What a moron, humans have an inate tendency to do the right things (i.e.good) and not do the wrong things (i.e. evil).
Atheist do not say there is no god but because of a lack of any credible evidence of the existance of god there is no reason to believe in it.
Besides, as for the "few" smart atheists i suspect you didn't do your research. more than 95% of scientists and inteligentia in your country do not believe there is a god
You really are a muscle-head, there is no "new" atheism. Atheism is specifically and only a lack of a belief in any god or gods. What the hell is new atheism?
2:30-2:46 I have a conscience; therefore God exists. Wow. That's a really good point. Let me think about that for a sec. Oh, wait. My mistake. That's absolute bullshit. I'm getting sick of hearing idiotic non-sequiturs like this time and time again as if they actually had any validity whatsoever.
I was also thoroughly impressed by your presentation of Pascal's Wager at the end. What an original, compelling, and valid argument!
Pascal wagers is for cowards like this guy. He just believes cuase he fears hell that little voice must bug HIM so much hes a christian, that voice is fear.
Oh yeah because Lot had a conscience when he sent out his daughters out to be raped. and god taking the first born sons wasn't evil at all. and if god did exist (im not athiest by the way) i doubt the pascal's wager would hold any water with him
Atheists are haters of people of faith. Why???? because they are lonely people and misery loves company. Jealous of the joyful faithfuls who find peace in God's presence. If they will only experience that joy, oh how I wish they can, only if they will it.
Hitchens is an excellant speaker and very intelligent. What shocked me is his screwed up back ground. His mother and her lover committed suicide. In College he had homosexual relations (although he claims to be straight!!!). I could see why Anderson from CNN likes him.
Yes, at one time I did believe in the Bible and Christianity. That was when I was a child. My change came when I actually read the Bible from cover to cover several times. What an awakening I had. If God made us in his image, then he/she must be a terrible deity. How many people have died because of "God"? He has more blood on his hands than all mortals on earth, past and present.
@tahoemack that is the danger of reading the bible on your own and interpret it literally. Our soul is created in the image and likeness of God and not your face nor body. I guess that is why you are having a difficulty picturing god with your face...LoL..peace! anyway, here is a tip..youtube "death of God by fulton sheen" and you will learn a lot from him, promise! You might want to challenge yourself if you are strong enough to watch him.
What a load of camel shit. So in the end you say that the friends of atheists have it bad? So not only will atheists burn but christian, muslim or whatever befriends an atheist, then they all go to the oven?
I'll tell you what is attractive in atheism, it's a liberation of the mind, an experience you can't imagine. To suddenly realize that we are on a giant ball orbiting around a huge ball of fire at an impressive speed of 30km per second and nobody is in command. It takes balls of steel.......
talk about strawman arguments. Atheism has no answer for evil? Do you know what atheism is? If you did, you would recognize the idiocy of your statement.
If God is real and we are created in his image he must be an arehole beings that kill each other and destroy the world really are meade in a "divine" image
I'll tell you what is good with atheism! Knowing the truth, and having hope for humanity, and having a better world view.
-not believing racism in religions
-not believing that science is wrong.
-not believing that you should not listen to someone because they challenge your faith.
-And the sole fact that religion is the source of most evil in this world. It is a tool for corrupt politicians, a teddy bear to hug for when stupid people are scared of dying, and an outrage to education.
Me thinks that muscle in your head is a little soft. Nice summary of all the worst reasons for theism and the most common misconceptions and misrepresentations of atheism.
Is Slavery "evil"? If so, why is it condoned in the Old Testament, the New testament, and the Koran? If "god" is necessary to distinguish good from evil, why is there no commandment "Thou shall not hold thy fellow man in bondage."?
Finally, the appeal to atheism is that of the truth. Why do we need to answer every question? All that leads to is making up reasons and excepting them because we feel we need to have an answer, whether or not it is true or not.
Also there are many theories for why we have a conscience other then the theory that God gave it to us. One is that, without a conscience, we as a species would quickly die off. If we went around killing everyone because we felt like it then how would we continue to reproduce and pass on our genetics?
He said that he doubts there is a single atheist out there who has questioned whether or not God could be real. So what is so wrong about that? How does that at all discredit their beliefs? If anything it strengthens them as it shows that they have thought about it thoroughly.
Is this guy for real? What a gross misrepresentation of these distinguished atheists. His accusations are without merit and should be directed back at himself. If anyone of those authors and intellectuals were to respond, they would intellectually grind this douche bag to religious sawdust.
Atheists don't have an answer to every question we have. Therefore it's false and we should make up shitty answers. Now I don't have to think about these hard questions! Go God!
Right on, dude! It seems all atheists want to do is take away our hope of salvation by claiming that God does not exist, but they seem to have a hard time proving God does not exist. However, if there is no God, than why are we here? What happens to us when we die? And more important, how did we get here? How did life begin here on earth, and why didn't all the apes turn into human beings? How can you call yourself a rational thinker if you can't explain how life began? Loved the video!
I'd also like to add, I think you don't look at the full picture. If you happen to be wrong, another religion could also be right, making you suffer just like any other non-believer. Being a freethinker liberates you from that brainwashing guilt. I'd say if you are only believeing in god to just in case (as your last argument seemed to allude) you should believe in every religion, ya know to cover your bases. You are a non-believer of hundreds of different religions, atheists just have one more.
Actually, Hitchens never says that there is no such thing is Good or Evil, as most of the other authors you pointed out they all believe that good and evil, right and wrong, all come from a deeper level of social organization that transends religion. If we based all of our morals from religion alone, we would have quite a strange world, and people only doing so because they fear of going to hell, a selfish kind of good. Remember the witch trials? "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live", ouch.
Man are you serious? You're faulting Hitchens for NOT having the answers to the origins of the world/universe? Well, no answer is better than an untrue one. Thats something religious people need to get into their heads.
do you get paid to sit in front of a microphone and propagate ignorance? I hope not. No God = No Evil? Maybe you should read the books written by the three people you mentioned.
How F'in stupid. If there is no god then their is no good or evil??? Fine then lets just call it crimes against humanity. And ppl who believe mutilating genitals and blow up buildings are creating those crimes and ...uh oh all those ppl hapen to believe in god as well. I am not one of smartest ppl in the world and I can refute your dumb article for those people.
I kind of doubt that he has read either "The God Delusion" or "God is Not Great." If he has, he did a grand job of missing the point. Every single "problem" he raised here can be and has been thoroughly explained by a rational, atheist, naturalistic world view.
One thing that did bother me in particular (aside from... you know... the whole thing): considering that a god might exist is not acknowledging that one does. Only a religious person could see an open mind as a negative thing.
Nice, throw in pascal's wager at the end...real classy. So if any agnostics are watchin u might be able to scare them into becoming theist.
Scientist are working on the (as u call it) the four problems with athism. However, what about the problems with theist. Like who created god ?? Wait let me guess... god doesnt need to be created, right ?
What about the fact that many believers think that the world is only like 10,000 years old or something silly. plz dont tell me u r one of those.
there could be a higher being, but I don't belife in what the bible says. do you know the childrens game "telephone"? thats for me what the bible is!! because the new testament was written between 50 and 130(!) after jesus death!! so the bible can't be the orginal word of jesus! he didn't worte it by his self! people wrote what they heard from people who knew people who lived in this period. so the 4 who wrote the gospels were no eyewitnesses!!
What if you're wrong about Islam? You'd be pretty fucked as well then, wouldn't you say? Pascal's wager fails every time in every way. It is a false dichotomy and at best promotes dishonest thinking.
No honest atheist says he KNOWS there is no god, merely that there is no evidence for it and hence no reason to suspect that such a being exists. How worried are you with your head on you r pillow that Allah may be the true god? I'll bet about as worried as I am about whether there is a god at all.
Take those 4 things atheists have no answer to: 1) The origin of the universe is a SCIENTIFIC question and is presently being pursued- there is no reason to think God did it. 2) Scientifically literate atheists have an explanation for the origin of humans: evolution (for which there is a ton of evidence) 3) "Where our mind learned to operate": this is ambiguously put, but again - psychology provides a huge amount of insight. 4) Good & evil are human categories, not objective ones. Ask Nietzsche.
