has anyone watched this conversion story on youtube?
Hello AoD.
Sounds (and looks) like any other charismatic preacher I have heard, though he does not shout I admit.
Offers a very persuasive argument with many good points - except that theists are into desth-and-violence as much as atheists, some morse so at the moment. As a humanist I also feel the need for peace and charity for all, but doubt that it will come via the mindless acceptance of the supernatural.
Be interesting to see if Aggie will got off her trolling trolley and respond to your post.
I only watched a few minutes of this. At this point that's all I'm going to watch as I assume the OP is possibly a troll and so I'm not going to invest 35 minutes of my atheist life to watch the entire thing.
However. He asks us in the beginning of the video to imagine living in a world underground, with just enough available light to read the signs...a dark and cold world, the only world that exists to those folks living there.
Suddenly a stranger appears and says, "I've just come from the world above where there is an entire, amazing world. Don't you folks realize you are living underground, in a tomb?
And they laugh and respond to the stranger, "Go back to your world of Flying Spaghetti Monsters up there, as we understand our world down here just fine and really like our world down here'.
And so they sink even deeper into their tomb.
Except little Bruno looks at the stranger and says, "You're not a Catholic Priest are you Sir"? "Why no", say's the stranger, "I am not".
"Good", says little Bruno, "Then I feel safe to accompany you up those stairs to see and marvel at this world you have described".
And so little Bruno accompanies the stranger up the stairs and sees with his own eyes this living, above ground world full of wonder just as the man describes, and that's it...end of story. Little Bruno grows up, becomes a famous musician and marries Salma Hayek.
Do you see the difference between this tale, and one of heaven and hell he is inferring too?...please whomever posted this, if you too are not a Catholic Priest, an Evangelical Minister, or an Ex-Judge running for the Senate in Alabama. I will accompany you to either world to see first hand not only heaven or hell, but even God, Jesus and/or the Holy Spirit.
But that won't happen will it. No proof at all. Nothing.
The End.
Quote from: AngelOfDeath on November 29, 2017, 07:14:47 AM
has anyone watched this conversion story on youtube? "Why I Am a Christian (David Wood, Former Atheist's Testimony)"
very bizarre.
Hello,
AngelOfDeath.
No, I hadn't watched that before, nor had I heard of David Wood before. I did some reading up about him before watching it, and my unfavorable impression of him wasn't helped by watching the video. What in particular do you find bizarre about it? Prison conversions aren't an unusual phenomenon and I don't find his story outstanding, but maybe you have an insight that I've failed to achieve.
Ok, I understand not wanting to invest over a half hour in such a thing
AngelOfDeath. Hi. :wave hi:
Could you tell us a little bit about yourself, please? If you don't want to, that's fine.
Oh, I didn't realize earlier that this was that "David Wood"...well that "David Wood" can suck my balls , and fuck right the hell off!
I live in Dearborn, and we had a run in with this dick-wad and his "Acts 17 Apologetics Ministry" some years ago. (The whole lot can suck my balls, and fuck right the hell off for all I'm concerned)
These fuck-wads came to our yearly, peaceful Arab Festival held within our city. Carrying signs and wearing shirts with messages that included: "Turn or Burn" and "Jesus Is the Way", "The Truth and the Life" and "All Others Are Thieves and Robbers."
They then stood with a pig's head on a pike (Muslims do not eat pork) and yelled out ethnic slurs to the attendees, including calling the Prophet Mohammed a "liar, false prophet, murderer, child molesting pervert".
This is a family festival, I repeat a family festival held within a very diverse city and area with people from all walks of life enjoying good food, and each other's company...even I as an atheist would not behave in such a way towards my neighbors, and my friends whether they are Muslims or not.
A group, mostly children, threw things at these fuck-wads until the police escorted them off the premises.
The fuck-wads sued, won a monetary award from the city (Us Taxpayers); plus an apology from the city government.
Since then the Festival has been cancelled.
I have absolutely no fucking use for people like this. None. Zero.
So, aside from being a dishonest sociopathic asshole, pretty much a normal evangelical Christian, then. :bleh: :sad sigh:
I just watched (listened) to the whole thing, and his ilk wearies and infuriates me.
How many men have I listened to, with fantastic stories of how horrible and messed up they were before Jesus, and then how Jesus changed them. It's a miracle!
Nah, it's bullshit. This guy looks like a psychopath of the highest order, and I wouldn't want to spend any time in his presence, because those miracles that Jesus works on personalities? Yeah, those don't last. A person almost always reverts, even if only temporarily.
His stories also don't line up very nicely. He says his dad was the only family member within 200 miles, but then he says he would watch his mom get beat by her boyfriend. Ok, maybe.
