No Honor to Parents

Check out monorail.com, America's affordable investment app made for conservatives who want to keep their hard-earned money with companies that share their values. Download the Monorail app today. Join Monorail. Well, let me see here. I have not been with you, my friends, since last Thursday. Friday and Monday were Christmas weekend. Today's Tuesday. Wow, that's very rare. Hi everybody, Dennis Prager here. Pleasure to be with you, and I hope you had a meaningful Christmas. Not just merry, but meaningful. Meaningful is a big deal, and it was a very touching thing For those of us celebrating Hanukkah, it was the, the 8th day, the last day of Hanukkah, and Christmas coincided. It's also very rare, and it was a meaningful time for me and my family. So welcome to the show. It's the last week of the year and My producer and I decided that in general we're just going to open the lines as if it were Friday third hour for you to raise issues that you would like about whatever. And again, I always make this appeal on Fridays: don't be offended if I dropped your call before I took it. There could be any number of reasons, and none of them are personal, obviously, since I don't know who made the call. 1-800-PRAGER-776, 877-243-7776. I will tell you that my column, which comes out Tuesdays, I wrote about the reactions on the left wing to my column about adult children who have severed all contact with parents and not allowed their parents to even see their grandchildren because they voted for Donald Trump or because they're conservative or because they're Republican. Leftists Defend Those Who Won't Allow Conservative Parents to See Them or Their Grandchildren is the name of the column. It's up at DennisPrager.com Town Hall and will be elsewhere over the course of the week. So throughout the left, there was a defense of those. This is very important for you to hear. I am certain— this is as certain as one can be of a non-test-tubable fact— the further left you go, the more likely you are to become mean. Just mean. Parents should ask themselves a question to test my thesis: if your child became woke at college, did your child become a kinder or meaner human being? So, very simple question. What impact did that metamorphosis have on the decency, kindness, goodness, coherence, ability to think logically of your child? So, uh, you have no idea. It's remarkable. I was shocked. I expected the left to react to the column. And the column did have a large— well, I don't know if it went viral, I won't use that term, but it was widely disseminated. And I expected the left to say, oh, Prager is exaggerating, this doesn't happen that much, or it happens on the right too, where conservative kids don't speak to their parents who are on the left, which is not true. But that's what I expected. Instead, it was virtually unanimous. Those kids, we're talking adult kids, who sever relations with their parents because the parents are Trump supporters or conservative in other ways are right to do so. That is, that even I was surprised. And I have contempt for the left. This was really remarkable. Let me give you some examples. My column was published in, among other places, American Greatness, one of the leading conservative sites. They had about 1,000 comments, which is a lot for a column. And many of them were from the left. Do you understand that? Do leftists go to American Greatness? It was jarring. I would say half the comments were from people on the left at American Greatness. Anyway, whatever the reason, so listen to some of the comments. Typical left-wing responses. Conservatives are whiny, mean little people, and their kids don't want to listen to their racist, homophobic, sexist BS anymore. Or let their kids be around that crap. There you go. That was a typical left-wing reaction to my column. Conservatives are mean people and their kids don't want to listen to their racist, homophobic, sexist BS. Really, what is the racist BS of the typical conservative parent? Do you know that I do this for a living? I am a professional news analyst, as it were, and I have no idea what they're talking about. Do you? When they say that conservatives are racist, what do they mean? What, what, what example, what example can they point to? Homophobic. Yes, of course. If you think that marriage, which Barack Obama believed until his mid-presidency, which in fact all of Western civilization believed until a few years ago, that marriage should be defined as between a man and a woman, that makes you homophobic. See, there's no possibility that there are two sides held by honorable people. Or can be honorable people. There's no such concept on the left. I believe you can be honorable and be pro-same-sex marriage. It's not even difficult for me. But there is no reciprocity here. You are, by definition, unworthy of seeing your grandchildren if you believe, for religious or whatever other reasons— usually it's religious— it is in mine— that marriage should be defined as between a man and a woman. And I'm extremely close to a number of married gay couples, and they know my position. But they're decent human beings who understand where I'm coming from, as I understand totally where they're coming from. What's sexist, and what is the sexist BS of conservatives? Do you know what that is? Oh, well, I guess just believing that men and women are essentially different. I guess that is. So there's an example. Here's another one. Listen to the, you know, people use, what is the word for the names that people give, username, when they sign in and make a comment? I guess it's username. So the next username, are you ready? Dennis Prager's Butthole. These are— these, these people are deep. Now, the guy— I'm sure it's a guy— do you think the guy who took the name Dennis Prager's Butthole, do you think he's married with children? This, this might be the dumbest article I've ever read anywhere. That's as deep as his username. Luna Chan: I'm sorry, Mr. Prager, you cannot claim after 6 years of Trump being the leader of the Republican Party that meanness is not a central component of the current Republican project. Republicans now make being as offensive and disregarding of others' humanity paramount to their political rhetoric. When a parent on Facebook jokes about inflicting violence and even killing trans people and their children or grandchildren happen to be gay or trans, I think it is perfectly reasonable to no longer want to associate with that person. So let me understand, it is, it is now a generalization that conservatives joke about inflicting violence or killing trans people? Are you familiar with what they're talking about? Just another straw man. Oh well, no. Oh, of course it— though, of course it's made up, but I, I think I can figure this one out. By telling your 12-year-old, your 8-year-old girl, the daughter, you are, you are a girl, you are, you are putting them on the road to suicide. That's the only thing that I can imagine, uh, as what, what this is about. Screen name, that's the proper name. Thank you. We have more coming up. 1-800-PRAGER-776. The Dennis Prager Show. I'd like to introduce you to Monorail, America's investment app that takes you from where you are to where you want to be. Monorail is an investment and savings app that is made for patriots by patriots. Doesn't matter whether you're an Apple fan or if you prefer Android, Monorail is available in both environments and online at monorail.com. Monorail is safer for users with bank-level encryption and biometrics. Your money is protected with Monorail through Securities Investor Protection Corporation and the FDIC. No matter how you engage with Monorail, you're getting the security and safety that you need. Whether you're adding funds to your investment account, looking to buy a stock, or putting money aside for future purchases. With Monorail, you can put your money where it matters and utilize the economic power that built this country. Don't go somewhere else to trade stocks. Monorail gives you the freedom to purchase whole or fractional shares in companies you believe in. It only takes 5 minutes to download the app and set up. Join the pro-America money movement. Join Monorail. It is eerie to read the responses to my column from the left defending people who won't allow their parents to see their grandchildren or them because they're Republican. Here's another one. What was the name? Not username. What did he— what did Sean say? Screen name. Screen name. Austin Tucker the Deester 694: There is not an ounce of tolerance in conservative circles. Tolerate the intolerance is what you're asking, and we won't. Get that? Every conservative is intolerant, so therefore why should one visit one's parent or let the parent see the grandchildren because then you are tolerating intolerance. So you understand, on the left there is not merely an acknowledgement that this is what a lot of left-wing children do, grown children I'm talking. But that it's the right thing to do. Here's another one, and again, these appear on a major conservative site as comments. Barton Sink or 4, or Barton's L-A-L-N-K-4, I don't know if it's an I or an L. I'm pretty sure I speak for all of the children who've cut off their parents when I say one, We don't effing miss you. And of course he used the entire word. At all. Two, we should have done this years ago.

