Bill Maher: Pope ‘Used to be a Nazi’; Compares Church to Cult, Bear Stearns

[ibkc]

Bill does not believe in God cause he thinks it’s a waste of time and that’s his right as an American. People should stop making judgments based on their emotions. Just because you get upset by a comment someone makes does not mean its racist.

If “Bill” kept his commentary to a reasoned “I do not believe in God and I do not like organized religion, especially the Catholic Church, and here are my reasons why”, followed by a measured explanation of his differences, that would be one thing. But he doesn’t do that. He knowingly passes on outright falsehoods and slanders. He says things that are patently untrue and he says them as if they are factual, using his unique position as a public figure to influence people. He is a bigot of the nastiest kind, and he deserves nothing but prayer for his conversion, or at at the least (and probably more reasonably) a softening of his heart.

 

[kcald17]

I honestly don’t think he is a bigot. He has never really said anything offensive. He was raised Catholic and went to Catholic school where i do not think he received the full understand of the catholic faith. His understanding of Christianity as a whole is based on the evangelical Christians. At best you can call him ignorant, but not racist because again catholicism is not a race, but a belief. It’s like the people that call Barak Obama a Muslim when in fact he is a Christian and his father was Muslim. The fact is the catholic church is an organization that has done terrible things throughout history as well as many wonderful things. The fact that people are offended at criticism of something that is wrong with our church’s structure is crazy and until we fix the problems within our religious community I can’t see people being outraged at his comments.
This is the video:
youtube.com/watch?v=wsI5pSS_tuY

 

[kcald17]

Those Romans weren’t so bad I mean I know they killed Christians but the Gladiatorial contests at the Colosseum were really cool. And hey they didn’t kill that Christians.

That’s kinda like saying:

Those Catholics aren’t that bad. I mean I know they killed all those Jews and Muslims and raped those kids, but they did help a lot of people and they didn’t rape that many kids.

And are Roman Catholics sell-outs?

 

[beckycmarie]

He has never really said anything offensive.

Let’s review what Bill Maher said in that segment, shall we?

In fact, whenever a cult leader sets himself up as God’s infallible wing man here on earth, lock away the kids.

Which is why I’d like to tip off law enforcement to an even larger child-abusing religious cult. Its leader also has a compound. And this guy not only operates outside the bounds of the law, but he used to be a Nazi and he wears funny hats. [photo of the Pope shown] [mixture of laughter, shock, scattered applause]

That’s right. The Pope is coming to America this week, and, ladies, he’s single! [laughter] Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Bill, you can’t be saying that the Catholic Church is no better than this creepy Texas cult! For one thing, altar boys can’t even get pregnant.” [mixture of laughter and other reactions]

But, really, what tripped up the “little cult on the prairie�”[laughter] was that they only abused hundreds of kids, not thousands all over the world. Cults get raided. Religions get parades. How does the Catholic Church get away with all of their buggery? VOLUME, VOLUME, VOLUME! [laughter] [applause]

If you have a few hundred followers and you let some of them molest children, they call you a cult leader. If you have a billion, they call you “Pope.”

It’s like if you can’t pay your mortgage, you’re a deadbeat, but if you can’t pay a million mortgages, you’re Bear Stearns, and we bail you out. [laughter] [applause] [cheers] And that’s who the Catholic Church is, the Bear Stearns of organized pedophilia. [laughter] Too big to fail.

When the current Pope was in his previous Vatican job as John Paul’s **** Cheney [laughter]he wrote a letter instructing every Catholic bishop to keep the sex abuse of minors secret until the statute of limitations ran out. And that’s the Church’s attitude: “We’re here, we’re queer, get used to it.” [applause]

Which is fine. Far be it from me to criticize religion. [laughter] But, just remember one thing: if the Pope was, instead of a religious figure, merely the CEO of a nationwide chain of daycare centers where thousands of employees had been caught molesting kids and then covering it up, he’d be arrested faster than you can say, “Who wants to touch Mister Wiggle?”

