How Can Anyone Be An Atheist? | Manda - Lynchburg, VA | Atheist Experience 22.09
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 มี.ค. 2018
- The Atheist Experience episode 22.09 for March 11, 2018, with Matt Dillahunty and Jamie.
Call the show on Sundays 4:00-6:00pm CDT: 1-512-686-0279
We welcome your comments on the open blog thread for this show.
► freethoughtblogs.com/axp/
TH-cam comments are at present disabled in our channel, to the displeasure of some. However, each video has a prominent link to the associated open thread that appears on our blog. In the past we've tried opening up the channel to comments, but we found that a very high number of episodes wound up being flooded with a combination of spam, long winded apologists, and various obscene or misogynistic comments directed at various hosts by people with an axe to grind. This seems to be the nature of TH-cam comment sections, in our experience.
We do moderate the blog, the same way that we moderate chat during the show, as well as comments on our Facebook group. For comment sections that are "officially" associated with our show (and, to a much lesser extent, channels that may give the unintended appearance of being official), we prefer not to play host to straight up ad hominem attacks and bigotry. As a general policy we do not block commenters simply on the basis of disagreement with our point of view. However, we do prefer discussion environments that don't actively chase off more reasonable contributors.
-------
The most up to date Atheist Experience videos can be found by visiting atheist-experience.com/archive/
You can read more about this show on the Atheist Experience blog:
► freethoughtblogs.com/axp/
WHAT IS THE ATHEIST EXPERIENCE?
The Atheist Experience is a weekly call-in television show in Austin, Texas geared at a non-atheist audience. The Atheist Experience is produced by the Atheist Community of Austin.
The Atheist Community of Austin is organized as a nonprofit educational corporation to develop and support the atheist community, to provide opportunities for socializing and friendship, to promote secular viewpoints, to encourage positive atheist culture, to defend the first amendment principle of state-church separation, to oppose discrimination against atheists and to work with other organizations in pursuit of common goals.
We define atheism as the lack of belief in gods. This definition also encompasses what most people call agnosticism.
VISIT THE ACA'S OFFICIAL WEB SITES
► www.atheist-community.org (The Atheist Community of Austin)
► www.atheist-experience.com (The Atheist Experience TV Show)
More shows and video clips can be found in the archive:
► www.atheist-experience.com/arc...
DVDs of the Atheist Experience can be purchased via:
► www.atheist-community.com/prod...
NOTES
TheAtheistExperience is the official channel of The Atheist Experience. "The Atheist Experience" is a trademark of the ACA.
The views and opinions expressed by hosts, guests, or callers are their own and not necessarily representative of the Atheist Community of Austin.
Opening Theme:
Shelley Segal "Saved" www.shelleysegal.com/
Limited use license by Shelley Segal
Copyright © 2011 Shelley Segal
Copyright © 1997 Atheist Community of Austin. All rights reserved.
Man, this killed me. Normally the callers are the dumbest assholes ever but this poor woman sounds like a kind, decent person who was lied to all her life.
And ladies like this is the majority of the South's population. Just people who were lied to.
Sounds like a decent person until you start talking about what should or should not be taught in schools, separation of church and state, and government in general.
Happens so often and is so sad every time
I really feel bad about brainwashed theist because I've been there, at the same time I hate fuking religions.
Indoctrination is the poison…
God: Saves the grandson from cancer
Also god: lets die 15000 children per day of hunger
Also he helps your grandma find her car keys, dont forget about the car keys
Also god: gives the child cancer to begin with.
@Esben M god cannot save all those kids, he gets busy helping golfers make the final putt to win millions
@Esben M his kids though remember, he created us all and loves us very much apparently. He obviously has his favs
But God is never the one to blame for our pain, but rather the sovereign one to whom we turn for help. the first human beings turned their backs on God and the amazing life he was offering them. As a result, all people sin and fall short of God's glory. That’s how death, pain, evil, and loneliness became part of our human existence. much of the evil in the universe is due to the direct choice of individuals. Evil came as a result of humanity's choice. Natural disasters are a result of humanity's original sin. When sin entered the universe everything was affected. Suffering and evil go together. The Bible says that the entire creation is now suffering. Therefore God cannot be blamed for the evil that continues. Humanity is directly or indirectly responsible for evil.
but Jesus came to bring us back to life. On the cross, the Son of God died for us. He paid full price for all our rebellion and defeated evil. Then he proved it by coming back to life forever. Now he offers full, true, eternal life to anyone who’s willing to trust in him and in what he did for us. It’s a free gift .
John 10:10
"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
When she said that the catholic told her her sister would be in hell because she took her own life, my heart broke for her. What a cruel and evil thing to tell someone. I’ve never had an episode make me bawl, but I just wish I could hug this woman.
Absolutely, you said what I was thinking.
My aunt took her own life 11 months ago. I know it's cliché, but she genuinely was an extremely lovely person who spent her whole career helping homeless people and her personal life was filled with lots of love for her family.
If there is a God that would send her to hell based on issues that he himself had caused, I'd rather be on the side of rebellion against such a God than worship them.
I was raised Catholic and told suicide is worse than murder.
I was so outraged that I immediately asked whether they’d rather I jumped off the window or stabbed them dead on the spot. That shut them up real fast.
@@Nocturnalux I bet it did! Good for you calling them out on their BS particularly in what sounds like a really awful and painful time in your life.
For what it’s worth, I’m glad you chose neither and are still with us today. I hope things got better for you.
@@katelynnehansen8115 Thanks!
It was just such a terrible thing to say to anyone, really. Don't they consider how this can push some people over the edge?
Suicide is something so many people contempate, at some points in their life- and the religious are responsible for plenty of that as well!- but homicide is not!
And that they shut up, told me all I needed to know. They know it's obviously not worse. Or they had never given it any thought.
Either way, these were people in a position of authority saying this to teenagers!
Another pearl: I asked the religion class if I was expected to let myself die if I found myself pregnant and complications arose that would result in my and the fetus both dying unless an abortion was performed. And he said...yes!
This woman is so viscerally open with her emotions, I honestly wish the world for her and I hope she lives a long, happy life
There a huge difference in the way you both talked to this woman than many of your other callers.
It's because she was honest, and wasn't trying to use some verbal trick to make their point.
Yes, indeed. This woman called with honest intent of trying to figure out what these guys believe and why, and not to preach
These clips always make me love the people on this show. That they can turn on a dime from the fire-and-brimstone approach to absolute sincerity when they're talking to someone who genuinely wants to understand is incredible.
since I've been watching these vids, the one thing I can say is....most of the time I feel the hosts treat the callers accordingly.
When the callers are respectful....they are treated respectfully for the most part.
When the callers are petulant, or straight up know-it-all types who can't form a thought in reality....or they are trying to split hairs in order to make one of those "You don't know, therefore you are wrong...but when I don't know I can just say I have faith & that faith makes me less wrong somehow." arguments.
It's always funny to watch stupid being stupid....because it doesn't know it's stupid.
@eric sosa I recommend not assuming the motivations of groups to which you don't belong. Atheists don't believe for any number of reasons, but the most commonly mentioned one is "there is insufficient evidence for the god claim."
And it seems weird to say "that's what they do" in an accusatory manor when posting in a comment chain about how wholesome these two were. I WISH every atheist approached situations of genuine interest like this.
@eric sosa:
"Why do you assume that I believe in God?"
Because you made arguments against atheists and in support of theism, as well as going on and on about how you think God is OK with being gay.
"It's called having an open mind and knowing that I don't have all the answers!"
We aren't the ones pretending to know whether or not a god exists. Atheists tend to be agnostic.
"You are desperately looking for people in the comments to just simply agree with you!"
Not at all. If I was just desperate for agreement, I'd go to /r/atheism or something.
"Are you people that boring that you congregate and talk about something you don't believe in?"
We talk about atheism because theists take actions that directly affect us based on their religion, and because religion fills certain roles in people's lives that we have to find solutions for in our own. If you can't understand why atheists would want to talk to other non-believers for help with, say, grieving, then you really haven't thought things over very much.
"It is no secret that most of you are gay and think you're going to go to hell!"
Oh god, please tell me you're not just super in the closet and projecting. If so, I'm so sorry for you, and I hope you learn to accept yourself.
"Are you confused about your sexuality? You sound very confused! Don't be ashamed of who you are! Maybe your parents shunned you?"
The fact that you'd read into my sexuality based on four sentences (I'm assuming you missed that that was my second comment here) shows exactly where your mind is. I'm perfectly fine with who I am, and so are my parents. I continue to worry about you though, this continues to sound like projection.
