Friday, December 3, 2010

My Problem With Christianity (7/23/2008)

This was originally posted on a horrible site called Myspace. When Myspace underwent a redesign in Fall 2010, hundreds of insightful reader comments that had been left over the years were lost. I have since deleted my account there.

Viewers on YouTube ask me, "Why do you feel the need to bash Christianity? Why not just let people believe what they want? If you don't believe in God, why do you talk about him so much?" I understand these questions; looking at it from the opposing perspective, making dozens of religious satire videos may seem like a strange pursuit. It's not because of some church-related trauma; actually, I was raised in a secular household and allowed to make my own choices. (I think I decided to not believe in God around age eight.) Instead, I'm trying to embolden atheists, agnostics, and "apatheists" to stand up against what I consider a cancer in the United States: the willful, collective ignorance of Evangelical Christianity, which is weakening the nation intellectually and bringing it closer to the Dark Ages, instead of forward into the future. And I'm trying to do it through comedy.

First of all, I do not "bash" a specific group of people, but rather, a set of beliefs that people may choose to have or not have. Just as I could become a born-again Christian tomorrow, so could a born-again Christian let go of their faith tomorrow. It's not the same as ridiculing someone for their race, disability, or anything else they can't change; that's an entirely false analogy. Also, I pick on Christianity because it's the religion that personally affects me the most, and it's the one I know the most about. I'll let someone else bash the other religions if they're motivated to do so.

Fully acknowledging that not all Christians believe the same things, certain beliefs are worthy of ridicule, in my opinion. These are:

1. The idea that whatever force or entity responsible for the creation and order in the universe (if there ever were one) is a conscious being that watches over us earthly humans today, and can interact with our consciousness in a way that measurably, unambiguously affects the real world. This is a huge leap supported by nothing that has ever happened in reality. Biblical accounts of miracles, or other dubiously witnessed events or personal testimonials, are not evidence of anything; we have video cameras now. Show me a video of a person praying for her shotgun-victim brother and his brain tissue spontaneously growing back, and we'll talk. Show me a form of prayer that can reliably, repeatably do anything outside of one's own mind, and we'll talk.

2. The idea that after we die, our souls persist and are judged according to what we believed when we were alive, those beliefs then determining the eternal fate of our souls. This claim is beyond baseless; it's rife with problems of logic and morality, given the large numbers of people on earth who don't subscribe to the Christian faith. This tenet of Christianity (and some other religions) has been used as an instrument of fear and coercion for millennia.

3. Most ridiculous to me is the idea that because of what the beginning of the Bible says, the scientific method must be fatally flawed -- that evolution could not have happened on earth, despite 150 years of unsuccessful attempts to discredit evolutionary theory. This topic has been dealt with in many places, including other blog posts of mine.

4. Other beliefs (shared by some Christians) worthy of ridicule include: Adam and Eve having been real people who ate a fruit that caused the fall of an otherwise perfect world; the Flood and Noah's Ark; the idea that the Bible's predictions of events that appear later in the same book are evidence of anything "miraculous" or "prophetic"; that humans have a soul that dogs and dolphins and chimpanzees absolutely do not have somehow, even in a more primitive form; and that the Creator's plan includes a final apocalyptic event, at which time all nonbelievers will be swept into a lake of fire while Christians ascend to Heaven.

If that were all, I probably wouldn't ridicule these beliefs openly. But they are part of a larger organized system that keeps millions of people in a perpetual state of intentional ignorance. The popularity of "intelligent design" is the most obvious example. It kills me that so many people -- we're talking about something like half of the United States! -- doubt that evolution ever actually occurred, just because it's a difficult concept for them to understand, even though their information on the topic may have come from their church, their home-schooling parents, and/or Christian websites, all of which have obvious and blatant biases. So, science education in public schools must then change and include religiously motivated "alternatives"? As a science enthusiast, I am appalled that this was (and still is) promoted, and seriously considered, by some. I fear for our culture's ability to advance and thrive when a great many of us lack the intellectual tools to distinguish science from magical thinking.

Whenever "God did it" becomes an answer, it's the tragic death of an intellectual pursuit. If a religious way of thinking becomes legislated and affects everyone (see: stem cell research, abortion, gay marriage), it is catastrophic.

