Richard Dawkins in Conversation with Julia Sweeney- June 9, 2015 in Rochester, MN
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- Опубліковано 28 жов 2015
- Richard Dawkins in conversation with Julia Sweeney
June 9, 2015 at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, MN.
Thanks to Glenn Gaunt for the video.
Music credit: freemusicarchive.org
“What sign are you??”
“Im a do not disturb sign”
Omg I’m gonna have to use that in real life 😂
me too! do not know how it translates into Dutch though...
Yahuah is not into signs - astrology - he said do not worship the stars he created. Wake up.
Sadly it doesn´t work in german :(
I dig the personality traits of zodiac signs.. I know I know ..
Great conversation between two wonderful people! Love Julia Sweeney’s bubbly personality and Richard Dawkins’ lovely calm demeanor!
I followed Richard Dawkins briefly on Twitter but stopped when his tweets became very angry and hostile. It's hard to connect that person with the one sitting on the stage. I thought he was doing more harm than good by insulting people.
I was in a café when a man sitting next to me berated me for reading Richard's 'The Ancestor's Tale' because Richard Dawkins knew nothing of philosophy or theology. I told him the book I was reading is a science book and not about religion and did he mean 'The God Delusion' by the same author. He said 'yes that's the one'. He said it was a very bad book, poorly written and argued. I said I had not read it, had he? He said 'no, a well respected friend had told me about it'. I rest my case.
+Seamus Griffin I have read "The God Delusion". A very good book! I still have to read "The Ancestors Tale", though. I liked especially "River out of Eden".
+dewinthemorning Hi Roseta, just a general question, do you get a notification from google + if somebody replies to you?, it seems they don't always show up in my comment box now, i cannot read these comments on my tablet now, i have to revert to my laptop, and even then i now have to click on the "view all comments" button which is a new feature, i wish google/youtube would stop meddling !!!
+dewinthemorning Thank you, it is on my reading list (already too long ..... ) and yes River Out of Eden is one of my favourite books.
+bonnie43uk Hi, bonnie43uk, Today, suddenly, I get 10 notifications from google. And you are right, I can't read replies there, I must go to the video itself. On the tablet, I can read replies only if they are short. At Google, they are constantly making changes, and we can only adapt to them. :)
+dewinthemorning yes, I'm all for change, but not when it's a backward step. Oh well. We will just have to adapt like you say.
I really appreciate that they disagreed so much, it made for a much more lively and productive discussion than the one I anticipated
"I'd take the awe of understanding over the awe of ignorance any day."--Douglas Adam
Thank you so much Julia. I swear you and I had very similar journeys. I think I may tell my family to watch this if they ask how I lost my faith. You pretty much captures my story in a nutshell.
What a great meeting of great minds. Thanks, Julia and Richard.
blasphemy is a victimless crime
I love that.
Not if you're a blasphemous person in a theocratic country..
Blasphemy is the devil's blank cheque.
Wow
When someone says "lost their faith". It just sounds like youre missing something. How about we call it "gaining reality" instead lol.
T Timeler or began to apply critical thinking to universal issues. Not catchy , tho
TyDie85 One of the reasons for not being appropriate to dismiss the idea of loss is the average atheist, almost all atheists really, have next to nothing in terms of symbolism knowledge even within the bible. If you ask an atheist what the swastika symbolism means, he'll probably say some ordinary profane thing like "it's a symbol of power", or will typically observe he doesn't give a rat's ass. Atheists are simply people that for some reason or another have not been initiated in certain set of metaphysical knowledge. As René Guénon said, sacredness by itself, without the help of anything else, escapes profane curiosity. See it this way: a jackass will never stop to wonder what is the meaning of life; so too an atheist will never wonder whether there are inner esoteric layers of meaning in the bible, that were purposefully veiled in allegory for various reasons.
@@PedroHLima-ss7hy Do you always talk like this? "Almost all..." "...he'll probably say..." "...are simply people..." "...a jackass...will never wonder..." Not a single thing that you wrote describes me. All false assumptions. Hmmm. I'm seeing a trend. An assumption is a thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof. Just like your religious belief. I hate to tell you, but you need a lot more world experience and critical thinking before making an accurate conclusion. Good luck with all that.
