Friendly Atheist Contest #1: Sherri Shepherd’s Next Crazy Comment

“I don’t need to know if the earth is flat or not. I just take care of my children. After all, I don’t live next to the edge, so I don’t have to worry about my children falling off”

“I hear all this talk about bacteria, and microbes and what ever. All I know is that Jesus heals, and if you’re sick, you need to do some more praying!”

Well, she’s obviously more concerned about her son’s welfare than science. But if she hasn’t heard that the world is round, then surely she’s never heard of that wacky “germ” theory about disease.

“Why should I tell my son to wash his hands? The Bible doesn’t say anything about little invisible creatures that will make him sick! And besides, a little dirt will help keep his humors in balance!”

“Miss Teen South Carolina told us our education is suffering because US Americans don’t have maps. And what shape are maps? Flat! Or don’t you want to build up our future for our children?”

It’s tough to top the flat earth.

How about “Men are taller than women because having one less rib leaves more calcium for the leg bones.”

GOLDBERG: What do you think?

SHEPHERD: I… I never thought about it, Whoopi. Is the world flat? I never thought about it.

GOLDBERG: Are you kidding?

SHEPHERD: Am I kidding? I don’t know. That’s not the kind of thing that concerns me. What does concern me is eating my kids. I mean feeding my kids. Feeding them. Not eating them. I don’t believe in eating children.

“A bat is a mammal? A bat is a mammal? I didn’t know a bat was a mammal?”

“Is the Earth the center of the universe? I don’t know. I mean, the bible teaches that the earth is without movement as well as being possibly flat, right?”

“Do atheists secretly believe in God? Of course they do. They just want to rebel and deny God so they can sin.”

“Look, I found Jesus. I get to keep him. Finders keepers. That’s in the Bible. Look it up.”

“I can’t remember whether gluttony was supposed to be a sin, or not.”

“How big is Europe? Not as big as my ridiculous hoop earrings.”

“Ted Haggard is completely heterosexual.”

“I wasn’t molested by a priest, I was touched by God.”

“Is the chance of manifesting a recessive autosomal trait increased through consanguineous reproduction? I don’t know.”

You can get sexually transmitted diseases from using the same toilet!

Ok, some old actress really said this in my country and everybody found it funny. haha

I’m not really worried about global warming and the sea levels rising because if it gets real bad we can do what Noah did and gather all the animals on the QEII and wait for the floods to recede.

“I has a bucket!!”

Is the friendly atheist really friendly? I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it. I just pay my student loans.

Hemant, Christians are reading your book, enjoying it, coming to this site, and finding contests to make fun of Christians … do you get what this is doing to atheism? … please don’t squander the opportunity you have here, man

I’m disappointed that Sherri Shepherd so fully indulges the stereotype that Christians are stupid in regard to science … it’s embarrassing, and it’s damaging … and I’m equally disappointed that you, Hemant, continue to indulge the stereotype that atheists prefer intellectual ridicule to seeking common ground … also embarrassing and damaging

If this continues, you will end up wasting a golden opportunity to impact the perception of atheism by Christians who read your book and then visit your website … some of those Christians may not give their perception of atheism another chance after this one … don’t blow it / stop blowing it

If possible, I would be happy to wear the bracelet, because I support your goal of improving the public perception of atheists … thank you. Good luck on your quest, bro.

“I has a bucket!!”

“Oh noes! They be taking mah buckit!”

“Is water wet? I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it. I just know that my child drinks water, and its wetness or not doesn’t matter when I’m just trying to feed and bathe him, you know?”

Keith,

Hemant is making fun of Sherri because she is an idiot not because she is a Christian. This post makes no mention of her religion, just that she is a idiot who doesn’t know if the earth is round. Are you looking to be offended?

Being friendly doesn’t mean you ignore when somebody says something stupid. What common ground are we supposed to find with Sherri?

“Can’t the world be flat AND round, you know, like a pancake? I mean, just look at the moon, it’s flat AND round.”

HappyNat & Stogoe,

Thanks for the response. I am not offended by this. Yet surely you will acknowledge that this behavior is not friendly … even if it is not offensive.

