Thank God for this video. It’s a wonder how we bump unintentionally into truths we know are true about ourselves but were never quite sure what they were, and there comes a video from someone you’ve never known till today, who puts those realities into words so clearly and brings it to the light for you, so that you now know the way out of that vicious cycle(here, emotional doubt). There is power in words- spoken and written. And God does leads His children in the right paths. Thanks for this video sir.
Very helpful chat. I think often times people have an emotional doubt, but tell themselves it is an intellectual doubt. The is then "solved" by rejecting belief which can give an emotional benefit ("I'm smarter than everyone else") which falsely reinforces the idea that there was an intellectual problem to begin with. Survey data bear this out. While there are certainly people who reject religion for intellectual reasons, the majority list things like hypocritical leaders and personal tragedy at the top of their reasons. We need to recognize that an intellectual answer to an emotional problem probably won't work (Habermas: "it helps for a few days and then they are back with a new doubt") and respond accordingly.
Great Q and A. I like how Habermas integrated Rational Emotional Behavior Therapy into his answer. Feelings and emotions usually come from an activating event and how you think about the event. If you challenge irrational thinking and change the way you think about the event, it will often change the way you feel.
Man, if guys like Mike Licona and Gary Habermas can doubt, it's comforting to know that when the doubts come, it's normal and we're not alone. Then, if they can *admit* publicly that they doubt occasionally, it's okay for the rest of us to admit it also. How humble is that that they're doing so on CZcams?!?
Love when People are strong enough and safe enough to share their weakness in such an honest way GOOD STUFF l Love that l can share eveything as sorrow pain doubt gratefullness happiness wonders and etc with Jesus like u can resd it yess in the bible
Good stuff. Sad how doubt is treated horribly within most churches. Epistemologically based doubt is often a type of humility which is the crown of the Christian virtues. I do really like Mr. Habermas' approach here. I think it helps deal with the kind of doubt that we often use to allow us to sin, either by commission or omission. I think God may be more interested in what we do while doubting than the doubt itself.
Any questions you have, the answer comes from what changed. What do I now know that changed the facts? Ex1.) I believe A. I got new information that makes A no longer likely/possible as true. Therefore, I changed my mind. The issue is, people often do this instead. Ex2.) I believe A. I recieved some information that casts a doubt on A, but doesn't change the information contained in A as being true or false. Therefore, I gave up A due to doubt. There is the issue. It really is laziness & sloppy thinking. You don't want to look into the validity of the doubt, & you jumped to a conclusion because you have been wrong in the past about things & that feeling of being wrong is horrid. This is many people, not all people. They would rather play a game of hide the truth with themselves, than find out if that fear of being wrong has real merit. Guess what, 9/10 you had it right due to the facts, but most people will double down on being wrong if they changed their mind due to unfounded doubt. It is the original reason they changed their mind, to avoid the feeling. They committed to the change, & now they look weak & wishy-washy to turn back. The fact is, the bigger man turns back if the facts lead you there. There are many people beholden to their ego though. How did I learn this? I have a big ego. I think highly of me, but I know I am not that great of a person, but I want to think highly of me, but I am someone who helps themselves, but I help others, but I make sure I am covered, but we all need to be covered, but I would put it all in if needs be, but needs rarely be, but, but, but. I doubt everything, but I decide nothing on doubt. When needs be, put in. I can always doubt again, that well has no bottom. It starts with a well you know. Well...but do I know. Don't fall down the well Alice. Christ lived, Christ died, & on the third day he rose from the dead & lives eternally. I don't doubt it seriously now, because I got out of my head & got the facts. Love your stuff! These are two very helpful men. Listen to them.
I spent 13 years trying not to fall into that trap. The doubts just kept pilng up the more issues I looked into. It gets to the point when you realise none of this certain. It's all just stories. And faith in those stories. And the more faith the better.
@@daithiocinnsealach1982 Sorry to hear that. I never had such a problem over a protracted period of time. I resolved it, as existential dread is Hell & I don't advise staying there for any lengthy period of time. I realized the need to move on. So I accepted that 100% certainty is a sham. Once you are dealing with most likely, in any aspect of life, you can hold a high level of certainty without a reasonable doubt. Key phrase there, *Reasonable Doubt.* I am also agnostic on some issues & don't weight them, since I have no metric to apply. Saying, 'I don't know & that is ok.', is fine, given that what you are after is beyond scrutiny. Of course, if you could answer it & you dither, then you land in *willful Ignorance.* That is a Hell you intentionally create & stay in. Just remember, if in fact you cannot be certain, saying no is just as uncertain as yes. Christianity holds more plusses than minuses in that case & is your best option. There you can take my advisement or look into all the reasonable options. Of course, if reality doesn't bind to your standards, you should reevaluate your standards. Odds are you would be in the wrong, since reality denies it. Get a good diversity of options before deciding ehat is. Here is a starter. Good & Evil, at least appear real, therefore odds are they are real. Ypur senses are the most direct way you have to interpret the world. Until you have solid evidence denying them, you can asset it as the most likely truth. Therefore, Good & Evil are real. If Good is real, that requires a standard. A standard needs to be beyond the system it evaluates (so as not to be tainted). Thus, you require a God of some type, or your grasp on the obviousness of Good & Evil lacks a base, but we already established it is the best given option. So you have reason to postulate a God, based of the nature you know exists.
@@mackdmara Of course, we have evidence that our senses are unreliable. That's why we use objective measurements. Bias can easily make the imaginary seem real. That's why we use double-blinded studies.
Is there anyone out there that could help me apologetically debunk something I found to be very challenging by James Tabor? The only draw back would be watching about a 2:09 video as there is much to unpack. You could of course scan through it just to pick up on some of the major emphasis. Rather subtle or outright, it seems as if one of the major challenges for the church is the attacks on the historicity of Christ. Let me know!
Joel Osteen actually said one valuable thing among all his other prosperity gospel garbage, he said emotions change day to day, even minute to minute. So it's not wise to trust in your feelings all the time.
Hi brother Mike, Ive been also dealing with doubts. But i always try to remember what Jesus did for me. This year i asked him to take my weed addiction away the hard way. He did.. i started having panic attacks. I got more serious with my walk. He one day showed up in my dream.. the next day i quit smoking, tv, lust, etc. So i know he is there!! But still sometimes doubt but i still walk the narrow path because my heart knows God exists and Jesus died for me. People ask me why didnt more people write about Jesus and his miracles. Whats the answer to that? I always thought because most people could not write at that day of age and also the culture was more about oral traditions? Is this right? Can you help me out with this one. May God bless you
Loved this! 😉😇 I will test my thoughts which contain doubts and affirmations. The foundation of existence is Truth: how “things” actually are. Conscious existence can falsely assert how things are, but the reality of how things actually are will persist. At some point we all have reckonings with Truth from small departures pre-crisis to great chasms post-crisis. Love, hate, good or evil can flow from Truth, whether freely (love, good) or by force (hate, evil). Faithful Jewish and Christian Americans hold to God-given liberty grounded in HIS virtue/good. To our Founders this was “ordered liberty,” based on Christ’s commission: a discipled nation. Being imperfect, we humans can doubt our subjective grasp on Truth, or deny its objective foundation in existence. Psychology-like all fields of thought-can help us examine our assessments of Truth. The best models can help untangle the mental and emotional threads that weave our individual and world views. Sorting out by the three kinds of doubts and the ABCs of Ellis’ Cognitive Behavioral therapy can sweep the mindscape clean of falsifying debris. Many psychological approaches are beneficial in this regard. Their limitations are built in, however, because they can truly or falsely describe the workings of the human mind-the ABCs-but not the workings of God. This takes me back to my first premise: the foundation of existence is Truth. I specify and declare that Truth and Light are Biblical God, whose trinitarian nature was revealed in the First and Second Testaments; whose plan and purpose on Earth were fulfilled by the Father, Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Contrariwise, deception and darkness are from Satan: anti-God, anti-Christ deviations and revisions. So first, seek YHWH Yahovah, the source of Truth and Love. Only He can set us free to know how things are wherever we are, if we seek Him with all our heart. And He will remind us, that unlike Him, we may only see the peace of our portion, but that is sufficient to keep our bearings until He calls us home. Deut 4:29; Isaiah 55:6; Jer 29:13; Prov 8:17; Psalm 63:1; 69:32; 119:1; Matt 6:31-33, 7:7; Mark 12:30; Luke 11:9; John 5:30; Acts 17:26-27; Romans 8:7.
