Never say this to an atheist!
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ก.ค. 2024
- Never tell an atheist that they were never a true believer. In this video, I talk about my background as a religious fundamentalist and a true-blue believer. When you tell someone that they were never a real Christian, Muslim, Mormon, etc. You're negating their past and being rude and pretentious. Plus it's a no true Scotsman fallacy!
Check out my videos about:
Speaking in Tongues - • Crazy Pastors Speaking...
Faith Healing - • Faith Healing Debunked
Prophecy - • Can prophecy predict t...
Become a Patron & Support my work, if you like my videos: / holykoolaid
Make a one-time donation to Holy Koolaid: www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_...
Subscribe to GM Skeptic Here: / @geneticallymodifiedsk...
Subscribe to Telltale Atheist Here: / @owenmorgantelltale
Join my newsletter: www.holykoolaid.com/newsletter/
--
Get Holy Koolaid Merchandise: teespring.com/stores/holykoolaid
+ Twitter: @holykoolaid
SUBSCRIBE
+ Please Subscribe to my channel: goo.gl/ie3EZh
Science is greater than Dogma. Don't Drink the Koolaid!
Want to know how I broke free or my religious indoctrination? Watch the followup to this video - my wild ride of a journey out of religion: th-cam.com/video/9t8MhsE4vW4/w-d-xo.html
I would be more interested in how you now find a balance between not getting indoctrinated again but still be able to learn new things from other people. Since the one you broke free from is not the only one out there. The hard atheists seem to be equally indoctrinated to me.
Holy koolaid. My friend im sorry that religious people got to you before jesus did. They dont have him in their hearts. Religious people dont know the truth they are false teachers
@Peter Kazavis
What is the relevance of the year 2009 in this context?
Holy Koolaid I am not sure if you know this. But that whole “Oh you weren’t really a Christian.” Comment that is said is in all actuality said specifically to piss you off or make you mad or upset. It’s because once you are angry or feeling some type of strong emotion to that your brain can shut down thinking. So it throws you off in the conversation and is an attempt to purposefully insult you.
THANK YOU for this. THANK YOU for sharing your story. AMAZING.
"You were never a Christian" is my least favorite comment of all.
Well i see it NOW as a kind of badge of honor. Christians do so much dubious shit in the defense of their beliefs that not being one of the lot sounds better than I deserve to be called :D But as i wanted SO much to belong to the "in crowd" when i was young I see your point. When you actually try to become a better believer yourself and invest a lot of emotions and work into trying to convince yourself it hurts to hear "well you are not good enough and all your effort is wasted you'll never belong to us"...
Still best thing that ever happend to me, giving up on that desire!
@@Ugly_German_Truths true
identity politics yay
@Ad Lockhorst That is (I would argue) due to the fact that the mormons are not very known in the EU.
Most people I know from university would have to look up what mormons belief is in prior to answering it. And most I have talked about cults vs religions admit that mormons are "christian" - in the sense of believing in Jesus christ - but are a mior sect within christianity.
But here is another one.
Depending on where you are in the US, people would argue that catholics are no christians.
It in general comes down to a no true scotsman fallacy.
Religiouspeople "denounce" any denomination they deem to be weird or dangerous "not a real XYZ" so they don't have to adress the topic at hand and in course of that would have to defend their version of XZY.
I've witnessed that with many of my family members, when talking about baptist churches: They are not christians they are twisted cults who don't even follow official christian teachings.
And even my uncle who married a lutheran protestant as a catholic back in the 80s was on the brink of beeing denounced because he married a "non-true-christian".
So anyone who says "xzy is not a christian" has brought on the burden of prove on themself to define what a christian is and why XYZ is not. Because I as an atheist take people at face value, if they believe that Jesus is the son of god, who died for humanity and therefore is Christ, is a christian in my book. Just another denomination of christian who can't seem to get a hang on what it is the bible teaches.
The cult I joined taught that non members were not true believers, and that anyone who ever left the cult was not a true believer to begin with. So, they had an air tight doctrine right there; you could never know if your heart was true until you died in faith. That's pretty damn convenient for discrediting former members like me!
When the atheist video you're watching gets interrupted by a Prager U ad.......
Get AdBlock.
@@julietfischer5056 no. Ads are vital for channels like this to exist!
@@magnuspeacock5857 - A lot of people don't realize the channel creator can't control the ads they complain about. Even after it's explained, some of them don't get it (or pretend not to understand just so they can make a dumb claim).
Which is why Holy Koolaid can talk about his upbringing and how he turned away from it, and ads for Prager U or some other 'The Bible is 100% true and accurate and has no inconsistencies' indoctrination factory.
@@julietfischer5056 taking money from bullshit and giving it to the good.
Just laugh and let it play as the pay for the atheist video ;)
When I talked about how I was being sexually harassed and catcalled, I was told a wasn't a real Christian because all I ever talked about was sex. My bible study leader was a narcissist and a jerk. I love being free from the church.
So sorry to hear about that
Exploitative misogyny is a foul legacy of religion.
I’m so sorry that happened.
Ewww. Yuck, ur leader was probably the 1 catcalling u. Lol.
I can relate to your story, but I was unlucky to be part of a more dangerous type of religious group. I was raised as a Muslim in a strict and religious family, and I've also experienced religion from the very inside of it. The only problem is that even though I'm pretty much independent from my family now and I live in a less religious country, I still can't come out as an atheist. I fear to be judged and hated by my family, or even worse than that - being attacked by other Muslims or even by the government of the country where my parents live and which I sometimes visit.
For several years I was thinking about creating my own youtube channel and sharing my sincere views and feelings on different topics including religion, but I don't do that out of fear of my identity being revealed.
If you guys can come out as an atheist and still be in a good relationship with your relatives, then you should know that there are people like me out there who just don't have that luxury.
Thank you for reading my story.
Please, be safe. I'm sure I don't need to tell you this but just in case, you have no duty to come out. If it puts you in a dangerous situation, and that most definitely seems to be the case, then you should not do it.
Your personal safety is the one priority and unlike religious people, we don't need martyrs.
Sorry to hear it.
