Why Believe in God? | Episode 1103 | Closer To Truth
This is personal. Why should I want to believe in God? Is belief a circular path of self-deception? Or the shortest route to bedrock reality? Featuring interviews with Sarah Coakley, Anthony A.C. Grayling, Christopher Isham, and Michael Shermer.
Season 11, Episode 3 - #CloserToTruth
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Closer To Truth host Robert Lawrence Kuhn takes viewers on an intriguing global journey into cutting-edge labs, magnificent libraries, hidden gardens, and revered sanctuaries in order to discover state-of-the-art ideas and make them real and relevant.
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Closer to Truth presents the world’s greatest thinkers exploring humanity’s deepest questions. Discover fundamental issues of existence. Engage new and diverse ways of thinking. Appreciate intense debates. Share your own opinions. Seek your own answers.
#God #Faith
"I don't know" the most unpopular but honest answer.
most don't know.
"Plucking flowers to which the butterflies come. I don't know"
I want use this space to comment on Carl Sagan's stupid comment: “I don't want to believe. I want to know.” It is stupid because he doesn't know he is in the wrong place. If you are in scientific domain, or materialistic domain, that would be reasonable. But science is not the entire world. There is whole vast space beyond science, moral, consciousness, region, arts, meaning of life, to name a few. You can't write an equation to prove meaning of life, and you can't prove the why Picasso painting is better than others. Is religion scientific? No. Is Moral standard we live by scientific? No. They don't mean be. To apply science on something that outside of scientific is just stupid.
And the least used answer of all time.
@@seanleith5312 You make some interesting points, I understand why you did it..I get it, but your comment would have been far more intriguing if you refrained from using "$tupid" You are in good and far more sophisticated company in the comments on these videos Than the normal and typical social media rhetoric and imature audience. I can tell from reading your reply you're far more intelligent than to be dismissive in using "$tupid" to describe a point you disagree with.
Robert is just like me. We both are searching for God. I'm fortunate that i can watch these episode on KZhead.
Ask God to reveal himself to you. If he isn't real nothing lost. If he or she is real you have found your treasure. God is a God of clarity that is what I believe ❤️ By the way repent means change your mind. So don't be offended love Jesus ❤️
Michael said he used to believe in God and Robert said he believes in God sometimes. God will never ever let His own Go. They are both saved eternally if there is a God HAHAHAHAHAH HAHAHAHA HAHAHAH
so you found your myth-man-in-the-sky ?? let me guess... the woke-bloke was on a white cloud.. JFC.. engage your brain
In my personal search for God I found a personal relationship with Jesus and he told me it all was a bunch of msde up bunk.
I always say.... I'm an optimistic agnostic. I pray that there is a God. I want to believe so badly.....
Because it will be better for humanity and life , more justice , no evil etc...
You should check out the book called The Last Superstition. It’s about how rational the belief in God is
Me too.
@@kevinpulliam3661 I think it's rational too
If you deny God you can’t justify objective morality.
This show is wonderful.
You are wonderful
She has the most soothing voice .. I wish the exchange between her and Lawrence was longer..
@@prometheusrex1 You as well.
materialism has already been disproven countless of times by science.
It gives aesthetic pleasue when you see two intelligent person geniunely discuss something.
Sure does..
If you notice, that energy bleeds over into the comments... People are much more cordial, respectful and insightful with their responses and replies.
@@Peakfreud I agree...
“I don't want to believe. I want to know.” Carl Sagan
The very act of knowing in itself requires faith. All of your knowledge of what's out there (the big philosophic question of WHAT IS ou THE BEING) starts and finish in your own mind, which recognizes basic truths (evidence) about reality. How is it capable of it? We simply don't know. You need to believe that your mind is not there to deceive you, but that it works well integrated with the outside world to know objective things. Furthermore, all scientific knowledge is made up of primary evidence. Unless you are a scientist who has had direct contact with this evidence, your "scientific knowledge" is based on belief (faith) in the testimonies of other people (book authors, teachers, etc., with whom you have had real contact). Whatever you think is your knowledge of things, from the perspective of your own cognition, requires much more faith than you and people commonly realize.
Too bad lol
I doubt that Sagan was so dumb, or the majority of the people. When Sagan talks about knowledge he doesn't mean absolute knowledge, but something most far from "because the Bible says so".
Did Sagan know his mind or believed it
@@richardamos5898 What is Extended Mind? | Episode 1811 | Closer To Truth || The Philosophy of Sense8 | Emotion and Connection
“I agree with every atheistic argument except the conclusion” perfectly states how I feel. Wow.
Atheism can only refute certain conceptions of God or certain religion’s God (example Zeus).
Atheism is a religion. This is a religion without God.
@@przemkowaliszewski3290If atheism is a religion, then not playing tennis is a hobby.
@@michaelhall2709 If you want to see it in that way ... Yes, it is...
