The funny thing about all those morality issues is that all the godly revelations to correct a specific wrong came with or shortly after the (secular) enlightenment...
hitler was catholic and supported by the catholic church and the soldiers belts had "god with us" on them AND 1-2/3 of the nazi army was of a christian denomination but its irrelevent to what religion hitler was he is an asshole leave it at that
GamerNato, he was definitely an asshole. What I can't believe, is the idiots that followed him, when according to the Nazi laws, he couldn't be allowed in any public office.
Marilyn Newman exactly but most of the time the soldiers were either forced into service or were angry because for the first 6 months of the war the allies specifically targeted civilians in bombings after that THEN hitter started ordering attacks on things other than military fortifications
Herbie Stacy Hitler had no recoverable diaries, though some famous hoax diaries appeared (and were debunked) in the 1980s. And even those forgeries had nothing about Satan's Bible.
Herbie Stacy Uh....you do know the Satanic Bible was written in 1969, right? I would have been REAL hard for Hitler to have that on his bedside table unless he had a fricking Delorean.
Michael Dennis us humans have "God's DNA" because we are in "His direct image", so in the physical body aspect we are like Him but we are mortal at the same time!!!!! When JC came & was born Mary gave Him 23 chromsones of her egg, but the other 23 came from God!!!! This is why He was not only "fully God but also fully human"!!!!! That is why His blood was acceptable for the atonement of sin! The animal sacrifices only put off the judgement of God!!!! However after thousands of years "a more perfect sacrifice" (JC) had to come & pay the "final price"!!!!!! This is why us Christians do no animal sacrifices like the ancient Jews did because of JC!!!!! The book of Hebrews in the N.T. of the Bible outlines this situation! BTW besides the Jews & Christians, there were the "Devout" & a "Devout Folk Monotheism" excisted, older than Judaism & Christianity!!!! So true religion is a "trinity"----FYI !!!!!!
RonSafreed i like the perspective of "God's DNA" made in his image, but i'd say that's all DNA, since He made everything. God is creativite, and it looks like all His creations are also creative! Evolution is a great example of that. Even empty space is creative -- one of the biggest surprises of modern science imao. Folk monotheism... have to look that up... personally i think regular folk are often more godly in their behavior than preachers or bishops.
N Marbletoe I as a Christian believe in "micro-evolution"---evolution within a particular specie(example)---all the sizes &shapes & colors of dogs! Not "mega-evolution " like man coming from primates!!!!! This folk monotheism excisted in some cultures into the twentieth century & did not come out of Judaism but Judaism came out of the folk monotheism! One book is "Eternity In Their Hearts by Don Richardson & another book by Auther Custance & their is other information! BTW this Devout Folk Monotheism was the original religion with all folk at one time! Other religions came as a result of falling away from this devout aspect of not worshiping the creator but worshipping the creation & creatures instead of the creator!FYI
RonSafreed oh lord this nonsense again. Okay. What would you call two sets of the same species, that, given enough time, "microevolved" hundreds of millions of times to the point where they did not look anything alike?
I really like what Don said about how the initial intense interest in atheism will fade. I hope it does; I'm sort of obsessed with the subject right now lol. It's addicting.
I've been an atheist for about 2 years, maybe a couple months more, and I can agree that the initial zeal does die down. I still very much enjoy debating people and still watch plenty of debating videos, but as Don said, the conviction with which I would do so has diminished slowly. It's simply becoming part of who I am, and I'm enjoying every bit of it. Huge thanks to people like Dillahunty for being public figures and promoting free thinking and skepticism.
It's been a year... has it faded yet? I identified as an atheist after 9/11 simply because I finally took a hard look at what religion does to people. If I had to identify myself before 9/11, I was an agnostic deist (not that I would have even _known_ that label back then). I said all that because I still do have an intense interest in this subject. I do agree with ExternalTooth that the conviction with which I argue has diminished.
GeneralZod99 I mostly have left the subject behind, but surprisingly, there was a recent period of a few weeks where the passion returned and I found myself watching atheist videos everyday and starting new arguments, etc. I recently snapped out of it lol. But yeah, other than that little episode it's mostly become a background subject for me. I've learned how to channel my passion into areas more important to me.
