Such questions come to mind with this book would include: What percentage of messianic prophecy was not fulfilled in Jesus’s first coming and how much of the messianic prophecies were to be fulfilled by the second coming of Jesus? How does just claiming there are discrepancies regarding the listed lineage of Jesus Christ going back to Abraham prove there are discrepancies in that listed lineage of Jesus Christ? What parts of The Sermon on The Mount/Beattituded were stupid, ignorant, and harmful? How does different takes of similar accounts between the Gospels show that they are actually discrepancies and nit just different aspects where one Gospel gives one take of the events and another Gospel gives another take on those same events?
I agree. I’ve listened to your 30 minute secular bible study lessons and I can tell you have so much more to say and I want to hear it. Even this hour long episode.. I would listen even if it was longer…. I listen to plenty of less thought provoking material for longer and it’s nbd 😆 Plus the long episodes give me incentive to re listen to absorb even more. Thank you so much for this episode!! Looking forward to your NT work!
I like your new logo. 👍 I have steered a couple of theists over to your channel. You are calm, logical & not aggressively confrontational. I think you're about the best TH-cam option to allow Christians to begin questioning some deeply ingrained beliefs in a polite & friendly manner that is not threatening. That make you an incredibly valuable atheist asset.
I really appreciate this comment. That is one of the goals of the channel for sure. It can be hard as I know how offended I was as a christian just by the subject matter alone. So I do try to make this a place that can be more accessible, but the info is just so jarring as it is. Thank you though.
I know! Isn't it nice to be able to chat with someone who presents their case for atheism without it devolving into a shouting match or various protagonists insulting one another.
This always haunted me as a kid being brought up in the Christian faith. Like why would Jesus ever say this? I've heard many excuses like it was his human nature crying out but like that's all just speculation since the Bible gives us nothing on it. Occam's razor is that he really felt like he has failed or that everything he believed was wrong.
The big takeaway I took from that was jesus wasn't in on the plan, if there really was one. After all, hes supposed to be god, right? So he knew what was supposed to happen and why, right? So why doesn't he seem to know whats happening or why when it really does happen? It's almost like jesus wasn't really supposed to die, which is why his disciples completely abandoned his cause after he died, it wasn't until later that his untimely death was spun into a "sacrifice" in order to save face, which also explains why said sacrifice really doesn't make any sense either: It was an afterthought; just damage control.
@@VictoriousCatholic - And yet here you are still watching it. Lemme guess, you're doing some form of mental penance by exposing yourself to truth or something.
Thank you for taking up the story of the woman having to call herself a dog to be finally heard. That is my life. That is how i have been treated by church, family, school, workplace etc. Except for not getting anything in the end despite the self humiliation. I am at the pint that i cannot self humiliate constantly any longer with them punishing me even harder. Not for you. You are not worthy. Therefore you dont get anything. That is the constant reason for any government agency, family , employerr, health insurance etc towards me for not giving me anything and demanding more self humiliation. This is one of the stories that is being used to perpetuate such injustice and cruelty, expecially towards people suffering from disabilities like myself, we are not wanted, we are not chosen, we are not worthy, we are dogs,
Your remark on Thought Crime was striking. Thousands of years of people being told a perfect being created them imperfect so they were evil because they had evil thoughts. Or else the Devil was so powerful to utterly corrupt everything the perfect being created. The excuse is that you can overcome the evil if you have faith, but a perfect being decided to leave all that evil in there to make it possible you might have your soul destroyed in the perfect being's perfect hell. Historically, people seem to like the idea of a vengeful God destroying people they don't like. They like being told they are 'better' because of whatever reason.
There are revelations in the book of revelations. Go to Revelation 9.5 and see if you can id the signs/months the writer talks about. Hint: the scorpion is a constellation. See you later.
@@harveywabbit9541 I won't read this garbage again anytime soon, and if I ever do, I won't be sober, so I may identify stuff, but it may not be of much relevance.
Whether you agree with me or not, it feels like you’re still trying to “save” people. However, this is truly a noble cause! Looking forward to the series. Much love and respect! 🤟🏼😎👍🏼
@@harveywabbit9541 The Bible never refers to God as the sun. God is the creator of the sun, not the sun itself. The Bible emphasizes that God is a distinct entity from his creation.
This is where true "excuse-agetics" begins. I love that you pointed out various excuses that have been used over the years about why all these "eyewitness accounts" cannot be reconciled with each other. I don't know how many times I've heard "oh, one genealogy is Mary's and the other is Joseph's, which it's right there in the Bible that it's the line of Joseph both times. Or how Judas "bought the field, with the money he was given, which is why it's later said they bought it, hung himself in the field and the branch broke and he fell and burst open." These just don't work.
I'm sorry if I missed this; arguably an even bigger issue with collective punishment than Matthew 11:20 and a massive contradiction is between Matthew 23:35-36 and Luke 11:50-51 (Jesus holds the first century Jews guilty for what their ancestors allegedly did) versus God's supposed promise about 500 years earlier in Ezekiel 18 (to no longer hold descendants guilty for their ancestor's sins). Matthew's legendary account has the mass resurrection, where the saints come back to life and oddly hang out for a couple of days before entering the city. Matthew's resurrection tale has the women witness the earthquake and stone being rolled away and being told right away that Jesus was raised, whereas other accounts don't have the women witness the event and thus need further explanation or are even so perplexed they flee the scene only to much later be told Jesus arose. Matthew is also mathematically challenged about Jesus being in the earth 3 days and 3 nights, or the supposed 3 sets of 14 names in Jesus' genealogy, but it's not 3 sets of 14, and he had to delete a few generations in his silly attempt. Etc. ad infinitum.
thanks for adding these in! simply too many errors and issues for me to get to all of them, so by all means, flood the comments with more Matthew issues.
I've come to refer to Matthew as the 'check box Gospel' because when you step back, it's so apparent the author generated a list of prophecies he thought the messiah must fulfill and he revised the gospel of Mark so that Jesus checked all the boxes. I haven't looked into it, but I know Christian's claim the number of prophecies that Jesus fulfills is some very large (and very bogus) number, and I wonder how many of those prophecies rely solely on Matthew.
I can't believe you finally made it here Brandon. I can only imagine how many hours have been put into this series. Now I have to go back and finish all the ot videos.
I've been looking forward to your surgical dissection of the New Testament. I learned SO Much about the OT from your discussions of their origins, their contradictions, their shades of meaning. I'm prepared to be gobsmacked by your grasp of the ancient words, and your ability to make the subject matter clear to me. I'm so ready! Here we go with Matthew!!
Super excited for New Testament Study! A lot of time when chrisitans try to argue with me and I show them issues in the OT they just say, "oh that was old testament we have a loving god now" so it'll be really nice to learn about the new testament and the issues in this section of the bible too. I also like learning about the NT because it's a prime example of how things change and are blured throughout time in history. Thanks for this awesome series Brandon! Looking forward to it!!
Someone replied on quora stating that “there are no contradictions in the Bible. If there are any show them to me.” To which I responded with the two different deaths of Judas. He replied with what you said: the body decayed after being hanged and fell from the tree then exploded in the field. And he said that Judas had planned to buy the field but changed his mind and threw it at the priests… to which the priests went and finished Judas's transaction of purchasing the field that he fell on from being hanged and died in, therefore one can technically say that Judas bought the field because they used his money… despite the fact that this requires obvious eisegesis, we are given two different reasons of why the field was called what it was. Its interesting the hoops we can jump through to make everything fit
@JDrocks4ever I've always thought of the falling down in the field and his intestines came out as Judas (Judah) killing himself by basically cutting himself open with a dagger. That version is much more spectacular that him hanging himself. And would, I guess, show he was even more remorseful for ratting Jesus out. Again, just my thoughts. I'm no scholar.
Excellent video as always, Brandon. 1st thing that struck me even as a child was why Joseph's genealogy was used for Jesus. If Joseph was not supposed to be Jesus's bio dad, what relevance do Joseph's ancestors have for Jesus's OT claims (specifically, the Davidic lineage)?
