I've watched a numerous youtube vids by theists, atheists and scientists. Vids preaching the truth of their god and the bible or their disgust with evolution tend to limit voting and commenting. Where they allow feedback, almost all of it is against them. Lots of thumbs down. Those vids calling out the liars of god, the bible or evolution rarely limit discourse and have pos+ feedback. That's not reflected in national averages in US. Hmm.
"A dialogue without a participant is a monologue." Exactly. And a monologue without an audience is merely one who is talking to himself. When do we not consider crazy, one who is talking to himself without realizing he is talking to himself? When he is talking to God!
So how come we don't put people who talk to God into mental institutions?
I just want to say thank you for your videos. I live in a very religious home and I've always thought that all of it just seemed wrong. You have given me a lot of confidence to tell my family that I don't believe in god, which is something I''d never thought I would do. Thanks again!
I never made it past 6. I figured out Santa Claus couldn't be in several stores at once, saw my presents in a cupboard and realised Santa Claus was a fairy tale. The next day I realised "god" was also a fairy tale.
Hearing you describe your experience has helped me to better understand my own experiences, which were similar but also different. It amazes me to look back and realize there was no one point where I stopped believing. By the time I realized I no longer believed in God I hadn't believed in him for a long time. Sorry if that doesn't make sense but it still feels good to put it out there. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences with us, we really appreciate it.
Why do you call him yay-zus insted of gee-zus? It seems pompous, even if it's more correct. It's almost like you care more about being correct (about things that are frankly irrelevant) than being easy to understand.
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@TheraminTrees Oh. Ok. I must have misinterpreted your channel as logical though about religion as opposed to a soapbox used to demean theists in such sophisticated ways as mispronunciation.
@SUMD123 LOL. So if I take it seriously, I'm pompous — if I'm light-hearted, I'm 'demeaning theists'. See, my family's christian and don't feel demeaned in the slightest by it. It's not mispronouncing — it's using the name as it appears in the hymn 'Pie Jesu'. There'll always be folks who want to distort my motives/intentions — that's YouTube.
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@TheraminTrees It would have been better if you were pompous. Right now your actions say "I can't be bothered to give the invisible pink unicorn nor whoever believe in it any respect." Your intentions and context are not in the video. All that is there is an open mockery of Jesus. Perhaps (some) atheists will listen and laugh. Christians and those who have at least some faith in Jesus will hear that, see that you can't be bothered to respect their current beliefs, and leave.
—Nope — right now you infer. As the video shows, I saw Christ as a positive figure — the image of him I was raised with is one of very few things of any worth I take from a confused and, in places, morally repugnant book. The nickname is affectionate. And I reserve absolute freedom to express that. So if some folks can’t get their heads round the fact the world’s a bit more subtle than ‘All humour is an attack!!!’ they’re welcome to their B&W world.
@leptismagna10 Yeah, I agreed to him. "So if some folks can’t get their heads round the fact the world’s a bit more subtle than ‘All humour is an attack!!!’ they’re welcome to their B&W world." Youtube didn't put my comment up there because TheraminTrees didn't reply to me.
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why is it so important for Atheists to 'fight' theist? (and vide versa)
Why is it so important to make so much traffic to prove to the theist (and to strenghten you own conviction) that Atheism is (smarter-better-more realistic-more human- gives more thinking-ram etc)?
do you really think that there is an information war to win?
do you think there isnt enough info for people to build their opinion?
If you think there is not enough- will this extra info convince poeple?- and then?...
@paranapoleon I suggest you ask your questions to folks who actually espouse the attitudes you're talking about — if you're inferring that these attitudes underscore these videos, then you're wrong. I've been asked a series of thoughtful questions by the user saizai, who's expressed a curiosity about my former and current beliefs in regard to religion. I'm answering those questions in these videos. Those who aren't interested are perfectly free not to watch.
true that.- tho i try to say: there is no god, but that is not the only truth.
So why you waste your intelligence and try to prove it to people who will not understand it anyways...?
imo there are many intelligent people who already posted many videos that discuss this topic very well, so there is no need for more videos- everything is said. (if they wont understand these videos then they will never understand it/ or when the time has come...)
@paranapoleon Actually I agree with you on the issue of (partially) wasting time by discussing this for all eternity. However, if atheists didn't try to convince others, religion would dominate more than it does.
I dislike that religion teaches people not to be critical towards authority. You should ALWAYS be allowed to critizise: If someone is right, they should have no problem providing reasoning. But if someone discourages critique it usually means they're hiding something.
@paranapoleon There is an information war. There's enough info, but more helps. At this moment, some creationist is creating a video. It's good that someone can see that one and this one, in contrast. I've found that every video has the information worded differently - and that helps. Every video focuses on something different, even if slightly. To hear different voices say the same logical answers is great.
Its about fantasy v reality and living in a world where fantasy-based statements are continually used as justifications for behaviour or special treatment or to demand respect. People who don't have a problem with a world dominated by fairy tales don't even notice how pervasive and annoying this is. Some people however have had enough and will challenge the fairy tales and invisible friends to try and balance things out.
@paranapoleon In all honesty, the "fighting" is more self-defense, . And how can you even say that there could be TOO MUCH information? There can never be enough information!
@AtheistExplains - I had to stop using labels. People's understanding of the word "atheist" varies widely and may be conflated with adjectives that don't apply to you. Likewise I also avoid using the word "God" because it means so many different things. If I must speak of a god I use his or her name (though it surprises me some Christians don't know who Yahweh is). How I describe myself will vary from one person to another depending on what I know of their interpretation of words.
@TheraminTrees - dude, dude, dude.. never in my lifetime has one man spoke the (as) voice of so many.
and im ignorant. really.
i thought me no longer believing in god was me betraying my (if i may make up a word..) human-ly-ness..
now i feel like even paying lip service to the notion that there is 1 god up there effing with gays and muslims and people who use condoms, would be a WASTE of my time and thoughts
..and i am a better person since i came to terms with this - definitely happier
This is brilliant. I strongly identify with your story. It's as if I'd stumbled across a video made by myself that I forgot about. Thank you for making this. I find that atheists in the United States are alienated and demonized by the culture around them. It made me feel like I was the only one out there, so I appreciate others stepping forward.
@AtheistExplains I was shocked 4 years ago to find what was going on for so many US atheists — at first I thought it was some huge joke I wasn't in on. When I realised it wasn't, that's when I started making videos. I hear we're working our way up from the very bottom on the 'most mistrusted' lists — we'll see how far that continues as more folks come out. All the best.
I'm the only person in my social circle that has admitted to being an atheist, and many of my relationships have suffered because of it. The best man at my wedding doesn't talk to me anymore because I told him I'm an atheist (our last conversation). My best friend has told me that I'm not fit to go to his wedding. My grandfather has disinherited me. Each time the relationship died because they found out I'm an atheist. The US seems to think it's okay to hate people like us.
@AtheistExplains It's shameful how common these alienating experiences are. A religion whose members espouse messages of love, but disown and ostracise anyone who doesn't conform, amounts to nothing more than a plain old bigoted social club.
Good job on these videos. It's always interesting to hear about how other "born-again" atheists realized Christianity didn't make any sense. I'm kind of jealous of people who get out of it so young. I didn't go through doubting until around 15-16ish. I know there are people who took a lot longer, some who were even ministers and worship leaders.
I believe this might be the single most wonderfully-executed story of a person's transition to atheism that exists on the internet. Utterly too many things to compliment. Every frame is worthwhile. You possess a quality that is rarely found, a Carl-Sagan-like ability to simplify and illustrate concepts that are often counterintuitive. You have a great deal of talent, and your hard work in developing said is quite apparent. Brilliant mate. Cheers.
@smpaudio agreed, TheraminTrees is very good, but may I also suggest you try out Evid3nc3's channel? I feel he also does a good job of describing his transformation from religious to atheist. Though, to be fair, he spends more time/videos on it than ThereaminTrees. Both are extremly interesting to watch.
@smpaudio Have you seen the playlist 'Why I Am No Longer A Christian' by user Evid3nc3? If not, I'd strongly recommend you do so. It was the reason for my own deconversion.
@COEXISTential Thank you ;8) It was a huge eye-opener to see the aggression from many christians when I left christianity. Whatever tenets of loving, peaceful existence I, in my idealism, thought all christians were constantly striving towards, that has certainly proved to be light years from the case.
