#From Atheism to Christianity to Islam

[cupcakegalaxia]

When 20 years ago atheists said that the decrease in religion (*cough* Christianity *cough*) would lead to a more enlightened society are suddenly concerned about the slow moving ball of Western Society collapsing, authoritarianism rising and political unrest on a level the world has not seen for a very long time.

sigh

[unsolicited-opinions]

Bro no one hates jews for ethnicity, news are hated for faith.

If you are an atheist "jew", no one gives a shit about you.

Stop pretending to be a victim and trying to appropriate antisemitic struggles.

I'll address these point by point.

Jewish readers, please share your thoughts!

You wrote: "No one hates Jews for ethnicity, [J]ews are hated for faith."

"Hitler...defined the Jews as a race and not a religious community, characterized the effect of a Jewish presence as a “race-tuberculosis of the peoples,” and identified the initial goal of a German government to be discriminatory legislation against Jews."

[Source]

More here

As David Baddiel put it, "I'm an atheist, but that would get me no free passes out of Auschwitz."

The Jews are a people. Judaism is the traditional religion of that people. A Jew who does not engage with that religion does not cease to be a Jew by Jewish definitions OR by antisemitic definitions.

You wrote: "If you are an atheist Jew, nobody gives a shit about you."

First, see above.

Second, you're incorrectly assuming that a Jewish atheist is not engaged with Judaism.

Here's the thing:

Judaism isn't necessarily theistic.

Let's set aside the explicitly non-theistic movement of Humanistic Judaism for a moment (huge topic for another time) and just talk briefly about theism in Judaism.

Most kinds of Judaism, while certainly encouraging faith, do not require it. There are no thought crimes in Judaism, no crucibles of faith, and no requirements that one announce or perform proof of belief for witnesses. Those things are often parts of Christianity and Islam, but in Judaism...not so much.

In Jewish thought, it is not what you believe about metaphysics which lifts you up, ennobles you, improves you, or makes the world a better place. In Judaism, you pursue those things by how you behave.

Sola fide is a Christian concept which Judaism does not share. Judaism is a profoundly existential religion with ethics which are overwhelmingly humanist.

I was raised in Reform and Conservative congregations...and non-theistic/atheistic/humanistic views were very common there.

When I was studying to become Bar Mitzvah, our congregation's Rabbi made crystal clear to me that there was no contradiction between my identity as a Jew and my inability to swallow the idea of an anthropomorphic, sapient, interventionist God who cared at all about petitionary prayer. He felt that wrestling with God was a very Jewish thing to do. He introduced me to Maimonides' apophatic theology. Decades later, I'm still grateful.

Many Jews pray, I believe, not to be heard by God, but so they can hear their own hearts and minds. This is why kavanah is important and why I disliked (and still dislike) prayer-by-rote and rituals performed for the sake of ritual. It's more mindfulness meditation than petitionary prayer.

There's a famous Hasidic story, recorded by philosopher Martin Buber in his "Tales of the Hasidim," about how Judaism views atheism:

The Master teaches that God created everything the world to be appreciated, since everything is here to teach us a lesson.

One clever student asks "What lesson can we learn from atheists? Why did God create them?"

The Master responds "God created atheists teach us the most important lesson of them all- the lesson of true compassion. You see, when an atheist performs an act of charity, visits someone who is sick, helps someone in need, and cares for the world, he is not doing so because of some religious teaching. He does not believe that God commanded him to perform this act. In fact, he does not believe in Goda at all, so his acts are based on an inner sense of morality. And look at the kindness he can bestow upon others simply because he feels it to be right."

"This means," the Master continued "that when someone reaches out to you for help, you should never say 'I pray that God will help you.' Instead for the moment, you should become an atheist, imagine that there is no God who can help, and say 'I will help you."

You wrote: "Stop pretending to be a victim and trying to appropriate antisemtic struggles."

I invite other Jews to advise if I have appropriated anything which is not mine.

Your opinion, though? Your view, as a non-Jew, about what is or isn't Jewish? On what is or is not mine in my heritage? Your claim, framed by your obvious and absolute ignorance of my life, my family's history, Jewish history, Jewish theology, and Jewish philosophy, that I have not experienced antisemitism and am "appropriating?"

I don't have a single fuck to give about any of that, and neither does any other Jew

Still, thank you for the writing prompt. It helps to crystalize my own thinking and provides an opportunity to educate.

[imsobadatnicknames2]

Shouldn't it raise at least a little valid concern that you are declaring Atheism as uniquely looked down upon among other minority religions on the left based purely off of an anecdotal vibe?

If anyone said that about Islam or Hinduism or any other faith there would be an immediate and obvious demand for material evidence for that claim, so why do we atheists, who rely on material reality to back our views, feel entitled to make such bold public claims based purely on a vague feeling?

"Other religions get to do it," that isn't good enough, we must defend ourselves from letting vibe and anecdote become the new superstition or we will become hypocrites!

I never claimed atheism to be "uniquely looked down upon" in a general sense, though. That would be a bit of a ridiculous claim. If we're going pound for pound I think in most contexts it's generally harder to be e.g. muslim (at least in the vast majority of countries where muslims are not the religious majority) than it is to be atheist.

All I claimed was that I've noticed a pattern of atheists being socially expected to act uniquely meek and apologetic about the ways their worldview conflicts with other people's belief systems, and that failure to do so is often taken as an indication of being directly or indirectly associated with the most virulently bigoted strains of western culturally christian atheism.

Me pointing out one very specific way that I've noticed people tend to be uniquely weird about atheism doesn't mean I think atheists are more discriminated against or looked down upon in a general sense! That's not what I'm saying!

[allegraforchrist]

A Rant of Truth

The reason Islamists, Atheists, and Progressives try so hard to disparage, defame, change, and mock Christ (and Christianity) is because He is the Truth.

The onslaught against Christ, and the Kingdom and Love of God, is not because it's random, nor that it's overly theologically "complex", nor that the Bible and Christianity is "pious", "contradictory", and "inaccurate", but because there's always been an onslaught against Truth, specifically Truth that goes against what is commonly desired, praised, and normalized.

