Review of Religulous (2008) by Melvin W — 15 Jun 2013

Religulous is a humorous documentary about the state of religion in modern society, and how the adherents to any given faith misuse the tenants of that faith to make decisions that are outside the jurisdiction of religion. In fact, Maher would likely argue that ALL decisions based on religious views are flawed, excepting those beliefs which seem like moral no-brainers, meaning that any sane thinker would draw the same conclusions even if they had no religious affiliation.

One thing I learned for sure: Maher is not afraid to insult the pious. Using his general disdain for religious thought as a cloak, he attacks Joseph Smith's prophetic claims in front of the Mormon Temple, questions whether the Catholic Church is following the tenets of Christ while in Vatican City, lampoons the anti-evolutionary stance of Creationists in Kentucky, asks scientists in numerous fields why they still cling to their faiths, and even confronts a Muslim devotee about Islam's more mysogynistic and belligerent beliefs inside the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.

It all sounds a tad assholish, and indeed it is. But Maher takes the stance that rationalists haven't been loud enough in their opposition to what he perceives as religion's corrosive impact on society. In this sense, Bill Maher practices what he preaches, pun intended. Bill Maher may be a bit of a schmuck sometimes, but he's a schmuck with whom I absolutely agree.