Religulous: Terrifyingly Hysterical

Hilarious, disturbing, and guaranteed to piss off the southern half of the country, Bill Maher's new documentary Religulous takes no prisoners.

I've noticed some reviews are calling this film "adolescent" because Maher has chosen to examine the issue of religious zealotry with a sense of humor. And sure, there's plenty of goofy stock footage inserted between really awkward interviews with dead-eyed religious clerics. But Maher's examination of religion (including his own religious past) is remarkably candid and sympathetic toward the victims of religious mythology.

Take, for example, a scene at the beginning of the film where Maher interviews a cluster of truckers, who have gathered in a roadside shack to pray to the Lord. The scene is ripe for cruel, fast-talking City Boy mockery. But Maher seems to genuinely feel frustration, not at the poor men clutching their bibles, but at the lies and falsehoods that take advantage of those who have lost their ways.

Bill's beef is with religion, not with the poor and lost, who turn to religion out of desperation. He confesses that he was artificially religious one time (he once haggled with God to help him quit smoking,) and there are wonderful scenes with his mom and sister, both of whom seem to still harbor religious beliefs.

And there are moments of sheer terror, too. Maher takes the viewer on an international journey of religious extremism: from Evangelical state Senators in America to Muslim Clerics in London. While there are the usual observations of how dumb and exploitative religious ceremony has become with its plaster Virgin Marys sporting price tags of $2500, there are also scenes addressing the murder of Theo Van Gogh and suicide bombings.

Religion, Maher argues, isn't simply the harmless, personal pastime of billions of people. In its purest, most radical form, religion is a drug capable of mass destruction.

"Grow up, or die," Maher advises the audience. It doesn't sound condescending. It's a plea from a man who has seen the ugliness of faith unquestioned.

Religulous opens nationwide October 3
Visit the official website at www.lionsgate.com/religulous

Follow Allison Kilkenny on Twitter: www.twitter.com/allisonkilkenny

Comments

[gonbald]

I live in the city of AG. It should be in a city of this size. Maybe we have a bit of censorship? CHURCH CONTROL? I too am surprised.
BTW: My city is bigger than Wasilla and I can't see Russia from here. On a clear night, I CAN see The Moon and with a little imagination, god's face..

[veggiequeenmo]

i live in sw missouri and it's nowhere to be found either - shock of shocks.

[metaphorik]

I live in southeast georgia and I cannot find Religulous at any cinema theatre. Any one know where I can find this movie and where it is showing?

[MsYellowDog]

Get real,I doubt whether this movie will show anywhere in the Unrecontructed South--I live in East Texas,so I know what I'm talking about.

[Dave24]

The movie was great. Maher has stuck-in the wedge for future filmmakers to expose the mediocrity of religious belief in an era that should be abundantly scientific, but instead relies on fables because it's intellectually easy and lazy to do so.

[liberalgirl31]

I saw the movie tonight. I regard myself as a Christian but decided to watch the film with an open mind. I thought it started out being pretty funny, even if I disagree with Bill Maher's thesis. But then the movie picked such obvious straw men, and the documentary became increasingly smug and condescending and turned me off. Maher's problem is that he confuses the foolishness of religious extremists and fundamentalists with the more sensible religious moderates. He presents nutty fundamentalists and says, "See all religious people are stupid, dangerous nuts and I'm so much smarter than them!" He is close minded and sees everything in black and white--ironically, much the way religious fundmentalists are narrow-minded and Manchian in their thinking.

Apparently, Maher did interview one sensible Christian, Francis Collins, but he edited the footage to make Collins look foolish:

http://blog.beliefnet.com/stevenwaldman/2008/10/the-case-against-religulous-th.html

[InstantDogma]

"Maher's problem is that he confuses the foolishness of religious extremists and fundamentalists with the more sensible religious moderates."

You believe in a giant invisible supernatural sky being.
There is absolutely no rational proof to support the existence of your sky being.
This is medieval is superstition concocted by folks who wiped their ass with their hands and thought the world was flat.
There is no such thing as a "sensible religious moderate," those words are a contradiction in terms.
Steve

[gevan]

You can try to separate the apples from the oranges if you think that will help you. But what you will have is two piles of fruit.

