@@rossgalbraith3878 you and everybody else that existed will see Jesus coming back in the same event in the sky and you’ll cry out for the rocks to crush you and hide you from his face, but then, it’ll be too late to repent! Revelation 6: 15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
Hello people of TH-cam! I'm Jeremy, one of Drew's cam ops for this Israel content. I put this vid together rather hastily since it was a time-sensitive Q&A and I just got back home after traveling with Drew (couldn't really edit properly until at home). I am most likely editing the rest of Drew's Israel content so will make sure to make things a bit more polished for those upcoming vids. Cheers!
"More Atheists need to run for Office, especially now when unhealthy Christians and Quanon-Endorsers literally say they will '''flood the Office'''. Please let me Explain why." -Telltale Atheist, who i ask you to hear out.
one annoying question from me: what day of the week was this filmed? i don 't want to be a bitch and I know ur answer won't change the fact that you filmed this video, but the thought raced through my head and now I can't get it out. I guess the fact that the Charedim didn't beat you guys up is an answer, especially in front of the kotel (not the first time something like that happened). And I have no right to get offended probably because I'm not shomer shabbat, but, you know, maybe I do kinda wanna be a bitch
I was angry and hurt as a 9 year old when I realised, after being kicked out of sunday school, the adults did not want me to learn or understand but just wanted me to follow instructions, which not only made them untrustworthy but also abusive as a 1st recourse.
Man I hate that term " but hurt". Its something lots of alt right people use because it references anal rape. Lots of Trump folks used it to mock " libs" when Trump won calling us " but hurt snowflakes".
@@toyahbetheglory2140 honestly, i appreciate people like you; people who are religious and/or spiritual, but do not force it on others. you said your piece and moved on, and when an angry atheist responded you stayed calm. (am an atheist myself btw)
I respect the hell out of your attitude towards things you don't like. This is why I'm subscribed. Seeing someone be fair and polite rather than pleasing the audience in a closed loop of mockery makes me hopeful for the future of content creation and discourse.
Your comment doesn't apply everywhere, being respectful to everyone including people like let's say Ali dawah or Muhammed hijab while they constantly misrepresent and harass you is objectively the worst position to be, instead mock tf out of them, but probably for roaming pedestrians it's probably most of time okay to remain calm
@@exiledkenkaneki701 Ridicule definitely has its places, and I think Drew is quite aware of when its proper to poke fun at someone. But having basic respect to the opposing side in an argument is something that I very much appreciate.
@@exiledkenkaneki701 like essentially the point ends up being that you should always show everyone a base level of respect and human decency and well I would say that it's okay to get angry and annoyed and even be rude or disrespectful that you should understand that you were then a subsequently throwing away any possibility of future discussion and any possibility of possibly getting that person to understand your or anyone else like you's position has that person will only see you as an angry asshole who is rude and disrespectful to them so long as you present evidence not just for your point but also as to why they have a lost some amount of respect from you then you cannot bare minimum keep in mind for that person the actual evidence and try to get them to at least understand that their opposition and understand how their actions and choice about going about things has affected the discussion
-Matter didn’t create anti matter -Anti matter didn’t create matter (Both of them were present at the time of big bang) -Both of them didn’t create themselves. -Both of them came from an unimaginable source, that unimaginable source created matter and antimatter (everything) thats why it is known as “the creator” of everything. ------////////////////////////////------ - that unimaginable source/creator has created sin and virtue which are opposite to each other, - logic says every action has its own reaction, so the reaction of sin is different than the reaction of virtue, - the creator has created prophets to let us know about each and every detail of sin and virtue, also about their reactions, Thank you :)
@Engelbert Humperdinck This is really stupid. Your brother being a lawyer doesn't make him immune to making dumb decisions or being gullible. Also, people teach their children harmful things all the time because they thought it was the right thing to do.
On the topic of creating "less calm" content - please don't. Your generally level-headed attitude is a major reason why I enjoy your videos; there is already far too much vitriol and unnecessary disrespect in the world for the sake of "entertainment". It's very easy to go out and find videos from atheist or religious commentators being pointlessly cruel to each other, but much harder to find content aimed at respectful discussion *without* emotional posturing. Please keep doing what you're doing, it's a breath of fresh air.
Seems to me that Drew is tripping over himself to be hyperpolite nowadays. Yes, it tends to be better to be diplomatic but sometimes people do respond better to abrasive tactics, especially since religionists & other dogmatists can also be abrasive. While abrasive videos can be for excessive attention, these abrasive emotions are sometimes genuine. So again, while it's better to be diplomatic, people should also have the Mental Fortitude to navigate abrasiveness. Re whether religions are always harmful, while compartmentalization is very common, dogma does still tend to clash with & cloud logic, even for liberal religionists - i.e. even religion that isn't directly harmful tends to dull skepticism & forethought. Tangentially, general roasting & heated debates on any topic within structured settings helps build Mental Fortitude to withstand authoritarian behaviour.
please don't get rid of the calm style. It's the reason I like your content over some of our more "emotional" atheist friends. I really appreciate your fair and balanced approach
Anger is a valid emotion. Atheists often have a good reason to be angry - I live in Poland, a country that is highly controlled by the catholic church, and I'm fed up with their bs, just as many other atheists here or even religious people. That being said, it's important to learn to express that anger in a healthy way, and observe these emotions.
" That being said, it's important to learn to express that anger in a healthy way, and observe these emotions." Exactly. Feeling angry at religious craziness is normal but one has to take care that our actions serve the cause of reason not anger. IMO it's ok to offend religious people but it should be done in rational ways. If the debate is polite, be firm but polite. If debate is rude, let them reap what they sow.
Please, don't fall in the trap of mockery and ridicule. Your calm and, I would say, friendly approach is a hundred times more effective. Mockery makes it easier for religious people to reject your message. Keep up the good work.
& you don’t fall into the trap of monkeying; can you trace your family tree all the way back to the apes? Because believe me, the God of the Bible has left evidence in every category so that you are without excuse! You’re just on somebody’s channel that’s your age you guys haven’t lived that long! Who would know more somebody who’s 25 or somebody who’s 60?
I thought religious people would hate my erotic/underground comics, for their religious satire and explicit BDSM and nunsploitation scenes. At first, church ladies censored them at my neighborhood print shop, so I took my 'zines to another print shop in the "gayborhood," and they've been printing them, ever since. I showed them to my religious cousin, a gospel singer and she just said, "at least, it gets people's minds on religion," referring to the Christian puns, such as cross-shaped spacecraft called "Crucifighters," Christian mecha called "Altarbots," Star Wars-like stormtroopers, with crosses on their armor, etc. My second sensei, a devout Christian man, just blushed and laughed at the Christian deities doing S&M. As a War on Terror veteran, he saw lots of unbelief and different religions, plus lots of sleaze and kink on shore leave. One of his Army buddies was into BDSM. His martial arts special interest also exposed him to a lot of Eastern religions and mysticism, hence his belief in chi powers and ki attacks. 😁😆😅😂
@@darlalathan6143 that sounds interesting, do you post your work anywhere online that is affected to share? Does not have to be NSFW, it's just neat to see other artist's work!
I really like your calm and rationality based style, and I don't think I'd want it to change. It helped me on my way out of religion when other channels made the atheist position seem angry and vindictive
The part that I'm still angry about is people wanting to make laws based on their ignorant and/or hateful religious beliefs. It's just not ok. I don't know how to get around that.
I might be able to help. Give the teachings of Ken Wilber a try, specifically integral theory. It doesn't excuse the ignorance or bigotry, but it can help you understand that those people haven't progressed yet, and that style of thinking is literally all they know and understand right now.
Why shouldn't you be angry about that? Any sane person would be. I'm tired of this whole idea that "anger = bad", even in discourse. There is nothing inherently wrong with anger, it is more often than not a justified response (particularly when someone is trying to strip away rights at least partly because their God doesn't like it).
I wish more people realized that the "snarky neckbeard atheist" is only a cringeworthy online subgroup and not a realistic representation of the billions of atheists in the world.
The real embarrassments to the atheist community are atheists who either turn a blind eye to religious oppression or who (like Ayaan Hirsi Ali) use their opposition to one religion as an excuse to give a free pass to another.
My anger has nothing to do with anybody validating my thoughts and feelings but instead comes from a place of disappointment. I was lied to and misled for so many years of my young life. It angers me that I was manipulated into missing experiences, doing things I didn't want to do, not enjoying things that I could have enjoyed all in the name of a make-believe god.
I've been an atheist since I was 10 years old. I've always just figured that theists didn't think deeply about the validity of their beliefs, especially when they are in a sea of fellow believers.
I was always an atheist. I just couldn't believe people could believe in something that was completely ridiculous. Baring in mind, I was an atheist and also believed in santa 😂 At least my parents told me he wasn't real eventually.
Ha! Me too. I became an atheist when I realized Santa wasn’t real 😂😂Seriously. There wasn’t much more basis for belief in God and I realized both were human creations to make us feel better.
You have many more subscribers than most aggressive or firebrand atheists because of your calm, disarmed style. You get through to more people, especially those who are put off when they feel offended. You are an atheist Mr. Rogers!
Agreed, however many religious people are offended by anything less than an immediate conversion or a refusal to spend the rest of one's life trying to brainwash one's self into subscribing to a given religion. Often even light suggestions that they not force their respective ideologies down others' throats does the trick too so it's still something of an uphill battle.
@@seth5143 sure, but being just as brash and mean-spirited in response doesn't really make the dialogue go any better. It's the same pitfall American politics has fallen into: "well, the other side is doing this, so why shouldn't our side do it?" At least if you stay rational and calm you can always walk away knowing you were the bigger person, and the only thing preventing the other person from considering your points is their own mental blockage, not your actions.
"More Atheists need to run for Office, especially now when unhealthy Christians and Quanon-Endorsers literally say they will '''flood the Office'''. Please let me Explain why." -Telltale Atheist, who i ask you to hear out.
In Art, I think of the restrictions as more of a discipline than a limitation. The potential for pencil drawing is limitless and limited at the same time (e.g. you can draw anything but can't use color). A semantic nuance but a useful one. 'Limited' is just a charged word I try to avoid in some contexts. Love your channel as always, thanks.
"A statement may offend. A question opens that offense to have a better look." -DOS One of the best ways to have a conversation with someone who is aggressive/defensive about a topic is to ask questions and use active communication skills (restate back to them what you heard them say.)
I KNOW this. I REALLY DO!! Yet, I struggle to be "ahead of" my knee-jerk reactions and statements 😩 However, when I DO succeed, I get lots of evidence for how effective that is, to just ASK QUESTIONS, and to LISTEN, from a point of actual, GENUINE RESPECT. Now... if I could just get THAT to be my "default setting"... 😂 (Better and better, day by day) Agapé 303
@@KOKO-uu7yd To react is without thought. To respond is to choose what you say or do next. Responding is a learned skill. I would suggest getting into the habit of taking a breath in and then out. Use this as your instant reaction. From there choosing responses is only a step away. If you are up for it, close your eyes and feel that "attack" that you react to, coming at you. When you feel it coming take that breath. This is a simple way to train yourself to react a certain way in a given situation. Hope that helps.
