I would like to know, though, on your thoughts on other's beliefs. Extremists took the war to u, this I understand, and I'd take it back to them full fuckin force regardless of religion. But how about those Christians who chill and just do their own thing without messin with others? met any of those? btw, came here from watchin ur 漢劍 vids, great stuff, gonna get me a pair soon, heh. Oh and uh, sorry for this long frickin post.... just glad knowin rational ppl still exist in this corrupted world.
@areznaroque Don't worry, long posts don't bother me. Actually, I hate this 500 character limit.
To answer your question, I have no problem with Christians, or any religious person for that matter, living their own lives and doing their own thing. Their faith is their own, and they're entitled to it, and whether I agree with it or not isn't important, nor does it give me a right to dictate how they should live, so I don't. I just expect the same in return. :P
@Swordsage "when you embarrass the hell out of somebody, you get them yo yhink twice about something but when you try to illogically explain things to them they just don't wonna fucking listen to you" i absolutely agree with that.
it seems commonplace that humans need to 'understand' the world around them in order to feel secure as opposed to living in fear of the unknown. But what is the 'truth' and what is 'fact' or 'proven'; I find these things nothing more than what humans, not religion, put around themselves for comfort, fueling strong belief which is in turn bound not to sit well with someone else in this world. maybe im just a pessimist but world peace and ppl really just gettin along seems so distant...
openness to everything. Its not just NEEDED in religion, but everyone would be better off being more open like u. We humans can get pretty damn proud with what 'we know' when it is equally possible (and probably probable) that our human minds cannot see even a fraction of the big picture. Again u talk about our attempts at seeing 'clearly' which is so needed. These debates will never end. I just wish ppl would be a bit more gracious about it.
ppl seem to believe more and more firmly in whatever they grew up believing as they get old cuz it brought them this far and made them turn out 'fine', linking this directly to what you say about how our brains are wired and illusions. I find the world has no proof of anything. Humans need oxygen to live, but could there be a compound on another planet that would sustain our breathing, drinking and eating all at the same time? who knows. and no one should 'claim' to know. Thats why i love ur
Hey Swordsage, awesome vid. I'm not sure if this comes as a surprise to u but I agree with a lot of the things you said and I'm a pretty weird case (Full Chinese Catholic). I sincerely wish with all my heart that more Christians (and any other religion that ever comes to 'power') would be more open minded. I never believed in converting ppl, there is no need. But I think what is 'wrong' is people, as opposed to whatever belief they have. Extremists are in religion, science, psychology,everywhere
Yep, I definitely agree with most of what you said. I just wished the sound quality was better... ;-)
One thing that is sometimes being said is that proving is out of place when it comes to belief. If something is proven, then it is known and doesn't need to be believed.
Sounds good so far BUT... 1.) in the end it always comes down to believing, in the sense of accepting, even with scientific evidence. A theory is never 100% certain and can always be debated. There is no absolute truth.
2.) strangely, those Christian fanatics often say they KNOW for sure that their god exists. AND they argue by giving "proof" for their god's existence: Creationists often say that the world is too complex to have emerged randomly or through evolution. So, evidence and logic is good enough for "proving" THEIR point of view but insufficient to criticize it in the same way.
Such people are ridiculously selective, only accepting what they like and discarding everything else. Pretty inconsistent.
Yep. And another thing is that "truth" is relative in the sense that everyone has and lives his/her/its own truth. What is right/true and works for one person may be utter nonsense and may not work for another person. And who could tell who is "right"?
You just have to look at the hugely differing but internally logical and consistent world views of different cultural groups. Even the most fundamental, self-evident "truths" for us may be entirely different for other people(s).
Would you say you are some sort of pantheist, or someone who believes that there is probably some supernatural force out there, or something totally fascinating to humans out there?
1. Strong theist. 100 percent probability of God. In the words of C.G. Jung, 'I do not believe, I know.'
2. Very high probability but short of 100 percent. De facto theist. 'I cannot know for certain, but I strongly believe in God and live my life on the assumption that he is there.'
