Bill Maher’s politically-incorrect assessment of Islam. The Real Time host (who’s no fan of religion in general) says “There is one religion in the world that kills you when you disagree with them.” He also laments that there aren’t more moderate Muslims standing up to the crazy killers amongst them.

POINT 1: There’s something to what he says, of course. But, just as Catholics object to all priests being labeled as pedophiles because of the heinous actions of some, it’s important for us not to generalize about Muslims because of the terrible acts of some who act in the name of their religion.
POINT 2: But, while objecting to the stereotype is fine, it’s important for Catholics to condemn in no uncertain terms the child abuse and the cover-ups that followed. They were, indeed, indefensible. Does child sexual abuse happen outside the Church? Of course. But we Catholics need to recognize that our Church has had a particular problem with the issue that needs to be dealt with. Blaming the media is not the answer.
POINT 3: Would it be nice if more moderate Muslims stepped up and condemned acts of terrorism committed by fanatics in the name of their religion? Yes. Sure, religious fanatics of other faiths occasionally commit violence but, in the world today, Muslims have a particular problem in this regard. Of course, many moderate Muslims, understandably, fear for their lives if they spoke up. Which, pretty much, makes Maher’s original point.

Soul Surfer rides a high box wave. The faith-based film based on the true-life story of Bethany Hamilton, a young surfer whose faith sustained her following a shark attack in which she lost her arm, earned an impressive $11.1 million over its debut weekend and earned a rare A+ from CinemaScore (measuring audience reaction).
From Deadline Hollywood: Sony thought it was releasing through TriStar an acquired micro-budget title from FilmDistrict that had “solid upside potential,” according to a studio exec. “If we do $10 million this weekend (or close to it), it would be a home run for Sony and FilmDistrict.” Mission accomplished. A strong Christian message sometimes works at the box office, sometimes falls flat. This one worked, helped by the strong appeal and personal promotion of American Idol winner Carrie Underwood. Soul Surfer played incredibly well all around the country as Sony had been screening the title aggressively — 350 previews — especially for church groups who arranged for buses to bring in audiences all day Friday. Which is why the movie was a surprise No. 2 all that day until nighttime fell. Exit polls showed 80% of the audience was female and 56% of the total men and women who went were under 25. It was directed by Sean McNamara, who also wrote the screenplay with Deborah Schwartz, Douglas Schwartz and Michael Berk. the film is based on the book by Bethany Hamilton (the young surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack), Sheryl Berk and Rick Bundschuh. The film was marketed extremely well by FilmDistrict by emphasizing the upbeat, positive message although not overtly its religious undertones even though Soul Surfer is the only mainstream movie with a faith-based message during the Easter holidays. Key targets were tweens, teens and moms, and the film tracked well with these groups, and direct engagement was made with Underwood’s fan base, extreme sports enthusiasts and athletes who had overcome personal obstacles.
Bottom line: A good movie about faith, when marketed correctly, can compete successfully at the box office.

Regis Philbin, This is Your Life! Kelly Ripa reportedly is developing a prime-time special honoring her legendary co-host following his planned departure from the show. I’ve never worked with Regis myself but I’ve known people who have and, to a person, they tell me he’s one of the real good guys in show business. I’ll be tuning in.

Glee and Modern Family win GLAAD Awards. From The Wrap: The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Discrimination couldn’t decide which TV comedy they liked best, so awarded top honors to two shows at its annual media awards ceremony in Los Angeles Sunday night.
IMHO: I’ve promised to give Glee another look but, based on what I’ve seen so far, no tie in terms of quality and promoting tolerance. Modern Family seems to me to take a less judgmental, more humane approach to its comedy. It’s well written and actually funny without being in-your-face-nasty toward anyone.   To me, that makes it far more likely to actually soften hearts and lead to the positive goal of creating an atmosphere of less judgment and more tolerance.  As the old truism goes, “You get more flies with honey than vinegar.” And, in the end, none of us have to agree with anyone else’s religion, politics or lifestyle. But wouldn’t the world be a lot nicer if  we all withdrew our claws and simply respected each other’s humanity? By presenting more examples of a kinder world on television, we might actually move closer toward one in everyday life. I think we’d all be happier too.

Encourage one another and build each other up – 1 Thessalonians 5:11