I called myself agnostic during my teen years because I thought the word atheist meant you knew there was no god, and I thought that was arrogant. Watching videos like this on youtube have taught be better than that and they have inspired me to be more open about my non belief. I used to feel a chill come up my spine when the topic turned to religion because I was deathly afraid to speak my mind on the subject. Now I know I'm not alone and I know how to argue my case much better.
When I realized I was Atheist when I became an atheist but I still go to church, partly because I've had a missing grandmother complex ever since mine died and there are the sweetest old ladies at the local episcopalian church! Plus their not evangelical so it all works out...
You are completely right. I have been going to church all of my life and always thought that i was a "good christian", though recently i have realized i am actually a very strong atheist. At first i tried to hide it, but last week, in church, i revealed to the whole youth, including leaders, that i am an atheist. My mom just tries to deny and say things that you said in your video about comments we get, which is very true, anyways i also wanted to agree and say the catholics are wrong.
Well i started out as an atheist, can't remember exactly but i'm pretty sure like all people i was born an atheist, I probably was a theist for a short while, I say this because i can't say i have any memory of believing in a god. Ironically my oldest memory is that of loosing faith at about the age of five, I've been an atheist ever since, an open atheist mind you much to the despair of all my friends and family. Since about the age of nine i was known as THE ATHEIST by all who knew me.
Well... I started off Mormon. And I "lol"ed at the stories even as a child. And then my parents went to a Christian church, and I "lol"ed at the stories there, too. I didn't get a choice about going to church, I was forced into it. So... I called myself a Mormon, and a Christian, and for a while I was agnostic. It wasn't until... 4 years ago or so that I finally just realized that I was an atheist and, really, always had been!
I've always sort of known I was an atheist, but I never wanted to believe it. The whole 'god' thing never made sense to me, even when I was very young, but I really wanted life to have more meaning than it does, and I didn't want to feel that everything was empty. But as I got older I realized that God doesn't have to be the meaning in your life, and Atheism gives you the freedom to decide what's important to you and create morals based on your own feelings and reasoning, which is right for me.
I pretty much always have been an atheist, but since I am black and have grown up around a bunch of older black people, I didn't dare question this god of theirs. They say it was just right. I also didn't know other religions existed and, if they were mentioned, they were crazy and stupid people. It took the Internet to find out what atheism was, and moving out of a very Southern-minded area to fully embrace who I am. And I am a far more moral and loving person than they ever have been.
Ok.. i'm pro atheists. But I want people to be able to believe in what they think without being questoned about it, and where I live(Sweden) it is not the "atheists" who are weird or being questioned... It's the religious people who get teased or bullied for believing what they want.. This is wrong! I don't care if you are an aethist or religious persson no-one shall be bullies for what they believe in.
In elementary I was questioning the existance of a god. In 6th grade when I openly said I was an atheist. And for 3 yrs I was harassed with questions and the lovely phrase: "You do you know you are going to hell, right?" Then in 9th the people who taunted me the most admitted they were atheist too.
I was an atheist as long as I can remember, but like you I didn't know it at least until my mid-teens. I'd always gone to church, because that was the thing to do. I didn't really know there was anything else at the time, but I never actually believed any of it. It sounded more like fairy tales to me, the stories they told us in Bible School. I was always the kid getting in trouble for asking questions and not accepting "God works in mysterious ways" and "It's a matter of faith" as an answer.
Hear what God of Israel YAHUSHUA-YAHUWAH (Son and Father are ONE) saying to our generation by His chosen prophets: Trumpetcallofgodonline. com ; Letter called "Purify Your Faith, and Come to the Father as It is Written": EXCERPT: "Only in the Bible and through these very Letters, of which I have given to My prophet of the end of this age, shall you find Him and know Him."
um when this country was established it was based on freedom of religion, u should really learn ur US history lol omg the devil does have atheists blinded and he is sittin bak laughing at the nonsense u are talking about, you know that he hates it when we talk about god,? lol that doesnt matter because god loves it everytime he name mentioned,
I'm a freshman in highschool and I've been going to a Christian school since 2nd grade. I have never really understanded It and found contradictions in it. Last year I realized I was an athiest and it is so annoying to hear their bs everyday at that school.
I think organized religion needs a serious retooling if it is to be relevant in the 21st century. First thing's first, they ought to stop basing their beliefs on scriptures that are thousands of years old and have long since been debunked scientifically
I consider myself to be a scientific pantheist rather than an atheist. I'm not against the idea of something in the universe greater than ourselves, I just don't believe that that something is God as described in the Bible, the Koran, etc.
I just went to a Catholic wedding yesterday and was just there for an old family frind's sake. Anyways, I just endured the whole service without actually participating even if through years and years of programming I knew the whole thing. Actually during the lectures I did actually listen to the ubiquitous stories selected for weddings of which of course you can't miss the Adam and Eve Story and the part about the woman obeying the man and so on made me giggle.
I considered myself an agnostic for many years. It was Russell's Teapot analogy that made me realise I am an atheist as well. There might be an ordinary teapot orbiting Saturn. I can't prove there is no teapot there. However it is not reasonable to believe that there is a teapot there with no evidence for it, and no known way it could get there. This is the same as with God. I can say there is no prayer-answering God beyond reasonable doubt, and this makes me an atheist.
I realized I was an atheist when I was about 10 and some kids from the christian school in town -that kids from our secular school would always fight with (not because of religion, just because of going to a different school, that more than enough reason at that age)- tried scaring us by telling us we would go to hell. The idea that someone had such power and would actually do the things they said was just something that didn't relate at all to the world I was living in.
I can totally relate to that. I was an atheist for a few years before I knew I was an atheist. I don't think I realized I was an atheist until 2006. It was probably 2002 when I really stopped believing in any sort of god. I still had some other spiritual and dualistic sort of beliefs then, but I didn't believe in any gods, which technically made me an atheist. I knew I wasn't sure on the god question, and I didn't know if I believed or not, but looking back, I really didn't believe it.
Hi there! I have found via conversations with other atheists that a lot of us brought up in very religious homes went through a phase of not realizing we were nonbelievers but eventually began to question things. I think it is a normal part of the first steps away from active church participation and god chasing.
You're right about that. It's kind of a process. Even when I was a kid, I thought some of it made no sense. Like reconciling evolution with Adam and Eve. Or if god made the universe, where did god come from? and if he just happened, why couldn't the universe just happen? Or why did Jesus get crucified, why didn't god just forgive? Or if god is powerful, why is the devil around, and if he is love, why does he put people in hell forever? By adulthood, I realized it was bullshit.
I was an atheist who didn't realize it, but that was mainly because I didn't understand that religion was a thing. When parts of he Bible were read to me as a kid I made no distinction between that and the other fairy tales that were read to me, and I was not told to make a distinction. When I found out a few years ago what some people actually believed I was shocked and appalled, and that is why I strongly identify myself with the atheist community now.
I was an atheist who didn't realize it, but that was mainly because I didn't understand that religion was a thing. When parts of he Bible were read to me as a kid I made no distinction between that and the other fairy tales that were read to me, and I was not told to make a distinction. When I found out a few years ago what some people actually believed I was shocked and appalled, and that is why I strongly identify myself with the atheist community now.
I've been an atheist since the last few years of high school (Catholic high school) only I didn't know what the word meant until YT. I've spent over half my life without a real designation which in of itself is not a big issue. Only after the feeling of relief I experienced upon finding out that I was not alone did I realize how isolating it was to have kept quiet for fear of condemnation in a sea of theists and theist enablers.Thanks for all you and other YTers do.
It is really great to know that you were in fact religious, like myself and many others, before we saw the light. This conversion was for me a slow and traumatizing process. I sometimes wonder if blissful belief isn't better than the hard truth? Maybe humans evolved religion because it aids our survival? It really is a red or blue pill question.
Whilst I agree that not everyone who is an atheist necessarily knows they are an atheist I can't say I agree with your other statement that everyone in the US understands what it is to be a Christian.
I've always found US "Christians" weird. If Jesus did exist, and he was ever to appear to the US, I'm sure he'd be as puzzled as me.