GeneralZod99 I was going agnostig 40 plus years ago, however teachings about the modern nation of Isreal being fulfillment of Bible prophecy kept me from continueing towards atheism! Skeptics before 1948, including atheist did not believe Isreal was going to become a nation & they mocked Christians that were saying that Bible prophecy was being fulfilled! The main purpose for the modern nation of Isreal coming back is because JC is coming back to rule this world for the "Millenium" & many churches totally ignore the Millenium! I understand Genesis, the flood of Noah, putting human world history with Bible history & the future with the Millenium coming!!!!! "They will beat their swords into plowshares & their spears into pruning hooks & they shall study war no more"! The Millenium is going to be a time of peace/health/prosperity/opportunity like never before in human history!!!!! Just wanted to let you know !!!!!!
RonSafreed Israel becoming a nation again is a perfect example of a self-fulfilling prophecy. People were _actively_ trying to make it happen. BTW, agnosticism and atheism are not mutually exclusive. You can be an agnostic believer. Agnosticism is not some middle ground. You either believe or you don't. You either claim to _know_ or don't. Agnosticism/gnosticism relates to know what you claim to know or what you claim _can_ be known. Theism/atheism relates to what you believe/not believe.
Statistically the majority were jewish people, and the killings of non-jews wasn't really relevant to his argument, so it wouldn't have added anything.
paul morgan How can you possibly jump to that conclusion from my question? I said that 'people were slaughtered'. Does that sound like someone is denying the holocaust?
what is your evidence that Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of the OT? For example, what's your evidence for the virgin birth? I am sure you won't just quote the gospel, because one section of a book does not prove another true in absence of external proof. Any book of fiction can contain a prophecy in chapter 1 and its fulfillment in chapter 10. Also, if God is Jesus' dad, how can Jesus be the descendant of David? How do you account for Jesus' failed prophecies [like Matthew 16: 27, 28]?
~ Thank you, Matt and Don, for defining the null hypothesis. Many people like myself (I guess) come to TAE to gain knowledge. I laugh and cringe at many callers, but the TAE reps always are fascinating. Cheers, DAVEDJ ~
My beautiful daughter was raised without religion. She is an incredibly good person. She sees wrongs, they bother her, she takes action if she can. She's seriously dating a catholic. Not devout but semi-practicing. He says it's a deal breaker if she does't become a catholic. Upsets me! Problem? I adore him in every other respect. She'll have to do the school thing, convert, take a test. He admits she can't flunk the test or fail. Also that she really doesn't have to believe. Why bother then?
but this has not been the reading of almost all Christian denominations for centuries. And other justifications to hate the Jews have been based on the NT too. Again, so you are saying that almost all of history of Christianity did not get it right?
Great video's, i was raised a strict Catholic but in my early teens i discovered free thought and thru time became an atheist but i find details i dont know or things i'm ignorant off are made clear with some of your vids. Keep up the good work of enlightening people + spreading the practise of thinking + evaluating, rather than blind faith. Au revoir !
ymistillavirgin there are parts that are true, and that’s what keeps Christians clinging on to their belief. Sure, I can accept a certain king or ruler was real but I can’t accept supernatural hocus pocus.
Thank you. These 'discussions' often dissolve my hopes of mankind's ability to think rationally and it helps to know someone else can see the insanity spewing all over the floor. Support from people like you reminds me, we should not be angry at them, merely pity them. The hole in their logical thought is enormous and someone else put it there. There is hope for every one of them, but they won't understand that until they are out of it.
The snail scenario is even more easily explained; These were water-dwelling snails, and these Snails build their shells in a unique way -they take carbon from the water, (and so the sediment dissolved in it) rather than the atmosphere. To put it basically, this doesn't "reset" the C-14 timer. What was actually dated was the age of the rock the water passed over (In this case the Limestone which has very low levels of C-14 anyway so the scale used was also incorrect)
@kittykatBflat That's nice, but Matt does, which is why he brought it up. That's why he bumped it to the front of the line - because he was being considerate.
