Christian Martyr Complex - God's Not Dead : A Light in Darkness | Renegade Cut
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ส.ค. 2018
- #godsnotdead #christianity
An analysis of all three God's Not Dead films (but especially A Light in Darkness) and their relationship with majority/minority relations in the United States of America. Support Renegade Cut Media through Patreon: / renegadecut
Content warning: violence and police brutality
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BIBLIOGRAPHY AND FURTHER READING:
www.theatlantic.com/politics/...
www.pewforum.org/religious-lan...
www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...
friendlyatheist.patheos.com/20...
interglacial.com/pub/text/Umbe...
www.pewforum.org/2017/07/26/th...
www.nytimes.com/2018/02/27/us...
www.cnn.com/2015/06/25/living...
www.vox.com/culture/2018/4/3/...
thinkprogress.org/16-states-w...
• Exposing Housing Discr...
www.prri.org/wp-content/uploa... - ภาพยนตร์และแอนิเมชัน
Amusingly, most Christian movies made by black Americans tend to be about facing completely non-religious hardships like dying relatives, cheating spouses, pressure at work, or misbehaving children. The Christian elements come in when the main character goes to church, starts praying and thinking about their predicament, and finds the inspiration to comfort their loved one, leave their spouse, confront their boss, reconnect with their children, etc.
These white Evangelical Christian movies are meant to scare a group of people into thinking that they're losing power. Black Christian movies try to inspire you to work your way through everyday problems. Quite frankly, that says a lot about the social dynamics in the US.
Fences did so very well.
Indeed
I’m late, but...that’s a really good point. I think it reflects how Christianity has been used (some would even argue, designed) as a tool to further white supremacy, while Black people historically have reclaimed as a means of personal empowerment and survival.
@@louisvictor3473 I disagree about it being a "just so happens" situation. Black Americans are currently still facing the consequences of systemic racism, wealthy or not. It's not a class observation but an observation of race (which encompasses class by default because of systemic racism) that the above comment was referring to. It can't be a "just so happens" situation when its inherently obvious that there is no coincidence or outside affliction (such as class, gender,etc.) that these two depictions of christianity in film are so different, specifically because of race and race relations in America tied to christianity.
@Doom Wolf "Contradictory", or in the nature of things? Cf Epictetus ;)
Some christians feel incredibly persecuted when they don't get to tell a ton of other people how to live their lives...
Exactly
Well it's a death cult. Martyrdom is the ideal.
👏🏾👏🏾 "Brilliant Sir " 👏🏾👏🏾 "Brilliant"
Satan bless your heart
Because some worship religion and not God.
BUT it does suck that it’s the only religion socially acceptable to bash constantly
I have a friend who is a missionary and has seen legit persecution of Christians (getting arrested, beaten, etc). She came home for a visit and my family asked her if she sees parallels here compared to where her work is (my family believes persecution of American Christians is a thing) and they expected her to agree with them. She said absolutely not. She went on to elaborate how christians here aren't even close to persecuted and my family tried to prod her into agreeing but every story she told contradicted what they said and believed. They didn't want to talk about it all of a sudden when she made her stance firm that American Christians are not persecuted in any capacity. It was probably one of the greatest things I've ever witnessed in my life.
Maybe it will get them to think.
Holy shit haha that does sound great indeed
HECKIN QUEEN
That's true. I'm a Christian and I absolutely wouldn't call myself persecuted, especially compared to what Christians in others parts of the world face. That being said, it definitely can be frustrating to be a Christian where I live, especially for younger people. For example, I've had people exclude me socially just for being Christian because they heard that and assumed a bunch of awful stuff about me and that definitely hurt. Still, that's nowhere close to what Christians who have to literally fear for their lives because of their beliefs face.
That sounds fantastic. American evangelicals are delusional about the whole persecution thing and it honestly pisses me off.
> "what happened here tonight is a cause for celebration"
> standing over the still-warm body of a man who just died in utter agony
Why not? their leader was tortuerd to death while his followers looked on doing nothing, cause god? ell their symbol is one of torture and the book they follow is a pile of 2000 year old asswipe.
Yeah, it is messed up.
Not surprising. Their entire religion revolves around death and violence being viewed as "good"
It makes sense in the context of his soul being saved. If it was true (and since it's a work of fiction, it could be true in-universe), he just started his actual life in the best place ever, instead of being sent to Hell for being a dirty non-believer.
