There’s nothing in that title to entice you, is there? It was a panel on religion (ugh), and at least Dave Silverman was there to represent the rational side. And right out of the gate, Bill Donohue insults Silverman’s intelligence.
The whole thing was weighted against him, and it was clearly a setup, but I have to give Silverman props for staying cool and bringing the fight right into the heart of hostile territory.
Is it a lack of thought, a lack of comprehension or a willful blindness which leads a person to confuse not believing in a god with not believing in anything? The second declaration is both inane and insulting (which may be a venial sin — I hope the panellist has since confessed).
I don’t watch television, so, while I’ve read about Bill Donohue on FTB, I had never before seen him in action. What a smug, smirking, sanctimonious sphincter.
BD is the only person in the world seriously challenging BO’R for “Biggest Shit-filled Blowhard.”
To misquote Jeffrey Beaumont, “Why are there people like Bill in the world!!!”
I remember Hitchens saying that if you gave Falwell an enema you could fit his corpse in a matchbox, do that to Donohue and you’d have room to spare.
If that Bill Donohue is the very best the catholic church corp. can trot out as a representative, they’re in even worse shape than the current child rape, money laundering, excessive spending on bling by the bishops etc. crisis would suggest. He’s not a spokesman, he’s a sour little man with all the charisma of a blob of blu-tac. They really need a happy, clappy, smiley person to represent them, to get minds off the rotten truth of the whole corrupt organisation. Perhaps Bill Donohue is really a blow up doll with its personality chip removed.
It’s not. Bill represents himself, his fax machine, and presumably some percentage of catholics. He is not in service of the catholic church, not directly anyway.
I should watch the video but personally i’d take an insult right of the bat like that and run, nay, parade with it on their so beloved topic of ethics.
As usual, Donohue has it backwards. Atheist believe in something: the world we live in. It is the religious like Donohue who believe in an imaginary “friend” in the beyond and in other imaginary entities like angels and the devil who believe in nothing. Believing in what does not exist is believing in nothing.
Every time I see Donohue he seems to act even less like a mature adult. His sole purpose there was clearly to be combative and insult the atheist. Of course that’s gold for Fox where three religious stooges vs one actual brain is fair and balanced. I do admire David Silverman for going into that lion’s den of stupid all alone!
@danrobinson: I agree, Donohue comes off as a petulant little child out to pick a fight.
It absolutely blows my mind that these godbots can be so sanctimonious. They believe in a silly fantasy, and if you don’t, you’re somehow inferior. It’s an absolutely foreign concept to them that somebody might not buy into their fantasy.
Favorite quote:
“If you think saying Latin words over your pancakes will turn them into the body of Elvis Presley you’re insane, but if you think the same about a cracker and Jesus you’re a Catholic”
— Sam Harris, debate with William Lane Craig