Some people don't deserve interlocutors with any communication skills. They jerks who can tell them they are fucking dumb and *sin* everytime they don't use their brain
I appreciate your content and think you make just the right amount of humor and seriousness. It makes this channel a safe place while you’re still in process of deconstructing. You helped me understand my husband better when he was further along in his journey than me. Thank you for being true to your goals and purpose. Love your personality and mission!
to be fair, not being a neo-Atheist does not mean you can't have an angry Atheist ... phase? I too was never raised religious, but can probably described as either angry, hateful or bitter. I doubt I will ever mellow out regarding my religious view. I despise religion (not to be confused with faith), since it is an easily abused and corrupted tool to influence the minds of a large populace without needing any kind of, lets say, credentials. You can be anyone, as long as people believe you, you are gaining power over them. Religion tends to make it way more easily for that sort of belief to happen. I can understand why religion existed, but I am very much of the opinion, that religion has become obsolete. It was a tool to herd people into specific ways and under certain rules. Though it does achieve this purpose, it is a very crude and halfway undirected form of a proto-state, the rules are less well enforced and defined as laws, the priests have less capacity as professional judges to discern the truth, and since they kind of act as a sort of police force and or administrative overhead, their power is not limited in a way that are true in a 'normal' state. All of this creates an arbitrary opaque hierarchy that can easily be corrupted and used for personal gains. It comes as no surprise that priests (I iuse it as an umbrella term for all higher ranks as well) have done many misdeeds - yet what is more appalling is the fact that they can use their religion not only as a weapon, but as a shield, too. I remember of cases of pedophilia perpetrated by priests, which then got 'dealt with' internally in the church, meaning, they got translocated into a new area with a stern 'warning' to not 'repeat' their mistakes (which probably means, to not get caught again). As such I am very sensitive to decisions being influenced by religion. I do not want such organizations to attain that much power, and am happy about the steady, albeit slow, decline of christianity, but also am frustrated about the rise of the islam. NOTE: I truly mean religion, not faith. The difference between these to terms for me (which is probably not the official meaning), is, that faith is personal, while religion is a group of people sharing the same faith.
You are right about art. My music composition teacher in college said that every composer has a set of rules to follow. Restrictions will make great art happen.
As a cartoonist and illustrator, I follow lots of traditions and work within limits. Tradition is why most of my stuff is superheroes, with sound effects lettering, panels and word balloons, etc. My fantasy illustrations tend to show armored Amazons riding giant birds and holding up magic swords. I tend to use line art and started with markers and ink, then computer graphics. My paintings range from watercolor to acrylics. 🤓
@James Henry Smith ayo, this guy got blocked by youtube! Now seriously, be respectful of other people's faiths. No one is going to listen to your christian view on an atheist video, we're all already damned. Also, your comment has NOTHING to do with mine.
I'd like to add my voice to the comments celebrating your candor, kindness and lack of snark in creating your videos. I came across your channel a couple of weeks ago and have been bingeing the content. I was struck from the get-go by the lack of rancor and sarcasm that would have put me off. We have too much perpetual rage and disdain in various media outlets. This channel stands out as a relief.
It hit home to me when you mentioned people doing rituals together and that bonds them. I never focused on that aspect of it but you’re right, I can see where that would unite people and I understand that. But when they start making laws based on their dogma because they have rituals together, that brings out the angry atheist in me.
As a former believer, visiting the old city in Jerusalem was a pretty amazing experience. Because it has such religious significance, there are some very old buildings and things that are left relatively untouched. True they built a giant church on the supposed site of the crucifixion and burial (which is not where it would have been but I digress). The history of the place and the way the Christian sects have divided it is just fascinating. Anyway I recommend it for Atheist history buffs :)
Well, I read on Wikipedia that not all christians are agree that the Greatest Church of Gerusalem was build in the place where Jesus was crucified and buired, but they still consider it a sacred place
I went through a phase similar to this when I was like 12, thankfully I got out of it and realized I didn't completely hate religion and appreciated the good parts it has.
the fact that you mentioned you got 'through the angry atheist phase' really instilled a lot of hope in me. I'm excited to learn and grow as a person, and I'm glad your content is here to help inform and guide us! You're an impeccable role model, that's for sure
On that moment about Mormans, I can say that having grown up Mormon, many of those in the church are very kind well meaning people in my experience. While I don't believe anymore and I'd encourage people to question their beliefs, I can't deny that my experience in the church may have helped me become something of the better person I want to be.
After 52 years on this earth I am still a …. hm… concerned atheist. I might come across as angry but that’s not it. I just feel that religion hurts humanity.
@@PirateLuffyDKing I would, but I have resigned and understood that I can’t mend all the damaged thinking out there. Honestly I don’t think I am very persuasive. I’ve had a lot of jobs and been really good at all of them, except at selling stuff. I couldn’t sell water in the dessert. “It’s not very clean. I mean it’s drinkable, but there is well just beyond the next dune …” Nowadays I mostly argue for my own amusement.
and yet it is also such a part of humanity, we can't seem to shake it off. perhaps we will someday but it's so ingrained in some communities. the worst thing is how it allows some bad things to hide behind it in the name of them being 'sacred' . it is a set of beliefs that can't be challenged and that's dangerous
Anger for most atheists is a stage, especially when they are young and new into atheism. As we age and mature, most of us develop more of a live and let live kind of attitude, even if we are firm in our stances against religion. What saddens me more about religion now is how it often compromises people's ability to be rational in other areas of life, how it promotes and reinforces a kind of herd mentality generally in how people see the world, how they become afraid to question or challenge power structures and can be afraid to grow philosophically. However, that more saddens me than angers me, just gives me a sense of lost opportunity. Part of my atheism/agnosticism (I don't make much distinction there) is knowing that life for everyone and everything is short, fleeting and ephemeral and that while I would like to contribute and be part of wonderful things, that it is not meant to last and as such, needn't be taken too seriously. I can love what I do and the people I'm with, but also know to hold on to it all very lightly and be able to let it all go at a moment's notice. As the Indigo Girls sang, "it's only life, after all."
The Bible, or rather the God of the Bible has evidence in every category of life that it is true. You just haven’t looked! you just followed your natural grooming instincts from social engineering in public schools a.k.a. brainwashing & you think you’re actually thinking with your brain!
The Bible is true MAPPSSD manuscript evidence and we found some more in March of last year, the archaeological digs prove the Bible stories were not made up. 27% of the Bible is future history written in advance called prophecy. Psychology -you could never out psychologize the Bible for God not to throw you into hell for all eternity. Science we can explain how everything gets here and you guys can’t and statistics probability of 40 writers writing the Bible, with no contradictions, that proves God wrote the Bible and you’ll have no excuse on judgment day! DNA did not make itself it does not auto encrypt!
I think it's a natural stage for many former religious people. Deconversion can be a traumatic event. When the people you love continue to trigger you and deny you the chance to breathe, it's even more traumatic. Then, expand it out and you see that entire societies are drowning these recently deconverted atheists with even more trigger events such as political parties invoking religious nonsense. We have these people who aren't allowed the chance to process this massive shift. They may lose their social communities because they dared to look behind the curtain. There might not be obvious wounds such as broken bones, but harm was done. Ripping that bandaid hurt. The problem is that atheists don't get the care and compassion that other groups get. They get punished for their disbelief. It's unbearably cruel what we do to new atheists. We see this with abused animals. You see them act like sweet little angels. Then, the trigger happens and it's flight or fight. That animal knows that something bad happened and they can't deal. Fortunately, when it comes to dogs, we're a lot more humane than we are with our fellow atheists. At some point, the wound heals a bit and you're left with a scar. It is a reminder of a war that the atheist fought for his or her sanity against the delusional theists. But you never know what will trigger you and you can expect no help or compassion. Instead, the world will tell you to shut up because you are mean to theists or you make atheists look bad to theists. Sometimes, it feels like the way we treat angry atheists is too dismissive. I wonder if it's because theists have warped us and society so much that we have to self-regulate to superhuman levels so that the fragile mentally ill theist can feel safe. *Yes. Mental illness. I don't care if the DSM makes an exception for religion. The internet is a game changer. We aren't limited to social communities within a geographical location. We can form social communities with people around the world of other religions, languages, and ethnicities. So they have the luxury of finding porn and downloading pirated material but they can't find a single atheist youtuber and interact in good faith with the atheist position? At what point do we finally say "You believe a snake talks. You want to pass laws based on your magical unsupported beliefs. Please seek medical help rather than wasting our time."
@@jenniferhunter4074 I appreciate all of what you wrote. One thought it brings to my mind is how the Trump campaign and all that followed has triggered feelings I didn’t even realize I had. I left my conservative Catholic family in a conservative small town for college when I was 18 in the early 1990’s. For the most part I didn’t look back. I sometimes thought about how nice it was to have escaped that place, those corrupt, narcissistic, misogynistic community “leaders.” They seemed increasingly backward as the rest of the world moved forward. Then, from 2015 or 2016, it was as if they had escaped their zoos and were again a danger - to me, but also now to my children. I am a homeschooling mother of four in an area where there are a lot of evangelical Christians, and I worry now that I’ll get mistaken for one of them. I have taken to telling anyone I meet that I am not religious. It might seem off-putting if the new acquaintance is themselves religious, but it’s become more important to me to not be identified with those backward sorts of people.
@@pechaa Our minds are capable of protecting us to an extent. Even subconsciously. It's not surprising to encounter a trigger later in life that suddenly pulls that injury. When you look at it, you suddenly realize that you always had it but you were exerting some sort of mental lock to protect the greater part of you. If we didn't have that kind of mechanism, we would all refuse to get out of bed because our mother's didn't feed us on time when we were newborns or the trauma of potty training. As an atheist, I would prefer a less theist dominated world. Ideally, no religion because I genuinely believe that religion is harmful. Having said that... Christianity is your religion. When theists ask me about Stalin and Pol Pot and Mao, I don't back down and hide my atheism. Stalin or Pol Pot or Mao do not represent all of atheism. They got one question right and failed the test on how to be a good human. Likewise.. you don't have to hide. Those evangelicals do not define your faith or you. If your Christianity makes you a better person to the people in your family/friends/community, it's a good thing for you. Don't let the conservatives steal it just because they yell a lot. Don't let them steal your joy. Of course, the necessary caveat. This is your life. I don't have the right to demand anything except a "don't be an ass". Or as Jesus would have said: "Do unto others as you would have done unto you". That sounds like a pretty nice general rule. (Naturally, the conservative Evangelicals manage to break that commandment all the time. With Trumpism, I'm pretty certain the "Love your God with all your soul, strength and mind" is also broken. Many of them really should not be grouped with Christianity. They worship a different god than the one of Christianity. For them, it's a golden monkey.)
I want to say that I loved how you answered these questions. They were exceptionally mature, sensitive, and well-reasoned answers. My respect for you has sky rocketed, and I think your kindly tempered and open-minded mindset is much needed in modern discussion. I say that being an ardent believer in the Christian faith btw!
Did not know that you found sentientism, great to hear it! I hope that this philosophy becomes mainstream and that society can learn to give moral consideration to those that cannot consent.
Congrats on 500k! While I don't agree with you on everything (mainly the antitheism thing), I find that you raise excellent points, and I appreciate that you have a somewhat different approach to these matters than the usual atheist channels. I identify as an antitheist, not so much against peoples' personal beliefs, but against organized religions and dogmatism. Anyway, keep up the good work! Love from Finland.
I'm a Christian and this is not only the one atheist channel I watch religiously (pun intended I guess..) but it's the one channel on religions matters I watch; as the Christian channels are severely lacking and mostly boring. You actually talk about interesting things in the Bible and about the early church for example. Please don't change and become "mocking", I think your method is the best by far to bring different people together and make us understand each other, as opposed to fight each other. I often recommend your videos to fellow Christians (and atheists, I have friends in both camps ofc) Much love to you my brother in humanity!
This GMA video is well done, as are the others I have viewed. As a baby boomer and church lay leader, I have struggled to understand the reasoning and emotions of members who left the faith. My children are no longer active in the church, nor are the vast majority of their peer group. Your ability to clearly and calmly articulate your thoughts are greatly appreciated. My faith has evolved (raised in a Methodist church, became inactive and doubted, returned when I had kids, now re-thinking the core tenants). Christianity in America will soon be facing a Babylonian exile type of existence in a secular world and desperately needs to reformat its beliefs to remain tenable. So I greatly value you sharing your experience and the various reasons you left the faith. Blessings and Peace!
I'd have to respectfully argue that the best way to break that final link is to be honest with yourself about your beliefs. I know everyone is different, but at some point, everyone whose an atheist just reaches that point that they admit they just don't believe no matter what the circumstances, and that's pretty much when you realize you've broken that final link.
0:45 Guys, Jerusalem has been a tourist trap for quite literally thousands of years. I don't think it's talked about enough, but between Crusades, all religions had access to the city because gold is secular.
I greatly appreciate that you don't stoop and attack people. I point out your channel a lot to religious people I know, especially since I try so hard to break the stereotype of the Angry Atheist.
Every time I listen to one of your videos I am awestruck by your superior intelligence. I come away so wishing I had a brain like yours and the ability to express my thoughts as you do. Thank you for your efforts. I will continue to be a big fan.
