MOVIES: Religulous - Bill Maher

[jmcrae]

And if you’ve been seeing the same arguments no doubt you’ve been giving the same answers. They haven’t worked before, why would they now?

Actually, I’m being told that our collective efforts (certainly not mine alone) are making a world of difference in many people’s lives. People aren’t having “Damascus Road” experiences, to be sure - but they are reconsidering ideas they held before, and inching ever closer to the Catholic point of view.

Which is exactly as it should be - I certainly wouldn’t want either the sole credit or the burden of responsibility for someone’s sudden conversion - I always say, easy does it, and look both ways before crossing the Tiber.

 

[Deacon_Ed_B]

Only, you are judging him. Quite severely it must be said.

This is a common mistake of people thinking calling an action for what it is, is judging a person. It is not. It is recognizing an action for what it is. I have seen in print things he has said and have heard him on television. I know blasphemy when I hear it. I do not call it humor. I pray for him because of it. Judgment and justice are for the dead. This is why I pray for him while he is living. If you analyze what I have just said, you will recognize, or should recognize I am not judging him. If I did not care for his immortal soul, I would not pray for him. I suggest you do too.

What has jesus’ rejection of satan got to do with this? Satan was offering jesus ownership of the world, Bill is offering his tainted view of society and religion to the world. There is a slight difference.

BM is doing this for supposed fame and for money. Make no mistake about it. If you see lofty motives and just innocent motives, I will include you in my prayers also for enlightenment.

This is straying off topic a bit. If you would care to PM me, I’ll be happy to continue there.

With the issues being discussed, I think it best for others to have informed answers also.
Prayers & blessings
Deacon Ed B

 

[Sailor_Kenshin]

Apologies for the wait Deacon, didn’t see that message.

Why would you want to? Three reasons off the top of my head.

1. To understand exactly how bad it is
2. To see things from someone else’s point of view that you may better understand and forgive them, even while still disagreeing
3. Because Bill did not become a successful comedian for nothing, and so there may well be some genuinely funny moments.

But there would go two hours of my life that I could have spent cleaning toilets.

 

[Deacon_Ed_B]

But there would go two hours of my life that I could have spent cleaning toilets.

???

Prayers & blessings
Deacon Ed B

 

[jmcrae]

???

Prayers & blessings
Deacon Ed B

I thought it was meant to be funny. (It made me laugh, anyway.)

 

[Jwlynas]

One day I will learn how too (successfully) post multiple quotes.

I see yours points, all of them, and if you feel that you know his man and his motives well enough to be able to ignore the movie then more power to you. My only worry is that you do not take him seriously enough. Religious slander is common, but it has never before been taken to the “big screen” in such a blatant way (Dogma was a farce, and actually put the christian faith into a good light all things considered, and if anyone mentions Monty Pythons “Life of Brian” then they didn’t watch that movie)

Still, you know your minds better than I, and your religion doubly so, so I will concede for a time. Do try to avoid complete dismissing the movie out of hand as something that makes no difference.

Especially if there are any of you who saw Bill Pullmans novels as anything other than a childrens book

 

[pnewton]

On another thread about Dr. Dobson, I was accused by a fan of defending calling Bill Maher evil while complaining against Dobson being called a shameful bigot.

The difference is one is the truth and one is a lie. I know that among modern, progressive thinkers the concept of truth is watered down to oblivion, but such Truth exists. Even our legal system recognizes that libel is not the same thing as newsreporting.

Blasphemy is a evil biggie. Calling sin as sin is not bigotry. That simple.

 

[Jwlynas]

And who better to judge what is true and what isn’t than people who take personal insult from his words?

Thats not quite how it works I’m afraid. What Bill will do is no doubt show the worst reaches of religious hypocrisy and insanity and try to pass it off as the norm. While most sane people will know that the norm is more akin to yourselves, there is still the problem that the “religious” examples that he will give are no less truthful in their own minds than you yourselves are.

Trying to convince them that they are anything else would be like telling you that God is nothing but a comfort blanket (freud’s words I believe) or a surrogate father figure. You know that is false. The insane people “know” that what they believe is true. Only a completely neutral member of society, a type of person I’m fully convinced doesn’t exist, can judge truth by its merits and not by faith.

 

[pnewton]

Only a completely neutral member of society, a type of person I’m fully convinced doesn’t exist, can judge truth by its merits and not by faith.

Let me give you something new to think about. While I am not neutral, perhaps no one is now, I do carry a whole life of experiences. It is not that I have never questioned my beliefs or challenged my own preconceived notions. My lack of neutrality is offset by a life that is neutral on balance in pretty much every area of theology. I think the rarer person is the one that has never seriously considered that one’s beliefs were hogwash.

I wonder if an atheist like Maher has ever as an adult pondered on the existence of God?

 

[Publisher]

Let me give you something new to think about. While I am not neutral, perhaps no one is now, I do carry a whole life of experiences. It is not that I have never questioned my beliefs or challenged my own preconceived notions. My lack of neutrality is offset by a life that is neutral on balance in pretty much every area of theology. I think the rarer person is the one that has never seriously considered that one’s beliefs were hogwash.

I** wonder if an atheist like Maher has ever as an adult pondered on the existence of God?**

If you had seen the movie, you’d have realized…he has pondered the existence of God and the movie is really the “Why” of his search.

I too reject the religion Bill Maher rejects. The strange excesses of those “believers” he interviewed and portrayed pass as nominal Christianity…at least among most “Evangelicals” I have met…and while my experience in such matters is limited to family and acquaintences…the portrayal is pretty accurate IMO based on my experience with “true believers”.

