My Chat with Bestselling Author and Radio Host Dennis Prager (THE SAAD TRUTH_ 1387)

Topics covered include: The Passover Haggadah, the Ten Commandments, Judaism, the functional benefits of religion, rituals (e.g., putting on Tefillin), God, wisdom, rationality, the existence of evil, free will, honoring your parents and your children, the marketing of religion (e.g., Islam versus Judaism), Shabbat dinners, the Talmud, and unconditional love.
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Dennis Prager's website: dennisprager.com
His latest book, The Rational Passover Haggadah: amzn.to/3q4SiYg
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[@GadSaad]

If you appreciate my work and would like to support it: subscribestar.com/the-saad-truth patreon.com/GadSaad paypal.me/GadSaad You can also click on the "Heart Thanks" icon immediately below the clip.

[@kathyleicester7306]

I always forget how delightful people can be, and then two of my favorites get together and I'm laughing and giggling. Thanks, guys.

[@kevinboothby5260]

The underground railway out of Canada just cracked me up .

[@Oneironaut9]

"Wisdom is the most important pursuit in life." - Dennis Prager Amen.

[@KawafuchiSensei]

Love seeing you and Prager interact. Please do it more often!

[@redpillcertified]

I want to see Gad Saad, Dennis Prager, Jordan Peterson, and Douglas Murray all sit down together.

[@caroljasmine6433]

Wonderful interview with my two favorites. A verse I love in Isaiah is God's invitation, "Come, let us reason together.". What a pleasure to hear the two of you reasoning together. Bless you both.

[@chrisschey7818]

Woke up this morning longing for something meaningful & good & was blessed with this conversation. "Wisdom is the most important pursuit in life." It explains everything, especially how good people can do bad things, often in the name of love. I appreciate you both so much. Bought the book💐

[@f5mando]

Brilliant - two of my favorite people ever. Thank you for this,Gad.

[@merxeddie6474]

A profound conversation conducted with joy.Soul food.

[@machtnichtsseimann]

Read "Think A Second Time" many years ago. Enjoyed it thoroughly. Some points made by Dennis in it I reflect upon to this day. 👍

[@stvbrsn]

I’m just listening now for the first time and during the ad I found myself reading the description. How on earth are they going f to cover all those topics in 34 minutes? Wow, I can’t wait. Just diving in now.

[@twest5418]

Outstanding Gad, I thoroughly enjoyed that.

[@Mia-xw1nh]

Lovely conversation x

[@lennartlindgren616]

Thanks a lot! Pursuit of wisdom beats good intentions every day of the year. Bought the book.

[@freshham7399]

Brilliant work, Sir

[@nonosays]

Two of my favorite humans, together at last!

[@michaelmclean150]

Funnily enough, my atheist friend did convert to Judaism through Prager's words.

[@deavman]

Twice, I got a ad for donating money to a project of converting a church to a mosque, all the while agreeing with Dennis on the importance of shabbat. שבת שלום.

[@12of15]

Two of my favorite people ❤!

[@CusterConnie]

I love them both - Denise Praeger and Gad Saad

[@rishifinkelstein7421]

Gad! Nice to see you again!

[@JSomerled]

The two of you together….the wisdom . I wish you two could collaborate more..

[@blastfromthepast185]

If only every young person would watch Pager U. videos, what a better world we would have.

[@jz5425]

Brilliant! Thank u so much!

[@jimdandy9671]

That was quite a compelling commercial anouncement there at the beginning of this video!

[@dash4800]

It's interesting to see so many people in the comments display the very sort of behavior that Gad is firmly against. How dare he talk to a religious man and not be entirely adversarial. "I don't like what Prager believes so Gas Saad should not have a pleasant conversation with him". How is it you can be fans of Gad and behave in ways that are so antithetical to everything he stands for?

[@justanotherhuman3890]

aren 't we so lucky to know the distiction of "forgiveness" .

[@insensitive919]

Thanks guys, now I'm even more confused. 👍 But at least you didn't call me a heretic, God Bless you both.

