Never really thought about it as an addiction, but yeah, I can see that. I had some relatives that could be classed as " addicted" to a particular TV preacher back in the day. There's a lot of alcoholics in my family as well, and they both act in similar ways...
@@scottthomas6202 I disagree driving while religious seems to be making low quality apologetics videos on a go pro or phone camera while trying to operate a motor vehicle. Driving while distracted is incredibly dangerous. They are constantly taking their eyes off the road to look at the camera, the mind is focused on talking instead of safe driving, and they have it in their heads that Jesus will protect them no matter what happens.
That's why AA seems to work so well. They don't really treat the addiction, they just swap it for a "safer" one...and they wrap it in a coat that only looks like legitimate therapy while they do it.
@@mwperk02 - You do Know Atheists make Atheist Apologetics Videos the same Way Right? But its Only Wrong when "The Religious; do it. And by The Religious You Only Really mean Christians. no its not because They are the Most popular Religion and i am Sick of hearing that Lie. its like the Silly Oh you must think You are a mind Reader lie or the Wow that's a lot of Projection you are doing Lie or that Calm Down Lie. Also, calling Your Apologetics Counter-Apologetics is silly. Its not like Apologetics is the practice of Attacking Atheists or "Other Religions", and it snot like Christian Apologetics Would Exist if You didn't Attack Christianity. Your "Counter-Apologetics" is when You Attack Christians in an unprovoked fashion then pretend they Attacked You and you are just Defending Yourselves.
"Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people". --- Karl Marx
Ever notice how religions either claim to be the constantly persecuted weaker people banding together, or the elites of the race getting away from the non-elites? Why don't they want to just be regular people?
@@wilsontexas Marx's understanding of economics was very good. The labor theory of added value underlies modern economic theory. He did underestimate human stupidity and cupidity.
@@hisxmark Agree that the problem with mark's theories is that he did not understand human nature which is sinful and selfish therefore his ideas are not practical in the real world
I used to respect him alot, from a distance. Then i learned he's a satanist. Kinda contradicts the whole atheism aspect he tries to peddle.. Dont mistake me for a religious butt hurt guy, im as atheist as they come. In recent years, ive learned about freemasons, how theyre actually satanists at the highest levels. All religions have been corrupted by them, which is why they require their members to believe in one of the major 3. Cuz they will effectively be supporting satanism.. Knowing this, i am very cautious about people like him. You basically cant trust anything he says. Critisizing christians when he is a satanist himself, is about as hypocritical as it gets.
Luckily, my mother was similar. She took me to church until I was about 12 then just left it up to me if I wanted to keep going after that. Never pushed or pressured me. She wanted me to choose to be christian of my own free will and so I've been an atheist ever since.
@@Vhlathanosh I guess you have never experienced the freedom that Jesus Christ/God gives to those who have faith (believe). When one is born again, born of the Spirit ((Holy Spirit) the chains are taken off and the blindness removed. Now they see/know the truth (Jesus Christ) and are set free from the world, the flesh and the devil (the enemy of our souls). No religion needed. Just faith, faith plus nothing.
I love Aron Ra! I hope I get to meet him in person 1 day, just to tell him to his face how big a force he's been in my life & instrumental in helping me navigate raising my kids against the religion so prevalent in my family & community (I live in Utah).
@@skyyp6322 Namaste. Hail Satan. Praise Allah. All means the same thing to me as god be with you. I don't shove a god in your face that you don't believe & despite what you have been taught it's not a good thing to do to ppl. i was indoctrinated from birth & I'm 35 now & if there's 1 thing I do KNOW, it's being a believer was pointless to me. & I don't care if YOU believe in him personally, but don't throw him in my face like I don't know what the bible says, like I don't know what he stands for. That's no god worth My time.
5:45 Love Aron for acknowledging the circular reasoning behind persecution of People who Use Drugs(PWUD). “Drugs are bad because we fire you, and evict you, and shun you if you use them!”
Except He did not "Recognise" This, and its an Oversimlified and inaccurate View on how Drug Addicts Actually Think. And When he then says Religious People Think in exactly the same way and Religion is an Addiction, He proves This is not Really about Rationality and Evidence Based Thinking, he is Writing an Emotionally Charged Polemic.
@Richard Waddington - What is the Point of Asking Me a Question but then Answering for Me? How do You now I don't Know Any Addicts? In Reality, I do Know People Who have become Addicted to Various Drugs, Prescription and Illegal, and to Alcohol. I do not Need You to say "I didn't Think so" as if I sat in Stunned, Awkward Silence when in Reality, I had No Time to Reply at all. When You follow that by Rhetorically Asking Me How I Know what Others Think, You are Simply being a Hypocrite. Especially since You depict Being Religious as being the Same as being a Drug Addict. The Truth is, Atheists are Religious. And No Idiot, saying Atheists are Religious is not the same Thing as Saying Atheism is a Religion. U +I Know You are Stupid and will insist I said Atheism is a Religion, ten Trot Out that Stupid Atheism is not a Religion, Atheism is a lack if belief in a god ie, but Atheism is a belief that no gods Exist, not a lack if belief in a god, Atheists do make the Claim that God does not Exist, and Your firm of Secular Humanism makes other Claims in addition to there being no God, and You are a Follower of Secular Humanism as You Listen to Pastor AronRa her poreach His Anti-Christian Hate Sermons. And AronRa is a Secular Humanist. And Secular Humanism is a Religion. Belief in God is not a Drug One becomes Addicted to, and all You are saying is, if People do not Agree with Your Beliefs, then They are Drug Addicts, Or are The same as Drug Addicts, as if Agreement with You is healthy and Disagreement with You is not. The Irony is, by Calling Religion an Addiction no Different from Drug Addiction, and Telling us how The Religious and The Addict Think, You are The One telling People How Others Think. It should be Obvious that telling us how "The Religious" and "The Addict" Think Alike is telling us How They Think, but for whatever Reason You have Deluded Yourself into Thinking This is Somehow Different. And No , 6he usual Lie that You Use to be Religious and Know how The Religious Think won't Make this better since You are just Repeating the same stupid Lies you heard here or in other Atheistic Religious ministries by Pastors like Pastor AronRa. You are doing What You accuse Me of.
@Richard Waddington -You made a previous Post to Me, and it Reveals hwo Dishionest you are. I Said in My previous post i'd present it. it is presented here, Below. In my previous Post I Said I'd Repost This. This is what You Told Me. It makes You a Hypocrite. "how many addicts do you know personally? I didn't think so. How would you know what someone else thinks? Unless you know someone personally, for a long term, you will never know what they think. Even if you know someone since childhood you can't know what they think at any given moment concerning a subject with which you're unfamiliar. 😞" Do You Really Think This is Arguing in Good Faith?
@Richard Waddington - You are such a Liar and We Both Know it. You have No basis for saying I Know Nothing about Addicts. This Talk of My Supposed ignorance is Also a Smokescreen. You Invoked it so You'd not have to Admit that Being Religious is not the same as being a Drug Addict, Which is what We were Discussing. Why are You such a Liar? I didn't Make Sweeping Statements, I rejected Sweeping Statement Your Faith community Here made, and specifically The Sweeping comment Your High Priest AronRa gave. When You claim being Religious is an Addiction no different from being a Drug Addict and The Religious Think Exactly the same way Addicts Think You are the One making Sweeping Comments. You are such a Sociopathic Liar. Your religion always does this. Followers of Your Religion Attack Christians, and Lie about it being about all Religion when its not,. then When Someone Responds to Your hagte based ies a nd bigoted Childish Repetition of someone Else's Anti[Christian insults and hate, You Pretend you were sitting Here mining Your Own business not saying anything and the other person Attacked you or made the Argument. That is why you Abusive Bullies are never Really going to improve he world. you dedicate Yourself to being Coward and liars and Bullies a nd All you want to do is tear others down and You Always Feign Inno ent and play the Victim, While Projecting that on Christians and Claim They Play the Victim and Feign Innocence. You also accuse Christians of Projection. Then You Actually By Into the Lies our Religion gtells You. Like that Stupid Reading the Bible Makes People Atheists Lie. We Both Know You haven't Read Four Different Versions of The Bible all the Way through and you did not do Thesis on them. you just Lied a bout that. And You Actually Think the Pathetic Lies Your hate based Religion tells you are true and Christians actually haven't Read The Bible. Hu also Think Bible Versions are Somehow Actually differe nt Versions of The Bible when they are actually different english translations of The Hebrw,m Aramaic, and Greek Text. I Know You are a scumbag Who Will pretend I am an idiot who doesn't know Anything about Christianuty by Invoking The KJV Onlyists but you Asked me Which version of he Bible I see as my Chosen truth a nd that means You are stupid Enough to Think i belei ve Only One version of the Binek is the ONE TRUE VERSION and that Christians not only never Read All of the Bible but also Only Ever use One Translation. Are you Really that Pathetically Stupid? Lets face Reality You Know Nothing about Christianity. That I use to be a Devout Christian Until i Read The Bible and Studied History and Philosophy I Asked Questions no christian leader Could Answer Lie is just You being too stupid to have an identity of our Own and Following a pre-Scripted "De-Conversion Story" From The Holy Religion of Atheism. And By The way I Know Institutions use that Stupid Word but De-Conversion is made up so You Idiotas Could pretend to be the Opposite of Religious While doing Exactly the same Thing You Ridicule when Evangelicals Christians give Out Testimonies. You have Absolutely No idea what Christians Really believe or how they Really talk. But its a good Thing the pastors and High Priest and Divine Prophets of The Holy Religion of Atheism gave You that 45 Thousand Denominations that don't All Agree with what Your Pastor in our Church teaches you, Learn what other Churches Teach, You don't speak for All Christians Script. it fits