WOTM: Ayaan Is Gaslighting Us, Part II

[@puckerings]

"I can't explain the miracles that happened." You can't even show that they *did* happen.

[@radiofreeutah5328]

I used to say, "I choose to believe" too. What I actually meant was, "I'm purposefully avoiding any meaningful examination of this information." It was a grown up way of stuffing my fingers in my ears and shouting "Naa, nah, nah, I can't hear you!"

[@Styphon]

As an atheist, I feel absolutely no need to "fortify" my beliefs against religion. None. What does she think we do, read random religious texts and exclaim "A ha! I'm still not a believer!"? If someone somewhere came up on some irrefutable proof a religion was true we'd hear about it worldwide, no need to go looking for it.

[@CatDaddyGuitar]

@@Styphon yes, she's also making it sound like what Ricky Gervais described as running into churches and yelling, "It's all bullocks!!" and that's just not the case.

[@CatDaddyGuitar]

@@Styphon and as I've seen so far, most atheists can explain why we DON'T believe but they seem to struggle with why they DO believe. Very few testimonies are riddled with intricate non sequiturs that tie completely random events together to justify their belief; most are completely emotional at their base and fairly simple stories.

[@Venaloid]

Alex is consistently way too polite. Critical analysis is being sacrificed for the sake of polite conversation.

[@dougt7580]

I wholeheartedly agree. Not every conversation needs to be confrontational or turn into a debate, but he now just consistently lets his guests blather absolute nonsense on and on.

[@baskeptic1161]

Agreed. I cringed during his conversation with Dr Collins. Collins claimed that if you don't believe in God then you MUST believe in the multi-verse. Alex just let it slide. He is too smart to have missed it. I don't understand him...

[@istvansipos9940]

it is O.K. I mean, as the very title of the podcast shows, he (for some reason) chose this method for those podcasts.

[@Lance_Thorpe_Esq.]

I AGREE. I do understand the desire to be a "safe space" in which people will "honestly" share their perspectives.. But as you said...at the the expense of anything critical response. Which means we are patronizing people because we don't believe they can/will be honest and forthcoming, if we are honest and forthcoming.

[@LarsUelf]

Agreed, he's essentially just platforming these ideas. No matter how crazy they are, now they have an even bigger audience.

[@jfxl1977]

She's lost the plot. I can't undersyand why anyone who saw the fallacy of the god delusion would revert/recant and accept the delusion unless....they were being enriched or were playing the field and looking for the most profitable angle to decide on. Either way, she's part of the problem. Ayaan, you've lost the plot and are another contributor to the problem humanity faces in its race to survive. Belief in the god of the stone age does nothing but keep humanity from becoming its best self. Shame on you!

[@InigoMontoya-]

I like how Alex’s interview style contrasts with his debate style. In interviews, he urges all his subjects to spout any and all of their thoughts/beliefs so all who watch can see their true colors. In his debates, he lures his interlocutors into intellectual corners that they cannot finagle their way out of without admitting their stance is without merit, then he calmly makes statements of truth (not attacks) that make it clear to the observer that his opponent is struggling to justify their beliefs.

[@InigoMontoya-]

“What a fool believes he sees, no wise man has the power to reason away.” - Doobie Brothers

[@misterdeity]

One of my all-time favorite songs!!! It might be in my top ten. ❤

[@yinYangMountain]

For Hitchen’s sake, Ayaan!

[@MrCanis4]

Got stuck in my head too. I Love It. ❤

[@LordSlag]

Is she knowingly being untruthful about atheists constantly bulwarking ourselves against faith? Or is she projecting what she had to do onto us?

[@robinhood20253]

I could not even watch over a few minutes. The dishonesty made me sick. She knows her " fellow atheists" will be ragging on her for this and she wanted to start defending herself . Next she will say we work for the devil, 😂

[@AmaranthOriginal]

This is basically every right-wing conversion story. You cannot just CONvert, you must also completely disavow your prior position. And so, she must tell us how atheism is religion, etc

[@BeccaYoley]

Right. So many of these CONversions are for underlying political purposes. Even Musk is distancing himself from Atheism. It's so ignorant and tribalistic on their part.

[@tabularasa0606]

She fled the Netherlands, because she couldn't handle criticism and Dutch directness.

[@kellydalstok8900]

And her buddy Theo van Gogh was a provocateur. I’m not saying he deserved to be murdered, but he sure loved rubbing the wrong people the wrong way.

[@cindysue5902]

". . . fountain of curiosity," I did a slow head turn (of disbelief) when you said that. Oh my, she's really jumped off the deep end with that.

[@brian3863]

Her “conversion” is to make money. Has nothing to do with her true belief. She’ll publish books and give talks to the sheep and happily take their money

[@Ugly_German_Truths]

The money is probsbly welcome, but if you listen to her it's pretty much about finding a platform to fight against any and all aspects of Islam for her. The atheists were not intolerant enough for her personal crusade, so she changed venues...

