10/8/2014 Ian Crowley

In Sam Harris TED talk he argues that science should be used to solve problems in human morality. When it comes to science things are either right or wrong. That is not the case with humanity however. All humans interpret morality in different ways, and Harris believes that science is the way to clear up the grey areas in morality. I thought that Harris' point on how women are portrayed in differently based on culture. In Palo Alto the women are forced to completely cover their bodies when they go out into public. In the United States and many other countries however, women are portrayed as sexual objects. It is clear that these are two opposite ends of the spectrum. The question is where is the perfect medium?

Bill Maher's Religulous

I'm preparing for the worst with this post...but here goes.
I absolutely loved this movie. And I don't mean any offense by saying that. I have struggled with the idea of religion and ascribing to one set of beliefs ever since I was 14/15 years old. I grew up in a reform (light) Jewish household. I celebrated all of the big holidays, and I was Bar Mitzvahed when I was 13. But in confirmation class when I was 15, the rabbi asked if I believed in God. When I said I wasn't sure, but that I was leaning more towards no, he told me flat out "you cannot be a Jew if you don't believe in God." And I never went back.
These staunch viewpoints held by so many people in the world have turned the idea of religion sour to me. And I think Bill Maher's documentary is a poignant, hilarious, and sacrilegious take on these ideas.
Sure he's an asshole, yeah he laughs at people's beliefs outright. But that's all part of his character. Like Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart, they appeal to a cynical and fed up audience. His qualities in no way make him a less intelligent person. In fact, that he is able to do these types of things makes his points even more effective in my mind.
I know many people will disagree with me, but the types of things Bill Maher said, the outright flaws he pointed out, and the unbelievable frustrations he has with the religious world happen to be many of the same things I believe.

Reaction to Religulous

After watching Religulous, I felt as if atheism was being thrown onto me. Personally, I am very interested in the sciences. Biology is my major and I find it remarkable to learn how everything works and where the organisms living today have come from. So it would seem that I like to have answers for everything, and that would be correct. But what bothered me in this film was that it felt as if Atheism was the only correct option in this debate. I consider myself a semi-religious person. I believe that there is a higher up power, and I also like to look for proof, but my proof doesn’t have to be the same as the proof of Bill Maher. I completely support the idea of Evolution, but my only difference is that I believe there is some other force out there that can control what is around us. I may be right; I may be wrong, but I found it kind of insulting to have my ideas shot down in a biased documentary. If this documentary offered both sides of the debate, and with that information proved my opinion wrong, I would be more willing to accept it. However, since Bill Maher and his crew, although they were very educated about the topic, took a stance that completely attacked my beliefs, I felt pressured in that my ideas were wrong. For an Atheist, this documentary would be perfect and hilarious, but for me, some parts were funnier than others and ended up making a documentary that contradicted my ideals.

Bill Maher's Religulous

Similar to Richard Dawkin's and Lawrence Krauss' The Unbelievers, it was hard to watch Bill Maher's Religulous at times.  The way these non-believers approached the religious views of other people was very rude and not very effective.  It was also frustrating and tiring to watch the ongoing cycle of Bill Maher attacking people's religious views followed by those people defending their positions.  There was no evidence to support any of the two sides, which would allow the viewers to base their opinions off of.  Instead, it just felt like both sides were very biased towards there own ideas.  Although I understand the message of the documentary, I don't think it was the best way for it to come across.  Whether someone is religious or not, I think it important to be aware and respectful towards both the scientific world and religious world.  If this was the case, people would  be less likely to force what they think is "right" on to others.