An atheist responds to theists' false assumptions
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- Опубліковано 20 січ 2017
- Most of my family and friends have stumbled upon Holy Koolaid by now (or shared it with each other). And most of them don't understand why I make these videos or even why I'm an atheist. In this video, I hope to address some of their questions and misconceptions about me and about atheists in general.
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In a world full of faith, reasonable people are outcasts.
Sad, but true nonetheless
I´m happy to life in Europe. Here it is pretty rational.
trump's secretary of education devos is terrifying
we saw a lot of protest on women's rights.
i think education is going to need to be a huge concern.
anyone who is in a state with republican senators ought to be contacting those legislators in order to register a formal objection to the nomination
+iloveapplefritters:atheism also runs hand and hand with higher suicide rates and higher substance abuse. Note the following:
In 2004, the American Journal of Psychiatry reported the following:
“Religiously unaffiliated subjects had significantly more lifetime suicide attempts and more first-degree relatives who committed suicide than subjects who endorsed a religious affiliation. Unaffiliated subjects were younger, less often married, less often had children, and had less contact with family members. Furthermore, subjects with no religious affiliation perceived fewer reasons for living, particularly fewer moral objections to suicide. In terms of clinical characteristics, religiously unaffiliated subjects had more lifetime impulsivity, aggression, and past substance use disorder.
ajp.psychiatryonline.org/article....eid=177228
When I tried to argue with an extremely religious girl (she's a christian), I tried to tell her some things she didn't seem to know about Jesus, like that one time he said that he would turn sons against their fathers, daughters against their mothers and wifes against their husbands and that they would all fight with each other until their would be no one left, just because they loved someone else more than him. And by that time she was all like "Out of context, blabla..." and when I gave her the whole verse she told me, that I wasn't a real christian, because "catholics aren't real christians"...
And I thought to myself: well, first, I'm not catholic anymore, I'm an atheist, but since when are they not the "real" christians?
How out-of-arguments can you be, that you pull THIS card out of your butt?
But there are really these people who put their fingers into their ears and sing lalala as soon as they hear someone questioning their views and that makes me extremely sad and agonizingly furious at the same time.
It can definitely be frustrating at time. But the more their views are questioned by others the more they'll start to question them themselves. Keep up the good work, as discouraging as it can be at times. I remember many conversations I had as a Christian with people who disagreed with me, and those conversations really resonated with me, and over time, helped me to find freedom from religious enslavement.
May I suggest asking questions next time rather than arguing or even presenting facts. For example you could of asked "Is it possible that in the bible Jesus said he came to turn families against each other internally?" Rather than telling her what the bible say's, let her discover the new information for herself. I find people become defensive and closed off when presented with new information. Which often leads to arguments over facts. Which in turn stifles the conversation. So it's best to let people discover things on their own. You can defiantly suggest facts but don't proclaim them as such. People don't like that especially when it counters their position. You must handle these topics with kid gloves, people take their beliefs very personally and can get turned off by the slightest thing.
One thing that helps me, is to remember that when talking to others individually. It shouldn't be approached as a debate, that debates are not about changing the others mind. When engaging others on a 1 on 1 level, with the intent of persuading them to change their position. Approaching them as if it;s a debate is completely backwards. All that does is make people defensive which in turn can and often does have the opposite effect that you want. When people get defensive that can make them closed off to new information. That's not what we're going for and leads to them doing things like telling you you're not a real christian. Which if you don't know is known as the no true Scotsman fallacy. :)
BlasterMaster80 believe me, I tried everything to get this girl to think about what she's believing, but every time I asked her something that is nowadays completely different than in biblical times (like slavery, marriages, womens rights, etc.) she's just like "Oh yeah, we developed us from their times on"
And as soon as you say something like "so, we can develop something that is better than what is written in the bible?" she just completely closes off, because then again, the bible is without failure and everything it says it completely true, with talking snakes, cursed apples, blindness-curing saliva und virgin birth...
And I'm a very logical man. If I'm trying to make a point, I will find as many arguments as necessary and most of the time it works out just fine. But you can't argue someone with logic who's completely irrational.
And since the bible tells everyone that it would be best to stone me to death, I can't really approach it emotionally, because then again, I get angry.
And I know that they won't think about what I've told them afterwards, because no matter what, they will walk out of this talk and feel like they completely annihilated everything you said. You need a special mindset to overcome religion through critical thinking, but if you don't even try to think for yourself, then you need someone to crack you out of your shell of ignorance and self-righteousness, that is my approach.
Tell her to take comfort in the fact that when you are being nice to her it's not because you are trying to get into Heaven.
As the saying goes, those are the conversations that are like playing chess with a pigeon. No matter how good you are, the pigeon will knock over the pieces, crap on the board, and walk around like it's victorious.
But more seriously, it's not that people like that are _completely_ irrational. I've known plenty of Christians who were intelligent and generally rational with most things. It's that the particular blockage you're running into with people like that girl isn't rational; it's emotional. Those questions pose a threat to the person's worldview and sense of identity, so an emotional deflector shield immediately pops up.
When someone says "God bless you", I say "Thank you, which one?"
You mean after you sneeze or...?
The Flying Spaghetti Monster, of course!
Sadly doesn't work here in Germany... We say "Gesundheit" when someone sneezes, which means "health".
I do that too!!! And when I hear someone sneeze I say "you're SOOOO good looking!" to them (look up the amazing Seinfeld episode on it)
@@graham1158 but you can do it when someone greets you with "Grüß Gott." and answer with "Welchen?"
In english this would be something like:"greet god." which is mostly used in south germany to greet someone.
My brother thinks I'm an atheist because I just want to sin and have fun, my mum thinks I'm doing it to hurt her. But that aside they are still polite around me. Just hurts knowing that this is the second thing my family doesn't agree or understand about me. I'm also bisexual and they haven't come to terms with that yet either.
