Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus || Spoken Word

[Iamasingularity]

Originally Posted by Randy

Stuff like "I'D TELL HIM TO GO .... HIMSELF" adds nothing to the debate and, mixed in with his legitimate criticisms, is this kinda garbage throughout all of his videos. Just lowers the intellectual level of the discussion and, for how much he condemns religion or Jesus for being high on himself, this guy's attitude wreaks of arrogance.

Yeah, I agree with you. It kinda throws off the topic and is bashing the religious opinions of people. Well... I guess you could say he does it for entertainment. If he was like that infront of religious people, he`d be hated mad.

[Jakke]

Originally Posted by Randy

Stuff like "I'D TELL HIM TO GO .... HIMSELF" adds nothing to the debate and, mixed in with his legitimate criticisms, is this kinda garbage throughout all of his videos. Just lowers the intellectual level of the discussion and, for how much he condemns religion or Jesus for being high on himself, this guy's attitude wreaks of arrogance.

I mean, the guy's style is rant, so then a certain amount of profanity in almost expected

He makes videos of his opinions, of course he thinks he is right, but that arrogant style is what makes him so popular with his subs.

And just my , I'd tell Jesus to go .... himself too.

[Randy]

All fair points. Back to my original point, I am a Christian but I'm not opposed to intelligent discussion and legitimate questions. I follow and am actually a fan of many known atheist/agnostic writers but I'm just not a fan of this guy's.

Although, I suppose if you share his opinions it's probably a fair bit more enjoyable in a ".... yeah! You tell 'em" fashion. I can see that.

[Jakke]

I am very interested in religion, so I am also very much for some sort of intelligent and mutual discussion, I am an atheist, as you might have suspected

But when I want that, I listen to the atheist experience or the thinking atheist.
The amazing atheist is more the comic relief in the community, he is simply fun to watch.



And it's all down to preferance really, I tend to like his brusque and loud style.

[Sunyata]

I've been subscribed to The Amazing Atheist for a long time now. He is definitely a strange character, and comes off as an enormous dick sometimes. However, he also has made some amazing, poignant and articulate social commentary.

[Jakke]

^His videos of feminism is very interesting for example, he has a perspective seldom heard.

[Iamasingularity]

Sure he can be a dick sometimes (wait he pretty much offends someone always in his videos) but its just his thing. I really doubt he would rant like that in public though.



I like the videos he posts like the one above, but he does that seldomly.

[signalgrey]

I feel like he thinks im stupid, which is not a good start. He says nice things about Jesus and he seems to have a brain in his head, but theres something about this that doesnt really sit well with me. Like hes just the "cool" version of a bible thumper.

BUT

Its cool that this guy loves Jesus so much, and that it works for him. He does seem to be able to have a conversation about his beliefs, which to me is a defining point of "are you a ....ing moron who likes to judge people and then validate it with 'religion'" or "I believe in this, if you dont its cool but this is me".Id be interested to hear his take on typical polarizing topics amongst spiritual people i.e. abortion, gay marriage etc.. (im being serious, not being a dick) The proof is in the pudding as they say.

Personally (and without sounding condescending) I dont feel I need a book, stories, a role model and poorly translated metaphors to make me a good person. I know to some its not that easy and that religion is helpful. I grew up traveling the world as a kid and I saw alot and experienced alot. Its alot harder to be judgmental, blindly stubborn and ignorant to your effect on others, when you have seen and experienced what the world is really like.

Again, Personally I just need to be aware of my effect on others, be aware of the world around me and make sure that I keep myself in check. Try to understand and LISTEN before jumping to anger. I can control me, and if im not doing a good job, I have made sure that the people I choose to be around will let me know im out of line. This guy has jesus, I have my life experiences. to each their own (unless you try to shove your shit down my throat, thats never cool)

[nojyeloot]

Originally Posted by Jakke

I mean, the guy's style is rant, so then a certain amount of profanity in almost expected

He makes videos of his opinions, of course he thinks he is right, but that arrogant style is what makes him so popular with his subs.