I think the biggest oddity is the heavy stress the evangelicals place on OT, Paul, and Revelations coupled with almost complete disinterest in the Sermon on the Mount.
Most Christians I know (from the UK) would place deeds above faith. But most US Christians I've talked to here tell me "that means they are not real Christians".
@kandtell not really. us christians are perfect example of the assholes they worship. you think way too highly of jesus. then again, when the biggest cult of personality claiming that its object of worship is good. and thye have bee known to kill people who disagree, then i guess its no suprice that we havent have objective analysis.
I don't think I think too highly of jesus, because I'm not even sure if he existed. And I certainly don't know what he said because I'm convinced that the authenticity of the gospels is in doubt, every single word, not just the bits we can demonstrate contradict each other.
I'm more concerned with the character of christians than the character of christ.
@kandtell " I can't say I agree with your other statement that everyone in the US understands what it is to be a Christian." But she didn't say what it means to be Christian, she said what Christianity is. Christianity is a religion but to be a proper followers of that religion is a much more ambiguous topic. Christianity is associated with the Bible, Christ and a great deal of history. These are much more solid understandable topics.
I agree with you and the simplest analogy that I can think of might be this.
There are a lot of GAY people in the closet that's because there are societal pressures against them and that Silverman would be trying to get them to come out. Where as Donahue would be saying that GAY people are REALLY closeted straight people when there's NO societal pressure to be that way.
So as usual religious people are obfuscating the issue, either from genuine lack of understanding or malice.
I found a few problems in what you said. I fixed them:
"Christians are the biggest dorks on the planet. They think they know all the answers -- because they parrot authority figures -- but most of the world, whether atheist or otherwise, just sees them as humans who want to be sheep. They hate the rationality of science, understanding, curiousity, etc. They HATE their humanness. WhistlinWind is a homophobe who despises equality. IT'S NOT BULLSHIT!!!!! JUST ADMIT YOU'RE GAY!!!!"
Oh man, can I request an adoption, then be a huge dick to the catholic church?!
Also, I went to church until I was 16, then stopped (cuz i became a lazy teenager) but still identified as "christian" until about 21, when I started actually reading into it having had conversations with lots of atheists in my philosophy course, and I am now a proud atheist and occasional anti-theist :P
I believed god existed, or at least could, but I never had any faith or trust in him(or VERY little at the most), but I didn't know what that was called.
Now I'm an Anti-Theist(to steal a phrase from Hitchens), but that is probably what I always was. ;)
I'm guessing after the first few times of me raising my hand in church during a sermon to ask questions... I will be unadopted. I seem to remember a big shit storm a while back when FactsvsReligion sat in on a service and decided to just take a holy cracker (that was given to her) with her. Most atheists know their holy book better than the average theist on the street, I myself have had to explain what their magic book says to them before, just so they can follow along while I tear it apart.
Yeah it took me a long time to realise that I was an atheist. I considered myself Christian because my family was, and then went on to call myself an agnostic (on the misunderstanding that it meant "I'm not sure", even though I was pretty damn sure) because I wasn't aware of what an atheist was.
Well of course, lots of x-ians pretend to be atheists. Becouse they would rather be part of the most distrusted and shunned group in the US today, than in the socialy accepted group of catholics... That sure makes lots of sense doesn't it? *facepalm*
I was raised christian, and when I was younger, I went along with everything I was taught. Just like santa though, I went along with it, knowing that it was all just a fairy tale. I didn't think that people could really believe those things.
I am 'a little' older, and hopefully proportionally wiser, and realize that people really can believe anything.
Though I do sit there sometimes questioning the sincerity of some of these religious folk, because of how crazy this stuff can be.
Why are you in front of a green screen if you are not going to do anything with it? You could have had zombies in the background eating people's brains while you talked, but instead there was just green. :(
I swear this is the last time im going to blow up this comment section haha. After reading about the adopt an atheist program from the actual site, I no longer care if you are wrong or right. I will not defend a mans opinion (even if right i would just not comment about it) that says atheists are "good for nothing". That is all...carry on.
Really was what I thought. I thought praying, fasting, giving up friends, money, possessions, etc would bring me close enough to god to believe (cause my mom said she knew god was real so he had to be in my mind) but its only been 3 years I've accepted my non religion and even now I find theology fascinating
I knew christianity was bat-shit crazy for more than 20 years, continuing to go to church for Xmas/Easter/etc., before I finally gave it up and admitted that atheism is the term that best matches my view of religious claims.
Meanwhile, my favorite part of this video was the "RAHHHHRhhh" at 2:25
Anyway I knew I didn't believe since I was like 3. I tried to believe but never did and didn't know anything besides gods gunna hate me cause I don't believe, got big into cutting, tried suicide etc. I was 13 before I heard the word atheist and it was explained in class because it was a word used in a book we read (the wave) and no one knew what it was in our ap 8th grade class. Later that year I was satanic and I heard ppl say satanism is atheism for angsty teens. So I asked about it, and it
@Djb12030 I'm a feminist and I find her hot, I don't see why it'd be offensive.
I'm on edge about comments like that at me tho, but that's cause I've had stalkers, two of which had rape threats, one actually attempted -__- but I have a reason to be on edge rather than flattered. But w/e ppl get offended about silly things sometimes
I don't know what I like more about your vids; the actual video or the comment section where people make comments about how hot you are. I wouldn't find it nearly as funny if you weren't a feminist... I actually don't know if they are saying it to try to piss you off or to be honest... Either way its good for a laugh.
LOL I just glanced at the title in my subscription box and I thought it said Atheist Dolphin. I thought to myself, what? I have to watch this. Then I click on the video and I read the title again and OHHH adoption, not dolphin...oh.
I think it's more of a semantic realization. For example, I was one who did not believe in a god long before I heard of the word atheist. But I was always an atheist, I just didnt have the label for it.
I'm all for being 'adopted' by a Christian...well at least if they are in that 1% that has all the wealth. They can pay my bills and feed and house me. Mind you, I still won't worship their magic skydaddy, but they are welcome to buy me lots of expensive Christmas presents to try and change my mind.
Like your new look--you look way different--didn't even recognize you until I heard your voice. I don't care about Donohue's condescending tactics. Theists are usually very smug and condescending to us. I too was once a Christian. For years I called myself one without really examining what I believed or didn't believe, and why. I just went with the flow when I was young. When I did start thinking about it, I progressed from Christian, to "believing in a Higher Power" to agnostic to atheist.
I'm thinking of the 'born again' movement of the '70s and '80s. In those hedonistic decades the baby boomers settled down and had kids and returned to the fold. A lot of the growth of atheism (in the US) is a backlash to the power of this newly powerful media-church to meddle in people's lives. So we'll see more of this as the pendulum swings back from belief to faithlessness. Until the GenY and i-Gen start having kids I suppose.
I don't think the distinction should be made between atheist and believer but between those who have thought about it and those who have not thought about it. Of course more atheists have thought about it than believers and that is why so many are atheists. Still, I'm sure that both camps may have those who haven't thought about it and can be swayed either way.
I remember doing research almost nine years ago to try and figure out what I was so YES, I have to agree, people don't necessarily know of they are atheist. I find more commonly people identity as agnostic or non-religious and then identify as atheist after they are given a clear understanding of what that is. Even then people are often still resistant to that label for social and cultural reasons.
Yes I was also Atheist with out realizing it. But expressing my doubts about religion was always a negative experience back home. It took leaving the country to see the these things clearly. The label is almost unnecessary here as there not as much religion in Denmark to contrast it against. Information coming out of America seems to have signs of an increasing secular shift. The religious reactions to this seem more extreme than i ever remembered. Maybe its my perspective that's changed?
Phil Donahue believes in a god that has NO CAUSE to its existence and created every thing FROM NOTHING. I on the other hand DO blieve the unevers HAS a CAUSE and every thing in the unevers comes FROM SOMTHING. This is why I am an "atheist" NOT a christian.