Ouch! Coming out as an atheist was rough for me. I can't imagine coming out twice. You're brave, and I'm proud of you for that. Stay strong. Every day, atheism is becoming more normalized. It will get easier.
It's unfortunate that the bi thing gives them a convenient hook to hang the "sin" thing on. Not that they're right. But their misconceptions reinforce each other.
Maybe take the "the morals, etc only apply if it's actually true. I don't have any good reason to think that it's true. Do you?"
Technically the "want to sin" part is true, but really... a lot of things in those books is considered a sin, it's kinda hard not to sin. So why live with guilt? leaves you with the only choice which is abandoning the religion.
I personally think the "just want to sin" is a completely legitimate reason. So long as you don't intend to transgress the legit bad sins like murder and thieving.
Sharlene Gray I completely understand. I'm a gay atheist in a conservative state, my grandpa was also a pastor, so he preaches a lot of anti-gay/science rhetoric. But he can never convince me with fiction what I already know through fact.
I feel you
I've never really had any issues with people finding out I'm an atheist. In fact, one time, while talking with my religious aunt, she told me about how silly her one grandson was because he once said atheism was a religion. Pretty much everyone I know either already knows I'm an atheist or find out eventually. And I've been one pretty much since I was a kid.
The story behind that is actually kinda funny. I was playing Donkey Kong Country 3 and couldn't beat this one stage, and I was begging and praying for God to please let me finish the stage. Then, I did beat it. And it actually gave me pause, because other times I prayed and begged, it never really happened, but it did for this one time over a game of all things? It was at that moment that I started to realize there probably wasn't a god and that I merely beat the stage myself with effort and luck.
That’s probably the best deconversion story I’ve ever seen on UA-cam.
@@mattiasljungblad4827 "How did you become an atheist?" "Well, it all started whilst I was playing Donkey Kong..."
That is an _awesome_ story.
And in a way, remarkably similar to my own.
See, I have _never_ had a prayer fail to be answered.
Except, here's the thing: I _also_ never asked for something in a prayer unless I felt my need was genuine. I didn't want to bother (spam) God with frivolous things.
Meaning I have only asked for 3-4 things in my entire _lifetime._
(other than "Please bless this meal", etc.)
But after what turned out to be my final prayer, I realized something important. After a genuine prayer, I always followed up by contacting my family to ask for advice.
It was my _family_ that was always answering my prayers, not a God. It was _them_ that I was relying on.
Because, in fact, my prayers were along the lines of "How am I going to make rent this month?", or "How do I deal with a stressful situation at work?"
In other words, things my parents were equipped to give good advice on.
Prayer was just my way of collecting my thoughts and articulating my needs before asking the good people in my life for help.
---
...But I like _your_ story better. 😉
Yours is relatable to a wider audience.
I feel the pain.. living in the philippines, people look at you like you're from a different planet. When people are so drunk in their beliefs, they forget proper reasoning and even basic science.. in a country where saints are mostly venerated than science, I fear for this country's future. As an educator, Im afraid that religious studies are given more importance than science. Im glad that Im not alone in this agony. There are still reasonable people out there. Thanks to intertnt and well said mr. hoolikoolaid!
The internet connects us all. No one is alone anymore! :)
Also, I think you'd be surprised how many atheists there actually are in the Philippines. I've have quite a few fans from there, and I know my friend, David McAfee (an atheist author) has quite a fanbase there. I'm probably visiting Manila, Cebu, and a few other places there in a couple months (currently in Vietnam). Maybe we can schedule a group atheist meetup.
Holy Koolaid wow! I would love to go to the atheist meeting but im currently engaged in some school activities. Im glad your message is getting across the world and there are a few filipinos who think the same way as I do. It would be awesome to meet u and other atheists someday
Follow me on twitter. If I do meetups/go to conferences. I always announce it there.
wael heh
Nakakalungkot ang estado ng edukasyon sa bansa natin.. :( Masuwerte akong kadalasan ng mga pinakamalapit na kaibigan sa akin ay hindi naniniwala sa relihiyon at gumagalang sa aking pagka-ateista.
Oh, hello, so how are you now po? Yeah, it's true even the most intelligent of us are blinded by religion, my aunt cried when I challenged her beliefs and my mom is in denial... My aunt is a very successful woman... It's a sad thing... Even in education, we fail I learned better through the net...
I believe in God Goku, he died for me and saved this planet from Lord Frieza
👍
😂
😁
Living in Quebec, I have it rather easy as an atheist. At my last job I was open and up front about it. Even to a muslim co-worker. The roughest thing I had to put up with was correcting her assumption that I hate god, and that got cleared up in half a second. At another place, in a topic I consider related about how science can demonstrate anything that's real and therefore religion is looking kind of thin in the whole 'reality' bit, I had the "Can Science measure LOVE?!?" trump card flung at me. You should've seen the guy's expression when I said "Yes. Oxytocin." It was pure pleasure for me.
All my friends know I'm an atheist and are fully aware just how much I hate religion. They've even called me up on the phone in the middle of being badgered by theists just to ask me about some bible quote to fire back.
Life's good here.
+1 reason to live in Canada!
Hoops, would you like to try again? Maybe in a coherent language used by human beings, instead of whatever the fuck that was?
Hoops590
I'm with Edward that you're statements are incoherent, but I'm going to try to decipher them anyway.
"why do you lie if you dont hate" What does lying have to do with hating? Can someone lie but not hate? Sure, kids do it all the time. Can someone be honest but hate something or someone? Sure, I can say I hate the rain. Does that make me dishonest about the rain? Didn't think so. So you asked an incoherent question because lying and hating are not mutually exclusive.
"a lying tongue hates those it afflicts" Tongues do not lie. People's brains produce words and those words can be lies, either written or spoken. Tongues do not hate. People's brains produce thoughts and those thoughts can be hateful. Because tongues don't lie or hate, you wrote an incoherent statement.
