Customer Reviews

Religulous

5 star:		(257)
4 star:		(78)
3 star:		(57)
2 star:		(39)
1 star:		(79)

 

 

You don't have to pass an IQ test to be in the Senate.

If you build a diorama with animatronic dinosaurs and children coexisting, it must be true.

Dialing a phone on Sabbath is forbidden, dialing a phone with a stylus on Sabbath is allowed.

You will learn all this and more from Bill Maher's hilarious mockumentary, Religulous.

It is not often that a movie is so subversive, funny and educational all at once. Bill Maher certainly has his fair share of ego, but he has the comic chops to support it. In some of his interviews I wish he had gone further, but to do that he would have to have been more serious, less funny and ultimately have made a different movie.

But the movie he makes is brilliant, it shines a spotlight on some of the serious questions and inconsitencies in religion that people allow themselves to ignore. And his ultimate message is one that everyone needs to hear; there are things in this world that are not explained, and that's OK! Not every gap in human knowledge is God-shaped. Doubt is good, doubt makes us ambitious and inquisitive and humble. And that's not a bad way to be.

I watched this movie during a very key time of growing out of my Christian upbringing. I needed this movie to be able to laugh at not only how ridiculous religious dogma is, but to laugh at MYSELF for having once believed something that brought so much grief to my life. This movie was a breath of fresh air and a great stepping stone from a Bible-based upbringing here in the, "Bible belt." For this alone, I give the movie 5 stars. If you're teetering on the edge of belief and non-belief, this movie should pretty well give you the confidence to finally lean to one side or the other. Laughter and Bill Maher's predisposition aside, these people make their very own beliefs look ridiculous.

Highlights for me include parts like this one guy who claims he knows God because of the many, many miracles he has experienced; yet, when Bill asks him to give examples, the guy is unable to intially give any. In response, Bill questions how significant these miracles could've really been if the man is unable to recall even ONE when asked! When the man finally does come up with an example, it's incredibly laughable and you're left thinking, "wow, this guy should've kept his example to himself!" Granted, the man may have very well come up with his example just seconds after saying, "I don't know," but here again, the example he did give is preposterous.

Touching back on something I said in the first paragraph, this film also gave me permission to laugh at myself. Like many who lose their faith when they broaden their world view, this film was a resounding, "ahhhhh," when I realized issues like injustice and suffering don't fit in the equation of faith in the Judeo-Christian God for a reason.

Without going into a diatribe about how selflessly selfish I find many religions to be, suffice it to say, I have finally broken the divisive chains of ignorant and ill-founded faith. The ties that binded me were typical of many religious moderates; fear of death, desire to see loved ones beyond life, personal divine guidance and support through hard times, et al. I lived my life in a superstitious and indoctrinated fashion that narrowly shaped my world view and when I dared to step out of this narrow world view, the questions I asked were usually satisfied with cliche ignorance such as, "God has a plan for everything" or, "my feeble human mind cannot possibly comprehend God's plans!" Rubbish! Now I see this world for exactly what it is and I have been humbled 10-times beyond that of what religion ever did. But I digress...

Back to the movie, Religulous isn't for those of you who are intellectuals well-versed in the thoughts and works of people like Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris. You may get a number of chuckles but the underlying message (the one in which Bill ends the film with) is exactly that of religion being a detriment to humanity. You will more than likely wish Bill had taken the message a bit deeper, but because I saw this movie at the point I did in my shedding of religiosity, I stand as an example of person who found this to be exactly what I needed to solidify the ground beneath me during my leap from faith to rationale.

