Bishop Barron on Woody Allen's Bleak Vision

[@christophermartin8685]

I was once like this. An atheist who read camus and sartre. Until Iread the sstranger, and the tale of Sisyphus, but I couldn't accept this bleak nihlism. Eventually God pulled me out just like peter from the drowning waters. I think it's just a symptom of our age. We live in a cynical nihilistic age full of violence and turmoil.. I believe in a few hundred years the world will seem full of wonder and beauty again. When we starte to explore our universe and actually reach out and touch a reflection of the divine! God help us in the meantime.

[@gben82]

Christopher Martin Don't project your own childhood experiences and emotions onto the rest of the world--it's dangerous and can mislead you. This tells me a lot about your own childhood.

[@christophermartin8685]

Benji Asperheim why do you say that?

[@gben82]

Because it's usually people who have suffered trauma of neglect and/or abuse, during childhood, that tend towards nihilism. Something Fr. Barron never mentions in his videos.

[@christophermartin8685]

Benji Asperheim and you Don't Think atheism logical end is nihilistic? And i wasnot projecting, just giving my two sense.

[@gben82]

This is a characterization Christians often make. Atheism is a _negative_ belief, in that it only concerns itself with the negation of gods. Morality, ethics, nihilism, etc.. are issues that have nothing to do with Atheism. It makes no assertions, whatsoever, about the meaning of life--only about the existence of gods. Also, saying that people would be happier and have a more fulfilled life, merely for believing in something, is no proof for gods. Imagine if I told you that married life is so wonderful, and that there's no way I could be happy if I were single, and therefore I _must_ be married (even though there was no proof that I had a wife, or that I was married). That would be pretty silly.

[@trishknaut1031]

Jesus called me out of the grave out of my despair, healing my broken heart, believing a lie that he did not love me, like the woman at the well I was worshipping a God I did not know, I was like the doubting Thomas, and now I know that " perfect love casts out fear" 1st John 4:18, before that I medicated with the beautiful things of this world to cope with that longing for intimacy with my savior..... Matthew 28:6 "He is risen!"

[@tinman1955]

I think Fr B. makes a good case that there's no pure nihilists.

[@HolyKhaaaaan]

The pure nihilists are either dead, or too destructive to live in public society.

[@lukehall8151]

A nihilist would firmly believe that nothing had any meaning. Then they would necessarily believe that that conclusion was true. But someone who believed nothing had meaming would believe that human beliefs had no meaning. Then they would believe that it is meaningless what one believes, whether it is true or not. But they say that it is true that nothing has any meaning. In that case, what is the meaning of the word true? In the case of Woody Allen, he necessarily believes in the Good. He says he makes movies as a diversion, which means he thinks fun is better than suffering, but if nothing mattered, then even suffering does not matter, and is not real. In that case, what is there to be diverted from? His nihilism is like all nihilism, a form of intellectual pride-O the burden of my deep profound knowledge! Nah dog: you on sum bullllllllshhh

[@ruly8153]

@@lukehall8151 It’s sad the whole “Child Molester “thing has ruined Woody Allen’s image. Imagine being a nihilist and going out that way. (Assuming he is not, which I believe)

[@lukehall8151]

@@ruly8153 can you produce a sufficient reason for placing child molester in so called scare quotes?

[@lukehall8151]

Its a good way to read Dante's Lucifer, as a person who desires to be a nihilist, but cannot negate the desire to not desire. The desire not to desire is like Lucifer, ankles trapped in a lake of frozen tears, flapping his wings to try and escape, but the cold wind from his flapping his wings keeps the lake of tears frozen. As Dante says, to describe the bottom of the universe is not a task to take up in jest. Intense words from a man whose masterwork is called the Comedy. The nihilist's torture is that it is impossible to be a nihilist because one goes on desiring TO BE, whereas nihilism is based on total negation; the triumph of a nihilist would be to say I AM NOT. The only way a nihilist could achieve this is suicide. But then they would no longer exist and would no longer be able to say anything at all. No rest for the wicked.. And so the only thing a nihilist can do is lie (cf Satan called the Father of Lies). What do I mean? The closest thing one can get to actual nihilism is to claim one is a nihilist. But, as I have shown, so long as one desires, that is a false claim. And so everyone who claims to be a nihilist is simply a liar.

