What Reason Could You Possibly Have To Not Believe In God!? | The Atheist Experience: Throwback

[@jbill190]

What a good call! It seems to be rare when callers don't interrupt or get stuck in a loop where they don't listen to the answers

[@Mr_Porter]

Absolutely.

[@duncanbryson1167]

Yes but I don't think he thought things out before calling.

[@Mr_Porter]

@@duncanbryson1167 Callers rarely do. A lot of them expect the hosts to answer all of their burning questions and to basically do their homework for them. A lot of the early AXP shows (before call screeners) had a lot of those types of calls.

[@duncanbryson1167]

@@Mr_Porter I know, I've been watching such videos for years.

[@markoshun]

@@duncanbryson1167 True, but he actually seemed unable to think it through rationally on his own. So it seems great he’s reaching out for sounding boards and learning in critical thinking. It’s too bad those lessons are hard to find.

[@jwmmitch]

Caller "what's the reason you don't believe in things there's no reason to believe in?"

[@jtdubs828]

You must haven't looked at trees yet

[@jwmmitch]

@@jtdubs828 no... what are trees? Lol

[@greenbook6389]

Atleast the caller was respectful about, unlike other people.

[@joelonsdale]

​@@jwmmitchYes, and what about your morality... or something...?

[@haydden_pogi]

@@jtdubs828what you just typed is one of the stupidest posts I’ve ever read in my entire life. Congratulations 🎈🎉

[@PapaWheelie380]

I'm 62, was born into a catholic family and coincidentally stopped thinking this Jesus guy was God, or anyone was God, the same time I stopped believing in Santa Claus. Been peeling this onion back ever since, and when you get to the middle, just about every single person who claims to believe, when asked often and deeply enough (trying different tacts), is that they are just plain afraid. What I hold against the organized churches, is that they are the SOURCE of that fear. What a racket.

[@Timmy-bb7ch]

does your hubby agree with your view mate

[@maggiebarrett7300]

I too was raised a catholic; my holy water evaporated when I read the bible for myself instead of being ‘taught’ the palatable parts. I then repented of the decades I had wasted worshipping the foul, though fortunately fictional god therein, and I am now saved from the shackles of abhorrent biblical doctrine.

[@azukarzuchastux8066]

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 KJV 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures John 3:16 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life Ephesians 2:8-9 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast ROMANS 10:13 For “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. ◄ Acts 3:19 ► KJV New International Version Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,

[@Timmy-bb7ch]

@@maggiebarrett7300 kudos to you mate. I left church for islam in 2002. quran had Big Bang of creation universe expanding. man created in stages from the earth/evolution noah floods regional all confirmed by science. like me most of my peers left church/bible after 6th grade science

[@joelscull]

@@Timmy-bb7ch so you left one delusional belief for another one 🤷

[@cutlerlon8468]

If I walked into a car show room and the salesman showed me an empty space and claimed that the vehicle I wanted to buy was really there, I wouldn't need a reason not to believe him. I'd know he was bonkers.

[@jamesschneider2091]

Or ... maybe the salesman believes in God ... that populates the empty space with a marketable product!

[@TheistsTapOut]

The reason I rejected god was that they didn't have god in the color that I wanted. I wanted "Pearl Truth White" and all they had was "Judgmental Bigotry Black".

[@petermeyer6873]

@@TheistsTapOut I just couldnt accept the delivery time, I mean, "pay your whole life long but get the exchange value after your death"?

[@Anton-V]

We can't presume to know everything that cars can do, ergo, invisible cars can exist

[@keithroberts8095]

@@Anton-V But would you commit to many years of payments prior to seeing proof that it actually exists?

[@decay79]

God picked this version of the universe, and he will burn you forever because he loves you so much, after creating you to not believe... Yea makes sense...

[@qwadratix]

Helluva lot of wasted space...

[@JohnDoe46896]

Not all religions believe in hell. We are not created to believe or not. Belief or disbelief is learned.

