Religulous

HBO (Maher's Real Time network) makes his shows available as podcasts, usually a couple days after they're aired. He has a great selection of guests, from many sides of many issues, and they're always entertaining and sometimes quite astute. I've only been listening for the last part of last season and this season just started so I've not heard all his opinions regarding medicine but I did catch a rant about how bad nutrition and poor environmental factors are mainly responsible for health problems. All in all, it sounded more like a slam on big pharma and the mercenary position of doctors and hospitals. But no one asked him the obvious question: if he were sick, really seriously ill, would he see an M.D.? Go to a hospital? Accept drugs and treatments that time and experience have shown to be effective?

That said, I enjoy his shows and will see the movie when it comes out on dvd. For me, enjoying an entertainer isn't necessarily dependent on his/her personal views. I love watching P&T but some of Penn's Libertarian views bug me. I think Jim Carrey is a hoot but he's wrong in his anti-vac stance. And of course, that list could go on...
 
Yoink said:
By the way, Skepticgirl is right about one thing--this argument is something of a threadjack, so we should take it to the "I lack belief in god" thread that she linked to.
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That's one thing I wholeheartedly agree with you on. :) Done.
 
We saw it last night, and it was hilarious. The film (playing to a full house, by the way, though in a small theatre) had lots of laugh-out-loud moments. In fact, my biggest complaint would be that when editing, they didn't seem to realize what moments would be laugh-out-loud moments and didn't allow time for the laughs afterwards, so you miss the next line every time due to the audience laughter.

Having said that, it is pretty much preaching to the choir. I doubt many people will go see it and suddenly "see the light." But it's good to have something like this out there.

And for that reason, I reiterate the opinion stated by others that you should go see this movie to show your support. That's why we made a point to go on opening day (something we haven't done in years).
 
wolfgirl said:
We saw it last night, and it was hilarious.

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And for that reason, I reiterate the opinion stated by others that you should go see this movie to show your support. That's why we made a point to go on opening day (something we haven't done in years).
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I saw it last night with some 25-30 people from my atheist group. It was lots of fun!

It certainly wasn't a very informative documentary, but I wasn't much expecting that.

I like that he found such colorful characters to talk to. He also had a great line for moderate believers of any kind--oh sure this is all nonsense, but the talking snake and the virgin birth --yeah that's all believable!

I think it's a good sign that a movie like this can be made and possibly even make money.
 
Digital Bit skeptic gave it a great review: http://www.dbskeptic.com/
I don't know whether to go tonight or to see it with my local atheist group next Saturday.

The reviewer, at first thought Bill was "preaching to the choir", but changed his mind because his friend who was Catholic saw the show with him and has decided to examine what exactly he believes and why. I think that's a good sign.
 
dudalb said:
....Just because somebody does not beleive in God does not mean he is a rational thinker.
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That's certainly true. In my own case, I became an atheist quite a few years before I became a full-fledged skeptic, though I think that escaping religion certainly helped me learn to think more critically in other arenas.
 
EeneyMinnieMoe said:
I saw it today and liked it well enough. It would get a 7 out of 10 from me.

Jim Emerson gave it a bad review but Roger Ebert granted it 3 and a half stars and said he found it very funny.

I'm a fan of Bill's and still regularly watch his show but he's not the best fit for a Michael Moore or Borat style documentary. His monolouges about religion on his show are interesting and funny but explanded to a 2 hour movie, they do come off as mean, cheap and a little relentless.

I think he intended his movie to be a Bowling for Columbine for atheists and agnostics or accomplish some of what Richard Dawkin's books did and it certainly doesn't do that. The movie is certainly watchable and entertaining and it is well-made but minor.
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I'll watch it when it reaches our cable movie channels.

I like Maher, too, but he can seem a bit "in your face" sometimes, particularly when he's on about his pet peeves -- the medical/pharmaceutical professions. That happens to be his "woo spot," and I don't dismiss him for having it, since I've met very few skeptics who don't have a "woo spot" or three in the deeper recesses of their brains. I think it comes with being human, so no big deal.

Fortunately, Maher's HBO show has just made it to one of our cable channels here in Australia, and both episodes I've seen so far had some laugh out loud moments. I'm a fan. :)


M.
 
Kittyclaws said:
I've only been listening for the last part of last season and this season just started so I've not heard all his opinions regarding medicine but I did catch a rant about how bad nutrition and poor environmental factors are mainly responsible for health problems.
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Yeah.... He said he doesn't believe in vaccination. He's a woomeister.
 
