Atheists in movies

Anguirus · Post by **Anguirus** » 2005-09-23 08:07am

Yeah, Saved! is quite good. watched with some Christian friends of mine (not fundies) and we all thought it was great. I wasn't exactly surprised by the end "twist" that the main character avows there must be *some* sort of God, but it was still a good portrayal of the dangers of blind faith...not to mention hypocrisy.

outcast · Post by **outcast** » 2005-09-24 05:52pm

With the amount of movies out there has to be quite a few that portray us Atheists in a good light, they just don't seem to become very popular for some reason. (allthough on the bright side, christian movies don't get to be very popular where i am either)

Actually the first time i ever heard of the term Atheist was in a fairly generic hollywood movie, can't really recall the plot or name or anything. But in it some cityguy went to a small town for some reason, and one of the first things the local sheriff asked him was: "You're not one of them atheists are you?" with clear and obvious venom in his voice and face. And the response was a hasty "No, ofcourse not."

I was still a kid back then and impressionable, so i obviously assumed atheists were a bad thing. It wasn't until a few years later that i learned i was one myself.

Zero · Post by **Zero** » 2005-09-24 09:28pm

You can't actively reveal yourself to be an atheist in movies without coming off as an intrusive prick. If you're going to be an apparent atheist, typically, you have to reveal things. The christian character can have a cross necklace, and make prayer when shit aint going right. There are no such outward signs of atheism. An atheistic character probably simply will have nothing to do with religion, so his atheism won't make itself apparent, unless the enemy is a bunch of wackjob fundamentalists.

Centurian99 · Post by **Centurian99** » 2005-09-25 12:58am

Hawkwings wrote:http://www.savedmovie.com/

It's a movie about christian teenagers. And it has an athiest in it. I haven't watched it myself, anyone here seen it?

Great flick.

And how can you not approve a movie that Jerry Falwell labelled as "One of the most hateful movies to come out of Hollywood since the Last Temptation of Christ?" or something like that?

Zadius · Post by **Zadius** » 2005-09-25 01:18am

Centurian99 wrote:
Hawkwings wrote:http://www.savedmovie.com/

It's a movie about christian teenagers. And it has an athiest in it. I haven't watched it myself, anyone here seen it?
Great flick.

And how can you not approve a movie that Jerry Falwell labelled as "One of the most hateful movies to come out of Hollywood since the Last Temptation of Christ?" or something like that?

Did he really say that? Haha

That makes my day. Fuck you Falwell!

The one problem I did have with the movie is that the writers didn't have the balls to make the main character reject religion all together. That would have made it better.

Zero · Post by **Zero** » 2005-09-25 03:07am

Zadius wrote: Did he really say that? Haha That makes my day. Fuck you Falwell!

The one problem I did have with the movie is that the writers didn't have the balls to make the main character reject religion all together. That would have made it better.

I think the movie was a critique of fundamentalism, and not religion altogether. I imagine that no balls were involved, it was simply written by people who were more open minded about religion, not necessarily by atheists.

Zadius · Post by **Zadius** » 2005-09-25 03:32am

Zero132132 wrote:I think the movie was a critique of fundamentalism, and not religion altogether. I imagine that no balls were involved, it was simply written by people who were more open minded about religion, not necessarily by atheists.

Yeah, I know what it was. I was simply saying it would have been better if she had ended up an atheist. Nobody has the balls to make a movie that critiques religion itself.

Davis 51 · Post by **Davis 51** » 2005-09-25 06:43pm

Yeah, I liked the movie (just saw it a few weeks ago), except for the last part 'bout "how can there not be a god". Plus, the whole thing felt inconclusive, like there was more of a story to be told. I smell Saved 2: Born again.

SylasGaunt · Post by **SylasGaunt** » 2005-09-25 08:04pm

I'm reminded of the last episode of Avatar I watched.

"Oh yeah? Well can your science explain why it rains?"
"YES! YES IT CAN!"

wolveraptor · Post by **wolveraptor** » 2005-09-25 10:39pm

Zero132132 wrote:You can't actively reveal yourself to be an atheist in movies without coming off as an intrusive prick. If you're going to be an apparent atheist, typically, you have to reveal things. The christian character can have a cross necklace, and make prayer when shit aint going right. There are no such outward signs of atheism. An atheistic character probably simply will have nothing to do with religion, so his atheism won't make itself apparent, unless the enemy is a bunch of wackjob fundamentalists.

