Hey guys.
I want to share this video I made based on an excerpt from Sam Harris' debate with WLC.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKXZ8KuvY7E
I got the idea awhile ago from his website. Apparently he personally encourages this sort of thing, so I decided to give it a go. The song is Zach Hemsey - Vengeance in case you're wondering.
I often hear (or, at least, have heard) people call Harris "soft" or "kind" compared to "strident" or "militant" atheists like Dawkins and Hitchens. I've heard the same thing about Bertrand Russell. I simply assume that they mean that Harris speaks in an even, almost soft, tone and that Russell looks like someone's doting grandfather because--as evidenced by this video and any other number of quotes--they certainly weren't soft on religion and the contents of their attacks against it are every bit as scathing as anything composed by Dawkins or Hitchens.
Great video
Excellent work on the video. Though naturally, Harris's laundry list of criticisms against Christianity (problem of evil, problem of hell, morality utterly divorced from actually doing good, God's injustice, first-world "miracles" compared to third-world horror, evil in the Bible, etc) will fall upon deaf ears. Christians will trot out the same ol' apologetics arguments. Blah blah blah.
And to be fair, there are Christians who legitimately do have some defense against these sorts of criticisms. Universalists don't believe that Hindus go to hell, for example. But for the most part, these argument do cut to the core of typical Christian beliefs about the world. This is a way of viewing the world that is both intellectually bankrupt and morally reprehensible. This is the kind of ideology that has even otherwise very peace-loving people applaud genocide and fervently wish for the end of the world. This is not the kind of belief system that produces stable, well-adjusted people. Ironically, the "transformative" power of Christianity touted as one of its key advantages would be more accurately classified as one of its biggest disadvantages.
Think it's bad now wait till the zombie apocalypse!
Excellent video. It should be part of every school curriculum.
Quote from: josephpalazzo on March 29, 2014, 02:12:49 AM
Excellent video. It should be part of every school curriculum.
Should and will are two entirely different concepts.
One cannot derive an “ought†from an “is†but we need to dissolve the irrational beliefs that legitimize religion in our society. I'm not suggesting a witch hunt, but after 500 years of scientific progress, we're still at the mercy of the lunatics and their irrational beliefs.
And that's not going to change. It's a fools errand to believe this shits going away. It's not as much as we might like it to.
Imagine if those who pioneered science in the 16th century had had that attitude, where would we be today? Certainly not with computers and satellite communication.
Quote from: josephpalazzo on March 29, 2014, 08:38:28 AM
Imagine if those who pioneered science in the 16th century had had that attitude, where would we be today? Certainly not with computers and satellite communication.
Most of them did. Most scientific advances came from warfare..not all, but most. Guess who's behind most wars..
Quote from: AllPurposeAtheist on March 29, 2014, 12:09:47 PM
Most of them did. Most scientific advances came from warfare..not all, but most. Guess who's behind most wars..
I wasn't referring to those wars but what's going on in the bible belt region right now, today, where the christian right has put all of its energy into the school curriculum to get creationism/Id taught on an equal basis with evolution. The school is the most important of our institutions. It's the only place we have a chance to get the young ones to open up their minds against their parents/guardians/ministers brainwashing them with religion hocus pocus. If we lose that battle, we lose the war.
Quote from: AllPurposeAtheist on March 29, 2014, 03:21:56 AM
And that's not going to change. It's a fools errand to believe this shits going away. It's not as much as we might like it to.
But that has been changing. Centuries ago, this sort of talk would have had the inquisition at our doorsteps and deference to these sorts of beliefs was very much the norm. Now, criticism of this stuff it is typical and begrudgingly tolerated. That's progress. Slow progress, but progress nonetheless.
I agree with Josephpalazzo here. Adopting a fatalistic stance towards this stuff is not only counterproductive, but factually incorrect.
Talking to religious people in any confrontational way is a waste of time. Remember Eve? the reason the internet works is because people encounter evidence in a non confrontational way.
Good video, btw.