Yeah, all too many Theists seem to use their religion of choice as a label by which to define themselves at the shallowest level possible and completely fail to adhere to the teachings of same to any depth. The preponderance of judgmental Christians being the most obvious case in point; 'Judge not that ye be not judged' goes right out the window.
Throw that cock sucking, mother fucking, child killing, Jew hating, kidnap approving, genocidal, mass murdering, scientifically ignorant, historically inaccurate, incestuous, torturous, slave beating pile of man made bullshit called the bible in the garbage already and lets get on with human progress for Christ sake!!!!
Despite the fact your answers are logical, I believe in god mostly for comfort and hope in the world. And because my mother always said prayer for that person or someone who was in trouble or in danger on the news. This gave me spiritual strength and helped me believe more.
Theramintrees will you ever get married?
Do you celebrate Christmas?
Celebrate Easter?
It shocks me people celebrate these things and don't believe in the religion the celebration originates from.
Assumption is a bitch. People like him always have bad things to say about atheists because they assume we do something that contradicts our lack of belief.
Have you ever met anyone like this guy, outside of the internet? For some reason, its more insulting when they say this kind of thing to you in person.
He didn't seem particularly nasty in the comment I reacted to. Just a tad biased. The response was simple; let him explain why he feels like he does, and in doing so discover something about himself.
« Have you ever met anyone like this guy, outside of the internet? »
A friend of mine since school days has become a catholic priest. His channel's @steefscheef. Actually, he and I have never spoken in-depth on any religious issue, but he's always expressed his concern for my "immortal soul". He sees things his way, I mine. No trouble there.
« I believe in god mostly for comfort and hope in the world »
You sound almost like an atheist. Wouldn't it be better to believe in a god because it exists, rather than to believe in it because it makes you feel good?
@MrGralgrathor What's the difference? You get comfort from belief whether that which you believe in is true or not - this fact, in and of itself, somewhat points to no god as there's no difference in the outcome.
« You get comfort from belief whether that which you believe in is true or not - this fact, in and of itself, somewhat points to no god as there's no difference in the outcome. »
Well... Yeah... Damn, you must be great at parties ;)
@Kayanite1 I am married. I don't celebrate christmas — I get together with my family but only because the holidays present that opportunity. I ignore easter completely — it has no more significance to me than eid ul-fitr. And it's worth bearing in mind that 'the religion the celebration originates from' here is certainly not christianity — christianity fell in line with pre-existing festivals in order to be accommodated into the culture more easily.
@Kayanite1 "It shocks me people celebrate these things and don't believe in the religion the celebration originates from."
Seriously....? I'm going to leave it to you to do a little research as to the origin of Christmas. You yourself obviously don't have a clue. You do know your religion hijacked it right....
@Kayanite1 The story of Christ borrows greatly from the story of Osiris- an Egyptian god- who was born on the winter solstice to a virgin, at which time a new star appeared in the sky. He was killed by the forces of evil and was resurrected after 3 days, at which he rose to judge the living and the dead. Familiar? Go to Wikipedia, look up /wiki/Osiris. If you continue to look, you'll find that Christianity claims to originate many things that it did not. Peace.
@Kayanite1 Please look all those things up. Especial Christmas and Easter were certainly did not originate from Christianity.
Also marriage is not a religious concept by itself either. So please instead of putting things forward, know the history and all the meanings of these.
But even if you were right and they originated from Christianity, that does not automatically mean that they mean that today. Look at some words that are racist, several of them were not that in their origin.
You thought about all this at a very young age, you must of been a very smart child. I can't remember a damn thing at 6 - 8 and i sure as hell wouldn't be contemplating mortality issues.
I am an atheist who was raised Christian. My father was a pastor of an evangelical church and it was a long and hard journey before I had fully rejected my faith. Most of the time my perspective seems unique and hard to explain to someone on either side of the argument. These videos have been the closest I have ever come to feeling like I was understood. I would like to sincerely thank you for giving me a way to coherently explain the process of unbelief and the freedom from the religious lie.
I remember when I was little I read somewhere in the bible about this dude and his daughters going up into the mountains and after a while they all start fucking. -.-
@TheraminTrees The difference between myself and my atheist friends/others I know: I discovered how psychotic god was (the "psycho" stage) after I'd already became an atheist for other reasons. It must be horrifying to actually place your trust in, believe in, and try to please an entity you know does irrational and cruel things for reasons that make absolutely no sense. I understand why so many ex-Christians feel they were mentally damaged as children, and why they now have anxiety issues.
i soooo hope that before i die we meet an alien race who knows where life itself started, its not like we need to prove christians wrong.. because we already know we are right ;) but maybe then they would wake the fuck up
From a former Baptist from the American South, but I can already tell you that video #1 already covers my life up to my teen years. That's a little tragic, but it's nice to see that others went through the same thought processes. That's good for my sanity. Thanks, and I'm off to video #2.
Oops "Irony is wasted on the stupid" is the quote, doesn't seem to have a consistent attribution. Not trying to call you stupid, if Pascal was indeed using irony it is patently not obvious.
Have you considered that his infamous wager was a stealthy and demonstrative satire by the reason it is easily debunked by a rational mind, yet boneheads eat it up without thinking?
Dude you keep missing Pascal's satire and keep painting him unflatteringly.
The irony lies in the words "simple" and "natural"
Cult psychological indoctrination is neither of those things, and I'm fairly confident that Pascal realized that, as well as recognizing "irony is lost on the stupid" and used those ironic words to both "go through the motions" himself in society and convey what he felt about it.
@Furoar Nope, I don't 'keep missing Pascal's satire'. If you wish to interpret his pensees as satire, that's an avenue of exploration. But it's not established, and I'm not persuaded that that interpretation is supported by the ease with which it's dismantled today. There's no shame in Pascal, Descartes, or any other accomplished figure, making the odd flawed argument. It doesn't detract from their huge contributions. I do not paint him unflatteringly in this video — I simply quote him.
@TheraminTrees Ah, apologies for reading more than was there. I hope you understand though, displaying that quote in the first place with the context that it was "advice" would give a suggestion that Pascal was a religious supporter. With the odd words and statements throughout the related writings that suggest strongly the possibility of irony, shouldn't it be seen at least to be ambiguous?
Consider "..he had been preparing for an Apology for the Christian Religion which was never completed."
@Furoar 'displaying that quote in the first place with the context that it was "advice" would give a suggestion that Pascal was a religious supporter.'
—I quote it in that context because that's the exact context of the passage in Passcal's Pensees — he hypothesises someone asking questions about what they can do if they don't believe, and gives this as explicit advice. If you're persuaded that it's satire/ambiguous, you're free to present it that way. Personally, I'm not at all persuaded.
@TheraminTrees I see your point.. I pick up some Poe potential still, from the whole action of reconciling reason and religion, and the unsupported statement that wagering is a necessity from that chapter.
He then seems to be kind of a straw man. This didn't much pick up for the religious: "But to will to put it into the mind and heart by force and threats is not to put religion there, but terror; terorrem potius quam religionem."
There's still plenty of "judgement" and "hell" flying around.
I understand the suitability of the usage of Pascal's quotes in your video based around his wager... But surely many other people have said similar things without any hint of ambiguity that could have filled the same role here?
buddhism has a massive built - in escape clause. it's called "kalama sutta". if u don't like it u can exit & head for the hills without being punished by demons. that's exactly what i did. exit. but i will always respect the freedom it gave me.
I'm not sure what I believed before age 7 (Santa and Easter bunny brought fun days, not something to believe) but when I was 7 a priest came to my public school and handed out small bibles. It was then that I had a chance to see words on paper and make a decision. It didn't take long. I barely made it through three pages of Genesis before saying "This isn't real". I think what got me was the idea: If there is a god and can do all this, then why can't I see Him today? Nobody answer that question
@updownleftrightinout What I meant at the end was: Nobody has ever answered that question properly. I would want to SEE him, not little things that could be construed as Him. Not suggestions or hints or indirect evidence or intimations or allusions or insinuations or questionable associations. Not something which I could confuse with my own corner-of-my-eye imaginations. Even at age 7 I wanted direct, eyewitness evidence, no tomfoolery, just straightforward hard proof.
With this (& still many many other arguments) against the Bible, I still can't fathom why there are still Christians who are close-minded and don't want to TRY to open their mind to all these point of views outside their own little 'box'.
I say: Lets' take control of YT and end the annoying commercials. Let's start campaigns against ANY AND ALL products and brands that interrupt videos on YT with commercials and really not buy anything seen on the YT videos.