We do speak out against this. Matt has on many occasions stated that he is against ALL religions, and has specifically spoken out against Islam. The content of the show is primarily guided by the personal experience of the hosts and the arguments presented by the callers. When a Moslem caller rings in then the hosts debate their theology too. We're not going easy on any religion, we're mostly responding to the people that give us personally the most grief... which is mainly Christians.
the first 4 mins were used for promotion, why bother forcing us to hear it if we want more info about it we will find it, put yur links and promo at the end so we have a choice if we want to hear it
THANK YOU Don for mentioning that the issue of abortion is not an Atheist issue! This is the first time I've ever seen and Atheist admit that.(Although I do agree with your comment about context).
The problem is defining what a "Christian" is. He was baptized & confirmed in the Catholic Church, and his writings as an adult reflected a reverence for God and Jesus, and was never excommunicated and never disavowed his faith. Since the things that Christians believe are all over the map, how can one tell? Killing Jews was a time honored Christian tradition at the time, so you can't disqualify him there. Wars of conquest were also standard fare so that's OK too. In what way was he different?
@Drunkenprophet23 I think you're possibly incorrect, in that the Christian religion endorsed, and used the bible as backing for attacking jews. I'm not certain if you're suggesting that the Bible, being able to be misinterpreted, is an unreliable source, but that might be more damning than the obvious religious prejudice.
@sned10000 As an atheist, I think Hitler was neither a Catholic nor an atheist. But he clearly incorporated Christian symbolism and other references to "Lord" in his writings. Whatever his beliefs were, what does it say about the millions of German Christians who believed that he was a Christian/Catholic? Can they not distinguish a member of their own faith?
I can attest to at least one individual case of Baltic anti-semitism. I lived with a Lithuanian for a year, and his gripe was basically that the Jewish victims of the Nazis got all the press, while Lithuanian victims have been largely overlooked.
then you are saying than most Christians throughout history were not real Christians, and therefore that almost all of Christianity was not Christianity. How and when then did the real Christianity emerge, and, since Christianity seems to go through so many forms and phases, how do you know that your definition of Christianity is the correct one?
@Multimorten Thing is, I am not claiming which parts of the bible is "right or wrong physically and historically." Can't really say, I just know analogies are used to describe things, and analogies were often used, like "like a thief in the night." It's quite possible to use an analogy within an analogy. I just know there is something partially in this existence, like a prisoner's hands reaching out from beyond the bars, wanting out, trying any possible way to break free or fully exist here.
Suprised that Matt and Don didn't pick up Jacob on his "all the species suddenly appeared in the Cambrian". The statement is categorically incorrect. The major phyla occured but not the species. The jawed fish was the highest form that appeared in the Cambrian.
No more convenient than committing an atrocity and claiming it was God's will. That is the ultimate dodge of personal accountability for one's own actions.
you can take my points however you wish (by definition a point cannot be pointless surely), however to dismiss them so readily does indicate you're not that interested in understanding other peoples' perspectives (or even your own). may i ask how it is you believe in the bible so literally?
@mythicalhell Problem is, I'm not Christian. I'm Gnostic, don't confuse that with Christian Gnosticism. There really isn't any known origin of Gnosticism except the Greek origin of the word for gnosis, but the meaning goes far back way before that. Only the hypothesis that Gnosticism was what started some of the very first religions.
The reason why it doesn't always give accurate results for short periods of time is for two main reasons. 1.) It is tested on inappropriate samples (eg marine life. We have other ways of testing this) 2.) It is tested on contaminated samples. There are actually no non-marine examples of these crazily aged samples that I could find. (The snails you were referring to were marine-snails) Please point me towards some though if you have any.
Seriously I'm thankful for people standing up voluntarily for their fellow people, the rights of children, and the protection of human knowledge, especially in the face of any opposition to these goals and real social oppression. Religion is not so evangelical where I live, and is not an apparent issue in politics, so I may seem insensitive. I can assure you I am shocked and frightened by the power of fundamental evangelical Christianity in the US of A. Well done! My fear is that this fundamentalism extends much further upstream politically here than is apparent. (Canada) Oh, and the whole alien deal...
