Advantages to questioning "Creator's Word" not "The Creator"

[Kdawg270]

But the way I look at it if People get some comfort in thier belifes in this life then why remove them of thier peace . Are you not acking like the one that cast's the stone in away. you are Casting the first stone...

[lazyconquistador]

I completely agree that tactful discourse is the best way to bypass a religious person's ego. However, after 15 beers and 2 hours of arguing with an idiot, its so hard not to just say 'fuck it' and call them a retard.

[melwap]

Pleas stop the "militant" atheist and start using "dedicated" atheist, makes more sens.

[sputnikowns]

"outspoken" would be even more appropriate.

[Chrisnoscrub047]

You have to go from a subscriber to a particular religion, to one that interprets the text on their own, to one that questions the text as divine to deism, to agnoticism, to atheism...then to anarchist.

[sputnikowns]

atheism -> anarchist?  wtf?

[Chrisnoscrub047]

lol. It seems odd, but God is an archon. Just one of many that must be shed. The State is the most pertinent of those archons.

[WhatisaJugallo]

Chris I've been an atheist for a long time and still fine little to no validity in the rational behind the anarchistic ideal. That also said I find your step from agnostic to atheistic to be a little... presumptuous as the two are not separate ideals.

[Chrisnoscrub047]

hmm, well then I have a video recommendation for you:

watch?v=BZ4ylS1C6v4&feature=ch­annel_page

[WhatisaJugallo]

All I've heard in this video so far is the same rhetoric most anarchists use, only worse it ties the idea of "faith" in conjunction with achists in order to sow a cognitive dissonance in with any atheist viewers. Either way the video does little to explain my problems with anarchism which is the feasability of enacting anarchism and the question of what stops it from developing into a fuedal system then a monarchy like it initially did.

[Chrisnoscrub047]

Its all about baby steps.

[JimTL1000R]

This guy is good! Would like to see a RE: to a vid to see his tactics.

[JimTL1000R]

His view was very agnosotic.

[teriy4ki]

That's amazing advice.

[TheUnmaskedMagician]

5 stars!!

[azaz129]

I used to be one of the Christains (theists) that he talks about shortly after 2:00, interesting to look back and think about how far one has come...

[AAL]

you're a brave person!

[worldlystone]

Tod is the man.

[djarm67]

Thanks RA

I wasn't aware of Todd. Now subscribed.

DJ

[RabidApe]

sweeeeeeeeeet!

[TheLovePizza]

lol blackmetal, it seems like you troll every video I watch.

How much time do you waste each day leaving snarky comments on youtube videos?

[stefo66]

lol i noticed that too XD

[MrWednesday101]

So does John Malkovitch then.

[gonyea12]

It's interesting; religious always jump straight to first cause and watch maker arguments when challenged. They defend deism but never theism.

[2bsirius]

Impressive and very intelligent...It's great to see the Socratic method put to use in this way.

I'm on my way to sub.

[daleshankins]

Thank you for this. Logical cogent argument coupled with a bit of psychology and empathy has been far more effective in my experience than headlong assault and insult.

[proudfootz]

Agreed - even if there were a creator or a god doesn't justify taking people's word for it that they are in communication with this entity.

Much more likely they are mistaken or lying when they claim "a god told me you should..."

[RhinoAts51]

Society has lead the ignorant masses (you) to view people according to stereotypes. Stereotypes mean nothing, never have and never will, and you even HAVE the oppurtunity to listen to this guy speak, to know he is clearly a little smarter than the rest, and you still refer to the meaningless stereotype. Congratulations.

[Hereticbooks]

I'm a Deist and a Freemason. so were many of our founding fathers. We are hardwired as Freemasons for charitable works. I don't find Deism as a stepping stone to atheism, as I've been a Deist for a long time. I find it more plausible than anything else, but as for all else, I tend to side with atheists on almost every social/political issue.

[RhinoAts51]

Yet, being a mason implies you have a huge liking for symbolism and things that don't mean shit.

So, the rest of what you think means nothing.

Do you agree with this atheist view?