Holy cow! I never realized half of this problematic stuff before! I did know about the inconsistency between gospels but you really taught me some new things today. Keep up the good work. :)
*55 minutes?* Yes!! 🎉 Thank you so much for all the content. ❤ _(Love the new logo too, btw. Great choice of designer - they did a fantastic job! Connecting the 'dots' [from afar] creates an "M," and overall it reflects the original design so well that I didn't even realize it was changed until you mentioned it in the last video. If it was terrible, I definitely would have noticed!)_
Thank you, from Australia, Brandon. Kudos! Discovered your channel a few weeks ago. I love your clear, calm, down to earth approach. First class presentation! I’m 80 and don’t think I’ll ever catch right up, but I’ve watched many of you OT videos, and have learned so much. You’ve clarified why I could not believe the claims of Christianity, and finally gave up on church a couple of years ago. Thankfully, I did not have the extreme Fundamentalist experience that you, and so many others have endured. Now for the NT!!
Great work Brandon. It's interesting how much is not discussed in Churches. I took me reading and listening to the work of people like Bart Ehrman, James Tabor, Joshua Bowen among many others to truly grasp that we are dealing with narratives that have been manipulated. Thanks for the work you are doing with MindShift as well. You are super rational and stick to the facts that we can gather from multiple sources, and don't get overtly emotive in your delivery of what the evidence conveys. You got a gift that is helping many of us rationally deal with the facts. On another note, I looked for MindShift on Spotify Podcasts to listen to while driving and noticed that newer episodes were not in there (only the first 7 episodes were there). Not sure if podcasts are a medium that you were exploring at one stage. Not sure if you've read and covered Deborah Grace's book 'Crucifying the Bible' - it's an interesting read around NT vs OT and how none of the claims of what Jesus is made out to be tracks with the claims, laws, and demands of the genocidal maniac in the OT that claims to be 'god', yahweh... Keep up the great work. :)
When I was a Christian, I think my faith was basically based only on the Gospels (and really only the Synoptic Gospels), so I'm very interested in this part of the study.
Honestly wouldn't mind even a bit longer of a video in the future. I know you have to be sparing for content sake, but always dig a long deep explanation you have to give. Great video Brandon!
Great work! Can't wait to see you cover Mark 4:10-12 where Jesus admits that he teaches in parables to confuse people so he doesn't have to forgive them
You didn’t understand the parable then, keep reading from 4:10-20 Buddha gives nearly this same exact parable in his teaching You are like one who must be spoken to in euphemisms How can I come out and tell you that All is Love? All is perfect and whole already? That all is Infinity and nothing, that YOU ARE the Christ? Could you accept THIS truth? Or must you come to it at your ego’s own pace? This is the meaning on that passage, from my perspective
@@jacksonelmore6227maybe the problem isn't OP, I looked it up and some of the translations do make it sound like the point is for people to not understand, it's the case for the New International version, for example.
This is the first video of yours I've seen, and I love this channel already! As someone who was raised Catholic and has now started attending Quaker meetings, I'm not so sure where I stand with Christianity as a whole, but I do think this series is very important for any Christian or Atheist to see.
Prophecy fulfilled!! You said you'd be back this week. My faith was wavering,... Serious note, SBS is helping me with my son's mother. She's a believer and she's been pretty worried about me not believing. I offered "let's study together." Lucky she's stankn' gorgeous I'm able to introduce her to you, Dan Macellan (sp?), Plato, Homer, Mythvision, Gnostic Informant, Harmonic Atheist, and more.
I'm only 27 years old as of today, but I was an eyewitness to watergate. Edit: What I mean by as of today, I'm referring to today's date, April 18, 2024, when I made this comment. I turn 28 in October, haha. I just didn't write April 18, 2024, in my original comment because I couldn't remember what day of the month it was, and I was too lazy to look at my calendar. Today isn't my birthday.
@AW-uv3cb hahaha, thank you, but I meant as of today, April 18, 2024, when I made this comment. I turn 28 in October, haha. I just didn't write April 18, 2024, in my comment because I couldn't remember what day of the month it was, and I was too lazy to look at my calendar. But thanks for the words. Haha
Matthew 10:28 was the final straw for me, literally was studying that chapter in my pastor's office for a Bible study which I led, and after reading that verse again and again I then realized I was no longer a believer.
Maybe, before you became "a believer" you should have known about the doctrine of Hell and what it entailed. Jesus spoke about it more than anyone else. I wonder what and who you were really trusting in then?
@@christophergibson7155 I was indoctrinated at age 6. I then had the threat of Matthew 7:23 ("Depart from me, for I never knew you") hanging over my head for 2 decades, stressing me out to prove to myself that I was, in fact, properly fearing the one who could throw body and soul into hell. I had nightmares of my friends experiencing everlasting torment. And then I discovered hell is just several religious dogmas in a trench coat (Sheol, Gehenna, Hades, and Tartarus, with some Persian theology thrown in the mix) and a petty, human invention for self-righteous people to imagine their enemies going, while they, the chosen few, ascend into eternal reward.
@@christophergibson7155 How come hell didn’t exist at all in the OT, yet did exist in other mythologies before Jesus ever talked about it? Did God steal from other religions to make hell? Because it doesn’t exist in the OT. On sheol, which isn’t an afterlife, it’s the grave. Dust to dust. The OT says over and over there isn’t an afterlife, and that when you die you return to dust. Yet suddenly hell exist? Jesus STOLE hell from other religions. Don’t fear it, it doesn’t exist.
@@jaynajuly2140 I take it you were "raised in the church"? I find it very sad that you were "indoctrinated", but not taught the truth and the full counsel of God, as found in the Holy Bible. To be in mortal fear of Jesus' words in Matthew 7:23 & 10:28 tells me that there was something imbalanced about your salvation in The Lord Jesus Christ. I was a backslider for 20 years. Yet today (since 2020) I have no fear about Hell or The Lake of Fire. I have absolute assurance that Jesus has saved and rescued me from all my sin, and that I am born again by the Spirit of God. (John 3:3,5,7) And that I have been made a "new creation" in Christ. (2 Corin. 5:17) and been given the promise of eternal life in the kingdom of heaven. (1 Thessalonians 4:17 & Phil. 3:21) I weep at times over the lost ones on these channels, and pray for them. There is a great falling away from the faith today, especially in the western cultures. I have vast opportunity to warn them of the spiritual danger they are in. So, my question to you jaynajuly2140...What happened to your love for Jesus?
Deep down I always thought Jesus was either bi-polar or schizophrenic. I suppressed those thoughts as much as I could until I was in my 50s but, eventually I learned other things that made it impossible to ignore the inconsistencies. Truth brings peace of mind. Thanks Brandon for helping others see the light!
Jesus personifies the winter season of five signs/months and at his "death" at Calvary (the spring equinox) he is resurrected as the summer season of seven signs/months as the Christ. Remember in Revelations where he is crucified twice? The summer sun is crucified in Egypt (sun's falling below the equinoctial line) and again at the sun's rising from Egypt (winter) aka the Passover.
You only imagined that 26beegee. And you know that is not true about The Lord Jesus. And your anger toward Him does not change what He has accomplished for you at the cross of Calvary. Mocking and scoffing were common as Jesus hung on the cross and shed His sinless blood for YOU. Yet it did not stop Him taking apon Himself your sin. He paid the penalty, and punishment. He took the judgment of your sin, so that you might know His great forgiveness and cleansing given freely for you once and for all. It is so sad that you never got to experience that. You never knew the love of Jesus. You have rejected Him now, because Jesus means nothing to you. So very sad.
@@christophergibson7155 It's ok Mr G. Don't cry buddy. it's only a storybook character and the inconsistent mythology surrounding him. Time to pick up another anthology. There's plenty more ancient story characters out there.
@@christophergibson7155 How can I be angry at an imaginary, mythological figure? I was hurt for many years due to the deafening silence when I prayed and sought god but, I was never angry. I am saddened by having been duped for 50+ years but, eventually realized those lying to me were duped as well. I was suckered into believing lies, joining a cult and practicing ancient manmade mythological beliefs by those who were also suckered. Really sad. Now the cult is seeking to destroy democracy - they have no idea they are playing right into the hands of authoritarians. Read anything by Ruth Ben-Ghiat. You need help!
Super excited for the NT study! Studying the historicity of the NT has become a interest of mine because it serves as such a good example of how history is so blurry and can change over time with simple human mistakes. Using the NT study as an excuse I've learned so much about history and how historians go about identifying sources that are accurate. Looking forward to this series!! Thank you so much Brandon!!
