A Laughingstock Among Civilized Nations of the World

[zakquack]

Religions weren't created to manipulate the masses... Religions were created to be guides to building a relationship with the spirit that dwells within... They have been hijacked by some very evil organizations to manipulate the masses... and they knew that the final stage of their exploitation would be violent opposition... Don't let them win... Build a relationship with the spirit within you. Reject the external forces, sure, but don't reject spirituality... it's the only way to be free

[TheSkunkCat]

Pff... If I was the president of a country, lets say the USA somehow. For which I'm not elligible. But lets say I was.

If there was a crisis I wouldn't pray... like at all... If it was an economic one I'd raise taxes on the rich already and make corporations pay taxes and tax the shit out of CEO bonusses.

If it was a military crisis I'd put more money into giving soldiers body armour and healthcare and less into military contractors.

Naturally I'd be assassinated.

[EarlofCrawford]

She is so dumb it hurts.

[fromhereon]

Aide: Vice President Lieberman, Bill Maher is making inflammatory comments about you on CNN! You've got to change the channel.

Lieberman: It's the shabbos, dude. I only watch TV in emergencies.

Aide: You're watching TV right now...

Lieberman: SHOMER SHABBOS!

[phildirt3]

odonnell scary shit man

[discos1]

Money is NOT the root of all evil, religion is.

[Petekiv]

Go to: Aaron Klein. Then: James Manning. Then: Her Name is Ms Ann. Then: Phil Berg. Then: Larry Sinclair.

[Edgehead10075]

Maher doesn't even believe in the science of vaccinations. He doesn't believe that the polio vaccine worked. My point really is that other people could belittle Maher the way that he belittles anyone who doesn't agree with him, if they wanted to.

[Edgehead10075]

Haven't you been telling me how great vaccines are, though?

I'm not sure what the debate is; vaccines are mostly effective. Maher's views aren't supported by most scientists.

[Relbl]

@Edgehead10075 Maher said he didn't think the flu vaccine is a good idea, which is the opinion of about 60% of the doctors and nurses in the western world. One doesn't NEED to get a vaccine for every disease under the sun - one needs to be selective and only get innoculated against dangerous dieseases one has a large chance of coming into contact with. Plus, those other innoculations eradicate the diesease; since the flu comes from animals, it will never be eradicated by vaccinating humans

[Edgehead10075]

Cite your source that 60% of doctors and nurses don't think it's a good idea and why.

No, one doesn't need to get a vaccine, but simply living a healthy lifestyle isn't going to protect you from getting the flu. BTW, I haven't taken the vaccine.

Maher has said too many stupid things about vaccines to show that he's nuts. He's said that it's "injecting you with the disease" and that it "weakens your immune system."

[Relbl]

@Edgehead10075 You gave the answer yourself - a flu vaccine is NOT necessary, and overuse of medicines like vaccines and antibiotics is giving 'bugs' the upper-hand, giving them more chance to evolve into unkillable strains. I'll look for those links, but I'm positive in Canada, UK, and France that the vast majority of medical staff would NOT get the vaccine (this was at the height of the H1N1 scare). And vaccines do weaken your immune system as you fight off the vaccination - not permanently

[Edgehead10075]

I think my point is that Bill Maher doesn't know everything about science. You can read Michael Shermer's open letter to Bill Maher for more info on that. Maher thinks that Pasteur changed his beliefs on his deathbed, and he also seems to think that living a healthy lifestyle can protect one from any disease.

[Relbl]

@Edgehead10075 Fair enough, but he is the advocate for the 'other side' in this argument; he does go too far sometimes, but I think it is a reasonable statement to say that living a healthy lifestyle and eating well gives one a huge advantage against disease. Foolproof advantage - hell no, but any little bit counts. As for deathbed recantations, I wouldn't trust a single account of one about anyone so the Pasteur claim becomes bogus by default with me... I'm surprised he would swallow that tripe

[Edgehead10075]

Here's something that I forgot to mention regarding Bill Maher. He's against all vaccinations. He thinks that they're all bad for you. See, Maher really has no business belittling other people when he has some crazy opinions of his own.

[tonyss9]

The bible is full of myths and legends borrowed from earlier religions. Organized religion is nothing more then an anchient method of controlling primitive people. Its been responsible for more murder then anything else in history. "thou shall not kill....unless you pray to a different invisible man then i do". Jesus loves us....but if you dont believe in him fuck you and burn in hell. If you really think about it, the concept of a heaven and a hell is laughable. faith=stubborn ignorance.

