Saturday, July 4, 2009

You can accept Jesus into your heart... or you can have what's behind door number two!

This is going to be a quick one. Apparently, a game show in Turkey offers contestants an opportunity to save their souls... and win a trip to the holy land of their choice.

In order to be eligible, you must be an atheist. And don't think they'll take anyone eager to get a free vacation: CNN reports that "Contestants will be judged by a panel of eight theologians and religious experts prior to going on the show to make sure their lack of faith is genuine."

I'm slightly unclear as how that would work. If you place your hand on the Bible and swear you're an atheist... does that mean you're lying or telling the truth?

While any religious competition is - by definition - offensive, the report certainly gives the impression that it's somewhat balanced, at least between the four represented faiths (Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam). Personally, I think the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster deserves representation, but those are a fairly good start.

And, frankly, I find the notion completely hilarious. Come on Fox: lets get a version started here in the states. Religious viewers would tune in to cheer on the converts; atheists would watch to laugh while the unrepentant shrug off arguments and testimony.

The best part is, relatively speaking, everyone goes home feeling like a winner: either they've found inner peace or their rationalist convictions remain intact. It's a personal choice, sensationalized with dramatic music and broadcast to viewers everywhere. What's not to love?

1 comment:

Unknown said...

The Lady or the Tiger?