{"id":35278,"date":"2014-03-07T16:19:47","date_gmt":"2014-03-07T16:19:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/?p=35278"},"modified":"2014-03-07T16:49:10","modified_gmt":"2014-03-07T16:49:10","slug":"cameo-god-oscars-self-worshipful-actors-twitter-tell-matthew-mcconaughey-stay-topic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/news-op-ed\/cameo-god-oscars-self-worshipful-actors-twitter-tell-matthew-mcconaughey-stay-topic\/","title":{"rendered":"Cameo for God at the Oscars: (Self-) Worshipful Actors, Twitter, Tell Matthew McConaughey To Stay On Topic"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"iStock_000026238407Small\"<\/a>At the recent Oscars, Matthew McConaughey won the best actor award for his role in a movie called\u00a0Dallas Buyers Club.\u00a0From this, I infer (a) that there\u2019s a movie called Dallas Buyers Club\u00a0and (b) that there\u2019s an actor named Matthew McConaughey. (A quick look at IMDB reveals that I have not seen anything he has been in.) While I can\u2019t comment on the quality of the film or of McConaughey\u2019s performance, I can comment on McConaughey\u2019s acceptance speech, which has been in the news. In part, he said:<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst off, I want to thank God because that\u2019s Who I look up to. He\u2019s graced my life with opportunities that I know are not of my hand or any other human hand. He has shown me that it’s a scientific fact that gratitude reciprocates. In the words of the late Charlie Laughton, who said, ‘When you’ve got God, you got a friend. And that friend is you.’\u201d<\/p>\n

This was followed by scattered, tepid applause, unlike McConaughey\u2019s closing remark, \u201cjust keep living.\u201d That\u2019s a quote from another of his films,\u00a0Dazed and Confused\u00a0(which I also haven\u2019t seen).\u00a0That\u00a0the audience liked.<\/p>\n

While some of the Twitterati applauded McConaughey recognizing a Higher Power, there was also, unsurprisingly, a fair number of detractors. A sampling includes the following:<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I thought Mcconaughey (sic) should have won until he started with all that God [stuff]<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Shhhh McConaughey stop talking about god you’re ruining it<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Ugh, I hate Matthew McConaughey… I can’t believe he’s thanking “god”<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I thought we could get through the Oscars without someone thanking god but no he had to ruin it<\/p>\n

One person \u2013 who goes so far as to actually have the word \u201catheist\u201d in his Twitter handle \u2013 celebrated the dearth of applause:<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I loved the lack of clapping as Matthew McConaughey thanked god. Things are getting better.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s with all the hating on God? It\u2019s like we live on the\u00a0Planet of the Apes. (I did see that movie. And all the sequels. And the remakes.) Why\u00a0Planet of the Apes? Because of the Scopes Monkey Trial. I\u2019ll explain.<\/p>\n

The 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial \u2013 formally \u201cThe State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes\u201d \u2013 saw high school teacher John Scopes on trial for violating his state\u2019s law prohibiting teaching human evolution in public schools. This was the basis for the 1960 film\u00a0Inherit the Wind\u00a0(which I have not seen). Just as the apes in\u00a0Planet of the Apes\u00a0overthrew and enslaved their human masters, the tables have turned in real life. Now those who recognize God are marginalized and labeled \u201cfundamentalists\u201d or \u201cCreationists.\u201d Have we forgotten the lesson of\u00a0Battle for the\u00a0Planet of the Apes? For those who haven\u2019t seen it, the apes and the humans must learn to get along, lest both perish.<\/p>\n

God used to have to compete with idols. In the Talmud, an idolater is frequently called an \u201cakum,\u201d which is an acronym for\u00a0ovdei kochavim u\u2019mazalos\u00a0\u2013 those who worship the stars and constellations. So it should not surprise us that there\u2019s little room for God at the Oscars, an event dedicated to idolizing movie stars. These terms were not coined at random! Honestly, is there an industry more dedicated to self-worship than Hollywood?<\/p>\n

And yet, the overt antagonism towards God still takes me aback. Where\u2019s the tolerance that we\u2019re asked to preach for people of every race, ethnicity, sexual identity and socioeconomic status? Why does \u201creligious exemption\u201d mean that the religious are exempt from being tolerated? McConaughey may have voiced an unpopular position, but if his faith is a crime, it\u2019s a victimless crime. Why the righteous indignation?<\/p>\n

In truth, what we\u2019re witnessing is not really the result of atheism. Atheism rejects the idea of a Higher Being. Atheists simply don\u2019t believe in God. There are lots of things I don\u2019t believe in. I don\u2019t believe in Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy. I don\u2019t believe in aliens or Big Foot. But I don\u2019t invest one iota of my energy in trying to convince others to change their beliefs. Why should I? A real atheist should say, \u201cYou believe in God? I don\u2019t,\u201d with the same aplomb that you or I would have with an acquaintance of a different faith.<\/p>\n

No, this antagonism towards God is the product of\u00a0antitheism. Antitheism is the active opposition to the idea that there\u2019s a God. Antitheists believe that the very existence of religion is inherently harmful to society. (Obviously, I disagree with their position. If only so many religious people of all denominations didn\u2019t give them so much ammunition to work with!) Antitheism says, \u201cI don\u2019t believe in God, so you shouldn\u2019t be allowed to, either.\u201d In this sense, antitheism is itself a fundamentalist doctrine. I\u2019ve seen things said in the name of antitheism at least as hateful as anything ever said in the name of religion.<\/p>\n

In I Kings 18:21, the prophet Elijah asked the Jews, \u201cHow long will you waver between two positions? If Hashem is God, follow Him; if it\u2019s Baal, then follow him!\u201d The people were paralyzed with indecision.<\/p>\n

Our society is becoming likewise paralyzed. Wasn\u2019t it tough enough when people simply had to pick a religion? Now there\u2019s a vocal minority who actively oppose you having a religion at all. If talking about God becomes less and less cool, how many people will stifle their personal faith out of fear of ridicule?<\/p>\n

McConaughey and I may not share the same religion but I applaud his expression of faith. Let us not be intimidated by intolerance. Each of us has what to be thankful for. Let us take to the streets, the airwaves and the social media and proudly proclaim, \u201cFirst off, I want to thank God!\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At the recent Oscars, Matthew McConaughey won the best actor award for his role in a movie called\u00a0Dallas Buyers Club.\u00a0From this, I infer (a) that there\u2019s a movie called Dallas Buyers Club\u00a0and (b) that there\u2019s an actor named Matthew McConaughey. (A quick look at IMDB reveals that I have not seen anything he has been<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":384,"featured_media":35280,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[94],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-op-ed"],"yoast_head":"\nCameo for God at the Oscars: (Self-) Worshipful Actors, Twitter, Tell Matthew McConaughey To Stay On Topic - OU Life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/news-op-ed\/cameo-god-oscars-self-worshipful-actors-twitter-tell-matthew-mcconaughey-stay-topic\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cameo for God at the Oscars: (Self-) Worshipful Actors, Twitter, Tell Matthew McConaughey To Stay On Topic - OU Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"At the recent Oscars, Matthew McConaughey won the best actor award for his role in a movie called\u00a0Dallas Buyers Club.\u00a0From this, I infer (a) that there\u2019s a movie called Dallas Buyers Club\u00a0and (b) that there\u2019s an actor named Matthew McConaughey. 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