Hi Mr. Licona. How are you, sir? I manage a Facebook group with more than 107,000 members, and I would like to ask if I could invite you as a special and distinguished featured guest for a Q&A on the debate between Christianity and Atheism? Everyone here is welcome to join the group. Oh and Dr. Richard Carrier is one our distinguished members Thank you Link to the group: facebook.com/groups/Atheists.vs.Christians.Debate.Central/
I’m having many doubts. I’m looking at both sides of the spectrum. I’ve seen many people give compelling arguments against faith with very heavy evidence. Every argument I’ve ever seen for faith is based solely on belief. That upsets me. I want to believe and I’ve believed most of my life. However recently, I wonder, how can all of these physically impossible things happen? It’s so hard to believe, but I want to. I’m trying my hardest to believe, but it’s so hard to when most everything points to god not existing. I hope that’s not right. I want god to be real so very bad. I want to see my grandmothers again. But everything I’ve read on points to it being nothing. Near death experiences are just intense hallucinations, and no one single person has proven to have been brain dead and still have had a near death experience. If it’s not our family welcoming us, is it just what we want to see upon time of death? Is it just our brains softening death for us? It sure looks that way, but I hope it isn’t. Dear god, I hope it isn’t.
I’ve been there too, I think doubt at times may be ultimately a part of a genuine faith walk. We cannot ever really know anything in the ultimate sense in this life, even fundamental beliefs such as that we perceive the physical world around us reliably cannot be proven scientifically. You can’t even prove science scientifically! So certain axioms must be taken on faith. I find that the scientific evidence shown in Quantum Mechanics indicating information and consciousness may be fundamental aspects of the universe, and at least implying the inference that conscious mind may be what gives rise to physical matter and not the other way around, and other philosophical arguments for the existence of God provide a good basis for assent to the existence of God, while not proving it outright. We must accept we are limited creatures, accept that our emotions are unreliable as pointers to truth, one way or another, and work out this faith thing is about. I would suggest the humble prayer “Lord I believe, help my unbelief!” as a comfort. I would also suggest you read the early church fathers, look into the roots of faith. The intellectual and theological roots are deep…this search in my own life led me to the Catholic Church 10 years ago and I have found immeasurable comfort and aid there, the last place a Baptist-raised guy would ever have imagined ending up! I will pray for you, pray for me as well, and remember a lesson I’m trying to learn too: emotions cannot reliably point to truth, either in feelings of fervor causing a belief in God’s presence, or in feelings of fear or anxiety causing a doubt that God is there at all. And doubt maybe is not a sign of lack of faith, but rather in a mysterious way is a mark of a maturing faith.
Pam Reynolds had a NDE in which the blood was drained from her body, her heart was stopped and her eyes taped shut with clicking devices in both ears. Despite this, she described leaving her body, witnessing her own surgery from above, and correctly describing the tools used by the surgeons as well as their conversations during surgery.
I've always thought that doubt came from the devil because that's what we've been taught. But one day G-D saved me and I've not had any doubt that He saved me since that moment Tyree years ago. I've come to realise that doubt comes from G-D when it comes to salvation because as Paul says work out your salvation in fear and trembling so that once you understand everything there is to understand about salvation you no longer fear or tremble much less doubt. Look at the Glory of Jesus on the cross and you'll understand what I'm talking about. Luke 23:39-44 the condemnation that he refers to is found in Deuteronomy 21:22-23 the curse of G-D placed on a man deserving of death Galatians 3:13 everyone including the criminal who is in Paradise is cursed. Ask yourself why only Jews were crucified by the Romans. What is the shame of the cross and no its not being placed on one? Its go to do with the sponge. Read Hebrews 12:2
"Ask yourself why only Jews were crucified by the Romans." That's not true. They crucified anyone they deemed to make an example of to protect the state. Research Spartacus, and the slave revolt. Doubt is one using their Frontal Cortex.
@@bleirdo_dude and yet you miss the significance of crucifixion. To those slaves crucifixion meant nothing but to a Jew it meant so much more. It is only recorded twice that two persons hung from a tree. One was Absolom and the other was Judas Iscariot. To the non Jew they pleaded for death. The Jews however would've had the complete opposite reaction. They pleaded for their souls. That's a completely different concept. You apparently fail to grasp the religious context and what it means to a Jew to be crucified. The form was different but the ends the same. The rebels following Spartacus would have been impaled which is referred to as crucifixion by the Romans and they refined their methodology when they saw the reactions of the Jews to crucifixion. A Jewish man would do anything to stay alive while hanging on a cross in which time they would drink whatever liquid was put on the toilet sponge to hydrate themselves in order to stay alive a little longer with the hope that they would be taken down and killed on the ground. The average person today seems to think that they are way more intelligent than the average Roman scholar however that's a false assumption. You would also assume that the conquering Romans would not read the Jewish literature and there you would be wrong too. The Romans were masters at the art of subjugation and would look for ways to strike fear into the Jewish heart. In crucifixion they found the perfect tool. If I saw a man on a cross I would pity that man and would not feel shame or revulsion for him and would rather plead for mercy for him no matter what he had done. The shame was in the humiliation of that person by the Romans as they would laugh and taunt their victim feeding them faeces as they hung there and watching them drink it down. The humiliation was that a Jew would do anything to die on the floor and not on that tree. The gentiles would rather die than be humiliated in such a fashion. We all fail to look at these people's actions in context with the time and religion including you. Why don't you research the real reasons for crucifixion and the real reasons why Jesus wept in the garden (no it wasn't because of the cross but rather something that happened on the cross). So far zero of a hundred percent have not seen it and I sincerely doubt you will either. It is something so glorious and amazing that I only know of about ten people who have seen it and it had to be explained to them. Two of them are Jews and they all understand that which everyone fails to see.
@@theunknownpreacher9833 One time after staying up 48 hours I went to sleep. I then had a lucid dream where I saw a distant bright light surrounded by darkness. I asked "God?" (I was an atheist but always pictured God if it existed as a light through a New Age influence) then the light twinkled. Then I woke up feeling pure joy. I went outside where everything had a white aura like sheen around it. Most strikingly everything in the world made sense even the evil as if it was part of a grand plan. Then I realized my head was numb, in that it was internal, and most importantly I recognized that other than the hallucination the effect was the same as many years earlier when I tried Valium (I was curious through a Billy Joel "We Didn't Start the Fire" video in that an housewife from the 50's/60's was repesented being on Valium playing a violin). The light was from a sunbeam coming through the window hitting my eyelids. I then went on to research what happened was a "Dopamergic Release", and it tied in to my research on addiction. We seek pleasure, and the very act of believing a creator loves you, or saves you from torment, or annihilation is very desirable. We evolved to gather energy to reproduce, and our cognitive abilities though faulty can use thoughts to substitute, or prioritise over these processes. Also since we derived evolutionary success from being in social groups, religion takes advantage of the tribal formula of cooperation, and leadership structure (having a sense of community is desirable to many people). Theists are thought addicts via the *Holy Dopamine Ghost* (Dopamine Reward System). Imagine the euphoria experienced by the average person for believing they won a million dollars on a scratch off ticket (it could be a joke ticket yet as long as they believe). Now imagine someone having the same sensations, but being convinced it's a paranormal contact for believing John 3:16. Now chances are you can get a person holding the fake ticket to turn it over to see "Redeem at 123 Fake st, Fairyland, In Your Head". Yet religion deeply imprints reward for belief, and the believer has confirmation bias of rewards (also often times suffering is seen as evidence due to the influence of ancient cultures which religious texts derive from with lack of medical knowledge) with the ultimate prize after death. Check out the science (along with some history) on why the proverbial carrot, string, and stick in our neurology can cause us to error in our thinking. Evolution has it's pitfalls for example believing non-evidence as evidence if we do not stop to think (emotional thinking is not quality thinking, but squashes rational thought). Hoarding, compulsive gambling, believing far out conspiracy theories, and drug addictions are related on a neurological level though certain dynamics are at play. We are all capable of confirmation biases, and compartmentalized thinking (holding & protecting a belief in the face of contradicting