Ricky Gervais

From Celebrity Atheist List

Ricky Dene Gervais (English pronunciation: /dʒərˈveɪz/; born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, director, radio presenter, producer, musician, and writer. Golden Globe Winner for Best Comedy Series and Best Comic Actor.

Gervais achieved mainstream fame with his television series The Office and the subsequent series Extras, both of which he co-wrote and co-directed with friend and frequent collaborator Stephen Merchant. In addition to writing and directing the shows, Gervais also played the lead roles of David Brent in The Office and Andy Millman in Extras. Gervais has also starred in a number of Hollywood films, assuming leading roles in Ghost Town and The Invention of Lying. He has performed on four sell-out stand-up comedy tours, written the best-selling Flanimals book series and starred with Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington in the most downloaded podcast in the world as of March 2009,[1] The Ricky Gervais Show.[1]

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He says he is an atheist on his DVD "Ricky Gervais: Animals - Live."

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In a Daily Mirror interview "I'm basically a 'do unto others' type person. I don't have any religious feelings because I'm an atheist, but I live my life like there's a God. And if there was he'd probably love me."[2]

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From an interview published in The Onion (22-28 April 2004):

Q: did you feel any obligation to thank your fellow nominees, or did any of the usual awards speech stuff?

Gervais: ...Thank you very much. I don't believe in God, so I'd like to thank dogs. Dogs have given me everything.[3]

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From his February 2008 essay in BestLife Magazine: "My Argument With God - How I went from Jesus-loving Christian to fun-loving infidel...in one afternoon" ...

…within an hour, I was an atheist.

Wow. No God. If Mum had lied to me about God, had she also lied to me about Santa? yes, but who cares? The gifts kep coming. And so did the gifts of my newfound atheism. The gifts of truth, science, nature. The real beauty of this world. Not a world by design, but one by chance. I learned of evolution—a theory so simple and obvious that only England's greatest genius could have come up with it. Evolution of plants, animals, and us—with imagination, free will, love and humor. I no longer needed a reason for my existence, just a reason to live. And imagination, free will, love, humor, fun, music, sports, beer, and pizza are all good enough reasons for living.

But living an honest life—for that you need the truth. That's the other thing I learned that day, that the truth, however shocking or uncomfortable, in the end leads to liberation and dignity.

See full essay for the rest.

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People shouldn't be offended by atheism

Ricky Gervais and Piers Morgan on CNN

Top 10: Unknown Atheists

As one of the most celebrated comic talents of his generation, Ricky Gervais is well known for his myriad creative projects, such as The Office, Extras and an episode of The Simpsons which he wrote and starred in. However, despite the many interviews he has done, his religious beliefs are less well known. “I remember the day I became an atheist,” Gervais said in an interview with the Sunday Times. Gervais has never been afraid of expressing his opinions, and if asked, seems inclined to offer an honest answer. His views on religion are perhaps not surprising for a man who looks at the world with such a critical eye.

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In 2009 he wrote, directed and starred in the film "The Invention of Lying". In it, Gervais' character Mark Bellison basically invents religion (or "Lying" for that matter) as a way of ameliorating his ill mother's fear of death. The film uses a number of religious images. For instance, at some point Bellison sets up a number of new rules, which are written on two pizza cartons that very much resemble typical depictions of the stone plates of Moses' Ten Comandments.

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As host of the Golden Globes in 2011 Gervais created a stir by thanking God "that he made me an atheist" during his closing statements.

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Ricky Gervais

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