religion is ridiculous Sam Harris

[@coachcastle666]

Anyone believe they actually have a God have the courage to debate me, or did your God not give you a spine, balls, or a brain? My email is in the description. I know most of you have no ability to think for yourselves. But it should be very easy to make me look Foolish since I know nothing about religion. Waiting for your email cowards.

[@justins.5222]

Get em

[@ianmarkhammes2071]

You sound like a fool. I have been educated not to debate fools. Especially one's with big mouths.

[@davidjanbaz7728]

LOL 😆 fools always rush in as you R doing!

[@coachcastle666]

​@davidjanbaz7728 anyone at all in the entire world who wants to debate me about, biomechanics, physics, biotensegrity, exercise, cardio, biochemistry, diet philosophy or brainless religious morons my email is in the description and I will obliterate you in under 5 minutes. Anyone at all or are you all cowards? I have 7 books, countless articles, 1000s of hours of evidence based education, you scum have nothing but opinions. I won't hold my breath for you brainless cowards 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@richardlee7310]

If you are interested in religion seek out someone who lives a religious life in prayer. If you only seek reassurance about your apostasy consider why you need that reassurance. Atheists, by definition, have no clue, comprehension or (really) interest in religion: why waste their time talking about it? Why waste your time listening?

[@barrylyndongurley]

I wish it were otherwise, but the people who still believe uncritically in Bronze Age myths and act out accordingly, are delaying the point in history where we might otherwise live in peace, free of pointlessly divisive, religious violence.

[@glennthompson1971]

Well stated!

[@stephenglasse9756]

What makes you think they're uncritical? Were all the founders of science most of whom were theists "uncritical"? Was Isaac Newton uncritical? Are people today like Prof John Lennox Prof John Sanford Prof Alvin plantinga Prof Stuart Burgess etc who are all far more advanced in their fields of science and philosophy "uncritical"? Isn't that rather presumptuous even foolish of you? Could it be in fact sam Harris with his brain dead argument that 'because Zeus and Odin and Krishna don't exist therefore no God exists' who is uncritical?

[@scambammer6102]

@@stephenglasse9756 ancient scientists were religious for the same reason most people today are religion: indoctrination and social pressure. Science made progress IN SPITE OF such restrictions. Thanks for proving the OP correct.

[@EllasPOSEiDON]

​@@stephenglasse9756wake up from the delusion.

[@stephenglasse9756]

@@EllasPOSEiDON that's a very inadequate response. You haven't provided ANY evidence that the founders of the scientific method were uncritical and arguably the success of the scientific method PROVES God exists. The early founders believed there was a divine lawgiver who had created a lawful universe. As Einstein admitted "a priori one would expect a chaotic universe" yet it runs according to laws. The assumptions based as they were on theism confirm theism every time science works. See THE FALL OF MAN AND THE FOUNDATIONS OF SCIENCE by oxford prof Peter Harrison.

[@jrlagoni]

Brilliant and succinct. Thank you Sam Harris; you are a beacon of light on this immensely important subject.

[@rajachan8588]

No one can articulate this better than Sam. He’s logical, precise and ultimately, compelling.

[@StimParavane]

There is a spiritual dimension. Learn to connect with it through either prayer or meditation.

[@leslieviljoen]

​@@StimParavane have you considered that prayer can be a kind of confirmation bias training system? Sam does plenty of meditation and has done psychedelics but doesn't consider any of those experiences to be evidence of a spiritual dimension.

[@omar9987]

@@StimParavane Nutjob.

[@tormid100]

Can I kindly ask you to read Christopher Hitchens.

[@StimParavane]

@@leslieviljoen That's because he hasn't done enough practice and is operating at a shallow intellectual level. Simple. An authentic spiritual experience is not like anything else you will ever encounter.

[@HJC1950]

As an old man hurtling towards oblivion, I find Sam Harris' calm discussions comforting in this mad world we live in.

[@wesselsmith172]

I want to say: My heart pains for you being old nearing end of life. Please don't bank your eternity on Sam Harris' opinions. Please read my post to Sam Harris below - and at least consider it.

[@JosephHurtsellers]

Glad my senior years are WAY better. It's not too late... Fine meaning and I will tell you how. Turn this fake crap off and go make a difference in the life of a child!! I'm embarrassed that I have to point this out! ☺️

[@skiphoffenflaven8004]

Exactly. The best parts of humanity are what matter. One can focus on those and live a great life. Great can equal calm, focused, empathic, and knowledgable.

[@skiphoffenflaven8004]

@@JosephHurtsellersWhy would you comment here, in this fashion (and elsewhere, as you have)?

[@skiphoffenflaven8004]

@@wesselsmith172People have considered it. That is the point. They do not come to the same conclusions as you have. Do you get it? Can you? Will you?

[@amateurcameraman]

Forget the Shakespeare analogy. If J K Rowling had been around 2,000 years ago. Half the world would now be worshipping the great prophet Harry Potter and all his 'miracles'!!

[@kparcparc4230]

2,OOO years from now they will.

[@MasterSpade]

“One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we've been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We're no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It is simply too painful to acknowledge -- even to ourselves - that we've been (taken.) so credulous. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back. (So the old bamboozles tend to persist as the new bamboozles rise.)” - Carl Sagan (in other words, when someone is “In Too Deep” they no longer care about the truth. Instead, they care more about keeping that lie/belief alive)

[@Jack-qz4sm]

The sunk cost fallacy comes to mind, I know a Christian who I'm sure if the historicity of a devine Jesus was proven to be untrue she would still believe he existed. Living in her own fantasy is more important than the truth

[@randallpickering9944]

That could well be said of TFG supporters.

[@gerryhanly3194]

If people like Sam were running countries the world would be a far better place. I'm so glad I found him even at a late stage in my life.

[@anthonycraddock6739]

Well done Sam for counteracting people with 6th century mentality in the 21st age of reasoning and evidence and not irrational blind faith

[@PetraKann]

6th century mentality is lining up for mRNA Gene Transfection Therapies like a good obedient sheep. Not questioning anything then lying about it afterwards. We are what emerges during a crisis. And we saw what came out of the pit didnt we

[@trouble820]

Sam Harris also says free will is an illusion so how are these people choosing their beliefs?

[@counterculture10]

​@@trouble820 Not sure that's Sam's position. Sam tends to say "the evidence we have now suggests..." I don't know if he or any other neuroscientist has made any definitive claims on the subject.

[@anthonycraddock6739]

@@trouble820 by dogmatic indoctrination passed on from peer to peer. A form of child abuse. If a child is told often enough that they will burn in a non existant place for being naughty naughty, then they will be terrified of the consequences for not believing . Let children grow up to decide for themselves what to believe. You dont need religion to be a good person. Treat those as you would like yourself to be treated , with respect .

[@trouble820]

@@counterculture10 he literally wrote a book on this called "Free Will". It is a major blindspot in his scientism ontology.

[@LeeJonathanSlutzky]

I admire Sam very much; his calmness and clarity are great. He never gets thrown off is so intelligent.

[@markmooroolbark252]

Have you heard him talk about Trump? It is quite frightening. Don't tell me that his unhinged views and beliefs in that sphere are not relevant to his beliefs about religion. If my therapist comes highly recommended but I hear he thinks conservatives should be viewed as Nazis and the man they voted for should be brought down by any means available regardless of whether it is lawful or not do you think I would want to hear his advice and how to live my best life?

[@aaronpannell6401]

​@@markmooroolbark252what has he said about Trump that isn't true or you disagree with?

[@markmooroolbark252]

@@aaronpannell6401 He believes "some Nazis are very fine people" LIE. CNN are currently editing the footage of Trump saying :"go PEACEFULLY and PATRIOTICALLY to have your voices heard at the Capitol Building". This very day CNN showed edited footage where they deleted those words and put in the moment where he said "we have to fight!" No doubt Harris will be apoplectic when he sees it. He believed the Trump collusion lie. He has ignored concrete evidence of the Biden corruption and the entire media and Big Tech cover up of the Hunter Biden Laptop which influenced the outcome of the election and said he supports the media's lies and censorship if it harms Trump. How can anyone take the fool seriously after those words came from his mouth? He is deranged when it comes to politics. And he is filled with rage. Trump's orange make up and hair clearly does something to the psyche of left leaning humans. It's fascinating. The media have lied about him every day since he announced his decision to run for the republican nomination and Harris has swallowed it all like an ignorant little muppet.

