A Conversation with God : StarTalk Radio Show by Neil deGrasse Tyson

Frannie

soundcloud isn’t loading the show 🙁

startalkradio

Thanks, Frannie. We’re working on fixing the problem.

otterit

Can’t hear the conversation!

CarlosMcCormick

It comes up with a 404 error when i try to play it.

startalkradio

We are aware that tonight’s episode’s audio file is not loading and are working on fixing the problem. Thanks for letting us know, Carlos.

Frannie

Thanks for the quick fix! You guys are awesome.

ssgfsdgsdfgsdf

this is the dumbest shit ive heard an intellectual doing.

Joseph Kramer

For the first time, I am really disappointed. This is simply a mockery of religion. Do not get me wrong, I am not religious, but simply mocking the only legitimate opposition to science will only turn them against science further. For the first time sir, I am very unimpressed.

Steven

Religion is not a “legitimate opposition ” to science.
Alejandro Alcántara

legitimate? popular, yes. But legitimate?

Gustavo

So, that’s the god on the bible. I just hope people don’t believe in God because they think God is that guy on the podcast.

Joe Black

That god on the podcast, or your God, or any god is made up.
- jsmunroe
  
  Go on Joe. Tell them how you know absolutely everything. Good on ya.

Anrkiss

This is awesome

Michael Walker

This episode sucks.

robert57Q

So much for staying on the sidelines of the theology debate.

Sam Pellino

LOVED it!

Ivar

Hahaha is that a joke?? What a stupid responses from that person with his lowered pitched voice called god hahahaha

GhostofOurForefathers

So is Neil a deist? Good stuff.

eric

i think he’s an agnostic atheist but he doesn’t want to be labeled.

Bevy lee

Quite amusing

Kaye Winter

So, is Wil Wheaton a Prophet of the Lord? “Don’t be a dick.”

PRESIDENTMAGNETO

A boring ass one who thinks people only want to hear about his experience on the geekiest star trek ever.
Noidkdkdjd

A boring ass one who thinks people only want to hear about his experience on the geekiest star trek ever.

MaX Damage

This was amazing! XD

Al Chasse

i mean come on, the big bang, i mean that jussssst when god had sex

WriterofthePlains

Ugh. Would’ve been far more interesting to get someone like Freeman Dyson, both a scientist and a Christian, on the show. Leave this sort of stuff to Jon Stewart and company.

jsmunroe

Or Francis Collins? Honestly, secularists are some of the most religious people I know.
- Michael Walker
  
  No they are very not. 97% of the National Academy of Sciences are atheist.
- jsmunroe
  
  I should clarify. By religious, I mean committed to a ideas that cannot be logically ascertained. By secularist, I mean someone who doesn’t believe in the supernatural. Just because you don’t believe in supernatural things doesn’t mean you aren’t religious by this definition. Perhaps I should have used another word. Meh.
  - 1039502049
    
    the majority of scientists in the NAS are secularists- by your definition. and by everything you said in that post, that does NOT mean they’re committed to ideas that can’t be “logically ascertained”.
    
    that’s not how science works. and indeed, science does work. unlike religion.
    - jsmunroe
      
      Ok then.
Eric Forman

Funny you should mention Jon Stewart. “God” is being channeled by David Javerbaum, a former executive producer of The Daily Show. So this WAS done by the “and company” part.
- $92939600
  
  Ah, interesting, Mr. Forman. I didn’t know that. Well, as great a guest as God is, I think it would still be something to hear Dyson and Tyson have a debate/discussion about life, the universe and everything.

Nolan

I sort of hate it when intellectuals shit on god. I’m not religious but acknowledging religion just keeps it in the loop. If religion is ignored it will slowly fade away.

Raul Jimenez

I have to disagree there, it’s only once we remove the veneer of respectability and can call out silliness that people will realize things are silly.
Studley

“keeps it in the loop”!?! Are you joking? Why shouldn’t intellectuals shit on God? Religion has shit on intellectuals for centuries simply because science didn’t have many of the answers, and so the blanks got filled in with fairytales. Ok, so we still haven’t ALL the answers, but that doesn’t mean that we should continue to believe in iron-age crap! People talk about “scientists”, “intellectuals”, the battle of “science and religion” and all that… here’s a newsflash, those intellectuals, those scientists – they’re PEOPLE too! They simply refuse to believe in fairytales. As for “science vs religion”… for want of a better description, science is how the universe works. As Feynman said, you don’t like it? Go somewhere else. Why do people feel the need to believe in some higher being?! Why do they always want to be part of something bigger, something that transcends life and death… We are ALL part of the universe, part of the biggest, most incredible, wonderful thing we could possibly imagine. Our bodies are effectively made from star dust, created from billions and billions of atoms, elements formed during the big bang and during millions of supernovae. We are all amazing, every living thing, on every planet that harbors life.
- Alexander Adkins
  
  There is a reason that People have beliefs and religions. One you realize that yes, we are all a part of this universe. But so does god encompass the whole universe and then some. With science, yes the effects of it is real, but it is also cold and uncaring. If the Sun blew up tomarrow. It will not even notice you or I was there in it’s way. But god will notice you. Science gives us reasoning and the tools to make our lives better. God gives us a Conscious, Morals, and Ethics that is so we can make our selves into a better person. I have one wish that both sides of this useless debate would stop fighting each other and work together. I also have a dream that one day that both sides of science and religion would join forces as equals to make the world a better place for one and all.
  - Joe Black
    
    You realize you’re just making things up, don’t you?
  - nyk
    
    lolwut. do you think before you start finger typing?
  - nyk
    
    lolwut. do you think before you start finger typing?
  - Eric Forman
    
    I wish that you could bring even the tiniest iota of proof to your argument. Everything debated on the “science” side of the argument (and even calling it an argument is degrading to true arguments) is backed up by provable fact with demostrable evidence. What you are bring to the table is your feelings and fairy tales about how god did this and god did that but not a single piece of evidence for anything.
    - Alexander Adkins
      
      Mr Eric Forman, you sound like you are being rather emotional right now. In your attempt to degrade me and my views with the snears (phyical or verbal as the case maybe) you seem to have only shows to other readers that you are coming in at this argument from an immature view point. It will not sway anyone to your side. Have you in your life ever tried to be nice to people who did not think like you do? I came to my views by the expriences in my life. Yes science is real, but science is incomplete, uncaring and impersonal. there has to be more to life than this.
    - Joe Black
      
      You said “there has to be more to life than this” My question is why? Because.. you want there to be more? Because you have a hard time accepting reality on its terms? You’ve shown your hand, and I already pointed it out in another response before reading this comment of yours. You are basing your opinions on feelings and what you want and prefer, instead of what is. Therein lies the problem. You’re insecure and can’t handle the truth, hence why you pretend so much. Try growing up. I’ll even throw a hug your way, everything is going to be okay, Mr. Adkins.
      
      Also note, you never cited evidence for your claims, instead you tried to “win” an argument with Mr. Forman when by every piece of evidence here, you’re the immature one arguing emotions instead of facts. Anecdotes, hearsay, and feelings made you a believer. Some of us aren’t so easily (fooled) convinced.
  - Cognitive sausage
    
    I knew someone who sounded just like you, based on the assertions you’ve stated. For him the change happened overnight. It was generally agreed he’d had some sort of trauma in the brain, a legion or temporary cessation of oxygen. No one presumed he’d been enlightened by God. But I imagine you would embrace him and take him under your wing/cloak of delusion. You see what you want to see, despite the facts. The point is the world, through our eyes, is an illusion. It starts in the brain and ends in the brain. I don’t wish you brain damage, so maybe try some hallucinogens and experience true altered states first hand. It will change your perspective on the world and yourself for ever.
  - 1039502049
    
    there’s a whole lot wrong with your post. things don’t become true just because you like it- and actually, it almost seems as if you’re being willfully ignorant.
    
    science gives reasoning and tools to make our lives better. that’s what science stands for. however, religion is the EXACT opposite of that. the god of the old testament isn’t even a guide for morality or ethics either. it regularly committed 6 of the 7 deadly sins. and from my point of view, it almost seems as if god is a reflection of the darkest corners of the human mind and the demons that hijack our ego.
    
    and no, superstition and science won’t ever “join forces as equals”. I apologize if i offend you, but I find that extremely laughable LOL. science is far above religion in every way- unless we’re talking about how it influences humans to kill others just because they don’t share a certain belief. in that aspect, religion trumps all.
    
    really, you might as well pray to your deity for alchemy and chemistry to join forces and you’ll get the same result.
George

“If religion is ignored it will slowly fade away.”

Wait… that’s a bad thing?
war_blur

intellectuals tend to debunk bulls h i
t. this is but one in a series of ongoing examples.
William Vasiladiotis

who says thats a bad thing

Raul Jimenez

This is hilarious, the only way to change mindsets its to call out silliness and not make anything above ridicule.

VoicuM

You people shouldn’t take this episode seriously because it was clearly on a funny note only…

Beck

This was such a cringe worthy episode, I actually had to turn it off because i just could not keep listening to it. I am really disapointed that someone that I hold to such high standards would do such a blatent mockery of religion. You just lost a whole lot of respect from me Neil.