Onward, Atheist soldiers, marching as to war, with the box of spaghetti going on before. FSM, the royal Master, leads against the foe; forward into battle see his banners go! Refrain: Onward, Atheist soldiers, marching as to war, with the box of spaghrtti going on before. At the sign of triumph God's host doth flee; on then, Atheist soldiers, on to victory! Hell's foundations quiver at the shout of praise; brothers, lift your voices, loud your anthems raise. (Refrain) Like a mighty army moves the church of FSM; brothers, we are treading where the saints have trod. We are not divided, all one body we, one in hope and doctrine, one in charity. (Refrain) Crowns and thrones may perish, kingdoms rise and wane, but the church of FSM constant will remain. Gates of hell can never gainst that church prevail; we have FSM's own promise, and that cannot fail. (Refrain) Onward then, ye people, join our happy throng, blend with ours your voices in the triumph song. Glory, laud, and honor unto FSM the King, this through countless ages men and angels sing. (Refrain)
How much time did you spend composing that?
Quote from: SGOS on March 29, 2014, 02:48:13 PM
How much time did you spend composing that?
about 30 seconds..
Quote from: Hydra009 on March 29, 2014, 01:31:22 PM
But that has been changing. Centuries ago, this sort of talk would have had the inquisition at our doorsteps and deference to these sorts of beliefs was very much the norm. Now, criticism of this stuff it is typical and begrudgingly tolerated. That's progress. Slow progress, but progress nonetheless.
I agree with Josephpalazzo here. Adopting a fatalistic stance towards this stuff is not only counterproductive, but factually incorrect.
I should have added: there's a difference between changing a theist's mind, which is almost impossible to do, and making sure our institutions don't fall into their hands. APA has the former in mind, I'm more interested in the latter.
Ask a lawyer.. I'm not a lawyer. Better yet, get involved in grassroots political activity.
Nice video!
Quote from: AllPurposeAtheist on March 29, 2014, 02:32:04 PM
Onward, Atheist soldiers, marching as to war, with the box of spaghetti going on before. FSM, the royal Master, leads against the foe; forward into battle see his banners go! Refrain: Onward, Atheist soldiers, marching as to war, with the box of spaghrtti going on before. At the sign of triumph God's host doth flee; on then, Atheist soldiers, on to victory! Hell's foundations quiver at the shout of praise; brothers, lift your voices, loud your anthems raise. (Refrain) Like a mighty army moves the church of FSM; brothers, we are treading where the saints have trod. We are not divided, all one body we, one in hope and doctrine, one in charity. (Refrain) Crowns and thrones may perish, kingdoms rise and wane, but the church of FSM constant will remain. Gates of hell can never gainst that church prevail; we have FSM's own promise, and that cannot fail. (Refrain) Onward then, ye people, join our happy throng, blend with ours your voices in the triumph song. Glory, laud, and honor unto FSM the King, this through countless ages men and angels sing. (Refrain)
I fucking LOVE that. Imagine Jack Black singing this shit. How fucking awesome would that be?!?! :super:
Very good, hard hitting video.
you can't convince people of that which is right in front of them, or look at human history for what is actually happening. We live in a world where people still follow on there lizard brains to make judgments and actions. The magical sky god is just a throwback to our caveman ancestors who were afriad of shadows, and unfortunately the more primative mankind is today, the more likely your have our species still believing in those sky gods.
Fortunately, we also live today in a time of discovery, of truth seeking, of science and understanding of the universe. We know today that the world isn't flat but round, that the sun isn't a sky god but font of creation in our universe that gives us life, and by some amazing chance, our planet was just in the right place at the right time to allow time to form it and give us life to be where we are today.
THAT is a miracle, not some bullshit fairy tale people should have grown out of beyond the age of 7-8, but knowing we exist because of things like evolution, growth, and the very nature of our planet and solar system that made it possible.
Yet religion doesn't want to acknowledge this amazing feat of pure chance, they want to believe there imaginary friend made it all happen.
We live in a complex world of both amazing and frustrating people. Lets just remember the people who made all the awesome things though science and discovery that we have today. Heck, me sat here on my pc talking to people across oceans is pretty fucking amazing when you take into account this would be seen as witchcraft 200 years ago.