Ed Morrissey:
We see this a lot at sporting events, but not a lot of it from the entertainment industry. When someone from Hollywood gets up and thanks God, especially at the Oscars, it makes headlines … which says volumes about Hollywood and the media.
What’s most interesting about this heartfelt gratitude towards God is the reaction it gets from the Academy audience, or more accurately, the lack thereof:
[youtube]http://youtu.be/7nsR3SJMc8Q[/youtube]
In accepting the best actor Oscar for his role as Ron Woodroof in “Dallas Buyer’s Club” on Sunday, McConaughey, 44, said he needs three things in his life to survive: God, family and someone to look up to as a hero. …
After thanking God, his wife and children, his mother and his late father, he offered up something else long-time fans have been waiting to hear this Oscar season: “All right, all right, all right.”
And that’s what “brought the house down,” as CBS reports. At least they didn’t boo God, which means that Hollywood is still a little ahead of the Democratic Party’s 2012 convention performance
I’m surprised the guy wasn’t lynched.
Really? This is important?
They certainly were offended.
My brother once told me without God in your life you really do have nothing….
….now I know why so many liberals are so miserable, filled with self hatred, white guilt, are intolerant, filled with venom and so vicious…
…I don’t think Matthew McConaughey is really a liberal…sad, I hope this doesn’t come back to bite him.
“My brother once told me without God in your life you really do have nothing….”
May I submit that your brother’s sentiment may not be accurate in all cases? I haven’t had God in my life for going on 20 years now. I have a loving life partner, two awesome kids, a career doing what I enjoy, a network of lifelong friends, an insatiable thirst to learn all I can about this world and an endless drive to figure out how I can make it a better place. I literally jumped out of bed today, as I do most days, fueled by the excitement of knowing all the stuff I get to take on that I didn’t quite get to yesterday.
When I think of what I really don’t have without God, of what I’ve lost with the dawning realization that Jesus was a figment of my imagination, here are the things I actually notice missing from my life:
* superstitious beliefs that good things or bad things are the result of magical forces behind nature
* a fetishised fascination with death, and an obsessive prioritization of all things “after-life” over life itself
* a tribalistic perspective by which all people were classified as saved-like-me, and “other”
* a moral perspective by which I evaluated the character of others, and of myself, based on the flavor of superstitious nonsense they accepted, how closely it comported to my own, and the level of unquestioning obedience with which they adhered to their superstition’s rulebook-morality
* the notion that any idea or belief should be beyond questioning; or that any “faith” which shields a persons superstitions from scrutiny and doubt is – in any way – a virtuous trait.
Getting back on topic, I had no problem with Matt McConaughey’s speech nor with his beliefs. I’d gladly have joined in with all applause of what he has accomplished, both professionally and personally, without any regard for whether he thought Yahweh helped him get their or Zeus carried him during the rough spots.
That said, I would never disrespect him nor myself by feigning reverence for any superstitious nonsense which I do not revere. I’m curious: would any Christians here have it that I acted otherwise?
@KevinK – Like my brother said, without God in your life you really do have nothing…
That is quite deep, makes complete sense of the world I live in, and doesn’t sound at all like the kind of mindless platitude that crumbles upon inspection. It’s so clear to me now that my two children are absolutely nothing in my life. Any more nuggets of wisdom from you or your brother?
@Kevin Kirkpatrick:
Your “partner” could leave you for another; your kids could turn against you as adults; your career could end tomorrow for a number of reasons; your friends could turn against you to serve their own egotistical needs. All of that is temporal. Subject to change due to the personalities involved. To think that you are such a special person that none of those things could ever happen is more delusional than you seem to think a belief in God is.
Frankly, I would not want to be the partner of, or friends with, someone who doesn’t accept there is a higher power greater than themselves. You sound like a man with an over inflated ego, not generally a desirable trait.
A much deserved award for a great actor in an outstanding movie. He’s got a beautiful wife and three sons.
If you like Matt, check out True Detective Sun. nights on HBO. Chilling–like a train wreck you can’t take your eyes off.
Alright,alright, alright to this Texan.