[@msfuerst1]

Dr Saad, you should put on Tefillin for YOURSELF. No one else 😘😘😇😇😇

[@jazura2]

Of course he did it for himself. Look more deeply.

[@TheChristianFilmmaker]

Very inspirational!

[@DrBrianKeating]

Two great Hebrew hunks

[@kitkat9459]

LOVE Dennis Prager!

[@pseudopetrus]

Smart man this Dennis!

[@msfuerst1]

Shabbos is the best. If you are ever in Manchester, UK please come join me.

[@jeremysnead9233]

It rains on the just and unust alike. We do not sin because our life is cursed nor do we sin because our life is blessed. We live according god commands so when the struggles comes rhey are mitigated. The tremendua success of the children of Iseral is undeniable as well as the calamities.

[@classicalnotes539]

I look forward to Gad's future PragerU videos. :)

[@insensitive919]

Oh be nice 👐

[@JDHobbs]

Judaism has such a great emphasis on scholarship, analysis and reasoned debate", along with studying the details of the written words in the Torah, Haftarah, and Talmud. I've never found any post-modern work on these texts but it likely exists, maybe in some of the more progressive congregation(?).

[@PeterQuentercrimsonbamboo]

This Canadian in Vancouver will join you on that railroad trip in an instant !

[@featuredpage]

Both of these men subscribe to the idea that "the simplest answer is usually correct". The "simplest" answer is that there is no god, certainly no caring god. Why do people cling to this belief in god that continues to bring nothing but suffering?

[@randomuser6306]

There are a few problems with your arguments. The first is a case of question begging. it is simpler that there is no God? Based on what? Nothing is simpler than something, and yet we do not observe nothing. Why? Belief in God, or God, brings nothing but suffering? Did you watch the video? Dennis gave a great example of how when they removed the ability of teachers to say 'God bless you' in public school, now we have students cursing out their teachers on a daily basis. The common grace God gives to his enemies (those in rebellion against God, some obvious examples are you and I, and Hitler) is that he causes the rain to fall on the just and unjust. He causes the sun to shine on everyone. Here you are, all your physical needs met, living in the abundance of the 21st century complaining? Are you aware of the struggles of your great grandparents? Did they curse God for making their lives hard?

[@featuredpage]

@@randomuser6306 Thank you for your reply, you have done nothing but prove my over all point "god makes it rain on the just and unjust" I'm pretty sure science can explain why it rains and it has nothing to do with an imaginary sky being. I think "christian" morality is a good thing, I think religion brings comfort to people (as well a a TON of pain) but to give credit for my life an happiness to anyone other than Joe Pesci seems foolhardy.

[@randomuser6306]

@@featuredpage You stated (and I'm still unclear which you mean) that either belief in God, or God Himself brings nothing but suffering, when this is indisputably not the case. God's common grace, by definition, means that good things come to all. How is that 'nothing but suffering'? Likewise belief in God means that ALL humans are bearers of His image and are worthy of respect and love. "Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you" is the extension of this. How, exactly, does loving your enemies and praying for people's wellbeing bring 'nothing but suffering'?

[@theopoiesis]

¡Que grande Dennis!

[@martynspooner5822]

There are kids who have abusive parents who definitely do not deserve being honoured. Thankfully these are a tiny minority.

[@genzcurmudgeon8037]

Yes, and as Dennis says when discussing these topics, there are always exceptions. Your dad sexually abused you? Not worthy of honour. Your dad voted for trump and you Hillary? still worthy of honour.

[@debraleonelli6457]

I think believers lead better lives. Not all, but most🙏

[@jane---489]

*_There is nothing wrong with learning about the many religions , but I'm going to follow my own path and go where my heart leads me ..._*

[@pathacker4963]

Me too Jane. Been following that path for 71 years. Can still look myself in the face in the mirror…that’s my test. And I didn’t need the threat of gods wrath to do that. I just knew it was the right thing.

[@ceecee6679]

Love should evoke tears.

[@chrisschey7818]

Most pain does.

[@pathacker4963]

I just have a complaint that Dennis put his fireside chats with Otto behind a paywall. I would pay if I could. But I can’t.

