God is Dead Part 2

Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial

• “Science and religion should ultimately be in harmony, but that doesn’t make faith a scientific proposition. I think, as many religious people do, that faith and reason are both gifts from God.”
• A modern day INHERIT THE WIND. This documentary is exceptionally even-handed. It carefully considers the argument that intelligent design is not a science, which was the argument in trial. While the trial was not specifically about the legitimacy of religion, it really kind of is. The movie does not paint those arguing for Intelligent Design as deceptive and shady. They do that themselves – proudly. The highlight: trying to argue proof in the courtroom for Intelligent Design. What a spectacular train wreck.

Phantasm

• “You think that when you die, you go to Heaven? You come to us!”
• This movie doesn’t deal with religion directly. It involves life-after-death in that bodies are stolen to be reused as zombies. The afterlife is more of a dimension operated by these beings which are not supernatural as much as unearthly. Like many horror movies, it subverts religion and highlights the scary supernatural. But otherwise, it’s toothless as a bit of atheist criticism.

“Tales From the Black Freighter”

• “There is no Heaven. Believe me, sir. I would know by now.”
• A soldier returns from combat – fearful of the supernatural forces racing him. Most of what he sees is in his head, so it’s hard to know whether the ending is real or not. Still, like Phantasm, it subverts the idea of life-after-death leading to an eternal Shangri-La. It’s not necessarily atheist to suggest that Heaven is a crock, but to suggest Hell in any form undermines any atheist agenda the movie may or may not have.

Videodrome

• “That taping mechanism is all self-contained. You don’t have to do anything, but hallucinate.”
• A local film critic asserted to me that atheism in films is reflected in how they deal with death. For example, if death is presented as being for the greater good, it’s not atheist. It’s an interesting point, but it strikes me as an aesthetic whereas I’m focused more on content and subtext. David Cronenberg is an admitted atheist who states that he believes death is the end. There is nothing after that. The only movie of his where I really get a feel for that in atheist terms is Videodrome, in which a character is seduced into committing suicide for a higher reward. “Don’t be afraid to let your body die.” But after he dies, the audience is left with the corpse – sitting lifeless and decidedly unrewarded.

Wise Blood

• “I’m a preacher from the Church of Truth Without Christ. It’s protestant.”
• Late era John Huston. I don’t know if this movie is really saying all that much about God, as much as it’s saying something about zealotry. Although when one character turns to God, he is left with an extreme emptiness. Religion does not fill the void for everyone. Even those who want it the most.
  
• Random trivia: John Huston was an atheist.