[@alanmill793]

Alex has a different approach when he is interviewing someone compared to when he is debating someone. In debates, he pushes back, in interviews he doesn’t push back. See the difference in his interview and then debate with Cliffe and Stuart Knechtle. Alex’s interview technique is a smiling passive aggressive method of politely feeding his interviewee rope, knowing they will tie themselves up in the rope and then politely feeding them more while smiling all the time. He then leaves the audience to notice that the interviewee has avoided the question, deflected to another topic or displayed contradictions in their positions previously stated. When he sees avoidance or deflection, he rejigs the same question with the same intent and sets the interviewee off again. It’s not his brief here to pull them up on their inconsistencies and hypocrisies, he’s not having a debate, he just lets them put it out there and does not interrupt as the interviewee uses the rope exactly how Alex expected them to do and he merely says “Mmmmm” which seems to be his way of saying the unimpressive non-answer shows why he has not embraced Christian authoritarianism. I am looking forward to him moving on from Biblical contradictions and moral relativism and starting to deal with the real politics of Christianity, its inherent authoritarianism and preference for governing by totalitarianism and putting the question to his Christian guest as to why they subscribe to a totalitarian political ideology. But he’s only a philosopher so far and not a political scientist but that will come. We know Ayaan left Islam because she realised it was a totalitarian political ideology and she voted with her feet to live in a liberal social democracy and even be a parliamentary representative of that democratic freedom, so the question for her is why has she merely switched to another totalitarian political ideology for Christianity is as inherently authoritarian as Islam? The culture she had voted with her feet for and embraced is not Christianity, its democracy. She says everything she values in the West is uniquely Christian but the democracy she has actively embraced as the leading character of the West, is obviously not of Christian origin. Ayaan is doing a lot of gaslighting emotivism in her cherry picking embrace of Christianity, turning a blind eye to its anti- democratic and totalitarian ideology but then she can do that as she has been living in liberal social democracies though that may end if she stays in the USA, though she appears to be comfortable with right wing US Christian Nationalism. Careful what you wish for Ayaan.

[@donaldnumbskull9745]

"Partially infinite series" I like that.

[@blahblingo7605]

One more: Im so sorry Bri-Bri, I had to mute Ayaan. Shes _that shockingly bad_ at speaking. Although - possibly in her defense - it could be due to her terrible acting while trying to portray a downtrodden individual "finding hope" finally. Maybe this is how she thinks it ought to sound to convince her marks.

[@guyjperson]

Yeah, THIS version of Ms. Ali is not very well spoken. She's either very new to this thinking style, or really working to be convincing in her act. That conservative think tank she was supposedly involved in really screwed her up.

[@blahblingo7605]

Ayaan found... "happiness" with her flavor-of-the-week religion? She seems EXTREMELY unhappy about it.🤨

[@autonomouscollective2599]

Funny you should say that. A long time ago I knew a born-again Christian who was just about the most miserable person (much of his own doing) you could ever meet. I told him he seemed so unhappy. He said, “But I have JOY in Jesus!” If only face-palm was a thing back then…

[@brendonbrooke]

Hey, im new to this series. Earlier i realized this channel has so much history on youtube. I'm still on a deconstruction journey, your channel, is new breath of fresh air, idk, the tv like content, the humor in this video rn and last few recent videos is so good.

[@Crimethoughtfull]

Best of luck on your journey! I went through my deconversion back between 2005 and 2007, basically during the hey-day of New Atheism. But yeah, Mr. Deity is awesome, esp. back when he WAS Mr. Deity. Using humor to pick apart the illogic makes the process a lot easier to digest.

[@misterdeity]

Glad you’re finding the content helpful. We are all on the same journey. Happy you found your way out. I know the kind of courage it takes. So pat yourself on the back and enjoy my 18 years of content. 😂❤

[@misterdeity]

@@CrimethoughtfullHey! I’m still Mr. Deity - always. And I still do at least one or two episodes a year. 😘

[@brendonbrooke]

@@Crimethoughtfull Thank for the words brother. Yeah, having humour amongst the downfall of an agent you put your whole identity into, your goals towards, your feelings towards, your whole life from youth, is revolved around a god, having that humour helps. We knew the garden of Eden from young, to break the chains (I hate to say it like that) of this God/Gods & the fear associated with this God, it'll take time. I'm not rushing it. We used to believe we deserved hell fire, we believed we were bankrupt yet we failed to connect the dots in order to realize the only reason we were bankrupt and hell fire worthy was because of two other peoples Oblivious mistake made years prior. We walked around telling others they must believe in the beautiful gift of being forgiven for two other people's mistake....WHAT!!

[@Crimethoughtfull]

@@brendonbrooke In the words of Hitchens, it is a story of "you were created sick, but commanded to be well upon pain of death". We're taught that we're either born in sin, or at least that the first time we lust after a cookie and steal a cookie from the cookie jar then we're sinners--and Jesus died for ALL sins. "We will invent an illness for you to have and then be the only ones with the 'cure'" kind-of vibe.

[@MrCyclist]

Thanks Brian for talking for me in full. She played the victim card and would burst into tears if she if confronted with any counter arguments. Alex's face showed pure sympathy for her fallacies and fear that she would,

[@CRWenger]

The moment Ayaan played the self harm card all bets are off. She needed good psychiatric help then, she needs good psychiatric help now.