Huh?

That's something. We live amongst some despicable human beings in America. I mean, there are tens of millions of people like these. The left has done a job. In making awful human beings. We don't effing miss you, parents, at all. Of the nearly 1,000 comments on American greatness, most of them are like the ones quoted here. Then there are left-wing websites. I'll cite two examples. The first is the feminist site Wonkette, which headlined, won't someone, won't someone think of all the bigots who won't be invited to Christmas this year? That's the sarcasm thing, right? So why would you invite a bigot to your Christmas table? The article goes on to say, people who vote Republican right now hold views that are hurtful to actual human beings who may or may not be their children, their grandchildren, or friends thereof. It is quite easy to imagine that conservatives would freeze out any relative, parent or not, who belong to one of the various groups that are currently mad they are currently mad at. We know for sure they have a tendency to throw their LGBTQIA+ children out on the streets. Really? The, the brainwash is so perfect. I mean, it's so, it's so, it's 100% effective. What conservatives are really like. Anyway, I'll read more later about these aspects. David in Naples, Florida, hello.

Dennis, good afternoon, happy new year to you.

Thank you very much.

I was just calling, I was interested in your subject regarding How your family rejects you. Um, I'm in a second marriage. Uh, been divorced for 16 years. My only daughter who's adopted, uh, really makes me totally uncomfortable. She still lets me see her maybe once or twice a year. She won't come to me. And, um, I now have two grandchildren in her family. Second one was born just a couple of weeks ago. Beautiful little angel. Um, and, uh, the last time I was with her, she scolded me for taking a little bit of video, maybe a minute's worth of video, of my grandson playing with a truck on the floor. And she told me I was to ask her if I ever wanted to video. She wanted to make sure she knew when that was going on.

One minute, you know. Yeah, I'm torn. I'm torn in my reaction because I don't want to make you feel worse. Really, no, I, I'm serious. I'm very— I'm ambivalent about expressing myself, but I, I, I can only say this: this is a new one. Okay, I cover this and I had never heard that. What, what is wrong in your having videoed your, your grandson?

Well, I mean, not a thing. Not dress, not— you know, I'm just saying, like, is there something I could put my finger on? Not one thing.

It's like, no, no, no, no, please, please, on that, I'm trying. Did she explain why that was wrong?

Oh no, no, no, no.

Did you—

and my, my current wife said to me she's read something on Facebook, or, you know, and I you know, social media that says, um, parents these days are concerned that people are going to post their children on social media, which I never do. I don't, I don't even subscribe to any of them.

So wait, and what, what is the concern about?

No, I mean, I'm just saying that.

No, no, I know you don't do it. I, I don't understand. I'm— this is just an honest question. I'm not even arguing with your daughter here. What is the concern?

