While I have not always agreed with Christopher's views, I have always listened to, & respected, what he had to say. Many times his thoughts caused me to amend my own views, sometimes not. In any case, there is no doubt that all rational thinking men owe a tremendous debt to this man who stood up and stated the case(s) against religion so strongly, and at times, so eloquently. I fervently hope that he did not live in vain.
Tracie, I loved how you deduced if there was a weight change that there would be a physical entity to study. That is also commonly made to contest this claim in science literature.
The first caller is experiencing what I call the "Dumbo Effect." Dumbo the baby elephant (in the Disney full-length animated movie of the same name) attributed his ability to fly to a "magic" feather he carried in his trunk, but it was really his very large ears that allowed him to fly. Religion, "spirituality," etc., is simply the Dumbo Effect at work.
My dearest wish is for all your callers to get together and talk about what they have already asked. The same questions on almost every episode is almost unbearable.
I have been an Atheist for several years now. Listening to this man's words has had a great impact on my life. I don't know how I missed the announcement of his death, but today marks the only day I have wept over being an Atheist. The idea that I missed out on the opportunity to tell this man what he meant to me has driven me to tears. The world will be less without him. I will (think) for you Christopher; though I know you cannot hear me.
@TheAtheistExperience ...if we know for sure our intelligence and conscience and the ability to type on this great machine and to love is all bore out of just evolved chemistry, matter charged together through gravity alone? Come on!
Why do people always mention "love" as something that requires the existence of a "loving" God or Allah? Can't people just do all that loving on their own, just like they do with hating?
- "...out of just evolved chemistry, matter charged together through gravity alone?"
I didn't mention any explanation, but if you mean a naturalistic explanation, that is probably what it comes down to.
@sowhatsnew205 It is ashamed that you have such a dim or narrow view of the universe, and the way matter actually interacts with itself, that you think gravity accounts for all of the marvels we call life. There are 2 other forces or 3 if Steven Weinberg isn't around to insult, that are around for much of the interplay.
Why do idiot theists still think (obviously I use the word think loosely LOL), that the "something can't come from nothing therefore god created everything from noting" argument is a winning argument?
@Antiks72 pwning William Lane Craig is less challenging than pwning an eight year old child. The man never provides evidence to support any of his premises.
@acr08807 Well, none of them do. WLC is just a smooth-talking huckster for the simple minded. Every apologist I've heard spouts the same crap talking points which have been answered a million times.
Ugh... The double slit experiment does not prove "magic". You're not magical. You can't create reality with your mind... Stop it. Put the crystals down and back away.
It's funny I remember reading about the double slit experiment and going "oh this is going to cause some problems for science with respect to modern theism" haha
lol those moments are always great, I also love the pauses and delays in news stations when they are switching from one location to another. Or people that record crappy commercials with a lot of time on them just staring at the camera..
Would have been better to try and denounce the man while he was alive, having him on your show. Political issues can be rather complex. I find myself agreeing and disagreeing with the man.
What Mark needs to understand is that it was HIM that made the change in his life. It was HIM that abandoned his life of crime and addiction to drugs. It was HIM that had the power within to make such a drastic and positive change. What is real is that Mark made the change; he empowered himself, but he needs to realize that it was by is own hand. Once you realize this quality that every human possesses, you no longer need religion and belief in God to change your life for the better.
"I have often been asked if Christopher defended me because he was my close friend. The truth is that he became my close friend because he wanted to defend me."
Why does AA never talk about Judaism in particular the most important Oral Law? I would like to see them talk about the racism in the Schulchan Aruch and Babylonian Talmud.
@OrthodoxDarwinist There may be six persons in Austin who want to hear about Shulchan Aruch, and I doubt that any of them watch this show. But hey, call in if you want to discuss it.
13:11 - What the caller meant was that he wanted to feel special. He wanted to feel like he had purpose. It's "comforting" to feel like you're special, but it's delusion. People who do so are in my eyes, children.
To the guy who said jesus is proven in history...that is wrong. there is no evidence of jesus outside the bible at all. also, more than 300 years ago there were also other creation stories with the SAME EXACT story as jesus. "The metaphysical claims of religion are untrue"> to quote the Hitch.
Why is it so important for some ppl to prove god!? If god is obvious and demonstrable, that´s good! If not, that´s good too! Why hammering the same dead horse to death over and over and over again!!!??? What is soooo attractive with a god, believing in heaven and hell, rather than a force, power, or a sea of particles that have always existed!?
What was with Russ's, "That's the way they see it too, and they hate it." Regarding decreasing religiosity in Europe. Has he ever been across the Atlantic? Who hates it, exactly? I've met, perhaps, a handful religious people in my lifetime. Religion is a non-issue among the majority of people in the UK at least.
@glower125 No one was cheering any "slaughter of over 1 million Iraqi children and women"; you're selectively listening to their words because already there is a hint of an agenda at foot.
Dillahunty is clearly the sharpest mind on the show, but I like Tracie and Russell too. My favorite shows are those that have Matt and either Russell or Tracie. Jeff is pretty awesome too.
hitchens was a great human been... i feel so bad that we lost a such great soldier ... we are going to need more powerful people to come out of the shadows.... because the stragle goes on my friends.....
Christopher Hitchens is dead and I didn't hear about it until 3 weeks after the event (I had to investigate it myself). Yet I'm fully aware that someone is suing snooki TODAY.
These are the things that make me hate most people in the world.
To be fair, Hitchens was trying to keep his illness as private and quiet as he could. I can imagine that he wanted to keep the paparazzi away from him for the sake of his family. Nobody wants the media or Hitchen's ideological enemies crawling up into his funeral.
The ex-con found a way to a better way of living because he found this "something else". He atributed it to a "spiritual" experience and being "born again".
IMHO the panel should have focused on this some more and the "something else" that he may have found is probably actually giving a damn about other people, society and himself.
A shame that a religion was the method and that they will con him for the rest of his time as a believer.
@SissingPyd You said, "Every dead muslim is one less we need to fight. Wise words."
Wouldn't it be wiser to convert them and use their minds and lives for the betterment of humanity rather than killing them?
Killing should only be considered as a last resort and never as a solution for wrong thought or hideous ideology. The exact same could be said of atheists, Christians, feminists, civil rights proponents, etc.
Killing for an ideology is wrong regardless of whether you're pro or con.
"you have a good point" - its amazing to think some people have never considered this stuff before.Its nice to see he still was honest enough to say it was a good question.
clearly we should all move on from disproving christianity abd focus on disproving islam.. which is a hell of a more difficult task... The Quran is way more scientific, and it's almost impressive, even to me, a hardcore atheist. I just wish disproving and arguing with muslims was as easy as arguing with christians...
@z10ffi No, it's not more difficult and has already been done. The Quran isn't more scientific or impressive. Every bit of the "science" in the Quran was known at the time and usually for quite a long time. It was all plagiarized.
BTW, just because Islamic brainwashing is more thorough doesn't mean it's harder to disprove. Google does it all the time. It's just harder to convince believers because they generally have NEVER heard a dissenting opinion before nor studied another ideology.
