Hey Shiny, why don't you try to sift something less polarizing? Like baby ducks? Or kittens in a bucket? Something with a wider appeal?

I mean jeez, Pat Robertson wouldn't be this one-track-minded. I'll bet he could sift the shit out of baby duck videos.

http://videosift.com/video/Drippy-Kitten-in-a-Bucket

Know what I'm sayin'?

"Hey, you got your fundamentalism in my conspiracy!"

Sorry, Lad.

From a Biblical perspective undermined the whole of your argument.

That doesn't mean I don't like you...

Just sort of means you haven't been paying attention!

Actually, the "from a biblical perspective" is what drew my attention! It's gonna add a whole new level of crazy to the conspiracies! We'll get to see a deeper level of mistrust and hatefulness as demonstrated by incontrovertible cherry-picked and out of context quotations!

Aww, man. I accidentally skipped to the last video. God wins. They should warn people before spoilers!

Yeah, but in the prequel you find out that God and the Devil are the same thing... aw shit, spoiled it again huh.

>> ^MaxWilder:

Aww, man. I accidentally skipped to the last video. God wins. They should warn people before spoilers!

I'd flip that around..if you read Revelation you'll find the blueprint for the New World Order. One world government, one world economy and one world religion. It's all being prepared for the antichrist. Government, so one man (the antichrist) is the head of all nations. Economy, to control all commerce and to lock dissenters out of participation (mark of the beast). Religion, so all the people will be worshipping the same false god (Satan)

Why do you think the leaders of the world gather every year in the bohemian grove to worship Moloch? What do you think happens in these secret socieites? They're worshipping demons, because they know where power in this world comes from; the chief of demons, Satan.


>> ^rougy:
Sorry, Lad.
From a Biblical perspective undermined the whole of your argument.
That doesn't mean I don't like you...
Just sort of means you haven't been paying attention!
<IMG class=smiley src="http://cdn.videosift.com/cdm/emoticon/smile.gif">

That's zoroastrianism..but God is only good, and does no evil.

>> ^hpqp:
Yeah, but in the prequel you find out that God and the Devil are the same thing... aw shit, spoiled it again huh.
>> ^MaxWilder:
Aww, man. I accidentally skipped to the last video. God wins. They should warn people before spoilers!

Then from whence cometh the Devil? (a rhetorical question of course...)

>> ^shinyblurry:

That's zoroastrianism..but God is only good, and does no evil.
>> ^hpqp:
Yeah, but in the prequel you find out that God and the Devil are the same thing... aw shit, spoiled it again huh.
>> ^MaxWilder:
Aww, man. I accidentally skipped to the last video. God wins. They should warn people before spoilers!

The devil was once an ArchAngel who was created faultless, the most beautiful and intelligent of Gods creations. He became corrupted because he became enamoured of his own glory, thought himself superior and desired in his pride to receive worship and replace God on His throne. Unsaved people love this idea of devil as some sort of freedom fighter..but that wasn't the case. He was in fact just an arrogant, prideful being who wanted all the power for himself. An attitude human beings have embraced in this world to a sickening degree.

Unsaved people don't believe in Satan. You are confusing love with mockery. Satan is one of the most poorly constructed characters in all of Christian mythology - a ridiculous caped, horned boogeyman designed to frighten young children and gullible adults into going to church. When South Park or Tenacious D features Satan, they aren't praising Satan, they are making fun of religion. >> ^shinyblurry:
Unsaved people love this idea of devil as some sort of freedom fighter..but that wasn't the case.

This "ridiculous caped horned boogeyman" is the image that Satan prefers, and the secular media portrays. It's the image the spiritually undiscerning have of Satan, that he is some overt and absurd caricature of evil. Nothing can be further from the truth. Satan masquarades as an angel of light. When he shows himself to someone, it's under the pretense of good not evil. He is a master manipulator and tactician, more intelligent and powerful than any other creation of God. He shows himself to be a giver of secret knowledge, a liberator of humanity. Someone who has our best interests at heart. His influence is everywhere, in our culture and media, from main street to wall street to pennsylvnia avenue. His product is sin and everyone is buying, and all those who do become his slaves.

>> ^dystopianfuturetoday:
Unsaved people don't believe in Satan. You are confusing love with mockery. Satan is one of the most poorly constructed characters in all of Christian mythology - a ridiculous caped, horned boogeyman designed to frighten young children and gullible adults into going to church. When South Park or Tenacious D features Satan, they aren't praising Satan, they are making fun of religion. >> ^shinyblurry:
Unsaved people love this idea of devil as some sort of freedom fighter..but that wasn't the case.

it's a shinyblurry post. Please some downvote this all the way to hell.

