The new Ruben? Except for the wedding ring on his hand, Christopher fits a very definite archetype: his videos (all with opus numbers) range from support of the standard alt-right darlings to videos about "charisma" and "how to get laid." But he also has a thing about atheism: he's fervently anti-atheism, though he seems apathetic about his own religion, and he thinks he has us all figured out. Today we're looking at a video in which he deigns to give us advice, as well as taking brief forays into a couple other videos (including one in which he pre-emptively calls makers of response videos "two faced rats"). We'll address what he has to say, and we'll just kinda hope he's not the next Elliot Rodger.
WARNING: Loud noise at 7:25. (Don't worry it's just Charles Laughton.)
0:00 Opus Numbers 0:58 Hence 1:43 What's Wrong, McFly? 4:38 Independent Christians 6:38 Off the Rails 8:02 Interlude: No Wheel, No Shirt 9:56 A Clear Definition of Atheism 10:38 An Unclear Definiton of Gods 13:04 A Classic Distinction 16:16 I Don't Even Know Where His Office Is 17:45 A Bully and a Coward 19:31 Radical Epistemological Skepticism? 21:19 One Piece of Advice 21:51 Coda: Backpfeifengesicht
The new Ruben? Except for the wedding ring on his hand, Christopher fits a very definite archetype: his videos (all with opus numbers) range from support of the standard alt-right darlings to videos about "charisma" and "how to get laid." But he also has a thing about atheism: he's fervently anti-atheism, though he seems apathetic about his own religion, and he thinks he has us all figured out. Today we're looking at a video in which he deigns to give us advice, as well as taking brief forays into a couple other videos (including one in which he pre-emptively calls makers of response videos "two faced rats"). We'll address what he has to say, and we'll just kinda hope he's not the next Elliot Rodger.
WARNING: Loud noise at 7:25. (Don't worry it's just Charles Laughton.)
0:00 Opus Numbers 0:58 Hence 1:43 What's Wrong, McFly? 4:38 Independent Christians 6:38 Off the Rails 8:02 Interlude: No Wheel, No Shirt 9:56 A Clear Definition of Atheism 10:38 An Unclear Definiton of Gods 13:04 A Classic Distinction 16:16 I Don't Even Know Where His Office Is 17:45 A Bully and a Coward 19:31 Radical Epistemological Skepticism? 21:19 One Piece of Advice 21:51 Coda: BackpfeifengesichtEric the Evangelist (Response to Eric Manjarrez)David John Wellman2022-12-04 | Support DJW on Patreon: patreon.com/davidjohnwellman
Eric Manjarrez is a social media evangelist of the Gabe Poirot variety (with, perhaps, a bit less caffeine in his system). He's very proud of his quote-mined Dawkins passage which proves that all atheists are nihilists. He's also very proud of his discovery that there ARE no atheists. This lack of consistency is one of several things we'll be looking at.
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0:00 It's Just a Thing Now 2:54 The Consistent View of Atheism 5:04 QMI 8:03 The Floor is Lava 9:56 Romans 1: A Syllogistic Analysis 15:21 Too Late for Air Quotes 17:08 What Is My Sin? 19:15 Are Evangelists Accountable?Christian Persecution: An Atheists PerspectiveDavid John Wellman2022-11-20 | Support DJW on Patreon: patreon.com/davidjohnwellman
This video was produced a few weeks ago but, because of automated filter shenanigans, is only now being released. Special thanks to David Lawson and Mthaytr, who became patrons after this video was produced and so are not included in the end-of-video list. I am thankful for them, and for all my patrons and viewers.
I've alluded many times in the past to the persecution theme in Christianity; now it's time to discuss it. What causes so many comfortable, well-off Christians to claim persecution? Are they justified as identifying as persecuted based on the fates of the apostles and early Christians? Or on the basis of being wished "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas?" And, perhaps most importantly, what does actual persecution look like?
(By the way, a fun fact which I did not discover in time to include in the video: Kevin Max, one of the members of DC Talk and the guy in the thumbnail, today identifies as an exvangelical.)
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0:00 Hunt Me Down 1:39 Talking Heads 4:55 Columbine 6:00 Spin 7:57 The War on Christmas (of course) 10:23 The Apostles and Early Christians 15:22 Alexandria 16:53 The Reality of PersecutionAn Unconscious Apologist (Response to Almando Calvo, Christrighteous)David John Wellman2022-11-13 | Support DJW on Patreon: patreon.com/davidjohnwellman
Almando Calvo has a new book coming out! And this one, he PROMISES, will have atheists reeling in the corner and trembling before the power of God, because unlike the plagiarism-fest of his first book, this one contains all original material, and will be a singular event in the history of Christian apologetics! Or so he claims.
UPDATE: Right before this video went up, an exhausted-looking Almando posted a new video -- clearly repeating something he'd just read, as he's done so often in the past -- so I guess he's back from his break! The video's about how atheists already know that God exists, and that this is so clear and obvious that it's not even worth arguing about. Splendid! The more Christians who say this, the better. For details, see my video "The Unbeatable Argument for Atheism:" youtube.com/watch?v=fprt9Pl4Bws
0:00 The Space Shuttle Is a Nice Touch 2:02 The Passive Voice 4:50 Stealing from Frank Turek 6:58 The Great Agnostic 9:50 Whoop-bam! 12:02 The Almando Challenge 14:13 Chapters Eight, Nine, and Ten 17:06 I Never Promised You a Book 18:43 Lesson OneKalam: Time and CausationDavid John Wellman2022-11-07 | Support DJW on Patreon: patreon.com/davidjohnwellman
This is a compilation of the first half of my series on the Kalam Cosmological Argument; it discusses the nature of time, and the justifications offered by Kalam proponents such as WLC for believing the first premise. These were among the first videos I made for this channel, and I've taken the opportunity to tweak the technical stuff just a bit, so that they look and sound better, as well as some very minor edits. (But I did leave in the part where I sing. Sorry.)