[ParadigmaticShift]

your "hardwired as a human" for charitable work via evolution. Charity puts one in high view in regards to the "pack" so it benefits the species to donate time and energy to the pack to stay in "high regards". Freemasons are too recent to have had any longterm evolutionary effects. Evolution as you speak of in "hard wiring" takes place over thousands and millions of years.

[Zekkron]

Sounds fun.

[WhatisaJugallo]

I've no beef with deism, indeed I considered myself a deist for a long time over my conversion from "theist" to atheist however the problem I had with the ideal (which eventually lead to me becoming an atheist) is the pointlessness of it, intellectually. Forgive me if I make any false assumptions about your beliefs but presuming we both except entirely naturalistic processes for the creation of our universe then our opinion differs only in that which (by definition) could never be comprehended.

[Niveous23]

I agree with everything as far as method goes

It needs to be gradual, and its not coddling. It's taking into account factors such as emotional ties to their belief, family ties, and or tragedy ties (AA recovery people)

I disagree when you say religion is a mixed bag. You make it sound like the scales have a 50/50 when it comes to tragedy vs charity.  Without any stats on hand and just my knowledge of history, I'd venture to say that charity makes up 20% of religion and the other 80% is tragedy

[Hereticbooks]

Todd IS the coolest.

[reckingmachine]

wrong

[DonQuixotec]

He looks like he's just come out of prison, but he has a lot of good points!

[kwakzzang]

Interesting, but

Subject to debate over?

[ManicMalcolm]

I think the best way to educate the creationist. is to argue from the point that, the scientific theorys, in no way prove a god dosnt exist. and to ask them since this is what we observe , are they saying that a creator could not have done it this way??

[Valefarous]

to follow up, though, I am not angry at religious people in general, though, I pity the circumstances which lead them to believe what they do. I don't think they're stupid, I just feel lucky to have seen and thought what I've felt and not to have been inculcated like they were at such an early age. And I hear what Todd is saying with maintaining a civil dialogue. But... I am not as quick to praise all the goodness of religion.

[Valefarous]

While religion in the US might not lead to genocide, I think its tragic to raise people who believe in an escapist fantasy or fear supernatural punishment. They do contribute to charity, but how often is this from as you mentioned, peer pressure, and also maybe greed for reward or fear of hell that drives them? The end result is good but can it be good to get this result this way? It seems like a kind of slavery to trick people into giving this way.

[juggep80]

Some say god is love. But really god is jubilation.

[vdmerwe]

I'm glad to see Mr Gates is getting recognition on the youtubes.

[rba718]

Though I might not agree with your friendly approach because I feel most Creationists/Religious nuts haven't earned that kind of respect, I can see how it could be very useful and I myself have used it once on a pastor protesting an abortion clinic. I wasn't condescending or insulting but managed to stump him within the first 2 minutes of our discussion lol.

[ToddAllenGates]

> I can see how it could be very useful and I myself have used it once on a pastor ... I wasn't condescending or insulting but managed to stump him ...

Yes—there is that practical advantage! Being condescending actually works to the *theist's* advantage, because then that allows them to focus on your negativity, instead of the much more difficult area of defending the Bible as the work of omnipotent omniscience.

[rba718]

I've encountered that before too, which I'm sure any Atheist is familiar with. The whole "If it wasn't God, where'd everything come from? huh? huh?" It really works to defend their short comings and meanwhile I'm trying to sort through the questions and trying to quell my frustration lol.

[dackjaniels555]

God is a Pineapple.

[Remagoen]

Elegant as usual.

[xxxFaustusxxx]

I really don't understand how one could be a Christian.

I mean.. just take a look at the old testament - God drowning millions of babies, allowing slavery, ordering the butchering of children and babies.

I don't see how Christians can rationalize this stuff. They give some lame excuse that can be refuted by the simple fact God is omnipotent - and could have chosen an infinite number of nonviolent solutions to any problem, yet repeatedly chooses death and suffering.

[Remagoen]

Easy: Jesus came and changed all that.

[xxxFaustusxxx]

That wouldn't refute anything because I wasn't arguing the old testament should be obeyed.

It's the same Christian God in the old testament - whether Jesus came or didn't is irrelevant.

[Remagoen]

I know. But somehow, that's a rational, logical answer to them.