[@ethancknight]

@@JohnDoe46896learned by the people around you, with the brain that god supposedly made you with, in the place that god put you on earth. Ending up atheist would be entirely a gods fault (at least one that claims to make you in his image)

[@JohnDoe46896]

@@ethancknight You keep forgetting about the devil.

[@JackPage-l4k]

⁠@@JohnDoe46896 you’re wrong. Psalm 139:16 says “You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book!" He knew I wouldn’t be a believer before i was ever born. He made me that way. Says so in the book you follow 😂 it wasn’t satan…it was god himself (supposedly according to scripture) Pretty dumb huh. That’s the bible for ya lol

[@SceptiGus]

Frikin' great call! This call is nine years old. It would be so interesting to learn how Brent proceeded from here.

[@blacbraun]

"Even though there is no evidence for a higher being.." conversation conceded right there.

[@Yeh-suh]

I like this caller. He has an open mind.

[@Seticzech]

Yes, he lost his brain somewhere.

[@cyrus3316]

Brent was a nice caller , he listened & actually thought of the arguments presented at him... He was polite didn't interrupt & didn't get mad when his arguments seemed to fail ... He was headed in a great path hope he's got it all good now

[@conors4430]

Seems like a nice guy, was genuinely interested in asking questions and in listening, and actually cares about whether what he believes makes sense.

[@l-_-lShadowCat]

“What’s the reason to not believe?” -The absence or reason to believe. How hard is that?

[@Mr_Porter]

Now This is how a lot of calls should go. Ideally, many calls should follow a constructive and respectful dialogue, but some callers come in with a chip on their shoulder or are woefully unprepared to defend their beliefs. This lack of preparation often leads to escalating tensions and ultimately results in their call being terminated. Instead of engaging thoughtfully, they let their frustration or ignorance drive the conversation, undermining their own credibility.

[@jle4433]

Stick and carrot approach. I refuse to believe in any religion that threatens hell.

[@mistylover7398]

Evil God

[@snowflakemelter1172]

No threats are needed if this God is visable , no faith either, both are needed if he doesn't exist.

[@mistylover7398]

@@snowflakemelter1172 exactly. Seems like religious decepticons believers are at a gamble war on non believers of ( iz gawd real or knot )itz us⚔️them. It's a magical war It's always been a magical war. 🔴⚛️⚔️✝️🟣

[@citypavement]

​@@snowflakemelter1172I just realized this: Why invisible? Shouldn't he be there just chillin with the sun and the moon? It would solve so many problems and make this whole show unnecessary.

[@drealgrin]

why not just not believe in any of them because they're all absurd?

[@brewberry3894]

Religious people seem to always come up with excuses to believe. Even when their reasons are shown to be illogical they immediately look for a new way to believe. They don't care if their beliefs make sense or not. They just believe what makes them feel good.

[@johngavin1175]

And yet they bitch about people deconstructing because of "feelings." Low Bar Bill being one such person. What a crock.

[@Anastaecia]

same reason i don't believe other things...LACK OF EVIDENCE. This isn't hard. "Dragons, fairies, unicorns and gods are real." Why is it that only gods don't need evidence for that claim?

[@TheLevantin]

"God doesn't need proof because he is self-proving" or some such nonsense.

[@timg7627]

I dont know about that dude. Remember when jesus revealed his image on potato chip? I mean what more proof do you need? 🤣🤣

[@TheistsTapOut]

​@@TheLevantinIt's so laughable when presups say that their god is "self-authenticating" and hence has to be true.

[@TheLevantin]

@@TheistsTapOut "but... but... a creation needs a creator!"

[@SerranoSalazar]

@@TheLevantin Exactly, not even realizing that the phrase "has to be/hast to exist" carries absolutely no value as proof

[@a-totally-random-person]

Theists are prime to accept the existence of God without evidence all their lives. They have a different definition for evidence when it comes to their religion than they do for most things in their lives.