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0:00 Intro 0:16 Absolute Time 1:40 WLC's Ether Theory 4:47 Why Accept A-Theory? 6:19 Come On, It's Just Obvious! 8:35 A Tangent about Craig 9:32 Seventeen Minutes 10:52 Blue Things 12:39 People and Polearms and Planets 14:27 Trust Your Doubts 15:42 OutroAtheist Replies to Comments 2David John Wellman2022-10-30 | This is a response to some comments I have gotten in my recent videos. The "2" is because this is the second comment response video I've done; the first was in the deep, dark past of this channel (that would be last December), when I barely got any comments. Now I get a lot more! Topics covered include atheism and agnosticism, the inevitability of God and/or nature, friendly atheism, why I don't (or at least shouldn't) get political in my videos, and the fact that NO, I AM NOT SUPPOSED TO BE YOUR BIOLOGY TEACHER.
0:00 Is Nature Inevitable? (Is God?) 1:03 Do We Choose What To Believe? 3:55 Why Are Creationists So Entitled? 6:39 What Are My Politics? 8:30 Are Atheists Perfect? 9:19 Is Atheism/Theism a Binary? 10:25 Are Allah and Yahweh the Same Thing? 11:53 Should I Prepare a Speech for God? 14:17 Do Atheists Engage in Groupthink? 15:34 Why Are Creationists So Entitled? (Reprise)Creationism, Science, and AtheismDavid John Wellman2022-10-23 | Support this channel by clicking on "THANKS" above, or by joining my Patreon: patreon.com/davidjohnwellman
We're doing something new.
I have said over and over again that I don't deal with creationists, because evolutionary theory is so well proven, and so basic to the biological sciences, that it needs no defending from the likes of me. But it occurred to me that both scientists and creationists seem content to leave one aspect of the whole "debate" almost entirely unexamined: creationism itself. Because if the evidence is inconsistent with the earth being only six thousand years old, then whatever the (alleged) failings of biologists and geologists, the creationist is nonetheless left with a very simple choice: either reject biblical creationism, or reject the empirical sciences -- while continuing to enjoy the fruits of the empirical sciences, such as YouTube. Apologists like to accuse atheists of "stealing from God," but in fact, many of them are stealing from science!
So this video will be, depending on my abilities and your interest, the first in a series on creationism.
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0:00 Curriculum Vitae 2:17 The Science Guy 3:48 The Erosion of Faith 6:28 Help Me, Obi-Wan Kenobi 7:59 The Problem of Heat 12:05 Last Tuesdayism 13:36 Before Darwin (No Vestige of a Beginning) 17:31 Finding Out What Is True 19:26 The Corruption of the Wise 21:46 What God WantsAn Open Letter from an Atheist to a Priest (Response to Father Casey)David John Wellman2022-10-16 | Father Casey, a Franciscan Friar of the popular channel "Breaking In the Habit," released an open letter to atheists on YouTube a while back. The video is not framed as an attempt to convert atheists, which he wistfully admits he is unable to do, nor as a put-down, but rather as an exhortation (his word, not mine) for all atheists to be "good atheists." You will not be surprised to learn that the word "good" in this context needs some unpacking.
0:00 The Digital Age Priesthood 1:19 An Awkward Beginning 5:23 "Some Pretty Atrocious Things" 9:09 The Futility of (After)life 11:22 The World Needs Good People 14:29 How to Be an Atheist, Christ-plained 17:57 No True Theologian 20:22 It Is Enough 22:16 The Masses Outside the Arena 25:30 Do We Need Each Other?Return of the Plagiarist (Response to Christrighteous)David John Wellman2022-10-09 | He was gone for a while, but now he's back. He has a wife and child now. He has years of experience as a street preacher and evangelist. He is joining the Army, and going back to school. Also, he thinks that I am, literally, the offspring of the most evil being who has ever lived. And, of course, he is an unrepentant plagiarist.
It's time to revisit Almando "Christrighteous" Calvo.
0:00 Christ Righteous (Calvo Not So Much) 2:26 Hoʻomaikaʻi / Absurdly Tiny Print 6:49 U.S (sic) Christian Soldier 9:23 The Saddam Line 11:33 Three Little Words 14:15 A Blair Witch Style Tour 17:23 The Most Powerful Argument 19:52 The Concept of God 21:25 Something You Should Worry AboutIs Dan Barker a Master Atheist Supervillain? (Response to Stuff That Matters)David John Wellman2022-10-02 | Derek Hammer, from Stuff That Matters, asked his viewers to share his anti-atheist, anti-evolution video with atheists -- even calling it "Please Share With Atheists." This was a tactical error. Derek would probably agree with that, but he'd give a different reason: he'd say that atheists were being so mean and disrespectful in his comments section that he had to turn comments off. Where have we heard that before?
Anyway, Derek makes two arguments in his video: first, that the FFRF has influenced the overwhelming majority of educators and thinkers, such that all our institutions are biased against intelligent design, and second, that atheism is an emotional choice. Let's review, shall we?
"29+ Evidences for Macroevolution: The Scientific Case for Common Descent" by Douglas Theobald, PhD: talkorigins.org/faqs/comdesc
The full citation for the Asimov quote is, Asimov, Isaac, "The Relativity of Wrong," in The Skeptical Inquirer (Vol. 14 No. 1, Fall 1989), p. 36.
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0:00 Why I Don't Do Anti-Evolution Videos 2:23 Dan "Darkseid" Barker? 4:39 Apples and Bananas 7:21 The World Famous What's-His-Name 8:55 Some Great Thinkers 11:30 Doxastic Emotionalism 15:25 So You Think Your Schooling's Phoney 16:29 At Least He's Honest 19:56 Остальное зависит от тебя 21:14 How to Identify a Fake God 23:55 The UnderlookAtheists, Your Eyes Will Break! (Response to Gabe Poirot)David John Wellman2022-09-25 | He may have nearly a million subscribers, but Gabe Poirot would not do well at a progressive rock concert. Most of his videos are short, around thirty seconds, and are master classes in self-promotion. I was worried that plugging my Patreon page (join now! patreon.com/davidjohnwellman) would seem overly self-serving, but this guy? Man.
He wants you to know three things. First, he went to heaven while in a coma. Second, liberals are bad. And third, atheists are blind. It was his saying this last thing over and over and over and over again that got my attention. Since I am responding to a number of short videos here, and since he's already overly-promoted, I won't link to each one individually; you can just search YouTube for "Gabe Poirot" and search his videos page for "atheist," and you'll see the originals. You may want some coffee first.
