The 1st thing to consider when thinking about God that it's LOGICAL fact that He is out of what He created and not ruled by it. By which I mean:Time. God is out of the time dimension. He can see all things in the past or in the future. they are the same to Him. He is all knowing all seeing.
The other fact which we must admit and know: We have limited knowledge..no matter what we know. Read the first verse of chapter 16 ( The Bees ) of Quran: ( quran . com / 16 )
Inspect the tidal wave verse of Matthew's Gospel 8.24, maybe. Jesus said be not afraid users of blind trust. And a Sea of Honey evolved.
You can use comprehension (part of Holy Spirit) to plan defenses against tidal waves, "Holding back the Flood" as the song and God in Exodus have it.
The world's most noted "Held-back tidal wave in rock" strangely holds a 600m face of a tearful woman. This is not only symbolically a warning of what Flood Fall does, the held-back Flood wave could be tears of joy
People have a problem with the idea of pain in a world that is ruled by God. His rulership keeps the laws of physics as LAWS, but he also rules by having given moral laws and the gospel. Interference with man's free will is the exception and not the rule of his moral gov't. A new world is coming and eternal retribution. Things will work out for good to those who love God and Jesus' appearing.
He's wrong, although he is respectful and skeptical about his own beliefs, which I admire. Still, I don't think he's worth TED's time. He's incorrect, therefore he's not TED quality.
As I follow the events unfolding in Japan thru the news, I am disturbed. I feel I want to tune out to the devastation that is happening but I somehow seem to find myself just praying for the people of Japan and rejoicing for the stories of survival. This video is something that gave me some comfort in my prayers this morning... I am praying and praying and praying for Japan. This is the only thing I know how.
Wait, so is that how religion works? You can make it up as you go along? I think that's intellectual cowardice. I cannot understand why this guy didn't just go the extra step and ask "does god exist?" Answering "no" is a much more logical solution to his conundrum than the mental gymnastics (and self-deception) he had to do to come up with a god that fits into his modern, liberal moral code!
anyways, it always struck me as odd that someone would say "here is my friend, it is perfect, and you can never understand it, but I can tell you what it wants"
does not make sense~ fun times
the inquisition barely registers in my mind, talking to people that hold to religion does, and hearing the arguments in it's favour does register with me
The real issue is missed. What he should be trying to deal with is perceiving God as simultaneously eternal and durational infinite and finite creator and created. This is why he's attempting to logically give human standards to What Was Before The Creation of The Universe. This is the classic sympathy for the devil argument...
"If God is so cruel he doesn't deserve our worship." It's understandable though. 1000 years of The Inquisitional Flame is one hell of a transgenerational mental block.
An honest man... of course, death of the kind brought about by a tsunami or an earthquake and sufferance are the biggest obstacles religious people have to face. I can only see - at the moment - two answers: non believing (my choice) or calling it a mystery, something not to be questioned, since God has inscrutable plans (for me a ridiculous answer good for a child, but not for a thinking adult).
Boy oh boy... This is pissing the evangelical Christians and orthodox Jews off, because they are taught not to question their teachings. Its blasphemy.
contd....we know that there are so many things science will not be able to answer or will not be able to answer within our lifetime. So though answers to those question might exist in abstraction but they certainly do not exist in relation to our lifetime. So even though we expect science, logic and reasoning to answer every question to mankind eventually they do not exist for us at least individually. Which in itself seems quite abstract, nonsensical and infuriating.
Why is it that I exist? Why is it that I can see my own reflection in the mirror, see through my eyes, and get to experience life at all? This does not compel me to believe in a deity, it compels me to wonder if this is the way existence works. There has to be one point at which one feels "I exist" while others think they are separate, but are not. That my existence was just one variation of one unit meant to live in the illusion that I am separate, and we don't know why... Yet.
contd... Do you think he could have answered a question in 20 minutes which have puzzled mankind for thousands of years.
Well, Then why should we watch this video.
Probably for the same reasons why we watch any other video. Why we listen to any other opinion and just like fanaticism, accepting that we have no knowledge is also a point of view or for mere stimulus of ideas or even for simple entertainment.
Should there be or Is there answers to every question? Even though science is progressing
@utopianguy : I think that, for sure, we have reached a point where religion has been surpassed and lost its original evolutionary significance uses and importance. Many have some to the realization that we just don't need God anymore. Like the pastor says in the video, we are ultimately left alone, with us, our dreams, thoughts and feelings...and each other. Why should that be so scary? :-)
contd...and put your faith in question. Best thing about tom honey is without fearing being caught by devil(as per his christian religious beliefs) puts his beliefs at test and he honestly does admit that he doesn't know the truth. He does not commit himself to regular bible blabber and present his view of what the world is and how the world should be. I do understand that he does not give the solution to the question. But you shouldn't have watched this video with expectations of any answers...
Awesome. I am simply amazed. In awe. First of all I would like to say I am no christian neither do I associate myself with any religion. May be I can describe myself as Absurdist, Existentialist or Agnostic. But If I had to strictly choose between Atheism and Religion I would rather choose Atheism.
Anyway, About the Video:
First of all I would like to say being a "priest" for 20 years and investing in a religion so much you would need real courage to come up on a public forum ......contd.
Tom Honey is going to become an atheist if hasn't already become one. I use to be a devout Christian and had many of the same ideas and questions he did. That time in my life was just one major step on the path to me becoming an atheist.
i never knew who or what i was before i was born.... what makes you think i will know anything when i am dead? i had no brain before i was born and i will not have one after my death (at least not a functioning one) i have learned everything i know along the way, including a god figure. but that still doesn't change any facts.. and
Cause you know, everyone who questions or ponders what characteristics their deity may or may not have and what faults exist there is automatically an atheist. God forbid rethinking your own religion! OMG! It must just be so fucking wrong then.
@dommarthal Why? It is always interesting to know the way people think. Please don't misunderstand, I'm atheist and I still think we should show respect to each other. I think TED organizers think this way.
@rwtj01: He already knows that Christianity is man-made. It is essentially what he said. What he needs to admit is that even if this perception of god exists, there is no reason or need to assume its existence.
God like this is meaningless regarding of all things.
This guy seems to have joined most of the dots. Now he just needs the balls to step back and see the picture --- Christianity ( / any religion) is a man-made fairytale.
God is everything! We cant define it. Defining it, already would be limiting it. We gotta FEEL God first of all. We are babies in spiritual evolution, we doesnt even know ourselves, how can we know God?
Read the Book of Spirits - Allan Kardec, and get answers!!
Hi, I have the subtitles in french for this video and tried to get this back on you tube in french, but I can't send in more than ten minutes of video...and I would really like the french people to understand...anyone can give me a tip on how to get this there? please???
"Jesus", for a lack of a better exclamation. I actually cringed when he mentioned people telling him how god got them a parking space. Thats is beyond delusional, and more than a bit egocentric. Yes, an all-powerful creator of the universe changed reality to make your day a bit more convenient. Now who's the master in this relationship, again? And then people wonder why religious people scare me.