[@blahblingo7605]

Agreed. I personally think its part of her schtick (did she not say this while she was an "atheist"?), just _mentioning it_ shouldve been a checked box to her "therapist" (if she saw one at all, let alone a COMPETENT one) and shouldve been communicated to other medical professionals. That type of language isnt some laugh/applause line.

[@dj33036]

With regard to her I think there is a ton of information we do not have. She doesn't even seem to believe her own words.

[@ottz2506]

Alex sometimes demonstrates how people like Ayaan have truly gained control of the discourse. If you're willing to push back, you may be branded as "one of them intolerant atheists pushing back against Christians wanting to practice their faith" so, out of fear you will lose out on guests, you are then forced to just sit there and let them use your platform as a soapbox. And it can then give the impression that you are silent because the Christian is just speaking truths you can't possibly refute.

[@paultaliesin1862]

I’m really glad to see someone tackle these interviews, and especially doing it so thoroughly and so well. Thank you for the service!

[@misterdeity]

Much appreciated. I hope people are getting something out of it.

[@CatDaddyGuitar]

@@misterdeity I just found you, which is weird because I've been through every atheist channel for years lol.. I saw you recently on another channel (which I can't remember right now 😂... Horseshit for brains) and I really like your content and arguments. 👍🏼

[@misterdeity]

@ YAY!!! So glad to have you. I’m one of the OGs! There are 18 years of content here for you. Enjoy! ❤️ Btw, do you play guitar? I do as well - for fifty years this year. Yikes!!!

[@CatDaddyGuitar]

@misterdeity I do. Wanted to ask, was that your music on the outro? Jazzy. 50! Yikes 😂, me, 41-ish years playing

[@CatDaddyGuitar]

Ahhh!! It was Aron Ra!! 😂 You mentioned jazz on top of van halen and I commented.. now I remember! Phew.. brain may still have a few more miles...

[@tomsenior7405]

"...you create a counter-faith in non-faith". What the hell! I have heard some daft stuff in my time, but that one takes the biscuit. This is the kind of nonsense-speak one hears dribbling from the mouths of Apologists. She just accused non-believers of creating their own religion. How dare she go down this path of insulting practices. I am slowly realising this lady is becoming the very thing she once despised. At no time have I insulted her, or mocked her choices. At no time have I said anything derogatory about her, yet the moment she converts, she starts with the accusations. Not a good idea Ayaan. Not a good idea.

[@brentadams28]

And the potential for book sales. I can’t think of any better way to sum up part 49 of this 9 part series.

[@darrennew8211]

I finally figured it out. "Objective morality" is morality unrelated to the well-being of humans. It's the morality that god has, and god doesn't particularly like humans.

[@misterdeity]

Or care in any measurable way!

[@nanrod]

I'm sorry but when somebody tells me that they are reading the gospels and find them fascinating, enriching, or enlightening, I have to question their intelligence, sanity, or honesty.

[@misterdeity]

Right?!!! LOL! 😂 ❤

[@rafaelallenblock]

Genocide, infanticide, child rape, slavery, and that's just 1 Sam 15:3

[@misterdeity]

LOL! 😂 ❤

[@condorboss3339]

I remember when I first read Leviticus at 15 and being surprised at how many sins I'd never heard of. I'd missed out on so much!

[@CatDaddyGuitar]

@@condorboss3339 well, you had at least 15 more years to try them out before you really needed to get serious 🤣

[@tomboughan2718]

OK, when I first heard of Aayan, she was hanging out with Pat Robertson and other right wing Christians, but not any progressive Christians. That was a red flag to me, especially since she declared herself an atheist, but not hang out with other atheists that much.

[@MandolinGuy530]

The bit about fortifying yourself against faith was particularly funny to me. I don't need to fortify myself against faith, faith pushes me away with how absurd it is, it takes no effort on my part 🤣

[@idesel]

Pure projection. Immediately after telling us she's jumped headfirst into apologetics ocean she jumps amd claims atheists are trapped in an ocean of their own. Just pure bs. Any argument on atheism is a counter argument to a Christian one. There is no tenants of atheism, nothing about atheism you can read independently of it addressing the religious nonsense. They sometimes conflict atheism and science. Of you don't believe in god they expect you to know cosmology, biology, chemistry, physics, etc in order to counter why their arguments are nonsense.

[@clemstevenson]

Being closed minded to beliefs that are without evidence is only perceived as being a negative characteristic by those who believe without evidence. Why would anyone think that blind faith is a virtue?

[@CatDaddyGuitar]

@@clemstevenson as a former Evangelical, we wore our ignorance with pride, I'm ashamed to say. It's like a game of who can be in the most denial and claim it as faith.

[@clemstevenson]

@@CatDaddyGuitar Well, I know from experience that blind faith is not limited to any particular set of religious beliefs. The common factor is a lack of supporting evidence, or a willingness to misinterpret scientific findings to make them fit.

[@CatDaddyGuitar]

@@clemstevenson correct 👍🏼

[@clemstevenson]

@@CatDaddyGuitar Some clown has just tried to tell me that I cannot choose to believe in things, as though choice is an impossible option. I can believe anything, if there is evidence to suggest that it's true. But, as It is impossible to argue with people who pretend to know the minds of others, I blocked him.

