Bill Maher Talks About Mormonism on The Rachel Maddow Show

I don’t agree with Bill that Mormonism is any crazier than traditional Christianity. It’s just newer, that’s all. The theology is no more bizarre than Catholic theology. Most people who are Mormon are raised in the faith, and we all know that childhood indoctrination is a huge factor. Even when you take converts into account, Mormon religious activities seem very much like other Christian activities. They don’t hit you with the really strange stuff until you’re deep into the religion. On the surface, it’s no stranger than any other denomination.

I don’t read comments for poetry (I can’t relate to cultural or personal interpretations of some kind of uncle).  Please be clear and specific of what your points are if you have something to say.

Have you read that stuff about Kobol, people having their own planets, eternal marriages, golden tablets, them being somehow decedent from the ancient Israelites? I even read something about eternal pregnancies. It’s totally whacky even compared to talking snakes, virgin births, burning bushes, resurrections and ritual cannibalism. It’s a higher level of bizarre for me somewhere between Christianity and Scientology

I don’t think even most Mormons really buy into that except for the eternal marriage part, which seems like just their version of heaven. But what pisses me off with Mormonism is the extreme group think, the social conformity, the pressure for women to appear perfect outwardly while suffering inside and the ostracism of dissenters. It’s very, very cult-like

My husband and I saw Penn’s book on his book shelf too. I really liked listening to him. Bill is awesome.

I think by definition it must be crazier than traditional Christianity – it has all the craziness of traditional Christianity, and then adds more craziness on top!

Unless Christianity has somehow reached infinite craziness – which I suppose is plausible… 😉 But infinity is a really complex concept that makes my head hurt, so I’ll stop here. :p

Advent, not everyone writes their comments just for you, so how about letting people say what they want to say?

It’s Kolob. But he’s right. They don’t tell you about that stuff when you’re first entering the religion, or when you’re a kid. You find out about that stuff once you’ve already sunk your life into it. 

“Bizarre” is culturally relative. Give Mormonism 2000 years to mature and I think the ideas would be more accepted. If Christianity were younger and less popular, perhaps mainstream society would cringe at ritualized cannibalism.

Christianity doesn’t suffer from group think, conformity, and ostracism of dissenters? You’ve never seen a youth group? Never been around evangelicals? Sure, there are progressive-minded Christians, but the same could be said for Mormons.

Female oppression… Sorry, I don’t really see a difference.

In the end, both look the same to me.

It’s a matter of degrees. All religion contains those features to some extent, but they are a very big part of Mormonism and far more on the surface of it. Sure, there are more extreme Christian sects too, but mainstream Christianity? Nope. In fact, for many Catholics their religion is more of a cultural background than something they live with every breath.

The cult-like qualities of some fundamentalist Christian sects are actually an almost uniquely American feature. To the extend that this behavior exists in other countries, they are tiny minorities.

See, that’s where I disagree. In order to determine whether Mormonism is crazier, you’d have to go around to every church in America and make a list of the number of supernatural things they believe. I don’t think the Mormons actually believe more supernatural things than any other Christian denomination. They just believe in different things. I compared them to Catholics specifically because there’s a huge amount in Catholic theology that isn’t in the Bible. Most of those rites and rituals and beliefs have come from thousands of years of tradition.

Yes, I’ve seen the DVD. I think Letting Go of God would be an excellent choice for fence-sitters. Sweeney delivers a gentle smackdown of several different religions.

Mormonism is to Christianity as Christianity is to Judaism – that nails it. Look at the parallels:

Christianity: Believes in the Jewish scriptures and prophets, but adds on its own newly revealed scripture and saints as well.

Mormonism: Believes in the Christian scriptures and authority figures, but adds on its own newly revealed scripture and prophets as well.

Christianity: A founder (Jesus) who begins as a rabbi, becomes critical of the status quo of the religion, and falls afoul of its authorities.

Mormonism: A founder (Joseph Smith), who begins as an ardent Christian, becomes critical of the status quo of the religious, and falls afoul of its authorities.

Christianity: Jesus performs miracles and claims direct contact with God, and his followers claim that having faith in him conveys quasi-magical powers

Mormonism: Joseph Smith does miraculous things and claims direct contact with God, and his followers claims that having faith in him conveys quasi-magical powers.

Christianity: Founder is martyred and then revered all the more because of it.

Mormonism: Founder is martyred and then revered all the more because of it.

Christianity: Embellishes standard practical Jewish rabbinic ethics with new “wacky” Messiahnic ideas and mysticism

Mormonism: Embellishes standard Christian ethics with new “wacky” ideas borrowed from freemasonry and Kabbalah mysticism

Christianity: Followers enjoy status as mavericks in the early Roman Empire, are proud of their persecuted status which binds them together into a cohesive socio-cultural group, consider themselves martyrs

Mormonism: Followers enjoy status as mavericks in early America, are proud of their persecuted status which binds them together into a cohesive socio-culture group, consider themselves martyrs

Christianity: Early Christianity is highly evangelical, tons of converts

Mormonism: Mormonism is highly evangelical, tons of converts

Christianity: Enters political and social mainstream after early period of pariah-hood, gains material wealth and political power

Mormonism: Enters political and social mainstream after early period of pariah-hood, gains material wealth and political power.

I could go on and on! It’s kinda fun …

Yeah, I’m a huge nBSG fan, which may explain the mistake

And Glen Larson certainly did that intentionally. There are plenty of other Mormon influences in the Original Series mythology. Especially the Quorum of Twelve and the depiction of marriages

Well, heck – they already believed his revelations were coming thru via gazing at a magic stone in a hat (essentially, a form of scrying); self-serving propaganda was an easy sell after that BS.

I dislike Maher because although he is an athiest, he peddles woo and disinformation about things such as vaccines.

Mormons say that they too are christian. Mormons are allot crazier and strange than any religion ive seen. Promise.I live in Utah and come from a mormon family. Mormons are nuts!!!

Republicans don’t like anyone?  Since when has Bill Maher liked anyone?  I’m starting to get sick and tired of his cynical rants.  We need constructive people with positive ideas to help America.  Contribute to society and lift people up…don’t spend all your time tearing people down.