@@wheedler But then why was the reverend in the 3rd film so angry when his best friend and co-reverend got blown up and died in his arms? He should have celebrated his death with just as much glee.
"When you live in privilege, equality feels like a discrimination" - great words.
Wow. I have to remember this one
It's; “when you're accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression”
As a Jew who has actually faced discrimination for being Jewish I always laugh at the type of persecution portrayed in Christian films. It's always so dramatic. People are being arrested or thrown in prison or buildings are being torn down. It's completely unrecognizable from the much quieter, much more subtle discrimination that comes before things get quite that bad, like odd comments, idle threats, just plain rudeness. For example, our Jewish Community Center has always been a subject of annoyance for other people in the area mostly just because it exists, and we had had to deal with weird questions, uncomfortable remarks, little acts of vandalism, and other small forms of discrimination far before it escalated into anything dangerous. Which it did, we've now gotten bomb threats a couple of times and had enough happening that we've had to fence in our property and get officers to patrol our small grounds. It ebbs and flows but hasn't gotten that bad in a while. But in Christian movies there's none of the everyday stuff, it's always so dire, and it doesn't get better with small things like a fence or some guards, it only goes away when Johnny McWhiteman destroys the libs in a battle to the death. It's allllmost as if the Christians writing these movies don't really know how discrimination feels hmmmmmmmmm
The slave masters are losing their slaves and are lashing out...
I’m so sorry your community has been facing discrimination for so long. I really hope things get better and that all of you stay safe
That’s infuriating, unacceptable and terrifying. It just makes these Evangelical pity party movies that much worse. That people face real discrimination while they pat themselves on the back for being martyrs.
I'm gay and was raised evangelical, and it was rough for me growing up... I feel for you. 😥😥😥
@@davidallamericananarchist9220 I feel you, man. I’m gay and Jewish. When I wasn’t being shouted at for wearing nail polish I was having my yarmulke flushed down the toilet. My parents didn’t like me because of who I loved and my peers didn’t like me because of who I worshipped. It’s very difficult being torn between two worlds but at least you’re taught to just walk away from people who don’t accept you. I guess I got the last laugh because I’m living in a much nicer city with a very loving partner. Living well is the best payback ♥️
The kind of person who still thinks trump is a godly man, qualified and doing a good job is the type of person who thinks Gods Not Dead is a documentary
"That's why you should stop fighting, and let the tyrant retire from power."
As foolish and incorrect as that statement is, I admire the fatalism.
Evil wins when good people do nothing.
I would give this a like but there are 666 likes and..that is too amusing to ruin
This has 666 likes. 😄
When you worship a martyred god, it’s easy to get your martyr complex all mixed up in your god complex.
Came here to say this.
this comment slaps so fuckin hard
"Christians" nowadays don't seem to realize that Jesus was a martyr because he was the leader of an actual minority religious group under the oppression of the Roman empire and instead think that all Christians everywhere are oppressed because people with other religions exist.
Yeah, but Jesus isn't God... He's the son of God, and Satan is Jesus's brother. So there's Jesus, the martyr, and then there's God, who has no physical image. So God isn't the Martyr, Jesus is the Martyr.
Huh. Good comment.
The Reverend from the predominantly black church was probably just included as a weak attempt to cover their ass and try to claim it as "proof" that the the movie isnt racist.
Like a lot of the movie, it's dishonest.
It was so very close to self-awareness, but then it sailed away over their heads.
Interesting how in the first film the closest Christian middle eastern girl was very light skinned with somewhat white features and her Muslim dad and brother were dark skinned with stereotypical middle eastern features. But to be fair in media in general it's easy to tell what middle eastern characters are going to be protagonists or antagonists by looking at their skin tone and features.
ah yes, the ever popular "I'm not racist because I have a black friend" strategy!
That moment infuriates me because it was so close to actually reaching something... meaningful, but you know, we can’t have people questioning TOO much.
"don't tolerate intolerance" thank you for saying this, people don't seem to get it
And I have seen comments amounting to "so much for the tolerant left" proliferating wildly. It is literally maddening.
@@nathanielgrey4091 they don't know how words work, that much is clear.
Bullies need scapegoats to maintain hierarchies. Particularly Ironic with the Christian end of the Abrahamic spectrum as they worship the ultimate scapegoat, someone who, if they were alive today, would be martyred by his own followers, especially if he acted on the beliefs he preached.
