El Reviewer Random (TV Series)

God's Not Dead (2016)

Valentin Fuentealba: El Reviewer Random

Quotes 

• El Reviewer Random : [about Marc's speech of love as an over-used word]  If I tried to find an excuse, I'd suppose they're making an allusion of Nietzche's concept of the "Ubermensch" or "Super-Man" who constructs his own system of values, separated from the concept of God. That would explain why they chose Dean Cain for the role, but by the way they been treating matters here, that would be giving them too much credit.

• El Reviewer Random : [after seeing Josh's video depicting the Big Bang]  Wow, Did he manage to edit all of that in a single night? I should hire him for my videos.

• El Reviewer Random : Now it's clear to me that the target audience of this movie are Ned Flanders-type people that goes to the closest religious authority to solve their problems. None of the good Christians of this movie seem to have friends or close relatives to turn for help.

• Josh Wheaton : It's a very simple question, professor. Why you hate God?

  Professor Raddison : [yelling]  Because he took everything away to me! Yes, I hate God! All I have for him is hate!

  El Reviewer Random : Ta-Dah! Surprise! The professor wasn't an atheist. The movie has no reason to exist. That was why he couldn't defend morality from a secular perspective. Because, deep down, he believed in God, of course. Any other surprise?

• El Reviewer Random : [First lines]  Speaking of religions is very complicated. Personally, I don't have any major problems with people's beliefs, as long as they don't force everyone into sharing them or use them as a an argument to limit other people's liberties, which, unfortunately, happens too often. While in some sectors religion has a great power, to the point that there countries where there's no difference between religious authority and civil authority; in the West, since some centuries, this relationship has gotten quite distanced. And even if some nations mention "God" in their official documents and beliefs still have a strong influence in the taking of decisions, it is possible to freely argue or criticize them without fear of legal retribution. Even if there are sectors that get bothered.

• El Reviewer Random : We arrive at Josh's first philosophy class and are introduced to the professor. Who is he? Kevin Sorbo, best known for his role as Hercules. This is like a '90s B-star parade.

• Reverend Jude : God is good.

  Reverend Dave : All the time

  Reverend Jude : And all the time...?

  Reverend Dave : God is good.

  El Reviewer Random : Oh yeah! The children of Africa must be very satisfied with that answer...

• Professor Radisson : And, with your permission, I would like to bypass this senseless debate altogether and jump to the conclusion which every sophomore is aware of: there is no God.

  El Reviewer Random : Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! Is he asking his students to skip an entire segment of the subject?

  El Reviewer Random : [imitating Professor Radisson]  Hey, kids, I don't want to work. Free notes for everyone!

• Professor Radisson. : And if you fail-as you shall, you will fail this section and lose 30% of your final grade right off the bat. Are you ready to accept that?

  El Reviewer Random : The conflict is meaningless! Do you know why? Because by now, Josh should be getting up from his seat to talk to the principal and report religious discrimination.

• El Reviewer Random : [imitating Josh]  Ah, the things I have to do for money. I was better off in Disney Channel.

• El Reviewer Random : Hey, Professor, aren't you going to say anything about it?

  El Reviewer Random : [imitating Professor Radisson]  No, no. As an academic practitioner interested in the subject, this lousy interpretation of evolutionary theory seems very acceptable to me.

  El Reviewer Random : [imitating Hercules from "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys"]  What are you doing with your career?

  El Reviewer Random : [imitating Professor Radisson again]  Ah, shaddap!

• El Reviewer Random : [about the Chinese student arguing with his father on the phone]  It's so unimportant that I'm only talking about it for trivia: It turns out that they both speak Chinese -obviously-... but in different dialects, whose speakers don't understand each other. In other words, they did not care that the two Chinese spoke the same Chinese.

• Josh Wheaton : Do you hate God?

  Professor Radisson : It's not even a question.

  Josh Wheaton : Okay... why do you hate God?

  El Reviewer Random : What does this have to do with the debate? We are talking about the existence of God, not personal feelings.

  Professor Radisson : This is ridiculous.

  Josh Wheaton : Why do you hate God? Answer the question!