[@pathacker4963]

@@juliank2442 why not KZbin? But thanks I will look into those alternatives.

[@charlesstanford1310]

Camille Paglia says she doesn't believe in God, but she does believe that God is our greatest idea. Alain de Botton has made similar points about the value of religiosity.

[@randomuser6306]

Existence is greater than non-existence. A great idea about something that doesn't exist is useless.

[@bigbuck64]

You two need more than just half an hour . Please have another talk for at least an hour and a half.

[@sharpsbattle]

I'm a big fan of Gad and Dennis, so this was a treat. Plus I'm not talking to mom the last few years (an asymmetrical respect thing) so I felt a little guilty. Great interview! Thanks Mr. Saad. I hope someday you and I can leave this country and make it south to the promise land, haha.

[@Mick-dx2yi]

Talk to your mom every chance you get, asymmetrically. When someone leaves this world the guilt stays with those left behind.

[@lvrichardson7966]

You only have one mother, and she's not going to last forever. If forgiveness and reconciliation are possible, you won't regret pursuing those things. Moms get old and change, just as everyone does. Even if change is off the table for her, it's not off the table for you. Just bring your best self, and take your mother as she is, as she comes, not as you would wish her to be.

[@sharpsbattle]

Why is everyone taking her side? Yeah, your probably right. When you love your parents but they still treat you like a kid, even when your married and run your own business, the lack of respect can really hurt. I'll see what I can do. Thanks for commenting.

[@lvrichardson7966]

@@sharpsbattle We're taking your side. :-) We're saving you from a future filled with regret, guilt, and sadness when the time comes for your parents to get old and die while you're upset that they still treat you like you're their baby and it's annoying, but not tragic. Tragic is not reconciling with your parents while you still can. When they're gone they're gone. They might not be acting their best, but you can. Change your expectations and take your parents as they are. You will never regret it.

[@Slain42]

@GadSaad Can you make a video commenting on what's happening in Ukraine?

[@dianav948]

Agree, it would be interesting to hear your perspective.

[@taylorbryanne8942]

Excellent discussion. Always love hearing Prager talk about religion

[@TheWizardonline]

Careful with the choices of your Guests... DO Your Research....

[@TheWizardonline]

Too late

[@JohnOliverY]

You trust Gad’s on your side?

[@TheWizardonline]

@@JohnOliverY What's my side? BTW I simply hopping he will research the mentioned 'soon' to be guest...

[@anne-marienordin7636]

👏👏👏👏

[@AG-io5wr]

From the first sentence Dennis speaks he exposes the gap in his logic. Gads' first sentence puts the icing on that cupcake.

[@goncalo.realestate]

Great guest! Love to hear you both 😍

[@justanotherhuman3890]

I really think the advertising could be served in a more classy manner... for example: as a banner link at the bottom fo the video. What do you think?

[@FUToob]

Paradise is a Box.

[@AndyfromWrexham]

Babies born with agonising bone cancer has nothing to do with humans doing evil to each other. God is either allowing innocent babies to scream in agony all the way to death(which is heartbreakingly cruel) or maybe there is no invisible super-spirit who loves us. We are on our own, there is no salvation, it's almost childish. But we do have each other and it's braver to accept that we have a few decades and that is the totality of our existence. I don't like this because I want immortality but I also want truth. I like Dennis, he seems cultured with his love of classical music and great literature which I share. But it seems obvious to me that God is a figment of our imagination in order to help us cope. It's babyish.

[@davidhunt7427]