"So by your logic bro if someone did want to be raped or killed then that would be alright?" Think about what you're saying. You can't "want to be raped", that's a self-contradictory statement. Nobody has ever wanted to be raped. When it comes to morality, I agree with Oliver Wendell Holmes, he said "Your right to swing your arm ends just where the other man's nose begins." Basically, do what you want as long as you don't harm anyone. The act of rape is causing someone else harm.
i'm trying to see the source for his info is credible or if he's just another one of those 'historians' who don't do any research at all and make things up.
Luther wasn't trying to force the Jews to convert, he just thought that, once they understood the "real" message of Christianity (i.e. his interpretation), they'd flock to be converted. When this didn't happen he lashed out like a rejected lover with "The Jews and Their Lies" but he didn't base his hatred on their race but rather on their belief. Every true believer hates disbelievers and those who believe in alternate ideologies.
Actually, if you are religious, when you don't know the answer that doesn't mean "I don't know" it means "God did it", and unfortunately the vast majority of Americans believe that this is called wisdom instead of ignorance...
I'm not sure what your point is or if you even have one from your reply. If you're trying to say what you believe in then can you please say something concrete. Cheers.
The Cambrian "explosion" actually took about 25 million years. Yes this is quick with regards to the normal process of evolution but it does give plenty of time for different forms of life to diverse into many different niches that existed without any divergent forms to exploit them! As one niche was filled (ie grazers of sea flora, or carnivorous fauna began to consume the grazers) others began to exploit the niches that weren't being used. Therefore these organisms changed themselves (through natural processes) to enable them to exploit these niches. Hence an "explosion". This does not take into account punctuated evolution where organisms rapidly change to be able to survive a sudden (literally sudden) change in habitat, ie land suddenly becoming an inland lake through an inundation of water. Therefore organisms that can swim survive the ones that can't don't.
@GypsyLeah and did you watch the last episode of this Show. Matt explains Jeff believing that humans will gain immortality. Which Mat even explains that is fiction. so let's how to become a basic Deity. "immortal being" Supernatural or etc. Supernatural meaning "departing from what is usual or normal especially so as to appear to transcend the laws of nature" people having immortally in a physical sense isn't normal or usual. So where was I wrong about Jeff being a theist or future theist?
@Symos Actually that theory was about a rapid growth of evolution. It kinda contradicted the theory of natural selection until natural selection theory allowed evolution of natural selection after intentional physical altercations. Not much is know to why it happened, just basically nothing but hypothesis that is mostly related to rapid mutations caused by radiation, while more in the metaphysical realm, something like Final Fantasy 7 and 12's meteorite tainting of earth's life stream.
Firstly, it was mussels, not snails. Secondly, the reason the shells cannot be tested properly was discovered. It's because the shells of mussels incorporate carbon from minerals in surrounding water, in this case limestone. Thus, the much older sediment making up the shell gives false dates. As for the mammoth, C-14 dating is only reliable for lengths of time of about 20 thousand years. Longer than that, and dating using other materials with longer half-lives become the preferred method.
"Why did Jesus say "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them." (Matthew 5:17)?" END QUOTE: Do you honestly think that Jesus is contradicting the OT when he say's that the NT is a 'BETTER COVENANT'!? (Heb 8:6). Please don't cherry pick, read the whole bible in it's entirety and in context with the whole before making crass judgments (Psalm 139:17).
i am just telling you how God changed my life. I was a drug addict and addicted to alcohol and sex, but God healed me of all my addictions. I know that He is there watching over me.
On the other hand, there are some Buddhists who reject these metaphysical claims, but retain others, and I think calling them "supernaturalists" would be proper. Finally, there are also Buddhists who reject all the metaphysical assertions of Buddhism completely, and view it is a philosophy for living a good life. Not only do I feel this is totally reconcilable with atheism and skepticism of the supernatural in general, but I also think that there are some good philosophical values there.
