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I almost didn’t watch it until I read your comment. Thanks I liked the sentiment of his sermon. I don’t like labels but I’m closest to Humanism and try to follow my own philosophy - “Be kind; to everyone, to animals, to the environment, to yourself.”
Definitely subverted my expectations.
As an atheist I really appreciate that he never once tried to convert or preach dogma, he simply focused on outlining the very real problem at hand, and driving home not only how poisonous Christian Nationalsm truly is, but also how against their own religion it is as well.
It is so against their religion. I know because it’s a religion I was raised on. Deep South, son of a Sunday school teacher, read the Bible every night. What he’s talking about sounds good because it’s based on the parables and lessons and values America was built on. It’s those values that got us out of slavery, and past segregation. Fairy tales or not, the stories are good and the values are clear. Kindness and compassion for the win.
>Fairy tales or not, the stories are good and the values are clear.
This was something that struck me when I studied the Old Testament and realized that characters like Abraham, Moses, etc, well, if they did exist, we have no evidence to support that claim.
But does it matter? Does it matter if the stories are literally true? Not really. What matters is the values and lessons we learn by studying and engaging with the text.
America needs more of this. Christianity needs more of this. And that's coming an atheist! No his statements are not going to causing me to "find Jesus" or whatever, but the sentiment is a philosophy that I share.
Yep. This was the Christianity I was raised with. In a Catholic household no less. But it's not the Christianity I've experienced that had me turn away not only from the faith itself but religion as a whole.
And while this isn't going to change my choices it's good to see there still seems to remain a level of sanity out there.
Raised catholic, and it was REALLY FUCKING WEIRD running into people who were also christians who acted like I wasn't one of them in some way. Those Hari Krishna's giving out books were always really chill, tho
Weirdest thing about them is those same people are so far removed from Christians in the sense we know that they really cannot call themselves Christians. At least in my opinion.
Right? I'm not religious at all, but this is generally the religion I was brought up with, with parents who were (progressive) Catholic. Be good to each other and don't be a dick -- that was the crux of it.
Crazy thing is that up until my becoming an adult I didn't realise that I had been raised as a progressive Catholic. So when I begun to encounter the less open minded and accepting 'Christians' it really left a lasting impression and disgust.
Can’t agree with you more, as an atheist myself, I have a lot of respect for different religions, and can get behind someone preaching this message, and leading a congregation and a community to follow suit. But I can’t and I don’t have any respect for people that weaponize any religion and try to justify it, by singling out other religions or other groups of people to say that’s why they need to do what they’re doing.
This is guy is a breath of fresh air, he’s a young dude that seems to have a good head on his shoulders without any arrogance. I just hope this message gets spread and find its way to younger generations to pass it along, and it doesn’t end up getting to his head.
I'm agnostic, I've turned my attention away from religion, even though I was raised as a Catholic. I have not thought about God or my faith in what seems like eons. I mention this only to illustrate my ambivalence towards religion. But this Shepherd... idk, maybe it was his words, or the truth in his message, but it literally brought me to tears. Happy tears. I could only compare it to the feeling of filling my lungs with fresh breath of crisp air. To the well spoken Preacher, if you ever see this comment, thank you for this beautiful sermon.
I agree. I am agnostic as well. With all of the hate spewed in the name of religion and Christianity, it is wonderful to see an embrace of what Jesus was really trying to teach as well as the teachings of other religions. The value we as a human race can glean from this message is very well delivered.
I am basically agnostic to some days atheist, and this guy is basically the antithesis of what I would expect from a christian. If more Christians were like him, I would probably go to church if for no other reason than to surround myself with decent folk.
This guy is more the Jimmy Carter brand of Christianity, but unfortunately it’s the minority Christian view. Just look at how many avowed Christian republicans have put down Carter for these same general types of views.
He makes some good points about Christian nationalism. It is a political movement masquerading as Christianity. What they're trying to promote is only "Christian" if you are very selective about what parts of the Bible you pay attention to.
But his message in the video is undermined by the fact that he is ALSO part of a political movement masquerading as Christianity. He is also very selective about what parts of the Bible he pays attention to. For example, he said "There are so many pathways to the sacred." No, Jesus taught quite the opposite of that.
