God Collar

Marcus Brigstocke

Average Rating 8/10 (1 Review)

A bed-wettingly funny yet vicious rant against both believers and non-believers of the world's religions by one of Britain's most talented and high-profile comedians.

'There's probably no God ... but I wish there was. I've got some things I need to ask him.'

Marcus Brigstocke is a husband, a father and an award-winning comedian. He's also an atheist... Or at least he thinks he is. He wishes he wasn't. But he probably is. He knows that God probably doesn't exist because he read it on the side of a bus, and that's one of the ways you can know things.

Here, in God Collar, Marcus sets out on a journey through faith in the hope of filling his 'God-shaped hole' (this is not his arsehole - he is not suggesting his bottom looks like God). Exploring his own issues surrounding faith - his lack of it, his need for it, other people's exploitation of it and what good purposes it might serve if he could get hold of it - he examines the Church of England, the Roman Catholic Church, Judaism, Islam, Humanism and Buddhism, but none of them seem able to fill the gap. What good is God if some of his keenest followers abuse children, blow each other up and refuse to dance to 'YMCA'? Can God and Marcus ever be friends when they have so little in common? What's a reluctant atheist to do?

About the Author:
Since winning the BBC New Comedian of 1996, Marcus Brigstocke has emerged as a major talent in comedy, writing and acting. Most recently, he has shelved his stand-up microphone to play both King Arthur in Spamalot and Mr Perks in the award-winning production of The Railway Children at Waterloo station.

'Perfectly structured and packed with passion, intelligence and the right kind of false-footing scepticism.'

Review by Ben Macnair (311013) Rating (8/10)

Review by Ben Macnair
Rating 8/10
Marcus Brigstocke is a well known comedy face on Television, a well known comedy voice on Radio, and God Collar is his examination of religion, and how religion can relate to his world.

Anyone who is familiar with Brigstocke's media work will find themselves a home in this thoughtful and well written book, which questions religion and faith. It is not just Christianity that is under inspection, but also the Church of England, the Roman Catholic Church, Judaism, Islam, Humanism, and Buddhism. We look at the beliefs of practitioners, and the influence that religion has had on the world.

This is the book of a tour that asked the same questions, so it skips from idea to idea quite quickly, and news stories and other books mean that the book is firmly placed in a certain time frame. As well as taking on religion, he also takes on the likes of Richard Dawkins, and although he is an affirmed Atheist, he still looks for the comfort that faith and a belief system that the church can provide.

He looks at the difference between people and their beliefs, as well questioning some of the more extra-ordinary chapters and episodes from the more important religious tomes. He looks at the differing attitudes in the Old Testament and New Testament, and points out some of the crueller aspects of God's personality that many of the faithful seem willing to over-look.

Religious Fanatics will find cause to complain about this book, and sometimes the humour is a bit too close to the bone, but this is a well researched book, fluidly written, and feels at times more like a conversation than a read, and it will make many people, regardless of their faith question their own assumptions.
Ben Macnair (31st October 2013)