The ad-banners are plenty to keep YT making money, there's no need to inundate the videos with such commercials!
Hi. I was wondering what your thoughts were on two other religions. Islam and Buddhism. I was born into Islam but i'm not really into it. I wouldn't have chosen it. I dont like it. I do admire buddhism. I think that is very tolerable and it doesn't teach you to put your faith in a deity which may or may not exist and it does not condemn you for not following them. But i don't think i'm going buddhist. So i was wondering what your thoughts were on these two religions Theramintrees.
For the most part, I had about that same experience. Although, "my binker phase" lasted about a month. The next pase lasted about as long. After that, I was in a 'militant' phase of atheism, sort like anti-theism instead of an atheism. At about 15, I really started to iron out the wrinkles of what I accept and what I dont.
Anyways, thank you for sharing your experaince, and for another great vid. Keep 'em coming!
@SatanRulezGod "intensive psychotherapy Isaac... required... victim of Yahweh's ghastly joke"
I wonder too, but not about that. Young Isaac (probably late teens) alone with 100+ year old Abraham did not fight or run off. Abraham knew (did he forget?, or was he made to forget?) Isaac would be a father (Gen 17:19) and could not die if God is to be believed. Did Abraham tell Isaac that or not? Did God clue in Isaac? It makes the point of the sacrifice even more ridiculous.
@SatanRulezGod Interesting convo u two had here. I just thought I might add that in other dimensions the physical constants may be different. So even if you could bridge the divide between dimensions, going there may be instant death. Also, the fact that parallel universes/dimensions MAY exist, does not in any way shape or form suggest it would be a nice place to slot an afterlife. Or that the 'dead' go anywhere, as they also cannot leave the confines of this universe. thought i'd point that out
Great Video. I also wondered what would have happened if Abraham refused. But I also wonder why God didn't let Abraham go through with it and then heal, or better yet, raise Isaac. What finally made God sure, even if Abraham himself wasn't, that he wouldn't have hesitated at the last moment?
@SatanRulezGod NDE's may be explained bioligically but it also has a profound effect on those that have them. Not all but most. If this is something naturally built into our brains I'm grateful. I had one instant of being outside ( mentally not astrally) my body. It was very peaceful. It was like being given a realization. Lasted about 3 mins or so then I opened my eyes and I knew I was back in the body. I never had sleep paralysis, but I know that can be the on set to an obe.
Brother may Allah be with you!....only Islam can answer all your questions..Christianity is full of fairy tales...try Islam indeed and you will be fascinated.. Allah hu akhbar!
@SatanRulezGod I will try to find the book, I would like to read his take on it. Fascinating is right. It happens so there has to be a reason, until a theory is proven, it will remain a mystery. What do you think about near death experiences, out of body experiences, and astral projection? Do you think Gooch's explanation fits these too?
@SatanRulezGod I saw something strange at 17 that I have no explanation for. Never forgot it either. I have never seen a UFO but my sister and about 30 other ppl did, it even made the news. They never figured out what it was. I do believe in different planes of existence. Multiple dimensions. I think this would explain a lot of UFO encounters, and possibly even ghostly encounters. Your wife's experience was freaky. Most don't see full blown,solid apparitions.
@SatanRulezGod I don't know if it's all in the mind. Some very down to earth ppl have had odd things happen when they least expected it. Most are stressed related and can be chalked up to the mind playing tricks or a physical anomaly mistaken for something supernatural. May I ask what's your view on UFO's? Secret technology from right here? Inter dimensional travelers? Or just bullshit lol
@SatanRulezGod I'm sure he wasn't bitter with the general public just the media and the academics who were not interested in his private research into the paranormal. He was offered positions to teach college he chose to pursue his dream but it didn't work out. The paranormal rarely has profit in it.
I stopped believing in God at the same time i stopped believing in Santa. It seemed intuitive. It was only later on when I wanted a god that I questioned it. I still dont believe in a god though.
Im hoping there is one and it is completely detached from earth and uninvolved and its only after death that it notices you. Fingers crossed its a good thing.
@C05597641 That's the best wish for a god I've ever heard. One that I also share. No one can say for sure if a god exists, but I think we can count out any of the man made ones here on earth.
I started to question religion when I was exposed to the beliefs of the ancients.
Btw, I saw a documentary a while back on your namesake (the Russian inventor of the musical device and the electronic eavesdropping bug). He was actually interviewed in it too. Are you aware his name is pronounced "T-heramin" with the "T" being distinct, like in Theresa? Not a "Th" sound... (in case you did not know (most do not)).
You were a smart kid. Keep up the excellent work mate.
I love when people use "concertined" in a sentance. Funny that one of the major reasons I gave up religion early was Dungeons and Dragons, if the gods described in the game were just fictions why not "God". Other reasons emerged as I got older. I'm not against the central teaching of religions in general "Be good to one another, Don't be an asshole" just the other rot that causes people to want to gouge each others eyes out.
Oh, and the third stage, absolutely the same for me.....tried to listen to this "voice" inside, get answers....tried to see messages to me, meaning from things around me or things that happened, that it was god speaking. Crazy stuff really.
Absolutely relate to this, especially when you said "extended mental torture". That's exactly what I discovered when I started reading the Bible on my own at about 10. Later on, this started to extend to the whole christian religion - that's exactly what it is, mental torture. It tries to twist the human mind against itself. It turns natural, human, essential instincts into sins. I'm really sorry for the people who innocently fell into this mental trap.
First time catching one of your videos. You have a good voice and a likeable personality and attitude. Your experiences will be useful to those on the fence and not completely sold on their doctrine. Keep it up.
Unfortunately, no amount of rationality can reach lost minds...
I used to feel Santa Claus presence the way Christians feel the presence of their god. It felt so real I could barely sleep through Christmas eve, I just knew he was coming and I swear that I heard him downstairs. Finding all those filled stockings and presents under the tree just confirmed what I already felt in my heart---Santa was real and he came to visit.
themsleves, backing up the 4th conclusion. Can you guess how old i am? the answer to that is 14. This is my answer to life, god, and everything that is supposed to exist or not exist. I cannot blame you if you think im crazy, because my second self agrees.
is an answer to everything, and everything leads to everything else in some way if you think about it. the 5th conclusion ive come to is one completely about myself. I feel that i have gone mad and crazy beyond help. The solution to that is an alter ego, living on a normal life, which many could not come to, some resulting in suicide. The alter ego would be formed by ignoring the crazy thoughts, reverting back to your normal self before the chain of thoughts. These conclusions contradict
inevitable end of all things. Everything will end, and there is no stopping it, mankind will destroy itself, but the process can be brought to an extremely slow pace, rebuilding and deconstructing social life. within further thinking though, i realized a third answer, the thought of everything we know to be a lie, because we live off of memories given to us by others since we were born. We can be living off of lies, and we will never know if we are. Thus i come to the 4th conclusion that there
The ultimate answer is unknown. I believed in god 100% until recently, when i collected a substantial amount of knowledge within history and science. I began to doubt in god, while still partially holding on, being partially afraid of what will happen if i accept aithism (resulting in the belief) After a large period of time thinking while walking, the answer came to me-you can not have 100% proof that god is or is not real, thus believing in the unknown. I also came to the conclusion of the
Caligula example is quite god, however it should be understood in other way.
If I was god I would do exactly same. this is best way to separate ass-lickers from real friends.
If I will command someone "kill me and take my fortune or if you refuse I will kill you", then I would immediately kill that person if he attempts to obey.
slaves may earn food, but they wont earn respect, disobedience may cost you but you earn respect.
@SatanRulezGod thanks for the explanation. I did look Gooch up and it's sad he ended up a bitter recluse, barely able to exist. However what I did find interesting is neandrathals had a bigger dream/ magical cerebellum brain. From what I gather they didn't have the power of speech, so their intuition was highly developed. Apparently we still hold 1 to 4 % of their genetic code which would mean they did inter breed with modern man. He's interesting and I plan on reading more of his work. :o)
@SatanRulezGod You have to remember most Chrisitans are not fanatics. They were appalled as well over this kind of indoctrination. I think when it hit mainstream news, it was only a matter of time before she was out of business. I would have to google it to find out if legal action was taken. Only in the southern bible belt could something like this happen. Most Christians would not exposed their children to this kind of stupidity.:0)
Do you pronounce Jesus in that way just to be different? I mean, I mostly agree with what you're saying, but that one word suddenly painted a very pretentious sort of hipster picture.......