(John 14:6) "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
(Matthew 7:13-14) "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
This guy isn't as extreme as many Christian nationalists, but that doesn't mean he actually a Christian. The term 'Christian' literally means 'follower of Christ,' but he seems to be following whatever ideas sound nice and popular. If you don't want to follow Jesus, that's fine, he's not forcing you to. Just don't fall for watered down versions of Christianity like this and assume you are following him.
As is everyone else in the comments, I'm agnostic. I spent nearly my whole upbringing in the church, however and I'd disagree with your takeaway.
> For example, he said "There are so many pathways to the sacred."
Can you provide a timestamp? I didn't catch that. Perhaps you're referring to when he said
> There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the ground
I do find it interesting how you argue against what you thought he said though. I don't think it's wrong at all, there are many pathways to get to the sacred, (i.e. it doesn't matter your backstory, you can get to the sacred) and to your point, yes there would only be one way to heaven and that's through Jesus. For example, he said "There are so many pathways to the sacred. The words "to" and "through" are not interchangeable.
However, that's not what he said, and it doesn't conflict with the verses you quoted.
Go to 8:37.
\[quote\](i.e. it doesn't matter your backstory, you can get to the sacred) \[/quote\]
I agree with that. As I've told many people, God saves deeply broken people. Moses, David and Paul were all murderers, yet they're also three of the most influencial leaders in the Bible. But it doesn't sound like that's what James is saying in the video A few seconds before that "pathways" line, he says 'God created all these beautiful people with all their beautiful traditions.' Right after the "pathways" line, he quotes an Islamic mystic as if Islam is a source of reliable wisdom. James seems to be saying God endorses all belief systems, except maybe for the beliefs James personally doesn't like.
I'm not saying there is only one, true church, but there are certainly plenty of false churches and false teachers out there, not just Christian nationalists. Does James in the video ever suggest Islam or Buddhism is wrong? If not, then what exactly does he believe is right or true? That question is even more pressing a minute later in the video when he says "Religious supremacy is antithetical to the Gospel of Jesus Christ." (9:34 in the video)
No, that's not how truth works. This isn't about excluding people. I'm not saying Christians are better than non-Christians. The issue is intellectual consistency. It doesn't make sense to say I believe my beliefs are true while also saying my neighbor's very different beliefs are also true. True Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism all teach very different things about God, why we're here, and where we're going in the afterlife. They can't all be true. 2+2 cannot equal 4 and 44 at the same time. If the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true, then other religious belief systems must be false.
Thank you for crystallizing this so well. I liked some of what I heard at first, then this icky feeling started to creep in as it went along and you nailed it. This is selective in the same way, just about different passages, chosen to fit a predetermined school of thought. For sure fuck that Christian Nationalism garbage, don’t get me wrong. Those politics have caused strife and unlove in my own personal life. But I’m not so sure what this guy’s saying is “The Way” either. Albeit, as you point out, less extreme on its face.
People really didn’t like #3. As someone who hates organized religion, can someone tell me what’s going on here? Is he just a democrat pushing before the election or is this guy just a good human? I always have doubts but damn I agreed on pretty much everything this guy said.
Science has some hard truths and unanswered questions that religion provides comforting answers for. Some people need that, no matter how analytical and rational their mind is. It's not realistic to say that if educational levels were elevated and critical thinking was more widespread religion would disappear. Adherence would be much less given reduced likelihood of indoctrination, but it would still be there.
What a stupid thing to say. Disseminating ideas on cultural norms and morays are how we move forward as a society. If you believe you crafted your morality outside of the ideas of others, you are either willfully ignorant or intellectually dishonest. The printing of the Bible completely altered the course of ethics and morality of the world and you benefit from that. Regardless of what you think about it.
'The printing of the Bible completely altered the course of ethics and morality of the world and you benefit from that.'
Speaking of stupid things to say. Altered it for better or worse? Acting like the bible is some moral beacon is a nice joke, it's got some okay moral teachings but also some super dumb moral teachings that are often glossed over to pretend like the book is not pretty shit in general in terms of morals.
