Caligula was reviled by film critics even before it hit the screen. It had a checked production history. Here's a representative review by Roger Ebert:
Ebert was an atheist. A lapsed Catholic. Very worldly. Had no problem with X-rated movies or heavy-duty violence. Yet despite all that, he and other equally worldly film critics were morally repelled by the film.
Why do I bring it up? Because, as I read this old review, it's my impression that a lot of current film fare and HBO fare has the same content that film critics a generation ago found too abhorrent even for their jaded tastes. The coarsening of the general culture is far advanced.
Steve, FYI Sean Gerety wrote a blogpost in response to your shapeshifter blogposts. He seems to seriously misrepresent your position.
ReplyDeleteIt's another example of how some Clarkians are overly anti-supernaturalistic. Almost to the point of being functional deists or materialists.
Hays believes that all paranormal claims must be accepted at face value unless proven otherwise.
DeleteI'm not aware of Steve ever saying anything like that. I have read him say something like, "Every supernatural claim needs to be judged on a case by case basis."
Now we see Hays favorably quoting Sudduth’s fascination with the occult and his belief in poltergeists and haunted houses.
I suspect he quoted Sudduth not for his [Sudduth's fallible] interpretation of his experience, but because Sudduth is objective enough to know when a possible paranormal/preternatural experience has occurred based on his wide reading of paranormal research literature.
Hays goes on to quote a series of tales from his unidentified “friend” who claims to have been on a bus traveling at 85mph while being chased by a “skinwalker.”
I'm not sure that Steve is saying the person is his friend. But even if he is Steve's friend, notice what Steve wrote: Finally, a friend shared some anecdotes from Reddit. Whether or not we find these credible depends on how we evaluate testimonial evidence in general:.... [bold added by me].
According to Hays these stories, along with Sudduth’s dive into spiritual darkness, all provide “extrabiblical evidence for shapeshifters.”
That's no how I read Hays. As I read his blogposts he wasn't taking a stand on whether these were real or not. Presumably, he leaves room for the possibility of some of these encounters being demonic deceptions since he mentioned demons in the course of his discussion.
The above is a comment I posted on Sean's blog. It hasn't shown up either because of technical problem or because it has yet to be approved.
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