With that being said, if you identify at all with how I have portrayed a part of myself to have been, I *HIGHLY* recommend this film! If you've seen this film and you're looking for a much more in-depth explanation or rationale of the message Bill ends the movie with, I recommend the following things to you:

1 - "Root of All Evil?" Documentary by Richard Dawkins: http://richarddawkins.net/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=7 (One of the most engaging and definitive documentaries on the ill-founded grounds of religiosity and spirituality as defined by the superstitious and dogmatic today)

2 - Sam Harris' Lecture on Religion: http://rapidshare.com/files/175676905/Sam_Harris_-_The_View_From_The_End_Of_The_World.mp3 (This is a VERY informative and engaging lecture. Sam's calm, cool and collected disposition - with his effective use of the English language - really drives his point home)

3 - "Jesus Camp": http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Camp-Becky-Fischer/dp/B000KLQUV2/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1233848044&sr=8-1 (If you want to see just how messed up it can get with the Christian fundamentalists raising children, watch this documentary)

4 - "Who Wrote the Bible?": http://atheistmovies.blogspot.com/2009/01/who-wrote-bible.html (An excellent documentary regarding the creation of the Bible)

And with that, I will end this review. Apologies for weaving in and out between reviewing this movie and divaricating off into other topics, but I wanted to write something relevant to the whole topic and give people who want to dig further, a place to start. Thanks for reading.

-Stephen
http://eradicatereligion.blogspot.com

PS - I forgot to mention the obvious: If you're religious, you will get from this movie exactly what you expect to get out of it: Being offended. If you're religious and you're watching this movie merely to see a bully supposedly picking on poor little innocent religious people, then prepare to walk out of the theater pissed off and having completely missed even the most obvious of notable points made in this movie.

Immediately after watching Religilous, I wanted to rate it a five. After I had a day to think about the film, I wanted to rate it a four. Now, a few days after that, I am going to rate it a three.

Religilous is a film tracking political comedian Bill Maher as he strolls about the country and world interviewing various people of faith in order to show how stupid and funny they are. I will say that the film is quite successful on both scores. The film has a very "Michael Moore"ish flavor to it, where the real delight comes from watching the interviewee's get skewered (while only a few seem to catch on that this is what Maher is doing, which makes it even funnier).

All of this is good and bad. As a non-believer, I have no problem with laughing at religious people and some of the whacky beliefs that they hold with a straight face. As one of moderate tempermant, however, I think that (a) Maher often picks easy targets (the anti-zionist Jew, the Trucker Christian Chapel). Secondly, after an hour and a half, Maher's interupting and coarse brand of interviewing becomes slightly less than charming if not, sometimes, simply abrasive. Much like Penn and Teller's Bullsh#t, the film is very funny for a while, but wears on you the more it plays on.

That accounts for one star. The next star deduction is because Maher's point - think Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens here - was very poorly made. Much of the film is a comedic laugh at religion only to suddenly turn very serioiusm cautioning about religion's detrimental effects and penchant for evil. The problem is that there is no build up from the first part (90 minutes) to the second part (20 minutes). The second part simply came out of nowhere and really lacked support from the first part of the film (where we only see that religion is stupid, not an evil, threatening, force.) The director should have made up his mind on which direction he wanted to go and stuck with it.

I would still reccomend that people see this film. It will make you think. It will spawn discussions. It will make some angry and others relieved. Hopefully, it will make all of us (except for Pat Robertson and Osama bin Laden) laugh. It could simply benefit from a little more substance.

The FUNNY:
Bill Maher has produced a very clever, very funny, and very well edited documentary that satirizes religions of all colors and stripes. He asks many questions and interacts (as only he can) with a wide, if not imbalanced range of religious people. During this exercise, Bill brings up and reveals many embarrassing issues and hard questions that all people of faith must ask themselves and struggle with in today's world, like: the problem of Evil, the relationship faith has with science, the evils of organized religion: violence, repression and discrimination, talking snakes and many more. And he makes us laugh out loud as we watch.
The FLUFF
The most qualified person that he interviews is one of the first on the film. Bill talks with one of the world's greatest geneticists and avid defender of the Christian faith, Francis Collins. The interchange is disappointingly short and shallow, allowing Bill to get his two cents in while avoiding any real discussion. This interchange sets the standard for the rest of the movie. Bill is not going to deal with the intellectual field of religion, which is much larger and more mainstream than you'd ever gather from watching this feature. In fact besides the interview with with Dr. Collins, this film completely ignores philosophical-religion with its enormous history and focuses instead on the fundamentalist-inspired religious masses, which, bless their hearts, are mostly a product of a culturally-processed faith that has no tradition of serious thought. I'm not questioning the authenticity or depth of the faith of Bill's subjects, but there is no question that these adherents are not qualified to defend or in many cases even understand the details of their own religious systems.
MORE FLUFF
At the conclusion of the film, after Maher has appealed so strenuously to our logic and common sense, he then stands tall and full of righteous indignation as he pretends to have actually made a case against ALL faith and religion. Really he's only managed to make us laugh at blue collar fundamentalism and extreme organized religion, while completely ignoring any real intellegent discussion of faith issues.
CONCLUSION
In the end, while making some good criticism, this entertainment proves to be an interesting satire of our culture and mostly just . . . good entertainment. Enjoy