I was mistaught the definition of atheism growing up, as well. I called myself agnostic from age 16 to 24, until I took the time to read the definition of atheist and some arguments toward using the term. Now I stand by the term, and urge people to use it. We have to take back that word and stop its use as a pejorative.
not only are atheists aware of religion, according to studies, atheists actually do better in religious tests than pretty much every other group... even most of the time scoring better than people of faith IN THEIR OWN FAITH. because atheists are generally well rounded & inquisitive. and so we can pwn theists in debate. lol
i went from being religious my whole life to becoming agnostic and now I'm pretty much an atheist. I say pretty much cuz admittedly i still wonder sometimes, but if someone asked me "Atheist: yes or no" the answer would be no. I just do not believe in the existence of the judeo-christian Jehovah god. But when i was a believer, i really did believe, with everything that was in me i believed.
I don't think it's condescending to encourage people to ask themselves what they really believe and consider the possibility that they may be just going along with what their family/friends think. But it is condescending to tell a non-believer that they're simply ignorant of religion when we all know how popular religion is. It's impossible *not* to hear arguments for theism, even when you're a child. This is true not only in the US, but in all other countries that have a religious majority.
@HealthyAddict Bill Donahue is not doing this out some grand concern for atheists. It's a rebuttal, a tactic to make this effort by Silverman seem foolish.
I've listened as BIll argued that the horrible report of systematic abuse in the Irish Catholic church did not say what it said. Even the Catholic Church of Ireland wasn't saying that! Even with the host and victim advocate on the show dumbfounded in amazement, he didn't budge an inch.
It's about winning with Bill - nothing less will do.
I'm sorry but can somebody please give me a definition of "condescending", every dictionary I've looked at gives me a definition that doesn't fit with the modern usage.
something that god gave us was free will so, I assume perhaps he would trust in people awareness to note the difference between good or wrong because, you know everyone can recognize their actions; in sumary I guess god does not care if you say "Im a christian" what really matters is what you do with yourself in life
in my case I feel myself close to god in the spiritual way but I dont pray and dont go to church cus that kind of things make me feel uncomfortable
'Atheist' is just word. Believing is basically acting upon one's prejudices instead of manning up and looking up the facts. If you believe, you are a moron. Even some atheists do that. Let's stop this "believing" BS and become meritocrats that know of the practical solutions instead of a solution. Which is lobotomy.
Same situation here, except I had never heard of an atheist before. I had to sneak around just to learn about other religions (my mother is very mormon). I grew up thinking people *had* to have a religion,believe it or not. It wasn't until I started college and met someone in my English Comp class who was an atheist and it was like a lightbulb went off in my head, "Wow, that is what I am!". I didn't believe in any gods but I didn't know I was an atheist.
I used to be catholic, until I realized that I had chosen to believe in god, instead of actually believing. Just as you said, I thought that denying the existence of god was "bad", and I rolled with it, but in the end I realized that i never believed, for a while it seemed logical.
Anything that makes Bill Donahue look bad is okay by me. Wait a minute, I don't need to make Bill Donahue look bad, Bill Donahue has already done it for me countless times! Crafty beggar! I feel almost redundant now. What I can't understand is why the Catholic church don't issue a public statement distancing themselves from him, kinda like the Ku Klux Klan disowned the Westboro Baptists.
As a Christian...we were always taught that atheist were horrible people and that we should stay away from them. When I started my journey of non belief I never identified as an atheist because I didn't know that's what I was. I feel that it's important for people to identify as atheist if they are so that people can learn what it actually means. That it's not some big scary thing. That they know people that are atheist.
This is genius! I am atheist-ish and my "believer" friend will not accept that I honestly do not believe in a sky grandpa from my ex faith. (christianity) lol u say it good.
I swear, I am going to get a whole crowd of us down to the local Catholic church, and if they don't want us there's one not too far away from that, and another one near that. I think I can cover about a half-dozen in a five-mile radius! This is awesome! Do you think they will feed me and give me a weekly allowance?
I've never been religious. I was once a little bit homophobic (pfft, when I was like, 10 -_-) because I didn't know what sexuality was. But never religious.
I only ever started identifying as an Atheist when I was around 11/12 and I was watching a news story about the whole "Creationism vs Evolution" bullshit and heard the word "Atheist". So I asked my parents about it and realized that I was one, and had really always been one.
2006 is when i really found out what the word atheist meant to. I knew I didn't believe in god, but had no idea there was a whole commumity out there that discussed this stuff until I worked with a border patrol agent who whenever I had an idea that took 2 minutes to explain, had a single term for me to use instead. He also loaned me about a dozen books by the likes of Dawkins, Hitchens and Sagan amongst others. It was very enlightening for me.
Kind of think your splitting hairs here and being a little biased. It sounds quite similar to me. There are people out there that claim to not believe in god but in the back of their head want to but do not know enough about christianity to do so. Or practice it properly. Those are the people I think bill is going for and just using the word "atheist".
@kx32ta1 I wouldn't doubt being a little biased here. I just have a hard time seeing how in this country one could never had heard of the word Christian/Catholic and realized that them believing in Jesus all along is what that meant.
For me, I had heard the term atheist before, though due to my not understanding what that really meant, I didn't realize I was one until later. I think it's kind of hard to do the reverse in this case though. I think you could make a similar case for deists too.
@healthyaddict I have met and debated several christians that used to be atheist (as I'm sure you have as well). To assume that it is not possible for Bill to convert an atheist to christianity, I think, is where your error lies. You are assuming that just because they know what a christian is and what it believes that they will not convert. As if one is done with their spiritual or religious journey once they become an atheist.
@kx32ta1 According to a survey conducted by the pew research center atheists and agnostics are among the most knowledgeable people in this country when it comes to the overall subject of religion. This misguided notion Christians seem to have about atheists being these poor people who have just never heard about the ‘good news of Jesus’ is ridiculous and condescending
@MrRationalThought "atheists being these poor people who have just never heard about the good news of jesus is ridiculous and condescending"
Thats exactly how she explained becoming an atheist. She just wasn't aware of the atheist community or even what it really meant to be an atheist. Now flip that around and you should be able to see my point on why I disagree with her disagreement.
Isnt "you know its a myth" on a billboard just as condescending to people that believe?
@kx32ta1 Sorry, for the late response, I haven’t been on in a couple of days, anyway there is no ‘just flip that around’ when it has been shown atheists get the other side, but the reverse has not been shown. That’s probably because there are a lot of atheists who used to be theists, but the opposite isn’t true. Also you have people like Matt Dillahunty and Dan Barker who were ordained clergy members before becoming atheists.
@kx32ta1 I have studied the bible for my entire life and knowing that their is no god is the best piece of knowladge i have ever obtained. I assure you that knowing the christian god does not exist makes he extremely happy because he is so evil which you would know if you have studded it yourself.
@ninjaHJ1 Ha first, I too am an atheist and breaking free of the indoctrinated chains of religion was one of the greatest things that has happened to me. Second, I never said I was a christian or was not an atheist. Third, my comment was in refrence to the subject matter of the video not if god exists or not. Fourth, I never said thinking that god does not exist would make some one unhappy. Did you read my comment?
@rkoboy777 I met your psychiatrist and he said he loves your money. He told me that lonely people, especially the only children, have the tendency of adopting and believing in non-existent friends. You mention two of them by name.
You don't have to capitalize 'atheism'. Words with roots in Latin are never capitalized AFAIK.
@fingrid You're right about not needing to capitalize 'atheism' (and related words at least in the context he used it in), but it's not because Latin was an intermediary.
I wouldn't know if we are in fact true believers without knowing it, however I'm absolutely sure that all Christians are atheists concerning all other gods but one
@xyoop Really you can't make that assumption. Though I am an atheist now, when I was a theist, I could plausibly have the idea in my head that following a religion was enough and that there was only the one god and though people were of different religions, they'd all pray or worship the same one without knowing it.
@xyoop You're forgetting that theists aren't thinking logically about that belief. They can be included all into one and explained away in the mind with whatever makes the believer feel better. It's totally possible to be of one religion yet feel that the gods of the the various religions can be mutually included so as to make the believer feel better about all those who aren't part of their religion. I mean, you don't want everyone to suffer a terrible fate either right?
I cringe everytime I see a david silverman interview. I don't think he is doing us any favors. He seems to take the approach of dawkins and hitchens which is ridicule and annoy. Not my cup of tea.
