Review of Religulous (2008) by Hayden W — 07 Dec 2011

Comedian Bill Maher travels the globe on a mission to burst some of the more ludicrous claims, moral standpoints and beliefs of the Abrahamic religions in this humorous documentary. I like Bill Maher's style and completely agree with his standpoint regarding the outrageous views of the people he interviews however, sometimes, the overtly comedic approach can sometimes gloss over the sinister and wicked nature of the doctrines being examined.

Some are, to all but the most fanatical follower incomprehensible in a civilised, modern world. However, maybe this format and presentation is not the place to dwell on these darker aspects. By using the scalpel of humour and ridicule, Maher manages to make make his victims appear foolish, ill-educated and downright stupid.

There are some jaw dropping moments when views that almost literally should have died out with the Ark are voiced by otherwise seemingly rational people. Similarly there are some truly funny moments. There's the visit to the Institute for Science and Halacha in Jerusalem, a somewhat ramshackle and chaotic looking building that seeks to subvert the rules governing the 39 actions Jews are forbidden to perform on the Sabbath by creating Heath Robinson contraptions out of odds and ends.

There's the Florida Christian theme park with it's dance routines and daily crucifixions of Jesus under the flightpath of a local airport and the conversation with the Arkansas evangelical Christian senator who proudly proclaims that "You don't need to pass an IQ test to be in the Senate".

I suspect that this film is largely going to be viewed by those of us who already know how out of kilter with the real world the religious view actually is. Sadly, the fundamentalist Christian, Muslim and Jewish will continue to adhere to their erroneous beliefs and use them to spread mistrust and promote conflict form many years to come.

Religulous is an entreating and interesting couple of hours about a subject that really should be more widely debated in a frank and factually based manner. I wish more people would take on board the message.