Isn't that circular logic? Couldnt it be said that that is exactly why we invented him to begin with? This would be an argument for the existence of religion, as a force of good (comfort, soothing, absence of fear and thos empowerment) but it would be a sort of willful self-deceit or in the past a deceit by the priestly class of the commoners and perhaps nobles alike.
Nice to see Robert opening up. Appreciated.
This channel is a gift to humanity. Thank you!
No it is NOT, anyone can believe what they want, children believe in Father Christmas, this does not make it true or real, same goes with your man made god.
@@LookOutForNumberOne I was referring to the quality of the channel in general. Take a closer look at its content. Incidentally, I’m an agnostic.
@@gusmath1001 Sure, I will check the content. lol
I can’t get enough of this top tier content. Marvellous
So did you learn if there is a god? And if so, where is it?
@Stephen Mason You sound like your confused about the subject!
@@scottlouissmith2382 Confused is probably better than deluded.
@mark b Confusion is delusion. If you don't ask questions and your minds made up its you that are confused and delusional..
I can say my whole life, I have felt just like this. Never felt like I "knew" anything, just keep "looking for meaning". Nobody taught me that. It's very hard to see all this, and say "What a happy accident". That takes faith too.
It's seriously haunting dude
It really doesn't take faith at all. It just takes an honest answer of "I don't know, and I'm going to withhold judgement until better information comes along".
Brilliant conversation. This series is addicting. A welcomed addiction.
Boy, Sarah's good. I'm an absolute atheist, and she had me hanging on every word.
I'm right there with you. The way she speaks is incredibly encapsulating. Cheers, mate.
Atheism seems to require more faith than any other belief..... To me anyway.
@@redriver6541 Nope.
@@plantatheist5883 But he’s not wrong
The first question should be how do you Define God
that is something that really ( really) needs attention..... for many it's a triggering point for " here we go again! some guy on a throne with a scepter pushing galaxies around and zapping people with lightning" . If we could get past this idea of a personal entity / proper noun it may be of use. I for one think of Creative Intelligence , in fact 'god' as the impulse of Creative Intelligence that is the fabric of all that is seen ( the universe from the quantum level to the galactic level) and every thing unseen ( existence itself, space, void, etc). There is more to this ( Creative Intelligence) , but is just more verbiage and can be offered at another time.
The second question: why did Lee capitalize the 'd' in Define?
@@StreetsOfVancouverChannel It is part of the christian con to seem more important.
@@tomjackson7755 you may want to consider not being so absurdly judgemental about someone whom you know zero about... especially from a single sentence... my comment was nothing more than playful semantic-grammatical levity.
@Stefano Portoghesi to suggest Creative Intelligence is a personage or a director ( suggesting a proper noun or demonstrative pronoun) is to miss the point completely. It is the notion that the universe is and of itself inherently creative ( multiplicity and diversity) and intelligent i.e. it complies to its own rules it uses again, and 'we' capture/observe this compliance as physics. Example: A rose. Beauty; creative -all different kinds , shapes , colors and location i.e. 30,000 types. Intelligent - plant a rose seed ( a hip if you will) , you will get a rose , not a pumpkin or lettuce or corn. This 'intelligence' can be seen as orderliness , structure, classifications, etc.; at the rose level or at the spinning of a galaxy ; it complies to a level of order that is inherent in the system... Let's not even mention the level of intelligence in DNA , and the multiplicity ( creativity) we see in mammals. I will leave it there.
as long as you keep believing, you will never get any closer to truth!
I strive for Kuhns intellectual and personal honesty.
I do not fear death; I have fear of the moments leading to it.
I love this conversation and it shows how open and fascinating Close to Truth is. I m not a believer but I am not an atheist either.
That makes you agnostic.
Eeeee
@Will 'Slap' Smith keek
That makes you an agnostic?
Agnosticism isn't really no different than atheism. Either way there is no affirmative belief or claim in a god. Some do split between hard and soft atheism however.
Having died three times, the only feeling there is after the end of ones physical presence is the purest form of love you can ever experience and there is absolutely nothing that can prepare you for it.
Ms. Sarah Copley's mind is razor sharp.
I find Sarah such an elegant speaker... Her words at the end of her sit down was quite important for non believers and even those who have faith. "There WILL come a time when you are laying down and about to die, you won't be able to keep the fantasy of having control of your soul anymore. " People seem to forget the time will come and sooner then later, life is short. Figure it out. The last thing you don't want is fear and confusion in the end. You're not dying you are transitioning. I used to be an atheist but have had a couple moments in my life that I can't explain that woke me up. Comparing god to the tooth fairy and Santa really pissed me off...lose that argument it's disgusting.
So are you claiming that the fear and confusion that many face upon approaching death is evidence that a god exists?
