Religulous Trailer

[TAP]

You are damn right about that Tap.  It is huge on what your parents do.  You have an advantage, you don't believe in anything.  So you can be more objective.  I am tainted because I was brought up a certain way.  I could have converted to anything though.  My parents were cool that way. I wasn't forced to do anything.  I attended functions of many faiths.  I find the new friends you meet out weighs being annoyed to join another church.

I was brought up (maybe even brainwashed) Christian - most self-defined atheists were also in my experience. You're right, I did have advantages, cool parents who didn't object when I realized religion had nothing for me in my teenage years even though they were still Christian, and I grew up in one of the few places on earth where it wasn't a social stigma to be non-religious. But I haven't reached this point by never believing or being subjected to religion very close up.

[Smoking Guns]

Haha, Arab, okay, Muslim.  Anyway, Freedom of Religion was a big part on why this country was formed.  Better?  Tap, I don't like the bashing of any religion weather Jewish, Hindu, Budist or Christian.  What is the point?  Its just a belief.

If religion was just a belief, neither the movie nor this thread would exist. I suspect you have to go further out of your way to find religion bashing, than I do to find religion infringing on my life. When was the last time you had atheists knocking on your door wanting to talk about evolution for example?

Do you know how fucking awkward this is?  I'm looking down at my hand-held e-mail device as I'm standing on Smoking Guns' doorstep all prepared to lecture him on the benefits of an existence free of religion...and BAM!  TAP makes this post!  

Seriously, November Rain was a stretch Smoking Guns.  In videos, Axl's been laughing it up driving with Satan himself, I don't think that means he condones Satanic worship.

Also, I bet Marilyn Manson collects crucifixes too...as it was pointed out, a crucifix fetish doesn't mean you are religious.

TAP makes excellent points.  I can't find one I disagree with.  

Obviously, Axl's a spiritual guy...the cool part about him is that he's never forced his personal beliefs on anybody else.  "Most organized religions make a mockery of humanity..."  Couple that with his upbringing mentioned earlier in this thread.  Couple that with his chronicled spiritual dalliances in the late '90's...we're all kinda searching....it's the a-holes who think their way is the best that we're talkin' 'bout S. Guns.  The a-holes who will tell others who don't believe the way they do, they're goin' to hell.

Now, imagine a world where we didn't indoctrinate children with religion up to the age of 18.....can you imagine how many would still choose to join a religion?  Trust me, it would fade like the setting sun.  People would learn that real peace and real spirituality isn't found in public gatherings...it's found within themselves.  

 Smoking Guns said, "Axl Rose being molested doesn't mean he stopped believing in God."  I'll agree with that.  It probably strengthened his faith.  People whose lives are hell need something good to look forward to.  That's the allure of heaven.  It's one of the main reasons you find those on the bottom of the socio-economic totem pole so disproportionally drawn to religion.
 

Guys, you both make great points and I agree with most.  Why are we arguing?  I think I was confused on beleifs and religions...  My mistake thinking you were knocking a faith, when really you may have been going after the church instead....  I was just saying lets not bash other peoples beleifs.  I agree, there is a lot of messed up stuff with organized faith.  I didn't want anyone reading this to feel uncomfortable. I think you two explained your points well and I agree.

[SLCPUNK]

I see nothing good that comes from religion, only bad. Fuck 'em all.

[TAP]

Why are we arguing? 

We aren't, you're just coming round to my way of thinking

But yes, I don't care about people's beliefs as long as it doesn't make them fly planes into buildings in my city, or tries to get science out of science classes in schools just as we're hitting a crucial period in history where we need to be at the forefront of science (new energy sources, global warming etc)

Also, if I wanted to talk about Axl, I'd go to the on-topic forums, but I don't want to  

[Axl4Prez2004]

SG, TAP, this is nice.     SG is right, I really think we agree on 99% of this stuff.   

What the hell were we talking about again?      
 

[Smoking Guns]

SG, TAP, this is nice.     SG is right, I really think we agree on 99% of this stuff.   

What the hell were we talking about again?      
 

  Okay, love fest over now... ha

[TAP]

Do you know how fucking awkward this is?  I'm looking down at my hand-held e-mail device as I'm standing on Smoking Guns' doorstep all prepared to lecture him on the benefits of an existence free of religion...and BAM!  TAP makes this post!  

[Smoking Guns]

Do you know how fucking awkward this is?  I'm looking down at my hand-held e-mail device as I'm standing on Smoking Guns' doorstep all prepared to lecture him on the benefits of an existence free of religion...and BAM!  TAP makes this post!  

That is a good one.  I hate it when people knock on my door period to sell stuff. 

[TAP]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/08/atheist.soldier/index.html

Atheist soldier sues Army for 'unconstitutional' discrimination

KANSAS CITY, Kansas (CNN) -- Army Spc. Jeremy Hall was raised Baptist.

 Like many Christians, he said grace before dinner and read the Bible before bed. Four years ago when he was deployed to Iraq, he packed his Bible so he would feel closer to God.

He served two tours of duty in Iraq and has a near perfect record. But somewhere between the tours, something changed. Hall, now 23, said he no longer believes in God, fate, luck or anything supernatural.

Hall said he met some atheists who suggested he read the Bible again. After doing so, he said he had so many unanswered questions that he decided to become an atheist.

His sudden lack of faith, he said, cost him his military career and put his life at risk. Hall said his life was threatened by other troops and the military assigned a full-time bodyguard to protect him out of fear for his safety.