"The other reason is your life is shity and you have to blame the non-existence of something, which makes absolutely no sense if you ask me!"
A.) My life is fine. This just increases my concern about projection. And you're right! Things that don't exist can't be at fault for anything! But I never ascribe fault to god, for exactly that reason. See my first comment: "I recommend not assuming the motivations of groups to which you don't belong."
"You should know this, this is the "group" you claim you belong to🤣 because you so desperately need to belong to something!"
I really don't. I actually strongly dislike identity politics, and the whole concept of "us-vs-them." I merely concede that the term describes me. There's a reason I said I wish all atheists acted like these two guys: there are plenty of atheists that conduct themselves incredibly poorly (see: /r/atheism.)
"Your so-called "non-believe" does not come from rational thought or critical thinking, it stems from a traumatic event!"
[Citation needed]
"It's funny though, someone making assumptions, telling someone else not to make assumptions!"
I concluded something about you based on information you provided about yourself in the way that you conducted yourself. You assumed multiple things about entire groups of people based on sweet fuck all. To pretend the two are comparable is asinine.
2/10: Low effort drivel dripping with assumptions and projection. Not worth the effort of continued conversation. Blocked.
"Birds born in cage think flying is a disease"
That's good. Who said it? (I ask because you put it in quotation marks, implying attribution to someone else.)
Marko Pollo Alejandro Jodorwsky
chevy
Great quip.
Exactly how I feel, been flying FREE for 86 years now, having never been ''caged''.
Better to say, BIRDS WHO LIVE IN CAGES THINK FLYING IS ABNORMAL.. But we understand what you mean. Agreed dude. ..Agreed!
That's bullshit
Finally a completely honest theist, asking a completely honest question, AND listening to the answer. Great job both of you guys in your empathetic response.
Hear Hear! These guys are totally respectful to people who haven't found the real truth yet... it is SO HARD to let go of something you've always been told was true... Thank you!
@@DarkaDusty Yes, the devil (Satan) is a liar and the father of lies. He has so many souls believing that there is no God/Jesus Christ. People believing what they have been told by other people who don't know the truth (Jesus Christ).
@@paulgemme6056if god gave us any good evidence, we might believe.
Yeah, considering the number of crazy people, morons and jerks that call into this show (especially in the TH-cam clips), it’s nice to see a sincere discussion for once, even if the crazy people are funny.
@@KnakuanaRka The blood that Christ Jesus shed on the cross is the only thing that can take away our sin/sinful condition and enlighten our souls (change our minds) and give us life - eternal life - the capability of knowing him (Spirit to spirit). No religion needed. Just faith, faith plus nothing. No man is justified by being religious - Justification is by grace through faith alone.
I became an atheist almost three years ago after 25+ years as a Christian. In January this year, my 11-year-old niece died from multiple complications originated from a brain tumor. She was 2 years old when the tumor was disovered, only a few days after my sister and her husband adopted her from an orphanage. While she had periods of health and was a right sunbeam, a little fighter if ever there was one, eventually, the complications from the cancer robbed her of one ability after another and she lived a life of pain and constant struggles. My sister and her husband lived a life of constant fear for her life.
When my niece died, I had been an atheist for two years and her death did not make me a believer again, not for a single second. I had no need for a god of any kind to deal with my loss and grief and I am in fact grateful I wasn't a theist at that time specifically, because it would only have clouded my grief process and acceptance.
I grieve that I will not, according to the knowledge available to us, ever see her again, yes. But I grieve her loss of life more. I grieve that she didn't have a better life here on Earth and I grieve that my sister and her husband struggled so much to even become parents and then, when it finally happened, their beloved child had a severe illness that slowly killed her, little by little over several years.
There is no way any god can rationalise that as their divine will and has me accept, respect or bow to that. IF there is a god who could have prevented this, but didn't want to because of some twisted mind games about sin, it will only mean that I acknowledge that god's existence, but in no way, shape or form, will I be able to worship, trust or love them.
Becoming an atheist, if anything, has given me peace. I hope this poor, brave woman finds a healthy way of dealing with her pain.
He (God/Jesus Christ) who bestows the oil of joy instead of mourning gives us hope in the midst of the darkest situations. Atheists only offer death, God/Jesus Christ offers life. The free gift of God (eternal life - to know him). The days are evil, and people want more than what an atheist can give them. Faith, hope and love.
@@paulgemme6056 Atheists do not ''offer death". Death exists whether anyone likes it or not. What atheism offers (among other things) is a mental perspective that places more value on actually existing life than on an imaginary afterlife. Neither Jesus Christ, nor any other character from religious stories, can offer life after death because to do so is to offer, like a snake oil salesman, a false promise, and to devalue existing life. Indeed, the belief in a heaven after death is probably destructive to existing life. Why? Because if people believe that there is an escape (in the form of a ''heaven") from the destruction of planet Earth's ecosystems from pollution, global warming, and nuclear war, then they will be less likely to fight against it. But atheists know there is no escape. Earth is the only home that we and our descendants will ever know. Therefore it must be protected. And the protection of Earth's ecosystems should give our lives purpose. Humans should see their purpose as protectors of the planet, not as "spiritual beings" who are magically exempt from the consequences of its destruction.
P.S. What is ''the oil of joy"? A sexual lubricant?
@@paulgemme6056 If you would like to contact me please reply as I have a scheme to make a million dollars a week for an investment of 1000 dollars.
Do you believe that?
@@paulgemme6056 BS, atheists offer a life that is the only sure thing in this world, you have to live it to the fullest and love the people closest to you, not place faith in an invisible god! I just hope you're not one who thinks you need to oppress others with your opinions. There is no hate like religious "love"
@@robertl4824 There is no love like God's/Jesus Christ's unconditional, unfailing. everlasting, perfect love. Jesus Christ/God loves the unlovable. Can you and I do that? Would you and I love the men that are whipping our backs and spitting in our face. Would you and I say Father forgive them for they know not what they are doing. I don't think so! That's what Christ Jesus did for us. Died for the sin of the whole world. Nothing but Glory, honor and Praise should be given to his Holy name. No religion needed. Just faith, faith plus nothing.
Ladies and gentlemen: exhibit A on the kindness the hosts show when the callers are honest and willing to talk and listen. I hope the caller is doing well.
@Satan Supremacist wt??????
seconds that....this is actually a decent example of how a actual conversation plays out when all parties involved are intellectually honest ,even when having wildly different positions so to speak.
like me and other relatives ouerselfs said about loses in the family tree.... they hade a full long life and a gentle end to it ,and the last thing they want be for uss to waste the rest of ouer lifes obsessive about them not sharing it with uss.
Not all atheists are angry nutjobs going around flashing/saying Satan is wonderful nonsense. These guys I can dig, though some of their information is off. They should look into what Stuart Hameroff is doing.
@@biblebadcopycatofcuneiform8210 not all ? XD first if its the satan temple last i heard they werent doing anything worse then the local christians over there in nutjobb bible belt ;)
for the rest... leets say i meet far more religious people trying to 'flash' ther religion into things for no reason then atheists ...i dont know ,trying to force a hobby on others ^^
who's this 'Stuart hameroff' though and how doess he relate to what they said in this one ?
@@Amoth_oth_ras_shash Learn grammar, spelling, and ...more. Maybe then, we'll chat.
That woman is very brave. I'm an atheist and all but even if she didn't changed her mind on religion, she has my respect for having the courage to ask and listen to the other side.
im from the same city and also an atheist, i find it silly anyone could even dare THINK its abnormal to be an atheist
Lavos2007 I understand is very dissapointing how this works, but religion is specially design to generate this kind of reactions on believers. Before I was an atheist I found the idea of atheism horrible an unnatural and feld guilty for even thinking about it. Creepy stuff, but real.
similar experience to me, but i felt far more guilty about keeping my religion, knowing tons of people both locally and abroad in the country were using it to sound all proper and justified while committing some of the worst atrocities, to me the hypocrisy was just too much and i decided i would be better off without that anchor hanging around my neck
brown boi, It was nice to see that despite her beliefs, she could could talk to and understand people outside of her religious comfort zone. Regardless of what path she takes from here, I think she'll be better off for being able to take in and expand her view of things. Good episode! If only more people were able to talk about their differences without becoming combative in defense of their beliefs. You don't have to be a convert to expand your views and understanding of other people.
