I've been an atheist for about 15-20 years probably. I've read Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, watched Matt Dillahunty, etc.....This is by far the best argument against God that I've ever seen. I almost deconverted all over again! Just kidding. This was a FANTASTIC video and I am deeply obsessed with your channel and the information you provide. Excellent work!
Not sure if it's an argument against theism as a whole, but certainly the Judeau-Christian God. My problem is not that people believe in God, but they make all of these confident claims that they can't possibly know. Many of which are either refuted by or not even in their holy book. They've made so many impossible claims that there is no way to believe without shutting off your brain.
Read your bible with a desire to really want to know the truth, if you do he will set you free. People end up in hell because of unbelief. Jesus died once and for all. Sins are forgiven, we just have to accept the truth that we are sinners, we need the grace and mercy of God/Jesus Christ. If a man says he has never done wrong/sinned he is a liar, and the truth is not in him. Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
@@MindShift-Brandon33 vertebrae before you get to the skull Jesus died at 33 at a place called Calvary which means skulls just as Moses raised the snake on a pole in the desert social son of man rides it's a remix of Hinduism with the Kundalini snake Spirit the snake is trying to become a dragon so to speak. Historia mythology is also an allegory for Sun worship it's a way to explain a seasons it's all just political and allegorical
The irony of choosing a special people, presumably, (assuming omniscience), knowing beforehand that they would mess things up at every turn, and then mess things up at the most crucial turn, and then wind up with all the other peoples that you ignored or actively waged war on for millennia *except* your chosen people jumping on the bandwagon, and having to send nearly all your chosen people to Hell because they rejected you, is a conundrum of such galactic proportions I don't know how it ever made any kind of sense to me.
Have we considered that since God chose this subsection of canaanites to send the message to, perhaps this religion doesn't apply to the rest of us? If so, what is the plan for the rest of us? Could it be that we are NPC's in a Jewish video game? 🤔
My father, who is an exceptional academic and vastly cultured yet an ardent Christian, always answered this question with that same sentence: “the only way to heaven is through Christ Jesus”. That’s what started me off, it was almost a switch that just flipped. The only way my hyper analytical, super educated, and enormously travelled parent could provide the only boxed answer he has ever responded with is because in order to maintain his faith he has to *not think about it*. Anyone can be brainwashed into this stuff no matter how smart they are. I think his entire identity would collapse without Christianity, so he simply does not think into it with any appropriate depth, and so this intensely problematic conundrum for Christians holds zero weight to him because it prompts him to simply turn off his brain.
There is some large amount of neurochemistry/psychology humanity has to figure out to understand that behavior !! If one reads up on developmental imprinting, where, as a simple example, ducklings will at a particular time, follow whatever object they see after they begin walking, one then realizes that humans, too, have a neural "setting" that indelibly configures their mind. Like a cleft palate, a person's brain can be altered such that their person is simply different for the rest of their life. Humanity has to work on learning and knowing more about this, for good vs the accidental detriment that can occur. Maybe some people just can't accept they have been lied to about a fairytale.
"because it prompts him to simply turn off his brain." This have actually been demonstrated. This is one reason why the _child abuse_ of bringing children up in _any_ religious/cult belief system needs to be recognised as such and banned. We don’t (if we’re responsible) let children have access to porn or recreational drugs, so why is it legal to expose them to far more dangerous material, such as the torah, bible and qur’an? The results of such exposure aren’t just potentially damaging to the children, but to the wider society, in a range of ways. No one under the age of 18 should be allowed to read such dangerous nonsense, it literally changes the way that people “think”, and it’s to their detriment. For example, one experiment reported in New Scientist (sadly, I've lost the issue, and would have to sign up to New Scientist in order to, possibly, find the article), detailed interesting results with religious people in fMRI scanners. They were told that the next person they would hear was high up in their belief system. What happened was, the "suspicion circuits"* of the brain literally switched off. It's the same part of the brain that switches off when we're asleep, so that we don't (usually) question the insane situations we find ourselves in, in dreams. My mother was a christian, and had a high IQ (she could easily have joined Mensa, but didn't like the snobby attitude of some of its members), so it bewildered me, as a child, how she could fall for the blatant bullshit of the bible. Obviously this was long before I read the study, and also long before I discovered just how awfully powerful, insidious and dangerous brainwashing is. I've talked to people who have said, "you can't call me stupid, I'm a lawyer/doctor/business person, etc", but I can call them stupid, because, when it comes to their belief system, it doesn't matter if they're a skillful surgeon, a successful business person, a sharp lawyer, etc, I might as well be arguing with a retarded child. There's NO proper critical thinking being applied, even though they are convinced that there is. *New Scientist's term, not mine.
God's sphere of influence is so small that tribes barely outside the areas mentioned in the Bible not only didn't die in the global flood, but had the indecency to not even write it down. The nerve of some people.
I can not thank you enough. For years, I would get such bad depression. When asked why I would say, if I knew i was going to have 12 chikdren but only 2 of those where going to have a good life and the rest would be in torment for eternity, then I would chose to have no children. How can a loving parent do that! Of course, the Christians in my life would shoot me down. They could not believe I would question God. The best thing ever was when my husband finally decided to try and find answers to all my tortured thoughts and discovered channels likec yours. He is now decontructing with me. You have put forward so many thoughts I had, but you add so much depth and intelligent comentery. My husband and I look forward every week to you your videos. If I feel like I'm being pulled back, I just come and listen to you
I am so happy you were able to finally break free and even happier to hear you get to do it right along side your partner. I am jealous of that! I cant imagine the closeness and intimacy that waking up to truth together could bring. Thanks for all the kind words and for being here!
there is so much love and compassion in your comment. Unrestrained by cruel laws of belief in something demanding, judgemental, and false, this wonderful humanity blossoms. I am happy for you that you have a loving hand to hold.
That's so awesome!! Welcome to a great channel, Brandon is great to learn from and the community (aside for some) is great! Deconverted for two years now and loving it!!
It's refreshing to see that there are some people. Who are able to get past their indoctrination. And view the world through the eyes of other humans. Not just seeing the world as some religions do. Through a very narrow view of how things work.
they come up with "its a choice" and like one helluva choice.......... ua-cam.com/video/BqcDXIx6CA8/v-deo.html Corinthians 15:45: And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a "living soul": the last Adam was made a "quickening spirit." Take the sorcerer's spell off the words "Living Soul = Gull Vision." Gull can mean, one easily cheated or a dupe, and Vision can mean, something imaginary one thinks one sees. Then, "Quickening Spirit = Inquiring Skeptic." To inquire is to ask about or investigate something, and Skeptic means, one who doubts beliefs, claims, or plans that are accepted by others as truth, like the easily duped. Therefore, the verse could read as..."The first man Adam was made a dupe who believed the false vision of those that were cheating him, lying to him: the last Adam will be made a skeptic who doubts the consensus beliefs of all the fallen dupes and also doubts the liars, and therefore will seek what is the Truth."
I figured this out around my 10th year! I was already reading about global ancient history. One of the first nails in the “ religion” coffin was a priest telling me “ you just have to believe it”…thinking back he was petrified of me infecting all the other kids in his bible class! I left and never went back…years later, I was reading Chariots of the Gods…a family friend freaked out and said, “ you shouldn’t read such stuff”…I simply asked why it was scary, if we had the “ truth”, why be afraid of other ideas? That was it…my family members still worry about me!
@@imjustsayingthough2261 @MindShiftSkeptic Wow!! I am flabbergasted by how your humbleness is persisting throughout your accumulating dominion and prestige💛💯👏🥳
@@thing1thing2themediamaniac43 @MindShiftSkeptic Wow!! I am flabbergasted by how your humbleness is persisting throughout your accumulating dominion and prestige💛💯👏🥳
I’ve had it explained “they are innocent of the knowledge” therefore they’re safe. But they’re not they go to purgatory. Like the non 144,000 of the jehovas witness. Different purgatory tho, this is a ski resort in Durango Colorado.
I think my whole issue with the chosen people thing is it makes it REALLY hard to have Christian friends. Like, how am I supposed to be friendly with people that I know would say Im going to hell, start to see me as a project to be converted, tell me Im denying reality, and all that. It makes every single 'nice' thing a Christian does for me feel fake, and it gets worse with me being a trans woman who some of them would use the Bible to tell me Im wrong about my identity and all that. Not all Christians are like this, but so many of them believe in hell and this chosen group thing that's really infantile that it's hard for me to want to even associate with any of them as a non-believer.
Its a very fair thought from you. Not all christians are like this is true but their religion is. They exist just to be vessels of god and convert the masses. Thats an imbalance in any relationship.
Got a friend who believes the rapture is going to happen. Making a long story short, I got told she will pray for me in the day. I told her that was insulting and fucking obnoxious. We just made a deal not to talk about religion ever. But, she is one of those people who personalized "god" in such a way that she believes the church is wrong in some areas.(she Catholic.) Anyway, point is the only reason we are still friends is due to that deal. They have to respect you enough to not force that shit down your throat.
@@Awakened_MucachaThat's really interesting since the rapture isn't a catholic teaching. On the other hand, most catholics I know are the typical cafeteria Christians who cherrypick what church teachings they want to follow and which they ignore or outright disobey.
@@MindShift-Brandon @MindShiftSkeptic Hey, you are a brilliantly skeptical mind!!!!! 😊 How about taking a gander at and highlighting my original post contributed within this comment section?!!!👏 You're gonna be standing in the hall of fame 😀
9:50 THIS This is what gnawed at the back of my mind since I could remember, if by telling someone of Jesus glory you're potentially dooming them to a life of eternal suffering, instead of letting them stay ignorant and maybe saved (which was always the excuse used for babies or children that died before understanding the word of God), then wouldn't letting the gospel die out be the best way to guarantee everyone doesn't go to hell, at least?
@bbittercoffee Eskimo: "If I did not know about God and sin, would I go to hell?" Priest: "No, not if you did not know." Eskimo: "Then why did you tell me?" - Annie Dillard
Christians should be the ones burning bibles and keeping the “good news” under strict codes of secrecy it they really cared about saving people and not just trying to pretend they are better than everyone.
Part of my deconstruction from hypercalvinist Christianity was allowing myself to enjoy things I had been told were beneath me spiritually. For example, I was always told, "Men don't play videogames, boys do." Anyway, that's all to say that I chose your video over sci-fi audiobooks this morning. Bell is now enabled. 😎👉👉 Edit: Also, the issue to me with this topic is that Hinduism was such a large rival at the same time, yet god was so concerned with Baal worshippers and never took aim at Hinduism. Almost like he didn't know it was the dominant religion in the world and would rival his thousands of years later.
They need to be told that men don't take what others say as fact if the claims are immoral, illogical infantile and foundationless, and only those with the minds of children believe in fairy tales.
@@MindShift-Brandon@MindShiftSkeptic Hey, you are a brilliantly skeptical mind!!!!! 😊 How about taking a gander at and highlighting my original post contributed within this comment section?!!!👏 You're gonna be standing in the hall of fame 😀
@@Eet_Mia@MindShiftSkeptic Hey, you are a brilliantly skeptical mind!!!!! 😊 How about taking a gander at and highlighting my original post contributed within this comment section?!!!👏 You're gonna be standing in the hall of fame 😀
@@masterlolilover5255 Those are good too! 😀But Brandon is my favorite, because he has a gift for spotting the fallacy in every Christian argument and perfectly dismantling it, all in a calm and dispassionate way (which for me is a big relief after the trauma and volatility of Matt Dillahunty).
