[Squeaky scribbling sounds] ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Ellen Johnson: He has
spoken numerous times on the subject of atheism. Please welcome our
debate participants, Mr. Ray Comfort
and Mr. Ron Barrier. Ray Comfort:
This is Ellen Johnson, the President of
American Atheists. It's Good Friday back in 2001
and she's about to introduce me to 250 atheists at the
National Convention in Florida. So how did I get invited to
speak to 250 atheists at their National Convention? Well, this is Ron Barrier. He was the national
spokesman for American Atheists. He's the one who challenged me
to a debate but after I sent him a booklet I'd written
called, "God Doesn't Believe in Atheists," for some reason
he pulled out of the debate. We'll pick it up
from a news story. From the office of
Ron Barrier, quote, "Yes, I did withdraw the
invitation after I read his idiot book, "God Doesn't Believe
in Atheists," end of quote. After receiving a great deal of
criticism from fellow atheists for withdrawing, Barrier decided
to go ahead with the debate and even sweeten the pot by offering
to pay my roundtrip airfare from Los Angeles to Orlando. I've been crossing swords
with atheists since the early 1980s in Speakers'
Corner back in my home country of New Zealand. This particular day was special
because it was the day I was leaving with my family to
live in the United States. It was my last day after
12 years of almost daily preaching the gospel. It was there that I regularly
used a Coke can and a banana to parody atheism. The man in front of
me yelling was Steve, an angry atheist who,
day after day for years, tried to stop the crowd from
hearing what I was saying. He was very unreasonable and
would do everything he could to mock me and make
me look foolish. This is another speaker
called the Wizard who also opposed the gospel but, despite
that, we were good friends. Ray Comfort: Well done
for all those years. Ray Comfort: During the 12 years
in Speakers' Corner I collated apologetical arguments
in the front of my Bible. When I suggested publishing
these in a special Bible to one of my publishers, they loved the
idea and so my pregnant Bible gave birth to "The
Evidence Bible." Keep that in mind
because it's relevant to the Banana Man's story. Ray Comfort: On this day in
Florida, even though nobody's opposing me,
I'm a little nervous. It's because I'm about to do
that same Coke can and banana parody that makes fun of atheism
and I'm not sure if I can get my listeners to crack a smile. This is because atheists don't
think of their beliefs as being ridiculous and
therefore worthy of ridicule. Up until that time I'd been
doing the banana routine for about 20 years. Ray Comfort: Millions of
years ago there was this massive explosion in space. Nobody knows what
caused the explosion. It just happened. Ray Comfort:And over
those 20 years I'd always got a laugh from Christians as
soon as I produced the banana. Ray Comfort: Behold the
atheist's nightmare. Ray Comfort:
Now, for millions of-- Ray Comfort: But this was
going to be different. Here's the beginning and
the ending of the parody at the Atheists' Convention. Behold the
atheist's nightmare. Now, if you study a
well-made banana, of which this is,
you'll find on the far side there are three ridges. On the close side, two ridges. If you get your hand
ready to grip a banana, you'll find on the
far side three grooves, on the close side two grooves. The banana and the
hand are perfectly made, one for the other. There's outward indicators
of inward contents: green, too early; yellow, just
right; black, too late. Now, if you go to the top-- Ray Comfort: There was a
little laughter but it may have been cynical
which is understandable. Ray Comfort: Here is
a Christian audience in England in the same year. Ray Comfort: Cola can
may have come from-- Billions of years ago
there was a big bang in space. Nobody knows what
caused the big bang. It just happened. But from the big bang
issued this huge rock and on top of the rock was found
a sweet bubbly substance. And over millions of years
aluminum crept up the side and formed itself into a
can, a lid, and then a tab, and then millions
of years later, red paint, white paint, just
a little bit of green paint, fell from the sky and
formed itself in the words "Coca Cola, 12 fluid ounces. Do not litter." You say, "Now,
what are you doing? You're insulting my intellect." And so I am. You know if
the Coca Cola can is made, there must be a maker. If it's designed,
there must be a designer. Behold the atheist's nightmare. Now, if you study a well-made
banana you'll find on the far side there are three ridges. On the close side, two ridges. If you get your hand
ready to grip a banana, you'll find on the far
side three grooves, close side two grooves. The banana and the
hand are perfectly made, one for the other. You'll find the
Maker of the banana, Almighty God, has made it with
a non-slip surface and there's outward indicators of
inward contents: green, too early; yellow, just
right; black, too late. Now, if you go to
the top of the banana, you'll find the Maker, as
with the Coca Cola can makers, has placed a tab at the
top for ease of entry. When you pull the
tab, the contents don't squirt in your face. You'll find the wrapper which is
biodegradable has perforations like your pad paper. Usually has four perforations. Notice how gracefully it
sits over the human hand. Notice the pointed
top for ease of entry, just the right shape
for the human mouth. Chewy, palatable, good for you,
and the Maker has even curved it toward the face to make the
whole process so much easier. That's if you get it
the right way round. Of course, if you give one
of these to a chimpanzee, it hasn't got the
sense to use the tab. They all go like
that, open this end, entirely disproving Darwin's
theory tale of evolution. Ray Comfort: In 2001
the actor Kirk Cameron heard one of my sermons, a teaching called "Hell's
Best-Kept Secret," which resulted in us
combining ministries. It was now 2003 and Kirk and
I were about to film an episode on the subject of
atheism for season one of our television program. When I told him I'd like
to do the banana routine, he was concerned that
atheists would mock me for it. My thought was that it was
for Christian television and atheists wouldn't
even get to see it. Kirk Cameron: Yeah, again, I
used to be a devout atheist and that sounds a little strange
but I was committed to my belief that God didn't exist. Ray Comfort: Despite his
concern, he was very gracious and we filmed it anyway. Ray Comfort: Hold this, Kirk.
Behold the atheist's nightmare. Now, if you go to
the top of the banana, you'll find, as with
the soda can makers, they placed a tab at the top, so
God has placed a tab at the top. When you pull the tab,
the contents don't squirt in your face. Ray Comfort: It was a bit
flat without a live audience but it was no big deal. We put it into our program and
never gave it a second thought. Ray Comfort: Three
years had passed. Our television program was
now in its third season, was award-winning, and
was airing in 170 countries. Ray Comfort: Prayer is the
line of communication. Ray Comfort: It was popular
because it was unique for Christian television. ♪♪♪ Kirk Cameron: Hey,
I thought you told me this was a private beach. Ray Comfort: They're
building a high-rise. Kirk Cameron: Doesn't
sound like construction to me. both: Aghhh! ♪♪♪ Kirk Cameron: Death can come
when you're least expecting it. You can get up, Ray.