Genaugmen Couldn't put it better myself. My english is far too inferior to express my thoughts as clear as you did. I find theists very respectable as long as they are openminded enough to listen to other points of view. But I strongly believe that if you are part of organized religion, you have to be at least partially closed minded. It is requiered to be dogmatic on certain issues. What I'm trying to say is that I have no problem with people just believing in a higher power, but the moment people start believing on an ancient fairy tail full of dogmas, things are really dangerous and anti-intellectual.
Can we please get a Manda update somehow? This woman broke my heart back when I originally watched this and is once again as I am right now. I genuinely hope she is doing better ❤
You can hear her heart breaking slowly as the call goes on, just hit after hit, and damn dude, it feels bad remembering how I had the same breakdowns when I stopped believing
same omg
It's an absolute nightmare
It's so crazy they setup this false narrative then you have to work backwards out of it and it does suck
Same here. I felt like I was losing a father. Really strange and painful
You two did more to help this lady in a few minutes than organized religion had in years.
@Quincy Breed atheists don't hate god. How can you hate something that you don't believe exists? Do you hate the "aliens that abduct people?" No because they are not real. Just like your God is more than likely not real.
@Quincy Breed there is a fallacy here in your B.S. lol, are you telling people what they truly feel?
We talk about it because for thousands of years religion has not done humanity any good. It stunts critical thinking. Promotes tribalism, an "us vs them" mentality, you can't question anything,
In the bible it promotes slavery, killing of atheist and anyone of other religions, kidnapping, rape, abortion, murder and genocide. It's not your made up god that we dislike it's the book that you blindly follow, only read the good parts (cherry picking) while ignoring the bad parts. Somehow it's OK to rip babies out of the stomachs of pregnant women, kill male children, keeping the virgins for yourselves, "happy is he who bashes the little ones against the rocks." So killing children is a form of happiness? In No Context is It OK To murder children And people just because they believe something different. Lucky the bible is a bunch of made up stories so I'm glad most of this didn't happen.
When slavery was a thing they used the bible to try and rectify that they enslaved someone.
Two last questions,
1. how can someone hate something that has never effected reality?
2. What are the commandments that were put in the ark? Hint, it's in exodus 34 not 32 they get smashed in exodus 32.
@Quincy Breed wait you insult me and demean me with insults and I'm the hateful one? Hypocrisy be thy name.
No, it promotes slavery and even beating your slaves as long as they don't die within a couple of days. All of what you said was bull shit. This will be a lot of posts because you said a lot of stupid in just one comment.
@Quincy Breed "I'm telling morons how stupid they are."
That is you being hateful, not me
@Quincy Breed "the other way around"
Is that why in th e bible it says to "never question the lord?" Wait that is stunting critical thinking AND questioning anything.
As an atheist I think this might be the best call and caller ever on the atheist experience. The way they handled the subject so tenderly, with such care and class was amazing viewing. As for the caller the lady was listening and extremely honest about her feelings. It was heartbreaking. I hope she finds the peace her caring attitude deserves.
Totally agree, I think it was one of the shows best interviews and callers ever.
Absolutelly, thats what I was thinking the whole time.
My EXACT thoughts. It is the best call I've ever heard on this channel. Her innocent surprise at some of the things they explained made *my* eyes moist.
More like shes a middle aged baby with emotional instability so they had to go easy on her to the point of not arguying at all and console her the whole time.
Since you're an Athiest I recommend you join a Satanist group in your area.
The Satanist groups are essentially atheist trolling Christians; Putting up Baphomet statues outside of Ten Commandments on gov't grounds and etc.
Peaceful trolling.
I can't appreciate enough how brave this woman is, she genuinely didn't understand the mindset of an atheist and wanted to learn it and she was so kind and honest with her words even though she learned that she might not see her loved ones again after a life of waiting to meet with them in heaven.It's terrifying and it must be so disappointing. That situation is so sad. She's been lied to her all life, she's been told that her sister is in hell. I've never realized how severely religions could harm people emotionally. That was one of the most unique and best calls I've watched. I hope this woman has found ways to deal with her grief better and is happy now.
Agree. In my country (Te Netherlands) young people within several 'indiginous' subreligions have a high suicide rate.
From fear and shame.
One of the best call ever. I listened to it 5 years ago and stumble on it today and re-listened again to the whole conversation. Manda, your sister is living on:... you shared your experience with us and we all know about her now. She, in a way, changed us a tiny bit because we know of her (and you). This is how I think we live forever by affecting (in a good way) the people around us. (And I just noticed the number of views... (1.5M as of March 2023) A lot of people got to know a bit of you and your sister !)
That's the only way in which the spirit of a person can live on.
That was probably the nicest call I've ever heard on this show. I think all three managed it really well.
Yeah, indeed. She was very polite, did not get altered in any way and she was able to listen very well (except once that Matthew had to intervene, but that's fine).
I thought she did extremely well considering how much her entire worldview was being challenged. Unlike some of the idiots who call into this show, she revealed herself to be an intelligent and reasonable person. She actually listened.
I agree. That was one of the best shows that I have seen.
Makes a change. Honestly listening to Matt on these clips is painful. Doesn't let anyone talk, interrupts, gets angry. Pretty pathetic tbh.
@@Cheximus No u
I'm an atheist but I teared up a little when she started speaking about not seeing her dead relatives again
That’s probably the most evil false promise you could make to someone.
“Oh, you wanna see your dead daddy again? Just give our church money and do everything we say! Don’t worry, Jesus will put you with them after death!”
@@dryfox11 I mean, yeah that specific kind of promise coming from organized religion is awful, but I don't think the concept of an afterlife is inherently wrong.
death can suck sometime z
Being atheist doesn't stop you being human, have empathy or sympathy
Thats what makes life beautiful and precious. Once you realise the true value of time, you will endeavour to spend it wisely with family, friends and things that make you happy, instead of waiting for death to start living in an imaginary paradise.
Seems like a genuinely sweet lady. Whatever she believes today i hope that she's happy and fulfilled.
It's nice to hear the occasional caller that listens and takes in what the hosts are saying.
I feel bad for her. Realizing I would never see my dead relatives again was the hardest truth I had to accept when I became Atheist.
Reincarnation! Don't just believe in the God of the Bible! Research mystical christianity! Nothing to do with the Bible! That's not the only way!
Yes is hard.
@@stacielivinthedream8510 are you on crack?
You may not see them again, but remember that in the case of your family they are a part of you, they are part of what made you who you are and what you become, certainly the influence of your mum, dad and grandparents form a part of what you have grown into.
Cherish them while they're here. :)
Normally, I want to punch the callers, but that woman almost made me cry. She has my sympathy.
She has my deepest respect
She was vulnerable and quite open minded, so polite!
I felt the same. Such a lovely woman but so misguided. Very sad. Imo of course.
yea you can tell they trying to work with her without trying to be disrespectful
It’s sad that she was lied to
Dillahunty's explanations dealing with the loss of a loved one was pure gold.
I love how much compassion you showed that woman. She was so frightened and got serious cognitive dissonance during the call. Thank you, gentlemen!
This TH-cam Channel is therapeutic for me because even, at age 70; I still suffer from the harsh upbringing that I endured in Christian Fundamentalism. I can't stand being in church, anymore, or being around people who want to persuade me to "give my heart to Jesus." It grows so old and tiresome.
I can tell you have a great mind. As a 15 year old...I ask of you for some advice on life. I read a lot of philosophical, and logic books. I’m not very great in school, because I want to do bigger things. I would say I have quite a good head on my shoulders, but that’s not really for me to determine. I want to grow up to be a real intellectual, with logical thoughts, and reasoning. What would your life advice be to me?
@@choppyplayz6220
My "life advice" would be for you to place a severe limit on how much you allow other people to influence your decisions.
That is because in the long run, you alone must live with the long-term consequence of taking anybody's advice, even long after the person who gave you their advice is gone.
George X thank you very much! I will write down what you said in my journal, and really think about it. I appreciate you a lot for this!
I am much younger than you, only 19, but I feel much of what you are saying. Growing up under a religious structure and a strict household, I fully bought into the ideas that were taught to me, one of which includes the idea of original sin. Now I don't know if you have had the same experience, but this idea was probably the most damaging in my life, not while I was a Christian, but once I began to doubt my faith and eventually stopped believing. Once my "salvation" was gone, all that I thought was left in myself was evil and brokenness. Even now I find it difficult to shake the teachings that I was born evil and must be redeemed. I have felt unloveable, broken, and irreparable for only a fraction of my life, and I cannot imagine what it must feel like to have that feeling or a similar one linger for my whole life. In a book I read about religious fundamentalism, it says that the five main phases of recovery from this are separation, confusion, avoidance, feeling, and rebuilding. I only hope to rebuild one day and reclaim what was taken from me in my childhood. I know this was a bit long and rambling, but it's cathartic for me to express this at the moment, and it feels good to come across those who may understand my perspective while I'm still surrounded by those who look down on me from their faith. I sincerely hope you are doing well and rebuilding your own world. Thank you.
