There are atheists in foxholes. Ricky Gervais proved it last night.
I know that many believe that when someone is in mortal danger they often find God out of desperation. But last night while Ricky Gervais’ career as a television host may have been dying a very public and nasty death, the former humorist signed off last night’s nationally televised awards show by saying, “Thank you to God for making me an atheist.”
Gervais wasn’t really funny throughout the entire evening. He was just rude.
So rude that it even seems to have ticked off Tom Hanks. I mean seriously, how do you tick off Tom Hanks?
And if you needed more evidence even Robert Downey Jr. thought he went too far. Seriously, do you know what you have to do to have Robert Downey Jr. say you went too far?
Gervais started with some low hanging fruit with some well worn jokes about Charlie Sheen and porn stars and alcoholism, an anti-semitic joke about Mel Gibson, a gay joke about Tom Cruise, and a rehab joke about Robert Downey Jr. And it went downhill from there.
And then to sign off thanking God for making him an atheist? What? I guess it’s supposed to be clever but it’s just kinda’ dumb isn’t it? And the other thing is that the joke may have had some relevance if many of the award winners had actually thanked God but I don’t recall that any did.
Maybe if Gervais had hosted the Country Music Awards where God gets mentioned in the songs, by the presenters, by the winners, and I think even the ushers give a short testimony when seating you. So there the comment may have had some relevance. But nobody as far as I can remember mentioned God at the Golden Globes so his joke was a complete non sequitur and didn’t really fit.
Yeah, so it was about as awkward as the rest of his performance.
January 17, 2011 at 5:58 pm
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January 17, 2011 at 6:18 pm
Could someone explain Gervais's success to me? Is the accent? GThe man isn't funny.
January 17, 2011 at 6:21 pm
Yes, Gervais was extremely annoying throughout.
Maybe his closing statement was an unconscious acknowledgement of God. Some atheists do have them. C.S. Lewis recalled that when he believed that God didn't exist, he simultanously was angry at him for not existing, and was also angry at him for creating a world. (The entire quote is priceless: I'm just paraphrasing).
At least,unlike Dawkins and Hitchens, this guy has a sense of humor(sort of). If he can actually laugh at himsef, maybe there's hope for him.
January 17, 2011 at 6:28 pm
He has probably heard Steve Martin's "Atheists Ain't Got No Songs" and feels left out.
January 17, 2011 at 10:02 pm
When you can't be funny, be cruel. It's a lesson you learn in elementary school when trying to cope with insecurity. He never grew out of it.
January 17, 2011 at 11:30 pm
I am glad that you wrote about this. I was watching the Golden Globes ( My wife made me watch it as a compromise while I worked out on the Wii fit) I was shocked by his rude and crass remarks throughout the night. Even though I disagree with Robert Downey Jr's lifestyle I do believe that we should celebrate his sobriety not mock his struggles with drugs and alcohol as Gervais did. I thought that his last comment about thanking God for being an atheist was a fitting comment to the unfortunate quasi atheistic Hollywood elite crowd.
January 18, 2011 at 3:11 am
come on where is your sense of humor? or are you a true and true catholic? then I guess you don't have a sense of humor.
January 18, 2011 at 3:12 am
when is the last time you laughed at church?
January 18, 2011 at 3:28 pm
If he tried to pull that at the CMAs, he would have gotten his butt kicked. Maybe the good that will come out of this is that they will stop showing these inane awards shows.
January 18, 2011 at 8:44 pm
When one person is denied civil rights, all persons are denied civil rights. God the Father is a person who is denied civil rights, God the Son, Jesus Christ, who is a citizen of the world, who is a person, and who is denied civil rights, God the Holy Spirit who is a person and who is denied civil rights. God's sovereign personhood is not acknowledged by the atheist because God is God,censureship of speech because of content and because of who is speaking, discrimination against an innocent sovereign person, because God is God. God is a sovereign person, who must be acknowledged to preserve the order of civil rights to persons. You and I are denied civil rights when the Persons of God are denied civil rights.
January 20, 2011 at 1:37 pm
Is it just me or does it seem like a lot of these "high profile" atheists like Gervais and Bill Mahrer are just downright mean?
Almost like they are mad at God or something 😉
January 25, 2011 at 10:33 pm
Oh my God, the triune godhead has been denied its individual and collective civil rights!
Mr. Gervais did say he "warned them". After an evening of mocking false idols, it's perfectly consistent for him to mock the biggest of them all.