Bill Maher: Pope 'Used to be a Nazi;' Compares Church to Cult, Bear Stearns

NewsBusters.org ^ | 4/14/2008 | Matthew Balan

[Pyro7480]

Bill Maher, true to form on his "Real Time" program on HBO on Friday, went on a tirade against Pope Benedict XVI and the Catholic Church, only days before the Pope’s visit to the U.S.. He stated that the Pope "used to be a Nazi" and compared him to a cult leader. He then went on to call the Church a "child-abusing religious cult" and "the Bear Stearns of organized pedophilia." "And that’s the Church’s attitude: 'We’re here, we’re queer, get used to it,' which is fine, far be it from me to criticize religion."

Following a profanity-tinged one-liner concerning the raid on the Texas compound of Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Maher quipped, "In fact, whenever a cult leader sets himself up as God’s infallible wingman here on Earth, lock away the kids. Which is why I’d like to tip off law enforcement to an even larger child-abusing religious cult. Its leader also has a compound, and this guy not only operates outside the bounds of the law, but he used to be a Nazi and he wears funny hats. That’s right, the Pope is coming to America this week and ladies, he’s single!" At the "funny hat" line, Maher displayed a picture of Pope Benedict wearing a wide-brimmed hat called a saturno.

[big'ol_freeper]

For a few seconds I was thinking Bill Maher was an Evangelical. He has adopted several of the themes one constantly sees on the religion forums attacking the Church founded and protected by Jesus Christ.

[the invisib1e hand]

don’t want to be standing too close to that guy these days.

[Mrs. Don-o]

By 1939 every "youth" in Germany was automatically a member of the "Nazi Youth" --- even Hans and Sophie Scholl and other heroic members of the anti-Nazi White Rose group, I was interested to learn. Joseph Ratzinger at 14 refused to attend meetings, at 18 --- a draftee --- deserted the Army.

And has opposed all aspects of the Nazi social and political program throughout his entire life.

He was "guilty" of nothing other than being born in Germany.

[verga]

Who pays for the police security, escorts, and so forth? Does the Vatican reimburse the police agencies and other government agencies involved, or is this at taxpayer expense?

The question is a valid one, I believe.

Did you ask this same question when other heads of state have come to visit? Tony Blair, Margaret Thatcher etc... How about when Bush went to Africa, or even to Visit the Pope, did you ask then?

I think mine is just as valid as yours

[muawiyah]

Not "Reformed" ~ more nearly "Calvinist" ~ but your point is well taken. I'd like to add that half their sermons would be devoid of meaning if there were no Roman Catholic church either. They need you guys.

It's like Rush needs the Clintonistas!

[nina0113]

Catholics should rejoice at the scourging we’re going to get this week.

Most of the comments on the Washington Post's website about the Pope's visit are vile. I'll try to rejoice, but mostly I'm sickened, and somewhat worried for the people who wrote them (more angry, though).

[fkabuckeyesrule]

Bill Maher is reason number uno I would never order HBO. Of course one commentator mentionsed that these Hollywood types can bash the Pope and other christian leaders because they know the Pope will never have their heads chopped off.

[John Leland 1789]

“Did you ask this same question when other heads of state have come to visit?”

Ah, we’re not ignorant of this idiocy of accepting the Vatican as a state needing such diplomatic license. If the pope puts on a suit (just so to speak — he can wear any robe he wants), and comes to meet with our nations leaders about USA-Vatican relations, then that’s one thing. (Actually, I believe that would be a farce, too.) But he didn’t come to the USA for that purpose, but as the potentate of a CHURCH, not a nation.

I am not required to accept the man in any capacitiy; and I don’t. I don’t want to pay one dime of my tax dollars for him or anything he does. Vatican, a state? No non-Catholic must just bend to that notion. It’s very, very clever, but it’s not right. And we should have no more diplomatic mission to the Vatican than we do to any other headquarters of any other denomination. All this is, is Catholicism trying to shove down the throats of the rest of us it’s own idea that it is the final and supreme representative of Christianity on this earth.