@z10ffi Truly the science in the Quran is impressive. Consider 18:86, for example: "...when he reached the setting-place of the sun, he found it setting in a muddy spring, and found a people thereabout. We said: O Dhu'l-Qarneyn! Either punish or show them kindness." Muhammad was way ahead of modern astronomers on that one!
@acr08807 "...when he reached the setting-place of the sun, he found it setting in a muddy spring, and found a people thereabout. We said: O Dhu'l-Qarneyn! Either punish or show them kindness."
This passage has nothing to do with astronomy other than a vague reference to the setting sun. 5000 years ago, many thousands of years before Muhammad people in the UK who built stonehenge also observed the setting sun and even built a monument about it. Why is this even important anyway?
@Rebelbutthole If you can't understand him, how is he useful for humans? Saying there is something beyond, more powerful than us, but we can't understand it how is it useful? How do you know there is one? If you can't tell if there is or isn't one why can't we live our life and try to understand the world we live in?
- We sacrifice a virgin to Charles Darwin and Richard Dawkins and play traditional blasphemous games like "Pin-the-Christ-on-the-cross". Then comes the ritual-orgy, the "Big Bang".
@skydragon4ever Hey! You're not supposed to tell outsiders about our orgies. But having sex without guilt is one of the big perks of being an atheist.
@acr08807 i am not an atheist but Church has purpously linked sex to guilt to prevent people to know the true nature and role of sex (combined with love) and use it to its full potential.
To me, love making is an important part of spirituality, like a meditational practice.
You know, I heard he died on the 16th, was sad about it and posted my own say on it to remember him. However the last week or so it's been hitting harder (sinking in if you will) when I'm watching debates with him. It just sucks.
I wasn't sure where to post this, so I will ask here. I am trying to explain to a friend of mine why I am an atheist, and I couldn't decide which episode or clip link to send her, since pretty much all of them would be suitable. Which one do you think sums up the main arguments the best? A clip instead of a whole episode would be great. Thanks in advance.
@1029blue The "mafia boss" episode is a popular one I guess, for a reason. Also, the videos of Tracie/Jen with Mark/Mike of the Austin Stone church and Matt/Jeff with the same Mark/Mike are great
THUMBS if you listened to when they discussed youtube and athiests having no really good social event to speak on it, so the internet is where we can. and how religious videos have dislikes and athiest have likes because we are HERE. dam look at that thumbs bar!! =D
@ajhrockerboy6 Why? Is it fun to pretend that people can go to 'hell', and that you're special enough to petition your deity to alter the wills and fates of men? There's nothing wrong with us, and your prayer wouldn't likely accomplish anything even if there was a god, so save yourself some time.
Like most Jews (by blood) he was a liberal except for hatred against the Jew's enemies > the Muslims. They have their puppets in D.C., let the Gentiles die for the Jews/Isreal.
Oh just listening to the girl at 27 minutes. I was in a car crash over 5 years ago. While in hospital and after the fact ive had a lot of christians say "god was looking after you". As someone whos had something horrible to themselves i agree with her point.
Also now listening to the guy at 29. I was lying on the side of the road close to death. In hospital i must have came close to death 6 times. I never turned to god or thought about becoming religious. If i died i died. It never phased me.
I like the first caller. He sounds open and willing to debate. He also wasnt dismissive or overly persumptious. Good caller all in all. Anyway thatll do it for me. Off to study :)
I like Christopher Hitchens especially when it comes to everything he did on atheism and religion. Wish he would have done more work on Islam and Judaism. Fact is ive heard no one good talking about the Jews and very few talk about Islam(though Pat Condell does do some good work on it). What little work i heard Hitchens do on Islam was good however :).
However i wish he would have done much better in his work on economics. He did push a through fallicies and straw mans there.
Agonizing to watch. Faith truly deceives and deludes. I guess the intellectual faction of Americans have no need to share this platform with idiots to communicate their views or bolster their convictions. Such a shame though.
I'm guessing you thumbs down these videos because you are a Christian, you do this because you feel you are allowed to punish atheists, but by doing this you are a passing judgement and stating that atheists are inferior to you. correct me if I am mistaken but in Christianity judging others is a sin?
I somehow doubt that he’ll be reading this, but I want to say to the first guy that called, the one that “went in and out of jail”, I’m glad that you have decided to change your life, and that it’s working out. Maybe to do it effectively you need to believe that a greater will is guiding you. That’s fine. But you could also give some more credit to yourself. Maybe you changed your life because you decided to change your life. That’s great too.
@willdrake1 I find it hard to be mad about that, can you imagine Bill O'Reilly talking shit about him? Then again it's debatable whether Bill O'Reilly ever speaks about actual news.
There is an old saying, that success develops from failure. The christian debater however, ignores the failures, and concentrates only on what he believes. The scientific train of thought is the complete opposite, for, when a scientist is proven wrong, it is seen as a window to new perspectives in knowledge. This is why science will inevitably bury God.
@markusboyd3 exactly, he's ignored my questions and others because he knows there is no way to approach it other than agreeing. So he moves on explaining how we can't explain this or that therefore god does it.
I love that Tracie has such a sophisticated, ego-free approach towards religious people.
I'm seeing this approach more often nowadays. A humanistic approach that basically defragments the religious argument and pinpoints where are they mis-attributing something to a supernatural occurrence, instead of mindlessly discussing the logic of the world, which theists tend to ignore.
Then they point it out to the religious person and hope they don't go into ego-cruise control and block out everything.
I've had two aunts and a grandmother die of cancer, and it's the worst watching them go through it and seeing them deteriorating because of the treatment.
I can't even imagine what it must be like having such a pain that not even a drug like morphine can appease.
I'm sorry for your loss. I sympathize, to an extent.
I love how Tracie makes the callers think by turning their own questions back on them.
I love how Matt says it like it is and doesnt hold back, and how he can recite just about any bible passage from memory, and how he is such an impressive speaker. But for some reason I cant bring myself to like Russle? I think he acts like a know-it-all, and I cant stand how he looks around at the other hosts after he says a clever comment, as if hes thinking "look how smart i am".but i could be wrong though?
Tracie's the best! she tries a softer approach to convert or inform. a lot of atheists are so fed up with how much religilion causes problems, that it appears to many religious people that they are angry or arrogant. if we want to educate and or convert people to atheism, unfortunetly we have to go easy on them, because most religious people care what others think of them. remember people, most of us where like them at one time. thats why we are so determined to abolish religion.
I'm really disappointed that you guys did not remind the 1st caller that HE cleaned up his life HIMSELF and NOT god... He clearly doesn't give himself credit for changing for the better...
It's all about critical thinking...I and my wife explained to our children that all books ie grimms fairy tales the bible or disney books are just stories that are trying to influence your ideas(opinions) we tried to let them discover their own truth!!
He'd probably still be alive if he didn't drink soo much scotch and smoke all those goddamn cigarettes. He will be missed. A voice of reason that is far too rare in such an "advanced" society, is now gone, but we still have his words to fall back on. Hopefully his life's work will not fade away and people will still be brought back to reality from the vice grip of religious delusion for the good of all mankind. Religion can't hurt us when it's not in the mainstream, so the fight goes on. Peace!
