Firstly, on Thursday I called Bill Maher a prick in class for making this movie. I was wrong about that. He made the movie to raise a consciousness about the (possible) pitfalls of religion. The trailer (click here) was very misleading. He makes religion out to be a joke in the trailer, which I took personal offense to but the movie wasn't him mocking it or the people who follow it. It was his plea for the people who blindly follow religion and with radical fashion that it is highly damaging to the Earth.
The movie was certainly very interesting. He interviewed people who are very active within their faith and asked them questions that are contradictory to what his/her respective religion claims to teach and believe in. He gives them fair shot to defend themselves, but surprisingly he actually really knew his stuff. He started with Christians, particularly Catholics. His first one was called the "Truckers Chapel" where truckers can stop and pray to God and attend a service. Many of the people there didn't have much of a good rebuttal to what Maher was saying to them, they were rednecks for lack of a better word.
The two best interviews he had in the entire movie were to Catholic priests. He didn't rip them for the whole sexual abuse with children controversy, but instead spoke to them logically and fairly. The first was a Catholic priest who was also a Doctor in Astronomy. The man openly admits that the Bible should not be consulted as a scientific reference on whether God exists. The priest explains that there is an obvious problem that the Bible was written from 2,000 B.C. to about 50 A.D. and that "modern science" began around 1500 A.D. That huge gap in time doesn't allow science to be used objectively in the times that Bible was written in.
The second interview I previously mentioned was with a Sr. Priest in the Vatican (which Maher was quickly kicked out of). The priest displays his distaste of the overall grandness of the Vatican, its huge pillars, marble floors, ancient huge statues and everything in it that without a doubt costs a lot of money. This obviously differs from the Bible's teaching of humbleness and sharing your possessions with people who really need them. Also, he says the days of "burning in a firey death in Hell for eternity" as over. The priest seemed to have an extremely modern view on today's religion.
He also targeted Muslim and Jewish faiths, but those weren't so focused. There were a few interviews with Jewish and Muslim worshippers, but none were nearly as interesting, possibly because I myself am a Christian. So perhaps I lost a little interest in those interviews. There was one interview, however, in which he interviewed a Jew who is in favor of making Israel "disappear" - not destroying it, making it "disappear". When Maher brought up the fact that he met with the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who openly discussed eradicating Israel and its people and he denied. It then cut to a video of that exact man hugging the President Mahmoud Ahmadinejadat that speech that he stating these claims that Israel must be destroyed.
He took a few stabs at Mormonism, with one interview of ex-Mormons, and one quick jab at Scientology but those two were basically spared. Overall, the movie surprised me. It wasn't the mocking of religion that I expected and at a few moments I was even laughing at some of the commentary Maher had laid out there. It was typical Bill Maher - informed, witty, funny, and never intimidated.
The movie was certainly very interesting. He interviewed people who are very active within their faith and asked them questions that are contradictory to what his/her respective religion claims to teach and believe in. He gives them fair shot to defend themselves, but surprisingly he actually really knew his stuff. He started with Christians, particularly Catholics. His first one was called the "Truckers Chapel" where truckers can stop and pray to God and attend a service. Many of the people there didn't have much of a good rebuttal to what Maher was saying to them, they were rednecks for lack of a better word.
The two best interviews he had in the entire movie were to Catholic priests. He didn't rip them for the whole sexual abuse with children controversy, but instead spoke to them logically and fairly. The first was a Catholic priest who was also a Doctor in Astronomy. The man openly admits that the Bible should not be consulted as a scientific reference on whether God exists. The priest explains that there is an obvious problem that the Bible was written from 2,000 B.C. to about 50 A.D. and that "modern science" began around 1500 A.D. That huge gap in time doesn't allow science to be used objectively in the times that Bible was written in.
The second interview I previously mentioned was with a Sr. Priest in the Vatican (which Maher was quickly kicked out of). The priest displays his distaste of the overall grandness of the Vatican, its huge pillars, marble floors, ancient huge statues and everything in it that without a doubt costs a lot of money. This obviously differs from the Bible's teaching of humbleness and sharing your possessions with people who really need them. Also, he says the days of "burning in a firey death in Hell for eternity" as over. The priest seemed to have an extremely modern view on today's religion.
He also targeted Muslim and Jewish faiths, but those weren't so focused. There were a few interviews with Jewish and Muslim worshippers, but none were nearly as interesting, possibly because I myself am a Christian. So perhaps I lost a little interest in those interviews. There was one interview, however, in which he interviewed a Jew who is in favor of making Israel "disappear" - not destroying it, making it "disappear". When Maher brought up the fact that he met with the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who openly discussed eradicating Israel and its people and he denied. It then cut to a video of that exact man hugging the President Mahmoud Ahmadinejadat that speech that he stating these claims that Israel must be destroyed.
He took a few stabs at Mormonism, with one interview of ex-Mormons, and one quick jab at Scientology but those two were basically spared. Overall, the movie surprised me. It wasn't the mocking of religion that I expected and at a few moments I was even laughing at some of the commentary Maher had laid out there. It was typical Bill Maher - informed, witty, funny, and never intimidated.
4 comments:
I have to disagree with Anthony when he said, “[Bill Maher] made the movie to raise a consciousness about the (possible) pitfalls of religion,” due to the fact that Maher’s interviews, via his questions, responses and tones was that of a ridiculing nature. While Maher did spend the brunt of the film criticizing people who blindly follow religion, I do think that he did mildly mock the interviewees and their religions, as well.