[@scambammer6102]

@@markmooroolbark252 "the man they voted for should be brought down by any means available regardless of whether it is lawful" name one liberal who has said that you fg liar. Now we know why you like trump. Liars have to stick together.

[@ThePetlowany]

@@markmooroolbark252 For all the years that I've read and listened to Harris, I honestly can't imagine him delivering "unhinged views and beliefs". Details, please.

[@rccjd5080]

A very articulate and well-reasoned response. Thanks, Sam.

[@josephno1347]

Sam has the ability and patience to tell it like it is

[@scambammer6102]

the universe may be vast, strange and unknown, but the word "god" and all of its attributes were invented by humans. We aren't going to stumble across a god hiding behind a planet somewhere.

[@marioncarbonell6047]

@@scambammer6102the only concept of God that makes sense to me is how Baruch Spizona described it, “God is the one infinite substance who possesses an infinite number of attributes each expressing an eternal aspect of his/her nature.” Kinda like pantheism, but for now, I’m still agnostic.

[@tignight3645]

He tells it as he sees it. If you see it as he does, then you think he tells ot as it is, but if you don"t agree he is full of shit.

[@jeffforsythe9514]

How did you find out like it is? What do you know for sure?

[@scambammer6102]

@@marioncarbonell6047 sounds like gibberish "infinite substance" "infinite number" whatever. and why is everything (his/her) gendered. Here's an idea, instead of trying to fabricate a god why not just follow the evidence wherever it leads. BTW spinoza was widely considered to be an atheist in his own time, and even if his idea of "god" is correct it is meaningless. It's another god = nature thing. so what?

[@Dankpuffin]

I look at a religious person and wonder how they can make such a huge leap without any proof. It boggles my mind and breaks my brain.

[@EclecticDiscus]

Thank God. for Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, Lawrence Krauss and Richard Dawkins.

[@CarDaddy24]

😂

[@StimParavane]

There is a spiritual dimension. Learn to connect with it through either prayer or meditation.

[@EclecticDiscus]

@@StimParavane Every, EVERY prayer study Ever done shows Prayer effects Nothing!

[@StimParavane]

@@EclecticDiscus It affects your own mind. You open yourself to receive divine energy and guidance.

[@EclecticDiscus]

@@StimParavane Nonsense, Show the Evidence, extreme claims require extreme evidence. You have nothing more than a belief without evidence and that is immoral.

[@cato451]

Yup. Sam nailed it. Religious people are frightening.

[@warren52nz]

*_You can't change the mind of someone who's had their learning turned off by religious indoctrination. The promises and threats of their religion make dumping it too scary._*

[@rachelk5272]

Hence why Sam has terminal TDS and believes in Trump the secular devil

[@anthonycraddock6739]

Totally agree!! Told often enough from a young age that you will burn in a non existant hell if you are naughty naughty or dont believe is child abuse. The first couple pages in quaran says the non believers will be punished by a non existant deity. Shame on them !!!

[@warren52nz]

@@anthonycraddock6739 Religion was man's first attempt at explaining the world around us in the absence of science. And it failed in every way possible. I've challenged Theists countless times to provide even ONE testable claim from the Wholly Buy Bull that's true and no one has come up with anything. The best they can do is say that Jerusalem is a real place and trivial stuff like that. Religion should have died a natural death in the 20th century but too many people find it easier than all that tedious education stuff.

[@stevesteindorf2501]

You can’t reason someone out of something they weren’t reasoned into.

[@lisadabbs2181]

@@stevesteindorf2501 I wasn't heavily indoctrinated, so it wasn't that hard for me to reason my way out of religion. I feel sorry for the people who are unable to break the chains that imprison them.

[@t-bonewtf]

YES! Finally an educated person that speaks sensibly. Thank you.

[@blacbraun]

Sam's been saying this for 20 years.

[@mykehyslop198]

To those religious people.Would you give up your religion if it guaranteed world peace ?

[@rich_4832]

I always enjoy listening to Sam. Very intelligent, calm and articulate. Unfortunately, I think the willingness of people to believe things based on factors other than logic was cooked into our species by evolutionary forces and holds sway over most of humanity, so thinkers like Sam are vastly outnumbered. As a species, we have a long way to go.

[@deedhesi8014]

Evolutionary forces, please expound?

[@AntitheistHuman]

the case of humans being religious is because of teachings from the highier authorities, it's more cultural than you believe, so the fact is that we need to keep spreading science and knowledge and bit by bit people will become more and more critical and understand the irrationality of believing religions and gods overall, but at least the religious gods are totally irrational

[@jeffforsythe9514]

Mankind has cast out the Divine and Satan has controlled this planet for centuries, just in case you haven't noticed.

[@matwatson7947]

Something that is interesting is Derren Brown: Fear and Faith (part two) It's not one big special. The backbone is giving an atheist a religious conversation... What is FAR more interesting is he shows examples of little experiments and tests all the way through breaking down how you can fall into these traps. Although an Atheist is aware of things like Pattern forming, confirmation bias, acting on authority and emotional attachment to inanimate objects it's amazing watching people fall for these little Psychological tests in real time.... Knowing full well you fall for some of these things as well. There is one where he asks an audience member to take part in a Satanic ritual and despite people not believing this in any way gets the devil to affect anything in your life there is a moment when you have to stab a picture of someone you love....I would REALLY struggle to do that. Yet I don't believe in any of this any way. It's not a big magic trick, not is it a stage show. It just shows how easy it is to explain religious experiences through Psychology and unlike the Bible you do not have to use Bronze age books to get there. It's difficult to describe but is different to his usual things. It's not really about tricks as well. It's about pure Psychology.

[@jeffforsythe9514]

@rboland2173 That's what you think. The supernatural exists but if you keep denying it's existence, you will never see it. Boo.

[@johnbwill]

Once again ... Sam sums it up succinctly. I am always astounded at the extraordinary lengths people will go to, and the sheer amount of mental gymnastics they will perform, in an attempt to cling to the absurd.

[@rohansrider]

In UK it is forced on all school children on the curriculum.The syllabus includes the three monotheisms. But Greek myths are never taught but are more fun than the Bible.

[@bikebudha01]

@@rohansrider I personally like Thor, because he has a cool hammer...

[@stephenhoffner2479]

Man invented God in order to provide him with eternal life that nature denies him.

[@harryt014]

I really like the way you've put that, short simple but so spot on.

[@kentthalman4459]

Sam has answered this question hundreds of times before, but has the patience to say it again.

[@StimParavane]

There is a spiritual dimension. Learn to connect with it through either prayer or meditation.

[@madgepins1967]

​@@StimParavaneProve conclusively that there is a spiritual dimension.

[@religionisalie]

​@@StimParavaneSpiritual dimension = delusions

[@HansZarkovPhD]

How he makes his living.

[@kentthalman4459]

@@HansZarkovPhD If you listen to his podcast, he doesn't talk much anymore about religion. He's moved on to a far-reaching set of topics

[@jessewallace12able]

Way to go Sam. Thank you for articulating what needs to be said and unraveling the knot of defense that the 3 Abrahamic religions push.

[@steveweiss7191]

Even within the Judaic religion there are variations into three versions (orthodox, conservative, and reform), and in Islam (Shiite and Suni).

[@StimParavane]

There is a spiritual dimension. Learn to connect with it through either prayer or meditation.

[@jeffforsythe9514]

Both Testaments are warnings, God wants us all to be safe. Just because you and your fearless leader cannot grasp the wisdom, does not mean that it is not there. God considers us to be His most precious creation, poor you.

[@fomofud9479]

​@@jeffforsythe9514the man who created hell so that we can burn for eternity ...... wants us all to be safe 😅😅😅. As they say, there's no real hate like christian love

[@jeffforsythe9514]

Incase you haven't noticed everything today is lies, the government, the news, every thing. So it was thousands of years ago also. The Ten Commandments and the teachings of Jesus both were just warnings given to us by our loving Father. New Gospel today explains everything.....................Falun Gong.

[@mortyharenza9854]

I find that as America is descending into an evangelical nightmare there are too few of us listening to this voice of reason

[@davidboskett5581]

The sad thing about the US is no one would ever have a chance at becoming president if they proclaimed they did not believe in god.

