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Video Transcript
Welcome to my home, I'm dennis prager. This is my home. This is informal, as you well, it's not as informal as you can get in after all, I could be here in pajamas, but I don't wear pajamas always certainly couldn't be here so uh it's really really informal. I love this alot of people are watching and that means a great deal to me cuz. I really get a chance to talk from my heart and from my mind, because you have to do both in life so anyway, welcome to my home and maybe you'll get to see the bulldog or the basset hound At some point, but who knows so listen to this, I just flew in from Australia. If case you didn't know, Australia is very far away just I just thought I would share that with you, it's it's from La. You can take a non stop by give us a speech in Melbourne adjust the other day and I went I went to Melbourne went to Australia for three days just to give a speech and I wanna say something to the people in Melbourne Australia anyway the flight is 16 and a half Hours so you sort of live on an airplane for all the time that doesn't include the time you're on the ground. So you're on the plane about eighteen hours and thank God. I don't cook for me so I have to admit I had six foot four othe that would not be possible at least for me anyway. I'm really dedicated to this fire side chats so that even flying in from Australia, I didn't wanna go to bed. I wanted to be here to do this With you, when hi everybody by the way before I go on with that I wanna thank the publicly, Steven, crowder from louder with crowder icon, come home and I see a beautiful box of cigars awaiting me. I would love to read you the note, but I don't know it was it was so warm and so filled with kind of things that if I read it, it would sound like I'm boasting, but I would like to read it to credit him, not me anyway Steven. You are one good man I'm an thank you for that. They were members of prayer force in Melbourne who wanted to come to my speech, but the problem was and I really would have loved it if, if I could have been decisive of course, I would have said yes, but I was not. I was the keynote Speaker but another Speaker, on the program was the Israeli ambassador to Australia. It was a speech to the Jewish community of Melbourne Australia for their annual big event and he came from canberra the capital of Australia to give a speech and is tragically Israeli diplomats need a great deal of security for reasons that are To everyone and so, if your name wasn't on the list way in advance, they didn't allow anybody to come in. So those of you who prayed for us in Melbourne thank you. I wish I'd met you and you could have come to the talk okay now that we got some of the preliminaries talked about. I want I think, all the time. Why would I like to open with and I rarely open with things in the news ais, sometimes do, but I don't feel like a compulsion to do that this time. What I wanna talk to you about, especially for those of you who are young wild is young mean don't know under 40 under 35 whatever you wanna choose it doesn't matter the truth is what I'm about to say. If you're under 70 it would apply, but it's particularly true fruit for you who are young and I know you never saw what I'm about to say by the way, was actually rules. My ego eating up my words. Yes, it was okay I'll bet 99 percent of you, whatever your religious conviction or no religious conviction I'll bet you never thought of this. You are growing up in the most secular, most irreligious the most godless generation in recorded history anywhere on Earth. We do not have records of a society that is as religious as the modern Western world. No religion No, God, they they play no role. Your new go to secular, elementary school secular, high school secular College. Second graduate school most don't go to church or synagogue. It is it is anew world now you may say so. What that's fine I'll deal with that at the moment, but at least be conscious of something that this is new in human history and it's true for the United Stage which is one moment almost one out Which is the most religious of the advanced industrialized democracies, it's even true in the United States forget Sweden and Norway and many other countries and for that matter, in some ways in Asia, as well as China, the Communist regime had to work to stamp out religion though at this time when I'm told there are 200 million Christians in China, many of them surreptitiously so anyway I hate you if you're intellectually curious and you wanna know about life and your wisdom desire email you have to ask yourself the question is that a good thing simple as that is it a good thing to essentially have completely religious secular and even godless life and I don't think it's a good thing because I know the role that religion and On God and the bible of played in my life and I actually oh, I wanna choose my words carefully. Cuz. I don't know what I wanna say is I'll tell you what I wanna say and then I'm not gonna say it. I wanna say I feel sorry for people who don't have this but this is it sounds like it's a condescending statement and it's not condescending at all, listen. I feel sorry for people who don't have music in their lives so you know all there wonderful people who don't have music in their