1. Comment #57719 by Damien Trotter on July 20, 2007 at 6:15 pm

Very enjoyable and succinct! And I would give good odds that he has recently read The God Delusion.

As far as I can remember this is Marcus Brigstocke's first (broadcast) rant against religion. He joins an ever growing number of British comedians who have recently let their feelings be known in this sphere.

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2. Comment #57720 by Rtambree on July 20, 2007 at 6:29 pm

That was good, especially the way he gave equal time to all three Abrahamic faiths.

Notch up another one for the New Atheism: Stand Up and be counted.

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3. Comment #57726 by LeeC on July 20, 2007 at 7:44 pm

Good Stuff... I miss the English humour.

It is with humour that we might beat these idiots.

Lee

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4. Comment #57742 by Kell on July 20, 2007 at 9:13 pm

Yes, truly brilliant and - best of all - truly funny. Beer and Hugs for Marcus!

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5. Comment #57745 by Zaphod on July 20, 2007 at 9:28 pm

Funny stuff.

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6. Comment #57749 by LeeLeeOne on July 20, 2007 at 9:56 pm

Thank you Beth - left a positive review. Hope this counteracts any negative "attacks."

I have given many family/friends information regarding this program and regarding Prof. Dawkins' web site.

An excellent broadcast. Brought me to tears with laughter (needed that after a rough week)!

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7. Comment #57758 by petermun on July 20, 2007 at 11:28 pm

Superb - needs to be up there with Carlin et al in the Dawkin's Comedy classics.

Certainly worthy of a regular airing on "Thought for the Day" I would have thought.

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8. Comment #57759 by Flagellant on July 20, 2007 at 11:57 pm

Well, it didn't make it on 'Thought for the Day', today...

I wonder if we'll ever get a breakdown of complaints. My guess is that the majority will come from those criticised least in the programme, i.e. those who have succeeded in conflating race and religion.

Anyway, a plague on all their houses; that was the most hilarious (and accurate) anti-religious seven minutes ever.

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9. Comment #57778 by Logicel on July 21, 2007 at 1:49 am

Common sense delivered with punchy humor. Starts off with a bang and keeps exploding religious nonsense non-stop to the end. Listen to that enthusiastic applause shortly after the beginning of the audio, greeting the comic's plea, "Can the rest of us have our planet back?" We are fed up and sickened by religious believers. Not only has Brigstocke read TGD, he has UNDERSTOOD it. Not a small feat, as the academic, lofty likes of McGrath was unable to pull that off.

Some fave bits:

precious, petulant, pugnacious pricks

If you want a ring that tells everybody that you are not having sex, get married like the rest of us.

find a cure for James Blount

put on a Cat Stevens' record and chill out

Brigstocke's revealing, with distinctive, preemptory flair, what criticism will most likely be directed at him, cleverly deflates the self-righteous, indignant sails of religious believers before they can even puff them up.

And Brigstocke even covered the ground that moderates occupy in silently encouraging extremists.

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10. Comment #57788 by doodinthemood on July 21, 2007 at 2:55 am

When I heard this I just knew it would turn up on here. My favourite line was "stop pretending your celibate as a cover up for being a gay or a nonce"

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11. Comment #57813 by kev_s on July 21, 2007 at 8:34 am

If you enjoyed Marcus, you'd like this older stuff:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCOZQSRzKmU
Anyone know of a site brave enough to collect anti-religious humour?

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12. Comment #57818 by celestial_T on July 21, 2007 at 9:13 am

great stuff - I was listening to this show last night and thought it might end up on this site. interesting to see that some of these arguments are filtering their way through to other platforms, and comedy has to be one of the best ways of getting the message out.

Can I also recommend MB's cheery persecution of David Blaine 'git wizard' - very very funny. this is a subject he comes back to a lot, but a quick search on youtube produces good Room 101 snippet.

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13. Comment #57827 by crabsallover on July 21, 2007 at 11:20 am

Marcus,

Brilliant! the best 7 minutes quick fire anti-religous Humorous rant I've ever heard!

You've done it for The God Delusion, now do the same for Letter to a Christian Nation and God is Not Great.

Rock on!

Chris Street
http://dorset-humanists.blogspot.com/

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14. Comment #57836 by Mercurius on July 21, 2007 at 1:48 pm

Witty, punchy and very funny. I would like to play it full blast over the shopping centre tannoy next time the salvation army are droning on in the town square!

