Selling God (2009)

Selling God: Directed by Carl Christman. With Bruce Gilman, Kirk Cameron, Bill Colwell Jr., Charles Teel Jr.. Selling God is a whimsical look at the Contemporary Evangelical Movement. It offers a satirical perspective on the many absurdities that arise when religion and popular culture collide and features interviews with Dr. Noam Chomsky as well as many other scholars and religious leaders.

“If youu0026#39;re looking for a fair and balanced representation of the diversity of Christians then this is not for you. If you are curious to understand more about the national phenomenon of large groups of citizens who form political/social opinions based on a complete lack of understanding of the actual issues at hand, then you will get a lot out of u0026quot;Selling Godu0026quot;. I gave this film a 10 of 10 for the simple reason that it tells a compelling story that contains facts about history and contemporary society and it does so in a way that I found engaging, educational, and very humorous.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOften times fundamentalist leaders speak of ignorance as if it were a virtue, and as if cultivating knowledge and understanding of the world around you is somehow antithetical to having faith. One of the most frightening manifestations of this phenomenon was best exemplified by George W. Bush when he bragged that the only book that he reads is the bible. I mean come on, who in there right mind can believe that is a good quality in a political leader?!! Having faith that God gave you the ability to do your job is one thing, but to believe that you donu0026#39;t have to do your job because you have faith that God will do it for you is just insane. Note to self: never go to a fundamentalist doctor (u0026quot;…never studied medicine very much, but I have faith that this pill ($100) will cure you. This movie describes Christian fundamentalism as a marketing campaign and I have to say that the model fits very well. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e1. Create a Need (Original sin and manu0026#39;s sinful nature) 2. Offer a product or service (Salvation though Jesus and since heu0026#39;s not here weu0026#39;ll be his agent and you have to trust us as much as you trust him) 3. Rewards and Consequences (Go to Heaven or Hell) 4. Create urgency (The futureu0026#39;s uncertain and the end is always near!) u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMade me think that modern marketing and public relations strategies are based on the whopping success of the Catholic church who enjoyed a virtual monopoly on every aspect of people lives for over 1000 years. Something that Walmart aspires to emulate I imagine. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eLastly I want to refute what a previous reviewer said about the film not making an effort to distinguish fundamentalists from sincere Christians who humbly draw personal strength from their faith in God without all of the hatred and ignorance. In fact 2 of the 5 (or so) contributing interviewees consistently represented Christianity as something that normal and healthy humans engage in as a way to muster the inner strength to be MORE loving and accepting of the world around them … as something different from fundamentalism. Even Noam Chomsky expressed his personal view that for many the Christian faith is a healthy and socially integrative practice in contrast to the socially destructive nature of fundamentalism.”