In this clip from the 1999 stand-up comedy special You Are All Diseased, the late comedian George Carlin offers a scathing attack on religion that can be useful in inspiring debate and introducing students to the topic of the philosophy of religion. Using humor, Carlin presents a clearly atheistic view and engages with many classic objections to religion, especially, organized religion.
Carlin touches on the problem of evil, the ineffectiveness of prayer, and contractions concerning belief in a divine plan.
As a warning, do note that this clip contains explicit content and may not be appropriate for young students.
(From 51:42 until the end)
I must first stress that this video is not for the meek, and must be combined with a scaffolding of trust built between the students and professor. When presenting the video, I offer students a warning on explicit content and the ability to disengage from class until the video is completed. That said, in my many years of teaching, I’ve found that nothing motivates students to talk and debate religion quite like this video.
I utilize this video before covering any readings in philosophy of religion and directly after explaining the difference between an atheist and agnostic.
While informing students that Carlin is clearly giving an example of an atheist position, the video is mostly a catalyst for an opening discussion.
After the video, students are afforded the opportunity to express their beliefs and consider Carlin’s position before moving on to classic arguments for the existence of God (Aquinas, Paley, etc.).
While the video serves mainly as a spark to ignite debate, I find that many students return to Carlin’s words while engaging with future readings. This is especially true when I cover the epistemic problems posed by evil. Concerning evil in the world, Carlin says, ”something is wrong here. War, disease, death, destruction, hunger, filth, poverty, torture, crime, corruption, and the Ice Capades.” While many students have had the good fortune of never being exposed to the Ice Capades, they understand the concept. The relation to evil becomes even stronger when Carlin claims: “Something is definitely wrong. This is not good work. If this is the best God can do, I am not impressed. Results like these do not belong on the résumé of a Supreme Being. This is the kind of shit you’d expect from an office temp with a bad attitude. And just between you and me, in any decently-run universe, this guy would’ve been out on his all-powerful ass a long time ago.”
While it could be argued that this is harsh, students don’t forget it and bring it up in discussions concerning evil.
Another sensitive area of philosophical and psychological importance that Carlin touches on is the power of prayer and the existence of a divine plan. Students often appeal to prayers “answered” as evidence of the existence of God. Carlin inspires in-depth thought in this area. The connection Carlin makes with the possibility of a divine plan and contradiction with prayer is powerful for students. Many of them have never considered the idea that prayer could be asking an omniscient God to change a divine plan. The possibility of a divinely constructed plan can also be referenced in discussions of evil. At the end of the clip, Carlin even touches on a belief many students hold that religion is needed for morality. In short, a lot is packed into this clip!
Without fail, when I present this video to my students, I’m amazed at the discussion that transpires.
This is, perhaps, because comedy makes the attacks Carlin offers more palatable while still offering substance. Of course, some students may be offended by parts of the clip. To minimize this, I never reveal my views on religion and build an atmosphere of acceptance and trust in the classroom. Because of the sensitivity of this topic, this video will not work for all classes; however, when it does, student engagement can be outstanding.
Resources: https://scrapsfromtheloft.com/comedy/george-carlin-religion-is-bullshit/
The Teaching and Learning Video Series is designed to share pedagogical approaches to using humorous video clips for teaching philosophy. Humor, when used appropriately, has empirically been shown to correlate with higher retention rates. If you are interested in contributing to this series, please email the Series Editor, William A. B. Parkhurst at parkhurw@gvsu.edu
Amy White
Amy White is an associate professor of philosophy at Ohio University. Her work, thus far, has centered mostly on medical ethics and issues of autonomy. Her current research interests focus on the philosophy of death and dying and its intersections with medical ethics. In her spare time, she can be found facilitating death cafes’, not giving her dogs enough treats, and wondering why she bought a large Victorian house.