It's just a flesh wound. [gun firing] Ray Comfort: Things were
humming until I was told that the banana parody was
all over the Internet. I couldn't understand why it
would be but I soon found out. Someone had captured it
from our television program, removed the Coke can
portion so that the parody didn't make sense. Then he said that the original
banana wasn't that shape and that had been genetically
altered to fit the human hand. It even produced a motion
graphic in an effort to convince people that it had nothing to do
with God making it for mankind. The clip without the Coke can
made me look really dumb but it was just another bump in
the road, or so I thought. The issue exploded when the
world's most famous atheist, Professor Richard Dawkins,
mockingly did the banana routine during a television interview. Richard Dawkins: Beautifully
designed like it's--fits neatly into the hand and it's got a tab
at the top for ease of opening. But doesn't squirt in your face. And then he says, "And
it's exactly the right shape for--it's curved towards
the face for ease of eating. And it's color coded. Green, too early; black,
too late, yellow, just--" Ray Comfort: And while
addressing university students. Richard Dawkins: Ray Comfort
is a New Zealander living in-- living in the United
States somewhere. You may know him
as the Banana Man. "If you study a
well-made banana, you'll find that it
perfectly fits the human hand, has a tab at the top
for ease of opening." Ray Comfort: Kirk's
wise words of warning came back to haunt me. Professor PZ Myers: Unfair of
me because Ray Comfort is probably the very bottom
of the creations barrel. He's the worst of the bunch. Richard Dawkins: "You
study a well-made banana, you'll notice--" Professor PZ Myers: So when I
say Ray Comfort is really, really stupid, I'm
saying something. Ray Comfort: Original Banana
Man clip quickly topped over a million views and it had
dozens of spinoffs. ♪♪♪ Ray Comfort: Bill Banana Man
videos, Banana Man songs, and many Banana Man memes. They took delight in reediting
my interviews to make me say things I didn't say. My Facebook page became
inundated by thousands of atheists and became
almost impossible to moderate. male: Behold the
Christian's nightmare. Now, if you study a well-made
banana you'll find it's a consequence of evolution. Ray Comfort: The day after I
interviewed outspoken atheist, Professor P.Z. Myers,
I was surprised to see that he posted the headline, "I met Ray Comfort tonight." He also posted photos of us,
taken during the interview, of atheists using bananas to
sword-fight in the foreground. Almost overnight I had become
the international celebrity idiot poster boy for atheism. Yet something
strange began to happen. Atheists didn't feel
threatened by Banana Man. When high-profile atheists
invited me onto their programs, they seemed surprised that I was
able to string a whole sentence together and they'd
let me share the gospel. The clown could actually juggle
words and if he breathed a little fire at the
same time who cares. It was kind of entertaining. And so began a strange
and wonderful journey. When I was interviewed on
"The Atheist Experience," they started a tradition by
keeping a banana in view for the entire interview. Then they let me
share the gospel and, despite that, it became their
most popular video with over half a million views. Anything about Banana Man
received more than normal attention, some getting hundreds
of thousands of YouTube views; some, over a million. When atheists
reviewed our movies, they would get a
massive audience. Atheists found they could get
video views by using my name in a derogatory way. They took one of their
interviews of a woman in Hollywood in which there was
a clear gospel presentation and renamed it "Ray
Comfort Gets Destroyed." Our version had about
30,000 views but theirs quickly received ten times that amount. [laughing] male: Michelle, what do you
think happens when someone dies? Michelle: You know, I think we
call it recycled soul. male: You're going
to get recycled? Michelle: Yeah, your
soul gets recycled. How about that? male: Who's in charge of that?
God? Michelle: I think, you know, mother and father
of the universe. male: Mother and father
of the universe? Michelle: Yes.
male: Okay. Steve Shives: Hi, everybody. Thank you for joining me as
I continue my examination of the books of Ray Comfort. Ray Comfort: A well-known
atheist began reading my books out loud to other atheists,
word for word, including the
gospel messages. Then he'd provide his
own opposing commentary. Steve Shives: With
chapter two of that book which is titled, "Our Conscience
Testifies to a Creator and Our Need for a Savior." Ray Comfort: A national
syndicated secular television program from New Zealand
heard about Banana Man and sent a camera crew to Southern California and they too
allowed me to share the gospel. It was as though Banana
Man was the star of a twisted superhero series. The analogy seemed to fit. I'm a very ordinary believer
who was given a special cloak of humiliation that
supernaturally opened doors into the elite
atheist community. The only kryptonite that
rendered Banana Man powerless was pride and as long as
I had to wear the cloak, I had very little of that left. I couldn't help but think of
Paul's words in Philippians 1:12: "But I want
you to know, brethren, that the things which
happened to me have actually turned out for the
furtherance of the gospel." Ray Comfort: It seemed strange
to me that any atheist would want to debate dumb old
Banana Man but they did. And one was a high profile
atheist named Thunderf00t whose YouTube channel had more
than 170 million views, and especially came to our
ministry for a debate on the existence of God and
then he stayed for lunch. But as soon as the
debate was put online, atheists mocked him for
what they perceived as weakness on his part. They even made a cruel
video of him stuttering during the debate. Ray Comfort: For many
years myself and a friend named Stuart Scott preached
the gospel each Saturday at Southern California's
famed Huntington Beach. We'd begin with an intelligence
test to show that we could often get things wrong and when
it comes to where we spend eternity, we need to
get that one right. Here's Scotty going
through the test. Stuart Scott: How
many of each animal did Moses take
into the ark? male: Two!
Stuart Scott: Two. What is the name of the
raised print deaf people use? male: Braille. Stuart Scott: Spell the word
"shop" out loud, both of you. both: S-H-O-P. Stuart Scott: What do you do
when you come to a green light? male: Stop. Stuart Scott: --the word "silk." both: S-I-L-K. Stuart Scott: What
do cows drink? both: Milk.
Oh, [laughing] Stuart Scott: Five for five.
One more. Spell the word "silk."
female: S-I-L-K. Stuart Scott: What
do cows drink? female: Water. [cheering] Stuart Scott: Here you go,
one dollar. Ray Comfort: During those years,
an atheist named Jurgen would often stand in the
crowd and listen. Ray Comfort: Well, seven
years ago at this very spot, I got to speak with an
atheist named Jurgen. One day, he let me interview him
and this interview has become very special because
of what happened. Ray Comfort: Jurgen, are
you a spiritual person? Jurgen Ankenbrand: No, I'm not.
Ray Comfort: Are you an atheist? Jurgen Ankenbrand: Yes, I am. Ray Comfort: Now,
why are you an atheist? Jurgen Ankenbrand:
'Cause I don't believe in God. Ray Comfort: So you believe
nothing created everything? Jurgen Ankenbrand: I believe
in the evolution theory. Ray Comfort: So what created
everything in the beginning? Jurgen Ankenbrand:
I wasn't there so I don't have the details. Ray Comfort: So you don't know
what created everything? Jurgen Ankenbrand: No. Ray Comfort: But obviously it
wasn't nothing 'cause nothing can't create anything. So something created
everything in the beginning. Jurgen Ankenbrand: Maybe. Ray Comfort: So
you're not an atheist. You believe something
created everything. Jurgen Ankenbrand: Yeah, but I
don't lose any sleep of thinking about who and what
might have done that. Ray Comfort: Well, you should.
