O'Reilly: Christianity not a religion

O’Reilly: Christianity not a religion

Wingnuts • November 2012 • Views: 1,823

On his show Wednesday night, Fox News host Bill O’Reilly accused American Atheists president David Silverman of being a “fascists” who wanted to banish Christmas from the United States.

During the contentious interview, O’Reilly insisted that Christmas displays in public buildings were not a constitutional issue because Christianity is not a religion.

“It is a fact that Christianity is not a religion, it is a philosophy,” the Fox News host declared confidently. “If the government was saying that the Methodist religion deserves a special place in the public square, I would be on your side.”

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16 comments

Sol Berdinowitz Thu, Nov 29, 2012 1:01:14am

One could argue just as well that Christmas has developed into a fully secular holiday in the US: not only is it celebrated by any number of non-believers, but it also contains many traditions and rituals that are clearly pagan and pre-Christian.

So O'Reilly is really walking out onto some thin ice here in his attempt to outflank the atheists.

John Q Thu, Nov 29, 2012 2:30:07am

re: #1 Sol Berdinowitz

"Christmas has developed into a fully secular holiday"

True, but folks of other faiths do notice the name "Christ" is still there in the word Christmas.

Destro Thu, Nov 29, 2012 2:45:37am

re: #2 John Q

"Christmas has developed into a fully secular holiday"

True, but folks of other faiths do notice the name "Christ" is still there in the word Christmas.

I don't want public religious displays either but we do have cities named Los Angeles and Corpus Christi, etc.

Varek Raith Thu, Nov 29, 2012 4:32:08am

Image: OpoQQ.jpg

Citizen Bob Thu, Nov 29, 2012 4:32:21am

Christmas developed FROM a fully secular holiday. From time immemorial, since we could watch the stars, we have celebrated the day when the nights would start to become shorter and the days longer. Why? Because the cold sucks. Evergreen trees don't get all skeletal in winter; dress it up and celebrate not dying. I understand Jebus rose from the grave, just like flowers and leaves sprout again no matter how cold it gets, but Christians certainly didn't invent rebirth!

Obdicut Thu, Nov 29, 2012 4:38:20am

re: #5 Citizen Bob

Nah. It developed from a pagan holiday, not a secular one. Secularism is pretty much a new idea; you're not really going to find many actual atheists prior to the Enlightenment.

sffilk Thu, Nov 29, 2012 6:35:12am

Not again!

JEA62 Thu, Nov 29, 2012 6:53:52am

Since conservatives claim Islam also isn't a religion, guess Ramadan displays are okay too.

steve_davis Thu, Nov 29, 2012 6:59:49am

re: #3 Destro

I don't want public religious displays either but we do have cities named Los Angeles and Corpus Christi, etc.

Yes, but remember that these particular angels were atheists....that's why they wound up in a waterless city with a baseball franchise that can't keep anyone in a seat past the fifth inning......

Skip Intro Thu, Nov 29, 2012 9:49:18am

“It is a fact that Christianity is not a religion, it is a philosophy,” the Fox News host declared confidently. “If the government was saying that the Methodist religion deserves a special place in the public square, I would be on your side.”

That's an incredibly stupid thing to say, even for O'Reilly.

I suppose then that Congress isn't part of the government; now if you said the Senate or the House are the government, I'd agree with you, but Congress is just an intellectual construct, not a governing body.

HappyWarrior Thu, Nov 29, 2012 10:26:18am

O'Reilly is either incredibly intelligently dishonest or that stupid. I choose to believe the former.

Origuy Thu, Nov 29, 2012 11:20:26am

Then can we tax these philosophy centers?

GunstarGreen Thu, Nov 29, 2012 11:36:05am

re: #11 HappyWarrior

O'Reilly is either incredibly intelligently dishonest or that stupid. I choose to believe the former.

Intellectually dishonest. He knows he has no argument to defend public favoritism of a particular religion when trying to harp on constitutionality, so he has to redefine christianity as something other than a religion to maintain its special status. Because he knows how bad it will look for him if he falls into the same trap Louisiana did in allowing special privileges for one religion and then balking when another religion (Islam) joins in to the game.

Destro Thu, Nov 29, 2012 12:18:20pm

re: #9 steve_davis

Yes, but remember that these particular angels were atheists....that's why they wound up in a waterless city with a baseball franchise that can't keep anyone in a seat past the fifth inning......

God has a evil sense of humor.

Destro Thu, Nov 29, 2012 12:20:26pm

re: #13 GunstarGreen

Intellectually dishonest. He knows he has no argument to defend public favoritism of a particular religion when trying to harp on constitutionality, so he has to redefine christianity as something other than a religion to maintain its special status. Because he knows how bad it will look for him if he falls into the same trap Louisiana did in allowing special privileges for one religion and then balking when another religion (Islam) joins in to the game.

Can you find that quote where a Christian Louisiana lawmaker backed away from backing the law because Muslims would use it? I think it was a she and she claimed that when the law stated "religion" she though that only applied to Christians....

Mich-again Thu, Nov 29, 2012 7:27:06pm

And by O'Reilly's logic, the Lutheran Church doesn't represent a religion either, however the North Dakota district of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod does.

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