If the only reason you do good is because of the threat of some imaginary eternal place of torture then you aren't good to begin with. This life is all we have, doesn't that make it precious? An afterlife cheapens life immeasurably.

I wonder where Erin is now on her journey... Seth, your handling of that call was gracious and masterful. 👍🏻

I once dumped a guy that was trying to date me who wasn't able to tell me why, as an atheist, he still thought the world would be better off if people were more religious. That wasn't the final straw, but it was definitely one more nail in the coffin of even the possibility of a relationship developing.

She's frightened And scared of the unknown

Erin - if you're viewing these comments just know that your openness, courtesy and willingness to talk to those of differing opinions is incredibly commendable. This was a fantastic call and I wish every last conversation between theists and atheists could be this respectful (even when opinions diverge) and for this long.

Thank you for talking about how life is not meaningless without an afterlife. Just as a Christian may find it impossible to imagine a meaningful life without a hereafter, I cannot conceive of experiencing love, commendatory, joy, passion, seeing this beautiful and awe-inspiring planet and the billions of stars and planets that surround us and concluding that somehow it's worthless because there's not something better waiting for you afterwards. Simply living is enough of a gift to me.

@dragowolfraven3806

3 жыл бұрын

Me too. I am happy to be alive & I accept the fact that I will not be around forever😊

Listening to this lady I hear a scared & brainwashed person who is hard to listen to in part because Seth is going way too easy on her. She's dodging questions left and right.

Just the first few minutes of this podcast listening to Seth talk about that dog had me rolling.

Its rare that you see two people of opposing faiths having a calm rational discussion on one of these kinds of shows. I really respect you and Erin for that.

You know, I know this has nothing to do with the subject...but I absolutely love your voice. It makes listening to what you have to say all that more enjoyable.

Thank you for taking the time to make these podcasts, and a great topic too. A weekly show would be great :)

"a centered, happy person"... I think that's a good description of you, Seth. Practically every show not only has the titular thinking, but also a few laughs and sarcastic jokes.

Great show! Erin, thanks for coming on. I think it is great that Seth has Christians on his show. It offers a different perspective

Just liked and favorited. Thanks Seth, please keep the shows coming.

Great show! Thanks for putting these up.

Seth - I hope you consider having a weekly show. I never miss The Atheist Expereince Video stream on Sundays. It would be so awesome to have your show on as much. Keep it up!

YES! I do the puppy-wuppy, doogie-woogie, luv da puppy, cutie face thingie to my dogs (3 of them) and to every dog I meet. Ironically this approach works with getting babies to smile at you, too...so I am a hit with them as well... YES! I could go for a weekly show from you, Seth.

Thanks for having me on the show today, talking to you is much, much better than just listening to you.

I really think this is a really good one to introduce someone to the series with. It's inspirational, answers a lot of initial questions and very warm. My brother has been questioning a lot lately, he's left the bible behind and is searching for something to hold onto in his unblinded line of thinking and this will be the perfect thing to ground him and start him on a new path of free thinking.

As often as you can please! The atheist experience and this show are my two favorites on KZread!

The answer to her question- why do anything if you don't think you are going to have an afterlife- is, in fact, to make this world a better place for our next generations. To make life better for other people so their one life can be meaningful and not full of hate or sickness. It sounds pretty selfish to say, "Why do something for anyone else or make anything of your life, if you aren't going to get rewarded for it once you aren't around anymore?" Because it's the right thing to do.

I know what hell is. It's ads playing over the video you are watching every thirty frickin' seconds for eternity.

I Absolutly love this channel, Thanks for making things seem, Easier to understand.

"Why has religion been around since the beginning of time?" Excellent question! Go google "Theory of Mind" and ponder the tendency of people who don't know any better to apply it to the universe-at-large.

Great conversation!!!

I agree.. 40 minute phone call.. and I listened to every second. Well Done.

Lol that rant at the end about radio was classic!

I very much think you should go to a weekly show, I always look forward to them - and we want to keep fighting the good fight. I would also suggest keeping up with the theme titles, it helps us summarize what the show is going to be about, helps us keep track of them. No matter what you're going to end up repeating some topics, but that's perfectly fine. There's always going to be fresh material and new perspectives. Keep it up! Love the show!

