TTA Podcast 239: The Story of God - A Biblical Comedy About Love (and Hate)
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- Опубліковано 14 вер 2015
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Chris Matheson was co-screenwriter on the 1989 comedy film, "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure." Chris' most recent adventure is an exploration of the Christian holy book, rewriting the "sacred" texts and releasing his synopsis of scripture as the new book, "The Story of God: a Biblical Comedy about Love (and Hate).
In this broadcast, Seth speaks with Chris about his sarcastic (yet accurate) take on the Bible, and he finishes the show by reading an excerpt from the book. Enjoy.
CHRIS' BOOK ON AMAZON: www.amazon.com/Story-God-Bibli...
When my daughter was 7 years old she was listening to the Noah story after being told how 'all powerful' god was. She says, "He doesn't need to kill everything he can wave his arms around and fix his mistakes." Ya know, little kids really know how to think.
Boy if it's obvious to a child it should be obvious to adults!
I'm amazed no theists have appeared from the woodwork to say something along the lines of "But muh free wills!!!" as if that remotely even comes close to fixing any of the rampant problems with their worldview.
@@enki354 but adults "think" and shout: "but their responsability...and..deserve punishment!"
We dont give kids enough credit. Supposed adults think they know everything and have vast repository of knowledge yet there's financial collapse, wars, racial strife. You think kids do this stuff? My best answer would be....uhmmm.... NO
Children have the freest minds in existence adults minds are limited and just lacking imagination. THAT is what the world needs more imagination and less derision.
When I was a kid I loved reading the Greek and Roman myths. I wondered how people could believe in these mean and vengeful gods. Then I realized the god I was suppose to believe in was the same.
crystalheart9: Yes, I have always asked this question: Out of the thousands of god who were around at the same time as the christian god, what are the odds that the christian god stood up and said "believe in me, I am the one true god." How many people would have believed him?
God is all-powerful and all-knowing, but His plans keep falling apart. From that perspective, God sounds like a character from an ABC sitcom.
Or looney tunes.
+David Loveland Wile E. Jehovah
Lol or UPN
carl jansen
I see God as a comedic villain, personally.
hey! I saw you comment on another Aron ra video. just letting that out lol
I’ve been listening to these podcasts for awhile now and I always come away with more things to think about and grow from. Thank you.
This was an excellent show, Seth...Standing ovation to you and your guest! Much respect, Seth!
I would pay for the audio book version of this book read entirely by Seth.
+fowlfables you read my mind!
+fowlfables Me toooooo
+fowlfables saaame!!
Seth absolutely MUST do the audiobook for this. His voice is perfect.
+fowlfables I would also pay for that
Back when Rambo First Blood Part II came out the theatres my mother asked me: Are you and your brother going to see Second Blood?
Funniest thing she ever said to me :-)
The part about the void touches on an argument I often make to show that god can't answer the ultimate question of origins any better than we can, and the Bible proves it, because all he knows about who he is, how he came to be, or always was, is "I am that I am". All he knows is that he exists, and can't recall any time or situation in which he did not exist.
I used to watch Greatest American Hero religiously! And I loved Bill and Ted!!!
believe it or not, im walking on air
never thought i could be so free
flying away on a wing and i prayer
who could it be
believe it or not, its just me
im 51 yrs old and i still remember 🤣
i was about 11 when that show came out and i loved it.
It's almost like he's describing a baby becoming self-aware in its mother's womb: knowing there is a "we"; being surrounded by water; deciding when to be born, etc.
So... something births this god with infinite power and just abandons it to figure out how it all works. I suppose it makes sense, then, why he ended up such a bitter and vindictive bastard. He was abandoned by his mother; no one there to teach him right from wrong, or how to love and be loved. That's why he let his own son die, I think. All metaphorical speculation, of course.
Robin Hice I love this concept, need to explore this further.
So I'm not the only one who thinks puffed up religious self-importance has served to obscure the fact that some parts of the Bible are (and were intended to be) absurdly funny?
We need a new "Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension". That was classic weirdness, and the most totally 80s flick ever.
