Truth Wanted 07.18 with Jon the Skeptick and The Cross Examiner

Explore the truth with Truth Wanted as Objectively Dan and Darante’ LaMar explain the focus on religious gods while debunking yet another conspiracy theory about genocide, all while god is being defined by theists who use morality as a noun just before issuing a warning about predatory self help groups. Bradley in NC is a pantheist who asks why the hosts tend to only focus on religious gods and not unusual gods. How prevalent is pantheism in our culture? People need to see this dialogue in real time because the religious indoctrination is so strong. If we know people have doubts about a specific god, we create spaces for those doubts. We don’t need an explanation of the universe to conclude that gods don’t exist. We still have lives to live that are affected by this belief.Connor in FL discussing the conspiracy theory about the number of Jewish people who were killed and cremated being inflated. The biggest problem with this idea is not all the people were brought to concentration camps. Many were just murdered or were starved to death. Even if these theories were true, why would it matter and what number of people would be insignificant? If you are ever in Amsterdam, make some time to go to the Anne Frank Museum and you wil learn that sadly, this is the most documented genocide in history. Bob in Germany asks how the hosts define god. God has just as many meanings as there are people. It depends on the context and we don’t take one definition. God is extremely personal so we go to the person who is talking to us for the definition of god and let the interlocutor spell out how they define god. If they say god is the universe, we already have a word for that. Marcia in NC observes that theists use morality as a noun, and non-theists use it as a verb. Most theists are in this camp where they just have to know all the rules to know what is right or wrong. How do theists separate god’s morality from human morality? Where do you get your morality from? Products of highly social species are often hard to define by individuals themselves. How can we lay the groundwork for philosophy when we can’t even agree on what morality is?Chase in the USA describes the Landmark Forum where people are pressured to become members, recruit friends, pay a bunch of money, and engage in group “therapy”. If you are going to a seminar where people can help with your problems, check the credentials.  This is the type of magical thinking that we want to prevent and this is predatory behavior.  There is something that does not make sense about being sold self help. Thank you for tuning in this week for the truth. Prompt for the week is: What is an instant red flag? Keep rising!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/truth-wanted--3195473/support.

To be addedBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/truth-wanted--3195473/support.

Join us today on Truth Wanted with ObjectivelyDan and MD Aware! Dive into why humans go to war over photos of aliens on mars and is telecasted as a sporting event to vegans worldwide. Mark with no location is troubled with how humans are the most intelligent animals yet we still engage in war. Animals are capable of both conflict and cooperation and humans are the same. The goal of humanism is to expand the ingroup to include the entire human species while times of hardship bring out the in-group/out-group instincts. People have a long way to go, for instance, we started this show by discussing why beating disabled children is considered to be okay. We still have lots to figure out!Chase in ID wants to talk about the health benefits of a plant based diet such as reduced risk of heart disease, cancer and diabetes. There are benefits to a lot of different diets, and we all metabolize things differently. Studies with nutrition are difficult and not like other studies because there are practical aspects of the science that are challenging. There are clear links between cancers and consuming certain kinds of meats. The focus from a health perspective is to have a more varied and balanced diet. What have humans evolved to eat and how does your heritage factor into this? What does a balanced diet really mean? Meat is calorie dense and we have cheap access to it in the U.S. This is one of the reasons why it is so over consumed. We need to come up with solutions for diets that people can do something about. If you reduce your consumption of meat, that is a positive change. Daniel in Canada called to discuss the photos of aliens on Mars that he sent and was hoping the hosts would meet him halfway on how the photos looked lifelike. Do you believe that aliens are a thing and the government is covering it up? What would be the social ramifications of this? Why would vague Neil Armstrong quotes and screenshots be sufficient evidence? Photos looking like aliens are not the same as there being an actual alien on Mars. How can your belief in aliens be falsified? Something being possible is not a reason to believe it is true. Look at all the reasons why you believe this and start trying to disprove it by poking holes in these reasons. Can someone who is an authority in a field still be wrong? Ask yourself what this information is really telling you. William in AR brings up how the pursuit of sports careers are popularized as a way to get out of poverty. This is a marketing problem, however, the bias is also on the consumer end. Sports is just a subcategory of celebrity culture. If it is not sports stars, it is Youtubers or rock stars. Racial stereotypes are played up in sports movies and people make money doing this. The pursuit of a higher education is just not as appealing as being a sexy hot person that everyone wants to be. Thank you for tuning in to our show! Eat a balanced diet on Mars while you consider the question of the week: What is an alpha male?Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/truth-wanted--3195473/support.