[@citypavement]

Imagine the look on someone's face if I said I was a famous rock star. When they asked for a video or song I said "I don't have that _kind_ of evidence. I have faith!"

[@thedarknessthatcomesbefore4279]

And a different definition for evidence for any other religion other than their one.

[@ronwhitehouse23]

It's nice to hear a pleasant open conversation. Well done guys.

[@Chris-op7yt]

if the big p Purpose is to worship a creator of the universe the whole time, then his creation was a waste of time just to feed his ego.

[@Mkeusquealbby]

This is what many christians have said our purpose for existing is, just to worship god and bring him glory. Completely ignoring that it'd be a demonstration of god's vanity and pride, which the bible says is sinful

[@I-am-Hrut]

@@Chris-op7yt Well he does call himself "I Am".

[@Chris-op7yt]

@@I-am-Hrut : an inferior replica of the greek logos, not that it was all that. there's enough powerful pricks in the world that people are forced to bow to, no need for a fictional one as well.

[@I-am-Hrut]

@@Chris-op7yt Like I get what you're saying. But let's take a step back and look at this vast, cold, indifferent universe and extrapolate what kind of God would moet likely make such a thuroughly dispassionatly inhospitable place? We get inklings of this idea of the monotony and pointlessness of the divine in Ecclesiasties-the only OT book that I think is ever worth reading.

[@DericAnslum]

...the reward is an eternity of kneeling at his throne and singing praises to his name... ...but I'M the narcissist...?... ...ok...

[@amtlpaul]

Lack of evidence, really. I realized there wasn't anything that qualified as evidence unless I accepted a standard of evidence so low that I'd have no reason not to accept many rival religions and other beliefs as well.

[@joshsheridan9511]

I'm an atheist because I've never been convinced by the fallacious and unsound apologist arguments.

[@isaacbruner65]

​@@kennethgee2004because if you're not convinced that something is true, then you don't believe it's true.

[@isaacbruner65]

@@kennethgee2004 no it means you don't believe it's true. But belief is all we have because there's no way outside of pure math to ever prove that something is true beyond any possible doubt.

[@shmick6079]

@@kennethgee2004 less than blind faith does.

[@shmick6079]

@@kennethgee2004 that’s utter nonsense, and you know it. If you had evidence you wouldn’t need faith.

[@joshsheridan9511]

@@kennethgee2004 it means I'm unconvinced that a proposition is true..

[@petyrkowalski9887]

How could you possibly not believe in Zeus as the one and only true god?

[@scotttchviski6706]

All hail, Odin!

[@johnhough7738]

Of course He is ... the heavens are full of them.

[@stevenswitzer5154]

Odin declared war on frost giants, I see no frost giants. God declares war on sin, sin everywhere. With just these two statements, someone demonstrates more reason that Odin is real

[@nagranoth_]

You only need one reason not to believe in a god. That you don't have a reason _to_ believe.

[@CraigGood]

An unusually encouraging conversation. This guy may be making actual progress.

[@Croconator]

"Even though there is no evidence for a higher being what is it that brings you to the conclusion" I seriously don't understand how these people exist.

[@Ghalaghor_McAllistor]

Indoctrination

[@xenontouchstone]

I hope Brent continued on this path of questioning his beliefs, and finds the truth he seeks.

[@sanjeevgig8918]

Angels, Demons, Spirits, Witches, Dirt into man, rib into woman, talking snakes, talking donkeys, teenager getting pregnant without sex, water into wine, man bodily rising to the sky. NO. Evidence. "What Reason Could You Possibly Have To Not Believe In God!?" LOLZ

[@petermeyer6873]

Id totally buy in the talking donkey when Im drunk, but for the rest no type nor amount of drug can suffice.

[@arifsaleem5467]

​@@petermeyer6873 😂

[@holgerlubotzki3469]

@@petermeyer6873 When I was a kid I saw a series of documentaries about a talking horse named "Mister Ed" and if a horse can talk so can a donkey, right?

