It kind of took me awhile to warm up to Russell Brand (I found his voice a little annoying) but after I saw him in the movies "Get Him to the Greek" and "Arthur" I really started to appreciate him more.
However after seeing how genuinely kind and patient he is with these two UNBELIEVABLE assholes I now feel badly that it took me so long to appreciate him.
Do me a favor and tell me how long it took before you wanted to jump into the video and tell these two douchebags off. (I would have ripped them a new one the minute they walked out with this horribly insulting sign.)
I thought he could have really made them look foolish. When I saw the man with dwarfism, I thought he had something planned there as the bible says they should be stoned to death! And says black people are black due to sin. So I really thought those people were there to point out how selective they were using the bible. I also think he took the wrong route in arguing for the book at all; its best to argue that the book is simple fail all in itself and contains several easily verifiable errors that a 'holy spirit' simply couldn't have made but a bronze age goat herder certainly could have! I.e. the ages of the earth that are simply impossible to anyone thats ever stepped outside and looked around and the one I always use - the bible states that the rabbit is a cud chewer when we of course now know better. But it's an easy mistake to make for someone way back then isn't it?!
ReplyDeleteThat was wonderful!
ReplyDeleteThese two guys are unreachable without a real tragedy or catastrophe happening in their lives.
ReplyDeleteThey are so brainwashed, you might as well have some dialogue with a brick wall.
This is too much...."it's like a real tricky quiz of hate" and "the holy entity doesn't have a pen", toooooo funny!!!! And we wonder why they watch Faux news and vote for Romney? The bible is so full of contradictions its amazing how these brain trusts can be so sure of what it means. Hey...if it wasn't for people like that, we wouldn't look so good. Kudos to Russell and his quick wit.
ReplyDeleteI could hold off hitting them because I’ve known people just like them. They are sincere, and I don’t think they’re grifters like Palin.
ReplyDeleteHowever, they mix the Old and New Testaments willy-nilly, and a lot of the Old doesn’t make sense in the modern world. It was a code for living safely in a world that didn’t understand germs (anal bleeding?) and toxins (shellfish) to name a couple prohibitions.
True. But anyone who chooses to be a Christian is OWNING that book, good and bad parts. I'm afraid that's how the cookie crumbles; you either have to defend it as a whole book or turn away from it. It is far too easy for people to choose the bits that suit them and ignore the rest - pretending Christianity is really all lovely and perfect. Well, it's not. When you became a Christian you accepted the bible as a whole book. In a way, at least these guys are being honest about how horrible they are, whereas other Christians hide it behind fake niceties. I have to say to all Christians, if you have a problem with the bible, then ditch it and either turn to another faith or have none. If you go on calling the bible the 'good book' you are simply causing more pain and suffering for those the bible bullies. I'm sorry but it's true. Jesus was a good man but the bible is an evil book full of bad people and evil feeds dressed up as good. I have serious doubts to anyone goodness that claims to believe in it. Choose freedom and rationality, people!
DeleteSorry, Darlene,
DeleteBut you don't think the Phelps family are grifters like Palin????
That is EXACTLY what they are. They do nothing but grift. They send their little children out to learn how to offend and grift, from a very young age. I saw a huge crowd of them in Joplin, the weekend before President Obama was reelected...dozens of little children standing steps away from traffic, at one of the busiest intersections in town. The guy in the leather jacket from the clip was a Phelps.
They live to spread hate and offense, with money that they grift from their followers, and money that they gain from winning free speech lawsuits that they file constantly all over the United States. They are big-time grifters.
I don't watch a lot of daytime t.v., but the other day, I saw Russell Brand on Ellen's show. I found him to be just plain nasty, acting like he'd be glad to suckle at the breast of the Queen of England. But here, like you, Gryphen, I'm taken with how patient and kind he was with these two cretins, then bringing on HIS friends who are gay, as well as getting in his points about HIS view of the Bible's truths.
