The Big Picture and a Petty Deity

If you like what I do, donate a dollar per video on patreon.
/ aronra
Presented at the 5th annual 'Imagine No Religion' Conference
in Vancouver British Columbia.
Music by Monster On Sunday from the Baby Eater album monsteronsunday...
Here is a reference for some of the things I said about Louisiana schools.
www.motherjones...

[@TromboneRockGod]

Aron Ra is like a friend who will tell you that you have some schmutz on your face just before you go over to talk to the girl at the other end of the bar. He wants you to win, that’s a true friend. In this video Aron is being a USA patriot to all of us by saying that we have snot running out of our nose of our country...

[@arnekrug939]

ultramegaroytrombone Sorry for comment necromancy but is Schmutz used in the US as a leanword?

[@kingravenink]

Odd scenario, but ok.

[@longleaf1217]

@@arnekrug939 not sure what you mean by leanword exactly but yeah we use Schmutz to refer to dirt or mud or anything like that.

[@seamusmcfadden994]

@@longleaf1217 Synonymous with (shit) lol

[@nathanielgrey4091]

@@longleaf1217 Probably meant loan word.

[@mattw4461]

In America, lots of people try to change the facts to fit their worldview, instead of changing their worldview to fit the facts.

[@dadnonlyd3]

MrZapparin if so then how come other nations are ahead of us in education

[@rsr789]

But America has basically institutionalized it, that's the difference.

[@Spyrit2011]

That's not entirely true, Americans simply don't try.

[@leadingbyxample]

America. When you say America, what are you really saying? America is not only the United States. We need to stop with this notion that Americans only live in one of the 50 states.

[@musiqal333]

That's religious thought in general. Due largely to human cognitive biases.

[@darklightnova]

"And he's always watching you. Even when you're on the toilet." I actually used to think about that when I believed. And I was always worried that, due to God being omnipresent, I was shitting on God.

[@Smilley85]

darklightnova You were shitting God into/unto God.

[@uzimyspecial]

Smilley MLK what if he's into it?

[@tcsam73]

darklightnova Nothing says religious devotion like giving God a Cleveland Steamer.

[@schwadevivre4158]

Nothing wrong with that - according to believers that's what atheists do

[@henrikbger4111]

well he shoulda thought of that before he designed us in a way that meant that we do occasionally have to take a dump or a leak... and that it isn't exactly practical nor pleasant...buuut I suppose we were created in his "image"

If America spent half as much on science and education as it does on the military then the whole world would be begging to be it's friend rather than being afraid not to be..

[@jumajasjas2925]

the world doesn't work like that.... it's the survival of the fittest

[@DrVein]

@@jumajasjas2925 it's been a very long time since the "fittest" also meant biggest, ugliest, fattest, dumbest, and most violent. That's the problem with Christianity, it sees it as necessary to be stupid and blindly aggressive. Stop living in the stone age, my friend.

[@jandrews6254]

These days, in 2019, America has pissed off its once allies and totally chucked the Kurds under the proverbial bus. It is no one’s friend and no one is terribly afraid of it any more, since it’s military is now for rent to the highest, cash, bidder.

[@wickederebus]

@@jandrews6254 eh, France and England have had their hundred year long spats before, and they started making up before Brexit became a thing. and Germany has raped and pillaged Italy many times, such as German mercs turning around to burn Rome because the other side has a bigger paycheck, or because the Italian dictator was an idiot, or that other time with the German mercs, or the other other time with the German mercs. maybe its just a German merc thing? Or the numerous times Germany fucked over France and the rest of Europe. my point being that whatever a country does presently, will eventually fade if a new national identity is forged both internally and internationally.

[@justjucc5655]

@@jumajasjas2925 Dude, america is being mocked because of its military budget. War is a dying trend. Peace is becoming more and more common.

[@PURPLE_SHADE_SMOOTHIE]

Thank you for being a voice for millions of us peaceful, law abiding, compassionate and reasonable minded atheists. To me, one of the most important messages that needs constant dissemination is that: Law comes from society's collective value of human life (to minimize suffering and maximize happiness), and NOT from a deity. Thanks again.

[@mistylover7398]

🙂😎

[@RichardThomas-vu1bf]

AronRa, are you sure you're not a comedian? You're an amusing guy. Been watching your stuff recently, and I really it, and appreciate your efforts to call out religious insanity. Please, keep it up! You speak for many of us, who are either too afraid to or are unable to properly articulate facts at hand. Thank you so much!

