Fry was interviewed on Irish TV and left the interviewer speechless! http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/0...-if-he-met-god-levels-this-interviewer-video/
One of the few people actually able to put into words what many think. Also best example I've seen of 'If you're not going to like the answer, don't insist on asking the question.'
Religion is the cause of virtually every conflict in the world - directly or indirectly, like it or not.
You have to wonder what the presenter was thinking about, asking that question of Stephen Fry of all people - his views are so well known, Brilliant response though...
I'm not too well disposed towards this all powerful divine being after the way he treated my mother, a lifelong servant of his, in her final years, besides what he's put me through for the past five years. The apologists for His Divineness who were dredged up to answer on his behalf on 5Live this morning were typically vague and hand-wringingly simplistic. Rock on, Stephen. Make a few people think, I hope.
I wish I were able to express it better - but that is as good an answer as you will get. First you do not need a god to make the universe run - we dream him up to make us feel better and second as Stephen Fry says, if there is a god then he is a monster. Excellent post - wish I knew how to share this with others (other than Mrs L who always says she is not going to stand next to me in a lightning storm )
Sorry but I have no respect for people whose only aim in life appears to be to try to destroy other people's belief systems. Stephen Fry is not really an atheist because true atheists believe in everyone's rights to believe what they want as long as they do not force it on others. These types of militant atheist appear to have no other purpose in life than to batter believers in religion with their own smug certainty - if they can offer nothing other than ridicule then I am not interested in them.
Personally I find Mr Fry a rather pompous toff who is so far up himself it makes me gag ..I avoid his appearences on TV with a passion.
He was only asked the question because of his known militant atheism ! These people are very fond of claiming the moral high ground - so I would ask the question of why they are so concerned about my beliefs when I do not interfere in theirs in any way. Yes there is evil in the World, yes there are trials and tribulations at every turn but...... so many people have also gained the courage to withstand those trials through their faith. How would he react to a woman who spent 2 weeks hiding in a wooden box whilst her whole village was ravaged - and stated afterwards that only her belief got her through it ? He has no answer (or would he say she was suffering from delusions ?)
Personally I would be more interested in God on the concept of Stephen Fry. No wait, I would not be interested either way.
I have no wish to fall out with you and I've seen enough on here to know that will not happen, all I meant was, if the questioner was shocked and didn't like the response he should have found a safer question! For the record, I'm with Stephen 100%
Dave, there is absolutely no risk of us falling out on here ! To be honest if you ask such a question then you should be prepared for such a reply. However, he is known for being an outspokenly militant atheist and here I have some problems. If someone says to me that they do not believe in God then i have absolutely no problem with that - however when I reply that I do then I do not expect to be ridiculed for it or have vocabulary such as 'delusional' or 'fairy tale' thrown in my face (which is all too often done by these people). I mostly find the smug certainty of people such as Fry or Dawkins highly repellent and simply ignore them for that reason.
That's fair comment, I have no problem with believers, if faced with a grizzly end, who knows, I may become one myself!
Wow, and nobody who is Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu etc. etc. is smugly certain of their own beliefs?....... Both sides are entrenched in their positions, I'm afraid and will have to agree to differ. I don't know. My position on the fence is somewhat uncomfortable though.
I rather suspect that the interviewer asks that question to each of his guests. It was a bit of a Bill Grundy / Sex Pistols moment within its own context I don't know what sort of answer he was expecting.He certainly left it as a closed question because there was no attempt to refute the assertion, more so with the second part of the answer "I wouldn't want to get in..." No atheist worth his salt will contend that there is no god. However it is self evident the frustration and anger that our species binds itself to ancient and contradictory texts with at best dubious morality. The problem is that the vast majority of people are afraid of death meaning just that. No afterlife, no reward for being good, no punishment for being bad for evermore. Until we begin to accept death as the ultimate ending for this and any other life then we'll always have religious strife.
Cologne I rarely disagree very strongly with what you say but on this topic I think you are way out. Militant atheists as you call them are no different to militant anything else. In fact the word militant is derived from the same root as militia and as such is contrary to my own beliefs. There is world of difference however between militant and "strongly held". To claim Stephen Fry is not an atheist is laughable when he clearly is - "a" means"not" and theist means "believer in god" Stephen Fry is clearly not a believer in god so he is by definition an atheist. When people start to talk about "true" atheists or "true" football fans they are on shaky ground and are in fact only imposing their own view on others. Who are we to tell others whether they are true Christians, Muslims, Jews, Atheists or whatever. Next you will say someone cannot be gay if they are a militant homosexual. Militancy has nothing to do with belief orientation etc. You are only describing what you want an atheist to behave like. As it happens I agree with you on that and try never to force my views on others - but am prepared to argue a case as strongly as I can. It is a poor religion which cannot stand up to questions about it. As Vic implies smugness is no preserve of atheists. Christians and Muslims - in fact many religions have imposed their views on others - not only non believers - for centuries. Of course two wrongs don't make a right. If you invite Stephen Fry on to your programme and then ask him to answer a smug hypothetical question knowing his views then when you receive a very coherent and well argued reply - then don't be upset. I assure you that I did not view his reply as ridicule so much as repressed anger. Anyone who believes in a god they say is loving and caring needs to answer some of his points. I have no problem in people of faith believing anything they like - including fairies at the bottom of their gardens if they so choose - I counted myself amongst them for decades. I do have a problem with people of faith not accepting that some of us have a sincere hatred of their god. As you know I do not believe in violence as a way to resolve problems but if I ever met god it would strongly test my resolve. I rather hope there is a god and that I can meet him and tell him just what I think of him before he tortures me for eternity.
Sorry but EVERY atheist by definition will contend there is no god. They believe there is no god - they cannot prove it - it is a matter of faith . Oh - and the lack of any proof that there is a god, a monster that sits 5 miles under the south pole or the cookie monster. People just choose to believe in god - which is good for them if it helps them. It is an agnostic who will NOT contend there is no god - as the word implies "not knowing"
