On the January 4 edition of the NBC show "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," Bill Maher commented on a remark about religion that was allegedly made by presidential contender Mitt Romney. In the course of his comments, Maher said the following:
"You can't be a rational person six days of the week and put on a suit and make rational decisions and go to work and, on one day of the week, go to a building and think you're drinking the blood of a 2,000-year-old space god. That doesn't make you a person of faith…That makes you a schizophrenic."
O'Brien, looking a bit uneasy, then asked Maher whether anyone who is religious is schizophrenic. To which Maher replied, "Well, yes, sort of, because they have walled off a part of their mind."
Catholic League president Bill Donohue jumped on this today:
"There is no bigger anti-Christian bigot in the entertainment business than Bill Maher; he has shown that over and over again. While he may not like any religion, he has a special place in his portfolio of hatred for Christians, especially Roman Catholics. In Maher's twisted mind-which has long walled off rationality, to say nothing of decency-the mere mention of religion sets off a tirade against Jesus. We'll take the backhanded compliment.
"Unlike most non-believers, who are generally content to respect the right of most Americans to believe in God, guys like Maher want a brawl. He should be careful what he wishes for because there are those who pine to deliver."
