Religulous

Reviewed By Rich Drees

     The grand fallacy most people have about documentaries is that they are under some obligation to present a balanced and unbiased look at whatever topic the film is covering. Such a view is not always possible or practical and in many cases it might not even be warranted. Would one contend that the World War II era doc series Why We Fight should have given equal time to the Axis powers? Documentaries, like other forms of journalism, can be persuasive and argue an editorial viewpoint. It falls to the viewer, then, to weigh what is presented and judge for themselves the veracity of what is being presented to them.

     This brings us to Religulous, the documentary featuring stand-up comic/social critic Bill Maher on a quest to talk to people of various faiths in hopes of getting a better understanding why they believe in their religion. Maher starts close to home, discussing his own Catholic upbringing with his mother and sister before heading out across the globe. Along his journey he meets and talks to people of a wide variety of faiths. The interviews and their subjects run the gamut from thoughtful to openly hostile. Granted, some of these interviews add almost nothing to the proceedings. Maher’s chat with a man in Amsterdam who has founded a church devoted to smoking marijuana seems like nothing more than an excuse for him to toke a spliff on camera. This is not surprising coming from director Larry Charles, who perfected the art of mining a candid interview for comedy with 2006’s Borat.

     But is Maher really seeking understanding about people of faith or has he already made up his mind on the matter? Some of his questions seem sincere, while at other times he blatantly dismisses the Bible as “the book with the talking snake.” While there are some fundamentalist sects who make take the Bible at its most literal level, most theologians would say that numerous portions of it, including the story of Adam and Eve, function on an allegorical level. For Maher to ignore this perhaps reveals a flaw in his methodology. "Why is believing something without evidence good?" he asks some truckers in a truck stop chapel. But doesn't the question show a lack of understanding of the very nature of belief and faith?

     That said, there are some good comedic moments in the film, mostly from cutaways that deliver a punch line to something somebody says. A former member of the Mormon faith talking about how Mormon founders thought that American Indians were a lost tribe of Jews, gets his comments punctuated by a clip from Mel Brooks’ classic western spoof Blazing Saddles. When Maher and his crew are in a sacred Muslim mosque, cartoon arrows appear onscreen to point out their status as infidels. Of course there will always be some who feel that religion and comedy should never be comingled. It just is not there cinematic Reese’s peanut butter cup. They protested Monty Python and The Holy Grail and Kevin Smith’s Dogma. They should definitely give this film a pass.
 

     Ultimately, Maher reaches a conclusion that seems predestined given his questioning - religion is the root cause of most of the world’s problems and things would be a whole lot better if we all just grew past the need for it. It is a conclusion not much different from the one John Lennon came to in song back in the 1970s. Sure, religion has caused a lot of intolerance and pain throughout history. However, it has also done much good, as well. Maher throws out the baby with the bathwater. If anything, Maher’s own belief that there isn’t a divine being comes across as dogmatic as any of the people of faith he interviews. By the end of the film, despite being entertained, one can’t help but wonder if Maher isn’t just preaching to his own particular choir.