I had someone say to me, 13+ years ago, "You're such a nice person, I. can't believe you don't go to church." That's a comment I've heard many times over the years. Why do I gave to go to church to be a good person? Kind of makes me worry that if a Christian doesn't go to church for some reason that they will lose their religious crutch and turn evil. People at work are always trying to get me to "believe in God". I don't bring up my lack of faith until they start spewing their beliefs, but then they get flustered when I verbalize my lack of belief. They always bring up examples as to why I should believe and struggle when I shoot down every one of them with common sense reasons of why their examples are ridiculous. Our conversations always end with them saying, "You just have to have faith." They seem to think my giving reasonable reasons as to why I don't believe is me trying to make them lose faith when it's really them trying hard to make me believe in their God. Oftentimes, they find comfort when I acknowledge that there's no proof there is no God while ignoring the fact that there is no proof there is a God.

I love the one about people thinking you're Atheist because something "bad" happen to you

What I'm glad to see is there was no interruption. Everybody seemed rather respectful, even the pastor had a good joke here and there, but he didn't intrude on the speech... You don't see this kind of mutual respect on Fox News, I'll tell you that right now.

I used his fourth argument a lot as a comeback. When people here Salt Lake tell me I just "hate God", I ask them "Why do you hate Papatuanuku?" Makes for great discussions and, dare I say it, planting seeds

My favorite thing about being an atheist, is that I believe in so many thing Jesus said, like love your neighbor, help the poor and weak, and greed will keep you out of heaven. And so many of my evangelical Christian friends fail that simple test of following Jesus.

after seeing how much damage religion has caused and still does cause within our world i would definitely call myself an anti theist

All thinking men are atheists. - Ernest Hemingway "If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed." --- Albert Einstein Lighthouses are more helpful than churches. --- Benjamin Franklin "I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours." --- Stephen Roberts Professor Stephen Hawking sets out to answer the question: "Did the Universe need a creator?" The answer he gives is a resounding "no". "Gods are fragile things; they may be killed by a whiff of science or a dose of common sense." --- Chapman Cohen "Men never commit evil so fully and joyfully as when they do it for religious convictions" - Blaise Pascal "No man has ever been brainwashed by science" -- Unknown "Which is it, is man one of God’s blunders or is God one of man’s?" ---- Friedrich Nietzsche "A man is accepted into a church for what he believes and he is turned out for what he knows." --- Mark Twain "Religion is an illusion and it derives its strength from the fact that it falls in with our instinctual desires." ---- Sigmund Freud "Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived." -- Isaac Asimov

Hi, there, can I tell you the good news about Thor? :)

Number 8. "These are not the droids you are looking for."

"is the pastor a friend of yours?" He is now :-)

On the subject of Atheist morality Christians shouldn't assume they have morals just because they profess to believe in Jesus (This is usually the case). They can be the most morally bankrupt of fiends and the mere fact that they professed "acceptance of Jesus into their hearts" somehow makes them feel that they now have the moral high ground. A belief in Jesus has absolutely NOTHING to do with what moral values drive your behavior.

Message to all Atheists: When confronted with the claim "you have no morals because you don't believe in God-given morals you don't follow any Bible blablabla", tell them that we are human, we don't need morals. You only need morals when your humanity is not being closely looked at. Our humanity is intact, we act out of our humanity, we love out of our humanity, we have compassion out of our humanity, we don't harm and don't murder out of our humanity. We don't need someone to tell us not to do these nasty things, we are human enough to instinctively know that we should be decent, compassionate human beings.

I applaud this man's civility. If only there were more people around like him, we might actually have some productive conversations.

Thank you very much for your interview. I am not an American and all my life was an atheist. Recently I dicsovered the American christian culture and was deeply shocked. Your rational and tolerant approach towards theists is inspiring, thank you!

Devon Kraan If you want an answer you need to enable replies. :P _Just curious, here, so all of you don't be angry at me! As atheists with morals, where do you guys believe they came from? We all have an inherent sense of right and wrong..right? So where do you believe we got this?_ Evolution. (Although believe isn't the right word, really) In fact in many social animals we have observed moral behavior such as empathy, altruism and fairness. Morality isn't even unique to humans.

