Religulous DVD Review

Published by Jeff Leins on: February 15th, 2009

“When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.” – Stephen F. Roberts

Religulous is deeply anti-religious and unapologetic when questioning the obvious contradictions plaguing the tenants of so many belief systems.  It shines an unholy light on the absurdities of religion that are “explained” away by intangibles like faith.  A majority of people will be offended by the message that religion is detrimental to society or specific blasphemous comments.  If this sort of blunt discussion doesn’t appeal to you, then I recommend you skip the DVD.

It isn’t like the host, comedian Bill Maher, is knocking on your door and trying to convert you.  Or shouting at you on the street.  Or forcing his atheism into your schools or government, the very places it doesn’t belong.  That would be ridiculous.  Instead, Maher facetiously seeks to understand religion in this “take it or leave it” film.  Unfortunately, many people will leave it, so he ends up preaching to the choir… so to speak.

The documentary attempts to open the lines of communication for an intelligent debate about religion, while piling humor on top of the inherent hilarity of someone trying to rationalize dinosaurs and humans co-existing.  Born a Jew and raised a Catholic, Maher equally applies his doctrine of doubt to each organized religion in a scattershot series of grilling interviews.

Though I’m not sure what Maher was expecting to get from many of his targets, other than maybe laughs at their expense.  What is there to learn from the open-minded, insightful people carrying signs that read, “God hates fags” in bold, capital letters?  Surely those people are fully aware of the hypocrisy in praying to a prophet of peace and forgiveness before marching out and screaming messages of hate and ignorance.  What words of wisdom will they share with us, other than the brilliance scrawled on their posters?

Maher doesn’t just prey on the weak-minded either.  Also feeling his wrath is the scientist in charge of the human genome project, a curious minority in his educated profession.  Or a state senator who is blissfully unaware of the separation of church and state.  “You don’t have to pass an IQ test to be in the senate,” the Arkansas politician and evangelical chuckles to Maher’s stunned face.

What plays out in the conversations is sometimes informative, but always scathing.  Director Larry Charles, who also worked behind the camera on Borat, splices in stock footage to drive the points home.  In a discussion about the “conversion” of homosexuals, Maher quips, “They’re happy.  I mean, they’re called gay.  Some of them seem downright thrilled.”  Cut to a gay pride parade, where everyone seems to be enjoying themselves.

Maher doesn’t, at any time, claim to be qualified to formally criticize religion or speak on behalf of all non-believers.  Which makes it sort of perfect that he is interviewing religious figures who have no qualms about interpreting the word of God for their own agenda, make blanket statements about and for their people, and diminish the beliefs of other forms of worship.

Where Maher’s appeal for truth veers off course is when his curiosity and humorous jabs turn to elitist attitude and mean-spirited ridicule.  His arrogant, condescending swagger blocks out any opportunity there may have been to find reason in religion, if such a paradox exists.  When he’s done pointing and laughing, Maher becomes very serious to deliver a fiery rant at Megiddo, Israel, the supposed site of the second coming and the end of the world.  It’s there his “grow up or die” tirade seems as extreme as the religious nuts he just finished denouncing.  What began as an honest purveyance of doubt transforms into a hopeless call to action from out of far left field.

So aside from the last five minutes, Religulous is a rare, funny exploration of religion in the world.  I don’t expect many followers of “nonsense and fantasy” to hear him out, but for everyone else this is a documentary worth its weight in gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

4 out of 5.