The God Who Wasn't There
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Movie Reviews of The God Who Wasn't There
Movie Review: The straw that broke my camel's back
Summary: 5 Stars
Like many christians I was profoundly affected and moved by Mel Gibson's portrayal of Jesus in his well-made first film: "The Passion of Christ". Until recently, I thought my faith was even more affirmed by Gibson's version of Jesus' passion and this film affirmed my suspicions about Jesus, the Bible, if not God himself.
I recently decided to take it upon myself to do research on Jesus to see if he is recorded anywhere in history as an actual historic figure. While I have found evidence of a person who closely resembles a man that is similar to Jesus, he was not divine. As this film points out, there are no records of Pontius Pilate having ordered the execution of anyone named Jesus at all.
Despite the film's terrible production values, it makes some interesting and factual points. For example, I was also stunned to learn about the 40 year gap between the year of the alleged 'death' of Jesus and when the Book of Mark was authored as well as the other points the interviewees brought up like when the Jewish Pharisees held their trial for Jesus on passover eve which clearly would have gone contrary to Judaism or that Jesus' story correlates with many other previous pagan/mythological tales.
My father was a priest in a well-known protestant denomination. I was born and raised to believe in God, the Bible and Jesus himself and that Jesus and God actually exist. However, after watching this film and conducting my research, I have concluded that, until it is proven to me that a god exists I will not believe.
If you are a Christian or Jewish (maybe even Muslim), this film is certain to provoke you to think and I urge you to watch it and/or question your religion's beliefs. While I do not regret my strong faith (which magnified the past few years since seeing Gibson's film) it is clear that one cannot base his or her beliefs entirely on faith which is what religions are based on.
As far as the alternatives to religion are concerned, I plan on getting involved in non-sectarian charitable work or even a secularist group. There are plenty of non-religious options and agencies out there that someone can use to spread good will to others.
Religion does not have a monopoly on charity or demonstrating good will.
Movie Review: A good starting point
Summary: 5 Stars
A very good starting point for anyone who wants to really know where Christianity really came from. The authors that are interviewed in the film and as commentary tracks are very good. (E.G. Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, etc.) raises valid questions as to whether there ever really was an historical Jesus. Some of the questions remain unanswered by the Church.
As for those who claim that this ridicules believers I have two responses:
1) It doesn't but what if it did? You would ridicule someone who told you that the believed that the world was flat or that Apollo drags the sun across the sky every day. Why is it wrong to ridicule people who believe that there really was a talking snake, that all the species on Earth have existed since the birth of Earth 6,000 years ago despite mountains of geological evidence, and that there is a great celestial invisibly dictator who created the entire universe and all living creatures and yet is deeply concerned about everyone's masturbation habits.
2) As an experiment, repeat what the documentarian did with any group of Christians and you will find the same results. They are unaware of the origins of their beliefs and usually unaware of 99% of what is in their own scripture. (As are 99.9% of adherents to any religion.) For example, when I told religious friends about the unforgivable sin that damns you to Hell forever, even if you later accept Jesus and ask for his forgiveness (Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit) my friends said things like "I doubt that that is true." And "Is that Old Testament? That sounds like Old Testament." (Jesus says it three times, in three different gospels, by the way.)
It is not teasing believers to show their errors. It is reality. When you start claiming that people should not be held to account for their own claims, and that claims such as the God hypothesis should not be questioned or tested, we step ever closer to an Orwellian Theocracy.
Why are people who are supposedly so faithful and so near to "God" so upset at the slightest inquiry as to the validity of their beliefs? If anything, it seems to show a decided LACK of faith.
Movie Review: Don't Pay Attention to the Critics!
Summary: 5 Stars
The reviewer who felt "let down" by this DVD and who worried that it was "teasing Christians" is either totally clueless or is engaged in a subtle attempt to discourage viewership.
I was impressed by the manner in which the director laid out his case for the non-existence of a historical Jesus. The information comes from scholars, researchers, and amatuer investigators, and is all available elsewhere, but this DVD brings the ideas together quickly and concisely. He then engages in a series of short interviews with those same scholars, researchers, and amatuer investigators, essentially allowing them to state their part of the case directly. (More in-depth interviews are available in the special features section of the DVD).
