"Religulous"

Last night we went to see the new film by Bill Maher, "Religulous". I was nervous about seeing the film because I have witnessed Bill Maher, on his television show, get mean on occasion. I remarked to my boss that I was eager to see the movie, but wondered how soon I would begin to squirm--religion is funny, making people think is good, but I wasn't eager to watch Bill Maher make fun of people at their expense.

I didn't squirm at all. I did laugh....a lot...and I did think....a lot. He asked many of the same questions I would ask any religious person, and kept following up with more interesting questions. Many times, the person he was questioning was left with a blank look on their face, because Maher finally asked the question they had no easy, pat answer for. I'm fairly certain that many of the religious folks spent some amount of time deep in thought after Bill Maher left. I will admit that perhaps a more religious person than I would be offended by the movie; I hope not, because what Maher is really asking people to do is re-examine and think about their particular beliefs--any adult should be challenged to do that once in a while.

Yes, the movie was entertaining and a couple of times, I found myself slapping my knee as I laughed (yes, this is a good sign). The soundtrack was good, and the clips he selected to illustrate certain points were spot on--these clips ranged from the hideous news clips of suicide bombings, death, and destruction to 1960's Biblical cartoons. There were the always-jarring "God Hates Fags" still photos, and scenes from "The Ten Commandments". Maher also did a wonderful job of selecting his interviewees--Jesus from the theme park, The Holy Land Experience, a terrifically funny Catholic priest (interviewed in front of the Vatican), and the leader of a religion devoted to smoking as much pot as possible. I was also impressed with the amount of research that Bill Maher must have done to prepare for this movie--his questions were intelligent, and showed a deep understanding of the religions he was highlighting. Perhaps the most poignant moment came at the very end of the movie--I urge you to stay through the credits to see it.

I won't spoil the movie for you, but I will say two more things: 1) he began his interviews with some truckers at a Roadside Chapel. I knew the movie was going to be OK when he thanked the men for being true Christians. 2) I totally agree with one of the last thoughts Bill Maher expresses in the movie: Grow up or die.