[@tonyclements1147]

The Flintstones documentary made me believe humans used animals to clean their houses.

[@silverfire01]

I agree. I have seen some on social media from religious sources accusing evolution theory of being a fairy story . Of course a talking serpent in the garden of eden and someone turning into a pillar of salt for example I dont know why someone would accept that as true but not evolution where scientists follow the evidence. Ok so if evolution is wrong science would change its mind if new verified evidence turns up.

[@StuffyMc]

It's these civil, succinct conversations that make me realize just how few theists EVER simply ask why they believe. Such an extremely rudimentary and common sense thought and like, none of them ever have it.

[@RelativeReality7]

Part of the process of faith is to learn to not ask questions and just accept.

[@somersetcace1]

Gee, well, that's a tough one, but I'll give it a shot. It's an inexplicable concept without a shred of physical evidence, or any tether to anything we understand about reality.

[@Pa1ad1no]

I'll summarize: people seek easy answers, even better, a single answer for everything, that's where theism comes from.

[@grahvis]

At the moment God creates a person, he knows whether he would be condemning them to burn in Hell. That hardly shows him to be loving.

[@citypavement]

Like dandelions: One for heaven, one for hell...

[@coldworldandrew385]

This is what I don't get. I ask myself the same thing . I have been a believer for years in Jesus Christ. But that thought always creeps in my head. If God knew his creation would end up in torment why create us . And if there is a hell it's really a messed up situation to be in

[@thomasstephens7293]

God puts a pristine soul into a sinful body in a treacherous, painful world of ambiguous information and when he kills us he tends to be worried about the return state of that soul.

[@shrews12001]

Not existing is part of it. The complete and total lack of empathy shown by it if it did exist is another part. Also the powerlessness of prayer and the fact that all the faith and all the tithes and all the rituals and crap ever performed over thousands of years has amounted to ABSOLUTELY FKING NOTHING.

[@mikedonoghues4018]

“I believe because I’d like it to be true.” But a basically honest and respectful interlocutor - who also has a decent phone connection (which helps!).

[@BeefT-Sq]

"A rational man does not indulge in wistful longings for ends divorced from means." -Ayn Rand-

[@joedueh5846]

I don't have to prove God exists, you have to prove he does.

[@clemstevenson]

I only know what I know, and I only need to worry about the stuff that I know that ain't so. In the absence of supporting evidence, I have no reason to accept the claim that an undetectable outside intelligence is controlling my life.

[@AlexPBenton]

According to the caller, god’s “plan” is like knowing an eclipse is coming at a certain place and time, and saying “It is my plan that this shall happen” without actually making it happen.

[@Tucker358]

The sound quality of the callers on the videos filmed on this set was incredible. What stopped the show from using these settings for the callers?

[@FernLovebond]

Right? This was such a good quality compared to the usual studio recordings, right? Weird.

[@PauloBarreto15041964]

Let's flip the question. If there's no evidence, why do you believe?

[@DericAnslum]

...we literally have decades of this and related shows doing just that...

[@MaryGriffis-z1d]

First of all, the way my thoughts are formed through experiences, situations, interactions with people.. etc. In other words, he thinks of his God as a puppet master. 8:26

[@jamesschneider2091]

It's a civil case the believers have been losing for 2000 years - and - the batting average doesn't figure the change in the next 2000 years. The subject of free will came up multiple times ... I do restrict free will to Robert Sapolsky discipline and treat freedom constrained by environmental factors separately. Your callers continue to prove - they're out there among us - beware! 😉😊

[@StevenBrown-w5b]

And don't forget that fellow living in the belly of a fish .

[@Arminius420]

I love how people just basically use god like a sock puppet. The sock puppet can't do anything on its own with out someone's hand up its azz.

[@MisterG2323]

Poor kid sounds like he's either terrified or markedly inarticulate, as if he's just started thinking about these things.