More than any in recent memory this is the movie I have been waiting for with great expectations... and it doesn't disappoint. No holy cows are spared, as Bill Maher ridicules Christianity, Islam, Judaism and a few smaller religious sects in the name of rationality and intelligent doubt.

The film is a documentary largely carried out through a series of interviews conducted with religious leaders, believers and a few skeptics. Highlights include an interview with evangelical, and none too bright, Arkansas Senator Mark Pryor and a Jews for Jesus believer who hopes that the end of the world will occur in his lifetime. The laughs are side-splitting and they just keep on coming throughout the movie.

One thing I particularly enjoyed about this theater going experience was how the audience seemed to bond through the shared moments of laughter. Living in the South, those of us who are not religious are vastly outnumbered by the fundamentalists that this film so joyfully satirizes. So to feel that sense of camaraderie with my fellow skeptics was a wonderful feeling. As Maher says, it's time to come out of hiding and let our voices be heard!

Now for a documentary movie, this has to be one of the most entertaining of its kind and there's no doubting it's because of Bill Maher. In this he sets out around the world to question those who believe in religion on a literal basis. Those who believe in Jesus (literally), those who believe in the garden of eden (literally) and also believe in the stories of Jesus (literally) despite no evidence and huge inconsistencies.

Bill appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart to advertise this movie a couple of months ago. He cleared up the fact that he's not saying people are stupid for believing in God, he's just questioning those who believe in religious stories on a literal basis despite no proof. He goes around the country and indeed the the world to question important figures in the religious world.

What he does is he manages to expose those who hold beliefs that they simply can't back up. Predictably some of the lower level figures and believers react badly to Bills probing questions and decide not to continue the interview. Quite surprisingly a lot of higher up figures keep to the interview, acknowledge the probing questions and even a vatican priest states a lot of the Bibles stories and threats are nonsense.

Although this film is meant to be a comic film, it actually exposes a lot of serious flaws in religion and exposes the heights of desperation that people have when seeking out something to believe in. Some people may just see it as a film that pokes fun at religion, and those people would be the religious nuts who blindly believe. However, those with legitimate thoughts will see that it's a film that, yes pokes fun at religion, but in an open minded way and just seeks to question those who don't like being questioned.

A highly enjoyable documentary which I would recommend that anyone buy on DVD upon its release.

I'm reminded of a pivotal scene in "Inherit the Wind," when Henry Drummond and Matthew Harrison Brady debate each other over Bertram Cates, on trail for teaching his students Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. "Do you think a sponge thinks?" Drummond asks. "If the Lord wishes a sponge to think," replies Brady, "it thinks." Then Drummond gets to the heart of the matter: "Does a man have the same privilege as a sponge?" Brady says, "Of course!" in frustration. "Then this man," proclaims Drummond, pointing at Cates, "wishes to have the same privilege of a sponge! He wishes to think!" What's interesting is that a sponge absorbs whatever it comes in contact with, remaining inside until a firm hand forcefully squeezes out the contents. The obvious analogy is that we are like sponges, and religion is one of the many things we tend to absorb. Bill Maher, a smart, witty, controversial man, is the hand that wants to squeeze religion out of us.

