Briefing Book: Bill Maher's at the Box Office With Religulous

October 3, 2008

by CitizenSugar 74

Movies: Bill Maher's new movie Religulous opens today. Are you lining up to see him travel the globe questioning faith? — Radar
Debate Sweet Talk: "Can I call you Joe?" and "I love him. As my mother would say, God love him." All of the bon mots from last night's debate — WSJ Wire
Army Crack Down: The Army is vowing to prevent crimes of sexual assault within the ranks after a recent report that 2.6 out of 1,000 are assaulted every year. — Jezebel
Rick Rolling: Did you catch this one? — Just Too Good to Pass Up
Jobs: Job losses soar again in September, the biggest seen in almost six years. — Wonkette
Conspiracy Theories: The discovery of Steve Fosset's plane ramps up conspiracy theories surrounding his disappearance. — newsblog

News Briefing Book

74 Comments

hausfrau 4 years 33 weeks

org its house frow :)

UnDave35 4 years 33 weeks

I agree that it's human nature to go to war. More often than not, it's the religion that is being distorted to fit (Nazi Germany and Lutheranism), rather than religion supporting the war itself.

organicsugr 4 years 33 weeks

I don't know hausfrau (I like saying your name, but I don't really know how to pronounce it). Bill Maher has a point. Religion is really bad because people go to war while practicing it.

hausfrau 4 years 33 weeks

i know i bring up south park too much, but it really is so applicable in so many arguments. they had one about evolution where they went back and erased all religion and all that happened was people found something else to fight and wage wars about. there will always be violence in human nature, the only thing that changes is what its blamed on.

organicsugr 4 years 33 weeks

This one is so simple, it's not even funny. If people invented religion as an excuse to wage war on one another, all we'd have to do is prevent religion from taking hold and these wars wouldn't occur. Since we're not taking into account human nature: This is reasonable, since we know that, historically, religious wars are waged solely for religious reasons.

True Song 4 years 33 weeks

>Ah, it's everyone else. Yes. When I said there are a few rude people, somehow in a twisted way I meant "It's everyone else." It's a rude thing to say. I hope you will stop saying it. If not, suit yourself.

hausfrau 4 years 33 weeks

i don't want to get too into this, but i do want to point out that organized religion has done a lot of GOOD too. its pretty short sighted to ignore all the money and time that goes to eradicting hunger and poverty in the name of religion. studies have shown that those who go to church regularly donate significantly more money and time to social causes than those who don't. religion is certainly not infallible, but to the rid the world of it entirely just seeks to make people more selfish than they already are.

Great Sommelier 4 years 33 weeks

Ah, it's everyone else.

True Song 4 years 33 weeks

>And ts, if people are saying that to you so much, is it everyone else who is wrong? It's a few people saying it a lot, actually. I find it more an indication that they are rude than that I lack reading skills.

True Song 4 years 33 weeks

No, I said we have the potential for religiously motivate nuclear attacks. I said "now we may be facing religiously motivated nuclear attacks." I said, "religion has caused are deaths, wars, and potential nuclear attacks." I said "religion has caused deaths and now may cause religiously motivated nuclear attacks." (See how I clarified without implying you don't read?) The point is that religion has always caused violence and war, and the bigger and more destructive the weapons we have are, the more dangerous it is to have religion.

Great Sommelier 4 years 33 weeks

And ts, if people are saying that to you so much, is it everyone else who is wrong? Or could you possibly just pick parts of posts you want to go on a tangent about while completely disregarding parts of it? What's that saying about a duck?

Great Sommelier 4 years 33 weeks

You asked what nuclear attack love had caused, so I ask what nuclear attack has religion caused?

True Song 4 years 33 weeks

By what logic, neither has religion what? Religion has caused, deaths, started wars, motivated potential nuclear attacks, broken up families, destroyed lives, been a cause for genocide, justified discrimation, and all manner of other ills.

True Song 4 years 33 weeks

You generally touch nerves when you're rude. I asked you to stop being condescending, and you basically said I deserve it. Get over yourself.

Great Sommelier 4 years 33 weeks

And by that logic, neither has religion.

Great Sommelier 4 years 33 weeks

touched a nerve, did I?

True Song 4 years 33 weeks

Wow. GS, didn't you just win top talker? You can probably stop trying to start arguments and drive up your comment count. For future reference, I read comments I reply to. You can work from the assumption that this is always the case. If you really are looking to get snarky and get into it though, let's replay the tape. I said religion has caused deaths and now may cause religiously motivated nuclear attacks. You said, "love has caused a lot of what you say too." If anyone's not reading, I suspect it is you, since while love has caused some deaths, I don't believe it has yet motivated nuclear weaponry. So love has only caused one of the two things I mentioned, and that is not, as you said, "a lot." Then again, it is one thing to read, it is another to comprehend.

Great Sommelier 4 years 33 weeks

The insinuations would stop if you didn't post in a manner that appears that you have not read the comment being discussed.

True Song 4 years 33 weeks

Again, I wish we could stop implying, innsinuating, or accusing others of not having read what we have written. But regardless, I don't get the point. You said, "TS, love has caused a lot of what you say too." And what I said religion has caused are deaths, wars, and potential nuclear attacks. Yes, booze and cars have causes deaths, too, so have bunk beds, vending machines, and roller blades. Show me where bunk beds have caused a war, inspired others to murder, or motivated development of nuclear weapons and I will speak out against them, but I'm sure you know there is a big difference between accidental deaths and murder motivated by religion.

Great Sommelier 4 years 33 weeks

TS, come on. Read what I wrote. I said caused a lot of the things. Not all. And yes, love has caused wars. The others are just countless deaths.

True Song 4 years 33 weeks

We've gone to war over love and alcohol?

Great Sommelier 4 years 33 weeks

TS, love has caused a lot of what you say too. Car crashes, drunk driving, alcohol in general. Should all of those be eradicated too?

True Song 4 years 33 weeks

Here is a link to two reviews of the film, one positive, one negative. http://community.livejournal.com/ontd_political/982329.html

True Song 4 years 33 weeks

But why is that sad? Throughout history religion has caused so many deaths. I think those cartoons of the prophet in Dutch newspapers alone resulted in 50 deaths from riots and whatnot, and now we may be facing religiously motivated nuclear attacks. I can see why some people are religious, but I would prefer to live in a world of rationality and science. And it would be safer.

Great Sommelier 4 years 33 weeks

The message was basically, we need to abandon religion because it causes death and war and it's irrational.

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