Why Doesn't FFRF Go After Islam?

[@tonyrigatoni766]

One point I have about the topic of burkas and hijab. I, too, have observed muslim women respond to feminist criticism of such clothing with claims of "I am actually proud to wear burka / hijab". It is a good thing to be sensitive to a person's right to express their beliefs through their clothing, but we can't allow this response to silence our criticism of this tradition. We must give equal weight to the voices of muslim and ex-muslim women who are critical of such practices, and to the women who are proud of them. Burkas and hijab are inherently sexist traditions, rooted in obvious misogyny. I respect the right for a woman to embrace such practices, but I also reserve the right to call these practices what they are: misogynistic chains.

[@wunnell]

Indeed. I support a woman's right to wear such clothing but the idea that any but a small number of women would choose to wear them if they weren't pushed to do so by their religion and the men who run that religion is just laughable.

[@SA_SovereigntyForPatriots]

Tony and John, I applaud your openness regarding this issue. While it is anybody's right to criticise anything in these USA does it not behoove you to at least do some homework around the issue in question? The burqa is a tradition that started in Arabia and the arabs only represent 15% of the entire 1,9 billion muslim population. Nowhere in the Quran are women commanded to wear burqa's or hijab's. The issue of modesty is prevalent in all Abrahamic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. How that issue is implemented is based on a combination of past traditions, pre-religious customs and interpretation of scripture. That said, I find it so laughable that both you and John will defend women and their rights with regard to the wearing of burqa's yet the WEST, both the USA and Europe are guilty of gross women oppression in marriage, the workforce, sports and many other areas of human activity. Please sweep in your own backyards before you jump on the bandwagon and defend that which you yourself are guilty of either as a perpatrator or through your SILENCE.

[@jasonhunt007]

Criticism of anything religious is not disrespectful.

[@ASMRyouVEGANyet]

It's not a choice and not feminist in any way.

[@HarryNicNicholas]

you have to bear in mind that whereas christians have a fear of hell even they have a notion it's a scam, muslims however are afraid of _people_ god can do whatever he feels like with no end result cos he imaginary, but people are the problem. i think islam is dying too, just no one is silly enough to admit they hate it.

[@TheRonnierate]

Was it Robin Williams who changed the ‘ under god’ part of the pledge to: “Under Canada and above Mexico”?

[@joshuacoleman8000]

LOL!

[@youknowcrimedontpay9257]

The guy was bang on! RIP - RW -

[@brucekulickfan4206]

I bet he could use a big glass of iced tea right now too!!

[@abbaskurdi6282]

In 1999 I was 15 years old. I converted to Christianity from Islam. I remember coming across Dan Barker and FFRF. I remember saying to myself, " Poor Dan. That bastard is so going to hell." Ten years later, Like Dan I saw the light and realized I was an Atheist.

[@elimontoya2173]

Yes! I love your story. Keep up the logic and critical thinking.

[@sonsclan4308]

Lol... Good for you... :)

[@HarryNicNicholas]

even if there were a hell, why would satan want to torment sinners? he hates christians not me. i've always been atheist cos even at four years old i could see a real god wouldn't need a boat to keep animals safe and he would build a fence around a tree he wanted left alone, religion is drivel.

[@jmtnvalley]

During the '50s our national motto changed from E Pluribus Unum to Under God.

[@gabbymcdee6480]

Thank the lord for FFRF. But seriously...these two are very articulate and I thoroughly enjoyed listening.

[@Indubitably_Fickle]

I would imagine they don't have to go after Islam very often. In most cases long before FFRF finds out the Christians have already thrown a fit about it if I had to guess. Doing the work for the FFRF.

[@JA-in3hw]

Less related to the legal side, I find Christians a great resource for why other religions and of course other sects of their religion are wrong. Some of them have some sharp, cold, rational arguments as long as it isn't about themselves. It's actually a lot of how I left Christianity. I needed to have good reasons why the others were wrong and why we weren't and promptly discovered I was just as wrong as everyone else. That's why I don't think calling certain religious people illogical and silly is correct. They can be perfectly logical, but accept horribly wrong premises and expound from there. Functionally gives you magical thinking, but there is a sound logic within the broken base understanding of how the world works. Calling them irrational gives them ammo to rebuff it by showing their logic is sound. Better to attack the faulty assumptions that underlie it instead. I actually really like Tovia Singer, who is a Jewish Rabbi, when he's explaining why Christianity is false. Has some very technical take downs from within a spiritual framework which may even be more accessible for someone still convinced of God in a vague sense.

