I have been watching some videos on a YouTube channel called “QualiaSoup”, and I found them to be very relevant to my helping define my world views and rejection of religion.  I originally discovered the videos several months ago now and wanted to help raise awareness of them due to the fact they so clearly and articulately express the non-religious world view.  I find many of the videos personally relevant as they describe quite precisely the thought processes I went through whenever I tried to convince myself there was a god.

I would like to comment on how well put together these videos are.  This isn’t someone sitting in front of a camera ranting away like Pat Condell, or some very quick and dirty PowerPoint slides set to cheesy music.  These videos have high quality images, which very clearly and explicitly tie into the narrative.  The narrative has a very calm and relaxed style, with no sways of emotional tonality, however this does not detract from the engaging and enlightening content.

It affected me in quite a positive way because I could identify with the topics being discussed and have experienced very similar thought processes in my exploration of the various religions which exist in the world.  I felt a sense of connection with the narrator because like him I felt no strong animosity when I finally reached the conclusion that religion and superstition was irrational nonsense.  I had simply examined the evidence and came to the conclusion that the evidence was insufficient.

The content of videos varies, but carries the same general themes.  I particularly liked the first one I ever watched, which was on the subject of open mindedness.  The narration describes how being open minded is not the automatic acceptance of what someone tells you and that you need to explore and test all the evidence before leaping to any conclusions (as I did with religion).  

It also points out the obvious paradox that an inexplicable phenomenon can be explained by something supernatural.  I felt a particular resonance with the view the saying you don’t believe something is not the same thing as saying it is untrue.  I find that this is an argument I which presents itself not just in religious discussions, but all the time in everyday life. 

The last and most poignant thing I picked up from this video is that some people hold the view that being open minded means agreeing with them even if they don’t present you with sufficient evidence to support the case they are presenting.  As Carl Sagan once said “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence”, and this video articulates the concepts of critical thinking so simply and clearly that I think everyone should watch it.

If you’re religious you may find these videos challenging your beliefs, if you’re non-religious you may find these videos help you understand yourself and your thinking better.  If all these videos do is get you to challenge your own thinking, then they have served a positive purpose and helped move you one more step in developing your critical thinking.

I have now watched most of the videos in QualiaSoup channel, and found them to be extremely informative and helpful.  They resonate with my own world view, and I would encourage you to visit YouTube and take a look for yourself.  I have embedded the “Open Mindedness” video in this article, but there are many others which are of equal excellence.