[@richardredmond1463]

The suggestion that the non-existence of God is more reasonable than proposing the existence of God is a lazy narrative I think.

[@user-kb6iu4pc6f]

@@richardredmond1463 Jebus is non-existent.

[@richardredmond1463]

@@user-kb6iu4pc6f Correct! There is no religious figure I have even heard of called Jebus.

[@vinnieg6161]

"a case for atheism" is already a weird thing to say. Every religious person is an atheist to every religion but their own

[@chops6416]

Not quite, because they still believe in the supernatural. Christians, Moslems and Jews all believe in the same god.

[@vinnieg6161]

@@chops6416 they use the same God yea, but they all condemn each other to hell so idk even within religions you have 20 branches who say all the others are not real believers

[@StimParavane]

There is a spiritual dimension. Learn to connect with it through either prayer or meditation.

[@vinnieg6161]

@@StimParavane learn to scientifically prove it and I might consider

[@StimParavane]

@@vinnieg6161 Ha ha ha. If you want to waste your life as a slave to your own ego then go ahead.

[@danf7568]

This was a concise intelligent response centered on the widespread specific claims of the domineering christian religion in our population and in our government.

[@StimParavane]

There is a spiritual dimension. Learn to connect with it through either prayer or meditation.

[@JosephHurtsellers]

To me, most of the people who complain about religion, are simply listening to media and other echo chambers. There are true scholars of religion who have made a difference in the world. Christ preached love, Christ came to denounce the Old testament, which is what most people use to denounce christianity. This lack of knowledge is heartbreaking

[@danf7568]

My appreciation for reality came from my degree in biology with lots of chemistry. Curiosity opened my mind and interest in the real world. @@JosephHurtsellers

[@jackienuchols9425]

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence,simple as that. Nuff said.

[@markmooroolbark252]

I think claiming that matter is either eternal or popped into existence from nowhere is an extraordinary claim which has no evidence to support it yet Harris believes it.

[@bh_486]

To SERIOUSLY postulate that ORGANISED RELIGION is the meaning of RELIGION - and spend your whole life in antagonistic argument with it, is, quite simply just NPC derangement.

[@StimParavane]

There is a spiritual dimension. Learn to connect with it through either prayer or meditation.

[@peternelson7048]

@@StimParavane How did you determine that it exists and that it isn't just a construct of your mind?

[@StimParavane]

@@peternelson7048 Elevate your consciousness and learn to transcend your own discriminating mind. There are a variety of methods to confirm your level of understanding.

[@pacosamo]

Excellent and simple analysis. Thank you.

[@musicauthority674]

I always find it a pleasure to listen to Sam Harris. his logic and common sense is fantastic. and his sense of humor is perfect, it breaks up any monotony that might come up in his discussion's. and he's highly intelligent. but it's something that I noticed about Atheist's. they all seem to be highly intelligent. You have Richard Dawkins, the late Christopher Hitchens, and Carl Sagan, Aron Ra, Lawrence Krause, Neil Degrassi Tyson, and Steven Pinker, and many other Atheist's. there seems to be a connection with being of higher intelligence and Atheism? but another nice thing about Atheism, is a person doesn't have to be highly intelligent to be an Atheist. anyone can be an Atheist if they simply choose to do so.

[@dangremillion]

2000+ years and not one iota of proof of anything. Please! Oops, Here comes Santa Claus.

[@JeffWells-cw2sw]

Hi Sam, I was lucky enough to have discovered you in the early days in San Diego, and then later at the first Beyond Belief conference in La Jolla, among other venues. I'm very glad you're still at it with more ammunition than ever and want to wish you continued success in this vital campaign!

[@galaxy999in]

Not mathematics or medicine but tells how to sacrifice goats. Eloquent, brilliant but more than all that ......very funny......😂 😂😂😂

[@scambammer6102]

obvious. I don't see how anyone could read the first chapter of genesis and take it seriously.

[@zagrues1963]

​@@scambammer6102 Joscha Bach has a very interesting take on the Book of Genesis as an account of the developmental booting up of a human mind.

[@RealityMatters343]

Be sure not to boil a baby goat in its mother's milk and don't wear clothing of mixed fibers! Shellfish are an abomination! Beat your slaves only to the point of disabling them for a couple days but don't quite kill them! Sage advice from the all-powerful all-loving all-good morally perfect creator of the entire universe, indeed. 🤮

[@mrespanfanx]

Tell a religious person that you found a talking cat and they will demand evidence, but they will have no problem believing there’s a god that does miracles

[@bathin813]

Well yes. A talking cat is not normal. God being god all powerful can do miracles which is out of the ordinary.

[@StimParavane]

There is a spiritual dimension. Learn to connect with it through either prayer or meditation.

[@MKM508]

The shouldn't really have a problem believing a cat that talks, they believe in talking donkeys and snakes from the bible.

[@melissasw64]

I'd like some evidence of the talking cat. Did anyone else see it? Hear it? If a bunch of people all sane, mentally healthy people all said that the cat talked---I'd be curious.

[@religionisalie]

​@@StimParavaneSpiritual dimension = delusions

[@TheJoshuamooney]

So, Sam lays it out in the first 30 seconds, then expounds in the next two minutes to perfection. And I’m three minutes in.

[@seanoshea1030]

I could never come across this clear with my thoughts. Sam turns my feelings and thoughts about my religious upbringing into something pure, simple, and calming.

[@haydenwalton2766]

the most miraculous aspect of the universe is that nothing miraculous ever happens. you can put that one in the bank

[@freshliving4199]

The miracle is true change for the better. Your comment is evidence that you have not experienced this change.

[@haydenwalton2766]

@@freshliving4199 YOUR comment makes no logical sense

[@donnyh3497]

​@@freshliving4199You have an incredibly low bar for miracles 😅

[@haydenwalton2766]

@@donnyh3497 a miracle would require the suspension of the natural order of things. this never happens in this universe - ever. what that has got to do with my (and yours for that matter) experience of life, I do not know

[@haydenwalton2766]

you should be glad of the fact ! show some gratitude. or would you prefer to live in a universe where a t rex could pop into existence next to you. you can't have it both ways !

[@johnlloyd702]

These simple arguments SH puts out keeps me up at night. They are so simple and logical. Miracles, really? Open your eyes people! Grrrr

[@perryedwards4746]

Well done Sam!

[@johntuel2375]

The only thing I have ever seen gods really do is become mythologies.

[@scambammer6102]

they start out as mythologies.

[@connix69]

One of the arguments that I have always used on this topic is essentially this... If your god in omnipotent, then all it would have needed to do is create a bible that CANNOT be altered by man. It would be evidence of the supernatural by the fact that it would be the only thing in existence that could not be changed, no matter how hard we try. The only christian response that I ever get is either dumbfounded no answer at all or another circular idea saying that god works in mysterious ways or I am not worthy to tell their god how it should behave.

[@DavidandCharla]

Good point

[@j.whisper2379]

“I’d rather have questions I can’t answer than answers I can’t question.“ Richard Feynman.

[@SmartAss4123]

Even if there is a creator, it's not the god we've put in our books 2000 years ago in a desert to men who didnt even know that germs are not god curses. The level of suffering, death, chaos in our world over such a long time is a testament to that fact.

[@bretnetherton9273]

Awareness is known by awareness alone; is the sole irreducible axiom of reality. To put forth a syllable to the contrary is but to concede.

[@BertRussell4711]

Great interview. Harris was as eloquent and clever as I've seen him. Tip for Coach Castle: You don't have to be close enough to the camera to eat it. 😏

[@jamesmcinnis208]

LOL - His room is a mess - he doesn't want you to see it.

[@davenchop]

im pissing myself... just realized i noticed the same thing after i read your comment

[@lynnees9828]

I have always believed the same. Like Hell, for instance. How can one not believe that is nothing other than man made? It reeks of, "Let's think of the worst horror we can to scare ppl into staying put in that seat and have us control society." And yet, there is my atheist father who a week before he passed saw my mother floating in the dining room and so many just prior to death seeing dead loved ones and talking to them. I watched my own father-in-law reach to the ceiling, arms stretched as far as he could reach, yet he'd been unconscious for nearly days when we brought a preacher in. He was a Veteran in many wars and lingered. We were praying he'd go as the suffering was so great and thought, maybe he needs to know he did his duty to this country and nothing else. He lingered for another day and it wasn't until my husband got in the bed with him, holding him to say "Dad, I know you love me", till he finally let go. Right then his dad looked towards him, as he could no longer see from high doses of morphine, smiled and died. It was as if he needed him to know that. But I remain, like Sam, seeing wisdom in much of texts but I'd never say or try and describe powers beyond natural law that this universe holds. Too many books say they have the truth. I do not believe any of us knows.