3. Higher than 50 percent but not very high. Technically agnostic but leaning towards theism. 'I am very uncertain, but I am inclined to believe in God.'
4. Exactly 50 percent. Completely impartial agnostic. 'God's existence and non-existence are exactly equiprobable.'
5. Lower than 50 percent but not very low. Technically agnostic but leaning towards atheism. 'I do not know whether God exists but I'm inclined to be sceptical.'
6. Very low probability, but short of zero. De facto atheist. 'I cannot know for certain but I think God is very improbable, and I live my life on the assumption that he is not there.'
I love your stuff, not because I agree with everything you say, but that I agree with the way you present ideas. I like that your thought processes progress to very open ended termination points in most of the stuff you talk about. Leaves tremendous room for growth. And reading some of these comments, I was greatful it wasn't just me that saw the background wall was moving. Cool effect. Can you change the colour, or the way it moves? Is it like a blue screen, or something?
Actually, the effect is nothing more than the "old film 1" effect in windows movie maker, with a white background. The way it's working for these videos is pretty cool though. :)
There you go again with cool and calculated words. It's too bad that not all people on opposing sides can speak to eachother in a manner such as I believe you would discuss it with someone who did not share your own views. That's the biggest problem in the world. No one can effing talk to eachother without shouting. I feel that people fear finding out that they are incorrect and have been taught incorrectly. I personally do believe in I.D. but do not put a name on "God" *sigh* out of text
I think that one of the major reasons people can't talk about this stuff without shouting is because they feel that their lives, they're very existences, depend upon what they believe. If something comes along and disproves it, then they feel there is nothing left, nothing to live for. This isn't the case, but that's how people see it.
Our lives are our perspectives, and it is very hard to change those perspectives, so hard in fact that we fear it.
oh wow, this is bad... that's the last time I render the video the way I did for this one. I was trying to shrink the file size a bit, and as you can see, it backfired on me.
dont worry about it man,whenever i try to make video response wit my web cam the sound never matches up with the vid,sooo annoying. keep up the vids man.
Theism - belief in a God/deity - Theos - god. (as far as I know)You don't believe in a "GOD" but you thing "there is something" - atheist. You can be agnostic AND atheist. Also while I'm on the subject atheism doesn't discount spirituality, just gods.
I have a native American friend who told me once that he could certainly imagine a god, just not one that gave a shit about us. He figured if this god cared about us at all, it would the way a kid feels about an ant farm. Something to watch every once a while. Maybe pick it up and shake it every once in a while to watch them scurry in a panic and rebuild their tunnels.
Honestly, though, anyone who tells me they know what god wants and how he/she/it wants me to behave is full of shit.
This video pretty much explains why I don't explain my beliefs :) I do consider myself an agnostic atheist and just saying that... I get ripped apart by the strong atheists and then I have theists trying to force me to explain my beliefs so they can entrap me. There is no winning in this LOL.
It all comes down to admitting that there are things we do not know and likely will not know... because there are always more questions that pop up with every new answer we get.
wait, wait, wait... Isn't theism and atheist about belief while gnosticism and agnosticism deal with knowledge? If someone is asking you with what your beliefs are why are you answering with what you have knowledge of?
Good question, although I'm not really doing that. If someone asks me my beliefs, I'll tell them, I just try not to argue them, since I can't prove they are true. I don't know they are true, so I feel it's wrong for me to try to get you to believe that they are.
I think you may have misunderstood. My point was that I don't think that agnosticism is a valid stance to take when it comes to belief as agnosticism pertains to knowledge rather than belief. Which is why people interchange weak atheist with agnostic atheist and strong atheist with gnostic atheist. At least that's my understanding of it. Sorry for any confusion that I caused.
I think that there is a link to knowledge and belief. Even the most irrational set of beliefs are based off things that we know, or think we know. Christians for instance base their beliefs on the dogma that's taught to them. Also keep in mind that people Consider their beliefs to be knowledge... that even if they can't prove it, they "know" it's true.
Like I remember watching that clip by Shermer showing a burned toast side with a face of jesus on it. Roman catholics thought it was a sign from god. On toast!