While I don’t think Maher’s intentions were to plainly just mock religion, I think his true intentions were to make people “doubt,” religion. And the reason I use the term, “doubt,” is because he used it several times throughout the film. I think that Maher’s goal was to have people realize the uncertainty, vagueness, and incredibility of religion. He did this through talking about the contradictions of religion, i.e. the differences of the New and Old Testament, the strikingly similar stories throughout history, and the lack of the concrete evidence of these writings.
I do not believe in organized religion, but at the same time I never wish to put someone down or challenge them strictly because of their beliefs. Yet, this movie only further opened my eyes and supported the feelings I have always had. I hope that this movie has made people think about their religion, all religion, and how religion affects the real world.
Let me start by saying I did not have the opportunity to see the film over the weekend. I frankly was not sure I was interested. I am not a very religious person, but I had a similar impression of it: I thought it was merely tasteless mockery of people's seriously held religious beliefs. But after reading Anthony's blog, I feel more compelled to go see it.
I, too, have realized some of (as Amanda out it) the "uncertainty, vagueness, and incredibility of religion." But I have never used my own thoughts about the subject to sway someone else's beliefs. I don't respect ignorance and intolerance, which is what I thought this movie was going to convey. After reading this blog however, I will probably go to see the movie.
Here we go. I cannot wait to see this movie as I see all over that each viewer and respondees comments vary so greatly. I think that everyone, including Maher, needs to realize there is a huge difference between Religion and Faith. I agree that Religion is dangerous. It adds and takes away with the changing of times and convenience for some, it tries to scare people into believe things that in some cases, are not in the bible for example, and it picks and chooses which set of information to go over.
I have much Faith, and a close personal relationship with God, but I am not religious. I too do not believe that Faith lies in an institution, yet within oneself.
The problem with religion is that many enter it blindly. It is passed on as "tradition" when in fact it should be the opposite. It needs to be studied, and one must be touched by it on an intimate level. It is not just something that should be picked up and continuously done as a "routine."
Also, certain things in religion and Faith are left open to interpretation (i.e. does an eye for an eye really mean that or to get even? Is Hell the horrible answer to a sinner's end or did everyone know there is actually a place [in Israel] that when translated into English, means Hell, and that it was a pit where people threw out their garbage and set it on fire when it got full?
I agree with Maher that people should really think about if what they are preaching is what they are believing and practicing and what to do with such information because religion, can be deadly.
In my opinion, Faith is a gift from God that not everyone accepts. For those with beliefs in, God and Jesus for example, you are taught to walk by Faith and not by sight (SOMETIMES). Also, religion and Faith do clash just like the examples of the visit to the vatican. I think that Maher needs to realize though that he is on a wild goose chase if he is trying to find an answer for everything.
Faith is not like a mathematical equation nor is it scienfitic. It does not always have one definitive or understandable answer and if you are, Christian for example, you know that you are not supposed to know, regardless of what the answer or how many there are. I think many people take comfort in their "faith" because they do not know any better and because they need to feel connected to something. What a rude awakening for those when running into someone like Maher. If you are not strong in your beliefs or are ignorant in them, then they truly do not exist. You need to preach, yet not impose, practice and lead by example, and not shove Faith down another's throat. But if you believe in God as do I, we know that God is just and yet he is all powerful. He can do what He wants so how in the world does Maher think that he is going to prove or disprove anything about Faith? Now about religion, he can keep taking stabs because the inconsistencies between religion and Faith and even things just in religion are vast and obvious at least to me.
I rambled, my apologies. P.S. Religion and politics, is no good. Faith (if you truly believe and follow it, it makes you who you are so therefore) when mixed with politics, are not so bad as long as the views do not impose on others and consider the good of the people. That is though, a hard thing to seperate.
I enjoyed the movie too, and laughed quite a lot, but as interesting as it was to watch it was still very unsettling. The movie was way too one sided because as ridiculous as Bill Maher made a lot of people look, I just find it incredible that he traveled all over the world and not one person ever said anything to hold their own. Not only had no defense, and made a fool of, but a lot of them didn't even seem to be too bright to begin with. Which is pretty obvious that this movie was edited heavily to uphold his position. I am not a very religious person like a lot of the people shown in the movie, but I do feel as though I cannot bash anyone who is. I believe the part in the movie which made the most sense, was when the man who portrayed Jesus in the Orlando Theme Park, said, "What if you're wrong?" and Bill Maher responded by saying, "But what if you're wrong?" This part really goes to show you that you can have as strong of beliefs as you want but we will never truly know the answer. Bill Maher brings up good but unoriginal points that we've heard since forever, which can make a person definitely question their religion, but says he believes in science. Science tells us that the Big Bang Theory is what created the universe, but what created that, a ball of energy that exploded out of where, a blank canvas, nothing? I also find it unusual that no one brought up the documented cases of stigmata’s, exorcisms, and statues that weep ironically from their eyes. Because if supernatural phenomenon’s whether they are religious or non religious do in fact exist, then the thought of there a being a God doesn't seem impossible.
I don't understand the point of this movie other than pure controversial exposure. If Bill Maher is an atheist then that's perfectly fine, but why must he try to impose it upon the whole world? I also believe it’s easy for him to have no faith or beliefs in his world of luxury because he's rich and famous, but he doesn’t once take into account all the places in the world where people are suffering, living in extreme poverty and despair where sometimes faith is all a person has to carry them through their day. Some of these people religion is a vital part of their life and brings them happiness, so why should he strip anyone of that? Bill Maher knew even before he made this film, that he does not have the power to change the world.
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