ huh
@ your saying u believed in Christ but abandoned the faith k
Brandon, I think these shows are great and very important to do. I’m a big fan. Thank you.
Thanks so much, Jeff!
I always find it funny that god will show himself to someone not looking for him but for those of us who actively look he’s nowhere to be seen
I think people sometimes falsely attribute a positive change in their life to Jesus when in reality they just needed some friends to help them onto the right path. You don't need a god for that.
My experience of radio silence from God is almost identical to yours. At my time of doubt, after 40 years of being an evangelical, I spent a year in bible study and prayer asking for truth. I got nothing from God. For a while, I thought Calvinism had to be the truth because I had sincerely sought God; I just wasn't one of the elect like Cassie.
Spiritual, not religious here. More of a theist.
I grew up in Christian/Baptist churches since preschool. I broke away in my late teenage years. Just deconstructed/deconverted fully this year. Didn't even know there was a such thing. Been on a Spiritual journey for over a decade, following an awakening I had.
When I was still Christian, I prayed only to God and never got an answer. A few years into this Spiritual journey I read something that mentioned to try praying to the angels, as they are messengers and always waiting to help. The article also mentioned praying to the Ascended Masters (Jesus, Buddha, Krishna etc. you don't have to pray to them separately). When I tried this my prayers were answered with 20 minutes 9 times out of 10! And at the end of my prayers I don't finish with, Amen. I say "so be it, so be it, so mote it be." To make it happen. I believe the God of the Bible is a Narcissist God made in man's image. The true Creator God, may go by a different name, "Source". I have also prayed to Source and had my prayers answered. Try it and see if it works for you 😊
@@katiewalker1023 Yes, bravo! Many (though not all) Near Death Experiencers also report learning something like that during their experience, which in many cases deeply contradicted what they had been taught in church.
I used religion to quit drugs, then I quit religion. I did it myself. Jesus never tried to contact me no matter how hard I begged him for help.
Wdym contact have u even been reading your word?
The devil doesn’t want you to know he exist , and listening/following this guy will surely allow you to believe that narrative .
Brandon, I have been watching your videos for several months now. You really help me with my further deconstruction. Greetings from Slovakia (central Europe)
Glad to hear it! Thanks for being here!
Great video Brandon. Yet another example of the lie that if you just accept Jesus and trust him as your lord and savior your problems in life will disappear it's really kind of Insidious because many people have very serious mental health issues that can only truly be improved by professional medical and/or psychological help
yes! but then add on that they get some small effect from the new community/identity. so it really seems like it worked, then when it wears off, it must now be because of their sin, and the loop continues.
@MindShift-Brandon yes and the self-loathing cycle begins and never ends
@@Apost8Paul Yes, and the dogma progressively sucks them in deeper and deeper because the Biblical “requirements” form a succession of moving goalposts, starting innocuously enough with faith (John 3:16) but progressively adding good works (James 2:14), obedience (1 John 2:4, 3:24), confession of faith to others (Romans 10:9; Matthew 10:32-33), baptism (1 Peter 3:21), enough zeal (Revelation 3:16), fruitfulness (Matthew 7:16-20), fear (Philippians 2:12), suffering (Romans 8:17), denial of self and “taking up your cross” (Mark 8:34-35), and many other such things. Even the core commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8) is subject to the dire warning not to love anyone too much (Luke 14:26). Within the full belief system, no one can ever do enough; it's a veritable bait-and-switch.
@tiburd7 so true you nailed it
I once applied for a job in the mental health field (years ago) and during the interview the conversation swung around to religious mania and how it was not so common as it used to be as we have better, more effective medication and treatment plans.
I think they changed the formula as it seems to have increased wildly the last many years.
What you said at about 8 minutes 40 seconds really resonated with me. That is also what bothers me so much.
yes, we are all people, we all suck sometime and take advantage of others etc, but when you do that while claiming the moral high ground...cmon
Before Jesus...narsasist.
After Jesus....still a narsasist!
My grandparents had a record of an evangelical preacher, Rocky Freeman, who talked all about his murderous, pimping, racketeering life of crime before he started going to church to get the girl and his whole life changed. Now I realize he just switched to the much easier and safer racket. He didn't change a bit. Still a hustler and liar. 🤷
Was kinda waiting for this video, since the topic was touched in the last podcast
Thanks for being here!
Your points are valid. I remember Kristi Burke said you're allowed to enter Christianity on a fleeting feeling but if you leave, there's no reason good enough for Christians to accept. My concern is I don't want people to use this video as an excuse to go harass Cassie on her channels.
Money makes the blind see, and the cripple walk!
Here we go! ☕🙂
Yessss ☕️☕️ Here we go! ☀️
Morning, Das!
coffee, all set!
