I thoroughly enjoyed George Carlin's humor. As a Christian maybe I shouldn't have had such an appreciation of some of his humor, but I did and do. I saw him perform in Vegas a few years ago. At the time he was preparing for one of his HBO specials and was using his gig in Vegas to try out some new routines he wanted to use. I loved the entire show, even when he'd mess up, refer to his notes, and start again. It was kind of cool to be allowed to be there (one of only thousands) to watch as he worked on getting that show together. I suppose some would feel short-changed to pay full price for a show that lacked that "finished product" polish. Not me. I loved it. I loved that George Carlin just was who he was. Take him or leave him. It didn't matter to him. George Carlin was a man of integrity. He spoke his mind and didn't let what others might think stop him from speaking his thoughts.
The following is a routine that many Christians would hate, but not me. I love it. Why? Because it reminds me what non-Christians see of my religion. It reminds me how important it is to be as true a reflection of God's image as possible. It reminds me that when those who claim to be Christians need to be careful how we present ourselves, our churches, and our faith to the outside world.
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4 comments:
It's really pretty sophomoric, when you look at it. But, whatcha gonna do?
He was a very funny man. If you ever run across some of his old-old, 'Hippy Dippy Weather Man' routines from the Ed Sullivan Show, let me know, wouldja?
And his word-play bits ("Why do they call it a hot-water heater? If the water's already hot, why do you need to heat it?") ("And why do they say, 'I'm getting on the airplane?' Not me; I'm getting in the airplane. Evel Knievel can get on the airplane.") were hilarious. The 'Seven Words' (actually ten, in the 'expanded version') was just an extension of that. . .
But, RIP, indeed. At least now he's in a position to know whether or not he was right. . .
For some of us, sophomoric is jus' right...
**Snort** - Joe Pesci!
You know, when I view this again, I get a wry smile at how often Christians get bashed for being so 'certain' of something (ie, God's existence) that seems far less than certain. . .
Not a lot of self-doubt in evidence here, either. . .
Des - Yes, now he knows for sure. I just wish people would see themselves and their sophomoric thinking when watching him. How many people do you know who "use" God like a rich uncle? "Gimme, gimme, gimme." Those are some of the people who claim Christianity who really don't "get it." There are so many "Christians" (myself included at times) who don't act as Christlike as a good Christian should that it's no wonder we have difficulties persuading others that we're right. Sigh. . . I have counters to each of his basic arguments in his routine, but not the time nor energy to present them right now.
Val - Yeah, if you're looking for someone to "get things done quickly" you'd probably have just as much luck with Joe Pesci as with God. LOL
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