Obviously, that sentence wasnt ment to be taken literaly. But I find the thought that a person is more or less coddled by an all powerful being, who exists outside the boundaries of what we know is possible, to be celf-centered in a mind boggling way.
Fair enough, but belief in a universal creator can affect people in different ways. This person is just thankful for small mercies and expresses it through her perceived relationship with God.
That belief can also inspire people to work selflessly for the underprivileged from different cultures, e.g. Wilberforce or Mother Theresa.
Actually Im with Hitchens when it comes to Mother Theresa, but I see your point. My counterargument would be that for every good deed done in the name of religion, there has been an evil one. An inquisitor for every samaritan, so to speak.
what a lovely and intelligent man. He questions everything rationally and decides he doesn't know - only one more step. Take god out of the equation. The problem with his take on things is that it is going to bore the audience. He just delivered everything that he possibly can in one sermon - why come back next week for more questions? I think he needs to become a scientist so he has something interesting to fill the gaps with. such a soothing voice would do evolutionary biology justice.
oi. Isn't he just talking about deism, or maybe panendeism? Anyways, he seems very caring, and for that I am appreciative. This is the first time I will be voting low on a Tedtalk video. Doubt is a cop out. Either you believe in magic or you don't. Putting a god in everything makes it a cardboard box, a hammer, and a rapist. By moving a god further and further into the undefinable you make it a more and more useless god. So go on and hide it so well that we never have to hear about it again.
He's not actually saying he doesn't know, he is trying to hang on to the idea of a god by tucking it away in hidden ways so he can still have his cake and eat it too. But when your magic book says he lives in the sky and you decide to put him somewhere else to put off his distruction by reason, then you fail. You fail at being the religion you claim to be and you fail to save your god, you just water him down to nothing. His god fails Epicurus and he should know better than to fake it.
"How much moral honesty and courage it required for Tom to make it?"
Isn't honesty and courage what we expect our religious leaders to show? Or have we tacitly accepted the sad fact that religion is dominated by lies and cowardice?
Don't get me wrong, I like the direction in which rev. Honey is going, but it's none too soon. In fact, it's grossly overdue.
I admire his honesty, but IS HE SERIOUS!? He sees the flaws in the bases of what he believes in but can't see what they mean! If God can't be as he alledgedly is, he probably isn't!
What a load of horse exhaust! Because they cannot come up with an answer for why Jesus allows natural disasters, they play the "compassion is more important than righteousness" card!? Organised religion typically has no problem with the latter.
This is nothing more than another pathetic attempt to recreate God in our own image. Another pointless failure to deduce stuff by wishful thinking.
At least he said "I don't know"... welcome on the road to atheism.
Problem is, many who believe in a god, do so for selfish reasons; - go to heaven etc. Fact is, idea of God is a delusion. But if you have bought into this delusion, the only thing you can do is making a loving, caring god of it/you, and passing some of it on. That's what Rev Honey is saying, using the "namaste" greeting as an example. Believing in a god is to manifest good/beauty. Makes sense. At least he's honest enuf to say "I don't know".
Again, this affirms that you cannot be 100% honest with yourself and believe in a loving God at the same time - Simply impossible. This is partly the reason why atheists are atheists. In order to believe in a loving God, you have to completely ignore common sense - Not Good. God either exists or he doesn't or he doesn't care. You can reach any of these conclusions by looking at the beauty & ruthlessness of life. God answers ppl's prayers while babies starve to death in Africa? Makes no sense
fuck...god ain't exist, if he does, fuck him. Shit happens and those victims will be reborn and keep walking on the road of evolution. Feel sorry about the victims? Don't worry, they'll be reborn and keep going by their karma's balancing action. Mind your own ass and just be as nice as you can to anyone coming into your life.
In my view the tsunami made so many victims because we the people have come to the point that we are disconnected with the knowledge that stoped passing from generation to generation and the signs of nature, if that knowledge had passed we would have a clue to what was coming.
The real story that some tribes in that area that new those signs and run away from their near the sea houses to higher ground is a fact that this ancient ways of living still hold that passing knowledge and use it even if events only happen once every 2 or more centuries. For me it has nothing to do with god but the way we are evolving
Brilliant though the Reverend's ideology is (compared to naive Creationists), I can't help but feel the decline of God's role in religion is destined to end in a sort of pantheistic Church. I myself would support this, but I know that the idea of a religion without God would scare many people.
i'm suprised by the responses to this and that people are so suprised. It's Spinozan theology all over again to me. People keep saying that "i'm an atheist but I like this" or "this is a much more palatable God than I am used to." It's a shame that so may people can only find comfort in the beliefs of the excommunicated and not even know it. The irony here kills me.
I don't know if it is just me, but this presentation is really a good one. Probably, it is one of the best Tedtalks. I think I am no longer atheist after watching this video clip. It doesn't mean that I am a Christian either, but... Is there a religion where the God is powerless?
I'm an atheist, but this guy's God is one I could consider. The all-good, all-powerful, all-knowing version is obviously inconsistent with the world as we find it, but the spirit of seeking and the forces which permeate the universe -- yeah, that wouldn't violate my sense of reality.
I'm sorry so many people were "bored" or so fixated on the traditional notion of God that they couldn't hear and consider what this man was saying, but I think it's worth pondering.
My respects... I am a catholic who is in love with God but your response shows me that I have yet to learn more about God. Thanks Zeggman. Your response is very humbling to me.
Hi Zeggman. My respects. I am a catholic who is in love with God but your response is very humbling to me. It shows me that I have a lot to learn about the God I love. Thanks.
I wonder: if he has so many doubts why doesn't he just do the next logical step and become an atheist? The way he is trying to get out of his dilemma doesn't seem consistent to me at all.
Although I'm an atheist, I've always found this question/argument rather weak. Regardless of how kind God would be, I don't think he'd intend for the world to be perfect. What would be the use for heaven?
Then what was the point of the Garden of Eden? If God was omnipotent surely he knew the outcome. So he just wanted to give the first two humans a little taste of paradise before he bitch-slapped the future of humanity for all time with original sin? Surely most people don't believe they had anything to do with grabbing the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge. God works in mysterious ways is the biggest cop-out there is.
It was so very weak pathetically liberal often a precursor to syncretism. It was so relativist which also very much a precusor if not necessary to approaching syncretistic or automatically being syncretistic in thought.
It was so very weak and devoid of theology just philosophy and this context makes his points just dead
WOW, i love this seminar...my "conclusions" about is almost word for word with Rev.Tom Honey.
I've always had questions about the perception and identity of God.
Just as Tom said, God can very well be the universal connection that we have, the inner entity that thrives on love...the soul of the universe.
We are living in an ocean of energy and connectivity. Just look at a Hubble Deep Field picture and see a glimpse of how amazing and enormous the universe is. There are so many questions...
