Religulous Review

Review: “Religulous”, Draft Two

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To your average believer, the commonalities between fairytales and the tenets of religion may not be immediately apparent. Indeed, it appears as though generations of religious devotees never took the time to consider just how absurd ideas like talking snakes and men living inside whales might be under closer inspection. It seems, too, that they never stopped to wonder how believing in such elaborate fancies and following their recommendations to the letter might impact their world. Religious fundamentalism and the violence it has caused in time immemorial is clear evidence of this. Nevertheless, there is a determined resolution amongst religious folk that asking no questions will lead us to a profound sense of enlightenment.

Or so they think. In his controversial documentary, “Religulous” (2008, Directed by Larry Charles of Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan), Bill Maher argues that faith, which “makes a virtue out of not thinking”, is both contemptible and dangerous. In his brazen sojourn through many of the mainstream and obscure religions of the world, the message is clear - religion is ridiculous. Interspersed with well-timed movie clips and witty subtitles, the film is a shameless attack on the religious followers of the world with an irreverence that might go too far.

Maher, the stand-up comedian, author, television host and actor, takes his comic rampage through several locations around the world, including Salt Lake City, the Vatican, Jerusalem, and even Amsterdam for good measure. On the way he encounters Catholic priests, televangelists, a Jew-for-Jesus, an Anti-Zionist Jew, the self-proclaimed Second Coming of Christ, a Creationist Senator, gay Muslim activists, ex-Mormons, and a plethora of other religious representatives whose views he puts seriously in question. The film makes a determined effort to find out how...