lives of course, the music wonderful people who don't have any art in their lives. Yes, but you're Your life, if you have art and beauty in it so it's not it's not it's not a statement against the individual. It's a statement observing the situation that me that people find themselves in and so let me give you a few examples. Why and then I'm gonna go simply to your questions. First of all, we're is the issue. Can I give you this. Thank you First of all, there is the issue of meaning Every he is philosopher that I have read acknowledges, if there is no God, but ultimately there is no ultimate meaning to life. That doesn't mean you can't make up a meaning. It people do, and pardon the pun. Thank God that they do people make up all sorts of meanings to to do well in their profession to get ahead in life to raise a family. These are all wonderful things, but in the final and Alyssa's if we're only matter and that's all we are, I was just reading uh yeah who was it the the um the great the British uh genius, the physicist to what is yes, Stephen. Hawking, thank you. She's two for two. She gave me the cigar and uh and I took the cigar and came up with Stephen hockey so he just passed away may he rest in peace and may he realize he was wrong about there, not being any God anyway He said it in one of his uh the one newspaper in Britain had for quotes from him one is all we are is matter we human beings are just matter where particles that's a particles of matter. He's right, if there's no, God or just particles of matter, we are no different from the cigar except that we have self consciousness in the cigar has no self consciousness that's the only difference now that Fact that should matter that should matter to people. There are a lot of young people and for that matter not so young people in the Western world walking around aimless and pointless why do you think for example, that the only large-scale programs that have ever gotten people sober from drugs from alcohol. Our 12 step programs and they are rooted in faith and coach, something higher that there is a God Bob, who you wanna don't wanna call it God call it something higher. We can deal with that. Another time because ultimately, that that gives your life in the final analysis, meaning so this is a big deal. So what what, if we substituted, we substitute other things for meaning for example, I'll give you one that may affect the lot of you young people and I felt it when I was your age Alot of my peers, alot of my peers, lived for all basically, one big thing and that was to get into a good College. This is what gave their life meaning of Kevin to stand for no one get into the University of Michigan and I'll get into yeah lol get into whatever the the prestigious University do cute. You name. It the only universities and I always even when I was a kid and I never bought it. I didn't give a damn about my grades in high school and and and it showed by the way, but even I didn't understand so cuz I remember thinking okay so you'll get into a prestigious College and then what what's your aim in life. Then for a prestigious graduate school. Okay. So, then you're in the prestigious graduate school what's your aim in life. Then what are you gonna leave the rest that the the rest of your maybe 70 more years of life probably at least 70 more years 70 and 25 well from colleges 70 and 21 from grab 20 25, is in your 90 s those of you who are 20 today. Can easily expect to live, probably in the nineties and hundreds What you can do in the restaurant over 75 eighty years get into another graduate school get another degree Think about it, but when I speak to kids who have a religious essence, they don't they March to a different drummer. Some of them get great grades. That's I'm not anything against get great grades. I have something against living for great great We substitute sort of what I call false gods when we don't have one God anyway that's one consequence of your being raised in the most secular generation in the history of the world of any society that we have ever known and then there's the moral issue. People ask people can't stand. My video people love. It and can't stand that I mean I can obviously millions love. It but my, if, if there is no God is murder wrong, you should all watch it because it's unassailable the accurate it's not a matter of opinion, maybe opinion whether There is a God, but it's not opinion that if God is not there to say, murder is wrong. It's just an opinion. I think murder is wrong. You think murder is writer. I think, whatever is right so people knock me. You could watch this on the Internet so many comments and so many videos, even against my video at the site and they say well so what with kyla Warren for God. What kind of guy is he so they market. They think it's absurd. Well, let me tell you something Eyewear wouldn't murder, if there were no God, I was raised to believe how terrible murder is, however, I'll tell you, I think of you, areas where it does matter. I had, like most people. I had a rocky period with my parents when I was young. This is very common, but because I believe that God said honor your father and mother that it's in the 10 commandments, I did even at the rocky, is times with relations with my parents, where we might have been emotionally adrift, but I never Honor them