Seth Andrews at Disbelief Discourse November 22, 2011 "The Shell Game"

[@AronRa]

You are an excellent public speaker.

[@eddieclark9802]

Greetings from Ft. Worth, Aron.

[@Scorned405]

So are you AronRa.

[@clif26]

hello AronRa. i hope to see you speak someday and meet you.

[@Turandot29]

Aron Ra is an excellent speaker ... but so is Seth Andrews.

[@jarrodconnolly954]

So are you!

[@joools1953]

I could listen to Seth Andrews all day.

[@johnkerr1113]

I could listen to Carl Sagan all day also.

[@scottblack7182]

​@@johnkerr1113it's that calm cool and collected buttery voice 😅

[@deanb4799]

Every video I watch of Seth, the more clarity I receive. Just awesome man.

[@Roedygr]

God asks me to sacrifice my child. My first questions would be _"Who is this really?"_ and _"Why?"_ Just because I hear a voice in my head does not mean it is god. If I thought it actually could be god I might respond _"It is written and you allegedly wrote it -- Thou shalt not kill. So obviously you are not serious."_

[@alexhamilton3672]

I miss Carl Sagan. His words move me to tears. Beautiful.

[@bobbart4198]

... We ALL miss Carl Sagan ... sorry I missed your comment 5 years ago ... Cheers !

[@dawnpham8394]

Seth Andrews is the best public speaker. He makes logical sense. Thank You. I walked away from the circus called Catholic. That was the best decision I have made for my life. Now I am able to use my brain to think critically and live very free and very happy. No more NONSENSE.

[@AgentMidnight]

That letter from Karen/Karyn was incredibly heartbreaking. Its inspiring to see her stand ground to people who spouted horribly hurtful things when they shouldve lent a helping hand for one so desperately in need of comfort.

[@johnkerr1113]

As Christopher Hitchens said and I paraphrase it incorrectly no doubt.. religion makes intelligent people say and do stupid things.... usaully hateful and disparaging.

[@gilless429]

I really love your speeches. They're always interesting and thought-provoking. And there's always a little humor thrown in the middle. Keep up the good work.

[@magicalsimmy]

This was amazing. I just discovered Seth this evening. I can't tell you how much this has helped me. I'm an ex-Evangelical Christian. My atheism has been blamed (by Christians) for the cause of every negative thing that has happened in my life from my cat's death to the non-cancerous tumour on my pituitary gland and everything in between. I've had people try to guilt-trip me and scare me back into being a Christian, and a few almost succeeded early on in my de-conversion. Thank you, Seth.

[@koltirasrip5775]

Oh man, the letters from the family to Karen....hooooly sheeeeeet. I would've gone nuclear on my whole family if anyone ever sent me something like that in a moment of such tragedy.

[@brmay7375]

My mother's in laws said it to her and my mom was a Christian like them. Thing out Christians is they use " god" to essentially say " you displease me and for that I'm happy for your suffering " . if the victim is also xtian it hurts immensely because that idea of a god is engranged and inseparable from the self. They're telling the victim to heat herself not value herself or trust herself thus making them either submit to another or kill themself.

[@patriciasampson9317]

Good, loving Godbotherer. -eyeroll-

[@teresagdavila5442]

We love you Seth!!! See you in San Antonio on June 28th ~ Can't wait!!!

[@bobh5087]

Brilliant, moving, and very inspiring. Thank you, Seth. 👍 ❤️

[@clydesight]

Excellent talk and the concluding homage to Carl Sagan --- priceless! BIG thumbs up!

[@O2BSoLucky]

Brilliantly presented Seth, Thank you. Educational and entertaining as always. Happy Holidays!

[@kadene2]

Very uplifting. THis comes on the heels of a painful discussion I just had, during which I disclosed to a friend, that I am no longer a believer. She cried for about half an hour, since it was clear that I had begun my journey to hell. It was like talking to a brick wall, telling her I have lost my fear of death and oblivion, so "hell" meant nothing.... Thank you for posting this inspiring video.

[@VerumAdNauseam]

I LOVE this format. Seeing the speaker and the audience and the projector is just awesome.