[@CatDaddyGuitar]

@clemstevenson that's fresh coming from someone who probably chooses to be ignorant lol

[@HarryNicNicholas]

ah, i love to hear about how terrible people were when they were atheist, cos it fascinates me that in their list of faults they never add "i was a compulsive liar and can't be trusted to tell the truth"

[@dtdyvr]

i think it's evident that Ayaan is struggling with mental health. she is merely self-justifying irrationally, misrepresenting atheism, and generally not making sense - it seems to be a kind of self-protection mode. I appreciate her foundation which exposes and fights against female genital mutilation. I hope she finds some sort of peace without religious superstition...

[@absquereligione5409]

New atheism was only more vocal about the nonsensical BS of theism.

[@CatDaddyGuitar]

5:00 "not having an open mind" and "prejudging"? Did she not, like me, come to the conclusion that her religion was lacking and wasn't what it claimed?? We went down that path already so how would I be prejudging? She's looking for an argument to justify her hypocrisy. She'll fit right in.

[@suicune2001]

Does she not know most people in the US were raised Christian? A 5 year old immediately believes whatever they are told. They're not going to be putting up barriers, yada yada. They have to find their own way out of it and with a lot of pushback from others later in life.

[@misterdeity]

@@suicune2001 Really great points! ❤

[@joelmouton9365]

I’ve watched a few of Alex’s latest videos where he speaks to Christians and it’s infuriating. He needs to locate his spine and use it. He is doing no one any good with his overly polite (weak) British attitude and approach. He just lets the Christian say whatever they want and if he does manage to push back it’s so pathetically weak it’s insulting.

[@puckerings]

He's too much of a fart-sniffer to push back. He's too enamored with the idea of ideas for the sake of ideas to engage properly with this.

[@44yvo]

So atheistic apologism is wrong according to Ayaan but Christian apologism is not ... 🙄

[@ReluctantApostate]

4:32 This claim of why atheists (or even former christians) should maintain openness to faith is just a special appeal to Christianity because of how it's helped her now and everything she doesn't know about it. Ignorance of Christianity's history and strength of it's claims is doing all the heavy lifting in her new view for for seperating faith from reason. Given her continued denunciation of Islam, I doubt she would support the same openness of faith for someone openly pursuing Islam because it saved them in a time of emotional need. That's the real double standard.

[@Mr.PeabodyTheSkeptic]

I've been an atheist for 40 years. 20 years a Christian. All I can say is, 'huh?'

[@misterdeity]

WTF?!!! ❤😂

[@brutusl2786]

In the final analysis who cares. She had an existential crisis just like Jordan Peterson after his and his wife’s illnesses. Atheism is tough, this is all there is is a hard way to think. She’s not going to convince anyone.

[@wardenwilson6725]

I never once heard Ali share with us all, her undying love for Jesus. She never once said, "Praise The Lord!" Or, "Jesus loves you!" Ali's conversion seems contrived.

[@jokkehasa5298]

I love the picture with Matt handling snakes 😂

[@oscargr_]

"you don't need proof to believe..." And you simply ignore anything that makes your beliefs seem illogical or ridiculous, obviously. Believing against all odds.

[@richardbradley1532]

Most athiest go through childhood being fed theistic bullshut and being told to have unthinking faith. That fails once you do think.

[@brendonbrooke]

You have something to you. The little edits on the video. At first i was like, okay what's going on here but now i I think I see it😂. Love your content Mr.Deity

[@misterdeity]

It’s intentional!!! 😂❤

[@robabiera733]

If you're using your ideology as a pacifier, you're using the wrong ideology. Those who complain about people needing comfort can't get away with pretending that there aren't far more effective ways of identifying what we want out of life - and getting it. Emotional blackmail is what it is. I know about Ali's past, but I think she's jumping from one frying pan into another.

[@AceOfSevens]

Her pitch now about this being a political thing about Christianity being better equipped to defeat Islam is what she told Christians from day 1.

[@misterdeity]

Yep. See my video, “Fighting Hellfire with Hellfire.”

[@CriminalApes]

"Without Pushback" lolol

[@AceOfSevens]

One thing she notably hasn't mentioned in any of this is anything about Jesus or really any actual Christian teachings beyond politics.

[@laurajarrell6187]

Hi Bri! Yeah, I saw this early but just had to see you being all nummy again, plus feed the algorithm! 👍🏼💙💞💙💖💙🥰✌

[@misterdeity]

You're the best! ❤

[@radiak55]

I'm disillusioned with Alex because he was perfectly poised to be an up and coming new platform for the premier channel putting the ideologues of modern internet in the hot seat. Although one can agree with Richard Dawkins on many points, he does need to receive pushback on his ideas regarding gender and his perspective of being a cultural Christian in the sense that for all intents and purposes, he's a right wing atheist that still advocates for the "Wester values" provided by religion. I think the same of this interview, just allowing Ayaan to continue without pushback was embarrassing. Not to call her out on the legitimacy of her conversion but rather her negative comments about atheists that boil down to the run of the mill, all atheists are angry/jaded because that's painting the picture she came out of it and now is in a better place thanks to the power of her imaginary friend.