We as atheist.should define ourselves as critical thinkers.....and lose our religious title.....then champion our belief system.... we analyze life...and separate fact from fantasy.....use reason, logic and statistics to arrive at a conclusion....

At 14:47, he says that he's not an anti-theist but an anti-fundamentalist. Personally, I would argue that they're the same thing because, if there's something wrong with what those who follow the fundamentals of a religion are doing, then there's something wrong with that religion.

In my catechism classes, something he said seminarian I found shocking. I not even remember what it was that particular point. But being the son and grandson of teachers, I was always encouraged to seek out the answers for myself. "The dictionary is your friend," I said, "And if the answer is not in the dictionary, perhaps you find it in another book."So I searched and found a book in the library of my home, entitled "History of religious beliefs". And I found many more answers and many more questions than it was then. Some time later, another kind of catechism, I blurted out, like a bomb, that the date of Christmas is arbitrary. Of course, say such a thing, in a Catholic school run by Marist priests is a scandal. The next thing I knew I was in the hallway, next to the principal's office, the brother Horencio, waiting for my parents while my expulsion was pending. And worse, I could not understand why I was being punished so, just to express what I thought were real facts (incidentally, the date of Christmas is arbitrary).Arrived my parents was the case to convince the director that had not been schooled in atheism, nor prepared to destroy the faith of my classmates, but I was just a curious child with an educated independent mind. Finally, it was a compromise. I would not be expelled from school, but would no longer attend catechism, and never talk to my classmates about issues of religion "not to destroy their faith," Orencio said (Poor Brother Orencio, He never thought saying that he was destroying any faith I could stay: If faith can be destroyed by the words, then the words are more powerful than faith.). In addition, he recommended me to read the Bible.That was the biggest mistake he could make. I being an omnivore and almost obsessive reader, between now and the end of my elementary school, I read the Bilia at least three times, from cover to cover. As Teller says, it is the most efficient way to become an atheist. And I've never regretted.

Awesome! Neil. I love how his responses are kind and compassionate. I can use this to send to my theist friends. It answers a lot of their questions.

I had a great time becoming an atheist. I was scared of my family because they would assault me verbally, but I feel sorry for them. Nothing bad happened to me. I simply became a curious, open-minded, genius individual who questions the existence of such a thing as "Gods or a God" and found the truth. There is no such thing as a God or Gods.

Hey! I'm an Anti-theist, but I do NOT get on or attack religious people about their beliefs. I just know the harm it does. I've never tried to 'convert' someone to Atheism or Anti-theism.

I am so grateful to have been born in an atheist household. They would have supported me no matter what but they felt that as a young child and already being bombarded in daily life with Christian and religious beliefs. My parents wrote to my school and asked me to be excluded from hymn and prayers in the morning. I am so grateful i was not indoctrinated by my own family.

This is a spectacular talk. I'm so impressed with your reasoning and content. Subscribed, I hope you post more videos like this.

My kids are being raised atheist... they are actually more well behaved, get good grades, are polite...and Christians wouldn't know the different between our kids and a Christian families kids.

person: why do you hate god me: how can you hate something that doesn't exist

it's annoying that it's the atheist who has to defend himself, when it's Christians who are making the absurd unsubstantiated claims.

I once was a Christian. I was raised in the church and did everything I could to believe in God and try to prove that he lives in me and the whole nine yards. But deep down, I knew something was wrong with such faith. over time, I've come to the realization that a higher being can't possibly exist. I don't see the bible in the way that Christians see it. I've tried to pray and read and meditation on it, but I get nothing. Then I finally woke up and realized that I've been praying to something that was never there in the first place. I'm actually happier now that I don't believe in a higher being anymore.

