It is hard to argue about a word like faith when it means somehing different to all of us. To me, you can't have faith in something unless you know it, and in order to know it I have to feel it's right. With out that core feeling or sense of sure enlightenment, everybit of confidence can be erased.
I have so many problems with this video I don't know where to begin. It is a misrepresentation of the concept of faith. It also jumps gaps of reason. If this is what passes for a good argument then we are truly living in said times of intellectual bankruptcy. I guess it is getting a lot of positive marks because people are tuning in to hear someone bash religion. I guess when you have people who are not interested in good intellectual discourse you can get away with stuff like this.
"misrepresentation of the concept of faith" How so? "jumps gaps of reason" Such as? You offer absolutely no real argument here. I find it more than a little ironic that you talk about good intellectual discourse but offer absolutely nothing but ridicule. As I see it, that is a sure sign of intellectual bankruptcy.
@Nitelurker1 I meant what I said the first time. This is not even worth my time to argue with people who are being hypocrites. You all criticize faith and talk about "not running on automatic" yet it is crystal clear this is exactly what you all are doing. There is nothing being said here that I have not heard before. I guess when you don't have new ideas you just have to keep repackaging the old ones and hope no one notices.
"....people who are being hypocrites." How so? "You all criticize faith and talk about "not running on automatic" yet it is crystal clear this is exactly what you all are doing." Again, how so? "I guess when you don't have new ideas you just have to keep repackaging the old ones and hope no one notices." Then enlighten us to exactly what you are talking about. Because so far all I see is ridicule with no substance at all. You might as well just call us all a-holes. Stupid.
@Nitelurker1 This is becoming mere bickering and nothing more. I apologize if said anything offensive. I do have real concerns but I don't think they can be resolved is way. Perhaps I should have stated things differently.
@phlewis86 Bickering? I don't even have a clue why you made any of the assertions you made. A reasonable specific argument backing them would have been helpful. We haven't even got any where near the bickering stage. If you have real concerns and a genuine desire to discuss them, then don't start by making empty claims without any explanation given at all. All you had to offer was simply ridicule wrapped in a pretty package. A polite troll, lacking any substance.
In parkour, there are times when if you think, or doubt, or question, then you die. The experience of parkour is not an intellectual one. Perhaps later, in reflection, it becomes intellectual. But in the moment there is not time to reflect or ponder or argue one way or another - there is only time to move. It is then that you experience being 'in the moment' - truly, fully - and this cannot be captured by words because it is a feeling. You know it by direct experience; it cannot be argued away.
Don't confuse knowledge with an emotional or instinctive response; even if you ultimately end up having been correct, that doesn't mean your methodology or behavior was based on an accurate picture of the universe around you.
@xxxJimiGxxx Not at all; with sufficient evidence, intellectual processes can determine the truth of anything. To assume that there is something beyond the intellectual is to lie to oneself.
@BionicDance i know im late,but uh this mindset comes from fear it is the skeptics who rob them of their false virtue faith.like you and so many teachers have done for me.iam an atheist,but at one time i was an avid christian i didnt want to listen at first for i feared that my faith would be overcome by my critical faculties and the comfort it brought destroyed.
@xxxJimiGxxx Sadly I agree with you, at least regarding matters dealing with faith. Often religion demands that one remain faithful despite all evidence and reason. Some people fear that reason will diminish their faith. They have been indoctrinated into a belief system that sets them opposed to reason and evidence, at least to some degree. It is not likely that reason alone can make much of a difference to these folks, I fear.
MichaelGabrielR is closed-minded, ignorant, and intolerant. He has nothing to contribute, so cut him off. I hope you have already done so. I'm with you .
@thereforeithought Just a few moments ago, in fact. I dropped the banhammer down on his chowderhead.
Seriously, if someone can't follow SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS and present an empirical, objective set of evidence rather than what basically amounts to an argument from incredulity...well, they don't deserve to be among their intellectual betters.
Faith has more to do with actions though. When you hear someone "Acting on faith" It means that they felt that it was the right thing to do. Now this video says that If you had a large meal, And there was a homeless man there that was truely homeless, That you should use skepticism and basically keep the feast for yourself because facts would say that More food for you means more energy. But faith would be to spit the meal in half and give him some food. This is what I got from this video.
@ravi808 The video was not talking about action, it was talking about belief; that's part of where you're going wrong. Next, we're not talking about "right or wrong" things to do, not in any moral sense; we're talking about reaching a mental conclusion and the method one used to get there. Did you investigate to make sure or did you go with what FELT right?
Does god exist? If yes, how do you know that? How could you prove it to others? Why should they believe you, if all you have is faith?
Your definition of "faith" as of "feeling" is foreign to the Scriptures. A quick reading of Hebrews 11:1 makes this evident:
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
As you can see, faith is the intellectual assent that a proposition is true. The Gospel is declared in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, we evaluate it and assign a value - true of false. If a human being believes the Gospel (assign a truth value of 1 to it), then he is cleared of charges before God.
"How is this definition ANY different from "belief without proof"?"
Do you understand the difference between proof and evidence. You have no proof for a universe that is billions of years old, but you have things that you regard as sufficient evidence for it. The same goes for the evolutionary timeline - no proof just alleged evidence. Based on the evidence we are presented, we believe in the promises of God. That's not blind faith, but a faith backed by evidence.
@MichaelGabrielR Oh, come now...you don't ACTUALLY believe that, do you? Really? Seriously?
The evolutionary timeline has evidence which exists OUTSIDE OUR OWN HEADS. You can run experiments to test your suppositions, you can show your work to other people, have them check it out independently to verify your conclusions.
How do you plan to do THAT with your so-called "evidence" for god's existence? Because I have NEVER seen an argument for god's existence that could be empirically tested.
The Bible never contradicted archeological findings, but rather approved them. Your "science" is not science at all - untestable, unrepeatable and imaginary. Pseudo-scientists that chop up evidence and falsify illustrations can do nothing to blunt out the shame of their defeat and cover up their falsehoods.
Evidence can be discarded, so unless you're miraculously not hostile towards God , I can do nothing to convince you. All I was told to is to proclaim the Gospel (1 Cor 15:1-4).
Does your ignorance prevent you from doing a quick Google search? Look up the Jews in ancient Egypt, if you're willing, but I doubt you are. The geological "stratas" themselves are a good evidence of a global flood. How about fossils that cut through multiple "stratas"? Did it gather limestone for thousands of years, stopped, then gathered another rock, stopped.. you get the point! There are also fish remains like that, which would have been long eaten. Your ignorance is typical.
@MichaelGabrielR This isn't ignorance; I've looked it up. There is no evidence to support your claims. None.
YOU'RE the one making stuff up here. Where is YOUR evidence? Do you have any that DOESN'T come from a source that's biased toward religion? Do you have any IMPARTIAL data to support your claims?
Nobody is truly impartial, certainly not you. There is even evidence on 'atheism about", but atheism was under "alternative spirituality/occult", so you see, it's hard to find anything that is truly impartial... oh yes, God is impartial, but you don't believe in Him, do you? Even you have a hard time giving me info that is not biased towards "alternative spirituality/occult", lol. Try not to fail with your humanism! You're bound to spout nonsense at one point or another.
@MichaelGabrielR I don't believe in god, because I have no REASON to believe in god. Present some objective, empirical evidence and you have a chance at changing my mind.
Until and unless you attempt that, I have no reason to take you or anybody seriously. It's that simple.
But you do believe that the universe exists, do you? Yet you have no reason to believe in its existence, aside from directly experiencing it and assuming its existence. I say that because your view doesn't support an existing universe, but fiction. Your view just pushes the cause further into the past, while mine addresses the first uncaused cause, as in a series of falling domino's. Where is your first cause? Can you avoid infinite regression, which doesn't explain anything?
@MichaelGabrielR I don't have to BELIEVE that the universe exists....I have EVIDENCE that it exists. I can TEST that assertion empirically, objectively. I have REASONS to assert that the universe exists that beyond my own imagination or emotions.
Until and unless you can produce the same for the existence of a deity, I have no reason to accept anybody's assertion that one exists.