Right in with your Abusiveness when You Ridicule Me for My Supposedly Random Capitals too. The Joke is You are Monsters with No Morals and No compassion and No Empathy and you say it's Christians ho lack Empathy , Christians ho lack Compassion, and Christians Who lack Morals. By the way Idiota, I have a Religious Studies Degree, and have Studied More than just One Version of Christianity. I also don't need a translation to read The Tanahk., or Old Testament. That's why I Know You are a Liar who Never was a Devout Christian and Who has Read Four Versions of The The Bible and did Thesis on them. You Listen to The Loud Mouthed idiota AronRa. AronRa's Idiosy would Collapse the Instant You Know Anything about Christianity. Like His Stupid ie that If he Loved to be Immoral or to Sin, He'd be a Christian. This Blowhard Actually Says that More than Once and No Christian Not even the Evangelicas or Pentecostals or Baptists he says He use to be part of Thinks that You "Get Saved" then All You Have to do is say i sowwy Jesus and Get a free pass to heaven. its not Really true that it is seen as a vending Machine that Doles out salvation to Anyone Who simply Mouths the Rih Words, Jesus Himself said that There are Some Who say to him Lord lord have We not done great Things in Thy Name and are Told Depart i never Knew you to the Outer Darkness Created for The Devil and His Angels. No this is not a Direct Quote, its a paraphrase. Sincere, Genuine Repentance is Always Required. I Simply do not care if its a One and DIne Salvation Money or a Lifelong Process, No Chfistian Thinks You can Sin all You want and just Ask for Forgiveness even if You don't Really mean it., and AronRa saying that if He Loved to Sin he;d be a Christian is just laughable. The same Thing is true of His Styupide lie that Numbers 5 has an Abortion Potion in it or His He also Demands we pretend when a "Religious Person" uses Faith ius means belief Without evidence as this is the Religious Definition of Faith and if The "Religious Person" Says Faith does not mean this They are Lying, and You shock not let them Equivocate other Definitions of faith with The religious definition of Faith. He ":proves: Religion Defines Faith as belief Without Evidence by Lying about hebrews 11' 1, which proves he Equates Religion with Christianuty since its Christian Scripture he Cites. It's not like Hindus Regularly use the book of hebrews. The Book of hebrews is also not The Bubles Dictionary, and is not giving a Definition for Faith., Much less the Sole Exclusive One for the Entire Bible. It isn't even Saying Faith is belief Without Evidence, but is Discussing Confidence that we can Accomplish a Goal, Specifically Salvation in heaven, in The Future. so the Blowhard more-On got it Wrong. so did The Divine Prophets Most holy like the Divine prophet sam harris Most Holy, or The Divine Prophet st Holy Christopher Hitchens, or the Divine Prophet Richard Dawkins Most Holy. Seriously, How many Times do I Have to hear your More-Ons Repeat The Divine Prophet Hector Avalos ost holy Margyrs Lie that The Concept of The jess as God's Chosen People means Favourite Race? How may Times do you More-Ons think You can Repeat The Divine Prophet Hector avalos Most Holy Martyr's Sacred Scriptures on Love Thy Neighbour On;y means Your Fellow Jew and be Taken Seriously? How many Times do You Think saying Jesus. adding the Ubiquitous "if He Existed" Line since You are Stupide, was Himself Racist because he told The Woman Who came to see Him The Food is for the Children and not The Dogs? Its not like I am not Use to being Told I used an Ad Hoc Explanation to Explain Away the Evils in The Bunke before or that i used mental Gymnastics to Deny The Bible Means what it Clearly and Plainly Says and You are giving The plain Reading of the text Before. Its a Lie of Course but You Hide behind the other lie that You made no Claims and have No Burden of proof so You don't have to Really Explain Why Your Nonsense is The Plain Reading of The Text when it's not how anyone Read it until Lying idiota Atheists Who Hate Christianity Said This is what it means. by the Way Iduota, Jesus was a Rabbi, and Not Himself a Carpenter, and it was a Challenge Question, many Eastern Cultures have them, if You want to study in Tibet for Example The Master may do the same Thing Jesus did and You Idiotas do not Call them Racist. You say they Follow more of a Philosophy than a Religion to make it OK to Admire them even though You Know Nothing about their beliefs. As for AronRa, He Clearly is Dishonest, and Stupid, and gets basic Facts Wrong. And You are His E=Willing and Eager Disciple who Will repeat his Lies.
He’s lucky he knew this at such a young age. I had a very loving mum who thought she was doing the right thing sending me to church. I was/am a quiet, reflective child/man. Its effect has last for decades. Its grip on your guilt, anxieties and fears is insidious. I felt utterly understood the first time I heard Hitch. I then searched for more and more people articulate the thoughts I was having. Wonderful insight.
As a child I recall telling a family member that I didn't believe in god. I was made to feel so awful for being honest. This person who loved me and I loved them were saying horrible things to try to scare me into believing something that just didn't add up for me. You don't need a god to be confident in your own morals.
Before watching: It's no mystery why rehab often involves exchanging a drug for religion. It's just switching addictions. Later: That can't be all though. It takes a willingness to believe things for bad or absent reasons as well, or a lack of concern for whether your beliefs hold to scrutiny.
Great chat. Agreed that the title misleads. Please bring Aron Ra back on for more chats, especially about the neuroscience of religious adherence and addiction.
He is right. I know that is what I did when I was a Christian. One addiction for another. It really doesn't help a person get over anything. You never truly deal with the underlying issues in your life. I also think this is why 12 Step programs have such a high "failure" rate. They are completely Christian based. I don't care what they tell you, it was based on Christianity and follows a lot of the principles. I am not ignorant of this either as I have been part of a 12 Step group before. What I have found though, is that modern science and psychiatry have a better answer to the addiction problems than 12 Step. Aron is the man!
@@LoneStarPlate I guess you have never experienced the freedom that Jesus Christ/God gives to those who have faith (believe). When one is born again, born of the Spirit ((Holy Spirit) the chains are taken off and the blindness removed. Now they see/know the truth (Jesus Christ) and are set free from the world, the flesh and the devil (the enemy of our souls). No religion needed. Just faith, faith plus nothing.
Greetings, a similar story to yours at the age of 15 years I also started questioning the Sunday school teacher about Genesis & dinosaurs! Needless to say I was kicked out & my Sundays have been school free forever! Bonus!
I think in terms of the concept of religion being good or bad for society, in terms of helping the homeless, etc, can be summed up like this: your religion may help people, but your religion isn't *needed* to help people. Your religion may harm people, but your religion *is* needed to harm people. At least in that way, obviously there are other harmful things. But we don't need religion to help people.
I thought it was similar to an addiction when I was 12. When my mom became religious I thought she lost her mind. She got over it but I remember thinking that.
I was baptized many years ago . I am now a happy atheist and I want to get unbaptized but don't know if this can be done .I would be even happier if someone could unbaptize me .
You are no longer of the "spirit" and from this day forward you are unbaptized. Rise and be free from the religious clutches you may have. You are your own person and not of an alleged god. Embrace in your atheism and think logically for yourself and be skeptical. Something like that? 😃 Somethi
I had a teacher in college that said he talked to one of Hitlers henchmen Rudolf Hess doing a research paper on WW2 and asked him how he rationalized following Hitler and justified it. He said you cant understand Hitler you had to feel him. This is a tell tale sign of what all fanatics are. Its emotional bondage not reason that binds people to certain beliefs which makes them immune to logical arguments and reason.
My Mother was full blooded Italian. and I was baptized shortly after birth. and my sister and brother and I went to the Catholic church with her many times. and I can remember her crying during a mass one time. and I asked her why she did that. and she said it's her story. yet she never forced religion on us at all. and I appreciate her for that. I can also remember her telling us that we have souls. and are soul goes to Heaven or Hell or purgatory. but she never used fearmongering tactics on us. after my parents divorced and because my father was sort of asshole. I never seen her again. when he finally allowed me to to try to have a relationship with her again she had passed on. and in a way I still hold that against him. and after they divorced I experienced other forms of religion. and fearmungering was heavily involved. and as a child I lived in constant fear that I would burn in fire and brimstone for all eternity. but at Jr High age I experienced a healing. that was such a spectacle it changed my opinion of religion. and from then on I was an agnostic. until more recently when I was introduced to the Atheist community. and made the decision to become an Atheist. especially since its nothing like religion. there's no church, no tighthing, and a person isn't forced to be an Atheist. or stay an Atheist. it makes so much more sense to me. I'm currently going though some troubles in my life. and it has made me question my Atheism. but I believe my decision was correct. it's just circumstances in my life. and each day I have to remember that. it really boils down to having an open mind. and using logic and common sense. and I believe that if everyone believed this. we would live in a much better world.
She didn't force religion on me.I could have no I don't want any part of it at any time. and she wouldn't have stopped me. but I was a young child. she was doing what she thought was right at the time.
@@musicauthority7828 Taking you to church is forcing religion on you. As a child you are gullible. Her taking you to church is literally an action of her forcing religion on you
I was raised in a fundamentalist Christian family, first committing my life to Christ at age 4, and heavily indoctrinated with my Dad becoming a Presbyterian minister while I was still in primary school. It took me until my 30's, after developing critical thinking skills during my career as an Analyst Developer, before I owned my state as an apostate. For years I worked through the process of old earth creationism, and theocratic evolution, before I understood it enough to abandon such excuses for the faith. I still occasionally play guitar and sing for a uniting church, and it brings enjoyment to the congregation regardless of any truth in the religion.
