Talk-show host Bill Maher said on Friday that Ben Carson should be disqualified from the presidency because he is a Seventh-Day Adventist.
"You can believe whatever you want and run for office, but it's got to work the other way, too," Maher, who is an atheist, said on his "Real Time" show on HBO after mocking the retired pediatric neurosurgeon for his portrait with Jesus that hangs in his Maryland home.
Maher discussed how the founder of the Seventh-Day Adventists, Joseph Bates, predicted that the world would end with Christ's return on Oct. 22, 1844.
"Spoiler alert: He didn't," the host said.
Noting that the faux paus was called "The Great Disappointment," Maher said that, "I don't have to agree with a politician on everything …, but the Earth staying is kind of a deal-breaker for me."
He also slammed news organizations, saying that the "stupid media" should ask more of the "Jesus freaks" seeking office whether they believed that the world was ending — and when.
Maher also attacked Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas and Rep. John Shimkus of Illinois, who head key House panels on science or the environment, for their Christian beliefs.
"No wonder nothing gets done in this country," he said. "How serious can people like this be about wanting to improve the future when they don't think we'll be around for it?"
Maher argued that it was tough for him to want to fight for a better future if "there’s just gonna be a big fight with Satan."
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