Customer Reviews

Letting Go of God

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I've watched this amazing show evolve over the years from a "work in progress" presented as "The God Monologue" to the Skeptics Society, to a one-woman show on the stage, to an audio book, and now culminating in a well honed DVD. There's a reason Julia Sweeney has received such praise from people like Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens...in short, this is a work of sheer comedic genius! The woman has a savant-like ability to find the humor in pain and tragedy (e.g., "God Said, Ha!"), and she's done it again in "Letting Go of God."

Who else could take a personal journey of becoming an Atheist (which required the painful realization that there is no god, no afterlife, no heaven, no family members waiting on the Other Side, etc.) and make it into a side-splittingly funny monologue?! My favorite part is young Julia's outrage at learning about the "Age of Reason" (the age at which Catholics believe god begins keeping track of your sins) only AFTER she was 7 and her grace period was over! Hilarious! And although her journey began with Catholicism (and Catholics will laugh the hardest!), it's a story we can all relate to in our struggles with life's big questions.

Whether you're a Believer, an Atheist, a Humanist, or just someone who hasn't really thought about it, this DVD will pull at your heart strings, make you pee your pants laughing, and best of all, make you THINK.

This is a very well done show. While not spectacular in terms of cinematography, or even production, what is really impressive is the writing/organization of the soliloquy. It's dense, yet understandable, it's funny, and it's educational. Definitely thought provoking. Julia Sweeney gets a bit melodramatic at times, but does a excellent job of conveying her sincerity and portraying the honest conflict in herself as she experienced it originally (as opposed to reminiscing about it from the point of view of her current "self"). This comes across better in this video version than from the audio-only version: Letting Go of God. Julia can really draw the audience in. And all of this is especially impressive because it was filmed "live" during a single performance. This is a very moving story that will stimulate a lot of thought and conversation.

I saw the stage show as it was being filmed for this DVD. Ms. Sweeney's insightful, mildly irreverent look at religion in her life, as well as world religions, allows the audience to question what beliefs they may have as they enjoy the humor from her life. To say, "I laughed, I cried," would be a cliche. But... I did! The performance is simply stunning.

I never heard of Julia Sweeney until I was introduced to her story yesterday afternoon. Living here in Arkansas, truly "God's Country", one doesn't get much of an opportunity to hear sermons like her's very often. I frequently have been disappointed in the stridance of the voices of many other atheists. Having lost my faith in god at a much younger age than Ms, Sweeney, I remember exactly how painful it was to eventually throw away that tradition. Like Julia's experience, my loss of faith came about from reading the Bible. At age 12, my mother had her children still at home, read the sermon on the mount for 30 days. After this exercise, I thought like the good little Methodist boy I was, "this is the word of God. I should not only read these 3 chapters, I should read the entire bible and remember every word in it." So the following night, I started at Genesis and eventially ended at the last word of Revelation. And then, because I was so shocked by what I had just read, I did it again. At the end of that exploration of "God's" universe, I had no idea what I was, or what I belived in, I just knew that the God of the Bible was not any sort of God that I wanted or could believe in. Like Julia, I prayed many a night to have my faith returned to me.

Her story is sometimes excruciatingly funny, sometimes tearup sad. But it is never for even one second boring or embarrassing or insulting. It is always respectful and loving, Never snarky, even when she is speaking of snarky priests and nuns. It is a wonderful piece of work. I am inviting a group of friends, some still religious, most not, over to watch and discuss as soon as I get the DVD.

I saw Julia do this show a couple a years ago at the tiny (and unfortunately named - o but for an "e") Ars Nova Theatre in mid-town Manhattan. I was wowed then - I am wowed now. Julia injects her story of how she "lost" her faith with such humor and humanity that one often forgets just how dire and dour this story must have been - and must be - for Julia herself. Unlike the polemic of Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins - or the cool, scientific candor of Jonathan Miller and his 'Rough (Brief) History of Disbelief' - Julia's story seems to me to be much less divisive than the above mentioned authors managed to produce. For all its charms, it is every bit as incendiary as that of Dawkins, Hitchens, Miller et. al. but far subtler - as subtle as the "b" in subtle. Take another look at the last scene in the monologue between Julia and her daughter. I lived off that scene for days after I first saw the show in NYC and was struck again upon viewing the DVD - just how perfectly written and radical - yes, radical - that scene actually is. Good on you Julia - you are brave, honest and true and one of my heroes. In a world so consumed by superstition, hucksterism and nonsense - you gave us your truth - a remarkable gift and yet another voice to join the ranks of so many others - especially today - who aren't (and weren't) afraid to tell it. Such bravery should be noted and commended.

