Ricky Gervais explains Genesis
Category: Creationism • Humor
Posted on: August 11, 2006 2:38 PM, by PZ Myers
At last, it all makes sense.
(via ExChristian.net)
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Comments
HA ha... yeah, that is a very funny video. I laughed so hard. I might have to post that on my blog just for the kicks.
Hey, I have a sense of humor. We creationists need have the ability to laugh at ourselves if nothing else. (which will definately help if it turns out we are wrong). But, technically he was reading straight from Genesis so there you have it, humor and science.
Thanks. that definately brightened my day. :)
z.
Posted by: s. zeilenga | August 11, 2006 3:09 PM
Glad he cleared that up. Before Ricky Gervais came along, I was unable to read Genesis and skip over any interesting or relevent parts.
Posted by: Mike Fox![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/nav-commenters.gif)
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August 11, 2006 3:14 PM
I think I want to have his babies.
Posted by: Warren | August 11, 2006 3:37 PM
He really needs to keep going. I'd pay to see/hear him read the whole Bible that way.
Posted by: Greg | August 11, 2006 3:43 PM
Ricky Gervais is one of my heroes -- you gotta love anyone who's podcast included a special section called "Monkey News" (the tagline for which is "Chimpanzee that!!")
Posted by: k8 | August 11, 2006 4:55 PM
Now why can't other people look at the bible and see what we see, just a bunch of stories, it just perplexing how so much of the human race is so gullible.
Who ever had the gullible gene must have had lots of kids.
Posted by: Ole Blue | August 11, 2006 5:02 PM
While I maybe wouldn't consider Ricky a comic genius, he just has the right air about how he conducts his acting and performances that adds to his general comedy.
A very funny way of looking at (and skillfully debunking) even the first few words of the Book.
Posted by: BlueIndependent | August 11, 2006 5:38 PM
PZ - you are a man of great taste. Ricky is wonderfully funny...now if only he could to the same with another misleading book "The Structure of Evolutionary Theory" by one S.J. Gould ;)
Posted by: John Pexton | August 11, 2006 5:52 PM
Hey s. zeilenga I went over to your 'blog' and I would love to see your evidence that evolution is a lie. You said you wanted to come here and make scientists rethink their position so consider this your opening.
Tell your friend Steve your going to give it a shot. Opening salvo please.
Posted by: GH | August 11, 2006 6:01 PM
Greg--Try reading Leviticus aloud. It's a hoot.
Posted by: Molly, NYC | August 11, 2006 6:26 PM
We creationists need have the ability to laugh at ourselves if nothing else.
Hey, maybe you can learn from me. I definitely have the ability to laugh at creationists.
Posted by: FhnuZoag | August 11, 2006 6:31 PM
Do you see now that the Bible is unadorned absolute truth? Because, you know...you couldn't make this stuff up.
Spike Milligan did quite a number on the Bible too--The Bible According to Spike Milligan:
Posted by: D. Rifkind | August 11, 2006 6:42 PM
Warren, I foresee some anatomical problems there. But I'm sure God could solve them - after all, if he created heaven and earth in the dark... ;-)
When I first saw Ricky Gervais on The 11 O'Clock Show on Channel 5 I wasn't too impressed. (Well, Channel 5 - says it all, really!) By the time The Office finished, I was definitely impressed (and wincing), but thought he'd end up as David Brent for the rest of his days. But Gervais has continued to improve. He seems to have this perfect air of being the straight man in a funny world, sounding as if he's perenially missing the joke.
Oh, and his Guardian podcast series was excellent.
Posted by: Peter Barber | August 11, 2006 6:46 PM
Zeilenga, if you're wrong, you'll never know it and you won't be laughing at yourselves or anything else for that matter.
Posted by: craig | August 11, 2006 7:12 PM
You just can't make this stuff up...
Posted by: Rhampton | August 11, 2006 7:19 PM
You just can't make this stuff up...
I have discovered taht if you run your irony meters in parallel, instead of in series, they are able to handle extreme spikes like that.
Posted by: Graculus | August 11, 2006 7:24 PM
The problem with all these complex irony protectin' systems is that they may cut down on your smiles per day. I like the 'extreme spikes'; they make me laugh out loud.
Posted by: Desert Donkey | August 11, 2006 7:31 PM
He points out the one thing that I always use to argue against Genesis: Why the hell did God put the Tree of Knowledge in the midst of the Garden? And make it with edibile fruit? And then make Adam and Eve so dumb as to listen to a talking animal? Why even make such a tree anyway? Was it just too pretty? "Oh, sure this tree is really poisonous, and I shouldn't take it home, but the flowers are sooooo nice."
Try this at home: take a loaded gun, place in front of your four year old and say "Don't touch it. Whatever you do, it is dangerous, so don't touch it." Then, leave the kid alone with the gun. Then, when the kid shoots himself, and the cops are taking you away for child endangerment, if you're lucky, blame the kid for not listening to you.
God could have avoided the whole situation if He put the damn tree in Antartica, or made it non-fruitbearing or just left the damn tree uncreated. But no, He blames the thick-as-brick humans for His negligence in choosing to plant this stupid tree in the Garden. And people really think that this story is going to be convincing to any thinking person?
