Bill Maher vs. Jesus Christ in 'Religulous' -- who wins?
"Religion is the easiest thing to sell because it's an invisible product," "Religuous" star Bill Maher tells Gold Derby in this video chat. "Which, by the way, you can't test it out until after you die. So no one's there to complain after you drive this thing off the lot and it breaks down — because you're dead. So what salesman doesn't want a piece of that territory?"
Maher and director Larry Charles take on quite a few of those dubious salesmen of religious beliefs in their sacrilegious documentary now in theaters. Because it's made by such notable showbiz folks, I ask Bill Maher, "Doesn't this documentary epitomize godless Hollywood in a way?"
"I hope!" he roars. "If I have anything to do with it it will."
"How many people at award shows do you see thanking God?" pipes in Larry Charles. "Hollywood is also using God for its own purposes as well."
"Religious people look at me as you might look upon a retarded child," Bill Maher adds, quoting them, "'He's unenlightened. He needs to be saved. He needs to be cured.' I respect all human beings and I would like them to see my version of enlightenment. And mostly I want them to laugh."
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." Other raves come from the New York Times, USA Today, Hollywood Reporter and from Roger Ebert at the Chicago Sun-Times. Among the pans is the Washington Post.
If you'd like to pursue the questions raised by "Religulous" further, I recommend reading this interesting article at Atheists.org, which builds the case for the assertion that there's no credible evidence that Jesus Christ existed. Uncontested is the fact that no one alive during the time Jesus is said to have lived wrote about him, which is strange considering that there are plenty of historic accounts of other messiah figures of the era. The first two mentions of him don't come till more than a half century after the date given for Jesus' execution, and the authenticity of those texts by Josephus in AD 93 and Tacitus in 120 are questioned by many secular scholars. Read more.
To read Gold Derby's take on Religulous' run for the Oscar, click here.
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I love the quote form the movie " Home from the holidays".
Opinions are like buttholes, everyone has one and everyone thinks the other ones stink.
It is no different in this topic.
So many opinions are based on emotions or narrowminded knowledge or experiences.
I have listened to Bill's comedy and shows, and quite frankly he really doesn't care for anyone different from him. He is basically a selflish, self centered egotiscally man. Who makes a lot of money on making fun of whoever he wants whether they are religious, mentally ill, developmentally handicapped etc.
One of the reasons he doesn't like religion is, he thinks he can do whatever we want with no consequences. I would be careful to put this man on a pedestal.
Don't be fooled into thinking that atheism is going to solve the world's problem. History has shown the some of the greatest atrocities come from leaders who claimed that there is no God, and forced this upon their people not to mention the millions of people killed.
People love the blame game and hate to take responsibilities.
North American society is starting to crumble not because of religion but because of our lack of adhering to how God wants us to live.
I don't think there is anything wrong with having hope in something more wonderful than this life has to offer because reality is for most of the world life is not that great.
God bless everyone that reads this today.
Posted by: MTS | October 06, 2008 at 01:07 PM
i believe in talking snakes.
Posted by: jc | October 06, 2008 at 12:35 PM
Why would Paul, Peter, others, etc. allow themselves to be crucified, persecuted for someone who did not exist? Were all of Christ's followers crazy?
The argument on the atheist's web site for Christ's non-existence is very weak in my opinion. Why would people die for something untrue?
Posted by: Edward Ray | October 06, 2008 at 12:23 PM
Religions preach love, but Big Shaker is full of hate. I've always thought religion was illogical, and feel anyone that follows one is mentally weak. But if it helps them cope, let them suffer their delusion. It's scary when they try to convert or control non-believers.
Posted by: Steve Wimer | October 06, 2008 at 12:09 PM
I enjoyed the movie (I’m an athiest so he was preaching to the choir) but I agree with many who say that he (and others) spend too much time pointing out that religion causes wars. I agree that many people or religions rationalize violence with a belief in god, but if everyone were the same religion, there would still be wars. If everyone were white, there would still be wars. If everyone were black, there would still be wars. But if everyone were atheist… there would still be wars. Humans will always, unfortunately, find something to war over.