Hell, they wouldn't even want him to enter the USA because he might be a terrorist.
@@animeotaku307 they would crucify him all over
Oh, the irony.
💯💯💯
@@Hades_Orkos I saw once in my twitter feed refrence into a 16th century short story about jesus returning in middle of spanish inquisition and trying stop it. They burn him on the stake by reasons that church has improved upon jesus's teachings, creating something greater and better than him and he is now irrelevant.
My parents always say: "Think what you want, just don't act upon it and don't talk about it." Basically: "Conform."
You can hate us in the deepest pits of your heart, as long as your body steps to our tune.
"I could build you a church with all the bricks thrown through my window". Okay favorite character.
I could build a planet with the bodies of the victims of Christianity..;.
I think that line was taken by someone else in real life I think.
Yeah they definitely stole that line. That or the actor came up with it on set.
Wish that line was in any other movie.
You know what my favorite Christian movie is? Bruce Almighty. Like legit. It's the most Christian non evangelical movie I've ever seen. Yeah its blasphemous since the guy literally becomes god but the whole lesson behind the movie is to try and get over yourself, have faith that theres better times coming, and to help others and "be the miracle" instead of waiting around for things to magically get better. Sounds more christ like than all of GnD
And Morgan Freeman as God, yeah I can see it. Great movie tho!!!
👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
I remember wanting to watch this when I was a kid, but being told that it was an evil film, meant to lead Christians astray. Thank you for reminding me about it! Adding it to my watchlist now!
My parents never let me watch that movie when I was little. They only let me watch the sequel Evan Almighty
i use to rewatch this movie so much as a kid, i think i actually can quote the whole thing from memory
Ah, I remember back when I was an evangelical Christian. I even helped promote the first God’s Not Dead when I was 16. You know something is terribly wrong with a position when you feel liberated and free just from changing your mind. I wouldn’t wish religious belief on my worst enemy.
You atheist now
My friend used to tell me about this movie and how it was good. So I was like, you know what? Sure, I"ll watch it, the song's a banger. Granted we were both 12 and I wanted to reconnect with my faith. So I watched the film, and I was incredibly upset when the professor died. Years later, I keep thinking about this movie. How is God dead? You either think he exists or that he doesn't. It's all so dramatic.
Wow, I hear this so often and it always blows my mind. I believe in God, but religion imo, complicates everything. It kind of creates this narrative of exclusivity that destroys the idea of what God is supposed to be all about. Unconditional love. This is all my opinion, of course.
@@Ria-sd2ex It's interesting how often I hear the claim evangelicals make that they don't count as a religion because their faith is personal and singular, more like a friendship with Jesus. Never mind that they learned this particular approach from others in the church they go to and the fellow believers they form collective ideas with... Sorry fellas. You are a religion.
Thank you for talking about King honestly. The other part of his legacy is that his position was the acceptable compromise because Malcom and the Panthers were a more terrifying option to the entrenched power.
For those interested in the topic u should read Negroes With Guns by Robert Williams > My Life in the Black Panther Party by Don Cox > Black Against Empire by Waldo and Bloom > Look for me in the Whirlwind by Panther 21 > Assata by Assata Shakur
"When you are accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression."
Bam. This right here is an excellent way to sum up a lot of the source of tensions in this country right now.
Electing Trump shows that the religious right will vote in someone who just plays at being a good Christian if that person also embodies and enacts the rest of their ideology.
shoesncheese yup, There is zero chance of trump actually being a Christian but he sure sold it to them!
What make this funny in a morbid kinda ironic way is that trump wasnt even very good at playing a good Christain. He is like one of the lamest actors out there. And maybe it is just I know too much about people to have believed anything of him, but like he just comes across as so fake and hissy, and I dont understand how more people didnt see that?
@@ritasprinkle5098 They we’re conned only because they wanted to be conned.
@@ritasprinkle5098 There's actually interview of him where he's asked what his favorite passage from the bible is, which he deflects by saying that "it's such an incredible book that I don't want to name just one passage."
When he was asked then whether he's old testament or new testament kind of guy, his response was "probably equal."
In private, it's said that he loathes evangelicals and thinks that they're running a scam. Michael Cohen disclosed that Trump thinks they're full of shit and has referred their faith healing as rackets.