So now that I have used plain English to explain how incoherent your question and statement were and you have a second person telling you that your question and statement were incoherent, maybe it's time for you get a grip on reality and realize that what you wrote was incoherent nonsense. Either that or tell someone at the mental hospital to take away your keyboard.
I was brought up in a religious home, I had/have a lot of religious friends and I myself was once deeply religious. When I was about 15 I started reading the bible for myself for the first time in my life and I was blown away but what I was reading! I also started to realize the cherry picking that was going on in church and bible studies. It really made me question god/religion. By the time I was in my 20's I was a full blown atheist! My family and friends where disappointed to say the least, some where out right mad at me! I'm in my thirty's now and still to this day I have friends/family that will pull me aside just to "talk", actually pulling me a side is an understatement, a couple years ago they tried to have an intervention! NO BS AN INTERVENTION! Had a priest there and everything! But back to these little "talks" they still try having with me. They will preach to me, give me pamphlets and recommend videos and religious documentaries/series I should watch. See the thing is I will listen to them and even watch their little shows but the thing is when I try to tell my side of things, debate with them or recommend things for them to watch! They don't listen to me, tell me no......its honestly flat out disrespectful and drives an even bigger wedge in between me and religion! It amazes me how close minded and delusional these people are!
When I was a child I was very skeptical about everything to do with religion but allowed for the possibility that I would understand better when I got older. Like you, I read the Bible on my own and there is one story that put me on the path of no return.
All of the stories in the Bible made me doubt, but I knew I could no longer believe in God, ever, when I read the story of Moses turning the staff into a snake in front of the Pharaoh. I bought it when Moses did the first time because you infer that it's really God turning the staff into a snake and God can do anything, but when I read that:
“Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.” (Exodus 7)
What the Bible was claiming was that the Pharaoh's magicians had the power to turn staffs into snakes too and _that_ to me was the straw that broke the camel's back because I had a magic kit myself and understood that magic was make-believe.
If Pharaoh's sorcerers were make-believe, why not Moses? Why not Abraham, Noah, and Adam and Eve? And God? What if God was just another fictional character? I knew I could never go back to assuming that I would understand it all at a later date after that story.
Edwin Luciano That is a great story and a good point! But what did it for me was just what a vengeful, homicidal maniac god was/is in the bible! Especially in the OT! God was ok with slavery, rape and murder!
Jacob Lee Yeah. Had I read the Bible at an older age, I would have been flabbergasted that God drowned almost every living thing but I think at that age, I didn't really see the people in the Bible as much more than an abstraction.
For example, the excuse God has for drowning all those people in the Great Flood was that they were behaving badly but it never occurred to me that God must have drowned their innocent babies as well. People aren't just people; they live in families and have children including babies. I didn't think about that. And that's not even getting into the innocent animals! They were ALL innocent.
+Edwin Luciano
And look how well his plan to save humanity through "the one righteous man" turned out... (And why are his wife and kids included if he's the only one who's "okay" in god's eyes? Doesn't that ruin the breeding stock afterwards if the other family members are at least a bit wicked already??
Or how nicely Lot behaved after being saved from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrha?
Not to forget Moses whom he chose to lead his "chosen people" out of egypt... a murderer who got usually liked but still almost killed for marrying a foreigner and not being circumcised...
Impeccable taste and judgment this god.
In Genesis 6v6, God regretted he made people and then he goes on to drown untold millions of people, animals and plants. In Genesis 9v11, he says that never again he will drown untold millions of people, animals and plants.
That god needs therapy and probably medication.
My humanities/history teacher and I were very good friend since I'm the only one actually engage in interesting topics regarding humanities. But during one of the classroom discussion, I kinda slip that I'm an atheist( the topic was the protestant/catholic divide). He freaks out and was shocked that I'm an atheist. Things were about to go south and I can see that he's holding back because he's a teacher. Luckily the bell rang and classes were over. We never spoke again, even during classes he will never ask me any questions. Discussions were much more quite. But he went back to America due to family issues. We are still friends on Facebook but based on his activities and shares. He's a hardcore right-wing Christian and hates every other religion(especially Islam). He once shared an article which I think was for me. The article was "Free atheists from the grasp of Satan." I think I was wrong too, I assume he's a very open and understanding person. Turns out he's just doing his job as a humanities/history teacher. I really wished things turned out differently because I really enjoyed discussing topics with him
James Aw As a now retired teacher I find your story very moving. How could any highly educated person responsible for the personal and intellectual development of young people react in such a closed-minded manner to you? This is one reason of many that I would use to remove any aspect of 'Religion' from the education service of any society. Here in Britain we still have legally enforced daily christian worship in schools
this is more common than is widely known sadly, hardcore religious belief means the believer will do pretty much anything to defend their faith. Even if it destroys another persons life.
very amerikkkan perspective of christianity
Well welcome to the Atheist family. Where you will have the freedom to discuss / make points and your character will be judge by your actions and not your beliefs lol. Hang in there .
I hear ya. I have gone through some tribulations with religious family and coworkers myself. As you know it is so frustrating that they cling to their beliefs regardless of the mounds of evidence accumulating every year. It amazes me how vindictive they can be when they find out your an atheist.
I know, right?! It's like you can disagree with them on anything else, but the second you question the whole god hypothesis, you're shunned and looked down on.
What I found aggravating was they would look for opportunities to pull me aside for a "little talk" in hopes of proselytizing. At first they just thought I had just strayed through the years. Truth be known I came to the conclusion years ago in a geology class in college. Eventually they became more persistent trying to corner me with "talks" and stupid Christian pamphlets. Finally one day I told my cousin I was an atheist and the expression on his face was really weird. He started trying to argue with me and I told him I did not want to discuss it at that time. Well.....he conveyed the news back to the family and things got rough as the years went by. Family funerals were very uncomfortable. That cousin's dad (my uncle) was a real pain through the years. I refused to visit him on his death bed because I knew he would admonish me for not believing in his fairy tales. He had disrespected me too much and I was not going to allow it anymore. I did not attend his funeral either.
