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Mr. Deity

Mr. Deity is a series of satirical short films that parody aspects of religion, created by Brian Keith Dalton[1] and distributed by Lazy Eye Pictures. It stars Brian Keith Dalton, Jimbo Marshall, Sean Douglas, and Amy Rohren.[2] It premiered on December 27, 2006. The show was hosted on YouTube, after a spell on Crackle and is currently available on the Mr. Deity channel on YouTube. In early 2012 Jimbo Marshall ended his participation to work in his own production company, "Your Video Solution."

Mr. Deity
(Left to Right) Jesus, Lucy, the Deity, and Larry
GenreComedy
Created byBrian Keith Dalton
Directed byBrian Keith Dalton
StarringBrian Keith Dalton
Jimbo Marshall
Sean Douglas
Amy Rohren
Opening themeThe Mr. Deity Theme
ComposerBrian Keith Dalton
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons7
Production
ProducersBrian Keith Dalton
Jimbo Marshall
Sean Douglas
Running time2 to 7 minutes
Original release
NetworkYouTube
Crackle
ReleaseDecember 27, 2006 (2006-12-27) –
present

History

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After the 2004 tsunami hit Sri Lanka, director Brian Keith Dalton was amazed that his then brother-in-law, a Sri Lankan, could still find "God's hand" in the disaster after so many people lost their lives suddenly. This prompted him to write about it, at first for his own amusement, and becoming the inspiration for the show.[3] In late 2006 Dalton decided to make a series of short comedy films about God surveying the universe with his assistant. The first episode, called "Mr. Deity and the Evil," features only Dalton and his friend, cinematographer Jimbo Marshall, making decisions about what evils to allow. Jesus appears in the second episode, played by Sean Douglas. Amy Rohren rounded out the cast, portraying Lucifer (or Lucy) later in the first season.[4]

After the last episode of the first season, Dalton signed a deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment to create a TV version of Mr. Deity for HBO. The deal also made the second season of the web series exclusive to Sony's comedy website, Crackle.com.[5] The Sony deal eventually fell through, prompting Dalton to bring the series back to YouTube. In May 2009 a trailer parodying Frost/Nixon using the cast of Mr. Deity was released, inaugurating the third season of the show.

During an interview in 2023, Brian Keith Dalton said the sixth season would be the final of the series. [3]

Theological views

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Mr. Deity often expresses annoyance with organized religion or human beings who claim to speak in his name, although he often treats this as an issue of improper attribution rather than a theological problem. In "Mr. Deity and the Book" and "Mr. Deity and the Book, Part Deux", he becomes very irate over being attributed as the author of the Bible, due to not being included in the editorial process.

Mormons are specifically named in "Mr. Deity and the Book" as being a source of irritation to Mr. Deity due to their scriptural canonization of the idea that certain non-African humans with dark skin were cursed by God to lose their whiteness due to wicked behavior. Notably, Dalton is himself a former Mormon or Formon, a term he coined in 1996.[6][7]

Cast

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Brian Dalton accepts award from the IIG August 21, 2010
  • Brian Keith Dalton: Mr. Deity, a.k.a. El, "El? Oh, him." The creator. Has little interest in—or even full comprehension of—the lives of humans and admits creating humans "to pass the time, provide some entertainment."[8] He proclaims he's not a "details guy," adding that "Lucy handles that" and generally takes the credit for Larry's ideas as well as delegating most tasks to him. He is in an on-again–off-again relationship with Lucy. His misunderstandings of humans, general confusion, self-absorption and pop-culture references are generally the basis of episodes.
  • Jimbo Marshall: Larry, Mr. Deity's assistant. He often helps the Deity stay on task and reviews important details in the plan, clarifying his work, and recording that which is noteworthy; for instance, in putting together the Top Ten list. Despite popular thinking, he is not a version of the Holy Spirit.
  • Sean Douglas: Jesus, Does Mr. Deity a "really big favor" by going to Earth, leading a sinless life, then being sacrificed in the original version of the script. In return he is made "full partner, 1/3 vote". However his own views are often at odds with the Deity's plan, either out of general confusion, misunderstanding, or moral objection. He contributed to the Top Ten list, tries to make sense out of the Deity's edicts, and attempts to get out of being crucified. In the first season Mr. Deity often forgets his name and has called him Jesse. Jesus also occasionally calls Mr. Deity "Dad." Notably, neither the Deity nor Jesus have a full grasp of the Trinity.
  • Amy Rohren: Lucifer or "Lucy", was dumped by Mr. Deity prior to the show and was then appointed by him to run hell. At one point she hired Nietzsche to kill him in retaliation for dumping her. When introduced she requested to have her mascot changed to a "bunny" instead of a snake, and they compromised on a goat. She and Mr. Deity have an on–off relationship. He uses her to facilitate his plan and inflict suffering on others for his amusement.[9]
  • Jarrett Lennon Kaufman: Timmy, technical adviser to Mr. Deity.

