Ralph Reed getting rattled by Bill Maher on bible anecdotes
This was painful to watch. Ralph Reed came to talk to Bill Maher about his new book "ÂAwakening: How America Can Turn from Moral and Economic Destruction Back to Greatness." Instead he ran into a Bill Maher intent on ridiculing him using the words of the bible.
The setup started early. Bill Maher first told Ralph Reed about a Gallup poll that stated that the bible is literally true and should be taken as literally true. He then asked Ralph Reed if he took the bible literally. Instead of given a nuanced answer Ralph Reed was proud to say that he took the bible literally as well.
That is all it took to get Bill Maher in his Religulous mode. He first quoted the bible stating that slaves must submit to their masters. Ralph Reed came back with a silly reply. He said slavery in those days was different. He said it was like indentured servitude as if indentured servitude is acceptable.
Bill Maher then brought up the passage in the bible that stated that a woman that committed adultery must be stoned to death. That one took Ralph Reed aback for a while. He then said that Jesus pretty much overrode that in the New Testament. That statement opened the door for one of the funniest retorts by Bill Maher. "If the bible is a perfect book written by a perfect guy," Bill Maher said." … Why did Jesus have to come along to correct his dad?"
Ralph Reed responded stating that Maher was ignoring the New Testament, the new covenant. Bill Maher replied with a doozy. “So the Old Testament and the Jew God, he’s bad,” Bill Maher said. Ralph Reed kind of gave up and said Bill Maher was being very selective. Ralph Reed must get kudos for being bold enough to go on Real Time with Bill Maher with a decidedly hostile audience towards his beliefs. The segment was funny and one could see that the two men kind of liked the back and forth.
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Let’s be honest. The bible was written about 400 years after Christ. Any human work of writing, although important, can be subject to failure and must be interpreted but be careful who is doing the interpreting.
I agree with your point but not your date. The books of the Bible were composed between 700 BC and 120 AD. Maybe you’re thinking of the Council of Nicea (325 AD), which codified and edited the Bible into roughly its present form. A lot of scrolls and gospels were condemned to the fire.
Let’s be even more honest. Most who claim to take the Bible “literally” fail to recognize that it was 1) written in a different language, 2) at a different time, 3) in the context of a different culture, 4) has undergone serial translations, and 5) was composed piecemeal from several available texts, by persons of varying motives. Yet, they invoke this morally ambiguous information in deciding how everyone else should live – ignoring that the makers of our Constitution thought it best to allow diversity of religious belief. Freedom of religion and Freedom of speech and the scientific method all are designed for the possibility of consensus of understanding to emerge, not to be dictated by “True Believers”, or politicians.
Maybe John Turner is referring to the Gospels and not the entire Bible. Although those were written long after the death of Christ, it wasn’t 400 years after. I agree with the remainder of his comment. And I agree with the entire comment of David Seaquist.
Ralph Reed learned atheists have a better knowledge of Scripture than do the vast majority of believers. Certainly a vastly better knowledge than Reed’s own brand of obscurantism, avoidance, and apologetics.