Potty-Mouthed Comic Bill Maher Attacks Mitt Romney Because Of His Mormonism, Lies About Mormon Doctrine

The rollout of the new Mormon Defense League website earlier this week couldn't be better timed, and perhaps Bill Maher might want to visit it to upgrade his knowledge about Mormonism. The ascerbic Maher, most famous for his sleazy bathroom humor and his endless armada of "f-bombs", has not only attacked Mitt Romney because of his Mormonism, but has also flagrantly lied about Mormon doctrine.

The Blaze, operated under the auspices of Glenn Beck, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informs us that the incident took place during a recent appearance by Maher on the Ed Show. Guest host Michael Eric Dyson asked Maher if he thought the Republican base could put their faith in a candidate who is a Mormon. Maher said No, then responded thusly:

That’s what’s going to be so interesting is when Rick Perry in sly and underhanded and no fingerprints methods starts putting out the idea, which is a true idea by the way, that Mormons are not really Christians. You know, once America, which is a very Christian nation, finds that out, I think they’ll have a, certainly in the Evangelical part of the country, those folks, they will not be very fond of Mitt Romney.

Once they find out that Jesus Christ is like third in the hierarchy there. Really was about Joseph Smith. Actually, Mormonism is closer to Islam because in Islam Jesus is also a revered figure. He’s a wonderful prophet. He’s just not the ultimate prophet. You know, he’s like the middle act. He’s certainly not the headliner.

Not only does he regurgitate the tired old canard that a Mormon can't become president, but he actually insists in the body of his response that Mormons aren't Christians. Then in the second paragraph, he openly lies about Mormon doctrine, falsely claiming that Jesus Christ comes "third".

The name of the church clearly indicates that Jesus Christ is the "headliner"; Mormons are indisputably and undeniably Christian. By the way, although Bill Maher was born a Jew, he now considers himself an atheist.

This is the main reason why FAIR launched the Mormon Defense League website -- to counter inaccuracies and outright smears like those uttered by Maher. In a serious society, celebrities like Bill Maher would be nothing more than passing ships in the night. But in our celebrity-obsessed society, these people have more influence than they deserve.

And they deserve a vigorous rebuttal.

May 2011 Gallup Values & Beliefs Poll Indicates LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson Right About Disconnect Between LDS Values And Societal Values

In his address entitled "Priesthood Power" delivered during the Saturday evening Priesthood session of the 181st Annual General Conference on April 2nd, 2011, Thomas S. Monson, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, noted a growing disconnect between LDS moral values and the values espoused by the greater American society as a whole. In part, President Monson noted:

We have come to the earth in troubled times. The moral compass of the masses has gradually shifted to an “almost anything goes” position.

I’ve lived long enough to have witnessed much of the metamorphosis of society’s morals. Where once the standards of the Church and the standards of society were mostly compatible, now there is a wide chasm between us, and it’s growing ever wider.

A series of Gallup polls, known as the Values & Beliefs poll, taken during May 2011 supports his contention. Most notable was this telephone poll of 1,018 adults aged 18 and older, conducted May 5-8, 2011 in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, in which respondents were quizzed about their overall perceptions of the current state of moral values in the country. They were asked if the overall state of moral values was Excellent/Good, Fair, or Poor. The results show that only 38 percent of respondents consider the state of moral values to be Poor.

Worse yet, this represents a noticeable decline from the 45 percent reported in May 2010. Gallup conducts this poll in May of each year. The results of similar questions asked in this poll mirrors the decline shown in the first question, and stratification by political affiliation further indicates that it is primarily Democrats and Independents who think moral values are improving; Republicans tend to remain constant.