On Religulous

Ahh, it was a lovely, lovely weekend. Saturday night Nathan and i got all dressed up and he brought me roses and took me out for a nice dinner before Grant & Renee’s semi-formal cocktail party. I’m still waiting on photos, but hopefully i’ll have something to show from that event before too many weeks pass. It was fun–i got pretty tipsy and said some silly things, but it wasn’t the first time.

Seeing each other every-other day just isn’t cutting it for us anymore, so Nathan and i went out again last night. We went to see Religulous, which was nothing if not entertaining.

Commedian Bill Maher says it’s time for we who doubt to speak up about it, so i suppose i’ll go ahead and voice my opinion on the film.

First of all, I’m pretty certain this film isn’t going to change anyone’s mind about what they believe. Religion is deep-seated, and I haven’t come across any particular creative work yet that i think could single-handedly change a person’s entire outlook on life. Atheists and Agnostics generally seem to think that the way they see things is so obviously correct that they fail to open anyone’s eyes by really exploring and working out the questions. Secular works tend instead to tout a certain point of view as fact the same way religion does.

This particular documentary, being conducted by a commedian, is certainly entertaining for those of us who already understand where he’s coming from, but i think the way the questions were asked was moreso poking fun at people than really trying to understand what they believe and why. He interviewed people who seem to take their religion to the extreme–Televangelists, the self-proclaimed reincarnation of Christ, a man who helps homosexuals become heterosexual (and although he was himself gay once does not believe that anyone is inherently gay), a man who portrays Jesus at a theme park in Israel, etc. I’d be interested in hearing more from the theologians and the average people on the street.

I’d love to see this movie turned into a television series, because i think that Maher made a good point in the end–that religion is really the cause of most of the death and destruction in the world–but didn’t illustrate that point thoroughly enough. It was a fun film that came to a sobering conclusion, and it seemed slightly disjointed. I see the connection, but it wasn’t really shown to me. The idea that people must be skeptical of religious ideas because of the tragedy that we really create or allow to be created in the name of God reminded me of Sam Harris’s book The End of Faith, of which i’ve only read a couple chapters. It’s a heavy topic, but horribly important.

Interesting points raised by the movie:

Personally, i’ve seen and heard plenty that paints religion in general as being pretty much ridiculous. I agree with it, and apparently about 16% of people now agree with it. But i still feel like part of a very small minority that thinks that the idea of God or a great spirit or a higher power of any sort is probably also ridiculous. I want to hear people talk about the root of this thing, which is God. Is it really only fear that drives people to believe?

Monday, October 20th, 2008 10:25 am • religion, movies
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  1. miggy says:

    October 20th, 2008 at 1:15 pm

    I also enjoyed this movie. I believe people fall for religion because of the Santa Claus effect. If your told as a child that Santa Claus flies around the world giving presents to good girls and boys, by thanksgiving your on your best behavior. Then you get a little bit older and wiser and when Chrismas comes you realize that it was just a story. Its fun and it’s marketed to us so heavily that we’ll tell our children.
    Religion is the same. Were told as children that if we live by the bible we get to go to heaven. Then we get older, sicker and like when Thanksgiving comes around were back on our best behavior. So now you have the grandparent dying the child feels better knowing that mom or dad is going to heaven, and explains this to the grandchild.
    Thus were stuck in this cycle and it creeps into our politics and forced into the lifes of those who don’t
    believe. The one fact that this movie pointed out is that there’s 16% of the population that consider themselves Atheists and Agnostics and we don’t have a voice in politics.
    The moral majority is leading us down the wrong path and I’m proud to be part of the immoral minority

  2. Justin Gehrts says:

    October 20th, 2008 at 4:49 pm

    I believe not because I fear and not because I’m told to. I’m not sure exactly why I do, but it’s for neither of those reasons. I suppose part of it can be traced to an experience I had in primary school that makes me wonder why I’m still around.

    Anyway, I know that the movie and your post are in regards to all religions and not just Christianity, but allow me to make a point and do a little ranting but focusing on just Christianity. A lot of the people who are so vocal about how Christian they are… aren’t. They’re what I like to call “Bibleists.” They look at specific bits and pieces the Bible, piece it together to fit how they want to view the world, and call it a day. That’s where the whole “gays are bad” and all that garbage comes from. If they were REAL Christians - truly thought about “WWJD,” as it were - they would realize that shunning others and judging them is completely un-Christian. The stories go that Jesus hung out with prostitutes and tax collectors and lepers, the very people that everybody else pushed away. Wouldn’t embracing those who are walked all over, those who are persecuted, be the truly Christian thing to do?

    Trust me. Not all religious folks are zealots who abhor all those who have different viewpoints. We’re just not as obnoxiously noisy as the others because we know to respect other people.

  3. Hillary Martin says:

    October 21st, 2008 at 7:11 am

    Very informative posts, love the look of you site.

  4. Kerstin says:

    October 22nd, 2008 at 12:02 am

    It’s a tricky subject for me, mostly because a lot of what I believe ends up sounding like a paradox when put to the test by the heavily religious. I’d like to believe in something. What I feel is most likely is some creative force that is beginning and our eventual destiny. I hold as my one religious truth that “We were created in God’s image… I doubt that has anything to do with our physical form. That we got from our genetic ancestors. No, I believe that image is manifested in our ability to create. Create life, create art, create warmth, create structures, create friendships, create.. anything.
    It follows, though, that creation usually goes in hand with destruction. I suppose that’s our human fallibility showing. I don’t know. I use terms from a Christian background, because that’s what I have to work with.
    I just hope, as a species, we learn to create more beauty and harmony than we destroy, whatever path we follow. I’m not arrogant enough to believe I know the will of even another human absolutely, let alone that of an omnipotent god… But I can hope that it would be for us to live in every kind of peace.
    It’s my goal for myself, at the very least.

  5. Steph says:

    October 23rd, 2008 at 10:11 pm

    Thanks for your input, guys. It’s interesting that you each have a different point of view. Justin, i definitely don’t think that all religious people are narrow-minded and noisy. That’s why i’m interested in hearing more from people like youze about the whole thing.

    Sam Harris makes the argument though that the nice, quiet, decent religious people, by representing the religions that they do, make it okay for the crazier ones to do the horrible things that they do. Because it’s all in the name of the same god, right? Like, there are definitely good, peaceful Muslims out there. Lots of them. But that keeps some people from pointing the finger at that same religion for being the reason for which the violent, extremist ones wreak terror and intolerance.

    Isn’t it possible that all of the great stuff that Jesus stood for would still be great stuff even if he hadn’t been there to stand for it? Isn’t it possible that he is just a symbol?

    Personally i think being religious and believing in a higher power are two totally different things that just sometimes go hand-in-hand. It’s your philosophy & morality vs. that thing in your gut when you’re scared or grateful or searching. You know what i mean? But i’m beginning to write a whole new blog post here…

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