I think they're just busting your chops, man. You were correct but might have made too big a deal out of it? Pretty sure everybody's cool. Plus now we have a new word. : D
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"God's Not Dead"
- Thread starter Jared Lash
- Start date
As a point of historical reference the Romans did a lot of things to a lot of people. I seem to remember them subjugating nearly all of Europe by force and then literally tearing down the great temple in Jerusalem. Totally stomping anyone that gave them trouble is what made them the power they were.
Not trying to start anything, but its not like the Christians have never been the "stompers" either.
slobake
resident ... something
No worries my friend. We can go down this road if we want to but it leads nowhere. There have been people responsible for atrocities throughout history. No matter who is responsible it is still wrong. I have seen threads where people with opposing views start listing head counts of who killed the most people. What a waste of time. We don't want to go there do we?
Yes, people are people. Throughout history there have been folks who have used religion to inspire good deeds just as there have been folks who have used religion to justify atrocious behaviour.
Very true, and that was sorta what I was thinking about when I posted that, though it doesn't come across that way. People never seem to see the individuals that make up the group.
Religion, all religion in history, has two purposes.
Power and Control.
The power of the few to control the many.
Power and Control.
The power of the few to control the many.
Whenever any organization turns there focus into what is good only for the organization itself vs the good of the members or citizens they were created to serve or help-that is when it goes south.....nations and unions are also examples of that.......that is not what they were created for
I haven't watched the movie, but I read the premise online. Therefore, sorry if I am speaking incorrectly about it. The problem with most films like this that bash you over the head with a message, regardless of the actual message, is that they often create some of the most absurd strawmen imaginable in order to support their points. While I'm sure there are a few cherry picked examples we could all think of where the contrary is true, no dean would ever stand for a professor, even tenured, requiring students to sign a declaration that God doesn't exist in order to receive a passing grade. And has been already stated, Nietzsche's statement that God is dead (which is what I assume inspired the film's title and the declaration narrative) was not a metaphysical statement; it was a statement about changing cultural values and laid the foundation for his description of the ubermensch. Max Weber made a similar observation about rationalization replacing theocratic values as society became more industrialized.
Also, yes there is a somewhat mistrust of academics and intellectualism - at least in America - that manifests in certain facets of popular discourse and culture...which is somewhat funny, since academic thought leaders,like Cornell West and Noam Chomsky, who often serve as the poster boys for dangerous academics, are really the small minority. While a few academics do use their job stature to bully students for holding differing views, anecdotally speaking, I find that most professors respect a student who holds a contrary view and can defend it well. The issue is that you often find gunners (yes, gunners can exist in undergrad too) who make it a mission to debate the professor because that person is confronted with a viewpoint that has differed from the one he or she has held their entire life. I recall serving as a grad assistant for my supervisor's senior-level men's studies course that was taught from a constructionist viewpoint. One student was constantly adversarial in his weekly papers with the material. That's fine, but he was constantly prone to fallacious thinking in attempts to support his point and somehow attempt to paint my supervisor as inept due to an ideological axe to grind. He probably thought I was pointing out the holes in his thinking when went over his papers due to ideological differences I had with his perspective, but my interest was in teaching students to posit a cogent argument. But I digress. My point is that anytime I hear someone like David Horowitz complaining that students are being marginalized for unpopular views, I take it with a grain of salt. Often, it's not that students have a differing view that causes the issues - it's their inability to cogently defend it.
Also, yes there is a somewhat mistrust of academics and intellectualism - at least in America - that manifests in certain facets of popular discourse and culture...which is somewhat funny, since academic thought leaders,like Cornell West and Noam Chomsky, who often serve as the poster boys for dangerous academics, are really the small minority. While a few academics do use their job stature to bully students for holding differing views, anecdotally speaking, I find that most professors respect a student who holds a contrary view and can defend it well. The issue is that you often find gunners (yes, gunners can exist in undergrad too) who make it a mission to debate the professor because that person is confronted with a viewpoint that has differed from the one he or she has held their entire life. I recall serving as a grad assistant for my supervisor's senior-level men's studies course that was taught from a constructionist viewpoint. One student was constantly adversarial in his weekly papers with the material. That's fine, but he was constantly prone to fallacious thinking in attempts to support his point and somehow attempt to paint my supervisor as inept due to an ideological axe to grind. He probably thought I was pointing out the holes in his thinking when went over his papers due to ideological differences I had with his perspective, but my interest was in teaching students to posit a cogent argument. But I digress. My point is that anytime I hear someone like David Horowitz complaining that students are being marginalized for unpopular views, I take it with a grain of salt. Often, it's not that students have a differing view that causes the issues - it's their inability to cogently defend it.
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slobake
resident ... something
Just read the plot synopsis out of curiosity and wow, even I would hate Atheists after that! We're all terrible, terrible people!
- Jan 27, 2010
- 4,141
- 471
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Genz Benz Amplification
The thing I really dislike about these kinds of movies is that they create a fictional situation in order to make a very shaky point, and then people leave the theater fuming about how "xyz" belief system is under attack in America.
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Sent from my iPad using TalkBass
There's no way we could have any moral standards or have anything to live for. We also certainly lack the capacity to be contributing members of society. That's just not possible.
No, only the people that would waste their time watching that baloney would buy into it; unfortunately they are many. The Christians I know would roll their eyes at that propaganda.
The problem on both sides are the extremes. Just like any faction: there are fringes that sully things for the many many more meek folk. I know many atheists, etc and they are great: we just don't bother going there. Instead we simply be friends and do as friends do.
77% of the US population over 18 years of age self identify as Christian. Even in the least religious state in the USA, over 50% self identify as Christian.
Heck - 42% of USA'ians are Creationists.
She must have been someplace REALLY unusual in the USA to be a "token" Christian.
I think the only movie I enjoyed that had the word "God" in the title starred George Burns in that role.
Otherwise, I'll pass.
Otherwise, I'll pass.
DiabolusInMusic
Functionless Art is Merely Tolerated Vandalism
City of God is awesome for the record.
Personally, I am appalled at the direction some of this conversation has headed.
Kevin Sorbo is a considerably better actor than Dean Cain. And you don't need kryptonite to kill Superman, so Hercules could just beat Superman to death like Doomsday did.
