"The only appropriate attitude for man to have about the big questions
is not arrogant certitude, but doubt," Maher says in the film's closing
five-minute monologue, which shifts the tone to dead serious.
"The plain fact is, religion must die for man to live," he says.
For being anti-religious, he sure is preachy.
So he hates certitude in religious people but he is certain that religion needs to
die. Interesting. He makes this comment after complaining how "rigid" the New
Atheist are:
The so-called New Atheists -- bestselling authors who appeal to science,
logic and intellectual elitism -- typically preach only to the choir.
"I don't like the term atheist because, to me, that is as rigid as religion is,"
Maher said. "I preach the doctrine of 'I don't know.' I don't know and I don't
think it should matter. I don't think people should be so obsessed.
Give yourself a break. You don't have to worship something, you
don't have to worship something that is really just in your head,
that you made up."
Did you get the nuance there. First he is saying he's not an atheist, he's more of
an agnostic, which is not the first time he has said he's an agnostic. Then he goes
on to say that, "you don't have to worship something that is really in your head,
that you made up." So he's basically saying the idea of a deity is something that is
made up in people's head. I'm assuming he is saying that belief in God is fiction,
which is what atheists believe. So what is it: Does he not know if God exists or is
he certain that the concept of a deity is all made up in people's head? He can't have
it both ways. Maher is saying I think God is fiction and is made up solely in people's
head, however, I'm not sure. I'm starting to get the feeling that while Maher spends
his time mocking religious people's beliefs he has no clue what he himself believes.
He's lost in confusion. Or perhaps he doesn't know the difference between a agnosticism
and atheism. Maher might not like religious folks' "certitude" but his inconsistency
and murkiness is downright unappealing.