I started to watch your channel a couple of months ago - and man I can say You are One of a Kind!!! Your knowledge is amazing! I am deconstructing since last fall... growing up as an evangelical fundamentalist I was terrified by the book of revelation and what is awaiting us, if we are not born again in christ we would be lost forever. In search of getting an answer I stumbeld upon one of your videos about hell. Finally I found what I was looking for! My eyes got opened. I never understood why a all loving god would choose a group of people to make them his choosen one. This for me is not unconditional love for every single person that lived on this planet. It is simply ridicolous. Keep up the good work. Greetings from Italy
Thank you for making this video. It is very timely for me personally because just last night someone I consider a good friend told me that even atheists admit that there is a god, and more in particular her god, because the first sound a baby makes when they take their first breath is "Yahweh'". The smugness that she delivered this line with really has me rethinking my friendship and making me wonder if Christian friendships are even possible with non-believers. Friendships need to be based on mutual respect, and bad faith arguments are not respectful. Again, thank you for what you do.
@@MindShift-Brandon @MindShiftSkeptic Hey, you are a brilliantly skeptical mind!!!!! 😊 How about taking a gander at and highlighting my original post contributed within this comment section?!!!👏 You're gonna be standing in the hall of fame 😀
I’ve always wondered, even when I was a Christian, why an omnipotent god can’t do anything at all unless we do it for him. Thanks for the clear laying out of the truth!
I remember asking my dad about this in grade school. And yes, he gave the same bs excuses you mentioned: divine revelation, and the great commission. In Jr. High, I asked him how God could be ok with his word and name being spread through war, disease and massive land grabs through colonization, his responses became much more angry and defensive. Any questions that followed were met with the assumption of my ill will in questioning; I was intentionally trying to confuse other believers in the church’s many, MANY judging eyes. Thank you so much for what you are doing here on UA-cam, Brandon. I feel like my religious trauma heals just a tiny bit more with each of your videos that I watch. Thank you. I also really appreciate the prodigious upload schedule! You’re freakin awesome!!!
@@MindShift-Brandon @MindShiftSkeptic Hey, you are a brilliantly skeptical mind!!!!! 😊 How about taking a gander at and highlighting my original post contributed within this comment section?!!!👏 You're gonna be standing in the hall of fame 😀
As an aside, a related problem is that if the story of the Tower of Babel were true then god, as a consequence of dividing humanity and spawning all our different conflicting cultures, would be directly or indirectly responsible for almost every war or violent conflict between different people groups in history. To say nothing of that fact he did so without providing guidance to any of them.
I appreciate you listing ancient people groups, religious practices and timelines to illustrate how big this planet is and how little area the “creator of everything” actually influenced.
When you talked about God having to wait for humans to figure out how to get to other continents, it reminded me of a line from Star Trek V. "Why does God need a starship?"
@user-ip5zt1io9v Then again, all people that dont claim people of their group (like Christians) as their own because they were doing one aspect of the religion wrong while most Christians seem to not follow the new testament to the word, is pretty odd dont ya think?
I'm Indian-American. There have been Christians in India since the 4th Century and maybe earlier. But India is a big place. God waited until the 1500s to get around to the part where my ancestors were from. His instrument? The Portuguese! 😅
This was so completely eye opening. Thank you for this. I left the faith 6 months ago. Sometimes I struggle with it and get scared, but this video brought up points I never even thought of when I walked away. Thank you so much for what you do with this channel❤
Welcome to the family, hehe. It is totally understandable to get scared, I am 4 months ish in myself. But don't let that fear guide your search for the truth, my man Brandon here has so many greate videos on so many topics to reinforces the road as you walk. Also like @MindShiftSkeptic says, don't hesitate to reach out or ask, there are many great people in this community, we have our trolls here and there but just ignore them :) have a lovely evening
25:30. This. As someone studying history, I’m taking a Middle Eastern history class at the moment, and this thought exactly passed through my mind. Even just looking at that region, and how similar Islam and Christianity are and were, was enough to kick me even farther down the road of atheism (if that was possible, lol). The world is so large, and it is nothing short of incredible for some small, contradictory god of 2500 years ago to be the one true one. Also, I just wanted to say thank you for how respectful and knowledgeable you are, especially with this video. Just the other day I had one of my teachers call the Celtic tribes “uncivilized and poor,” which is utterly incorrect, and your respect towards those cultures is so refreshing, and much appreciated, not to mention the same towards the different Native American peoples. You are doing amazing work, and I am so happy to be subscribed and along for the journey. :)
@normbale I consider indoctrinating children and vulnerable adults into believing in hell to be abuse. I understand that there are parents who believe in a literal hell, but unless they genuinely are convinced that hell is full of children being tormented for eternity for their childish fk ups in life, there is zero excuse for introducing such a disturbing, damaging and horrorfying idea to children.
I wish I had the words to express how much I appreciate your logic. Some of the things you talk about are things that bothered me to such a degree that it caused actual depression at various periods in my life. But that's because I had so much cognitive dissonance and deeply instilled fear that I couldn't allow myself the liberty of considering that it just might not be true. I simply kept trying to make all the pieces fit. It's only when a person allows themselves to zoom out, that you realize you never had all the pieces in the first place.
_"Everyone wants to believe they are "chosen". But if we all waited around for a prophecy to make us special, we'd die waiting. And that's why you need to choose yourself.”_ Edalyn Clawthorne, The Owl House This phrase suggests that many people desire to feel unique or special, as if they are “chosen” for a particular purpose or destiny. However, it argues that waiting for some external force, like a prophecy, to validate one’s worthiness or uniqueness is futile and may lead to inaction. Instead, it encourages individuals to take control of their own lives and destinies by making their own choices and taking initiative rather than passively waiting for something external to define their significance. In essence, it emphasizes self-empowerment and agency in shaping one’s own future.
Always thought as God as being unfair after losing my faith. Not just exclusivity, but also original sin. Why as I punished for something my ancestors did. Great video Brandon!
I had cause recently to learn about Finnish mythology, and it really emphasised something which I hadn't really dwelled on much, which is that there are so many people groups whose culture we know next to nothing about, because it was successfully replaced
That's actually really interesting because I deconverted at 26 fully as well.......😂 I just turned 27 recently And I was trying to come back around to Christianity between 25 and 26 . I just couldn't do it. It really changes your perspective when you look at it from outside inn instead of inside out
It never ceases to amaze me how the whole world concedes these one people's god, a god no other people on the planet have ever seen, is the "right" god and worthy of support/belief. 🙄
I keep coming back to the phrase "willful ignorance". Ancient cultures is one of my interests, and the only way anyone can believe the Judeo/Christian god is somehow a special case is willful ignorance.
Brandon is a marvel 😊 He is monumentally articulate and mild-mannered in such a sophisticated, beautiful and admirable constitution!! Alongside Paulogia, he has been the second horeseman of the apocalypse in relation to my journey of skepticism 🤔😀👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
@@MindShift-Brandon I wholeheartedly applaud 👏 your generosity. I appreciate that you encapsulate patience and compassion to the extent that you extol these virtues above simplisticly making Christians or religious people in general out to be imbecilic!👏😀💯💛
You might find some meaning in the origin of the word "skeptic", as I did when I looked it up. It meant "watchman" -- someone who watched the entire horizon. Not just a narrow little part of it, blocking out the rest.
@sundayoliver3147 How about you take a gander at my comment under The Infographics Show's video on Jesus' presumed resurrection? Portions of that video are soooo inaccurate; it is insane 😳
am i only one thsat noticed athest adn satanist always becoem christains when they grow up and christains always become athiest or agnostic? i really hope God is not this enity that punishes peaople for not beliving..... i do NOT think it is "BELIEVE" or "works" that get you into heaven, its the HEART that gets you in or out. when you stydy gnostism and other more esoteric stuff you see the SAME instuctiosn, do not sin, atleast with the esotericfs it is explained WHY not to sin rather than "God sied so so do it"
Do you remember when you would sit in church and the pastor would say a certain thing in a certain way and you would just get chills and goosebumps. Well now that’s what happens to me when I watch Brandon‘s videos.
Damn, Brandon! This one really landed with me. I found myself crying out, "Fuck, yeah!" and, "You tell 'em!" while watching. Once again you've articulated and expanded on one of my pet Christianity peeves. I don't recall ever hearing an apologist address this issue, because it's basically 100% indefensible. There are friends I'd love to send this video to, but I know they wouldn't even watch. You really aced this one! And I hope other viewers are picking up on your humor--a couple of laugh-out-loud moments here! BTW, love the new studio, but I miss the whiskey bottle.
I’m very happy I found your channel. Growing up in the southern Baptist church and being taught from a very early age that I was a bad person destined to hell and I must “spread the word” to save others and then realizing as an adult in my 30s that it’s absolutely ok to think on my own and maybe everything I’d always believed wasn’t exactly right. I’ve finally come to the place where I can say I do not believe the faith that was forced on me as a child. I’m alone with this though as all of my family are die hard Christian’s and if they truly knew what I believe and don’t believe now they probably wouldn’t speak to me again. Some faith I guess. Anywho, I’m glad you’re here.
this breaks my heart to hear, there is way to many of these kind of stories, I hope you find somewhere where you can find new family. I have been lucky to have people in my life who dont believe so I dont have to mask who I am but it is so painful to hear so many stories about people that are alone cause of this. Know that you are not alone and that its a good community here if you want to talk, yea we have some trolls here and there but just ignore them :D if I can help in any way dont hesitate to give me a shout out, I have always an ear if needed.
@@weirdwilliam8500 right? I cant believe some people, turning their backs on their children. thankfully one can choose a new family and find acceptances there :)
Your channel is outstanding. You are up there with the great atheist commentators ( Dawkins, Harris, Hitchens, Dillahunty, Pinecreek etc. ). Clear, calm, thorough, extremely well researched and logical.
One of the things that sets me off about Christianity is that Christians the world over are brainwashed to have a weird patriotism towards The State of Israel that in way benefits because they're not Israeli Citizens and they're not Jews. Jews hate Christians They also hate White people and using Mass Migration from Third World countries to destroy The West. The One World Government that The Book of Revelations talks about in The Bible is currently being perpetrated by the ancestors of God's Chosen people THINK ABOUT THAT. They telegraphed us their intentions for Global Conquest Millenia ago their descendants are using The Bible as a script and They call it Ordained Prophecy by God.