@MindShift-Brandon Hey Brandon, have a good morning and a wonderful day!
that’s it i’ve made my choice i need to become a christian grifter of some kind it has proven to be extremely lucrative
lol yup. thats why i laugh so hard when christians accuse me of having this channel as a grift, like what. i could fake a reconversion and x10 my income.
@@MindShift-Brandon 3 upvotes if I could!
You deserve the 💰 as you are actually helping people.
Thank you.
The most problematic thing for Christianity in this case is not the lack of actual change - a Christian may say Cassie is a perfect example of Matthew 7:22, so there is that.
The problem is Christians actually condone this kind of behavior! I've talked to Christians about similar issues before; when it comes to people or events which help Christianity's case in the eyes of non-believers who aren't as perceptive as others, Christians tend to not care if said events aren't true or if said people are hypocrites!
No sweat, they say, anything that leads people to the Lord is fine! Sometimes they go even further - if we show the dishonesty, they claim, that may do more harm than good!
Such way of thinking clearly demonstrates one of Christianity's biggest problems - the very nature of religious belief requires you to respect convenient nontruths, more than actual truth.
This fact alone throws so called "objective morality" in the garbage!
The dishonesty - there's some news today about where that leads to in the UK, with the Archbishop of Canterbury stepping down after a cover-up. Funny how this kind of thing keeps happening.
Somehow the new age spiritual movement walked right past me as I was just going from christianity to atheism. So much so that when I saw a local youtuber posting about her "new age" experience I left her a comment thinking she meant new age atheism LOL. That's the exact moment I found out there were people believing in crystals, tarot, witchcraft or, I mean, not all of them were that far gone... some were just following asian practices such as buddhism or buddhism with a twist and calling that 'new age'. My shock when that girl replied "I'm not atheist now, what are you talking about?" 😆 I was genuinely curious why she went back to christianity after leaving it in the first place. I found more answers here though, as it seems the cases are similar
Hypocrisy was the thing that pushed me away from Christianity. The evil that is salvation by faith and the problem of evil itself slammed that door shut
Well, I used to be a Cleric in the Church of Atheism, then one day I sat staring at my toaster and noticed it didn't evolve into a robot. It was then I realised that the Prophet Sir Richard Darwin lied about evolution and so now accept that god gave up a weekend for me because a caveman couple ate some fruit. Also a mean goatman wants to spank me in a fiery pit or something
Interesting! Not to be rude, but what is that "goat mans" situation? 🤨 Single, married, or what? Asking for a friend!
She went from being 20 to 30. A lot of people have similar trajectories across that age, regardless of religion or anything else.
Anyone who claims to speak for God should be considered a crook until demonstrated otherwise.
Yes and, along those lines, it's interesting that the Christian publisher Zondervan has a 41-volume "Counterpoints" series in which each volume presents debates among devout Christian theologians, all vehemently disagreeing with each other and each claiming to speak for God (or to be inspired by the Holy Spirit or to be proclaiming the One True Interpretation of the Bible etc.). According to some sources, 200 Christian denominations in the U.S. and 25,000 worldwide. People need to think about the implications of that empirical fact, particularly since Jesus had prayed that all Christians "may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me" (John 17:23).
The one area I think modern Christianity truly shines, is in providing social support. And strong social networks came be a major impetus for change. Whether we God credit, is another question.
One thing I took note of in her displays, was how important "proper" clothing was. And if that isn't the epitome of virtue signaling, I don't know what is. So while I think she had some legitimate changes, I suspect social pressure played a larger part than the bible. Especially since she apparently had the bible before her "after". I'm not even sure what she specifically called it.
She found Jesus
And he gave her fashion tips
I notice you didn’t say *good* fashion tips…
lmaoo
It’s sad people give their testimony ppl say they are lying or exaggerating. Why can’t truly have changed their lives?
When you have the Holy Spirit you change whether you realise immediately or not. If all the mnths and years or decades of praying, reading and going to church show no change you were not a Christian.
You know, i just that phrase, "we can never understand God." It adds such a gentle mystery to the word of God for Christians that we're all supposed to bow down to, except, never once have I ever heard it explained why when we ask, "if we can't understand God's ways (or some such nonsense) then why bother writing a holy book in the first place? Why not put some common sense "commandments" down and call it a day. Just another example of the Christian hypocrisy. Or are we just supposed to look at those neat little stories and say, nevermind about that other stuff?
I've been an athiest since I was 13. My life is completely fine. I live in the bible belt and I was and still am too smart to fall for the tricks to get me to waste my time and money on belief.
Before some body says something I have fully read 6 versions of the bi le and watched over 153 different apologicets yotubers, I still am not convinced. Do before someone else says I know nothing about the bible, I know more that 97% of christians, and I am an atheist.
wish i grew up atheist. i became christian last year when i was 13 (or took it "seriously" at least) and left christianity this year, holy moly
@LunarEclipseIsCoool Imagine doing it in the bible belt, if you don't live here. People were not happy when I started qestioning the bible.
