RELIGULOUS--Bill Maher

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Hi Y'all!! Laughing

Religulous, has anyone seem the movie yet, Bill Maher vs the talking snake. If no one has seen it yet this will keep until enough people have. Should be great fun!!

Bill Maher vs. the "talking snake" - Beyond the Multiplex - Salon.com

It seems like your major target in this movie are the religious extremists, those who belong to the fundamentalist camps of various different religions.
That's not really true, that's not really true. I mean, take Sen. Pryor - I don't think he'd consider himself a fundamentalist. I think he's like a majority of Americans. I mean, 60 percent of Americans believe the Noah's ark story to be literally true. To me, that's mainstream. When people say, "You're going after extremists," I say, well, to be religious at all is to be an extremist. It's to be extremely irrational. Not that everybody believes in Noah's ark, or the guy who lived to be 900 years old. But even to believe the central story of Christianity - a lot of people would say, "I'm not like those kooks out in Kansas who believe the Earth is 5,000 years old. But I do believe God has a son, who he sent down to earth on a suicide mission, and he said, 'Hey, Jesus, I'm sending you on this suicide mission, but don't worry, they can't kill you because you're really me.' I, God the father - wink, wink - let's split up the work! OK? Because there's two of us, but not really! I'll go down to Earth first and I'll see if I can't impregnate a Palestinian woman so she can give birth to you." It's just as silly a story. We're just used to it.

BILL MAHER

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@boagie,

Frankly, I'm tired of anyone who is an intentional antagonist in the Religion Vs. Atheism culture war, no matter which side they're on.

I heard an interview about this movie with Bill Maher on NPR, and it seems pretty clear that Religulous is aimed at widening the culture gap in any way possible and promoting an angry environment in which to have discussion, if he wants any discussion to happen at all.

In short... Not helpful.

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@NeitherExtreme,

Ain't democracy great!! Smile

would you like to swing on a star, carry moon beams home in a jar!!:rolleyes: I think he is just saying it is a Walt Disney production, and I agree!!!

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@boagie,

You can't blame the guy for trying to talk some sense into people, though I don't know if ridiculing their beliefs is the best method. Wait, appealing to reason and common sense doesn't work ...

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@ariciunervos,

Humor is the only defense against a moronic majority.

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@boagie,

I am a regular viewer of Real Time with Bill Maher; his political show is one of the best on TV.

However, I do tire of the puerile treatment of religion. Even the renown scientist Richard Dawkins seems incapable of discussing religion in a mature fashion.

Bill Maher is obviously poorly educated on religion. If someone believes the Ark story as literally true, the person is a fundamentalist, even if Bill doesn't think so. What Bill fails to grasp is that he is correct to call the Bible mythology; if he understood this point, the rest of his criticisms would fall away and he could only criticize people with silly views about the Bible. John Stewart called Bill on some of his overextended arguments. Kudos to John.

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@Didymos Thomas,

Didymos Thomas wrote:

I am a regular viewer of Real Time with Bill Maher; his political show is one of the best on TV.

However, I do tire of the puerile treatment of religion. Even the renown scientist Richard Dawkins seems incapable of discussing religion in a mature fashion.

Bill Maher is obviously poorly educated on religion. If someone believes the Ark story as literally true, the person is a fundamentalist, even if Bill doesn't think so. What Bill fails to grasp is that he is correct to call the Bible mythology; if he understood this point, the rest of his criticisms would fall away and he could only criticize people with silly views about the Bible. John Stewart called Bill on some of his overextended arguments. Kudos to John.

Didymos Thomas, Smile

Generally speaking people understand the other guys religion as mythology, but their own as their religion and truth, the majority of Christians do believe the absurd, it is quite frightening to a rationalist, even a poor rationalist like myself. Lets just call silly silly where we find it, thats all the man is really doing.

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@boagie,

A whole lot of people take the bible literally so I guess he aimed for the easy shot at them ? Aren't those the most ... how can I put it ... moronic ?

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@ariciunervos,

ariciunervos wrote:

A whole lot of people take the bible literally so I guess he aimed for the easy shot at them ? Aren't those the most ... how can I put it ... moronic ?

ariciunervos, Smile

One cannot take shots easily at a person who has a mature spiritual belief, one that does not insist on a concreate interpretation of metaphor, and so the absurd. At anyrate this thread was aimed at those who have seen the movie. All the Christians are coming out of the woodwork to try and challenge the right to post the topic really-----like I said ain't democracy great!!! Would you like to swing on a star, carry moom beams home in jar---------lol!!

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@boagie,

boagie;27402 wrote:

would you like to swing on a star, carry moon beams home in a jar!!:rolleyes:

Boagie, it's this kind of sarcastic attack that doesn't help anyone. How was that even a response to my post? I simply gave my thoughts on the movie based on the info I have. My comment was issue-neutral.

We've had some good conversations in the past that I've enjoyed and learned from. You have the right to post your feelings about religion. I just wish we could move past the sarcasm.

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@NeitherExtreme,

NeitherExtreme wrote:

Boagie, it's this kind of sarcastic attack that doesn't help anyone. How was that even a response to my post? We've had some good conversations in the past that I've enjoyed and learned from. You have the right to post you're feelings about religion. I just wish we could move past the sarcasm.

