Religulous
Larry Charles
2008

"Oh God said to Abraham, 'Kill me a son'
Abe says, 'Man, you must be puttin' me on'"
- Bob Dylan, Highway 61 Revisited




The thesis statement of Religulous is essentially the argument put forward by Sam Harris in The End of Faith. It goes like this: religion teaches people to strongly believe in absurd ideas, including absurd ideas about the end of the world while at the same time, technological advancement has made it possible for humans to actually bring about the end of the world. Therefore, religion has become a dangerous psychological hallucinogen that might inspire humans to global self-destruction if not checked.

It's weighty stuff indeed, and Bill Maher makes it no less weighty by delivering it from the ruins of Megiddo, the place where many believe Armageddon will take place.

Unfortunately, the bulk of the film doesn't match this heavy premise. Fortunately, however, the bulk of the film is hilarious.

From preaching the doctrines of Scientology on a corner to asking deep theological questions of the guy who plays Jesus at a Florida 'Jerusalemland' theme park to toking 420 with the high priest of the church of cannabis, Maher and Charles present a funnier and more respectful series of interviews than one would imagine.

The problem is that the film wants to be two things.

On the one hand, it wants to be a "wacky world" documentary, reminiscent of the 'Mondo' documentaries, which informed the drive-in audiences of the 60s about such important topics as biker gangs, cannibalism and topless roller skating.

On the other hand, it wants to be a sober, clarion warning that our world's polluting potential and nuclear arsenal is rapidly falling into the hands of people who believe in talking snakes and flying horses.

The resulting film comes off like a Borat version of Richard Dawkins' The Root of All Evil. Take Dawkins' film, add a few homoerotic Roman solider jokes and the odd chimpanzee washing a cat and you're there.

Except, where Dawkins conducted prolonged interviews with respected religious leaders from many faiths and cross-examined them knowledgeably on significant questions of theology, Maher has to make do with religious theme park docents, apocalytiphyllic trinket shop owners, the odd ex-Mormon, truck stop preachers and B-list foreign-market televangelists who he basically just dismisses.

When he does get close to a serious discussion of religion, as with the Vatican astronomer (a priest) who states flatly that the Bible is not intended to be taken as history or the neurologist who explains the cognitive basis of faith, Maher quickly retreats back to the carnival sideshow phonies.

One can only assume they're good for more laughs, but criticizing religion by attacking televangelism is like criticizing capitalism by attacking Amway. Try though he might, it's a bit tough to draw a straight line from that dubious cast of characters to nuclear holocaust or environmental catastrophe.

More's the pity if that line is actually there to be drawn.

Two and a half stars. Jason-Faye Bakker says, God wants you to have nice things.