Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Julia Sweeney - Boring Atheist?


She is touted as a comedian, considering her performances as a staff member on Saturday Night Live, and she definitely has the gift of the gab.

I sat through 3/4 of a movie “Letting Go of God” (2008) by Julia Sweeney on cable yesterday. Maybe it was the weather – the heat- that made me change the channel or was it the same old catholic school day stories? I wanted to hear an atheist’s point of view but only to a point.

Letting Go of God
 
It was a monologue stage production thing. One voice and so many stories and with a decidedly female “Chick Flick” attitude or spin on the subject matter.

Amidst a lot of interesting dissections of the Old and New Testament were interesting stories but really it was a deconstruction of Ms. Sweeney’s life and travels through religion, spirituality and into atheism.

In a way Atheism is Intelligent Design for non-believers. Atheism is boring. Boring like freshman high school chemistry, first period lab, with the lingering smell of ammonium sulfide embedded into the woodwork. The scientific approach to prove that there is no God is not science not unlike Intelligent Design and its weird science.

I worry sometimes when clichés become the facts or basis of facts in any conversation and with a ready audience ready to giggle and applaud on cue. Individuality and atheism seems to go hand in hand. That and a large income. A custom designed religion of nothing for the intelligent nobody. No name calling please.

Ms. Sweeney’s monologue droned on and on. Things I heard and agreed with. Things that only a non-believer believes.

Not my cup of tea. I do not recommend the flick except to doubters who want and need a long litany of middle class mediocre chuckles.