These new atheists books don't care if you believe in a God or not. They do care about the effects that some beliefs found in religion have in society.
As far as religion goes, including Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, the evidence for it is rather unimpressive and some claims made are irrational.
When parts of a religion pose a danger to society, people should be given evidence to why these beliefs are irrational. If not, you end up with suicide bombers and inquisitions, etc.
One doesn't have to be religious or believe in the devil to attach words like "evil" to murderers. This guy claims that if you use the word then you automatically aknowledge the existence of devil and god. He ends with the same tired argument: "what if you are wrong?" No discussion of substance, only shooting at the messenger.
You're morality and understanding of atheists is hopelessly deluded. What is your proof that a god, any god, gave us our conscious. Envoking Pascal's wager is a fruitless appeal to emotion that has many faults. Among them the idea that YOUR god is THE god. If he isn't (and with more than a million practicing faiths odds are against you)then your wager falls flat.
If atheist are wrong, we go to hell. If religious people are wrong, nothing bad happens? Could you be more specific on what religion? And what if there IS a God, but on who promotes reason and science and punnishes those who ignore it? (That would axplain a lot) Or maybe it's just the Flying Spaghetti Monster and everybody can be happy? Or maybe God IS love, and we can kindly ask him why hell exists in the first place, and why we have to go there.
You make no sense. The argument about Islam just failed. Good or Evil? Those are human aspects. If someone do something that hurts you, you'll call that action evil. And ofcourse the opposite.
God didin't have to "put" some good or evil sense in us.
Oh and by the way, Atheism is attractive because It dosen't have any rules. It dosen't say "you can't have sex" "You can't do this" "You can't do that".. and. It eliminates the thought of some cloud we'll all live on after we're dead. So we actually DO fun things while we're still alive.
All your arguments are full of logical fallacies. Especially your last one! According to Christian teachings you have to truly believe in god to be saved, not just believe in god just in case he does exist. You also don't support your argument that Christianity is different from other religions.
Some of issues you raised have been discussed by Dawkins. What if we are wrong? Your believe in a Judeo Christian God has more to do with your postal code anything else. If you were born in Iran you would be a Muslim,And what if we are wrong? You mean if I dont choose to believe what you believe I burn in hell for eternity? Sounds like a man made tyrant more than an everlasting loving god. So much for the freedom of choice christianaty claims god gave us.
However, science (namely evolutionary psychology, biology, neuroscience, etc.) has revealed a more empirical and objective explanation for our observed moral code.
I will quickly summarize what these peer-reviewed studies are proposing:
Certain human emotions have evolved in order to help us make moral judgments about ourselves and others. For example, guilt evolved so that we are biologically punished for doing something morally wrong.
I will post a link to an article in one last comment.
lol so there was an off chance guilt couldve never evolved in the first place and we would be killing each other today for fun? why did it even have to evolve in the first place? and you say to help us make moral judgments well if man created morals in the first place why should i have to follow them neway? why should nebody put me in jail for doing NETHING i want bad or good? since morals are only subjective neway.
"lol so there was an off chance guilt couldve never evolved in the first place and we would be killing each other today for fun?"
Well, theoretically yes, but practically no. Anthropologists think complex social interactions were what caused us to grow such big brains; those interactions depend on social norms, and those require emotional backing. Guilt and pride had to evolve before we could.
so why is it that WE as "monkeys" developed pride, guilt, etc, and dogs, cats, lizards, etc. didnt? was it just random? if so why? why were even made with that cababilty in the first place?
"so why is it that WE as "monkeys" developed pride, guilt, etc, and dogs, cats, lizards, etc. didnt?"
You don't think dogs feel guilty? A couple days ago we went out to eat, and when we came home the dog had gotten in the trash. You should have seen the way she looked at us, before we did anything; she knew she'd done wrong.
Cats and lizards don't get guilty because they're not pack animals; obviously, if you don't have a social structure, being social is pointless.
"ok but your still not answering my question. why does guilt and pride have to exist in the first place?"
I'm sorry, I thought it was obvious; practicality. If you feel good (proud) when you help someone, you're more likely to do it. If you feel bad (guilty) when you hurt someone, you're less likely to do that. Since cooperation is a good strategy--animals that do it are more likely to survive--animals that feel pride and guilt are naturally selected for in social situations.
Of course, some hunting styles are more effective for solo hunters. For example; small cats. Since cats have a pouncing style--meaning no chasing and cornering is required--and they hunt small prey--rats--there is no reason for them to work together to hunt. Thus, small cats don't behave socially. Big cats, on the other hand, often hunt large prey, like elephants. Thus, they need to cooperate to survive.
yea but your talking about in a "survival" sense. meaning "animal" sense. we arent just "animals" because we can reason. so are you saying me and you are just animals?
Animals can reason as well, to a certain extent. Smart animals, like gorillas, can learn simple languages, use math, teach their children, even use tools We're better, but not of a different type.
"ok so i guess we're just computers huh."
No; computers work much more efficiently, but also much more specifically.
"theres no point to NETHING in atheism... "
Actually, this argument is materialistic, not atheistic. Not all atheists would agree with me.
"Animals can reason as well, to a certain extent. "
animals KNOW they dont understand. a monkey cant choose to go off to college is what i meant.
"No; computers work much more efficiently, but also..."
theres no soul behind a computer it just does what its programmed to. so in sense we are pretty much a pointless computer with no real meaning behind nething.
"Actually, this argument is materialistic..."
thats only if you believe in whats infront of you but athesits tend to do that so nvm.
As to meaning... I'm curious; as a theist, why do you do what you do? Isn't your ultimate goal to get eternal happiness? It seems to me that both of us have the same goal--happiness--but we don't agree on what is the best way to achieve it.
"...athesits tend to do that..."
Yes, atheists tend to be materialistic, but not all of them are; for example, many Buddhists don't believe in God but still believe in souls.
ok so i guess we're just computers huh. because thats exactly how you sound. this i just because of this, and this is just because of that etc. this is what im talking about. theres no point to NETHING in atheism because everything becomes just this and that.
"why should nebody put me in jail for doing NETHING i want bad or good? since morals are only subjective neway."
Why? Because I subjectively believe that jailing people who hurt me is good, obviously. Since most people agree with me, we can force our will on the people who don't.
I'd like to address Mr. McCullough's argument regarding morality. This argument was originally put forth by C.S. Lewis as an argument for the existence of God. If you need a quick recap, it goes something like this:
There seems to be a moral code that all humans follow. This moral code, or ability to recognize good and evil was given to us by God. Therefore, it is proof that God exists.
With incompetent spokesmen like you, religion will continue to look like the goofy garbage it is. Forget it, you're not even vaguely up to this debate.
the only reason im a atheist is becouse if a god made me why did he do it so badly i cant make a single friend even when i try my voice is bad so fuck you to whatever god is there
In this short video, he manages to appeal to consequences several times, insert God of the gaps, strawman our position (No one I know has said that all religions are alike, of course Christianity makes exclusive claims, as do Islam and Judaism, they're not equal in what they assert, just in how baseless their assertions are) and invoke Pascal's Wager.
He also showed his scientific ignorance by maing ridiculous claims such as there being no explanation of how humans (and our brains) evolved.
well, with a name like MuscleHead570, i can fairly safely assume that his frontal lobe isn't the most frequently used tissue in his body. his screen name only accounts for his lack of intelligence, not his physique. he looks like an FAS baby, now that i look at him. pause the video as soon as you can see him, he's either stoned or mildly retarded!
of course he can't account for how humans or our brains have evolved--his is quite obviously behind the power curve!
"He's not willing to say that evil has a source." Yeah Hitchens doesn't believe in God.
"If they want to murder us they should be allowed to." And if we want to defend ourselves we should be allowed to--duh.
"How in the world is it we can distinguish between good and evil?" Right, because all Christians have always instinctively agreed on what's right and wrong. ROFL
"God gave us all a conscience." Guess he messed up when he built Hitler then, didn't he?
It's not a question; Hitchens believes evil has no source. That doesn't mean it can't exist, subjectively.
"who cares."
I do; and why should I care if my life is ultimately meaningless? I still enjoy living it.
"they dont argue about "right" and "wrong"..."