My only comment would be that I think it's highly arrogant of him to think that he is going to come along and single handidly destroy thousands of years of devoted tradition that many millions of people are quite fervent and obsessed about with his movie.

I can only see one reason to even make a movie like this, and that is to try and tear down religion. I don't think religion (in general) is going anywhere for a long, long time, and certainly not just because some snarky commedian makes a movie making fun of it, and using some of the same old arugments that are repeatedly used against (and then handwaved by) relgious people. It's only going to go away by education of upcoming generations and changing attitudes of people as a whole as we progress and advance.

It's preaching to the choir, it will only resonate with people who already agree. And it could end up causing him some personal problems (in terms of his personal safety) depending on what he has had to say about certain religions. It's an awfully big risk for little to no real progress or change. But it'll make him some money.
 
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i saw it last night and found it quite amusing. there were a decent amount of people in the audience, and it was well received by them as well. the crowd was definately reacting to it in a good way.

the movie was exactly what i expected it to be. a comedian made the movie. it was never going to be the be all end all debate, but it does one thing well. it might make a moderate person think a little more about religious beliefs that they were indoctrinated with. it's tough to question that kind of thing, and this may help open that door up for reasonable people who are still somewhat religious.

i'd recommend the film to anyone, and thought it was successful. it did remind me of the borat movie generally. there is a similar approach here, and i think that approach works.

i suspect for people just beginning to question their odd beliefs that this is a good and funny start, dawkins or hitchens come after this. in fact, i've found that the best way to discuss religion if i want to be persuasive when talking with believers is to start to get some rational thinking going, and start to question these odd bits of belief. you just get the ball rolling on rational thought and then something is accomplished. you can't do an aggressive attack at all religion straight away (although i'm absolutely anti-religion myself). so i think this film is a humerous start in the right direction of questioning for the moderate religious person.
 
I caught it on opening night and the theater was packed (the Oriental Theater in Milwaukee). I found it knee-slapping funny in many parts and, while this may not have been a documentary, definitely was an amusing look at religion and well worth my price of admission.

For a good portion of the movie I was looking around to see when the religious protesters would bust in or start yelling over the movie, but that never happened. Not even protesters in front of the theater.

If only this would make more money than Fireproof...
 
I saw it on Saturday at 11:00 am and there was a pretty good sized crowd. Everyone seemed to enjoy it and lots of laughter. I was kinda disappointed there were no protesters...:(
 
Puppycow said:
I never know what to call myself either. I just know that religions are wrong from the point of view of natural history and objective reality, I don't claim to know the how and why of the Universe. I guess that makes me an agnostic, but I'm comfortable with atheism too if it's not defined as making any claim to know the how and why of the Universe.

Non-religious is a pretty neutral term that works for me.
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The idea that there might be a god is so miniscule that it is a non-issue. There is ample lack of evidence in my opinion that there is no god and I dismiss the term 'agnostic' outright. I don't need to eat a dog turd to make sure it doesn't taste good.
 
I just saw the movie this weekend, and I think it was excellent. As in very funny, and not excessively in-your-face (as I had feared). Lots of laugh out loud moments. I thought it was interesting that the two Catholic priests were the most rational people he interviewed (by a rather large margin, I'd say). And one of them was just hysterical. I loved that guy.

It isn't much of a serious documentary, of course. But it was a lot of fun. And the theater was nearly full, with a most enthusiastic crowd.

I think my favorite moment was when the US Senator confirms his fundamentalist beliefs. He then says "Well, there's no I.Q. test to get into the Senate." And then he gets this I wish I hadn't said that look on his face...
 
Saw it, loved it. The serious point at the end makes quite a bit of sense. I do find it scary that people who wish for the world to end are often the same ones that have political power to bring it to pass.
 
Saw it with a group of friends. Lots of funny moments, but definitely concur that it was a preaching to the choir type of film, and not a serious treatise against religion - too much interview editing and jumping from topic to topic for that. The AV Club review mentioned a targeted focus on religion and politics would have helped reinforce the closing sentiments, and I agree - it's enjoyable, but not really a great condemnation of religion in general.

It did score some points on religion and politics (though perhaps in a narrow scope). Also against televangelist-type hucksters, and the insanity of the Middle East situation.

ETA: There's also nothing tremendously new here, for the knowledgeable non-theist (and perhaps theist) - most of the humor is Maher's presentation.

I liked that the best theologian was the theme park Jesus.
 
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