Bill Maher: Liberty University Is Not A Real School

[babylonsister]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/19/bill-maher-new-rule-liberty-university_n_1530400.html

Bill Maher: Liberty University Is Not A Real School

Posted: 05/19/2012 11:10 pm Updated: 05/20/2012 1:34 am
Video @ link~


At the end of "Real Time" Friday night, Bill Maher lambasted Liberty University, the Virginia religious university that has become a mandatory stop for Republican presidential candidates. (Watch above.)

"You can't expect me to believe anything Mitt Romney said last week at Liberty University, because a) he's a liar and b) Liberty University isn't really a university," Maher began. "It's not like an actual statesman visited a real college. It's more like the Tupac hologram visited Disneyland and said what he would do as president during the Main Street Electrical Parade."

Romney delivered Liberty's commencement speech on May 12.

Maher noted that Liberty teaches "creation science," and the idea that earth was created 5,000 years ago. "This is a school you flunk out of when you get the answers right," he joked.

Much as conservatives believe gay marriage cheapens their own vows, "I think a diploma from Liberty cheapens my diploma from a real school," he continued. "I worked really hard for four years and sold a lot of drugs to get that thing."

Liberty's diploma may look real, Maher said, but "when you confuse a church with a school, Maher went on, "it mixes up the things you believe — religion — with the things we know — education. Then you start thinking that creationism is science, and gay aversion is psychology, and praying away hurricanes is meteorology."

[Greybnk48]

1. It's about time someone said this in a public

and splashy way because it's true. 100%.

[Blue_Tires]

46. Someone needs to say it about Regent, too

They really made an embarrassing name for themselves with the justice department scandal...

[amuse bouche]

2. Thanks Bill

On point as usual

[Wounded Bear]

3. Bill Maher is no liberal.....

But he does get some things right.

[Logical]

7. What is he then? n-t

[Nay]

18. I think he identifies as a libertarian, but I'm not positive. That's how he comes across, anyway. nt

[Wounded Bear]

22. Yes, he claims to be a Libertarian.....

and he has most of the trappings of a pure one.

Lib/Progs tend to focus on his liberal stand on social issues, but economically, he's fairly conservative.

[Quantess]

25. In my personal opinion,

economically is the only acceptable way to be conservative. But, just look at George W Bush who spent all our money like a drunken sailor in a casino. Modern RWers typically are conservative in every way except economically.

[Ratty]

32. I don't know ...

I'd always heard he was a libertarian too but I've heard him say some very decidedly UN-libertarian things in the last few months, about the need for more regulation and the value of government and social services. Maybe nowdays he's a civil libertarian with a little el.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

41. He's not all that conservative on economic issues.

He does believe in single-payer. He's a left libertarian ... though not as left as I'd want, he's still fairly progressive.

[OKNancy]

26. Well, whatever

He gave $1,000,000 dollars to an Obama PAC, so I really think he is supporting the Democrat in this election.
In fact, from watching his show, I'd say he is a member of the BOG right here on DU. ( that's a joke )

[JonLP24]

29. That doesn't mean he is a liberal

I'd say he may be a liberal when you take account most of his views but there are some things that aren't liberal like supporting racial profiling at airports.

[BobbyBoring]

40. Yeah Really

If Obama was a liberal, it might mean something!

[Major Nikon]

51. I don't see that as a liberal or conservative idea

It doesn't fit well into the ideology of either.

However, even if it does you have to judge someone by the overall picture of their beliefs, and not just one or two issues taken by themselves. Not that many people toe the party line on everything.

[JonLP24]

61. Yeah

which is why I say he may be a liberal.

[tooeyeten]

44. he is a liberal n/t

[JI7]

45. he use to be libertarian leaning, but he seems to have become a bit more aware on economic issues

[Honeycombe8]

4. He says it so well, as usual. nt

[jwirr]

5. Very good definition of Liberty. I wonder how the business world accepts them?

[sofa king]

11. They do okay if they stay inside the Falwell Empire.

I've lived within easy driving distance of Liberty for most of my life, but I've only met three or four attendees. Almost all of them had parents who were long-time donors to the church; most of them planned to go into Falwell-related business themselves. They were all really nice people, thoughtful, polite, and unusually tolerant of others (I remember thinking at the time that they were reasonable because the church did their ranting for them).

