I just got back from seeing religious with some friends. They all had great opinions on the film, but I want to hear more. But to be honest with you I’m sick of ranty rambling reviews. So I’m challenging everyone to keep their review to 100 words or less.

Please respond to this video with one of your own, or write a response in the comments below.

Here’s my 100 word review:

Religulous

Religulous is funny. The first hour-and-a-half of the film has hilariously awkward moments, slick one-liners, smarmy subtitles, constant laughs. But the ending isn’t great. (Bill) Maher spends so much time humorously “promoting doubt,” that in the end when he calls all the anti-religious to stand and be heard it falls flat. You can’t use a suicide bombing clip for a laugh and then try to use another for a doom-and-gloom call to action. It doesn’t work. Religulous will offend some. Others will gain that ember of doubt that can change a person into a fiery skeptic.

1. I’m sure you’ve all heard about Religulous by now. If not, watch the trailer. It’s not going to be a work of art, but it should be funny–even if you don’t particularly like Bill Maher. It comes out on October 3rd. Anyone interested in getting a Pittsburgh group together to see it?

2. I read a lot of Christian apologetics, theology, and evangelism materials. I know, call me a glutton for punishment. I’m planning on posting certain bits up here from time to time for review and comment, but this week I’ll start with something that’s just ridiculous…or, um, religulous. It’s from the collected sermons of early twentieth century evangelist and Bible teacher E. W. Kenyon, and it represents so much of what I disagree with in the religious mindset.

   The world has become doubt minded. In the higher realms of education it is a mark of scholarship to put an interrogation point after, every sentence and to challenge all the old landmarks. It is an unhealthy mental condition because questions are a sign of weakness. Doubt has never been a sign of strength. It isn’t doubting something, but it is believing something, that makes men strong. Doubts always bring unhealthy reactions. Faith always has healthy reactions. Blessed is the man who becomes Faith minded toward God; Faith minded toward the Bible and who reaches the place where doubt is unwanted and he shrinks from it with fear.

   I won’t even bother explaining why I think this is wrong (isn’t it obvious? isn’t it?), but I’ll at least say that Kenyon has fallen into the first fallacy of Pascal’s Wager when it comes to faith.

3. Friendly Atheist recently posted about this. He describes it as one of the most disturbing things he’s ever seen, and I’d tend to agree. Cheers!

Illustrated Stories from the Bible