[@khalidosman8027]

Third world ignorance with first world arrogance is indeed a dangerous combination

[@Dianasaurthemelonlord7777]

Indeed

[@alisaurus4224]

Succinctly put

[@mgrzx3367]

Yeah, AronRa gave me a shout out. A high school friend drew my picture as " Duck Dogders in the 24th and a half Century" You made my day AronRa.

[@lDrownded2]

I've been hating on Texas and Florida too much. I need to open my black heart to Louisiana, too, just for the Mark Twain comment alone.

[@jmurray1110]

The only disrespect Twain should have is saying that the movie made about him if you could say that because that thing is batshit crazy

[@kaffeejunge4780]

Bruh Twain is a respected author in my state hearing this is WACK.

[@AliceSpeltRight]

As someone who went k-12 in north Texas, I definitely remember being taught that the civil war was fought over states rights. I’m glad I now know how untrue that is.

[@josiatokirina1788]

Brilliant Aron, Thank You! This lecture should be required education in all school curriculum, starting in grade school and even thru college.

[@longtermcareexperiences-bi5685]

My fundamentalist Christian brother and his wife home schooled their children here in Canada using text books from Texas which even managed to weave Bible verses into their math text books. I called the local board of education while they were still in grade school, to let them know that these children were not registered with the board when they moved into their district. They sent an inspector to check them out. The kids were registered, but the board was unable to stop their teachings, because their only criterion was that "learning is taking place." Years later, they moved again, and again failed to register their kids in the new school district. I called the board again. This time, their oldest child was now highschool age and the rules had changed. In high school, the criterion is more rigorous. So they were forced to send their oldest child to high school, and when their other children became highschool age, the board of education made sure that these children also attended high school. Obviously, our relationship is strained. But I did this because I care about the kids and how they would integrate with the rest of society.

[@raptorcrasherinc.9823]

You did the right thing for those kids.

[@rchuso]

I watched a sci-fi show recently where the crew of the ship were watching some event unfolding many light-years away - and they went to assist at their "warp speed". Didn't anybody tell the writers that looking at something that far away was also looking that far back in time? This ignorance is endemic to the species with the occasional bright spot burning like a candle in the darkness here and there for a short time.

[@jdgrahamo]

Rand Huso If they reach something light-years away they could certainly watch it in real time. No paradox.

[@qzh00k]

Rand Huso Watching the TV show "Science Fiction Theatre" from the 1940's is almost scary for how they turn science into magical ideas. It has a very sketchy format, start with science and end with science fiction, which makes me wonder how folks understood the real from the fake in those times. The writers excelled at finding and leaving that bit of doubt that magic? works. There were only two or three channels in the day and a generation in the 40's grew up with that, I do not think there was a TV show that would have helped correct misconceptions from that oddly great show.

[@JimboJamble]

What show was this? I know in Star Trek at least they have "subspace" technology that allows them to observe and communicate faster than light (though it's still finite).

[@silentpillager]

+Rand Huso travelling faster than the speed of light supposedly would make time go in reverse so it actually makes total sense, assuming warp speed is faster than light.

[@Questron71]

+silentpillager No it doesn't as a warp engine does not circumvent relativity directly but cheats by influencing the arrangement of spacetime. Nothing ever moves "faster than light" but the ship still reaches its destination sooner than a ray of light could do without having a warp drive... Stricty speaking the ship will not really move at all, it sits peacefully inside its normal space bubble, but the drive will move external space around this bubble and achieve the movement illusion. You could compare it to a railway if the locomotive was nailed down in place and the rails would be shoved fore and aft... only 3 or 4 dimensional in effect. But it has already been mentioned that to realistically use such an engine you also need some kinds of detection method that allows you to e.g. notice an object you might collide with sooner than you reach it or you might still collide, which means all ships with such FTL abilities can look at objects in some distance in real time and are not quite reduced to the abilities of the Hubble telescope which does look into the distant past.

[@PerpetratorOfTruth]

Looks like Louisiana is on the cutting edge of batshittery.

[@FourOne_Alpha]

I was there. It was a great talk to hear in person. I even got to meet Aron Ra after too.

[@PerpetratorOfTruth]

BOHICA DropShort Cool.

[@tcsam73]

Gluteus Illuminatus Nice to see Louisiana is doing it's best to make Kansas look better by comparison.

[@Akira625]

Gluteus Illuminatus And on the trailing edge of human progress.

[@ElveeKaye]

+Gluteus Illuminatus Everyone has to be good at something, I guess.

[@eugenecoleman8525]

I would love to see updated videos on these kind of topics to see where the issues are currently and as time goes on

[@mism847]

Number of atheists keeps increasing at a constant rate.