Truth is not subjective, but rather objective, and truth is not proven by how many people follow it, or how many people claim it, but Truth is proven by what it produces.

Islam, atheism, and progressivism, have all attempted, decade after decade, failed theologians after false prophets, to convince others that the "truth" of Christ is not based in God, it is not based on historical accounts and evidence, nor in genealogy, but their "truth" is "evidenced" by man-made suffering, man-made religion, and man-paid wickedness. Yes, man is inherently flawed, and weak, and prideful, and sinful, these are true because none of us can say we are wholeheartedly good without mentioning we have committed a lie, a gossip, a vulgar word, opinion, action, or thought. Satan is real, and uses his legion of demons and spirits to take advantage of our God-image to defile, degrade, and kill us because we are spiritually and eternally valuable, power-filled, and loved.

Islam denies the divinity of Christ and the Trinity, yet it is not the prophet Muhammad who comes back to judge the world, it is Christ. If Christ is not the Son of God, how was He was born of a virgin; if He is not God humbled in the state of flesh, why is there no account that He committed sin in the flesh, like man does. If He is not the Word, and the Word who became flesh, and was Crucified and pierced for our transgressions, why are there so many eye-witnesses accounts of the Crucifixion - not just Christians, but non-christians (Romans and Samaritans) - and there's preserved texts and archaeological remains that prove these accounts and Christ's crucifixion: all from written, and oral traditions. If Christ did not die for our sins, and resurrect, why is He returning for Judgement in the final days? Would it not have been better to judge man at the time the prophet Muhammed stated? Would Allah not have shown judgement in famine, war, and death, and prepared way for the Judgement of Jesus Christ like He did with the other prophets when they spoke? Why would Allah not want to reveal the immediate Judgment that his prophet Muhammad calls to happen? Why rely on Jesus Christ, who is not divine in any Islamic way, to come judge the world, when Muhammed is clearly the prophet worth worshipping and venerating? If Jesus is just as mortal as Muhammed, why is it not Muhammed coming back?

Atheism denies the existence of an omnipotent, good Christian God, not because that God has done anything evil or wicked or unfair against man, but because man commits evil, and wickedness, and unfairness against one another, and therefore it is not man's fault for his failures, and wickedness, and actions, but the Christian God's. Atheism blames the Christian God for all that is wrong in the world, yet they believe all the other gods of this world are fair-game to believe in and praise and in no way blame for temptation, death, evil, slaughter, rape, molestation, starvation... Those gods who have been praised historically and traditionally for using humans as sacrifices, used humans for sex and humiliation and entertainment, gods who rely on the elements of man's body and creativity, to receive power and glory and authority and need a statue made of wood, silver, or gold to behold their existence as god; they are in no way partially responsible for the destruction, harm, and misguidance of man. Man does all the wrong, and little of good, but none of the good and all of the wrong is God's fault. So if we are not born good, yet we are taught to do good, be good, and reinforced the idea that we should treat others with goodness, why do we do more wrong than good, and if the good is not of ourselves or our worldly influences, where does goodness come from? If goodness comes from within, but we are born without it, how is that so? And why can we dictate what is goodness and what is wrong? Surely there isn't a divine, preconceived nature that influences and distinguishes the difference? We create so much media and art about good versus evil, and if we believe in an ultimate evil, why can't we believe in an ultimate good that is void of ever committing evil?

Progressivism, is not about leading the nation forward toward acceptance and love and peace, because if we truly were to follow radical acceptance, why would we deny the scriptures, from the same book of scriptures we use in gay churches, that speaks about fornication, homosexuality, prostitution, lying, murdering, blaspheming, cowardliness, and pride, being sins and we should repent from them, and not accept what is evil, but overcome evil with good? If we were really to follow radical love, would we not want to love one another regardless of sex, religion, race, disability, stag of human life, and social status, and be good in respecting differences and treat everyone as an equal by allowing fair criticism and redirected guidance for each other's health, and safe and fair living? If we were really to follow radical peace, would we not want to see eye-to-eye and allow for disagreements, change of introspection and boundaries, and care for all human life, and be able to forgive in due time without holding onto past shame, rejection, hypocrisy or spite? Would we not want to set boundaries on what we read, watch, listen to, teach, tolerate, and wear as a society, so we may uplift one another to have peaceable communities, well-developed children and adults, stable self-image, and mental wellness?

Jesus Christ lived out and taught us these laws that exalted these kinds of fulfillments of love, faith, hope, purity, justice, sanctity of human life, and forgiveness, from God. But those laws are wrong to progressives, not because the law is faulty and problematic, no, it is because the law goes against their feelings. Because feelings are not facts, but facts are truth, because they have been consistently proven to be true without distortion or compromise.

Many man-made beliefs desire to triumph over God, and deny Christ, because they believe if they deny Him long enough, He will go away and cease to exist. But God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, are not flawed, intellectually limited, physically depraved, sinful, human beings - they are One, they are Holy, they are Everlasting, and every denial and blasphemy and mockery of this nature of Goodness, Mercy, and Grace, is leading to the opposite nature of wickedness, unforgiving wrath, and death.

So Islam, Atheism, and Progressivism can continue to lie through their teeth, distort scripture, cherry-pick morals, deny Christ, and persecute Christians, because there is grace for them to turn away from such... Yet no matter how hard, and how many times you exact war, change ideologies, create pseudo-sciences, code-switch, and equivocate, and preach death against Truth-sayers: Truth will not be erased, Truth will not be fear-mongered, and Truth will not die, and Truth will win in The End. It is only your choice to accept the Truth and live in opposition of it, or live in accordance to it. Truth will not change because you demand it to, Truth demands you change because your human nature will always be in opposition to it; unless you surrender by your subjective choice to the infallible objectivity of Truth's nature. That is what Christ proved. That is what Christ lived by. That is what Christ fulfilled in the good, perfect, objective law of God. None of these theologians, false prophets, fake pastors, and deniers can change, erase, and convolute enough false religions and proclamations to counteract the power and authority of Christ in Heaven, on Earth, and over Hell.