I never disrespected them and the reason was God yes, because it says honor your father and mother and I think God is behind that. It's a big deal people can give any number of reasons. I asked the guy will never forget. I asked the guy when I would I've got married the first when I was 32 so in my 20 s. I would ask married people privately so many questions about marriage because I knew I didn't know anything about marriage And, anyway, by ask your friend of mine when I was about, I would say I would say I was 30 29 30. He was about the 40 years there's, about 10 years older than I so I said I said the bobble call him Bob. He might be Bob. You might not be Bob anyway That Bob and I want you and I are very open with each other and I wanna ask you something did you ever cheat on your wife Then this I'll never forget his answer guy was a completely religious guy and uh. I was just curious what he would say and how he would answer my questions and you know dennis it's interesting. You should ask, as you know, in uh I never pray um nigga nah stick. I have no religious affiliation but believe it or not I've never Ugh committed adultery and you know why believe it or not. Dennis and he was almost embarrassed to say cuz. I actually think that God said do not commit adultery ion actually. I think there may be a God who demands that we not commit adultery make perfect sense now you'll say all I don't need to go out to tell me not to cheat on my wife or my husband or really when, when, when things are rocky in the marriage and there's, somebody extremely attractive who who was attracted Let me tell you something it's them helpful to believe that the God of the universe fold you not to do something I'm even that's that's real life. Okay that's not make believe the notional. You know, I can't do it without yes, there are people who do it without in understand that they were good atheist is always acknowledge that there are bad religious people they're good at theist but nevertheless the edition of having a God who tells you how to to be a good person, is immense Life so I think that all I think about that alot give you one more example again from the 10 commandments and you know, can I have my book. I just like to mention it This is coming out this is the I'm gonna show it this is the hardest thing. I like the second harvest was writing. My book think and I think second time the still the best hope and American at American values. Left-wing values and Islamic values and I hope you read it, but this is the work of my life teaching the first five books of the bible is the torah all of my life from the hebrew and making Sense of it so the people will understand you don't give them a better life so this is coming out in two weeks. It's gorgeous Lee printed and is this correct as it up nicely and it's called the rational bible, because I only use reason, I never ask people to to take anything on faith I've never promoted to book like this and believe me, nobody writes a commentary on the bible to get rich. I wrote this because I think it's so necessary the bible was the most important book in American history and it's You can't deny that link and kept that lincoln didn't go to church, but kept it on his nightstand read it everyday or every night we've lost that. Why is it. The wisest book on Earth anyway. The rational bible. I really hope you'll get it you can preorder it at amazon cosco is even gonna make it available. I'm very happy to say so we'll give you one more example. One of the commandments is uh keep the sabbath day keep the sabbath day Holy that's really bad. The concept of the sabbath in America and the West is totally dead Sunday Monday Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday Friday, Saturday at the same thing that's just repeat, whatever you do. You know there's nothing. There's, no holy time. So to speak. So I have had uh. I had the sabbath Friday night meals and judaism sabbath starts on Friday night and then Saturday night and I have had a Friday night meal on the Saturday meal with people Either at my home or at their home, my whole life, I don't work. I don't broadcast on the sabbath I'd own, even read a newspaper. Cuz that's my work, I'll leave the world for a day and it has it has save my life. It is a source of incredible pleasure and meaning Saturday afternoons I've had sabbath lunch and lunch on the sabbath with the, with the same couples for about 25 years we are truly like family if we didn't think it was in the 10 commandments, you think we get together every single week, we always find Reason to be busy I'm a busy guy they're busy people to Believing that God wants you to do extra why or z that that's a big deal in your life. So anyway I just thought I'd open up today. Today's fireside chat with that I'm ab one of the only talk, show host people in the secular media who does push religion like this because I know the consequences of the death of God, they ain't good you know what happened in Europe when christianity died. We got Autism and communism God, doesn't die easily or peacefully. Okay doke time for your questions on anything and I probably pressure button okay problem is, I need the owner Which I can light up while we're looking for the owner, you did it you're not even the owner. Okay. I heard it up okay So I teach you why how would