I was going to put this one lower in the list until I listened closely to the end. In fact I repeated the last half twice to make sure I understood what he was saying. He is the first, maybe only Christ bible pusher who has said openly and publically that conversion to Christianity, that believing in being a good person and treating others the way Jesus talked about lets you have a spot in his fold, his heaven. He specifically doesn’t mention atheists, but he has before. Hugs. Scottie
In the following video Rev Trevors makes clear he not only dislikes the prosperity gospel preachers, he dislikes the message they send for not being biblical. He totally shoots down the new push all these getting rich by preaching people are touting, Christian Nationalism and the idea that the US was founded as a Christian nation. He also at the end says something many not watch long enough to hear. He says that not only do these preacher claim things they can’t prove he also can’t prove his god exists. He says he teachers about faith, not proof. He says when someone claims that he worships an invisible daddy in the sky, he can’t prove god exists. He is OK with that. I really respect this man. Hugs. Scottie
In the one below this time he explains something very important a lot of people miss. Things that when the writers of the bible wrote about giants or Nephilim they meant fierce hard to beat warriors, not real bigger than humans giants. He explains that the writers used phrases and ideas from their own time. He is sort of admitting that the bible not to be taken literally and was written by humans for the people of that time. Hugs. Scottie
I did not think to write a blurb about the rest of the videos, I posted these before it dawned on me people might not watch them without understanding what they might be about. If you are wondering, fast-forward towards the end of each video to see if the video strikes a nerve and I would post it. Just remember I am an atheist and I enjoy listening to this guy. Hugs. Scottie
Scottie's Playtime 
The most common mistake, one that may oft be by design, is in making atheism more complicated than it is. By definition atheism is No Religion. That’s it, no religion. That others, oft atheist, try to make more of it than that, try to make a religion out of it is beside the point. By definition atheism is No Religion
Doesn’t say anything in there about no god … says no religion. There I think lay the heart of Jesus’ teaching, his Put It In The Closet admonishment to not be like the hypocrites who love stand out there where they can be seen and make a lot of noise, they have their reward; go home instead, keep it to yourself
Peter Greene summed it up nice: https://www.youtube.com/embed/0yq-Fw7C26Y
When I talk to god I know he understands; says stick by me and I’ll be your guiding hand
But don’t ask me what I think of you, I might not give the answer that you want me to !
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Hi Ten Bears. The guitar work is not my taste I do agree with what he said.
I was under the impression that atheist meant someone who did not believe there was a god, that the god believers had not proved to me their god / deity existed. Yet it is true there are a segment of atheist like Aron Ra who claim that no god exists.
Either way I do not believe that any god exists, no one has proven it or showed me evidence of it. Which is what the Rev. admitted, he deals and teaches faith, not fact.
I am at the point where I know the bible is wrong on almost everything. I have spent more than a decade researching and listening to biblical scholars on how things in the bible are wrong. I also know the supernatural is not proven by any scientific means we have. So as much as I would love to believe in some of that stuff. I just can’t, it can not be show correct, it can not be proven, it is simply faith that it exists and I don’t have that faith. I have Wiccan friends, my own wonderful spouse is a big believer in the supernatural. I humor him, but I just don’t buy it.
Oh one last thing on the lyrics of the song. Far too many Christians who thought they were experts in the moral way to force others to live wouldn’t ever accept the last part of that lyrics. “I might not give the answer that you want me to”.
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I have long lamented that the language we use to lament religion is rooted in religion. With all due respect to fellow travelers I tend to use language the least among us can understand. I’ve got sixty years into trying to figure all this out and the best I’ve come up with is there are Ten Million Things Under The Sun and I’m only one of them, a Traveler on The Way. If calling it ‘god’ sooths the savage breast … ok
When they push to far I tell them what’s between me and god is between me and god and ain’t nobody’s business but me and god. That usually shuts them up
Even this makes more of it than it is: No Religion
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Hi Ten Bears. Your statement about your relationship with god being between you and god resonates with me. I had a wealthy highly religious guy pay to put me in a Christian boarding school. For two years about they sheltered me and protected me from my abuse. I was constantly told by him and church leaders that I was not to listen to others / gossips in the church but that my journey with God was between him and me. That my journey wouldn’t look like others might. That I might be able to do stuff that god would accept from me that others couldn’t.
