By Jack Linshi
Actor-comedian Stephen Fry, an outspoken atheist, had an answer ready this week when asked what he’d say if “confronted by God.”
“Suppose it’s all true, and you walk up to the pearly gates, and you are confronted by God,” asked Gay Byrne, host of RTÉ One’s The Meaning of Life. “What will Stephen Fry say to him, her, or it?”
“I’d say, Bone cancer in children? What’s that about?” answered the 57-year-old Brit. “How dare you? How dare you create a world to which there is such misery that is not our fault? It’s not right, it’s utterly, utterly evil.”
“Why should I respect a capricious, mean-minded, stupid God who creates a world that is so full of injustice and pain?” Fry said. “That’s what I would say.”
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Donald Trump Is TIME's 2024 Person of the Year
- Why We Chose Trump as Person of the Year
- Is Intermittent Fasting Good or Bad for You?
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- The 20 Best Christmas TV Episodes
- Column: If Optimism Feels Ridiculous Now, Try Hope
- The Future of Climate Action Is Trade Policy
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
Contact us at letters@time.com