The Atheist Experience

Hello all you atheists (and theists) out there! The hosts of Atheist Experience today are our very own Matt Dillahunty and Jim Barrows. Glad to have you have on Jim!Our first caller, Kel in UT asks for advice on talking to his brother about going on a mission trip, after regretting his own. Have a sit down talk with him about how you felt on your mission and leaving the religion. Let him know you are someone that cares but also respect his boundaries.Al in Poland easily left the faith and wonders why it is difficult for others and thinks AXP is helpful for leaving one’s faith. It can be difficult to leave your faith and that is why we do this show, thanks for thinking highly of our production! Alvin in NC offers his theory on a biblical code, that there are over 100 numeral patterns in genesis 1:1. How can there be 100 patterns in 7 words? All the arguments just sound like numerology. Genesis 1:1 shows pi? Granting this theory, it still doesn’t prove a divine author. Rj in CO doesn’t think Christianity spreading globally wasn’t a coincidence. We agree, it mostly spread through coercion, conquest, convincing people, and at the point of a sword. Sorry you don’t agree with facts. Kim in OR believes in the bible but dismisses 80% of Christianity. Kim gives a case for his god belief, inherent design of nature and poking holes in evolution. Kim puts forth the 2nd law of thermodynamics argument, it doesn’t prove god and the earth is not a closed system. Study the 2nd law of thermodynamics, don’t just read answers in genesis. Last caller, David in CA tries to prove the bible is correct in its order and science verifies genesis 1 is correct. Genesis does not match the scientific order of how the earth formed. Science gives us the best models based on the current evidence available. David threw in the towel himself by mentioning Hitler… JeezThanks for tuning in, we are so glad you joined us today. Keep wearing your masks and please go vote!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

Hello all you atheists (and theists) out there! The hosts of today’s Atheist Experience are Matt Dillahunty and Paulogia! Paulogia is a recent atheist and has a popular YouTube channel addressing Christianity.Our first caller, Jelmer in The Netherlands argues that god exists and god doesn't exist is a false dilemma. Matt explains it is a direct logical negation and the laws of logic holds up, even in a black hole. Jelmer confuses laws of science and logic. Marius in AL argues that Matt’s interpretation on Exodus 21, great another slavery argument. The bible explicitly endorses owning a human. Marius argues that it permits indentured servitude. Even if we grant that, it still outlines some horrific actions, like beating their property. People are not property.Omniskeptic in Canada claims most atheists activists misunderstand the no true Scotsman fallacy and feels Christians are just amending their definitions. A good practice is to let people give their label and what they mean by it. Atheists catch a lot of flack claiming we were never true Christians. Jacob in the UK argues in favor of the resurrection of Jesus. Paulogia tells us that we can only be confident about the martyrdom of 2 of the 12 apostles of Jesus. We can’t be certain anything in the bible occurred but we acknowledge people truly believe, but we can’t link it to anything factual. Shannon in TX thinks that atheism is wrong by definition, defining atheists as “god or gods don't exist”. That's not the definition we use. One needs to agree on definitions to have meaningful conversations, gods don’t exist just by naming an existent person a god.Nadir in FL can prove the Koran is from god, using science even! There is not a way to prove any text is from the mind of a god. Was this merely a call to challenge Matt to a debate?Last caller, Jeff in FL asks if there is no free will how do we hold people responsible. We don’t think people are overall evil, but we can hold people responsible for the actions they take independent the reason they took the action.Thanks for tuning in, we are so glad you joined us today. Check out more from Paulogia at https://www.youtube.com/c/paulogia Keep wearing your masks and please go vote!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

