For a satirical documentary that damns dogma, “Religulous” sure is preachy.
Host-writer-producer Bill Maher and “Borat” director Larry Charles proselytize their theory that the blind faith behind organized religion may directly lead to civilization’s destruction. But because of the challenging questions they raise, you don’t have to buy their canon in order to be intrigued or entertained by it.
Though it insensitively arrives in theaters around the High Holidays and Ramadan and lacks balance and subtlety, “Religulous” succeeds as a gutsy, stimulating and frequently droll rant. It exposes the intolerance, absurdities and hypocrisy rife within the major creeds. And, it makes a compelling argument about both radical Islamists impatient for a virgin-filled paradise and fundamentalist Christians ready for Armageddon and the Second Coming. Each functions under a dangerous delusion, Maher suggests, lacking any vested interest in the long-term peace and preservation of the planet because heaven can’t wait.