Awards and recognition

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On August 21, 2010, Dalton was honored with an award recognizing his contributions with Mr. Deity in the skeptical field, from The IIG during its 10th Anniversary Gala.[10]

Episodes

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Season 1

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Title[11] Topic Original airdate #
Mr. Deity and the Evil After Mr. Deity creates the universe, Larry finds out what kinds of evil he'll allow. December 27, 2006 1
Mr. Deity and the Really Big Favor Mr. Deity seeks help to save mankind while Larry oversees construction efforts. December 29, 2006 2
Mr. Deity and the Light Mr. Deity and Larry have trouble with the lighting on their new world. January 3, 2007 3
Mr. Deity and the Messages Mr. Deity explains prayer to Jesus while Larry gathers info on the evening's activities. January 14, 2007 4
Mr. Deity and Lucifer Larry unforgivably forwards a call from Lucifer (or Lucy) to Mr. Deity's personal phone. All Hell breaks loose. January 29, 2007 5
Mr. Deity Super Bowl Extra: The Press Conference Mr. Deity holds a press conference on the eve of the Super Bowl in order to clear things up. February 2, 2007 6
Mr. Deity and the Tour de Hell Lucy takes Mr. Deity on a tour of Hell. February 20, 2007 7
Mr. Deity and the Top Ten Jesus, Larry, and Mr. Deity struggle to come up with a Top Ten list. March 7, 2007 8
Mr. Deity and the Book Mr. Deity is outraged by a billboard which presumes his authorship of a certain book. March 26, 2007 9
Mr. Deity and the Seed Mr. Deity and Lucy work through a problem while Larry copes with the on-again/off-again nature of their relationship. April 15, 2007 10

Season 2

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Title[12] Topic Original airdate #
Mr. Deity and the Intel Mr. Deity, Lucy, and George W. Bush discuss the finer points on the War On Terror. October 17, 2007 11
Mr. Deity and the Meaning Game Mr. Deity and Larry discuss the meaning and purpose of life. November 3, 2007 12
Mr. Deity and the Voicemail A harmless prank phone call to Jesus gets Mr. Deity into a huge PR mess. November 17, 2007 13
Mr. Deity and the Notes Jesus has a few script notes for Mr. Deity. November 30, 2007 14
Mr. Deity and the Really Cheap Meal The group goes out for a heavenly night on the town. December 14, 2007 15
Mr. Deity and the Murder Mr. Deity and Lucy play a little game with Cain and Abel. January 9, 2008 16
Mr. Deity and the Limbo Mr. Deity gets rid of Limbo, the First Circle of Hell...not the game, and Lucy gets pissed. January 23, 2008 17
Mr. Deity and the Good Mr. Deity and Larry discuss the finer points of religious fundamentalism and idealism. February 8, 2008 18
Mr. Deity and the Help Meet Gender roles determined by Mr. Deity and Lucy. February 22, 2008 19
Mr. Deity and the Dress Rehearsal Mr. Deity experiences difficulty relaying his vision. March 7, 2008 20