Yes they do; there are Christians arguing now if abortion and homosexuality is wrong, whether condoms are wrong; they used to argue over slavery and women's rights.
Second, there IS explanation for why humans came to be intelligent creatures...evolution.
Third, there is a very scientifically-backed understanding of why humans have a "conscious." It's the same reason animals take care of their young (sometimes even the young of other species), and live in complete harmony with other animals in nature. Animals kill for food, or self-preservation, but no other reason. It's part of our genetic makeup, just as it is for the lower species.
ok so where did reasoning come from? that has NOTHING to do with taking care of your kids, self-preservation, etc because u can choose NOT TO if you want. an animal cannot choose to not take care of their kids, not kill for food, etc.
"ok so where did reasoning come from? that has NOTHING to do with taking care of your kids, self-preservation, etc because u can choose NOT TO..."
Boy, does that not make sense. Reasoning doesn't help us survive or take care of our kids?
Of course reasoning allows us the ability to decide to abandon our children--something emotionally-pre-programmed animals can't imagine--but the huge advantage that comes from being smart more than makes up for that rare possibility.
"so u can be emotinally programmed by "nothing"..."
Mutations produce the random code, and natural selection weeds out the inefficient programming. The end result is the code that works. This isn't speculation, either; scientists have applied it to real computer programs in a field known as 'genetic programming', and they've successfully designed some complex machinery with it.
So if you consider mutations and selection to be 'nothing', then yes you can be programmed by nothing.
Musclehead..wow, people are really angry at you. Sorry for that. Nevertheless, i am still your opponent as well (in an argument, i mean).
First off, atheism does not HAVE to prove anything. By definition, atheism is merely the lack in supersticious beliefs. Many who ARE atheists follow other various systems, but by definition, atheism is the default position. ATHEISM ASSERTS NOTHING. Athiesm is a LACK of belief. Not an assertion.
lol atheism does not have to PROVE nething?????? that is the basis of your whole belief in the first place! PROOF is all that matters to atheists. well actually i should say physical proof is more their basis.
EVIDENCE is all that matters to rational people, not 'proof'. You can't ever prove anything, in the strict logical sense, except in philosophy and linguistics.
Furthermore, we don't have to provide evidence God doesn't exist; since theists are the ones making the positive claim, the burden of proof is on them. Until they provide evidence that God exists, we're justified in dismissing the claim.
The speaker says all the atheists he knows have at least considered a god... yet the fact that they are still atheists should speak to the lack of evidence for one. Their consideration is a testimony to their intellectual honesty.
Of course we all seek answers. What believers fail to realize is that positing a god doesn't provide any. It is answering a mystery with a mystery. It's an attempt to address problems, like infinite regresses, by ultimately bowing out of a rational discussion.
The thing is, even though you are among the better debaters I've heard. I find it more amazing every time I hear Christians defend religion and how little sense it actually makes.
Stop taking morality and comparing it to good and evil. There is no such thing as good and evil, it's all subjective.
You see things done that help other people, and you admire that. You try to do the same and try to not perform acts that you know yourself is going to cause pain and hardship on other people.
Morality is a human achievement. We definitely do not need a book to know what's right and what's wrong.
And as far as your "friends of God" argument... you are monumentally presumptious to think that God would actually burn souls for an eternity based on a finite "crime". Not to mention the absurd argument that a god would require the lesser beings he created to worship, much less believe in him. LOL
"...evil has a source." Then he shows Bin Laden. Get the f(*& out of here. Who you trying to tail wag? You mean the Devil, even in the 21st century. The idea that atheists are somehow obligated to come up with answers to mystical questions is not anywhere near the point. Talk about misdirection. Religious pinheads who claim to have the knowledge is the ludicrous dogma the intellectual rejects -- especially when the lack of evidence forces the cry of "faith"!
andi assure youi have sincerely and lengthily consideredand looked for the answer as to whether ornot there isa god your arguments are idiotic and cliche they have all been refuted time and time again, and hitchens book was not meant tobe a plea for the non existence of god. it was written under the assumption that god doesn't exist and was meant to show how religion is the cause of great disruption in the world, and btw, no voice haunts my mind, thats a medical condition you should have checked
It's this kind of dumb-ass sophistry that keeps the world a dark place. Hitchens, for example, does give a source for evil--religion itself, something Dawkins or Harris might call a "meme." What this fool would have us believe is that evil, to be real, must have a supernatural source. I doubt this guy has read any of the books he criticizes. He also has some very fucked up hair.
here i'm ganna set up a counter argument...the bible says otherwise. HAH! I WIN!!! wait...that was a shitty argument i just made.....ok sorry, disregard me and continue.
well...not lies, but his arguments are extremely elementary. i think his capacity to argue reflects the lowered expectation that our nation/society has set in order to be considered credible or an intellectual.
He says that since we have a conscience there is a god is just a joke. It's really easy to understand how having a conscience is favored by natural selection.
Atheism is attractive because it's the only religious view that's accurate. This video thoroughly sucked and deservedly has one star. Dawkins doesn't doubt anything. YOU do.
I can't believe you tried to use Pascal's Wager. Pascal's Wager has been BEATEN TO DEATH. If you think about it even for a second you'll realize Pascal's Wager makes no sense at all. Also, don't you find it a little hypocritical to criticize someone for being too sure of his beliefs?
Read any criticism of Pascal's Wager. They're all over the place. But, to outline it quickly...
1. It's totally ridiculous to assert you could DECIDE to BELIEVE something. You either believe it or don't, and a God would see through a person who feigns belief.
2. Pascal lived in an era when the choices were being a Christian or not being a Christian. We don't. The gamble Pascal outlined is not the ones humans today face, making it irrelevant.
Philosophically, it is not absurd to consider beliefs as choices. In fact game theory, of which Pascal's wager is a prototype, is nothing but choices in the sense of logical possiblities.
Again, read any criticism for a more detailed debunking. You still haven't really explained why someone can arbitrarily believe or disbelieve something as an act of will, but setting that aside, would a God honestly respect belief only for the purpose of hedging one's own risk and not out of genuine regret for one's sins? I know I don't respect it. I find it totally cowardly, to put bluntly.
"You still haven't really explained why someone can arbitrarily believe or disbelieve something as an act of will"
I don't need to explain it because it isn't a necessary assumption in game theory. A choice is simply a logical possibility. The 'decision' is made with logic with regard to the best outcomes. Nothing could be less absurd.
The "decision" is whether to believe or not to believe, so of course the idea that belief is voluntary is an assumption in Pascal's Wager. The assumption game theory makes is that the options presented are those capable of being played. I'm saying these options are not capable of being played. You can't force yourself to believe something if you just don't believe it. For someone who pretends to understand game theory so well you sure can't seem to identify bad examples of it.
No. Game theory is compatible with operant conditioning behaviorsm. Pigeons will eventually 'learn' the 'choices' with the best outcomes. Now to plan and think through the outcomes before their decided upon is consistent with intelligent human behaviour - like using MapQuest.
Operant conditioning affects BEHAVIOR, not BELIEF! The fact that you would cite operant conditioning just proves you aren't getting my point. Pascal's Wager is really only capable of arguing for going to church and pretending to believe (altering BEHAVIOR) but if you just don't have faith, going through the motions isn't going to change that (altering BELIEF). And God doesn't put people in Heaven for going to church, he puts people in Heaven for BELIEVING.
For one thing, behaviorism reduces belief to behavior.
If you are trying to claim we have no freedom of choice, then you have no choice in your belief in atheism and I have no choice but to disagree. What's the point of posting videos and making comments?
Evidence certainly affects my beliefs, which is why I watch videos about theism on YouTube. I don't presume that every belief ever formed wholly reflects the body of facts. I'm sure sometimes I form beliefs subconsciously because it's advantageous to me, but when I start to think about my beliefs consciously, evidence is all that can truly sway them. To consciously believe something in spite of facts for partisan reasons is doublethink, and my mind isn't nimble enough for that.
As Bill O'Reilly would say, I'll give you the last word here. If you want to keep debating through private messages feel free, but I think I've written all I wanted to write in response to this video in particular.