It's been strange for me following you all this time. When I first found your channel, it felt like you shared my exact sentiments on everything, but since then I feel like I've grown more as a person and it seems you also have grown more as a person and our views outside of religion have diverged. What's strange isn't so much that our views have diverged, but personally I still find myself caught up in my prior way of religious thinking that "other views are wrong" as I grew up rather fundamentalist, so despite respecting you as a person and respecting your journey, I still find my mind impulsively telling me that you've "gone down the wrong path" or that you're incorrect on matters that have no "correct" answer. Keep going on your journey and stay understanding as I think understanding is something everyone should strive for. I'm going to keep sticking around as it's both interesting and important to hear other views especially when they've stemmed from the same stance to begin with.
That's impressively self-aware of you to notice that, and even more brave to challenge it the way you're doing. For you as well, keep going on your journey. Understanding is a powerful force for good in this world and I whole-heartedly agree that everyone should strive to foster it, in themselves and in others. Power to you, my friend :D
I'd definitely say I'd love to see more collaboration with scholars. I find historical context really fun to learn about. And I also appreciate and enjoy your current approach to how you present your videos. I don't think you need to force being more comedic or snarky. I like how your channel is in general a very positive place.
I’m 70 years old, I found what worked for me, about 50 years ago, was responding that they should have been born 2000 years ago when gullibility was more acceptable
I've been an atheist for 30 years now and it took a very long time to get over my anger. But ultimately it has made me a better person. The moment I knew I was over it, was when I was stuffing a rolled up letter to God in the wailing Wall in Jerusalem. It read "I don't believe in you". 😂
Your calm demeanor and level-headed assessment of things is why I still watch your channel and those like Theramin Trees, but no others associated with atheism. There's been too much snark and too much anger, so please keep on being the beacon of civility you are.
“Christianity is still part of my identity even though I’m an atheist.” Is such a comforting and rational thought. It takes away so much of the shame and regret of being an ex-christian, and it relieves the pressure to completely purge religious thinking from your identity. Even though I’m not a Christian anymore, I understand that my upbringing as a Christian had a sign impact on me AND it’s okay to be at peace with that fact because it doesn’t completely define me.
I'm far from sure it's a comforting thought. But it's more than rational. Leaving politics aside the USA always has been a christian country. My native country, the Netherlands, has been for more than 1000 years. So even if I'm not even baptized, how can christianity NOT be part of my Dutch identity?
As an atheist, I still appreciate the ceremony and intentional marking of the passing of time that religion has. I still go to Christmas and Easter services even though I don't believe because I appreciate the time, sacrifice, and introspection I get from them. I do miss the creation of community and shared culture/morals/purpose that religion has. I've had to sort of create that on my own with clubs and friendships.
Thank you for all of your content! I will say that I do get a kick out of some of your response-type content, but I remember the days of toxic atheist TH-cam and I so much more appreciate that you keep your content thoughtful, kind, and insightful.
Anger and reactionarism may seem “immature”, and for some it is, but many suffering daily from intersectional marginalizations, especially in certain areas just aren’t allowed the luxury of simply “finding adequate support from likeminded individuals”. The anger stems from the alienation and pervasive and constant barrage of direct and systemic exploitations and abuses that have only been growing with time and directly threaten health, well-being and livelihood. I think it’s incredibly important to consider and comprehend this aspect of atheist or exvangelical behaviors. I think you do amazing work and this demographic doesn’t need to be validated by your channel, but I also think it’s important to understand why you may have more of a position (especially now) to choose more moderate, non anti-theist approaches vs more financially unstable, non-white, non-cishet male individuals.
Punching up instead of down, is in fact one of the reasons I watch the content creators I do...I mean to say, I get it...and appreciate you all the more for it.
I appreciate the answer, because it is true that finally having someone to validate your emotions allows you to step back from that anger. But I’m also thinking of the young, angry atheist who realizes how closely religion is intertwined with politics, who looks at all the power religion has on establishment. Most people while escaping religion substantially develop their intellectual humility and capacity for empathy. What else is there to do other than getting angry/pessimistic, when it feels like conservative politics is just religion 2.0, only this time you can’t escape their laws(unless you look like me). As a young straight white male, whose devastation of religious “mistreatment” was A TINY FRACTION of the dehumanization and disregard poc/queer/transgender people go through on a daily basis, am I really to observe my partner and friends rights being taken away, while understanding that many members of the party meant to oppose the conservative politicians are just as religious and ignorant? Anger was my attitude, because at one point I believed I could actually help people with my vote/action/etc. But now it feels like we are starting to experience a social regression where the bad guys really did win. So now I’m just a pessimistic atheist I guess.
I hope this doesn’t come off as harsh. Genetically Modified Skeptic is one of the channels that enlightened me of the dogma and fallacies that kept me down. This is genuinely what I’ve been wrestling with lately.
A lot of Christians go through a phase in some ways similar to this too. Where they focus more on attacking and demeaning the mission field rather than attempting to understand it. Many never get out of this phase. I had to remind myself the other day, "It's okay to be mad at that drug dealer busted on the news, but be careful not to be TOO mad at him." Because if my environmental circumstances had been different, that could have EASILY been me doing that same thing. We definitely live in a world with a lot of serious problems, and regardless of how ineffective some feel prayer to be, there are many times where I have no clue of what else can be done. Just going to work and raising a family is enough of a challenge for someone of my limited abilities.
Hey! Alex inspired or at least started you on the path towards veganism, didn't he! Love to hear that you were willing to think through and change your outlook on that topic! I love the amount of compassion you have Drew. I think your intellectual honesty is super admirable. Thanks for all that you do
You are one of the most rational atheists out there that I know. Even back when I was a Christian, I admired how you tried to keep all of your information as accurate as possible. I still believe in God and miracles but no longer no in organized religion.
@@zapkvr There are plenty of people out there who still believe in God but not organized religion. Check out Deism. It is a rationalistic religion based on reason and logic. Some deists believe that God no longer takes an active role in our lives after he created us while others (like me) believe that he still plays an active role in our lives.
It's so interesting to see jerusalem as just a touristy place because as someone who lives here and mainly just avoids the old city jerusalem doesn't feel touristy because it is a big city and most isn't touristy at all
Gosh I've been through many angry phases. The angry atheist phase, the angry vegan phase and the angry feminist phase. I am proud to announce i am now in the slightly less angry vegan atheist feminist phase.
Yeah honestly my friend at some point was like that plus add angry liberal activist phase. A few months ago she told me that the best advice I gave her was to just distance herself from all the nitty gritty and focus on herself instead. I was astonished as to how a something I told her passively helped her find some balance in her life😅
I remember saying I didn’t believe in god when I was seven, so I never had an angry atheist phase. I love this video, the location makes a big difference.
Sincerely, whenever I visit a (fellow) atheist's channel, I am looking specifically for the no-chill, borderline-reactionary, bias confirming, con-owning (reverse lib-owning) content. And to be educated on past and current mishappenings about religion, of course. But this kind of chill, personal, introspective and borderline educational style feels better ^_^ Don't think I will ever change my stance on being a forever-angry skeptic and taking religion as being inherently evil. I have a -brief- background as a nursing student, which led me to know, despite any actions and lifestyle, a person is a product of their body's conditions, insertion in society, opportunities, influence, nurture, and there being always a story behind a person's way of being, personality, opinions, whillingness or unwhillingness to change opinion, relationships and forms of interaction with outsiders to their social circles. To cite some examples teachers gave: a cold-blooded, murderer, drug dealer could not be inherently evil. A morbidly obese person may not be just lazy piece of egoism that hates to work. An ab*sed wife that erase her domestic viol*nce report against he husband after being beaten just to be beaten again may not be a wh*re that likes and deserves the pain... a highly religious kook that likes the sound of screaming teens at gay conversion therapy centers and the humiliation and opression trans girls go through while being "examined" by their P.E. teathers and bullied by adults and their kids, may not be on their best mental faculties, trying to function while high on life-long, intense, religious gaslight... Though I learned too much of the bad side of belief to ever be empathic again with anyone that engages in either thoughtful or thoughtless, everyday "inofensive" propaganda, works directly helping christian institutions or worse, decided to commit, foment, and teach intense prejudice to innocents. Having a calm, "fair", controlled demeanor towards people one disagrees with is an applauded common sense, but why respect... THAT...?
Hay man what's up?I just wanted to say I like humor as much as anyone but I like your content because of the kindness.i am all about respecting one another when possible.
Maybe it's just the shades making me see this for the first time, but this is kind of like watching Matt Murdoch on vacation. Only without the Catholicism, naturally 😎
I’m not a skeptic and honestly I watch your content just because I find it interesting to learn about different view points. I also will say, I do appreciate the humor at times as well.
You don't have to be religious to appreciate religious history, culture, language, and so on. The founders of Israel were atheists i.e. Theodore Herzl (father of zionism), David Ben Gurion (Israel's first Prime Minister).
Yes! If we as a society don't believe in religion anymore, that doesn't mean all religious culture will be cast into the shadows or destroyed. In my country, there are shit tons of churches that aren't being attended by anyone for religion anymore, but are still preserved because they're a beautiful part of the landscape, and they're filled with great art. Ancient books (all written by monks and nuns), paintings, architecture, music etc will always have historical and cultural value, and will be preserved and treasured as such.
Wherever this will take you I am confident it will be well worth it to stick with you. Your content has been hilarious, educational, humbling, and just overall very enjoyable. Seeing the progress and development this channel and you have made has been a great experience. I am glad I have been along for the ride so far and looking forward to what's to come. Thank you for putting so much thought into your work. I appreciate you very much.
The angry atheist phase is nothing you can overcome by will, it just fades as you gain more knowledge and reflect on your former beliefs. At one point you realize that believers don´t do it on purpose. You realize that they´re victims of their indoctrination as you were.
Tbh I think my angry atheist phase has been stunted or it is still lingering as it was diverted into politics. Though it does easily fade through time and experience.
I've always appreciated the calm demeanor and compassion you model in your videos. It's something I try (with arguably limited success) to practice myself. Don't ever lose that.
Hey Drew and all the atheists out there, I have a question: Out of all of the horrible arguments used by theists to convert you, which is the worst of them all?
“you secretly know god exists, you just don’t wanna accept him” or for the ex-theists, “you were never a true believer anyways”. those two piss me off to no end
"you're the only person who has ever had a bad experience with the church, God doesn't want you" it's scary how this kind of 'argument' could potentially work on a religiously raised child or extremely Indoctrinated adult.
Really enjoy your temperament and demeanor. 13:30 - to be fair, I know and love Mormons. But what makes them as well as Islam different is the entire faith hanging on the testimony and credibility of one person. Whereas in Christianity, there’s 9 different authors in the New Testament all testifying to the same claim of the bodily resurrection of Jesus. That may still seem equally unlikely to skeptic, but I think it’s a bit disingenuous to assume they’re the same. They aren’t.
9 authors who mainly copied each other don't count as credible sources though :) The old testament claims 600000 men and their families witnessed God first hand. Does that make it more credible than a single source? I think not, since the only source is that book and none of these people are alive today (most of them perhaps didn't even really exist).
I don't think the credibility is any different. John is the only gospel account that even claims to be an eye witness -- but it's written many decades after the fact. The earlier gospels seem to report from current knowledge of Jesus, not as eye witness report. And the synoptic gospels essentially copy from each other, so they basically count as 1 account. Paul is not a resurrection eyewitness.
ca 9:00 in: Yes, please keep your current tone. There are plenty of other channels out there that do mockery. Your measured, calm, and respectful tone is what makes you you.
I never stopped being an angry atheist, but I interfaced with that emotion differently over time. It's directed where it needs to be, not at religious people in general but at specifically the bad actors that use and shape religion to steal and control. People like Kenneth Copeland are absolutely deserving of anger, but Joe Christian who doesn't understand why the atheists are atheists because he's never talked to one is just someone who thinks something you don't.
Kenneth copeland is LEGENDARY. My favorite quote of him is: “COVID-19… BOO KAABOOM.. THE W In D Of GOd.. ON You… YOU ARE DESTROYED FOREVER… AND YOULL NEVER BE BACK..” My second favorite is: “mMlMGAyejnUegwoHaiowhbak [more demon noises] HaiiwbajAoNkOQHBAoowh.
