30 Days - Atheist/Christian

[USincognito]

Tonights episode of 30 Days features a atheist moving in with a Frisco, TX Christian family and a review in the Dallas Morning News gives the episode thumbs up for content and lack of acrimony.

It airs tonight at 10e/9c on FX. I'm taping it, but I hope some of you can watch it and comment here.

 

[snoochface]

Thanks for starting this thread, US. I think this is going to be a really interesting show. I saw Morgan Spurlock on the Jimmy Kimmel show and he talked a little about the episode. He said it was a really good experience for both people.

The immigration episode was awesome. The guy went to Mexico to see the living conditions of the family the immigrants left behind, and it was absolutely deplorable. By the end, he was still a member of the Minute Men but he wasn't going to the border anymore - he was working behind the scenes.

 

[micro]

After watching the mcdonalds movie "super size me". I didnt think i would enjoy the show.

Well it was interesting... It was like watching a conversation you would have.

The way i think of athiesim that i wish they had brought up in the show is that there non belief is in itself a belief.

I also noticed how the athiests were dressed nicer than the pastor or anyone else in the church.

The christian family handle the situation better than i had expected. Meaning there conversations etc... I figured if a show like this was on tv, they would have someone off the wall be the host family, but they were good average people.

 

[USincognito]

I'm glad you enjoyed it micro. Whatever you might think about Spurlock and Supersize Me, he goes a good job in casting for both sympathetic fish out of water and families for them to stay with. In the Dallas Morning News review Michael Shores noted that he agreed to participate in the episode after seeing the one from last season where a Christian went to live with a Muslim family.

I can't wait to watch it when I get home in the morning.

 

[USincognito]

Now that I've watched the episode I'm going to post a bunch of bullet points that will probably only make sense to those of you who watched.

- Brenda is sorta made out to be a strong atheist (denies, rather than doesn't believe) at first, but her position is clearer, though a lot of her apologetical arguments make her see so.

- She looks like an older, less cute version of a friend of mine (no badmouthing, my friend is really really cute).

- I thought she was a bit petty in not bowing her head or saying amen to the prayers. I won't follow along, but at least I'll respect the general actions of a group prayer.

- Am I the only one who found it funny that intimidating Michael was scared of a petite blonde?

- Tour of Frisco. Umm, as a Dallasite - LOL! And Prestonwood Baptist? LOL! again. Since Spurlock showed which church they attended I'm half tempted to show up and look for the Shores and tell Michael and Terry(?) their open mindedness got me to attend - and I'd mean that sincerely.

- Did any of you think of CF when the pastor mentioned the Armour of God in the 1st sermon?

- I was disappointed with the footage of the first Bible Study since the whole - "atheist" = "anti-Christ" thingy was raised. North Texas might be fundy central, but we've got a lot of cosmopolitan people living here.

- The mom bonding part with Brenda and Terry was very sweet. The trip to meet with the North Texas Church of Freethought folks for me, as a weak atheist, was painful to watch. Both when the Freethought guy brough up our currency and when Michael brough out the "don't like it move" comment.

- Again, as a Dallasite, the Chriswell College radio show - LOL!!!

- After Michael listened to the radio show and commented about Brenda's philisophical naturalism and immediately correlated that to evolution I had to roll my eyes. Evolution is methodological naturalism and atheism is philisophical naturalism.

- The conversation where Michael asked Brenda if she "believed in nothing" was typical. Atheists don't believe in the supernatural as Brenda stated and we believe in different things as she tried to state.

- The tangental segments where Spurlock went to the Biblical theme park and followed the Biblically Correct group through the museum of science were alternately tangental and, while interesting, not necessary. Atheism =/= evolution, and I wonder if the scientist he interviewed was a theist (whatever religion) or not.

- When Brenda's family came to visit the Shore's was priceless. I'm of the opinion that food is the ultimate common denominator between disperate people, but family is a close second.

- The last week or so blended together, but, again, as a Dallasite, the edit of her heading out had her driving from Frisco through downtown Dallas to D-FW airport. Either that was a chance to get more footage or some producer needs to be fired for routing her through some of the worse traiffic in the metroplex at $2.85/gallon.

 

[snoochface]

And Prestonwood Baptist? LOL! again. Since Spurlock showed which church they attended I'm half tempted to show up and look for the Shores and tell Michael and Terry(?) their open mindedness got me to attend - and I'd mean that sincerely.

We haven't watched the episode yet - probably will at lunch, so I'll comment more on this whole post later. I just wanted to say, though, that if you actually did this, it would probably mean the absolute world to them. I hope you do it.

 

[Livindesert]

I like the show they showed good Christian and Atheist families. It dose show that people can get along no matter what.

The way i think of athiesim that i wish they had brought up in the show is that there non belief is in itself a belief.

That may be the way you view Atheism but let me give you a insiders view . Gravity might be a theory but I have faith that it will hold me to the earth. I can measure it and see its affects on things. I have faith that animals can adapt to new environments. a Saint Bernard will die less quickly in a cold area than a Chiuaua would so I would expect to see more Saint Bernards in a cold place. Do I know everything of course not but I am not going to put my faith in something that is beyond the realm of provable until it is provable.
Overall, Its just like life as a Christian just from the angle that you see no reason to believe in God or Gods.You still get to use the golden rule though

 

[Skaloop]

The way i think of athiesim that i wish they had brought up in the show is that there non belief is in itself a belief.

