Proposed Talk and Discussion Based Television Show
Discussion, Poll, TV Show March 2nd, 2009
Loading ...Today I was talking to Justin about an idea that has been floating around for over a year now with the Freethought Association of Canada. We are curious about the response and support we might receive if we were to create a discussion based talk show about secular, atheist, humanist, and other related issues. Is there a market for such a thing? Would people care to watch it? There’s obviously a lot of religious programming on TV, is it time for the rise of non-religious shows that take a secular, atheist, and humanist standpoint on the issues in our world today? These are questions we’re working on but we’d like to hear back from you, our fellow atheist bus supporters and critics.
So what do you think? Please use the comment section below or sign up and post on our forum at http://atheistbus.ca/forum. We would most likely start a show through web-based broadcasting by utilizing online tools such as YouTube. Right now we are figuring out the technical aspects, such as whether we would want to purchase our own equipment, rent it, or pay a freelancer to produce and film. I think the best thing to do would be to rent equipment for our first broadcast just to see how it plays out and whether anyone else is interested in watching. So please share your comments, thoughts, and ideas about this!
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:36 pm
This would be good for a laugh. Let’s do it. Please invite me on.
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:59 pm
Radio show might be a better idea. Or if you do a tv show, make it something like the Michael Coren show. But I honestly don’t know if its a good idea or not.
March 2nd, 2009 at 11:20 pm
Good for a laugh is believing in an invisible man, virgin births and a talking snake. This TV show sounds like a great idea.
March 2nd, 2009 at 11:25 pm
Hey Will, the Michael Coren show is exactly what we had in mind.
I’m not sure I catch your drift about being good for a laugh gabriel… :S
March 2nd, 2009 at 11:40 pm
I don’t know…
It’s an okay idea, but I doubt that such a show would be more popular than Coren’s show. So, it’d be a minor success, but won’t be a huge show. Unless you somehow got a show on CBC, or the comedy network or something. You’d need a famous personality to do those though.
March 3rd, 2009 at 1:49 am
I haven’t had cable or network TV for 12 years now. I gave up on it — bad shows, vapidness, commercials, …. But I do listen to the radio in my car as I drive from client to client from about 3 pm to 9 pm.
I would love to support and watch a humanist program, but regular TV is a wasteland for me.
Something online or on YouTube is more like it. I spend hours a day on the computer, and I would watch your show there. Also, I have a theatrical and musical background. Need any help producing the show?
March 3rd, 2009 at 4:18 am
YouTube channel or something is much better in my opinion.
March 3rd, 2009 at 10:09 am
Chris,
I think this whole debate is a very tragic “joke”. To see atheists standing there arguing with Christians. These guys debating ludicrous and outlandish concepts when the world needs people helping each other. We can just pile up all this money on top of the trillions that Wall Street has wasted, on top of the trillions being spent on arms and bombs. There are more serious issues guys. There is no “God” except the “God” that is within you. You have the power to take action. Take action! Start helping each other not insulting each other.”
You can quote me on that – “I am” a believer.
March 3rd, 2009 at 10:44 am
Chris, Make sure you invite some Buddhists.
“If you have a particular faith or religion, that is good. But you can survive without it.”
Dalai Lama
March 3rd, 2009 at 10:48 am
“We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.”
Dalai Lama
March 3rd, 2009 at 10:59 am
“Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.”
Buddha
March 3rd, 2009 at 11:21 am
If you want a better idea of the response of the general public I suggest doing a poll on more neutral ground
I am trying to picture what this would be like, would it be the atheist/humanist take on current events? That could keep the content coming in, and throw in some old issues like the catholic school board, (shudder). I am close to wanting to devote my life to trying to bring them down, the things I have heard from my step siblings… Its basically one big church that has control of your marks and can give you detention for not being good little christian children.