@theBaritone9119 Actually, no that's not wrong. Some whining kid on YouTube doesn't trump Richard Dawkins. You are wrong, as hard as that is for you to comprehend.
@blinky6522 You just want the afterlife to be real because you fear mortality and the fact that you are going to die one day and that's the end of your existence. You also probably feel you can get away with being immoral as long as you believe, you are basing your beliefs off fear and ignorance. Heaven and Hell are simply tales written by a bronze age shepherds in the desert thousands of years ago, you are simply delusional.
There are so called "spiritual" people who are later exposed as stealing from funds & having booze parties. also hiring gay prostitutes.very enlightening.
I'd like to point out that the accepted definition of atheists, among atheists, isn't that they are completely correct and no god exists, period. Atheism is accurately described by this: A rejection of theism, firstly. Secondly, atheists believe that the probability of a god existing is smaller than that of no god existing. Agnostics believe the ratio to be even. Deists believe the opposite of atheists in these terms. Dawkins' definition, pretty much.
@BER2ERKER Wrong. Most Atheists don't know whether God exists or not, but reject the notion until further evidence arises because it seems not plausible. Agnostics don't know either, however they don't necessarily lack belief in a God or believe in one. Deists are more like Atheists, we reject personal a personal God because all available evidence is clearly not in favor of the theist.
@narco73 In the case of god, deistically speaking, no you can't disprove it (atheists, at least the majority of us, don't claim to disprove it). The important part comes in with theism, and it's effects on our lives. With all of the available evidence, I can honestly conclude that theism is false; or at least 99.999% conclusive. Theism conforms to very specific boundaries and makes scientific claims that are not possible by any means. Nobody calls themselves adeist, even though many may be. Dei
@narco73 I know why they say you can't prove a negative, that doesn't mean I have to agree. Just like I know why theists say God exists, just because you understand why somebody is making a claim, doesn't mean you have to agree with the claim. You are mistaking non agreement with non comprehension.
@theBartone9119 Well in any real sense you can't prove these types of negative. You must agree with that. You can obviously prove many negatives, but ones that reach beyond the information that we have access to, you can't prove.
@narco73 "You must agree with that. You can obviously prove many negatives, but ones that reach beyond the information that we have access to, you can't prove."
This point I will concede. However, it seems evident that given available knowledge you can still prove one world view is more plausible than another.
Being an agnostic Buddhist I think the universe has no cause. But there is cause & effect. If one does wrong he suffers & pays in some way. nobody can forgive. no escape. it's he/she alone who can rid the suffering by paying for it or doing good deeds to cancel the bad. suffering can be mental. However I am not sure whether this is a right theory just because I like it. that's why I am agnostic. even the whole concept of Buddhism is agnostic. there is an escape clause called "kalama sutta".
@narco73 "You can't prove a negative" is just as lazy as the answer "God did it". If you gather all known evidence, use science and logic, you can reasonably conclude something does not exist.
@theBartone9119 But you would need omniscience to disprove something extremely general that could exist somewhere in the universe (or even out of the universe), so in these cases it is true that you cannot realistically disprove them.
@narco73 "But you would need omniscience to disprove something extremely general that could exist somewhere in the universe (or even out of the universe), so in these cases it is true that you cannot realistically disprove them."
While you are right that you cannot prove something with 100% certainty unless you are all knowing, you can still prove that Atheism is the more plausible world view based on all available knowledge.
@narco73 Also there is evidence the universe is uncaused. If there is no cause, then it's reasonable to argue that an intelligent being couldn't have caused it. We cannot say these things with 100% conviction, but it sure is a lot more solid than "I don't know" and is still based on scientific observation.
@narco73 You can though. If X exists it would leave certain properties (we'll call the properties Z), if it didn't exist then it would leave certain properties (we'll call the properties y).
Lets see we use all our knowledge of the known universe and determine Z is not found in the universe and Y is found everywhere. This would provide reasonable proof that X did not exist. You don't have to search the entire universe to know a perfectly round square doesn't exist, same with God...
This first guy needs to know that he became a better person through his own strength, with the help of his belief. He can still continue to be a good person once he realizes that his belief in god has no basis, as he has already proved he is capable of that.
you must first acknowledge your existence within the Universe. As a functioning, dependent and intertwined piece of the Omnipresent- all-encompassing and omnipotent-all-powerful universe. They must also acknowledge that they are powerless against its power and control. It is your creator, your sustainer, your god. You must also comprehend that you are inside of the universe making you one with the universe at a distance outside of the inner universe. So have some respect for who keeps you aliv
"Imagine that it's your birthday, and your room mate promised to bake you a cake while you were away at class. You arrive home expecting to find your room mate among mixing bowls, eggs shells and a sweet smell in the air, but suppose you find none of this. Suppose what you do find is an opened box of cake mix on the table and a dozen eggs in your refrigerator. That is, you fail to find a number of things you would expect to find had the cake been baked" - Austin Dacey
@theBartone9119 I think they mean a universal negative, you can't prove that a cake was not baked for you somewhere in the universe.
Obviously if you had knowledge of the entire universe you could, but there is an underlying assumption that you cannot know everything, or that the universe is infinite.
@narco73 The universe as we know it had a beginning at The Big Bang. Aslo, you're missing the point. We may now know everything about the Universe, but we can make arguments against God's existence based on what we do know, like the Theist makes arguments for God's existence based on what he knows. If there was a God, there would be certain things we would expect to find in the universe we do not find, there are also things we do find that we wouldn't expect if God existed, this provides grounds
The Atheist Experience is an awesome show, I just don't understand why they say you cannot prove a negative, or that "I don't know" can trump a theists conviction.
“You might think it’s just futile to argue that God doesn’t exist because one can’t prove a negative. Actually there are a couple of ways to prove that at thing doesn’t exist. One is to show that the thing couldn’t possibly exist because the very idea of the thing literally makes no sense, like a round square” – Austin Dacey
Just the simple fact that we are talking about God means he exist because regardless of how you look at it, God exist. Even if its just as an idea, the fact remains is that he (or it or she or whatever) does exist. What we really need to debate on is how he exist. Does he exist as Just an imaginary figure, Or is he some all know all powerful being, or something else. Atheist can not exist because to say you dont believe in God is to deny your own idea of God.
@LastDeepthought Sure can. You can't say that "god exists as an idea therefore god exists" because everyone has a different idea of what "god" is. In that case, several gods exist as ideas or concepts. I still don't believe in those ideas or concepts. When I say that I'm an atheist, I don't have a specific idea in my head of which god I don't believe in because I don't believe in any of them including the ones I haven't heard of yet
@tammyscotland True everyone has a different idea of god. But the fact that they have an idea of god still remains. That idea is undeniable. Only in your thought (or Idea) of any god or gods you perceive (it or him or them) to have no presence in reality. Basically imaginary.Just because you don't have specific God in mind doesn't mean you don't have the idea of any God in mind. Because obviously you do otherwise you would be talking about God (or Gods).