Re: The "love thy neighbor" theme, it always drives me bananas when people act like that's *just* a Jesus thing, when in fact it has its roots in the Tanakh ("Old Testament"). Also, completely agreed that Jesus seemed to be a lot more exclusionary with that idea than a lot of people give him credit for. I was just listening to a Bart Ehrman podcast recently where he talks about how "Oh no, Jesus expanded it beyond Jews," and as much as I love listening to Ehrman, I was just like, "Ummmm ... aren't there passages where Jesus explicitly doesn't want to help people who aren't Jewish?"
Jesus healed the servant of a Centurion. Pretty sure Centurions were not Jewish. Not only did he heal the servant, he even said that the faith the Centurion far surpassed that of anyone in Israel. He also spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well (not harshly imo, though some people interpret it that way)
@@Volleyball_Chess_and_Geoguessr Mighty capricious and unpredictable, that guy, what with the fig tree and all. Enough to make believers intent on pleasing Him develop an anxiety disorder, or maybe OCD
I'd like to give 1 and 2 Maccabes an honorable mention. Martin Luther considered them apocryphal, but they remain in the Catholic bible and provide an interesting look into early Greek occupation.
Im gonna be so sad when this series is over. By far my favorite content from you as an ex believer(seventh day adventist). I jist had the god talk with my younger brother who still believes in this stuff and he was just so incapable of listening and hearing the logic behind why this faith makes no sense. His final response was just "sounds like you dont understand what god is or his love" and we had to just stop there. Like... so many people are legitimately unable to even wrap their head around how insane this whole story is. Anyway. love the longer content and im looking forward to the 6 hour long final video where you recap the whole bible and all the books and themes youve gone over to give the final conclusions 😊😉
Oh man. First of all thank you. Second, i feel you on your brother. Its a wall sometimes and so impossible to get through. Can feel very discouraging. Lastly. A hugeeee recap sounds awesome
@@MindShift-Brandon I'm not sure if you were already thinking about the huge recap so I don't want to put that pressure on you of course but yeah I think it would be a great way to summarize everything especially since I'm sure you've probably learned some things and maybe changed your thoughts over the course of the entire study. Definitely looking forward to the talks about Paul and ESPECIALLY the revelation. Those books will be a treat for sure.
Brandon, I couldn't wait for you to get to the New Testament! I found this episode to be as informative, as educational, as enlightening as all of the other episodes in this TH-cam channel of yours. You are the best! Everything you say is reasonable, is logical. I will go on hoping that your teachings will help shift the minds, and open the eyes, of everyone who is not able to that by themselves.
coming from a god like Yahweh, the bloodline thing giving Jesus rights to the throne is ridiculous. Bloodlines are important to many cultures, but it's such a human thing. Really, Yahweh would insist on a bloodline made up of imperfect beings he constantly derides? And why take centuries to line this up? Not just a myth but a ridiculous one. (terrific video, Brandon!)
According to Margaret Barker one of the sects of Judaism was the group surrounding John the Baptist. This group still held to the older tradition of worshipping El Elyon as the Father and Yahweh as his son. You can see it in John 1 with Nathaniel "Rabbi, thou art the Son of God/El thou art the King of Israel/Yahweh."
El Elyon is the sun king as the lion (Leo constellation). Leo, the lion, is called the Noble/Royal one, in Isaiah 9.14-15 Leo gives us our Thursdays (from Thor) aka Jupiter. In Leo, Jupiter is ruled by the sun. Many id Mark (and Judah/Jupiter) with Leo the lion who is opposite "the man" aka Aquarius who many assign to Matthew, Reuben, and Moses.
@@harveywabbit9541 I understood El was seen as the Father of all the gods. The Ugarit text gave us a larger picture of him. I think our host here will use this passage found in Deut 32 where El Elyon divided the nations among the sons of God and Yahweh portion was Jacob. (It's translated wrong in the KJV, on purpose!) This idea permeates the Bible, it's why Jonah thought he could run away from God. In Heb 1 Yahweh/Jesus is anointed God by his God above his "fellows". I don't think anyone knows when Hebrews was written but the concept was still very much part of Christianity. Now there is another thought which runs through the Bible, "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God" Isa 14 The stars were used to represent the different sons of gods. In Deut 4 Moses warns them about worshipping the sun, the moon and the stars. So it doesn't surprise me that many of the different peoples attached themselves to such worship.
@@harveywabbit9541 El is the Canaanite patriarch god. Yahweh was one of his 50 sons, who took over El's place and titles and wife/mother. El Elyon is a Hebrew title, "God Most High". It may refer to Yahweh, or whichever god was the leader of the other gods. It doesn't mean "lion."
@@Badficwriter Yahweh is also Jupiter, and he is the Lion of Judah. You will find El Elyon in Isaiah 9.14-15, as the head of Israel (summer). He is Leo.
there's so much in this video i'm going to listen multiple times. when i was in the cult i thought j was a kind & loving shepherd with some righteous anger. now i'm envisioning a much different guy & he ain't so great. again & always thank you so much for SBS & all your other work.
I've always wondered why God would let his "chosen" people be so misinformed that they all go to hell because they don't think Jesus is their lord and savior. It seems so ridiculous, and how could any Christian see how Jesus fulfilled pretty zero of the messianic prophecies and requirements still see him as lord.
Don't feel bad about judging God. The Bible verses that say God is good (Psalms 100:3, tens or hundreds of others) are demanding that you judge God and find Him good. If the Bible demands you find God to be good, and after you study a bit you find God not to be good, they can't credibly then tell you not to judge God.
I can't believe I never realized that God himself can't even love his own enemies. Thank you. This is ridiculously freeing. I'd like to point out how problematic it is that Jesus supposedly "died" for our sins. He did not, according to scripture, stay dead. So... ???
@@MindShift-Brandon Thanks I'll go watch it. I'll probably be binging your channel this weekend.... my fundamentalist mom is visiting next week and I need to be prepared.
Try telling anyone from my church that Jesus was just a really good teacher. They'll take that as a MASSIVE INSULT! Honestly just saying Jesus is just all right is considered WORSE BLASPHEMY than insulting him. Because he's supposed to be The Savior of Humanity. I'm not insulted, because I no longer believe I just go to church every Sunday because I'm not ready to have that conversation with my parents. I don't know if I will have that conversation with them. I'm just pointing out that if you say Jesus was just a really good teacher you're asking for a fight.
Going to church every Sunday with my family actually causes me physical discomfort, beyond mere boredom that I used to routinely experience as a Christian. But having the conversation with my parents that I no longer believe would be MORE PAINFUL, because I know they wouldn't accept it. The Apologist would say that the physical discomfort I'm experiencing is either my sinful flesh fighting against my spirit that wants to go to church and study The Bible as well The Conviction of The Holy Spirit. That or I'm oppressed my Demonic Spirits and they can't handle it. But I know it's because I can't tolerate THE STUPIDITY coming from The Pastors mouth. Nor can I stomach the brain washing that promulgates from The Worship Band
@@thing1thing2themediamaniac43oh, i know how it is. Then we're two🤝 (But for me, in addition to these things, i need to support the loud volume during the "song" part and when the preachers starts to speak really loud in an attempt of simulate the "Holy Ghost Possession". This annoys me and i think that i can't hear so much better than in the past. (And i ever was afraid of high sounds, like fireworks))
@@MindShift-Brandon thank you and you’re right, there is a feeling of more freedom but I still have this belief that there’s a creator, don’t know which one so I’m thinking about having the worldview of deism.