But the willful ignorance also manifests in subtler ways. Christians believe that God has a plan for us, and that everything happens for a reason (i.e., things don't occur randomly or in a manner indifferent to humans, collectively or individually). In my opinion, this paralyzes a person's ability to navigate the world rationally and with a clear vision of reality. I can't imagine what it would be like to go through life fulfilling or not fulfilling a "cosmic plan" depending upon how righteous my own actions were. And while prayer may have some value in terms of contemplating the self and one's own life, or in some cases, self-healing, it is a colossal waste of time when it is believed prayer will affect the real, physical course of events beyond one's own mind and body. ("Please pray for the return of Baby Jennifer.") The time spent engaging in this kind of prayer costs the world an incalculable amount of productivity, every day.

There's no doubt that we can learn from Christianity; the New Testament sermons of (the character) Jesus are cornerstones of early Western thought. But "love thy neighbor" isn't what I have a problem with. It's all of that other stuff that doesn't quite work in a post-Enlightenment era of reason and discovery. If all Christians chose to practice in solemn privacy, and their faith impacted no one outside their personal sphere of inner influence, I'm sure I never would have made these videos. But that's not how it is.

I also probably wouldn't make videos if they weren't being watched. But they are, and as someone who's been trying to attract creative recognition for decades, I find this highly motivating. So, although my inspiration comes from a deeper place, the primary reason why I create videos is to make people laugh -- not at other people per se, but at beliefs that I would very much like to see disappear. As of this writing there are 8,684 YouTube subscribers who want me to continue. Can you blame me for trying to help make the future a little brighter, while getting people to laugh along the way?

----

I touch on some of the above concepts in my satire videos. Some links:

People should believe whatever they want:
"People's Religion Should Be Respected!"

Prayer is a reliable and effective way to affect the external world:
"Who I'm Praying For Today"
"Proving The Power Of Prayer"

Our soul is judged after we die:
"An Atheist Meets God"
"The Lord Will Not Be Mocked!"

Evolution could not have happened:
"People Are Not Animals!"
"Science Is Wrong ... Only God Knows The Truth"

I.D. is a legitimate alternative to evolution:
"Intelligent Design Really Is Being Expelled!"

God has a plan for us:
"God Knows Absolutely Everything"

39 comments:

  1. The reason you got so many subscribers is that a lot of them are Christians and they think your a real hero for Christianity! But your not! that's why you got so many hits, thumbs up's and subscribers! I even gave you thumbs up for couple videos until I found out that you are a God mocking fanatic and a fraud! You've successfully joined the Anti-Christ ranks! Satan invites you to his barbecue party and will award you with his torment and gnashing of teeth!

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  2. The same thing just happened to me as anonymous...for an "Anti Christ" dude, you have very good convincing arguments...interesting and you may be mocking the Creator of all of us, , but you are right, atheists can't disprove God, but we sure can disprove evolution and the deceived "ain't no God" thinkers! Checkmate, is right!

    Anita and Craig

    " The reason you got so many subscribers is that a lot of them are Christians and they think your a real hero for Christianity! But your not! that's why you got so many hits, thumbs up's and subscribers! I even gave you thumbs up for couple videos until I found out ..."

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  3. real Andy Kaufman, seen yer banana sketch 'bout year ago and at the time I believed the speaker was being serious.
    Nice to know I was wrong.

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  4. "the New Testament sermons of (the character) Jesus"

    what do u mean by "the character".

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  5. I mean exactly that: Jesus is a character in the New Testament. If you believe that those sermons were delivered in those (translated) words just as they were written down, starting some 80 years later by people who probably weren't even alive in 30 AD, then I've got a bridge to sell you.