Season 3

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Title[13] Topic Original airdate #
Mr. Deity and the Virgin Larry is stunned by Mr. Deity's callous response to a grave crisis. June 8, 2009 21
Mr. Deity and the Book, Part Deux Mr. Deity is outraged with the ideologies associated with him by the Christians in the Bible. He and Larry conceive various ways to punish them. June 23, 2009 22
Mr. Deity and the Magic Lucy explains to Mr. Deity the difference between magic and magic tricks. They then argue over the virtue of knowledge. July 6, 2009 23
Mr. Deity and the Scripts Jesus wants Mr. Deity to pare down the four scripts into one coherent narrative that he can act. August 3, 2009 24
Mr. Deity and the Really Unique Gift Lucy finds out what Mr. Deity is giving his chosen people. August 10, 2009 25
Mr. Deity and the Planes Larry tries to get Mr. Deity to do something about the upcoming attack on New York City. September 3, 2009 26
Mr. Deity and the Skeptic Skeptic Michael Shermer pleads his case before Jesus and Mr. Deity. September 15, 2009 27
Mr. Deity and Da Man Mr. Deity and Larry prepare Adam for a wife. September 28, 2009 28
Mr. Deity and the Science Advisor Mr. Deity is told by his science advisor PZ Myers that his design for the humans leaves something to be desired. October 12, 2009 29
Mr. Deity and the Identity Crisis Mr. Deity and Jesus try to figure out their relationship. October 27, 2009 30
Mr. Deity and Death Mr. Deity has to deal with an angry Death, whose day goes from bad to worse. November 10, 2009 31
Mr. Deity and the Woman Mr. Deity and Larry wake the Created Eve for her first look at the Garden. November 23, 2009 32
Mr. Deity and the Wrong Number Attempting to show Larry his new "Speed Dial" app, Mr. Deity gets a wrong number. December 16, 2009 33
Mr. Deity and the Magic, Part Deux Mr. Deity thinks he's finally proved the existence of other magical beings. December 23, 2009 34
Mr. Deity and the Hard Wire The head of R&D explains the limitations of the human brain to Mr. Deity and Lucy. January 11, 2010 35
Mr. Deity and the Promised Land Mr. Deity is questioned by Larry about his plans for the Promised Land. January 24, 2010 36
Mr. Deity and the Really Hard Time Mr. Deity needs to find time to create time. February 8, 2010 37
Mr. Deity and the Baptist Mr. Deity and Larry in conversation with the head of John the Baptist. February 22, 2010 38
Mr. Deity and the Host Jesus is eaten alive. March 9, 2010 39
Mr. Deity and the Equations Mr. Deity frantically throws together his own version of science in an attempt to save his job. March 23, 2010 40
Mr. Deity and the Quitter Jesus walks out on God's plan. April 12, 2010 41

Season 4 (prequel)

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Title[14] Topic Original airdate #
Mr. Deity and the Void It is explained how Mr. Deity, or El, came into existence. June 28, 2010 42
Mr. Deity and Larry After leaving the void, Mr. Deity is welcomed to the Omniverse by Larry. July 18, 2010 43
Mr. Deity and the Psych Exam Mr. Deity submits to a psych exam. August 2, 2010 44
Mr. Deity and the Denial Mr. Deity's request to become a creator god is denied, so he plans to go rogue. August 23, 2010 45
Mr. Deity on the Lamb Mr. Deity needs a co-creator, and he thinks Jesus is the Son of Man for the job. September 15, 2010 46
Mr. Deity and the Casting Call Mr. Deity looks for someone to play the role of Savior in his new universe. November 1, 2010 47
Mr. Deity and the Goodie Two-Shoes Mr. Deity and Larry discuss the variable parameters of Free Will. November 21, 2010 48
Mr. Deity and the Barbecue Mr. Deity's plans for a region of reprimand are discovered by John. December 14, 2010 49
Mr. Deity and the Matter Timmy tries to avoid telling Mr. Deity that they don't have enough matter to create a universe organically. January 24, 2011 50
Mr. Deity and the Showroom Timmy introduces Mr. Deity to Dark Matter. February 15, 2011 51
Mr. Deity and the Signs Mr. Deity is concerned that Larry has rigged the Universe in order to give people signs of His existence. March 8, 2011 52
Mr. Deity and the After Party Mr. Deity and John go over the plans for the after party. March 28, 2011 53
Mr. Deity and the Ghost Thing Mr. Deity and Jesus brainstorm about their trio. April 18, 2011 54
Mr. Deity and the Magician Mr. Deity seeks the help of a magician (Jamy Ian Swiss) in order to launch his six-day creation model. May 9, 2011 55
Mr. Deity and the Days Mr. Deity chats with Larry, Timmy, and John about the six days of Creation. June 13, 2011 56
Mr. Deity and the Opposition Mr. Deity talks to Larry about Lucy becoming his "antagonist." July 12, 2011 57
Mr. Deity and the Believing Brain Mr. Deity seeks help from Michael Shermer to make his creatures more gullible. August 3, 2011 58
Mr. Deity and the Philosopher Mr. Deity is questioned by Christopher DiCarlo about what makes something "right." August 25, 2011 59
Mr. Deity and the Naughty Bits The Deity crew finally find an intelligent life form to populate their universe. October 17, 2011 60
Mr. Deity and the Bang Mr. Deity and his group finally set off the Big Bang. November 22, 2011 61