Oh wow! That's intense. I'm sorry that happened to you.
Von Wane that's.. a bit cold.... but oh well, it's up to you I guess. I myself couldn't be around when my grandpa passed at the wake... I didn't know these people... and it was kinda difficult... dealing with death.... I still don't know how I'll deal with the passing of my mom's mom or my dad's dad...
Jonathan Herr: He was cold and disrespectful to me for years over religion. I was not going to allow him to disrespect me anymore. I knew he would make a scene in front of other family members while on his death bed.
Should we be surprised to discover that those that cling most tenaciously to irrational beliefs are not themselves rational?
So, it's crazy to question everything you think you know and not give in to everything that comes out of a book that has a talking snake in it? I'm fucking insane, I guess.
Hey now, there was a talking donkey in there too, I'm pretty sure.
fishlove69 and a dude riding around in a fishes belly. Plus a God who kills innocent Egyptian "first born" babies
Talking snakes and donkeys?:!?!?! Come on guys - hahaHAHAhaHAhAHaha!!! That's not in there is it??? HAhaHAHAhahaHA. Nobody would believe THAT nonsense for sure....
+Mr Curly
Yes it is.. the snake is part of the Adam and eve story in Genesis 3* (later for somewhat obscure reasons conflated with "Satan" aka "the devil" being the seducing influence in paradise) and Balaam's donkey is given the power to speak as his master beats the animal for shying away from the Angel of the Lord barring the way in Numbers 22:28. And we should not forget the weird "eyebeasts" in revelation (man, eagle, ox and lion with four faces and six wings each and eyes all over their bodies) that sing the praise of god... but then revelation is pretty insane anyway.
* ) ----> What many believers prefer to ignore though is that in the story the snake TOLD THE TRUTH and their god lied...
and do people actually believe that nonsense? Perhaps the follow up question is "Why" would anyone of sound mind believe it?
I know exactly how you feel. I grew up in an extremely Mormon household. Everyone I interacted with was Mormon, I hung out with Mormon people at school up until I was near graduation. Then I came out as agnostic, and everyone I knew couldn't believe it. I got people messaging me horrible things on Facebook, people telling me to call them when I want to commit suicide for not believing in God and that I was a misguided soul. It just blows my mind. I was clearly part of the church for what I thought to be a rational reason... So do they honestly think I would leave unless I had an EXTREMELY good reason to believe otherwise? The one that pisses me off the most is definitely when people say you're doing it to be unrighteous. I'm not actively hurting people, and don't believe that hurting others is OK. I'm just not setting arbitrary morals for myself. For fucks sake, they see me drink coffee and it's like I'm committing sacrilege. I see my family voting against gay rights, saying oppressive bullshit about women, and demonizing people for the most normal things, it just makes me sad for them.
The only reason anyone would want to commit suicide after leaving a religion is because of the ridiculous blowback, shunning, and hatred they receive from religious people. We're called immoral, but there are so many terrible things done for religion that would never be done in the name of humanism.
When believers find out that I'm an atheist they usually react one of two ways - some day I'll come to believe or there is something wrong with me.
I used to get frustrated when dealing with close-minded believers until I learned follow the advice of Mark Twain - “Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.”
I sadly still go to a Confirmation program (and almost finishing it), because my family is Catholic (ex Buddhist). I have this youth minister that makes such bold claims and imaginations. Some things she have said are: "Religion and government should be combined"; "We must fight for what God set was right. Love must be between a man and a woman." and "Catholics act in love. We accept everyone, no matter their religion or race". Some of these statements kinda contradict each other. If government and religion were combined, religious laws will most likely be established which would restrict free will and freedom of speech, similar to caliphates. A religious government will ostracize minority groups of other religions or atheists and possibly imprison or execute them. Contrary to the last statement said by my youth minister, the second statement shows that she obviously opposes the gay rights movement. This bothered me. It dawned on me that their main message of acceptance of different ideals proved false. After the epiphany I had, I finally opened my eyes and saw how absurd religion was. At first I was a little unsure, but I discovered amazing channels such as 43alley, DarkMatter2525, and this channel that assisted in making my judgement. I'm a proud, happy, and moral atheist.
That's great! You're able to see what a lot of people have missed. And once you're on the outside, you're left asking, "how did this all appear normal to me?!" Might I recommend that you also check out The Thinking Atheist, Cosmic Skeptic, and The Atheist Voice. If you like my stuff, I'm sure you'll love those channels too. :)
Cosmic Skeptic! 👍👍
Only 17 but very articulate!
I guess I want to check out "The Thinking Atheist" & "The Atheist Voice"
Kevin Vo,
Do you reside in any of the major US Vietnamese communities?
I wonder if you have gone to any atheist meetup groups.
Holy Koolaid I will check out those channels. Also, thank you for your amazing content. Such skepticism would be dangerous when religion was a major part of society back then. Most likely creators like you would be put to death if you made content at that time period. Now at least, there is a freedom to voice opinions and gain access to information. I'm sure your content had a significant impact on other people's lives who were questioning their religion. I know for a fact that when I was a kid, I was scared to death about hell, because people around me instilled the fear in me.
SpaceCaseZ06 Nope I have not been to any atheist meetings at all. I'm a relatively new atheist yknow. Last year is when I had my epiphany. I do not think I live in a major Vietnamese community of atheists, which instead are mainly religious.
In what ways have you, as an atheist, been misunderstood by friends or family? Tweet them to me using #koolapostate
Growing up in a more or less non-religious family (and country for that matter) is pretty nice. I wish more people had that privilege.
Holy Koolaid My friend, ask these 2 questions of any believer of ( fill in blank ) :
1st - You n I are sitting in a courtroom listening to a case that both of us have researched throughly. There is a Judge, two lawyers and a jury.
1 lawyer lays out the facts as honesty as they can in order for the jury to make up their own minds AND the other lawyer distorts, quote minds and Cherry-picks the Facts in order to confuse and confound the jury to promote their case.
