He goes by the user name of DarkMatter2525 and in this video, he talks about a very close friend, a young high school teacher who came to a small town, and he was the very best teacher this community ever had.
He reached out to troubled young people, went out of his way to help them, and he had done a lot of good for his community.
But then, one day, a student discovered that he had a channel on YouTube, and that he was an atheist, and they made his life a living Hell for him.
Although he is an atheist, he is actually more Christ-like than all the so-called Christians in his local community.
Anyway . . . . .
Please do watch the following video.
And please, post your comments in response.
Thank you.
Grappling Ignorance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8ivrcVSdaM
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Uploaded by DarkMatter2525 on Nov 9, 2010
Jesus was the atheist of his time.
These two YouTubers are worth your sub:
http://www.youtube.com/grapplingignorance
http://www.youtube.com/rationalwarrior
He's not the only one. Other atheists have been bullied offline by their jobs as well...many others.
I never thought about this until this incident, because such maliciousness doesn't come naturally to me, but I have real power over Christians - real power. I interview them; I hire them; they give me their financial details, their residential and professional histories, their social security numbers; I rent real estate to them, high demand real estate that I can rent to anyone I want; they've even used their religion as a selling point to try to convince me to choose them, oblivious that they were trying to sell themselves to an atheist.
The livelihoods of entire Christians families depend on my good will...me...an atheist. And as their neighbors are tossed into the streets by the greedy corporations who they would want to remain unchecked and unregulated, my tenants enjoy the attentiveness and security brought to them by an atheist who they would gleefully condemn to hell. I would never, ever discriminate against or negatively affect someone because they're a Christian, or a Muslim, or a Jew. And I do this knowing full well that many of them wouldn't do the same for me. To my integrity and my conscience, I relinquish the power I have over them, the same power they would seek to use against me.
Being immersed in this debate for over a decade, in real life and on YouTube, has caused me to meet thousands of Christians and atheists. I can tell you one counter-intuitive thing I've witnessed time and time again over the years: atheists are far, far more Christ-like than most Christians could ever hope to be. Jesus was the atheist of his time. The powers that be tried to shut him up too, but that didn't work.
Now, it seems many Christians have done a 180. My friend, the atheist high school teacher, the same man who Jesus Christ would've befriended, would also be tossed out on the street by some of Jesus' misguided modern day followers, who call themselves Christians while knowing nothing of Jesus' teachings. But things are getting better. At least they'll no longer burn him at the stake. But would they if they could?
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The following is a transcript of the video.
I typed up this transcript myself, pausing the video, and typing up what I heard being said, pausing video, typing more text, pausing video, and typing up more text.
I was up most of the night working on this topic, and I have also taken screen shots from the video to include in my transcript.
So, without further ado . . .
Here is my typed up transcript of said video.
==============================
He moved across America to be a high school teacher. He wanted to make a difference and they were happy to have this ambitious young man.
But he had a secret, a terrible secret.
It was a depressed area, a land of little hope in this life, but a world of hope for the next.
Modern ruins, these peoples homes, dilapidated and derelict, were contrasted by . . . . .
. . . . . the churches next door, pristine and painstakingly preserved.
But this young teacher was no stranger to hardship. The students there are very rough, drug dealers and delinquents. He wanted something better for them. He wanted them to learn, and sacrificed his free time to tutor hopeless cases. But it was a thankless job, with long hours and little pay.
Yet, he was making a difference. He was a savior.
But suddenly, his world changed! One of his student recognized him on the World Wide Web, on YouTube. This man, this teacher went on line, and had the audacity to speak of the possibility that God didn't exist. He made videos about theology and atheism in the privacy of his home, separate from his class, and forced his videos upon NOBODY, and those videos were watched by nobody except those who chose of their own volition to watch them. And watch them they did!
They were good videos filled with logic, not easily dismissed by theists. He was always civil and enjoyed the discussions that he evoked.
HOW . . . DARE . . .HE!!!