I remember I was 11 did something bad then was told to take the morality of God into heart. I read the bible and was like, "Man, God is evil." Two years later and 100s of hours of research I just stopped believing in him. 7 years later I can fully deduce manipulative languages in everyday life and make up my own morals by what each everyone safe, happy, and free.
97% hmm prove it pls instead of making yourself look intelligent
@@burkettnathan822your acting like your life is holy false statement everyone is a sinner and is gonna potentially sin and be deceived by satan like u my friend if u don’t understand the bible just do research or ask a follower to gain some understanding instead u opposed god u were never really a follower of Christ if u never believed
@Blackwarrior7585 I'm an atheist. I base my morals of off what I deem to be good or not, not a genocidal hypocrit of a God.
Honestly what I always found interesting is how readily Christians dismiss personal reasons for leaving faith. While I always maintained that beliefs should first and foremost be dictated by rational thinking and logic, I also cannot deny the impact some personal events may have. These events often serve as catalysts that enable us to re-assess our worldview. Sure, in the end my atheism was a result of thinking and analysis, but what initially made me question things were things like being a sickly child and almost dying or becoming crippled numerous times throughout my life, dealing with abuse at hands from both relatives and schoolmates back in my home country of Russia, church hypocrisy, or hell, even something fairly minor in comparison like my child self being absolutely confused and disgusted at people cheering after calling themselves slaves of god. Now, I don't think any of this should be used as proof when it comes to validity of religion or existence of god, but it would be foolish to deny that things like that don't plant the seed of doubt in you and make you start questioning your beliefs. And it's somewhat amusing when Christians try to dismiss it, especially when I explicitly tell them that none of the personal matters I described can serve as argument against their claims about existence of god or whether Jesus rose from the dead because the only thing I do by talking about these things is illustrating the potential factors that can put you onto this soul-searching journey. However, they readily use personal testimonies to convert people. A bit hypocritical, don't you think.
Thank you for this! I love recommending your videos to Christians cos you make so many good points that knock Christians out of their bubble and force them to think.
Appreciate that!
He's a sad, depressed loser.
5:40 it just hit me… all of these “ conversion” narratives are about the teenage or young adult life. Could it be that people are simply growing up? We know that our brains are not fully formed and organized until we are 25. Maybe people are just trying to find themselves and are growing up.
@@michaelhenry1763 At 26 I became a Christan
A family member of mine just got publicly baptized for at least the 3rd time. Each time it’s like, “I’m a new creation in Christ, can’t believe what he’s done for me,” etc. From the outside, NOTHING has changed, she’s just a semi decent person with some flawed opinions who still makes mistakes like the rest of us. I wish people could get to the roots of their issues but religion is a thought stopping device at all junctions.
oh man, yes dont get me started on multiple baptisms!
So a cultural Christian who as a kid made some dumb decisions decides to get sober, quit abusing drug, s and grow up. Oh it must be the work of Jesus .
Or simply maturing and changing enough to realize she wasn't on a great trajectory for a healthy future. Something people the world over also do,, with or without religion.
I wrote that comment only after watching her clip.
After watching your entire video it seems even worse. It appears to be the born again grift in action.
Brandon you're absolutely right and on point as always buddy! Most of the time these type of religious people are egotistical, narcissistic and hypocritical
This trope has been around for so long. Christian TV was always full of this nonsense (probably worse now) prior to the internet.
As a Christian I completely understand where you and the comments are coming from and the type of image these videos create which is something I haven’t put much thought into before until seeing it from another perspective.
Before I met Jesus there were many amazing parts of my life and I enjoyed my life to an extent before but since then I enjoy it substantially more. The “before and after” things are from my perspective showing the worst parts of your life before becoming a Christian and then showing how Christ transformed those bad parts of her life into better things afterwards.
And that being said, it doesn’t necessarily mean that life is perfect one way or another and I think that’s a very toxic image Christianity on the internet has produced and it’s simply unrealistic.
But I hope this comment can add some sort of insight or perspective and I appreciate this video it was definitely very insightful :)
When you're in a bad spot, they tell you that the only cure to your problems is Jesus. And then what do they provide you with that improves your life? That's right - Community. Community is not Jesus. Other religions can also provide community. It can also be found without religion of any kind. Book clubs, chess clubs, music-genre lovers. Anything you enjoy, you can find other people who enjoy it too, and that is where community is found.
I get these before after stories often in debate groups. I tell people, "Great! You had a moral awakening and changed from some self destructive and harmful behavior and a mythology /fable was helpful in that awakening. Doesn't mean the folklore is true. You did it. Give yourself the credit."
Precisely
@@billguthrie2218 Point is you cannot give yourslef full credit because you know Who pulled you out and who you begged to do