Posted by Puck99 at spider-wb062.proxy.aol.com on November 29, 1999 at 01:53:55:
I am fairly new to this wonderful website, but I have been a ViewAskewer ever since the day a friend of mine and myself made the brilliant move to rent both Clerks and Mallrats...ever since I have been enthralled by this whole little clique that is goin' on here. I have eagerly been anticipating the arrival of Dogma in the theaters for WAAAAY too long now, and I was more than pleased with the final results when the beautiful day finally came that I got to view it. It was an amazing piece of film. It flows along well with the others in the "trilogy", yet it stands alone (in my mind at least) as being a landmark piece of filmmaking.
So, to make a long story...well, I suppose I've already made it long...oh well...I finally decided to visit the site. Tonight (a few weeks later) I took it upon myself to read the hate mail just for some laughs. I almost cried. Has our country become so self involved? Are we really this closed to new ideas or to others beliefs? I am sick and tired of people, especially those with STRONG religious beliefs, telling me or others how wrong we are for having ideas that conflict with their own. How dare these pumped up Catholics and Christians tell me I am going to hell because of my beliefs? People ask me what I believe in and I tell them I am an athiest. Not to be cool, not to be a freak, but by choice. I have been open to all beliefs throughout my life, but have never been really drawn to any. I went to church and sunday school as a youngin', yet nothing really clicked for me. It wasn't until college, where I went to become a math major, that I finally found what I truly believe in. I actually wound up becoming a dual math/philiosophy major to my surprise. Last year I finally got the nerve to say that I don't believe in God. This is a major reason why I loved Dogma...the message that is conveyed through this flick is great.
Now to my beef. Okay, so I'm not like the other God-fearing souls out there who wrote the hate letters. So I'm going to hell. Along with millions of Buddhists, Hindus, etc... How can these people find fault in a movie that they haven't even seen yet? I am almost at a loss for words...almost. Where has our sense of humor gone? At what point did my idea become the law and yours make you a bad person? The message at the beginning of the movie makes this pretty clear...WE AREN'T MAKING FUN OF YOU YOU IDIOTS! Perhaps Kevin SHOULD make a film in which these people get ragged on. They deserve it. At least then they'd have a legit reason to whine. There is more I'd like to say, but I've already made this excruciatingly long, and I've really forgotten where I wanted to go with this when I originally wrote this. For the record, for those of you that read this, I am not knocking Christians or Catholics at all. I am knocking the people that think that their ideas make the world go round while mine make me evil. I am not evil. I don't say you are wrong because of your ideas. Let me enjoy mine. And let me watch a GREAT movie without feeling guilt towards those of you that feel everything in the world is against you and is evil. Grow up and get a life. Thank you for reading this. Have a nice day :o)