I fail to see the difference between proselytizing to atheists and proselytizing to Christians. You can't say that because Christianity is more widespread than Atheism, trying to "convert" people from either camp to the other is more valid. Dave Silverman's campaign implies that the only reason Christians are Christian is because they don't think, or can't think. Bill Donahue's campaign says pretty much the same thing, about Atheists. I see both campaigns as offensive.
Do the Trojan war horse campaign and attack from within the homes of christian families haha. Once you've gotten inside you just start argue them to the ground :)
To answer your question. I didn't really convert to atheism. In my teen years I started asking questions and by the time I was in grade 11, was a non-believer even though I hadn't identified myself as an atheist. It wasn't until I was in my early 20's did I outright say I'm an atheist. No sure if anyone else goes through this kind of 'discovery' or not.
I think your point is good. I also think that there are atheists who know they're atheists, but just don't know that it's okay to be an atheist. I think these billboards help to normalize atheists, help people find community, help people not feel alone and dejected.
I also think I understand why Bill Donahue would be opposed to the normalization of atheists.
Well it is amazing that the Catholics do any type of reaching out in the USA at all. Personally I have never heard of a Catholic ever reaching out to bring the "Good News" to anyone. Every place I have experienced Catholicism it has been a "family affair" and if you were not in "the family" you never heard of it. Interesting times we live in.
I used to call myself Agnostic, thinking it was a choice between theist, atheist, and agnostic. In reality I was an agnostic atheist, not realizing these weren't exclusive. Now I am no longer a pussy and call myself an Atheist.
@healthyaddict This was exactly my position actually. I wasn't a "chritian" anymore because I had been trying to find another religion or magic or philosophy. It wasn't until my brother confronted me with the realization that I didn't believe in any of this stuff. I took a step back and decided that he was right and I should admit to myself that I was an atheist and had been for years. I had been searching for a truth that I knew in my heart wasn't out there to find.
I didn't know there was an option to be an atheist until I was in 5th grade. I tried to believe because I was heavily involved with my church (family worked there and I was in bible study). Finally 8th grade rolled around and I got confirmed. Immediately after I told my parents I was an atheist and over time it became no issue at all. 8 years atheist strong!
We should post the phone # for the Catholic League/Bill Donahue and spread it around youtube/internet so we can all call him to ask him to adopt us....and he can start by sending us checks to help pay bills.
It's moronic propaganda. Although, to tell the truth. I'd love to adopt all the YouTube atheists. It's quite boring out here right now and a lively, thoughtful crowd would be nice.
I wonder if Bill Donohue realizes that most atheists in the United States WERE in fact members of Christian communities before becoming atheists, and it was usually those same Christian communities that made the atheist realize that they WERE an atheist in the first place.
i'm an atheist and also adopted, ha.......not by catholic fundies though.......
SanityIsSuchADrag 1 week ago in playlist Uploaded videos
I called myself agnostic during my teen years because I thought the word atheist meant you knew there was no god, and I thought that was arrogant. Watching videos like this on youtube have taught be better than that and they have inspired me to be more open about my non belief. I used to feel a chill come up my spine when the topic turned to religion because I was deathly afraid to speak my mind on the subject. Now I know I'm not alone and I know how to argue my case much better.
zacthebold 2 weeks ago
I was Catholic then I realized I am gay then I realized that religion fucks life up and that there's a logical explanation fro everything.
abrammcavoy 3 weeks ago
@abrammcavoy except there isn't...
MaaNonu123 3 weeks ago in playlist Uploaded videos
When l realised l was an atheist, l tried to convince myself that l wasn't.
michellebteeheehee 3 weeks ago
When I realized I was Atheist when I became an atheist but I still go to church, partly because I've had a missing grandmother complex ever since mine died and there are the sweetest old ladies at the local episcopalian church! Plus their not evangelical so it all works out...
Planets205 3 weeks ago
"Thanks God I Am An Atheist" ..... lol
MotionInMotion1975 1 month ago
You are completely right. I have been going to church all of my life and always thought that i was a "good christian", though recently i have realized i am actually a very strong atheist. At first i tried to hide it, but last week, in church, i revealed to the whole youth, including leaders, that i am an atheist. My mom just tries to deny and say things that you said in your video about comments we get, which is very true, anyways i also wanted to agree and say the catholics are wrong.
Avenged7FoldFans 1 month ago
Well i started out as an atheist, can't remember exactly but i'm pretty sure like all people i was born an atheist, I probably was a theist for a short while, I say this because i can't say i have any memory of believing in a god. Ironically my oldest memory is that of loosing faith at about the age of five, I've been an atheist ever since, an open atheist mind you much to the despair of all my friends and family. Since about the age of nine i was known as THE ATHEIST by all who knew me.
Tzu1988 1 month ago
Well... I started off Mormon. And I "lol"ed at the stories even as a child. And then my parents went to a Christian church, and I "lol"ed at the stories there, too. I didn't get a choice about going to church, I was forced into it. So... I called myself a Mormon, and a Christian, and for a while I was agnostic. It wasn't until... 4 years ago or so that I finally just realized that I was an atheist and, really, always had been!
MaryssaKaye 1 month ago
I've always sort of known I was an atheist, but I never wanted to believe it. The whole 'god' thing never made sense to me, even when I was very young, but I really wanted life to have more meaning than it does, and I didn't want to feel that everything was empty. But as I got older I realized that God doesn't have to be the meaning in your life, and Atheism gives you the freedom to decide what's important to you and create morals based on your own feelings and reasoning, which is right for me.
juliafoolya 1 month ago
I pretty much always have been an atheist, but since I am black and have grown up around a bunch of older black people, I didn't dare question this god of theirs. They say it was just right. I also didn't know other religions existed and, if they were mentioned, they were crazy and stupid people. It took the Internet to find out what atheism was, and moving out of a very Southern-minded area to fully embrace who I am. And I am a far more moral and loving person than they ever have been.
onorebakasama 1 month ago
RAWWWRRR
kayak2004 1 month ago
Ext book and through it across the room yelling saton when i told him... This was in grade 3
movieman4341 1 month ago
Ive been bullied and teased for not believing in god... I remember once a kid grabbed my t
movieman4341 1 month ago
Ok.. i'm pro atheists. But I want people to be able to believe in what they think without being questoned about it, and where I live(Sweden) it is not the "atheists" who are weird or being questioned... It's the religious people who get teased or bullied for believing what they want.. This is wrong! I don't care if you are an aethist or religious persson no-one shall be bullies for what they believe in.
kungsmurfen 1 month ago
In elementary I was questioning the existance of a god. In 6th grade when I openly said I was an atheist. And for 3 yrs I was harassed with questions and the lovely phrase: "You do you know you are going to hell, right?" Then in 9th the people who taunted me the most admitted they were atheist too.
Go figure.
jelloisfalling 1 month ago
Women should wear more feathers.
anythingnew 1 month ago
Before watching this video, please skip to 2:25
sloosh6000 1 month ago 2
I was an atheist as long as I can remember, but like you I didn't know it at least until my mid-teens. I'd always gone to church, because that was the thing to do. I didn't really know there was anything else at the time, but I never actually believed any of it. It sounded more like fairy tales to me, the stories they told us in Bible School. I was always the kid getting in trouble for asking questions and not accepting "God works in mysterious ways" and "It's a matter of faith" as an answer.
MrJaye235 1 month ago
umm it is way easier to be an atheist then to be a true christian in this world
xnamansajonasx 2 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Hear what God of Israel YAHUSHUA-YAHUWAH (Son and Father are ONE) saying to our generation by His chosen prophets: Trumpetcallofgodonline. com ; Letter called "Purify Your Faith, and Come to the Father as It is Written": EXCERPT: "Only in the Bible and through these very Letters, of which I have given to My prophet of the end of this age, shall you find Him and know Him."
Watch:
" youtube.com/watch?v=YZPmTH6sloo"
"youtube.com/watch?v=lutJYDxP6ys"
"youtube.com/watch?v=R9ike7PKd8U"
Regards.
TrumpetCallofGodLT 2 months ago
My atheism came about very gradually. It’s good to be rational.