Jurgen Ankenbrand: Why? Ray Comfort: Because
you've offended Him by sinning against His law. Jurgen, how many--are you
a good person, Jurgen? Jurgen Ankenbrand: I
hurt a lot of times-- I've done the things
you ask other people-- Ray Comfort: So
you've lied and stolen? Jurgen Ankenbrand: So has
everybody else under the sun. Ray Comfort: Yeah, but
you're not going to answer for everyone on Judgment Day. You're going to have to
answer for yourself, Jurgen. Are you going to be guilty
or innocent on Judgment Day? I mean, have you looked at
a woman and lusted for her? Jurgen Ankenbrand:
When is Judgment Day? Ray Comfort: Oh, it's coming.
Jurgen Ankenbrand: When? Ray Comfort: Sure
as hell it's coming. God knows when it's coming. Jurgen Ankenbrand:
You mean, you're referring to when you die? Because as far as I'm concerned,
when I'm physically dead, I'm dead and that's
the end of it, so-- Ray Comfort: What if
you're--what if you're wrong? Jurgen Ankenbrand:
Then so be it. Ray Comfort: If atheism was a
religion, Charles Darwin would be their prophet and his book,
"Origin of Species," would be their holy book. When I found that the book was
in public domain I had an idea. I'd write a foreword exposing
evolution as being unscientific and, of course,
present the gospel. And then give away free
copies at universities. Kirk loved the idea so we
made a short video to tell our donors what we wanted to do. Kirk Cameron: This is
a beautiful 304-page full-color cover edition of Darwin's famous "Origin of
Species" book that will be given away free on the 150th
anniversary of the book. Who isn't going to take-- Ray Comfort: Little did we
know that we had kicked a big and angry hornets' nest. I had blasphemed atheism's
sacred writings and insulted their prophet by
merely writing a foreword. Because of the outrage
and Kirk's involvement, the media latched
onto the story. Carol Costello: I do have a
copy of the book and here it is. It looks just like, you
know, a normal copy of Charles Darwin's book and
it has this special introduction that kind of looks like it's-- Ray Comfort: Then I read of
what atheists planned to do. Quote, "There is already a
thousand-member Facebook group focused on interfering
with Comfort's distribution of "The Origin of
Species," end of quote. As I read of their plans,
I could imagine groups of fanatical atheists following our
teams around and abusing them, telling students
not to take the book. So we decided to
change our plans. We were going a day early. It turned out to be a
strategically good move. When Kirk and I showed
up with a team at UCLA, along with 2000 books, atheists
came up to us wide-eyed, saying, "You're not
supposed to be here today. You're a day early." They told us they didn't even
have their printing done and how they hadn't finalized their
plans to counter-protest. Richard Dawkins wasn't too happy
either after 170,000 copies were given out in 100 universities
in one day, mostly unhindered. Richard Dawkins: There
is no refutation of Darwin and evolution
in existence. If a refutation ever
were to come about, it would come from a
serious scientist, not an idiot. Ray Comfort: The total would
eventually be 200,000. Ray Comfort: The president of
"Focus on the Family," Jim Daly, wrote an article
back in 2009 called, "A Conversation
with an Atheist." He spoke of a short video
that atheist Penn Jillette had produced and put on YouTube
but has since been removed. The well-known atheist from
Penn & Teller fame spoke of being given a Bible
by a tall businessman. He said that "the man
said, 'I'm a businessman. I'm sane, not crazy.' And he looked me right
in the eye as he spoke. It was really wonderful. I believe he knew
that I was an atheist. But he was not defensive and
he looked me right in the eyes. And he was truly complimentary,
not in any way empty flattery. He was really kind and nice and
sane and looked me in the eyes and talked to me, and
then he gave me this Bible. 'And I've always said that I
don't respect people who don't proselytize, I don't
respect that at all. If you believe that there's a
heaven and hell and people could be going to hell and not getting
eternal life or whatever, and you think it's not worth
telling them this because it would make it socially awkward,'
and then he said this amazing statement: 'How much do
you have to hate somebody to believe everlasting life is
possible and not tell them that? If I believed beyond a shadow of
a doubt that a truck was coming at you and you
didn't believe it, that truck was
bearing down on you, there's a certain point
where I'd tackle you and this is more
important than that.'" I could hardly
believe that an atheist would have such insight. I was so encouraged
by what he said, I personally wanted to
thank him for making it. At the same time I couldn't help
but wonder who this man was who gave him a Bible and left
such a good impression. I wanted to be like this man. Ray Comfort: My friend
Thunderf00t came back to the ministry for a second
debate and this time he was far more relaxed and more confident. Thunderf00t: If you want
to call it conscience, yes. Ray Comfort: Do you know what
the word "conscience" means? Thunderf00t: It's a
combination of the words "con" and "science," which
means with knowledge. Ray Comfort: So we all
have an inbuilt knowledge of right and wrong? So was mass
murder wrong in Germany? Thunderf00t: I mean, this is
where it comes down to this very tough decision of what is
beneficial for society and what is beneficial
for the individual. Ray Comfort: So let me
see if I can pin you down. So you're saying
murder is right or wrong? Can you say it's absolutely
wrong to murder someone or you say it could be good
for the good of society? Thunderf00t: I would go for
exactly the answer that you gave which is
it's contingent. It's contingent on
the circumstances. Ray Comfort: No,
murder is always wrong. Thunderf00t: You just said
you would kill someone. Ray Comfort: Self-defense,
defending my family. Thunderf00t: But earlier you
said that killing someone is killing someone, it's-- Ray Comfort: No, no, there's a
difference between murder and self-defense,
defending a family. That's my own conviction. So you're not going to say
murder is right or wrong? You won't say murder is wrong?
You know why you won't say it? Because if you say
there's absolute morality, then you're in trouble
'cause I'm going to say, "Where do you get that from?" Thunderf00t: There are
things that will result-- there are things that prohibit
you in terms of behavior from having a stable population. Ray Comfort: So tell
us, is rape wrong? Would you put your
finger on that and say, "Yeah, that's wrong"? Or would you just say,
"Oh, could be okay for the good of society." Is murder wrong?
Is rape wrong? Thunderf00t: I can tell
you that the reason you're breathing is because
you are a machine. Ray Comfort: Is stealing wrong? Thunderf00t: Stealing's
an interesting one. Now you're getting into the
interesting stuff because I guess it's just a
functional communism but-- Ray Comfort: How could we
go off on a rabbit trail of Indians when asked
if lying is wrong? C'mon, is lying wrong? Thunderf00t: No, no,
what we're doing-- Ray Comfort: Stealing is wrong. Thunderf00t: Lying is a
requirement of language, right? If you lie to people--
Ray Comfort: Oh, stop that. Ray Comfort: You know
why you won't say it? Because if you say
there's absolute morality, then you're in trouble
'cause I'm going to say, "Where do you get that from?" Thunderf00t once
again stayed for lunch. Ray Comfort: In August of 2011,
a well-known magician named Dean Dill came to our ministry and entertained our
staff with a little magic. Dean Dill: Anyway, my name is
Dean and I'm a magician at Magic Castle
for 40 years and-- Ray Comfort: Forty years?
Dean Dill: Forty years. One, two, three!
