The Unlikely Progressive Glenn Beck Hopes to Start a 'Civil Dialogue' With

Glenn Beck on Monday said he hopes to start a "civil dialogue" with Bill Maher, the host of HBO's "Real Time With Bill Maher," despite their differences on a number of political and religious issues.

"I don't know why we spend all of our time accentuating our differences," Beck said on his radio program. "Maybe it's time that we start focusing on the things that we can unite on."

Beck praised Maher for calling out Charlie Rose when the PBS host tried to say that the Islamic State is un-Islamic, and that there are radical Christians as well.

“No, that’s not true. Not true,” Maher said. “Vast numbers of Christians do not believe that if you leave the Christian religion you should be killed for it. Vast numbers of Christians do not treat women as second class citizens. Vast numbers of Christians do not believe if you draw a picture of Jesus Christ you should get killed for it.”

Image credit: PBS

Maher also said 19 people have reportedly been beheaded in Saudi Arabia since August 4th, yet "they're our good friends because they have oil."

"This is such a good point," Beck said. "Everybody says, 'You know, there are moderate Muslims in the Islamic world ... ones we can work with, Saudi Arabia.' We should never be friends with Saudi Arabia. We're only in bed with Saudi Arabia because of the oil. We don't need their oil. We have our own oil. We have our own resources. Why are we devaluing our principles? ... How can we possibly tell ISIS that that we have a problem with beheading people, when Saudi Arabia does it, too? And we take a walk and hold their hands in our Rose Garden? We look like we're psychotic."

"I really wish I could have Bill Maher on the program," Beck continued. "We're reaching out to Bill Maher to have a civil dialogue. I'm not looking to change his mind on anything. I'm, honestly, wanting him to be able to say these things more and be able to find the things that we agree on. Because there are things that, if we can be civil to one another and agree on, we can actually make a difference."

"I don't know if he'll do it. But the invitation is coming out from my office today to Bill Maher, because I heard this on Friday and thought, 'that's brave, really brave.'"

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