Religulous
I majored in the religious studies department at UVA. I received a Masters of Divinity degree from Yale. For a time, I was an ordained United Methodist minister. And I’ve always been interested in spirituality. So I guess it’s no surprise that I am interested to see the movie Religulous.
Here’s what reviewer Peter Travers has to say about the movie, which stars Bill Maher and is directed by Larry Charles, in this Rolling Stone review:
Bill Maher would have been burned at the stake if his hellishly hilarious and surprisingly thoughtful satire on organized religion had played the Inquisition. As it is, the far right will vilify him as a dangerous heretic, which is also pretty funny. Religulous, linking the words “religion” and “ridiculous,” has been directed by Borat’s Larry Charles in the same mode as that classic mock documentary. The movie follows the star of Real Time and Politically Incorrect from Jerusalem to Jersey as he questions Christians, Jews, Muslims, Mormons and Scientologists about faith. Maher can be a smartass, but his attempts to apply reason to religion are more a challenge than a threat. Maher, born to a Jewish mother but raised Catholic like his father, jokes about taking a lawyer to negotiate his first Confession. “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned — I think you know Mr. Cohen?” But he’s not kidding when he rails against blind faith as a body of lies that can start wars and get people killed.
With the current state of affairs, nation states and sects spewing so much faith-based hatred in the world, and the rise of fundamentalism through all major religions, it’s not surprising to see a trend toward atheism. Still the big questions persist:
* Is there a God?
* What is faith?
* What is the meaning of life?
Yes, Maher goes out of his way to make fun of religious people. But the movie pushes a larger question: Is there a meaningful role for religion in modern society, beyond the beliefs and actions of fundamentalists hell-bent on protecting their faith by destroying others? Here’s the trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6D4HVGzjhU