Blasphemy Challenge / I Believe

[Mordekai1]

Well thought out and presented. I like this speech :)

[chichoguitar]

I THINK YOU ARE A VERY SMART HUMAN BUT I BELIEVE WE HAVE LINE WE WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO CROSS THAT IS THE ONE THAT OUR MIND DONT UNDERSTAND. I BELIEVE THERE IS SUPERIOR POWER THAT WE CANT UNDERSTAND ITS EXISTANCE ONLY IT WHO IS THE CREATOR OF EVERTHING KNOWS WHAT WE WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND BECAUSE OUR EXISTANCE IT SELF. MAYBE MY BELIEVE IS WRONG ONLY BECAUSE I BELIEVE ...LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF WHAT I THINK..

[unassimilated]

@chichoguitar I understand your belief because I used to share it. We are brought up to believe that "belief" is a virtue. When we are taught this and have it reinforced from childhood, it seems natural to just accept it uncritically. But then you divorce yourself from reason. On what basis do you decide that your "belief" is correct and Buddhism or Hinduism is false? All belief must have a foundation stronger than the prior belief of our ancestors. Otherwise the belief is built on sand.

[Dwrancho144]

Almost everyone denies the power/existence of the Holy Spirit in there life, but denying the Holy Spirit is not the unforgivable sin at all !!! the unforgivable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit....According to the bible this blasphemy has to do with someone witnessing Jesus Christ performing a miracle and then attribute that power to Satan instead of the Spirit. So an atheist can't even commit this sin because he/she doesn't even think satan or the Holy Spirit exist!!!

[Jasper50]

You are a good person. YOu have a good heart. I respect your belief. I am a believer in Jesus Christ as the Savior of my soul. It bothers me that good people will spend eternity apart from Jesus unless they put their faith in Christ Jesus. I think it is possible to find meaning in life but for me I find it difficult. If this life is all there is, what would it matter if one had a happy life or a life full of pain. When it all ends neither will be any better off. I have faith in Christ.

[unassimilated]

I understand your need for meaning. This definition of meaning has likely been taught to you since birth. For me, meaning is local in time-space. My life has meaning while I live it. That meaning can be positive for those I love and for the world, or it can be negative. Life is happier if our impact is positive and we have people who love us. I would not reduce the importance of this life by requiring a better life after this one. I believe that denigrates the present, giving this life less joy.

[SHADYSPAW2]

you seem like a smart man, god is nature life the universe real, i hope one day you hear him and feel his presence like i did, anyways i wish you luck and peace you seem honest. god is my friend. i hope one day you will be his.

[silenus212]

Thank you for posting this. You are a very wise person.

[gelizzle]

I am a Christian and I completely respect your take on this. A sensible denial of beliefs and a succinct outline of your beliefs, as opposed to bashing and cursing at believers and the deity that they believe in. If only all atheists were like you.

[unassimilated]

There has been too much tribalism from both camps in my opinion. As you can imagine, my video has exposed me to the worst and the best of the Christian community. Comments like yours give me hope that religion can come to be seen more as a personal matter with dialog and respect on both sides. Thank you for taking the time to post it.

[photekxl]

I hate to be a cynical douche but religious institutions and many of its believers will ensure religion will never be seen as a "personal matter." Religions teach that it is the obligation of its believers to spread the word of their God to non-believers. Until people recognize religion for what it is: ancient mysticism concocted by desert tribal people with fabricated deities, and learn to treat it as only tradition, it will continue to be pervasive in our lives whether we like it or not

[unassimilated]

You are almost certainly correct. But we are already starting to see a bit of a backlash against fundamentalist evagelicalism. That movement was much less powerful 20 years ago. I hope it returns to a more benign state.

[bonangusacdc]

Here Here. Well said that man.

[OverusedChewToy]

These are pretty much exactly my beliefs (philosophically speaking, I don't have a wife & kids :P). Youtube needs to feature something like this, the world needs more naturalism.

[realplayer54]

That "supernatural spy" is called guilt.

[unassimilated]

I believe in guilt. I just don't believe in an incarnation of guilt called God. We should feel bad for mistakes we make but we can only receive forgiveness from those we wronged, not an imaginary confessor.

[realplayer54]

But what if you never see that person again? You can't ask them for forgiveness then.