AstronomyGuru84 2 months ago
um when this country was established it was based on freedom of religion, u should really learn ur US history lol omg the devil does have atheists blinded and he is sittin bak laughing at the nonsense u are talking about, you know that he hates it when we talk about god,? lol that doesnt matter because god loves it everytime he name mentioned,
TheStarwars1995 2 months ago
I'm a freshman in highschool and I've been going to a Christian school since 2nd grade. I have never really understanded It and found contradictions in it. Last year I realized I was an athiest and it is so annoying to hear their bs everyday at that school.
McGANGSTAWALRUS 2 months ago 2
@McGANGSTAWALRUS I feel bad that you have to do that! :\ Do your parents understand you?
amanda112307 1 month ago
I think organized religion needs a serious retooling if it is to be relevant in the 21st century. First thing's first, they ought to stop basing their beliefs on scriptures that are thousands of years old and have long since been debunked scientifically
Todeskaefer 2 months ago
I consider myself to be a scientific pantheist rather than an atheist. I'm not against the idea of something in the universe greater than ourselves, I just don't believe that that something is God as described in the Bible, the Koran, etc.
Todeskaefer 2 months ago
I just went to a Catholic wedding yesterday and was just there for an old family frind's sake. Anyways, I just endured the whole service without actually participating even if through years and years of programming I knew the whole thing. Actually during the lectures I did actually listen to the ubiquitous stories selected for weddings of which of course you can't miss the Adam and Eve Story and the part about the woman obeying the man and so on made me giggle.
vatreniboris 2 months ago
I considered myself an agnostic for many years. It was Russell's Teapot analogy that made me realise I am an atheist as well. There might be an ordinary teapot orbiting Saturn. I can't prove there is no teapot there. However it is not reasonable to believe that there is a teapot there with no evidence for it, and no known way it could get there. This is the same as with God. I can say there is no prayer-answering God beyond reasonable doubt, and this makes me an atheist.
brainburger 2 months ago
@JuzBecause Considering those are the only two possible options, I guess it -is- kind of fun to watch everyone's dogmatic, pompous bullshit.
TeresielMF 2 months ago
I realized I was an atheist when I was about 10 and some kids from the christian school in town -that kids from our secular school would always fight with (not because of religion, just because of going to a different school, that more than enough reason at that age)- tried scaring us by telling us we would go to hell. The idea that someone had such power and would actually do the things they said was just something that didn't relate at all to the world I was living in.
Turgor 2 months ago
I love your RAWR. <3
atheistram 2 months ago
I can totally relate to that. I was an atheist for a few years before I knew I was an atheist. I don't think I realized I was an atheist until 2006. It was probably 2002 when I really stopped believing in any sort of god. I still had some other spiritual and dualistic sort of beliefs then, but I didn't believe in any gods, which technically made me an atheist. I knew I wasn't sure on the god question, and I didn't know if I believed or not, but looking back, I really didn't believe it.
sonnygll 2 months ago
Hi there! I have found via conversations with other atheists that a lot of us brought up in very religious homes went through a phase of not realizing we were nonbelievers but eventually began to question things. I think it is a normal part of the first steps away from active church participation and god chasing.
TextualFury 2 months ago
@TextualFury
You're right about that. It's kind of a process. Even when I was a kid, I thought some of it made no sense. Like reconciling evolution with Adam and Eve. Or if god made the universe, where did god come from? and if he just happened, why couldn't the universe just happen? Or why did Jesus get crucified, why didn't god just forgive? Or if god is powerful, why is the devil around, and if he is love, why does he put people in hell forever? By adulthood, I realized it was bullshit.
sonnygll 2 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
I was an atheist who didn't realize it, but that was mainly because I didn't understand that religion was a thing. When parts of he Bible were read to me as a kid I made no distinction between that and the other fairy tales that were read to me, and I was not told to make a distinction. When I found out a few years ago what some people actually believed I was shocked and appalled, and that is why I strongly identify myself with the atheist community now.
TheSH1N1GAM1 2 months ago
I was an atheist who didn't realize it, but that was mainly because I didn't understand that religion was a thing. When parts of he Bible were read to me as a kid I made no distinction between that and the other fairy tales that were read to me, and I was not told to make a distinction. When I found out a few years ago what some people actually believed I was shocked and appalled, and that is why I strongly identify myself with the atheist community now.
TheSH1N1GAM1 2 months ago
I've been an atheist since the last few years of high school (Catholic high school) only I didn't know what the word meant until YT. I've spent over half my life without a real designation which in of itself is not a big issue. Only after the feeling of relief I experienced upon finding out that I was not alone did I realize how isolating it was to have kept quiet for fear of condemnation in a sea of theists and theist enablers.Thanks for all you and other YTers do.
51Shekels 2 months ago
It is really great to know that you were in fact religious, like myself and many others, before we saw the light. This conversion was for me a slow and traumatizing process. I sometimes wonder if blissful belief isn't better than the hard truth? Maybe humans evolved religion because it aids our survival? It really is a red or blue pill question.
Cyber000000 2 months ago
You look like a sexy vampire in this video :)
IntellectualsNY 2 months ago
Comment removed
farazazhar1 2 months ago
My family basically brainwashed me into becoming a Christian. Now I've realized that I'm not but I'm to afraid to tell them yet.
P.S.- I love your earrings :)
MagicWitaPen37 2 months ago
I think Catholics are actually closet Muslims.
1125899906842620 2 months ago
Whilst I agree that not everyone who is an atheist necessarily knows they are an atheist I can't say I agree with your other statement that everyone in the US understands what it is to be a Christian.
I've always found US "Christians" weird. If Jesus did exist, and he was ever to appear to the US, I'm sure he'd be as puzzled as me.
kandtell 2 months ago 17
@kandtell I guess I might be able to agree with that. Though, given the culture, I find it highly unlikely to be the case.
healthyaddict 2 months ago 5
@healthyaddict
I think the biggest oddity is the heavy stress the evangelicals place on OT, Paul, and Revelations coupled with almost complete disinterest in the Sermon on the Mount.
Most Christians I know (from the UK) would place deeds above faith. But most US Christians I've talked to here tell me "that means they are not real Christians".
kandtell 2 months ago
@kandtell not really. us christians are perfect example of the assholes they worship. you think way too highly of jesus. then again, when the biggest cult of personality claiming that its object of worship is good. and thye have bee known to kill people who disagree, then i guess its no suprice that we havent have objective analysis.
gethsoftware 2 weeks ago
@gethsoftware
I don't think I think too highly of jesus, because I'm not even sure if he existed. And I certainly don't know what he said because I'm convinced that the authenticity of the gospels is in doubt, every single word, not just the bits we can demonstrate contradict each other.
I'm more concerned with the character of christians than the character of christ.
kandtell 2 weeks ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@kandtell " I can't say I agree with your other statement that everyone in the US understands what it is to be a Christian." But she didn't say what it means to be Christian, she said what Christianity is. Christianity is a religion but to be a proper followers of that religion is a much more ambiguous topic. Christianity is associated with the Bible, Christ and a great deal of history. These are much more solid understandable topics.
zippythewildone 2 days ago
While slightly offtopic (extremely offtoppic), DEM FEATHERS?
tanekki 2 months ago 29
I agree with you and the simplest analogy that I can think of might be this.
There are a lot of GAY people in the closet that's because there are societal pressures against them and that Silverman would be trying to get them to come out. Where as Donahue would be saying that GAY people are REALLY closeted straight people when there's NO societal pressure to be that way.
So as usual religious people are obfuscating the issue, either from genuine lack of understanding or malice.
Leadman1989 2 months ago
@WhistlinWind
I found a few problems in what you said. I fixed them:
"Christians are the biggest dorks on the planet. They think they know all the answers -- because they parrot authority figures -- but most of the world, whether atheist or otherwise, just sees them as humans who want to be sheep. They hate the rationality of science, understanding, curiousity, etc. They HATE their humanness. WhistlinWind is a homophobe who despises equality. IT'S NOT BULLSHIT!!!!! JUST ADMIT YOU'RE GAY!!!!"
