I've stated before that I sit and watch "Real Time with Bill Maher" because I believe we should all take time to listen to the ideas of people we might not necessarily agree with, in order to fully understand those ideas before forming an opinion.
And I try to be open minded. I really do. But...
The most recent episode featured the panel of D.L. Hughley, Michael Smerconish, and Catherine Crier. While Smerconish was making a point, Maher interrupted him, asking him if he believed in the Ten Commandments. It became a sort of stand-off with Maher pressing the question, and Smerconish refusing to be dragged into a debate over the Commandments.
But I wanted it to continue so that it would better illustrate a point. According to Bill Maher, if you believe in the 10 commandments, then all you're concerned about is not swearing, not working on Sunday, and not making statues of false gods. He implies that by living that way, you are, in turn, not concerned with such things as child abuse and rape. He said that. If you believe in the Ten Commandments, according to Maher's reasoning, there simply isn't room for any other beliefs. He said that, too.
Now what kind of nonsense is that?
It's a crystal clear example of the minimalist,absolute, Left-wing thought process.
If I use that same methodology in assessing Maher's beliefs, I could easily state that because he doesn't believe in the Ten Commandments, then he believes that it's ok to kill, that adultery is perfectly fine, and that it's perfectly acceptable to steal.
Would that be logical? Would that be accurate?
Is it realistic to conclude that anyone who professes a belief in the Ten Commandments lives their lives based on only those exact ten rules? And conversely, does anyone who doesn't subscribe to such beliefs live a life of pure hatred with no rules to guide them?
Of course not. Being kind to others, caring for the poor, well they're not exactly outlined in the Ten Commandments, but it's part of the belief system of some of those who do hold true to the Ten Commandments. How would Maher explain that?
Maher stands up for Atheism, defends it. I just think it's funny that this man would condemn religious beliefs, but would fight to the death defending your right to believe in nothing.
I don't think that one set of beliefs is exclusive of any other set of guidelines.
So now, if you happen to be a Right-Winger, you might find yourself in agreement with me, particularly if you're religious in any way. And that's great. If you're a Left-Winger, you've seen how I've lumped all kinds of people together with Maher, made all kinds of statements about the "Libertarian thought process" based on a set of beliefs and statements expressed by Maher, and you've made it this far without hitting the comment button to lambaste me, you're probably pretty steamed that I could make such a generalized conclusion based on a few ideas. It's pretty unfair of me to draw these unfair conclusions about Libertarians, based solely on the fact that Maher happens to be a Libertarian.
All I can say to that then is, I've proven my point. Thanks for reading.
I definitely feel any generalized or blanket statements made about a person's belief system -whether it be aimed towards conservative or liberal, religious or atheist -is quite unfair.
ReplyDeleteMaher's an idiot. He only remains on television for shock value, not for warranted intelligence.
His Ten Commandment argument...I think he's snorted too much coke up his ugly nose, and watched too much porn to make a valid argument about anything.
I got your point...and it's a good one!
ReplyDeleteI wish there was a party to belong to that allowed for "some from column A and some from column B"...ah but, if there were..it would be similar to the independent party and it wouldn't make much of a difference in the end results.
Ugh.
Nancy
http://journals.aol.com/nhd106/Nancyluvspix/entries/2007/04/05/round-robin/1481
jimmy you're awesome.
ReplyDeleteGeez, where do I begin? Bill Maher is the antithesis of the Ten Commandments; of anything virtuous. No wonder he's an atheist.
The Ten Commandments were given in the Old Testament to the people of Moses; that's all they could handle. When Christ came he fulfilled the Mosaic Law and gave us a higher law, as found in the New Testament. The Commandments are still a base for all laws, but there are laws and principles that go beyond the basic ten. Take for example: thou shalt not steal. It's more than not taking something tangible that isn't ours. We need to be honest in our dealings, honest to ourselves, to God and to our fellow man. And thou shalt not commit adultery. Christ gave us a higher law to not even 'look upon another' with lustful thoughts and feelings for if he does 'he hath committed adultery in his heart'.
If Maher knew his Bible (which he clearly does NOT), he would know that these Ten Commandments are so much more.
How's that for a sunday school lesson?
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ReplyDeleteMeta, you said it, the man's an idiot. So typical of the "literal" mind of his type. You say something definitive, you can have no room for "gray area"
ReplyDeleteNancy, I so agree. I registered as an Indepentent, but not the party. Just means I can't vote the primaries.
Kristen, thank you. It's always good to know guys like Maher exist, because it just makes me stand more firmly in defense of my beliefs. His literal mind (not Liberal in this case) draws such ridiculous conclusions. I could turn it on him and say that according to his logic, all of our laws are moot except those specifically outlined in the Bill of Rights. That would mean that he condones child abuse since there isn't a specific statute outlawing it by name.
I don't think Maher is a liberal, I just think he is an athiest. Maher is libertarian which is kind of conservative (just not in social issues).
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I think that Maher is probably mad at God. Anyone that is THAT hostile to religion has to be at some level. If I were an athiest, I would merely shrug off all issues of faith as unimportant. I surely wouldn't waste my time and energy being hostile towards it.
I think the best example about how Maher is wrong about the Ten Commandments comes from Jesus. He was asked what was the most important commandment. His answer was to love the Lord with all your mind, heart and soul. The second most important commandment is to love your neighbor as you do yourself. With these two commandments, Jesus said, all the rest of them would be covered. This defeats Maher at every issue (child abuse and rape) he brought up concerning people like me.
You know I too consider myself a fairly open person. This is mostly because I think it unfair to judge an issue unless I fully understand both sides. At this stage in my life I have neither the time, nor the interest, to fully research every issue out there. Someday, perhaps.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I haven't known many atheists in my life, but the few I have known have just made me feel sad. To me it seemed like they verbalized their disbelief in a desperate effort to find someone smart enough to convince them of God's existence. I must admit Jeff's comment about being mad at God seems reasonable too.
Either way, what makes me sad is that people who don't believe in God obviously haven't personally felt God's love for them. It would be pretty hard to deny His existence if they had. What a sad, difficult existence. I can only imagine.
You would be good on that show Jimmy! Good point. ;)
ReplyDelete??? When did you lump Liberals in with him?? I just read a post about the illogical argument he's making in regards to beliefs. I AM a Liberal (well in the US I would be anyway, here is has a different meaning politically and I'm definitely NOT one) and I still didn't feel like you made a blanket statement about them.
ReplyDelete