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Yeah, let's get to the real heart of the matter. It has nothing to do with God.

It has to do with religions. Religions which aren't based on a shred of evidence (all of them), and yet who control the masses in a manner which differs little (if at all) from the way the masses were controlled back in the days of Ancient China and Egypt.

People who say that 'well, without religion why would we bother with morals?' are really saying 'what would happen if there wasn't an institution telling everyone what to think and how to behave?' Wow, that sounds like freedom. Of course, they take credit for something (morals) which are a societal construct, predating organize religion.

Freedom is still something people are afraid of. We are quick to challenge lawyers, politicians or scientists on their facts, but shy away from asking religious heads for the same thing when they say who should be discriminated against, or curtail human rights, or in any other way impede the natural progress and evolution of human society. Why should people feel the need to be polite around Young earth creationists, fundamentalists (Christian or Muslim), Mormon (who endorse racism), etc.? We attack ugly political views, but socially unacceptable religious views are OK even when they can be shown to have not the slightest foundation in fact?

The worst part is so many will see this film, and the views I'm throwing out there as a wedge between religion and atheism, but this isn't really true. Like Bill Maher, I am amazingly happy to see how some religious branches (most mainstream Christianity, etc.) has evolved alongside human culture, rejecting literalism of the bible for reason and morality; embracing both science and humanity. Well this is what I hope is true--although when one wagers against ignorance, they find they are wrong quite often.

Anyway, I really enjoyed this film (though at times it is like kicking an old man who can't get up), and I'm sure with our discussion of Sarah Palin, a good ol' religious butt-whooping seems to be in order.

I could say a ton here, but actually hope to write a book about my experiences in the Fundamentalist Christian church, & writing it here might interfere with publishing it.

I will say that I have learned to be sceptical the hard way, & that I also learned why people believe unbelievabe things. Thus, I do not insult them because they believe things that I know to be mythical rather than literal.

So, I must ask you Cmoon, if Bill Maher presented his POV in a condescending way; depicting these people as stupid because they believe in higher powers, etc. In my own experience, I believed whatever my parents taught me; I regarded them as absolute authorities on all subjects & was quite dumbfounded when they could not give satisfactory answers, but confessed ignorance instead. Thus, it was not much of a leap of faith when I as a 20 year old, joined a Fundamentalist Christian church. Moreover, believing was only a small part of why I joined; friendship was just as important.

I cant' wait to see the movie ^_^

Though there are some things about Bill Mahr's statements of religion on which I disagree, I am overall against organized religion.