No, I don't know it. I don't know why. I mean, I, I guess my wife let me know that some people are concerned, but she didn't really have any further explanation. Has seen it on, on social media.

Is your daughter married? Oh yes. And her husband agrees with her?

Well, it I would say he does. He maybe has to in so many ways, right? But every time that I've been in their presence, he's always welcoming, handshake, smile.

Okay. Well, at least you get to see her twice a year. Are you a successful loan officer in the mortgage business looking to grow your business in 2023? Are you looking for a dynamic and supportive work environment with a team I trust? Are you looking for a wonderful culture with people who share your values? Andrew Del Rey and Todd Avakian of AndrewAndTodd.com are looking for experienced loan officers to join their team. They're looking for people who value their clients and are solution-based problem solvers. Maybe you've worked in an environment that treats loan officers and their clients like a number and you're ready for a real and meaningful change. They have offices in Southern California but service clients nationwide. So whether you're in California or out of state, I invite you to talk to them about joining their team. Call them at 888-888-1172. That's 888-888-1172. Or click the Join Our Team button at AndrewAndTodd.com. Hey there all, Dennis Prager with you. It's a delight indeed. The final year, the final week of the year. It's my favorite two weeks, the last two weeks. It's sort of a punch in the gut emotionally to me when January 2nd comes around. There's a lightness of being. Wasn't that Milos Kundera? Didn't he write that novel, The Lightness of Being? Is that what the title is? There's a lightness of being in the, uh, the last 2 weeks. I hope you have felt it, although I'm sure because of what I raised about the children not visiting, the unbearable lightness of being. Yeah, the Czech— there's a Czech novelist, Milos Kundera. So what is, what is next year bringing? I'll tell you one thing next year is bringing. I have made a very important decision with regard to my show, and that is that I am going to introduce new opening theme music, the Gladiator theme. Ding dong. No, no, no, that's the handle theme. That's really funny. Yeah, anyway, the Gladiator theme was introduced on 9/11, or right after 9/11. That's September 11th, 2001. This will be 2023, so 22 years of the same theme because we were at war, and the beautiful classical music theme that I had prior to that I thought wasn't as fitting as the, the tough music from Gladiator. Now we are still in a war, but it is a different war. It is a war for Western civilization. So I am returning to classical music for the theme, and it is a rousing— it'll be rousing theme, not a fight theme. We have to, we have to transmit the greatness of Western culture. So that will begin on January 2nd. What, January 3rd? Oh, January 3rd. Well, the 1st is Sunday. Oh, you're right, Monday is, is— oh, we're off because it's like January 1st. So on January 3rd In honor of my brother's birthday. I knew there was another reason. Okay everybody, let's go to more of your calls here. Jeffrey in Irvine, California. Hello.

Hello.

Hi.

Um, it's nice to talk to you. I've been a fan for A very long time.

Thank you very much.

I— something struck a chord with the caller who had his adopted— well, I don't use the word adopted daughter— his daughter, um, uh, not want to post on social media. And I can't fully explain it, but I have a lot of friends who will not post anything on social media. And when I ask them, it's really a question of fear about their privacy. Lots of bad things happen through social media. Phishing, people contact kids, get them to leave their home, et cetera, et cetera. And I know a lot of people who just won't post any pictures of their family on there. I'm not as paranoid about it, but I kind of understand their reasoning.