I think this man has a better understand than any atheist.WHY, because he can connect with religious people and atheists...mabye this man can change religious ppl's point of veiw... give those believers a chance, they are most valuable, Because, religious zombies WONT listen to an atheist
The mention of god is a turn-off because only ignorant, delusional man could`ve come with a god and all it`s baggage(garbage) of heaven, hell, satan, original sin, the second coming etc.
Man`s god creation is the search for a life hereafter.
This enables believers to cope with this unknown in the hope that they will go to this delusional heaven and worship this god delusion for all eternity.
Actually, that is how Einstein came up with many of his theories- with mental exercises to rationalize theories, instead of using the Scientific Method... He then proved them with experiments, but he came up with ideas through philosophical thought.
The scientific method does not preclude thought. Even philosophical thought. I think there are many who would argue that he used the mental exercises to derive his theory, not simply to rationalize them.
I love church of england priests :) they have lovely voices that make me all sleepy... I can completely ignore their actual words but really enjoy listening to the murmur, like listening to music... It's people like this guy that make me an nice atheist, rather than a ravening monster!
He seems like a pretty good guy but ultimately, the real answer lies in the fact that the world is a dynamic place. As more people populate it more of them will be in the path of changes. No need for God to cause or allow things to happen. Simply put, Occam's razor. The simplest most probable answer is the correct answer.
Well, I have to give the guy credit for his courage. Talking about God from the pro-theistic side of the fence at TED is like wearing a raw-meat necklace into a lion's cage.. Sheesh..
He basically affirmed the very reasons why atheists are atheists. ...and yet now he'll go back to his church telling his congregation that they need to pray to an invisible man in the clouds so that they won't go to a firey invisible place after they die.
I like how at 18:55 -19:35 this man humbly admits he has no answers. If Mr. Honey doesn't know the answer, hopefully he will keep asking around. (Matthew 7:7,8) The answer to Why God Allows Tsunamis is in the Bible, and it's very comforting...
Do you believe in nothingness,infinity,eternity,scientific truths,mathematical truths,concepts like triangularity,freedom of speech?? I've never seen any of these yet I believe these immaterial concepts exist--they are not embodied in any one material body yet they exist,,something to think about.....
I'm not the best at explaining this but if humans were not able to rise above mere sense perception-based thought we would not be able to think 'triangle';all our thought would be of a particular triangle:a scalene triangle,an equalateral triangle,a red one,but in order to think 'triangle' humans must have an ability of intellect to understand universals. It's a tough nut to crack,but thinking intellectually with universals sets humans apart from the material universe of other animals
Not every immaterial idea is true. Freedom of speech is just the name of a law. Things like math and science can be easily explained. "god" cannot. At first god is a man in the sky, then we explore the sky and find he is not there, so he becomes a man in another dimension. First the Earth was created in 6 days, then we discover that's off by a few billion years. so religion redefines the word "day". Aren't religious people tired yet of desperately changing the rules as they go along.
No, the horizon of ignorance expands with the advance of science, and some of the gaps are stubborn - even getting bigger.
The more we understand the cell, the less we can explain its origin. The clearer we see the big bang, the clear is the question What caused the Big Bang.
Show me a 'valid analogy' empirically....we must decide on a philosophy of language that is common sense based as retarded as they may sound to a...uh..um...intellectually challenged person:)
Whose interpretation of science? Yours? Michael Denton's? Michael Behe's? Stephen J Gould's? Only atheist's? Your too narrow.
I wouldn't believe in Jesus if there was not evidence both sacred and secular. No evidence my butt. Have you disproved the resurrection of Jesus? Rhetorical questions all, I know how your ilk thinks as I was one the first 3rd of my everlasting life:)
There's "sacred and secular evidence of Jesus?" Like what?
Your argument makes perfect sense. Suicide bombers wouldn't blow themselves to pieces if they didn't have "sacred" and "secular" evidence that 72 virgins await them in heaven.
Please, go get a science education from a proper university.
Not to say that I disagree with the speaker, but to clarify one of his allusions: in Dostoyevsky's book, Ivan provides a more elaborate explanation for abandoning God's plan. He accepts that suffering is required in order for us to have _Free will_, but ultimately decides that Free will is not worth it.
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
Did he at all mention the bible? He complains that christians tie God down, but that's because they read the bible, and there He is an a-hole.
Seriously, what the fuck is this chap doing? Does he at all take any stance in the scriptures, or is he actually thinking up a new religion live, on stage?
its true at times that at time christains " dont know " all the answers, if we did then there would be no need for a God.
in the same way that science has proven the big bang and going to the start of it all there was nothingness, but there was a eternal God for those who choose to have blind faith, why, becasuse thats all we have at that point as science cannot tell us anything more about nothingness, other than it is nothingness
Of course it doesn't make any sense. There are no gods. It's like asking why every time I add two and two I can't quite make it equal five. I just don't know why, but I can never make it add up to five.
Some people are more blessed than Rev. Tom Honey. They don't need a tsunami, or glass churches, or mosques as big as castles to understand the love of God. Blessed are these...
As for me, I needed all of these to see. I'm one of those hard to understand....
Thanks for the vid and the courage.... thanks for the affirmation. God Bless
...Without the presence of these people in our midst we might be tempted to think of health,strength,and power as the only important values to be pursued in life.But the wisdom of Christ and the power of Christ are to be seen in the weakness of those who share his sufferings."-John Paul II, Go In Peace
Just wanted to add this..few contemplate on God's compassion to see a great power.
"The sick,the elderly,the handicapped,and the dying teach us that weakness is a creative part of human living,and that suffering can be embraced with no loss of dignity.(Continued)...
I don't believe some of the comments in response to this video. This guy thinks quite logically and comes up with some good ideas, then you lampoon him for not going far enough. He's a freaking Priest! If he stops believing in God, he's suddenly out of a job. No Priest in their right mind would say God does not exist, for fear of losing a flock of followers who keep him nicely paid.
He's merely making a living. This is an Anglican Priest we're talking about. It's not as if he's making millions like Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson. Now those "priests" use deception to make insane profits.
unfortunately, if the God who exists is the one of Christianity, then He's not a big fan of "lukewarm" people. Perhaps a deeper question is needed: can you be right with God and STILL enjoy life to its fullest?
If God exists and he gave you instincts, then follow them. Nobody is born with an instinct to spit in their own faces. Guilt and shame are devices to make people followers.
Aristotle used that same argument on Plato, saying that forms existed in things, and not in some distant dimension or plane.
I don't think it's fair to ask why destruction happens merely in the tsunami. A child getting hit with a tidal wave is like an old woman having a heart attack. The result is the same.
If we become brave enough to ask the question why any death happens, the answer becomes offensive and most displeasing.
I don't get it? Isn't God all about what happens AFTER this life... isn't his thing dividing the dead to venues (Hell/Heaven)? Maybe He's just really crap at building stable things... NOTHING on Earth is genuinely stable...
