Buffalo Boy's Blog
Giving You More Than Just My Two Cents
Religulous is a Must See For All Faiths
I went tonight to see Religulous, the new documentary by Real Time host Bill Maher. As most of you know he is no supporter of religion and spends portions of his show and his comedy bits tearing holes in religion, not just Christianity, all religions.
I left the movie, and I mean this in the most positive way, being even more assured of my Atheist self. I would be considered a non-practicing Catholic, but how can you be considered non-practicing when you don't believe in the whole thing to begin with. So, that leaves me with atheism, which I don't just leave that out there for everyone to know but after seeing the movie, I don't mind saying it as much because really, I think that when it comes to most, not all who are highly religious, I am of the rationale minority who don't believe in any religion.
Did you know that Atheists represent 16% of the population of this country, more than African-Americans, Jews and the NRA yet don't get represented at the political level? That point is made in the movie too, name one politician that doesn't parade the fact that they are religious or a believer in God, 99.9% of the time if not 100% of the time in some form of Christianity or Catholic faith. Would anyone reading this website vote for an openly Atheist president? Would that mean that in your eyes that person would not be morally responsible enough to run our country?
Bill spends much of the first half the documentary on Christianity and Catholicism because, at least in this country thats where most of us identify with. Even to me, I can at least be familiar with the names that are tossed around in those religions just from being around those who believe in it.
After the first half, all religions are fair game to the scrutiny. At times Bill comes off as stand offish, but its more him asking tough questions of those who are closest to their faiths. As you know when you get people who are highly immersed in their faiths to the point of believing their specific books or religions literally, things can get heated.
He talks to those from Mormonism including being kicked off the front lawn of the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah just for being there doing the documentary. He does get to talk to two former Mormons who left their faith and talked of their issues with the faith including being literally isolated from friends and family because of their withdrawal from their religion.
There are several holes that were punched into Christianity, Catholicisims, Muslims, Islam, Scientology, Judiaism and Mormonism that left you with the feeling that if you were Atheist going in, your not wrong about not believing and I truly believe that if one of faith goes in, no matter how immersed in your religion that you are, if you watch with an open mind, you will leave with a new outlook, that maybe religion isn't as important as some of us make it out to be.
Our leaders, our elected leaders and other leaders from around the world, including George W. Bush believe that the end of the world is coming in our times. The point that Maher makes is that we actually have the capacity as humans to see it to the end if we chose whether its nuclear, pollution or otherwise. We have that power, more so than anyother species that lived before us. All religions preach some end to our time here on this planet in some round about way.
Its comedy with serious overtones and serious questions. It brings up legitimate questions, all the while making light of the seriousness of what is being discussed.
Its a bold movie and covers things that some in the Muslim and Islamic world like Solomon Rushdie would have been killed over not more than 20 years ago. It covers topics and asks questions that get some pissed off and others answer him but with reluctance.
One thing it does do though is brings to light the "moral" fairy tales that represent what is written in our respecitve religious books and how dangerous it is to take them literally and in some cases how silly it is to believe in them at all. Its definitely worth a trip to see this daring documentary Bill Maher who is in my mind one of the great intellectual comedians of our time.
Mormonism is a cult. To bring arguments against Mormons into play is to invalidate your whole argument. Separate religion from cultism. Known cults are Mormons, Jehova's Witnesses, and Scientologists. Don't let these people cloud your opinion of religion. Also don't let bigoted Christian fundamentalists cloud your view. God would be ashamed of them and sorry to have them as his representatives. Religion is a personal matter and bringing it into politics is plain wrong, no matter what side you are on.
"God" is at best, imagined. To state that you know what he would "be ashamed of" is analogous to a psychological delusion. Also, all of the majors religions have origins to being viewed as a cult. Then when the raise enough money, they may be classified as something bigger, a religion. My interpretation of the message of Jesus, for example, is a very "humanist" view, which I believe is for the betterment of a human society, ironically, it has nothing to do with religion, rather it is a philosophy! Although I think complete separation of church and state would be beneficial, it really is a naive point of view, people are ruled by their religions, and will vote into office people with similar beliefs, rather than what is more beneficial for the common good. People can't get over themselves. And quite honestly, most people who claim to be deeply religious, I wouldn't want thinking and acting freely. That would really lead to a troubled state of affairs.
Blah blah blah..an age old argument much to involved for a blog. If you belive good for you, if you don't good for you. Religion was, is and always will be part of every aspect of life on some level. Politics included. Everyone believes in something and if what you believe makes you happy, mission accomplished. Just keep it to yourself and don't push it on others
If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it does it make a sound?
Jerold, what this movie is about, is religion to the extremes. Evangelical type of Christians who take the Bible and interpret it literally. Did you know that there is a Creationist Museum in Ohio that literally has children and their families going there and showing them that the Earth is only 5000 years old and humans lived with Dinosaurs. It is insane. Interpretation of the bible and a generation of Children being brought up to ignore science for the Bible is dangerous.
As I said...If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it does it make a sound?
Sounds like a left wing creation
Right, and their are people in the world who think we can prove global warming.
Actually, 99% of the scientific community are in agreement that global warming is real and is human induced. The ones who don't believe it is aren't reading the peer reviewed literature that provides evidence of this and real data.