The God Who Wasn't There (2005)

61% of users liked it
(2,272 ratings)

Former fundamentalist Christian Brian Flemming places the core concepts of his former religion under the microscope in a documentary that attempts to do for religion what Morgan Spurlock's Super Size Me did for the fast-food industry. In his bold quest to seek answers to the difficult questions that… More Former fundamentalist Christian Brian Flemming places the core concepts of his former religion under the microscope in a documentary that attempts to do for religion what Morgan Spurlock's Super Size Me did for the fast-food industry. In his bold quest to seek answers to the difficult questions that few are willing to pose, Flemming is joined by Deconstructing Jesus author Robert M. Price, renowned historian Richard Carrier, and The End of Faith author Sam Harris. From the ignorance of many contemporary Christians as to the origin of their religion to the striking similarities between Jesus Christ and the deities worshipped by ancient pagan cults and the Christian obsession with blood and violence, this faith-shaking documentary explores the many mysteries of the Christian faith as never before. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 2 min.
Directed By: Brian Flemming
Genres: Documentary, Faith & Spirituality, Special Interest

In Theaters: May 21, 2005 Wide
On DVD: Sep 6, 2005

Critic Reviews

Harvey S. Karten, Compuserve
Maybe not as entertaining as 'Religulous' which stars Bill Maher, Flemming's film is charming enough, carrying interviews with believers and skeptics, the latter questioning whether Jesus even existed.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Embora exiba um amadorismo ocasional em seus aspectos técnicos (especialmente em seus gráficos e na narração) e seja curto demais, o filme defende sua tese de maneira interessante e articulada.
David Cornelius, Hollywood Bitchslap
Its arguments are too thin as seen here on their own... but it will get people thinking, talking, arguing.
Keith Breese, Filmcritic.com
You can argue all these "facts" until you're blue in the face but there is one truth about religion that Flemming seems to overlook: the facts don't matter

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Featured Audience Ratings

Ginny

Okay, this couldve been better if he didnt go about trying to be all radical in the end. I liked it, oh and that part with The Slammin of the Christ, referenced in the film about Mel Gibsons Passion of the Christ, funny and gory stuff. But seriously this was interesting. Ok, ok,… More
Okay, this couldve been better if he didnt go about trying to be all radical in the end. I liked it, oh and that part with The Slammin of the Christ, referenced in the film about Mel Gibsons Passion of the Christ, funny and gory stuff. But seriously this was interesting. Ok, ok, back to basics, the whole point of this film was about a guy who went out to find that dude in the poster. If you've studied Theology and the Bible, I encourage you to watch this and make up your own mind about it. ALWAYS, ALWAYS MAKE UP YOUR OWN MIND ABOUT THINGS and not because someone said so and so on and so forth. Y'know, all this commotion about Carlos Celdran, its the perfect time to watch this film. Recommended to watch along with Zeitgeist.
James A

If you believe in magic and or myths you will most likley hate this doc and say that its something Satan created to test you.
Byron B

Where to start? I loved this and think more people should see it. Well illustrated points about the historical inaccuracy and mythical adoption of the Jesus story in the bible. There are many zealous Christians portrayed, which should cause fear deep within more people for the… More
Where to start? I loved this and think more people should see it. Well illustrated points about the historical inaccuracy and mythical adoption of the Jesus story in the bible. There are many zealous Christians portrayed, which should cause fear deep within more people for the direction they intend to take us as human beings. For those of you who are insulted by this type of movie questioning your beliefs, do you realize how those of us with little faith view The Passion of the Christ for instance? It is downright sickening and tragic to think that all that blood and violence is filling your spiritual thirst, that the history of the church tries not to acknowledge it has anything to do with former barbaric rituals. The main point of this movie is that doubt is worth exploring, because we need to get beyond such an unquestioning trust of those who tell us these bible stories are fact; and realize that then either God does not exist or God should not be a being that instills this fear in people because it leads to such irrational acts. Religion should not be the only source of joy and hope and meaning and purpose for people. The ending is not satisfactory as he lashes out at the school and beliefs he was raised with, but hey, I get it, I'm upset too when I think about my religious childhood and conflicting lessons and the disillusionment I found as I became older.
Marion R

The narrator starts off with a list of bad people who were christian, criminals and killers come in all faiths. Blaming Christianity for the problems of the world feels like a cop out. Meh, I think people should at least respect other people's religions no matter how stupid it… More
The narrator starts off with a list of bad people who were christian, criminals and killers come in all faiths. Blaming Christianity for the problems of the world feels like a cop out. Meh, I think people should at least respect other people's religions no matter how stupid it might seem to you. It's called tolerance.
Timothy O

I would have done this differently, but it is an excellent indictment of religious fantasy.
Sarah P

A great documentary - my only complaint was that it was much too short.