God is never changing because he has no need to. he knows what every person is going to do, he knows all. The reasons there are bad things in the world is because man created bad things and they impliment them. in regards to the tsunami the bible says it rains on the just and the unjust. stuff happens its part of life.God is all powerful.
16:49 The phrase "rigid doctrines" apparently sounds very similar to the name of a famous english evolutionary biologist :)
andreasdrg 1 week ago
mannnnn, fuck the police.
JacobGaynor3 2 weeks ago
It Seems to me he said these things must come to pass. and my thought is if these things are not shown, how will you know?
yourroaddog 1 month ago
The 1st thing to consider when thinking about God that it's LOGICAL fact that He is out of what He created and not ruled by it. By which I mean:Time. God is out of the time dimension. He can see all things in the past or in the future. they are the same to Him. He is all knowing all seeing.
The other fact which we must admit and know: We have limited knowledge..no matter what we know. Read the first verse of chapter 16 ( The Bees ) of Quran: ( quran . com / 16 )
xenon4646 1 month ago
Inspect the tidal wave verse of Matthew's Gospel 8.24, maybe. Jesus said be not afraid users of blind trust. And a Sea of Honey evolved.
You can use comprehension (part of Holy Spirit) to plan defenses against tidal waves, "Holding back the Flood" as the song and God in Exodus have it.
The world's most noted "Held-back tidal wave in rock" strangely holds a 600m face of a tearful woman. This is not only symbolically a warning of what Flood Fall does, the held-back Flood wave could be tears of joy
cloudbusterman 5 months ago
People have a problem with the idea of pain in a world that is ruled by God. His rulership keeps the laws of physics as LAWS, but he also rules by having given moral laws and the gospel. Interference with man's free will is the exception and not the rule of his moral gov't. A new world is coming and eternal retribution. Things will work out for good to those who love God and Jesus' appearing.
fractalfires 9 months ago
He's wrong, although he is respectful and skeptical about his own beliefs, which I admire. Still, I don't think he's worth TED's time. He's incorrect, therefore he's not TED quality.
TheLiberalSoup 10 months ago
@TheLiberalSoup wrong? incorrect? i suppose you possess the absolute truth for this matter?
yougocoming 10 months ago
Comment removed
yougocoming 10 months ago
As I follow the events unfolding in Japan thru the news, I am disturbed. I feel I want to tune out to the devastation that is happening but I somehow seem to find myself just praying for the people of Japan and rejoicing for the stories of survival. This video is something that gave me some comfort in my prayers this morning... I am praying and praying and praying for Japan. This is the only thing I know how.
jesslorenzo 10 months ago
I am so glad this he raised the question...
it's high time we start questioning the religions (not just christianity) rather than condone their misgivings and consequences..
abcd6841 10 months ago
@abcd6841 "Condone"? Wow, what a nice word, thanks~!
astat1 8 months ago
god is a powerless spectator, or total dick?
DarnellCotez 11 months ago
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"I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things." -Isaiah 45:7
I think that pretty much explains it.
niriop 1 year ago
I think he is deluded.Maybe.
luketkin 1 year ago
Wait, so is that how religion works? You can make it up as you go along? I think that's intellectual cowardice. I cannot understand why this guy didn't just go the extra step and ask "does god exist?" Answering "no" is a much more logical solution to his conundrum than the mental gymnastics (and self-deception) he had to do to come up with a god that fits into his modern, liberal moral code!
jillybjolly 1 year ago 3
anyways, it always struck me as odd that someone would say "here is my friend, it is perfect, and you can never understand it, but I can tell you what it wants"
does not make sense~ fun times
the inquisition barely registers in my mind, talking to people that hold to religion does, and hearing the arguments in it's favour does register with me
and it never made sense
noobler9 1 year ago
if god's not all powerful and all knowing it's not god :P
noobler9 1 year ago
The real issue is missed. What he should be trying to deal with is perceiving God as simultaneously eternal and durational infinite and finite creator and created. This is why he's attempting to logically give human standards to What Was Before The Creation of The Universe. This is the classic sympathy for the devil argument...
"If God is so cruel he doesn't deserve our worship." It's understandable though. 1000 years of The Inquisitional Flame is one hell of a transgenerational mental block.
prismwriter 1 year ago
his voice, it's so awesome
rcmontecalvo 1 year ago
Excellent. Put people to think.
Joasphoto 1 year ago
An honest man... of course, death of the kind brought about by a tsunami or an earthquake and sufferance are the biggest obstacles religious people have to face. I can only see - at the moment - two answers: non believing (my choice) or calling it a mystery, something not to be questioned, since God has inscrutable plans (for me a ridiculous answer good for a child, but not for a thinking adult).
bersa888 1 year ago
Boy oh boy... This is pissing the evangelical Christians and orthodox Jews off, because they are taught not to question their teachings. Its blasphemy.
truvelocity 1 year ago
contd....we know that there are so many things science will not be able to answer or will not be able to answer within our lifetime. So though answers to those question might exist in abstraction but they certainly do not exist in relation to our lifetime. So even though we expect science, logic and reasoning to answer every question to mankind eventually they do not exist for us at least individually. Which in itself seems quite abstract, nonsensical and infuriating.
All we can say is "I Exist"
utopianguy 1 year ago 7
Why is it that I exist? Why is it that I can see my own reflection in the mirror, see through my eyes, and get to experience life at all? This does not compel me to believe in a deity, it compels me to wonder if this is the way existence works. There has to be one point at which one feels "I exist" while others think they are separate, but are not. That my existence was just one variation of one unit meant to live in the illusion that I am separate, and we don't know why... Yet.
truvelocity 1 year ago
contd... Do you think he could have answered a question in 20 minutes which have puzzled mankind for thousands of years.
Well, Then why should we watch this video.
Probably for the same reasons why we watch any other video. Why we listen to any other opinion and just like fanaticism, accepting that we have no knowledge is also a point of view or for mere stimulus of ideas or even for simple entertainment.
Should there be or Is there answers to every question? Even though science is progressing
utopianguy 1 year ago 7
@utopianguy : I think that, for sure, we have reached a point where religion has been surpassed and lost its original evolutionary significance uses and importance. Many have some to the realization that we just don't need God anymore. Like the pastor says in the video, we are ultimately left alone, with us, our dreams, thoughts and feelings...and each other. Why should that be so scary? :-)
bersa888 1 year ago
@utopianguy It's not puzzling to everyone.
prismwriter 1 year ago
contd...and put your faith in question. Best thing about tom honey is without fearing being caught by devil(as per his christian religious beliefs) puts his beliefs at test and he honestly does admit that he doesn't know the truth. He does not commit himself to regular bible blabber and present his view of what the world is and how the world should be. I do understand that he does not give the solution to the question. But you shouldn't have watched this video with expectations of any answers...
utopianguy 1 year ago 9
Awesome. I am simply amazed. In awe. First of all I would like to say I am no christian neither do I associate myself with any religion. May be I can describe myself as Absurdist, Existentialist or Agnostic. But If I had to strictly choose between Atheism and Religion I would rather choose Atheism.