@@theoskeptomai2535 no, that's not at all what I said. I was saying it's important to figure out what you believe in, so at that time of death you avoid that fear and confusion in your final moment's. As it's stressful enough. Is all I meant. Wether you believe or not. Make peace with your faith or lack of to be content at the end. I personally believe of an after life of some kind because of things I've personally experienced. Because of it my faith changed.
@@sheenaalexis8710 What, "fear and confusion", Sheena (great name, by the way)? Arbitrarily deciding something at the end of your life even though you don't know any more about what is going to happen after you die then you did before is just silly. It is like saying that you that better decide on how you will vote as a jury member before the trial starts. You just have to be at peace with the life you've led. Oh, I am scared about not knowing what I believe in, here on my death bed, lol.
@@theephemeralglade1935 you are over thinking my point...it's just a comfort thing...apparently it doesn't bother you. And that's great. But some of us may think of those things in our final moment's and find comfort in believing. And thank you. Sheena is my name Alexis is my middle one. I grew up hating my name until I was around 12 and heard the ramones lol then realized it's not so bad :)
Well said! Oakley was brilliant and really stood out from the usual crowd of scientism and materialism of the gaps and straw man arguments against the belief in the fundamental nature of mind and consciousness/theism... “that of which nothing greater can be conceived” (Anselmo d’Aosta). All the best to you ♥️
A very good and very important question. The discussions with Sara, Anthony, Christopher and Michael are very interesting and enlightening even if it wasn't sufficient to convince Robert and those who think like him. Thanks for sharing these discussions. Good Luck.
I'll put it in a understanding my grandma would understand, God is the air you breath period.
This lady Sarah rocks. She's got the mojo and the intuitive understanding (if not complete intellectual masterhood) of the reality of the Creator, the creation and ultimately, the afterlife.
She's also extremely gorgeous!!
What I saw was delusional thinking searching intellectual boundaries to prove her thinking was right.
@@kriskanapo9282 who cares really. Eye of the beholder and your comment says way way more about you than "what you saw". There's that.
@@missusbarkdognot that deep. Sarah wannabe
I admire this guy Robert Lawrence Kuhn. Everything that's been bothering me about religion and God's existence etc seems to be addressed in this fascinating series. At the end of the day we all cease to exist and hope that there is an afterlife because it's too scary to die alone without believing that there is a heaven or something else. Thank you for these great video's.
Why is it scary to cease to exist? Your conscious self goes away every single night during deep sleep. Do you find that scary? Why would it be scary if you didn't wake up?
@@ivankaramasov hmm
We ceased to exist before we were alive and will cease to exist after our death.
You've been brought to a place where activities take place and in reality none are objectively good or bad they are just things that happening that we've asigned meaning to. Now you have good and bad days/events/people/things etc. In death all this ceases to exist. Death is truly the ultimate place of rest because you cease to play the game of good and bad events and not only that, you cease to know that there was ever a game or that you ever were. This may sound morbid but its more liberating than I can explain. Certainly not a place to aspire to be because - enjoy the chance to experience but as the body gets weak and the mind tires be able to embrace the next stage of the process as it is not to be feared. For whatever reason you came into existence in the first place you may potentially exist again since energy is never destroyed it just changes form.
Without multiple religions God wouldn't be hidden enough to invoke our own gumption. I can't help thinking that the presenter's consequent disposition after these interactions betrays a weakness in the face of slight risk. Either give it up, or give it a try.
Prof Coakley seems like somebody I could talk to for hours. This is great content.
Absolutely, would have loved to see a conversation between her and Christopher Hitchens.
Simply put: If I am at all concerned about myself, Why should I not believe in the POWER that has brought me into being? After all My own person is the only fact that I can be sure of and Who and What has created it should be my CONCERN!
I'll make 3 short points: i) God is not religious. Men have made religions, all claiming to be the direct route to God. ii) You might not choose God. Or have the choice to believe in God. God chooses you, and opens that dimension up to certain people. iii) How can you believe in God without any faith? If he came down and said "hey it's me", then you wouldn't need any faith, also your freedom would be encroached on in a major way as life would no longer have any mystery at all. Love the channel btw. Best one I'm found in years. I'm gonna watch all the episodes for sure. Excellent production quality too btw.
I want to believe in God so my prayers will be answered. Particularly with repect to the lotto.
you have to ask for the right things. the things you truly need
I think this episode pretty much boils down all the others because, after all, isn’t this at the crux of all your other questions? I can totally identify the pickle you find yourself in, because I am in the same pickle. Having gone from Roman Catholicism to fundamentalist biblical inerrantist, to a deep state of questioning, I find the answers elusive at best. At the age of 65, I have come to the conclusion that any further inquiry will not produce certainty. I find the comforts of belief very seductive, but my mind works toward seeking truth. I find it untenable to believe in something, no matter how comforting, if it is not true. The claims of faith based religions, in my present state of mind, have great difficulty in showing that they are even remotely true, try as I may to believe that they are.