[@bucketogix]

Not sure how anyone can listen to Aron Ra and NOT have their eyes opened. What a great presentation.

[@LatiasDita]

You know, I used to think I had an average American education. Maybe a little above average since I was mainly in honors classes. Apparently, I was lucky to get the education I did. :P

[@elephystry]

StrawberryEggs **hugs** I believe in you

[@DrVein]

You were. I know non-religious folk who still think you need to get circumcised. It's sad.

[@robertdemartino2572]

God is the adult version of Santa Claus.

[@paulcaudle6275]

If this doesn't wake you up I don't know what will!

[@blackbuddha8167]

AronRa for President!!

[@davidroberts1689]

God will go away if we stop thinking about him. So long God!

[@ednelson2501]

+David Roberts If you could make god go away. It would be the greatest event in the history of the planet Earth. (s)he is the biggest culprit for almost every war in history. The plagues that wiped out millions and millions of people. The "donations" to the churches and all other religious buildings around the world , that are supposed to help the needy. are being used to help the people who run the organizations. Vatican City must be worth billions. All bought through donations. It will take more than us (people) to stop thinking about a "god" someone very wordly important must "step up to the plate" and abolish religions. Just like slavery in the 1800's . It has to be done, we as people will never "develop beyond " where we are at the moment. There are 100's of religions believing of 1,000's of gods. at the best possible odds, the chance of there actually being a god is !,000,000 to 1. That is a bet you will loose a buck on every time.. Just like George Carlin said " there is no easter bunny, no Santa clause, no loch ness monster, little green men on Mars. And their is no god. There can't be.

[@ednelson2501]

+David Roberts I think therefore I am, I think therefore God isn't

[@Uctus8]

first step ... stop capitalizing god... he dosent deserve it...

[@tinktink529]

hold df up bitch God does exist religion is the problem so stfu

[@tinktink529]

+Herbert Morphis because god is real just not man made gods the bible is based of a deity jesus a man made god humans have no image of god and it scares them so like a shitzo they make shit up to adapt to there own reality i never said the bible was true lmao wtf religon is man made you cant limit a gods form god exsist just no one knows what it is the universe is ever expanding somthing expands it reality is 99•9% real meaning somthing its capable of all being falsr and if lifes an illusional perception some thing casted the illusion i pray to that god lmao not religous belifs so god does exsist just not these fairy tales

[@SOSASOSAist]

If it took god 7 days to make earth, how long did it take him to make the universe with hundreds of billions of planets and solar systems.

[@rogertheshrubber2551]

SOSASOSAist Some say, he's still out there creating a new solar system every seven days to this day...

[@blackice9088]

It took god no time to make anything...Imaginary characters can't make anything, and god is imaginary.

[@kevinmorton7233]

Let’s be logical. If it’s all about us. What’s the point of the ever evolving endless universe? Stars and planets have never stopped forming. And worn out stars die all the time.

[@leyrua]

@@rogertheshrubber2551 That WOULD explain why he hasn't revealed himself to us for so long... Disclaimer (since this is the internet): I am an atheist and this was a joke.

[@rogertheshrubber2551]

@@leyrua I got it and I'm going to sarcastically use it in the future.

[@paranor001]

the christian god. the 1st MRA and the longest troll on record.

[@Desertphile]

Paranor001 Indeed, I have yet to hear about any god that I would want as a neighbor. The gods tend to have the worse traits humanity has. I have never heard about any god that was more ethical and decent as I am.

[@paranor001]

Desertphile So much so I've thrown the 'atheist' label away for a more precise descriptor my understanding, Ignostic.

[@jackragnarok8141]

Desertphile You haven't heard of many gods then. I'm pretty sure the god of love is more decent than you.

[@paranor001]

Jack Ragnarok gaylor ? naw he's too much of a bitch

[@paranor001]

NeodymiumAecium5 Not from the PR from it's members it seems. Just like today's feminists, the groups are seen as self-entitled jokes. Clean your house and I may change my mind. Till then, yes it is accurate to say it is, under the current definition.

[@borisbalen615]

Is he's serious? Do your public schools really teach that? I mean in Croatia we too have a religion class as an elective course where they teach us about the bible and Christianity, but they never openly contradicted biology and the rest of our secular education.

[@jennaozzy6863]

That is some of the most disturbing things I have ever heard, 5 minutes in... Wow I love living in Canada so much right now, support for you folks from me!

[@YokaiX]

Louisiana has Dino Dragons in their (pseudo)science textbooks?!

