In a place like Oklahoma, which was the only state in the country where every single county went for McCain in the recent election, liberals, progressives, people who don’t necessarily believe that oil springs miraculously and spontaneously from within the earth*, they tend to band together. That’s why most of the cars at my church have bumper stickers that say things like "Dixie Chicks for President" and "Republicans for Voldemort." I have a cadre of wonderfully progressive and liberal friends (sometimes overly so) who love to bandy about ideas and generally be outspoken and well-informed and all nice and opinionated.

These are wonderful people to have as friends. But when the topic turns to religion, and I tell them I’m a Christian, they look at me as if I’d just said I believe in pyramid power, or asked if they’d like to drink a glass of Kool-Aid and then accompany me on an intergalactic voyage. A lot of the better progressive people I know can’t seem to divorce themselves from the idea that if you’re religious, then you must automatically be a fan of Sarah Palin and stem cells.

Several of these people couldn’t wait to see Religulous.

Now, look. No one pokes more fun at crazy religious types than me. And frankly, I’d rather shove thumb tacks into my eyelids than have a discussion about religion or philosophy with anyone who’s been drinking. But I want to tell you why I don’t want to see this film with you.

It’s because I believe faith is for fools, Jesus is for losers, and that God chose the foolish things of this world to shame the wise. In other words, I think it’s all nice that Bill Maher thinks he’s smarter than me – because in all honesty, he probably is – but I’m well aware of all the rational and logical reasons there are not to believe in God, and yet, I do. I believe in the Resurrection, and Heaven, and while I don’t talk about it all that often**, it’s probably the most important thing about me.

I believe because I feel – in an almost undefinable sense of the word ‘feel’ – that I’ve been touched by the Holy; this doesn’t make me special, but it does make me who I am. Seeing Bill Maher take apart the ridiculous parts of crazy religions won’t change this about me because my belief has almost nothing to do with an intellectual assent and everything to do with a spiritual one. While I believe in being smart, and well-informed, and plugged-in (libraries to me are almost as holy as churches and prairies), I also believe in being humble, and while I’m constantly failing at it, I can with great certainty say there are questions that my brain – that anyone’s brain – cannot answer. There are aspects of life that have nothing to do with reason and everything to do with spirit, however you define that. There are stories we need to hear that can be true, but not historical.

So, no, I don’t want to see Religulous with you. I don’t want to sit in a dark theatre and laugh derisively at all the crazy fundies with you and let you believe that their folly makes all faith invalid. After all, I think Rod Blagojevich is an idiot, and probably a sociopath, but I’m still a Democrat. Just because I think mostly douche bags listen to Dave Matthews doesn’t mean I don’t still love Under the Table and Dreaming.***

*A note to people who chanted "Drill, Baby, Drill:" where’s the One-Percent Doctrine when it comes to climate change, a threat that is considerably more of a potential danger to human life than terrorism?

**I once had a friend whom I knew to be a believer, but wouldn’t ever talk about it. Being nosy, I once asked him, "What are some of the experiences that formed what you believe?" He was silent for a moment, then looked sidelong at me and said, "Mary stored all these things up in her heart." Since then I’ve prayed every day to talk less and listen more when it comes to faith.

***Yeah, I copped to it. What? What?