Season 5

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Title[15] Topic Original airdate #
Mr. Deity and the Quitter, Part Deux Having quit the Deity project, Jesse/Jesus roams the ancient world, sharing Mr. Deity's script with the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. Jan 24, 2012 62
Mr. Deity and the Occupation Mr. Deity is confronted by the Occupy Heaven Movement. Feb 14, 2012 63
Mr. Deity and The Artist In the style of the film The Artist, Mr. Deity goes into his silent period. Mar 5, 2012 64
Mr. Deity and the Therapist Mr. Deity and Lucy visit a therapist to discuss the problem of evil and suffering. Apr 4, 2012 65
Mr. Deity and the Latter-Days Mr. Deity, Lucy, and John the Baptist meet with Joseph Smith to hear about his exciting new ideas for the latter-days. May 1, 2012 66
Mr. Deity and the Rights Mr. Deity shares his plan for human rights with Lucy. May 24, 2012 67
Mr. Deity and the Hitch A tribute of sorts to the late Christopher Hitchens Jul 10, 2012 68
Mr. Deity and the Marriage Mr. Deity deals with the thorny issue of marriage Aug 9, 2012 69
Mr. Deity and the Signs (Part Deux) Mr. Deity and Jesus discuss signs big and small Sep 24, 2012 70
Mr. Deity and the New Testament Lucy is thrilled by the teachings of the New Testament Oct 29, 2012 71
Mr. Deity and Another Testament John (the Baptist) tries to dissuade Mr. Deity from releasing another testament "as is." Nov 20, 2012 72
Mr. Deity and the Old Testament Larry has some bad news regarding the Old Testament Nov 30, 2012 73