[@tonyburton419]

So refreshing to hear Sam's rational views on Religion again.

[@hansteeuwen3967]

But we did hear these arguments again and again when the new atheists were hip. It still rings true but certainly not fresh

[@tonyburton419]

@@hansteeuwen3967 Refreshing because Harris has been so occupied with the fine Waking Up app, plus regular podcast, and has been largely silent on this stuff since debate with Peterson. Just had to tolerate J. Brierley on RR channel.

[@StimParavane]

There is a spiritual dimension. Learn to connect with it through either prayer or meditation.

[@tonyburton419]

@@StimParavane Describe and operationalise this spiritual dimension.

[@StimParavane]

@@tonyburton419 You have to do the work yourself. That's the point.

[@tekannon7803]

Every one of us who are religious or not should applaud Sam Harris' analyses of one of the greatest quick-sand patches that have endured throughout human history: religion. Apparently 95% of Harris' fellow Americans believe in some sort of divine being responsible for all and everything that exists. One can only imagine the vitriolic responses of tens of millions of people whom Sam has made angry at him for even mentioning that God might not exist. One of Harris' departed dear friends, 'Hitch' to him or Hitchens to us said that religion was one of our first attempts of mankind to understanding our surroundings. The problem of course, is that certain clever individuals saw how they could control others by proclaiming they had access to the hidden hand of the almighty. The Catholic Church made itself into an invincible organization that in reality enslaved its millions and millions of followers to never-ending support by promising an afterlife in God's country club. The Jews have taken the bait so seriously that they have indoctrinated their population into thinking that, yes, we are the chosen ones, God loves us the best. The Muslims go off-the-charts in their interpretation of an illiterate merchant's rise to the heavens when he died and flew to heaven on a winged horse. The Hindus worship a God-like creature that an unknown artist probably threw away as a bad attempt at making some sort of new way to show motion. Excuse me to all and anyone if I have offended you; I only want to say that we should listen to masters of our civilization, and Sam Harris is a master. He is trying to give us an off-ramp from the first belief system that we invented and that we let take us over to the present day.

[@lisadabbs2181]

I agree with everything you said, but I wish you could break your response into separate sentences to make it easier to read. Just a friendly observation.

[@tekannon7803]

@@lisadabbs2181 GGGGGGGGggggggreat tp hear from you. I will write in a more concise style. Thank you.

[@JeffVader39]

Religion is fine until people take it literally

[@stephenbouchelle7706]

Brilliant Sam. We live in a world conflicted over which end of the egg is the correct one to break.

[@PiccolaMonalisa]

Sam has the ability to articulate his views and reasoning in a very compelling manner, and hi keeps his cool with any adversary because he is very connected to the present moment and humanity.

[@scouser2230]

Sam is right on with his analysis and explanation of all religions. Believing in some sort of superior being is non-sensical.

[@bh_486]

To SERIOUSLY postulate that ORGANISED RELIGION is the meaning of RELIGION - and spend your whole life in antagonistic argument with it, is, quite simply just NPC derangement.

[@juanausensi499]

@@bh_486 Disorganised religion is better?

[@bh_486]

@@juanausensi499 You're just playing with words. Organised Religions are rules and regulations with hierarchies that benefit the select and the obedient. 'ORGANISED RELIGIONS' are Authorities. There is a Religious Life. This requires the abandonment of all Authority. The religious life is the search for the truth. The truth about oneself. This requires self awareness and ultimately a quality of attentive observation. Attention to the point that the Self or Ego no longer interferes with it's opinions about the way things should be. This intensity of Attention is Religion. No organised religion can facilitate the Attention or the questioning mind.

[@plywoodal3012]

@@bh_486 I agree with your statement "No organised religion can facilitate the Attention or the questioning mind." However, you are clearly confusing religion with spirituality when you say "This intensity of Attention is Religion". Sam is speaking about believe in a god and the books that support those beliefs. Do you believe in a god and in some kind of supporting bible? If not, you are not practicing religion. Stop calling your meditation and spirituality religion.

[@bh_486]

@@plywoodal3012 What you, and millions of other people call religion, is not religion. Just as what millions of people call love is not love. Belief in anything is quite futile. Something either exists or it doesn't, 'believing' is an act of the ego. It is the ego that is the root of all the misconceptions of man. So - THERE - that is all that needs to be said about 'Religion' in society. To make such a statement the basis for your life's work is so remarkably trivial. Who cares if Harris is talking about religion as it is spoken of 'in society'? What about ACTUAL religion? Because that is what is needed. Actual Religion is far more revolutionary than anything Harris talks about.

[@RupertMay]

It's easier to fool people than convince them they've been fooled.....Mark Twain

[@davidboskett5581]

We are currently witnessing another outbreak of violence in the Middle East and this is basically due to religion . We have a saying that money is the root of all evil but I feel religion usurps it. I just find it so hard to understand why anyone could believe in any religion in this the 21st century. One does not have to an intellectual or be very intelligent to realize that all religions are man made. Life on earth would be so much better for all people if everyone would just exercise their brains more and come to their senses

[@steveweiss7191]

How does positing a god answer any questions about man and his place in the unverse? If there were a god, and there certainly isn't one of any specificity, we wouldn't comprehend it.

[@hectortorres5572]

I now know something far more extense than infinity.. thanks Sam...!!

[@michaelambrosano938]

Wow,..so succinct ,..right to the point,..no drama.

[@MultiMurfi]

Religion is men made . Books . Only books . I believe I can believe in an quantum energy kind of dimension ( sort of ) and get rid of everything else . Sam is amazing . Been following him for a long time

[@aaronkuntze7494]

"Religion is an IQ test by definition."- Aaron Kuntze Let's check the book of Lucifer's knowledge shall we? Science: having knowledge. Superstition: Beliefs or practices resulting from ignorance.

[@tsb7911]

Faith is the antithesis of reason.

[@dimitrioskalfakis]

correct. however, persistence of this dreadful affair shows that the human ape has not changed since antiquity and is still tormented by superstition due to fear of death.

[@gerardgauthier4876]

Not disagreeing with your points but questioning how you know the human ape has not changed since antiquity.

[@dimitrioskalfakis]

@@gerardgauthier4876 despite the technological advances brought about by renaissance the underlying motives and fears are still the same in every important measurable aspect of humanity: fear of death feeds a dizzying array of insecurities, violence, greed, existential angst and war. ancient greeks were just as philosophical and abstract in thought as we are today but also just as primordial and violent. technology fools us into believing we have 'evolved' emotionally but we are still the same violent ape.

[@vaffelproductions]

@@gerardgauthier4876 and is @dimitrioskalfakis implying that the human ape actually did change during antiquity? in what sense?

[@paulnicolas172]

.....and of the environment

[@dimitrioskalfakis]

@@vaffelproductions i wonder about your interpretation of my writing. we have a knowledge of the behaviour of humans for the last 6000 years (antiquity) due to written records. before that we can only extrapolate or infer due to archaeological findings. during the last 6000 years behaviour has been proven consistent as we experience it today.

[@janicegarner5690]

Compassion and realism. Excellent interview!

[@JamesRichardWiley]

All religions are man made. God is an invisible parent/friend to fill the gap of not knowing and to cope with the fear of the unknown.

[@brando7266]

Especially when dealing with death,

[@BigBunnyLove]

The gods and monsters are inside of us.

[@DinorwicSongwriter]

I prefer Atheistic to Atheism. It is not an ism. It is not a belief. It is not “I believe there is no god”, it is “I do not believe your claim of god”.

[@davegold]

Is that denialism?

