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Colbert Conundrum: The Liberal TV Host Tackles Atheism, the Trinity, and the Bible

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Talk-show host Stephen Colbert is probably best known for his attacks on President Trump, most-notably a foul-mouthed reference to the president that resulted in an FCC inquiry in May. That's why some are surprised to learn that he also talks a lot about faith on "The Late Show."

According to The Week, Colbert is dedicated to his Catholic faith, despite his use of off-color language and harsh criticism of many conservative points of view.

In 2007, he spoke with NPR's Terry Gross about God, theology of the afterlife and how he explains such concepts to his children. 

His Comedy Central show, "The Colbert Report," regularly featured religion segments in which debated the divinity of Jesus with religious scholar, Bart Ehrman and discussed the pope with a Jesuit priest.

When he moved to CBS as host of the Late Show, he continued to talk about faith. In the first month he asked Oprah about her favorite Bible verses.

Other faith segments include his interview with Joel Osteen about the pastor's beliefs and a confrontation with atheist Bill Maher, where he tried to persuade him to accept Christ.

"The door is always open. Golden ticket, right before you," Colbert said. "All you have to do is humble yourself before the presence of the Lord and admit there are things greater than you in the universe that you do not understand. Take Pascal's wager. If you're wrong, you're an idiot. But if I'm right, you're going to hell."

When actor Andrew Garfield appeared on the show to promote the movie "Silence" about Jesuit missionaries in Japan, their talk turned to their beliefes about demons, angels, faith and doubt.

It was an exchange with comedian and atheist Ricky Gervais about the existence of God, however, that went viral, getting more than 3.5 million views on YouTube.

However, even when talking about religion Colbert can cross the line. A recent segment that demonstrates how some Catholic priests are using fidget spinners to explain the Christian doctrine of the Holy Trinity features a make-believe interview with God that could be interprested as blasphemous.

 

 

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