A response to Penn on atheism...
I love Penn & Teller! Awesome magicians and a lot of fun! I love Penn's attitude and fondness of Christians in this video but I do think he has a few important things wrong about the Bible...
1. The Bible never says that God approved of the idea of Lot's daughter being 'gang raped'. In fact, God's messengers strike the people with blindness so that Lot and his daughter can get away without anything like that happening (Genesis 19:1-29).
2. Abraham recognised that God is God and he has the right to ask for anything - even the sacrifice of a son. Abraham was willing to obey and God stopped him before the actual sacrifice. He'd been testing Abraham's obedience (Genesis 22:1-19).
3. The 'talking snake' in Genesis is not necessarily literal. The creation account in Genesis is widely held by Christians as allegory. Penn knows this. The distinctive themes of the story are far more important than the literal details.
4. God loves homosexuals. The Bible is clear that the reason God hates sin (including same-sex sex in Leviticus 20:13 and anything else that falls short of what's best for us) is because he loves the people he has made. Christians can get this wrong but it doesn't change God.
5. God loves women. Just because the prevailing cultures seen in Bible were sexist does not mean that God is. God created men and women as equals (Genesis 1:27) and Jesus' love and respect of women in the gospels was extremely anti-cultural (e.g. Luke 7:36-50).
6. God's slavery in the Bible was meant to be good slavery. It was part of his 'welfare state' provision for the poor so that everyone had meaningful work for which they were rewarded. This is why it is 'celebrated' in the Bible. God's slavery was never about mistreating people. Quite the opposite (Deuteronomy 15:12-18)!
7. 'Thou shalt not murder' (Exodus 20:13) is about personal vengeance. Killing in war is seen as something very different from murder (with malice aforethought). This is also reflected in our laws today.
I'll leave it there. Like any piece of historical documentation, the Bible deserves to be read and understood in its proper context.
Penn has done his own investigation and has drawn his conclusions and that's exactly what we all should do. His encouragement of personal investigation of source material is excellent and although the video is thought provoking and helpful to a point, we'd be ignoring real wisdom (including Penn's advice) if we let this short video clip convince us completely.
The other thing is Penn never really mentions Jesus. This is quite strange considering that Christianity (and the Bible too!) is all about him. The best way to understand the Bible is to explore who Jesus was and the evidence for his resurrection etc. If Jesus is God then the rest of the Bible makes a lot more sense (it has too) and if he's not, then it's not worth bothering with.
Go investigate!
Is this it?
Romans 12:1 (The Message version of the Bible)
So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.
Questions to consider (there's a lot so maybe pick just a few)
- How does buying fairtrade promote justice?
- How does reducing CO2 reduce climate change? Do you cycle/walk whenever possible?
- How does living sustainably and recycling more help?
- How can you make your voice heard and influence decisions made by those in authority (including teachers as well as politicians)?
- What would be a good reason to lobby a local shop?
- How does banking ethically have an impact on people?
- How does shopping differently and buying local help (food miles)?
- How much do you engage with people and care about others?
- To what extent do you live generously?
- How could praying for the world be a good thing?
- Do you speak out for those who have no voice?
- What impact is your life having on the world?
Dear God, please help us to care about this world and everyone living in it, especially those near to us but also anyone who is in great need of stuff we take for granted. Help us to live grateful and generous lives that have a deliberate positive impact. Please change us. Please change this world. Amen.
Questions
Questions to consider...
- How do you think the vicar did?
- Who do you think Jesus was/is?
- The Bible says, 'everyone should be quick to listen and slow to speak' (James 1:19). How might this be helpful when responding to questions people have about Jesus?
- How would you have answered the kids in this clip?
- What questions do YOU have about Jesus?
Dear God, please help me to be quick to listen and slow to speak. Help me to listen to questions people have and help me not to think I have all the answers. Help me to ask big questions too and to find out more about who you really are. AMEN!
A normal day
Here's some questions and comments I've had from young people about this video and about people's idea of a perfect day...
Q: What do YOU think a perfect day should be?
A: In 2 words: 'With God.' Knowing God and being with him (with others too) without anything getting in the way. Psalm 84:10.
Q: Why is it better with God?
A: I believe God made us for a relationship with him and when we're not in a relationship with him, we miss out (kind of an understatement!) - It's like a fish is made to live in water and when you take it out of the water, it dies. We were made to be in God and when we're not in God, we die. There's 2 ways to live.
Q: Does God even have a house?
A: The verse (Psalm 84:10) is talking about being with God in the temple. In the Old Testament part of the Bible, that's where God said he'd meet people. These days God says we can each be like his temple if we follow Jesus, so he lives in us and we're his 'house' (1 Corinthians 6:19).
Q: How is this anything to do with God?
A: I believe God's interested in everything we do because he loves us and made us to enjoy life with him. Our ideas matter to him and there's lots that he would want to encourage as well as challenge and change.
Q: Why is God stereotypically a man?
A: In English we only have 'he', 'she' and 'it' and God is not really any of those. The best parts of male and female come from God because the Bible says we're made in his image (Genesis 1:27) but that doesn't make God a guy or a girl. Maybe we say 'he' traditionally because the Bible says he made Adam first or because Jesus was a man, or maybe just because we live in a pretty sexist world. Say 'he' or she' if you like. God's neither a bloke, nor a lass. He's God.
- A day where I act respectfully towards everyone.
- When everything goes right for me.
- Winning the lottery.
- Fun, happy, seeing friends and family, sun.
- Talking to friends.
- Going to town with friends.
- Being with friends.
- No school and a lie-in.
- Making videos.
- Xbox all day.
- I find £400,000,000 in a hedge.
- Doing what I want, when I want.
- Free to do whatever I want.
- When nothing bad happens.
- Doing cool stuff that is impossible.
- Life is not about one day - it's about your whole life.
- Beach.
- Watching TV and eating chips.
- No homework.
- Shopping.
- Playing football.
- Being lazy.
- Being with my best friend.
- Driving and F1 car.
- Sleep.
- Cheese on toast for tea.
- Watching films.
- Smiling and making others smile.
- A day of dance.
- In bed with music.
- No such thing.
- A day when I resolve all my problems.
- It's nice to be at your home where you feel safe.
Good news on the streets?
I said I'd post these two videos that disagree compellingly about street evangelism. Interesting...
Fighting injustice
A quick answer to the question one young person asked me recently because of this video...
Q: What is this kid achieving?
A: The answer's in the clip. He got the school to review its sexist uniform policy.
Comments on the video and the injustices people care about...
- This guy's a legend. Brave.
- Not being allowed to wear jumpers at school.
- Paying for university.
- Not allowed to wear make up in school.
- Flowers being taken away in school.
- Human rights.
- Not allowed a phone in your bag.
- I don't like it when people get judged for who they are.
- World poverty
- Too much homework
- Bullying
- Naivety
- Girls and boys aren't treated the same
- Homelessness
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