This is not the first time I have posted in this regard. This site is regularly posting topics that will only reinforce (rightly or wrongly) the negative stereotypes a Christian visitor might have of atheists. And given that Hemant’s book is partially intended to draw Christian visitors to this site, he needs to know this. This kind of post adds little value to the site, while adding great potential harm. That’s all. I’m not bothered by the comments – wanted to think of a clever one so that I could win the bracelet. I’m worried that Hemant is unintentionally missing a golden opportunity to improve the perception of atheists for the sake of jokes, contests, and trinkets … (as much as I enjoy all three)

HappyNat, I am not looking to be offended nor do I think we should ignore when someone says something stupid. I did not challenge either of the first two reporting-style posts regarding Sherri Shepherd. This post seemed to go beyond “not ignoring” to ridiculing.

Stogoe, in no way did I say anything remotely resembling, “believing the earth is flat and refusing to ask questions and gain knowledge are required to be a Christian,” and I trust you recognize that not only do I not want to say that, I in fact did not say that.

My motivation for posting was not offense, but desire to see this site be a ever-increasing part of improving atheist-theist relationships. I’m sure you have similiar motivation.

On behalf of visiting Christians who visit a site like this hoping for common ground … I’m saying, “I’m requesting a tone of civility from you. Just me as a human being, not a member of a group, asking you, a human being, to see this for a second from my eyes. Will you do this?”

Wait a minute, TV is PICTURES that are transmitted?!?!?! I’m on TV? NO NO NO, you’re going to steal my soul. I can’t be a part of this!!

“You know, I just hate this time of year when the sun moves farther away from our side of the earth and it gets cold. I see it everyday now and I don’t like it!”

Is Chicken of the Sea chicken or fish?

You can get sexually transmitted diseases from using the same toilet!

Only if you sit down before the guy before you gets up.

I’m guessing she might say something like: “Science is just another religion. They can believe whatever crazy thing they want to believe. Aren’t those scientists the ones who believe an alien namedXenu will take over the world or something?”

Keith, the Friendly Atheist is friendly, but he doesn’t treat religion or stupidity with kid gloves.

And in case you were wondering, no, he is NOT so foolish as to treat religion and stupidity as one and the same.

Keith, dear, it’s not so much Christians, as it is her own people. Luckily, Whoopi conteracts that stereotype that Sherri is perpetuating with her behaviour. It saddens me that with all the ads stating, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste” that we still see Black people living in ignorance and it only hurts the Black community. What stake do I have in it as a White person (with N.A. heritage)? My sons are 1/2 Black and that is why I care about this mess. If you noticed, my comments to this contest are more about ignorance than anything else really. The Bible doesn’t tell people everything and for people to rely on that book as their only source leaves them in a state of ignorance and perpetuates a stereotype about Black people even. Thanks goodness for Whoopi being on the View too! So, she is religious, but she doesn’t let her religion leave her in a state of ignorance. I commend Whoopi for many things, including for the “Advancement of Colored People”. Sherri isn’t doing such a good job of that.

Even my sons, who I let see the video, frowned on Sherri’s ignorance. Their vote is for Whoopi too, because they see a potential role-model in her. It is people like Whoopi that helps the future of the next generation.

YOUR APE THEORY EVILUTION IS FALSE!1!!!1!!!one

(I learnt this from a troll over at my blog).

“Are microbes really to blame for disease? I don’t know, maybe yes if they’re really little tiny demons with really sharp pitchforks.”

“Is the earth flat? I don’t know, I just know that we’d better stop digging holes before we poke all the way through. Satan’s on the other side, you know.”

“Do all those people I see on TV actually live IN the TV? I don’t know, my husband won’t let me unscrew the back of it to let them all out.”

(For the record, I don’t usually mock Christians. But if someone is both a Christian AND an idiot, it’s hard not to.)

“That banana explanation never said anything about the world being round…”

“It’s not chicken, it must be mermaid of the sea!”

“Baby, we got to go to the library because I don’t know the answer. You’ll have to stay in the religion section though, away from those God-fearing scientists and non-fiction books! Lies, I tell you!”