[unassimilated]

Yep, if you never see them then you have a problem. All the more reason to pay your debts and ask forgiveness for your mistakes sooner rather than later. If you never have a chance to apologize, then you have to simply turn it into a lesson to yourself. Sometimes the incidents that you could not apologize for become the ones that make you a better person since they remain unforgiven and thus unforgotten.

[realplayer54]

You'll never know if that person forgave you, but once you feel guilty about it you have to eventually forgive yourself. Can you really forgive yourself without feeling selfish about it?

[unassimilated]

Certainly you can forgive yourself but you should never forget. I have a few strong memories of mistakes I made when I was younger. The 41-year-old me is not the same person as the 24-year-old me. I have forgiven myself for the mistakes of my younger self but I am still responsible for any harm done. And I still remember those mistakes as an object lesson to my current self of the sort of thing I don't want to repeat.

[realplayer54]

There has to be a standard though. The reason why God is the authority is because he is without sin and pure Good. If he forgives you, how can any man not do the same?

[unassimilated]

realplayer54, it is nice to think that you can simply ask the creator of the universe for forgiveness and be absolved of wrongdoing but in reality that does nothing to help the one you wronged. It merely eases your own conscience and impairs your ability to learn the valuable lessons of your mistakes. It is a masking mechanism.

[unassimilated]

What indication does God ever give you that he has forgiven you? Is it anything more than a sense that you are no longer being held responsible? Is it just a feeling of internal peace? How can you ever know that is more than your own mind making itself feel better. We know this happens.

Do you really feel that the families of the victims of Ted Bundy forgave him once they heard that Ted had accepted Jesus and received forgiveness from God?

[rubio210]

Beautiful words man.

I'm not sure, but for some reason, Christians believe I had to fall into atheism, as if something happened along the way to deny a god, rather than thinking freely and using logic and reason to determine that there is not god and that I don't have a set of corrupt set of commandments to guide me morally.

[kurtilein3]

2000 years ago mankind had a much higher knowledge of reality than 300 years ago. much was lost.

2000 years ago the romans had a road-system with horse-changing stations that allowed a travelling speed that was not reached again until 200 years ago.

[bdmjintx]

nice. i think too many theist out there think that atheists believe in absolutely nothing, just because we don't buy into that supernatural crap.

[Justaname2222]

WoW that was great

[hyperkris]

well done, while everyone else is going ahead and plainly making videos saying they deny the existence of the holy spirit you actually spoke your mind and made an intelligent video. well dont :D

[magicbrainman]

" I believe the most heinous criminal deserves our compassion, for given the same genetics and environment, I surely would have committed the same vile acts. I believe I never made a conscious choice to love my wife....." Ok, this statement is a great way to deny any spirit (soul) but say that we are directed by genetics and environment totally. Then is there any such thing as intelligence, and if so, where does it come from?

[unassimilated]

There is certainly intelligence. It comes from a combination of genetics and environment. More important than intelligence is self-awareness which appears to be a very recent evolutionary innovation. Check on the "Emergence" podcast on radiolab dot com. Fascinating stuff.

[magicbrainman]

sorry for that confusing sentence top last. I meant that in that environment, with those influences, I became what I was. Why did you become what you are?

[magicbrainman]

And, Just as I would admit, that being raised in a home where my parent's went to the Baptist Church, and my Grandmother prayed and received answers to her prayers. If there was ever a woman WHO could stand on a moral high ground, it is her. She ran her own business for many years by herself. What influences in your family caused you to be what you've become to be (A naturalist) Do you have a reason to dislike God? What propelled you to switch to what you are, or were you always such?

[unassimilated]

magicbrain, do you dislike Zeus? Do you dislike the Invisible Pink Unicorn? You cannot dislike a character that you do not believe even exists. What led me to leave superstition was the slow realization that it had no basis in reality. Watch a few of the vids in my favorites and check out user/GIIVideo to begin your journey. Peace.

[magicbrainman]

your point being to discredit the bible by stating such "ugly stuff." When anyone states anything, it is best backed up by examples, to make the speaker more credible. If the Bible refers to "rape, 'genocide, human sacrifice, Murder, is it trying to teach it as what to do? Is it however telling a historic fact? There are evil peoples described in the bible such as in Habakuk, where the caldeans were murdering his people. God answers Habakuk back; the murderers were not Godly (good) people

[magicbrainman]

Respectfully, could you sit on United 175 as it approaches the WTC and not kneel and pray to any God? See the victims faces at september11victims dot com. Lisa Frost 22 on United 175 see her face. Did that evolve without a designer? Who made an apple just the right size for your hand and to bite?