Why does every religious commentator affect the same bemused/condescending tone? I feel like I'm watching a TV commercial. "Oh you use ATHEISM soap? You poor misguided fool. Personally I use GOD soap. If you don't want to feel FOOLISH you'll switch to my brand, er, belief system."
Do you atheists spend all day looking for you tube videos on religion? Well fine, be that way. We Christians will simply out multiply you and convert you and take control of the parts of the planet on which we
live (mind you, I am for separation of Church and State.)
What if you guys are wrong about Buhddism? Then you'll all be reincarnated as little malnourished guinea pigs that get slaughtered to feed some greedy rich guy! Not much time to right your wrongs... so you will probably be reincarnated again as malnourished guinea pigs, until you can scrap together enough good karma to advance to the next stage of life, which might be a scared deer that gets shot by a stupid hunter that nearly missed, and let's you bleed to death or something.
Seriously has this guy ever used any portion of his mind when composing his arguments.How many theists have ever seriously considered that there isn't a god?
I used to be Christian, 'confirmed', feng-shui reasons and everything, i never believed in faith(believing without proof), but to say that I have never thought that 'God' exists is absurd; why then would I get 'confirmed', no, I have examined Christianity & Islam, as best and as open-mindedly as i could, compared it to proven science, and science proves these religious claims wrong, I also think they are not moral. Atheist s are the most developed, crime free people on earth.
I would rather burn in the hell of a god whose vanity is so frail as to not permit me to weigh the overwhelming evidence against his existence, and who indeed seems more disconcerted over this issue than many more important, than to commit myself to such folly logic as pascal's wager. Or a continuous, hypocritic stream of ad hominem statements.
I was watching a lot of Chris Hitchens lately and some of the other guys and the acusation of this video are just without any ground. There are perfectly good answers for his questions. It seems that all the argument the religious people are able to muster are acussing an argument as NONCENCE or simply stating that it's FALCE thus hopping that the devotees will dismiss the logic and settle for what they do best: NOT ASKING QUESTIONS.
My answer to Christian door knockers: I don't know and neither do you. But I do know it isn't a local Jewish Tribal Deity who thinks slavery is just dandy and is really concerned about my foreskin. (and inspired a really, really poor book of instructions)
God is imaginary; Gods are just pretend. Using Pascals wager to scare the incredulous peasants doesn't fly either.
What a moron, humans have an inate tendency to do the right things (i.e.good) and not do the wrong things (i.e. evil).
Atheist do not say there is no god but because of a lack of any credible evidence of the existance of god there is no reason to believe in it.
Besides, as for the "few" smart atheists i suspect you didn't do your research. more than 95% of scientists and inteligentia in your country do not believe there is a god
amoscarmel 5 months ago
You really are a muscle-head, there is no "new" atheism. Atheism is specifically and only a lack of a belief in any god or gods. What the hell is new atheism?
KingAdonisDNA 5 months ago
NUMBERS 31:17-19 IS PURE EVIL!!!!!!!
BadLilNinja 5 months ago
2:30-2:46 I have a conscience; therefore God exists. Wow. That's a really good point. Let me think about that for a sec. Oh, wait. My mistake. That's absolute bullshit. I'm getting sick of hearing idiotic non-sequiturs like this time and time again as if they actually had any validity whatsoever.
I was also thoroughly impressed by your presentation of Pascal's Wager at the end. What an original, compelling, and valid argument!
nichtmuttersprachler 7 months ago
@nichtmuttersprachler tim minchin "storm"
itstimeforlee 6 months ago
Pascal wagers is for cowards like this guy. He just believes cuase he fears hell that little voice must bug HIM so much hes a christian, that voice is fear.
anyrock22 8 months ago
Oh yeah because Lot had a conscience when he sent out his daughters out to be raped. and god taking the first born sons wasn't evil at all. and if god did exist (im not athiest by the way) i doubt the pascal's wager would hold any water with him
onijimbo 9 months ago
A fool and a mic ...
paperfreeck 9 months ago
WOW! Willful, self-sustained ignorance at it's best. I can hardly believe some of the things I heard come out of this guys mouth.
fonoflux1 10 months ago
Jack ass!
fonoflux1 10 months ago
Ignorance
johndaniel084 10 months ago 2
Atheists are haters of people of faith. Why???? because they are lonely people and misery loves company. Jealous of the joyful faithfuls who find peace in God's presence. If they will only experience that joy, oh how I wish they can, only if they will it.
279cute 11 months ago
Hitchens is an excellant speaker and very intelligent. What shocked me is his screwed up back ground. His mother and her lover committed suicide. In College he had homosexual relations (although he claims to be straight!!!). I could see why Anderson from CNN likes him.
999YORK 11 months ago
@999YORK ...oh i see
279cute 11 months ago
So what he is saying is that he chose to believe in god because if he didn't he MIGHT burn in hell.
bjlong231 1 year ago
"We all have a little stamp of God... A conscience"
HAHAHA!!!
Too bad he never stamped himself with a conscience.
L00NGB00W 1 year ago
Yes, at one time I did believe in the Bible and Christianity. That was when I was a child. My change came when I actually read the Bible from cover to cover several times. What an awakening I had. If God made us in his image, then he/she must be a terrible deity. How many people have died because of "God"? He has more blood on his hands than all mortals on earth, past and present.
tahoemack 1 year ago
@tahoemack that is the danger of reading the bible on your own and interpret it literally. Our soul is created in the image and likeness of God and not your face nor body. I guess that is why you are having a difficulty picturing god with your face...LoL..peace! anyway, here is a tip..youtube "death of God by fulton sheen" and you will learn a lot from him, promise! You might want to challenge yourself if you are strong enough to watch him.
279cute 11 months ago
What a load of camel shit. So in the end you say that the friends of atheists have it bad? So not only will atheists burn but christian, muslim or whatever befriends an atheist, then they all go to the oven?
I'll tell you what is attractive in atheism, it's a liberation of the mind, an experience you can't imagine. To suddenly realize that we are on a giant ball orbiting around a huge ball of fire at an impressive speed of 30km per second and nobody is in command. It takes balls of steel.......
phunkaddikt 1 year ago 2
@phunkaddikt lol This is an amazing post. It makes us all sound so badass
bjlong231 1 year ago 3
Comment removed
phunkaddikt 1 year ago
@bjlong231 :)
phunkaddikt 1 year ago
talk about strawman arguments. Atheism has no answer for evil? Do you know what atheism is? If you did, you would recognize the idiocy of your statement.
DieFatorLiveThin 1 year ago
If God is real and we are created in his image he must be an arehole beings that kill each other and destroy the world really are meade in a "divine" image
TheAlexagius 1 year ago
oh dear.... its like a cow climbing on a tree of intellect
Skelros 1 year ago
I'll tell you what is good with atheism! Knowing the truth, and having hope for humanity, and having a better world view.
-not believing racism in religions
-not believing that science is wrong.
-not believing that you should not listen to someone because they challenge your faith.
-And the sole fact that religion is the source of most evil in this world. It is a tool for corrupt politicians, a teddy bear to hug for when stupid people are scared of dying, and an outrage to education.
Aresftfun 1 year ago 2
This guy makes me sick. He obviously didn't read the book. Go Hitchens.
CharlieWilson84 1 year ago
54 thumbs up, 316 thumbs down.
Minds are waking up.
BohemianBlasphemy 1 year ago
This guy's looks is why I don't believe God is good for your health.
Gargantua606 1 year ago 2
New Atheism????
Critics of Faith, this douche seems to have a problem with people not choosing to believe in something he fell for.
Wish these arseholes just leave us alone.
2DRonaldo 1 year ago
Me thinks that muscle in your head is a little soft. Nice summary of all the worst reasons for theism and the most common misconceptions and misrepresentations of atheism.
ArcaneLogic 1 year ago
What a sorry piece of crap this bitch is.. insane!
valconstantin 1 year ago
Is Slavery "evil"? If so, why is it condoned in the Old Testament, the New testament, and the Koran? If "god" is necessary to distinguish good from evil, why is there no commandment "Thou shall not hold thy fellow man in bondage."?
hulakan 1 year ago
Finally, the appeal to atheism is that of the truth. Why do we need to answer every question? All that leads to is making up reasons and excepting them because we feel we need to have an answer, whether or not it is true or not.
