Posted by coljac at backtoyou.onestopwest.com on December 14, 1999 at 14:26:59:
In Reply to: Re: no posted by FattyBoomMatty on December 14, 1999 at 10:15:04:
: Okay, I've rambled long enough. By the way, Dogma wasn't an indictment of :organized religion, it was an indictment of organized religions where the
:organization part is more important than the religion part.
But (at least from my atheistic point of view) the movie didn't seem to focus on the parts of religion that are separate from all the trappings of dogma and ritual. The "relationship with God" did come to the fore... but how can you separate Christianity from dogma? You can't. By definition a Christian accepts some dogmas (the resurrection, for example). To me, Dogma only highlighted how silly it all is to believe the creator of the universe plays petty politics with magical beings - or humans. The Alanis Morrisette portrayal of God (a mute, omnipotent deity who was subdued by 3 kids with hockey sticks) didn't do much to make the Christian concept of God look plausible either.
In all, I found (and do find) Christian mythology to make an excellent setting for fiction. The struggle between good and evil, the nifty characters like Lucifer and Gabriel, and the magical trappings of God make for a fine story. I'm in no danger of mistaking it for truth; and I think Dogma reinforces that.
-Col