[@donnyh3497]

I believe that there is no god to the same extent that I believe that there is no Santa Clause. Dysfunctionally superstitious humans have been making up stupid sh*t for as long as we could think and telling ridiculous lies for as long as we could talk. Santa Clause is actually more plausible than the gods

[@markofsaltburn]

@@davegoldNo, It isn’t 😉

[@scambammer6102]

it's both dumaz

[@petyrkowalski9887]

I prefer skepticism

[@byronchurch]

Safe in the arms of ever present unfolding reality ! ❤

[@DaboooogA]

Does anyone know what podcast this is from?

[@Mark73]

Creator posted it in the comments

[@alalohwhydee]

Religion isn't ridiculous, it's desperate. Just the same as cognitive intellectualism. Don't worry, we'll all meet on the way down as we spiral down and out of here still proclaiming our own superiority...

[@jb1139]

"Autistic God with a roulette wheel " made my day.

[@isaiahjohnston823]

Well Spoken Sam, Brilliant Mind.

[@semigeniusreally8988]

Sam Harris is an enlightened person and, as such, he forever highlights the difference between ignorance and stupidity. The former is defined as the absence of relevant information and the latter is the inability or the refusal to process relevant information once it has been presented. We all - Sam included - start out as ignorant on one subject or another, but clarity and openness of mind allow those not ego-invested in maintaining their opinions and beliefs to pass from ignorance to intelligence and sometimes even wisdom once relevant information is provided. Those poor, hyper-defensive people who cling to their opinions and beliefs at all costs are simply consigned to being stupid for the rest of their lives.

[@bh_486]

To SERIOUSLY postulate that ORGANISED RELIGION is the meaning of RELIGION - and spend your whole life in antagonistic argument with it, is, quite simply just NPC derangement.

[@semigeniusreally8988]

@@bh_486 Please englighten me as to how there can be religions that are not organized by their very nature? All religions began as a cult which, in some cases, expanded into a global enterprise, not much different in structure than corporations. Unless you are propounding a religion that is a bit "Woo-Woo" and is so small in number of adherents as to be operational as a democracy, I tend to view religions in the Sam Harris context of basically the Abrahamic religions and a few others thrown in for good measure. But, regardless, all religions that I am familiar with propose some supernatural plane of existence/god or gods for which there is nary a scintilla of evidence over the 300,000 years that some form of human mind has existed on this planet and are, therefore, based on pure faith and obtuse speculation, which are the very definitions of illogicality, absence of reason and plain old garden variety stupidity, not of ignorance.

[@bh_486]

@@semigeniusreally8988 'RELIGIONS' are Authorities. There is a Religious Life. This requires the abandonment of all Authority. The religious life is the search for the truth. The truth about oneself. This requires self awareness and ultimately a quality of attentive observation. Attention to the point that the Self or Ego no longer interferes with it's opinions about the way things should be. This intensity of Attention is Religion. No organised religion can facilitate the Attention or the questioning mind. This is not difficult to discover.

[@deedhesi8014]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@semigeniusreally8988]

@@bh_486 I have never heard of such a life journey referred to as a RELIGION. I simply consider it my life's journey of self-discovery and perspective gained thereby without attaching any formal name to that journey. I was born Jewish but I happily am now a "soft" atheist/agnostic and that deconversion proved to be one of the most liberating experiences of my life. I sincerely doubt that I would be as fully connected with myself, loving myself and respecting myself and the life decisions I have since made had I not walked away from religion. It was like getting our of an emotional, intellectual and spiritual prison I didn't even realize I was in for most of my life. Regardless of what you call that journey, I get the impression you are on yours, too.

[@King4taday]

Thank you God for fixing the cataracts of Sam’s mum 🎵 😆

[@lesleyheller2271]

As I always say, "God" gets all the credit when things go well, and none of the blame when they don't. It's pathetic.

[@johnlloyd702]

Just cool and compassionate logic

[@Alaska_MD]

To answer Sam's statement made at 2:30: "...It would be easy to write a page that proves the book is supernatural. .." Here's an example: "... love your neighbor like yourself..." That's not human. No human says that. No theory of evolution would work with that. No, apes don't show altruism; i.e. the video of the ape sharing a banana. An ape will protect his pack, but he will also kill any rivals for alpha, and certainly kill any neighboring apes not in his pack. If Jesus said, treat your family like you would like to be treated, that would be human. "Love your neighbor like yourself..." That's supernatural.

[@brianmi40]

"No, apes don't show altruism;" You really have NO CLUE. It's simply embarassing in 2023 when someone is using a computer or phone to post a comment like that, the very same phone or computer that could educate them out of ignorance: "In the past two decades, biologists have started to question whether empathy-the ability to understand another’s perspective and share their emotions-is uniquely human. The most basic level of empathy is emotional contagion, such as when human babies cry upon hearing the wails of other infants. This ability is present at birth for humans but also exists in young apes, who throw temper tantrums to make their mothers more distressed and thus pay more attention to them (Potegal, 2000). The second level of empathy is sympathetic concern, which appears around two years old in humans when toddlers try to console someone in distress. Apes also readily display this quality, such as when they wrap an arm around another member who lost in a fight (de Waal & van Roosmalen, 1979). Kakowet above has demonstrated emotional contagion by sharing the distress of the young bonobos stuck in a moat, as well as sympathetic concern in his attempt to help them." sites.dartmouth.edu/dujs/2022/11/30/levels-of-empathy-in-apes-and-humans/#:~:text=Apes%20also%20readily%20display%20this,his%20attempt%20to%20help%20them. "Bonobos are willing to help strangers, even if there's nothing in it for them." www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/bonobo-help-stranger-behavior-animals-speed "Chimpanzees show empathy to human strangers" royalsociety.org/news/2014/chimpanzees-empathy/ EMPATHY is an EVOLVED EMOTIONAL RESPONSE, and is one of the FOUNDATIONS OF SECULAR MORAL SYSTEMS.

[@MKM508]

If it would be so easy, then why wasn't it written in the original text of the bible? Not that I agree with your explanation as to proof.

[@Alaska_MD]

@@MKM508 Yes, my explanation is not proof, but rather an example. Unfortunately, we don't have proof, but we have strong evidence. When you refer to the "original text" are you referring to the Old Testament? That's a great question. Why was it not in the 10 commandments? But saying you don't like [ or understand ] why God did or did not do something is not a logical argument that he doesn't exist. Which is the argument Mr. Harris makes frequently; i.e. I don't like the way he did things, so he must not exist.... etc.

[@brianmi40]

@@Alaska_MD "But saying you don't like [ or understand ] why God did or did not do something is not a logical argument that he doesn't exist." It's not a matter of LIKE when god advocates for OWNING SLAVES. it's a matter of MORALITY which is obvious. When you understand and can apply LOGIC, you can readily see that there CANNOT BE an "All Loving" god who ADVOCATES FOR OWNING SLAVES. By DEFINITION that CANNOT BE "All Loving".

[@chfr927]

Are you seriously claiming that empathy was invented or codified with Jesus????

[@MET677]

“There are no solutions, life only gives you trade offs.” What is the trade off for removing religion? Crazy thing is, no one here is going to be able to answer that because the effects of that could take decades or more to get to.

[@brianmi40]

We know for a fact that any benefits from religion can be realized from a secular approach also (hope, charity, caring, community, etc.). Other than delusion. If delusion is your thing, religion is your path.

[@MET677]

@@brianmi40 Well, you’re right. The problem from my perspective, is that it isn’t playing out that way. My thing is cold hard reality. What I’m doing is calling out the hypocrisy from the the so called rational, truthful thinkers. There’s so much delusion in these atheists thinkers that it’s sickening. If we’re playing the reality game then let’s go all the way. I don’t want to hear fantastical thinking from the four horsemen of atheism. I don’t want to hear fantastical thinking from anyone who calls themselves an atheist. Let’s lean into reality and let’s see how that works out. I’ve lived enough to tell you that it isn’t going to work out to well for most atheist. BS is BS, wether we’re talking about a man in the sky or human rights.

[@brianmi40]

@@MET677 If it "isn't playing out that way", then your stance on "cold hard reality" should inform you that the increase of the "Nones" - those with no religious affiliation - is not the only dynamic happening in the USA. You're certainly smart enough to see the other things going on in society, such as the control and abuses of the rich, housing prices, etc. etc.etc. But, I clearly got it backwards, did not read you as a deist of some sort. As an atheist I'll hold off on my "fantastical thinking" until after you give me a definition of what god you believe in, what his characteristics are, and what evidence you have for him. It will certainly be interesting to hear some "cold hard reality" from someone who believes in a god. Because as "someone else" who's "lived enough" at 65, claiming you've "lived enough" isn't much of an argument. Everyone that doesn't die eventually "lives enough", doesn't mean they've figured out anything.