[@Andres64B]

As you alluded to, virtually everything the tribal war God of Abraham says is bad and that we shouldn't do, he has either committed, command, or condoned. Talk about hypocrisy.

[@alicelaybourne1620]

I'll be honest, after reading her first book, I didn't think she was convincing as an atheist. She seemed like someone running away from something, not opening her mind to possibilities. In that way, I don't find it shocking to see her running towards the familiarity and comforts of religion and shedding her false intellectualism on the subject. Quick clarification: I think she is incredibly smart, I just think (even she) doesn't realize that she still needed spirituality to feel whole.

[@trevorlunn8442]

[01:00ish] The simplest *pushback* to Ayaan Hirsi's disconnection claim, "In what year and place was this ideal Christian community or civilization-level the correct _'bathwater temperature'_ such that you want us all to adopt and return to everything about it?"

[@misterdeity]

Great point! It’s like asking, “when exactly was America great?”

[@CreepyMagician]

I don't evangelize or even expose . . . I just educate.

[@HarryNicNicholas]

i don't bother, (IRL) religists don't qualify for a place on my team, stay christian, no skin off my nose.

[@c.a.t.732]

"Jesus and His Dad/Self". Love that. Sometimes those little pop-up blurbs go by without me appreciating them. But I'll remember that one!

[@johnroth4302]

Thanks!

[@misterdeity]

Thanks so much. I am sending you blessings and indulgences. Heck, I’m even gonna send you multiple chances to make a first impression. Enjoy! ❤

[@TheLithp]

When I watched TMM's video about her discussion with Dawkins, I got the sense that she doesn't really "believe" but, rather, is converting for political reasons. She did mention depression as her reason, but it was brief, or at least TMM's editing gave the impression it was brief. I'm interested in seeing if other parts of this will change my mind or instead make me go "ah, now she's getting into the political grift stuff." I can't discount that depression was a possibility, & maybe she just doesn't want to talk that specifically about such a traumatizing experience, but controversial or not, I'm also unwilling to ignore how many "ex-atheist backstory" cliches she hits & the alarm bells that raises for me. As well, her story about the psychologist proselytizing on her "spiritual bankruptcy" is very troubling, if true. Again, I can't discount the possibility that something similar to that happened. It's not impossible to believe a therapist did something they shouldn't or that Ayaan isn't reporting the meeting perfectly accurately. But, again, it just strikes me how it falls so neatly into the conservative Christian line. "I tried everything, but nothing worked, & even my therapist had to admit I needed to find Jesus."

[@sciencesaves]

Ayaan needed a crutch. she found one.

[@wadler00]

She is so right! I constantly create barriers around me to stop dragons breath, it is the same thing! /end of sarcasm. I honestly used to respect her.

[@guyjperson]

Well. She lost me. She honestly fell back on the "Atheism is it's own Faith" argument. I gotta find this interview. Alex is sitting there like a lump in the clips you're showing, but that seems odd. I gotta see him trying to push back against all of this stuff that Ali, herself, has pushed back against. Desperation is a horrible thing. Also, that moustache just ain't workin'.

[@misterdeity]

I just posted the link in the description. I keep forgetting to do that. D’oh!!!

[@guyjperson]

@@misterdeity Thanks. I just watched the first 15 minutes. I'm gonna have to do it in stages, cuz...It's hard to hear her do the Apologist Greatest Hits, while O'Connor just sits there.

[@EvanBoyar]

@@guyjperson I actually like the low-pushback interview. I don't think pushing back too hard would have shown much of anything useful-the times where he did push back at all showed she really just hadn't done much thinking/would just go back and use tired excuses that have already been debunked to death. It was way more interesting hearing her talk. It's not like his audience is the type that really needs him to retread the same path again.

[@tschorsch]

​@@guyjperson I think he could perceive that she was a mess. You can hear the pain in her voice. She's rationalizing a primarily emotional decision. Despite being able to throw off the shackles of religion once, she's been profoundly damaged by it and sees things through its lens. I would not want to challenge someone's faith who is clearly in such a fragile psychological state.

[@guyjperson]

@@EvanBoyar I haven't completed the full interview, but the 1st quarter didn't show much more than Ali doing an Apologist shtick. I do agree that she was just resting on old arguments. You're right. There's probably no use at this point in her journey to be picking at her. Do you think there's value in her monetizing the journey?

[@chrisose]

Her reading is just doing research to discover the necessary buzzwords and memes she needs to include in her speech and writings to open the wallets of the gullible right-wing faithful.

[@jonfmcdropout]

don't forget the massive, well funded, right-wing groups eager to syphon money to any minority willing to point accusatory fingers at people that look like themselves.