Now then. Exactly what part of this rant wasn’t offensive???

 

[kcald17]

I wasn’t offended because some of it was true. he took it a little far but he never insulted me. Just the people that lead my church who as a matter of fact didn’t do their job, and allowed this to happen to thousands of kids.

 

[beckycmarie]

I wasn’t offended because some of it was true. he took it a little far but he never insulted me. Just the people that lead my church who as a matter of fact didn’t do their job, and allowed this to happen to thousands of kids.

Please elaborate on which statements were true.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue responded as follows:

“Maher’s obsession with the Catholic Church continues, only this time there isn’t enough material for him to use as a club, so he literally makes things up. His lies include the following statement: ‘When the—when the current pope was in his previous Vatican job as John Paul’s **** Cheney—he wrote a letter instructing every Catholic bishop to keep the sex abuse of minors secret until the statute of limitations ran out.’

“A similar lie was floated by an angry ex-Catholic bigot, Rosie O’Donnell. The fact is that before he was named pope, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger had absolutely nothing to do with policing allegations of sexual abuse until 2002, after the scandal erupted that January. And he certainly never counseled bishops to keep sexual abuse secret—this is a bald face lie. Indeed, a week before Pope John Paul II died, he addressed the scandal by saying, ‘How much filth there is in the church, even among those who, in the priesthood, should belong entirely’ to God.

“Maher also lied when he said the pope ‘used to be a Nazi.’ Like all young men in Germany at the time, he was conscripted into a German Youth organization (from which he fled as soon as he could). Every responsible Jewish leader has acknowledged this reality and has never sought to brand the pope a Nazi. That job falls to Maher.

“In 2005, after complaining about another bigoted outburst, I was told by Richard Plepler of HBO that ‘it’s a free country, and people are free to say silly things—even on HBO.’ Last year, after another assault, I was told by Jeff Cusson (replying for Time Warner’s CEO Richard Parsons), that Maher’s anti-Catholic remarks were a matter of ‘creative freedom.’ Well, folks, no one has the freedom to libel someone.”

 

[mozier]

The fact that people are offended at criticism of something that is wrong with our church’s structure is crazy and until we fix the problems within our religious community I can’t see people being outraged at his comments.

Again, though, criticism is one thing, but outright lies and slander is another thing. To refer to the pope as a Nazi is horrifying and goes completely against everything that is true about him. Calumny cannot be excused under the guise of “free speech” or “political humor.” Bill Mahar can be irreverant, outrageous, and perhaps even funny on occasion, but he must never be a slanderer of someone good name and reputation, whether a public figure or not.

 

[brockmac]

Bill does not believe in God cause he thinks it’s a waste of time and that’s his right

Actually, it is not his right. Our rights come from God, not the government or the Constitution. The Constitution simply acknowledges some of these rights and the government is supposed to protect them. We are called by Godto acknowledge and worship Him. God gives us the free will to choose to do so or not, but let’s not confuse that as a “right” to not believe in God.

The reason God gave us free will is so that we could choose to love and serve Him. If we did not have free will, we would not be able to choose God, but he would impose himself on us. Under those circumstances, our love and service of HIm could hardly be called love or service, but rather subjegation and slavery. To choose to not believe in God is an abuse of the gift of free will, not the excercising of a right.

While Bill Mahr may not appear deserving of our prayers, but I suspect there are times when most of us have been undeserving of prayers, yet received them and benefitted from them anyway. Please pray to our Blessed Mother that through her Son and the Holy Spirit, this poor man may come home to the Church and repent of his slander and sacralige.

 

[MelanieAnne]

Please pray to our Blessed Mother that through her Son and the Holy Spirit, this poor man may come home to the Church and repent of his slander and sacralige.

I was just flashing on that thought. Imagine that first confession upon coming home ~ it’d be a doozey!!

 

[Kevin42]

He has never really said anything offensive.

