Blasphemy on YouTube


I'm obviously far from the first person to write this, but it's really amazing how quickly YouTube has grown.

It wasn't long ago, we did a story about some crazy people using YouTube to shoot off coke bottles. Then, a little later, a follow-up story about how many people were watching the exploding coke bottles. Then, how the little company with the exploding coke bottles was, all of the sudden, worth 1.65 billion dollars.

I had a YouTube experience of my own recently .. and it had nothing to do with keeping up with past episodes of "The Daily Show." It had to do with a website, and how many YouTubers went along with the challenge.

It's called The Blasphemy Challenge. A group asking people to make a YouTube video where they deny the existence of a higher power. Now, for most people, this would be a spirited (?) discussion among friends, but to talk about your atheism to a world of total strangers? Surprisingly, hundreds are so bold. YouTube was full of people taking the Challenge, and denying their need for religious faith.

We did a story on it, thinking we might be ahead of the curve of something interesting...at least, controversial. Not only did the story come out well (all involved were cool, and not preachy), but someone decided to YouTube the story itself, and about three days in, more than 11,000 people had tuned in.

TV stations, and their websites, would love that kind of response.

So, take note amateur theologists .. it's apparently OK to talk about such matters outside of your college dormrooms. It would be interesting to follow-up with the people taking the challenge. In, say, 10 years, will they still feel the same way about a higher power?

And, in ten years, what website will they use to get the word out?