Baxter Williams
@trustbelieveknow.com
Discussing Christianity, science, and sometimes philosophy (mind & epistemology) on the internet.
Pandeist. God-fearer. Ex-Christian.
Pandeist. God-fearer. Ex-Christian.
Okay, enough Christianity bashing. How about a list of some very cool and against-the-cultural-grain-in-his-time teachings from Jesus:
- as you treat the least of society, so you also treat the Son of God.
- good works are allowed on the Sabbath
- Whoever wants to be first must be last
- as you treat the least of society, so you also treat the Son of God.
- good works are allowed on the Sabbath
- Whoever wants to be first must be last
February 16, 2026 at 3:28 AM
Okay, enough Christianity bashing. How about a list of some very cool and against-the-cultural-grain-in-his-time teachings from Jesus:
- as you treat the least of society, so you also treat the Son of God.
- good works are allowed on the Sabbath
- Whoever wants to be first must be last
- as you treat the least of society, so you also treat the Son of God.
- good works are allowed on the Sabbath
- Whoever wants to be first must be last
I have often played with the thought experiment that an immoral God was real. Like Judaism being true, imagine a God that apologizes for getting angry, but still gets angry and overdoes it frequently.
I mean, what are you going to do if that is true, NOT try to get on His good side?
I mean, what are you going to do if that is true, NOT try to get on His good side?
February 14, 2026 at 4:12 PM
I have often played with the thought experiment that an immoral God was real. Like Judaism being true, imagine a God that apologizes for getting angry, but still gets angry and overdoes it frequently.
I mean, what are you going to do if that is true, NOT try to get on His good side?
I mean, what are you going to do if that is true, NOT try to get on His good side?
Been musing about how Jesus defended eating with tax collectors by saying that he is there to call the sinners, not the righteous.
Either Jesus is saying that some are righteous, and not in need of a call, or this is just a very rounabout and obtuse way to say "I eat with anyone"
Either Jesus is saying that some are righteous, and not in need of a call, or this is just a very rounabout and obtuse way to say "I eat with anyone"
February 13, 2026 at 6:33 PM
Been musing about how Jesus defended eating with tax collectors by saying that he is there to call the sinners, not the righteous.
Either Jesus is saying that some are righteous, and not in need of a call, or this is just a very rounabout and obtuse way to say "I eat with anyone"
Either Jesus is saying that some are righteous, and not in need of a call, or this is just a very rounabout and obtuse way to say "I eat with anyone"
omg
February 10, 2026 at 2:16 PM
omg
Well, it took me 2 weeks to learn how to upload basic html code to CloudFlare servers and get my domain to point to it... but still that's a start!
January 18, 2026 at 7:13 PM
Well, it took me 2 weeks to learn how to upload basic html code to CloudFlare servers and get my domain to point to it... but still that's a start!
So I learned that Catholics say not only is divorce never permitted, but is is impossible for a human to actually do since it is a spiritual union.
When Jesus said, "no divorce except for porneia" I wonder what purpose "except for porneia" serves in their mind?
When Jesus said, "no divorce except for porneia" I wonder what purpose "except for porneia" serves in their mind?
January 17, 2026 at 11:25 PM
So I learned that Catholics say not only is divorce never permitted, but is is impossible for a human to actually do since it is a spiritual union.
When Jesus said, "no divorce except for porneia" I wonder what purpose "except for porneia" serves in their mind?
When Jesus said, "no divorce except for porneia" I wonder what purpose "except for porneia" serves in their mind?
Good points here
I like Vaush but I think he's operating under a dodgy premises; namely that people with any kind of non- empirical belief can't ever be argued out of it.
Which is patently false. People get argued in and out of non-empirical beliefs all the time.
1/X
Which is patently false. People get argued in and out of non-empirical beliefs all the time.
1/X
Vaush Debates Religious Person On How Religion is Ontologically Undesirable
YouTube video by thermia
www.youtube.com
January 17, 2026 at 11:14 PM
Good points here
Still the only way I can imagine accepting Christianity is the Dale Allison Jr theory, I think.
January 17, 2026 at 6:15 PM
Still the only way I can imagine accepting Christianity is the Dale Allison Jr theory, I think.
