WINNIPEG: The Holy Atheist gently deals to circumcision

Uptown Mag (Winnipeg)
April 12, 2012

Introducing The Holy Atheist

Stevie Ray Fromstein takes a hilarious - and non-confrontational - approach to religion

By Jared Story

Born again. Stevie Ray Fromstein’s comedy career was rejuvenated when he found religion... kind of.

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"The Holy Atheist idea kind of came out of one conversation I had with a friend of mine where we started talking about (religion) and I was making her laugh, and I thought, maybe I can actually talk about this and be funny, as well," Fromstein says over the phone from his home in Los Angeles.

"I went up onstage to give it a try and it was a disaster. ...

Fromstein has since refined his atheistic act ...

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The Holy Atheist’s favourite and most difficult target is circumcision. A Jew (at least culturally), Fromstein is a bit miffed he wasn’t consulted on the cutting of his foreskin. He believes the reasons for the prepuce-removal practice are preposterous.

"They say it’s important for a boy to look like his father, but how do we know that?" Fromstein says. "Where is the study? Where are all the serial killers whose penis didn’t match their fathers? Plus, your penis doesn’t look anything like your father’s when you’re a little kid. My dad had a huge penis. Mine didn’t look anything like his, but it didn’t traumatize me, I was proud of my dad.

"The other argument you hear is that it’s cleaner to be circumcised when, in fact, it’s not cleaner — the foreskin protects the penis. Even if it was somehow cleaner, there’s now an exciting alternative to surgery called soap. It’s absurd, but these are the two arguments you’ll hear from everybody. It’s like an old wives’ tale that became science."

Get more of Fromstein’s take on circumcision and other religion-related matters at www.theholyath[ei]st.com and follow him on Twitter @TheHolyAtheist.

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