[unassimilated]

Respectfully, I cannot imagine wasting my last remaining moments on this earth appealing to a vague supernatural entity who, if he existed, arranged the universe such that I should be on that plane. I would rather spend that time reflecting on all of the joy I have had in my life. If I believed in God, I would be bitter about Him allowing terrorists to hijack my plane.

[magicbrainman]

That being the test, if you were on the plane, regardless of whether God got you out or had you in, if you didn't have some attempt to contact God in thought then to plea, or acknowledge him, or to ask for peace with him, then you must be quite far along into this decision not to believe. It is ok to postulate or state, but when the real thing happens.....

[unassimilated]

Yep, I am about 20 years away from believing in a spiritual parallel plane of existence. I am as far from believing in gods, angels, demons and fairies as you probably are from believing in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. Could you ever imagine resuming belief in Santa? I imagine you would believe in Santa if you saw evidence.

[magicbrainman]

There is a [Christian teaching] that God calls some and not others to belief. Many reject that [soverignity of god] teaching and prefer to think that God gives us all a chance. Whether that is true or untrue, I still think that people choose to be athiests for reasons of their own, most likely having to do with some lifestyle that is not accepted in religion. A pity.

[unassimilated]

Yes magicbrainman, it must be comforting to you to believe that atheists choose atheism due to some moral lack on their part. However, I need no bogeyman from a 2000-year-old book to threaten me with eternal torment to realize that life is happier if we live it in harmony with our fellowman. You go ahead believing in mysticism and supernaturality if it makes you happy. But please do not think that gives you the moral high ground. It just means you let others do your moral thinking for you.

[magicbrainman]

Hi unassimilated, You know it is possible for me (one) to believe in a thing intellectually (such that I belive There is a God) and not necessarily be adhering to some full "moral" perfection with respect to God. As a Christain, I still do what I know my God does not like. So I am not standing on some moral high ground. I do however believe that God is a Forgiving God and a Guiding God. Morally, I am most likely no better than you are.

[magicbrainman]

So getting off of that Moral pedestal, The argument here is purely one that is for God or Against believe in God. I would assert that anyone needs to really study for example the Bible and be openminded to be fully informed before making such decisions. There is a website creationscience dot com and others. Has an athiest read the Bible, for example.

[unassimilated]

Yes magicbrain, many atheists have read the Bible. In fact for many atheists, reading the Bible was what began their journey out of superstition. I have read the Bible all the way through once and am currently re-reading all of the New Testament. There is some really ugly stuff in the Bible. Rape, murder, human sacrifice, genocide. Not recommended for small children.

[magicbrainman]

Hi unassimilated, Thank YOU, can you please give me any scriptures in the old or new testament that refer to human sacrifice, genocide, murder, rape. I know the Murder one, Cain slew Abel. When the bible speaks of such a topic, usually it refers to the ones raping, murdering, slaying, genociding, as the bad guys and uses them for examples. Please give me

Any verses to support your point

[unassimilated]

magicbrainman, I cannot give you adequate examples of atrocities in the Bible in 250 characters. Have a look at evilbible dot com for a good starting point.

[unassimilated]

Magicbrainman, I hope that you are not offended by the way I explain my view. My intent is to try to paint a picture of how differently I view the issue so that you can understand that I do not deny God so that I can continue with some moral perversion. Rather, I simply think the concept is absurd and that the "god" premise can cause great moral harm to society. I hope you will take my word for it when I say that I genuinely believe that accepting naturalism is the most honest, moral position.

[magicbrainman]

Then we become so much biological matter, and Murder is not (or is it) so wrong. Left societies like the UK and Canada and France do not like capital punishment because the objecters believe this life is all there is. It is easier to agree with choice of abortion if the thing is only tissue, there is no god looking on, and there is no soul in that tissue.

[unassimilated]

magicbrainman, you are correct about the moral implications of a naturalistic worldview except when you say that murder is not so wrong. Murder is extremely immoral since you are depriving the victim of the only life he or she has. On theism this is much less so since the victim is merely going to Heaven early. That is the reason that, as you state, UK, Canada, etc. do not allow the death penalty.

[magicbrainman]

I did not mean that Murder was not so wrong; I was adding that to the first part of the sentence, in context with, the statement that if we were so much vegetable matter and not more.... But I understand your reasoning too about this being all there is (you think) I'll add this: Is your athiesm a result of a lifestyle that would conflict with Christian or Traditional Moral ethics? Did you choose to be athiest because of Moral objections of religion to any behavior of yours?

