I'll start by introducing myself; my name is Rob and I look forward to conversing back and fourth with everyone through this blog. I will gladly answer any questions you might have about myself or the film, but I'll warn you that most of the time you probably wont like the bluntness of my answers. Bottom line, I am offensive and I'm way past the point of dancing around the issues and people's feelings when we could be cutting through the crap and getting somewhere.

If you have seen the trailer then you most likely have a basic understanding of who I am, or at least who you might think I am. To the average viewer, I most likely come off as the atheist asshole who doesn't give a shit about anyone but himself. While I don't believe this to be the case, I certainly wont be so bold as to try and demand you think otherwise. I would also argue that my viewpoints are not a product of apathy and/or selfishness, I more so believe that I am the product of years of having propaganda-guilt-trip bullshit crammed down my throat. I think deep down a lot of people can relate to where I'm at, but most people just don't want to admit it and be the douche. Basically, I have no idea what my responsibility is to people half way across the world, but I'm willing to look into the issue and find out if we can make a difference.

In the previous blog, Dan discussed the element of faith in relation to the Give A Damn? concept, and he asked whether or not we should keep it in the forefront . I personally think that the religious aspects cannot be separated from the film, because I believe it is at the core of the overall definitive concepts of the film. Everything I have ever seen about Africa has been so full of religious bullshit and zealotry that it's hard to be convinced that efforts are making any difference from a realistic perspective. This is where your perception delegates how you view progress and most likely where you and I might differ based solely on the fact that this is a "I love the lord" website.

During the course of the pre-production interviews, there has only been a handful of answers to our questions that pissed me off enough to rip my hair out. The one that set me off the most was from a 20-something man in Springfield, Missouri that stated that starving people in Africa don't really need food, they just need the love of Jesus Christ. I was running the camera at thattime and I just about lost it and flat out told him, very respectfully, that I thought it was complete bullshit and that Jesus has nothing to do with needing a cheeseburger.

Although i have no right to speak for anyone but myself, I think that I understand the Christian perspective better than most atheists, because at one point I considered myself to be a very strong Christian. I believed it so wholeheartedly that I gladly participated in ministry, but needless to say things have changed and I see no signs of things reverting. I am at a point now where I respect Christians and their ideals as long as the individual makes a conscious effort to think about their decisions rather than just doing things because "Jesus told you to". As much as it makes people comfortable to think that God is in control, and everything is going to be ok if we just put it in HIS hands, I think people should take a step back and determine whether or not your decisions make sense on a realistic level where your imaginary friend isn't in control. Because when it comes down to it, not everyone in this world believes in Jesus, and you have to live with us whether you like it or not.

I realize a lot of this type of thinking might be very offensive to you and I offer an apology if this is the case; but take a look at it from my perspective and try to see how Christianity in itself is EXTREMELY offensive to someone who does not believe it. Don't think Christianity is offensive? The basic principal of me burning in hell for making decisions that I feel are "right for me" IS OFFENSIVE.

I'll say this bluntly, I am not Anti-Christian, I am pro-thinking and as long as long as you can open your eyes to non-christian ideas and realize they might actually be valid, we'll get along just fine.

In addition, I made it very clear to Dan when this project was first being fleshed out that I had no intention of going on a missions trip to save peoples souls. My expectations from Give A Damn? are much simpler, I want to find out what realistically works, out of a basic sense of concern to my fellow man. While I will admit I am very ignorant about Africa on a lot of levels, I believe that most people across the United States are at a similar place, so I'm hoping some of you can relate with me as we investigate the problems, and then hopefully work towards a solution, if there is such a thing.

Give A Damn? is coming at the poverty issue in a way no one else has before. In my view, the overall theme is: "No bullshit, No guilt trips, Lets find out what works and lets do it". I value honesty and sincerity above everything else, because life is too short to be cordial and surface level all the time. Things that are worth talking about are usually offensive.

I have not decided which direction I will go with my blog entries and my decision will largely depend on the types of responses that I receive to this one. For example I could stick specifically to updates on film progress, or we can continue this dialogue about the collision of the Theist and Atheist mindset. Essentially, you decide and I'll go the whatever direction you like.

I thank everyone who took the time to read this, and I hope that if you have any questions you will leave comments.

Rob Lehr
Associate Producer and Character
Give A Damn?

Bonus: Response to jcubed

Jcubed spent a lot of time articulating a handful of questions in the previous post's comments section and I thought I would show my appreciation by specifically responding.

Q1. Who is the video targeting?

A. The easy answer is that we are targeting everyone, but a more specific honest answer would be that we are trying to reach an audience of viewers that wouldn't typically give a damn about this type of film. We are trying to bridge the gap between the "demand you do something people", and the everyday person who hasn't put too much thought into it all.

By incorporating the religious issues, we're are hoping to attract Theists and Atheists, and everyone in between; essentially erasing the lines between us all by talking about the elephant in the room rather than ignoring it, if that makes sense.

Q2. I sure would like to know what led Rob away from Christ.

A. This one is easy, I don't believe in God and it took me a few years of bottling up my doubt before I could get to the point where the only option I had left was to be vocal about truly not believing in God. Obviously, there were things along the way that pushed me even faster away, but I feel the roots are more important than the leaves in this situation. If you'd like a more detailed version of "my story" in regards to Christianity, leave a comment.

Q3. Since Rob considers himself an atheist now, and apparently doesn't think he will be joining you in heaven, how do you reconcile that as a Christian?

A. Although this is directed at Dan, I'll answer it since I'm an ass like that. Dan doesn't need to reconcile anything about me not joining him in heaven, because heaven doesn't exist and no amount of prayers will create a God... Next question.

Q4 Does the fact that Rob is now atheist mean that Rob was never really a born-again Christian, or does it mean that he willfully abandoned the free gift of salvation?

A. You can answer this question how ever you feel comfortable doing so, however I will answer it by saying salvation is nothing more than an idea we created in an attempt to not be so upset about the fact that life is impermanent and we are all going to die. Yes it sucks, but that's even more reason to enjoy it while I'm we're rather than worrying about the bullshit BBQ afterwards.

Thanks again for reading this all. If I get receive any comments on this I will specifically respond to them.

-Rob