News of his presence on line spread through his school like a rampant infection. He was ridiculed, they shouted prayers, and insulted him. They vandalized his classroom.
They drew on the chalkboard, telling him to go back where he came from, surrounding the words with crosses, and they didn't use chalk, they used marker, so that it couldn't be erased.
And some of the students asked him if "IT" were true, but they couldn't bring themselves to say that damning word . . . . . "ATHEIST!"
On the day before, they greeted him with a nod and a smile, but now . . . now they shake their heads and scoff as he says hello. They gawk at him as they would an alien creature in a glass cage. He was threatened with Hell fire countless times and they showed no remorse for his impending suffering, rather, they were gleeful about it! He would burn for disbelieving as if he deserved it, as if he could pick and choose his beliefs.
This good man, was condemned and shunned by convicted drug dealers and assailants, people he went out of his way to help. People who, on a previous day, who knew that this man, was one of the good teachers, and they turned on him without thinking twice.
And his fellow teachers confronted him as students gossiped about him in their classes as well. He was told to get rid of his YouTube channel before the administration had a chance to investigate or he would certainly lose his job.
All it would take is one angry parent, even a drug dealer's drunken parent who needed to sober up before being able to comprehend the horror of his precious child having an atheist for a teacher.
So, at the risk of becoming homeless, he deleted his channel. In a microsecond, he lost his connection with thousand of friends. In a microsecond, he was cut off and alone in a place that hated him. In a microsecond, excellent and insightful arguments against theism, arguments that we can all use were wiped out!
THEY WON! THEY STOPPED HIM!
But only for a microsecond.
HERE AND NOW, we have the power to make his voice louder than they ever feared it could be. The power to make their bigotry backfired in ways they didn't imagine. They . . . of all people, should have known about martyrdom.
He can no longer show his face, but he has a voice and the drive to use it. Subscribe to him, learn from him. Use his arguments. Make this video viral, make his voice loud.
He is now called, Grappling Ignorance.
It seems that those, who were once fed to the lions, have become the lions. But no matter how much they cheat, no matter how much they stack the deck in their favor, they will never defeat US! Even as we have the integrity to be fair, we're invincible because we have a weapon the no Christian could ever have, because the moment they have it, they cease to be a Christian.
That weapon is REALITY! Atheists are everywhere, and we are as ancient as the very first god ever proposed. You could not recognize us. We're male and female, black and white, gay and straight. The only way we can even identify ourselves is through our free speech, and many Christians would take that away from us.
But be very careful, how you treat the minorities of today, because we will be the majority of tomorrow. I fear that because of your deplorable treatment of others, the persecution that your books says that you WILL suffer, will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
I don't want that to happen, and I pledge, here and now, to never discriminate against somebody because they're a Christian, a Muslim, or a Jew, or none of the above.
And I want everyone listening to me to do the same.
Many of those who are offended by the mere existence of non-believers, are willing to throw away
freedoms that they claim are "God given" paid for by the blood of the Christian patriots.
And they're willing to do that, just to shut you up!
WHY?
Well, for many, it is because their most cherished beliefs can not withstand the most basic of honest scrutiny. And some fear Hell, which is nothing more than an ancient system of control for societies that couldn't be properly policed. And some fear change, even when that change is for the better.
The rest, the ones who kiss God's ass, honestly believe that the omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent creator of all things, the most powerful being that ever existed, needs THEM to come to HIS defense!
That may seem outlandish, but it's not!
Because for certain, you will . . . NEVER . . . EVER . . . see GOD fighting his own battles!
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In the above video, you all must have noticed how the town's folk live mostly in run-down old houses that are quite literally tumbling down around their ears, and even the schools are dilapidated, while in the same neighborhoods, within a block of the old houses and run-down schools, they have really beautiful churches. You would think, that the ministers and the pastors of those churches would try to do something to help their neighbors.
This is an absolute disgrace!