It's not that eternal punishment is beyond my sense of justice. It's that it is *infinitely* beyond my sense of justice. It is that there no possible hypothetical that one could even imagine that would be further away than my sense of justice.
January 17, 2026 at 4:39 PM
It's not that eternal punishment is beyond my sense of justice. It's that it is *infinitely* beyond my sense of justice. It is that there no possible hypothetical that one could even imagine that would be further away than my sense of justice.
When I think about people who pray to God for justice, I think about people who have been wronged by another and don't want that other avoid retribution of some kind.
But I don't get praying for afterlife punishment on homosexuals. How have they wronged you?
But I don't get praying for afterlife punishment on homosexuals. How have they wronged you?
January 16, 2026 at 9:19 PM
When I think about people who pray to God for justice, I think about people who have been wronged by another and don't want that other avoid retribution of some kind.
But I don't get praying for afterlife punishment on homosexuals. How have they wronged you?
But I don't get praying for afterlife punishment on homosexuals. How have they wronged you?
It's not that Jesus commanded immoral things. It's that the worldview Jesus operated within is nightmarish to me.
I hope it is the wrong worldview, the wrong ideas about God.
That doesn't mean I hope "love your neighbor as yourself" is wrong.
I hope it is the wrong worldview, the wrong ideas about God.
That doesn't mean I hope "love your neighbor as yourself" is wrong.
January 16, 2026 at 5:51 PM
It's not that Jesus commanded immoral things. It's that the worldview Jesus operated within is nightmarish to me.
I hope it is the wrong worldview, the wrong ideas about God.
That doesn't mean I hope "love your neighbor as yourself" is wrong.
I hope it is the wrong worldview, the wrong ideas about God.
That doesn't mean I hope "love your neighbor as yourself" is wrong.
Yo hohoho, Yo hoho hooo!
Yo hohoho, Yo hoho hoo...
Yo hohoho, Yo hoho hoo...
January 16, 2026 at 5:02 PM
Yo hohoho, Yo hoho hooo!
Yo hohoho, Yo hoho hoo...
Yo hohoho, Yo hoho hoo...
Interpreting "the gates of Hell will never prevail" as "the church will never take adopt a wrong interpretation" is pretty much the only way I would take most church fathers seriously.
Otherwise, who cares how someone in 350AD interpreted things?
Otherwise, who cares how someone in 350AD interpreted things?
January 16, 2026 at 4:47 PM
Interpreting "the gates of Hell will never prevail" as "the church will never take adopt a wrong interpretation" is pretty much the only way I would take most church fathers seriously.
Otherwise, who cares how someone in 350AD interpreted things?
Otherwise, who cares how someone in 350AD interpreted things?
This last week is the first time that this site has seen somewhat sustained growth in activity since the initial exodus. Very cool.
January 16, 2026 at 3:40 PM
This last week is the first time that this site has seen somewhat sustained growth in activity since the initial exodus. Very cool.
Turns out that I no longer think my original deconversion is on solid rational ground.
Yet I don't think a reconversion is in order yet. The most important part of my recent blog post attached.
Yet I don't think a reconversion is in order yet. The most important part of my recent blog post attached.
January 15, 2026 at 6:38 PM
Turns out that I no longer think my original deconversion is on solid rational ground.
Yet I don't think a reconversion is in order yet. The most important part of my recent blog post attached.
Yet I don't think a reconversion is in order yet. The most important part of my recent blog post attached.
Reposted by Baxter Williams
it's the big day
January 14, 2026 at 11:16 PM
it's the big day
As "Christian" comes from "christ" and "christ" is a translation of "messiah", calling someone a "Christian" in the first century was basically calling someone a "messiah-ist".
That wouldn’t be a specific enough label amongst Jews, but it was a unique belief for Greek culture.
That wouldn’t be a specific enough label amongst Jews, but it was a unique belief for Greek culture.
January 15, 2026 at 5:29 PM
As "Christian" comes from "christ" and "christ" is a translation of "messiah", calling someone a "Christian" in the first century was basically calling someone a "messiah-ist".
That wouldn’t be a specific enough label amongst Jews, but it was a unique belief for Greek culture.