@LastDeepthought Not necessarily. Atheism is just a lack of belief in a deity. I don't need to have any specific kind of deity in mind, I don't even really have to think of one. There's no evidence for any kind of divine being and that's what I focus on. By that logic my imaginary pony Sparkles was real when I was 5 but even then, I knew Sparkles wasn't anything but an excuse to skip around the playground
@tammyscotland Yes exactly. You believe that a deity only exist as a figment of peoples imagination. But the idea and that thought is undeniable that it exist even if just in your mind. You just proved my point. Isn't an idea a real thing? It is to ever is perceiving the idea or concept. Reading it from a dictionary something like this. God: an imaginary omnipotent being(s) who many believe in as the source of everything in the universe. Its a real concept and a real definition.
@LastDeepthought You're not getting it. It's a concept. That doesn't make it any more real then the teapot somewhere between here and Mars. Also, which dictionary is that from?
@LastDeepthought Because it's pushed on them by society? Because they're trained from a young age to not only believe in a god-figure but to ridicule those who don't. Because there are entire communities who re-enforce these beliefs and shun people who leave that group. There are a whole bunch of reasons why people find it important to believe in god but they're not really relevant to any kind of discussion on whether or not "god" exists.
While I have not always agreed with Christopher's views, I have always listened to, & respected, what he had to say. Many times his thoughts caused me to amend my own views, sometimes not. In any case, there is no doubt that all rational thinking men owe a tremendous debt to this man who stood up and stated the case(s) against religion so strongly, and at times, so eloquently. I fervently hope that he did not live in vain.
Slik00Silk 3 days ago
@ tremble9120c1 yeah when hitch died was the first time I cried in a long long time
rkfool 4 days ago
Tracie, I loved how you deduced if there was a weight change that there would be a physical entity to study. That is also commonly made to contest this claim in science literature.
davidthecook 1 week ago
The first caller is experiencing what I call the "Dumbo Effect." Dumbo the baby elephant (in the Disney full-length animated movie of the same name) attributed his ability to fly to a "magic" feather he carried in his trunk, but it was really his very large ears that allowed him to fly. Religion, "spirituality," etc., is simply the Dumbo Effect at work.
YY4Me133 1 week ago
They had some nice callers this show.
dahuterschuter 1 week ago
My dearest wish is for all your callers to get together and talk about what they have already asked. The same questions on almost every episode is almost unbearable.
thelowly1 1 week ago
I have been an Atheist for several years now. Listening to this man's words has had a great impact on my life. I don't know how I missed the announcement of his death, but today marks the only day I have wept over being an Atheist. The idea that I missed out on the opportunity to tell this man what he meant to me has driven me to tears. The world will be less without him. I will (think) for you Christopher; though I know you cannot hear me.
tremble9120c1 2 weeks ago 2
Dark energy and dark matter has no weight or does it because we can't see it @TheAtheistExperience Duh! There is a soul
sowhatsnew205 2 weeks ago
@sowhatsnew205
- "Dark energy and dark matter has no weight or does it because we can't see it"
Dark matter is unexplained, but it accounts for much of the mass in the universe, so if "weight" is mass, it should have that.
Dark energy is a hypothetical form of energy. (Guess: if energy has mass, dark energy probably has dark mass. :) - "Duh! There is a soul"
Duh! There are elves! Meh! Blurgh! Wooh! Duh!
Do you want some evidence with that?
TheAtheistExperience 2 weeks ago 3
@TheAtheistExperience ...if we know for sure our intelligence and conscience and the ability to type on this great machine and to love is all bore out of just evolved chemistry, matter charged together through gravity alone? Come on!
sowhatsnew205 2 weeks ago
@sowhatsnew205
Why do people always mention "love" as something that requires the existence of a "loving" God or Allah? Can't people just do all that loving on their own, just like they do with hating?
- "...out of just evolved chemistry, matter charged together through gravity alone?"
I didn't mention any explanation, but if you mean a naturalistic explanation, that is probably what it comes down to.
- "Come on!"
That is just an argument from incredulity.
TheAtheistExperience 2 weeks ago
@sowhatsnew205 It is ashamed that you have such a dim or narrow view of the universe, and the way matter actually interacts with itself, that you think gravity accounts for all of the marvels we call life. There are 2 other forces or 3 if Steven Weinberg isn't around to insult, that are around for much of the interplay.
davidthecook 1 week ago
Why do idiot theists still think (obviously I use the word think loosely LOL), that the "something can't come from nothing therefore god created everything from noting" argument is a winning argument?
MexSanukk 3 weeks ago
The most devastating debater I've seen was Sam Harris, when he pwnd William Lane Craig on the existence of evil.
Antiks72 3 weeks ago
@Antiks72 pwning William Lane Craig is less challenging than pwning an eight year old child. The man never provides evidence to support any of his premises.
acr08807 1 day ago
@acr08807 Well, none of them do. WLC is just a smooth-talking huckster for the simple minded. Every apologist I've heard spouts the same crap talking points which have been answered a million times.
Antiks72 1 day ago
@Antiks72 You know what would be fun? A WLC-postmodernist debate. The intellectual content would be equally balanced, at zero on each side.
acr08807 1 day ago
@acr08807 LULZ.
Antiks72 1 day ago
Ugh... The double slit experiment does not prove "magic". You're not magical. You can't create reality with your mind... Stop it. Put the crystals down and back away.
Callirgos1 3 weeks ago
@Callirgos1
It's funny I remember reading about the double slit experiment and going "oh this is going to cause some problems for science with respect to modern theism" haha
ScarsFTW 2 weeks ago
Everyone loses weight after they die. Check the bedpan.
Callirgos1 3 weeks ago
He is not literate enough to read anything by Hitchens aloud. That was embarrassing.
papermermaid 3 weeks ago
I hate how they just sit there during the opening sequence. They need to never allow that...
papermermaid 3 weeks ago
@papermermaid
lol those moments are always great, I also love the pauses and delays in news stations when they are switching from one location to another. Or people that record crappy commercials with a lot of time on them just staring at the camera..
Friggen great.
ScarsFTW 2 weeks ago
Would have been better to try and denounce the man while he was alive, having him on your show. Political issues can be rather complex. I find myself agreeing and disagreeing with the man.
Kincajou 3 weeks ago
do they not have other arguments? i mean ones that havnt been debunked numerous times
wearestarstuffsagan 4 weeks ago
I love when atheists call in. :)
ShnackaCracka 1 month ago
What Mark needs to understand is that it was HIM that made the change in his life. It was HIM that abandoned his life of crime and addiction to drugs. It was HIM that had the power within to make such a drastic and positive change. What is real is that Mark made the change; he empowered himself, but he needs to realize that it was by is own hand. Once you realize this quality that every human possesses, you no longer need religion and belief in God to change your life for the better.
ludogogo 1 month ago 4
If a soul weighed 21 grams then that would be entirely contradictory to the purported idea that souls are immaterial. Nice try.
ludogogo 1 month ago
Salman Rushdie wrote:
"I have often been asked if Christopher defended me because he was my close friend. The truth is that he became my close friend because he wanted to defend me."
This can move one to tears ...
balouthewatz 1 month ago
r/atheism represent!
Redcrimson88 1 month ago 2
Why does AA never talk about Judaism in particular the most important Oral Law? I would like to see them talk about the racism in the Schulchan Aruch and Babylonian Talmud.