[@dandybufo9664]

@@MET677 what delusions are you referring to ?

[@MET677]

@@dandybufo9664 “The strength of a person's spirit would then be measured by how much 'truth' he could tolerate, or more precisely, to what extent he needs to have it diluted, disguised, sweetened, muted, falsified.” “Life has not been devised by morality: it wants deception, it lives on deception.” “Of all evil I deem you capable: Therefore I want good from you. Verily, I have often laughed at the weaklings who thought themselves good because they had no claws.” Do you agree with any of these quotes? And are you an atheist or believer?

[@MegaJohn144]

Religion is believing somebody else's experiences. Spirituality is having your own experiences.

[@brianmi40]

"Spirituality is having your own experiences." Uh, NO. There is nothing "spiritual" about dreams, or drug induced visions, mental delusions, etc. etc. etc. Nothing and I mean NOTHING has EVER been proven to be spiritual. FUN FACT, cash prizes for demonstrating that for over 100 YEARS NOW, not a penny given out. EVER.

[@jerrybailey5797]

I agree completely agree with what Sam Harris is saying here . If such a god really existed and he or she can is so great , why doesn't it intervene when there's been such atrocities performed or disasters that cause the deaths of thousands or even millions of people . Or why cant it save peple from serious life tyreatening illness or disfigurements ?! .... if such a god exist sure he or she , wouldn't just be there for certain people in life or those who pray to him or her the most ?!

[@user-ij6vg8xq2r]

I agree that the religious texts are obvious fiction. However, there Could exist a living entity fitting much of the "God" description. You ask why would It not intervene to eliminate suffering. Because this universe resolves through contrast and uncertainty. If the "God thing" exists, It does not exist exclusively for our benefit. More likely that we exist for It.

[@billjohnson9472]

@@user-ij6vg8xq2r the god everyone talks about is omnipotent, so needs nothing. so there is no point in prayer or supplication since this god would have already known what you wanted.

[@jamesmcinnis208]

My problem with this argument is that you're describing a superior being who is fathomable, just a couple of notches above human, and attributing to it the qualities of compassion and morality that humans have devised. If there is a superior being (and I'm not saying there is) couldn't it be one who is indifferent to the fate of humanity, which, as we all know, is merely a tiny speck on a tiny speck in a vast universe? That would, of course, still support the notion that worship of this entity is pointless.

[@jedaaa]

​@@billjohnson9472that's what I always ask of religious people, if god is perfect and has a perfect unalterable plan, then isn't prayer sacrilegious? You're asking him to cure your sisters cancer when he himself gave her the cancer, asking him to cure her is asking him to change his perfect plan.

[@StimParavane]

There is a spiritual dimension. Learn to connect with it through either prayer or meditation.

[@thomasgoodson7290]

I am Native American, who in my earlier years was a devout, evangelical Christian up to my early adulthood. But the fact that I am not European or Middle Eastern, led me to wonder why God would ignore 3/4 of the world’s population in China, India and south east Asia and and provide holy books, only to the Middle East and Europe

[@tulpas93]

Happy International Indigenous Peoples Day! ❤🎉

[@wesselsmith172]

No. God, the Lord Jesus, died for the world. John 3v16. The Bible is, by a very long way, the most translated, read, and distributed book in the world. The Bible knows only one race, the human race, even if they come in many skin tones and pigments. Stick to Scripture, it will carry you into eternity in God's presence. I send you my reply to Sam in another message..

[@wesselsmith172]

Well, let me say this: I have studied the Bible now intensely for over 30 years and marvel at continuously discovering the infinite mind of God like fingerprints all over it. Sam Harris makes so many unfounded statements. The Bible does state clearly it is by God, from God. Think of 2 Timothy 3v16, 2 Peter 1v20-21, Hebrews 1v1-2, and virtually the entire Psalm 119. If the enemy of man's souls, Satan, wants to capture the souls of men, his best strategy is religion: Get people to believe in and worship anything or everything (even in self, like Sam) - except the truth of the Bible. The proof for God is immense (apart from the Bible itself). Romans 1v18-22 makes one thing clear: Every man knows there is a God, but they suppress the truth in their love for sin and self. In fact, these verses show God does not believe in atheists! Sorry Sam. Calculate the mathematical probability for a single protein to evolve by chance. It is simply impossible and confirmed by the Law of Probability as such. Go study the Cosmological Constant. A sane person should shudder in fear since it screams the existence of God and He must be omniscient and omnipotent (given this constant is accurate to 100 decimals). Proverbs 20v12 says God is the maker of the seeing eye and the hearing ear. Try science Sam: Let them make an eye for a blind person. The best they can do is a glass ball you can play marbles with. Or let them make a cochlea. It is laughable. Atheists are naturalists, believing everything evolved by chance over billions of years. So, Sam, your brain is the product of chance mutations and mistakes over billions of years, yet I must believe that your thoughts and arguments are sufficient to inform me what is true and accurate and that there is no God? Really? You do not even know one sextillionth of what there is to know (in short - you know next door to nothing), yet you are so arrogant as to declare your mistaken thoughts that there is no God. I once had the privilege to sit with a heart surgeon who explained to me how the heart works and its 3 power plants. I asked him, "How can anyone believe all this evolved by chance?" His answer I shall never forget: "O, those are the make belief stories for the crazy people." When I study the Bible, I come face to face with its Author, who works consistently. A poor analogy is like gravity - always present and working, yet invisible to most. I pray you repent Sam and turn to God (who you now hate) - the Lord Jesus Christ - to save you, for meeting Him you will. He has appointed each man to die once, and then follows judgment (Hebrews 9:27).

[@lukecavill2556]

Harris has an ASMR voice

[@thisisanewusername4662]

good observation

[@dominicestebanrice7460]

"An autistic god with a roulette wheel"; Mr Harris, that is worthy of Voltaire himself, although when I use this quote, I'll alter it to say "psychopathic". Thank you!

[@GuyRegular]

Atheism has the courage to acknowledge reality rather then engage in the group think fantasy of religion

[@StimParavane]

It's a belief system in itself. They don't even have the humility to say "I don't know...".

[@MET677]

😂. You can’t possibly believe that. I’ve been an atheist my entire life. Fantasy group think is their bag. I’ve seen science become the new god and it’s followers follow it blindly when their prophets speak. Something will become the new god;it’s inevitable. I want to know what life looks like under truth, rationality and reality. Why is no one making that argument? Based on what I’m seeing and my knowledge of how power works it isn’t a pretty sight. I think reality is so harsh and disgusting that most of the population will suffer in ways we couldn’t imagine. Reality is tied very close to nature. My argument is that most of the population will suffer greatly if we open that door. When a young man commits self deletion? Is he confronting reality? Is the reality of his situation so powerful that he can’t cope? And what would nature have to say about that? Only the strong survive? I’ve idolized Dawkins and Harris for a very long time. These guys are clowns 🤡. They are grifters. They would be the easiest to break when confronted by power. What I’ve realized is that they are the greatest purveyors of the new religion. Progressive universalism. Maybe you are so deep in the abyss that you didn’t realize that we all now worship a new god.

[@thomasmaughan4798]

"Atheism has the courage to acknowledge reality" Atheism is not supposed to be an "ism".

[@folkeholmberg3519]

Men invented religions while women were busy doing important things. 😂

[@mrespanfanx]

Sam Harris is awesome

[@TheGreatPerahia]

Whatever you feed your subconscious mind continuously it will manifest that reality in your conscious mind. People live in a delusion within an illusion. What is reality? Whatever you want it to be......

[@StimParavane]

There is a spiritual dimension. Learn to connect with it through either prayer or meditation.

[@Adam-gl1qv]

What exactly do you mean by spiritual?

[@StimParavane]

@@Adam-gl1qv It cannot be described in words my friend.

[@Adam-gl1qv]

@@StimParavane Cop out answer.

[@StimParavane]

@@Adam-gl1qv Cop out question.

[@Adam-gl1qv]

@@StimParavane You used a word that you cannot define. If you can't define a word you don't understand it.