A few months ago, I threw this idea at a friend of mine. My friend recently earned a Master's Degree in Clinical Social Work, and her counseling sessions with young people (particularly LGBTQ+ teens in her home state of Utah) recently left her unable to, in good conscience, associate herself with the the LDS Church...the faith in which she was raised. I pointed out... (1) addiction involves _both_ chemical (dopamine, serotonin, etc.) dependency _and_ synaptic "behavioral shortcuts" (habits) that make it very difficult, if not impossible, to make healthy choices, often finding themselves having already _made_ the wrong choice without even thinking about it. (2) Religious conditioning and indoctrination (particularly of juveniles) _creates and reinforces_ neural pathways to such an extent that...for most theists...they'll never be able to reach a rational conclusion about their beliefs. (3) When people _do_ find their way out of the religion their parents taught them, they often gravitate to an ideologically adjacent belief system. (Specific religion becomes generic spirituality; Agnosticism becomes Atheism, etc.) What I concluded was that the _brain chemistry and synaptic structure_ of religious belief bears remarkable similarity to that of drug addiction, and in _both_ cases, addicts often just trade _one_ (drug and/or religion) for another less obviously harmful one...hopefully weening themselves off it altogether eventually, like a nicotine patch, because "cold turkey" is too uncomfortable. I'm not sure which of her reactions made me feel better; "You're dead on with your hypothesis," or, "Did you copy and paste this?" Imagine my joy at seeing _this_ pop up in my video feed! I got so excited I actually showed the thumbnail and title to my wife and kids. They immediately recognized Aron Ra, and when they saw that _he_ is discussing this same idea, they were all smiles!
Not only is there a relationship between religion and addiction, there is also a relationship between religion and belief in conspiracies. I know a woman who was heavily into a Christian cult, who, after many years finally made it out. She's written books about here experience and has been on talk shows. But she became so entrenched in the cult of Trump, she refused to listen to any of the testimony of the J6 committee, dismissing it as all propaganda. She gave up one savior for another. Religion, with it's demand to accept things on faith, sets the mind up to accept many other things on faith. Another example of this is "Ginny" Thomas.
The Begging the Question fallacy seems to me to go along with, or is another name for, the Necessitation fallacy. The Necessitation fallacy is a two parter, combining wishful thinking and circular reasoning. It has got to be the go to rationalization for motivated reasoning.
Many years ago I knew a guy who would flip flop between a few weeks or months of hard drinking to the point of black out, and a few weeks or months of going to an Evangelical church-cult. It was said that he was either programming or erasing.
@@resourcedragon In German (my native language) it's always variations of die, i.e gestorben or verstorben - mean exactly the same thing, just stem from different eras. What we do have is a shitload of stuff like bought the farm.
@@resourcedragon In Spanish most of the ways to say "died" are rather harsh if you don't use euphemisms although more than euphemisms I would say it's romanticism, it's not an obfuscation of the content as in a euphemism. Also the Spanish equivalent of "passed" would translate to "they are gone" and not as in "passed to somewhere", unless you are using the very old timey now obsolete "pasó a mejor vida", which translates exactly to "they are in a better place". Language makes a huge difference in how ideas are handled, and we do have a lot of equivalents of kaput (cagó, finó, sonó, jubiló, etc.)
Dear Aron, love your work and have been following you for a bit now. If I may play the devils advocate here... why did you feel a need to join a religion recently?
"For controlling and measuring the electrode separation of particles tunneling into the nucleus or up at the sky, quantum objects can be known as enlightened and sophisticated when perfectly reasonable as penguins. I see this as an absolute win for providing you with all-encompassing traditional blacksmithing techniques in old school barber shops. The magnetic fields associated with sunspots mean time crystals are waiting for hydraulic presses in response to years of situational awareness of fried chicken dinners that seem to materialize out of thin air. In order to satisfy the predisposed nature of fish sticks, high-level architectural patterns unravel the mystery of upgrading your experience of dropping like flies on a grand scale. None of which should come as a surprise to rectangular barriers. It transcends all coincidences. Especially if you’ve been in the water. It’s like déjà vu all over again when under the assumption that it's low-carb and gluten-free." ---Albert Einstein
So I know that religion has a very similar reaction in the brain to addictions. All I can’t understand is why? And how? Does anyone have a source on that?
Religion will warp your mind and discourage logic and reason.Faith is not a virtue.It is the impossible hope that there is somthing out there that can help out with our problems.People help people and yet this supposed god gets the credit.Makes me so mad that doctors who are educated are pushed asside.
@@johngavin1175 their god has no power since it does not exsist in the first place.Its the people who believe in this crap that have it and try to use it against unbelievers.
This is why people in AA gets hooked for a long time. I've seen how addicted they are to giving their speech and get off when they talk about their journey with addiction.
Some will always believe blindly, religious and atheistic alike. Despite this some of us believe based on our experiences. Hey maybe I'm crazy 🙌 but maybe I just like many others have seen miracles...I pray that a true miracle comes to you all soon 🙏 praise be to God and the LOVE of Christ ❤ because the world could use a lot more love these days
Let’s stipulate: • Science is the study of the natural, while theology (religion) deals with the supernatural. They are two separate things. • There is no place for religion in the science classroom, nor should teachers lead students in prayer in school. • Creationism and Intelligent Design are dishonest scams. • Evolution is a biological mechanism that has driven the diversity of life. • The scientifically impossible aspects of the world’s history in religious texts did not literally happen but are allegories. • Gay people really are gay and should be treated with the same respect, dignity and rights as anybody else. • Women are equal to men and should be treated that way at all levels of society. • Laws should be drafted on the basis of societal benefit, and not on the basis of anybody’s religious doctrines. • Health care should be dictated by modern medical science and not by religious tradition. • Most people of faith would agree to most of these things if not all of these things, and hence claiming otherwise in order to drive hatred against religious people is nothing but religious bigotry. Let’s go further: • Probably more than 90% of humans who have lived have had a religious/spiritual component, and this includes the main drivers of science, agriculture, technology, arts, music, literature, architecture, inventions and all facets of modernity. • While there is a growing number of atheists in the Western world, especially among scientists, the fact remains that modernity, scientific advance and technology would be just as far ahead without the contribution of atheists. • While theists are often accused of wishing to “impose their beliefs on others,” the degree to which that’s true in modern society pales by comparison to the Secular/Left, which obsesses about imposing its views, through the full force of government, on everyone. • Most people don’t understand science very well to explain evolution or geology, but that doesn’t mean they reject science in favor of theology. They simply know their religion better than they know science. • Most atheists don’t care what other people believe. They simply don’t believe in God themselves. Some wish they did, but they don’t. They have nothing against people who do. It’s only the “Activist Atheists” who obsess about what other people believe and seethe with resentment and hatred toward theists. They are like Creationists are to theists - a flakey little unrepresentative minority. • Religiosity is so ingrained in the human psyche that whether you believe in God or not, it’s almost certainly the case that evolution shaped our brains in such a way to include that religious/spiritual component. Until our species becomes something other than what it is, that religious/spiritual component isn’t going away. Lenin, Stalin, Mao and others tried and failed. It’s who we are, as a species, like it or not.
It's sad we have to march through that. It would be like a black person having to "stipulate" that they all don't eat watermelon and fried chicken. It's about time these "Activist Atheists" were called out.
RE: Ra's point on former drug addicts turning into religious Fundamentalists, I've seen it enough and agree with him. Difference is he's an Atheist, I'm a Theist. BTW: Vice versa. Former devout Christians/Catholics sounding quite extreme and rigid and absolutist in YT Comments sections now as Atheists. The point: unless one deals profoundly with their struggles, problems, fundamental changes in their World View, then they will skip around in life with superficial Variations on a Theme of Who They Are. Personas. In Christianity, we are taught to put in the work, to meet God through self-discipline and love to experience: Transformation. In other words, don't exchange heroin for God-As-Drug. It's about a personal relationship, not using God for a "hit" then being off for the day. There are many ways in which a Christian, and any human for that matter, may pay lip service to what they believe while not changing and maturing at a deeper level. Ra's critique and observation here are valid.
I like your theory on the basis for Jesus. Whomever was the biggest model for the character was not very different than some of the van punks you see in down town, looking to trade their cbd tinctures for shelter or food. They reject material possessions as much as one can, and they travel the land doing things that they think are helpful in exchange for basic necessities. That’s a timeless phenomenon so it hard to pinpoint one specific societal dropout who could be the ultimate foundation.
I offer you what I regard as the three legs of the stool of religion. 1) An anthropomorphic metaphysics, 2) Ancestor veneration by way of received scripture, and 3) 'My opinion is as good as another's'. Now what are some of the legs of the Chair of reason and science? I submit 1) Ocham's Razor, 2) Empiricism, 3) ? , and the fourth, the one that holds up my personal chair, Lee's Elucidation. L's E: A finite number of words must be made to represent an infinite number of things and possibilities.
@@lefantomer "Primacy of existence." Ayn Rand's idea is Existence exists, which I refer to as the premise of premises. My own corollary to which is The universe is not just another thing in the universe. Now I am a being that holds meaning in his mind. My corollary is a clue to the meaning in my mind. You have to guess what meaning I have in my mind from the clue I have given you. You have to guess because I could spend a week writing here and 'never take you there.' It would just be a pile of clues.
I've never made a TH-cam video so I'm only guessing but I suspect TH-cam imposes a word limit on titles and a 1,000 word title encompassing everything discussed in the video probably wouldn't be allowed.
At the end of the day, that's the agenda of the Left. Infiltrate government at all levels and push their doctrines on all citizens and institutions, whether private or public, all while falsely trashing religious people of wanting to do what they're doing.
@@LoneStarPlate Okay fine but it's not really the point. The point is that religious people sometimes err a bit on imposing their beliefs on others through government but the Secular Left lives, breathes and exists to impose their beliefs on everyone through the force of government. Religious people, except the wackos, rely on freedom and liberty and government to protect our freedoms and liberties, not to impose a particular doctrine on citizens.
@@jimmy.r.minnelli i hear ya, not that i agree but i see your point. i was just commenting on the political angle. I think people are complicated and more nuanced than we give them credit for…
I used to do the tarot. All the time. For everything. Sometimes daily. I did readings like Elvis did drugs. The first reading I EVER had was mysterious. 25+ years later I can't explain it. Nobody else has either. Ever since then I've studied the tarot and done tons of readings to get the same high. I've had TWO readings since that defied logic. So, that's 3 out of maybe 1000 readings. No joke. The others were either garbage or took an amazing leap of faith. I finally gave it up just as covid was declared. Never looked back. ALSO, my thinking is now so much clearer! I have said on my channel its 100% an addiction.