[@jessewallace12able]

Such a great philosophical commentary Father Barron. Amazing. Thank you.

[@robgosnell7899]

In both the films sited by Fr Barron ("Crimes and Misdemeanors" & "Match Point"), while characters literally get away with murder, Allen still requires us to observe them through a moral lens - a moral lens without which neither narrative would amount to more than an open-ended series of dull and empty encounters. This is so utterly at variance with his avowed nihilism that I'm compelled to wonder if he's not begging to be proven wrong.

[@Another_Caesar]

Well he literally said he makes these movies to distract himself from his deep and internal nihilistic thoughts

[@sonnyvarioni1654]

Nothing about Allen is opposed to morality. You don't need a cosmos to have an ethics or a morality: see consequentialism.

[@aleph5411]

There's a famous quote from Isaac Newton, which I can't remember now, but it goes something like this. Newton, who was deeply religious, is speaking about his life when he was an old man. My life has appeared to me as if I was a young boy turning over one fascinating seashell after another on the beach, when the vast ocean of truth surrounds me. You hit a home run, Father Barron, with this video. Thank you!!

[@bygonevexation114]

FINALLY a video on nihilism... nihilism is that horse that no one can tame accept those who are nihilists themselves... do you see the paradox? Fr Barron please do a review of Django Unchained

[@retsea1]

Interesting thing about what he said is that "distractions" are what keep people away from God. It is one of the roles that sin fulfills, by keeping people from thinking about reality. Even nihilists such a Allen fall short of Logos. There is some intimate sin at work, there.

[@ruly8153]

Woody Allen has had a really sad life. He’s been obsessed with death since he was a child and the idea that he will die with his image destroyed by accusations of him being a child molester. It’s really sad. It’s sad if those allegations are true but down right heartbreaking if they are not. I hope the truth comes out in the end. Whatever the truth may be

[@Sisktube]

i really enjoy your takes and tastes bishop barron. thanks!

[@Blakedenenny]

The problem with nihilism is that almost nobody is, in reality, a nihilist. People who claim to deny the existence of moral truths only do so when it doesn't affect THEM. Those who claim that there is no point to life usually do not behave as if they actually believed this because they continue to love, to stand behind certain morals, and to look for and value truth. Nihilism always creates cognitive dissonance in people because it is in our nature to behave as if there were a meaning to everything, and we behave this way because THERE IS a meaning to everything.

[@PaulBennettPrescott]

Well done! One of your best! I'm sure Woody's nihilism stems from the fact that he did not pay for his own crimes. The inner voice within us demands justice, even for ourselves. We want to pay for our sins, and if we start to feel we are getting away with something scot-free, we feel abandoned by God. Children need parental guidance.

[@petermcgowan1705]

I think the feeling of a guilty conscience is very similar to the feeling of being a child who's run away from home - unprotected and left to fend for yourself - much like Adam and Eve must have felt when they were hiding from God after eating the forbidden fruit.

[@tumadoireacht]

What crimes has Woody been convicted of ? Perhaps it is those who never grew up who need "God" or Sky-Daddy ?

[@Trifixion22]

@@tumadoireacht Good lord. First off, nobody says "sky daddy" anymore. Many of your fellow atheists would mock you relentlessly for that. Second, are you not familiar with the fact that he acted inappropriately (the courts ruled it was non-sexual, but there is still much debate) with his daughter?

[@tumadoireacht]

@@Trifixion22 ​ @Nick Good Lord, Heavens to Betsy, Gee Wiz, Shucks, Jiminy Cricket. I say Sky Daddy. There- I did it again. Jehovah Jehovah Jehovah ! The mockery of Atheists would not bother me a jot, even were I one. I believe in Gods. Lots of gods. Especially the FSM. And the weird hugely popular cannibal human sacrifice cult called Christianity, based poorly on the supposed teachings of a gay black anarchist Jew mixed up with Mithras,Zoroaster, and triple God/Goddess ideas pinched from a dozen other traditions is unavoidable. The 3 nutty Abrahamic religions that arose in the dusty,cranky, unholy land may owe their arrogance and aggression to a simple dietary deficiency !

