Matt Dillahunty: "Do They Really Believe That?"

Matt Dillahunty has been hosting The Atheist Experience, a live call-in show for more than 11 years. Matt challenges assumptions and opening minds and engages in thousands of conversations over the years. Matt looks back and reflects on some of the difficulties he’s encountered and the lessons he’s learned.
Before discovering skepticism and humanism, Dillahunty spent 25 years as a Southern Baptist with ambitions of becoming a minister.
In this talk at CFI headquarters in Amherst, New York, on May 13th 2016, he discusses how we all have firmly held beliefs that we will discover to be false at some point in our lives, and how we can have meaningful conversations with people who hold beliefs different than our own.
Check out more of our roundtable reasonable talks: reasonabletalk.tv
Learn more about CFI: centerforinquiry.org

[@judyflattery9782]

My favorite line from this talk: “I am an Atheist because I am a Skeptic but I talk about this stuff because I am a Humanist, because I care about what kind of world we live in, because people’s beliefs, whether they actually believe it or they are just acting as if they believe it, those beliefs inform actions and those actions have consequences for them and for the rest of us as well.”

[@jamesgossweiler1349]

Yes, and those consequences and actions on the whole are by and large not only good but constructive. Societies, nations, and cultures arise where people share a common religious belief; nations never appear first and then a common religion forms. I know many atheists like to claim they're "humanists" but I just am not seeing it in the real world. I see religious groups founding hospitals and universities and the like, not groups of atheist-humanists. I don't see Matt's videos as evidence that he cares for the world but rather than he cares to have mostly young, unhappy, males click on his channels. He feeds a lot of angst but offers no actual resolution(s). Much of what Matt offers as commentary is articulate but specious, i.e. it sounds amazing but upon close examination it does not contain much useful information.

[@lil-al]

@@jamesgossweiler1349 Oh my lord, you need to learn some history! TLDR: Religion causes division, war, murder, poverty, ignorance, fear, etc etc.

[@jaywyse7150]

@@jamesgossweiler1349 give it enough time. Atheists have been murdered and killed all throughout history. Religious powers didn't want opposing thought because it shortens donations. America was formed by potentially atheists or/and agnostics. Why would a Christian separate church and state.

[@hollykeefe8435]

Humanism is death cult.

[@hollykeefe8435]

@Gen. Lee Interested I think it leads to destruction.

[@captcharlescross8240]

I was raised in a Southern Baptist family. When I was about 16 I made the cardinal mistake. I set down and actually read the Bible cover to cover, four times. By the time I was half way through it, the first time, my bullshit alarm was making such a racket that I could barely finish it. At that moment, I realized what a load of crap the whole thing is. I'm 70 now and my disbelief has never wavered, since that day. I am actually in awe as to how willing so many people are to live with such delusions.

[@richardlawson6787]

why didnt you toss it the first time you got halfway through?.did you think it would click if you read it over and over?

[@captcharlescross8240]

@@richardlawson6787 It was a matter of giving it the benefit of doubt. The only way I could be sure was to read the whole thing, multiple times, to try to possibly make any sense of any of it.

[@adrianjanssens7116]

@@captcharlescross8240 You are good and fair man Captain.

[@Danelius90]

@@richardlawson6787 I can't speak for OP but for myself, there can be a lot of emotional ties and a desire for the belief to be correct. If you weren't indoctrinated as a child it's hard to appreciate how it feels. For some people it takes years to get over it

[@phxcppdvlazi]

@@Danelius90 I'm 26 and I still get panic attacks sometimes thinking about hell, etc. It's like part of your brain is permanently moulded to a certain way. No good reason to be afraid but irrationality dies hard.

[@sungbeaniedk629]

In case the topic comes up for anyone, this is a perfect demonstration of how the term _"love the sinner, hate the sin"_ is most sincerely put into practice by an atheist as _"respect the religious, not the religion"._ It involves a genuine interest in understanding people and not faulting them for the way their life happened. That's how we build bridges to better communication for a peaceful society. Thank you so much to Matt for stepping forward to give these talks. It saves the rest of us from having to undergo (more of) the gruelling and often chaotic process of learning and organizing these concepts. You're doing great things for everyone.

[@awesomeavenger2810]

''God wanted me to become a preacher'' - And the almighty learns a very important lesson in life: Be careful what you wish for.

[@JM-mh1pp]

Well he is a preacher- he talks to people, publicly, about god...so...technically..as far as prophecies go I have to admit it is goddamn impressive, god was right, he really is very happy and fullfilled being a preacher.

[@KubasKlimkar]

@@JM-mh1pp preacher spreads blind/illogical believes. Matt demonstrates whats objectively true or not. He is a speaker rather than a preacher. Also atheism is not a "belief" so he cannot be a preacher of it.

[@diggie9598]

@@JM-mh1pp Since he's not part of any religious group, he can by definition not be a preacher. Rejecting religious beliefs in general and publicly questioning those, ain't things that preachers are known for either. If i'd want to find out, what the opposite of a preacher may be, i'd have at least a closer look at Mr.Dillahunty.

[@harnessmadeofhopes]

@@JM-mh1pp Not really a preacher, considering Athiesm isn't a religion, it's the absence of one. This isn't preaching either, it's a public talk on skepticism and critical thinking when it comes to religion.

[@darinb.3273]

Please define religion there are a few, just simply Googling the word. The superhuman one makes me laugh.

[@klumaverik]

This was an amazing talk. I am a 38 year old diesel technician when I realized about 5 years ago that I didnt believe anymore I found Matt. Matt is one of my heroes

[@davidjackson6152]

Youre a liar too then. You know God exists. So does Fat Matt.

[@matthewtenney2898]

Matt's arguments are just a way to self-justify a decision that had already been made.

[@klumaverik]

@@matthewtenney2898 for me, this helps collect, clarify, and concrete important points so that I may converse with family and friends in a more clear and concise way.

[@matthewtenney2898]

@@klumaverik Matt and others are experts in straw-men. They mis-represent, distort, twist, fold, mutilate, emphasize and then bash their own creation. You might try the steel-man approach.

[@davidjackson6152]

@@matthewtenney2898 You summed it up pretty good dude.

[@wyattearp190]

Matt is one of the few people in the world that really needs to be heard for what he has to say!

[@marcelkuizenga]

Agree

[@bellatorixrex]

Wyatt Earp was a devout Christian.

[@marcelkuizenga]

@@bellatorixrex ...wich only means he's a victim of religion to.

[@bellatorixrex]

@@marcelkuizenga We can say the same thing about you! You're a victim of Atheism!

[@teresaamanfu7408]

@@bellatorixrex Does not believing in all the other religions makes you a victim of non-belief?

[@northernbohemianrealist1412]

The audio is excellent! That's rare for this kind of live presentation video. Thank you.

[@JA-pe5nt]

They didn´t just use their faith on having a good sound quality,

[@mtbee9641]

It was recorded directly from Matt's mic (probably plugged into the audio mixer) rather than recording from the camera or remote mic and thus getting all the room acoustics along with it.

[@christiangeiselmann]

It is, actually, a miracle!

[@lenvine]

@@mtbee9641 He's wearing a clip-on lavalier mic connected to a wireless transmitter that' clipped onto his pants belt, and that audio is picked up by wireless receiver that's connected an audio mixer.

[@rutger5000]

it's too low

[@80schild31]

Atheism rocks! It's real freedom

[@david77james]

"Atheism rocks"? Okay, if you like standing in one spot on a treadmill, while truth surrounds you, and remains readily available in this "age of information", and much of it destroys Dillahunty's make believe faith in no god, of course, go for it. The "freedom" you speak of is wishful thinking, which you THINK absolves you from actually doing your own due diligence as millions of others have done, as regards the most important issue in human life. A valid alternative to "God IS" simply can't be put forth by ANYONE, especially by so called atheists, like Dillahunty. This also holds true for those who study the complex world of hyper biological phenomena, which, by its very existence, with its impossible order, symmetry & numerous simultaneously required organelles/ organs, etc, shows the world (both geniuses & common thinkers), that it could not have come into existence by any so called "natural means" nor "happenstance", nor ESPECIALLY by some gradual means as many godless evo-illusionals attempt to claim. So many thousands of components are simultaneously required, for even the tiniest cell/bio entity to exist, thrive & reproduce, that such FACT destroys "evolutionary gradualism" as a valid hypothesis. Atheism is not a reality. It is merely an impossible "claim" of those who need to stand on such fake excuse, so they can THINK they are excused from seeking deeper knowledge of who & what is God, and they THINK their fake unbelief will stand as their excuse, because God did not appear before their eyes, when He absolutely DID, with all of His proof for His existence & power. .

[@srp01983]

david77james bloody hell, are you spouting your load of old bollocks on every sane persons posts on here? Go and read a book, for the sake of the rest of us normal people.

[@Kafei]

@@srp01983 There's evidence. kzbin.info/www/bejne/lYapZp9trN2BY80m30s

[@seanbirch9663]

@@david77james Wow, that was a bunch of rubbish.

[@david77james]

Sean - Wow, that was a real deep contribution, and you said so much, eh? What intellect! I mean you really addressed specific issues that you thought were wrong, and you really went into detail concerning what you disagree with, eh? Still, I would have to say, even though you gave such detail, it was ZERO. .

[@metroidmayhem8463]

2 years sober from christianity

[@OrionDeHunter]

Nice, I got out at about the same time.

[@AtheistMolHed]

8 month sober from Islam lol

[@khayyamtranslations]

@@AtheistMolHed fucking legend

[@khayyamtranslations]

3 years now

[@AtheistMolHed]

@@khayyamtranslations thank you bro. الحياة ممتعة بدون العبودية لكائن خيالي

[@tompettyfan80]

I am so thankful for someone like Matt. I recently became Atheist and have been experiencing depression simply because I don't look forward to knowing were all just going to rot one day and that'll be it. I accept it but coping with it after being told you'll reunite with your loved ones is quite a blow to the mentality. Our minds are complex and fragile

[@dacritter8397]

But also stronger than we realize. That depression will pass. Focus on how much more precious and meaningful this life actually is. Focus on the ways you can actively participate in and fully enjoy each moment. Every moment you concentrate on the lack of an afterlife or worry about death is a wasted moment you'll never regain. Create more meaningful moments for yourself and others.

[@tompettyfan80]

Da Critter I agree 💯I know it'll be a long journey finding my new self but I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy the new me alot more

[@ptanyuh]

Good luck to you :) I would recommend reading Dawkins' The Magic of Reality.

[@randomhumanoidblob4506]

+chubby cheekers That is something the lifelong atheists really need to wrap their heads around, the emotional impact of deconversion. We have to understand that it is devastating to people whose entire worldview has been knocked off its axis and even more so if their milieu is heavily steeped in religion. I know from friends' deconversions that the process is almost akin to grieving, and you will experience the gamut of emotions accordingly. And that's ok, just go with the emotion and, if you can, find someone you can talk to about it. Atheism is neutral, it offers no comforts but human beings can and will. For instance, I can't tell people I'm "praying for" them but I can tell them I'm holding them in my thoughts. It has just as much meaning. As for death? You never die as long as there is someone to remember you. And eventually you will go back to the stars who gave birth to us all. Who needs a tiny, petty god in comparison? Especially one fussing about minutiae like cotton-mix socks and foreskins! The best of luck on your deconversion. It's brave, honest and humbling to accept reality.