WASTE OF MONEY!

[John Leland 1789]

“Here’s another thing. If you don’t think that a (God forbid) papal assassination on our soil wouldn’t have massive international repercussion that would greatly affect every America, regardless of creed, you’ve got another thing coming. You can make a principled argument that no religious person should receive any U.S. taxpayer support, but it fails the common sense test when it comes to worldwide figures like the pope.”

---

And when it’s all done, and the pope is heading up the steps to board his plane, hand him a bill; that’s all. The Vatican can afford it.

[Binstence]

My email to HBO/FCC/TIME-WARNER.

My letter to HBO/Time Warner:

It goes for all of Bill’s useful idiots and fellow travelers.

[b]Dear Purveyor of anti-Christian bigotry.
[/b]
Bill Maher the self loathing, “atheist Jew” (OxyMORON) is a discriminatory bigot who will cost HBO/TimeWarner dearly. I am joining my church and community and non-believers of conscience in a BOYCOTT of hate preaching [b]Time Warner & HBO for their legacy of tolerance of anti-Christian bigotry[/b]. We have the power and you need our money. You will lose big. [u]Bill goes or we go.[/u] I am pretty confident that my OUTRAGE will fall on feckless deaf ears and bulging blind eyes. I will personally work tirelessly using all of my financial and legal resources and community activists to petition the FCC, and your sponsors to enforce a [b]zero tolerance policy against anti-Christian bigotry[/b] [u]which is already established in THE LAW. [/u] How dare that wobbling boob Maher blame THE POPE for a tragedy which is clearly a [b]PREDATORY HOMOSEXUAL CRISIS made by mentally-ill “gay priests” who VIOLATED THEIR SOLEMN VOWS AND BROKE THE LAW.[/b] THE 96% OF NUNS AND PRIESTS WHO HONORED THEIR VOWS HAVE PAID DEARLY IN DISHONOR, SHAME, RIDICULE AND UNPRECEDENTED MONETARY AWARDS [u]FOR THE SINS OF THE DEVIANT GAY 4% of the priesthood who should never have been ordained and WHO COMMITTED UNSPEAKABLE CRIMES.[/u] It is no surprise that HBO/TIME WARNER & BILL MAHER side with the “Violet Mafia”.
Your decisions are being closely watched. You have already disgraced your brand by airing the hater Maher, you have one opportunity to make it right. MAHER MUST GO. There’s a line in the sand, which side are you on?

[verga]

“Did you ask this same question when other heads of state have come to visit?”

I noticed in your Rant (Yes that is the correct term) you did not give a direct yes or no, Hmmm Curious.

But he didn’t come to the USA for that purpose, but as the potentate of a CHURCH, not a nation.

Whenever Queen Elizabeth travels she does so as the head of the Church of England and as the Head of State, and whether you like it or not the Pontiff is the head of State for Vatican City.

[Marysecretary]

Sometimes these folk just die the way they lived, in shame and disgust. How sad.

[PeterFinn]

One day Maher will slip up and say something about Islam.

You mean like how he has openly supported it all these years?

[Westbrook]

My dad was enrolled in the Mussolini Youth. It was *REQUIRED* under penalty of imprisonment or death, for you *AND* your family.

He managed emigrate to the States before the war, but after the war broke out, the FBI kept him under surveillance and forbade him to have a camera.

He never expressed any anger over this. As a citizen, he voted Republican and started his own business.

[PeterFinn]

I have NEVER seen and/or heard the vile things said about Mormons that are said about Catholics and/or the Catholic Church.

I'm not a Mormon, but I've seen much worse said about them than this. Especially lately as some liberal pundits are tarring Mitt Romney with the Texas FLDS accusations.

[IrishBrigade]

All this is, is Catholicism trying to shove down the throats of the rest of us it’s own idea that it is the final and supreme representative of Christianity on this earth...