[@BCole-bj4lv]

Ayaan, if you read this, please listen to all the lectures, available on KZbin, of Col. R.G. Ingersoll. Ayaan may have only hung around the big 4 atheists and yes, they were never believers and Christian like some of us were. I wish she would talk to someone like Mr. D, Bart Ehrman, Dan Barker, or a million other Christians who were devout believers and came to realize that the end of all of this is a void. In the beginning, as a new believer, it seems so incredible. People are all so nice, warm, and loving. It takes time to see that things don't go as you first believe they do. There is a facade, a vale, over the outside. I wish I were Hitch smart. but I fell for it until I was nearly 40. The message of the apologist is very, very weak, but you won't know unless you listen to the atheist opposition.

[@CMA418]

She seems scared.

[@2ezee2011]

Reason seems to have little to do with it. Her acquaintances and mutual handholding with the right wing money machine has more to do with it. She has "discovered" there is more money to be made stroking the egos of the rich. Becoming irrelevant is terrifying to her.

[@timothymulholland7905]

All apologetics is post hoc, making up reasons for what was an emotionally driven move. She found support and community which were missing from the atheist movement which spurned her for attacking Islam.

[@TJ000]

The sweetest (and most convincing) lies are those we tell ourselves.

[@misterdeity]

I love that line! Where is that from?

[@Cafenexo]

​I found this: The Devil All the Time, by Donald Ray Pollock. "The devil knows that the sweetest lies are those we tell ourselves."

[@Yossarian.]

Every time I see a rainbow, I get the urge to believe in rainbow glowing pots of gold and leprechauns. I then need to rush home and reinforce my disbelief in such things by reading science books on how light retracts within each raindrop, causing the sunlight to split into its constituent colours. Not believing is such a bind!

[@Groksaurus]

I think the lack of cohesion is one of the problems. Atheism isn't a world view but we have libertarian atheist, communist atheist, humanist atheists, objectivist atheists etc. And each of the groups attacks the other with the same fervor that they go after religion. It would be nice of there was just some good faith debates but I dont see that happening anytime soon.

[@chhungusgaming]

Discussions like this one and the one Alex did with Low bar bill really just demonstrate that he needs to push back more. Glad that you arent afraid to call that out. I suppose maybe he's afraid he wont be able to have people come on his show if he's too confrontational, but even then he does not seem to confront stuff nearly enough.

[@giuseppesavaglio8136]

I watch Ayaan in these recent interviews and then i watched her interviews from around 15-20 years ago and the contrast is stark. Back then she was confident and knowledgeable about what she spoke and now not so confident, almost as if reading from a script. Something or someone/s has gotten a hold of her and she seems like a frightened little girl who is making sure she says things in the right way as not to show her hand or she will be punished? In some way. I feel sorry for her, for whatever is going on in her life.

[@CMA418]

She does seem scared.

[@BrettCoryell]

@guiseppesavaglio8136 If any of us were hunted, actually hunted, the way she has been we might be affected by the experience too. I have sympathy for the situation and sorrow for what she has experienced. At the same time, I can't really respect the conclusions she has come to and the reasons she is giving for them.

[@misterdeity]

@@BrettCoryell That’s exactly where I am.

[@misterdeity]

Matt Dillahunty told me that the two of them are going to debate. That’s gonna be like Godzilla versus my 16-year-old Havanese! Stay tubed!!!

[@giuseppesavaglio8136]

@@BrettCoryell Agreed. Her reasoning as i implied, is not coherent, hence my script analogy.

[@KeithCooper-Albuquerque]

I'm loving this series, Brian!

[@misterdeity]

I appreciate you watching!

[@misterdeity]

I’m loving this comment, comma my fellow Keith!

[@davidmcnaughty4889]

You won't get a job at the Hoover Institution as a declared atheist, definitely not as a Muslim. But a freshly minted Christian who "found her way out of the darkness"? Welcome aboard, tell us all about it.

[@idesel]

Many of these atheists of hers grew up Christian, some were even pastors, her pity on them closing themselves out is just pure BS. Atheist around her circles debate these things regularly, they are more exposed to her religion more than your average Christian. If it actually had truth they'd be the first ones to really practice it more so than the crowd who follow mostly blindly.

[@Egooist.]

_"Smart people believe weird things, because they're skilled at defending beliefs they arrived at for non-smart reasons."_ [Michael Shermer]

[@misterdeity]

My old pal!!!

[@nikolademitri731]

One of the things I find to be a serious contradiction in what she’s saying is that she’s using the apologetics to strengthen her faith, but also that faith means no evidence is required, you just believe it. There’s an actual dangerous contradiction there, specifically for someone like her who’s been hopefully saved from despair by taking this path. If she believes, like Kierkegaard (who wrote against the apologetics and against the history of Christendom), that real faith is an absolute leap into darkness, a choice to believe *in spite of the lack of evidence, because we can literally not have scientific proof,* then I would agree with her. I just think one of the fundamental things you need to decide, other than to NOT be a fundamentalist, is are you going to actually take rootedness in *faith* seriously, or are you going to appeal to the (always highly flawed) apologetic arguments, which imo are mostly a product of an insecurity in accepting the real extreme choice that faith is? Faith is NOT in the realm of epistemic tools or methods, but apologetics appeal to logical arguments, and modern apologetics even attempt to appeal to science. You run into a serious contradiction by saying you’re strengthening your faith by reading apologetics. It’s like mixing water and oil, and claiming they complement each other in a (your) solution. If she needs the apologetics, I’m not judging, especially if this is going to keep her mentally healthy, but I do worry that if/when she recognizes the contradiction that she could put herself in a dangerous position, as a truly deep study and understanding of apologetics should always bring you back around to the reality that they’re absurd (not just bc the truth or falsity of claims, but bc logic and science are for the natural world). When/if she realizes that apologetics cannot give good evidence, let alone proof, and history certainly can’t, then she must accept that (the leap of) faith has always been the only truly secure root, or risk falling back into the despair she’s escaped. I truly wish her well.