I am a Christian and believe that Christ was raised from the dead great point on the time machine my answer to that is I would change because he did not raise from the dead But if we went in the time machine and he did raise from the dead would you become a Christian? Interesting to think about Can make for good respectful conversation
Well, so far as i gathered, the acceptable and respectable way to believe, from an atheist point, if they admit they believe because it makes them feel good, and not because they think it is the truth. But if you look at it like that, it is really like an addiction actually, with debatable negative consequences.
Religion vis a vis addiction. I've never thought of that. Religion as a cognitive addiction to an anthropomorphic metaphysics that gives a false, but satisfying, sense of 'I know'.
Religion *IS* politics. Politics is based on emotion and cognitive dissonance, not on reason and evidence. *_"Freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear." -- George Orwell_*
The universe itself is literally fine tuned people come on. The intelligent design of the universe points to an intelligent mind. Jesus loves you all. I love you, God bless you.
Christian doctrine is saying to have a leap of faith despite the doubts. This provides more proof of your commitment to God himself then if it all made sense or if we could see and hear God.
I learned at about 13 years old that you don't need the Holy Spirit flowing through you to speak in tongues, you just need peer pressure from people who have been pressured by their peers into speaking in tongues pressuring you to let the Holy Spirit flow through you and like magic you too will be able to communicate in a language the most faithful Among Us who have the Holy Spirit flowing through them get to speak in.
02:20 Some religious people I know would say faith is more important - even in the face of the actual facts - because if it goes against what they believe the Bible says, they'll simply blame it on Satan as "pulling the wool over their eyes" to lead them away from God. This is one reason I am none too kind to religion. It's quite simply a dangerous way to think.
Even better than the guy they've got now. Granted, anybody could do a good Kermit if they tried. From Frank Welker to Dave Coulier. (Whitmire definitely tried!)
There is also what I call the mob effect. People get charged up when in groups, the larger the better, and begin to feed off of and into whatever that group is doing. You can see it at sporting events, political rallies etc.
How about religion a delusion of grandeur ? People choose to delude themselves into believe their god is all mighty and thus will bring them eternal life. Sure it's all warm and fuzzy but it's nothing a delusion. Even if all evidence proves other wise, it will always be comforting to feel you are always protected eternally by your god.
Agreed and don’t forget “Spiritual bypassing” where people who don’t understand complex psychological phenomenons they immediately say “God did that” essentially they’re using God to cover their own ignorance to not sound stupid but still do.
I was very fortunate that even as screwed up my southern baptist ex was, she didnt try to brainwash our children like she was. Having beliefs is ok I suppose. I just think its better to have the ability to think. The problem is that most people would rather believe is something than to know anything.
To believe in a higher power is easy due to the overwhelming feeling of thought regarding it. It draws you into feeling something greater is there even if you cannot prove it. It creates a feeling of serenity to think a high power being is there for you and you do not want to lose that feeling. Kind of like alcohol. Alcohol gives a good feeling to you but when you do not have it, you feel bad. That is what worshipping an Idol God of a religion is. Worshipping an Idol God is a way to gain a form of security but without it, you feel insecure. The emotion of worshipping and believing in some Idol God brings an addictive emotion that is triggered by the belief, not an actual Idol God. Religion is an emotional addiction. If you do not have enough, you become miserable for the lack of that one feeling you love, just like when you do not have alcohol for a long time after you enjoyed it.
There are some religious people who have made a positive contribution: Dorothy Day, for example. Quakers have a long history of working for prison and asylum reform. Then there are notable figures from the past like Abelard and Thomas Aquinas. But I will not dispute your claim that overall the role of religion has not made things better for people, other than to give them one day a week off work (most religions).
Addictive disease is not typically associated with indoctrination though. I get the compulsion to compare the two but there are quite a lot of differences, especially from a neurochemical and medical perspective.
Strong rumours going around that Aron Ra is reconsidering his position, apparently for years he refused to watch 'God's Not Dead' (2014 film) then recently finally watched it, and told people ''I need to reconsider my position, when I watched the movie I was overwhelmed by the profound arguments for God and I found I seriously lacked answers or a good rebuttal for them.'' (paraphrasing there). Time will tell what the ''reconsider his position'' entails but it will be very interesting to see what he says on the matter.
If you like the idea of a time traveler and going back to see the crucification of Christ...you'll have to read Michael Moorcock's novelette "Behold The Man."
I used to have a girlfriend with an addictive personality. She could smell addictive drugs from a mile away. Especially crack cocaine and narcotic pain pills addiction. But she had a wonderful charismatic personality and a great sense of humor. She could really make you laugh a lot. But we were intellectually incompatible with each other. Because she had nothing but religious fairytales on the brain. I should have known better than to fall in love with her, considering the bad issues that she had. Because I eventually suffered heartbreak when she joined her mother's Jehovah's Witness phony B.S. religion and married somebody else in this phony religious cult.
If the congregation numbers in the thousands, it should really be called a "kilochurch", rather than a "megachurch". A "megachurch" should have a congregation of at least a million.
Never really thought about it as an addiction, but yeah, I can see that. I had some relatives that could be classed as " addicted" to a particular TV preacher back in the day.
There's a lot of alcoholics in my family as well, and they both act in similar ways...
Many alcoholics, drug addicts, etc., are "cured" by turning to religion. Basically swapping one form of addictive behaviour for another.
@@jaggerjards7236 I guess driving while religious is better than driving while intoxicated...
@@scottthomas6202 I disagree driving while religious seems to be making low quality apologetics videos on a go pro or phone camera while trying to operate a motor vehicle. Driving while distracted is incredibly dangerous. They are constantly taking their eyes off the road to look at the camera, the mind is focused on talking instead of safe driving, and they have it in their heads that Jesus will protect them no matter what happens.
That's why AA seems to work so well. They don't really treat the addiction, they just swap it for a "safer" one...and they wrap it in a coat that only looks like legitimate therapy while they do it.
@@mwperk02 - You do Know Atheists make Atheist Apologetics Videos the same Way Right? But its Only Wrong when "The Religious; do it. And by The Religious You Only Really mean Christians. no its not because They are the Most popular Religion and i am Sick of hearing that Lie. its like the Silly Oh you must think You are a mind Reader lie or the Wow that's a lot of Projection you are doing Lie or that Calm Down Lie. Also, calling Your Apologetics Counter-Apologetics is silly. Its not like Apologetics is the practice of Attacking Atheists or "Other Religions", and it snot like Christian Apologetics Would Exist if You didn't Attack Christianity. Your "Counter-Apologetics" is when You Attack Christians in an unprovoked fashion then pretend they Attacked You and you are just Defending Yourselves.
"Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people". --- Karl Marx
Ever notice how religions either claim to be the constantly persecuted weaker people banding together, or the elites of the race getting away from the non-elites? Why don't they want to just be regular people?
A hate communism, but one thing they said right. Religion is a poison.
Marx didnt understand economics and his ideas have led to death and suffering.
@@wilsontexas Marx's understanding of economics was very good. The labor theory of added value underlies modern economic theory. He did underestimate human stupidity and cupidity.
@@hisxmark Agree that the problem with mark's theories is that he did not understand human nature which is sinful and selfish therefore his ideas are not practical in the real world
He is absolutely awesome I just love this guy
He is married.
I love him too but you have to want to learn because he’s a teacher
He is like a priest for those who have faith in things they cant see or prove like evolution and big bang.
I used to respect him alot, from a distance.
Then i learned he's a satanist.
Kinda contradicts the whole atheism aspect he tries to peddle..
Dont mistake me for a religious butt hurt guy, im as atheist as they come.
In recent years, ive learned about freemasons, how theyre actually satanists at the highest levels.
All religions have been corrupted by them, which is why they require their members to believe in one of the major 3.
Cuz they will effectively be supporting satanism..
Knowing this, i am very cautious about people like him.
You basically cant trust anything he says.
Critisizing christians when he is a satanist himself, is about as hypocritical as it gets.
Did you know he comes clean that he's a satanist ?
Luckily, my mother was similar. She took me to church until I was about 12 then just left it up to me if I wanted to keep going after that. Never pushed or pressured me. She wanted me to choose to be christian of my own free will and so I've been an atheist ever since.
She gave you free will as did god
@@skyyp6322 ah, yes, that god you can't prove.
@Scott Scotty The bible said that god gave us free will lol. god using chinese whispers to get his message across lol.
@@Vhlathanosh I guess you have never experienced the freedom that Jesus Christ/God gives to those who have faith (believe). When one is born again, born of the Spirit ((Holy Spirit) the chains are taken off and the blindness removed. Now they see/know the truth (Jesus Christ) and are set free from the world, the flesh and the devil (the enemy of our souls). No religion needed. Just faith, faith plus nothing.
AronRa was instrumental in me becoming a full-fledged atheist.
I just prayed to God that he would reveal himself to you.
Thank goodness for Aron, Matt, Seth, Sam, Hitch, Richard, David, Daniel and all the others who bring the light of reason.
@Richard Waddington Do you have any peer reviewed papers showing that my proselytizing isn't having any effect here or is that just your belief?
@@wilsontexas Month passed nothing happened kiddo, seems your prayer is as effective as all other prayers ever done in human history.
@@tgstudio85 not every request is granted. Surely that seems logical even for prayer.i
I love Aron Ra! I hope I get to meet him in person 1 day, just to tell him to his face how big a force he's been in my life & instrumental in helping me navigate raising my kids against the religion so prevalent in my family & community (I live in Utah).
You poor soul. I pity you for the Mormon asshole state !