0:00 Your Eyes Will Break 2:19 Colors and Emoji 5:58 Past Tense 8:26 The Gabe Who Came Back From Heaven 10:07 Lightning and the Thunder 12:44 Lightning, part 2 13:56 Why Do Adam Stay Together? 17:17 One Rainbow Not Enough? 18:53 Brains, Bans, and B.S. 21:19 Class DismissedMuslim Caretaker of Women Thinks Atheists Are Lazy? (Response to Middle Nation)David John Wellman2022-09-19 | This person might be, in an understated sort of way, the worst person I've ever taken on on this channel.
"Middle Nation" originally named his channel for the verse in the Qur'an which states that men are "caretakers," or "managers," or "in charge of" women -- and his content, both old and new, seems to reflect his belief that, however you translate it, that's the most important verse in the Muslim holy book. It's hard to be a "Prime Directive kind of guy" when confronting such attitudes. Today, however, we're looking at the brilliant and profound things he has to say about atheism (while in a Saharan dust storm, apparently).
0:00 Qawwamun 2:04 Dust Storm Discussion 3:29 Agnosticism Again 5:21 Shallow and Simple 6:53 Idiosyncratic Islam? 8:54 Prehistoric Piety (feat. Una) 10:39 Reject and Refrain 12:24 Public Predators 14:44 Mutable Morality 16:20 numawwaQBible Contradictions: What They Prove (and What They Dont)David John Wellman2022-09-11 | Pointing out Bible contradictions doesn't mean anything to those whose Christian faith is not based on the Bible being perfectly true. And to the fundamentalists and inerrantists, it usually produces a scoff, an eye roll, and a shake of the head. Because a million theologians working for a thousand years MUST have come up with good answers to harmonize the entire document -- just as a million monkeys working at typewriters for a thousand years MUST produce the works of Shakespeare. That's how it works, right?
Wrong. Anyone can guess as to how a contradiction might be reconciled -- but to reconcile thousands of them from dozens of disparate works in a way that produces a coherent narrative which passes the smell test? And do they really believe those reconciliations anyway? Because there's a difference between what Christians will say to silence the atheists and skeptics, and what they actually BELIEVE. Guess which one I'm interested in.
**Apologies for the slight sound issues in this video; I was working with some broken equipment. The guinea pigs are on it.
0:00 Where Were The Pockets? 2:25 Plausibility Ceiling 4:52 The Apologist and Arnold Schwarzenegger 6:29 Apparent and Actual Contradictions 7:55 Thirty Pieces of Silver 9:29 Headlong Flight of Fancy 12:44 Original Manuscripts 13:24 My Favorite Contradiction 15:04 Thwarted by a Paper Shortage? 16:49 Context Is for KingsProphecy Proves the Bible ... But Im Not a Christian! (Response to Random Green)David John Wellman2022-08-28 | Before you ask, no, he's not a Messianic Jew either. He may be random, and sometimes he's kinda green, but Random Green is a self-declared non-Christian who is frustrated with atheists for not accepting the prophetic evidence that clearly proves the Bible. I don't know, you tell me.
0:00 Punctuation Drought 2:21 Time to Slow Down a Bit 4:30 The Word Was a God 5:58 Criteria for Fulfilled Prophecy 8:11 Righteousneeessssss 9:21 Intense, Creepy Stares (Part 2) 10:18 Hey There, I Am the Lord Your God 12:35 Late Breaking News 15:37 HOLY VENGEANCE NUISANCE SMITER 3000 16:31 What? 18:02 The Lion and the Eagle 21:06 What Evidence Will Atheists Accept?Pascals Wager: Turn or Burn for Math NerdsDavid John Wellman2022-08-21 | DJW's Patreon page: patreon.com/davidjohnwellman
"I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse." Nowadays, the evangelistic canard known as Pascal's Wager is rarely stated explicitly, except by those apologists who discover it for the first time and think it unassailable -- as a young apologist named David once did. But really, it's just "turn or burn" for people who like decision matrices. Here's what I wish I could have told that young apologist, *mumblecough* years ago.
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0:00 A Christian Chat Room, 19XX 2:15 Pascal's Wager 3:03 رهان باسكال 4:45 The Perverse Master 5:27 A Startling Admission 7:10 Mafia-ness 8:46 The First Hug of Many 10:25 Smith's WagerDJWs Quick Guide to Fallacies (With a Side of Toast)David John Wellman2022-08-07 | NOW LIVE: DJW's Patreon page: patreon.com/davidjohnwellman
Title says it all, really. We're going to quickly discuss fallacies that you commonly run across, with examples from both everyday life and from the atheism-theism debate. We're also going to have a side of toast.
I'm probably going to get accused of strawmanning the position of apologists in several places in this video. For example, "the stone paradox doesn't disprove God, therefore God exists" does not accurately reflect the position expressed by, say, Swinburne and Plantinga in their peer-reviewed philosophical papers. It does, however, accurately reflect the position expressed by those who say "the stone paradox doesn't disprove God, therefore God exists." What can I say? Your complaint is with them, not with me.
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0:00 Intro 0:38 Denying the Antecedent 2:36 Affirming the Consequent 3:06 Non Sequitur (The Uberfallacy) 3:53 The Fallacy Fallacy (The GOAT) 4:48 Equivocation 6:15 Begging the Question (Circular Argument) 7:06 Appeal to Ignorance (Burden Shifting) 7:28 Strawman 8:04 Questionable Cause (After Hoc Therefore Something Else Hoc) 9:05 Irrelevant Authority (Sajak, Not Trebek) 9:48 Red Herring (Better Than Vegetables) 10:23 Ad Hominem (The Most Misunderstood) 11:48 OutroChristian Curses All Atheists: Six Months LaterDavid John Wellman2022-07-31 | Where did the time go? Six months ago, an apologist named Ruben placed a six-month curse on atheists. "Your businesses will fail," he solemnly yet gleefully intoned. "Your clientele will dry up. Your health will fail. Everything in your life will go bad. Why? Because you've tried to make a mockery of God." And so on.