Posted by: Ryogam | August 11, 2006 8:05 PM
Ryogam, where do you think these god-botherers get their worldview? They aren't just like that by accident. Remember, they like to blame women for getting raped, too.
Like Father, like sycophants.
Posted by: Dan | August 11, 2006 8:19 PM
That He made the Earth in the dark explains a lot of things...
Posted by: Dr. T | August 11, 2006 8:36 PM
Highly recommended--HL Mencken's "Treatise on the Gods." Serious scholarship, and wit with the cut of a knife. Ruth Humence Green wrote a funny (serious) book on the Bible too. As I recall, it has all the "God is merciful" quotes on one page, and all the "God is wrathful" quotes on the other, complete with people killed during the episode.
Hey, remember the Xmas story? Wise men follow a star, but then they need to ask directions -- what, God (or the lighting angel) fell asleep? So they end up seeing Herod for directions. But the star reappears, and leads them right to the manger! Herod has a generation of babies killed. Nice way for "God" to announce the Messiah -- with a mass murder of babies.
Posted by: PM | August 11, 2006 9:00 PM
"we are no more than chaotic, random mutants"
I really, really want that t-shirt!
Posted by: Coragyps | August 11, 2006 9:48 PM
let government schools teach children that we are no more than chaotic, random mutants."
Cool, I feel like that all the time. :-)
Posted by: George Cauldron![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/nav-commenters.gif)
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August 11, 2006 10:16 PM
Ryogam: Try this at home: take a loaded gun, place in front of your four year old and say "Don't touch it. Whatever you do, it is dangerous, so don't touch it." Then, leave the kid alone with the gun.
Or try this: hide the kid's Christmas present in the closet, and tell the kid that if he touches the closet door, he will die. Then have Big Sister come along and tell the kid, 'You won't die; it's just your Christmas present in there.' Kid looks, doesn't die, and proves you a liar.
I had forgotten about that twist until Gervais reminded me.
That bit also brought to mind Rowan Atkinson's "Welcome to Hell" routine.
Posted by: Grumpy | August 11, 2006 11:43 PM
my favorite part was the snake bit, I hadn't heard that one before
Posted by: matthew | August 12, 2006 2:08 AM
"It's a shame, and I feel bad for them when they face God on Judgement Day."
In other words, "You wait 'til my Dad shows up, he'll fix you good!"
These people are adults?
Posted by: Rey Fox | August 12, 2006 2:50 AM
Hilarious. More hilarity can be had at Google Videos where Penn and Teller mangle The Bible:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8463073960287313294&q=penn+and+teller+bullshit
Posted by: Selva | August 12, 2006 5:58 AM
Got better as it went--Gervais is a timing genius. If that was a script and you read it, it would be moderately funny. Delivered by Gervais, it is brilliant.
Posted by: Jack Yan | August 12, 2006 10:00 AM
Grumpy, you forgot to add the coda:
After the kid touches the door, he doesn't die, and then you find out about it, then you kill him. At least you ain't a liar anymore.
I have pointed out that God basically lies to A&E to the beleivers but they always say, no, God did not lie, A&E lose their inmortality by eating the fruit, they do die, just not right that instant.
Now, anyone what to explain how come God then fears that A&E will next eat the Fruit from the Tree of Life and become like him? What a stupid story. It is only convincing to those who were exposed to it when they are small children, before they gain reason.
Posted by: Ryogam | August 12, 2006 6:48 PM
Gervais is awesome. Rent this video. The whole thing is worth your time. Yes, it's all about his excellent timing and delivery.
Posted by: Sean | August 12, 2006 9:48 PM
We creationists need have the ability to laugh at ourselves if nothing else. (which will definately help if it turns out we are wrong).
Let us know when you get the ability to think.
Posted by: truth machine | August 13, 2006 7:16 AM
I'm intrigued by the whole idea of a god being able to experience dark. If the only omnipotent being creates reality, how can that being have a concept of not receiving sensory information? Dark is not being able to see due to an absence of light, but an omnipotent, omniscient, being would always be able to "see." I'm not sure how the being would even imagine dark. It would've made more sense to say that the being created an energy source called light, created creatures that used the light as a source of sensory information, accidentally created ways to block the light, and then realized for the first time that it is possible for a lack of info to exist. Light _has_ to come before dark, doesn't it? You can't create cold unless heat is already in existence. You can't create dark unless there is already light.
Posted by: WhyKnot | August 13, 2006 3:43 PM
I can't read the Bible. It makes no sense at all to me. It appears to be a patchwork of plagiarism of every creation myth. But without any editorial integrity. A copy of a copy of a copy, removed still further by translations. When science gets so far as to knock on the door of God's house, among other questions, I want to ask why He didn't write the Bible himself. Who would trust their bio to be written by a imperfect creation?
Posted by: baron | August 13, 2006 9:54 PM
Some more fun : see the first comment for a similar post on tvsquad.com
Posted by: Kuro | August 24, 2006 5:37 PM