I'm looking forward to hearing from those interviewed in the movie about whether they felt Maher depicted their views fairly. Given that one of Maher's criticisms of religion is that people proof-text - i.e. find in Scripture a quote to prove whatever they want - it's incumbent on him to be honorable in his use of interviews.
As it happens, I know about one statement he cites. In the beginning of the movie, he offers this quote from our second president, John Adams: "This would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it."
Wow. That certainly provides stunning support for Maher's thesis. Did Adams really mean that? Well, no. Here's the full quote from Adams, which came in a letter to Thomas Jefferson, April 19, 1817:
"Twenty times in the course of my late reading, have I been upon the point of breaking out, 'this would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it.'!!! But in this exclamation I should have been as fanatical as Bryant or Cleverly [two clergy from his childhood]. Without religion this world would be something not fit to be mentioned in polite society, I mean hell."
Slightly different meaning when you see the rest of the quote, eh? Sort of makes one wonder how scrupulous Maher was with the rest of the editing. Perhaps this is an anomaly.
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Fred I belong to a Church that spends thousands of dollars and thousands of volunteer hours in doing good for mankind the world over. What does Maher and his followers do along these areas of life??
You pick one of the quotes Adams goes back on when he has tons that are against religion....
The question before the human race is, whether the God of nature shall govern the world by his own laws, or whether priests and kings shall rule it by fictitious miracles?
-- John Adams
As I understand the Christian religion, it was, and is, a revelation. But how has it happened that millions of fables, tales, legends, have been blended with both Jewish and Christian revelation that have made them the most bloody religion that ever existed?
-- John Adams
Cabalistic Christianity, which is Catholic Christianity, and which has prevailed for 1,500 years, has received a mortal wound, of which the monster must finally die. Yet so strong is his constitution, that he may endure for centuries before he expires.
-- John Adams
I do not like the reappearance of the Jesuits.... Shall we not have regular swarms of them here, in as many disguises as only a king of the gipsies can assume, dressed as printers, publishers, writers and schoolmasters? If ever there was a body of men who merited damnation on earth and in Hell, it is this society of Loyola's. Nevertheless, we are compelled by our system of religious toleration to offer them an asylum.
-- John Adams
Oh and hey Anonymous I'm atheist and do those things with out an invisible man in the sky telling me if I don't I go to hell. Be good cause its the right thing to do not because of fear of the invisible man!
you want to talk about unfair editing, huh. well, lets see, this book that you all hold so dearly and put up on a pedastool(i'm refering to the bible)was edited in what i would call and unfair way. any parts where it mentioned a female deciple was wanked out, because oh, no, we can't have that. women might acctually think they're equal then. i laugh at those who can in good concience follow one of the most violent and intollerant religions in the world(christianity). GAY MARRIAGE IS A RIGHT, IT'S NOT OPIONAL. YOU'RE ALL PATHETIC!!
That's nice and all about you're church doing good for humanity, "anonymous", but you are subjecting yourself to a very old argument against religious belief: that the believer thinks all good deeds performed by him and his peers are acts of god or inspired by religious teachings. The Red Cross and Unicef do great things as well without going around and spreading superstitious nonsense that, whether you like to believe it or not, does a lot of harm to the world considering how many people fall for it. Fiction is(should be) harmless until it is widely accepted. Look at scientology. It's based on science fiction novels made within the last century, yet how fantastic is it really compared to the bible? Most modern religious individuals fail to really see how the intellectual/scientific/atheist community views them: The same way you view Thor, Zeus, and Harry Potter. Just fiction, some people adamantly believe it, but in hindsight it is always a joke.
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