You are slow. Personally speaking, ditching the Santa god should have given you enough critical thought to have abandoned all that followed. Your path to rational thinking seems unnecessarily long. Did you ever encounter science and the scientific method?
@SissingPyd Nope. I'm not slow — and I wasn't slow back then either. In fact quite the opposite. I was consistently years ahead, developmentally, in all tests of mental skills, and top of my class throughout my time at school. What your comment ignores is the insidious nature of indoctrination, which can place monumental fear- and guilt-based blocks specifically around 'blasphemous' reasoning that put it totally out of bounds. Nice that you didn't experience the mental torture some of us did.
@TheraminTrees Sadly I know only too well the insidious nature of religious indoctrination. I was raised roman catholic and went to RC schools complete with priest teachers and warnings of the dangers of masturbation! At age 11 in junior school, two questions destroyed my belief in the mystical christian god. I was atheist less than a year later in high school, when formal science education started in earnest.
@SissingPyd 'Sadly I know only too well the insidious nature of religious indoctrination.'
—Then perhaps next time you won't jump in with a pissy judgemental comment about people being 'slow' — and instead afford them some credit and compassion for the abuse their minds were subjected to as children.
@TheraminTrees It's possible I will but not very likely given the circumstances.
At age 11 I asked a priest RE teacher 2 Q's. 1. There are so many gods worship around the world. Why are you sure yours is the one and only true god? 2. Why is it that there is no mention in the bible of dinosaurs or any of the fossilised creatures that lived on earth before humans?
The priest could not answer but caned me in front of the class for asking blasphemous questions. Beatings were common back then.
Mention of the monkey nurture experiment made me think of Martin Schein and Edgar Hale of the University of Pennsylvania. Effects of morphological variations of chicken models on sexual responses of cocks. Many birds are more than happy to have sex with a wooden model of a head. Or as I like to think of it how minimal does your god need to be for you to believe in it? Muslims are more than happy circling a stone, catholics need it to be carved into a likeness clearly there all quakers.
I never reached the phase you call Binker. I never made excuses or deluded myself about god. It started off with the book of genesis at the age of 5 and I could tell it was all BS. My attitude was "If you wanted me to believe something you shouldn't have made it so parochial and bloody stupid" and the real resentment began. At 13 a teacher shouted "genuflect" at me in chapel when I forgot what to do on the way to the confessional so I had spent less than 8 years pretending to be a christian
I was born into a very western christian family in which evangelism is encouraged. I have taken the path you have almost exactly! You inspire me! Thank you for doing this, I don't know if you really understand what these videos mean to some of us that are struggling with belief and understanding.
@PlayLikeAnimal Thank you. You ask whether I really understand what these videos mean to some who are struggling with belief and understanding. When you write comments expressing your feelings like you have just done, then I begin to know ;8) All the best!
I've watched a numerous youtube vids by theists, atheists and scientists. Vids preaching the truth of their god and the bible or their disgust with evolution tend to limit voting and commenting. Where they allow feedback, almost all of it is against them. Lots of thumbs down. Those vids calling out the liars of god, the bible or evolution rarely limit discourse and have pos+ feedback. That's not reflected in national averages in US. Hmm.
jamespiperca 3 weeks ago in playlist More videos from TheraminTrees
"A dialogue with only one participant is a monologue."
DAMN. Wish I'd thought to put it that way. Brilliant.
timw1971 1 month ago
an mri scan shows that the same part of the brain is active when someone "talks to god" aned talking to yourself
1empathy 1 month ago
most people would rather die than think, and most people do.
1empathy 1 month ago
"A dialogue without a participant is a monologue." Exactly. And a monologue without an audience is merely one who is talking to himself. When do we not consider crazy, one who is talking to himself without realizing he is talking to himself? When he is talking to God!
So how come we don't put people who talk to God into mental institutions?
EdM021 1 month ago
@EdM021 Maybe we should put them in mental institutions...
Punkekito123 1 month ago
@Punkekito123 :^)
EdM021 1 month ago
@EdM021 they are needed as candidates in US Presidental elections :D
Aanthanur 1 month ago
@Aanthanur xD Good one!
EdM021 1 month ago
I just want to say thank you for your videos. I live in a very religious home and I've always thought that all of it just seemed wrong. You have given me a lot of confidence to tell my family that I don't believe in god, which is something I''d never thought I would do. Thanks again!
nathas1 1 month ago
atheist:
1 i lack a belief in god
2 there are no gods
you are funy
gogolplex74 2 months ago
I never made it past 6. I figured out Santa Claus couldn't be in several stores at once, saw my presents in a cupboard and realised Santa Claus was a fairy tale. The next day I realised "god" was also a fairy tale.
lewisner 3 months ago
Hearing you describe your experience has helped me to better understand my own experiences, which were similar but also different. It amazes me to look back and realize there was no one point where I stopped believing. By the time I realized I no longer believed in God I hadn't believed in him for a long time. Sorry if that doesn't make sense but it still feels good to put it out there. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences with us, we really appreciate it.
Skyhawk02 3 months ago in playlist More videos from TheraminTrees
You said Jesus almost like we the Israelis say his name in Hebrew, we call him Yeshu.
Great video BTW, you are quite known among the Israeli Athiest groups in YouTube.
Dvich 3 months ago
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Why do you call him yay-zus insted of gee-zus? It seems pompous, even if it's more correct. It's almost like you care more about being correct (about things that are frankly irrelevant) than being easy to understand.
SUMD123 3 months ago
@SUMD123 .... er, it's a joke. You know, like 'Jeebus'. We don't take it all that seriously in my house.
TheraminTrees 3 months ago 18
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@TheraminTrees Oh. Ok. I must have misinterpreted your channel as logical though about religion as opposed to a soapbox used to demean theists in such sophisticated ways as mispronunciation.
SUMD123 3 months ago
@SUMD123 LOL. So if I take it seriously, I'm pompous — if I'm light-hearted, I'm 'demeaning theists'. See, my family's christian and don't feel demeaned in the slightest by it. It's not mispronouncing — it's using the name as it appears in the hymn 'Pie Jesu'. There'll always be folks who want to distort my motives/intentions — that's YouTube.
TheraminTrees 3 months ago 23
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@TheraminTrees It would have been better if you were pompous. Right now your actions say "I can't be bothered to give the invisible pink unicorn nor whoever believe in it any respect." Your intentions and context are not in the video. All that is there is an open mockery of Jesus. Perhaps (some) atheists will listen and laugh. Christians and those who have at least some faith in Jesus will hear that, see that you can't be bothered to respect their current beliefs, and leave.
SUMD123 3 months ago
@SUMD123 'Right now your actions say ....'
—Nope — right now you infer. As the video shows, I saw Christ as a positive figure — the image of him I was raised with is one of very few things of any worth I take from a confused and, in places, morally repugnant book. The nickname is affectionate. And I reserve absolute freedom to express that. So if some folks can’t get their heads round the fact the world’s a bit more subtle than ‘All humour is an attack!!!’ they’re welcome to their B&W world.
TheraminTrees 3 months ago 28
@TheraminTrees I concede.
SUMD123 3 months ago
@SUMD123 "...you can't be bothered to respect their current beliefs, and leave".
maybe its because they don't deserve respect.
leptismagna10 2 months ago
@leptismagna10 Yeah, I agreed to him. "So if some folks can’t get their heads round the fact the world’s a bit more subtle than ‘All humour is an attack!!!’ they’re welcome to their B&W world." Youtube didn't put my comment up there because TheraminTrees didn't reply to me.
SUMD123 2 months ago
@TheraminTrees At least you got the Name half right. "Yay" is closer to YAH than gee is.
redsox141978 3 months ago
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why is it so important for Atheists to 'fight' theist? (and vide versa)
Why is it so important to make so much traffic to prove to the theist (and to strenghten you own conviction) that Atheism is (smarter-better-more realistic-more human- gives more thinking-ram etc)?
do you really think that there is an information war to win?
do you think there isnt enough info for people to build their opinion?
If you think there is not enough- will this extra info convince poeple?- and then?...
paranapoleon 4 months ago
@paranapoleon I suggest you ask your questions to folks who actually espouse the attitudes you're talking about — if you're inferring that these attitudes underscore these videos, then you're wrong. I've been asked a series of thoughtful questions by the user saizai, who's expressed a curiosity about my former and current beliefs in regard to religion. I'm answering those questions in these videos. Those who aren't interested are perfectly free not to watch.
TheraminTrees 4 months ago 19
@TheraminTrees
nah i have been copying this question and also asked it here.