Jesus Christ is The Way, The Truth, and The Life. No amount of heresies, conspiracies, and cults made against Him, will succeed, because all these things have been conquered once, and they will be conquered again, by Jesus Christ, who is of the Father, and aided by the Holy Spirit.

Amen. Amen. Amen.

[creature-wizard]

Something I noticed that also drives me insane is that a lot of anti-theists when they say religion what they really mean is christianity. Maybe islam if they remember it exists. And even when they say christianity, they mean fundamentalism/evangelical christianity. Why is this? My theory is that anti theists come from fundamentalist backgrounds.

Not all anti-theists, but the specific ones you're talking about? That's exactly where they come from. Many words have been written criticizing how their atheism looks remarkably like the Christianity they left - they've swapped out "gotta get everybody to turn from their worldly ways and convert everybody to Christianity!" for "gotta get everybody to abandon religion and become Rational Atheists™!"

[crapeaucrapeau]

Headcanon Wednesday : Religious beliefs of the ME2 companions

Those are all fanonical unless otherwise specified.

Miranda is an atheist through and through. While originally her atheism was an echo of her father's sneering disregard for "organized delusion", it has evolved over time : now it is not a sign of intellectual superiority propping her self-esteem, but merely something she knows to be true. She finds no appeal to spirituality but will tolerate it in others as long as no one assumes their beliefs are her, or anyone's, norms. The one exception was Jacob at the peak of their romantic relationship : she found his religious travails endearing, even admirable — a good man trying to make sense of a universe that isn't.

Jacob was raised in a form of Protestantism that does not yet exist in the 2020s, and has mostly phased out of it by 2185. His relationship to it is deeply conflicted : he might describe himself as a lapsed Christian or a bad one depending on the occasion. In truth, he lost faith in people a long time ago, and deep down has very little faith in himself and in his ability to do good, though he doesn't let that weigh him down and stop him from trying and doing good ; but he never really loses faith in God.

Zaeed was raised in an eclectic mix of Sunni Islam and Catholicism, and is very bad at both. He doesn't really care, and largely is agnostic, mostly out of convenience ; the possibility God might actually be real is terrifying, but he only thinks about it in situations when he might just be about to die, and even then he is usually too busy doing his level best not to die to really think about it. Under all that armor, he still wears three or four religious medallions for luck.

Mordin is confidently atheistic : his canonical dabbling with organized religion only strengthened his belief that, ultimately, religious faith is usually about people trying to feel better about themselves and the universe. For him, religion is only relevant today as a social phenomenon and has to be taken seriously by other people because a critical amount of people care deeply about these series of opinions unfounded on facts, and crossing those people is ultimately inconvenient. It is always better to face the uncomfortable, even horrifying truth than to give in to a delusion that makes you happier. Mordin usually analyses religious faith in others in terms of psychological and sociological background ; he often finds it fascinating, but needs to remind himself that people really believe their own religions.

Garrus is cynical enough to think turian animism is make-believe, but in some very dire situations he's desperate enough to wish he could believe in the spirits, so that they could give him solace. He could never really make himself believe in the spirits - if such a thing is even possible - but on occasion he'd really, really like for them to be real so they could give him Purpose.

Kasumi was raised in an ambient mix of Shinto and Buddhism, and while she reflexively keeps up some practices, ultimately she's too busy having fun to really think about those. She's a material girl !

Jack's first canonical brush with religion was in a pseudo-Christo-Buddhist cult, which left her with some deep hatred and rage for assholes who cover themselves up in morality to better exploit and abuse others. This has left her with some burning contempt, at best, for organized religion. After ME3, upon reconnecting with her mother, Jack finds out she is actually Jewish ! The next few decades of her life are spent navigating where she stands re : Judaism as a culture and as a religious practice, and whether she can even stomach the notion of God. To her mounting frustration, some people tell her that's very Jewish of her. The surviving members of the Normandy crew attend her bat mitzvah on Eden Prime.

Grunt thinks this is all very stupid and he'd rather be shooting people. Heh heh heh~

Morinth canonically insists that Samara is and has always been a religious bigot, but that is not true. While originally educated as a siarist, Samara did convert to the Athame Doctrine late in life, partly to reject the siarist tradition that asari-asari romance is "selfish" and that purebloods are a waste ; yet her approach to religion was always uniquely heterodox — or, less charitably, idiosyncratically heretical. She was never one to accept the remit of any authority thrust upon her. After all three of her daughters turn out to be Ardat-Yakshi and the best of them kills her father and runs away to become a serial killer, Samara experienced a crisis of faith — in herself. From her perspective, the universe revealed just how little she really knew and really was in control of : she could not be trusted to judge right from wrong. Now she names the Goddess when she executes someone, but it has more to do with the role she has assumed than any religious faith : the Justicars were amalgamated into the Doctrine long ago and form must be observed at all times. What Samara feels, what she believes in, what she thinks is and isn't right, are now entirely irrelevant : there is only the Code.

Mirala was originally interested in various asari religions and philosophies, though always from the defiant standpoint she'd inherited from her mother. When she became Morinth, she gradually and completely ceased to think about it as something worthwhile. She appreciates the structures and dynamics of power built into adoration - she canonically becomes the centerpiece of cults after all - but she resents any order, natural or metaphysical, as arbitrary and chafing, and she has quite literally experienced the various forms of faith her victims were feeling and found them pretty dull. The only things she craves are total freedom, the lightning-like thrills of an eternal present, and the love and worship of all those she meets. She is the only one meant to be adored. Those who believe in anything else or who care about anything else than what she wants are fools.

