Game show looks to convert atheists

Subject: Game show looks to convert atheists Fri Jul 03, 2009 7:38 pm

Game show looks to convert atheists

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - What happens when you put a Muslim imam, a Christian priest, a rabbi and a Buddhist monk in a room with 10 atheists?

Turkish television station Kanal T hopes the answer is a ratings success as it prepares to launch a gameshow where spiritual guides from the four faiths will seek to convert a group of non-believers.

The prize for converts will be a pilgrimage to a holy site of their chosen religion -- Mecca for Muslims, the Vatican for Christians, Jerusalem for Jews and Tibet for Buddhists.

But religious authorities in Muslim but secular Turkey are not amused by the twist on the popular reality game show format and the Religious Affairs Directorate is refusing to provide an imam for the show.

"Doing something like this for the sake of ratings is disrespectful to all religions. Religion should not be a subject for entertainment programs," High Board of Religious Affairs Chairman Hamza Aktan told state news agency Anatolian after news of the planned program emerged.

The makers of "Penitents Compete" are unrepentant and reject claims that the show, scheduled to begin broadcasting in September, will cheapen religion.

"We are giving the biggest prize in the world, the gift of belief in God," Kanal T chief executive Seyhan Soylu told Reuters.

"We don't approve of anyone being an atheist. God is great and it doesn't matter which religion you believe in. The important thing is to believe," Soylu said.

The project focuses attention on the issue of religious identity in European Union-candidate Turkey, where rights groups have raised concerns over freedom of religion for non-Muslim minorities.

Detractors of the ruling AK Party government, which is rooted in political Islam but officially secular, accuse it of having a hidden Islamist agenda, a charge it denies.

Some 200 people have so far applied to take part in the show and the 10 contestants will be chosen next month.

A team of theologians will ensure that the atheists are truly non-believers and are not just seeking fame or a free holiday.

Sounds like an intresting idea.
It's something I'd watch on t.v.,if nothing else it looks to be thought provoking.

Subject: Re: Game show looks to convert atheists Tue Aug 04, 2009 5:25 am

That pisses me off. The greatest prize in the world? Sheesh. As if all atheists are just waiting for someone to convert them and "give" them belief or faith. If a person has that, it should come from within.

Subject: Re: Game show looks to convert atheists Tue Aug 04, 2009 10:43 am

Strange. It says there will be a Rabbi. Ya know, in Judaism, Rabbis don't seek to convert people like in Chrsitianity. In fact, the more conservative or Orthodox branches of Judaism refuse people for conversion outright, unless the person can really demonstrate that he/she really really really wants to be a Jew. From convert.org: "Some traditional rabbis may actively discourage potential converts by turning them away three times. This is a test of how sincere the would-be convert is in wishing to become Jewish. Other rabbis are more welcoming right from the initial contact."

So, um, there's something fishy about a Rabbi who participates in a show like this.

Guest

I'm really wondering about the atheists also. Most ones I know are very defensive about their beliefs or lack there of.

Subject: Re: Game show looks to convert atheists Tue Aug 04, 2009 5:46 pm

That's a gift I'd give back sick

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