Why? Please read this as legitimate inquiry. I've seen people sling verses to support their positions on either side of the "do all the Old Testament stuff." As a primary example, OT has the no shellfish thing, but Jesus says something about what goes into a man isn't what makes him unclean. I'm paraphrasing, of course, but then later (before?) Jesus says Heaven and Earth shall pass away before a single letter of the laws are changed. Maybe I'm missing something, but that seems confusing.
@thewayofthecookie It's rude to leave a discussion before it is completed. Should I take your abandonment of the English language as an indication that you are defeated and wish to end the discussion on that basis?
Recently, I discovered that saying: "Atheists like Mao and Stalin who performed terrible acts were just as to blame as Christians in the Inquisition or Islamic extremists". This seems like it makes sense, but not really. Religious people use god as their motivation, but atheists don't have any motivation by their atheism. They must first decide what to do, then act. But theists often don't decide; they must do what god wants, and then they do it.
"If I defined morality, I would be an immoral person. God defines morality," Without engaging critical thinking on moral problems you can't even begin to be a moral agent, and saying God defines morality is both to declare yourself a slave. It also implies that morality has no necessary relationship with anything you think is important. You are just following orders, and apparently would even if you were told to burn priest daughters for imaginary sex offenses.(Leviticus 21:9).
The worst is how they say that removing In God We Trust from the Pledge of Allegiance would be promoting atheism when in reality it would just no longer promote their religion. Or how they want to "teach the controversy" of evolution and ID in the classroom but would riot at the idea of teaching the controversy of atheism vs. theism in the church. They really are the epitome of the double standard in all its whiny and uneducated glory.
The Bible says we are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God, that is why we need a Savior. God came to to Earth in the form of a man named Jesus to save us from our sins. He suffered and died on a cross so that through him, we could be set free from the bondage and weight of sin.
As to the "subjective experience" analogy, I've had OBE's before and found that even when I focused on nothing, I could induce them. Here's an excellent article highlighting the "God induction" effect: In psychology today an article called: galvanizing-ghosts. As to the things you used to do, I suspect that most mundane, biological reasons are the catalyst. As to not understanding any spiritual experience, I can't accept divine intervention if it happens so subjectively.
but this quote doesn't refer Hitler's belief, it just refers the role of christianity on polytheist. Do you remember having read something about what kind of God these were? i'm asking because you might be misinterpreting Hitlers admiration with other religions specifically the Hindu and Islam, but didn't admire the God's just some of its principles.
The moon is currently moving away from the Earth. With the way space works, (aka -no friction) this means it has been doing this for a while unless an external force has disrupted the system. (That would have to be big; big enough to leave a big mark, and there aren't any) So if the moon is moving away from the earth then it stands to reason that it was probably closer to the earth before. Is that not totally logical in every way, or am I missing something here?
You're changing the subject now. You literally said that Josephus is evidence that Jesus "performed miracles and died on a cross", but Josephus didn't see Jesus perform miracles or die on a cross. We were talking about the divinity of Jesus, whether he performed miracles and whether he was the son of God, but now you're telling me that you're just proving the historicity of Jesus? I never claimed that Jesus never existed, so what is your point there? We're not talking about whether he existed.
@Multimorten Seems I'm not the only one nuts about the number either. There was research done that when it came to students picking a number from 1-20, 17 was the most common number chosen. Seems that Even some of the greatest minds also had a thing for the number 17. In mathematics the number even has some attributes that is uncommon with rest of the prime numbers. Check it out for yourself.
Hughjarce the ad calendar was started in 536 ad. As for Jesus's birth being foretold diont u think the people who wrote the gospels actually read isiah?
All the evil, and misery of life can be likened to scaffolding on a building. While creation is in progress, the scaffolding is an eye-sore, and serves NO PRACTICAL PURPOSE except the creation of the building. When the building is completed, we tear down the ugly scaffolding and throw it away, it serves no more useful purpose to our completed building, EVER. And so we read that even DEATH, the LAST ENEMY, will be ABOLISHED (I Cor. 15:26)!! I hope this helps your understanding a little better.