Hello all you atheists (and theists) out there! The hosts of today’s Atheist Experience are Matt Dillahunty and our own Jenna Belk.Our first caller, Hunter asks our experience coming out to religious family members now that he is embracing atheism. It went badly but not the worst thing in the world, don’t make it a huge sit down event. Also look into resources like books, forums, recovering from religion, etc. Nat in Mexico thinks there is no way to justify an ethical point of view as an atheist and argues theism provides grounding to ethics. There is no objection to secular morals by appealing to a deity. At least we agree well being is the only rational grounding to morals, too bad we can’t agree on the definition of atheism.Ricky in Columbia thinks people need Christianity to form the basis of a society. Actually society remains intact despite religion. Ricky can’t seem to point to a Christian value that couldn’t be secular and implies LGBT people are dangerous.Alvin in NC wrote a book about 100 provable patterns in genesis 1:1 that are way beyond chance or mortal capabilities. He then goes on to explain his proof in numerology. How do you know the rules of how to do math on the verses? This sounds like bad methodology and confirmation bias.Robert in CA asks advice on how to talk about atheism on a college application. There shouldn't be much of a problem if it's not a religious college. Matt finds it easier to make a pro/con list and Jenna advises that if they had that kind of bias, she is not sure if she would want to attend.Mars argues that the Christian god supports freedom, not slavery. Matt points out the bible doesn’t support freedom and does endorse owning another human. Mars asks to not be taken seriously, happy to oblige. Brent in CA asks how to get over using the atheist label when holding onto some other beliefs. Jenna points out you don't have to use any terms, you can just say you don’t believe in any gods. It takes time to work through your beliefs. Don’t beat yourself up!John in NJ asks how to reason his thoughts of what he feels should happen to the murderer of his brother. It is understandable to have mixed thoughts about that and while we can empathize, don't let it consume your life. Looks into grief beyond belief.G in NC asks tips for how to find out if we are using epistemology correctly. Know that you hold irrational beliefs. Skepticism is not an on/off switch and be open to changing your mind in the face of new evidence. Last caller, Sam in NV argues there has to be an afterlife. It may seem like there should be one but where is your evidence? A gut feeling isn’t evidence and life is not fair. Thanks for tuning in, we are so glad you joined us today. Stay safe and continue wearing masks out there.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

Hello all you atheists (and theists) out there! The hosts of today’s Atheist Experience are Matt Dillahunty and ObjectivelyDan. Dan joins us from ACA’s own Truth Wanted (airs every Friday), and we're glad to see him on AXP!Our first caller, Jake in CA shares his beliefs with us. For instance, the devil is walking around and only has power through god. How could you know that? … oh the bible, of course. Jose in GA feels Matt is dismissive of peoples stories about experiences with the holy spirit. How can we tell if someone had a genuine experience with the holy spirit? We don’t just shut people down, we care about what beliefs are true. Matt demonstrates to Jose that feelings don’t justify beliefs.Lauren in NY has logical proof for god, arguing if the universe is a closed system then consciousness would extend to the universe itself. We’re not sure how consciousness would extend to the universe. Lauren goes on to talk about astrology and predicts Matt’s friends will have air/fire signs and Dan’s would have earth/water. Lisa in FL asks how much knowledge of all religions comes into play when talking about atheism. You don’t need to research any or all religions to talk about your atheism. Atheists don’t need to disprove any god, let along all gods. Jacob in CA thinks lots of laws in the old testament would fix some societal problems we see today. We don’t need a theological understanding of problems in the bible to solve current problems. We don't have to justify the bible, we can just get rid of it. Joe in IL tries to prove the inspired word of god comes through him. He got a premonition to buy medical supplies at a hobby lobby...for a self surgery? Yeah, this one went off the rails.Dan in NY claims to be able to prove the devil. Too bad he lied to get on the air, NEXT! Enoch in PA, asks why we want to convince people they are wrong. We are just trying to have conversations about what people believe. If they figure out they don't have a good reason to believe something, all the better. We care about true beliefs.Jeremy in NV claims to have a good defense of christianity and finds it best to defend one true god, not just a god. Matt asks what evidence demonstrates a god exists but Jeremy can’t seem to answer.Last caller, Anthony in VA argues that god used to exist but doesn’t any longer, claiming that god is nothing but a title and ancient people put those ideals onto those names. There is no way to prove that.Thanks for tuning in, we are so glad you joined us today. You can find more from ObjectivelyDan at https://www.youtube.com/c/TruthWanted Stay safe and continue wearing masks out there.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