OK, now, the next video is produced by GrapplingIgnorance himself, the one who is a close friend of DarkMatter2525, the one who was the teacher in a small town who tried to help troubled youth to get an education, in hopes that they might one day escape from their poverty, the one who was viciously attacked by the students that he tried to help, and the ignorant town's people.
And now. . . he must wear a black hood and hide his face in shadow while producing educational YouTube videos on his new channel.
These are videos on theism, on the controversy of Creationism verses Evolution, videos on science, educational videos, but he must wear a black hood and keep his face hidden in shadow while speaking on his videos.
He must do this, so that his employees won't know that it's him on the videos, so that he won't lose his job and end up living in the streets.
And now . . . . .
We go on to the next YouTube video produced by the one who now goes by the user name GrapplingIgnorance the good high school teacher who must hide his face in shadow, while wearing a black hood.
So, again, without any further ado . . .
I present . . .
Teach the Controversy- Pwnage Olympics Education 2011 Winner
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TONWyYK8F1k
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Uploaded by GrapplingIgnorance on Apr 19, 2011
This is a response to Wendy Wright's sentiments stated in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wsaa3RxjTWA
That entire interview truly disturbed me. The way that she had Richard Dawkins come in for an interview, and she didn't even offer him the respect of having them sit down for a structured conversation. The way she just smiled, nodded and ignored every piece of evidence that he presented her with, then continued to spout her pre-canned creationist irrelevant bullshit bugged me too. The way she refused to do any actual research for herself about what evolution even IS, as opposed to Dawkins doing some research to understand her position also was obnoxious. The worst part of all, however, was her insulting claim that teaching creationism in school is a way of helping children think for themselves. That's the last straw.
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And like before, as in the previous video, I have also typed up a transcript for this video, listening to what is said, pausing the video to type what I have heard, playing and pausing, typing more text, play, pause, type, play, pause, type, play, pause, type, again and again until I have the complete transcript.
Also, again, as in the previous video, I included some more screen shots to included some more images.
On with the show!
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Wendy Wright says . . .
The position we've taken is, teach the controversy, teach all the information, not just selecting information that promotes one viewpoint which, most of the time that's evolution, but all the information so that school children can learn how to think for themselves, and come to their own conclusions.
And now, the cartoon:
The teacher says . . .
Now settle down class, we have a very very busy day ahead of us. First we need to review last week's information about evolution. The state mandates now that we teach the controversy, so, you'll need to make some adjustments in your study guides for a test this Thursday.
(A student moans!!!)
Settle down! Just turn to page 616 in your in your text book. Here we see photographs of transitional fossils along with the human ancestral line called Ardipithecus and Australopithecus. This our review so I really want to focus on the newly acceptable answers.
On this next slide for example: is a task question that you might come across that's based on those photos.
Which of the following are the transitional fossils in the human ancestry?
A. Tyrannosaurs and Stegosaurus
B. Ardipithecus and Australopithecus
C. Pakicetus and Dorudon
Now obviously, the correct answer is B.
But, the new movement to teach the controversy has required me to also include another acceptable answer, so on the test, you also have . . .
D. No transitional fossils exist; la la la - I can't hear you.
I also have to show you a couple of directions you might take for the short answer portion of your test. Here's one acceptable summation of the origin of different species on earth. This is an example from a student who scored the highest on the test last semester.
As random genetic mutations occur within and organism's genetic code mutations beneficial to the survival are preserved through natural selection. Mutations that make most more desirable mates tend to be preserved because it increases the rate of reproduction, which is called sexual selection. These beneficial mutations are passed on to the next generation. Over time beneficial mutations accumulate, and the result is and entirely different organism.
Here is an alternative response that will now receive an equal amount of full credit on the test.
GOD DONE IT!
If there are no further questions on the evolution test this week, I would like to move on to this week's unit about weather.
Lets start with lightening, shall we?
Lightening is produced in thunderstorms when liquid and ice particles above the freezing level collide and build up large electrical fields in the clouds. When electric fields grow large enough a giant spark occurs between them, or between them and the ground, like static electricity.