@@ritasprinkle5098 he is LITERALLY a bad faith actor
My priest once said “there are many people out there who think they are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. In reality they are persecuted only because of their selfish behavior.” He didn’t name names but I think he was talking about the evangelical prods.
6:22
That "The enemy is both strong and weak. Don't think about it. It's not a contradiction, really guys!" schtick seems rather similar to how the Nazis portrayed Jews.
At the Church I'm dragged to with my Father, there are songs and sermons about the Enemy (Satan) being defeated, but at the same time having enough power to fuck up your life. *WHICH IM FUCKING TIRED OF HEARING!!!!*
Amazing how they always put Dr. King on a pedestal about his non-violence, but they also always skate past the fact that he was still murdered, despite not being violent
Rest in peace Martin Luther King Jr.
Also, he was very much pro riot. He faced the same "why don't you protest peacefully" narrative, as BLM does as well.
@@botondhetyey159THIS. White people forget (or simply fail to realize) that Dr. King *did* believe that violence was an appropriate response (with nuance).
@@botondhetyey159EXACTLY! At the civil rights movement was only 60-70 years ago. A lot of the people who called MLK a terrorist or lynched people (and were never prosecuted) are still around saying BLM is lying and anti-whitr.
Change through civility is a privilege many people don't really have.
"When you are accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression"
To me it feels like common sense and I've been pretty privileged all my life
Every single one of their examples of discrimination are "you need to be tolerant of my intolerance."
They hide their racism, xenophobia, sexism, etc. under the banner of religion.
Those poor persecuted Christians in America.....
Will their suffering never end?
They couldn’t get their head out of their own assholes. No wonder they’re suffering. Can’t imagine what it smells like down there
😅🤬😂👍Mark Twain said "The best cure for Christianity is reading the Bible."
Hope not 😉
22:35 "Tolerance for oppression itself is not an equal concept". I couldn't agree more. That sentiment is beyond beautiful. I want to express gratitude from the bottom of my heart for Renegade Cut. In these bleak times, watching these videos is like gratifying water for my super parched throat.
Lmao my dad says that christians shouldn't have to serve gay people if it makes them uncomfortable but little does he know that I'm bisexual and now I'm terrified that he's gonna hate me if I get a gf but I'm in the wrong for wanting equality, right? 🙃🙃🙃🙃
Hope you're doing fine these days
hope you are doing ok.
As for your father, yes, Chrsitianss have to serve LGBT people due to the Civil Rights act of 1964.
@@seraphinduvolzairo5938 I also hope OP is doing fine these days
@@lorianabanana6066 say it, I did. I keep my friendship group small and my family group smaller to avoid drama.
I hope you are fine.
"Heaven help you if you are an atheist seeking public office." Best line ever.
Thank "God" I'm an atheist in another country. Australia. 😂
The bill of rights conflicts with the Bible. For instance the bill of rights says you get freedom of religion, but the Bible says you worship God or die. The 13th amendment outlaws slavery, the Bible has multiple passages on who you can enslave and how you treat them.
THERE'S A THIRD MOVIE!?!?
It is presumably the last...
"Presumably". They make these things for dirt cheap, and exploit their target demographic for maximum profit; these films are money-makers, which is what's most important to these people. I would not be surprised if they churn out another or two in the next few years, but for now PureFlix has plenty of other garbage it wants to shove down peoples' throats.
@@renegadecut9875 Don't count on it
I think there is 4.
Nope. This is the third. It flopped at the box office. So, possibly the last. The only talk of God's Not Dead 4 is an April Fool's Day joke.
Great video, thanks for making it. These types of Christians are terrifying and seriously worry me as an (atheist) American citizen, not only for their disregard of other religions and/or non-believers, but the increasing focus on the 2nd amendment and their misplaced importance on gun ownership (like how an NRA spokesperson was cast in this film).
K LINE as a person with a jewish father and catholic mother i agree with you
I am a Christian, but I have a huge problem with these movies because they truly do demonize atheists and make Christians perfect, when a lot of the time, it’s the opposite
I'm an androgyne scientific pantheist and I fully support arming the gays. I think the 2nd amendment is important, but there does need to be more control in the right places. However, it is true that people who are determined enough to get guns illegally will get guns illegally. We can make it as hard as possible for them, but we also need to have the means protect ourselves from hateful and oppressive fuckfaced dinguses.