Do you see that one? all: Whoo! Dean Dill: Any
other questions, right? No, no, I didn't think so. Ray Comfort: A short time later,
someone sent Dean another Penn Jillette
video in which he expressed frustration that intelligent
people believe silly stories such as Noah and the ark. The person who sent the clip
knew that Dean was friends with both Penn and myself and he
asked if Dean could get us together so that I could explain
the Rosetta Stone to Penn. I replied, "Dean, I would crawl
over broken glass for ten miles to interview Penn on camera
about the existence of God. It would be a heart's deepest
desire for me to do this." When his attempt to get
us together didn't come to fruition, I concluded that
God didn't want me to speak with Penn Jillette
and so I forgot about it. Ray Comfort: It was
now September of 2011. We had released a unique
pro-life documentary in that it showed eight people who were
pro-abortion changing their minds in seconds and
becoming pro-life because they were asked one question. Ray Comfort: Have
you just changed your mind about abortion? female: Yes, I've just
changed my mind about abortion. Ray Comfort: So are you going to
vote differently in future? female: Yeah.
Ray Comfort: Do you mean that? female: Yeah. Ray Comfort: Within
weeks it had millions of views and it wasn't long until
mothers were showing up at the ministry
with a baby or sending us pictures of babies
that were alive because they'd seen "180" and changed their
mind about killing their child. Richard Dawkins once tweeted, "Any fetus is less
human than an adult pig." So when someone asked if
I'd like him to hand deliver something to Dawkins, I grabbed
a "180" DVD and wrote a quite note of greeting on the front. I deliberately cut back the word
"thought" to "thort" as I often did when texting and
sending out tweets. Then I forgot about it. That is until I heard that the
learned professor thought that my "thort" was a
thoughtless spelling error. He was so delighted with what he
thought was more evidence of my ignorance that he sent
out a special tweet. He said, quote, "The same Ray Comfort is
the original 'Banana Man.' He also gave me a
DVD with a request for my 'thorts'," end quote. The professor even went
to the trouble of producing a video about it. Richard Dawkins: I was
rather astonished to read the message on it. It was a very
charming dedication to me and I'll show it. He would "like to
hear my 'thorts', T-H-O-R-T-S." Ray Comfort: I couldn't have
bought such publicity. His promotion immediately
pushed "180" further into the atheist community. As with the Darwin books,
we gave away free DVDs. Two hundred thousand
were handed out in a hundred universities in the
United States in one day. ♪♪♪ Ray Comfort: I was speaking at a
creation museum in Southern California at which there
was a crowd of 50 or so atheists who were
protesting outside in the heat. They're all very familiar with
Banana Man so I invited them to join me in air conditioning in
a debate about the existence of God, then afterwards
I'd buy them pizza. They were polite, had
some interesting questions, and kindly allowed me to speak. It was another amazing door of
opportunity that atheists would let me share biblical truths,
go to the trouble of filming it themselves, and then put it
online for thousands of other atheists to see, all
because of Banana Man. male: You asked us
if we had faith. I wanted to ask you which
definition of faith from the dictionary you're referring to. Number two, I have
faith of that, that-- based on previous
experience but I don't have faith based on no
previous evidence. I don't think
that's humanly possible. Ray Comfort: Okay, Bruce, do
you have faith in your wife? Bruce: That's a
faith number two. Ray Comfort: Okay, that's
a--he has confidence in his wife, okay? Bruce: I have confidence
that my wife will treat me fairly and based on
past experience. Ray Comfort: 'Cause if you
didn't have faith in your wife you'd be sleeping on the
couch tonight, wouldn't you? Bruce: If my wife was
here, probably so. Ray Comfort: So folks, what
Bruce said is very important. I don't have faith
that God exists. I know He exists because
of creation or nature. I have confidence in the
character of God and His integrity to keep His Word. That's where my confidence is. So it's not a
faith that God exists. male: Faith number two. Ray Comfort: It's faith
number two, absolutely. That's what I'm
talking about with you guys. If you'll turn from your sins
and have that confidence in God, He'll reveal
Himself to you, yes. Ray Comfort: In 2013
I made a number of calls to evolutionary professors and left messages saying that I
was a filmmaker and wanted to ask them for
evidence of evolution. Four got back to me but none
could give me any evidence for Darwinian evolution. All they could offer was
speciation and adaptation. Speciation's evident in
the different dogs we see, from the Chihuahua
to the Great Dane. That's just a variety
within the dog kind. It's not Darwinian
evolution, which looks for a change of kind. Neither is adaptation which
we see in the beaks of birds adapting to their surroundings. That's not Darwinian evolution. The birds are still birds
and the dogs are still dogs. The professors pointed to
changes in bacteria but, again, the bacteria
remained bacteria. If you look closely
you can see our "Origin of Species"
in his library. What for many years
has been called the missing link is still missing. Ray Comfort: A few
months later we released "Evolution vs. God" on
YouTube and immediately received hundreds of
thousands of views. Then millions.
Atheists were furious. Banana Man was getting a
little hard to swallow. One reviewer said that when
Richard Dawkins saw it he'd have a cow and he certainly did. It was so painful he
tweeted about it five times, giving it huge publicity
in the atheist world. He tweeted, "Goodness,
Jaclyn Glenn talks fast. But she talks sense. Banana Man won't know
what's hit him and he won't like it," end of quote. Jaclyn Glenn believed that
there was scientific evidence for evolution on our
cutting room floor. Jaclyn Glenn: Ray, along with
the American Atheists I ask that you release these
unedited interviews. Ray Comfort: She didn't
have any evidence herself but she thought that these
scientists definitely did. All she needed to do was ask the
scientists what we supposedly removed but she didn't
because we hadn't removed any so-called evidence. Neither did we make P.Z. Myers
look like an idiot, as she said. We just let him
share what he believed. Ray Comfort: Do you
think you're a primate? P.Z. Myers :Yes, I am. Ray Comfort: Are you
a talking primate? P.Z. Myers: I am. Ray Comfort: Are you a
cousin of bananas? P.Z. Myers: Why, yes. ♪♪♪ Ray Comfort: Hawks have
an eye for any movement. They can easily spot a tiny
rodent from a great distance and swoop in for a meal. In 2013 I made one small
move and in came the hungry hawks for a juicy feast. It happened because I had
responded to an atheist named Leonie when she
called me a bibliophile. I'd never heard of the word
"bibliophile" and thought that she'd made it up as an
insult to Christians. It looked like a
cross between the word "Bible"
and "pedophile." Atheists regularly use made-up
words like "Ray-tard," a person who followed me and
was therefore retarded. After I told her to make sure
that she didn't call any other Christians on my
page a bibliophile, she apologized and then
she said that the word meant "lover of books." I replied, quote,
"Leonie, I'm the one that should be apologizing! I thought it was just
another atheist insult, a cross between
pedophile and Bible. My sincere apologies.
Still learning. Best wishes," end of quote.
Then I forgot about it. That is until Richard Dawkins
tweeted to his over 1 million followers, quote:
"Priceless gem! Ray Comfort insulted to
be called 'bibliophile.' Thought it meant pedophile!