[@JimBillyRayBob]

I saw an incredibly unusually beautiful woman one day years ago. I was struck and it stopped me in my tracks. Then something strange for me at the time happened. Words just appeared in my mind and I said to myself: "That is not God. God made her." It was a powerful experience.

[@maggiexiaominwu8242]

Isn't this love, as a force so compelling to ask us look outwardly to continue the discovery of beauty, virtue, moral and truth...

[@rap36case]

Character includes caring, truth, honesty, respect, responsibility, citizenship, courage and other behaviors. We don't seem to think about these and focus on diversions.

[@billybagbom]

Yeah, I think I agree with Father Barron: If there's no God, why act as if there is one -- especially since His moral demands so often interfere with my immediate gratification and even deeply rooted desires? Is it to make myself feel better? What's sweeter than forbidden fruit -- especially if I really don't believe there's Anyone there to really forbid it in any ultimate sense? Why not steal it if I'm smart enough or strong enough to avoid the penalties? Or perhaps the penalties can't be avoided, because they're built into nature, including human nature? If that's the case, the penalties either point to some kind of moral accountability, or else they are meaningless and can perhaps be circumvented by technology and psychology. Christians and other believers are often rightly accused of hypocrisy, of acting in ways that contradict what they supposedly believe in most deeply. I'd say it could work just as well the other way round, too. But for some strange reason, it looks prettier when atheists lack the courage of their convictions and pretend to believe in that what they deny with their lips: ultimate meaning, absolute values and non arbitrary standards.

[@billybagbom]

***** Okay, fine. Don't steal, if you don't want to. But don't judge me if I do -- unless you can offer a standard of judgement beyond your own subjective preferences. (BTW, "Life works better for everyone if we don't steal from each other" can also be a statement of personal preference: you want life to work better for everybody. Maybe I just want what feels good for me, right now.)

[@HolyKhaaaaan]

***** Good for you. But, as a nihilist, you should not judge someone who wants to. Now, if I were a nihilist, I would probably try to commit suicide, or better yet, take the whole world with me. It is an abomination without anything to justify our sense of right and wrong. It should die in that case. How would you oppose me? How would you tell me life is worth living, or that good and evil is real?

[@brianjanson3498]

How about a review of Cavalry (2014)?

[@oldschoolsaint]

Father Barron, I just saw Allen's latest movie, Magic in the Moonlight. I too was struck by the materialist message it portrayed from beginning to end...well almost. I don't want to give away the end of the movie but it did leave me wondering if Allen had not in fact pulled a bait and switch on the audience by in fact opening the door to the luminous and transcendent.....through an act of irrational and inexplicable love. It made me scratch my head as I exited the theatre. I'd be very interested in your take on the movie.

[@dynamic9016]

Really appreciate this video.

[@kevinwhelan9607]

Of course the irony about Woody, my favorite filmmaker, is that there is a rich vein of Judeo-Christian values in the warp and weft of his best work: kindness, forgiveness, redemption, atonement and all that good stuff. Case in point: Broadway Danny Rose.

[@easternguy3430]

Allen started as a comedy writer, graduated to stand up comedy, and then directed and starred in his own comedy films. It’s not surprising that when he isn’t doing comedy there is a kind of vacuum. On a spiritual/philosophical level I can’t take him seriously. His work is more about his own life at a mundane level.

[@cgordonjr]

Brilliant exposition.

[@teresas8173]

I don't believe in God, but I care deeply for other people. I consider myself moral, not because I'm being told to be, it's just who I am. If credit is due anywhere, it's my parents who are so loving. And is not to the advantage of our species health and continued survival to be good and kind to one another? I find it hurtful that people might think I am not a moral, good person because I don't believe in God. I've never had the attitude that because life on earth is quite possibly all there is, that the suffering and pain others experience does not matter. In fact, I might say that you get this one life, so it matters EVEN more to me that it can be lived as happily as possible for us all.

[@AeonsOfFrost]

Ben from C&M argues the position of traditional morality: "Without the law, it's all darkness." It's true that good doesn't win out, but that line always stuck with me.

