Sherri Shepherd, Bill Maher Spar Over God: Bill Tells Sherri She Should Go To Psych Ward

Bill Maher appeared on "The View" Tuesday morning to promote his upcoming film, "Religulous," which comes out Friday. When Maher tried to debunk a basic tenet of Christianity, Sherri Shepherd, whose devout religious beliefs have provided fodder for the show before, asked, "When you did this movie, you talked to a lot of people about God — have you ever just talked to God, and asked God what does he think?"

When Maher asked Sherri if God ever answered her, and she said that he did, Maher said: "Well then we should call Bellevue." Bellevue is a New York hospital known for its psychiatric facilities.

Watch:

Previously:
Sherri Shepherd: I "Had More Abortions Than I Would Like to Count" Before I Was Saved
WATCH: Sherri Explains Abortion Remark
Sherri Shepherd: I Thought Earthquake Was Armageddon
Sherri Shepherd Doesn't Get That Whole BC Thing, Insists "Jesus Came First"

Comments

[2008FedUP]

Just wanted him to stick it to Elizabeth re: her inbread views on this election. Hopefully he will get her on his show. He's ok without the religious cracks.

[Clayton139]

YES! That would be so good..! Good point..!
"What the Bleep do we Know"
http://www.whatthebleep.com/rabbithole/

[TeslaFan]

I'd like to stick it to Elizabeth... oh you meant metaphorically.

[Le nombril]

Dave Barry once said: "Religious people who want to share their belief system with you rarely want you to share yours with them."

[Angelus2007]

Bill is no different than a religious zealot. A zealot will get mad, and patronize if you question their belief, be it, Christianity, Islam, Judism, ect. He is an atheistic zealot. If you beleive in God he will interrupt you can patronize you and get mad. He is convinced their is no God, while others are convinced their is a God. I don't know who is right and who is wrong. But neither is productive, or helpful.

[Hirnlego]

You get so many things right. I'll say one thing only since its not worth my time. He is not an atheist.
And atheists are generally far far from being as dogmatic and fundamentalist about it all.

[Hirnlego]

Duh.. right = WRONG..

[Roses]

A logical argument......except that Maher is not an atheist. He is an agnostic with a biting sense of humor.
It is possible to disagree without taking it as a personal affront. I think that is what Bill is trying to say. One has to be pretty on the ball and be pretty self-assured to disagree with Bill, though. It is possible. I don't think different ideas are what he finds objectionable....it is having others' beliefs shoved down your throat.
And as far as productive...it is helpful for to let your own ideas come into focus, when you have to try and explain them to others and to have to defend your ideas.

[notb observer]

You have no idea of what you speak , and you need to work on your spelling ! Bill has said on many, many occasions that he does not believe there is no god. In other words, he is not an atheist. If anything, he is agnostic at best. His movie, much like his numerous comments on the subject relates to the certainty that too many people have in their own religious beliefs. He is asking "How do you know", and he is not satisfied with non-answers like "It's in the bible".
If he gets angry, it's probably due to the fact that no "believer" will give him an real answer. In one trailer for the movie, the Jeebus impersonator says to Maher "What if you're wrong ?" Maher turns the question on him and asks "What if you're wrong ?" It's a legitimate question. Neither can prove the point because neither has proof, and that is a draw, not a win for Jeebus boy.
Maher is simply asking basic questions that any intelligent, responsible person should be asking. Go see the movie with an open mind. You might find a lot of it funny, but please give some serious thought to some of the issues he raises. At least it will allow you to be more informed and confident in you own mind when it comes to siding with religion or not.

[Roses]

I agree with you completely. People have been thinking about these very things formany years. Maher is just funnier than most.
The philosopher Pascal thought of a rationalization of religion centuries ago.....it goes something like this.....
....'it is in our self-interest to believe in God. If he does exist, it is important to do so. If he doesn't it doesn't matter anyway.'
But noone says this to Maher. People have different personal reactions to this. I don't think he would object to an argument of this sort of thing. He just objects to brainwashing and stupidity.

