In our last few posts, we’ve been uncovering a movement to morph university-style atheism into a pop-mainstream-chic sort of thing. They’re smart folks … real smart. It’s one thing for heavy hitters like Dawkins to pubish “The God Delusion” or philosophers like Sam Harris to write his “Letters to a Christian Nation” or film companies like Beyond Belief Media to make their documentaries. Now they’re tapping into a scathingly “humorous” communication form.
Mr. Deity is taking aim at God’s existence. This short film takes God on for the “problem of evil.” Conincidentally, our last issue of BorderLines examined this issue head on (http://www.borderlandsweb.com/Borderlines/06NovDec06WebVersion.pdf)
Anyway…take a look at this vid and let me know what you think:
Interesting video… more than anything, though, it exposes the appalling lack of understanding these guys have. If God were really like that…I’d laugh at him too! Unfortunately, I think there are alot of people who think this is really how God acts and thinks. Sad.
Ryan
January 20th, 2007
You’re right. They’ve got God wrong. But what scares me is how they lace their humor with conceptual “time bombs” (i.e. the traditional free will arguments for evil don’t make sense, God is capricious, the AMOUNT of evil can’t be justified by a free will or moral formation argument, etc.) These “time bombs” might go off if they encounter a frontal attack.
Also, the video employs one of the three most powerful forms of humor in America today–irony (the other two being sarcasm and crudity). Watching this video, I think a lot of people might feel quite clever to be on the “inside” of a joke. Do you know what I mean?
Administrator
January 20th, 2007
Certainly clever, and effective to encourage and embolden those who already think that way. What a sniveling, high-voiced Mr. Deity. Reminds me of the “high-talker” from Seinfeld.
For some great commentary on the recent works of Dawkins and Harris, take a look at Doug Wilson’s blog, www.dougwils.com. He tears apart their arguments and has a lot of fun in the process.
Mark L
February 25th, 2007