I'm Going to Protest "Paul" For Its Anti-Christian Stance! ...after I see it a couple times, of course...

I saw the new Simon Pegg/Nick Frost film, "Paul," last week and for the hell of it, decided to peruse the IMDb.com site to see what fellow film-goers had to say regarding the film. To my surprise, there were numerous posts about Pegg, Frost and company crossing the line from funny to offensive with how they mocked organized religion in the film, Christianity in particular. These people went on to say there was a liberal, atheistic, Hollywood agenda attached to the film. Some said they'd protest the movie. Others said they'd contact whomever they could to prevent there from being a sequel or for this film to have any success at the box office. Some people complained that "Paul" wasn't fair and balanced in their criticism of organized religion, as they spent most, if not all of their time, attacking Christianity. Some parents declared they wouldn't allow their kids to see such a film and demanded that other parents hold the same stance.

How I love to see religious folk riled. It's a personal fetish of mine to stir the pot just enough (eh, okay, perhaps overly so at times) to get a rise (not that kind of rise, unless we're talking about priests, then that's another matter entirely) out of them and munch on some popcorn as they come forth with drivel. Just thinking about it right now has put a wide grin on my face, which could have only been implanted by Satan himself (or herself or itself, whatever)!

First off, the film is rated R. No child under 17 can see the movie unless they're with an adult. So, for those parents whom said they wouldn't allow their kids to see the film, that's fine. They can't see the film unless a person such as yourself went with them. So, relax.

Secondly, let's remove that giant log that has been inserted in your rear. I have a hunch it will be a difficult operation, but that's why doctors go to school for so long and get paid what they do. How many films, comics, television programs have poked fun at religion? Are these same people going to complain about and protest each and every such program/performance? Best of luck with that.

Also, why do they think Christianity was the focal point of the religious jokes? Could it be because the majority in this county, the U.S. of A., whom practice religion, is Christian? What, am I going to give speeches at youth basketball camps across the country and talk to them about baseball? Of all organized religions, Christianity is the most practiced in this country. A good chunk of people are not well versed in religions other than that which they themselves practice. If Pegg and Frost spent most of their time poking fun at Hinduism, Buddhism or Islam, a good chunk of viewers would not understand the references and would therefore not laugh at the jokes. Were the religious jokes necessary? That is more worthy of debate. But since the jokes were included in the film, questioning why Pegg and Frost focused on Christianity more so than any other religion, is a tad... Oh, what's the word? Help me out here... I'll let you fill in the blank.

Do these religious folks truly believe that the intent of this film was to turn people away from organized religion? From Christianity? From Jesus? Really? It's a comedy. The intent is to provoke smiles and laughter, not to "brainwash" young people's minds into believing that science, not religion, is the way to go. Although... Eh, nevermind. Do we have to take things so seriously all the time? Someone even compared this film to "Da Vinci Code," saying that the religious jokes were only included to spark protests and through that, build potential viewers' curiosity enough to draw more people to the theaters. That comparison is laughable. That'd be like me comparing "As Good As It Gets" to "Brokeback Mountain," because Greg Kinnear plays a homosexual man in "As Good As It Gets". A bit of a stretch, isn't it? Even professional gymnasts couldn't accomplish such a feat.

As is always the case, the film is not for everybody. Personally, I found it to be quite funny, as I do Pegg and Frost's other work ("Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz"), but let's not dismiss the film due to some harmless religious jokes. For those that do, ::checks watch::, that's going to be a mighty long operation, isn't it?