I love the I Am Second website.
I’ve spent quite a bit of time surfing through their videos, and I’ve even been known to shed a tear from time to time. Like most of you who read this site, I love hearing stories from folks about their experiences with God and how His grace has gotten them through some difficult times.
However, I find that there are certain types of testimonies that are championed by the church, and these same types of testimonies are indicative of what you find at I Am Second. They are as follows:
1. Atheist/non-believer converts to Christianity.
2. Christian has great faith despite personal tragedy.
3. Celebrities who are Christians.
Now imagine if Richard Dawkins used I Am Second to announce that he became a Christian. Holy crap, Christians would go nuts, wouldn’t we?! We’d be running through the streets screaming, “We got Dawkins! We got Dawkins!” Then we’d have a huge celebration at Willow Creek Church, and Richard Dawkins would come out wearing his new Jesus uniform.
Meanwhile, the atheists would be burning Dawkins’ old Secular jersey out in the streets and tearing down his posters from the sides of buildings. Sam Harris would write a letter in comic sans telling everyone that the atheists would win a debate before Richard Dawkins does as a Christian.
It’d be amazing.
Is the implication of “I Am Second” supposed to be that nonbelievers would say, “I am first”?
Not that I’m aware. The implication, as I see it, is that believers say God is first and they are second.
Who is Richard Dawkins?
Here you go: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_dawkins
Do you really see atheists and Christians as different teams? Because I don’t personally know any Christians or atheists personally that think that way (or at least, don’t ACT that way).
I don’t personally know any Christians or atheists who have a “team” mentality either, but I think that some of the prominent Christian and atheist philosophers come off that way. There seem to be social circles that these guys and gals seem to travel and work within.
That makes sense! I guess I don’t even have a real team mentality when it comes to actual teams, like sports, for example. So I’m probably less aware of it.
This song seems an appropriate soundtrack for this comic.
I work for I am Second as the director of content and author of the I am Second books. I just wanted to say thanks for the I am Second shout out. We love your vision, we too would love love love to see Richard Dawkins sit in the chair. On another note, I love your art and would love to see how we might be able to use your art in our ministry. We have about .5 million social media followers, perhaps that might be a place to share some of your “Second” artwork. email me back if you have any ideas doug.bender@e3partners.org thanks
Hey, Doug! Thanks so much for popping in! So glad you like the cartoon!
LOL I wish there was an atheist jersey. I would wear it to the Philosophy playoffs with a jumbo finger and Bud Lite.
On a more serious note, a team mentality often exists. Stereotypes and presuppositions are often at the forefront of any discussion regarding reality. One cannot escape declaring what side they actively endorsee prior to any discussion. Legislation is being proposed as I type to force educators to give equal attention to evolution and intelligent design, as if the middle school science classroom is the place for a metaphysical vs physical battle royale.
If Richard Dawkins came out in favor of any god, I doubt it would affect the overall discourse. Switching “teams” discredits the individual in the eyes of their colleagues, so no team ever feels defeated. Kinda like, discrediting republicans for not being republican enough (RINO or Republican In Name Only). Ideology limits what we can accept and understand.
Here is a cool link that talks about belief from a neurological perspective:
http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/1932594019.html
Thanks for sharing, man! Good stuff!
From your mouth (okay, pen) to God’s ears. :)
Ha! It’s kind of like religious fan-fic :)
Great analogy!