[@benderisgreat5059]

“She thanked god that her mom was only horribly injured.” That genuinely made me laugh hard.

[@77gravity]

Watching this in 2019. Thank you, Seth.

[@PRHILL9696]

Seth is brilliant and entertaining!

[@brynpookc1127]

The cross: a symbol for those who love intersections or the lowercase letter t. (From Tim Minchin in intro for “Thank You, God”) Watching the original Cosmos as it broadcast was wonderful! It was wonderful knowing I was not alone in my questioning.

[@SussexUFOS]

Brilliant! thank you Seth! I used to be a Christian , 2 years after admitting I had repressed my doubts, I am OUT! yay! go reason! go Evolution! go Me! Can't wait to buy your book next week "Deconverted"

[@blueeyessystem2771]

Great show. Captivating from beginning to end. From India.

[@JosephNordenbrockartistraction]

If you have only six minutes of time to be on line right now, I recommend the last 6 that pays tribute to a very generous brilliant man Carl Segan. Many people across this country loved him long before he was known to be a non-theist.

[@sidstovell2177]

To the past - are you still online? I watched Cosmos on a 9" black and white TV. Carl Sagan, one of our great heroes of science, and science communication. Because of him, we have Brian Cox, and many others.

[@brianvance1178]

“Can you imagine any one book that has caused more confusion in the world?” Not to mention DEATH and DESTRUCTION instead of peace and prosperity

[@tehspamgozehere]

And it's not even one book. It's a collection of a selection of fragments of texts. Hence my personal label for it, the holey fables. It's a collection of fables. With gaping holes in 'em. The fact that the latin word 'bible' literally means 'book' is just another example of "I'm taking this. This is mine now. I made it." This is why a bibliography and a bibliophile have nothing to do with religion but instead relate to books and literature.

[@MsCryptoknight]

In re: the story of "Karen": Our marriage was also fraught with miscarriages and heartache. While our pastor was wonderful to us, the wannabe-pastor (every church has at least one, and this dude was a doozy) informed me that Timothy says that a woman of faith will give birth in safety, and therefore, I was not a woman of faith. [yeah I know that isn't what the verse says; it says that the act of childbearing will earn me my salvation, but back then I didn't mess with either pastors or pastor-wannabes.] Regardless, I may be child-free, but I am also gratefully, joyously god-free at last!

[@Knight766]

@Throom Spot on. Format and overall presentation was so innovative, intuitive and unlike any other speech I'd seen before....and I've seen plenty. He clearly put his heart to this and it shows. Respect.

[@NonProphetess]

Just want to let Seth know that I am a fan. Thank you for all your shows and all the work I know must go into them.

[@vgerdj]

I wish more videos were in this format, as I like to see the presentation as well as the speaker, and then the viewer doesn't have to put up with bad camera panning. And the bonus of the audience view so we can get their reactions to key points. Well done.

[@KnurdShogun]

Seth... you rock. You inspire me to do what you do.

[@atcox]

It's been a great joy to watch this video. Very intelligent, precise and on the other hand - funny. Thanks!

[@babby660]

Carl Sagan was truly a poet. Pale Blue Dot brings tears to the eyes.

[@RumbleFish69]

There is so much I can relate to here. I have lost many so-called friends and family to this thing called faith. I have learned to move on and dismiss those who cut me down for my lack of faith. Still, it hurts to go through this kind of thing. I have lost well-paying jobs and even housing because I am an atheist, but even after all that, it hurts when it comes to family. I will move on.

[@GirlSocks]

That whole thing was just amazing. Especially Carl Sagan's poem. It makes me especially thankful to my friends and family for being so loving and accepting of me and my Atheism, in comparison to the countless stories of young teens my age being alienated for holding a separate ideology than that of their parents, and of the people that contribute the Atheist/Agnostic movement currently sweeping America and the world by creating things such as The Thinking Atheist and The Atheist Experience.

[@grahambkk]

In all the examples that you mention, the one about a mother's words to her child "I would rather you died as an infant than you live as an atheist as an adult." the most shocking. I cry for humanity when there are "righteous" among us who could allow a thought like that to become a conscious and sincere verbalization. There is nothing more cherished than a mother's love for her child, and the very fact that religion could poison that love by their indoctrination is the ultimate immorality.