Remagoen 2 months ago
Ooooh, online atheist justice is swift indeed. And comes with LOLcats.
MrCarbon14 2 months ago
Oh man, can I request an adoption, then be a huge dick to the catholic church?!
Also, I went to church until I was 16, then stopped (cuz i became a lazy teenager) but still identified as "christian" until about 21, when I started actually reading into it having had conversations with lots of atheists in my philosophy course, and I am now a proud atheist and occasional anti-theist :P
OpinionatedAussie 2 months ago
@WhistlinWind
Is that comment what Jesus would do ?
SpaceFrawg 2 months ago
RAAAWWWWWRRRR!!!!!!! ^_^
I believed god existed, or at least could, but I never had any faith or trust in him(or VERY little at the most), but I didn't know what that was called.
Now I'm an Anti-Theist(to steal a phrase from Hitchens), but that is probably what I always was. ;)
l337pwnage 2 months ago
I'm guessing after the first few times of me raising my hand in church during a sermon to ask questions... I will be unadopted. I seem to remember a big shit storm a while back when FactsvsReligion sat in on a service and decided to just take a holy cracker (that was given to her) with her. Most atheists know their holy book better than the average theist on the street, I myself have had to explain what their magic book says to them before, just so they can follow along while I tear it apart.
SpaceFrawg 2 months ago
@SpaceFrawg
I say let's all go... don't bring the kids though :)
SpaceFrawg 2 months ago
Yeah it took me a long time to realise that I was an atheist. I considered myself Christian because my family was, and then went on to call myself an agnostic (on the misunderstanding that it meant "I'm not sure", even though I was pretty damn sure) because I wasn't aware of what an atheist was.
godwinslawyer 2 months ago
Well of course, lots of x-ians pretend to be atheists. Becouse they would rather be part of the most distrusted and shunned group in the US today, than in the socialy accepted group of catholics... That sure makes lots of sense doesn't it? *facepalm*
grape387 2 months ago 2
I was raised christian, and when I was younger, I went along with everything I was taught. Just like santa though, I went along with it, knowing that it was all just a fairy tale. I didn't think that people could really believe those things.
I am 'a little' older, and hopefully proportionally wiser, and realize that people really can believe anything.
Though I do sit there sometimes questioning the sincerity of some of these religious folk, because of how crazy this stuff can be.
KittJT2 2 months ago
Why are you in front of a green screen if you are not going to do anything with it? You could have had zombies in the background eating people's brains while you talked, but instead there was just green. :(
Dawnofthehead 2 months ago
@Dawnofthehead cuz green is good xD
VelvetTearsNana 2 months ago
@Dawnofthehead i ment cool* lolz
VelvetTearsNana 2 months ago
@VelvetTearsNana
Yes, green is cool; however, zombies eating people's brains is even cooler. Or, better yet, green zombies eating green people's green brains!
Dawnofthehead 2 months ago
I swear this is the last time im going to blow up this comment section haha. After reading about the adopt an atheist program from the actual site, I no longer care if you are wrong or right. I will not defend a mans opinion (even if right i would just not comment about it) that says atheists are "good for nothing". That is all...carry on.
kx32ta1 2 months ago
I am an atheist who was never religious, and wanted to gtfo of the temple as soon as possible.
Jonstern1983 2 months ago
This smacks of "pray the gay away" kind of logic. Why would someone who rationally rejected the idea of a higher power be swayed by Bill Donahue?
gamileo 2 months ago
@gamileo Not everyone does it rationally. (though it is the majority of us)
kx32ta1 2 months ago
you mean, you see a paradox of people talking about jesus as if you were unaware of jesus in the land of jesus? yeah, its irritates me too :P
proximoto 2 months ago
Really was what I thought. I thought praying, fasting, giving up friends, money, possessions, etc would bring me close enough to god to believe (cause my mom said she knew god was real so he had to be in my mind) but its only been 3 years I've accepted my non religion and even now I find theology fascinating
XXBleedingrose 2 months ago
I knew christianity was bat-shit crazy for more than 20 years, continuing to go to church for Xmas/Easter/etc., before I finally gave it up and admitted that atheism is the term that best matches my view of religious claims.
Meanwhile, my favorite part of this video was the "RAHHHHRhhh" at 2:25
GodVlogger 2 months ago
Anyway I knew I didn't believe since I was like 3. I tried to believe but never did and didn't know anything besides gods gunna hate me cause I don't believe, got big into cutting, tried suicide etc. I was 13 before I heard the word atheist and it was explained in class because it was a word used in a book we read (the wave) and no one knew what it was in our ap 8th grade class. Later that year I was satanic and I heard ppl say satanism is atheism for angsty teens. So I asked about it, and it
XXBleedingrose 2 months ago
@Djb12030 I'm a feminist and I find her hot, I don't see why it'd be offensive.
I'm on edge about comments like that at me tho, but that's cause I've had stalkers, two of which had rape threats, one actually attempted -__- but I have a reason to be on edge rather than flattered. But w/e ppl get offended about silly things sometimes
XXBleedingrose 2 months ago
I don't know what I like more about your vids; the actual video or the comment section where people make comments about how hot you are. I wouldn't find it nearly as funny if you weren't a feminist... I actually don't know if they are saying it to try to piss you off or to be honest... Either way its good for a laugh.
djb12030 2 months ago
LOL I just glanced at the title in my subscription box and I thought it said Atheist Dolphin. I thought to myself, what? I have to watch this. Then I click on the video and I read the title again and OHHH adoption, not dolphin...oh.
PlanckEpoch 2 months ago
Ashley....I think I prefer you to just use the green screen...its quite distracting..grr...nice hair
legendaryfasteddy 2 months ago
I think it's more of a semantic realization. For example, I was one who did not believe in a god long before I heard of the word atheist. But I was always an atheist, I just didnt have the label for it.
88Keyz101 2 months ago
I'm all for being 'adopted' by a Christian...well at least if they are in that 1% that has all the wealth. They can pay my bills and feed and house me. Mind you, I still won't worship their magic skydaddy, but they are welcome to buy me lots of expensive Christmas presents to try and change my mind.
GottaStopKillin 2 months ago
Like your new look--you look way different--didn't even recognize you until I heard your voice. I don't care about Donohue's condescending tactics. Theists are usually very smug and condescending to us. I too was once a Christian. For years I called myself one without really examining what I believed or didn't believe, and why. I just went with the flow when I was young. When I did start thinking about it, I progressed from Christian, to "believing in a Higher Power" to agnostic to atheist.
DandAinTac 2 months ago
I'm thinking of the 'born again' movement of the '70s and '80s. In those hedonistic decades the baby boomers settled down and had kids and returned to the fold. A lot of the growth of atheism (in the US) is a backlash to the power of this newly powerful media-church to meddle in people's lives. So we'll see more of this as the pendulum swings back from belief to faithlessness. Until the GenY and i-Gen start having kids I suppose.
CommandLineCowboy 2 months ago
I've been an agnostic since mid-childhood, and I knew it. I didn't know the word for it, though.
thethegreenmachine 2 months ago
I miss the Dr. Who shirt. You made angels weep.
doulos1981 2 months ago in playlist Favorite videos
I don't think the distinction should be made between atheist and believer but between those who have thought about it and those who have not thought about it. Of course more atheists have thought about it than believers and that is why so many are atheists. Still, I'm sure that both camps may have those who haven't thought about it and can be swayed either way.
WarmWeatherGuy 2 months ago
I remember doing research almost nine years ago to try and figure out what I was so YES, I have to agree, people don't necessarily know of they are atheist. I find more commonly people identity as agnostic or non-religious and then identify as atheist after they are given a clear understanding of what that is. Even then people are often still resistant to that label for social and cultural reasons.
I'm with ya lady ;) -3
LJonYT 2 months ago
use the green screen?
dwype 2 months ago
Yes I was also Atheist with out realizing it. But expressing my doubts about religion was always a negative experience back home. It took leaving the country to see the these things clearly. The label is almost unnecessary here as there not as much religion in Denmark to contrast it against. Information coming out of America seems to have signs of an increasing secular shift. The religious reactions to this seem more extreme than i ever remembered. Maybe its my perspective that's changed?