Well your channel helped me grow (watched perhaps all videos)...
Tho there are channels which are senseless.
paranapoleon 4 months ago
@paranapoleon It's not a fight, it's humans sharing their thoughts about their alleged reality.
If I said that 2+2 = 300, then you would disagree and move on.
If I tried to teach every kid in the world that 2+2 = 300, then you would disagree, try to disprove me and show the kids otherwise.
ZiqqiPH 4 months ago in playlist there are no gods
@ZiqqiPH
true that.- tho i try to say: there is no god, but that is not the only truth.
So why you waste your intelligence and try to prove it to people who will not understand it anyways...?
imo there are many intelligent people who already posted many videos that discuss this topic very well, so there is no need for more videos- everything is said. (if they wont understand these videos then they will never understand it/ or when the time has come...)
love and truth is all there is.
paranapoleon 4 months ago
@paranapoleon Actually I agree with you on the issue of (partially) wasting time by discussing this for all eternity. However, if atheists didn't try to convince others, religion would dominate more than it does.
I dislike that religion teaches people not to be critical towards authority. You should ALWAYS be allowed to critizise: If someone is right, they should have no problem providing reasoning. But if someone discourages critique it usually means they're hiding something.
ZiqqiPH 4 months ago
@paranapoleon There is an information war. There's enough info, but more helps. At this moment, some creationist is creating a video. It's good that someone can see that one and this one, in contrast. I've found that every video has the information worded differently - and that helps. Every video focuses on something different, even if slightly. To hear different voices say the same logical answers is great.
Arcexey 4 months ago in playlist Reason
@paranapoleon
Its about fantasy v reality and living in a world where fantasy-based statements are continually used as justifications for behaviour or special treatment or to demand respect. People who don't have a problem with a world dominated by fairy tales don't even notice how pervasive and annoying this is. Some people however have had enough and will challenge the fairy tales and invisible friends to try and balance things out.
reggiedixon2 4 months ago in playlist there are no gods
@paranapoleon
because, it's for the impulsive morons that always want to fight us
SpartanIIBey117 4 months ago in playlist there are no gods
@paranapoleon In all honesty, the "fighting" is more self-defense, . And how can you even say that there could be TOO MUCH information? There can never be enough information!
MrAtom322 1 day ago in playlist Uploaded videos
@AtheistExplains - I had to stop using labels. People's understanding of the word "atheist" varies widely and may be conflated with adjectives that don't apply to you. Likewise I also avoid using the word "God" because it means so many different things. If I must speak of a god I use his or her name (though it surprises me some Christians don't know who Yahweh is). How I describe myself will vary from one person to another depending on what I know of their interpretation of words.
alcedes78 4 months ago
FINALLY i think we can all agree:
I LOVE THIS GUY
he's like neo for atheists..
20BagBoy 4 months ago 2
@20BagBoy Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the vid.
TheraminTrees 4 months ago
@TheraminTrees - dude, dude, dude.. never in my lifetime has one man spoke the (as) voice of so many.
and im ignorant. really.
i thought me no longer believing in god was me betraying my (if i may make up a word..) human-ly-ness..
now i feel like even paying lip service to the notion that there is 1 god up there effing with gays and muslims and people who use condoms, would be a WASTE of my time and thoughts
..and i am a better person since i came to terms with this - definitely happier
20BagBoy 4 months ago 2
This is brilliant. I strongly identify with your story. It's as if I'd stumbled across a video made by myself that I forgot about. Thank you for making this. I find that atheists in the United States are alienated and demonized by the culture around them. It made me feel like I was the only one out there, so I appreciate others stepping forward.
AtheistExplains 4 months ago
@AtheistExplains I was shocked 4 years ago to find what was going on for so many US atheists — at first I thought it was some huge joke I wasn't in on. When I realised it wasn't, that's when I started making videos. I hear we're working our way up from the very bottom on the 'most mistrusted' lists — we'll see how far that continues as more folks come out. All the best.
TheraminTrees 4 months ago
@TheraminTrees
I'm the only person in my social circle that has admitted to being an atheist, and many of my relationships have suffered because of it. The best man at my wedding doesn't talk to me anymore because I told him I'm an atheist (our last conversation). My best friend has told me that I'm not fit to go to his wedding. My grandfather has disinherited me. Each time the relationship died because they found out I'm an atheist. The US seems to think it's okay to hate people like us.
AtheistExplains 4 months ago
@AtheistExplains It's shameful how common these alienating experiences are. A religion whose members espouse messages of love, but disown and ostracise anyone who doesn't conform, amounts to nothing more than a plain old bigoted social club.
TheraminTrees 4 months ago 2
God is a capricious unpredictable mass murderer basically.
leevan50rrie 5 months ago in playlist there are no gods
Dam ur voice..... Soo boring man am not gonna finish watching now
unleashedr 5 months ago
Brilliant. Subbed!
brewerbrian420 5 months ago
Thanks for making this video i am not alone :)
akaoshi1 5 months ago
Good job on these videos. It's always interesting to hear about how other "born-again" atheists realized Christianity didn't make any sense. I'm kind of jealous of people who get out of it so young. I didn't go through doubting until around 15-16ish. I know there are people who took a lot longer, some who were even ministers and worship leaders.
PsoMyth 5 months ago
I believe this might be the single most wonderfully-executed story of a person's transition to atheism that exists on the internet. Utterly too many things to compliment. Every frame is worthwhile. You possess a quality that is rarely found, a Carl-Sagan-like ability to simplify and illustrate concepts that are often counterintuitive. You have a great deal of talent, and your hard work in developing said is quite apparent. Brilliant mate. Cheers.
smpaudio 5 months ago in playlist there are no gods 14
@smpaudio Why, thank you — that's very kind and much appreciated ;8)
TheraminTrees 5 months ago 2
@smpaudio - i agree completely, sound logic and very well articulated, and not as snooty as the very posh richard dawkins..
very likeable indeed
20BagBoy 4 months ago
@smpaudio agreed, TheraminTrees is very good, but may I also suggest you try out Evid3nc3's channel? I feel he also does a good job of describing his transformation from religious to atheist. Though, to be fair, he spends more time/videos on it than ThereaminTrees. Both are extremly interesting to watch.
slythoughts 3 months ago
@smpaudio Have you seen the playlist 'Why I Am No Longer A Christian' by user Evid3nc3? If not, I'd strongly recommend you do so. It was the reason for my own deconversion.
TheBiAtheist 2 months ago
@smpaudio Sorry, I didn't see that someone had already suggested it to you. That should tell you how good it is. :)
TheBiAtheist 2 months ago
Awesome breakdown, man! Your interpretation of Christianity in your Binker phase would put a great many professing Christians to shame.
COEXISTential 5 months ago 2
@COEXISTential Thank you ;8) It was a huge eye-opener to see the aggression from many christians when I left christianity. Whatever tenets of loving, peaceful existence I, in my idealism, thought all christians were constantly striving towards, that has certainly proved to be light years from the case.
TheraminTrees 5 months ago 3
@TheraminTrees
Thanks for the reply, man.
Yeah, all too many Theists seem to use their religion of choice as a label by which to define themselves at the shallowest level possible and completely fail to adhere to the teachings of same to any depth. The preponderance of judgmental Christians being the most obvious case in point; 'Judge not that ye be not judged' goes right out the window.
COEXISTential 5 months ago
Throw that cock sucking, mother fucking, child killing, Jew hating, kidnap approving, genocidal, mass murdering, scientifically ignorant, historically inaccurate, incestuous, torturous, slave beating pile of man made bullshit called the bible in the garbage already and lets get on with human progress for Christ sake!!!!
metalsusa1 5 months ago
You made me revisit my religious childhood experiences, which was a little uncomfortable, but thanks.
gjsterp 5 months ago
Despite the fact your answers are logical, I believe in god mostly for comfort and hope in the world. And because my mother always said prayer for that person or someone who was in trouble or in danger on the news. This gave me spiritual strength and helped me believe more.
Theramintrees will you ever get married?
Do you celebrate Christmas?
Celebrate Easter?
It shocks me people celebrate these things and don't believe in the religion the celebration originates from.
Kayanite1 5 months ago
« It shocks me people celebrate these things and don't believe in the religion the celebration originates from. »
Why?
MrGralgrathor 5 months ago
@MrGralgrathor
Assumption is a bitch. People like him always have bad things to say about atheists because they assume we do something that contradicts our lack of belief.