evidence). The Holy Dopamine Ghost (Thoughts are addictive): czcams.com/play/PLQATeZAnm87BaJjBtM1vMIq_gHRmBq3ie.html "Genetic and behavioral factors influencing religiously motivated behavior appear related to dopamine metabolism and signaling. Inclination toward religious behavior and motivation has been associated with a polymorphism on the dopamine receptor gene DRD4 (Comings, Gonzales, Saucier, Johnson, & MacMurray, 2000;Sasaki et al., 2013). Acquired disorders of dopamine physiology also show links to religious behaviors." www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5478470/ "Religious and spiritual experiences activate the brain reward circuits in much the same way as love, sex, gambling, drugs and music, report researchers at theUniversity of Utah School of Medicine. The findings will be published Nov. 29 in the journalSocial Neuroscience." unews.utah.edu/this-is-your-brain-on-god/ These neurological processes reinforce neural pathways (bridging literal gaps) in the brain in order to repeat thoughts, and behaviours like energy gathering (eating) along with specie perpetuation (sex). Going from drug addiction to Religion is just a placebo switcharoo of the power of the mind which is not a miracle. I heard from someone that went to Alcoholics Anonymous that a guy in AA did not want to worship a Higher Power (which is part of the program), and was told to worship an inanimate object. Supposedly the guy became clean, and sober by worshipping the radiator in his room (I wish stuff like this was documented). It was absurd to me at the time, but it makes sense now in relation to our evolution, and the function of the Dopamine Reward System (which both could not forsee the hazards of modern society). Dopamine in varying levels is also related to creativity, patternicity, making nonsense make sense, and hallucinations (involuntary movements, tactile/feeling embraced, and speaking in tongues are also forms of hallucinations which can happen to all five senses). Also see "Dopamine Hypothesis". Note that the apostle Paul showed signs of schizophrenia (2 Cor. 12:9), the early church was encouraged to *believe* in order to be taught by the *Spirit/HDG* (Gal. 3:1-5 Note: Use Young's Literal translation for proper context in that the emotion derived from hearing about Jesus being crucified is considered the spirit. It's like hearing about when in Star Wars Darth Vader picks up, and throws the Emperor saving Luke the emotion stirred in you is a sign of the Force), and perform glossolalia/speaking in tongues (1 Cor. 12:4-11 Note: It was a potpourri of placebo effects, hallucinations to one, or more of the five senses, and complete ignorance of the power of the mind). "Dopamine, adrenaline, and noradrenaline are neurotransmitters that belong to the catecholamine family. Dopamine is produced in the substantia nigra and ventral tegmental regions of the brain, and dopamine alterations are related to schizophrenia (1, 2). Dopaminergic projections are divided into the nigrostriatal, mesolimbic, and mesocortical systems. Impairments in the dopamine system result from dopamine dysfunctions in the substantia nigra, ventral tegmental region, striatum, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus (3-5). The “original dopamine hypothesis” states that hyperactive dopamine transmission results in schizophrenic symptoms." www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4032934/ "Dopamine In schizophrenia (SCZ), there is evidence that very high levels of dopamine in the limbic system play a major role in emergence of hallucinations and delusions. Antipsychotic medications, which block central dopamine activity, alleviate the hallucinations of psychosis. Drugs with strong dopaminergic effect, such as L-dopa, methylphenidate, bromocriptine, pramipexole and piribedil, may induce hallucinations. D-amphetamine, a direct dopamine agonist, may also induce psychosis and hallucinations." www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2996210/ "Tibetan mystics have long practiced a method to create sentient beings from the power of concentrated thought." www.google.com/amp/s/www.vice.com/amp/en_ca/article/exmqzz/tulpamancy-internet-subculture-892 Mesolimbic System (instinctive ancient part of the brain) overrides the Frontal Cortex (rationalizing modern) building a cognitive wall. Dopamine Enhances Optimism Bias "Here, we show that administration of a drug that enhances dopaminergic function (dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine; L-DOPA) increases an optimism bias. This effect is due to L-DOPA impairing the ability to update belief in response to undesirable information about the future." www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3424419/ Mark 3:28-29 says that the one unforgivable sin is rejecting, or being blasphemous to the *Holy Dopamine Ghost* which is funny since it's the conduit through which one accepts nonsense as gospel. New Testament Narrative as Old Testament Midrash www.robertmprice.mindvendor.com/art_midrash1.htm Mark's Use of Paul's Epistles www.richardcarrier.info/archives/15934 Mark Elijah/Elisha Narratives vridar.org/2007/03/29/the-elijah-elishah-cycle-and-the-gospel-of-mark/ Then He Appeared to Over Five Hundred Brethren at Once! www.richardcarrier.info/archives/14255 The Idea of the Sanctity of the Biblical Text users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/dilugim/CohenArt/#8a Dr. Ehrman "Forged" archive.org/stream/BartD.Ehrman-ForgedWritingInTheNameOfGod-WhyTheBiblesAuthors/Forged_djvu.txt
@@theunknownpreacher9833 Ancient people did not know the neurosciences, and some thought that joy came from the divine on high (no pun intended). The Hellenized Jew Philo of Alexandria (a contemporary of Paul the Apostle) believed that the Divine Word/Right Reason/Logos (a character derived from OT scripture, and Greek philosophy) poured down spiritual nourishment as a reward for righteous thoughts about God. Philo: ON DREAMS, THAT THEY ARE GOD-SENT Book 2 "XXXVII ...And *who can pour over the happy soul which proffers its own reason as the most sacred cup, the holy goblets of true joy, except the cup-bearer of God, the master of the feast, the Word* ?" ALLEGORICAL INTERPRETATION, III "LX ... *the soul very often, when it is delighted, is yet unable to explain what it is that has delighted it; but it is taught by the hierophant and prophet Moses, who tells it, “This is the bread, the food which God has given for the Soul,” explaining that God has brought it, his own Word and his own Reason; for this bread which he has given us to eat is this Word of his* ." Philo: ON FLIGHT AND FINDING "XXV *Those also who have inquired what it is that nourishes the soul, for as Moses says, “They knew not what it was,” learnt at last and found that it was the Word of God and the Divine Reason, from which flows all kinds of instinctive and everlasting wisdom. This is the heavenly nourishment* which the holy scripture indicates, saying, in the character of the cause of all things, “Behold I rain upon you bread from Heaven;” (Exo. 16:4) for in real truth it is God who showers down heavenly wisdom from above upon all the intellects which are properly disposed for the reception of it, and which are fond of contemplation. But those who have seen and tasted it, are exceedingly delighted with it, and understand indeed what they feel, but do not know what the cause is which has affected them; and on this account they inquire, “What is this which is sweeter than honey and whiter than snow?” And they will be taught by the interpreter of the divine will, that *“This is the bread which the Lord has given them to Eat.” (Exo. **16:15**) What then is this bread? Tell us. “This,” says he, “is the Word which the Lord has appointed.” This divine appointment at the same time both illuminates and sweetens the soul, which is endowed with sight, shining upon it with the beams of truth, and sweetening with the sweet virtue of persuasion those who thirst and hunger after excellence* ." Philo: ALLEGORICAL INTERPRETATION, II "XXI ... *who brought forth for thee out of the hard rock a fountain of water, who fed thee with manna in the desert, which thy fathers knew Not?* ” (Deut. 8:15-16) ...Moreover, the soul falls in with a scorpion, that is to say, with dispersion in the wilderness; and the thirst, which is that of the passions, seizes on it until *God sends forth upon it the stream of his own accurate Wisdom, and causes the changed soul to drink of unchangeable health; for the abrupt rock is the Wisdom of God, which being both sublime and the first of things he quarried out of his own powers, and of it he gives drink to the souls that love God; and they, when they have drunk, are also filled with the most universal manna; for manna is called something which is the primary genus of every thing. But the most universal of all things is God; and in the second place the Word of God* . Note: Philo's Divine Word provides a feast of spiritual food of bread, and water. A clay tablet that dates 1,300 years before Christianity describes the Goddess Inanna's Journey to the Underworld. In it she travels through the Heavens to below the Earth. There she is unfairly judged, crucified, then after 3 days/nights her corpse is fed sacred food, and water in which she resurrects in glory. