Truth Wanted

In today’s episode of the Truth Wanted, ObjectivelyDan and Kayse Melone jump into hell to find it does not exist. They then sort through ways of telling people they are wrong and the merits of an atheist evangelizing in a church.  Sven in WA has some questions about the value of the soul from a Christian point of view and god as an entity vs. a mind. How useful is it to believe in the concept of a soul? Sven also has a second question about the Pope’s belief in hell and the infernalist mindset causing religious trauma. How would things change if masses of people stopped believing in hell? There is plenty of suffering in the here and now; how can we focus on easing that suffering now?   Bob in MS wants to know how to tell someone wrong in a good way, a flip on our question of the week. Starting with common ground and using empathy will get you further than picking apart the logic. When we start with empathetic questions, we find similarities. Understanding how people get their truths matters, and if you can examine a claim together by asking how they got to the claim can be effective. These types of conversations are not encouraged in church environments. Giving people tools to help them realize where their ideas are coming from can help them liberate themselves from their false beliefs, even if it takes some time. Check yourself: What is the purpose of telling someone they are wrong? Billy Pilgrim in TX reminds us of how hard it is to get people to believe the truth when they want to believe in other things. People have an investment in these beliefs and oftentimes feel trapped. They may not have a concept of what it is like to be an atheist and do good things. What kind of bandwidth and time does it take to be a truth seeker? How would an atheist within a church provide a benefit? Thank you for tuning in this week! Kelley Laughlin, our backup host joins to close us out and deliver the We Want The Truth segment of the week: What is a bad way to tell someone that they are wrong? We will see you next time! Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/truth-wanted--3195473/support [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/truth-wanted--3195473/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss].

In today’s episode of the Truth Wanted, ObjectivelyDan and Jim Barrows jump into social media to separate the art from the artist, and are careful not to be echo chambers as they float through space to trigger a speciation event. James in NY has some thoughts about how social media can help with deconstruction. The process of deconstruction is not just one time and happens repeatedly. Jim mentions some YouTube programs that not only help him but also are entertaining. This can also be helpful when it is hard to leave some things behind, Dan describes. What kinds of things can be difficult to accept as true? Bagel in Canada wants to talk about separating the art from the artist and presents an example of a musician who did something awful yet still produces a great song. How can you separate the revenue stream from the artist? The thing that makes a person a moral monster is not necessarily their art. Knowing everything about every celebrity ever can give us some problems to wrestle with. How can you tell when the actual art is the problem? What if the cameraman of a series that you love comes out as a Nazi? Even bad people say and do good things on occasion. We can rephrase this as separating the science from the scientist. Caleb in WY wants to figure out how to not be an echo chamber and take the proper approach to find what is true. Dan draws off his experience to explain how helpful it is to use five different news sources for every story you find. Information is misreported on all sides and you must take an active attempt at absorbing information. Jim will surf different sites in incognito mode so he is not recognized. This will help prevent the information being tailored to you. The same article will have different headlines depending on the audience.  The hosts share other helpful tips: Never share an article on social media that you have not read yourself, paid subscriptions will generally give you better quality information, and look for news sources that expose the blind spots on the right and left.  Dan in Canada has a thought about the commercialization of space travel and asks if people will have a speciation event. Jim confirms that when the environment changes, we will definitely see this take place, and Dan explains that evolution does not just stop. If you stay in space long enough, you can’t return because of how it affects the body. How do you think humans will change if we were to colonize Mars? Kelley Laughlin, joins us to close out the show. We want the truth of the week: Name something that people worry about too much. Jim reminds us that all hardware and software suck. People make mistakes. Thank you for joining us this week! Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/truth-wanted--3195473/support [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/truth-wanted--3195473/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss].

In today’s episode of the Truth Wanted, Objectively Dan and Allegedly Ian, use words to interpret words as they are on troll alert.  John in Ca is a Biblical literalist that says we have mistranslated The Lord’s Prayer by using a different definition for the word, “bread”. Once he sees the Bible in a different light by replacing the word “God” with “food”, everything makes sense with evolutionary history. What process caused you to be convinced of this interpretation? How did the kangaroos get to Australia from the Middle East if Noah’s flood is true? How are the stories of Genesis allegorical from a literalist point of view?  Tweep in Canada wants to know how the word “objective” is being used and if it means 100% good when used as an adjective for good. There could be more than one value that has different worths under this umbrella. Knowing the rules of chess doesn't give you the ability to know what moves to make as an example.  Austin in the USA asks Ian how he thinks the earth was created. Ian describes how a solar nebula cooled and particles came together in bigger and bigger masses until the earth was formed and it is a fact that the earth is 4.5 billion years old.  Daisy in WA has observed atheists like Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins that have gone far right and have hateful opinions of trans people. We can’t tell you the individual psychology, but we did notice a cultural trend around 2010 that may have its roots in rage baiting. It is sad to see that some atheist influencers were part of this. Right wing spaces will take in a lot of people, especially when they are fringe. When the food in your mouth depends on you believing the thing that you believe, it is hard to think about anything else.  Thank you for tuning in this week! Supposedly Eli joins us to close us out. We want the truth question of the week: What conspiracy theories do you think will arise in the future? The unexamined life is not worth living. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/truth-wanted--3195473/support [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/truth-wanted--3195473/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss].

