Last but not least: entertainment crusade against religions

Many Americans only find out about world events in the form of late night shows. It may be that the programs of Jon Stewart ("The Daily Show") or Bill Maher present a very one-sided and distorted version of current events - at any rate, they offer entertainment that even the good European late-night talkers have not yet managed to provide. And they are not afraid to pick up the really hot potato. This year, 52-year-old Maher has also taken one of these to the movies. The presenter of the show "Real Time with Bill Maher" on the popular pay-TV channel HBO is currently making himself the new Michael Moore with his film "Religulous". His film, which is critical of religion and based on the premise that religions are stupid and useless, is currently causing quite a stir. "The subject is basically taboo in the USA. I wanted to ask representatives of various religious groups questions that nobody normally asks," he told the Tages-Anzeiger, which recently printed a longer interview with Maher. He also asks the questions again and again on his show: on the last Friday he tried to embarrass rap star and entrepreneur Sean "Diddy" Combs by asking whether he really owed everything to Jesus. He can't let it go.