*blocked @TheGenk, thou shalt not block sarcastically!

This video has been flagged as having an embed that is Region Blocked to not function in certain geographical locations - declared blocked by DerHasisttot.

Know your enemy--that's why I upvoted it

Knowledge is not bad, even if you don't agree with it.

Then why is there evil in the world?>> ^shinyblurry:

That's zoroastrianism..but God is only good, and does no evil.
>> ^hpqp:
Yeah, but in the prequel you find out that God and the Devil are the same thing... aw shit, spoiled it again huh.
>> ^MaxWilder:
Aww, man. I accidentally skipped to the last video. God wins. They should warn people before spoilers!

This video is a poorly executed *commercial advertisement for a website (and video series) which sells religion.

Adding video to channels (Commercial) - requested by Sagemind.

Tsk, tsk.. people making money through religion. SHAME.

>> ^shinyblurry:

The devil was once an ArchAngel who was created faultless, the most beautiful and intelligent of Gods creations. He became corrupted because he became enamoured of his own glory, thought himself superior and desired in his pride to receive worship and replace God on His throne.

And the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful God knew this was going to happen even as He created him because He exists outside of time.

So, either God knowingly created evil incarnate or He made a mistake; a "design flaw", if you will; during the creation of ha-satan.

That's not true..there is a link to a facebook page and they aren't selling anything. They are compiling a DVD which will probably just cost for shipping, as most of these apologetics projects are..it also says people are free to share it however they want. This isn't a commercial enterprise.


>> ^Sagemind:
This video is a poorly executed commercial advertisement for a website (and video series) which sells religion.

Or, God limited His omniscience so we could have free will. In the bible, Gods foreknowledge is not absolute. He changes His plans according to what people do. For instance, He predicted that the 4th generation of israelites would reach the promise land, but because of disobedience it was the 5th generation that actually got there.

>> ^xxovercastxx:
>> ^shinyblurry:
The devil was once an ArchAngel who was created faultless, the most beautiful and intelligent of Gods creations. He became corrupted because he became enamoured of his own glory, thought himself superior and desired in his pride to receive worship and replace God on His throne.
And the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful God knew this was going to happen even as He created him because He exists outside of time.
So, either God knowingly created evil incarnate or He made a mistake; a "design flaw", if you will; during the creation of ha-satan.

Change 'Satan' to greed and self interest, and I'm pretty much on board with what you are saying in this comment. I think attaching greed and self-interest to a demon allows us to put one degree of separation between the good and bad side of our own nature - hindering us from taking responsibility for the ill we actively or passively commit on others. "Satan made me do it."

I think there is much wisdom in the Bible, so long as we look at these stories as cautionary tales rather than literal truth; so long as we look at these stories as the wisdom of men rather than the wisdom of a just God - because there are a number of horrors perpetrated by God that far surpass the evil of men.

>> ^shinyblurry:

This "ridiculous caped horned boogeyman" is the image that Satan prefers, and the secular media portrays. It's the image the spiritually undiscerning have of Satan, that he is some overt and absurd caricature of evil. Nothing can be further from the truth. Satan masquarades as an angel of light. When he shows himself to someone, it's under the pretense of good not evil. He is a master manipulator and tactician, more intelligent and powerful than any other creation of God. He shows himself to be a giver of secret knowledge, a liberator of humanity. Someone who has our best interests at heart. His influence is everywhere, in our culture and media, from main street to wall street to pennsylvnia avenue. His product is sin and everyone is buying, and all those who do become his slaves.
>> ^dystopianfuturetoday:
Unsaved people don't believe in Satan. You are confusing love with mockery. Satan is one of the most poorly constructed characters in all of Christian mythology - a ridiculous caped, horned boogeyman designed to frighten young children and gullible adults into going to church. When South Park or Tenacious D features Satan, they aren't praising Satan, they are making fun of religion. >> ^shinyblurry:
Unsaved people love this idea of devil as some sort of freedom fighter..but that wasn't the case.

Don't be daft.
I work in advertising.
This is an ad. It's a commercial made with a hook, specificly designed to peak a person's interest.
It's goal is to get people interested in a concept. They want you to go to the Facebook page and ultimately watch the video series. They are selling religion. They might be offering for people to see the series for free, but they are still advertising it. Just because they are not charging a fee does not exclude this as advertising.

