site banner
PaperclipPerfector  4mo ago (text post)   2318 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for November 17, 2024

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

2
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

Watched the Conclave (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt20215234/) at the cinema the other day. Visually well made (although it is just difficult to portray Catholicism without some impressive visuals), somewhat okay but uninteresting story with no clear point and an incredibly disappointing ending. Couldn't stop comparing it to another depiction of a Catholic conclave, from 2011's Borgia (the European made one: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1736341/)

Which made me realize that I am not sure if I have ever watched a movie that depicted a modern religious institution well. Not about some humble believer of the religion, not a sob story about how the religion doesn't match up to modern liberal sensitivities etc.

I am looking for a well-made movie about modern-day Japanese monks, or Latin American/African evangelizers or Iranian Mullahs or whatever is out there. Does anyone have any recommendations for me?

I'm not sure if this counts as modern, but have you seen Robert Duvall's The Apostle from 1997 focusing on Southern Pentecostal Christianity?

For all that the lead character is flawed, he is portrayed as actually believing what he claims to believe, and apparently a lot of the side characters are "played" by normal people Duvall met while traveling in the South researching the film.

The plot rhymes with Blues Brothers in a few places, except that the Christianity of the Blues Brothers is a joke played for laughs while the Christianity of The Apostle is played straight.

I've often heard "faith > religion" in various media and opinion outlets, but I don't think I ever heard "religion > faith". Not even from the most contrarian types.

Are you in the American cultural umbrella? Martin Luther did a number on the concept, but it definitely still comes up, mostly as a strategy for recruiting nonbelievers.

Which made me realize that I am not sure if I have ever watched a movie that depicted a modern religious institution well.

Not a movie, but Shtisel was a pretty good depiction of charedim I think.

I know the subversive ending to Conclave, so I will not watch it. How bad is Borgia (2011) on this CW front?

I remember it being fantastic. Characters who really believed in a way that I can imagine a renaissance Italian aristocrat would believe. Also very good plot and acting

One review by a historian claims that characters behave befitting their status and time, and aren't just 21st Californians somehow transported centuries in the past. Since anachronistic values are a prime indicator of subversion, that Borgia (Europe, 2011) lacks them, is a very good sign.

Try Into Great Silence about the Carthusians. The Island is another good monastic film.

What is this place?

This website is a place for people who want to move past shady thinking and test their ideas in a court of people who don't all share the same biases. Our goal is to optimize for light, not heat; this is a group effort, and all commentators are asked to do their part.

The weekly Culture War threads host the most controversial topics and are the most visible aspect of The Motte. However, many other topics are appropriate here. We encourage people to post anything related to science, politics, or philosophy; if in doubt, post!

Check out The Vault for an archive of old quality posts. You are encouraged to crosspost these elsewhere.


Why are you called The Motte?

A motte is a stone keep on a raised earthwork common in early medieval fortifications. More pertinently, it's an element in a rhetorical move called a "Motte-and-Bailey", originally identified by philosopher Nicholas Shackel. It describes the tendency in discourse for people to move from a controversial but high value claim to a defensible but less exciting one upon any resistance to the former. He likens this to the medieval fortification, where a desirable land (the bailey) is abandoned when in danger for the more easily defended motte. In Shackel's words, "The Motte represents the defensible but undesired propositions to which one retreats when hard pressed."

On The Motte, always attempt to remain inside your defensible territory, even if you are not being pressed.


New post guidelines

If you're posting something that isn't related to the culture war, we encourage you to post a thread for it. A submission statement is highly appreciated, but isn't necessary for text posts or links to largely-text posts such as blogs or news articles; if we're unsure of the value of your post, we might remove it until you add a submission statement. A submission statement is required for non-text sources (videos, podcasts, images).

Culture war posts go in the culture war thread; all links must either include a submission statement or significant commentary. Bare links without those will be removed.

If in doubt, please post it!


Rules


Recommended Posts And Communities

Recommended Realtime Chats