[@ptanyuh]

I have a friend that hasn't struggled with this as much, but just cannot get over her fear of hell. She was indoctrinated as a pentecostal very early in childhood and she was always, always afraid. She recognizes that all of this is bullshit, but just cannot get rid of that fear. I really feel for all of you, but I honestly think that if you learn the actual science behind what is really going on, you will find the "magic" and improbability of life absolutely fascinating. Lawrence Krauss's talks about "something from nothing" are also incredibly mind expanding and based on reality, not some person's acid trip ideas of what might be "cool" like so many people seem to come up with when it comes to cosmology. The truth is soooooooooooooooooooo much more amazing than any puny idea a mere human can even fathom.

[@NegotiableHemingway]

Matt was born for this.

[@littlekishmish]

Blahammad Ali *God created him for this. It‘s all part of his plan. ;)

[@612Tiberius]

@@littlekishmish, If there were any god, for which there is no credible evidence.

[@littlekishmish]

yeah, definitely. I was being sarcastic :D

[@janepatton8100]

Perhaps. There still is hope that he will be granted repentance. Only time will tell. I will keep him in my prayers.

[@antediluvianatheist5262]

@@janepatton8100 For that to matter, there would have to be a god. How odd that the supposed creator of the universe cannot be presented.

[@ianmacdonald6350]

The most pressing problem with Christianity is that an omnipotent and good god would not NEED TO sacrifice his own son to save humanity. If he had no other option then he is not omnipotent. Or, if he did so in spite of having other options, then he is not good.

[@janepatton8100]

You're an atheist. What is "good"?

[@antediluvianatheist5262]

@@janepatton8100 “A particular action or choice is moral or right if it somehow promotes happiness, wellbeing or health, or if it somehow minimizes unnecessary harm or suffering or both. A particular action or choice is immoral or wrong if it somehow diminishes happiness, wellbeing or health, or if it somehow causes unnecessary harm or suffering or both.” -Scott Clifton

[@Doriesep6622]

Really. Even if it were true it is an abhorrent system as any human with integrity would agree.

[@Doriesep6622]

@@janepatton8100 good is when you have compassion and tolerance and wish others well. You don't need a god for that. You're a Christian and to you good is saying you believe in an invisible entity at all costs.

[@davidjackson6152]

Why dont you read the scriptures before commenting on them.

[@Lunar.67]

Atheism is really the most true freedom you can have (in my experience.) I love not being afraid of any "evil" or "satanic" things. Not being afraid of "the devil's music." Or talking to everyone without pre supposed prejudice. I love how this community doesn't have a definite believe system. I can have my own opinions and thoughts and interest. This is my favorite community of people, all diverse, with different life experience, but we al come together to deny the believe system that has opressed billions of people for thousands of years.

[@Dizzybee123]

Very well said.

[@david77james]

Abys - Yeah, kinda the type freedom one feels when falling from a plane w/ no parachute, yet being able to enjoy the freedom & exhilaration of the free fall. But of course, then comes sudden judgment, as a result of rejecting their responsibility to God, to diligently seek to know Him. Of course, the majority does not want to know Him, because their perversions & lack of desire to know one's creator overcome them. Therein lies the actual condemnation, since few want to know God intimately, even though ALL people of normal intellect know God IS. No religion, just honest dealing with one's responsibility before his/her creator. .

[@MyReligionIs2DoGood]

@@david77james Dude, I'm usually very polite in my comments, but you, sir,... you are full of shit. Can you give ANY piece of empirical evidence to support ANYTHING you're claiming here? Also, how DARE you telling us atheists what we believe, and how DARE you insulting us as perverts and having no 'normal intellect'? How DARE you threatening others with punishment for not agreeing with you, you entitled pos? Not only do you have not a fucking CLUE what you're talking about, you are also part of the very REASON why religion needs to go ASAP! People like you, with their immeasurable hubris of thinking they're superior and special and in possession of some secret 'truth', who justify their immoral actions with an ancient book written by some scientifically ignorant tribesmen in some remote desolate corner of the world. Someone as gullible like you, who believes in fairy tales without a shred of good evidence, talking about 'normal intellect' is a joke. You want to know what atheists believe in? Here is a sample: Empathy, honesty, equality, integrity, logic, kindness, compassion, love, and ourselves. There is no god needed to be a better person than you. Have a good day, sir.

[@david77james]

Actually, every creature born w/ the high human intellect has an innate responsibility to diligently seek God, who leads each seeker to Himself. ALL people KNOW God exists, but many try to convince themselves that they don't know if He exists. This is why God gives His free gift of eternal life only to those who willingly receive it. Making believe that God does not exist does NOT qualify as "not knowing if He exists", since ALL people know that God IS, through their God given high intellect, but few want to know Him intimately. Therefore, it's an issue of "free volition choice", NOT an issue of lack of proof. .

[@Lunar.67]

@@david77james how do you know god wrote his existence on our heart?

[@heavymeddle28]

I'm an atheist and have been so for (47) my whole life. The one thing that absolutely doesn't bother me is death. I don't want to die but I was "dead" for eternities before I was born and that didn't bother me at all

[@gunkulator1]

“Death does not concern us, because as long as we exist, death is not here. And once it does come, we no longer exist." - Epicurus

[@Mari_Oh]

I actually find the idea of eternal life horrible. Eternity is never ending. I'm 50, and I'm already so tired. I mean, I don't want to die or anything, and there's much I enjoy, and I love love love my kids, and nature/outdoors/camping so much, and so much more. BUT, I find the idea of any eternity -- even in a heaven where you worship someone forever -- sounds like torture. But my body being returned in a biodegradable container into the beautiful Earth, maybe my nutrients feeding a tree planted over it.... very comforting. While I'm still alive, I want to do all the good I can, and enjoy the many things this beautiful world offers, like tea latte, bonfires, and laughing with my kids, and appreciate the fact that I live at a time and in a place where life is not a struggle.

[@whynottalklikeapirat]

Hey man me too - exactly 47 years.

[@heavymeddle28]

@@whynottalklikeapirat we're aging like a bottle of fine wine😊 47... Good year

[@kamillaiqbal6521]

@@Mari_Oh lol so well put and i totally agree girl

[@HolmRose]

He has an enormous amount of empathy.

[@ceceroxy2227]

thats funny

[@darksoul479]

I had absolutely no idea how many people believed so many things that are completely bizarre until I started social media.

[@2fast2block]

Me too. But it makes for great humor. It's the atheistic/agnostic types that supply the greatest comedy. They think the universe came about by natural means. There's NO science for it and ALL the science we know proves that creation had to be supernatural and done by a supernatural creator, but...., not to atheists/agnostics. Isn't that funny! Then the extreme order we have in our universe that defies all physics, but....., not to atheists/agnostics. It's just happened by mere chances even though we prove it can't happen by chance. Funny! And life? Well, it just came from non-life. It's so absurd it's even hard to type that, but....., atheists/agnostics claim to believe it happened somehow by natural means. Again, funny! Many have brought up such issues how funny it is, including James Tour. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sIaafaqtYth1hsk kzbin.info/www/bejne/qGXWgWR7Zq-Xlbs Then, what this life did after it started by mere chance can't happen by science, but....., atheists/agnostics believe it did. Funny! There's a ton more. If you want a laugh, see what atheists/agnostics believe.

[@douglasthomashayden2566]

@@2fast2block You just keep believin' that....and the rest of us, the *rational* people, will know it ain't so.

[@TheTheotherfoot]

@@2fast2block I find the claims by religonutters the most funny. Their ability to ignore reality in favour of a spook in the sky is a real good dose of humour.

[@2fast2block]

@John Mcnair , I didn't get notice of a reply from you and I see no name attached to me in your reply. Did you hit reply to me specifically? "...and a lot of normal people just can't be fucked." Does that have some meaning? " A perfect example is a couple of posts down 2 fast or something similar" If you were referring to me in a derogatory way, was there someone holding a gun to your head that you couldn't counter what I said with evidence from science? You skipped that part.

[@cajunking5987]

@@2fast2block somebody who believes in magic trying to make fun of what other people believe will never not be funny

[@thinkneothink3055]

In my experience “true believers” are those who had the shit scared out of them with stories of Hell. The majority (I’m guessing) more or less go along, just in case.

[@david77james]

Those who God would allow to have the poop scared out of them, as the impetus to cause them to seek Him, will someday know they were privileged beyond measure, especially if it led them to seek deeper knowledge of & appreciation for the Creator who would have all men pursue Him. There is no alternative to God IS. Only dishonesty stands in the way of those who "claim" they just don't see enough or any evidence of God. In fact, they can ABSOLUTELY see it if they lend HONEST appraisal to such as bio phenomena and the phenomena of the spiritual entity (invisible/ non material) human mind, with its invisible thoughts, memories, invention, plans, language, god-like design & creative powers, all "micro detail", all invisible, etc. So, most who "see" phenomena, which they KNOW cannot be happenstance in origin, and deny the truth concerning such fact, simply equates to dishonest appraisal of phenomena, which finds ists source in negative volition toward God, and NOT because they actually have a problem recognizing such as "absolute". Most don't want to "look" (critically analyze various phenomena, because they do not want to know God intimately. They find the numerous shallow interests within this "vapor" called time, as being of greater importance & interest to them. So, they miss out on the most important reason for living life, which is to have a full human life and eternal life to follow, which is the gift of God, which cannot be earned or deserved through hustling in some religion, but can ONLY be received through simple faith in Jesus Christ, who resolved the imperfection/ sin barrier between God & man. Strange how it is the most important thing to God to have each person CHOOSE to pursue knowledge of Himself, yet for the majority, they could care less about anything beyond the base things of life. Indeed, I dare suggest that most could not even be "scared" into seeking Him & His knowledge & gift. .

[@thinkneothink3055]

@@david77james What you mean is, God is such a loser that he has to resort to coercion to get people to love him. I bet he was a real bully in deity high school. Most likely he never graduated, or even got his GED. That would explain the Noah's Ark story...

[@david77james]

@@thinkneothink3055 - Yeah, you're just one more loser who projects his loser-hood on God, just cuz God didn't give you what you asked for, when you thought you'd try to treat Him like a genie, oh scoffer. Your absurd claims about Him prove that you never wanted to know Him intimately, and purposefully twisted everything around in order to help you feel justified in your pre chosen scoffer-hood. As the bible says, you and ALL men KNOW He exists, but some (including you) choose to believe the lie. So, go gettem, oh scoffer/ loser who loves lies. You know you're a dupe of your own belligerence that you think is "cute". You seek reasons to scoff instead of reasons to seek to know why God seems so strange to the unlearned soul, and the human psyche, and especially the scoffing prating fool, as you be. But, I still love ya, same as I do retarded little puppies, oh scoffer loser. But that ain't gonna help you in YOUR day. .