Can you provide the same sort of evidence for a god's existence that we have for the universe's existence? Hmm?
How typical. Ignorance is a dangerous thing, because it breeds blind faith. You seem to pretend not to listen or you're simply unwilling? Either way, this is where your irrational world view crumbles. Ignorance won't solve your problem, but only expose your true motives. Should I leave you to your own delusions? Instead of reason, all I get from you is wishful thinking and close-mindedness. And there's the old mantra "no evidence, no reason". Stop brainwashing yourself and study.
I'm the one espousing ABANDONING ignorance and replacing it with KNOWLEDGE. It's you who insists on remaining ignorant by choosing your imaginings of god over anything you can actually SHOW to be true.
If you can't seem to understand why knowledge trumps faith, there is no point talking to you.
See, you're misrepresenting me and, at the same time, ridiculing yourself. You're withdrawing to your dreamworld, where you are the educated, intelligent man of reason and Christians are a bunch of uneducated, deluded retards who base their beliefs on anything but reality. What's next? There was no Holocaust? You don't have to play Alice, but accept reality as it is, even when you don't like the evidence. "There is no god, no evidence, la-la-la, can't hear you, don't want to"...
I ask you for genuine EVIDENCE of the existence of god, you ignore me completely and try to insult me instead by coming up with this "fantasy world" lunacy to avoid having to admit you're full of it.
So I'm issuing you a direct challenge: present scientific, empirical, objective evidence for the existence of god, OR admit that you're just playing make-believe when it comes to god's existence...OR be blocked. You have ONE message to reply to this challenge. Go.
OK, the universe exists or not. If it does, it had or didn't have a beginning. If it didn't, we have infinite regression and since time flows directionally, we couldn't have infinite time before this moment, so universe had a beginning. It either made itself or was made. Things non-existent can't do anything. The cause must be immaterial and extra-temporal in order for it not to have a cause itself. Biology<-chemistry<-physics<-time<-(math<-logic<-x). Find the properties of x.
@MichaelGabrielR I'm sorry, but I told you to present EVIDENCE, not a smörgåsbord of fifty-cent words that proves nothing. I asked you to SHOW that your side had a point BACKED BY EVIDENCE, and all you gave me was pseudo-intellectual CRAP that boils down to nothing more than, "It's just GOTTA be what I say it's gotta be!"
If I meet a person who claims they are "a person of faith", a creepy crawlly shudder comes over me. To believe in something without proof is to claim they do not use their mind. They have become a cypher, a non-entity, a meaningless mouth-stuffer and waste upon the land. Armys the world over are looking for this kind of fool to fill their ranks.
Faith is for the slovenly weak of mind. Accept the clear concept that there is NO GOD! I am a person of Great Denial of Faith! There is NO GOD! Sketicism is for the truely weak of mind. It identifies you as a believer waiting to be handed the qualifiers to make you important. Commit to the evidence, or the GREAT LACK OF EVIDENCE. There is NO GOD! Now get on to important things in your life!
" A pure vice is near virtue" therefor cannot be judged... and faith, you are right in saying that its a feeling, but it is not being convinced something is right thats belief and doubt, as you correctly stated is not denial, both are necessary to engage into the arts of discovering truth and lies
well obviously faith is a virtue because the Bible says so. and we know the Bible is true by faith. see? so simple.
and if that's not quite enough to get you going, remember that if you don't have faith, or if you doubt, you'll go to *HELL* and roast forever. so it's best not to ask too many questions, not to go doubting and wondering, not to be an "intellectual", not to pursue the "wisdom of this world", etc.
"Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.... Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men....
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence" 1 Cor. 1:20-29
there. bet you're squirming now, eh? what do you say to *that* ?
Mostly that it assumes god exists in the first place--which you'd ALSO have to prove for this to be valid--AND that it really doesn't show you faith is anything but imagination even IF god is real.
how can you argue with such airtight circular logic as mine? i stated faith is a virtue because the Bible says it is, and that we know the Bible is true by faith. and i quoted a big long Bible passage that backs that up and proves that God likes credulity & foolishness more than wisdom or skepticism. QED, right?
(btw... it seems like it really shouldn't be necessary, but ... i was busting a gut as i posted that last one. Poe's Law)
I've always wondered why religious people considered faith a good thing as well. I've never believed in a god, but from what I can tell the faith+virture idea is from conusing faith with trust. To a religious people, not having faith in god seems to be the same as being very distrustful and suspicious of a close loved one.
Man, it's always the same, innit? They don't like what they hear, so they attempt to disbelieve. it's enough to make a person facepalm and shake one's head sadly, innit?
Just a thought here, and only my opinion... but in watching your videos it sometimes becomes distracting when you're talking and there is also text on the screen. I feel like I have to choose whether to listen or read.
Now, I could just have poor concentration or something, but I just thought I'd mention it. It really stood out to me in this video.
I'm not saying you shouldn't have text on the screen when you're talking. But, sometimes there's a lot of it.
to me its hard to have friends with faith and keep them from thinking that I think they are stupid because of their faith.
I know they are smart, they just have this one thing they like to believe for no good reason, and they tell me what they do works. I have to keep my self from telling them that rain dances worked too, because they danced until it rained....
I believe it was ozmoroid who said that he finds it odd that people will apply skepticism and rational thought when making decisions like buying a used car, but will avow "faith" when making decisions related to their immortal soul!
Heck, they'll make tons of important decisions based on their faith... They'll marry, vote, procreate, protest, and raise their kids based on irrational faith.
hey BD, i can`t find the research you point in this video that show prayer is bad for health. Well i found one link about patients with cardiac problems, but I am not sure you refer to that specific study or other more "generalized" study.
Can you help me find the info plllleeeeaaaaassssseeee?
This is one of your best vids yet. You're a true rational thinker, and to think at one point I was considering dropping my sub of your channel! *shakes head in shame*
A bit of criticism: your reminder to rate your vids is always at the beginning but I don't rate until I've actually watched the video. Often by the time I've completed the video, I've forgotten to rate, I honestly feel your reminder annotation would better serve you at the end of the video, rather than the beginning.
why do the theists always do this, they claim we are just blind skeptics and we just dismiss things out of hand because of our beliefs, but it is them that do that. they say we think we came form mud, when in fact they believe Adam was made of mud.
The seem to contently take there great weaknesses and try to apply it to there opponent. The Republicas do it too, claiming they are not big government spender and the dems are, but its them that run up the budgets every time they are in power. wtf
When I believed, i thought that I lived and moved and breathed in Christ. I knew that ultimately the universe was a divine comedy-all sorrows would ultimately be transcended This was a liberal faith, without contempt for others. They too would be "gathered in." Then one day a negative internal monologue that had been with me forever faded away and died.I no longer needed forgiveness for being human-every question could be asked. Reality is not as comforting as faith, but I will not give it up.
The best argument I have heard is that faith provides us with meaning. I do not buy into it but for some people their faith does seem to provide them with motivation.
But they so try to give the appearence of answer. :P
It's like I always say, the two funniest things in this world are sex and religion, laughing at them are great for your well being.
Agreed, but for some people it does genuinely seem they are inspired by their faith and I consider it cruel to try to tear that down. I do however try to tell them about my experiences. I tell them I am more fulfilled now getting my inspiration inwardly than I ever did when I was a Christian.
See, I think it's for the best that you tear it down; believing something false it bad, even if it does you some good. I would rather have my illusions shattered and live honestly and informed than clinging to false beliefs and potentially leading myself into disaster because of them.
Sure, it might be less comfortable, less comforting, less happy, even...but it's TRUE, and that makes it more valuable.
Well I also consider far healthier to live without the childish view of the world that is many peoples religious views. I use my facebook channel for being all ideological.
I just think it is important to not become a destroyer of hope in the process of offering truth. People like the TheAmazingAtheist come to mind in the "what not to do" category.
Well, look...if it came down to choosing between hope or truth--if you couldn't have both--I'd pick truth.
I won't TRY to destroy peoples' hope, but neither will I shrink from it in order to promote truth. It'd be nice to replace one hope with another, the latter being one based in fact...but if hope and truth were mutually exclusive...well, I've said which I'd pick; which would be your choice?