Of those 2 lawyers, which would you consider to be the more honest and trustworthy lawyer?
(after they answer )
2nd - You encounter a child who has a [ false belief ]
*This is an answer to your question:*
I've never had much of a problem. Either the theists don't care what I think, or I don't care what the theists think.
*This is **_not_** an answer to your question:*
1. Don't take what people say they believe literally. Google "theological correctness" and you will find articles about how people don't necessarily believe what they claim to believe and how experiments in psychology can demonstrate this.
2. Religion isn't just a set of common beliefs. One of the reasons apostasy and blasphemy have been so severely punished by religious people in the past is because it's a defection from a coalition. If you get a chance, read _Religion Explained_ by Pascal Boyer. You will understand people who feel you've betrayed them by expressing your atheist ideas much better.
Holy Koolaid My family is atheist. About my friends, I don't know and I don't care
Same with me, religion is just a non issue, except Islam we all feel the same about Islam.
I'd prob still be Christian had I not been sent to Lutheran school in 7th & 8th grade. Once I started reading The Bible, I cldnt live with the contridictions. I drove my pastor CRAZY. But he is someone I respect bc I chose not to go thru with confirmation and many parents said I shldnt get to go on the class trip. He said he admired me for not taking vows I wasn't ready for and I had to do all the work so still got to go.
As an adult, he kindly told me I was an asshole in class but I made him stronger in his faith bc he wld have to research to answer my questions. The biggest thing I learned from him was don't judge. I constantly asked abt others going to hell. Idk why that was my obsession but he always said "It is not my place to judge"
If he is even real, he don't seem to give a flying f#%k about what goes on here. Meanwhile, Believers: "It's all a test, 'saints'! :)"
great work sir. I'm with you 100℅...our collective consciousness is worth saving
I feel as if you should send every one of those friends "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins.
and send Hitchens' "God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything" to the particularly rude and vindictive ones.
Harris' "End of Faith" is also pretty good. It was the first book that freed me from my indoctrination.
Do you really think they'd read it? Honestly. Argue with a hardcore Christian and five minutes later he won't remember a single thing you said, because during the argument he tuned you out completely. That same technique is applied to literature - if it dares to even APPEAR to question their precious beliefs, it is summarily rejected without even hearing or reading the actual material. It is judged 'irrelevant' to them before you even get to the table of contents. Give Dawkin's book to a Christian and it'll end up on eBay within minutes in brand new condition. That's only if it doesn't end up in the fireplace or trash bin first.
@@xaenonthat’s true, I show people reading materials and videos all the time that they never watch or read. Those are great books but no religious person will read them. I grew up religious but was for years non-religious and so read them but it I had stayed religious I wouldn’t have touched them.
videos like these remind me of the hope I have for our world.
"Rational" and "Religion" have a lot in common.
I shall now list their common attributes:
1) They start with the same letter,
2) Uhhhhmmm, ahhh, errr, well, that's all, folks :) .
+Maxx Kroes
Yes, you are quite right. They do indeed :) .
I like your calm soft voice. It makes your arguments easier to listen to and understand. It shows you come from a place of logic and reason. The few videos of yours that I've watched have impressed me. You've earned this subscription.
Great video! I'm lucky enough to be in England where no one cares, but I've seen plenty of what you talk about happening elsewhere. Some people are so stuck in a theistic mindset that they can't stop and properly think about these things without freaking out. I hope that changes one day.
Thanks for this excellent video and for your efforts to "address some of the misconceptions about atheists." I was raised as a Christian. Most people of religious belief did not choose for themselves to become Christian or Muslim or Hindu or whatever but were indoctrinated in the beliefs of their parents. I was a deeply faithful Christian for many years. The study of science and especially evolution, raised questions about my beliefs but I remained a believer. As I matured, I became aware that there were many people of other religions who were just as faithful to their beliefs. I also became aware of things in the Bible that seemed contrary to what I had been taught about god. I began to study the history of religious belief and of Christianity and the Bible. I also began to wonder how god, whom I was taught was all-loving, all-knowing and all-powerful, could allow little children to be abused and to suffer and to die. For a long time, I accepted the platitudes that god works in mysterious ways and that we must accept god's will and that humans are not able to understand the mind of god. Eventually I freed myself of superstition, of the fear of hell, and the guilt of believing I was a sinner, all of which I had been imprinted with as an innocent, vulnerable child.
Children should be taught about the diversity of religions, about the history of religious belief and they should learn the truth about the good and the bad of religions and the harm of superstitious beliefs
This is amazing and really well-said. I've never heard of many of the points you made in this video and I'm glad I can use them in the fight for justice of reason :)
Love your channel, easier to understand and pretty friendly. Thank you and keep up the good work.
theists are very close minded ...is very frustrating trying to just understand their ignorance and lack of openness thru empathy...but I'm thankful that I can see thru the smoke and mirrors..and hope in time others will start too also.. peace holy Kool-Aid...good vids
Keep up the good work, still making the unholy grail!
Can't wait to see it once it's done! I love the name for it too. Did you just come up with that?
Holy Koolaid the ceramics club dubbed it that. And it kinda stuck as a good name
I like the quotes you always put at the end of your videos. I screen shot them everytime to read over with other quotes.
Your videos are great, man. You're on my list of people to support once I actually have the money to do so. In the mean time, I'll spread the word about your channel as best I can.
The fact that she looked at your video seems like she was interested in atheism...
Why would you assume that?
A lot of people on UA-cam seem to seek out videos they disagree with, just for the sake of being able to proselytize at others... to either condemn them, mock them or "save their souls" in the case of atheist videos... in the case of atheists looking at creationist or fundamentalist videos it's also very proselytizing but the other way round.