I really like this video from a Christian perspective. It was helpful, but I'd also like to see a video where the common misconceptions about Christians are addressed. Namely: 1.) We don't hate the gays. The honest truth is that the vast majority of Christians don't really hate anyone. Just because we may disagree with the lifestyle, there is no reason to hate. We are called to love everybody and when people hear that I don't think that homosexuality is right, they also assume that I belong to the Westboro Baptist church and that couldn't be further from the truth. 2.) We are not befriending you to convert you. That doesn't mean that I wouldn't want for you to attend church with me, but I want to know you personally before anything else. If i care about you, i will tell you what i believe is the truth. If you choose not to accept it, that is beyond my control and i accept that. That won't affect my feelings toward you as a person. 3.) Not all churches are preaching hellfire and brimstone on a weekly basis. The majority of churches do not use fear tactics to get you to believe in God(like that would even work). Love and grace are the cornerstones of 90% of all churches. 4.) I believe in God because I have chosen to. Granted, I cannot completely neglect my Christian upbringing, but that doesn't mean that I have been somehow brainwashed into belief. My parents showed me the direction and i chose to follow it. I am an up and coming apologist and spend hours researching both positions in order to gain a full perspective. I seek the truth and this is where i find it. Just because you may not have a religion doesn't mean that you aren't inundating your children with a set of beliefs that could be misconstrued as brainwashing: A belief that there is no God is still a belief that you are passing on to your children. 5.) We aren't perfect. I always make it a point to tell those i meet that I'm no different than an athiest. I mess up and I try to do better the next time. Im not here to constantly call you out on your mistakes. I know that I am very broken and so are you if we were to really look at our lives. I am not disillusioned enough to believe that since I am a Christian, I am better than you.

I'm kinda sad that there is a lot of hate for atheists. Believe what you want, live a happy life, and just don't hate. It's okay to not believe or believe, but let other people do what they feel is right. And please do not say ridiculous things like atheists eat children and sacrifice puppies. We are people! Most atheists are NOT anti-theists, so we don't hate on you. Also, how many religions do you dismiss, theists? If you think it's okay to dismiss those, isn't it okay for us to ignore yours?

I feel so bad for you Mr Carter, I have experienced none of these problems across the pond. The indoctrination must be quite ingrained in Mississippi. Great video!

Great video, and its neat to see they gave you the opportunity to do that.

Finally a youtube atheist who's not angry. His comments don't really apply to the Christianity I come from here in Europe, but interesting nonetheless.