Oh joy!" End of quote. Then the well-known
atheist, actor, and comedian, Ricky Gervais, retweeted
Richard Dawkins' tweet to his millions of
followers and added, "Haha." Suddenly my literary
ignorance became breaking news for atheists. I had given the
hawks a tasty feast. It seemed that everyone in
the entire atheist community suddenly knew the
definition of bibliophile and used the word daily. If Banana Man was
beginning to be laid to rest, he certainly was resurrected
that day with a shout. Any possibility of gleaning some
intellectual dignity was blown away in the winds of mockery. As Banana Man, I had established
myself as a reliable court jester that's always
good for a laugh. My consolation, though, was
that this wasn't the first time a Christian had been
used for entertainment. The horrors of what they
suffered for the faith brought my little problem
into perspective. ♪♪♪ male: Ray Comfort recently
got quite upset when somebody used the word
"bibliophile" on his page. He mistakenly-- Ray Comfort: After that
incident I felt really humiliated by the
Banana Man label. Strangers would point
at me in public, yell-- male: Hey, it's Banana Man. Ray Comfort: "Banana Man"
and walk away laughing. female: Yes, I went to a
Halloween party and I was the flying spaghetti monster and
somebody was dressed up as you. Ray Comfort: You
mean Banana Man? female: Yes, Ray Comfort, right?
Yes. It was an atheist
Halloween party. Ray Comfort: One day when I
was talking to Scotty about how embarrassed I felt, he
pointed out that the name had opened huge doors in
the atheist community. Then he reminded me that in the
Bible God often takes what seems like disasters and failures
and uses them for His purposes. He talked about how thousands of
atheists had been frequenting my Facebook page
every day for years. When I asked the atheists
why they kept coming back, they said that I was like a
train wreck waiting to happen; they couldn't look away. From that day onwards, I
decided to run with it rather than try and hide from it. When I heard that
David Silverman, the president of
American Atheists, was in Los Angeles, I
experimented to see if Banana Man would open doors. When I asked if he
would like to have lunch, I was surprised
that he said he would. So early in July myself
and Emeal "E.Z." Zwayne, the president of Living Waters, spent 90 minutes over
lunch with the president, American Atheists. David told us that he was there
as a young man back in 2001 in Florida when I did
the Banana parody. Sometime later, he kindly
gave me a commendation for my "Banana
Man" book, sort of. Quote: "Stop! Put this book down
and back away slowly. My book is better. Read that instead," David
Silverman, President, American Atheists, Incorporated. ♪♪♪ Ray Comfort: It's always
difficult to draw a crowd to listen to the gospel so we would ask trivia
questions and give away money for the answers. It would draw a good size
crowd, was something that people enjoyed, and it created
goodwill among the listeners. But we had a problem. Each week, an atheist named
Ken knew the answers and would continually take our money. Ray Comfort: What was the
name of Charles Darwin's book? "On the Origin of
Species." Ken: Who said that?
Ray Comfort: Hey, Ken-- No matter how many times we
asked him to let other people answer and get the
money, he wouldn't stop. Ray Comfort:
Okay, next question. What is the number one killer of
drivers in the United States? Does anyone know?
Ken: Drink! Ray Comfort; Who said drink?
Ken, you made another dollar. Here, sure, do
you want the money? C'mon, Ken, I'll
bring it to you. male: C'mon, Ken! Ray Comfort: Atheists
often ask for a sign. One day, Ken got one. Ray Comfort: Where
was the Saxon from? Ken: New Zealand. Ray Comfort: Ken, come
and get your money. Ken is an atheist. He's here every week getting
money 'cause he knows me. The poor guy's--
Whoa! Did anyone get
that on camera? Can I borrow that? Ken: I'm suddenly suffering
from a load of amnesia. I'm not quite sure why. Ray Comfort:
It was funny, though. Ray Comfort: Thanks in part to
the publicity given to Banana Man by Richard Dawkins and
other high-profile atheists, our movies and our Living
Waters University YouTube channel took off. Ron: Hey, how you doing, buddy? Ray Comfort: Ron, what do you
think happens when someone dies? Where do they go? Ron: Our soul goes on
to a better place. Ray Comfort: Where's that?
Ron: Heaven. Ray Comfort: Heaven?
Does anyone go to hell? Ron: Oh yeah.
We're here. Ray Comfort: This is hell?
Ron: This is hell. Ray Comfort: Hang on a minute.
This is not hell. This is Huntington Beach on
a--and it's nice and warm. Ron: This is hell.
Ray Comfort: Why is it hell? Ron: Because look, look.
This is blown! This town is
blown but we love it. This is our hell. We have to deal with our own
problems and our own complaints and our own lifestyle. Ray Comfort: Do you
believe in God? Ron: Of course. Ray Comfort: So God says
He's created a place called hell that He's going to
send the wicked to. Ron: Oh yeah. Ray Comfort: So there is a
literal place called hell, then? Ron: Sure, it's Heil, H-E-I-L. It's right down
the Beach Boulevard. Whoop, whoop! Ray Comfort: He judges you by
the Ten Commandments. Would you be innocent or guilty?
male: Probably guilty. Ray Comfort: If you did
that which is right, you'd end up in hell? My heart went
out to this man. He'd been down on his luck
so I decided to pray for him. You take a big risk when you
pray for someone publicly, especially if they have a
parrot on their shoulder. Ray Comfort : Ouch!
Bre-ahh! Jurgen Ankenbrand: Because
as far as I'm concerned, when I'm physically
dead, I'm dead and that's the end of it, so-- Ray Comfort: What if
you're--what if you're wrong? Jurgen Ankenbrand:
Then so be it. Why should I concern
myself with that now? Ray Comfort: Well, do you
care about your life? Jurgen Ankenbrand: Yeah.
Ray Comfort: Do you love living? Jurgen Ankenbrand:
Yeah, of course. Ray Comfort: Jurgen, Jesus said, "What shall it
profit a man if he gains the whole world
and loses his own soul." He said if you look at a woman
and lust for her you committed adultery with her in your heart. Have you ever looked
at a woman with lust? Jurgen Ankenbrand:
I'm sure every man has at one time or another. Ray Comfort: Yeah, but have you?