Remember the Plato's Cave allegory. When the prisoner gets out of the cave and sees the sun in the first time, his eyes starts to feel pain. But with the time, the prisoner got accustomed with the light. Then, don't worry, can be painful in the beginning, but soon you'll not feel more pain, we all are here to support you. (Also, just as an note, This is why i think that hell don't will be so much effective in inflict pain eternally)
It's fun watching this video (especially the section on contradictions) while pretending you're talking about the Qur'an (and let's say "Muhammad" instead of "Jesus")...Then I imagine how Christians would feel, how they would react to Muslim apologists presenting all the same excuses as Christian apologists, etc. Would they see the agenda clearly, and most importantly: would their recognition of that agenda have more of an effect on how they perceive this other holy text?...Even if the presence of "an agenda" doesn't _automatically_ mean it's all wrong? Even if there are _technically_ various justifications for many of the problems, which people have managed to come up with over the many centuries? Obviously, I know the Christian would agree with us when it comes to our position on the falsehood of any other religion + any claims made by any other holy text, including the Qur'an. But would it be for at least some of the same reasons? (and not just because their belief in the Christian Bible automatically requires believing all other holy texts & gods are false)? 🤔 How would they truly feel? Would they scoff at the justifications for its mythology, like me? Laugh at the apologists' desperate excuses for the blatant contradictions? Shake their head at anyone who ignores the issues, including the fact that there are any issues *period* in a text claiming to be from a literal GOD?? Would they not recognize how poorly these issues reflect on the god(s) credited by the human authors...? _Feel_ how it compromises the entire religion? I suspect Christians would have many of the same reactions and feelings as me (on top of simply not believing the religious claims)... IDK, just a fun thought experiment I enjoy! 😅✌
The key to understand evolutionary biology is the process of growing to sexual maturity. Early Christians (such as the writer(s) of Matthew) had no idea what that was all about. If you look at the depiction of youth, babies in early iconography you can obviously see that they area all depicted with the face (and even body) of a fully grown adult person (a tiny adult person lol). The sperm was seen as a seed that already contained a very tiny mini version of a person and the women was the "oven" that served to make it grow bigger in size resulting in a baby. So definitely no ancient ideas about gametic and somatic DNA's role in fertilization and natal development whatsoever. Then of course you have the Adam and Eve story where God(s) created two fully formed young adults (33 yrs old or maybe younger I'm guessing?) entirely skipping the crucial growth process of getting there. The reason the writers skipped that part was because they were completely clueless about reality but of course were probably totally clued in to their imaginary genesis stories. If the growth process doesn't matter then there is no need to fight for physical immortality because then all that matters is one's supernatural soul and how "it" is going to become immortal the domain of priests and philosophers. But time and time again death shows humans that it's the f-ing cells that is the cause death (albeit you need microscopes and scientific knowledge to see it, visualize it, conceptualize it). Each death is an example of evolution and the greater entropy exhibited by the entirety of the indifferent universe. Only the fool can pretend otherwise.
Mmmm none of these men were eyewitnesses to the birth of Jesus, they had to be writing off of what others told them. One heard from a shepherd another about the wise men. Jesus probably gave his Sermon on the Mount several times and in different places. Each person hears things differently, two people can listen to a speaker and walk away with different experiences. The problem lies with the Evangelicals idea that God spoke or directed each and every single word written down. I don't think it happened that way, these men just wrote down what they personally knew and what they felt was important.
Good job! Looking forward to your side (spin-off) videos, Would also be interesting to see a post-gospel (or post-synoptic) comparison of what you identified as the main themes in each.
I love this channel. You speak really well with what I would call a perfect blend between academic professionalism and the right amount of passion. I don't think anyone else could have had me so interested in this series, so thank you for making it
Whew! Is each of the Gospels going to be like this? In my personal program of Bible reading a couple of decades ago (last-ditch effort to make sense of my faith and get questions answered I wasn't getting answered in church), I recall noticing several contradictions and things that didn't sit right with me morally as I was working my way through the Gospels, but I don't think I saw this much in just one book. I guess that's a comment on my change in perspective since then.
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 84 วันนี้!! คู่เอก "ก้องศึก vs เมืองไทย"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3kuzsAIDf1c/mqdefault.jpg)
New Testament Here We Go!
I'm looking forward to this
@@Johnmhatheist Thanks for being here for it!
I'm so excited 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳
@@ATproof78 Appreciate the enthusiasm!
Such questions come to mind with this book would include:
What percentage of messianic prophecy was not fulfilled in Jesus’s first coming and how much of the messianic prophecies were to be fulfilled by the second coming of Jesus?
How does just claiming there are discrepancies regarding the listed lineage of Jesus Christ going back to Abraham prove there are discrepancies in that listed lineage of Jesus Christ?
What parts of The Sermon on The Mount/Beattituded were stupid, ignorant, and harmful?
How does different takes of similar accounts between the Gospels show that they are actually discrepancies and nit just different aspects where one Gospel gives one take of the events and another Gospel gives another take on those same events?
54 minutes of Brandon talking about the book of Matthew- now this is heaven
ha, too kind! thanks for being here for it though
Matthew, in Hebrew, means engorged phallus.
Almost 55 minutes!!
@@8journey8ikr! Christmas came early
Edit: I just realized the irony of this comment 😂
Lol sounds like goodnews to me.
Just chiming in here that I don't mind a longer video.
You be spittin' son, so don't feel pressure to cut it too short!
ha, love that. Thank you!
Agreed!
I agree length is never the problem it's presentation and tempo
I agree. I’ve listened to your 30 minute secular bible study lessons and I can tell you have so much more to say and I want to hear it. Even this hour long episode.. I would listen even if it was longer….
I listen to plenty of less thought provoking material for longer and it’s nbd 😆
Plus the long episodes give me incentive to re listen to absorb even more.
Thank you so much for this episode!! Looking forward to your NT work!
@juliehedberg3293 thank you, Julie!
I like your new logo. 👍
I have steered a couple of theists over to your channel.
You are calm, logical & not aggressively confrontational. I think you're about the best TH-cam option to allow Christians to begin questioning some deeply ingrained beliefs in a polite & friendly manner that is not threatening. That make you an incredibly valuable atheist asset.
I really appreciate this comment. That is one of the goals of the channel for sure. It can be hard as I know how offended I was as a christian just by the subject matter alone. So I do try to make this a place that can be more accessible, but the info is just so jarring as it is. Thank you though.
I know! Isn't it nice to be able to chat with someone who presents their case for atheism without it devolving into a shouting match or various protagonists insulting one another.
The truth hurts is also a good channel,
He's an ex JH.
He also covers things on a very calm way,
Agreed
Even as a kid "Father why have you forsaken me?!" didn't exactly ring of a victory over sin and death, to put it mildly.
This always haunted me as a kid being brought up in the Christian faith. Like why would Jesus ever say this? I've heard many excuses like it was his human nature crying out but like that's all just speculation since the Bible gives us nothing on it. Occam's razor is that he really felt like he has failed or that everything he believed was wrong.
The big takeaway I took from that was jesus wasn't in on the plan, if there really was one. After all, hes supposed to be god, right? So he knew what was supposed to happen and why, right? So why doesn't he seem to know whats happening or why when it really does happen? It's almost like jesus wasn't really supposed to die, which is why his disciples completely abandoned his cause after he died, it wasn't until later that his untimely death was spun into a "sacrifice" in order to save face, which also explains why said sacrifice really doesn't make any sense either: It was an afterthought; just damage control.
It is because you have not understood why Jesus was saying that.
@christophergibson7155 And you have not explained it either. Would you care to?
@@christophergibson7155no one knows
Yes! The New Testament study has begun!
Thanks for being here for it!
And it blows like all the other videos
@@VictoriousCatholic - And yet here you are still watching it. Lemme guess, you're doing some form of mental penance by exposing yourself to truth or something.
So ready!
@@VictoriousCatholic you just can’t handle the truth. You now, may seethe.
Thank you for taking up the story of the woman having to call herself a dog to be finally heard. That is my life. That is how i have been treated by church, family, school, workplace etc. Except for not getting anything in the end despite the self humiliation. I am at the pint that i cannot self humiliate constantly any longer with them punishing me even harder. Not for you. You are not worthy. Therefore you dont get anything. That is the constant reason for any government agency, family , employerr, health insurance etc towards me for not giving me anything and demanding more self humiliation. This is one of the stories that is being used to perpetuate such injustice and cruelty, expecially towards people suffering from disabilities like myself, we are not wanted, we are not chosen, we are not worthy, we are dogs,
Your ability to communicate the swirls that are our shared thoughts is enviable- bravo
Appreciate that so much! Glad to help vocalize
Your remark on Thought Crime was striking. Thousands of years of people being told a perfect being created them imperfect so they were evil because they had evil thoughts. Or else the Devil was so powerful to utterly corrupt everything the perfect being created.
The excuse is that you can overcome the evil if you have faith, but a perfect being decided to leave all that evil in there to make it possible you might have your soul destroyed in the perfect being's perfect hell.