Eric Forman

Considering that religion is the biggest impediment to the advancement of science, what could possibly be more deserving of mockery?
- Alexander Adkins
  
  The advancement of science with out the moral elements that religion gives us is like having a group of scientist creating the most deadliest strain of flu virus ever just because they could. oh wait, they did make it. it’s the H7N9 strain! Science ask the question if you could do something. Religion ask the question if you should do something. i swear if people would ask both questions, the whole world would be better off.
  - Cheri
    
    The idea that one group of people needs the illusions of another group of people to have positivity is an illusion naive to the cult of religion.
  - Joe Black
    
    Religion stole morals from human reason. How can it be the moral basis, especially considering how totally immoral religious texts describe the nature of their deities. Asserting things just because you can isn’t intelligent or scientfic, yet that’s all you’re doing.
  - Joe Black
    
    You’re not too much of a thinker, huh?
  - Eric Forman
    
    Do you truly believe it is impossible to have morals without religion? I haven’t believed in anything supernatural since I was twelve, yet I’ve got a personal philosphy that covers all morality without having to worry about eternal damnation as a consequence. Around age 15, when some adult was astonished when I said I did not believe in a god, they asked me what I thought the meaning of life was and on the spot I said “Respect each other and try to leave the world a better place than when you came in.” That’s all I need to live by: No gods, no angels, no demons, no spirits.
    - Alexander Adkins
      
      Yes, Mr. Eric Forman. i do believe religion is the basis of any modern morality system today. I know my history, and humans have experimented with societies that had no religion. those were the communistic states and they failed badly. Your meaning of life was to “Respect each other and to try to leave the world a better place than when you came in”, am i correct? If so, do you respect me even if i have a diffrient view on thinks? My meaning of life came from the man who said this to all of us. “Do onto others as you would have done unto your self.” I respect him too and attempt to follow his lead in life. Even though i admit i am flawed and imperfect, i believe just about everyone else has failings too. but those failing gives us a chance to improve our selves from it. like having a science expriement fail on us. We try to learn what went wrong and change that. Religion and science to me is one and the same in this reguard. can we agree on something then Mr. Eric Forman?
    - incognito
      
      Don’t know about Eric, but given that he is driven by a life philosophy quite similar to mine – let me answer your question on respecting you despite having a different view of things.
      
      I respect you well enough not to believe that you actually believe the nonsense you’re professing here. You need a god to tell you what’s right and what’s wrong, at a treat of infinite damnation should you choose to go for the latter? Really? In a hypothetical situation, as one cannot prove a negative, if someone was to prove to you beyond any doubt that your favorite deity does not exist, would you lose your ethics and would your moral compass stop working? Would you go around stealing, killing, raping, pillaging and what not? – you know, like the good god fearing people did in the name of the same god, in the book that is supposed to be his word – You wouldn’t? Why if there is no god, and therefore no moral standards provided by him? You would? Then you just lost all the respect I might have had for you.
    - Alexander Adkins
      
      I said in my post that God is my ROLE MODEL. A compass (be it a moral one or a magnetic one) is useless if there isn’t a North or South pole to align it self too. i do my best to do the right thing in life so i don’t have to check my compass all the time. but there are times that i do feel lost for i am treading in places i have not been in before (situationaly speaking). I do check then and attempt to right my way. There are others out there that have lost their compass, others never found theirs or even had it broken and need more help. If by your ‘hypothetical situation’ is applied. then i will retain my moral compass as long as i can. I do not fear the ‘Infinite damnation’, for i am striving for the Infinite Redemption. I know quite well what Christians have done in the past. but as a whole we have improved our selves so we are not doing such bad things on a decling rate to the point it is not a viable accusation any more. what you SHOULD be angry and fearful of is the Islamics. For THEY are the ones who are doing vile things to those who do not believe in their way of life. They are growing more bolder and powerful by the day.
      
      What are you going to do when we the peaceful believers are no longer there to be a buffer between the Scientific Atheists and the Extreme Millitrized Islamic? do not assume they will give up their beliefs, for more than likely will be simply gone. This is not a hypothetical situation. for there are many places in this world (notably in Africa) where people are being forced to convert and live as devout Muslim or die at sword or gun point. Are you really intend spending your time and energy attacking people like me? Or will you turn your focus on the real threat to Atheist way of life? beating up (hopefully figuratively) peaceful people like me? or will you prepare for those people who seek to spread real evil?
      
      in conclusion, can you find it in your self to be able to talk to others of my view point in a civil manner?
    - 1039502049
      
      “civil manner”? “peaceful believers”? LOL.
      
      your christian predecessors were gleefully murdering infidels left, right and center in the past and now when confronted by just discourse and conversation you whine about “civility”? funny.
      
      you say that christians as a whole improved themselves and then point to the “islamics” as if that cleanses you of all the terrible things christians have done in the past and are still doing right now. how ironic. how about fixing your religion and the people in it before pointing at others? and since we’re already talking about christians “improving” themselves, let me remind you that reasoning and critical thinking has helped you “improve”- NOT religion. if it was your superstition, you wouldn’t have been so violent and cynical in the beginning. but then again, you’ll probably just respond by saying it’s all “a test”. lol. btw, you talk about god being a role model? have you read your bible? it’s full of incest, rape, blood and murder. apparently your god is immune to nearly all of the 7 deadly sins.
    - incognito
      
      Don’t know about Eric, but given that he is driven by a life philosophy quite similar to mine – let me answer your question on respecting you despite having a different view of things.
      
      I respect you well enough not to believe that you actually believe the nonsense you’re professing here. You need a god to tell you what’s right and what’s wrong, at a treat of infinite damnation should you choose to go for the latter? Really? In a hypothetical situation, as one cannot prove a negative, if someone was to prove to you beyond any doubt that your favorite deity does not exist, would you lose your ethics and would your moral compass stop working? Would you go around stealing, killing, raping, pillaging and what not? – you know, like the good god fearing people did in the name of the same god, in the book that is supposed to be his word – You wouldn’t? Why if there is no god, and therefore no moral standards provided by him? You would? Then you just lost all the respect I might have had for you.
    - jsmunroe
      
      Guys, guys! You are doing nothing but making each side hate the other just that much more. Please, all of you, agree to disagree! Who are you anyway, Ken Ham and Bill Nye? Joe, Alexander is not a liar and please use your words. And Alexander, Joe is not a zealot and please give back his morality. It’s not very nice to steal. Seriously, this nonsense is what makes the internets such a dumb place. You’re in a troll loop. Now just stop.
  - Elf
    
    Do you truly believe it is impossible to have morals without religion? I haven’t believed in anything supernatural since I was twelve, yet I’ve got a personal philosphy that covers all morality without having to worry about eternal damnation as a consequence. Around age 15, when some adult was astonished when I said I did not believe in a god, they asked me what I thought the meaning of life was and on the spot I said “Respect each other and try to leave the world a better place than when you came in.” That’s all I need to live by: No gods, no angels, no demons, no spirits.
Elf

Considering that religion is the biggest impediment to the advancement of science, what could possibly be more deserving of mockery?
1039502049

“You just lost a whole lot of respect from me Neil.”

doesn’t matter considering you’re part of a minority that lost respect. meanwhile, the majority of us love him even more for criticizing superstition 🙂

COCOJAVA

I like GOD’s Tweet crack me up, ever heard his voice till today. When God explain about “monkey” he sounds like Arnold Schwarzenegger a little bit.

Stipe Pokrajcic

This was just plain stupid.

Blairer

That was great, it’s gotta be our old friend Reggie Watts!!!

ej phxtzu

oh my God how funny is that?!? Lovely; Mark Twain is smiling in his grave! Bravo. Neil; one for the eons!

jordan

nice one neil! you really rock.. we all wait cosmos. you know we want a personal aproach.
more personal, moreeee
people want to awake. they dont know how 2.

Graham

Everything brought up in this episode is a serious problem of the religions that believe in this god. What’s the point in politely pretending otherwise while they try and force creationism into our science classes?

Kuldeep Sharma

wit at its best

Tony Montana

I hate this politically correct people. This fucking funny.

eddweirdo

How sad. Instead of seriously discussing an important subject, Tyson just makes fun of it. How narrow minded and disappointing.

chance4321

Probably because it is funny? The problem is that everyone has a different interpretation of what a ‘god’ is and where they try to insert god into some part of the universe. So it is hard to have a ‘serious’ conversation about it. No one has exact definition of it which is what science requires.
- KateNYC
  
  Trouble is, the odd quip aside, it simply isn’t funny. Something like this needs really good comedy writing to pull off. I assume it was done as an improv sketch rather than as a scripted piece. You can’t easily wing it with this subject matter.
incognito

How can you seriously discuss a silly subject?
BlackEpyon

That’s because, to an enlightened mind (ie: a scientist), sticking to what you can not prove, vs. what you CAN prove is just that: silly.

MArty

yeah sorry but this episode is poop, can we go back to asteroid mining and dark matter and dark energy these things are wayyyyy more fascinating!

wsgbane

This.