Be still and you shall know God. Ppl who have actually known God, or the universe or themselves, whatever you wanna call it, found it by becoming still. I have like you pondered for ever, read tons of books, spent perhaps years contemplating it in my mind, but like you i find myself in the same pickle. That is why perhaps our whole approach is wrong and being still is where the answer lies. I have recently started meditation and it’s the hardest thing I have ever tried, and it is perhaps because I’m wayyyyy to analytical. But I am going to keep trying because questions never got me anywhere. It’s time to stop asking questions and try to achieve stillness.
It is humbling to accept that truth is something we can never fully grasp, the set of all things true, we get glimpses of it through our humanity. My hope is that truth has made for us a path into itself within our humanity. So it is never that we can find it but that it has moved to be revealed as it can be found, so that we may seek it within and outside of us, sustaining everything. I know I can’t reach the truth on my own, but truth can always reach me by grace.
Use your mind and reason and logic, and you shall be set free from religion
I'm wondering if we even have free will to believe. Let's think that statement through with some silly examples. You tell me I go to Hell when I die if I DON'T believe in Bigfoot. That scares me, so I try with all my might to believe that this Bigfoot exists & is my personal lord & savior. Can I really ever get my brain to believe that? Can you force yourself to believe something absurd? 🤔 Therefore, do you really have free will to believe just anything? I think you don't. You can only get yourself to believe things that your brain can accept as factual based on some evidence. If your brain does not see sufficient evidence, the closest you can come to belief is to work yourself up into a state of delusion. You can't call such a state true belief. I'm making an argument we have almost no control over what we believe, yet Christians are telling us we go to Hell for failure to force ourselves to believe specific things prior to death. If I'm correct & also Christians are correct, we have no control over our own destiny. Therefore we don't really have free will. What will become of our souls has already been decided by someone other than us. Where am I wrong with this logic?
Our Belief in God is basically our awe of all that we do not know.
People are confused by the connection we have with the super conscious, also know as the collective conscious. It’s like a light of wisdom.
This channel should have literally infinite subscribers 💜☀️😊💪
Why is it so difficult to admit that you don't know when you don't know or are not in a position to know something?
Agreed
Exactly
Precisely ! 👏👏
Because not knowing drives us nuts
@@JesusChrist-xk9ee Not knowing makes us pretentious, as we live on this planet manipulating everything as though we DO know.. After all, we are ‘sapient’! So, pretentiousness is the real problem..
As suggested by Carl Jung, believing isn't enough. Knowing is the thing!
Do you not believe what you know?
@@justchilling704 Belief is theory or hope, knowing is from direct experience. As Carl Jung said, “I don’t believe, I know.”
@@rudy8278 I disagree that can be one meaning if belief but it’s certainly not the standard nor the one I most typically use. Belief has to do with acceptance of a truth claim. Hence your believe the things you “know”.
So much silliness in this video. The silliness is coming from those who think you find God by thinking, by argument, by formulation, by rational thought. That never has been the way to find God, and does not work.
so what is the way?
I love this show. This is precisely where I am in my life.
Excellent chapter. I loved how you tackled this question from a very personal and honest point of view.
Great show, thank you for making this
Great conversations!! The struggle I have with Shermer's response is that he seems to assume a christian world view involves certainty. But we call it faith precisely because we can't be certain. A genuine and deep expression of christian faith would indeed not be certain, but instead, would have an honest agnostic belief that there is a God, and that He loves us, though we could never know this as a fact for certain. I will admit however, most christians would not agree with my statement here. But I think belief implies agnosticism, which I am, and yet I believe deeply and passionately. The christian, though he believes, is not being candid or honest if he says he knows. None of us know, though some believe.
It was nice to see Robert Lawrence being interviewed.
Robert Kuhn
Robert what a great show. Perfect guests for this discussion.
Her voice is so soothing..
People used to believe in many gods. Every tribe had many gods with different characteristics. Gradually, over several centuries, most people have reduced the number of gods they worship. Most modern believers only believe in one god. I think we are getting closer to the truth.
Great episode. Its getting personal now. Thanks for the effort and vulnerability. This one stood out more than episodes I've seen before...and I've seen a lot of them.
Absolutely agree. I concur.
This channel is awesome. The host is great. The topics are interesting. I am glad to be here.
I Love this channel, "Closer To Truth"!
The title is the purpose if our existence.
“I do want God to exist…” but with Kuhn it’s always on HIS OWN personal terms or conditioned on terms open to negotiation.
After 3 minutes into this discussion I already know it is the most intelligent video on YT since long time.
To believe in Lord helps me to be human being to be close to someone else...
Wonderful, true realism in the Human construct. The questions are just as amazing as the Quest. Thanks for a great series Mr.Kune 😎
I truly appreciate how gentle and pastoral the atheist was. How refreshing!