OrthodoxDarwinist 1 month ago
@OrthodoxDarwinist There may be six persons in Austin who want to hear about Shulchan Aruch, and I doubt that any of them watch this show. But hey, call in if you want to discuss it.
acr08807 1 day ago
I wish Matt were here. He would say, "my heart pumps blood". Who cares what you feel?
Newenlightenmentnow 1 month ago
13:11 - What the caller meant was that he wanted to feel special. He wanted to feel like he had purpose. It's "comforting" to feel like you're special, but it's delusion. People who do so are in my eyes, children.
TheYouthHeroic 1 month ago
To the guy who said jesus is proven in history...that is wrong. there is no evidence of jesus outside the bible at all. also, more than 300 years ago there were also other creation stories with the SAME EXACT story as jesus. "The metaphysical claims of religion are untrue"> to quote the Hitch.
RedRunsBlood 1 month ago
Why is it so important for some ppl to prove god!? If god is obvious and demonstrable, that´s good! If not, that´s good too! Why hammering the same dead horse to death over and over and over again!!!??? What is soooo attractive with a god, believing in heaven and hell, rather than a force, power, or a sea of particles that have always existed!?
armelix73 1 month ago
i almost want to feel sorry for the mark guy.....lol. 'why' seems to be a fatal word
xamot27 1 month ago
What was with Russ's, "That's the way they see it too, and they hate it." Regarding decreasing religiosity in Europe. Has he ever been across the Atlantic? Who hates it, exactly? I've met, perhaps, a handful religious people in my lifetime. Religion is a non-issue among the majority of people in the UK at least.
UnitedKingdomify 1 month ago
What's a devoot Christian? lawl... Canadians.
UnitedKingdomify 1 month ago
Good intro. I like the blue screen. S'good design.
UnitedKingdomify 1 month ago
yeah well, i dont know how you can reconcile you love for hitchens ans his cheering the slaughter of over 1 million iraqi children and women.
glower125 1 month ago
@glower125 No one was cheering any "slaughter of over 1 million Iraqi children and women"; you're selectively listening to their words because already there is a hint of an agenda at foot.
Saganismyhero 1 month ago
@glower125 I wish I had killed more back in 1991.
SissingPyd 1 day ago
The best two presenters IMO. Great show.
JUSTHELLBENT 1 month ago
@JUSTHELLBENT
Dillahunty is clearly the sharpest mind on the show, but I like Tracie and Russell too. My favorite shows are those that have Matt and either Russell or Tracie. Jeff is pretty awesome too.
mikeyanagita1 1 month ago
@mikeyanagita1 Jeff is my boy because he's a fellow D&D nerd.
Antiks72 3 weeks ago
Ha it's signorey weaver
Shinaniganz444 1 month ago
hitchens was a great human been... i feel so bad that we lost a such great soldier ... we are going to need more powerful people to come out of the shadows.... because the stragle goes on my friends.....
VerseKiller326 1 month ago
It would be cool if we can physically capture the soul. I would love to be able to put my soul into a mechanical body, Ghost in the Shell style.
awdrifter3 1 month ago
Cheers Hitchens. Johnny Walker Black, accept no substitutions.
ReadYoConstitution 1 month ago
Brilliantly said at 9:35
EliteDoomer 1 month ago
Tracie is so beautiful!
TheRaellz 1 month ago
Miss him already!
JBeezie428 1 month ago
Christopher Hitchens is dead and I didn't hear about it until 3 weeks after the event (I had to investigate it myself). Yet I'm fully aware that someone is suing snooki TODAY.
These are the things that make me hate most people in the world.
fuerer24 1 month ago 33
@fuerer24
To be fair, Hitchens was trying to keep his illness as private and quiet as he could. I can imagine that he wanted to keep the paparazzi away from him for the sake of his family. Nobody wants the media or Hitchen's ideological enemies crawling up into his funeral.
dhx84 1 month ago
the least agressive guy plus the most agressive gir. I have a teacher like her, and it is kinda hot....
fadechicobuarque1989 1 month ago
I like the first caller's attitude and understanding. He actually is open-minded to what they're saying
Spreesty 1 month ago 2
OMG - they are discussing about the Matrix!!
fadechicobuarque1989 1 month ago
The ex-con found a way to a better way of living because he found this "something else". He atributed it to a "spiritual" experience and being "born again".
IMHO the panel should have focused on this some more and the "something else" that he may have found is probably actually giving a damn about other people, society and himself.
A shame that a religion was the method and that they will con him for the rest of his time as a believer.
fidgaf 1 month ago
Every dead muslim is one less we need to fight. Wise words.
SissingPyd 1 month ago
@SissingPyd You said, "Every dead muslim is one less we need to fight. Wise words."
Wouldn't it be wiser to convert them and use their minds and lives for the betterment of humanity rather than killing them?
Killing should only be considered as a last resort and never as a solution for wrong thought or hideous ideology. The exact same could be said of atheists, Christians, feminists, civil rights proponents, etc.
Killing for an ideology is wrong regardless of whether you're pro or con.
ciaochowbella 1 month ago
@ciaochowbella I take it you have never served in the armed forces.
SissingPyd 1 day ago
@SissingPyd Every dead bigot is one less we need to refute. Wiser words.
acr08807 1 day ago
@acr08807 So, can I shoot you now and rid the world of another bigot?
SissingPyd 1 day ago
"you have a good point" - its amazing to think some people have never considered this stuff before.Its nice to see he still was honest enough to say it was a good question.
Edbrad 1 month ago
clearly we should all move on from disproving christianity abd focus on disproving islam.. which is a hell of a more difficult task... The Quran is way more scientific, and it's almost impressive, even to me, a hardcore atheist. I just wish disproving and arguing with muslims was as easy as arguing with christians...
z10ffi 1 month ago
@z10ffi No, it's not more difficult and has already been done. The Quran isn't more scientific or impressive. Every bit of the "science" in the Quran was known at the time and usually for quite a long time. It was all plagiarized.
BTW, just because Islamic brainwashing is more thorough doesn't mean it's harder to disprove. Google does it all the time. It's just harder to convince believers because they generally have NEVER heard a dissenting opinion before nor studied another ideology.
ciaochowbella 1 month ago
@z10ffi Truly the science in the Quran is impressive. Consider 18:86, for example: "...when he reached the setting-place of the sun, he found it setting in a muddy spring, and found a people thereabout. We said: O Dhu'l-Qarneyn! Either punish or show them kindness." Muhammad was way ahead of modern astronomers on that one!
acr08807 1 day ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@acr08807 "...when he reached the setting-place of the sun, he found it setting in a muddy spring, and found a people thereabout. We said: O Dhu'l-Qarneyn! Either punish or show them kindness."
This passage has nothing to do with astronomy other than a vague reference to the setting sun. 5000 years ago, many thousands of years before Muhammad people in the UK who built stonehenge also observed the setting sun and even built a monument about it. Why is this even important anyway?
daverowbotham 22 hours ago
@daverowbotham He found the Sun in a freaking muddy spring. Are you saying that the Sun wasn't in a muddy spring? Did the Quran lie to us about that?
acr08807 13 hours ago
@Rebelbutthole If you can't understand him, how is he useful for humans? Saying there is something beyond, more powerful than us, but we can't understand it how is it useful? How do you know there is one? If you can't tell if there is or isn't one why can't we live our life and try to understand the world we live in?