+Urs F
Mostly it seems to condemn with a very very small amount of "saving souls"
There seems to me like they have a inherent need to feel superior in some way, perhaps because they feel small compared to their deity or some other reason (there are many to choose from)
In any case I have more or less put a an indefinite pause on my debating theists, not just for the many irrational arguments they tend to make, not for the insults or for any of that.
i simply had to stop because in the end it doesn't work.
The best way i see to help clear up this and make people think for themselves is through legal action, passing laws that prohibits one religion prioritized over another, prohibiting religion from having interaction on a political plane and enforcing the importance of education.
christians look at atheist videos with the same level of guilt as some do looking at porn. They know it makes them feel better but the guilt stops them from staying.
But, like with porn, they come back to these "guilty pleasures".
rudra62 its only guilty if you get caught 😏
One time, I was on a trip with various students from around america to learn about medicine, it's practice, and education. I got into a religious conversation with this kid from Wisconsin, and he said, "You're an atheist? That means you're stupid." I didn't even know what to say. I didn't denounce his beliefs or immediately assert things about him based on them.
That's why I don't bring this up. Because the religious will immediately make negative assumptions about me when they find out I don't believe in god. And this is everywhere in this backwards country! I can only hope we make some progress soon, and create a country where any belief or lack thereof is respected. But everyone wants to be king of the castle. And as long as they do they will always try to bring down the other groups around them.
I think their pastors train them to hate Atheists and tell them all sorts of lies about what an Atheist actually is(Atheists are Satanists, etc.) It's gonna be really hard, these religions are cults and the brainwashing is extremely strong and starts from birth.
Keep up the good work! It's nice to see that some people bother to give us a voice. I could not agree more with you.
This reminds me when I asked a girl in my class for a pencil (Whom I have given many pencils before, non of them ever returned) and she told me "Why don't you ask for Jesus instead?" and people actually clapped. Then about a month ago she asked me for a Pencil and I replied with "Here let me get you one.. what's your name? Was it hypocrite?" I was then kicked out of class because of that. The thing is, they have kicked me out for a week and won't do anything with me, so the front office just decided to give me a 100% on every assignment I was forced to miss. When the teacher (begrudgingly) let me back in I had the highest grade in the course. Then because I had the highest grade people told me "You think your so smart because you're an atheist don't you?" This whole thing goes to show that even if you're right, even if it ended up in your favor, Religious people will always find a way to fuck you up the ass.
Well, since i was a seminarian when i lost my faith i was kinda kicked out and told i was going to hell.
hell is a real place. its a nice town in sweden if i recall correctly.
Awesome job...keep it up!!!
Thanks! Stay tuned. Next week's video is going to be a special one.
Holy Koolaid Can't wait, looking forward to it as always!
You are such a calm, genuine soul. Thank you for doing what you do. It is seen and appreciated.
Great work guy.
I follow most of your videos but this one is the best ever easy for everyone to understand.
Great job.
Continue thrut matters
I love he cartoon format but I can imagine theists finding them insulting simply because the format isn't taken seriously in the culture.
I'd really like to learn more about how this process and format was chosen as well as the tools and skills
Well, I'm a big fan of crash course, sci show, minute physics, minute earth, school of life, etc. And all are educational and use cartoons to teach visually. Since I'm fully nomadic (currently in Vietnam) it's normally easier to find a place to record audio than to shoot video. So I record the audio and rely on animation/b-roll footage to keep it interesting.
I did notice that you were in Vietnam.
Born there but never returned.
Have a 3 month visa, but I'm probably hitting the airways in late February.
at some point, i'd like to experiment with UA-cam and with animation
+Holy Koolaid
@0:09 you should have her on and discuss it openly with her.
I'm open to having discussions with theists on my channel, but when I talked with her in person about evolution, she was very closed to even talking about it, so I doubt she would want to.
nyyght7
I've met many that have felt threatened by this kind of analysis
I used to be a believer. People can change their minds through reason, if they're open or want to learn. It can just take a really long time, lots of patience, and a great deal of education.
Nor can ANY religion. you cannot apply god to gaps in our knowledge, the honest answer is "i don't know".
You are being dishonest as religious people often are, seeking to try and trip up atheists with non arguments and demonstrations of extreme ignorance.
You can see your claims made all over the place by other religious people, they have been debunked many times , but hey you just keep on going..
(sub)
You are probably the best person I've seen on this website at approaching a situation in a rational and methodical way. Kudos to you!
:)
I subscribe to a number of sites, and want to say, how much I enjoy "Holy Koolaid"'s take on Atheism. I really enjoy the kind way you send this message of thinking for ones self. I commend your choice of words and attitude of questioning ones belief. As an Atheist to often do I see/hear rants. Which I can understand, yet somehow frighten off those who need to look at their religion has taught and shaped them.
I don't know why, when I speak to theists in person, they either get angry and storm away, or they cry.
All I do is point out that their God claim is logically contradictory. The mental cartwheels they engage in to try to deny this is a bit hilarious, so I laugh at it. They immediately jump from someone who "believes" science to a radical skeptic postmodernist.
Not sure why they cry.
They react that way because their beliefs come from emotional indoctrination, from a young age in many cases. It's not just an isolated factual belief like believing the wrong city is the capital of Brazil. It's tied deeply to their sense of self-worth and identity, so any challenge to it causes an immediate gut reaction. Some of those people you talk to probably walk away from the conversation wondering why they reacted so strongly themselves.
I can vouch for the fact that going through the process of deconversion is, for some people, equally troubling and emotional. It takes time to sever, heal, and replace emotional connections to things, and it parallels the stages of grief in some ways.
Which "God" are you talking about?
You have to actually make a claim before I can answer your question.
Scott E
It took me a couple of years. Yes, it was difficult. I felt helpless. Long time ago now.
It wasn't like one day I woke up and _decided_ there was no God. I slowly realized that everything I was doing was an argument from ignorance, and I had been labelling that ignorance "God."
