The Christians are upset about Wicked.
Go figure.
What’s up nonbelievers, doubters, and skeptics?
Welcome to The Ex-Christian Observer: a weekly newsletter from a former Christian unpacking the madness that is evangelical Christian America.
Anytime anything becomes popular in the mainstream media, evangelical Christians are there like clockwork to talk about how demonic it is.
Super Bowl Halftime Show? Demonic.
Taylor Swift? Demonic.
A new Disney movie? Demonic.
So, when a movie with the title Wicked is released, what do you think the evangelical consensus is?
You guessed it: DEMONIC AF.
One of the best accounts to follow on Instagram is Christian Nightmares because they always post the most cringe Chrstian content online.
I saw a post they made where a woman was talking about walking out of Wicked, so I stitched that video:
What I didn’t realize is that the original video was satire.
I’m typically pretty good at picking up on that (I make several satirical videos of my own), but I didn’t catch this one for two reasons:
Christian Nightmares didn’t specify that it was satire, so I thought it was real.
I admittedly only watched about 15 seconds of the video.
People in the comments were letting me have it, and I get it, but is it really much different that what Christians are actually saying??
I feel bad for them, honestly. That’s living in fear 24/7. They can’t enjoy something because they think some nonexistent entity wants to move them further from god by enticing them to watch.
Have these people never seen The Wizard of Oz? Do they consider it evil, too? Are we just not allowed to tell fictional stories? It’s weird.
At least there are some Christians with common sense:
Exactly. They’re cool with Narnia because the author was a devout Christian, but they’re staying far away from Wicked.
Isn’t it amazing that these are also the people who just so happen to encounter demons and see them be cast out, etc. Confirmation bias is a hell of a drug.
This is the very kind of thinking that had innocent women being burned at the stake in Salem.
But I have to admit that I love when Christians fight amongst themselves:
Wow, that’s some expert-level discernment there.
When you live your life thinking that the Boogeyman is constantly out to get you, it’s like tensing up before a car crash—nothing good comes of it.
The Dark Side of Christmas™
If you’re subscribed to this newsletter, there’s a good chance that you know who Dr. Bart Ehrman is. If not, here’s a brief bio from his website:
Bart Ehrman is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He began his teaching career at Rutgers University, and joined the faculty in the Department of Religious Studies at UNC in 1988, where he has served as both the Director of Graduate Studies and the Chair of the Department.
Professor Ehrman completed his M.Div. and Ph.D. degrees at Princeton Seminary, where his 1985 doctoral dissertation was awarded magna cum laude. An expert on the New Testament and the history of Early Christianity, has written or edited thirty books, numerous scholarly articles, and dozens of book reviews.
In addition to works of scholarship, Professor Ehrman has written several textbooks for undergraduate students and trade books for general audiences. Six of his books have been on the New York Times Bestseller list: Misquoting Jesus; God’s Problem; Jesus Interrupted; Forged; and How Jesus Became God. His books have been translated into twenty-seven languages.
I personally know several people who have benefitted greatly from reading Dr. Ehrman’s work. His books, podcasts, and videos have been instrumental in the deconstruction of many.
He has an upcoming course called The Dark Side of Christmas™, and I’m thrilled that his team reached out to me and asked if I’d share it with my audience.
Unearth the deeper story behind Christmas through the lens of New Testament scholarship. This course, led by Dr. Bart Ehrman, goes beyond the familiar festive tale, exploring the original narratives in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke to reveal a holiday season filled not only with joy, but with complex themes of hope amid hardship. Discover the raw, often overlooked aspects of the Christmas story that bring a profound perspective to this celebrated time of year.
He also has a completely free course called Did Matthew, Mark, Luke and John Actually Write Matthew, Mark, Luke and John?
I don’t do a lot of partnerships, but I’m extremely happy to do this one and promote Dr. Ehrman’s work, as it’s helped so many people that I know!
Note: if you buy through my links, I may receive a small commission (at no extra charge to you).
Comments From Christians
While I’m trying not to engage as much with the negative comments that I receive, I still screenshot some of the doozies and will be sharing them in this section every week!
This guy definitely has no serious, deep-rooted issues. Not at all.
Imagine wanting to see people burn for not believing in your god.
This is a classic comment about how I was just a churchgoer but not a real Christian.
I mean, I think he does have a point. Jesus died long ago.
Another classic. They act like they’re so concerned about how I spend my time when, in reality, they just don’t like the content that I post.
Skeptic Cinema
I’ve been really wanting to do a watch party on Zoom. I did one years ago with a cringey Christian movie, but I’d like to do some with movies that I’d actually enjoy.
There are currently 9 founding members in Skeptic Circle! When we reach 50, I think it would be fun to watch a movie together, virtually, and have a live chat going.
Join Skeptic Circle for just $6.66/month!
It’s a private space to connect with other nonbelievers. My YouTube and Instagram content is constantly being demonetized, so having this community enables me to make more and better content. If you like what I do and want more community, please consider joining!
I’ll leave you with this quote:
A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death.
- Albert Einstein
Remember: You don’t need a god to be good.
Kevin
Join Skeptic Circle—a community for nonbelievers for just $6.66/month for the rest of 2024. When we hit 25 members, we’ll do a watch party/virtual hang!
All of my links: www.jesusunfollower.com
Did Matthew, Mark, Luke and John Actually Write Matthew, Mark, Luke and John? Learn from Dr. Bart Ehrman in this free course.