Bill Maher's "Religulous" Documentary

Last week I picked up the latest edition of Filter magazine, a music, film and cultural review periodical (that targets a young audience and leans aggressively left on the traditional culture spectrum), and found a short article about and interview of Bill Maher and his latest effort, a documentary film called Religulous. The basis of the film is to expose the inherent danger that lies at the heart of all organized religion. It seeks to demonstrate that religion and its effects are a plague on society and creates an environment of extremism, harm and denial of reasoned reality. As could be guessed, Christianity and Islam are the primary targets, according the article, and Jesus is discussed a good bit. The interviewer, Ken Scrudato, writes in the introduction, “Of course, with militant Islam sharply on the rise and American “progress” suffocating under contemporary Christian “morality” crusades, the exigency of such atheistic discourse goes without saying. But Religulous, because it’s, well, extremely funny, might actually find itself preaching to the preachers.” The author argues that rationalism is the cure for religion, in general. He says, “Emile Zola, that fidei defensor of modern day rationalism, once wrote, ‘civilization will not attain to its perfection until the last stone from the last church falls on its last priest.’ Think of Religulous, then as one big @%$&*^ boulder.”

Maher is seeking to reassure what he feels is a significant number of people in society who hold to a truly agnostic or atheistic position and wants to encourage them to become a more emboldened force. “…what I find going around the country talking to people is that there are so many people who are not like you and me, necessarily- they’re not very religious but they’re not very anti-religion. And I think that there’s a large audience of people who are ready to be shown something new about this topic, and to come away thinking that religion isn’t just something that is neutral and benign; that it is actually really destructive.”

Never mind that Maher’s Religulous lumps in all religions and equates each as evil, it’s Maher’s scant understanding of Christianity and the Bible that is so irksome. His “case-studies” as examples of a “dangerous” Christianity always tend to be gross exaggerations of the worst of extreme Christian fundamentalism or a complete horrific exegesis of a Jesus quote from a New Testament gospel passage. Of these gross caricatures and obvious mis-representations of biblical Christianity, I can agree with Maher that they are wrong, sometimes harmful and regularly ridiculous. But exposing ignorance and sin among God’s people does not discredit the merits of the Gospel or sway Christ from his Lordship over all. As if a handful of bad comedians discredits and disqualifies the entire comedic entertainment industry (I realize that is simplistic analogy). It would be interesting to hear more of Maher’s and the author’s notion of “rationalism” to which they appeal as the anchor of societal “utopia,” I guess. They also seem to be concerned with America’s impeded “progress” at the hands of the aforementioned “suffocating (under) contemporary Christian “morality” crusades.” There is so much to speculate regarding this "progress" the author speaks of. And it would be interesting to hear their vision of "progress" in our culture and society. Nevertheless, I do see here an opportunity for thoughtful Christians to see this film for the purpose of engaging others in dialogue regarding its claims. The question is, are we brave enough, willing enough and equppied enough through our own study to take something like this on through meaningful, thoughtful engagement?

There is a growing, aggressive push on the agnostic and atheistic fronts to discredit religion in general and Christianity in particular. Religulous, seems to fall in line with this effort and agenda. The appeal to strict rationality reminds me of Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion, in which he makes a substantial appeal to the atheistic worldview on the basis of rational thought and scientific method.

Where do we go from here? I think Maher’s hunch about a growing number of people in the religiously ambivalent category is accurate and that his statement that they are “up for grabs” is equally accurate. I see such a generally shallow foundation among our young people in the church (we have failed many of them on their journey toward fulfilling their Baptismal Covenant and growth in the grace and knowledge of Christ). But that is a lament for another day. Many fall away at the first challenge from the academy or from culture’s music, film, literature, etc. To our detriment we have neglected the glory of God and the great doctrines of the faith for a self-interest type of spirituality that appeals primarily to an existential expression of faith. It bothers me that a documentary like this can be launched and remain unchallenged by many because the church doesn’t know how or is simply unwilling to respond with reason, grace and hearty dialogue and debate.

A book that may be an encouragement and helpful resource among all the recent “atheistic manifesto’s” and anti-Christian propaganda is Timothy Keller’s The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism.

The way of God, who disposes all things with gentleness,
Is to instill religion into our minds with reasoned arguments
And into our hearts with grace, but attempting to instill it into our
Hearts and minds with force and threats is to instill not religion
But terror. Terror rather than religion. –Blaise Pascal, Pensees 172


If we submit everything to reason our religion will be left with nothing
Mysterious or supernatural. If we offend the principles of reason our
Religion will be absurd and ridiculous. –Blaise Pascal, Pensees 173