Sandra Slow down. If what you are saying were true you would be able to answer a question such as "what does the swastika symbolism mean?" and if you are either uninterested in knowing or do not know, I did not assume anything wrong. Reread my first comment and you will find out that is what I tried to say. Abd of course you have no interest in this question or have absolutely no clue what this symbolism, packed with correspondence within the bible, means. That is what I meant.
Pedro H. Lima What utter bollocks Pedro!
I love to hear Richard Dawkins. He helps me feel very secure in my belief, or lack thereof. He totally opens his audiences eyes to the fact that religion is bogus.
Great. He believes we got all this by "literally nothing." Show how smart you are to back that up.
What's off is your brain. The 1LofT states that energy can't be created or destroyed, it can't happen naturally. One aspect of the 2LofT shows that the universe is winding down, usable energy is becoming less usable. It is clear creation had to be done supernaturally at some point yet it is still denied because people are just too proud to accept that, among other things.
Thank you Richard and Julia, so much love amongst atheist here on the internet it’s helping me in a difficult time of my life ❤️
"Good rule in life was to never argue with Christopher Hitchens." - Richard Dawkins. Yes!
The freedom that you feel when you finally "let go" as Julia so beautifully addresses, is the most amazing sense of clarity and contentedness I've known. Education and curiosity will set you free.
I do not have the ability to let go of an almighty power in the spectrum of life (the kind we don't understand as life) that has something to do with how the cosmos runs and knows about us on this pale blue dot
@@anitareasontobelieve7375 okay well that is good and you have your rights to it but dont try and tell people how to think, what they can do with their bodies, be against stem cell research, special tax free church, anti evolution, anti scientific method, cutting penis and clits of babies, telling people birth control is bad, creating laws based on ass derived religious texts, etc etc. no atheist is forcing you to not have your god.
I'm dismayed at the number of negative comments regarding Julia Sweeney. She's a brilliant woman and Dawkins is clearly a fan of her one woman show, Letting Go of God. She contributes a great deal to the conversation here.
Hippie Dachshunds
any time a woman speaks , there will be several misogynists saying her voice is too high or something. I ask those people to stay away from children, if his voices bother them
@@scienceexplains302 I am a woman, a feminist, and an atheist. It is not Sweeney's high pitched voice that grates on my nerves, rather it is her inappropriate and constant laughter.
@@longtermcareexperiences-bi5685 (Just to clarify, I was not claiming that the only people who don't like Julia Sweeney are sexist.) I just listened to the first two minutes of the interview and did not hear one inappropriate laugh. Maybe a bit of nervousness or relief, but it all sounds good to me.
Julia Sweeney is peppy and laughs as a reaction to humor, thought, and discomfort, as many people do. She makes this subject more approachable to many people, and that is positive, as some people will not sit through a Dawkins or Hitchens lecture. I agree that she contributes insights and a different perspective to the conversation.
Many little men loath all women and are terrified by them.
Delightfull! We need more of this!
We need to see more of you Dr. Dawkins, more more pls! Keep the wheel turning, wishing you long life :)
Ty. professor dawkins. I cant believe the transformation ive went trough, but im glad i came out as an atheist. Years of internal conflict.. gone.
I LOVE THIS! An inspiring pair.
Yasssss. I was so excited when this popped up in my suggestions. Love these two! I'm a huge fan of both, and a "strident naturalist" myself, hahah. What a great conversation. Truly inspirational!
damn you made a priest cry! lol. God bless this lady she's fun to listen to
Excellent, thanks for the upload.
I had to stop 30 minutes in and see her show. It was GREAT!
Even though Julia says she is atheist, she still hasn’t let go of religion.
She's pretending.
I agree. I love her, but after seeing her one-woman show, Letting Go of God, and other interviews, I was sadly disappointed with her reversal, and seeming ignorance, here.
professor dawkins,
I sincerely hope you come to Amsterdam so i can see you in person at a maybe a lecture. I hope to one day be able to attend one of your marvellous interviews or lectures.
Maaaaaaarvellous
that would be great indeed!
Dawkins is a treasure.
Enrique Gesta, In that case, Richard Dawkins coming to Amsterdam, In y part of Amsterdameven Islam seems to be in rapid decline, he should talk about about homeopathy and other kinds of obvious bullshit.