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  6. I agree with everything you say. Cancer is a great metaphor for religion, too. It seems you're not getting any fans commenting on this post, so allow me. You are hilarious and a brilliant human being. I thank you for at least trying to get people to question their beliefs, because there is no good reason, in this day and age, for someone to be a theist (at least, someone who lives in North America) and even worse, let it control their government! Of the people who deny evolution, probably 99-100% do it out of ignorance. I have an Evangelical-Christian friend who does so, and she knows nothing about it. She just says, "Pfft, evolution isn't real!" Yeah, in reality it's as true as her childhood indoctrination. The one thing I can't stand is people, usually liberal Christians, saying, "Oh, people can believe what they want to believe." For one, anyone who thinks an imaginary being exists, esp. if it talks to them, is delusional. And, it's not so much that, but when they go around shoving it down people's throats and telling non-Christians they will suffer eternal damnation for "denying" God or "hating" him. Yeah, I totally hate something I don't believe in…. *Sigh,* theist logic. I think you were touching on the shoving-it-down-people's-throats part, though.

    Anyway, keep up the excellent work. This sounds a lot like my comment on your YouTube channel. Nevertheless, I will repeat myself. You are hilarious and I look forward to being notified of your new uploads. Ever since I watched one of your videos, I knew you were an atheist. You had a slight sarcastic tone and only an idiot wouldn't notice (AKA a theist). Love your vidoes! Have a great day!

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  7. I've been watching your videos a lot recently (just subscribed a few minutes ago, actually). Great stuff, I'm lollin'. The slightly frustrated look of delusion every time you say "checkmate!"...it's just so perfect.

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  8. What does it say for those people's IQs that they didn't work out you were joking. It's like those people who think Stephen Colbert is a conservative hero. I appreciate your humour Ed. Also, have you seen the Qualia Soup YouTube Channel? I watched all of his videos last night. You'd love them. Your 'Responding to Deluded Atheists' video is awesome. Keep up the great work.

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  9. The fact that so many Christians think your YouTube is real is not only funny, but demonstrates their church experiences are equally insane.

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  10. I totally agree with you that cristianity is some kind of "cancer", a great & funny lie. There must have been some pretty intelligent people inventing it, looking at how much impact it had.
    But even though I think that Christianity is an old, dumb believe, it apparently helps many people to get their lives done (what is basically how Feuerbach argued). And I can´t either see many ways in which the believe in some kind of God actually makes men more unproductive or agressive, meaning: Christanity has no real disadvantages, except for being really dumb and maybe also leading dumb people in a certain direction (which is usually a better one then the one they would have taken) [in history, Christanity was of course a threat & had all these disadvantages, but today I can´t really see them anymore].
    On the other hand, Christians often do morally well accepted things for their belief, and I think that is the main reason these people are Christians in the first place, the many errors in their phylosophy are then a negative, but acceptable burden). For me, nevertheless, I can do good things without doing them for some invisible cunt o.O
    And one also has to ask oneself, why do all these people believe in this bullshit? The answer, i am sure, lies in neurology, which now claims that there is even a "religious center" in the brain, making us needing some sort of religion, in addition to the need of someone that judges us and makes it all good....

    So in conclusion, maybe religion is a sort of error we can compensate, like the fact that we have a blind spot on the eye and have to compensate it, too, because there is no better alternative yet. If one thinks about it enough, it is of course still dumb, but for the less intelligent and those that cant stand the fact that there is no eternal judge etc. it is probably the best alternative.


    Btw i LOVE your videos :D they really hit the nail on the head ;)
    (sry for my bad grammar, im not a native speaker)

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  11. I'm a christian who watches your videos, if only for the enlightenment I can receive by avoiding BS arguments. I know you you don't espouse my beliefs, and realize your making fun of them. Thank you for helping me think for clearly and trust in Jesus more strongly, despite this.

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  12. I'm just wondering - with so many comments from Mr. Current about how stupid evangelical Christians are - have you ever listened to Ravi Zacharias or Albert Mohler in response to atheism/evolution etc.? Have you ever read Augustine, John Calvin, Martin Luther? Jonathan Edwards? Charles Spurgeon? CS Lewis? To be an atheist is expected in relation to what the Bible teaches on the "World" - your hatred and disposition towards Christians is not new - but to claim Christians are Christians because they are dumb - is simply blind ignorance.

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  13. I don't know who you're addressing, but can you point out a place where I said that evangelical Christians are stupid? Before you answer, please understand that the group evangelical Christians is something entirely different from the belief system of evangelical Christianity, the latter of which is quite plainly stupid. But even intelligent people can believe in incredibly stupid things -- see 9/11 "Truth" conspiracy theories. That is why I don't say that evangelical Christians are stupid. Only their moronic beliefs are.

