T.v. Show 30 Days On The Fx Channel

[xrayman7040]

Have any of you ever heard of the show 30 days? The premise of the show is to join people together for 30 days who are on opposite sides of an issue so each my come to a better understanding of the other. For instance they did a show where one of the border patrolling "Minute Men" lived with a family of illegal immigrants for thirty days. They had another one where a homophobe lived in the heart of San Francisco with a gay man in his apartment for 30 days. Well low and behold on last nights episode a very pretty suburban housewife atheist, spent 30 days living with a suburban family who were devout Christians. It was a great program to say the least.

I would like to touch on a couple of subjects that came up in the discussions between this woman and her Christian hosts(as well as their friends at their weekly Bible study group) that have been common in my many chats with Christians I have met online. Many Christians think we are driven to atheism because we are mad at God. Obviously we can't be angry with something we don't believe exists. It's all about the lack of evidence, not about feeling we were wronged. Then of course the one that just pisses me off and totally insults me to no end: They said to this woman at the Bible study meeting, "How can you possibly live a moral life without God as some sort of compass?" I was raised by decent parents to do the right thing. End of story, and I agree with Christians on about 95% of issues dealing with morality. It's just those touchy little issues dealing with sex and sexuality in which we disagree. It's almost as if these Christian folks are saying without the fear of Hell to keep them in line they would be out raping, killing and stealing. Then there is the big issue of purpose. They will say without God or the possibility of eternity in heaven, "WHAT IS OUR PURPOSE?" As an atheist, I truly believe that this life is it, but to say it has no purpose? BULL FUCKING SHIT !!!!!!!!!!! Just coming to this website gives me purpose. Those three issues have become so cliche' over these last several months and always get my juices flowing.

Now the atheist woman has three kids who came and stayed with the host family(along with her husband), for a couple of days during her visit. At one point the Christian father looked into the camera and said, "I just feel so sad for these poor children." He was so genuinely sad for these kids raised in the atheist home(despite the fact that they had the kindest most wonderful loving parents any kids could have) and I guess this would be how a typical Christian would think of my household. Like myself, this couple did say that they will allow their children ultimately to decide the real truth for themselves. I tell my kids how I feel, but I will encourage them to explore all sides of religion on their own. My only hope is that my kids never feel the typical guilt and shame that can be brought on by heavy indoctrination into the wrong denomination. I feel like some sects of Christianity shoot a humans self esteem into the toilet.

Now one of the wildest parts of the program came when they all went to a Biblically correct museum. This museum teaches kids that dinsours and humans walked the earth together, and of course that the earth is only 5000 years old. They say that carbon dating tests that show the earth to be billions of years old are all bunk. I have never heard that there are people who actually believe that man walked with dinosaurs, until last nights show. That was just a really great program. This poor Athiest woman spent much of the show just rolling her eyes in disbelief.

[KT45]

We had a discussion about it here if you are interested

http://www.ex-christian.net/index.php?showtopic=10400

 

I'm impressed how the atheist handled herself. She never tried to debunk christianity but just wanted to seem loving and caring. It was also suprising that the christian wife was understanding even defended the atheist at one point. The christian father was an ass though. I also didn't like how they defended evolution but whatever. It was a very well balanced and well done show.

[Thackerie]

I didn't see the show, but I did see an advertisement promoting it -- and it really ticked me off when, at the very end of it, the announcer asks, "Will they (the xians) make her (the atheist) see the light?" A better question would be, "Will she make them see the fallacy of their religious indoctrination?" Of course, it seems you aren't allowed to question the value of "faith" here in good-old-gawd-bless-America.

[xrayman7040]

I didn't see the show, but I did see an advertisement promoting it -- and it really ticked me off when, at the very end of it, the announcer asks, "Will they (the xians) make her (the atheist) see the light?" A better question would be, "Will she make them see the fallacy of their religious indoctrination?" Of course, it seems you aren't allowed to question the value of "faith" here in good-old-gawd-bless-America.

 

 

Well let me assure you, the Atheist woman did not see the light of religion. She was always polite, but you could see it in her eyes how full of shit she thought these fundies were. It thought it was very well done how they picked an atheist who was your typical all American, soccer mom, middle class mother as oppsed to some multi pierced goth looking individual, or a more sterotype person one might think would be an Atheist.

[fallenleaf]

Now one of the wildest parts of the program came when they all went to a Biblically correct museum. This museum teaches kids that dinsours and humans walked the earth together, and of course that the earth is only 5000 years old. They say that carbon dating tests that show the earth to be billions of years old are all bunk. I have never heard that there are people who actually believe that man walked with dinosaurs, until last nights show. That was just a really great program. This poor Athiest woman spent much of the show just rolling her eyes in disbelief.

 

Kindof reminds me of a scene from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas:

 

Dr. Gonzo: I saw these bastards in Easy Rider, but I didn't believe they were real. Not like this, man, not hundreds of them.

Raoul Duke: They're actually pretty nice people once you get to know them.

Dr. Gonzo: Know them? I know these people in my goddamn blood.

Raoul Duke: Don't say that word around here. You'll get them excited.

 

Of course, the quote is talking about DEA people... but I always thought it fit Christians well.

 

Yeah, they're real and they're very serious about it. They'll explain, at great length, the canopy before the flood and how it created an environment where dinosaurs lived just fine... and how the flood split up the one continent and all that junk. I was raised in that enviroment. Personally, I rejected such tales for what they were when I heard them. But I did buy the fact that evolution wasn't well supported (until later when I actually got educated and found out how I was robbed of that knowledge by the darkness they kept us in).

 

I still run into them occasionally... both online and in real life. But I avoid them if I can. There is only so much delusion I can stand.

[Lightbearer]

Was it the museum that Answers in Genesis made?

 

 

Edit: I want to watch the show now. I've seen similiar ideas, like trading spouses, where an athiest couple traded spouses with a christian couple. But the atheist guy was really whiny and made atheists look bad.

 

Then there was the big fat women they traded with a pagan family running around screaming "DARK SIDED! DARK SIDED STUFF! GARGOYLES, PHYCHICS, EVERYTHINGS UNGOLDY! IM A WARRIOR FOR GOD!"

 

I think that was such a big hit, that people are trying to replicate it.

[Guest Ghost In The Machine]

The show was utterly fascinating, although I felt very sorry for the Xian kids. They have been led by theirmyopic father to believe that if you don't believe in God, you couldn't possibly have any morals. The Xian Dad is the embodyment of everything I hate about Xians. Kudos to the mother-atheist from Lawrence, KS for not allowing them to berate her own beliefs, or simply because you disagree with theirs. I'd let her represent me any day.

[BTDT]

I'm glad I got to watch this when they did the marathon of 30 Days this last weekend. It's my new favorite show. I was very happy with their choice of atheist - I remarked to my Christian boyfriend who was also watching it, that I wanted to go be her next door neighbor

 

On the other hand... I know the show was supposed to be 'balanced,' but every time it looked as though the Christian was given the last word in any scene at all, I felt robbed and irritated I'm still dealing with those issues of mine.

 

I cracked up in the Bible Study scene where the Christians are all remarking on evolution in a self-congratulatory way like they had even the slightest clue what they were talking about.