ReplyDeleteThese guys are sincere, but sincerely wrong- they are preaching another gospel than the gospel of grace. They do not seem to understand the New Covenant based on the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
ReplyDeleteRather than an angry God storing up wrath and waiting to vent it on sinners- and please hear this- God (in His unfathomable love) has already poured out His wrath on sin. He did it at the cross, where Jesus - "He who knew no sin was made sin for us" bore the full penalty for all the sins of the world. God has already dealt with the sin issue and has reconciled man to Himself. But, we individually have to accept that the price for our sin has been paid by Jesus.
God is not angry. He demonstrated His love for us by the death of Jesus and the resurrection provides eternal life for all who accept it.
People will go to hell, but NOT for any acts of sin they committed - that price has been paid - if you go to hell, it's for one reason only - you did not accept the free gift of God by believing in His Son and his sacrifice as payment for your sins. Without that blood covering, you will stand on your own merits before God.
The gift is free - just accept it.
Hitler was sincere too, and so was Stalin.
DeleteSave your religious preaching for church and the street corner. You aren't making converts here at IM.
Gag!! Save it, crazy. You are just as bad as the WBC people if you believe in that filth. You love a badly written nasty old book more than you love the millions of people that love another of their gender right now. People like you that pretend to be all good and moral and above everyone else make me sick. You are the problem!
DeleteTranslation - check your brain and go to heaven. Yeah, that's an eternity I'd want to live in - NOT! Surrounded by braindead born agains and FAUX viewers.
DeleteAnd once again, we hear the voice of someone who has FAITH rather than religion. What you say is the way it SHOULD work. But don't tell me Jesus actually opened a new covenant! He specifically said he wasn't here to change the old laws!
DeleteYou know what that means? Stone those who are "guilty". Destroy those who look different unless they can be made into good slaves. Kill the child who questions. Forget that a hymen can be broken by accident through rough work or exercise, kill her on the wedding bed for not bleeding!
Oh yeah. All sorts of GOOD things, huh?
Too bad Russell doesn't know his Old testament better.
ReplyDeleteTo the point about men not lying with men, he could have come back with verses from the bible that are clearly lunatic like:
Killing someone for working on the sabbath
Killing people who cheat on their spouse
Killing women who aren't virgins on their wedding night
Killing someone if they strike their parents.
Killing someone who curses their parents.
These and many other lunatic verses are contained in the Old Testament.
http://www.evilbible.com/Murder.htm
If you want to try to justify pushing your hatred towards others like the Westboro crowd does, there is no better place than the Old Testament.
A.J. what you said is very important because the old testament is what the Jews follow, not Christians. The New Testament was supposed to override the old with the (at the time) brand-new fresh wisdom of Jesus. It was a reboot. Old Testament, by definition, is NOT "Christian" since it has no Christ in it.
DeleteSo, Brand is totally "correct" when he says that the love and tolerance bit is supposed to supercede the hate, judgement and vengeance bit.
The problem with people like Westboro is that they cherry pick the bits that reinforce their personal prejudices and ignore the rest, and often those bits come from the Old Testament, not the part that their savior "wrote".
No different than the "prosperity gospel" people.
Or Republicans.
Gryphen,
ReplyDeleteThis video shows something truly wonderful that has come out of Occupy.
To think of what is a small amount of $$$ that buys so much when you measure the percentage when it holds so many hostage and destroys their lives. The 'percentage' return is unbelievable.
http://current.com/shows/the-young-turks/videos/rolling-jubilee-has-already-raised-enough-money-to-buy-out-almost-6-million-of-americans-medical-debt
de
Thanks for the post, G! I didn't know Russell Brand had a talk show. I think he is hilarious! The only one with a quicker wit, in my opinion, is the Great Stephen Colbert. I would love to see a one-hour chat between Stephen and the Westboro haters.
ReplyDeleteI love the way the big guy just seems to get madder and madder at Russell as the segment goes along.
Halfway through, hit Stop; enough of that shit.
ReplyDeleteRussell Brand spoke before a parliamentary select committee in Britain and made sense about drug addicts
ReplyDelete(drug addiction should be treated as a potentially fatal illness and not a crime)
http://rosettizone.blogspot.com/2012/09/cry-for-helprussell-brand-before.html
So...