[@CAJUNNSC]

Bravo, what a great conference. Especially the ending tribute to Carl ! Wow I am at least temporarily hopeful. Yet I find and will find many days to come explaining what needs no explanation. The fact that I am here I am an atheist and I am good. Thank you! .

[@deandemarest4438]

Still watching this in 2023.

[@MarkLucasProductions]

I'm over 50 yet Carl Sagan's words still make me weep like a child. Thanks Seth, for this video and for your good work.

[@MicahtheGreat777]

Best speech or talk i've ever heard from you. Well-rounded and understandable. A good listen!

[@Questron71]

Sabbath does not work at all... I mean if even "closing an electric circuit" counts as forbidden degree of "work"... how do you stop thinking? Breathing seems also to be something you'd better not give up for 24 hours each week... and it too involves electrical potentials flowing along nerves and so on... If you forbid ridiculously small things like "pushing a light switch" human anatomy must be an abomination to the lord... probably why he tries so hard to regulate everything from what you think (do not crave...) over what you say, do, eat and who you have sex with... Isn't there anything better the almighty god could do with his spare time than to watch over humans and how they behave? As for other forms of execution... I've always liked the image of a drawn and quartered Jeebus... every church would have these gorgeous bloody mobiles... swaying softly in the wind...

[@ericsbuds]

love your talks, Seth. Very glad I found you.

[@ebaltrace]

Great Video! Well worth an hour of time to watch, enjoy, and learn.

[@marykrismoss1861]

I love Billy Idol's plastic jesus! This might be the right time for my comica! observation. Your videos are so great that I've only discovered you a few days ago & you've improved my life a lot already. Much appreciation... So you look like (not 100%, real close though) in this & recent stuff my fave male vocal in the music world lately--- Mike Patton... AKA lead singer 4 Faith No More! Pretty funny, huh? 😂😁😎

[@TheYknuf]

This surely was an impressive and inspirational speech!

[@pdoylemi]

Wow! These real products are so ridiculous that they almost eclipse the fake one I planned to put in as a "sponsor" for a video that I am scripting - Christkebabs! From Dead Sea Foods, Inc. - _*"If it's not Dead, you shouldn't be eating it... see?"_ These handy snacks for the on-the-go Christian consist of 200 pre-blessed communion wafers on a bamboo skewer. Available in Original, Barbecue, and Spicy Jalapeno!

[@xshortguy]

"If there is a straight line, then there must be God" Well, that escalated quickly!

[@jpick319]

Absolutely brilliant 💕

[@Roper122]

Just keeps getting better and better. Well Done.

[@petermetcalfe6722]

An excellent Video Seth, Thanks.

[@kathleendinsmore7588]

As a fellow human being I feel really terrible about Seth’s mother saying she would rather he had died than become an atheist. My mother despised me while giving preferential treatment to my brothers because I am female. 😮😮 will always remember how much that hurt. For a parent to tell a child “I don’t accept you” because of what you are or because of what you no longer believe in tells me a person doesn’t need fists to inflict brutality on another human being.

[@LoungeFly02]

Excellent video! I plan to refer to this video for myself in times of debate, or refer others to this video whether they're religious or atheist. Great lecture!

[@Kinjamaimai]

Excellent speech, excellent speaker.

[@aaron2414]

...although I have posted a few times to this video already, I have NO complaints at the quality. Read the vid description and think the recording is great. AUDIO is all I needed as I shared this on facebook :-D Great video and a great person to subscribe to. Thanks again!

[@PeterNurse]

most is well said...some is over simplified but its great to see a non believer realize that its important to have discussion...its important that discourse happens between the religious and non believers else as u rightly said we r just patting ourselves on our backs...

[@SpiaggiaVita]

Great work Seth!!! You are a fantastic public speaker! I hope to see you live in a venue at some point. Your work is incredibly meaningful.

[@Devhour]

Very goooooood! Keep up the excelente work. Cheers from a proud portuguese atheist!