Here are some stupid things that religious people says to Atheist. 1. The Bible says -We don't really care about the bible or the fantasies it shares. In fact, we probably know more about the bible and other sacred text, like the Qur'an, Pali, Vedas, Tanakh and Talmoud. That is one of the reason why we became atheist in the first place, because we had the courage and commitment to read the Bible and think about what it actually says. We don’t limit our knowledge to the words on the page though; we often know why it’s there, where it came from and how it came to be accepted by your religion. We’ve engaged in higher criticism of your religious text and can almost certainly show how and why your book isn’t trustworthy. Don’t pretend we’re not well-versed in what your book says. 2. According to this website... -This is even worse than using the bible. It shows that you think that we are not familiar with various apologetic methods, and it also shows that you are in fact, is not familiar on how to defend your point. When we engage you in a dialogue or debate, we tend to find out if you truly understand what you are talking about. If you do this, then there’s really no point in talking to you because clearly, you don’t understand the argument well enough to defend your point. It means that you are not intelligent enough to continue. 3. You can't prove that god doesn't exist - Maybe I can or maybe I can't. But it is not my job to do so. It is your job to prove that god exists. It is your faith that hangs on the balance, not mine. You’re the one claiming that god is real; it rests solely on your shoulders to prove it. Let me use an analogy. I cannot prove that Kali (goddess of death) does not exist, but does that mean that the Hindus are right and Kali do exist? You can’t prove that unicorns and talking donkeys (they are in the bible) exist, does that make them real? The burden of proof is always on the individual who makes the positive claim. Most atheists do not claim God does not exist, they just reject your claim that he does based on lack of corroboratory evidence. 4. You will go to hell if you don't believe -This is pointless. If we don't believe in god, heaven and the soul, do you really think we will believe in hell? It will be like threatening us with the Harry Potter death spell "Avra Kadaver". Hell, to us, is no more real than the Greek underworld; heaven is no more real than Valhalla. If someone approached you and said that if you don’t accept Odin as your personal lord and savior, you’d be sent to Helheim, to be punished by the Norse goddess Hela (ruler of Hell where the Christians added to their myth) for all time, would that bother you? 5. You don't believe in god so you are a Satanist or follower of Lucifer. -We don't believe in the soul, in angels, in heaven, in hell and in god. So what makes you think that we believe in the Devil? I have studied various religions. Both Christian and non- Christian, but I never encountered anyone belonging in the religion of Satanism. I am starting to think that it is just a myth propagated by Christians to scare themselves. 6. I can prove that god exists or I have evidence to prove his existence -By all means, present it to us. If you ever did that, then you will be the first person will ever do that. You will become famous. You will be rich beyond your dreams. If you ever do that, it will be the end of Atheism and other religions. In fact, there will be only one religion in the world and you will be considered a prophet. But do any of you have evidence of god or gods? You have *CLAIMS* about god. You have *ASSERTIONS* about god. You have *BELIEFS* about god. But you have no evidence about god. 6. You were never religious in the first place -Most Atheists came from a strong religious background. I mentioned that I was a "sagrado katoliko". I sometimes cry while praying, asking god to forgive my sins. Before I apostatized, I also tried other religions. But the more I studied, the less I became enamoured. I tried really hard to believe that god exists. I tried to believe that a wooden boat can hold 7 people, at least 300,000 plus mammals, 200 thousand plus reptiles, tens of thousands amphibians, 1.2 million birds, 3 million insects, at least 50 tons of food and hundred thousand gallons of water. I tried believing that the flood killed everyone except Noah and his family, without realizing that the civilization of China and Japan flourished during the time of the supposedly flood, or that some Africans, Asians and Europeans don't have a flood myth. I used to believe that god is a loving father who forgave David for a lot of indiscretions, but punished Lot's wife for just looking over her shoulder. 7. I'll pray for you or God bless you. -Well, that's nice. But will that in any way help me? I can even consider that as an insult, because this statement really comes off as a final flip of the finger to me when the theist has run out of other arguments. We don’t want you to pray for us, we want you to be able to defend your beliefs. -If you really want to help, then tell me how to solve a problem. Prayer is a lazy man's method. A pair of working hands can accomplish more compared to thousands of hands clasp in prayer. - Now what if I am not am atheist? What if I belong to a different religion? Will you think it silly if I say, "may the elephant headed god Ganesh enlighten you from your wrong beliefs and bless you"? 8. You’re not really an atheist - For some reason, theists tend to feel uncomfortable around the word “Atheist”, mostly, I suspect, because it suggests that there are people who reject the central tenet of their worldview. They don’t like that so they want to get around that word if at all possible. First, it’s not up to you to decide what terms mean and/or what other people believe or do not believe. Atheism is the lack of belief in the existence of gods. Secondly, it’s really not up to you to decide what terms people can adopt for themselves. If I want to call myself an Atheist, I can call myself an Atheist. I have no obligation to choose another term because it softens the blow on you. 9. You must have a terrible childhood -Not all atheist had a traumatic childhood. Most of us were raised by a loving parents. There are many reasons why we became what we are, and it will be erroneous to think that something bad happened to us. 10. Why do you hate god? -We don't hate god. We don't believe in god. How can we hate something that we don't believe exist? If we hate god, then it means that we believe that he exist. So once again, we don't hate god. We also don't hate unicorns, the Easter Bunny, fairies, talking donkeys, Santa Claus and the Wicked Witch of the West. 11. There must be something bad that happened to you that made you an atheist -I can’t say for all atheist, but I became an atheist because I studied too much of religion. A tragic event could be the reason, but it isn't the only reason. Anyway, if reading books, talking to religious scholars and traveling can be considered bad, then I am guilty of it. 12. You just have to have faith I have this mind, but you are asking me to close it in order for me to satisfy your religion? No thanks. No, I don’t have to have faith. I have to understand what I’m thinking. 13. Have you read the Bible? -I guarantee you that if you know an atheist - an outspoken atheist - they know more about the Bible than most random Christians that you know. If you gave them a quiz the atheist would do better… We think about this stuff all the time… What atheist books have you read, because if you want to have that discussion, then you might as well see what some atheists are saying. 14. Isn’t atheism a religion? -Calling atheist a religion is like calling a celibacy a sexual position. Theist mistakes this because they are trying to insinuate their belief of conformity of worshipping a deity to people like me who value individualism and free thinking. 15: Why are you so angry? -People can get angry when some people harass them or if they are experiencing a bad day. But most of us are happy people. We don’t get angry without a reason. Not believing in a god will not give a person some anger management issues.

