The God Who Wasn't There

20052005
1h 2min

Did Jesus exist? This film starts with that question, then goes on to examine Christianity as a whole.Did Jesus exist? This film starts with that question, then goes on to examine Christianity as a whole.Did Jesus exist? This film starts with that question, then goes on to examine Christianity as a whole.

6.9/10

Top credits

See production, box office & company info

See more at IMDbPro

Add image

Sam Harris

Self - Author, 'The End of Faith'as Self - Author, 'The End of Faith'

Robert M. Price

Self - Fellow, Jesus Seminaras Self - Fellow, Jesus Seminar

Richard Carrier

Self - Historianas Self - Historian

Earl Doherty

Selfas Self

Scott Butcher

Self - RaptureLetters.comas Self - RaptureLetters.com

Alan Dundes

Self - Professor of Folklore, UC Berkeleyas Self - Professor of Folklore, UC Berkeley

Jerry Falwell

Selfas Self
(archive footage)

Brian Flemming

Self - Narratoras Self - Narrator

Barbara Mikkelson

Self - Urban Legends Reference Pages, snopes.comas Self - Urban Legends Reference Pages, snopes.com

David Mikkelson

Self - Urban Legends Reference Pages, snopes.comas Self - Urban Legends Reference Pages, snopes.com

James Robison

Selfas Self
(archive footage)

Ronald G. Sipus

Self - Superintendent, Village Christian Schoolsas Self - Superintendent, Village Christian Schools

Bailey Smith

Selfas Self
(archive footage)
(as Reverend Bailey Smith)

Dean Wycoff

Selfas Self
(archive footage)

Documentary filmmaker Brian Flemming examines the Bible and discusses the history of early Christianity, raising doubts as to whether the New Testament personage Jesus ever really existed. Flemming examines the similarity of the Jesus story to other savior myths of the time and points to inexplicable gaps in early Christian history that combine to shed doubt on the Bible's Jesus story. —Martin Lewison <dr@martinlewison.com>

atheism story doubt christianity bible 151 more

Taglines
- A Film Beyond Belief
Genres
Parents guide
- Add content advisory

Trivia
Brian Flemming has allowed theatrical screenings to be held by any person or group without the payment of royalties.

Quotes
Narrator: Yes, I used to be a fundamentalist Christian. I learned the doctrine at my school, Village Christian School in Sun Valley, California. Our school mascot was a Crusader, because our mission was to do battle with the secular world. But not just the secular world. We also knew that Satan worked through other versions of Christianity, and we fought those, too.

Crazy credits
The final credits are inter-cut by additional footage of some of the interviewees: Scott Butcher, Richard Carrier, Alan Dundes, Sam Harris, the Mikkelsons, Robert Price, Dr. Sipus, and others.

Connections
Edited from The Passion Play (1903)

Soundtracks
I Don't Wanna Wait (The Rapture)
Written by DJ Madson
Performed using FAKE FRENCH by Le Tigre and DJ Madson

Top review

10/10

A bold, eye-opening and hilarious film!

My absolute favorite film of the year. The God Who Wasn't There brings to light some jaw-dropping information on the real origins of Christianity in an engaging and thoroughly entertaining way. A must see for everyone who has suspected that their Sunday school teacher might not have given them the whole story. Also has fascinating and thought-provoking interviews with some of the top scholars investigating the question of the historical Jesus and whether he really ever existed at all. I was particularly struck by the insights on modern Christianity and some of its more troubling aspects. The director, Brian Flemming, takes on all these topics but never loses his humor or warmth. I'm also looking forward to the DVD release, because the special features will be including more commentary tracks and interviews with figures such as world-famous biologist Richard Dawkins and groundbreaking Biblical scholar Earl Doherty. An amazing , excellent film!

helpful•85