Bill Maher does not take the time to explicitly explain the title of his documentary, “Religulous” because he does not have to.

A combination of “religion” and “ridiculous,” the title perfectly describes Maher’s view on religion.

With director Larry Charles (“Borat”) at his side, Maher traveled the world simply asking various religious leaders and followers why they believe what they do.

His stops included serious religious destinations, like the Vatican (where he was thrown out), the Salt Lake Temple in Utah (again, from where he was thrown out) and ancient religious sites, such as Sodom and Gomorrah. Maher also visited a Christian theme park where the Crucifixion is re-enacted daily and the Creation Museum in Kentucky where the Bible is preached as historical fact, complete with saddle-strapped dinosaurs.

He also interviewed a wide range of people, from Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda, who said he is the Antichrist, an anti-Zionist rabbi and a seemingly anti-Catholic Vatican priest.

Though Maher spends the first half of the film discussing Christianity, he does move on to Islam, Judaism and smaller religions.

Throughout his interviews, Maher simply questioned peoples’ unwavering belief in something as uncertain as religion.

For the most part, his questions are serious and even-handed, not an attempt to make the person seem stupid, though many of them manage to do that anyway.

The film is highly entertaining because of the potent combination of Maher’s comedic sensibilities and his subject’s complete dedication to their beliefs. Injected throughout the film are snippets from “Blazing Saddles,” “Planet of the Apes” and other movies and religious programs, including preachers asking for thousands of dollars in donations and people speaking in tongues.

At times there is a very somber tone, particularly near the end.

The images and statistics Maher recites are quite powerful and even alarming.

Though the last few minutes of the film get somewhat preachy, “Religulous” is not Maher’s attempt to bring down organized religion.

Rather, he calls on those who are not religious to stand up and voice their doubts about religion.

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