Excellent coverage. Ashamed to say I was in my 30's and still oblivious to most of this. Never underestimate the blinders we Christians have been raised wearing with utterly no clue of the reality around us! Thanks for another great one. So needed for so many!! (Look forward to the one you mentioned making about how we are taught to think science is some giant conspiracy in regards to dating etc)
@@MindShift-Brandon A pleasure to be here! And I wonder how your cadence of regular videos _and_ your interaction here. Hope you can still keep that up for a while 👍
Wow! I've been on a sabbatical and I decided to return today. I came back to this awesome episode. As you mention in the intro, this is one of the keystone issues skeptics have with Christianity and has always been one of the foundational logical fallacies that I have never been able to overcome. A Christian's ability to overlook/explain this issue shows just how strong the indoctrination is. If a Christian truly considered the issues around this then the cognitive dissonance they experience must be enormous. Maybe that is why I see so many of them living double lives and/or lives of hypocrisy. They say atheists are unhappy, but I find the opposite to be the case. Living true to ourselves we see things for how they really are, and hence have much more contentment since we are not constantly frustrated by having reality not meet our indoctrinated expectations.
Atheist are blind in can see why they might be happy. I have to look across the spiritual dimensions... its not easy....and has carried a measure of pain...but also the greatest joy any human can experience.
Hey man, I just wanted to say your videos have helped me address the problems in my former beliefs. And helped me continue those friendships and show love throughout the process. I’m very thankful for your channel. Thank you for speaking out, your voice is very unique and needed.
As I prepare myself to teach a potential future child, as well as defend my non-belief in a world full of believers, videos like this are stacking up in such a powerful playlist that I don’t think any believer could watch and come out honestly still believing in a good god. It’s impossible once you learn the history of this religion!
Thank you for this one. The arguments that point out how localized this God was really help me to put my old beliefs in context. Also, the candle is a nice touch. I've enjoyed the background improvements!
This is one of the core reasons i’d always dealt with doubt. I grew up in a family that was very big on evangelism and still is. As a teenager, it caused me so much emotional distress that i was dooming someone to a chance of spending eternity in hell simply because i’d shared something with them that they doubted or disbelieved like i did. Even as an adult it’s still mind boggling how messed up that is.
I am so glad I found your channel. I was raised in a Christian family. My Dad was a Baptist minister (Northern Ireland) sadly he passed away but I never "got" being a Christian. Always felt I was doing something wrong. No faith. Messed my entire life up. I am 53 now. Only finding the truth over the last year. Your channel is really helpful 🎉🎉
Virtual hugs over the internet. As a 70 year old, the next 20 years can be the most amazing ever. As long as one strives to learn and teaches as well, so as to make the world a better place, forgiving oneself and others of the ignorance we all possess, life can be truly amazing.
I dont personally know you but everything in me woke up refusing the idea of hellfire touching your face, ma'am. This leads me to wonder how come prophets prayed God to not torture their parents in hell and got denied and still continued to worship this God and make his religion global? 😔 being an abrahamic prophet is secretly very sad and humiliating. You are a servant to a tyrant entity that brings you trouble. And if you refuse to serve it you lose your life and afterlife. And it can be argued that they deserve no empathy because they are sell outs and traitors to the human race.
Thank you for a more in-depth critical thinking of what I've been saying for decades. This god of the universe and time,only bothered with a fraction of the population in a fraction of the land mass, for a fraction of history. He didn't even pop up in both the world wars, shows his level of commitment and love.
Oh, that little thing called the Holocaust? That was a learning opportunity for his chosen people. Hebrews 12:6 “For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” 🤷🏻♀️
Suffering, God Hiding, strong issues, but Brandon hit on my 1 issue in this video. Never discussed in the Church. Why? Impossible to defend. Thank you for fleshing it out in such a thoughtful, accurate way. Mark in Michigan
Hey thanks! I was eager to get to the people group examples as i know so many people dont watch the whole videos but felt i needed to first set the stage. So thanks for sticking with it all!
As a kid, I remember reading a sci-fi short story about an alien invasion (don't remember the author nor title). The hero was a priest/pastor, who became a Joshua-style leader, except he wasn't warring for God, but against Him, as he had witnessed the aliens using an Arc Of The Covenant against civilians (and heard the voice of the lord commanding the alien hordes to sweep the ungodly from their path). Apparently, God didn't want to keep to the terms of the original covenant (or grew bored). "We are a Jealous People," he said (or something to that effect at the end). "You shall have no other people before us."
This one was exceptional. I haven't been a believer in decades, and you made some points that I'd never considered. This channel and several more counterapologetic channels have really grown in the past year or so. Excellent analysis!
In my opinion, this is the best argument against Christianity. The Bible says next to nothing about it, leaving believers in the dark to make up excuses and reasons for an all powerful and all creating God to not acknowledge the vast majority of his creation. This will be a video I come back to when I get overwhelmed by arguments from Christians.
This is my absolute favorite all time perfect argument against religion. I too have been carrying this thought all through my life. But you did the research where I couldn’t. Brilliant work.
Man you are on a roll, the utter simple truth in this presentation is nothing short of stunning. Adding archaeological and world history timeline to the context of the "desert tribal god" really shines a spotlight on how laughable the bible's claims really are. Brilliant work.
This video is a home run! I hope you also go ahead and cover how we date ancient civilizations in a future video. Excellent! I am so enthused by this video that I have moved my membership on Pantheon up one level. Keep working for the truth.
Thank you for all of this massive, high-quality content! I'm so delighted at discovering more and more mucho communities that build up around atheist/skeptic/apistevist content providers. You are a refuge in a torrent of religious madness! 🎉❤
Brandon, Wonderful push to "zoom out" our perspective of our individual view in the West, in this time. When one looks beyond the tiny experiences we encounter as we wake up, navigate our life, then go back to sleep, we CAN realize our point of view is much like a pet house cat, content to just think the world is just what is inside our little home. It is great that this presentation is trying to expand people's minds and dispel folks' beLIEfs based on their myopic views and tiny knowledge of history. However Americans in particular and the poor of this world, in general ... because they are not curious and if they are not "suppressed/indoctrinated" while young ... will never leave their faiths. Americans in particular are prone to keeping their beLIEfs because they are almost completely surrounded by their own propaganda. Geeze, American baseball calls itself the "World Series", and groups will call themselves "Global Ministries for Jesus". Are any of these tax--free mega churches with state of the art media centers, top musicians, handsomely paid boards and armies of volunteers for marketing, even aware of the GOLDEN TEMPLE in Amritsar, India ? That is more Christian than any of the "churches" in Texas that complain about the border being open and promote a party that has an "antichrist" leader. The sad thing is Brandon, most of the religious I've encountered barely have read their one main book and will never read as many books in their life as you read in a month !! It is hoped that this video will open their eyes. But when a lot of people are unclear about good and bad in their own leadership, it is unlikely that these "house cats" can appreciate other cultures or other events beyond the babble they love. But keep preaching bro...like the pyramid builders that made something marvelous...great things arise one brick at a time.
Thanks for the thoughtful feedback. I love the house cat analogy! I too feel hopeless sometimes but i was that American christian myself who you would have sworn would never lose my faith just a few years ago. If it can happen to me, i think its possible for just about anyone.
@@MindShift-Brandon Such elegant thinking, like yours on the internet is like watching the thaw of springtime as a child. One sees the crystals of snow melt, giving way to slush and muck, which one wishes would just quickly give way to the long, sunny, grassy days of summer. The hope and expectation of blissful play and barbeques seems like it will just never come soon enough. Even as we communicate at this time, however, there are folks who are just fighting for survival, from help centers in Gaza to foxholes (and worst places) in Ukrainian occupied territories...just to name a few spots. But.... *every* act of kindness, *every* well explained piece of knowledge, *every* advancement of understanding, makes the world a better place. Realizing this is better than believing any dogma or blindly having any faith.
The question that kickstarted my deconstruction was "Were Adam and Eve Neanderthals?" I went on all the Christian apologetics websites, and I never got a straightforward, fact-based answer. My faith started to crumble from there.
I had a similar moment. When Adam and Eve looked to be nothing more than a fictional story, the entire basis for this religion fell apart. I cannot be guilty of something a fictional character did.
My problem with my faith started from the beginning as well. An omniscient God made only 2 people to start to populate the entire world, through incest ! Even though he's against incest ! Makes no sense to me ! Which in turn makes the entire bible nonsensical !
Had a similar inflection point, but was more scripturally based: If Adam and Eve were the first (created) people, who did their sons marry? Did they reproduce with Eve? Who did Cain fear if there were no other people? Who built the cities Cain went to? So on, and so forth - these were most puzzling things for a child, and don’t even make sense to a rationally thinking adult, relying only on the Bible for information.
To be fair (argh that leaves a strange taste in my mouth) many YECs simply claim that Neanderthals didn't exist but were Homo Sapiens. Solves that issue at the expense of intellectual integrity, which isn't exactly a problem for them anyway.
When I was a youth pastor and I used to twist myself into stupid pretzels to defend the cult of christianity I used to say all the things you said. But even then, my faith started crumbling because I wanted to really say "if no one ever had a chance to hear about him, they didn't have to worry, hell doesn't apply to them" Brandon, thank you for these videos. I really identify myself with a lot of the things you put out. Especially because we were essentially born in the religion Question; do you have a community where you find the same sense of belonging as you did back when in church? I'm Latino, divorced and actively deconstructing. I've thought about going back to church but... Nah Any pro tips? 😅
Community is what religion has for sure. I had to build this channel just to get a semblance of it lol. Theres unfortunately no good answer. Atheists are not a religion, we are not all alike or have the same end goals etc so theres not an apples to apples switch but my advice is just smaller groups based on hobbies or interests
I agree with what Brandon said, and also I've found that volunteering for something you have real feeling for tends to mean meeting people of like mind and heart. So does being in musical groups, if you're inclined that way.
This is one more thing I didn’t dare let myself wonder about for very long, much less ask anyone about it. Thank you for being so intelligent and articulate on these subjects. I’m finally beginning to breathe a sigh of relief.
@@Lestat1349 good to hear from you. I’m doing fine and am binge watching Mindshift and some others. Haven’t been struck by lightning yet. Lol! I’m happy that I figured out that my private thoughts aren’t being read by a deity who would have me burned alive for eternity if I thought the wrong thoughts. I’m making discovery after discovery. Thank you for checking on me, Viking Friend!
@@teresasmith4383 good to hear the lightning has not struck yet ;) what other channels are you watching? Yea I always found the concept of god always watching kinda creepy, like let me go to the toilet in peace please hehe :) my pleasure Teresa :) also glad to hear you have found joy in owning your own mind :D
Yes Brandon, I would love a video about how we know the age of archeological discoveries and the different methods scientists use to know it. It would be amazing 👌👌👌
Your 3 options about our view of God in the last minute are astute. Strong elements of being evil and stupid surely describe him on the Biblical pages.
It was one of your other videos that I watched and thought, man I hope Brandon does a video about all the other people that were living and thriving during the supposed events of the Bible and voila I open YT and it's there. You're awesome and you did such an amazing job of covering this. I'm equally excited to watch your upcoming video on how we actually know the dates of when these ancient civilizations thrived. You're a gift to humankind. I mean that sincerely.
2:45 Wow, I haven't even considered the issue of souls and human evolution before, and how that's a very weird thing to think about for theistic evolutionists. Thank you! Definitely a valid question.
Every mythological God favors the people who invented him. The Greek Gods favored the Greeks, and the Roman Gods favored the Romans. The Norse Gods favored the Scandinavians, Allah favors the Arabs, and of course, Jehovah favors Isrsel because why not. His mythology was created by Jews. We, gentiles, were made just to be hated.