He says he choked his friend until bloody saliva came out of his mouth, but he also hit him with a shovel. Mm, maybe.
I would NOT want this fella representing my belief system.
Thanks to you and several nice others here for the hello/welcome.
AOD, as a relatively young person you still have much to learn. Do some reading about the birth of religion and its causes and effects, the history of the bible, the emergence of the Islamic faith, of Budhism, and go back in time to ancient China where Confusiusism was practiced without benefit of a God. The yin and yang . Read he story of Jesus as told from an historic perspective, not a theological or hard shell Baptist one. . If you are an intelligent individual, you might begin to take an entirely different view toward reality. .....We do not live in a subway tunnel. We see sunlight, we can see the stars at night, we are seekers of the truth.
Some things said concern me about how genuine this this.
Quote from: AngelOfDeath on December 01, 2017, 04:41:20 AMI find the ideology and thought processes of living as a secular agnostic/atheist to just be really grim and cold and a dead end lately, and that's the way I've lived for a long time.
What does that even mean? Atheism is just not believing in a god or gods, so of course if that's all you are, that's going to be a dead end. What was said there is something that a lot of faux atheists say when they're want to try to pull a conversion show. When you meet real atheists, most are perfectly happy people that wouldn't even identify as an atheist if it weren't for the overbearing religions.
Quote from: AngelOfDeathToo many people truly do have a nature for evil, and in this modern world we a constantly bombarded with the filth and degeneracy that is popular culture.
Huh. This is old man talk. This is the one thing that is constant throughout the ages, everyone seems to think that the era before them was great, the current one has its problems, and the one after them is filthy and degenerate. I think it has more to do with impotent investigations of all the eras than it is something to be trusted.
Quote from: AngelOfDeathI'm probably a cynical as anyone here about religion and organized religion, but we'll see what comes of it, even if it's not a "transformation" into a practicing Xtian.
And this just seems to support my earlier suspicions. Is this going to be some kind of shitty play that is going to be acted out for us?
"Oh, woe is me. I feel so sad as an atheist, because life is so bleak. But alas, on yonder horizon there is a light, the light of a religion to save me from my self inflicted emotional mutilations. Though I am totally not a Christian, I seem to find something inside it. Don't worry fellow atheists *wink*, I would never suggest following a silly old and mean religion, but maybe just tip your toe into thinking that maybe there is something to this whole belief in a god thing."
-- Two months later --
"It has been one wild ride, but I'm going to have to admit that I'm no longer an atheist. I still don't like religion, but but there is something in this believing in things without evidence. Did that convince any of you other "fellow atheists" *wink*"?
I mean, I hope that's not the case, but it's looking like all the other times someone tried it.
Maybe I'm just being paranoid.
Quote from: Davin on December 01, 2017, 03:25:21 PM
Some things said concern me about how genuine this this.
Quote from: AngelOfDeath on December 01, 2017, 04:41:20 AMI find the ideology and thought processes of living as a secular agnostic/atheist to just be really grim and cold and a dead end lately, and that's the way I've lived for a long time.
What does that even mean? Atheism is just not believing in a god or gods, so of course if that's all you are, that's going to be a dead end. What was said there is something that a lot of faux atheists say when they're want to try to pull a conversion show. When you meet real atheists, most are perfectly happy people that wouldn't even identify as an atheist if it weren't for the overbearing religions.
Quote from: AngelOfDeathToo many people truly do have a nature for evil, and in this modern world we a constantly bombarded with the filth and degeneracy that is popular culture.
Huh. This is old man talk. This is the one thing that is constant throughout the ages, everyone seems to think that the era before them was great, the current one has its problems, and the one after them is filthy and degenerate. I think it has more to do with impotent investigations of all the eras than it is something to be trusted.
Quote from: AngelOfDeathI'm probably a cynical as anyone here about religion and organized religion, but we'll see what comes of it, even if it's not a "transformation" into a practicing Xtian.
And this just seems to support my earlier suspicions. Is this going to be some kind of shitty play that is going to be acted out for us?
"Oh, woe is me. I feel so sad as an atheist, because life is so bleak. But alas, on yonder horizon there is a light, the light of a religion to save me from my self inflicted emotional mutilations. Though I am totally not a Christian, I seem to find something inside it. Don't worry fellow atheists *wink*, I would never suggest following a silly old and mean religion, but maybe just tip your toe into thinking that maybe there is something to this whole belief in a god thing."
-- Two months later --
"It has been one wild ride, but I'm going to have to admit that I'm no longer an atheist. I still don't like religion, but but there is something in this believing in things without evidence. Did that convince any of you other "fellow atheists" *wink*"?
I mean, I hope that's not the case, but it's looking like all the other times someone tried it.
Maybe I'm just being paranoid.