*_Either God can do nothing to stop catastrophes or he doesn't care to or he doesn't exist._* *_God is either: impotent, evil, or imaginary._* *_Take your pick, and choose wisely._* ~ Sam Harris ... or maybe there is no means to bring about sentience and sapience *_except_* by means of predation, death, and horror in nature. If God is constrained by truth & Logical Necessity also,.. then perhaps the choice is between sentience with a full awareness of the struggle to survive and prosper,.. or the life of a slug who is given no intelligence because intelligence isn't require for the slug to live as a slug does. To make this little thought experiment as real as it can get,... suppose you wanted to create a world full of sentience, sapience, and self-awareness,.. and the only means to do so was by means of the struggle for survival in nature in which living animals are literally torn apart and eaten by predators and in which all life is parasitic upon other life. Personally, if this were the only choices given to me,.. I would say no to the whole affair as being too cruel to bear. Somehow,.. I don't think this makes me better or more moral than God,.. but does that also mean that God was wrong to make different choices that either I or you would have in the same circumstances? While Humanity can readily imagine life, love, and thought without suffering,.. can such things arise in nature by means other than by a literal struggle to come into being. Consider that every living being possesses a will to survive,.. and not a single thing yet created by Humanity. How does one go about imparting a will to live to anything one may build? For that matter,.. can anyone give an explanation for how consciousness, much less free will, can arise out of Physics? A light switch on the wall may be on or off,.. but no one would suppose the light switch itself knows this, or anything at all. And yet we must be aware. I would also like to ask Sam Harris, _if there is no free will,.. _*_why have consciousness at all then?!?_* To carry this a little farther,.. which do you think will likely occur first: fully sentient and sapient machines,.. or neurolinked telepathy?... and if our self-aware machines should inherently suffer because to be self-aware is to be vulnerable ( *_I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream_* kzbin.info/www/bejne/gYCZfHuHhaydq5Y, by Harlan Ellison for instance ),.. what then should we do?!? Is there any means by which such machines could satisfy you that the machines are indeed alive,.. other than by means of such telepathy? Remember Ray Kurzweil's past track record in successfully predicting technological trends,.. and that he believes a machine will be able to consistently pass the Turing Test by 2029. Last question: _Do you really want immortality,.. or just not to die?_ meaning,.. what would you do with immortality anyway? If right now you had to choose between the mortal life you presently have,.. or immortality defined anyway you like (no pain, aging, bodily suffering) but you can never die at all,.. ever!!... what are you going to choose,... really! Try not to make the same mistake King Midas did and not think this through all the way. Me,.. I'm autistic,.. and I have already found one lifetime being autistic is more than enough; an eternity being autistic would be a literal hell for me,.. and if God should fix it so I was no longer autistic,.. that would be nice,.. but the result would no longer be me either.

[@davidhunt7427]

*_If by God we mean not the creative vitality of nature but a supreme being intelligent and benevolent, the answer must be a reluctant negative. Like other departments of biology, history remains at bottom a natural selection of the fittest individuals and groups in a struggle wherein goodness receives no favors, misfortunes abound, and the final test is the ability to survive. Add to the crimes, wars, and cruelties of man the earthquakes, storms, tornadoes, pestilences, tidal waves, and other “acts of God” that periodically desolate human and animal life, and the total evidence suggests either a blind or an impartial fatality, with incidental and apparently haphazard scenes to which we subjectively ascribe order, splendor, beauty, or sublimity. If history supports any theology this would be a dualism like the Zoroastrian or Manichaean: a good spirit and an evil spirit battling for control of the universe and men’s souls. These faiths and Christianity (which is essentially Manichaean) assured their followers that the good spirit would win in the end; but of this consummation history offers no guarantee. Nature and history do not agree with our conceptions of good and bad; they define good as that which survives, and bad as that which goes under; and the universe has no prejudice in favor of Christ as against Genghis Khan._* ~ Will Durant *_I feel for all faiths the warm sympathy of one who has come to learn that even the trust in reason is a precarious faith, and that we are all fragments of darkness groping for the sun._* ~ Will Durant

[@allansand3036]

That was a pleasure

[@mercenaryknight5419]

Would love to see you talk with Ben Shapiro sometime too.

[@pseudopetrus]

Jesus loved the children, and he was a knowledgable jew who was teaching in the temple!

[@mikewitty2001]

Honor your children, or rather do not annoy them is in the Bible, somewhere in the old testament

[@gerardterveer9026]

Good wine needs no bush.

[@catwoman7462]

Any god who could but refuses to stop millions of people being slaughtered isn't a god I want anything to do with. You just have to look at god's record in the bible and he's an appalling character who kills on a whim.