Jehovah is not the name of the god of Jews. It's YHVH. Jehovah witnesses changed the name due to translations with extra letters put in because Y didn't exist in the language of one the translations, and they just decided that was the right way. Telltale is an ex Jehovah's witness and will tell you that too.
So many great points! Apart from our lack of evidence of a god (the main reason not to believe), one point I think deserves more attention is how even if we take the story at face value, _God caused everything God's mad about._ When someone is 100% certain of the results of their actions, we hold that person responsible. Well God is said to have caused everything and known everything. So God knew causing things like that _would_ result in sin. Then (cruelly) this god _punishes_ it.
95% of humanity has never heard of this one specific god, let alone believed in that specific god. And they did fine. Otherwise we would have ceased to exist a long time ago.
@@Bojan12 and those that believed in god have no idea it is pure fiction. 'god' doesn't exist except in people's minds. It was invented to keep people a slave. They just don't know it.
@@Bojan12 I don't contradict that. But how many people have lived there before 300 years ago. Cities with tens of thousands of people in Central America, for example. The Incas, the Maya and the Ashtecs. And then what about North America, Asia or Central Africa. And this for thousands of years. And it is certainly not that those who have heard of this religion also believe in it. On the contrary.
Esoterica has a great video where he deep-dives into the ancient archeological origins of the Abrahamic God. The TL;DR is that "God" was created when the proto-Israelites synchronized "Yahweh" (a local war and storm god) with 2 other Canaanite gods: "El" the wise grandfatherly leader of the pantheon, and Baal, another storm god associated with fertile river showers. From this perspective, the contradictions and extreme mood-swings of God in the Bible make sense. Its the result of synchrotizing and compositing 3 very different deities into 1 being. The strong association with deadly floods, storms, fertile land, and war while also being kindly to followers.
Probably more than 3. There's mention of solar imagery in the bible associated with Yahweh. It's mentioned at some point that Solar Chariots are being removed from Solomons temple, which apparently Yahweh was cool with until that point.
YES!! Thank you for discussing this point. I've specifically used the word "parochial" for, literally, forty years as a fundamental criticism of the Bible god (the portrayal of the god in the Bible). The entire notion of the Israelites being the "Chosen People" is an indictment of the god portrayed in the Bible - making that god, literally, no better than the god(s) of any other ancient tribe/civilization - and just as primitive in its notion of a god in the first place. The Bible god is a tribal god - and the manner in which Jewish rabbis discuss this god to this day exposes this fact as well. I always appreciate how you bring new perspectives to specific topics that I've discussed for decades - and make what has become old to me into something new. (By the way, and just incidentally - and this will only make sense to people who are as old as I've become, since I'm 62 years old now, and I've been using computers since the 1970s - I was discussing these kinds of topics way back in the 1980s and '90s in discussion groups since before the World Wide Web existed - such as the "usenet" groups like "talk dot atheism," but not just usenet, and then later on in discussion groups such as in the old Yahoo discussion group system - just to give some perspective to what I'm referring to in regard to engaging in these kinds of discussions for decades.)
Amazing videos, excellent channel, with perfect breakdown of the Christian agenda and hypocrisies. Can’t get enough of your videos! You’re doing such a good job and thank you 🙏
23:28 I'm from Ecuador and your pronunciation of Inti was perfect 😊 BTW, I met someone this January and she tried to convince me back into catholicism again. Some of the things she did in order to persuade me were very creepy 😢
@@MindShift-Brandon Colours are nice. I’d welcome a blue introduction/substitution occasionally. I’m here for the valuable content regardless. Keep it up!!
Yes! UNFAIR and irreconcilable with the concepts of an all-loving, compassionate, forgiving God. I've never heard a good answer explaining this fundamental unfairness. And I never will.
Again I'm absolutely floored by seemingly obvious conundrums. congratulations on the very easy to understand content, once again id never heard about that perspective before from any other source and its so obvious , undisputable. job done 🎉
This was exactly what bothered me about religion when I was growing up, but even then, I tried to reconcile it with the idea of a god who was supposed to be for everyone. I just couldn't wrap my head around having the vast majority of humanity sentenced to eternal damnation because of their slightly different beliefs and I became so disappointed and disillusioned upon learning this is exactly what is taught in most Abrahamic religions. There was just no way that a tiny, rather insignificant group of people were the only ones who would attain entrance to heaven just because of a tiny theological difference of opinion. Thank you for the good work that you do Brandon.
Thank you for this great video! I think that the beginning of my deconstruction, the “eye opener” was October 7th. I looked at the Israeli-Palestinian situation and thought “This can’t be right”. While so many of my Christian friends were cheering on the genocide unfolding, I really could not fathom the “chosen people” nonsense I kept hearing. The thoughts I began having drove me to dig deeper into the OT (specifically the taking of Canaan) because I thought surely this is not the way God “loves the world”. It was actually a bit scary to question the Biblical narrative. It was scary to even articulate doubt. But at the end of the day, I determined that I wanted to know the actual truth, not stay comfortable in the lie. Your videos address so many questions that I have had, and give me comfort that it’s okay to say “No. this isn’t right”
You did it! This is what millions refuse to do. Dare to doubt. Risk the rewards of safety and comfort by going along with the crowd and really think and look and learn! Good work!
I've been an atheist for about 15-20 years probably. I've read Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, watched Matt Dillahunty, etc.....This is by far the best argument against God that I've ever seen. I almost deconverted all over again! Just kidding. This was a FANTASTIC video and I am deeply obsessed with your channel and the information you provide. Excellent work!
Whoa! Compliment of the year. Thank you so much for the kind encouragement.
Not sure if it's an argument against theism as a whole, but certainly the Judeau-Christian God. My problem is not that people believe in God, but they make all of these confident claims that they can't possibly know. Many of which are either refuted by or not even in their holy book. They've made so many impossible claims that there is no way to believe without shutting off your brain.
@ThisIsSuperSelf growing up in it, it was like my brain was shut off.
Read your bible with a desire to really want to know the truth, if you do he will set you free.
People end up in hell because of unbelief. Jesus died once and for all. Sins are forgiven, we just have to accept the truth that we are sinners, we need the grace and mercy of God/Jesus Christ. If a man says he has never done wrong/sinned he is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
Romans 5:8
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
John 3:18
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
@@MindShift-Brandon33 vertebrae before you get to the skull Jesus died at 33 at a place called Calvary which means skulls just as Moses raised the snake on a pole in the desert social son of man rides it's a remix of Hinduism with the Kundalini snake Spirit the snake is trying to become a dragon so to speak. Historia mythology is also an allegory for Sun worship it's a way to explain a seasons it's all just political and allegorical
The irony of choosing a special people, presumably, (assuming omniscience), knowing beforehand that they would mess things up at every turn, and then mess things up at the most crucial turn, and then wind up with all the other peoples that you ignored or actively waged war on for millennia *except* your chosen people jumping on the bandwagon, and having to send nearly all your chosen people to Hell because they rejected you, is a conundrum of such galactic proportions I don't know how it ever made any kind of sense to me.
So well stated!
I think it is really easy. Same reason as unbaptised children go to hell. God wants to be alone in heaven. ;-)
Great response
Have we considered that since God chose this subsection of canaanites to send the message to, perhaps this religion doesn't apply to the rest of us? If so, what is the plan for the rest of us? Could it be that we are NPC's in a Jewish video game? 🤔
@@bobbyf1741 awesome
My father, who is an exceptional academic and vastly cultured yet an ardent Christian, always answered this question with that same sentence: “the only way to heaven is through Christ Jesus”. That’s what started me off, it was almost a switch that just flipped. The only way my hyper analytical, super educated, and enormously travelled parent could provide the only boxed answer he has ever responded with is because in order to maintain his faith he has to *not think about it*. Anyone can be brainwashed into this stuff no matter how smart they are. I think his entire identity would collapse without Christianity, so he simply does not think into it with any appropriate depth, and so this intensely problematic conundrum for Christians holds zero weight to him because it prompts him to simply turn off his brain.
I get that!
There is some large amount of neurochemistry/psychology humanity has to figure out to understand that behavior !! If one reads up on developmental imprinting, where, as a simple example, ducklings will at a particular time, follow whatever object they see after they begin walking, one then realizes that humans, too, have a neural "setting" that indelibly configures their mind. Like a cleft palate, a person's brain can be altered such that their person is simply different for the rest of their life.
Humanity has to work on learning and knowing more about this, for good vs the accidental detriment that can occur.
Maybe some people just can't accept they have been lied to about a fairytale.
You should put the asterisk after the full stop (period).
"because it prompts him to simply turn off his brain."
This have actually been demonstrated.
This is one reason why the _child abuse_ of bringing children up in _any_ religious/cult belief system needs to be recognised as such and banned.
We don’t (if we’re responsible) let children have access to porn or recreational drugs, so why is it legal to expose them to far more dangerous material, such as the torah, bible and qur’an?
The results of such exposure aren’t just potentially damaging to the children, but to the wider society, in a range of ways. No one under the age of 18 should be allowed to read such dangerous nonsense, it literally changes the way that people “think”, and it’s to their detriment.
For example, one experiment reported in New Scientist (sadly, I've lost the issue, and would have to sign up to New Scientist in order to, possibly, find the article), detailed interesting results with religious people in fMRI scanners.
They were told that the next person they would hear was high up in their belief system. What happened was, the "suspicion circuits"* of the brain literally switched off. It's the same part of the brain that switches off when we're asleep, so that we don't (usually) question the insane situations we find ourselves in, in dreams.
My mother was a christian, and had a high IQ (she could easily have joined Mensa, but didn't like the snobby attitude of some of its members), so it bewildered me, as a child, how she could fall for the blatant bullshit of the bible. Obviously this was long before I read the study, and also long before I discovered just how awfully powerful, insidious and dangerous brainwashing is.
I've talked to people who have said, "you can't call me stupid, I'm a lawyer/doctor/business person, etc", but I can call them stupid, because, when it comes to their belief system, it doesn't matter if they're a skillful surgeon, a successful business person, a sharp lawyer, etc, I might as well be arguing with a retarded child. There's NO proper critical thinking being applied, even though they are convinced that there is.
*New Scientist's term, not mine.
@onedaya_martian1238 You are a titan; do not permit anyone to tell you an alternative message!
a young mammoth hunter and his father:
- Daddy, does the g0d exist?
- No, son. Not yet.
God's sphere of influence is so small that tribes barely outside the areas mentioned in the Bible not only didn't die in the global flood, but had the indecency to not even write it down. The nerve of some people.
Saturday's Video: Talking about God's genitalia.
Sunday's Thumbnail: "How small is this God?"
Vicious, Brandon. Vicious :P
Hahah! Amazing.
😂
So great you linked the two videos! I would have missed that. Intentional or not - couldn’t be more perfect. 🤣
Heh. 😏
damn!
I can not thank you enough. For years, I would get such bad depression. When asked why I would say, if I knew i was going to have 12 chikdren but only 2 of those where going to have a good life and the rest would be in torment for eternity, then I would chose to have no children. How can a loving parent do that!
