Warren Smith: The J.K. Rowling Video That Changed Everything (Video)

In this 21 September 2026 published Heretics video, host Andrew Gold talks with Warren Smith who told Gold death isn’t final. Smith is a former Massachusetts high school teacher and filmmaker who went viral for a Socratic classroom discussion about J.K. Rowling.

Smith recorded a calm, open-ended conversation with a student who claimed J.K. Rowling was a bigot. Instead of correcting the student or sharing his own opinions, Smith used gentle, logic-driven questions to prompt critical thinking and examine presuppositions. After being shared on social media, the video garnered tens of millions of views and widespread praise for its civil, restrained approach to a polarized topic. Four months after the video gained national attention, Smith was fired from his teaching position at a specialized Massachusetts school for students with behavioral challenges, with the administration citing liability concerns. Following his termination, Smith transitioned into full-time content creation, founding the Secret Scholar Society on YouTube and appearing on major podcasts like The Joe Rogan Experience and The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast. Alongside his digital media work, he continues creative filmmaking projects and serves as a volunteer firefighter in Massachusetts.

In this interview, Gold turned that same scrutiny on his own beliefs about God, Christianity and what happens when we die. What starts with Smith’s viral classroom video and the fallout from losing his teaching job becomes a deeply personal conversation about faith, evidence and consciousness. Smith describes a life-changing experience involving psychedelics, explains Jordan Peterson’s influence, and makes a claim about life after death that I have to challenge.

We explore simulation theory, Richard Dawkins, Alex O’Connor and whether morality needs God. But when Gold explains where his own morals come from, Smith has a question for him.

Can we apply the same standards of evidence to the beliefs we most want to be true? Watch the conversation and say who makes the stronger case—and which argument challenged your own thinking.

https://youtu.be/oWAiEy_qMGI

CHAPTERS

00:00 Warren Smith: The J.K. Rowling Video That Changed Everything
04:58 Critical Thinking: Why Are You So Certain?
09:52 Getting Fired: The Cost of Going Viral
14:03 Jordan Peterson & the Belief I Had to Challenge
17:47 Christianity: What Does Warren Smith Actually Believe?
21:51 Did Jesus Really Rise From the Dead?
24:52 What Made Warren Certain That Death Isn’t Final?
28:25 Can Personal Experience Prove God Exists?
32:01 Life After Death: What Does Warren Actually Mean?
35:09 Quantum Physics & Richard Dawkins: Evidence for God?
39:08 Why Would God Hide the Evidence?
44:54 Morality Without God: Warren Turns the Questions on Me
49:21 Self-Sacrifice: Why Do We Do Things That Feel Bad?