So, so I, I don't know. Yes, you're— thank you for telling me that. I'm sure you're right. The question is whether it is more in the realm of hysteria or rational fear, and I don't know the answer. I will, I will tell you this. I do know this: the number of stranger abductions of children is infinitesimally small. The vast majority of abductions of children are by relatives. Secondly, and I'm not saying people should post these things, secondly, if you put up a picture of your kid, your 2, 3-year-old playing with trucks, what, what will that, what will that lead to? Anyway, it's worth exploring because I— this is— this fear is new to me. Hello everybody and welcome to the show. Say you had a good weekend. I hope you had a good weekend. Is really on steroids because let's see, Sunday night was Was it Sunday? Today's Monday. Sunday was Christmas. Sunday was— Sunday was Christmas. Sunday night was the last night of Hanukkah, so it went into Monday. So it was a big holy weekend, as it were, big holiday weekend for Jews and Christians. Well, Let's put it this way, for Jews who observe it and Christians. You know, there's a very serious problem when people think about Jews, and it's nobody's fault. It's just, it's just what it is. Jews who have no Jewish identity, zero Jewish beliefs, zero Jewish practices, are considered Jews. But non-Jews who have no Christian beliefs, no Christian practices, do not identify as Christians, they're not called Christians. Christian. So Jews are stuck with every Jew. If the guy's last name ends in Berger or Stein or Cohen or whatever the Jewish name might be, then the person's considered a Jew. But if you're O'Connor or Smith or Jenkins, you're not considered a Christian. It's not, as I said, it's not anybody's fault, but you should be aware of that fact. George Soros is as Jewish as my basset hound, but he is called a Jew just as much as the chief rabbi of Israel would be called a Jew. But he doesn't identify as a Jew, doesn't have any relationship to Judaism or the Jewish people. Has hostility toward Israel, but hey, he's called a Jew. But Christians get to call, and totally understandably, get to call only those who have Christian faith Christians. But Jews who have no Jewish faith are still called Jews, and there is a reason. It's not hostility, it's not anti-Semitic necessarily. It just is because Christianity is only a religion and Jews are a people as well as a religion. You are not born Christian, you are born a Jew according to Judaism. There's no solution to the problem, but you should be aware of it when you think about people like George Soros. And other Jews, they're called Jews, but they had— there's nothing juicy or Jewish about them by their own acknowledgment. There was a famous left-wing Jewish writer in the 1930s, Isaac Deutscher. He wrote a book titled The Non-Jewish Jew. Nobody ever wrote a book called The Non-Christian Christian. It would be considered an oxymoron. You can't be a non-Christian Christian. You can't be an atheist Christian. Everybody acknowledges that a Christian atheist is not a Christian. A Jewish atheist is a Jew. Some thoughts on the nomenclature of our time. Anyway, I do hope you had a good weekend. I opened up the last hour noting the reactions on the left to my article last Tuesday. My column comes out every Tuesday about the number of people who don't have any contact with their parents because the parent is a conservative. And they won't even let that parent see the parent's grandchildren, that is their children, because the parent is conservative. And all across the internet where this was covered, my article, there was complete 100% left-wing support for those who have no contact with their parents because the parent is conservative. I read to you some of the examples of what people, what people are saying, and it's, it's quite, it is quite depressing. The, the one that really got me was this one: I'm pretty sure I speak for all the children who've cut off their parents when I say, one, we don't effing miss you. At all. Two, we should have done this years ago. On the feminist site Wonkette, it headlined, "Won't someone think of all the bigots who won't be invited to Christmas this year?" Coverage of my piece. People who vote Republican right now hold views that are hurtful to actual human beings who may or may not be their children, their grandchildren, or friends thereof. It is quite easy to imagine that conservatives would freeze out any relative, parent or not, who belong to one of the various groups that are currently mad at. We know for sure they have a tendency to throw their LGBTQIA+ children out on the streets. Apparently, parents are the only people God demands conservatives be nice to. Did you see that line? That's a treasure. Yeah, no, we, uh, that— there's a lot of truth to the fact that yes, we believe in the Ten Commandments, and it says honor your parents even if you can't stand their politics. So if you are a conservative and your parent is woke, you still have to honor them. That's correct, we do believe that, but we don't believe that's the only people that God demands that we be nice to. Love your neighbor as yourself comes from the same Bible as honor your father and mother. Another quote: Conservatives who just go around believing everything Tucker Carlson and Dennis Prager tell them are frequently very angry and thus perhaps not the world's best dinner guests at Christmas or any other time. Boy, if that isn't projection, then the word should be thrown out of the English language. Really? You who think that you live in a systemically racist country, who fear that you will— you or your children will be incinerated by climate change, You who believe that Donald Trump is a fascist and that we had 4 years of fascism under Donald Trump and that white people are walking around, every single one of whom is a racist, you're not angry. We're the angry ones.

Hmm.

So, uh, the, the half year of staggering violence in 2020, that was caused by exactly whom? Non-angry leftists? But of course the answer, though— well, look at January 6th. January 6th was, for most people who entered the Capitol, a photo op. Was it— wasn't it? What did the guy who sat in Nancy Pelosi's office— was he the one with the with the antlers? Or is that another person? Another guy. I condemn that, by the way. It happened at the end of my show that day, and I condemned it as soon as I heard about it. But it does, it pales in comparison to what was done in Portland and Seattle and New York and Chicago and other cities in 2020. Then there's an atheist website called Only Sky, which in its own words, quote, explores the human experience from a secular point of view. Its headline— ready, the headline— conservatives are upset their kids don't want to spend Christmas with them. Dennis Prager believes we're all obligated to spend the holiday with parents who embrace right-wing cruelty. Did you see that? That precious right-wing cruelty is for them redundant. And that's how they justify not allowing their parents to see their children, that is, the parents' grandchildren. Hey, you're, you're right-wing, therefore you are definitionally cruel. Again, projection. The author fully defends left-wing children— I'm writing this— who break off contact with their parents and prohibit their parents from seeing their grandchildren. If you care about your health, then people who reject vaccines and spread conspiracy theories about COVID are literally putting lives at risk. Wow, I wonder if they've read a single article by a single scientist. Dennis Prager questioning the efficacy of the COVID vaccine. Back in a moment. MyPillow is excited to bring you their biggest bedding sale ever, and just in time for Christmas. For a limited time, get the Giza Dream bed sheets for as low as $29.98, a set of pillowcases for only $9.98, and rejuvenate your bed with a MyPillow mattress topper for as low as $99.99. They also have blankets in a variety of sizes, colors, and styles. They even have blankets for your pets. Get duvets, quilts, down comforters, body pillows, bolster pillows, and so much more, all with the biggest discounts of the year happening now. They're also extending their money-back guarantee for Christmas until March 1st, 2023, making them the perfect gifts for your friends, your family, and everyone you know. So go to mypillow.com and use the promo code Prager. Or call 800-761-6302. You'll get huge discounts on all MyPillow bedding products, including the Giza Dream bed sheets for as low as $29.98. And get all your shopping done now while quantities last. I tell you, I ain't lying.

