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Spirit Ape

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Another christian bashing movie, nice. Why is it no other religion gets bashed? Or am I misinformed?

 

You are misinformed. Bill is a equal opportunity basher. Everyone from Jews for Jesus to Rael to Satanists are included in this movie's premise. As for why "no other religion gets bashed", you must live here in America. The main reason that Christianity gets bashed louder (though not really more often except proportionally) is because it is the only religion here with enough arrogance and power (here's a scary example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Family_(C...l_organization) ) to interfere with non-believers lives (ex. the current Prop 8 in CA). Muslims get bashed just as much when they demand Shari'a or when they preach (un)Intelligent Design. You don't tend to hear about the Quakers getting "bashed" because they stay the f%#k out of other people's business and don't try to drag science back to the dark ages. Oh, and they don't try to limit women's reproductive rights, gay inheritance right/hospital visits to committed partners etc., people's rights to put diverse substances into their bodies....do we need to go on?

Lastly, before Christians complain about being "bashed" (just being made fun of) they should take into account all the bashing they have done:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_and_antisemitism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_crusades

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch_trials

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galilao

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Inquisition

 

....the list goes on. And doesn't even include how far back the church set science after the fall of Rome.

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I think Bill can be funny but tends to be a bit narrow minded and focused on his own political and personal agenda. I liked his HBO show for a while but much of it now just covers ground that's been beaten to death. That said, I will certainly check out his movie once it's on cable!

 

In my view, all religion deserves to be scrutinized very seriously (I like that approach better than bashing). Little on earth does as much harm as religion (particularly the big boys) and yet we are very tolerant of it. This taboo nature of serious religious scrutiny leads to the next best alternative - bashing.

 

For a less comedic treatment of the same material check out "The End of Faith" by Sam Harris.

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You are misinformed. Bill is a equal opportunity basher. Everyone from Jews for Jesus to Rael to Satanists are included in this movie's premise. As for why "no other religion gets bashed", you must live here in America. The main reason that Christianity gets bashed louder (though not really more often except proportionally) is because it is the only religion here with enough arrogance and power (here's a scary example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Family_(C...l_organization) ) to interfere with non-believers lives (ex. the current Prop 8 in CA). Muslims get bashed just as much when they demand Shari'a or when they preach (un)Intelligent Design. You don't tend to hear about the Quakers getting "bashed" because they stay the f%#k out of other people's business and don't try to drag science back to the dark ages. Oh, and they don't try to limit women's reproductive rights, gay inheritance right/hospital visits to committed partners etc., people's rights to put diverse substances into their bodies....do we need to go on?

Lastly, before Christians complain about being "bashed" (just being made fun of) they should take into account all the bashing they have done:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_and_antisemitism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_crusades

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch_trials

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galilao

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Inquisition

 

....the list goes on. And doesn't even include how far back the church set science after the fall of Rome.

I havent seen any previews yet, only reviews and it seemed that it was just christians who were pissed. I do live in america and as far as bashing goes, I have yet to see a muslim bashing, probably due more to fear than anything. Bill is an athiest I suspect?

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I havent seen any previews yet, only reviews and it seemed that it was just christians who were pissed. I do live in america and as far as bashing goes, I have yet to see a muslim bashing, probably due more to fear than anything. Bill is an athiest I suspect?

 

Muslims tend to get off with some circles, but less people are worried about it now. Bill says he believes in some type of God but not one that writes books ("God does not write books. He can make rainbows...."). The reason it is mostly Christians that are pissed is because they are the ones that speak the loudest in the US. He has frequently spoken out against Muslim Extremism on his shows.

 

Oh, also, one good site re: Muslim extremism is : http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/ (warning some may be disturbed by some images/articles)

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Muslims tend to get off with some circles, but less people are worried about it now. Bill says he believes in some type of God but not one that writes books ("God does not write books. He can make rainbows...."). The reason it is mostly Christians that are pissed is because they are the ones that speak the loudest in the US. He has frequently spoken out against Muslim Extremism on his shows.

 

Oh, also, one good site re: Muslim extremism is : http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/ (warning some may be disturbed by some images/articles)

Very nice website :lol:

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Muslims tend to get off with some circles, but less people are worried about it now. Bill says he believes in some type of God but not one that writes books ("God does not write books. He can make rainbows...."). The reason it is mostly Christians that are pissed is because they are the ones that speak the loudest in the US. He has frequently spoken out against Muslim Extremism on his shows.

