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Atheist Bill Maher Asks Catholic Rick Santorum: 'How Am I on the Pope's Side and You're Not?
Christian Post ^ | 09/01/2015 | Stoyan Zaimov

Posted on 09/01/2015 7:09:36 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

HBO host Bill Maher challenged GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum in an interview on his show on Friday to explain why Maher, as an atheist, backs Pope Francis in his stance on climate change, and why Santorum, as a Roman Catholic, does not.

"What I want to ask is, I mean, I'm not a Catholic, I'm an atheist," Maher said. "But I like the pope better than you do. You're saying the pope should stick to what he knows, and I find that ridiculous."

In June, Pope Francis released the 184-page "Laudato Si,'" or "Praise Be to You" encyclical," which tackled the way man-made climate change affects the world, such as the damage it inflicts on the poorest populations.

"The urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change. The Creator does not abandon us; He never forsakes His loving plan or repents of having created us," Francis wrote.

"Particular appreciation is owed to those who tirelessly seek to resolve the tragic effects of environmental degradation on the lives of the world's poorest. Young people demand change. They wonder how anyone can claim to be building a better future without thinking of the environmental crisis and the sufferings of the excluded."

While the encyclical was received favorably by the U.N., as well as by scientists who agree on man-made climate change, Santorum suggested that the pontiff should "leave the science to the scientists" and focus more on religion.

Santorum answered Maher's question by insisting that he does love the pope, and suggested that through his climate change speeches Francis is trying to "break down some barriers" and open up a conversation on the topic with people who might disagree with him on other issues.

Santorum and Maher brought up various surveys and disagreed with each other over how much scientists in general blame man-made climate change for harmful effects on the planet.

The GOP candidate accused President Barack Obama of destroying the manufacturing industry and costing Americans jobs by imposing big limits on emissions. Maher in turn offered that manufacturing is being destroyed "because rich people send jobs overseas."

Maher has pressed Santorum to explain his opposition to Francis' climate change stance for a number of months now, and back in February on his "Real Time" show said that "we've got the pope on board," concerning climate change action.

Santorum said in January following Obama's State of the Union address that it is yet to be proven whether man really is having a significant impact on climate change.

"And number two, and this is even more important than the first, is there anything we can do about it? And the answer is, is there anything the United States can do about it? Clearly, no. Even folks who accept all of the science by the alarmists on the other side, recognize that everything that's being considered by the United States will have almost — well, not almost, will have zero impact on it given what's going on in the rest of the world," the former Pennsylvania senator added.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: billmaher; climatechange; popefrancis; ricksantorum
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To: miss marmelstein

Was Judas actually ever the disciple he portrayed himself to be? I don’t think so. We saw his true self at the end. Maher is a similar poser.


21 posted on 09/01/2015 7:21:46 AM PDT by Sasparilla (If you want peace, prepare for war.)
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To: MplsSteve

Agreed. People just love to pile on Santorum who, while the clear runner up in 2012, has yet to break 5% anywhere. But you’ve got to admire his work ethic and willingness to go into the belly of the beast to defend what is right.


22 posted on 09/01/2015 7:21:58 AM PDT by Vigilanteman (Obama: Fake black man. Fake Messiah. Fake American. How many fakes can you fit in one Zer0?)
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To: MplsSteve

Agreed. People just love to pile on Santorum who, while the clear runner up in 2012, has yet to break 5% anywhere. But you’ve got to admire his work ethic and willingness to go into the belly of the beast to defend what is right.


23 posted on 09/01/2015 7:21:59 AM PDT by Vigilanteman (Obama: Fake black man. Fake Messiah. Fake American. How many fakes can you fit in one Zer0?)
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To: SeekAndFind

Man that guy is looking creepy.

Why would Santorum go on his show?


24 posted on 09/01/2015 7:22:04 AM PDT by ifinnegan
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To: miss marmelstein

[Surely he knows why Catholics do not need to follow the Pope on these scientific issues..]