The giant spark is what we recognizes as a bolt of lightening which can occur between clouds, between the cloud and the air, or the cloud and the ground.
I'm also obligated to inform you of the alternative possibility . . . . .
. . . . . that these bolts are actually being hurled down from Mount Olympus by the enraged god Zeus.
You see, the ancient Greeks believed the god of all gods was not only promiscuous and obsequious, but also rather temperamental, and thunderstorms were the result of that rage.
Of course, either explanation for lightening will be equally respected in this classroom.
Now, I'm going to give you some time to read the textbooks of the water cycle starting on page 666 before we . . . . .
. . . . . spend and equal amount of time discussing what role Poseidon potentially plays in that matter.
And next week, well even talk about the controversial possibility around how human reproduction works.
Isn't science fun, kids?
Cartoon over . . . . .
Again, our dear friend, the school teacher who goes by the YouTube user name GrapplingIgnorance, who must hide his face in shadow while wearing his black hood, speaks again.
Heed well his words.
Sorry Wendy, but this isn't the way education works!
If you want to consider what the Bible says to be "information" worthy of teaching to our children, then you're gong to have to do the same thing for what every other religion considers "information" and if you don't want the Torah, the Qur'an, and the Book of Mormon being taught to our children as factual information, you're going to have to avoid using the Bible as something taught to our children as factual information as well, and not just letting them "decide for themselves" and if you don't want every other religion that's been around to be represented as "factual information" then I recommend that you apply whatever standard you use to hold those against, to keep them from being taught in schools to your religion as well, then maybe we'll have enough room to actually keep the curriculum focused on information that's based on empirical evidence. And that's the way that anyone who's a responsible adult taking the position to decide what children are going to learn, behaves.
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OK, so we now have a YouTube user who was forced to delete is original educational channel on science so that he would not lose his job, and end up living in the streets.
Now, he has a new channel, but now . . . . . . when he speaks on his channel, he dare not show his face, so instead, he wears a black hood and his face is in shadow.
Will prominent scientists and educators, when they produce educational videos, will they have to with-hold their true identities, and wear black hoods, and cover their faces so that they won't receive threats or lose their jobs?
I remember back in 1980, when Carl Sagan, a professional Astronomy produced a beautiful series of 13 videos titled COSMOS which was featured on PBS. I'll never forget the theme music, and seeing the face of Carl Sagan, a handsome gentleman with a magnificent speaking voice.
His videos were all about the universe, how life evolved on the earth, how the planets formed, how the universe evolved.
Carl Sagan died of cancer back in 1996, and when I heard the news, I broke down and cried. He was a powerful voice to intellectual and academic freedom.
I fear, that in the future, such voice will be silenced.
If another prominent scientist, someone like another Carl Sagan type were to produce a series of videos, he would be so hated and despised by religious fanatics, the he would dare not reveal his true identity and would have to appear in dark silhouette.
Is this the wave of the future?
Will scientists in the future have to trade in their white lab coats for black robes and black hoods and cover their faces?
While in the meantime television preacher and evangelists will continue to make millions of dollars, and supporting dictators overseas while preaching how poor people in third world countries all deserve to die in earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis.
We live in a truly evil and morally corrupt society and I really don't hold much hope for the future.
I'm fat and sassy! I love to sing & dance & stomp my feet & really rock your world!
) I found out later that scientists already KNOW this about carbon-14 and they therefore only use it to date fossils or artifacts that are likely fairly recent in origin (e.g. early human tools, etc.) For the older rocks, they use an isotope of uranium ( I believe it's 238, not sure) that has a much longer half-life and therefore can ascertain ages into the millions of years. The creationist booklet somehow completely failed to mention the uranium dating methods -- just a simple editorial oversight, I'm sure....because creation "scientists" have impeccable credentials and would never intentionally mislead anyone! 
"Bone of Contention", indeed!