For you to deny this is a commercial is quite comical. The fact is, that's exactly what it is.

For you to sit here and remove it from the channels at your whim does a dis-service to the Sift. It strongly reminds me of YT sites that remove commenting because they are afraid of it. I didn't discount it as spam. I just tagged it as a *commercial - which it is.

The Fuel Project is clearly tagged at the end with their links - directing you to both the facebook page and their youtube page. Upon getting to these sites you are immediately bombarded with what a difference in your life watching these religious videos will make. Both sites make use of the same type of wording to further the sell.

>> ^shinyblurry:

That's not true..there is a link to a facebook page and they aren't selling anything. They are compiling a DVD which will probably just cost for shipping, as most of these apologetics projects are..it also says people are free to share it however they want. This isn't a commercial enterprise.

>> ^Sagemind:
This video is a poorly executed commercial advertisement for a website (and video series) which sells religion.

Adding video to channels (Commercial) - requested by Sagemind.

They're not selling anything and you're not bombarded with anything going either to their youtube or facebook page. That's an outright fabrication. The guy who makes these videos said anyone can freely distribute them. Here is the definition of a commercial mr adverstising expert:

Commercial: Concerned with or engaged in commerce

There is no commerce going on here, so this is not a commercial.



>> ^Sagemind:
Don't be daft.
I work in advertising.
This is an ad. It's a commercial made with a hook, specificly designed to peak a person's interest.
It's goal is to get people interested in a concept. They want you to go to the Facebook page and ultimately watch the video series. They are selling religion. They might be offering for people to see the series for free, but they are still advertising it. Just because they are not charging a fee does not exclude this as advertising.
For you to deny this is a commercial is quite comical. The fact is, that's exactly what it is.
For you to sit here and remove it from the channels at your whim does a dis-service to the Sift. It strongly reminds me of YT sites that remove commenting because they are afraid of it. I didn't discount it as spam. I just tagged it as a commercial - which it is.
The Fuel Project is clearly tagged at the end with their links - directing you to both the facebook page and their youtube page. Upon getting to these sites you are immediately bombarded with what a difference in your life watching these religious videos will make. Both sites make use of the same type of wording to further the sell.
>> ^shinyblurry:
That's not true..there is a link to a facebook page and they aren't selling anything. They are compiling a DVD which will probably just cost for shipping, as most of these apologetics projects are..it also says people are free to share it however they want. This isn't a commercial enterprise.
>> ^Sagemind:
This video is a poorly executed commercial advertisement for a website (and video series) which sells religion.

Satan doesn't make you do anything..he merely tempts. It's not Satans fault that someone sinned. He couldn't legally be blamed for any sin that humans do. Our nature is fallen, that is why we're such easy targets. We naturally want to do things which aren't right. The flesh and spirit are at war with one another. The flesh has insatiable desires which never end, and lead people into self destruction. We're willing victims, which is the problem. This is why we must be born again. Until we put on the righteousness of Christ, we don't stand a chance.

The bible is more than a cautionary tale, it is our true history. What is seen by the eye is the surface of the spiritual war that is underlaying all things. Every person you meet is a soldier on one side or the other, and a war is being waged for his very soul. What comes out of his mouth are the weapons of this war, the sword of truth or the flaming arrows of the enemy. There are no coincidences, because all things are being orchastrated.

Since you do appreciate the bible, I will recommend the book of Ecclesiastes to you. It is a book of sayings of wisdom, written by a King who had done it all, seen it all, had every thing a man could ever possibly want and more. It his cautionary tale about life.

Also, I honestly don't see how you think that the one who controls life and death is evil for presiding over it. Over 2 million people are born and die every day. God is sovereign, and He can adjudicate His creation how He pleases. As He said to job, "Have you ever in all your life caused a day to dawn?" He didn't need anyones help in making the Earth, and He certainly doesn't need anyones advice in running it. It was *because* of the evil man was doing that He brought His judgement to bear.