@@choppyplayz6220 Choppy my advice would be, read a lot, follow your heart, we all know what's right and wrong we have learnt this through evolution in our genes, education read whatever interests you, and always be be nice to people and animals
My heart broke for that caller, she was so sweet, and reasonable, she has my respect and love.
Eric Fouch
Absolutely.
her cognitive dissonance is heartbreaking. You can tell the second she starts doubting her faith.
@@movietimeateds69 I agree with what he says about the deservice religion does by promising to meet those you lose in an afterlife.
Treat everyone like you may never see them again, because you may not.
I tell my wife and kids I love them every time I leave the house because you never know. I never stay mad at anyone, because again you may never know. You could step out your front door and get hit by a falling tree branch and if religion is wrong then that's it.
My step father fought off cancer for 15 years and was in remission. Then on one random check up was told the cancer was back, there was nothing they could do, and he was dead 3 days later (most of which he was a chemically induced coma because he went down hill so fast).
Enjoy your life, love and forgive those around you, treat your existence like it's all you have. Because maybe, probably, it is.
She's not too bright though. I don't have an explanation so there must be God? Atheist is a person who doesn't believe in God? So 2 billion Chinese and Indians having other religions and not believing in God are atheists?? It seems that religion is for below average IQ people.
she's the type who would be having affairs up and down the northeast corridor--it's always these types that do the most sinning.
So much respect for Manda. This is easily one of the most constructive calls on the show, or at least the modern TH-cam show. Love those “lost episodes” too though!
She sounded like a really nice lady, who’s been hurt a lot. Whatever she decides to do, I hope that she can get peace of mind and continue to live her life a bit more freely than before.
As an atheist who use to be Christian I'd say she's very christ-like. That's how I'd want Christians to be like.
That was the most honest, heartfelt call. Matt was genuinely kind because she was genuinely seeking information and not trying to play semantics
9:46 Seems pretty fkn aggressive to me
@@chrispysaid it was. And it was still tame in comparison. And it was still what? 5 seconds out of over 1600 seconds? If someone is 'aggressive' .3% of the time, they're dealing with you, it's weird to prop it up like it's significant.
@@Chance57 This sounds like something an abuse victim would say, frankly. Matt's abusive speech is utterly unnecessary in most cases, but he defaults to it because of his short fuse. Maybe he's fully aware of it and has just given up trying to control it, maybe he's completely unaware and thinks it's not so bad (which is what I lean towards, given how often he complaints about being interrupted yet CONSTANTLY interrupts people who are just trying to explain their perspective). He's a good skeptical thinker, but the way the guy engages in dialogue is utterly shameful.
@@chrispysaid As someone who has heard and watched TAX for a long time and that is why I have also seen several videos of Matt, at first when they just started the program they did not stop the guys who called, and many times a single idiot out of pure soligism and fallacies that he never recognized and interruptions he sucked up the entire hour that the program lasts and there was no more time for other calls, so that's why Matt is like this, first because after so many years he is tired of listening to so many idiots always saying the same things and second because if it were not so, many take advantage and use the entire hour of the program to preach without ever getting anywhere.
@chrispysaid I can’t fathom what kind of tissue paper world you live in to think that resisting being interrupted is aggressive
I was diagnosed with Stage-IV cancer and told maybe 6 months. I did the chemo/radiation thing and I am still here (5 years now)
I have had many people say I should thank God for saving me. My response is always "If there was a God I would not thank him for saving me, I would ask why the fuck you gave me cancer in the first place"? What did I and my family do to deserve that?
It also throws the hard working staff, and even yourself for enduring it all, under the rug. It’s disrespectful but they don’t realize it
Who said God gave you cancer ? Lol, everything has a causality, maybe avoid stuff that give humans cancer, foods and enviroments and so on and so on. It says about the "God" you are talking about, created humans in his own Image, and gave them total domination over the Earth and to live there and create what ever they want. Well everything in reality creates action & reaction. We create so mutch shit and then we suffer and get sick by it, thats why we are maybe sinners, to sin from hebrew just means = To miss the goal litteraly. What is the goal ? To live healthy and not smoke and drink and not to get hateful and create light in your soul to become happy and love and create good enviroment and so on and so on and yada yanda. Free will creates all kinda errors/sins and consequences but also many positive things.
@@el29 free will is an illusion and you were almost there. Sun gives us skin cancer, and yet we need it to live. If there is a creator, they set it up this way. You love to shift the responsibility away from them yet you are listing causes we have no control over as our responsibility. Even down to smoking a cigarette and getting cancer is not in your control. Mammals who are larger than us have significantly lower to no cancer rates. Why would a creator set up the reality where smaller mammals have higher chances of cancer and lower chances of surviving it as well.
@@cqproton Wtf. I wrote a fucking essay to you for 2 days ago to explain the nuances from my view but apperently tadaa its not even here. Well i cant even bother to do it again lol. Well i disagree, from so many causalitie perspectives but have a good day. But i understand anyway, because when i was 14 years old philosopher i was a radical determinist causalitie person that did not belive in free will either, now i realise its limited concepts from the start and pre premisses that was limitating but anyhow but i dont share the same stance today. Its more complicated. But heey everybody want there simplified ideologies to make sence of the complex intercausality network of the realitys hologram that manifests infront of your mind.
And when it comes to your God arguments, well those i wrote alot about to why they didnt hold but anyways, what ever.
Have a good day =)
@@el29 Do you understand the basics of cancer? Do you know just how many factors contribute to cancerous mutations in your DNA? By your logic, I should avoid the sun and pretty much any object or place where microorganisms can thrive. Educate yourself.
WOW, a caller that was genuine and actually listened, I don't recall that ever happening. What a nice lady, I kind of felt bad for her.
She also seems to be sort of on the fence with religion!! She didn't sound very certain in her convictions
I love it when people take the time to listen to each other.
wow that caller has such a lovely nature. being presented with a logical worldview that throws her own into turmoil, and yet accepting the information with strength, grace and even humour. wonderful person.
She can be a nice person, and very stupid in this topic(Religion, gods etc.), because she should not believe at the first place in bullshit like that. My mother same thing, she believe in fucking bullshit, "nice" people tend to believe in bullshit, they are naive sometimes.
Great individual.
@Quincy Breed And your god will be cool with you insulting others and being proud and cheerful about believing someone will be tortured for all eternity? What a coincidence, it's almost as if your god is malleable to your own personal traits! But luckily you were just created in its image, right? 🙄
@Quincy Breed Aha, the problem is *you* think its real,not that someone thinks an imaginary thing is displeased.
Well, like most people against religion make the mistake of comparing a diestic creator to a religious diety. Convenient for you that they're the same thing yet nothing alike.
@Quincy Breed Yeah, I know those were his words, so I added the diestic creator vs religious diety to flesh out what I meant by your concept of god being the problem, not the poking of religious drivel.
"God" does not exist outside our desires. Keep dreaming.
Also also, you can't have god without everything attributed/believed about him and get to pick what people think about him.
You're saying we can't disagree with fictional characters unless we believe they're real.
This is heartbreaking. It's also a perfect demonstration for the kind of damage religion can do on an individual level. This poor lady has been left with no real coping mechanism for her trauma and nothing but false hope to fall back on.
Gener🇦lly sp🇪aking p🇪ople hav🇪 be🇪n r🇪moved from th🇪ir tru🇪 roots by thre🇪 main r🇪ligions on this 🇪arth. Jud🇦ism, Isl🇦m and Christi🇦nity are the tools that 🇦re b🇪ing us🇪d so no one has any re🇪l spiritu🇦l pow🇪r or knowl🇪dge ex🇪cpt for a sel🇪ct f🇪w at the top.
remove the $ sign: exposing$christianity$.com
That goes for so many Christians, like me! 😢. I keep/kept trying to believe! Through so much trauma, I needed help so I searched God. But I am a studier and I kept reading and studying the Bible! Every time that led me to conclude that it's false! A fairy tail! I listen to apologists and I usually side with the atheists even when I was a Christian. I had to stop listening to maintain my faith but I studied extensively in all avenues and it consistently led and leads me to believe that there is no God of the Bible because that God orders rapes, murders, has slaves etc and the only people that seem to make sense are the atheists or the mystical Christians who have a different method of belief other than the Bible. but I still can't find myself a place.