Historically, people seem to like the idea of a vengeful God destroying people they don't like. They like being told they are 'better' because of whatever reason.
Commenting for the algorithm!
Keep it up Brandon!
Thanks so much, Lily!
Replying for the same reason!
Me too, this is great Brandon!!
Here to do the same! Thanks Brandon for what you do
I find Secular Bible Study to be far more entertaining than Traditional Bible Study Brandon YOU'RE AWESOME
The bible literalists are liars.
1 hour watching a video of yours feels like 10 minutes. Thank you for your work.
Thats wonderful to hear. Thank you!
Can't wait for the last episode on the revelations, trippy as hell!
There are revelations in the book of revelations.
Go to Revelation 9.5 and see if you can id the signs/months the writer talks about.
Hint: the scorpion is a constellation.
See you later.
@@harveywabbit9541 I won't read this garbage again anytime soon, and if I ever do, I won't be sober, so I may identify stuff, but it may not be of much relevance.
@@nicolasandre9886
Garbage begins with the first page of the bible.
no joke!
@@harveywabbit9541 that is true.
Yes! The eclipse has foretold that the New Testament can now begin lol! Love this. I liked the vid and am on my second pass now!
🤘😎🤘
Thank you so much and lol, love that!
There's a lot in this vid!
LOL
Your channel is such a gift! So grateful for you! You helped me deconvert man… please keep doing what you’re doing!
So glad to be of help!
Whether you agree with me or not, it feels like you’re still trying to “save” people.
However, this is truly a noble cause!
Looking forward to the series.
Much love and respect!
🤟🏼😎👍🏼
Appreciate the kindness!
Not from eternal damnation but rather from irrational indoctrination. We, as atheists, promote free thinking.
Hope he can save us from the bible literalists.
@@harveywabbit9541 Or he can save the Bible literalists from their ignorance.
All Hail the Savior. Brandon!
I sometimes think the same thing. Others, it's very hard to hear.
The errors by and issues with the author of Matthew should be enough to make anyone question the bible.
Agreed!
The word of God is so perfect that you shouldn't think about it. Just accept it. Don't look into it. Just believe it.
Of course, I'm being sarcastic.
@@Johnmhatheist
How many times does the bible refer to God as the SUN?
@@Johnmhatheisthad me in the first half lol
@@harveywabbit9541 The Bible never refers to God as the sun. God is the creator of the sun, not the sun itself. The Bible emphasizes that God is a distinct entity from his creation.
This is where true "excuse-agetics" begins. I love that you pointed out various excuses that have been used over the years about why all these "eyewitness accounts" cannot be reconciled with each other. I don't know how many times I've heard "oh, one genealogy is Mary's and the other is Joseph's, which it's right there in the Bible that it's the line of Joseph both times. Or how Judas "bought the field, with the money he was given, which is why it's later said they bought it, hung himself in the field and the branch broke and he fell and burst open." These just don't work.
100%, its insane the lengths people go to to trick themselves.
If Satan is our enemy and we're supposed to love our enemy...
I'm sorry if I missed this; arguably an even bigger issue with collective punishment than Matthew 11:20 and a massive contradiction is between Matthew 23:35-36 and Luke 11:50-51 (Jesus holds the first century Jews guilty for what their ancestors allegedly did) versus God's supposed promise about 500 years earlier in Ezekiel 18 (to no longer hold descendants guilty for their ancestor's sins).
Matthew's legendary account has the mass resurrection, where the saints come back to life and oddly hang out for a couple of days before entering the city. Matthew's resurrection tale has the women witness the earthquake and stone being rolled away and being told right away that Jesus was raised, whereas other accounts don't have the women witness the event and thus need further explanation or are even so perplexed they flee the scene only to much later be told Jesus arose.
Matthew is also mathematically challenged about Jesus being in the earth 3 days and 3 nights, or the supposed 3 sets of 14 names in Jesus' genealogy, but it's not 3 sets of 14, and he had to delete a few generations in his silly attempt. Etc. ad infinitum.
thanks for adding these in! simply too many errors and issues for me to get to all of them, so by all means, flood the comments with more Matthew issues.
I'm l😊lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllkkkkkkkk
So excited for the New Testament study. Thanks for putting so much time and effort into these!
Appreciate that. It took a min to get going again, but full steam ahead!
I've come to refer to Matthew as the 'check box Gospel' because when you step back, it's so apparent the author generated a list of prophecies he thought the messiah must fulfill and he revised the gospel of Mark so that Jesus checked all the boxes.
I haven't looked into it, but I know Christian's claim the number of prophecies that Jesus fulfills is some very large (and very bogus) number, and I wonder how many of those prophecies rely solely on Matthew.
So excited for Secular Bible Study to cover the New Testament. I've been eagerly anticipating this!!
Appreciate you being here for it!
I can't believe you finally made it here Brandon. I can only imagine how many hours have been put into this series. Now I have to go back and finish all the ot videos.
Thank you very much!
I've been looking forward to your surgical dissection of the New Testament. I learned SO Much about the OT from your discussions of their origins, their contradictions, their shades of meaning. I'm prepared to be gobsmacked by your grasp of the ancient words, and your ability to make the subject matter clear to me. I'm so ready! Here we go with Matthew!!
oh man, no pressure lol. Hope this lives up to it and thank you dearly!
@@MindShift-Brandon Your work has never disappointed. Your videos blow me away. Thank YOU!
I'm so glad I'm late to this party - I would have disliked having to wait to watch the next one in the series!
Thanks, B! 🎉
Ha, glad to hear it!
Thank you for getting straight into this, and in the same style. Lets keep going.
Full steam ahead. Thank you!
Super excited for New Testament Study! A lot of time when chrisitans try to argue with me and I show them issues in the OT they just say, "oh that was old testament we have a loving god now" so it'll be really nice to learn about the new testament and the issues in this section of the bible too. I also like learning about the NT because it's a prime example of how things change and are blured throughout time in history. Thanks for this awesome series Brandon! Looking forward to it!!
Awesome work man 👍
Thank you! Also just saw your extremely generous Patreon support. I will be reaching out soon, but wanted to quickly state my major appreciation.
Here we go! Well done sir...
Thank you much!
Thank you, my Brother.
Always my pleasure!
Someone replied on quora stating that “there are no contradictions in the Bible. If there are any show them to me.” To which I responded with the two different deaths of Judas.
He replied with what you said: the body decayed after being hanged and fell from the tree then exploded in the field. And he said that Judas had planned to buy the field but changed his mind and threw it at the priests… to which the priests went and finished Judas's transaction of purchasing the field that he fell on from being hanged and died in, therefore one can technically say that Judas bought the field because they used his money… despite the fact that this requires obvious eisegesis, we are given two different reasons of why the field was called what it was. Its interesting the hoops we can jump through to make everything fit
it really is insane! meanwhile they would be the first to jump on even the weakest contradiction in the Quran.
Judas also went by the name Judah.
@JDrocks4ever I've always thought of the falling down in the field and his intestines came out as Judas (Judah) killing himself by basically cutting himself open with a dagger. That version is much more spectacular that him hanging himself. And would, I guess, show he was even more remorseful for ratting Jesus out. Again, just my thoughts. I'm no scholar.
@@johntiggleman4686
Dagger, Sword, and Cross, in biblespeak, is the phallus Zakar/Zachar.
@@harveywabbit9541 No, it's 'siccae" or "sica."
Wow, I often ask myself when I see your videos, "why I didn't see that before?". Thank you for all you are doing for us, it's amazing❤
Halleluyer, bible study dayyyyy! 🙌🏻
lol, thank you!
Your background library is impressive !!! Looks very cool 🎉
Thanks! I’ll be doing a book tour soon
Excellent video as always, Brandon. 1st thing that struck me even as a child was why Joseph's genealogy was used for Jesus. If Joseph was not supposed to be Jesus's bio dad, what relevance do Joseph's ancestors have for Jesus's OT claims (specifically, the Davidic lineage)?
My thoughts exactly.
I'm very excited to hear this new series!
Thanks for being here!
So excited for the New Testament!
Thanks, Kathryn. Here we go!
Holy cow! I never realized half of this problematic stuff before! I did know about the inconsistency between gospels but you really taught me some new things today. Keep up the good work. :)
Thanks so much!