[@rfly05]

Irrational Man is another Woody Allen movie that is philosophical and bleak, based on the William Bartlett book, which discusses the existentialist philosophers.

[@zhongwa]

Not surprised you chose Crimes/Misdemeanors and Match Point, since they're both the same movie. And they both do indeed reflect the author's life -- he betrayed his own wife and married his adopted daughter. I also feel Woody has led a dangerously sheltered life -- incredibly talented in terms of expressing himself, yet also strangely naive about his own human nature, to the point where he doesn't see temptation as something to resist, but something to embrace even if deep down he knows it's wrong, because in a world where there is no God, there is no morality and therefore no one to judge you as right or wrong except yourself. And if he can justify it in his own mind and heart, that's enough. And in this temporal world, Allen's getting away with it -- in a way. But as others have pointed out, his own subconscious is rearing its ugly head in ways he's still unaware. I don't hate him. I pity him.

[@tumadoireacht]

He was not married. He did not adopt his future wife.

[@ghostmanual]

Excellent discussion, possibly one of Fr. Barron's best on this channel. The only blemish was the invocation of the ghost of Christopher Hitchens. That in turn made me conjure Michael Scott and "No! God! No, God, please, no! No!" A discussion at more length on the topic of transcendence via beauty and morality would be welcomed by all, I am sure.

[@bobbyjuju7442]

What one considers beautiful says more about that person than anything transcendent. We create value. A hammer is useful only if one has use for it.

[@k.t.5405]

min 10:00 "but this is a battle of meta-narratives..." absolutely. Which is why I always book-end my viewings of "Annie Hall" with "Manhattan Murder Mystery". ;)

[@jessewallace12able]

I wish Father Barron could speak about Bart Ehrman and his work on the bible.

[@logicreasonevidence7571]

Why would you bother being moral if there is no God? - If you can't see why keep on believing, because you need to. Some of us don't need a reward in heaven in order to be moral. - Who is genuinely being altruistic here?

[@joelciaccio62]

Awesome! I would really love to see you have a conversation/debate with some of the remaining 'new atheists'. Is there anything like that in the works, or am I barking up the wrong tree?

[@colonelweird]

I used to agree with Fr. Barron on this subject completely. But now I think Woody Allen is right too. Our lives here are indeed absurd, but where Fr. Barron is wrong is in his view of the value of having a transcendent basis for morality. There's no evidence Woody Allen is any more or less moral than anyone else -- indeed the beauty of his art suggests he is more moral than most -- yet he rejects the idea that morality is "objective." Why does Fr. Barron suppose that Allen doesn't become a killer, a thief, a deceitful wicked person? Is Allen simply not clever enough to realize the obvious implication of his own metaphysics? It doesn't seem likely. Perhaps the reason is utterly simple: life is meaningless, so is morality, yet we find ourselves tending to be moral, so the very meaninglessness of life suggests there's no reason to strive to become amoral. In other words, "morals" is just another manifestation of this absurd phenomenal experience we all seem to be sharing, no better or worse than anything else. So why not be moral? Moreover, as St. Paul says, morality itself -- The Law -- triggers the growth of sin in human beings. As any nihilist will tell you -- and any honest Christian -- for most believers in objective, transcendent morality, their very morals provide an invincible shield against seeing their own dishonesty and lack of integrity. (Cf Rene Girard on self-deception and the use of "morality" to create scapegoats.) And yet, though it will seem perverse to say it, I still know in faith that God is the only reality ... but he is not the reality most believers believe in. The ocean of divine mercy is the only important thing, and somehow even Woody Allen's art reveals that truth, however much he may not want to admit it. Perhaps his very refusal to admit it is one of the conditions for the existence of his art. As for Fr. Barron's opinions, much as I want to be sympathetic, I do strongly believe that trying to turn these questions into culture war topics is a serious mistake. No matter what side you're on, in a war you're never truly on God's side.

[@TabletopJoe33]

***** I don't seem to have enough plusses available to me to do your comment justice.

[@aescoto1523]

Relativism does not work well either. The problem that Fr Barron repeats, is in the justification for that morality.. There is none, in Allen's apparent philosophy. Fr Barron is a Catholic priest and theologian, relativism has no place in Christian thought.