Jurgen Ankenbrand: Yeah. Ray Comfort: Have you
used God's name in vain? Jurgen Ankenbrand: Yeah. Ray Comfort: Even though
you don't believe in Him? Jurgen Ankenbrand: I think
it's more a matter of speech. Ray Comfort: Yeah, so I don't
want you to end up in hell. You seem like a nice guy. I'd hate God to give you what
you deserve on Judgment Day. You're a lying thief, a
blasphemer, and an adulterer. Jurgen Ankenbrand: Whatever
will happen will happen. Ray Comfort: How old
are you, Jurgen? Jurgen Ankenbrand: Sixty-eight. Ray Comfort: How long
have you got to live? Jurgen Ankenbrand:
Probably another 20 years. Ray Comfort: Are
you afraid of dying? Jurgen Ankenbrand:
No, not at all. If somebody told me, "You've
going to die next month," I'd say, "Okay, I've lived a full
life and I've very few regrets so I'm ready to go." Ray Comfort: So you
wouldn't have any treatment if you found you had cancer? ♪♪♪ Ray Comfort: It was June 3. I was in Washington, D.C.,
with our film crew at an atheist rally to record an
episode for season five of our television program. Christopher Hitchens: And cruel
indifferent and capricious and that is the case when
every argument for-- Ray Comfort: We
wanted to show our love for atheists
so we purchased $25,000 worth of Subway gift
cards to give to those who were attending the rally. But when the D.C. police
heard that 1000 Christians were coming to help
us, they called it a protest and said if we approached any atheists we'd be arrested and so
we ended up giving most of the cards to the homeless instead. While we were in D.C. I had agreed to do an
interview with an atheist filmmaker named Scott Burdick. He wanted to get Banana
Man's thoughts on atheism, God, the Bible, and why
I'd become a Christian. Ray Comfort: And so at
the age of 20 I thought, "Why on earth won't
people talk about death?" We're all in this long line. People are stepping off
a cliff and I thought, "Can I get out of this line?" And so that night I
just cried out, "Why?" Didn't even cry out to God.
Was just, "Why? It just makes no sense." Everything is futile if
death comes at the end. It makes no sense. And then six months later,
I was on a surfing trip, the gospel was explained to me
that we've sinned against God, we've violated His law and, like
any judge proclaims a sentence, God proclaimed the
death sentence upon the whole of humanity. The soul that
sins, it shall die. That was--that's why we die. And after this the Judgment, and
hell awaits because God is just. But it also says God is rich in
mercy and He provided a Savior. We broke God's law and
Jesus paid the fine in full. And if we all repent and trust
in Him who died for us and rose again on the
third day, God says, "I'll rule out your sins
and grant you everlasting life as a free gift." Hinduism doesn't offer
forgiveness of sins. Buddhism, Islam, no religion. They're all works
righteousness religions. Scott Burdick: But
how do you know that? I can see why this is a
very comforting thought? How do you know that it's true? Ray Comfort: Let me
explain it this way. All the religions
are what's called works righteousness religions. Hinduism, Buddhism,
Islam, et cetera, say you have to do something
to merit everlasting life. Christianity says you can't.
You're a law breaker. Anything you offer God is an
attempt to bribe Him to forgive your sins and grant
you everlasting life. The only way we can be forgiven
is if the Judge is merciful. And God is rich in
mercy and He'll forgive any sinner who comes to Him. Ray Comfort: As with other
atheists, he kindly gave me a free pass to share the gospel
and didn't edit out one word, and was produced by atheists
and promoted to atheists and, in three months, it
had over 100,000 views. female: Sounds like
a good spot. If you want to do large crowds,
we have to go over there, like-- Scott Burdick: Oh,
okay, we can go over there now, yeah, definitely. Ray Comfort: Banana Man had
opened doors once again. Theoretical physicist,
Professor Lawrence Krauss, had also agreed to an
interview while we were in D.C. It was my plan to put the
interview into our then-new documentary,
"The Atheist Delusion." About six months earlier, I'd
gone to a local college to film a clip for one of
my books called, "Made in Heaven," a publication
filled with beautiful photos of man's so-called inventions that
were actually copied from nature without giving God attribution. When I met an
atheist named Adam, for some reason I asked him
to look through the book for a moment and asked him if he could
believe the book made itself. Then I talked about
the book of our DNA. I was amazed to see his reaction
so I asked other atheists and they suddenly saw how
crazy it was to be an atheist. Having Lawrence Krauss in the
film would be a huge draw card for atheists, even
though he had restricted me to just four questions. When we arrived at his hotel
and stepped on to the D.C. sidewalk, I was
wondering what he'd be like. I soon found out. He called out my name
like some long-lost friend, then he said, "I'd like you to
meet my friend, Penn Jillette." Penn Jillette?
What was he doing there? For some reason, Penn wanted
to sit in on the interview. Of course, both the professor
and Penn wanted their photos taken with me. I knew why, but I didn't mind. They were like excited
little kids who were visiting Disneyland and wanted
their photos taken with Goofy. ♪♪♪ male: Their guys lit it up for
you already and everything. Lawrence Krauss: All right. Ray Comfort: I'm
happy with anything. male: Freedom from
Religion bag's there. Lawrence Krauss: Paul,
you remember-- you know Gus,
right, over there? Ray Comfort: So I just ask
these four questions. I don't go off the subject.
Lawrence Krauss: Four questions. I used to do that
when I was a little kid. Yeah, yeah, Passover. Laurence Krauss: And
we've agreed in that they're going to be either all
used unedited or none, right? No editing? Ray Comfort: You're going to
mention Banana Man in Tweets? Lawrence Krauss: No, no, I'm not
going to mention bananas at all. I might. Maybe at the beginning, now
that you mention it, do I need-- Ray Comfort: I don't mind.
Let's use it. Lawrence Krauss: Okay, maybe
I'll add a banana thing in there somewhere, in that case. But really wish someone
should have got--I think you had ordered bananas, no? Ray Comfort: --or shall I?
Lawrence Krauss: I already have. male: Can someone be
moral without a belief in God? Ray Comfort: Absolutely. What's the
favorite atheist thing? You can be good without God. Yeah, all you've got
to do is choose your own standard of goodness. I interview a lot of people and
almost everyone proclaims their own goodness:
"I'm a good person." male: What's
your definition of good? Ray Comfort: Well, the
dictionary has 40-plus definitions of good. male: What's
your personal definition? Ray Comfort: Well, I'll give you
the dictionary and I'll tell you what my definition of good
is, from the dictionary. The dictionary has at least 40
different definitions of good. Number one is moral excellence. That's my definition of
good 'cause I side with God's definition of good. Good means moral perfection
in thought, word, and in deed. If you talked to Adolf
Hitler, I guarantee he'll think he's a good person. "I cleaned up Germany,
brought in full employment, got rid of brothels, and
cleaned up the scum and purified the German nation." A little girl was looking at a
sheep eating green grass and she thought how nice
and white the sheep looked against the green grass. Then it began to snow and the
same girl looked at the same sheep and said, "What a dirty
sheep against the white snow." Same sheep,
different background. When you and I
compare ourselves, the background of man, we
come up reasonably clean. I mean, my life compared to
Adolf Hitler's makes me seem like a really good person. But on Judgment Day, God will
judge us by the standard of moral perfection, absolute
righteousness that considers lust to be adultery,
hatred to be murder. male: So it's kind
of like a thought crime? Ray Comfort: Yeah, thought
crimes, yeah, absolutely. If you lust after a woman you
commit adultery in your heart. male: So just thinking
something like that is-- Ray Comfort: Absolutely. If you hate someone, God
knows if you had opportunity you'd probably do it. If you knew there was not
punishment for your crime. male: It almost sounds like
George Orwell in "1984" where they had thought
police and thought crimes and-- Ray Comfort: Well,
let me qualify it. Okay, the average guy lusts
after the woman next door. God knows and he
knows if the woman said, "Come over, honey," he'd be over
like greased lightning because the desire is the same as
the deed in God's eyes. male: Just having desire for-- Ray Comfort: Oh yeah, the
Bible says: "He who hates his brother is a murderer." Lawrence Krauss: Even though
they look designed, the illusion of
design--let's say, like a banana, for
example, is an illusion. And when people assume things
like bananas are designed, they come up with
ridiculous things as you're ultimately familiar with. The same thing with DNA.
