In the controversial style of filmmaker Michael Moore, comedian and social commentator Bill Maher has come up with Religulous, a movie that questions the roots of faith and criticizes the consequences of extreme religiousness.

Because of its deviant topic, the film was released in very few theaters. Now it can be seen on DVD, but viewers should be cautioned. Not only is it R-rated; Religulous absolutely denies the existence of any facts about religion and calls for rationalism instead of blind belief.

Maher claims he doesn’t want to enrage people but open their minds before believing and acting aggressively in the name of religion. His methodology is simple: he shows an absurd fact about religion, then questions different believers who (most of the time) get entangled in their own explanations. Using this Socratic type of dialogue, he proves his point—but also makes people mad.

Religulous doesn’t spare any faith. It attacks Islam, Judaism and Christianity, claiming they have been made up in order to keep people under control. It also maintains that the Bible and the Quran were not inspired but written by real people who did not witness the events they wrote about (in other words, nothing in the books is true). He mocks stories such as “the talking snake” and Jonah and the whale.

To support his thesis, Maher asks authorities in religion and science about the logic behind absurd religious tales. Among them are an ex-gay-turned-straight priest, a person claiming to be the second coming of Christ, a human genome project scientist, a Vatican priest, a Muslim cleric and many more.

Many of his interviewees are enraged by the questions, and some viewers will feel the same. But Maher says he’s only trying to find answers, and despite its controversial stance, Religulous is a must-see, if only because it takes us far from our comfort zone.

By Aysa Melkonyan