Thank you... I never know what to give Dad for his birthday... this is absolutely perfect! Bought 2 copies immediately... ^^
Ballsy. I like it
+Shlomo Great haha, thanks, but no real balls required. Dad have been a atheist most of his life, he is probably one of the main reasons I'm one. ^^
raised atheist you could say... still he took me to church when I was curious at age 6... smart move, very fast realized it was a bunch of bull, so it let me get that out of the way. ;)
+Håkan Sundberg Ahh. Makes sense. Thought he was still religious!
+Håkan Sundberg you realized it was bull that early? I don't think I had the capacity to that early in my life.
Shlomo Great well in a way at least, my family wasn't religious so for me it was only stories... and the stories didn't fit together, I have never liked logical inconsistency. I prefered the Hobbit or my dads stories, at least they made sense. ;)
Btw I love being an atheist. I think we are the ONLY group of people in the world who are truly free. Yes we have to abide by local, state and federal laws but we are free mentally. We have no lord or master which means we are free from mental slavery.....which religion is the worst and oldest form of mental and physical slavery. We are truly free. We are also the most reviled and rejected group in America especially but it’s a price well worth paying.
You got a fantastic voice!
Yes he does.
Hearing Seth read the excerpt was captivating...back to my old days of mom blasting Oral Roberts reading the bible on cassette...then with the freaky twist of all the same doubts that came to young mind because the shit didn't make any sense! Just bought the book on kindle...wish to hear it on audible though. Thank for the tremendous recommendation!
can't wait for the next show
I've just ordered my copy of The Story of God. Looking forward to reading it!
Just put a hold on the book at the library. Can't wait to read it!
25:06 That would explain a few things. As Dan Barker pointed out in his book, "God: The Most Unpleasant Character in All Fiction", the god of the Christian Bible seems to be pyromaniacal, favoring fire as a means to destroying humans and other creatures. If that's so, then it stands to reason he'd be scared of water.
That book sounds epic! I'm getting it.
"First Blood" is awesome. Often made me wonder what would happen if one motivated and highly trained individual declared war on a small town.....good stuff.
Just finished this yesterday...hilarious spin on the personality of God. LMAO at many places. Thanks to Chris for writing this and thank you Seth for having him on your show!!
Time bandits...... one of my favorite movies
I need this book
This is great
Back when I was in primary school, "First Blood" spawned a craze for the "Rambo Knife". Kids were coming to school showing off their knives...11 year old kids.
Is there an audio version?
Was nice meeting you in person at PASTAHCON, Seth!
7:10 ish 80 years from now I´ll still be banging my head to the chorus of I kissed a girl, easily the catchiest thing since aids.
13:00 for the interview. Chris is a very funny guy and the book is very smart and clever.
Commando is my favorite Schwarzenegger flick.
I let my five year old son sit with me as I watched first blood on tv. He started to cry as Rambo was hanging on a cliff as a police man was shooting at him. My wife, the mother, called him to her, away from the Scary movie. At age 21, my son decided to duel it out with the police. They had a crazy relationship from early on, and it ended tragically for our young man. Two hollow points through the heart. Those movies seem harmless, but I'm pretty sure it is only making producers look successful.
I loved your narration... you should have a go at Terry Pratchett's Small Gods and perhaps the Bromeliad trilogy
Hey Seth, I listened to Chris come on your podcast and on cognitive dissonance to talk about his book... I am looking for a digital or audio version because I loved what I heard on your show and can't seem to find it ANYWHERE. Can you or anyone else on these comments give me a hand?
Are the shows no longer live anymore? Just pre-recorded now?
Love this, it makes God sound like I picture him, a spoiled 10 yr old with an ant farm!
Really dug the show! Sounds like a must read. Cool guy, indeed.
(Off-topic) Regarding Naturebox products, I just wanted to say that when it comes to body weight, it's strictly about calories (not the particular source of the nuts, or corn, or wheat, and not the kind of sweetener, etc.). Naturebox products contain equal calories, gram for gram, as other comparable products. They are in no way low-calorie food items. It is disingenuous to market them as being a better snack food for losing weight than other similar products. This false advertising gives Naturebox snacks a certain “health halo” that doesn't really exist. On the contrary, ingesting these snacks regularly, on top of regular daily meals, will certainly cause weight gain. They don't get a free pass because....“natural”. It may actually be a disservice to people struggling to lose weight to promote these snacks as somehow better for that endeavor. And because they're “all natural” AND tasty, they may actually make the problem worse. I guarantee Seth didn't lose weight ingesting large amounts of Naturebox snacks (unless he factored in their calorie content and ate less of other foods). Health claims for these snacks are specious. They are just composed of normal food ingredients. The only legitimate claims are that they taste great, and have good ingredients. Aren't those enough reasons to eat them? Isn't that enough for sales to flourish?