[@eatfrenchtoast]

We have our hands full with Christianity. And it's the same arguments either way.

[@johncaccioppo1142]

It would make a lot more sense to address the hierarchy of beliefs that evolved from the source religion. But we can't do that, can we?

[@MrBBOTP]

Word up!

[@HarryNicNicholas]

@@johncaccioppo1142 the more important thing to protect is the constitution, there are christian nationalists who want to alter it if they get the power, that's the one thing that protects all people from all tyranny. same with the declaration of human rights that i depend on, then you can throw whatever god you want at me, he will just bounce off.

[@davidroberts1689]

That's "Apathetic Agnostic" We don't know and we don't care.

[@42apostate]

Similar to an "Apatheist"...."there may be a God and there may NOT be... but, either way, we don't give a shit".

[@blacknbougie8021]

@@42apostate I feel ya. For the past couple yrs,I've been saying idc if a deity exists or not, I'm not worshipping it.

[@briendoyle4680]

Agnostism! was a term for atheists when atheists were burned at the stake!!

[@infinitemonkey917]

FFRF does highlight issues w Islam as well as Christianity. As they point out, most Americans are Christian, so that is the most problematic of the Abrahamic religions here. We basically have Christianity's version of sharia law

[@mikepublic111]

As I understand it, it's a sin in Islam to create an image (drawing, painting, sculpture,etc) of Mohammed. Therefore, I would assume that no official images of Mohammed exist. So if someone draws a picture and says it's a picture of Mohammed, how does anyone know if it's really a picture of Mohammed? If Picasso drew an abstract picture of a face and called it Mohammed, would that be offensive? If I draw a stick figure and call it Mohammed, is that offensive? It sounds like the offense is in the name, not in the image.

[@timothywilliams4089]

Its 'blasphemy', an imaginary crime against an imaginary victim....

[@danwhite5339]

If Picasso drew a picture of Muhammad, that would be a MIRACLE since Picasso's dead.

[@eatfrenchtoast]

Their interpretation of the second "commandment".

[@johncaccioppo1142]

Pick your battles carefully. It makes more sense to deconstruct the history than to offend the cultist, if you want to provoke a positive social change. Education vs. narrative warfare builds a community of immunized participants. Most Muslims have no comprehension of the history of their faith, they are too busy fighting "constitutional" offenses. They don't even know how incredibly suspect the whole religion is, as a form of controlled opposition.

[@germansurdey6525]

yes SIR ! it would be blasphemy. They would kill you ! see what happened so many times in Europe. ( and in other parts of this crazy planet)

[@LouisGedo]

A brilliant discussion....sharing this with some friends.

[@br7451]

Hurrah to Annie, Dan and Andrew for fighting the good fight for secularism!

[@blairfranklin7320]

Im a proud member of FFRF. We atheist rock!

[@HarryNicNicholas]

if nothing else we don't need threats of being burned alive to recruit.

[@steve8551]

I’m enjoying your book Andrew, savoring each page. It is dense with information, most of which is new to me.

[@whitefox8291]

What is the name of the book of you don't mind

[@doneestoner9945]

@whitefox. The Founding Myth.

[@johnberk9315]

"Why don't you go after Islam?" "We do, see all these examples..." "Lalalalalalalala can't hear you!"

[@jarodcarnarvon5198]

So glad I found this program to watch despite the fact I still sort of identify as a Christian but straddling the fence with a lot of doubt...... This show so far is very educational and enlightening to how things really are in government and history.....

