Re: Atheist Christopher Hitchens in Debate with Frank Turek

[Paedobaptism]

@rjohson I see these people trying to confuse you, by asking you who would you believe in if you existed before Jesus walked the earth. The Saints before Jesus came believed God in the promise of the messiah who is Jesus.... Continue

[Paedobaptism]

@rjohson you do realize that the Osiris story is nothing like Jesus. I've study on the so called similarities nothing alike. Second the Torah is the Old Testament books in the Christian bible. The New Testament are writings of the Torah prophecies regarding the coming messiah being fulfilled.

[DocMartVids]

I'm glad to see you are looking into the faith you practice. Many people "blindly" go to religion without ever questioning. I applaud you for that. Hopefully you will continue to use reason...

[rjohson]

i probably would believe in the torah hell i dont know

[airbrat]

You say you're not an atheist yet there are HUNDREDS of other gods and deities that came BEFORE your christian god. I'm going to gamble and say you don't believe in them right? Surprise you're an atheist! Seriously what does it take for someone to finally question the bible? Quite possibly one of the most VIOLENT books ever written.

[rjohson]

@airbrat your logic is wrong, the definiton of an atheist is some one who doesnt believe in god, regardless of who that god is, Zesus is a god but he is a false god there are those who believe in zesus, the fasct that i dont believe in the hundreds of false gods does not make me an atheiest; because i believe in the true and living god. the god who walked the earth in human form.

[airbrat]

@rjohson What? And who is to say your god is a false god? For a god who is omnipotent and badass it's funny we don't even hear about him only after HUNDREDS of years later, long after these "false" are forgotten. Quit being naive man.

[samgee2007]

all negros should be muslim ok!

[jabom99]

According to christian doctrine, Adam and Eve and Moses burned for 4000 years until Jesus went down there and saved them. Not only is it evil, it is utterly rediculous. I am glad it is all a myth.

[Testifying2theTruth]

(Post 1)

Just by listening to the opening of your video, I want to tell you right up front: it is not alright to simply tell someone to have faith and ask them to believe. As Paul says in Acts 17, we are to be like the Bereans who accepted God's word with great eagerness, yet examined the scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Just like those Bereans we need to know why we believe what we believe, and it is in no way wicked to do so.

[rjohson]

im not a ahteist i believe in god

[jabom99]

@rjohson I give you credit for at least questioning your brainwashing. Any intelligent person should question the absurdities of the the bible. Most Christians have never read the bible and know very little about it. Most cannot even tell you what the 10 commandmants are. From your comments, it seems that you are a christian because of the fear of Hell.

[FrozenPetrolPie]

Your first step towards aheism has been taken. You cant go back now, the cat is out of the bag. Trust me, I know.

God did not create man, man created god.

[TheGalaxyrise]

I think that it's awesome that you're asking such great questions. It shows that you are doing a good bit of research. After a childhood of indoctrination, I too started asking questions and the answers I found were not easy, especially after believing all my life and placing too much faith in faith itself. I accepted that I prefer truth over consolation. Good Luck my friend. I admire your sincerity.

[TheGalaxyrise]

I think that it's awesome that you're asking such great questions. It shows that you are doing a good bit of research. After a childhood of indoctrination, I too started asking questions and the answers I found were not easy, especially after believing all my life and placing too much faith in faith itself. I accepted that I prefer truth over consolation. Good Luck my friend. I admire your sincerity.

[TheGalaxyrise]

I think that it's awesome that you're asking such great questions. It shows that you are doing a good bit of research. After a childhood of indoctrination, I too started asking questions and the answers I found were not easy, especially after believing all my life and placing too much faith in faith itself. I accepted that I prefer truth over consolation. Good Luck my friend. I admire your sincerity.

[777kilimanjaro]

You are asking good questions - the same kind of questions I used to ask when I was a believer. I am Black and a through and through atheist. I feel so much better. The Bible is not true - and not workable in the modern world. It has no morality, and it (Christianity) has kept us mentally tied-up. The sooner we let it go - the better.