Hello all you atheists (and theists) out there! The hosts of today’s Atheist Experience are Matt Dillahunty and Dr. Hector Garcia! Hector is an author, podcaster, and youtuber. Heh has been spending his Covid time making a new YouTube channel, shout out to Genetically Modified Skeptic.Our first caller, Jonathan in the UK wants to know how to help his believer wife without challenging her beliefs. Tough request Jonathan. Is the belief of a punishing god damaging to begin with? Be honest, come at with concern and let her know this is you and you are not taking away her beliefs. Reach out to Recovering From Religion. Shawna in NY asks what to say to people that say consciousness is proof of god. There needs to be more to the argument, a statement is not enough to conclude a god exists. The brain is malleable, it can be altered and fundamentally change the person affected.Dean in CA argues that wellbeing is not robust enough to base morality on. Dean argues coronavirus harms our wellbeing. We agree but there are forms of wellbeing, like societal wellbeing. In discussions of coronavirus we are always talking about wellbeing, not personal preference. Brian in CA asks about Pascal’s Mugging, a thought experiment on probability of return on investment and risk versus reward. We would want more evidence to believe someone would return any money given. Way too many factors to consider. Rick in MI thinks Matt is wrong that slavery is in the bible. Rick agrees with Matt that slavery is outlined in the bible but its immoral to own people. Matt points out the bible advocates for something we agree is immoral. Ron in FL asks how to combat the argument that his brother needs to power through mental health problems. You can research barriers to mental health and help direct him. It’s not a failing on his part and one can’t necessarily pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Mark in NM asks if atheism creates a contentious point for people arguing new theological ideas. Atheism is merely a response to a claim. We are unsure of what you are asking. Nathan in LA feels people are agnostic because we don’t know where people came from and feels there has to be a force controlling evolution. Look at the trees… Abiogenesis deals with where life came from, not evolution. No creator required.Michael in AZ thinks god is a paradox. A paradox implies that something doesn’t exist, a god can’t both exist and not. Last caller, Vernaz in the UK asks why does god have to be connected to religion and feels god has nothing to do with religion. Some religions don't have a god belief. Email tv@atheist-community.org, we would love to hear more. Thanks for tuning in, we are so glad you joined us today. You can find more from Hector at www.hector-garcia.com. Stay safe and continue wearing masks out there.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

Hello all you atheists (and theists) out there! The hosts of today’s Atheist Experience are Matt Dillahunty and Jim Barrows, welcome back Jim!Our first caller, Isaac in OH thinks differences in DMT experience is evidence that one could be transported to another dimension. The hosts talk hypotheticals and testing methodologies with safeguards using DMT. We would need evidence to be on board here.Alexander in Norway defines spirituality as wise thoughts that deepen the understanding of existence. Wouldn’t that then make philosophy spiritual? This is just giving spirituality a new definition but we need to find common ground on nebulous concepts.Patrick in WA has simple scientific evidence from the bible that modern science has confirmed, for example mountains and valleys in the ocean. That sounds like something one could discover skin diving or diving for food. Jose in GA gives evidence of people experiencing the holy spirit. How can we tell if someone has actually had an experience with a real holy spirit? We don’t assume people are lying about their experiences, we don't just assume a supernatural explanation.Kendall in OR asks what evidence would change the mind of a lifelong believer versus a non believer. A god would know what would change our minds but seemingly chooses not to. Our minds aren’t closed, we just haven’t been presented with sufficient evidence.Kay in NH thinks freedom should be the foundation of morality, not well being. The reason you care about freedom is it is conducive to well-being. Matt pointed out the flaw in using freedom as a basis for morality.Danny in London says if there is a cause of the universe, it rules out every god but an Abrahamic god. There is a beginning to our universe but there is no evidence of a creator. Danny fails to provide evidence for this claim. Mark in IL finds Matt’s hard atheism surprising and believes in a god via skepticism. Matt doesn’t believe in a god but also believes that man has made up god stories. Suspicions of the way things are is not a skeptical approach, the trees aren’t proof of creation. Last caller, George in TX, finds Romans to be evidence of the death and resurrection of Jesus. The verse is the claim, not evidence, of a resurrection. Quoting the bible doesn’t provide any evidence. Thanks for tuning in, we are so glad you joined us today. Stay safe and continue wearing masks out there.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