I ain't lying. You know I can't stand it. You're running around, you know better, Dennis.

So there's an atheist website out there called— what is it called here? I'm looking. Only Sky. That's it, Only Sky. Explores the human experience from a secular point of view. The guy who wrote the article is identified as the founder of FriendlyAtheist.com and author of multiple books about atheism. So my take on atheism is as Charles Krauthammer, the late great Charles Krauthammer said, it's the most moronic theory out there. About the origins of the universe?

Oh, I believe atheism is the least plausible of all theologies. I mean, there are a lot of wild ones out there, but the one that is clearly, um, so contrary to what is possible is atheism. I mean, the idea that all this universe— I mean, what is it, always existed? It created itself ex nihilo? I mean, talk about the violation of human rationality. So that, that to me is sort of off the charts.

Yeah, it's a violation of human rationality, atheism. But it's an interesting thing. I fully acknowledge that there are atheists who are fine human beings. There's no doubt in my mind, as just as there are religious people who are not fine human beings. However, religion is more likely, at least Western religion, our religions in America, are more likely to make you a finer human being than atheism is. People who are fine atheists are not fine because of atheism. Atheism has, in and of itself, has nothing to say about whether you be kind or cruel, by definition. But religion does have something to say. Atheism doesn't say love your neighbor as yourself. Atheism doesn't say anything. It doesn't say hate your neighbor. I'm not charging it with that. But anyway, intellectual honesty is a minority attribute because of our colleges. So this is what this activist atheist writes in, in here about children. And he, and he's the one, the friendly atheist, he's a friendly atheist, but he, he defends children who don't see their parents on Christmas because they're conservatives. If you care about your health, then people who reject vaccines and spread conspiracy theories about COVID are literally putting lives at risk. Wow. See, the beauty of being on the left is you dismiss all dissent with a term: sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, and conspiracy theory. That's it. Does this author know a damn thing about all the reports out of Europe and out of Israel about the dangers of the vaccine? To young people? Do you know that in Denmark, if you're under 50, I believe it is, they actually tell you not to be vaccinated? I wonder if this author knows anything about it. And the odds are he knows nothing. Nothing. All that's before we get into banning books. What is this about right-wingers banning books? Because we don't want children reading sex books. That's called banning books. They lie. Remember, truth is not a left-wing value. This is an example of their lying. Who censors more, left or right? You have to be joking. Denying election results. They didn't deny the results with Hillary Clinton. Well, or what is it, Raphael Warnock? Is that his first name? What's Warnock's first name? Raphael? Yeah, there was a whole article on, on him. He's still going around saying there was voter suppression in Georgia. Well, why is that? Why is that acceptable? Whitewashing history. Uh, if you say that America has been essentially a good place, it's whitewashing history. Denying science. Denying science? I— that's because we're, we're not panicked by climate change. Demanding more guns in more hands in more places. That's true. I, I plead guilty to that. I think that the more people, the more good people who have guns, the fewer evil people will use guns. That's right, that's what I believe. People who want to shoot people go to places where they believe they won't be shot. And believing whatever other lies Fox hosts shove into their heads. This is from the atheist website: Why invite people with dangerous views into your home voluntarily? That's right. So all right-wing views are dangerous, and you would— even if your parents hold them, you should not invite them into your home. It's important this is an atheist website. Atheism does not produce nice people. There are nice atheists, but it wasn't atheism that made them nice. That's especially true if you have kids. Parents want to protect their children. And that may mean protecting them from their grandparents' cuckoo bananas beliefs. Get that? You protect your children if they can't see their grandparents. This is what they believe on the left. Every left-wing source that covered my column had the same view. You are protecting your children by not allowing them to see your parents, their grandparents, if their grandparents voted for Donald Trump or in general are Republican. Nice crowd, eh? All right, 1-800-PRAGER-776. Back in a moment. Hello, my friends, I'm Dennis Prager. Opening up to what is on your mind, in addition to telling you what is on my mind. Simons Islands, Georgia. Wesley, hello.

Hello, Dennis Prager. Thank you for taking my call. I just wanted to say that talk radio may seem ephemeral, you know, only lasting for a short time, but The effect of your work, Dennis Prager, and the lives and the labor and the love of your associates and team members will last for generations and I believe will resonate into eternity. And I mean that. We're a mom-and-pop radio station and we could never afford a host of your quality except for the fact of Salem Radio Network. So I just wanted to let you know that we really appreciate you and your team. And we really count on y'all, and we— y'all knocked it out of the park every day. And we just wanted to say thank you very much and hope that you have a wonderful 2023.

