A search for the truth led you to atheism and you were certainly very well schooled and indoctrinated into religion. You also sound very intelligent. It all really boils down to pure faith and no actual evidence. I wish the religious folks freedom to believe in what ever they want. I just want them to keep out of politics and science. The more they put up a fight against the more they get exposed for fallacy. Why don't take their own advise and become meek? They might inherit the earth.
Taylor, I am a little confused on why you turned atheist. You said in this video that your questions were answered by Glenn Miller's site, A Christian Thinktank. If your questions were answered, why are you still atheist?
@555thefreddo Did I say my questions were answered or did I say I FELT like they were answered? The two are very different. I felt like Glenn Miller's site answered my questions initially, but as I discuss in the other videos in this series, that turned out not to be the case, especially when considering the bigger questions like why faith is a virtue in the first place.
@555thefreddo Um... why in the world would it matter if those questions merely crossed Glenn Miller's mind? It would only matter if he actually addressed the points in his articles, and only then if those points were persuasive to the reader.
I applaud the idea of seeking debate from both sides, but this comment seems to imply that other people believing a viewpoint relieves us of the need to seek the truth ourselves - which is patently preposterous.
Interesting to see someone take such a detailed apologetics-focused route through their crisis of faith. I think this is a valuable compliment to the other deconversion stories available. I get messages from Christians who are taking the route you took often.
Wow. I got the chills listening to this. This was almost a mirror of my own life. I grew up in fundamentalist chrisitianity for almost 30 yrs. Oy. (lol)
Thank you for sharing your experiences. This could help a multitude of people.
Watching videos like these really make me feel lucky that I was taken to multiple churches that widely disagreed with each other. As a child I never experienced what some refer as "feeling god" and the bible was obviously a bad source for any answer due to my exposure to multiple interpretations. I never accepted the claims or surrounded myself with strictly Christian people, so when I said I was an atheist I lost nothing. Also i'm baptized Mormon, so most Christians consider me Effed anyways;-)
From things I've heard theists say, I believe some of them actually think the voice in their head, as you term it, 'conscience', that we all have talking to us (which is really just our inner dialogue) is really their god. It even gets to the point where the voice sounds different than their own.
Now, this is different than, say, the schizophrenics voices. It is something we all have. But, if you've convinced yourself it actually IS Allah, Yahweh, etc., it must be hard to break free of faith.
I'm really resonating with being a man after God's own heart. You never intend for that heart to lead you to the truth that God's heart is actually your heart, God was never part of it at all. That's the beautiful part you get to keep when you lose your faith.
@thesumerkidz I'm one of the few atheists, who was never religious, and I can even vouch for you guys, who used to be religious. I see the way your families treat you for abandoning the dogma and how much you guys struggled on your journey to accept reality. Glad to have you guys on the team. ^__^
@caseagainstfaith Nice work, the site looks great. I'll have to check out your refutations sometimes. I'd be glad to link to your site on Godless Haven if you'd be willing to do the same.
@caseagainstfaith I still have not read any of the other "case" books by Strobel, except The Case for Christmas, which is mostly a rehashing of The Case for Christ. Eventually, I'd like to go through every book of his in that series and write a detailed refutation. I'm planning to start by re-reading The Case for Christ and reviewing it on Godless Haven. The Case for Faith would probably be next.
@AgnosticCoffee Everything from Morbid Angel to Metallica. I kept albums that had more positive messages, so I still had classic rock and a few metal records, though the majority of my music was Christian at that point.
@jokidder That's what I would say too. I found answers, but did not realize until much later that they were bad answers, more like excuses for belief.
These two videos have been truly inspiring, sir. I almost feel spoiled now, as my deconversion was not really painful. I can relate to the feeling you felt though, as I too have had that crushing weight in my chest, if for completely different reasons. All I can say, i that I'm glad you came out of it for the better, and thank you for sharing your story. Out of all the atheists on YouTube, I have always felt that you are the most sincere. Those feelings have been reinforced tenfold.