[@SecondaryHomunculus]

Hey, Brent? I'm actually the Creator. I made everything yesterday to test myself in the presence of willful stupidity (hence religion and sycophants). I don't need worship -- just don't be a jackass.

[@CDMaclintock]

"The Word of God" is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those being saved it is the power of God"

[@juliacoburn7455]

Poor you

[@tedgrant2]

I wonder what God does all day. Well, he must have an infinite number of gadgets. So he spends all day fixing them.

[@modernenglishman7802]

I started down the road to atheism using the opposite of the argument for God "look at the trees, look at the flowers. When I looked at the state of the world i.e. war, genocide, rape, racism, etc.. It made me think that there was no way an all loving, all powerful god could be responsible for such heinous things. That's the way it started and over the years I've moved on towards logical, reasonable and non fallacious arguments. TLDR: Started not believing for bad reasons but have moved on to better reasons.

[@AngelaJonesReviews]

Another good throwback

[@roderickgreig111]

Brent almost had it - “Why it is that even with no evidence for a higher being, how... what... why don't you believe in God？” Rhetorical question, Brent. You gave the answer in your question, but couldn't reach the answer due to your conditioning.

[@walterdaems57]

Believe in me, have faith in me are the first phrases used by every conman on the planet.

[@BeefT-Sq]

"Needless to say, a rational man never distorts or corrupts his own standards and judgment in order to appeal to the irrationality , stupidity or dishonesty of others." -Ayn Rand-

[@johnyohannan203]

The caller sounds exactly like my estranged son.😭😔😭

[@johngavin1175]

I'm sorry to hear that. It must be painful to deal with.

[@johnyohannan203]

@@johngavin1175 yes!😔 The tone, the pitch, the timbre, the thoughtful, hesitant pauses. I haven't seen or held or loved on my son in 14+ years. I wouldn't even be surprised if it is my son masquerading as a caller from wherever. I couldn't even listen/watch the full audio-clip. Oh well!😔 Anyway, leave it!!!

[@JesusHernandez-ey1lh]

Allen Watts said there is no purpose and I agree.

[@airforcex9412]

add “…in Zeus” to all of these questions. Replace Jesus with Zeus, and watch them melt away. BTW, Zeus>Jesus.

[@markmurphy558]

People who use 'faith' as an explanation of the reason for believing in god, skepticism is a concept they cannot understand. Not even worth the effort.

[@the_eaglefan]

That call was over at sentence one.

[@Miraak1868]

If there was a god, why did it create mosquitoes for us?

[@edmccoy5212]

Atheism is simple...just don't believe in magic and the rest flies out the window all by itself.

[@geminirox8635]

Throwing the term magic into the mix only makes it more complex of an issue. What is magic? If it means anything that is impossible then no one believes in magic. If it means anything that can't currently be explained by science then some things are magic and then become non magical. If it's something that can never possibly be explained by science then you really wouldnt be able to know what is or isn't magic.

[@FECtetra1918]

I don’t understant why Christians use reason in every aspect of theis lives but suspend it when it comes to religion.

[@stuboyd1194]

Ghostbusters: Do you believe in UFOs, astral projections, mental telepathy, ESP, clairvoyance, spirit photography, telekinetic movement, full trance mediums, the Loch Ness monster and the theory of Atlantis? Ah, if there's a steady paycheck in it, I'll believe anything you say.

[@arifsaleem5467]

God made everything, just can't make money.

[@arifsaleem5467]

@Ramone701 Bring some of that gold and diamonds here on earth and it will become cheaper than dirt. All gods will still be begging for money. 😂

[@videomania666]

Tied up in knots springs to mind when listening to this call.

[@KeithRadzik-o9x]

Time 7:00 Caller, offering an example of their reasoning ability, attempts to express a coherent thought. In this case, unironically, about the mind's freewill versus determinism. Brent, "Well, where I was coming from was that our thoughts could or could not be changed or (sic) or rather. um manipulated by our choices because of course there wouldn't be another way."