[@martifingers]

That's a thoughtful, respectful and insightful comment.

[@misterdeity]

Good points!!! ❤

[@EatHoneyBeeHappy]

9:39 An excellent question from Alex, probably the best in the entire interview. The first thing Ayaan thought of was how she doesn't like how modern atheism has some people who behave like Christians. Setting aside for now how I don't think you could find 10 atheists who would say there is no evidence for god that would ever convince them, while most churches are filled with people who would say nothing could reverse their belief in god. Maybe if what you dislike most about some atheists is how Christian they are, perhaps Christianity isn't the best fit for you Ayaan.

[@misterdeity]

What a great point!!! I’ve even laid down a marker for exactly what evidence would convince me. And it’s nothing beyond what God has already done to convince others - entire populations even! It’s stuff Jesus told us followers would be able to do!

[@theoutspokenhumanist]

I still do not think Ayaan is genuinely a Christian, as in believing in her heart that Jesus is the messiah and the only path to God. She talks about how the west has "thrown the baby out with the bathwater" but she is not from the western tradition. Thinking that the west may have been too zealous in abandoning Christianity is not the same as suddenly coming to believe in it. Finding the bible fascinating is not the same as believing in it. And choosing to believe is not the same as being convinced something is true. It is not faith, it is making a pragmatic decision. I find it incredible that someone who once sat with the four horsemen and not only agreed with everything they said but added her own atheist opinions, now criticises those same people for limited thinking. I am deeply disappointed to be saying that i think her new stance is dishonest and political rather then sincerely spiritual.

[@TJ000]

It's very possible. Consider her employer - The Heritage Foundation - and the work environment ( it was referenced in a comment just above yours). This 'conversion' has a hint of what Jewish people did at one time (perhaps still do? 🤷). Consider the character in Cabaret. He mentions how he changes his religious identity to Protestant on his documents and, poof! A new world of opportunities opens for him. She could be sincere, but you can't exclude the alternative.

[@ZenWithKen]

"I choose to believe." I see nothing wrong there, nothing at all. 😬

[@ziploc2000]

She seems to think there were no atheists before "New Atheism", maybe because she's so young and that was her introduction to not thinking magically. Atheists have always been around, and atheism is still growing, despite all the theists trying to tell us that "new atheism" has failed.

[@markgordon5266]

"The lady doth protest to mulch, methinks." Piglet, Act I Scene III, wherein she argues against proper lawn care.

[@NoSacredCowFla]

The only barrier I have is against someone trying to con me into believing the nonsense. She also sounds like she's using one of those "choose your own adventure" buybulls. So sad really.

[@bobmudge4836]

I use reason. Therefore, I have no faith. That’s about as separate as those two things can get.

[@canwelook]

Ayaan seems to have a very basic understanding of Christianity101. She is incapable of coherently presenting evidence, or even sound argument for the existence of the Christian god. She puts her toes into Christian doctrine, goes full-on public and THEN starts reading the book it is founded on? Whilst abusing those who don't share her new shallow beliefs? Seriously?

[@Ugly_German_Truths]

Not much in her conversion story sounds like honrst belief. A lot sounds like deliberate allying with the most islamophobic bunch that you could find as she always was about fighting Islam to the teeth (and well justified given her life experiencesceven uf you don't exactly dig her methodology). A means to reach her personal goals in life, not a good faith change of mind.

[@kellydalstok8900]

She loves the attention her CONversion gets her and it helps peddle her book.

[@TheOwlman]

4:55 What a ridiculous statement. It presupposes that belief is inherent and so constant vigilance is required to maintain the glorious atheist position. Ayaan evidently needs something that her professed atheism couldn't provide but her vulnerability is not the norm, at least for this atheist.

[@suicune2001]

"I need constant reinforcement to believe the world isn't flat. I mean, there is just soooo much evidence to the contrary if you are just open-minded enough and ask for no specifics." Lol. That's basically how she sounds to me.

[@TheOwlman]

@@suicune2001Indeed, and the flerfs are very similar, being in need of a community and willing to sacrifice truth just to belong. Theirs is somewhat more cultish than whatever denomination she has chosen, at least I assume so, but it is the same need to belong regardless of evidence.

[@theunknownatheist3815]

SHE NEVER REALLY WAS AN ATHEIST! It’s that simple

[@kellydalstok8900]

I’m a lifelong atheist and so were my parents. My two best friends during the first eleven years of my life were brought up christian. Not for one moment did I consider their religion had any bearing on my life, it was just a quirky tradition in their families. So no, religion, spirituality or what have you don’t come naturally, it has to be taught, and stays with people like Ayaan for life, it seems.

