I liked that Johnny Vegas special about Christianity because it gave insight into his personal experience and struggles and that's what religion is all about: an individual's faith and beliefs.
Virtually all the comedians I know are atheists... Page 3
Quote: Tim Walker @ October 2 2009, 2:04 AM BSTSure, but it's fundamentally bleeding obvious to state that there's no proof of a God. They bang on about Darwinism and physics, which is fine. Yet dismiss religion and faith without even bothering to properly familiarise themselves with theology, which is just lazy. Richard Dawkins wrote The God Delusion slating religion, without doing one-hundredth of the research into theology that he'd put into a book on evolution.
Can you put that in the form a joke? 
Quote: zooo @ October 2 2009, 2:08 AM BSTEy up. Has he made you breakfast...?
It was dinner for me and a friend. I didn't have that much of it, what I had tasted pretty good.
Quote: Leevil @ October 2 2009, 2:06 AM BSTI remember his comments to Baddiel on 'Unplanned' about Jews and Jesus and hearing the sincerity in his voice.
What was the sincerity saying? Probably a low whisper of some sort of antisemitism.
Quote: Little Jersey Devil @ October 2 2009, 2:11 AM BSTIt was dinner for me and a friend. I didn't have that much of it, what I had tasted pretty good.
Aww. Robin seems really sweet.
Quote: Curt @ October 2 2009, 2:11 AM BSTWhat was the sincerity saying? Probably a low whisper of some sort of antisemitism.
Yes, and he admitted it.
Quote: Kevin Murphy @ October 2 2009, 2:06 AM BSTDawkins: "What has theology ever said that is of the smallest use to anybody?"
Well, true theology (of all faiths) has advised and instructed the development of what we now accept as a moral and ethical code of living. Seemingly simple truths such as "Thou shalt not murder" have been shaped by hundreds of years of religious philosophy influencing states and laws.
Dawkins is old hat anyway. He's become a bit of a joke even amongst evolutionary scientists. A lot of the truths about Darwinian inheritance that he defends (like a religious zealot) are being challenged by other natural scientists using fossil evidence. For example, he still believes in the absolute selfish nature of genes, despite the fact that altruistic behaviour within and between species is well documented.
(Oh, and for the record, I was brought up as a Baptist Christian, but have no religious faith or practice. I'm not an atheist however. I do believe in a spiritual existence, which is not the same as believing in a religion. And if Dawkins had his way and banned all talk of God/Higher Powers, there would be a lot more dead drunks around the world, I can assure you. 
)
Quote: DaButt @ October 2 2009, 2:10 AM BSTI liked that Johnny Vegas special about Christianity because it gave insight into his personal experience and struggles and that's what religion is all about: an individual's faith and beliefs.
I never saw that. What did he conclude?
Quote: zooo @ October 2 2009, 2:12 AM BSTAww. Robin seems really sweet.
Yeah, a good sort. And he's just always "on." He can come up with stuff just off the top of his head that just kills.
Quote: Tim Walker @ October 2 2009, 2:13 AM BSTWell, true theology (of all faiths) has advised and instructed the development of what we now accept as a moral and ethical code of living. Seemingly simple truths such as "Thou shalt not murder" have been shaped by hundreds of years of religious philosophy influencing states and laws.
I sincerely doubt "thou shalt not murder" is a religious rule. It certainly predates Judaism/Christianity.
Dawkins is old hat anyway. He's become a bit of a joke even amongst evolutionary scientists. A lot of the truths about Darwinian inheritance that he defends (like a religious zealot) are being challenged by other natural scientists using fossil evidence. For example, he still believes in the absolute selfish nature of genes, despite the fact that altruistic behaviour within and between species is well documented.
I'm not sure precisely what you're getting at, but the "selfish" gene is just a title, it doesn't really describe his ideas about evolution. His books as far back as The Selfish Gene have spent quite a lot of time discussing individual altruism as an evolutionary by-product of "selfish" genes.
Quote: Kevin Murphy @ October 2 2009, 2:13 AM BSTI never saw that. What did he conclude?
I saw it years ago and don't remember much. Some of it seemed to be a cheap attempt to portray America as a land of hyper-religious nutjobs. Looks like there's more here:
http://www.channel4.com/culture/microsites/C/can_you_believe_it/debates/vegas.html
Quote: Little Jersey Devil @ October 2 2009, 2:18 AM BSTYeah, a good sort. And he's just always "on." He can come up with stuff just off the top of his head that just killed me.
Maybe you should sit in the audience for every single one of his performances then? His comedic powers obviously must stem from having you around.
Quote: DaButt @ October 2 2009, 2:19 AM BSTSome of it seemed to be a cheap attempt to portray America as a land of hyper-religious nutjobs
You mean it's not?
Quote: Leevil @ October 2 2009, 2:12 AM BSTYes, and he admitted it.
Well then, at least you can't call him a fence walker. Good for him.
Quote: Leevil @ October 2 2009, 2:20 AM BSTYou mean it's not?
I'm pretty sure it is.