[unassimilated]

I did not choose to be atheist. I simply found belief in a supernatural realm to be no longer useful. At this point I object to religion for moral reasons, however, such as restraining vital medical research, marginalizing homosexuals and women, discouraging proper education about safe sexual practices, fostering division in society and encouraging fanatics to fly planes into buildings.

[magicbrainman]

There is lots of evidence on the internet and in a certain book that in the Chinese language there is talk of God, The flood, Creation. Hidden in the Chinese alphabet several thousand years ago, and not conflicting with The Christian Bible which I belive is the true word of God. Others, like Islam borrow from the bible and are corrupted one-man fabrications. And Christians don't condone any terrorism; that is specific to the Koran and Islam.

[RandusOz]

Right on.

[SatansTVrepairman]

awsome vidio!!

[magnime01]

truthism dot com. that guy again eh?

[ilikemusic115]

I believe in Yo mama!

[unassimilated]

truthism dot com? The fact that all cultures have had a fascination with snakes, an animal that often kills us, is absolutely zero evidence that we were designed by intelligent, humanoid space reptiles.

[unassimilated]

truthism dot com? Uh, yeah. The human race being genetically engineered by what look like sleestacks from "The Land of the Lost" is about as silly as it gets. Evidence first, please. I'll believe in Jesus before I believe that "The Land Of The Lost" is a documentary.

[Katalyzt]

Perfectly done! Welcome to the group of YT atheist and rationality... ★★★★★

Katalyzt

[funkeepickle]

amazing vid. 5 stars

[GnosticAtheist]

Loved it. Subscribed.

[abd400]

There is no treatment has been discovered for crooked minds like yours yet. If you are willing to deny everything what you see, even your parents, what can I say ?

[unassimilated]

Oh, I'll go a step further. I wouldn't even trust divine revelation if it came from ME! How would I know that I wasn't simply mentally unbalanced? There are an awful lot of unfortunate folks in this world who hear voices in their heads and see people who are not there.

[abd400]

I fully agree that Christianity has nothing to do with Jesus Christ Son of Mary or His Disciples. Christianity is a late Invention. This is Islamic View also. Now what is the Truth about our Creator and how does He guides us. Who we are, Why we are here and Where are we going?. Answers you will find in Islam. There are no Myths and no playing with people's Emotions. Just Logical, Straightforward and Scientific. Ask Questions and Inquire about Islam. Islam has the Answers. Peace!

[unassimilated]

I have seen no more reason to believe in Islamic supernaturalism than in Christian supernaturalism. Why do you believe that there is a supernatural realm? Islam is an even later invention than Christianity. Once there is any evidence for any supernatural realm, then I'll invest time trying to determine if any of the current religions have any merit. Until then, I'll not bother, thanks.

[abd400]

Islam:Islam means commitment to surrender to the Will of God (Allah) and be at peace with the Creator and His Creation.Worship Him alone with submission and in obedience.Islam is a way of life of righteousness based on divine revelation. The whole creation obeys the laws of God so is Muslim.God has sent down chain of prophets, conveying same message of Islam, beginning from Adam and ending with Muhammad. Prophets;David,Moses,Jesus and Muhammad brought divine books of guidance.Welcome to Islam.

[unassimilated]

Uh, yeah. I wouldn't trust divine revelation if it came from my own father. And there is no evidence that Adam, David, Moses or Jesus were actual historical people. The Quran appears to have been cobbled together over several decades if not centuries. Again, show me evidence for a supernatural realm first, then I will examine your version of supernatural "truth". Evidence=Good, Faith=Evil

[kippmcleod]

Awesome, definitely the best "Blasphemy Challenge" response video I've seen (and I've seen a lot of them) I'm subscribed, can't wait to see the rest of your stuff, keep it up!

[xJediHowieX]

Pat Condell takes that crown as far as I'm concerned :)

[ratchet1215]

Deep.

[ThatOneQuestion]

Very well done =) Words of true wisdom!

[CousinoMacul]

Very good!

[unassimilated]

Wow, thanks connerjd and KingLoser66. This video was my most challenging and I wasn't sure how it would be received. I really appreciate the kind words.

[KingLoser66]

My new featured vid.

Great stuff.

Thanks

[connerjd]

Awesome words. Very well put.