KitSays 1 year ago
Also there are many theories for why we have a conscience other then the theory that God gave it to us. One is that, without a conscience, we as a species would quickly die off. If we went around killing everyone because we felt like it then how would we continue to reproduce and pass on our genetics?
KitSays 1 year ago
He said that he doubts there is a single atheist out there who has questioned whether or not God could be real. So what is so wrong about that? How does that at all discredit their beliefs? If anything it strengthens them as it shows that they have thought about it thoroughly.
KitSays 1 year ago
Is this guy for real? What a gross misrepresentation of these distinguished atheists. His accusations are without merit and should be directed back at himself. If anyone of those authors and intellectuals were to respond, they would intellectually grind this douche bag to religious sawdust.
sweetsweatyfeet 1 year ago
Atheists don't have an answer to every question we have. Therefore it's false and we should make up shitty answers. Now I don't have to think about these hard questions! Go God!
kyledavidbyron 1 year ago
Right on, dude! It seems all atheists want to do is take away our hope of salvation by claiming that God does not exist, but they seem to have a hard time proving God does not exist. However, if there is no God, than why are we here? What happens to us when we die? And more important, how did we get here? How did life begin here on earth, and why didn't all the apes turn into human beings? How can you call yourself a rational thinker if you can't explain how life began? Loved the video!
DollMommy10 1 year ago
crazy brainwashed people...
omi1313 2 years ago
I think God can be proven not by physical evidence but basic human desires needs, and simplistic moral universal laws
superjam18 2 years ago
I'd also like to add, I think you don't look at the full picture. If you happen to be wrong, another religion could also be right, making you suffer just like any other non-believer. Being a freethinker liberates you from that brainwashing guilt. I'd say if you are only believeing in god to just in case (as your last argument seemed to allude) you should believe in every religion, ya know to cover your bases. You are a non-believer of hundreds of different religions, atheists just have one more.
chon4186 2 years ago
Actually, Hitchens never says that there is no such thing is Good or Evil, as most of the other authors you pointed out they all believe that good and evil, right and wrong, all come from a deeper level of social organization that transends religion. If we based all of our morals from religion alone, we would have quite a strange world, and people only doing so because they fear of going to hell, a selfish kind of good. Remember the witch trials? "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live", ouch.
chon4186 2 years ago
Ending with pascal's wager to boot!
Is he talking to toddlers? It musn't be meant for me to hear.
MrDylaneric 2 years ago
Pathetic attempt to bash atheism.
What a shithead.
MrDylaneric 2 years ago 18
Go to the Creationist Museum and jerk off on the dinosaurs. This video is pathetic.
DeathToAllReligions 2 years ago 16
This is a joke right?
GroundskeeperRonnie 2 years ago
Man are you serious? You're faulting Hitchens for NOT having the answers to the origins of the world/universe? Well, no answer is better than an untrue one. Thats something religious people need to get into their heads.
bryansteeksma 2 years ago
do you get paid to sit in front of a microphone and propagate ignorance? I hope not. No God = No Evil? Maybe you should read the books written by the three people you mentioned.
bryansteeksma 2 years ago
How F'in stupid. If there is no god then their is no good or evil??? Fine then lets just call it crimes against humanity. And ppl who believe mutilating genitals and blow up buildings are creating those crimes and ...uh oh all those ppl hapen to believe in god as well. I am not one of smartest ppl in the world and I can refute your dumb article for those people.
mattywash 2 years ago
The guy has no clue...
FeverSK 2 years ago
I kind of doubt that he has read either "The God Delusion" or "God is Not Great." If he has, he did a grand job of missing the point. Every single "problem" he raised here can be and has been thoroughly explained by a rational, atheist, naturalistic world view.
One thing that did bother me in particular (aside from... you know... the whole thing): considering that a god might exist is not acknowledging that one does. Only a religious person could see an open mind as a negative thing.
glassEyeballs 2 years ago
Nice, throw in pascal's wager at the end...real classy. So if any agnostics are watchin u might be able to scare them into becoming theist.
Scientist are working on the (as u call it) the four problems with athism. However, what about the problems with theist. Like who created god ?? Wait let me guess... god doesnt need to be created, right ?
What about the fact that many believers think that the world is only like 10,000 years old or something silly. plz dont tell me u r one of those.
lilzeus7 2 years ago
there could be a higher being, but I don't belife in what the bible says. do you know the childrens game "telephone"? thats for me what the bible is!! because the new testament was written between 50 and 130(!) after jesus death!! so the bible can't be the orginal word of jesus! he didn't worte it by his self! people wrote what they heard from people who knew people who lived in this period. so the 4 who wrote the gospels were no eyewitnesses!!
residancing 2 years ago
I like the way "the people of faith" employ scare tactics like that "it's getting hot in here" image at the end of the video.
kachinjsh 2 years ago
Idiot.
locouru 3 years ago
Another bag of shallow bullshit: One star ..
Philos2006 3 years ago
One star video... FAIL!
SecularWorld 3 years ago
What if you're wrong about Islam? You'd be pretty fucked as well then, wouldn't you say? Pascal's wager fails every time in every way. It is a false dichotomy and at best promotes dishonest thinking.
No honest atheist says he KNOWS there is no god, merely that there is no evidence for it and hence no reason to suspect that such a being exists. How worried are you with your head on you r pillow that Allah may be the true god? I'll bet about as worried as I am about whether there is a god at all.
forger42 3 years ago 3
Take those 4 things atheists have no answer to: 1) The origin of the universe is a SCIENTIFIC question and is presently being pursued- there is no reason to think God did it. 2) Scientifically literate atheists have an explanation for the origin of humans: evolution (for which there is a ton of evidence) 3) "Where our mind learned to operate": this is ambiguously put, but again - psychology provides a huge amount of insight. 4) Good & evil are human categories, not objective ones. Ask Nietzsche.
CalmAtheist 3 years ago 2
liar, we have perfect explanations for all four of your dumb questions. read a science book, please, then pretend to be intellegent
matcotech 3 years ago
These new atheists books don't care if you believe in a God or not. They do care about the effects that some beliefs found in religion have in society.
As far as religion goes, including Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, the evidence for it is rather unimpressive and some claims made are irrational.
When parts of a religion pose a danger to society, people should be given evidence to why these beliefs are irrational. If not, you end up with suicide bombers and inquisitions, etc.
XwoooahX 3 years ago
One doesn't have to be religious or believe in the devil to attach words like "evil" to murderers. This guy claims that if you use the word then you automatically aknowledge the existence of devil and god. He ends with the same tired argument: "what if you are wrong?" No discussion of substance, only shooting at the messenger.
tulip777 3 years ago
You're morality and understanding of atheists is hopelessly deluded. What is your proof that a god, any god, gave us our conscious. Envoking Pascal's wager is a fruitless appeal to emotion that has many faults. Among them the idea that YOUR god is THE god. If he isn't (and with more than a million practicing faiths odds are against you)then your wager falls flat.
Andjealous 3 years ago 2
If atheist are wrong, we go to hell. If religious people are wrong, nothing bad happens? Could you be more specific on what religion? And what if there IS a God, but on who promotes reason and science and punnishes those who ignore it? (That would axplain a lot) Or maybe it's just the Flying Spaghetti Monster and everybody can be happy? Or maybe God IS love, and we can kindly ask him why hell exists in the first place, and why we have to go there.
...
wimscheers 3 years ago 2
You make no sense. The argument about Islam just failed. Good or Evil? Those are human aspects. If someone do something that hurts you, you'll call that action evil. And ofcourse the opposite.
God didin't have to "put" some good or evil sense in us.
Vallinen92 3 years ago
Oh and by the way, Atheism is attractive because It dosen't have any rules. It dosen't say "you can't have sex" "You can't do this" "You can't do that".. and. It eliminates the thought of some cloud we'll all live on after we're dead. So we actually DO fun things while we're still alive.
Vallinen92 3 years ago
this is EXACTLY why the human race is done for. 2012 here we come.
177baba3 3 years ago
All your arguments are full of logical fallacies. Especially your last one! According to Christian teachings you have to truly believe in god to be saved, not just believe in god just in case he does exist. You also don't support your argument that Christianity is different from other religions.