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (Note: Supplier of spiritual nourishment 1 Cor. 10:1-4, :16) "23 For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was *betrayed/delivered* up (Note: The word in Greek has meaning in context. The former is in context of the later Gospels, but the latter is possible since Paul gives no context, but talks about a sacrifice derived from OT scripture, and visions) took a loaf of bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it (Note: It's in context of the later Gospels that it's presumed to be wine), in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes." Psalm 23:5 "5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows." Philo's Divine Word has many attributes (just a few of them summarized below) including being annointed/christened as well as having a father (God), and a mother (Divine Wisdom). "Philo's doctrine of the Logos is blurred by his mystical and religious vision, but his Logos is clearly the second individual in one God as a hypostatization of God's Creative Power-Wisdom." www.iep.utm.edu/philo/ Philo: THE SPECIAL LAWS, I (Note: Image of God 2 Cor. 4:4, Phil. 2:6) "XVI ...Now *the image of God is the Word, by which all the world was made* ...." Philo: ON DREAMS, THAT THEY ARE GOD-SENT (Note: God's celestial high priest Heb. 2:17, 4:14 God's Word Heb. 1:3, 11:3 God's firstborn son Rom. 8:29) "XXXVII ...For there are, as it seems, two temples belonging to God; one being this world, in which the *high priest is the Divine Word, his own firstborn son* ." Philo: ON FLIGHT AND FINDING (Note: Born of a woman, born under the Law Gal. 4:4 God's agent of creation 1 Cor. 8:6) "XX ...For we say that the high priest (Jos. 20:1-6) is not a man, but *is the Word of God, who has not only no participation in intentional errors, but none even in those which are involuntary* . For Moses says that he cannot be defiled neither in respect of his father, that is, the mind, nor his mother, that is, the external sense; "He shall not go where there is a dead body; he shall not defile himself even for his father or mother." (Lev. 21:11) because, I imagine, he has received imperishable and wholly pure parents, *God being his father, who is also the father of all things, and Wisdom (Greek Sophia personified feminine wisdom Prov. **3:13**-20, 8:1-36) being his mother, by means of whom the universe arrived at creation* ; and also because *he is anointed with oil, by which I mean that the principal part of him is illuminated with a light like the beams of the sun* , so as to be thought worthy to be *clothed with garments. And the most ancient Word of the living God is clothed with the word as with a garment, for it has put on earth, and water, and air, and fire, and the things which proceed from those elements* . ...Nor will he “rend his clothes;” (Lev. 21:10) for *the Word of the living God being the bond of every thing, as has been said before, holds all things together, and binds all the parts, and prevents them from being loosened or separated* ." There's many more similarities between Philo's Divine Reason, and Paul's annointed saviour. But it's Paul's pre-existing celestial being that had Gospels written about it set on Earth. Most eye opening is that Paul is adamant that his Gospel is not from humans, but *from scripture, and visions/dreams* (Gal. 1:11-12, Rom. 15:4, 1 Cor. 15:3-8). A *secret hidden through the ages now revealed* (Rom. 16:25-26, 1 Cor. 2:6-7). Also Paul says *his apostleship is by the same means as the founding Pillars* (Gal. 2:6-8). The thing is one can find a Jesus/Joshua (Saviour) being crucified in OT scripture keeping in mind the power of the *Holy Dopamine Ghost* to reveal hidden mysteries that are kept in plain sight. See Joshua 10:22-27 where Joshua son of Nun (Saviour son of the Rising/Branching/Sprouting/Perpetual One) crucifies the five senses/members of flesh (Rom. 6:12-23, 7:5, 8:3-13, Gal. 5:24) that leads one to sin (The passions rule over you like kings), and places them in a tomb. Note Paul quotes scripture in that Jesus was crucified by hanging from a tree thus becoming a curse for us (Gal. 3:13, Deut. 21:23). See Zechariah 3:1-10, 6:11-13 where Joshua son of Jehozadak (Son of the Righteous God) has tricked Satan who does not recognize him because he is wearing filthy clothes (human flesh). Then God glorifies Joshua by clothing him in festal apparel (spiritual flesh), removes the guilt of the land, gives him a throne, a crown, and given the title Branch/Rising to rule over his Temple. Paul says Satan destroys flesh (1 Cor. 5:5), and the persishable cannot inherit the imperishable (1 Cor. 115:35-56). So the hymnal (Phil. 2:6-11 which is considered the oldest Christian writing, and creedal statement) where Jesus takes on flesh then being found in this disguise is crucified, and raised in glory can be inferred right of OT scripture with help from the HDG. The later Gospel called Mark started out as a symbolic allegory of this perceived OT Jesus character (Word of the Lord, or the mechanism of God's voice; see Gen. 3:22) within an historical backdrop. Then over time, the writing of other Gospels (which expands the myth while pushing theological points of the author's respective community; e.g. Mark's Pauline dropping of Torah Law, while Matthew endorses observence) it was deemed historical, and the original theology stamped out. Who would believe that the OT, and NT are revelations from an omnipotent/omnipresent being except a thought addict via the *Holy Dopamine Ghost* (Dopamine Reward System) that increases our patternicity, reward seeking, and strong resistance to reason that goes against *feel good* beliefs/behaviours. i.imgflip.com/1ydvtk.jpg
@@bleirdo_dude thank you for the education on Philo. All this however does not answer what was in the cup in Luke 22:42. As I said before the truth is hidden in plain sight for everyone to see and yet none see it. The ancients didn't know about neuroscience but not knowing a science doesn't mean that they were stupid. Everything that is used today was built on something that went before. Men read the bible with preconceived notions and bias and then interpret it to their liking. The Catholics to their way, the Christians to theirs, the muslims and the atheists as well. The amazing thing about the bible is that it appears to validate the reader according to their notions and it's only when you put aside these ideas and read it as it states its ideas that you begin to understand what it really says. I could tell you what was in the cup but its better if you figure it out for yourself. When taken in context the cross makes perfect sense but only to a person whose logic has been repaired. Here's a hint to the content of the cup. The secret lies in the greatest commandment which the pharisees asked Jesus about in Mark 12:30.
What do REAL scholars think of Gary Habermas? “his total commitment to his religious belief makes it possible for Habermas to seemingly view all alleged extra-biblical sources as having total validity. In this regard, he makes a wide range of assertions, fueled largely by wishful thinking based on a specific reading of the predicated sources. In this context, Habermas speciously states that ‘these beliefs on the part of certain persons are a matter of historical record’. Unfortunately, this is not true.” Dr. Nicholas Peter Legh Allen, professor of theology at North-West University, Christian Forgery in Jewish Antiquities: Josephus Interrupted, 2020.
"Maybe I'm the one that's going to hell"?? How about there probably is no hell.? What good evidence is there for the afterlife? None that I've seen. Do people really spend much time wondering if the fella of another religious belief is right? I would argue usually not, you usually just realize that the one you were brought up in probably isn't true and get on with a secular life. This may not be the video to mention this, if so sorry. I don't doubt the sincerity here with these gentlemen. To fully question something that you've invested so much in is an extraordinary thing to do. I agree with another commenter, depression may indeed be common place with doubt.
Makes me really sad to see these two smart guys. Even with their daily portion of apologetics and talking to other apologetics, reading the bible probably daily etc. there is some sense of reality remaining in their brain that they feel they have to fight on a daily basis too. I can't think of any other philosophical system than a religion that can make smart people stupid in such a reliable way. Religion can even picture this as an accomplishment in some way, but again, it's one that is by no means desirable.
Explain how exactly they are being stupid? You are just asserting that they are not only mistaken, but also dumb and unable to think clearly. "Religion" doesn't see making people stupid as an accomplishment. And which religion are you speaking about anyway? The major world religions are all vastly different from each other, so to speak of them as being the same or even similar is unfair. Pick the religion you want to argue against, then give reasons not to believe in it. You are insulting religion for making people believe false things, but you aren't giving me any good reasons to believe that any particular religious claim is untrue.
Habermas is a either a liar or a fool who pushes nonsense claims. Dr. Michael Martin, professor at Boston University, "Habermas leads us to believe that the consensus of scientific opinion at the time was that the Shroud was authentic. This was simply not so. His failure to acknowledge negative evidence hardly adds to the credibility of his other arguments for the truth of the Resurrection." The Case Against Christianity, pg 89
Health and Apologetics! My two favorite things!
I went through the same experience...Thank you very much from India🙏
I’m a huge doubter!!!!!
Thank you for your
honesty!
Thank God for this video. It’s a wonder how we bump unintentionally into truths we know are true about ourselves but were never quite sure what they were, and there comes a video from someone you’ve never known till today, who puts those realities into words so clearly and brings it to the light for you, so that you now know the way out of that vicious cycle(here, emotional doubt). There is power in words- spoken and written. And God does leads His children in the right paths. Thanks for this video sir.
Meeting Gary was one of my life’s most profound events. :)
I love this talk format. I do some of my best thinking when I’m walking or running. It really gets the brain juices going.
Thank you! Great stuff... WOW 78% emotional doubts: we have to think more :)
Good questions. You led the conversation in a perfect way
One of my big struggles has been feeling like a failure when they come back. Thank you for affirming that it's normal, and to keep going. Thank you!
@DaneilT Thanks dude. God is faithful. I've grown a lot this last year since I posted this comment.
I think the whole time his body was saying: Walk slower man !!
I'm positively surprised! Subscribing!
