Road to nowhere?

"Religulous" is Bill Maher's attack on all things religious. Pretty much everyone is whipped in this mockumentary: Christians, Muslims (including gay Muslims!), Jews, Mormons, Scientologists, and some kind of Marihuana Church (based in Amsterdam - where else?). There is even an interview with a Puerto Rican preacher who claims to be the Second Coming. Clearly, it's Bill Maher contra mundum!

The concept is the usual one: interview real or perceived kooks, claim that they are representative of "religion" in general, and contrast it with the rational attitude of the narrator. Maher knows his Bible contradictions, non-Biblical Church traditions and Quranic suras by heart, usually stumping his interviewees. Which, of course, is the point of the exercise. His own attitude is agnostic rather than cock-assuredly atheist, but I think it's obvious that he rides on the coattails of the New Atheism. This is Maher's version of Richard Dawkins' "The Root of all Evil".

I don't deny that many religious believers really are quite mad, and it probably won't get better in the future. Unfortunately, militantly secular faiths aren't necessarily an improvement, and neither is nihilism. Maher's agnosticism might be a good antidote to fundamentalism or cultism, but then what? What is his alternative? "I don't know"? I'm sorry, but that just won't wash! Besides, he seems to know quite a lot if you pay attention: rape is wrong, evolution is true, miracles don't happen, Western democracy is better than Islam, etc. etc. How can objective values exist in a universe without a higher spiritual principle? "I don't know", presumably...

However, my main objection to "Religulous" isn't really this. I didn't expect Maher to be fair, objective and philosophical, LOL. I just don't think "Religulous" is good enough as a film. It's too long, too centred on Maher himself, and often frankly boring. If you are a militant atheist or pesky little agnostic, I think you'll appreciate "The Root of all Evil" more. Dawkins is a better narrator, gets to the point much faster than Maher, and interviews more scary (and, in a sense, more interesting) kooks.

But sure, this is a subjective impression from my part. Maybe I'm just too old for this kind of humour, or haven't smoked a sufficiently large amount of joints. Or maybe I secretly believe that Jonah really was swallowed by a whale, sorry, big fish? ;-)

Only two-and-a-half-stars for "Religulous". Ultimately, it feels like a road to nowhere...