The Atheist Experience 28.09 with JMike and Jim Barrows
Show notes upon receipt
Atheist Community of Austin
enMarch 04, 2024
On this page
The Atheist Experience 27.49 12-10-2023 with Johnny P Angel and Forrest Valkai
enDecember 11, 2023
About this Episode
In todayâs episode of the Atheist Experience, Forest Valkai and Johnny P. Angel works through issues of Genesis, Unicorns, suffering, reproduction and babies hating god.
Ray in WV says that asks if the hosts believe we evolved from higher apes He then states that god is sovereign and every human hates god when they are born. The scientific argument is not if evolution happened, but how and why. Why do you think there is a god? How does a baby know there is a god to hate? How can one hate something when they donât believe it exists? How do you know that god exists? We feel the same way about Yahweh as we do other mythological villains and fictional antagonists. Our explanations for how the universe came about are based on evidence. How much time have you spent talking with people who donât already agree with what you think? Being a Christian does not give you the ability to have a monopoly on goodness.
Camden in NC asks if the innate response of evolutionary reproduction compliments what god says in the bible. Reproduction is one way that we classify what is and is not alive. If something did not reproduce, we would not know about it and evolution is the logical outcome of reproduction. We did not suddenly jump from a worm with no eyes to a human with eyes. Once the earth cooled from this fiery hello, life appeared relatively quick, and this can show that it is possible for life to arise without needing a cause. There are certain biological constants throughout history that have been developed through evolution and can be seen in many cultures.
Andrew in FL says religion gives meaning to suffering and that atheism makes suffering meaningless. Atheism does not have the narrative that religion does, however humanism helps reduce unnecessary suffering. What is the issue with not seeing the meaning to human suffering or existence? Religion has been used by powerful groups to convince us that we should just accept that suffering has a greater purpose. What do you think about rooting out the causes of suffering and fixing it? The current work structure is not a call from god, it is a call from capitalism. If you did not believe in a god, and you believed this is the only life you have, what would you do for your life, family, and career?
CJ in KS references a previous call where he had evidence for Eve's creation from Adamâs rib and is calling to develop the conversation. He explains that the water mentioned in Genesis is a manifestation of Jesus. The writers of Genesis did not know there would be writers of John. The people who wrote the Bible had access to earlier writings, not the other way around. The later writing does not prove the book is true, but rather develops the theme. Why do you believe the Bible is not just a literary book? How is sin anything that causes death? What about children who die from SIDS? Do you believe in a literal hell?
Thank you for tuning in! Question of the week: What is an inappropriate thing to say or do at a holiday party?
Ray in WV says that asks if the hosts believe we evolved from higher apes He then states that god is sovereign and every human hates god when they are born. The scientific argument is not if evolution happened, but how and why. Why do you think there is a god? How does a baby know there is a god to hate? How can one hate something when they donât believe it exists? How do you know that god exists? We feel the same way about Yahweh as we do other mythological villains and fictional antagonists. Our explanations for how the universe came about are based on evidence. How much time have you spent talking with people who donât already agree with what you think? Being a Christian does not give you the ability to have a monopoly on goodness.
Camden in NC asks if the innate response of evolutionary reproduction compliments what god says in the bible. Reproduction is one way that we classify what is and is not alive. If something did not reproduce, we would not know about it and evolution is the logical outcome of reproduction. We did not suddenly jump from a worm with no eyes to a human with eyes. Once the earth cooled from this fiery hello, life appeared relatively quick, and this can show that it is possible for life to arise without needing a cause. There are certain biological constants throughout history that have been developed through evolution and can be seen in many cultures.
Andrew in FL says religion gives meaning to suffering and that atheism makes suffering meaningless. Atheism does not have the narrative that religion does, however humanism helps reduce unnecessary suffering. What is the issue with not seeing the meaning to human suffering or existence? Religion has been used by powerful groups to convince us that we should just accept that suffering has a greater purpose. What do you think about rooting out the causes of suffering and fixing it? The current work structure is not a call from god, it is a call from capitalism. If you did not believe in a god, and you believed this is the only life you have, what would you do for your life, family, and career?
CJ in KS references a previous call where he had evidence for Eve's creation from Adamâs rib and is calling to develop the conversation. He explains that the water mentioned in Genesis is a manifestation of Jesus. The writers of Genesis did not know there would be writers of John. The people who wrote the Bible had access to earlier writings, not the other way around. The later writing does not prove the book is true, but rather develops the theme. Why do you believe the Bible is not just a literary book? How is sin anything that causes death? What about children who die from SIDS? Do you believe in a literal hell?
Thank you for tuning in! Question of the week: What is an inappropriate thing to say or do at a holiday party?
