Actor, director, and producer John de Lancie is perhaps best known for portraying “Q” in the TV series “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” Learn more about the Freedom From Religion Foundation at ffrf.org.
It might be 4 years later, but his message is eternal. It hit every thought I've ever had but could never put into words. Thank you, John de Lancie. That speech bordered on genius.
I don't have heroes. There is no one I put on a pedestal or place them on a level where faults and mistakes are unthinkable. There are, however, a few people I admire. John de Lancie is one of those few. Thank you, FFRF, for giving this man a platform and then sharing it with the public.
Thank you for saying in a public forum what I've been disallowed from doing. You have reinspired an old ( 72 ) athiest.For what it means, you have my respect.
A very basic question, perhaps a very simplistic question - why is there so much division within religions: not just Christianity, with Catholicism, Orthodox and Protestantism, with its myriad of subsets, but the other religions as well. Islam, with Shiite and Sunni; Shutdown with its different "schools". When I was a teenager, a young Christian movement was popular, or should I say, " cool," it's sign was to raise one finger heaven wards, while bowing ones head; this was to symbolise "One way (to heaven) through Christ". Even then, as a 13 year old, it bothered me that there were so many brands of Christianity? I can not say that God does not, or does, exist, but I do know that humans have made a mess of religion.
You neglected to mention Judaism, which has 3 main levels: Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform. Then there are the out-there sects, Hasidic and Lubavitcher, who don't think Orthodox Jews are Jewish enough. (Watch the mini-series "Unorthodox" to see how twisted one fundamentalist sect, Satmar, is.) I was brought up Conservative, but by 17 years old, I realized I couldn't believe in a "higher power" because it just didn't make sense. Very happily atheist now.
Ahh, the good old days, when you could stand within arm's reach of someone you didn't live with. I wonder if he, or anyone else in that room in 2018, could've appreciated just how far the anti-reason lobby would go in the following years.
Always a pleasure to hear John speak Well earned award. 1 step at a time. We will win. Roman, Greek & Egytian prove religion's ultimate resting place: Myth
Excellent speech, sadly true. Fear not, the days of impunity are numbered for the liar in chief. The religion industry's money grabs shall also be reversed. We have our goals and we stick to them.
I think it's so great that an atheist played a god, for many years and on several different instances of Star Trek. On Clarence Darrow, I was really surprised to find out that the scene in "Inherit the Wind" where William Jennings Brian says "I don't think about things that I don't think about" to which Darrow replies, "Well, do you ever think about things that you DO think about?" is actually taken verbatim from the real monkey trial! Hilarious as that exchange is, it's made infinitely more hilarious by the fact that this is what was really said at the trial!
If there is to be no war on science, there cannot be a war on religion. Choose one or the other for yourself. Leave others to do the same. I personally am agnostic. But I would not shame someone for believing in a god, because I would have to spend my life doing so and frankly that sounds tiring. And life is too short to worry if everyone around me is 'logical' or not.
I am a religious man and I think christianity has it all wrong when we have a problem we need to do research and we need to exhaust all our resources in the whole world to get to the answer to the problems That we are facing. once we use all those resources and there’s no one in the world that can help solved the problem then you go to God to ask him to help you. Just like parenting we want to teach her kids to go and solve their problems and use all the resources that are available and use God when there’s no other way that we as a planet of intelligent life forms can help them And each other. As far as his statement that is if science deviates from the scriptures that we should throw out the science I think that is also preposterous, in my opinion God is the one who gave us the knowledge of science and to give us a better quality of life like medications, technology, and a better quality of life And not to rely on god for every little thing, god is there for the big important problems in life that are beyond human control or we don’t have the technology at this point to solve the problem
And I leave you with this Statement .if there is no God and there is no afterlife, that Would mean that When you die You don’t get to see your loved ones, your friends and possibly fade into nothingness I no longer exist Instead of being in a place where you could still exist As spiritual/Physical being And be with your family and friends and explore the galaxy. But what would be the point of living or even being born If you don’t have An afterlife For me if that is true, which I don’t believe that is Because I have faith in God There is no Point of human life to exist
Although late to see this great speech, de Lancie is not into religion, but concentrates on logic and ethics, which all religious people should do. When he spoke of the "10,000 Steps" to evil, he seems to have independently discovered the sociological study of the "Normalization of Deviance". Although he never actually said those words, he explained it accurately and insightfully, and the best I have ever heard it explained. It's really good that his speech has been uploaded to RU-vid because what he said should be intensively studied.
Religious people laid the foundation of modern logic and ethics. Building on Greek and Roman works, the Catholic Church set apart monks and trained scholars to do nothing but rationalize the almighty. Seminary’s became colleges and then universities. Harvard was a seminary that expanded its theological training to all topics. Your comment begins like someone arguing we should cut the wings off our airplane because we’re at our cruising altitude and we shouldn’t rely on the invisible mystical nonsense about wings creating lift anymore.
It's something when John De Lancie who plays essentially a god character(s) in Star Trek is an advocate of Secularism. 😃 As a gamer his character of Alarak in Star Craft II was exquisite and popular in the RTS genre.
I was in Washington DC two years ago to hear John de Lancie speak at the Reason Rally, and I thought his speech then was pithy, humorous, and pointedly important. Hearing this address makes me recognize that, good while the RR speech was, it pales in comparison to what he delivered here. Thank you, Mr. de Lancie. Thank you a LOT.
I've been a long time fan of Mr.de Lancie. Unfortunately, I never got to see him in person. Thank you for keeping this posted, it is wonderful to hear him speak again, especially since it isn't a script. Mr John de Lancie is a much missed treasure.