That's a brilliant idea! I love it

The scariest thing about being an atheist for me has always been ceasing to exist and not continuing in an afterlife. I've come to accept that but I'm still scared. Great talk with Erin, TTA. I rarely meet religious theists who are as open as she was. Very respectable too.

awesome vid as always

Seth, the conversation you had with Erin is the best exchange I have ever experienced between a believer and a non-believer. Obviously, she danced around the comparison between Dahmer and Ali, and while she didn't bite, I'm certain she and others are thinking about it. From my perspective, hell is the most unjust attribute regarding to religion. Even when I was a Christian, I had a extremely difficult time telling non-believers that was their post-death destiny. Well done!

I would completely agree with you with everything you just said. "Purpose" is an illusion created by minds. I agree with you 100%. We create our own life's meaning,

I would love a weekly show. As for titles or no, you could just do a regular show and maybe once monthly do a show with a theme. As for themes I'm still hoping for a show that discusses irrationality in areas outside religion. You could do a couple of shows on alternative medicine alone, and magic crystals, UFOs etc. are great subjects as well.

Not indoctrinated...that requires repeated assertions made when I am in a subservient position. The evidence that mirror neurons are what causes empathy (the ability to put yourself in another's shoes) to be possible is very strong. The concept of beneficiality (what the common good is) is something that even dogs understand, as another social species. We humans apply definitions to things so that we can understand each other. Ignore the evidence if you want but that doesn't falsify it.

I can understand maybe believing in some type of higher power but how people get from that to a specific God and a specific version of God that leads to Jesus I don't get. Do you have special knowledge in your brain that you just KNOW or are you making it up because it makes you feel good?

A weekly show would be awesome.

great responses seth!

Good show tonight!

I think listening to your podcasts while doing my world religion Homework ironically entertaining and comical! Love your channel!

great podcast!

fear leads to anger - anger leads to hate - hate leads to suffering

+1 for weekly show! +1 for this show!

"I love the challenge to my faith because it strengthens my belief" That is pretty much the same response I have gotten from my sister after I have had long talks with her. She is a pretty religious Christian, but she is open to debating me.

I would LOVE have such intresting discution with people so willing to understand and be understood! Thinking atheist FTW!

Very good.

0:16 yes, that's voice recognition. It's nothing new or unusual, Google just used it to provide ads that relate to the content in the video. Even my smartphone can do speech to text and it's no high-end.

Didn't know Seth had merchandise where can I shop?

Dear ThinkingAthiest I came to your channel a christian thinking i would counter every argument you brought up and ultimately make me feel like i was a good christian, but the more i watched the more i became more intersted and saw errors in my own logic. The biggest being all the circular logic i was using as excuses. Today i broke the news that i am an atheist to my parents they took it well. Well i just want to say thanks for making the world make more sense and for bringing more peace to me.

I stand by my comment, free will is a bad form of defence for not acting against crime, when God should act.

@TheThinkingAtheist Yes it's voice recognition, you can even turn on english subtitles for this video by pressing CC button.

If you're conserned about having enough material for a weekly show, you might consider maybe having a brief comment on some topic, and then open up the phones to call ins. Let the call-ins drive the topics and that will fill the content.

I think a mix in the naming would work. Some shows could just be numbered, but if you have a specific topic in mind for a show then you can add a name to the title along with the number. Keep up the good work sir. :)

@3:57 I cant believe you said woobie also! My family has called them that for years and I've never hear anyone else outside of them call it that. You must have seen Mr. Mom lol

By the way and for the record I GREATLY enjoyed your dialogue with her and found it much more entertaining and USEFUL then the normal "people call in, say they love the show and share a bizarre story". She was polite and seemed like an intelligent, thoughtful and well spoken person. I would REALLY like a full episode where the two of you discuss things back and forth. and all the people leaving angry or insulting comments towards her....stop it. Just stop it.

holidays with a family of faith? Myfamily includes liberal Christians, a gay Wiccan, and I'm an gay athiest. Family diners are a blast! We adore each other, we share our beliefs with no hidden agenda of conversion. My Christian family supported the gay-youth group I worked with, with money and encouragement. Thank you for your rant at the begining of this show. Internet atheists too often bash without thinking. Your opening was a breath of fresh air.

Google does do text to speech on videos posted so they can add mechanically transcribed closed captions. I am so not shocked that they also used this information for their ad services.