He makes his point abundantly clear in the Larry Charles documentary "Religulous," a made up word that combines "religious" and "ridiculous." Organized religion, according to Maher, is a neurological disorder. You may agree with this, or you may not. All I can say is that this movie represents his opinion; it is not out to tell you what you should or shouldn't believe. That being said, it's silly to think that all audiences will respond to this film. If you're a person of faith, then Maher will essentially be making fun of you all throughout. He also interviews numerous people practicing the three major religions (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam), and he spends most of the time talking over their opinions in an attempt to refute them. On the other hand, he continuously asks what I feel are very intelligent questions. If God is all-powerful, why doesn't He just vanquish the Devil? How can He be a jealous God if He's also a loving God? If Christianity is a monotheistic religion, why does it refer to a number of divine beings, such as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit?

One of the few intelligent answers Maher got related to that last question, and it struck him just as much as it struck me. It came from an actor who portrays Jesus at the Holy Land Experience theme park in Orlando, Florida. Never mind the fact that such a theme park exists, and never mind that they show reenactments of Jesus' bloody crucifixion on a daily basis (to throngs of cheering tourists, I might add); the actor that works there still poses an interesting idea. The Holy Trinity, he says, is a lot like the solid, liquid, and gas phases of water--they take on different forms, yet they're made up of the same stuff.

Are religion and faith made up of the same stuff? Is it possible to believe in the spiritual but not the religious? Can one be open to the idea of a universal source while rejecting the idea of God? I often wonder what position Maher takes; despite the fact that he despises organized religion, his views on the existence of some divine force remain unclear. He considers himself an Apatheist, someone who believes that God has absolutely no bearing on how we live our lives, even if He does exist. I guess it doesn't matter what he believes. The fact that he admits to not knowing one way or the other proves that he's actually thinking, which, as Henry Drummond would assert, we all have the right to do.

This doesn't say much for the people Maher interviews around the world, most of whom are so steadfast in their faith and yet completely at a loss to explain themselves. One such person is a reformed gay minister from Florida, now married to a reformed lesbian and has three children. Another is Jeremiah Cummings, formerly a member of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes and now a very rich minister. Was it not Jesus who preached that it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter Heaven? Another is an ex-Jew for Jesus who converted to Christianity when he experienced a "miracle." And then there's Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda, who actually believes that he's the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, descended from a bloodline that traveled from the Holy Land through Europe before ending up in Puerto Rico. As of now, he has over 100,000 followers. I'll never be one of them, although he is oddly charming.

Larry Charles humorously spices up each interview with a series of inter-cut video clips and subtitles, all of which play into Maher's verbally mischievous tendencies. It's one-sided, but it's also incredibly funny. At least, I think it's funny. But that's easy for me to say; Maher and I can agree that Biblical fables, such as Adam and Eve, Noah's Ark, and Jonah and the Whale (excuse me--Jonah and the Great Fish) are so outlandish that they're impossible to believe in. Here's another quote from "Inherit the Wind": "The Bible is a book. It's a good book, but it is not the ONLY book." As for God, what I or Bill Maher or anyone else believes doesn't matter in the slightest. "Religulous" is not concerned with Him, anyway; it's more concerned with the people who do and say things in His name, not all of which serves humanity very well. This is a bitingly funny and at times highly thought-provoking documentary, questioning the faithful while at the same time questioning faith itself.

Bottom-line: "Grow up or die." Have truer words ever been uttered? (Haaaa!)

Maher begins his exploration of faith by entering into a dialogue with common-people (whom he deems "nice" but confused) and moves-on to priests (the majority of whom readily admit to contradictions and horrific misreadings of the bible by the masses), senators (who are frighteningly undereducated), and a variety of other authority figures. While Maher addresses high-level corruption and hypocrisy, his work remains squarely focused on the absurdity of religion (in general).

