A thoughtful case could perhaps be made for the proposition that expressions of religious belief in American public life are too circumscribed on constitutional grounds, but Ed Vitagliano's Divorcing God—executive produced by Tim Wildmon of the American Family Association—doesn't make it. Exhibiting all the depth of a late-night infomercial, the short documentary combines a string of carefully selected pro-religion quotations from the nation's founders (extended in this instance to include Abraham Lincoln) with statements by conservative academics, think-tank members, and clergymen, who contend that the republic was founded on Judeo-Christian principles, which secular humanists have been largely successful in driving from the public square (all of this accompanied by patriotic graphics and artwork). According to the film, this has directly resulted in a lack of morality embodied in the kind of culture of sexual promiscuity that has destroyed past civilizations and now threatens the very existence of the United States (a situation epitomized in photos of pro-gay rallies and a clip from what is described as a shameful performance by Rihanna and Britney Spears at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards, which was broadcast nationwide on the ABC Network—“Disney-owned,” as the narrator emphasizes). The mixture of one-note proselytizing and apocalyptic prophecy ensures that Divorcing God will appeal to no one except those who already agree with its point of view. An intelligent discussion of the separation of church and state would be welcome, but this program merely preaches to the fundamentalist choir. Not recommended. Aud: P. (F. Swietek)
Divorcing God: Secularism and the Republic
(2011) 30 min. DVD: $14.95. Bridgestone Multimedia Group (avail. from most distributors). Closed captioned. ISBN: 978-0-7403-2757-5. Volume 28, Issue 5
Divorcing God: Secularism and the Republic
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