[@KevinTheNoobie]

This is their position on stem cell research: "We oppose any legislation that would allow for the creation and/or killing of human embryos for medical research." *- 2012 Republican Party Platform*

[@BFDT-4]

Don't doubt your doubts, be skeptical of your beliefs!

[@kaydenpat]

Shocking what is going on with Texas’ and Louisiana’s public education system. Thanks for exposing this to those of us in other states.

[@TranslatorCarminum]

An Open Letter to My Country: I love you, and although you are far from perfect, I am proud of all the things you have done right for the world and humanity, perhaps most notably setting the precedent of a stable representative republic as a viable form of government and building several basic human rights into the Constitution. I am also proud that we have overall matured as a culture, improving our values and mores in ways that increasingly marginalize oppression and enhance equality of rights. The recent Supreme Court decision on gay marriage was an uplifting boon to my faith in the fatherland to fulfill ever more closely the egalitarianism that it so proudly touts to the rest of the world. With every such triumph, the United States becomes ever less hypocritical in its idealism. I would like that growth to continue and my country to remain the world leader it has grown so accustomed to being, but my confidence in the likelihood of that happening is shaken by the fact that, amidst several steps forward, we seem to be taking one very substantial and perilous step backwards. That is the rise in prominence of religious fundamentalism and its unconstitutional influence on national politics. Aside from being a slippery slope into the theocracy not at all dissimilar from that which has long plagued the Middle East, it contributes much to the intellectual ineptitude of far too many of our citizens. The United States cannot remain a world leader if it allows its people to become marred in misinformation, mythology, and irrationality. So I welcome religious conservatives to exercise their personal freedom of worship that is the cornerstone of our successful government, but I also implore them to simultaneously respect the separation of church and state that is no less a part of what made this country great. The loss of traditional privilege to oppress is not itself a form of oppression. It is equality. The unilateral inculcation of dogma asserted on its own presupposed authority is not education. It is indoctrination. Please learn the difference, so that the United States may continue to lead the world rather than descending into ignorant theocracy. Your loving but concerned citizen, Gregory H. Bontrager

[@0x8badf00d]

Is there a better place to place your letter? It's kind of well hidden underneath all the other comments here.

[@robertbrownjr2123]

Right on dude

[@stevenfeduk8627]

I'm confused now having felt comfortable among peers eating Bubba Gump Shrimp while surrounded by Churches in Kona. Argh, I'm kicking myself for not being able to see Aron speak in person while he was in this province. He's a great ambassador for the USA and yes, should be governor. I just got back from the states, and his work has made me feel allot more comfortable visiting there. I hope to see him speak in Texas one day. Thank you for helping me continue to educate myself Aron!

[@kiwibryntoo]

It's now 2018 and nothing has changed except for the worse.

[@noname-by3qz]

Makes plans to get out of the US as soon as possible, as I should have done 40 years ago.

[@kaktusstechus7270]

"You're about as good as it gets" is an amazing way to make people feel good and Bad at the same time

[@musicauthority5635]

"We live in an age where the Scott's make fun of us" how true is that? this Country has turned into the laughing stock of the world. this would be funny if it weren't serious. Aron Ra talking about penis skins, and then shows a bag of pork rines. that was hilarious, I love Aron Ra he's the best.

[@SnakeMan448]

You shouldn't have to feel guilty or responsible for the ignorance or actions of others, because because they share some trait with you.

[@GingerManGottaWreck]

Because because because because becaaaaaus! Because of the wonderful things he does!

[@pabstep2611]

Amazing. This talk feels like the essence of Aron Ra.

[@AazamPossum]

Why do I love this guy so much

[@wolf1066]

Dunno why *you* do, but for me it's because he's a reminder that not every US citizen is a drooling credulous cretin - which, considering the USA has an enormous stockpile of Weapons of Mass Destruction, is something I _really need_ to be reminded of and reassured by fairly frequently.

[@rojopantalones9791]