[@AndyCampbellMusic]

The self evident and completely obvious reason ALL gods are imaginary. One two part question for people with superstitious religious beliefs. (A) If someone told you (or you read in a book) that the sun used matches and candles to spread light and heat at night. Would it be obvious to you, how self evidently illogical, irrational, unreasonable and nonsensical this idea was? (Would you understand why)? (B) If someone told you (or you read in a book) that something capable of creating a universe and everything in it, used puny humans and books to spread accurate information. Would it be obvious to you, how self evidently illogical, irrational, unreasonable and nonsensical this idea was? (Would you understand why)? All gods are imaginary. No people = No imagined gods.

[@QueenyCrowley]

oh thats easy .. what reasoson we have to believe ? NONE

[@basildraws]

Douglas Adam’s said it best when satirizing capital P Purpose: 42. Theists seem to derive comfort from the idea that they are a part of ‘God’s Plan’ without knowing what that plan is. For all we know, it’s not a plan we want to be a part of. For all we know the plan is to compute the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything, which turns out to be 42.

[@dalecs47]

Why I do not believe in your god? What would it take for me to believe in god? Very simple, just two things: First is for god to tell all his believers to STOP asking for power and money in his name. And Second: For all god's believes to stop asking for power and money in his name. Let me know when those two things happen.

[@AvaEFF]

0:56 lol I was gonna say… “Even though there’s no evidence…” Yes… exactly. 😂

[@brucee6524]

I keep going back to the scene in the Matrix where that guy wishes he could go back and choose the blue pill and not the red pill. There is actually a part of me that wishes for the contented ignorance I had as a believer, the embrace of nice fictions that _I wanted to be true_ such as there was an Almighty God who knew my name and cared about me even more than my parents did. I remember when this character was pressing Mr. Smith on whether or not he would have any lingering doubts or reasons to question the illusions made inside the matrix or if he would actually become blissfully unaware of the true nature of reality. Part of me knows that this is immature, but a part of me asks myself why we need to embrace the pursuit of truth and guard ourselves against the comfortable fictions we create for ourselves. This desire, of course, is borne of immense privilege. I have a good job and material existence, and I can fairly easily compartmentalize my work as an engineer (which needs a focus on what is actually true rather than what I desire to be true) and my free time where I immerse myself into fictional worlds, whether that is reading a novel or playing a game or going to Church. I do not have anyone in authority over me monitoring my beliefs and desires like I might have had when I was a child at home subject to religious indoctrination as dictated by my parents. I guess I'm struggling with the idea that I _want to want_ the actual truth to be true, and so far the evidence I've received is more convincing of a universe that I would not prefer to be true as compared to some comforting fictions of my youth. Not sure if that makes any sense...

[@jonclark8252]

I will again extend my open challenge to any and all theists to come debate me live one on one this Saturday. I have two very simple questions for you to answer. The first being "When you say God, what do you mean?" and "What is the best/strongest evidence that you have that proves your deity exists?" At last count there are at least 3 theists on this channel who have admitted to being either too scared to debate me or too embarrassed from their last failures to debate me again. Will YOU add to the "cowards for their contrived creator" list, or will you have the strength of your convictions and show?

[@TheistsTapOut]

There's more than three who have run from a debate. There's NEPy, JEdith, and Damonkey. But there's also Steve, Chris Massey, KentuckyBrad (who seems to have run from this forum), and others that I can't remember. Also, wwlib has passed on coming on.

[@jonclark8252]

@@TheistsTapOut LOL, in all honesty I didn't want to come across as bragging TOO much, LOL Sock-Puppet, The Purple Space Penguin, and Friar Failure are the three that have outright said that they will not debate me live one on one.

[@TheistsTapOut]

@jonclark8252 The ONLY theists who haven't run away are those who don't normally post comments. All the regulars are cowards.

[@jonclark8252]

@@TheistsTapOut They are also liars and hypocrites.

[@holgerlubotzki3469]

@@TheistsTapOut Ricky LameBOT hasn't been seen for a while which is a shame, because I have a small anthology of Limericks that are not being put to any good purpose.

