Fantastic Bill Maher last night. The first several minutes of this clip deal with the Palin debacle, but the last three or four dive into religion. Bill eventually gives up with the "magical thinking" of Andrew Sullivan and Will.i.am. Sullivan fulminates about Bill's "bigotry," (one might ask how Sullivan defines that term, but assuming it's intolerance for people of faith, well, yeah....) and argues the virtues of being rational a lot of the time, but just not when it comes to the "different category" of religion. He says we can't insult people for that. (Um, can too!) Then comes Will.i.am with New Orleans/Katrina as an example for why you can't fault people for--yes, I'm saying it--clinging to religion when, after all, their government has let them down.
This irrationality is simply too deeply wired into some people. See for yourself.
I was reminded this week of why I am such a fan of Bill Maher. He was a guest on Larry King Live and discussed a variety of topics, from the war to politics to religion.
On religion, his views and mine are identical. "I don't know...so how do you know?" It's the definition of agnosticism itself, and it sums up both why I'll never be religious, but likewise, while I'll never be an atheist (though I will grant that knowing with certainty that there is no God is a far more reasonable conclusion that knowing with certainty that there is one.) Can't wait to see his documentary next Easter.
Watch for the new season of Real Time beginning next weekend.
No doubt it's true what you read about the Sopranos single-handedly driving a huge number of new subscribers to HBO. In the same vein, I have a hypothesis that there are likewise millions of folks like me--I'm calling us "the Disciples of Maher"--who subscribe to HBO for the singular pleasure of Bill Maher's comedy and commentary. On religion, he is peerless. The attached clip is a fairly recent one and representative of some of Maher's core beliefs. To wit:
All religions are weird
You stand no chance in American politics if you don't profess your faith in things that can't be proven
Mormonism is really fucking weird (assuming you believe in DNA testing...)
A standard Maher quip: Religion is a neurological disorder.
He offends, he castigates, he needles. But he speaks the truth.