[@outogetyougotyou5250]

I think the definition of cult and religion needs to merge. If were of the same thinking as today, back when some of the "older" religions were created we would be labelling them as such. However simply because people have been duped longer, it is given a distinction. Religious cult(s)

[@steelcom5976]

If every word in the Bible is divinely inspired by God then how is that in the New Testament the Christian translators changed the Greek word *δούλος* to man-servant? There is only one meaning for *δούλος* and that is "slave". The word appears around 130 times in the NT and in every case it has been distorted to mean man-servant.

[@danielbuhr4260]

Good point. You don't have to even go that far. Even the NIV God kills children for playing on the Sabbath.

[@tinequeek9056]

The New Testament gave God/Jesus a chance to redeem themselves by condemning slavery, but what do they do...they reinforce slavery, by saying "Slaves, obey your earthly masters".

[@steelcom5976]

@@tinequeek9056 In fact the Bible was the source of inspiration and confirmation by the Southern slave owners. Only a civil war brought that to a close.

[@tinequeek9056]

@@steelcom5976 I do believe slavery in the American colonies and later the USA, that was whittled down to the Southern States got their authorization to own other humans from the Christian Holy Bible.

[@jamesmcinnis208]

Arguing that the Bible is not true is like arguing that sand is not delicious. Of course it's not, and the fact that lots of people claim it to be doesn't change a thing.

[@anzawilldie4379]

Well, in a world without FREE WILL, what option religion had but to be ridiculous?

[@banyarling]

A word Sam knows -- but doesn't like to use because it's obscure nowadays -- is PHILOLOGY, the study of ancient texts and their transformations over time, which always disproves the claims of divine origins

[@andrewg2032]

Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Light. Sad that Sam is not going to go to a good place in death

[@chfr927]

No, that’s a condescending lie. You hope Sam does not go to a good place because you yourself want it reserved for you and to be rewarded for what you know is a life of pointless obedience. You want him punished so that you can feel feel your twisted version of fairness. Sam has to suffer or else everything you talked yourself into believing isn’t true and you could have had a better life instead of wasting your only time on this planet with primitive beliefs born of socialization, acculturation, and tribal loyalty. You want his intelligence and freedom rebuked because you secretly resent the yoke of your cult. Grow up. You too can wake up.

[@scottfulton267]

Don't you have some kool-aid to drink?

[@jasonbourne5360]

🤣😂…🤣

[@nedleyolpal]

He’d probably find that about as scary as you telling him he’s not getting any presents from Santa this year

[@anneis8319]

@@nedleyolpal 🤣

[@jahrasta4907]

I'm an atheist, but was raised LDS. Great social network, but the mythology didn't click. Meditation helps me feel joy and love for all, even have love for all religious hippocrites.

[@michaelmckinney7240]

Since no atheist will take up my challenge to openly debate this topic, I'll state my case without an opponent. This is why I'm convinced that God exists; To begin with it must be honestly conceded that no human being is certain whether God is real or not real. As many say he is as those who say he isn't Therefore logic suggests a 50/50 chance that either side is correct. If the atheists says "I don't think it's 50/50 at all, then its incumbent upon him to offer evidence that is convincing enough to change that neutral starting point. Conversely, the theist must offer evidence that tips the weight of the argument in favor of belief if he can. This seems a fair starting point for this discussion, and therefore I begin. It's not possible to treat this subject briefly because its too complicated. Point one; Our universe began some 13.6 billion years ago with the Big Bang. All matter and energy was compressed into what we call the original "singularity" so named because nothing else existed, or so it's thought. Cosmologists tell us that this "object" contained not only all matter and energy, but time itself was not created until this object exploded and brought into existence the four dimensional space time continuum that is our present reality because time describes and allows for the changing states of matter in motion and so the physical universe could not exist independent of the linear forward movement of time. It's also asserted that the laws of physics that imposes limits on all physical matter came into being after the the Big Bang, and not before. Yet this singularity that existed prior to the emergence of both time and the laws of physics became unstable for some reason when it reached a certain unsustainable limit of temperature and density. So this original singularity that we know was real existed in a place where neither time or the laws of physics existed. Yet something, some controlling, limiting power acted upon, the singularity and caused it to explode in colossal fashion. Yet whatever that controlling power was it had to exist outside the boundary of linear time since time itself didn't come into existence until this explosion took place with the Big Bang. The logic is inescapable; something existing outside of time and exerting a powerful controlling force prevented the singularity from remaining in a condition of stasis. Something outside of time might rightly be described as eternal, and so the logic is something very powerful and eternal brought our universe into existence. Point two; After the Big Bang enormous amounts of matter and antimatter were produce in prodigious amounts. When these two oppositely charged forces come into contact they violently cancel each other out. Had the number of atoms of matter and antimatter been equal the result would be a universe devoid of all matter, but as it happened a very, very slight amount of normal matter survived this titanic battle and enabled the physical evolution of the universe to proceed. What was the ratio of matter to antimatter? Lawrence Krause (no friend of theism) said the margin was a billion to one, meaning a billion atoms of matter, destroying a billion atoms of antimatter with one atom of normal matter surviving. Does anyone really think this occurred by blind chance? A survivable universe depended on this billion to one chance and yet here we are. It gets harrier. A long lived universe that's conducive to stellar and eventual biological evolution need billions of years of stability for their slow development. A universe stable for hundreds of millions of years is not long enough but what is it that's needed for this longevity? We need a universe that's perfectly balanced with interactions between matter and energy that are perfectly synchronized and that's what we have. All the interplay between matter and energy appears formulaic and prefigured. In other words the unmistakable result of mind and conscious direction. Point three; Instantiated throughout our cosmos are countless examples of evolved emergent complexity. The universe seems to possess the innate ability to self organize into ever greater levels of complexity. From a universe of mostly hydrogen atoms, the simplest atom, to the periodic table of heavier elements. We ourselves are exhibit A in this process. Our beginnings as arboreal primates to modern man is reflective of the same principle of evolved emergent complexity. Something is driving the universe to become conscious of itself through this fundamental process in a way that is directed, and intentional. If you put two heart cells on a microscope slide their beat (and yes they beat) is not synchronized until they touch. Something akin to energy and information, and intelligence makes this possible. Point three; Consciousness is fundamental to the universe and more and more neuroscientists are accepting this idea. We experience "consciousness" and wrongly believe our brain produces it. This is erroneous. Our brains give us the ability to "experience" consciousness but cannot produce this poorly understood phenomenon. There is only one kind of "consciousness" and it predates the human brain, and also the creation of the universe. We think we generate consciousness because we mistakenly equate the "experience" of consciousness with consciousness itself. They are two very different things. Our brains produce cognition as in thought, perception, memory and the like but these things are not consciousness. Consciousness is similar to the quiet few moments in a theater when the lights go out and silence fills the room. There is a palpable expectation of a new experience in the air and human minds are eagerly receptive. Consciousness is the universal back ground space where all thought, imagination and experience originate. This means that every individual is capable of entering this back ground realm of consciousness as deeply or as slightly as he or she chooses. This explains why a secluded monk has a very different view of life than a rough unlearned man. Universal consciousness is a direct manifestation of one of the three attributes associated with God, namely omniscience. The other two, omnipresence and omnipotence are impossible for humans to directly experience but because we are sentient beings we directly experience God's omniscience through experiencing via cognition the universal consciousness that originates from God. Point four; The word "God can be a verbal trigger that evokes enormously different responses in people. To someone who's been abused by a priest the word is poison, yet to another it evokes a sense of peace. It's a highly charged word and is very prone to being misunderstood. Do not be misled into accepting the way others define this word. Don't confuse religion with the existence of God. They are very different. Does God exist is a question akin to "who should I marry" , or "What should I do with my life?" Only you can answer this basic question. Work out the logic yourself. When you do, please reject the silly and easy answers found in the bible and the nonsense preached in churches. They have very little to do with God and everything to do with worldly power and influence. Point five: A closer definition of God might be; God is an all powerful form of lucid energy that is eternal, whose dominant attribute is love. He's not anthropomorphic, he's not vengeful, he doesn't verbally talk to people. He is all powerful, eternal, completely benevolent and totally accessible. My original proposition was a 50/50 possibility of Gods existence I think I've offered enough evidence to move the needle to the likelihood that God does exist. If you disagree please tell me why in specific terms and please try to join the argument by responding directly to my points. Please try to resist silly, glib one liners.