[@david77james]

​@@thinkneothink3055 - Obviously, being "versed in scriptures" as you claim you are, is worthless, since you cannot discern what they even mean, as proven by your two errors. You do not seek, so He does not allow you to find. The reason Jesus came to earth in flesh was to remove the burden of human spiritual duty to God, and He imputes perfect righteousness to "whosoever believes on Him...". As such, you make the dense error of a rudimentary doctrine. You could read the bible 10 times, and not know ONE doctrine within His words. You show your ignorance with: "I know that’s not at all the way Jesus would have conducted himself." In fact, Jesus HAD TO BE PERFECT in the flesh, and He was, by fulfilling the law that no man could. He "turned the other cheek" to the extreme, by allowing Himself to be tortured & crucified to attain perfection on our behalf. You just made a fool of yourself, oh brilliant one, oh tough guy. As a scoffer, you're unable to discern things of the spirit of God, because they are spiritually discerned only by those born of His spirit (1Cor.2:14). God disallows His enemies (scoffers) from understanding doctrine. Next failure, oh brilliant tough guy, was your use of the word "hypocrite", which is the exact opposite of what believers in Christ are, since they/ we admit we have no ability to live sinlessly or to attain His approbation by living a goody two shoes religion. So, dense religionists are included in the category of "scoffers", oh brilliant one. It is the wicked sinners who find salvation, by admitting what they are and receiving God's offer to eternally resolve their condition, since they can NEVER escape the sinful flesh during their lives on earth. You're wholly dishonest in your approach to God, as a common pervert like any man, but YOU want to live out your perverted life without an overseer. You think that by taunting God & blaspheming profusely, He will beg you to receive Him, and you expect Him to grovel before you & apologize for not being the "type" of God you demand Him to be. You use your miracle invisible/ spiritual mind daily, & KNOW He IS, so your condemnation is just & you shall bow before Him in your day, just before you begin your eternal cognizant existence apart from Him, since you are "without excuse" for rejecting His free gift of imputed spiritual perfection. .

[@karamjitgrewal8445]

@@david77james You really ARE scared of hell.I pitty u.

[@mrmaje1]

As an Englishman it never ceases to amaze me how so many Americans believe! Next to nobody over here does, thankfully we are close to being an atheist nation........forever grateful alot of our religious nutters sailed over the sea.

[@ianalan4367]

Seems to me you may have all but kicked Jesus Christ out of your nation but you are hardly heading toward atheism. If anything you will now be Islamic in another 50yrs Your always welcome to come find refuge across the pond of course.

[@parametalhead]

Ian Alan this side of the pond is thankfully sliding toward atheism to, sir.

[@BillMorganChannel]

I truly thought you were embracing Islam and becoming more religious than even the USA.

[@mrmaje1]

@@BillMorganChannel Then you must stop watching fox!

[@BillMorganChannel]

@@mrmaje1 Trust me, I am so anti-politics...I only watch how the stock market is doing and shun all news...did you know here in the USA rioters are trashing cities and the police is being told to let it happen?

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

I trust in science and so does the church. If you don't believe me go and look at your local church. I'd be surprised if it doesn't have a lightning rod on it to protect it from lightning; they obviously don't think prayer can protect their buildings.

[@josephdodd5770]

Thank god l gave up the god thing when I was 16. It was wonderful to give up that crap

[@sam.83]

May the Lord bless you, always. He is good and want you to know that, a single heartbeat is not possible without Him. Have hope my friend. Your creator is watching.

[@sam.83]

@@whydoineedahandle9 GOD BLESS YOU

[@612Tiberius]

@@sam.83, There is no credible evidence for any god. Wake up. Grow up.

[@antediluvianatheist5262]

@@sam.83 Present your god, then we might care. Strange how no one can ever do that, huh?

[@johnchristiansen9095]

Samuel Medrea ... Sorry to tell you this but your worshiping an Astroid (“Fire and Brimstone”).... If you follow your god concept back to its source (Zoroastrianism) and connect it with the “Tounges of Fire” , and Noah’s flood stories in the Old Testament, as well as the 7 tounges of fire in Hinduism, you’ll understand more clearly... Ancient people had no explanation for asteroids, but clearly today we know more... hopefully this helps you

[@GuitarDog_atx]

666 likes (until I clicked the thumbs up button - I have exorcised the demon)

[@patrickkilduff5272]

Devil- 'you ruined my plan'

[@OscillationLoop]

Vique Mohre a very quick search on google reveals that there is widespread mental illness outside of western countries. Sorry dude, I’m not trying to be deliberately combative towards you but as someone who experiences mental health issues; it is a world wide issue, not just in the western or first world countries. I agree that big pharma has much to answer for though. Be well :)

[@repent.sinner]

There was a stat that had 665 likes I have two utube accounts I made sure I liked with both to make it 667.

[@chriswest6652]

sorta wieird. one commentater has or had( when i read it) 66 commenraters himself. I was gonna make it 67 and break the jinks. Weird too, the bible- the protesant one, has 66 books and revelation is bk 66.

[@repent.sinner]

@@chriswest6652 two 6s are ok its three that are the beast number.

[@waynemiller6070]

I enjoy listening to Matt speak. I don't enjoy his call-in show though. we all know the callers' positions. We've all heard them since we were kids. Some of us just don't believe them anymore. He is far more patient than I am willing to tolerate. (His impression of Job?) LOL. what it comes down to though, is that I think he likes people more than I do.

[@notimportant3914]

I live in an area that still looks at me as if I'm satan in the flesh when I'm asked about my beliefs. Ohio, near the Bible belt 😟. For some reason ppl here think if you're an atheist, you're a devil worshipper. Lol. Not sure what kind of logic goes into that... I try to see it as entertainment, and laugh, or confusion and try to set them straight, it falls on deaf ears though. They walk by me with a nose in the air, and I'm okay with that.

[@mariae321]

same here in Scotland. i recently come out as a atheist and everyone looked at me with their jaws wide open in shock horror like just sacrificed a goat offering it to Satan. eh no i see no good reason to believe in Satan either.

[@antediluvianatheist5262]

@@mariae321 Bizarrely, if you had sacrificed a goat, they'd probably be less freaked out. That would be religion. Hell, their own, from way back. Also Voodoun.

[@richardlawson6787]

we dont believe in satan either...but wait..that god described in the bible sounds evil

[@backcuetheoriginal]

Just start telling everyone you are a satanist. Rational satanists do not believe in an actual Satan.

[@sabin1166]

It's the 21st century, debate's are over, religion is in the past where it belongs, in the fiction section.

[@mariae321]

wish it waa over. sadly many people are still indoctrination in 2018.

[@dericanslum1696]

...sadly not at all true...

[@ericmoore1493]

Here in Texas there are churches and religious billboards everywhere!!! Religion is fighting hard to stay alive here. Still a lot of stupid, ignorant, uneducated, gullible, superstitious people here supporting religious nonsense here.

[@paxmule]

Eric: Beautifully slugged: “ Still a lot of stupid, ignorant, uneducated, gullible, superstitious people l

[@jonesboome4451]

Unfortunately that’s incorrect. I live in Tennessee and basically everyone I know is a Christian. Even some of the most educated people in the south are religious. Doctors, Lawyers, etc. my brother has a Chemistry degree and he’s a fundamentalist Christian who takes the Bible literally word for word. Part of the problem is that down here public schools are afraid that if they teach evolution and cosmology then parents will take their kids out and send them to a private Christian school or homeschool them and so they don’t even teach that stuff until college. The students in the south that don’t go to college have almost no chance of escaping religion; and not going to college and instead learning a trade by working somewhere for about 5 years then starting a small business is trendy in the south.Also, when religion is so intertwined with your culture so much it’s hard to get out. Where I’m from whenever you meet somebody usually the first question they ask is “What church do you go to?” There isn’t really a right answer unless you go to their church but saying that you don’t go to church because you’re an atheist is social and sometimes can even be professional suicide. My wife and I plan to head out west to Colorado or California ASAP

[@gladstone6338]

I kind of stumbled upon this videos surfing the web and found the perfect description for how I view all the god stuff in general. I am a lifelong atheist although didn't voice it very often as a young boy. I never experienced what I am sure is great anguish upon leaving a church/religion simply by escaping most of the indoctrination that many go through. To this day I have trouble remembering my childhood and it's connection with religion because it was so brief and unremarkable. Matt has described exactly how I think about it today in that I can't believe that people actually believe this as adults. That people have no trouble dismissing car salesmen and magic ellixers yet maintain a belief in virgin birth and talking snakes is mind numbing for me. My intention now is to ask questions of them and hopefully start the thought process. Hopefully I will do it as gently as Matt is able to.

[@davidw1518]

Gary, I can assure you that leaving a church/religion does not (or at least need not) cause great anguish, or any anguish at all. I threw away my Christian beliefs when I was in my mid-40s, and the feeling of freedom and exhilaration was tangible. The only anguish was the thought of all the lies I had mistakenly told to the children in the church Sunday school, when I was helping to run it, before the scales fell from my eyes and I saw the truth!

[@Jason918114]

I believe whoever wrote the book of Jonah didn't realize there was any difference between a whale and a fish, similar to how Leviticus calls bats birds.

[@lil-al]

God. Getting it wrong since 1500 BC.

[@yashuafly6342]

At least you admit a whale is plausible. Now assume they didn’t get a chance to get close enough to these creatures to study them and your almost there. A bat has wings. It’s a fricken bird. We call it a rodent they called it a bird. Atheist “I bet they called airplanes winged machines, dumb ancient people “ moronic.

[@TheMZsadeBABY]

I think the point here is that if the book was inspired, the people would know the correct terms. Not saying for or against, just a thought....

[@yashuafly6342]

Britany Phillips why is that? Are the writers god? There is a significant difference between inspired and identical.. look at the story of job, he thought he could run from god, than he called it a great fish..if a movie is inspired by a true story, do we assume it is exactly the same as the story? Seems they understood the meaning of inspired, better than the modern atheist..

[@TheMZsadeBABY]

Yashua Fly I would assume, only because when I am given information by God, it’s always precise. I know exact names or what to call the information. I myself may not even understand what it is, but it’s always exact. I am not an atheist, however I do understand the issues that atheists have with many of the religious texts. I find those same issues. I’m this specific post, I was t not inserting MY opinion, just what I’m getting from what the first comment or said. 🤗

[@recoveringknowitall1534]

I was a 6 days, 6000yrs, kjv/tr only, minister/missionary/pastor of men fundamentalist christian... until I wasn't. 5yrs ago I went into Recovery from Knowing It All.

[@charleskimathi2157]

Well you are going to the deepest depths of hell since you never accepted him. You never knew him in the first place. Go back to him when you have the chance Said no one with a brain ever

[@janepatton8100]

Got a question... If you found that Christianity was true, would you become a Christian?

[@rembrandt972ify]

@@janepatton8100 There is no way I could worship a God who demanded human sacrifice and the murder and rape of children.