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15. Comment #57883 by ross on July 21, 2007 at 11:32 pm

I wish I could provide the link of Omid Djalili at the Montreal Just for Laughs Festival when he went on an anti-religious rant, but, alas...
For some lighthearted Iranian humour you can check out: http://www.omidnoagenda.com/blog/static.php?page=videos

And for the 0.001% of you who would enjoy a James Blunt parody involving eight black & tans:
http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=5135532771914898039&q=kevin+sage&total=154&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

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16. Comment #57885 by Nails on July 21, 2007 at 11:55 pm

"A four year old is no more a Christian than he is a memeber of the postal workers union"

Very well put. Must have read TGD but addresses some major points in a more succinct way.
Humour may well be a useful ally in our quest.

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17. Comment #57999 by Beachbum on July 22, 2007 at 9:51 pm

I got tears in my eyes.

I love British humour. All of his points aside, as good as they are, if he did that shtick for for 15 min. you all would have to remember me fondly as the blue beach dude.

Great, thanks for post.

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18. Comment #58005 by Veronique on July 23, 2007 at 12:29 am

There's the actual 7 min. snippet up on youtube with good sound - at least on my system.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42p2SO5wQag

I loved this send up. I miss British humour as well. I grew up on the Goons and all my family hung around the wireless (yes, it was a wireless. Radios came later:-)

I agree with him - I want our planet back too!!!
V

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19. Comment #58009 by Enlightenme.. on July 23, 2007 at 1:09 am

@#13 kev;

Thanks Kev, it was great to see that old Dave Allen clip.
I sometimes say it was the IRA and the 1991 xmas lecture (especially richard's argument from geography) that helped me out of religion, but there were other great blasphemers in my youth to whom I'm also indebted.

I'd like to know who first popularised the comparison of mapped religious belief to 'scientific theories for dinosaur extinction' concept, if it was not actually RD's invention.

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20. Comment #58091 by phil rimmer on July 23, 2007 at 11:19 am

Just caught this on Beeb listen again. The cheer at the end was thrilling to hear.

Marcus has excelled himself this time. It is truly a pity we scousers will have to put him to death for his blasphemy against us.

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21. Comment #58093 by steve99 on July 23, 2007 at 11:33 am

I could barely believe what I was hearing. I was amazed that such a wonderfully sane and savage attack on religion was being broadcast on BBC Radio 4, home of 'Thought for Today', 'Beyond Belief' (which is anything but) and 'The Daily Service'. I could almost hear the teacups of middle-England crashing to the floor in shock. I have been a long-term fan of Brigstocke, but this was exceptional.

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22. Comment #58095 by Elli on July 23, 2007 at 11:43 am

Absolutely brilliant. I love it. I needed a good smile today :-)

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23. Comment #58099 by BillySands on July 23, 2007 at 1:00 pm

Ah, Just the Mutt's nuts

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24. Comment #58124 by atheistperspective on July 23, 2007 at 3:06 pm

I think he was being rather unfair on Anthony Worrall Thompson actually.... ;)

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25. Comment #58208 by pewkatchoo on July 24, 2007 at 2:59 am

phil rimmer
I am sure that they will send Boris Johnson to Liverpool to apologise in his stead.

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26. Comment #59220 by jeepyjay on July 28, 2007 at 11:23 am

There was a follow-up on this week's Now Show, in which he comments on all the emails he has received from atheists offering to pray for him!

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27. Comment #59223 by Enlightenme.. on July 28, 2007 at 11:34 am

Richard Dawkins was mentioned 2 separate times on today's show, that's about five weeks running now.

Today's joke was about not claiming insurance for floods in Oxford as he refuses to acknowledge acts of god.

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28. Comment #60120 by magicker on August 1, 2007 at 4:16 am

Fantastic - i was just about to upload a similar vid to you tube but this one is amazing. Top work and well done Marcus you are a genius.

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29. Comment #60394 by Sittingduck on August 1, 2007 at 6:44 pm

Enjoyed that. No way would that be allowed in any broacast media in the states. Total shame.
Land of the Free and the home of the muzzled.

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30. Comment #61256 by jimbaker87 on August 4, 2007 at 11:06 am

This is excellent. Not only funny, but wise and true.

Reactions, even from some of the people in the religions concerned have been positive.

Everyone on the planet would be happier without the conflict and violence, including the people who are doing the killing, if only they realised it.

Well done Marcus. You are a bit of a genius, aren't you?

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31. Comment #62397 by paulshepard on August 9, 2007 at 3:08 pm

Funny but so true. Said as clear thinking people quietly believe.