I ❤️ both of these thoughtful and beautiful people and celebrate a world that includes them ☮️
Great conversation from a great combination! Sweeney and Dawkins were so good together!
That's my evening sorted. Should be an interesting chat. Enjoyed 'Letting go of God' and obviously 'The God delusion'.
+bonnie43uk I wish! Bartending - doing, you know, God's work.
BellCurve Yes indeed, "Go forth and bartend".
Two of my favorites. I absolutely loved the actual God Delusion book. Another spectacular book by Dawkins is " The Greatest Show on Earth", for those who have the insatiable hunger I have for the fact of Evolution. Ohhh, such a mind-blowing, fascinating book!
can't wait!@@MrAdryan1603
The key to the atheist movement is similar to what religions have relied on for years. We need to raise our children to be critical thinkers and don't pass on supernatural myths. If that means you need to outwardly claim to be 'Catholic' or whatever, that is fine; just don't indoctrinate the children. Religion will evaporate exponentially especially with resources like the internet.
+Thomas H i love that religious people cry about having the right to raise their children in their "culture". While atheists want to raise their children to help them find their own path. Religious parents teach children what to think, atheists teach their children how to think.
Hakan Karaağaç
Well said.
+Thomas H
It's the reason all ideology based religious institutions/people are so intent on getting to the children before they learn to think critically. And why they tend to use such exaggerated "carrot and stick" methods.
They realise the importance. If childhood indoctrination and coercion were to be outlawed, I doubt very much the numbers would remain so high. It would be the "death knell" of widespread religion. It would become a very minority "activity".
+rationalmartian I agree, I would be in favour of banning childhood indoctrination of religion but it would be impossible to enforce.
But I think what is wonderful is that the Internet more than anything has been a catalyst for people to be exposed to information, particularly to opinions and facts that challenge religious dogma.
+rationalmartian what I am referring to is those people who don't really believe anymore but feel obligated to raise their children in the religion of their youth. I have a sister who did this exactly. She did not believe but kept it private with me. She raised her daughter Catholic because it was expected. Now that daughter is an adult and popping out Catholic children like a pezz dispenser simply because the church got their grip on her. The world would have been better off if she simply taught her to think for herself.
I really enjoy listening to Richard Dawkins in all these documentaries and debates found online. Wish I could catch Richard in California, live.
A very nice talk. I found Julia's ideas to be thought provoking and good for debate. Richard certainly enjoys her company and discussing her ideas. Well done.
I just love Julia's energy so much 😭
Ten or so years ago, the openly secular campaign among other things was a catalyst for me to not only come out about being a non believer but to also finally relocate from the Bible Belt to California. I couldn’t be happier.
This video really hurts.
I LIVE in Rochester,
And I find out Dawkins came here 6 months AFTER this happened.
It was a chance to meet a hero.
What's even more annoying, sad really, are how many people complaining on this comment board. There IS a valuable message to this debate. Stop being trolls.
Being a "Blasphemer" myself, it was far from a bumpy ride and much more a comfortable confirmation that all that I feel about this subject is nail on the head right.Btw, my cats are also non believers in "Religious dogma" though it could be because they just don't belive in dogs but anyway I have gotten more love and TRUTH from two cats than I could ever get from "religion".
Great dialogue. However why is she screaming all the time?
Never get tired of listening to richard.
Wow Julia. Your faith journey seems never ending. I love your Bubliness. Richard, thank you for helping me wake up.
One of the biggest problems with being part of Christianity/Catholicism when you don’t share the beliefs is the willingness to associate oneself with the ideology that if someone does not share in this specific religion then they are going to hell. Christianity and Catholicism are exclusive religions (the only way to heaven is through belief in Jesus Christ). This is a cruel and offensive message, and in my opinion does not lend itself to creating such wonderful “community” (as Julia seems to think it does), except among its own of course...
Churches are not simply feel good, do good, service clubs with happy traditions and nice songs. They carry a divisive, judgmental message from prideful people who see everyone on the outside as deceived and going to hell.
Why anyone who does not hold these beliefs would want to associate themselves with it is beyond my personal comprehension.