Have you ever met anyone like this guy, outside of the internet? For some reason, its more insulting when they say this kind of thing to you in person.
chadd990 5 months ago
« People like him »
He didn't seem particularly nasty in the comment I reacted to. Just a tad biased. The response was simple; let him explain why he feels like he does, and in doing so discover something about himself.
XGralgrathor 5 months ago
« Have you ever met anyone like this guy, outside of the internet? »
A friend of mine since school days has become a catholic priest. His channel's @steefscheef. Actually, he and I have never spoken in-depth on any religious issue, but he's always expressed his concern for my "immortal soul". He sees things his way, I mine. No trouble there.
XGralgrathor 5 months ago
« I believe in god mostly for comfort and hope in the world »
You sound almost like an atheist. Wouldn't it be better to believe in a god because it exists, rather than to believe in it because it makes you feel good?
MrGralgrathor 5 months ago
@MrGralgrathor What's the difference? You get comfort from belief whether that which you believe in is true or not - this fact, in and of itself, somewhat points to no god as there's no difference in the outcome.
COEXISTential 5 months ago
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« You get comfort from belief whether that which you believe in is true or not - this fact, in and of itself, somewhat points to no god as there's no difference in the outcome. »
Well... Yeah... Damn, you must be great at parties ;)
XGralgrathor 5 months ago
@Kayanite1 I am married. I don't celebrate christmas — I get together with my family but only because the holidays present that opportunity. I ignore easter completely — it has no more significance to me than eid ul-fitr. And it's worth bearing in mind that 'the religion the celebration originates from' here is certainly not christianity — christianity fell in line with pre-existing festivals in order to be accommodated into the culture more easily.
TheraminTrees 5 months ago 32
@TheraminTrees Thanks, didnt know that last bit
Kayanite1 5 months ago
@Kayanite1 "It shocks me people celebrate these things and don't believe in the religion the celebration originates from."
Seriously....? I'm going to leave it to you to do a little research as to the origin of Christmas. You yourself obviously don't have a clue. You do know your religion hijacked it right....
GinaTool 5 months ago
@Kayanite1 You believe for comfort and hope? So you lie to yourself?
MrMarkless 5 months ago
@Kayanite1 The story of Christ borrows greatly from the story of Osiris- an Egyptian god- who was born on the winter solstice to a virgin, at which time a new star appeared in the sky. He was killed by the forces of evil and was resurrected after 3 days, at which he rose to judge the living and the dead. Familiar? Go to Wikipedia, look up /wiki/Osiris. If you continue to look, you'll find that Christianity claims to originate many things that it did not. Peace.
smpaudio 5 months ago in playlist there are no gods
@smpaudio Thats very interesting, I know little about christianity but was raised to believe in jesus's existantance, thank you.
Kayanite1 5 months ago
@Kayanite1 Please look all those things up. Especial Christmas and Easter were certainly did not originate from Christianity.
Also marriage is not a religious concept by itself either. So please instead of putting things forward, know the history and all the meanings of these.
But even if you were right and they originated from Christianity, that does not automatically mean that they mean that today. Look at some words that are racist, several of them were not that in their origin.
NathanWubs 5 months ago 3
You thought about all this at a very young age, you must of been a very smart child. I can't remember a damn thing at 6 - 8 and i sure as hell wouldn't be contemplating mortality issues.
Yawb120 5 months ago
@Yawb120 Well at that age I liked football, sweets and tits
snylekkie 5 months ago
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@snylekkie
"Well at that age I liked football, sweets and tits"
Me too! Well, aside from football and sweets, that is.
MomoTheBellyDancer 5 months ago
I stayed in the psycho phase until I gave up theism ....
unassumption 5 months ago in playlist More videos from TheraminTrees
I am an atheist who was raised Christian. My father was a pastor of an evangelical church and it was a long and hard journey before I had fully rejected my faith. Most of the time my perspective seems unique and hard to explain to someone on either side of the argument. These videos have been the closest I have ever come to feeling like I was understood. I would like to sincerely thank you for giving me a way to coherently explain the process of unbelief and the freedom from the religious lie.
eatabagadiks 5 months ago 2
I remember when I was little I read somewhere in the bible about this dude and his daughters going up into the mountains and after a while they all start fucking. -.-
fudgebucket55 5 months ago
Very well done.
xwarmangle 5 months ago
@TheraminTrees The difference between myself and my atheist friends/others I know: I discovered how psychotic god was (the "psycho" stage) after I'd already became an atheist for other reasons. It must be horrifying to actually place your trust in, believe in, and try to please an entity you know does irrational and cruel things for reasons that make absolutely no sense. I understand why so many ex-Christians feel they were mentally damaged as children, and why they now have anxiety issues.
dd1987x 6 months ago 3
WAY TO GO!!!!! I love it....Reminds me of Richard Dawkins
Diego Garcia-B.I.O.T.
DueceSolid 6 months ago
i soooo hope that before i die we meet an alien race who knows where life itself started, its not like we need to prove christians wrong.. because we already know we are right ;) but maybe then they would wake the fuck up
b1gbudda 6 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
From a former Baptist from the American South, but I can already tell you that video #1 already covers my life up to my teen years. That's a little tragic, but it's nice to see that others went through the same thought processes. That's good for my sanity. Thanks, and I'm off to video #2.
jabaughlin 7 months ago
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jabaughlin 7 months ago
Oops "Irony is wasted on the stupid" is the quote, doesn't seem to have a consistent attribution. Not trying to call you stupid, if Pascal was indeed using irony it is patently not obvious.
Have you considered that his infamous wager was a stealthy and demonstrative satire by the reason it is easily debunked by a rational mind, yet boneheads eat it up without thinking?
Furoar 7 months ago
Dude you keep missing Pascal's satire and keep painting him unflatteringly.
The irony lies in the words "simple" and "natural"
Cult psychological indoctrination is neither of those things, and I'm fairly confident that Pascal realized that, as well as recognizing "irony is lost on the stupid" and used those ironic words to both "go through the motions" himself in society and convey what he felt about it.
This is called: {Double Entendre}
Furoar 7 months ago
@Furoar Nope, I don't 'keep missing Pascal's satire'. If you wish to interpret his pensees as satire, that's an avenue of exploration. But it's not established, and I'm not persuaded that that interpretation is supported by the ease with which it's dismantled today. There's no shame in Pascal, Descartes, or any other accomplished figure, making the odd flawed argument. It doesn't detract from their huge contributions. I do not paint him unflatteringly in this video — I simply quote him.
TheraminTrees 7 months ago 5
@TheraminTrees Ah, apologies for reading more than was there. I hope you understand though, displaying that quote in the first place with the context that it was "advice" would give a suggestion that Pascal was a religious supporter. With the odd words and statements throughout the related writings that suggest strongly the possibility of irony, shouldn't it be seen at least to be ambiguous?
Consider "..he had been preparing for an Apology for the Christian Religion which was never completed."
Furoar 7 months ago
@Furoar 'displaying that quote in the first place with the context that it was "advice" would give a suggestion that Pascal was a religious supporter.'
—I quote it in that context because that's the exact context of the passage in Passcal's Pensees — he hypothesises someone asking questions about what they can do if they don't believe, and gives this as explicit advice. If you're persuaded that it's satire/ambiguous, you're free to present it that way. Personally, I'm not at all persuaded.
TheraminTrees 7 months ago 3
@TheraminTrees I see your point.. I pick up some Poe potential still, from the whole action of reconciling reason and religion, and the unsupported statement that wagering is a necessity from that chapter.
He then seems to be kind of a straw man. This didn't much pick up for the religious: "But to will to put it into the mind and heart by force and threats is not to put religion there, but terror; terorrem potius quam religionem."
There's still plenty of "judgement" and "hell" flying around.
Furoar 7 months ago
@TheraminTrees (cont)
I understand the suitability of the usage of Pascal's quotes in your video based around his wager... But surely many other people have said similar things without any hint of ambiguity that could have filled the same role here?
Furoar 7 months ago
buddhism has a massive built - in escape clause. it's called "kalama sutta". if u don't like it u can exit & head for the hills without being punished by demons. that's exactly what i did. exit. but i will always respect the freedom it gave me.
nayanmalig 7 months ago
"There are no gods" is a tall claim. "there is no all loving & almighty god to be seen so far" could be a better claim. makes sense.
also if everybody was sexually satisfied there would not be a need for religion or heaven.
nayanmalig 7 months ago
@nayanmalig ' "There are no gods" is a tall claim. "there is no all loving & almighty god to be seen so far" could be a better claim. '
—The point of the title might make more sense when part three's uploaded.