Very helpful chat. I think often times people have an emotional doubt, but tell themselves it is an intellectual doubt. The is then "solved" by rejecting belief which can give an emotional benefit ("I'm smarter than everyone else") which falsely reinforces the idea that there was an intellectual problem to begin with. Survey data bear this out. While there are certainly people who reject religion for intellectual reasons, the majority list things like hypocritical leaders and personal tragedy at the top of their reasons. We need to recognize that an intellectual answer to an emotional problem probably won't work (Habermas: "it helps for a few days and then they are back with a new doubt") and respond accordingly.
Philosophical arguments are best for this topic in my opinion
Great Q and A. I like how Habermas integrated Rational Emotional Behavior Therapy into his answer. Feelings and emotions usually come from an activating event and how you think about the event. If you challenge irrational thinking and change the way you think about the event, it will often change the way you feel.
2 of my favourite fellas
Thank for this video, it has helped me ease my doubt of scientology.
Legendary!!!
Man, if guys like Mike Licona and Gary Habermas can doubt, it's comforting to know that when the doubts come, it's normal and we're not alone. Then, if they can *admit* publicly that they doubt occasionally, it's okay for the rest of us to admit it also. How humble is that that they're doing so on CZcams?!?
Love when People are strong enough and safe enough to share their weakness in such an honest way
GOOD STUFF
l Love that l can share eveything as sorrow pain doubt gratefullness happiness wonders and etc with Jesus like u can resd it yess in the bible
Great talk!
I would love to go on a hike and chat with them like this.
Good stuff.
Sad how doubt is treated horribly within most churches.
Epistemologically based doubt is often a type of humility which is the crown of the Christian virtues.
I do really like Mr. Habermas' approach here. I think it helps deal with the kind of doubt that we often use to allow us to sin, either by commission or omission. I think God may be more interested in what we do while doubting than the doubt itself.
Thanks Mike, I'm a lot like you :(
NICE!
It is better to live like Jesus than to only believe in Him.
Any questions you have, the answer comes from what changed. What do I now know that changed the facts?
Ex1.)
I believe A.
I got new information that makes A no longer likely/possible as true.
Therefore, I changed my mind.
The issue is, people often do this instead.
Ex2.)
I believe A.
I recieved some information that casts a doubt on A, but doesn't change the information contained in A as being true or false.
Therefore, I gave up A due to doubt.
There is the issue. It really is laziness & sloppy thinking. You don't want to look into the validity of the doubt, & you jumped to a conclusion because you have been wrong in the past about things & that feeling of being wrong is horrid. This is many people, not all people. They would rather play a game of hide the truth with themselves, than find out if that fear of being wrong has real merit. Guess what, 9/10 you had it right due to the facts, but most people will double down on being wrong if they changed their mind due to unfounded doubt. It is the original reason they changed their mind, to avoid the feeling. They committed to the change, & now they look weak & wishy-washy to turn back. The fact is, the bigger man turns back if the facts lead you there. There are many people beholden to their ego though.
How did I learn this? I have a big ego. I think highly of me, but I know I am not that great of a person, but I want to think highly of me, but I am someone who helps themselves, but I help others, but I make sure I am covered, but we all need to be covered, but I would put it all in if needs be, but needs rarely be, but, but, but. I doubt everything, but I decide nothing on doubt. When needs be, put in. I can always doubt again, that well has no bottom. It starts with a well you know. Well...but do I know. Don't fall down the well Alice.
Christ lived, Christ died, & on the third day he rose from the dead & lives eternally. I don't doubt it seriously now, because I got out of my head & got the facts.
Love your stuff! These are two very helpful men. Listen to them.
I spent 13 years trying not to fall into that trap. The doubts just kept pilng up the more issues I looked into. It gets to the point when you realise none of this certain. It's all just stories. And faith in those stories. And the more faith the better.
@@daithiocinnsealach1982
Sorry to hear that. I never had such a problem over a protracted period of time. I resolved it, as existential dread is Hell & I don't advise staying there for any lengthy period of time.
I realized the need to move on. So I accepted that 100% certainty is a sham. Once you are dealing with most likely, in any aspect of life, you can hold a high level of certainty without a reasonable doubt. Key phrase there, *Reasonable Doubt.*
I am also agnostic on some issues & don't weight them, since I have no metric to apply. Saying, 'I don't know & that is ok.', is fine, given that what you are after is beyond scrutiny. Of course, if you could answer it & you dither, then you land in *willful Ignorance.* That is a Hell you intentionally create & stay in.
Just remember, if in fact you cannot be certain, saying no is just as uncertain as yes. Christianity holds more plusses than minuses in that case & is your best option. There you can take my advisement or look into all the reasonable options.
Of course, if reality doesn't bind to your standards, you should reevaluate your standards. Odds are you would be in the wrong, since reality denies it. Get a good diversity of options before deciding ehat is.
Here is a starter. Good & Evil, at least appear real, therefore odds are they are real. Ypur senses are the most direct way you have to interpret the world. Until you have solid evidence denying them, you can asset it as the most likely truth. Therefore, Good & Evil are real.
If Good is real, that requires a standard. A standard needs to be beyond the system it evaluates (so as not to be tainted). Thus, you require a God of some type, or your grasp on the obviousness of Good & Evil lacks a base, but we already established it is the best given option. So you have reason to postulate a God, based of the nature you know exists.
@@mackdmara Of course, we have evidence that our senses are unreliable. That's why we use objective measurements. Bias can easily make the imaginary seem real. That's why we use double-blinded studies.
Yeah, it does happen every now and then but I just go to the Gospels, the four of them. I believe in His words. Matthew 25: 35.
I wish even I could be with them...
Is there anyone out there that could help me apologetically debunk something I found to be very challenging by James Tabor? The only draw back would be watching about a 2:09 video as there is much to unpack. You could of course scan through it just to pick up on some of the major emphasis. Rather subtle or outright, it seems as if one of the major challenges for the church is the attacks on the historicity of Christ. Let me know!
I’m so dizzy 😂
Doubting Sucks😢
I really thought this was neat. There is something about hiking and talking.
Joel Osteen actually said one valuable thing among all his other prosperity gospel garbage, he said emotions change day to day, even minute to minute. So it's not wise to trust in your feelings all the time.
For this reason we are told. For the Heart is deceitful & beyond wicked. Who can know it.
I’m struggling is there an email I can communicate my questions?
Hi brother Mike,
Ive been also dealing with doubts. But i always try to remember what Jesus did for me. This year i asked him to take my weed addiction away the hard way. He did.. i started having panic attacks. I got more serious with my walk. He one day showed up in my dream.. the next day i quit smoking, tv, lust, etc. So i know he is there!! But still sometimes doubt but i still walk the narrow path because my heart knows God exists and Jesus died for me.
People ask me why didnt more people write about Jesus and his miracles. Whats the answer to that? I always thought because most people could not write at that day of age and also the culture was more about oral traditions? Is this right? Can you help me out with this one. May God bless you
@Dd S why would you say that
Get a clean hobby on something you would enjoy.
Faith is a placebo.
@Dd S LOL!
@Dd S m.czcams.com/video/bQmMFQzrEsc/video.html
@Dd S Yes I have "Gospel Fictions". See my replies to "unknownpreacher" in the comment section here.
Loved this! 😉😇 I will test my thoughts which contain doubts and affirmations.
The foundation of existence is Truth: how “things” actually are. Conscious existence can falsely assert how things are, but the reality of how things actually are will persist. At some point we all have reckonings with Truth from small departures pre-crisis to great chasms post-crisis.
Love, hate, good or evil can flow from Truth, whether freely (love, good) or by force (hate, evil).
Faithful Jewish and Christian Americans hold to God-given liberty grounded in HIS virtue/good. To our Founders this was “ordered liberty,” based on Christ’s commission: a discipled nation.
Being imperfect, we humans can doubt our subjective grasp on Truth, or deny its objective foundation in existence. Psychology-like all fields of thought-can help us examine our assessments of Truth. The best models can help untangle the mental and emotional threads that weave our individual and world views.
Sorting out by the three kinds of doubts and the ABCs of Ellis’ Cognitive Behavioral therapy can sweep the mindscape clean of falsifying debris. Many psychological approaches are beneficial in this regard.
Their limitations are built in, however, because they can truly or falsely describe the workings of the human mind-the ABCs-but not the workings of God.
This takes me back to my first premise: the foundation of existence is Truth. I specify and declare that Truth and Light are Biblical God, whose trinitarian nature was revealed in the First and Second Testaments; whose plan and purpose on Earth were fulfilled by the Father, Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Contrariwise, deception and darkness are from Satan: anti-God, anti-Christ deviations and revisions.