Why my fellow atheists should watch:

Watch for the blatant lies from religious leaders: like (The Reverend) Dr. Cummings (who has no degree what-so-ever and demands to be addressed as "doctor.") This man's pimp-tastic wardrobe (lizard shoes & gold jewelry) is subsidized with the money donated by his constituents. Maher's bible smack-down with this charlatan (who may not have actually ever even read the bible) is a such a gem!! Additionally, watch for (hysterically) perplexing ideas like those held by the "Exchange ministries" (who help homosexuals become heterosexuals)and Ex-Jews for Jesus (self-explanatory). Watch for a rude, cell-phone obsessed Muslim leader ... (and for Maher getting high ... no joke!!)

Even still, Maher's film educates. His notes on the founding-fathers are entirely correct ... and never taught in high-school. It's only when people enter academic circles do they learn that the folks who signed our beloved Constitution abhorred Christianity. ("Lighthouses are more useful than churches" - Ben Franklin.) Thank you!! It has always disturbed me to watch the bizarre Southern politicians (who don't know the meaning of "literacy"), act as though religion and politics are intertwined. Such a strange, horrible embarrassment ... and why much of Europe finds us Americans a great source of amusement. Maher interviews one of these Southern (barely-made-it-through-school, fundamentalist) senators. Seeing him consistently undercut his own argument and insult his own beliefs is priceless. (Maher couldn't have asked for more!!)

Technically, the editing is brilliant (if not frenetic) ... it adds a deliciously "blasphemous" note (which is just wonderful). Moreover, the soundtrack is masterful! (Listen for The Bangles, Talking Heads, and a litany of other well-chosen tunes.) Clever.

If dinosaurs with saddles thrill you (as showcased in the Creation Museum), if you always wanted to see Maher have a throw-down with Jesus (at a Florida Christian theme-park) (though Florida-Jesus does have a pretty sweet retort), if you want to "Meet the Mormons" (and their "magic underwear"), if Thetans and E-Meters make you fall into seizure-like fits of laughter (or couch-jumping lunacy), if you didn't even know about Holocaust-denying Rabbis, if you ever wanted to see an actual interview with The (Puerto-Rican) Messiah, if you're a Jew in need of biblical loop-holes, if you want to know more about "Kosher zombies" (no, they aren't seeking "braaaaaaains"), if you ever just wanted to see Maher blaze up (again, no joke) ... watch it!

Here's the point, kids: Maher isn't trying to convert anyone. So all you angry religious people, have no worries. This isn't going to make anyone question her/his faith. Instead, Maher gives a us "hell-bound" atheists one-hundred minutes of hilarity (and a firm pat-on-the-back). A thousand thanks to you, Mr. Maher.

P.S. Where's that Rick James bible?

Please see this movie. You may or may not like it. I believe that if everybody (believing or not) could watch and discuss this film maybe more hearts would open up and a new type of understanding could occur. Bill may be crude and smug but he is the only person, I know of, in "the media" or in a public role that is honest enough to say he doesn't believe and like all of us, he is judged for it. This film will make you think. Maybe not in the way Bill was hoping for, but lets get the line of communication open.

An especially important piece of documentation, I found Religulous less funny than billed, and much more serious than given review. It seems we're in a time that the practices and beliefs of religion, all religions, are beginning to appear to be... quite stupid. Bill Maher asks simple questions that are met with fear, hate, warnings and often complete disregard for legitimacy as believers are encountered with a basic reality: in the face of modern times, why do they believe? From simpler people and the more isolated, they answer unabashed: how could you not believe? And from the more sophisticated and intellectual we're shown a sign of promise: doubt. Perhaps from doubt there is hope.

I found the explained details of Mormonism to be bizarre, Scientology to be psychotic, Judaism to be horrible, Christianity suggested as a possible work of plagiarism and Islam explained as a madness you may not question. Everywhere you look, it's always the promise of "do this now because death is the real beginning, and we're right and they are wrong."

Bill Maher makes a very significant comment during the film to the point that its not so much those who "sort-of" believe that are any type of threat - they can be dealt with fairly and tolerably. But the extremism that stands right next to them breeds a growing danger. He goes on to point out, if you sort-of believe, then you sort-of don't, and from that the world has a chance.