I have long said that it is always a good idea here at Idol Chatter to have a favorite celebrity atheist. Mine used to be Kathy Griffin, but after reading an article over at Image Magazine, I’m thinking about making Ricky Gervais my new favorite–though writer A.G. Harmon has already beaten me to it.
Hot on the heels of blog buzz about a church that is doing a sermon series called “The Gospel According to the Office,” an article Gervais wrote quite some time ago about his conversion from Christianity to atheism, has been receiving some newfound attention.
In the article, Gevais pinpoints the exact day that he went from a Jesus-loving boy to a die-hard atheist. He says his loss of faith had something to do with his older brother’s ridicule and his mother’s lack of an adequate response to his brother’s comments. Since that fateful day, Gervais claims he has never looked back and has only embraced truth, science, and beauty.

I take a little bit of exception to the rest of Harmon’s thesis, which involves his speculation that Gervais’ work “radiates the cardinal virtues,” though I do agree that Gervais has mastered the art of capturing the conflict between finding purpose amidst daily drudgery. I also agree with those at St. Stephen’s who think that episodes of “The Office ” provide some great discussion points about the human condition.
Of course, the fun question with all of this is what Gervais would think about all this spiritual talk around his characters when he professes such ardent disbelief. Hmm, could be another sitcom in the making…