Thane's religion will come as no surprise, but he actually converted fairly late in an attempt to explore his identity after he left the service of the hanar. In a characteristically self-repressed fashion, research revealed that his parents believed in the traditional form of drell polytheism : he never contacts his parents so as not to confront the people who gave him to the hanar to make a child-soldier out of him (something he is absolutely in denial about, he's not self-aware at all), but he does get intrigued by their religion and starts worshipping the same pantheon as a way to connect with them (again, he's in denial about it. The man has issues). Irikah worshipped the Enkindlers, but she was the sort of person who takes their religion and the morality and actions it entails so seriously that they alienate the majority of the other worshippers, who will go through the motions and nothing else all their lives. Thane having a religion different from hers was a major victory in her "Thane's self-actualisation as an individual" agenda, because otherwise he'd have done everything as she did and been her subject, not her partner. Kolyat was raised lovingly with the awareness of both traditions but without any pressure of choosing any ; after his mother was murdered and his father abandoned him, he was raised by Irikah's family, who also worshipped the Enkindlers. In his "Fuck Society" phase, he came to absolutely loathe what he saw (not wrongly) as the prevalent hypocrisies of his family and hanar/drell society at large ; after reconnecting with his father and learning the truth about his mother's death and also the news of his father's impending death, Kolyat is so at loss and alienated from his maternal family that he turns to his father's religion to deal with… well, everything. While the priests (and a lot of therapy) do help him come to terms with the lives and deaths of both his parents, and his responsibility (or lack thereof) in all of that, he ultimately settles on atheism after ME3 — his own choice. He nonetheless remains good friends with the priest of Kalahira who counseled him through his father's dying.

Tali is the quarian equivalent of an agnostic, meaning she's unsure if she believes the Ancestors looking after the living are symbolic or literal. Ultimately, she feels that she and her People owe their entire existence to the Ancestors - literally, materially - and that she must repay their sacrifice. Far more importantly, however, she makes it a point of honor and personal pride of always acting as the Ancestors would expect her to behave : for quarians, as with many other non-quarian religions, what you do is vastly more important than what you believe — though it's always fun to argue about it. Quarians love to argue.

Legion essentially believes what Mordin does, except even more clinically. All the geth are baffled by religion, faith and spirituality : organics only seem to believe in what's convenient, especially to hope against all hope, and usually use that as an excuse for the worst kind of shit imaginable (their words, not mine). For something that's supposed to lead to acting morally and at least some introspection, this seems to have been terribly counter-productive, historically speaking.

[automatismoateo]

There are 70 countries where being gay is illegal and 13 countries (all Islamic) where being gay is punishable by death via /r/atheism

There are 70 countries where being gay is illegal and 13 countries (all Islamic) where being gay is punishable by death There are currently 70 countries that criminalise same-sex relations and 13 countries, all majority Muslim, where being gay is punishable by death They are:Yemen Iran Brunei Mauritania Nigeria Qatar Saudi Arabia Afghanistan Somalia Sudan United Arab Emirates Pakistan As an ex Muslim I feel like this doesn't get nearly enough attention especially with how much shit we hear about how intolerant Christians are. Submitted June 11, 2025 at 07:13PM by starberry101 (From Reddit https://ift.tt/Utuld19)

[galaxymagitech]

Atheism — He has expressed distaste for religion and faith in some media, including animated movies, and the League of Assassins’ cultish loyalty to Ra’s does not leave a lot of room for belief in a higher power.

Agnosticism — Bruce sometimes seems to be agnostic, and Damian could have picked that up from him. He has also been raised with a variety of cultural influences, which could result in him having a general belief in religion but no specific one.

Christianity — Bruce’s father was Christian, and I think Damian has met Santa Claus. He also lives in a predominantly Christian country now, and Arab Christians exist so he could be Christian on his mother’s side as well. Alfred is definitely Christian, and Dick is sometimes implied to be Christian, so those influences are present in his current life.

Jewish — Damian’s father’s mother was Jewish, and at least somewhat practicing. Although Damian wouldn’t be considered Jewish halachically by that alone, if Bruce raises him with Jewish traditions, some sects of Judaism (reform and I believe reconstructionist) would consider him Jewish. Additionally, Arab Jews also exist—he could be Mizrahi on his mother’s side.

Muslim — Damian is Arab on his mother’s side, and while not all Arabs are Muslim, many are. He also spent a lot of time in regions with predominantly Muslim populations, making this the most likely religion for him to have early exposure to.

Buddhist — Damian is Chinese on his mother’s side as well, and Buddhism is one of the most common religions in China.

Taoist or Chinese Folk Religion — Damian is Chinese on his mother’s side, and Taoism and Chinese folk religions are also common in China.

Hinduism — It’s just a very popular world religion. Also, Nanda Parbat is based on Nanga Parbat, which is in a primarily Muslim country but very close to India.

Greek Paganism — Various Ancient Greek religious things are genuine facts in the DC universe, including Greek gods. If Damian is going based off of evidence, he might end up here.

[atheostic]

Atheist YouTube Masterpost (Update 3)

In English

Apostate Aladdin - A look at Islam from an atheist perspective by a former Muslim.

Aron Ra - Mostly posts of his speeches at atheist conferences, responses to religious nonsense, and educational content relating to where the Bible gets science wrong as well as an awesome breakdown of major taxonomic sections.

Atheist Experience - A call-in show where anyone can call in to discuss religion. They prefer theist callers, but atheists who need advice on issues regarding being atheist (e.g. family conflict because of one’s atheism, how/if to come out, etc) are welcome to call in too.

Atheist Lowdown - Atheist Lowdown is a weekly secular news aggregate vlog intended for busy freethinkers, humanists, atheists, agnostics, and any combination thereof who want the latest coverage of religious violence and oppression, the efforts of likeminded nonbelievers, and other related stories. 

Cosmic Skeptic - A place for the discussion of philosophical topics ranging from the crucially important to the trivially interesting.

Dallas Wade – A channel with mostly video essays and reaction videos regarding Christianity.

Dan McClellan - He's said before that he's not an atheist, but he is a Bible scholar and does not flinch away from the immoral passages in the Bible. He also has a podcast called Data Over Dogma.

Forrest Valkai – A channel by an evolutionary biologist where he talks about evolution and science as well as reacts to creationist videos. He’s very funny and friendly and his explanations are very approachable for laypeople of all levels.

Friendly Atheist - The YouTube channel of Hemant Mehta, a former member of the board of directors for Foundation Beyond Belief. He mostly discusses news and has a playlist where he discusses “Everything Wrong In Genesis in the Bible”. He also runs a website, friendlyatheist.com in case you prefer reading to viewing or listening.