And just my , I'd tell Jesus to go .... himself too.

And He'd still be there with open arms wanting you.

[Jakke]

Originally Posted by nojyeloot

And He'd still be there with open arms wanting you.

And that is entirely his problem

[groph]

Originally Posted by Randy

I have no problem with atheism, especially because of people like Richard Dawkins who is a ....ing GENIUS, but I can't stand this guy. He's loud, he's stupid, he's ugly, his voice is mixed with too much treble in his videos and the hissing sound out of his stupid ....ing mouth everytime he talks because of his massive underbite annoys me to no end.

This. I can't stand TheAmazingAtheist. Condescending to no end, and he has an unshakable "I am always right because science" mentality.

EDIT: And Jakke, TheAmazingAtheist's video on feminism raises a few points worth mentioning, but his anger is pretty misplaced and misinformed. It's MUCH less anti-male than he thinks.

[guitareben]

Originally Posted by Randy

Although, I suppose if you share his opinions it's probably a fair bit more enjoyable in a ".... yeah! You tell 'em" fashion. I can see that.

He's an entertainer in the end ^^ He also (IMO) raises some good points, but I see why it's easy to think he's a dick (But hey, that's what he's all about, and it's why I love him )

Originally Posted by groph

he has an unshakable "I am always right because science"

I'm not to sure about this... In many cases these days he isn't talking about religious people (he's already done it) anyway, and in the video above he was pointing out flaws in the OP video... And as some would say, "science works, bitches". But now isn't the time nor place for a religion vs science, faith vs reason debate (right?)


But anyway, I must say, I didn't actually get the message of the OP video... I mean, he just seemed to be trying to sell christianity by saying Christianity is not a religion. With cheesy music and hands.

[groph]

I've only seen maybe 2 of his videos so I'm really just talking out of my ass.

[Randy]

Originally Posted by guitareben

I mean, he just seemed to be trying to sell christianity by saying Christianity is not a religion. With cheesy music and hands.

He may have been.

As somebody who was involved with the church rather closely in recent history, I get where "he" (or whoever's written this sales pitch) is coming from. The "church community" is overrun with rumor mills, social circles, cliques, political bias and various other things that have literally nothing to do with Jesus or the bible, or anything else... but they're generated by individuals in an environment that's makes it very easy to put the focus on prejudice and exclusion.

For a background, my sister is Catholic and got her certification to be a youth minister. She got offered a job as the youth minister at a local church where the program went dead a long time ago and we worked with eachother on putting together the music program/youth group there. When trying to figure out why the program didn't work the first time around, we found out that there was really corrosive negativity and control coming down from the local Catholic community and the board who oversaw church activities. Just, like, parents who thought the program was too loud, wanted to exclude anybody non-Catholic from participating as either a teen or volunteer, chased some kids out just based on local gossip, etc. We took over the program and decided to do it our own way and the group grew and grew, attendance was up at regular services as a result and, surprisingly, the thing the kids liked the most was the "message" and bible study activities. Went on strong for a few years before the same 'old boys club' decided the program became too high profile and ultimately suffocated it.

Around that time, I got a lot busier in my personal life so I moved on. My sister and her husband moved on to another church and, wouldn't you know it, the same bullshit politics was there.

[UnderTheSign]

I'm just wondering what his definition of 'religion' is and if he isn't getting religion and the church mixed up.

Also "Wanna start helping and serving Jesus in a practical way? checkout the company of the watch I am wearing in the video! They give 10-25% of all proceeds to non profits and the bands and faces are interchangeable! http://www.cruxwatches.com"
Brilliant!

[Jakke]

Originally Posted by groph

EDIT: And Jakke, TheAmazingAtheist's video on feminism raises a few points worth mentioning, but his anger is pretty misplaced and misinformed. It's MUCH less anti-male than he thinks.

