Hollywood and Self- Righteous Religion

The entertainment industry in the United States is a powerhouse not only in its field of production and its control over pop culture, but in its ability to use personal views and values to grab the attention of the masses. Actors, musicians, models, and industry leaders are at the forefront of American culture. People both idolize their lifestyles and epitomize them as “Americans;” their opinions are broadcast and widely publicized, making them grow in influential strength. American culture is defined by its food, clothing, habits, occupations, and, in many cases, the methods and faces of its entertainment industry. They set the standard for the “new” and the “popular.” According to Allen J. Scott, a scholar researching for the Center for Globalization and Policy Research at the University of California, states, “Hollywood is everywhere . . . and its presence is felt across the entire globe” (Scott 33). The entertainment prowess in the United States is evident in even surprising circumstances, such as religious practices. Religion is a controversial topic that appears frequently in popular entertainment; Hollywood movies are prime examples of improper and ill- timed representation of religious beliefs. The use of movies to promote, discredit, or satirize religious views is wrong and should cease.

Religion is a personal experience that one develops as they age and mature for reasons only they can truly express. Some people are religious from birth due to family beliefs and worship, others find spiritual guidance on their own as they learn and experience, while many never find spirituality. Whether a person does or does not have religious beliefs is their business and theirs alone. The first amendment protects religious freedom of all U.S. citizens, as well as lack thereof, but Hollywood consistently raises controversy over its representation of spirituality in its films. Some movies contradict religious principles, such as The Last Temptation of Christ and Dogma, while others attempt to promote them, such as Battlefield Earth. In certain cases controversy rises due to the appearance given to a religious group, as was the case with The Passion of the Christ. The movie industry frequently oversteps its boundaries to make a statement and this practice should not be supported.

The Last Temptation of Christ features the Biblical story of the sacrifice of Jesus with a twist: He is given the choice not to die on the cross and save humanity. Jesus chooses to live a normal life, instead. This movie greeted many protests from Christians within the U.S. and is said to be one of the most controversial religious movies. A movie that takes liberties with the event that defines the Christian faith is offensive. Christianity is the most widely practiced religion in the world, with over two billion followers. There are appropriate times to use artistic license, such as with historic events or commonly- accepted fictitious stories, but when much of the world believes that they were “saved” by a specific occurrence, altering said story for amusement purposes is knowingly going to offend the masses (Rossi and Dodd).

Dogma, the story of two fallen angels who come to Earth searching for Jesus’ last descendent who happens to be a woman working at an abortion clinic, is another example of Hollywood unnecessarily pushing the boundaries of Americans’ patience. In order to anger audiences further, additional characters include, the “13th disciple of Jesus (who claimed he was left out of the Bible because he's black) and God herself (played by Alanis Morrisette). Foul-mouthed comedian George Carlin has a cameo as a cardinal, and the f-word is used more than 100 times in the film” (Marcus). Once again, the entertainment industry took the liberty of scrapping Biblically- based beliefs for artistic purposes. The director, Kevin Smith, was faced with widespread Catholic protests and even received several death threats. When people are offended enough to threaten a man’s life it is apparent that he went too far for the sake of entertainment (Marcus).

Battlefield Earth is a movie based on a novel by L. Ron Hubbard, science fiction writer and founder of the Church of Scientology. Starring John Travolta, a follower and promoter of Scientology, this movie tells the Scientologist church’s story of human origin. The story features an alien lord, Xenu, who exiled human beings to Earth, where we have stayed ever since. Their theory of human origin on Earth is one of the most criticized scriptures of Scientology. While the first amendment protects freedom of religion, disguising religious scripture within a seemingly benign, if not poorly executed, sci- fi adventure is shady and shows Hollywood’s desperation to cause a stir. Films are supposed to entertain audiences and often they are based on a message, but the need to gain notoriety and cause memorable controversy has become the main goal of Hollywood. The people we pay to amuse us now seem to believe they have a right to force their personal beliefs upon American viewers. A certain amount of bias is likely to be present in works of “art” but faith and various other private matters are now splattered across the silver screen (Marcus).

Scientology is not the only religion that has attempted to push a spiritual agenda through Hollywood’s clever guise. The Passion of the Christ was greeted by affronted viewers; much of the Jewish community felt the movie blamed their Hebrew ancestors for the death of Jesus, as in accordance with the Gospel of St. John, and called director Mel Gibson an anti-Semitist. All the while, the movie’s production team stated that “Jesus used to be king in Hollywood, but they crucified him. We're trying to bring him back" (Dodd). The movie was a cunning ploy to regain a positive Christian outlook in Hollywood. The marketing for this movie obtained a spot in the list of highest grossing movies of all time. Although freedom of religion and expression are admired and defended in America, movies that are overtly offensive to a large section of the population are unnecessary and crude. Even if the Christian community endorsed the reestablishment of Christ in entertainment, slighting other religious groups in the process is not the “Christian way” to achieve their goal (Dodd).

The United States is responsible for over half of the world’s box office profits and grosses billions of dollars every year (Highbeam). Hollywood is the center of the film and entertainment industry within the U.S., affording it prestige and prominence in both national and global society. Due to its supremacy in the world of leisure, the big names in the industry have taken liberties where they should not have. The promotion of personal principles, as with spirituality, has been increasingly prominent. Directors, producers, and actors, who hold no authority over average Americans other than fame, have adopted the idea that they can promote, discredit and insult whatever and whomever they please. This is a practice that should not be allowed in American culture. Freedom is an important aspect of our culture and lifestyle, but overstepping the boundaries set for entertainers is an alarmingly common activity in today’s society. There is a right and wrong time and fashion in which to present an idea, belief or personal preference, and movies do not fit within those standards.

Sources:

Dodd, Patton. "The Most Controversial Religious Movies of All Time." Rev. of 

The Passion of the Christ, dir. Mel Gibson. beliefnet. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2010. <http://www.beliefnet.com/Entertainment/Movies/2008/09/The-Most-Controversial-Religious-Movies-of-All-Time.aspx?p=9>. 

Highbeam Research. "Fun and profit. (Hollywood film industry)." Highbeam 

Research. N.p., 2010. Web. 13 May 2010. .

Marcus, Lilit. "The Most Controversial Religious Movies of All Time." Rev. of 

Battlefield Earth, prod. John Travolta. beliefnet. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2010. . 

Marcus, Lilit. "The Most Controversial Religious Movies of All Time." Rev. of 

Dogma, dir. Kevin Smith. beliefnet. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2010. <http://www.beliefnet.com/Entertainment/Movies/2008/09/The-Most-Controversial-Religious-Movies-of-All-Time.aspx?p=3>.

Rossi, Holly, and Patton Dodd. "The Most Controversial Religious Movies of 

All Time ." Rev. of The Last Temptation of Christ, dir. Martin Scorsese. beliefnet. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2010. 

        The-Most-Controversial-Religious-Movies-of-All-Time.aspx?p=11>.

Scott, Allen J. "Hollywood and the World: the Geography of the Motion- 

Picture Distribution and Marketing." Review of International Political Economy 11.1 (2004): 33- 61. JSTOR. Web. 15 Apr. 2010. .