  El Reviewer Random : [imitating Josh]  Come on, reveal to the class the trauma you hate God for! I'm gonna keep poking your emotional wound until you say it and let me win.

• Josh Wheaton : How can you hate someone that don't exist?

  El Reviewer Random : To think that there must be people out there applauding this plot twist. The big flaw in this argument is thinking that atheists can't get angry or attack a religion because it's something they don't believe in, and it's sadly common. Kevin Sorbo himself has said that he doesn't understand why his atheist acquaintances would get so annoyed when discussing it . And it's simple, really: Some atheists may express anger at the concept of God or what others do in his name. Also, although some atheists would like religions to cease to exist because they perceive them to be harmful to the world, this does not represent all atheists and atheism does not seek to exterminate religions or take away other people's choice.

• Mark : You prayed and believed your whole life. Never done anything wrong. And here you are. You have dementia. My life is perfect. Explain that to me!

  El Reviewer Random : You're less than eighty years old. Duh!

  Mina's Mother : Sometimes the devil allows people to live a life free of trouble

  El Reviewer Random : How cool of him!

• Freshman Registration Advisor : Think Roman Colosseum, lions, people cheering for your death...

  El Reviewer Random : Did you know that current historical evidence indicates that this probably never happened, at least not in the Colosseum? Although it is used by the Church as a symbol of the persecution of Christians...

  El Reviewer Random : [smiles]  Oh, there will be a lot of that in this movie...

• Reverend Dave : You're here because that still small voice inside you isn't happy with the choices everyone else wants you to make. Personally, I think it's the Holy Spirit talking to you.

  El Reviewer Random : What do you say, voice in my head? Kill them! Kill them all!

• Josh Wheaton : If God does not exists... then everything is permissible.

  El Reviewer Random : And here we have the plot of the whole movie. This is the message. That is why they have portrayed atheists as immoral and insensitive people. Because they assume that, without God, there is no reason to be moral. Let's ignore all the wars and murders carried out in God's name, that God's morality in the Bible is quite questionable, and that if we assume that evil exists because it is part of God's plan, then nothing we do could be considered immoral. Omitting that, this is such a basic approach that it was already refuted by Socrates two thousand four hundred years ago.

• Reverend Dave : I believe it's God mercy that brought me here right now.

  Professor Raddison : I'm dying. How can you call that mercy?

  Reverend Dave : Because that car could have killed you instantly.

  El Reviewer Random : And wouldn't it have been more merciful to prevent him from dying?

• El Reviewer Random : [about the death of Professor Radisson]  And now that I think about it, even though the movie manages to see it as a positive - and I'm sure some people took it as a nice thing - I find it disgustingly abusive to take advantage of a person's weakest moment, when they are on their deathbed, to get them to accept your religion. I don't know about you, but to me these are real vultures.

• Willie Robertson : One of your professors insisted that God is dead.

  El Reviewer Random : And now he's dead. Hah!

• Reverend Jude : What happened here tonight, is a cause for celebration.

  El Reviewer Random : Someone just died horribly!

  El Reviewer Random : [imitating Reverend Jude]  No, we have to celebrate because we added someone to our belief.

  Reverend Jude : Pain, yes, but just a few moments. But now, think about the joy in heaven

  El Reviewer Random : Shut up!

• El Reviewer Random : [after suffering a heart attack]  Where am I?

  God : You have traversed another existential plane. In mundane terms, it is what you know as the afterlife. Paradise, if you prefer.

  El Reviewer Random : And you...?

  God : That's right, I am the infinite and omnipotent being that dominates over all existence. You know me as God.

  El Reviewer Random : Do you exist?

  God : Indeed. And there are multiple very well-founded arguments to explain my existence. But here we are not bound by the banal limitations of space-time so such a matter can wait. I can read inside you that a more urgent question concerns you.

  El Reviewer Random : Well, yes. Not that I'd want to push my luck, but why am I here? I've always been an atheist and I just made a video making fun of a movie that's about defending your existence.

  God : Don't worry. I did not give you the precious gift of reasoning so that you would accept beliefs without first questioning them.