Now that Bill Maher’s “Religulous” has been released, U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor will come in for more attention for his on-screen appearance in a film that attacks organized religion.
Pryor tells Stephens Media that he regrets having agreed to to the interview.
He’ll be OK. The heavy-handed approach will have a narrow appeal and offend many, as Pryor recognizes.
“I think he’s trying to make me out to be a joke, and really what he’s doing is attacking people of faith,” Pryor said. “That’s unfortunate. I don’t like that. I wish I’d not been a part of it now that I know how it’s been used.”
The article explains how the interview came to pass. Too bad the unedited version isn’t available.
Pryor consented to the interview for what he thought would be a discussion related to the annual National Prayer Breakfast. Pryor was chairman of that event.
Instead, the camera rolled for an hour as Pryor and Maher went head-to-head on religious issues, Pryor said.
“It was very hostile,” Pryor said. “It was very hostile toward religion and Christianity in particular. It really almost was like a debate between the two of this.”
The hour of footage was pared down to less than four minutes in the movie.
… Pryor said a tape of the complete interview would show he was “pretty successful in making a solid counterpoint” to Maher’s arguments against religion.
In the movie, Pryor openly acknowledges his Christianity and that he believes Jesus is the way to be reconciled with God.
“I really felt like I held my own,” Pryor said Thursday. “I’m not afraid or embarrassed to defend my faith.”