The moral of this movie
Atheists will have a very difficult life.
shareNow that's an interesting premise for a thread!
The writer and director of 'Waitress', Adrienne Shelly, has been listed as a 'Celebrity Athiest' on some websites, though she descibed herself as an 'Optimistic Agnostic' in her interviews. Whatever Shelly's own beliefs, I couldn't see the movie taking any particular theological position. In fact, I don't recall anybody even mentioning religion - for or against!
I would be fascinated to know why the OP has drawn the conclusion that he has.
An atheist marriage is an agreement between two people, and the rules can change under different circumstances, as in finding someone uncontrollably attractive. A spiritual marriage involves a creator, and your conscience, so your responsibilities to your partner and God (and yourself) are much more serious.
The marriages in "Waitress" seemed to fit squarely into the first category (I didn't know about Shelly's beliefs, thank you for the information) and the affairs appeared to be started fairly lightly.
I must admit, that IS an interesting arguement.
However, it does seem to rely on the assertation that a person who is 'non-spiritual' lacks a conscience. Personally, I would not say that a belief in a creator would grant a person any greater sense of responsibilty towards their Significant Other than anyone who did not. I'm inclined to think there is just as much adultery and spousal abuse going on amongst believers as non-believers. Though Adrienne Shelly was an agnostic, her own background was - like that of her husband Andy Ostroy - eastern european Jewish. I don't know if he has a belief system or not, but birds of a feather DO tend to flock together. Still, their own marriage seemed extremely happy and stable despite a lack of religious conviction on the part of at least one of them!
It is also clear that whether or not Jenna had any religious beliefs at all, her personal principles would not allow her to have her child aborted just because it would be convenient. Adrienne Shelly was a feminist, and she believed in the woman's right to choose. However, she recognised than in many such circumstances a woman would chose to give birth rather than to have an abortion. For the record, a number of earlier posters on the board seemed to be unable to grasp this fact and have claimed (falsely) that Shelly was 'pro-life'. This is like claiming that since a person has the right to drink and smoke, then anyone who does not indulge in these vices is a supporter of prohibition. Or that since homosexuality is now legal, anyone who chooses not to engage in a gay liaison is homophobic. The logic falls at the first hurdle!