Good stuff Neil! Thanks for your articulate presentation. #8 had me clapping.

Excellent! Well reasoned, sensitive and respectful. These are the key mistakes religious people make when engaging with secular humanists. Great work Neil, thank you.

I was raised as a Christian by a fairly religious mother and a father who believed (still believes) in God but wasn't very religious. I went to church from before I can even remember and was sent to a Church of England primary school and a Church of England high school. All the way through my life until I was 16 I never even considered the possibility that there wasn't a god, specifically the Yahweh/Jehovah/Allah deity of the Abrahamic religions. I was never taught creationism or anything like that, and I've never been religious, but I believed in that particular deity. Then at 16 I got to college (a Catholic college), and for the first time in my life I met atheists. Inevitably, we discussed theology. I tried to tell them why I believed in God, but found that I couldn't actually think of a very good reason. They, on the other hand, had plenty of very good reasons for not believing in God, and gradually they convinced me that there are no deities. They did not set out to counter-convert me, but rather I lost my belief through rational thought and logic

Everyone should see this video. The only part I disagree with is comparing believing in God to believing in Santa Claus. Just didn't sit right with me. Other than that all the points he makes are so solid. Growing up in Texas where everyone is close minded christians it's so refreshing to see an open minded atheist

Great work Neil! I shared your video on fb. You're doing an excellent job. I also want to applaud the pastor of this church for doing such a great thing. I'm an atheist/humanist and that's one church I probably wouldn't mind going to without wanting to ram my head through a wall. lol Anyways, thank you for showing believers, in person, that we aren't the things they think we are. And thank you to the pastor for being a tolerant, loving person that wants to understand others. :)

Thank you.. So wonderful to hear somebody speak clearly but also gently. Straightforward but without extremes and shock tactics.. Very mature and refreshing..

Beautifully explained, Neil! You've certainly articulated a viewpoint I share. I am an anti-theist though because theism has both a track-record and a contemporary reality that's destructive to social progress. The anti-science aspects of religion are obstructive to scientific progress, social cohesion and justice. That stated, you've contributed to an understanding that should help Theists to feel much more comfortable with Atheists, and should help doubters & fence-sitters to resolve their convictions. You covered the bases nicely!

When Christians use that "you'll burn" thing, that is a threat. Imagine selling refrigerators door to door that way. It is should be illegal to make such threats as part of a sales pitch.

Thank you so much for sharing this, and for speaking like you did. I feel exactly the same as you do, and I am glad that someone (you) has publicly shown that someone with our way of thinking can be a great person. You spoke very well, and really showed that atheists can be as awesome as anyone out there. We need you! Thank you!

As far as I am concerned my behavior was atrocious when I was a Christian as I became an agnostic my behavior improved but it did not become completely acceptable until I became and embraced atheism.

I must say... As much as I truly did appreciate the talk given as well as the attitude of the pastor and his church, there is just this one lingering baby elephant in the room.. And it is that in the minds of the pastor and his church, Neil Carter is going to burn in hell forever. No matter how friendly a christian can possibly be, in the back of their mind, they know what awaits you. And how could you possibly be friends with someone who worships a god that would do that to you? Seems just a tad bit divisive.

i'm an atheist and i do not eat babies

There's a capital "A" in the background borrowed from a popular symbol for "atheism," but KZfaq lightened the image just enough that it only shows as the slides fade in and out.