It is his style to work himself up in front of the camera, he is a professional ranter, in the style of those like Lewis Black. You can see that much of the anger is acting when he calms down in litterally seconds.

And regarding feminism, I think I am for his viewpoint (and was before I heard of him), feminism has gotten to the point where it is about making it better for women, and disregarding men (to be fair, that has always been the agenda, but it was acceptable whn women did not have equal rights, nor it is not).
There is this lady that claims on BigThink that if a man is not a feminist, he's a bigott, that is unfortunately a good example on how modern feminism has gotten.

Valerie Solanas that wrote the SCUM Manifesto is regarded as canon in feminism, they love her.

Actually, they have put up SCUM as a play here in Sweden and they they are going to show to kids in high school. There the boys are going to learn that they are worthless, chauvinistic, opressor pigs, while the girls gets preferential treatment. So, where's the gendeer equality in that? (It's a rethorical question, you don't have to defend insanity)

So I have never called myself a feminist, I am an equalist, 'cause I believe in as close as possible equality between the sexes (there are biological barriers that can't be crossed, so it's as close as possible).

[Jakke]

Originally Posted by UnderTheSign

I'm just wondering what his definition of 'religion' is and if he isn't getting religion and the church mixed up.

I think so too, religion is the church, pretty much without any exceptions...

[Randy]

Originally Posted by UnderTheSign

Also "Wanna start helping and serving Jesus in a practical way? checkout the company of the watch I am wearing in the video! They give 10-25% of all proceeds to non profits and the bands and faces are interchangeable! http://www.cruxwatches.com"
Brilliant!

Well, that answers that.

[Ibanezsam4]

^ i think randy hit the true message of the original vid perfectly.

i wouldn't expect non-church goers to get this, but my dad was a deacon at the last church i attended. there was this one particular family who's father was taking seminary classes part time in order to become a pastor. he got it in his head that he was going to use our church as his jump off point. he wanted the assistant pastor gig but there that position wasn't available because thats not how our church was structured (we had a group of deacons who all assisted the pastor). so he got himself into that group and started mucking it basically, tried to take the lead on certain higher profile projects, but then trying to delegate the work load to other deacons. it should be noted that while there was no official seniority to the deacons, it was considered polite and smart to get the advice of the more experienced deacons (the ones who had served the longest). basically what happened is a bunch of the younger deacons got sick of him, they tried to get him to tone it down, but the older ones were passive and basically let this guy run shit. all so he could maybe get his own pastor job somewhere.

i visited last year after being absent 11 years. he's now officially the assistant pastor because the older deacons retired and no one else wanted to deal with this guy.

now if you take what the kid is saying in the vid and put it in the context of what randy and i just described, it makes a lot more sense. the kid is saying "hey look, we're here to serve and worship, not to be dicks to each other in the hopes for a better spot in heaven." there's a lot of politics involved in a church and that's why i haven't attended for 12 years with exception to the visit i made last year.

i know there's a growing youth movement around this concept "love jesus but not the church" and i wouldn't be surprised if there are already some new organizations getting behind this message and possibly one financed this vid. but i dont have much hope for this new idea as a new alternative structure to sunday morning gatherings. basically when money and structure start occurring it isn't long before the politics come back and ruin what could've been a good thing. i predict this will turn into the christian equivalent of the "troo metal" argument.

[Jakke]

^But he said he did love the church...

[vampiregenocide]

I respect this man for choosing what parts of his faith he identifies with and finds relevant. Being that it is such an old religion, that seems the most logical way to be in my opinion. That fact he has such an open mind and is critical of his own faith is a refreshing perspective, though I find myself with more questions than answers at the end of that video.

[athawulf]

I don't think he's being critical at all or even witty. He's taking everything that modern youth culture dislikes about Christianity then saying that it is not Christianity.

He could have done it more tactfully than trying to separate Religion from Jesus, but I guess his audience (young kids open to faith) is more likely to trust something because it rhymes than because of evidence he could present them.

