6 Times Stephen Colbert Got Serious About Faith

[JordanJD]

relevantmagazine.com/culture/6-times-stephen-colbert-got-serious-about-faith

*Next year, when David Letterman signs off as host of The Late Show for the last time, Comedy Central star Stephen Colbert will take over, positioning himself as the new face of CBS late night.

Though he’s made a name for himself by creating an over-the-top persona satirizing the hyper-conservative on The Colbert Report, the real Stephen Colbert—the one headed to CBS—is very different from the character he’s created. When he’s not in front of the camera, Colbert is frequently teaching Sunday school, attending mass or spending time with his family, who are all devout Catholics. Here are six times the funnyman got serious about one of his favorite topics: faith.*

The Time He Talked about Faith and Tragedy with The New York Times
The Time He Explained Hell on NPR
The Time He Embarrassed a Guy that Suggested God Caused Evil
The Time He Argued for Christ’s Divinity
The Time He Discussed the Importance of Humor in Faith
The Time He Used the Bible to Advocate for Immigration Reform at Congress

 

[on_the_hill]

I know a guy who has a friend who goes to the same church where Colbert is/was a CCD teacher.

FWIW.

 

[Phalanx]

Hahaha, he is actually really funny I literally didn’t even know that this guy even existed untill the whole Late Night Show thing. Perhaps now It will be watchable

 

[RedFox0456]

These seriously just blew my mind and put a huge smile on my face. Thank you so much for sharing!

 

[CaptFun]

relevantmagazine.com/culture/6-times-stephen-colbert-got-serious-about-faith

*Next year, when David Letterman signs off as host of The Late Show for the last time, Comedy Central star Stephen Colbert will take over, positioning himself as the new face of CBS late night.

Though he’s made a name for himself by creating an over-the-top persona satirizing the hyper-conservative on The Colbert Report, the real Stephen Colbert—the one headed to CBS—is very different from the character he’s created. When he’s not in front of the camera, Colbert is frequently teaching Sunday school, attending mass or spending time with his family, who are all devout Catholics. Here are six times the funnyman got serious about one of his favorite topics: faith.*

The Time He Talked about Faith and Tragedy with The New York Times
The Time He Explained Hell on NPR
The Time He Embarrassed a Guy that Suggested God Caused Evil
The Time He Argued for Christ’s Divinity
The Time He Discussed the Importance of Humor in Faith
The Time He Used the Bible to Advocate for Immigration Reform at Congress

thecolbertreport.cc.com/videos/jnk6o6/sign-off—sweater-vest < In this alternately
hilarious and serious interview Colbert shows off both the outrageous persona of his “fictitious character” (nonetheless named after himself, IMO) and his more neutral interviewing skills.

At about 4:20 in the interview the subject of the Catholic faith comes up – along with related topics like immigration, same sex marriage, and a funny reference to the second amendment.

In the tenor of this interview, Colbert models an outright cheerleader persona for his guest – then hurls him some not-so-softball questions by posing them through Colbert’s borderline nutty character’s deadly one-liners.

Still, you can see how CBS envisions Colbert as being a hit on late night. As he sort of already is.

To “get” Colbert’s usual character better … also see his interview of the music celebrity turned social crusader “Sting”.

thecolbertreport.cc.com/videos/yi8cxa/sting

 

[Convert2013]

He’s even done his show with ashes still on his forehead from Ash Wednesday Mass.

 

[didymus]

He’s even done his show with ashes still on his forehead from Ash Wednesday Mass.

I haven’t seen the show in ages due to my work schedule but I remember one year he claimed he gave up Catholicism for Lent because it was the greatest sacrifice he could make – but on Good Friday he says got a whiff of incense he was pulled back in. It may sound mocking to a lot of us but how often do we hear a celebrity publicly espousing the Faith?

 

[CarolNoel]

Do not care for him at all…

 

[pnewton]

I haven’t seen the show in ages due to my work schedule but I remember one year he claimed he gave up Catholicism for Lent because it was the greatest sacrifice he could make – but on Good Friday he says got a whiff of incense he was pulled back in. It may sound mocking to a lot of us but how often do we hear a celebrity publicly espousing the Faith?

I found that episode hilarious, but you have to take it in the context of parody and satire.

 

[CaptFun]

Comedians sometimes “go there” and surprise us – revealing in their comic personas things that could not otherwise be said.

Bill Cosby once did a diatribe as a racist – which was at once funny - and insightful and sobering.

(Here it is – done at about the same time as “All in the Family” and armchair philosopher Archie Bunker were introduced and became wildly popular … for whatever reasons the audiences adopted him). Cosby (like Colbert below) begins without a hint of hilarity, but keeps going until his audience gets the sense of his bit. It is almost more insightful than funny - in that some people seriously think things like euthanasia are good!

youtube.com/watch?v=fgUNixkTV8c < Cosby opens with how " he doesn’t care for old people …" (1971).

Self deprecating humor making fun of one’s own ethnicity or culture is another staple of the trade.

As a comedian who identifies himself as being Catholic, Colbert takes chances.

Here is his wide ranging take on the faith, and other faiths, that leaves one wondering how much of it is committed belief, how much is absurdist humor and how much looks for that perfect spot where an audience can make anything they want of what was said.

Here are some things you don’t hear everyday. What do you think?

youtube.com/watch?v=BJAaGtvdJHQ < Colbert on Catholicism … and many other religions.

 

[CaptFun]

Did You Know That Stephen Colbert Is a Devout Catholic Whose Childhood Was Impacted by a Very Traumatic Event?

theblaze.com/stories/2014/04/11/did-you-know-that-stephen-colbert-is-a-devout-catholic-whose-childhood-was-impacted-by-a-very-traumatic-event/

His father and brother were killed in a plane crash at an early age, but his mother taught him to always have faith in God nonetheless. Also this …

In a 2007 interview with NPR, Colbert said he once taught “a couple of years of CCD catechism” and described what he would tell one of his kids if they asked what or who God is.

“I think the answer that ‘God is love’ is pretty good for a child, because children understand love and, you know, I don’t want to get too much more complex with that with a second-grader,” he said.

I teach small groups of kids at a County children’s home (many of them unchurched or barely so) – and the above summary plus, the creed, and

• Jesus’ summary of the Greatest Commandment (and its partner) Love God/Love Neighbor as yourself;
• 1 Corinthians 13 “Love is patient, love is kind etc. …”
• and the fact that Jesus died so that EVERYONE could go to heaven if they turned to Him and received the Holy Spirit and
• the fact that He founded a Church to teach us …
• which it does using the scriptures and LIVING the faith and modeling it for us …

are some of the simple things we keep going back to as we consider the upcoming readings for Sundays (at our Wednesday meetings).

We also pray for others, enter into prayer and strive to see that love and welcome are there each week for the “kids” 5 - 17 (!) and try to lead them to entering more deeply into a relationship with Jesus in His Church than they previously had.

I must admit, dealing with children and young adults who have tougher crosses than I’ve had causes me to believe I learn as much as I teach these young people. Some of them are on the front lines of spiritual battles.

It is nice that Colbert represents us (Catholics and Christians in general) IMO.

 

[whipp711]

One of the reasons he gets away with professing his faith is his slightly left of center political leanings. The secular and far left media dare not torch one of their own kind. Still, I admire him being a devout Catholic, and his satire is very funny. He’ll be interesting to watch in his new position.