I think you should definitely make more videos, I would love to hear more of your opinions, and clearly many others would too. You have gotten more than 400 subscribers and 35000 views from your first 2 videos, that is absolutely massive. I think you would be a great addition to the atheist lineup here on youtube.

does your sense of right and wrong go away when you don't believe in God????!!!!!! The ten commandments are based on COMMON SENSE that anyone with any kind of conscience or brain has!

I find it interesting that you keep saying "we," as if all atheists believe as you do. Some atheist do hate God (I've met them). Some atheists do deep down believe, but choose to suppress it (met them, too). Additionally, Christians don't believe atheists to be immoral. We just don't understand how you justify this moral code. God created justice. Ever heard of the Ten Commandments? So to claim there is no God, while at the same time adopting His moral code, all the while clinging to the belief that humans evolved through random processes which require no accountability, morals, or justice... you have to admit there are some contradictions there.

Excellent video! Nice to see someone discussing things in a reasonable tone, rather than going on the offensive. BTW, if you don't like the term "Atheist", Neil, have you considered "Humanist"?

Yeah, when I was in junior high school, a kid said to me, "You're such a good Christian." I said, "I'm not a Christian. I don't even know if God exists." He said, "If I didn't believe in God, I'd do anything I'd want." And I said, "Then I'm very glad you believe in God." This misconception led me to write a book. It's called, "To The Faithless and The Unbelieving BERTAM GREY." A young Agnostic boy is left to live with his Baptist uncle. Runner-Up in the 2014 Southern California Book Festival. Here's the link if you're interested. www.amazon.com/Faithless-Unbelieving-BERTRAM-GREY/dp/1434929809/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

i like that for xtians at least, being born again gives you the superpower of mind reading.

I'm an atheist who had a "Santa Claus" epiphany around the age of 13, and who was closeted vis a vis my own very Christian family until very recently. I think it is wonderful that you are doing this. And by "you," I mean both Neil and the minister who invited you to his church to talk about these issues without rancor. We could do with a lot less rancor.

Great video Neil. My heart goes out to Atheists in America (actually in many countries) it must too often be highly frustrating having to deal with these kind of prejudices with the masses...

I really appreciate your desire to educate people on this subject. Also, your manner of speaking is well developed. Fight the good fight.

Fascinating. Do you have a reference or some kind of citation for this "great council"? Who convened this council and where was it? Also, I'm assuming you already know that Charles Darwin wasn't born until 1809, am I right?

I pretty much agree with that. The sad thing is so many people assume the worst about the other, whether it be a Christian assuming an atheist is a devil worshiper or an atheist assuming a Christian's motives are a fear of death or hell.

I think it was great that you went into a church and rationally had this talk to their members, and it was even greater they let you come in and have this talk.

As an atheist who has experience a lot of this, this video is a much appreciated share. You've got a way of presenting your viewpoints without offending. Thank you.

Thanks for the encouragement. I'll see what I can do. I'm not very well set up for that at the moment, but it sounds like there's a need. I'll look into it shortly.

Beautifully said. I'm think it's incredible brave of you to address these issues in a country like America where, to my understanding, religion is deeply ingrained in the culture. Your gentil demeanor, kindness and honesty is refreshing and inspiring. Keep up the good work, you have made me proud to be an atheist and make me hopeful for a future where we can all live together with peace and respect.

A lovely speech. Delivered with kindness. I applaud it.

I use to be Christian and believe me when you hear an athiest speak you just ignore what they say completely and just try to convert them when I think that is wrong.

Hey Neil, is the pastor a friend of yours? At the end of the video you guys seem to at least be familiar. Excellent video my friend, cheers!

You are a wonderful speaker. Where are you from? Your accent it delightful! Great talk, I enjoyed it very much, I have subscribed and look forward to watching more.

Neil, you really hit nail on the head with this talk. Thanks so much!