So first, seek YHWH Yahovah, the source of Truth and Love. Only He can set us free to know how things are wherever we are, if we seek Him with all our heart. And He will remind us, that unlike Him, we may only see the peace of our portion, but that is sufficient to keep our bearings until He calls us home.
Deut 4:29; Isaiah 55:6; Jer 29:13; Prov 8:17; Psalm 63:1; 69:32; 119:1; Matt 6:31-33, 7:7; Mark 12:30; Luke 11:9; John 5:30; Acts 17:26-27; Romans 8:7.
what frighteningly insane gibberish.
@red greeny
That's the power of the *Holy Dopamine Ghost* ....
Hi Mr. Licona. How are you, sir?
I manage a Facebook group with more than 107,000 members, and I would like to ask if I could invite you as a special and distinguished featured guest for a Q&A on the debate between Christianity and Atheism?
Everyone here is welcome to join the group.
Oh and Dr. Richard Carrier is one our distinguished members
Thank you
Link to the group:
facebook.com/groups/Atheists.vs.Christians.Debate.Central/
I’m having many doubts. I’m looking at both sides of the spectrum. I’ve seen many people give compelling arguments against faith with very heavy evidence. Every argument I’ve ever seen for faith is based solely on belief. That upsets me. I want to believe and I’ve believed most of my life. However recently, I wonder, how can all of these physically impossible things happen? It’s so hard to believe, but I want to. I’m trying my hardest to believe, but it’s so hard to when most everything points to god not existing. I hope that’s not right. I want god to be real so very bad. I want to see my grandmothers again. But everything I’ve read on points to it being nothing. Near death experiences are just intense hallucinations, and no one single person has proven to have been brain dead and still have had a near death experience. If it’s not our family welcoming us, is it just what we want to see upon time of death? Is it just our brains softening death for us? It sure looks that way, but I hope it isn’t. Dear god, I hope it isn’t.
I’ve been there too, I think doubt at times may be ultimately a part of a genuine faith walk. We cannot ever really know anything in the ultimate sense in this life, even fundamental beliefs such as that we perceive the physical world around us reliably cannot be proven scientifically. You can’t even prove science scientifically! So certain axioms must be taken on faith. I find that the scientific evidence shown in Quantum Mechanics indicating information and consciousness may be fundamental aspects of the universe, and at least implying the inference that conscious mind may be what gives rise to physical matter and not the other way around, and other philosophical arguments for the existence of God provide a good basis for assent to the existence of God, while not proving it outright. We must accept we are limited creatures, accept that our emotions are unreliable as pointers to truth, one way or another, and work out this faith thing is about.
I would suggest the humble prayer “Lord I believe, help my unbelief!” as a comfort. I would also suggest you read the early church fathers, look into the roots of faith. The intellectual and theological roots are deep…this search in my own life led me to the Catholic Church 10 years ago and I have found immeasurable comfort and aid there, the last place a Baptist-raised guy would ever have imagined ending up! I will pray for you, pray for me as well, and remember a lesson I’m trying to learn too: emotions cannot reliably point to truth, either in feelings of fervor causing a belief in God’s presence, or in feelings of fear or anxiety causing a doubt that God is there at all. And doubt maybe is not a sign of lack of faith, but rather in a mysterious way is a mark of a maturing faith.
Go to africa see witchcraft and ur belief will be back
@@Relaxpresenter I’ve seen witchcraft in many places, and it seems just as unbelievable.
Pam Reynolds had a NDE in which the blood was drained from her body, her heart was stopped and her eyes taped shut with clicking devices in both ears. Despite this, she described leaving her body, witnessing her own surgery from above, and correctly describing the tools used by the surgeons as well as their conversations during surgery.
Volksmarchagetics would go over great in Germany!
“Evidences”
Dr. Habermas seems tobe out of breath.
Bad sound, because they are walking, especially Dr.Habermas
I've always thought that doubt came from the devil because that's what we've been taught. But one day G-D saved me and I've not had any doubt that He saved me since that moment Tyree years ago. I've come to realise that doubt comes from G-D when it comes to salvation because as Paul says work out your salvation in fear and trembling so that once you understand everything there is to understand about salvation you no longer fear or tremble much less doubt.
Look at the Glory of Jesus on the cross and you'll understand what I'm talking about.
Luke 23:39-44 the condemnation that he refers to is found in
Deuteronomy 21:22-23 the curse of G-D placed on a man deserving of death
Galatians 3:13 everyone including the criminal who is in Paradise is cursed.
Ask yourself why only Jews were crucified by the Romans.
What is the shame of the cross and no its not being placed on one?
Its go to do with the sponge.
Read Hebrews 12:2
"Ask yourself why only Jews were crucified by the Romans."
That's not true. They crucified anyone they deemed to make an example of to protect the state.
Research Spartacus, and the slave revolt.
Doubt is one using their Frontal Cortex.
@@bleirdo_dude and yet you miss the significance of crucifixion. To those slaves crucifixion meant nothing but to a Jew it meant so much more. It is only recorded twice that two persons hung from a tree. One was Absolom and the other was Judas Iscariot. To the non Jew they pleaded for death. The Jews however would've had the complete opposite reaction. They pleaded for their souls. That's a completely different concept. You apparently fail to grasp the religious context and what it means to a Jew to be crucified. The form was different but the ends the same. The rebels following Spartacus would have been impaled which is referred to as crucifixion by the Romans and they refined their methodology when they saw the reactions of the Jews to crucifixion. A Jewish man would do anything to stay alive while hanging on a cross in which time they would drink whatever liquid was put on the toilet sponge to hydrate themselves in order to stay alive a little longer with the hope that they would be taken down and killed on the ground. The average person today seems to think that they are way more intelligent than the average Roman scholar however that's a false assumption. You would also assume that the conquering Romans would not read the Jewish literature and there you would be wrong too. The Romans were masters at the art of subjugation and would look for ways to strike fear into the Jewish heart. In crucifixion they found the perfect tool. If I saw a man on a cross I would pity that man and would not feel shame or revulsion for him and would rather plead for mercy for him no matter what he had done. The shame was in the humiliation of that person by the Romans as they would laugh and taunt their victim feeding them faeces as they hung there and watching them drink it down. The humiliation was that a Jew would do anything to die on the floor and not on that tree. The gentiles would rather die than be humiliated in such a fashion. We all fail to look at these people's actions in context with the time and religion including you. Why don't you research the real reasons for crucifixion and the real reasons why Jesus wept in the garden (no it wasn't because of the cross but rather something that happened on the cross). So far zero of a hundred percent have not seen it and I sincerely doubt you will either. It is something so glorious and amazing that I only know of about ten people who have seen it and it had to be explained to them. Two of them are Jews and they all understand that which everyone fails to see.
@@theunknownpreacher9833
One time after staying up 48 hours I went to sleep. I then had a lucid dream where I saw a distant bright light surrounded by darkness. I asked "God?" (I was an atheist but always pictured God if it existed as a light through a New Age influence) then the light twinkled. Then I woke up feeling pure joy. I went outside where everything had a white aura like sheen around it. Most strikingly everything in the world made sense even the evil as if it was part of a grand plan. Then I realized my head was numb, in that it was internal, and most importantly I recognized that other than the hallucination the effect was the same as many years earlier when I tried Valium (I was curious through a Billy Joel "We Didn't Start the Fire" video in that an housewife from the 50's/60's was repesented being on Valium playing a violin).
The light was from a sunbeam coming through the window hitting my eyelids. I then went on to research what happened was a "Dopamergic Release", and it tied in to my research on addiction. We seek pleasure, and the very act of believing a creator loves you, or saves you from torment, or annihilation is very desirable. We evolved to gather energy to reproduce, and our cognitive abilities though faulty can use thoughts to substitute, or prioritise over these processes. Also since we derived evolutionary success from being in social groups, religion takes advantage of the tribal formula of cooperation, and leadership structure (having a sense of community is desirable to many people).
Theists are thought addicts via the *Holy Dopamine Ghost* (Dopamine Reward System). Imagine the euphoria experienced by the average person for believing they won a million dollars on a scratch off ticket (it could be a joke ticket yet as long as they believe). Now imagine someone having the same sensations, but being convinced it's a paranormal contact for believing John 3:16. Now chances are you can get a person holding the fake ticket to turn it over to see "Redeem at 123 Fake st, Fairyland, In Your Head". Yet religion deeply imprints reward for belief, and the believer has confirmation bias of rewards (also often times suffering is seen as evidence due to the influence of ancient cultures which religious texts derive from with lack of medical knowledge) with the ultimate prize after death.
