h/t Big Hollywood & Newsbusters.

From a recent “Real Time” segment, this battle over religion commenced. Bill got the worst of it, both from self-avowed atheist S.E. Cupp, and Mayor of Newark, NJ, Cory Booker, who is himself a Christian.

Partial transcript, courtesy Brad Schaeffer of Big Hollywood:

Maher: [Religion] causes most wars: The Crusades, the inquisition, 9/11, honor Killings…”

Cupp: “No that’s factually not true.”

Booker: “Humans…humans cause war.”

Cupp: “Religion doesn’t kill people…people kill people.”

Booker: “We’ve been known to start wars over everything from natural resources to land, to religion—“

Cupp: “Colonialism, tribalism.”

Booker: “—we start wars.”

Maher: “The justification for most of that is religion.”

Cupp: “No it’s not.”

Maher: “Of course it is…What gets normal people to think it’s okay to kill other people is religion…very little else….”

Cupp: “Or colonialism, or land power grabs, or nativism…”

Maher: “Mostly religion. Ethnic cleansing, honor rape…”

Cupp: “Hitler, Pol Pot Mao, Stalin, not in the name of religion.“

Maher: “Were state religions. [Puzzled looks from panel] Of course they were.”

Cupp: “Communism is a state religion?”

Maher: “Absolutely. You never heard that?”

Cupp: “I think we’re talking about different things.”

Maher: “We’re not. We’re just talking different labels.”