Hello all you atheists (and theists) out there! The hosts of today’s Atheist Experience are Matt Dillahunty and Jenna Belk! Happy Birthday to our audio engineer Vern, the Lord of Levels!Our first caller, John in FL, asks if christianity negatively affects people? We don’t even know if it's actually true. Is it good for people to believe something that isn't true? John holds onto belief because of Pascal's Wager and may call Recovering From Religion. Good idea John!Ralph in FL asks what makes values valuable? The person making the assessment imbues it with value, morality is rooted in well being after all. We can’t access god’s thoughts on morality or well being. It seems the biblical god doesn’t care about the quality of human life, just who gets to what afterlife.Syngyn in PA thinks we should follow god’s word and asks why it is hard for people to put faith in something they don’t know of? Do you have any evidence? At least we agree the bible isn't the word of god. If you won’t find out what god wants until you are dead, god is irrelevant to living life. We hope you look more into your beliefs and callback.Jack in Canada believes Matt and Jenna are part of a group of organized secularists. That is true but concepts matter, not the labels. Jack thinks religions are persecuted and atheists are not. Quite the opposite is true. Keyon in CA argues discernment to a previous call about the bible then brings up arguments about evolution. We live in the best of times Keyon. There are so many erroneous claims in this call and human babies not being able to care for themselves out of the womb does not disprove evolution. Last caller today, Kendall in WA cites Exodus and 1 Timothy to disprove Matt's position that the bible condones slavery. Exodus 21:16 is about kidnapping but exodus 21 tells you who you can enslave. Matt challenges Kendall to be his slave outlined in Exodus 21. Yikes Kendall...Thanks for tuning in, we are so glad you joined us today. Stay safe and please continue to wear your masks. The world is better with you in it. See you next week!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

Hello all you atheists (and theists) out there! The hosts of today’s Atheist Experience are Matt Dillahunty and Shannon Q, so happy to have Shannon Q on today!Our first caller, Jack in Canada, says that he thinks religious groups “walk on eggshells” more than atheist groups. The bible does not preach religious tolerance and we oppose beliefs not religious people. Matt points out Deuteronomy 13 commands you to kill other believers. Ryan in NY asks what proof there is of atheism. What is your definition of a god? Atheism just means disbelief in god/s, the burden of proof is on the claimant. Ryan gives us his personal experience and talks about morality and once again we find another caller cool with slavery…Linguistie in the Ukraine asks if god appearing in believers dreams are a style of lucid dreaming? Your brain functions while you sleep, as well as parses memories, and can affect your waking perceptions. People can use this to solidify their beliefs. Sain in TX asks about divine command theory. The problem is whatever god dictates would be moral, that can lead to some horrible commands. Not to mention the lack of evidence of any god. The biblical god is immoral and in the event of his return, the only recourse is rebellion.Last caller today, Jonathan in AZ asks the reasons for believing one doesn’t go “anywhere” upon dying. There is no evidence anything happens after you die, you just stay dead. A soul is the most dead concept in theology. Shannon expertly breaks down the neurology that makes someone a person, doesn’t lend any credence to a soul or an afterlife. Thanks for tuning in, we are so glad you joined us today. Stay safe and please continue to wear your masks. The world is better with you in it. See you next week!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