Posted by: bobcarp | October 06, 2008 at 12:07 PM
Religious people NEED religion just to make it through another miserable, scary day. Religion is safe harbor for the hopelessly terrified, the unretrievably damaged, and the emotionally disturbed.
Everyone here who is threatened by the mirror held up by those who expose the fiction and lies you base your entire existence on have revealed as much in your posts.
Have courage. Step back. See your beliefs as the convoluted mess of contradictions they are. The fact you need other HUMANS to define "God" for you reveals the depth of your desperation.
Jesus never lived.
Posted by: Think4Yourself | October 06, 2008 at 11:57 AM
I'm a Christian. And I saw "Religulous" Saturday night with 20 other members of my film club. We come from all ethnic backgrounds and all walks of life - GLBT, Agnostic, Athiest and on and on. I came out of the film with 3 major thoughts: 1. Some of the folks he interviewed (the "Dr." who's pimping the Gospel for his own lust and gain & the guy who says he's the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh) I wanted to jump through the screen and kick them in their Adam's Apples! 2. Has Bill Maher ever read the Bible? Original sin, Virgin Birth, Jonah - ALL THERE! Aruging about whether Jonah got swallowed by a WHALE or a BIG FISH is beside the point. 3. The most interesting thing about the whole film is, with the exception with the Truckers Chapel at the beginning of the film, no one Maher talked to spoke about the love of God and how Jesus teaches us that God's love should be the root and underlying motivation behind our thoughts, deeds and actions. That's my goal and ambition in my Christian life. And the member who is an ATHIEST, after hearing me share my story of faith, told me that she sees God in my heart. Take that, Bill!
Posted by: utzworld | October 06, 2008 at 11:55 AM
I guess he gets what he's asking for; He's asking people to think that everything is just a joke, especially Bill Maher. If he's so intelligent, why can't he see the irony in his success based on criticizing (out of envy) the success of "religion," which "sells an invisible product." So what kind of enlightenment is he selling, anyway? I feel sorry for the guy because he doesn't seem able to take anything seriously. As Milton Berle once said to Richard Pryor, "Pick your spots."
Posted by: laughing... at whom? | October 06, 2008 at 11:39 AM
Saw it last night. Amusing but conceptually a bit weak. Religion doesn't "cause" war any more than rifles or artillery pieces do. It's just another, admittedly very powerful way for people to force their will on each other. Eliminating religion won't do away with ideologies, like Communism, that are empirically based and don't require supernatural explanations for affirmation. But within the constraints of what it was, a Maher hit-piece, it was fine.
Posted by: Jay | October 06, 2008 at 11:24 AM
I love Bill Maher. I may not agree with his religious views but I love watching his show. The movie to me was a mix bag. If you really want to have a discussion on religion then choose subjects that are educated on it. I'm Catholic, but we don't believe in the literal interpretation of the Bible. Many of the stories in the Bible are just that, stories to prove a certain point. Did I find the movie amusing? Yes, but most of the time I was feeling sorry for the people he was picking on.
Posted by: Dirk Acevedo | October 06, 2008 at 10:51 AM
I think so-called Christians need to ask themselves why so much of what Marr says about religion is true. In fact, more blood has been spilled over various belief systems than any natural resource or political ideology. I am not an atheist, but what scares me more than any tyrant is a believer who claims to have a personal relationship with God.
Posted by: John Johnson | October 06, 2008 at 10:37 AM
Great how a guy who does not know much asks people who know less and then decides that their lack of knowledge proves that something does not exist. The German philosopher Kant showed hundreds of years ago that you cannot prove God but you cannot disprove him either. Knowledge and belief are quite different categories of thought.