It's very kind of you, means a lot to me, Nicole. Thank you, thank you for having me on your station. The, uh, my, my experience with station managers, program directors, and 40 years of radio is a very mixed bag. Some have been just superb human beings, but it's true for every, every group. There is no group dominated by wonderful people. The, the others were people who had no idea of what was important to have on their station. What they did was they Asked who's popular, not who's important. And I understand you say, well, it's capitalism and they have to go just by that. I totally get that, except that I have been a revenue producer for virtually every single station I've ever been on. So it wasn't a matter of if you had me, and I'm on hundreds. I'm not— this is not a complaint, it's just a note that a lot of them didn't understand the value. I remember one— I have no idea what station it was— one guy wouldn't have me on his station, and I got the feedback why. Prager is too intellectual. All he was saying was, I'm not particularly bright. He that he's saying about himself. If my show is too intellectual for the average American, there is no hope for the country. My show is as clear and entertaining as can be. You may differ with me, but you cannot deny the clarity of it, or the fact that there is pretty much nonstop interest. So anyway, it is what it is, and I thank you again for that. Uh, okay, let's go to Orlando, Florida. John. Hello, John.

Hi, Dennis. Thank you for taking my call, and just, uh, kind of want to echo the prior caller. You are a blessing.

Thank you.

And the intellectual conversations are Superb. I guess two quick questions I'd like to get your opinion on. One is, you know, the most important question, you know, I hear that it's what it costs, but, you know, it seems like these days especially it's whether or not it's true because there's just so— the lies, the lies are just everywhere. And I think that will change the country dramatically if people cared more about truth.

That's everything. It's everything. That's— you're right, truth is everything.

And maybe that goes also to the second, you know, question I'd like to get your opinion on is just, uh, the beginning of wisdom. Is it the fear of the Lord? Is it, you know, this is the respect of the Lord? You know, I guess this goes biblical interpretation, but I, I would like your thoughts on that.

All right, thank you. It's an interesting question because I am, and I am writing the fourth of my fifth volumes right now, these days, not right this second, but I will when I leave the show today continue. I'm writing the fourth of the five-volume commentary on the first five books of the Bible because people don't understand these books. They don't, they don't know how to apply them to their lives. It's totally understandable. And there is a very interesting insight that I have come up with, and that is that very often where it speaks about fear of God, the translators into English say revere God. There's a law, for example, to fear your mother and father, and they say revere. They don't like the Hebrew. It's too strong. It doesn't comport with their sweet dispositions. We don't want to fear the Lord. You should have no fear of your mother or father. Really? I beg to differ. Well, hello everybody, I'm Dennis Prager. This is the Ultimate Issues Hour, and it is the last Ultimate Issues Hour of the year 2022. I want you— I want that to sink in. I want you to meditate, cogitate, uh, appropriate, marinate. That was a good one. On that issue. The last Ultimate Issues Hour of 2022. Unless the universe repeats itself in some ongoing repetitive cycle for eternity, there will never be an Ultimate Issues Hour in 2022, ever. I want that to sink in. Sean is beginning to cry. It has really affected him. Sean, it's okay because we have 2023 coming up. Sounds like science fiction, 2023. Anyway, this is my beloved Ultimate Issues Hour. I would like to know if your kid is in high school, has there been any class, any discussion in a class about an ultimate issue? Interesting question, isn't there? Isn't that— you realize that those of us who had a traditional religious education, in my case Jewish, That's— it was a huge aspect of everything. The whole religious education is ultimate issues. Is there a God? Is there meaning? Is there purpose? What are good and evil? Is there a good and evil? Is it— what is the human obligated to do? What is the difference between rights and obligations? I mean, these are intrinsic to a religious curriculum. One of the many horrors, one of the many horrific consequences of the secularization of society is, of course, that it has become wisdom-free, which means we produce fools, and then fools produce fools. Fools teach your kids. When your kids are taught by fools, they become fools. That's pretty clear. There are no— there's no ultimate issue in the curriculum. Your preferred pronoun, that there are no boys and girls in the class, just students, that men give birth, that sex is non-binary— these are not ultimate issues. This is claptrap, but it's not ultimate issues. Even if they were discussed, even if they discussed slavery, and it should be discussed, obviously. It's just, if it's the only thing discussed, you have a completely distorted view of American history, but it certainly needs to be discussed. But even if that is your curriculum, how about asking the question, what does this say about human nature? The fact that slavery was universal— universal— universal. Okay, blacks had slaves in Africa, blacks sold slaves to whites in Africa, and there was an even larger Muslim slave trade. Native Americans had slaves in America. It was universal. Every society had slavery. So here's an ultimate issues question: what does that tell you about human nature? Anything? I always have to control myself when I come to the question of adults who believe that human nature is basically good. How could you be an adult and think something so childish? How is that possible? And the answer is, people— most people believe what they want to believe. They do not ask, is it true? Once you do that, you will end up believing a lot of things you don't want to believe. Is it true? So I have spent much of my career explaining to you the deleterious consequences of a secular society. Only secular people and leftists who say they're religious, though the religion is a cover for their leftism, say that men give birth, right? There are some secular people who know that that is one of the great idiocies of our time, and the competition for great idiocy in our time is a keen one. But it is— while there are secular people who know that that is a fraudulent statement. It is the secular world that says it. The religious world does not say men give birth. The secular world does. Why is that not enough to push you into challenging your raising of your children secular? I don't know the answer to that question. Last week, my, my subject was, in fact, what stops you from being religious? I could do that every week. Got a letter. Julie actually got it, the, the young woman I do the Dennis and Julie podcast with, which is The first time in my life I've ever had a quote-unquote co-host. She's 23 years old, which makes it all the more remarkable. It is quite something. And I will say this, I'm, I'm very open about my life on my, on my show, but the, the openness that she brings out of me in the in these discussions that we have every week. It's a, it's a very remarkable thing. We got a letter, she got a letter from a 25-year-old German who watches, he's watched every single Dennis and Julie podcast, and he listens to my show and watches my fireside chat. Anyway, he said that The biggest change that I brought into his life was that he takes religion and God seriously. A 25-year-old German, that's not a normal, a normal 25-year-old German now. The secularization of Europe is virtually complete. They couldn't even acknowledge in the latest— the charter of the EU, the European Union, it does not mention Christianity in talking about Europe and its origins. Christianity made Europe. It didn't contribute to Europe. It made Europe. It also made a lot of religious wars. I know that, but that's, that's another issue. Whether you like Christianity's record or not, Christianity made Europe, and not to acknowledge that shows you the radicalization, the radical secularization of Europe. You know, I've spent little time in my life arguing for God's existence. I have always argued for, for God's necessity. Because even if I convince people God exists, what's the difference if they don't understand why it's significant? Because if you believe God said honor your father and mother You're more likely to honor your father and mother. As I read to you earlier in the show today, the, the left-wing reactions on the internet to my column about people who won't visit their parents for Christmas, or now who didn't because the parent is a Republican. One of the reasons There's no God in their life who says, "Honor your father and mother." Hi everybody, it's the Ultimate Issues Hour. Does God exist? And in light of what I'm talking about, I'm going to play for you a PragerU video. Came out years ago, 2014, February. Wow, it will be 9 years in a month. Yeah, wow, 9 years ago. It's a bittersweet memory because the video is given by my beloved friend Frank Pastore. Dennis Prager, who was killed in a— he was a big motorcycle enthusiast, drove back into work. I saw him every day because he broadcast from my studio on my local station in Los Angeles. Christian broadcaster. Frank Pastore was a Major League Baseball player. He was a pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds. He was a completely secular man. I don't know if he was an atheist. It might have been. And he started doing reading, and he became, in my opinion, one of the most important theological thinkers in America. From baseball player to major, major theologian. I spoke at his memorial service. I was very close to him. It was a terrible loss. I think about him often. He was a ball of energy. He was a wonderful human being, and he was a first-class intellect. And, you know, you were— when you were with him, you were like standing next to the Hulk. I mean, I felt that, and I'm 6'4". But he, he was, he was the Hulk. He made a number of videos for PragerU in our earliest days. Thank God he did. They're treasures. They're all 5 minutes, and his was— what is it, The Case for God? What is it called? Does God Exist? 4 Arguments. I found these four arguments so powerful that I want to play this for you and comment. As I said, I have devoted my life to arguing for God's necessity, but it's important to deal with the issue of God's existence, not just necessity. So This is my late great friend Frank Pastore. Does God Exist? Four Arguments from 9 years ago.