>> ^dystopianfuturetoday:
Change 'Satan' to greed and self interest, and I'm pretty much on board with what you are saying in this comment. I think attaching greed and self-interest to a demon allows us to put one degree of separation between the good and bad side of our own nature - hindering us from taking responsibility for the ill we actively or passively commit on others. "Satan made me do it."
I think there is much wisdom in the Bible, so long as we look at these stories as cautionary tales rather than literal truth; so long as we look at these stories as the wisdom of men rather than the wisdom of a just God - because there are a number of horrors perpetrated by God that far surpass the evil of men.
>> ^shinyblurry:
This "ridiculous caped horned boogeyman" is the image that Satan prefers, and the secular media portrays. It's the image the spiritually undiscerning have of Satan, that he is some overt and absurd caricature of evil. Nothing can be further from the truth. Satan masquarades as an angel of light. When he shows himself to someone, it's under the pretense of good not evil. He is a master manipulator and tactician, more intelligent and powerful than any other creation of God. He shows himself to be a giver of secret knowledge, a liberator of humanity. Someone who has our best interests at heart. His influence is everywhere, in our culture and media, from main street to wall street to pennsylvnia avenue. His product is sin and everyone is buying, and all those who do become his slaves.
>> ^dystopianfuturetoday:
Unsaved people don't believe in Satan. You are confusing love with mockery. Satan is one of the most poorly constructed characters in all of Christian mythology - a ridiculous caped, horned boogeyman designed to frighten young children and gullible adults into going to church. When South Park or Tenacious D features Satan, they aren't praising Satan, they are making fun of religion. >> ^shinyblurry:
Unsaved people love this idea of devil as some sort of freedom fighter..but that wasn't the case.

Moving this video to shinyblurry's personal queue. It failed to receive enough votes to get sifted up to the front page within 2 days.

I do dig Ecclesiastes - easily the most raw, human and cynical chapter of the good book.

http://videosift.com/video/Scorpion-vs-Black-Widow-Intense-sheesh?loadcomm=1#comment-290039

In short, here is why I think the main, overarching plot of the Bible is silly.

Summary:
God creates flawed humans.
Flawed humans do flawed things.
God punishes all present and future humans because of the flaws in his prototypes.
After many generations, God drowns 99.9% of his land dwelling creatures save two of each. (not sure why the fish get off so easy)
Despite this massive genocide, humans are still flawed.
God impregnates a human virgin woman - in a committed relationship - without consent - who gives birth to a human/God hybrid son. (Kinda weird and rape-y to be honest)
The son is tortured and 'dies for our sins'. (What does that even mean, couldn't God just forgive us without this cruel theatrical charade that so few people of the world are physically able to witness?)
Jesus comes back from the dead (which isn't really that big of a deal, considering he is a part God).
Finally, after all of this violence and suffering, God decides to destroy the world, and take those who believe in him to heaven, and to punish those with skeptical or scientific minds with eternal suffering.

I mean, I guess I can understand mass murder, if God thinks so little of us that our destruction is no more tragic than Atari burying thousands of copies of E.T. in the desert. But if we are insignificant ants, then why the strict moral code that forbids murder? Are we unique and special creatures, or just crash test dummies to be toyed with?

None of the actions of God seem wise for a being of such knowledge and power. The Bible sounds like mythology. It sounds like a combination of campfire stories, moral parables, juicy pulp fiction, dirty jokes, political posturing, medical advice and pre-scientific speculation. It sounds like an anthology of the best of the best literature of early human civilization.

If God were real, why doesn't he just openly and clearly communicate it? Why all the rites and rituals? "Hey, dft, this is God you atheist schmuck.... or should I say ex-athiest schmuck. Put down the pork and put on your beanie!" That would be clear and to the point, and if done convincingly, would add a pretty decent guy to the ranks of his faithful.

Also, his followers are so hung up on pride, that they miss a good chance of making a connection. I told you that I don't believe in Satan, but that I do oppose the greed and ruthless self interest that your Satan seems want to champion. If you cared more about the principles of the bible than the principals in the Bible, wouldn't you be serving your lord better? Shouldn't you nurture the things we have in common and downplay the stuff I think is absurd? Baby steps. Religionists have no strategy or common sense when it comes to apologetics. You argue with me as if I believe in God and Satan.

Anyway, I've made these points so many times, and they just bounce off the framework of faith, just as your points bounce off my framework of reason. There will be no headway because our criteria for belief run so contrary. I think it's cool that you fight for what you believe in so passionately, and wish people wouldn't downvote your videos to the point that they are killed. I do think you could come up with more productive styles of argument.

I'd be curious to get your opinion on this video: http://videosift.com/video/Why-I-am-no-longer-a-Christian-Must-Watch

I watched some of your video..I may finish it at some point. I have to give it credit, it's quite a sophisticated attack vehicle for atheism. It attempts to decontruct the mechanisms for faith but so far it has some glaring errors. In the video covering prayer in the deconstruction process, it has a fundemental misunderstanding of Gods omniscience and the purpose of prayer. While it is true that God knows our needs before we ask

Matthew 6:8

Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

it isn't true that God has already decided a matter before we ask about it.

