Who Said That?

Who said this?

"The world religions in order of quality:

1.  Judaism (Reform)  2.  Judaism (conservative)  3.  Unitarianism  4.  Christianity (Mainstream Protestant)  5.  Islam (Muhammad Ali/Ahmad Rashad type)  6.  Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, etc.  7.  Christianity (Roman Catholic)  8.  Judaism (Orthodox)  9.  Christianity (Fundamentalist)  10.  Islam (Fundamentalist)."

Please, no google searches or cheating.  You gotta guess!  Leave your answer in the comments section.

Update on Monday, November 13, 2006 at 10:40AM by Kim Riddlebarger

These vapid words come from Al Franken (as some of you guessed, and as one you figured out with an amazing display of deductive logic).  According to Franken, a personal religion is very handy during a personal crisis and you should pick one based upon its level of tolerance toward outsiders.

Comments

[Andrew Alvarez]

Karen Armstrong

[Jon]

I don't have a clue...

Chuck Missler?

[paul]

spong

[Chris Coleman]

The "New Atheists" featured in the lastest Wired magazine.

[R.K. Brumbelow]

I don't know about this one, but we can take a look at how things are listed for some clues:
2 Forms of Judaism are listed first. Likely the author is a Reformed or Nominal Jew.

Protestant Christianity is listed before the Eastern religions but after Unitarianism. and Fundamental theological systems are listed list. So I think the person is not gay but very liberal.

Islam comes before the eastern religions so likely the lister is male rather than female (treatment of women would likely reverse this placement if a female were writing the list)

TWo high profile sportsmen are listed for the "type" of islam listed are both from the 70's to I am going to guess the lister is in his 50s or 60s

So while I don't know who said it I am going to guess that the lister is
1) Male
2) Jewish likely (non practicing or reformed)
3) Not openly gay
4) Born between 1945 and 1965

I originally thought maybe the person was an ethiscist or sociologist but after looking at my other conclusions I don't think that anymore. Maybe a sports reporter or news personality maybe a writer of popular books.

Now I can't wait to find out how close I am to the profile

[T.]

Alan Dershowitz

[Art]

J.D. Crossan.

[Russ]

I hate "who said that" games, but you've sucked me in on this one because the list is so odd - 3 distinct kinds of Judaism, but then lumping "Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, etc." as one choice, so either the person is an idiot, or trying to be funny (or both). Bill Maher? John Stewart? Al Franken?

[Ivan]

John Shelby Spong is my first guess.
I went to hear him debate Dr James R White last week regarding: "Is Homosexuality Compatible with Historic Christianity?"

What a joke:
He never defended from Scripture at all.
He chose rather to ignore the passages.
He must have called James White "judgmental" or "a fundamentalist" ten times!!

At the end of the night I was convinced there was one huge fundamentalist in the room, and it wasn't James White. It was John Shelby Spong. The man breathed and lashed out his own intolerance all night long. Intolerance for the once revealed Word of God, and the one mediator between God and men, the God-man Jesus Christ.

[Rev. Bob]

Katherine Jefferts Schori? From what I hear, her consecration service would back the quote.

[timinator]

no clue

[Scott Roper]

Where's Christianity (Reformed) on the list?

["lee n. field"]

No clue. And cheating with google has been no help.

Measuring in terms of "quality" is such an odd thing. Doesn't like people who have real beliefs, that's for sure.

[Jeff Downs]

Huston Smith perhaps.

[Tim Etherington]

Ooh, I'm with Jeff. Sounds like Huston Smith to me too.

[Tyler]

Desert Dan and the Bumbling Baboons?

[Tyler]

Jack Johansen and Lucy Lawbreaker?

[Tyler]

The pothead mystic you can get dope from down on the corner of PCH and Mission?

[Scott]

Joe Lieberman?

[Nathan]

Wow, Brumbelow, that's crazy close for not knowing. I'll admit, I cheated, so I won't guess, but that was impressive.