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  14. Great blog. I wholly agree with you. Keep up the good work. You have just gotten another subscriber to your videos.

    Religion is a cancer based on fear and fantasy. I don't care what others believe until it affects me or others in a negative way.

    Cool music videos too btw.

    Fuzzysnuffles on youtube.

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  15. Mr. Current, our beliefs are not moronically stupid. I think that's a bit presumptuous of you. I have a personal relationship with Christ and know that he exists. I will not be bound by practicing my religion to myself just because it offends atheists like you. My belief system is based in existential reality and experience. I find evolution to be a joke. It helps people to rationalize their more base behaviors and gives them an "ok" to me morally repugnant people. Christianity is not a "set of rules".

    500 people had an experience of Christ after the Resurrection. Don't insult my intelligence! You anger me to no end with your flippant disregard for truth and theology. People have actually DIED and have been PERSECUTED for their belief in Christ in the wonderfully free countries of China, North Korea, and Iran. Why don't you try reading some church history and find out for yourself? Oh yeah, you've already come to the realization in your own mind that God is a bit of undigested beef!

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    1. Isn't a christian North Korea the dream of any christian? Just think about it... You keep totalitarianism and how the system works and replace their beliefs, morals, traditions and values by christian beliefs, christian morals, christian traditions and christian values... wouldn't that be heaven? Nobody would question christianity anymore. Everybody would be submissive to god and worship god everyday and if someone refuses that person would be burned alive just like inquisition old times... Good times... Isn't that perfect?

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  16. So, you consider your personal experience of the existence of Christ real, and yet evolution is a joke. In the same paragraph no less. I guess it means nothing that while the experience of Christ's "real" existence applies only to Christians, evolutionary biology is researched and accepted by people of every modern culture throughout the world (anyone can dig up that fossil record after all). Instead, one's subjective experience and personal opinion regarding science are the only path to what you call "truth." Huh.

    I always thought the best check of whether something is true is whether it's acknowledged by others outside one's own immediate group of same-thinkers. It seems that you find that just the opposite is true. Point noted.

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  17. Humor is my opiate, and you are my new dealer. I flyin' high now! Thank god for people like you who deal in laughter, the best drug of all! eutahbear

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  18. Christians exist within a different "mind space" from other mere mortals. It is therefore very difficult to engage in what we may call "logical" debate with sequential argument and counter argument. Your engagement with Chris highlights this. Although I believe you've checkmated him, your response will have no doubt have bounced off a brain that exists in an altogether different thought processing paradigm. I'm always amazed,frustrated and find it inextricable how apparently highly educated and intelligent religious people can somehow drift nonchantly from one thought paradigm to the other.

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  19. Thank God for aetheists!

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  20. "Instead, I'm trying to embolden atheists, agnostics, and "apatheists" to stand up against what I consider a cancer in the United States: the willful, collective ignorance of Evangelical Christianity"

    Have you not thought about Liberalist Christianity (the Bible is full of metaphors)?

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  21. I was talking about Evangelical Christianity, not Liberalist Christianity. Got any idea which of those groups is more likely to be pandered to by an elected official?

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  22. The reason I'm saying this is that the impression I'm getting is that you look like you're poking fun at Christianity in general, but here it says that you're poking fun only at Evangelical Christianity which leaves me confused.

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  23. The degree to which I poke fun at any variant of Christianity corresponds to how ridiculous its beliefs are. If you believe that God is the God of Spinoza and Einstein, and that Christ was a philosopher and a teacher, then I will not poke fun at that. If you believe that God intervenes into the physics of the world through free will, and God has a plan, and therefore everything happens for a reason, I'll poke fun at that in videos like "What If God Disappeared." If you're a young-Earth creationist who believes that praying can affect the course of world events and that non-Christians disproportionally suffer pain long after their deaths, I will poke fun at you hard. Incidentally, I poked fun at this "sliding scale" itself in "Calculate Your God Delusion Index."

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  24. I just have to say that I think you're a brilliant man, Mr. Current. I've yet to disagree with anything I've read on your blog thus far, and your comedic videos are excellent.