ReplyDeletemy choice is either to like the douchebags from Westboro Baptist OR to like Russell Brand?
Can't I dislike them both?
In the clip shown, I have to smile at Brand's takedown of the Westboro clowns, but I still think Russell Brand is an asshole.
No one is forcing you to make a choice. It's all in your head. Persecution complex, maybe?
DeleteLol. Where did you come up with that one? Seriously, I'm really asking how you could possibly have read this as you seem to have. It's troubling
DeletePersonally, I believe it was a major mistake even having them on. Once again we have people who think that having these idiots (and others like them) on their shows is giving themselves an opportunity to ridicule them or change their thinking.
ReplyDeleteForget it! They RELISH the chance to "spread their word" and NOTHING is going to change how they think. I doubt seriously if even Jesus could change their minds. They wouldn't believe it was him because he would be telling them they are wrong.
They haven't a clue that "God the Father" should be brought up on charges of child abuse!
Watch them? Certainly. Know your enemy.
Give them a chance to SPREAD their cancer? NO! They do enough of that shit on the street corner. They need to be forced to preach from the gutter!
That's where all their HATE belongs.
That's where you very wrong. It's actually a tiny church full of just one main family and it's offshoots, and even some of them escape when they can. Any appearance by them in no way adds to their coffers or attendance, and serves only to turn people OFF religion, which is a great thing. I only wish they travelled the world promoting the bible and turning people away. They don't make their money through donations, in fact from Thereaux I got the impression they're very poor, living off the proceeds from 1st Ammendment lawsuits which of course they will always win. They are a humanist and non believers best friend in that perspective, that they show the hate religion inspires in so many people. The only religious people I've ever liked have been the ones not really interested at all, but just going through the motions for appearances sake or family's sake, and because they are good people and were wrongly taught that good people must go to church. It's when you start to really believe the crap that you turn into Sarah Palin, and truly think you're superior to others
DeleteIt was after the "True Christians" blamed 9/11 on "America's Tolerance of gays" I finally gave up any pretense of being Christian and adhering to any kind of organized religion. It is good to give the Westboro goons exposure. I believe they have done so much to further the cause of gay rights by showing how outdated, ignorant, and hateful their views are. It was the straight vote that passed the marriage laws a few weeks back. The Westboro trash are a prime exhibit to decent people what hate looks like, and how it affects innocent peoples lives. It really was not till Westboro began to picket fallen soldiers funerals to get attention the general population woke up to this brand of hate. It was too easy to overlook when it was "just a homosexual AIDS death".
DeleteThanks for the belly laugh. I love and adore Russell Brand. When he made the remark about the quiz of hate, I could not stop laughing. He is a real gem.
ReplyDeleteLeland,
ReplyDeleteIt DOES work that way.
You say,
"He specifically said he wasn't here to change the old laws!"
He said he came to fulfill the law- and did- and by dying, he did away with the law for believers. We live now under grace, not OT laws.
You know VERY well that if it were true only the new testament applied to Christians (CONVENIENT THEORIES FOR YOU MONTHLY) and the old testament to Jews, then the Xtians would only have a slim bible with the New. Why lie? The truth is you're actually ashamed of the things in the book your faith tells you to love, but are afraid to admit it, and come up with a silly way to skirt it conveniently. You know very well that's absolutely untrue and many a sermon comes from the Old, as do many basic xtian beliefs and principles. The only difference is some churches see it as allegorical in nature (also convenient) and others hold fast that it is correct from front to back, with not a single error. I can at least respect those that have the balls to say yeah the book says this, sorry, where other people hem and haw and make every excuse in the book to avoid actually owning the book that they willingly joined a church to proudly own!
DeleteWow, it sounds like I missed out on a lot! I made it to the nasty sign and stopped there. But I know the spiel, seen it many times before. If I believed in a hell, it would be full of people like the WBC inbreds and tons of other hate groups.
ReplyDelete