I don't know if the Falwell Empire employs enough people to keep all of those Liberty grads busy or not, but it sure as hell supplies motivation for graduates to try to land safely within the church network. Otherwise they'll be cleaning grease traps.

[jwirr]

15. That sounds familiar. One of my rw friends home schooled her children. When I asked her if they

were going to be able to get jobs she said that her church members worked together and hired only fellow members. Nice work if you are one of them.

[alarimer]

20. They can't be outside the network because reality contradicts their world view.

Instead, it's as if they have their own alternate universe, where everything is what they think it is and they do not have deal the cognitive dissonance when ugly reality (and science and evidence, etc) intrudes.

[jwirr]

34. Which is why to them most of our science based liberal answers are unacceptable. They are willing

to destroy the USA and much of the world in order to keep their "safety network" intact.

[abelenkpe]

13. We once had a financial advisor through our bank

That seemed like a nice enough guy. Once when my hubby was out of town I went to meet with him and as we were in his office discussing investments I looked up and noticed his framed document saying he graduated from liberty university. I made some excuses and left. Needless to say we found another advisor after that!

[sofa king]

6. You are awesome, Bill.

Can I write for you? I've been filling bags of compost all Spring, so I know for sure I can work knee-deep in the shit, I have an excellent eye for bullshit, I can fling shit by the ton and sell it by the bag, and I only take shit from the nice Mennonite farmer who makes it for us.

But I am also too old for this shit, and tired of this shit, and I'd like to get out of the shit before I cannot tell it from Shinola.

[crazylikafox]

8. Too bad the Bush admin filled up the gov't with these graduates.

[Lint Head]

9. Bob Jones University and Oral Roberts University are two more phoney schools.

My son had a teacher with a Liberty University sheepskin. He was as right wing as you could get. He had a right wing blog. I sent him a letter and complained to the school that he was teaching his dogma and not educational principles and concepts.

[Initech]

37. Don't forget Regent University.

It was such a colossal fuck up when W stacked crucial government agencies with Regent and Liberty grads. I'd hate to think what would happen under president Rmoney.

[jmowreader]

52. He'd stack the government with Brigham Young University grads

The difference is, BYU is a halfway decent school. Liberty, Regent, Pensacola Christian, Campbell and BJU are not.

[Lint Head]

74. You are correct. There are exceptions to th rule.

[hifiguy]

83. Yep. BYU is, academically speaking, thoroughly respectable.

I know a couple of first rate engineers who are BYU products. It is not a diploma mill like the others listed.

[abelenkpe]

10. Thank you! Nt

[patrice]

12. And, worse, the grads have been in that track so long, I wonder if they are even capable

of more authentic awareness, even if they DID want to change.

When you don't know that you don't know what you don't know, how is it possible to conceive change?

[madokie]

14. My opinion of Bill Maher has changed with this

I'll take him a lot more serious from this point going forward as he is speaking truth to creationism. Something I happen to agree with

[riderinthestorm]

16. Have you seen his movie Religulous? Maher has been very articulate in de-constructing religious

crazy stuff for many years.

[madokie]

27. I haven't yet but I'll make it a point to in the near future

In the past for some reason I was always put off by him but its never been his material. I've always like that part.
Like I said I see him in a different light now. Its like a switch has been turned on.
I like my being able to make changes such as this.

[trusty elf]

31. I can recommend that movie.

[Ratty]

33. Something about him I find annoying

Or about his delivery, not as a person. A kind of smugness and a tendency to laugh at his own jokes. I'm not a fan. But I do adore his New Rules segments and he does some great jokes on occasion. I'm definitely glad he's on our side.

[Amster Dan]

17. DURec

[Turbineguy]

19. They supply republican presidents

with appointees to fuck up government agencies. This then gives the excuse to privatize to cronies. In this way they serve a useful function. They are the very definition of useful idiots.

[crazylikafox]

30. +1

Useful idiots... Unfortunate, but true

[b757pilot]

21. Does the US military accept a degree from them.

I needed an accredited college degree to be receive a commission in the Navy (AOCS). Think Officer and a Gentleman for you old heads.

[jmowreader]

53. Liberty is accredited

And it's actual accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

There is an "accreditation" body for Bible schools, the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools, that accredited Bob Jones University and is in the process of accrediting Pensacola Christian. It's a very new body, most of the schools on it were accredited in the last couple of years. Only thing I can think of is, the Bible schools finally got sick of losing potential students to schools whose diplomas actually meant anything.