MrG0TH1ER 1 month ago
- How do Atheist families celebrate Christmas?
- We sacrifice a virgin to Charles Darwin and Richard Dawkins and play traditional blasphemous games like "Pin-the-Christ-on-the-cross". Then comes the ritual-orgy, the "Big Bang".
skydragon4ever 1 month ago 13
@skydragon4ever Hey! You're not supposed to tell outsiders about our orgies. But having sex without guilt is one of the big perks of being an atheist.
acr08807 1 day ago
@acr08807 i am not an atheist but Church has purpously linked sex to guilt to prevent people to know the true nature and role of sex (combined with love) and use it to its full potential.
To me, love making is an important part of spirituality, like a meditational practice.
skydragon4ever 1 day ago
@skydragon4ever You're right hand must be very close to God, then.
acr08807 12 hours ago
You know, I heard he died on the 16th, was sad about it and posted my own say on it to remember him. However the last week or so it's been hitting harder (sinking in if you will) when I'm watching debates with him. It just sucks.
Xiquid 1 month ago
I wasn't sure where to post this, so I will ask here. I am trying to explain to a friend of mine why I am an atheist, and I couldn't decide which episode or clip link to send her, since pretty much all of them would be suitable. Which one do you think sums up the main arguments the best? A clip instead of a whole episode would be great. Thanks in advance.
1029blue 1 month ago
@1029blue The "mafia boss" episode is a popular one I guess, for a reason. Also, the videos of Tracie/Jen with Mark/Mike of the Austin Stone church and Matt/Jeff with the same Mark/Mike are great
Nergal134 1 month ago 2
I cried a little when I heard that he died.
Not because I was sad that he was gone, because he will live on far longer than any of us through his work.
Not because I felt sorry for him, because pitying someone for doing what we must all do eventually is foolish.
I cried because I knew that from this point on, this great big world of ours would forever be a little less intresting.
CommanderC4 1 month ago
THUMBS if you listened to when they discussed youtube and athiests having no really good social event to speak on it, so the internet is where we can. and how religious videos have dislikes and athiest have likes because we are HERE. dam look at that thumbs bar!! =D
remix696 1 month ago
♥ Tracie, as usual.
Ultracity6060 1 month ago
I like how the caller is not a total dumbnut and actually understands what they say. Exhilarating!
DasHinchen 1 month ago
@DasHinchen He did what many christian wackjobs on youtube refuse to do,Listen to the answers given,think them over,and see if his beliefs hold up.
MonTag666 1 month ago
Hitchen's was kind of an asshole..
xXbestefarXx 1 month ago
I tried to click the continuous playlist and accidentally hit "unsubscribe." so I resubscribed. :-)
5jerry1 1 month ago in playlist More videos from TheAtheistExperience
I will pray for you atheists and i will pray that hitchens is in heaven.
ajhrockerboy6 1 month ago
@ajhrockerboy6 Why? Is it fun to pretend that people can go to 'hell', and that you're special enough to petition your deity to alter the wills and fates of men? There's nothing wrong with us, and your prayer wouldn't likely accomplish anything even if there was a god, so save yourself some time.
urcorrect 1 month ago
@ajhrockerboy6 pray for me too please :D
Account4TheMusic 1 month ago
@ajhrockerboy6
I will think for you
mikeyanagita1 3 weeks ago
@ajhrockerboy6 I'll sacrifice a goat or two for you.
acr08807 12 hours ago
Like most Jews (by blood) he was a liberal except for hatred against the Jew's enemies > the Muslims. They have their puppets in D.C., let the Gentiles die for the Jews/Isreal.
999YORK 1 month ago
Oh just listening to the girl at 27 minutes. I was in a car crash over 5 years ago. While in hospital and after the fact ive had a lot of christians say "god was looking after you". As someone whos had something horrible to themselves i agree with her point.
Also now listening to the guy at 29. I was lying on the side of the road close to death. In hospital i must have came close to death 6 times. I never turned to god or thought about becoming religious. If i died i died. It never phased me.
NicosMind 1 month ago
I like the first caller. He sounds open and willing to debate. He also wasnt dismissive or overly persumptious. Good caller all in all. Anyway thatll do it for me. Off to study :)
NicosMind 1 month ago
I like Christopher Hitchens especially when it comes to everything he did on atheism and religion. Wish he would have done more work on Islam and Judaism. Fact is ive heard no one good talking about the Jews and very few talk about Islam(though Pat Condell does do some good work on it). What little work i heard Hitchens do on Islam was good however :).
However i wish he would have done much better in his work on economics. He did push a through fallicies and straw mans there.
NicosMind 1 month ago
Agonizing to watch. Faith truly deceives and deludes. I guess the intellectual faction of Americans have no need to share this platform with idiots to communicate their views or bolster their convictions. Such a shame though.
Tintunabulation 1 month ago
I love this show. Though I'm surrounded who bow down to superstition on a daily basis (I live in the south), this show reminds me of my sanity.
Belloran24 1 month ago
@Belloran24 Superstition, like the greek, nordics and romans. Their gods were not mythology, their gods are religion.
CaptCamping 1 month ago
He lives on because his words live on..
itzahazylife 1 month ago 27
@itzahazylife He's dead, fool. He wrote some ok shit, but now he licks salty balls just like you
SeekandYouwillFind73 1 month ago
@itzahazylife He's as close to jesus as we're going to get...
Nichevo1994 1 month ago
I have god on myside because i am god. Swooshh!!!
greenghost2008 1 month ago
i thumbs down every one of these videos
AidanVaroloWhite7 1 month ago
@AidanVaroloWhite7
I'm guessing you thumbs down these videos because you are a Christian, you do this because you feel you are allowed to punish atheists, but by doing this you are a passing judgement and stating that atheists are inferior to you. correct me if I am mistaken but in Christianity judging others is a sin?
shadownova21 1 month ago
@AidanVaroloWhite7 who gives a shit ?? :S
chinamanspeakenlis 1 month ago
@AidanVaroloWhite7 i stick my thumbs up your mum's ass
kly45 1 month ago
I somehow doubt that he’ll be reading this, but I want to say to the first guy that called, the one that “went in and out of jail”, I’m glad that you have decided to change your life, and that it’s working out. Maybe to do it effectively you need to believe that a greater will is guiding you. That’s fine. But you could also give some more credit to yourself. Maybe you changed your life because you decided to change your life. That’s great too.
BortolanAlexandre 1 month ago
@Thinkdeep420 i'm not a christian and this is stupid.
NickAndJessChampFuck 1 month ago
First 50 seconds of this video was the most akward moment of my life.
3drumking 1 month ago
Great discussion. Keep it up
CmrAdama 1 month ago
I'm so pissed that the news covered so little of his life/death.
willdrake1 1 month ago
@willdrake1 I find it hard to be mad about that, can you imagine Bill O'Reilly talking shit about him? Then again it's debatable whether Bill O'Reilly ever speaks about actual news.
mrgejwaites 1 month ago
@mrgejwaites
Your latter point isn't up for debate, you know he doesn't.