( just my two cents)
Everything in moderation my friend nature box is a much better choice and doesn't have the additives and whatnot. If you over eat anything healthy you will get fat. I eat these snacks as a college athlete who needs calories and they are a great choice. Also the fiber content in these snacks makes you way fuller, sane with fruit its high in sugar but the fiber slows blood sugar absorption. They should make the calories more known but moderation...
Tyler Potts Couldn’t agree more. One can’t really go wrong with nuts, grains, seeds, fruits, sugars. Snacks are meant to be enjoyed in moderation. That’s just it, though. If someone had moderation, they wouldn’t be struggling with weight. The point was about calories and its relationship to weight loss. And for the implication that these products are better than others for this purpose.
To me healthy has very little to do with the calorie content. No matter what you are eating you need to know the calories and plan accordingly.
+Tor Strasburg I asserted that it was part of my solution. A much larger health plan is in place (and I think I've spoken often about it...if memory serves). Tennis. Better overall diet. I post and speak about my fitness trainer.
But NB has allowed me to cut down on the fat/sodium, which is a priority for me, and it isn't a snack cheat when other options (candy bars, chips, etc) are within my grasp. That's a fair representation, I think.
But I do appreciate it.
+TheThinkingAtheist exactly Seth, I have always eaten healthy before NB and health has nothing to do with calories ( to a certain extent) high calories foods can be extremely healthy but if you are moderating your portions it has to do with eating whole grains, macro nutrients, veggies, fruits and fibers without the processed chemicals of normal snacks. Nature box helps eliminate that extra stuff but like anything healthy it doesn't give you a free pass to stuff your face. There is no easy solution to weight loss other than eating less of more wholesome calories than your body burns.
OMG I just watched Rambo on netflix as well!!
this reminds me of 'DarkMatter2525's cartoon God & Geoffrey!
And...Seth Andrews, confirmed troper.
One of us! One of us! gooble gobble! gooble gobble!
Due to revisions and redactions over millennia we have lost forever the essential scriptures and revelations contained in Tom Bombadil, The Early Years.
what was the name of that comedy film about Rambo the parody? wasn't hot shots part deux was it?
Thanks, Seth. I knew God was a Homosexual. And, he loves that "Homosexual Trinity."
Just read this book, was confused by a reference to Mark ch 17:35 as mark only goes to 16 chapters. Could anyone point me to the probably apocryphal chapter 17 please?
Adrian Price
One point Matheson made really struck me. That God was sitting around in nothing and complete darkness for literally eternity until he suddenly had the thought to make light, and then everything else. The story would make a lot more sense if God came into being shortly before the first verse of the Bible.
Actually God did make the universe and the earth about 14 billion years ago - never really gave a shit about it until 4000 BC. Eventually he made man, which was a project of his for a while and he did a whole lot of shit, but then his mom made him get cleaned up for dinner. Nobody's seen him since...
who eventually benefits and how
Audiobook ??
Yahweh roughs out as Jerry Lewis's _The Nutty Professor_ - the inept inventor Professor Kelp, crossed with the self-involved, egomaniacal Buddy Love, with each personality exaggerated to its illogical conclusion.
Maybe not the best way to model that fool of a god, but not the worst, either.
Hey Seth, if you like The Story of God, you should try "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal," by: Christopher Moore. In it, we are introduced to Raziel, the Stupidest Angel, who makes another appearance in Moore's Christmas title "The Stupidest Angel." A Christmas Story with zombies!
The term "reptile" comes directly from the Latin term for "crawling things" that the Vulgate uses in Genesis 1.
For everybody who loves, and now find the humor in, those old 80' action movies... You have to see Kung Fury.