[@KingElrosTarMinyatur]

I would read Feser's Aquinas at the point you're at now.

[@trajan75]

Woody isn't very moral. He carried on an affair with his lover's, Mia Farrow's adopted daughter, Soon Yi whom he helped raise, and a court denied or limited his visitation rights to his own child based on credible accusation of sexual molestation. His supposed "nihilism" is just a cover for his own selfishness.

[@filthyswit]

John Barone The same could be said for many "devout" Christians who commit the same morality crime.

[@lukehall8151]

Love your using Joyce, an artist who towers over Woody Allen (and who interestingly is not in Midnight in Paris), to reveal the sophomoric nature of existstential nihilism.

[@Evuelect]

Tough world ... Tough Love ...

[@NA86737]

Father, I must say however that Crimes and Misdemeanors shows however what happens in absence of morality. If one does not believe in morality one can go on and live their life because it does not effect them.

[@DJMahon]

...and one can also loose one's life, and no one will be affected. In the absence of morality, there no obligation for anyone to help you, to defend your rights, or honor any promise.

[@jessewallace12able]

I agree! Nihilism gives 0 ground for morality, in spite of Big Dan Dennet.

[@teresas8173]

Optimistic nihilism....... It's human nature for the majority to be good, kind, and caring people. I have never found it hard to be a loving, caring person. Have you?

[@sebastiancordero1271]

Tommy m. Deism is (I'm giving u the dictionary definition) Belief in the existence of a supreme being specifically of a creator who does not intervene in the universe.

[@ThePa1riot]

9:49 I feel the same way about most Spike Lee Joints. The creations are smarter than the creator.

[@jeffersonianideal]

Can anyone point to a passage in the Bible where the biblical god is nihilistic?

[@stephengerbe5699]

So if experience doesn't last with a eternal perspective, it renders temporary experience pointless? Seriously?

[@RoscoeKane]

I find meaning in my life and I do not believe that anything will survive eternally. Indeed all of humanity and all of it's works will be completely destroyed, never to be remembered because nothing will survive to remember it. But that doesn't mean that my life, my family, my work here is without meaning. The meaning is finite, the impact will not be felt forever, and I will be extinguished. But I still care about what I do. I still love and I still yearn for betterment. Meaning is not infinite, as humanity is not infinite. No eternal beings exist to my knowledge. But life still matters, though the way in which it matters is a little different from that of followers of Abrahamic religions.

[@RoscoeKane]

The lack of "ultimate" anything, morality/meaning/whatever does not mean there is NO basis for morality/meaning, only that the basis is something proximate, something smaller.

[@christophermartin8685]

Existence precedes essence? Read the tale of Sisyphus and the stranger to see the moralimplications of this philosophy. Creating our own meaning can take a dark turn.

[@RoscoeKane]

Sure, it could. But it usually doesn't, as a matter of human psychology and biology, meaning will most often be found in positive things.

[@christophermartin8685]

With nihlism nothing is positive or negative, it is what the individual says it's.

[@RoscoeKane]

If the terms "positive" and "negative" confuse you, let me clarify. Positive here refers to pro-social behavior and outcomes, negative here refers to anti-social behavior and outcomes.

[@paxnorth7304]

One thing though, in Match Point, the protagonist, at the end, realizes he won't be caught, which it seems he had almost been wanting, and thus from his perspective, he 'sees' that the universe is meaningless. In that sense we do see a justice, for we see intimations of a bleakness and wasteland which we suspect will grow.

[@cinderelladevil1687]

I did not see Match point as a nihilistic movie. The main character gets away with his crime, but it is cristal clear that he will be putting up with that burden for the rest of his life when his victim appears to inquire him. He does not look the happiest of the fathers at the end of the story either. It is not nihilist, but a realistic story. There is no perfect justice on earth, and it sometimes depends on luck. It is a profound view of the worlds imperfect nature, which seems to be balanced by a more perfect moral sense inside us. That remorse and not wordly justice is the key of the movie. I think that W. A. is not the nihilist he pretends.