[@billjohnson9472]

the flaws start in your first sentence bro "Therefore logic suggests a 50/50 chance that either side is correct. " - false. There is no basis for evaluating the odds. You can't just say if there are 2 choices, A or B then there is a 50/50 chance of one of them being correct. For example - "you could have a $1000 bill in your wallet, either you do or you don't, therefore the chance of having one is 50/50" - doesn't make sense, right? All other following sentences are similarly flawed in their assumptions.

[@michaelmckinney7240]

@@billjohnson9472 Your analogy is where the flaw is, here's why; You say, "There is no basis for evaluating the odds." False, if I assert God exists and you don't it must be the case that either I'm right and you're wrong or the reverse. It's impossible for both of us to be either right or wrong. This is a binary choice. It's one or the other. If we randomly ask a thousand people the question "does God exist?" many will say yes and many will say no, though I'd predict more would say yes. A neutral observer would conclude that the question is open. In other words an even chance of being true or not true. This is the basis for using the 50/50 analogy and you've said nothing to logically refute it. What you're really saying for subjective reasons of bias is you don't think the chances are that high in favor of the possibility that God might exist which is no surprise because atheists recoil at the idea that they could be wrong. To even admit that a 50/50 chance exists that they're wrong is to tacitly admit they could be wrong. This is why you reject the logically cogent 50/50 analogy. The example of having a thousand dollars in my pocket is an anemic attempt to equate two very different ideas. First of all it's subjective bias assumes I don't know how much money I have in my pocket and so I agree with your totally irrelevant comment that I don't believe there's a 50/50 chance of finding a thousand dollars in my pocket, but you use this flawed logic to say therefore, the chances of God being real are about the same. Wow! what a stunning display of logic. You can't be serious. Your last comment reads; "All other following sentences are similarly flawed in their assumptions." Please tell me where you see this and be specific.

[@billjohnson9472]

@@michaelmckinney7240 how about this, either you have a brain tumor or you don't. You don't know that you do, unless you happened to have a CT scan recently. So by your criteria you have a 50/50 chance of having one. Our experience in the medical field provides an incidence that is much less than a 50/50 chance. But for the gods there is no information so one cannot make any statistically-based determination. "First of all it's subjective bias assumes I don't know how much money I have in my pocket and..." - pedantry. so find someone neither of us know walking on the street and propose they either do or do not have a $1000 bill. same analogy.

[@billjohnson9472]

@@michaelmckinney7240 " What you're really saying for subjective reasons of bias is you don't think the chances are that high in favor of the possibility that God might" -- no, you are assigning all kinds of unwarranted intent. I am saying that there is no data on which to base any "probability" argument for the gods. Probability requires knowledge that is not available in this case to make any computation. And when you have situations that are exclusive where A must be true or B must be true, but not both, one cannot assign a "50/50 chance" to A or B being true without further knowledge.

[@lenroddis5933]

@@michaelmckinney7240 It's a binary choice that you do or do not win a lottery, but are the chances really 50/50? At least, there's a mathematical method for evaluating the odds on a lottery, but on the existence or otherwise of a god? Not as far as I'm aware. If one could provide irrefutable evidence for a god then it wouldn't even be 50/50. But in the absence of such evidence, what possible reason could one have to believe in such a thing?

[@Magik1369]

Sam Harris is brilliant and he is a very important voice in this crazy world.

[@andersestes]

Yeah, that has been my main gripe with the so called holy book : how underwhelming it is. Just think, if it had mentioned with just a sentence the effect of Penicillin.

[@mikeloomis687]

Did Jesus Christ exist? Was he human? Then where is His grave?? Conspiracy is such a convenient explanation but you can’t prove it with any facts.

[@PaDutchRunner]

You just provided a rather cogent piece of evidence for the resurrection. No grave, no body etc.

[@rimbusjift7575]

​@@PaDutchRunner Logic is tough, huh? No grave = no Jesus.

[@PaDutchRunner]

@@rimbusjift7575 We do actually have the grave. It’s just that it never really had the opportunity to fully serve its function because the body was only there for three days following the crucifixion. maps.app.goo.gl/y7a7dmKUFZYWgTR8A?g_st=ic

[@sirguy6678]

“Easier to fool a man than to convince him to change his mind.” Mark Twain

[@alexforget]

Sam made me a christian. The way he completely disregarded his own principle and fell into the biggest Trump derangement syndrome. He basically fell for the propaganda that Trump=Satan, having no real image of evil in his head it was easy to cast it into someone. Sam made me realise that we can’t escape it because that’s how our mind work, if you disregard our religion that got our culture here you will not be enlighten and rational, You will fall for the first idea that sound good and fill the void you have. That’s how communist and Nazi kill millions and it’s how woke is currently destroying our civilisiation. You need a story at the center of any phylosophy of life, that story need to be accessible at all level of society, not just for the highly educated that spend their life on it. It must allow people who did bad thing to correct themselves, people that live with grief to go past it and focus on the living, strear people toward good actions, generosity and prevent vengence. That tribe must also create another generation that will keep that flame alive and improve for the next one. If Sam can build that and prove that his tribe can follow it and live better lives then it would be an alternative, I might even be tempted. Otherwise what he is doing is trying to destroy the few remaining parts of our civilisation.

[@perrygershin3946]

You obviously need professional help.

[@MrSeedi76]

​@@perrygershin3946what makes you even say that? To prove how much more loving atheists are compared to the hateful Christians 😂? Yeah, I can already see the atheist utopia in my imagination, where everyone is as kind and loving as you 😂.

[@danemount6113]

You're demonizing Sam and clinging to bronze age religious beliefs because you still believe there's a sky daddy running. The show. There has been terrible religious idiots and terrible atheists alike. But religion is not doing anyone any good because it's based on lies.

[@brianmi40]

"Sam made me a christian." So, what, you TRIED IT OUT, because "of Sam", but, what, stayed for the "great morality in the Bible"? Leviticus 25:44-46 Exodus 21:20-21 LOL, your bar is PRETTY LOW for what is MORAL. In fact, based upon JUST the bible, how EXACTLY (quote the scripture references) did you figure out WHICH WAS THE GOOD ONE: GOD or SATAN???

[@jasbo9734]

Sam didn't make you a Christian. That's a simply an absurd suggestion. Trump is a corrupt, narcissistic moron, not Satan (as Satan doesn't exist). Your religion is based on fairy tales, as are all other religions. So-called Christians have killed millions of people, including other so-called Christians, during the last c 2000 years. You obviously have no understanding of what woke means. Understand what humanism is then you can learn how the world can be a better place without the need to invent supernatural beings and destructive and bigoted religions which have no basis in reality.

[@tknciliba4743]

Religion is Ridiculous I agree totally with you. What matters is a relationship with God. Religion is outward appearance VS Relationship which is inward appearance. May God bless you guys.

[@ianmarkhammes2071]

Sam mentions there are "many books" contemporary with the The Bible and equal in wisdom from that period 2 - 4 thousand years ago. I wonder why he would not name one?

[@BlacklokHimself]

The Analects attributed to Confucius en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analects

[@anthonyzav3769]

Euclid. Anything by Plato or Aristotle. I’ve not gleaned a single piece of wisdom from the Bible.

[@danielbuhr4260]

Literal centuries of classical philosophy before and after the bible and you want a specific book?

[@BlacklokHimself]

Cicero, Marcus Aurelius, Socrates, all of them a lot more illuminating than the bible. I can go and so could Sam.

[@bootskanchelsis3337]

a fart is equal in wisdom to the bible. What an awful book.

[@royglenn2487]

Nothing is supernatural or everything is. I,m not a very smart guy but I think Sam is.

[@pat6289]

Jesus is not Dead His Resurrected as per all the eyewitness accounts by women who go against traditions which makes it even more TRUE!

[@donnyh3497]

😅

[@tinequeek9056]

These Bible stories are claims. Jesus being resurrected is a claim. Some women said to be eyewitnesses is a claim. What evidence, other than the Bible, is there to prove these claims.

[@tcuisix]

Of course its true because they hated women 😅

[@petyrkowalski9887]

Oh dear. You have it bad😂

[@scambammer6102]

if jesus isn't dead then where the Fk is he?