This is simply wrong. He has said blasphemous things about Holy Communion, and compared it to gay sex. I will not even reprint what he said here because it is much too offensive and inappropriate. All I can say is that in his May 18, 2007 show, he said one of the most profane and blasphemous things that I have ever heard. His being removed from HBO is long overdue, in my opinion.

 

[juno24]

Well, I admit I am an avid Bill Maher fan, however he does make comments that are sometimes exaggerated for effect because lets not forget he is a comedian. So, is the pope a Nazi? No. Is all religion really bad? No. Is the Catholic church a cult? No, not at this point in time, but let’s not forget 2000 years ago Jews looked down at Catholics as a strange sect much in the same way as the cult in Texas. However, at that point in time Catholicism was pure and untainted by human intervention, unlike that skewed brand of Christianity. The point Bill was trying to make and he did in his “apology” was that Catholicism messed up and the rules are not the same for religion and big business. I really do not find anything racist about it. He said that the organization of the Catholic church is basically a training center for pedophiles, which of course is not true, but is the Catholic church so full of itself that we are above criticism. He is a comedian he is paid to exaggerate. He voiced his opinion about people who believe in religion, which I do not agree with, but it is not racist because it is a choice that people make with their lives. If someone said, “People who disagree with me are idiots,” it wouldn’t be a racist remark and that is really all he said. Religion is a choice and by making it something more is inherently racist and discriminatory. I believe in God because I believe I will gain the full understanding of my being, not because I was born into it. Bill does not believe in God cause he thinks it’s a waste of time and that’s his right as an American. People should stop making judgments based on their emotions. Just because you get upset by a comment someone makes does not mean its racist.

Kcald17, do you understand that we are upset, not because some comedian made a joke, but because Bill Maher has time and time again made slanderous remarks about the Church in general, and the Pope in particular? When someone, comedian or otherwise, repeatedly says lies against a real person, it is slander, not a joke.
Exaggeration means taking one true aspect of something, and making it more than it really is. A lie is knowingly telling something that is plainly and simply untrue. For instance, if the truth was that you were in the bottom 20% of your class, and I said you were so low that you could see the soles of the shoes of the person ahead of you, that would be an exaggeration. If I said you finished dead last, and no one ever finished lower than you, that would be an outright lie. Do you see the difference?
You say as a comedian he is paid to exaggerate. Not really. As a comedian he is paid to make jokes or other humorous remarks and observations. In my opinion, he should return his paychecks, because he has not done what he is paid to do in a very long time.

As an aside, please learn the difference between racism and bigotry. No one here has said that Bill Maher’s comments are racist, as Catholicism is not a race. His remarks are bigotted lies.

 

[kcald17]

Actually, it is not his right. Our rights come from God, not the government or the Constitution. The Constitution simply acknowledges some of these rights and the government is supposed to protect them. We are called by Godto acknowledge and worship Him. God gives us the free will to choose to do so or not, but let’s not confuse that as a “right” to not believe in God.

Actually, we do have the right not to believe in God given to us by God if you really want to go down this path. As Catholics in the full understanding of Catholicism Faith in God is the knowledge of his being and the service we provide for him. The service we provide for him is the main part because even the devil has the knowledge and understanding of God and even acknowledges His presence. God gives us the free will to choose whether or not we want to be in His presence, and that is the essence of hell, a godless existence. Maher simply chooses to be outside the presence of God and on the day he meets God. God will want Maher to be in his presence, but his ignorance will prevent him from achieving salvation. God wants you, but you need to want him and that is where free will comes into play.

 

[kcald17]

I’m sorry about confusing racism and bigotry I saw this thing on FOX and they called him racist, and I must have been thinking that when I wrote this. However, when it comes to religion, Bill Maher does not like western beliefs based on the destruction and devastation they have caused throughout centuries. I do not think he is intolerant of religion because he has many religious people on his show and they have plenty of discussions regarding religious philosophy. He went to a Catholic school for most of his life I doubt he hates Catholicism because he does not know anything about it. Maybe what he has learned is a bit skewed, but the comments he made about the pope is not the first time someone made fun of his ties to the Nazi party. If someone said I was the worst person in the class when in fact I was 10th to last out of 50, I wouldn’t argue with them because I’d be too embarrassed to talk about my failure to break out of the bottom 20%. So, basically catholics should be outraged because not all Catholic children are abused but a decent amount were, and somebody called the church on it.