Love Kuhns work. Great channel. 👍🏽💪🏽🔥🔥🔥
The first lady in this episode presumes that non-belief in God necessarily entails fear of death. But what is there to be afraid of about death if it just means the absence of life? The absence of life, it seems to me, entails the absence of fear. Eternal life, on the other hand, could involve the everlasting possibility of fear, which, to me at least, is a very frightening idea. I don't believe in God and I am not afraid of death - not my own, at any rate. The prospect of the deaths of those near and dear to me is frightening only because I may be alive to experience them. Once I am dead nothing can harm me. I like being alive; but eternal life? No thank you!
Suffering necessitates hope, and hope necessitates God. That is why suffering points to God.
Although I may disagree with her, I love Ms. Sarah's way of persuasion. Her ideals definitely resonate with me, even as a staunch Atheist towards the Christian Church. Very kind but stern, and a great listener. I can see her being a great leader in any field even beyond theology. She's cool in my book
Could be one of the best conversations I've ever heard is included in this episode.
This was a great one!
We want too believe in God because we want too exist again and see our loved ones again that's not hard too understand
Wanting not = Reality! In heaven; What if your loved ones “want” to have a different appearance ; be young/old/ sex change/etc. How would you recognize them? What if they don’t want to be with you?
Wanting may not be reality but it is possible there is a Heaven. And what would it matter if your loved one had a sex change at least you would still be able to see them again.
@@johnyouman2151 How would you know them; if they don’t want to be known (by you)???
@@oskarngo9138 I suppose if they didn’t want to be around you then they wouldn’t have to be. And you would know them because God would tell you who they are (or were)
@@johnyouman2151 In heaven whose reality is it??? Obviously; heaven cannot exist if there are multiple realities!.... that was my original question.
I choose to believe in good, to believe in the beauty of redemption so that it may be real in me.
I belive . . . This is a very significant segment in the series * hopefully everyone following your journey sees this one . Many thanks for taking us along with you .
"Where are true joys to be found ?" doesn't lead to the ultimate truth. People find satisfaction by believing in different things about God and the afterlife (mostly, depending on the geographic location). True joys can be found by stopping the anxiety related to wanting so desperately to find an answer to such big premature questions such as the origin of the universe, some reach the joys by believing in cows as gods, others find it by practicing stoicism. The satisfactory aspect doesn't make the belief an ultimate truth.
The satisfactory aspect doesn't make belief an ultimate truth? But what about the argument from desire?
Yes, cows, or prophets, or reincarnation, or holy books, or rituals, or a care taking god, or an afterlife...
I have no faith in religions. I am now 65, and I was born to and raised in the Mormon religion (sounds a little crazy? to me it is) I have researched and studied and read about modern physics for about 35 years (not a real physicist) . I have come to a somewhat personal conclusion (maybe hypothesis?) that the fundamental basis of the universe is consciousness. Not a theory just my present idea.
@@bonesjones3421 Supplement your idea as follows: One can be conscious and remain UNAWARE .... It shall be your AWARENESS that persists after your flesh vanishes, not some empty consciousness, spirit or soul. We can not travel to eternity to bring back OBSERVATIONS, so all matters eternal must remain UNDEFINED to remain congruent with TRUTH. We have a logic system that enables us to UNDERSTAND indefinable constructs, we use it to understand axioms like zero or infinity .... we PROTECT the indefinable truths from definition by seeking undefined CHARACTERIZATIONS that do not define the indefinable, yet can be inspected for TRUTH. We can use this logic system to UNDERSTAND aspects of our indefinable ETERNAL Creator: eg:: Creator's AWARENESS:: YOU have some AWARENESS, more than zero, not enough to create an atom planet star or galaxy. You would need MORE awareness to create such existences that have self-evidently already been created. Therefore, Creator's AWARENESS can not be zero and is necessarily MORE than your awareness. All values we would like to use to describe Creator's AWARENESS would DEFINE the indefinable paradigm. Such values are VOID by definition. We are left with ONE undefined CHARACTERIZATION: infinite awareness. When we inspect infinite awareness for TRUTH, we find it is indeed MORE awareness than yours, and therefore it is a VALID UNDERSTANDING of Creator's AWARENESS. Infinite awareness is an ABSOLUTE Characterization vis a vis our temporal reality. Knowing this, we can formulate, the PRIME DUALITY : IGNORANCE VS AWARENESS Where absolute ignorance IS oblivion and absolute AWARENESS IS CREATOR. The two exist at interface in perpetuity in the absence of TIME.\ There can be no awareness in oblivion. YOU are aware, so you are NOT in oblivion. The only other place in the prime duality is WITHIN CREATOR - without, lies only oblivion. CREATOR saved your awareness from oblivion, your AWARENESS verifies your salvation. All that's left is to learn WHY your awareness has been manifest in this temporal reality in its temporary carnal condition and not in eternity. Hint: EVERY landlord evicts tenants who REJECT THE TERMS OF THE LEASE! Here, you shall think and do EXACTLY what you would have thought and done in ETERNITY - the first creation, CREATOR'S HOME. Your thoughts and actions of free will shall become etched into TIME - they and their consequence shall become LOCKED in the past, FOREVER UNCHANGEABLE. By your last thought and breath, you shall complete the ONLY eternal creation you can muster from your temporary carnal state: the TESTAMENT OF YOUR LIFE. Who shall use YOUR TESTAMENT to reconcile agreement with CREATOR'S TERMS for ETERNAL LIFE else step back across the threshold to oblivion of your own free will? I won't be I or the rest of us, we shall have our own testaments.... To verify the existence of YOUR TESTAMENT, use your own memory ... behold, the falsehoods hatreds sorrows discontent and iniquities YOU have unleashed here by YOUR TERMS FOR LIFE, remain locked in the past, for any being able to parse time to see. It's not rocket science, but rocket science is part of it.