Recent Episodes from Atheist Community of Austin
The Atheist Experience 28.08 with Secular Rarity and Jmike
In todayâs episode of the Atheist Experience, Secular Rarity and JMike float above their bodies as they look at the chat in order to prove they exist as an all knowing god does illogical things with free will.
Jeff, with no location disclosed, believes in Jesus because he experienced floating above his body right before someone took him to church. Why does this give you creedence to believe? How do we justify this content in your head? What does âdemonstrated by loveâ mean? Asking questions does not mean we are disrespecting you, it just means we want to understand the methodology used to arrive at your beliefs.
George in TX asks the hosts if they can see the chat. And then he just left with a classic troll mic drop of running away.
Ali in VA asks the hosts if they can prove that they themselves exist. Available views can be compared to demonstrate how we exist and views that have less explanatory power lose out on justification abilities. Of the two following questions, which will have more justifications in the answers? âWhy am I seeing a tree rather than anything else?â Or âWhy am I seeing a tree rather than not a tree?â If you received words from Allah directly, would you accept that is Allah speaking?
Abe in NJ asks the hosts about god being all knowing and having free will at the same time. It feels like these ideas clash with each other hard. An open theist might say that knowing the future is not a propositional attitude. This contradiction can reveal some theological and scriptural concerns.
Thank you for tuning in today everyone! Question of the day is: Name a time that god had not chills. Put your answer in the comment section.
Jeff, with no location disclosed, believes in Jesus because he experienced floating above his body right before someone took him to church. Why does this give you creedence to believe? How do we justify this content in your head? What does âdemonstrated by loveâ mean? Asking questions does not mean we are disrespecting you, it just means we want to understand the methodology used to arrive at your beliefs.
George in TX asks the hosts if they can see the chat. And then he just left with a classic troll mic drop of running away.
Ali in VA asks the hosts if they can prove that they themselves exist. Available views can be compared to demonstrate how we exist and views that have less explanatory power lose out on justification abilities. Of the two following questions, which will have more justifications in the answers? âWhy am I seeing a tree rather than anything else?â Or âWhy am I seeing a tree rather than not a tree?â If you received words from Allah directly, would you accept that is Allah speaking?
Abe in NJ asks the hosts about god being all knowing and having free will at the same time. It feels like these ideas clash with each other hard. An open theist might say that knowing the future is not a propositional attitude. This contradiction can reveal some theological and scriptural concerns.
Thank you for tuning in today everyone! Question of the day is: Name a time that god had not chills. Put your answer in the comment section.
Atheist Community of Austin
enFebruary 26, 2024
The Atheist Experience 28.07 with Forrest Valkai, Armin Navabi and Seth Andrews
In todayâs episode of the Atheist Experience, Forrest Valkai, Armin Navabi, and Seth Andrews sort through information that causes design as they dodge spiders with wings because Jesus just was not an apocalyptic creature.
Adam in England wants to talk about the relationship between information and design where the information needs a mind to exist and therefore the mind must be god. How is this different from the argument that says DNA is so perfect we must need a designer? Why do people have different understandings of words like âmindâ and âfreewillâ? Where do we draw the line for what has a mind? Being too inclusive with how these words are defined cause them to lose their utility. What is one example of something that was chosen by god to be the way it is? Why add dead weight to the universe to try and explain it?
RJ in CO asks why spiders have not developed wings if evolution is real? If you are such a hard worker, why are you not blowing glass yet? Spiders have some terrifying ways of traveling through the air and there is just no reason to develop wings, just like not having a reason to blow glass. What are the benefits and cons of spiders having wings? Why would the wing mutations have any advantage over what spiders are now? Why would god create a spider to cause its prey to die so horribly? If your god is real, he is evil. Why would god punish a child that he designed for things a child does not understand?
Mikael in GA asks why atheists feel that Jesus is an apocalyptic preacher, when he presented himself as a peaceful Messiah. Why canât Jesus be both? How do you reconcile the verses that suggest the second coming would happen within the lifetime of his followers? Was it right or wrong for god to forcibly impregnate a young girl?
Thank you for tuning in this week! Question of the week is: It is a bad idea to (blank) at church.
Adam in England wants to talk about the relationship between information and design where the information needs a mind to exist and therefore the mind must be god. How is this different from the argument that says DNA is so perfect we must need a designer? Why do people have different understandings of words like âmindâ and âfreewillâ? Where do we draw the line for what has a mind? Being too inclusive with how these words are defined cause them to lose their utility. What is one example of something that was chosen by god to be the way it is? Why add dead weight to the universe to try and explain it?