[RisenPhoenix68]

@hexcane Don't forget how many Protestants and non Christians had to be murdered for the Popes over the last 1500 years. Catholicism is very much the extension of Roman Pantheism, but instead of gods, there are Saints in the form of statues. There is very little of Jesus in the Catholic religion.

[Edgehead10075]

Well, I never said that it was "no risk," but it's still very low risk for people who don't use dirty needles and who don't have unprotected sex if not in a monogamous relationship.

Hey, if someone wants to get the vaccine, I'm not going to stop him or her, but I would rather that it be a choice. Furthermore, I must add that HIV isn't an airborne disease, so a person with HIV isn't the same danger to society that a person with a contagious airborne disease is.

[Edgehead10075]

I'm not an expert on polio, but the thing is that HIV is not an airborne illness, and it's very hard to catch by accident. If the government ever did decide to make it mandatory, a shit load of people would raise a stink about it and might even choose to go to jail over taking the vaccine.

[Edgehead10075]

Hell, no. See, I don't live a high-risk lifestyle. I'd have more of a chance of getting HIV from the vaccine than from my lifestyle. That's why it shouldn't be mandatory. Of course, if you do live a risky lifestyle, then by all means get the vaccine.

[thedrake1954]

If you love war, slaughter, jihad, rape, and baby killing you're going to LOVE the Bible. READ IT. God is constantly telling his "chosen people" to do all of the above to their "enemies." Adolf Hitler did the same for his "master race" and he's the "bad guy"? Where's the difference? George Bush is a war criminal and should be treated as such (he also believes the Bible is "God's" true word.) Enough said. Religion is the greatest social evil that ever existed. You can't have "faith" w/o hate.

[RikkuPaine01]

@thedrake1954 Thank you. Thank you, my friend.

[tonyss9]

@thedrake1954 well said sir!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lets hope the doctrine of rationalism will end this historical belief in an anchient book designed to control primitve people.

[BOBXLII]

@thedrake1954 Right on, man. And if you love war, slaughter, juhad, rape, and baby killing, you'll love MEN. These are things men do. Men are the greatest social evil that ever existed. You can't be a man and not hate. So, I guess it's time to put women in power and remove all men from power.

[Mariguana86]

@BOBXLII Man or women..... PEOPLE = SHIT

[JustScrapNrodgers]

@thedrake1954 George bush took out a dictator that is arguable more sinister than Hitler, how does that make him a war criminal?

[atheistram]

@JustScrapNrodgers Um... George Bush went to war based on a lie that he told. Is that enough??

[CorrundumAndSilver]

@thedrake1954 I love how angry and bitter you sound while calling others evil.

[QueerSwede1]

She is amazingly stupied.

[spareaxe]

Are all the people in Delaware like this?

[hop208]

@spareaxe No.

[54chester]

bill maher is going to hell

[tattat44]

@54chester

Hell is a fairy tale.

[maniacchris]

@tattat44 ditto

[Gyohdon]

@tattat44 No, it's the USA

[Edgehead10075]

I agree that Christine O'Donnell is not fit for office, but the fact remains that the GOP kicked ass on Tuesday, and Rand Paul of the Tea Party movement is going to be a Senator. This was a great night for America.

As far as hell goes, we certainly don't know that it exists. However, we don't know that it DOESN'T exist either.

[TheRevolutionCanada]

@Edgehead10075 People like Sarah Palin and establishments like the GOP are highjacking the tea party movement I do no support the tea party and never will but if you cant see that alot of republicans are just jumping on the bandwagon of the movement then you really are dumb.

Ummm people who are religious say they know there is a hell and that they know when you die you either go to heaven or hell, THEY HAVE NO FUCKING CLUE, They havent died so how the hell would they know

[TheRevolutionCanada]

@Edgehead10075 Since your republicans are sooo much for a small less intrusive government, shouldnt you and the tea party movement be asking for the repeal of the patriot act??

[Edgehead10075]

I've never read the Patriot Act in its entirity, so I can't comment. The fact is that even Obama supports it though.

[TheRevolutionCanada]

@Edgehead10075 I know he supports it same as republicans. That Act is the most intrusive piece of legislation in United States History where they can suspend parts of the bill of rights, able to hold you without you contacting a lawyer, suspension of habious corpus, held for months without a trial, wiretapping you and everything you do. Why dont the republicans go after this act and abolish it instead of dragging their feet on health care??

[Madjacker08]

Lol, i like to see this and her rant on the constitution, then she couldn't say what was in the first amendment tonight in the debate.