Well first and foremost I do not find them to be mutually exclusive. I have more hope now then I ever had with religion, but if I had to choose then I would choose hope. A life without hope to me is not worth living.
Luckily though, the pursuit of truth is filled with hope and optimism. Sobering truths that may come with initial depression always seem to eventually come with the serenity and peace of knowing that your knowledge is on strong ground.
I love your style. You state common sense in such a productive, effective way :o) "For no good reason" is kind of harsh, though. Sometimes a feeling can have more clout than a fact-- It's when people start bludgeoning you in the head with their book of choice, that's when I start feeling as you do. Another great video, lady. Hey, did you get that tan you hoped for?
And, not entirely; I'm tan but not as tan as I might have hoped; we had several cloudy days in Miami, alas. Still...I have SOME color, and that's good. Thanks for asking! :)
Bravo. I might have to revisit some of your older work again to make this claim but I believe THIS is your OPUS! Either that or the harmonic convergence of the tone of your voice mixed with a somewhat toxic soup of my second cocktail and my toaster strudel have left me a bit short of my facilities. I shall go with the former. FAV!
Don't get me wrong, this vid means a lot to me, but...I woulda thought "God is Meaningless" or "Surrounded: The Evil Conspiracy" were better, personally.
Still, I very much appreciate the sentiment, regardless, and maybe you're right. Regardless, thanks! I really appreciate your kind words! :)
Well, the new movie was awesome...and I've actually found myself quite liking "Voyager", if you can believe it. I just finished the second season and I'm kinna diggin' it.
Oh, there are still parts I could to without...the Kazon (or however that's spelled) are REALLY stupid, but the episodes without 'em aren't bad.
Cults and religions, utilize, mind control. The thing with the cults, though, is that they take it to the maximum and try to alienate their victims from normal society. Some religions are more cult like and some less but they're all implicating mind control on their subjects, as well. Now, when you're looking at a victim of a cult, you can how severe the effects on the victim's mind can be. That just shows ya, in the extreme, the mechanics of most religions.
@thirdclass2006. Yes, I have. I was brought up in a society which was heavily dominated by Roman Catholicism. The thoughts and feelings that went through my mind were full of contradiction so I always wondered what was going on. But, the Roman Catholic Church gives it's self away as a power hungry control freak, always ready to make a buck on peoples' fears and suffering. So, if you look at the big picture, with them, it's rather easy to see. I gotta go to work; just answered hurriedly now.
I was raised Roman Catholic. I didn't see much wrong until I got older and began thinking for myself on the general issue of religion, as opposed to being told what to think by the church and my parents (mainly my dad).
Afterward, I realized just how little gratification I got from life in following the beliefs of my upbringing. Thanks to people like BionicDance and others, I see how much B.S I was fed over the years.
@thirdclass2006. NP. My pleasure. Thanks for the reply as well. Just one thing I wanted to add. How do I see the mind control in our religious upbringing? When you think about God and try to defy him, you may, literally, feel bad. Has it ever happened to you? I'm not surprised if it has. If it has, you have been psychologically conditioned and it takes a while get over it, or, sort of clear your mind off of it. I suppose, psychological conditioning is more accurate of the term here.
I feel I have gotten over it by now. I have reenforcement, of course, from others (thank you James Randi, AronRa, Thunderf00t, Penn Jillette, and BionicDance!).
At my son's school an applicant for Parent/Governor stated on his form that he's a Christian. He obviously thought this was a good thing that would stand in his favour. I successfully argued that believing he had a telepathic relationship with a still-living early Iron Age carpenter from the Middle East was probably not a good feature for someone who would be quiding the education of young children. I'm so glad I live in the UK!
I know that you weren't the first to think that faith is a vice, but now you're thinking like the founders of secular countries and I like your directness. While your words lack the poetry of say, Mark Twain, it does speak for how far humanity has come in recognizing the fallacies of religions. You can now just say what you think, without being burned at the stake. And religion is being held accountable, and as we all know, those religious types don't think much for math let alone accounting.
On the point of "going with one's gut feelings" I would say that's actually not a bad thing when you have nothing else to go on. The subconscious is an amazing thing. The problem, as I see it, is when people continue relying on this intuitive knowledge even after being presented with concrete evidence that contradicts their beliefs.
Do you design all those planets, or do you have a bunch of them saved from another source? Or did a Big Bang take place in your computer? ;-)
I remember how dismayed I was when my parents first explained to me exactly what faith was. Up until then it was just a random religious word with incredibly good connotations, but when I realized what it was, I had the sinking feeling that I would never be able to take anything for granted without at least some evidence.
See, if that's ALL the game had been, I probably would have done the same; when the pre-release Creature Creator came out, I made hundreds of creatures while waiting for the full game.
...but when the game itself came out, it WASN'T the scientifically-based evolution and civilization and exploration game I'd been led to believe, and that's what I'd really wanted. The kind of game that might have captivated, say, Richard Dawkins, with natural selection and genetics and evolution built in...
True, I did find the lack of scientific accuracy a bit disappointing but it wouldn't have made much of a game if it all happened naturally without the need for player input.
They could have made it possible to gradually manipulate what you already had but the game would have taken forever (or just millions of years :P) that way.
I must admit I never did play the proper game to beyond the evolution stages. I'm just a sucker for building stuff and letting my mind roam :)
It shouldn't take much digging around to find the original Spore demo...in fact, here:
/watch?v=T8dvMDFOFnA
The original idea for the game was VERY different. Look at how the creatures moved, if nothing else. Listen to what the game was SUPPOSED to be about originally. It was much more science-oriented, and this demo got me SO excited...and the game we GOT was SUCH a disappointment by comparison.
Faith is a vice. I never thought to put it quite like that before, but I like it.
I think the way you do now. But when I believed, the reason I scoffed at those who scoffed at faith was because I thought there was this mystical thing about faith that only those who were truly in touch with the spiritual could understand. And I admired that.
Skepticism and cynicism are two entirely different aspects of the human condition. I believe that being skeptical is simply another way of saying that you are alive. This is corny, of course, but being alive just means that you don't accept the simple answers -- the easy answers -- the pat answers that are so set in stone within the traditional faith communities.Doubts and skepticism are the two things that make my life worth living. Without them my imagination is useless. Good video !
If the only thing that differs us from the rest of the animals is our level of intelligence. It should then follow that we should use this intellect to seek the truth no matter what it is. Truth is not found in faith. To live for faith means you ignore facts, which means you have no truth in faith.
Many believers take non-belief as an attack, b/c if anything challenges their "faith" then something they have been sure they were told correctly may be inaccurate - it makes them wrong.
People like to "feel" as if there is certainty in the world, that there is a purpose to life, and that they are special in some way. To discover that all knowledge is provisional, there is no objective purpose, and we are all irrelevant when it comes to the universe, is disconcerting to some at first.
I don't disagree at all...hell, I'm probably not entirely immune to hating it when my beliefs are challenged. Though, come to think of it, there've been moments in my life when a position I've long held is shown to me to be false and I've gladly changed my position on the matter, so, hey...
But still...I just find it frustrating, you know? It makes debating--or even just discussing--this issue an exercise in getting really fucking grumpy before too long, yanno?
Yep. A good thing to keep in mind, though, is that sometimes a "believer" just needs to be reassured that it's o.k. if all knowledge is provisional, there is no objective purpose and we're all irrelevant int he grand scheme of things. It's rather freeing, as a matter of fact. I've gotten a lot of mileage from just asking "so what if we don't know for sure? So what if we may not have a higher purpose? Isn't it still great to be alive?"
I used to be a christian, but I agreed with the theory of evolution when a creationist in my class at college came up and offered his videos saying that evolution was just a lie, and that we actually come from a boat.
Being so annoyed by this, that I skeptically researched to disprove it and came to this exact conclusion you're pointing out. How can one be skeptical of one point yet not the whole thing in it's entirety? I guess it was this type of logic that led me to becoming atheist.