That wouldn’t be a specific enough label amongst Jews, but it was a unique belief for Greek culture.
I take a strange solace knowing that our country has been evil like this before (the red scare imprisoning "communist sympathizers", internment camps targeting minorities, etc) and we made it past those times.
Sucks living through another bad time though
Sucks living through another bad time though
January 15, 2026 at 5:19 PM
I take a strange solace knowing that our country has been evil like this before (the red scare imprisoning "communist sympathizers", internment camps targeting minorities, etc) and we made it past those times.
Sucks living through another bad time though
Sucks living through another bad time though
Reposted by Baxter Williams
I've been doom scrolling for the past two hours and, much to my surprise, it hasn't helped at all
January 15, 2026 at 12:37 AM
I've been doom scrolling for the past two hours and, much to my surprise, it hasn't helped at all
Bot accounts to promote t-shirts aimed at an angry left wing audience. Yeah, I guess that makes sense for this site.
January 14, 2026 at 6:55 PM
Bot accounts to promote t-shirts aimed at an angry left wing audience. Yeah, I guess that makes sense for this site.
You know, I used to be super against private companies publishing academic journals, but now I see how risky it would be if we had the government hosting research on it's servers instead. Could just be deleted the moment a lunatic is elected.
arstechnica.com/health/2026/...
arstechnica.com/health/2026/...
FDA deletes warning on bogus autism therapies touted by RFK Jr.‘s allies
The agency used to warn of chelation, used by RFK Jr.'s anti-vaccine ally David Geier.
arstechnica.com
January 14, 2026 at 5:33 PM
You know, I used to be super against private companies publishing academic journals, but now I see how risky it would be if we had the government hosting research on it's servers instead. Could just be deleted the moment a lunatic is elected.
arstechnica.com/health/2026/...
arstechnica.com/health/2026/...
I sincerely believe that if you truly comprehend the idea of eternal damnayion you will have panic attacks at least weekly as a Christian. If you aren't having panic attacks and out on street corners trying to save people, you aren't taking it seriously.
January 14, 2026 at 5:28 PM
I sincerely believe that if you truly comprehend the idea of eternal damnayion you will have panic attacks at least weekly as a Christian. If you aren't having panic attacks and out on street corners trying to save people, you aren't taking it seriously.
I'm realizing my biggest understanding gap between me and most Christians is the idea of "hoping for a certain kind of God".
The Christians who are interested in converting me and willing to discuss seem to think it's nothing more than "which religion has the best historical testimony?"
The Christians who are interested in converting me and willing to discuss seem to think it's nothing more than "which religion has the best historical testimony?"
January 14, 2026 at 5:23 PM
I'm realizing my biggest understanding gap between me and most Christians is the idea of "hoping for a certain kind of God".
The Christians who are interested in converting me and willing to discuss seem to think it's nothing more than "which religion has the best historical testimony?"
The Christians who are interested in converting me and willing to discuss seem to think it's nothing more than "which religion has the best historical testimony?"
"the part about me not being a believer should be quickly resolved if I wake up in heaven"
The doubters don't wake up in Heaven Scott! They stare at Abraham from across an impassible chasm while in Hades awaiting the general resurrection where they will be judged on Earth!
The doubters don't wake up in Heaven Scott! They stare at Abraham from across an impassible chasm while in Hades awaiting the general resurrection where they will be judged on Earth!
Scott Adams final statement has him explicitly taking a wager on Christianity being right while admitting he does not believe it.
Basically, "ok God, now it's your fault if I'm damned."
Poor guy didn't even know enough about Christianity to know that the dead go to Hades, not Heaven
Basically, "ok God, now it's your fault if I'm damned."
Poor guy didn't even know enough about Christianity to know that the dead go to Hades, not Heaven
January 13, 2026 at 6:06 PM
"the part about me not being a believer should be quickly resolved if I wake up in heaven"
The doubters don't wake up in Heaven Scott! They stare at Abraham from across an impassible chasm while in Hades awaiting the general resurrection where they will be judged on Earth!
The doubters don't wake up in Heaven Scott! They stare at Abraham from across an impassible chasm while in Hades awaiting the general resurrection where they will be judged on Earth!