[tigerone1970]

At 2:54 to 2:58 she switches into a much lower tone of voice. It think she is a complete fraud.

[rightsideofhistory]

She's so archaic, not a think-outside-the-box person. HOW ARE WE GOING TO CHANGE THIS COUNTRY, CHRISTINE ??? Like totally CHANGE. It's in the ditch, and it's soon heading down the sewer drain. Until people wake up and realize that a total overhaul of how we do business, government, money, and family, is required...we'll get nowhere. Until this nation becomes a patriotic kumbaya-fest of neighbors who all equally share, work, and earn - the top wealthy 2% will always rule the remaining 98%.

[rightsideofhistory]

No Christine - capitalism-corporatism, business, greed, individualism, gross consumerism entitlement issues, credit, and wars paid on credit have gotten us to where we are today. Plus major detours from decades ago like the fed, the dollar coming off gold, remaining on private healthcare, & never even changing to the metric system. Had it all been done by non-politicians, we'd be even worse off. We *at least* need intellects in politics. Christine couldn't even be a CEO of a medium corporation.

[song7791]

hahahaha, love bill maher

[SkepticsUniverse2]

In my opinion, having a belief is not a bad thing, unless it overrides and makes you dismiss cold, hard fact (things that are provabley true based on evidence.) Then, it becomes dangerous. Always think and ask yourself, "Do I have any concrete reason to believe this?" if not, then you should be wary. Ever heard the old saying "If it sounds strange and unusual, it most likely is"

[d3st88]

@SkepticsUniverse2

When you ask yourself 'Do I have any concrete reason to believe this?' you can't honestly say yes to your theistic face.

[ShatterNWO]

Bill, Washington's policies can affect how much money ppl make, especially when Washington has the power to take it away

[Mahdi8]

Maher = good stuff

[avielMenter]

@Mahdi8 Maher = absolute nutcase. He's just right on the nose in this situation.

[Mahdi8]

@avielMenter nutcase? an insane person? i'm tired of hearing those groundless accusations. Whoever that would make an accurate as it is observation about Romney and Lieberman crazy beliefs, and people actually voting for these nutcases, deserves to be called a rational person not a crazy one. And America being a laughingstock in other nations? Very true. Especially among European countries and especially now, when it's image was shattered by Bush's international politics.

[avielMenter]

@Mahdi8 Oh, he's absolutely correct in this particular video. But even as an Atheist I recognize that his anti-religious views are just as fundamentalist as those he accuses. Religion is not inherently a bad thing.

Also, he's anti-vaccination.

[d3st88]

@avielMenter

I don't think his anti-religious views are fundamentalist and certainly, religion is not inherently a bad thing, but the problem is it is most often used in bad ways. I doubt Bill has a problem with people like Sponge, who are a bit weak in the head for believing in bullshit, but are otherwise good and relatively free thinking people.

[avielMenter]

@d3st88 Bill Maher has stated many times, particularly in his movie, that religion is inherently bad, that it's the cause of most violence in the world, and that it will literally bring about the end of humanity. That's fundamentalist.

[d3st88]

@avielMenter

I want to watch his movies for some time now, maybe I should, because I don't know if what you say is correct or taken out of context, but you can raise a lot of points supporting that argument. Some religions (xtianity, islam, for example) were founded on incredibly evil and bigoted and violent principles. One could argue that these religions are inherently bad. However, they (well, mostly xtianity) came a long way and evolved into something milder.

[avielMenter]

@d3st88 Certainly some religions are violent and preach fundamentalism (although even with Islam this isn't necessarily the case), but Bill takes a much more absolute view to the issue.

[d3st88]

@avielMenter

One could also argue that religion is indeed an underlying cause of most violence and suffering in the world (direct or indirect).

[avielMenter]

@d3st88 No, actually, one couldn't. In 2007, 88% of conflict related deaths were in Africa, and not due to religion, but to politics and racism. See: darfur.

[d3st88]

@avielMenter

When I say violence and suffering I'm not talking only about people dying at gunpoint, although, I doubt that the conflict in darfur between the muslims and the 'tribesmen' was not catalyzed by any extent thanks to religion, the same is probably true for most conflicts. For example, isn't it easier to fight knowing that god is on your side and even in worst case scenario you'll get to live a dandy afterlife?

[avielMenter]

@d3st88 Then you're arguing from an untenable standpoint. You assume to know people's motives, and say they're different from what they claim their motives are.