And for the record, from researching, a theory is a hypothesis supported by proof. The reason it is simply not called "the fact of evolution" as many creationists believe is because theories evolve and change over time as more evidence is discovered and added to them. Being called a theory does not change the validity, in the same way the theory of gravity, and the theory of quantum physics are both valid and used theories, yet not simply conjecture.
My point is that people would be much happier if they think carefully for a second whether life is really any less awesome without a "higher purpose" or being "special?" Life is awesome because life is awesome, IMHO. If some being that I don't know anything about has some purpose for me or thinks I'm special, well, that's nice. I just hope he doesn't watch me when I "clear the snorkel" so to speak. :-)
Alas, I'm afraid it'll go both unacknowledged AND unanswered; when challenged, the religious seem to clam up and hunker down--or lash out--rather than engage in any kind of reasoned argument/debate.
Naw, it seems to be fairly universal. I know very few theists who are willing to actually discuss their position.
They get pretty defensive...or aggressive, but it seems like lashing out or attempting to distract rather than actually having a real point...and I think it's cuz they know their position is untenable in any realistic sense, and that their feelings and convictions are no defense against logic and the empirical realm.
It is hard to argue about a word like faith when it means somehing different to all of us. To me, you can't have faith in something unless you know it, and in order to know it I have to feel it's right. With out that core feeling or sense of sure enlightenment, everybit of confidence can be erased.
awolikesguitars 4 months ago
I have so many problems with this video I don't know where to begin. It is a misrepresentation of the concept of faith. It also jumps gaps of reason. If this is what passes for a good argument then we are truly living in said times of intellectual bankruptcy. I guess it is getting a lot of positive marks because people are tuning in to hear someone bash religion. I guess when you have people who are not interested in good intellectual discourse you can get away with stuff like this.
phlewis86 1 year ago
@phlewis86 Do you have anything SPECIFIC to say, or are you just doing the equivalent of folding your arms and going, "Nuh-UH!"...?
BionicDance 1 year ago 4
@phlewis86
"misrepresentation of the concept of faith" How so? "jumps gaps of reason" Such as? You offer absolutely no real argument here. I find it more than a little ironic that you talk about good intellectual discourse but offer absolutely nothing but ridicule. As I see it, that is a sure sign of intellectual bankruptcy.
Nitelurker1 7 months ago
@Nitelurker1 I meant what I said the first time. This is not even worth my time to argue with people who are being hypocrites. You all criticize faith and talk about "not running on automatic" yet it is crystal clear this is exactly what you all are doing. There is nothing being said here that I have not heard before. I guess when you don't have new ideas you just have to keep repackaging the old ones and hope no one notices.
phlewis86 7 months ago
@phlewis86
"....people who are being hypocrites." How so? "You all criticize faith and talk about "not running on automatic" yet it is crystal clear this is exactly what you all are doing." Again, how so? "I guess when you don't have new ideas you just have to keep repackaging the old ones and hope no one notices." Then enlighten us to exactly what you are talking about. Because so far all I see is ridicule with no substance at all. You might as well just call us all a-holes. Stupid.
Nitelurker1 7 months ago
@Nitelurker1 This is becoming mere bickering and nothing more. I apologize if said anything offensive. I do have real concerns but I don't think they can be resolved is way. Perhaps I should have stated things differently.
phlewis86 7 months ago
@phlewis86 Bickering? I don't even have a clue why you made any of the assertions you made. A reasonable specific argument backing them would have been helpful. We haven't even got any where near the bickering stage. If you have real concerns and a genuine desire to discuss them, then don't start by making empty claims without any explanation given at all. All you had to offer was simply ridicule wrapped in a pretty package. A polite troll, lacking any substance.
Nitelurker1 7 months ago
In parkour, there are times when if you think, or doubt, or question, then you die. The experience of parkour is not an intellectual one. Perhaps later, in reflection, it becomes intellectual. But in the moment there is not time to reflect or ponder or argue one way or another - there is only time to move. It is then that you experience being 'in the moment' - truly, fully - and this cannot be captured by words because it is a feeling. You know it by direct experience; it cannot be argued away.
xxxJimiGxxx 1 year ago
@xxxJimiGxxx You don't KNOW it...you FEEL it.
Don't confuse knowledge with an emotional or instinctive response; even if you ultimately end up having been correct, that doesn't mean your methodology or behavior was based on an accurate picture of the universe around you.
BionicDance 1 year ago
@BionicDance
I guess that will always be the limitation of intellectual debate. It can only go so far.
xxxJimiGxxx 1 year ago
@xxxJimiGxxx Not at all; with sufficient evidence, intellectual processes can determine the truth of anything. To assume that there is something beyond the intellectual is to lie to oneself.
BionicDance 1 year ago
@BionicDance i know im late,but uh this mindset comes from fear it is the skeptics who rob them of their false virtue faith.like you and so many teachers have done for me.iam an atheist,but at one time i was an avid christian i didnt want to listen at first for i feared that my faith would be overcome by my critical faculties and the comfort it brought destroyed.
312haku 1 year ago
@xxxJimiGxxx Sadly I agree with you, at least regarding matters dealing with faith. Often religion demands that one remain faithful despite all evidence and reason. Some people fear that reason will diminish their faith. They have been indoctrinated into a belief system that sets them opposed to reason and evidence, at least to some degree. It is not likely that reason alone can make much of a difference to these folks, I fear.
Nitelurker1 7 months ago
0:17 "The automatic gainsaying of anyone else's position. That's contradiction."
No it isn't. :p
Sinuev1 1 year ago
MichaelGabrielR is closed-minded, ignorant, and intolerant. He has nothing to contribute, so cut him off. I hope you have already done so. I'm with you .
thereforeithought 1 year ago
@thereforeithought Just a few moments ago, in fact. I dropped the banhammer down on his chowderhead.
Seriously, if someone can't follow SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS and present an empirical, objective set of evidence rather than what basically amounts to an argument from incredulity...well, they don't deserve to be among their intellectual betters.
You know...like us. :)
Thanks for watching!
BionicDance 1 year ago
Wow- since March only one thumbs down. This is definitely one of your best videos.
blurglide 1 year ago
@blurglide Thanks! :)
Mind you, I think I have one or two people who down-thumb all of my vids just on principle, but hey...I'm okay with all those offsetting up-thumbs!
BionicDance 1 year ago
Faith has more to do with actions though. When you hear someone "Acting on faith" It means that they felt that it was the right thing to do. Now this video says that If you had a large meal, And there was a homeless man there that was truely homeless, That you should use skepticism and basically keep the feast for yourself because facts would say that More food for you means more energy. But faith would be to spit the meal in half and give him some food. This is what I got from this video.
ravi808 1 year ago
@ravi808 Then you got the WRONG thing from this video.
Are you prepared to try and understand what it was REALLY saying, or have you made up your mind and I would be wasting my time explaining it?
BionicDance 1 year ago
@BionicDance I am prepared to understand. Thats my only intention, enlightenment. I'm what some people may call "Open minded"
ravi808 1 year ago
@ravi808 The video was not talking about action, it was talking about belief; that's part of where you're going wrong. Next, we're not talking about "right or wrong" things to do, not in any moral sense; we're talking about reaching a mental conclusion and the method one used to get there. Did you investigate to make sure or did you go with what FELT right?
Does god exist? If yes, how do you know that? How could you prove it to others? Why should they believe you, if all you have is faith?
BionicDance 1 year ago
@BionicDance Help me understand. I want to know
ravi808 1 year ago
My evidence; us, people.
If their is some people that come all together in equality, with out bigots, then their is a god; us.
BboyJovi 1 year ago
Your definition of "faith" as of "feeling" is foreign to the Scriptures. A quick reading of Hebrews 11:1 makes this evident:
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
As you can see, faith is the intellectual assent that a proposition is true. The Gospel is declared in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, we evaluate it and assign a value - true of false. If a human being believes the Gospel (assign a truth value of 1 to it), then he is cleared of charges before God.
MichaelGabrielR 1 year ago
@MichaelGabrielR How is this definition ANY different from "belief without proof"?
BionicDance 1 year ago
@BionicDance
"How is this definition ANY different from "belief without proof"?"
