For those who don't know, the movie takes place in a parallel universe where there is no such thing as lying. That is until the main character, played by Ricky Gervais, discovers that he alone can lie...which gives him incredible power. Everyone believes everything he says, because...well...if he says it, it must be true.

When his mom ends up on her deathbed and is in tears out of fear of dying, he "lies" because he can't stand to see her in pain. He tells her that she will live in a mansion and be reunited with everyone she's known and loved who has also passed on. He tells her there's no pain there. Just love and happiness. His lie is overheard and everyone is amazed, and soon the whole world is waiting anxiously to hear more. Eventually, He tells the mother of all lies and says that there is a "man in the sky" who watches us and decides whether we go to a good place or a bad place once we die based on how we live.

And it gets much worse and much more sacrilegious. It just wasn't funny.

In an interview, Gervais (who is both the writer, director and star of the movie) said, "I've been an atheist all my life. But I always knew that my mum asked me when she was dying if there was a heaven, I'd say yes. I'd lie...I think it's how religion started--as a good lie."

I think that's a pretty common belief. That people believe in God because it makes them feel better. That "religion is a crutch for weak-minded people." It's all just psychology, you see. Believing in God makes all the pain somewhat tolerable. It's just a coping mechanism.

And I can't argue that for some, this is absolutely true. There are people who never really think about any of it...they just like the idea of God and heaven and all the warm-fuzzies that come with it. I can see why atheists and agnostics think "religious" people are just being fickle. This theory makes perfect sense to the person who doesn't "buy" into the whole God thing. It seems ridiculous to them that there could possibly be a God, because you can't see Him and things are a mess here on planet earth. There's no proof. And by golly, if you're even half-way intellectual, you'd better have proof before you buy into anything. It's simply too good to be true.

Look. Just because believing in the God of the Bible gives a person hope and comfort is no reason to dismiss it as false. There's no reason to equate such people with gullibility. There's no denying that believing in the God of the Bible and His promises DOES tend to make a person feel good...but it's certainly not WHY we believe.

I'd like to believe that my wife is madly in love with me. After all, it makes me feel really good believing that someone cares so much about me. And I'd argue that there's plenty of proof that she loves me. I see it in how she looks at me and in all the little things she does for me. And history would certainly indicate that she truly loves me for who I am. My theory has been tested and proven...to me. I'm pretty sure I'm right about this. But technically, there's no real scientific proof of her love for me. She can't prove that she loves me...not really. But I know she does. There's no doubt in my mind. I'd stake my life on it.

Should I doubt her love for me because it's convenient and makes me feel good? Should I doubt her love for me because there's no scientific proof? Isn't it too good to be true? I mean, maybe I have just convinced myself that she loves me because I don't like the idea of her not loving me. Maybe I'm staking too much on this idea that she actually cares that deeply for me. Maybe I shouldn't have committed to this marriage unless I had some concrete proof of her love.

Or maybe I feel like I already have plenty of proof.

And don't tell me believing in God isn't the same as believing in love. They are synonymous. God = Love. They are both intangibles. You can't scientifically prove either (although, many scientists would agree that science actually DOES point to God), but you can see their evidence everywhere...it's just a matter of whether or not you accept it. And while both may make you feel hopeful and good, it's certainly no reason to doubt them!

Honestly, I'm not in this for ME and what I can get out of it. I've committed my life to this because I've seen plenty of proof. It's kind of ridiculous to doubt Him with all the evidence I've gathered. Maybe Ricky Gervais would find that awfully convenient, but I mean it. I'm not lying. I guess you don't have to believe me, but that certainly doesn't make it untrue.