Over the past 7 years, there have been 100’s of videos that I have watched which were impactful and/or caused me to think about my faith and about religion in general. I get the sense that there are 1000’s of great videos out there, with some that resonate stronger for some than for others. I will share a few of my favorites, but please do comment about any of your favorites.
One of the earliest videos I saw that made an impact is one that also made me laugh, but it also haunted my Christian theology for years. It was Julia Sweeney’s “Letting Go of God“. As of today, the full video is only available for purchase ($5 at Julia’s site). But you can watch the first 17 minutes on Youtube (embedded below), and/or click to listen to an audio-only version of Letting Go of God. Her story about her Mormon visitors is classic too!
Speaking of Mormons, when I stumbled on the testimony of a guy named Chris, I found it very moving and compelling. While I was never a Mormon, I could definitely empathize with Chris and what he went through. I appreciated his analogy and words about truth.
“This is how I discovered truth. My name is Chris and I’m an Ex Mormon.”
Another really heart felt deconversion story comes from a young man who goes by “Prplfox” (purple fox) on YouTube. You can truly feel the sincere anguish that he goes through as a young Christian who was truly in love with Jesus and sold out to the Lord, but he discovers over time that it wasn’t real. He tells his story across multiple parts. I did not watch all the parts of his story (a little too long for me), but how heart felt his story was is what made an impression on me. Deconversion – Part 1 (Prplfox)
I stumbled onto Brandon Fibbs shortly after I started this blog. I wonder what my pre-deconversion self would have thought after seeing his “Dear Believer, Why Do you Believe?” video. It’s amazing and deserves a wide audience. It is very impactful and what he shares about other religions was a significant factor in my own deconversion.
Brandon created another video this year in order to share his personal story. I could relate with so much of his journey. Brandon truly has a gift for video creation and for sharing. Brandon Fibbs – Abandoning My Faith: A Personal Journey
Within the last year or so, I found 43Alley. His cartoon animations are pathetic but in a funny good way, and he has a great speaking voice. I don’t know which video of his that I saw first but he has a great series called “An Atheist Reads the Bible” and he also did a video for his own personal story, called 43Alley – How I Gave Up Religion. The video that I want to give a highlight too, though, is his story about a girl named Emily who writes to him and asks about hell. For many of us who were kept in chains because of a fear of hell, I appreciated what he had to share. The video is called Realizing Hell Does Not Exist.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wgj65-EfmoA
Scott Clifton has a channel on YouTube under the name of Theoretical Bullshit. He has a provocative video that puts a different spin on the message of the Bible, called God’s Checklist 2.0. He imagines God’s thought process for creation and His plans for mankind.
It’s truly crazy how many different religions and belief systems are in existence. I remember being a young adult when I began seeing TV commercials for L. Ron Hubbard’s Dianetics, and as I grew older, I heart bits and pieces about Scientology. L. Ron Hubbard’s Great Grandson, Jamie DeWolf gives an incredible and power performance to unmask Scientology. It’s a reminder just how easy it is for men to create a religion and how easy it is to entrap many in a delusion.
Hemant Mehta has a great channel on YouTube along with an interesting blog on Patheos. i have enjoyed many of Hemant’s videos over the last year. It’s hard to pick a favorite but his one called 78 Questions for Christians is quite impactful:
The first time I heard one of the videos from ‘GodIsImaginary‘ while I was still a Christian, I was offended. Greatly. What he had to say was difficult to refute and he is impactful. But the way that he says it can be condescending. Nonetheless, what he has to say does make an impact. I am listing two of his short videos below.
10 Questions that every Christian must answer (GodIsImaginary)
The Top 10 Reasons that the Bible is Repulsive
When I first began to read and listen to Christopher Hitchens as a Christian, I had an odd mix of feelings. I certainly didn’t like what he said, but damn, the man had just an amazing way with words. Today, I now miss him greatly but I’m so glad that his voice continues on via the many written words and recorded videos that we have. It would be truly hard to pick any one video that features Hitch, but this is a good “Best of Christopher Hitchens” that’s worth a view for sure.
What favorites do you have?