[@AdUtrumquePeratus76]

Great Speech Seth, To be honest, I like this format. I am located in rural Southeast Kansas, and as an atheist, I often feel that I'm literally a lone voice in the plains. This format gave me a better sense of what it was like to be in a crowd of like minded individuals and I can't tell you how reassuring that is. Perhaps it was a fortunate turn of events and a good model for the future. Thanks for your work. Please respond in 2 hours before this comment goes live.

[@jacopman]

Sagan was both brilliant and courageous to face truth and communicate it in such an effective manner........

[@metrx330]

I love your work Seth. That vid of Carl Sagan at the end brought a tear to my eye. I met him once as a child. He passed away too early but his friend Dawkins has taken his place to some degree. Keep up the great work.

[@EdGloss]

Seth, this s amazing. Beautiful.

[@ShinigamiKonata]

You sir, are awesome as per usual. You're always both interesting and informative. Keep up the good work.

[@nonfictions]

That was amazing. At first I thought, "I'll just watch a few minutes," but you sucked me right in. Entertaining, informative, endearing ...

[@briannetriggs8748]

Again, Seth gives our community a voice and does it well.

[@tycho_m]

Thanks a ton for the effort on the editing and uploading. Greatly appreciated.

[@henrikrolfsen584]

The "CROSS" is an ancient Pagan symbol: It represented the four directions, and also, when placed over a circle, represented the Mother Godess Earth.

[@Censeo]

Whenever I get an introduction of where the speaker is coming from, what his or her community is like, it becomes much more relevant to me. I'm from north of Europe and the fundamentalists get ignored most of the time when they speak around here. But for me it is important to speak against them even when they dwell in the small corners of society. Communities like where you Seth is from is such a great example of where we don't want to go. So even here, we need to hear your story.

[@aprylrivera1744]

i could listen to Seth all day

[@Godfree5]

Excellent talk, Seth. Points all well made. Kudos.

[@demigoddragoness]

Love your work and your talks... I'm thankful for The Thinking Atheist.

[@screenpuller]

"We are stardust, we are golden...", I think Joni hit the nail on the head with that lyric... Mr. Sagan would've liked that one, I think.

[@kathyheitchue6069]

Yes he would have

[@ivanivonovich9863]

Almost forgot that she wrote that one...

[@Jukka70]

oh I'm so glad I found this video of his, I had seen a lot, but this is great, and the lego bible, you know I went right into the search on youtube and had to watch it, lol. It was great to see people read it, and some were upset that it was graphic, and that is how the bible is. My favorite was when one thought a baptist wrote it, then they told him it was an atheist, and he was like, yeah I was thinking that, but yet you said it was a baptist. I ended up leaving a nice comment explaining what I thought the author was trying to do and did succeed, but was very polite and explained how I became atheist.

[@dunnel58]

Hi Seth. Americans are some of the the most generous and kind people on the planet. They really want to help anybody in trouble. (Despite that I often find Americans to be incredibly parochial.)

[@NeedsEvidence]

A very inspiring talk. Thanks for posting!

[@sandysutherland2182]

Vis a vis Karen's (Christian?) relative who said that she bought that baby's death on herself by her lack of belief: what a very thoroughly wicked thing to say and do!

[@kathyheitchue6069]

Of course: the 2nd class women carry the baby so any thing wrong during in after the baby is born.is her fault.

[@bary1234]

Thank you for posting, and thank you for your good work Seth! Please keep it up! This whole world owes you a massive debt of gratitude for your efforts to kill religions.

[@professorlack]

I think this is really great way to present this type of a talk, given the excellent, visually interesting slides you used. Well done!

[@bonnie43uk]

Excellent presentation, .. I'd love to see you give that speech to the largest Christian mega church in Oklahoma, just to see their reaction.

[@danmiller6462]

Excellent presentation. The Carl Sagan presentation at the end was very moving and does remind us of how small we really are. I feel bad for Karen. For her family especially her aunt to hate her like that is inexcusable and unforgivable. I hope she went all out nuclear and disowned all of them. So much for Christian love. No such thing exists.

[@willshakeyou]

Dude this is really cool. thank you for this!