    One of the best parts of watching/reading your postings, however, is reading the reactions from butthurt Christians in the comments. :)

    Keep up the good work!

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  25. Haha these Christians are funny... "They can't disprove our god, but we can disprove evolution" haha, go ahead and disprove it. The problem is, you Christians don't want to admit that you are wrong, so you close your mind to anything that defies the bible. The reason why you are so ignorant and unintelligent is that you idiots don't listen to facts. You don't know how evolution works, because when someone tries to calmly explain it to you, you don't listen. Almost all fields of science have some topic that defies the bible. And if you don't learn science, then you are ignorant.

    Hey Christians, if you don't believe Evolution, then you shouldn't be allowed to get the annual flu shot! Here you christians are so aware of evolution, yet you do not understand it, and don't like it messing with your faith trying to learn it. Look at cancer, and annual flu shots, all basic examples of simple evolution.

    Hi Eddie, I really like your videos (music, and religion) as a fellow musician and atheist.

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  26. Hi Edward

    Just a 'hello' and thank you for your excellent videos on YouTube. As another fellow Atheist, Musician and indeed Comedy Actor I respect and enjoy your work.

    Here in the UK there is no real religious debate as such. The idea and talk of God and Religion isn't something people spend much time over, and isn't a political football.
    Charles Darwin appears on the back of the Countrie's currency (a ten pound note), and no-one has any problem with it.

    I can fully understand and support your desire in putting forward the case for Free Thinking.

    Just one last response to a previous writer (also called Chris) on your channel.
    'I have a personal relationship with Christ and know that he exists.'
    Truly frightening . . .
    Under any other useage, one could classify such a person as insane. Having any 'relationship' with a magical invisible being you 'know' exists would be enough to get a person locked away, but since it is 'Christ' it is deemed acceptable. In my opinion, It isn't.

    Take care and keep up the good work!
    You won't convert the mass-brainwashed or convince Free Thinking in those indoctrinated from birth, but every tiny chink in the brickwall lets a little light shine through.

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    1. Hey Chris! if you want to have "Free Thinking" then why dont you let the other chris believe in a God... why is that so bad? ill let u think what you want and ill let the other chris think about what he wants.
      You should too

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  27. Who the hell would actually believe your posts are genuinely sincere? It just blows my fucking mind! I hope that I wouldn't have been one of the equally ignorant morons back when I was a Christian.

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  28. Hi
    Edward!
    You are an amazing talent in so many ways.Keep on keeping on making videos.You deliver the message without being mean-spirited about it.But then I suppose that might be why some Christians don't get it,but your fans do.You are also an amazing singer and musician.Oh and I just started reading your blog and you can add terrific writer to your list of talents. Thanks Ed

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  29. Thank you sweetclaire, that means a lot to me.

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  30. just wanted to reply to that person who said people with "imaginary friends" should be locked up. this is ignorance. i have schizophrenia, hallucinations, and i am two minded about god and evolution, i find neither can sufficiently explain our experiences. i have had an experience where there was an angel and i have had experiences in life which somehow built up to what is commonly called destiny. I am still looking for answers. To me Psychologists and Neurologists are like what Christians are to you, you do not have experiences of the world subjectivly without the need for approval by peers or evidence, for you people have closed peoples creativity and imagination with your explanations and so called Help.

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  31. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  32. Thanks for taking the time to discuss that, I really feel strongly about it and love learning more on this topic.

    http://lawrencepang.com/

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  33. It is really amusing how Christians (and even some agnostics and atheists) think that those videos are really about promoting Christianity. They simply don't understand satire. In addition, most people who make atheist videos on You tube don't use so much sarcasm as you do. Maybe that's why they get mistaken.
    Anyway, I really like your videos and they never fail to make me laugh. My favorite one was that "I've converted to every religion just in case."
    Keep up the good work and don't be discouraged by the negative comments from the ignorant Christians.

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  34. Eddie, I have given a lot of thought as to what the main problem is with Christianity. It has to do with an error of the ancients, an error that sparked the emergence of religion in general as a movement of appeasement (the sacrifice/salvation industry). I have detailed my thoughts on this at www.wendellkrossa.com Regards, Wendell

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