Please continue as your heart guides you, you produce work that feels so much more sincere than many others and for better or worse strikes far close to the important feelings of those who find you. Your sincerity is very much appreciated.
Your generation can’t even define what a woman is, so what do you really know. I don’t wanna dog you out but you’re just young and following the crowd and what they tell you to do while the Bible has evidence in every category!
No one hates a god that doesn't exist. However, a lot of people hate the dangerous and irrational behavior of those who believe in a nonexistent god when they try to impose their irrational and dangerous beliefs onto others. For example, I'm disgusted by, and infuriated with, the radical religious extremists who have pushed to overturn roe v Wade. That doesn't mean I hate a God that doesn't exist. It means I hate the behavior and actions of the people imposing their religious beliefs on me and others
@@christheghostwriter I wish we would live in a post religious world. But we don’t. I know how religion has impacted and continues to impact us. But then you’re not mad at god! You are mad at other what humans do in the name of it. I get it. But if it doesn’t exist, it makes no sense to hate it. We are saying the same thing.
My earliest memories of attending church was of absolute confusion. I felt as though I was the only one listening to the preacher. Each week the preacher would tell stories from the bible that horrified me. Like asking abraham was asked to kill his child to prove his love to god. The story of the destruction of Jericho city. then having to kill every living animal inside the city made no sense. What kind of a god would need to do such things. Why did animals need to sacrificed to forgive sin. God could have made any rule at all to be forgiven of sin like jumping up and down three times. Worse thing of all if you decided not to believe, then you had to burn in a lake of fire forever. This instead of a kinder solution like punishing nonbelievers with nonexistence.
I just want to thank you for bringing such a calm respectful perspective on religion and, particularly, the Bible/Christianity. As an atheist whose deconstruction truly began when I was "shooed away" from nonreligious videos of biblical history (like anthropology type stuff, where the religion of the folks discussing the topic weren't ever stated), I've become frustrated with the "angry atheist" culture that is still a large aspect the internet atheist Zeitgeist. I try and remember the religious trauma that these folks have experienced, and I completely understand how they can become irritated with progressive Christians sweeping problematic aspects of the Bible under the rug. But at the same time, I think a huge aspect to atheist internet culture is based on what they find to be the "correct" interpretation of the Bible. And with that, I think they miss some of the most complex and interesting things the Bible and the religion's history has to offer. Thank you for making these videos with such a gracious and calm demeanor. I know that I may have not been able to reflect this myself, just because I get defensive over stupid stuff like that (I think it's because folks assume I'm defending everything written in the Bible, or that I'm trying to make it more progressive than it is). I hope you are opening the doors for a culture that tries to view religion as objectively as possible. Tl;Dr: your calm objective perspective is a breath of fresh air and makes me feel validated in my deconstruction journey. Thank you.
thank you so much for taking that stance on ridicule! i know that i agree with the actual _things_ said by some other content creators, but i sort of stay away from their channels because their attitudes often feel adversarial and detrimental if you want to actually reach "another tribe."
I just wanted to drop a comment and say, I subscribe and watch because I genuinely love and appreciate your calm rational approach. While I do enjoy a good shredding from time to time, there are a million channels that do that already. I come here to learn and consider things not to just laugh or make fun of others. Thank you for doing what you do!
For me it happened last year (about four years into being an atheist), when I went on the r/Atheism subreddit and slowly started to realize how excessive and often unjustified their occasionally-righteous anger tends to be. Is a mostly Orthodox Christian country’s genocidal invasion of another mostly Orthodox Christian country necessarily a holy war just because the Moscow patriarchate’s pissed at the Kyiv one for not actively trying to oppress gays? Are American Christians as a whole, including my liberal mother who’s very much pro-choice, to blame for the demise of Roe v. Wade? Are Israel’s, India’s and China’s cruel treatment of Muslim minorities justified and should their current governments be supported to own the theists? I don’t think so.
@@JP2GiannaT - And what is _that_ supposed to mean? In what sense am I “too close to the subject” - and at what “point” will that no longer be the case - provided that the religiously-motivated atrocities against transgender people continue? Am I _unjustified_ in my anger? If so - then pray tell me exactly _how_ I am unjustified. Are those barbaric anti-LGBT passages in the Bible not actually _present_ in the document? (Spoiler alert - those passages are in FACT there.) Are there not people who have lost their LIVES because of acts committed on account of those verses? There very much _have_ been - and _continue_ to be. So yes -- I _am_ still angry - but that does not mean that my judgement is in any way compromised -- so I hope that _that_ is NOT what you are suggesting when you say that I am “too close to this subject at this point”.
I have been an Atheist for over 8 years now and I hope I never grow out of the “angry” phase. I was lied to by authority figures for over 52years. Millions of people are being led by the nose everyday. Religion is just a bunch of silly lies and the fact that people think some are better than others stems from those lies. Do not lose your anger. Just remember that not all religious people are evil. Use your anger in productive ways. Use your anger to help others and not for destruction. Make your anger a positive thing and it will become something which you can use to live well and thrive! Good luck with your journey.
I can definitely relate to still being in a really angry atheist phase. My personal experience is more with racial stuff than it is LGBT+. I’ve been in environments where Christians spout out some pretty stupid stuff to me, being a PoC, like how I’m not like “illegals” because my dad came over the “right way” or stumbling across art projects in a Christian middle school that is clearly symbols for white supremacy. I’ve got plenty of those stories. That on top of hearing anti-LGBT+ rhetoric when I have family in that community, and I guess it’s not surprising that I’m a little bitter. I’m sure you’ve seen or heard some pretty awful things, I just hope you have a community where people treat you right. If not, I hope you find one sooner rather than later
@@RedAngelSophia Your anger is justified. I'm also angry. I hope not to be eventually, but until the Christians all come to their senses, put away their bibles for good, apologise and make some kind of reparations I think I'll keep the flame burning. Maybe I'll change, but I can live with who I am right now, and that's enough. Stay authentic. x
7:20 I love how you're talking about community as a pair of solidiers carrying automatic weapons patrols in the background with barbed wire lined fences 🤣
Drew, I want to say that I highly value your reasonable, empathetic content over other people’s ridiculing and snarky content. Unlike many atheists I am politically conservative and many atheists have made me feel like shit because of it. Here though, I feel like it doesn’t matter because although I’m sure you’d disagree with me, the goal of your channel is to get everyone to think a little harder and respect others. I feel very much at home here and I thank you for it.
i love the calm content and tbh thats why i like this channel. its no bullshit, no throwing shade at anyone, its just peaceful, kind, real, level headed and understanding analysis, thoughts and discussion on any topic. it makes it actually enjoyable for me. hearing people yell and make fun of everything to do about something is only really funny the first few thousand times before it gets old. im just over it the same way im over minecraft for the most part. i understand the appeal, and why its so enjoyable for alot of ppl, but ive had my fill of it and ive moved on with my life XD
Super funny, first remark: “Such a sacred place, but also a place for making money.” To me, all religion is basically just about making money (or gaining power) 😂.
Thanks for the content Drew. And thanks for the mic quality, the audio was perfectly clear even if you were outside (my hearing is not perfect so thank you) 👍
"More Atheists need to run for Office, especially now when unhealthy Christians and Quanon-Endorsers literally say they will '''flood the Office'''. Please let me Explain why." -Telltale Atheist, who i ask you to hear out.
I remember early on being an angry, almost militant atheist. I think some form of that in the beginning is normal. From first being a theist, for me a Christian, than coming to lose that faith. That revelation that I had been lied to, and lived a lie based on made up stories, hardened me. This happened when I was a teenager in the early 2000's, at the very beginning of more young people moving away from organized religion. And my need to break free from a religion that condemned me for being queer. It was all about self preservation. I felt like I was in a fight for living the life that I needed and wanted to live.
It's really nice to see an atheist that can manage to talk to believers with measures of compassion. It's been a journey for me to get there myself and it's really easy to sit there and try to dunk on/ridicule theists for their beliefs. However, you get more honest dialogue when you try to address these questions constructively. I admit, I do still enjoy watching the snarky atheists on youtube dunking on theists, but that's not the way I speak to people and I don't direct theists to those videos anymore. Not all ideas need to be respected, but that doesn't mean that all ideas that you don't agree with should be disrespected. I appreciate how thoughtful you are being about this.
I really appreciate you man and all that you do. Thank you.
you’re gonna burn in hell unless you repent and turn to Jesus; the real Jesus, not the one that mows the lawn!
Hi JC!
There you are! We've been looking all over for you!
You heard the man! Give those likes!
@@rossgalbraith3878 you and everybody else that existed will see Jesus coming back in the same event in the sky and you’ll cry out for the rocks to crush you and hide you from his face, but then, it’ll be too late to repent!
Revelation 6: 15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
Hello people of TH-cam! I'm Jeremy, one of Drew's cam ops for this Israel content. I put this vid together rather hastily since it was a time-sensitive Q&A and I just got back home after traveling with Drew (couldn't really edit properly until at home). I am most likely editing the rest of Drew's Israel content so will make sure to make things a bit more polished for those upcoming vids. Cheers!
Great stuff! Looking forward to seeing more of Israel.
"More Atheists need to run for Office, especially now when unhealthy Christians
and Quanon-Endorsers literally say they will '''flood the Office'''. Please let me Explain why."
-Telltale Atheist,
who i ask you to hear out.
one annoying question from me: what day of the week was this filmed? i don 't want to be a bitch and I know ur answer won't change the fact that you filmed this video, but the thought raced through my head and now I can't get it out. I guess the fact that the Charedim didn't beat you guys up is an answer, especially in front of the kotel (not the first time something like that happened). And I have no right to get offended probably because I'm not shomer shabbat, but, you know, maybe I do kinda wanna be a bitch
I was angry and hurt as a 9 year old when I realised, after being kicked out of sunday school, the adults did not want me to learn or understand but just wanted me to follow instructions, which not only made them untrustworthy but also abusive as a 1st recourse.
There are only three lies/errors in the first two verses of Genesis. Logan Mitchell..Christian Mythology.
Man I hate that term " but hurt". Its something lots of alt right people use because it references anal rape. Lots of Trump folks used it to mock " libs" when Trump won calling us " but hurt snowflakes".
@@toyahbetheglory2140 I am sorry, I am not gullible enough to believe you. But I appreciate the time you took to type.
Physical abuse and punishment for thinking rationally? Sounds like Catholic school.
@@toyahbetheglory2140 honestly, i appreciate people like you; people who are religious and/or spiritual, but do not force it on others. you said your piece and moved on, and when an angry atheist responded you stayed calm. (am an atheist myself btw)
I respect the hell out of your attitude towards things you don't like. This is why I'm subscribed. Seeing someone be fair and polite rather than pleasing the audience in a closed loop of mockery makes me hopeful for the future of content creation and discourse.
Your comment doesn't apply everywhere, being respectful to everyone including people like let's say Ali dawah or Muhammed hijab while they constantly misrepresent and harass you is objectively the worst position to be, instead mock tf out of them, but probably for roaming pedestrians it's probably most of time okay to remain calm
@@exiledkenkaneki701 Ridicule definitely has its places, and I think Drew is quite aware of when its proper to poke fun at someone. But having basic respect to the opposing side in an argument is something that I very much appreciate.
@@exiledkenkaneki701 like essentially the point ends up being that you should always show everyone a base level of respect and human decency and well I would say that it's okay to get angry and annoyed and even be rude or disrespectful that you should understand that you were then a subsequently throwing away any possibility of future discussion and any possibility of possibly getting that person to understand your or anyone else like you's position has that person will only see you as an angry asshole who is rude and disrespectful to them so long as you present evidence not just for your point but also as to why they have a lost some amount of respect from you then you cannot bare minimum keep in mind for that person the actual evidence and try to get them to at least understand that their opposition and understand how their actions and choice about going about things has affected the discussion
-Matter didn’t create anti matter
-Anti matter didn’t create matter
(Both of them were present at the time of big bang)
-Both of them didn’t create themselves.