@@goldentwilight1944 Well, many people don't desire the existence of a God, and desiring God's existence can be linked to survival, it doesn't prove the existence of a God. And I personally don't know how does the survival advantage of believing in a God proves its existence. I find this claim nonsensical (and if I'm wrong, enlighten me). For me, Even though I have a religious background, I no longer find myself desiring the existence of a God after I started putting my thoughts under the rational lens. I was influenced before by my environment, that doesn't mean it's an innate desire. Now, I have the desire to know all the secrets of our existence including the origin of our universe due to my insatiable curiosity but that doesn't mean I have (or even want) to use the joker card : "God" that many use, to have an immediate relieving answer to my questions. There can be many other possible alternatives that my mind wouldn't simply completely ignore due to the fact that we still ignore a lot about our existence and universe to jump into premature conclusions. What I'm trying to say is that there isn't really an innate desire for God's existence because many don't have it, and many others experience it differently and if you put your thoughts under the microscope and discover the cognitive biases people are trapped in to believe confidently that God (whatever the definition one uses) is the ultimate truth about our universe' existence, would you still think that the premise used in the argument from desire is true ?
One thing is quite obvious from the comments, those who already believe in god think Sarah gave great answers, and those who don't think she didn't answer anything. People seem to believe what they are predisposed to believing or what reinforces their preexisting beliefs.
I can tell you she was rude AF regardless
Only direct personal experience can convince at this stage of history.
When I think about the fine structure constant and all the different particles in atoms and there precise mass and energy and all of man's technologies that depend on constant and precise values, I believe in God because nothing seems random to me .
Hello, The metaphore I use to express my inability to imagine God is to imagine a literary character that after I read the book in which it appears becomes a mental entity in my mind. As such I can make it do anything I want but I wonder if I can make it aware of the fact that it resides in my mind. In other words the inability of this character living in my mind to imagine me as the person in whose mind it exists is similar to my inability to imagine God in whose mind I reside! Leonard I ‘m sure you can find some fallacies in my reasoning and I’m keen to hear them!
"Uncertainty is a little anxiety producing." A little? I would say a lot!
Idk why, I must be in a severe minority. But it doesn't bother me at all.
I wish I had that ease of mind because It really is something that I think about constantly.
Man up and deal with it. There's is alot we just don't know.
@@theephemeralglade1935 “Man up and deal with it” Aww how quaint your comment was so edgy. It makes all the grandads on here feel positively cool!. ❤️
@@blinkanddie3397 I don't have time to worry about the unknown, lol. Got a happy life to lead.
How does Closer To Truth pump out so many episodes all of the time?!
I think ( my conjecture) is hours of filming, then edits into episodes. I have seen this when one subject is being addressed then Robert wil perhaps ask other-subject questions to that person, so he gets 'inventory'. Again, my assessment only.
Closer to truth you are heroes for doing this episodes.
It seems like nobody ever asks, "How to believe in God?" Being raised in a very religious environment, I really wanted to, but being honest with myself revealed that I can't believe in something that I can't even possibly comprehend. Those who insisted that I do believe, seemed to think I have only to "decide". They pushed me using fear, guilt, and anger. How would I even be sure of exactly it is? Nobody EVER brings up this view, which is baffling to me. Am I supposed to simply insist to myself that I believe? There's no progress without clearing this hurdle, first.
9:49 onwards describes my existential dread and equally, my hope & faith. What a paradox
Very powerfully stated indeed!
Belief in God IS self-deception. But self-deception and illusion are the very fabric of existence. Choose your illusions according to personal preference.
Wow! She's argumentative!
The best one yet.
"It seems to me a fundamental dishonesty and fundamental treachery to intellectual integrity to hold a belief because you think it's useful and not because you think it's true" - Bertrand Russell.
Russell also said he deeply hoped there wasn't a God. That's antitheism, not atheism.
Great quote. Thanks for posting.
@Pisstake Someone who hopes there isn't a God isn't objective regarding the likelihood of one. If I recall correctly, Russell's expression of hope was after he'd had what we'd now call a near death experience contained the suggestion that life may not end with death. Perhaps Russell simply found the idea of any form of consciousness cleverer than his own intolerable?