RJ in CO asks why spiders have not developed wings if evolution is real? If you are such a hard worker, why are you not blowing glass yet? Spiders have some terrifying ways of traveling through the air and there is just no reason to develop wings, just like not having a reason to blow glass. What are the benefits and cons of spiders having wings? Why would the wing mutations have any advantage over what spiders are now? Why would god create a spider to cause its prey to die so horribly? If your god is real, he is evil. Why would god punish a child that he designed for things a child does not understand?
Mikael in GA asks why atheists feel that Jesus is an apocalyptic preacher, when he presented himself as a peaceful Messiah. Why canât Jesus be both? How do you reconcile the verses that suggest the second coming would happen within the lifetime of his followers? Was it right or wrong for god to forcibly impregnate a young girl?
Thank you for tuning in this week! Question of the week is: It is a bad idea to (blank) at church.
Atheist Community of Austin
enFebruary 19, 2024
The Atheist Experience 28.06 with JMike and Jim Barrows
The Atheist Experience 28.05 with Secular Rarity and Jim Barrows
In todayâs episode of the Atheist Experience, Secular Rarity and Jim Barrows walk callers through logical fallacies, getting out of faith mindsets, and ways to learn more about evolution.
Luke in AZ states that the existence of god is a rational necessity because everything will be meaningless if god doesn't exist. Why does some godâs opinion of what is meaningful have anything to do with anyone elseâs? Lack of knowing what is behind everything does not mean there is a god and shows the fallacy of incredulity. Do you accept this same reasoning for anything else in the world?
Art in PA regards god as the ultimate ground of existence. How do you define the âultimate ground of existenceâ? Does existence have to exist and is pure philosophical nothing possible? If there was a number other than 17 frequencies to use, what does this do for your concept of god? What do we care about what theology says about science? If your god is the same as âexistenceâ, how does calling âexistenceâ god not lead to problems? What is the difference between Spinozaâs god and a hurricane?
Jack in MD argues that the universe was created because it needs an uncaused cause, and free will is the only uncaused cause. We have not been able to rule out all the potential causes so therefore this is an argument from incredulity. What is an example of free will existing without a brain and how do you get to this being an uncaused cause? Does someone with a traumatic head injury that has lost their ability to eat have free will? We do not need to assume free will to make progress, but we do need to assume logic. Patrick in SC would like to know how to get out of a faith mindset. You ask yourself how you know things and why you think they are true. This is not done overnight but is constant because we are always learning new things. Ask yourself if you could get to any conclusion using the same method you use to get to god.
Olivia in NJ asks if god was created to cope with the uncertainty of death and to explain what we donât know. We need to make sure we are not presenting this as if the first believers were doing this maliciously. Humans like telling stories and we need to assign agency to random events.
Adam in TX is looking for hardcore evidence for evolution. Start by defining what evolution is, and then must prove that either genes donât exist, or must prove their frequency does not change over time. Watch the science journals for all the ways that evolution happens. Check out the content by Erika Gutsick Gibbon and Forrest Valkai for helpful information. You can also check out Crash Course for bit size chunks that will help broaden your understanding.
Denny in MI went through conversion therapy that did not work and is considering telling his parents who he really is. Your safety and security needs to be weighed along with how hurtful it may be to your parents. Contact Recovering From Religion for help with ideas on how to deal with this.
Thank you for tuning in folks! Question of the week is: What is an example of godâs sense of humor?
Luke in AZ states that the existence of god is a rational necessity because everything will be meaningless if god doesn't exist. Why does some godâs opinion of what is meaningful have anything to do with anyone elseâs? Lack of knowing what is behind everything does not mean there is a god and shows the fallacy of incredulity. Do you accept this same reasoning for anything else in the world?
Art in PA regards god as the ultimate ground of existence. How do you define the âultimate ground of existenceâ? Does existence have to exist and is pure philosophical nothing possible? If there was a number other than 17 frequencies to use, what does this do for your concept of god? What do we care about what theology says about science? If your god is the same as âexistenceâ, how does calling âexistenceâ god not lead to problems? What is the difference between Spinozaâs god and a hurricane?
Jack in MD argues that the universe was created because it needs an uncaused cause, and free will is the only uncaused cause. We have not been able to rule out all the potential causes so therefore this is an argument from incredulity. What is an example of free will existing without a brain and how do you get to this being an uncaused cause? Does someone with a traumatic head injury that has lost their ability to eat have free will? We do not need to assume free will to make progress, but we do need to assume logic. Patrick in SC would like to know how to get out of a faith mindset. You ask yourself how you know things and why you think they are true. This is not done overnight but is constant because we are always learning new things. Ask yourself if you could get to any conclusion using the same method you use to get to god.
Olivia in NJ asks if god was created to cope with the uncertainty of death and to explain what we donât know. We need to make sure we are not presenting this as if the first believers were doing this maliciously. Humans like telling stories and we need to assign agency to random events.
