A Maniac God

I’ve been a big fan of Stephen Fry since I first saw him in the mid-80s when my local PBS affiliate broadcasted the BBC comedy Blackadder. Fry has gone on to do so much more. He’s appeared in the hilarious comedy Jeeves and Wooster, in the theater, and in numerous films. Not to mention his fantastic books, such as Mythos and Heroes, which are wonderful retellings of Greek myths and stories. 

Stephen Fry isn’t hesitant to speak his mind. Sometimes, his opinions have ruffled a few feathers. Some of his most controversial opinions were expressed in 2015 on RTÉ, Ireland’s National Television and Radio Broadcaster. In the interview, Gay Byrne asked Fry what he would say if he came face to face with God in Heaven. Fry’s response is powerful: 

“Bone cancer in children: what’s that about? How dare you? How dare you create a world where there is such misery that’s not our fault? It’s utterly, utterly evil. Why should I respect a capricious, mean-minded, stupid God who creates a world which is so full of injustice and pain?”

While Fry describes himself as an atheist, he explains why the gods of polytheism don’t share the same problem as the Abrahamic concept of God:

“If I died and it was, it was Pluto-Hades, and if it was the 12 Greek gods, then I would have more truck with it. Because the Greeks, were, they didn’t pretend not to be human in their appetites and in their capriciousness and in their unreasonableness. They didn’t present themselves as being all-seeing, all-wise, all-kind, all-beneficent. Because the God who created this universe, if it was created by God, is quite clearly a maniac, utter maniac, totally selfish maniac, totally selfish, totally. We have to spend our life on our knees thanking him; what kind of God would do that?”