 

Oh, also, one good site re: Muslim extremism is : http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/ (warning some may be disturbed by some images/articles)

 

^^^^this isnt not islam....im a muslim and it really shows what little knowledge you guys have of the subject.

 

Islam originating with the teachings of the Prophet of Islam Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. The word Islam means "submission", or the total surrender of oneself to God . An adherent of Islam is known as a Muslim, meaning "one who submits [to God]".The word Muslim is the participle of the same verb of which Islām is the infinitive. There are between 1 billion and 1.8 billion Muslims, making Islam the second-largest religion in the world, after Christianity.

 

Muslims believe that God revealed the Qur'an to Muhammad, God's final prophet, through the angel Gabriel, and regard the Qur'an and the Sunnah (words and deeds of Muhammad) as the fundamental sources of Islam.[5] They do not regard Muhammad as the founder of a new religion, but as the restorer of the original monotheistic faith of Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and other prophets. Islamic tradition holds that Jews and Christians distorted the revelations God gave to these prophets by either altering the text, introducing a false interpretation, or both.Islam includes many religious practices. Adherents are generally required to observe the Five Pillars of Islam, which are five duties that unite Muslims into a community.

 

 

Islam is not a religion it is a way of life, its only called a religion because it was given to the arabs as a religion.

 

Also some mention Sharia law. The sharia law is important to those who SUBMIT to it that has land and government to support it.

 

i also shows how ignorant bill maher is he doesnt have knowledge of self or knowledge of religion(s)...so he bashes them.... btw this movie receive 2 1/2 stars at the box office..

 

 

 

the brain is enshroud in 75% water and i swear it seems like bill maher is brain dead!

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^^^^this isnt not islam....im a muslim and it really shows what little knowledge you guys have of the subject.

 

Islam originating with the teachings of the Prophet of Islam Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. The word Islam means "submission", or the total surrender of oneself to God . An adherent of Islam is known as a Muslim, meaning "one who submits [to God]".The word Muslim is the participle of the same verb of which Islām is the infinitive. There are between 1 billion and 1.8 billion Muslims, making Islam the second-largest religion in the world, after Christianity.

 

Muslims believe that God revealed the Qur'an to Muhammad, God's final prophet, through the angel Gabriel, and regard the Qur'an and the Sunnah (words and deeds of Muhammad) as the fundamental sources of Islam.[5] They do not regard Muhammad as the founder of a new religion, but as the restorer of the original monotheistic faith of Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and other prophets. Islamic tradition holds that Jews and Christians distorted the revelations God gave to these prophets by either altering the text, introducing a false interpretation, or both.Islam includes many religious practices. Adherents are generally required to observe the Five Pillars of Islam, which are five duties that unite Muslims into a community.

Islam is not a religion it is a way of life, its only called a religion because it was given to the arabs as a religion.

 

Also some mention Sharia law. The sharia law is important to those who SUBMIT to it that has land and government to support it.

 

i also shows how ignorant bill maher is he doesnt have knowledge of self or knowledge of religion(s)...so he bashes them.... btw this movie receive 2 1/2 stars at the box office..

the brain is enshroud in 75% water and i swear it seems like bill maher is brain dead!

 

Okay, a couple of things need to be clear. First off, you are right, the "Religion of Peace" website is not representative of all of "Islam". Mainly because there is no 1 Islam, Muslims disagree with each other almost as much as Xtians do. But irregardless of that fact, the post above linked the website to "Muslim Extremism" not "Islam". And it is quite representative of the nuts that bring shame to your faith every day. That said you do prove their point, you complain about people not "getting Islam" instead of complaining about Muslim extremists blowing up Muslims and non-Muslims. Lastly, you are not addressing someone with a lack of understanding of Islam. The religion itself has its beauty, and Muslims make great friends. Still the crazies of any faith make the religion look bad.

 

Anyway, regarding Religulous, Maher is quite honest in the film (we saw it this morning). He lets the religious nuts hang themselves and doesn't have to say much on his own. He has Imams address Islam, Rabbi's address Judaism and Christians address Christianity etc. That is actually the reason the ratings may be low, because Christians tend to downgrade anything that disrespects their faith. Either way, people don't care for people that make them think about things they don't want to think about. Everyone in the theater we were in loved it....loudly. : ) Just watch the movie and make your decision, not the other way around.