Looking back I realize it was because there were people in the pews who had an idea of my abuse and the bad reputations of members of my family. Plus my family were godly heathens that ate meat, lots of meat. So I being clueless went through my school and graduated, thinking everything was cool with me, the church, and god. Until …
Until that benefactor had me come visit him on his porch a few weeks after graduation. As we sat talking after the pleasantries, he informed me that now as an adult I had some responsibilities I had to follow and uphold. Being confused because at this point I was still sort of obeying the church doctrines, I asked what do I need to do? Thinking I had forgotten to tithe or something. He went on to explain that now that I was an adult how I lived my life, all aspects of it, including dress, the way I talked, things I might look at or watch, what I could eat or drink … It came down to his last forceful statement … “You don’t want to be the stumbling block that would cause a younger brother or sister to falter, would you? You know how god feels about that. Better to have a millstone placed around your neck and thrown in to the river”. We were not far from a river and that made me even more nervous … but I had been threatened and abused all my life, I knew a threat when I heard it. This was a threat. I was to now toe the church line or … face discipline. I did not wait to find out. I excused my self saying I had a lot to think about, never went back and joined the military the next day. A year later I sent a registered letter to the church demanding my name be removed from the membership roster as they were still trying to contact me at my abusive adoptive parent’s house.
So much for my journey with god being between the two of us. I guess after you go from minor to adult legally, that shit changes then your journey with god has the church elders supervising it. Hugs. Scottie
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He is the first, maybe only Christ bible pusher who has said openly and publically that conversion to Christianity, that believing in being a good person and treating others the way Jesus talked about lets you have a spot in his fold, his heaven.
See, that’s how I look at it. I believe that Hell exists, but I don’t believe that most people are going there. The rest of the people, it’s not my place to decide, and I don’t want to be judged by my judgment! He is the first pastor I’ve heard say that, though, too. Most I’ve heard do say you can’t get to heaven without believing in Jesus. I guess I figure Jesus is going to talk people into it as they’re slipping the earthly plain, or something like that. I’ve never been taught that the Father, Son, and/or Holy Ghost want to send people to hell for eternity.
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Hello Ali. I won’t give you a hard time for your belief in hell. I would just mention that historically it was not in the Old Testament, which was based on the Torah. Or some say is a badly translated version of it. Nor was it specifically in the New Testament even though translations do use the word 23 times, which biblical scholars claim is a mistranslation of the Greek words. Back when I was into learning all I could about the bible I looked into this as it was a sticking point for me. How could a loving god want people in heaven looking down in hell to see family and friends in torment. Plus the words ever and ever forever were again mistranslated because in the usage at the time it meant until used up.
But if you do believe in a literal fire and brimstone hell watched over by a top demon who used to be the second hand of god, I am OK with it. It doesn’t affect me or my beliefs and your belief in it has not made you a bad person. All wins as far as I can see.
I agree, I can not picture a god as loving and kind as the Jesus deity wanting anyone to suffer for eternity. The SDA church believes that what it means by hell is the complete separation from god and his light followed by elimination of existence. They love the passage that says the dead know not nothing.
I have a different view of heaven than you. I don’t believe in bedside conversions, and I really don’t want to be in a place where for eternity I have to worship and kiss a bully’s ass. Did that for the first 17 years of my life and that was far too long for me. An eternity doing it would be the greatest torture ever.
But I have a slightly different view of why if heaven is a reward for good acts on earth, if earth is a proving ground for who / how a person really is, the Jesus god wouldn’t care what you called yourself while living that way. He wouldn’t care if you were Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Quaker, Amish, or even atheist. He cares how you treat others. The entire gospels were about how to treat others better. That god wouldn’t condemn the most loving giving charitable person who lived a compassionate life to everlasting torture just for believing in a different religion or not believing in him at all. IMO.