Dave Karmiol

Absolutely brilliant! So hilarious and witty! Love you Neil, can’t wait for Cosmos! Don’t let the detractors sway you. This kind of stuff needs to be on the airwaves way more often. Because of this episode, I am going to start listening to StarTalk in my car every day!! Neil Rocks!

de profundis

this must be the god out of monty python’s holy grail

COCOJAVA

I just can’t believe some people dislike this episode. They are too serious, chill out~~~. I think you have to be an intelligent person to make people laugh and “GOD” is very funny. XD

Ensign Ricky

Could GOD be Peter Holmes? Sounds like him and his sense of humour

Ensign Ricky

Could GOD be Peter Holmes? Sounds like him and his sense of humour

Minuetofforest

This podcast is very out of character for you Neil. I found it non informative and expect more compelling content from you guys. I thoroughly enjoyed every podcast you have ever put out, but this one has very few facts and did not teach me anything new.

adirondackskypilot

Maybe a “clergy” view would help, or at least ex-clergy and “still researching.” Take for example the “validity” of the “miraculous” resurrection of Jesus. An ex-clergy, and basic advanced emergency medical technician ticket will do.
The “resurrection” for example. A clear cut case for “paricardial tamponade” often seen in the drivers of cars in severe wrecks, not unlike falling on your chest with the log on your back, like Jesus. The Centurion’s stab with his spear to make sure he was dead? That was the prescribed surgery for treating it!– Jesus had a Pericardial Tampodade. The procedure for surgically correcting this condition requires relieving pressure on the heart from the injured sack around the heart that is filling up with blood and water, by PIERCING it with a Large Bore Needle and extracting the blood and water that’s compressing the heart and killing the patient. Now who was it in the scripture relating the crucifixion got a face full of blood and water. Yep, the Centurion sent to make sure Jesus was dead. He wound up saving His life instead. That’s a “miracle” of sorts. So Neil doesn’t have a degree in medicine. Give him a break. While we ex-clergy learn to settle for rational “miracles” with less woo-woo and more…Hey, what a cool Irony!

Frog

One of my favorites. I wish I could sit in on a show and just observe it all. I love you guys!

Frog

One of my favorites. I wish I could sit in on a show and just observe it all. I love you guys!

Ayanda Ntuthuko Vilakazi

LOL, LOL, LOL

Adam Clayden

Because, we know that God is a very emotional woman

Wolf J Havoc

I love the parts where you can hear the ever-quiet giggling.

Brandon Osborn

Yikes, is that Meryl Streep singing “Amazing Grace”?

George

Hysterical! I’m sorry for those that couldn’t find this entertaining… your loss!

Jennifer

Awesome! Keep trolling the religious, Neil!

Broodix

My sides are aching! Also, some people in the comments really need to pull those branches out of their anal cavity.

sergio

Give me more

Tomy Perez

I don’t know guys, I think it’s about time science takes the offensive against religion. I mean religion has always segregated, looked down upon and taken up violence. I think it’s time to fight back.

1039502049

i agree. fight back with reasoning, logical discourse and SCIENCE 🙂

i should also add that i find it ironic how when religious people have gotten offended through the centuries, they resort to killing. but when non-religious people get offended, they just have debates. 🙂 sad state of affairs.

Carla Conrad

Disappointing. It could have been done much better without making religion or science look silly. Hell, I can, and do, play a better deity than was represented here; a deity who loves science.

Joe Black

I’m sure you could. Just another made up god, and not worth believing in.

Katey

Awesome episode!

DrFredB

What area code showed up on your caller ID, Dr. T?

Kotka

Oh, the religious nuts are going to lose their minds over this one….but I loved it. 🙂

Larry Smith

Sad that Dr. Tyson is on the wrong wavelength and didn’t hear what was being told back to him. If he actually knew what he was doing he’d know you can’t listen to FM signals with an AM receiver- and that is exactly what Dr. Tyson has done. Therefore his interview is a waste.

axon

I’m prepared to entertain the hypothesis that there is an animating principle to the universe. I have no patience for the argument that it listens or cares. A father-figure superhero action figure who lives in the sky and judges? NFW.

BJF2000

For someone with such high intelligence, you are sure a knothead. As a non-believer, you may think this is funny, but in my eyes it is highly offensive.
You had a wonderful opportunity to discuss what you think are issues with the Bible and with religion in general, but instead, you chose to mock three quarters of the world and turn them off entirely.
Science and Religion are not polar opposites, and neither one deserves to be put down in this way.
A respectful discussion would have enlightened both sides of this apparent division.

Joe Black

If you care about what is true.. religion, faith, nor god has any utility in the endeavor. There is nothing respectable about lying or stealing credit – which is what religion has always done.
- Alexander Adkins
  
  Science too has stolen and lied about it’s credits as well. Science has such dirty hands in so many things.
George Atkins

who cares if it’s offensive, the issues with the bible and religion have been discussed over and over. Science and religion are almost completely opposite. Science is knowledge attained through experimenting, studying and looking at evidence. Religion is belief without evidence, a fairytale for adults. We should mock it, it impedes scientific progress.

“God is an ever receding pocket of scientific ignorance” – Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Alexander Adkins
  
  Even the intelligent Neil Tyson is quite wrong about God in that quote of his. As a global population, the religion is on the rise and Atheism is on the decline. At the rate it is going, Atheism will effectively go extinct in the world. Ironic isn’t it?
  - Joe Black
    
    Still making things up I see. Carry on oh great deluded one. Your posts are so sad. It’s weird to see someone struggle with denial so forthright and obviously. You’re so underqualified to comment, you still capitalize atheism. You haven’t even comprehended grade school grammar. Your over-confidence in your position screams of ignorance about all things. You have officially earned my pity. Please respond with statistics and data to support your claims. Or don’t – we both know you’re pretending everything you post.
    
    Isn’t it a wonder that you who believe and think you have favor of a god on your side.. are always wrong? Doesn’t it ever give you pause that you make up lies to defend your beliefs? Welcome to the Dunning-Kruger effect. You’ve been diagnosed free of charge, don’t waste it.
    - 1039502049
      
      i’m actually starting to think he’s a troll. and a clever one, at that lol.

TotalSnafu

Easily the most entertaining and witty episode yet, even when compared to the zombie and live shows! I love learning from Neil, his guests, and colleagues, but a break in the action for an outright silly yet clever show like this just rounds out Star Talk even more. Keep bringing the kick-ass guys and gals at ST!

So Funny

I want to see this performed live on stage with god drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette….

asmallstillvoice

I hate to act as disgracefully as he did, but I’m afraid I’ll laugh if it still won’t play later .. and if it self-destructed.. I’m afraid I might burst out laughing.. for a moment anyway. Hate to be that mean to him, though. Want to leave all the “honors” for that right where they belong, on a world-class scientist who should be able to defend his trade on its own merits, rather than rely on mockery. Seriously colorful piece of fiction, sir. Many will find you very entertaining, and laud your efforts.. well, maybe for eternity, right? I’m sure you’ll be able to hold this up as a high point in your far-reaching career.

Alexander Adkins

indeed and agreed.

God

Previous comments that were made proclaiming this blasphemies made me so proud… I’ll tell you what: You all get an extra wish when you make it up here!… #MiracleMan #QuitEatingMe #BrownNosers4evr

Alexander Adkins

I realize that you will not believe me now matter what you want me to say Mr. Joe Black. But it is obvious that your mind is closed to any other sort of views other people may have that don’t conform to yours. That is a such a pity. But i do not hate you or your point of view. Have a good day Mr. Joe Black.

Joe Black

So, you come back here to defend your style of pretend, with more of the same. Like judging my mind on it’s openness due to one or two comments on a website? You’re just too darn smart brother, you got me, my mind is not so open that my brain has fallen out, like in your case. I don’t hate you either, Alexander. Try to at least acknowledge that what you have been posting are completely unfounded and baseless assertions. Your thoughts and feelings aren’t facts, regardless of how much you want them or believe them to be. I’d believe you if you had data, but you don’t. Let’s see you cite how a god gave us morals, conciousness and ethics. And if you do take this challenge, be aware that your feelings and hearsay are not facts. When you don’t respond, or when you do, which will inevitably have zero facts and evidence in support, will you even question yourself or what you have been pretending? That’s the difference between us, I’d admit I was wrong. You’ll keep parroting the same nonsense. Have a great day, Mr. Adkins.

Alexander Adkins

care to explain and cite how human reason was the origin of Morals? it is rather amusing that many posters in here (not just you Mr. Joe Black) are so zealot like in their defense of science and their blind hatred of others who have faith in any various religions. It’s almost like, dare i say it, they are turning science INTO a religion of it’s own! Am i a Pariah for not blindly bowing down to the alter of your so called “reason and science”? There was a time in my life when i too questioned if God was out there. But I found my answer and i am satisfied with it.

Joe Black

If I’m a zealot, you’re a liar. If I have blind hatred of others who have faith, cite that. Oh I forgot, you just run around lying. Besides common sense and my ability to empathize and sympathize and understand my actions have consequences.. what more needs to be explained? That’s how morality works on my end. You obviously haven’t looked very hard for answers, since you ended up believing what you wanted instead of what was actually true. And yeah yeah, science is a religion because you need to drag us rational people down to your level and make a false equivocation. How brilliant you are, your argument is that we’re as bad as you are. Lol priceless. Get a clue.
- Alexander Adkins
  
  Such words Mr. Black. Abusive, vulgar, and demeaning tone is not needed nor does it help your side. I would wager to bet that you would like nothing else but to hunt down all religious texts and writing and burn them all as you would outlaw religion on the pain of death. am i wrong? is so, then i stand corrected and give apologies. But if i am correct. then maybe you need to stop and think about it. one last kindness i will pass on to you. please don’t let your intolerance of others over take you. the world is filled enough of hate and violence, please don’t add any more to it.
  - Joe Black
    
    You are absolutely, 100 percent, wrong, like every thing else you say. You are just way too fond of making things up. You know who else does that? Children. You’re a typical know-nothing believer painting yourself into a corner with no answers for any query just duck and dodge to make emotional appeals from your very unimaginative cranium.. I have no hate, you’re likely projecting that since you’re the one with the problems and no solutions but to straw-man people and make ad hominem attacks. I have a very low tolerance for stupidity, and considering how worthless and empty your comments are – you get no special treatment. Stop hating people who learned how to think critically and those who have no patience for your fairy-tale gobbledygook. You’re done. Time to grow up, kiddo.
  - Joe Black
    
    You are absolutely, 100 percent, wrong, like every thing else you say. You are just way too fond of making things up. You know who else does that? Children. You’re a typical know-nothing believer painting yourself into a corner with no answers for any query just duck and dodge to make emotional appeals from your very unimaginative cranium.. I have no hate, you’re likely projecting that since you’re the one with the problems and no solutions but to straw-man people and make ad hominem attacks. I have a very low tolerance for stupidity, and considering how worthless and empty your comments are – you get no special treatment. Stop hating people who learned how to think critically and those who have no patience for your fairy-tale gobbledygook. You’re done. Time to grow up, kiddo.