[@randomuser6306]

And why do you think millions of people being slaughtered is an objectively bad thing? You didn't state why you object to it. And no, God waited 400 years whilst the Amalekites et al sacrificed children to Molech by burning them alive before He judged them. You'd know this if you 'took one look' at the Torah. But you haven't.

[@lvrichardson7966]

For some reason I was under the impression that Gad is an atheist. I'm not sure where I got that idea. Guess I was wrong.

[@damianop100]

I've heard him say he is an atheist. He also refers to himself as a Jew, a cultural not a religious Jew I believe, which Prager would consider an oxymoron but would have no desire to insult Gad or anyone else.

[@catwoman7462]

I thought it came across very clearly that he's not a believer.

[@insensitive919]

@@catwoman7462 not a trace, of doubt in my mind

[@VelkePivo]

If God is truly omnipotent, "He" could have created us with free will and unable to commit immoral acts. To say otherwise is to say God is constrained

[@AnnaMishel]

I can’t see how art would be a good investment, when there are food shortages etc.

[@jazura2]

One is food shortages and the other is long term investment. Apple and oranges.

[@Anastasia91000]

Am currently reading "The Lost Gospel of Judas Escariot." By Bart D. Ehrman. I am curious what other people's thoughts are on this book?

[@tdevry]

Always wanted to read it.....thanks for reminding me.

[@randomuser6306]

Bart likes to create contradictions where none exist. Watch Mike Winger prove this.

[@Anastasia91000]

@@randomuser6306 on KZbin or in a book?

[@randomuser6306]

@@Anastasia91000 here on YT

[@mikefixac]

Two most delightful men. I’m a big fan of Dennis Prager, but I don’t think he’d care for me because of my atheism, though you two got along well.

[@jazura2]

Yes he would

[@jesusjohnny8286]

It's bizarre that if you stop and start watching this you get a Muslim advert every single time. Lol, that's funny.

[@penfro]

Honour your father and mother. What if one, or the other, or both, are pricks? What if one or the other, or both, are authoritarians? Any idiot can be a parent.

[@jazura2]

Listen again to what he said.

[@mcleodkirk1]

Great interview! I love both of these guys

[@classicalnotes539]

Gad and Dennis - two great minds together!

[@insensitive919]

If "unconditional love" is such a post-modern myth, why would a belief in the Judeo-Christian God ever be required? Christian ideology kinda centers around altruistic ideals, this altruism requires that you give the benefit of the doubt to even us evil Godless Samaritans, does it not? I was raised Catholic, I am very familiar with that parable and I feel like I was lied to. Religious people just don't practice what they preach, and they always have some theological excuse when they screw up, it's just so tiresome. The cultists of Christianity spent centuries bullying us free-thinkers by the means of extremely dire threats, and they act like we're the ones that started it all. You guys have centuries of oppression to clean up, and you seriously expect the communist left to take all the blame for our broken society? My. Effing. Sides.

[@randomuser6306]

'this altruism requires that you give the benefit of the doubt to even us evil Godless Samaritans, does it not?' You know, the first person Jesus revealed Himself to be the Messiah to was a Samaritan woman who was living in adultery? The rest of your post is whining that people aren't perfect. Wow. Deep.

[@thePatHammon]

Judaism does not "come out of nowhere". all of it's core elements were taken whole-cloth from then extant religions, particularly the ancient Egyptian's. in fact, the exact example Dennis gave was imported directly and with minimal alteration from the Egyptian faith (IE: An invisible god that judges you after death)

[@scarecrowscarecrow2621]

To understand the truth I believe your question should be rephrased. You asked; if God took the Jews out of Egypt why didn't God take the Jews out of Europe? That is the same as saying, why didn't god save the Jews from being killed in Europe like He did in Egypt. What could be asked is; What is the difference, historical, spiritual (the worldwide knowledge that the Bible was given to the Jewish people at Mt. Sinai) and otherwise, that necessitated God's direct overt intervention then (Egypt thousands of years ago where Jews died from backbreaking slave labor and infants were thrown into the mixture of cement if the Jews could not produce enough bricks,) as to the more recent European world wars. Your question omits the point that there was death and destruction in both instances!

