Julia Sweeney - Letting Go of God

2008 "Breaking up is hard to do"
8.4| 2h10m| NA| en| More Info
Released: 21 November 2008 Released
Producted By: Five Sisters Productions
Country:
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

Julia Sweeney's third autobiographical monologue, Letting Go of God takes the audience through her Catholic upbringing and how personal events in her life and that of her family led her to a disbelief in a personal universal deity.

Watch Online

Julia Sweeney - Letting Go of God (2008) is currently not available on any services.

Cast

Director

Julia Sweeney

Production Companies

Five Sisters Productions

Julia Sweeney - Letting Go of God Videos and Images
  • Top Credited Cast
  • |
  • Crew

Julia Sweeney - Letting Go of God Audience Reviews

SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."
FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.
AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
Teddie Blake The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.
offdwallnotdrack I'm a fairly new atheist myself. I've been agnostic for about 4 years now, and just recently made the almost equivalent leap to atheism. I've been fascinated by religion ever since, sort of in the same way one would be fascinated by Hitler. I've heard a lot of good points and thousands of facts to support atheism, and I for one, need no further convincing, but sometimes I think that atheists need to be reminded how hard it is for someone to lose their faith, no matter how much evidence there is to support such a decision. I grew up very Christian. I was involved in numerous organizations such as AWANA, numerous Christian bible studies and car clubs, and was even a Christian summer camp counselor, and letting go of god was absolutely the hardest thing i've ever had to do, but a decision I don't regret for one second. Once the chains are completely off of you, you feel like you've never felt before, and it's great. Julia Sweeney's journey through all of this was sooo similar to my own, that I just immediately felt connected with her. I think it's the same journey many of us have taken, and she really takes the time and care to chronicle this journey and doesn't set out to demonize anyone, but just to educate, it just so happens that education sometimes involves pointing out the ignorance of some people, or in this case...many. For people born an Atheist, I would really suggest watching this, so that you can understand how hard it really is for a religious person to make this transition, and then maybe it will help you out when dealing or talking to someone about "god", and I would DEFINITELY recommend this for any person of faith struggling with their beliefs and desiring to let go, it will really help you out and make you feel less scared to do so.
Rupert__Pupkin My religious road is very similar to Ms. Sweeney's (minus the trips to India and South America), and I was delighted to hear someone echo my very thoughts on the Bible and the life of Jesus.Ms. Sweeney's testimonial is direct, honest, and moving. She comes across as educated on the topics she is discussing, yet she explains everything in a very clear way. At no point does she sound preachy or pushy. She simply provides her story.My only criticism is that it's a bit too long. I felt like the monologue could have been more poignant had she broken it up with other types of segments (e.g. interviews with her family members, showing us her childhood church, etc.). The one-woman show is effective, but it felt long (at 2 hr. and 20 min. I believe).Either way, it's a stirring performance, and I would encourage everyone to watch it.
tim-walker4 I saw Julia perform this show in Las Vegas in 2007 before an audience of skeptics. She received a standing ovation. The show is clever, thought provoking and funny. She explains in her gentle way her personal path to becoming an atheist. "God Said Ha!" (produced by Quentin Tarantino) which detailed a traumatic year for her described the first part of her journey from being a good Catholic girl to her position as a non-believer. In it she tells the story of how her brother developed cancer. While she was caring for him she discovered that she too had the disease. Julia survived. Her brother didn't. "Letting Go of God" carries on from there. Ms Sweeney comes across as a very warm, decent human being. I've spoken with her after seeing her shows and her humanity shines through. It's well worth seeing this film - no matter which side of the fence you're on - because it may well change your outlook on life. Highly recommended.
autumnborn I laughed until my stomach ached and, if there is a God, it must be laughing right along with Julia Sweeney as she tells the hilarious, poignant, and touching tale of how she overcame her religious upbringing and need to believe. Telling the story in a monologue format was a scathingly brilliant idea. You won't be disappointed as it moves along at a good pace. Her facial expressions are priceless. The only problem I had with any of the content was that she included a segment on Buddhism, which doesn't require nor imply a belief in God.Meeting her after the film was lovely. (She's actually 10 pounds thinner than she appears on film. That's a full dress size at her height.) She was called on exclaiming, "Oh, my God!" at one point and agreed that some parts of a God-filled upbringing she'd never be able to let go of.See it. It's funny.