I know this may be totally irrelevant but I have to ask... what's with the symbol that keeps popping up after the white screens with your pointers? (Not sure if this makes sense lol)

14:11 "Not everybody who doesn't believe in god is an anti-theist. Many people are just what you would call and agnostic, and in some ways I am that too." You can be an agnostic, atheist and anti-theist. These concepts are not mutually exclusive.

it's true. all we need is understanding each other, respect & accept each other's belief. we can explain our belief without trying to impose.

I love videos like this that are kind to both sides of the coin.

Hey, Neil. My name is James. I'm starting to become an agnostic and I've begun watching your videos.

Is it just me, or is there a pentagram slightly visible whenever it fades from the the 'list' to Neil Carter talking? If so, why?

Thanks for the input, Nate. In the longer video (this is just an excerpt) I try to clarify that the word "atheist" really is an inferior word, a marginalizing word, because it classifies me according to what *other people* believe. So it sounds like we agree. In the longer video I also explain that I identify more completely with the word "humanist" because it speaks of positive values, rather than simply a lack of belief in something.

Brilliant video Neil, I hope you'll record more in the future :) !

I mean, like i said though, you're very well-spoken,and you do present your views in a very civil and decent way; kudos to you for that for sure:)

"Special thanks to Kevin Partridge at Peartree Productions in Jackson for recording the event." - the description Partridge at Peartree... This cracked me up.

I feel so grateful that I come from a society (New Zealand) that's just not at all interested in religion and dogma. There's people who do adhere to religion, but most are migrants from other countries, whereas most NZers just couldn't care less at all about religion and it's dying out here.

We need this to go viral

in regards to the last point in the video, i always tell people "im an atheist, but i prefer naturalist; you don’t define someone by what they don't believe" I believe there is a natural explanation for everything.

"Not believing in any religion is a type of religion" is the kind of thing you often hear. Which is a lot like saying "not having any interest in pizza is a type of pizza."

Christians should watch this. It is very insightful, eye-opening, and very true. Especially the part where he mentions that there are forms of Christianity that are harmful and some that are better for themselves and others.

"Why do you hate Zeus?" Reasonable retort. Love it! "8 "Quoting the Bible doesn't work like Jedi mind tricks." Another annoying one that happens all to often. Great video! Thanks for sharing it.

Why was it flagged? I'll try and remove that...

I am a Christian and I like the fact that this dude got it up to go to church and talk about atheism to a bunch of Christians. I lived with three dudes from Iran who were Shiah Muslims and I learned more about Islam and how to speak about my Faith in Jesus to Muslims from that than I ever could have reading book or hearing a lecture. I love Church and I love my Christian brothers and sister but we do sometimes come across as ignorant and close-minded.

Nothing like educating some people about Atheism. Great presentation that hit most key points. Well done!

To those theists that say (#6) that I "choose" not to believe in god, and insist that a person can choose what they _believe,_ I challenge them to 'choose' to believe my claim "Bigfoot lives in my backyard." I've not got an honest response yet from any theists.

"We Beat Puppies... And Sacrifice Things :3"

If you're unsure, an offer to monetize your videos would come fairly quickly (2-4 months). In the form of a 5 second advertisement in front of your videos, you'd recover what you'd spend on a simple camera in a very brief period of time (payment per thousand views). You seem to give comments on your videos some thought, why not digitalize and archive those thoughts in your spare time? I'd gladly sate any curiosity regarding the process of starting up on KZfaq.

I agree that the debate needs to happen (I'll write about that soon on Godless In Dixie) and bad ideas need to be addressed. They don't get a free pass just because feelings would get hurt. But I also am convinced there is some value to starting some conversations which are meant to shoot for a little mutual understanding or at least to encourage a more civil approach to the overall discussion. Not everyone is immovable in his/her theology.

Actually I disagree with 4. It is entirely possible to hate/love a fictional character. Is it not the point of a good book to make you have real emotional reactions to the characters?

I'm an anti theist myself but I did very much enjoy your interview in the church, You have a great, free flowing way of presenting your point of view. Also don't pick on the internet too much, it has given a very powerful voice to people like ourselves, that previously were drowned out by all types of institutionalized religious bigotry.