@@stacielivinthedream8510 remove the $ symbols : joyof$satan$.com & $ancient-forums$.com
@@Henuman something must be wrong with your phone. I didn't put any of those symbols!
@@stacielivinthedream8510 Nothing is wrong here. Messages have to be typed like I did or else I get censored.
Amanda, thank you for calling in. It’s been several years since you did so, but you moved me. When I was a theist, I felt comfort thinking that someday I would see my loved ones who passed. When I realized that was not true, I became hurt. Then I became angry at religion. After that I accepted the truth, and what gives me joy now is not some cruel, baseless promise to make me submit. The thing that brings me joy is the miracle of being conceived, the randomness of it all, and in addition, the finality of being alive. Having the opportunity to have consciousness and sharing my life with loved ones is the reward in itself. To me that is much more valuable and more beautiful than what any religion or god can promise. Hope you are doing well, Amanda. Big virtual hugs from Costa Rica to wherever you may be ❤.
This is officially my fave video w/ Matt. Lost my Dad a few years ago and this makes me feel some ease
I've seen a dozen of those videos, and Manda is the first likable caller IMHO.I wish her the best, truly.
I like that she ended with an "I'll pray for you" joke.
@@calebmauer1751 that joke sealed the deal that even though it was though she tried to keep an open mind.
I noticed that too, she’s really nice.
She has no idea she is living inside a man made cult consisting of words.
@@JamesRichardWiley Actually the impression I got throughout the call was that seeds of doubt were being planted.
I feel sad for her and angry at religion for doing this to her. You guys did a great job.
@@bryonmyers1058 Explain?
it's not just white people you mouldy tomato
@@bryonmyers1058 it's so funny it's always the fault of white people
@@bryonmyers1058 As opposed to open minded societies such as those in the middle east, right? I wonder how a gay person would fair there. Or a woman. Or an apostate.
Do you think Matt could be doing this show in Egypt? Or Iran? Or Saudi Arabia? Or Pakistan? Or Somalia? Or Yemen? There are countries where apostacy and blasphemy are punishable by death: how about you name me ONE that is predominantly white?
I agree, I think this is one of the best AE clips, love that matt and Jamie show real empathy
This was a very respectful and thoughtful discussion. I wish we could all speak to eachother this way.
My mother died when I was 14. I was then and still am now an atheist, so I have never believed I would see her again. How did I cope? Well, I missed her and at one level regret that she didn't physically remain in my life. But I never forgot her, and whenever I achieved anything (or even not) I would think she'd have been proud or supportative of me in this situation. It has been all about living well now, not putting life to an imagined afterlife.
Sure the yelling and screaming calls are fun to watch, but calls like this are the best, just a nice conversation and answering questions.
When a believer says something happened because they prayed, I always wonder what they think about tragedies? There was just a horrible tornado in Alabama, I guarantee that some of the people that died were praying and they still died! What do believers think of prayer after that? God works in mysterious ways? Grown people talking and asking for things to an invisible man in the sky is just crazy! And yet this woman cannot understand atheism.
@@seanjones2456
Same. I would never make fun of this caller, but I honestly don't understand the mindset that god is responsible for the good things in her life, with the knowledge that bad things happen to people all the time. How is her grandson's life more worth saving than others? It boggles the mind.
Religious people grew up with “god” as a coping mechanism for hard times. Yet they still don’t understand it’s a medieval tale. Props to these guys for being so patient and perfectly and respectfully explaining it to this wonderful woman. Guess I’m just lucky that my parents raised me without any religion, got all the tools I need to be a good person and cope with loss. anyway have a good day and don’t be too hard on religious people guys, they’re people too.
I hate the yelling and screaming calls. They're ugly, and they go nowhere.
13:29 _"How does God tell you that you're gonna meet these people again? - I don't know."_ - That's gotta be the most honest answer ever from a caller on this show!
So...your reward will be to meet your departed ones again in heaven. ?????
As an atheist, l find that amusing..
I'm thinking about the man who, during his lifetime, had a total of four wives.
Each one, a miserable individual, causing this man 'hell on earth'...
Will the same 'reward' be there waiting for him when he arrives in heaven.?
Would his four ex-wives be allowed to now make his life 'hell in heaven' ?
I think shes thinking of rethinking if u know what I mean. I know that was worded horrificly
@@christinecatt5391 Great one! 😍👍😁
Literally the most honest person that has ever called
I miss my Uncle Lezin. Master storyteller, Korean War veteran, baker, log cabin builder, no one made me laugh like him. Don't think I'll ever see him again but he's with me everyday and still makes me laugh. People we love pass on, our memories become so precious. When I'm dead, hopefully people will remember me in a positive way.
Aw that made me cry, such a thing to leave a long lasting impression and just be "remembered". How perspectives of life can change
If you've been lied to your entire life, even if it was intended to be for your benefit, the arrival of truth can be devastating and confusing. I can't overstate how well this was handled by both hosts and caller. Hopefully it was the beginning of a real healing journey. I sometimes regret that these stories don't have follow-ups. Manda, wherever you are, I hope you are well.
This was so respectful it was downright Canadian!
Soory
Thank you, and I'm sorry for responding. ;-)
Who in your fam. were who? 'J.A.,' Chile.
Kelly Bults Has a God Prove that there is a god. I’ll wait.
Lmmfao
"I'll pray for you. That was a joke!" That made me laugh. This call was so wholesome :)
@Sharon Cinna
When people say "I ll pray for you", I answer "I ll THINK for you"
Usually, they flee !
@Sharon Cinna But as a joke, it was spot on.
She was very sweet.
@George Khoory I bet you're pretty young.
@George Khoory That's fine. I don't care what you do.
I’ve watched quite a few of these videos and I have to say that the honesty and sincerity shared between these three people showed me more respect, love, and compassion than any religion ever has. The apprehension and earnestness of Manda actually made me sit up a little taller and listen. I just listened. This is the kind of conversation that I would love to have with the Christians in my life, if only they would have a conversation with me rather than proselytizing.
I’m saving this one. Thanks.
Yeah, this is one of my favorite episodes as she was so upfront and honest and even though she most likely will not change her beliefs, her call may have planted the seed of doubt for her. Everything about this call was basically the ultimate in compassion.
When I was in high school I was still religious, but my boyfriend was an atheist. We had long conversations much like this one. I very nearly convinced him that it would be nice if Christianity was right so that even if we were separated by death if we were good people we could see each other again someday.
But within a couple of years, with my increasing exposure to different ways of thinking as well as learning more about how to reason for myself, my faith was beginning to break. I asked a lot more questions at Sunday school and youth group, and was increasingly uncomfortable with the answers.
But the straw that broke the camel's back so to speak, was during Sunday school one week where our pastor was sitting in with our senior high group, and we were discussing the afterlife. I found out that my pastor did not believe that we would be able to see individual loved ones in Heaven, because according to him Heaven was not a place where people live in a great house together, but was more metaphysical. It was the returning of the soul or spirit or energy, whatever you want to call it, back to the great energy that is God. So although you are together again, it's not as individuals but as a big energy ball I guess. His opinion was also that Hell is not a place where people burn, but rather is the sadness and emptiness from the lack of being together with God for all eternity. I asked why no one else had ever said such a thing, and why we were told the story of Heaven as paradise with loved ones, and Hell as burning for your sins. He said that those were just colloquial stories built by popular culture and had no actual basis in the Bible. I suppose that is true, but there also wasn't anything in there describing his exact ideas either.
But the reason that his idea broke my faith was that the comfort of the idea of Heaven as a paradise with loved ones was the major selling point for me. I could also see why the fear of burning in Hell would be a deterrent. But without that reward or that threat, what was the incentive? Why would I be afraid of being without God for eternity if I do not experience his presence in life anyway? How is it any different? And even if he was wrong, it just shows the inconsistencies, and that even the people that are supposedly an authority don't know what they're talking about.