Title: Talking to God, Evolution/God,  Morality Debates, and Atrocity of Religion.SHOW TIME-STAMPS00:00 Intro16:21 Messages from the Universe-USA | Talking to God35:00 Just Some Guy-Ireland | Evolution disproves God?SHOW NOTESWelcome to Truth Wanted, where all the truthers gather! Tonight, our host Objectively Dan is joined by Michael Wiseman of the Bible Says What?! Messages from God from the USA is our first caller. Ohh boy people! This is a doozy. Messages claims we just choose to hear God and we have to be open to it. And God especially picked her for us to receive this information so we can talk to God. Also, we exist and yet we don’t exist in this dimension. I am trying people, just listen to the call as this show notes writer is struggling. Seriously, both Dan and Michael try and pin down her premise and how she came to the conclusions she has and the message she wants to impart. Buckle up folks!Just Some Guy from the Green Isle gives our hosts a ring to talk about do atheists deny God because of evolution? No, as there are plenty of believers who accept the theory of evolution. Somehow, the conversation shifts to objective vs. subjective morality. The hosts and Just Some Guy get into some interesting philosophical questions and how God doesn’t resolve any of these issues. Last but thankfully not least is Philo-Sophistry from also the USofA calls to discuss the harm of religion, if it does have any benefit, and when do we, as atheists intervene? These are some questions to ponder and worth it to do so. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/truth-wanted--3195473/support.

In today’s episode of Truth Wanted, ObjectivelyDan and Phil Ferguson ponder why we have Mormon Ghosts everywhere after diving into the evolution of ghosts and the existence of Jesus all while digging through an ancient alien purse for evidence. Critical Corrie in the UK has people in his life that thinks ghosts are real and asks the sausages what their take on ghosts are. What are the rules for ghosts? Have you ever noticed that the low quality equipment is always what seems to pick up ghosts? How far back on the evolutionary scale do ghosts appear? Can an amoeba be a ghost? Why do ghosts get to go through walls and not the floor? How does gravity work for ghosts? Tymm in WA has been studying Jesus Mythicism, and asks the hosts what they think about Mark being the creator of Jesus, based on the writings of Paul. The probability of Jesus being a real person is equivalent to that of Hercules being a real person. Sometimes stories that contain both fact and myth can be cobbled together to make one story. Paul wrote the most about Jesus, and never even met the man. There is more evidence for Joseph Smith existing than Jesus and we all know what he was about. If you are an Ex-Mormon, please call in!Ransom in WY says that it looks like there is synchronicity between video games and movies and then asks about the Alien Purse. The synchronicity is market demands and due to trends within general fascination. What is your explanation for this ancient handbag? What would the effects be if aliens have visited and been conquered by us in history? If you look through enough artworks, you can find things that mean whatever you want them to mean. We appreciate this call and taking us on this journey. Thank you for tuning in this week, ghosts! Question of the week is, what is the worst advice you have ever been given? Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/truth-wanted--3195473/support.

Recorded LIVE at the Freeethought Library in Austin, TX in front of a live studio audience!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/truth-wanted--3195473/support.