 

[kcald17]

That’s kind of like saying

Those Romans weren’t so bad I mean I know they killed Christians but the Gladiatorial contests at the Colosseum were really cool. And hey they didn’t kill that Christians.

That’s kinda like saying:

Hey those Catholics weren’t so bad I mean I know they killed Jews, Muslims, and abused all those kids but they did some nice things in the way of service. And they didn’t abuse that many kids.

So are Roman Catholics sell-outs?

Everyone is so indignant here. I think you need to chill out cause I doubt any of you watch the show anyway.

 

[mmm1]

That’s kinda like saying:

Hey those Catholics weren’t so bad I mean I know they killed Jews, Muslims, and abused all those kids but they did some nice things in the way of service. And they didn’t abuse that many kids.

So are Roman Catholics sell-outs?

Everyone is so indignant here. I think you need to chill out cause I doubt any of you watch the show anyway.

You honestly believe that he said nothing bigoted or offensive? My kids’ grade school dictionary defines bigotry as,“prejudiced, intolerance”. Bigot is defined as, “a person filled with stubborn hatred”.

I don’t need to chill out, I’m quite calm, thank you, but “Bill” fits this definition pretty well. You could say he is the epitome of a bigot, in fact.

It is hard to believe that a Catholic would not find his remarks about our Pope, the Vicar of Christ, offensive. Plenty of non-Catholics find them offensive. Indeed, they are beyond offensive because they are slanderous lies that perpetuate lies about the Pope & faith that you profess to believe in.

 

[kcald17]

You honestly believe that he said nothing bigoted or offensive? My kids’ grade school dictionary defines bigotry as,“prejudiced, intolerance”. Bigot is defined as, “a person filled with stubborn hatred”.

I really don’t think he has any hatred, but if he does your missing a portion of that definition. A bigot is “a prejudiced person who is intolerant of any opinions differing from his own,” which certainly is not true. “Bill” (I guess the quotes are due to the fact that his name is ironic or something) does not prejudge Catholicism as a matter of fact he went to Catholic school. What he said about the pope was a joke he also said he wears funny hats and “ladies he’s single.” I’m sure people know that the leader of the Catholic faith cannot be a Nazi, and most people watch the news and have heard about his participation in the Hitler youth. Maybe he just needs to get to know the people that make up the church(and complain about this ridiculous stuff instead getting angry with the organization of the church) and he will change his opinion on organized religion in general. I doubt it.

 

[MelanieAnne]

I really don’t think he has any hatred, but if he does your missing a portion of that definition. A bigot is “a prejudiced person who is intolerant of any opinions differing from his own,” which certainly is not true. “Bill” (I guess the quotes are due to the fact that his name is ironic or something) does not prejudge Catholicism as a matter of fact he went to Catholic school. What he said about the pope was a joke he also said he wears funny hats and “ladies he’s single.” I’m sure people know that the leader of the Catholic faith cannot be a Nazi, and most people watch the news and have heard about his participation in the Hitler youth. Maybe he just needs to get to know the people that make up the church(and complain about this ridiculous stuff instead getting angry with the organization of the church) and he will change his opinion on organized religion in general. I doubt it.

KCald, regardless of what you have written, based on what he has said, by any definition, Maher is a bigot when it comes to the Catholic Church. That may make you uncomfortable because, at least mostly, you like him. That doesn’t change the facts. He is a bigot in the clearest definition of the word.

Many Catholics (obviously!) disagree with you. Their opinions count too. He’s OFFENSIVE to them. He’s gone beyond comedy and become TOTALLY offensive. Why he does that we don’t know and it is useless to speculate, but his personal history doesn’t excuse him.