[@janepatton8100]

@@rembrandt972ify Thanks for chiming in. But the question was *if Christianity was true.* None of those things you've mentioned are true about Christianity. What's true is that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever *trusts in Him* will have his sins forgiven, and will live forever in eternal joy. And whoever *rejects His free gift of salvation* will be judged according to God's perfect law and cast into eternal torment if found guilty. That was the question.

[@rembrandt972ify]

@@janepatton8100 You really should read your Bible. Ezekiel 20:26 I defiled them through their gifts-the sacrifice of every firstborn-that I might fill them with horror so they would know that I am the Lord.’ Lev 27 clearly states that human sacrifices to God cannot be ransomed, because the Lord do love him some human sacrifice. Read Num 31 for God ordering the murder and rape of children. Most translations of Num 31 have him demanding human sacrifice as well. John 3:16 would be more truthful if it read, "And God so hated humanity that he will torture all non-Christians and almost all Christians forever 'cuz he's a douche."

[@lancethrustworthy]

Mighty fine talk! Bravo!!

[@janepatton8100]

The worth and dignity of a soul is measured by what it delights in! And delight/happiness is our highest desire. Men have killed to have it. Kings have gone mad trying to find it. Wars have served it. Affairs have worshiped it. We all seek it. Sadly, billions have died without discovering its secret... namely, that joy is not an it, but a He. The Gospel is the good news that sinners can delight in a Holy God. It's the good news that all of our deepest desires are satisfied in the ONE who sent His Son to bring us to Him. God is so valuable and so satisfying that the most loving thing he could do for us is to make Himself gloriously indispensable. He is the only being in the universe for whom self-exaltation is the highest virtue. Therefore, God's commitment to be glorified and our goal to be satisfied are not at odds but come to simultaneous consumation in the worship of His Son... who took upon Himself the Wrath that God had towards us in our sinful disregard of Him. A wrath that could never be appeased through man-made religion. Jesus didn't die to turn the world into a paradise, he died so that we could stop seeking paradise in the world... Temporal things such as beauty, popularity, money, sex, racial identity, gender reassignment... can never truly satisfy. BECAUSE WE WERE MADE FOR SO MUCH MORE! We were made to gaze intently into the Eternal Beauty of a majestic King, Father, and God... meet Jesus the Christ. Life is hard, God is good, Glory is coming God Bless!

[@damianwhite9058]

@@janepatton8100 yes that's the tactic..invent a disease (original sin) invent a cure (Christianity) tell everyone Jesus is the ONLY way (lies, threats) then control the weak-minded masses and steal their peace of mind and money...No thanks, I want a life of my own not celestial dictatorship and spiritual slavery

[@janepatton8100]

@@damianwhite9058 what's a spirit?

[@janepatton8100]

@@damianwhite9058 silence...

[@bradwilson5552]

This is one of Matt’s finest videos (IMO) 👍🏼

[@jeanetteyork2582]

Great video of a good speech. Thanks Matt!

[@michaelflamingsword3131]

Now here is something you can think about and I can confront you with or other unbelievers. So after long time, there exists a way to explain to Atheists and Unbelievers what are the qualities of this infinite entity is, that created the Universe and us ? Stand 1. Is “The Entity God” eternal. Yes, Of course, He must be eternal. Simply because the Universe is not eternal, and because something from something from something is illogical, the first thing to exist, being the infinite entity, must be self-sustaining, and eternal. So the universe has a beginning thus there is a cause. In order to be eternal, something must be infinite, and it must exist without time, existing in an “eternal now”. The infinite entity thus is both infinite, and exists without time. Because it exists without time, it never changes, and because it is not bound by time, meaning that it exists at all times, past, present, and future, it knows the future, and is thus omniscient. Because it is infinite, the infinite entity is also omnipotent. The definition of an entity is something that exists with its own individual, independent existence. All material objects are made of trillions upon trillions of tiny finite entities called quanta particles. And because, in order for something to be eternal and omnipotent, it must be a single infinite entity, and not just an infinite number of finite entities, the infinite entity that created the Universe must have been a single object by definition. This means that the infinite entity that created the Universe could not be made of quanta particles, as it is a single entity, with its own existence, and is not made of finite entities (quanta particles). Thus, it is non-materialistic. Meaning that it is untouchable, unseeable, unhearable, unsmellable, etc. It cannot be detected by materialistic or scientific means. Space is the measurement of distance between physical objects. If something exists without matter, it is not bound by space. And because the infinite entity that created the Universe is non-materialistic, it is not bound by space. Because it is not bound by space, it is without space, thus exists everywhere all at once, the infinite entity is omnipresent. Please note that it has never been observed for life to come from nonliving substances. So, it can be scientifically assumed that abiogenesis is impossible. Until it is observed that abiogenesis is possible, it must be scientifically assumed that it is impossible. If abiogenesis is impossible, which coincides with scientific observations, and because life from life from life etc. creates a chicken-and-egg paradox similar to that from the Multiverse theory, then it would make sense that life has always existed through the infinite entity, and that the infinite entity was/is a living being . So to recap… The infinite entity that created the Universe is… Eternal Omnipotent Omnipresent Omniscient Non-materialistic And… Alive What does that sound like to you? None other than God Himself. Take it or leave it.

[@trafficjon400]

@@michaelflamingsword3131 SWEET GRACE TO YOU.

[@michaelflamingsword3131]

@@trafficjon400 Thanks

[@timoj24]

Probably the BEST introduction to MD ... bar none. Honest, open, and most importantly TRUE...

[@Brian.001]

Excellent delivery too!

[@Questron71]

"If god can do anything he can magic the animals" It might sound like a Star Trek Quote but then... WHY does a god who can do anything need a BOAT? WHY does he need to keep these 8 to start anew instead of just work again for two days creating plants, animals and humans? There surely seem to be limits to Noah's righteousness and nobody ever talks about the qualification of the other 7 survivors... Why not just take Noah up to the Heavens, create new plants and animals and then send the poor sap down again to make Noah a second Adam with the rib and all?

[@OMC-WILDCAT]

because God works in mysterious ways, that's why

[@Cootabux]

Maybe we should consider the most likely alternative..."the stories are man made, no gods involved!"

[@mrannen1958]

which is a cope out that covers any possible made up shit. Pick the most ridiculous example. Do Mormans, you get your own planet and become a God. Do Scientology... you pick one, God works in mysterious ways, huh?

[@OMC-WILDCAT]

maybe I should have tagged it /sarcasm.

[@fishysnake1]

:-) Yep.

[@warren52nz]

Nice. Well done Matt!

[@thaiboxerick]

love this guy !!!! super informative

[@Rico-Suave_]

Great speech, watching it again

[@GuitarDog_atx]

Thanks for your navy service Matt. I also live in ATX, best place in america east of the Rockies

[@glenhill9884]

While I agree with Matt that getting to the WHY is important, if all the other person does is repeat "I believe because the bible says...", you can't go anywhere. If they avoid answering to boot, even when you call them on it, it's terribly frustrating. The best you can do is point out that dishonest behavior and hope others are watching or listening.

[@SteveJones379]

My family.

[@scottbaker7104]

My hat is off to Matt I’ve always got time to listen to him so informative and entertaining and especially how he makes people think about what they believe

[@LittleBillysWorld]

Was there a q&a? If so, are you going to upload it? Big fan of CFI and The Atheist Experience.

[@ntr10me]

Yeah, it's interesting how despite the enjoyment I got from the initial talk, I too am always hoping that there is a Q&A. Cheers

[@JohnMorris-ge6hq]

I believe that everything in the Bible is true....Truly AWFUL.

[@david77james]

If you believe that, then, if you ever think about doing it the right way, next time you'll study under someone who knows the original texts & languages and understands that "reading a bible" is NOT the same as studying one. The God of the bible is absolute reality for those who ACTUALLY seek to know God & His truth intimately. Also, your claim that "everything in the Bible" is truly awful" is laughable, since you expect us to believe that you KNOW everything therein. . .

[@antediluvianatheist5262]

@@david77james If the words need special interpretation, the bible is wrong. If the words don't mean what they say, then 'God.' screwed up.

[@moestietabarnak]

@@david77james ya, find someone that would tell you that Slavery is fine, it was benevolent back then !

[@lil-al]

@@david77james Why did god make it so difficult to understand? My advice for your next book, god, make it MUCH shorter, cut out the contradictions and the hidden meanings, just say it like it is, stop putting long lists of names, get your science and history right, and don;t make it time and culture dependent. Oh, and cite your sources. You are god, you can do anything.

[@david77james]

Duhhhhh - Dat wood B funny if you even knew a few things in the bible, but here you say EVERYTHING?! Oh scoffer, mocker, save your lies for when you stand before your creator in YOUR day, since it's truly worthless to humans that take the time to diligently seek God & His truth.

[@johnlinden7398]

MATT'S ARGUMENTS AND REASON ON MATTERS OF BIBLICAL SCRIPTURE IS ALWAYS MOST PROFOUNDLY COHERENT AND ENLIGHTENING ! HE TELLS IT LIKE IT IS !

[@wobblyeyez]

John Linden it is not how he tells it brother. Much love

[@antediluvianatheist5262]

@@david77james And yet, you will not be able to provide any evidence where he has got it wrong. And yet i can show evidence where he got it right. How odd that all you have are claims.

[@michaelflamingsword3131]

So do I: Now here is something you can think about and I can confront you with or other unbelievers. So after long time, there exists a way to explain to Atheists and Unbelievers what are the qualities of this infinite entity is, that created the Universe and us ? Stand 1. Is “The Entity God” eternal. Yes, Of course, He must be eternal. Simply because the Universe is not eternal, and because something from something from something is illogical, the first thing to exist, being the infinite entity, must be self-sustaining, and eternal. So the universe has a beginning thus there is a cause. In order to be eternal, something must be infinite, and it must exist without time, existing in an “eternal now”. The infinite entity thus is both infinite, and exists without time. Because it exists without time, it never changes, and because it is not bound by time, meaning that it exists at all times, past, present, and future, it knows the future, and is thus omniscient. Because it is infinite, the infinite entity is also omnipotent. The definition of an entity is something that exists with its own individual, independent existence. All material objects are made of trillions upon trillions of tiny finite entities called quanta particles. And because, in order for something to be eternal and omnipotent, it must be a single infinite entity, and not just an infinite number of finite entities, the infinite entity that created the Universe must have been a single object by definition. This means that the infinite entity that created the Universe could not be made of quanta particles, as it is a single entity, with its own existence, and is not made of finite entities (quanta particles). Thus, it is non-materialistic. Meaning that it is untouchable, unseeable, unhearable, unsmellable, etc. It cannot be detected by materialistic or scientific means. Space is the measurement of distance between physical objects. If something exists without matter, it is not bound by space. And because the infinite entity that created the Universe is non-materialistic, it is not bound by space. Because it is not bound by space, it is without space, thus exists everywhere all at once, the infinite entity is omnipresent. Please note that it has never been observed for life to come from nonliving substances. So, it can be scientifically assumed that abiogenesis is impossible. Until it is observed that abiogenesis is possible, it must be scientifically assumed that it is impossible. If abiogenesis is impossible, which coincides with scientific observations, and because life from life from life etc. creates a chicken-and-egg paradox similar to that from the Multiverse theory, then it would make sense that life has always existed through the infinite entity, and that the infinite entity was/is a living being . So to recap… The infinite entity that created the Universe is… Eternal Omnipotent Omnipresent Omniscient Non-materialistic And… Alive What does that sound like to you? None other than God Himself. Take it or leave it.