Posted by: Scott | October 06, 2008 at 10:23 AM
Religion is so ingrained in our speaking...just listen to Tom O'Neil when he says "Thank God" that "someone is out there pointing out the other point of view"and again "Thank God" that the filmmakers' efforts were not thwarted during the filming. Why not just say: "Thank God" they made this movie and "Thank God" for this interview.
Posted by: Charlie F | October 06, 2008 at 10:03 AM
When you look at the good that has happened in this world it is the result of people following their convictions and those convictions are more often than not rooted in "relgious" belief. When people try to impose what they think God's will is on others, we will always run into problems, but when people chose to follow and obey Jesus Christ, it leads to wholeness and life. That has been an ongoing theme of the followers of Jesus who are usually found within the Christian church. Following Jesus Christ is tough. The Bible admits so. All of us, even his followers, buck against him, but if we are honest with him and ask him to let us know if he is real or not, he will do just that.
Posted by: Andy | October 06, 2008 at 09:56 AM
Blasting Mother Teresa for keeping donations? That's rediculous and unfounded. I have worked in the non-profit sector for 20 years and knew many who knew Mother Teresa personally and even volunteered at her homes for the dying. She never asked for donations, and never partook of any fund-raising activities. She had faith that God would provide. All funds that came to her went directly into feeding and housing orphans and caring for the dying. She owned the clothes on her back and lived the life of the people she served -- abject poverty. She slept directly on the floor with no mattress, because that is how those around her in India lived. She ate simple meals of rice, etc, just like those around her. When one religious brother I know asked if he could stay and help her, she said, "No, return home and serve the poor of America." He went back to his town of Salisbury, Maryland, saw the poor living under viaducts, and started a homeless shelter for them. This is the reality of religious people I know. Seeking God in prayer expands the heart, not contracts it. Seeking Christ will bring you to the reality of a real Person, the living God, who transforms a life like nothing else will. I have met the living Person of Jesus, and it is this meeting of a living Person, that keeps Christianity alive from century to century. Try simply praying to Jesus Christ to enlighten you, read the writings of John Paul II to see what Catholics really believe.....and stop judging from a position of ignorance.
Posted by: Marianna | October 06, 2008 at 09:46 AM
Why go all over the world? He just had to go over the hills to Pasadena. Some Doctor turned faith healer said he healed about 1/4 of Pasadena in the 1920's and the Methodist kicked him out of the Church. Since then they predicted the fall of Soviets, Iran Embassy, some unkoown part by stupidity in 911, FL recount, CA recall, and have been thrown out of the Malibu Starbucks for just reading while on vacation. Blacklisted by libs from get job in US hence looking to Iran. Why travel the world? this is why the hollywood kooks have trouble making LA like New York.
Posted by: br | October 06, 2008 at 09:45 AM
Bill Maher will not change the world. Sorry. Few people on earth have such a personal need for an audience. I saw his movie. Entertainement disguised as analysis. Unbalanced and in several respects inaccurate.
The Romans wrote of Jesus in real time. Not extensively but they wrote of him. Historians understand why it was difficult to the point of impossible to get a government 2000 years ago to get much print for a poor carpenter from a small town.
If you want to mix science and religeon then read "The Case for Christ." Written by an ex-atheist no less. Maher should read it.
As in most things, the information is out their (in clear support of the existance of Jesus Christ as the Son of God) but people's egos will often cause them to gravitate towards what they want to believe. Ironicly one of the seven deadly sins.
Lastly there are those that make a career of studying the credibility of ancient documents. There is a science to it. The New Testament does extremely well from a purely scientific standpoint as having been written by multiple eye witnesses within their own lifetimes. One reason of course why the New Testament was written 50-plus years after the death of Jesus is that Jesus was murdered at the age of 30 and his instruction to his disciples was never to write down what they had seen but to spead out and PREACH what they had seen. Given the level of literacy at the time any thinking person would have done the same thing. Thankfully four witnesses had the presence of mind to put what they lived into print before they died.
NO other text from 2000 years ago or longer supports and documents anything similar to the life of a poor carpenter from a small town.