IIIIFile13IIII 3 years ago
Some of issues you raised have been discussed by Dawkins. What if we are wrong? Your believe in a Judeo Christian God has more to do with your postal code anything else. If you were born in Iran you would be a Muslim,And what if we are wrong? You mean if I dont choose to believe what you believe I burn in hell for eternity? Sounds like a man made tyrant more than an everlasting loving god. So much for the freedom of choice christianaty claims god gave us.
ozzie2005 3 years ago
However, science (namely evolutionary psychology, biology, neuroscience, etc.) has revealed a more empirical and objective explanation for our observed moral code.
I will quickly summarize what these peer-reviewed studies are proposing:
Certain human emotions have evolved in order to help us make moral judgments about ourselves and others. For example, guilt evolved so that we are biologically punished for doing something morally wrong.
I will post a link to an article in one last comment.
CAMBAM726 3 years ago
lol so there was an off chance guilt couldve never evolved in the first place and we would be killing each other today for fun? why did it even have to evolve in the first place? and you say to help us make moral judgments well if man created morals in the first place why should i have to follow them neway? why should nebody put me in jail for doing NETHING i want bad or good? since morals are only subjective neway.
177baba3 3 years ago
"lol so there was an off chance guilt couldve never evolved in the first place and we would be killing each other today for fun?"
Well, theoretically yes, but practically no. Anthropologists think complex social interactions were what caused us to grow such big brains; those interactions depend on social norms, and those require emotional backing. Guilt and pride had to evolve before we could.
Hooya2 3 years ago
so why is it that WE as "monkeys" developed pride, guilt, etc, and dogs, cats, lizards, etc. didnt? was it just random? if so why? why were even made with that cababilty in the first place?
177baba3 3 years ago
"so why is it that WE as "monkeys" developed pride, guilt, etc, and dogs, cats, lizards, etc. didnt?"
You don't think dogs feel guilty? A couple days ago we went out to eat, and when we came home the dog had gotten in the trash. You should have seen the way she looked at us, before we did anything; she knew she'd done wrong.
Cats and lizards don't get guilty because they're not pack animals; obviously, if you don't have a social structure, being social is pointless.
Hooya2 3 years ago
ok but your still not answering my question. why does guilt and pride have to exist in the first place?
177baba3 3 years ago
"ok but your still not answering my question. why does guilt and pride have to exist in the first place?"
I'm sorry, I thought it was obvious; practicality. If you feel good (proud) when you help someone, you're more likely to do it. If you feel bad (guilty) when you hurt someone, you're less likely to do that. Since cooperation is a good strategy--animals that do it are more likely to survive--animals that feel pride and guilt are naturally selected for in social situations.
Hooya2 3 years ago
Of course, some hunting styles are more effective for solo hunters. For example; small cats. Since cats have a pouncing style--meaning no chasing and cornering is required--and they hunt small prey--rats--there is no reason for them to work together to hunt. Thus, small cats don't behave socially. Big cats, on the other hand, often hunt large prey, like elephants. Thus, they need to cooperate to survive.
Hooya2 3 years ago
yea but your talking about in a "survival" sense. meaning "animal" sense. we arent just "animals" because we can reason. so are you saying me and you are just animals?
177baba3 3 years ago
"we arent just "animals"...we can reason."
Animals can reason as well, to a certain extent. Smart animals, like gorillas, can learn simple languages, use math, teach their children, even use tools We're better, but not of a different type.
"ok so i guess we're just computers huh."
No; computers work much more efficiently, but also much more specifically.
"theres no point to NETHING in atheism... "
Actually, this argument is materialistic, not atheistic. Not all atheists would agree with me.
Hooya2 3 years ago
"Animals can reason as well, to a certain extent. "
animals KNOW they dont understand. a monkey cant choose to go off to college is what i meant.
"No; computers work much more efficiently, but also..."
theres no soul behind a computer it just does what its programmed to. so in sense we are pretty much a pointless computer with no real meaning behind nething.
"Actually, this argument is materialistic..."
thats only if you believe in whats infront of you but athesits tend to do that so nvm.
177baba3 3 years ago
"...we are pretty much a pointless computer..."
More or less.
As to meaning... I'm curious; as a theist, why do you do what you do? Isn't your ultimate goal to get eternal happiness? It seems to me that both of us have the same goal--happiness--but we don't agree on what is the best way to achieve it.
"...athesits tend to do that..."
Yes, atheists tend to be materialistic, but not all of them are; for example, many Buddhists don't believe in God but still believe in souls.
Hooya2 3 years ago
ok so i guess we're just computers huh. because thats exactly how you sound. this i just because of this, and this is just because of that etc. this is what im talking about. theres no point to NETHING in atheism because everything becomes just this and that.
177baba3 3 years ago
"why should nebody put me in jail for doing NETHING i want bad or good? since morals are only subjective neway."
Why? Because I subjectively believe that jailing people who hurt me is good, obviously. Since most people agree with me, we can force our will on the people who don't.
Hooya2 3 years ago
this goes into a "universal moral code" which i believe in but thats another argument in itself.
177baba3 3 years ago
I'd like to address Mr. McCullough's argument regarding morality. This argument was originally put forth by C.S. Lewis as an argument for the existence of God. If you need a quick recap, it goes something like this:
There seems to be a moral code that all humans follow. This moral code, or ability to recognize good and evil was given to us by God. Therefore, it is proof that God exists.
I will post my rebuttal in a second comment.
CAMBAM726 3 years ago
With incompetent spokesmen like you, religion will continue to look like the goofy garbage it is. Forget it, you're not even vaguely up to this debate.
quantize 3 years ago 2
the only reason im a atheist is becouse if a god made me why did he do it so badly i cant make a single friend even when i try my voice is bad so fuck you to whatever god is there
doomsdoor 3 years ago
246 flavors of fail.
i cannot think of a single claim you made which would stand up to even a moment's scrutiny.
grawk1 3 years ago
Hands down the worst video I've seen on the subject. Far worse than anything even VenomFangX could regurgitate.
Doctrinius 3 years ago 3
haha, that's about exactly what i was going to write, until i read your post. this is the shittiest argument against atheism i've heard in a while!
philcore99 3 years ago
In this short video, he manages to appeal to consequences several times, insert God of the gaps, strawman our position (No one I know has said that all religions are alike, of course Christianity makes exclusive claims, as do Islam and Judaism, they're not equal in what they assert, just in how baseless their assertions are) and invoke Pascal's Wager.
He also showed his scientific ignorance by maing ridiculous claims such as there being no explanation of how humans (and our brains) evolved.
Doctrinius 3 years ago
well, with a name like MuscleHead570, i can fairly safely assume that his frontal lobe isn't the most frequently used tissue in his body. his screen name only accounts for his lack of intelligence, not his physique. he looks like an FAS baby, now that i look at him. pause the video as soon as you can see him, he's either stoned or mildly retarded!
of course he can't account for how humans or our brains have evolved--his is quite obviously behind the power curve!
philcore99 3 years ago
Indeed. Well said.
nausinora 3 years ago
"He's not willing to say that evil has a source." Yeah Hitchens doesn't believe in God.
"If they want to murder us they should be allowed to." And if we want to defend ourselves we should be allowed to--duh.
"How in the world is it we can distinguish between good and evil?" Right, because all Christians have always instinctively agreed on what's right and wrong. ROFL
"God gave us all a conscience." Guess he messed up when he built Hitler then, didn't he?
Dumb theist is dumb.
Hooya2 3 years ago
"Yeah Hitchens doesn't..."
your just avoiding the question.
"And if we want to defend ourselves..."
who cares. your life is meaningless neway since ull just poof away when you die. right?
"Right, because all Christians have always instinctively agreed..."
they dont argue about "right" and "wrong" they argue about which aspects of right and wrong to emphasize on.
"Guess he messed up when he built Hitler...?"
its called free will. he conciously new it was wrong he just didnt give a fuck.
177baba3 3 years ago
"your just avoiding the question."
It's not a question; Hitchens believes evil has no source. That doesn't mean it can't exist, subjectively.
"who cares."
I do; and why should I care if my life is ultimately meaningless? I still enjoy living it.