You know, for 27 years I was an atheist. I thought anyone who believed in a God or gods was, well, stupid or uneducated, naive, gullible, or just into the gig for money, sex, and power. I mean, after all, everyone knows that Religion is just a psychological crutch for intellectual weaklings, right? So what changed my mind? Well, look, I tell the whole story in my book Shattered, but for our purposes here on Prager University, I was simply challenged by my Christian teammates on the Cincinnati Reds to read some religious books, critique them, and then share with the guys where the authors were wrong and why atheism is the only real and true outlook for anyone not deceived by fantasy, fiction, or mythology. I mean, for someone who wants to base their beliefs and values upon evidence and argument, not emotion and tradition. Now look, simply put, I set out to disprove theism, which I didn't think would take very long. But I ran into some difficulties along the way. Difficulties like Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas. I mean, in simple terms, I was confronted with the awareness that there are really 4 Big Bangs that have to be accounted for, not just one. I had never really even considered that before. I mean, we're all familiar with the first Big Bang, right? It's usually the answer given to the question, "Why is there something rather than nothing?" It's the idea that there was nothing, it popped, and boom, there's something. I mean, that time, matter, and space all came into existence in some great cosmological flash about 16 billion years ago. There was no gradual development, no transitional forms, just a binary flip, a metaphysical now you don't see it and now you do.

Fine.

I want to follow the evidence wherever it leads. However, astrophysicists tell us that this first Big Bang yielded only a handful of fundamental elements and that it would take billions and billions of years for the nuclear furnaces of trillions of stars to yield the 118 elements in the periodic table. But the first theoretical cosmological Big Bang? Well, it only yields matter and energy. It doesn't even begin to address the origin of life. So, how do you get life from non-life? How did abiogenesis occur? I mean, the notion that something can come from nothing. Where's the evidence? You're going to need another something from nothing leap of faith, kind of biologically.