@@borderlands6606 ...Which changes NOTHING about the validity of Russell's statement. Whether something is true or not IS the acid test for whether to believe in it or not. Fortunately, we remember Isaac Newton for his scientific accomplishments...
@J w Just another bullshit assertion. You don't know any particular person's reason for feeling what they do until they say why. Stop being butthurt that other people see things differently than you . You have zero evidence. ZERO. We are interested in the arguments, and making our own points about them. It is what the comments section is for. Get over it.
24:37 “Conflicting religions undermine ALL religions” 👏👏👏
i feel sorry for mr. kuhn. i admire him greatly for his intelligence, skill, knowledge and accomplishments in life - to name a few but his quest cannot and will not ever have an ending to his satisfaction. perhaps, paradoxically, that is better for him because if he does find what he is seeking-who will and who can satisfactorily confirm it for him-and how? - then what would be next? --- still, after all that, it has been quite a great learning experience for me and i am very grateful to him.
God is reason for human awareness, language and free will of conscious experience. God initiates and completes conscious reality.
Everyone automatically assumes that God necessarily wouldn't be evil if God were existent. Oh my.
Good point, and when you see all the pain and suffering in this world it's logical to say 'God' isn't necessarily good... until you realise how extremely diverse, complex and beautiful our nature is, everything on it, billions of different species, animals, plants etc etc. If the god entity would be evil we all would propably live in some steelfactory like mouses, you absolutely don't need such a beautiful complexity on earth for evil purposes nor an evil entity wouldn't propably be even able to create such a complex yet beautiful planet. But if there is god, we are so small with our own understanding it's safe to say we are like little ants to this entity.
@@mickeyguide3112 right.. But how the hell priests do know that
Your idea of God is impersonal . There is no such God . God is eternal infinite super intelligent Consciousness field which sits behind the curtain of reality . Universe is just extension of that consciousness which transitions to different states to create template of duality which we perceive as reality . You and me are droplet of that consciousness with short term memory loss . Universe projects reality and then injects itself to experience it . All the suffering is due to action of individual or collective action . That super intelligent eternal consciouness operates mathematically and is purely non intervensionist .
@@sunnyyt6885 You have just made a direct statement. You did not qualify it with, " I believe " nor, " I think", nor " My guess is..", nor, " It is my opinion that...", and so, how do you KNOW any of what you stated to be a fact, to be reality and indeed " beyond ( the curtain of ) reality " as you claimed God is?
The more you know, the more you know you don’t know.
That female priest: Literally the most evasive answer in the history of evasive answers.
My favourite channel at present
You should interview Edward Feser. The Thomistic arguments for God's existence are extremely compelling.
Only for those who are already into the theological/fantastical.
Great episode and my comment is coming from a country which was created in the name of God solely and no other reason, damn that baffles my mind.
Among all tour programs I have watched this stands out. I think Sarah nailed it. And I guess you will have to continue with your (fruitless?) search for truth, as she says, until the moment where you ultimately need to face truth and act upon it.
Fear seems to make us turn to God...which gives us yet one more thing to be afraid of!
Could it be that fear closes down, no, no, narrows down the mind? Makes it turn to its more primitive (the wrong word ?) functioning modes? Perhaps it is the case that even after the fear situation is over, the habit of mind persists. But then, why aren't we all theologizers?
Excellent episode, Robert.....Sarah is an impressive multi-level force.... I got the feeling that you had been called into the principal's schoolroom for a little talking to....your luxurious fantasy, indeed!
She states some nonsense though.
@@philosopher0076 You should change the name of your acccount if you think that Sarah stated nonsense. He was literally ON POINT with everything, in a very,very,very BIG WAY, but you just didnt understood what she is trying to say.
“He who thinks half-heartedly will not believe in God; but he who really thinks has to believe in God.” ― Isaac Newton
Newton was an astonishing physicist, but a poor anatomist. The quote implies that one must think with a full heart to believe in God, but what Newton misses here is that one should think with one's BRAIN.
It is a good thing he is remembered for what he did as a scientist.
Rob LoveStar That’s not what the word half-heartedly
This is the most interesting episode I’ve seen yet, and I’ve watched hundreds. The science, and philosophy, and religious aspects of this show is (and I think everyone will mostly agree), but it’s this interface dialogue he has with these views that is fascinating. But they are always entirely about abstract ideas. This episode was very personal and he was very vulnerable, and that’s what made it so great. It wouldn’t have been nearly as interesting without the real human dilemma of our fears and desires on display. Excellent content! The best yet!
This was cathartic in a way
"Why should I believe in god?" Sarah - "It depends on what is motivating you"???!!! No, Sarah, it is whether or not you can produce a compelling argument for god's existence with evidence that could be quantified by ANYONE, regardless of their motivations. It is how we discover AND confirm everything that can be understood. She seems to suggest that homeboy's motivations might keep him from accepting that god exists. How convenient.