Richard Dawkins

I approve.

Lord Kayne

ok, it was funny to be goofy for a week, but we get back to the science next week right? 😀

Topsy_K

God’s humour alone is worth worshiping.

Topsy_K

God’s humour alone is worth worshiping.

Jon Therkildsen

LOL several times. The Theory of Most Things, is the best we will ever do…. but that is not that bad 🙂

Jon Therkildsen

LOL several times. The Theory of Most Things, is the best we will ever do…. but that is not that bad 🙂

Werner D Pienaar

God follows Justin Bieber

Kevin

Unlike some, even though I’m a Christian I did not find this episode offensive. Unlike some others, however, I also didn’t find it even the least bit humorous. A stupid waste of time is the best description I can come up with for this episode. And Neil – listen up – you’re partly funded by an NSF grant, which means you took some of my money to produce that crap. Another episode this bad and I’ll be writing the director of the NSF asking that your grant not be renewed.

Joe Black

Hahahahaha. Aaahhaahahahahahaha. Your tears are delicious.
Cognitive sausage

Nice. A bit of old-fashioned Christian blackmail. Don’t you realise you are advocating the end of freedom of speech. I guess religion had it’s best choke on humanity during the dark ages. Sadly I fear your time will come again. The right to offend is greater than the right to be offended. Once that goes beyond the tipping point we are on a dark path of suppression. The freedom of speech is complex but no doubt you’ll pick up the wrong end of the stick to make your argument.
- Taxil Necrobane
  
  Looking back though out all of human history, Freedom of speech is a very tiny exception to the rule of oppression over what people think and say. It’s rather sad really.

Kevin

Unlike some, even though I’m a Christian I did not find this episode offensive. Unlike some others, however, I also didn’t find it even the least bit humorous. A stupid waste of time is the best description I can come up with for this episode. And Neil – listen up – you’re partly funded by an NSF grant, which means you took some of my money to produce that crap. Another episode this bad and I’ll be writing the director of the NSF asking that your grant not be renewed.

Cara

Never lol’d so much in a long time!

Yoduh99

really? I thought it was so funny I began actually wondering if it was scripted instead of off the cuff like all the other Star Talks. The joke about the fossil record being his greatest creation was so succinct and well worded and funny that I was sure it was a written joke if not at least pre-planned.

surpriseme007

It is an important goal to undermine religion’s “don’t touch me’ attitude. Blasphemy is, sadly, still alive and well in some (meaning “a lot of” or “too many of”) people’s hearts and that superstitious nonsense needs to be put out of people’s minds forever. I salute your ongoing efforts.

Mahesh

Loved this one!!

JD

This was so funny! It was great 😀

JD

This was so funny! It was great 😀

Sean Carlson

That was awesome

Jude Salles

Now I know why good things happens to good people. Thanks God.

Kevin FIsher

Quit being a dick!

Aaron Marshall

This is one of my favorite episodes. It kept me laughing all the way through! Thank you, Neil!

Clemens Kemper

EPIC EPISODE! “There are only six universes!” – You can hear someone giggling all the time… must have been fun. Now you’ll burn in hell, Tyson 😉

Grinsekatze Cheshire

next pls read us your hatemail 😉

Kohen KOko Keesing

I thought this was going to be another religious debate of sorts, but I was quite happy to see this episode being so satirical.,

If God was One of Us

Farce extraordinaire!

Manuel T. Ortega

Marc Brezinski

I’ve heard every episode so far of star talk and I think that this one is the the best yet!

rayhana

God said nothing about Sarah Palin or Kim Kardashian. He still hasn’t got his priorities sorted out. Damn.

rayhana

God said nothing about Sarah Palin or Kim Kardashian. He still hasn’t got his priorities sorted out. Damn.

zischtanne

that was hilarious xD

satan

this was soooo funny
to all the stars out there good job

ps god please mention me next time

Monica T. Rodriguez

“Gesundheit is sufficient.” This was hilarious. At first I thought it was going to start dragging, but it kept getting funnier. People need to chill and stop getting their knickers in a twist.

Kenyon

Fantastic!

Risket

This is so perfect in every way.

TotalSnafu

Dr. Tyson, if there were no cuts between god answering, you falling to bits laughing and trying to compose yourself, and your next question, how much longer would this interview have been? Or were you just stone-cold straight-faced enough to conduct this interview uninterrupted?

rayhana

Whoever voiced God is in fact God.

Andrew

I even cached the cookies like the Cookie Monster! 🙂

Yvette Louis

Best podcast yet! I would love a sequel.

disqus_VRDyr9VR3h

You need a better script writer…contact me

Rita Jean

As an atheist, dare I say my ears have been blessed to hear this episode of Star Talk?

Eros Sophia

It, was awesome the conversation with god. Yeah, the monkeys are so funnys

Jerry Newton

I giggled a few times, but overall, didn’t find this funny and more of a waste of time. It’s satire, just a joke, and I have no real right to be offended, but this version of God is a little disrespectful. I would have been less offended if they had made him out to be a real jackass, just obscene and a douche, I’da laughed. I find this just boring, egotistical, average jerk, and not humorous. I love a good religious joke. but this one was lacking.

Morganzucchini

Much of this, particularly “God’s Favorites” , reminds me of the 2000 Year Old Man dialogues . Maybe Neil should invite Mel Brooks to the show. (Please!)

Eddie

God is not in the image of a man,it limits him. Anthromorphic ( yes the spelling is wrong) meaning man like takes a pretty big ego to say that
God looks like man. Ask him yourself.

Eddie

God is not in the image of a man,it limits him. Anthromorphic ( yes the spelling is wrong) meaning man like takes a pretty big ego to say that
God looks like man. Ask him yourself.

Jesse Lester

I found this hilarious.

Julio Fernando Edwards

This is Awesome wish there were longer conversations or people participations in too.

Jamin Gray

Brilliant!

Mary Jarecki

Good job Neil. You have to admit there is a lot to poke fun at.

Stacey R.

hahahah

Alpants

This was wickedly funny and thoroughly entertaining.

Igor Martinez

Is that DarkMatter2525? xD

Igor Martinez

Is that DarkMatter2525? xD

Tom

Very funny! It won’t change many minds. You will still have the hardcore anti-religion people loving it and the ultra-conservative Christians hating it. The ones in the middle, the religious who are free thinkers and don’t have literalist hang ups, get marginalized by both, unfortunately.

KimCast144

It’s actually Vanilla Bean or Homemade peach ice cream..Smarty…And yes the Holy Ghost designed the Trinity HealthCare System..~KC

Charlie Boschen

This is just too funny! I’m dying.

jewfro

Now I want to hear a conversation with my favorite social media god, “TheGoodLordAbove” from Facebook. 🙂

jay wilson

Many think that God is invisible to science. Apparently, Hubble has changed all that: http://imageshack.com/a/img197/8659/toaq.jpg

startalkradio

Cute, Jay.

cheech519

Loved this, but Gospel and Soul music inspired by the power of God or just the emotion of pure Love has been a huge benefit to all.

Gilbert B.

Is this Jesse Ventura talking? ha

FunWithImagination

Super cool!

FunWithImagination

Super cool!

TheLimper

This was one of my favorites. Funny for people of all beliefs in my opinion.

Bowen Zhao

better than I thought. god is not such a lousy guy.

Josh Duncan

This is pretty silly

Chris

So many questions, so little time!

Sally

At first I thought this was going to be lame and was ready to skip it, then fast-forward 15 minutes and I am laughing so hard I miss some of the jokes. Why did I doubt you?!

OldSapperJim

Brilliant! But an emu is pronounced eeemyooo…

jsmunroe

I’m a Christian. So, am I supposed to be offended here or something? Ok… {{ Insert irate, reactionary statement here. }}
Alright, carry on making fun of us. Cheers.

Joseph R. Fink

Best reaction I’ve seen.
- jsmunroe
  
  Not all of us are uneducated, reactionaries you know.
  - Joseph R. Fink
    
    No, I know. I’m in the same boat as you.
    - jsmunroe
      
      Right on.
  - Raziel
    
    I’d say that depends entirely on what you mean by uneducated and reactionary. You went to school with all the rote memorization and training, okay. But you didn’t learn how to think so well, consider how very gullible you are. And of course it’s easy to hide your reactions when you claim you had none but in sarcasm. You very likely were upset over this, as no one was making fun of Christians. Typical persecution complex. It’d be really nice to meet just one theist that didn’t lie.
    - jsmunroe
      
      It would really be nice to meet just one atheist (or non-Christian) that didn’t try to psychologically mitigate my personal belief system as a meme complex or failure of education. Personally, I hated rote memorization. I only really caught on to things if I could conceptually figure them out. That’s why I loved math and science and didn’t favor history and social studies (though I love those subjects now). That is why I became a programmer. I do believe in evolution. I do believe in most of cosmology and physics (I’m still warming up to the Everett interpretation of quantum mechanics; it will take a while. It is very elegant after all. Just one wave function?@!).
      