Of course, the Christians in my life would shoot me down. They could not believe I would question God. The best thing ever was when my husband finally decided to try and find answers to all my tortured thoughts and discovered channels likec yours. He is now decontructing with me. You have put forward so many thoughts I had, but you add so much depth and intelligent comentery. My husband and I look forward every week to you your videos. If I feel like I'm being pulled back, I just come and listen to you
I am so happy you were able to finally break free and even happier to hear you get to do it right along side your partner. I am jealous of that! I cant imagine the closeness and intimacy that waking up to truth together could bring. Thanks for all the kind words and for being here!
there is so much love and compassion in your comment. Unrestrained by cruel laws of belief in something demanding, judgemental, and false, this wonderful humanity blossoms. I am happy for you that you have a loving hand to hold.
That's so awesome!! Welcome to a great channel, Brandon is great to learn from and the community (aside for some) is great! Deconverted for two years now and loving it!!
It's refreshing to see that there are some people. Who are able to get past their indoctrination. And view the world through the eyes of other humans. Not just seeing the world as some religions do. Through a very narrow view of how things work.
they come up with "its a choice" and like one helluva choice.......... ua-cam.com/video/BqcDXIx6CA8/v-deo.html
Corinthians 15:45:
And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a "living soul": the last Adam was made a "quickening spirit."
Take the sorcerer's spell off the words "Living Soul = Gull Vision." Gull can mean, one easily cheated or a dupe, and Vision can mean, something imaginary one thinks one sees.
Then, "Quickening Spirit = Inquiring Skeptic." To inquire is to ask about or investigate something, and Skeptic means, one who doubts beliefs, claims, or plans that are accepted by others as truth, like the easily duped.
Therefore, the verse could read as..."The first man Adam was made a dupe who believed the false vision of those that were cheating him, lying to him: the last Adam will be made a skeptic who doubts the consensus beliefs of all the fallen dupes and also doubts the liars, and therefore will seek what is the Truth."
I figured this out around my 10th year! I was already reading about global ancient history. One of the first nails in the “ religion” coffin was a priest telling me “ you just have to believe it”…thinking back he was petrified of me infecting all the other kids in his bible class! I left and never went back…years later, I was reading Chariots of the Gods…a family friend freaked out and said, “ you shouldn’t read such stuff”…I simply asked why it was scary, if we had the “ truth”, why be afraid of other ideas? That was it…my family members still worry about me!
How do you handle that. Mine are the same
Same
@@imjustsayingthough2261 @MindShiftSkeptic Wow!! I am flabbergasted by how your humbleness is persisting throughout your accumulating dominion and prestige💛💯👏🥳
@@thing1thing2themediamaniac43 @MindShiftSkeptic Wow!! I am flabbergasted by how your humbleness is persisting throughout your accumulating dominion and prestige💛💯👏🥳
@MindShiftSkeptic Wow!! I am flabbergasted by how your humbleness is persisting throughout your accumulating dominion and prestige💛💯👏🥳
Doubt is the beginning of wisdom
faith feeds ignorance.
Faith runs the world baby
Doubt gets towed by it
@@bozomori2287 the tide is turning.
@@bozomori2287 skepticism > faith
Faith is ignorance. Is a Muslim or a Satanist faith good?@@bozomori2287
@@bozomori2287that’s why the world is in chaos.
I one time asked my dad, who is a preacher, if the native Americans who had never heard about God are in hell, and he said most likely.
How anyone could be ok with that is beyond me.
Like a five year old girl who died in that earthquake a few months ago in Morocco. "Sorry kid, you were just born in the wrong place on this planet."
@@MindShift-Brandon
The wise person does not eat the golden nuggets that preachers pull from their diapers.
I’ve had it explained “they are innocent of the knowledge” therefore they’re safe. But they’re not they go to purgatory. Like the non 144,000 of the jehovas witness. Different purgatory tho, this is a ski resort in Durango Colorado.
@@lindboknifeandtool
The sacred forty (biblical) is Lent aka purging of sins.
I think my whole issue with the chosen people thing is it makes it REALLY hard to have Christian friends. Like, how am I supposed to be friendly with people that I know would say Im going to hell, start to see me as a project to be converted, tell me Im denying reality, and all that. It makes every single 'nice' thing a Christian does for me feel fake, and it gets worse with me being a trans woman who some of them would use the Bible to tell me Im wrong about my identity and all that. Not all Christians are like this, but so many of them believe in hell and this chosen group thing that's really infantile that it's hard for me to want to even associate with any of them as a non-believer.
Its a very fair thought from you. Not all christians are like this is true but their religion is. They exist just to be vessels of god and convert the masses. Thats an imbalance in any relationship.
Got a friend who believes the rapture is going to happen. Making a long story short, I got told she will pray for me in the day. I told her that was insulting and fucking obnoxious. We just made a deal not to talk about religion ever. But, she is one of those people who personalized "god" in such a way that she believes the church is wrong in some areas.(she Catholic.)
Anyway, point is the only reason we are still friends is due to that deal. They have to respect you enough to not force that shit down your throat.
@@Awakened_MucachaThat's really interesting since the rapture isn't a catholic teaching. On the other hand, most catholics I know are the typical cafeteria Christians who cherrypick what church teachings they want to follow and which they ignore or outright disobey.
I adore the 144,000 folks because I just say "that's OK, you can have my spot," and they are never quite sure how to respond to that.
@@MindShift-Brandon @MindShiftSkeptic Hey, you are a brilliantly skeptical mind!!!!! 😊 How about taking a gander at and highlighting my original post contributed within this comment section?!!!👏 You're gonna be standing in the hall of fame 😀
9:50 THIS
This is what gnawed at the back of my mind since I could remember, if by telling someone of Jesus glory you're potentially dooming them to a life of eternal suffering, instead of letting them stay ignorant and maybe saved (which was always the excuse used for babies or children that died before understanding the word of God), then wouldn't letting the gospel die out be the best way to guarantee everyone doesn't go to hell, at least?
Yes, what you said!
@bbittercoffee
Eskimo: "If I did not know about God and sin, would I go to hell?"
Priest: "No, not if you did not know."
Eskimo: "Then why did you tell me?"
- Annie Dillard
Kinda like never knowing about the mafia and their operations.
@@YY4Me133preach maybe because they know abt it they don't wanna b alone to fall to hell
Christians should be the ones burning bibles and keeping the “good news” under strict codes of secrecy it they really cared about saving people and not just trying to pretend they are better than everyone.
Part of my deconstruction from hypercalvinist Christianity was allowing myself to enjoy things I had been told were beneath me spiritually. For example, I was always told, "Men don't play videogames, boys do."
Anyway, that's all to say that I chose your video over sci-fi audiobooks this morning. Bell is now enabled. 😎👉👉
Edit: Also, the issue to me with this topic is that Hinduism was such a large rival at the same time, yet god was so concerned with Baal worshippers and never took aim at Hinduism. Almost like he didn't know it was the dominant religion in the world and would rival his thousands of years later.
What a great comment. Appreciate that!
They need to be told that men don't take what others say as fact if the claims are immoral, illogical infantile and foundationless, and only those with the minds of children believe in fairy tales.
@@MindShift-Brandon@MindShiftSkeptic Hey, you are a brilliantly skeptical mind!!!!! 😊 How about taking a gander at and highlighting my original post contributed within this comment section?!!!👏 You're gonna be standing in the hall of fame 😀
@@Eet_Mia@MindShiftSkeptic Hey, you are a brilliantly skeptical mind!!!!! 😊 How about taking a gander at and highlighting my original post contributed within this comment section?!!!👏 You're gonna be standing in the hall of fame 😀
@@Eet_Mia Except that moses didn't exist, there was no mass Exodus from Egypt, etc.
This is the best atheist channel on UA-cam. Brandon, you are doing such great work here: please keep producing this fantastic content!
So very kind and generous. Thanks for the support and the encouragement!
Not a lie but have you seen nonstampcollector and dark matter? 😂
@@masterlolilover5255 Those are good too! 😀But Brandon is my favorite, because he has a gift for spotting the fallacy in every Christian argument and perfectly dismantling it, all in a calm and dispassionate way (which for me is a big relief after the trauma and volatility of Matt Dillahunty).
I second your motion. Great Channel.
I started to watch your channel a couple of months ago - and man I can say You are One of a Kind!!! Your knowledge is amazing! I am deconstructing since last fall... growing up as an evangelical fundamentalist I was terrified by the book of revelation and what is awaiting us, if we are not born again in christ we would be lost forever. In search of getting an answer I stumbeld upon one of your videos about hell. Finally I found what I was looking for! My eyes got opened. I never understood why a all loving god would choose a group of people to make them his choosen one. This for me is not unconditional love for every single person that lived on this planet. It is simply ridicolous.
Keep up the good work.
Greetings from Italy
Hey! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know. Honored to be able to be so helpful. Thanks for being here!
@@MindShift-Brandon 🤗
So many of us share the same story of the day the lights were turned on. And this channel has been a powerful tool in our deprograming. Thank you!
Thank you for making this video. It is very timely for me personally because just last night someone I consider a good friend told me that even atheists admit that there is a god, and more in particular her god, because the first sound a baby makes when they take their first breath is "Yahweh'". The smugness that she delivered this line with really has me rethinking my friendship and making me wonder if Christian friendships are even possible with non-believers. Friendships need to be based on mutual respect, and bad faith arguments are not respectful. Again, thank you for what you do.
Oh man that is so rough! Its amazing what these people come up with.
@@MindShift-Brandon @MindShiftSkeptic Hey, you are a brilliantly skeptical mind!!!!! 😊 How about taking a gander at and highlighting my original post contributed within this comment section?!!!👏 You're gonna be standing in the hall of fame 😀
How silly and ridiculous. I've never heard a baby say "Yahweh".
@Vintage-Bob You are sooo on the money 💰
@@Vintage-Bob Neither have I. This one left me speechless; in the sense of if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all.
I’ve always wondered, even when I was a Christian, why an omnipotent god can’t do anything at all unless we do it for him. Thanks for the clear laying out of the truth!
Yeah, it's a bit underwhelming considering that God supposedly created the entire universe and all life on earth.
I remember asking my dad about this in grade school. And yes, he gave the same bs excuses you mentioned: divine revelation, and the great commission. In Jr. High, I asked him how God could be ok with his word and name being spread through war, disease and massive land grabs through colonization, his responses became much more angry and defensive. Any questions that followed were met with the assumption of my ill will in questioning; I was intentionally trying to confuse other believers in the church’s many, MANY judging eyes.
Thank you so much for what you are doing here on UA-cam, Brandon. I feel like my religious trauma heals just a tiny bit more with each of your videos that I watch. Thank you.
I also really appreciate the prodigious upload schedule! You’re freakin awesome!!!
So glad to hear that i can help in any way and thanks so much for the love!
@@MindShift-Brandon @MindShiftSkeptic Hey, you are a brilliantly skeptical mind!!!!! 😊 How about taking a gander at and highlighting my original post contributed within this comment section?!!!👏 You're gonna be standing in the hall of fame 😀
Huh. That explains why conservatives don’t want anyone talking about colonialism.
