The God Who Wasn't There
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| The God Who Wasn't There | |
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| Directed by | Brian Flemming |
| Produced by | Brian Flemming Amanda Jackson |
| Written by | Brian Flemming |
| Starring | Brian Flemming (narration) Sam Harris Richard Carrier Alan Dundes Barbara Mikkelson David P. Mikkelson Robert M. Price Scott Butcher Ronald Sipus |
| Distributed by | Beyond Belief Media |
| Release date(s) | May 21, 2005 |
| Running time | 62 mins |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The God Who Wasn't There is an independent documentary written and directed by Brian Flemming that questions the historicity of Jesus and examines evidence that supports the theory that the historical Jesus did not exist. Portrayed as a "guide through the bizarre world of Christianity", The God Who Wasn't There has generated significant controversy. According to the film's official website, the aim of the documentary is to hold "modern Christianity up to a merciless spotlight." The documentary's website goes on to claim it "...asks the questions few dare to ask. And when it finds out how crazy the answers are, it dares to call them crazy."[1]
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[edit] Overview
Claims made by Flemming and interviewees in The God Who Wasn't There include:
- The divine Jesus was based on older, mythic "savior figures" such as Dionysus and Mithras and that Christian leaders are reluctant to teach early church history because it supports, rather than debunks the theory that Jesus was a mythic figure rather than a historic personage;
- The letters of Saul/Paul of Tarsus, which were written prior to the Gospels, did not recount much of what is known as "the Jesus story", and only mentions the crucifixion, the resurrection, and the ascension as happening in a mythic realm, rather than in an Earthly one;
- Moderate Christianity makes even less sense than a fundamentalist interpretation of Christian doctrine; and
- Christian doctrine is contradictory.
Brian Flemming also accuses Mel Gibson of going "out of his way" to emphasize the blood and suffering in his film, The Passion of the Christ and that the Jesus story gives Christians a suffering hero. Flemming quotes a number of scenes from the film and a running tally of depictions of violence, suffering or bloodshed is shown.
The Christians shown in the film were people attending a Billy Graham Crusade event at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on November 18, 2004.
[edit] Appearances
- Several notable personalities make appearances in the documentary:
- Scott Butcher is the creator of the Rapture Letters.com website.
- 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 Holy Writ as Oral Lit: The Bible as Folklore, The Morphology of North American Indian Folktales, and Folklore Matters.
- Sam Harris is a researcher into the neurology of religious belief, and author of The End of Faith.
- 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.
- Ronald Sipus, principal of Village Christian School, which Brian Flemming attended as a youth. During the interview, Sipus accused Flemming of misrepresenting himself and walked out.
- The following only appear on the DVD's commentary track:
- Richard Dawkins is an eminent British evolutionary biologist and popular science writer. His best-selling books include The Selfish Gene, The Blind Watchmaker, and The God Delusion. Dawkins is a staunch atheist and an established critic of creationism.
- Earl Doherty is a modern pioneer of the Jesus Myth theory. His 1999 book The Jesus Puzzle lays out evidence for a mythical Christ.
- The Raving Atheist is a lawyer and atheist blogger read widely in the blogosphere.
[edit] Distribution
After a world premiere in San Francisco on May 21, 2005, the film was released simultaneously on DVD and in theaters. Theatrical exposure varied from a one-week run in Los Angeles to individual local screenings sponsored by supporters. The documentary has been shown in 16 states as well as Canada, Japan, and Norway. Unusually, purchase of The God Who Wasn't There DVDs includes "public performance rights". Thus any DVD owner can hold a screening and even charge for admission.