*55 minutes?* Yes!! 🎉
Thank you so much for all the content. ❤ _(Love the new logo too, btw. Great choice of designer - they did a fantastic job! Connecting the 'dots' [from afar] creates an "M," and overall it reflects the original design so well that I didn't even realize it was changed until you mentioned it in the last video. If it was terrible, I definitely would have noticed!)_
Thanks so much for that!
I am speechless. What a great idea! You never ceased to amaze me, friend.😊
Amazingly kind, thank you!
Thank you, from Australia, Brandon. Kudos! Discovered your channel a few weeks ago. I love your clear, calm, down to earth approach. First class presentation! I’m 80 and don’t think I’ll ever catch right up, but I’ve watched many of you OT videos, and have learned so much. You’ve clarified why I could not believe the claims of Christianity, and finally gave up on church a couple of years ago. Thankfully, I did not have the extreme Fundamentalist experience that you, and so many others have endured. Now for the NT!!
Appreciate all that very much!
Great work Brandon.
It's interesting how much is not discussed in Churches.
I took me reading and listening to the work of people like Bart Ehrman, James Tabor, Joshua Bowen among many others to truly grasp that we are dealing with narratives that have been manipulated.
Thanks for the work you are doing with MindShift as well. You are super rational and stick to the facts that we can gather from multiple sources, and don't get overtly emotive in your delivery of what the evidence conveys. You got a gift that is helping many of us rationally deal with the facts.
On another note, I looked for MindShift on Spotify Podcasts to listen to while driving and noticed that newer episodes were not in there (only the first 7 episodes were there). Not sure if podcasts are a medium that you were exploring at one stage.
Not sure if you've read and covered Deborah Grace's book 'Crucifying the Bible' - it's an interesting read around NT vs OT and how none of the claims of what Jesus is made out to be tracks with the claims, laws, and demands of the genocidal maniac in the OT that claims to be 'god', yahweh...
Keep up the great work. :)
When I was a Christian, I think my faith was basically based only on the Gospels (and really only the Synoptic Gospels), so I'm very interested in this part of the study.
Hope its helpful! thanks for watching.
Honestly wouldn't mind even a bit longer of a video in the future. I know you have to be sparing for content sake, but always dig a long deep explanation you have to give. Great video Brandon!
Great work! Can't wait to see you cover Mark 4:10-12 where Jesus admits that he teaches in parables to confuse people so he doesn't have to forgive them
You didn’t understand the parable then, keep reading from 4:10-20
Buddha gives nearly this same exact parable in his teaching
You are like one who must be spoken to in euphemisms
How can I come out and tell you that All is Love? All is perfect and whole already? That all is Infinity and nothing, that YOU ARE the Christ?
Could you accept THIS truth? Or must you come to it at your ego’s own pace?
This is the meaning on that passage, from my perspective
@@jacksonelmore6227maybe the problem isn't OP, I looked it up and some of the translations do make it sound like the point is for people to not understand, it's the case for the New International version, for example.
This is the first video of yours I've seen, and I love this channel already! As someone who was raised Catholic and has now started attending Quaker meetings, I'm not so sure where I stand with Christianity as a whole, but I do think this series is very important for any Christian or Atheist to see.
Appreciate that very much!
Prophecy fulfilled!!
You said you'd be back this week. My faith was wavering,...
Serious note, SBS is helping me with my son's mother. She's a believer and she's been pretty worried about me not believing. I offered "let's study together." Lucky she's stankn' gorgeous
I'm able to introduce her to you, Dan Macellan (sp?), Plato, Homer, Mythvision, Gnostic Informant, Harmonic Atheist, and more.
Some of us come back when we say we will (looking at you Matthew 24:34) lol and thank you very much!
Damn, this was very good and informative deep study.
Thanks, William!
And so it begins - The Testament of Brandon on the New Testament.
LETSGOOOO!!!
lol, thank you!!
Thanks!
Thanks so much, Melissa!
I'm only 27 years old as of today, but I was an eyewitness to watergate.
Edit: What I mean by as of today, I'm referring to today's date, April 18, 2024, when I made this comment. I turn 28 in October, haha. I just didn't write April 18, 2024, in my original comment because I couldn't remember what day of the month it was, and I was too lazy to look at my calendar.
Today isn't my birthday.
ha, love this comment
happy birthday! 27 is a beautiful age to be!
@AW-uv3cb hahaha, thank you, but I meant as of today, April 18, 2024, when I made this comment. I turn 28 in October, haha. I just didn't write April 18, 2024, in my comment because I couldn't remember what day of the month it was, and I was too lazy to look at my calendar.
But thanks for the words. Haha
@@Johnmhatheist This is freakin' brilliant. But be mindful your tongue doesn't stretch out your cheek. 😂
Love your videos! 🥰 Appreciate that you put so much effort in your content.
Matthew 10:28 was the final straw for me, literally was studying that chapter in my pastor's office for a Bible study which I led, and after reading that verse again and again I then realized I was no longer a believer.
oh wow, yes that one will do it. Its always so interesting to see what took people over the edge.
Maybe, before you became "a believer" you should have known about the doctrine of Hell and what it entailed.
Jesus spoke about it more than anyone else. I wonder what and who you were really trusting in then?
@@christophergibson7155 I was indoctrinated at age 6. I then had the threat of Matthew 7:23 ("Depart from me, for I never knew you") hanging over my head for 2 decades, stressing me out to prove to myself that I was, in fact, properly fearing the one who could throw body and soul into hell. I had nightmares of my friends experiencing everlasting torment. And then I discovered hell is just several religious dogmas in a trench coat (Sheol, Gehenna, Hades, and Tartarus, with some Persian theology thrown in the mix) and a petty, human invention for self-righteous people to imagine their enemies going, while they, the chosen few, ascend into eternal reward.
@@christophergibson7155 How come hell didn’t exist at all in the OT, yet did exist in other mythologies before Jesus ever talked about it? Did God steal from other religions to make hell? Because it doesn’t exist in the OT. On sheol, which isn’t an afterlife, it’s the grave. Dust to dust. The OT says over and over there isn’t an afterlife, and that when you die you return to dust. Yet suddenly hell exist? Jesus STOLE hell from other religions. Don’t fear it, it doesn’t exist.
@@jaynajuly2140 I take it you were "raised in the church"? I find it very sad that you were "indoctrinated", but not taught the truth and the full counsel of God, as found in the Holy Bible. To be in mortal fear of Jesus' words in Matthew 7:23 & 10:28 tells me that there was something imbalanced about your salvation in The Lord Jesus Christ. I was a backslider for 20 years. Yet today (since 2020) I have no fear about Hell or The Lake of Fire. I have absolute assurance that Jesus has saved and rescued me from all my sin, and that I am born again by the Spirit of God. (John 3:3,5,7) And that I have been made a "new creation" in Christ. (2 Corin. 5:17) and been given the promise of eternal life in the kingdom of heaven. (1 Thessalonians 4:17 & Phil. 3:21)
I weep at times over the lost ones on these channels, and pray for them. There is a great falling away from the faith today, especially in the western cultures. I have vast opportunity to warn them of the spiritual danger they are in. So, my question to you jaynajuly2140...What happened to your love for Jesus?
Great video Brandon. Can't wait to see the side-videos!
Thanks so much!
How could you forget the Zombie Apocalypse in Matthew 27 :) . brilliant video and thanks for your efforts making these
Kicking myself! Too much nonsense in one spot to remember it all!
Thanks for doing this Brandon!
My pleasure. Thanks!
Deep down I always thought Jesus was either bi-polar or schizophrenic. I suppressed those thoughts as much as I could until I was in my 50s but, eventually I learned other things that made it impossible to ignore the inconsistencies. Truth brings peace of mind. Thanks Brandon for helping others see the light!
My pleasure, and yes, the sad reality is simply, if this jesus really claimed the things he claimed and was not god, that only leaves the madman.
Jesus personifies the winter season of five signs/months and at his "death" at Calvary (the spring equinox) he is resurrected as the summer season of seven signs/months as the Christ. Remember in Revelations where he is crucified twice? The summer sun is crucified in Egypt (sun's falling below the equinoctial line) and again at the sun's rising from Egypt (winter) aka the Passover.
