The Tuesday Videos: Final God Edition

Honestly I’m trying to move away from this sort of anti-religiony stuff. I still think it’s funny… but I’m not sure I think it’s important anymore. Lena told me she thought I was beginning to sound like some kook living alone in a shack with nothing better to do than shake his fist at the sky. I’m not that guy, and I don’t think it does me any good for folks to be thinking I am. (Though I am struck by the irony that the fellow arguing for reality over fantasy is the kook. Whoops… I think I’m backsliding already.)

That said, it is time for the Tuesday Videos and these were the next ones in rotation. Enjoy… the final* god blog.

Somehow I feel like Edward Currant’s heart isn’t really in his defense here. He certainly seems ernest, yet somehow I’m not convinced.

Currant shows us an unimaginable world. A world without god.

Finally, I thought I’d give the other side a chance to respond. This is actually a response to a different atheist video, but I’ve seen that one too, and it doesn’t make any sense in relation to that one either. The important thing to remember here is, god is made of water, and if it’s hot outside, you can drink him.

*Allowing for varying degrees of “final”.

44 Responses to The Tuesday Videos: Final God Edition

  1. That second video really speaks to me. I can’t let there be a world without god. How could I live in a world where tornados and earthquakes happen randomly, and not at the whim of our divine creator? How can I live in a world where babies laughs are just a sound, and where they might be hungry? I’m so ashamed. I have seen the light. I have. Thank you Kevin, for sharing this video. My eyes are opened, I’m enlightened. I see the world in a whole new way. Praise jesus and shit. Praise my invisible friend jesus.

      • Boobs? You’re apparently thinking of Ishtar, Kevin. :mrgreen:

        Jesus was the sectarian Jewish guy who lived in a hippie community with twelve close male friends and an unknown number of female followers, regularly invited all the junkies and other local outcasts to tea and scones (or goat’s milk, bread and wine), preached the end of the world being near, and to pass the time until his pre-destined death he invented psychoanalysis, cured coma patients and performed magical party tricks at weddings, if his PR team can be trusted.

  2. Is this guy really a Christian, or a really clever and funny parody of one?

    It’s really scary that I can’t tell.

  3. Edward Currant(1st&2nd videos) is a (well-)known atheist who produces fake Christian propaganda as a subtle parody.
    Check out his other vids, that’s just his style.

  4. Who wants to start a betting pool on how long Kevin can go “cold turkey” on the religion-bashing? 😉

  5. Wait… what?

    I may be slow, but I’m stupid!

    Seriously, though, as a self-proclaimed “humanist” and former Christian, I think for the most part religion is good because it helps people be better people. (Then there’s the extremists who screw it up for everyone.) The downside to religion is that it does separate people. I’m trying to think of that tiny island in Maryland that has 4 Methodist churches and the people have polarized into 4 distinct groups – they’re all Methodist for christ’s sake! (That sounded better than for cryin’ out loud).

    Thanks for the continued entertainment, Kevin!

  6. I’d ask if this Currant guy was for real but unfortunately I’ve met all too many like him. I’d swear that he’s heavily medicated in some way but there are many others out there that are just as “high on God” as he seems to be. I think that the only people he’s going to convince with that video is like-minded airheads. Anyhoo, what people seem to forget about the Bible is that while it may contain the word of God, it was written by men and revised quite a few times over the years. I’m wary of taking anything written in there as the literal truth without serious thought and consideration. Actually, I seem to recall that it was stated that God does not want or need blind faith in His followers though I forget where. When Abraham was about to sacrifice his son God stopped him and pretty much said “You were going to sacrifice your first born son to Me just because I said so? What are you, nuts?!” I’m paraphrasing here but you get the idea.

    Currant doesn’t seem to have given what he’s trying to say all that much thought and is not helping his own case all that much. For that matter, why argue the point with those intent on making fun of your religion? If neither of us are being dicks about it, there is no reason not to respect each others beliefs. I’ve been more offended by some of the posts I’ve seen here by fellow christians than anything I’ve seen you write. Still and all, I’m kinda glad you’re trying to move away from the anti-religion stuff as I sometimes feel a little alienated by some of the blogs I see. I don’t think that was your intention but it helps if you remember that some of your fans might actually be religious nerds.

    • Atheists do not criticize the right to believe. They criticize the unrational beliefs theists try to bash people’s heads in with. You have the right to believe what you want. But don’t bring it into government (“Under god”. “In God We Trust”) or into our schools (“Evolution is a lie”, “Teach the controversy”)

      I personally criticize the Bible BECAUSE people take it literally. Global flood? Rain of fire to destroy two towns? (from the 4 people God chose to save, 1 was turned to salt, two made their father drink wine and had intercourse with him “to preserve his seed”)

      As long as you can critically THINK about it (as you did), I can accept beliefs as having something positive. Unfortunately, discrimination against so many groups comes from religion (be it witches, gays or atheists) that it HAS to be ridiculed for people to realize that they take God too seriously.