Yet we read that all gods are loving , don't we ?
I feel so sorry for you mate. My catholic family still loves me. When they found out i am an atheist.
I hope you will.always be safe.
we haven't told our grandmother even, rip, be safe man.
The fact that you where such a devoted christian and came to enlightenment gives me hope for the rest of this world.
Nothing enlightening or hopeful about atheism. Spiritual cyanide. Sucks all meaning and purpose out of life.
Atheism Kills I live a content life without believing in your sky fairy, please, tell me why I could not be
@@leroture7750 I don't believe in a sky fairy you dishonest atheist liar. Try being honest about what I believe. Liars suck
@atheism kills Enlightenment is the ability to reason. Also, the act of not believing in a god can't kill anyone.
You are in desperate need of Enlightenment.
@@antoniosandoval6269 Atheists have atrocious reasoning skills. Nothing enlightened about atheist foolishness.
Believing No God exists evacuates all foundations for any possible moral reality, moral truth, real human significance and real moral consequence for how we live our lives. Atheism reduces our existence to a purposeless, meaningless, temporary accident awaiting annihilation. It matters nothing how we live or die as it all ends exactly the same no matter how we live - if no God exists. Morality itself is reduced to a subjective human delusion about things not true in reality. There is no reason for an atheist to place false delusions of morality above his personal appetites - and they don't. There is no foundation for human rights without God.
Atheists Stalin, Lenin, Mao, Pol Pot, Castro, Kim Jong II. Mussolini, Milosevic, Ceausescu, et al have slaughtered and starved over 100 MILLION and brutally repressed BILLIONS under horrific atheist regimes this past century alone. Atheism is morally bankrupt and depraved if taken seriously. No way atheists should be trusted with power over free people
Actually, I never was a believer. Wasn't indoctrinated, and never believed. Ever. I think that my case might be a relatively rare one.
Well, i also never believed, for me religion was only historical.
I was christeninged as protestant, Lutheranian. In fact i didnt want to go to church, and most times we where only going there only 2 times per year.
Since july 2018 i am officially atheist!
Still, it is good to know your experience is possible.
@DrumWild Nope, it was the same with me. Never really believed but I still had my communion.
Me too.
All of my grand parents and both my parents were Atheist. None of my relatives were religious. The whole religious belief 'thing' has been a total illogical non starter for me. Atheism has never been an issue - I never used to give it a second thought until I stumbled upon the Atheist Experience show on You Tube. I find it strangely fascinating that you have to have these debates in the USA. It really isn't an issue in the UK and most of Europe. I feel sorry for Americans.
"You were never a Christian" is meant to hurt, humiliate, and diminish the one who is the target of this invective, funny thing is the one who hurls this is the lesser person than the recipient.
I think it is more to boost the ego of the person speaking, I.e. ‘you were never a true Christian, but I am… ‘
I’m so impressed you broke free from such an intense upbringing.
He didn't have the genetics to become addicted.
I can't say I've ever been as deep in religion as he was, but in my own personal experience, it was my yearning to be closer to god (and therefor studying the bible more intensely) that made evident the lies of the very book I was always taught COULD NOT lie. Ever since then, I've found several other athiest/ex-christians with similar experiences. Imho, most christians don't care to really study the bible, but simply feel safe in their belief. Also imho, when you really get to know the bible (I can't personally speak of any other book of lies) you have only one of two ways to go; hypocrite, or athiest.
There is no macro evolution, there is only regular and mega evolution.(And none of them move Pokemon to another egg group!)
Those people should really pick up some Pokemon games...
Lmao nice. Too bad they did away with breeding in the latest gen...
it's all about DNA digivolution
@musesesese really? Good to know, thanks!
Then explain how Nidoqueen and Nidoking can't breed, clear signs of speciation
Not according to Ken Ham.
He believes in super-mega-evolution, that produced all breeds of cat in a couple centuries from one proto-kitty pair.
Yes, even tigers.
There's something so admirable about ex-faithful atheists who really thought things through. I feel like they've done the legwork. I was introduced to Christianity early on but I remember even as a 6yo child I just didn't get it. People who took religion seriously were either goofy or scary to me. I've always been agnostic/atheist inside and left church after barely attending for years when I turned 18.
Awesome! I'm a 3rd generation atheist. But I have friends and family that are stuck with the same feelings that you described
I started out agnostic and was convinced by the internal and external evidences found in the Bible. It's a fascinating course of study if you can approach it from an unbiased standpoint --- and I mean that from both sides of the coin. Don't go in thinking you want to find out it's true, nor you want to disprove it. Do the research, study, and cross reference it with other texts of the time periods... and draw your own conclusions. Too many people are lazy and just believe what they hear others say about it. I went on a search for myself. I didn't listen to Christian opinions and I didn't listen to agnostics. As a result, I personally came away with the knowledge that most church denominations have it all wrong... there is so much they are just making up as they go along! For instance, watch these tv preachers who like to say god is "telling" them something. That is code for "I don't what I'm talking about and this isn't in the Bible. Your mileage may vary.
Same story,could never understand a God being in charge of everything and never show itself. I found so many holes and stupid reasons to disbelieve that by around 9 years old I knew that I wouldn't want to be involved in their nonsense. 🎉
I left the church and came out as gay in 2022 at 34. I had stopped believing years ago but felt stuck. I was a theology student and my last two years in the church was as a pastor. There is something special about atheists/agnostic, like you , Drew & I, who are learned former Christians. Keep up the good work!
Great video, man. You were WAY in there, as deep as it goes.
Have you ever made a video going into more depth about the process of deconverting? I'm interested in what sparked it and how long it all took.
Yo, nonstampcollector I love your videos! Good to see you're still around.
Come back! I miss you! Sandy misses you! Even Squidward misses you!
Yep. It's next in my list of videos to make.
Oh shit nonstampcollector The og is here
@@HolyKoolaid you were assuredly in deeper than i was. however, at one point i did believe i was the next jesus christ. my introduction to thermodynamics set me to questioning how matter cannot be created or destroyed if the bible were true. since matter cannot be created or destroyed, the bible must not be factual. of course it went beyond that before i became an "atheist".
