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"Does anyone know if Ricky Gervais is an atheist?" [split topic]

Started by Replies From View, November 17, 2012, 11:12:40 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

Retinend

Quote from: Nuclear Optimism on November 19, 2012, 09:49:45 PM
No I'm not handwaving anything. What I meant to say (and what I thought I did say) is that the worst a bad atheist can do is be a smug bigheaded know-it-all intolerant git, which isn't that bad, whereas the worst that a bad religious person can do is... you know. FGM and the like. Basically the worst atheists aren't as bad as the worst religious people.

I think that's quite a glib way of looking at it.

checkoutgirl

Quote from: Replies From View on November 19, 2012, 09:59:15 PM
Again, you're not being deep, Gervais.  You're being a vacuous twat.

Some people say you should stick to what you're good at, Gervais is good at being a twat.

Sony Walkman Prophecies

The only thing I find weird (not necessarily annoying) about the new atheism lot is that they always assume that a disbelief in God must also mean a disbelief in anything supernatural. I dont believe in God but I harbour beliefs about many things that are supernatural. What gets passed around as atheism these days, as far as I can make out, is really just a very crude scientism.

SockPuppet

Quote from: Sony Walkman Prophecies on November 19, 2012, 10:27:10 PM
What gets passed around as atheism these days, as far as I can make out, is really just a very crude scientism.

A scientism that seems to have no problems with 'quantum' stuff, magic for the modern age.

Replies From View

What makes you think that atheists lean towards things like that?  You're making very arbitrary connections now.

Treguard of Dunshelm

Oooh, internet religion debate! I'll get the popcorn.

Think I'll be cheering on Team Religion this time. They have good form and may make the play-offs this year; besides, atheist butthurt is always funny.

Sony Walkman Prophecies

Quote from: SockPuppet on November 19, 2012, 10:31:32 PM
A scientism that seems to have no problems with 'quantum' stuff, magic for the modern age.

I remember Dawkins once writing an essay on the abuses of QM theory; saying that people shouldnt draw mystical inferences from it, forgetting of course that the people who pioneered it were very often advocates of mystical interpretations themselves.

Thomas

Quote from: SockPuppet on November 19, 2012, 10:17:40 PM
I hope [Stewart Lee]'s stopped reading this site.

Did he used to? I feel I must up my game. I met him once and shook his hand thrice, each time accidentally interrupting his attempt to sip from a glass of Cola.

SockPuppet

Quote from: Thomas on November 19, 2012, 11:05:15 PM
Did he used to?

Yes.

He's probably too busy polishing his BAFTAs and wondering how to win a Rose d'Or to visit nowadays.

But you never know.

Daniel Kitson also reads this site

Thomas

I'd ask how you know such things, but I think I'm happier presuming that you're some kind of comedy spy (though I 'ave seen that CaB post by Daniel Kitson from the olden days).

I've heard[nb]read.[/nb] similar whispers[nb]posts.[/nb] about Charlie Brooker browsing the threads from time to time.

Murky.

thenoise

Quote from: Replies From View on November 19, 2012, 09:59:15 PM
And how irritatingly calculated is the fact that that "room" is in fact a "church".  You can hear the cogs turning in Gervais' sixth-form level head:  HAHAAA THIS WILL ANNOY SO MANY CHRISTIANS!!

Again, you're not being deep, Gervais.  You're being a vacuous twat.

Representing some of our greatest architectural heritage, and certainly the most beautiful buildings in 90% of British cities, funded entirely by the believers they ridicule (plus, presumably, whatever they charged them to film it there).

Their superior beliefs inspire them to do create much worthier things, like smug books and half brained 'tweets'.

Sony Walkman Prophecies

Quote from: SockPuppet on November 19, 2012, 11:10:07 PM
Yes.

He's probably too busy polishing his BAFTAs and wondering how to win a Rose d'Or to visit nowadays.

But you never know.

Daniel Kitson also reads this site

Out of all the militant comedy atheists, I think Lee is the one who has any genuine reason to be one: he's been targetted by evangelically Christians and had a stage show shut down because of them. That would turn anyone into a combative atheist.

Dead kate moss

Gervais has kind of restored my belief in God. Could evolution and natural selection really have produced such a monumental cunt by pure chance? I can't see it. I detect the Hand Of God.

