On the latest episode of “Real Time With Bill Maher,” the talk-show host spoke to politicians James Talarico and Lauren Boebert about topics ranging from the separation of church and state to cancel culture and the Epstein files. While introducing his guests, Maher said they’re both “very devout Christians, but that doesn’t always mean the same thing.”
Editor’s note: The episode contains language some might find offensive.
Texas State Rep. James Talarico, a Democrat and seminarian, is running for the U.S. Senate. During a recent interview with Stephen Colbert that was moved to YouTube, the politician called Christian nationalism a betrayal of Jesus. He also said abortion and gay marriage aren’t mentioned in Scripture.
U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), a longtime ally of President Trump, has recently criticized some of his policies. In 2022, she sparked controversy by saying she was “tired of all this separation of church and state junk that’s not in the Constitution.”
Texas Rep. James Talarico: ‘America Is Not a Christian Nation’
On the Feb. 20 episode of “Real Time With Bill Maher,” Texas State Rep. James Talarico and U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert discussed issues such as displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools and eliminating corruption in government.
Maher mentioned recent comments from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio about why Western civilization is so great. At the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 14, Rubio said Western nations have a bond “forged by centuries of shared history, Christian faith, culture, heritage, language, ancestry, and the sacrifices our forefathers made together.”
Maher pushed back by saying that enlightenment, not Christian faith, elevates Western civilization. In response, Boebert said, “I do believe that [America was] founded on Judeo-Christian values” and “our Founding Fathers were Christian.” Although she “absolutely” believes in freedom of religion, Boebert added that Americans need “moral values and standards” for governance.
Talarico, whose grandfather was a Southern Baptist pastor, brought up Jesus’ two great commandments, saying there’s “no exception” to the part about loving your neighbor as yourself. The Texas representative said he speaks up on behalf of his non-Christian neighbors and that “forcing my religion down their throats is not love.”
“America is not a Christian nation,” Talarico continued. “It is a nation where you are free to be a Christian or any of those other faiths or no faith at all.” The representative said many of America’s founders were Deists, which the modern-day religious right probably would describe as “not real Christians, given their beliefs.”
RELATED: Lauren Boebert Under Fire for Saying ‘I’m Tired of This Separation of Church and State Junk’
Political commentator Bill Maher spoke to Rep. James Talarico and Rep. Lauren Boebert about topics ranging from the separation of church and state to the Epstein files.Click to Post