In today’s episode of Truth Wanted, Objectively Dan and Sara, with Leaving Faith, work through calls of deconversion, original sin, and ancient alien origins.  Steve in NE has strong evidence that the planet K2 18b has life, and uses that as a reason to believe that there is a god that is technologically advanced. How does this potential life make it more likely that a technologically advanced god exists? Why does there have to be a creator involved? We can find patterns in almost anything, but that does not prove anything. Rearranging this to get to the conclusion that you started with is not a good way to find the truth.  Chris in MI asks Sara if there was a higher power, is it most likely a floofy cute loaf of banana or a floofy cute dog that barks at things. Sara says it is the dog! Fastest call ever! Roy in MA has some questions about how to approach some conversations. The first question is about where original sin and atonement are referenced in the Bible. Dan describes how the Old Testament’s narrative involves people being held accountable for the sins of the father but was more strongly mentioned by Paul. Sara agrees this is more of a New Testament thing and an idea of Paul. Dan then explains how the Bible is a collection of blog posts with Paul being one of the biggest bloggers. Roy then asks the hosts their opinions about whether we can be punished for not worshipping god. Sara reminds us how the Bible lacks clarity about salvation and is full of contradictions.  Chuck in CA tells us his deconversion story, and we are the first ones to hear it! During his teenage years he started to question things after some conversations with friends. When he arrived in college, he had his first philosophy class where he encountered several god arguments that he could not shake. After watching several years of the AXP, and a few classes, he considers himself a firm atheist. He taught his mother, who is a lifelong believer, yoga and meditation that seemed to help her have a higher quality of life. Remember, you are not responsible for everything that happens and to be kind to yourself. What would you tell someone that told this same story to you? We appreciate you sharing this with us for the first time!  Thank you for tuning in this week! Our backup host, Kelley Laughlin joins us to close out the show. We want the truth prompt: Aliens thought they would have an easy time on earth, but they did not anticipate______. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/truth-wanted--3195473/support [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/truth-wanted--3195473/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss].

In today’s episode of Truth Wanted, Jon the Skeptick and Kelley Laughlin kick off the show before being joined by Amanda Bonanza who shows her amazing ability to offer wise guidance and questions to ponder to a bigoted caller. James in NY asks about having hope that mythical beings exist and the value of this hope when it can give us comfort with mortality. Why would believing in something like a dragon give us hope and what purpose would it serve? What happens when two people have opposing hopes? What would you need for something to be higher than you? When you die, the same thing will happen to you that was before you were born. If you make amazing memories and help people feel great about themselves, they will pass it on for you! Make it brilliant now! Jon in Canada thinks that trans women are putting cis women in danger by saying that men and women are the same. Amanda gives Jon a generous helping of questions that Jon seems to be unable to honestly answer. Who says that men and women are the same? The common misconception that trans women are men or that they are trans for sport, to be cool, or to gain access to feminine spaces is wildly wrong and factually incorrect. This is a prenatal condition where the body produces the wrong hormones that requires medicine where the person feels better. People confuse this with something that is aesthetic and often results in premature death. How is treating this condition putting women at risk? The approval rating for the treatments used for this transition is off the charts positive. Gender and biological sex are different things that sometimes overlap but not always. Jon then goes on to claim that this is all a fantasy. How do you know you are a man; do you need to check your genitals? If you are straight, can you one day decide to be gay and think that men are attractive? Do you choose to write with your right hand and how do you know you are right handed? It would take a lot of work to start doing things with your left hand and it would not feel natural, wouldn’t it? How many conversations have you had with trans people about this? You are incongruent with yourself, Jon. What happens when you take estrogen? If a cis woman does not look feminine enough, does that make her a man? If Mike Tyson transitioned and became a woman, would you be able to kick his ass because he is no longer a man? Gabe in MO is meeting his girlfriend’s parents soon and the father is a Lutheran pastor and wants some ideas on how to deal with it. How does your girlfriend feel about this and how often will you be seeing them? Sometimes it is best to keep the peace; you don;t have to agree but diplomacy comes into play and can go a long way.  Thank you for joining us! We want the truth question: If atheists are not in fox holes, where are they? Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/truth-wanted--3195473/support [https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/truth-wanted--3195473/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss].