How Did You Lose Your Religion?

Science & Reason on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/ScienceReason

"How Did You Lose Your Religion?" - Ricky Gervais @ Big Think.

---
Subscribe to Science & Reason:
• http://www.YouTube.com/Best0fScience
• http://www.YouTube.com/ScienceMagazine
• http://www.YouTube.com/ScienceTV
• http://www.YouTube.com/FFreeThinker
---

Question: How did you lose your religion?

Ricky Gervais: Well, I love I love Jesus. You know, I believed in God. I think, my mom wanted me to. I think, for a working class woman, whos rushed off her feet, you know, the most she can hope for is the their son dont so they dont get killed in a bar room fight.

And Jesus, I suppose, is an invisible, free babysitter, you know. If I cant see you, someones watching you. Which is obviously misplace. Very sweet, you know, but misplaced.

And I was about 8 and I was I was doing something from the Bible and my brother came in, he was older than me, his name is Bob, still is, and he was about 19, and he said, 'What are you doing?' I said, 'I'm doing this for Jesus, God'. He said, 'Why do you believe in God?' And my mom went, 'Bob!', and I knew you.

I knew then that she was hiding something from me and he was he was telling the truth. And I thought about it. And I was a bit of a scientist even then. You know, I could read really well by the time I was 3. I suppose I was a bit of an experiment cause I was the youngest by 11 years, you know.

And I was into science and nature and I suppose I was a logical person. And I thought Yeah. But I learn it through body language. I learn it through that human [interplay] between this two people.

The one was worried about what the other one was going to tell me so I assume that my brother had something big to tell me and my mom, protecting me, didnt want me to hear it. So I just made the conclusion that he was right.

Question: Do your beliefs affect your comedy?

Ricky Gervais: No, Im just being honest, you know. I mean, I I cant see that there could be a God, you know. I mean, spiritually and religion is two different things, dont forget, you know.

I cant make myself believe something I dont believe. I wish there was a God, you know. And I wish he was all the things people said he was, all powerful and kind and and all that. By definition, the impossibility is overwhelming, to me.

And then, theres religion, which use that truth for the for their own personal gain. And thats something else. And thats [barren] and disgusting. Religious fascism is the only thing, apart from animal quarry, that gets my blood boiling.

But people who believe in God doesnt worry at all. You know, I live by I live by Christian values, I suppose. You know, I live by or any religious values that preaches forgiveness and, you know, do as you would be done by and you know. I just do it for different reasons.

I do it because I think this is my only time on Earth and I should I should enjoy it and be part of it and celebrate it and be nice to everyone cause were were animals, we need to be loved and lead a decent life.

So, yeah. If you believe in God and that gets you through and it makes you a nicer person, then then so be it. But I just I just I dont believe. And I feel sometimes that atheists, and Im an atheist, not agnostic, one of the few things Im sure of in life, I think they get a bad [press] that we take the art out of beauty in the world, which is not true.

The fact the, you know, the Earth is 4.6 billion years old and, you know, the 4 million species of animal and and theyve evolved by accident is, I think, more beautiful than any intelligent design [that could claim].

---

Ricky Gervais is an English comedian, author, actor, director, producer, screenwriter and former pop musician. He achieved mainstream fame with his television series "The Office" and the subsequent series "Extras", both of which he co-wrote and co-directed with friend and collaborator, Stephen Merchant.

Besides writing and directing the shows, Gervais also played the lead roles of David Brent in "The Office" and Andy Millman in "Extras". Gervais has also appeared in several Hollywood films, including "For Your Consideration", "Stardust", "Night at the Museum" and "Ghost Town".

• http://bigthink.com/rickygervais
.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• lose
• your
• religion
• jesus
• god
• babysitter
• bible
• comedy
• science
• logic
• reason
• spiritually
• atheists
• atheism
• ricky
• gervais
• intelligent
• design
• creationists
• creationism

[MrTadbu]

Just in terms of allocation of time resources,religion is not very efficient.theres a lot more I could be doing on a Sunday morning. Bill gates

[SOAS007]

What are christian valuses. What did this Jesus character allegedly say that was so mindblowing. Cos he just sounds like any hippyfield chap:-) peace out.!

[GrimTheCrow]

I lost my religion when i started asking questions in 1st grade... Ofc i follow the standard guidelines of living, do to others as you would have them do to you etc...

All worlds prophets can go f themselves. They do not have the right to be "god"'s son more than i do.

[PinkyPurply]

Christianity is just one womens lie about an affair that got way out of hand!

[MrLevel42fan]

@DukeMcManhands I think you are being more honest than most that I talk to. Or either they don't see where the philisophical conclusions lead them. I don't see how moral relativism can be escaped in a materialistic worldview. My position is that ALL know the existence God. Some choose to suppress that truth in order to live autonomously and in their unrighteous rebellion. I also assert that you must start with the triune God as an epistemological basis in order to know anything.

[JoKitch8]

@joelyn21327 That is a very patronizing comment,implying that he is in denial and someday he will see the light. Dont you see that we atheists dont need to believe.We are not unhappy with the lack of faith in our lives it makes us happier when we finally accept one hundred percent that we do not believe in god.

[clintxoxox]

Religion will eventually become mythology,just like all religions.Welcome to reality.

[VayuPurana]

I was half expecting this to be a REM song :p 

[cheezilius]

@Beatwolf shu tha marth

[DukeMcManhands]

@MrLevel42fan oh. in that case, i don't know if there is any philosophy of knowledge implicit in "materialistic naturalism" but assuming that standard notions of evidence can be used to justify what we know, my answer above asserts that there is no evidence for absolute wrong or right, so no reason to think it exists.

what I said in 2 follows in a straightforward way.

[Beatwolf]

@SOAS007

"valuses" ? well done. By the way what a deep and informed comment.

[MonTicheDansTaMere]

ouah, tout d'un coup, j'me dis que j'dois chier en fait

hmmm ouai la j'ais aller faire caca