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Reality show gives points to clerics for converting atheists
Ahh, Turkey. The only country where evolution is less accepted than in the US. Now they have a new show, Penitents Compete, where the producers reportedly “pit a Greek Orthodox priest, a rabbi, an imam and a Buddhist monk against one another in attempt to convert atheists to their respective religions.”
The show’s producers say there is a good chance none of the atheists will be converted, Turkey’s Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review reports.
But those who are will be sent on a pilgrimage. New Muslims will head to Mecca, Buddhists to Tibet and Jews and Christians to Jerusalem – with television cameras following them.
“They can’t see this trip as a getaway but as a religious experience,” Ahmet Ozdemir, Kanal T’s deputy director, told Hurriyet.
That’s because only true non-believers need apply. An eight-member team of theologians will vet contestants to ensure they really are atheists before deciding who will participate in the show.
To date, about 200 people have applied to take part, and the first 10 contestants will be chosen next month.
Link to CBC article.
So what I want to know is, what do the atheists win if they make it through without being converted?
Disclaimer: The views expressed by an individual contributor to this blog are not necessarily shared by all members of FreeThought Fort Wayne. That is what makes this organization so interesting. Commenters on the FreeThought Fort Wayne blog are expected to abide by our comment policy. About the author: Andy Welfle is a marketing professional in a non-profit arts organization by day, and a net junkie, an Apple fanboy, and a freethinker by night. Follow him on twitter: twitter.com/awelfle. | Read more from this author
The Reality show gives points to clerics for converting atheists by Andy Welfle, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
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3 comments for “Reality show gives points to clerics for converting atheists”
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When I saw this I was, I admit, initially intrigued. Would I “convert” to a religion (rather odd use of that word, don’t you think?) if it meant I could get a free trip somewhere cool? And ya know, I think I would. I mean, it’s not as if I belief I’d burn in hell or anything and I could always just kinda come out and say, “Nah… didn’t take,” later on.
Alas, none of these places rank that high on my personal cool-o-meter. Now, I could probably be convinced to take up Shinto if it meant an all-expenses-paid trip to Japan, as long as it included an Akihabara shopping spree. And I’d certainly find English Protestantism appealing when converting includes a posh vacay to London, and hopefully a weekend in Cardiff along with the requisite opportunity to be in an episode of Doctor Who.
So yeah, in a sort of materialistic perversion of Pascal’s Wager, maybe these guys have found a way to get unscrupulous atheists to believe, or at least genuflect.
Ironic considering Judaism and Buddhism are non-proselytizing faiths… these religious leaders sound like a couple of sell-outs to me. Can’t say I’m surprised, though; it happens all the time. Organized religion breeds hypocrisy. I wouldn’t mind a trip to Tibet, though…
What do they win? A slight bit of dignity after trading the rest of it in to be on television…