Fundie to Frei - An ex-Jewish channel on "advice and awareness about growing up with religious fundamentalism and coping in the "afterlife" transition."

Genetically Modified Skeptic - An atheist look at various issues relating to religion.

Godless Bitches - The Godless Bitches is a podcast focusing on atheist issues from a feminist perspective featuring Vi La Bianca, Jenna Belk, Jen Aldrich, & guests. The show streams every 2nd & 4th Sundays of the month at 6pm directly after The Atheist Experience.

Godless Engineer - Focuses on response to religious videos. Also has a “Bible Study” series.

Godless Granny – “Atheist commentary on the Bible, women’s issues, LGBTQ issues, legal/ political and other current events. Intent is to invite discussion leading to critical thinking about religion and it’s effects on people.” If you’re interested in hearing from an older atheist who deconverted later in life,this is the channel for you.

Gutsick Gibbon – She’s a PhD student in Biological Anthropology, so her main area of interest is human evolution and debunking creationist misinformation. According to her, in her channel you can find content  “concerning primates, general zoology, paleontology, anthropology, and evolutionary biology.”

Holy Koolaid - A channel by Thomas Westbrook (a former Jehovah’s Witness) that features news, discussions about the Bible, discussions about the historicity of events in the Bible, and more. He has a playlist for “Nothing Fails Like Bible History” and also often looks at religious cults.

JaclynGlenn -  An atheist who talks about a variety of topics.

JeGaysus – I’m not really sure if he’s atheist (sometimes I think he might be, other times I’m not sure), but his gay Jesus persona is too funny not to share.

Jimmy Snow - A show with a mix of subject material, typically dealing with atheism and LGBT+-related stuff.

John Cedars - A range of videos aimed at dissecting the various teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses, as well as new developments in the religion. In particular, he tries to keep on top of the latest propaganda released by Watchtower by way of video rebuttals as much as possible.

Kristi Burke - An ex-Evangelical who discusses religion and atheism (mainly focuses on Christianity when talking about religion).

The Line - A call-in show similar to Atheist Experience started by Jimmy Snow.

Logicked – “Entertaining responses to bad arguments, with a focus on atheism and debunking religion.”

Matt Dillahunty - Matt Dillahunty’s personal YT channel.

Non-Prophets - The Non-Prophets focuses on atheism and the separation of church and state.

NonStampCollector - Lots of fantastic little animations regarding atheism.

Parenting Beyond Belief - Parenting Beyond Belief is a live call-in show every 2nd and 4th Saturday at 1pm Central dedicated to peer support and guidance for secular parents and those wanting to learn more about non-religious families.

Paulogia -  A former Christian takes a look at the claims of Christians, wherever science is being denied in the name of ancient books.

Professor Stick - Mostly does reply videos to debunk pseudoscience on the internet.

Prophet of Zod - Everything from satirical atheist cartoons to a guy with a static head and no discernible facial features talking about atheism-related stuff. His most popular section is a series on “Dumb Things People Say to Atheists”, where he very calmly and respectfully explains why what the thing is dumb and how best to respond.

Rachel Oates - A channel which deals with a variety of sujects, from poetry to atheist news to book reviews of religious books and more. 

Secular Sexuality -  Secular Sexuality is a weekly call-in show live from Austin, Texas every Thursday at 7pm CT where they talk about sex from a secular perspective.

Shannon Q - An atheist who talks about a variety of topics.

Secular Spirit - An ex-Muslim who talks about religion and atheism.

Sir Sic – A reaction video channel where the host is a cartoon knight.

Skeptics & Scoundrels – A very new channel by an atheist ex-JW. I personally like him already. Before talking about why he disagrees with the paster he’s responding to, he makes a point of finding something nice to say about the person (“Your beard is cool – baby birds could nest in that thing!”), which I think it’s a neat and unique approach. He doesn’t have a lot of videos yet but give it time. :)

The SkepTick – A pretty fun channel of mostly reaction vids reacting to religious videos.

Sound of Science – Mostly a reaction video blog regarding unscientific beliefs.

Suris the Skeptic - He tackle issues of religion, morality, philosophy, and a touch of science.

Talk Heathen - Talk Heathen is a weekly call-in television show in Austin, Texas geared toward long-form and on-going dialogue with theists & atheists about religion, theism, & secularism.

Telltale - Typically looks at cults and religion-related news.

The Thinking Atheist – Typically video essays and the visual version of a podcast by the same name. The host’s voice sounds exactly like an old-timey radio announcer. lol

TMM – A channel mostly featuring reactions to Christian content.

Truth Wanted - A show similar to Atheist Experience and Talk Heathen, it focuses on how and why people believe what they believe, and how you can talk about beliefs in more effective ways.

Viced Rhino - Response videos to pseudo-scientific nonsense on YouTube.

Em português

Antônio Miranda - Teologia Reversa - Videos sobre contradições Bíblicas, mentiras contadas sobre a Bíblia, origem dos mitos cristãos, etc.

Canal do Pirulla - Um canal brasileiro sobre ateismo, ciências, e evolução.

David Ribeiro - Canal focado em Filosofia da Religião. Ele não produz tantos vídeos, infelizmente, mas ainda pode ser interessante.

Prazer, Karnal - Canal de um professor de história social da USP. Ele tende a concentrar em discutir filosofia mas também tem videos sobre religião.

Prof. Daniel Gontijo - O canal é bem focado em psicologia - em especial psicologia da religião.

[atheistcartoons]

Islam for Beginners I: "Now Do Muslims!"

Because I often criticise Christianity, some Christian friends have suggested, "Now do Muslims!" They join a chorus of similar anonymous grumbles. I criticise Islam (and Hinduism and Judaism and others) regularly but they only notice when their religion is put under the spotlight.

The right-wing Christian obsession with trashing Muslims is also a recurring problem among stand-up comedians. Both popular light entertainer Dara O’Briain and tortured sarcastic intellectual Stewart Lee were forced to address it in their sets.

As someone who writes satirical articles about the Catholic Church, I also write satire about Islam but not in a way that Christian critics would like. I get the recurring impression that well-researched, well-written Islamic-themed comedy is not what they’re looking for at all.