“I just worry about feeding my kid every day on my six-figure salary, so I don’t have time to ponder lesser things in life.”

WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Is the sky blue?

SHERRI SHEPHERD: Is the sky blue? (laughter)

GOLDBERG: Yes.

SHEPHERD: …I Don’t know.

GOLDBERG: What do you think?

SHEPHERD: I… I never thought about it, Whoopi. Is the sky blue? I never thought about it.

BARBARA WALTERS: You’ve never thought about whether the sky was blue or green?

SHEPHERD: I tell you what I’ve thought about. How I’m going to feed my child–

WALTERS: Well you can do both.

“Where does cotton come from? I’m not sure. I guess they must sheer cotton animals and use their fur to make cotton thread.”

Um…purple please?

Of course dinosaurs and men lived together dummy! Didn’t you watch the Flintstones and how about Land of the Lost..I guess that was just fiction huh…nasty sleestacks.

“If the world is so round, how come it doesn’t roll off the back of the turtle and land on the floor of the universe? And why doesn’t someone climb over the edge and harvest that tasty turtle meat so I can feed my son?”

“The world is only 10,000 years old. Whose to say God didn’t put those dinosaur bones in the ground to fool us?”

“Of course I support diversity in America. God put each of the races on a corner of the Earth so as the population grew, we would have to meet in North America. The Bible says so.”

“Well, I’ve thought about it and the earth is definitely flat. How else did the floods drain? All that water poured off the edges into a huge bucket that the Lord fills his watercan with. He then uses that watercan to make smaller rainfalls by pouring it over us.

Another interesting thing that I’ve figured out about the deluge is that Noah also had a pair of Living Bibles on the Ark! Yeah, one male and one female!. Then, when these procreated, their little Bibles went out into the world to habitate the nightstands of all the motels of the world! In fact, ‘Gideons’ is short for ‘Giddy Ones’ because those baby bibles are giddy, like children. And that’s where Gideons Bibles come from.”

There’s the rub. Why do Christians come to her defense and make excuses for her? Why don’t they disavow her and say “I’m a Christian, and believe me, not all Christians are like that”? Instead they excuse her ignorance because they share a faith, and attack her critics as being disrespectful.

Vincent, I was not excusing what Shepherd did, and I have no problem with Hemant calling her on it. I’m just trying to point out that going the extra mile and calling for a contest to make fun of her could turn some Christians away. Please note that I have not called Hemant disrespectful, nor have I defended what Sherri Shepherd said in anyway. Thanks.

Not trying to squander anything. Whoopi Goldberg made it very clear that she was religious. I don’t really care. Shepherd made her comments out of ignorance (I don’t buy the idea that you forget the world is round when you get nervous). And she made the comment herself that her knowledge is from the Bible. That’s the crux of her problem. There are other Christians who believe in the Bible who also know basic science knowledge and know when the Bible should definitely not be taken literally.

I’m not interested in kowtowing to Christians who choose to remain ignorant to evidence that proves certain aspects of their religion wrong. There are plenty of Christians (like yourself) who are embarrassed by what she said. And she is not alone in thinking what she does. Trying to compromise in that case is not going to work. She’s wrong. She needs to know that.

I agree that you don’t forget the world is round when you get nervous. I do not expect you to kowtow to Christians, but I would expect that you would be friendly. I think the contest to mock Shepherd is beyond “not kowtowing”, but I am willing to agree to disagree on this.

You stated that Sherri Shepherd needs to know that she is wrong. I agree. Have you seen evidence that she knows that what she said is wrong? If so, are you satisfied? If not, have you contacted Sherri Shepherd (you very well may have – this is not sarcastic) and informed her of her error? This contest has very little to do with ensuring that Sherri Shepherd knows she is wrong, IMO.

How is not holding a contest to make fun of the next crazy comment she makes the same as compromising? How is this failing to communicate that she is wrong? Again, I don’t defend what she said for a moment, and I have no problem with you posting about it. But I think the term “friendly” goes away when we go out of our way to mock. And this contest is out of the way. Thanks again for the response.