[@walterdaems57]

Daniel Denneth: believing is a gold plated excuse to stop thinking.

[@Gwaithmir]

I have no objection to believing in a god as long as proof based upon a rational standard of knowledge is forthcoming. Is that too much to ask? But surely theists can’t expect me to adopt their beliefs on the basis of what has been presented thus far. Every “proof” I’ve heard and every piece of evidence I’ve seen for the existence of god(s) is easily countered by rational evidence and arguments to the contrary. No convincing evidence for the existence of any deity has ever emerged. But I’m more than willing to listen to theistic arguments or view theistic evidence as long as cross-examination is permitted. As conditions now stand, however, theology rests far more on superstition and faith than upon facts and reason.

[@robertshields4160]

One of the reasons I don't believe is because I was a fan of the original Star Trek TV series when I was a kid. They would sometimes have an episode that centered around some sort of God like being that controlled the world. By the end of the show, it would be revealed that the 'God like being' would turn out to be some sort of massive supercomputer. It wasn't long before I just thought of God as a caretaker computer that was just a mid-level manager at best. Not the God in the bible or some sort of deity.

[@GeneralFatman27]

Brent sounds like a teenager, and not a particularly dumb one. I wonder if he's still a theist.

[@cafemolido5459]

Don't need a reason for NOT believing; just don't. Not convince of the madness.

[@glennrobinson2014]

The reason to doubt God is the same reason you don't believe in Isis or unicorns scanty evidence. Our thoughts/thinking is just how the anatomy and biochemistry of our brains evolved. Thought was useful. It was naturally selected for, like all the other biological process in our bodies. Why does this caller seem so intent on finding magic in the world. Why does he crave meaning or purpose. Can't he choose his own meaning and purpose.

[@AJ-vm8ft]

“I agree but” so you don’t agree. Anything that is said before the word ‘but’ can be disregarded.

[@tristen_grant]

I agree... butt! 🍑

[@TheistsTapOut]

The only reason that I can think of is that god doesn't exist. Besides that, not sure.

[@vladtheemailer3223]

"I can think." You nailed it.

[@dwainmarsh9139]

The thing I've noticed about those that think there's a god's plan is they have not really thought through how complex such a plan would be. Like setting up 8 billion dominos to make a pretty picture. If one of those dominos doesn't fall as planned the picture that was intended doesn't happen. And sure I'm the case of the dominos you can just go over and set the rest after the one that didn't fall in motion, but that wasn't a part of the plan. People are a lot more complex than dominos.

[@yggorF]

I feel for you Brent. Keep working through it, eventually you can shed the emotional attachment and get down to brass tacks.

[@thomasg627]

There's no need for a reason not to believe I'd win the lotto tomorrow, it's simply highly unlikely. There's no need for a reason not to believe in the existence of a god, it's simply highly unlikely. Or as Richard Wolff once said, "Lotto isn't an extra tax on poor people, lotto is an extra tax on people who failed in math."

[@ParanormalEncyclopedia]

One interesting possibility, at least I think so, is multiple universes. God knows what you will do in every possible universe would mean God is still all knowing but you still have free will. Doesn't prove anything granted.

[@SurgiusMaximus]

I miss these kinds of calls

[@fredriksundberg4624]

Quoting JD Vance : The act of god sometimes don't work out.

[@martinkirchhoff1084]

Even macroscopic Reality is not predetermined because of random processes according to the law of Quantum Mechanics.

[@ntsokolomemani3874]

Caller: Even though you can see that I don't have three legs why don't you believe that I have three legs" 😂😂😂😂

[@ianbabineau5340]

Believing in free will is a good thing if it helps you. This is just as true if free will isn’t real. Since we can’t determine if we have free will or not, we can choose to believe what we want (or we can’t since no free will). Either way, you need to live your life.