O’Briain and Lee and myself wrangle with Christianity because we come from Christian traditions. We know exactly which parts of the religion are ridiculous and which parts we can discuss with confidence. Sometimes I feel like nothing will satisfy the "Now do Muslims" crowd except hateful invective.

Muslims

Segal's Law states that a man with a watch knows what time it is but a man with two watches is never sure. Talk to one Muslim and you think you’ll have a handle on Islam. Talk to two and you will never be sure.

There are wildly divergent interpretations about even the most generic aspects of Islam. Whenever you read “Muslims think X...” or hear “Muslims believe Y...” there is a great chance that whatever follows will be wrong. An example is when the leadership of Al-Qaida thought the problem with Iran is they’re too pro-American. There is no way to shove this into any standard Western narratives of “what Muslims think”.

A recent survey of Indian Muslims revealed that 6% of them don’t believe in a god. This was around twice the percentage of Hindus and Christians who gave the same answer. Indian Muslims don’t have to worry about atheism, however. The same survey revealed that (nearly 20%) more of them think avoiding pork is more important to Islam than believing in a god.

In the West, we have been trained to see “Muslims” as a monolithic block of opinion. Whenever we see them on the news, it’s usually because some of them have been out murdering again. These people are often referred to as “hardcore Muslims” or “Muslim fundamentalists”. We are being nudged towards the conclusion that the more violent Muslims are, the closer they are to the “real” Islam. There is not much evidence to support that conclusion.

In 2015, Muslims in India (which has the third-largest population of Muslims in the world) demonstrated in support of France during the Islamist attacks in Paris. Muslims in the Maghreb will be less tolerant of France’s shenanigans. It’s not coherent, therefore, to say that “Muslims” either support France or don’t support France. Some do and some don’t and these positions will be driven by politics more than religion.

"Now Do Muslims!"

I will! This is the first article in a series I will post throughout Ramadan called "Islam for Beginners" (some of which will be based on articles I wrote for OnlySky Media). They will deal with the most sensitive and salient issues I see among Western commentators. I have done lots of research (including reading the entire Koran) and read lots of commentaries and spoken to lots of Muslims and boiled it all down into nice Tumblr-post-sized chunks.

Disclaimer 1: If you expect to read a defence of Islam as if it were based on some universal or demonstrable truth, you will be disappointed. I reject any and all supernatural claims made by everyone and everything in Islam. Disclaimer 2: If you expect to read excoriating diatribes trashing Muslims, or glib mockery, you will also be disappointed. I’m not interested in enabling racists or xenophobes.

Western media has at best neglected Islam and Muslims and at worst intentionally misrepresented them. We may not be there yet, but I’d like to nudge the public discourse towards a place where Islam can be robustly criticised without accusations of bigotry and the human rights of Muslims can be robustly defended without accusations of Islamist apologism. At the very least, I'm hoping to start some interesting conversations.

[witchyintention]

Do witches worship the devil?

🐐Do Witches Worship the Devil?

Let’s be honest. This question has survived longer than disco and pyramid schemes: “So, do witches worship the devil?”

It’s 2025 and we’re still dragging this dusty accusation around like it’s on sale at a medieval witch trial clearance event. But fine — let’s talk about it. With facts. With clarity. With our usual tea-spilling tone.

🔍 First: What Is Witchcraft?

Witchcraft is a spiritual and magical practice, not a religion. Think of it like cooking — you can make a feast with ingredients from all over the world, but the recipe book you use is your personal belief system. That might be Paganism, Christianity, Atheism, Satanism, Buddhism, or something you stitched together yourself (looking at you, Eclectic Witches).

Witchcraft involves things like:

Spellcasting

Energy work

Divination (tarot, astrology, pendulums)

Working with herbs, crystals, spirits, ancestors

Living in tune with nature, the elements, and cycles

It’s not inherently about deities at all — and it certainly isn’t about worshipping Satan… unless you want it to be (more on that later).

🌿 Now, What’s Paganism?

Paganism is a spiritual or religious umbrella term that includes a wide variety of polytheistic, animistic, nature-based traditions. Examples include:

Wicca

Druidry

Norse Heathenry (Ásatrú)

Hellenic, Kemetic, and Roman reconstructions

Modern animistic paths

Eclectic Paganism

In essence, Pagan religions do not believe in the Christian Devil. That’s not even part of the cosmology.

The concept of the "Devil" — the horned, evil, soul-stealing being with a pitchfork — comes from Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam). You will not find him in the lore of ancient Greek mythology, Norse sagas, Celtic traditions, or Egyptian temples. At all.

🏛️ So Where Did the Confusion Come From?

Blame the Inquisition. And some spicy propaganda.

Back in ye olde days, Christianity spread across Europe and encountered the existing Pagan religions. The Church needed people to convert — and labeling the old gods and nature spirits as “demonic” made conversion very persuasive.

Pan, the Greek goat-horned god of the wild? Became a template for the Devil’s appearance.

Forest spirits, midwives, herbalists? Accused of witchcraft and consorting with demons.

Fertility and death rituals? Rebranded as Satanic orgies or sacrilege.

This was cultural erasure disguised as “saving souls.” And the image stuck.

The infamous European witch hunts (roughly 1400–1700) used “devil worship” as a catch-all accusation. Thousands of people — especially women — were tortured, killed, and burned not because they summoned Satan, but because they knew how to use mugwort and didn’t bow to patriarchal systems.

😈 So What Is Satanism Then?

Satanism is a modern religious or philosophical belief system — and it’s more diverse than people realize.

🕯️ LaVeyan Satanism

Founded in 1966 by Anton LaVey (yep, it’s that recent), this form of Satanism doesn’t involve worship at all. It’s atheistic and uses Satan as a symbol of individuality, freedom, rebellion, and ego.

No belief in a literal Devil

No blood sacrifices

No cursing babies or pledging your soul for fame (sorry, TikTok)

LaVeyan Satanism is more like a spicy life philosophy than a religion.