01:05 Intro17:45 Emily-New England | The Outlaws Pass42:54 Critical Corey-UK | England vs. American Beliefs50:25 Daniel-Canada | Alien Proof in Photos!SHOW NOTESIn today’s episode of Truth Wanted, our hosts with the most  are Objectively Dan & Jim Barrows.. Our first caller is from Emily in New England who wants to discuss the hikers of the Outlaws Pass. Please give this a Google as this show notes the writer doesn’t have the character count. More Importantly, Emily discusses why she wants to believe in the conspiracy of this event vs.  investigating the possible truth. Dan explains we all have these needs to find a more exciting explanation rather than the real world reality of certain events. Emily does come to the conclusion that there was nothing out of the ordinary of the event, but still likes the thought experiments of the conspiracy theories. Deconstruction is an ongoing process, not just with religion, but any magical thinking ideas.Our next call from across the pond is from Corey. He wants to talk about the beliefs and the differences between the United States vs. the UK. It is a curious discussion between similar ideas, but in different cultures. It’s a curious conversation about identity, belief, and cultural experiences. Welcome to call #3 from Daniel from Canada who has come with proof! Proof I tell you of aliens. Are the pictures blurry? Yes. Is this absolute proof? No. Is it pareidolia? Probably. But, it’s a fun call! Call Truth Wanted!  7:00-8 :30PM CT at 1-512-991-9242or call with your computer 💻 http://tiny.cc/calltw► Don't like ads? Consider becoming a patron for commercial-free episodes: http://tiny.cc/patreontw► Podcasts may be found @: http://tiny.cc/podcasttw► Shop Truth Wanted merchandise @: http://tiny.cc/merchacaWe welcome your comments on the thread for this show. ► http://tiny.cc/fbtwg► Contact us with questions or news stories at: [email protected] Atheist Community of Austin is organized as a nonprofit educational corporation to develop and support the atheist community, to provide opportunities for socializing and friendship, to promote secular viewpoints, to encourage positive atheist culture, to defend the first amendment principle of state-church separation, to oppose discrimination against atheists and to work with other organizations in pursuit of common goals.We define atheism as the lack of belief in gods. This definition also encompasses what most people call agnosticism.We request pronouns as part of the call screening process on our shows, and we display the pronouns our callers provide.  If you see a caller with no pronouns indicated, this is because they chose not to provide us with any, and we respect that decision.► http://www.atheist-community.org (The Atheist Community of Austin)NOTESTruthWanted is the official channel of Truth Wanted. "Truth Wanted" is a trademark of the ACA.Thumbnail artwork by: https://www.instagram.com/princepsed Copyright © 2018-2024 Atheist Community of Austin. All rights reserved.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/truth-wanted--3195473/support.

In today’s episode of Truth Wanted, Secular Rarity is hosting alongside the recently engaged ObjectivelyDan! Austin in NC thinks free will shouldnt be argued because there is no good evidence. So that may cause some people, depressed or not, to give up on succeeding in life. Lack of free will doesn’t mean you can’t change things, it's just that we're in a physical universe. When discussing free will with others, don’t expect immediate change. It can be a bit of a depressing topic but it should be discussed, people can handle it.  (Depressed notetake here, don’t believe we have free will)Matly in WA had an experience with a physical trainer offering cupping as a therapy and asked for evidence to back up their claims and show side effects. Medical professionals should know everything behind what they are doing to your body and more people should ask for evidence of unfounded medical claims. Jon in Canada has proof of god again, the “perfectly designed’ human body. Can you not think of anything you could improve upon? If you call back, ditch the script and let's have a regular old conversation. Andrew in FL thinks that absence of evidence isn’t evidence of absence and asks for proof of evidentialism. We’re interested in systems that can provide reliable and predictable results, our best (not perfect) method is science. If you use a different system for proof of god, we can’t really test that. We are just rejecting god claims that come without evidence. There hasn’t been a clear right or wrong on morality and atheism doesn’t claim any answers beyond god claims. There is so much to morality, people aren’t going to wrap their heads around it for a while after deconstructing, if at all.Thank you for tuning in this week. Question of the week is: Why Is It REALLY Called ‘Good Friday’?Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/truth-wanted--3195473/support.