[d3st88]

@avielMenter

Most religions give you a nice illusion, a dreamworld. It prompts you not to seek answers and whys. It lets you believe that you are the center of the universe, that you are divine or at least of divine origin. The more religious dogmas you accept the less answers you'll seek. You submit to an authority, be it a priest preaching no homosexuals, or an imam issuing fatwas ordering you to kill people, or you submit to a voice in your head, or an old holy scripture, or whatever.

[avielMenter]

@d3st88 Ok. Your point?

[d3st88]

@avielMenter

When you live in a different reality you ought to hurt people sooner or later. And think behind the direct effects of religion, like a man blowing himself up shouting allahuakbar, think of the more subtle ways to make people suffer, like banning stem cell research, push women to submission - just think how much intellectual power is lost thanks to that, think about how many medical achievements the world misses thanks to things like that. Etc, etc, etc.

[avielMenter]

@d3st88 I'm aware of that, but that still doesn't back up your original point that religion causes _most_ violence in the world. Does it cause a lot? Yes. Does it cause a lot of death indirectly? Sure. But that still comes _nowhere_ close to the millions of conflict related deaths not caused by religion.

[d3st88]

@avielMenter

I argue that without religion human society would probably be a more understanding, educated, curious and knowing society, more civilized and tolerating and there would be less conflicts. I think the more puzzle pieces you manage to grasp from the world the more peaceful you are. Because of this even a big part of those deaths that weren't caused by religion directly are in fact caused by religion. Saying how much would be pure speculation, but I feel that most of them.

[avielMenter]

@d3st88 Exactly, speculation. While I understand your decision, I really think you do exaggerate the negative effects religion has had. When you come down to it, human nature is human nature: we avoid progress and reject / kill those who aren't like us. Religion is just an embodiment of that, not a cause.

[shihouka]

@avielMenter

Not just embodiment, it is the institutionalization of it. Religion is a political construct that will actively fight against progress.

Religion is "my way or the high way" kind of single mindedness. Tolerance extends to "you will see i was right when you die and are tortured for all eternity".

[avielMenter]

@shihouka No. Religion does not necessarily mean that. For one thing, many religions do not believe those of other religions are going to hell (see: Judaism). Just because specific religions, even most religions act like that does not mean that religion is inherently like that. Religion is merely the belief in a higher power. Even if that view isn't correct, it has absolutely no bearing on the morality of the religious person.

[shihouka]

@avielMenter

Religion is not merely the belief in higher power, that's called faith. Religion is belief in higher power institutionalized into a political organization.

Please don't confuse personal faith of one individual with money making industry that is organized religion.

[d3st88]

@avielMenter

Oh and he is NOT anti-vaccination. He stated some controversial stuff in the past. Wiki says: "I'm not a germ theory denier. I believe vaccinations can work. Polio is a good example. Do I think in certain situations that inoculating Third World children against malaria or diphtheria, or whatever, is right? Of course. In a situation like that, the benefits outweigh costs. But to me living in Los Angeles? To get a flu shot? No."

[avielMenter]

@d3st88 Yes, and he's completely wrong there. He believes this bullshit about "risks" when there are virtually none. By no stretch of the imagination do the risks outweigh the costs unless you believe some incorrect stuff.

[avielMenter]

@avielMenter risks outweigh the benefits*

[d3st88]

@avielMenter

While I don't agree with him, he has a point. Vaccinations can every now and then do harm. Medicine shouldn't be taken unnecessarily.

[avielMenter]

@d3st88 Vaccinations cause harm in absurdly rare cases. Absurdly rare. By no stretch of the imagination do the risks outweigh the benefits unless you believe some stupid stuff.

[Edgehead10075]

Okay, but what if the government forced me to take an HIV vaccine even though I'm not at risk because I'm not an IV druggie and am not sexually promiscuous? In that case, one could argue that the risks would outweigh the benefits because I don't NEED the vaccine.

[avielMenter]

@Edgehead10075 You're not just at risk in those situations. As it turns out, non sexually promiscuous people still get HIV.

Anyways, the government most certainly should make vaccines mandatory, especially for airborne viruses. It's nice to say that people have the right to do something stupid, but when it turns them into carriers that can harm infants too young to be vaccinated, or carriers to mutate the virus and let it get around the vaccines, then they're harming others.

[Edgehead10075]

True, it's technically possible to get HIV even if you're careful, but the odds are pretty low.

Maybe vaccines should be necessary for airborne viruses, but I don't think that it should be mandatory for HIV.

[avielMenter]

@Edgehead10075 sure, I'll concede that.