You are paraphrasing the ascent of reason along with your own personal story. You have made the more difficult struggle of leaving the comfort zone into the nebulous world of disbelief. Now with mental strength in a new position you reside in the mental capacity of Hume, Darwin, Russel, Shelly, Ingersoll, etc...It is a tougher world but a more clear vision of reality. Your work is very insightful. There are still positive values that can be learned from religion, but literal belief is not one.
holy crap dude, " a case for christ" and " a case for a creator" are what i went to after i had my faith shaken the first time. i even used many of the bullshit points that strobel uses in " a case for a creator" only to find out recently that it was mostly bullshit.
@ShadowPa1adin Yeah, but there are upsides to being familiar with Tektonics. The next time someone tells you atheists are so arrogant and rude, you can tell them to look up J.P. Holding.
So, you prayed to be like david. I prayed to be like solomon and have wisdom. Funny, I don't believe in the bible anymore. Maybe my prayer was granted after all.....
@EdwardHowton Well, excuses are often used as a defense, even if they're not such successful defenses. Apologetics is nothing more than an effort to "win" at witnessing, and you'll notice that the Christians and other theists who aren't so concerned with witnessing have no need for apologetics.
@TaylorX04 "and you'll notice that the Christians and other theists who aren't so concerned with witnessing have no need for apologetics."
Makes me wonder. Is it because they're trying to convince themselves, or do they actually think Jesus existed because the story is set in a real location (and then fail to understand you when you bring up Spiderman and New York)? A mixture of both, I'm sure, but to what degree?
Far more interesting subject for study than what to put in the new iPhone, that
@EdwardHowton I definitely think that partly it is to convince themselves, but also to further the logical fallacy that the more who believe it, then it makes it true. Apologetics for me, turned out to be nothing more than why the Bible doesn't mean what it says, and why you shouldn't expect God to actually do God-like things. It could be summed up for me so easily as, why the world doesn't seem anything like what you'd expect if an all-powerful and loving God existed.
My hell man all it took for me to shake mormans was mormans themselves.I could see how stupid it was at 7 or 8 years old.With only doubt as my leader.I didn't even read past the first page of the BIB LEE.And not a single word of the book of morman.I have two real old morman books that might be worth money ,I might just burn the trash.
@thesumerkidz Yeah, unfortunately I had to go through some major heartaches multiple times when I struggled with faith and finally left it - not because I resented Christianity at all, but because it was such a large part of who I was.
When I began to question Christianity, the only way I can describe how I felt was like the time when I was a kid opening the closet and finding the Christmas presents.
A search for the truth led you to atheism and you were certainly very well schooled and indoctrinated into religion. You also sound very intelligent. It all really boils down to pure faith and no actual evidence. I wish the religious folks freedom to believe in what ever they want. I just want them to keep out of politics and science. The more they put up a fight against the more they get exposed for fallacy. Why don't take their own advise and become meek? They might inherit the earth.
baxtar1963 7 months ago
Taylor, I am a little confused on why you turned atheist. You said in this video that your questions were answered by Glenn Miller's site, A Christian Thinktank. If your questions were answered, why are you still atheist?
555thefreddo 7 months ago
@555thefreddo Did I say my questions were answered or did I say I FELT like they were answered? The two are very different. I felt like Glenn Miller's site answered my questions initially, but as I discuss in the other videos in this series, that turned out not to be the case, especially when considering the bigger questions like why faith is a virtue in the first place.
TaylorX04 7 months ago
@TaylorX04 Do you not think that those questions have crossed Glenn Miller's mind? He is still a Christian.
555thefreddo 7 months ago
@555thefreddo I'm sure they have. That doesn't mean I would agree with his conclusions, nor would it mean he's right.
TaylorX04 7 months ago
@555thefreddo Um... why in the world would it matter if those questions merely crossed Glenn Miller's mind? It would only matter if he actually addressed the points in his articles, and only then if those points were persuasive to the reader.
I applaud the idea of seeking debate from both sides, but this comment seems to imply that other people believing a viewpoint relieves us of the need to seek the truth ourselves - which is patently preposterous.
jadegecko 1 month ago in playlist More videos from TaylorX04
what is that image of at 2:38??
meacham723 9 months ago
Interesting to see someone take such a detailed apologetics-focused route through their crisis of faith. I think this is a valuable compliment to the other deconversion stories available. I get messages from Christians who are taking the route you took often.
