MovieChat Forums > Desperation (2006) Discussion > I'm an atheist, but...

I'm an atheist, but...

posted 14 years ago by scipio23
13 replies | jump to latest

I didn't mind the religious stuff in the book/film. All fiction books have fictional characters, so why should it bother me that some have a fictional deity? I wouldn't put down a book just because Zeus is a character, so I won't put down a book just because Yahweh is a character. I mean, Zeus is cooler than Yahweh, but that's another topic....

I'm a big fan of King's books, and the God-stuff doesn't bother me. His protagonist religious characters like Mother Abigail or David Carver are pretty cool, and his antagonist religious characters like Margaret White or the crazy woman from the Mist are sufficiently evil to give you goose bumps.

Perhaps it's just the difference between being a militant atheist and an "I just don't care about God any more than I do about invisible sprites who live on Jupiter." I'm of the latter variety.

Je suis Marxiste, tendance Groucho

[–] Jefbecco-1 14 years ago

King's daughter is a minister. I'm sure he would say that your beliefs are just that as are his. His story his beliefs. If you don't agree ,or dislike them, don't read the novel or watch the movie.

[–] scipio23 14 years ago

Are you responding to my message? Because it seems like you didn't actually read what I said...

Je suis Marxiste, tendance Groucho

[–] Jefbecco-1 14 years ago

Well to be honest I guess I'm not following exactly what you're saying. Not trying to argue or start some type of flame contest with you. Could you perhaps reclarify your point? Thanks.

[–] scipio23 14 years ago

I was talking about all the posts on this board griping about the religious theme in the movie.

Je suis Marxiste, tendance Groucho

[–] Jefbecco-1 14 years ago

Okay with that explanation in mind I understand your post. Sorry.

[–] mentisafer 14 years ago

There is not such a thing as stupidity; when people get mad at other people's stupidity it is actually that they get mad because they could do better, but they choose not to. In your case, I get upset that you choose to be so dumb; you ignore to actually read the post without interpreting it in you own terms. The OP was very clear about it and you're preconceptions about atheists was more important than to read the post. English is not my first language and I actually understood the poster's intention at first sight.
I'm sorry, but if I make a big deal about it is to point out how this reflects in normal interactions among us humans, we tend to not listen to each other, but only through the filter of our own preconceptions.
Now I can laugh, make fun of me if you want.

[–] Jefbecco-1 14 years ago

Hey there mentisfar perhaps you don't understand English as well as you think you do. I looked back over on what the OP was saying and I apologized. Now several weeks later you come along and add your two cents when it isn't necessary. Evidently the OP was satisfied because the exchange ended. So am I being "so dumb" or is it you wishing to make a point when it isn't necessary? Because your post is rather insulting and it isn't necessary. The controversy has ended.

[–] xxMans_Ruinxx 14 years ago

THANK you. Entitlement to one's own beliefs is the most basic human right of all. Whining about Christianity in this movie is just as bad as whining about movies like the Wicker Man or The Craft because the religions in those movies are different from their own. You don't see radical atheists attacking those movies, though. Perhaps it's just easier for them to try to demonize Christianity instead, like people find it easier to hate McDonald's instead of Jack in the Box, since McDonald's is a bit bigger.

Note I said "radical atheists", not just atheists. I know some very smart people who do not believe in religion.
"I like my coffee black, just like my metal"

[–] tdibble-1 10 years ago

To be fair, most people don't have a long history of being proselytized at by Wiccans and Satanists. A team of well-dressed Zeus acolytes never harassed my family.

Yes, it is much easier to ignore and turn a blind eye to rampant spiritual messages when they don't align with major militant organizations. There is a real difference between a movie whose plot elements are centered around the power of some laughed-at "god" of yore and a revered "god" of today.

From one perspective, it's all deus-ex-machina. If it is the central element to your story, and the One Suspension of Disbelief allowed, a good story can be made of it It doesn't matter if the Magical Omniscient Man in the Sky is called Zeus or FSM or God.

That said, when you name him "God" you pull in the baggage of an entire belief system - he is truly all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful, yet such characters are horrible characters for books for obvious literary reasons. If you call him Zeus you can give him flaws and human-like failings and pull a story around him. If you call him God and do any such thing your offices will be bombed and and your movie banned by the all-too-powerful God lobby.

In the end, stories which revolve heavily around God share common flaws, which is immediately evident in this movie. Too many things happen "just because". Too much of the plot is driven by "mysterious ways". Too much time is spent rationalizing why the way this all-perfect character at the center of the story is all-perfect even when he does things you'd think are not really perfect at all. It's more like vanity fiction (where the author inserts him/herself into the story as the flawless axle around which everything revolves) than literature. We've seen this story before. It wasn't good the first time.

A shorthand way of describing such movies is "too preachy" or "too religious" or "too Christian-based" (or indeed "too Islamic" or "too Hindu"). To my mind this is reasonable and highly-relevant criticism.

IMHO, had I seen such criticism before going into this movie I would have saved a couple hours.

[–] fingerst 13 years ago

I totally agree. If the supernatural being real is integral to the story then I have no problem accepting that. As some wise fellow on IMDb once said: I don't believe in The Force but will accept that it's real while I'm watching Star Wars.

It saddens (yet amuses) me that any film which uses a god as a plot device will inevitably be flooded with "This is offensive!" topics. We get it. You do/don't (delete as appropriate) believe in god. STFU and get on with your life.

Oh and OP: Yeah, Zeus is cool!

and: "I just don't care about God any more than I do about invisible sprites who live on Jupiter." - best thing I've read on here in ages.

"Sir, let those laugh that win."- Barry Lyndon

[–] Iron_Gland 11 years ago

The way I think of it is, I don't believe in Monsters, Unicorns or any other fantasy creatures, but that is what film and books are for. Opening up your mind and entering the world of someone else's imagination. If God or religion plays part in an entertaining story, I can get into it. For the record, I am an atheist, but I have no disrespect toward any religion. If having faith helps you get through life, I don't see a problem with it. The extremists of any religion are the real problems.

[–] bing-57 11 years ago

> If God or religion plays part in an entertaining story, I can get into it.

Except in this story, God had almost nothing to do with moving the story forward. It almost dragged the story to a halt every time that God was mentioned.

The supernatural things that happened were not acts of God, in the traditional sense. The ghost of the little girl moved the plot forward as well as the evil spirit.

In fact, every time David stopped to pray, it was soon followed by someone dying. Maybe God was trying to tell David to cut it out.

--
What Would Jesus Do For A Klondike Bar (WWJDFAKB)?

[–] sommert-507-32566 9 years ago

Good for you. Nice to see someone laid back about it. Sadly, I've been annoyed by militant atheists since they tend to be as fanatical to their devotion as any religious zealot, while proclaiming all the while they aren't and usually throwing in some trite incorrect saying like 'my actions can't contain any hate. How can I hate something that doesn't exist?' and then they'll go on to say something intolerant, derisive, and hateful. And this is coming from an agnostic, who really doesn't care what anyone believes.