Anyway, About the Video:
First of all I would like to say being a "priest" for 20 years and investing in a religion so much you would need real courage to come up on a public forum ......contd.
utopianguy 1 year ago 7
Tom Honey is going to become an atheist if hasn't already become one. I use to be a devout Christian and had many of the same ideas and questions he did. That time in my life was just one major step on the path to me becoming an atheist.
justonefyx 1 year ago 2
very simple my Friends the tsunami happen because the epicenter
was the place where the French exploded an Atomic Bomb under the ocean
so Don'T blame God by Men made problems
josersimoes 1 year ago
i never knew who or what i was before i was born.... what makes you think i will know anything when i am dead? i had no brain before i was born and i will not have one after my death (at least not a functioning one) i have learned everything i know along the way, including a god figure. but that still doesn't change any facts.. and
gr4ndhustle 1 year ago
an honest response from a struggling Christian. I wish all Christians would be so honest.
wllllamkim 1 year ago
Cause you know, everyone who questions or ponders what characteristics their deity may or may not have and what faults exist there is automatically an atheist. God forbid rethinking your own religion! OMG! It must just be so fucking wrong then.
Youtube, get over yourself.
0Krusnik0 1 year ago
Not worthy of TED...
dommarthal 1 year ago 6
@dommarthal Why? It is always interesting to know the way people think. Please don't misunderstand, I'm atheist and I still think we should show respect to each other. I think TED organizers think this way.
Chroposnos 1 year ago
@rwtj01: He already knows that Christianity is man-made. It is essentially what he said. What he needs to admit is that even if this perception of god exists, there is no reason or need to assume its existence.
God like this is meaningless regarding of all things.
blackicemoon 1 year ago
This guy seems to have joined most of the dots. Now he just needs the balls to step back and see the picture --- Christianity ( / any religion) is a man-made fairytale.
rwtj01 1 year ago 3
Yawn .. thanks for wasting 20 minutes of time coming to the conclusion that YOU DON"T KNOW.
God is created in our minds to make life easier .. end of story. Just saved you 19 minutes 50 seconds.
coopersnoop 1 year ago 6
Mumble weep with us.. mumble blah... rejoice with us.. blah blah
DoctorE0 2 years ago 2
Now there is Haiti...Seems the time for Rev. Tom Honey to speak again...
AlexanderZlotnik 2 years ago
GOD will do some thing more horrible than tsunami
he will send non-believers to hell for ever
ask what people did before you ask what GOD did
you will always find he fault with people who have time for every thing expect for the BIG questions WHY we are here
Where did we come from?
moonlight7171 2 years ago
@moonlight7171
the threat of hell is useless against atheists.
We came from Africa.
gguilford72 2 years ago 4
Rev. Honey is an atheist in denial.
funkalunatic 2 years ago 3
"aquilo que semeardes havereis de colher"
God is everything! We cant define it. Defining it, already would be limiting it. We gotta FEEL God first of all. We are babies in spiritual evolution, we doesnt even know ourselves, how can we know God?
Read the Book of Spirits - Allan Kardec, and get answers!!
Peace!
DucitoYJo 2 years ago
Honey we came from africa, fuck off with the spiritual evolution -_-
Raxer21 2 years ago
One can only rationally say "I don't know" to the extent that one says "I don't know" to the existence of fairies or gnomes or unicorns.
MsDienow 2 years ago
Maybe God doesn't care because he's too busy eating bananas?
dankerer 2 years ago 3
Hi, I have the subtitles in french for this video and tried to get this back on you tube in french, but I can't send in more than ten minutes of video...and I would really like the french people to understand...anyone can give me a tip on how to get this there? please???
audeladelillusion 2 years ago
"Jesus", for a lack of a better exclamation. I actually cringed when he mentioned people telling him how god got them a parking space. Thats is beyond delusional, and more than a bit egocentric. Yes, an all-powerful creator of the universe changed reality to make your day a bit more convenient. Now who's the master in this relationship, again? And then people wonder why religious people scare me.
Khorien 2 years ago
Can you please explain this fear you have? Fear of what?
markaurelius61 2 years ago
Obviously, that sentence wasnt ment to be taken literaly. But I find the thought that a person is more or less coddled by an all powerful being, who exists outside the boundaries of what we know is possible, to be celf-centered in a mind boggling way.
Khorien 2 years ago
Fair enough, but belief in a universal creator can affect people in different ways. This person is just thankful for small mercies and expresses it through her perceived relationship with God.
That belief can also inspire people to work selflessly for the underprivileged from different cultures, e.g. Wilberforce or Mother Theresa.
markaurelius61 2 years ago
Actually Im with Hitchens when it comes to Mother Theresa, but I see your point. My counterargument would be that for every good deed done in the name of religion, there has been an evil one. An inquisitor for every samaritan, so to speak.
Khorien 1 year ago
As if this is some kind of NEW idea..
butteryblue 2 years ago
what a lovely and intelligent man. He questions everything rationally and decides he doesn't know - only one more step. Take god out of the equation. The problem with his take on things is that it is going to bore the audience. He just delivered everything that he possibly can in one sermon - why come back next week for more questions? I think he needs to become a scientist so he has something interesting to fill the gaps with. such a soothing voice would do evolutionary biology justice.
frederickfarrell 2 years ago 2
oi. Isn't he just talking about deism, or maybe panendeism? Anyways, he seems very caring, and for that I am appreciative. This is the first time I will be voting low on a Tedtalk video. Doubt is a cop out. Either you believe in magic or you don't. Putting a god in everything makes it a cardboard box, a hammer, and a rapist. By moving a god further and further into the undefinable you make it a more and more useless god. So go on and hide it so well that we never have to hear about it again.
sdaciuk 2 years ago
Nothing wrong with saying "I don't know". We all should get better at doing it more often.
MidgardEagle 2 years ago 2
He's not actually saying he doesn't know, he is trying to hang on to the idea of a god by tucking it away in hidden ways so he can still have his cake and eat it too. But when your magic book says he lives in the sky and you decide to put him somewhere else to put off his distruction by reason, then you fail. You fail at being the religion you claim to be and you fail to save your god, you just water him down to nothing. His god fails Epicurus and he should know better than to fake it.
sdaciuk 2 years ago
Completely right. I just said that abotu 10 minutes ago over msn!
"'I don't know is' is a great answer but no one likes saying it."
LeMegasandwich 2 years ago
believe in what you don't know/understand = profit.
tubehax 2 years ago
I always cry when I watch this video.How much moral honesty and courage it required for Tom to make it?Bravo,Tom!
AlexanderZlotnik 2 years ago 2
"How much moral honesty and courage it required for Tom to make it?"
Isn't honesty and courage what we expect our religious leaders to show? Or have we tacitly accepted the sad fact that religion is dominated by lies and cowardice?