Mark Steels Stockbroker

Quote from: Sony Walkman Prophecies on November 20, 2012, 07:50:52 AM
Out of all the militant comedy atheists, I think Lee is the one who has any genuine reason to be one: he's been targetted by evangelically Christians and had a stage show shut down because of them. That would turn anyone into a combative atheist.

Though he was doing atheistic material before then, and there was a "Lee&Herring Are Going To Hell" website at the time of TMWRNJ2, reacting to the "Sunday Heroes" sketches. The most ludicrous bit of it was the statement that TMWRNK was better than "the woeful Fist Of Fun". Most of the content was bog-standard YEC stuff, but there was a nice animation showing L&H heads being consumed by fire. That was the most advanced thing you could do on the internet at that point in history.

Tiny Poster

Lionel Nimrod has material about atheism, and how a child can see that God is a ludicrous concept etc. And I believe they wrote the Christian audio pull-out section of On The Hour (though this was more of an attack on Christians, rather than God).

Lee definitely said (in the years prior to JSTO) that if you engaged him in any argument on religion, he would win. I think he was only being semi-ironic.

Replies From View

Quote from: Mark Steels Stockbroker on November 20, 2012, 09:18:01 AM
there was a nice animation showing L&H heads being consumed by fire. That was the most advanced thing you could do on the internet at that point in history.

High-resolution version for 2012:



Neville Chamberlain

Quote from: Sony Walkman Prophecies on November 19, 2012, 10:43:40 PM
I remember Dawkins once writing an essay on the abuses of QM theory; saying that people shouldnt draw mystical inferences from it, forgetting of course that the people who pioneered it were very often advocates of mystical interpretations themselves.

But surely he's absolutely right to caution against making such inferences, regardless of whether or not the pioneers in the field were advocates of mystical interpretations.

The trouble is, people who advocate mystical interpretations never seem to actually get anywhere in terms of providing evidence for their position, as if the mere mention of a mystical interpretation is evidence enough.

Furthermore, I feel compelled to mention that Gervais is an annoying cunt and I wish Richard Dawkins would quietly drop him from his circle of friends!

Thomas

Ah, look at the fresh young faces of Lee and Herring. I remember Herring once doing a joke about Lee's balding, but here we are, more than a decade later, and all that's really happened to his hair is that it's turned grey. Amazing.

Perhaps there is a god after all.

SockPuppet

Quote from: Sony Walkman Prophecies on November 20, 2012, 07:50:52 AM
Out of all the militant comedy atheists, I think Lee is the one who has any genuine reason to be one: he's been targetted by evangelically Christians and had a stage show shut down because of them. That would turn anyone into a combative atheist.

But his faith won't survive the double-barrels of marrying a Catholic and having kids.

There's another interview on the internet, quite recent, where he goes on about how having children has made him enjoy Christmas. He then mumbles something about the importance of 'ritual' before admitting that he put a carrot on his roof.

The cracks are starting to appear!!

Replies From View

Quote from: Thomas on November 20, 2012, 09:59:59 AM
Ah, look at the fresh young faces of Lee and Herring. I remember Herring once doing a joke about Lee's balding, but here we are, more than a decade later, and all that's really happened to his hair is that it's turned grey. Amazing.

Meanwhile, Lee's prodding of Herring's tum has become a terrible irony.

Sony Walkman Prophecies

Quote from: Neville Chamberlain on November 20, 2012, 09:49:47 AM
But surely he's absolutely right to caution against making such inferences, regardless of whether or not the pioneers in the field were advocates of mystical interpretations.

The trouble is, people who advocate mystical interpretations never seem to actually get anywhere in terms of providing evidence for their position, as if the mere mention of a mystical interpretation is evidence enough.

I think mystical interpretations of QM tend to amount to an 'attitude' towards the data, rather than an explicit theory. Much in the same way that the interpretation that human life is A. precious for its uniqueness or B. dispensable because it is an aberration, are both attitudes towards the same underlying thing. [nb]Not the best analogy I know. But it's the best I can come up with with a head full of flu![/nb]

Using QM to prove the efficacy of healing pendants is of course something else altogether. I dont have any particular problem with Dawkins (or anyone else) tearing stuff like that apart.