Jackanapes,
Same here. I didn't feel helpless, that I remember, but it was still a slow and uncomfortable process. I initially switched to pantheism (though I didn't know the term for it at the time), but as pantheism and deism are both spectacularly lacking in moral directives, evidence, or falsifiability, I stopped giving even those concepts much thought after a while.
he seems so sad, I feel bad for him.
I was a bit bummed because I have a much better video I wanted to release today about the fine tuning fallacy, but it wasn't ready in time... :'(
Holy Koolaid it's alright man keep doing what you're doing.
He's basically being accused for being smarter than everyone around him.... xD
Agree! I think the same way as you. Just keep in mind that people of faith are experts in projecting. Good job and keep going
Coming to this video, and your channel, late, but thought I'd share anyway. I was raised non-denominational Christian in a small rural Oklahoma town, held in the religion by sheer immersion until I went to college and was exposed to a tidal wave of new cultures, new ideas, new people. I began questioning little by little and then, by the end of my freshman year, I had shed my faith. That was 1992. A few years later I fell madly in love with a fellow student, who happened to be a devout Christian from a deeply religious family (her father had served many decades as a Baptist minister until his death). We argued about religion, jokingly and only occasionally at first, but as our relationship grew more and more serious, the debates became more frequent and more heated. Finally it came to a head, and she told me that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with me, but she couldn't, because she wanted children and she could not imagine having children with someone whose soul was condemned to hell. I began a frantic and desperate search for some spark of my faith that I could use to ignite the religious fervor I had felt as a child, allowing her to take me to church after church to try to find one that would help me find my faith again, but it simply wasn't there. I considered lying to her, building our relationship on a grand deception that I had indeed found god in my heart again, but I realized that it simply could not work. I told her she would have to accept me as I am, or not. She left. Since then, people have cornered me into conversations here and there over the years, discovered that I am a non-Christian (not quite a pure atheist, but close enough that you might as well call me one), and have tried to convert me with the same tired old arguments that we have all heard a million times. I always laugh inwardly at how puny their attempts are in comparison to the first real trial of my rejection of Christian mythology. Hell, sometimes I tell them this story just to shut them down. Anyway, that's my story. In closing, let me say that I truly admire the calm, almost soothing tones you use in your videos. I hear so many atheist UA-camrs speak in such strident and antagonistic tones, and I get it, I really do. It's hard to keep calm when the vast majority of your community condemns you and dismisses your well-reasoned arguments with such unanimous solidarity, day in and day out, year after year, while often proclaiming anything you say as an attempt to persecute them. It's easy to feel slighted, and to let the frustration come through in your tone and in your word choice. I appreciate that you keep the majority of your rhetoric very civil and your tone soft and accessible. We need more of that. Keep up the good work!
Americans are leaving religion. However, the rationalists are not in power.
Steven Baumann we need more governmental representation.
A great diatribe was made by Noah Lugeons about that very topic.
Check it out:
audioboom.com/posts/5461764-scathingatheist-203-book-of-moron-edition?t=0
Have a nice day!
Tim Pieper you can't be openly atheist in American politics. You won't get elected. I'm not a sociopath so I wouldn't be comfortable pretending to be religious.
Steven Baumann ah, but tomorrow's another day. Let's keep our voices heard, shall we?
Tim Pieper I'm too old for optimism. A lot of damage can be done in 4 years. I live in the state Pence came from.
Steven Baumann I can understand that. I may just be susceptible to optimism bias, as are many people, but as I look further and further into the past, the less and less rational and morally informed humans are.
I can't help but fast forward the tape and not see the future being anything other than milimetric, but inevitable, progress.
you say you make these videos to show athiest can be normal like everyone else, but i think religion is positively stupid. it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever
Thanks bro, I appreciate these vids. Really feel like i'm onto something
It’s always amazing how people are shocked when you say one is an Atheist. I have been a doubter from age nine and finally broke from the shack of religion when I became a dad. It s so liberating to be free and find others especially like you who have done research and can really shed light on this fantasy that has thwarted humanity for centuries. Keep up the good work.
Dude your awesome. dont worry about what other people say sometimes people are afraid to think on their own or step even slightly outside their comfort zone and to me that is exactly what your videos are about. Thinking for ones self and if there is a all loving God i believe that is exactly what that God would want us to do. Life is about evolving and one can not evolve if they are living in a book and i feel this is what your videos help people begin to understand. When ANYTHING or ANYONE claims to be PERFECT and all knowing the truth is they are on their way to knowing NOTHING and creating a life of living in fear and we all have seen what happens when people live in fear. :( Your doing a great job man. i love your videos. Keep up the good work. :) Johnny
Fantastic video. Love your work.
This is why I am a subscriber--Thank you!!!
Love you man! Please keep up the good work! :)
I just wanted to say, I truly respect you and am fully supportive of everything you do. Thank you for enduring through the criticism, insults, and unchecked biases of your detractors. By the way, I'm not even an atheist (but not a theist in a traditional sense either). I just think you're doing super-important work and wanted you to know. Keep it up, brother.
Thank you. I really appreciate that. :)
Well done, well said, thanks for your courageous work!
I love you brother! Keep making great videos!
You're doing very good work; please continue. Best wishes always...
Good job ! Keep up the good work man.
Thank you...for everything you do and for everything you say in your videos. Thank you!
You must see hundreds of comments a day, most of which are probably people blindly stating their stance on the God/No God issue while being blind to the intent and the very essence of your videos. That said, I hope you've read this far, because I needed to genuinely thank you for being articulate, compassionate, and understanding without being condescending. Those are traits very few people seem to possess nowadays, and that does not bode well for us as a species if we're ever going to become what we can (and, if you believe it, are meant to) be. Much love and appreciation to you, sir. I subbed, will look forward to more videos and hopefully some civil discussion amongst our species in future. Keep it up 👍
Very well said. Excellent video.
Thanks for giving the link to the bibviz site. I've seen that chart before, but no one ever bothers giving the URL.
Thanks for making this!