that be pronounced. Hi. I know you know it's in the nation name so alright, but whatever it is high, 17 years old Melbourne, Australia force high dentist. I've been struggling. I wish I would've met you hi dennis have been struggling with the moral dilemma. Buddhist and I recently met some missionaries that are willing to help me convert that really want to convert but the problem is my family is also buddhist and they don't want me to convert what do you think I should do this is This is a very heavy duty question and it applies to anybody converting from the religion of their family and I let me say at the outset I completely sympathize with the feelings and emotions of your family and there's. No easy answer. What, whatever this is, but here it is again guideline since after all you're gonna be converting to a religion that holds the 10 commandments as divine. You gotta Your parents, there's no asterisk. It says honor your father and mother only if they have the same religion as you. You want your father and mother. If they're atheist, if they're buddhist, if there shouldn't oh, if they're Muslim, whatever they are that's that's just the way it is so for example, you partake. I think you should still partake wherever possible in the rituals with your parents so that you I'm not leaving you I'm accepting something else, but I'm not really leaving you and perhaps that could be of some help in in in your conversion experience. I hope that helps Jackson. 14 winchester kentucky that they just ask you, the other day. How can we don't get the questions from winchester I'm really happy to hear from me Jackson. What's the most impactful thing young people can do in today's society to improve the world Oh, boy, you know, I have so many answers want the the most important thing you can do is develop yourself into a good person. That's that's the most important thing you can do see the left has taught people that from the earliest age, the most important is to be out there demonstrating for some great cause no in America. It's good country America. We really don't need massive demonstrations. We meet the. We and every other country in the world needs more than anything else, are you ready. Good people That will make a good good society is composed of good people, so making yourself into a good person developing your character and your wisdom wisdom is key. You can't be good without wisdom, you can want to be good, but without wisdom. It won't work. So that's that's. What I would say Next, danny 25 amsterdam is that amsterdam, Holland rate prager force in amsterdam, love to meet you. What should be perceived as true beauty in a woman. Okay well, first of all, I'm gonna give you one answer. You don't expect and it's it's it's an important answer, because I have been talking to young men and young women. My whole life since I was a young man and this issue Come up a lot so, let's begin with true beauty is the same in men and women. True beauty is a beautiful person. If I say someone is a beautiful person, you don't think looks. You think character correct so that's clear. However, and this is a painful however, but I would be of no use to you if I only told you things that aren't painful Since the human being is physical, physical matters, as well, I remember when I, when I spoke I directed eight uh Religious retreat Center in my late twenties and early 30 's so I had kids College kids with a little younger than me actually come for a month at a time and study in this case judaism. But I spoke about a lot of things. Happiness meaning, sex, a lot of things sorry. Member young women would say to me because they felt totally free to ask me anything just as you do and I've always welcome that they so that she would say well, if a man really loves me, he won't care how I look he will only My heart he will see what a beautiful heart I have and I said that's only true in heaven, where we're spiritual beings, perhaps, but so long as we're physical beings, the physical matters and it's not fair but it would be doubly unfair if I feel deluded you into thinking it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter so it it all matters it's like saying, if a man were to say it doesn't matter, if I, if I have a job, what matters We'll see what a good heart I have but that's not true. On Earth away woman cares most women do care uh if it 30 you're living with your parents and not working and playing video games, even if you have the kindest heart in the world. It's not a perfect analogy, but it's it's a valid one, so everything matters but true beauty is character. I fully acknowledge that in either sex, but the Matters as long as we have eyeballs anyway Morgan 21 Boca raton Florida boy I'm no, Boca raton well, prager force as well. What books do you highly recommend. Young adults read for pleasure, listen if it's for pleasure you choose, I can tell you the books to read for wisdom, but I can't leave the books to read for pleasure you know I'm the wrong. Guy to ask because I really don't get into popular novels and I'm not saying that's good thing about me. I just don't I never did right now. I'm reading a 900 page book actually listening to it. another 900 page book that was just just came out on erasmus and luther. I am mesmerized by this book and it gives me great pleasure cuz it feels