Monday, April 21, 2008

Religious People Yet Again Prove They Don't Like Facts

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,351758,00.html

Bill Maher has recently stirred up controversy over the facts he presented regarding the Catholic Church, its Pope and the child molestation scandals which were covered up by the Church. Of course Fox News can't shut up about it and are calling for HBO to cancel Real Time, Maher’s comedy based, political themed show. Fox News also reports that 6 US Senators have even written HBO demanding action be taken.

I wish I knew who these Senators were because then we would know who doesn't believe in free speech and we could vote them out of office. Bill Oreilly suggests that if these comments were made about black people or Jews or Muslims there would be outrage from every media outlet and Real Time would be cancelled. What Oreilly and Fox news don't realize is that there was nothing untrue about what Maher said. They also don't realize that when you are in power and you are the majority such as white people or Christians you are always going to be the subject of scrutiny. Saying the Catholic Church has had problems with priests molesting altar boys and then covering it up isn't the same as calling someone "nappy headed ho's". Nappy headed ho's is not a fact, child abuse in the Catholic Church is. The Pope being in the Hitler Youth when he was younger is also a fact. Sure, he called the Catholic Church a cult and maybe that was the only thing he said that could be perceived as an insult as opposed to a fact.

Here is the/a definition of a cult: 1.a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.
2. a particular system of religious worship, esp. with reference to its rites and ceremonies.


Now a definition of religion:
1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
2. a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.
3.the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices
.

What's the difference?

My advice to Catholics and the Catholic Church is that if you don't want to be called pedophiles, stop covering up the molestation of altar boys. If you wan't for people to not call you Nazi's, don't have a Pope who used to be part of the Hitler Youth.

I would like to say that I am a huge fan of Real Time and always make a point to be home on Fridays to watch it. With maybe the exception of his support of the welfare the US gives to Israel every year I agree with almost everything Bill has said on his show. I will also be writing a letter to HBO telling them that if they cancel Real Time, I will cancel by subscription to HBO. If someone can't speak the truth on TV then we really don't have free speech. Sure we can stand on the street corner with a sign but if we are going to let the media be controlled by religious extremists who don't want to hear anything negative about their CULT, then how free are we? You know, there are several parts of the world that don't allow anyone to question or talk ill of the mainstream, dominant religion and they may even cut the heads off of the people who do. Is that the kind of world you want to live in?

I am not anti-Catholic; I am anti any theistic religion which claims it has the keys to heaven and is willing to let you have them as long as you put money in the plate and do what they say.

Anyway, here is the original comment and his follow up, I don't see what's so bad:







5 comments:

Mike V. said...

hey! copycat. :)

I love this shit.
Makes me laugh to watch the drones fall all over themselves rushing to the defense of their ridiculous religion..

Anonymous said...

Of course Fox News can't shut up about it and are calling for HBO to cancel Real Time, Maher’s comedy based, political themed show. Fox News also reports that 6 US Senators have even written HBO demanding action be taken.

This IS sounding dangerously close to the tactics used by those religious fundamentalist Muslims when they are allowed to rule the roost. I've always maintained that our Christian fundamentalists leaders would love to have that kind of control, too. Unfortunately, so would our political leaders. Leave it up to FOX to push that agenda.

Patrick M said...

A few comments on this:

1. As much as it was a joke, it was pretty damned tasteless, although I laughed a little.

2. Anybody calling for Maher to be canned needs to be reminded about the First Amendment. (Although I haven't heard anyone at Fox News actually call for that) He does have the right to say whatever funny or insightful or stupid thing he wants to say. And if enough people watch, he gets to stay on.

3. (this is to all of you secularists) Your rank ignorance of the Catholic faith would be disturbing if I got disturbed rather than just annoyed. Just so you know, the crazy religious fundamentalists say just as stupid things about the Catholics.

4. I don't really have a fourth point, because I'm sure you won't discuss anything, just repeat the same angry mantra.

Toad734 said...

I have never said anything about the Catholic Church which isn't true or common knowledge, nor has Bill Maher.

John Hagee and those crazy Protestants are the ones who call the Catholic Church the great whore. I merely point out that your pope tried to cover the molestation scandal up. That isn't angry mantra, that is what happened. What I am angry about is that the people at Fox and the some people within the church feel Bill Maher is spreading hate speech because he said something that they didn't like or hit a little too close to home. It's not hate or ethnocentrism when you cite facts.

Mike V. said...

Let's leave facts out of this, OK?
We're talking about people who stand in line to take a biscuit and some wine and pretend it's Jesus..