this isn’t the first time i’ve blogged about conversations on real time with bill maher. in spite of having regular (weekly, probably) disagreements with some of maher’s positions, it’s one of my favorite shows because of the blend of maher’s humor and the show’s candid conversations.

recently, new york times columnist ross douthat was one on the show in support of his new book, bad religion: how we became a nation of heretics. unsurprisingly, maher and douthat didn’t quite see eye-to-eye on any of the topics related to the book or religion in general.

what’s most interesting to me in the following clip is that the person i agree with flips back and forth like a game of tennis. maher’s documentary religulous exposed that he relies on surface level thinking/biblical interpretation and he consistently creates straw men. this exchange with douthat reflects both those things, particularly in regards to creationism (asserting the bible only allows for a literal interpretation) and his overall view of scripture (“the bible says it’s 100% true). on the other hand, i 100% agree with maher when he says supporting the killing of osama bin laden and following in the way of jesus is completely incompatible.

so, check out the clip and see whose side you end up on most of the time.

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