Angels & Demons is a must see/read for anyone interested in thriller, drama, or a discussion about science vs religion (although the movie removed a lot of the memorable dialogues). As for the movie, I think it is perhaps the best 2-hr version of the book that anyone can ask for. Even though director Ron Howard seemed to put more emphasis on thriller and action, but the controversy and the lasting conflict between science and religion is still there. And I should also say that the action/thriller part is quite good. Most people barely noticed 2 hours have gone by because the pace was intensively fast, exciting and always filled with explosive surprises. Moreover, the crew did an amazing job presenting a beautiful Vatican city almost identical to the real one. Most importantly, the actors were very professional in every bit of their performance. I must say that even though I have read the book almost 2 years earlier, I still enjoyed the movie very much because every component of it was worthwhile. I am not going to explain in details how Tom Hanks, Ewan and all the other actors impressed me with their convincing acting, because their professionalism whether in Angels & Demons or in any other work has been well-known and acknowledged. Just know that Ewan nearly made many viewers including myself cry in the theater. And Gawd dam it he looked so handsome in those Carmelengo robe. For your enjoyment, I will share a playlist that I found on youtube that provides the soundtracks of Angels & Demons. https://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=F2C9155C922EA7E5 If anyone should like what they hear, know that the experience of watching the film is at least 10 times better than just litening to this already powerful music. Just imagine your favorite celebrity or fantasy person, and multiply their sexiness or cup size by 10+, BAM it's that good!!! Now, about the conflict between science and religion. I believe it is pretty obvious that the Church's historical horrible crimes such as oppressing scientists, hunting the so-called witches, and raging wars against different cultural/religious groups were not based on faith, but rather were fueled by political reasons. There are countless books, documents and records of the Church's political influence in the past and even the present. Well, my point is that I believe it is the people that are responsible for the crimes, not the religions. Catholicism and Christianity are not the only religions involved with corrupted members or embarrassing scandals. There are always news about Buddhist, Taoist or some other religious masters that claim to possess special powers, but in the end they are always caught for sexually abusing their followers, much like what happened (and possibly still happening) with Catholic priests that molested children. Hmm, what was my point again? Yes, try to realize that it is the individuals that committed those crimes, not the teachings in the religions. (well, assuming the teachings did not tell them to keep boys as sex toys) I don't believe that Jesus and his dad (if they exist) would want to deny evolution or ignore the fact that the Earth actually revolved around the Sun. And I don't think the stories in the Bible are meant to be taken literally, but rather they are vessels containing metaphors and lessons that aim to improve the readers' mind and all. With those said, I admit that it can be sometimes frustrating when someone comes to our door and tells us that we would go straight to hell if we don't believe in Christ and ask him for forgiveness. In fact, last week I just had such a lady with her daughter knocking on my door, telling me that if I am not 100% certain that I'm not going to hell, I should start believing in Jesus ASAP. I am not exaggerating. She was trying to persuade me as if adopting a faith is as applying for a health or life insurance. At least she was polite, so I thanked her and told her that I would consider joining the Church after I did my research (of course I would probably be dead before I found any conclusive evidence). I've had worse religious people making rude gestures or comments about me. For instance, I've been called the Devil simply because I did not attend the local church every Sunday. And those people that called me the devil later went on to steal money or spread terrible rumors about some other innocent and good people. What was my point again? Oh yes, try not to blame the religion just because a few members are just simply out of their mind, even if those people might happen to be high ranks. I seemed to have digressed a lot, so let me get straight to my opinion about the conflict between science and religion. The fact is, if the Bible and other religious teachings were simply metaphors used as lessons to help people understand values and morals, and that they were not meant to be taken too literally (such as Moses' ability to split the sea or Jesus' power to turn water into wine), then perhaps there really was no essential conflict at all to begin with. I'm not saying that the two sides never argued or fought against one another, but I'm saying that perhaps both sides should put less emphasis on how God or whoever actually created the universe, but rather on the messages that tried to help the readers becoming better individuals. In the end, we'll probably never figure out how it all began, no matter if we choose the scientific approach or the religious approach. Scientifically and theoretically, the universe was born from the Big Bang, a cosmic explosion that expanded the universe to the present world that we observe. However, as we trace back the time, it would start making less sense because it is practically impossible to explain the cause of the Big Bang or describe the world's order before the Big Bang. Much like the religious approach, where it is believed that God created everything, but how do we explain God's origin and what it was like before there was a God? Can we simply say that God existed at all times no matter how far we trace back? Even Jesus had a birthday, so how could his dad be without one? Anyway, I think the scientists and the religious groups should stop their arguing about who's right or who's going to hell, because it's just as wasting valuable time on trivial issues. The real important task at hand is to protect the world that we all share and take good care of every life in it. That's my opinion. To put it more simply, "shut up and do your job (please)." --

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