Yes I think i could watch it, but I find it hard to keep up with my youtube subscriptions. If it had its own site then I could swing by every once in awhile…
March 3rd, 2009 at 11:30 am
Gabriel, part of the worlds problems come from peoples’ superstition and faith. I am an enviromentalist and I know part of the problem is that for a lot of religious people this world A)doesn’t matter that much compared to heaven B) Doesn’t matter because the apocalypse is coming C) Doesn’t need our help because god will take care of it.
You have pretty much said it yourself, there are a lot of christians, muslims, hindus, buddhists, that are doing the wrong thing. You have chosen to try to convince them of your pantheistic views (god is everything, therefore stop hitting yourself, stop hitting yourself!!
) and I want to convince them that a rational sceptical view is the best.
Not to mention that many have faith in other things like capitalism and technology, which they just “know” is good for them.
March 3rd, 2009 at 11:51 am
Devon,
I think that it is incorrect to say that most christians, muslims, hindus, buddhists don’t care about the earth. I would say that the majority care deeply about the earth since it is a part of “God’s” creation. Atheist’s seem to take a very simplistic view about theists. It’s not all about heaven and hell or the after life. It’s all about the “living” now, and helping each other. Showing kindness. Feeding the poor, “Whatsoever you do to the least of your brother’s – that you do unto “me(God)”
Have you ever read the actual words of the Buddha ? Jesus?
They teach the same thing. Live for the NOW. “Let the dead bury their dead.” Who cares about the dead ??? Not me.
Jesus doesn’t care one iotta about death. He cares about living. What are his words ? What is the Kindom of God ? It is here now spread over the earth. Not in heaven.
Here now – in our hearts, minds and souls (our spirit). In our every single pore and being.
Heaven or hell is what we create. Now. Our actions can lead to heaven or hell Now. Not later. Now.
What we are doing with the environment is creating hell NOW. Not when we die.
If we fail to see this – NOW. We will create a type of Hell. NOW. Not when we die.
The Greed and lust and envy that we are witnessing in the World today is creating a Hell – Now – not later after we die.
But there are those living – that are feeding the poor – helping their neighbor that are also finding heaven NOW – not later after they die.
They are achieving “enligtenment” in the hearts, in their minds, in their souls NOW. Not later when they die.
Live for Today. We only have today. Their is no heaven or hell other than the one we create for our selves NOW.
March 3rd, 2009 at 12:18 pm
You have said it before, there are a lot of religious people who don’t follow the words of buddha and jesus that you think they should. Some get caught up in Deuteronomy…
I agree 100% with making this a better place. I have to disagree with your view that buddha and jesus only say live for today, there is a heck of a lot of stuff in the bible about the afterlife and granting humans dominion over the earth.
“Live for Today. We only have today. Their is no heaven or hell other than the one we create for our selves NOW. ”
Thats the problem, most christians and muslims I know actually do believe in an afterlife. Surprising isn’t it? It seems that the afterlife is a big part of most religions. Oh and many people consider us making the world more hell like as a sign of the apocalypse, when they will be united with their lord. Like i said, you try to teach them your supernatural/prophet based way of living for today (most people obviously don’t already see things your way, or the world would be a more “huggable” place), and I will keep promoting a rational sceptic viewpoint.
You said there were bigger fish to fry than peoples views on god, but I would guess that you would like to see your good natured views accepted by everyone just like me. It is an important step, if your worldview is out of whack your priorities and efforts will be mixed up.
That is why I think the humanist/atheist movement is important…not just a waste of effort needed elsewhere
March 3rd, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Science programs on TV such as “The Daily Planet” or “The Nature of Things” offer plenty of exposure for the non-religious side on issues facing our world. Atheists already have plenty of TV to watch that is informative and secular. Lots of YouTube videos deal with atheism as well. You’d have to come up with something quite unique to make it worth the effort and financial investment.
March 3rd, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Devon.
People who read the bible and other texts as something “literal” are missing the message – completely.