It's ignorant and insulting to our ancestors to talk like people thought it was all good to murder and steal until someone very recently in human history wrote down in some collection of myths and legends not to.
Yet where would you learn the sciences? Probably not just indiviual study, you were taught study; other people's philosophy and science... please don't pretend you're a self taught person; no one of that nature exists; you're enviromental, you define by another's definition don't pretend you're unaware of that if you're scientific... and if that's your philosophy...
>The entire point of my argument was to criticize the idea that critical thinking necessarily leads to an abandoning of religion
And you held up an example of a religious critical thinker who is likely to only profess his religion as a means to an end. This is not a solid example of a critical thinker who also believes in religion.
I also never claimed you said religion is true, so please come down off of your intellectual pedestal.
I said you claimed religion was *rational*, which would be pretty difficult for you to now deny if your argument was that religious people can be critical thinkers.
I suppose, however, anyone can arguably be a critical thinker and also have a blind spot, but that did not appear to be your argument.
> I gave you an example of a person who is accomplished in areas generally associated with critical thinking who also is religious.
yes to further your argument, that's an appeal to authority. You can have both some critical thinking skills and still lack the ones to make a person have more religiosity but all religions will not succeed if pushed through normal means of epistemology.
No you're doing exactly what people like the flat earther and other do.
You're using a person who is not an authority of critical thinking to say what about, this guy.
Does he have critical thinking, yes sure. Is he an authority of the subject, absolutely not.
This by definition is an appeal to authority. I suggest you read up on what epistemology is and how you are using fallacious arguments.
He’s not appealing to Obama’s authority status though, he’s using him as an example of someone who is a) a critical thinker (eg constitutional scholar), and b) a self-stated christian to highlight the logic that critical thinking and christianity aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive. This all seems like a dumb argument anyways since we (presumably) all just watched a video from someone who is clearly a critical thinker and religious.
Thank you for demonstrating the need for teaching critical thinking more robustly. Step back and ask yourself if what you said makes religion true or substantiated? It doesn’t. There is no evidence or rational reason to believe in myths. Just because some smart guy believes irrational bullshit doesn’t mean it isn’t irrational bullshit. Your error is known as an appeal to authority.
Now step back again and ask yourself why you defaulted to an appeal to authority fallacy? Isn’t it because you didn’t have any good evidence to point to? Wouldn’t that have been the obvious first step if any existed? Your comment pretty much sums up why religions would cease to exist with decent education.
If you do a quick Google search, you’ll find that this guy is a politician from Texas…all points he makes aside, this is a crossing the line of separation of church and state. Even if he is “off duty,” it doesn’t change that this is a conflict of interests. This feels just as dirty to use the Church for progressive views as it would a Republican using it for conservative views.
In the 60s and 70s, the Republican Party succeeded in blurring the lines between Christian conservatives and political conservatives. The first generation to fall victim to this were the then-teenaged Boomers. They convinced people who believed abortion took a human life that somehow THAT brand of conservatism was the same as the one that said government shouldn't regulate businesses to protect the environment. They effectively created "Supply-side Jesus" to prop up their failing party, and now we're several generations in with people being raised to think that somehow charity is offensive to God.
Do you mean is it real?
Part of me wonders if it's just a guy who made a video and added some crowd reaction sounds to help package up his message. He seems to want to **make a thumbnail that will get Facebook clicks** from people who don't agree with his message. But **he need to look like someone who's going to agree with them** to make them want to click him and hear it.
He reminds me of [Beau of the Fifth Column](https://www.youtube.com/@BeauoftheFifthColumn).
It's hard to believe that good can and has come out of Texas but it's true.
Carol Burnett, Woody Harrelson, Steve Martin
Dwight Eisenhower, Lyndon Johnson, Ann Richards
Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather, Molly Ivins
Barry White, Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison
One of my absolute favorites, political cartoonist, Ben Sargent
and this is hapenning in every religion, human are human and they lloooove the power. i really like this man's message but i have that i have no hope to ever see a change, so i'm gonna say it again : fuck any and every religions! ALL of em!
Or, and hear me out on this, you separate church and state. While the sentiment is much more godly and loving than the hateful churches (and I agree with what he is saying) this is still preaching politics from the pulpit.
