Thoughts on Hate

I have a massive amount of respect for Stephen Fry. He is absolutely hilarious for one thing, whether he's doing A Bit of Fry and Laurie, portraying Lord/General Melchett in Blackadder or hosting the BBC comedy quiz show QI. He's also very intelligent. He has a degree in English literature from Cambridge University and is an exceptional debater. One thing I really like about Stephen Fry is that he, like myself is opposed to organised religion. He recently was interviewed by an Irish broadcaster, who asked him what he would say if he came face to face with God. You can see his response here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-suvkwNYSQo. Well an American pastor thinks this interview proves that there is no such thing as an atheists. Stephen Fry clearly hates God, so he clearly believes in God. Well this post is me debunking this faulty logic. Just to make things clear, I will be referring to the God of the bible as that is the one Stephen Fry was being asked about.

First of all Stephen Fry does not speak for all atheists, he speaks for Stephen Fry. Atheism is not a religion, we don't have priests, rabbis, imams, monks, gurus or anything like that. People like Stephen Fry and to a greater extent Richard Dawkins are often called "Atheist leaders" but this is actually inaccurate. Richard Dawkins doesn't give speeches on atheism, such a speech would be absurdly short. He gives speeches on evolution, secularism, humanism and he'll mention his atheism, but it's never the sole focus. An atheist sermon would go something like this: "There is no evidence to prove that a god exists. Alright, same time next week."

Stephen Fry hates God so he must believe in God. No, this is also wrong. I hate God, I think he's an immoral thug who holds humans to a standard he can't meet himself. I hate God in the same way I hate Lord Voldemort. He's the bad guy in a work of fiction who I want the hero to beat (although I've yet to figure out who the bible's hero is). I also find that Lord Voldemort has as much evidence to prove his existence as God does. I imagine that said American pastor has never read the Harry Potter books due to the witchcraft contained within so I'll use a different character. I hate God in the same way I hate Hamlet's uncle Claudius.

The stupidest thing about this pastor's statement however is the the simplest of them all. Stephen Fry is responding to a hypothetical question, so in this scenario Stephen Fry is only pretending that God exists. It's amazing how the simplest facts escape the unobservant. The only reason I am writing about this whole topic is because Keith Thompson (the pastor) is unable to distinguish a hypothetical scenario from reality.

I urge you all to watch the video of Stephen Fry. He hits the nail on the head and does so in a way that leaves little room for rebuttal.