:)
willdrake1 1 month ago
There is an old saying, that success develops from failure. The christian debater however, ignores the failures, and concentrates only on what he believes. The scientific train of thought is the complete opposite, for, when a scientist is proven wrong, it is seen as a window to new perspectives in knowledge. This is why science will inevitably bury God.
markusboyd3 1 month ago 33
@markusboyd3 exactly, he's ignored my questions and others because he knows there is no way to approach it other than agreeing. So he moves on explaining how we can't explain this or that therefore god does it.
MArtinezNINux 1 month ago
@MArtinezNINux Yes... sad isn't it?
markusboyd3 1 month ago
RIP Hitchens!
JDivinorumVideo 1 month ago
I like the first caller, he didn't get angry and turn to name calling. he had a conversation like an adult. I'm proud of him xD
MrEvitcartta 1 month ago
I absolutely love this show. However, you would be right not to speak for us(athiests) politically.
interstellar618 1 month ago
I love that Tracie has such a sophisticated, ego-free approach towards religious people.
I'm seeing this approach more often nowadays. A humanistic approach that basically defragments the religious argument and pinpoints where are they mis-attributing something to a supernatural occurrence, instead of mindlessly discussing the logic of the world, which theists tend to ignore.
Then they point it out to the religious person and hope they don't go into ego-cruise control and block out everything.
Ebvardh 1 month ago
He died the same age as my christian grandmother, and of the same illness.
PACKyourSHITfolks420 1 month ago
@PACKyourSHITfolks420 Terrible illness.
I've had two aunts and a grandmother die of cancer, and it's the worst watching them go through it and seeing them deteriorating because of the treatment.
I can't even imagine what it must be like having such a pain that not even a drug like morphine can appease.
I'm sorry for your loss. I sympathize, to an extent.
Ebvardh 1 month ago
I love how Tracie makes the callers think by turning their own questions back on them.
I love how Matt says it like it is and doesnt hold back, and how he can recite just about any bible passage from memory, and how he is such an impressive speaker. But for some reason I cant bring myself to like Russle? I think he acts like a know-it-all, and I cant stand how he looks around at the other hosts after he says a clever comment, as if hes thinking "look how smart i am".but i could be wrong though?
yourallbrainwashed 1 month ago
Tracie's the best! she tries a softer approach to convert or inform. a lot of atheists are so fed up with how much religilion causes problems, that it appears to many religious people that they are angry or arrogant. if we want to educate and or convert people to atheism, unfortunetly we have to go easy on them, because most religious people care what others think of them. remember people, most of us where like them at one time. thats why we are so determined to abolish religion.
yourallbrainwashed 1 month ago
I'm really disappointed that you guys did not remind the 1st caller that HE cleaned up his life HIMSELF and NOT god... He clearly doesn't give himself credit for changing for the better...
z3r0Projects 1 month ago
Tracie marry me...you schooled him lol
lupefanatic08 1 month ago
It's all about critical thinking...I and my wife explained to our children that all books ie grimms fairy tales the bible or disney books are just stories that are trying to influence your ideas(opinions) we tried to let them discover their own truth!!
dwambo 1 month ago
This first caller is one of the most sincere callers i have seen in a while. Quite refreshing although uneventful haha
jasmac04 1 month ago 11
He'd probably still be alive if he didn't drink soo much scotch and smoke all those goddamn cigarettes. He will be missed. A voice of reason that is far too rare in such an "advanced" society, is now gone, but we still have his words to fall back on. Hopefully his life's work will not fade away and people will still be brought back to reality from the vice grip of religious delusion for the good of all mankind. Religion can't hurt us when it's not in the mainstream, so the fight goes on. Peace!
aaronrocs 1 month ago
@theBaritone9119 Now stop going around your little YouTube playground pretending to be an authority on reason, because you're not.
BER2ERKER 1 month ago
@theBaritone9119 Actually, no that's not wrong. Some whining kid on YouTube doesn't trump Richard Dawkins. You are wrong, as hard as that is for you to comprehend.
BER2ERKER 1 month ago
@blinky6522 You just want the afterlife to be real because you fear mortality and the fact that you are going to die one day and that's the end of your existence. You also probably feel you can get away with being immoral as long as you believe, you are basing your beliefs off fear and ignorance. Heaven and Hell are simply tales written by a bronze age shepherds in the desert thousands of years ago, you are simply delusional.
theBartone9119 1 month ago
There are so called "spiritual" people who are later exposed as stealing from funds & having booze parties. also hiring gay prostitutes.very enlightening.
nayanmalig 1 month ago
I'd like to point out that the accepted definition of atheists, among atheists, isn't that they are completely correct and no god exists, period. Atheism is accurately described by this: A rejection of theism, firstly. Secondly, atheists believe that the probability of a god existing is smaller than that of no god existing. Agnostics believe the ratio to be even. Deists believe the opposite of atheists in these terms. Dawkins' definition, pretty much.
BER2ERKER 1 month ago
@BER2ERKER Wrong. Most Atheists don't know whether God exists or not, but reject the notion until further evidence arises because it seems not plausible. Agnostics don't know either, however they don't necessarily lack belief in a God or believe in one. Deists are more like Atheists, we reject personal a personal God because all available evidence is clearly not in favor of the theist.
theBartone9119 1 month ago
cont. Deism isn't the issue, as it has zero effect on our species.
BER2ERKER 1 month ago
@narco73 In the case of god, deistically speaking, no you can't disprove it (atheists, at least the majority of us, don't claim to disprove it). The important part comes in with theism, and it's effects on our lives. With all of the available evidence, I can honestly conclude that theism is false; or at least 99.999% conclusive. Theism conforms to very specific boundaries and makes scientific claims that are not possible by any means. Nobody calls themselves adeist, even though many may be. Dei
BER2ERKER 1 month ago
@BER2ERKER Yeah I know, I'm just trying to explain it to that other guy who didn't understand why they say you can't prove a negative.
narco73 1 month ago
@narco73 I know why they say you can't prove a negative, that doesn't mean I have to agree. Just like I know why theists say God exists, just because you understand why somebody is making a claim, doesn't mean you have to agree with the claim. You are mistaking non agreement with non comprehension.
theBartone9119 1 month ago
@theBartone9119 Well in any real sense you can't prove these types of negative. You must agree with that. You can obviously prove many negatives, but ones that reach beyond the information that we have access to, you can't prove.
narco73 1 month ago
@narco73 "You must agree with that. You can obviously prove many negatives, but ones that reach beyond the information that we have access to, you can't prove."
