Was It God?

It was yesterday at the local grocery store when it happened. It was as if some supernatural force had guided me to a display containing a stack of books, guiding my hand to pick up and look at a specific one, ignoring all the other choices. The force seemed to tell me to buy this particular book, and that’s exactly what I did. Was that you, God?

The book is by comedian Lewis Black and it’s called Me of Little Faith. In the preface Mr. Black writes:

So what am I, Lewis Black, stand-up comic and me of little faith, doing putting my two cents in about religion?

Because I think it’s taken too seriously, and anything that takes itself too seriously is open to ridicule.

Ridicule Mohammad. How dare you? We will now kill you! Ridicule the Eucharist. How dare you? We will now kill you. Ridicule the right-wing ridiculing Obama. How dare you? Well… I haven’t heard about any death threats… yet.

I wonder if the Catholics like having something in common with the Muslims, and vice versa.

The word ridicule come from the Latin word from ridiculum which means jest. This makes me think that something or someone involved in the act of ridiculing must be thought of as ridiculous by someone. Perhaps the ridiculer, perhaps the ridiculee, perhaps both.

Let me see if I understand. I mock and deride an idea because I think it is ridiculous. That means that the person holding this idea has the right to kill me. Is that correct?

I think that Lewis Black makes a good point.