He’s not really funny, not about this anyway. It’s possible that some people have started to confuse bigotry with comedy, there’s enough of it out there. Maybe Maher thinks it is OK to say awful things about the Church because he was Catholic once, who knows? If he does, that’s just WRONG.

My Grandmother once told me that if you make someone the butt of a joke that’s not funny, it’s cruelty. She was right. Maher’s not funny about the Catholic Church. If he makes you laugh, it’s because you’re uncomfortable. That’s nervous laughter. Don’t confuse it with real hilarity.

You’ve got blinders on Kiddo. You don’t have to believe me tho’. Ask your Pastor. Write down every Maer quote in its entirety and ask him. Let us know what you find out.

 

[mmm1]

I really don’t think he has any hatred, but if he does your missing a portion of that definition. A bigot is “a prejudiced person who is intolerant of any opinions differing from his own,” which certainly is not true. “Bill” (I guess the quotes are due to the fact that his name is ironic or something) does not prejudge Catholicism as a matter of fact he went to Catholic school. What he said about the pope was a joke he also said he wears funny hats and “ladies he’s single.” I’m sure people know that the leader of the Catholic faith cannot be a Nazi, and most people watch the news and have heard about his participation in the Hitler youth. Maybe he just needs to get to know the people that make up the church(and complain about this ridiculous stuff instead getting angry with the organization of the church) and he will change his opinion on organized religion in general. I doubt it.

I don’t mean to argue with you, but over 15,000 people took time out of their busy days to let hbo know how offended they are. They are not all religious or Catholics. Many more than that were probably bothered by the lies, but did not take the time to respond yet.

Don Imus & Michael Richards from Seinfeld thought they were being funny when they said hateful things about African Americans. Was that OK because they were just making a joke? Of course not. This is not funny or OK either.

Maybe if he had told vicious lies about something or someone you care incredibly deeply about, you would feel differently. It doesn’t matter that he used to be Catholic. He no longer is, & he slams the Church frequently. If someone used to be a US citizen, but then leaves the US & spreads vicious lies to thousands about America & US troops, we wouldn’t say it was OK because he grew up in the US, would we?

Maher has a long history of this. You might want to go to firebillmaher.com or the Catholic League’s website to get some background on the vile things he has already said.

 

[murtad]

I don’t watch or get HBO or watch this stuff but heard about this on the radio.

I guess in some way I feel sorry for folks like Bill Maher. They have nothing sacred in their lives.

The Pope was never a Nazi since he was never a member of the Nazi party. He was co-erced to join Hitler Youth but that is not same as Nazi party. So, calling the Pope “a Nazi” is slander. All Christians (who are for Christianity) should write a letter to this newspaper’s editor and ask it to apologise. If it refuses, we will boycott it.

 

[st_lucy]

I really don’t think he has any hatred, but if he does your missing a portion of that definition. A bigot is “a prejudiced person who is intolerant of any opinions differing from his own,” which certainly is not true. “Bill” (I guess the quotes are due to the fact that his name is ironic or something) does not prejudge Catholicism as a matter of fact he went to Catholic school. What he said about the pope was a joke he also said he wears funny hats and “ladies he’s single.” I’m sure people know that the leader of the Catholic faith cannot be a Nazi, and most people watch the news and have heard about his participation in the Hitler youth. Maybe he just needs to get to know the people that make up the church(and complain about this ridiculous stuff instead getting angry with the organization of the church) and he will change his opinion on organized religion in general. I doubt it.

You keep mentioning the fact that he was raised Catholic and thus is justified to say what ever he pleases about the Church and Her leaders. Well, Hitler was supposedly Catholic and he killed thousands of fellow Catholics, King Henry was Catholic and he killed and persecuted Catholics even his own childhood friend St Thomas. So are you saying that these two men we justified in what they did because they were Catholic?

Mr Maher is no different than these two he is spewing hate and in doing so he is planting seeds of hate towards the Church and all Christians, all because he was once Catholic.