2.4: Mere Christianity 3

We have returned to tackle Book II of Mere Christianity, in the 3rd episode of a 4-part series. Here Lewis explains clearly why we should believe in Christianity specifically rather than those other false religions, or the manly option of dualism. Also, in an attempt to rile feminists and appease men’s rights activists, we talk about male circumcision in Chuck’s medical corner.

36 Responses to “2.4: Mere Christianity 3”

  1. Is this the one where the lion dies?

  2. Yes. Yes it is.

  3. newdeconvert says:

    Your opening song had me cracking up…I cant count the amount of youth rallies that opened with “whos in the house?” and we all shouted back “JC!”..sadly I’m in my 30s and can still sing along with the words

  4. Hi,

    Following Chuck’s advice, I have not listened to the episode on Hinduism.

    However the question of whether Hinduism is polytheistic or pantheistic interested me because I once had a conversation on this topic with a Hindu.

    He told me that as with many religions, there are multiple levels of interpretation. The less sophisticated Hindus believe literally in all the gods and mythological figures, whereas the more sophisticated/educated Hindus tend to see all that stuff as metaphor for a more pantheistic world view.

    It’s a bit like the distinction between fundamentalist creationist and liberal Christians, I suppose.

    No doubt you have (ex-)Hindu listeners who could add detail or correct any mistakes in my understanding.

  5. Horatio says:

    Well, it’s official now. Matt has grown on me. Irreligiosophy with Matt works for me now. Hallelujah! I no longer say in the back of my mind “That was funny, Matt… but you’re no Leighton!”

    Praise Jebus!

  6. @Disagreeable Me

    How odd! It’s almost as if people believed less and less as they educate themselves more.

  7. Your opening song had me cracking up…I cant count the amount of youth rallies that opened with “whos in the house?” and we all shouted back “JC!”

    I’m nearly certain that qualifies as child abuse.

  8. One has to wonder how many babies were lost by botched circumcisions in ancient Israel

  9. Discord.agent says:

    I had the album featuring the intro song. I also remember the youth minister of my old church dressing up thuggish, doing a dance, and lip syncing to this song at a lock in. Thanks for making me remember my fucked up Christian youth days, Chuck.

  10. cricket says:

    People always say “You grew up Catholic, I’m so sorry.” It was definitely a lot of indoctrination, silly mythology and necessary ceremony; but I never got locked in a large room overnight with a youth minister trying to lip sync to bad Christian music. It’s amazing you made it out alive discord.agent! 🙂

  11. Well, that’s two people I traumatized so far with the opening music. That can’t be a record.

  12. foxydan says:

    Does burning God fuel cause climate change?

  13. So, I found my old vinyl record collection. Three steve martin albums, one Bill Cosby, one Eddie Murphy, 38 special, Pink Floyds the Wall, Madonnas Like a virgin, and sonofabitch, Petra. I owned Petra on vinyl.
    I can’t even offload that to a hipster.

  14. I noticed that Carman was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer, since you’re obviously big fans of this genre I assume this was chosen as a tribute to the man who was the original inspiration for Flavor Flav’s cry of “yeah boy”.

  15. This new version of irreligiosophy should be called “the chuck Morrison ego hour with Matt”
    22 minutes of circumsicion banter? Fuck, seriously?!
    And just because you says Matt’s name after you read a statement, doesn’t mean you’ve included him in any way. 37 minutes of content after 2 weeks? I’m sorry guys,
    This once righteous podcast has crashed and burned, and I won’t be sifting through the ashes hoping to find a Phoenix.

  16. 1 fan down, 5 or 6 to go.

  17. Moewicus says:

    Tyler’s upset because the first 22 minutes were dedicated to penises? What’s so unusual about that?

    Oh, I see. Tyler wants to hear about Leighton’s penis. Say what you will about Leighton, but he could engage in penis banter with the best of them.

  18. Chuck it seems you are well short of 200 foreskins, how are you ever going to buy a wife?

  19. somewhere in greece says:

    Chuck, in the iTunes download the first 34 minutes or so of the podcast are duplicated.

    Also, re: circumcision.

    Here are some links about the effects of adult circumcision (loss of sensitivity)

    http://www.cirp.org/library/sex_function/masood1/
    http://www.cirp.org/library/sex_function/fink1/
    http://www.cirp.org/library/sex_function/solinis2007/ (this is from my neck of the woods)

    Studies in Denmark after 2010 ( the AAP used studies up to 2010)

    http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2011/06/13/ije.dyr104.short?rss=1
    http://knmg.artsennet.nl/Nieuws/Nieuwsarchief/Nieuwsbericht-1/Jongensbesnijdenis-wereldwijd-ter-discussie.htm
    http://knmg.artsennet.nl/Publicaties/KNMGpublicatie/Nontherapeutic-circumcision-of-male-minors-2010.htm

    Circumcision and HIV

    http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1743-6109.2012.02871.x/abstract
    http://www.measuredhs.com/pubs/pdf/CR22/CR22.pdf (the relevant page is 109)

    Complications of infant circumcisions

    http://www.cirp.org/library/complications/corbett1/
    http://ripe-tomato.org/2013/02/16/cock-ups-happen/

    Also my own experience.