[Scurrilous]

23. K & R

[Quixote1818]

24. "This is a school you flunk out of when you get the answers right,"

[yourout]

28. true....it's an indoctrination center more than a school.

[CK_John]

35. These students are funneled into the civil service system with the intent

of wreaking the government. Just like the US Rep from Minnesota who got her start at the IRS.

[glinda]

36. K & R n/t

[Egalitarian Thug]

38. K&R. Thanks for starting the day with a good laugh! n/t

[ellisonz]

39. For the record, the Tupac Hologram was the shiznit.

[NoMittens]

42. IF LIBERTY UNIVERSITY IS A REAL SCHOOL THEN SO IS BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY

BYU is just like Liberty..don't go to either one unless you're desperate to give up your freedom

[provis99]

43. Baylor University is a nasty fundamentalist joke, too.

I don't know how these schools get accredited, except perhaps through bribery of the accreditation officials.

[ingac70]

58. Liberty has the same accreditation as Vanderbilt. n/t

[Gman]

47. Can't argue with that

[ProdigalJunkMail]

48. so the accrediting body is nuts?

or is it paid off? SACS...

sP

[Marrah_G]

49. Maybe a bit of both

[ProdigalJunkMail]

62. then I guess all those other schools

that have been accredited by SACS should be talked smack about, too?

sP

[Marrah_G]

64. If they teach myth as fact, then yes.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

66. yeah...fuck the ABA

and that body provides accreditation for just about every school in the southeast...like Georgia Tech...

simplistic view of yours...

sP

[ProdigalJunkMail]

67. or maybe VA Tech's accreditation doesn't mean anything either

[ProdigalJunkMail]

68. or Duke's

[ProdigalJunkMail]

69. Maybe UNC's shouldn't count?

[ProdigalJunkMail]

70. ooooh...Vandy...those people don't study shit

[CRK7376]

75. No problem getting rid of UNC

Chapel Hill in my book, but those pesky tarheels, but then they don't like my Demon Deacons verymuch either....Go Deacs!

[ProdigalJunkMail]

76. :-)

[ProdigalJunkMail]

73. kinda what i thought...

guess those other schools don't count either...

sP

[Marrah_G]

78. Sorry it took so long to see your posts

I'm on my lunch break. I understand what you are saying, but I still believe that if you are teaching myth as fact and only myth as fact then there needs to be some consequences for those choices.

Perhaps some sort of separate designation for church schools is needed for those schools who choose to put theology forth as science and fact. If a school is teaching that the earth is 5,000 years old and that people and dinosaurs lived side by side then I would never put them in the same designation as non theological schools.

[GoneOffShore]

86. So, why are you cheerleading for Liberty "University"?

Just interested, because it certainly isn't a place devoted to critical thought or learning that isn't "Biblically based", much like Bob Jones "University"

[ProdigalJunkMail]

87. not really cheering

just pointing out that it is an accredited school...and most of the people bashing it don't know anyone who went there let alone have stopped in for a visit. reeks of some of the typical religion-bashing that goes on here.

sP

[GoneOffShore]

88. Doesn't matter if it's an accredited school or not.

Its programs are opinion based, not fact based and biased in the extreme.

Read the "Doctrinal Purpose" statement - here http://www.liberty.edu/index.cfm?PID=6907

from which the following is a quote:

We affirm that the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, though written by men, was supernaturally inspired by God so that all its words are the written true revelation of God; it is therefore inerrant in the originals and authoritative in all matters. It is to be understood by all through the illumination of the Holy Spirit, its meaning determined by the historical, grammatical, and literary use of the author’s language, comparing Scripture with Scripture.

The entire statement is about it being a Bible based institution - which really means that they scoff at science and facts, because "gawd did it."

Added on edit:
I had to take a shower after visiting that website - it's almost as full of crazy as Freeperville.

And your defense of the place certainly sounds like cheerleading.

[PatrynXX]

50. this should be applied to the discussion of the birth control debate

Obama wasn't actually forcing churches to cover it at all. 2. most Hospitals are catholic connected. I was born in one. has the word Saint before it... so a good chunk of American hospitals supposedly would be shut down thanks to Republicans. zzzzzz

[Zanzoobar]

54. What is a real talking head?

[ck4829]

55. Liberty U is a place of indoctrination, not education and research

Their dress code and rules have more content than their list of programs.