Holy shit. I just have to say, the part about protests and ulterior motivated calls for 'civility' really just ripped open my brain. In a good way. You're absolutely right about 'goalposts moving' in terms of protesting and the perceived manner of protest.
Anger is still a slippery slope, and even with good intentions, rage can cloud better judgement. No matter who it's coming from. But it is TOTALLY possible to make an energized but focused protest that is loud and disruptive enough to turn all the right heads but not do more damage than it's worth.
I love this video. I'm so glad I watched it. The communication of ideas and explanations for feelings and actions is so clear and relateable. Definitely makes you stop dead and really think. And in my case, rethink. A lot.
Thank you so much for writing this, editing this, and posting this; thank you SO MUCH for making this. And sharing it. I hope it will find its way to and speak equally crystal clearly and persuasively to people who can definitely affect this much needed societal change.
Kudos! Keep up the amazing insightful work.
Every time I remember the end of the first movie I have to go stand in the corner and think about what they did, because they obviously never will
Kelly McQueen
It's God's punishment.
You should probably say at least 3 Our Fathers and 10 Hail Mary's, while you think about how you reacted to perfection. 👻
What happened here tonight, is course for celebration
I know, right? It's horrifying! They're literally celebrating someone's death.
AnonJl1 *cause, not course. His accent was just thick
Why would you watch it more than once
this is one of the few movie analysis channels i like because he actually discusses the politics of the movies
Well, that is literally the premise of the show. :)
i just want to say thank you so much for this. your words pretty much vindicated about 11 years of my clinical depression.
i’m atheist and was once in a toxic relationship with someone who was devoutly catholic. she would tell me that supporting gay rights (it was 2007) was being intolerant of her religion and would say things that made me feel like i was kevin sorbo for trying to explain otherwise. she basically told me that tolerating religious intolerance was necessary for respecting religion.
science be praised that we broke up after she cheated on me with a counselor from youth group.
So much for the whole no adultery thing Christians love so much
@@KhiemNguyen-ly1wz noooo~
You have to forgive them when they do it.
Only you can go to hell for adultery
"We're under no obligation to tolerate intolerance" what an excellent line... I love this succinct explanation, definitely stealing it lol. Great video!
i wish our experiences with christians were the same. my grandparents and everyone at their church LOVE these movies and i was actually sat down and forced to watch the first two on several occasions under the guise of "family time" back when i lived with them. i'm an lgbt pagan and they knew this (they actually invaded my privacy multiple times in my teens to find that out and punished me for it) and their reactions, as well as their church friends' reactions, to these movies was actually kind of scary. especially when i personally researched those cases, came to the same conclusions as you, and brought that evidence to them as well as attempted to start a debate about the series's message only to get shot down and further mistreated. they literally watched the first one every night for almost a month after buying it. many christians in my experience LOVE these movies because they validate them and allow them to be comfortable with their ignorance. i have no idea if they like the new one as i'm out of that unfortunate situation but i feel they'd enjoy it a well because its arguments parallel theirs to such an extent it's almost disturbing.
i'm glad to know there are christians who argue against these movies though. it's very comforting to have someone confirm that many frown on the movie for giving their faith a bad name and using poorly constructed caricatures of nonchristians and "enemies" of the faith, sometimes punishing them with death or making them endure abuse until they convert. it gives the whole faith a bad name. as a former christian who read the bible front to back and actually respects the religion itself, i know these movies are in no way and accurate portrayal of actual christianity but rather bigoted christians with a martyr complex who hide behind their beliefs to oppress and silence minority groups. unfortunately, because of their popularity and the fact that the movies really are shoved down the throats of those who have different opinions, a lot of people are just gonna walk away with a newfound discomfort regarding the religion and its followers while those who laud these films as revolutionary will walk away with a false sense of moral superiority and higher intelligence compared to their so called enemies.
there are few movies i genuinely hate and feel physically uncomfortable watching but these movies are some of them because of the people who watch them and say "yes! this is what i've been saying!". they truly scare me.
As someone who left these people in her late teens and became athiest, you succinctly stated my frustrations
There are six God's Not Dead fanfics on AO3 and of those two of them are smut fics of Josh and his professor
Both written by different authors
Nothing is sacred here, least of all these piece of shit movies
I came to see someone rip this movie to shreds. I got someone putting all my angry thoughts into words. This is amazing and I'm subscribing off of this video alone. Thank you, TH-cam algorithm for working, for once.