Season 6

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Title[16] Topic Original airdate #
Mr. Deity and the Crash Mr. Deity wakes to find his finances taking a dive. Dec 6, 2012 74
Mr. Deity Superbowl [sic] Extravaganza 2013 Mr. Deity asks Lucy to help him pick a team to win the Super Bowl. Feb 3, 2013 75
Mr. Deity and the Advocate Mr. Deity interrupts a strategy session between Lucy and David Silverman. Feb 27, 2013 76
Mr. Deity and the Chaplain Mr. Deity sits down with Lucy and her chaplain. With Richard Milner as Charles Darwin. Mar 25, 2013 77
Mr. Deity and the Flood Mr. Deity discusses the flood with a geologist. With Donald Prothero. Jun 17, 2013 78
Mr. Deity and the Myth Mr. Deity turns Jesus into a mythical character so he can avoid the cross. Jul 17, 2013 79
Mr. Deity and the Hat Joseph Smith teaches Mr. Deity how to translate ancient languages. With Michael McAdam. Aug 14, 2013 80
Mr. Deity and the Hand Mr. Deity explains why he's removing his hand of protection from the land. Oct 19, 2013 81
Mr. Deity and the War Jesus and Mr. Deity prepare for war. Dec 13, 2013 82
Mr. Deity and the Killing Lucy forces Mr. Deity to reveal His plan to kill a celebrity who has angered Him. Apr 14, 2014 83
Mr. Deity and the Help Lucy talks with Mr. Deity about all the help he's been giving people in the wealthier countries of the world. Sep 29, 2014 84
Mr. Deity and the Atheist Richard Dawkins is mistakenly brought to the realm of the Deity. Feb 24, 2015 85
Mr. Deity and the Secret Mr. Deity and Lucy discuss the scrip for the Mormon Temple ceremony. May 31, 2015 86
Mr. Deity and the Donations Mr. Deity asks Lucy's assistant about some suspicious donations. Jun 29, 2015 87
Mr. Deity and the Sting Mr. Deity commissions a former pastor to infiltrate big Atheism. Aug 16, 2015 88
Mr. Deity and the Evidence Mr. Deity has found evidence of The Exodus. Sep 28, 2015 89
Mr. Deity and the Knowing Mr. Deity turns his all-knowingness back on. Nov 23, 2015 90
Mr. Deity and the Apologist Mr. Deity is excited about one of Allah's new apologists. Jan 31, 2016 91
Mr. Deity and the Call Mr. Deity finds out that Jesus has been moonlighting. May 8, 2016 92
Mr. Deity and the Root Mr. Deity gets some news from his financial advisor. Jun 1, 2016 93
Mr. Deity and the Job Mr. Deity thinks he's made a bet with Lucy regarding Job. Aug 15, 2016 94
Mr. Deity and the Ban An early episode of Mr. Deity from 1977. Nov 22, 2016 95
Mr. Deity and the Book, Part Trois Lucy confronts Mr. Deity about his promise to replace and repeal his original book. Apr 27, 2017 96
Mr. Deity and the Stuntman Mr. Deity talks to a stuntman about filling in for a while. Sep 5, 2017 97
Mr. Deity and the Crises As crises mount, Lucy worries that Mr. Deity is not on top of things. Nov 20, 2017 98
Mr. Deity and the Role Model Lucy is bothered by the story of King David. Apr 29, 2018 99
Mr. Deity and the U Mr. Deity confesses that he's been pursuing higher education. Jul 10, 2018 100
Mr. Deity and the Mormons Mr. Deity learns that Mormons are seeking a new name. Oct 30, 2018 101
Mr. Deity and the Press Conference Mr. Deity holds a press conference to talk about his political preferences. May 1, 2019 102
Mr. Deity and the #MeToo Mr. Deity confronts the MeToo era and a new member of his crew. Jan. 28, 2020[a] 103
Mr. Deity and the Ascension Mr. Deity has to make a difficult phone call. June 16, 2021 104
Mr. Deity And The Deity Mr. Deity experiences the multiverse. Dec 5, 2022 105

Notes

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  1. ^ Episode was re-released on Feb. 19, 2020 with altered "Begging segment"[17]

References

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  1. ^ "My Journey into 'Formonism'". secularhumanism.org. Free Inquiry. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  2. ^ "Amy Rohren". The Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
  3. ^ a b Palmer, Rob (14 February 2023). "Meet Mr. Deity's Intelligent Designer: Brian Keith Dalton". Center For Inquiry. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  4. ^ Warth, Gary (2007-03-02). "They're no angels: Irreverent Net comedy 'Mr. Deity' gains growing flock of fans". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on 2019-02-08.
  5. ^ Bender, Bobby (2008-08-11). "'Mr. Deity' May Be Heading to TV, But Converts Still Flocking Online". Tubefilter News. Retrieved 2008-08-11.[permanent dead link‍]
  6. ^ Dehlin, John (October 20, 2010). "205-206 Mr. Deity's Brian Dalton". Mormon Stories. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  7. ^ Brian Keith Dalton – I Don’t Care If God Exists and Neither Should You (2014 National Convention), Youtube
  8. ^ "Mr. Deity and the Science Advisor". Season 3, Episode 7:Youtube. 12 October 2009. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
  9. ^ "Mr. Deity and the Murder". Season 2, Episode 6:Crackle. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
  10. ^ "The IIG Awards". Independent Investigations Group. August 27, 2010.
  11. ^ "Mr. Deity Season 1 Playlist". YouTube. Mr. Deity. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  12. ^ "Mr. Deity Season 2 Playlist". YouTube. Mr. Deity. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  13. ^ "Mr. Deity Season 3 Playlist". YouTube. Mr. Deity. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  14. ^ "Mr. Deity Season 4 Playlist". YouTube. Mr. Deity. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  15. ^ "Mr. Deity Season 5 Playlist". YouTube. Mr. Deity. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  16. ^ "Mr. Deity Season 6 Playlist". YouTube. Mr. Deity. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  17. ^ "Mr. Deity & The #MeToo". YouTube. Mr. Deity. 18 February 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
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