[@campfireaddict6417]

@@michaelflamingsword3131 Rather late in your conversation but curious as to your take on the Bible.?

[@michaelflamingsword3131]

@@campfireaddict6417 What about it ?

[@kenhammscousin4716]

I am so happy that Matt Dillahunty was able to overcome his upbringing and embrace his atheism. To think such a smart quick witted powerful advocate for science and humanism and skepticism could have instead become a preacher if things turned out a little different in his life.. we are lucky to have him. I have learned so much from him I will forever be in debt to him. And I know that it would be enough payment to him just if I help out the cause in whatever ways I can.

[@jesusgavemeaids]

In a way, his indoctrination when he was younger is kind of a blessing in disguise. He went to theology school to become a minister & saw through the BS, & has so much knowledge of the Christian religion that he can easily tear it apart.

[@lettersquash]

Amazing. I've kept hearing of Matt Dillahunty, but I don't think I've seen or heard him speak before. I'm puzzling over these kinds of questions, and Matt gave me a lot of help here. All of the discursive problems with religious people have this backstop - they're prepared to believe "the physical world isn't all there is", i.e. they invoke magic or supernaturalism of one kind or another, however much you chip away at the "talking snakes". In discussions I've had, this is where it always gets to, or feels it would if we chased any issue far enough. Another really useful bit of information is that point Dan Dennett talks about that people often believe in belief, rather than the beliefs they profess to believe. And further, the understanding that many of the people Matt's discussed Christianity with haven't much idea of what's in the Bible is useful, and that they are taught any number of extremely filtered metaphysics vaguely related to it in churches that only pay lip service to the Bible. OMFSM, what was that? 1000 Christian denominations, did he say? They almost never avail themselves of critical historical assessments of the biblical stories. They almost never imagine what they would think if someone they know said they saw their dead friend in Costco and had a conversation to verify it was them, or that they knew with certainty that their neighbour, a new mother, had never had sex...or a fisherman they know had lived inside a great fish for some time, but got out again. Nor do they ever seem to bother to ask that crucial question: how do you assess which bits of the holy book to take literally and which are metaphor? Or indeed which you believe and which you just abstract the take-home message from. Or on what grounds you believe anything at all. The majority go around in an unthinking emotive haze, while the minority of philosophical believers seem - from my experience - to do the same but with "reasons", idiotic medieval bait-and-switch arguments mostly, like the Argument from Contingency, that purport to underpin their belief. If you ask them why a "first cause", even if accepted as logically necessary, should lead them to believe in the resurrection of Jesus, they'll find some other alley of pseudo-cognition to dive down. The factual histories in the Bible are so convincing! Nobody could claim to be God and be so humble, then die for us! Thomas Aquinas said this; C S Lewis said that. Matt helps me to be a little more patient faced with all that. And it's so good to hear someone they can't stand the "religiotard" kind of language. Intelligent people believe silly things sometimes more easily because they're better at rationalizing their beliefs. But they've often not learned critical thinking skills, or haven't yet had the courage to turn them on their own beliefs. And we're all slow to do that.

[@Rangerman9404]

As soon as Matt mentioned Niagara Falls, the first thing that came to mind was "slowly I turn......"

[@natedennis2063]

step by step, inch by inch

[@romant142]

What is that?

[@brynpookc1127]

Roman T Three Stooges routine. Search "The Three Stooges-Slowly I Turned”. One of their better bits. It was used several times.

[@brynpookc1127]

Roman T I remember the skit more with Shep Howard than Larry and Shep preceded Larry in the movies.

[@josephmellor7641]

I'm pretty sure it's from an Abbott and Costello sketch, but it's been a long time since I've seen it.

[@c.k.roberts3221]

If god cares what we believe he has the power to let us know and we would all believe what he wants us to. QED: he doesn’t care what we believe or doesn’t care to exist.

[@chrisccc22]

He would arrange the clouds to spell "I am real" and use the sun for a period. Instead he uses a convoluted book that can be easily misunderstood by billions.

[@q.s.9810]

Guys you know that talking this way, taking His name, will summon God Israel, and I’m really scared of him. Every comment section has go, I see him. Please, if he comes here, send help

[@janepatton8100]

The worth and dignity of a soul is measured by what it delights in! And delight/happiness is our highest desire. Men have killed to have it. Kings have gone mad trying to find it. Wars have served it. Affairs have worshiped it. We all seek it. Sadly, billions have died without discovering its secret... namely, that joy is not an it, but a He. The Gospel is the good news that sinners can delight in a Holy God. It's the good news that all of our deepest desires are satisfied in the ONE who sent His Son to bring us to Him. . God is so valuable and so satisfying that the most loving thing he could do for us is to make Himself gloriously indispensable. He is the only being in the universe for whom self-exaltation is the highest virtue. Therefore, God's commitment to be glorified and our goal to be satisfied are not at odds but come to simultaneous consumation in the worship of His Son... who took upon Himself the Wrath that God had towards us in our sinful disregard of Him. A wrath that could never be appeased through man-made religion. Jesus didn't die to turn the world into a paradise, he died so that we could stop seeking paradise in the world... Temporal things such as beauty, popularity, money, sex, racial identity, gender reassignment... can never truly satisfy. BECAUSE WE WERE MADE FOR SO MUCH MORE! We were made to gaze intently into the Eternal Beauty of a majestic King, Father, and God... meet Jesus the Christ. Life is hard, God is good, Glory is coming 😊... Thanks for taking the time to read this comment. May God bless you with all things necessary for life and goodness. God Bless!

[@Matthew-xh2po]

"If God cares what we believe He has the power to let us know..." Interesting, I'm curious how you know for sure without a doubt how God would be... while at the same time you don't believe He exists. But then if He does exist you know exactly what He would be like. Interesting...

[@Matthew-xh2po]

@@chrisccc22 Chinese is misunderstood by billions too. Is that a convoluted language, or do billions of people just not understand it correctly?

[@LPCLASSICAL]

Brilliant presentation. Matt's range of critique and perception of the psychology and beliefs of theists is quite astonishing. Dawkins et al must step aside.

[@fr33525]

That was pretty good. I was half expecting an alter call at the end.

[@MatthewBaran]

DID MATT SAY SANTA ISN'T REAL?! Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck!

[@masonmortar357]

no dude..santa is real.

[@612Tiberius]

@@masonmortar357 , LOLOLOLOL!!!!!

[@david77james]

Anyone, I mean ANYONE, who uses such an absurd comparison as "Santa" and the Creator God, does so for the SOLE PURPOSE of convincing others, by way of "extreme trivialization", to convince others that the Creator God of the Bible should NOT be believed in, is a very dishonest person. Why? The issue of "God IS" cannot be likened to ANY OTHER issue on earth! It is the deepest, most important issue known to man, and therefore eliminates trivialization of the issue as a valid means reference. Said trivialization stands as immediate proof that a scoffer, who has failed to diligently seek available ABSOLUTES of God, is foisting a wholly unfounded denial that such ABSOLUTES exist, as a part of their shallow frame of reference to even qualify to discuss the issue. Dillahunty is one of such major scoffers, who puts forth a conglomeration of "numerous mix & match" falsehoods, facts, half or partial truths, at will, and uses such fraud to purposefully denigrate a universally available deep knowledge of ABSOLUTES of God, which millions, including 15% of the worlds most brilliant geniuses, have learned, by following the call to critically analyze available categories of knowledge, which hold such absolutes. .

[@612Tiberius]

@@david77james- the man-made concept of god, for adults, is perfectly analogous to that of Santa Claus for children; so the argumentative comparison is completely and entirely justified. In fact, there is even more reason to believe that Santa exists than the god of Christianity; because Santa, if real, would be an actual flesh-and-blood human being, and not the non-corporeal, timeless, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent supernatural entity that Christians claim their literary fictional god character to be. Get over your knee-jerk butthurt reflex response to the idea that "anyone, I mean ANYONE" would dare to compare your little imaginary friend to another equally imaginary figure, because imagining the two being on equal conceptual footing so harms your delicate sensibilities as to potentially collapse your entire frailly constructed house of delusional cards and your similarly delusional world-view. Pull your head out of your ass and smell the reality - Santa and god are indeed intellectually congruent, and thus, comparable. Grow up.

[@david77james]

Again, ANYBODY who uses Santa to compare with the most important issue on earth, i.e. Creator God, is simply a scoffer who has chosen to seek & possess NO KNOWLEDGE of Scripture or doctrinal ABSOLUTES of same. Obviously, you are one of such simplistic scoffers that has nothing but unintelligent claims to make on this most important subject, which you choose to remain ignorant about. As such that's all I'll address, since each sentence you write merely repeats the same first sentence in different words, and otherwise offers nothing remarkable. Toodles oh mocker. .

[@reidalldabooks3418]

I think Matt has matured as a thinker and speaker. This is probably a natural improvement given that he has stepped out of the verily inward looking environment of a show like the atheist experience. I have to say that I am actually starting to warm to him.

[@rolandkushm.d.710]

Or you previously misjudged him based on what you saw on tv.

[@antediluvianatheist5262]

@Edward Snowden 'God' is pretty stupid then.

[@artje123]

His show is just applying method of reason and logic over and over again to religious claims of stubborn Christians. So each episode develops similarly towards a dead end as the Christian starts to repeat himself ignoring all previously presented arguments against him. I don’t see how “the environment of his show” is “verily inward looking”. How inconsistent would it be if he were to open up for Christians’ unverifiable claims or accept weak testimonies as evidence? Or what do you mean? I probably misunderstand.

[@ethanmunroe8949]

Great speach, great vid, great guy

[@djsanchez2]

I am guilty, many times over, of thinking exactly this! Thank you for addressing this.

[@ashagreen4373]

As a Christian I never got to use my brain,....as an atheist, now I do

[@2ndPigeon]

Really?

[@BillMorganChannel]

Asha, how do you think life originated?

[@rebeccadubois8270]

@@BillMorganChannel no one actually knows yet. To be religious you've got a god that set it in motion. To not be religious and disagree with supernatural claims then you're left with we don't know and I don't know which is the correct answer. No evidence for it yet

[@BillMorganChannel]

@@rebeccadubois8270 I did not ask “Do you know how life originated?” I asked “How do you THINK life originated?” I look forward to your avoiding providing an answer. I have asked enlightened atheists this question for 30 and have seen a lot of tap dancing and running, but no answering. Be the first!

[@BillMorganChannel]

@@rebeccadubois8270 When will you reply to my polite science question on "how do you THINK life originated?" I look forward to your scientific reply!

[@clovismeaux9532]

GOD? The first divide and conqueror.