Genesis 18:17-25

Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”

Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”

The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city because of five people?”

“If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.”

Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?”

He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”

Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?”

He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?”

He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”

Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?”

He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.”

When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.

Now this is a special case, but Abraham negotiated with God and He decided what to do based on that negotiation. It is the same with prayer. The Lord may be set to do one thing, but may change His mind based on intercessory prayer done by one or several Christians. He may impart a blessing upon someone that normally wouldn't have received it if no one had asked about it.

Prayer is more than just asking for things, it is about communion and growth. Your friend made the mistake of making the Lord completely impersonal, by thinking he was just receiving commands from the master control. Ironically, he thought this was bringing him closer in his personal relationship with God when it was actually driving him apart. This is what happens when people think they know better than God.

1 Thessalonians 5:17

Pray without ceasing.

Luke 6:28

bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.

etc

I feel bad for him, specifically because of this scripture:


Hebrews 6:4-6

For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

It is quite shameful what he has done, and I can tell you there is more to this story than he is saying. It's not that I doubt the essential truth of his story, that he was once a devout Christian. That much was obvious to me the first time I heard him speak and looked in his eyes. There is just another spirit at work here which doesnt match the atheistic mindset. It's hard to say what his agenda is but it's not pro-atheist. It's pro-something else, but whatever it is, it's anti-christianity. The pretense of respect he is giving God is just a subterfuge..he doesn't have any respect for God what so ever..it's just to make the medicine go down smoother. The repetitive music is another clue to the disingenuousness of the presentation.

As for me, I don't fit any of his criteria. I was once just like you. Blind to the spirit, a strict materialistic, and suspicious of all religion and all supernatural claims. I rejected most of it as outright nonsense. I grew up that way and saw no reason to change.

One day God tapped me on the shoulder and let me know He was there. Your guess is as good as mine as to why. It's not as if I deserved to know. If I had to guess it would be that I was honestly interested in what the truth was, and I was willing to change my ways if necessary. It was more important for me to know the truth than to be right.

To convince myself God isn't there I would have to give myself a lobotomy. I would have to gouge my eyes out and pour superglue in my ears. I would have to do it deliberately, in spite of Him..meaning, I would have to deliberately deceive myself but I am fairly certain He wouldn't let me forget.

In reference to your scenerio, I think you make a mistake about Gods omniscience as well. God doesn't have absolute foreknowledge in this scenerio. For instance in Gen. 15:13-18 God predicts that the fourth generation of israelites will reach Cannan. But it is actually the fifth generation that reaches it because of disobedience. This means His prediction was based on probability.

For a being to truly have free will, their actions must to a certain extent be unpredictable to God. After God had Abraham prove his loyalty to Him by going through with sacrificing Issaic, God said "Now I know you love me". The verse suggests that until that moment, God didn't know that for sure.

This isn't to suggest God doesn't have foreknowledge at all. He obviously does, since He prophicies about things hundreds or thousands of years away and they come true. It is to suggest that God limited Himself for our sake. We have evidence of this in the person of Jesus Christ. Though He was God, He put aside His power and capability and knowledge to be fully submitted to the Fathers will. He depended on the Father for everything. Not just as an example, but for His mission to be accomplished through His revelation of the Father to the people.

It goes to the ontological argument, of what is the greater being. The one who cannot do anything original because everything he could do has already been done in His mind, or the one who can craft something even He couldn't fully anticipate. I go for option 2. It doesn't make sense for God to get mad at someone for doing something He already knew was going to happen.

My theory is the scenerio itself is certain. It has a beginning, it has an end. What is inbetween He may have certain ideas about, but obviously open to modification. He may plan for every possible scenerio but never quite know which will unfold because He has given us a measure of unpredictability.

So in this scenerio..

God creates a perfect world, giving man a blank slate for good or evil

Man chooses evil, God enforces the rules, death comes into the world and creation falls

Man is corrupted from sin and does continual evil that God is always trimming back and correcting

God works within the evil man creates, but it reaches the point of no return..

God is ready to give up on humans but finds one human he can work with

God resets the world, gives man another chance through Noah

Man is up to his old tricks but God sends His Son into the world this time to redeem Creation

Jesus imputes His righteouness and sinless nature into humanity, restoring them, takes our just punishment onto Himself and dies on the cross for our sins

He rises again breaking the power of death over humanity (which came from sin) and giving everyone the way to eternal life

God sets a date to judge the world, and will send His Son back when the church has spread the gospel to the four corners..