God is with you
@@skyyp6322 Namaste. Hail Satan. Praise Allah. All means the same thing to me as god be with you. I don't shove a god in your face that you don't believe & despite what you have been taught it's not a good thing to do to ppl. i was indoctrinated from birth & I'm 35 now & if there's 1 thing I do KNOW, it's being a believer was pointless to me. & I don't care if YOU believe in him personally, but don't throw him in my face like I don't know what the bible says, like I don't know what he stands for. That's no god worth My time.
Thanks for the support, and for watching!
You fallow him, you'll be able to think him in hell.
5:45 Love Aron for acknowledging the circular reasoning behind persecution of People who Use Drugs(PWUD). “Drugs are bad because we fire you, and evict you, and shun you if you use them!”
Except He did not "Recognise" This, and its an Oversimlified and inaccurate View on how Drug Addicts Actually Think. And When he then says Religious People Think in exactly the same way and Religion is an Addiction, He proves This is not Really about Rationality and Evidence Based Thinking, he is Writing an Emotionally Charged Polemic.
@Richard Waddington - What is the Point of Asking Me a Question but then Answering for Me? How do You now I don't Know Any Addicts? In Reality, I do Know People Who have become Addicted to Various Drugs, Prescription and Illegal, and to Alcohol. I do not Need You to say "I didn't Think so" as if I sat in Stunned, Awkward Silence when in Reality, I had No Time to Reply at all. When You follow that by Rhetorically Asking Me How I Know what Others Think, You are Simply being a Hypocrite. Especially since You depict Being Religious as being the Same as being a Drug Addict. The Truth is, Atheists are Religious. And No Idiot, saying Atheists are Religious is not the same Thing as Saying Atheism is a Religion. U +I Know You are Stupid and will insist I said Atheism is a Religion, ten Trot Out that Stupid Atheism is not a Religion, Atheism is a lack if belief in a god ie, but Atheism is a belief that no gods Exist, not a lack if belief in a god, Atheists do make the Claim that God does not Exist, and Your firm of Secular Humanism makes other Claims in addition to there being no God, and You are a Follower of Secular Humanism as You Listen to Pastor AronRa her poreach His Anti-Christian Hate Sermons.
And AronRa is a Secular Humanist. And Secular Humanism is a Religion.
Belief in God is not a Drug One becomes Addicted to, and all You are saying is, if People do not Agree with Your Beliefs, then They are Drug Addicts, Or are The same as Drug Addicts, as if Agreement with You is healthy and Disagreement with You is not.
The Irony is, by Calling Religion an Addiction no Different from Drug Addiction, and Telling us how The Religious and The Addict Think, You are The One telling People How Others Think. It should be Obvious that telling us how "The Religious" and "The Addict" Think Alike is telling us How They Think, but for whatever Reason You have Deluded Yourself into Thinking This is Somehow Different. And No , 6he usual Lie that You Use to be Religious and Know how The Religious Think won't Make this better since You are just Repeating the same stupid Lies you heard here or in other Atheistic Religious ministries by Pastors like Pastor AronRa. You are doing What You accuse Me of.
@Richard Waddington -You made a previous Post to Me, and it Reveals hwo Dishionest you are. I Said in My previous post i'd present it. it is presented here, Below.
In my previous Post I Said I'd Repost This.
This is what You Told Me. It makes You a Hypocrite.
"how many addicts do you know personally? I didn't think so. How would you know what someone else thinks? Unless you know someone personally, for a long term, you will never know what they think. Even if you know someone since childhood you can't know what they think at any given moment concerning a subject with which you're unfamiliar. 😞"
Do You Really Think This is Arguing in Good Faith?
@Richard Waddington - You are such a Liar and We Both Know it. You have No basis for saying I Know Nothing about Addicts. This Talk of My Supposed ignorance is Also a Smokescreen. You Invoked it so You'd not have to Admit that Being Religious is not the same as being a Drug Addict, Which is what We were Discussing. Why are You such a Liar?
I didn't Make Sweeping Statements, I rejected Sweeping Statement Your Faith community Here made, and specifically The Sweeping comment Your High Priest AronRa gave. When You claim being Religious is an Addiction no different from being a Drug Addict and The Religious Think Exactly the same way Addicts Think You are the One making Sweeping Comments. You are such a Sociopathic Liar.
Your religion always does this. Followers of Your Religion Attack Christians, and Lie about it being about all Religion when its not,. then When Someone Responds to Your hagte based ies a nd bigoted Childish Repetition of someone Else's Anti[Christian insults and hate, You Pretend you were sitting Here mining Your Own business not saying anything and the other person Attacked you or made the Argument. That is why you Abusive Bullies are never Really going to improve he world. you dedicate Yourself to being Coward and liars and Bullies a nd All you want to do is tear others down and You Always Feign Inno ent and play the Victim, While Projecting that on Christians and Claim They Play the Victim and Feign Innocence. You also accuse Christians of Projection.
Then You Actually By Into the Lies our Religion gtells You. Like that Stupid Reading the Bible Makes People Atheists Lie. We Both Know You haven't Read Four Different Versions of The Bible all the Way through and you did not do Thesis on them. you just Lied a bout that. And You Actually Think the Pathetic Lies Your hate based Religion tells you are true and Christians actually haven't Read The Bible. Hu also Think Bible Versions are Somehow Actually differe nt Versions of The Bible when they are actually different english translations of The Hebrw,m Aramaic, and Greek Text. I Know You are a scumbag Who Will pretend I am an idiot who doesn't know Anything about Christianuty by Invoking The KJV Onlyists but you Asked me Which version of he Bible I see as my Chosen truth a nd that means You are stupid Enough to Think i belei ve Only One version of the Binek is the ONE TRUE VERSION and that Christians not only never Read All of the Bible but also Only Ever use One Translation. Are you Really that Pathetically Stupid? Lets face Reality You Know Nothing about Christianity. That I use to be a Devout Christian Until i Read The Bible and Studied History and Philosophy I Asked Questions no christian leader Could Answer Lie is just You being too stupid to have an identity of our Own and Following a pre-Scripted "De-Conversion Story" From The Holy Religion of Atheism. And By The way I Know Institutions use that Stupid Word but De-Conversion is made up so You Idiotas Could pretend to be the Opposite of Religious While doing Exactly the same Thing You Ridicule when Evangelicals Christians give Out Testimonies.
You have Absolutely No idea what Christians Really believe or how they Really talk. But its a good Thing the pastors and High Priest and Divine Prophets of The Holy Religion of Atheism gave You that 45 Thousand Denominations that don't All Agree with what Your Pastor in our Church teaches you, Learn what other Churches Teach, You don't speak for All Christians Script. it fits Right in with your Abusiveness when You Ridicule Me for My Supposedly Random Capitals too. The Joke is You are Monsters with No Morals and No compassion and No Empathy and you say it's Christians ho lack Empathy , Christians ho lack Compassion, and Christians Who lack Morals.
By the way Idiota, I have a Religious Studies Degree, and have Studied More than just One Version of Christianity. I also don't need a translation to read The Tanahk., or Old Testament.
That's why I Know You are a Liar who Never was a Devout Christian and Who has Read Four Versions of The The Bible and did Thesis on them. You Listen to The Loud Mouthed idiota AronRa. AronRa's Idiosy would Collapse the Instant You Know Anything about Christianity. Like His Stupid ie that If he Loved to be Immoral or to Sin, He'd be a Christian. This Blowhard Actually Says that More than Once and No Christian Not even the Evangelicas or Pentecostals or Baptists he says He use to be part of Thinks that You "Get Saved" then All You Have to do is say i sowwy Jesus and Get a free pass to heaven. its not Really true that it is seen as a vending Machine that Doles out salvation to Anyone Who simply Mouths the Rih Words, Jesus Himself said that There are Some Who say to him Lord lord have We not done great Things in Thy Name and are Told Depart i never Knew you to the Outer Darkness Created for The Devil and His Angels. No this is not a Direct Quote, its a paraphrase.
Sincere, Genuine Repentance is Always Required. I Simply do not care if its a One and DIne Salvation Money or a Lifelong Process, No Chfistian Thinks You can Sin all You want and just Ask for Forgiveness even if You don't Really mean it., and AronRa saying that if He Loved to Sin he;d be a Christian is just laughable. The same Thing is true of His Styupide lie that Numbers 5 has an Abortion Potion in it or His He also Demands we pretend when a "Religious Person" uses Faith ius means belief Without evidence as this is the Religious Definition of Faith and if The "Religious Person" Says Faith does not mean this They are Lying, and You shock not let them Equivocate other Definitions of faith with The religious definition of Faith. He ":proves: Religion Defines Faith as belief Without Evidence by Lying about hebrews 11' 1, which proves he Equates Religion with Christianuty since its Christian Scripture he Cites. It's not like Hindus Regularly use the book of hebrews. The Book of hebrews is also not The Bubles Dictionary, and is not giving a Definition for Faith., Much less the Sole Exclusive One for the Entire Bible. It isn't even Saying Faith is belief Without Evidence, but is Discussing Confidence that we can Accomplish a Goal, Specifically Salvation in heaven, in The Future. so the Blowhard more-On got it Wrong. so did The Divine Prophets Most holy like the Divine prophet sam harris Most Holy, or The Divine Prophet st Holy Christopher Hitchens, or the Divine Prophet Richard Dawkins Most Holy.