Dumb fuckers.
This is clearly an indication of what Swordsage said about pattern seeking.
The reason some think you are an atheist is because you're rational. It's a subconscious compliment. I never had a problem with agnosticism or deism. I'm never going to have a problem with either.
Just a comment about the new atheists. Sometimes I see people getting offended when the truth is told to them flat out. So maybe new atheists aren't being forceful, just too truthful... but what do I know? lol
You say you believe there is "something". What is that? A creator? Something intelligent or just some kind of 'force' or 'energy'? A soul? An afterlife? Reincarnation?
I was the same way for a while. The "there must be something, I just can't figure out what it is" spot. Eventually, for me, I realized I was just using it as some kind of security blanket on a regression from theism.
New atheism isn't about being rude, its more about not giving special treatment or coddling theists. Instead of pretending that religious views are unassailable, they treat all ideas on a level playing field. Agnosticism, in my experience, has no real value as a means of explaining viewpoints as you point out. My god agnosticism is the same as my unicorn/fairy/dragon agnosticism.
Good point, and I do sign up for what you're talking about. But let's keep it real as well - to a lot of new atheists it IS about being rude. Much like there are lesbians who are attracted to women and other ones who just hate men, there are people who have come to a reasoned conclusion that there is no god, and then there are those who have bad experiences and are getting back at the people/institutions they feel are responsible.
I don't mean to imply that all atheists are rational or reasonable. I certainly don't think it lacks a percentage of trolls who simply look to rock the boat. Without getting into a 'no true Scotsmen' atheist argument, I don't include the trolls in the 'new atheist movement'. Troll atheists = trolls who happen to not believe in god/gods. (cont.)
New atheists, imho, are atheists examining personal views without special pleading. You do make excellent points though. Sounds like a girl I met who is atheist because smart people are atheists, so she is smart by association. That is pure stupidity.
I would like to know, though, on your thoughts on other's beliefs. Extremists took the war to u, this I understand, and I'd take it back to them full fuckin force regardless of religion. But how about those Christians who chill and just do their own thing without messin with others? met any of those? btw, came here from watchin ur 漢劍 vids, great stuff, gonna get me a pair soon, heh. Oh and uh, sorry for this long frickin post.... just glad knowin rational ppl still exist in this corrupted world.
areznaroque 1 year ago
@areznaroque Don't worry, long posts don't bother me. Actually, I hate this 500 character limit.
To answer your question, I have no problem with Christians, or any religious person for that matter, living their own lives and doing their own thing. Their faith is their own, and they're entitled to it, and whether I agree with it or not isn't important, nor does it give me a right to dictate how they should live, so I don't. I just expect the same in return. :P
Swordsage 1 year ago
@Swordsage Thanks for the clarification. Again, the world would really benefit from having a few more rational and open minded ppl like u.
areznaroque 1 year ago
@Swordsage "when you embarrass the hell out of somebody, you get them yo yhink twice about something but when you try to illogically explain things to them they just don't wonna fucking listen to you" i absolutely agree with that.
Musclehead125 1 year ago
it seems commonplace that humans need to 'understand' the world around them in order to feel secure as opposed to living in fear of the unknown. But what is the 'truth' and what is 'fact' or 'proven'; I find these things nothing more than what humans, not religion, put around themselves for comfort, fueling strong belief which is in turn bound not to sit well with someone else in this world. maybe im just a pessimist but world peace and ppl really just gettin along seems so distant...
areznaroque 1 year ago
openness to everything. Its not just NEEDED in religion, but everyone would be better off being more open like u. We humans can get pretty damn proud with what 'we know' when it is equally possible (and probably probable) that our human minds cannot see even a fraction of the big picture. Again u talk about our attempts at seeing 'clearly' which is so needed. These debates will never end. I just wish ppl would be a bit more gracious about it.
