Carl Sagan's Cosmos...will I be offended?
 

I am a Christian...but I also believe in "Intelligent design". I have heard this series is phenomanal and want to pick it up.

1) Is it worth it?

2) As a Christian will I be offended?

3) Did it add the addendum that the Science Channel did back in 2003 with Sagan's comments, and added special effects?

I love documentaries...should I invest?

1) YES!!!

2) Enlightened, yes. Insulted? Only if you weren't enlightened.

3) No. The DVD has a "Text Commentary" that tells about some scientific changes since the series premiered, but all of the on-screen graphics are the same as the original (the DVD was released in 2000). The new graphics by the Science Channel were new for the show's 25th anniversary (2005) and that version has not been released on DVD.

I don't really understand how someone can be offended by being exposed to an opinion different from their own, but if you're that thin-skinned, yeah, you might be offended.

IIRC, "Cosmos" doesn't really deal with religion at all, just the scientific facts and theories of the origins of our universe. "Intelligent design" isn't mentioned as one of the options.

I don't know any Christians who DON'T believe in intelligent design. :)

If you believe the Earth and the Universe were created about 6,000 years ago, you might be a bit offended. There is also some talk of evolution being factual in it.

Great show, though.

Cosmos is by far my favorite program ever - more so than any other documentary, television program or major motion picture.

Yes it is definitely worth it.

But... I believe one of Dr. Sagan's direct quotes in the show is...

"Evolution is a fact, not a theory. It *really* happens."

Additionally, Dr. Sagan makes no bones in the series and idicates it's very likely humans invented god.

I'm not sure what the Science Channel did in 2003, but the DVD has a "Cosmos Update" after most of the episodes where an older Carl Sagan talks about changes and more recent events since the original broadcasting.

He rips into believers of UFOs and Alien Abductions the most, and even then he's actually polite about it.

I'm a Christian and I love Cosmos. Then again, I believe that God works mainly through science, not miracles.

I know in some of his later writings, he really lashed out at religion, but apart from some frank discussion of evolution as fact and a detailed timeline of creation from the big bang to the present day, I don't think there's too much to be offended by.

Cosmos was more about Sagan's infatuation with life itself than pushing an agenda. It's a "voyage of discovery" and is a moving personal vision of hope for humanity and it's place in the universe.

This is the only problem with the DVD set.

I am hesitant to pick this up(not for the price tag) but for the fact that they might release the 25th Anniversary collection(with the added Special Effects) on HD-DVD or Blu Ray.

Is their a chance of this...or should I forget about it.

Honestly, if you have to ask, why don't you pop in some VegiTales or something and as they say "Let go, Let God!"

I'm not trying to be an ass, but seriously, I'm pretty comfortable with the fact I understand my limitations with certain things and tend not to push it when I think there's a chance that something might not be for me.

It's for this reason I don't watch Fox News, I don't watch Grey's Anatomy, and I don't eat pork: they don't sit really well with me and I know it, so why bother?

Are you offended by those Geico commercials?

Pretend that Carl Sagan has a really active imagination.

I think only the first episode addresses evolution and there's much more science to explore in this series.
You could check your public library and see if they have any copies of it. Even viewing on VHS would give you a preview to help you decide whether or not you'd like it.
Even if you do buy it and decide that you are offended by it, it would be a pretty easy resale.
No pretending necessary. This series shows that Sagan, as well as other scientists, had quite an imagination.

I'm offended by them, but it's because I'm a Neanderthal and don't appreciate seeing my people being exploited in such a frivolous manner.

What's really funny is that after Sagan died it came out that he was a big pothead.

And now I can't watch him without cracking up because it's so flippin' obvious and I can't believe I never picked up on it before.

I so want to see this Doc. Haven't heard a bad thing about it. But yes, the proce tag is a little high for my liking.

Sagan was more than a great scientist and intellect. He cared deeply about the earth and all who occupy it. More than anything else - more than SETI or any of the NASA missions he was involved with - Sagan hoped that his works directed toward a lay audience would be his greatest legacy.

I would highly recommend that you watch this series, and also read Sagan's "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors" and "The Demon-Haunted World". Taken together, these are among the very greatest popularizations of science ever undertaken. Although your beliefs may require you to disagree with him from time to time, you won't find a more gracious voice in opposition. You will not doubt for one moment his sincerity and love for you and all mankind. More than anything, he wished to invest the average person with a deep wonder for the universe and our place in it, as well as our responsibilities to our home and one another. He's simply not a man who could be considered "offensive".

Look at it this way: even if you feel compelled to disagree with him on faith-based grounds, your beliefs will be all the stronger and better understood for having placed them on the crucible in this way. And you will be able to communicate your beliefs better to someone like myself who finds scientific inquiry to be a superior means of understanding our history and existence. You'll start to become fluent in a new language, and thus more able to proselytize to those who speak it. And, again, you may disagree with Sagan, but you'll be hard-pressed to take "offense" from such a sincere and gracious man.

:up:
I would also mention that no ones religious views should ever be offended or threatened by reason and the scientific method. Agree or disagree, but questioning is never wrong.

http://adweek.blogs.com/photos/uncat...geicogecko.jpg

shhh, you wouldn't want to get him angry... ;)


as for 'Cosmos' - the one thing that stood out for me was the use of key music cues from Vangelis' 'Heaven and Hell' album - :thumbsup:

In his last (or one of his last) books, "Billions and Billions", Sagan stated that he believed the universe was TOO well-ordered and intelligent design most likely was involved...although he still rejected the idea of "God" or one overseeing higher being.

:up:

"Test everything; hold fast to that which is good." - 1 Thessalonians 5:21

Quote:
Originally Posted by darkside
I would also mention that no ones religious views should ever be offended or threatened by reason and the scientific method. Agree or disagree, but questioning is never wrong.

Amen.