Six of the best months of my life later, it's time not just to look back at the curse, but also to look at intercessory prayer in general. When people pray for God to actually do something in the world, they don't have much of a reason to think that it actually works -- even if God happens to exist.
"A Curse For Atheists" by Ruben Obed El Mejor: (no longer available)
Tilly the guinea pig appears courtesy of entropy and chaos.
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0:00 A Modern Day Elijah 2:39 The Result of the Curse 5:20 Den Største 6:19 An Act of Intellectual Pride 8:46 Why Doesn't God Heal Amputees? 9:57 ...or Zap Atheists? 11:09 The Masters of RetconningThe Argument from Religious Experience, and Why it FailsDavid John Wellman2022-07-24 | Most people on Earth are religious, and many if not most religious people report having had some kind of religious experience. Christian apologists use this phenomenon in two ways. First, they argue that the prevalence of such experiences must indicate the existence of something supernatural -- so that motorcycle worshippers in India are indirect evidence of Yahweh. And second, they argue that people who have such experiences are justified in believing that the entity they are experiencing actually exists -- as long as it's Yahweh. I am less than impressed.
0:00 The Apple in the Palm 2:24 The Prince Philip Movement 4:26 The Right Mindset 6:43 Naturalistic Causes 8:41 The Weak Argument 11:15 It's The Mind 13:49 E-type Experiences 14:56 Without Excuse?Michael Browns Honest Questions for AtheistsDavid John Wellman2022-07-17 | Michael Brown, a homophobic activist whom I cannot describe any better than he is described in the RationalWiki article about him (rationalwiki.org/wiki/Michael_Brown), has captured the atheist community's attention in the last couple weeks with a blog post, "Some Honest Questions For Atheists." I'm not exactly sure how this became a bandwagon, but hey, I don't mind a good bandwagon. I also have some pointed things to say about his questions.
0:00 All the Answers 1:41 1. Not Something Singular 3:11 2. It Is Your Destiny 5:00 3. 100% Probability 7:00 4. The History of Explanations 8:28 5. Hey, David! 10:00 6. Chinese Astrology 10:54 7. Incompatible PropertiesShould Atheists Distrust Our Thoughts? (Response to Logan Jones)David John Wellman2022-07-10 | Logan is (or was) a student at Biola University, the school of William Lane Craig, and it would appear that he's caught the apologetics bug. His argument here is that, since under atheism our thoughts are determined by the pool-ball-like actions of our neurons, we have no reason to think our thoughts are true, and therefore it's illogical to be an atheist. Yeah. There are problems. Hopefully we can get him to see these problems, or at least that we have thought about these things, and that his search for a "magic bullet" against atheism is in vain.
0:00 Go Eagles! 0:38 Naturalism and Chinese Horoscopes 3:24 The Laws of Nature 5:13 Being Christian Wrong 7:13 Spherical Somethings in a Vacuum 8:39 Theism and Radical Skepticism 10:36 What Logan Hasn't ShownAtheism is Logic (Response to Atheism vs. Logic)David John Wellman2022-07-04 | I try not to go after people for making spelling errors -- goodness knows I've made some on this channel -- but "Atheism vs. Logic" made kind of a whopper when he typed a "v" instead of an "i" in his own channel name. 😂Anyway, this is a shorter reaction video to a young-earther who thinks that mRNA is the magic bullet against atheism.
If you enjoy my videos and want to support me directly, click here to buy me a coffee! buymeacoffee.com/djwellman
0:00 Ejector Seat 2:43 (Meta-)Analogy 4:04 This Won't End Well 6:37 NSOBJ TOPUQ SPHSB NNJOH 9:24 This Didn't End WellThe Moral Argument for God, and Why it FailsDavid John Wellman2022-06-26 | "Are you sure we should be paying attention to these guys? It's like, who died and left Aristotle in charge of ethics?"
"Plato!"
Moral philosophy is a vast and sprawling topic, one to which I can't possibly do justice in a single video. No position on the ontology and epistemology of morality is without its problems; none is universally agreed to be superior. Therefore, the apologists who employ the moral argument are relying on the instincts and emotions of their audience for its persuasive power. It undoubtedly sounds convincing to those who are already aligned with its position, but it fails to convince anyone who is not.
If you enjoy my videos and want to support me directly, click here to buy me a coffee! buymeacoffee.com/djwellman
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0:00 A Simple Argument? 1:38 The Appeal to Emotion 2:55 Our Personal Preference 5:22 Grounding Morals Without God 8:11 God vs. John Lithgow 9:46 Press-the-blue-button-ness 12:49 Moral Subjectivism 15:01 Advantage: NoneThe Argument from Evil: Soul Making and Other TheodiciesDavid John Wellman2022-06-12 | There's no way to consider all of the theodicies that have been proposed to answer the Argument from Evil; theologians and apologists are nothing if not creative. But between this video and "The Free Will Theodicy," I believe I've covered -- alas, all too briefly -- the schools of thought subscribed to by most of them, and thereby given good reason to think that premise P of the argument is true. Of course, if there's a theodicy I haven't considered, please leave it in the comments.
THE ARGUMENT FROM EVIL REFERENCE
(E1) Lightning strikes a tree in a forest, causing a forest fire. A fawn is caught in this fire, and suffers intense agony for an extended period of time before finally dying.
(E2) A five year old girl is, by her mother's boyfriend, severely beaten, raped and strangled to death.
(P) No good state of affairs that we know of is such that God, by bringing it about, is justified in permitting E1 and E2.
Therefore, it is likely that: (Q) No good state of affairs is such that God, by bringing it about, is justified in permitting E1 and E2.
Therefore, it is likely that: (R) God does not exist.
0:00 The Atheist Professor's Brain (Again) 2:21 The Soul Making Theodicy 6:02 Theodical Individualism 6:57 The Afterlife Theodicy 9:34 The Punishment Theodicy 10:40 Una 11:03 The Natural Laws Theodicy 12:48 A Few More Theodicies 14:32 The End of the BeginningAsk an Atheist!David John Wellman2022-06-05 | You asked, I answered. Topics include the circularity of apologetic arguments, what role YEC played in my deconversion, God and free will, and why the way in which Christianity perpetuates itself is strong evidence for its own falsehood. Plus, of course, the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow.
