I’m your nerd host, Chris Hardwick
Nerdist is a place where we nerds come together and share the nerdery that we find. It's also my home to various elements of the Nerdist Empire. You might recognize me from TV. You don't realize that's where you know me from, but it is. You think you went to college with me or I look like your cousin's friend, but that is not the case. At one time or another you stumbled upon me on your moving picture box in such cerebral gems as MTV's "Singled Out" and Noam Chomsky's "Shipmates." and so much more...
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There was a game called London 2012, it is pretty good. Why isn’t everyone playing it all the time? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_2012_(video_game)
Annnnd there is a difference between attacking Christians broadly, and isolating a thing that is clearly non-sensical, and saying, “hey this one thing is clearly insane.” You can say that the idea that humans lived with dinosaurs is clearly crazy, without saying that Christians per-se are bad, because your isolating a specific aspect of a broader picture.
When religion enters the realm of science, it has to be judged by the same scientific standards as anything else. Likewise, if it avoids making specific scientific claims, then it can do whatever.
Psychologically, it’s very simple. An intelligent person can consciously realize that the following situation is occurring, yet their unshakable natural reactions to other people in the world boil down to this:
- Nonreligious people think they’re outnumbered because they count all Christians as one single group. At heart, many nonreligious people have the feeling that the religious extremists actually annex and represent all of religion, or that moderate religious people secretly value the extremists, and that SCARES them.
That’s not true. Religious people who are genuine and good hate anyone who uses religion as a tool for spreading hatred.
- Christians think they’re outnumbered because they’re only counting themselves among a small sliver of like-minded Christians. Still, they stick up for “Christianity,” despite it meaning something different to both parties.
Once again, that’s a mistake.
And of course, people may know better, but this is simply what our impulses tell us. It could very well lead to a civil war in the future, if two things don’t happen:
- If fake liberals don’t straighten themselves up, and be genuinely tolerant of good people, individualizing Christians instead of subconsciously associating them all regardless of the disparity of their beliefs.
- If religious people don’t start calling out EVIL religious people, even more actively than nonreligious people do. If you can’t police yourselves, someone else will do it for you, and you’ll get swept up in the mess.
Also remember that TRUE fundamentalism means “doing what Jesus tells you to do,” which is not what most so-called fundamentalist Christians do. So, don’t judge someone as a fundamentalist; the term is moot. Judge them as extremists.
(also, I know I’m sometimes using the words “religious” and “Christian” interchangeably, but please don’t change the subject and call that out. We all know that Christians are what we’re talking about here, good or bad.)
I agree with all of that. With one exception. So not all of that then.
But calling out evil guys is not helpful. Go look up any pastor that has any sort of reputation at all and I would be surprised if there weren’t several message boards dedicated to your random choice about how evil/incorrect/divisive they are. I suppose the same is true of politicians and even famous scientists.
Although, I suppose you have to do something. But hard to know what sometimes. Actually I agree with all of that then. Just what that “calling out” means is probably just really tough to get right.
Well, I would say disassociating yourself from it at the very least, and identifying it as corrupt/immoral/etc. Essentially, like I said, understanding the responsibility of policing yourselves, and maybe doing it a little more harshly than someone outside the religious world would do it, because you know it’s better for everyone.
Almost the same way that parents raise an upstanding family… Being harsh enough on your own kids, so it’s not up to the school system to be harsh with them.
And I say “you” to both sides, not siding with either, because that’s really the only fair way to make a neutral point.
And to be clear, I don’t mean that it’s so important to call out entire other religions as being “evil” just because you don’t agree with it; I mean to call out actual, obvious evil (a’la Westboro Baptist Church extremist bigotry, pedophile priests, etc)… And to identify it as coming from the individuals who perpetuate it, not the groups.
Awesome show. James Gunn rocking out.