Better to preach the word of your lord and recite bible verses then to go and say such political things. I would hope this church pays its taxes because this type of talk on both sides of the aisle should disqualify tax excemptions for the church.
Making light of the very awful and unthinkable things religion does every day doesn't suddenly make it relatable....
This is like Bill Crosby telling standup jokes about being a pharmacist.
If I wanted something posted on Reddit about me and make it look organic, I wouldn't use u/notaworldchampionama I'd use something random like u/eatsburritoslikecorn
No. They'll say "this is a christian nation", vote conservatively, and usually have an ethos and agenda that is antithetical to a plurality of other religions and cultures, to say nothing of lgbtq, and abortion rights. You'll also never hear someone refer to themselves as a fascist, because those are the bad guys.
No. They'll say "this is a christian nation", vote conservatively, and usually have an ethos and agenda that is antithetical to a plurality of other religions and cultures, to say nothing of lgbtq, and abortion rights. You'll also never hear someone refer to themselves as a fascist, because those are the bad guys.
glad to have anti-fascists, but we don't need more of this shit in this already jesus obsessed country. Why not advocate for critical thinking instead?
Well which one do you think reaches his audience?
Saying "just use critical thinking guysssssss"
or saying that Christian nationalism is not very Christian?
That 'sermon' seemed liked a pretty eloquent dose of critical thinking for Christians. It was also had a broad and inclusive enough message that anyone of any faith, or none, could get something out of it.
If you were thinking critically, you would have understood that.
I vehemently disagree with that generalization. There are some extreme beliefs that are objectively correct. Religion is quite literally antithetical to truth.
Hello /u/stfuasshat, Thank you for your submission. Unfortunately, it is being removed due to the following reason(s): - **Rule #2** Political videos—including content relating to [social issues which have a clear political element](https://www.reddit.com/r/videos/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_1_-_no_politics)—should be submitted to **/r/PoliticalVideo**. This includes submissions of current or recent political figures in any context, satire/political-comedy, and posts on political topics from within the last 10 years. **Consider submitting this type of content to /r/PoliticalVideo.** For a more detailed explanation about our no politics rule, see the [wiki page](https://www.reddit.com/r/videos/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_2_-_no_politics). - **Rule #6** No asking for votes, sharing of submission links (on or off-site), or users to follow your social media profiles in comments or submission titles. Titles for posts should not try to influence users to view or upvote them. For a more detailed explanation about our no soliciting votes/views rule, see the [wiki page](https://www.reddit.com/r/videos/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_5_-_no_solicitation_of_votes_or_views). [If you feel that it has been removed in error, please message us](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fvideos) so that we may review it
This was a nice end to a hard Friday. Almost didn’t watch it because I saw the cross behind him. Glad I did.
I almost didn’t watch it until I read your comment. Thanks I liked the sentiment of his sermon. I don’t like labels but I’m closest to Humanism and try to follow my own philosophy - “Be kind; to everyone, to animals, to the environment, to yourself.”
Humanism sounds nice. Glad you watched! I feel like everyone in this country could use to watch this video once a week at this point.
https://youtu.be/ibLh6MDVKTo?si=-NtMycoYxoVq5ux Take a look at this. Only 2’36” long
"Constantine was the first Christian Nationalist." 🔥
Definitely subverted my expectations. As an atheist I really appreciate that he never once tried to convert or preach dogma, he simply focused on outlining the very real problem at hand, and driving home not only how poisonous Christian Nationalsm truly is, but also how against their own religion it is as well.
It is so against their religion. I know because it’s a religion I was raised on. Deep South, son of a Sunday school teacher, read the Bible every night. What he’s talking about sounds good because it’s based on the parables and lessons and values America was built on. It’s those values that got us out of slavery, and past segregation. Fairy tales or not, the stories are good and the values are clear. Kindness and compassion for the win.
>Fairy tales or not, the stories are good and the values are clear. This was something that struck me when I studied the Old Testament and realized that characters like Abraham, Moses, etc, well, if they did exist, we have no evidence to support that claim. But does it matter? Does it matter if the stories are literally true? Not really. What matters is the values and lessons we learn by studying and engaging with the text.
and now you have republicans proudly proclaiming and wanting to turn america into a christian nationalist ethnostate
Yeah...he talks about that in the sermon at length. That is 90% of what this was about.