As an aside, a related problem is that if the story of the Tower of Babel were true then god, as a consequence of dividing humanity and spawning all our different conflicting cultures, would be directly or indirectly responsible for almost every war or violent conflict between different people groups in history. To say nothing of that fact he did so without providing guidance to any of them.
100%!
I appreciate you listing ancient people groups, religious practices and timelines to illustrate how big this planet is and how little area the “creator of everything” actually influenced.
Glad it helped give perspective
When you talked about God having to wait for humans to figure out how to get to other continents, it reminded me of a line from Star Trek V. "Why does God need a starship?"
not a big fan of that movie but I did like that line, thank you sir for reminding me of it :)
I doubt it's anyone's favorite Trek movie, lol.@@Lestat1349
@@TG-oi3jz haha true :D
As a questioning person, I appreciate this channel. I am not Christian, but a ton of your points apply to my abrahamic religion. Thanks for the work.
My pleasure. Glad you find it useful.
i SEE what BLIND FAITH has done to thsi ENTIRE world, and goto hell becuase want to KNOW instead BELIVE in God?
I'm 20 minutes into the video. I think this is the best video you've made so far.
Thats very kind. I am glad you are enjoying it so much!
Agreed! Simple yet very reveiling.
( Also just halfway thru.😄)
Let´s watch the rest.
it really is, everything is clicking rn!
Agree,
In the year 1521, the Spanish killed 100,000 Aztecs at Tenochtitlan in order to share the gospel message: "Love your neighbor"
@user-ip5zt1io9v Then again, all people that dont claim people of their group (like Christians) as their own because they were doing one aspect of the religion wrong while most Christians seem to not follow the new testament to the word, is pretty odd dont ya think?
@user-ip5zt1io9v hahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahaahahha
1521.. the same year Magellan invaded the Philippines. Tada! Christianity in the Philippines.
"You see this circumcised Jewish guy on my cross from halfway across the world? He is your god now."
I'm Indian-American. There have been Christians in India since the 4th Century and maybe earlier. But India is a big place. God waited until the 1500s to get around to the part where my ancestors were from. His instrument? The Portuguese! 😅
Lol! Great point. And thanks so much for the generosity!
This was so completely eye opening. Thank you for this. I left the faith 6 months ago. Sometimes I struggle with it and get scared, but this video brought up points I never even thought of when I walked away. Thank you so much for what you do with this channel❤
My absolute pleasure! 6 months is so recent. Such a process. Please reach out if you get stuck!
Welcome to the family, hehe. It is totally understandable to get scared, I am 4 months ish in myself. But don't let that fear guide your search for the truth, my man Brandon here has so many greate videos on so many topics to reinforces the road as you walk. Also like @MindShiftSkeptic says, don't hesitate to reach out or ask, there are many great people in this community, we have our trolls here and there but just ignore them :) have a lovely evening
25:30. This. As someone studying history, I’m taking a Middle Eastern history class at the moment, and this thought exactly passed through my mind. Even just looking at that region, and how similar Islam and Christianity are and were, was enough to kick me even farther down the road of atheism (if that was possible, lol). The world is so large, and it is nothing short of incredible for some small, contradictory god of 2500 years ago to be the one true one.
Also, I just wanted to say thank you for how respectful and knowledgeable you are, especially with this video. Just the other day I had one of my teachers call the Celtic tribes “uncivilized and poor,” which is utterly incorrect, and your respect towards those cultures is so refreshing, and much appreciated, not to mention the same towards the different Native American peoples. You are doing amazing work, and I am so happy to be subscribed and along for the journey. :)
What an incredibly kind and thoughtful comment. Thanks for the love and encouragement! Very appreciated
Belief in a literal Hell is the ultimate perversion.
And utterly illogical.
Literal hell is quite logical
How to say that you’ve never been married to my ex-wife without saying that you’ve never been married to my ex-wife.
I thought hell was other people.
@normbale
I consider indoctrinating children and vulnerable adults into believing in hell to be abuse.
I understand that there are parents who believe in a literal hell, but unless they genuinely are convinced that hell is full of children being tormented for eternity for their childish fk ups in life, there is zero excuse for introducing such a disturbing, damaging and horrorfying idea to children.
I wish I had the words to express how much I appreciate your logic. Some of the things you talk about are things that bothered me to such a degree that it caused actual depression at various periods in my life. But that's because I had so much cognitive dissonance and deeply instilled fear that I couldn't allow myself the liberty of considering that it just might not be true. I simply kept trying to make all the pieces fit. It's only when a person allows themselves to zoom out, that you realize you never had all the pieces in the first place.
I completely relate!
Well said! And thanks for the kind words!
I finally figured out the pieces don’t belong to the same puzzle. They were never going to fit together.
😔🙏❤️
_"Everyone wants to believe they are "chosen". But if we all waited around for a prophecy to make us special, we'd die waiting. And that's why you need to choose yourself.”_ Edalyn Clawthorne, The Owl House
This phrase suggests that many people desire to feel unique or special, as if they are “chosen” for a particular purpose or destiny. However, it argues that waiting for some external force, like a prophecy, to validate one’s worthiness or uniqueness is futile and may lead to inaction. Instead, it encourages individuals to take control of their own lives and destinies by making their own choices and taking initiative rather than passively waiting for something external to define their significance. In essence, it emphasizes self-empowerment and agency in shaping one’s own future.
Always thought as God as being unfair after losing my faith. Not just exclusivity, but also original sin. Why as I punished for something my ancestors did. Great video Brandon!
Yes its nuts all around! And thanks!
I had cause recently to learn about Finnish mythology, and it really emphasised something which I hadn't really dwelled on much, which is that there are so many people groups whose culture we know next to nothing about, because it was successfully replaced
Great point
Yup. Europe was colonized by the church, too. Their first successful land grab.
When I turned 26, you know when the brain is fully developed, it hit me, the only place where my god existed was in my mind
It took me 40 years....what can I say, I'm a bit slow 😂.
@@pinky9440
Do yourself a favor and stop comparing your personal journey to other ppl’s journey
If he was living there rent free I hope you had him evicted.
That's actually really interesting because I deconverted at 26 fully as well.......😂 I just turned 27 recently And I was trying to come back around to Christianity between 25 and 26 . I just couldn't do it. It really changes your perspective when you look at it from outside inn instead of inside out
@@bigburrito308 Tried to gaslight myself into going back to church, praying and all.. it's impossible
It never ceases to amaze me how the whole world concedes these one people's god, a god no other people on the planet have ever seen, is the "right" god and worthy of support/belief. 🙄
I keep coming back to the phrase "willful ignorance".
Ancient cultures is one of my interests, and the only way anyone can believe the Judeo/Christian god is somehow a special case is willful ignorance.
Brandon is a marvel 😊 He is monumentally articulate and mild-mannered in such a sophisticated, beautiful and admirable constitution!! Alongside Paulogia, he has been the second horeseman of the apocalypse in relation to my journey of skepticism 🤔😀👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Too kind but i am thrilled to have helped in any way!
@@MindShift-Brandon I wholeheartedly applaud 👏 your generosity. I appreciate that you encapsulate patience and compassion to the extent that you extol these virtues above simplisticly making Christians or religious people in general out to be imbecilic!👏😀💯💛
You might find some meaning in the origin of the word "skeptic", as I did when I looked it up. It meant "watchman" -- someone who watched the entire horizon. Not just a narrow little part of it, blocking out the rest.
@sundayoliver3147 How about you take a gander at my comment under The Infographics Show's video on Jesus' presumed resurrection? Portions of that
video are soooo inaccurate; it is insane 😳
Mindshift playing second horseman?
He should be no lower than first!
Longer one today. Lots to go through. Thanks for being here!
Two hours is just fine. 😊
If you made a two hour long video, my plan for the day would be to find the time to watch your video.
It’s fine, I think I speak for everyone when I say that I like the longer videos 😁
Awesome length.
Yes, yes and yes to the commentary before me! :))
Thank you mindshift am an african in a very religious family and am on the process of deconversation truly thank you.
am i only one thsat noticed athest adn satanist always becoem christains when they grow up and christains always become athiest or agnostic? i really hope God is not this enity that punishes peaople for not beliving..... i do NOT think it is "BELIEVE" or "works" that get you into heaven, its the HEART that gets you in or out. when you stydy gnostism and other more esoteric stuff you see the SAME instuctiosn, do not sin, atleast with the esotericfs it is explained WHY not to sin rather than "God sied so so do it"
Wake up babe. Mind shift is dropping truth again.
Haha! Love that. Thanks for watching
Too true.
Love this comment
Do you remember when you would sit in church and the pastor would say a certain thing in a certain way and you would just get chills and goosebumps. Well now that’s what happens to me when I watch Brandon‘s videos.
Ha. Thats very nice to hear.
@@MindShift-Brandon❤
Damn, Brandon! This one really landed with me. I found myself crying out, "Fuck, yeah!" and, "You tell 'em!" while watching. Once again you've articulated and expanded on one of my pet Christianity peeves. I don't recall ever hearing an apologist address this issue, because it's basically 100% indefensible. There are friends I'd love to send this video to, but I know they wouldn't even watch. You really aced this one! And I hope other viewers are picking up on your humor--a couple of laugh-out-loud moments here! BTW, love the new studio, but I miss the whiskey bottle.
THIS!
Tom! Thanks so much man. Really loved hearing your super kind feedback!
Sometimes I feel like modern evangelical theology reads like the plot for a horror film.
@@weirdwilliam8500 yea, only difference is I like horror movies
Lmao!! Fuck yeah!! You told him!! Brandon kicks the shit our of the bible using his super powers of logic combined with evidence.
"God' was the first "deadbeat dad."
🤣 Amen!!!
At wonder if "god" stood outside of a 14yrs old's, thatched-mud-walled-house and demanded to see his son?! 🤢😂
I’m very happy I found your channel. Growing up in the southern Baptist church and being taught from a very early age that I was a bad person destined to hell and I must “spread the word” to save others and then realizing as an adult in my 30s that it’s absolutely ok to think on my own and maybe everything I’d always believed wasn’t exactly right. I’ve finally come to the place where I can say I do not believe the faith that was forced on me as a child. I’m alone with this though as all of my family are die hard Christian’s and if they truly knew what I believe and don’t believe now they probably wouldn’t speak to me again. Some faith I guess. Anywho, I’m glad you’re here.
Oof, sorry to hear that. It’s so tragic when people are so afraid of their god that they choose faith before family, but it seems to happen a lot.
Thank you! Same exact boat here. Appreciate you being here.
this breaks my heart to hear, there is way to many of these kind of stories, I hope you find somewhere where you can find new family. I have been lucky to have people in my life who dont believe so I dont have to mask who I am but it is so painful to hear so many stories about people that are alone cause of this. Know that you are not alone and that its a good community here if you want to talk, yea we have some trolls here and there but just ignore them :D if I can help in any way dont hesitate to give me a shout out, I have always an ear if needed.
@@weirdwilliam8500 right? I cant believe some people, turning their backs on their children. thankfully one can choose a new family and find acceptances there :)
Your channel is outstanding. You are up there with the great atheist commentators ( Dawkins, Harris, Hitchens, Dillahunty, Pinecreek etc. ). Clear, calm, thorough, extremely well researched and logical.