Don't get me wrong, I like the direction in which rev. Honey is going, but it's none too soon. In fact, it's grossly overdue.
DavidMTRutten 2 years ago
I agree completely.
AlexanderZlotnik 2 years ago
I admire his honesty, but IS HE SERIOUS!? He sees the flaws in the bases of what he believes in but can't see what they mean! If God can't be as he alledgedly is, he probably isn't!
Thymonico 2 years ago
Brilliant.
catgivens 2 years ago
What a load of horse exhaust! Because they cannot come up with an answer for why Jesus allows natural disasters, they play the "compassion is more important than righteousness" card!? Organised religion typically has no problem with the latter.
This is nothing more than another pathetic attempt to recreate God in our own image. Another pointless failure to deduce stuff by wishful thinking.
At least he said "I don't know"... welcome on the road to atheism.
DavidMTRutten 2 years ago
"At least he said "I don't know"... welcome on the road to atheism."
I disagree.I'd say - "welcome on the road of agnosticism/skepticism
AlexanderZlotnik 2 years ago
"I disagree. I'd say - welcome on the road of agnosticism/skepticism"
Fair enough. That is indeed a better greeting...
DavidMTRutten 2 years ago
Problem is, many who believe in a god, do so for selfish reasons; - go to heaven etc. Fact is, idea of God is a delusion. But if you have bought into this delusion, the only thing you can do is making a loving, caring god of it/you, and passing some of it on. That's what Rev Honey is saying, using the "namaste" greeting as an example. Believing in a god is to manifest good/beauty. Makes sense. At least he's honest enuf to say "I don't know".
lensgypsy 2 years ago
Brilliant!
longmelford 2 years ago
Again, this affirms that you cannot be 100% honest with yourself and believe in a loving God at the same time - Simply impossible. This is partly the reason why atheists are atheists. In order to believe in a loving God, you have to completely ignore common sense - Not Good. God either exists or he doesn't or he doesn't care. You can reach any of these conclusions by looking at the beauty & ruthlessness of life. God answers ppl's prayers while babies starve to death in Africa? Makes no sense
TheInvaderBN 3 years ago 5
fuck...god ain't exist, if he does, fuck him. Shit happens and those victims will be reborn and keep walking on the road of evolution. Feel sorry about the victims? Don't worry, they'll be reborn and keep going by their karma's balancing action. Mind your own ass and just be as nice as you can to anyone coming into your life.
dfmep 3 years ago
In my view the tsunami made so many victims because we the people have come to the point that we are disconnected with the knowledge that stoped passing from generation to generation and the signs of nature, if that knowledge had passed we would have a clue to what was coming.
LusoCMD 3 years ago
The real story that some tribes in that area that new those signs and run away from their near the sea houses to higher ground is a fact that this ancient ways of living still hold that passing knowledge and use it even if events only happen once every 2 or more centuries. For me it has nothing to do with god but the way we are evolving
LusoCMD 3 years ago
Well hot damn, this man feels exactly as I do about god, the universe, all that is, etc. Very touching talk. I did not expect this.
InsectRoyalty 3 years ago
Brilliant though the Reverend's ideology is (compared to naive Creationists), I can't help but feel the decline of God's role in religion is destined to end in a sort of pantheistic Church. I myself would support this, but I know that the idea of a religion without God would scare many people.
AuthenticPunkDance 3 years ago 3
Maths can be God and people can meditate on equations while they wait for their DNA worshipping session. :)
frederickfarrell 2 years ago 3
"I don't know" is the best answer I've yet received to the Problem of Evil. I wish more Christians were like Reverend Honey.
MidgardEagle 3 years ago
How can one be satisfied with this answer?
astat1 2 years ago
i'm suprised by the responses to this and that people are so suprised. It's Spinozan theology all over again to me. People keep saying that "i'm an atheist but I like this" or "this is a much more palatable God than I am used to." It's a shame that so may people can only find comfort in the beliefs of the excommunicated and not even know it. The irony here kills me.
CDN919 3 years ago
Does it matter?
MidgardEagle 3 years ago
I don't know if it is just me, but this presentation is really a good one. Probably, it is one of the best Tedtalks. I think I am no longer atheist after watching this video clip. It doesn't mean that I am a Christian either, but... Is there a religion where the God is powerless?
manyscents 3 years ago
Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?
Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing?
Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing?
Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing?
Then why call him God? - Epicurus
arkham1999 3 years ago
I'm an atheist, but this guy's God is one I could consider. The all-good, all-powerful, all-knowing version is obviously inconsistent with the world as we find it, but the spirit of seeking and the forces which permeate the universe -- yeah, that wouldn't violate my sense of reality.
I'm sorry so many people were "bored" or so fixated on the traditional notion of God that they couldn't hear and consider what this man was saying, but I think it's worth pondering.
zeggman 3 years ago
My respects... I am a catholic who is in love with God but your response shows me that I have yet to learn more about God. Thanks Zeggman. Your response is very humbling to me.
jesslorenzo 3 years ago
Hi Zeggman. My respects. I am a catholic who is in love with God but your response is very humbling to me. It shows me that I have a lot to learn about the God I love. Thanks.
jesslorenzo 3 years ago
I wonder: if he has so many doubts why doesn't he just do the next logical step and become an atheist? The way he is trying to get out of his dilemma doesn't seem consistent to me at all.
gerinca 3 years ago
Although I'm an atheist, I've always found this question/argument rather weak. Regardless of how kind God would be, I don't think he'd intend for the world to be perfect. What would be the use for heaven?
luqmana 3 years ago
Then what was the point of the Garden of Eden? If God was omnipotent surely he knew the outcome. So he just wanted to give the first two humans a little taste of paradise before he bitch-slapped the future of humanity for all time with original sin? Surely most people don't believe they had anything to do with grabbing the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge. God works in mysterious ways is the biggest cop-out there is.
I see where you're coming from though :|
noinlair 3 years ago
what a weak presentation
Antisyncretism 3 years ago
How is this weak? Provide me with some reasons, if possible. I thought this was a great and strong presentation.
manyscents 3 years ago
It was so very weak pathetically liberal often a precursor to syncretism. It was so relativist which also very much a precusor if not necessary to approaching syncretistic or automatically being syncretistic in thought.
It was so very weak and devoid of theology just philosophy and this context makes his points just dead
Antisyncretism 3 years ago
funny how thinking about God can so easily be confused with non-belief.
darrenmmurtha 3 years ago
In holland there is a priest how is an atheist, but he believes in the rules.
nitwitters 3 years ago
poor reverend, has no balls to admit he is an atheist after all.
No use of applying cosmetics on an already disvarded and derelict idol.
His disbelief here is so painfully obvious.
vonbiron 3 years ago
Atheist means that you are certain that there is no god. Please, know the definition before questioning his thoughts.
manyscents 3 years ago
WOW, i love this seminar...my "conclusions" about is almost word for word with Rev.Tom Honey.
I've always had questions about the perception and identity of God.