If you enjoy my work and want to support me directly, click here to buy me a coffee! buymeacoffee.com/djwellman
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0:00 Intro... 0:35 Preserve or Destroy? 2:02 Eden or Education? 3:40 Punishment or Redemption? 4:53 For or Against? 7:03 Free Will or Hardened Hearts? 8:47 Atheist or Sociopath? 10:20 Deity or Devil? 10:49 ESP or POS? 11:40 Yahweh or Toaster Oven? 12:52 Perfect or Perfectly Glorious? 14:06 African or European? 14:30 Clockwise or Counterclockwise? 16:22 ...or Outro?The Theory of Nothingness (Response to Higher Videos)David John Wellman2022-05-29 | Higher of Higher Videos actually has a few things going for him. Not being a full-time apologist, he's not yet formed certain bad habits; he cheerfully admits when he's wrong about something, and shows a decent understanding of science. However, like many a bad apologist, he tries to shoehorn a nothingness that (almost) nobody believes in into the history of the universe, reinterprets the meaning of words like "beginning," and takes a near-obligatory cheap shot at one of the Four Horsemen, in this case Hitchens. So, while giving credit where it's due, I basically want to share my disappointment at this particular attempt to discredit atheism.
0:00 Digging Into Atheism 0:42 Hitch 3:46 The Edge of Forever 7:31 The Theory of Nothingness 9:49 Everybody Moves Up One 12:29 Three Cheers 14:14 Broken Record 16:04 All This 19:31 Everybody Knows Einstein 20:27 Clarke's Second Law 22:44 Three Cheers (Reprise)Why the Fine-Tuning Argument Is IllogicalDavid John Wellman2022-05-22 | The argument to design, in the form of the fine-tuning argument, is probably the second most popular argument for God's existence. It states that the universe has been dealt a "winning hand" by having its parameters be just right to be able to support life -- specifically, our kind of life. Like the Kalam, it appeals to intuition and emotion in an attempt to make atheism look unreasonable.
But there are problems. What's so special about a universe with humans it it that it calls for an explanation other than random chance? How does the apologist know that chance would even be involved, that such a universe isn't metaphysically necessary? How does he know the universe has one "fine-tuner" instead of many? In exploring these problems and others, we'll discover why the argument is utterly unconvincing.
0:00 Blinded by Numbers 1:47 Skol 3:43 Royal Fizzbin 5:54 A Tiny Raft of a Planet 7:34 The Bayesian Approach 11:00 Push to Talk 12:46 Las Vegas and Bletchley Park 15:48 No, I Didn't Forget the Multiverse 17:13 At the Bottom of a ValleyThe Round Earth Conspiracy (A Flat-Earth Satire)David John Wellman2022-05-15 | It's all true. The Earth is flat, and there's a vast global conspiracy in place to convince people it's round. Only, as I discovered when the man in black appeared at my door to recruit me, it's not *quite* as the flat-earthers envisioned it . . .
This is a satire. The Earth is not flat, there is no global conspiracy about the shape of the Earth, and stars, planets, molecules, and North Dakota are all real things. What a shame we don't live in a world where that could go without saying.
0:00 A View From the Top of the World 2:48 Four Ways to Get Gravity 4:29 Oh Ho Ho, It's Magic 7:45 Kevin Hates the Government 9:46 Welcome to the Round Earth ConspiracyA Christian Wisecrackers Intro to Atheism (Response to Wade Stotts)David John Wellman2022-05-08 | Not that there's anything wrong with wisecracking; a video without jokes is like a hot dog without mustard. But with Wade there's no dog, no bun, no relish or ketchup (catsup?), nothing but mustard. At the very least, some rebranding is in order.
If you enjoy my work and want to support me directly, click here to buy me a coffee! buymeacoffee.com/djwellman
0:00 Around the World in 80 Seconds 1:55 Two For Two (The Adamic Language) 4:48 Clouds and Wishes 6:03 A Place and a Need for Dissent 9:37 Laughing on Purpose 11:33 How Many Horsemen? 13:44 The Most Important Thing About AtheismYes, Almando, It IS Plagiarism. (Response to CRMinistries, Christrighteous)David John Wellman2022-05-01 | He says it's not plagiarism. He says there's nothing wrong with his self-published book. He says we atheists just don't want to face the arguments. He says that we are the children of Satan (and, weirdly, that he loves us). And he says he "forgives" us for calling him onto the mat for his intellectual dishonesty.
He says a lot of things. But the facts are the facts. In this video I recapitulate the facts of Almando "Christrighteous" Calvo's plagiarism, and explain why plagiarism is bad (from a Christian perspective!), what consequences it might lead to, and why his latest video fails to excuse it. And if any other Christian apologists are paying attention to what's going on with Almando, then they need to seriously consider staging an intervention, because the atheists who make videos about him are not the only atheists paying attention to what he says and does. Not by a long shot.
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Book screenshots are taken from "God Is" by Almando L. Calvo, published by the author in 2022. The book is still for sale on Lulu, although it has been "ghosted" from showing up on search engines; contact me for the link.
"Atheists are angry and miserable - The devil is mad and wants to destroy the foundation" by CRMinistries: youtube.com/watch?v=DBaJTr8eDOU
0:00 I Need You To Be Intellectually Honest 1:44 Person, Property, or Worldview? 3:04 Plagiarism: A Christian Perspective 6:53 The Magic Disclaimer 8:52 (ka-thunk) 9:47 The Consequences of Plagiarism 13:57 You're Looking in the Wrong Place 15:03 No, Those Are My Initials 16:08 Two OffersEntropy, Complexity, and Sledgehammers (Response to Tamiym Ministries)David John Wellman2022-04-25 | Is Jake the new Almando? Attitude -- check. Lack of engagement -- check. Plagiarism? Well, you can't accuse this guy of not having original thoughts, or at least well-blended thoughts, so he's got one up on Christrighteous there. Like every apologist out there, from WLC and Plantinga to guys doing stream of consciousness rants while microwaving a Hot Pocket, Jake from Tamiym Ministries thinks he is presenting the gospel in a way that, if we don't find it compelling, then it's our own stupid fault. But he's going to find it hard when he simultaneously takes on both atheism and, you know, the dictionary.