So very kind, Michael. Amazing to even be in the same sentence with those guys.
@@MindShift-Brandonl agree, you are up there! 😊
We are Gods chosen people!
How do you know that?
Look at how he tortures us and makes us suffer. He loves us the most.
Yes, the god of chaos and suffering.
One of the things that sets me off about Christianity is that Christians the world over are brainwashed to have a weird patriotism towards The State of Israel that in way benefits because they're not Israeli Citizens and they're not Jews. Jews hate Christians They also hate White people and using Mass Migration from Third World countries to destroy The West. The One World Government that The Book of Revelations talks about in The Bible is currently being perpetrated by the ancestors of God's Chosen people THINK ABOUT THAT. They telegraphed us their intentions for Global Conquest Millenia ago their descendants are using The Bible as a script and They call it Ordained Prophecy by God.
The ones who did the torture are the non chosen ones. Now is the time for the chosen ones to make all others into slaves.
haha that's like how writers treat their favorite characters
"I will put you through horrible trials and suffering. for enrichment purposes."
@@greyisnthere Atleast their not real to feel all that crap
Excellent coverage. Ashamed to say I was in my 30's and still oblivious to most of this. Never underestimate the blinders we Christians have been raised wearing with utterly no clue of the reality around us! Thanks for another great one. So needed for so many!! (Look forward to the one you mentioned making about how we are taught to think science is some giant conspiracy in regards to dating etc)
it's really refreshing to find someone who calls out the problem of historical hebrew supremacy and how it has affected the world.
If Torah is basically old testament more or less, it also explains zionism and all horrors done to Palestinians being justified by many of the Jews
Appreciate you looking at all angles and enjoy the long videos! So many reasons why this doesn't add up.
Thanks man. Always appreciate you being here and seeing your money engaging comments with others.
@@MindShift-Brandon A pleasure to be here! And I wonder how your cadence of regular videos _and_ your interaction here. Hope you can still keep that up for a while 👍
Wow! I've been on a sabbatical and I decided to return today. I came back to this awesome episode. As you mention in the intro, this is one of the keystone issues skeptics have with Christianity and has always been one of the foundational logical fallacies that I have never been able to overcome. A Christian's ability to overlook/explain this issue shows just how strong the indoctrination is. If a Christian truly considered the issues around this then the cognitive dissonance they experience must be enormous. Maybe that is why I see so many of them living double lives and/or lives of hypocrisy. They say atheists are unhappy, but I find the opposite to be the case. Living true to ourselves we see things for how they really are, and hence have much more contentment since we are not constantly frustrated by having reality not meet our indoctrinated expectations.
Welcome back, Rocket man! Thanks for being here
Atheist are blind in can see why they might be happy. I have to look across the spiritual dimensions... its not easy....and has carried a measure of pain...but also the greatest joy any human can experience.
Hey man, I just wanted to say your videos have helped me address the problems in my former beliefs. And helped me continue those friendships and show love throughout the process.
I’m very thankful for your channel. Thank you for speaking out, your voice is very unique and needed.
I am honored to hear it. Thank you!
As I prepare myself to teach a potential future child, as well as defend my non-belief in a world full of believers, videos like this are stacking up in such a powerful playlist that I don’t think any believer could watch and come out honestly still believing in a good god. It’s impossible once you learn the history of this religion!
Thats how it happened for me also and congrats on the kiddo. Nothing better!
You can actually because you understand human is not Author of Good but God
Thank you for this one. The arguments that point out how localized this God was really help me to put my old beliefs in context.
Also, the candle is a nice touch. I've enjoyed the background improvements!
Thank you!
This is one of the core reasons i’d always dealt with doubt. I grew up in a family that was very big on evangelism and still is. As a teenager, it caused me so much emotional distress that i was dooming someone to a chance of spending eternity in hell simply because i’d shared something with them that they doubted or disbelieved like i did. Even as an adult it’s still mind boggling how messed up that is.
I am so glad I found your channel. I was raised in a Christian family. My Dad was a Baptist minister (Northern Ireland) sadly he passed away but I never "got" being a Christian. Always felt I was doing something wrong. No faith. Messed my entire life up. I am 53 now. Only finding the truth over the last year. Your channel is really helpful 🎉🎉
So glad to be helpful!!
We are right here with you Kathy.
Virtual hugs over the internet. As a 70 year old, the next 20 years can be the most amazing ever. As long as one strives to learn and teaches as well, so as to make the world a better place, forgiving oneself and others of the ignorance we all possess, life can be truly amazing.
I dont personally know you but everything in me woke up refusing the idea of hellfire touching your face, ma'am.
This leads me to wonder how come prophets prayed God to not torture their parents in hell and got denied and still continued to worship this God and make his religion global?
😔 being an abrahamic prophet is secretly very sad and humiliating. You are a servant to a tyrant entity that brings you trouble. And if you refuse to serve it you lose your life and afterlife. And it can be argued that they deserve no empathy because they are sell outs and traitors to the human race.
Thank you for a more in-depth critical thinking of what I've been saying for decades.
This god of the universe and time,only bothered with a fraction of the population in a fraction of the land mass, for a fraction of history.
He didn't even pop up in both the world wars, shows his level of commitment and love.
Thank you! Right. The world at war. Twice. Death and destruction everywhere. His chosen people being outed from their land, and crickets.
Oh, that little thing called the Holocaust? That was a learning opportunity for his chosen people.
Hebrews 12:6 “For whom the Lord loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives.”
🤷🏻♀️
Suffering, God Hiding, strong issues, but Brandon hit on my 1 issue in this video. Never discussed in the Church. Why? Impossible to defend.
Thank you for fleshing it out in such a thoughtful, accurate way.
Mark in Michigan
Thanks, Mark!
Wow. 2nd half is even better.....I could devour a dozen episodes like this. What a gift 🎁
Hey thanks! I was eager to get to the people group examples as i know so many people dont watch the whole videos but felt i needed to first set the stage. So thanks for sticking with it all!
As a kid, I remember reading a sci-fi short story about an alien invasion (don't remember the author nor title). The hero was a priest/pastor, who became a Joshua-style leader, except he wasn't warring for God, but against Him, as he had witnessed the aliens using an Arc Of The Covenant against civilians (and heard the voice of the lord commanding the alien hordes to sweep the ungodly from their path). Apparently, God didn't want to keep to the terms of the original covenant (or grew bored). "We are a Jealous People," he said (or something to that effect at the end). "You shall have no other people before us."
This one was exceptional. I haven't been a believer in decades, and you made some points that I'd never considered. This channel and several more counterapologetic channels have really grown in the past year or so. Excellent analysis!
In my opinion, this is the best argument against Christianity. The Bible says next to nothing about it, leaving believers in the dark to make up excuses and reasons for an all powerful and all creating God to not acknowledge the vast majority of his creation. This will be a video I come back to when I get overwhelmed by arguments from Christians.
Thank you. Its one of my personal favorite arguments also
This is my absolute favorite all time perfect argument against religion. I too have been carrying this thought all through my life. But you did the research where I couldn’t. Brilliant work.
Thank you so much!
I can't imagine the image of Jesus walking around here in Montana when it was 42 below zero the other day.
I'm riffing on that and imagining religious imagery involving Sorrels and down jackets...
Man you are on a roll, the utter simple truth in this presentation is nothing short of stunning. Adding archaeological and world history timeline to the context of the "desert tribal god" really shines a spotlight on how laughable the bible's claims really are. Brilliant work.
Thank you so much! Glad to hear it worked well
If I had your communication skills and charisma, this is exactly the topic and content I would present. Phenomenal!
Very very kind. Thank you!
This video is a home run! I hope you also go ahead and cover how we date ancient civilizations in a future video. Excellent! I am so enthused by this video that I have moved my membership on Pantheon up one level. Keep working for the truth.
oh man, you were already so very supportive. Thank you for the increased generosity!
Thank you for all of this massive, high-quality content! I'm so delighted at discovering more and more mucho communities that build up around atheist/skeptic/apistevist content providers. You are a refuge in a torrent of religious madness! 🎉❤
Love this thoughtful comment. Thank you!
I heard all these stories & excuses for decades. Thanks for being part of my deconversion.
Yes I will join this family, thank you.
Welcome! Wonderful to have you. Thanks!
Awesome, welcome 🤗
@@MindShift-Brandon 🥰
@@QuestionThingsUseLogic 😇
Brandon,
Wonderful push to "zoom out" our perspective of our individual view in the West, in this time.
When one looks beyond the tiny experiences we encounter as we wake up, navigate our life, then go back to sleep, we CAN realize our point of view is much like a pet house cat, content to just think the world is just what is inside our little home.
It is great that this presentation is trying to expand people's minds and dispel folks' beLIEfs based on their myopic views and tiny knowledge of history. However Americans in particular and the poor of this world, in general ... because they are not curious and if they are not "suppressed/indoctrinated" while young ... will never leave their faiths. Americans in particular are prone to keeping their beLIEfs because they are almost completely surrounded by their own propaganda. Geeze, American baseball calls itself the "World Series", and groups will call themselves "Global Ministries for Jesus". Are any of these tax--free mega churches with state of the art media centers, top musicians, handsomely paid boards and armies of volunteers for marketing, even aware of the GOLDEN TEMPLE in Amritsar, India ? That is more Christian than any of the "churches" in Texas that complain about the border being open and promote a party that has an "antichrist" leader.
The sad thing is Brandon, most of the religious I've encountered barely have read their one main book and will never read as many books in their life as you read in a month !! It is hoped that this video will open their eyes. But when a lot of people are unclear about good and bad in their own leadership, it is unlikely that these "house cats" can appreciate other cultures or other events beyond the babble they love. But keep preaching bro...like the pyramid builders that made something marvelous...great things arise one brick at a time.
Thanks for the thoughtful feedback. I love the house cat analogy! I too feel hopeless sometimes but i was that American christian myself who you would have sworn would never lose my faith just a few years ago. If it can happen to me, i think its possible for just about anyone.
@@MindShift-Brandon Such elegant thinking, like yours on the internet is like watching the thaw of springtime as a child. One sees the crystals of snow melt, giving way to slush and muck, which one wishes would just quickly give way to the long, sunny, grassy days of summer. The hope and expectation of blissful play and barbeques seems like it will just never come soon enough.
Even as we communicate at this time, however, there are folks who are just fighting for survival, from help centers in Gaza to foxholes (and worst places) in Ukrainian occupied territories...just to name a few spots. But....
*every* act of kindness, *every* well explained piece of knowledge, *every* advancement of understanding, makes the world a better place. Realizing this is better than believing any dogma or blindly having any faith.
So eye-opening!! I don't see any way that these civilizations can be denied. Or that any Apologist could explain this away!!
The question that kickstarted my deconstruction was "Were Adam and Eve Neanderthals?" I went on all the Christian apologetics websites, and I never got a straightforward, fact-based answer. My faith started to crumble from there.