Just as Tom said, God can very well be the universal connection that we have, the inner entity that thrives on love...the soul of the universe.
We are living in an ocean of energy and connectivity. Just look at a Hubble Deep Field picture and see a glimpse of how amazing and enormous the universe is. There are so many questions...
zoharsis 3 years ago
I think this man has a better understand than any atheist.WHY, because he can connect with religious people and atheists...mabye this man can change religious ppl's point of veiw... give those believers a chance, they are most valuable, Because, religious zombies WONT listen to an atheist
tommyaceshow 3 years ago
The mention of god is a turn-off because only ignorant, delusional man could`ve come with a god and all it`s baggage(garbage) of heaven, hell, satan, original sin, the second coming etc.
Man`s god creation is the search for a life hereafter.
This enables believers to cope with this unknown in the hope that they will go to this delusional heaven and worship this god delusion for all eternity.
Meanwhile, non-believers will go to a fiery hell.
Remember, god loves you.
Great delusion.
maurieer 3 years ago
Wow. Just... wow.
I am an atheist and very pessimistic by nature; but this man's theology is simply beautiful and touching.
janeyanna 3 years ago 4
Maybe God isnt what you thought it was :|
Maybe human beings are afraid of death and pain and visions of that!
God is above pain
rexrae 3 years ago
THERE IS NO GOD. Start there, and try to prove there is.
You're starting with a belief, and trying to rationalize it. WRONG WAY BUDDY.
TheWiseCommenter 3 years ago
Actually, that is how Einstein came up with many of his theories- with mental exercises to rationalize theories, instead of using the Scientific Method... He then proved them with experiments, but he came up with ideas through philosophical thought.
darrenmmurtha 3 years ago
The scientific method does not preclude thought. Even philosophical thought. I think there are many who would argue that he used the mental exercises to derive his theory, not simply to rationalize them.
beriukay 3 years ago
Sorry about mixing the singular and plural there... blame it on being sleepy.
beriukay 3 years ago
Perhaps staying awake to the end would be helpful.
dinkyfarkledoodle 3 years ago
I love church of england priests :) they have lovely voices that make me all sleepy... I can completely ignore their actual words but really enjoy listening to the murmur, like listening to music... It's people like this guy that make me an nice atheist, rather than a ravening monster!
thelevellers 4 years ago 2
@thelevellers
Holy crap, you're right.
xy5knd83jkd 3 years ago
A theological question:
How hard does god have to fuck you in the ass for you to stop worshiping him?
( Not intended to be answered by gay people )
mrkvamaster 4 years ago
Why are you so angry on someone you don't even believe he exists ?
maradona400 4 years ago
I see your answer to my question is: very hard
mrkvamaster 4 years ago
LOL!
Jeremyguru 4 years ago
It would be absurd to be angry at a god. Gods are not real.
Jeremyguru 4 years ago
Ha ha ha!
Jeremyguru 4 years ago
Seems to me he doesnt ask what is god, but rather creates a god so the he adheres to criteria set up by himself.
Thedreamshaperabc 4 years ago
He seems like a pretty good guy but ultimately, the real answer lies in the fact that the world is a dynamic place. As more people populate it more of them will be in the path of changes. No need for God to cause or allow things to happen. Simply put, Occam's razor. The simplest most probable answer is the correct answer.
mcdavis55 4 years ago
Well, I have to give the guy credit for his courage. Talking about God from the pro-theistic side of the fence at TED is like wearing a raw-meat necklace into a lion's cage.. Sheesh..
teejers01 4 years ago
What a bloody nutter.
He basically affirmed the very reasons why atheists are atheists. ...and yet now he'll go back to his church telling his congregation that they need to pray to an invisible man in the clouds so that they won't go to a firey invisible place after they die.
21:30 of absolutely ridiculous bullcrap.
ivanisavich 4 years ago 3
I agree completely! "our faith bruised"? Well what a terrible inconvenience that must have been for them! How dare he!
Junkyousha 4 years ago
This guy is peering out of the atheist closet.
LtStarkiller 4 years ago
he's more like a an anti-god theist.
roeliox 4 years ago
I like how at 18:55 -19:35 this man humbly admits he has no answers. If Mr. Honey doesn't know the answer, hopefully he will keep asking around. (Matthew 7:7,8) The answer to Why God Allows Tsunamis is in the Bible, and it's very comforting...
micahbuchanan 4 years ago
Man European Christians absolutely put their American counterparts to shame. At least those seeking publicity.
jpbalkenende 4 years ago
NEWS FLASH: GOD DOESN'T EXIST...lol at you christians for wasting your life away
deadhardy 4 years ago
Do you believe in nothingness,infinity,eternity,scientific truths,mathematical truths,concepts like triangularity,freedom of speech?? I've never seen any of these yet I believe these immaterial concepts exist--they are not embodied in any one material body yet they exist,,something to think about.....
dingorex 4 years ago
Redefine your definition of believe, I believe nothing, but I am not an nihilist.
I have a good idea that certain things are so due to evidence, or due to likely hood.
Based on that, there is almost certainly no god because a god or gods would be both improbable and virtually impossible!
joebot1 4 years ago
I'm not the best at explaining this but if humans were not able to rise above mere sense perception-based thought we would not be able to think 'triangle';all our thought would be of a particular triangle:a scalene triangle,an equalateral triangle,a red one,but in order to think 'triangle' humans must have an ability of intellect to understand universals. It's a tough nut to crack,but thinking intellectually with universals sets humans apart from the material universe of other animals
dingorex 4 years ago
Not every immaterial idea is true. Freedom of speech is just the name of a law. Things like math and science can be easily explained. "god" cannot. At first god is a man in the sky, then we explore the sky and find he is not there, so he becomes a man in another dimension. First the Earth was created in 6 days, then we discover that's off by a few billion years. so religion redefines the word "day". Aren't religious people tired yet of desperately changing the rules as they go along.
michaud535 4 years ago
You speak the truth. The god of the gaps is getting smaller.
Jeremyguru 4 years ago
No, the horizon of ignorance expands with the advance of science, and some of the gaps are stubborn - even getting bigger.
The more we understand the cell, the less we can explain its origin. The clearer we see the big bang, the clear is the question What caused the Big Bang.
markaurelius61 2 years ago
'Not every immaterial idea is true'
So you concede the immateriality of ideas and the concept of truth. Your on my page after all...
dingorex 4 years ago
Your ability to come up with valid analogies is severly retarded.
Jeremyguru 4 years ago
Show me a 'valid analogy' empirically....we must decide on a philosophy of language that is common sense based as retarded as they may sound to a...uh..um...intellectually challenged person:)
dingorex 4 years ago
Sigh...for example:
Your comparison of belief in science to belief in your silly god is ridiculous. Science is based on EVIDENCE. Your god is not.
Jeremyguru 4 years ago
Whose interpretation of science? Yours? Michael Denton's? Michael Behe's? Stephen J Gould's? Only atheist's? Your too narrow.