You can do sushi if you are in Hanover Park Illinois!
The sushi place is always empty because it's in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
"James Bond super villain" 😂😂😂
I have to agree with several of the comments - Mr. Andrews would make an excellent audio book personality!
Not much on the Rambo stuff, never enjoyed the movies.
+
fredworthmn
You did not like the Rambo movies???? Do not let Sylvester Stallone hear you say that. He would come right up to you and stare you straight in the belly button and growl - "Mmhheweheh Errrrum Rammmmbeww Adriannnnnnnnnnnn!!".
Did he ever at any point mention to you that is father was legendary author Richard Matheson, the writer of I Am Legend, What Dreams May Come, The Incredible Shrinking Man and some of the most famous episodes of Twilight Zone and the original series of Star Trek?
First of all before there was light I was playing with myself. Secondly since I know all and see all why didn't I see Adam and Eve being tempted by the serpent and then act surprised when it happened. I'm like a child with a magnifying glass burning ants.
Has either of you seen the Lego Bible series? They are also brilliant.
Actually I'm fairly confident that if the entire world were flooded the aquatic creatures would die too. I'd just assume the mixing of fresh and salt water would kill a lot pretty horrifically and many of them are *very* prone to temperature change. A handful of degrees of difference is deadly to some.
So really I don't think much of the aquatic animals would survive a global flood. Definitely not all
You are confident because you assume. Isn't that like saying you're ignorant because you don't know better ?
Interesting. Their description of God reminds me of my ex 😅
I've always wondered where Cain and Abel got their wives from. Anyone know?
Did Abel live long enough to marry?
No way in fucking hell Solomon wrote the Book of Job. The Book of Job was probably written during the Persian hegemony, ca. 500-350 BCE. In fact, the vast majority of the Hebrew Bible was written from the period during and after the Babylonian exile, ca. 550 to 350 BCE. The oldest elements go back as far as, at the very most, the reign of King Hezekiah, right after the fall of Samaria and the Northern Kingdom of Israel, ca. 700 BCE. The two main parts of the Hebrew Bible--the Pentateuch and Prophets--as we know them today were probably fully redacted in the 5th century BCE, during the time of Ezra the Scribe, and the Writings section wasn't fully canonized until well into the 1st century CE. In fact, up until the time of Rabbi Akiva in the early 2nd century CE, Jews were still debating about whether to include the books of Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs and Ruth in the Bible.
+Tal Moore I always the kingdom of David and Solomon was the Hebrew Camelot. Any indication Solomon even existed? Yes, somebody wrote those three books, but they don't have to be all by the same person.
Robert Miller David and Solomon probably existed, but the way they are portrayed in the Bible is mostly legendary. The archaeological evidence doesn't support the Biblical narrative that David and Solomon had splendid kingdoms and that that era was something of a golden era. In fact, the southern hill country that made up Judah around that time (1000 BCE) was more like a bronze age chiefdom than a full-fledged kingdom. Most of the magnifcent buildings attributed to Solomon, in fact, date to the time of the Omrides of the Northern Kingdom (i.e. the much vilified Kings Omri and his son Ahab). A further clue that David and Solomon weren't so special is their lack of theophoric names. That is, they don't have the name of God in their names, either Yahu or El, which suggests that Yahweh wasn't a big deal back then. For example, take Jehoshaphat, who lived almost 200 years after David and Solomon, whose name means "Yahweh judges". He has a clear theophoric name, which suggests that that's when the Israelites started to have a clear conscious sense of being Yahweh's people and the kings of Israel being the "sons" of Yahweh. Up until that point, Yahweh was probably just one of many semitic gods worshipped in that part of the world. It wasn't until the time just before, during and after the Babylonian exile that the Jerusalem priests of Yahweh started to establish a backstory to justified and institutionalize their power, and we can readily see that in the final redacted Hebrew Bible from the Persian period of ca 500 to 350 BCE. Nothing I'm saying is contraversial in the least. It's all mainstream biblical scholarship.