0Soule0 2 months ago
I miss your blonde hair.
guitar19904 2 months ago 4
@guitar19904 she has hair?? ;p
l337pwnage 2 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Phil Donahue believes in a god that has NO CAUSE to its existence and created every thing FROM NOTHING. I on the other hand DO blieve the unevers HAS a CAUSE and every thing in the unevers comes FROM SOMTHING. This is why I am an "atheist" NOT a christian.
TheMrgoku1985 2 months ago
I was mistaught the definition of atheism growing up, as well. I called myself agnostic from age 16 to 24, until I took the time to read the definition of atheist and some arguments toward using the term. Now I stand by the term, and urge people to use it. We have to take back that word and stop its use as a pejorative.
TheSarahNerd 2 months ago
as a teenager i thought atheist meant satanist
JustABitchyCancer 2 months ago
not only are atheists aware of religion, according to studies, atheists actually do better in religious tests than pretty much every other group... even most of the time scoring better than people of faith IN THEIR OWN FAITH. because atheists are generally well rounded & inquisitive. and so we can pwn theists in debate. lol
fukkensully 2 months ago
i went from being religious my whole life to becoming agnostic and now I'm pretty much an atheist. I say pretty much cuz admittedly i still wonder sometimes, but if someone asked me "Atheist: yes or no" the answer would be no. I just do not believe in the existence of the judeo-christian Jehovah god. But when i was a believer, i really did believe, with everything that was in me i believed.
HPGWellscraft 2 months ago
I don't think it's condescending to encourage people to ask themselves what they really believe and consider the possibility that they may be just going along with what their family/friends think. But it is condescending to tell a non-believer that they're simply ignorant of religion when we all know how popular religion is. It's impossible *not* to hear arguments for theism, even when you're a child. This is true not only in the US, but in all other countries that have a religious majority.
shrikechan 2 months ago
@HealthyAddict Bill Donahue is not doing this out some grand concern for atheists. It's a rebuttal, a tactic to make this effort by Silverman seem foolish.
I've listened as BIll argued that the horrible report of systematic abuse in the Irish Catholic church did not say what it said. Even the Catholic Church of Ireland wasn't saying that! Even with the host and victim advocate on the show dumbfounded in amazement, he didn't budge an inch.
It's about winning with Bill - nothing less will do.
YOURINQUIRER 2 months ago
I'm sorry but can somebody please give me a definition of "condescending", every dictionary I've looked at gives me a definition that doesn't fit with the modern usage.
misterstarwars 2 months ago
If any religious family adopted me, I would seriously fuck them up within 20 minutes.
saxmanchiro 2 months ago
wow more vids keep it up :D
imsofly74 2 months ago
something that god gave us was free will so, I assume perhaps he would trust in people awareness to note the difference between good or wrong because, you know everyone can recognize their actions; in sumary I guess god does not care if you say "Im a christian" what really matters is what you do with yourself in life
in my case I feel myself close to god in the spiritual way but I dont pray and dont go to church cus that kind of things make me feel uncomfortable
am I an atheist? hehe
take care!
wolfald 2 months ago
Yes, I'm a atheist that didn't know there was a name for my lack of belief in theisim.
kenshin304 2 months ago
'Atheist' is just word. Believing is basically acting upon one's prejudices instead of manning up and looking up the facts. If you believe, you are a moron. Even some atheists do that. Let's stop this "believing" BS and become meritocrats that know of the practical solutions instead of a solution. Which is lobotomy.
fingrid 2 months ago
Theists, never help an atheist, or a person that is unsure. Never help a woman either.
C1oseYetFarr 2 months ago
Same situation here, except I had never heard of an atheist before. I had to sneak around just to learn about other religions (my mother is very mormon). I grew up thinking people *had* to have a religion,believe it or not. It wasn't until I started college and met someone in my English Comp class who was an atheist and it was like a lightbulb went off in my head, "Wow, that is what I am!". I didn't believe in any gods but I didn't know I was an atheist.
rylraven13 2 months ago
I love your videos! Only thing that annoys me is that i feel that it is originally made for Americans ;) *lives in Sweden* Otherwise, rock on!
Vallinen92 2 months ago
I used to be catholic, until I realized that I had chosen to believe in god, instead of actually believing. Just as you said, I thought that denying the existence of god was "bad", and I rolled with it, but in the end I realized that i never believed, for a while it seemed logical.
nehelek 2 months ago
Anything that makes Bill Donahue look bad is okay by me. Wait a minute, I don't need to make Bill Donahue look bad, Bill Donahue has already done it for me countless times! Crafty beggar! I feel almost redundant now. What I can't understand is why the Catholic church don't issue a public statement distancing themselves from him, kinda like the Ku Klux Klan disowned the Westboro Baptists.
InvincibleIronyMan 2 months ago
As a Christian...we were always taught that atheist were horrible people and that we should stay away from them. When I started my journey of non belief I never identified as an atheist because I didn't know that's what I was. I feel that it's important for people to identify as atheist if they are so that people can learn what it actually means. That it's not some big scary thing. That they know people that are atheist.
StarMagick 2 months ago
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InvincibleIronyMan 2 months ago
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InvincibleIronyMan 2 months ago
This is genius! I am atheist-ish and my "believer" friend will not accept that I honestly do not believe in a sky grandpa from my ex faith. (christianity) lol u say it good.
vmorgun 2 months ago
ooh now I want to adopt a catholic!
TheRatherLikely 2 months ago
I swear, I am going to get a whole crowd of us down to the local Catholic church, and if they don't want us there's one not too far away from that, and another one near that. I think I can cover about a half-dozen in a five-mile radius! This is awesome! Do you think they will feed me and give me a weekly allowance?
InvincibleIronyMan 2 months ago
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InvincibleIronyMan 2 months ago
I've never been religious. I was once a little bit homophobic (pfft, when I was like, 10 -_-) because I didn't know what sexuality was. But never religious.
I only ever started identifying as an Atheist when I was around 11/12 and I was watching a news story about the whole "Creationism vs Evolution" bullshit and heard the word "Atheist". So I asked my parents about it and realized that I was one, and had really always been one.
GenerationBright 2 months ago
What is she on about? I'm not following what's healthy is saying
doford 2 months ago
@healthyaddict You are absolutely rockin those feathers!
Stevarious 2 months ago
You can use the green screen to feature older footage of yourself standing in front of a green screen. The infinite healthy addict project :p
FHomeBrew 2 months ago
Woot! ADOPT ME! I'll show you what a problem child really is! >:-D
happysplodie 2 months ago
God is real people are fake.
Kelsonbang 2 months ago
2006 is when i really found out what the word atheist meant to. I knew I didn't believe in god, but had no idea there was a whole commumity out there that discussed this stuff until I worked with a border patrol agent who whenever I had an idea that took 2 minutes to explain, had a single term for me to use instead. He also loaned me about a dozen books by the likes of Dawkins, Hitchens and Sagan amongst others. It was very enlightening for me.
ObtuseSage 2 months ago
Kind of think your splitting hairs here and being a little biased. It sounds quite similar to me. There are people out there that claim to not believe in god but in the back of their head want to but do not know enough about christianity to do so. Or practice it properly. Those are the people I think bill is going for and just using the word "atheist".
kx32ta1 2 months ago
@kx32ta1 I wouldn't doubt being a little biased here. I just have a hard time seeing how in this country one could never had heard of the word Christian/Catholic and realized that them believing in Jesus all along is what that meant.
For me, I had heard the term atheist before, though due to my not understanding what that really meant, I didn't realize I was one until later. I think it's kind of hard to do the reverse in this case though. I think you could make a similar case for deists too.
healthyaddict 2 months ago 5
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Kelsonbang 2 months ago
@healthyaddict I have met and debated several christians that used to be atheist (as I'm sure you have as well). To assume that it is not possible for Bill to convert an atheist to christianity, I think, is where your error lies. You are assuming that just because they know what a christian is and what it believes that they will not convert. As if one is done with their spiritual or religious journey once they become an atheist.
kx32ta1 2 months ago
@kx32ta1 According to a survey conducted by the pew research center atheists and agnostics are among the most knowledgeable people in this country when it comes to the overall subject of religion. This misguided notion Christians seem to have about atheists being these poor people who have just never heard about the ‘good news of Jesus’ is ridiculous and condescending
MrRationalThought 2 months ago
@MrRationalThought "atheists being these poor people who have just never heard about the good news of jesus is ridiculous and condescending"
Thats exactly how she explained becoming an atheist. She just wasn't aware of the atheist community or even what it really meant to be an atheist. Now flip that around and you should be able to see my point on why I disagree with her disagreement.