      I am a life long learner. You can keep your assumptions of me, if you want.
      
      Also, I was reacting comically.
    - SpaceCat
      
      My issue with religion is evangelism. Most religious people harp on militant atheist for attempting to change religious minds but that’s very hypocritical. Christianity has the largest following because of it’s evangelism so what’s wrong with atheists doing the same? Although they often go about it the wrong way, calling people uneducated and what not. I guess my other issue is the organizations of religion, while religions have done a lot of good and give people the chance to meet under one belief, they also cause a lot of harm when they force their ideals on people who don’t follow. I like those who believe in god on their own time, the ones who don’t need a priest to tell them what to do and how to believe. Also those who are spiritual without the need of a book written by man to follow, especially when science has contradicted so many stories in those books. I’m not actually atheist, as someone who appreciates science, claiming god or no god as fact wouldn’t be very scientific of me. I prefer to not deal in those absolutes because I’m just a lowly human on Earth. Whoever, whatever, however we were created was wonderful and waayyy outside of my realm of expertise to explain.
    - jsmunroe
      
      “as someone who appreciates science, claiming god or no god as fact wouldn’t be very scientific of me.”
      
      I completely agree with this.
      
      Personally, I do deal absolutes, just not in a scientific setting. Most atheists that I’ve talked to would say that I’m compartmentalizing for not assuming scientific thought patterns in every aspect of my life and beliefs. That in itself is an absolute. Anyone who has ever studied the philosophy behind science knows that such an ideal position is absurd. Science has great explanatory power, but it negates false truths. It doesn’t create truths of its own. My personal Christian faith has not been negated by science in any way. I do not believe it can. I’m not trying to scientifically prove my faith to anyone.
      
      I am evangelical only in that I stand by what I believe. I encourage the atheist do the same. I’m not going to force my faith on anyone. I will suggest it. If I may ask, what exactly do you mean by spiritual? organized religions?
      
      The whole time I read that I never thought you were atheist. I only think that about people who say they are. Prejudice is always with us, but reasonable people do not assume anything about anyone unnecessarily. Multiplying hypotheses and such.
Name?

I’m a Christian. My family are all complete Trek-Y. (All into Star Trek, all of them, including Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, even Andromeda, if Kevin Sorbo Counts at all) Love Bill Nye, Geeky Science, Big Bang Theory. You don’t have to be offended- it’s Okay to Love these Atheist idiots.
- jsmunroe
  
  Not all Atheists are idiots. Just the ones that like to call people names. Well, it’s not idiocy. I’d call it immaturity. There are also those that take themselves and their cause (be it evangelizing atheism) too seriously. If there is no God, there is nothing at stake. Let people believe what they will. I find that most militant “New” atheists are college grads who are overzealous about what they’ve learned and maybe even dedicated their lives too. They see Christian culture as antithetical to that. Honestly, in some circles it is. I’ve been their, not with science proper but with computer science. I was so for technological advancement that I began to evangelize for it. Everyone should know software. I saw luddites everywhere and persecuted them likewise. I grew out of that phase, and I’m better for it. I now see the dark side of blind advancement. I push back against convenient technologies because I realize there are consequences.
  
  Personally, I love science. I see no conflict between healthy science and healthy faith. Others do. I’m not going to lower myself to sling mud. If others do. That’s what the other cheek is for.
  - grayrain
    
    You guys have kept the progress of humanity down for thousands and thousands of years, killed an untold amount of people for your beliefs, and worship a crazy death god in your nutso book. Yes, every single one of you deserve ridicule for all the senseless havoc your stupidity has caused through out the ages.
    
    You believe in a deity who gets off on forcing people into existence, just so it can wait for them to “sin” and then have a hoot judging and killing them. You guys are absolutely insane, and deserve every derogatory comment aimed at you.
    
    If you want to “push back against convenient technologies”, then stay the hell of the internet, and let people who want to actually HELP other people with technology take full advantage of it.
    - jsmunroe
      
      OK, then. Thanks for that.
    - Dr Evans
      
      This is a very common response from uneducated people, but a psychologist would also detect a lot of fear of judgment as if you’re pleading with God. Psychologists have found some atheists hostility toward god registers in their brain as if God is real to them.
      Education might help. It was Christians who started modern science because they reasoned there would be laws. You know most people wouldnt let an atheist watch their cat let alone trust his judgment on morality, do you think that’s because its a Christian, whose diabolical beliefs to love our enemies have caused the very idea of Charity and atheisms heroes are well…..there are no atheist hero’s. Perhaps your view is clouded?
    - Pat
      
      To start off, let me say that I lost my religion at the age of 17, and I’m now 74. I too think that religions are responsible for a lot of hellacious stuff. I personally think mankind would be better off without any religion. HOWEVER, it makes no sense to hold an individual Christian living today responsible for the atrocities of the past. Similarly I think it’s wrong to think that white people of today are responsible for the cruelties of slavery in the past. On the other hand, to be sure, some Christians of today are pure evil and some white people of today are as evil as any slaveowner of the past. I, like many atheists, have been called names, jeered, and told I’m going to suffer endlessly in hell. OK. I don’t turn around and use that as an excuse to call religionists names. All that does is create more hatred. You can make the same points without calling names, always staying polite and civil. I HAVE remarked to religionists that their reactions to atheists shows me how doubtful they are, deep down, of the religion they profess. I’ve never known anyone to get angry over, say, the reality of gravity. Everyone knows that if you jump off a high building, you’re gonna fall.
  - Taxil Necrobane
    
    That was so well said jsmunroe, I wish i could reach though this screen and shake your hand. We have been pushing technological advancement so fast, we simply have not realized the full ramifications of them. For example, our always online highly computerized world makes communication the fastest ever. We can do business at any time and ideas spread faster than ever. That is good. However, it also means we are always being tracked/monitored/observed all the time. We have nearly no privacy any more. (1984 anyone?) Also cyber addiction is skyrocketing everywhere.
    
    I only wish we could slow down what we are creating and realizing so we can test it all out and point out all the perks and flaws in what we create.
    
    I do agree that we all need a healthy balance between science and faith. Bad things will eventually happen when that balance goes out of whack in either direction.
    - jsmunroe
      
      Let’s not get paranoid. Unless the government subpoenas your ISP or a social network like they did back in the twenty-teens to get the music stealing gradmas, you are still anonymous on the internet. I work in this industry. I can tell you know one save maybe the NSA is spying on you. If you are really nervous you can try the Tor browser: http://www.torproject.org
      
      Science has to remain free of faith, certainly. But that doesn’t make faith bad or irrelevant. My faith isn’t just faery stories. My faith is real to me. To some a thing is either scientific or psychological, and that is sad to me; the baby out with the bathwater.
    - Timothy_Meadows
      
      I’ve read somewhere that the Tor browser is a trap, regularly used and monitored by the NSA. Why would a paranoid person, or someone with something real to hide, ever go there?
      
      Regardless of that, this show is witty and wonderful. I will now become a subscriber, having heard of it through the most recent FFRF podcast.
Jan Suchanek

Well what do you expect? Everywhere you go people are openly called out for believing in superstitious nonsense (e.g. people who believe in astrology) but for some reason only religious people demand a free pass. This is just how life works: if you believe in harmful ideas, you will get called out on it. Please stop whining about it.
- jsmunroe
  
  I’m not whining. It was a joke. People call me an idiot all the time. I don’t whine. That is their opinion, and often their loss.

Taxi driver

Khaaaaaaaaa!!! Bad god, bad! It doesn’t play in FF, must use evil Shrome!

startalkradio

Taxi Driver, did you try playing it in Firefox from our website? Go to http://www.startalkradio.net/show/a-conversation-with-god/ and listen using the player there. I just checked, and it plays fine on my end in Firefox.

Joe Black

Such as..?

Joe Black

For all the responses you give, your god still doesn’t seem to exist. Where is your god, Adkins? Is it hiding? Being invisible and killing innocent people again, out of love? Or is it the typical god people of your ilk believe in that just sits on your shoulder commanding you to say really stupid things to people who learned how to think for themselves?

Blake

A little disappointed that I didn’t learn anything. Very funny though.

Bert Macklin

There is no theory of everything, there is a “theory of most things” which covers 87% of things!!!

ray

Not playing for me

startalkradio

Ray, can you give me a little detail? What are you trying to listen to it in?

Robert

God sounds like alan rickman

proghead777

I laughed. I laughed myself into a coma. Thanks, Neil. Thanks. I thought I was bearing up well, but then He got to David Koresh, and I was useless. I’m a heaving pile of laughter, Neil. Thanks a “BILLLION”, as Carl Sagan, hallowed be thy name, would say. Thanks.

luke

awesome, awesome post.

Dan S.

Ahh, this is brilliant!

Andres Torres

Yeah, I noticed that too.

airhead51

Anyone else think God sounds like Stewie, but with his voice all computer altered?