[@bassbrothers5017]

Who wants to see Gad do a DNA test and do a video about the results? I do!!!!!

[@insensitive919]

He isn't Ben Sharpiro lol

[@jazura2]

Why?

[@maricacullingham4785]

Just watch a few Netflix series and you will see that hating your parents is supposedly the normal thing to do! I stopped watching. It’s so depressing. Thank God my sons grew up with solid Judeo-Christian values!

[@MrJonty777]

Oh dear, I enjoy them all but not this one.

[@adidabax6809]

OK, I guess 'artwork' is a good investment so some millionaires. But, the reason isn't JPM who manipulates most things the average shlub invests in.

[@lvrichardson7966]

That was a paid promotion. Gad got paid for promoting the art investment. It's something KZbinrs do.

[@JohnOliverY]

🙄

[@davidhunt7427]

Why is it a common supposition that if God does not exist,.. there can be no meaning? I would love a discussion about this because apparently this statement is regarded as a self-evident axiom that has always baffled me. This sentiment seems like a *_non sequitur_* to me,.. so would anyone here care to explain it to me here. It seems similar to a small child absolutely insisting that the adults around them not do anything else at all except pay attention to what the child is doing. Perhaps it would help to understand me to know that being involuntarily autistic (if the science is to be believed, I was conceived this way), as well as being a severely depressive person (my mother was manic-depressive; I, fortunately, only got the depressive attribute, but gained the autistic), the Hindu idea that Nirvana comes at the end of the cycle of reincarnation, and consists then of oblivion only,.. has always been very attractive to me. No hypergamous women ever wanted to marry me (can't really blamed them considering how much involuntary unemployment I've had to endure), and whenever such women do marry autistic men,.. it soon ends in divorce (check the statistics for yourself; it's horrifying). But I also have to ask,... *_Does anyone REALLY want to exist forever?!?_* The Universe we inhabit is some 13.8 billions years old,.. will probably go on for several more trillion years we are told,.. and to never die in it would seem to be condemned to a living purgatory, at best! Am I wrong? What is there about eternity in Heaven that would make it endurable,.. much less gratifying; the only answer I've ever been able to imagine for myself is that I would be in the actual presence of God forever. Maybe that should be enough,.. but it isn't. One lifetime being autistic is already more than enough for me. I promise you,.. an eternity being autistic would be a living hell for me, as I suspect it would also be for you. And if God were to make me so I wasn't autistic anymore,.. that would be nice,.. but whatever was the result,.. it definitely wouldn't be *_me_* anymore,.. no matter how much I might otherwise wish it could be so. *Who Loves God More...* The one who seeks God for righteousness sake, or for salvation’s sake. Over my years I have imagined myself in several religious fantasies. I’ve imagined myself at the Sanhedrin trial of Jesus en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanhedrin_trial_of_Jesus where I would ask my own questions of Jesus and of Caiaphas. I have also often asked myself if the following proposition were offered to me, should I accept it. The proposition is that I agree to go to hell alone without even a tormentor for company, with no further possibility of achieving salvation, to be lost and forgotten by everyone, even by God; in exchange everyone else in hell achieves salvation. Even Satan and the one third of the angels that fell with him go back to God. Even the absolutely unrighteous get forgiven and go back to God. Notice that my question is not would I accept this proposition, but should I accept it. Would you? What do you think you should do if offered this choice. What would Jesus do, you think? I am asking, would you be willing to be the forgotten and neglected Christ who does not get to rise to Heaven or ever be praised for your sacrifice, but instead achieves salvation for everyone else, except yourself? *_I have not served God from fear of hell for I should be a wretched hireling if I served Him from fear; nor from love of heaven for I should be a bad servant if I served for what is given; I have served Him only for love of Him and desire for Him._* ~ al-Hasan al-Basri (642-728) When I was six and attending Baptist Sunday school, my class was given a lecture on heaven and hell, death and the afterlife. When the lecture was over, I asked, *Is there free will in the afterlife?