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Religulous |  | Director: Larry Charles
Actors: Bill Maher, Tal Bachman, Jonathan Boulden, Steve Burg, Francis Collins
Studio: Lions Gate
List Price: $14.98
Buy New: $10.49
as of 9/3/2010 09:20 MDT details
Rating:  reviews
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Discs: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Running Time: 101 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.4 x 0.7
MPN: LGED24862D
UPC: 031398105404
EAN: 0031398105404
Theatrical Release Date: 2008
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 Making fun of religious people August 22, 2010
Andariel Halo (Phenomynouss@hotmail etc is my e-mail)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
In "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan", Larry Charles uses Sacha Baron Cohen's character to make fun of people who fall for his act. In "Religulous", Larry Charles uses Bill Maher to make fun of people who fall for his act.
The difference aside from content, is that "Borat" sought to have fun shocking people and making them uncomfortable. Here, Maher seems to be getting his message across that religious people are a blight on the human race, and that religion is our downfall.
But I've gotten ahead of myself. Still, remember that above; it's exactly what is implied in the last minute or so of the "documentary"
Bill Maher comes across as a smug, arrogant ass throughout most of this documentary. It's never truly powerful in any one scene, yet all combined together, mixed with his highly biased and slightly incoherent rant at the end makes him seem as though he's just here to insult people, to laugh at them and point and show us and make us laugh.
And it does get funny to see a US Senator, an open evangelist, claim that you don't need to pass an IQ test to become Senator, and it's funny to a Vatican cardinal blast the Vatican for its opulence and luxurious buildings and way of life, contrary to how Jesus Christ lived and preached, and it's funny to see Mormons freak out and throw Maher off their property virtually on sight.
And yet throughout it all, all Maher is doing is asking the obvious questions, questioning why and how someone believes the stories of the Bible, or the Qur'an, or the Torah. The editing and directorial choices make it very clear that they are picking and choosing who they interview and what is presented on film. About the only bit of deep thought that escapes from the Christians interviewed is that of a Jesus Christ impersonator and some of his thoughts and beliefs, including the comparative metaphor of the "Father, Son, and Holy Ghost" with water, ice, and vapor---all the same thing, in different 'forms', so to speak.
Of the three major religions, the Christians are portrayed as simple-minded morons, the Muslims portrayed as either baldfaced liars or tolerators of violence, and the Jews as something else entirely I can't describe. And there's nothing in regards to the questions he asks that is in any way revelatory, but just seems to be a loaded question obviously aimed at making people say things that can be pointed and laughed at.
One of the really painful bits to go through is when Maher begins asking people about the comparisons between the story of Jesus and the stories of other Mediterranean Gods like Horus and Zoroaster and Indian Vishnu. Ironically, he tells several people to read up on ancient Mediterranean religions, while simultaneously spouting ABSOLUTELY WRONG INFORMATION ON THE SUBJECT!
There's a whole segment featuring footage from old movies with scenes of Jesus, telling the story of the Egyptian God Horus in something pretty much straight from Zeitgeist. And just like with Zeitgeist, it's dead wrong.
- Horus was NOT born of a virgin. Depending on which myth story you believe, he was born of either Osiris and Isis, or Osiris and Hathur. Isis and Hathur are Goddesses.
- Horus was born of Isis who gathered up all the dismembered pieces of Osiris and crafted a golden penis for him to resurrect him to impregnate her with Horus.
- Horus was NOT born on December 25th. See later on in this review.
- Horus was NOT crucified. Crucifixion had no meaning until Christians gave it meaning---it was a ROMAN execution method usually reserved for slaves or non-Roman offenders.
- In fact, Horus technically did not die at all; he won the kingdoms of Lower and Upper Egypt from his brother and also a God, Set.
Regarding December 25th, Bill Maher repeatedly gives the December 25th date as being the supposed birth dates given for the likes of Horus, Zoroaster, Vishnu, etcetera. This is completely untrue; December 25th, Christmas Day, was a pagan holiday that was incorporated with Christianity in order to attract more Pagans to the faith. Any quick Google search would have figured this out.
As I mentioned above, the movie utterly falls apart at the end, with a quick segment where Bill Maher lets loose his REAL beliefs. And yes, they are BELIEFS and they are HIS OWN;
He believes that religion is potentially some kind of mental disease that will be the downfall of humanity. He blames RELIGION for this, and that RELIGION has killed more people than anything else in history.
Appallingly, this is something many people do believe. This is equivalent to blaming guns for high murder rates, violent movies and music for school shootings, and raunchy television for childrens' behavioral problems.
I put forth this question to anyone who believes RELIGION is inherently the cause for such death and destruction throughout world history:
Do you honestly believe there would be no mass death, war, destruction, hatred, bigotry, sexism, racism, and evil in this world if there were no religion? Do you honestly believe that if everyone in the world were at least secular humanists, or at most atheists, there would be world peace and utopia?
People require motivation to do the things they do. In order to carry out greater things, they need the assistance of others, many others. To form a group centered around the love of baked potatoes in order to carry out your desires for a racist, sexist, white-dominated society, is hardly something that would be successful because not everyone like baked potatoes, and even those that do would hardly consider it something so important to their lives.
Religion is something that touches everyone at the highest and most intimate levels; life, death, meaning, purpose. This is something that affects EVERYONE. This is something that concerns EVERYONE.
Is it not logical that in order to attract as MANY people as possible, you would appeal to the most universal and base of thoughts, emotions, hopes, and fears, to take that and manipulate those in order to get people to do your bidding?
Guns don't kill people; people kill people. Religion doesn't kill people; people kill people.
If there were no religion in the world, people would rage, hate, and kill one another based on country of origin, color of skin, color of hair, anything and everything possible.
Bill Maher does not understand this, likely does not believe this. He is shallow enough to believe that a belief in God constitutes the central basis AND the cause of most, if not all the world's ills. And he surrounds this point of view with the same sort of nasty, offensive humor that director Larry Charles pulled off masterfully with "Borat" because, unlike "Religulous", Borat was not preachy and up its own ass with hostile, fanatic ideas.
 Excelent movie... Bill Maher is so REAL August 21, 2010
DOME-A-NATOR
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Bill Maher tells it like it is to the face of religious fanatics around the world. He seeks out and confronts many denominations of fantasy believers.
Indispensable. More of this is necessary August 20, 2010
Luiz Schechter (Asuncion, Paraguay)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Since science people refrain from commenting about religion, virtually nobody dares criticise or even display its many known downsides. This is what the movie does, and in a very funny way. The only thing missing is highlighting the difference between the need of religion in the past and the many things that replaced it nowadays, but maybe they will cover this in the first sequel. I hope they keep them coming.
Important movie of our times August 15, 2010
Iblis-Lakon
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Not that hillarious and sofisticated as I was thought, but much important than anyone could expected, considering title and creators of this movie. Watching "Religulous" you can learn how silly dogmata of variuos religions are and how many influential people do believe in that. Then, you should reconsider how hazardous present-day religions are for our civilization.
finally August 13, 2010
Zdenka Lonsdorfer
I love this documentary finally somebody is brave to express the non sense behind religion, I don't believe in God and all that church stuff, yet in this country where we preach free speech I find it very hard to say that I don't believe in God, because that is a speed ticket to judgment and criticism. I am a good person I don't have to go to church to be good, we all need to realize our morals. I am very thankful for the DVD, it gives us all well rounded prospective on what is going on in our own country.
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