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Jonny Vegas - Evangelical Christianity

Tim Robbins · 2007-09-13 15:15:31

Did anybody see this on Tuesday was it any good? Also on tonight: BBC Four - Protestant revolution 11.30 tonight

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13-09-2007 4:15pm

#1

Tim Robbins

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Did anybody see this on Tuesday was it any good?
Also on tonight:
BBC Four - Protestant revolution 11.30 tonight

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#2 13-09-2007 9:13pm
MooseJam

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oops

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#3 13-09-2007 10:29pm
PDN

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From the Daily Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2007/09/12/nosplit/bvtv12last.xml

And what proved a good night for Channel 4 documentaries (not a phrase you hear very often these days) finished with Johnny Vegas’s Guide to… Evangelical Christianity. At first, this looked like being the usual tired stuff, whereby a sceptical Brit goes to the American heartlands and laughs at some religious zealots. Vegas flew over the Grand Canyon with a bloke who thinks it was created by Noah’s Flood. A born-again Vietnam veteran explained why all Jews should return to Israel. (So that Jesus can come back and collect up the Christians.)

But then something genuinely startling happened. Vegas – a Catholic who’d gone to seminary as an 11-year-old – began to take his job seriously. Not only did he listen to what the less extreme Christians said, but he also responded to it. Before long, he even turned confessional, telling one group: “I’m not entirely happy at what I see when I look at myself now.”

At this stage, the director seemed to panic a bit – and to try to get Vegas back on the true path of being a boozy, funny man. If so, he soon (and wisely) gave up. We saw Vegas moved by a “wonderful” church service, and afterwards having a “life-changing” conversation with the “inspirational” pastor. Next, he expanded his confession much further, declaring that “I’ve disgraced myself for profit” and “used alcohol” instead of “God’s support”.

Back home six weeks later, Vegas wasn’t quite so fervent. Nevertheless, as he explained why he wasn’t ready for a full conversion just yet, he also admitted to feeling like Peter denying Christ. At the very least, this wasn’t the ending you’d have expected when the programme started – which for a documentary about American evangelicals made a refreshing and brave change.

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#4 13-09-2007 11:03pm
robindch

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PDN wrote:

From the Daily Telegraph

Interesting you should quote from the Daily Telegraph, because in this post, you compared writers for the Daily Telegraph to "unprincipled lying pond-life". Do you believe these writers are more honest, and more principled, when reporting things you agree with?

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#5 13-09-2007 11:05pm
MooseJam

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lol owned

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#6 13-09-2007 11:08pm
Owen

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Pmsl@pdn :d

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#7 14-09-2007 11:10am
MoominPapa

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Alcoholic finds God. Who'd have thought, eh?

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#8 14-09-2007 1:28pm
PDN

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robindch wrote:

Interesting you should quote from the Daily Telegraph, because in this post, you compared writers for the Daily Telegraph to "unprincipled lying pond-life". Do you believe these writers are more honest, and more principled, when reporting things you agree with?

I would go further than "unprincipled pond life" - "unprincipled Tory pond life" (which is far worse) sums up my opinion of Telegraph reporters.

Neither do I 'agree' with the report since I didn't see the TV show in question (I'm in Birmingham, Alabama, this week & their TV doesn't pick up Channel 4).

I simply posted the only online review I could find in an attempt to be helpful in response to the OP.

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#9 14-09-2007 1:50pm
Zombrex

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We atheists are a petty bunch aren't we

Anyway, back on topic, I saw a bit of the doc, where Vegas seems to be touched to "confess" that he wasn't that happy.

As Moomin points out though, people shouldn't be that surprised by that.

I would imagine Vegas isn't the happiest person in the world (most comics aren't) and possibly is searching for some kind of help or salvation.

And it is exactly people like that that religion effects (preys upon?), appearing to offer easy solutions to difficult problems.

I found the bit I saw fascinating to watch how insecurity, unhappiness, shame and guilt can be used and manipulated by the religion. After all they have been doing this for thousands of years and are probably very good at it.

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#10 14-09-2007 2:04pm
Scofflaw

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Wicknight wrote:

We atheists are a petty bunch aren't we

Anyway, back on topic, I saw a bit of the doc, where Vegas seems to be touched to "confess" that he wasn't that happy.

As Moomin points out though, people shouldn't be that surprised by that.

I would imagine Vegas isn't the happiest person in the world (most comics aren't) and possibly is searching for some kind of help or salvation.

And it is exactly people like that that religion effects (preys upon?), appearing to offer easy solutions to difficult problems.

I found the bit I saw fascinating to watch how insecurity, unhappiness, shame and guilt can be used and manipulated by the religion. After all they have been doing this for thousands of years and are probably very good at it.

Yes - I'm not sure that we were short on evidence that humans find religion persuasive...

cordially,
Scofflaw

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#11 19-09-2007 1:54pm
stevejazzx

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robindch wrote:

Interesting you should quote from the Daily Telegraph, because in this post, you compared writers for the Daily Telegraph to "unprincipled lying pond-life". Do you believe these writers are more honest, and more principled, when reporting things you agree with?

....brilliant.

On a side note, one of my childhood heros, the artist formerly known as Prince or now just Prince again (or hermaphrodite) who over the last ten years has turned into a complete religous nut recently gave the Daily Telegraph 100,000 copies of his new album, Planet earth, to distribute for free becasue he liked their 'politics'.

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#12 19-09-2007 9:24pm
Fanny Cradock

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stevejazzx wrote:

....brilliant.

On a side note, one of my childhood heros, the artist formerly known as Prince or now just Prince again (or hermaphrodite) who over the last ten years has turned into a complete religous nut recently gave the Daily Telegraph 100,000 copies of his new album, Planet earth, to distribute for free becasue he liked their 'politics'.

It's crap

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#13 19-09-2007 11:53pm
Scofflaw

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stevejazzx wrote:

On a side note, one of my childhood heros, the artist formerly known as Prince or now just Prince again (or hermaphrodite)...

Ah, yes, the artist repeatedly known as Prince...

cordially,
Scofflaw

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#14 20-09-2007 10:19am
stevejazzx

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Fanny Cradock wrote:

It's crap

No, I assure you it's true!:)

scofflaw wrote:

...ah yes the artist repeatedly known as Prince

Nutshell...lol

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#15 20-09-2007 10:25am
Sapien

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Tim Robbins wrote:

Did anybody see this on Tuesday was it any good?
Also on tonight:
BBC Four - Protestant revolution 11.30 tonight

Shocking. An unhappy, unstable man of middling intelligence finds solace in religious fundamentalism. I must seriously reassess my convictions.

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#16 20-09-2007 10:46am
Zombrex

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Sapien wrote:

I must seriously reassess my convictions.

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