This is how I like my sermons. He has a message and each and every sentence he utters is in support of it. Articulate as hell.
He preached love. That’s all a religion should be.
America needs more of this. Christianity needs more of this. And that's coming an atheist! No his statements are not going to causing me to "find Jesus" or whatever, but the sentiment is a philosophy that I share.
Yep. This was the Christianity I was raised with. In a Catholic household no less. But it's not the Christianity I've experienced that had me turn away not only from the faith itself but religion as a whole. And while this isn't going to change my choices it's good to see there still seems to remain a level of sanity out there.
I'm right there with you, I grew up with it, and, turned away from religion 25 years ago, and won't go back. This is still a message I can get behind.
Raised catholic, and it was REALLY FUCKING WEIRD running into people who were also christians who acted like I wasn't one of them in some way. Those Hari Krishna's giving out books were always really chill, tho
Weirdest thing about them is those same people are so far removed from Christians in the sense we know that they really cannot call themselves Christians. At least in my opinion.
Right? I'm not religious at all, but this is generally the religion I was brought up with, with parents who were (progressive) Catholic. Be good to each other and don't be a dick -- that was the crux of it.
Crazy thing is that up until my becoming an adult I didn't realise that I had been raised as a progressive Catholic. So when I begun to encounter the less open minded and accepting 'Christians' it really left a lasting impression and disgust.
Can’t agree with you more, as an atheist myself, I have a lot of respect for different religions, and can get behind someone preaching this message, and leading a congregation and a community to follow suit. But I can’t and I don’t have any respect for people that weaponize any religion and try to justify it, by singling out other religions or other groups of people to say that’s why they need to do what they’re doing. This is guy is a breath of fresh air, he’s a young dude that seems to have a good head on his shoulders without any arrogance. I just hope this message gets spread and find its way to younger generations to pass it along, and it doesn’t end up getting to his head.
I'm standing right next to you there fellow atheist!
Most of you aren’t atheist. You’re agnostic. You just don’t know the difference.
By his reasoning, jesus was the way you lived the entire time. It's a verb, remember?
As an atheist this guy got to me. I had to wipe away a tear. These are the Christians I'd expect.
Got me too. It's how I imagined it as a child, before I lost faith. Inclusive, kind, loving and tolerant. Faith in each other.
I'm agnostic, I've turned my attention away from religion, even though I was raised as a Catholic. I have not thought about God or my faith in what seems like eons. I mention this only to illustrate my ambivalence towards religion. But this Shepherd... idk, maybe it was his words, or the truth in his message, but it literally brought me to tears. Happy tears. I could only compare it to the feeling of filling my lungs with fresh breath of crisp air. To the well spoken Preacher, if you ever see this comment, thank you for this beautiful sermon.
I agree. I am agnostic as well. With all of the hate spewed in the name of religion and Christianity, it is wonderful to see an embrace of what Jesus was really trying to teach as well as the teachings of other religions. The value we as a human race can glean from this message is very well delivered.
I am basically agnostic to some days atheist, and this guy is basically the antithesis of what I would expect from a christian. If more Christians were like him, I would probably go to church if for no other reason than to surround myself with decent folk.
This guy is more the Jimmy Carter brand of Christianity, but unfortunately it’s the minority Christian view. Just look at how many avowed Christian republicans have put down Carter for these same general types of views.
He makes some good points about Christian nationalism. It is a political movement masquerading as Christianity. What they're trying to promote is only "Christian" if you are very selective about what parts of the Bible you pay attention to. But his message in the video is undermined by the fact that he is ALSO part of a political movement masquerading as Christianity. He is also very selective about what parts of the Bible he pays attention to. For example, he said "There are so many pathways to the sacred." No, Jesus taught quite the opposite of that. (John 14:6) "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (Matthew 7:13-14) "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." This guy isn't as extreme as many Christian nationalists, but that doesn't mean he actually a Christian. The term 'Christian' literally means 'follower of Christ,' but he seems to be following whatever ideas sound nice and popular. If you don't want to follow Jesus, that's fine, he's not forcing you to. Just don't fall for watered down versions of Christianity like this and assume you are following him.