Riley the Dog

That’s what I thought, too. Makes sense, since Stewie is voiced by Seth McFarlane, who is one of the executive producers beyond NDT’s Cosmos series.
Riley the Dog

That’s what I thought, too. Makes sense, since Stewie is voiced by Seth McFarlane, who is one of the executive producers beyond NDT’s Cosmos series.

TheDude

Watching their poor pathetic struggle just before they drown is…hiiiilariuos!

Phoebe

This is the greatest interview ever conducted, in all of the universes.

Joe

Please tell us…who performed the “voice of God?”

startalkradio

He is the person who tweets @TheTweetOfGod.

Lucie

I loooooooooooooooooooooooooove this! I love Tyson!!!!

Vin

I am offensive, and I find this very Muslim. Naaaah I joke. I am a Muslim but I enjoyed this. I think the best approach to examining the universe is through a scientific approach, rather than just saying “this is how god did it”

Way2MuchGov

I have lost all respect for you.

Way2MuchDumb

You had no respect to begin with. You should start looking for your mind since you lost that as well.

startalkradio

Riley and Airhead, it’s not Seth. It’s the person who tweets at @TheTweetofGod.

Riley the Dog

Thanks. Since you ARE “StarTalkRadio,” I’ll consider yours the final word. But now, I have to reconsider my reconsideration of McFarlane. I guess I still don’t like him? This is all so confusing.
- startalkradio
  
  Well, given Seth’s critical involvement in getting COSMOS back on the air, I think it’s worth reconsidering him just on that, even if you’re not big on his humor.

Joe Black

Go on jsmunroe. Tell us how I have to know absolutely everything to make a factual statement. Good on ya.

jsmunroe

Well Gustavo, In order to defend a universal negative (i.e. the non-existence of God), Mr. Black must know the entire state of the universe. He can perhaps show that their is reasonable doubt, but that is not a proof. You see, Gustavo, it is not the job of science to say whether there is or is not a God. Science, or more properly the scientific method, provides a way to create explanatory models that explain nature and predict what future experiments will show. These models must be inherently logical and they must be falsifiable. The existence of God is not a falsifiable idea and so is not within the jurisdiction of science. Did I do OK?
- Joe Black
  
  Nope. You’re too sold on your own idea of what I said. You didn’t even address my statement. Who said a god (which you left undefined) is not a falsifiable idea? You did, not science. I’m also not taking a universal position nor did I claim a proof of the non-existence of a deity. You should perhaps work on your reading comprehension. I made a factual statement and unless you are going to show us a god that isn’t made up, you’re still a disappointment to us all. Sit.
- Joe Black
  
  Nope. You didn’t even address the practical statement I made. You’re too sold on your own idea of what I am saying. Not only that, but you left this god undefined and went ahead and said it’s not falsifiable? Nice try. Lastly, we already know about your god, and it being made up. You have nothing to show for it but ‘faith’ which is absolutely blind and the adult word for pretend. You’re not going to come back here and give evidence or a good reason to believe it. I do not need universal knowledge to make a factual statement such as the one I did. I’m not claiming with absolute certainty that there are no real gods, but all the ones invented by man with attributes and a laughably bogus ontology can be dismissed quite easily. That includes your god.
- Joe Black
  
  Nope. You didn’t even address the practical statement I made, instead you’re too sold on your own idea of what I’m saying. Every god ever invented by man, including yours, is made up. You can’t show me the contrary and for every practical purpose, it’s nonexistent. This is based on my factual statement that does not include absolute certainty. Claiming that undefined deities are somehow not falsifiable ideas is laughable. All you have to do to stop wasting our time is show me some evidence or a good reason to pretend reality is different than it is, like you do.
- Joe Black
  
  Well I’ve replied to this message about 4 times and they don’t go through, not even being insulting. You’re wrong in the fact that my post wasn’t a proof or an absolute certainty. It’s a practical statement because every god ever offered up cannot meet it’s burden of proof. Since there’s no important distinction between a made-up god and a nonexistent one, my statement holds without needing universal knowledge. And this idea that your undefined god is also not falsifiable needs more explanation. You haven’t described, defined or given a basic ontology of this entity. Asserting that takes a lot more “knowing absolutely everything” then anything I said. Keep trying.
  - startalkradio
    
    Joe, this is Jeff, the Social Media Director of StarTalk Radio. The reason your comments didn’t “go through” is that we moderate all comments on our website, and it sometimes takes us a few hours to review all the comments. That’s really all there is to the delay. Nothing personal.
    - Joe Black
      
      Spilt milk, no sweat. Keep up the good work and thanks for the reply and explanation. Great show.
    - Joe Black
      
      Spilt milk, no sweat. Keep up the good work and thanks for the reply and explanation. Great show.
  - jsmunroe
    
    If that’s all your saying then what does it matter? I understand that communicating logical ideas and promoting theories requires evidence proof, but maybe we don’t need external proof for our faith. Maybe the relationship we have with God is enough. I’m not trying to convince you of anything, mate. I don’t think Gustavo was either. I love science, I see no conflict between my faith and a healthy scientific curiosity. Why are you so angry about what we believe?
    - Joe Black
      
      I didn’t think it did matter until you called me out and backpedaled just as quickly. The focus should be on what is true, what is demonstrable about our reality. If you claim you don’t need it, then you’re pretending there’s a relationship. Pretty sure most people can demonstrate a relationship they have to real things, except those who claim their best bud is a deity. If you don’t care about what is true, then sure, faith is your ticket. But I do care, and think you should too. Faith isn’t a pathway to truth, it has a zero track record next to science. Compartmentalization is a hell of a drug, of course you see no conflict. You either appear like an anti-science trog denying the findings of scientific rigor or you create a non-overlapping magisteria of the two and claim there’s no issue, when there are clearly big issues.
      
      No one is angry about what you believe, amazed people still use this tired canard. Can you point out which words I typed make my emotional state an angry one? Uh-huh. I just think you should use a little more critical thought in some areas. Like insisting those that say there’s no god, then nothing is at stake….. Except for people’s rights and lives and freedom of thought around those who do say there is a god and claim to know what it wants. Now I don’t think you are one, but you talk like one of those very loud, very illogical fundies with old tropes about nonbelievers. No one is trying to take away what you believe. How could we? Using skepticism and critiques of ideas is a great method towards discovering what is wrong about a proposition. Applying said method towards your deepest beliefs is not a take-away approach. It’s an honest and thoughtful one. Anyone can make things up and dodge the scrutiny – for children this is pretend. For adults, it’s faith.
      
      In the future, don’t project anger onto others when challenged about what you believe. Just kidding, wanted to try out the snide floating around.
      
      Alas, if you’re not trying to convince me of anything, then we’re done here. Have a great day, I will.
    - jsmunroe
      
      It’s good that you aren’t mad. Neither am I. I wasn’t projecting anger on you. I assumed you were angry because of all the name calling you were doing in other posts. If you think I’m compartmentalizing, you might be right, but I doubt it. I am all about learning. I love science and not that cracker-jack nonsense that some creationists call science, but real hard science: evolutionary biology, cosmology, and quantum mechanics. I know the scientific method and I understand the rigors of the scientific process. I also know it’s limits. I can see how easy it is to believe that there is nothing out their, but I have a real relationship with a God who to me is as real as the air I breath. Am I crazy? Maybe, how would I know?
      
      And I don’t know you, nor do i claim to. I have no reason to think you are a bad person or a good person. I never meant to suggest either. I’m not backpedaling, it was courtesy. I was trying not to be a jerk. I felt like what I had said came off a little sarcastic. It was sarcastic,but I wasn’t trying to be mean about it.
      
      What big issues are you talking about? Most of the issues I am familiar with between religion and science have little to do with science itself.
    - Joe Black
      
      With name calling, sometimes ridicule is necessary. If it stings, that’s good. It means you need thicker skin or need to comprehend why the word was draped over you. Not always assume things about others’ psychology like you’re right because you want to think that about them. Sometimes words get thrown around and sometimes people are dumb. Truer words have likely never been spoken or written.
      
      Back to this, you just have assertions actually. From compartmentalization, which you certainly cannot doubt because you are not a skeptic. Skeptical in selective areas sure, but cherry-picking is part of the problem. And then from anger out of name-calling, to name-calling being idiots, no wait, they’re immature. None of that follows from making an observation about someone and putting down an adjective. And again, you have the illusion of a relationship because you want it to be true. Real as the air you breathe? Where’s your scientific curiosity now? Air is made of stuff, can be measured and even compressed for later use. If you want to keep making claims, but then not convince anyone because you feel you don’t need to or can’t, then it’s pretty obviously not real or not worth believing in and you’re just stalling the fact that you have nothing. Whereas I’m keeping an open-mind awaiting further evidence so as to be rationally justified in believing something.
      
      I don’t think you’re crazy, I don’t think you’re mentally mature enough to be honest and apply all that healthy science and skepticism to your own cherished opinions. Because then you’d be in our boat.
      
      As for the courtesy, retreating back into the faith-cave when I stated my position and its reasoning by pointing out the onus is on you to make your case, well thanks for being nice about making things up. Sarcasm or not you’re still talking about what you feel, not know. You had the idea in your head before you even started.
      