Jesus returns, comes back for His church and destroys the kingdom of the antichrist.

God judges the world and repays each according to their deeds
After the judgement, God destroys the corrupt creation and remakes it entirely new, and this time it will be permanently perfect. Thanks to Christ, the ones who believed in Him will have perfected natures and will sin no more and live forever in paradise

If you want to talk about greed and self-interest that is fine. I am a student of the human nature, and have many logical proofs I can offer even from a secular perspectives. My communication can always use fine tuning, however, I endevour that people should know the truth, because though they may stubbornly reject it at this point, will at some point need it, and more than that, just plain need to hear it. You discount the power of God completely, but I know He is always at work and the truth will facilitate that every time. I also appreciate that you noticed the unfair treatment I am receiving from other sifters. There is no reason to downvote these videos. They are well made and aren't masquarading as anything other than what they are. It's not as if they're in danger of becoming popular. They sin when they do this, and this is written about them:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident [b]within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not [c]honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools

>> ^dystopianfuturetoday:
I do dig Ecclesiastes - easily the most raw, human and cynical chapter of the good book.
http://videosift.com/video/Scorpion-vs-Black-Widow-Intense-sheesh?loadcomm=1#comment-290039
In short, here is why I think the main, overarching plot of the Bible is silly.
Summary:
God creates flawed humans.
Flawed humans do flawed things.
God punishes all present and future humans because of the flaws in his prototypes.
After many generations, God drowns 99.9% of his land dwelling creatures save two of each. (not sure why the fish get off so easy)
Despite this massive genocide, humans are still flawed.
God impregnates a human virgin woman - in a committed relationship - without consent - who gives birth to a human/God hybrid son. (Kinda weird and rape-y to be honest)
The son is tortured and 'dies for our sins'. (What does that even mean, couldn't God just forgive us without this cruel theatrical charade that so few people of the world are physically able to witness?)
Jesus comes back from the dead (which isn't really that big of a deal, considering he is a part God).
Finally, after all of this violence and suffering, God decides to destroy the world, and take those who believe in him to heaven, and to punish those with skeptical or scientific minds with eternal suffering.
I mean, I guess I can understand mass murder, if God thinks so little of us that our destruction is no more tragic than Atari burying thousands of copies of E.T. in the desert. But if we are insignificant ants, then why the strict moral code that forbids murder? Are we unique and special creatures, or just crash test dummies to be toyed with?
None of the actions of God seem wise for a being of such knowledge and power. The Bible sounds like mythology. It sounds like a combination of campfire stories, moral parables, juicy pulp fiction, dirty jokes, political posturing, medical advice and pre-scientific speculation. It sounds like an anthology of the best of the best literature of early human civilization.
If God were real, why doesn't he just openly and clearly communicate it? Why all the rites and rituals? "Hey, dft, this is God you atheist schmuck.... or should I say ex-athiest schmuck. Put down the pork and put on your beanie!" That would be clear and to the point, and if done convincingly, would add a pretty decent guy to the ranks of his faithful.
Also, his followers are so hung up on pride, that they miss a good chance of making a connection. I told you that I don't believe in Satan, but that I do oppose the greed and ruthless self interest that your Satan seems want to champion. If you cared more about the principles of the bible than the principals in the Bible, wouldn't you be serving your lord better? Shouldn't you nurture the things we have in common and downplay the stuff I think is absurd? Baby steps. Religionists have no strategy or common sense when it comes to apologetics. You argue with me as if I believe in God and Satan.
Anyway, I've made these points so many times, and they just bounce off the framework of faith, just as your points bounce off my framework of reason. There will be no headway because our criteria for belief run so contrary. I think it's cool that you fight for what you believe in so passionately, and wish people wouldn't downvote your videos to the point that they are killed. I do think you could come up with more productive styles of argument.
I'd be curious to get your opinion on this video: http://videosift.com/video/Why-I-am-no-longer-a-Christian-Must-Watch

Sooo... he was "created faultless" but "became corrupted"... internal contradiction much? He doesn't even have the "forbidden fruit" excuse, the poor devil

>> ^shinyblurry:

The devil was once an ArchAngel who was created faultless, the most beautiful and intelligent of Gods creations. He became corrupted because he became enamoured of his own glory, thought himself superior and desired in his pride to receive worship and replace God on His throne. Unsaved people love this idea of devil as some sort of freedom fighter..but that wasn't the case. He was in fact just an arrogant, prideful being who wanted all the power for himself. An attitude human beings have embraced in this world to a sickening degree.