She's saying "why bother loving and caring if you're going to die anyway?" but in the same time saying "I'm not saying you can't love or care if you believe you're going to die!".

As a noodle-fearing Pastafarian, I want to say that God has forgiven Mr. VenomFang for his sadness and that Mr. Fang will someday understand why he's so angry and come to forgive himself. ~Jared

weekly show? let me think...YES YES YES YES YES

Im too mean of an atheist so i just let them know what I am not the best one to try to have a theism related conversation with. Its helped me allot more than trying to tear into them for what I would call "being stupid." "I don't believe your religion or your book but I am also the least best person to speak to about this and don't wish to carry this further." the really sad truth around this area is many people who tell me; "if you don't go to a church, you don't have a job here."

@TheThinkingAtheist: I don't feel she was 'bolldozed' at all. I think you two had a calm and civil conversation, you gave her plenty of time to ask questions and also have her own say. One could tell she didn't know how to bring across her point sometimes and I think it was only polite to jump in instead of letting her hang in the air. That would have been a bit cruel as she was clearly a bit nervous and had to talk about some things she probably never thought about before.

I also like the themed shows.

Good show

@Delzak1 Wow, your story gives me hope for the future. Good for you in escaping the 'herd'.

@Valelacerte She says she could go on for hours but you can tell she's done. It's like watching someone pretend they're fine after knocking themselves out by running into a post. You just want to say "It's ok, we know you're hurting. That's just what happens when you do that."

“I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it.” Mark Twain

(Don't wanna read all the comments, so I just say) About the dog, I absolutely can understand you. My family has such a dog and I, well, didn't see her really, as she is to small^^. But a few months ago it came to us that she is deaf and since then, well I watch my every step, when I'm at my parents.

@Delzak1 How did you tell them?

@TheThinkingAtheist Seth, you're absolutely right but I cannot help being annoyed by your first caller. You did a podcast a while back about being mad or annoyed and also expressing your annoyance and anger. Its my day off and I was super happy to see your new video in my subscription box, I started listening and that caller made my blood boil! Was another wonderful video none-the-less. Keep up the good work and let your Canadian viewers know when you're coming up North. I'd love to see ya eh!

Seth, you should do a DAILY show. We need much much more exposure of logic and reasonable discourse to help all those folks out there who are like Delzak1. I suggest just having a call in show with no particular topic, just talking and helping folks escape the god delusion. As an atheist for 46 yrs, it gives me extreme hope and happiness to hear these shows finally.

1rst : Do biweekly or once each three weeks shows, you'll have content and it will be a regular show (as in a fixed frequence) 2nd : You are not paranoid, KZread has a some programs to detect copyrighted material to remove automatically unlawful videos. So yes they'll make money on it too!

When your atoms coalesce into your body there are two very important things that the reactions in your brain can do, they can induce suffering, and they can induce happiness. The primary goal of life to me is to balance the maximization of personal happiness and contributing to the future happiness of others

"Buy a mug, you'll get a mug!" xD

34:00 Hey, those island dwellers live in the best places to avoid the zombie apocalypse.

Her best argument is that we are deprived and need saving. it's the same thing as saying that we do not deserve life in the first place.

Google does have speech recognition. It's how they do the closed captioning on youtube videos, but it still doesn't work very well.

I never believed there was a God one day of my life. I feel lucky in that way. I was sent to a Baptist Sunday school and went to a Catholic Chuch during the holidays. It's was just always a joke to me. Years later asking my Mom why we did that, her response was "I wanted you to know the stories and what you were talking about." She never pushed me in any direction. It just never made sense to me.

And you are right, my conviction is that living this life as if it's all we can expect to get makes it that much more precious and important that we not waste it. A religious fanatic who straps bombs to himself and blows himself up for the glory of God and who is lauded as a hero for doing so...that demonstrates the cheapening of life through the belief that there is something not only better but eternal after we die.

Every time that first girl Erin says "You know..." she changes the subject. It's amazing how many questions she avoids this way.

You know, I admire your effort to stay in contact with your family. I am somewhat conflicted on the subject of breaking off relations with your family. My parents did that (for non religious reasons) so now it's just me, my parents and my siblings. I miss the idea of what a family could be like, do you understand what I mean? I know my family isn't like that, but a family could be so nice to have. I do feel alone sometimes.