Do you understand the difference between proof and evidence. You have no proof for a universe that is billions of years old, but you have things that you regard as sufficient evidence for it. The same goes for the evolutionary timeline - no proof just alleged evidence. Based on the evidence we are presented, we believe in the promises of God. That's not blind faith, but a faith backed by evidence.
MichaelGabrielR 1 year ago
@MichaelGabrielR Oh, come now...you don't ACTUALLY believe that, do you? Really? Seriously?
The evolutionary timeline has evidence which exists OUTSIDE OUR OWN HEADS. You can run experiments to test your suppositions, you can show your work to other people, have them check it out independently to verify your conclusions.
How do you plan to do THAT with your so-called "evidence" for god's existence? Because I have NEVER seen an argument for god's existence that could be empirically tested.
BionicDance 1 year ago
@BionicDance
The Bible never contradicted archeological findings, but rather approved them. Your "science" is not science at all - untestable, unrepeatable and imaginary. Pseudo-scientists that chop up evidence and falsify illustrations can do nothing to blunt out the shame of their defeat and cover up their falsehoods.
Evidence can be discarded, so unless you're miraculously not hostile towards God , I can do nothing to convince you. All I was told to is to proclaim the Gospel (1 Cor 15:1-4).
MichaelGabrielR 1 year ago
@MichaelGabrielR Are you serious?
The bible claims that there were Jews in Egypt. No evidence has EVER been found.
The same Jews are alleged to have wandered the desert for HOW long? Not so much as a pottery shard.
A global flood? Not a trace.
And it's not as if god has actually ever SHOWN UP to say hello.
You have definitely drunk the Kool-Aid™, friend. *rolls eyes skyward*
BionicDance 1 year ago
@BionicDance
Does your ignorance prevent you from doing a quick Google search? Look up the Jews in ancient Egypt, if you're willing, but I doubt you are. The geological "stratas" themselves are a good evidence of a global flood. How about fossils that cut through multiple "stratas"? Did it gather limestone for thousands of years, stopped, then gathered another rock, stopped.. you get the point! There are also fish remains like that, which would have been long eaten. Your ignorance is typical.
MichaelGabrielR 1 year ago
@MichaelGabrielR This isn't ignorance; I've looked it up. There is no evidence to support your claims. None.
YOU'RE the one making stuff up here. Where is YOUR evidence? Do you have any that DOESN'T come from a source that's biased toward religion? Do you have any IMPARTIAL data to support your claims?
BionicDance 1 year ago
@BionicDance
Nobody is truly impartial, certainly not you. There is even evidence on 'atheism about", but atheism was under "alternative spirituality/occult", so you see, it's hard to find anything that is truly impartial... oh yes, God is impartial, but you don't believe in Him, do you? Even you have a hard time giving me info that is not biased towards "alternative spirituality/occult", lol. Try not to fail with your humanism! You're bound to spout nonsense at one point or another.
MichaelGabrielR 1 year ago
@MichaelGabrielR I don't believe in god, because I have no REASON to believe in god. Present some objective, empirical evidence and you have a chance at changing my mind.
Until and unless you attempt that, I have no reason to take you or anybody seriously. It's that simple.
BionicDance 1 year ago
@BionicDance
But you do believe that the universe exists, do you? Yet you have no reason to believe in its existence, aside from directly experiencing it and assuming its existence. I say that because your view doesn't support an existing universe, but fiction. Your view just pushes the cause further into the past, while mine addresses the first uncaused cause, as in a series of falling domino's. Where is your first cause? Can you avoid infinite regression, which doesn't explain anything?
MichaelGabrielR 1 year ago
@MichaelGabrielR I don't have to BELIEVE that the universe exists....I have EVIDENCE that it exists. I can TEST that assertion empirically, objectively. I have REASONS to assert that the universe exists that beyond my own imagination or emotions.
Until and unless you can produce the same for the existence of a deity, I have no reason to accept anybody's assertion that one exists.
Can you provide the same sort of evidence for a god's existence that we have for the universe's existence? Hmm?
BionicDance 1 year ago
@MichaelGabrielR ...or, to put it another way, you are NEVER going to get to god's existence by reason alone, by ARGUMENT alone.
Either SHOW that god exists with PHYSICAL, SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE, or admit you're just using your imagination.
BionicDance 1 year ago
@BionicDance
How typical. Ignorance is a dangerous thing, because it breeds blind faith. You seem to pretend not to listen or you're simply unwilling? Either way, this is where your irrational world view crumbles. Ignorance won't solve your problem, but only expose your true motives. Should I leave you to your own delusions? Instead of reason, all I get from you is wishful thinking and close-mindedness. And there's the old mantra "no evidence, no reason". Stop brainwashing yourself and study.
MichaelGabrielR 1 year ago
@MichaelGabrielR Excuse me? Ignorance?
I'm the one espousing ABANDONING ignorance and replacing it with KNOWLEDGE. It's you who insists on remaining ignorant by choosing your imaginings of god over anything you can actually SHOW to be true.
If you can't seem to understand why knowledge trumps faith, there is no point talking to you.
BionicDance 1 year ago
@BionicDance
See, you're misrepresenting me and, at the same time, ridiculing yourself. You're withdrawing to your dreamworld, where you are the educated, intelligent man of reason and Christians are a bunch of uneducated, deluded retards who base their beliefs on anything but reality. What's next? There was no Holocaust? You don't have to play Alice, but accept reality as it is, even when you don't like the evidence. "There is no god, no evidence, la-la-la, can't hear you, don't want to"...
MichaelGabrielR 1 year ago
@MichaelGabrielR Horseshit.
I ask you for genuine EVIDENCE of the existence of god, you ignore me completely and try to insult me instead by coming up with this "fantasy world" lunacy to avoid having to admit you're full of it.
So I'm issuing you a direct challenge: present scientific, empirical, objective evidence for the existence of god, OR admit that you're just playing make-believe when it comes to god's existence...OR be blocked. You have ONE message to reply to this challenge. Go.
BionicDance 1 year ago
@BionicDance
OK, the universe exists or not. If it does, it had or didn't have a beginning. If it didn't, we have infinite regression and since time flows directionally, we couldn't have infinite time before this moment, so universe had a beginning. It either made itself or was made. Things non-existent can't do anything. The cause must be immaterial and extra-temporal in order for it not to have a cause itself. Biology<-chemistry<-physics<-time<-(math<-logic<-x). Find the properties of x.
MichaelGabrielR 1 year ago
@MichaelGabrielR I'm sorry, but I told you to present EVIDENCE, not a smörgåsbord of fifty-cent words that proves nothing. I asked you to SHOW that your side had a point BACKED BY EVIDENCE, and all you gave me was pseudo-intellectual CRAP that boils down to nothing more than, "It's just GOTTA be what I say it's gotta be!"
Good-bye.
BionicDance 1 year ago 2
@MichaelGabrielR
I think biblically speaking faith must be a little more than that given that if you even have a tiny amount you can order mountains to move at will.
Nitelurker1 7 months ago
"I'm open to empirical evidence that proves god "
You are going to wait a lifetime. We will chisel this on your tombstone. "I waited but he never came"
junkyardpolester 1 year ago
If I meet a person who claims they are "a person of faith", a creepy crawlly shudder comes over me. To believe in something without proof is to claim they do not use their mind. They have become a cypher, a non-entity, a meaningless mouth-stuffer and waste upon the land. Armys the world over are looking for this kind of fool to fill their ranks.
junkyardpolester 1 year ago
Faith is for the slovenly weak of mind. Accept the clear concept that there is NO GOD! I am a person of Great Denial of Faith! There is NO GOD! Sketicism is for the truely weak of mind. It identifies you as a believer waiting to be handed the qualifiers to make you important. Commit to the evidence, or the GREAT LACK OF EVIDENCE. There is NO GOD! Now get on to important things in your life!
junkyardpolester 1 year ago
...or produce some evidence. I'm open to empirical evidence that proves god exists.
I'm just not open to faith.
