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Markets in everything: convert the atheist, on Turkish TV
From The Guardian, via Effect Measure:
It sounds like the beginning of a joke: what do you get when you put a Muslim imam, a Greek Orthodox priest, a rabbi, a Buddhist monk and 10 atheists in the same room?
Viewers of Turkish television will soon get the punchline when a new game show begins that offers a prize arguably greater than that offered by Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
Contestants will ponder whether to believe or not to believe when they pit their godless convictions against the possibilities of a new relationship with the almighty on Penitents Compete (Tovbekarlar Yarisiyor in Turkish), to be broadcast by the Kanal T station. Four spiritual guides from the different religions will seek to convert at least one of the 10 atheists in each programme to their faith.
Those persuaded will be rewarded with a pilgrimage to the spiritual home of their newly chosen creed – Mecca for Muslims, Jerusalem for Christians and Jews, and Tibet for Buddhists.
The real prize, of course, is the conversion itself. But if you are faking it just to win the trip, I believe Islam is at a disadvantage. By the way, they do "verify" that you are an atheist in the first place, using a panel of eight theologians (are they so hard to fool?), plus they monitor your behavior afterwards to see you truly have become a believer.
Posted by Tyler Cowen on July 5, 2009 at 04:21 PM in Religion, Television | Permalink
Comments
I wonder what the atheists win if they get one of the clerics to abandon his faith?
Posted by: beamish at Jul 5, 2009 4:27:16 PM
If anyone "wins", it was rigged.
Posted by: Noah Yetter at Jul 5, 2009 5:47:24 PM
I like it! I hope that English translations start appearing on YouTube.
Technically, isn't having the Priest on the show illegal? I have been told by friends who went on mission trips over there that it is illegal for a Christian to proselytize in Turkey. Is anyone aware of the specifics of these laws?
Posted by: Sean at Jul 5, 2009 6:21:54 PM
"Faking it" doesn't matter for Islam, only that you say and do the right things, which is why in Islamic law, traditionally, conversions under duress are still legally conversions.
Posted by: Doc Merlin at Jul 5, 2009 6:33:20 PM
It's legal now, which doesn't mean that you won't be killed for doing it.
Posted by: beamish at Jul 5, 2009 6:50:49 PM
Tyler is usually quite a fastidious fact checker, but alas this time his team has failed him.
The name of program is not "Penitents Compete", but rather "Pascal's Revenge".
Posted by: michael webster at Jul 5, 2009 10:40:41 PM
That was a strange juicy comment.
Posted by: Doc Merlin at Jul 6, 2009 5:43:07 AM
Noah,
Exactly. Rigged. But what I wouldn't give for such an opportunity. Dispose of each, one at a time or all together. It would be even better if they'd throw in a Progressive.
Posted by: Randy at Jul 6, 2009 7:51:53 AM
Anyone else suddenly have a craving for orange juice?
Posted by: Sean at Jul 6, 2009 9:12:20 AM
Actually I would have hoped they verify them with a studied athiest as well, I mean I am no scholar but Ithink I could formulate a bar high enough to qualify a sufficent canidate, and someone studied in the foundations af modern science would probably have a good shot at weeding out the con men, although considering theologians are con men too, maybe it is a bit of "takes a thief to catch..."
Posted by: Travis at Jul 6, 2009 10:32:03 AM
"Viewers of Turkish television will soon get the punchline when a new game show begins that offers a prize arguably greater than that offered by Who Wants to be a Millionaire?"
Presumably any potential converted contestants will in fact consider the prize to be infinitely greater than a mere $1 million.
Posted by: Thelonious_Nick at Jul 6, 2009 11:57:08 AM
Islam is not at a disadvantage. Only Muslims are allowed into Mecca, but you can go to Jerusalem even if you are not a Christian or Jew. The Haj seems to be a pretty amazing experience and is definitely a selling point for Islam.
Posted by: Ed at Jul 6, 2009 11:58:32 AM
@Ed
I don't know for sure, but I think Tyler was thinking more along these lines:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostasy_in_Islam
Also, what Noah Yetter said.
Posted by: US at Jul 6, 2009 3:19:28 PM
I'm actually mildly offended at the idea that Tibet is the "spiritual home" of Buddhism. To my mind it's a very screwed-up medieval variant. They'd be much better off going to Kyoto. (Of course, it's much easier to get a ticket to visit Kyoto than Tibet, and I admit that the trip would be appealing)
Posted by: John at Jul 6, 2009 4:00:46 PM
There is a joke there but replace the ten athiests with a bear and add a rabbi.
The punchline is "It was going great until the circumscision."
Posted by: sourcreamus at Jul 6, 2009 4:34:20 PM
I wonder which sect of Buddhism? The idea of a Tibetan Buddhist attempting to convert someone to "believe in God" is just weird. (See Pema Chodron's writings, for example).
A much more interesting show than we usually get, though.
(And very funny comment earlier from Michael Webster... Pascal indeed.)
Mark
Posted by: Mark at Jul 7, 2009 12:25:07 AM
I'am adding to the european literature another "saying". "Making tv show like a Turk."
This is extremely ridiculous to make a tv show like that and I am sure as a 100% Turk, people in here are only watching this show for fun because there are a tv show culture developed recent years where people acts like they live their own real life but this is nothing more than cheap acting which are performing by ordinary people.
Honestly, It is very funny to watch. I wish you could speak Turkish and understand the conversations between that retarded guys.
Posted by: Yavuz Selim Genc at Jul 21, 2009 11:15:01 AM