I am atheist and my wife is theist Hindu, we get on well. I have two kids, now they are big and completed college and works. Simple thing is do not argue in the house.

One of the things that led to my deconversion was the fact the ceremonies conducted in churches were referred to as "god services", roughly translated from German. As in, the ceremony was a service to god. And it made no sense. How was sitting in a church being bored to death by uninteresting and irrelevant stories from the most boring book ever written, and constantly kneeling down, standing up, singing terrible songs, sitting down, blah blah blah, how was any of that a service to god? How could ANYTHING we do be a service to an OMNIPOTENT being? It was stupid, and I always knew that. Another problem, that helped tip me off that it was all bogus, was confession. The pastor told me that when I confess my "sins" (sin being a concept I now reject as invalid, but still believed in then), he would like ask god in his mind if he forgave me, and then get an answer and like tell me or something. (It was a long time ago so I forget the details, but I clearly remember he was saying or implying that he had a direct connection to god.) Well, I thought, if god is omnipotent, why the FUCK can't he tell me that he forgave me directly? Why the pastor in between? So I just outright didn't believe that the pastor was telling the truth (though I didn't think he was lying; I just thought he was mistaken). Back then, I did believe that confession would wipe away my "sins", though. Another thing. How come what god says always happens to align with what you already believe? Let me tell you how it was for me. I was told that god was good. God was always referred to as "the good/nice god". So when the church did or said anything I disagreed with, I thought they were wrong, as them being right would contradict god's goodness. And so I was always of the opinion that the church was simply wrong for not allowing women to be pastors.

@deborahbain9915

2 жыл бұрын

Yup terrible songs I hated Worship and just kept thinking why do we need to constantly praise him sounds a bit vain to me

The only time I ever get religious adds is when Im watching Atheist channels like this

Christmas time is the worst time of the year. Especially when the part of my family comes in that is religious. It is always an awkward feeling.

@TheAryonB Abso-freakin-lutely, my friend. It just burns. x.x Seth amazes me that he can even have these conversations without arguing.

I prefer to watch the show here on YT Seth, just FYI. I would love a weekly show. Over an hour would be a bit much for a weekly show though. 30-45 minutes would be fine. I think you're right about the titles, but you could number them based on theme. i.e. Cults #2, Conversation w/ a Believer #5, ect.

We have mirror neurons that allow us to empathize with others. "Good" is that which is beneficial to other people, vital for a social species like ours to survive. Life is something that struggles for a definition (is a virus alive, for example) but with context to ourselves, life is the experience of existing in a conscious state in the material world.

nice talk

I am staring at a Catholic Match ad as I watch this video.

Seth: I would love a weekly show. However, if you feel that the quality would drop, then please don't do it. You've got the best atheist 'radio' show out there, and I'd hate to see you substitute quality for quantity.

Yeah, she does seem nice. It's kind of sad to hear her basically asking "Why try to leave a better world behind if you don't get to enjoy it when you die?" It shows how the concept of heaven can be pretty selfish if you're implying the only reason you should do nice things is to get rewarded in the afterlife.

I submit that the proper response regarding the meaning/purpose of our individual lives is: life is it's own meaning, it's own purpose, it's own motivation. Period.

I want a weekly show!

Q: How do you make an atheist? A: Make him read the bible.

They can do voice recognition on videos. I've seen videos with automatically transcribed closed captions. It doesn't work very well but I'm sure that if they're looking for keywords, they can nail those.

Yes, Google recognized the speech in your video. It has a closed caption button on the player which shows the transcribed text in the video. And yes, they use this data for ad placement. It's by far not the most impressive technology they have. I'm blown away at how good their algorithms are at detecting copyrighted content.

yes, yes

A nice girl, but Aaron, at least from this conversation, appears to be the exact opposite of a skeptical person trying to discover the truth. At the end she flat out admitted that she approaches arguments against her beliefs with the presupposition that it will increase her faith. Bad atheist arguments increasing a believers faith is understandable, but she just doesn't WANT to change her mind, and no amount of reason can breach that sort of wall. The promise of heaven and fear of hell are just too great a carrot and stick for her.

Completely agree on your view of dogs, big dogs are great but there is one small dog I like and reason why I don't really like small dogs is because like you said they don't know they're small, they're too bold for my liking.