Adam in TX is looking for hardcore evidence for evolution. Start by defining what evolution is, and then must prove that either genes donât exist, or must prove their frequency does not change over time. Watch the science journals for all the ways that evolution happens. Check out the content by Erika Gutsick Gibbon and Forrest Valkai for helpful information. You can also check out Crash Course for bit size chunks that will help broaden your understanding.
Denny in MI went through conversion therapy that did not work and is considering telling his parents who he really is. Your safety and security needs to be weighed along with how hurtful it may be to your parents. Contact Recovering From Religion for help with ideas on how to deal with this.
Thank you for tuning in folks! Question of the week is: What is an example of godâs sense of humor?
The Atheist Experience 28.04 with JMike and Jim Barrows
In todayâs episode of the Atheist Experience, Jim Barrows and JMike find Jewish atheist communities to help not trust their brains for the truth while they travel into the past to discover that oral traditions are partly the root of religions and to finally confirm that gravity is real.
Chuck in HI is that humans are here to provide a dwelling place for Jehova and gravity is not real. If he is omnipotent, why canât he provide his own dwelling place? How would he be omnipotent if he does not know who he is dwelling in? Where do you get your god claim if we do not have the sensors to detect him and you do not have evidence? Whining about things that fly in the face of science does not meet the criteria to make them true. Try and bring your A game next time.
Richard in NY is looking for a community of Jewish atheists. Jim points out that both Judaism and Islam are as much a culture as they are a religion and how people have a hard time accepting that. Mike mentions that it is not that weird to grow up never thinking about god. There are many social media platforms available, and if you donât find what you need, you can create one.
Katelyn in WA asks why we should trust our brains for truth when the basis is to survive. Jim explains how we know that our thinking is faulty with the pattern recognition leading to cognitive bias. This and the need to reason better is why we developed science. We build machines that do better things than we do and see that godâs design is flawed. We are most fascinated about why you believe in a god; what is the reason? Why does god not stop suffering or allow us to survive off just sunlight? Why does god not have the ability to make a world where people do not choose evil? Would the most important message in the world be shrouded with ambiguity?
Colin in the USA wonders if the religions made laws because they were easier to remember as stories through oral traditions prior to the written word. We like tales and stories, but this is not the only reason why religions made laws.
Thank you for tuning in this week! Question of the week is: Name one of godâs unpopular opinions.
Chuck in HI is that humans are here to provide a dwelling place for Jehova and gravity is not real. If he is omnipotent, why canât he provide his own dwelling place? How would he be omnipotent if he does not know who he is dwelling in? Where do you get your god claim if we do not have the sensors to detect him and you do not have evidence? Whining about things that fly in the face of science does not meet the criteria to make them true. Try and bring your A game next time.
Richard in NY is looking for a community of Jewish atheists. Jim points out that both Judaism and Islam are as much a culture as they are a religion and how people have a hard time accepting that. Mike mentions that it is not that weird to grow up never thinking about god. There are many social media platforms available, and if you donât find what you need, you can create one.
Katelyn in WA asks why we should trust our brains for truth when the basis is to survive. Jim explains how we know that our thinking is faulty with the pattern recognition leading to cognitive bias. This and the need to reason better is why we developed science. We build machines that do better things than we do and see that godâs design is flawed. We are most fascinated about why you believe in a god; what is the reason? Why does god not stop suffering or allow us to survive off just sunlight? Why does god not have the ability to make a world where people do not choose evil? Would the most important message in the world be shrouded with ambiguity?
Colin in the USA wonders if the religions made laws because they were easier to remember as stories through oral traditions prior to the written word. We like tales and stories, but this is not the only reason why religions made laws.
Thank you for tuning in this week! Question of the week is: Name one of godâs unpopular opinions.
Atheist Community of Austin
enJanuary 29, 2024
The Atheist Experience 28.03 with Secular Rarity and Armin Navabi
Show notes upon receipt
The Atheist Experience 28.02 with Johnny P Angel and JMike
Show notes upon receipt
Atheist Community of Austin
enJanuary 15, 2024
The Atheist Experience 28.01 with Forrest Valkai and Armin Navabi
Show notes upon receipt
Atheist Community of Austin
enJanuary 08, 2024
We Asked; You Answered
Happy New Year from The Atheist Community of Austin! This year we began a new segment called âShare Your Experience,â or as we generically referred to as âquestion of the week.â This segment is only as good as the comments we get to respond to, and you, the viewers, really rose to the challenge!
Here is a compilation of our ten favorite questions and answers.
Here is a compilation of our ten favorite questions and answers.
Atheist Community of Austin
enJanuary 01, 2024