Yes, I’m a registered Democrat, but that doesn’t mean that I’m automatically going to blindly praise whatever video propaganda is released by the world’s left-leaning documentarians. In fact, I rented Religulous, the controversial film from controversial liberal talking head Bill Maher, fully expecting to slam it for being mean spirited and one sided.
So, were my preconceptions confirmed? Yes and no. Like I expected, Maher made sure that he only interviewed people who fall into three categories: 1) Those that disagree with him, but are so ridiculous that they cannot be taken seriously, 2) Those that agree with him and he can use to prove a point, and 3) Those who fit snugly into commonly held stereotypes and are there for us to ridicule. Also as expected, Maher gets in his fair share of caustic remarks. These are usually directed at foreign people who might not fully grasp that they are being insulted or at those who are too stupid/uninformed to stand up for themselves. Still, I can’t bring myself to dismiss Maher’s film completely, because it really has some very funny moments.
The key to enjoying this film is not looking at it as a serious investigation into modern religion. You have to go into it expecting about the same level of journalistic integrity as you would from Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert. Once you are able to view the film in this way, it becomes very difficult not to chuckle during scenes like those in which Bill interviews a Puerto Rican guy from Miami who claims to be the second coming of Christ, or a former member of a ’70s R&B group-turned reverend whose blatant lack of knowledge of the Bible is comical.
However, while there is certainly some gold to be found here, the bulk of the film is really just Maher’s effort to make believers of any religion out to be morons. Even as someone who isn’t religious, I found this to be offensive. Sure, everyone needs to be able to take a joke once in a while, but that doesn’t mean that it’s acceptable to imply that everyone who believes in a particular religion necessarily endorses everything that has ever been in the name of that faith. That is my real issue with the film.
Would I recommend it? I’d only suggest Religulous to people who I know to share Maher’s skeptical view of religion, those that aren’t likely to be offended by his stereotyping and exaggerations. That being said, if you fit that bill, then by all means go check it out; you’re guaranteed to get a few laughs.
(DH’s FYI: The movie’s title is pronounced re-lij-yu-lus, not re-lig-yu-lus. I got this wrong for about two weeks before someone corrected me.)
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