[@DeruwynArchmage]

I get the technicality of saying “There is no good evidence, therefore I have no reason to believe in a god or gods”. It’s a factually accurate statement. But it leaves a little gap that is often misperceived. It gives the impression that the chances that there is one are worth discussing at least semi-seriously But I argue that, while one cannot make truly blanket statements, there comes a point where the difference between “I don’t have evidence” and “I actively disbelieve” are so infinitesimal, that the act of making a distinction is almost more deceptive than saying they’re the same. For example, I actively and specifically disbelieve all god claims made by humans, to the point where it’s not just infinitely close to being certain, but actually identical to certainty. 100%. Not 100% - . When it comes to any possible god(s), not limited to what people come up with, you get to insert that epsilon. But essentially, I disbelieve in them to the same extent, and for the same reasons, that I believe anything at all. Literally everything is against them and nothing is for them. I would much sooner question my understanding of gravity or atoms or germs before I’d question my understanding of the lack of the supernatural. (If there were a supernatural, there would have always been a supernatural, to the extent that, in that universe, we wouldn’t use the term supernatural to describe the things we use it to describe in this universe. If wizards could throw fireballs, that would *be* natural. We might call it magic, but it would be a branch of science. If gods roamed the world, they would be part of science. It’d be a very different universe than ours, but still a natural part of that universe. It’s not that we won’t learn new things. Of course we will. We do basically every day. But we’re not going to discover, tomorrow, that dragons ever existed on Earth. It’s completely outside of the bounds of what evolution could create from existing animals, it follows a different line. A line that could exist elsewhere in the cosmos, but not here, simply for contingent reasons. And we’re not going to discover, ever, that magic like that found in fairy tales or religion exists. I include alien scientists in that as well. We might be able to create technology that emulates it, but it won’t be the same thing as what is meant when it is said today or in the past. So, the caveats of “technically, I don’t *know* that no gods could exist”, while not inaccurate, are far too accommodating of magical thinking to fairly characterize the actual belief. Or maybe it’s just me I’m describing.

[@crazyfingers19]

Most of the christians I know would say to even entertain the thought of not believing is the beginning of the end

[@lildzie1]

Is it too hard to believe that the people guarding his grave could have been involved in his disappearance? Bribes were very common in the Roman Era.

[@snowflakemelter1172]

Why not declare yourself God and that those who doubt you just have "turned their hearts away from you " or that they just don't have enough faith to beleive, if they ask for miracles tell them all your miracles were in the past and you have 500 witnesses , write a book of testimony where unknown writers comfirn you rose from the dead. Use every theist argument they do and have a great time ?

[@Alan-uw6ik]

I hope this poor kid is not bleeding out of his ears and eyes after this conversation!

[@BeefT-Sq]

"A rational man does not indulge in wistful longings for ends divorced from means." -Ayn Rand-

[@bipollife]

😢God doesnt help anyone. God doesnt heal anyone. Doesnt bless anyone. I know Rich atheists and Poor Christians. So it doesnt hold water.

[@mort8143]

Sounds like he was the Dux of his JSBC class. 🇦🇺👍

[@84com83]

"Yeah, but show to me that the God, who I believe in, does not exist in your imagination!

[@ReverendHowl]

Conversations and discussions can change opinions. Debates just seem to reinforce them. Have a good dae.

[@lepidoptera9337]

You can converse with me about Adult Santas all you want, I will still not believe in them. I am an adult. I have no desire to go back to being a babbling child. ;-)

[@basildraws]

Id rather go to the dentist than try to have a conversation w this guy. 1 second of vocalization, 3 seconds of silence. Torture.

[@realandar]

And once you're in heaven, what will be your purpose? Is it to glorify god?... forever? No thanks.

[@fucketaboutit]

nothing more preposterous than the notion of a "heaven" and "hell"...lmao!!!

[@Seticzech]

Reason: I was not brainwashed to become cult member.

[@gabrielesimionato1210]

A good one

[@highdough2712]

That was the sound of a brain malfunctioning.