NeitherExtreme, Smile

First you are not living up to your handle! I think that is the point, rational dialogue with believers is unproductive, by joining in a rational dabate about irrationality with them you give their position respect, humor is the only means to deal with those devoted to irrationality.

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@boagie,

Sure one can, by pointing out that any reasons that led to the human mind imagining supernatural beings exist in the same mind and there's no basis in reality for it, just in the mind. Anyway, I haven't seen the movie yet, the pirates aren't doing their job properly.

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@boagie,

boagie;27415 wrote:

humor is the only means to deal with those devoted to irrationality.

And how do you deal with those devoted to antagonism?

Leave well enough alone, I guess.

Enjoy your movie.

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@ariciunervos,

ariciunervos wrote:

Sure one can, by pointing out that any reasons that led to the human mind imagining supernatural beings exist in the same mind and there's no basis in reality for it, just in the mind. Anyway, I haven't seen the movie yet, the pirates aren't doing their job properly.

ariciunervos, Smile

Well I do not think anyone here has seen the movie, all this hostility is quite unwarrented as yet. I have not seen the movie myself but, talking snakes are always good for a few laughs!!

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@boagie,

Quote:

Generally speaking people understand the other guys religion as mythology, but their own as their religion and truth, the majority of Christians do believe the absurd, it is quite frightening to a rationalist, even a poor rationalist like myself. Lets just call silly silly where we find it, thats all the man is really doing.

Fundamentalism is just as scary to the empiricist.

But, no, unfortunately, Maher does not just point out the silly - Bill points out the silly and then judges the whole of religious population based on the silly portion of said population. It's a common fallacy, one that I often see here. The tactic is juvenile.

Quote:

All the Christians are coming out of the woodwork to try and challenge the right to post the topic really-----like I said ain't democracy great

No one has challenged your right to post the topic, Boagie.

Quote:

I think that is the point, rational dialogue with believers is unproductive, by joining in a rational dabate about irrationality with them you give their position respect, humor is the only means to deal with those devoted to irrationality.

Assuming that all believers are irrational is, well, irrational. It's called the fallacy of composition.

Quote:

Well I do not think anyone here has seen the movie, all this hostility is quite unwarrented as yet. I have not seen the movie myself but, talking snakes are always good for a few laughs!!
Edit/Delete Message

No, I have not seen the movie. But I have listened to Maher's rhetoric on religion for several years now. I have not, if you read back, criticized the movie; I have only criticized Maher's handling of religion in general, his handling of the subject on his own show and in various interviews.

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@Didymos Thomas,

Didymos Thomas, Smile

Well Thomas, I am well aware of your feelings on the topic and that you do not believe one should be allowed to generalize about Christians and Christianity, I simply disagree. I personally know Christians that believe the most absurd bull **** imaginable, I think the holy men that tell them this stuff should be jailed. I do not recomened book burning only because it would set precedence and a lot of good literature would be lost. How do you feel about Bushes dialogues with god on international affairs? Of faith based administations who believe in the end times and look forward to it, this is all very scary, as I imagine it is to you as well. You seem to be one of the more rational believers, yet I cannot figure out why you stand by the irrational---------again come over to the darkside, we have candy!!!

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@boagie,

Sorry to butt in here, but....

boagie wrote:

... I do not recomened book burning only because it would set precedence and a lot of good literature would be lost.

This tweeked me as a valuable point even though it's not often stated: The value of ancient legends and myths. Through our history, one can glean some sense of history how people once thought. Those long gone; their Myths and legends tell us what was important, what was feared and all stamped their impressions on the what was believed to be the proper living of a life.

Sorry, I'll go back to my corner now.

1 Reply

@Khethil,

Khethil wrote:

Sorry to butt in here, but....

This tweeked me as a valuable point even though it's not often stated: The value of ancient legends and myths. Through our history, one can glean some sense of history how people once thought. Those long gone; their Myths and legends tell us what was important, what was feared and all stamped their impressions on the what was believed to be the proper living of a life.

Sorry, I'll go back to my corner now.

Khethil,

I could not agree more, mythology still has much to teach us, simply because this journey through life that we are on as been done throughly throughout all history, living life is not a unique experience, personal for us yes, but not unique, thus the myths of the past have lessons for us all on how to meet lifes challenges. "BE KIND TO EVERYONE, FOR EVERYONE IS ON A DIFFICULT JOURNEY." PLATO

Joseph Campbell Foundation

Review: Bill Maher debates believers in documentary 'Religulous' - St. Petersburg Times

YouTube - Religulous Trailer (2008)

Would you like to swing on a star, carry moom beams home in a jar, and be better off than you are!!! ------RELIGULOUS!!! Laughing

Christian reaction YouTube - "Religulous" w/Bill Maher - A Christian's Reaction Pt 1

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@boagie,

Quote:

humor is the only means to deal with those devoted to irrationality

Love is (very) often irrational. So should we laugh at anyone devoted to that to?

People are devoted to a lot of irrational things, but is treating them with condescension and derision rational? To what end? Like Bill Maher, you're not trying to do any good here boagie, you're just getting a laugh at someone else's expense. And then you have the nerve to call them infantile...

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@Solace,

Solace,

Thank you for your input Solace, we know where you stand----------------------RELIGULOUS!!!!! Very Happy

How does one know that one is in a feminist bookstore, there is no humor section!!:brickwall:

1 Reply

RELIGULOUS--Bill Maher

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