Seriously, How many Times do I Have to hear your More-Ons Repeat The Divine Prophet Hector Avalos ost holy Margyrs Lie that The Concept of The jess as God's Chosen People means Favourite Race? How may Times do you More-Ons think You can Repeat The Divine Prophet Hector avalos Most Holy Martyr's Sacred Scriptures on Love Thy Neighbour On;y means Your Fellow Jew and be Taken Seriously? How many Times do You Think saying Jesus. adding the Ubiquitous "if He Existed" Line since You are Stupide, was Himself Racist because he told The Woman Who came to see Him The Food is for the Children and not The Dogs? Its not like I am not Use to being Told I used an Ad Hoc Explanation to Explain Away the Evils in The Bunke before or that i used mental Gymnastics to Deny The Bible Means what it Clearly and Plainly Says and You are giving The plain Reading of the text Before. Its a Lie of Course but You Hide behind the other lie that You made no Claims and have No Burden of proof so You don't have to Really Explain Why Your Nonsense is The Plain Reading of The Text when it's not how anyone Read it until Lying idiota Atheists Who Hate Christianity Said This is what it means. by the Way Iduota, Jesus was a Rabbi, and Not Himself a Carpenter, and it was a Challenge Question, many Eastern Cultures have them, if You want to study in Tibet for Example The Master may do the same Thing Jesus did and You Idiotas do not Call them Racist. You say they Follow more of a Philosophy than a Religion to make it OK to Admire them even though You Know Nothing about their beliefs.
As for AronRa, He Clearly is Dishonest, and Stupid, and gets basic Facts Wrong. And You are His E=Willing and Eager Disciple who Will repeat his Lies.
@Richard Waddington - I Posted. Saying I am Silent like the Grave is yet Another Lie.
YOUR SO WISE BEYOND YOUR YEARS!!!
He’s lucky he knew this at such a young age.
I had a very loving mum who thought she was doing the right thing sending me to church.
I was/am a quiet, reflective child/man.
Its effect has last for decades. Its grip on your guilt, anxieties and fears is insidious.
I felt utterly understood the first time I heard Hitch. I then searched for more and more people articulate the thoughts I was having.
Wonderful insight.
As a child I recall telling a family member that I didn't believe in god. I was made to feel so awful for being honest. This person who loved me and I loved them were saying horrible things to try to scare me into believing something that just didn't add up for me.
You don't need a god to be confident in your own morals.
Thanks for your comment, and thanks for watching!
Thank you 🙏 Aron Ra for your service to the progress of humanity! Your work is indispensable information for the entire globe 🌏!
Sarcasm at its best. Lol.
Before watching:
It's no mystery why rehab often involves exchanging a drug for religion. It's just switching addictions.
Later:
That can't be all though. It takes a willingness to believe things for bad or absent reasons as well, or a lack of concern for whether your beliefs hold to scrutiny.
Thanks for your comment!
Great chat. Agreed that the title misleads. Please bring Aron Ra back on for more chats, especially about the neuroscience of religious adherence and addiction.
Right on! Thanks for the feedback! We’ll definitely have hime back on soon and continue our chat.
Been watching Aron Ra for years and love him! Go Aron!
This coming from an un natural blue
Excellent Aron-ra is an excellent speaker
Thanks for watching!
He is right. I know that is what I did when I was a Christian. One addiction for another. It really doesn't help a person get over anything. You never truly deal with the underlying issues in your life. I also think this is why 12 Step programs have such a high "failure" rate. They are completely Christian based. I don't care what they tell you, it was based on Christianity and follows a lot of the principles. I am not ignorant of this either as I have been part of a 12 Step group before. What I have found though, is that modern science and psychiatry have a better answer to the addiction problems than 12 Step. Aron is the man!
Awesome point! Thank you for watching!
When I first moved to Texas I asked my friend what was with all the giant churches down here. He responded Jesus is big business in Texas.
Well said...thanks for your addition!
@@LoneStarPlate I guess you have never experienced the freedom that Jesus Christ/God gives to those who have faith (believe). When one is born again, born of the Spirit ((Holy Spirit) the chains are taken off and the blindness removed. Now they see/know the truth (Jesus Christ) and are set free from the world, the flesh and the devil (the enemy of our souls). No religion needed. Just faith, faith plus nothing.
Greetings, a similar story to yours at the age of 15 years I also started questioning the Sunday school teacher about Genesis & dinosaurs! Needless to say I was kicked out & my Sundays have been school free forever! Bonus!
Dinosaur hoax: th-cam.com/video/DOPQCkrhVf0/w-d-xo.html
If a doctor gives bad advice and someone is injured there are consequences. Why aren’t pastors held accountable for doing that?
Because people are expected to use reasonable rational thought, especially around religious faith healers, unlike with docs who should know better
Awesome point - thanks for the comment!
I think in terms of the concept of religion being good or bad for society, in terms of helping the homeless, etc, can be summed up like this: your religion may help people, but your religion isn't *needed* to help people. Your religion may harm people, but your religion *is* needed to harm people. At least in that way, obviously there are other harmful things. But we don't need religion to help people.
I thought it was similar to an addiction when I was 12. When my mom became religious I thought she lost her mind. She got over it but I remember thinking that.
"the best way to become an atheist is to read the bible" - asimov
I was baptized many years ago . I am now a happy atheist and I want to get unbaptized but don't know if this can be done .I would be even happier if someone could unbaptize me .
You are no longer of the "spirit" and from this day forward you are unbaptized. Rise and be free from the religious clutches you may have. You are your own person and not of an alleged god. Embrace in your atheism and think logically for yourself and be skeptical.
Something like that? 😃
Somethi
All you have to do is eat some spaghetti and say "Praise The Flying Spaghetti Monster" and sprinkle Parmesan Cheese on your head.
Drop the resentment you have of being baptized and your regret will disappear.
@@freshliving4199 Drop your ritual that originated with blood cults and you'll be wiser.
So as long as you are baptized it holds an unscientific, unflasefiable hold over you?
AronRa = Thumbs UP
I had a teacher in college that said he talked to one of Hitlers henchmen Rudolf Hess doing a research paper on WW2 and asked him how he rationalized following Hitler and justified it. He said you cant understand Hitler you had to feel him. This is a tell tale sign of what all fanatics are. Its emotional bondage not reason that binds people to certain beliefs which makes them immune to logical arguments and reason.
Well said! Thank you for sharing - and for watching
My Mother was full blooded Italian. and I was baptized shortly after birth. and my sister and brother and I went to the Catholic church with her many times. and I can remember her crying during a mass one time. and I asked her why she did that. and she said it's her story. yet she never forced religion on us at all. and I appreciate her for that. I can also remember her telling us that we have souls. and are soul goes to Heaven or Hell or purgatory. but she never used fearmongering tactics on us. after my parents divorced and because my father was sort of asshole. I never seen her again. when he finally allowed me to to try to have a relationship with her again she had passed on. and in a way I still hold that against him. and after they divorced I experienced other forms of religion. and fearmungering was heavily involved. and as a child I lived in constant fear that I would burn in fire and brimstone for all eternity. but at Jr High age I experienced a healing. that was such a spectacle it changed my opinion of religion. and from then on I was an agnostic. until more recently when I was introduced to the Atheist community. and made the decision to become an Atheist. especially since its nothing like religion. there's no church, no tighthing, and a person isn't forced to be an Atheist. or stay an Atheist. it makes so much more sense to me. I'm currently going though some troubles in my life. and it has made me question my Atheism. but I believe my decision was correct. it's just circumstances in my life. and each day I have to remember that.
it really boils down to having an open mind. and using logic and common sense. and I believe that if everyone believed this. we would live in a much better world.
Your story says your mom didn't force religion on you and then describe her forcing religion on you lol.
*Fearmongering*
Your mother told you that you have a soul and you either go to heaven or you go to hell.
*Fearmongering*
@@secularsunshine9036 You don't know what hell you are talking about.
She didn't force religion on me.I could have no I don't want any part of it at any time. and she wouldn't have stopped me. but I was a young child. she was doing what she thought was right at the time.
@@musicauthority7828 Taking you to church is forcing religion on you. As a child you are gullible. Her taking you to church is literally an action of her forcing religion on you
Keep up the good work. The world needs you.
Thank you for watching!
Divine Addiction
I was raised in a fundamentalist Christian family, first committing my life to Christ at age 4, and heavily indoctrinated with my Dad becoming a Presbyterian minister while I was still in primary school. It took me until my 30's, after developing critical thinking skills during my career as an Analyst Developer, before I owned my state as an apostate. For years I worked through the process of old earth creationism, and theocratic evolution, before I understood it enough to abandon such excuses for the faith. I still occasionally play guitar and sing for a uniting church, and it brings enjoyment to the congregation regardless of any truth in the religion.
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Religion happened when the first scoundrel met the first fool......Voltaire
Great point...thanks for watching!
Keep up the good work. I am a supporter big time.
Thanks for watching!
A few months ago, I threw this idea at a friend of mine. My friend recently earned a Master's Degree in Clinical Social Work, and her counseling sessions with young people (particularly LGBTQ+ teens in her home state of Utah) recently left her unable to, in good conscience, associate herself with the the LDS Church...the faith in which she was raised. I pointed out...
(1) addiction involves _both_ chemical (dopamine, serotonin, etc.) dependency _and_ synaptic "behavioral shortcuts" (habits) that make it very difficult, if not impossible, to make healthy choices, often finding themselves having already _made_ the wrong choice without even thinking about it. (2) Religious conditioning and indoctrination (particularly of juveniles) _creates and reinforces_ neural pathways to such an extent that...for most theists...they'll never be able to reach a rational conclusion about their beliefs. (3) When people _do_ find their way out of the religion their parents taught them, they often gravitate to an ideologically adjacent belief system. (Specific religion becomes generic spirituality; Agnosticism becomes Atheism, etc.) What I concluded was that the _brain chemistry and synaptic structure_ of religious belief bears remarkable similarity to that of drug addiction, and in _both_ cases, addicts often just trade _one_ (drug and/or religion) for another less obviously harmful one...hopefully weening themselves off it altogether eventually, like a nicotine patch, because "cold turkey" is too uncomfortable.
I'm not sure which of her reactions made me feel better; "You're dead on with your hypothesis," or, "Did you copy and paste this?" Imagine my joy at seeing _this_ pop up in my video feed! I got so excited I actually showed the thumbnail and title to my wife and kids. They immediately recognized Aron Ra, and when they saw that _he_ is discussing this same idea, they were all smiles!