I really enjoy hearing these experiences of realization and coming to reason (or out of faith, away from god, etc.). I was fortunate enough to not be 'given' religion as a young, impressionable child. I sort of discovered science and reason and philosophy through books and study, or even curiosity. I would read and study science and also learn the history of the world and religion and religious belief/history. I was able to develop my mind with critical thinking by comparing religion and science on my own. I think it's a privileged position I had, and I want to salute and congratulate those of you who had to be drawn out from desert revelations through sheer will and a fighting spirit. You had a fight and I think that's wonderful. Let reason prevail. Reason prevails.
God bless the likes of Julia and Richard. I wish I had awoken to their, years ago.
heh? lol
Hillarious! Love both of these icons!
38 mins through and I stopped watching. Is there a version of this clip where only Dawkins speak ?
It is a sad thing when a culture can only survive based on superstition or lies.
Superstition only comes from ignorance however so you should feel pity. The lies are another thing altogether.
Richard *speaks a sentence*
Julia *right....right....right....right.....right...right....*
Julia and Richard are treasures.
Can someone please calm her down?
I don't know you but if I were in a conversation with Richard Dawkings in front of hundreds of people, I'll got very anxious.....
Dawkins*
I'm surprised Richard could keep up with hearing this woman's voice for so long
+greenytaddict
She comes across as a complete idiot. A giggling, loud-mouthed, screeching fool.
richard was on bbc news yesterday,, do you have the footage, i missed it ?
What is with the jump in the video around 30:25?
16:20 I grew up Mormon. At one point we had a missionary (who are called "Elder") named Bishop and a Bishop (head of a ward) named Elder. so we had Elder Bishop and Bishop Elder.
Ms Sweeney made a lot of valid points. Until there are easily accessible secular organizations which fullfill all of the non-religious but important church functions in people's lives, churches, synagogues, temples and mosques will continue to be popular institutions.
She was presenting facts about how attending church supports church-goers that Dawkins really doesn't have a valid response for. He says some of the same things, but often dismisses the secular functions of churches etc out of hand, as easily replaceable, without acknowledging their extreme importance to church-goers.
That's one of the problems with "experts" in a field of science or in academia. They disregard how people feel.
I'd defend Dawkins by saying he has helped setup and supports organisation that support fellow atheists. The lack of community outside of religion is a problem that I hope can improve but I think it needs an awakening to overcome religions almost monopoly on those aspects. Maybe if we all wore symbolic jewellery? 😁
I live in Canada where religion is slowly dying, thankfully. Maybe my generation had higher IQ or better teaching? The new immigrants, on the other hand are more involved with their own personal bat-shit crazy cult behaviors (such as turbans). This was supposed to be the country where you could escape religion....
@@jwb52z9 This is a very presumptuous, as well as incorrect statement. Presenting things in an objective tone does not equate to absence of emotion. Far from the truth and full of bias - which, by the way, is promoted by the far right.
This was well worth watching. Entertaining, if nothing else.
Interesting talk, both well informed.
It just struck me why some people are complaining about Julia Sweeney: she sounds exactly like Mickey Mouse.
She's killing my ears but if I turn it down I have to ready to turn it up again when Richard speaks.
she is most annoying ......... needs therapy
Interrupting and giggly. One would think she could keep herself calm.
The working chemistry (no pun intended) between these two is wonderful; both a compliment and a contrast.
If you change speed from normal to 0.5 it's better to listen to...any other way to make it more bearable
I love hearing Richard Dawkins doing an American accent.
In school I had a chemistry teacher who was really pedantic about the way you would describe a chemical or physical process. He didn´t want you to say "the water molecules want to stick together". His determination seemed somewhat over-ambitious back then, but I guess that way of thinking helped me to some more profound understandings of complicated processes. After all, the implication of purpose behind the natural existence lead to the idea of an allmighty god in the first place.
+KlausM54
More teachers should be pedants. Especially in the sciences, maths, engineering etc. Woolly language can certainly be problematic.
+rationalmartian Exactly
Only a few minutes in and she won't shut up or even stop interrupting.
Every good social action performed by a religious organization can be performed by a secular organization, but without the superstitious baggage.
Can anyone identify an irritating voice in this video, I can.
+Jay F No, sorry, I have no idea what your voice sounds like.
+Livid Imp Her voice it is a little irritant, but when Richard talks I get calm again
+Jay F no? i think richard has a beautiful voice.
+Ronald Johnson Well said, I'll have to steal that one some day.