-Both of them came from an unimaginable source, that unimaginable source created matter and antimatter (everything) thats why it is known as “the creator” of everything.
------////////////////////////////------
- that unimaginable source/creator has created sin and virtue which are opposite to each other,
- logic says every action has its own reaction, so the reaction of sin is different than the reaction of virtue,
- the creator has created prophets to let us know about each and every detail of sin and virtue, also about their reactions,
Thank you :)
@Engelbert Humperdinck This is really stupid. Your brother being a lawyer doesn't make him immune to making dumb decisions or being gullible. Also, people teach their children harmful things all the time because they thought it was the right thing to do.
On the topic of creating "less calm" content - please don't. Your generally level-headed attitude is a major reason why I enjoy your videos; there is already far too much vitriol and unnecessary disrespect in the world for the sake of "entertainment". It's very easy to go out and find videos from atheist or religious commentators being pointlessly cruel to each other, but much harder to find content aimed at respectful discussion *without* emotional posturing.
Please keep doing what you're doing, it's a breath of fresh air.
Right on point.
I totally agree!... but Lowfruit tho...
Amen to that!
Seems to me that Drew is tripping over himself to be hyperpolite nowadays. Yes, it tends to be better to be diplomatic but sometimes people do respond better to abrasive tactics, especially since religionists & other dogmatists can also be abrasive.
While abrasive videos can be for excessive attention, these abrasive emotions are sometimes genuine. So again, while it's better to be diplomatic, people should also have the Mental Fortitude to navigate abrasiveness.
Re whether religions are always harmful, while compartmentalization is very common, dogma does still tend to clash with & cloud logic, even for liberal religionists - i.e. even religion that isn't directly harmful tends to dull skepticism & forethought.
Tangentially, general roasting & heated debates on any topic within structured settings helps build Mental Fortitude to withstand authoritarian behaviour.
+
please don't get rid of the calm style. It's the reason I like your content over some of our more "emotional" atheist friends. I really appreciate your fair and balanced approach
Anger is a valid emotion. Atheists often have a good reason to be angry - I live in Poland, a country that is highly controlled by the catholic church, and I'm fed up with their bs, just as many other atheists here or even religious people. That being said, it's important to learn to express that anger in a healthy way, and observe these emotions.
" That being said, it's important to learn to express that anger in a healthy way, and observe these emotions."
Exactly. Feeling angry at religious craziness is normal but one has to take care that our actions serve the cause of reason not anger. IMO it's ok to offend religious people but it should be done in rational ways. If the debate is polite, be firm but polite. If debate is rude, let them reap what they sow.
Do you believe in infinite genders?
@@littlefinger4509 yes, I do, now what?
@@restlessdream8745 Than you don't believe in facts lol
@@littlefinger4509 What are the facts on gender? Sources please. Also, what has this to do with the topic of this video?
Please, don't fall in the trap of mockery and ridicule. Your calm and, I would say, friendly approach is a hundred times more effective. Mockery makes it easier for religious people to reject your message. Keep up the good work.
& you don’t fall into the trap of monkeying; can you trace your family tree all the way back to the apes?
Because believe me, the God of the Bible has left evidence in every category so that you are without excuse! You’re just on somebody’s channel that’s your age you guys haven’t lived that long!
Who would know more somebody who’s 25 or somebody who’s 60?
I thought religious people would hate my erotic/underground comics, for their religious satire and explicit BDSM and nunsploitation scenes. At first, church ladies censored them at my neighborhood print shop, so I took my 'zines to another print shop in the "gayborhood," and they've been printing them, ever since. I showed them to my religious cousin, a gospel singer and she just said, "at least, it gets people's minds on religion," referring to the Christian puns, such as cross-shaped spacecraft called "Crucifighters," Christian mecha called "Altarbots," Star Wars-like stormtroopers, with crosses on their armor, etc. My second sensei, a devout Christian man, just blushed and laughed at the Christian deities doing S&M. As a War on Terror veteran, he saw lots of unbelief and different religions, plus lots of sleaze and kink on shore leave. One of his Army buddies was into BDSM. His martial arts special interest also exposed him to a lot of Eastern religions and mysticism, hence his belief in chi powers and ki attacks. 😁😆😅😂
@@darlalathan6143 hmm. Very strange but interesting
@@darlalathan6143 that sounds interesting, do you post your work anywhere online that is affected to share? Does not have to be NSFW, it's just neat to see other artist's work!
@@aazhie Not yet, but I'm working on it! 😁
I really like your calm and rationality based style, and I don't think I'd want it to change. It helped me on my way out of religion when other channels made the atheist position seem angry and vindictive
The part that I'm still angry about is people wanting to make laws based on their ignorant and/or hateful religious beliefs. It's just not ok. I don't know how to get around that.
I might be able to help. Give the teachings of Ken Wilber a try, specifically integral theory. It doesn't excuse the ignorance or bigotry, but it can help you understand that those people haven't progressed yet, and that style of thinking is literally all they know and understand right now.
Why shouldn't you be angry about that? Any sane person would be. I'm tired of this whole idea that "anger = bad", even in discourse. There is nothing inherently wrong with anger, it is more often than not a justified response (particularly when someone is trying to strip away rights at least partly because their God doesn't like it).
boycott divestment and sanction would help.
@@SilverMaple106 !!THIS!!
@@SilverMaple106 Cheers!
I wish more people realized that the "snarky neckbeard atheist" is only a cringeworthy online subgroup and not a realistic representation of the billions of atheists in the world.
But it’s so much more comfortable to think that anyone who disbelieves my faith is mean and unattractive!
Pls. help, I've been practicing atheism for almost a decade now.
HOW DO I GROW FULL BEARD?
I’m snarky, and have a beard. Oh no.
Then again, I mostly direct that snark at PragerU, hurling insults.
I’d still rather the world’s atheist community have the character you just described as their public persona than someone like Alain de Botton.
The real embarrassments to the atheist community are atheists who either turn a blind eye to religious oppression or who (like Ayaan Hirsi Ali) use their opposition to one religion as an excuse to give a free pass to another.
Hello Drew. Blessings to you. Hope you had a good trip in Israel. I as a Christian appreciate what you do.
Congrats on 500k Drew!!! Had such a blast filming, until next time!
My anger has nothing to do with anybody validating my thoughts and feelings but instead comes from a place of disappointment. I was lied to and misled for so many years of my young life. It angers me that I was manipulated into missing experiences, doing things I didn't want to do, not enjoying things that I could have enjoyed all in the name of a make-believe god.
I've been an atheist since I was 10 years old. I've always just figured that theists didn't think deeply about the validity of their beliefs, especially when they are in a sea of fellow believers.
I was always an atheist. I just couldn't believe people could believe in something that was completely ridiculous.
Baring in mind, I was an atheist and also believed in santa 😂
At least my parents told me he wasn't real eventually.
Ha! Me too. I became an atheist when I realized Santa wasn’t real 😂😂Seriously. There wasn’t much more basis for belief in God and I realized both were human creations to make us feel better.
@@iseriver3982 Bearing
@NICHOLAS MEINI I’m 56 and I still agree with my ten year old self. Also, my kids and husband are atheist.
@@rini6
Thank Zeus.
You have many more subscribers than most aggressive or firebrand atheists because of your calm, disarmed style. You get through to more people, especially those who are put off when they feel offended. You are an atheist Mr. Rogers!
Nice point. So much better than Matt Dilahunty who can go off over nothing.
Agreed, however many religious people are offended by anything less than an immediate conversion or a refusal to spend the rest of one's life trying to brainwash one's self into subscribing to a given religion. Often even light suggestions that they not force their respective ideologies down others' throats does the trick too so it's still something of an uphill battle.
@@claytonreeves150
How much do you want for this straw-man? It's cute and I want it. Let's do some haggling here.
@@seth5143 sure, but being just as brash and mean-spirited in response doesn't really make the dialogue go any better. It's the same pitfall American politics has fallen into: "well, the other side is doing this, so why shouldn't our side do it?" At least if you stay rational and calm you can always walk away knowing you were the bigger person, and the only thing preventing the other person from considering your points is their own mental blockage, not your actions.
@James Henry Smith extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Please provide the evidence.
Congrats on 500k! You deserve every follower!
"More Atheists need to run for Office, especially now when unhealthy Christians
and Quanon-Endorsers literally say they will '''flood the Office'''. Please let me Explain why."
-Telltale Atheist,
who i ask you to hear out.
In Art, I think of the restrictions as more of a discipline than a limitation. The potential for pencil drawing is limitless and limited at the same time (e.g. you can draw anything but can't use color). A semantic nuance but a useful one. 'Limited' is just a charged word I try to avoid in some contexts. Love your channel as always, thanks.
Great insight, thanks for sharing!
"restriction breads creativity"
"A statement may offend. A question opens that offense to have a better look." -DOS
One of the best ways to have a conversation with someone who is aggressive/defensive about a topic is to ask questions and use active communication skills (restate back to them what you heard them say.)
I KNOW this. I REALLY DO!! Yet, I struggle to be "ahead of" my knee-jerk reactions and statements 😩
However, when I DO succeed, I get lots of evidence for how effective that is, to just ASK QUESTIONS, and to LISTEN, from a point of actual, GENUINE RESPECT.
Now... if I could just get THAT to be my "default setting"... 😂
(Better and better, day by day)
Agapé 303
@@KOKO-uu7yd To react is without thought. To respond is to choose what you say or do next. Responding is a learned skill. I would suggest getting into the habit of taking a breath in and then out. Use this as your instant reaction. From there choosing responses is only a step away.
If you are up for it, close your eyes and feel that "attack" that you react to, coming at you. When you feel it coming take that breath. This is a simple way to train yourself to react a certain way in a given situation.
Hope that helps.
Some people don't deserve interlocutors with any communication skills. They jerks who can tell them they are fucking dumb and *sin* everytime they don't use their brain
I appreciate your content and think you make just the right amount of humor and seriousness. It makes this channel a safe place while you’re still in process of deconstructing. You helped me understand my husband better when he was further along in his journey than me. Thank you for being true to your goals and purpose. Love your personality and mission!
I never had the "angry Atheist" phase since I'm not a neo-Atheist, I was fortunate to be raised this way.
@James Henry Smith lol
to be fair, not being a neo-Atheist does not mean you can't have an angry Atheist ... phase? I too was never raised religious, but can probably described as either angry, hateful or bitter.
I doubt I will ever mellow out regarding my religious view. I despise religion (not to be confused with faith), since it is an easily abused and corrupted tool to influence the minds of a large populace without needing any kind of, lets say, credentials. You can be anyone, as long as people believe you, you are gaining power over them. Religion tends to make it way more easily for that sort of belief to happen.
I can understand why religion existed, but I am very much of the opinion, that religion has become obsolete. It was a tool to herd people into specific ways and under certain rules. Though it does achieve this purpose, it is a very crude and halfway undirected form of a proto-state, the rules are less well enforced and defined as laws, the priests have less capacity as professional judges to discern the truth, and since they kind of act as a sort of police force and or administrative overhead, their power is not limited in a way that are true in a 'normal' state.
All of this creates an arbitrary opaque hierarchy that can easily be corrupted and used for personal gains. It comes as no surprise that priests (I iuse it as an umbrella term for all higher ranks as well) have done many misdeeds - yet what is more appalling is the fact that they can use their religion not only as a weapon, but as a shield, too. I remember of cases of pedophilia perpetrated by priests, which then got 'dealt with' internally in the church, meaning, they got translocated into a new area with a stern 'warning' to not 'repeat' their mistakes (which probably means, to not get caught again).
As such I am very sensitive to decisions being influenced by religion. I do not want such organizations to attain that much power, and am happy about the steady, albeit slow, decline of christianity, but also am frustrated about the rise of the islam.
NOTE: I truly mean religion, not faith. The difference between these to terms for me (which is probably not the official meaning), is, that faith is personal, while religion is a group of people sharing the same faith.
@James Henry Smith I'm a deist
You are right about art. My music composition teacher in college said that every composer has a set of rules to follow. Restrictions will make great art happen.