Global warming goes against God’s design. Surely the Pope has read these Scriptures...

Proverbs 8:29:
when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.

Psalm 104:9
Then you set a firm boundary for the seas, so they would never again cover the earth.

Job 38:8-10

8 ‘Who shut up the sea behind doors
when it burst forth from the womb,
9 when I made the clouds its garment
and wrapped it in thick darkness,
10 when I fixed limits for it
and set its doors and bars in place,


25 posted on 09/01/2015 7:23:21 AM PDT by stars & stripes forever (Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.)
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To: Vaquero

Bill Maher is a piece of sh$t.


26 posted on 09/01/2015 7:25:53 AM PDT by brivette
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To: CGASMIA68
Santorum is a frigen idiot for even entering the same room as Maher

I'd criticize him only for not using the opportunity to make a complete jerk out of Maher. It wouldn't be too difficult.

27 posted on 09/01/2015 7:26:21 AM PDT by ETL (ALL (most?) of the Obama-commie connections at my FR Home page: http://www.freerepublic.com/~etl/)
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To: brivette

Jon Stewart too.


28 posted on 09/01/2015 7:26:28 AM PDT by brivette
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To: SeekAndFind

Why should anyone be asked to explain the motivations of another person, what that other person is asking the question? I mean why doesn’t Maher explain it himself? What a lazy ass!


29 posted on 09/01/2015 7:30:33 AM PDT by SoCal Pubbie
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To: brivette

You’ve denigrated decent POSs everywhere


30 posted on 09/01/2015 7:34:01 AM PDT by Vaquero ( Don't pick a fight with an old guy. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.)
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To: SeekAndFind

How is it that the pope is on makers side and not on santorums side? That’s the question. The pope this pope runs counter to the catechism in these cases


31 posted on 09/01/2015 7:34:47 AM PDT by stanne
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To: Sasparilla

Apparently not.


32 posted on 09/01/2015 7:35:03 AM PDT by mothball
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To: SeekAndFind

“Atheist Bill Maher Asks Catholic Rick Santorum: ‘How Am I on the Pope’s Side and You’re Not?”

Because the Catholic Church has installed a socialist as Pope and his religion is less important to him than his socialism. I believe he is making the Church to be a tool of socialism.
A disclaimer is in order, I am not Catholic but Southern Baptist.


33 posted on 09/01/2015 7:35:25 AM PDT by duffee (No money to the Mississippi Republican Party as long as joe nosef is chairman)
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To: SeekAndFind
"You're saying the pope should stick to what he knows, and I find that ridiculous."

Say what?

34 posted on 09/01/2015 7:36:54 AM PDT by Da Bilge Troll (Defeatism is not a winning strategy!)
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To: SeekAndFind

My answer to the question is another question:

“Is the Pope Catholic?”

I’m not so sure.


35 posted on 09/01/2015 7:37:40 AM PDT by Pearls Before Swine
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To: Norm Lenhart

“Because this Pope is a communist...”

Strangest Pope I’ve ever seen. One Pope gets “retired” and is in seclusion (captivity??)and this new Pope (like Obummer with the Constitution) interprets the faith to suit his agenda.


36 posted on 09/01/2015 7:38:44 AM PDT by kiltie65
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To: kiltie65

Typical communist behavior.


37 posted on 09/01/2015 7:40:21 AM PDT by Norm Lenhart
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To: Vaquero

I’m sorry.....not!


38 posted on 09/01/2015 7:44:44 AM PDT by brivette
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To: Pearls Before Swine

what about the bear? hhmmmm?


39 posted on 09/01/2015 7:51:13 AM PDT by brivette
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To: SeekAndFind

Did Santorum not question Maher’s premise? E.g., If you’re an atheist, how can you like him? You must think him delusional and guilty of an enormous fraud against millions, no, billions of people.


40 posted on 09/01/2015 7:58:18 AM PDT by Buttons12
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