[JustAnotherPassenger]

This is a refreshingly honest video, I suspect there are alot more people out there who think like this; there will also be many people who are afraid to think like this because of the control religion has in damning those who dare to question.

Clearly your not ready to be an atheist, but as you've figured out that religion is basically all about control, just ditch it all and simply say you believe in some kind of god/s.

I'm 99.99% atheist, but i'm open to the fact that there could be a god.

[ReligionisBullshit11]

Hitchens destroyed Turek in this debate.

Religion is our first attempt to understand. The trouble is that religion is so damn persistent. People are afraid to let go because they fear dying.

Sooner or later, religion will be no more.

[mrw21]

rjohson, this is one of the more honest videos I've seen of someone thinking out loud about the Christian faith. Keep questioning and searching for truth. I am an unbeliever, and it was the consideration of these kinds of questions that led me to where I am today. I don't know where you want to end up, but I hope you get there.

[rjohson]

thankyou

[mrmcnasty85]

I always thought heaven would be hell for me, like some kind of Normon community (Salt Lake City). Imagine no sex, drink, drugs, rock and roll, volent computer games, and films, or food, all this would be gone! What would you do for ever, what would be the point? Now storming the gates of heaven with my waffen friends, now that sounds like fun!

[mrmcnasty85]

As a man of African heritage who has grown up in a western mostly white society, the one thing that alienates me from my family and fore fathers is their complete submission to the Christian faith! The crying, chanting, running around, gives me the shivers at Church. But what hurts me most of all is there complete lack of interest of learning new things, and the development of ones own ideas. (Also the concept of Hell is found in the New Testament not the Old).

[rjohson]

my sentiments exactly just this morning i tried having a conversation with my wife about the new ideas im learning on you tube regarding god religion and mans purpose on earth; as usallal they shot me down and said i was nuts for considering some of the concepts brought forth by african centered scholars regarding the subject.

[undertehlaw]

Interesting video. Can you explain what you meant at 1:52 about selfishness? I don't understand and it might be because of my non Christian background.

[rjohson]

what i ment about selfishness is that; im appreciative; of the fct that god woke me up this morning in good health and right state of mind; and that he has blessed me with a good job and provides me with food clothing; shelter; but not to the point where im in church jumping and shouting and crying and falling out on the floor like they do in some of the black pentecostal and baptist churches. and when i say that i dont mean it in a selfish manner, thats what a loving father does anyway.

[LoutheFinger]

@rjohson Suggestion: if you want to persuade people, take the time to edit your first draft. It shows that you care about what you are trying to communicate. You should capitalize properly, learn the difference between a semi-colon and a comma, and make sure not to leave out any necessary words. For example "...good health and right state..." should be "...good health and IN THE right state of mind."

[rjohson]

ill keep that in mind true i do need to work on grammer in punctuation; but i believe the majority of people who read what i write have no trouble understanding where im coming from.

[LoutheFinger]

@rjohson Obviously yes, indeed I understood you well enough to reply. My point here, as I said, is regarding persuasion.

[LoutheFinger]

@rjohson That being said, I reject your premise. You feel thankful to god for waking you up in good health and with all your necessities? What about all the good people who woke up this morning suffering in squalid conditions being neglected by their corrupt governments? What about people born with degenerative hereditary diseases who are bound to a lifetime of pain and discomfort or worse? Should they be thankful to god?

[rjohson]

to be honest with you; now that i think about it, no they shouldnt be thanking god if they were in that position, but remeber the story of job he suffered tremendously yet he remained loyal and faithful to god.

[LoutheFinger]

@rjohson Yes he does, in fact Job takes part by offering his daughters to the guards to be raped. And to make matters worse (and my point only stronger) remember that the reason all of these terrible things are happening to Job and his neighbors is that God and Lucifer are having a bet about the limits of faith. God is therefore directly responsible for the torture he hopes Job's faith will endure. God is portrayed here as the most callous tyrant imaginable. What a perfectly revolting story.

