atheism in movies
Offline I was thinking about this the other day. One of my all time favorite movies is Kingdom of Heaven. For any of those who don't know it, it's from the guy that did Gladiator, and it's about the crusades. Well, there are two scenes in the movie that strike me as really atheistic. This one scene is where orlando bloom and the rest of the crusaders are facing imminent death and the priest says "convert now, repent later" to which Bloom replies "you've taught me a lot about religion father". The second scene that caught my attention was when Bloom and Saladin (The main muslim leader) are talking. Bloom threatens to destroy jerusalem "and everything that drives men mad" to which Saladin replies "I wonder if it would not be better if you did". If you haven't seen the movie, i highly recommend it. Can you think of any other movies that have atheistic undercurrents?
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As much as I enjoy referring to Waterworld as "Fishtar", it really does have themes that are critical of religion.
You have a post-apocalyptic, dystopian vision of the world covered with water... There are ample hints as to the cause, ie, pollution, global warming, nuclear proliferation.
The protagonist has evolved gills and webbed feet in keeping w/ the theme of evolution (even if in contradiction to the reality).
The antagonist known as "Deacon" (Dennis Hopper) sets himself up as if he were an evangelist who allows the common people to remain ignorant so that he can control them. He rallies them together much like a televangelist...
"I've had a vision"
"As it has been written, a child shall lead you"
"Behold the instrument of our salvation"
"Our beacon in the darkness"
Also Joss Whedon worked on the script (uncredited) who is an avowed atheist.. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Serenity, etc.)
"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act."
George Orwell