They probably didn't bring it up because it is not true!

 

[Nightson]

- The mom bonding part with Brenda and Terry was very sweet. The trip to meet with the North Texas Church of Freethought folks for me, as a weak atheist, was painful to watch. Both when the Freethought guy brough up our currency and when Michael brough out the "don't like it move" comment.

Yeah, the money tangent made me wince, but I think it was the segment the dad came off the worst in when he refused to answer the hypothetical and then the "don't like it move" line.

 

[USincognito]

I'm glad to see all the comments.

We haven't watched the episode yet - probably will at lunch, so I'll comment more on this whole post later. I just wanted to say, though, that if you actually did this, it would probably mean the absolute world to them. I hope you do it.

One of my closest IRL friends is a sub-deacon at our local Antiochan Orthodox church. As my work schedule allows I attend their fall festival whenever I can. I'll see what I can do about heading to the Shore's church once this summer heat wave passes and hopefully I can introduce him to an atheist even more open minded than Brenda and her family are.

 

[Jenster]

I just saw the show and was wondering if there was already a discussion going on it. Glad to find this one.

- I was disappointed with the footage of the first Bible Study since the whole - "atheist" = "anti-Christ" thingy was raised.

I was a little disappointed too, but more with the editing of the Bible study segments overall, because I thought they were probably the most revealing (or could've been) of the various points of view.

One thing I had hoped to hear was Brenda's reasoning when she went from believing in Christianity to not believing. One of the people in the group asked her that question, but the show didn't include her answer. Well, she did say something about 'process,' but I expected to hear her discuss some specific issues, like, "I didn't believe the resurrection could've happened," or "I prayed, but nothing happened, so I gave up believing."

Also, Tracy said something briefly about atheism being focused on "I" -- as opposed to faith being about God -- but that wasn't fleshed out either. I would have enjoyed hearing the arguments around that one too.

- The trip to meet with the North Texas Church of Freethought folks for me, as a weak atheist, was painful to watch. Both when the Freethought guy brough up our currency and when Michael brough out the "don't like it move" comment.

I couldn't believe Michael said that! Ugh! Does he not understand we live in a country with freedom of religion? I believe strongly in my faith, but it would never occur to me to tell someone "get out of my country if ya don't like it!" That's just plain discrimination. Painful for me to watch too, USincognito...

- The conversation where Michael asked Brenda if she "believed in nothing" was typical. Atheists don't believe in the supernatural as Brenda stated and we believe in different things as she tried to state.

It really looked like both of them were challenged in listening and speaking to each other, which was too bad. And yet at the same time, it was understandable.

I would ask Brenda if belief in natural laws really allows for things like love, hope and altruism? What would be the physical basis for the existence of such things? And if there is no supernatural, what explains things such as when a mother "knows" something bad has happened to her child -- and something has. Eh, just a few questions I wish Michael would've pursued with her...

- The tangental segments where Spurlock went to the Biblical theme park and followed the Biblically Correct group through the museum of science were alternately tangental and, while interesting, not necessary.

They certainly unearthed some odd cultural phenomena, that's for sure!

- When Brenda's family came to visit the Shore's was priceless. I'm of the opinion that food is the ultimate common denominator between disperate people, but family is a close second.

I completely agree. It was very positive that the show brought Brenda's family to the house (I haven't watched any other 30 Days, so maybe that's a regular feature). It reminds me of that Sting song from the 80s, "Russians love their children too."

Overall, a very interesting show! I could've used a little more from Brenda at the end (again, me picking on the editors ) about her thoughts on Christian theology as a result of the 30 days (she just talked about the Shores being compassionate).

BTW, glad to see Morgan Spurlock slimmed back down after his Supersize Me experiment.

 

[snoochface]

Well we finally watched the episode, and I thought it was great. I would have more to say, but US and Jenster stole all my comments right out of my mouth.

I could really see those two women becoming great friends down the road and not letting their differences in faith get between them at all. I thought that was really awesome.

 

[Lithium Hobo]

Eh, episode wasn't really that great. I feel the Christian family understood a little better that atheists arn't snarling bog beasts that live under their childrens' beds and come up to feed on aborted fetuses every full moon, but can be good moral and upstanding citizens just like them -- and are, in fact, persecuted for their beliefs by many.

 

[Stellar Vision]

I was very eager to see this show when I heard the commercials. It was an excellent episode, and the best thing about it was that both parties were genuinely trying to understand one another. Living in that situation for a whole month is a healthy experience; it can't really hurt although it may seem like an ordeal at times.

- I thought she was a bit petty in not bowing her head or saying amen to the prayers. I won't follow along, but at least I'll respect the general actions of a group prayer.

I have to disagree. I don't think one should have to go though the motions with the group in order to acknowledge the group's faith. Simply remaining silent and allowing her host family to pray is respectful IMO. In fact it would be respectful on the part of the group not to expect or force a nonbeliver to unwillingly go though the motions.