BionicDance 1 year ago
" A pure vice is near virtue" therefor cannot be judged... and faith, you are right in saying that its a feeling, but it is not being convinced something is right thats belief and doubt, as you correctly stated is not denial, both are necessary to engage into the arts of discovering truth and lies
2Draco39 1 year ago
well obviously faith is a virtue because the Bible says so. and we know the Bible is true by faith. see? so simple.
and if that's not quite enough to get you going, remember that if you don't have faith, or if you doubt, you'll go to *HELL* and roast forever. so it's best not to ask too many questions, not to go doubting and wondering, not to be an "intellectual", not to pursue the "wisdom of this world", etc.
pilby 1 year ago
Hmm...
...prove it. :D
BionicDance 1 year ago
no problem. here goes the faith proof:
"Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.... Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men....
(cont.)
pilby 1 year ago
(cont.)
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence" 1 Cor. 1:20-29
there. bet you're squirming now, eh? what do you say to *that* ?
pilby 1 year ago
What do I say to that?
Mostly that it assumes god exists in the first place--which you'd ALSO have to prove for this to be valid--AND that it really doesn't show you faith is anything but imagination even IF god is real.
Try again.
BionicDance 1 year ago
how can you argue with such airtight circular logic as mine? i stated faith is a virtue because the Bible says it is, and that we know the Bible is true by faith. and i quoted a big long Bible passage that backs that up and proves that God likes credulity & foolishness more than wisdom or skepticism. QED, right?
(btw... it seems like it really shouldn't be necessary, but ... i was busting a gut as i posted that last one. Poe's Law)
pilby 1 year ago
...
...I like cheese.
BionicDance 1 year ago
I've always wondered why religious people considered faith a good thing as well. I've never believed in a god, but from what I can tell the faith+virture idea is from conusing faith with trust. To a religious people, not having faith in god seems to be the same as being very distrustful and suspicious of a close loved one.
technologysucks 2 years ago
I doubt that.
Eldxale42 2 years ago
You wanna know what its like to see blind faith as good? Have a labotomy. Or watch alot of Kent hovind crap.
Sav3TheWorld 2 years ago
I had explained this very thing to some religious dude a few weeks ago..
ytben26 2 years ago
Lemme guess...he didn't get it cuz he didn't like it, neh?
BionicDance 2 years ago
yeah exactly.
ytben26 2 years ago
Man, it's always the same, innit? They don't like what they hear, so they attempt to disbelieve. it's enough to make a person facepalm and shake one's head sadly, innit?
BionicDance 2 years ago
Just a thought here, and only my opinion... but in watching your videos it sometimes becomes distracting when you're talking and there is also text on the screen. I feel like I have to choose whether to listen or read.
Now, I could just have poor concentration or something, but I just thought I'd mention it. It really stood out to me in this video.
I'm not saying you shouldn't have text on the screen when you're talking. But, sometimes there's a lot of it.
TheSkepticalAtheist 2 years ago
So, you know...watch the video twice, listen once, then read. Boost my view count. ;)
Thanks for watching!
BionicDance 2 years ago
I just might do that! Makes sense. See, honest, open debate really does work.
TheSkepticalAtheist 2 years ago
'Course, so does doing EXACTLY what I say...
...but i think I prefer open, honest debate, yeah. ;)
Thanks again!
BionicDance 2 years ago
Well, I certainly disagree with that worldview, but we're all entitled to our own opinions. lol
TheSkepticalAtheist 2 years ago
Heh. I'm in a silly, irreverent mood right now; I'm just goofing around, feeling silly. Ignore me. :)
BionicDance 2 years ago
One of your best, I think. Thanks again!
dubaipete 2 years ago
This WILL explain it to you.
watch?v=12rP8ybp13s
ndyt 2 years ago
to me its hard to have friends with faith and keep them from thinking that I think they are stupid because of their faith.
I know they are smart, they just have this one thing they like to believe for no good reason, and they tell me what they do works. I have to keep my self from telling them that rain dances worked too, because they danced until it rained....
mintyformula 2 years ago
And unfortunately, Eliza Dushku's character on Buffy didn't change her name to "Doubt" once she eventually saw reason.
Rijara 2 years ago
YouTube has put some shitty videos in my subscription box but I'm glad they included this one.
stagism 2 years ago
I believe it was ozmoroid who said that he finds it odd that people will apply skepticism and rational thought when making decisions like buying a used car, but will avow "faith" when making decisions related to their immortal soul!
Heck, they'll make tons of important decisions based on their faith... They'll marry, vote, procreate, protest, and raise their kids based on irrational faith.
Weird.
TheHogTieChamp 2 years ago
Another great video ;)
itsbizbuz 2 years ago
I love the music :)
IRLpirate 2 years ago
Excellent video...favorited and featured on my channel.
crazypills2 2 years ago
Comment removed
crazypills2 2 years ago
hey BD, i can`t find the research you point in this video that show prayer is bad for health. Well i found one link about patients with cardiac problems, but I am not sure you refer to that specific study or other more "generalized" study.
Can you help me find the info plllleeeeaaaaassssseeee?
Psity 2 years ago
Can't post links in comments; I'll PM you.
BionicDance 2 years ago
thanks BD. I owe you one.
five stars and a friendly hug.
also, if you ever come to Mexico, just PM me, and I`ll get you some tequila. and maybe a Sombrero...
Psity 2 years ago
Well said.
buzzausa 2 years ago
Ahaha, this just happened to me today. I was told I was arrogant for arguing that evolution is a fact after providing several forms of proof.
turoturothegreat 2 years ago
This is one of your best vids yet. You're a true rational thinker, and to think at one point I was considering dropping my sub of your channel! *shakes head in shame*
A bit of criticism: your reminder to rate your vids is always at the beginning but I don't rate until I've actually watched the video. Often by the time I've completed the video, I've forgotten to rate, I honestly feel your reminder annotation would better serve you at the end of the video, rather than the beginning.
5 stars!
webhed003 2 years ago 2
why do the theists always do this, they claim we are just blind skeptics and we just dismiss things out of hand because of our beliefs, but it is them that do that. they say we think we came form mud, when in fact they believe Adam was made of mud.
The seem to contently take there great weaknesses and try to apply it to there opponent. The Republicas do it too, claiming they are not big government spender and the dems are, but its them that run up the budgets every time they are in power. wtf
fireflygirl246 2 years ago
When I believed, i thought that I lived and moved and breathed in Christ. I knew that ultimately the universe was a divine comedy-all sorrows would ultimately be transcended This was a liberal faith, without contempt for others. They too would be "gathered in." Then one day a negative internal monologue that had been with me forever faded away and died.I no longer needed forgiveness for being human-every question could be asked. Reality is not as comforting as faith, but I will not give it up.
gilraen789 2 years ago 3
Indeed ★★★★★
Katalyzt 2 years ago
The best argument I have heard is that faith provides us with meaning. I do not buy into it but for some people their faith does seem to provide them with motivation.
IAmReasonMan 2 years ago
But when you ask 'em about it, when you ask 'em whether the meaning comes from themselves or from outside themselves, they can't give a real answer.
BionicDance 2 years ago
But they so try to give the appearence of answer. :P
It's like I always say, the two funniest things in this world are sex and religion, laughing at them are great for your well being.
Agreed, but for some people it does genuinely seem they are inspired by their faith and I consider it cruel to try to tear that down. I do however try to tell them about my experiences. I tell them I am more fulfilled now getting my inspiration inwardly than I ever did when I was a Christian.
IAmReasonMan 2 years ago
See, I think it's for the best that you tear it down; believing something false it bad, even if it does you some good. I would rather have my illusions shattered and live honestly and informed than clinging to false beliefs and potentially leading myself into disaster because of them.
Sure, it might be less comfortable, less comforting, less happy, even...but it's TRUE, and that makes it more valuable.
BionicDance 2 years ago
Well I also consider far healthier to live without the childish view of the world that is many peoples religious views. I use my facebook channel for being all ideological.
I just think it is important to not become a destroyer of hope in the process of offering truth. People like the TheAmazingAtheist come to mind in the "what not to do" category.
