The truth hurts. It hurts so bad that religious groups are lining up in droves to protest Kevin Smith's Dogma. The film pulls few punches in it's attack of organized religion and the constructs of practicing Christians. But none of the attacks are empty, supported strongly through wit and humor by the church-going Smith.

Dogma isn't attempting to overthrow religious institutions, rather it's holding up a mirror to the absurdities of religion in it's current state, unmasking the Papal hypocrisy for what it is -- a movement, an organization, a collective where people lose touch with their own individual spiritual identity and jump on the bandwagon out of fear (Catholicism) or the need to be part of something. Today more than ever our personal relationship with God or Allah or Zeus or whomever you deem as being the Almighty, is for the most part an alienated contrivance where faith breaks down to blind acceptance -- a for-lack-of-a-better-option/just-to-be-on-the-safe-side mentality.

With our society moving in an increasingly insular direction, as people crave their individuality and are guarded against anything that cannot be qualified and stuffed in a science=truth box of paranoia motivated hype, organized religion is being put to the test. Yet religion, and specifically Christianity in America, is omnipresent in our lives whether we wish to recognize this or not. For this reason, Dogma is an important film, pushing people to think about religion as it factors into all of our lives. The genius of Smith is that he takes some seriously dense subject matter and turns it into one of the funniest films of the year without coming off cheap or showy.

The story follows two fallen angels Bartleby (Ben Affleck) and Loki (Matt Damon) who just want to go home. They've been stranded on earth for two thousand years when they find a "loop hole" that'll allow them to reenter Heaven. All they need to do is trek to New Jersey and pass under the archway of a St. Michael's Church run by the propagator of "Catholicism - Wow!", Cardinal Glick (George Carlin). Only problem is if they go through with their plans, history will be reversed and all of mankind will be destroyed. So God chooses Bethany (Linda Fiorentino), an abortion clinic worker, to stop the renegade pair. She's aided along the way by Rufus the 13th apostle (Chris Rock) and, yes, oh yes, the prophets Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith).

The cast is amazing. Chris Rock is a perfect fit in Smith's system. As expected, Jay and Silent Bob's interaction is hilarious, marked by the raw crudeness of Jay versus the shrugging sincerity of Silent Bob. While Affleck sputters at times, he's pulled through it by Damon who puts out an honest, believable performance that never gets showy. Jason Lee is downright sinister as the demon Azrael, and his crew of rollerhockey demon-punks is a great touch. Oh, and did I mention that Salma Hayek shakes her thing all over the screen.

From top to bottom it seems that Smith gave the cast an opportunity to exploit their individual comedic strengths, and this leads to strong ensemble chemistry and hilarious interaction. The biggest resultant drawback is that in the end everyone needs to get their five-cents in, leading to some forced speeches. But as usual, the dialogue is dead-on, dispelling the modern filmmaking myth of needing to eliminate "extraneous dialogue."

Once you see the film, you'll realize why Miramax dumped it. See, Miramax is owned by Disney (the fatted calf) and one scene is a full front attack on a Disney-like corporation that peddles purity and painted happiness, veiling their greed in a cotton-candy glaze. It's the kind of scene that'll make you wince and smile at the same time. If that kind of reaction isn't the symbol of Smith, I don't know what is.

You've got to commend a film that takes chances like Dogma, in a time where entertainment is the bottom line throughout all of the American media. Smith does his thing, seemingly unconcerned with tailoring his work to fit mass appeal, creating films that are both engaging and funny. If you leave this movie feeling offended or disturbed, you may want to sit back and think about your approach to spirituality and your ability to look past archaic modes of false consciousness which have resulted from decrepit methods of worship.

-- Chris Bernier went to Catholic School as a child.