You don't choose to believe stuff, you're either convinced or not. And if you're not convinced of a thing and say you are, that's just self deception.
I don't know that one can't choose to believe something. I see the conditioning all around me and I've been conditioned myself for a very long time to believe some things and reject others. Call it self-deception or cognitive dissonance or whatever, but it is a conscious process.
thank you for bringing that up.
i'm not entirely sure.
certainly a rational being will not "pick" what is desireable but accept what seems most realistic.
i do think it's possible that very irrational beings can influence their own perception of reality. like hallucinating where the subconscious desire actually deceives the senses.
to me, whether i like a world view or not has zero relevance. i will accept the worst world view as real if there are convincing arguments. even if i hate it.
i have heard people say "i believe this because it sounds [insert positive emotion]". this terrible pseudologic disgusts me. some people actually think their preferences determine reality. it makes me sick.
i always say my atheism is not a choice but an inevitable conclusion. choice is an expression of will, but my will plays no role.
that's why if a christian were to tell me that i "chose hell" as a justification, he would be just wrong.
@CH2517Joan But that's the point. If you condition people into believing something, they're convinced. You can't spontaneously decide that gravity isn't real and then switch back to knowing it's real a moment later. You can _say_ you stopped momentarily, but you can't switch belief on and off like a light.
Even the idiot flat earther people don't one day decide on a whim to stop believing that things fall down when you let go of them. They have to be convinced, even if it's by terrible, childish arguments, that gravity isn't real.
The most foolish believer in nonsense who abandoned reason in favor of idiocy didn't take a shower and go "Hmm. I'm bored. I believe Jesus is my lord and savior now DEATH TO INFIDELS!", they have to rely on a build-up of ignorance and misinformation in order to have any chance of ever being converted.
I tried to convince myself, it didn't work.
@@EdwardHowton I think what you're saying is true to an extent, but I think in order to be deceivedthey have to _want_ to be deceived. In order to be deceived there's usually a _want_ first. Like, for example, love. Or a perfect father. Or to live forever.
Were any of y'all religious before you became atheists? How do you feel when someone tells you, "You were never a true believer?"
I used to fight against athiesm staunchly before I became one, I read for my church, and was a chaplain in my boyscout troop. Anyone who tells me I wasn't a true believer is simply wrong.
Holy Koolaid I was an super Uber Catholic. I was an altar boy for ten years, and I was there every Sunday. I thought that all other faiths were wrong and was foolish. I was fascinated in Mythology and was later brought out of religion by studying these faiths. I wondered why a god would allow most of his creation to get it wrong, so that idea kinda broke the illusion.
I don’t think I’ve ever been religious. My dads atheist and my mom is a low-key Christian so I mean
I was "born again" at a truck stop in West Virginia. Yes, I once was a devout Christian. I also read Screwtape Letters. I am now Atheist. Someone who says "You were never really a Christian." Is making an assumption based upon their own emotional reaction. After all, as I know from my own experience, being "born again" is an emotional experience, an overwhelmingly powerful one. My body shook, my legs trembled. I know what the experience is like. To later realize that this was all a product of my own emotional state rather than "the Holy Spirit" took some time to process. From the perspective of a believer, it is inconceivable that someone who had EVER experienced this could reject it as evidence. I understand where they are coming from.
This is basically my story other than being a missionary kid. My life was devoted to learning and studying Christianity. How do your parents feel about you being an atheist?
Did anyone eat their phone?
No? Is that a video thing because I'm watching it now. I'm only halfway through.
Not yet, but you just wait until I finish peeling it!
I didn't eat it but after watching the video a fee bytes were taken.
It's stupid because obviously my phone isn't a banana. That's just obvious.
It's an Apple.
Well shit. Now I wish I had a phone.
Aside from the living overseas and speaking other languages, this described by upbringing perfectly. I lived and breathed Christianity. I had the entire book of James memorized by the age of 13 (and still do). I was totally homeschooled, and literally all of my socialization was at Christian events. Every single waking moment of my life was spent doing something at least vaguely Christian. It's a miracle I was ever able to escape.
"I never thought to question the veracity of any of it." That is because a large percentage of the stories of the Bible (and most other religions) carry the message that questioning the deity is evil.
Presumptuous and rude is at the core of many apologist arguments.
Yep don't think critically cause that's the devil trying to get a foothold
Yep. I was definitely taught that.
Thanks God you are an atheist now, your channel it's one of the reasons I decided to label myself as atheist
I'm so glad to hear that. Also, I see you're one of the people who got early access to this on Patreon. Thank you so much for supporting my work. You rock!
Ha!
The Great Drake I was thinking the same thing. 🤔🤷🏾♀️
Welcome to the free and secular world my friend. I also say "Thank God!" and "Oh my God!" all the time as well! All while still being a staunch atheist. ^_^
Just to be clear, I said thanks God with all the intention to be sarcastic
I love this video! I can relate to so much of your experiences. It's incredibly frustrating when someone says this to me, inside I kind of lose it - like how would they know how far into Christianity I was? They wouldn't...
The path to Aethism is paved by a thousand bibles.
The mere fact different versions of bibles extends well past the thousands and all of them disagree with each other was your first clue.
I'm a born again atheist!
That sucks. That's like trading a stallion for a three-legged mule.
@@atheismkills3748 actually it's more akin to trading in a unicorn; a miraculous imaginary fantasy.
@@ringor5410 That's ridiculous. Most people believe in God based upon all the evidence and reason. There is no evidence for unicorns and plenty of evidence that unicorns are not in existence on Earth. I'm surprised you don't see the difference.
@@atheismkills3748 Majority belief doesn't make something real. And if you have evidence of God then please do share, because I would love for there to be a god that I could lean on. You can single-handedly convert every atheist in the world!! Or at least quite a few. All you need is a single instance of objective, verifiable, reproducible evidence; something a little bit more tangible than: "In the bible book X verse Y says..." or "DNA is complicated, therefore.... GOD."
