We are a nation that is unenlightened because of religion. I do believe that. I think religion stops people from thinking. I think it justified crazies.

In this remark, Maher advances a polemical critique of religion as a cultural force that, in his view, discourages critical inquiry and provides moral cover for irrational or extremist behavior. The claim hinges on an Enlightenment-style opposition between faith and reason: religion is framed not merely as a private belief system but as a public influence shaping education, politics, and social norms. The phrase “justified crazies” suggests that harmful actions can be rationalized when grounded in sacred authority rather than evidence. As with much of Maher’s comedy and commentary, the statement is deliberately blunt, aiming to provoke debate about secularism, skepticism, and the role of religious belief in modern civic life.