You only imagined that 26beegee. And you know that is not true about The Lord Jesus. And your anger toward Him does not change what He has accomplished for you at the cross of Calvary. Mocking and scoffing were common as Jesus hung on the cross and shed His sinless blood for YOU. Yet it did not stop Him taking apon Himself your sin.
He paid the penalty, and punishment. He took the judgment of your sin, so that you might know His great forgiveness and cleansing given freely for you once and for all. It is so sad that you never got to experience that. You never knew the love of Jesus. You have rejected Him now, because Jesus means nothing to you. So very sad.
@@christophergibson7155
It's ok Mr G.
Don't cry buddy.
it's only a storybook character and the inconsistent mythology surrounding him.
Time to pick up another anthology. There's plenty more ancient story characters out there.
@@christophergibson7155 How can I be angry at an imaginary, mythological figure? I was hurt for many years due to the deafening silence when I prayed and sought god but, I was never angry. I am saddened by having been duped for 50+ years but, eventually realized those lying to me were duped as well. I was suckered into believing lies, joining a cult and practicing ancient manmade mythological beliefs by those who were also suckered. Really sad. Now the cult is seeking to destroy democracy - they have no idea they are playing right into the hands of authoritarians. Read anything by Ruth Ben-Ghiat. You need help!
Super excited for the NT study! Studying the historicity of the NT has become a interest of mine because it serves as such a good example of how history is so blurry and can change over time with simple human mistakes. Using the NT study as an excuse I've learned so much about history and how historians go about identifying sources that are accurate. Looking forward to this series!! Thank you so much Brandon!!
👏outstanding!
Thanks so much!
You should do those hour long videos...bart erhman-esque but with a twist...definitely a fair few views available there. Keep up the great work 👍
Thank you!
Big fan of the new logo. It evokes professionalism and very identifiable.
Very glad to hear. Thank you!
I am in a church basement giving blood. It only seemed appropriate to listen to a Bible Study given my location😁
What?! Atheist can’t give blood. You have no moral right to help others! Lol thanks for watching
I love this series. This is an incredible amount of work that you put into this. I cannot believe we get all this for free!
Thank you! Thats very kind. It is my pleasure to share
Re: The "love thy neighbor" theme, it always drives me bananas when people act like that's *just* a Jesus thing, when in fact it has its roots in the Tanakh ("Old Testament"). Also, completely agreed that Jesus seemed to be a lot more exclusionary with that idea than a lot of people give him credit for. I was just listening to a Bart Ehrman podcast recently where he talks about how "Oh no, Jesus expanded it beyond Jews," and as much as I love listening to Ehrman, I was just like, "Ummmm ... aren't there passages where Jesus explicitly doesn't want to help people who aren't Jewish?"
Jesus healed the servant of a Centurion. Pretty sure Centurions were not Jewish. Not only did he heal the servant, he even said that the faith the Centurion far surpassed that of anyone in Israel. He also spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well (not harshly imo, though some people interpret it that way)
If someone degrades themselves and says that even dogs get the crumbs that fall off the table then Jesus will think about caring about you.
@@Volleyball_Chess_and_Geoguessr Mighty capricious and unpredictable, that guy, what with the fig tree and all. Enough to make believers intent on pleasing Him develop an anxiety disorder, or maybe OCD
@@presentfuture7563 Indeed. Jinger Duggar said that happened to her.
@@CabrinaPeerJesus probably didn’t heal anyone, but oh well
I'd like to give 1 and 2 Maccabes an honorable mention. Martin Luther considered them apocryphal, but they remain in the Catholic bible and provide an interesting look into early Greek occupation.
I do plan to get to the catholic cannon after these protestant books, then still the gnostics and other texts.
@@MindShift-Brandon Ethiopian Canon and Orthodox canons too?
As always, phenomenal job! Thank you, Brandon 💜🎉🤗👍🏼👍🏼
Thank you very much!
Im gonna be so sad when this series is over. By far my favorite content from you as an ex believer(seventh day adventist).
I jist had the god talk with my younger brother who still believes in this stuff and he was just so incapable of listening and hearing the logic behind why this faith makes no sense.
His final response was just "sounds like you dont understand what god is or his love" and we had to just stop there. Like... so many people are legitimately unable to even wrap their head around how insane this whole story is.
Anyway. love the longer content and im looking forward to the 6 hour long final video where you recap the whole bible and all the books and themes youve gone over to give the final conclusions 😊😉
Oh man. First of all thank you. Second, i feel you on your brother. Its a wall sometimes and so impossible to get through. Can feel very discouraging. Lastly. A hugeeee recap sounds awesome
@@MindShift-Brandon
I'm not sure if you were already thinking about the huge recap so I don't want to put that pressure on you of course but yeah I think it would be a great way to summarize everything especially since I'm sure you've probably learned some things and maybe changed your thoughts over the course of the entire study.
Definitely looking forward to the talks about Paul and ESPECIALLY the revelation. Those books will be a treat for sure.
Brandon, I couldn't wait for you to get to the New Testament!
I found this episode to be as informative, as educational, as enlightening as all of the other episodes in this TH-cam channel of yours. You are the best! Everything you say is reasonable, is logical. I will go on hoping that your teachings will help shift the minds, and open the eyes, of everyone who is not able to that by themselves.
Thank you for this very lovely comment! Really appreciate this.
MrTrillionDollarMan has showed up again. MUST ..NOT...ENGAGE...
The gospel of Matthew was my favorite book of the Bible when I was a believer. Interested to finally hear a secular dissection of it.
coming from a god like Yahweh, the bloodline thing giving Jesus rights to the throne is ridiculous. Bloodlines are important to many cultures, but it's such a human thing. Really, Yahweh would insist on a bloodline made up of imperfect beings he constantly derides? And why take centuries to line this up? Not just a myth but a ridiculous one. (terrific video, Brandon!)
Excellent point!!
Let’s do this! Thanks so much!!
Glad to have you here. Thanks!
All hail the Magic Conch! 🤪
Hi Brandon. I saw nearly one hour. But listening, I enjoyed every minute. Keep up your fantastic explanations.
Many thanks!
Details of the gospels may be fascinating to some, but I'm much more interested in why Europeans gave up their own gods for Christianity.
Im pretty sure they were forced to and Christianity just took their gods and made them to saints and made their traditions into Christian holidays.
Brandon has spoiled us with another video. 🎉 We appreciate ur work man
According to Margaret Barker one of the sects of Judaism was the group surrounding John the Baptist. This group still held to the older tradition of worshipping El Elyon as the Father and Yahweh as his son.
You can see it in John 1 with Nathaniel
"Rabbi, thou art the Son of God/El thou art the King of Israel/Yahweh."
yes so many interesting tidbits still left in our current bibles that show these kind of things. thanks
El Elyon is the sun king as the lion (Leo constellation). Leo, the lion, is called the Noble/Royal one, in Isaiah 9.14-15
Leo gives us our Thursdays (from Thor) aka Jupiter. In Leo, Jupiter is ruled by the sun. Many id Mark (and Judah/Jupiter) with Leo the lion who is opposite "the man" aka Aquarius who many assign to Matthew, Reuben, and Moses.
@@harveywabbit9541
I understood El was seen as the Father of all the gods. The Ugarit text gave us a larger picture of him.
I think our host here will use this passage found in Deut 32 where El Elyon divided the nations among the sons of God and Yahweh portion was Jacob. (It's translated wrong in the KJV, on purpose!)
This idea permeates the Bible, it's why Jonah thought he could run away from God. In Heb 1 Yahweh/Jesus is anointed God by his God above his "fellows". I don't think anyone knows when Hebrews was written but the concept was still very much part of Christianity.
Now there is another thought which runs through the Bible,
"I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God" Isa 14
The stars were used to represent the different sons of gods. In Deut 4 Moses warns them about worshipping the sun, the moon and the stars. So it doesn't surprise me that many of the different peoples attached themselves to such worship.
@@harveywabbit9541 El is the Canaanite patriarch god. Yahweh was one of his 50 sons, who took over El's place and titles and wife/mother. El Elyon is a Hebrew title, "God Most High". It may refer to Yahweh, or whichever god was the leader of the other gods. It doesn't mean "lion."