IAmReasonMan 2 years ago
Well, look...if it came down to choosing between hope or truth--if you couldn't have both--I'd pick truth.
I won't TRY to destroy peoples' hope, but neither will I shrink from it in order to promote truth. It'd be nice to replace one hope with another, the latter being one based in fact...but if hope and truth were mutually exclusive...well, I've said which I'd pick; which would be your choice?
BionicDance 2 years ago
Well first and foremost I do not find them to be mutually exclusive. I have more hope now then I ever had with religion, but if I had to choose then I would choose hope. A life without hope to me is not worth living.
Luckily though, the pursuit of truth is filled with hope and optimism. Sobering truths that may come with initial depression always seem to eventually come with the serenity and peace of knowing that your knowledge is on strong ground.
IAmReasonMan 2 years ago
Supposed they WERE mutually exclusive, tho...just hypothetically speaking; which would you choose, bleak reality or hopeful fiction?
BionicDance 2 years ago
Well I do not want this to construed as any sort of approval for being a village idiot, but I would have to grudgingly choose hopeful fiction.
I am just so happy reality does not usually present us with such decisions.
IAmReasonMan 2 years ago
Yes, I'm similarly glad.
...though I was kind of hoping for a bit more insight as to your choice.
I would choose the opposite, if only for the sake of safety; ignorance may be bliss, but what you don't know will kill you.
BionicDance 2 years ago
Great discussion! Great music too.
MtlRedAtheist 2 years ago
MAN, did I ever pick the right music for this vid! Given how many people have weighed in on that matter...I'm just sayin'.
I knew it when I picked it, it just felt right...but I didn't expect this kinna reaction.
Thanks for watching! :)
BionicDance 2 years ago
I love your style. You state common sense in such a productive, effective way :o) "For no good reason" is kind of harsh, though. Sometimes a feeling can have more clout than a fact-- It's when people start bludgeoning you in the head with their book of choice, that's when I start feeling as you do. Another great video, lady. Hey, did you get that tan you hoped for?
imjustagirl776 2 years ago
Thanks! :)
And, not entirely; I'm tan but not as tan as I might have hoped; we had several cloudy days in Miami, alas. Still...I have SOME color, and that's good. Thanks for asking! :)
BionicDance 2 years ago
Ever think of a trip to Arizona?
Not much cloudy days there. You can get a tan very quickly.
thirdclass2006 2 years ago
I've been to Arizona. Twice.
It's the wrong kinda heat; too damn dry. I need more of a tropical flavor, really. Hawaii or Florida.
BionicDance 2 years ago
I love this video:)
cosmos11 2 years ago
beautiful music well said 5 stars
fallbread 2 years ago
Bravo. I might have to revisit some of your older work again to make this claim but I believe THIS is your OPUS! Either that or the harmonic convergence of the tone of your voice mixed with a somewhat toxic soup of my second cocktail and my toaster strudel have left me a bit short of my facilities. I shall go with the former. FAV!
mtsac1 2 years ago
You think so? This vid? Really?
Don't get me wrong, this vid means a lot to me, but...I woulda thought "God is Meaningless" or "Surrounded: The Evil Conspiracy" were better, personally.
Still, I very much appreciate the sentiment, regardless, and maybe you're right. Regardless, thanks! I really appreciate your kind words! :)
BionicDance 2 years ago
No. Thank you! We all really enjoy your work.
mtsac1 2 years ago 2
Aww, shucks. :)
BionicDance 2 years ago
i'm skeptical about your chances of anyone providing a reasonable explanation...
gothatfunk 2 years ago 2
As am I.
But who knows...maybe someone'll manage it, neh? Weirder things have happened...like me actually managing to enjoy "Star Trek". *twitchtwitch*
BionicDance 2 years ago
Any one or all of the series?
Or the just new movie?
thirdclass2006 2 years ago
Well, the new movie was awesome...and I've actually found myself quite liking "Voyager", if you can believe it. I just finished the second season and I'm kinna diggin' it.
Oh, there are still parts I could to without...the Kazon (or however that's spelled) are REALLY stupid, but the episodes without 'em aren't bad.
BionicDance 2 years ago
Cults and religions, utilize, mind control. The thing with the cults, though, is that they take it to the maximum and try to alienate their victims from normal society. Some religions are more cult like and some less but they're all implicating mind control on their subjects, as well. Now, when you're looking at a victim of a cult, you can how severe the effects on the victim's mind can be. That just shows ya, in the extreme, the mechanics of most religions.
bigsteakjoe 2 years ago 2
I can tell from my experience in my youth that your description is accurate.
Have you experienced the same?
thirdclass2006 2 years ago
@thirdclass2006. Yes, I have. I was brought up in a society which was heavily dominated by Roman Catholicism. The thoughts and feelings that went through my mind were full of contradiction so I always wondered what was going on. But, the Roman Catholic Church gives it's self away as a power hungry control freak, always ready to make a buck on peoples' fears and suffering. So, if you look at the big picture, with them, it's rather easy to see. I gotta go to work; just answered hurriedly now.
bigsteakjoe 2 years ago
Many thanks for the reply.
I was raised Roman Catholic. I didn't see much wrong until I got older and began thinking for myself on the general issue of religion, as opposed to being told what to think by the church and my parents (mainly my dad).
Afterward, I realized just how little gratification I got from life in following the beliefs of my upbringing. Thanks to people like BionicDance and others, I see how much B.S I was fed over the years.
thirdclass2006 2 years ago
@thirdclass2006. NP. My pleasure. Thanks for the reply as well. Just one thing I wanted to add. How do I see the mind control in our religious upbringing? When you think about God and try to defy him, you may, literally, feel bad. Has it ever happened to you? I'm not surprised if it has. If it has, you have been psychologically conditioned and it takes a while get over it, or, sort of clear your mind off of it. I suppose, psychological conditioning is more accurate of the term here.
bigsteakjoe 2 years ago
I used to feel bad about it before I "converted".
I feel I have gotten over it by now. I have reenforcement, of course, from others (thank you James Randi, AronRa, Thunderf00t, Penn Jillette, and BionicDance!).
thirdclass2006 2 years ago
At my son's school an applicant for Parent/Governor stated on his form that he's a Christian. He obviously thought this was a good thing that would stand in his favour. I successfully argued that believing he had a telepathic relationship with a still-living early Iron Age carpenter from the Middle East was probably not a good feature for someone who would be quiding the education of young children. I'm so glad I live in the UK!
Faith is a facet of lunacy.
BoneySkylord 2 years ago 4
I know that you weren't the first to think that faith is a vice, but now you're thinking like the founders of secular countries and I like your directness. While your words lack the poetry of say, Mark Twain, it does speak for how far humanity has come in recognizing the fallacies of religions. You can now just say what you think, without being burned at the stake. And religion is being held accountable, and as we all know, those religious types don't think much for math let alone accounting.
stevenweir76 2 years ago 2
On the point of "going with one's gut feelings" I would say that's actually not a bad thing when you have nothing else to go on. The subconscious is an amazing thing. The problem, as I see it, is when people continue relying on this intuitive knowledge even after being presented with concrete evidence that contradicts their beliefs.
Arikiel 2 years ago
I'm thinking that most people who have faith are really damned skeptical about religion....other people's religion, that is.
maddogdelta 2 years ago 2
Hey! Faith wasn't evil, she just caught a bad break......
But really, excellent vid. Those are all very important questions that I would like see answered.
NeuralSero 2 years ago
I love how people like Glen Beck claim to be skeptics, and straight up doubt but don't follow up with study and research such as climate change.
Religious Evolution: Only the strong in faith survive to go to heaven.
anubis2814 2 years ago
The awesome thing about science is that even if you want to attempt to prove its inefficacy, YOU HAVE TO USE SCIENCE.
defenestrati 2 years ago 2
Kinna funny, that, huh? :)
BionicDance 2 years ago
Do you design all those planets, or do you have a bunch of them saved from another source? Or did a Big Bang take place in your computer? ;-)
I remember how dismayed I was when my parents first explained to me exactly what faith was. Up until then it was just a random religious word with incredibly good connotations, but when I realized what it was, I had the sinking feeling that I would never be able to take anything for granted without at least some evidence.