As a cartoonist and illustrator, I follow lots of traditions and work within limits. Tradition is why most of my stuff is superheroes, with sound effects lettering, panels and word balloons, etc. My fantasy illustrations tend to show armored Amazons riding giant birds and holding up magic swords. I tend to use line art and started with markers and ink, then computer graphics. My paintings range from watercolor to acrylics. 🤓
@James Henry Smith no, he follows a set of rules as well. Why do you think you can tell it’s Dali’s work when you see it?
@James Henry Smith I would say Escher was obsessive compulsive in the extreme! Very orderly. Definitely following his own set of rules.
@James Henry Smith huh? Lol
as an israeli person, i used to keep asking my dad for bagels everytime we went to jeruselam. He didnt take me again until my brothers bar mitzva.
how many brothers?
@@alysdexia i got 2
@James Henry Smith ayo, this guy got blocked by youtube! Now seriously, be respectful of other people's faiths. No one is going to listen to your christian view on an atheist video, we're all already damned. Also, your comment has NOTHING to do with mine.
@James Henry Smith senile dementia needs a brick.
I'd like to add my voice to the comments celebrating your candor, kindness and lack of snark in creating your videos. I came across your channel a couple of weeks ago and have been bingeing the content. I was struck from the get-go by the lack of rancor and sarcasm that would have put me off. We have too much perpetual rage and disdain in various media outlets. This channel stands out as a relief.
Thank you so much!
It hit home to me when you mentioned people doing rituals together and that bonds them. I never focused on that aspect of it but you’re right, I can see where that would unite people and I understand that. But when they start making laws based on their dogma because they have rituals together, that brings out the angry atheist in me.
As a former believer, visiting the old city in Jerusalem was a pretty amazing experience. Because it has such religious significance, there are some very old buildings and things that are left relatively untouched. True they built a giant church on the supposed site of the crucifixion and burial (which is not where it would have been but I digress). The history of the place and the way the Christian sects have divided it is just fascinating. Anyway I recommend it for Atheist history buffs :)
Well because the alleged crucifixion probably never happened. It's not like there were any eye witness accounts we have today
Well, I read on Wikipedia that not all christians are agree that the Greatest Church of Gerusalem was build in the place where Jesus was crucified and buired, but they still consider it a sacred place
I went through a phase similar to this when I was like 12, thankfully I got out of it and realized I didn't completely hate religion and appreciated the good parts it has.
Religion is fleeting and made by man. God is eternal and made man.
@@soxpeewee idk about that
the fact that you mentioned you got 'through the angry atheist phase' really instilled a lot of hope in me. I'm excited to learn and grow as a person, and I'm glad your content is here to help inform and guide us!
You're an impeccable role model, that's for sure
On that moment about Mormans, I can say that having grown up Mormon, many of those in the church are very kind well meaning people in my experience. While I don't believe anymore and I'd encourage people to question their beliefs, I can't deny that my experience in the church may have helped me become something of the better person I want to be.
After 52 years on this earth I am still a …. hm… concerned atheist. I might come across as angry but that’s not it. I just feel that religion hurts humanity.
Imagine you're living in a society where 90% of people believe in flat earth. Wouldn't you want to correct them?
Indeed!
@@PirateLuffyDKing I would, but I have resigned and understood that I can’t mend all the damaged thinking out there. Honestly I don’t think I am very persuasive. I’ve had a lot of jobs and been really good at all of them, except at selling stuff. I couldn’t sell water in the dessert. “It’s not very clean. I mean it’s drinkable, but there is well just beyond the next dune …”
Nowadays I mostly argue for my own amusement.
Same.
and yet it is also such a part of humanity, we can't seem to shake it off. perhaps we will someday but it's so ingrained in some communities. the worst thing is how it allows some bad things to hide behind it in the name of them being 'sacred' . it is a set of beliefs that can't be challenged and that's dangerous
Anger for most atheists is a stage, especially when they are young and new into atheism. As we age and mature, most of us develop more of a live and let live kind of attitude, even if we are firm in our stances against religion. What saddens me more about religion now is how it often compromises people's ability to be rational in other areas of life, how it promotes and reinforces a kind of herd mentality generally in how people see the world, how they become afraid to question or challenge power structures and can be afraid to grow philosophically. However, that more saddens me than angers me, just gives me a sense of lost opportunity. Part of my atheism/agnosticism (I don't make much distinction there) is knowing that life for everyone and everything is short, fleeting and ephemeral and that while I would like to contribute and be part of wonderful things, that it is not meant to last and as such, needn't be taken too seriously. I can love what I do and the people I'm with, but also know to hold on to it all very lightly and be able to let it all go at a moment's notice. As the Indigo Girls sang, "it's only life, after all."
The Bible, or rather the God of the Bible has evidence in every category of life that it is true.
You just haven’t looked! you just followed your natural grooming instincts from social engineering in public schools a.k.a. brainwashing & you think you’re actually thinking with your brain!
The Bible is true MAPPSSD manuscript evidence and we found some more in March of last year, the archaeological digs prove the Bible stories were not made up. 27% of the Bible is future history written in advance called prophecy. Psychology -you could never out psychologize the Bible for God not to throw you into hell for all eternity. Science we can explain how everything gets here and you guys can’t and statistics probability of 40 writers writing the Bible, with no contradictions, that proves God wrote the Bible and you’ll have no excuse on judgment day!
DNA did not make itself it does not auto encrypt!
I think it's a natural stage for many former religious people. Deconversion can be a traumatic event. When the people you love continue to trigger you and deny you the chance to breathe, it's even more traumatic. Then, expand it out and you see that entire societies are drowning these recently deconverted atheists with even more trigger events such as political parties invoking religious nonsense.
We have these people who aren't allowed the chance to process this massive shift. They may lose their social communities because they dared to look behind the curtain. There might not be obvious wounds such as broken bones, but harm was done. Ripping that bandaid hurt. The problem is that atheists don't get the care and compassion that other groups get. They get punished for their disbelief. It's unbearably cruel what we do to new atheists.
We see this with abused animals. You see them act like sweet little angels. Then, the trigger happens and it's flight or fight. That animal knows that something bad happened and they can't deal. Fortunately, when it comes to dogs, we're a lot more humane than we are with our fellow atheists.
At some point, the wound heals a bit and you're left with a scar. It is a reminder of a war that the atheist fought for his or her sanity against the delusional theists. But you never know what will trigger you and you can expect no help or compassion. Instead, the world will tell you to shut up because you are mean to theists or you make atheists look bad to theists.
Sometimes, it feels like the way we treat angry atheists is too dismissive. I wonder if it's because theists have warped us and society so much that we have to self-regulate to superhuman levels so that the fragile mentally ill theist can feel safe.
*Yes. Mental illness. I don't care if the DSM makes an exception for religion. The internet is a game changer. We aren't limited to social communities within a geographical location. We can form social communities with people around the world of other religions, languages, and ethnicities. So they have the luxury of finding porn and downloading pirated material but they can't find a single atheist youtuber and interact in good faith with the atheist position? At what point do we finally say "You believe a snake talks. You want to pass laws based on your magical unsupported beliefs. Please seek medical help rather than wasting our time."
@@jenniferhunter4074 I appreciate all of what you wrote.
One thought it brings to my mind is how the Trump campaign and all that followed has triggered feelings I didn’t even realize I had.
I left my conservative Catholic family in a conservative small town for college when I was 18 in the early 1990’s. For the most part I didn’t look back. I sometimes thought about how nice it was to have escaped that place, those corrupt, narcissistic, misogynistic community “leaders.” They seemed increasingly backward as the rest of the world moved forward.
Then, from 2015 or 2016, it was as if they had escaped their zoos and were again a danger - to me, but also now to my children.
I am a homeschooling mother of four in an area where there are a lot of evangelical Christians, and I worry now that I’ll get mistaken for one of them. I have taken to telling anyone I meet that I am not religious. It might seem off-putting if the new acquaintance is themselves religious, but it’s become more important to me to not be identified with those backward sorts of people.
@@pechaa Our minds are capable of protecting us to an extent. Even subconsciously. It's not surprising to encounter a trigger later in life that suddenly pulls that injury. When you look at it, you suddenly realize that you always had it but you were exerting some sort of mental lock to protect the greater part of you. If we didn't have that kind of mechanism, we would all refuse to get out of bed because our mother's didn't feed us on time when we were newborns or the trauma of potty training.
As an atheist, I would prefer a less theist dominated world. Ideally, no religion because I genuinely believe that religion is harmful. Having said that... Christianity is your religion.
When theists ask me about Stalin and Pol Pot and Mao, I don't back down and hide my atheism. Stalin or Pol Pot or Mao do not represent all of atheism. They got one question right and failed the test on how to be a good human. Likewise.. you don't have to hide. Those evangelicals do not define your faith or you.
If your Christianity makes you a better person to the people in your family/friends/community, it's a good thing for you. Don't let the conservatives steal it just because they yell a lot. Don't let them steal your joy.
Of course, the necessary caveat. This is your life. I don't have the right to demand anything except a "don't be an ass". Or as Jesus would have said: "Do unto others as you would have done unto you". That sounds like a pretty nice general rule.
(Naturally, the conservative Evangelicals manage to break that commandment all the time. With Trumpism, I'm pretty certain the "Love your God with all your soul, strength and mind" is also broken. Many of them really should not be grouped with Christianity. They worship a different god than the one of Christianity. For them, it's a golden monkey.)
I want to say that I loved how you answered these questions. They were exceptionally mature, sensitive, and well-reasoned answers. My respect for you has sky rocketed, and I think your kindly tempered and open-minded mindset is much needed in modern discussion. I say that being an ardent believer in the Christian faith btw!
Did not know that you found sentientism, great to hear it! I hope that this philosophy becomes mainstream and that society can learn to give moral consideration to those that cannot consent.
He mentioned that he goes into greater depth in another video, but I can't find it. Anyone have the link for that?
@@ernest3286 it might be this: th-cam.com/video/oQ1TJ7oUMHg/w-d-xo.html
@@ernest3286 Search: why I'm no longer a humanist. He also linked it in this video
Congrats on 500k! While I don't agree with you on everything (mainly the antitheism thing), I find that you raise excellent points, and I appreciate that you have a somewhat different approach to these matters than the usual atheist channels. I identify as an antitheist, not so much against peoples' personal beliefs, but against organized religions and dogmatism. Anyway, keep up the good work! Love from Finland.
I'm a Christian and this is not only the one atheist channel I watch religiously (pun intended I guess..) but it's the one channel on religions matters I watch; as the Christian channels are severely lacking and mostly boring. You actually talk about interesting things in the Bible and about the early church for example.
Please don't change and become "mocking", I think your method is the best by far to bring different people together and make us understand each other, as opposed to fight each other. I often recommend your videos to fellow Christians (and atheists, I have friends in both camps ofc)
Much love to you my brother in humanity!
As a Christian too GMS and religion for breakfast are my Secular bread and butter rn
This GMA video is well done, as are the others I have viewed. As a baby boomer and church lay leader, I have struggled to understand the reasoning and emotions of members who left the faith. My children are no longer active in the church, nor are the vast majority of their peer group. Your ability to clearly and calmly articulate your thoughts are greatly appreciated. My faith has evolved (raised in a Methodist church, became inactive and doubted, returned when I had kids, now re-thinking the core tenants). Christianity in America will soon be facing a Babylonian exile type of existence in a secular world and desperately needs to reformat its beliefs to remain tenable. So I greatly value you sharing your experience and the various reasons you left the faith. Blessings and Peace!
I’m so glad you found this helpful!
I'd have to respectfully argue that the best way to break that final link is to be honest with yourself about your beliefs. I know everyone is different, but at some point, everyone whose an atheist just reaches that point that they admit they just don't believe no matter what the circumstances, and that's pretty much when you realize you've broken that final link.
I really love your kindness and intense rationality. Snark is really, really difficult to get through sometimes
0:45 Guys, Jerusalem has been a tourist trap for quite literally thousands of years. I don't think it's talked about enough, but between Crusades, all religions had access to the city because gold is secular.
I greatly appreciate that you don't stoop and attack people. I point out your channel a lot to religious people I know, especially since I try so hard to break the stereotype of the Angry Atheist.
As a Christian, mad respect to this guy for respecting us, as well as every other religion out there🙏❤️
@Ana Come back to what? Because he has different beliefs then yours? You need to humble yourself a bit more honey
@@michaelcalle2981 you being an Oxymoron: that's hilarious!