@@atheismkills3748 I think, you should read again your bible (iob 39.9, Psalter 29.6) and yes, please provide that evidence. I add to Ringo: it should not have to rely on "Personal experience".
Whenever anyone says "You were never a true believer" to me, I always reply "yes you are entirely correct, even as a child I understood the Bible's stories were either: unprovable, or already proven to be false, or just nonsense".
I wasn't able to articulate it properly until I was an adult, but I never found it convincing and the more I learn about religions the less plausible I find them
Same here. It was just confusing and needlessly violent.
At school we were encouraged to light a candle on stage to invite the holy spirit to live in us.
On stage I realized that I had just submitted to group pressure.
Dude this is my life. It’s so nice to hear someone else was as deep as I was and isn’t raging angry but still came out of it.
Imagine being an Agnostic Atheist in an African country that claims to be a Christian country. I am literally one in a million and the things that are said to me on daily bases can be really infuriating but you get used to it over time
I get it.
I was brought up in a strict catholic house.
Church once a week - and if you know catholic sermons, they are not short nor fun. Praying before any meal and prior to going to bed.
Now few years later I am an open atheist and still get those comments.
But I take them lightly due to 2 reasons:
1. They often come not out of spite but sincerity - at least in my case
2 .They affect me the same as if a person talks to me about lord of the ring or any other fantasy story. I sometimes even chime in and just for the fun of it pretend that Odin and his children are real and talk about them the same way as someon talks about Jesus it's so much fun seeing them struggeling to refute my asuptions because they know I make them on the same grounds as they make theirs and if they refute mine they also have to accept that others refute theirs on the same ground.
Now I say this out of a position of "power".
i have not to fear any legal repercussions due to me beeing an open atheist, and I'm so independant on my family that even if they'd denounce me I could go on without them (well it would hurt but my livelyhood doesn't depend on it')
ozlo houser brickballs I say that because Agnosticism is based on the idea of knowledge and Atheism on belief therefore I say Agnostic Atheist because I don’t know if God exist hence I do not believe.
Alberich LP I agree. Well where I come from, getting to know someone or a simple introduction is basically ‘how are you? What’s your Name? Which church do you go to?’ When I reply I don’t go to church 9/10 times the response is “What kind of girl does not go to Church”
@@Filthy.Potato Really ? That is a conversation I never had. Well maybe because I'm from germany and either it's implied that you are catholic or lutheran protestant or because people don't care about your church going habits - not so sure which of the 2. But the "What church do you attend realy seems to be an US thing" - hearded a few times from American friends and a few people here on TH-cam.
What kind of girl doesn't go to church ? Well the kind which tends to think for themself ? haha
@ozlo houser brickballs Yea the agnostic atheism is quite a "new label" Which was primary "introduced" by the unholy trinity, and is due to the definition of the words themself.
Gnostism is about knowlage - so in realiy everybody is agnostic about god but because due to historic use of the word there are so many different definitions about it.
If a person uses agnostic XYZ then they state their knowlage about a topic AND their stance on it. e.g. agnostic athist is I don't know whether or not a god exists, but I don't belief it does.
But if a person uses it that way you will also know they in general don't think a real agnostic (middle between atheism or theism) exists.
I'm one of them, Either you believe a deity exists (doesn't matter which) or you don't. The Idea of knowlage about the existance of a deity, is secondary at that point.
But I also know taht often theists, want to use agnostic as having no belief either way to portrey atheist as the oppesite of the religious fundamentalists and discredit the label atheist even further - have a look into Jordan Petersons Atheists are fundamentalists arguement.
Literally here 26 seconds after posting and still not first.
Lmao
Literally "here"? -.-
why.
why do you care?
just move on and do something better with your life other than caring whether if you were the ''first'' to ''''''''''''''''watch''''''''''''''''''' a video or not.
Gotta be fast.
You didn't miss much in the 90s, you're good.
That was inspiring, and courageous if I may. I don't believe you've abandoned 'anything'; you've gained an enormous amount - for one so young. If I may say, I am proud of you.
AWESOME video! Deep words, man. Very well said.
People who believe in God don't bother me, if you believe in Noah's ark, that's a whole new level of reality denial.
That's a good distinction to make.
Their both beliefs without evidence, but one is belief in spite of strong evidence to the contrary.
@@HolyKoolaid Arguments from ignorance*
How did those penguins get to the ark from Antarctica?
+Pedro Pedro Obviously penguins could fly at the time and have since lost that ability due to evolution. :-)
My mother said "You're not an atheist." She hasn't disowned me luckily, but she tried to make it out to be me saying something I didn't understand. So I just don't think she accepted it, but good thing I'm not dead in a ditch.
This is the most infuriating thing a Christian can say. I completely relate to this
I pretended to be. I wanted SO badly to be a daughter of God. But after a whole I stood in church watching people do tongues and my shivers made no sense to me anymore. I've always been an atheist, I never really had any faith.
I’m a Christian & tongues aren’t real. A lot of the things in these “churches” aren’t real. Just saying lol.
Honestly, It's embarrassing for me to admit being religious into my teens. I should have figured it out by age 5.
It's not, don't worry.
As a child you are programmed (evolutionary) to belief what parents and figured oauthority tell you.
As our survival depended on it. And religions have quite a good way in stopping overthinking and make their claim irrefuteble at times.
Yes I figured out some things early on, such as "baby jesus brings presants (in germany its baby jesus not santa)" as it was "testable" for me, but I had no means in testing the claim there is a deity who watches over you and demands your following or you'll end up in hell. Neither the testing means nor the mental capacity to put it to a test.
So I'd say don't be embarrased about it, feel proud that you were able to put those beliefes to an honest test. Because many adults cannot.
I don't get the sentiment of "being embarrassed" or "sobering up" from religion, but that may have to do with the fact that I don't see religion or faith as per se bad things, and that I do not feel like I was ever deceived or indoctrinated or in denial or anything like that.
From my pov, I grew into faith, as it served me well in making sense of my small childhood world. But my world didn't stay small, and with my personal growth I had outgrown faith at some point. But I couldn't pin-point when that happened, the whole process was a fluent progression - no shame or regrets or 'awakening' attached.