The only learning you will do there is to be a good little right wing authoritarian.

[Permanut]

56. Same with Hillsdale "College" and Biola "University"

A mail order diploma would be more educational.

[PufPuf23]

57. Maher is spot on about Liberty University.

The collective consciousness of the USA and World sucks and is not promising in the next several generations at least.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

59. Send em all to Naropa University in Boulder!!

[Warren DeMontague]

60. "you flunk out when you get the answers right"

Nice.

[Alcibiades]

63. I'm an unemployed academic

So I keep an eye on the job listings in my field. Liberty. Regent and the other "Christian Universities" are constantly looking for faculty. I imagine that many of the folks who work there take jobs out of desperation, only to find that they chafe at the Orwellian anti-intellectual environment, or are purged when they cannot adapt to it.

A "Christian university" which would be an oxymoron, except for the fact that many of the world's great universities were also once Christian universities: the real cut point is that these are fundamentalist universities, which is the real contradiction: how can you have a university without thought or any real subject that does not ultimately reduce to theology?

[ProdigalJunkMail]

65. i guess those accreditation bodies

believe there is no real thought allowed or subjects taught there either...

simplistic bashing of a school you don't seem to know a whole lot about.

sP

[Alcibiades]

79. Accreditation is a low bar

It's analogous to all those mortgage-backed securities that were rated AAA by the rating agencies.

I do know enough to evaluate a department's faculty in my discipline. And, judging by the criterion you'd normally use, these places are not terribly good. I would expcet that this is the case wherever ideological concerns trump quality concerns.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

81. ahhh...so accreditation doesn't matter?

so, you know some of the faculty there? you have at least talked to some folks about the atmosphere?

sP

[Alcibiades]

84. Though ranking isn't everything

I'd look at that before mere accreditation. It's too binary a data point.

And yes, I did look into the faculty there: my curiosity was piqued when I saw so many job openings, repeated so often. I don't know them, and don't really care to.

[Alcibiades]

71. I had a Liberty University grad turn up on my doorstep

He was going door to door, selling gutter guards or attic insulation or somesuch. He looked like a ginger version of Jack Black. I didn't take the clipboard (don't take the clipboard: once you have it in hand, they will hanangue you as you patiently wait for an opening to give it back)), and explained that we didn't need anything.

Once I was a no sale, he for some reason became quite affable, and volunteered that he was a recent graduate of Liberty. He then volunteered that he chose it--and, I am not kidding--because it has such a high ratio of girls to boys. He then lamented the fact that he had had no girlfriend for his entire time there.

Such a stupid boy. Yes, there might be a lot of girls, but they are girls who are in an environment with dating rules that date back to the 1650's. They also have been indoctrinated to think that sex is bad, sinful, and something they will do only as a duty once they are safely married.

It also occurred to me that the reason that there would be more boys than girls is that perhaps the fundies might send their boys to real schools, and their girls to Liberty, because they would not need a real education to prepare them for their biblically-ordained role as a wife and mother.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

72. any idiot who chooses a school based on their girl/boy ratio

or their party-quotient should be selling stuff door to door.

but the girl that went to liberty to get a law degree from a school accredited by the ABA so she wouldn't have to deal with all the shit-headery at UGA doesn't deserve her degree...or better yet to have her degree maligned by someone like you.

sP

[Alcibiades]

80. At what point did I do that?

At any rate, I wouldn't send any student there for law school, unless they specifically wanted to attend it because of their religious beliefs.

And even then, there are a lot of state schools that have a better ranking and lower tuition.

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/liberty-university-03196

[ProdigalJunkMail]

82. at the point where you said

that her school is essentially not a 'real' school because they don't have any thought or 'real' subject...

i would say that would qualify as maligning her degree through maligning the school through which it was obtained...

sP

[Alcibiades]

85. i'd actually extend that

School have an insitutional memory: Liberty is too new to have much of a record. When there are alternatives that have a good track record, I wouldn't send a student there.

Also, it's enough to know who started the place.

[CRK7376]

77. We watched it

on Tivo Saturday and just howled. It was hilarious!