[@MasterSpade]

Hopefully you make the Escape from religion as quick as possible. It is Very difficult at first. But remember, IF there is a god, and it is a "Good" god, then he gave us this brain for a reason. A good god would not only not mind us asking questions, he would actually WANT us to. Those questions would at the very least weed out all the false gods. These quotes are so true, the first addresses using the brain and asking questions, and the 2nd addresses why it is so difficult to leave the shackles of religion: “I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with Sense, Reason, and Intellect has intended us to forgo their use.” - Galileo Galilei “One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we've been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We're no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It is simply too painful to acknowledge -- even to ourselves -- that we've been (taken.)so credulous. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back. (So the old bamboozles tend to persist as the new bamboozles rise.) “ - Carl Sagan

[@STEVENFRYFRY]

When you stop believing in THOR and santa claus you're nearly a free thinker

[@Leonlatorrexxx723]

@@MasterSpade you right that is "' hard to get rid off religions" but is much more harder to get rid off that God religions insert in people's brain, I was born in a catholic home grew up listening just about that. 40 years later I realized that I wasted my time been afraid of a god what supposedly love us but it doesn't exist. And that the reason why believers dont take steps to question it', because they are afraid of their own thoughts.

[@DMWolFGurL]

So you base your view on government and history rather than your own intuition. You rely on humans? xD

[@johncaccioppo1142]

Check out Richard Friedmann's "Who Wrote the Bible" and books by Elaine Pagels. This will help you understand the political and historical dynamics of the Bible which go unaddressed in churches and give you a more logical perspective of what the faith consists of. Also Richard Carrier, who is an atheist scholar that I don't 100% agree with, but he does a good job of explaining the formal intellectual process of honest Biblical investigation, building around Bayesian logic, something all people should understand when dealing with arguments of "truth vs. heresy". For me as an ex-cultist, I found it very useful to be able to hang on to a belief in Christ while deconstructing my Christian brainwashing.

[@sansatheist7394]

Annie Laurie has been a trooper for real thinkers all these years. I love her and FFRF. Dan's okay too.

[@traumalama8663]

Watchers on the Wall.....love it

[@jenniferbrewer5370]

Do I detect a fellow Game of Thrones fan?

[@jasoncarpp7742]

I love FFRF. If only their channel were available on T.V. or on radio. Try as I might, I've never been able to understand or believe in God or Jesus Christ, nor have I been able to believe what the Bible says about life.

[@STEVENFRYFRY]

Hell of a fable tho

[@LogicAndReason2025]

All so sensible and logical. Too bad fanatics can't grasp this.

[@johncaccioppo1142]

Too bad critical thinkers push them away with their toxic attitudes.

[@r.c.whitaker296]

Annie Laurie and Dan still looking "cute" at each other, after all these years 😍

[@imvandenh]

I don't think Annie Laurie is able to look any other way but cute. It's just in her DNA. I love going back to the video of her and Dan on the Oprah show. She had a look at one point like she'd been hit by Cupid's arrow that I find absolutely adorable. So perfect for each other! I'm sure their marriage has been like any other with arguments and disagreements but unlike far too many married people, I'm willing to bet they always go to bed Still Loving and respecting each other. And that's coming from a twice-divorced cynic

[@doneestoner9945]

They are so cute together.

[@pacopablo4108]

I love this channel ❤️❤️❤️ thank you Dan and Annie, I tell all my friends about you 😘😘

[@silverwoodchuck47]

16:49 You'd think that kind of religious discrimination was settled, but it's not anymore.

[@edwardh3020]

Freedom from religion isn't against religion. It is freedom to think for ourselves.

[@StellaLillig]

FFRF -I Agree with you - however, these guys can also be part of the conflict - They live in America and they can easily harm some people with their extreme beliefs because they think it's ok and no one is doing anything to stop them.

[@osiris_blanche]

I FFCCKN LOVE THIS CHANNEL!

[@1ApeinSpace]

“You have rights. Your beliefs do not.”

[@lucisferre6361]

I have recently become aware of this channel via Andrew Seidel on the atheist experience with Matt. Your beginning theme music, the "freedom, freedom from religion.." track is great. I would watch every video on this list even if I weren't interested just to hear that beginning clip play one more time. Thanks.

[@Gijs-t7p]

Is it legal for public schools in America to celebrate Christmas or not?

[@benlundquist2778]

Thanks so much for addressing the principles of your Constitution and for stating emphatically that god doesn't exist in it's language. We are NOT a Christian government...though all of us are free to believe whatever myth we choose. Had to hit the subscribe button to keep abreast of your current events and thank you for protecting our "freedom from religion"!