...yeah, that’s right, bud, it’s all about we Catholics sticking it to little old you just so we can make you mad enough to get on FR and whine and moan...and gee, prots have never shoved their ideas down Catholics’ throat throughout American history, have they...

[Atchafalaya]

...obit...pfffft!

[Binstence]

Please read the word for word transcript of Bill Maher’s “gaffe”. It was not a gaffe. It was written deliberately and read over a teleprompter by Maher. The truth of the matter is that 4% (80% of whom were homosexual predators) of the priesthood failed to honor their sacred vows of chastity and the overwhelming majority who kept and keep their vows of chastity and poverty have to suffer the slander and defamation of the likes of Bill Maher. Not to mention that the Catholic Church has paid out 2 BILLION dollars for what was mostly a crisis of the American Catholic Church for the sins of the 4% of predators. Yes, the church was wrong to try to give sanctuary to the violators. Where is the outrage concerning the same or higher rates of molestation of students by teachers in public schools? This story is fodder for anti-Catholic, anti-Christian bigots.

To tolerate this form of hatred is to teach and encourage it.

Where do you stand?

Truly, Binstence
Trying to save civilization one mind at a time.

Transcript:

And, finally, New Rule: Whenever you combine a secretive compound, religion and weirdos in pioneer outfits, there’s going to be some child-f*cking going on. In fact, whenever a cult leader sets himself up as “God’s infallible wing man” here on earth, lock away the kids.

Which is why I’d like to tip off law enforcement to an even larger child-abusing religious cult. Its leader also has a compound. And this guy not only operates outside the bounds of the law, but he used to be a Nazi and he wears funny hats. [photo of the Pope shown]

That’s right. The Pope is coming to America this week, and, ladies, he’s single! Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Bill, you can’t be saying that the Catholic Church is no better than this creepy Texas cult! For one thing, altar boys can’t even get pregnant.”

But, really, what tripped up the “little cult on the prairie” was that they only abused hundreds of kids, not thousands all over the world. Cults get raided. Religions get parades. How does the Catholic Church get away with all of their buggery? VOLUME, VOLUME, VOLUME!

If you have a few hundred followers and you let some of them molest children, they call you a cult leader. If you have a billion, they call you “Pope.”

It’s like if you can’t pay your mortgage, you’re a deadbeat, but if you can’t pay a million mortgages, you’re Bear Stearns, and we bail you out. And that’s who the Catholic Church is, the Bear Stearns of organized pedophilia. Too big to fail.

When the - when the current Pope was in his previous Vatican job as John Paul’s Dick Cheney - he wrote a letter instructing every Catholic bishop to keep the sex abuse of minors secret until the statute of limitations ran out. And that’s the Church’s attitude: “We’re here, we’re queer, get used to it.”

Which is fine. Far be it from me to criticize religion. But, just remember one thing: if the Pope was, instead of a religiou s figure, merely the CEO of a nationwide chain of daycare centers where thousands of employees had been caught molesting kids and then covering it up, he’d be arrested faster than you can say, “Who wants to touch Mister Wiggle?”

I found the transcript on a site who’s poster identified themselves as a member of Freedom From Religion Foundation. His tag was: “Imagine no religion”. The very existence of this organization should send a chill up your spine. The last time this kind of movement was popular it began with someone saying, Imagine no Jews. We know the rest of the story. It is the same story, Imagine no Jews and Imagine no Christians. Don’t think it’s happening? Neither did the Jews in Germany. If you choose to just go about your business and ignore state sponsored (the airwaves are tax payer funded and the FCC who is silent on Maher’s prejudice receives $300,000,000/ year to do nothing) bigotry masquerading as “Free Speech” Then you deserve what’s coming.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing” Attributed to Edmund Burke

CONTACT HBO: http://www.hbo.com/corpinfo/faq.shtml

CONTACT TIME WARNER: http://www.timewarner.com/corp/contacts_support.html

CONTACT THE FCC: http://www.fcc.gov/contacts.html