Well, further solidifies my desire to homeschool once I have kids. My dad was a Christian, but taught me more about math and science than I learned in high school. Hell, he taught me trig when I was 11 and tried to teach me calculus when I was 12. He taught me how to balance a checkbook, how to repair electronics, how to fix cars, how to do carpentry and plumbing, and how to stand up for myself. He gave me the resources to learn biology, chemistry, physics, and astronomy, and he and I even had debates on theoretical fields, like quantum mechanics and faster than light travel, all before I was 15. The real kicker is that he didn't have a college education and couldn't spell better than a 3rd grader. By some standards, he'd be considered mentally deficient. He was a boilermaker by trade, and worked for US Steel until it shut down and he lost his job. The most important thing he taught me, though, was respect for my fellow man. As he said, "I don't care if you're black, white, green, or purple, you're a person, and deserve at *least* that much respect." Sounds like a modern mentality to have, but he was born in 1943. By all assumptions, he should've been hateful or, at the very least, distrustful of members of other races. He was only 23 years younger than women's right to vote. He was older than many states, older than our Air Force, and older than the equal rights movement. It would be a fair assumption that he was a bigot, but he chose not to be. A funny story I have about him is when I came back to live with him after living with an African-American family for 6 months in foster care. My dad had a very dark complexion, and, after being exposed to members of another race for the first time, I looked at him and asked, "Daddy, are you black?" He laughed for a good while, and finally said, "No, no. I'm just really tan!" I didn't know what "tan" meant, but accepted his answer, regardless. I guess the point I'm getting at is that we should be fully conscious of what we teach our kids. My dad never forced any religious idealology onto me, even though he was strongly Christian, himself. I don't mind people of other religions, and I hope their faith helps them be a better person overall, in the end. I've been to somewhere close to 100 different religious institutions in my life, from Buddhist to Shinto to Christian (Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant). I've made friends with people practicing even obscure religions, like druidism and Odinism. To me, they're still people, first and foremost, and I'm going to continue to treat them as such.

[@mikemadden2729]

My Dad laid on the couch & slept thru baseball & football games. Ma kept "her house" perfect & bitched all the time. I had to do all that other stuff myself. Us kids had to jump on our bikes, TAKE OFF & make our own fun. LMAO!!!

[@mikemadden2729]

Didn't discover it until I was 21, & now at 70 I realize the most fun thing was LSD! Road tripping 200 plus miles with the car stereo cranked!

[@eliazruis4761]

I use your educational videos in my public school science class. I wish I could show all of your videos.

[@SunuAkkad]

Maaaan, I love how AronRa was talking about DOCTOR WHO! LOL! I made the same observation, of how The Doctor can travel through time and space, but is always in England in modern times in most episodes.

[@otrame]

Well, you see, there is this thing called a budget. And in the early days of the Doctor, the budget was roughly a pound an episode*. So, ya know... *only a slight exaggeration

[@TroyaJamilyn]

"It's all part of a fiendish plan that makes... NO SENSE AT ALL" 🤣

[@joeymanson2222]

They crossed the line calling Mark Twain a "hack' ! WTF?

[@RawGameplay0]

I will always be thankful to aron for helping me see how illogical and irrational the biblical stories are.

[@MrChristerj]

If this is true then it is scary. The ignorance of big parts of the population seems so unlikely. I am happy to live in Sweden.

[@elliotthannam8374]

I can't tell whether to laugh or sigh at Creationism

[@mr.person4050]

I end up doing both

[@seanarmstrong1156]

Hey AronRa, First of all, great speech. I really enjoyed it. ONE comment i have is can you provide QUOTES to the textbooks the next time you claim what Texas textbooks are teaching? Otherwise, sometimes i am skeptical on whether you are simply exaggerating or whether it is really literally true, if u get what i mean!

[@Declan-pg8cg]

Us Irish are more sexualy Liberal than you might like to think Aaron, and have been generally for a while despite a few loud mouthed religious prudes. And don't hang your head in shame because of your fellow countrymen who court stupidity. You're a respected intelligent man who's advice is welcomed. Stupidity knows no nationality. Too many of my own countrymen fit neatly into the "Moron" catagory which I'm glad to see is dwindling. As I regularly talk with many individuals on your side of the pond it's heartening to see there are still a sizeable portion of Americans who are well clued in and highly intelligent, only too happy to engage, learn, teach and discover with like minded individuals elsewhere. I for one am grateful for your more than welcome contribution. Sláinte.

[@TheKSProduction]

This is actually all terrifying. I'm legitimately scared of people around me now that I know what my family and friends believe. They are ruining this world and they don't even know it. How would one even try to communicate to them? I have an enormous playlist here on KZbin of religion debates. Should I send them my playlist link? I could to my parents. But it would be hours of watch time and they clearly wouldn't watch anything. I'm so fucking mad. This infuriates me. This can not go on anymore. Religion has to die. I asked my sister why she was going to church and immediately she got super irritated and shunned me for a while. I care about her. I can't let that happen to my sister. She is smart. She is incredibly smart but she's scared to let her parents down by not going to church. Anybody here have any tips to persuade my family to give up church? They throw money to it blindly just like anyone else. We are poor as fuck. None of this makes sense!!!! HELP!!! It's cool how non believers are growing in numbers but we are still losing. Immensely losing. They are winning and will continue to win. Trump is president. Like I'm terrified to even go outside anymore. I see the world so differently now. I see everyone as immoral evil people. Unintentional immoral people. This sucks. This sucks. This sucks. Fuck this country. I want to get involved somehow. Protesting seems pointless. I want to educate people. But it is so hard.