DNA comes about by biochemistry. The wonderful thing about my
world view versus your world view is not only is
it changeable but it actually is real. Ray Comfort: Okay, well,
thank you so much. Really appreciated
talking to you. Lawrence Krauss:
Yeah, same here. Thanks a lot, okay. male: Are we done?
Lawrence Krauss: No heckling. Ray Comfort: I could only
ask him four questions and that was it. I would love to go
all over the place. Would you like to
do an interview? Ray Comfort: Penn was standing
beside one of the cameras. There were four
cameras, all rolling. The lights were still set. Everything was
perfect for an interview. Surely, this was
divinely orchestrated. Ray Comfort: No, he's finished.
He only wanted four questions. male: Lawrence, did you want to
ask any questions yourself? Lawrence Krauss: Yeah, yeah,
okay, can I ask you a question? So I've always been fascinated
by the banana interview that, you know, you did which I've
shown in several of my lectures and I know that it's very good
of you to live it down but did you--are you
embarrassed by that? Ray Comfort: Oh, very.
Do you want me to tell you why? I did it for 30 years as a
stand-up routine in front of a live audience. Always got laughter but what I
did was do it on a television program where there was no
reaction so it fell flat. An atheist got it, took it out
of context 'cause I had a coke can and then I had a banana and
I'd have an apple and I'd make a sort of a stand-up routine. And it was very funny in
front of a live audience. But then you said about the
genetically altered banana, and you just changed it all and
repeat it and it comes over a-- 'Cause the banana, you know,
the banana you're using does not--well, in fact, was a
product of intelligent design because original bananas
didn't have that shape at all. And I've noticed Richard
Dawkins has used this routine three times on television and
he's got laughs every time but he's given me
attribution so I appreciate it. Ray Comfort: Seriously, Kirk,
the whole of creation testifies to the genius of God's
creative power. Richard Dawkins: You probably
think that's some kind of spoof. It's not. This pair, Ray Comfort and Kirk
Cameron, are deadly serious. Ray Comfort: No,
we're not, Professor. We're not deadly serious about
the design of the banana being proof for God's existence. In context, sir, we're
making fun of atheism. But you can't see that
because you really do think that atheism is intellectual. You don't see that what you
believe is truly ridiculous, that it's worthy of ridicule,
that atheism is infinitely more ridiculous than
believing that a soda can made
itself from nothing. Lawrence Krauss: What I hope
is that you learn from it. Ray Comfort: Oh, yeah, I
learned from that. Make sure you do it in
front of a live audience. Lawrence Krauss: No,
no, no, no, no. Learn the mistakes. Ray Comfort: No, and I
got a second thing. Got to tell you what's
happened because of it. It's been embarrassing but
it's opened huge doors for me. I've got to talk to
atheists on radio programs, television programs. Lawrence Krauss: Well, it's
true, it opened the door as I wouldn't have known who
you were if I hadn't seen the banana thing. Ray Comfort: Yeah,
so it's been great. Lawrence Krauss: And, yeah,
so it's been good that way. Well, I hope it's been very good
for you and I really wish we did have a banana here for you
to sign, but another time. Thanks again.
Ray Comfort: Thank you. Lawrence Krauss:
Okay, no, it's okay. I was going to ask
why you persist but it's okay. Ray Comfort: Go on.
I'm thick-skinned like a banana. Lawrence Krauss: No, no,
you wouldn't have done this if you weren't. Are you trying to save people? Ray Comfort: Is that the same-- Lawrence Krauss: Okay, so why-- is it you just feel
you're called to do it? Ray Comfort: I believe in
the existence of hell. I believe it's a very real place
with every ounce of sincerity and innocence I've got, I
would warn people that God is just and holy. Lawrence Krauss: And loving?
Ray Comfort: Oh yes. That's why He condemns
people to eternity for torture? Ray Comfort: No. Lawrence Krauss: 'Cause
He loves 'em so much. Ray Comfort: No, He'll have His
day of justice where Nazis will be punished for their wickedness
but He's so thorough He'll punish lying and stealing
and adultery and fornication. Lawrence Krauss: Forever.
Ray Comfort: Yeah, it'll be-- Lawrence Krauss:
That's a loving God. That's amazing. Lawrence Krauss:
Saddam Hussein in the sky. It's really kind of amazing. Ray Comfort: Let
me just give me one-- let me just give
you one sentence. Fifty-four million people
will die in the next 12 months, 54 million worldwide. I've found the everlasting life,
I'm totally convinced of that and I just want to
share it with other people. And all I want
them to do is listen. Lawrence Krauss: Mm, okay, well,
yeah, again, to--I should say, the other thing is
everlasting life, to me, just seems
like the worst torture. Ray Comfort: It may be to you
but not to me 'cause there's a new world coming-- Lawrence Krauss: 'Cause
you have to be with, you know-- can you imagine an eternity
where you have to talk to me? Ray Comfort: I would love that.
I'd be honored. Thank you again. Lawrence Krauss: Yeah,
we'll be in different places. We'll be having
all the fun, okay. Thank you very much. Lawrence Krauss: I didn't get
to say goodbye to you. I want to, yeah. Ray Comfort: Now, you
know, "goodbye" is from "God be with you"? God be with
you, yeah, goodbye. Yeah, Oxford
dictionary, God be with you. It's in the dictionary. It is, it's
the Oxford English. Lawrence Krauss: Hold on,
we've got Google here. We've got Google.
We've got Google. We can settle this. A lot of science is
determined by Google. But you can't believe
everything you read in Google and if you're right
I won't believe it. Yeah, that's right, exactly. female: Just take it
back and say it's state-- male: No matter what
the evidence is. Lawrence Krauss: "Goodbye." male: Now that's type one faith. Lawrence Krauss:
"Goodbye etymology." male: You should just
go straight to-- male: That's a good point. Lawrence Krauss:
"Goodbye etymology. Goodbye." Oh, hold on.
Hold on. "Late 16th century contraction
of 'God be with you.'" Well, you win this one. You know, and the point is I'm
happy to admit when I'm wrong. Ray Comfort: That's great.