Most rational thinking people believe in God. That's where the evidence points. Atheism is sub-rational, superficial, myopic and ridiculous if taken seriously
@@atheismkills3748 Thanks, I try.
@@atheismkills3748 We are also programmed to fuck everything that moves... We grew out of that, mostly. I think it is perfectly reasonable to expect us to grow out of needing to pretend we are being watched to be good. For a society to function, it is logical to be good. We can achieve that. We do not need an absent father figure, thank you very much.
Really helps me to feel like I am not alone in this endeavor called life.
In my case it started when I was around 12 and my parents told me that gay people will go to hell according to the bible. One of my closest friends was gay so I got defensive and asked them what were the exact words and where was it located in the bible. I mostly just said it because I was pissed but I was surprised when they weren't able to answer. After that, asking questions and researching everything became an obsession
Hi, I'm a stomach parasite.. Uh, it seems that someone just ate their phone..
hmm.... Just ask the Flying Spaghetti Monster to help you give the phone back, unless you wanna keep it...which is also fine..
Taenia the Evil.
Can you break it down?
Eww
+Cloud Thief That is going to be really painful in a couple of days. LOL
Even when I was young and they were teaching me the ways of being a "good believer" I could tell that something was off...
and I was right!
That sounds awfully cultish of them.
I'm a recovering catholic myself, and once read that the path to atheism is paved by people that have actually read the holy books (any kind or faith).
Love your videos they are a glass of clean cool water in a desert. Peace and love...real or imagined. Hugs from Canada
This is why I enjoy your videos. You know your subject and are sincere in promoting rational thought. Keep up the good work.
I was raised Catholic, and started to break away from religion once I started getting into politics and news. I joined the school paper, model UN, started watching and reading the news, etc. I started forming my own opinions...and many of those went against the politics supported by the church. I ended up trying to bend both my faith and my new beliefs and ideas to fit together, which never really worked.
At the same time, I had found a passion for learning about science and new breakthroughs in various fields. By doing this, I also started to become more scientifically literate. I couldn't say exactly when it happened, but I found myself researching athiesm and watching people like you explain the logical flaws in the Bible and the arguments for God that I grew up hearing. I was finally able to accept that the same arguments I used for pretty much everything else could be applied to religion, and that if I strongly believed that my political views should be based on facts, I had to apply the same reasoning to my faith.
How in the “hell” did you stop and reverse all your indoctrination.
Easy, he grew the fuck up
@Ian M I'm saying that philosophically dude
@P W Can only speak for myself - I started to read about history and science and technology and discoveries, basically instead of saying, 'I wonder why flowers are asexual, isn't god amazing?' I actually research and read up on it and find out why.
Even then I check that information against other information to see if it all joins up. It's just about questioning. Now it's impossible for me to see the world as something created by a god but instead something that formed and grew and changed a adapted and continues to do so...
@@crushproblems1774 Spoken like someone who has never been indoctrinated...
Death by paper cuts. From radical fundamentalist to non believer. Took me 8 years.
Additionally, these are beautiful points. Thank you!!
I was a home birth, too! As were my brothers. Though we weren't Christian fundamentalists. We belonged to a weridish Christian religion that would likely be considered a cult. When I moved to the South, I joined the Southern Baptists and got very much into things for about 10 years and finally was able to realize this year that I am absolutely an athiest, though it was after much anguish and struggle. I've definitely gotten the "you were never a believer" nonsense. So frustrating!
Thank you for your videos!
Watching this was like watching a flower open or a newborn animal stand for the first time. What an insightful path you took. Thanks for sharing it with us.
You sir, are a true gentleman and excellent spokesperson for reason. Well done HK, well done.
Thank you for this honest and personal account.
You don't know how genuinely glad I am to stumble upon channels like yours that are straight up atheist content without Anti-SJW bullshit! Keep doing what you do! Love your videos
I remember someone saying, “All they come to this church service for is the food afterwards.” Ummm yes we were 🤣
yessir
Very helpful video. My husband and I are still in awe at what we believed, and how deeply, and for how long (40+ years). Also dealing with the guilt of indoctrinating our children. Aside from that, I've never felt so balanced, whole, and well in myself.
Inspirational! Thank you so much!
It's amazing how similar many of our backgrounds are. Keep up the good work.
I used to be Roman Catholic but now I'm an Atheist ⚛!!!!!!!!! Now I am much more open minded and accepting individual!!!!!!
I was a Christian once too... well put Thomas
Wow! That's heavy. I don't know you but feel proud for you. That's amazing
Thomas, I thank God for you and your videos. I enjoy them so much, and learn something from every one. Thanks!
Great video! I really appreciate you telling your story, it has a lot of similarities to mine.
I didn't get sucked into religion because in Sunday school i realized they where purposefully teaching us bad morality.
Later on i tried to give Christianity a chance but it just continued to be as empty as i knew it was as a child.
I have looked into the origin of Christianity. Frankly it was following hyper popular trends of the time
Holy shit bro, I relate to this so much, im 25 and got kicked out of the jehovahs witness cult, your videos are helping me wake up!
My favorite is "you just don't have enough faith" my answer is always "wrong, I have absolutely no faith"
as I was religious, I started reading Bible more and more till I became an atheist.
That's ridiculous. A complete failure of reason. God's existence is not predicated upon the Bible. The Bible doesn't cause God to exist or not. Atheism is madness.
I noticed Christianity's rules impacting those around me - my cousin, a school teacher, fell pregnant with her fiancé and couldn't keep her job unless they married. So they rushed and got married. My wifes cousin is gay and couldn't marry her partner of 8 years. Religion truly poisons everything and it only made me realise how it works in the real world, when you take away the soft, calm teachings and the outer polish, these people really believe gay people and 'sinnners' go to hell forever and I won't be a part of it any more. Thank you for the video!
Thanks Thomas, loved the video...keep up the good work!
So glad I found your channel. I live outside of Houston and come from a similar background. It's great to see an atheist with a positive outlook because I get tired of the angry ones that reinforce the christian's idea that we are sad and don't have morals because of our lack of jesus. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for sharing. I sometimes think my parents wanted kids to claim they brought a human to Christ.