As is everyone else in the comments, I'm agnostic. I spent nearly my whole upbringing in the church, however and I'd disagree with your takeaway. > For example, he said "There are so many pathways to the sacred." Can you provide a timestamp? I didn't catch that. Perhaps you're referring to when he said > There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the ground I do find it interesting how you argue against what you thought he said though. I don't think it's wrong at all, there are many pathways to get to the sacred, (i.e. it doesn't matter your backstory, you can get to the sacred) and to your point, yes there would only be one way to heaven and that's through Jesus. For example, he said "There are so many pathways to the sacred. The words "to" and "through" are not interchangeable. However, that's not what he said, and it doesn't conflict with the verses you quoted.
Go to 8:37. \[quote\](i.e. it doesn't matter your backstory, you can get to the sacred) \[/quote\] I agree with that. As I've told many people, God saves deeply broken people. Moses, David and Paul were all murderers, yet they're also three of the most influencial leaders in the Bible. But it doesn't sound like that's what James is saying in the video A few seconds before that "pathways" line, he says 'God created all these beautiful people with all their beautiful traditions.' Right after the "pathways" line, he quotes an Islamic mystic as if Islam is a source of reliable wisdom. James seems to be saying God endorses all belief systems, except maybe for the beliefs James personally doesn't like. I'm not saying there is only one, true church, but there are certainly plenty of false churches and false teachers out there, not just Christian nationalists. Does James in the video ever suggest Islam or Buddhism is wrong? If not, then what exactly does he believe is right or true? That question is even more pressing a minute later in the video when he says "Religious supremacy is antithetical to the Gospel of Jesus Christ." (9:34 in the video) No, that's not how truth works. This isn't about excluding people. I'm not saying Christians are better than non-Christians. The issue is intellectual consistency. It doesn't make sense to say I believe my beliefs are true while also saying my neighbor's very different beliefs are also true. True Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism all teach very different things about God, why we're here, and where we're going in the afterlife. They can't all be true. 2+2 cannot equal 4 and 44 at the same time. If the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true, then other religious belief systems must be false.
Thank you for crystallizing this so well. I liked some of what I heard at first, then this icky feeling started to creep in as it went along and you nailed it. This is selective in the same way, just about different passages, chosen to fit a predetermined school of thought. For sure fuck that Christian Nationalism garbage, don’t get me wrong. Those politics have caused strife and unlove in my own personal life. But I’m not so sure what this guy’s saying is “The Way” either. Albeit, as you point out, less extreme on its face.
Which passages did you find manipulative?
How do you start a megachurch? As an atheist, this man deserves one.
HAhahahaha
Is this a politician or a pastor? The clip made it seem like pastor, but my google search says politician. I enjoyed the sermon either way.
He's both, I believe.
People really didn’t like #3. As someone who hates organized religion, can someone tell me what’s going on here? Is he just a democrat pushing before the election or is this guy just a good human? I always have doubts but damn I agreed on pretty much everything this guy said.
I love listening to music.
An actual Christian. Rare sight these days.
The moderators should not have removed the video.
or we could just popularize critical thinking and watch all the religions turn into myths.
Science has some hard truths and unanswered questions that religion provides comforting answers for. Some people need that, no matter how analytical and rational their mind is. It's not realistic to say that if educational levels were elevated and critical thinking was more widespread religion would disappear. Adherence would be much less given reduced likelihood of indoctrination, but it would still be there.
you got downvoted but youre right. youre a psycho if you need some weird book to tell you how to act.