[@MizaT11]

I can relate. I too am deeply troubled by seeing how much damage religion has done to those that i love. I feel an urge to talk everyone out of it, and know that it's not possible. It freaking hurts and is demoralizing to think that I'll have to just let them live their entire lives deluded by lies and false hopes. I feel like I literally cannot communicate with anyone about this. I too am frequently thinking up of possible ways to convince others, but I know i'll likely never execute such plans. Even if I did, and it worked... The older they are, the harder it will be to cope with the realization. I know I'm still struggling after deconverting just over a year ago.

[@quinnblack706]

I feel the exact same way.

[@aaronbredon2948]

In Relativitity, the observer's position IS the center of the observed universe. But that is due to the limit of observation being based on the speed of light. There are things that are too far away to see, so it is impossible to know where the center is.

[@PhineasPhule]

At about 9:50 or so, Aron reveals the Secret of Power, according to the Church of the Sub-Genius. Well done, good sir! Bravo!

[@alexwk9830]

I find Aaron-ra to be very informative as well as very entertaining... Thank you sir for teaching us all ex-Christians the truth.

[@davidv6588]

These are excellent examples of why I call Texas "Florida West".

[@SnakesBeSnaken]

***** I noticed that you didn't give any specifics or sight any sources for the books you used as examples. I would very much like to know what the titles are since, as you can imagine, it is really hard for me to believe such a book actually exists, but I usually give people too much credit anyway.

[@AronRa]

0h Baba Black Sheep 0h The Texas Freedom Network posted a detailed list. I recorded the testimonies before the State Board of Education where dozens of teachers, historians and others told the board that what they wanted to teach was wrong, but the board famously adopted erroneous books anyway. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKrPo56dq9mWkLs

[@YouHolli]

AronRa You should run for governour. Seriously, enter politics. You're such an eloquent speaker.

[@amberjarratt6072]

YouHolli No offense to Aron Ra... but he would never win. Nobody would elect a godless heathen. lol.

[@Wistful77]

0h Baba Black Sheep 0h I think he is doing a good job of describing it. I doubt there is just one site to cite.

[@VICSWEB1]

0h Baba Black Sheep 0h you can't argue with an idiot. They will beat you with experience. Twain paraphrase

[@andrewsudders-mm5qy]

I feel sorry for americas youth keep makin great content like this aron we must try to change christians into atheists and swap christianity for real learning

[@wizardpig02]

Thank you Aron for not just blaming the students for the poorer quality of education and correctly calling out the people at the top. However I admit us students do need to take our what little education we do get more seriously.

[@guardingdark2860]

20:59 Praise the Great Green Arkleseizure, and beware the Coming of the Great White Handkerchief. Achoo.

[@robertmccall3489]

I come to the conclusion about human life; In the expanse of the cosmos we are but atoms.

[@kieranosullivan4966]

"God isn't dead he's just missing in action." Phil Ochs

[@Iam1ScrappyDoo]

Yo! I wish I had heard all this when I was 12yo, when I started having questions and doubts about religion and the church😅. Thanks A. Ra👊🏽

[@rowdy.rockers]

The earth is a giant pizza with pepperoni and anchovies! And the moon is a diet coke!

[@MrHat.]

What's the sun then?

[@almosteducational3729]

Hi I’m from scotland and I just have to say, don’t take it personal, we’ve been ripping on you for decades 😂

[@tbash69]

Someone was once arrested for smuggling books into Texas, but he was acquitted. No one could prove they were books.

[@waynegoldpig2220]

Awe-inspiring speech.

[@pepejulianonziema69]

I prefer a hurtful truth than a beautiful lie

[@janusatthegate6201]

It's also pretending to know things that can't be.

[@steverushforth7009]

Do not worry USA, China has picked up the mantel of science and technology, IE electronics, giant telescope, wolds fastest and most advanced train, the list goes on. still you have still got flat earth science. lol

[@arnekrug939]

Steve Rushforth But they sadly aren't free.

[@carlpen850]

@ Arne Krug... and in the USA we are not free either

[@richardlawson6787]

aron ra for president!!!!