So again, this is really powerful stuff. So he has four big bangs. That's his brilliant way of putting the argument for a God or the God. The first is something from nothing. Science has no explanation for that. You can deceive yourself and say one day it will. It's like saying that, I don't know, one day birds will write plays. I'm thinking of the most absurd thing I can think of. Well, actually, we're living in the age of more absurd things, but nevertheless. It's not going to happen. It's not in the purview of science to tell us how something comes from nothing. Science tells us how something comes from something, if the something is part of the previous something. So the first Big Bang is something from nothing, the, the universe. So now he is up to the second Big Bang. Take it away.

Well, second Big Bang. For all the mind-blowing advancements we've made in physics, biology, and chemistry in just the past 100 years, we're still no closer to making it happen. We don't have a clue. The closer we look, the wider the chasm. I mean, sure, we've learned a lot about how to manipulate life forms, how to add and subtract DNA material, even map the human genome, but we have no idea how to literally create life from dead stuff. Now look, at this point, we still only have physics, chemistry, and some basic biology, or matter, energy, and simple life, if you will. But we still don't have a way to account for the great diversity of life forms. I mean, the huge differences between bacteria, plants, and animals. Nor do we have a way to account for the differences between man and animal. We still don't have an anthropology at this point. So we're going to need a kind of—

All right, so before the third Big Bang, the second Big Bang, for which science has no explanation, is not something from nothing, but life from non-life. That's a second Big Bang, second argument for God. I think it's an unassailable argument. Science has nothing to tell us. About either of the first two big bangs. Ultimate Issues Hour, Dennis Prager Show, we continue. Hi everybody, I'm Dennis Prager. This is the Ultimate Issues Hour, third hour every Tuesday. My life has been devoted to explaining the dead end of secular secularism. Everything you see is the product of secularism. The entire wokeness— men give birth, America's systemically racist, sex is non-binary— it's all a product of the chaos that ensues in the post-biblical world. Sorry, I know, I know you think the Bible's for dummies. The non-biblical world is for dummies, produces dummies. The fools who've taught your kids and taught you in college and now in elementary school and high school. There are exceptions, I know that, I know that. Not many. But uncharacteristically, I'm not talking about God's existence, not necessity, playing for you a video that PragerU put up 9 years ago. It's hard for me to say the late Frank Pastore. He's so alive in my mind. I saw him virtually every day because he would broadcast his local LA show, a major Christian show, after I did my national show. I love the guy. I think he loved me. And he was killed in a motorcycle crash. He was killed by a distracted driver, to the best of my knowledge. And this, uh, this person took the life of a great man. This video was so powerful. The Four Big Bangs. What the name again is? Does God Exist?

Four—

what is it? New Arguments. Four New Arguments. And the great arguments: science doesn't explain something from nothing. That's Big Bang 1. Science Doesn't Explain Life from Non-Life, Big Bang 2. And now we're up to Big Bang 3. By the way, if you're watching my show, you, you're watching the video as well as hearing it.

A logical third Big Bang to account for all this, which of course is what Darwin was after in his Descent of Man thesis. Now look, Darwin answered a lot of questions, but he could never answer the core question. How did evolution begin? But hey, we're still not done describing the world that is all around us. A final Big Bang is going to be required to explain how a mechanistic animal brain— all right, can become a self-reflected—

the third Big Bang was the, the, the after life from non-life is the different types of life. That arose from bacteria to the primates. Fourth Big Bang. Sean?

Collective human mind. Even the lowest life forms have brains and central nervous systems. I mean, how does something like that become the mind of a Michelangelo, a Shakespeare, a Beethoven? Come on, animals don't do art and they don't appreciate beauty. But the problem is even more basic than that. How do you account for free will and introspection, let alone man's pressing existential drive to ask why? Well, we're going to need some kind of psychological fourth Big Bang to account for man's moral and aesthetic sense. His search for meaning, significance, and purpose. And of course, his appreciation for the true, the good, and the beautiful. And again, you must understand these problems require bangs. I mean, sudden binary pops into existence since there's no evidence for any gradual development in any of these. So I, like you, have a choice. It's either faith in these four big bangs of somethings from nothings to account for what we see all around us, or faith in some kind of creator God behind it all. So next time someone asks you, "Hey, what about the Big Bang?" make sure you ask them, "Which one? The cosmological, biological, anthropological, or psychological?" I'm Frank Pastore for Prager University.

Wow. I got the chills. 1-800-PREGGER, 776. Show that to your kids. Show that to yourself. What are your— what are your answers? That's why I played Charles Krauthammer's thing so often. Guy was a secular man, but he said atheism. Makes no rational sense. 1-800-PRAGER-776. Dennis Prager here. Thanks for listening to the Daily Dennis Prager Podcast. To hear the entire 3 hours of my radio show commercial-free every single day, become a member of PragerTopia. You'll also get access to 15 years' worth of archives as well as the daily show prep. Subscribe at prageropia.com.