Hello all you atheists (and theists) out there! The hosts of today’s Atheist Experience are Matt Dillahunty and David McRaney. David is an author and got into podcasting as a way to promote his book. You can check out his work at https://www.youarenotsosmart.com and the You Are Not So Smart podcast!Let’s get to calls! Our first caller, Jacob in IL, tells a story of a man who went into a coma and saw many-eyed animals next to god and that made Jacob think it was true. Just because people have an experience regarding a religion, doesn’t mean we should leap to believe the experience or the religion. Arthur in Europe asks if we think it's wrong that someone believes in something with zero evidence. There may be bad evidence, but we can't see people believing based on no evidence. It’s best not to believe anything without sufficient evidence.Josiah in CA asks how we are interpreting evidence of paranormal or religion correctly to poke holes in evolution. He then tells us of a dream where he foresaw a man and the details matched up with reality after he had the dream. How can you rule out other explanations? Dreams are fun and all, but aren’t evidence of anything supernatural, godly, or magical.Dan in Romania asks why we wouldn’t believe Paul the Apostle? You can’t just accept claims about an experience with the risen savior on a damascus road with no evidence. Dan doesn’t see a reason they would make that up, but their claims alone aren't sufficient evidence to believe. Otherwise, you would have to believe every other would-be prophet out there.God (Sirha) in CT claims there are no paradigms are real and claims to have transcended reason. Matt tried to ask some questions but lets say he didn’t make it far.Last caller! Marie in VA doesn’t think that the big bang theory conflicts with major religions creation stories. The order of events in genesis doesn’t match with the order we know from science. For instance, the earth was not created before light. Marie believes the bible anyway. Thanks for tuning in, we are so glad you joined us today. Stay safe and please continue to wear your masks. The world is better with you in it. See you next week!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

Hello all you atheists (and theists) out there! The hosts of today’s Atheist Experience are Matt Dillahunty and Jim Barrows! Glad to see Jim back! As an update, our show will remain remote throughout the year and into next year.Let’s get to calls! The first caller, Rick in CA, has a quick question on the efficacy of prayer. Who knows how many times our hosts prayed and nothing happens. The hosts don’t see any evidence that prayer works. Aaron in WI calls to talk about morality as it pertains to atheists vs theists for an argument for god. Neither theism nor atheism takes a position on morality inherently. Aaron feels we would agree with most of the morality in the Bible, but Aaron has more in common morally with the hosts than what's in the Bible. Carl in Ontario calls to tell a story about saving a kid from a car wreck. While reflecting back he has a purpose to protect people and needs no gods. One would hope any decent person would do the same in that situation, with or without a god belief. Mark in FL asks what is the standard of proof before one begins to believe something? There are multiple standards of evidence. Believing means you accept something likely true. Why would you be convinced of something without evidence?Gene in PA, a science teacher, would feel bad if a student left the class believing that the earth is flat but recognizes a right to one's beliefs. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink. You can only do your best to educate people, teach them how to think and not what to think.Joe in Lebanon is on the road to atheism and points out that most religions are started by eccentric men and asks if St. Paul was honest. We don’t, and maybe can’t, know. Adrian in TX is calling to argue for a designer god but confuses purpose and design. One can use a rock as a hammer but the rock is not designed. When you can't differentiate between purpose and designed, there isn't much of a conversation to be had. David in Mexico calls to challenge something Jim said at the start of the show, the hypothesis of god can be scientific if you look at it as a non incomprehensible object. Throw in some metaphysics and quantum mechanics and you have some word salad. This is speculative at best.Last up is Jim and NV, calling in about the possibility of a god and that god would want people to be rational...and suggests Matt is god. We aren’t convinced that there is a god and feelings aren’t a pathway to truth.Thanks for tuning in, we are so glad you joined us today. Stay safe and please continue to wear your masks. The world is better with you in it. See you next week!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.