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December 29th, 2011
05:48 PM ET
Bill Maher takes on Tim Tebow and feels the wrathBy Eric Marrapodi, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor (CNN)– On Christmas Eve the Denver Broncos were getting destroyed by the Buffalo Bills* on the football field and comedian, liberal commentator, and religious provocateur Bill Maher couldn't help but tweet about it.
People quickly responded to Maher on Twitter and called him (in summary) a hell bound atheist piece of trash. Maher's social media jab was picked up by the media too and landed in newspapers, websites and TVs everywhere. Pundits and twitter users called for a boycott of Maher's HBO show Real Time, and threatened to cancel their HBO subscriptions.
The timing could not have been better for Maher. The new season of his show begins next month and the week between Christmas and New Years is a veritable wasteland for actual news. In a world where no publicity is bad publicity, Maher scored big. Maher has long skewered people of all faiths as part of his act. In 2008, Maher starred in "Religulous" a documentary that poked fun at any and all religions. For all the fury aimed at Maher for the Tebow crack, the long time atheist received comparatively little heat for his Twitter dig at Jesus the next day on Christmas.
It was insulting Tim Tebow, not Jesus Christ, that drew the ire of a nation. "[Tebow's] public image is built on goodness and virtue," Patton Dodd said. Dodd is the author of "The Tebow Mystique: The Faith and Fans of Football's Most Polarizing Player" and the managing editor of Patheos.com. "His particular expression of Christianity, or Christian witness, is built on acts of kindness to the poor and needy and to strangers. It's not just taking a knee on the field and thanking Jesus after the games. I think a lot of his fans know that." Dodd said fans likely felt defensive towards Tebow, but acknowledged an athlete so public about their faith could not viewed as untouchable. "I think the difference here is what Maher said was particularly crass and crude and I think it's seen as aimed more ... at Tebow's fan base than Tebow," he said. For those who said Maher crossed an unspoken line with the tweet, comedian Pete Dominick said no way. "Our job is to push the envelope. There is no line for us. We don't have a line. You can make a joke about my kids getting cancer as long as it's funny. It has to be funny. That's the only rule, that it's funny. We're supposed to be controversial we're supposed to be provocative, that's what our job entails." "He's begging to be made fun of," Dominick said. Dominick, who is also the host of Stand Up! with Pete Dominick on the POTUS Chanel on SirusXM, said Tebow's outspokeness about his faith makes him a prime target for comedians. "He goes out on TV and talks about his faith, he puts it on his eye black. We're going to choose to make fun of it. Always." "I think it's the wrong thing to get upset about. It's a tweet. It's a predictable tweet from a guy who says these kinds of things and who has an audience who love him for those kinds of things," Dodd said. For his part Tebow has not commented on Maher's tweet, keeping true to his formula of not engaging critics. Dodd said part of what makes Tebow such a great athlete is his ability to block out the noise and focus on the game of football. Requests for comment from Maher were not responded to by his publicist but Maher tweeted on Wednesday night:
There Maher goes after Tebow in far more than in the 140 characters Twitter allows per post. If Tebow and his Bronco teammates can win on Sunday they will make the playoffs. *An earlier version of this story incorrectly had the Detroit Lions as the Broncos opponent. We regret the error and apologize to Bills fans everywhere. They have suffered enough this season. soundoff (2,202 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 Next »
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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Aside from being a Christian and slightly offened by what Bill Maher had to say about Tim Tebow the real thing that upset me about this article is the incorrect football matchup. Lions vs. Broncos? Did this guy just wake up from a coma due to a head trauma on October 30th? Thanks so much for the article guy.
in the quote from the tweet it even says buffalo is killing them.....this writer couldn't be more terrible!! un believable
Religious people are idiots. But that's what makes them so funny.
Thank you baby jesus for giving us Bill Maher.
Its interesting to see that you are so intrigued by religious fanatics that you use the number "666" from Revelations, the sign of the beast. A number that will be seen numerous times in various places during the end of days. Take care and keep on trucking.
@Balls McGhee – "Thank you baby jesus for giving us Bill Maher."
See – that's funny – because it has fun with the idea of worshiping a baby – and the image of the savior as an innocent child, etc... – like Ricky Bobby saying grace to a "tiny infant baby Jesus," etc...
What Maher's tweeting (why is a 60-year-old using twitter?) just isn't funny or smart or deep – it's juvenile at best – not even provocative or "edgy" – just snarky and mean-spirited.
I can't stand the SEC. I've never liked Florida. I rooted against him when Florida was playing Michigan in the bowl game several years back. That said, I've never disliked Tebow personally and I very much respect him as a person for all the things he's done and the way he shows his faith. Is he public about it? Sure he is. Does he try to witness to people, to make fun of them, to put others down? No, he doesn't. From all I've read, he's a very good person. Bill, you and others go ahead and keep poking fun at him all you want...ridicule him because he's different. I just feel kind of bad for you and others that seemingly never left your high school immaturity and insecurity behind you. Keep the faith, Tim, and good luck!
if you publicly go out to the world and shove religion in our faces, then you are fair game. Tebow isnt minding his own business – he is pushing God in our faces like a salesman. however, his fans are worse than he is as they are the ones putting him on this pedestal.
The Bills were killing the Broncos, not the Lions. And "furry"? Terrible journalism/writing.