with the great issues of life and I love them, but that's my pleasure. Another person is not gonna get so much pleasure from that book. They may read it, but they maybe because they feel they need to so if that's your choice uh, I think that the pursuit of Wisdom is pleasurable once you start, I know you will agree with me. The trick is to is to start you start feeding. I think it's like a hunger. I think there's, a built-in hunger and most people for wisdom, but they don't know it. They know they have hunger for pizza and they know they have hunger for sex and they know they have hunger for other pleasures, but I don't know if they feel they recognize that there is a hunger for that as well Veronica 21 right away, if you're over 25, you are allowed to send in a question just just just letting you know I'm enough and thrilled with this. But I just want those of you over 25 to know that moronic of 21 palmdale California House of the person determine if the choices they're making a morally right or wrong during times when making that distinction might be difficult here is my here is a guideline that is, that is not religious here is a non religious guideline on determining Whether what you're gonna do is right or wrong or doing already and that is Ask if everybody did it would it would the world be better or worse So, for example, I'll give you an example of something that I find awful people will go into a store and they uh. I think I'll take a female example. Woman wants to dress for, for Saturday night event to repair or date or whatever it might be and she sees what she really likes. She called and called buys it at the store where's. It Saturday night and returns. It on Monday or even Now that's wrong, I think it's it's actually stealing your stealing from the Department store, even though you say well, I return the item, but you really are stealing and the best way to realize that what if everybody did that one of every woman who wants to dress for a special event got the dress for a day or two for the special event and then return that saying it doesn't fit. I don't like it the material isn't comfortable, whatever so it's a good example ask that question. What, if everybody didn't see if every Smoke, the cigar, the world would be a better place by the way part of me believes that I know I know that sounds bizarre and by the way, for the record. I don't say that about cigarettes because cigarettes are inhaled and this is done but that's another subject which I think I might even talking about one time, many I'm actually kidding about the cigar, but not entirely no up 21 tuscaloosa Alabama. I was in tuscaloosa on never forget when the great Legendary Alabama coach bear Bryant was having a football clinic and I couldn't get into any hotel in tuscaloosa because it was I was in my 20 s it was driving through the South and I couldn't get into any hotel in tuscaloosa because bear Bryant was having a football clinic And ended up sleeping in the utah area, Alabama which, if you're in tuscaloosa you probably know of who and I ended up sleeping in a room above the city jail, that was the closest room, I could find then, as you have spoken against contemporary music, that is a total or even experimental. You say that is a product of the left. Why do you feel so negatively about music from composers to serve bergen vibrant. What makes it so terrible wow Noah 21 congratulations to you for even knowing and uh and the um Sharon growth and so did they wrote some accessible, beautiful music they're, not the best examples. I know they did. It. Tonality is really wanted bernstein about nothing. He is the greatest. It was the the greatest popular eyes of classical music when I was a kid in America, he was the conductor of the New York philharmonic very famous classical musician and he was a man of the left and I didn't, like a lot of his views, but this is We he he said eight total music he's, an oxymoron it's, a self contradictory phrase and I agree with that and by the way, the proof is most the vast majority of people of classical music don't like this music cuz. It doesn't talk to their heart. Music can only talk to your brain music has to talk to your heart to your emotions. This does anybody I cry at the end of an eight total peace about sometimes I have cried at the end of the total pieces to be somebody would spend their time playing it, but I'm e'en seriously get the chills from from you know, electronic music. I'm talking about classic electronic or or the music of some of these guys it's like a substitute for for passion. You know You're up sometimes at the end of beethoven's ninth the, you tear up at the end of eight total music. I would love to know if, if there's no capacity to make you tear up or get chills then it's music is not speaking to your heart and it has to speak to your heart. I think to your mind, as well, so I love classical, let's speaks to both, but it has to touch speak to your heart Ken with two ends that correct 58 uh an elder statesman in Arizona light houses are special to me that makes one of us I'm just ribbing. You, it used to collect lighthouse figurines like the one I've seen behind you and many fire sides that right only not lighthouse just figurines yes. These are animals from all over the world. We have a lighthouse physical It's my own House