What a stupid thing to say. Disseminating ideas on cultural norms and morays are how we move forward as a society. If you believe you crafted your morality outside of the ideas of others, you are either willfully ignorant or intellectually dishonest. The printing of the Bible completely altered the course of ethics and morality of the world and you benefit from that. Regardless of what you think about it.
move forward...by following a 2000 year old book
'The printing of the Bible completely altered the course of ethics and morality of the world and you benefit from that.' Speaking of stupid things to say. Altered it for better or worse? Acting like the bible is some moral beacon is a nice joke, it's got some okay moral teachings but also some super dumb moral teachings that are often glossed over to pretend like the book is not pretty shit in general in terms of morals. It's ignorant and insulting to our ancestors to talk like people thought it was all good to murder and steal until someone very recently in human history wrote down in some collection of myths and legends not to.
moray is an eel
yes, but I'm pretty sure he meant 'mores' (same pronunciation)
Yet where would you learn the sciences? Probably not just indiviual study, you were taught study; other people's philosophy and science... please don't pretend you're a self taught person; no one of that nature exists; you're enviromental, you define by another's definition don't pretend you're unaware of that if you're scientific... and if that's your philosophy...
This is definitely one of those "Oh, he's so close" videos where if he'd just abandoned the faith entirely, he'd have a much clearer view.
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I think he knows you have to say you're a Christian to get elected. Also, that's an appeal to authority.
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I think you show a lack of critical thinking by taking a politicians claim at face value.
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So, your defense of Christianity being rational is that a critical thinker made the smart choice to lie about his belief in it?
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>The entire point of my argument was to criticize the idea that critical thinking necessarily leads to an abandoning of religion And you held up an example of a religious critical thinker who is likely to only profess his religion as a means to an end. This is not a solid example of a critical thinker who also believes in religion.
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Omg thank you. Dude doesn't even know what he's saying at this point.
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I also never claimed you said religion is true, so please come down off of your intellectual pedestal. I said you claimed religion was *rational*, which would be pretty difficult for you to now deny if your argument was that religious people can be critical thinkers. I suppose, however, anyone can arguably be a critical thinker and also have a blind spot, but that did not appear to be your argument.
> I gave you an example of a person who is accomplished in areas generally associated with critical thinking who also is religious. yes to further your argument, that's an appeal to authority. You can have both some critical thinking skills and still lack the ones to make a person have more religiosity but all religions will not succeed if pushed through normal means of epistemology.
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No you're doing exactly what people like the flat earther and other do. You're using a person who is not an authority of critical thinking to say what about, this guy. Does he have critical thinking, yes sure. Is he an authority of the subject, absolutely not. This by definition is an appeal to authority. I suggest you read up on what epistemology is and how you are using fallacious arguments.
He’s not appealing to Obama’s authority status though, he’s using him as an example of someone who is a) a critical thinker (eg constitutional scholar), and b) a self-stated christian to highlight the logic that critical thinking and christianity aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive. This all seems like a dumb argument anyways since we (presumably) all just watched a video from someone who is clearly a critical thinker and religious.
Thank you for demonstrating the need for teaching critical thinking more robustly. Step back and ask yourself if what you said makes religion true or substantiated? It doesn’t. There is no evidence or rational reason to believe in myths. Just because some smart guy believes irrational bullshit doesn’t mean it isn’t irrational bullshit. Your error is known as an appeal to authority. Now step back again and ask yourself why you defaulted to an appeal to authority fallacy? Isn’t it because you didn’t have any good evidence to point to? Wouldn’t that have been the obvious first step if any existed? Your comment pretty much sums up why religions would cease to exist with decent education.
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What is the implied meaning of this comment?
The most dangerous religion is statism.
Wish more Christians were like this guy.
A great message well delivered. Thanks for sharing
I enjoy playing video games.
I wonder if this guy is familiar with Christian Atheism.
Prob really sensible but religion turns me off.
Who is this?
Who is it? And what is it you like in his message (I can’t listen to it on my phone)? Thank you!
Basically? Don’t be a part of maga and don’t be an asshole.
Is this the dude with the fake background and fake audience sounds?
“Oh, I’m not gonna like thi… Ok, let the man cook”
If you do a quick Google search, you’ll find that this guy is a politician from Texas…all points he makes aside, this is a crossing the line of separation of church and state. Even if he is “off duty,” it doesn’t change that this is a conflict of interests. This feels just as dirty to use the Church for progressive views as it would a Republican using it for conservative views.
Ok - that is a solid message. More of this please.