    Before I started my general surgery rotation I was with the peadiatric surgery department in a place with a high greek muslim population. The cultural norm is having boys circumicised at age 7. The boys were miserable even though everything was done lege artis. There was also a boy in OPD who was actually circumcised by a urologist and the result was such scarring that the penis was inside the body.

    There is also the matter of the AAP report itself

    “Significant acute complications are rare, occurring in approximately 1 in 500 newborn male circumcisions.”

    Considering the number of circumcisions done in the US, that means a significant number of babies.

    “Late complications of newborn circumcision include excessive residual skin (incomplete circumcision), excessive skin removal, adhesions (natural and vascularized skin bridges),
    meatal stenosis, phimosis, and epithelial inclusion cysts. These complications are considered “late,” as opposed to “acute” (or immediate) complications such as bleeding or
    infection, which may still present during infancy but not during the immediate postprocedural time frame. In 1 outpatient-based study of 214
    boys with poor evidence, the complications seen included adhesions (observed in 55 boys [25.6%]), redundant residual prepuce (44 boys [20.1%]), balanitis (34 boys [15.5%]), skin bridge (9 boys [4.1%]), and meatal stenosis (1 boy [0.5%]).76”

    and

    “The majority of severe or even catastrophic injuries are so infrequent as to be reported as case reports (and were therefore excluded from this literature review).”

    It would still suck to be the unlucky rare one person to have a complication for a procedure that is basically elective and whose benefits can be achieved with good hygiene, safe sex practices and prompt visit to a doctor if there are changes on the penis that could be penile cancer

  20. It did surprise me that the AAP moved in favor of retaining the availability of the procedure. I had been under the impression that circumcision was just slowly going away. The discussion of benefits is really a side issue, I think, because no one asks for a circumcision to reduce the incidence of UTIs or penile cancer, it’s always a religious decision or because the father is circumcised. Thanks for the reading material!

    I had no idea they did circumcisions at age 7. That would be traumatic in the best of circumstances.

    I downloaded the podcast from iTunes and didn’t have a problem. Does anyone else have this issue?

  21. How dare a podcast hosted by a physician talk about an important medical subject for less than half of the length of the episode!!

  22. I think it has been said several times on the podcasts even, but it is amazing how many times I have come across these arguments in day to day conversations with Christians. If there ever were to be an afterlife CS Lewis owes me lunch for all the crap arguments I have had to endure from his minions.

  23. Michael Pfaff says:

    I’m loving the new podcast format, even though Matt clearly needs to study a little more (or take better notes).

    Keep it up guys!

  24. great podcast. Love Matt, but is it possible to get the skunk dicks back? That would be awesome.

  25. articulett says:

    This show had the “queer twist” about it that real things have!

  26. Moewicus says:

    *does the Queer Twist*

  27. Hey Chuck, when you download the podcast from iTunes, the first 22 minutes are about penises.

  28. How do you spend half an hour talking about penises and only talk about human penises. What about Echidnas? Barnacles? Ducks? Way more interesting than boring human penises. Also I have a question for Chuck’s medical corner – I know a few people now who have gone through medical training and they have some weird stories about people who went to emergency after they “slipped and fell in the shower” so my question is what is the strangest thing you have pulled from an anus?

  29. Lucy Harris says:

    the penis talk is to make it a more manly podcast.

  30. I thought Matt was really getting into his stride on this one, keep up the good work!

  31. This comment thread is mere penis and water!

    – CS Lewis

  32. Discord.agent says:

    Chuck, are you aware that only the first 22 minutes was penis talk? I know you’re a born-again podcaster and it takes time to get your stride back, but how can you expect the fans to take you seriously when you leave us with 30+ minutes of penisless talking? Maybe it was just me but I’m outraged that there was no talk of the balls. How can you call it a medical segment when you don’t even explain to us why it hurts when you get kicked there?

  33. wait, what?

  34. Rikki_Tikki_Taalik says:

    Exactly.

  35. greenmjolnir says:

    Discord obviously likes the ball play.

  36. Herb (Apostle 2.0) says:

    I prefer Matt’s sly humor to that of the old co-host. That said, it would be nice to hear more commentary from Matt than what’s been allowed thus far.

    I agree that a retun to some snarky commentary on topical social issues would be a nice way to lead into the podcast. Maybe this version can pay homage to Kirk Hastings in its title.