Examine individual changes

'{{multiple issues|lead too short=February 2011|refimprove=February 2011|unencyclopedic=February 2011}} {{morefootnotes|date=February 2011}} '''Religious satire''' is a form of [[satire]] targeted at [[religion]] and religious practices. Religious satire can be the result of [[agnosticism]] or [[atheism]], but it can also have its roots in belief itself. According to Kantra, in religious satire, man attempts to violate the divine – it is an effort to play God, in whole or in part - whether under the banner of religion or of humanity <ref> All Things Vain: Religious Satirists and Their Art, Robert Kantra, 1984 </ref>. Religious satire surfaced during the renaissance, with works by Chaucer, Erasmus and Durer. ==Examples of religious satire and satirists== [[Image:Bill Maher by David Shankbone cropped.jpg|thumb|right|[[Bill Maher]], satirist behind the film ''[[Religulous]]''.]] === Films & documentaries === * ''[[Monty Python's Life of Brian]]'' (1979) * ''[[Dogma (film)|Dogma]]'' by [[Kevin Smith]] (1999) * ''[[Saved!]]'' by [[Brian Dannelly]] (2004) * ''[[Religulous]]'' by [[Larry Charles]] and [[Bill Maher]] (2008) * ''[[Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs]]'' (2008) * [[The Invention of Lying]] by [[Ricky Gervais]] and Matthew Robinson (2009) ==== Characters ==== * [[Zarquon]] is a legendary prophet from [[Douglas Adams]]' [[Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy]] who was worshipped by a small number of people. His name was used as a substitute for "God." === Literature & publications === * Collection of stories ''[[The Canterbury Tales]]'' (14th century) by [[Geoffrey Chaucer]] * Assay ''[[The Praise of Folly]]'' (1509) by [[Desiderius Erasmus]] * Novel ''[[A Tale of a Tub]]'' (1704) by [[Jonathan Swift]] * [[Robert Burns]] poem ''[[Holy Willie's Prayer]]'' (1785), which is an attack on religious hypocrisy * Christian satire and humor magazine ''[[The Wittenburg Door]]'' (since 1971) * [[Robert A. Heinlein]]'s novel ''[[Job: A Comedy of Justice]]'' (1984) * [[Christopher Moore]]'s [[absurdist]] novel ''[[Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal]]'' (2002) * The controversial "Islamophobic" [[Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy|Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons]] (2005) * ''How to Build a God in Your Garage: A Step-by-Step Guide to Conceptualizing and Establishing a Religious Organization'' (2009) by Chris Neal * ''Celeterra'' (2011) by Clemens P. Suter === Plays & musicals === * ''[[Tartuffe]]'' (1664) by [[Molière]] * ''[[Inherit the Wind (play)|Inherit the Wind]]'' (1955), which fictionalizes the [[Scopes Monkey Trial]] of the 1920s * ''[[Jerry Springer: The Opera]]'', notable for its irreverent treatment of [[Judeo-Christian]] themes * ''[[A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant]]'' (2003), which makes fun of [[L. Ron Hubbard]] and [[Scientology]] * ''[[Saturday's Voyeur]]'' is a parody of life in [[Utah]] and [[Mormon]] culture * [[The Book of Mormon (musical)|The Book of Mormon]] (2011) A broadway production about two young Mormon Missionaries sent to Uganda, written by [[South Park]] creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker === Television === * [[Futurama]] episode "[[A Pharaoh to Remember]]" features a religious ceremony in which a [[priest]] chants, "Great Wall of Prophecy, reveal to us God's Will, that we might blindly obey!" and celebrants answer, "Free us from thought and responsibility." * ''[[South Park]]'' has satirized [[Christianity]], [[Mormonism]], [[Judaism]], [[Islam]], [[Scientology]], and other religions * Satirical Australian documentary miniseries ''[[John Safran vs God]]'' (2004) * British [[sitcom]] ''[[Father Ted]]'', which lampooned the role of the Catholic Church in Ireland ==== Characters ==== * [[Princess Clara]] of ''[[Drawn Together]]'' is a devout Christian who is often used to lampoon [[conservative Christianity|conservative Christian]] viewpoints * [[Ned Flanders]] of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' is an [[Evangelical Christian]] who practices ''[[sola scriptura]]'' === On the web === * ''[[Sinfest]]'', an internet comic strip by [[Tatsuya Ishida]] that frequently stresses religious issues (since 2000) * Semiweekly comic ''[[Jesus and Mo]]'' (since 2005) * Comedic short film series ''[[Mr. Deity]]'', which stars God, his assistant, Jesus, Lucifer, and several other