The God Who Wasn't There
The God Who Wasn't There is an independent documentary that explores the theory that Christ is a myth. It is written and directed by Brian Flemming, and was released theatrically on May 21, 2005, and on DVD on June 6, 2005.
| The God Who Wasn't There | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Brian Flemming |
| Written by | Brian Flemming |
| Produced by | Brian Flemming Amanda Jackson |
| Starring | Richard Dawkins Sam Harris Richard Carrier Alan Dundes Earl Doherty Robert Price |
| Distributed by | Beyond Belief Media |
Running time | 62 mins |
| Budget | Unknown |
Overview
According to the film's official website, the aim of the documentary is to hold "modern Christianity up to a merciless spotlight." The God Who Wasn't There, the website goes on to claim, is "bold and hilarious... [and] asks the questions few dare to ask. And when it finds out how crazy the answers are, it dares to call them crazy." Flemming is identified as an ex-fundamentalist Christian, and he is now portrayed as a "guide through the bizarre world of Christianity." [1] The film has inspired a great deal of controversy.
The film asks extremely controversial questions going to the roots of Christian belief. The documentary in particular proposes that Jesus is likely a fictional character who was never based on a real human, that Christian doctrine often contradicts itself, and encourages immorality when it serves the religion, and that moderate Christianity makes even less sense than the extremist form.
Appearances
Several notable personalities make appearances in the documentary.
- Scott Butcher is the creator of RaptureLetters.com.
- Richard Carrier is a philosopher and historian studying ancient science at Columbia University in New York, where he received a Master's degree in ancient history. His articles have been published in the History Teacher, the Skeptical Inquirer, and the Encyclopedia of the Ancient World. He served as editor-in-chief of the Secular Web for several years. His latest book is Sense and Goodness Without God.
- Alan Dundes was an anthropologist and folklorist. Until his death shortly after being interviewed for the documentary, he was Professor of Folklore and Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley. In 1993, he became the first American to win the Pitre Prize's Sigillo d'Oro, the top international prize in folklore and ethnography. His books include The Morphology of North American Indian Folktales and Folklore Matters.
- Sam Harris is a researcher into the neurology of religious belief.
- Barbara Mikkelson and David P. Mikkelson are the founders of the Urban Legends Reference Pages, widely considered to be the definitive source on the truth or falsehood of urban legends.
- Robert M. Price is Professor of Biblical Criticism at the Center for Inquiry Institute. His books include Beyond Born Again, Deconstructing Jesus, and The Incredible Shrinking Son of Man.
- Richard Dawkins is an evolutionary biologist and author of several best-selling books on that topic, including The Selfish Gene, the Extended Phenotype, The Blind Watchmaker, River Out of Eden, Climbing Mount Improbable, and Unweaving the Rainbow. Dr. Dawkins appears only on the DVD's commentary track.
- Earl Doherty is a modern pioneer of the Jesus Myth theory. His 1999 book The Jesus Puzzle lays out evidence for a mythical Christ. Mr. Doherty appears only on the DVD's commentary track.
Criticism
The film has come under scrutiny for a number of its claims. Central among them is the film's thesis that Jesus is a fictional character. This claim is considered by many contemporary New Testament historians to be a radical position. Essentially, the viewpoints of the scholars interviewed in this documentary (Price, Doherty) represent a minority viewpoint in the field of New Testament scholarship. Many mainstream secular scholars believe that Jesus was a real, historical figure in first century Palestine.
Some critics also take issue with the "ambush" style that Flemming uses at the end of his film when he returns to the Christian school of his youth. There he interviews a school administrator who appears to have agreed to the interview without being fully aware of the nature of the arguments Flemming puts forth in the film. The interview subject terminates the interview when Flemming begins asking pointed questions about the nature of Christianity and indoctrination into its dogma.
Distribution
After a world premiere in San Francisco on May 21, 2005, the film was released simultaneously on DVD and in theatrical exposure. The theatrical exposure varied from a one-week run in Los Angeles to individual local screenings sponsored by supporters. (A similar approach was successful for Robert Greenwald's documentary Uncovered: The Whole Truth About the Iraq War and other Greenwald films.) The documentary has been shown in Stanford, Birmingham, New York, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Nevada, Virginia, Louisville, Toronto and Norway. Unlike the majority of theatrical productions released on DVD, The God Who Wasn't There includes theatrical screening rights (called "public performance rights" in the industry), so that anyone who buys it can hold a screening, including a screening for paid admission.