+Tal Moore I remember reading something about the title "solomon" (ruler) and how it was later taken to be the name of a person. And I've recently stumbled across (in a 1961 book on the subject) a reference to the Hittite religion where they roasted a goat in milk as part of a ritual (much like that described in Ex 34 - the _real_ 10th commandment.) And Daniel was clearly written after 167 BCE. All these little bits of information reveal a very late source for pieces of the Tanakh - much later than the fundamentalists would have us believe.
Rand Huso The name Solomon comes from the Hebrew name Shlomo, which means either Man of Peace or Peacemaker or some such. It comes from the same semitic root as the Hebrew word for peace, Shalom. And, incidently, that same root is the basis for the Arabic word Islam ("submission") and Muslim ("submissive"). As for boiling a kid in its milk, archaeologists uncovered a stele from Aram-Damascus that discusses boiling a kid in its mother's milk within the context of worshipping a particular Canaanite god (i.e. a Ba'al), so it's certainly possible that the Isrealites banned such a practice in order to distinguish themselves from their neighbors. As for Daniel, there are clear textual and historical reasons for dating it to the Hasmonean period, likely in or around the Maccabean revolt (ca 167 BCE).
Thanks guys! I was always suspicious about the Davidic Kingdom Saga, especially after learning that the genocide of Joshua was fictional. So Daniel was written a full two centuries after it supposedly was? That would annoy the Adventists I grew up with (who are obsessed with Daniel).
Incidentally, Ahab doesn't sound like that bad a king...
i believe in God.
What language did Yahweh use to say, "Let there be light?" The water on earth before the universe, space/time were created always stood out to me too.
Probably Hebrew lol!! Obviously. Great show tho.
17th century English, obviously
Skip to 15:00
(38:13) Who created the mushrooms, lobster, crabs, and snails?
Sounds like it might have been the French.
Thank god for the french. Mmmm lobsters and crabs
Actual show begins @ 12:10 jeezuz .... No point really..the interview is funnier than the book.
The video starts after 21 minutes.
In the book of Job. if you read the character of the Satan as God's inner monologue it makes more sense. So God's even a bit schitzo.
I'm not a freak and the Bible is the ancient world's version of Star Wars.
If you look at A/B/O (Omegaverse) fanfiction people came up with a way for men to have babies.
god is stewie from family guy
Someone else reveals the God character as the evil, hamfisted, rage filled nitwit his actions clearly indicate him to be. I bet Chris' book is a good read.
I always wondered what the hell Satan's problem was in Job. If Satan knows that god is omniscient, then he has to know that god already knows how this is all going to play out. It's the only time in the Bible where I think Satan seems as much of a prick as god. He knows he's going to lose, but he does all this shit anyway. Of course the truth is that the OLD God wasn't all that, so Satan did have a chance.
For a really good take on the book of job and many more bible stories check out darkmatter2525's channel
People don't want to hear it and certainly don't want to believe it but the smartest people are atheist. The well read people are atheist, they've been around and are well learned.
Many of us like the talk in the beginning :)
Cloe, Marry me. All I'm listening right now is true. Speaking of the wicked, IQ 9.8 , sadistic imbecil character, I have to admit that the first time I saw god was in THE TEN COMMANDMENTS , starring Charlton Heston I first heard a strong low pitched voice and the first thing I can quote from him was TAKE YOUR FILTHY SANDALS. and z Moses obeyed the (Jesus, was I shocked by its appearance. I ran out of the theatre and emptied a fire extinguisher. . I was just wondering covered in white powder, ...ang I sigh of relief. I was not a bush, let alone on FIRE.Actually he made man with clay and TOOK ONE RIB OFF THE MAN. You really have a long way to be a become Macho, which in fact I'd rather you didn't become. BUT NOW I HAVE A REVELATION FOR YOUR EARS ONLY.. The bothering gods were long time before his Magical BigBanguish appearance just lying around, playing cards, whatever. And they spoke inconceivable languages. Odin, Thor ( still waiting for a email from Hollywood, and weird huge bearded people. He managed to pronounce Zeus and Jupiter. They both were the most powerful along with Odin and another whose name ended in JSIZZZZ.And they asked him: Where are your parents?? A 9.8 IQ son of a god and goddess should not be playing the "World LEGO lands.Too late.We're here in the hands of an autistic child . When the f*ucking hell is gonna do something about the game that stupid toddler is making us play with such cruelty. I'm gonna go to Tibet. I heard life is easier over there.