The atheist guy hit it on the head with the coke/soda analogy.

[Ibanezsam4]

Originally Posted by Jakke

^But he said he did love the church...

interesting point. however in the bible a "church" is whenever more than one person gathers together in the name of god. we're taught this in sunday school, but its never truly and spiritually practiced because that renders the need for a four-cornered building with a steeple moot. so for him to say "i hate the church" would basically mean he hates the inhabitants of it as well. yet that's why he frequently refers to it as "man made" or "institution." these points really re-enforce for me that this video was made for the younger generation of church goers because they know the concepts. whereas people who aren't (as this thread proves) interpret the concepts more generally and broadly. i dont think this was made to go viral, but rather to be shared around the country by youth ministries and the like

kinda love the sinner hate the sin idea i guess in regards to your statement. i know its really convoluted because you can say church to refer the membership, but it also refers to the building and the structure and the institution.. hence why my family stopped calling the building a church.. again, if you're a church going kid you pick up on this

[JPhoenix19]

Ever heard of Rob Bell? You know, the guy who pissed off a lot of Christians with his book about hell? Yeah, the guy in the OP video pretty much tears pages- no, chapters out of his book.

This post-mordern packaging of the 'religion = bad' nonsense within contemporary American Christianity really gets under my skin. That, and how they alter the meanings of words in order for them to be able to say the believe something, but mean something different from what you think they mean. For example, him saying "I love the church" probably does not mean "I love the buildings/organizations that are called 'churches'."

My brother-in-law (who recently left Christianity) summed it up well in his Facebook post today:

If you as a Christian project everything you don't like about your religious tradition onto the word “religion.” And then disassociate yourself and what you believe from it. You are not painting a fair picture of reality. It doesn’t work that way. It's an extremely narrow and completely self-serving definition of religion that would be unrecognizable to a good chunk of the world’s religious population. Not to mention dishonest. I used to do it too. It's good marketing. But mostly bullshit.

[Jakke]

Originally Posted by Ibanezsam4

interesting point. however in the bible a "church" is whenever more than one person gathers together in the name of god. we're taught this in sunday school, but its never truly and spiritually practiced because that renders the need for a four-cornered building with a steeple moot. so for him to say "i hate the church" would basically mean he hates the inhabitants of it as well. yet that's why he frequently refers to it as "man made" or "institution." these points really re-enforce for me that this video was made for the younger generation of church goers because they know the concepts. whereas people who aren't (as this thread proves) interpret the concepts more generally and broadly. i dont think this was made to go viral, but rather to be shared around the country by youth ministries and the like

kinda love the sinner hate the sin idea i guess in regards to your statement. i know its really convoluted because you can say church to refer the membership, but it also refers to the building and the structure and the institution.. hence why my family stopped calling the building a church.. again, if you're a church going kid you pick up on this

I see what you are saying, but to me and most others, the church is the institution. That is what it has always been called, so either he don't know that, or has some other definition. Maybe american evangelicals, that I would hazard a guess he belongs to, has a much more narrow definition.

I am an atheist, but I was confirmed in the lutheran church, so feel that I have some religious insight as well. There is a saying in the atheist community, that goes: There is nothing that makes more atheists than reading the whole bible.
That is very accurate in regards to me. I was not a strong believer, and reading up on the subject pushed me over

The whole subject of sin is fallacious in my opinion. The thought of having actions dire enough to be punishable by eternal torture, while at the same time allowing exceptions to that is insane in my opinion. The bible clearly shows that breaking the commandments is acceptable, Moses was a murderer and Jesus was not really a role-model for morals either, but it does not outline when it is okay to do so.
The notion of original sin is also madness, because that means people has to be punished eternally for being born.
God punished creatures that didn't know right from wrong (Adam and Eve) when they did wrong, something that they did not have the ability to recognize!
Is it just me, or is it something wrong with that idea?