Evid3nc3 9 months ago 2
You thought too much, that's why. Stop thinking! :D
leevan50rrie 1 year ago 3
Wow. I got the chills listening to this. This was almost a mirror of my own life. I grew up in fundamentalist chrisitianity for almost 30 yrs. Oy. (lol)
Thank you for sharing your experiences. This could help a multitude of people.
Thank you for being so honest & open.
You rock, Taylor! (:-D
KabbalahSherry 1 year ago 5
Watching videos like these really make me feel lucky that I was taken to multiple churches that widely disagreed with each other. As a child I never experienced what some refer as "feeling god" and the bible was obviously a bad source for any answer due to my exposure to multiple interpretations. I never accepted the claims or surrounded myself with strictly Christian people, so when I said I was an atheist I lost nothing. Also i'm baptized Mormon, so most Christians consider me Effed anyways;-)
xkj5696281 1 year ago
Thanaks for the great video. :)
ALittleBitPregnant 1 year ago
An excellent video! Well done.
ctso74 1 year ago
From things I've heard theists say, I believe some of them actually think the voice in their head, as you term it, 'conscience', that we all have talking to us (which is really just our inner dialogue) is really their god. It even gets to the point where the voice sounds different than their own.
Now, this is different than, say, the schizophrenics voices. It is something we all have. But, if you've convinced yourself it actually IS Allah, Yahweh, etc., it must be hard to break free of faith.
thebigJ1er 1 year ago 2
That was amazing. You did a very good job wording and telling this story. This definitely my favorite video of yours yet!
GoldenGuardian2008 1 year ago
I'm really resonating with being a man after God's own heart. You never intend for that heart to lead you to the truth that God's heart is actually your heart, God was never part of it at all. That's the beautiful part you get to keep when you lose your faith.
Prplfox 1 year ago
@thesumerkidz I'm one of the few atheists, who was never religious, and I can even vouch for you guys, who used to be religious. I see the way your families treat you for abandoning the dogma and how much you guys struggled on your journey to accept reality. Glad to have you guys on the team. ^__^
gir908922 1 year ago
I was a Christian for most of my life, and I really appreciate this series. I can't wait for the next video! PEACE!
AmGoDDoGmA 1 year ago
good stuff... thanks!
AmGoDDoGmA 1 year ago
@caseagainstfaith Nice work, the site looks great. I'll have to check out your refutations sometimes. I'd be glad to link to your site on Godless Haven if you'd be willing to do the same.
TaylorX04 1 year ago
@caseagainstfaith I still have not read any of the other "case" books by Strobel, except The Case for Christmas, which is mostly a rehashing of The Case for Christ. Eventually, I'd like to go through every book of his in that series and write a detailed refutation. I'm planning to start by re-reading The Case for Christ and reviewing it on Godless Haven. The Case for Faith would probably be next.
TaylorX04 1 year ago
what kind of secular music did you sell back then?
AgnosticCoffee 1 year ago
@AgnosticCoffee Everything from Morbid Angel to Metallica. I kept albums that had more positive messages, so I still had classic rock and a few metal records, though the majority of my music was Christian at that point.
TaylorX04 1 year ago
@TaylorX04 alrighty. looking forward to the next parts of your "exodus from faith" wondering when you started listening to deathspell omega :)
AgnosticCoffee 1 year ago
@AgnosticCoffee I think I started listening to them around 2006, when I was beginning to move in a more liberal direction in my faith.
TaylorX04 1 year ago
"We do have answers" -- this was the thing fooled me into believing for as long as I did. Once I thought for myself, my faith evaporated.
jokidder 1 year ago
@jokidder That's what I would say too. I found answers, but did not realize until much later that they were bad answers, more like excuses for belief.
TaylorX04 1 year ago
These two videos have been truly inspiring, sir. I almost feel spoiled now, as my deconversion was not really painful. I can relate to the feeling you felt though, as I too have had that crushing weight in my chest, if for completely different reasons. All I can say, i that I'm glad you came out of it for the better, and thank you for sharing your story. Out of all the atheists on YouTube, I have always felt that you are the most sincere. Those feelings have been reinforced tenfold.
DeadbeatShadows 1 year ago 7
@DeadbeatShadows Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying the series. :-)
TaylorX04 1 year ago
@TaylorX04
you will burn in hell for this
thedayitriedtodie 1 year ago
@thedayitriedtodie For thanking someone for their compliment?
