'Big Bang Theory' producer says societies who abandon God drift toward tyranny
Hollywood producer Chuck Lorre, the creative force behind hit sitcoms such as "Two and a Half Men" and "The Big Bang Theory," discussed the importance of spirituality on Joe Rogan's podcast Tuesday.
Lorre released his memoir, "Sitcom: A Memoir," on Tuesday, reflecting on his life and career. Lorre has previously discussed his religious background, having been raised Jewish before joining the Church of Scientology in his youth and later embracing Buddhism.
In the most recent episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience," Lorre warned that worldly wealth and fame ultimately are not fulfilling and that "it's not the real solution. The real solution, you know, I'm going to say it and then regret it, but the real solution is a spiritual solution. You have to find something beyond this world."
After Rogan asked why he might regret making the remark, including whether it had to do with working in Hollywood, Lorre replied that he didn't wish to be associated with "new age bulls---."
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Rogan agreed, saying he believes the term "spirituality" has been co-opted by insincere people who have given it a "bad name."
"I know some people that are like legitimately spiritual. Some of the nicest people that I know," Rogan said, describing a Christian acquaintance who built homes for homeless people and helped them overcome addiction.
"It's like I know people like that too," Lorre agreed. "They're real, and they’re role models."
Later on in the episode, Lorre marveled at how humans are unlike animals in that they create religions as a means of understanding and valuing the world around them, saying, "You wanna call it true or not, it's an organizing element that no other animal does."
Lorre argued that it didn't matter if a particular religion was "true" but said that when a society abandons a belief in a supernatural god, it begins to worship extreme ideologies.
"When civilizations or cultures that took God out of the picture, they replaced it, with the Communist Party, with a fascist dictator. You know, it's the same idea: ‘Organize around me. Doesn’t matter if I’m right or not, organize around me.’ And people will," he warned.
Lorre compared shared religious beliefs to a tent pole holding society's understanding of reality together, suggesting that challenging those beliefs can provoke anger and uncertainty.
"And if you take that away from them, they get angry. It freaks them out because it's like the tent pole. That tent pole moves, the tent comes down and everything, you know, if you believe that this is the truth and someone says, ‘No, it's not. It's bulls---.’ Everything else you believe is in fair play. Everything," he said.
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Lorre himself is no stranger to political commentary.
Last month at the Project Angel Food Angel Awards in Los Angeles, Lorre used his acceptance speech to insult the first family, call the president a "Russian asset" and joke about checking whether Trump had suffered a fatal heart attack. He also called the first lady "a surgically enhanced, cold-hearted Yugoslavian escort who clearly hates her husband."