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One of my favourites.
Hi Reck!
I’m a big fan of Bill Maher. He’s very fun to watch.
Agreed. I never miss Real Time.
Hi, Sock! :)
Hi LRA!
so, incidentally, is there a reason that he uses the word ‘rationalists’ instead of ‘atheists”?
Lemme start over. I assume there is a reason, since he doesn’t strike me as someone who would make that choice for now reason at all. Does anyone have any idea what that reason might be?
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
That bothers you, and you want someone to justify it, dammit!
Hahahahahahahahaha!
lol
LMAO
lol
lol
Haaaaaaahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
thanks for another helpful response claidh!
Always nice to hear from you…
It’s because “atheist” is the only group classified by what they DON’T believe in. He prefers to refer to them as “rationalists” because he feels it’s a more appropriate term.
Also because “atheist” has a lot of connotational baggage, so many people who don’t believe in anything supernatural dislike the word. Other alternatives include freethinker, naturalist, secular humanist, bright…
Atheists use reasoning. They are generally rational. They generally prefer reasoning to “faith”. “Faith” often loses out because it can’t hold up to reasoning.
It seems so egregiously obvious that I had to laugh and someone actually being confused and wanting justification for it.
@ rodney
I assumed it was for one or all of these reasons, but was wondering if he had some sort of stated purpose for doing so.
@ claidh
I ask(ed) for no justification, I was simply wondering if he had perhaps mentioned his own reasons for making what seemed to me to be a deliberate choice. I don’t watch his show, and I figured it might be a buzzword.
I am in no way confused by the video. It seemed straightforward.
@ claid: not necessarily. Some people can be technically atheists and yet believe a load of supernatural or silly woo nonetheless…
Yes, you’re right, Siberia.
I call myself atheist only w.r.t. the frame of world religions, especially christianity, not believing in those.
@claid
Certainly don’t think that atheists have to be rationale as I know atheists that believe in all sorts of mumbo-jumbo and here in the UK we also have atheists that don’t believe in god(s) because they haven’t be brought up in that type of environment. It’s not a active choice as such which is why I’m not a big fan of the term atheist as it really doesn’t describe any particular worldview regardless of how much some believers like to think it does. How difficult is it to understand that atheist doesn’t mean someone who believes in evolution?
Oh and bright, what idiot thought of that term – you’d be better of tattooing smug git on your forehead!
Hi, JJ! :)
Rationalist means a group of people including agnostics, atheists, etc. (Freethinkers in general).
Hi, LRA!
Hi, Claid! :) Hope you are well.
I love Real Time too. It’s one of the only shows I never miss. I LOVE Bill Maher, and I’m so grateful to people like him who speak out courageously. I know he must get a lot of death threats. Too bad he’s a confirmed bachelor!!! lol (actually, I love my boyfriend – he understands that he has to share me emotionally with Maher, Jon Stewart, and Obama. He doesn’t mind – better than having jesus in bed with us).
I saw Religulous in the theatre, and actually again on tv 2 days ago. Although it’s hilarious, I take it pretty seriously because it’s a serious message. And the end of that movie scares the sh*t out of me, because I agree that if religion doesn’t die, we will.
@Jabster – I don’t know any atheists who believe in any superstitious mumbo-jumbo (is that a word? not sure…). Can you give me an example? Although I guess it’s technically possible, it’s hard for me to wrap my head around, since most atheists do not trust that for which there is no evidence. (I also prefer the word “rationalist” because it better describes my world view, but I use the term atheist to make it clear that I also do not believe in god or any religion).
I love when he makes his point on how large the minority “non-believers” is…similar to what he says about the group that understands that marijuana laws in America are unjust and outdated…sadly, both minorities seem to keep quiet. Ooo, just found a quote from him -
“I am trying to arouse the 16% who I would call Rationalist, America would call them atheist or agnostics. It sounds like it is a small minority, but 16% is bigger than blacks or Jews or homosexuals or NRA members, Teachers Unions, hispanics, If those people stood up and made themselves heard – but they never do…” – Bill Maher
“…I won’t back down..”
I heard that with my bad ear.
Great guy. Great show (RealTime) Awesome film (Religilous)
It’s interesting that atheists don’t stand up, and are not obsessively compulsed to ‘spread their faith’ like the fundies do…
From one side I do agree with Maher, we should be more vocal.
From the other, we’re just less needy to prove something to ourselves.
I was in a relationship with a very religious girl, and I just didn’t feel the need to ‘convert her’, just telling her enough to answer her attempts at converting me.
Atheists are already being constantly accused of evangelizing, proselytizing, wanting to convert people. It would be an interesting thing to observe from a sociological standpoint, if these ‘accusations’ – which are really just attempts to make atheists sound religious to shoehorn nonbelief into the cemented thought patterns of theism, á la ‘atheists need even more faith neener neener’ – would diminish if more nonbelievers spoke up. There are already many more than just a few years ago when the ‘New Atheists’ books came out.
And yes, if they insist on using vocabulary like ‘convert’, then ok that’s what many of us are trying to do. Not because we need to sell them tracts, or copies of our blog posts in book form, or solicit donations, but because we think that it would be better for them, their (future) children, and actually all the people they know. That’s a broad brush, and I recognize there are exceptions – from the creeps who seem to be on the verge of turning murderous without God belief to the people whose family life would be devastated.
Isn’t that the motivation behind most “converting” behaviors? “Because we think it would be better for them?”
Mind you, I think this is a perfectly valid reason to try to convince people to live and think in one way or another; in fact I think its one of the best reasons. I guess I’m wondering if you think that Christianity (or religion, for that matter) is more inclined to convert people for other reasons.
Well, I can’t speak for other atheists, but I’d think this:
For religious people it’s often a matter of life and death (or rather, damnation): the risk on the person’s soul is immense if the person does not convert to the religious’ perceived right. That is a strong motivator.
For an atheist, however, religion is… an extra. Something that, in moderation, can be even beneficial or irrelevant – which is why, I suppose, it’s more likely to find an atheist who is against fundamentalism and outright woo than the moderates who are essentially harmless (and not harming their own lives).
i’ve been meaning to ask…
what does woo mean? I find myself really liking the term, and if I could figure out for sure what it means, I might steal it.
Yes. The fear of hell – being tortured forever! bwaaahahahaha! – and the need to escape it, to be saved from that, is the whip and lash to drive many christians.
Researching and reasoning about what is healthy, productive action for humans is way different than that.
Not to disagree too strongly, because I think you are certainly right that there is a difference between being motivated by fear or obligation and being motivated by altruism, but don’t you think many Christians attempt to convert people out of an (often mis-handled) attempt to help them?
I am one of those people that Maher talks about – an atheist who doesn’t come out publicly. There are so many people that would be hurt if I did. I’m working on it though. And the reason for evangelism is that people think they have found something wonderful, and they want to share it with others. Especially when they believe that it is the only way to live fully. I understand that. I feel that way as an atheist. I want to tell everyone – I want to “convert” the christians – I feel so sorry for them, living in fear and bondage. The evangelical doesn’t fall far from the tree (as you know, my dad was a pastor).