So Ali if I am wrong and a Deity exists I am sure he won’t send me to hell. But can I ask you a question? Your Christian. What if the real deity is not the Christian god, but the Muslim one, the Hindu one, the one of over 4,300 different religious sects? The question is based on Pascal’s wager. Did you pick the right one?
Regardless Ali know it doesn’t matter to me except I want you to know I think you are a grand person, a wonderful person who has lived life being a good person, helping others, raising a family, being a good neighbors, helping out others when you could, and giving support to the downtrodden and attacked who need some support online. I thank you for that. No one can ever take that away from you.
With respect, loves, hugs, and admiration for you who are good person. Scottie
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First, thank you so much! You brought a tear. A nice one.
Next, you know, I haven’t ever parsed out hell, as you describw above, or any other way. We were always told we don’t know what it would be like and should just plan to not go there. They did say that it would be out of the presence of God and His glory. I enjoyed the South Park version (what with currently being Earthly, and all,) and there have been other versions I’ve read or seen on a screen. Most of those describe people in some fine place, always having a dinner party, and it’s an eternal dinner party with people that are boring, or some other flaw, and there you sit for eternity. It could be anything, or it could not be anything. I guess I think it’s there because it’d be like a prison for those who won’t be rehabbed. That could be a bad choice of phrase; I mean nothing bad against anybody when I write that.
As to the if it’s not Who I believe it is, I don’t know other than that I hope to be judged as I judged, same as in most religions and other societies.
This was fun!
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Hello Ali. A grand response. I love it. And having had to attend a lot of parties where I would love to have been else where I can see how that could be hell. I will add the mandatory company meeting that seems to go on forever with no end as each supervisor has to have their say. Then they try to hash out their complaints with each other without being specific, and we all have to sit there while they snipe at each other. Hell indeed.
As I said the SDA church I attended for a few years taught that you died, did not exist. Jesus came back and resurrected the good, took them with him, the bad ones he left to suffer for a 1,000 years … again doesn’t seem like a loving god, but that is their view. Then he returned with his shining city including us good ones, wiped out all the bad … I admit I forget what he did to Satan it has been nearly four decades since I sat in the pews. Renewed the earth to a pristine state. Then we all lived happy ever after praising god … and here is where I lose it. Praising god for eternity. Really. OK your great, how many ways can I say it. When I raised this point one of the elders had a great answer.
He told me we wouldn’t only be praising god but busy telling all the other beings in the universe how great he was to us. I got in so much trouble for simply asking … Did they fail the apple test also? Did they need a Jesus like them to die on a cross? Oh shit.
I was informed that only humans sinned and the rest of the beings were watching us in sorrow, marveling how horrible beings we were. Our job in heaven was to tell all those beings how great god was for our salvation … again kiss the ass of the bully for eternity.
I couldn’t help my self. I got punished with extra work and chapel time. I asked “if they were watching then did they already not know, and aren’t they tired of us bragging about it”.
Lesson in church study group learned. Never question what told, accept and repeat. Pass class.
As to how I see you. You earned that. You have demonstrated it here on the blog and in what you have shared of your personal life. I can only say I hope others feel half as positive about me as I do you. So please keep on being you, the world needs more of you. Hugs. Scottie
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Oh, yeah! I never thought about it before this, but if it’s the Hindu God, I’m gonna ask for 2 more arms! I cannot tell the number of times over my life that I’ve needed even just one more arm!!
Which reminds me, Happy Mother’s Day to all who observe or celebrate!
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Hi Ali. OK I could use them as some spots are hard to scratch, but I want an elephant’s trunk also. Think of the fun you could have with that. Weird thing, I was joking with Ron today all the ways I could startle and surprise him if I had one of those. It happened right after I put my cold hands under his shirt on his belly. He was not impressed with me to say the least. I quickly retreated to my Pink Palace. Hugs. Scottie
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Well, ya know.
I have cold hands, also. I’m very conscious of it, so am careful. 🤷♀️🧊
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