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I learned long ago that it is pointless to try to argue a person into rationality. Whether they be mentally ill, anti-social, politically extreme, or just plain old religious, there's no way to force them to make sense. The majority of humans seem to be hard-wired toward tribalism, toward unshakeable beliefs which bind them together and impart, at the least, a sense of community.
Even here on Salon, many of the comments, even from Andrew O'Hehir, fly in the face of rationality. For one, I very much doubt Bill Maher would have any trouble dissecting the flawed logic of any theologian, but apparently Mr. O'Hehir needs to believe that he would. And all the comments here saying "Oh, Maher's not talking about me or my religion. My beliefs make sense." Uh, maybe to you, but not to most (or any) other people.
And that's the gist of what Maher is saying. Those of you who are attacking him are really just screaming: "Stop making sense!"