Check out the science (along with some history) on why the proverbial carrot, string, and stick in our neurology can cause us to error in our thinking. Evolution has it's pitfalls for example believing non-evidence as evidence if we do not stop to think (emotional thinking is not quality thinking, but squashes rational thought). Hoarding, compulsive gambling, believing far out conspiracy theories, and drug addictions are related on a neurological level though certain dynamics are at play. We are all capable of confirmation biases, and compartmentalized thinking (holding & protecting a belief in the face of contradicting evidence).
The Holy Dopamine Ghost (Thoughts are addictive):
czcams.com/play/PLQATeZAnm87BaJjBtM1vMIq_gHRmBq3ie.html
"Genetic and behavioral factors influencing religiously motivated behavior appear related to dopamine metabolism and signaling. Inclination toward religious behavior and motivation has been associated with a polymorphism on the dopamine receptor gene DRD4 (Comings, Gonzales, Saucier, Johnson, & MacMurray, 2000;Sasaki et al., 2013). Acquired disorders of dopamine physiology also show links to religious behaviors."
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5478470/
"Religious and spiritual experiences activate the brain reward circuits in much the same way as love, sex, gambling, drugs and music, report researchers at theUniversity of Utah School of Medicine. The findings will be published Nov. 29 in the journalSocial Neuroscience."
unews.utah.edu/this-is-your-brain-on-god/
These neurological processes reinforce neural pathways (bridging literal gaps) in the brain in order to repeat thoughts, and behaviours like energy gathering (eating) along with specie perpetuation (sex). Going from drug addiction to Religion is just a placebo switcharoo of the power of the mind which is not a miracle. I heard from someone that went to Alcoholics Anonymous that a guy in AA did not want to worship a Higher Power (which is part of the program), and was told to worship an inanimate object. Supposedly the guy became clean, and sober by worshipping the radiator in his room (I wish stuff like this was documented). It was absurd to me at the time, but it makes sense now in relation to our evolution, and the function of the Dopamine Reward System (which both could not forsee the hazards of modern society).
Dopamine in varying levels is also related to creativity, patternicity, making nonsense make sense, and hallucinations (involuntary movements, tactile/feeling embraced, and speaking in tongues are also forms of hallucinations which can happen to all five senses). Also see "Dopamine Hypothesis". Note that the apostle Paul showed signs of schizophrenia (2 Cor. 12:9), the early church was encouraged to *believe* in order to be taught by the *Spirit/HDG* (Gal. 3:1-5 Note: Use Young's Literal translation for proper context in that the emotion derived from hearing about Jesus being crucified is considered the spirit. It's like hearing about when in Star Wars Darth Vader picks up, and throws the Emperor saving Luke the emotion stirred in you is a sign of the Force), and perform glossolalia/speaking in tongues (1 Cor. 12:4-11 Note: It was a potpourri of placebo effects, hallucinations to one, or more of the five senses, and complete ignorance of the power of the mind).
"Dopamine, adrenaline, and noradrenaline are neurotransmitters that belong to the catecholamine family. Dopamine is produced in the substantia nigra and ventral tegmental regions of the brain, and dopamine alterations are related to schizophrenia (1, 2). Dopaminergic projections are divided into the nigrostriatal, mesolimbic, and mesocortical systems. Impairments in the dopamine system result from dopamine dysfunctions in the substantia nigra, ventral tegmental region, striatum, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus (3-5). The “original dopamine hypothesis” states that hyperactive dopamine transmission results in schizophrenic symptoms."
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4032934/
"Dopamine In schizophrenia (SCZ), there is evidence that very high levels of dopamine in the limbic system play a major role in emergence of hallucinations and delusions. Antipsychotic medications, which block central dopamine activity, alleviate the hallucinations of psychosis. Drugs with strong dopaminergic effect, such as L-dopa, methylphenidate, bromocriptine, pramipexole and piribedil, may induce hallucinations. D-amphetamine, a direct dopamine agonist, may also induce psychosis and hallucinations."
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2996210/
"Tibetan mystics have long practiced a method to create sentient beings from the power of concentrated thought."
www.google.com/amp/s/www.vice.com/amp/en_ca/article/exmqzz/tulpamancy-internet-subculture-892
Mesolimbic System (instinctive ancient part of the brain) overrides the Frontal Cortex (rationalizing modern) building a cognitive wall.
Dopamine Enhances Optimism Bias
"Here, we show that administration of a drug that enhances dopaminergic function (dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine; L-DOPA) increases an optimism bias. This effect is due to L-DOPA impairing the ability to update belief in response to undesirable information about the future."
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3424419/
Mark 3:28-29 says that the one unforgivable sin is rejecting, or being blasphemous to the *Holy Dopamine Ghost* which is funny since it's the conduit through which one accepts nonsense as gospel.
New Testament Narrative as Old Testament Midrash
www.robertmprice.mindvendor.com/art_midrash1.htm
Mark's Use of Paul's Epistles
www.richardcarrier.info/archives/15934
Mark Elijah/Elisha Narratives
vridar.org/2007/03/29/the-elijah-elishah-cycle-and-the-gospel-of-mark/
Then He Appeared to Over Five Hundred Brethren at Once!
www.richardcarrier.info/archives/14255
The Idea of the Sanctity of the Biblical Text
users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/dilugim/CohenArt/#8a
Dr. Ehrman "Forged"
archive.org/stream/BartD.Ehrman-ForgedWritingInTheNameOfGod-WhyTheBiblesAuthors/Forged_djvu.txt
@@theunknownpreacher9833
Ancient people did not know the neurosciences, and some thought that joy came from the divine on high (no pun intended). The Hellenized Jew Philo of Alexandria (a contemporary of Paul the Apostle) believed that the Divine Word/Right Reason/Logos (a character derived from OT scripture, and Greek philosophy) poured down spiritual nourishment as a reward for righteous thoughts about God.
Philo: ON DREAMS, THAT THEY ARE GOD-SENT Book 2
"XXXVII ...And *who can pour over the happy soul which proffers its own reason as the most sacred cup, the holy goblets of true joy, except the cup-bearer of God, the master of the feast, the Word* ?"
ALLEGORICAL INTERPRETATION, III
"LX ... *the soul very often, when it is delighted, is yet unable to explain what it is that has delighted it; but it is taught by the hierophant and prophet Moses, who tells it, “This is the bread, the food which God has given for the Soul,” explaining that God has brought it, his own Word and his own Reason; for this bread which he has given us to eat is this Word of his* ."
Philo: ON FLIGHT AND FINDING
"XXV *Those also who have inquired what it is that nourishes the soul, for as Moses says, “They knew not what it was,” learnt at last and found that it was the Word of God and the Divine Reason, from which flows all kinds of instinctive and everlasting wisdom. This is the heavenly nourishment* which the holy scripture indicates, saying, in the character of the cause of all things, “Behold I rain upon you bread from Heaven;” (Exo. 16:4) for in real truth it is God who showers down heavenly wisdom from above upon all the intellects which are properly disposed for the reception of it, and which are fond of contemplation. But those who have seen and tasted it, are exceedingly delighted with it, and understand indeed what they feel, but do not know what the cause is which has affected them; and on this account they inquire, “What is this which is sweeter than honey and whiter than snow?” And they will be taught by the interpreter of the divine will, that *“This is the bread which the Lord has given them to Eat.” (Exo. **16:15**) What then is this bread? Tell us. “This,” says he, “is the Word which the Lord has appointed.” This divine appointment at the same time both illuminates and sweetens the soul, which is endowed with sight, shining upon it with the beams of truth, and sweetening with the sweet virtue of persuasion those who thirst and hunger after excellence* ."
Philo: ALLEGORICAL INTERPRETATION, II
"XXI ... *who brought forth for thee out of the hard rock a fountain of water, who fed thee with manna in the desert, which thy fathers knew Not?* ” (Deut. 8:15-16) ...Moreover, the soul falls in with a scorpion, that is to say, with dispersion in the wilderness; and the thirst, which is that of the passions, seizes on it until *God sends forth upon it the stream of his own accurate Wisdom, and causes the changed soul to drink of unchangeable health; for the abrupt rock is the Wisdom of God, which being both sublime and the first of things he quarried out of his own powers, and of it he gives drink to the souls that love God; and they, when they have drunk, are also filled with the most universal manna; for manna is called something which is the primary genus of every thing. But the most universal of all things is God; and in the second place the Word of God* .
