Scroll To Top
Religion

WATCH: Bill Maher Challenges Ralph Reed on Slavery, Stoning

WATCH: Bill Maher Challenges Ralph Reed on Slavery, Stoning

Bill-maher-and-ralph-reed-x400

Real Time host Maher asks the conservative Christian leader how he can justify a literal reading of the Bible, given these 'wack' passages.

trudestress

We know that many of those who oppose LGBT equality use the Bible to justify their position, saying all of its contents, including denunciations of homosexuality, are the literal word of God. But what about verses condoning slavery and ordering that women who have premarital sex be stoned to death?

Bill Maher challenged conservative Christian activist Ralph Reed on those portions of the Bible on last Friday's edition of Real Time With Bill Maher. "If the Bible's a perfect book written by a perfect guy, why is this part in there?" Maher said of the stoning verse, which is in the Old Testament. Reed cited the New Testament story of Jesus intervening to keep a woman from being stoned, prompting Maher to respond, "Why does Jesus need to come along to correct his dad?"

When Reed criticized Maher for being selective in the passages he quoted, Maher said that if one is to read the Bible literally, "Shouldn't all of it be perfect?" And after Reed pointed out differences between the Old and New Testaments, Maher concluded, "I didn't know that that's how it worked, that Jesus had to come along and say to [God], "Dad, your shit is wack." Watch the full exchange below.

trudestress
Advocate Channel - The Pride StoreOut / Advocate Magazine - Fellow Travelers & Jamie Lee Curtis

From our Sponsors

Most Popular

Latest Stories

Trudy Ring

Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.
Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.