[@Katharating]

You have done a fantastic editing job with this video! Thats what i want: Smaller Pictures to get an impression of talker & audience and the slides. Absolutely perfect!

[@CAngel57ful]

Thanks for giving me such a good laugh today!

[@fsdfsfize]

i really enjoyed this video, thank you alot

[@Platypi007]

The format worked great for me--I actually enjoyed it more than the way this sort if thing us usually presented (even on my phone screen).

[@baxtar1963]

Atheism is to religion like science is to magic . It is sad that we have to argue a position of non belief of normality. Maybe it should be classified as a religion. We would pay no taxes and be able to bash all other religions and be protected under the US constitution. But no, we don't want to resemble religion in any way shape of form and I am sick of losers saying that atheism is a religion. Don't hate because you don't have the mental capacity to think rationally.

[@ciniful]

I think your decision to show the video in smaller screen with the power point enlarged was a very good one. Not only as a way to make do with a grainy video, but it simply makes for better viewing over all. And I enjoyed watching the audience reactions as well. And great speech, Seth, I enjoyed it!

[@MeruSama]

There I am at 10:36! XD Glad they cut me out coming in late. I had a test at the beginning. Finished it as fast as possible so I could see the Thinking Atheist!

[@honeyblossom17]

Good video, as usual. And I acually injoyed the new format! Good job!

[@JadedFish]

Bravo, Seth! This is wonderful stuff as usual. Keep doing what you do!

[@Trinitics]

Fantastic Video. Thank you Seth.

[@ChaoticChris5150]

Sweet! It's like a Podcast that I can watch!

[@crespaandreea]

love you Seth...brilliant work

[@SIMKINETICS]

To tell the truth, I found it somehow naturally repulsive to even consider the horror of a human sacrifice at my youngest age. This absurdity always struck me as a lie that I could never believe. Gathering my thoughts, I concluded that god was a phantasm when I was nine years of age. Ever since, the real world has made sense!

[@ericsbuds]

I love the stories, myself included, when a child can realize god is a figment of our imaginations. It always blows me away when full grown adults believe that stuff!

[@Jukka70]

@@ericsbuds I can understand why, because I was Catholic til a few months ago. Actually it was from coming onto youtube to defend my faith and getting ready to fight that lead me to a Christopher Hitchens video that popped up as a suggestion. I always listen to the video before I comment and was ready to go off, and as I listened I was like, yeah he's actually making sense. yes this part of my faith always bothered me, and by the time the video I was done, everything changed. You have to remember that most of us were indoctrinated very young, some had it much worse than me, Seth for one from all he's told. It may seem ridiculous that an adult can believe it, but when you think of how long some of us believed it growing up, along with our own fears on dying, it actually makes sense. I for one felt so much happier once it went away, the anxiety went down as did the depression. I actually enjoy life more now. but I'm still scared to tell my friends, 34 years together, all met at Catholic Youth Group.

[@acfirby]

My 7 year old son is very intelligent. I have kept my atheist thoughts to myself for the past several months. He told me today that there is no heaven or hell. I didn't know which way to go with that statement but I can tell the gears are turning in his brain.

[@BlackFloyd94]

Seth, you are awesome!!

[@BlackMoridin]

I actually like this format, with the audiance cam, and the p.p. on the right!

[@MrNuxi]

"I had about twenty responses, mostly from my christian friends, A few asked if they could pick the child." xDD I almost died from laughter, I meant it XDD

[@scorpionkings]

Excellent video, great commentary!

[@dottedrhino]

The whole deal sounds like an excellent way to keep the people confused...

[@JakeGuitar77]

Thank you for this, made me proud to be an Atheist.

[@zencat999]

very nice. every one should adopt this formate for lectures and other talks. it makes visual sense and is MUCH easier to follow that the "cut back and forth" sort of editing that is usually done. BTW...the info was good too.. ;) keep it up seth....your doin good!

[@Knightyme]

2 mins into the vid and i like the format used. Feel free to do it again.

[@AnAutisticPsychologist]

Karen's letter made me nauseous.. her aunt's behavior literally made my jaw drop. Just horrible.