Archive for surveys and lists

11 Atheist & Skeptical Youtube Channels You Need to Watch

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A not-so-long time ago in a place not-so-far away from here, I was digging into my Bible with ferocity in hopes to dissuade my insidious doubts about the faith to which I had dedicated my life. At the time, I only had believers around me to help me think through my concerns, but that just wasn’t enough. I also wanted to hear other perspectives and open myself up to the (frightening) possibility that I’d been mistaken all my life. Not knowing anyone helpful in this regard, I turned to the internet and its gigantic population.

Until I started this search for truth, I  never truly appreciated Youtube as a meeting place for ideas, learning and debate. It may have the least mature comments sections on the internet, but much of the content I found was just what I needed to start my brain churning.

There are so many amazing atheists and skeptics on youtube that this list seems almost trivial. I haven’t even named the great scientists and learning channels I’ve found (perhaps that will come at a later date). Even so, I want you to enjoy these users and let them know if you appreciate the hard work they’ve put into their videos. Perhaps one of you also wants that little push to question and examine your beliefs. This list is a good place to start!

Click “Read the Rest!” to see the whole list.

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January 4, 2011  |  christianity, god, religion, science and skepticism, skepticism and freethought, surveys and lists, videos  |  17 Comments

Survey: What’s Your Hot Button Issue?

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Protest sign from the Rally to Restore Sanity

photo by Russell Harrison

What gets you riled up? Which topics of conversation, political positions, controversial ideas, social causes, (and I could go on) excite you? For a lot of us, atheism’s place in a  religious society is one of our top issues to explore and debate. What other interests or causes makes you want to shout from the rooftops or throttle those who just don’t get it?

Examples:

Hunger, poverty, homelessness, fair trade, sex trafficking, child labor, LGBT rights, taxes and government spending, corporations, ethical food industry, gun rights/control, media bias/monopoly, sex education, net neutrality, disease awareness and research , disabilities, health care, religious persecution, alternative energy, pacifism, circumcision and genital mutilation, education reform, child abuse, rape and molestation, and on and on!

Pick some favorites and let us know what you think about them in the comments.

December 6, 2010  |  questions, religion, society, surveys and lists  |  56 Comments

The Nature of Existence and World Religions

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I attended the screening for “The Nature of Existence” tonight. Since I blogged about the film last week, I wanted to follow up with my thoughts and reactions.

Director Roger Nygard interviewed over 100 people of different nationalities and beliefs. I heard the views of scientists in the same minute as Jainists, Native Americans, and New Age gurus.

Everyone answered the same 85 questions. Much of the insight I’ve heard or read before,  but the most striking part of this documentary was the cacophony of thought and theory made up by all of these radically diverse groups. At first, It just felt like a  mess of  totally unrelated beliefs.  I laughed quite a bit–both at the absurdly delusional and the fabulously comedic. Not until the very end when I had a time to reflect did I see the larger point.

It may seem simplistic, but I came away from The Nature of Existence with a renewed compassion for spiritual and religious people. My curiosity about world religions and the individuals that follow them has ballooned once again. Becoming an atheist may have brought a new realization that religion is based on delusion and  unnecessary, but hearing people of all different philosophies ponder why we exist and what it means to live a good life just makes me want to be kinder and more open to those who are on the same journey as I am. The difference between us is which path we choose to get there.

There may be a larger truth, but no one religion has it. Even science doesn’t fully understand yet. We search for meaning because it’s part of our natures. Let’s just be kind to one another  along the way, ok?

P.S. Go see the movie! Support independent film makers!

August 14, 2010  |  relationships, religion, skepticism and freethought, society, surveys and lists  |  4 Comments

Why Do We Exist?

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I am sure we’ve all been asked this question or  wondered ourselves. But have you ever heard the answers given by Buddhists? Scientists? Mormons? Taoists? Roger Nygard, director of Trekkies and Trekkies 2, took his curiosity and sense of humor on the road and asked this important question to hundreds of people. His new film The Nature of Existence tells the tale:

About the film:

I wrote the toughest 85 questions I could think of, about our purpose and the nature of existence, and then asked hundreds of people all over the globe, such as: Indian holy man Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (The Art of Living), evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins (The God Delusion), 24th generation Chinese Taoist Master Zhang Chengda, Stanford physicist Leonard Susskind (co-discoverer of string theory), wrestler Rob Adonis (founder of Ultimate Christian Wrestling), confrontational evangelist Brother Jed Smock, novelist Orson Scott Card (Ender’s Game), director Irvin Kershner (Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back), Stonehenge Druids Rollo Maughfling & King Arthur Pendragon and many more… How would YOU answer?

I decided to take a look at these 85 questions, and I think we should all try them on for size. Here’s a taste:

  • Why do we exist?
  • What is the best thing about existing?
  • What is our purpose?
  • Should religions be challenged?
  • Is skepticism a good thing?
  • Which religion is right?
  • Do we have a need to believe in something?
  • What is spirituality?
  • Is there a God?
  • What does God need from us?
  • Who is/are the Messiah(s)?
  • How do we determine truth?
  • Where does morality, or our “conscience,” comes from?
  • Does God want to test us? Why?
  • What determines sexual orientation?
  • Why is God interested in our sexual behavior?
  • Do we have free will?
  • Is everything predetermined?
  • What is best path to happiness?
  • Does meditation work?
  • Why do we need an afterlife?
  • When does life begin?
  • What is the greatest danger facing man’s existence?

I love them all, and I think I’d like to take some time to write out my own answers in the future. What do you think of The Nature of Existence? If there’s a screening near you, will you see it?

How would you answer the questions?

August 10, 2010  |  god, questions, religion, skepticism and freethought, surveys and lists, videos  |  15 Comments
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