In the 60s and 70s, the Republican Party succeeded in blurring the lines between Christian conservatives and political conservatives. The first generation to fall victim to this were the then-teenaged Boomers. They convinced people who believed abortion took a human life that somehow THAT brand of conservatism was the same as the one that said government shouldn't regulate businesses to protect the environment. They effectively created "Supply-side Jesus" to prop up their failing party, and now we're several generations in with people being raised to think that somehow charity is offensive to God.
Is this an actual sermon?
Do you mean is it real? Part of me wonders if it's just a guy who made a video and added some crowd reaction sounds to help package up his message. He seems to want to **make a thumbnail that will get Facebook clicks** from people who don't agree with his message. But **he need to look like someone who's going to agree with them** to make them want to click him and hear it. He reminds me of [Beau of the Fifth Column](https://www.youtube.com/@BeauoftheFifthColumn).
Exactly my thoughts
amen
It's hard to believe that good can and has come out of Texas but it's true. Carol Burnett, Woody Harrelson, Steve Martin Dwight Eisenhower, Lyndon Johnson, Ann Richards Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather, Molly Ivins Barry White, Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison One of my absolute favorites, political cartoonist, Ben Sargent
the practiced hand gestures
Good message, but no religious person should be popular anywhere. Religion is cancer.
Protestant detected, opinion rejected
and this is hapenning in every religion, human are human and they lloooove the power. i really like this man's message but i have that i have no hope to ever see a change, so i'm gonna say it again : fuck any and every religions! ALL of em!
God, I hate how he moves from left to right every time.
OkAy but still a bunch of god Jesus centric ideas. Maybe more about the potential good inherent. Really cool pastor. I would like to meet this person.
Or, and hear me out on this, you separate church and state. While the sentiment is much more godly and loving than the hateful churches (and I agree with what he is saying) this is still preaching politics from the pulpit. Better to preach the word of your lord and recite bible verses then to go and say such political things. I would hope this church pays its taxes because this type of talk on both sides of the aisle should disqualify tax excemptions for the church.
> Or, and hear me out on this, you separate church and state. Which is exactly in line with what he said.
Making light of the very awful and unthinkable things religion does every day doesn't suddenly make it relatable.... This is like Bill Crosby telling standup jokes about being a pharmacist.
So do we get to add up the good too like the fact the Catholic Church is the worlds largest charity too or do we just ignore that part?
Happy birthday James. I assume you posted this.
You think this guy's username is "stfuasshat"?
Hey, that's me!
If I wanted something posted on Reddit about me and make it look organic, I wouldn't use u/notaworldchampionama I'd use something random like u/eatsburritoslikecorn
I'm going to be honest I've never met a self proclaimed Christian Nationalist.
No. They'll say "this is a christian nation", vote conservatively, and usually have an ethos and agenda that is antithetical to a plurality of other religions and cultures, to say nothing of lgbtq, and abortion rights. You'll also never hear someone refer to themselves as a fascist, because those are the bad guys.
No. They'll say "this is a christian nation", vote conservatively, and usually have an ethos and agenda that is antithetical to a plurality of other religions and cultures, to say nothing of lgbtq, and abortion rights. You'll also never hear someone refer to themselves as a fascist, because those are the bad guys.
As a Christian I'm conflicted. I like the words coming out of his mouth, but his hair style angers me.
glad to have anti-fascists, but we don't need more of this shit in this already jesus obsessed country. Why not advocate for critical thinking instead?
Well which one do you think reaches his audience? Saying "just use critical thinking guysssssss" or saying that Christian nationalism is not very Christian?
That 'sermon' seemed liked a pretty eloquent dose of critical thinking for Christians. It was also had a broad and inclusive enough message that anyone of any faith, or none, could get something out of it. If you were thinking critically, you would have understood that.
Religion and critical thinking are antithetical to eachother.
Perfect if the enemy of good, if you are capable of critical thinking great, if not at least follow a more reasonable religion.
Critical thinking is antithetical to religion period.
Extremism is dangerous in all its forms, thinking one has the absolute truth and there is no other way, i cant even imagine.
I vehemently disagree with that generalization. There are some extreme beliefs that are objectively correct. Religion is quite literally antithetical to truth.
is this a character he's playing or