Isnt "you know its a myth" on a billboard just as condescending to people that believe?
kx32ta1 2 months ago
@kx32ta1 Sorry, for the late response, I haven’t been on in a couple of days, anyway there is no ‘just flip that around’ when it has been shown atheists get the other side, but the reverse has not been shown. That’s probably because there are a lot of atheists who used to be theists, but the opposite isn’t true. Also you have people like Matt Dillahunty and Dan Barker who were ordained clergy members before becoming atheists.
MrRationalThought 2 months ago
@kx32ta1 I have studied the bible for my entire life and knowing that their is no god is the best piece of knowladge i have ever obtained. I assure you that knowing the christian god does not exist makes he extremely happy because he is so evil which you would know if you have studded it yourself.
ninjaHJ1 2 months ago
@ninjaHJ1 Ha first, I too am an atheist and breaking free of the indoctrinated chains of religion was one of the greatest things that has happened to me. Second, I never said I was a christian or was not an atheist. Third, my comment was in refrence to the subject matter of the video not if god exists or not. Fourth, I never said thinking that god does not exist would make some one unhappy. Did you read my comment?
kx32ta1 2 months ago
God still loves you Atheist people, and the Devil loves you even more and cant wait to meet you guys.
rkoboy777 2 months ago
@rkoboy777 Do you have any evidence of this "God" or "devil"?
csnowutube 2 months ago
@rkoboy777 Can't wait to meet him either :P
Sephrone 2 months ago
@rkoboy777 I met your psychiatrist and he said he loves your money. He told me that lonely people, especially the only children, have the tendency of adopting and believing in non-existent friends. You mention two of them by name.
You don't have to capitalize 'atheism'. Words with roots in Latin are never capitalized AFAIK.
fingrid 2 months ago
@fingrid You're right about not needing to capitalize 'atheism' (and related words at least in the context he used it in), but it's not because Latin was an intermediary.
MrKrov 2 months ago
I wouldn't know if we are in fact true believers without knowing it, however I'm absolutely sure that all Christians are atheists concerning all other gods but one
xyoop 2 months ago
@xyoop Really you can't make that assumption. Though I am an atheist now, when I was a theist, I could plausibly have the idea in my head that following a religion was enough and that there was only the one god and though people were of different religions, they'd all pray or worship the same one without knowing it.
Darklust413 2 months ago
@Darklust413 yeah but aren't those other gods mutually excluded?
xyoop 2 months ago
@xyoop You're forgetting that theists aren't thinking logically about that belief. They can be included all into one and explained away in the mind with whatever makes the believer feel better. It's totally possible to be of one religion yet feel that the gods of the the various religions can be mutually included so as to make the believer feel better about all those who aren't part of their religion. I mean, you don't want everyone to suffer a terrible fate either right?
Darklust413 2 months ago
I cringe everytime I see a david silverman interview. I don't think he is doing us any favors. He seems to take the approach of dawkins and hitchens which is ridicule and annoy. Not my cup of tea.
kx32ta1 2 months ago
I think there's a turkey hiding behind her head.
larryadmin 2 months ago
I fail to see the difference between proselytizing to atheists and proselytizing to Christians. You can't say that because Christianity is more widespread than Atheism, trying to "convert" people from either camp to the other is more valid. Dave Silverman's campaign implies that the only reason Christians are Christian is because they don't think, or can't think. Bill Donahue's campaign says pretty much the same thing, about Atheists. I see both campaigns as offensive.
fairydustandmarmite 2 months ago
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fairydustandmarmite 2 months ago
Do the Trojan war horse campaign and attack from within the homes of christian families haha. Once you've gotten inside you just start argue them to the ground :)
aNdYmAtTeR 2 months ago
I already emailed Silverman, to ask for my new friend =) Gimmie one of em, please!
ProportionalResponse 2 months ago
To answer your question. I didn't really convert to atheism. In my teen years I started asking questions and by the time I was in grade 11, was a non-believer even though I hadn't identified myself as an atheist. It wasn't until I was in my early 20's did I outright say I'm an atheist. No sure if anyone else goes through this kind of 'discovery' or not.
hardleecure 2 months ago
I think your point is good. I also think that there are atheists who know they're atheists, but just don't know that it's okay to be an atheist. I think these billboards help to normalize atheists, help people find community, help people not feel alone and dejected.
I also think I understand why Bill Donahue would be opposed to the normalization of atheists.
colossus999 2 months ago
Well it is amazing that the Catholics do any type of reaching out in the USA at all. Personally I have never heard of a Catholic ever reaching out to bring the "Good News" to anyone. Every place I have experienced Catholicism it has been a "family affair" and if you were not in "the family" you never heard of it. Interesting times we live in.
KasparHauser6 2 months ago
I used to call myself Agnostic, thinking it was a choice between theist, atheist, and agnostic. In reality I was an agnostic atheist, not realizing these weren't exclusive. Now I am no longer a pussy and call myself an Atheist.
AtlanticZealot 2 months ago
As long as we aren't adopted by fundamentalist, Dr. Pepper-drinking agnostics. ;)
KaineSpawnX 2 months ago
@healthyaddict This was exactly my position actually. I wasn't a "chritian" anymore because I had been trying to find another religion or magic or philosophy. It wasn't until my brother confronted me with the realization that I didn't believe in any of this stuff. I took a step back and decided that he was right and I should admit to myself that I was an atheist and had been for years. I had been searching for a truth that I knew in my heart wasn't out there to find.
YY12341 2 months ago
I didn't know there was an option to be an atheist until I was in 5th grade. I tried to believe because I was heavily involved with my church (family worked there and I was in bible study). Finally 8th grade rolled around and I got confirmed. Immediately after I told my parents I was an atheist and over time it became no issue at all. 8 years atheist strong!
mullen2105 2 months ago
We should post the phone # for the Catholic League/Bill Donahue and spread it around youtube/internet so we can all call him to ask him to adopt us....and he can start by sending us checks to help pay bills.
b14blah 2 months ago
It's moronic propaganda. Although, to tell the truth. I'd love to adopt all the YouTube atheists. It's quite boring out here right now and a lively, thoughtful crowd would be nice.
ThePrinceOfMillAve 2 months ago
"Rrraarrrrrrrgh" 2:26
=)
whchain 2 months ago
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Brainiac1056 2 months ago
You can adopt me, Ashley.
SeththeWicked 2 months ago
Donahue is a tool. No surprises there. Glad he is generating this negative publicity for himself and his goofball organization.
Also: Cute outfit.
MisterDataJack 2 months ago
I wonder if Bill Donohue realizes that most atheists in the United States WERE in fact members of Christian communities before becoming atheists, and it was usually those same Christian communities that made the atheist realize that they WERE an atheist in the first place.
Atriviality 2 months ago
Another good one, my dear.
scoopmaster23 2 months ago
@healthyaddict Why shoot in front of the green screen and not use it? "Healthy addict here, coming to you now from the surface of the sun!" lol
no2religions 2 months ago 2
@no2religions Sheer laziness, and I wanted to get it out. It's a better background than my boring white walls too. :P
healthyaddict 2 months ago 5
@healthyaddict it's almost Christmassy. toss in some red and you're good to go
SeththeWicked 2 months ago
@healthyaddict Can a future video be transmitted from the surface of the sun? I'm sure everyone would find it enLIGHTening! yuk yuk. :)
no2religions 2 months ago
when everyone around me believed, I didn't even know that atheism was an option.
thanks to the internet and the youtubers now i'm less likely to condone sharia law.
or any other kind of unquestionable laws.
Desert713 2 months ago