The American Bible Challenge

[Jimmy Owen]

I won't.  Game shows with religious themes don't work.  If you are devoutly religious, you would not be likely to watch game shows and if you're not, you're not interested in the topic.

Is your life so devoid of interesting things to do that you feel the need to act like a clown on the Internet for funsises?

BTW, the guy who made that impressive PYL downloadable game (Curt King) was deeply, devoutly religious.

I was raised Baptist, where watching Dancing with the Stars is a sin.  They consider just about everything a sin. Consequently I have sinned more than an atheist.

[parliboy]

Oh, see now you've committed the ultimate sin: calling DWTS a game show.

[Steve Gavazzi]

The Bible interests me in terms of it having had, for better or worse (your mileage may vary on which one), a notable impact on society.  It does not interest me as something to base my life around, and it certainly doesn't interest me as the focus of a game show.

That said, if the show comes on and people start being surprised by what a great format it has, I might turn it on to see that.

(I'd say I might stumble onto it and end up enjoying it in spite of myself, too, except I honestly can't remember the last time I turned on GSN at an hour when I didn't already know they were running either classics or Lingo.)

Since I'll be celebrating my newest relatives's 1st birthday on Labor Day weekend, I'll probably check it out for curiousity's sake.

I realize who we're dealing with here, but doesn't this sort of introduction usually lead into a "no?"

I was raised Baptist, where watching Dancing with the Stars is a sin.  They consider just about everything a sin. Consequently I have sinned more than an atheist.

Aren't the concepts of "sinning" and "atheism" mutually exclusive, at least to the mind of an atheist?

[clemon79]

Aren't the concepts of "sinning" and "atheism" mutually exclusive, at least to the mind of an atheist?

Not necessarily, if you define "sinning" as "acting in violation of your own moral code." I certainly think you can be moral and still be an atheist.

[Dbacksfan12]

I was raised Baptist, where watching Dancing with the Stars is a sin.  They consider just about everything a sin. Consequently I have sinned more than an atheist.

0/10.  Composite score is up to 0/20 for the day.

Just because your denomination of Christianity marks dancing as a sin doesn't mean they all do.

[The Ol' Guy]

Jimmy, ol' pal, let me bounce a couple of ideas off you for your thoughts and responses. Personally, I think game shows, along with sporting events, have an interesting appeal to the religious. Mostly because we tend to believe rules are laid out for everyone's benefit, not just our own. We like the fairness and impartiality of judging done right. We don't like people getting unfair advantages by breaking the rules. If your team got the regular 30 seconds to describe items on Pyramid and my team got 45, and with that breaking of the main rule I slaughtered your team, would it be right? We tend to believe in and appreciate (if not always perfect in obeying) guidelines, limits, and a solid structure. (Maybe that's why a rulebook is called the show's "bible"?) I've run into a few people who think game shows are gambling. Not really. Did you pay to get in? Does Drew go, "We're gonna play the Clock Game. It'll cost you $50 out of your pocket right now for a chance at thousands of dollars in prizes." You take chances, but it's with their money, not yours. Game shows are a matter of personal taste. We have many non-religious people on the board who love game shows, and a handful (who are willing to reveal themselves) who love them, too. There are people of all persuasions who enjoy games, and many who think they're stupid and a waste of time. Religion has nothing to do with it. I'll have to watch Challenge on line, as I don't have GSN. I'll wish it well, but like everyone else, I'll judge it by whether it's a good production. A non-religious person watching a good and appealing production might be encouraged to open their minds a little. A bad production will hurt everybody. I was working in Christian radio when the Jim Bakker/Jimmy Swaggart scandals broke. People used a broad brush to paint everyone in Christian broadcasting as hucksters. I'm all for God culling the herd. He doesn't like His rules broken, either. :-)

By the way, I debated on coming up with a new show, "Baptist Bandstand", where the host plays the records and the teens sit in the bleachers, motionless. My favorite part was "Condemn-a-record". "It had too much beat, it's suggestive...I'll give it a zero, Dick."

[Jimmy Owen]

