Last night I was watching Conan O'Brien after work, and one of his guests was Bill Maher, a political comedian with a show on HBO. As usual for political humor, his stuff was only funny to those with an intimate knowledge of current political events and the political process: so basically, four people in the US would find him funny.
Anyway, he said some of the harshest words against Christians I think I have ever heard in my life. He really made fun of Mike Huckabee for being a Christian and believing in "talking snakes" and not believing in evolution. Then he said that he couldn't understand how a person can be rational six days a week, go to a normal job, then put that aside for one day and go to a place to "drink the blood of a 2,000 year old space god." (the full episode should be available for viewing by monday or so from www.nbc.com/conan)
Maher claims that his hatred for Christianity (including the Mormonism of Mitt Romney) is purely rational, but his remarks are clearly an egregious overreaction. What on earth causes people to hate Christians so much? What on earth happened to tolerance? When a comedian says something horrible, it's considered edgy and covered by the first amendment. When a pastor says something horrible, it's intolerant and punishable by hate crime legislation. I think the phrase I'm looking for is "double standard," but I wish there were an uglier term I could use.
While my instinctive reaction is to make fun of him back, maybe I should turn the other cheek like Jesus said. Maybe more, I can rejoice that I am considered worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus (Acts 5:41), even though mine has all been emotional and never physical abuse. I think I'll choose to love my enemies and pray for those who persecute me, rather than responding with litigation or slander.
2 comments:
Quite frankly, there are many Christians in the public eye who have given Bill Maher reason to say such things. They claim to be believers, but their public behavior is anything but an example of Jesus' life.
Just to throw some fuel on the fire, several people have asked me, when I was dating someone who was not an active--or even professing--Christian, 'don't you want to have a Christian man in your life?' I have answered--very snidely, I might add--'I tried being married to a Christian, and didn't like it much.'
If we as Christians don't want people like Bill Maher to say these ugly things, then we as Christians need to quit behaving in ways that prompt it.
Has anyone volunteered to show Bill that Christians behave in any ways other than what he says? His statements are appalling to me, and a gross exaggeration. But, the basis of it--that Christians behave one way on Sunday, and completely opposite ways the other six days of the week--is right on the money.
Bill Maher , like many, lives in a world of sinfulness and is blinded by that sin. Like anyone else he needs prayers that his eyes will be opened much like Saul's eyes. Saul put to death Christians where Bill trys to slay them with insults and rhetoric. His weapon of choice is the television.
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