Nice to meet you guys. ♪♪♪ Ray Comfort: About five
minutes after my interview with Lawrence Krauss I was
standing with our production crew on the sidewalk
outside the hotel. We're about to leave
when I was approached by Penn and his actor
friend, Paul Provenza. As the conversation
began, Scotty began filming. I shared the complete
gospel with Penn, taking him through the Ten
Commandments into the cross. We spoke about the difference
between faith and trust, the question of who made
God, and many other issues. Ray Comfort: I want to thank
you for that little video you made about Christian--a guy
that gave you a Gideon Bible. That was the most perceptive
thing I think I've ever heard from any atheist or
even non-Christian. It's brought me to
tears, it was so wonderful. I'm tackling you
tonight 'cause I love you. 'Cause you said if there's
comes a point, tackle them. Ray Comfort: "If I believe
that a truck was coming at you and you didn't believe it, there's a certain point
where I'd tackle you." Ray Comfort: When
you'd tackle a person. And that's what I'm doing to
you 'cause I care about you. Ray Comfort: Minutes after I'd
talked to him about tackling someone who was about to be hit
by an approaching vehicle and didn't know it, Penn and Paul
in an effort to end another conversation that had
started, stepped onto the road and were almost killed. This is what Penn said on his
podcast soon after the incident: "We're so eager to get away that
I really did and I mean without a doubt, no joke,
no exaggeration, I pull Provenza into
traffic where a car slams on its brakes, squeals,
and misses him, going fast, by maybe three inches. I mean, hits his pant
leg, that's how close it is to breaking his leg. I'm so eager to get away
from there that I really did run into traffic and pull
Provenza with me!" Ray Comfort: Tim Berends hosts
a radio program in Las Vegas. When he interviewed me on his
program about my "Banana Man" book, he said that he had
read something in it that needed to be corrected. Tim Berends: There's one
error in your book and it's not your fault; it's
Penn Jillette's fault. Let me tell you what
happened real briefly. Once I got him a copy of
your "Evidence Bible." I was thinking as I was reading
"Banana Man" and you were writing about Penn
Jillette, I thought, "Why didn't he say anything
about 'The Evidence Bible'?" Ray Comfort: So that was you
that gave him that Bible? Tim Berends: I gave him the
Bible and I gave him an "Evidence Bible"
that you put out. Ray Comfort:
Wow, that is amazing. Tim Berends: And it was
actually a Living Waters "Evidence Bible"
that I gave him. Ray Comfort:
An "Evidence Bible"? Our "Evidence Bible"? Tim Berends:
Your "Evidence Bible." I had his name engraved on it. I had given one to his
partner, Teller, as well. Ray Comfort: So you're the man?
Tim Berends: I'm the man. Ray Comfort: So tell me
exactly what happened. You went and you just
handed him a Bible? You went to a show? Tim Berends: Well, I
had given blood and was given free tickets for the show and I thought, "This
would be good to get this in his hands," and so afterwards they
meet the people that have come to the show out in the lobby. And I usually wait 'til last
because of what I'm going to be doing and giving, and so I
went up to him and I said, "Penn, I've got a
Bible for you." And I didn't know how
'cause I knew he was an atheist. I didn't know how he
was going to react. And he was very gracious. He said, "Well,
thank you very much. Thank you very much."
And so I just walked away. And it just, you
know, felt very good. I thought, "Wow." And then a week
later I went back in. You can meet these
fellas out in the lobby. I didn't go to the
show that night but, again, I waited
'til last and I said, "Penn, did you read any
of that Bible I got you?" And he said, "I've read
the Bible four times. Have you read the Bible?" Well, I've had a
form of dyslexia. I've not read many
books in my life; in fact, I think six books. "Banana Man" was seventh. And I really
struggle with reading. And I said, "No, I've
had a reading disability. I haven't read it
all the way through." I mean, I listen to it a lot
but--and he just shook his head and walked away. And I went out to my car.
I was so depressed. And I saw that my sister had
called from Michigan and I told her what happened
and she said, "Tim, you need to go to YouTube and
type in Penn Jillette and the gift of a Bible." And when I did, I thought,
"Wow, thank you, Lord. Thank you." And I went back in the
following week and I said, "Penn, what you said on YouTube
ought to be preached from every pulpit in the land." Tim Berends: This afternoon. Ray Comfort: I contacted
Penn and he confirmed that it was Tim who
gave him the Bible. Jurgen Ankenbrand: Very few
regrets so I'm ready to go. Ray Comfort: So you wouldn't
have any treatment if you found you had cancer? Jurgen Ankenbrand:
I contribute to having a healthy life by being active, by
being physically fit. Ray Comfort: Who are you
grateful to for life? God gave you life.
Jurgen Ankenbrand: Maybe so. You can't prove your
point any more than I can. Ray Comfort: Yes, I can.
Jurgen Ankenbrand: No. Ray Comfort: You can't
say I can't 'cause I can. Jurgen Ankenbrand: Prove it. Ray Comfort: All you have to
do is do what the Bible says: repent and trust in Him who
died on the cross for you. If you will do that, if you'll
repent and trust in the Savior, say, "God, forgive my sins,"
and willfully put your trust in Jesus Christ, God will
reveal Himself to you. This is what Jesus said: "He
that has My commandments and keeps them, he is that loves
Me and he that loves Me will be loved by My Father. I too will love him and
will reveal Myself to him." So there's the gauntlet. If you obey the gospel, God
will reveal Himself to you. Jurgen Ankenbrand: I
don't feel compelled to do any of the
things you just said. Ray Comfort: Oh well, let me
leave the ball in your court. Maybe tonight, you'll have a
little kind of minor heart attack on your bed and you'll
think about the issues of life and death and you'll say, "I
better get right with God before death seizes upon me,"
'cause this is so important. Remember, Jesus said,
"What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world
and loses his own soul." ♪♪♪ Ray Comfort: 'Cause God
knows when you're going to die. You don't. And there's
something in you that says, "Oh, I don't want to die." ♪♪♪ Ray Comfort: So this is where
Jurgen sat day after day, month after month,
year after year, and suddenly he was gone. Penn and his friend were
almost hit by a vehicle; Jurgen wasn't so fortunate. It's human nature to believe
that death is something that happens to other people. He didn't get his 20
years and, for that reason, I want to tackle you today. Please, if you're
not right with God, get right with God today;
you may not have tomorrow. ♪♪♪ Ray Comfort: I can't express to
you how humiliated I was by the Banana Man label. I could hardly pick up a banana,
let alone eat one, for years. I took the word "banana" and put
it among the cuss words on my Facebook page so if anyone made
a comment with the word "banana" it didn't make it
through into the comments. And that film crew
from New Zealand? They wanted to talk about
"Banana Man" and I wouldn't let them because I
was so embarrassed. Steve Shives: Hi, everybody. Thank you for joining me as I
continue my examination of the books of Ray Comfort. Ray Comfort: But look
at what happened. God delights in taking that
which is a seeming failure and making it a success. Who but God could take atheists
of all people and not only have them listen to the gospel
but have them proclaim it? So if you're going
through a tough time today, if you're being
mocked for your faith, lift up hands that
hang down, rejoice, and be exceedingly glad because
the day is coming when those who are fools for Christ will be
seen to be wise and those who are wise in their own eyes will
be seen to be fools because they rejected God's gift
of everlasting life. ♪♪♪ Thank you so much for taking
the time to watch The Fool. We hope that the movie
has inspired you to share the message
of eternal life. We want to encourage you to
watch our award winning movies such as The Atheist Delusion,
Evolution vs. God, and 180, freely at LivingWaters.com. On our website you'll find
fresh daily articles, video
and audio messages, as well as books, DVDs,
unique gospel tracts and other resources to help you share your
faith biblically and
effectively. Make sure to visit today. ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪
