Comedy TV looks at God

Both the Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report had interesting religion angles this week. On The Daily Show, host Job Stewart interviewed Bill Maher about his opinions and his new movie Religulous, which is scheduled for release at the end of this week. Maher, using his usual level of tact, says he takes a agnostic view, and that people who believe in things like Lord Xenu or Noah's Ark are stupid. One of the more interesting parts is a clip from the movie wherein Maher gathers a crowd in London by, as he puts it, ranting the tenets of Scientology.

Monday's Colbert Report featured The Word segment about how the financial markets are akin to God, both the Judeo-Christian God and otherwise.

See both here.

Media look at children of religious groups

Stories of Suri Cruise's birth and infancy have increased interest in what it is like to be a child of Scientologist parents. Nightline ran a story including accounts from children of prominent Scientologist parents and children, a recap of which can be found here .

Meanwhile, the Dallas Morning News has this story about how the children taken from the West Texas compound are likely to have difficulty adjusting to life in Texas children's shelters. The state is trying to house the children in groups and to not put them in private homes as a way of helping the children to feel more secure.

Scientology and media, free speech issues on the horizon

Time magazine reports in a brief that Nancy Cartwright, the voice actress who plays Bart Simpson, has donated $10 million to the Church of Scientology, which has named Cartwright its "patron laureate." While the COS reaches out to the famous through its Celebrity Centre program, it also has been accused of repressing free speech by suing those who malign it, an issue that came to a head with a South Park epidode, in which a satirical view of COS teachings was presented. See coverage of the controversy, which resulted in Isaac Hayes, himself a practitioner, leaving the show.

Early this year, a group known as anonymous, began posting YouTube videos promising to fight the church over issues of restricting free expression by members and others.