🐐 The Satanic Temple

Founded in 2013 and often in the headlines, this is a political and social justice organization using Satan as a symbol of civil liberties and anti-theocracy. Their “Seven Tenets” emphasize compassion, justice, bodily autonomy, and reason.

Again: no devil-worshipping required.

There are also Theistic Satanists, a smaller group who do believe in and venerate Satan as a deity. These folks may use witchcraft, but their path is unique and doesn’t reflect the entire witchcraft community.

🔮 What About Eclectic Witches?

Ah, the playlist witches. Eclectic witches pull from many traditions and create a personalized spiritual path that resonates with them. They might work with Norse runes, Greek gods, chakras, tarot, and kitchen witchery — all in the same month.

Could an eclectic witch work with Satan or Lucifer? Sure. Free will exists. But most don't.

And even those who do aren't summoning “evil.” They may see Lucifer as a symbol of enlightenment, freedom, or knowledge — more Prometheus than Prince of Darkness.

🧙‍♀️ Why the Myth Still Exists

Pop culture. Thanks, The Craft, Sabrina, Supernatural, and everything written by 1600s priests.

Fear sells. Nothing gets people clutching pearls faster than the Devil.

Misinformation. TikTok and YouTube can spread rumors like wildfire if left unchecked.

Religious trauma. Many of us were raised to fear anything not stamped "approved" by a church.

But let's be real — most witches are more likely to:

Leave offerings to a nature deity

Light a candle for their ancestors

Perform self-love spells with rose quartz

Make protection jars for their houseplants

…than they are to be summoning some sulfur-scented demon in a robe.

✨ TL;DR Recap

Witchcraft = magical practice, not a religion

Paganism = umbrella of non-Abrahamic spiritual paths (no devil included)

The Devil = an Abrahamic concept, not relevant to most witches

Satanism = real, but not what you think (and not most witches)

Eclectic witches can work with who they want, but most don’t work with “the Devil”

Pop culture and fear-mongering have kept this myth alive for centuries

🧠 Want to Sound Smart in a Debate?

Try this response next time someone hits you with “witches worship Satan.”

“Actually, witchcraft is a practice that spans many belief systems — and most don’t even recognize the devil as real. That’s an Abrahamic concept. Pagan deities predate Christianity and have nothing to do with Satan. So… no. I don’t worship the devil. But thanks for your concern!”

Add a wink. Optional but effective.

╔══ ∙∘𓆩⟡𓆪∘∙ ════════╗ --- Support Us --- ╚════════ ∙∘𓆩⟡𓆪∘∙ ══╝ Love the blog? I offer readings and spells on my Ko-fi shop! Subs on Ko-fi and Patreon (18+) get to see posts before they go live on Tumblr.

[weemietime]

Reading through your posts is truly infuriating, this both sides shit is fucking annoying. Now I know you're gonna call me a racist or a fascist or some other bullshit but here are the facts of reality, pal.

These Arabs in the areas occupied (in particular Muslims) are not your friends and not your allies, to borrow the words of Asmongold "They come from an inferior culture". this isn't my opinion it's a fact, ask yourself in the last 100 years what good for the world have Muslim brought to the world?

and to get ahead of your accusations of racism white Muslims and Asian Muslims are just as bad as Arab Muslims, this isn't about race it's about culture. Their religion is the most violent and cruel in human history with a pedophile, conqueror for a prophet. Is there any wondering why these people are so vile and dangerous?

As a Jew you more than anyone should understand the need to cut the head off these snakes.

I don't harbor ill will toward moderate Muslims. I do require that all Christians and Muslims that I interact with (I mean, who I am friends with, who I have mutual conversations with about the topic) acknowledge the harms that their religions have endorsed and done, just as we Jews take ownership of the bad shit we have done in history as well.

We can reform religion to align with liberal values, that's what Conservative Judaism believes in. I do believe it's possible to reform Islam and remove the antisemitic, misogynistic barriers that have caused a lot of pain to a lot of people. And there is a difference between liberal, modern Muslims and these Islamist extremists and we should welcome those who are liberal to come closer to community and safety, away from the garbage and violence.

We want to call them back in because that's how we coexist with others. Call me a shit lib or whatever you want, a fencer-sitter, wishy-washy. But this is just pragmatic. We coexist on this Earth together. We have got to learn to live with each other. Christianity and Islam in particular must move away from proselytizing as this is actively dangerous and harmful, and I do not agree with it. Religion must be a personal choice, and atheism must be respected.

[thearchercore]

can we have a complete list of religions and beliefs that have come together for a suzuka charles win till now pleaseee i think that'd be really interesting

from what i've received:

- buddhism

- hinduism

- sikhism

- catholism

- islam

- atheism

- tarot cards

- pagan rituals

- orthodox christianity

- judaism

- witchcraft

- manifestations

[haveyouseenthishorrormovie]

before this goes any further, I want it on the record that you all asked for this.

my first and most petty point: Midnight Mass gets basic details about Catholicism wrong, such that even I (not a Catholic) twigged them. The big one is that Catholics DON'T HAVE MIDNIGHT MASS FOR EASTER - it's a Christmas thing - but since the priest holding the mass is also a vampire, I can accept that he's going off-book. I have a harder time with them holding a PICNIC for ASH WEDNESDAY, aka THE DAY LENT STARTS, aka the day everyone starts fasting and are therefore not snacking on a potluck. It's a minor thing, and normally I wouldn't pick at it, but since this show ostensibly revolves around Catholic doctrine, it bears mentioning.

on a writing level, not one single character in this show talks like a human being. or acts like one. I couldn't give you any information about who these characters are as people, because they're not people, they're mouthpieces for Flanagan to impart his ideas to the audience. He is both deeply in love with his own writing and entirely unconvinced that his audience is smart enough to Get It, so he has his actors turn to the audience and lay it all out. Not only is this bad writing on a character level, it brings all plot and tension to a screeching halt whenever it happens. The most unintentionally hilarious instance of this has to be when Annabeth Gish comes to the sheriff to tell him that the church is being run by a vampire and her mother is aging in reverse, and his response is to start rambling about where he was on 9/11. Like. Nothing about this makes sense, and also why should we care when it has fuckall to do with the story?