[JohnBryansFontaine]

Regarding my accuation of Bill Maher as being an atheist.....Oops :

...Maher has stated on both Politically Incorrect and Real Time, and in several appearances on Larry King Live, viewpoints that reference a kind of deism, although Maher has never declared himself a deist. He has stated that he does indeed believe in a god, but that religion is nothing more than tradition and superstition. In 2002 he told the Onion AV Club, "I'm not an atheist. There's a really big difference between an atheist and someone who just doesn't believe in religion. Religion to me is a bureaucracy between man and God that I don't need. But I'm not an atheist, no. I believe there's some force. If you want to call it God... I don't believe God is a single parent who writes books".* He asserts that religion provides answers to questions that "cannot possibly be answered." Questions such as "Where do I go when I die?" or "Is there a heaven?", he says, are impossible to answer. By claiming to have the answers, Maher argues, religion is dishonest and it "stops people from thinking."

Wikipedia

So then, Maher could be described as a deist.

* Is There A God? | The A.V. Club

[Furrypeanut]

There is no way he believes in anything. He's just trying to get people to come and see the movie without turning them off too much at the outset.

[JohnBryansFontaine]

'...Yes it is nauseatingly de riguer for snide intellectual dilettantes like Maher, who simply live to mock the subjective experiences of other people. '

Bravo, jtomgough.

And moreover, these elitists attempt, through PC Stalinism, to silence anger at their hubris laden mocking. No wonder then, why the Democrats have wisely, in effect, told atheists to go to hell.

Just who is Bill Maher to claim there is no God? Faith in God gives spiritual strength to the vast majority of the world. I wonder who or what Maher's atheist ilk turns to when the chips are down?

Someday, a group of scientists (with cajones) will do a study that finds that atheists commit suicide on a far higher average than do believers.

[Violeta]

"Faith in God gives spiritual strength to the vast majority of the world."
If THIS is true, does it mean there IS a god? Or just that believeing there is one, gives people strength?"

"Someday, a group of scientists (with cajones) will do a study that finds that atheists commit suicide on a far higher average than do believers."
AGAIN, does this mean ther IS a god, or does it mean that many people do not have the coping skills and ability to deal with REALITY without a belief in god?

I was in in this dillema. I wanted to believe because life was tough, really tough. BUT, just because I was in pain, doesn't meant that this whole dimmension to the entire universe is true! Yes, many unreligious ppl commit suicide, but that's because the ppl who have religion have a support structure made up of PEOPLE and they believe things that although NOT REAL, makes them FEEL BETTER. But this doesn't mean there really IS a god.

We can't let our lack of coping skills and lack of human contact or lack of an ability to handle the existential fears by saying that this makes god exist. Just because I want it to, really, really bad, doesn't make it so. Sorry.

[Dave24]

Clearly you haven't seen the movie, nor know much about Bill Maher. He endorses doubt, not a belief that there isn't any God. If you see the movie or listen to what Maher actually says, he takes the position: "I Don't Know."

And when the "chips are down," atheists take responsibility upon themselves to change the situation, if possible. And the situation can't be changed, an atheist deals with it head on, rather than hiding behind fairy tales because it makes a person feel better.

And as regards your last comment, it's interesting that you know the outcome of the "study" before it's even conducted. This is a good example of how religion fails: it projects many conclusions without any supportive evidence, other than the claims themselves.

Try reading more than one book written by uneducated men who knew nothing of the natural world.

[JohnBryansFontaine]

"...And as regards your last comment, it's interesting that you know the outcome of the "study" before it's even conducted..."

Actually it has been conducted:


http://www.adherents.com/misc/religion_suicide.html

[jugganaut]

Just who are you to claim there IS a god?

Which is more arrogant, to profess skepticism or to insist there IS a God despite the absolute lack of ANY empirical proof whatsoever?

I often ask Christians if it's possible that they're wrong about the existence of God. Invariably they answer no, it isn't even POSSIBLE they could be wrong.

Good luck finding ANY atheist who is unwilling to concede the possibility that he/she MIGHT be wrong, but you can find OODLES of Christians who insist there's no way they're wrong. And yet atheists are the elitists?