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32. Comment #62740 by Tim Weller on August 11, 2007 at 4:55 am

There is never a truer word spoken in jest. Yet, it is not just the religious who rejoice in violence. We are all at it: the religious, the irreligious, the atheist and the agnostic. In particular, the white nations who went out into all the world to make disciples of all nations, with the Bible in one hand and the sword in the other! We, I think are the worst offenders, with our European empires around the world, for many centuries. And the Brits, of course, had the biggest empire in the history of humanity - founded and maintained by the bayonet, the bomb and the bullet!

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33. Comment #62935 by HappyPrimate on August 12, 2007 at 11:26 am

Marvelous! Who is this guy? He is very good. I want more from him please. We have George Carlin but I really like this Marcus fellow.

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34. Comment #63871 by MIND_REBEL on August 16, 2007 at 1:22 pm

This young upstart reminds me of George Carlin. Great to see the movement gaining strength.

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35. Comment #63872 by Corylus on August 16, 2007 at 1:24 pm

MIND_REBEL

Welcome back!

:-)

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36. Comment #65814 by John Pritzlaff on August 26, 2007 at 9:06 pm

I tried to send this comment...

"Thank you for delivering that rant against religion. Comedy is one of the greatest tools for destroying bad ideologies (for example, if someone makes fun of racists on-stage and points out how retarded they are, it's a lot harder for anyone in the audience to go home and be racist and feel serious about it). We need more people like you. Good job and keep it up."

...five times and it didn't work. My name's John Pritzlaff and my email is johnpritzlaff@gmail.com

Can someone send it for me? Let me know if you do.

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37. Comment #66298 by ADePSP on August 29, 2007 at 4:10 pm

Dam, I had to cut that speach off to make my comment... Class is all I can say, pure class...

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38. Comment #66860 by mero on August 31, 2007 at 9:09 pm

Wow....great!

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39. Comment #67585 by Veronique on September 4, 2007 at 12:18 am

I needed to listen to this again, just to put things in perspective:-)

This rant is such a terrific antidote to the seriousness of what we all know is happening on this poor old planet on which we try to live, isn't it?

This bloke and Carlin can lift my mood so quickly. I have been far too serious lately. I need the balance.

Thank you Brigstoke!!
V

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40. Comment #68766 by mikeofdoom on September 8, 2007 at 1:31 pm

I do wonder if i find this to be the only funny thing that Brigstocke's done, purely because of the subject matter.

I would very much like to draw people's attention to this interview with the late, great Robert Anton Wilson http://www.positiveatheism.org/writ/rawilson.htm
Someone all you Carlin fans should get to know.

Helps with all of the tedious either/or logic we all seem to get bogged down with.

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41. Comment #68773 by Johnny O on September 8, 2007 at 2:05 pm

Just found this on YouTube. Eddie Izzard's take on Religion...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ope-1Zb5t-k&mode=related&search=

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42. Comment #68780 by Johnny O on September 8, 2007 at 2:32 pm

I was almost crying watching this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9goLXFJzSik&mode=related&search=

"No room at the Inn".

"Well that is cos it is Christmas"...

Genius

Other Comments by Johnny O

43. Comment #70183 by Alkal on September 14, 2007 at 9:19 am

I think he should have mntioned the nonAbrahamic faiths as well, they need to loeave the planet alone too, for the rest ofus.

loved the part about truth in he pub

Am a fan now

Other Comments by Alkal

44. Comment #70391 by robonstormymonday on September 15, 2007 at 9:10 am

excellent. and well said, your troubled history does not give you a license to act with impunity jews.

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45. Comment #76291 by jonny_eh on October 5, 2007 at 11:15 am

That was quite funny but I find it interesting that he needed to take a jab at Jews despite the fact that they make up less than 1% of the world's population. It's a pimple on the butt of Christianity and Islam, yet always needs equal mention, for fear of offending the Muslims and Christians.

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46. Comment #78758 by Mr Embiggen on October 14, 2007 at 6:30 pm

Probably the best thing I have heard all year. I vote him for next Prime Minister, just for a laugh. I know of Carlin, and Sweeney, are there others I should know about?

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47. Comment #78765 by Veronique on October 14, 2007 at 7:33 pm

48. Comment #78758 by Mr Embiggen

Try Bill Bailey. Oh and Rowan Atkinson. Both on youtube.

Cheers
V

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48. Comment #78771 by Quine on October 14, 2007 at 8:40 pm

Fossils are the handiwork of the devil




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49. Comment #79038 by AccidentOfEvolution on October 16, 2007 at 12:47 am

Me likey.

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50. Comment #82715 by Jaana on October 27, 2007 at 10:09 am

Haha! Brilliant!

Thank you so much for the download option.
I will add this to my "mood-lifting compilation" CD. :-)

Aloha!

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