If you enjoy my work and want to support me directly, click here to buy me a coffee! buymeacoffee.com/djwellman
0:00 Infrastructure 1:25 Younger People on the Internet 3:15 Data, Context, and Uniformity 5:40 You Down With Entropy? (Yeah, You Know Me!) 7:39 Wait, WHAT? 9:18 Keyla Explains Isolated Systems 11:12 Sussing Out an Argument 14:10 The Sledgehammer 15:55 Confronting Reasonable Atheism 17:56 Jake's Actually Right On This One 18:31 Mind Reader (Shoo Fly) 20:38 Biology Teacher 21:45 This Was Your ChanceThe Angry Apologetics of Almando (Response to CRMinistries, Christrighteous)David John Wellman2022-04-18 | I'll be honest: I get angry myself when dealing with Almando Calvo -- and you'll be able to hear it in this video. His incessant plagiarism, his contempt for the methods of rationality, his positive glee at censoring dissent, and his absolute refusal to engage, not only with any argument any atheist makes, but with any argument he himself makes. I haven't yet met an atheist who is NOT, to some extent, angered by this individual. So the word "angry" in the title is double-edged: both his affect and his effect.
This is not an entry in my series reviewing his book, although I do spend some time looking at the book; rather, it's an overall look at his approach to apologetics. Other apologists might complain that one person, and such a lousy example of the craft at that, should be allowed to monopolize so much of our time. The sheer awfulness of "Christrighteous" makes me think there is some justice in this complaint, but as I've said, both here and elsewhere, every Christian who has ever presented the gospel to me has believed that they were doing so properly. So your complaint is with Almando, not me.
0:00 Inspection? What Inspection? 4:08 Lavender and Rose 5:44 Parroting Without Understanding 9:31 Stream of Consciousness (It Was a Mess) 13:56 Time for Some Clarity 16:19 "By Which How I Should Be Looking To" 21:31 Filthy Pigs (99 Atheists) 24:09 "STUPID ARGUMENTS!!" 25:00 Intense, Creepy Stares 27:17 We're Talking About You 28:53 An Interesting Thought 30:13 Almando Calvo's Declaration of WarA Pastors Message For Atheists Only (Response to Pastor Steve Garcia)David John Wellman2022-04-11 | "When God lays something on your heart," says Pastor Steve Garcia, "and tells you to put it on video, I suppose it's urgent." (Which, as you'll see, didn't prevent Pastor Steve from taking the time to do some post-production work such as captions and a theme song.) To give him his due, Pastor Steve is more personable and more rational than some other evangelists I've looked at lately. But it does take a certain amount of naivete to think that "something has to be eternal, because something can't come from nothing" is so profound as to constitute an urgent message that couldn’t wait for you to drive home from the supermarket.
0:00 Location, Location, Location 2:16 Did Matter Come From Gas? 4:35 Infinite Duration/Zero Duration 7:58 The Global Materialistic Causal Domain 11:06 Something From Nothing (Again) 13:45 The Urgency of Human Thought 16:12 1 Corinthians 13:11Evangelist Mocks Atheists, Poorly (Response to Pointless Thorns)David John Wellman2022-04-04 | It's the "green pen" guy again, and this time . . . it's worse. So much worse. It's basically exactly what you see: this purported former atheist dons a stupid hat and Groucho glasses, and pretends to be an atheist again -- with a total lack of accuracy that would surprise me if I believed for one second that he really is a former atheist (who put a single calorie of thought into it). We'll be talking about snowflakes, the word "mere," the meaning of sacrifice, intellectual dishonesty, and -- as an added bonus -- the dumbest thing that I, David John Wellman, have ever said. You're welcome.
0:00 This Can't End Well, Again 1:43 Positive and Negative Atheism 3:31 Snowflakes 6:35 The Dumbest Thing DJW Has Ever Said 7:23 Sacrificial Love 9:38 Alex Lifeson 10:42 Waste Disposal 11:47 Untrustworthy Thoughts 14:09 Epilogue: Pointless Thorns is Intellectually DishonestChristrighteouss (CRMinistries) Book Reviewed, Part 2David John Wellman2022-03-28 | Reviewing a self-published book on Christian apologetics. Almando Calvo (Christrighteous) tries to prove God using science, questionable quotations, accusations of dishonesty, and incessant plagiarizing of other people's work.
Christrighteous's channel has changed its name to CRMinistries as of April 2022.
All quotations attributed to Calvo come from "God Is" by Almando L. Calvo, published in 2022 and distributed by Lulu. "God Is" is only available commercially via print-on-demand service Lulu; since it contains theft of intellectual property and is being sold for profit, I do not feel it is ethical to help Calvo sell it. If and when Calvo makes the book freely available, a link will be provided here.
0:00 Calvo Invokes Science 4:48 Cause and Effect 7:50 One Hell of A Quantum Vacuum 10:37 Sartre and Other Scientists (feat. Logicked) 12:45 The Oprah of Christian Apologetics 14:54 Echo Chamber 18:01 The Return of Steve 22:59 It Won't Do Calvo Any GoodReview: God Is by Almando L. Calvo (Christrighteous, CRMinistries), Part 1David John Wellman2022-03-21 | In this first part of my review of "God Is" by Almando L. Calvo (aka Christrighteous), we'll look at a few preliminary issues, including Calvo's theft of intellectual property, followed by his discussion of the Kalam cosmological argument and his attack on science.
There's a lot to talk about with this book. This video was going to cover the entire first chapter, but because of having to break in my new workstation, I've divided it into two parts. Part two will be next Monday; after that, new parts will come irregularly. There's just too much unfiltered BAD in this book for me to not take a long break between chapters.
Christrighteous's channel has changed its name to CRMinistries as of April 2022.
"God Is" is only available commercially via print-on-demand service Lulu; since it contains theft of intellectual property and is being sold for profit, I do not feel it is ethical to help Calvo sell it. If and when Calvo makes the book freely available, a link will be provided here.