TheraminTrees 7 months ago
@TheraminTrees OK.
nayanmalig 7 months ago
@TheraminTrees May I inquire about the eta of part III?
Jeffersonwazright 6 months ago
@Jeffersonwazright Hoping to get it uploaded by Saturday, before I go to Edinburgh for the Festival. I've had a metric ton of correspondence of late.
TheraminTrees 6 months ago
@TheraminTrees You're awesome Trees. Keep up the great work.
Idaho-U.S
Jeffersonwazright 6 months ago
@Jeffersonwazright Thanks ;8)
TheraminTrees 6 months ago
I'm not sure what I believed before age 7 (Santa and Easter bunny brought fun days, not something to believe) but when I was 7 a priest came to my public school and handed out small bibles. It was then that I had a chance to see words on paper and make a decision. It didn't take long. I barely made it through three pages of Genesis before saying "This isn't real". I think what got me was the idea: If there is a god and can do all this, then why can't I see Him today? Nobody answer that question
updownleftrightinout 7 months ago
@updownleftrightinout What I meant at the end was: Nobody has ever answered that question properly. I would want to SEE him, not little things that could be construed as Him. Not suggestions or hints or indirect evidence or intimations or allusions or insinuations or questionable associations. Not something which I could confuse with my own corner-of-my-eye imaginations. Even at age 7 I wanted direct, eyewitness evidence, no tomfoolery, just straightforward hard proof.
updownleftrightinout 7 months ago
I find it amazing that most 'mature' Christians are still stuck in the equivalent of the Santa Phase.
JishyBoy 7 months ago
these are great valid arguments.
With this (& still many many other arguments) against the Bible, I still can't fathom why there are still Christians who are close-minded and don't want to TRY to open their mind to all these point of views outside their own little 'box'.
I guess that's what "faith" can do to you...
nikiwonoto 7 months ago
This is my story..
CJones990 7 months ago 3
I say: Lets' take control of YT and end the annoying commercials. Let's start campaigns against ANY AND ALL products and brands that interrupt videos on YT with commercials and really not buy anything seen on the YT videos.
The ad-banners are plenty to keep YT making money, there's no need to inundate the videos with such commercials!
tommytalks77 7 months ago
Hi. I was wondering what your thoughts were on two other religions. Islam and Buddhism. I was born into Islam but i'm not really into it. I wouldn't have chosen it. I dont like it. I do admire buddhism. I think that is very tolerable and it doesn't teach you to put your faith in a deity which may or may not exist and it does not condemn you for not following them. But i don't think i'm going buddhist. So i was wondering what your thoughts were on these two religions Theramintrees.
thinkanime1 8 months ago
interesting vid
fallbread 8 months ago
For the most part, I had about that same experience. Although, "my binker phase" lasted about a month. The next pase lasted about as long. After that, I was in a 'militant' phase of atheism, sort like anti-theism instead of an atheism. At about 15, I really started to iron out the wrinkles of what I accept and what I dont.
Anyways, thank you for sharing your experaince, and for another great vid. Keep 'em coming!
PalulukanMakto 8 months ago
@SatanRulezGod "intensive psychotherapy Isaac... required... victim of Yahweh's ghastly joke"
I wonder too, but not about that. Young Isaac (probably late teens) alone with 100+ year old Abraham did not fight or run off. Abraham knew (did he forget?, or was he made to forget?) Isaac would be a father (Gen 17:19) and could not die if God is to be believed. Did Abraham tell Isaac that or not? Did God clue in Isaac? It makes the point of the sacrifice even more ridiculous.
teavea10 8 months ago
@SatanRulezGod Interesting convo u two had here. I just thought I might add that in other dimensions the physical constants may be different. So even if you could bridge the divide between dimensions, going there may be instant death. Also, the fact that parallel universes/dimensions MAY exist, does not in any way shape or form suggest it would be a nice place to slot an afterlife. Or that the 'dead' go anywhere, as they also cannot leave the confines of this universe. thought i'd point that out
Christopholaes 8 months ago
Great Video. I also wondered what would have happened if Abraham refused. But I also wonder why God didn't let Abraham go through with it and then heal, or better yet, raise Isaac. What finally made God sure, even if Abraham himself wasn't, that he wouldn't have hesitated at the last moment?
teavea10 8 months ago
@SatanRulezGod NDE's may be explained bioligically but it also has a profound effect on those that have them. Not all but most. If this is something naturally built into our brains I'm grateful. I had one instant of being outside ( mentally not astrally) my body. It was very peaceful. It was like being given a realization. Lasted about 3 mins or so then I opened my eyes and I knew I was back in the body. I never had sleep paralysis, but I know that can be the on set to an obe.
Tonithenightowl 8 months ago
Brother may Allah be with you!....only Islam can answer all your questions..Christianity is full of fairy tales...try Islam indeed and you will be fascinated.. Allah hu akhbar!
excsa62 8 months ago
@excsa62 Go to the channel CEMBadmin and exmuslim uk.
strangestdude 8 months ago
@excsa62 islam is a fairy tale brah
ymkamara420 7 months ago
@SatanRulezGod I will try to find the book, I would like to read his take on it. Fascinating is right. It happens so there has to be a reason, until a theory is proven, it will remain a mystery. What do you think about near death experiences, out of body experiences, and astral projection? Do you think Gooch's explanation fits these too?
Tonithenightowl 8 months ago
@SatanRulezGod I saw something strange at 17 that I have no explanation for. Never forgot it either. I have never seen a UFO but my sister and about 30 other ppl did, it even made the news. They never figured out what it was. I do believe in different planes of existence. Multiple dimensions. I think this would explain a lot of UFO encounters, and possibly even ghostly encounters. Your wife's experience was freaky. Most don't see full blown,solid apparitions.
Tonithenightowl 8 months ago
@SatanRulezGod I don't know if it's all in the mind. Some very down to earth ppl have had odd things happen when they least expected it. Most are stressed related and can be chalked up to the mind playing tricks or a physical anomaly mistaken for something supernatural. May I ask what's your view on UFO's? Secret technology from right here? Inter dimensional travelers? Or just bullshit lol
Tonithenightowl 8 months ago
@SatanRulezGod I'm sure he wasn't bitter with the general public just the media and the academics who were not interested in his private research into the paranormal. He was offered positions to teach college he chose to pursue his dream but it didn't work out. The paranormal rarely has profit in it.
Tonithenightowl 8 months ago
@nutzofrill Nice little circle.
Mjhavok 8 months ago
This makes me question myself.
kunstinflammen 8 months ago
This is very similar to my experience with religion. I wonder how people can continue to imagine a dialogue when there is no response.
HamsterAtDawn 8 months ago
I stopped believing in God at the same time i stopped believing in Santa. It seemed intuitive. It was only later on when I wanted a god that I questioned it. I still dont believe in a god though.
Im hoping there is one and it is completely detached from earth and uninvolved and its only after death that it notices you. Fingers crossed its a good thing.
C05597641 8 months ago
@C05597641 That's the best wish for a god I've ever heard. One that I also share. No one can say for sure if a god exists, but I think we can count out any of the man made ones here on earth.
cvanunen 8 months ago
Oh yes... I subscribed too, cheers.
jemborg 8 months ago
I started to question religion when I was exposed to the beliefs of the ancients.
Btw, I saw a documentary a while back on your namesake (the Russian inventor of the musical device and the electronic eavesdropping bug). He was actually interviewed in it too. Are you aware his name is pronounced "T-heramin" with the "T" being distinct, like in Theresa? Not a "Th" sound... (in case you did not know (most do not)).
You were a smart kid. Keep up the excellent work mate.
jemborg 8 months ago
I love when people use "concertined" in a sentance. Funny that one of the major reasons I gave up religion early was Dungeons and Dragons, if the gods described in the game were just fictions why not "God". Other reasons emerged as I got older. I'm not against the central teaching of religions in general "Be good to one another, Don't be an asshole" just the other rot that causes people to want to gouge each others eyes out.
petehjr1 8 months ago
Oh, and the third stage, absolutely the same for me.....tried to listen to this "voice" inside, get answers....tried to see messages to me, meaning from things around me or things that happened, that it was god speaking. Crazy stuff really.
Zerafinel 8 months ago
So similar to my childhood and my beliefs!