Equally illuminating are the interviews with believers in Jesus, who are allowed to make their own statements of belief without interruption. The fact that none of the believers were able to demonstrate any knowledge of the known history of Jesus or the early church demonstrates just how effectively Christian leaders have been able to divert attention from these controversial issues.
But the most compelling part of the film is the ending, where the director (a former evangelical Christian himself) visits the fundamentalist school he attended as a child and interviews the current president of that school. I won't reveal the dramatic ending to that interview (and to the film) but it truly tied everything together (the history, the controversy, and the impact on individuals today).
If you are a big fan of the Rev. Pat Robertson, (who just advised the people of Dover, PA., that they are no longer entitled to God's protection because they voted out a school board that supported teaching "Intelligent Design" in science class), then don't get this DVD. For anyone with an open mind on the subject, even if you are already aware of the intellectual arguments against the existence of Jesus, this DVD brings focus and a human context to the debate.
Movie Review: Imaginative, Daring
Summary: 5 Stars
As someone who remembers well what it was like to be brought up within the world of born-again evangelical Christianity, only to eventually reject it completely, I felt a certain kinship with the author of this movie. He has created an excellent short documentary on Christianity as seen from a vantage point only a few of us have ever attained. Those who remain in Christianity's grip may grimace at the failure of some Christians when interviewed, but by the time the end of the movie is reached, they may be downright stunned by what they will probably (but erroneously) call "foolish pride".
The documentary offers a short synopsis of what Christianity actually is, then proceeds to start deconstructing it, often with very powerful little tidbits, ending with a personal statement of faith that I found more brave than any statement I heard when I was in the midst of Christianity myself. The trip back to his childhood Christian academy as a different person than when he left, is a journey all people make at some point in their lives. He just had the added drama of having rejected what he was taught as a child. Those of us who have done likewise, that were willing to rise above the pedestrian philistine parochialism of their small childhood world, will feel a deep rapport with this man as he seeks to confront the demons of his past.
Even better than the feature itself though are the over 200 minutes of additional material, including extended interviews with some of the people that appear in the movie, the most memorable being Richard Dawkins, and the MIT guy that reveals that rather than being finely tuned to produce life, the universe actually seems finely tuned to produce black holes.
This movie is well-researched, bold, provocative and gives Christianity a very good thumping. Well recommended for anyone willing to approach the topic with a truly open mind.
Movie Review: Daring Documentary
Summary: 5 Stars
The God Who Wasn't There is a daring documentary which explores the possibility that Jesus Christ did not exist. Director Brian Flemming provides a great deal of material to put into our thinking caps with fine interviews and historical fact, all presented in a rational, entertaining way.
There are interviews with leading scholars such as Sam Harris (The End of Faith), Dr. Alan Dundes (professor of folklore, UC Berkeley), Richard Carrier (Sense and Goodness without God: A Defense of Metaphysical Naturalism) and Robert Price (The Incredible Shrinking Son of Man). These interviews present logical arguments against the existence of Jesus. Dr. Dundes, in his jolly way, shows that the story of Christ is identical to the myths of other gods which supports the argument that all are just stories.
There are also interviews with Christians that make it obvious that they do not have any basis for their beliefs other than blind faith.
This movie is informational and amusing at the same time. There is a six minute version of the life of Christ, complete with a countdown clock, contructed of old movie clips which is guaranteed to make you chuckle. The movie compares more contemporary Jesus movies such as Jesus Christ Superstar, The Passion of The Christ and The Last Temptation of Christ.
The director also interviews the superintendent of a fundamentalist school he attended. It becomes clear throughout the interview and subsequent narrative of his schooldays that what is being taught there is nothing but nightmarish dogma.
This DVD doesn't stop after the initial hour long film. There are excellent extended interviews and if it is put into a PC, there is an internet-connected slide show (what a concept!) that will give the viewer even more information.
A must-see for all!