Positive and negative occurrences/stimuli reinforce our behaviours
Thanks for the addition!
Not only is there a relationship between religion and addiction, there is also a relationship between religion and belief in conspiracies. I know a woman who was heavily into a Christian cult, who, after many years finally made it out. She's written books about here experience and has been on talk shows. But she became so entrenched in the cult of Trump, she refused to listen to any of the testimony of the J6 committee, dismissing it as all propaganda. She gave up one savior for another.
Religion, with it's demand to accept things on faith, sets the mind up to accept many other things on faith.
Another example of this is "Ginny" Thomas.
Well said...thank you for sharing!
The Begging the Question fallacy seems to me to go along with, or is another name for, the Necessitation fallacy. The Necessitation fallacy is a two parter, combining wishful thinking and circular reasoning. It has got to be the go to rationalization for motivated reasoning.
Many years ago I knew a guy who would flip flop between a few weeks or months of hard drinking to the point of black out, and a few weeks or months of going to an Evangelical church-cult. It was said that he was either programming or erasing.
Prayer is a form of stimming .
I am an Indian Atheist. Good arguments. Great!
Thank you for watching!
Just a minor thing - James asked people not to say he passed, he passed to nowhere, he died, end of story.
Yes, I'm not a fan of the use of "passed" for "died". It's a euphemism and I don't like euphemisms.
@@resourcedragon In German (my native language) it's always variations of die, i.e gestorben or verstorben - mean exactly the same thing, just stem from different eras.
What we do have is a shitload of stuff like bought the farm.
@@resourcedragon In Spanish most of the ways to say "died" are rather harsh if you don't use euphemisms although more than euphemisms I would say it's romanticism, it's not an obfuscation of the content as in a euphemism. Also the Spanish equivalent of "passed" would translate to "they are gone" and not as in "passed to somewhere", unless you are using the very old timey now obsolete "pasó a mejor vida", which translates exactly to "they are in a better place". Language makes a huge difference in how ideas are handled, and we do have a lot of equivalents of kaput (cagó, finó, sonó, jubiló, etc.)
@@bladerunner3314
Pushing up daisies.
Looking at the grass from the other side.
Permanently stopped smoking.
Sleeping in.
Being worm food.
Dear Aron, love your work and have been following you for a bit now.
If I may play the devils advocate here... why did you feel a need to join a religion recently?
I love this guy he has all the good points
Glad you enjoyed the video! Thanks for the comment!
ARON RA IS AWESOME!!!
Thanks for the support!
All belief is make believe, just thought assuming it knows.
Interesting point - thanks for watching!
Keep up the good fight Aron......
Thank you for watching!
"For controlling and measuring the electrode separation of particles tunneling into the nucleus or up at the sky, quantum objects can be known as enlightened and sophisticated when perfectly reasonable as penguins. I see this as an absolute win for providing you with all-encompassing traditional blacksmithing techniques in old school barber shops. The magnetic fields associated with sunspots mean time crystals are waiting for hydraulic presses in response to years of situational awareness of fried chicken dinners that seem to materialize out of thin air. In order to satisfy the predisposed nature of fish sticks, high-level architectural patterns unravel the mystery of upgrading your experience of dropping like flies on a grand scale. None of which should come as a surprise to rectangular barriers. It transcends all coincidences. Especially if you’ve been in the water. It’s like déjà vu all over again when under the assumption that it's low-carb and gluten-free."
---Albert Einstein
So I know that religion has a very similar reaction in the brain to addictions. All I can’t understand is why? And how? Does anyone have a source on that?
Religion will warp your mind and discourage logic and reason.Faith is not a virtue.It is the impossible hope that there is somthing out there that can help out with our problems.People help people and yet this supposed god gets the credit.Makes me so mad that doctors who are educated are pushed asside.
These people have a giant ego and it will not accept they are not some how special and will live for ever so are specially 🤣 stupid 😅
Their God and religion is beyond scrutiny,unfortunately. They can't accept that in their system God is the originator of all that is,good and bad.
@@johngavin1175
Yes, it's so sad.
Fan girls not realizing they're fan girls...
@@johngavin1175 their god has no power since it does not exsist in the first place.Its the people who believe in this crap that have it and try to use it against unbelievers.
This is why people in AA gets hooked for a long time. I've seen how addicted they are to giving their speech and get off when they talk about their journey with addiction.
Great point - thank you for watching
*Let the Sunshine In.*
Some will always believe blindly, religious and atheistic alike. Despite this some of us believe based on our experiences. Hey maybe I'm crazy 🙌 but maybe I just like many others have seen miracles...I pray that a true miracle comes to you all soon 🙏 praise be to God and the LOVE of Christ ❤ because the world could use a lot more love these days
Interesting point - thanks for your comment and input!
@@LoneStarPlate thank you 😊 I didn’t expect to see any positive replies and especially not from yourself 😅 bless you and your pursuit for the truth 🫡💪
Let’s stipulate:
• Science is the study of the natural, while theology (religion) deals with the supernatural. They are two separate things.
• There is no place for religion in the science classroom, nor should teachers lead students in prayer in school.
• Creationism and Intelligent Design are dishonest scams.
• Evolution is a biological mechanism that has driven the diversity of life.
• The scientifically impossible aspects of the world’s history in religious texts did not literally happen but are allegories.
• Gay people really are gay and should be treated with the same respect, dignity and rights as anybody else.
• Women are equal to men and should be treated that way at all levels of society.
• Laws should be drafted on the basis of societal benefit, and not on the basis of anybody’s religious doctrines.
• Health care should be dictated by modern medical science and not by religious tradition.
• Most people of faith would agree to most of these things if not all of these things, and hence claiming otherwise in order to drive hatred against religious people is nothing but religious bigotry.
Let’s go further:
• Probably more than 90% of humans who have lived have had a religious/spiritual component, and this includes the main drivers of science, agriculture, technology, arts, music, literature, architecture, inventions and all facets of modernity.
• While there is a growing number of atheists in the Western world, especially among scientists, the fact remains that modernity, scientific advance and technology would be just as far ahead without the contribution of atheists.
• While theists are often accused of wishing to “impose their beliefs on others,” the degree to which that’s true in modern society pales by comparison to the Secular/Left, which obsesses about imposing its views, through the full force of government, on everyone.
• Most people don’t understand science very well to explain evolution or geology, but that doesn’t mean they reject science in favor of theology. They simply know their religion better than they know science.
• Most atheists don’t care what other people believe. They simply don’t believe in God themselves. Some wish they did, but they don’t. They have nothing against people who do. It’s only the “Activist Atheists” who obsess about what other people believe and seethe with resentment and hatred toward theists. They are like Creationists are to theists - a flakey little unrepresentative minority.
• Religiosity is so ingrained in the human psyche that whether you believe in God or not, it’s almost certainly the case that evolution shaped our brains in such a way to include that religious/spiritual component. Until our species becomes something other than what it is, that religious/spiritual component isn’t going away. Lenin, Stalin, Mao and others tried and failed. It’s who we are, as a species, like it or not.
It's sad we have to march through that. It would be like a black person having to "stipulate" that they all don't eat watermelon and fried chicken. It's about time these "Activist Atheists" were called out.
@@__Luke__ We don't "have" to. They are a flaky little minority of hateful bigots. They're insignificant.
RE: Ra's point on former drug addicts turning into religious Fundamentalists, I've seen it enough and agree with him. Difference is he's an Atheist, I'm a Theist. BTW: Vice versa. Former devout Christians/Catholics sounding quite extreme and rigid and absolutist in YT Comments sections now as Atheists. The point: unless one deals profoundly with their struggles, problems, fundamental changes in their World View, then they will skip around in life with superficial Variations on a Theme of Who They Are. Personas. In Christianity, we are taught to put in the work, to meet God through self-discipline and love to experience: Transformation. In other words, don't exchange heroin for God-As-Drug. It's about a personal relationship, not using God for a "hit" then being off for the day. There are many ways in which a Christian, and any human for that matter, may pay lip service to what they believe while not changing and maturing at a deeper level. Ra's critique and observation here are valid.
Well said! Thanks for watching!
I like your theory on the basis for Jesus. Whomever was the biggest model for the character was not very different than some of the van punks you see in down town, looking to trade their cbd tinctures for shelter or food. They reject material possessions as much as one can, and they travel the land doing things that they think are helpful in exchange for basic necessities. That’s a timeless phenomenon so it hard to pinpoint one specific societal dropout who could be the ultimate foundation.
Brilliant ❤️
Well said, thanks for the comment!
What do you have to say against the rebbe
I can’t believe Aron lives in Hogwarts. 😂😂
Dam it you stole my comment I was ganna type that lol
I offer you what I regard as the three legs of the stool of religion. 1) An anthropomorphic metaphysics, 2) Ancestor veneration by way of received scripture, and 3) 'My opinion is as good as another's'.
Now what are some of the legs of the Chair of reason and science? I submit 1) Ocham's Razor, 2) Empiricism, 3) ? , and the fourth, the one that holds up my personal chair, Lee's Elucidation. L's E: A finite number of words must be made to represent an infinite number of things and possibilities.
Interesting addition - thanks for your comment!
I'm fond of Primacy of Existence, Consciousness as perceiver of existence, and Terry Pratchett, myself.
@@lefantomer "Primacy of existence." Ayn Rand's idea is Existence exists, which I refer to as the premise of premises. My own corollary to which is The universe is not just another thing in the universe.
Now I am a being that holds meaning in his mind. My corollary is a clue to the meaning in my mind. You have to guess what meaning I have in my mind from the clue I have given you. You have to guess because I could spend a week writing here and 'never take you there.' It would just be a pile of clues.
@@arthurwieczorek4894 I learned it from Ayn Rand, too! Love your corollary.