Well said, Davin. I hope I'm wrong, but I think I smell another cryptomissionary.
Quote from: hermes2015 on December 01, 2017, 03:32:04 PM
Quote from: Davin on December 01, 2017, 03:25:21 PM
Some things said concern me about how genuine this this.
Quote from: AngelOfDeath on December 01, 2017, 04:41:20 AMI find the ideology and thought processes of living as a secular agnostic/atheist to just be really grim and cold and a dead end lately, and that's the way I've lived for a long time.
What does that even mean? Atheism is just not believing in a god or gods, so of course if that's all you are, that's going to be a dead end. What was said there is something that a lot of faux atheists say when they're want to try to pull a conversion show. When you meet real atheists, most are perfectly happy people that wouldn't even identify as an atheist if it weren't for the overbearing religions.
Quote from: AngelOfDeathToo many people truly do have a nature for evil, and in this modern world we a constantly bombarded with the filth and degeneracy that is popular culture.
Huh. This is old man talk. This is the one thing that is constant throughout the ages, everyone seems to think that the era before them was great, the current one has its problems, and the one after them is filthy and degenerate. I think it has more to do with impotent investigations of all the eras than it is something to be trusted.
Quote from: AngelOfDeathI'm probably a cynical as anyone here about religion and organized religion, but we'll see what comes of it, even if it's not a "transformation" into a practicing Xtian.
And this just seems to support my earlier suspicions. Is this going to be some kind of shitty play that is going to be acted out for us?
"Oh, woe is me. I feel so sad as an atheist, because life is so bleak. But alas, on yonder horizon there is a light, the light of a religion to save me from my self inflicted emotional mutilations. Though I am totally not a Christian, I seem to find something inside it. Don't worry fellow atheists *wink*, I would never suggest following a silly old and mean religion, but maybe just tip your toe into thinking that maybe there is something to this whole belief in a god thing."
-- Two months later --
"It has been one wild ride, but I'm going to have to admit that I'm no longer an atheist. I still don't like religion, but but there is something in this believing in things without evidence. Did that convince any of you other "fellow atheists" *wink*"?
I mean, I hope that's not the case, but it's looking like all the other times someone tried it.
Maybe I'm just being paranoid.
Well said, Davin. I hope I'm wrong, but I think I smell another cryptomissionary.
I don't know. I will give him a chance. Maybe he's just confused and we might be able to convince him that it is possible to be happy without religion.
I don't think with a name like
Angel Of Death he is gonna spread cheer and convince us to follow his god. :notsure: He did offer to send
SisterAgatha a demon to her/his house...I'm sure he was just joking, but then again, with religious people you never know.
I've already been for basically all my life
No, I'm not that sly as to pull something like that.
Quote from: AngelOfDeath on December 02, 2017, 05:48:28 AM
...Plus, Cats&books actually warned me it's against the rules to summon demons on other members...
:lol:
Quote from: Magdalena on December 02, 2017, 06:16:05 AM
Quote from: AngelOfDeath on December 02, 2017, 05:48:28 AM
...Plus, Cats&books actually warned me it's against the rules to summon demons on other members...
:lol:
WTF?!
Since when?
Quote from: Father Bruno on December 02, 2017, 02:31:17 PM
Quote from: Magdalena on December 02, 2017, 06:16:05 AM
Quote from: AngelOfDeath on December 02, 2017, 05:48:28 AM
...Plus, Cats&books actually warned me it's against the rules to summon demons on other members...
:lol:
WTF?!
Since when?
The reasoning is that it would not be OK for a theist here to threaten a particular atheist member with hell (generic 'atheists are hellbound' comments are borderline and do count as part of a cumulative diagnosis of preaching), therefore threatening a particular theist with demons isn't cool either.
Quote from: Recusant on December 02, 2017, 03:54:30 PM
Quote from: Father Bruno on December 02, 2017, 02:31:17 PM
Quote from: Magdalena on December 02, 2017, 06:16:05 AM
Quote from: AngelOfDeath on December 02, 2017, 05:48:28 AM
...Plus, Cats&books actually warned me it's against the rules to summon demons on other members...
:lol:
WTF?!
Since when?
The reasoning is that it would not be OK for a theist here to threaten a particular atheist member with hell (generic 'atheists are hellbound' comments are borderline and do count as part of a cumulative diagnosis of preaching), therefore threatening a particular theist with demons isn't cool either.
Thanks Recusant, I was only being a bit facetious...wasn't really questioning the rule, and I do agree with it and even understand the reason behind it.
I do find it kind of funny. The fact that someone can't threaten a member here with eternal torture and damnation to an imaginary place, and we can't in turn threaten them with being bothered by an imaginary super-being
8)