Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Now Showing

I attended the recent late-night sneak preview of Bill Maher's new movie, "Religiosus." Maher hosts the t.v. show, "Real Time with Bill Maher," which specializes in liberal satire of current events. His movie is an over-the-top "documentary" in which a dozen or more religious leaders in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are interviewed by him. Maher himself was raised Catholic by his Catholic mother and Jewish father, but became an atheist as an adult. So in the movie he delights in asking questions of the religious leaders, which makes them look foolish, stupid, scientifically illogical, or hypocritical. And some of them---e.g., the Hispanic minister who preaches that he's the reincarnation of Jesus Christ---obviously are. However, it's interesting to note that only two of Maher's interviewees come across to the theater audience (most of whom themselves are young-adult agnostics, according to polls taken at film showings) as reasonable or sympathetic, even though these two are professional religionists. And both of these two are Catholics: One is the Jesuit priest who heads the Vatican Observatory, and who makes it clear that Catholic doctrine and the scientific theory of evolution can be compatible; the other is an Englishman priest who works at the Vatican, and who scoffs at the pretentiousness often exhibited by his own Vatican bosses. (The movie doesn't state that the latter priest keeps his job, despite his public criticisms of the Vatican---which are well-known at least among Catholic academics---because he's one of only a handful of remaining experts in the world in the Latin language---i.e., he has true job security.)
At any rate, "Religiosus" has been properly criticized by some film critics, and it remains enjoyable. If it comes to town, try to see it.

-Old Gargoyle

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