[@TheOwlman]

@@kellydalstok8900 _So no, religion, spirituality or what have you don’t come naturally, it has to be taught, and stays with people like Ayaan for life, it seems._ Exactly, I couldn't have said it better. My first brush with religion was when I started school - back then British schools generally defaulted to Church of England (anything else and you went to a particular school), and the phrase, "hands together, eyes closed" was singularly baffling. As to the rest they were simply too late, I didn't believe a word of it! So lucky,

[@archivist17]

The right to speak Frehley is Ace!

[@FSMDog]

How many think this conversion smells a bit 'off'....

[@yourgodismean4526]

Well, as Brian says, it is a CONversion lol

[@ziploc2000]

I can't tell if her hesitant nervous way of speaking is due to English not being her first language, or due to her hoping we can't smell the BS through the screen.

[@christopherhamilton3621]

@@ziploc2000A large demographic/audience to work with…

[@autonomouscollective2599]

Hey Brian! I just want to say the double shot of yourself was quite funny and caught me by surprise.

[@misterdeity]

I’m glad you liked that one! I thought it was funny when I thought it. Thank you for commenting on it. It always makes my fortnight when you guys get the little things.

[@2ezee2011]

Its been fun watching Alex and his slide into mediocrity of challenging his guest. I suppose his intense criticism by Hitchens has defanged him to a large degree. I no longer watch him since he seems to have just moved to conversations about philosophy that are extraordinarily boring and repetitive. Ayaan simply seems to try to find relevance by selling her soul (if she had one) to the right wing money machine and happily parrots their "spiritual" warfare and unification of society by a religious and and inherently fake authority.

[@serenfargo8867]

I am unaware of Hitchens' criticism of Alex. Is there an article or video of that. I am curious what he said.

[@luciddewseed3095]

@@serenfargo8867 given that Hitch died when Alex was still a 12-13 year old child, I am doubtful about him criticizing Alex.

[@serenfargo8867]

​@@luciddewseed3095 Thank you. That didn't even register in my brain. Since I started following Hitchens and others in recent years, it seems more recent that he died. After googling it, I wonder if that comment is referring to Peter Hitchens, who apparently walked out in the middle of a debate with Alex. I haven't read or watched that, so I don't know the details. Hell, not even familiar with Peter Hitchens.

[@ericmishima]

".. useless organs of servitude..." Great line.

[@misterdeity]

I always love that when someone appreciates the writing. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. ❤

[@mcarp555]

I see the comments, just like the previous video, have Ayaan sussed out. I have to say I find her kind of stubborn stupidity boring. At least #LowBarBill is entertainingly dumb. I wouldn't waste another video on this nitwit.

[@misterdeity]

There are six more to come. And I think parts four and eight are must watch. If I do say so, my own damn self.

[@mcarp555]

@@misterdeity Okay, Bri; let's follow down the rabbit hole and see where we go!

[@user-qy3xu9hg2j]

I feel very sorry for her mental health issues, but that doesn't stop her coming across as a very self satisfied, self important individual

[@misterdeity]

And you’ve only seen the beginnings of it. Stay Tubed!

[@mrlint0]

Ayaan is really doing bargin barrel apologism.

[@misterdeity]

Oh, it gets so much worse. That’s when I make the exact same point. Stay Tubed!

[@tigdogsbody]

What brand of Christian did Ayaan choose? Was it a matter of Eenymeenymoe?

[@theunknownatheist3815]

It was whatever the recruiters who convinced her came from. 😂

[@blahblingo7605]

Tigers choice.

[@Trigger-xw9gq]

Ayaan: So, you've abandoned rational thought. "Feelings..........nothing more than feelings" I love that old song.

[@misterdeity]

@@Trigger-xw9gq Morris Albert? 😬

[@Trigger-xw9gq]

@@misterdeity Indeed.

[@bandoli66]

Great video!!

[@misterdeity]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@robertjimenez5984]

This is exactly how someone that has been abused talks. They can’t free themselves from the abuser. It’s sad to see that she had no idea what TF she is talking about.

[@christopherhamilton3621]

Fortifying against belief!!! What a joke…

[@CatDaddyGuitar]

11:00 it's a rejection of dangerous ideologies, also.

[@misterdeity]

Amen!!! I’m mean, RAmen!

[@dirkjensen969]

❤😂 you did great yesterday Mr. Deity, Aron lost all composure! He hates Christopher Columbus RAF!

[@misterdeity]

@@dirkjensen969 Columbus was awful!!!

[@dirkjensen969]

@misterdeity he was an amazing pilot not even you could deny that!

[@jakfan09]

@@misterdeityIDK man I liked Home Alone…

[@misterdeity]

@@dirkjensen969 Yep! He found those Indians!

[@dirkjensen969]

@@misterdeity close enough. You guys demand perfection.

[@tomboughan2718]

I like that logo Way of the Mister a take off from Ray Comfort's Way of the Master. LOL!

[@misterdeity]

@@tomboughan2718 That’s exactly why I called it that. Good catch!!! ❤️