Religulous

[malibustacydoll]

Has anyone seen the new Bill Maher documentary Religulous? I just watched it and I have to say it is one of my favorite movies now. Bill Maher essentially said everything I have always thought about religion. If you've seen it, what are your thoughts? I am interested to hear how people from different faiths viewed the movie.

[knaveman]

That is too effin' funny. I just watched this today and was composing a post in my head. I will give you my Buddhist influenced opinion.

 

I thought he should have named the movie "Religious people are stupid, let me show you." Bill had an agenda and showed exactly what it was without trying to hide his feelings. If he had told us in the opening few minutes that he thought all religious people were suffering some mental defect I would have known what I was getting into a little earlier. He said he was trying to understand how seemingly rational and intelligent people could believe in something so unbelievable, but he was really just trying to make people of faith look like crazed loons. Granted most of the people he interviewed were extremists but so is Bill.

 

Bill Maher must have been studying at the Sean Hannity school of interview before he made this movie. Don't actually try to discuss anything, just beat them over the head with your words until they stumble over thier own words and look like idiots. The only interview that Bill was unable to manipulate and control was also the only one he stopped and walked out of.

 

I did enjoy parts of it. I liked his interview with the "reformed" homosexual. That guy looked like he was ready to run from the room or leap over his desk and attack. I couldn't tell which was more likely. Also, the Scientology and Mormon bits were good too. It was the overall tone of the movie I didn't like and Bill Maher's "I'm smarter than all of you" attitude.

 

The movie was summed up for me in the interview with the Islamic rapper Propaghandi. Propaghandi told Bill that everything is not black and white, and Bill disagreed. Bill thinks that everything is black and white.

 

I learned enough to know that I will never support Bill Maher or endorse anything he does. He is now on my list with Michael Moore, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and Michael Savage. All extremist, all bad for us. Religion is not bad for society, extremism is.

[LovieDove24]

I haven't seen the movie but I'd like to. I am of Christian faith also.

 

After reading the synopsis of the movie, I was extremely curious why he had such a strong agenda against those who had faith though.

[LovieDove24]

The movie was summed up for me in the interview with the Islamic rapper Propaghandi. Propaghandi told Bill that everything is not black and white, and Bill disagreed. Bill thinks that everything is black and white.

 

I learned enough to know that I will never support Bill Maher or endorse anything he does. He is now on my list with Michael Moore, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and Michael Savage. All extremist, all bad for us. Religion is not bad for society, extremism is.

 

Couldn't agree more. Extremely religious, in your face people are equally as scary to me as people who claim insanity on anyone who has faith.

[2sure]

We watched it a few weeks ago and have been laughing about it ever since. At a party recently a Jewish friend asked me what the difference was between Roman Catholic and Irish Catholic...I told her that the Irish felt that religion had to beaten into children by nuns for it to take.

[MindoverMatter]

 

I thought he should have named the movie "Religious people are stupid, let me show you." Bill had an agenda and showed exactly what it was without trying to hide his feelings. If he had told us in the opening few minutes that he thought all religious people were suffering some mental defect I would have known what I was getting into a little earlier. He said he was trying to understand how seemingly rational and intelligent people could believe in something so unbelievable, but he was really just trying to make people of faith look like crazed loons. Granted most of the people he interviewed were extremists but so is Bill.

 

Bill Maher must have been studying at the Sean Hannity school of interview before he made this movie. Don't actually try to discuss anything, just beat them over the head with your words until they stumble over thier own words and look like idiots. The only interview that Bill was unable to manipulate and control was also the only one he stopped and walked out of.

 

I did enjoy parts of it. I liked his interview with the "reformed" homosexual. That guy looked like he was ready to run from the room or leap over his desk and attack. I couldn't tell which was more likely. Also, the Scientology and Mormon bits were good too. It was the overall tone of the movie I didn't like and Bill Maher's "I'm smarter than all of you" attitude.