Its sad that this video had to be made. Its sadder that its still needed. But its message remains strong, untarnished and awesome. Just wish we lived in a time where it would not be needed (for positive reasons) and we could look back on this era and be glad we've moved on.
Well said, I think the exact same way. Keep up the good work
Love your videos... I join you in the hope that our society can progressively move towards evidence-based reasoning (science) and away from traditional beliefs passed down through books and fairy tales. Saying, "I don't believe in science" is analogous to saying "I don't believe that following the evidence is the best way to parse truth from fiction". I wonder how these people approach court cases - do they roll their eyes when the judge demands evidence to determine if someone committed murder?
I like your approach to things things. I wish more people would think like you.
..thanks for all of your encouragement...
This is so well said I can't believe this is still an issue for debate. So sad:((
Fellow Oklahoman here I love you man you're making a difference
Had to stop at 1 minute. Dude, you are the quietest, calmest atheist I have seen, not just on youtube lol. Dude, your uncle is crazy lol.
Keep up the good work. One day we will get there.
Loved it, thanks.
i appreciate your videos...thank you
This is the best short answer to "the God problem" that I've ever seen. Once you get over the fear of daring to question, you see how it falls apart. It took me many years and I'm still not over the fear.
Please keep doing what you do!!!!!
Where I'm from in Europe there are quite a few atheists. So, people are quite used to the idea. But I had some crazy reactions in the US.
That website is amazing !!!
I agree completely with your point on intellectual honesty. Being a past Mormon i was able to explain away a good portion of the flaws and inconsistencies in the Book of Mormon and the Bible. However, one thing that had been ingrained in me was that the prophets were never wrong, that if they had ever tried to lead the church astray they would LITERALLY be smitten off the face of the earth. And then, i discovered the churches racist past, and how they had changed decades of teachings because "the prophets were misguided". No. This is the reason im no longer a follower of the Mormon faith. You can not claim that the Prophets could never be wrong, and then claim, in a HUGE 'remastering'of church teaching that the 'prophets were misguided'. Thank you to anyone who read that all the way through, im sorry you have to put up with my horrible writing skills.
You have an oddly soothing voice.
Keep doing what you're doing. They will come around some day.
I'm still struggling with my faith, but I told a coworker recently about it and she asked if I was leaning agnostic, and I said, "I may be an atheist in denial." She rolled her eyes, "I've talked to atheists a lot. I don't buy it. In order to not believe in something you have admit it exists." I was floored. I said nothing. Not because I didn't know what to say, but she had silenced me by making such an outlandish statement that I was unable to speak. If these people are trying to bring people like me back into the fold of the faith, they do a horrible job of it. They shove me further and further away.
well said keep up the good work.
Have you read "The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined" by Steven Pinker? (Well, neither did I, I listened to the audiobook). I highly recommend it! Not only you may find be it interesting, but maybe even useful for your debates here.
...my late mother used to say "your a Lutheran Tim" when I became an atheist, I was a Lutheran for her benefit when I was young, I hope my mom has found what she believed in, that her and my dad are together forever, I hope for her ❤ that it is true, I still miss her and hope she is at rest....
Hey, Holy Koolaid.
I feel your struggle, man. Having your family members told about your views is tough, especially if, like mine, they bring some prejudice towards atheists before I'm even able to explain myself.
Hopefully your videos and reasoning appeals to their empathy.
If not, i want you to know your work is not in vain. Your videos have been very helpful for me to clarify my thoughts on how to articulate my position that religion has a net negative effect on society.
Don't Drink the Koolaid :)
I started making these videos originally, because I felt like I couldn't really have these kinds of talks with my parents without being cut off, interrupted, or without feeling some inner pre-conceived stigma towards non-believers or disdain towards my viewpoint.
Great video as always. I haven't figured out how to tell my parents that I'm athiest yet. Any suggestions?
Take your time. Start with something small like how could an infinitely just god condemn someone to hell for eternity for a finite life of sin. And then say. I'm not sure I believe in hell. The more gradual, and the more they see your thought process, the less of a shock it will be to them, and maybe they'll realize along the way that they agree with you on some points. I would recommend looking into street epistemology. Just try to always be honest and try to avoid arguing or put-downs. Be respectful, but make it clear over time that you just care about the truth, and want to go wherever that leads. Because truth withstands all scrutiny.
Thank you
You talk a lot of sense, my friend. Keep doing just that. Perhaps one day the whole of humanity will come to understand this type of rational reasoning; and more importantly, come to understand that your words are not weapons or intended to hurt anyone, no matter what they believe in, but a call to everyone to think and keep thinking. it doesn't matter what race or country a person comes from, it is the same process to reach a clear understanding of what reality is all about.
Preach on and spread the logic. God( or whom ever) bless u.
Keep up the good work.
I tried to look at the website that maps out the biblical contradictions and it's not there. Would love a link. Ty
I was raised in church. Sent to Sunday School and we went to church every Sunday. My grandparents were religious too and we went to many church social events with them. They weren't "Holy Rollers" or anything like that. Just good, well meaning people who sincerely believed God and Jesus were real. I actually have many fond church related memories.
However I was always doubtful and skeptical, even as I was leader of my youth group as a young teenager. I just kept my thoughts to myself mostly. Since now both my parents are gone and my grandparents are long gone, and I have no brothers or sisters, I feel no qualms about letting my beliefs or non beliefs be known. I don't think I would have been ostracized or anything, but my mom and grandparents would have been shocked. Most, if not all of my friends are believers, even if not actively religious, and they know my position. It's really no problem at all. Even with my wife who is Catholic there's no conflict. Out of respect I have to bite my tung sometimes and not make fun when I see her doing what I see as some silly superstitious Catholic ritual. Especially since I know more about the actual bible than she does.
I guess I'm fortunate that my non belief is a not an issue in my life. I know there are others where that's not the case.
keep up the good work.
great video
I live in the UK and have never felt pressure from any Religions Groups
R U gonna sell your book in México... If not, where can i buy it?