Note: Philo's Divine Word provides a feast of spiritual food of bread, and water. A clay tablet that dates 1,300 years before Christianity describes the Goddess Inanna's Journey to the Underworld. In it she travels through the Heavens to below the Earth. There she is unfairly judged, crucified, then after 3 days/nights her corpse is fed sacred food, and water in which she resurrects in glory.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (Note: Supplier of spiritual nourishment 1 Cor. 10:1-4, :16)
"23 For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was *betrayed/delivered* up (Note: The word in Greek has meaning in context. The former is in context of the later Gospels, but the latter is possible since Paul gives no context, but talks about a sacrifice derived from OT scripture, and visions) took a loaf of bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it (Note: It's in context of the later Gospels that it's presumed to be wine), in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes."
Psalm 23:5
"5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows."
Philo's Divine Word has many attributes (just a few of them summarized below) including being annointed/christened as well as having a father (God), and a mother (Divine Wisdom).
"Philo's doctrine of the Logos is blurred by his mystical and religious vision, but his Logos is clearly the second individual in one God as a hypostatization of God's Creative Power-Wisdom."
www.iep.utm.edu/philo/
Philo: THE SPECIAL LAWS, I (Note: Image of God 2 Cor. 4:4, Phil. 2:6)
"XVI ...Now *the image of God is the Word, by which all the world was made* ...."
Philo: ON DREAMS, THAT THEY ARE GOD-SENT (Note: God's celestial high priest Heb. 2:17, 4:14 God's Word Heb. 1:3, 11:3 God's firstborn son Rom. 8:29)
"XXXVII ...For there are, as it seems, two temples belonging to God; one being this world, in which the *high priest is the Divine Word, his own firstborn son* ."
Philo: ON FLIGHT AND FINDING (Note: Born of a woman, born under the Law Gal. 4:4 God's agent of creation 1 Cor. 8:6)
"XX ...For we say that the high priest (Jos. 20:1-6) is not a man, but *is the Word of God, who has not only no participation in intentional errors, but none even in those which are involuntary* . For Moses says that he cannot be defiled neither in respect of his father, that is, the mind, nor his mother, that is, the external sense; "He shall not go where there is a dead body; he shall not defile himself even for his father or mother." (Lev. 21:11) because, I imagine, he has received imperishable and wholly pure parents, *God being his father, who is also the father of all things, and Wisdom (Greek Sophia personified feminine wisdom Prov. **3:13**-20, 8:1-36) being his mother, by means of whom the universe arrived at creation* ; and also because *he is anointed with oil, by which I mean that the principal part of him is illuminated with a light like the beams of the sun* , so as to be thought worthy to be *clothed with garments. And the most ancient Word of the living God is clothed with the word as with a garment, for it has put on earth, and water, and air, and fire, and the things which proceed from those elements* . ...Nor will he “rend his clothes;” (Lev. 21:10) for *the Word of the living God being the bond of every thing, as has been said before, holds all things together, and binds all the parts, and prevents them from being loosened or separated* ."
There's many more similarities between Philo's Divine Reason, and Paul's annointed saviour. But it's Paul's pre-existing celestial being that had Gospels written about it set on Earth. Most eye opening is that Paul is adamant that his Gospel is not from humans, but *from scripture, and visions/dreams* (Gal. 1:11-12, Rom. 15:4, 1 Cor. 15:3-8). A *secret hidden through the ages now revealed* (Rom. 16:25-26, 1 Cor. 2:6-7). Also Paul says *his apostleship is by the same means as the founding Pillars* (Gal. 2:6-8).
The thing is one can find a Jesus/Joshua (Saviour) being crucified in OT scripture keeping in mind the power of the *Holy Dopamine Ghost* to reveal hidden mysteries that are kept in plain sight. See Joshua 10:22-27 where Joshua son of Nun (Saviour son of the Rising/Branching/Sprouting/Perpetual One) crucifies the five senses/members of flesh (Rom. 6:12-23, 7:5, 8:3-13, Gal. 5:24) that leads one to sin (The passions rule over you like kings), and places them in a tomb. Note Paul quotes scripture in that Jesus was crucified by hanging from a tree thus becoming a curse for us (Gal. 3:13, Deut. 21:23).
See Zechariah 3:1-10, 6:11-13 where Joshua son of Jehozadak (Son of the Righteous God) has tricked Satan who does not recognize him because he is wearing filthy clothes (human flesh). Then God glorifies Joshua by clothing him in festal apparel (spiritual flesh), removes the guilt of the land, gives him a throne, a crown, and given the title Branch/Rising to rule over his Temple. Paul says Satan destroys flesh (1 Cor. 5:5), and the persishable cannot inherit the imperishable (1 Cor. 115:35-56). So the hymnal (Phil. 2:6-11 which is considered the oldest Christian writing, and creedal statement) where Jesus takes on flesh then being found in this disguise is crucified, and raised in glory can be inferred right of OT scripture with help from the HDG. The later Gospel called Mark started out as a symbolic allegory of this perceived OT Jesus character (Word of the Lord, or the mechanism of God's voice; see Gen. 3:22) within an historical backdrop. Then over time, the writing of other Gospels (which expands the myth while pushing theological points of the author's respective community; e.g. Mark's Pauline dropping of Torah Law, while Matthew endorses observence) it was deemed historical, and the original theology stamped out.
Who would believe that the OT, and NT are revelations from an omnipotent/omnipresent being except a thought addict via the *Holy Dopamine Ghost* (Dopamine Reward System) that increases our patternicity, reward seeking, and strong resistance to reason that goes against *feel good* beliefs/behaviours.
i.imgflip.com/1ydvtk.jpg
@@bleirdo_dude thank you for the education on Philo. All this however does not answer what was in the cup in Luke 22:42. As I said before the truth is hidden in plain sight for everyone to see and yet none see it. The ancients didn't know about neuroscience but not knowing a science doesn't mean that they were stupid. Everything that is used today was built on something that went before. Men read the bible with preconceived notions and bias and then interpret it to their liking. The Catholics to their way, the Christians to theirs, the muslims and the atheists as well. The amazing thing about the bible is that it appears to validate the reader according to their notions and it's only when you put aside these ideas and read it as it states its ideas that you begin to understand what it really says. I could tell you what was in the cup but its better if you figure it out for yourself. When taken in context the cross makes perfect sense but only to a person whose logic has been repaired.
Here's a hint to the content of the cup.
The secret lies in the greatest commandment which the pharisees asked Jesus about in Mark 12:30.
What do REAL scholars think of Gary Habermas? “his total commitment to his religious belief makes it possible for Habermas to seemingly view all alleged extra-biblical sources as having total validity. In this regard, he makes a wide range of assertions, fueled largely by wishful thinking based on a specific reading of the predicated sources. In this context, Habermas speciously states that ‘these beliefs on the part of certain persons are a matter of historical record’. Unfortunately, this is not true.” Dr. Nicholas Peter Legh Allen, professor of theology at North-West University, Christian Forgery in Jewish Antiquities: Josephus Interrupted, 2020.
"Maybe I'm the one that's going to hell"?? How about there probably is no hell.? What good evidence is there for the afterlife? None that I've seen. Do people really spend much time wondering if the fella of another religious belief is right? I would argue usually not, you usually just realize that the one you were brought up in probably isn't true and get on with a secular life. This may not be the video to mention this, if so sorry. I don't doubt the sincerity here with these gentlemen. To fully question something that you've invested so much in is an extraordinary thing to do. I agree with another commenter, depression may indeed be common place with doubt.
Matt could you provide this evidence?
Zacharofsky Are u on discord? I dont like chatting on youtube, we can talk on discord and I'll show u there
Makes me really sad to see these two smart guys. Even with their daily portion of apologetics and talking to other apologetics, reading the bible probably daily etc. there is some sense of reality remaining in their brain that they feel they have to fight on a daily basis too. I can't think of any other philosophical system than a religion that can make smart people stupid in such a reliable way. Religion can even picture this as an accomplishment in some way, but again, it's one that is by no means desirable.
Explain how exactly they are being stupid? You are just asserting that they are not only mistaken, but also dumb and unable to think clearly. "Religion" doesn't see making people stupid as an accomplishment. And which religion are you speaking about anyway? The major world religions are all vastly different from each other, so to speak of them as being the same or even similar is unfair. Pick the religion you want to argue against, then give reasons not to believe in it.
You are insulting religion for making people believe false things, but you aren't giving me any good reasons to believe that any particular religious claim is untrue.
Habermas is a either a liar or a fool who pushes nonsense claims. Dr. Michael Martin, professor at Boston University, "Habermas leads us to believe that the consensus of scientific opinion at the time was that the Shroud was authentic. This was simply not so. His failure to acknowledge negative evidence hardly adds to the credibility of his other arguments for the truth of the Resurrection." The Case Against Christianity, pg 89