[LoutheFinger]

@rjohson What if such a person were a close friend or loved-one of yours, would you still thank god for your needs being met and not theirs?

Furthermore, does god really deserve credit for your job and your house and your clothes? What about the person who hired you? What about the architect and the skilled laborers who built your house? What about the person likely much poorer than yourself who made your clothing out of fabrics also crafted by other poor folks.

[rjohson]

i was always taught, to god be the glory yes i have to thank him for everything. he deserves credit for ery breath that i take.

[LoutheFinger]

@rjohson I'm not interested in what you were taught as much as I am in what YOU THINK about my question, which you have neglected to answer.

[LoutheFinger]

@rjohson If you ask me, it is you who sounds selfish.

[rjohson]

why am i selfish? because to god i give all the glory?

[richter75]

@rjohson Yes, the definiton of selfishness is when all you do is to your own good.

[TuPaCaLyPsE1872]

I have easy answer for your question. They have been brainwashed and deluded by pastors, reverands or what have you. These lowly sheep put so much faith in these people since theyre the messengers or god, they take what they say completely literally, i feel so bad for these poor deluded zombies.

[kberka]

Welcome aboard! You are now a member of the fastest growing non-faith based religion ever created by human kind. New Atheism. Enjoy it! You are not alone.

The US Supreme Court has ruled that Atheism must be considered a Religion in order to come under court authority for first amendment protection by the first amendment law. Therefore, presto, Atheism is religion. Even though it is non-faith based religion, it still gets to be religion. The court is the final arbiter. Cheers!

[rjohson]

you make my point very clear with your cynical sarcastic comment; here i am posing a question to provoke thought and discussion; and you wannas call me an atheist; not that im offended; but because i question the reasonablenist of the bible, and of god all of a sudden i dont have faith. does not the bible in the book of timothy says to prove all things?

[Aspartame69]

keep questioning, you will be an atheist soon enough. The only thing that will prevent this, is people calling you stupid and telling you that you cannot understand god and that you shouldnt question it.

[rjohson]

Im not trying to become an athiest, and i do believe in a supreme being commonly known as god; but my point is we have been lied to about who god is, and how is he/she is supposed to be revered.

[Aspartame69]

Agreed, all religions are based on stories that have their origins in oral tradition since before the written word. As such, the current incarnations of religion are false.

As for this force know as god, ill wait for some evidence before i see any reason to accept it.

[JasonERF]

Faith- believe in something without evidence is overrated. Definitely keep questioning.

[rjohson]

im not suggesting we shouldnt have faith; you have to have faith in something; can cant live in this world distrusting and being sceptical about every single thing; but there is tons of intelligent agrugements suggesdting that the historical jesus never existed.

[Aspartame69]

Humans wrote the bible, so they cannot write anything that is beyond human comprehension. Humans can write things that make no sense though.

The pressure you feel to conform to how the others in your church behave so as not to feel left out, is the exact same pressure that made them happy clappy bible thumpers. They are ALL faking is to one degree or another...

[rjohson]

for god to create humans; and know which ones he is going to sent to burn in hell forever before hand is beyond human comprehension. lets say the bible is true; and lets say i lusting after beyounce or fantasha; and i finally get lucky and get to fuck both of them even tho im married. im supposed to burn in hell forever for that?

[Aspartame69]

god knowing who he is sending to hell before they are born is not beyond human understanding, it just makes no sense.

As far as the bible is concerned, lusting after and fucking is the exact same thing. But we know that fucking is miles better than lusting in real life :)

The only punishment are ones we receive when we are alive. If you feel guilty for cheating on your wife, then it could be said that your are living in a hell that your conscience created for you.

[rjohson]

i like your answer; i was using the fucking as just an example; but is a devout jew or muslim going to burn in hell forever because they havent accepted jesus christ as their lord and savoir?

[Katalyzt]

Reasonable questions and statements... ★★★★★

P.S.

Keep questioning...

Katalyzt

[rjohson]

thankyou for your kind comment