This point I will concede. However, it seems evident that given available knowledge you can still prove one world view is more plausible than another.
theBartone9119 1 month ago
Being an agnostic Buddhist I think the universe has no cause. But there is cause & effect. If one does wrong he suffers & pays in some way. nobody can forgive. no escape. it's he/she alone who can rid the suffering by paying for it or doing good deeds to cancel the bad. suffering can be mental. However I am not sure whether this is a right theory just because I like it. that's why I am agnostic. even the whole concept of Buddhism is agnostic. there is an escape clause called "kalama sutta".
nayanmalig 1 month ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@narco73 "You can't prove a negative" is just as lazy as the answer "God did it". If you gather all known evidence, use science and logic, you can reasonably conclude something does not exist.
theBartone9119 1 month ago
@theBartone9119 But you would need omniscience to disprove something extremely general that could exist somewhere in the universe (or even out of the universe), so in these cases it is true that you cannot realistically disprove them.
narco73 1 month ago
@narco73 "But you would need omniscience to disprove something extremely general that could exist somewhere in the universe (or even out of the universe), so in these cases it is true that you cannot realistically disprove them."
While you are right that you cannot prove something with 100% certainty unless you are all knowing, you can still prove that Atheism is the more plausible world view based on all available knowledge.
theBartone9119 1 month ago
@narco73 Also there is evidence the universe is uncaused. If there is no cause, then it's reasonable to argue that an intelligent being couldn't have caused it. We cannot say these things with 100% conviction, but it sure is a lot more solid than "I don't know" and is still based on scientific observation.
theBartone9119 1 month ago
@theBartone9119 I think you may have missed my point. I was explaining to you why they say that you can't prove a negative.
narco73 1 month ago
@narco73 You can though. If X exists it would leave certain properties (we'll call the properties Z), if it didn't exist then it would leave certain properties (we'll call the properties y).
Lets see we use all our knowledge of the known universe and determine Z is not found in the universe and Y is found everywhere. This would provide reasonable proof that X did not exist. You don't have to search the entire universe to know a perfectly round square doesn't exist, same with God...
theBartone9119 1 month ago
This first guy needs to know that he became a better person through his own strength, with the help of his belief. He can still continue to be a good person once he realizes that his belief in god has no basis, as he has already proved he is capable of that.
narco73 1 month ago
we survived the Romans, the Muslims, the vikings, inner strife, facism, communism, and now atheism we will win in the end my brothers
Soonerfan1237 1 month ago
you must first acknowledge your existence within the Universe. As a functioning, dependent and intertwined piece of the Omnipresent- all-encompassing and omnipotent-all-powerful universe. They must also acknowledge that they are powerless against its power and control. It is your creator, your sustainer, your god. You must also comprehend that you are inside of the universe making you one with the universe at a distance outside of the inner universe. So have some respect for who keeps you aliv
sirunlalala 1 month ago
Proving a negative = easy
"Imagine that it's your birthday, and your room mate promised to bake you a cake while you were away at class. You arrive home expecting to find your room mate among mixing bowls, eggs shells and a sweet smell in the air, but suppose you find none of this. Suppose what you do find is an opened box of cake mix on the table and a dozen eggs in your refrigerator. That is, you fail to find a number of things you would expect to find had the cake been baked" - Austin Dacey
theBartone9119 1 month ago
@theBartone9119 I think they mean a universal negative, you can't prove that a cake was not baked for you somewhere in the universe.
Obviously if you had knowledge of the entire universe you could, but there is an underlying assumption that you cannot know everything, or that the universe is infinite.
narco73 1 month ago
@narco73 The universe as we know it had a beginning at The Big Bang. Aslo, you're missing the point. We may now know everything about the Universe, but we can make arguments against God's existence based on what we do know, like the Theist makes arguments for God's existence based on what he knows. If there was a God, there would be certain things we would expect to find in the universe we do not find, there are also things we do find that we wouldn't expect if God existed, this provides grounds
theBartone9119 1 month ago
Atheist: I don't know, and I can't prove you wrong
Does not trump
Theist: I do know, and I can prove my stance
As an Atheist I'm tired of hearing "You can't prove a negative"....Yes you can!
Besides that....This show rocks and I'm a big fan, keep up the good work!
theBartone9119 1 month ago
The Atheist Experience is an awesome show, I just don't understand why they say you cannot prove a negative, or that "I don't know" can trump a theists conviction.
“You might think it’s just futile to argue that God doesn’t exist because one can’t prove a negative. Actually there are a couple of ways to prove that at thing doesn’t exist. One is to show that the thing couldn’t possibly exist because the very idea of the thing literally makes no sense, like a round square” – Austin Dacey
theBartone9119 1 month ago
This may seem weird, but I'm glad that they had a civil conversation with that first caller. They don't get many of that with theists.
LerkurlianTamer 1 month ago
Mark likes it, imo.
Amashkitotamoes 1 month ago
I can prove God exist.
Just the simple fact that we are talking about God means he exist because regardless of how you look at it, God exist. Even if its just as an idea, the fact remains is that he (or it or she or whatever) does exist. What we really need to debate on is how he exist. Does he exist as Just an imaginary figure, Or is he some all know all powerful being, or something else. Atheist can not exist because to say you dont believe in God is to deny your own idea of God.
LastDeepthought 1 month ago
@LastDeepthought I want you to know, that is a revelation from GOD himself...
SuperNiatross 1 month ago
@LastDeepthought Sure can. You can't say that "god exists as an idea therefore god exists" because everyone has a different idea of what "god" is. In that case, several gods exist as ideas or concepts. I still don't believe in those ideas or concepts. When I say that I'm an atheist, I don't have a specific idea in my head of which god I don't believe in because I don't believe in any of them including the ones I haven't heard of yet
tammyscotland 1 month ago
@tammyscotland True everyone has a different idea of god. But the fact that they have an idea of god still remains. That idea is undeniable. Only in your thought (or Idea) of any god or gods you perceive (it or him or them) to have no presence in reality. Basically imaginary.Just because you don't have specific God in mind doesn't mean you don't have the idea of any God in mind. Because obviously you do otherwise you would be talking about God (or Gods).
LastDeepthought 1 month ago
@LastDeepthought Not necessarily. Atheism is just a lack of belief in a deity. I don't need to have any specific kind of deity in mind, I don't even really have to think of one. There's no evidence for any kind of divine being and that's what I focus on. By that logic my imaginary pony Sparkles was real when I was 5 but even then, I knew Sparkles wasn't anything but an excuse to skip around the playground
tammyscotland 1 month ago
@tammyscotland Yes exactly. You believe that a deity only exist as a figment of peoples imagination. But the idea and that thought is undeniable that it exist even if just in your mind. You just proved my point. Isn't an idea a real thing? It is to ever is perceiving the idea or concept. Reading it from a dictionary something like this. God: an imaginary omnipotent being(s) who many believe in as the source of everything in the universe. Its a real concept and a real definition.
LastDeepthought 1 month ago
@LastDeepthought You're not getting it. It's a concept. That doesn't make it any more real then the teapot somewhere between here and Mars. Also, which dictionary is that from?
tammyscotland 1 month ago
@tammyscotland Also I have question. Why do you think its so important to some people to believe in god?
LastDeepthought 1 month ago
@LastDeepthought Because it's pushed on them by society? Because they're trained from a young age to not only believe in a god-figure but to ridicule those who don't. Because there are entire communities who re-enforce these beliefs and shun people who leave that group. There are a whole bunch of reasons why people find it important to believe in god but they're not really relevant to any kind of discussion on whether or not "god" exists.
tammyscotland