Fuck me, chill the fuck out.
richard dawkins is an intelligent man that can see fact from fiction
I can't just be part of something if I don't believe in it. How can I partake in all the worshipping if I don't believe?
Man this lady’s drugs really kicked in about 2/3rds of the way through this lol
Sounds a bit like Julia is trying to have her cake and eat it too...
Sorry Julia, you can't have the ritual without the myth and you can't have the myth without the lie.
Well religion itself as it is presented today is fundamentally flawed, but maybe what needs to happen is something fundamental about religion needs to change in the near tomorrow.
Religious stories, artwork and philosophies are a good gateway into traditional culture and a pre-modern era. We do needa understand where we've been to know where we needa go. Humans are pattern-seeking creatures and innately irrational, it's how we survived by running when we hear a crackle in a bush, and an extension of that is a sort of artistic expression that is a by-product of the part of our brain that uses imagination and pattern seeking to survive in the wild. I think we should focus on that part, the part of understanding where our ancestors came from with the caveat that we know how far the expression of their ideas in terms of factuality goes so that we as a species can move forward as well.
It's why pop culture is so widely accepted now. We can have stories that are some good some bad, but we know the extent of what's fact and what's fiction and can judge accordingly what's worth learning (morals, structure, character etc.) with our own crticial thinking and at the same time embracing the artistic expression that led to its conception in the first place.
People do rituals all the time without the myth. Ask probably 75% of Jews.
@@spaceghost8995 You do know that 92% of all quoted statistics are made up on the spot, right?
lol, Richard is interviewing her, cant expel curiosity from the scientist
I quite agree, the learning brain gets no rest.
Why does it skip at 30:26 ?
it's like a bit of the conversation....is missing :(
No hay versión en español o subtitulado en español???
Am I the only one who would like to adjust the tone knob on Julia? Three clicks back from shrill toward mellow, please.
As someone who was raised in an Anglican school, it's probably the only form of Christianity I can respect.
Mind you, it's primarily due to their passiveness.
What's it cost to join tire foundation?
When I was in Christian Science Sunday School, I think I was about 10 when I questioned why there were so many other religions.
My teacher was so kind and thoughtful when trying to answer me. And he answered me honestly by saying something along the lines of how no one knows for certain which religion is the true religion. They may very well all be wrong. But the religion of Christian Science after much deliberating seemed to be the one that made the most sense to him.
I don't know if that was a good answer or a very dangerous one.
God, it's so awkward to listen to her speaking.
Daniel • She is so intelligent and engaging, though! I personally love listening to her speak, I think she is an amazing woman and a pioneer for this great cause :o) Do you like Professor Dawkins? I'm just curious, friend
Adrian D I love what she says and she seems to have a great personality, but her voice is sometimes stinging in my ears. I wish she would speak in a more composed and calm manner in situations like these and save her vocal range for her comedy show :)
@@sophonax661 You want her to be someone else obviously. Julia is a warm beautiful person. Her voice doesn't bother me one bit.
@@spaceghost8995
It makes a big difference to know someone. I listened for the first time to her, so I was not used to her voice.
And just because I criticize a person's feature I don't want him/her to be another person ;)
That's not how criticism works.
@@MrAdryan1603 MMMMMM...…..Where her intelligence is visible in this video??????
Shes amazing!! Watch "Letting go of god"
She isn't really that annoying, people. She's much smarter than a huge majority of women I know at least. Especially in her age group.
Anyone seen the episodes of Frasier with 'Anne' in them?
3:30 Five seconds in and I've already had enough. Such an annoying persona is nothing but a defense mechanism.
Why so defensive? :D
+Adrian Is that your own defense mechanism i see?
+Mat Lord His defense mechanism is becoming the thing he finds annoying.
+Adrian You sounds like a patient, objective, tolerant person.
+Adrian Pick up your crayons and go to your room.
Science AND Blasphemy! count me in!
I was studying theology but I didn't finish the degree when I started learning the errors of the SDA church. Then I started to think critically about the philosophy religion employs and I realized that it literally hedged believers in from examining critical opposition to the christian and religious worldview. However, living in Jamaica and with the prevalence of religious views around, I have not and cannot come out openly as being atheist. What I need to know is if the clergy project is for me as well?