[@donnadeau7619]

...And the most popular character to control others.

[@janepatton8100]

The worth and dignity of a soul is measured by what it delights in! And delight/happiness is our highest desire. Men have killed to have it. Kings have gone mad trying to find it. Wars have served it. Affairs have worshiped it. We all seek it. Sadly, billions have died without discovering its secret... namely, that joy is not an it, but a He. The Gospel is the good news that sinners can delight in a Holy God. It's the good news that all of our deepest desires are satisfied in the ONE who sent His Son to bring us to Him. . God is so valuable and so satisfying that the most loving thing he could do for us is to make Himself gloriously indispensable. He is the only being in the universe for whom self-exaltation is the highest virtue. Therefore, God's commitment to be glorified and our goal to be satisfied are not at odds but come to simultaneous consumation in the worship of His Son... who took upon Himself the Wrath that God had towards us in our sinful disregard of Him. A wrath that could never be appeased through man-made religion. Jesus didn't die to turn the world into a paradise, he died so that we could stop seeking paradise in the world... Temporal things such as beauty, popularity, money, sex, racial identity, gender reassignment... can never truly satisfy. BECAUSE WE WERE MADE FOR SO MUCH MORE! We were made to gaze intently into the Eternal Beauty of a majestic King, Father, and God... meet Jesus the Christ. Life is hard, God is good, Glory is coming 😊... Thanks for taking the time to read this comment. May God bless you with all things necessary for life and goodness. God Bless!

[@JuanHernandez-ry9dr]

Great talk. Thanks

[@2fast2block]

Matt is just a great embarrassment, is all. The 1LofT states that energy can't be created or destroyed, it can't happen naturally. One aspect of the 2LofT shows that the universe is winding down, usable energy is becoming less usable. It is clear creation had to be done supernaturally yet it is still denied because people are just too proud to accept that, among other things.

[@RadGnarRad]

Very good Matt. Focus on the why. Brilliant, dude.

[@sign543]

It’s sort of the same for me, looking back. I also was endeavoring to be a minister, and worked as our outreach minister at the church where I was (or one of the ministers)...and sincerely thought I was “called” to be a preacher/minister. But I also cannot look back and say for certainty whether I actually believed all of it...or if I just believed in believing. It’s a hard thing to pin down in my head. I certainly did believe in God and Jesus and the gospel message. But I do remember having some skepticism about certain miracles, not because I didn’t think they were possible, but that perhaps some of it was metaphor, symbolic, or just misinterpreted somehow. I could never wrap my brain around why nobody could show an actual miracle occurring anywhere at any time. I thought there were authentic miracles, verified, and proven. I used to even believe that the existence of god was a scientific fact! I believed this up until I was probably mid 20s. I was very naive and sheltered in many ways.

[@BillMorganChannel]

What is the bigger miracle? The miracle that God designed male and female chickens or nature self created matter and energy nd it bounced around and makde male and femal chickens? Please answer.

[@DM-zq8qy]

@@BillMorganChannel Neither one. There can be no “greater miracle” without ANY miracle. Unless we define “miracle” as any unusual event. The extremely unusual possibility that a “god” “existed” before time and space (without a designer), THEN “spoke” all matter into ordered existence would be a “greater miracle.” But there is less evidence that this could have happened than there is that everything EXCEPT god existed at the beginning of time as we know it.

[@calliebriggs9021]

My granny's religous indoctrination destroyed all my life 33yrs I'm reliefd I'm freed now

[@ombilinaikaku5090]

I loved watching this

[@halguy5745]

got this video in my recommendations on friday 13th

[@harveywabbit9541]

Lilith, the goddess of the night, is still causing wet dreams.

[@walterbushell7029]

Thank god for that.

[@georgeanthony4834]

@Wee Mac with your magic wand!

[@oneleggoalie]

for us...it was the Goddess of Aunts...our auntie Lucia 😐

[@trafficjon400]

Thats anabell and she gained 250pds. oops

[@merikijiya13]

😘

[@walterbushell7029]

Lots of Christians using the existence of the Universe as proof, or the existence of humans. Even if those required a deity, the deity could be Ganesha or Kali, for example. "Homage to the Elephant Headed Lord of the Void, who by refusing to exist or not exist transcends all finite dichotomies."

[@savenetneutralityanti-repu7029]

I think that it's extremely arrogant to think that God created us in his image. I'll bet that God is a dog created in the image of a canine. Or maybe God is a rat like Master Splinter from Ninja Turtles. I remember the Y2K millennium episode of South Park where God appears as a weird hybrid-looking being. "Of course," God says. "What did you expect me to look like?" "Well, not THAT!"

[@janepatton8100]

The worth and dignity of a soul is measured by what it delights in! And delight/happiness is our highest desire. Men have killed to have it. Kings have gone mad trying to find it. Wars have served it. Affairs have worshiped it. We all seek it. Sadly, billions have died without discovering its secret... namely, that joy is not an it, but a He. The Gospel is the good news that sinners can delight in a Holy God. It's the good news that all of our deepest desires are satisfied in the ONE who sent His Son to bring us to Him. . God is so valuable and so satisfying that the most loving thing he could do for us is to make Himself gloriously indispensable. He is the only being in the universe for whom self-exaltation is the highest virtue. Therefore, God's commitment to be glorified and our goal to be satisfied are not at odds but come to simultaneous consumation in the worship of His Son... who took upon Himself the Wrath that God had towards us in our sinful disregard of Him. A wrath that could never be appeased through man-made religion. Jesus didn't die to turn the world into a paradise, he died so that we could stop seeking paradise in the world... Temporal things such as beauty, popularity, money, sex, racial identity, gender reassignment... can never truly satisfy. BECAUSE WE WERE MADE FOR SO MUCH MORE! We were made to gaze intently into the Eternal Beauty of a majestic King, Father, and God... meet Jesus the Christ. Life is hard, God is good, Glory is coming 😊... Thanks for taking the time to read this comment. May God bless you with all things necessary for life and goodness. God Bless!

[@phillip1563]

Good stuff.

[@heroiskenderbe5666]

Good job Matt!

[@johndecicco]

I'd venture that more than half of theists say they believe in god is in case god is listening. Of course they wouldn't admit it, because god would hear that too. It's all about fear. The first three commandments are simply injunctions, an obedience to fear.

[@campfireaddict6417]

First Last I'd venture that most cannot name the "Ten Commandments".

[@janepatton8100]

Fearing an omnipotent, good judge is a wise decision. Got a question... If you found that Christianity was true, would you become a Christian?

[@BillMorganChannel]

I believe in God because of genetics and biochemistry.....fleas make flea, bees make bees, dogs make dogs, frogs make frogs and every ancestor of yours is human (pleae read up on "Mitochondrial Eve"). Seek truth!

[@diedertspijkerboer]

If you tell a young child something at the right age (around age 3 or 4), it will believe you, however ludicrous it is. This is also why people find their own religion more plausible than others, up to tue extent that they feel no need to even check them out. It's a mechanism to help children avoid danger. You can simply tell them that something is dangerous without having to prove it or explain why. Of course, this makes it also the perfect age to put a lot of garbage in their heads.

[@lil-al]

I don't think the gullible need to be of any particular age...

[@trafficjon400]

Like santa, or could it be satan.

[@diedertspijkerboer]

@@lil-al The gullible will always be gullible, but I think it can vary what they are gullible to. I was raised Christian and spent a lot of time thinking about it before I became an agnostic. However, I never spent the same amount of time thinking whether I should be Buddhist, Muslim or Hindu. That is actually a bit strange and requires an explanation. I think this is because of the reason I gave above: I was spoonfed Christianity at an early age and learned to take its supernatural seriously, or even ad facts. When I think about other religions, I just don't take their supernatural claims seriously. But what's the difference between Muhammad flying to and from Jerusalem on a winged horse in one night and Jesus turning water into wine? So I think the difference is what you're taught to believe when young. And this is actually supported by child psychology.

[@janepatton8100]

@@diedertspijkerboer If you found that Christianity was true, would you become a Christian?

[@diedertspijkerboer]

@@janepatton8100 If you could come up with enough real scientific evidence that is published in a peer-reviewed scientific journals, yes.

[@crazykhespar8487]

My girl recently admitted that she thought that Hitler couldve accepted Jesus right before death and still have gone to heaven.

[@2fast2block]

Well what makes you so smart? Did you create the universe? The 1LofT states that energy can't be created or destroyed, it can't happen naturally. One aspect of the 2LofT shows that the universe is winding down, usable energy is becoming less usable. It is clear creation had to be done supernaturally yet it is still denied because people are just too proud to accept that, among other things.

[@KeithCooper-Albuquerque]

Simply excellent!

[@glen6945]

excellent

[@donaldcook2484]

Matt the man of critical thinking and logic!!

[@o0o-jd-o0o95]

I am not sure who originally said it but I like the quote that "when you have somebody that does not value evidence , what evidence can you bring them to show them that they might be wrong?"

[@arxaaron]

Extremely thoughtful and helpful approaches here for guiding people to self examination and critical thinking about their beliefs. Appreciated the reminders that critical thinking is just a set of tools, that using those tools takes persistent work, and that this work is something we would all benefit from for ourselves as well as others.

[@2fast2block]

As if this clueless being thinks. The 1LofT states that energy can't be created or destroyed, it can't happen naturally. One aspect of the 2LofT shows that the universe is winding down, usable energy is becoming less usable. It is clear creation had to be done supernaturally yet it is still denied because people are just too proud to accept that, among other things.

[@elhartzer1639]

​@@2fast2block The first law of thermodynamics only applies to closed systems inside the universe for all we know. It is possible that it didn't apply at the big bang. The 2nd law states, that all processes are irreversible. None of those support supernatural creation in any way.

[@2fast2block]

@@elhartzer1639 tiny brain, if the universe was not closed we wouldn't see such laws in effect. Not just that, the 2nd law works in all systems. Your tiny brain is an example of that how your brain is degrading at a fast rate. How you even made it this far is really something. Oh, your tiny brain skipped the 1st law too. See you're going fast.

[@elhartzer1639]

​@@2fast2block The universe may be a closed system for all we know, but we don't know if that applied at the moment of the big bang. Is it normal for you to talk about things you have no clue about and then try to insult people?

[@2fast2block]

@@elhartzer1639 how did nothing have space, matter, and time for your silly big bang fairy tale to exist? Do you understand the simple meaning that nothing is 'no thing'? It's the same old story with you tiny brains, you like making up whatever you want and you can ignore whatever you want.

[@merrybolton2135]

what ever happen to the talking snake Did he spend the rest of his life talking to himself ???

[@david77james]

Sounds like the snake has been talking to you ALSO, since it sounds like it has duped you into ignoring the miracles that surround you every day, so that you keep thinking your ancestry is "pond scum", which somehow created complex molecules, and then assembled every molecule in the universe, all by happenstance, and presto, everything that you see was made by pond scum. .

[@jeanetteyork2582]

He's probably conversing with the talking donkey (of Balaam fame)...or hanging out with the bats that are birds and the fish that are whales....I'm sure there is no shortage of imaginary activities for the dear talking snake!