"they dont argue about "right" and "wrong"..."
Yes they do; there are Christians arguing now if abortion and homosexuality is wrong, whether condoms are wrong; they used to argue over slavery and women's rights.
Hooya2 3 years ago
"it's not a question; Hitchens believes evil has no source. That doesn't mean it.... "
evil doesnt exist. its like light and dark, dark is the absense of light it doesnt exist in itself.
"I do; and why should I care if my life is ultimately meaningless? I still enjoy living it."
because you wont be alive to agnowledge you enjoyed it in the first place so why do you give a fuck?
"Yes they do; there..."
that has NOTHING to do with universal morality but again thats another subject in itself.
177baba3 3 years ago
"evil doesnt exist."
That's just what apologists say so that they can avoid blaming God for the existence of evil. No one else takes that position seriously.
Evil is that which violates social norms.
"...you wont be alive to agnowledge you enjoyed it in the first place so why do you give a fuck?"
Because I want to be around to continue to enjoy it.
"that has NOTHING to do with universal morality..."
I didn't say it did; I was saying even Christians can't agree on what universal morality is.
Hooya2 3 years ago
Second, there IS explanation for why humans came to be intelligent creatures...evolution.
Third, there is a very scientifically-backed understanding of why humans have a "conscious." It's the same reason animals take care of their young (sometimes even the young of other species), and live in complete harmony with other animals in nature. Animals kill for food, or self-preservation, but no other reason. It's part of our genetic makeup, just as it is for the lower species.
comiconline 3 years ago
ok so where did reasoning come from? that has NOTHING to do with taking care of your kids, self-preservation, etc because u can choose NOT TO if you want. an animal cannot choose to not take care of their kids, not kill for food, etc.
177baba3 3 years ago
"ok so where did reasoning come from? that has NOTHING to do with taking care of your kids, self-preservation, etc because u can choose NOT TO..."
Boy, does that not make sense. Reasoning doesn't help us survive or take care of our kids?
Of course reasoning allows us the ability to decide to abandon our children--something emotionally-pre-programmed animals can't imagine--but the huge advantage that comes from being smart more than makes up for that rare possibility.
Hooya2 3 years ago
lol emotinally programmed? so u can be emotinally programmed by "nothing" huh? and you say I dont make ne sense....
177baba3 3 years ago
"so u can be emotinally programmed by "nothing"..."
Mutations produce the random code, and natural selection weeds out the inefficient programming. The end result is the code that works. This isn't speculation, either; scientists have applied it to real computer programs in a field known as 'genetic programming', and they've successfully designed some complex machinery with it.
So if you consider mutations and selection to be 'nothing', then yes you can be programmed by nothing.
Hooya2 3 years ago
Musclehead..wow, people are really angry at you. Sorry for that. Nevertheless, i am still your opponent as well (in an argument, i mean).
First off, atheism does not HAVE to prove anything. By definition, atheism is merely the lack in supersticious beliefs. Many who ARE atheists follow other various systems, but by definition, atheism is the default position. ATHEISM ASSERTS NOTHING. Athiesm is a LACK of belief. Not an assertion.
comiconline 3 years ago
lol atheism does not have to PROVE nething?????? that is the basis of your whole belief in the first place! PROOF is all that matters to atheists. well actually i should say physical proof is more their basis.
177baba3 3 years ago
"PROOF is all that matters to atheists."
EVIDENCE is all that matters to rational people, not 'proof'. You can't ever prove anything, in the strict logical sense, except in philosophy and linguistics.
Furthermore, we don't have to provide evidence God doesn't exist; since theists are the ones making the positive claim, the burden of proof is on them. Until they provide evidence that God exists, we're justified in dismissing the claim.
Hooya2 3 years ago
The speaker says all the atheists he knows have at least considered a god... yet the fact that they are still atheists should speak to the lack of evidence for one. Their consideration is a testimony to their intellectual honesty.
Of course we all seek answers. What believers fail to realize is that positing a god doesn't provide any. It is answering a mystery with a mystery. It's an attempt to address problems, like infinite regresses, by ultimately bowing out of a rational discussion.
Sessecull 3 years ago
The thing is, even though you are among the better debaters I've heard. I find it more amazing every time I hear Christians defend religion and how little sense it actually makes.
Sondre7 3 years ago
Jerk, you no nothing. Your going off of things you cant prove.
3digala 3 years ago
How do we distinguish between good and evil?
Stop taking morality and comparing it to good and evil. There is no such thing as good and evil, it's all subjective.
You see things done that help other people, and you admire that. You try to do the same and try to not perform acts that you know yourself is going to cause pain and hardship on other people.
Morality is a human achievement. We definitely do not need a book to know what's right and what's wrong.
matt7988 3 years ago
BTW, nice porn music, droopy eyes.
jegonus 3 years ago
And as far as your "friends of God" argument... you are monumentally presumptious to think that God would actually burn souls for an eternity based on a finite "crime". Not to mention the absurd argument that a god would require the lesser beings he created to worship, much less believe in him. LOL
jegonus 3 years ago
"...evil has a source." Then he shows Bin Laden. Get the f(*& out of here. Who you trying to tail wag? You mean the Devil, even in the 21st century. The idea that atheists are somehow obligated to come up with answers to mystical questions is not anywhere near the point. Talk about misdirection. Religious pinheads who claim to have the knowledge is the ludicrous dogma the intellectual rejects -- especially when the lack of evidence forces the cry of "faith"!
jegonus 3 years ago
Straw man arguments? Such as?
redmark2007 3 years ago
andi assure youi have sincerely and lengthily consideredand looked for the answer as to whether ornot there isa god your arguments are idiotic and cliche they have all been refuted time and time again, and hitchens book was not meant tobe a plea for the non existence of god. it was written under the assumption that god doesn't exist and was meant to show how religion is the cause of great disruption in the world, and btw, no voice haunts my mind, thats a medical condition you should have checked
imabeastnimadawg 3 years ago
how is there no good or evil without god? that makes no sense at all...
imabeastnimadawg 3 years ago 2
Why does he think that denying god exists means that you don't believe there are good people/deeds and bad people/deeds?
maddiedog81 3 years ago
this guy is mentally handicapped and the 1star rating proves it right............
yamimakaiz 4 years ago
Blah, blah, blah, blah.....what a fucking moron. The only good thing about the video was the porn music in the background.
jesuswasabitch 4 years ago
It's this kind of dumb-ass sophistry that keeps the world a dark place. Hitchens, for example, does give a source for evil--religion itself, something Dawkins or Harris might call a "meme." What this fool would have us believe is that evil, to be real, must have a supernatural source. I doubt this guy has read any of the books he criticizes. He also has some very fucked up hair.
marina78th 4 years ago
NAW DUDE!!! U DONE DID IT NOW!!!!!
here i'm ganna set up a counter argument...the bible says otherwise. HAH! I WIN!!! wait...that was a shitty argument i just made.....ok sorry, disregard me and continue.
GiuseppeBagoli 4 years ago
We can see that this daft man feels compelled to believe in god because there are questions to which we as yet have no answer.
Dark ages philosophy. Based on ignorance and fear.
to act or believe out of fear is patently spineless at least if not dishonest.
These religious nuts will tell lies to make their points seem credulous.
Pathetic.
LAWAGO 4 years ago
well...not lies, but his arguments are extremely elementary. i think his capacity to argue reflects the lowered expectation that our nation/society has set in order to be considered credible or an intellectual.
GiuseppeBagoli 4 years ago
That has to be the most stupid person to ever mumble rants into a webcam.
Every rant can be debunked, but it's simply not worth the time, not even the electric energy.
trakkaton 4 years ago 3
I utterly, utterly agree. Really futile video.
hoodwinky1 4 years ago
This asshole didn't even read the book. What a dick!
lollygager3664 4 years ago 3
Keep speaking the truth dude!
Whistlegip 4 years ago
sarcasm? please tell me that is sarcasm. people like you exist? i dont know if i should laugh or be scared and hide my biology book from you guys.
GiuseppeBagoli 4 years ago
thats interesting - because hitchens continuously wins debates over and over. You are full of shit. lying - isn't that breaking a commandment?
driubi 4 years ago
He says that since we have a conscience there is a god is just a joke. It's really easy to understand how having a conscience is favored by natural selection.
