The Sci Fi Catholic Yak Module
"...but I've also learned that a determined Christian reviewer can make anything into God or Jesus if he tries hard enough."
I like that line. It also reminds me of the old story: A pastor came into a Sunday School of and wanted to tell a joke about a Frog. To get the children involved, he asked them what is green and jumps. Nothing. He adds more and more hints. Finally, a little hand goes up and says, "It sounds like a frog, but I'll say Jesus."
Father,
Good joke, it made me chuckle.
What our Esteemed Author(TM)has said about a Christian having a hatred for the genre or failing to discern, I find, is possibly one of the most irritating things as a huge (though I haven't read many), fantasy fan. I'll give you the best example I can think of: I read His Dark Materials in high school three years ago long before the Christian outcry came out. Why was there an outcry? Because with the realease of the movie, the books' publicity naturally followed. Yet, and here's the really dumb thing, we have a book like this: http://www.amazon.com/Towing-Jeh...w/dp/
0156002108 and there will be no outcry from Christians, because this book, (while is does also mock non-beleivers even though the author's a humanist), is obscure. It won the World Fantasy Award in 1995 for crying out loud, but this book (which is the first of a trilogy), will lie in wait, ready to poison unsuspecting young minds against the Church.
Ah yes, Towing Jehovah. I've meant to read that.
Oh, by the way, when I said some need to show more discernment, I had specifically in mind those who argued that Philip Pullman was really trying to depict Gnosticism in His Dark Materials rather than Christianty and those who insisted the Harry Potter novels were a Christian allegory long before there was any evidence that they were, and those who tried to justify Rowling's use of a mercy killing. Just as some Christians will go to any length to condemn popular fantasy works, some will go to any lengths to defend them. I try to take a more realistic view and judge individual works by their merits and deficiencies. You seem to do the same, Thomas, and I think we actually have a number of cool-headed Christians who are able to do so.
"...I've also learned that a determined Christian reviewer can make anything into God or Jesus if he tries hard enough."
Lol...Yeah...in my fantasy lit class (at a Christian college), my otherwise discerning and sensible professor had a few of those moments...
Don't praise me too much, I still read George R.R. Martin. Talk about objectionable material! He possibly depicts every sin listed in the Catechism,and in such explicit detail! But damned if Tyrion Lannister isn't one of the coolest dwarves without a beard in fantasy right now 
If more people could give as objective and balanced a review of Pullman's trilogy as that article that I read at First Things, the atheists would have one less issue to clobber us with.
P.S. I say this as a big fan of the late Douglas Adams, the funniest heretic who walked this earth
the late Douglas Adams, the funniest heretic who walked this earth
Terry Pratchet is my favourite athiest. But, since he's not claiming to be Christian he doesn't qualify as a 'heretic'.
A question for DGD, have you ever looked at Sci-Fi series mate? I guess it is harder to material that is still running, but it would be possible to assess season by season. I am watching the first seasons of Firefly at present and noticed some interesting stuff regarding religion, honesty and human dignity so far. Maybe it will degenerate but, so far, it is interesting.
Firefly of course has a huge fanbase and is even considered by some (heretics) the greatest sf TV series ever. Inexplicably, it went the way of Star Trek, but sooner, and got cancelled.
I don't have cable or satellite TV, which is why you don't usually see us addressing television series here. Frankly, Snuffles and I and the rest of the gang are comfortable without television. I keep seeing info on shows I'd love to see, but man, TV really eats up your time.
Besides that, Snuffles and I are both neurotics who like to see all of something, and one or more comparable pieces, before talking about it. Why do you think Snuffles reviews so many anime films and almost no manga series or anime TV shows? Because a film is one film, but those series are huge, man, and it takes a long time to read or watch all of one in order to write a three-to-five-page review.
Ongoing series just don't jive well with our obsessiveness. If I said one thing about a show after season 1 and then it went a completely different direction in season 2 that showed I had it all wrong, that would keep me awake at night. Not that I'm exactly the king of avoiding factual or interpretive errors, but still....
I know some shows I'd like to see and talk about (Firefly definitely among them), but I'll have to buy the DVDs and watch them all, and that of course takes time. It may indeed show up here...eventually.
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