There was much humor in the first 90 minutes of the movie…it got tedious and “hateful” the last half hour…IMO…and went a little overboard against the Muslims he portrayed…many Catholics would agree with his portrayal of Islam…any thread here on CAF could have been used for the movie.

Sectarian animosity was not lost on Mr. Maher.

 

[jmcrae]

Especially if there are any of you who saw Bill Pullmans novels as anything other than a childrens book

Actually, I’m avoiding the movie for many of the same reasons that I forbid my children to read those books. None of us need “extra” exposure to insults and lies.

 

[Blade_and_Blood]

I just got back from the movies. I saw that comedy/documentary “Religulous” with Bill Maher…

My God, that was a great movie! It’s a great movie that really makes you think and question yourself about society and humanity and its relationship with religion–general Christianity, mostly.

I highly recommend this movie for a bit of laughs and insights… but I have to admit, it sounds very much like a rant in some points. Either way, I’d seriously want to debate just like Bill Maher one day. It’s gonna take a lot of research.

Ironically Yours, Blade and Blood

 

[MarcoPolo]

I’d recommend setting my intellectual goals a little higher than Maher…but you might want to chime into this thread if you want to discuss that movie.

 

[Blade_and_Blood]

My Goodness, I know it’s a very harsh documentary on a few world religions, including ours, but, in my opinion, it’s a great getaway from all of the seriousness of it! I’m a pretty big fan of satire, if you didn’t already notice.

I think it’s a great documentary! Especially when he was talking about Mormons and Scientology… and it was kind of funny when he was kicked out of the Vatican.

But seriously. I definitely recommend it.

Ironically Yours, Blade and Blood

 

[e61iuser]

So how much did this senseless pap rake in the tills?

 

[Vulneris]

Anyone see it? I had to see it, because I heard it was funny (when it wasn’t insulting us) And I have to admit, it had times when it was jabbing Islam that I really laughed.

And then at times he would insult the Vatican and blasphemy in other indescribable ways when I would nearly walk out on the film. (Couldn’t do that, paid 7 dollars for the ticket)

 

[JesuXPIPassio]

I didn’t watch it and I don’t plan to, but I read that Maher interviewed two prominent Catholics priests: one from the Vatican Observatory and the other, Father Reginald Foster (Vatican Radio listeners will remember he does a weekly segment on Latin).

I was wondering how those interviews went. I like Father Foster; I hope Maher wasn’t super-obnoxious to him.

And, by the way, yeah, I realise that it’s lazy for me to not want to see it but to ask you guys about it, but my reasoning is that watching that movie would probably make me really mad and there are better ways to spend two hours than to be assaulted. Plus, judging from the trailers, it looks like Maher just went to the extremes of religion to make his point, and they don’t take into account the rest of us who are normal. In addition to that, editing the footage can make anyone looks bad, so there’s greater reason for distrust.

Anyway, with those of you who watched it, how did he cover Catholicism and those two priests?

 

[Lost_Found]

I didn’t watch it and I don’t plan to, but I read that Maher interviewed two prominent Catholics priests: one from the Vatican Observatory and the other, Father Reginald Foster (Vatican Radio listeners will remember he does a weekly segment on Latin).

I was wondering how those interviews went. I like Father Foster; I hope Maher wasn’t super-obnoxious to him.

And, by the way, yeah, I realise that it’s lazy for me to not want to see it but to ask you guys about it, but my reasoning is that watching that movie would probably make me really mad and there are better ways to spend two hours than to be assaulted. Plus, judging from the trailers, it looks like Maher just went to the extremes of religion to make his point, and they don’t take into account the rest of us who are normal. In addition to that, editing the footage can make anyone looks bad, so there’s greater reason for distrust.

Anyway, with those of you who watched it, how did he cover Catholicism and those two priests?

JesuXPIPassio:
I would agree with that assessment. The main gist of the interviews with both the astronomer priest and with Fr. Foster was to show us how knowledgeable people don’t really believe our Traditions. The astronomer said something to the effect that it’s very difficult for a scientist to accept our faith, and that he struggled with it. I recall the footage was dropped mid-sentence and you couldn’t tell when the astronomer was simply building up to his point. You had the impression the interview may have lasted hours and Maher only presented a few choice sentences. Later there was a stat at the bottom of the screen stating that something like 93% of scientists are atheists.
The interview made Fr Foster look very unorthodox. He was described as a high-ranking Vatican priest and when asked about hell, Fr Foster laughed it off saying that teaching is all gone now. And so it was with other topics.
I saw the movie with a good priest and afterwards he told me he was disappointed with his two fellow priests. Myself I wondered how many priests Maher had interviewed before finding those two. Furthermore he likely tricked them both because he was certainly not acting in good faith. At all. The movie was 100% one-sided. It dragged on and on, with all of the usual boring arguments, nothing you’ve never heard before.
If you’re secure in your faith you’ll find it ho-hum and mostly tiresome with the very occasional chuckle. If you’re an impressionable youth it will discourage your faith-life.

 

[Deacon_Ed_B]

I make it a strong point to try and NOT see anything he is involved with. He manages to push my mad button to easily. All I can say is keep him in sincere prayer. I cannot wish on him or anyone where he seems to be heading at this time. We can only pray the prayer of Jesus on the cross, “Father forgive him for he knows not what he does.”.
Prayers & blessings
Deacon Ed B

 

[jen_fla]

Father Barron on Bill Maher’s “Religulous”

creativeminorityreport.com/2008/10/fr-barron-on-religulous.html