Oy, Jaron. For such a funny guy, you have some humorless fans!

The other day I was thinking that I had lost my way in this blog. The fact that I am a Jewish country music fan had lost its importance and I had assimilated into the mass of mostly secular country music conversation.

                                       

Then, Sunday night I see that Jaron Lowenstein, the Jewish pop singer gone country, has posted the following on his Facebook page

"Haaa!!! "Thank you to God for making me an atheist." -Ricky Gervais. Wow. that guy's got balls."

Just imagine Jaron having 100 bibles thrown at him (all but one aimed to just miss his pretty head) and then his fans lecturing and preaching to one another from their respective moral highgrounds. That's what the comment thread looks like. Some of comments are long rants, both for and against the Gervais quote and a Christian understanding of God and faith.  "He totally contradicted himself and it's not even right." one frustrated and comedically impaired Jaron fan says of Gervais.

An offended Christian's post reads, "Speechless... Can you shoot your maker in the face any harder?" It doesn't surprise me that religious Christians find Gervais' statement offensive, but this comment is so removed from my frame of reference that I honestly find it bizarre. Even my most religious Jewish friends would find some humor Gervais' statement, at least in the contradiction itself.

Considering that the song "I'll Pray for You", his ticket onto country radio, is 100% sarcastic, the comment "I love when Christians use the statement "I'll pray for you" at the end of their discussions as a way to be a condescending a-hole." is rather apropo on behalf of the not-offended and tired of the preaching.

I wonder if Jaron had any clue that so many of his fans lack a sense of humor when it comes to God. Why should he? It doesn't make any sense that they like his song "I'll Pray for You" but are unable to laugh at Gervais ridiculous statement.

I said that all but one bible was aimed to miss Jaron's head. His offended fans for the most part criticized Gervais for joking about God, not Jaron for repeating it and finding it funny.  Only one guy posted "Jaron....I used 2 like you."

I'm glad Jaron's not wearing some sort of hokey country camoflague in order to fit into the genre more easily. Even though he doesn't have enough twang for my taste, I'll continue following his career because he keeps me entertained. Here's his next funny song "Happy For You". If this makes it onto the radio (doubtful) I can already hear my eight year old saying "Mama, it isn't nice to say hate."