Touches You

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

"An Atheist believes that a hospital should be built instead of a church. An atheist believes that deed must be done instead of prayer said. An atheist strives for involvement in life and not escape into death. He wants disease conquered, poverty vanished, war eliminated." - Madalyn Murray O'HairI came across this quote today and a google search lead me to Ms. O'Hair and then this video. I am an atheist and an apostate of evangelical Christianity, and this is my reason for suddenly having an interest in Madalyn O'Hair. I found this documentary to be a good starting point, giving her history, her mission and her unfortunate and gruesome demise. Like the previous reviewer said: 60 minutes is not enough time to spend on this subject, but it is a start. I was captivated by the investigation of her disappearance, but would have like to have heard more about her. Regardless of this it was an awesome documentary and will be recommend it to my friends. Unfortunately it only appears to be available here on youtube and no for ale on DVD.

Godless in America to me is a thought-provoking documentary that attempts to depict the uncertain status of atheists in America. I noted the dichotomy in the film's structure as well as the treatment of that makes the film stumble rather noticeably, but the overall topic is presented in a manner to make one think about the real meaning of tolerance in our country in addition to the overreaction of Christians to a questioning of their belief system.The first part shows O'Hair's struggle to rid public schools of public prayer. She is depicted as highly partisan as well as narcissistic; she seemed to enjoy the notoriety she caused just as much as the supposed rights she won for others. Most Christians do not object to public prayer, but I recall as a Roman Catholic youth not saying the added tag to the Lord's Prayer and being confused about the whole issue. I would like to have seen the film develop the reactions of Jews, Buddhists, Muslims, Wiccans, and other splinter religions to the issue of school prayer. On the other hand, the clips of Christians preaching are worthy of Michael Moore in the self-ridicule they evince. But they do show effectively the cultural climate of extreme purveyors of theism in the harsh and intolerant tone of their rhetoric.A deeper question is the over the top reactions of many of the Christian figures. Many figures, such as President Bush, are cited as without thought considering America traditionally Christian. I live in Virginia and, frankly, am profoundly disturbed by the theistic structure of society. Pat Robertson, for example, constantly fans the flames of intolerance with impunity; he has stated that only Protestant Christians, for example, should be entitled to hold government offices. Don't let the retractions fool you – he will make an outlandish statement to communicate to his base and then retract it when pressed by the media, but his work has been done. He has spread his word to the anointed. Despite the fact that religious demonstrations are supposedly banned in public life, prayer in the from of "A Moment of Silence" still persists, and most local government functions begin with a demonstration of prayer, rotating religious beliefs among local, usually fundamentalist, denominations. One county in the state, when Wiccans applied to run a meeting, removed the prayer rather than let that group have the floor.The lack of tolerance by religious figures is shown rather dramatically. O'Hair and her family were threatened and received death threats. Through all this she reveled in the attention and power. She spread to other inflammatory issues such as the phrase "under God" on coins and in the Pledge of Allegiance and even masturbation. Her abrasive personality does not endear her to anyone. She even paired with a minister in a sort of traveling show in which they paired off in "debates." Of great interest are the interviews of people whom she influenced. Incredibly, she was an effective leader of her movement. In fact, she reminds me of on old-time politician leaving seeds of rhetoric that have sprouted.The circumstances of her last years and death are strange. What is more strange is the lack of interest shown by the then governor of Texas, now president, Bush and the state police who showed no interest in investigating her disappearance. Should one's theistic position determine whether or not the government extends the normal protective arm it does to other citizens. Her son's conversion to Christianity is another complication that gives depth to her characterization. Watch the film for the end and think about her plight. The assertions of majority rule by on of the theists in the film chills me. He states that religion is necessary to an ordered life, yet most wars and prejudice in world have a strong religious component. Look at India and Pakistan or Ireland and England. Would the conflicts there be so intense if they were not theistic in nature? I haven't even mentioned the hate Muslims have for the USA. It is very difficult to think of religion as peace inducing when some many are based on religious convictions.All in all, I found watching the film did what any effective documentary should do; it made me look at our society in a new light. What does tolerance mean? What is the role of religion in public life? How should government protect minorities? How much of seeking for rights is self-promotion? Would we be content if our group were marginalized?

Godless In America does its subject a disservice by trying to tell a complex story in less than an hour. For the first thirty minutes, the film provides a potted biography of the much maligned Madlyn Murray O'Hair, then segues into a murder mystery during its second half. Though this is fascinating stuff, it's clumsily and rather carelessly presented. O'Hair herself is seen far too briefly in speeches and TV appearances, padded out with unrelated stock footage. While ostensibly telling the story of the life and death of 'America's most hated woman', the film is also rather condescending towards her and, of course, towards atheism in general. Atheists are presented as a slightly kooky and beleaguered minority, and O'Hair is ridiculed for having a Christmas tree. On the flip side, Christians are presented as enemies of the separation of church and state. In reality, there are many Christians dedicated to maintaining this constitutional barrier, and, believe it or not, some atheists (including yours truly) who celebrate Christmas. Hey, it's a pagan thing--and living in the Bay Area, it's kinda hard to feel oppressed. Of course, if I had to live in Texas or South Dakota, I'd no doubt feel differently. Regardless, it's well past time for atheism to get its day in the sun, and unfortunately this film doesn't get the job done.