Most christians, buddhists, hindus, and any other spiritual / religious people I know understand that these “sacred texts” are to teach us lessons /parables on how to live. Not how to die. They are fictions “make-believe”
Heaven and Hell are symbols, metaphors, signs, tropes … that show us what can result from our actions – Now. While we are living.
‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’ ? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” Matt 22:32
He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!” Mark 12:27
He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” Luke 20:38
There is a lot of “weeping and gnashing of teeth” in the world right now. What are you doing to help your fellow man. Right Now ?
When one has the feeling of dislike for evil, when one feels tranquil, one finds pleasure in listening to good teachings; when one has these feelings and appreciates them, one is free of fear. Buddha
You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger. Buddha
Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others. Buddha
Without health life is not life; it is only a state of langour and suffering – an image of death. Buddha
The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart. Buddha
Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.”
I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.
Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you.’
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:50 pm
I think you would achieve far greater success, and save a lot of money, if you did an internet-based, weekly (or at least regular) show and did it well. That way the whole world could see via links and embedded episodes across the net. Just a thought!
March 3rd, 2009 at 10:19 pm
Gabriel, you quote a lot of people from the past, a long time past. Why? What difference does it make what they thought about anything? It’s all speculation. You quote them as though they were authorities. Why? Your comments are more important to the present discussion than something they said or wrote back centuries ago.
March 4th, 2009 at 12:00 am
Gabriel, I don’t disagree that there is wisdom in ancient texts, I was explaining why I feel it is necesarry to promote a rational sceptical view.
“People who read the bible and other texts as something “literal” are missing the message – completely.”
Did I not say that in the first sentence of my post?
“You have said it before, there are a lot of religious people who don’t follow the words of buddha and jesus that you think they should.”
You just reaffirmed what I said, there are people who don’t take the same meaning from the various religious texts as you do. You have to sort through a lot of garbage in the bible to come up with good wisdom. With only faith as your guide its no wonder that many “accidentally” pick and choose the wrong parts. Whats to stop them from believing any of the evilbible.com quotes? If they would just look at the bible sceptically and rationally, perhaps they could glean more insight. People like yourself have happened to believe in some of the more acceptable and workable parts… (seemingly by chance, or trying to rationalize beliefs)
You can argue the meaning of the bible, and other religious texts, with other people who think they are the word of god…I just see them as other ancient religious texts, with some very good and some very bad pieces of wisdom throughout.
March 4th, 2009 at 11:12 am
Skeptical Linda.
Too many ancient old texts ?
OK – do you want to know WHO GOD REALLY IS ?
Then go watch Kung Fu Panda – It is all explained there.
I am being completely serious. What does the Dragon scroll teach ?
March 4th, 2009 at 11:22 am
Lynda,
ANCIENT DOCUMENTS ?
Read some MARCH 2009 Quantum Mechanics.
“But what is it, exactly? Investigators of the foundations of physics are now vigorously debating that question. Is the wave function a concrete physical object, or is it something like a law of motion or an internal property of particles or a relation among spatial points? Or is it merely our current information about the particles? Or what?
Quantum-mechanical wave functions cannot be represented mathematically in anything smaller than a mind-bogglingly high-dimensional space called a configuration space. If, as some argue, wave functions need to be thought of as concrete physical objects, then we need to take seriously the idea that the world’s history plays itself out not in the three-dimensional space of our everyday experience or the four-dimensional spacetime of special relativity but rather this gigantic and unfamiliar configuration space, out of which the illusion of three-dimensionality somehow emerges. Our three-dimensional idea of locality would need to be understood as emergent as well. The nonlocality of quantum physics might be our window into this deeper level of reality.”
March 4th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
Meanwhile, back on topic…I don’t watch TV so I would rather you did something online.
March 5th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
Gabriel, you ask:
“OK – do you want to know WHO GOD REALLY IS ?”
Answer: I already know.
Question for you: Are you a physicist/mathematician involved in experiments in the field of quantum mechanics?
March 14th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
Nice blog design, just wondering where you got it, I’m jealous.