I really appreciate the positive, accessible skeptic content that is made in a way that I can openly share it with my family and friends who could most benefit from considering it, without me needing to worry about it being too rude for them or feeding into their stigmas about atheists.
thanks
(i can still get a kick out of the snarky shit tho)
Do you know about TheraminTrees? Because his videos are great and i don't remember him insulting anyone so far.
One of the better one is the one titled "bending truth | how adults get indoctrinated".
I'll check it out. Thanks @@Zift_Ylrhavic_Resfear!
Glad to hear you are seeking truth.....wherever or may land.
Your voice makes me feel your pain even though i haven't been in your situation.
Yes, it's like telling a former atheist Christian "you were never truly an atheist."
So you mean it goes both ways? Hhmm. Interesting.
A lot of Christians say that there are not Atheists.
That deep down we know that there is a God.
@@stephenolan5539 And a lot of atheists ask "how can you believe this s**"
Then they pretend any Christian who pretends to be a former atheist was never truly an atheist, because atheists are such critical thinkers that any true atheist would have never become a Christian.
@@PhoenixMarco5
I have yet to see anyone give an argument that was not based on a logical fallacy or simply emotion.
But hard atheists make me shake my head the most.
There can be no way to prove that there is no God of any kind.
All they have to do is point out that no believer has ever made a solid case for the existence of God.
Thomas, if you haven't done so already, would you make a follow-up video with more detail from believer to skeptic to atheist?
I plan to. :)
I went to college with that kid. Mixed feelings on everything he believed in. Keep up the videos they’ve helped me in so many ways.
Your end credits music is so catchy that it makes me watch more of your videos...
...but maybe it's the amazing content that precedes it...
You took the red pill, so did I.
Thanks for sharing your story. I also grew up in a religious home, and had very little socialization outside of a christian framework. It wasn't just that I followed the rules of my faith for the sake of my parents either; I brought it, hook, line, and sinker. Having said that, I still haven't discussed my having "left the faith" with my father and It's been a few years. Not going to church is less the issue than disavowing christ and the scriptures. He's not going to change his position, and while I don't see him shunning me, I do think it would adversely impact our relationship, and it probably goes without saying that I love my dad.
Do you mind my asking, what were your parents reaction after you became an atheist? and was it important for you to tell them?
This was good. awesome to learn your history.
You bastard! I now need emergency dental work due to trying to eat my phone.
Also, I need a new phone.
Awesome vid. Brilliant to hear of your background - you certainly went against a lot when you "deconverted", that must have taken a lot of strength and personal integrity and honesty. Props.
I finally admitted to myself that I was an atheist about a year ago. I accepted Jesus when I was sixteen after a religious experience caused by my youth pastor manipulating my entire youth group into having a "come to Jesus" moment on a trip. I read the Bible cover to cover several times, own and had have read most of the popular apologetic books (and the atheist books they respond to). I went to a Christian high school for two years, a Christian college for a year, and wanted to become a professor of philosophy and defend the Christian faith. I evangelized to atheists, Muslims, Mormons, even Christians who didn't take the faith as seriously as I did. In my experience, the more I learned about Christianity the more questions I had. Beyond that, the more answers I sought the more burning the questions would become. Eventually, I had to deal with the idea that maybe Christianity didn't explain everything as perfectly as I thought. I really appreciate the work atheist TH-camrs like Holy Koolaid are doing to get rid of the stigma of atheism. There are friends from college I haven't spoken to in over a year because I'm afraid they'll ask me how they can pray for me or what God's been doing in my life. Christianity was my life for about four years, I ate, drank, slept, and breathed Christ (not literally, I wasn't Catholic 😁) It's honestly terrifying to tell my friends who saw me during that time that I don't believe it anymore. I almost feel as though I'm betraying them in a way. I know that's not the case, but knowledge and feelings don't always align.
That last part, about feeling you almost betray your friends, I can relate to that. There are times I find it difficult to admit I'm not that person anymore to people I haven't seen for quite some time.
They didn't grow witness that process in me and it can be hard to explain.
philosophy was something one studies to be able to defend a religious belief to you?
philosophy to me has always been something that dismantles religious beliefs. especially ethics, logic and epistemology. those 3 just shit all over christianity for example.
@@CaptainObvious0000 Oh definitely. I didn't mention this in the post, but I grew up going to church and all, I wouldn't say I was indoctrinated, but definitely had a bias toward Christianity. I learned philosophy from Christian philosophers and so I didn't see the philosophical failings of Christianity as blatantly as I do now or as a non-Christian philosopher would. When I learned how to skeptically look at the views of groups like Mormons and Muslims, I started applying the same skepticism to my own beliefs, which led to questions and so on.
@Glaucon I totally relate. My family is Roman Catholic background and always say ' You have to believe in something' and get extremely emotional when I question religion. I haven't come out yet but when I do I know my family will take it personally.
I'm really sorry you had to go through all that. It's messed up what can be gotten away with in private Christian schools. At my evangelical school (it was K-12) kids who had been expelled or rejected by nearly every other school in the district were sent there. We also had sheltered kids who had gone to the school from kindergarten or transferred in having been home schooled. When I was interviewed to get into the school I was told there were no cliques, just because everyone knows everyone else doesn't mean there isn't a social hierarchy. The fights and bullying made that clear.
That was fascinating. Thank you. Australian Church of England. So benign that it is almost Christian atheism or culturally Christian. No big deconversion story. No one leaves the CoE. You just fade away in a cloud of Sponge cake and lukewarm tea
Cute. :-)
Aww. Sweet.
that actually sounds chill
It is awesome to see someone like you telling about your experience.
I also used to be christian, but I wouldn't feel offended if someone told me I was never a christian. Probably they would be wrong, I used to go to church every sunday and felt personally offended when non-believers made fun of christians, but there was always this voice in the back of my head telling me: "who do you think you're fooling? You don't believe in any of it"
I admire your honesty
My journey was almost exactly like yours, but from a Catholic perspective.