[Harlyridr]

Please please learn to spell. I know that your God doesn't care if you can spell or not but educated
folk do care. You say "their" when you mean "there is no God" or "are convinced their is a God"...

Please educate yourself so you don't appear ignorant, like a Republican.

[chandra-shekar]

Ignorance is when you correct someone's spelling without being curious about their mind......

[rowzeer]

I really don't care about someone's spelling on a blog...who cares?!!! I misspell but it's cause I'm typing faster than I should.

[MrVinegar]

Actually, you get so many things wrong. Pointing out the hypocrisy and twisted circular 'logic' of religion is quite productive. Only by pointing these things out does one take a critical look at religion that is otherwise not done. If someone is a believing Christian then I have the right to ask them if they truly believe a talking snake convinced some woman to eat an apple. I have the right to ask them if they truly believe if animals were placed in pairs on a big boat built by a geriatric. These types of questions come across as being patronizing because the beliefs of these people are so utterly moronic.

You wrote "he is convinced their [sic] is no god". Well, proof does not lie on him. If someone claimed that there is a flying pink unicorn is it necessary for you to disprove it? You are creating a either/or situation where one does not exist. Claiming that someone is an atheist zealot similar to a religious zealot is like saying someone has a hobby of not collecting stamps.

Maher was not patronizing Sherri. If she truly hears voices in her head then she needs psychiatric care. He just said it in a humorous way.

[blueskybigstar]

Okay, that was sodumb it rates there with Elizabeth Hasselback. I was about to start watching the View again. So not now.

[mshazen]

I love Bill, he can have his own opinion, I love religious people who will not allow others to have there own. They interrupt over talk and I think it is because they are afraid the logic will outweigh their faith. Bill's points are that many religions have the same stories if you study them but many people of faith only study their own so they do not know that. I glad people have their beliefs I just wish they would not shove them all over everyone else.

[initforlife]

Mr. Maher is disgusting- and he always has been. Many people fall for his "bit" however a deeper investigation into what he is all about will reveal a slew of horrors most cannot handle. He is as bad as it gets.

[mercury613]

Care to give examples of the "slew of horrors"?

[TeslaFan]

He digs black girls.

[Roanoke3]

When talking abt religious zealots, include Maher because he just can’t stand that others believe in something he doesn’t.

[TeslaFan]

Irrational People who insist we respect their fairy tales are irritating.

[Roses]

Correction---Religous zealots (including areligous zealots)or zealots selling anything are annoying.....I completely agree.
People like Maher in this movie who are just asking questions, exposing hypocrisy, and causing people to think are not annoying. They are helpful to anyone who will listen.

[pleasegetitright]

Funny, I find you quite interesting.

[Hirnlego]

Respect is one thing, but many of these people want religious societies.

[blueskybigstar]

I believe that he is irritated with a society that wants to push things down our throats and forget intelligent discussion. Nothing else.

[ldillworth]

Its not that others believe in something he doesn't, it's that others don't respect your right to not believe it, and that because you don't somehow you are not as good a person. That becasue you don't ascribe to their beliefs you are less "moral" and lacking "values".

Religion is not the only way to be a good person.

[metogamekun]

One of the most moral people I know (to a fault, actually) is an atheist.

[Roses]

You're right.
I have friends of all stages of belief or disbelief. Their religous leanings don't correspond with their religion.
The one thing that everyone does though, is to not evangelize to each other.

[HDR]

Has Maher burned anyone at the stake yet?!

[TeslaFan]

The only thing he burns are blunts.

[Hirnlego]

No the problem is that religious people do not keep their faith to themselves. They want to create the paradise here on earth and many of them want armageddon.
And they work against science, womens rights, freedom from religion etc etc..

[Blackhawk6]

Interesting....I was raised Southern Baptist - Walking by faith and not by site, until I got to college and started reading for myself and not what people put in front of me. While I respect her zest and faith - I must ask if anyone remembers exactly how "American Negros" came to believe in christianity?? It's interesting to me that we were historically not allowed to read the bible, even though the religion was forced on us, but somehow came to rely on it so. Who's religion are we as descendents of slaves following. My roots - my family routes originated on the Gold Coast and I find it hard to believe that we were praying to a Jewish carpenter from Nazareth.