 

knaveman, I agree with everything you said. And I am an atheist. You know, I should be one of the people who clap their knee and giggle when Maher goes off. But I don't. It's not a documentary in my view, because there was barely any information in it. He just went on and on again about how every religion and every believer is stupid and should be referred to a mental asylum. His arguments were inconclusive, silly, had a very weak basis either in scripture, history or pure logic. It was boring, it was dumb, it was a one man show with the aim to make Bill Maher look clever.

 

I actually liked him a little before that. Now? No. He is just an arrogant ass, who has turned to bash religion as a means to feed his overgrown ego.

 

Btw, you mean the interview with the rabbi, right? That was interesting, because that rabbi was really...mh...a rather rare specimen. Anti-zionist, okay. That's possible, and not so rare. But rabbi AND holocaust denialist...yeah, weird. It shows Maher's agenda that this was the only rabbi he chose to interview. An extremist. Who had better manners than Maher himself.

[Els]

Maher is, very honestly, not funny. His attempts at being satirical come out sounding like he's a kid trying to bully another dumb kid around into tripping over himself just so he can laugh and point. Not very refined or intellectual.

 

However, his choice of people to interview was, IMO, priceless. Especially that black guy (forgot who he was... Benjamin Cummings, I think?) who said 'Yeah, I think the girls in my congregation have a crush on me, I would too if I was them!' really cracked me up.

 

Point being... the interviews were good, but not on his part.

[quankanne]

I was extremely curious why he had such a strong agenda against those who had faith though.

 

raised Catholic, from what I understand, and hated every minute of it. Which goes to show, bashing people for their beliefs passes for intellectualism.

 

frankly, he had a fantastic opportunity to share his belief that faith is silly by composing an intelligent piece ... but used it instead to hit people over the head with his personal view. Kinda like O'Reilly and the other idiots out there.

 

while I may not agree with someone who believes differently than me, but I do believe that other person deserves my respect until he does something to merit otherwise.

[knaveman]

while I may not agree with someone who believes differently than me, but I do believe that other person deserves my respect until he does something to merit otherwise.

 

Right. We're all idiots but not always for our beliefs.

 

There does seem to be this growing idea in America (the world?) that anyone who doesn't believe like you do is of lesser intelligence or has some mental defect. I can't count how many times I have been in (slightly drunken) discussion with people and they stop the conversation all together because I don't agree with them. No one wants to discuss opposing views, only argue and argue turns to ugly quick. I got the feeling during the movie that Bill was waiting for an argument, but never found one, or not one he chose to show us.

 

The Da Vinci Code was a better religious movie than Religulous.

[Rooster_DAR]

Personally I found the movie mildly entertaining with some good chuckles in parts. Although his agenda could be questioned, there is no doubt that some of the questions regarding religion were pretty good.

 

Although I don't believe religious people are stupid by any means, it does show the extent to which indoctrination has embedded itself into most cultures and how people are willing to believe things at the breath of another.

 

I do perhaps agree with the premise that religion may be the demise of the human species, after all that is what causes most war and mass violence in the world.

 

Cheers!

[hotgurl]

I just saw it and some parts were great!

 

I loved that old italian priest and the senator who said you don't have to take an IQ test to be in the senate.

 

I felt some interviews could be more in depth. He did have soem good points but they weren't fully explored.

 

I do agree religion will end up destroying us.

[knaveman]

I do perhaps agree with the premise that religion may be the demise of the human species, after all that is what causes most war and mass violence in the world.

 

Religion doesn't cause violence and war, people do. People just use religion an and excuse to justify their actions. Don't forget, religion has also done many many great and good things throughout history, but no one bothers to focus on that stuff.

[Rooster_DAR]

Religion doesn't cause violence and war, people do. People just use religion an and excuse to justify their actions. Don't forget, religion has also done many many great and good things throughout history, but no one bothers to focus on that stuff.

 

Sure there are people that cause war and use religion or whatever excuse they can think of, however many if not most are driven by their beliefs indoctrinated by their religions, along with skewing these religions to fit their cause.