Solomon Kane

[ggreig]

25 years ago, I came to St. Andrews and joined WARSoc, the Wargaming And Role-playing Society at the University. I fancied giving wargaming a try, but everyone seemed to be involved in role-playing games instead. I was pointed at one particular group who were using miniatures, because that was about as wargamy as it got.

For the next five years,

Comments

[hobbitomm]

I also came into WARSOC in the same route- with wargaming as the main reason, and likewise, ended up in the Cossacks game because it was the one with minatures ;)

I'm rather sad I missed New Jerusalem, which must have preceded me by a couple of years, I think. I'd have made a dashing Swedish 30 years war Cavalryman, I'm sure!

[ggreig]

I suspect that Beelzebub, if the goblins had succeeded in summoning him, would certainly not have had our sympathy. I'm not sure that Duke Ælfric, or Steelback, or the hobgoblin sorceress were "nice", although they could be dealt with.

Really though, I struggled to think of any examples of "people" worse than us, so being a nice person myself, I thought I would just give us the benefit of the doubt...

[silverwhistle]

Definitely will check this out!

[ggreig]

I would do so quickly - looks like it's been out a few weeks already.

[silverwhistle]

Many more people draw comfort and moral guidance from religion than the few who use it as a crutch for intolerance.

So? That doesn't make it true. Other forms of fiction can also be consoling, but that doesn't make them fact.

[ggreig]

I was careful not to express any opinion on the truth or otherwise of religious beliefs, nor did I limit it to Christianity, although obviously that would have most relevance to this movie.

It's also a fact that religion is important - really important - to some people, and if we fail to recognise the importance of beliefs then we're inherently belittling the millions of people who hold them. It's OK to disagree with those beliefs, and to courteously argue against them for your alternative, but it's rude to be dismissive of them, and rudeness tends to make people more difficult to deal with - or convert to your way of thinking.

[silverwhistle]

It's also a fact that religion is important - really important - to some people, and if we fail to recognise the importance of beliefs then we're inherently belittling the millions of people who hold them.

All it suggests is that some cultures evolve at different rates. "Getting a feel for religious belief and developing a sympathy for how it can drive people" is something I learned as a historian, but I don't think it has any more right to be respected in the modern world than feudalism, which also still exists in some places.

[ggreig]

I think we may have to agree to disagree. I'm not making the case for religion, but for mutual respect between people with different beliefs. Whether or not I agree with someone's beliefs, so long as they're not causing harm to others I'll respect them.

I don't think that's a matter of evolution of culture; it's about individual decisions and actions, and while there may be an ebb or flow of cultural tides, everyone has to answer for themselves. And everyone has their own unproven beliefs, whether they're religious, atheist, political, financial, social or whatever.