and I don't know I have a figurine of a lighthouse that's pathetic. Thank God my wife is in here she be laughing yourself silly Is there any significance of the one that you display on your bookcase. I guess I answered that already didn't know it. I feel a little feel little silly was the first logo right here. It was the first logo of lighthouse. Now I'm kidding when I said makes one of us. I was just ribbing. You light houses are a very romantic uh Type of building there's no question out of the very edge of the land of beacon in the darkness. I get it so I don't know what is that is that because of use original logo is it like it. I don't know why we have it. Thank you for telling me about my own study. It's a little said last question James in London. What is your opinion on premarital sex and its impact on this generation of 40 should have ended with the lighthouse Well, I got a light up for that. one Okay, I'll tell you are you ready. I don't know if this will I'll think that my answer will please know that almost nobody, but this is this is what I believe you asked me. So I'll tell you, I think that having no sexual experience before marriage is is, is generally unwise but I've believe that saving intercourse for marriage is a good thing, so I've been Leave in other words too many people who have done nothing sexual prior to marriage have been found out. That they're not compatible with their spouse, sexually and that's part of marriage. I'm sorry, it is and uh, if you haven't kissed somebody or or I don't know that this is the work to make out is that use anymore yeah if you have never made out alright now, let me say quickly by no religious Christians and Jews who have never done any of that and they have Many of them have wonderful marriages and God bless them. I'll use my own parents who were Orthodox Jews. They they dated for four years until they married and they were married for 69 years. My parents, for a quintessential love affair and both religious people. But my father who was extremely open about sexual matters which is why am I got that trait from him. May he rest in peace because he just know it's part of life. Why shouldn't be talked about is nothing to hide God made it it's to be talked about and And uh he he told them my brother and me at the two children that he had um, but my parents had he said your mom and I did everything except that that was the way he put it and I bought that I've bought that and I'm not saying everything you'll decide on religious grounds. What you choose, but they they didn't do nothing that's clear at but I Do you believe that intercourse should be regarded is very special and it is very special by the way you know what a special, in life. This is really important. What a special in life is what you deem special nothing is inherently special. If you make it special, it is special if you make it another night another night to have intercourse another hook up, then it becomes less special and obviously for men and for women, just that's just The nature of of anything and me common and special are somewhat mutually exclusive. So I think that that with the right persons or person out of the persons at one time but uh persons or person that something be done, I can't tell people don't do anything. I can't. I can't do it with a straight face. If you're, religious group will say, do nothing. I respect that but I'm not saying that ugh because Cause, I know too many cases where the the in compatibility in that arena came up. People call my show in the male female our on my radio show and you can hear my radio show either on your am dial and most of the cities of the country or you can just go to the dennis prager app or you can get you can download my show for five dollars a month and I know I sound selling. I don't care, but I gotta tell you It's not free about pia and you can get all the shows and get it whenever you want with no commercial so you could listen very quickly. As it were. Anyway uh one of my hours every week is the male female hour and you have no idea you don't especially those of you who are young. I know why cuz I speak that so many people, how many people have sexual problems in their marriage and ask them well did you know about this Forehand no Well, it would have been better if they didn't know before hand that's that's one argument in that favor but again I do think in the courses is is a special thing. If you, if that's the only way you can obtain sexual pleasure, is to win the course you were very UN imaginative sexual being. There is great joy to be had in many ways so that's my answer in that in that regard, and um as I said I'm sure that a lot of people were not happy with it and I Just ask your forgiveness, but I can never gonna say something that I don't believe alright. What if I forgotten anything, okay so and we all next week I'm in town wanna rarity, great hey. If I'm this full of life flying in from Australia imagine next week when I'll be rested actually God gave me a lot of stamina and I'm very grateful for so thanks for watching and watch our videos. Needless to say, and help fund us cuz everything is free and the more funds we We have the more likely to change lives if that's what we're trying to do thanks for watching I'm dennis prager
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