When can I see something like this in Berlin? :/
Markus Latoschinski
Stuttgart! Or Frankfurt! But for Dawkins Berlin would be fine too ofc
46:50 Julia, my dear, the same can be said about popular music or professional sports. Rock concerts raise money for good causes and professional sports team are involved in all sorts of charities. Steven Colbert raised a great deal of money on his cable show but I think it's spurious to say late night shows or celebrity status push people to behave better. I think there are also many people involved in the music or sports business who clearly aren't fantastic human beings. I don't think what motivates people to be involved with their church is all that different from what motivates them to be in a band or the basketball team.
+Edwin Luciano wasn't that a typical rant from an SJW? i was not surprised that she said what she did because as she had already said it in the beginning, her atheism was not really a result of critical thinking and scepticism.
I was at the event with my son. :-)
Nice! What was the energy of the room like?
Novel concept: What about critically evaluating and discussing the content of what Julia Sweeney has to say rather than critiquing how her voice sounds? Ad. Ho. Min. Em. I would like to think people watching a video from the Richard Dawkins Foundation would be more intelligent than all these comments seem to suggest, but this is still the internet I suppose.
People are shallow and want to see their exact views parroted by a woman with a deeper voice. Critiquing her natural voice is actually not excepting her as she is and VERY snobby and exclusionary.
Hello stephanie....I have seen many Dawkins videos, and Sweeney is clearly out of place, out of touch...on another planet.
Aw yes. This is gonna be good!
'whether it is true or not, that's like the least interesting thing'.
thanks for saying that Julia, because now i won't have to waste my mind or time on your ideas.
i think and hope that when people leave their religion it is for the sake of truth not for emotional reasons.
+Quantum Axe Quantum, perhaps emotional reasons are why people stay trapped in the superstitious nonsense of religion? Actual truth is the least of their concerns ... this becomes obvious when one attempts to have a rational discussion with one of them.
charles madison yes, they do and many leave for the same, albeit a very bad reason.
1:15:28 - "My student asked, "My faith says one thing but science says another. What do you say?" ... How do you think I should respond...?"
To this question, I'm disappointed at the responses from both Richard and Julia. At least one of them should have pointed out that all the teacher needed to say to the student is that she's there (at school) to teach science and not to discuss religion or religious belief.
I handed that girl the mic... Felt bad about the response she got. Went out after the show with some other teachers... Wished she could have come.
BTW, if you're that person and happen to read this post, PM me. There's lots of really great atheist in MN - also teachers - who have good answers to that question.
+br4550w I'm not that person. I'm just a fan of Richard Dawkins and Julia Sweeney. Hope you'll someday see or hear from that girl again.
The lady's mic is higher than doc...
1:15:00 I would tell her to say this: When faced with two possible explanations, consider the evidence. More important than considering the evidence that supports one idea or the other, consider the evidence that REFUTES one idea or the other.
Fellowship means a lot to me. I like that aspect within an atheist group. I wish we could have a bunch of atheist "sites" that anyone could go to to connect with others the same way that people of faith can go to the local church.
Same here ❤
We have one of those sites in my city... it's called the Science Center.
she's a bit loud.
+Fuzzo Frizzbeebot I SAID, SHE'S A BIT LOUD !!!
;p
+Fuzzo Frizzbeebot I THINK HE SAID: HE'S A LIT BOARD!!!
+spacethegas She IS a bit loud! :)
WHAT ROAD ARE YOU ON ABOUT?!
+spacethegas She,s American ! XD.
Very Nice.
A monkey with bad breath was put on trial? And what is the title of the book Dennett's coauthored?
59:28
wtf
Exactly.
Her voice really hurts my head.
Interesting conversation
her shrill voice and laughter are appalling!!! but it yet did not destruct enough from her simple-mindedness. respect to Richard for his patience and risking getting tinnitus with this one.
ohh dear I really wanna listen to this but her voice!!!…. man its killing me
+Scott Lee Clayton Blame the sound man.
Tim King I dont think we can really blame him for her horrendously annoying American tones.
JFC, I love to hear her story but I wish I could hear it in someone else's voice.
So irritating and annoying.
Am I the only one?
Yes
No
Go to 3:30 directly. Why do they bother bringing in a bad speaker to talk about a good one?
I just wanted to let you know that you are an awesome guy, and whenever I get hateful religious people denying science, I usually just send them your videos =^.^=