[@arsinoeivlostprincess4228]

Moby Dick was used in Zelig. One or the other Woody or Mia, I forget which now was embarrassed by not having read it. Chance placed it behind your head on the shelf. Enjoyed your comments very much.

[@SanzL1]

I've read a number of these comments with interest--nihilism, Malthus, Woody's ultimate morality (if that's the case, what was he doing with Mia Farrow's daughter?), etc. I'm sure Woody would read these heady analyses and laugh his head off. Quite honestly, I've hung around with this type of person--Woody types--for far too long. They are merely manipulative, self-absorbed and capricious. If religion fell off the face of the earth, Woody would suddenly be making transcendent films about the deity and the unseen. Mostly every film that he makes is about himself and relies on dreary formula. So predictable. Essentially, he is trying us to get to buy into HIS bs as reality and keep the focus on HIS neurosis, HIS years on the couch, etc. The usual formula--all about Woody--runs like this: Goofy guy suddenly develops an unbelievable talent and gets the hot girls--the Rome movie being a case in point. Yes?? Right. His best films are ones in which he doesn't do that and doesn't appear at all. Now that he's an old man, maybe he'll do his usual schtick less often, as he won't be able to carry it off. Don't get me wrong. I've enjoyed some of his films, gamey as they are. But I don't buy it.

[@antoniov64]

Great video....Father, I reiterate my advice to read Maurice Zundel.

[@jonathanquist7863]

Hi Father Barron, I liked this video but I think we need to acknowledge that both beauty and morality have equally compelling material explanations outside the realm of transcendence. I believe that it could easily be argued that morality is something that is either an evolved aspect of consciousness or something socially conditioned. Amidst the wide array of cultural mores, many of which the western mind would find appalling, the one common aspect amongst them all to provide a social structure to ensure survival. Beauty I think is equally as explicable materially. The gamut of global cultural conceptions of beauty is truly massive. While I believe Aquinas was correct in saying that the unifying principle of beauty is integrity, proportion, and clarity I think that these traits aren't necessarily indicative of a link to the transcendent. There would certainly be a high selection pressure for animals to breed with a more beautiful mate in order to ensure healthy offspring. While I don't contend these arguments to be wholly true or exhaustive I think they need to be given due thought and credence for their integrity. I personally consider myself to be a nihilist by nature but a Christian by volition. What Woody Allen expresses in his art and states of his own beliefs is what I often feel to be true, but I choose not to believe it. I believe that the path forward in this postmodern generation isn't necessarily to perpetuate the dialectic of the meta-narratives of materialism and theism but to authentically live and perpetuate the tradition of our narrative. One of my favourite scenes in a Woody Allen movie is in Hannah and her Sisters when Woody Allen's character considers becoming a Catholic since it is such a beautiful religion until he is walking by a religious shop where he sees some God-awful notorious Catholic kitsch which includes a holographic image of Jesus on the cross where he opens and closes his eyes when you look at it from a different angle, at which point he shakes his head and walks away. Then back at his house he unloads his shopping bag of books and religious items and makes a pile of them under a loaf of Wonder Bread which ends his exploration of Christianity. Unless we live authentically to our tradition and acknowledge how it can be warped liberal/secular society, we are killing our own cause.

[@gpgpalacios]

All too brief an expose: I hope Fr. Barron develops these comments on Woody Allen into an essay. Gonzalo T. Palacios, Ph.D. Philosophy Professor Prince George's Comm. Coll., Kargio , MD

[@rachealbrimberry8918]

my first thought was, right before Fr. Barron says it, well, then why does W. Allen make movies? It's as if, W. Allen has never had anyone love him or he's loved anyone else. What does he think his five senses are for? And, by the way W. Allen, your mother didn't carry you around for 9 months and go through labor, plus give you the GIFT of life, so you could spew this ridiculous rhetoric all over everyone, in what seems like a transparent marketing technique and thinly disguised jealously.

[@spinlok3943]

Is Woody soon going to dress in black leather, carry a samurai sword, and demand ransom money from Jeff Lebowski?

[@kevinroque5374]

Awesome work as always, Father. But how about on the people who commit suicide? Some cases show that the person who committed it are just pursuing for the higher reality. It just makes me wonder what their fate is.