I do not think I will just believe Bill Maher when it comes to my eternity. I will investigate it for myself. And I have. Bill has done Christianity a great service if he stimulates people (especially atheists) to begin their own OBJECTIVE scientific investigation.
Jesus holds up just fine thank you.
Posted by: Cal Man | October 06, 2008 at 09:43 AM
I love the way people mention how evil atheists are, as if they detracts from how evil religion is! In the first place, Maher is NOT an athetist. He believes what I believe...NOBODY KNOWS! Religion is truly a crutch, used to manipulate people.
Posted by: Pam | October 06, 2008 at 09:41 AM
BILL MAHER HAS A B.A.
SARAH PALIN HAS A B.A.
Posted by: ahem | October 06, 2008 at 09:28 AM
To poster Bill Newsome...What you seem to forget is that Bill Maher isn't an atheist. I've actually watched interviews where he says that hardcore atheists are no different that religious fanatics (and they are most definintely not any different) I've seen the movie and the whole time he makes the case for doubt. He doesn't tell people "there is no god." The whole time he is simply asking questions. When people give rediculous answers he runs with it like and good comedian should. I for one think this movie is genius
Posted by: Zach | October 06, 2008 at 09:21 AM
Let me just add one more thing: for those atheist, agnostics, and unbelievers who feel Bill Maher has enlightened this society with new information about the Christian faith, you have been suckered! He is simply regurgitating arguments that have been made since the time of Jesus. And let's be honest, what has withstood the test of time? He makes very true claims about religion. Religion sucks and is nothing more than a man made system to impose personal Rules, traditions, and customs onto other people. But here is where the big difference comes: the bible teaches RELATIONSHIP not religion. For those commenting about the bible based on what you've heard, you make yourself look extremely ridiculous. Many religions, sects, denominations, and cults have misinterrpreted the Bible and given believers a bad name. Just like equating Stalin to all atheist, don't assume all Christians are alike. Just a question for you oh so much more intelligent Atheist, explain your whole notion of a more morally sound society without God's involvement? Explain justice without moral truths? What is fairness in a atheist worldview where everyone defines their own truth? That is trully irrational!!!!
Posted by: Alex | October 06, 2008 at 09:14 AM
great movie i need the full name of the book thomas jefferson wrote about the bible if what bill said was true
Posted by: shil | October 06, 2008 at 05:44 AM
Bill is right, non-religious types need to stop being pussies and come out in the open with their beliefs.
Posted by: jcmb | October 06, 2008 at 01:31 AM
I saw this movie today and I enjoyed it. I think my favorite part was his interview with the US Senator from Arkansas. It underscored the idiocy that Christianity has made of our democratic government. Americans who fall for the mass delusion of Christianity elect stupid men into office because they believe the same fairy tale, not because they are intelligent or have passion for justice.
Wake the hell up, people! Your GOVERNMENT leaders base their foreign and domestic policy on a fairy tale. And THANK YOU to Bill Maher for debunking that this nation was built on Christianity. Go see the movie if only to see the quotes from our nation's forefathers showing their view of religion.
This nation was built on FREEDOM, not the bible. I respect your right to be Christians. But do it in the privacy of your home and churches and do NOT turn your religion into laws that I'm expected to follow.
Posted by: Chris O. | October 05, 2008 at 11:37 PM
It's all very simple really. Take away all religous instruction until everyone is 21 years old. No child goes to Church, Sunday School, Catholic School etc..etc... In other words take away all the indoctrination and brainwashing and see how many believers you have left. If this wasn't drilled into young peoples heads and we weren't carrying around all the fear and guilt I wonder how many of the faithful there would be left? No One would believe these fairy tales any more than they belived in the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy. I wonder when we will have a political leader who comes right out and says he doesn't believe in this garbage but that he does believe in his family and his community and his country enough to want to help. Its a frightening place to live when you can't say you're an atheist out loud...funny but thats who you would feel in Tehran I expect.
Posted by: Gary | October 05, 2008 at 09:56 PM