After college my boyfriend and I married. We wanted to have kids together, but that didn't end up working out because we went through several years of poverty after a series of unfortunate events, and didn't have the money. The culminating unfortunate event was that my husband was taken from me at only 32 years old by cancer. Back when we were in high school and I was a believer, there was a different series of events that had led to us dating, and the arrogant Christian that I was, I had thought that we were meant to be together and God had given us to each other. When he died and people prayed for me and told me their comforting lies about God's plan and being in a better place, it just made me angry. If God had given us to each other, why would he take him away from me too soon, before we even got a chance to have a family? If that was his plan then it sucks. I mourn the loss of him, but also the loss of his time, of our time together, and our dreams. Sometimes I still like to pretend that maybe he is in a separate plane of existence somewhere and he can watch over me even if I can't see him anymore, because it really can be comforting sometimes even if there's absolutely no proof of it. But I'm fully aware that it's just a coping mechanism, and a poor one at that.
Now, even though I live in a conservative town and it would be easier to meet new people that way, I wouldn't even try to bring myself back into religion. Although the rituals and the lies and sense of belonging can bring comfort, they can also bring much harm. As an educated adult I cannot support a god that condones slavery, objectifies women, and strikes down anyone he's not happy with despite creating them and knowing that they're imperfect. There's also a lot of evidence that the supposed Word of God- the Bible- has been tampered with repeatedly by men in order to exert greater control over the masses.
I suppose if the Christian God really does exist then I will hope that other gods, other heavens, other dimensions, other reincarnations, whatever, also exist and can bring a greater chance of being able to experience again. But if not, if there's really nothing but here and now, then there's still the comfort that I and my atheist husband, as well as people bullied by Christianity such as LGBTQIA+ people, will not have to burn in Hell.
That is a good comment.
Thank you for sharing.
Reading between your lines I can tell you are an intelligent, open-minded person, but most of all a good person. I believe that in the long run our pain makes us stronger (it certainly makes us deeper), but it's not an invisible fix.
Thank you for sharing this. Even though the ultimate reason for me finally giving up on religion is just a bit different from yours, you have articulated my thoughts and sentiments perfectly. And you're very eloquent. I hope everything goes on well for you because I can very much relate to everything you said
I hope your life improves and happiness comes your way soon.
It's nice to see that there was not only a polite discussion this time, but the hosts appear to have provided Manda a little bit of comfort.
Definitely helps when people don't become hostile when they start slipping in the more formal conversations and their core beliefs are challenged.
CJCroen1393 okay but the bald guy was kind of a dick about it
He "loses" the person when they realize there's more to apologetics then the basic defenses taught in high school. Manda didn't really realize she was on a discussion show and basically just wanted to lash out at something for making her doubt whether or not she was going to be eternally reunited with her relatives.
I'm curious to hear what you think constitutes Matt's word of the day calendar.
Nobody pissed in my Cheerios, and someone disagreeing with you doesn't mean they did. Sorry you don't agree.
Psalm 34:8
Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
"My sister dared me to call the show."
Leaves in tears about her shattered beliefs.
She was asking, "how can y'all be atheists," but wanted to know "how can I become an atheist and still be ok - I am questioning but afraid."
I doubt her sister did that, it’s plausible deniability in case someone from her church or family sees her on this.
@@hanshananigan1233 I don't think she's gonna throw away her belief system, but it's nice that she understands that her sister might not be burning in hell for committing suicide.
@@Christobanistan wait a second, does she have two sisters? because if it's the same sister, then uhhhhhh
…never talks to sister again😟
This was f___ing amazing. Bravo to both of you for a compassionate and logical discussion with a grieving person.
I can appreciate that lady working up the courage to call. She sounded really sweet so I can imagine how nervous she was.
I like this, I like this a lot. Christians and Atheists *politely* debating and discussing
Edit: Most of you got the point but some of you missed it entirely. No one has all of the answers, this includes my fellow atheists, and until you can enter a discussion without acting like an all knowing, all seeing entity(lol) you won't learn anything.
Wild Daz yea a lot better than when atheists were executed painfully simply because they were atheists.
The Pineapple Gamer or when Christians were turnt into giant candles by Romans
Wild Daz or when the pope and Muslim powers used religion as a valid reason for war and mass genocide.
The Pineapple Gamer or Vikings 'visiting' English church's
Wild Daz a lot of fucked up things happen lol
This woman breaks my heart, I honestly feel bad for her, religion stopped her from having a a meaningful way to deal with death.
Poorly educated, sadly.
Absolutely right my friend.
You feel sorry for her. God is Love. she has peace in her life. You don't.
@@damianedwards2327 I feel sorry for you, you believe in a god. Like an adult that still believes in Santa or the Toothfairy.
Yes.
You guys handled this lady respectfully and beautifully about her loss. Thank you.
This conversation shows that religious people prioritize their emotions and feelings rather than truth and rational thinking.
She had literally never talked to an athiest. Amazing.
it's a shame the church paints us as demon worshipers so people like Manda are sacred to have a conversation with such a person.
Lynchburg VA. That's why.
She has. She just doesn’t know it.
She has spoken to atheists before but she was probably just not aware they were atheists.
Well. To be fair, I dont exactly walk around introducing myself "hi, I'm an atheist", so odds are most people wouldn't ever know they have spoken to one.
Such a good honest woman. Usually i cringe when listening to most callers. This was refreshing. She sounds like the kind of person everyone should have in their lives. Wow.
Yeah, she's a sweet heart.
Psalm 34:8
Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
Poor lass, this is heartbreaking. She's a good girl I think. I'm glad they went easy.
@@loveandfaithfulness4479 well what about how the bible condones slavery? You think that's a good thing?
But on so many of their points did you notice how confused and stuttering she was, as if she just couldn't grasp it or understand what they meant.
Most relatable and honest caller I've heard so far, thanks for being nice to her.
This was genuinely one of the best discussions any human beings have had that I have ever listened to. It was both heartbreaking and enlightening. So much empathy from both sides and Manda even ended the call with a home run of a joke. I'm grateful to have stumbled upon this video
I lost both of my parents to cancer. As an atheist, I never thought I'd be reunited with them, and because of that I made sure that I made the most of the time I had with them. I took care of my mom in her last days, and that was a privilege for me, rather than thinking I'd see her again some day.
This is one of AXP's best moments. It brought a tear to my eye. Well done, gentlemen.
Scott Plumer: Wow, your story is identical to mine..you made my eyes well up. I send you a heartfelt and respectful hug.
As a fellow human being, I am proud of u sir . In a time where people look for old age homes to dump their parents in , you proved God/religion isn't the source of morality. Well lived !
I understand you Scott, I saw my dad waste away from lung cancer, a loving father who lived a blameless life. Where was a "loving" god involved in these cases? Have a nice life Scott ,you are a decent man.
Quincy Breed that’s a rude thing to say
@Quincy BreedYou are hilarious(stupid) Quincy
This woman never dealed with her sister's loss, believing she will see her again, until finding out that this is likely not true. I felt sorry for her. Life is hard.
This was a depressing show
Agreed. Although I think knowing the reality that once you’re dead, you’re dead, is more comforting. Just because you know you that your time is short so don’t hold grudges, do good things for others, take care of yourself and many more stuff that will make life better for not only yourself but for others aswell. Your family member died of cancer? Donate to cancer researchers so you know you’ve just prevented someone else from suffering a loss. What if one day, you’re the person who’s loss was prevented because someone donated to find out a cure?.
LIFE IS A MYSTERY AND WILL REMAIN SO.
@@DENIEL381 No, it's not, mostly. Which part don't you understand?
That bit broke my heart. Religion do be shitty like that.
This was a beautiful episode.
Mad props to Matt and Jamie for how they handled this! When she gave the anecdote about her grandson being cured of cancer I wouldn't have been able to resist bringing up how many children die all the time of horrific diseases without god seeming to care
“Baptist don’t recognize each other in the liquor store”😆🤣
I do not get the joke, are baptists not allowed to drink alcohol? Why else would not they recognize each other?
Hey I don't get it too. Explain please. :D
@@NetAndyCz When I was being brought up Baptist and alcohol, all alcohol was strictly forbidden! No card playing, smoking, rock music, dancing (other than country or ballroom-type), lottery playing, etc. I do now, 40-some years later, have friends and the preacher's wife from a local Baptist church who feel it's fine to have a sip of wine or other alcohol on occasion. It has to do with that verse about not polluting your temple (body).
@@tomosko2669 See above comment.
@@debbieomi Ah, I suspected that would be the case, thank you for the explanation!
Her grandson survives - god healed him, praise be to god.
Her grandson dies - god wanted her grandson to be with him, praise be to god.