[@OttoVonGarfield]

[phone] This was a result from the Voucher program which was mostly only seen in private or public schools that participated with the voucher program, which the kids attended thanks to the said voucher program. Only about 300 schools do this, but the effect is still noticeable.

[@lobsterbobable]

I was incarcerated in the Texas educational system in the late '50s and early '60s. I hope some others got out sane.

[@madcyclist58]

I'm halfway through the video as I write this. Why is the audience laughing? It's sad, not funny.

[@darnit006]

AronRa for president!

[@ChaseNoseworthy]

I was raised in a christian household and the only time I went to a secular school from birth to high school graduation was in kindergarten. If anyone doubts what he said is being taught in these schools, he's not lying. Everything from creationism, climate change denial, biblical literalism, and fire breathing dinosaurs was taught at my private christian high school.

[@sonnyliveringhouse6876]

Aron you just got a public de conversion credit on the atheist experience

[@wecvgb9]

I love AronRa when he is speaking on hard science and religion. But when he starts into history and politics, sometimes he says things in a general way that are disputable. Environmentalism is infested with leftist ideology, including many groups dedicated to reversing the industrialism of the last 2 centuries. AronRa implies the opposite. Conservationism is, I think, the ideology I would subscribe to, not environmentalism. The major political causes of the American Civil War do include slavery, but not exclusively. Lincoln clearly was not motivated by ending chattel slavery in the U.S., large percentages of Confederates were not motivated to fight to keep slavery. Slavery did cause the war from an economic and social perspective. For example, the economy of the South, based on agriculture and man-power instead of manufactering and machine power, was at odds with tarrifs and trade restrictions. The social institutions of the South and the social institutions of the North were so completely disconnected from each other, that war was probably inevitable on that basis alone. AronRa, you speak so often and voluminously that you are bound to say things that are erroneous and/or disputable. You are a great man, and a monument to reason. Thank you for the work! (yes I donate)

[@sussekind9717]

In Germany we have no separation of church and state. We do have a religion class in our public schools. Religion is taught in religion class, science is taught in science class, History is taught in history class, philosophy is taught in philosophy class. However, at least here, one can opt out of the religion class.

[@MrHat.]

I think you miss understand what separation of church and state means. It means that the government cannot favor 1 or more religions over others. So for example: the government cannot pass a law that makes building mosques illegal and subsidises construction of cathedrals.

[@sussekind9717]

@@MrHat. The German government only allows Catholic or Lutheran religious classes to be taught in the public schools. No other religions. If you want to be a part of the Catholic Church in Germany, you have to pay your tithes directly out of your pay check, via the government entity responsible for that. And each religion has its own department in the government to oversee and process those funds. In order to be considered an official religion in Germany, a certain percentage of the population has to be registered as such. There is much more, but I'm not a German legal expert to be able to list off every single example, plus some laws may have changed in the 30 years since I went to school there. I'm not saying Germany is under Mosaic Law, but it is a far cry from separation of church and state.

[@Lambert1386]

This here's fancy book learnin'.

[@ericthemovieguy]

My brain cell is aching with all this fancy book talk I need a mt dew

[@raijinmeister]

No wonder Trump is in power and people there think the Earth is flat. How the mighty have fallen.

[@rekunta]

Yup. For my part, I tried. I’d move out of this laughingstock dump of a country led by a complete idiot in a heartbeat if I could afford it.

[@jamesogletree4001]

"Always watching you. Even when you're on the toilet." You say while I am watching you on the toilet. XD

[@martingoldfire]

AronRa came to Norway and I missed it? CRAAAAP!!!!! :-/ He's one of a few people I want to shake hands with, just to say thank you for exisiting.

[@grahamlive]

Oh man, I wish I'd known Aron was in Glasgow. I'd love to meet the man.

[@jinxy72able]

I define faith as, "Believing a claim is valid and or true without sufficient empirical evidence and argument, to demonstrate the claims validity and or truth value."

[@JRChadwick]

I would like to see these textbooks. I want to see if I can get a PDF of them. I can try to grow awareness of this foolishness.

[@tonyfendex2558]

Wow!!! This is getting REALLY BAD for the US. This is HORRIBLE!!!!!

[@TheMZsadeBABY]

Wow, I feel so naive... I must do some research!

[@MsDjessa]

15:30 That joke reminds me of Diamanda Hagan and how she has made some jokes about her home Northern-Ireland. Man it would be awesome if you did a cameo in one of her movie reviews Aron! If you aren't aware of her I recommend her reviews. She has done few religious movies, in fact it was from her Left Behind review I first learned about the absurdity of Kirk Cameron.

