Why We Hate People Online (And How Proximity Fixes It). Jared Smith plus Panel and Q/A Sac Estuary
Show notes
In this Saturday morning plenary address from the Sacramento Estuary Conference at Living Stones CRC, Jared Smith (creator of the Atheist Church Audit YouTube channel) delivers a thought-provoking lecture titled "Proximity, Distance, and the Task of Criticism." Drawing a striking parallel between the evolution of warfare technology—where increasing distance insulates soldiers from human face-to-face contact—and modern social media communications, Jared explains why online critique so easily devolves into dehumanizing caricatures. He shares his foundational channel rule: never criticize a community or religious tradition without sitting in their pews in person first. Following the address, Pastor Paul Vander Klay, Tim Blackmon, Dave Busuttil, and Raj join Jared for an engaging panel discussion and audience Q&A exploring Johan Huizinga’s theology of play (Homo Ludens), algorithmic incentives, Chesterton’s neighborly love, whether proximity softens necessary truth, and why seeing humanity in our opponents transforms how we critique.
00:00 Welcome & Technical Setup (Paul Vander Klay)
05:52 Plenary Address: Proximity, Distance, & Criticism (Jared Smith)
06:30 The History of Warfare: From Hand-to-Hand Contact to Atomic Distance
11:00 Communication Evolution: How Social Media Lengthens Distance
15:20 Jared’s Golden Rule: "Never Criticize What You Haven't Seen in Person"
19:30 Auditing Churches & Cults: Finding Humanity Behind Caricatures
25:00 A Motley Crew of Friends & Calling Groups After Publishing
28:45 Panel Reaction: "This Time It's Personal" (Dave Busuttil)
34:29 Johan Huizinga, Magic Circles, & Inhabiting Space (Tim Blackmon)
43:53 Boundaries, Accountability, & Constructive Critique (Raj)
52:11 Audience Q&A: The Personal Cost of Maintaining Proximity (Rod Hugen)
57:50 Algorithmic Incentives vs. Physical Presence (Neal Daedalus)
01:04:15 Handling Anger & Manipulation During Audits (Dave)
01:12:35 Does Proximity Change Your Personal Convictions? (Ray)
01:20:51 Does Proximity Lead to Soft-Pedaling Truth? (David Jacobs)
01:23:51 "Are You Really an Atheist?" (Sonny & Jared Smith)
01:27:19 Is Proximity the Goal or the Tool? (Katie)
01:30:09 Chesterton, Loving the Neighbor, & Depth vs. Breadth (Brandon)
01:34:39 The Most Emotionally Overwhelming Audit Moment (Jacob)
01:37:36 Disillusionment with Politics & Personal Reflection (John Van Donk & Jared Smith)
01:41:49 Session Wrap-Up & Announcements (Paul Vander Klay)
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