Dear Bill:

Thanks for your new film, Religulous, I am looking forward to seeing it at my local theater. You and I share a strong interest in spirituality and the way humans live out and express their religious inclinations.



People follow religions for a number of reasons. I assume your film will touch on some of them, such as societal, political and familial influences, which often take precedence over critical thinking. We are creatures of habit and routine in most areas of our lives and it is no surprise that this would persuade our religious choices as well. But one of the more important reasons people follow religion, which critics rarely address, is well past due for fair consideration. It is an aspect of each one of us that constantly yearns for expression and development.

It is love.

For those of us who wake up in the morning to idyllic settings, be they cityscapes or more pastoral surroundings, and share an awe for the created world around us, who, as the day progresses may pause to consider the beauty of music, art, and the touch of a friend in times of joy or sadness, who amidst a world of fear, anger and terror – much of it unexplained - many of us routinely long for, experience, and seek to perpetuate, love.

Some of the best frameworks for developing and sharing love are religious. As a Christian I find that the story of a God who created the world and said it was good, delivered a band of followers from slavery into freedom, and loved a human world enough to leave heaven and take on human form, speaks of a perfection of love that all humanity is seeking. For what better love is there than for a person to give his life for another? It is the desire to embrace and model this love, for myself, my loved ones and for all of humanity, that motivates me to follow a religion where the overarching theme is to help me see the world through eyes of love.

Rabbi Harold Kushner writes in his book, Who Needs God: "Religion is not primarily a set of beliefs, a collection of prayers or a series of rituals. Religion is first and foremost a way of seeing. It can't change the facts about the world we live in, but it can change the way we see those facts, and that in itself can often make a differences."

I am not bothered by critical examination of religion – in fact, I would hope to welcome it as it broadens our understandings. But as a critic, please understand that the motivation for following religion isn’t in every instance laziness, stupidity, tradition or an absence of critical thinking, it is quite often an active quest to become our best selves- beings who desire most of all to walk in love.