areznaroque 1 year ago
ppl seem to believe more and more firmly in whatever they grew up believing as they get old cuz it brought them this far and made them turn out 'fine', linking this directly to what you say about how our brains are wired and illusions. I find the world has no proof of anything. Humans need oxygen to live, but could there be a compound on another planet that would sustain our breathing, drinking and eating all at the same time? who knows. and no one should 'claim' to know. Thats why i love ur
areznaroque 1 year ago
Hey Swordsage, awesome vid. I'm not sure if this comes as a surprise to u but I agree with a lot of the things you said and I'm a pretty weird case (Full Chinese Catholic). I sincerely wish with all my heart that more Christians (and any other religion that ever comes to 'power') would be more open minded. I never believed in converting ppl, there is no need. But I think what is 'wrong' is people, as opposed to whatever belief they have. Extremists are in religion, science, psychology,everywhere
areznaroque 1 year ago
Humans and animals are the same no difference
iwanttofight69 2 years ago
Yep, I definitely agree with most of what you said. I just wished the sound quality was better... ;-)
One thing that is sometimes being said is that proving is out of place when it comes to belief. If something is proven, then it is known and doesn't need to be believed.
Sounds good so far BUT... 1.) in the end it always comes down to believing, in the sense of accepting, even with scientific evidence. A theory is never 100% certain and can always be debated. There is no absolute truth.
SkallagrimNilsson 2 years ago
2.) strangely, those Christian fanatics often say they KNOW for sure that their god exists. AND they argue by giving "proof" for their god's existence: Creationists often say that the world is too complex to have emerged randomly or through evolution. So, evidence and logic is good enough for "proving" THEIR point of view but insufficient to criticize it in the same way.
Such people are ridiculously selective, only accepting what they like and discarding everything else. Pretty inconsistent.
SkallagrimNilsson 2 years ago
"There is no absolute truth."
Couldn't have said it better myself. Usually it all comes down to comparing the probabilities.
Swordsage 2 years ago
Yep. And another thing is that "truth" is relative in the sense that everyone has and lives his/her/its own truth. What is right/true and works for one person may be utter nonsense and may not work for another person. And who could tell who is "right"?
You just have to look at the hugely differing but internally logical and consistent world views of different cultural groups. Even the most fundamental, self-evident "truths" for us may be entirely different for other people(s).
SkallagrimNilsson 2 years ago
Would you say you are some sort of pantheist, or someone who believes that there is probably some supernatural force out there, or something totally fascinating to humans out there?
SaucePhilosophy 2 years ago
i like what u said about the fish thing they are lots of creatures people dont know about
TheShaolinScholar 2 years ago
Damn what a kick ass video, five and scribed.
mijusdek 2 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
This should help:
1. Strong theist. 100 percent probability of God. In the words of C.G. Jung, 'I do not believe, I know.'
2. Very high probability but short of 100 percent. De facto theist. 'I cannot know for certain, but I strongly believe in God and live my life on the assumption that he is there.'
3. Higher than 50 percent but not very high. Technically agnostic but leaning towards theism. 'I am very uncertain, but I am inclined to believe in God.'
ADinfinitum40 2 years ago
4. Exactly 50 percent. Completely impartial agnostic. 'God's existence and non-existence are exactly equiprobable.'
5. Lower than 50 percent but not very low. Technically agnostic but leaning towards atheism. 'I do not know whether God exists but I'm inclined to be sceptical.'
6. Very low probability, but short of zero. De facto atheist. 'I cannot know for certain but I think God is very improbable, and I live my life on the assumption that he is not there.'
ADinfinitum40 2 years ago
7. Strong atheist. 'I know there is no God, with the same conviction as Jung "knows" there is one.'
ADinfinitum40 2 years ago
Comment removed
ADinfinitum40 2 years ago
I love your stuff, not because I agree with everything you say, but that I agree with the way you present ideas. I like that your thought processes progress to very open ended termination points in most of the stuff you talk about. Leaves tremendous room for growth. And reading some of these comments, I was greatful it wasn't just me that saw the background wall was moving. Cool effect. Can you change the colour, or the way it moves? Is it like a blue screen, or something?