      Prayer, cosmology, origins, ethics, miracles.. just a few things that religion gets to claim and science gets to debunk or deal with on reality’s terms instead of magical-wishful thinking. Exodus out of Egypt, all sorts of other religious claims that have been shown to be fictional stories with no historical basis. If the two genuinely didn’t overlap, supernatural entities would have no effect on the real world and thus their existence, or not, is a moot point.
      Not to mention, let’s be real you think someone was raised from the dead because some anonymous person wrote a story saying so. Do donkeys and snakes talk? Or they just used to… If this is going to boil down to you essentially escaping all accountability because this invisible friend of yours can do anything.. well there goes all your predictable experiments and science altogether because nothing would be reliable. Having it both ways is a no-way. And if there’s any issue that concerns more religion than science pertaining to the natural universe, you can pretty much bet science is working on it and will come up with an actual model, instead of religion you know, just saying so. Just like it always has, as faith has a zero track record. It’s not even an entry when we’re discussing what is true or how to find out.
      
      Basically, so many words to say that you’re doing it wrong. If you’d like to just admit you only care about what is true selectively, we can stop now. Because you’re not showing me a good reason to stick around and talk about your fake way of knowing but that you also like the real way of knowing that everyone uses outside of their respective cherished, pretend world. Part compartmentalization, part cognitive dissonance, part confirmation bias etc. So that the real way can’t touch what’s between your ears, the religious have exploited the heck out of that. No pun intended.
      
      ” Am I crazy? Maybe, how would I know?” Here’s a crazy thought, how about don’t take things on faith for a start.
    - jsmunroe
      
      I have stumbled over the apparent schisms between reason and faith before. In fact, I came to complete disbelief at one point. It seems so reasonable that there is no God. But God wouldn’t let me go. My life has been a living example of the verse in Proverbs that says, “lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge [God], and he will make your ways clear.” I’m not trying to convince you of anything, but for me the only evidence that I will ever need is the marvelous assurance that exists within me, the new creation that God is creating in me. Silly religious thinking, I know, sure. I’ve thought that many times myself. But communion with the God of the universe is such that when I’m with him, it is the rational of man that seems ridiculous.
      
      I am not the type of Christian to attempt to convince anyone of what I believe. I am only one to testify to what I have found. I am just a beggar telling other beggars where I have found bread. The God that I know, if there was no heaven I would follow Him. If there was no resurrection, I would die to bring Him glory nonetheless. The God that I know is worth everything just to be able to commune with. He doesn’t ask for anything, but just to commune, and to abide in His son. I was, and am, a pitiful example of righteousness, but what he has begun in me is worth being ridiculed as a fool by brilliant people.
      
      I wasn’t trying to start an argument with you, but I have a tendency to stupidly enter into a fight to defend people, and so I was defending Gustavo. It was a mistake and I apologize for being a sarcastic ass.
    - Joe Black
      
      More a misunderstanding than a mistake, there’s really nothing to defend as I’ve elucidated here. Perhaps it was a mistake to think it was a fight.. It was a single response that you necro’d 2 months later. And be sorry for nothing – sarcasm is often lost online, it’s understandable. But make no mistake here, none of this is to be condescending towards you. If I’m ridiculing anything, it’s your ideas and beliefs that indeed lack critical thought and analysis. You’ve essentially said that in the company of your god, things don’t make sense.
      
      Thank you, for finally acknowledging that on some level you pretend things to feel good and be comfortable instead of caring about what is actually true and accepting reality the way it is. Your faith is not evidence within you. It’s a virus that enables you to think you know things you don’t. Confirmation bias on your personal experience is not evidence. Unfortunately, you are like a creationist in that nothing will change your mind, because you’ve already made up a fake answer (god) for it. You’re never “with” this god, you’re in your head. That fact that you think your thoughts, feelings and life-path are evidence of a god is really, quite childish. Maybe even arrogant. It’s ignorant for sure, but I think you’re at least slightly aware you’re making it all up as a sort of security blanket. It’s your way of dealing with reality’s fortunate/unfortunate truths and outcomes. It helps you explain things in a way that keeps you going while never explaining anything. Ignorance is bliss and compartmentalization is a hell of a drug.
      
      You didn’t find bread. You found a scrap of old paper that someone wrote
      the word bread on and gave it special treatment with meaning and escape any criticism with special pleading. Your non-convincing testimony is suspect in the utmost. You have no way of demonstrating a difference between what you assert and someone else just making the whole thing up. This should give you pause when you claim to “know” so much with this god-thing.
      You’re already aware that you don’t actually talk to or converse with anything “god” outside of your head. You think multiple things and apply an agency to the “other side” in your mind. Is there anything you disagree with this god, about? If the answer is no, then it’s pretty obvious what is going on here and I can respectfully rest my case.
    - nishfish
      
      Perhaps the God some of us believe in is essentially the god of Order; the god Einstein believed in. Asimov spoke of being(s) of pure energy, the highest form of evolution..of intelligence.. floating and roaming the cosmos in this reality and in dimensions beyond human comprehension. Omnipresent, omnipotent… I strive to be more like God and appreciate beauty in complexity, thus I welcome internal conflicts that force me to ponder and result in paradigm shifts. I don’t mend to the shackles of a fundamentalist, organized religion… I believe in my faith we have the freedom to draw our own conclusions…
    - Raziel
      
      LOL I see someone already QED’d you. So much for the not uneducated or reactionary spin. It could not have been a better example short of you trying to harm Joe Black with an angry prayer! Absolutely hilarious. I hope you read over this exchange again until you get it because that guy sure had your number. Your god was noticeably absent during that conversation as well. But it still exists and all that jazz, it just doesn’t seem to do anything differently than you do on your own. Funny that.
    - jsmunroe
      
      I mistakenly thought Joe Black was angry. And now you are making the same mistake of me. I wasn’t angry, I was just talking with Joe. Also, this wan’t reactionary. I was supporting someone who at this point might have just been a troll. ??? LOL. Again with the assumptions. I will say that it is hard to gauge someone’s demeanor on the internet though.
    - jsmunroe
      
      I mistakenly thought Joe Black was angry. And now you are making the same mistake of me. I wasn’t angry, I was just talking with Joe. Also, this wan’t reactionary. I was supporting someone who at this point might have just been a troll. ??? LOL. Again with the assumptions. I will say that it is hard to gauge someone’s demeanor on the internet though.
    - jsmunroe
      
      I have stumbled over the apparent schisms between reason and faith before. In fact, I came to complete disbelief at one point. It seems so reasonable that there is no God. But God wouldn’t let me go. My life has been a living example of the verse in Proverbs that says, “lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge [God], and he will make your ways clear.” I’m not trying to convince you of anything, but for me the only evidence that I will ever need is the marvelous assurance that exists within me, the new creation that God is creating in me. Silly religious thinking, I know, sure. I’ve thought that many times myself. But communion with the God of the universe is such that when I’m with him, it is the rationale of man that seems ridiculous.
      
      I am not the type of Christian to attempt to convince anyone of what I believe. I am only one to testify to what I have found. I am just a beggar telling other beggars where I have found bread. The God that I know, if there was no heaven I would follow Him. If there was no resurrection, I would die to bring Him glory nonetheless. The God that I know is worth everything just to be able to commune with. He doesn’t ask for anything, but just to commune, and to abide in His son. I was, and am, a pitiful example of righteousness, but what he has begun in me is worth being ridiculed as a fool by brilliant people.
      
      I wasn’t trying to start an argument with you, but I have a tendency to stupidly enter into a fight to defend people, and so I was defending Gustavo. It was a mistake and I apologize for being a sarcastic ass.
- Joe Black
  
  My responses won’t go through so I can’t show you why you misunderstand. Maybe at least a little message like this will send..
- Jason
  
  Anyone who claims to know everything knows next to nothing.

Jenna

Im sure I’ll get a lot of crap for this, but if you want to see a miracle ask God to prove himself to you and see what happens. I have no doubt in my mind that he is there just as much as I believe in science.

Jorge

I have been doing this everyday for over a month since I’ve read this post. Nothing happened. I have a lot more doubts now then I did before.. the fact that you “believe” in science but have no doubts.. at all.. about this silent, invisible, non-interventionist deity tells me you have a lot of misconceptions about reality. This is always one of the weirdest things about believers to me – it’s very clear that any god that was worth a damn in any sense for any thing whatsoever, would hardly waste it’s time on the people who claim that it has.

Why is Jenna more important than the hungry and helpless children all over the world?

Jenna

Im sure I’ll get a lot of crap for this, but if you want to see a miracle ask God to prove himself to you and see what happens. I have no doubt in my mind that he is there just as much as I believe in science.

jsmunroe

OK, then. Thanks for that.

Just Curious

Was that Seth MacFarlane playing the voice of God?

startalkradio

No.

Just Curious

Was that Seth MacFarlane playing the voice of God?

startalkradio

No.

On_The_Watch

So wrong.

Jordan

oh man this made my morning!

ddsouza

God is so funny! I never thought about how his upbringing might have affected him until now. Poor guy. Well, he seems to have finally made a success of himself. Yaay God! I would buy your book (but my girlfriend told me I already have too much crap around the house 🙁

Sam Salerno

This is quite funny. But there are a lot of good questions in this segment.

Nathan Hohenheim

Yep that sounds about right, an if its wrong then being right is for the birds

Nathan Hohenheim

i’m going to take a shot in the dark vacuum of the cosmos…. is the voice of God Stephen Colbert?

startalkradio

No, Nathan. It is not. It is the voice of the person who tweets @TheTweetofGod, and that is most definitely not Stephen Colbert.