Btw, there ARE studies that show a higher suicide incidence among nonbelievers than believers.

There is a phenomenon observed in nature called self-destructive cooperation, in which some organisms sacrifice themselves, i.e., commit suicide, for the greater good of the organism's community. Salmonella bacteria commit suicide to help their brethren establish more damaging infections, for instance.

The kamikaze pilots of Japan and 911 hijackers are two human examples. Undoubtedly one may debate whether these were truly "greater goods" the humans in question were serving, but the point is, THEY certainly thought they were.

Certainly it's beyond doubt that the greater good would have been served if a "suicide gene" had been triggered in such despotic individuals as Hitler, Stalin and Pol Pot in their periods of despair before they eventually ascended to their infamous heights.

Would an atheist soldier who fell on a grenade to save his comrades be "ilk"?

[JohnBryansFontaine]

"...Good luck finding ANY atheist who is unwilling to concede the possibility that he/she MIGHT be wrong, .."

Atheists who will admit that maybe they’re wrong!?

I guess that jugganaut has never heard of Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, James Randi, Christopher Hitchens nor any of another dozen militant atheists, But of course, there is no such thing as a militant atheist....

The bacteria comment is even more of a bizarre LIE, as a) bacteria don't become depressed, b) people who commit suicide always are, c) and neither kamikaze pilots, nor 911 hijackers were atheists, but rather were dying for their versions of God, as well as their side, or their warped perception of their side in the case of 911.

Finally, who am I to claim that there's a god? Just part of the 99 % of the planet who believe that there is a God. And that would make the 1 percent the arrogant ones, BTW.

[factbased]

We're all "victims of religious mythology". Some are just more directly victimized than others.

[Lellie]

For me, and hundreds of thousands of others, it's not religion per se, but ORGANIZED religion that's the issue. I believe in an organizing intelligence, a universal thread of conciousness that joins all of us, regardless of who we are or what we believe in. Organized religions' heirarchies are always threatened by those who find God (however they see Him/Her/It) without bowing to a power structure and doing the appropriate dance...look at fundamentalist Muslims...or Christians, for that matter! As Wayne Dyer has said, "organized religion divides, spirituality unites".
Look into the "Pagan" (peasant) beliefs and practices of the Egyptians and the Jews of thousands of years BC and you'll find the same stories we find in the Bible. Old parables and lessons, re-packaged.

[stevefromkelso]

Swerinjer...Your "textbook definition" of racism is incorrect. It has nothing to do with being superior, it is simply treating someone differently based on the color of their skin.

[NoMoFearNoMoHate]

you're wrong too sfk. racism is treating someone in a negative manner because of the color of their skin. being nice to someone because of the color of their skin is not racism - it may be ineffective and have its own problems but it is not racist to treat someone nicely because of their skin color.

[amamomofsons]

Bill Maher, you are wonderful. You Question those who are too lazy to really look within themselves for whatever spiritual answers they need. None of us need religion. Those guys just want to be a member of a club.

[RaisingAwareness]

I grew up in the inner-city and was raised Catholic and seen the good religion can do. I did know that at a young age that Catholicism wasn't for me but respect everyone's right to believe as they chose. I also know with total certainty that I'm a better man as a result of my religious upbringing. I believe it's given me a bigger heart and a more critical mind for what's right, fair, ethical and just. That's something that seems to lack in this world unfortunately. So according to Maher he considers my friends and family to be evil or victims of religion? I don't see it that way and neither do they. I like and admire Bill Maher. I think he's hillarious and quick-witted, but as most people have noticed he tends to over-identify, over-generalize and over-react. You look at history and you'll notice it's these traits which are dangerous not necessarily being religious as he claims.

If Bill Maher is so brilliant and correct, why hasn't he yet figured out that 9/11 had nothing to do with the Mulsim people but that demonizing them did? Over 1 million innocent Iraqi's are dead and 4.5 million have fled their home because of oil and politics. Maybe the next documentary he does can talk about the evils of a politically brainwashed public which somehow justifies the killing of innocent women and children for oil? I'd go see that one.