RichardRoy2 2 years ago
Actually, the effect is nothing more than the "old film 1" effect in windows movie maker, with a white background. The way it's working for these videos is pretty cool though. :)
Swordsage 2 years ago
Damn, no I feel creeped out with 8 outlet faces staring at me.
WorBlux 2 years ago
There you go again with cool and calculated words. It's too bad that not all people on opposing sides can speak to eachother in a manner such as I believe you would discuss it with someone who did not share your own views. That's the biggest problem in the world. No one can effing talk to eachother without shouting. I feel that people fear finding out that they are incorrect and have been taught incorrectly. I personally do believe in I.D. but do not put a name on "God" *sigh* out of text
AlmostOuttaHellview 2 years ago
I think that one of the major reasons people can't talk about this stuff without shouting is because they feel that their lives, they're very existences, depend upon what they believe. If something comes along and disproves it, then they feel there is nothing left, nothing to live for. This isn't the case, but that's how people see it.
Our lives are our perspectives, and it is very hard to change those perspectives, so hard in fact that we fear it.
Swordsage 2 years ago
Good shit bro.
hublah 2 years ago
Sage, I'm totally 'untrained' in the art of the blade, but I bet I would best you.
This is not an idol boast. I've known seasoned marshall artists that have met my blade and have fallen over and over again.
If I'm ever within, say, one-hundred miles of you, can we test metal to metal or wood to wood?
Ya, I'm drunk, but that changes nothing. I need a real challenger. A swordsman would understand.
Cailwyn 2 years ago
Any time man. I don't care if I lose, all that matters is what is learned afterward.
Swordsage 2 years ago
The wall in the background is moving!
SaucePhilosophy 2 years ago
the audio quality is bad and hard to listen to. :(
clarkmt 2 years ago
yeah, I'm surprised myself. This sucks!
I rendered this vid differently than my other ones, and I can see it didn't pan out. Never again.
Swordsage 2 years ago
Hey, unicorns are in the bible. Book of Genesis. The flood story. And yet christians still don't believe in them.
darkcolmar 2 years ago
you make great interesting vids dude,is there a way you can improve your sound quality though?
dangerousprimate 2 years ago
oh wow, this is bad... that's the last time I render the video the way I did for this one. I was trying to shrink the file size a bit, and as you can see, it backfired on me.
Swordsage 2 years ago
dont worry about it man,whenever i try to make video response wit my web cam the sound never matches up with the vid,sooo annoying. keep up the vids man.
dangerousprimate 2 years ago
Do you like the term Bright? What to you base your belief that there is something on?
a300pilotster 2 years ago
sag e-heres one for you, james randi talking about his "experience" /watch?v=1NwKkbd2e-c
csthundercat 2 years ago
I can read your future by looking up a chickens ass ;)
EvilBproductions 2 years ago
Theism - belief in a God/deity - Theos - god. (as far as I know)You don't believe in a "GOD" but you thing "there is something" - atheist. You can be agnostic AND atheist. Also while I'm on the subject atheism doesn't discount spirituality, just gods.
JustaEropeanGuy 2 years ago
I have a native American friend who told me once that he could certainly imagine a god, just not one that gave a shit about us. He figured if this god cared about us at all, it would the way a kid feels about an ant farm. Something to watch every once a while. Maybe pick it up and shake it every once in a while to watch them scurry in a panic and rebuild their tunnels.
Honestly, though, anyone who tells me they know what god wants and how he/she/it wants me to behave is full of shit.
FeelFreeToArgue 2 years ago 2
That trippy wall behind you had me mesmerized the whole time - and thematically fit well with what you were saying.
I'm a little freaked out right now...
VeryEvilPettingZoo 2 years ago
... see Jesus in their underwear stain.
Ew and LOL
JustAnAdjunct 2 years ago
4chan has one with a dog's ass!
JustaEropeanGuy 2 years ago
This video pretty much explains why I don't explain my beliefs :) I do consider myself an agnostic atheist and just saying that... I get ripped apart by the strong atheists and then I have theists trying to force me to explain my beliefs so they can entrap me. There is no winning in this LOL.
