In today’s episode of Truth Wanted, Dan is joined by creator of the show Belief It Or Not, Trevor Poelman. Trevor is a former youth group leader and would go through actual theology audits. Together this team will ask viewers what they believe and why. Special thanks to Lauren Zhuge, the Patron of the Week!

First up is RedDeadBread from CA who is wondering about how the environment in which a person is raised causes anger towards religion. How does religiosity affect the nature of atheistic beliefs? Dan explains the difficulty involved with separating religion from politics and how conservatives would get mad at Obama for just breathing. Trevor confirms that since he has lived that life, he tends to get more angry about these things than his co-host who was not raised in religion. There is still the perception that atheists are a bunch of whiny, angry white dudes that go off about all sorts of things, and we need that to change.

Muhammad in CA wants to talk about western morality and eroding belief. Is this being caused by “tolerance” and being okay with everything? Tolerance can be a tightrope to balance. Trevor mentions that he can tolerate beliefs until those beliefs start to harm others. Tolerance can lead to great things but it can also lead to bad things such as giving bigots platforms. The intention of the U.S. was to create a secular democracy where individual denominations would not influence aspects of government. There are people who are intolerant to those who don’t have beliefs. Is it a common occurrence that people become more tolerant and progressive prior to leaving Christianity? Conservative, evangelical types rail against being tolerant because they know what it threatens. Maybe it is time to move on from some of the moral codes we had.

A question from the chat asks if either host has had paranormal experiences. When Trevor was a kid, an orb of light went over his head and thought it was an angel at the time. Years after leaving the faith, it was discovered through research the carbon monoxide can cause this type of hallucination.

Next is Red in OH who as a kid came to the conclusion that the Loch Ness Monster might be leviathan in the Bible. She would draw pictures of it and show it to creationist professors who actually liked her theories. Dan remembers a fundie pastor on TV talking about a leviathan verse in The Book of Job that proves dinosaurs lived at the same time as humans. Trevor explains how the famous picture is made with a toy submarine and plaster for the head that can be pulled with a string.

Tonight we have learned that the truth is everybody knows BigFoot is king! Thank you for joining us this week! Special thanks to Trevor! Be kind and always keep wanting the truth.

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