Not blasphemous - more like curious.

[Roses]

I think that the religion of the indiginous people there was some combination of animism and paganism. You can probably find out on Google.
I think there was some genealogical studies about Judaism in northern africa, and then there is always Coptic Christianity in the eastern part of northern africa.
You may find out more studying about voodoo in the eastern caribbean. That is a religion mush of animism and Christianity.
It's all interesting, my Irish ancestors were pagans, then worshipped Mithra, and finally were 'converted' by St. Patrick.

[harriettubman]

I meant to say "man made" rules.

[harriettubman]

Bill was funny on the show. I'm a spiritual person and I didn't get upset at all. I realize that during Bill's childhood nothing was explained to him about his parents religions or the church. Plus, many Catholics have left the denomination because of its patriarchal structure and made made rules. I never hear a Catholic discuss Biblically based info but only church doctrine. Also, I never hear some denominations speak of the importance of having a relationship with God, just more church doctrine. That can turn off anybody.

Bill had bad theology and turned away from religion. I see it all the time.

[TeslaFan]

Or maybe there is no god.

[blueskybigstar]

At least not as we would like to think of him, in our image. We are not in his image; we have made him into our image. If God is really deep, why would he be so petty to demand worship.

[fumes]

i see it all the time too, harrie, i remember bible school! the koolaid was: god is good and he created the universe and everything living in it except for his son, and there he needed somebody's virgin wife nobody knows why. oh and don't do that with your neighbor's wife! i think the lack of any mention of dinosaurs in the bible (which you'd think god would have bragged about) was also a deal breaker for me.

[ldillworth]

I'm tired of religious zealots like Sherri demanding respect for their religious views, and refusing to respect my lack of religious views.

Her decision to stop getting knocked up and aborting the pregnancy over and over again is not evidence god exists, it's only evidence she needed a coping mechanism to deal with life.

[progressivelady]

I think that is why she turned to religion becuase of all the sin's she say's she made,this is her way of fixing her bad way's, I disagree with her when it come's to her religious view's but I have compassion for her when it come's to her outing her abortion's, I don't think that should be held against her, and why should she be judged just on that. It seem's she just lack's alot of common sense and she is very simple minded. I don't watch the View anymore It's just a stupid show with SS & EH on it

[Meggie]

Good for you Bill Maher.
These people spew this God crap all over the place, but if they truly believe what's laid out for them to do in the Bible, they'd have to admit they're doing a pi$$ poor job of it and will all wind up in hell. If you can't question any of it without them getting so defensive, then it's clear that they are lacking and they know it.
Jesus and God did not ask them to threaten and fight with other humans. Jesus and God told them all to give back to the least among us and be the best they can be. Nobody wearing a few hundred dollars worth of clothes in one outfit and driving a private car while there is public transportation available and owning a private plane or living in a mansion bigger than they can tend to themselves should consider themselves a good Christian. Not possible. Especially in NYC where we all know they had to walk past a few homeless people to get in front of that camera.

[kitvc]

Actually, Maher said if God speaks back (not if Sherri speaks to God), she needs to call a therapist or hospital. As other posters have suggested, it's a paraphrase of Lily Tomlin's line: "If you speak to God, that's prayer. If God speaks back, that's schizophrenia."

[Gardinia]

I like Maher. His humor is funny and intelligent. I watch his political views on Larry king Live and i THINK HE IS SHARP AND INTELLECTUAL

[Dalicious]

If I hear Bill Maher one more time, I will be ready for a psych ward. That bozo is dumber than Palin. The difference is, he doesn't bother to pretend he's not dumb. Instead he advertises it like a badge of honor.

[Eric8869]

How is bill maher dumb? explain.

[fumes]

so you're on the brink, eh?

[TeslaFan]

What can we do to push you over?

Jump...Jump...Jump....