Religulous
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Movie Reviews of Religulous
Movie Review: God, yes -- religion, no!
Summary: 5 Stars
After watching this DVD more than once, I am absolutely convinced that Bill Maher is not an atheist -- he believes on some level that there is a God but does not think that religion is a good thing. In fact, he points out that religion has caused more wars and problems than anything else and, if you know anything about history, you know he's right. The Crusades, for instance, set European progression back hundreds of years. And let's take modern history -- what do you think 9/11 was all about? If you answered religious extremists, you're absolutely right. He points out the hypocrisy inherent in all religions, the magical thinking in some (the Mormons' magical underwear, for instance), the ridiculous ideas of others (Scientology, for instance, that teaches that aliens have taken over our bodies and we need to get rid of them), and that the virgin birth and all that the Bible tells us about Jesus is nothing new (the ancient god Horus--among others--for instance, was born of a virgin, et cetera). Many will find this DVD irreverent on many levels and it may anger them, but even they will have a hard time disputing the well-researched facts that Bill Maher presents. It is well worth watching if only to be exposed to a point of view that may be very different from yours. After all, no subject is so harmful that it can't at least be talked about -- and Bill Maher sure does do the talking.Movie Review: READ THE ONE-STAR REVIEWS
Summary: 5 Stars
. . . to see exactly why Maher's film is so relevant. Maher is explicit that he is not against religious belief; what he fears--and what we should all fear--is when that belief becomes unquestioning, blind acceptance of whatever some religious "leader" or "scripture" dictates. When one of his critics answers the charge that it is foolish to interpret so-called holy scripture literally by quoting from that very scripture, you have a textbook example of the real meaning of that often misused expression, "Begging the question."
The problem, as Gore Vidal has pointed out, isn't merely religion; it's specifically monotheistic religion. Polytheists have no difficulty accepting someone else's religious beliefs. But when you believe that your god is the only god that exists, it is a dangerously short journey from there to the idea that anyone who believes differently is not only in error but actually evil and deserves to be destroyed. As Maher points out, now that the ability to destroy the world in the name of your chosen god is a real possibility, we should all be very afraid of fundamentalists of any persuasion. These are people who would happily see the world destroyed in the name of their own personal delusions.
As someone once brilliantly advised: Seek the company of those who search for truth; and run like hell from those who claim to have found it.
Movie Review: Not meant to convert
Summary: 5 Stars
Just finished watching the movie and cried tears on numerous occasions. I really don't think that the idea is to convert any hardcore believers out there, and frankly can't imagine any movie achieving such a goal.
I agree with a few comments that at times Bill Maher comes of as arrogant, and that his arguments aren't novel or anything a typical non-believer thought of in their lifetime. The difficulty is trying to rationally argue any emotional topic. I think the spiritual revolution in the *western* world is happening, and that as the public becomes better educated the influence of religion recedes. Bill, the people are growing up, but at their pace ;)
Really this movie is for like minded people, those that are either agnostic or atheist. If you are religious, I'd stay away unless you're a sadist. If you wanted to test your own belief (but only if you have doubts), I'd suggest taking a good University level course on world religions, art history, ancient history and checking out some of the controversial bible passages. Somehow you also will have to convince yourself that humans can lie or exaggerate, and that lies or exaggerations can be written down and withstand time.
Anyhow, in case you like this movie, I'd suggest you also check out "Jesus Camp" (which is not quite as funny and more surreal).
Movie Review: To believe, or not to believe
Summary: 5 Stars
Bill Maher is very good at one thing. Thinking fast on his feet, with often a lot of truth behind his words. I've never really been a fan of his for the most part, but this documentary attacks just about every religion under the sun, as well as, God in general, so he gets lots of points from me in the guts department. I just happened to catch this today on Showtime on Demand and I didn't want it to end. What makes Religulous so good, despite the fact it will offend tons of people, is that it's actually really funny. It has great usage of video clips and music that provide even more laughs to Maher's blunt humor. It's also worth noting that many of the people Bill talks with don't get too offended by what he has to say. It is refreshing to see that some people are open enough to listen and respond, rather than yelling or preaching at him for being a non-believer.
I'm all for believing or not believing in whatever you want, but some of these people take stuff to bizarre extremes. The Earth is only 5,000 years old? Forget the 65 million years since the dinosaurs. Tell that to the Grand Canyon. Please don't say God just decided to sink the ground in one lazy Sunday afternoon for laughs. Anyways, Religulous might not change your mind on faith, but it will surely bring up many interesting conversations.
Movie Review: I loved this in theaters and I'm glad to finally have my own copy.
Summary: 5 Stars
For anyone who watches Real Time and/or his standup, this is a real treat. A lot of moments are very funny to the point that it's surreal, and others force you to come to terms with the reality that there are some very religious people in this world (a fact I conveniently choose to ignore most of the time). I liked it a lot.
While I imagine that some people are as offended by Religulous as I am by Ben Stein's EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed, the film feels very natural to me. He seems to just prompt people and let their answers speak for themselves half the time.
Some of my favorite moments (as a Bill Maher fan) were getting to hear about his upbringing, with one Jewish parent and one Catholic. As someone who was never introduced to religion by parents or anyone else a child, I've always been interested in the stories of people who tried it first before turning to atheism (or agnosticism). Really, his point on this matter isn't offensive. He simply chooses to say, "I don't know" and points out how imprudent it is that other people choose to construct answers for things they consider unknown.
If you're open-minded and want to watch something interesting, try this. If you're close-minded and want to be very angry over a piece of entertainment, try it also.