Ben Carson, otherwise known as the crazy Republican who isn't Trump, isn't exactly known for his intelligence or his transparency. He's also famously outspoken when it comes to religion (see: the portrait of Jesus peering over his shoulder that hangs in his hallway)—something Bill Maher noticed and roundly criticized on Real Time with Bill Maher last night.
Maher noted that Carson belongs to a sect of Christianity called Seventh-Day Adventism, which was founded on pastor William Miller's promise that Jesus would return Oct. 22, 1844. "Spoiler alert, he didn’t," Maher said, "which you’d think would have made the followers go, 'Well, I guess that was a bunch of bullshit.' Seventh-Day Adventists refer to the world not ending in 1844 as the Great Disappointment. They're disappointed that the world still exists. I don’t have to agree with a politician on everything; we can disagree on abortion, entitlements, paid sick leave, the earned income tax credit, but the earth staying is kind of a deal breaker for me."
Maher also wondered how concerned Carson can be with matters at hand if he's busy preparing for The Rapture:
How serious can people like this be about wanting to improve the future when they don’t think we’ll be around for it? A majority of Evangelicals say Christ will either probably or definitely return to earth by 2050, depending on his schedule. So why fix the streetlights if there’s just going to be a big fight with Satan? Why reform healthcare? Why wear pants?
Referring to Carson saying he could "feel God's fingers pushing him to be president," Maher kindly suggested God keep his fingers to himself. "We know where those fingers have been," he said. They've been "in every war in human history, from the ones he started in the Old Testament to the one that just played out in Paris."
