Does Bill Maher know Grace?

[realFedUp]

I know, this should be in the religion
section of DU, but I'm not a DU donor and
maybe this should be read by a larger audience.
Does Bill Maher know Grace...no, not
the rent-a-gal-for-a-good-time Grace, but
what spiritual people refer to as
"God's" grace. I'm not talking about the
Wikipedia definition or even some established
church's definition. I'm talking about choosing
your better self over your worst. Choosing
better fruit over bitter, choosing to treat
others kindly, taking the time to realize what's
good around us.
I know, I'm not the poster gal for grace, and
I know that Maher's opinion is his own and is
shared by many...religious and non, but I hope
for Bill's sake, he finds out what grace is.

[Schema Thing]

1. Give your massive bloated religulous ego a rest

wtf wouldn't he know what grace is, if it is defined as you just defined it:

"I'm talking about choosing
your better self over your worst. Choosing
better fruit over bitter, choosing to treat
others kindly, taking the time to realize what's
good around us."

[Dr. Strange]

2. You try having grace...

after starring in Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death.

[EmeraldCityGrl]

3. Maher would love this post. Someone worried about his immortal soul.

There are bigger concerns at the moment. Give it a rest.

[greyl]

4. Grace is posting in the proper forum instead of ignoring what your human conscience tells you. ;)nt

[Hassin Bin Sober]

5. He used to know three hookers named Hope, Faith and Charity.....

Hope and Faith did all the work but the profits went to Charity.

[GCP]

10. ROFL

An oldie but goodie!

[justiceischeap]

6. The TERRIFIC thing about AMERICA is that he DOESN'T HAVE TO KNOW GRACE

Maher is Agnostic/Atheist and that's okay. It's also okay for him to talk about not believing in anything and it's okay for those that disagree with him to change the channel.

It's people who DEMAND that I "find" religion that push me further and further from it.

[dbonds]

7. You don't have to be religious or a Christian to be good.

People choose the right thing to do all the time without the help of a god figure. People don't need that to know right from wrong and choose the right thing.

[GCP]

8. Why would you assume the non-religious don't "know Grace"?

Just because I don't believe in some fairy tale doesn't mean I don't have a conscience or go by the golden rule in life. :grr:

[Warpy]

9. Maybe. He might even know Mildred and Joyce.

But none of it is any of your business.

Perhaps you should spend the time freed up by minding your own business instead of everybody else's to examine just why you think you should control what anyone else in the world thinks or does.

This isn't your job. Your own life is your job.

[gratuitous]

11. I'm not sure

But he does seem to unerringly pick out the lowest common denominators to pick his particular fights with. I wonder why, if he was just innocently asking questions as he would like people to believe, he didn't talk to Peter Gomes? Or Desmond Tutu? Or James Forbes? Or Tony Campolo? Instead, he spent his entire time yakking with folks who clearly don't spend a lot of time thinking about what they believe, and he was able to score a lot of cheap points for the amusement of some of his meaner fans.

I'm still not sure if he knows anything about grace, but some of the unasked questions lead in the direction of a conclusion.

[DireStrike]

32. I think that IS his point.

Most people are not Desmond Tutu or Peter Gomes. Many people are religious in the way that sports fans follow a team. Even many political junkies have a similar temperament.

It is an unbalanced look at religion. But it is a look focused on small-time, "popular" religion.

It's not a grand documentary, for sure. Perhaps he should have aimed higher. But isn't it ok to focus on some aspect of such a large phenomenon? Isn't it even ok for a person to constantly operate that way? There is so much going on, plenty of room for differently -minded filmmakers to create a counterpoint.

I guess the danger is that similarly-minded people will watch the movie, feel good about themselves, and then stop.

[frebrd]

12. Grace Who?

:shrug:

[southpaw]

13. What the fuck ever.

What Maher knows is that certainty about the will of 'god' combined with nuclear, biological and or chemical weapons is frightening beyond belief.

Fuck a bunch of grace... however you define it.

[madmom]

14. Do good because it's the right thing NOT because you have the threat of hell hanging over your head!

[bigendian]

15. I don't know Bill Maher.

What I have seen is not flattering. But that is beside the point.
Grace? I just don't know. It is his business how he wants to relate to people he may not see as equal or right. He probably makes a good living at it.

[stopbush]

16. Religion is the outright theft of our hard-won, better nature.

A myth is a myth, whether it's god or the devil.

[bigendian]

20. Better nature?

This election has shown us a shadowy glimpse of our dark nature. When I talk politics my religion flies out the window. I KNOW they don't mix.
Living in a red state can show you how fear and suspicion can twist the mind and soul.
You are right about the "hard won" part.

[Jokerman]

17. "God's Grace" is a whore.

"Grace" has been prostituted by the "religious right" for so long that she is no longer recognizable and has absolutely no remaining credibility.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

18. Obviously not.

[AlCzervik]

19. And you know from grace?

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

21. I personally don't believe it's graceful to judge someone else, and

apparently there is passive aggressive judgment of Maher in your post.

[valerief]

22. Grace is what special (as in chosen) people say before a meal. nt

[undeterred]

23. Bill Maher is a dickhead like a lot of men on DU.

[Creationismsucks]

29. Undeterred

OUCH! What's that about?

[Tutankhamun]

33. How did you know that many of us have a penis for a head?

[slampoet]

24. DO YOU EVEN KNOW YOUR OWN GOD'S NAME!?!?!?!

[Fuzz]

25. I'm sure he knows condescending nitwits who ask him questions like that though,

as do I.

[Creationismsucks]

26. Hi RFU

Have you seen Bill's movie? It's pretty much a plea for humility in thought. It's also funny I think.

[Fumesucker]

27. Matthew 7:3

And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

Luke 6:37
Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

[spanone]

28. grace kelly?

[Tutankhamun]

30. Maher doesn't like the way religious people

are destroying the world with their idotic fairy tales and the wars and moronic, repressive laws they cause. He feels we should not feel obliged to be quiet in deference to nonsensical beliefs in stupid shit.

Calling for "grace" is just another thinly-veiled way of trying to silence rational debate and quell critical thinking. There is no "grace" in standing by and allowing dangerous lunatics to destroy the world.

[DireStrike]

31. That word really isn't used outside religion in that capacity

Mostly because it sounds smug and condescending. VERY much so.

That's all I'm gonna say about that.