To a group that has received special benefits for a super long time, being treated equally seems like persecution
EDIT: As I watching, I realized that he said a very similar thing at 11:07 , and I think he phrased it better
"christian exploitation films". Most accurate description I've heard.
Christianity is based off of martyrdom. My dad reads this magazine "voice of the martyrs" religiously. He buys all of the books that it advertises, donates to all of its causes, etc. I'm not educated enough on the condition of Christians in Iraq, but I do know for a fact that Christians are just FINE in the US. However, my dad feeds off these magazines in a way that lets him feel opressed and strong for being a white christian male in the US and it's so embarrassing.
Watching this in June 2020 is eerie. King is out again, being misrepresented to the degree that I was surprised to see that this video came out a year ago about a movie.
I was devastated to see Melissa Joan Hart in one of these unpalatable Christian movies, you've fallen so far Miss Spellman
I wonder if it's just a paycheck for some of these actors. Not all of them earn(ed) the big bucks, and popularity ebbs and flows. Actors especially need to have current work to show off, regardless of length, from walk-ons to significant characters -- and to pay the rent. So they play the sheriff in a straight-to-streaming/DVD movie about a giant Furby-thing terrorizing Butte, Montana or the strawman atheist in a Christian exploitation movie. (Look at who's been in some movies from The Asylum to see what I mean.)
And some are the target audience for the 'White American Christians are SO persecuted despite churches everywhere' movies.
That is hilarious actually.
That’s funny, because I remember feeling the same way. Except I remember her as “Clarissa” from “Clarissa Explains it All” on Nickelodeon 😂
I like how that boy from the first movie has also been in the first Disney Channel series to feature a gay couple.
And the guy who acted the atheist in the first movie actually played Hercules in the 1990's series.
@@Hawkatanaand he’s a reactionary, conservative evangelical. Probably why he’s so sh*tty at playing an atheist. He’s more of a caricature of what right wing evangelical Christians think an atheist is 🙄
I'd try to show this to my mom, but she isn't "ignorant", just a tad sensitive about "Christian movies" being called out for being exploitative.
E Gart wait, so she knows it’s exploitative, but doesn’t like it being acknowledged?
@@kaziislam2785
Seems so.
so, wilfully ignorant. Which is in many ways worse.
As of June 2020, this video has a massive amount of weight in the current climate. This might be about God's not dead but so many of the points ring even more loud and clear about what is happening today.
The part about "civility" hits even harder now with incidents of violence during protests getting the media and political coverage that SHOULD be going to the underlying causes. It's a convenient red herring by the status quo to prevent dealing with the real problems. Instead of wondering "why are these people so bad", it goes to "these people are mad". That's why the Ferguson protests and subsequent riots led to today's situation: the problem wasn't addressed sufficiently the first time because of this "both sides are out of control".
And this is extremely hypocritical with the religious right: Christ was executed by the government, given to the government by the religious establishment, and who had attacked religious fundraising...like this movie. Christ today would go to a church, see this video on the shelf, and then knock off the shelf and the church's little store selling religious propaganda. He'd be called an atheist and go to jail.
I liked David White better when he was the 'Hey Scotty, Jesus Man!!' guy
He got worse with age.
I liked Kevin Sorbo when he was Hercules. Now he just plays a shitty straw man atheist in all these Christian exploitation films. I miss the old Sorbo.
@@brabbit330 to quote the man himself... D I S A P P O I N T E D !!!!!
"When you are accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression".
22:30 I love how Leon's voice sounds more aggressive when running down that clip saying minority groups should be more "tolerant". 😁
Who knew this would suddenly become so incredibly topical?
Watching this in June 2020 and realizing how exactly right every word in this is.
"Now, that does not mean white Americans or Christian Americans do not have problems, because everyone has problems" Insane that this needs to be said when discussing privilege EVERYTIME!
"Angry is good. Angry gets shit done."
-- Mr. Nancy, _American Gods_
Jilly Juice conversation therapy should be seen as illegal too.
I didn't even know what that was until you just mentioned it. Googled.
Whoa...
I've seen family members who are actually good Christian people get so caught up in politics that they lose sight of their roots and own moral code.
If politics could get themselves untangled from religion, I think things would be at least a little better.
*Edit:* I despise how racists and fundies always bring up King once things begin going south.