Easy answers bro smh
I know right, you can't win against that kind of logic.
lewisner ....if you read the bible, god is cruel as f*ck, lot willing to kill his son for him, approval of slavery! Homophobia....etc, etc...not to mention the contradictions on every other page! It's simply anachronistic mumbo that was designed to keep primitives in line! I don't know about you, but I'm not primitive, most of the time anyway, I need no lord or master. Rather than believe obvious rubbish, why is it so hard for folk just to say that they don't know why something is, or where everything came from. Why can't people see that to say "Wow, the universe is so majestic and mysterious, there must be a bloke who made it!", is just plain daft! It's such a limited human concept to say that somebody must have made it! It's such a spurious argument to say, I can't explain this, so therefore, Allah...or Jesus! Pure lunacy! Grow up people, spare your children from religious brainwashing, it's really the only way of propagating religion, no-one rational just suddenly catches faith (unless, having a breakdown!)
Exactly and...amen!
I was so pissed when my grandpa died it was the saddest moment in my family after my birth. I was 9 and I thought the best response to God was,no more god in my life. Also my cousins questioned God everyday using science and logic which pushed me to read more stuff. I was so disconnected with religion from 9 that by the time I grew up I had no reason to believe in it.
I congratulate this woman for trying. She truly is trying to be a better human in this weird world we live in and that's all I can expect anyone to do. Beautiful.
I boggles me that " I wish this to be true" can equal "it must be true" to so many people and also to a degree where they can't even fathom or comprehend that it has no connection.
This made me cry. She is so lovely and was handled so sensitively as a result. I hope she was able to cope with the reality bomb.
I know. It made me so sad when she mentioned how she'd lost loved ones and had been looking forward to seeing them again.
Pussy
@@vincentranger09 ur a tough guy like it really rough guy
Vincent Ranger ur profile pic proves your a pussy cuz only pussies like cats! In fact if u feel any emotions at all you’re a fucking pussy princess
Vincent Ranger it's important that we pretend out emotions don't exist, right? Because god forbid we connect with people with anything other than our fists...
I think you actually got through to her, which is rare in these types of debates
Only because she was genuinely curious and willing to listen and try to understand someone else's point of view.
I think all 3 people in this conversation did justice to the difficulty of differences in spiritual beliefs.
4 years passed, just checking, still an awesome video, thack you all.
This is a great discussion. Truly a connection between people that may not see the from the same angle, but there is an understanding. I'm an atheist and have struggled to explain this concept to people.
I think this is my favourite call. She is genuinely curious and confused, everyone is polite and gentle, and she seems to understand, even if not accept their reasoning, and they understand her. Poor lady.
the good cop bad cop duality of matt and jamie drops, matt was the most gentle I've seen him in a long time
@@ntrunnrracl He ALMOST got angry over nothing once, but toned down thankfully haha
Yer I love this call too
Manda seems like such a sweet and genuine person. Even when she misinterpreted the hosts and thought they were saying horrible things about her, she kept her cool, stayed civil and didn't jump to conclusions. She asked honestly how anyone can be an atheist because she didn't understand it and actually listened to the answers because she genuinely just wanted to know rather than asking to have an excuse to be arrogant and feel superior. I wish her all the best and really hope she's doing well.
I do wonder about the ethics of destroying someone's entire reality. Even though I'm a fervent atheist.
@@joshuataylor3550 There was nothing destructive in this conversation. Matt and Jamie were honest, supportive, and deeply empathic. Manda lives in the same reality that we all do (as she always has), and has had an honest conversation.
@joshuataylor3550 i actually understand what you mean by this, however they are not stating anything as complete fact, and actually really understood why she thought the way she did. And she is clearly old enough to either ignore it or not. All they did was show her something she had never considered before. I do wonder if she ever explored those new views on reality more
@@thedarksiderebelgreat statement, I wanted to say somthing but didnt know how I would word it. Well done
This was such an amazing video! Jamie and Matt handled this with such nuance and kindness, especially towards the end. They weren’t trying to rend her beliefs to shreds but rather give her the tools to think critically about her beliefs, and then meet her where she was - the offering of tools for grief, the refocusing on the good times spent with loved ones who have passed and what they would want for us… you could tell that she appreciated their words so much. Just a vast amount of compassion for someone they didn’t even know! Great clip, so thankful that this was available for me to watch.
Agreed! They all interacted on such a compassionate human level.❤
This might have been simultaneously the most heart breaking yet beautiful conversation I’ve enjoyed on this channel. Not that all of the others have not been valuable, they have, but the degree of empathy and honest exchange of feeling on display here is a model for our conversations can go if we aim high enough. I don’t believe this woman changed her mind in the span of this call, at least not a straight conversion, but the fellas did a wonderful job of extending kindness and consideration towards someone who really needed it. And by her own admission, has struggled to obtain it in more religious venues. Thank you for sharing this one (and all the others!).
People like Manda are the reason I stopped arguing religion with people years ago. She's not argumentative or superior. She appears to be a good person who's just been raised with some bad beliefs, and as the gentlemen stated, a lack of tools. I got no pleasure from discussing religion with people like her because it felt like I was trying to take away the only real source of comfort they had. While I strongly believe religion is dangerous, not all religious people are dangerous.
Except for the fact they vote like minded people into office who push their beliefs into government.
Throatwobbler Mangrove if it gives her a purpose in life i think its good for her to believe in god
what purpose can a belief in god give you that cannot otherwise come from secular sources?
What angers me is that she obviously never had any secular source presented to her. The discussion shakes her beliefs as if she was told all of this for the first time. You can't help but wonder how this is possible without a serious lack of education.
Artimus Clydefrog varies from person to person. If she finds fulfilment in religion, why not let her be? Its ignorance to want to bash religious people because you look down on them.
I hope Manda is doing better. She seemed really nice and understanding.
She probably killed herself
Bryon Myers. Hahaha goddamn dude haha.
This Is My Name You’ve got a new horizon it’s ephemeral style
A melancholy town where we never smile
And all I wanna hear is the message beep
My dreams I gotta kiss em cus I don’t get sleep no
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
@@bryonmyers1058
Even if she did, it's in poor taste to suggest it.
I think this is one of the most important ACA videos on YT. Such valuable lessons, as seen from real people with real lives.
this episode is my favorite. I watch it often. mostly because it's so damned genuine. And this brave woman who is reaching out for understanding, and confronting her doubt, and everyone is so gracious and lovely. I want to hug you guys and bake you cookies. 🍪
This lady is incredible and sweet. Good for her to challenge herself by calling in.
@NeverFinished 3Digits What call did you listen to? It's not a sob story is a real problem caused by religion that needs to be addressed or you think that religious people going around indoctrinating people about the existence of an afterlife and even worst, hell, is something to ignore?
@NeverFinished 3Digits wtf are you talking about? that caller is pretty much the reason why the atheist experience started
@NeverFinished 3Digits you cannot be this stupid? this type of caller/person is literally why the show started, because religion can have such a strangle hold on a persons ability to think rationally( exactly like this caller), as well as having no tools to handle grief
@NeverFinished 3Digits when I say " that caller" I mean, a theist that has been trapped her whole life because of religion and doesn't have the tools to cope with loss, or to evaluate things logically. that is pretty much what the show is about, showing people that there is a better way to live life rather than living it with the bullshit reason of faith. 'that caller' is 1 of millions who quite clearly need a wake up call, which is 100% (along with an outlet for atheists themselves, what the show is about and was created for. I didn't think it needed that much of an explanation but with you, clearly it did.
@@Simon-nv5zj Yes he can and is this stupid. He just watches the show for the antagonistic theists defending stupid ideas, he is not interested in morality, society and the effect of religion on both. The waste of time is interacting with this kind of ignorant assholes.
My whole heart. She has it. She sounds like a lovely person. Religious or not.
She was trolling!
Right?!
Jule Rulez I don’t think so. She’s just a kind person engaging in a conversation.
Gary B. You’re either an ass, or you’ve lived under a rock and don’t understand language
Jesse Rose He’s just an edgy guy who thinks misrepresenting context gives him a leg up on somebody else, ignore him.
Wow. A lifelong agnostic, I listen to these for amusement as much as enlightenment - but this was just profoundly moving. Amanda will probably never change her mind about God (and that’s really okay), but she understands now regardless that simple human decency can transcend any difference in religious belief, so long as we want it to. Which, for my money, is a far worthier goal than making a world full of atheists, or anything else.
Facts! I'm an athiest and i want every religious person to be like this.
Great call...honest communication. Thank you Manda, Matt & Jamie! I wish more of them were like this.
They are so respectful towards her...I love it!