[@bearnurse1]

Just to be clear, the u.s. constitution does not say " God doesn't exist". It just doesn't mention god

[@wassilykandinsky4616]

freedom from religion gospel music is awsome!

[@ftjax]

Christians have a "franchise" on morality & righteousness..if you don't believe it , just ask one

[@johnstauffer4362]

@Daniel Paulson Beautifully put!

[@ragen4504]

IMHO us Christians do not. We’re no better than anyone else.

[@jamaicangirlonelove1808]

I learn so much form your discussions.

[@giarcareklaw]

Well done ! Keep up the good work but I will suggest the intro song sounds like a evangelical TV show theme song !

[@doneestoner9945]

I like the song. I didn't think of that until you mentioned it.

[@kayb9979]

Presumably it is a parody.

[@davidgreenwood5209]

I recently heard a Christian caller try to explain to Mr Matt Delahunty about what sends someone to hell. But her explanation was'nt complete. When you die you face judgement and if you don't know Christ you simply go to the default location which is hell. Often we Christians fall way short of living the life we should so maybe some of us won,t make it to heaven either.

[@markwarne5049]

Thats correct some who call themselves Christian or go to church aren't Christian ,it could be for unforgiveness, indulging in fornication or sinful living etc and not walking in repentance..

[@prjr5312]

FFRF your helping in opening closed minds in finding the truth you guys are great.

[@ced9152]

Why do so many of you insists upon shortening "Annie Laurie's" first name to "Annie?" That's very offensive. Its two words, one name!

[@debkeyworth8429]

It’s not Mooslum . Muslim . And Koran not KorAnn. Please learn how to say it . My sister was Muslim her whole adult life . I was never hounded to believe her ways or shamed for being atheist. My mother was a born again Christian. My sister started the first Islamic elementary in East Lansing MI because she did believe in sep of church and state . It still thrives today . I think the Muslims will help save our country . They come from countries that have never had democracy. They understand the problem with fascism.

[@kayem3824]

2:45 The circumcision description was abhorrent.

[@johncaccioppo1142]

If you ever watch a video of an un-anaesthetized performance, the description will quickly fade from memory.

[@jarodcarnarvon5198]

I have been spuratically watching Matt Dillahunty "The Atheist Experience" the last 4 years, and get entertained off the heated debates, sarcasm, and satire used on the show, I must say I like this show better. Although "The Atheist Experience" is quite entertaining and humorous, it is also often non-koshier, vulgar, and even juvenile at times. This couple is older, from the baby boom era, more seasoned, more proper, and much more dignified. Matt Dilahunty a generation X-er although very smart, behaves too much like an uncouth, adolescent, high school bully to his callers, as do his entourage of co-host 's at moments..... This show is way more mature and dignified. The truth be told, in general, baby-boomers still possess much better social skills than generation X and millenials for the most part anyway...... This young guy though who was their guest, does exemplify some outstanding social etiquite and mannerisms, I am impressed....

[@colinbaker3916]

Jarod Carnarvon Horses for courses. They’ve both been guests on the Atheist Experience, and Matt Dillahunty was full of admiration for their work. They met in 1984 on the show AM Chicago, hosted by Oprah Winfrey, facing a hostile audience and a patronising host. I don’t know if Matt’s ever gone into the lions’ den like that, nor done the sort of legal work they get involved with. On the other hand, their show doesn’t seem to have dissenting voices, nor do they do public debates. I know Matt often seems arrogant, but so are many of the Christian callers, and their arguments for, say, denying evolution are almost breathtakingly stupid. Some of them are also trolls who call in under various names and voices (Mark of Austin Stone Church, for example). For me, the best team on TAE is when Matt is alongside Tracie Harris, whose intellect matches Matt but she dissects callers’ arguments more subtly. It’s a huge shame that she left the show a year ago.

[@WingDiamond]

Matt D may be a bit "aggressive" at times, but remember where he lives and the era we grew up in.

[@jimd6641]

You have echoed my feelings about Matt Dillahunty exactly - much more articulately than I could have. I find his rudeness to sincere theist callers asking legitimate questions to be very off-putting. The last time I heard him drop f-bombs on this one poor lady was the last time I'll ever watch that jerk. He's an example of why people generally think atheists have no moral compass. Compared to that, this discussion is a breath of fresh air.