0:00 Intro 1:47 Why Bother? 4:29 Intellectual Property 6:18 The Book Itself 7:11 The (Kalam) Cosmological Argument 11:49 Divine Attribute Clown Car 12:49 Scattershot 14:15 Calvo Attacks Science 18:30 The Irony Meter Needs RechargingThe Unbeatable Argument for Atheism (Response to Clay Jones)David John Wellman2022-03-14 | With caveats, of course; the title is intended to be provocative, not to promise a silver bullet to make everyone an atheist. There are also digressions on Jones's degenerate attempt to answer the argument from evil, as well as the perceived inevitability of Christian victory.
0:00 There Are No (Inculpable) Atheists? 0:42 Digression: The "Horror of Rebellion" Theodicy 3:42 Spread the Word 5:29 Look at my Friggin' Hand! 7:36 The Argument Expressed 11:16 Superiority 13:49 The Kind of Fight You Fight (feat. The SkepTick) 18:10 Why I Am OptimisticChristrighteous Book: First Glance Review (CRMinistries)David John Wellman2022-03-12 | "The book that will destroy atheism" it isn't.The History of Atheism (Christ-splained) (Response to Joey Bernas)David John Wellman2022-03-07 | Evangelist Joey Bernas of Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ) takes us on a history of atheism, from the printing press to the New Atheists. It's a really "interesting" lecture, omitting things like the logical positivists and the Lisbon Earthquake, but including things like Sam Harris's advocacy of psychedelics, as well as the "worldview" that all atheists have. Clearly, some commentary and correction is called for. Along the way we get some help from people like Geddy Lee, Paul Rudd, John Oliver, Keanu Reeves, Baron d'Holbach, and -- in an absolutely indispensable role -- Patrick Stewart.
0:00 Cru 1:31 The Underlying Theme 4:01 Yes, of Course He Uses Psalm 14:1 7:12 Gutenberg, Descartes, and the Right to Vote 11:46 Dennis and d'Something -- L'Encyclopedie 15:25 Nietzsche: Is Anti-Nihilism a Religion? 17:34 Facepalm / A Few Glaring Omissions 20:21 Atheism as a Worldview 24:52 "Atheistic" States 27:42 Steelmanning the New Atheists 31:31 Interesting? 33:07 Targets of Opportunity 36:00 Facepalm 2 / Relativism 38:56 Adult Conversations 42:07 Facepalm 3 / No Confusion Here 43:38 InterestingAtheism and The Meaning of LifeDavid John Wellman2022-02-28 | If everything ends, then how can anything have any meaning? If God doesn't validate everything, what use is anything? If we're all just piles of chemicals, why should we care about other piles of chemicals?
We atheists are far too lenient with Christians who casually throw these questions out. They haven't justified the hidden premise behind each of the questions, nor have they given satisfactory accounts of how they can be answered by positing the existence of a god. This video uses analytic philosophy to call such Christians onto the carpet. Because what if, just what if, Christians are the ones who need to explain why their lives aren't absurd?
0:00 Star's End 6:38 Validation and Prudence 9:15 Three Theistic Views of Meaning 12:10 Divine Calling: An Accidental Purpose 15:26 Redemption: A Gloriously Bad Father? 17:23 Completion: A Drop in Eternity 19:16 The End of The FilmThis Week in Anti-Atheism 9David John Wellman2022-02-25 | See that face? That's the face of someone with absolutely no sense of irony. None. Plus: Apologists acting sore about Dawkins refusing to debate Craig a decade ago, Metaxas shocking absolutely no one, McDowell telling you how to doubt and thereby instituting thoughtcrime, some guy I didn't watch asking atheists not to watch him, and a good friend of mine showing what it means to be a good and loving Christian. All this and more, this week in anti-atheism.
Background art by DJWChristrighteous (CRMinistries) and PlagiarismDavid John Wellman2022-02-23 | UPDATE 2/28/22: He has released his book. I have ordered it
Christrighteous is a plagiarist. It gives me no joy to say that, let alone to make an entire video about it, but it's no longer merely his future at stake.
Christrighteous's channel has changed its name to CRMinistries as of April 2022.
Incidentally, for refutations of the source material, see, for instance, these responses by Jeffrey Jay Lowder (bit.ly/3LW5dFm), Kyle Williams (bit.ly/3t145rh), and Steve Shives (bit.ly/3BKG0J2). A blogger named Deacon Duncan also wrote a literal page-by-page rebuttal of the book years ago, but his blog is offline and I've been unable to find it in the Wayback Machine. (Yet.) I don't want anyone thinking that this video is a substitute for responding to the arguments of apologists -- it certainly isn't. But plagiarism is a big deal.
Background art by DJW
0:00 Plagiarism 1 1:27 Plagiarism 2 2:53 Plagiarism 3 4:18 Plagiarism 4 5:37 Why It Matters, and What Happens NextAn Open Letter to Young Apologists (Response to The Kings Academy, WPB, FL)David John Wellman2022-02-21 | A private Christian school in Florida does "atheist encounters" to train their students in apologetics. Except, not really. Of the two atheists the students have "encountered" so far, one was a short, heavily edited video by Hemant Mehta, who was not present to interact with the students, and the other was apologist Sean McDowell pretending to be an atheist. The school appears to be -- I don't want to say "afraid," so let's go with "hesitant" -- to let these young adults interact with ACTUAL atheists.
I believe young adults deserve to learn what we actually think of the issues -- and, more importantly, what we feel the actual issues ARE -- without the curation of those who have an interest in keeping them Christian at all costs. And since I doubt the school will ever invite me to speak, this is the next best thing.
0:00 An Actual Atheist Encounter 1:57 My (Current) Favorite Argument 5:35 "That's What You Chose" 6:40 "You're Building the Free Will With Him" 7:35 "A Little Distance Makes Room" 9:11 "He Already Did It Multiple Times" 10:43 "Let Me Just Speak For You" 11:44 "Heaven Would Be Their Personal Hell" 13:24 The TrenchThis Week in Anti-Atheism 8David John Wellman2022-02-18 | A Muslim apologist says that if nothing is forever, then nothing matters, while a Christian apologist says that without God, all things are permissible. Both need to give the matter more thought. Also: dealing in absolutes, a cloud that looks like Jesus, a joke that writes itself, my story of a Christian in a fast food shop, and why the belated and much-beloved Carrie Fisher owns the best running gag in film history. All this and more, this week in anti-atheism.