Replies From View


MC Root

Only thing of any truth he's ever said, pity he can't comprehend the irony. Gervais isn't in this for atheism, he's in it for the trolling.



Because this is what lies behind it...



and this...





Okay, you don't care. But you think that your ridiculous, incoherent perspective should be considered as anything other than ridiculous itself? It's not that complex.

He's got the attention span for I'm A Celebrity... if not one of Dawkins' books. At least he's elevated himself to Gervais being the Celebrity troll of celebrities.





Just get in a plug, it's only a laff and it really made me chuckle. So controversial! I guess it's been a while now.



And back to random trolling... for the self-proclaimed TrollSlayer.





Back to calling everyone who is tired of the atheism and bashing people's religions a Gorp, and trying to get a hashtag out of it pathetically.





You Gorps still don't get it?



I did a very cursory google search and only noticed them talking about this tangentially in regard to The Life of Brian having potentially gotten banned at the time. Who's saying this Ricky?



And to conclude a few days of Gervais' mainly deleted stupidity, I'll leave it on this note which this post began. See Ricky, if you only listened to yourself, you'd get it.


MC Root

Quote from: madhair60 on November 19, 2012, 09:07:37 PM


Love your work as usual, madhair60!

It'd be interesting if someone tweeted to him in response about the existence of Negative theology, re: the professor tweet, I'm sure he doesn't know what it is.

checkoutgirl

Quote from: Tiny Poster on November 20, 2012, 09:24:49 AM
Lionel Nimrod has material about atheism, and how a child can see that God is a ludicrous concept etc. And I believe they wrote the Christian audio pull-out section of On The Hour (though this was more of an attack on Christians, rather than God).

I think we can probably agree that there's nothing wrong with doing material that parodies or takes the piss out of religion, or vike verke. The problems come when you think that it is worthy material for a TV programme to just sit around talking smug bollocks about atheism in a self congratulatory way. They're almost congratulating each other for noticing all the wonders of the natural world without any need for god. So fucking what ?

Plus, I know this has already been mentioned, religion is used as a coping strategy and is therefore a part of evolution, a stage of it or whatever. People like Dawkins are self appointed and they seem to believe that it's their job to move us onto the next level. Total atheism. But I think wankathons with Gervais and Dawkins hunched double on pillows, shaking hands with the governor of love, just serve to just piss people off and probably dig further into their belief in god.

Imagine someone like Piers Morgan took up a cause you believed in. You'd probably think "Shit, this is gonna set us back a few years at least."

Incidentally it's not my cause, I couldn't give a fuck. I can't remember the last time I had to deal with a Jehovah's Witness so it doesn't affect me.

Nuclear Optimism


MC Root

The problem is that Dawkins is pretty widely seen as a zealot now. He's stopped doing scientific research and he's an author only.

And having Fucky Dickface stick his nose in to the topic because he can wank out a joke here and there, is just making atheism look like a bunch of wankers who are intolerant and can't accept that religion has social benefits, despite it being the cause for marking difference and potentially being a source of hatred amongst groups.

It needs to be a balanced approach. You can't MAKE people understand the implications of DNA sequencing and evolution by brute force. It's just stupid. That kind of change takes at least a generation, if not more.

BritishHobo

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA that quote about The Invention of Lying. Nobody's given a shit about that film since it came out, it's hardly The Last Temptation of Christ, or even Life Of Brian, or Jerry Springer: The Opera.

I still love the irony of him constantly talking about not having the right to your opinion being respected, then whining when people criticize him or his atheism.

olliebean

Quote from: Aluborough on November 19, 2012, 09:54:39 PM
How much was Dawkins really paid to sit in a room with Gervais for all that time?

It was for Dawkins' recent TV series, so presumably it was his idea (or the producer of the programme's) rather than Gervais's. Anyway, the dynamic between them in this makes more sense in the context that the point of it was to get some sound-bites on the subject for the programme.

alan nagsworth

Quote from: Dead kate moss on November 20, 2012, 08:22:06 AM
Gervais has kind of restored my belief in God. Could evolution and natural selection really have produced such a monumental cunt by pure chance? I can't see it. I detect the Hand Of God.

Much like dinosaur bones and fossils, Gervais was put here by Him to test our faith. Don't be fooled.