* Apparently no one else had ever asked this question. I was told that, _No, there is no free will in the afterlife because then good deeds could be done in hell, while bad deeds could be done in heaven. But all that is already sorted out before anyone dies, so there is no room for moral agency after one is dead._ So then I asked, *If I don’t take my body with me, and I don’t take my free will with me, why am I supposed to care about having an afterlife at all?* The reaction I got was very surprising at the time, and at 67 it is still surprising. In response, I was told, _Don’t ask such silly questions, and stop being a smartass._ That was the end of the discussion. It was not long before I made myself a prayer, which I have always kept in my heart and in my mind. *_Dear Lord, let it be your will that will direct my life. Not as I would choose, nor as any person would choose, nor as any religious text would choose, but as you, dear Lord, would choose for me. This being done, I am content._* I am now curious. Although I may dot my I’s and cross my T’s differently from you, in your own faith, do I sound like someone who would be damned for my honest trust and questions? *_Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear._* ~ Thomas Jefferson I believe that as a racist bigot must die to the person he has been when he hates, the unrighteous person must die to the person they have been before they can turn toward the one true God. Such a death is frightening because it requires one to abandon the only sense of identity one has ever had. It requires one to leap into an unknown stranger’s identity and to trust it will be better than what one has always known. For the fear of hell I could not do such a thing. I doubt many of us could. For the love of righteousness I can do such a thing easily. As naturally as a simple child loves and is loved by their parents. I am asking the question *Why do I love God?* Do I stand before God with the attitude that he is the biggest, baddest, tyrant of all? Do I respect God for fear’s sake or for admiration’s sake? If I could serve God best by losing my own personal salvation, then should I? I ask you… What is the prize? --------------------------------------------- I wrote the above originally back in 1986, and while my views have evolved somewhat, I still substantially agree with what I stated above. I've been told that my greatest, and most dangerous heresy, is that I like God,... more than I love God, or fear God, or hate God,... I like God. I feel comfortable about God in the same manner that I am comfortable with all of existence. And my most happy and most selfish desire is to give myself to righteousness for it is only by submitting myself to that which is greater than myself can I ever hope to find myself at all. But what is righteousness? Is it submission to authority? And which authority do we submit to? Is it always the same standard of value in all cases, or does right and wrong depend upon the context always? Does morality require supernaturalism in order to be perfectly grounded? The thought that a repentant Nazi (with *_Gott mit uns_* on his belt buckle) went to Heaven while Anne Frank is in Hell makes my soul shudder. I regard God not as a wishing well, or a means not to die, and especially not as a guarantee that others will spend an eternity in hell and damnation,... but as the perfect embodiment of righteousness, whatever that may mean. God is my sign, my landmark, my goal, my thirst for truth, value, and what is right for it's own sake and not merely instrumental in gaining some personal advantage. As all mathematics rely upon the existence of axioms, which are self-evidently true statements requiring no further effort to prove,... I find that God is the necessary axiom from which every truth flows. As a libertarian, my most fundamental value is free will. But, so long as there is free will, there will always be evil,... or, at least, the possibility of evil. *_Liberty is always dangerous, but it is the safest thing we have._* ~ Harry Emerson Fosdick I hope I've have given you something to consider,... and, as always, I would appreciate everyone's thoughts and comments in reply.

[@davidhunt7427]