@Ana I'm pretty sure that none of the clips in this video where at night..
@@GumSkyloard huh?
@@Boreal0x Don't worry. We were talking to someone else who had replied to your comment. Sounds like they deleted their replies..
I very much appreciate that’s your stay polite and compassionate.
Be the chance you want to see!
😁💙👍🏻
I totally relate to the bit about anger, I've felt nothing but anger on the irrationalities of drug and school politics for example.
Telltale Atheist is a very valueable info-source.
Him warning people every time a quanon member of flat earther Runs for Office is just 1 Value-Point.
Every time I listen to one of your videos I am awestruck by your superior intelligence. I come away so wishing I had a brain like yours and the ability to express my thoughts as you do. Thank you for your efforts. I will continue to be a big fan.
It's been strange for me following you all this time. When I first found your channel, it felt like you shared my exact sentiments on everything, but since then I feel like I've grown more as a person and it seems you also have grown more as a person and our views outside of religion have diverged.
What's strange isn't so much that our views have diverged, but personally I still find myself caught up in my prior way of religious thinking that "other views are wrong" as I grew up rather fundamentalist, so despite respecting you as a person and respecting your journey, I still find my mind impulsively telling me that you've "gone down the wrong path" or that you're incorrect on matters that have no "correct" answer.
Keep going on your journey and stay understanding as I think understanding is something everyone should strive for. I'm going to keep sticking around as it's both interesting and important to hear other views especially when they've stemmed from the same stance to begin with.
That's impressively self-aware of you to notice that, and even more brave to challenge it the way you're doing. For you as well, keep going on your journey. Understanding is a powerful force for good in this world and I whole-heartedly agree that everyone should strive to foster it, in themselves and in others. Power to you, my friend :D
I'd definitely say I'd love to see more collaboration with scholars. I find historical context really fun to learn about. And I also appreciate and enjoy your current approach to how you present your videos. I don't think you need to force being more comedic or snarky. I like how your channel is in general a very positive place.
I’m 70 years old, I found what worked for me, about 50 years ago, was responding that they should have been born 2000 years ago when gullibility was more acceptable
As someone who has gone through such a phase when I was younger, I think its great that you're addressing this topic. Hope you have a wonderful day :)
I've been an atheist for 30 years now and it took a very long time to get over my anger. But ultimately it has made me a better person. The moment I knew I was over it, was when I was stuffing a rolled up letter to God in the wailing Wall in Jerusalem. It read "I don't believe in you". 😂
"Better(meaning what?) according to who?
@@vhawk1951kl According to people who live their lives instead of fearing imaginary wizards and punishments.
Your calm demeanor and level-headed assessment of things is why I still watch your channel and those like Theramin Trees, but no others associated with atheism. There's been too much snark and too much anger, so please keep on being the beacon of civility you are.
“Christianity is still part of my identity even though I’m an atheist.” Is such a comforting and rational thought. It takes away so much of the shame and regret of being an ex-christian, and it relieves the pressure to completely purge religious thinking from your identity.
Even though I’m not a Christian anymore, I understand that my upbringing as a Christian had a sign impact on me AND it’s okay to be at peace with that fact because it doesn’t completely define me.
I'm far from sure it's a comforting thought. But it's more than rational. Leaving politics aside the USA always has been a christian country. My native country, the Netherlands, has been for more than 1000 years. So even if I'm not even baptized, how can christianity NOT be part of my Dutch identity?
As an atheist, I still appreciate the ceremony and intentional marking of the passing of time that religion has. I still go to Christmas and Easter services even though I don't believe because I appreciate the time, sacrifice, and introspection I get from them. I do miss the creation of community and shared culture/morals/purpose that religion has. I've had to sort of create that on my own with clubs and friendships.
Thank you for all of your content! I will say that I do get a kick out of some of your response-type content, but I remember the days of toxic atheist TH-cam and I so much more appreciate that you keep your content thoughtful, kind, and insightful.
Anger and reactionarism may seem “immature”, and for some it is, but many suffering daily from intersectional marginalizations, especially in certain areas just aren’t allowed the luxury of simply “finding adequate support from likeminded individuals”. The anger stems from the alienation and pervasive and constant barrage of direct and systemic exploitations and abuses that have only been growing with time and directly threaten health, well-being and livelihood.
I think it’s incredibly important to consider and comprehend this aspect of atheist or exvangelical behaviors.
I think you do amazing work and this demographic doesn’t need to be validated by your channel, but I also think it’s important to understand why you may have more of a position (especially now) to choose more moderate, non anti-theist approaches vs more financially unstable, non-white, non-cishet male individuals.
I like the calm. It is easier to keep up with where your content is heading.
Quite honestly I like the jokes you make about atheists and the call outs to us!
Punching up instead of down, is in fact one of the reasons I watch the content creators I do...I mean to say, I get it...and appreciate you all the more for it.
I appreciate the answer, because it is true that finally having someone to validate your emotions allows you to step back from that anger. But I’m also thinking of the young, angry atheist who realizes how closely religion is intertwined with politics, who looks at all the power religion has on establishment. Most people while escaping religion substantially develop their intellectual humility and capacity for empathy. What else is there to do other than getting angry/pessimistic, when it feels like conservative politics is just religion 2.0, only this time you can’t escape their laws(unless you look like me). As a young straight white male, whose devastation of religious “mistreatment” was A TINY FRACTION of the dehumanization and disregard poc/queer/transgender people go through on a daily basis, am I really to observe my partner and friends rights being taken away, while understanding that many members of the party meant to oppose the conservative politicians are just as religious and ignorant? Anger was my attitude, because at one point I believed I could actually help people with my vote/action/etc. But now it feels like we are starting to experience a social regression where the bad guys really did win. So now I’m just a pessimistic atheist I guess.
I hope this doesn’t come off as harsh. Genetically Modified Skeptic is one of the channels that enlightened me of the dogma and fallacies that kept me down. This is genuinely what I’ve been wrestling with lately.
A lot of Christians go through a phase in some ways similar to this too. Where they focus more on attacking and demeaning the mission field rather than attempting to understand it. Many never get out of this phase. I had to remind myself the other day, "It's okay to be mad at that drug dealer busted on the news, but be careful not to be TOO mad at him." Because if my environmental circumstances had been different, that could have EASILY been me doing that same thing. We definitely live in a world with a lot of serious problems, and regardless of how ineffective some feel prayer to be, there are many times where I have no clue of what else can be done. Just going to work and raising a family is enough of a challenge for someone of my limited abilities.
@@jkeelsnc Sounds like you're a more patient man than I am.
Hey! Alex inspired or at least started you on the path towards veganism, didn't he! Love to hear that you were willing to think through and change your outlook on that topic!
I love the amount of compassion you have Drew. I think your intellectual honesty is super admirable. Thanks for all that you do
You are one of the most rational atheists out there that I know. Even back when I was a Christian, I admired how you tried to keep all of your information as accurate as possible. I still believe in God and miracles but no longer no in organized religion.
Well that is just stupid. Fine not to believe in religion but why believe in a deity ? What is the point?
@@zapkvr There are plenty of people out there who still believe in God but not organized religion. Check out Deism. It is a rationalistic religion based on reason and logic. Some deists believe that God no longer takes an active role in our lives after he created us while others (like me) believe that he still plays an active role in our lives.
@@zapkvr This kind of discourse has no positive effect whatsoever. How many people have you personally convinced of anything by calling them stupid?
@@claytonreeves150 I've never convinced anyone by being kind.
@@habeshaheretic thats hardly rational. Do you know what "reason" is?
It's so interesting to see jerusalem as just a touristy place because as someone who lives here and mainly just avoids the old city jerusalem doesn't feel touristy because it is a big city and most isn't touristy at all
Gosh I've been through many angry phases. The angry atheist phase, the angry vegan phase and the angry feminist phase. I am proud to announce i am now in the slightly less angry vegan atheist feminist phase.
This is highly relatable
Yeah honestly my friend at some point was like that plus add angry liberal activist phase. A few months ago she told me that the best advice I gave her was to just distance herself from all the nitty gritty and focus on herself instead. I was astonished as to how a something I told her passively helped her find some balance in her life😅
im in the righteous anger seeking peace phase
Righteous indignation is important to help the world but not being aggressive.
Funny how all those stances lead to anger.
I remember saying I didn’t believe in god when I was seven, so I never had an angry atheist phase. I love this video, the location makes a big difference.
Sincerely, whenever I visit a (fellow) atheist's channel, I am looking specifically for the no-chill, borderline-reactionary, bias confirming, con-owning (reverse lib-owning) content. And to be educated on past and current mishappenings about religion, of course. But this kind of chill, personal, introspective and borderline educational style feels better ^_^
Don't think I will ever change my stance on being a forever-angry skeptic and taking religion as being inherently evil. I have a -brief- background as a nursing student, which led me to know, despite any actions and lifestyle, a person is a product of their body's conditions, insertion in society, opportunities, influence, nurture, and there being always a story behind a person's way of being, personality, opinions, whillingness or unwhillingness to change opinion, relationships and forms of interaction with outsiders to their social circles. To cite some examples teachers gave: a cold-blooded, murderer, drug dealer could not be inherently evil. A morbidly obese person may not be just lazy piece of egoism that hates to work. An ab*sed wife that erase her domestic viol*nce report against he husband after being beaten just to be beaten again may not be a wh*re that likes and deserves the pain... a highly religious kook that likes the sound of screaming teens at gay conversion therapy centers and the humiliation and opression trans girls go through while being "examined" by their P.E. teathers and bullied by adults and their kids, may not be on their best mental faculties, trying to function while high on life-long, intense, religious gaslight...
Though I learned too much of the bad side of belief to ever be empathic again with anyone that engages in either thoughtful or thoughtless, everyday "inofensive" propaganda, works directly helping christian institutions or worse, decided to commit, foment, and teach intense prejudice to innocents. Having a calm, "fair", controlled demeanor towards people one disagrees with is an applauded common sense, but why respect... THAT...?
Hay man what's up?I just wanted to say I like humor as much as anyone but I like your content because of the kindness.i am all about respecting one another when possible.
Maybe it's just the shades making me see this for the first time, but this is kind of like watching Matt Murdoch on vacation. Only without the Catholicism, naturally 😎
I’m not a skeptic and honestly I watch your content just because I find it interesting to learn about different view points. I also will say, I do appreciate the humor at times as well.
You don't have to be religious to appreciate religious history, culture, language, and so on. The founders of Israel were atheists i.e. Theodore Herzl (father of zionism), David Ben Gurion (Israel's first Prime Minister).
Yes! If we as a society don't believe in religion anymore, that doesn't mean all religious culture will be cast into the shadows or destroyed. In my country, there are shit tons of churches that aren't being attended by anyone for religion anymore, but are still preserved because they're a beautiful part of the landscape, and they're filled with great art. Ancient books (all written by monks and nuns), paintings, architecture, music etc will always have historical and cultural value, and will be preserved and treasured as such.
Yes, it was the non religious Jews that laid the foundation of the modern state of Israel.
Wherever this will take you I am confident it will be well worth it to stick with you. Your content has been hilarious, educational, humbling, and just overall very enjoyable. Seeing the progress and development this channel and you have made has been a great experience. I am glad I have been along for the ride so far and looking forward to what's to come.
Thank you for putting so much thought into your work. I appreciate you very much.
I was never really an angry atheist, only ever a haughty one.
I would LOVE to see Jerusalem. So much history!
The angry atheist phase is nothing you can overcome by will, it just fades as you gain more knowledge and reflect on your former beliefs.
At one point you realize that believers don´t do it on purpose. You realize that they´re victims of their indoctrination as you were.
@James Henry Smith as usual just empty claims from the religious
Tbh I think my angry atheist phase has been stunted or it is still lingering as it was diverted into politics. Though it does easily fade through time and experience.
@@unglaubiger5645 same for U !
I've always appreciated the calm demeanor and compassion you model in your videos. It's something I try (with arguably limited success) to practice myself. Don't ever lose that.
Hey Drew and all the atheists out there, I have a question: Out of all of the horrible arguments used by theists to convert you, which is the worst of them all?
