Guns in church show that whatever is said about trust in God, it's really the threat of violence that we are trusting, says Simon Barrow. And this contradiction opens up a rich vein of satire against our patently false gods.

Imagine a world of soundbite politics where the machinery of power is operated by vacillating professional politicians, out of their depth, jumping to the whims of ruthless, feral spin doctors. That, says Alan Wilson, is the film satire In The Loop

Bill Maher's movie Religulous manages to laugh at nutty believers and caricature religion, but it doesn't actually tell us anything or indicate any learning, says Deirdre Good. It takes us in a circle - but not a hermeneutical one.

Saving the environment is a serious business – but you can still have a laugh doing it. That’s the message of UK development agency Christian Aid in launching a couple of hilarious YouTube videos aimed at getting people to take up the eco-challenge with a smile on their faces.