[quote="GeneD (post: 1431762)"]Firstly though I would like some suggestions about the following]
Glad you liked Brotherhood! ^_^ Definitely my favorite story
ever.
But that's a tough question, and one that I expect should be answered differently for each person. I can't say for sure how a stranger would take it; I've witnessed all sorts of reactions from Christians watching it, from not being bothered with those elements (like me), to being completely thrown off by the first few episodes.
The best answer to the "anti-God speech qualms," as you might call it, is what Vic Mignogna likes to point out: If you think about it and observe Ed throughout the series, it becomes clear that he's actually not as much of an atheist as he claims in that Lior speech. Most of what that comes down to is that he's shaking his fist at God because, let's face it, he's had a truly horrible life so far and he feels like God has only ever punished him and held him down. And while it's regrettable that there isn't any real reconciliation of that bitterness, you can't really expect more than that from a modern Japanese lady, right? :/
As for the "god" stuff later on...
[spoiler]That gave me some pause, and at first I was disappointed with the whole "bringing God down to earth" stuff that Father was doing. But the way I understood that part, where Father gets all that power in the climax, it wasn't so much that he was calling God out and that God was following his commands. It was more like Father
thought that was what he was doing, when really it was just a huge transmutation that gave him the power from the earth (since they say alchemy uses the energy from the movement of tectonic plates), as well as the souls of all the people of Amestris. That could be just me desperately trying to find some way to reconcile my favorite story, but I also noticed that the general response of the "good guys" to Father's intentions was, "Mister, you are one conceited idiot
"[/spoiler]
The bottom line for me is that, while FMA runs on the general assumption that scientists don't believe in God, it's not pushed in your face or stated like, "Atheism is the only way to go and people who believe in God are stupid." Besides, there are so many
good themes that run through the FMA story (like family and friendship being the strongest forces in the world, or treating everyone equally like human beings no matter what state they're in), that they outweigh the regrettable stuff like Ed's "anti-God" speech in Lior.
But how you could convey that to your relatives...you would know better than I
ANYWAY, lately I've picked up Lovely Complex again. I watched episodes 1 and 2, and remembered just how
hilarious it is! XD I really am embracing my feminine side lately....
You can find out things about the past that you never knew. And from what you've learned, you may see some things differently in the present. You're the one that changes. Not the past.
- Ellone, Final Fantasy VIII
"There's a difference between maliciously offending somebody - on purpose - and somebody being offended by...truth. If you're offended by the
truth, that's your problem. I have no obligation to not offend you if I'm speaking the truth. The truth is
supposed to offend you; that's how you know you don't got it."
- Brad Stine