@@Badficwriter
Yahweh is also Jupiter, and he is the Lion of Judah. You will find El Elyon in Isaiah 9.14-15, as the head of Israel (summer). He is Leo.
there's so much in this video i'm going to listen multiple times. when i was in the cult i thought j was a kind & loving shepherd with some righteous anger. now i'm envisioning a much different guy & he ain't so great. again & always thank you so much for SBS & all your other work.
I've always wondered why God would let his "chosen" people be so misinformed that they all go to hell because they don't think Jesus is their lord and savior. It seems so ridiculous, and how could any Christian see how Jesus fulfilled pretty zero of the messianic prophecies and requirements still see him as lord.
Both points are very valid!
@@MindShift-Brandon thank you and great video
One of the best videos I've seen. I cannot wait to see what's next.
Love to hear that. Thank you!
Don't feel bad about judging God. The Bible verses that say God is good (Psalms 100:3, tens or hundreds of others) are demanding that you judge God and find Him good. If the Bible demands you find God to be good, and after you study a bit you find God not to be good, they can't credibly then tell you not to judge God.
Thankyou
I can't believe I never realized that God himself can't even love his own enemies. Thank you. This is ridiculously freeing. I'd like to point out how problematic it is that Jesus supposedly "died" for our sins. He did not, according to scripture, stay dead. So... ???
My pleasure! And yes tour point is spot on. If youd like to hear more about it i have a vid called rationalizing redemption
@@MindShift-Brandon Thanks I'll go watch it. I'll probably be binging your channel this weekend.... my fundamentalist mom is visiting next week and I need to be prepared.
Hello Brandon, I loved your video. Thank you so much❤
So glad to hear. Thank you!
Try telling anyone from my church that Jesus was just a really good teacher. They'll take that as a MASSIVE INSULT! Honestly just saying Jesus is just all right is considered WORSE BLASPHEMY than insulting him. Because he's supposed to be The Savior of Humanity. I'm not insulted, because I no longer believe I just go to church every Sunday because I'm not ready to have that conversation with my parents. I don't know if I will have that conversation with them. I'm just pointing out that if you say Jesus was just a really good teacher you're asking for a fight.
Going to church every Sunday with my family actually causes me physical discomfort, beyond mere boredom that I used to routinely experience as a Christian. But having the conversation with my parents that I no longer believe would be MORE PAINFUL, because I know they wouldn't accept it. The Apologist would say that the physical discomfort I'm experiencing is either my sinful flesh fighting against my spirit that wants to go to church and study The Bible as well The Conviction of The Holy Spirit. That or I'm oppressed my Demonic Spirits and they can't handle it. But I know it's because I can't tolerate THE STUPIDITY coming from The Pastors mouth. Nor can I stomach the brain washing that promulgates from The Worship Band
@@thing1thing2themediamaniac43oh, i know how it is. Then we're two🤝
(But for me, in addition to these things, i need to support the loud volume during the "song" part and when the preachers starts to speak really loud in an attempt of simulate the "Holy Ghost Possession". This annoys me and i think that i can't hear so much better than in the past. (And i ever was afraid of high sounds, like fireworks))
The worst part is he's not even a good teacher.
I'm leaving my faith and it’s painful
It is indeed. I am sorry for what you are going through, but happy for you to find freedom.
@@MindShift-Brandon thank you and you’re right, there is a feeling of more freedom but I still have this belief that there’s a creator, don’t know which one so I’m thinking about having the worldview of deism.
once you are through to the other side...of reason and self-determination, the pain is gone and the world is wonderful. Best to you!
I was in the same boat man. @@G_Singh222
Remember the Plato's Cave allegory.
When the prisoner gets out of the cave and sees the sun in the first time, his eyes starts to feel pain. But with the time, the prisoner got accustomed with the light.
Then, don't worry, can be painful in the beginning, but soon you'll not feel more pain, we all are here to support you.
(Also, just as an note, This is why i think that hell don't will be so much effective in inflict pain eternally)
NT study is fantastic already. Can't wait for more.
So glad to hear it!
Jesus was an apocalyptic cult leader.
Been looking forward to these!
Thanks for being here!
It's fun watching this video (especially the section on contradictions) while pretending you're talking about the Qur'an (and let's say "Muhammad" instead of "Jesus")...Then I imagine how Christians would feel, how they would react to Muslim apologists presenting all the same excuses as Christian apologists, etc.
Would they see the agenda clearly, and most importantly: would their recognition of that agenda have more of an effect on how they perceive this other holy text?...Even if the presence of "an agenda" doesn't _automatically_ mean it's all wrong? Even if there are _technically_ various justifications for many of the problems, which people have managed to come up with over the many centuries?
Obviously, I know the Christian would agree with us when it comes to our position on the falsehood of any other religion + any claims made by any other holy text, including the Qur'an.
But would it be for at least some of the same reasons? (and not just because their belief in the Christian Bible automatically requires believing all other holy texts & gods are false)? 🤔
How would they truly feel? Would they scoff at the justifications for its mythology, like me? Laugh at the apologists' desperate excuses for the blatant contradictions? Shake their head at anyone who ignores the issues, including the fact that there are any issues *period* in a text claiming to be from a literal GOD?? Would they not recognize how poorly these issues reflect on the god(s) credited by the human authors...? _Feel_ how it compromises the entire religion?
I suspect Christians would have many of the same reactions and feelings as me (on top of simply not believing the religious claims)...
IDK, just a fun thought experiment I enjoy! 😅✌
Congrats on starting the NT! Any appearances on other channels coming up? I always love those.
Many thanks. None currently. I am very bad at reaching out though and no invites currently
The key to understand evolutionary biology is the process of growing to sexual maturity. Early Christians (such as the writer(s) of Matthew) had no idea what that was all about. If you look at the depiction of youth, babies in early iconography you can obviously see that they area all depicted with the face (and even body) of a fully grown adult person (a tiny adult person lol). The sperm was seen as a seed that already contained a very tiny mini version of a person and the women was the "oven" that served to make it grow bigger in size resulting in a baby. So definitely no ancient ideas about gametic and somatic DNA's role in fertilization and natal development whatsoever.
Then of course you have the Adam and Eve story where God(s) created two fully formed young adults (33 yrs old or maybe younger I'm guessing?) entirely skipping the crucial growth process of getting there. The reason the writers skipped that part was because they were completely clueless about reality but of course were probably totally clued in to their imaginary genesis stories.
If the growth process doesn't matter then there is no need to fight for physical immortality because then all that matters is one's supernatural soul and how "it" is going to become immortal the domain of priests and philosophers.
But time and time again death shows humans that it's the f-ing cells that is the cause death
(albeit you need microscopes and scientific knowledge to see it, visualize it, conceptualize it). Each death is an example of evolution and the greater entropy exhibited by the entirety of the indifferent universe. Only the fool can pretend otherwise.
what a great comment! Thanks!
Finally!!! Excited to get into the New Testament. Thank you Brandon. Let's goo
Thanks so much!
Mmmm none of these men were eyewitnesses to the birth of Jesus, they had to be writing off of what others told them. One heard from a shepherd another about the wise men.
Jesus probably gave his Sermon on the Mount several times and in different places.
Each person hears things differently, two people can listen to a speaker and walk away with different experiences.
The problem lies with the Evangelicals idea that God spoke or directed each and every single word written down. I don't think it happened that way, these men just wrote down what they personally knew and what they felt was important.
Buddha beat Jesus on this Sermon.
@@harveywabbit9541nice comment 😂👍
Good job! Looking forward to your side (spin-off) videos,
Would also be interesting to see a post-gospel (or post-synoptic) comparison of what you identified as the main themes in each.
Thank you and thats a great suggestion!
I love this channel. You speak really well with what I would call a perfect blend between academic professionalism and the right amount of passion.
I don't think anyone else could have had me so interested in this series, so thank you for making it
Thats a really wonderful compliment. Thank you!
Whew! Is each of the Gospels going to be like this? In my personal program of Bible reading a couple of decades ago (last-ditch effort to make sense of my faith and get questions answered I wasn't getting answered in church), I recall noticing several contradictions and things that didn't sit right with me morally as I was working my way through the Gospels, but I don't think I saw this much in just one book. I guess that's a comment on my change in perspective since then.
Man, your videos are a PSA of brilliance and intellectual rectitude. Thank you so much!
Too kind, my friend. Thank you much!
Here to support
Many thanks!