It feels a little redundant for me to comment on this, given how much we've talked about it in person, but at the very least I have to chime in and commend you on a really well-argued, well-organized piece that actually manages to extract some kind of uplifting conclusion from the welter of confusion provided by the source material. I suppose that, if the Buffyverse treats Christianity as an all-you-can-eat philosophical buffet, then it's just as valid for us to regard the show in the same way. I'll have a double helping of "Checkpoint," a side of "Epiphany," and I think I'll skip the "Chosen," thanks. :-)
Anyways, yes, a great piece. I particularly admire your generosity - I think if I'd set out to do something in this vein it would have ended up as an extended, sputtering rant along the lines of "Apocalypse is just Greek for Revelation, dumbasses! Why would the bad guys be trying to bring about a divine revelation? Why would the good guys be trying to stop them? Don't you think the term you're looking for is Armageddon, or I dunno, The End Of The World? Here's twenty bucks! Buy yourselves a frickin' dictionary! Aaaaargh!"
And then my head would explode. So it's good I didn't do that.
One thing that occurs to me in reading this is that, although every major precept of Christianity is objectively true in the Buffyverse - people have immortal souls which go to heaven and/or hell when they die, demons walk the Earth corrupting humanity, crosses and holy water repel the minions of evil - the only characters who actually seem to be "super religious" are vampires. Compared to the resolutely agnostic humans, the vamps seem a cowardly and superstitious lot indeed, what with all their black masses and bloody communions and obsessive crucifixations...
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Anyways, yes, a great piece. I particularly admire your generosity - I think if I'd set out to do something in this vein it would have ended up as an extended, sputtering rant along the lines of "Apocalypse is just Greek for Revelation, dumbasses! Why would the bad guys be trying to bring about a divine revelation? Why would the good guys be trying to stop them? Don't you think the term you're looking for is Armageddon, or I dunno, The End Of The World? Here's twenty bucks! Buy yourselves a frickin' dictionary! Aaaaargh!"
And then my head would explode. So it's good I didn't do that.
One thing that occurs to me in reading this is that, although every major precept of Christianity is objectively true in the Buffyverse - people have immortal souls which go to heaven and/or hell when they die, demons walk the Earth corrupting humanity, crosses and holy water repel the minions of evil - the only characters who actually seem to be "super religious" are vampires. Compared to the resolutely agnostic humans, the vamps seem a cowardly and superstitious lot indeed, what with all their black masses and bloody communions and obsessive crucifixations...