characters from the ''[[Bible]]'' (since 2006) * The ''[[LOLCat Bible Translation Project]]'', a [[wiki]]-based project by Martin Grondin (since 2007) === Parody religions === * The [[Flying Spaghetti Monster]] is the [[deity]] of the "Pastafarian" [[parody religion]], which asserts that a [[supernatural]] [[Creator deity|creator]] resembling [[spaghetti with meatballs]] is responsible for the creation of the universe. Its purpose is to mock [[intelligent design]]. * The [[Invisible Pink Unicorn]] is a [[goddess]] which takes the form of a [[unicorn]] that is [[paradox]]ically both invisible ''and'' pink. These attributes serve to satirize the apparent contradictions in properties which some attribute to a theistic God, specifically omniscience, omnipotence, and omnibenevolence. * [[Discordianism]] is centered around the ancient [[Greco-Roman]] goddess of chaos, [[Eris]], but draws much of its tone from [[Zen Buddhism]], Christianity, and the [[beatnik]] and [[hippie]] [[counterculture]]s of the 1950s and 1960s (respectively). Its main holy book, the ''[[Principia Discordia]]'' contains things such as a commandment to "not believe anything that you read," and a claim that all statements are both true and false at the same time. * The [[Church of the SubGenius]] pokes fun at many different religions, particularly [[Scientology]], [[Televangelism]] (and its associated [[Christian evangelist scandals|scandals]]), and other modern beliefs. * The worship of "Ceiling Cat" among [[Lolcat]]s. Ceiling Cat's enemy is Basement Cat, a black cat representing the [[devil]]. === Miscellaneous === * [[Voltaire]] * The [[Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence]], a street performance organization that uses Catholic imagery to call attention to sexual intolerance and satirize issues of gender and morality * [[The Brick Testament]], a project in which the stories of the Bible are illustrated with [[Legos]] ==Criticism and censorship== Religious satire has been criticised by those who feel that sincerely held religious views should not be subject to ridicule. In some cases religious satire has been censored - for example, Molière's play ''[[Tartuffe]]'' was banned in 1664. The film ''[[Life of Brian]]'' was initially banned in Ireland, Norway, some states of the USA, and some towns and councils of the United Kingdom.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/7530542.stm Vicar supports Life of Brian ban]</ref> In an interesting case of life mirroring art, activist groups who protested the film during its release bore striking similarities to some bands of religious zealots within the film itself.<ref>Dyke, C: ''Screening Scripture'', pp. 238-240. Trinity Press International, 2002</ref> Like much religious satire, the intent of the film has been misinterpreted and distorted by protesters. According to the [[Monty Python|Pythons]], ''Life of Brian'' is not a critique of religion so much as an indictment of the hysteria and bureaucratic excess that often surrounds it.<ref>{{citeweb |title= The Secret Life of Brian |date= 2007 |url= http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDCAJTrF1gg }}</ref> The issue of [[freedom of speech]] was hotly debated by the UK Parliament during the passing of the [[Religious Hatred Bill]] in January 2006. Critics of the original version of the Bill (such as comedian [[Rowan Atkinson]]) feared that satirists could be prosecuted, but an amendment by the [[House of Lords]] making it clear that this was not the case was passed - by just one vote. <ref>{{citeweb |title = Votes on the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill | date = 2006 | url = http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/search.php?query=racial+and+religious+hatred+bill }}</ref> In 2006, [[Church_of_the_SubGenius#Legal_matters|Rachel Bevilacqua]], a member of the [[Church of the SubGenius]], known as Rev. Magdalen in the SubGenius hierarchy, lost custody and contact with her son after a district court judge took offense at her participation in the Church's [[X-Day (Church of the SubGenius)|X-Day]] festival. [[Richard Dawkins]] frequently points out that there is no reason to exclude religion from objective studying as any other social phenomena. ==See also== * [[Anti-Catholic satire and humor]] * [[Parody religion]] * [[Freedom of speech versus blasphemy]] * [[Discordianism]] ==References== {{Reflist}} {{relphilpop}} [[Category:Criticism of religion]]'