You either have a first cause or an infinite regress of causes. Even if God doesn't resolve the problem of infinite regress, neither does infinite regress. I have no issue with some picking whichever one they enjoy. I only take issue when, somehow, this first mover miraculously has the same political agenda as the believer.
@@ForOrAgainstUs As soon as you leap from deism to theism you've opened a hopeless can of worms for yourself. Well, and it betrays the Intentions of The Council Of Lawn Gnomes to which we owe everything, lol.
@The Mask Oh, really? Why?
@The Mask You have no evidence it was given by a, "spirit being." NONE. You are just making an assertion.
@The Mask Haha! Nice try. I don't know, and neither do you...
The idea of god answers everything yet answers nothing! It merely pushes the really big questions farther a field. Without any hope of suggesting an origin for god, the idea of an eternal universe of some sort, remains more powerful and more satisfying, even if the short term benefits of concepts like heaven or a caring god are abandoned!
a. y when the idea of God becomes practical reality 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, you start getting somewhere. I suppose LSD is the only tool that can help you finally perceive the ultimate reality of what consciousness is. It does do that though, if you allow it to: whether you are capable of accepting that reality, as I referred to above, though, is an entirely different matter
Awaiting to see a deep conversation with RLK and Sadguru about the truths of existence!
The intro is very nostalgic. Love this channel
What is supernatural? Did Einstein’s space-time field make the “was” supernatural become natural? When someone say there are other kinds energy exist other than E=MC2, is it supernatural? Or will it become natural later? Belief is part of the truth. Passion is part of the truth.
belief is part of truth. agreed. or rather, belief is the necessary mechanism before reaching truth. objectivity in the sciences has limited scopes of measure in God, because if we can quantify and extrapolate God, he might as well show himself to us. our senses are simply limited. empiricism can't do it all.
Belief is analogous to playing the lottery. The possibility of truth will certainly reside in belief, however its domain is not the final conclusion.
First of all, I really LOVE your podcasts. Always so well done and mentally challenging, representing the best of You Tube and the internet in general. Kudos. Since I am now 74 and getting closer to the Big Day, I have become increasing more interested in the question of religion and "the hereafter," if you know what I mean. As an ex-Christian, I pretty much strayed away from the typical Bible stories of "Heaven" and "Hell," realizing that much of the 'hell' aspect may very well be right here on planet earth. In any case, over the last decade, I've been very interested in a phenomenon called, "Near Death Experiences," or, "NDEs" for short. The 100s of stories I've heard online and from actual friends and customers have really opened my eyes that their might be "something else" out there that mainstream science has yet to discover.
Hinduism says THERE IS ONLY ONE WORLD, THIS ONE! Not very sexy or very appealing but it says God made this huge world, this earth, gave you this life. He did not make a mistake But many find life too harsh, too difficult & whether they call it Heaven or NDE or a "spiritual world" don't you think they are all the SAME? An easy lazy life - some kind of magic Retirement Home - where one gets to relax sit about of course all our loved ones are there How does that make any sense? Billions of people just sitting about doing nothing? an idle, lazy, useless and pointless existence for eternity? As they say if something sounds too good to be true........ But Hinduism also says if such a life is what you want, then it WILL come true but not in some magic land - but right here - as a lower life form - as a tree perhaps - no eyes, it lives in a different world - the tree has no idea of the world that it lives in - the planet, all the life forms, people, the sun - nothing. Food falls from the sky & it has no work, no worries, no desires or aspirations - it just exists! Remind you of anything? Don't give in to these sweet sounding ideas and end up as a lower life form. Appreciate this Gift of human life that God has given you and if you want, you can have this life over and over. By the time you come back in another life, humanity may be travelling the stars! Think of living in those times!
He's the best and the ONE
the way closer to truth, is through creating excessive suffering (e.g. fear of making mistake), so that you must let go (i.e. not trusting yourself), because truth is much much bigger than you
M-Theory and the Anthropic Principle (the leading Physical theory of Creation) is as equally miraculous as an Intelligent Creator. The question is "Why do people choose one or the other?"
What?
@@NicolasMarinos Can you be a little more specific?
Sarah Coakley was interesting. She has a sharp mind. Grayling was dull and boring, reiterating all the usual banalities I have heard umpteen times. Kuhn comes across as intellectually honest and restrained.
Yes, she was very engaging.. Would have loved to see her and Christopher Hitches have a discussion.
@@Peakfreud it would have been no contest! Christopher would not have held back on her.
I like how she expresses herself
I watch your shows, Robert, knowing that they don't lead to conclusions usually. Today I had an intuitive realization that (for me) the shows about the existence of a god are the same as the ones about "why something rather than nothing". They each lead to that place where we can't add more data, and we're stuck.