It would be unfair to classify God, No! as simply an attack on Christians. Still, Jillette isn't afraid to call it as he sees it. "I haven't found Christ," he writes. "I'm not even looking for him. I don't need or want salvation." Jillette's main focus is simply that he doesn't believe in God. He holds his lack of belief so firmly that even agnostics irritate him. One essay is titled, "Agnostics: No One Can Know for Sure but I Believe They're Full of Shit." In it, he argues, among other things, that most agnostics "are really just cowardly and manipulative atheists."
As noted, several of the essays center on personal anecdotes that don't deal directly with religion or atheism. Thus, we hear of his adventures with ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons on a so-called "vomit comet," an aircraft flight that provides weightlessness for approximately 30-second periods, or his trip to a gay bathhouse in San Francisco. Yet even these stories tend to shed light on or illustrate the thesis of the particular suggested Penn Commandment. Some might question how unrestrained he is in his language or his discussion of sex. There's no doubt Jillette's intentionally blasphemous line about what he would do to Christ's hand wounds and on his crown of thorns would cause conniption fits in even semi-devout Christians. But Jillette has always been brash and unrestrained. At least we know he isn't sacrificing any of his style, thoughts, or opinions to the god of marketing. His at times scathing humor is also at work in much of the book.
One of the core elements of God, No! is urging atheists to speak out and step forward. This is where the book becomes a manifesto, a call to action. Jillette even takes a page from some proponents of religion, urging atheists to preach and proselytize.
Truth doesn't live in the closet. You have to make it clear to everyone, including your children, that there is no god. If you're not doing that every chance you get, then the other side will win. They'll win only in the short term; but we only get to live in the short term. You don't have to fight, but you have to do your part — you have to tell the truth. You have to be honest. You don't have to force schools to say there's no god, but you have to say it yourself. You have to say it all the time. No one can relax in a closet.
Passages like this and Jillette's passion mean he likely will be tagged by many as a "militant atheist," using the term pejoratively. Yet Jillette probably wouldn't take offense. He's equally outspoken about being a Libertarian and, in the eyes of some, militant when it comes to personal and civil liberties. Jillette even says in the book's introduction that he's "a loud, aggressive, strident, outspoken atheist, and I'm an asshole." From his perspective, though, he is simply placing his opinions in the marketplace of ideas, a right that belongs to everyone, asshole or otherwise.
Article comments
1 - downtown dave
Signs you may be an atheist: You say there is no God when you know there is. You say there is no God when creation declares His glory. You say there is no God when the Word of God says there is. You have no fear of God.
2 - Christopher Rose
signs you may be mixed up - when your comments about atheism all contain references to a deity!
3 - Matthias
Great post,"i like" :-)
Cheers,
Matthias
4 - Dr Dreadful
LOL @ Chris.
This sounds like a good read - although possibly guaranteed to piss off as many atheists as believers!
5 - Dr Dreadful
Let's substitute a few words in Dave's comment so that even he can see the fallacy of his argument:
"Signs you may be a Tea Partier: You say higher taxes don't work when you know they do. You say there are no jobs when the Democrats declare unemployment is falling. You say there is no recovery when the Word of Obama says there is. You have no fear of the Rich."
6 - downtown reality
"You say there is no God when you know there is."
this means absolutely NOTHING downtown dave
7 - Nathan
And, then, what is the point of Atheism?
Mr. Penn is wasting his and everyone's time - but at least is honest enough to admit that he's an asshole. If only so many other atheists would follow suit.
8 - Christopher Rose
Nathan, the point of atheism is that you don't spend your life believing in fake theories that have nothing to support them.
That opens the door to a whole new world of possibilities and hope.
9 - Paul Roy
Good review Tim. I saw Penn promoting the book on Piers Morgan the other night and I have never heard good old Catholic boy and big time Atheist-hater Piers sound quite so retarded as he did during that interview. You've got to see it to believe it. I will be ordering the book today. Thanks
10 - atheist
Hi there, just wanted to say, I liked this blog post. It was funny. Keep on posting!
11 - sinan
Point of atheism is to care, to hold to your principles. keep your promises, feed the poor and needy, help people get an education, protect them from danger, andvturn the other cheek. All genuinely, without being in fear of an asshole viciuous jealous , terrorist god.