Excellent video. I hope that you keep making videos like this. If anyone here could share their thoughts on the following video, it would be appreciated: Is Church Harmful? | Dave Silverman, Eric Hovind, Sye Ten Bruggencate. Thanks.

Thanks for helping me to better explain my viewpoint on this... I get hit with the verses all the time and that I'm a bad person for not thinking what others do. Really doesn't bother me, but I do find myself avoiding the situation. Good video, good talk. Thanks man. Cheers

Very well summarized, Neil.

Excellent point. Bad ideas don't get a free pass just because they're religious (thanks to Greta Christina for pointing this out so eloquently). I probably could have been more precise in my definitions of EVERYTHING I talked about. I felt, though, that I needed to paint with a pretty broad brush for the sake of the folks in attendance. This is a very new kind of conversation for them to be having, and I needed to take that into account.

Thank you Neil for this presentation, I've favourited this and will use it as a means of letting Christians and theists in general gain a better understanding of my viewpoint.

Very well presented. Thank you.

I'm really glad I found this video. There are a lot of things that both Christians AND Atheists can learn from this discussion (also including different religious groups as well). When I was younger and first became disillusioned with faith I was filled with the need to be right. As the years went by I butted heads more frequently and aggressively with Christians thinking myself to be right and them to be wrong. I couldn't understand why they couldn't just THINK and RATIONALIZE everything. Some part of me still cannot understand this but I've changed for the better since those years. The way I had behaved back then was no better than select ignorant Christians. I was ignorant. I made the situation worse and painted a bad picture for atheist everywhere. While Christians need to be more understanding and not force their beliefs onto others, atheists likewise have to learn to show respect and treat all faiths with the same neutral and non-aggressive manner. Especially many young atheist who sadly embody the rage that comes from being told they are wrong. Everyone should learn to mutually respect one another despite our differences. I wish I had learned this lesson sooner. It would've saved me a lot of heartache. Even today, I cannot stop myself from feeling a pang of distaste when someone shares that they are Christians. That emotion stems from my youth. But it's getting better and I never allow that emotion to change how to treat Christians. Just treat people like people.

I was brought up in a religious home as a child, Baptist that is, but didn't care much about it growing up. I knew that there was a God but couldn't really tell if he exist until one day he showed me who he really is. From that point on everything made perfect sense about those being an atheist, those who put there hope in science, not knowing that any physical instrument science has, it couldn't measure or look into the spiritual realm. In the Bible it says Draw near to me (God) and I will draw near to you. If you take that verse, and put it into action, you'll see God for who he really is. It's your choice, man and there inventions will fail, God won't. If You Believe, no evidence is necessary. If you don't believe, no evidence is enough. I say that because as a believer, and many more like me, we don't rely on evidence for our faith, we are the evidence. We are the ones who came from nothing and turn into someone important, we are the ones who have hope and the power to make a change even when we are put down. We all judge, which is obviously wrong. Until you walked in somebody else's shoes but until then, love one another, like our Lord commanded us. Non-believers have the evidences before them, nothing came by accident, they know this, deep inside you know. Taking heed to facts and theories isn't always correct especially if you didn't witness it in person. God created all, and all of his creation has a purpose. We were designed, intelligently. 1 Corinthians 2:14 But people who aren't spiritual can't receive these truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can't understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. Acknowledge God, Repent, and Be Blessed.

I do remember that day. I was 13 and thinking about that question in context with what I learned in school. With my limited understanding of science, math, and logic I came to the conclusion that God must be real. I didn't then speculate about the nature of God because I figured that an entity capable of creating this incredible universe would be utterly incomprehensible to the limited human mind. Then, after thinking this, I experienced a "vision" which, at the time I interpreted as confirmation of my conclusion. The experience was so powerful that I didn't even begin to doubt God's existence until just a few months ago, though I had left the Christian faith in 2001. Now I'm an agnostic atheist and don't know how to evaluate that experience.