Background art by DJWAtheism, Theism, and NothingDavid John Wellman2022-02-14 | The word "nothing" in philosophy is like the prefix "a-" in "atheism." It can mean more than one thing, and it's all too easy for people to take advantage of this ambiguity in order to score cheap shots. In this video we're going to talk about different kinds of nothing, and how they apply, not just to the cosmological argument, where apologists will say it's what should exist if God doesn't exist, but also to the design argument, where it can help us understand how to evaluate whether fine-tuning is good evidence for God.
The demonstration of something coming from nothing comes from "Magician Has Sleight Of Hand Skills Level 1000" by Ramona Good youtube.com/watch?v=uZ077DkAxQI
Murray Franklin appears courtesy of Gotham City Productions
Janet appears courtesy of Janet
Background art by DJW
0:00 V-nothing (Those Things Hurt) 2:27 M-nothing (The Mozart of Balancing Things) 3:48 P-nothing (The Nothingness Dilemma) 5:32 P-nothing Lite (Nothing Means Nothing) 7:43 F-nothing (Nothing Special) 10:43 SomethingThis Week in Anti-Atheism 7David John Wellman2022-02-11 | The benefits of rational atheism, the drawbacks of believing in Hell, introducing one of my detractors to their soulmate, and more ego than you can shake a stick at; plus guest appearances by Jackie Chan, David Chalmers, William Lane Frikkin' Craig; and -- don't ask me why -- Liverpool FC. All this and more, this week in anti-atheism.
Background art by DJWHow Not to Convince Atheists (Response to Pastor Kyle Bailey)David John Wellman2022-02-07 | Presenting an argument in mock dialogue format is a perfectly legitimate rhetorical device, provided you do it wisely. Pastor Kyle Bailey does it . . . poorly. But in doing so, he gives me a chance to talk about whether beliefs are voluntary, what it means to prove Christianity, the moral implications of saying "God is good," and the existence of Liam Neeson. Very important, that last one.
0:00 Reverend David John Wellman 1:41 Happy Birthday, Simon Cowell! 3:00 "A Very Particular Set of Skills" 7:23 Q → ~P 10:17 Not Just Any Old God 11:41 The Yardstick 13:30 Rational Warrant 15:28 Deal With ItThis Week in Anti-Atheism 6David John Wellman2022-02-04 | The kindest, most caring Christian apologist you'll ever meet (or so she hopes). Plus, why the metric system is Satanic, why I talk about God if God doesn't exist, calling Christians on the carpet about ethics and meaning, a reading from the Song of Solomon, and my idea for a hit Christian film. All this and more, this week in anti-atheism.
Background art by DJWChristian Curses All Atheists! (Response to RubenObed El Mejor)David John Wellman2022-02-02 | NOTE TO PRIVACY SUPPORT TEAM: This video contains no PII except for the likeness of YouTube user "Ruben Obed El Mejor." At present, he has made this likeness freely and copiously available on his channel: youtube.com/channel/UC3kSdKdDhafVtJh6BMpcH-g
"I have bestowed a curse upon you all, all the atheists," he intones. "For the next six months, your health will fail, everything in your life will go bad. Why? Because you've tried to make a mockery of God."
When you pronounce a "curse" upon someone, it reveals your true self. Ruben's true self is . . . not a pretty sight. This video is a public service announcement for everyone EXCEPT Ruben: if you allow yourself to be claimed by unreasoning cowardice, self-centeredness and hatred, this could end up being you.
0:00 What to Expect When You Curse Me 0:58 Talking and Mocking 3:20 A Reverse Gresham's Law 5:53 "You're Not Gonna Like It" 7:51 Go Up, Thou Baldhead! 9:14 Cowardice 11:37 THE ALMIGHTY HAND! 13:07 Object Lesson 14:50 What a Specimen of Humanity and ChristianityChristRighteous (CRMinistries) Refuted and Exposed, In That OrderDavid John Wellman2022-01-30 | Almando L. Calvo, known on YouTube as ChristRighteous, has posted many anti-atheist videos. These include terrible Dawkins impersonations outlining what he thinks atheists REALLY believe, multi-hour stream of consciousness rants, and a short piece giving 7 "irrefutable" proofs of God. It won't surprise anyone who's paying attention that they are not irrefutable. But it did surprise me to learn that my own history is repeating itself. Anyone who remembers Brock Lawley will know what I'm talking about -- but we'll talk about that after we've dealt with the substance (and I use the word loosely) of what ChristRighteous has to say.
Christrighteous's channel has changed its name to CRMinistries as of April 2022.
"7 Simple Proofs of God's existence | Irrefutable points that point to a creator and designer" by ChristRighteous youtube.com/watch?v=N9j6XrEOt0I
The criteria for a fulfilled prophecy are mostly taken from Douglas E. Krueger, "What Is Atheism? A Short Introduction" (Prometheus Books, 1998), pp. 97-98.
And here is the article discussed at the end of the video: bit.ly/3IQzqmU
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0:00 Pain 2:23 A Massive Clearance Sale on Futs 4:53 Criteria for a Fulfilled Prophecy 7:12 Islamic Audacity and Brandolini's Law 10:16 Home Team Spirit (Go Vikings) 12:47 "Pale Down to Mere Heresies" 14:18 How the Burden of Proof Works 16:04 All Hail Marge Gunderson 17:07 How Circular Arguments Work 19:35 One Vigintillionth = 1/10^63 20:56 Please Pass the Salt 22:47 The Thing About Facts 23:55 An Evolutionist's Facepalm 24:58 Pointless 26:52 Be Sure Always to Call It, Please, ResearchThis Week in Anti-Atheism 5David John Wellman2022-01-28 | Trent Horn tells apologists the three traps which they have to watch out for -- and the number one trap reveals how frightened Christian leaders are of atheism. We also have Towards Eternity pretending to ask questions, Sean McDowell pretending to have answers, Christrigheous doing a TERRIBLE British accent, Dawkins and Loftus stickmen (because they're one step up from strawmen), another round of Islamic speed conversion, and some truly shameful content about hell. All this and more, this week in anti-atheism.