In today’s episode of Truth Wanted, Kelley Laughlin and AlmostDoctor1(Matt), look at reflections of their future selves as churches being taxed is contemplated and they conclude that the universe may not be deterministic. Cole in DC saw a reflection of an older version of himself and felt at the time that this was a way of seeing into another universe.  How has your idea changed about the experience now that you know it was not what you thought it was? Is it safe to say you are in a better place now? How does this experience affect you now as you move forward in your life? Narratives are powerful to people and can’t be underestimated. The memory of emotion surrounding an event can overpower the memory of specific details. Troy in TX makes and asks if we should be taxing the church. When charity work is happening and things are transparent, then there is not a problem. Pastors and ministers do pay an income tax individually. Whenever you are deciding something, especially when it is controversial, always take a step back and have a look at how the decision fits into the big picture. Lori in WV asks about how the concept of a person’s existence of energy relates to the physics concept of how energy can’t be created or destroyed. Matt explains that the energy must be transferred somewhere when someone dies and there is not some magical life energy, but rather energy that allows the complicated processes of life to occur. For energy to be transferred from one to another, there needs to be a process that allows this energy to move. Reincarnation or life after death does not contain this pathway. Are you content with not coming back? Bryan in CA says that the universe is probabilistic and not deterministic.  What do you mean by deterministic? We can determine the probability of things on the quantum scale, but not exactly how things will happen because we don’t have the ability to rewind the clock. On the macro scale, we can rewind the clock and repeat experiments. The further you go from the initial conditions, the harder it is to know what will happen in advance. Our brains did not evolve to understand quantum mechanics yet and therefore see this field as something that is not straightforward. We don’t have evidence that shows that if we rewound the clock, things would happen exactly the same. Daniel in Canada believes there could be an alien reality, underground civilizations on Mars, and other ways of traveling through the universe beyond traveling at the speed of light. Why haven’t we seen these other civilizations yet? What is meant by alien reality? What kind of resolution are we using to detect these things? We know there is geological activity that happens on these planets and moon, but we don’t have anything that suggests that there has to be life. We can’t rely on what we think things look like. It must be fully demonstrated that there was not a natural cause such as an asteroid hitting the planet. Would you rather believe a video or thousands of scientists? Thank you for tuning in this week.  Question of the week is: Why do you think aliens are avoiding earth?Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/truth-wanted--3195473/support.

In today’s episode of Truth Wanted, Jon the Skeptic and Drew Bekius navigate through the Paw Paw Tunnel dodging Australian Raptors and Owl Man all while knowing that the tunnel was created by a creator. But not to worry! No flashlights are needed because Jamie the Blind Limey safely guides them to the end where light is shed on the existence of trans people. Ben in VA had an experience in the Paw Paw Tunnel where he heard coins being thrown and sounds like people behind him. On a scale of one to ten, how convinced are you that it was something paranormal? If you are at a six, what would it take to get you to a ten, or bring it down to zero? Have you ruled out all possibilities like having change in your pocket that was dropped? What is the most simple explanation for this? Stories of events can grow over time becoming more juicy and exaggerated. Joshua in GA asks the hosts what cryptid they believe or hope exists. He believes that the Australian Raptor, Owl Man, and the Mongolian Death Worm existed, but just not 300 feet long. What is it that convinces you these things exist? Could Owl Man just be a large owl? We hope these things exist and will have drinks with them if so!Elane in KY knows a game creator that was an atheist but now believes because if we can create worlds, then there could be a creator of this one. What good reason would we have to conclude this is true? Jamie the Blind Limey in TX asks for ideas on how to educate people about the existence of trans people. It is not just how someone feels; there are at least five different stages of sexual development in the uterus that are observable. At least one in fifty people have intersexual development. You can ask people how this community has affected you personally. When people set themselves up as the ultimate authority, try to help them realize that they may not see everything accurately, and ask if there are areas that they misread. By questioning, get them to see that they are not the genius of all geniuses for all things.Thank you for tuning in this week! Question of the week is: If psychics are real, why did they not predict _____? Put your answers in the comments. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/truth-wanted--3195473/support.