Like bruh, black people have been peacefully protesting for YEARS now (kneeling, wearing "I can't breathe" shirts during sports games, black celebrities speaking out, peaceful marches, etc.), but nobody gave a damn.
Only now that insurgencies are popping up all over the country do people pay attention.
Like I know you mentioned something similar in the video, but the overwhelming presence of self-righteousness (arrogance) and complete lack of self-reflection is just so damn abhorrent.
*Edit 2:* "The use of the word 'civility' by those in power is euphemistic for 'control'. Amen.
*Edit 3:* I absolutely love this video! I've never heard so many of my own arguments so perfectly encapsulated in one source!
litteraly had a pureflix ad before the video about a crackhead who become a music teacher to help “troubled” teen
oh my god they’re using the facist logic “you’re enemy must be both overwhelmingly strong and incredibly weak”
I know many people are sick of this phrase but yeah the main message of this video is basically “check your privilege” and that’s not unreasonable for the audience of this film
I see a distinct pattern in their examples.
1. Christian does something dickish, usually involving refusing service to homosexuals or actively trying to harm them.
2. Christian gets in legal trouble.
3. Christian claims their religion demands they do the action in 1.
4. HELP HELP I'M BEING OPPRESSED!
"It's my God-given right as a follower of the man who commanded us to love one another to treat people I don't like or don't understand like shit."
Your analyses across a broad range of topics are eye opening. Thank you for making this channel.
God's Not Dead makes Kirk Cameron's Left Behind look like Citizen Kane
I would rather watch the Left Behind trilogy again than the God's Not Dead trilogy again. At least Left Behind had stakes and action scenes. God's Not Dead, in addition to having an awful worldview, is also completely tedious. A movie can be problematic but exciting or harmless but boring. God's Not Dead is deeply problematic and deeply boring.
I'm a Christian and I can't stand the propaganda Christian "entertainment" produces
6:34 You know, Umberto Eco would have a way to describe that dynamic.
Yup, that is why he is listed in the bibliography in the description.
Renegade Cut Oops, missed that. Then again, I can’t help but think that God’s Not Dead is God’s Greatest Argument For Communism.
this is probably now one of my favorite videos. so informative and interesting while never being hyperbolic or going on any tangents. Nice job!
2 years later this video is still relevant and you are still eloquent!!
On the point about majority/minority status, after growing up and going to college in the Bible Belt, I was fortunate enough to attend graduate school (math) at one of those East coast "liberal" institutions, and was surprised at how many of my colleagues were religious.
Among of graduate students there were several atheists and agnostics, but also a Mormon, a few Muslims, various flavors of Protestants ranging from traditional to born-again evangelical, and a surprising number of Catholics, including myself.
Most importantly, no one really cared about that because it had nothing to do with our work and we weren't cynical assholes.
These movies are gonna be the next reefer madness
I wish I could like this a thousand times. Well done.
I had to do a double take on the posting date lol, really puts some things in perspective.
Also, was that Ray Wise???
Yup. Sad, huh?
"Waaaah, people don't like that my religious ideology has been used to control other people's lives and actions, waaaah, I'm persecuted."
"Discrimination" to Christians who believe this nonsense, is simply not believing in Christianity.
Considering how Kim Davis married four times and had two kids out of wedlock, they set themselves up as arbiters of others in a way that is just perverted, abhorrent.
Does anyone else notice the ACLU lawyer is Laura Palmer’s dad in the og Twin Peaks.
Boy, even though this was created a year ago, this is timely and related to what America is experiencing right now.
Your BIBLIOGRAPHY AND FURTHER READING is very much appreciated. Thanks
watching this from late May 2020 and the bit about the idea of "civility" and silencing minorities and the necessity of violent protest (and ALL that stuff about MLK) is SO relevant right now. Can't believe this is a 2018 piece.
Dude, you are a really great essayist. Please keep doing what you’re doing.
This is more and more relevant today, even if the current protests are not about religion. Thank you, Renegade Cut.
I only just found your channel, but thank you so much for making videos like this one.
I love all your points and everything that's called out in your video. I hope you make more videos.
the protests in the 60s were nonviolent in that no one was punching up...
All the best TH-camrs came out with something today.
I hate these religious movies, but that line from the black preacher building a church with all the bricks thrown through his window was actually pretty good.