TaylorX04 1 year ago
@thedayitriedtodie How dare you threaten him for daring to use his mind. Be careful with the words you choose to use...
jlabrecque1 1 year ago
@thedayitriedtodie Do you understand how empty the threat of hell is to an atheist? How scared of the Islamic hell are you? Not at all I suspect.
Samuria11 9 months ago
@DeadbeatShadows Fantastic comment.
TheRichDarkEarth 1 year ago
You are paraphrasing the ascent of reason along with your own personal story. You have made the more difficult struggle of leaving the comfort zone into the nebulous world of disbelief. Now with mental strength in a new position you reside in the mental capacity of Hume, Darwin, Russel, Shelly, Ingersoll, etc...It is a tougher world but a more clear vision of reality. Your work is very insightful. There are still positive values that can be learned from religion, but literal belief is not one.
CHAS1422 1 year ago
holy crap dude, " a case for christ" and " a case for a creator" are what i went to after i had my faith shaken the first time. i even used many of the bullshit points that strobel uses in " a case for a creator" only to find out recently that it was mostly bullshit.
theeyeisblind 1 year ago
This is one of the more interesting and enlightening deconversion stories I've heard.
macnutz 1 year ago
The similarities to my own de-conversion are numerous, not surprisingly!
Thanks for this series!
IllPropaganda 1 year ago
Excellent video.
May i recommend a series of videos by "prplfox" .. his deconversion story is probably the best one I've seen
bonnie43uk 1 year ago
Dude, when I was young I used to be into Tektonics too man. Man I was messed up.
ShadowPa1adin 1 year ago
@ShadowPa1adin Yeah, but there are upsides to being familiar with Tektonics. The next time someone tells you atheists are so arrogant and rude, you can tell them to look up J.P. Holding.
TaylorX04 1 year ago
This brought back a lot of painful memories.
a11m0n 1 year ago
Atheist chicks in ur vid are hot! :D
TheD0ded0de 1 year ago
So, you prayed to be like david. I prayed to be like solomon and have wisdom. Funny, I don't believe in the bible anymore. Maybe my prayer was granted after all.....
ndjarnag 1 year ago 2
While "apologia" might mean "to make a defense", I prefer the modern meaning I apply to the term 'apologetics', which is "making up excuses for god".
You won't find that in a dictionary, but its accuracy cannot be denied.
EdwardHowton 1 year ago 20
@EdwardHowton Well, excuses are often used as a defense, even if they're not such successful defenses. Apologetics is nothing more than an effort to "win" at witnessing, and you'll notice that the Christians and other theists who aren't so concerned with witnessing have no need for apologetics.
TaylorX04 1 year ago
@TaylorX04 "and you'll notice that the Christians and other theists who aren't so concerned with witnessing have no need for apologetics."
Makes me wonder. Is it because they're trying to convince themselves, or do they actually think Jesus existed because the story is set in a real location (and then fail to understand you when you bring up Spiderman and New York)? A mixture of both, I'm sure, but to what degree?
Far more interesting subject for study than what to put in the new iPhone, that
EdwardHowton 1 year ago
@EdwardHowton I definitely think that partly it is to convince themselves, but also to further the logical fallacy that the more who believe it, then it makes it true. Apologetics for me, turned out to be nothing more than why the Bible doesn't mean what it says, and why you shouldn't expect God to actually do God-like things. It could be summed up for me so easily as, why the world doesn't seem anything like what you'd expect if an all-powerful and loving God existed.
IntelligentProbe 1 year ago
My hell man all it took for me to shake mormans was mormans themselves.I could see how stupid it was at 7 or 8 years old.With only doubt as my leader.I didn't even read past the first page of the BIB LEE.And not a single word of the book of morman.I have two real old morman books that might be worth money ,I might just burn the trash.
no1saphead 1 year ago
@thesumerkidz Yeah, unfortunately I had to go through some major heartaches multiple times when I struggled with faith and finally left it - not because I resented Christianity at all, but because it was such a large part of who I was.
TaylorX04 1 year ago 3
When I began to question Christianity, the only way I can describe how I felt was like the time when I was a kid opening the closet and finding the Christmas presents.
khmer41980 1 year ago
Had to pause at 0:20
QueryTruth 1 year ago