John 17: 21a May they all be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You. (HCSB)
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Monday, October 06, 2008
Religulous
Open hostility toward Christianity continues to grow in America and elsewhere. Continuing the trend, this past weekend marked the opening of the movie Religulous, in which Bill Maher heaps scorn upon religion in general, and Christianity in particular. The intent of this film is pretty obvious from the title, a synthesis of "religious" and "ridiculous". A survey of reviews and commentary will confirm:
USA Today:
I'm not surprised by the entertainment industry using its muscle to attack Christian values, something it does not begin to understand. Instead, I'm reminded that we are in a spiritual war. I will agree with the USA Today quote above, that this movie is not something that devout believers will want to see. ¶ 10:21 AM
USA Today:
Religulous (which rhymes with "ridiculous") is not for the devout. But those with a taste for irreverent humor and clear-eyed analysis will find it funny, enlightening and disturbing.LA Times:
Reviews have been quite good from top media. Variety hails "Religulous" as "brilliant, incendiary," while Entertainment Weekly adds, "It's a film that's destined to make a lot of people mad, but Maher, for all his showy atheistic 'doubt,' isn't just trying to crucify religion — he truly wants to know what makes it tick. He leaves no stone tablet unturned."More from the LA Times
The documentary on religion sets out not after answers but cheap laughsRoger Ebert:
...
The humor he creates at their expense proves nothing except that dealing from a stacked deck benefits no one but the dealer.
It's more that he lines them up and shoots them down. He interrupts, talks over, slaps on subtitles, edits in movie and TV clips, and doesn't play fair.Washington Post:
But one of the rules of satire is that you can't mock things you don't understand, and "Religulous" starts developing fault lines when it becomes clear that Maher's view of religious faith is based on a sophomoric reading of the Scriptures and that he doesn't understand that some thoughtful people actually do believe in some sort of spiritual life.
I'm not surprised by the entertainment industry using its muscle to attack Christian values, something it does not begin to understand. Instead, I'm reminded that we are in a spiritual war. I will agree with the USA Today quote above, that this movie is not something that devout believers will want to see. ¶ 10:21 AM
Comments:
I read today that he set people up, ala Michael Moore. His people when setting up interviews did not say it was for an anti-religious film and that Bill Maher would be the interviewer.
What would be funny would be to see some religious people do a movie on atheists using the same tactics.
It makes me nauseous.
The devils greatest trick is to make people believe he doesn't exist.
What would be funny would be to see some religious people do a movie on atheists using the same tactics.
It makes me nauseous.
The devils greatest trick is to make people believe he doesn't exist.
These quotes from the media don't shock me at all. I think America is now a country of skeptics. America's idol is self ideology. We don't need to be religious or have God. Satan has got us to think that we can worship any where, any god. The devil makes us feel weak if we have to rely on God. I want to thank you so much for this fantastic post. Keep up the fantastic job you do with your blog. I have been truely blessed through it. I hope you and your family have a wonderful week.
Maher has been a religious critic for a long time. It should be noted, though, that he does not just criticize Christianity through this documentary but also Islam and other faiths.
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