'Well it is doing great things for ME, so it should be great for YOU, too!'
“you secretly know god exists, you just don’t wanna accept him” or for the ex-theists, “you were never a true believer anyways”. those two piss me off to no end
Ontological argument. It’s just word salad
"you're the only person who has ever had a bad experience with the church, God doesn't want you" it's scary how this kind of 'argument' could potentially work on a religiously raised child or extremely Indoctrinated adult.
@@CollecTortoise this
You absolutely deserve it
Congrats, man
Really enjoy your temperament and demeanor. 13:30 - to be fair, I know and love Mormons. But what makes them as well as Islam different is the entire faith hanging on the testimony and credibility of one person. Whereas in Christianity, there’s 9 different authors in the New Testament all testifying to the same claim of the bodily resurrection of Jesus. That may still seem equally unlikely to skeptic, but I think it’s a bit disingenuous to assume they’re the same. They aren’t.
There's another similarity: both Islam and LDS promise sex after death.
9 authors who mainly copied each other don't count as credible sources though :)
The old testament claims 600000 men and their families witnessed God first hand. Does that make it more credible than a single source?
I think not, since the only source is that book and none of these people are alive today (most of them perhaps didn't even really exist).
What happened to the other six replies
I don't think the credibility is any different. John is the only gospel account that even claims to be an eye witness -- but it's written many decades after the fact. The earlier gospels seem to report from current knowledge of Jesus, not as eye witness report. And the synoptic gospels essentially copy from each other, so they basically count as 1 account. Paul is not a resurrection eyewitness.
ca 9:00 in: Yes, please keep your current tone. There are plenty of other channels out there that do mockery. Your measured, calm, and respectful tone is what makes you you.
I never stopped being an angry atheist, but I interfaced with that emotion differently over time. It's directed where it needs to be, not at religious people in general but at specifically the bad actors that use and shape religion to steal and control. People like Kenneth Copeland are absolutely deserving of anger, but Joe Christian who doesn't understand why the atheists are atheists because he's never talked to one is just someone who thinks something you don't.
Kenneth copeland is LEGENDARY. My favorite quote of him is:
“COVID-19… BOO KAABOOM.. THE W In D Of GOd.. ON You… YOU ARE DESTROYED FOREVER… AND YOULL NEVER BE BACK..”
My second favorite is:
“mMlMGAyejnUegwoHaiowhbak [more demon noises] HaiiwbajAoNkOQHBAoowh.
Please continue as your heart guides you, you produce work that feels so much more sincere than many others and for better or worse strikes far close to the important feelings of those who find you.
Your sincerity is very much appreciated.
In my case I just got to the realization that hating a god that doesn’t exist is as idiotic as loving it
Your generation can’t even define what a woman is, so what do you really know. I don’t wanna dog you out but you’re just young and following the crowd and what they tell you to do while the Bible has evidence in every category!
No one hates a god that doesn't exist. However, a lot of people hate the dangerous and irrational behavior of those who believe in a nonexistent god when they try to impose their irrational and dangerous beliefs onto others. For example, I'm disgusted by, and infuriated with, the radical religious extremists who have pushed to overturn roe v Wade. That doesn't mean I hate a God that doesn't exist. It means I hate the behavior and actions of the people imposing their religious beliefs on me and others
@@christheghostwriter I wish we would live in a post religious world. But we don’t. I know how religion has impacted and continues to impact us. But then you’re not mad at god! You are mad at other what humans do in the name of it. I get it. But if it doesn’t exist, it makes no sense to hate it. We are saying the same thing.
Sorry about my lousy English
@@davecsaszarable Your English is fantastic.
«Understanding across tribal lines.» Exactly👌
My earliest memories of attending church was of absolute confusion. I felt as though I was the only one listening to the preacher. Each week the preacher would tell stories from the bible that horrified me. Like asking abraham was asked to kill his child to prove his love to god. The story of the destruction of Jericho city. then having to kill every living animal inside the city made no sense. What kind of a god would need to do such things. Why did animals need to sacrificed to forgive sin. God could have made any rule at all to be forgiven of sin like jumping up and down three times. Worse thing of all if you decided not to believe, then you had to burn in a lake of fire forever. This instead of a kinder solution like punishing nonbelievers with nonexistence.
I just want to thank you for bringing such a calm respectful perspective on religion and, particularly, the Bible/Christianity. As an atheist whose deconstruction truly began when I was "shooed away" from nonreligious videos of biblical history (like anthropology type stuff, where the religion of the folks discussing the topic weren't ever stated), I've become frustrated with the "angry atheist" culture that is still a large aspect the internet atheist Zeitgeist. I try and remember the religious trauma that these folks have experienced, and I completely understand how they can become irritated with progressive Christians sweeping problematic aspects of the Bible under the rug. But at the same time, I think a huge aspect to atheist internet culture is based on what they find to be the "correct" interpretation of the Bible. And with that, I think they miss some of the most complex and interesting things the Bible and the religion's history has to offer.
Thank you for making these videos with such a gracious and calm demeanor. I know that I may have not been able to reflect this myself, just because I get defensive over stupid stuff like that (I think it's because folks assume I'm defending everything written in the Bible, or that I'm trying to make it more progressive than it is). I hope you are opening the doors for a culture that tries to view religion as objectively as possible.
Tl;Dr: your calm objective perspective is a breath of fresh air and makes me feel validated in my deconstruction journey. Thank you.
thank you so much for taking that stance on ridicule! i know that i agree with the actual _things_ said by some other content creators, but i sort of stay away from their channels because their attitudes often feel adversarial and detrimental if you want to actually reach "another tribe."
I just wanted to drop a comment and say, I subscribe and watch because I genuinely love and appreciate your calm rational approach. While I do enjoy a good shredding from time to time, there are a million channels that do that already. I come here to learn and consider things not to just laugh or make fun of others. Thank you for doing what you do!
For me it happened last year (about four years into being an atheist), when I went on the r/Atheism subreddit and slowly started to realize how excessive and often unjustified their occasionally-righteous anger tends to be. Is a mostly Orthodox Christian country’s genocidal invasion of another mostly Orthodox Christian country necessarily a holy war just because the Moscow patriarchate’s pissed at the Kyiv one for not actively trying to oppress gays? Are American Christians as a whole, including my liberal mother who’s very much pro-choice, to blame for the demise of Roe v. Wade? Are Israel’s, India’s and China’s cruel treatment of Muslim minorities justified and should their current governments be supported to own the theists? I don’t think so.
@James Henry Smith least insane doomsdayer
@Alexios I Komnenos thanks for further proving my point
Oh you’re in Israel how exciting! Any chance you organized any meetups for fans?
I am still in the angry atheist phase - because I am transgender and I see so much anti-transgender activity being done in the name of God.
Sounds like you're too close to the subject at this point.
@@JP2GiannaT - And what is _that_ supposed to mean?
In what sense am I “too close to the subject” - and at what “point” will that no longer be the case - provided that the religiously-motivated atrocities against transgender people continue?
Am I _unjustified_ in my anger? If so - then pray tell me exactly _how_ I am unjustified. Are those barbaric anti-LGBT passages in the Bible not actually _present_ in the document? (Spoiler alert - those passages are in FACT there.) Are there not people who have lost their LIVES because of acts committed on account of those verses? There very much _have_ been - and _continue_ to be.
So yes -- I _am_ still angry - but that does not mean that my judgement is in any way compromised -- so I hope that _that_ is NOT what you are suggesting when you say that I am “too close to this subject at this point”.
I have been an Atheist for over 8 years now and I hope I never grow out of the “angry” phase. I was lied to by authority figures for over 52years. Millions of people are being led by the nose everyday. Religion is just a bunch of silly lies and the fact that people think some are better than others stems from those lies. Do not lose your anger. Just remember that not all religious people are evil. Use your anger in productive ways. Use your anger to help others and not for destruction. Make your anger a positive thing and it will become something which you can use to live well and thrive! Good luck with your journey.
I can definitely relate to still being in a really angry atheist phase. My personal experience is more with racial stuff than it is LGBT+. I’ve been in environments where Christians spout out some pretty stupid stuff to me, being a PoC, like how I’m not like “illegals” because my dad came over the “right way” or stumbling across art projects in a Christian middle school that is clearly symbols for white supremacy. I’ve got plenty of those stories. That on top of hearing anti-LGBT+ rhetoric when I have family in that community, and I guess it’s not surprising that I’m a little bitter. I’m sure you’ve seen or heard some pretty awful things, I just hope you have a community where people treat you right. If not, I hope you find one sooner rather than later
@@RedAngelSophia Your anger is justified. I'm also angry. I hope not to be eventually, but until the Christians all come to their senses, put away their bibles for good, apologise and make some kind of reparations I think I'll keep the flame burning. Maybe I'll change, but I can live with who I am right now, and that's enough. Stay authentic. x
7:20 I love how you're talking about community as a pair of solidiers carrying automatic weapons patrols in the background with barbed wire lined fences 🤣
Drew, I want to say that I highly value your reasonable, empathetic content over other people’s ridiculing and snarky content. Unlike many atheists I am politically conservative and many atheists have made me feel like shit because of it. Here though, I feel like it doesn’t matter because although I’m sure you’d disagree with me, the goal of your channel is to get everyone to think a little harder and respect others. I feel very much at home here and I thank you for it.
Shh. You're supposed to be liberal af if you're an atheist. /s
Atheists are just as tribal and susceptible to group think as any other group
If I may ask what are you conservative on ?
@@hopeintruth5119 Pretty much everything except LGBT issues, and keeping church and state separate.
@@ryanheister6802 wdym LGBT issues?
People should be able to marry whoever they want.
i love the calm content and tbh thats why i like this channel. its no bullshit, no throwing shade at anyone, its just peaceful, kind, real, level headed and understanding analysis, thoughts and discussion on any topic. it makes it actually enjoyable for me. hearing people yell and make fun of everything to do about something is only really funny the first few thousand times before it gets old. im just over it the same way im over minecraft for the most part. i understand the appeal, and why its so enjoyable for alot of ppl, but ive had my fill of it and ive moved on with my life XD
Super funny, first remark: “Such a sacred place, but also a place for making money.” To me, all religion is basically just about making money (or gaining power) 😂.
Yeah, that’s what the church is about. Money & power.
Its firstly about control. It's only less obviously about religion
Kinda reductionist and pathetic if that is how you sum it up to be
@@NP1066 Sorry to say, but that is what it is. You may see a lot more in it, but that would be dreaming.
@@DiederikAms
Ok. If you said so lol... you should know I guess
Thanks for the content Drew. And thanks for the mic quality, the audio was perfectly clear even if you were outside (my hearing is not perfect so thank you) 👍
"More Atheists need to run for Office, especially now when unhealthy Christians
and Quanon-Endorsers literally say they will '''flood the Office'''. Please let me Explain why."
-Telltale Atheist, who i ask you to hear out.
I remember early on being an angry, almost militant atheist. I think some form of that in the beginning is normal. From first being a theist, for me a Christian, than coming to lose that faith. That revelation that I had been lied to, and lived a lie based on made up stories, hardened me. This happened when I was a teenager in the early 2000's, at the very beginning of more young people moving away from organized religion. And my need to break free from a religion that condemned me for being queer. It was all about self preservation. I felt like I was in a fight for living the life that I needed and wanted to live.
It's nice to see you back in israel, wish I could meet you and say hello 👋
Welcome to Palestine, man✌️
#Free_Palestine
Congratulations on the 501K subs! Great channel. Thanks
I've been struggling with this. Will watch this later. Thanks for your work!!
Agreed. Please keep the content just as it is. Great channel
It's really nice to see an atheist that can manage to talk to believers with measures of compassion. It's been a journey for me to get there myself and it's really easy to sit there and try to dunk on/ridicule theists for their beliefs. However, you get more honest dialogue when you try to address these questions constructively.
I admit, I do still enjoy watching the snarky atheists on youtube dunking on theists, but that's not the way I speak to people and I don't direct theists to those videos anymore.
Not all ideas need to be respected, but that doesn't mean that all ideas that you don't agree with should be disrespected. I appreciate how thoughtful you are being about this.