The following is from what I hope will be on my gravestone so as to provoke a thoughtful reaction from anyone passing by in happenstance. I offer it now as a thoughtful alternative to an afterlife of merely heaven, hell, purgatory, reincarnation, or the many other imagined possibilities. *The Lake* *_It is said by some that there is a place where a bright, clear, mountain lake resides, a place where people of this world never visit. To attempt to describe it is possible, but all such tales are probably just fancy. Be that as it may, here is how it was described to me, in my sleep, by the spring rain, when I was still very small and trusting. I was very certain at the time that the rain had not lied or exaggerated, but as I grew older I came to doubt. This would seem to be our way. How sad._* *_The rain told me that the air at the lake was fresh and clean and yet so thin that I would faint were I to be there. This lake was in the midst of a forest of giant pine trees that appeared to reach forever to the skies above. In contemplating these trees one would wonder if this lake were not really just a small puddle on the forest floor. But as all bodies of water were the same to my singing spring rain, I imagine these distinctions had simply gone unnoticed._* *_There was something most remarkable about this lake. For I was told that all the souls of all the men & women & little children like myself washed through this water. There seemed to be some hint that all of life had passed by and was passing by this oasis whose place could not be named. As each new life was made, a handful of water was removed from the lake and placed within a mortal body. Day by day the water would be made purer or filthier as that life spent it’s limited time in the world. When that life was done, the water that had been given to it was returned to the lake as it's body was returned to dust._* *_And such was how all the hope and travail of life would come to each new generation. Some would succeed more than it would seem they should and so returned to the lake the courage and celebration that they had made of their lives. Others learned the habit of fear and distrust in their lives when they were very young and so took very meanly of every opportunity as only a threat. They only returned water that was foul and putrid for what else did they ever know._* *_And so I was told, that was how it was with me and everyone who ever had been, or was, or would be. Parts of me had passed through many lives and parts of me were utterly new and untried. Parts of me would live other lives again and others would be forever still when I was done. None of us was ever created entirely alone nor could we ever be, for like the air and water of this world, which we all communally use and of which our bodies are literally made, our souls are unique and yet all made of the same stuff. How many times would you have to draw water from a lake to draw the same handful? Or is it just a silly question? I don’t know. Somehow it just doesn’t seem to be a very important question now._* *_What would be an important question anyway?_*

[@jn3750]

Rational roads to GoDD? This is the only episode so far, Gad, that is full of BS.

[@cameronidk2]

I Believe Prague U is defeatistly a good thing. I approve of Mr. Prager's mission and Goals... He himself i found a bit Pompous .. a bit .. he just rubs me weird personally .. ... It mostly Stem from an interview with JBP... Oddly enough he claims to not be a mystic but if you watch that interview he talks about how he has always been able to spot good people based on first impressions.. like it was some sort of power

[@Podcastforthewin]

You summed up exactly what i was thinking. He gives off a very authoritative personality, but something about him just puts me off.

[@pathacker4963]

Fair enough. That’s what makes us human. That’s where I am on Brett Weinstein and his wife. I agree with a lot they say, buuuuut.

[@dylanfreethy3005]

What you are still here. I thought you were leaving the dictatorship that is Canada or is just more empty threats.

[@sandorfintor]

Wholesome chat, yet I remain a *Rational Atheist*, as dictated by my err...RATIONALITY.

[@antitheistvegan]

I don’t understand you Gad. How can you be in alignment with Prager?! It’s not to say that everything he says is wrong.. but his views on religion/god are insane.

[@Blackwindzero]

Alignment how?

[@antitheistvegan]

@@Blackwindzero well.. Gad is not a believer, yet he doesn’t push back on any one of the crazy things Prager says. He appears instead to be more aligned and in agreement rather than respond with reason and logic against unreasonable, illogical statements.

[@Blackwindzero]

@@antitheistvegan He (not neccessarily) agrees with the outcome, not the fundamental principles. He's being hospitible. When engaging with people with good will, you first find common ground. To invite a guest and be contentious rather than let them speak is inhospitible. This was not a debate. The was a conversation. The audience can decide for themselves, you dont need Gaad Sad to put them in their place. You wouldn't even have a chance to disagree with the dewd if Gaad had interrupted him.

[@dianamills5243]

The worst Saad interview I have ever seen. Saad listens to babble and challenges none of it.

[@jazura2]

Anything specific?

[@dianamills5243]

@@jazura2 The unexamined arguments in saying that God exists, the age of Judaism, the significance of the '10 commandments' (there are 2-3 versions)(and different Jewish and Christian takes), his talk of 'Judeo-Christian' values (I have no idea what they are). And that is just from memory! Gad just nods along....unlike every other interview I have seen him do, where he at least play's Devil's Advocate to clarify ideas.

[@evillink1]

I actually learned a thing or two. Go figure.