Nathan Hohenheim

or as Dr. Tyson stated some random from the twitter-verse

Nathan Hohenheim

ah twitter, answered my own query

Nathan Hohenheim

hee hee right on, hilarious an thought provoking episode once again!

Nathan Hohenheim

hee hee right on, hilarious an thought provoking episode once again!

Jon Jensen

I lost it as soon as I heard the voice of God. This is such wonderful satire.

Mark Turner

Epic fun!

Mark Turner

Epic fun!

Mark Turner

Epic fun!

debbie

great stuff

Alexander

This is my favorite episode of Startalk. Bravo? Just.. Bravo.
I would do anything for a sequel to this episode, it’s just absolutely hilarious.

Alexander

Please make a sequel! This was amazing!

Dr Evans

The mind only creates Strawman arguments when the person his feels his position is weak. Now , being that the overwhelming majority of humans who have ever lived including those who actually made all the important discoveries on the forces of the universe are Theists, you could hardly blame the average bar room atheist drunk…but this is the self appointed preist of truth spewing out of crap a child wouldn’t use. As some actual talented Atheist philosophers have said…what’s coming out of the mouths of this new crop of Philosopher-wannabe scientists are some of the worst arguments in the history of western civilization.
Old man in the sky? Really? When you ridicule a idea that no one holds, you have ridiculed Yourself. This bloated infant with a microphone would be shreaded by a first year philosophy student. Not a single conclusion follows the premises. Ever since the Big bang proved a beginning from nothing(discovered by a theist),and DNA CODE showed blueprints(discovered by an atheist who now is a Theist), and the Fine Tuning(which has converted many scientists to theism), the crackpots left are shown for what they are. Deniers of their own data that are biased they are not only lying to themselves but to you.

Dr Evans

This is a very common response from uneducated people, but a psychologist would also detect a lot of fear of judgment as if you’re pleading with God. Psychologists have found some atheists hostility toward god registers in their brain as if God is real to them.
Education might help. It was Christians who started modern science because they reasoned there would be laws. You know most people wouldnt let an atheist watch their cat let alone trust his judgment on morality, do you think that’s because its a Christian, whose diabolical beliefs to love our enemies have caused the very idea of Charity and atheisms heroes are well…..there are no atheist hero’s. Perhaps your view is clouded?

Addam Miller

There also used to be no black heroes due to persecution and slavery imposed on them…well, by christians mostly. Now, there are many. Once they got their voice they began to flourish and still have a long way to go. Partially because of limitations society places on them, partially because limitations their own society places. Just imagine what the world will become when it’s governed by logic and reason, instead of theological bigotry.
tony s.

I hate jumping into these debates because it leads nowhere, but please explain how Christians started modern science. I would like a lengthy documentation with cited sources.

kearisimo K

OMG that was possibly the funniest thing I have heard all year! Thank you for making me laugh so hard at my desk 🙂 Definitely good enough to have a follow-up…there’s soooo much to talk about!

startalkradio

Glad you liked it. You may want to check out some Bonus Content here:
https://soundcloud.com/startalk/conversation-with-god-bonus-content-gods-favorites

kearisimo K

OMG that was possibly the funniest thing I have heard all year! Thank you for making me laugh so hard at my desk 🙂 Definitely good enough to have a follow-up…there’s soooo much to talk about!

kearisimo K

I would absolutely spend a large sum of my hard earned cash to see that! Great idea…

Cognitive sausage

We must have been listening to something different. If that wasn’t scripted then it is a masterpiece of improv. Birds that can’t fly. Fish that can’t swim. Brilliant! God must have created irony and hypocrisy because the world is full of it. And SURELY he did it all for our benefit unless he’s an egotistical megalomaniac. I suspect this is Earth v0.1. Gone past alpha testing but struggling with beta release. Give him a break, he’s a newbie, not done this before.

Reilly

Is that Reggie Watts? 😀

startalkradio

No.
- Taxil Necrobane
  
  Then who was it? I’m stumped.
  - startalkradio
    
    It is the person who tweets @TheTweetOfGod.

Johnathon Stobie

its a shame you couldn’t get Morgan freeman for the voice of god

startalkradio

Perhaps, but the voice of The Tweet of God belongs to the person who is actually tweeting as “The Tweet of God” – and that isn’t Morgan. If you like Morgan Freeman, though, you should listen to the shows where he was a guest on StarTalk Radio: http://www.startalkradio.net/show/through-the-wormhole/ and http://www.startalkradio.net/show/a-conversation-with-morgan-freeman/

Alexander

THE BEST Startalk episode EVER.
PLEASE do a sequel. I was laughing constantly.

Win Worrall

So I am Christian and have listened to every episode of StarTalk (still catching up on 2014). I really enjoyed this episode as a caricature of God. Of course I can see where people could be offended but all I can say is lighten up and enjoy the humor. People love to get mad, displayed by all the other comments below by both Christians and Atheist.

Can’t science just be science and let religion be religion? I believe in God but I also believe in Evolution and a ~14 billion year old universe. At this stage in our human evolution we should be able to separate these two things and let them happily co-exist

wez

OH GAWD MY STOMACH HURTS FROM LAUGHING, oh oh im crying, Thank you Niel and God.

startalkradio

I

Jeffrey Lee Simons
P: 732-353-6272
C: 917-952-4829

Crystal Custalow

Four words – Hi. lar. i. ous.

Jenny Liu

Can we get God to come in and talk again?! This is hilarious

monstertime

That was weird… think the best part was terraforming mars, although I believe learning to fix Venus’s crazy green house effect and terraforming there may help us with Earth in the long run.

God

Funny how David Javerbaum is still getting credit for My work when he can’t even get My page verified.

David Javerbaum IS NOT and I repeat: IS NOT @TheTweetOfGod – He runs it, he IS NOT the person who WROTE it.
Stop giving him credit for it when credit is not due.

Pat

To start off, let me say that I lost my religion at the age of 17, and I’m now 74. I too think that religions are responsible for a lot of hellacious stuff. I personally think mankind would be better off without any religion. HOWEVER, it makes no sense to hold an individual Christian living today responsible for the atrocities of the past. Similarly I think it’s wrong to think that white people of today are responsible for the cruelties of slavery in the past. On the other hand, to be sure, some Christians of today are pure evil and some white people of today are as evil as any slaveowner of the past. I, like many atheists, have been called names, jeered, and told I’m going to suffer endlessly in hell. OK. I don’t turn around and use that as an excuse to call religionists names. All that does is create more hatred. You can make the same points without calling names, always staying polite and civil. I HAVE remarked to religionists that their reactions to atheists shows me how doubtful they are, deep down, of the religion they profess. I’ve never known anyone to get angry over, say, the reality of gravity. Everyone knows that if you jump off a high building, you’re gonna fall.

EnslaveThePolarBears

Aren’t Cats going to take over the world ? That’s why they’ve been sucking up to us, right ? To learn how to use the technology. Then they’ll teach ape to do the handywork, that’s why they suck up to them too…

God

🙂

1039502049

lol. look at all the butthurt posts by religious people in this comments section. just hilarious 😛

Brandon Isaacs

Jesus, get me on this podcast. I can riff on anything. I’ll be Satan! oh god that would be fun.

Yadidya Greenberg

lmfao This is possibly the most hilarious thing I’ve ever listened to. Being an Orthodox Jew, I’ve thought about what a conversation with God would be like before, and this is exactly what I had in mind.

Jolie Hart

Because of my somewhat-religious beliefs, I did not want to listen to this but I found myself snorting with laughter. You make me feel like an oxymoron. I should NOT have been laughing! This “God” fellow has masterful control over his delivery and timing, and is very intelligent.

Jolie Hart

Because of my somewhat-religious beliefs, I did not want to listen to this but I found myself snorting with laughter. You make me feel like an oxymoron. I should NOT have been laughing! This “God” fellow has masterful control over his delivery and timing, and is very intelligent.

Musicmaing

This was hilarious lol Love it!

Thomas Sørensen

Hwo has the voice of god?

startalkradio

It is the voice of @TheTweetOfGod.

goldengrain

Neal, I was in the midst of the most horrible cold/virus I had ever had, and was sleeping most of the day. I stumbled upon this on Star Talk on my internet radio. I think you helped me turn the corner. You healed me, Neal. Praise be Your name!

Noah Golden

Is that Patrick Stewart, with his voice disguised? I believe it is!

Gordon Huynh

I’m finally listening to this now and God sounds eerily similar to Donald Trump…..

startalkradio

Rest assured, Gordon, it is not. It is the voice of the person who tweets @thetweetofgod.

jay

Heard this yesterday on sirius insight channel. Very funny. I thought it was Neil doing God’s voice. So I came here and started reading the comments. The mod says it was “the person who tweets @thevoiceofgod”, but who is that ? Sad that so many couldnt find the humor in this piece. Oh well, can’t please everyone. Guess God found that out the hard way with us, huh ?

startalkradio

Jay, he actually used to tweet @TheTweetofGod, not @thevoiceofgod, but he stopped that back on February 13, 2016. If you want to know more, I suggest you look into the playwright of the Broadway show, An Act of God.
- jay
  
  OK, so someone posted correctly that it was David Javerbaum….Thanks. Say Hi to Neil for me. Love the show.
  - startalkradio
    
    Hmmmm… he’ll always be the voice of @TheTweetofGod to us.

Miles Herrbach

Will you be willing to kneel?
Neil Tyson: There’s no “K” in my name.

February 2, 2014 • Season 5 Episode 4

A Conversation with God

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