How the Christian God is like Mike Tyson
by Don Lacey on Oct. 01, 2012, under Atheism, Christianity, Critical Thinking, Faith, Freethought, God & Bible, Islam, Logic, Reason, Religion, Willful Ignorance
Jim Wilson’s piece is an argument that first assumes that God exists and then compares it to Mike Tyson and his constant need for validation. He argues that God needs constant attention and worship–a narcissistic being perhaps. These kinds of arguments start with acceding the existence of God and the fact that he is able to communicate with mankind. In trying to establish a dialog, we often accept many false premises “for the sake of argument.” So before reading Jim’s argument take a moment and remember: there is no evidence for the existence of God or gods and there is no evidence of communication of the desires of supernatural deities:
Mike Tyson has had a strange public life. Within a decade he went from being one of the greatest fighters who has ever lived to a convicted rapist to a biter of ears. More recently he has appeared in such films as the Hangover and has made hilarious videos for Funny or Die in which he portrayed Herman Cain. Some followers of his career will remember his 1990s entourage, which included a man name Steve “The Crocodile” Fitch.
The Crocodile was Tyson’s personal cheerleader. He provided Tyson encouragement by following him around and telling him how great he is. Fitch was a regular at Tyson’s weigh-ins and press conferences though his over the top behavior frequently got him kicked out of these. Fitch was known to yell such things as “Can a monkey beat a man? No, no … no” and “Guerilla Warfare”. This apparently got him arrested, before a Las Vegas fight and it sparked a real fear that Tyson might walk out. Apparently, Tyson felt he needed such encouragement to function.
For us humans, it is undeniably nice to get a little recognition for our accomplishments and the things we do right. We have friends and loved ones to support us but most of us do not need a full time sycophant or personal cheerleader like Crocodile. Most of us can do without being constantly told how great we are. We don’t need underlings constantly stroking and massaging our egos.
People with a continuous overriding need for constant praise and affirmation, or the accompanying unwillingness to take criticism, are usually considered childish and immature. Some consider it some sort of psychological abnormality. Most of realize and accept that we will have challenges, hard times, and difficulties. We realize that during these times we will not always have the people around us in our corner. The ability to cope with this reality is a sign of maturity and very much a positive character trait.
We recognize the ability to face adversity without heaping helpings of praise as an admirable trait in our fellow human beings. We Americans usually question the mental or emotional well being of those who require constant praise and gratitude. This is especially true of those who become vengeful towards those who choose not to join their cheering section.
The only exception, to this standard of normal behavior is the god that most Americans worship. This being apparently wants to be praised all the time! His fragile ego is apparently bigger than the cosmos and we must constantly be groveling and telling him how great he is. He is like the overly attached girlfriend on this site: http://www.quickmeme.com/Overly-Attached-Girlfriend/, or worse he is like the abusive boyfriend that beats his girlfriend, over trivial matters.
This version of God is like a Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong or Kim Jong Ill who demands constant slavish adulation from his subjects. His behavior is like that of the incompetent corporate boss who loves brown noses and can’t accept anyone who questions his prerogatives. The god that Christians, Muslims, and Jews worship is so needy and authoritarian that he apparently wants everyone to live their lives for him and nothing else. He is like the human race’s murderous, crazed stalker ready to inflict harm on any being who won’t submit to his rule. He is completely unwilling to let those he created get on with their lives. The rhetoric of his worshipers sounds like that of the slavish victims of the Borg (for those of us familiar with Star Trek).
The Christian God is the ultimate embodiment of self-obsessed vanity. He simply cannot get over himself and won’t let anyone else either. His followers will tell you they are nothing without him or even compare themselves to slaves. Apparently this pleases God. In humans such behavior is an indication of extreme insecurity or tyrannical leanings. Why would an omnipotent being need to be constantly praised anyway? Why would such a being have an ego more fragile than that of Mike Tyson? I of course don’t believe in any of God but I have to wonder why anyone would choose to worship a supposedly powerful being with such silly and petty desires.
