^ His closing comment was particularly interesting. His lesbian sister spent the final two weeks of their father's life nursing him as he died of a brain tumor, at home in hospice care (apparently). He didn't say whether his parents had shunned her or not, but he described her care as being "the most Christ-like" thing he had ever seen in his life.
That's odd. Familial piety sounds much more Chinese than American, as a religious virtue, the Fundamentalists notwithstanding.
Christ taught that if we love our families and care for them, we are not doing anything special, that even the pagans do as much. He went on to say that Christians should love their enemies, which Christians no longer do, as evidenced in the US (and elsehwere) by the current state of things.
Perhaps the comedian's father had acted hatefully towards his sister, but that wasn't shared. He specifically described them as loving people, so it seems unlikely. They apparently raised both children lovingly.
I note it because today, all over my country, loving your family is equated with being Christian, as if it is a Christian distinctive and earns merit religiously. I do not think that true. On the other hand, not loving family was stated by the Christ as a wickedness, especially if you do for the poor but not for the needy in your own family.
As in almost all of the New Testament, there are many contradictions. In the same gospel (St. Matthew), Christ announced he came to set "mother against daughter", etc., and bring conflict, not peace.
And we can hold contradictory things, just as states and philosopies do, so religion isn't unique that way.
Heady sttuff for a funny video, but then again, he started it.
