Comments on: Comments on 6142

Post number 6142

tiaka — Fri, 02 Mar 2001 09:52:07 -0800

THE Pope will host the European premiere of 2001: A Space Odyssey. I'm guessing my thoughts on 2001 aren't all that different from the pope's, but I'm mostly an atheist. How do you view the monolith? And also, here's a list of pope's favorite films. Andrei Rublev is my overall 4th favorite film, the Sacrifice and Decalogue are in my 20's.

By: jpoulos

jpoulos — Fri, 02 Mar 2001 10:07:30 -0800

I'm really surprised how many films on the Vatican list are in my personal collection. Nosferatu? Who'd have thunk it? As an aside... I'm mostly an atheist... I mean no offense by this at all, tiaka, but I find it interesting how people are scared (for lack of a better word) to take the plunge and admit that they don't believe. Deep down, we all think that if we say it out loud, we could someday end up in Hell.

By: sonofsamiam

sonofsamiam — Fri, 02 Mar 2001 10:16:11 -0800

Not necessarily true, jpoulos. They may feel the question is inherently unknowable to humans, or something.

By: Loudmax

Loudmax — Fri, 02 Mar 2001 10:16:45 -0800

The movies on the Pope's favorite list are a surprise. I think what they have in common is spirituality, regardless of whether it's Christian or Jewish or Hindu. At least two of the movies on the list (not having seen most of the others) were about the Holocaust, and Ghandi tops the "Values" list. That is interesting.

By: mrbula

mrbula — Fri, 02 Mar 2001 10:52:10 -0800

sonofsamiam, feeling the question is inherently unkowable to humans would make on an agnostic.

By: sonofsamiam

sonofsamiam — Fri, 02 Mar 2001 10:56:44 -0800

I know. Does that not sound like "mostly an atheist?" I was just trying to give an example of a reason one might say such a thing aside from deap-seated childhood fears of hell.

By: bondcliff

bondcliff — Fri, 02 Mar 2001 11:10:42 -0800

Am I the only one who was hoping to see something like "Police Academy II" on that list?

By: dhartung

dhartung — Fri, 02 Mar 2001 12:05:37 -0800

An atheist friend is one of the most deeply spiritual people I know. What -- no Nuns on the Run?!

By: aaron

aaron — Fri, 02 Mar 2001 23:17:34 -0800

I can't believe The Blues Brothers isn't on the list. They're on a mission from God!

Anyhoo, this God/No God thing is what Pascal's Wager is about. The argument goes roughly like this: If you believe in God and it turns out God does exist, you get everlasting yadda yadda yadda. If you don't believe, and it turns out God exists, you get eternal damnation, or exile to New Jersey, or something. But if you believe and it turns out there is no God, what have you really lost? Thus, you might as well believe.

There are arguments against this philosophy, of course.