 

(Disclaimer: As with any movie that tries to prove a point there were some cheap shots in Religulous, but they were all simplifications of actual doctrines of the faiths addressed, not distortions. They were simply arguments that could have been elaborated on. Perhaps they will be addressed in the deleted scenes on the DVD.)

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I'm a fan of Bill M's and hope the humor he brings lightens if not enlightens these subjects-

 

I remember when a bash meant BIG fun and a party that really swung!

 

So I try to enjoy this time on earth...

 

I have some emperical knowledge of an existance out of body, but hey-

folks...

 

this life may be all we can know of existance after all...?

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islam isnt a religion its a way of life....the only reason it is considered a "religion" is because it was given to the arabs as a religion.

 

 

bill maher is a moron isnt this the same guy who use to dated superhead aka karrine steffans

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islam isnt a religion its a way of life....

 

Is not the same true for Christianity or any other "religion"?

 

And, probably what Bill is talking about is the "religion" aspect that a majority of the insiders and outsiders perceive and practice currently! Yeah, it is a way of life and there are many others :)

Edited by SiliconValley

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Although I like a lot of Bill's humor, some of it is rather extreme for my taste.

 

I find it humorous that Christianity is the dominent religion in the so-called free world where he has the freedom to say whatever he wants about the subject. A study done recently showed that the more capitalistic and classist the society the more Christian it is.

 

I can't help but wonder just how much money Bill is worth today. :P

Edited by wuliheron

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A study done recently showed that the more capitalistic and classist the society the more Christian it is.

 

If you haven't seen it you should check out the BBC's The Power of Nightmares. It follows the very creepy parallels between the rise of Neoconservatives and Islamism. The reason this relates to your comment above is that they go into the Strausian idea of the "Noble Lie" specifically, the neoconservative push for their brand of Christianity.

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If you haven't seen it you should check out the BBC's The Power of Nightmares. It follows the very creepy parallels between the rise of Neoconservatives and Islamism. The reason this relates to your comment above is that they go into the Strausian idea of the "Noble Lie" specifically, the neoconservative push for their brand of Christianity.

 

 

It is always darkest before the dawn, especially when it comes to fundamentalism which is extremely melodramatic. During the ninties the Southern Baptist church saw huge numbers of their flock leaving. They were sick and tired of all the hellfire and brimstone preaching.

 

Likewise, the current political movement in the US towards the democratic party can be seen in part as a reaction to the overly melodramatic rightwing politics. I find it humorous that the Bush administration thought that the best way to combat Islamic extremism was to raise their standard of living and restore demoncracy in Iraq and Afganistan. Just as Christianity florishes in capitalistic and classist societies, secularism and more moderate religions florish in middle of the road socialist-capitalist societies.

 

The harder people hold onto their beliefs, the quicker they slip out of their hands.

Edited by wuliheron

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I would like to see the study.

 

I liked the movie. Guy's an arrogant son of a bitch but yeah it was funny and insightful at times.

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I saw it awhile back...as a Christian I was not upset with Maher. I felt a little sorry for him. I felt really bad for some of the people he interviews. The black preacher in the beginning is a total jackass. I have met many truckers similiar to the guys in the truckstop church who are very strong in their belief, but not very intelligent.

 

Honestly, if Maher approached me for one of his interviews for this film, I hope that I would have given him the same response Jesus gave when he was mocked at his trial. "It is as you say," and left it at that...there is no point in making an ass out of myself trying to convince Maher of a truth as revealed to me...keyword "as revealed to me," he might have a different one, and that's allright with me.

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Did he bash Buddhists or Taoists? Animists or Shamans?

 

Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Muslims, and David Icke, yes. Taoists and Animists, no. I guess the latter rank below reptilian conspiracies in importance--or maybe Maher couldn't find any foolish enough to participate in his "discussions". :lol:

Edited by Martial Development

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I suspect much of the humor was unintentional. For example, Bill Maher's comment: "Why do these prophets always seem to hear the message while they are wandering alone in the desert? Isn't that convenient?"

 

:blink::rolleyes:

 

In Bill Maher's world, meat comes from the supermarket, facts from reasoning, and proof from consensus.

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