[jmcvann]

R.A.: Maher has never said that no good comes from religion. He just says that there's a high price to pay for much of the other stuff that comes with it. I think you're attributing some cause and effect to the fact that religion gave you "a bigger heart and a more critical mind for what's right, fair, ethical and just." I'd bet that you would have figured out those things for yourself, which is what I see in my non-believing friends. And no, Maher doesn't consider your "friends and family to be evil or victims of religion" unless they have done something bad toward others based on some poppycock idea espoused in the bible.

[amamomofsons]

I really get what you are saying and I agree that we have absolutely no business in the middle east. I agree that millions have been killed and maimed and displaced and that is our fault as a country. I also know that there are more Muslims in the world than any other faith. Why does this mass of humanity stand back and let a few zealots murder and oppress people? Why is it that throughout history we mankind has committed atrocities in the name of religion that we can not fathom? It is because we are not allowed to challenge our faith or those who use it to destroy others. This is what Bill is trying to get out there. Religion is dangerous! So is our government and we had better get hold of it as well. I love my country and I think we live in a country that has the potential to be the greatest moral leader on the planet, but every time I see a one of our leaders on a national stage with a flag lapel pin, and I see what a fuss was made out of one of our candidates not choosing to wear it, I realize that they are making our patriotism and our country a religion and that scares me even more. Any time you are not able to challenge or question either your religion or your government......you are in grave danger.

[skahimself]

on a population scale, christianity is the most populous religion.

http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html

yeah. i was shocked too.

[macb]

amen.

[PartyofOne2]

fourteen people will see this movie. Three of them will be Maher and his mother and sister.

[NoMoFearNoMoHate]

if that helps you sleep at night... are you religious?

[Clavis]

And two of them will be you, your mother and your sister?

[Furrypeanut]

The theatre I was in was 1/2 full on a Monday night - I was surprised by the turnout. Box office numbers show movie already made more than $3.5MM in the first weekend. Looks like Bill will be laughing his way to the bank since it only cost $2.5MM to make.

[PlainLapin]

Most of us have a spiritual side which we value as part of our make-up.

I have always wondered why some of us choose to allow ourselves to surrender our precious spirituality to an organized religion.
In the main religions and governments all over the world are devoted to the control of people.
Why would you want any kind of bureaucracy taking over your innermost thoughts?

[michiganfan]

Richard Dawkins has an interesting idea about it. There is a distinct Darwinian survival advantage for human children to unquestioningly believe what their parents and elders tell them as absolute truth. There is a strong advantage to a young child believing its parent when told that these berries are poisonous, wild animals will hurt you, don't wander off by yourself, etc. Those children who blindly obeyed their parents would be more likely to survive and have children of their own.

This unquestioning belief as children also has the unfortunate side-effect of leaving us vulnerable to brain-washing from religion too. It's not easy to let go of something that has been held as an unquestioned truth since you were a kid. It's not easy to bring your full adult brain to bear on these innermost, child-like beliefs.

[rpr]

Of course. That's how memes, culture, political beliefs and religion work.
Hitler and the Khmer Rouge knew it. McDonald's and Burger King know it. And every parent knows it. Kids before their teens are easily molded into whatever you tell them. Then, some of them break out through teenage rebellion, and some don't. Depending on your environment, one or the other is better from an evolutionary standpoint, that's why both behaviors have prevailed.

[jmcvann]

Unless religious types believe that ALL religions are correct (and by the definitions of each religion's own "rules" this cannot be possible) then each believer has to be self-centered. They all think they have chosen the "correct" religion and everyone else has chosen the "wrong" one. Discuss...

[Swerinjer]

textbook definition of racism: the belief that one's race is superior to another's.

[RButler]

Human beings are 'always right' in their own minds by design. Whether it's religion, politics, governments or divorcing couples, each side thinks it's 'right' no matter the circumstances. Look at all the posts on this site. Everyone doesn't just think they're 'right'. They ARE 'right'. And you're 'wrong'.

[partisanpolitico]

Isn't that dilemma avoided by atheism? No religion is correct. This is not a dress rehearsal for a next life.

[rpr]

Obvious reason that there isn't one God: The proponents of each major religion are just as fervent as the others in asserting that theirs is the only one and all others are wrong.
Either there is none or there are several. Take your pick.