The missing Stooge? An image: 
Posted on 10/25/2004 5:37:38 AM PDT by jaydubya2
In person, Bill Maher the man is just like Bill Maher the TV character. Just as snarky, just as opinionated, just as curmudgeonly. Perpetually perturbed.
Few things, though, seem to get his dander up like religious folks.
"One of the many things that annoys me about religion is that it's arrogance masquerading as humility," he says. It's a sentiment he'll repeat on his HBO show a few weeks later. "How arrogant to think you know what happens to you after you die? You don't. That's your guess.
"It's arrogant to think that, if there is a force in the universe, this force, whom most people refer to as 'Him,' has the time and inclination to listen to your stupid, petty laundry list of what you want in this life. Prayer. That's another, silly Santa Claus notion. Pray to Santa, and he'll give you what you want. It's so silly. It's so childish. And so much of the world is getting over this," he says, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Maher pauses and produces a stack of those blue TV note cards, like the kind Dave Letterman reads his top 10 list off of each night. Maher's blue cards contain factoids and statistics about religious beliefs and practices. He's searching for one particular statistic and, after a few moments of shuffling and flipping, he finds it.
In 1990, about 7 percent of the American population said they had "no religion," and in 2000, that number had doubled to 14 percent, he says.
"So, in 10 years, we've doubled the amount of people who say they don't have a religion," he says. "I find that incredibly encouraging."
The world would be much more "sane" without religion, Maher argues.
"So many of these born-agains, these evangelicals, when you hear them speaking, no matter what the question is, they can't leave Jesus out of it for two seconds," he says, his voice rising. "It's OK when you're a child. Children have an imaginary friend. When you get to be an adult, no more imaginary friends. But Jesus is their imaginary friend. Everywhere they go, everything they do, Jesus is along. Oh, Christ."
The missing Stooge? An image:
"So, in 10 years, we've doubled the amount of people who say they don't have a religion," he says. "I find that incredibly encouraging."
He's not saying that people don't believe in God. He's saying that more people today don't have a religion. Christians have a relationship not necessarily a mainline religious denomination. He could be using bogus statistics but who would care.
When Christ was here the people killed Him and they'd try again if they could.
That was a great post.
The Bible is pretty clear that people were created to glorify God and to delight in knowing Him.
I think the harder people rebel against that, the more miserable and hateful they become.
Case in point: the aforementioned Maher.
Not an appropriate comparison -- the Stooges were funny.
Anti-Gospel = Anti-Christ
The Bible teaches that there will be many anti-Christs and Bill is one of them.
What a hateful, mean, malinformed little mutant.
Authority is the issue. I heard Dr. Dobson say a long time ago that if parents don't discipline their children, the school will and if that fails, an employer will and if that fails, the prison system will and if that fails, God will. I am talking about ultimate discipline when we refuse to submit our will to a higher authority. I think deep down, these people know that they are rebelling against the Creator of the universe, whether they acknowledge it or not.
So if someone blows his head off, it won't be wrong.
What else would one expect from a fundamentalist communist/atheist extremist?(that's a lot of "ist")
The "no religion" religious movement makes as much sense as a rules commitee for the anarchist's party.
He loves you, too, Bill.
When France turned all the churches into Temples of Reason. history, in hindsight had the good sense to name the results;
"The Reign of Terror." By the way. How have all the other "Godless" societies fareed in the Human Rights department?
KNowing what happens to you after you die is called "Faith".
Maher's arrogance is that he thinks he won't die.
Thanks! That little back and forth provided a great chuckle!
He chose poorly...............
Maher should be pitied.
That's true and that's why a Jesse Ventura will support a John Kerry.
"What a hateful little man!"
Happens to foul men like Maher. Poor thing can't get any action only when he pays for it. Bitter man projecting
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.