He could try to interrupt some idiot's praying. For example: the aliens have barricaded the pitiful humans last fort, and as most of the soldiers scramble to reach the underground fortifications, one man remains at the upper levels, praying for God to have mercy on his soul.
"Get up damnit, sitting here an' praying ain't gonna do nothing....MOVE ASSHOLE!"
Suddenly, the aliens blast in and fry the idiot prayer's head; the clearly atheist soldier screams in terror before the savage extraterrestrials extend their ebony claws and gut him, right then and there. That's what you get for helping a moron. His intestines spill out into the dusty, and the growling, snarling beasts drag his body outside to be skinned, and his bones to be bleached.

Zero · Post by **Zero** » 2005-09-26 12:31am

wolveraptor wrote:
Zero132132 wrote:You can't actively reveal yourself to be an atheist in movies without coming off as an intrusive prick. If you're going to be an apparent atheist, typically, you have to reveal things. The christian character can have a cross necklace, and make prayer when shit aint going right. There are no such outward signs of atheism. An atheistic character probably simply will have nothing to do with religion, so his atheism won't make itself apparent, unless the enemy is a bunch of wackjob fundamentalists.
He could try to interrupt some idiot's praying. For example: the aliens have barricaded the pitiful humans last fort, and as most of the soldiers scramble to reach the underground fortifications, one man remains at the upper levels, praying for God to have mercy on his soul.
"Get up damnit, sitting here an' praying ain't gonna do nothing....MOVE ASSHOLE!"
Suddenly, the aliens blast in and fry the idiot prayer's head; the clearly atheist soldier screams in terror before the savage extraterrestrials extend their ebony claws and gut him, right then and there. That's what you get for helping a moron. His intestines spill out into the dusty, and the growling, snarling beasts drag his body outside to be skinned, and his bones to be bleached.

He wouldn't be clearly atheistis just because he didn't want to just let someone die, dude. Anyone who values life at all would do the same thing. This would simply reveal that the other guy, the praying guy, was a fucking moron.

Conversely, if death were absolutely certain, and nothing could be done, a man interupting another man's prayer before death would be seen as an absolute stupid prick, and I'd have to agree. Let people maintain their illusions, so long as it harms no one.

wolveraptor · Post by **wolveraptor** » 2005-09-26 12:36am

Maybe he could use a cross to go mano-a-mano with the aliens, like a badass? Or he could, in stressful situation, barricaded in a bunker, insist that everyone pray silently, because it was getting on his nerves. Then they'd all die from an atomic explosion.

Zero · Post by **Zero** » 2005-09-26 12:40am

wolveraptor wrote:Maybe he could use a cross to go mano-a-mano with the aliens, like a badass? Or he could, in stressful situation, barricaded in a bunker, insist that everyone pray silently, because it was getting on his nerves. Then they'd all die from an atomic explosion.

Honestly, if I saw anyone using a cross to kill aliens, I'd think he was a bloody fundy, not an atheist. Besides, the "pray silently" bit still makes him seem like a bit of a prick, because he's still destroying in some way the solace of others to no practical means.

The only way one can come off as an absolute atheist in a movie is to interrupt religious shit going on that isn't hurting anybody. Stopping another crusades makes you simply a decent guy, not an atheist, and stopping someone from praying when there's no reason to makes you a prick.

drachefly · Post by **drachefly** » 2005-09-26 11:53am

Or you could be requested to join in a religious observance and beg out as a nonbeliever. If the religious event is plot-related or it's a culture-clash movie, it could work. Not that I've actually observed such a thing.

Zero · Post by **Zero** » 2005-09-26 06:34pm

drachefly wrote:Or you could be requested to join in a religious observance and beg out as a nonbeliever. If the religious event is plot-related or it's a culture-clash movie, it could work. Not that I've actually observed such a thing.

That's actually the best way to go. See, all the other stuff has made him actively intrusive and a hinderance to religious activity. Your answer simply has the character as a non-participant. Now, to kill you, and pretend it was always my idea...

lance · Post by **lance** » 2005-09-26 09:20pm

Zero132132 wrote: Honestly, if I saw anyone using a cross to kill aliens, I'd think he was a bloody fundy, not an atheist.