[@antediluvianatheist5262]

@@david77james Yeah, snakes don't talk. In other news, magic isn't real. Sorry, your ignorance of science, is not evidence that it's wrong.

[@david77james]

@@antediluvianatheist5262 - God is more powerful than the tiny box you would stuff Him into. He can easily allow a snake to talk, same as He does with the DNA CODE, which He uses to give specific bits of information to EACH organelle in a cell, as to what their duty is AND how to accomplish it. You're just being a simpleton, with knowledge & thinking as deep as a dinner plate, compared to an ocean of available knowledge. .

[@gordonlynn8300]

@@david77james- that all makes more sense than a God who has already been around for eternity and this the best universe he could come up with , I wonder what he's been doing for eternity? apparently not much.

[@pdawfpodcast3105]

I was indoctrinated from birth in this nonsense. Deep down, i always questioned Jonah being swallowed by a whale and talking snakes...but was taught to never question god. Funny how god can do all that, but cant stop people in church from getting covid. Lol

[@willievanstraaten1960]

Well done Matt.

[@bobthompson3739]

This is a truly accurate and highly articulate line of , thought. Mr Dillahunty scores on all points of forward thinking.

[@BillMorganChannel]

How did life originate Bob? what is your best explanation (please note I am not asking if you "know). Thank you!

[@bobthompson3739]

@@BillMorganChannel I'm rather flattered that you should think I have an answer to a question that is quite unanswerable. I am very much of the opinion that nobody would even dare to suggest that the evolutionary theories abounding would be unacceptable, bearing in mind the huge amount of research Darwin put into his works, but as ever, science will prove to be a much more satisfactory answer than any religion, most of which are based on folk lore, cf. Greek mythology. Incidentally, Douglas Adams , in his book, 'The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy', has presented his answer as 42, which as convincing as any other theory, idea, or abstract, spiritual, and religious field of thought. As an afterthought, how about all those prophets being spaced out on drugs, remember the Silk Road was importing much from the far East, so why not?

[@acspicer]

@@BillMorganChannel I don’t know. I don’t need to know. You could’ve played this dishonest game before we developed the germ theory of disease - oh, you DON’T KNOW how infections happen? Atheists don’t have an answer to that?! Well my religion tells me demons did it, therefore I win. You’re just making a god of the gaps argument.

[@ericmoore1493]

I shall not kill - really...??? Are people really this stupid that this had to be written down for them? Do people have to go to church every week and pat 10% of their income to remind them - not to kill?

[@walterbushell7029]

Belike. You know how stupid and self centered the average person is? Half are more stupid or self centered.

[@hillarycolen1163]

They go there looking for excuses to do that! To be deemed special enough to do that and get away with it...god loves them and would do them no harm!

[@janepatton8100]

The worth and dignity of a soul is measured by what it delights in! And delight/happiness is our highest desire. Men have killed to have it. Kings have gone mad trying to find it. Wars have served it. Affairs have worshiped it. We all seek it. Sadly, billions have died without discovering its secret... namely, that joy is not an it, but a He. The Gospel is the good news that sinners can delight in a Holy God. It's the good news that all of our deepest desires are satisfied in the ONE who sent His Son to bring us to Him. . God is so valuable and so satisfying that the most loving thing he could do for us is to make Himself gloriously indispensable. He is the only being in the universe for whom self-exaltation is the highest virtue. Therefore, God's commitment to be glorified and our goal to be satisfied are not at odds but come to simultaneous consumation in the worship of His Son... who took upon Himself the Wrath that God had towards us in our sinful disregard of Him. A wrath that could never be appeased through man-made religion. Jesus didn't die to turn the world into a paradise, he died so that we could stop seeking paradise in the world... Temporal things such as beauty, popularity, money, sex, racial identity, gender reassignment... can never truly satisfy. BECAUSE WE WERE MADE FOR SO MUCH MORE! We were made to gaze intently into the Eternal Beauty of a majestic King, Father, and God... meet Jesus the Christ. Life is hard, God is good, Glory is coming 😊... Thanks for taking the time to read this comment. May God bless you with all things necessary for life and goodness. God Bless!

[@DaveJudd]

Matt's got a God given gift to turn people in to Atheist.lol

[@walterbushell7029]

And dinos lived with humans. I saw them on the Flintstone.

[@LubaFan]

@Dave Judd Amen!

[@BillMorganChannel]

What about Mark 9:42?

[@acspicer]

@@BillMorganChannel What about the Chilton auto repair manual for the 1992 Honda Civic?

[@largefather03]

He makes a good point. Whenever I ask a believer about why they believe a particular thing, they say, 'go to church' or 'read the bible.' I don't want to get where you are, I want to know how YOU got there; what steps in logic YOU made to arrive at the conclusion that it makes sense. Not one I've met so far can bottom-line it. They usually become combative because what one cannot defend with reason has to be defended with emotion. I really just want to know how.

[@largefather03]

@DastardlyDawkins I have no idea what that was all about. Has nothing to do with my comment. Naming theistic scientists doesn't shake me up at all. I suppose you're going with the 'they're just crazy' defense. BTW, don't discount monkeys; they have very complex social structures that bear many resemblances to our own.

[@largefather03]

@DastardlyDawkins I'm still waiting on a 'objective' fact. 'Objective.' As in observable, measurable, falsifiable and independently verifiable. In other words, I don't literally have to be 'you' to see it.

[@RoastedLocust]

@DastardlyDawkins, your video isn't proof. Just because gravity exists at a certain level doesn't prove Christian beliefs. And if it proves the universe was created by a higher being, you certainly can't prove that your belief system is the one true religion. And if you are half as smart as you think you are, you'd be able to prove it without using insults to hide your inability to do so.

[@Its_Alex928]

very interesting

[@alvarogoenaga3965]

I have never been believer, although my parents baptized me in a catholic church when I was a toddler. As i grew up we only attended church when someone in the family died or married. However, as a kid I thought the adults were playing some kind of charade while conducting their religious ceremonies. Like the carnival and other games that people play even as adults. I never thought that any of the adults took that seriously, but as I was growing up I realized they were damned serious about it. In a way they crushed my childhood innocence, like realizing Santa was not real.

[@janepatton8100]

The worth and dignity of a soul is measured by what it delights in! And delight/happiness is our highest desire. Men have killed to have it. Kings have gone mad trying to find it. Wars have served it. Affairs have worshiped it. We all seek it. Sadly, billions have died without discovering its secret... namely, that joy is not an it, but a He. The Gospel is the good news that sinners can delight in a Holy God. It's the good news that all of our deepest desires are satisfied in the ONE who sent His Son to bring us to Him. God is so valuable and so satisfying that the most loving thing he could do for us is to make Himself gloriously indispensable. He is the only being in the universe for whom self-exaltation is the highest virtue. Therefore, God's commitment to be glorified and our goal to be satisfied are not at odds but come to simultaneous consumation in the worship of His Son... who took upon Himself the Wrath that God had towards us in our sinful disregard of Him. A wrath that could never be appeased through man-made religion. Jesus didn't die to turn the world into a paradise, he died so that we could stop seeking paradise in the world... Temporal things such as beauty, popularity, money, sex, racial identity, gender reassignment... can never truly satisfy. BECAUSE WE WERE MADE FOR SO MUCH MORE! We were made to gaze intently into the Eternal Beauty of a majestic King, Father, and God... meet Jesus the Christ. Life is hard, God is good, Glory is coming God Bless!

[@gordonlynn8300]

even as a little kid I never believed any of it , sorta like the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus ,I knew they were hoaxes too.

[@walterbushell7029]

No that's the difference between god and Santa. Santa is real.

[@robhargraves3805]

@@janepatton8100 Why do you believe those things you wrote?

[@gertjanvandermeij4265]

1919 : We are getting smarter and smarter every day ! 2019 : We believe in magic and fairy tales , aka gawd and the bible !

[@michaelflamingsword3131]

Now here is something you can think about and I can confront you with or other unbelievers. So after long time, there exists a way to explain to Atheists and Unbelievers what are the qualities of this infinite entity is, that created the Universe and us ? Stand 1. Is “The Entity God” eternal. Yes, Of course, He must be eternal. Simply because the Universe is not eternal, and because something from something from something is illogical, the first thing to exist, being the infinite entity, must be self-sustaining, and eternal. So the universe has a beginning thus there is a cause. In order to be eternal, something must be infinite, and it must exist without time, existing in an “eternal now”. The infinite entity thus is both infinite, and exists without time. Because it exists without time, it never changes, and because it is not bound by time, meaning that it exists at all times, past, present, and future, it knows the future, and is thus omniscient. Because it is infinite, the infinite entity is also omnipotent. The definition of an entity is something that exists with its own individual, independent existence. All material objects are made of trillions upon trillions of tiny finite entities called quanta particles. And because, in order for something to be eternal and omnipotent, it must be a single infinite entity, and not just an infinite number of finite entities, the infinite entity that created the Universe must have been a single object by definition. This means that the infinite entity that created the Universe could not be made of quanta particles, as it is a single entity, with its own existence, and is not made of finite entities (quanta particles). Thus, it is non-materialistic. Meaning that it is untouchable, unseeable, unhearable, unsmellable, etc. It cannot be detected by materialistic or scientific means. Space is the measurement of distance between physical objects. If something exists without matter, it is not bound by space. And because the infinite entity that created the Universe is non-materialistic, it is not bound by space. Because it is not bound by space, it is without space, thus exists everywhere all at once, the infinite entity is omnipresent. Please note that it has never been observed for life to come from nonliving substances. So, it can be scientifically assumed that abiogenesis is impossible. Until it is observed that abiogenesis is possible, it must be scientifically assumed that it is impossible. If abiogenesis is impossible, which coincides with scientific observations, and because life from life from life etc. creates a chicken-and-egg paradox similar to that from the Multiverse theory, then it would make sense that life has always existed through the infinite entity, and that the infinite entity was/is a living being . So to recap… The infinite entity that created the Universe is… Eternal Omnipotent Omnipresent Omniscient Non-materialistic And… Alive What does that sound like to you? None other than God Himself. Take it or leave it.

[@lil-al]

@@michaelflamingsword3131 "If abiogenesis is impossible, which coincides with scientific observations" I beg your pardon, what? Please point to the peer reviewed literature on this.

[@TheTheotherfoot]

@@michaelflamingsword3131 Thanks for the choice. I will leave it.

[@michaelflamingsword3131]

@@TheTheotherfoot Cowering in the corner now ? Lost for words ? I knew it. Rather rely on 1000 page smelly paper analysis you could not probably demonstrate in real time, you Atheists hide and are recusing yourself to be staying in your bookworm infested small room and brainwash others with non existing theories. As long you have a job would u not ?

[@TheTheotherfoot]

@@michaelflamingsword3131 Sorry, I don't reply to totally brain washed postings. Your claims have no truth in the real world, therefore are not worth the time to refute them. Your attempts at insults are a sure sign that you are never able to produce a reasoned and believable argument. Go back to your cosy little beliefs and leave the real world to the normal people.

