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Originally Posted by moroboshi
'Prejudice' is unfair, as to dislike religion is entirely rational and sensible. I equate it to disliking racism, sexism, and homophobia. A fear and dislike of an unpleasant, unfair, and primate set of beliefs is entirely reasonable, and is far from being a prejudice. Quite the opposite in fact.
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Then you misunderstand the meaning of 'prejudice'. In your assessment of the first episode of 'V' you have allowed your views on religion to colour your opinion of the entire episode. You have allowed your views on religion to misconstrue the storyteller's intent as being entirely the opposite of what it was.
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I dislike seeing religion on TV when it is shown in a positive context, and that is exactly how I saw it in V.
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Because you're prejudiced. Religion is getting quite a neutral treatment in the programme, I think. It seems to me that you're inclined to see any appearance of religion - except perhaps as the subject of a Richard Dawkins lecture - as being in a 'positive context'. It's a pity because despite its faults it was quite a good episode, and episode 2 has already bedded in some interesting themes quite nicely. You're missing out.
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The falling cross was pretty irrelevant as it did no harm,
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You misunderstand the artform of movie directing, in that case. The falling cross in episode 1 is a symbol for the foundations of religion being challenged by the arrival of aliens, who are totally outside of the natural reading of any of the world's major religious texts.
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and the show then went on to show the church packed with new devotees. Why show this? Why not show the rational of society instead questioning the science of the aliens?
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Because the portrayal of a packed church in times of crisis has a direct and recent analogy in the real world. I mentioned 9/11 in my earlier post. It happened.
You ask why not show 'the rational' of society: you already have your answer, again in 9/11. When big and unsettling things happen, the human race shows itself to be instinctively religious. I'm sorry if that upsets your rational world-view, but I didn't invent human nature. It is what it is.
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Why focus on the stupid? (sorry for the crude term, but a lack of intelligence and belief in 'god' are directly linked (look it up, it's a proven fact))
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Do you really, in all seriousness, believe that? Well, apparently you do. I'm not going to look it up, by the way. Instead I'm going to ask you for a link to back up what I perceive to be simply more prejudice, and I'm going to be a little puzzled at someone apparently so devoted to rationalism and yet so quick to deploy unwise language such as 'proven fact'.
Would you like me to supply you with a list of some of the world's well known, highly intelligent religious people? People like Nicholas Copernicus, for example, who proposed the heliocentric view of our solar system and yet was also ordained in the Catholic Church? Sir Francis Bacon, who proposed and established the scientific method yet believed "It is true, that a little philosophy inclineth man’s mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men's minds about to religion"? I could go on, at great length, but let's not get off topic. We're meant to be discussing the merits of a sci-fi TV show.
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I believe it was there to appease the far right in the US, who have become increasingly demanding over the past decade or so and want to see their own particular brand of delusion forced into everything, whether it serves for plot or not.
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You misunderstand American culture, which is far more religious, and more openly so, than British. It's not simply a preoccupation of the far right, it is quite mainstream. All the show makers have done is portray mainstream New Yorkers doing what mainstream New Yorkers do.
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If you saw it another way, that's fine, but for me it was one of many negative points for the V reboot, and why I haven't bothered getting episode 2.
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That's a real pity. As I said, it has bedded in very quickly and episode 2 has taken on themes of paranoia and uncertainty with a level of skill and subtlety the original series never got close to. It is shaping up nicely and I'd urge you to reconsider watching part 2, if you're a sci-fi fan. Even though one of the main characters is a Catholic priest.