[@Bobbylopezcreative]

This assumes there is only one source of morality.

[@hanskung3278]

He is not a nihilist, an atheist but not a nihilistic.

[@jnuval]

I wish Fr. Barron would do a video commentary on the Irish film, "Calvary."

[@BishopBarron]

Coming soon...

[@NaYawkr]

Because Father Barron knows of the reality that God exists he is naturally disappointed that the world has people like Woody Allen in it. The Almighty Creator has told us that He values each of us more than we know, that He knew each one us before He formed us in the womb of our mothers, and He has even numbered the hairs on our head. Now if that does not seem unbelievable enough, God then tells us that He Our God, our only hope and salvation is only ever good, never evil. The world finds these truths to be impossible to believe because it sounds way too good to be true, and the world has taught us that things that good never really are. In the case of God, I and father Barron know to a certainty that this time all that is actually that good and totally true. We then have to pity all who are like Woody Allen.

[@Xanadu2025]

Allen like many atheists says there is no God but then act as if there is.

[@cinnamon4605]

Oh you all naive-ens. There's other side of the truth too.

[@chrisjohnson1049]

It seems like he suffers from depression, too.

[@natanmandala]

Well sorry to tell ya passa, but he's right...SBN RESONATE

[@ysplse]

bleak? its realistic and accurate

[@ghostmanual]

It's not realistic as much as it's reductionist. I would think it arrogant to call such a worldview accurate. Even if you shared Allen's worldview, you would have to acknowledge that it is based on your very limited human understanding and the verifiable facts of the physical universe. That doesn't mean it is accurate in the sense of carrying with it the fullness of truth.

[@dermotoneill9868]

Maybe Woody is just a representation of doubt which is a healthy balancing and starting point?

[@naturalismforever3469]

Ah, Robert, the "demand of morality" has not a thing to do with anything "eternal," rather it has to do with our evolutionary heritage to preserve our species. You mistake fantasy with the reality of our biology.

[@Evuelect]

Today science proves " creation " .. Period .. And with that easily accessible knowledge start rewiring your brains to understand the important of that truth ..cause everything gets serious real ...If you choose to ignore the truth of fact that your God given choice .. But come on man ! .. Your playing Russian roulette with your eternal life and you could legit end up being the subject of interest of something more horrible in all ways imaginable then you could possibly realize in a place more hopeless then you could possible bare ... Just do sincerely A little time of proper behavior here which bares a reward of happily ever after there .. It .. almost ... idiot proof ...

[@filthyswit]

How exactly does science prove creation?

[@WombatProphecy]

filthyswit Modern science certainly seems strongly suggestive of a beginning to the universe, though not automatically creation (the beginning and the creation are two distinct ideas, and neither one technically requires the other to occur - we can conceive of a beginning without an act of creation, as the atheists do, or of an act of creation with no beginning). Science could not tell us about creation because by definition such creation would rely on a cause beyond the material universe, which goes beyond the natural limitations of scientific study. Science can and has been able to tell us about a beginning, because that is part of the history of the material universe.

[@Evuelect]

filthyswit Im not your teacher ... stop asking lazy stupid question... get off your simple walking talking ass and research for your self ...ask and you shall find ( bible )... be honest with your self dont let other people choose how you think ( deception from the truth is a deep rooted evil )...dig deep and you will have your answers .. its right in front of your eyes working wonderfully as designed ..

[@filthyswit]

e.v.u.elect Wow, that's rich coming from a person who needs an old book to tell him how to live and to pretend he has all the answers.

[@Evuelect]

fool .. i witness .. now im done with you ...

[@fieldingmellish6856]

"Transcendence" is one of those words that gives the impression of something greater or illuminating but really says nothing. I lost track at how many times he used it

[@gfddgbjtfdssxcvg]

It was a delight to have you justify your bullshit. Of course you had zero actually interesting to say. And your argument always ends with the feels. Don't you get that Woody is speaking intellectually?

[@BishopBarron]

Terx Pahseyton 🙄

[@Aristocles22]

Woody Allen's movies are a cancer on our culture.