(as regards the sheriff character: I, a white Quaker, am not the person to critique this show's handling of Islam. But I will say that Flanagan doesn't seem to have a clear idea what he wants to communicate: the overarching plot is antitheistic, in a very r/atheism sort of way ("WHAT IF THE SACRAMENT WAS VAMPIRE BLOOD" ooh wow didja cut yourself on that edge there, buddy) but Flanagan has no idea how to balance that with the precepts of any religion that isn't Christianity while also maintaining his broadly liberal bona fides, so it all sits very uneasily next to the church plot. I'm not advocating for the show to go full Christopher Hitchens, but I am saying that if Flanagan wants to posit that faith is a mass delusion and a net detriment to any community formed around it . . . he needs to either focus only on Christian characters or be willing to engage with how other religions function in society, because as is, the storyline with the sheriff and his son just peters out into nothing.)

but the thing that made me angriest - that took me from "this is so boring and pretentious and badly written" to "oh FUCK this guy and the horse he rode in on -" was the titular midnight mass. It is very overtly inspired by the Jonestown massacre, which a lot of horror media does, but what it fails to account for is that the members of the People's Temple did not voluntarily kill themselves. I know "drink the kool-aid" has entered the popular lexicon as shorthand for "blindly following a leader," but extensive testimony from Jonestown survivors - not to mention the death tape, which is available online if you really want to ruin your day - all confirms that the people who died that day were forced to drink poison at gunpoint, after years of brutal abuse from Jones and his inner circle. And even after all of that, people fought back. And not outsiders - people who had been in the Temple for years and wholeheartedly believed in the mission that had lead them to Guyana in the first place. (Christine Miller was a fucking hero and she deserves to be remembered for it.) Jonestown was not lemmings going off a cliff, and any serious take on the story would involve reckoning with that - that these people believed in a higher power and also believed that they had a right to live despite what Jones told them. But that would contradict Flanagan's point of "religion is dumb, WAKE UP SHEEPLE," so instead he borrows the iconography of a truly horrific tragedy and disrespects the victims by implicitly representing them as dumb, brainwashed cult members who eagerly toss back poison because they think sky daddy wants them to. He has so little respect for the subjects he's portraying, and the real people whose deaths he is copying for shock value, that he doesn't care about the inner lives of anyone whose beliefs might demonstrate that faith is more nuanced than his screed would have you believe.

There are good horror properties out there that are critical of religion and society - The Medium, which we posted about a few days ago, is one. The Witch is another. So is The Sudbury Devil. Hell, you could go back to the sixties with Witchfinder General. Religion - especially socially dominant religions like Christianity in the west - can and should be critiqued. But Midnight Mass is too sloppily written to be a critique of anything besides, accidentally, how far Mike Flanagan's head is shoved up his ass.

Anyway, that's why mod L doesn't like Midnight Mass. I did warn you.

[idylls-of-the-divine-romance]

Hi, hope you don't take this as an accusation or anything but about the take you rebbloged about how christians shouldn't perform witchcraft because it treats God like someone to recieve things from and that that's how many pagan religions treated their deities... Does that mean you don't support any type of paganism? Again, not trying to accuse you of hate but i'm curious about your stance in all this, since i had heard opinions about progressive christians to other mayor religions but not to the types of beliefs we call paganism

Hi, Anonie. No problem I got you. 

To clear the first things first: I do understand that transaction is not the way all pagan religions work (and also that the delineation of religions as “pagan” and “not pagan” is uh iffy). Paganism is broad and complicated and so sweeping statements tend to fall apart. 

But yeah. I’m not really “against” paganism in any way. There’s a pagan witch that I follow on another website and I really love her content about literature and Greek mythology/literature, as well as her perspective as someone who is ex (Calvinist) Christian who still tries to respects Christianity. And I do “support” paganism in the sense that, if in my country one of these pagan religions was being oppressed, I would advocate for their rights to freedom of conscience. As all Christians should for practical reasons if not obvious ethical ones. 

But orthodox Christian theology says there is no salvation from slavery to Sin and Death and Decay outside of Jesus the Messiah of which the Church — as an immortal multiethnic family/sociopolitical community of other centered life giving intimate and sacrificial love, existing in both the seen and unseen realms — is his body, to which he is attached but not bound. This is my (imo much better) version of St Cyprian of Carthage’s extra Ecclesiam nulla salus. Anyone who is not baptized into Jesus the Christ is not saved. Jew or non-Jew, poor or rich, male or female — all are enslaved to the cosmic tyrant and all need salvation by Jesus of Nazareth. 

As for progressive Christianity, if one claims to be both “progressive” and “Christian” than they are making a claim that (1) on the political sphere all religious affiliation or lack thereof is equal and (2) that in the spiritual sphere all other claims to divinity, the good life, the Ultimate, or whatever any ideology preaches or teaches — any claim that is in opposition to the proclamation “Jesus is Lord” (“Lord” being a claim of divinity and supremacy) is false. One cannot be Christian and pagan, and no follower of Jesus Messiah can preach or promote paganism. Or Hinduism or atheism or Islam or Sikhism or literally anything outside Christ. 

The worship of any god or lord outside of the God of Abraham, Creator of all things seen and unseen, is strictly forbidden. And yes, classical Christianity does believe in the existence of gods (unseen spirits): the divine counsel/sons of God, the messengers, living creatures, the adversary, the principalities and powers, the injurious spirits, the saints (it’s complicated but yes, the all who are in Christ and with Christ but not in their physical bodies are unseen spirits who pray on our behalf). When praying to unseen spirits who are not the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, there are a few options

they are worshipping nothing. Just prostrating before wood or stone or water. 

they are worshipping injurious spirits and/or principalities and powers. Dangerous. They are oppressive and dark and violent and also the reason my country is going to hell right now and are dedicated to decreation — the act of dragging God’s goo creation back into nonorder and nonbeing. 

There are, technically speaking, a few more possibilities but these are incredibly rare and not worth delving into. But yeah. I am definitely against paganism in the sense of being against the violence of spiritual beings against beautiful images of God.