Description: Faith in the face of evidence to the contrary.

Question:  Religion in a Modern World

Transcript: I mean I’m terribly conflicted.  I mean awfully . . .  You know I . . .  In a way I can’t help but believe in God despite all the evidence to the contrary, which makes me very angry at God.  And so I . . .  I’m . . .  In a way I’m always fighting it.  But you know, and again, 200 years ago it would be very easy to be a religious person, and to live my whole life, and that was that.  And it . . . and it   . . . and it . . . I think it would be blissful.  I think it’s much harder for all of us to live today.  You know the world is too much with us.  That said, I . . .  You know I don’t say “that said” as much as I say it . . . as I said it in the past half hour.  I’m saying it “that said”, I . . . I think if there is a God, I think He’d be rather forgiving of anyone’s lack of faith right now.  It’s, you know, much easier to believe in God when you believe the sun goes around the earth, and we’re . . . it’s flat, and you know that the Bible is literal historical truth.  It becomes . . .  When you know those things aren’t necessarily the case, it becomes harder to believe.  It may be God chose us now, to live now because our faith deserves to be tested a little bit more.  I don’t know.  I think that’s bullshit.  But I . . . You know I think God is probably charitable enough to go, “Well you didn’t believe.  Why should you?”

Question: Why do you persist in believing?

Transcript: I can’t help myself.  I think atheism’s really easy.  I think it’s very easy not to believe in God.  I think all that evidence in front of you, I think it’s . . .  And so . . .  I think it’s a little cheap, I guess, for that reason.  I think I guess I didn’t come here with the defense of . . . of belief, you know, in my back pocket.  Maybe . . . maybe it’s sheer perversity.  You know maybe I believe in God because it seems so obvious He doesn’t exist.  And also I want an old school, but I don’t want some sort of artsy fartsy, “We’re all love, we’re all part of God” blobbety boobety.  You know I want an Old Testament God.  I want a God throwing thunderbolts.  And I want . . .  I want punishment.  I want my . . . I . . .  I see no problem with an eye for an eye.  I really don’t.  Like that’s all cool, you know?  I don’t want tree spirits or anything, or . . . or . . . or mother goddesses, or you know.  Forget it.  What’s the point of that?

Recorded on: 9/4/07