This site is all about Atheism, but that doesn’t mean we can’t see other aspects of a film. So, each film is given two ratings, one for its “atheism quotient,” and one for its other qualities.
For its first rating, each films starts as a 3 (on the 5 point scale). A 3 means the film has no particular stand on the existence of a deity, religion, or the church (that’s any church).
Points (or half points) are then taken away for the film’s degree of:
- Religious worship
- Assumption of—or support for—the existence of, a deity
- Support for political power in the hands of churches
- Negative view of thought and logic
- Negative view of pleasure
- Assumption of—or support for—the existence of souls and/or an afterlife
- Support for mindless adherence to authority and tradition
These are considered with decreasing importance.
Points (or half points) are added for the film’s degree of:
- Convincing arguments against the existence of a deity
- Assumption of— or support for—the nonexistence of a deity
- Blasphemous and sacrilegious statements and activities, particularly when they are harmless
- Positive view of thought and logic
- Positive view of the pleasures of this world (over the rewards of the next)
- Assumption of— or support for—the nonexistence of souls and/or an afterlife
- Support for self reliance and self motivation
Again, with decreasing importance.
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We are not at the whim of an old guy with a beard or any of his kin, and it feels good |
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Thoughtful |
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Neither one way or the other |
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Mind numbing |
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God exists, and he wants you to live mindless, dull lives. |
While this site’s reason-for-being is to look at films from an atheist perspective and to respond to the numerous religious film review sites, it is hard to judge a film simply based on its level of heresy. We’re film lovers here, so it is nearly impossible for us not to comment on the overall quality of the film. Is the story innovative and complex? Are the characters engaging? Is the directing tight, the acting believable, the cinematography beautiful, and the effects spectacular? Since theme is intertwined with all aspects of a film, our quality rating will not completely ignore it when religion pops up, but, in general, this rating is for everything not covered in that first score.
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Excellent |
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Good |
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Fair |
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Bad |
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A Sin: Too bad there isn’t a God as he could spite the filmmakers |