Posted by coljac at backtoyou.onestopwest.com on December 13, 1999 at 14:45:17:
After hearing Kevin's statements on his Catholicism, and seeing Dogma, I'm perplexed.
Kevin has stated repeatedly that he's a catholic, only of the rare liberal variety. And it's true that Dogma wasn't anti-Catholic in any overt way. However, I would argue that a film doesn't have to depict Christ sodomizing a goat to be anti-Catholic or anti-Christian. I think Dogma does portray Catholicism very negatively in a much more subtle way than the Catholics themselves seem to have perceived, and I find this at odds with the filmmaker's stated beliefs.
Dogma is not overtly anti-Catholic because it is light-hearted and rather absurd. The morals of the film - tolerance, open-mindedness, etc. - aren't particularly complicated themselves. However, I think the combination of the film's absurdity and its semi-adherence to Catholic dogma that is the most powerful indictment against Catholicism. By making some of the oddest dogmas look so ridiculous - and they are ridiculous - the film casts a critical eye on *all* of the Catholic "mythology". In this enlightened age, it's hard, in my opinion, to maintain that God/Lucifer rivalry, conniving angels and indulgence loopholes represent fundamental truths about the way the universe works. Although many would argue it, there's no more reason inmy view to accept this state of affairs as any more true than say, Hinduism, Lord of the Rings or McDonaldland. By putting the spotlight on these myths, however, Dogma can't help but shed some critical light on other more fundamental dogmas such as original sin, the virgin birth and the resurrection. Personally, I don't think these dogmas stand up to the light any better than the others.
The point I ponder is what such a liberal fellow as the esteemed Mr. Smith, after casting such a critical eye on the religion of his childhood, sees in such an organization that he still wants to claim membership? Behind all the crap, what is left that is so valuable? Hasn't the time come to embrace a new philosophy that is more positive and humanistic at its core, rather than to modernize one whose origins are, frankly, rotten to begin with? Having faith in humanity seems to me a much safer bet than having faith in the gods of prehistory.
-Col