Absolutely relate to this, especially when you said "extended mental torture". That's exactly what I discovered when I started reading the Bible on my own at about 10. Later on, this started to extend to the whole christian religion - that's exactly what it is, mental torture. It tries to twist the human mind against itself. It turns natural, human, essential instincts into sins. I'm really sorry for the people who innocently fell into this mental trap.
Zerafinel 8 months ago
First time catching one of your videos. You have a good voice and a likeable personality and attitude. Your experiences will be useful to those on the fence and not completely sold on their doctrine. Keep it up.
Unfortunately, no amount of rationality can reach lost minds...
capoman1 8 months ago
If you want to get closer to Jesus' original name (as your pronounciation suggests), try "yehoshua."
avielMenter 8 months ago
I used to feel Santa Claus presence the way Christians feel the presence of their god. It felt so real I could barely sleep through Christmas eve, I just knew he was coming and I swear that I heard him downstairs. Finding all those filled stockings and presents under the tree just confirmed what I already felt in my heart---Santa was real and he came to visit.
sweetsweatyfeet 8 months ago
and i may also act, now that ive explained this, i feel that a piece of me has died
but hey, like duke nukeum would say, Fucking around kills you, so f u crazies-2nd ego bitch
WOWERS6 8 months ago
themsleves, backing up the 4th conclusion. Can you guess how old i am? the answer to that is 14. This is my answer to life, god, and everything that is supposed to exist or not exist. I cannot blame you if you think im crazy, because my second self agrees.
If you understand and agree, your crazy too ;)
WOWERS6 8 months ago
is an answer to everything, and everything leads to everything else in some way if you think about it. the 5th conclusion ive come to is one completely about myself. I feel that i have gone mad and crazy beyond help. The solution to that is an alter ego, living on a normal life, which many could not come to, some resulting in suicide. The alter ego would be formed by ignoring the crazy thoughts, reverting back to your normal self before the chain of thoughts. These conclusions contradict
WOWERS6 8 months ago
inevitable end of all things. Everything will end, and there is no stopping it, mankind will destroy itself, but the process can be brought to an extremely slow pace, rebuilding and deconstructing social life. within further thinking though, i realized a third answer, the thought of everything we know to be a lie, because we live off of memories given to us by others since we were born. We can be living off of lies, and we will never know if we are. Thus i come to the 4th conclusion that there
WOWERS6 8 months ago
The ultimate answer is unknown. I believed in god 100% until recently, when i collected a substantial amount of knowledge within history and science. I began to doubt in god, while still partially holding on, being partially afraid of what will happen if i accept aithism (resulting in the belief) After a large period of time thinking while walking, the answer came to me-you can not have 100% proof that god is or is not real, thus believing in the unknown. I also came to the conclusion of the
WOWERS6 8 months ago
There is also movie about Caligula which explains gods dilemma.
after Caligula knew that he is surrounded by backstabbing asslickers when everybody obeys but just fro sake of reward.
he made absurd demands up to request for senator wife's to works as cheap prostitutes but nobody objected.
everybody was so afraid of punishment so that they couldn't see that right choice is to disobey.
With god it must be same right choice is disobey god, but disobey without feeling guilt for right reasons.
deltaxcd 8 months ago
Caligula example is quite god, however it should be understood in other way.
If I was god I would do exactly same. this is best way to separate ass-lickers from real friends.
If I will command someone "kill me and take my fortune or if you refuse I will kill you", then I would immediately kill that person if he attempts to obey.
slaves may earn food, but they wont earn respect, disobedience may cost you but you earn respect.
This is god's given coices.
deltaxcd 8 months ago
can u do pls debunk hindusim ???
kesav1985 8 months ago
@SatanRulezGod thanks for the explanation. I did look Gooch up and it's sad he ended up a bitter recluse, barely able to exist. However what I did find interesting is neandrathals had a bigger dream/ magical cerebellum brain. From what I gather they didn't have the power of speech, so their intuition was highly developed. Apparently we still hold 1 to 4 % of their genetic code which would mean they did inter breed with modern man. He's interesting and I plan on reading more of his work. :o)
Tonithenightowl 8 months ago
@SatanRulezGod You have to remember most Chrisitans are not fanatics. They were appalled as well over this kind of indoctrination. I think when it hit mainstream news, it was only a matter of time before she was out of business. I would have to google it to find out if legal action was taken. Only in the southern bible belt could something like this happen. Most Christians would not exposed their children to this kind of stupidity.:0)
Tonithenightowl 8 months ago
did u try buddhism?
Gannnjjjjjaaaaaaa 8 months ago
@Gannnjjjjjaaaaaaa Yes.
TheraminTrees 8 months ago 27
@TheraminTrees Taoism? Shinto? Sikhism?
Agrikultur 7 months ago
Do you pronounce Jesus in that way just to be different? I mean, I mostly agree with what you're saying, but that one word suddenly painted a very pretentious sort of hipster picture.......
Surtak 8 months ago
@Surtak No.
TheraminTrees 8 months ago 27
@Surtak J is like Y in some languages and sus is like su lol
iliveon 8 months ago
@Surtak lol I assume he speaks German.
kunstinflammen 8 months ago
@kunstinflammen
I really do hope so :)
Surtak 8 months ago
@Surtak
I know certain sects of Christianity pronounce Jesus as "yaysoo" Not sure why.
riddleman65 8 months ago
You are slow. Personally speaking, ditching the Santa god should have given you enough critical thought to have abandoned all that followed. Your path to rational thinking seems unnecessarily long. Did you ever encounter science and the scientific method?
I’ll give part two a go.
SissingPyd 8 months ago
@SissingPyd Nope. I'm not slow — and I wasn't slow back then either. In fact quite the opposite. I was consistently years ahead, developmentally, in all tests of mental skills, and top of my class throughout my time at school. What your comment ignores is the insidious nature of indoctrination, which can place monumental fear- and guilt-based blocks specifically around 'blasphemous' reasoning that put it totally out of bounds. Nice that you didn't experience the mental torture some of us did.
TheraminTrees 8 months ago
@TheraminTrees Sadly I know only too well the insidious nature of religious indoctrination. I was raised roman catholic and went to RC schools complete with priest teachers and warnings of the dangers of masturbation! At age 11 in junior school, two questions destroyed my belief in the mystical christian god. I was atheist less than a year later in high school, when formal science education started in earnest.
SissingPyd 8 months ago
@SissingPyd 'Sadly I know only too well the insidious nature of religious indoctrination.'
—Then perhaps next time you won't jump in with a pissy judgemental comment about people being 'slow' — and instead afford them some credit and compassion for the abuse their minds were subjected to as children.
TheraminTrees 8 months ago
@TheraminTrees It's possible I will but not very likely given the circumstances.
At age 11 I asked a priest RE teacher 2 Q's. 1. There are so many gods worship around the world. Why are you sure yours is the one and only true god? 2. Why is it that there is no mention in the bible of dinosaurs or any of the fossilised creatures that lived on earth before humans?
The priest could not answer but caned me in front of the class for asking blasphemous questions. Beatings were common back then.
SissingPyd 8 months ago
it is a shame that this shit goes on and on... god never eixsted and this is the way things are
XtraordinaryBeing 8 months ago
Mention of the monkey nurture experiment made me think of Martin Schein and Edgar Hale of the University of Pennsylvania. Effects of morphological variations of chicken models on sexual responses of cocks. Many birds are more than happy to have sex with a wooden model of a head. Or as I like to think of it how minimal does your god need to be for you to believe in it? Muslims are more than happy circling a stone, catholics need it to be carved into a likeness clearly there all quakers.
strangetranceoffaith 8 months ago
I never reached the phase you call Binker. I never made excuses or deluded myself about god. It started off with the book of genesis at the age of 5 and I could tell it was all BS. My attitude was "If you wanted me to believe something you shouldn't have made it so parochial and bloody stupid" and the real resentment began. At 13 a teacher shouted "genuflect" at me in chapel when I forgot what to do on the way to the confessional so I had spent less than 8 years pretending to be a christian
Thoughtland 8 months ago
I was born into a very western christian family in which evangelism is encouraged. I have taken the path you have almost exactly! You inspire me! Thank you for doing this, I don't know if you really understand what these videos mean to some of us that are struggling with belief and understanding.
PlayLikeAnimal 8 months ago
@PlayLikeAnimal Thank you. You ask whether I really understand what these videos mean to some who are struggling with belief and understanding. When you write comments expressing your feelings like you have just done, then I begin to know ;8) All the best!
TheraminTrees 8 months ago