[@ericgraham3344]

Focus on the WHY., Hmmmm Great TIP Matt, Thanks

[@MsHarpsychord]

I've two nephews, Liam is 1 years old and Alfie is only 12 weeks old. It breaks my heart knowing Liam was baptised Lutheran and my other brother wants to baptise Alfie as a Catholic. I only hope as i grow up I can challenge the kids so they don't become indoctrinated into religion.

[@renshiasworld]

Teach them to think critically, argue with them all you can. Force them to defend their positions, to articulate what they mean. Teach them to believe in themselves. To stand up and face you, argue with you. when they think their right with those that disagree with them. Then religion will never stand a chance.

[@HolmRose]

I would like to hang around with Matt. He forces you to think!!

[@janepatton8100]

Why does someone have to force you to think?

[@david77james]

You mean he "enables" you to make believe God does not exist, in spite of all the proof He gives you. It's your choice to make believe that your invisible / non material human mind, the most powerful instrument known to mankind, is somehow accidental. This is purely self deception, which you KNOW in your heart, but you THINK your mere denial is enough to give you an excuse in YOUR day. God is insulted by fake unbelief, which is the ONLY reason He condemns one. .

[@BillMorganChannel]

Please think about this.....do you think vision is the result of design or chance? What about the placenta? The brain? The giraffe? Thank you for thinking!

[@spacemunky53]

Whats so hard understanding genesis they were crap after peter gabrial left!!

[@ericscaillet2232]

yep,Peter really held the gates open for them.

[@greatestscott6599]

Thats mean the phil collans days had lots of good songs!!

[@cinnasharon980]

Tell me about it. Peter Gabriel is the man!"

[@jasminejeanine2239]

Good talk, I came from VERY fundamental and legalistic seventh day adventist bkgd, and I absolutely knew my POV as I didn't have the never been challenged, everyone believes the same thing bkgd MOST ppl have. Instead we constantly debated, thus I actually find it hard talking to ppl with that bkgd as they often think it's "mean" to be challenged, and that asking for their POV means I'm NOT open to their POV. In reality it's normally ppl who're used to being the expert who suddenly deal with someone who's heard all the arguments and who spends YEARS learning everything possible from EVERYONE possible as ALL ppl can teach you something, you just need to know what's BS so you can tell the difference bc when you lose you're belief system everything becomes grey and it takes constant readjustments and constant struggle to figure out what YOU actually believe NOT what you've thought you believed as the Bible is the biggest mental shortcut possible. As all it's logic is circular and EVERY answer is the same one, God did it. Especially if you're from a legalistic sect like mine which actually follows some of the more crazy cultural teachings like women can't do ministry or be part of the church hierachy, sabbath is from friday sundown to saturday and we do NO work, or do anything to cause anyone else to work including cooking (can take showers, drive to church but NO buying or selling) For me I did find it easier to be a Christian when I was very legalistic bc then I didn't have to deal with the hypocrasy that drove me nuts with other sects. Not that I didn't struggle with the Bible's teachings especially about women, immorality, and violence as the OT is extremely violent. The problem is anytime it doesn't make sense fundamentalists go straight to "God works in mysterious ways" and "all things work for good for them who love God according to his purpose" and "God will not give you more then you can bear" which made me say I wish I could bear less.. But what changed for me was slow, as it was just the accumulation of constant studying and research as I'm a scientist I want to KNOW why things happen, and HOW. Plus I'm NOT willing to NOT research uncomfortable topics, as that's what I do in ALL topics as I can't possibly know the weakness in MY mental processes and arguement without hearing the other side. Though Google is making that harder as it'll assume I'm a flaming democrat as I research one side for months then switch so I can insure I know every possible answer to the issue THEY pt out This started all bc I grew up with a TV or radio and have a IQ of 185, can speed read 500pgs a hr with a photographic memory thus by age ten my mom couldn't teach me thus I was allowed to read anything non fiction. This taught me that arguments ALWAYS sound convincing UNTIL you hear the other side and learn that THEIR arguements ALSO sounds convincing. Thus I learned diversity of opinions which frankly is a dying art as most ppl form a opinion and NEVER look beyond that. I know why bc when you introduce more info it first gets ten times more confusing, BUT if you stick with it suddenly it snaps into focus and all the tangents link to stuff you know thus the MORE you learn in general the more capable you are to know when something's false OR true or at least based on implicit/explicit assumptions and is POOR science as they all quote statistics BUT you must carefully look at what they are testing AND if it's being used to answer the right question as frankly we do a shit ton of shit science. But I ONLY Know this bc I've created my own studies and I KNOW how easily labeling something can make ppl assume they know what you meant OR assume it means more then it does etc etc... Thus I do spend significant time insuring we actually have a shared belief about the meaning of something as often I find myself debating and getting no where only to learn we actually believe the same thing but thought the word meant different things. Thus luckily when it starts going circular I've gotten good at stopping and saying "wait wait, I don't think we're talking about the same thing (religion LOVES to hijack words and change their meaning or blur it) then once we establish what our shared definition actually IS (not a word fight just making sure we're speaking the same language) then it goes MUCH better. Unfortunately, I'm the ONLY person I've ever met which does this, thus I have to carry the ball as of course we always ASSUME we share the meaning, and with our emotions up we now WANT to prove them wrong and DON'T look for innocent reasons for their BS. Lol That and it's humbling as most ppl are afraid to answer what they mean by a word.

[@dayanigunaratne1210]

Bravo!!

[@diedertspijkerboer]

I hope that Jesus can find my car keys. It would mean I have a car.

[@LubaFan]

Oh lord, won't you buy him a Mercedes Benz... 🎶

[@diedertspijkerboer]

@@LubaFan Thank you for your kind prayers. My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends 😉

[@lil-al]

@@diedertspijkerboer Jesus is too busy to find your car keys. He is too busy healing sick children, feeding the hungry and protecting the weak. Oh wait, no. Ok maybe you will get your car! Praise Jeebus!

[@diedertspijkerboer]

@@lil-al LOL

[@asandax6]

Jesus is real. Once my Teacher had lost her car keys and had looked for them for an Hour and than she prayed And the keys turned up. And she thanked Jesus.🙏 The only problem though is that I found the keys by Asking her where she has been and retraced her steps like a logical person would. I'm also an Atheist.

[@gertjanvandermeij4265]

There is ONE solution to end this silly endless discussion ....... Matt just have to say ..... " Hey god .... NOW ... is a real good time , to show yourself here ! " All those people there , would still be waiting there , right now ;-)

[@osascamp1002]

3000 years later still waiting

[@BillMorganChannel]

He did....it is called vision.....how much more evidence do you need Gert? How abou hearing? Digesting? Breathing? Ciruclation? Reproduction?

[@donaldcook2484]

Matt the man of critical thinking and logic!!! America the land of insecure and self righteous..

[@cdzlink7115]

I think people just like being in a community with other people and doing things together and encouraging each other. The strange beliefs are just the price of entry.

[@vegn_brit5176]

Matt is so unassuming!

[@david77james]

"so unassuming!"? The opposite is true. Matt thinks that by twisting facts and mixing & matching God's specific words, Matt can dupe EVERYBODY who listens to him & assumes that "Matt's words" are the gospel. You're funny! Typical, though, of people who want to make THE God "not be" by merely ascribing to twiddle twaddle of so called atheists who denigrate truth instead of seek it diligently. The godless exchange the truth of God for a lie, because they CHOOSE darkness over light. .

[@antediluvianatheist5262]

@@david77james Show these twisted facts. Odd that you make this bold claim, but name not one of them. Almost like you're talking out your arse.

[@YBMCAPRi]

@@david77james Provide some examples or proof, fool.

[@david77james]

@@antediluvianatheist5262 - Too involved for scoffers to understand. It'd take too much time, and you'd need to have a good skeptical ear. If you're hangin your hat on this guy's every word, you're a dupe, who is not looking for truth, and you're seeking to confirm that you can live out your perversions without restraint. .

[@david77james]

@@YBMCAPRi - It's mostly meant to be understood by those who know what Matt is doing. You all are dupes of his, and of anybody who claims we evolved like Pinocchio. .

[@499PUCK]

Yea Matt went to my home town. Niagara Falls

[@qhsperson]

Slowly, I turned... (Sorry, but it is required.)

[@jacibea]

499PUCK I live in Buffalo and I am SICK that I didn't know he was speaking in Amherst!! 😥

[@BillMorganChannel]

@@jacibea I was born in Amherst! Smallwood elementary and ACHS. Go Tigers!

[@n-silvabts9178]

Matt is my hero!

[@jonimaricruz1692]

I blame acquiring a taste for science fiction when I was about 13 for converting me to atheism, especially authors like Clarke, Heinlein, Asimov and so on. Thank you, gentlemen.

[@kheldaur2107]

Still it's incredible that someone would believe in an imaginary sky man who creates us as well as destroys us.

[@magicmaker211]

Science has been proving religion wrong, one verse at a time. Once science has overcome every claim in the bible people will still believe on Faith.

[@larryrohloff9468]

Absolute misinformed statement. The truth is - the more we learn thru science the more apparent the need for a creator. When Darwin theorized that all creatures derived from a single cell he had no idea of the complexity of a single cell. Today we see an actual code in dna sequencing within those cells. And, as you should know... code or language has never ever ever been observed as a byproduct of an undirected random cause. Scientifically speaking , if we find an instruction manual we must posit an intelligent mind behind those instructions. Just the tip of the iceberg as far as God and science go. God bless

[@campfireaddict6417]

@@larryrohloff9468 Larry please clarify "the more we learn thru science the more apparent the need for a creator". Ok?

[@larryrohloff9468]

@@campfireaddict6417 - Reread the original comment. I was walking in the woods. I came upon a single line of bricks in the ground. There were places in this line of bricks where they were 2 or 3 bricks high. My immediate conclusion was: At some point in time somebody had constructed a wall here. I dare you to tell me that if you had seen the same line of bricks I'd seen that 'perhaps the forces of nature had moved these bricks into place without purpose or reason'. If we can infer creation from a simple goemetric construction how can we look at the complexity of a single cell and infer random undirected process?

[@campfireaddict6417]

@@larryrohloff9468 The "creator" you refer to, is this the Abrahamic god of the bible?

[@larryrohloff9468]

@@campfireaddict6417 Once I'm convinced of a need for a creator then I start looking for that Creator. And, at this point , yes I conclude it is the God of Abraham. The One who was endorsed by Jesus Christ. Who's legitimized by the prophesies and His death and resurrection. If a man rises from the dead and shows Himself to over 500 people and is seen ascending into heaven I think we should take His message very seriously.

[@jasminejeanine2239]

I've solved SO many heated arguments by just checking what they mean by the words they use since this is a 100% INNOCENT non confrontational approach as I'm NOT fighting over words I'm ONLY insuring we're talking the same language which is why I phrase it as such.

[@queenoko719]

Phrase what

[@PhullyNo1]

Thank you for cutting out the stupid intros others LEAVE in. You’re so concise in editing and speaking.