2008 Woodie Awards
'Religulous': Jesus vs. The Atheist
Jesus Butler and Derek Simons
Issue date: 10/13/08 Section: Culture
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In the docu-comedy "Religulous," director Larry Charles (of "Borat" fame) and Maher travel across the world interviewing people of faith in an attempt to point out how unbelievable their beliefs are.
The film covers the three major Abrahamic religions (Christianity, Islam and Judaism) and even touches on Mormonism and Scientology, but leaves out almost any mention of Eastern belief systems.
Maher seems to pick on Christians the most, but this bias is understandable given the film is made for an American audience, where Christianity is supposedly the prevailing religion.
Overall, the effect is what one would expect: atheists will probably find the film funny and at times poignant, while most people of faith will likely be offended by Maher's constant irreverence.
Maher, a political satirist by trade, casts himself as an agnostic on a journey to discover why people believe what they do. However, during this "journey of spiritual discovery," tact is quickly abandoned for the more entertaining approach of poking fun at people Maher perceives to be religious nut jobs.
Maher foregoes interviews with seminary-trained theologians or foreign missionaries, preferring instead to talk to an actor who portrays Jesus at a Holy Land amusement park in Florida, and a man who claims to actually be the second coming of Christ.
Yes, some of these people are ridiculous, but does that mean believing in God is ridiculous? "Religulous" is unable to take itself seriously enough to construct a convincing answer to that question.
One thing taught in most film theory classes is almost no documentary is actually a documentary; even if the footage is all real, it is assembled in post-production to create a narrative that simply did not exist before. "Religulous" is a clear example of this. It is really more a comedy than anything else.
The interviews have been cut in such a way as to maximize laughs rather than ensure that the views (and intelligence) of the interviewees are accurately represented. The director has even inserted comedic sound effects and low-quality religious cartoons at opportune times to reinforce the laughs.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 4
Tired but Patient
posted 10/13/08 @ 7:07 PM CST
Lets end this ridiculous debate right here: If any religious organization had to prove that their religion was true in a court of law, BEYOND A DOUBT, how would they do it???
Answers not considered in a court of law:
1) "Just believe it"
2) "God told me"
3) "Just have faith in it"
4) "Someone from 4000 years ago told me to do it"
Small minded and happy
posted 10/14/08 @ 11:39 AM CST
Tired but Patient:
Your argument, while cute, is not compelling. How many innocents have been convicted in courts of law?
Tired of Small-Minded People
posted 10/14/08 @ 2:18 PM CST
Small minded and happy:
YOUR argument is not compelling. It completely avoids the point Tired but Patient is making.
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