The title of the movie “Religulous,” starring comedian Bill Maher, is a combination of “Religious” and “Ridiculous.” Like most of the bitter propaganda coming out of the atheist camp in the past few years, this movie will reinforce the anti-Christian attitudes among the atheists and their allies, but the content of the film is intellectually indefensible.

Here are two excerpts from a movie review by Mark Hemingway:

Still, it’s never taken much to scratch the surface of Maher’s glib opinions to expose the underlying dermatitis of vanity, egoism, and even outright hostility. Maher apparently thinks he doesn’t show enough of these unflattering traits when he discusses politics; that’s just about the only conceivable reason someone of his temperament would make a documentary about religion.

And thus was born Religulous. It’s hard to pin down where Maher falls along the atheist-to-agnostic spectrum, except to say he’s an avowed opponent of organized religion, which he has described as a “neurological disorder.” (Maher serves on the board of Sam Harris’s Reason Project with Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, which directly links him with the three biggest atheist intellectuals in the world.)

Of course, Bill Maher is also on the board of PETA, thinks milk is poisonous, and has stated that he doesn’t believe in vaccination or that Louis Pasteur’s germ theory of disease is correct. So while he may not believe in God, the idea that Bill Maher is somehow in a position to judge whose beliefs are reasonable is kind of laughable. 

Particularly when Maher thinks he knows so much more about the target of his opprobrium than he actually does. He makes his first mistake in the first line of the movie by referring to the “Book of Revelations” — it’s not plural — and it just snowballs from there. 

Within a few minutes Maher is denying not just the divinity of Jesus Christ but his actual historical existence, a question disputed by almost no credible scholar. You can argue that it is difficult to believe in Jesus’s existence considering that primary records for his existence are recorded by only a precious few devoted disciples who recorded his allegorical teachings in detail as well as the social unrest they inspired. Then again, if that’s the standard – you probably don’t believe Socrates either. 

[Underlining in the original]

And:

Maher doesn’t confront one serious theologian or apologetics expert in the entire film. Not One.

Don’t let your faith in Christ or in the Bible be shaken by these guys. They come across as confident and intelligent, but their arguments against Christ and the Bible don’t stand up.

HT: Stand to Reason Blog

Grace and Peace