Religulous

Bill Maher has done everyone a favor.

As only a comedian can, with his acerbic humor, he cuts through the fog of religion to reveal it's heart ... and, frankly, as one who has been a believer for 64 years, and a Presbyterian pastor as well, of the liberal sort, Maher uncovers the elephant in the room, the dirty little secret harbored in the back rooms of thought - that much of what passes for religion is invented and dysfunctional.

That Maher doesn't talk with folks like Desmond Tutu or Bishop Tom Wright leaves the impression that religion is pretty much the domain of kooks and imbeciles harboring the worst kinds of prejudice.

Well, if the shoe fits wear it.

Folks like Wright and Tutu are a voice in the wilderness, and though their voice is important, it's the wilderness that prevails.

Even in the sweetest folks I've known over the years, an unthinking acceptance of ideas, few of which are grounded in Jesus, but mostly in unexamined traditions that have more to do with culture and prejudice than faith, hope and love.

Maher sounds a warning that many within the folds of religion are wont to ignore, but only at great risk. From the Truckers Chapel in Raleigh, NC to the Creation Museum in Petersburg, KY, there is apparently no end to the incalculable depths of ignorance, blind belief and prejudice.

Yes, there are a lot of great and good minds at work, and women and men of vision and courage, who believe, and do so with great integrity, compassion, wisdom and wit.

But the Palins and Huckabees stand stage center - Palin is actually a believer; Huckabee a huckster - like glove and hand, a dangerous but an oh-so-comfortable fit.

I suspect that some who listened to Jeremiah and Jesus would say, "But it's not that bad!"

But it is, and only by going to the heart of the craziness can we ever hope to send the demons packing.

Anyway, as a documentary - excellent.

Editing is terrific ... and the whole thing, greatly entertaining. The title itself, amusing and important: a combination of "religion" and "ridiculous."

Maher's comments in the car after an interview, the sub-title comments during the interviews, the interspersed film and news clips, are hilarious, but don't let the humor fool you - Maher is a thoughtful man who's done his homework. The questions he raises and his sense of "doubt" are a needed ingredients for anyone who wants to a person of faith.

Doubt, the source of humility, was recognized by Paul Tillich in his book, The Dynamics of Faith and by St. John of the Cross in his Dark Night of the Soul.

Sometimes the best prayer is simply, "I don't know."

But I have question: not for Maher, but for the reader: What's the alternative? Smoke a joint and pursue whatever the instinct might be? Become our own little, very little, god? Retreat into some ultimate hedonism of self-interest? Pleasure?

Though religion is "shamelessly invented," there remains for me something good and important strong enough and good enough to counterbalance the centripetal energy of the ego. Hence, Mother Teresa, or Martin Luther King, Jr., or a Shane Claiborne.

Check out Toby Jones, an emergent church thinker for some further reflection on the future of faith and the church. Or David Crumm's "Explore the Spirit."

Is the film worth seeing?

You bet.

If you believe without thought, if you need others to be wrong in order for you to be right, you'll find this offensive and disturbing.

But if you want to see religion in the mirror of critical examination, and you're willing to see how bizarre your "fag-hating, bible-thumping" cousin down the block is, then "fasten your seat belt" and get ready for bumpy ride with lots of laughs and a serious message: "Grow up, or die" - "because we figured out nuclear weapons before we figured out how to be rational and peaceful."

Jesus Camp

I’m a Christian and have been so all of my life. I’m a pastor and have been so for 40 years, a Presbyterian type. My social views are liberal; my faith, pietistic. As a friend put it, “You’re a liberal with a personal relationship to Jesus.”

It’s all been good, and it’s all been real, which is why “Jesus Camp” breaks my heart and frightens me.

It’s a chilling tour of an American underground. This is the way it is for millions of “evangelical” Christians – I hate to surrender the term “evangelical” to them, but it’s been so badly tainted by their ownership of it and the media’s use of it, that I guess it belongs to “them” now.

They have a misconstrued and an inaccurate view of American history and the role of religion. They believe in a Golden Age for America, and now it’s all been lost because of political and religious liberals, epitomized in two “evils” – abortion and homosexuality.

They possess an overwhelming sense of being right, and through their networks and megachurches, their sense of entitlement to the faith is reinforced constantly. With homeschooling and summer camps, they’ve isolated their young and fill them with a self-righteous spirit that sees the world “out there” as evil. As one mother put it, “there are only two kinds of people in the world, those who love Jesus and those who don’t.”

This kind of bi-polar thinking distorts everything. As H.L. Mencken put it: “For every hard question, there’s an easy answer. It’s just happens to be the wrong answer.”

This kind of Christianity thrives with “easy answers.” Admit but one nuance, one variation on a theme, and the house of cards collapses.

If you see this documentary, be sure to watch the deleted scene - Ted Haggard’s sermon. The man seems demented, or at least, utterly full of himself. He plays to the camera – like a dunce, a fool. I couldn’t believe just how silly – or manic - he seemed, yet he was pastor of a large church in Colorado Springs and a Presidential advisor.

When a young camper named Levi (a very bright young man) has a chance to meet Haggard, the boy is awed, but Haggard is cynical and dismissive of the youth, questioning him for “lack of content” and being young, he can work “the young thing” to build a crowd. Later on, he’d get the content. You could see the hurt in Levi’s eyes.

Thankfully, the wave of evangelical influence has crested; the house of cards is collapsing. Haggard is gone. Falwell and Kennedy are dead. Dobson is slipping to the margin. The new pastor of New Life Church is sounding different themes.

Technically, “Jesus Camp” succeeds in portraying Becky Fisher, the founder and preacher for the camp in Devil’s Lake (Ironic?), South Dakota, as a genuine person, with a coherent vision, utterly devoted to the children. Though Haggard appears to be a buffoon, and some of the parents ooze self-righteousness as if they’re on drugs of some sort, Becky Fisher comes across with her own kind of integrity and intelligence. She’s the real thing, for sure.

That’s what good documentary work is all about!

For a great review, see Steve Almond’s: http://www.nextbook.org/cultural/feature.html?id=761

Steve writes from the perspective of Judaism, and one of the documentary makers, Grady, is Jewish.

They note in the interview what a fascinating relationship this form of Christianity has with the State of Israel and Judaism.

All in all, an important piece of work, a major contribution for anyone one who loves documentaries and a must-see for anyone who’s religious, especially Christians.