Jimmy, ol' pal, let me bounce a couple of ideas off you for your thoughts and responses. Personally, I think game shows, along with sporting events, have an interesting appeal to the religious. Mostly because we tend to believe rules are laid out for everyone's benefit, not just our own. We like the fairness and impartiality of judging done right. We don't like people getting unfair advantages by breaking the rules. If your team got the regular 30 seconds to describe items on Pyramid and my team got 45, and with that breaking of the main rule I slaughtered your team, would it be right? We tend to believe in and appreciate (if not always perfect in obeying) guidelines, limits, and a solid structure. (Maybe that's why a rulebook is called the show's "bible"?) I've run into a few people who think game shows are gambling. Not really. Did you pay to get in? Does Drew go, "We're gonna play the Clock Game. It'll cost you $50 out of your pocket right now for a chance at thousands of dollars in prizes." You take chances, but it's with their money, not yours. Game shows are a matter of personal taste. We have many non-religious people on the board who love game shows, and a handful (who are willing to reveal themselves) who love them, too. There are people of all persuasions who enjoy games, and many who think they're stupid and a waste of time. Religion has nothing to do with it. I'll have to watch Challenge on line, as I don't have GSN. I'll wish it well, but like everyone else, I'll judge it by whether it's a good production. A non-religious person watching a good and appealing production might be encouraged to open their minds a little. A bad production will hurt everybody. I was working in Christian radio when the Jim Bakker/Jimmy Swaggart scandals broke. People used a broad brush to paint everyone in Christian broadcasting as hucksters. I'm all for God culling the herd. He doesn't like His rules broken, either. :-)

By the way, I debated on coming up with a new show, "Baptist Bandstand", where the host plays the records and the teens sit in the bleachers, motionless. My favorite part was "Condemn-a-record". "It had too much beat, it's suggestive...I'll give it a zero, Dick."

As a kid, I always wondered why my religion looked upon gambling, game shows, dancing, drinking, etc. as sinful while my Catholic friends got to have Bingo in the church basement.  As far as this show is concerned, it has a narrow niche appeal-Ned Flanders.

[Otm Shank]

Oh, see now you've committed the ultimate sin: calling DWTS a game show.

Really? Doesn't it have a shiny floor?

[Steve Gavazzi]

I certainly think you can be moral and still be an atheist.

Oh, without a doubt.  I'd just never looked at the "sinning" aspect of it like that before.  I like that.  I like that quite a bit.

[clemon79]

Oh, without a doubt.  I'd just never looked at the "sinning" aspect of it like that before.  I like that.  I like that quite a bit.

Really, when you get down to it, a large part of most religions is people reaffirming their own choice to follow a certain moral code. Nothing wrong with that whatsoever. It's when they start imposing that moral code on others who may not agree with it or tell *me* what moral code to follow that I take issue.

[The Ol' Guy]

Well, I'll just say this, Jimmy, and leave it short. A religion is someone's idea of how to reach God. Human nature, being what it is, always wants a combination of comfort and power. Some people set the bar for "holiness" very high, to feel superior and exclusive. Religious leaders set the bars for their particular piece of the pie wherever they think it will be the most successful. Usually, that's done by leaders/founders focusing on selected parts of God's word instead the whole picture. We can't escape the fact that a set church/denomination is, to a degree, a business. I'm not saying they're wrong, but if you don't have enough people, you lose your building and whatever else. So what do you do to keep the doors open? My personal stand is that the God of the Bible is more than adequate. I'm part of a denomination and attend a building filled with others who are like-minded. But at the same time, I learn more about who God is the most by simply reading the Bible and letting Him mold me to the standards He wants for my ultimate benefit. Sometimes the changes are pleasant. Sometimes they're painful. None of us have "arrived", and we never will. In the very end of things, when you stand before Him, it won't be "What denomination were you?" or "Did you go dancing?" If that's the case, David of the psalms must be roasting in Hell. It won't be religion. It will be relationship. Don't let what others do discourage you. In the end, it's one-on-one. For all of us.

By the way, I don't respect you any less if you do not believe this. If you are an adult, I must respect your choice, which is different than agreeing.

[clemon79]

We can't escape the fact that a set church/denomination is, to a degree, a business.

I not only think we can, I think we badly need to. In fact, I suggest that this mindset is a big part of the problem. If it's getting big enough to think of it as a business, then it's time to dial it back some.

[TLEberle]

Greedo shot first!

[tvrandywest]

I did warm-up for the American Bible Challenge pilot. While I've been in almost as many hotel rooms as the Gideon bible, I'm no scholar. As such my skill was far behind that of the contestants, and my playalong likely lagged behind much of the audience's. But the drama of the competition and emoting with the contestants was still engrossing and entertaining. Jeff Foxworthy was a perfect catalyst for the game; he knows his bible, but kept the game totally accessible. I actually learned something working this show, beyond the price of a can of peas.

I liked the hard-quiz GE College Bowl as a kid in grade school, even though I had no idea what the questions meant, much less any clue to the answers!


Randy
tvrandywest.com

[Mr. Armadillo]

We can't escape the fact that a set church/denomination is, to a degree, a business.

I not only think we can, I think we badly need to. In fact, I suggest that this mindset is a big part of the problem. If it's getting big enough to think of it as a business, then it's time to dial it back some.

The problem with this is that, when Jesus's Great Commision to his followers basically amounts to "Gotta Catch 'em All", dialing it back some is practically tantamount to heresy.