This book chronicles how a Catholic woman realized there is no god, mostly by reading the Bible. I did the same thing as a Protestant man. She very skillfully describes the conflicts and evil of the Bible that most fundamentalist Christians ignore. She does so with humor and without malice towards others. I recommend free thinkers watch this DVD and give it as a gift to Christians who are willing to ask and answer critical questions about the Bible.

Sweeney is perhaps finally getting the recognition she deserves as a monologist of unique talent, tackling issues such as illness and the loss of faith that few artists could handle as deftly and wryly as she does. It is a testament to Sweeney's artistry that a segment of "Letting Go of God" is among the most popular and best-responded-to segments ever played on NPR's "This American Life" show.

A book coming out in the next couple of months, "Losing My Religion," gives Sweeney a good deal of credit through this show for identifying and articulating the peculiar feelings and thoughts that accompany a gradual disillusionment with religious faith and equally gradual realization of rationality's importance.

This is not a perfect work, but it's a damned fine one, and in some ways succeeds where Bill Maher's documentary "Religulous" could not. That is because Sweeney makes herself both the subject and the object of the story and with a sweet vulnerability explores her own path rather than merely pointing fingers and laughing at those pathetic losers who somehow manage to believe such awful junk. Only those of us who know the full extent of religion's appeal can feel really justified in both criticizing its veracity and defending people for being attracted to it despite its gross implausibility.

Sweeney goes to the head of the class in this crucial regard.

I didn't know what to expect with this DVD. From the title, I gathered it was topically oriented around religion. From the author/presenter (Julia Sweeney), I gathered that it would involve comedy. What it turned out to be was a masterful tale- a smart, entertaining, thought provoking and often funny tale. In this tale, Julia happens to lose beliefs and gain knowledge. The performance is riveting. She uses all of her comic and storytelling skills to keep the viewer fully engaged. I had to listen to every word just to make sure I didn't miss another subtle bit of genius.

I will likely watch this multiple times and I fully recommend it for anyone with an open mind and an appreciation of a well told story.

I just watched Julia Sweeney's Letting Go of God last night on Showtime and was absolutely mesmerized by it. What amazed me, and why I suppose I liked it so much, was that it could have been me speaking. I was raised Catholic as well, and loved the church for the same reasons Julia did. When I eventually left the church, it was with a true sense of loss, but also with a knowledge that I had to do so, to be true to myself at long last.

Julia's search for meaning had such depth and poignancy -- a little girl asking questions of a priest who didn't give her answers that made sense or that satisfied her, a woman having to deal with her strongly Catholic parents, her trepidation at knowing that if she admitted what was in her heart, she'd have to admit that this life on earth is all there is. How she comes to terms with all this is expressed so eloquently and completely. Her search was extensive; for example, she's actually read the Bible (which most Christians can't even say)and her doubts were sincere and heartfelt all during her journey. I'd recommend this to both atheists and religious persons. Anyone who has a brain has doubts and questions and this is the best examination I've ever seen or heard of the questions so many of us have about the meaning of life.

I found myself nodding constantly, wide-eyed, at the fact that here was a woman saying, and saying so well, exactly what I feel. She is also gently funny, too. I've always liked her but now I feel I know her. I truly admire her courage in "coming out" as an atheist (or as she prefers to say, "Naturalist"). Not many of us have the guts to step up and admit our beliefs in this regard, especially when we are surrounded by loved ones and friends who would be appalled at what we believe, and who constantly try to convince us that we are deluded and misguided. Thank you so much, Julia. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I wish we could sit down and have a cup of coffee and talk some more. I feel I have found a friend.

Julia tells her story with warmth, much humor, and unimpeachable logic. This is not a diatribe against religion, rather, a story of one person's reasoned journey to conclude just how ridiculous so many religious practices and beliefs are. I was enthralled.