Thanks for making this video. You have my deepest sympathies for sitting and sifting through the banal bile that is the GND trilogy. You're a braver man than I.
Hmmm, portraying a demonized enemy as both too powerful and too weak at the same time? That tactic sounds awfully familiar...
UH OHHHHHHHH
UHHHHH OHHHHHHH
_facism time_
It’s almost as if that has been the reactionary strategy since the French Revolution.
Your video essays are fantastic. Keep it up
I was managing a gas station with a small rental area when this movie came out and I remember kind of chuckling at it when I put it up. I thought it was some sort of documentary of people saying "gods not dead" or something. But it wasn't long after I had it up that it was rented out. Not only that, people started coming in asking for it! I forget what other movies were out, but most of them were ones I would much rather see. I decided to check out the movie myself and got pretty creeped out about where I'm living and also understood why a lot of people are the way they are here. I once got screamed at "If you don't believe in god get the f*** out of here!" when a kid asked me what I thought about there being aliens in space. I didn't get a word out before that scream stopped me. I'm working on getting my Mom out of this place. It's an idyllic town to the average white christian/catholic/luthurn. But if you're Native or don't blend in, problems seem to gravitate your way. I saw it happen to other people and families and I noticed it starting to happen to use plus, I don't know where all the other diverse people went. It's just us here now and there was a moment a couple weeks ago where we kept having to deal with the police for things like a dog license and our landlord has been giving us way more papers and demanding more information than the other neighbors have. We thankfully got a minivan to kind of live in one the sh*t really hits the wall, but I don't know how long my Mom could survive that way. She's why I'm here. I came to visit and ended up saving her life one day and realized she needs someone around to do things like that when it happens. I don't want to count how many times I've done it since it's not something I want to do per say. I'd rather her just be up and around herself.
(I'll admit, after I watched it I would just say the movie was out when I didn't have it back on the wall yet. Reminds me of the time I picked up the documentary "Jesus Camp" at a thrift shop and an elderly customer in line pointed at it and said "God bless you" to me, which was a weird feeling. Part of me wanted to tell him what it was about, the other didn't want to shatter his illusion. I chose the latter. :P)
I think The small one (Disney) is the only christian thing besides Narnia and maybe the prince of Egypt, that was kind of good.
Ironic that old guy was blessing you for getting Jesus Camp, since it's a critical portrayal of evangelical indoctrination in kids. Guess he just say Jesus and was like "yay". I hope you and your mother are doing ok too 💜
@@celinak5062 oh yeah, Prince of Egypt is awesome
Bravo, sir. This might be your best work in terms of writing and phrasing. Efficient and on point.
Thanks!
I just found your channel and I already love it!!
You hit every topic with such accuracy! When I review these types of movies, I always make it a point to cite these reasons as the basis for why they are not worth anyone's time. Some still can't comprehend. Now I can just link them this video that sufficiently states every point.
Great video! Thank you for making it!
Beliefs do not need to be respected
Ernie Hudson? Not Winston :notlikethis:
Unfortunately, MY experience with christians is mostly people who love these awful movies. I went to high school at a catholic school (not by choice) and we had mandatory religious education classes where we were forced to watch the first film in the series and write an essay about this. So there I was, a young atheist watching half the class get emotional and cry at the glorious victory of christianity over the straw man created to represent people who shared my beliefs. And then watched them ugly cry at the mercy of god that his soul was SAVED IN THE END. After of course a tragic accident and shortly before his death BUT YAY GOD AMIRITE. At least I got the satisfaction to fill 2 sheets of paper with everything I honestly believed about the movie. And the teacher had to grade it an A I bet she was scared of getting sued if she didn’t since you know, christians are being persecuted these days you never know with these evil atheists
Kevin Sorbo?? That Hercules actor????
As a Christian, I can confirm your point about how Christians hate these films. I'm a commie, but all of the Christians I have talked to about the God's Not Dead films, even ultra-conservative ones who do believe things like being gay is wrong, have denounced these movies in one way or the other.
If you look at these films, it's really obvious they are just trying to get Christian's money (this is a common theme with Christian movies). They play off the obligation many Christians have to support Christian movies even when they suck and equate supporting the films with supporting God. It's so disgusting.
“When you are accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression.” This is so powerful
Love how relevant that segment about calling for civility is now
Lets talk while the chuds shoot me in the face and try to kill me and mine sure...