When your belief system is demolished by a sentence or two, you need something to cope with in the meantime. I'm glad for the manner of both hosts. It's clear this caller will be psychologically broken without religion.
Inability to deal with emotional stress is probably from her upbringing given her sister committed suicide.
@Bob Smith a fundamental belief, like your religion?
I've never heard a more contradictory statement, delusion or science. Pick one or enjoy cognitive dissonance.
Just because you survived jumping off a bridge doesn't mean everyone will. It's clear religion is a crutch for what she should have internally generated.
@Bob Smith well if you're happy living in internal conflict and hold two conflicting ideas, I won't stop you. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I'm not worried about how your mind works as it's not based on reason. My years will be many as I'm only 25, I don't aim for peace, it's a fools errand. I'd prefer to live honestly,
@Bob Smith I guess you failed reading comprehension. If you're okay with living conflicted, that's your choice and I won't stop you. Anything else you didn't catch, buddy?
@Bob Smith geez, you really are dense, bob.
There isn't a cure for imbecility but I guess Religion is it for you 😂
The caller, Manda, is an example of the extremes of how religion makes people unhealthy co-dependency on religion. The use of fear factor tactics by religion is very psychologically damaging.
Yet she seems to be a really good person. She should be perfectly free to be whatever she wants. I'm pretty certain she is mistaken, but whether or not she reconciles that mistake with a more logical view or not, it is still entirely her right. Sometimes I even wish I could believe. It would be comforting.
@Folk Aart Yes, but she is not.
@@leslierhorer1412 I'm confused by your post. The OP was not insinuating she wasn't, or shouldn't, be free to believe how she wants.
Religion poisons our minds and the church can find a way to make anything bad , Working out " your doing it to attract the opposite sex" same with make up, video games , bars clubs, playing the lottery, looking at a woman for to long is the same as the actual sex act, i could go on and on,
@@leslierhorer1412 The problem is that religious leaders use Manda and those like her to maintain their social, economic, and political dominance over areas like Lynchburg, VA. I live in Virginia myself and am surrounded by Christians. Allowing their views to go unchallenged has stagnated the culture here to an incredible degree. The comfort they derive from their beliefs is always outweighed by the damage wrought to themselves and society.
That was by far my favorite episode so far. I love you guys!
It's been the nicest talk about religion I've ever seen. You three'd shown you're re really nice people able to listen respectfully to each other. Thank you, I wish you the best for all of you.
I gotta give it to that woman. That was a tough conversation for her, you could tell that hit some dark places by her voice. She genuinely tried to wrap her head around the idea too.
notformebeaky Dude have a little empathy, she has been taught since she was little that her god is as real as the air she breathes. Of course she is deluded by her religion but the mere fact that we was willing to take into account the sheer possibility there is no God and think it through is very admirable. As a former Christian I know what it’s like to live in that fantasyland of religion, it’s extremely hard to shake.
This caller just made me feel so sad. It very much sounds like she is having doubts but can't quite let go of her faith because of the comfort it brings her. And I guess she has no one around her to discuss these doubts, so it's good she could at least call in and get some things of her chest.
I think the lies told to her growing up that she would see her brother and sister again prevented her from dealing with their deaths. I think she truly listened to what Matt & Jamie said and it made sense. Now she is conflicted with clinging to a faith that she clearly has doubts about or having to realize that she will not see her brother and sister again. For her it is like the just died again. I have great empathy for her. If she was before me I'd give her a firm hug.
This is good example of the damage done by the lies of religion.
I can say the same about atheists...you can't seem to let it go because the comfort it brings you.
@@3joewj You are wrong, it is the hurt and damage that theist do to others. For example there are christians that are spreading the coronavirus because of pastors that care more about filling their collection plates than people's safety.
1) Can you tell me how many states have laws banning christians from holding public office (public office is anything from dog catcher to elected official)?
2) Can you tell me how many states have tried to pass laws banning christians from holding public office (public office is anything from dog catcher to elected official)?
3) Can you tell me how many states have laws banning Atheists from holding public office (public office is anything from dog catcher to elected official)?
4) Can you tell me how many states have tried to pass laws banning Atheists from holding public office (public office is anything from dog catcher to elected official)?
5) How many children are kicked out of the home by christians for saying they no longer believe?
6) How many people are ostracized from family, friends and the community by christians for saying they don't believe?
7) How man children are kicked out of the house for saying they found religion by Atheists?
8) How many people are ostracized from family, friends and the community by Athiests for saying they don't believe?
ANSWERS:
1) NONE
2) NONE
3) There are at least 5 states that have laws on the books banning atheists from holding public office even though it is unconstitutional.
4) ALL 50 states have christians trying to get laws past to ban Atheists and non christians from being allowed to serve in any public office.
5) No evidence that this ever happens
6) No evidence that this ever happens
7) 100's of children are either kicked out of the house each year because they no longer believe in god.
8) 100's perhaps 1000's each year people are forced to move or a re too terrified to voice that they no longer believe in the crap that the religion everyone else believes in. Religion teaches people to hate their brothers, their sisters, their children, their mothers and fathers, family and friends. According to the bible the mythical jesus said this.
@ what you wrote has zero relevance to what I said.
@ bullshit...give me 2 examples of Atheists being killed for their rights or beliefs in America.
12:45 "You don't think that [praying for another person] works?"
It really is stunning to see these people coming across these thoughts for the first time in their lives.
Very very well done. Polite, gentle, kind, yet direct and not pulling back on questioning her beliefs. This lady is so real and her experience is like so many other people, respect and best wishes to her!
The lady was genuinely terrified at the thought there may not be an afterlife
The three of them listened to each other, that was the greatest benefit of this conversation
I mean, I am too.
If wanting made things so, we'd all be rich, fit, hung, and immortal.
@Quincy Breed
Is there one?
@Quincy Breed
I think no one has proven there is one.
But I'm ready to be convinced.
@Quincy Breed
I can't predict the future, the claim could take so many shapes it's impossible for me to tell you how you should prove your case to me.
That being said, a demonstration would be appropriate. Mind you, I'm asking for a demonstration, not an explanation. Show, don't tell.
You could show me exactly how a person gets to the afterlife you're attempting to prove.
You could show me the place itself, wherever that afterlife is.
Now I can save you some time, can we agree that words on an internet forum would not be sufficient to demonstrate the existence of an afterlife?
Good for Matt and Jamie for treating her with care and compassion.
I knew this was a valuable clip when i saw it live. Glad it's saved somewhere and i stumbled into it again. Lost my mom this july, and i'm needing to find these tools to help process everything.
I feel for this lady. This was the same reaction I had from my best friend when I told her I stopped believing. She had lost her mom a few years before. She lost her brother when we were still in high school. We are still best friends now. But for a few months after I told her, she was sad and distant. The idea that she might not see her family again was too painful to even consider.
My ex-wife was the same. She couldn't bear the thought of never seeing her son again. Had I been smarter when we were married, I would have asked her what she thought her son was doing in that very moment. If she imagined him doing things that made him happy and that he wasn't sitting around mourning for her, then shouldn't she be following his example?
I love how kind and patient the hosts are. This was a great conversation. I hope the lady is ok.
yeah its not the normative standard, i can tell you that when it comes to Matt.
@@el29 no, its because she didn’t attempt to use semantics or pull any BS tactics or had an air of superiority.
@@el29 I agree, he can be rude. But from what I see he makes a clear distinction between people who want to sell him BS and do not even try to go along his reasoning and people who at least try, but can't out of their fortified mindset due to whatever reason.
You can clearly see this when Matt, based on what the caller said, made a logical argument, the caller first agrees and then switches back to his old BS without giving any reason why he switches back.
That was beautiful!!! Matt and Matt Jr. (aka. Jamie) did a fantastic job.
Also was it refreshing to see a such open-minded Christian!
I 100% agree, that was a really good conversation.
Justin Copley
Um, yeah!
If you'd follow the ACA shows you'd get it. Don't say "No" to something you have no clue about.
Just a bunch of entitled white people disregarding the other 7.5 billion people on this planet.
Bryon Myers
You never made it out of your Christianity-poluted country, have you? ...don't bother answering. I don't expect any useful response from a rasist. A bit hypocritical, don't you think, as a Christian? ...But certainly not surprising!
Bryon Myers
Oh, just a troll. Okay then.
the laughter behind the camera was as infectious as the caller's wholesomeness. I learned a lot here even as a fellow atheist. Thanks
Please dont ever stop doing these shows/etc…yall are amazing ♥️