I wouldn't believe in Jesus if there was not evidence both sacred and secular. No evidence my butt. Have you disproved the resurrection of Jesus? Rhetorical questions all, I know how your ilk thinks as I was one the first 3rd of my everlasting life:)
dingorex 4 years ago
There's "sacred and secular evidence of Jesus?" Like what?
Your argument makes perfect sense. Suicide bombers wouldn't blow themselves to pieces if they didn't have "sacred" and "secular" evidence that 72 virgins await them in heaven.
Please, go get a science education from a proper university.
Jeremyguru 4 years ago
I'm with you on the atheism, but that's not constructive for the discussion.
chrissowick 4 years ago
Not to say that I disagree with the speaker, but to clarify one of his allusions: in Dostoyevsky's book, Ivan provides a more elaborate explanation for abandoning God's plan. He accepts that suffering is required in order for us to have _Free will_, but ultimately decides that Free will is not worth it.
Ilyakub 4 years ago 2
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Did he at all mention the bible? He complains that christians tie God down, but that's because they read the bible, and there He is an a-hole.
Seriously, what the fuck is this chap doing? Does he at all take any stance in the scriptures, or is he actually thinking up a new religion live, on stage?
frodolf8212 4 years ago
No, I just think he became a buddhist.
henriok 4 years ago
its true at times that at time christains " dont know " all the answers, if we did then there would be no need for a God.
in the same way that science has proven the big bang and going to the start of it all there was nothingness, but there was a eternal God for those who choose to have blind faith, why, becasuse thats all we have at that point as science cannot tell us anything more about nothingness, other than it is nothingness
God bless
ducks123 4 years ago
Of course it doesn't make any sense. There are no gods. It's like asking why every time I add two and two I can't quite make it equal five. I just don't know why, but I can never make it add up to five.
Tatarize 4 years ago
Some people are more blessed than Rev. Tom Honey. They don't need a tsunami, or glass churches, or mosques as big as castles to understand the love of God. Blessed are these...
As for me, I needed all of these to see. I'm one of those hard to understand....
Thanks for the vid and the courage.... thanks for the affirmation. God Bless
jesslorenzo 4 years ago
...Without the presence of these people in our midst we might be tempted to think of health,strength,and power as the only important values to be pursued in life.But the wisdom of Christ and the power of Christ are to be seen in the weakness of those who share his sufferings."-John Paul II, Go In Peace
jesslorenzo 4 years ago
Just wanted to add this..few contemplate on God's compassion to see a great power.
"The sick,the elderly,the handicapped,and the dying teach us that weakness is a creative part of human living,and that suffering can be embraced with no loss of dignity.(Continued)...
jesslorenzo 4 years ago
Well said... Your vid is very provocative.
jesslorenzo 4 years ago 3
I don't believe some of the comments in response to this video. This guy thinks quite logically and comes up with some good ideas, then you lampoon him for not going far enough. He's a freaking Priest! If he stops believing in God, he's suddenly out of a job. No Priest in their right mind would say God does not exist, for fear of losing a flock of followers who keep him nicely paid.
Tzelemel 4 years ago
Only if right mindedness is deception for profit.
nilbud 4 years ago
He's merely making a living. This is an Anglican Priest we're talking about. It's not as if he's making millions like Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson. Now those "priests" use deception to make insane profits.
Tzelemel 4 years ago
The answer to all of his questions is simple and obvious: THERE IS NO GOD. What a dumbass!
mrkvamaster 4 years ago
There is NO GOD because he didn't prevent a Tsunami ...You're just as stupid as this theist .
IIIESSENCIANIII 4 years ago
If that was the only argument against God, I might actually start believing in Him.
MidgardEagle 4 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
do you have a vagina for a face?
HomieNick 4 years ago
prevent a Tsunami?
Perhaps it was granted.
I have argued for storms and they come...(a long set of coincidence to improbable to be true? or a God)
It's not a hard concept to understand.
abram730 4 years ago
Maybe the tsunami was a warning from God. ( I know nothing ! )
A warning that if we continue to polute the planet, global warming will melt the ice caps causing the oceans to rise and tens of millions will die.
michael0845 4 years ago
"Maybe the tsunami was a warning from God. ( I know nothing ! )
A warning that if we continue to polute the planet, global warming will melt the ice caps causing the oceans to rise and tens of millions will die. "
Please be joking...
CozyPaddedCell 4 years ago 2
I am not joking at all. Hundreds of millions of people live at sea level or below.
michael0845 4 years ago
The animals that follow GOD's children went for high ground... The people followed the water out to sea.
A God like solution to Overpopulation would be what? kill 4 billion? Disease, a comet?
abram730 4 years ago
The best thing to do is be good enough to get into heaven in case it exists... but enjoy life in case it doesn't.
MrFrankBullitt 4 years ago
how good is "good enough" to get into heaven?
unfortunately, if the God who exists is the one of Christianity, then He's not a big fan of "lukewarm" people. Perhaps a deeper question is needed: can you be right with God and STILL enjoy life to its fullest?
darkominem 4 years ago
If God exists and he gave you instincts, then follow them. Nobody is born with an instinct to spit in their own faces. Guilt and shame are devices to make people followers.
MrFrankBullitt 4 years ago
Wow... God has dissolved into a nothing. It's about time.
midlantica 4 years ago
oh.... this is way too nice！
he deserves seven stars.
b88104044 4 years ago
GOD IS NOT REAL!!!
theres a twist for you!!!!
n0ble8foldpath 4 years ago
Aristotle used that same argument on Plato, saying that forms existed in things, and not in some distant dimension or plane.
I don't think it's fair to ask why destruction happens merely in the tsunami. A child getting hit with a tidal wave is like an old woman having a heart attack. The result is the same.
If we become brave enough to ask the question why any death happens, the answer becomes offensive and most displeasing.
ronaldhalabi7 4 years ago
I don't get it? Isn't God all about what happens AFTER this life... isn't his thing dividing the dead to venues (Hell/Heaven)? Maybe He's just really crap at building stable things... NOTHING on Earth is genuinely stable...
orinocojones 4 years ago
Do you think God has nipples?
kev3d 4 years ago
"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?"
Epicurus
'nuff said
yannchambrier 4 years ago 3
what a great conclusion... exactly. We don't know anything so let's stop pretending to know god... please
reinier84 4 years ago
This guy's good. Though he doesn't really answer any of those questions...
KruspeFish 4 years ago
God is never changing because he has no need to. he knows what every person is going to do, he knows all. The reasons there are bad things in the world is because man created bad things and they impliment them. in regards to the tsunami the bible says it rains on the just and the unjust. stuff happens its part of life.God is all powerful.
stephenmrrs 4 years ago
There are plenty of bad things that man didn't "create"--natural disasters and communicable diseases are two that come to mind.
ClumsyRoot 4 years ago 2
then God is malevolent.
DrRandale 4 years ago 2