Pete Dominick.. I hope your kids get cancer... I think that would be funny.... and this is NOT a joke... Maybe they will be next to Maher on the slow boat to hell.
With comments like that, you are the one going to he!!. You must be a "Christian"
jesus christ your ignorant
I used to TEBOW like him but then I took an arrow to the knee
DUDE it was the BILLS! FYI – Tebow and his religious beliefs don't bother me. However, the four interceptions almost made me lose in fantasy football! If I would have lost God's name would have been said in vane!
John 14:27. PEACE I LEAVE WITH YOU,MY PEACE I GIVE UNTO YOU:NOT AS THE WORLD GIVETH,GIVE I UNTO YOU.LET NOT YOUR
HEART BE TROUBLED,NEITHER LET IT BE AFRAID.
THANKFUL FOR A CHILD OF GODS' WHO IS NOT AFRAID OF PERSECUTION.WTG,TIM TEBOW.STAY STRONG AGAINST HATERS AND NOT BE AFRAID . GODS' GOT YOUR BACK !!
Thank God for Bill Maher.
Eff Tim Tebow. The headline should read: Mediocre quarterback invokes Jesus – loses anyway.
lol... even that made me laugh.
People have as much right to boycott Maher as he has to poke fun at Tebow. Maher's cheap shots at religion (particularly Christianity) is the only thing putting food on his table.
What makes his shots cheap? I haven't been able to disregard any of his anti-religious points. Maybe you don't like Bill. That's OK. But what about his arguments?
I so agree.Too many of his kind in this world.Well,guess one day tables will turn for him ,but may be too late for him to say " Oh Gee Whiz,NOW I get it !"
JC FREAKS need to give it a rest. You don't like bill? Why the hell are you paying attention to his show or Twitter account? Just to complain? GET A LIFE!!!
Calling for a boycott of Bill Maher? Geeze, I must have been in on this one since his show started airing. He's nothing more then a bag of hot wind that spews anti-religous hate and uber left leaning political thoughts. Why on earth would anyone take what he says seriously?
As opposed to right wing bigotry based on an antiquated work of fiction?
because he is smarter than every other entertainer in tv, more intelligent and eloquent than any politician in the country, and mainly because he is right about religion being the source of all evil and just a tool to control the ignorants, but I dont expect you to understand as you are one of them
Good question CVan, why are you taking it so seriously?
spot on my friend... spot on!
All Maher was doing was drumming up some attention with an old familiar (and not really funny) bit – he's way-too-cool and hip to believe in religion – yea, we get it Bill – the rest of us Christians are just a bunch of unenlightened rubes unlike you and your sophisticated friends.
He's also pandering to the young liberal post-adolescents who are in the phase of their life where they are challenging everything and still trying to figure out who they are – saying pseudo-provocative things to impress young people is like shooting fish in a barrel.
I'd be more impressed if a 60-year-old man was not using Twitter like some teenager – and instead formulating some deeper thought than "Religion is for dumb people and atheism is for the smart and super-cool people."
Well said...Maher's shtick should get old pretty damn fast if one is even reasonably intelligent, but I think you're right...he plays to a certain group of people. Don't you have anything new in your little bag of tricks, Bill? We've seen it all and heard it all from you before. There's an old adage that says "it's far easier to criticize than create". Try creating something rather than simply criticizing, Bill. It might even be entertaining.
Looks like there is a lot of projection in your post Todd, maybe you are the one that is trying to figure out who you are.
@ JDizzle –
"Projection' ...perhaps, – of course, I'm still trying to figure myself out – which is part of life – and comes through questioning, pondering, and debating – not simply mocking someone else's philosophy. I'm taking issue with the idea that Maher's snarky tweets equate anything more than shallow attempts to make himself appear clever.
LOVE Bill Maher! He is, by far, the most logical, witty, funny, and 'spot on' comedian and social commentator on the airwaves, and an American treasure!
LOL...AMERICAN TREASURE ???!! Go read your history.
Mr. Maher's absolute right to say what he wants. My right to say that Mr. Maher is an absolute jerk. Gotta love that whole freedom of speech thing, huh?
It was the Bills, NOT DETROIT! CNN needs to do better reporting. Bill Maher at least gets points for crediting the proper team.
To my extreme religious friends. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. I figure in America tbow can do what he wants to do and if it is in public he and you all that support the belief in some god thru your "belief" can expect some feed back. Best advise to my religious friends > keep it private. That is what I do with my belief.
To my athiest, agnostice friends, if all you can do with your religion is to put down other religions, your faith in nothing is nothing.
I agree....if the fundamentalist right can't handle the heat....then get out of the kitchen.
That's right. If you go off and publically make a claim that must be true for me too, like there is a god or the earth is flat, then expect some resistance.
Right. Keep it to yourself. Bill Maher speaks a lot of truth as opposed to the so-called "fair and balanced" idiots at Fox News.
@ModerateGuy Just in case you cant comprehend what atheism is here is a hint: its NOT a religion...
JEW. go figure.
Jew? He is half Catholic you simpleton doofus.
Bill Maher is a no-talent hack. He tries to act like the Andrew Dice Clay of the 'left' but the problem is HE JUST ISN'T FUNNY.
You thinking that "Dice" Clay is funny and Bill Maher is not says a lot about you.
nah he does his own thing. if anything he does like a dirty johnny carson
Aren't we over Tebow yet?
We will be over Tebow this sunday.