I had a similar moment. When Adam and Eve looked to be nothing more than a fictional story, the entire basis for this religion fell apart. I cannot be guilty of something a fictional character did.
interesting
My problem with my faith started from the beginning as well. An omniscient God made only 2 people to start to populate the entire world, through incest ! Even though he's against incest ! Makes no sense to me ! Which in turn makes the entire bible nonsensical !
Had a similar inflection point, but was more scripturally based: If Adam and Eve were the first (created) people, who did their sons marry? Did they reproduce with Eve? Who did Cain fear if there were no other people? Who built the cities Cain went to? So on, and so forth - these were most puzzling things for a child, and don’t even make sense to a rationally thinking adult, relying only on the Bible for information.
To be fair (argh that leaves a strange taste in my mouth) many YECs simply claim that Neanderthals didn't exist but were Homo Sapiens. Solves that issue at the expense of intellectual integrity, which isn't exactly a problem for them anyway.
When I was a youth pastor and I used to twist myself into stupid pretzels to defend the cult of christianity I used to say all the things you said. But even then, my faith started crumbling because I wanted to really say "if no one ever had a chance to hear about him, they didn't have to worry, hell doesn't apply to them"
Brandon, thank you for these videos. I really identify myself with a lot of the things you put out. Especially because we were essentially born in the religion
Question; do you have a community where you find the same sense of belonging as you did back when in church?
I'm Latino, divorced and actively deconstructing. I've thought about going back to church but... Nah
Any pro tips? 😅
Community is what religion has for sure. I had to build this channel just to get a semblance of it lol. Theres unfortunately no good answer. Atheists are not a religion, we are not all alike or have the same end goals etc so theres not an apples to apples switch but my advice is just smaller groups based on hobbies or interests
I agree with what Brandon said, and also I've found that volunteering for something you have real feeling for tends to mean meeting people of like mind and heart. So does being in musical groups, if you're inclined that way.
This is one more thing I didn’t dare let myself wonder about for very long, much less ask anyone about it. Thank you for being so intelligent and articulate on these subjects. I’m finally beginning to breathe a sigh of relief.
Breathe it in deep! You are free and it is fine!
@@MindShift-Brandon I’m doing that very thing. It’s exhilarating. After 70 years, I finally feel like I’m out from under a heavy rock.
@@teresasmith4383hey :D good to hear that you are still going :) how are you holding up? Hope you are doing well :) love from a Viking :)
@@Lestat1349 good to hear from you. I’m doing fine and am binge watching Mindshift and some others. Haven’t been struck by lightning yet. Lol! I’m happy that I figured out that my private thoughts aren’t being read by a deity who would have me burned alive for eternity if I thought the wrong thoughts. I’m making discovery after discovery. Thank you for checking on me, Viking Friend!
@@teresasmith4383 good to hear the lightning has not struck yet ;) what other channels are you watching? Yea I always found the concept of god always watching kinda creepy, like let me go to the toilet in peace please hehe :) my pleasure Teresa :) also glad to hear you have found joy in owning your own mind :D
Yes Brandon, I would love a video about how we know the age of archeological discoveries and the different methods scientists use to know it. It would be amazing 👌👌👌
I really appreciate the works of archaeologists Dr. Titus Kennedy, Joel Kramer, and Dr. Scott Stripling.
I am saving most of your videos. And I'm gonna go back later and make notes on my computer, for quick reference, and tuck it in my Bible for debate.
Glad you find them so useful. Thanks for watching!
@MindShift-Brandon I think this is my favorite video of yours so far. Perspective is so important, and you have articulated it well.
Appreciate that so much!
Your 3 options about our view of God in the last minute are astute. Strong elements of being evil and stupid surely describe him on the Biblical pages.
It was one of your other videos that I watched and thought, man I hope Brandon does a video about all the other people that were living and thriving during the supposed events of the Bible and voila I open YT and it's there. You're awesome and you did such an amazing job of covering this. I'm equally excited to watch your upcoming video on how we actually know the dates of when these ancient civilizations thrived. You're a gift to humankind. I mean that sincerely.
So very encouraging and thoughtful. Thank you!
2:45 Wow, I haven't even considered the issue of souls and human evolution before, and how that's a very weird thing to think about for theistic evolutionists. Thank you! Definitely a valid question.
Every mythological God favors the people who invented him. The Greek Gods favored the Greeks, and the Roman Gods favored the Romans. The Norse Gods favored the Scandinavians, Allah favors the Arabs, and of course, Jehovah favors Isrsel because why not. His mythology was created by Jews.
We, gentiles, were made just to be hated.
Yup
I guess I’ll make my own gods, then. They’ll all be big fans of me
@@kyrroti😂 solid plan! 👍
Jehovah is not the name of the god of Jews. It's YHVH. Jehovah witnesses changed the name due to translations with extra letters put in because Y didn't exist in the language of one the translations, and they just decided that was the right way. Telltale is an ex Jehovah's witness and will tell you that too.
@@bacaestrife3615 I really don't care. Either way, we're still talking about a mythological deity.
So many great points! Apart from our lack of evidence of a god (the main reason not to believe), one point I think deserves more attention is how even if we take the story at face value, _God caused everything God's mad about._ When someone is 100% certain of the results of their actions, we hold that person responsible. Well God is said to have caused everything and known everything. So God knew causing things like that _would_ result in sin. Then (cruelly) this god _punishes_ it.
Great point!
I just wanna say how well balanced and relaxing your background is now, and of course kudos on another great episode
95% of humanity has never heard of this one specific god, let alone believed in that specific god.
And they did fine.
Otherwise we would have ceased to exist a long time ago.
Many already did
@@Bojan12 and those that believed in god have no idea it is pure fiction. 'god' doesn't exist except in people's minds. It was invented to keep people a slave. They just don't know it.
@@Bojan12 What do you mean? How far was that religion spread across the world about 300 years ago.
@@MrCanis4 Internet today made things spread much more faster
@@Bojan12 I don't contradict that. But how many people have lived there before 300 years ago. Cities with tens of thousands of people in Central America, for example. The Incas, the Maya and the Ashtecs. And then what about North America, Asia or Central Africa. And this for thousands of years.
And it is certainly not that those who have heard of this religion also believe in it. On the contrary.
Esoterica has a great video where he deep-dives into the ancient archeological origins of the Abrahamic God. The TL;DR is that "God" was created when the proto-Israelites synchronized "Yahweh" (a local war and storm god) with 2 other Canaanite gods: "El" the wise grandfatherly leader of the pantheon, and Baal, another storm god associated with fertile river showers. From this perspective, the contradictions and extreme mood-swings of God in the Bible make sense. Its the result of synchrotizing and compositing 3 very different deities into 1 being. The strong association with deadly floods, storms, fertile land, and war while also being kindly to followers.
Probably more than 3.
There's mention of solar imagery in the bible associated with Yahweh. It's mentioned at some point that Solar Chariots are being removed from Solomons temple, which apparently Yahweh was cool with until that point.
I learned so much today!! Thank you Brandon ❤
Music to my ears. Thank you!
This is one of the most important videos I've come across on UA-cam! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on this subject!
Thank you! Thats incredibly kind.
Yeah either Paul had access to scriptures that were later lost to antiquity, or he didn't know the scriptures very well.
YES!! Thank you for discussing this point. I've specifically used the word "parochial" for, literally, forty years as a fundamental criticism of the Bible god (the portrayal of the god in the Bible). The entire notion of the Israelites being the "Chosen People" is an indictment of the god portrayed in the Bible - making that god, literally, no better than the god(s) of any other ancient tribe/civilization - and just as primitive in its notion of a god in the first place. The Bible god is a tribal god - and the manner in which Jewish rabbis discuss this god to this day exposes this fact as well.
I always appreciate how you bring new perspectives to specific topics that I've discussed for decades - and make what has become old to me into something new.
(By the way, and just incidentally - and this will only make sense to people who are as old as I've become, since I'm 62 years old now, and I've been using computers since the 1970s - I was discussing these kinds of topics way back in the 1980s and '90s in discussion groups since before the World Wide Web existed - such as the "usenet" groups like "talk dot atheism," but not just usenet, and then later on in discussion groups such as in the old Yahoo discussion group system - just to give some perspective to what I'm referring to in regard to engaging in these kinds of discussions for decades.)
Man, I love your videos. Hearing you go hard is always satisfying
Amazing videos, excellent channel, with perfect breakdown of the Christian agenda and hypocrisies. Can’t get enough of your videos! You’re doing such a good job and thank you 🙏
Hey thanks so much for that!
Learned about you watching Matt Dillahunty, so glad I did, love what you are doing, very concise and well presented, brilliant job
Oh thats awesome. Thanks so much for coming over!
23:28 I'm from Ecuador and your pronunciation of Inti was perfect 😊
BTW, I met someone this January and she tried to convince me back into catholicism again. Some of the things she did in order to persuade me were very creepy 😢
Glad to hear that! Thanks.
I like the studio . The colors are just right
Great to hear. Thank you!
@@MindShift-Brandon Colours are nice. I’d welcome a blue introduction/substitution occasionally. I’m here for the valuable content regardless. Keep it up!!
Yes! UNFAIR and irreconcilable with the concepts of an all-loving, compassionate, forgiving God. I've never heard a good answer explaining this fundamental unfairness. And I never will.
The biggest tragedy of humankind is the loss of untold civilizations form 5000+BCE
Again I'm absolutely floored by seemingly obvious conundrums. congratulations on the very easy to understand content, once again id never heard about that perspective before from any other source and its so obvious , undisputable. job done 🎉
Thank you! Glad to hear it got it across so clearly.
You are amazing! Please continue making content as long as you possibly can!
So encouraging. Thank you! And i plan to
This was exactly what bothered me about religion when I was growing up, but even then, I tried to reconcile it with the idea of a god who was supposed to be for everyone. I just couldn't wrap my head around having the vast majority of humanity sentenced to eternal damnation because of their slightly different beliefs and I became so disappointed and disillusioned upon learning this is exactly what is taught in most Abrahamic religions. There was just no way that a tiny, rather insignificant group of people were the only ones who would attain entrance to heaven just because of a tiny theological difference of opinion. Thank you for the good work that you do Brandon.
Thank you for this great video!
I think that the beginning of my deconstruction, the “eye opener” was October 7th. I looked at the Israeli-Palestinian situation and thought “This can’t be right”. While so many of my Christian friends were cheering on the genocide unfolding, I really could not fathom the “chosen people” nonsense I kept hearing. The thoughts I began having drove me to dig deeper into the OT (specifically the taking of Canaan) because I thought surely this is not the way God “loves the world”. It was actually a bit scary to question the Biblical narrative. It was scary to even articulate doubt.
But at the end of the day, I determined that I wanted to know the actual truth, not stay comfortable in the lie.
Your videos address so many questions that I have had, and give me comfort that it’s okay to say “No. this isn’t right”
You did it! This is what millions refuse to do. Dare to doubt. Risk the rewards of safety and comfort by going along with the crowd and really think and look and learn! Good work!
@@MindShift-Brandon Thank you!
(I almost started to type “Amen” 😂😂😂)
Torah is basically old testament. And all the horrors god does in that book explains zionism and its genocidal tendencies easily
As a native, I thought it a nice surprise to be mentioned in part