Me too! Except I was Lutheran, not Catholic. Odd how we each followed the same trajectory. Also odd to think that if we hadn't left our various denominations, then we'd each be convinced that the other two were dead wrong about various points of doctrine and at risk of hell fire. Nice to know that letting go of religion allows us to respect each other.
But of course, Justsome and Norm, _Catholics and Lutherans aren't_ *real* _christians!_ Don't you know that [insert sect name here] is the One(tm) True(tm) Faith(r)(c)(tm)(bbq) and that [insert opposing sect name here] is what the bible called the whore of Babylon?
Or whatever other scripturally-accepted insults one might prefer. Seriously, it's a wonder theists don't get tired of that tired nonsense. I was never a christian and even when _I_ hear some new idiot tossing that kind of garbage around it makes me want to yawn in their stupid faces and move them from my brain's "human" category to "poorly-domesticated household animal".
duuude the roman catholic church literally traces lineage back to St Peter... OF COURSE that's the real one xD /s
I honestly don't remember ever being anything but an Atheist. I just didn't have a word for it. I lived in the bible belt & my parents took me to church but I'd always just bring a book and wait for doughnuts. It all seemed like grown-up make-believe to me. I love Christmas though and Silent Night is still a favorite. Happy Holidays!
Melissa Peru one time when i was in high school at lunch, we were talking about Christmas.
I had mentioned that i didn’t believe in god but that i liked Christmas quite a bit.
The principals son was sitting at the table and he replies “ i don’t like how atheists use Christmas to get gifts but don’t believe in god, your ruining our holiday”.
My rebuttal was “ first off idc about the presents, i like that its cold, i enjoy the decorations and i love the laid back nature of it. Second of all, Christmas is a hijacked pagan holiday, so I’m just taking a page out of your book!”
@@spooky9477 It's so true! I think it was on Talk Heathen that they said it's a part of our cultural heritage. I craft gifts, bake ornaments and make scrumptious food to give to family, friends, and co-workers. I think it is important for us to come together in the coldest, darkest time of the year and create moments of support and joy for each other. I want my kids to enjoy the same magic until they are old enough to help in the making of it. #AtheistXmas
Sorry I didn't see this for so long. I made out like a bandit on my birthday and I've been enjoying many new video games. #BornAfterBlackFriday
Melissa Peru nice what games?
@@spooky9477 Niche & Kynseed
Bravo!!!! You have no idea how many times I've been told that I wasn't a "true believer", when I grew up in the church, loved gawd with all my might and passion, and preached to others as well. Thank you for your videos.
Am enjoying your videos. I, too, was a missionary kid. And a pastor kid. Not quite as conservative as your family was. Am SO glad to leave all that behind. I shudder at the thought of that still being in my life. Quite a lot of your story mirrors my own. When you leave faith there is so much un-learning that needs to be done.
I am a born again christian. I believe in Jesus Christ as my lord and savior. I have nothing against Atheist as we are all equally sinners regardless if we believe in God or not.
I am not an active christian though, I dont share the word of God to others for a long time now due to personal reasons.
Nevertheless, I find myself facinated in following and watching Atheist videos and facebook page (im actually a subscriber on this channel for quite some time now). Not because I look down upon Atheist, no far from it.
In order to have full understanding of any circumstances at a given scenario or topic, one must always look at the two sides of a coin. Not just view one side then claim to know everything about the coin.
Simply put, it is a learning experience for me to see how Atheist perceives things. To be able to learn from their point of view and perspective.
I hope Atheist will be welcoming to me despite being a believer because sadly, there are believers out there who arent kind towards Atheist which is sad considering the fact that we are all people that should be supporting each other in many different aspects such as sharing knowledge, opinion and experiences.
Im not here to start a debate but merely just to learn and I find the content of this channel to be quite educational.
Unless you're willing to lose your faith, don't do this. I did the same thing and now I'm an atheist.
Im sure the vast majority of people on this channel will be more than accomodating knowing that you arent pushing your religion on us as a lot of Christians do, Welcome!
Manic q Im not going to lose my faith. I just need to learn thats all. Because if I just look at the perspective of a Christian who never tries to learn new things. I might go around foolishly thinking that "Atheist have no morals" which is quite stupid btw.
Robert Kirk Not all Christians push their beliefs unto others but sadly, a lot of them would and some of them would react negatively if you dont let yourself be converted....yikes..
@Benz Quizon, good luck in your search for truth my friend. I started off a christian as well and am now an Atheist. I was homeless in Portland, OR when I "Met Jesus". I got involved in ministry with the homeless, used to do a lot of preaching, I used to read the Bible like my life depended on it , in my mind it did, etc... Be careful if you are not ready to go through the existential crisis and loss of identity. It was very hard on me to lose my faith but I find it well worth it. If you are exposing yourself to these ideas you might run into some things that cannot fit with your simulacrum of God. It may cause a lot of pain for you. Just a fair warning my friend. I wish you the best.
I have never heard a coherent demonstrable definition of just what the hell a god is.
There is no concrete definition to be honest. There are so many types of gods that there are too many to count.
You know what ... thank you. For existing. I say that honestly and sencerely. People like you will, one day, change the world.
Your my new favorite channel , I have watched you religiously lately
I am glad that I have access to the internet. You can find so much information and different points of views on here. This was a big help in my deconversion when I researched more about the Bible.
Luckily, my parents never exposed me to religion growing up (they had bad and confusing experiences as children, and had at best vague deist beliefs), and my community was not religious, either. I literally met only two seriously Christian children growing up, and no religious adults until I was college age. Even so, it took me many years to let go my own vague deist beliefs, because they seemed to do no harm, and may have done me a little good. It was like letting go of a childhood teddy bear; it was just time.
That's sad. It would suck to grow up thinking no God exists. Atheism is senseless and guts life of all hope and meaning or moral significance.
@@atheismkills3748 Not at all. From the atheist point of view, all ideals and religious values -- hope, faith, justice, charity, etc. -- are the product of the human mind. If they can called up once, they can be called again, with one would hope a better reason than "God says."