You never seen The Graduate have you?

Post by **NecronLord** » 2005-09-27 03:38am

Randomness; I've got to say, having watched ST5 last night, that it's a fairly atheistic movie. They find God, question him, then shoot him when he doesn't measure up and go home.

Drooling Iguana · Post by **Drooling Iguana** » 2005-09-27 11:36am

The Truman Show also had a lot of religious paralells, and cast its "God" figure in a fairly negative light.

Rocker5150 · Post by **Rocker5150** » 2005-09-27 02:12pm

"I started buying seasons of M*A*S*H* recently, and was rather surprised and delighted how often characters like Hawkeye and Klinger were referred to as agnostics and atheists, respectively. Although they do have their occasional snide 'pray to god' moments, either in stress or sarcasm, they still largely hold their skeptical ground."

That reminds me of the one when Father Mulcahey starts to wonder if he is atually needed. To make him feel better, Hawkeye told him a quote that went something like- "God does the work but the dotors get all the credit.". When Mulcahey asks if he really believes that, Hawk said "I don't know. In the operating room I'm able to do things I can't really do."

It made for a great scene, but I always hate when people won't accept that they can do amazing things without the help of some supernatural force....

-Kevin

Spyder · Post by **Spyder** » 2005-09-27 05:13pm

Escape from L.A. with the incompetant fundie President and the wholesome "moral" values the US has adopted in the future.

News cast from an early episode of Red Dwarf:

"Archaeologists beleive they have discovered a missing page out of the holy bible. It reads 'all characters within this book are fictional and any simularity to real persons or events is purely coincidental.'"

wolveraptor · Post by **wolveraptor** » 2005-09-27 06:04pm

Zero132132 wrote:Honestly, if I saw anyone using a cross to kill aliens, I'd think he was a bloody fundy, not an atheist. Besides, the "pray silently" bit still makes him seem like a bit of a prick, because he's still destroying in some way the solace of others to no practical means.

Hey, he'd be defiling the sacred cross. And I hope you didn't get they idea that he was trying to excorcise the alien or something. No, he'd take that cross and use it like an axe, smashing through alien skull with blood, bone and wood splinter flying everywhere. Kickass times 10^50.
As for the praying silently; he'd be in a stressed situation. He's prone to being a prick if the crumbling roof above him is being bombarded by nuclear-powered nuclear warhead-tipped nuclear missiles.

A third possbility would be a deranged sociopath convict like Riddick killing a Catholic priest and eating the communion bread. But that's to extreme for any non-evil guy.

Drooling Iguana · Post by **Drooling Iguana** » 2005-09-27 07:32pm

wolveraptor wrote:
Zero132132 wrote:Honestly, if I saw anyone using a cross to kill aliens, I'd think he was a bloody fundy, not an atheist. Besides, the "pray silently" bit still makes him seem like a bit of a prick, because he's still destroying in some way the solace of others to no practical means.
Hey, he'd be defiling the sacred cross. And I hope you didn't get they idea that he was trying to excorcise the alien or something. No, he'd take that cross and use it like an axe, smashing through alien skull with blood, bone and wood splinter flying everywhere. Kickass times 10^50.
As for the praying silently; he'd be in a stressed situation. He's prone to being a prick if the crumbling roof above him is being bombarded by nuclear-powered nuclear warhead-tipped nuclear missiles.

A third possbility would be a deranged sociopath convict like Riddick killing a Catholic priest and eating the communion bread. But that's to extreme for any non-evil guy.

Except that we know Riddick isn't an athiest. He believes in God, he just hates the fucker.

lance · Post by **lance** » 2005-09-27 10:02pm

Kaiba from Yugioh seems like he should be an atheist. With his denial of magic despite being an epicenter of magic.

Spyder · Post by **Spyder** » 2005-09-27 10:31pm

Let's not try to seek examples from Yugioh.

Post by **Surlethe** » 2005-09-27 10:42pm

lance wrote:Kaiba from Yugioh seems like he should be an atheist. With his denial of magic despite being an epicenter of magic.

You might want to clarify this analogy; you're treading on dangerous ground with the implication an atheist doesn't believe despite evidence for God.