Smorfty 4 years ago
Pascals wager? Gimme a break. Have you ever asked yourself "What if the Muslims are right?"? Guess we'll all find out in Muslim hell.
h8uall66 4 years ago
"if they wont to murder us they should be allowed"
who allowed them to murder us was god (if he indeed exist).
what doesn't allow them to murder us is law (one of the pilars of atheist morality).
oraci 4 years ago
Atheism is attractive because it's the only religious view that's accurate. This video thoroughly sucked and deservedly has one star. Dawkins doesn't doubt anything. YOU do.
Chrismoore1281 4 years ago
I can't believe you tried to use Pascal's Wager. Pascal's Wager has been BEATEN TO DEATH. If you think about it even for a second you'll realize Pascal's Wager makes no sense at all. Also, don't you find it a little hypocritical to criticize someone for being too sure of his beliefs?
ianw115 4 years ago
Who may I ask beat it to this inevitable death? And how does Pascal, an thoroughly logical mathematician, not make sense?
thethikboy 4 years ago
Read any criticism of Pascal's Wager. They're all over the place. But, to outline it quickly...
1. It's totally ridiculous to assert you could DECIDE to BELIEVE something. You either believe it or don't, and a God would see through a person who feigns belief.
2. Pascal lived in an era when the choices were being a Christian or not being a Christian. We don't. The gamble Pascal outlined is not the ones humans today face, making it irrelevant.
ianw115 4 years ago
Philosophically, it is not absurd to consider beliefs as choices. In fact game theory, of which Pascal's wager is a prototype, is nothing but choices in the sense of logical possiblities.
thethikboy 4 years ago
Again, read any criticism for a more detailed debunking. You still haven't really explained why someone can arbitrarily believe or disbelieve something as an act of will, but setting that aside, would a God honestly respect belief only for the purpose of hedging one's own risk and not out of genuine regret for one's sins? I know I don't respect it. I find it totally cowardly, to put bluntly.
ianw115 4 years ago
"You still haven't really explained why someone can arbitrarily believe or disbelieve something as an act of will"
I don't need to explain it because it isn't a necessary assumption in game theory. A choice is simply a logical possibility. The 'decision' is made with logic with regard to the best outcomes. Nothing could be less absurd.
thethikboy 4 years ago
The "decision" is whether to believe or not to believe, so of course the idea that belief is voluntary is an assumption in Pascal's Wager. The assumption game theory makes is that the options presented are those capable of being played. I'm saying these options are not capable of being played. You can't force yourself to believe something if you just don't believe it. For someone who pretends to understand game theory so well you sure can't seem to identify bad examples of it.
ianw115 4 years ago
No. Game theory is compatible with operant conditioning behaviorsm. Pigeons will eventually 'learn' the 'choices' with the best outcomes. Now to plan and think through the outcomes before their decided upon is consistent with intelligent human behaviour - like using MapQuest.
thethikboy 4 years ago
Operant conditioning affects BEHAVIOR, not BELIEF! The fact that you would cite operant conditioning just proves you aren't getting my point. Pascal's Wager is really only capable of arguing for going to church and pretending to believe (altering BEHAVIOR) but if you just don't have faith, going through the motions isn't going to change that (altering BELIEF). And God doesn't put people in Heaven for going to church, he puts people in Heaven for BELIEVING.
ianw115 4 years ago
For one thing, behaviorism reduces belief to behavior.
If you are trying to claim we have no freedom of choice, then you have no choice in your belief in atheism and I have no choice but to disagree. What's the point of posting videos and making comments?
thethikboy 4 years ago
Evidence certainly affects my beliefs, which is why I watch videos about theism on YouTube. I don't presume that every belief ever formed wholly reflects the body of facts. I'm sure sometimes I form beliefs subconsciously because it's advantageous to me, but when I start to think about my beliefs consciously, evidence is all that can truly sway them. To consciously believe something in spite of facts for partisan reasons is doublethink, and my mind isn't nimble enough for that.
ianw115 4 years ago
As Bill O'Reilly would say, I'll give you the last word here. If you want to keep debating through private messages feel free, but I think I've written all I wanted to write in response to this video in particular.
ianw115 4 years ago
Well that's your choice.
thethikboy 4 years ago
this video was a waste of my time.
XXBigDangerousXX 4 years ago
Why does every religious commentator affect the same bemused/condescending tone? I feel like I'm watching a TV commercial. "Oh you use ATHEISM soap? You poor misguided fool. Personally I use GOD soap. If you don't want to feel FOOLISH you'll switch to my brand, er, belief system."
frisianS 4 years ago
This guy is an utter idiot
pyro7620 4 years ago
God is making him lose his hair lopsidedly.
farvision 4 years ago
your arguments are hilariously circular. I know religion can be a nice safety blanky but don't worry, educate yourself and you'll grow out of it.
fox220 4 years ago
Do you atheists spend all day looking for you tube videos on religion? Well fine, be that way. We Christians will simply out multiply you and convert you and take control of the parts of the planet on which we
live (mind you, I am for separation of Church and State.)
Nonamearisto 4 years ago
What if you guys are wrong about Buhddism? Then you'll all be reincarnated as little malnourished guinea pigs that get slaughtered to feed some greedy rich guy! Not much time to right your wrongs... so you will probably be reincarnated again as malnourished guinea pigs, until you can scrap together enough good karma to advance to the next stage of life, which might be a scared deer that gets shot by a stupid hunter that nearly missed, and let's you bleed to death or something.
eviloatmeal 4 years ago
Hive mind says: "Less think, more stupid. No cookie for logic."
eviloatmeal 4 years ago
You should all just stop using your brains and do as this guy says that is logical,yeah sure it is.
Get42real 4 years ago
Seriously has this guy ever used any portion of his mind when composing his arguments.How many theists have ever seriously considered that there isn't a god?
Get42real 4 years ago
I used to be Christian, 'confirmed', feng-shui reasons and everything, i never believed in faith(believing without proof), but to say that I have never thought that 'God' exists is absurd; why then would I get 'confirmed', no, I have examined Christianity & Islam, as best and as open-mindedly as i could, compared it to proven science, and science proves these religious claims wrong, I also think they are not moral. Atheist s are the most developed, crime free people on earth.
LOGICISGOD 4 years ago
I would rather burn in the hell of a god whose vanity is so frail as to not permit me to weigh the overwhelming evidence against his existence, and who indeed seems more disconcerted over this issue than many more important, than to commit myself to such folly logic as pascal's wager. Or a continuous, hypocritic stream of ad hominem statements.
Good day.
robakerson 4 years ago
You dont need a fuking God or a book to tell you what good and evil are. Even a a fuking child cann tell you.
This guy is retarded.
Budguy68 4 years ago
I can hardly take anyone who calls Sam Harris angry seriously. He's like the most soft-spoken guy I've ever seen.
BTW, I am in the top 5% as well and I'm also an atheist. There are consistent statistics to show that religious people are less intelligent.
BTBTW, The God Delusion goes into depth on the evolutionary explanation of the origin of morality and such.
BTBTBTW, please don't try to use Pascal's wager, it proves your stupidity.
macman13 4 years ago
BTW: I do believe all the great colleges in america are founded by christian men
EmpEli 4 years ago
BTW: it only takes money to start a college, you don't have to be a genius.
macman13 4 years ago
You could at the very least learn the title of Hitchen's book before you argue against it's content.
TombyStone 4 years ago
I was watching a lot of Chris Hitchens lately and some of the other guys and the acusation of this video are just without any ground. There are perfectly good answers for his questions. It seems that all the argument the religious people are able to muster are acussing an argument as NONCENCE or simply stating that it's FALCE thus hopping that the devotees will dismiss the logic and settle for what they do best: NOT ASKING QUESTIONS.
chrisan71 4 years ago
My answer to Christian door knockers: I don't know and neither do you. But I do know it isn't a local Jewish Tribal Deity who thinks slavery is just dandy and is really concerned about my foreskin. (and inspired a really, really poor book of instructions)
God is imaginary; Gods are just pretend. Using Pascals wager to scare the incredulous peasants doesn't fly either.
Bobeeg 4 years ago