This just in, fellow Theocrats: Bill Maher dissed on Christianity. He apparently said that Christians have a neurological disorder and are crazy. I know this because I received an e-mail from the American Family Association telling me what Bill said. The AFA quoted Bill right at the top of their e-mail: We are a nation that is unenlightened because of religion…I think that religion stops people from thinking. I think it justifies crazies. I think that flying planes in a building was a faith-based initiative. Now that sounds pretty harsh. It certainly sounds like Bill Maher was comparing wholesome American Christians to those unholy infidel terrorists that attacked the World Trade Center. Because I’m no longer the trusting guy that I used to be, I looked up exactly what Bill said. Last Tuesday, a week ago today, he appeared on MSNBC’s “Scarborough Country” and sounded off about the religious atmosphere in America. And this is what I discovered.

First of all, the AFA deliberately distorted what Bill Maher said. He did not say that Christians were unenlightened or unthinking. He said “I think religion is a neurological disorder”. There’s a big difference between “religion” and Christianity, folks. Bill also said Yes, we are a nation that is unenlightened because of religion. I do believe that. I think that religion stops people from thinking. I think it justifies crazies. I think flying planes into a building was a faith-based initiative. It’s a very important difference to note. Nowhere does Bill Maher directly attack Christianity. All of his words are directed against religion. Later in the broadcast, he says so specifically. Joe Scarborough tried to pin him down to a hypothetical involving Jesus Christ. Bill interrupted and said: Excuse me. Religion is a bureaucracy between man and God. There’s a very big difference.

Now that’s a sentiment that $ and I would both agree with. ($, if I’m wrong, please publically correct me and accept my apologies for putting words into your mouth.) True, real, Biblical Christianity is a direct relationship between man and God. Anything that comes between that is simply a bureaucracy and merely religion. It is not Christianity. I think it’s very obvious from reading the transcript that Bill Maher is attacking people that accept religion — any religion — unquestioningly. People that grow up with religious stories and ideas, who never reexamine their assumptions or think critically about what they believe and why they believe it. That is who Bill is attacking, not all Christians.

I think it’s very ironic that the American Family Association turned around and attacked Bill Maher. Apparently they took what he said, became quickly offended, and responded without thinking. Way to prove a point, guys. I now quote from the AFA’s e-mail.

Had Maher said such things about homosexuals, he would have been immediately fired. But because he was speaking of Christians, his bigotry was acceptable to HBO, owned by Time Warner Inc. Send Mr. Maher an email saying you regret he has such a low view of Christians, and will pray that he be “enlightened” as to the true nature of Christianity. Explain to him that Christians appreciate the good science does and most Christians are rational individuals. Click here to send your email letter now!

This e-mail first presents Maher’s comments in the most unflattering, critical light possible. Next follows an emotional appealing saying that liberals, and Maher, are allowed to be more critically offensive than conservatives and Christians. This emotional appeal is immediately followed by an invitation to e-mail Maher and “give him a piece of your mind!”. I’m sorry, but that’s just thin-skinned stupidity. The AFA wrote — as Christians — criticizing someone’s low view of Christians (that isn’t really there), lamenting the fact that he wasn’t fired, and then inviting others to flood his e-mail with indignant messages. Somehow I don’t think that that plan will give Bill Maher a better view of Christianity. In fact, the results will simply convince him (as it has me) that the AFA is more interested in religion than in Christianity. More to the point, it will make Christians look like religious idiots with knee-jerk reactions.

Real Christians should be more thick-skinned than this. As Christians, we receive blessings from God when other people insult us or criticize us. (Matthew 5:11). We are also commanded to give food and water to our enemies (Romans 12:20) and to answer everyone in a gentle manner (Proverbs 15:1). This sentiment is expanded upon in Matthew 5:39 when we are commanded to offer an “evil person” the opportunity to slap us again, rather than offering him resistance. As Christians, we are commanded to accept whatever verbal abuse the world chooses to throw at us. I am pretty sure that misquoting our alleged attackers and calling for them to be fired violates both Romans 12:20 and Matthew 5:39. It is also a response that does not resemble a “gentle answer” in any way. Bill Maher was right. Religion does make people stupid. And too many Christians are more religious than they are Christian. The American Family Association provided a textbook example of this problem.