Sharknado ....
Chris Matheson sounds like he's 30 years younger than he actually is. I wonder whats in his cereal..
Your right he does!
These movies are all the same, they always die, never get injured. Watched all the men in " The Magnificent Seven" Same thing. All dead.
First Blood was awesome!!! Rambo: First Blood 2 was lame.
Edit: sushi 🍣 is gross.
I'm very opinionated today.
I’m not sure why you can’t see that God r presents us and all our drama we live in. We judge, we punish, we do all those things.
The Big Bang happens when you have sex. Then the heavens and the earth are formed. The Bible is a beautiful story of us.
Jesus is the representation of what we can become when we wake up to the fact that we can change. If we don’t we carry our cross to our death just as he did.
Linda Curtis in the fable of the bible, he didnt sacrifice shit. He came back to life. Nothing sacrificed.
Plus, he never existed.
No, the big bang is not like sex. The bible is like sex, because it screws your mind. So be a cerebral celibate for a while, Linda Curtis. I'm sure you are too smart for that book of lies.
I think this is your worst podcast. Your guest was boring, and I did not see him make good points. Maybe he is better on other platforms, but I just could not enjoy this one. Maybe I missed the main arguments, but all I can remember is 'bible is ridiculous'. Nothing wrong with that statement, as long as it's followed by good argument.
The "thinking" atheist? That's a bit of an oxymoron, isn't it? Anyone want to prove me wrong? Okay, can any atheist out there make a positive case FOR atheism/naturalism? Maybe just a simple 1-2-3 list of rational or scientific reasons why anyone should believe that naturalism (nothing beyond nature) could be true?
Atheism is simply a non-belief in a god or deities.
Atheism doesn’t necessarily encompass every scientific ideal, or reject every supernatural claim. There may be some that think supernatural aspects exist, and there are those that don’t have a clue regarding the laws of physical science.
It just so happens that there are many who understand physics, cosmology, astronomy, biology, chemistry, etc, without that “but, what about god” internal indoctrinated narrative mucking up the thought processes.
Your post premise is akin to asking christians if they can offer proof that praying to mary works miracles. You’ll get quite a spectrum of responses.
However, your very first words trying to dis “thinking atheist” are rather weak. Most atheists, as opposed to theists, are skeptical, which actually requires a bit of critical thinking about the belief in a god.
Theists are told that doubt is a sin, and rather than explore any questions or inconsistencies, they simply push them aside and don’t think about it.
Most stay content with accepting that god is real, he’s in charge, humans are but worms and jesus is a savior to spare you from eternal torture.
Or, that Allah is in charge, do more good than bad and you’ll be spared eternal torture.
THESE are the assertions that atheists reject, and that’s pretty much what they have in common.
As far as the supernatural ... there’s no evidence. So there’s that.
@@barkYdarkATFB
So you can't do it then? You can't provide even one good reason why anyone should believe that naturalism is or could be true? Well then, I rest my case! As for all your other claims and unsubstantiated assertions... _Riddled with errors as they were... Foolish nonsense that unthinking atheists believe for no good reason..._ Well, it seems that you likely can't produce any good reasons for those either. Are you a "thinking" atheist? It doesn't appear so. _Prove me wrong?_ You define atheism as a lack of belief - something Matt himself would rebuke you for. But an appeal to ones personal state of mind and/or ignorance, is not an argument for or against anything. And if there is no God (nothing outside of nature) then naturalism must be true. But you can't produce any scientific evidence or arguments to argue FOR your faith. Which is my point. And so I say, 'nuff said.
@Jesse Bryant ... what the fuck are going on about?
I just responded to your post. I’m not playing your middle school games.
🙄
@@barkYdarkATFB
LOL Poor simple-minded, emotionally driven, non-rational, unthinking atheist! Can't defend your naturalistic position? Dude, that's what I said! [face-palm]
@Jesse Bryant so you’re not about conversation, just some “ha ha I got you” childish game?
Whatever. I’m not 12.
If you want to attempt some maturity, engage in conversation.
If you want to look like you’re trying to make up for getting picked last in dodgeball, keep going.