It all comes down to admitting that there are things we do not know and likely will not know... because there are always more questions that pop up with every new answer we get.
tattooskin72 2 years ago
wait, wait, wait... Isn't theism and atheist about belief while gnosticism and agnosticism deal with knowledge? If someone is asking you with what your beliefs are why are you answering with what you have knowledge of?
dawn0293 2 years ago 2
Good question, although I'm not really doing that. If someone asks me my beliefs, I'll tell them, I just try not to argue them, since I can't prove they are true. I don't know they are true, so I feel it's wrong for me to try to get you to believe that they are.
Swordsage 2 years ago
I think you may have misunderstood. My point was that I don't think that agnosticism is a valid stance to take when it comes to belief as agnosticism pertains to knowledge rather than belief. Which is why people interchange weak atheist with agnostic atheist and strong atheist with gnostic atheist. At least that's my understanding of it. Sorry for any confusion that I caused.
dawn0293 2 years ago
Nah, that's ok... I'm the one who misunderstood.
I think that there is a link to knowledge and belief. Even the most irrational set of beliefs are based off things that we know, or think we know. Christians for instance base their beliefs on the dogma that's taught to them. Also keep in mind that people Consider their beliefs to be knowledge... that even if they can't prove it, they "know" it's true.
Swordsage 2 years ago
asshole! I never saw the face in the outlet. Now I can't get it out of my head :)
Kbiomech 2 years ago
*LoL* sorry...
Swordsage 2 years ago
Like I remember watching that clip by Shermer showing a burned toast side with a face of jesus on it. Roman catholics thought it was a sign from god. On toast!
Dumb fuckers.
This is clearly an indication of what Swordsage said about pattern seeking.
Domzdream 2 years ago
Swordsage got me giggling at my power outlet.
lulz.
Anon1696 2 years ago 2
The reason some think you are an atheist is because you're rational. It's a subconscious compliment. I never had a problem with agnosticism or deism. I'm never going to have a problem with either.
philhellenes 2 years ago
Great video.
Just a comment about the new atheists. Sometimes I see people getting offended when the truth is told to them flat out. So maybe new atheists aren't being forceful, just too truthful... but what do I know? lol
UnschoolingEagle 2 years ago
You say you believe there is "something". What is that? A creator? Something intelligent or just some kind of 'force' or 'energy'? A soul? An afterlife? Reincarnation?
I'd really like to know :)
anglaismoyen 2 years ago
Maybe I should do a video about that...
Swordsage 2 years ago
That'd be good, and just so you know, you misspelt beliefs in the title.
anglaismoyen 2 years ago
Comment removed
danuu2 2 years ago
I was the same way for a while. The "there must be something, I just can't figure out what it is" spot. Eventually, for me, I realized I was just using it as some kind of security blanket on a regression from theism.
deRoyLight 2 years ago
New atheism isn't about being rude, its more about not giving special treatment or coddling theists. Instead of pretending that religious views are unassailable, they treat all ideas on a level playing field. Agnosticism, in my experience, has no real value as a means of explaining viewpoints as you point out. My god agnosticism is the same as my unicorn/fairy/dragon agnosticism.
TransitionalApe 2 years ago
Good point, and I do sign up for what you're talking about. But let's keep it real as well - to a lot of new atheists it IS about being rude. Much like there are lesbians who are attracted to women and other ones who just hate men, there are people who have come to a reasoned conclusion that there is no god, and then there are those who have bad experiences and are getting back at the people/institutions they feel are responsible.
FeelFreeToArgue 2 years ago 2
I don't mean to imply that all atheists are rational or reasonable. I certainly don't think it lacks a percentage of trolls who simply look to rock the boat. Without getting into a 'no true Scotsmen' atheist argument, I don't include the trolls in the 'new atheist movement'. Troll atheists = trolls who happen to not believe in god/gods. (cont.)
TransitionalApe 2 years ago
New atheists, imho, are atheists examining personal views without special pleading. You do make excellent points though. Sounds like a girl I met who is atheist because smart people are atheists, so she is smart by association. That is pure stupidity.
TransitionalApe 2 years ago