[@yousuck785why]

Jarod Carnarvon I like both Ffrf and Matt anyway

[@MustAfaalik]

@Bull Shark Including other dogmatic ideologies.

[@GCF-Media]

i love this intro song wow

[@edsalinas9996]

I want to see you guys go after The Church of Satan.

[@kristishaver6545]

Why not push " In God We Trust" off money?

[@bjkactivities]

I like listening to this but I'm always wondering if it is a choice that it looks like it has been shot in 1995. It could al be a bit more modern.

[@ohyeah4308]

What can you guys do about POTUS making an oath by the Bible during inaugural ceremony?

[@Anne--Marie]

Those chairs look so uncomfortable!

[@jimross623]

What do you think about atheists saying “oh for god’s sake!” when they are frustrated, or “oh my god” when they are surprised, or “oh god” when having an orgasm?

[@coltraneole]

I think Annie is such an adorable woman.💓

[@doneestoner9945]

She is. They are such a cute couple.

[@jgeorge2465]

Love u guys.

[@scottjackson163]

Because beheadings are scary.

[@temybeal]

Thanks guys for FINALLY doing videos. Still miss Hypatia though.

[@markwhitman72]

Love Dan and Annie and they do great work! Of course the religious right tries unsuccessfully to discredit them they continue to work for REASON and what we all know is the TRUTH: god is a myth and we as humans should have been away from this mindset at least since Darwin's time.

[@Iamjamessmith1]

Can anyone be good without "my" god?

[@ishmamrahim7568]

Does the Satanists violate rules? If so what are those in your eyes? And how do you deal with them?

[@Dano-uf8ys]

I'm a .religious skeptic

[@alexusleanne1860]

how can I donate to this group?

[@isallah1kafir196]

In *an Islamic system in Medina there were women **_walking around bare breasted_* , and that is a fact, that is a historical fact and you can read it and look it up in the books. [quote end from Muslim Scholar Hamza Yusuf about the Hijab] . There *were other females who were half-naked in the **_modest_** Islamic society* ! Are you sure? Yes he is, the Veil the forerunner of the Niqab was a means to *distinguish the female Slave-Owners from their* Slaves. Almost none of the modern Day Muslimas are aware of the fact that their veil, has not the *religious meaning* as they are being told, but is connected to *Islamic Slavery* . Otherwise _killing_ Non-Muslims could also be a religious act because Allah says so in the Koran. YEs a *ban of the Niqab Veil or Burka* should be enforced because it is a *political Symbol used in a political islamic state (caliphate) which allows slavery. For more info on this topic The veil and Islamic Slavery: Muslima to Daud Kim: "We are Diamonds". (Ignoring Slavery in Islam) kzbin.info/www/bejne/q17LZqyjibCMmJo

[@rachelwesson8475]

Your belief as an Atheist stems from a lack of understanding of God's plan and purpose for man which the church world has portrayed as a vengeful and angry God casting the majority into eternal unending torture of the fires of hell. God is now ending the man-made carnal church age and bringing forth a new age ruled over by the perfected sons who have "come out" of the old religious order. It's a new day dawning my friends and it is the Good News that this old sin-weary world needs; otherwise, your only hope ends at the grave.

[@briendoyle4680]

Btw... NEVER build 'Million

[@matimus100]

Ask yourself pls, how did America become religious

[@markwarne5049]

Sadly some church goers and Christians give God a bad name because of their conduct but God himself can be fully trusted,God sent Jesus because he loves us ,God wants us all to get to heaven and tries to reach out to people in different ways but due to our freewill we make the choice, if you disbelieve and reject Jesus himself if he comes knocking thats your choice, sometimes God will knock a few times over years ,God dosent anyone in hell but its our choice.

[@debkeyworth8429]

You guys sound so ignorant when talking about the hijab and the burkas . Your distaste for their clothing choices , no matter what it’s based on , is just as bad as how Christians talk about Muslims . I’m a supporter of FFRF but after hearing the woman and the older gentleman I am turned off for sure. At least Andrew sounds more informed and less ignorant,