movie: Religulous
Over the weekend I watched two very different movies that came out around the same time attempting to appeal to what some might consider to be the radical left and the radical right… although politics in reality is not that clear cut. There was first the messy, overly blunt and underly funny An American Carol. Next was the interesting, but not-quite satisfactory Religulous.
I’m not going to do a full on movie review of both pieces. Instead, I am writing this post because I really truly wish that Religulous had been made into a documentary TV series (a la 30 Days) and by a host whose purpose was to inspire conversation and debate on sensitive topics, rather than come across as a smart ass who apparently has the intelligence and the “luxury not to believe”.
Bill Maher is no Carl Sagan or Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe, and while I understand that his intent was not so much to make agnosticism or atheism “look good” as it was to make religion look stupid… making someone feel angry, embarrassed, or confused is not a road to enlightenment. There is a taboo in this country about questioning matters of faith, a taboo that I think needs desperately to be broken. Not because I’m an atheist looking for converts (quite to the contrary), but because with talking comes knowledge, with knowledge understanding, and with understanding comes peace. Misinformation and myth about who believes what and why is dangerous, especially about matters so core to how we live, how we raise our children, and how we vote.
I’m hoping that someone might stumble upon this post, and make that TV series I so desire, and to make it easy, I’m laying out a list of possible episodes below. These are topics that Bill Maher touched on in Religulous that I found interesting, but he did not give satisfactory analysis to. I want two sides debating, I want passionate people and objective historians, I want real statistics and scripture passages.
1. Are Islam and the text of the Koran inherently violent?
Let’s start this controversial conversation off with a biggie. If we could theoretically replace the belief in Islam with the belief in any other religion (say Christianity) in the Middle East, would it still be a violent place? Would suicide bombers be finding passages in any other holy book that gave them inspiration for violence? Is it just a matter of politics or is it a matter of religion?
2. Can science and religion co-exist?
How do different religions reconcile modern science? How do different religions cherry pick what science to believe or not believe? We have creationists on one side trying to use science to explain religion and promote a message of “mass conspiracy” from evolution scientists. But then we have the Vatican condemning intelligent design as “bad science” and supporting evolution. Then you have people like Richard Dawkins attempting to use science to disprove God.
3. Can you be rich and religious?
There is a big disconnect in the selfless poor lifestyles of Jesus Christ (or was he poor), monks, Buddha, and many other religious figures versus the ornate churches of Catholicism and the rich and famous lifestyles of televangelists. Is there something fundamental in the text of the Bible (or any religion) that denies one the rewards of this earthly world?
4. Is God an American?
That’s not the exact question I’m asking, but I couldn’t resist the reference to Bowie. God and country, separation of church and state. Many people think it’s right, many people think it’s wrong, and it’s interesting to know why. But more interesting to me is what was intended. What did our founding fathers want and what relationship did they have with religion? And what did Jesus think about nationalism? Are there policies of the “religious right” that actual go against the teachings of Jesus? If we were truly a Christian nation, what would that mean?
5. Do you need religion to be moral?
This is one of the biggest arguments against non-believers, that religion provides the moral backbone of humanity and that if religion was not there, all would be chaos. An interesting point to argue, I know where I stand… simply put that one that does not believe in an afterlife at all is likely to value this one life on earth pretty highly. Why doesn’t the 10 Commandments include “rape” and “child abuse”? What moral codes are included in ALL religions? Which ones contradict each other? What religious codes have made it into law?
6. Can you be homosexual and religious?
What are the texts in various religions that address homosexuality? Furthermore, what is the historic context (language, culture) around these texts? How do homosexuals reconcile their belief in an organized religion such as Christianity or Islam? How do fundamentalists who are adamantly against homosexuality based on religious belief reconcile Jesus’s message of tolerance and acceptance?
7. Are we genetically programmed to believe?
Is religion fundamental to our biology? Is it good or hazardous to our health? What goes on in our brains as a result of “faith”? Are some people more biologically designed to have faith than others? There have been some interesting studies done in this area. What other activity gives us the same brain patterns as praying or faith, or are there any substitutes for true belief?
8. What is a religion and what is a cult?
This one is a very interesting one to me. There are many Christians who would believe that creationist scientists are taking it “one step too far”. There are also many Christians who would classify Mormonism as a cult. And certainly many religious people are quick to call Scientology a cult. Can one believe in talking snakes but claim other’s beliefs in space gods as too “far fetched”? What is the line that distinguishes the believable from the implausible? What makes a cult a cult? Is a cult more dangerous than other religious belief?
9. Is believe in the “end of times” dangerous?
Are we reaching the “end of times”? What are the signs in the various religions that not only mark an “end” to life as we know it, but are showing that we are somehow approaching that mark? Are there people within our government who believe that the end is near and how does this affect the way they govern? How does this affect people’s everyday actions? How does this affect the way they vote and raise their kids? Is the “end” making us crazy or more cautious?
10. Where does religion come from?
There is a long a detailed history of religion. It’s existed for as long as humans have existed as a way to explain the unexplainable. Religions have influenced each other throughout history… stories of flood, virgin birth, resurrection. Is the Bible an original or a collection of far more ancient stories? Or is this anecdotal proof found across the world that these types of mass events (flood) did indeed happen?
11. Are we alone in the universe?
Aliens… let’s just put it out there. Does religion make room for aliens? And if they don’t, how do you reconcile the shear odds that the universe is so vast and so ancient that there must have been or be other life out there somewhere? Then again, are there scriptures in many religions that not only make room but somewhat acknowledge “unexplained phenomenon”?
12. Will secularization hurt society?
This is a different question than the morality question. Assuming religion and non-religion have equal impact on morality… are there other ways that secularization will hurt society? For instance, can we remove religion so much from everyday society (government, schools) that we create a sort of intolerance to religion? How do you balance tolerance for all faiths against tolerance for no faith at all? Does the diversity of religions provide conflict or a necessary cultural patchwork? Are we in danger of cultural homogenization?
I will leave episode #13 in the hands of you. What question about religion or lack of religion are you dying to ask? What questions keep you awake at night?
Marta Strickland
RECENT WINES