      Religion is a good cause for a war, and another point of separation among humans. I do not believe in a deity. Even if one could possibly exist, I do not think any religious texts were right about it. Wanton destruction is not an act of good.

      • I would like to point out that due to basic human nature we don’t need religion as a cause for war. I’m not trying to minimize it’s role in things like the crusades, the inquisition or even the current jihad we have to deal with. It’s just that it’s used more for a justification than a cause. Sure, the crusades and the inquisition started as a religious cause but were quickly hijacked by power hungry men looking for more power. Discrimination is not always a religious thing. I’ve met quite a few unbelievers who were self rightious pricks too. You certainly don’t need religion to hate that which you don’t understand.

        I don’t really have an issue with much of what you have said but you seem to be blaming everything wrong with the world on religion. Scientists, as a rule, are not given to religion and generally don’t concern themselves with asking things like “Should we be messing with this?” Chemical weapons and biological weapons have the potential to end life as we know it but there they are experimenting with things that could wipe out a city with a small amount of material. I don’t have an issue with science beyond the “because we can” mindset.

        I would also like to point out that there are plenty of athiests out there who are just as rabid in their unbelief as any religious fanatic. I’ve had the dubious pleasure of having to point out to friends that yes, I was Christian. Four times in the last year I’ve had to deal with disbelief, ridicule and insulting comments on my intelligence. Apparently you don’t have religion if you’re not an overbearing prick about it. Thankfully, once they got over the initial shock, we agreed to disagree and leave it at that. Respect is funny that way.

        • I like the scene in Firefly’s episode Jaynestown where River tells Book the bible’s broken( ), and he tells her it’s not about making sense, it’s about believing in something and letting that belief be real enough to change your life.
          I guess that’s the only positive thing I can say about religion, but it seems that most people use/understand their religion for hate.

  7. So he is making fun. What’s not-so-funny is that I have met people like he’s pretending to be. I stand by my previous statement though.

  8. Am I the only one here who seriously ponders what’s so bad about living alone in a shack(well, “shack” sound crummy, lets rephrase that as “cabin”)?

    Seriously, I’d love to live in a cabin in the woods, somewhere with snow and evergreens(my neck of the woods is too barren and hot) and not a soul in sight.
    Just me, a few dogs, and Jewel Staite*.

    *I don’t believe in souls so my previous statement still stands.

  9. The 2nd video reminds me about someone questioning why his friend left all his money to the church in his will. He said shouldn’t it go to orphans instead? The Bible says you’re supposed to tithe to the orphans and others who cannot support themselves, and when you give to the poor you lend to God. And “He will repay”. God also frequently gets pissed off when a prophet asks God to do something for him, and basically says “Didn’t I make you? Didn’t I ask you to do this? What makes you think you can’t handle it.” Most of David’s prayers OTOH are asking God to thwart his enemies and make them fall in their own traps. Then there’s passages that flat out say that the most important thing is love and kindness to the needy, without even the allegorical stories that other passages have. And let’s not forget, “You go over land and sea to win a single convert, and then you make him twice the hellspawn that you are.”

    But why be bothered with little things like whatever the Bible emphasizes thousands of time, when you can hold your own view and force a handful of verses to fit it? Heck the more vague the verse and the less context I give, the more I can apply it to. Or with things like we had no definition of hell until Jesus told hypocrites they were going there? (He never said this to prostitutes and other sinners) Why be bothered with what God or anybody on earth thinks when I can make up my own religion, declare I’m going to heaven and you aren’t, then make the most important thing forcing it upon everyone else?… With little message other than for the new converts to do the same.

  10. A devout man who lives in a valley is visited by his priest, who warns him that the river is rising and everyone else is moving to higher ground. The man tells them “God will look after me” and refuses to move. The waters rise, and wash away his crops, but still he refuses to move. He is visited by the local iman, wearing waders, who implores him to come with him to safety. Again, he states “God will look after me” and stays where he is. The waters rise further and wash away his animals, and he at least moves to the roof of his house. The local rabbi passes in a rowing boat, and begs the man to get in. Once again he simply says “God will look after me” and stays firmly put. The waters wash away his house and the man drowns. On his day of Judgement he comes before God and he pleads “Lord, I have been a devout man all my life, I have given generously to charity, and have lived by Your laws, and yet when I am in peril, You take all that I own and allow me to perish.” “Allow you to perish?” queries God, “I sent you a priest, an iman and a rabbi with a rowing boat, what more do you want?”

  11. Wait a sec. Are we or are we not allowed to have sex with puppies. (just making my weekend plans)

      • If someone claimed puppies were a proof of God’s existence and divine design I’d be hard-pressed to rebut him.

        ETA: Dang, putting a link in the name seems to change my beloved dress-wearing avatar.

  12. Believers are imbeciles.

    • I dunno about that. Are you not able to back your statement with your own words instead of someone elses? Just wondering.

    • There’s no shortage of good people who do evil things regardless of religion.