But here's one thing that guts life of all hope and meaning or moral significance (I'm going on the assumption you are a flavour of Christian-Muslim; if not, I will adjust): there are billions of people in the world, from tiny babies to white-haired elders who, because they do not believe exactly as you believe, are doomed to be tormented in the afterlife for a thousand million eons, and forever and ever. And another: some people believe they are also doomed to be tormented in life, because it's God's plan, and/or they brought it on themselves.
And one more thing: that you never can be sure if even you are destined to taste eternal bliss until you die. If not, it's the eternal fire for you, AK. That is a level nihilism no atheist can hope to match.
@@floraposteschild4184 Oh neat. Atheists have a make-believe values caused by chemicals producing delusions in your mind about things that are not true in reality, like hope, charity, meaning, purpose, significance, morality, ect. Wow. That's crazy.
Theists don't ground moral reality in 'God says,' but in God's moral nature. Atheists have no objective foundation necessary for any moral reality or real moral significance or right and wrong. Atheism also eliminates free-will (souls) rendering moral choice impossible. Atheism gut life of all meaning, purpose, significance and any coherent morality. Atheism is inescapably Nihilistic. Madness.
You offer a caricatured version of fundamentalist fire and brimstone Christianity as if that is THE Christian message.
@@atheismkills3748 In essence you're saying that God is real, but ideals, values and morals are delusions. At least we know where we stand. I tell you frankly that if I had written all day, I couldn't make your outlook seem seem worse than you just did.
If anyone else is reading: this is one of the dangers of religion. Here is a person who is probably reasonable and moral enough in his personal life, but has been taught to attribute everything good to God, and everything bad to himself, or worse, to other people. Well, that's one way to keep a hook in your followers, but what if one day God orders you to do something awful, as He has been known to do?
@@floraposteschild4184 No no no. Stop twisting my words.
With ATHEISM (no God) there is no moral reality, intrinsic meaning, purpose or significance to our lives. Our our universe and lives within are nothing more than meaningless, purposeless, insignificant, temporary chemical accidents awaiting absolute annihilation no matter how we live. It all ends exactly the same. Obliteration.
If no God or souls exist, we are nothing more than 100% chemically determined animals with no free-will to choose or moral reality to abide or reject. Any make-believe meaning, purpose, significance, moral value or duties we imagine our lives to possess is nothing more than a subjective human delusion induced by brain chemicals, that are not actually true in reality. This is atheism, not theism. I am a theist. I believe your atheism is nonsense and totally incompatible with my (our) direct experience.
This dangerous madness is atheism, not religion or belief in God.
With God, none of the above applies.
God doesn't order me to violate God's moral nature. With atheism, there is no moral order to violate. Without God, all things are permissible -- Dostoevsky
Thank you, man. It really helps to know I’m not in this deep alone.
Hah - Nice dig on the video game player skills of Telltale & GMO skeptic...you meddelin kids! Love all of y'alls channels. Keep up the good work.
Believing in the Christian God/Jesus is the only qualifier for being a "true Christian", it doesn't matter what denomination nor how hardcore you are/were. If you sincerely believed, you were.
I was raised in the typical Sunday-Christian family, not really hardcore, but I definitely believed. And feared. I'd like to monologue things I'd like/thought were funny from TV shows and movies, and if I ever got to something that seemed blasphemous, I'd hesitate and look up in an "I'm not being serious, it's not coming from me" sort of way (funnily enough I'd do the same thing with Santa).
It wasn't until 7th grade history class that my gears finally started to click. We were learning about the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians and their mythologies, and it began to dawn on me that these people believed with the same sincerity, devotion, faith, etc. The doubt grew as fewer and fewer things were adding up, but it was the fear that still gripped me. I was afraid of what would happen to me, what other people might do to me (I don't recall exactly how, but even then I was aware to some extent of the intolerance, and Hell of course). I finally put my foot down about a week before I was to be confirmed, I absolutely did not want to be labeled under a group that was raising so many flags. To this day I don't regret that decision, because it wasn't until a few years ago that I found podcasts and shows like TTA, HK, TAE, etc., which really exposed to me the extent of the harm religion actually does and just what a scam it actually is.
You, Seth, Aron, Matt, you all have my thanks.
No! Come back to God!
Faith and religion has never hurt you! It just skews your world perception, steals your precious time for worship, helps feed scammers and protect pedos, allows you to beat your wife, sell your children and deny all factual scientific evidence in the name of "muh god"
Oh, and don't forget people looking down on you for not being faithful as if they're any better. God's love, forgiveness and tolerance my ass
I hope you didn't get suckered into atheism just because you question some religious fundamentalist nonsense. That's throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
Seth, Aron, and Matt are low-grade intellectual midgets, not scholars
I learned about the fundamentalist nonsense well after I became an Atheist. And even if they aren't scholars, they certainly aren't low-grade "intellectual midgets".
I was a christian from high school to about age 33 but i left the faith cuz i'm addicted to sin 😈😈😈
That's an adorable story ! It's impressive how far you have come despite the obstacles.
The "collective effervescence", that feeling of intense belonging and comfort ? I've felt it too... and so have millions, at concerts or while performing in a band or orchestra. It's far more common that you would suspect, I guess :) But you know what feeling goes FAR beyond this in intensity and effect ? The infinite unconditional love that most people report after having an NDE. By comparison, what you felt as part of a community and that I felt through music, is insignificant. And it comes to everyone regardless of faith or absence thereof.
Preach it, Brother Koolaid!
Why do you avoid saying what former Soviet republic it was?
Saying to me you were never a true christian might be true in 4th grade I was pretty sure I wouldn't practice or maybe even believe in God 5 years before I even left
I never had strong feelings of God's presence
I once had an essay in my private school about a time you experienced God and I couldn't think of anything
I only really believed in God because others told me he was real
yep
In my case it might've been true, I never had any experiences with God and for some reason never focused on him at all. I just went along with my life.
🙏♥️💯
Love you, Thomas. You're an inspiration.
Thanks, missionary Christians, for providing so many (3 that I know of off the top of my head) of our best spokesmen for Atheism.