[@17BH76]

In regards to religion this man sums up the disorganized thoughts I’ve had in my mind since I was a young teen .....as far as the country ..... I’m afraid we stand no chance to alter our current path without a huge movement from people like you and me. The lust for greed and power which started religion is so deep and the rich who control this country now have so much money and power it will be almost impossible to change....almost

[@Quasihamster]

"Those tiny little bits of glitter - those are the stars." Well, technically, they even got this one right!

[@incrediblesloth85]

And the text books that talk about the Loch Ness monster also omit the fact that he needs about tree fiddy

[@Webshooters1]

As one of the few people whose NOT stupid and an American this whole talk made me want to simultaneously facepalm, cry, and be ashamed of my country. I just want to say to the rest of the world: "I'm sorry for my country. I'm so, so sorry."

[@zenwolf4220]

Keep up the great work

[@Itnasias]

Well it’s 2019, and now many Americans don’t even know what a Homo sapien is. Because when they hear the word “homo”, they think homosexual.

[@Sciguy95]

@@ElRojo651 I watched a video where a person walked around asking people what they thought about the near extinction of the species home sapien and alot of them said they didnt really care because it doesnt affect them. You say no one is that stupid, after I pointed out Jupiter in the sky, I had a guy tell me that there is no such thing as stars, planets, the moon, etc. He said they are just holographic projections put in the sky by the U.S. government.

[@matty8944]

It's because of people like you AronRa that truth, logic and reason will always prevail

[@SibbTigre]

Step 1: Don't feed the troll. Step 2: Realise the Abrahamic God is a troll. Step 3: Realise the axiom works in this case.

[@fizz71]

AronRa So thankfully my daughter's school (in PA) isn't teaching that crap and is mostly secular--but even that's not enough! Last weekend my daughter stumped me with a question..."How did we get here from nothing?" Now don't get me wrong...I have a very good understanding of it all but how do you explain the big bang, abiogenesis, protein chains, carbon based life, and evolutionary biology...to an 8 year old? I was impressed when I told her that there is sooooooo much to learn that she's not really ready for yet and her answer was "I want to learn it all." My daughter is the first to be raised without religious indoctrination and I was raised christian so if I had these sorts of questions at 8 the answer "God did it" would have been sufficient. So now I'm stumped..she loves science, she loves nature, and she wants to learn, but she still thinks the sun is a big burning rock like a piece of coal and "no honey, it's nuclear fusion of hydrogen" is out of her grasp. :) What resources are our there that I can work with her at 8? ..and to let her learn and read beyond dinosaurs and fossils (which they teach in her school as existing well before humans...Thank you) She's been in "science club" since first grade and learned a lot, but I hate not being able to answer her questions on a level she can comprehend! Save me Ra Man. :) ...and the community.

[@andrewsudders-mm5qy]

Amazing talk aron, i love it when the bible is ridiculed we have to convince christians of these facts

[@D-me-dream-smp]

This was made 5 years ago and yet, unbelievably, things have sadly become exponentially worse with thousands of Americans literally dying because of these fallacious beliefs and the ongoing attempts to undermine science and a lack of understanding of its foundational principles. One of the most egregious acts religion has done in recent times is its concerted efforts to undermine science and its attempts to deny children access to the incredible wealth of knowledge that centuries of hard work and research of men and women that have contributed to the modern world we enjoy. Sadly in the USA patriotism has been perverted into a twisted nationalism that has been designed to prevent any sort of honest reflection. The fact is all humans and nations are flawed but it is not making mistakes that is a weakness but it is the refusal to admit and learn from them that is the greatest barrier to growth. The corruption and decline of educational standards in America has largely contributed to the current disastrous situation in the US today and is partially responsible for why so many Americans choose to believe outlandish and often irrational conspiracy theories over advice from scientific experts in the field. Trump has legitimised and even celebrated this anti intellectualism which revels in its ignorance whilst failing to even understand HOW to evaluate information for legitimacy and validity. It is a sad state of affairs that in a time when we literally have nearly all of history’s knowledge a mere click away that people still choose ignorance does not bode well for the future

[@TheSapphiretrooper]

Aron Ra, you, like Dr Brian Cox, can hold the audience better than anybody as you show that you can genuine interest in the content. Bravo!

[@michaelgray2534]

Excellent video! The things you said about the US are depressing, but they need to be said over and over again. But one thing... I will never be able to look at a bag of Pork Rinds again without laughing.

[@PhilipMcAdam]

All that is mentioned in this video were all the things that changed my mind about my former silly religion. What sparked my quest for this knowledge was the child rape that both the state I live in and church I followed covered up.