Aron is right
Thanks for the support!
In this day and age is it realy important who lived 2,000 years ago?
Interesting point - thanks for your comment!
Great interview, clickbait title. Only about thirty seconds had anything to do with a religion-addiction correlation.
🙏🏼 Fair enough. Dooley noted. Will pay more attention to that.
It isn't click-bait unless it contains nothing the title mentions, @Ian Kelley.
I've never made a TH-cam video so I'm only guessing but I suspect TH-cam imposes a word limit on titles and a 1,000 word title encompassing everything discussed in the video probably wouldn't be allowed.
You are awesome! We need people like you in our government so we would be governed by people with reason.
At the end of the day, that's the agenda of the Left. Infiltrate government at all levels and push their doctrines on all citizens and institutions, whether private or public, all while falsely trashing religious people of wanting to do what they're doing.
To be fair, both sides play dirty…
@@LoneStarPlate Okay fine but it's not really the point. The point is that religious people sometimes err a bit on imposing their beliefs on others through government but the Secular Left lives, breathes and exists to impose their beliefs on everyone through the force of government. Religious people, except the wackos, rely on freedom and liberty and government to protect our freedoms and liberties, not to impose a particular doctrine on citizens.
@@jimmy.r.minnelli i hear ya, not that i agree but i see your point. i was just commenting on the political angle.
I think people are complicated and more nuanced than we give them credit for…
"...throwing their very expensive - 'cause we live in the United States - very expensive medication..." That's some self-conscious shit right there.😂
Thanks for watching!
I used to do the tarot. All the time. For everything. Sometimes daily. I did readings like Elvis did drugs. The first reading I EVER had was mysterious. 25+ years later I can't explain it. Nobody else has either. Ever since then I've studied the tarot and done tons of readings to get the same high. I've had TWO readings since that defied logic. So, that's 3 out of maybe 1000 readings. No joke. The others were either garbage or took an amazing leap of faith. I finally gave it up just as covid was declared. Never looked back. ALSO, my thinking is now so much clearer! I have said on my channel its 100% an addiction.
"To Serve Man... it's... it's... a cookbook!"
---Albert Einstein
"Don't trust everything you read on Internet"
~ Abraham Lincoln
1. Get one or eight man.
2. Hit man hard.
3. Hit man more.
4. Put man in fire.
5. Eat man.
"How to serve man" © WoW
Aron Ra must have a strong mind to come from such a heavily religious family and still be able to think critically without any religious influence.
Great point - thank you for your comment!
Nature does not prove any god.
Why is this the 1st time ever I heard Aron Ra doing that voice? 6:11
"Once you go full panda furry, you never go back."
---Albert Einstein
fury*
I am a Christian and believe that Christ was raised from the dead great point on the time machine my answer to that is I would change because he did not raise from the dead
But if we went in the time machine and he did raise from the dead would you become a Christian?
Interesting to think about
Can make for good respectful conversation
Well, so far as i gathered, the acceptable and respectable way to believe, from an atheist point, if they admit they believe because it makes them feel good, and not because they think it is the truth.
But if you look at it like that, it is really like an addiction actually, with debatable negative consequences.
Hmm..interesting point. Thanks for watching, and for your comment!
Religion vis a vis addiction. I've never thought of that.
Religion as a cognitive addiction to an anthropomorphic metaphysics that gives a false, but satisfying, sense of 'I know'.
Thanks for watching!
Religion *IS* politics.
Politics is based on emotion and cognitive dissonance, not on reason and evidence.
*_"Freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear." -- George Orwell_*
The universe itself is literally fine tuned people come on. The intelligent design of the universe points to an intelligent mind. Jesus loves you all. I love you, God bless you.
Thanks for watching!
@@LoneStarPlate Jesus loves you my friend.
@@LoneStarPlate you know he didn’t watch it
IIRC the "Jesus Christ Superstar" play is considered anti-christian.
I love this guy!
Thanks for watching!
Christian doctrine is saying to have a leap of faith despite the doubts. This provides more proof of your commitment to God himself then if it all made sense or if we could see and hear God.
I learned at about 13 years old that you don't need the Holy Spirit flowing through you to speak in tongues, you just need peer pressure from people who have been pressured by their peers into speaking in tongues pressuring you to let the Holy Spirit flow through you and like magic you too will be able to communicate in a language the most faithful Among Us who have the Holy Spirit flowing through them get to speak in.
02:20 Some religious people I know would say faith is more important - even in the face of the actual facts - because if it goes against what they believe the Bible says, they'll simply blame it on Satan as "pulling the wool over their eyes" to lead them away from God. This is one reason I am none too kind to religion. It's quite simply a dangerous way to think.
Well said! Thanks for watching!
To say nothing of lazy, dishonest, and about as "sacred" as the Marvel Multiverse Timeline.
6:11
the title should say ft.kermit the frog
jokes aside that is a very good kermit impression
Even better than the guy they've got now. Granted, anybody could do a good Kermit if they tried. From Frank Welker to Dave Coulier.
(Whitmire definitely tried!)
There is also what I call the mob effect. People get charged up when in groups, the larger the better, and begin to feed off of and into whatever that group is doing. You can see it at sporting events, political rallies etc.
Peer pressure.
@@WilbertLek Yes, to some extent but much more extreme.
Good point - thanks for the comment!
I'm genuinely curious to know if Aaron has come across the channel Spencer Smith and his thoughts on it
Significant conclusions have been reached by several of these studies. For example, James Brooks' study of Gregory of Nys.sa, JeanFran
Keep trying, petty 2 face.
You've been failing for ten years already.
I know he doesn’t believe in this but… What if Aron is possessed and completely unaware of it? Would he be okay with it?
Hmmm...interesting take - thanks for watching!
How about religion a delusion of grandeur ? People choose to delude themselves into believe their god is all mighty and thus will bring them eternal life. Sure it's all warm and fuzzy but it's nothing a delusion. Even if all evidence proves other wise, it will always be comforting to feel you are always protected eternally by your god.
Agreed and don’t forget “Spiritual bypassing” where people who don’t understand complex psychological phenomenons they immediately say “God did that” essentially they’re using God to cover their own ignorance to not sound stupid but still do.
Great point, thanks for watching!
I can’t help but think of the show Righteous Gemstones.
I was very fortunate that even as screwed up my southern baptist ex was, she didnt try to brainwash our children like she was. Having beliefs is ok I suppose. I just think its better to have the ability to think. The problem is that most people would rather believe is something than to know anything.
Great point - thanks for watching!
To believe in a higher power is easy due to the overwhelming feeling of thought regarding it. It draws you into feeling something greater is there even if you cannot prove it.
It creates a feeling of serenity to think a high power being is there for you and you do not want to lose that feeling.
Kind of like alcohol. Alcohol gives a good feeling to you but when you do not have it, you feel bad.
That is what worshipping an Idol God of a religion is. Worshipping an Idol God is a way to gain a form of security but without it, you feel insecure.
The emotion of worshipping and believing in some Idol God brings an addictive emotion that is triggered by the belief, not an actual Idol God.
Religion is an emotional addiction. If you do not have enough, you become miserable for the lack of that one feeling you love, just like when you do not have alcohol for a long time after you enjoyed it.
Well stated! Thanks so much for the comment!
There are some religious people who have made a positive contribution: Dorothy Day, for example. Quakers have a long history of working for prison and asylum reform. Then there are notable figures from the past like Abelard and Thomas Aquinas. But I will not dispute your claim that overall the role of religion has not made things better for people, other than to give them one day a week off work (most religions).
But there's not Activist Atheists who have made any positive contribution. They're a hate group.
Addictive disease is not typically associated with indoctrination though. I get the compulsion to compare the two but there are quite a lot of differences, especially from a neurochemical and medical perspective.
Interesting point - thanks for the comment!
Strong rumours going around that Aron Ra is reconsidering his position, apparently for years he refused to watch 'God's Not Dead' (2014 film) then recently finally watched it, and told people ''I need to reconsider my position, when I watched the movie I was overwhelmed by the profound arguments for God and I found I seriously lacked answers or a good rebuttal for them.'' (paraphrasing there). Time will tell what the ''reconsider his position'' entails but it will be very interesting to see what he says on the matter.
If you like the idea of a time traveler and going back to see the crucification of Christ...you'll have to read Michael Moorcock's novelette "Behold The Man."
Well, it's in the name. Every Religion is A BELIEF. Nothing else necessary to fall for it. Minor things like facts and proof/disproof don't count.
The type of guy I'd rather talk to
Thanks for watching!
David Koresh claimed to be the messiah .
He turned out to be an Ash'hole
I spent a good part of that video figuring out how that corrugated metal Texas flag on your wall was painted in my mind lol
Thanks for watching!
Did Pontus pilate have Jesus killed? Did people see him resurrected?
'That's what Jesus did !" That line is priceless. I will remember it. x
Thanks for your comment!
How likely is it 'that guy' is Yeshua the Egyptian ?
"Projection"
For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. 1 CORINTHIANS 1
Grow up, and get a clue!
I used to have a girlfriend with an addictive personality. She could smell addictive drugs from a mile away. Especially crack cocaine and narcotic pain pills addiction. But she had a wonderful charismatic personality and a great sense of humor. She could really make you laugh a lot. But we were intellectually incompatible with each other. Because she had nothing but religious fairytales on the brain. I should have known better than to fall in love with her, considering the bad issues that she had. Because I eventually suffered heartbreak when she joined her mother's Jehovah's Witness phony B.S. religion and married somebody else in this phony religious cult.
Religion is indeed a substitute for drugs. Has a similar effect on the brain.
Thanks for sharing - and thanks for watching this video!
If the congregation numbers in the thousands, it should really be called a "kilochurch", rather than a "megachurch". A "megachurch" should have a congregation of at least a million.
Your views on religion are on point. Your views on mental illness being normalized is where i lose you .