Luckily, I was right. :D
nemo3590 2 years ago
A Big Bang has taken place on my computer MANY times...before I finally decided that "Spore" sucks and took it off. ;)
I make those planets using a plug-in for Photoshop. The stars and nebulae, too...
BionicDance 2 years ago
Hold on! The evolution stage is awesome! :P
frididjurhuus 2 years ago
Faugh! The entire game is ass! Nothing like what they claimed it would be when they first announced it.
BionicDance 2 years ago
So it didn't live up to the hype. It was still quite fun to play.
frididjurhuus 2 years ago
I disagree...they leeched all the fun out of it when they changed direction halfway through production; what was left was boring and repetitive.
BionicDance 2 years ago
haha, I'm a mindless builder drone when i get my hands on a game like spore :P
As I recall I'd built hundreds of buildings, ground vehicles and spaceships before I realised i hadn't slept in 40 hours.
BlueGlowingLight4 2 years ago
See, if that's ALL the game had been, I probably would have done the same; when the pre-release Creature Creator came out, I made hundreds of creatures while waiting for the full game.
...but when the game itself came out, it WASN'T the scientifically-based evolution and civilization and exploration game I'd been led to believe, and that's what I'd really wanted. The kind of game that might have captivated, say, Richard Dawkins, with natural selection and genetics and evolution built in...
BionicDance 2 years ago
True, I did find the lack of scientific accuracy a bit disappointing but it wouldn't have made much of a game if it all happened naturally without the need for player input.
They could have made it possible to gradually manipulate what you already had but the game would have taken forever (or just millions of years :P) that way.
I must admit I never did play the proper game to beyond the evolution stages. I'm just a sucker for building stuff and letting my mind roam :)
BlueGlowingLight4 2 years ago
It shouldn't take much digging around to find the original Spore demo...in fact, here:
/watch?v=T8dvMDFOFnA
The original idea for the game was VERY different. Look at how the creatures moved, if nothing else. Listen to what the game was SUPPOSED to be about originally. It was much more science-oriented, and this demo got me SO excited...and the game we GOT was SUCH a disappointment by comparison.
BionicDance 2 years ago
thanks *scurries off to watch demo* :P
BlueGlowingLight4 2 years ago
Faith is a vice. I never thought to put it quite like that before, but I like it.
I think the way you do now. But when I believed, the reason I scoffed at those who scoffed at faith was because I thought there was this mystical thing about faith that only those who were truly in touch with the spiritual could understand. And I admired that.
Thankfully, now I know it's a crock. : )
dannypantsgm 2 years ago 3
Is that it? The thrill of having a secret, or of belonging to something special that not everybody can touch? Is that the only reason for religion?
I'd be a little surprised if I'm the first person to have come up with the notion of faith being a vice...but if I am, wow...maybe I just got deep. ;)
BionicDance 2 years ago
Skepticism and cynicism are two entirely different aspects of the human condition. I believe that being skeptical is simply another way of saying that you are alive. This is corny, of course, but being alive just means that you don't accept the simple answers -- the easy answers -- the pat answers that are so set in stone within the traditional faith communities.Doubts and skepticism are the two things that make my life worth living. Without them my imagination is useless. Good video !
TheDarwinman 2 years ago
If the only thing that differs us from the rest of the animals is our level of intelligence. It should then follow that we should use this intellect to seek the truth no matter what it is. Truth is not found in faith. To live for faith means you ignore facts, which means you have no truth in faith.
lol I think I said that right.
iversonmatthew 2 years ago
Many believers take non-belief as an attack, b/c if anything challenges their "faith" then something they have been sure they were told correctly may be inaccurate - it makes them wrong.
People like to "feel" as if there is certainty in the world, that there is a purpose to life, and that they are special in some way. To discover that all knowledge is provisional, there is no objective purpose, and we are all irrelevant when it comes to the universe, is disconcerting to some at first.
PeytonFarquhar1 2 years ago
I don't disagree at all...hell, I'm probably not entirely immune to hating it when my beliefs are challenged. Though, come to think of it, there've been moments in my life when a position I've long held is shown to me to be false and I've gladly changed my position on the matter, so, hey...
But still...I just find it frustrating, you know? It makes debating--or even just discussing--this issue an exercise in getting really fucking grumpy before too long, yanno?
BionicDance 2 years ago
Yep. A good thing to keep in mind, though, is that sometimes a "believer" just needs to be reassured that it's o.k. if all knowledge is provisional, there is no objective purpose and we're all irrelevant int he grand scheme of things. It's rather freeing, as a matter of fact. I've gotten a lot of mileage from just asking "so what if we don't know for sure? So what if we may not have a higher purpose? Isn't it still great to be alive?"
PeytonFarquhar1 1 year ago
That question of yours would suck without the last sentence.
...WITH it, however, it's absolute gold. Truly. I may have to swipe that, if you don't mind. :)
BionicDance 1 year ago
I used to be a christian, but I agreed with the theory of evolution when a creationist in my class at college came up and offered his videos saying that evolution was just a lie, and that we actually come from a boat.
Being so annoyed by this, that I skeptically researched to disprove it and came to this exact conclusion you're pointing out. How can one be skeptical of one point yet not the whole thing in it's entirety? I guess it was this type of logic that led me to becoming atheist.
Xadreos 1 year ago
And for the record, from researching, a theory is a hypothesis supported by proof. The reason it is simply not called "the fact of evolution" as many creationists believe is because theories evolve and change over time as more evidence is discovered and added to them. Being called a theory does not change the validity, in the same way the theory of gravity, and the theory of quantum physics are both valid and used theories, yet not simply conjecture.
Xadreos 1 year ago
Not at all - swipe away!
My point is that people would be much happier if they think carefully for a second whether life is really any less awesome without a "higher purpose" or being "special?" Life is awesome because life is awesome, IMHO. If some being that I don't know anything about has some purpose for me or thinks I'm special, well, that's nice. I just hope he doesn't watch me when I "clear the snorkel" so to speak. :-)
PeytonFarquhar1 1 year ago
Dear sweet merciful zombie nuggets...I DO hope that last bit in quotes doesn't mean what I think it does... *twitch*
BionicDance 1 year ago
Well, that depends...what do you think it means? :-D
PeytonFarquhar1 1 year ago
No, no...you started this; you first! :P
BionicDance 1 year ago
It's a euphemism for other euphemisms, like "choking Kojak," "one gun salute" or competing in "Onan's Olympics." :-)
Does that muddy the waters enough for you? lol
PeytonFarquhar1 1 year ago
*snork* In other words, yes, it was EXACTLY what I was a fraid of! :D
BionicDance 1 year ago
Nuthin' to be afeared of little lady! If you care to play an inning on the other team, I'd be happy to show you how to hold the bat. :-D
Damn - I'm just full of double and triple entendres today.... lol
PeytonFarquhar1 1 year ago
By the way, what are "zombie nuggets?" Is that a reference to seedless pot? Or, undead testicles?
PeytonFarquhar1 1 year ago
...I just thought it sounded icky. ;)
BionicDance 1 year ago
Great video, as usual. My video response is intended as an addendum rather than a disagreement with what you claimed about faith.
rhalas 2 years ago
As is my response to YOUR response. ;)
BionicDance 2 years ago
5* all around. Hopefully between all 3 videos the point will be as clear as possible.
rhalas 2 years ago
Alas, I'm afraid it'll go both unacknowledged AND unanswered; when challenged, the religious seem to clam up and hunker down--or lash out--rather than engage in any kind of reasoned argument/debate.
But here'z hopin'.
BionicDance 2 years ago
Huh, and here I thought they only reacted that way to me.
Yikes.
rhalas 2 years ago
Naw, it seems to be fairly universal. I know very few theists who are willing to actually discuss their position.
They get pretty defensive...or aggressive, but it seems like lashing out or attempting to distract rather than actually having a real point...and I think it's cuz they know their position is untenable in any realistic sense, and that their feelings and convictions are no defense against logic and the empirical realm.
BionicDance 2 years ago