In March, Hall filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, among others. In the suit, Hall claims his rights to religious freedom under the First Amendment were violated and suggests that the United States military has become a Christian organization.

"I think it's utterly and totally wrong. Unconstitutional," Hall said.

Hall said there is a pattern of discrimination against non-Christians in the military.

 Two years ago on Thanksgiving Day, after refusing to pray at his table, Hall said he was told to go sit somewhere else. In another incident, when he was nearly killed during an attack on his Humvee, he said another soldier asked him, "Do you believe in Jesus now?"

Hall isn't seeking compensation in his lawsuit -- just the guarantee of religious freedom in the military. Eventually, Hall was sent home early from Iraq and later returned to Fort Riley in Junction City, Kansas, to complete his tour of duty.

He also said he missed out on promotions because he is an atheist.

"I was told because I can't put my personal beliefs aside and pray with troops I wouldn't make a good leader," Hall said.

Michael Weinstein, a retired senior Air Force officer and founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, is suing along with Hall. Weinstein said he's been contacted by more than 8,000 members of the military, almost all of them complaining of pressure to embrace evangelical Christianity.

"Our Pentagon, our Pentacostalgon, is refusing to realize that when you put the uniform on, there's only one religious faith: patriotism," Weinstein said.

Religious discrimination is a violation of the First Amendment and is also against military policy. The Pentagon refused to discuss specifics of Hall's case -- citing the litigation. But Deputy Undersecretary Bill Carr said complaints of evangelizing are "relatively rare." He also said the Pentagon is not pushing one faith among troops.

"If an atheist chose to follow their convictions, absolutely that's acceptable," said Carr. "And that's a point of religious accommodation in department policy, one may hold whatever faith, or may hold no faith."

 Weinstein said he doesn't buy it and points to a promotional video by a group called Christian Embassy. The video, which shows U.S. generals in uniform, was shot inside the Pentagon. The generals were subsequently reprimanded.

Another group, the Officers' Christian Fellowship, has representatives on nearly all military bases worldwide. Its vision, which is spelled out on the organization's Web site, reads, "A spiritually transformed military, with ambassadors for Christ in uniform empowered by the Holy Spirit."

Weinstein has a different interpretation.

"Their purpose is to have Christian officers exercise Biblical leadership to raise up a godly army," he says.

But Carr said the military's position is clear.

"Proselytizing or advancing a religious conviction is not what the nation would have us do and it's not what the military does," Carr said.

The U.S. Justice Department is expected to respond to Hall's lawsuit this week. In the meantime, he continues to work in the military police unit at Fort Riley and plans to leave as soon as his tour of duty expires next year.

[Chief]

Exclusive: Director Larry Charles Gets Religulous


http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=49162

[SLCPUNK]

I heard Jesus is really angry about this movie, is there any truth to this?

[Dr. Blutarsky]

Religion is not a bad thing, just the people (and  there are a lot of them) who twist its meaning to fit their agenda.

[D]

I hate living in the south. This movie isn't playing anywhere............


Fuck em

To the Torrents!

[Chief]

Finally just saw this, it was pretty awesome even though it's obviously biased.. it shows a lot about people who really don't think all that much.
highly recommended!!!!

[SLCPUNK]

Finally just saw this, it was pretty awesome even though it's obviously biased.. it shows a lot about people who really don't think all that much.
highly recommended!!!!

He's a little too condescending at points, but it's very well done. I especially liked the closing argument.

Edit: The other point that was brought up, that I had posted years ago, was that the story of Jesus has already been told by a few different societies well before he came on to the scene.

The batshit crazy creationist museum that presented man and dinosaur living together was scary indeed. Stupid, stupid people.

I also really got a kick out of that priest at the Vatican. He was hilarious.

[Chief]

In the bonus footage he talked to this atheist guy who ironically part of a group who finds in 1973 out that man was created by aliens and he was sent to tell everyone.  that was kind of funny!  Intelligent design was one of the books up there.
the whole idea behind mormonism was also pretty out there.

the bonus footage is all good, especially when one dude communicates with his higher spirit on film. all the monologues on the dvd are great too!!!

[Skeba]

He's a little too condescending at points, but it's very well done.

Exactly the reason why I didn't like it... He tried really hard to make it look like he was actually searching for answers and trying to understand why some people feel the need to search for higher power,  but it became pretty clear that in most cases he tried way too hard to be funny and came out looking like a complete dick. I was pretty disappointed because I thought this could've made a great documentary. I do share some of the views that he had, but I just don't agree on the way he made the thing..

[norway]

Only the big religions, which isn't actually real religions, meh

[SLCPUNK]

He's a little too condescending at points, but it's very well done.

Exactly the reason why I didn't like it... He tried really hard to make it look like he was actually searching for answers and trying to understand why some people feel the need to search for higher power,  but it became pretty clear that in most cases he tried way too hard to be funny and came out looking like a complete dick. I was pretty disappointed because I thought this could've made a great documentary. I do share some of the views that he had, but I just don't agree on the way he made the thing..

I think you have to go into it realizing that Bill is just kind of a dick. Then it doesn't bother you as much. Also keeping in mind that the guy is a comedian first, so he will always explore that angle before anything else (ie cheap laugh before "serious" documentary.)

[Skeba]

I understand that... I just sort of wish he was good at that.. comedy. I don't know. I just didn't like the stand up bits all that much. I think religious nuts are usually funny enough as it is without someone trying to underline every little thing that's funny about the subject. But it might be more about me not liking Maher that much than anything else.