Watching the Oscars with faith in mind

my thoughts are that Hollywood and liberals in general HATE religion and that is why you see the movies they promote

"my thoughts are that Hollywood and liberals in general HATE religion and that is why you see the movies they promote" - The Patriot

Hey "the patriot," it is also possible that the dogmatism fundamental to religions tends to turn any questioning into criticism. Likewise, if you live in a manner that is anathema to particular religions, you may respond to hate with hate. For instance, if you are gay, there is no way to interpret "you are an abomination" or "you are going to hell!" other than as hatred for you and your lifestyle. A

Additionally, since the source of drama is conflict, storytellers like those you find in Hollywood, are bound to find a source of conflict that you find offensive from time to time.

I wonder when Hollywood will come out with a movie delving into the horror which Zionist Jews, motivated by the Old Testament in the Bible, inflict on Palestinians daily. I'm sure someone in Hollywood is working on it at this very moment. Major themes in the plot will likely include killing, ethnic cleansing, collective punishment, human rights violations, theft of property, and the impassioned drive to re-claim the temple mount, by Jews who belive that the land of Israel was given to them by their God a couple of thousand years ago. Can't wait for that one to hit the big screen.

Ah, yes, we liberals and Hollywood, and how we hate religion.

Patriot, perhaps you should stop generalizing about people and realize that the point of this post in the blog was not to talk about how Hollywood hates faith, but how many Oscar nominated films have themes OF faith. The blog post is meant to get you thinking, which you seem to be incapable of.

And, for the love of all things good, please stop making this weird connection to Hollywood and all liberals. Some of us liberal-minded people aren't such a fan of Hollywood.

Seeing everything through only one lens, in this case religion, demonstrates narrowness of mind and ignorance.

Hollywood is liberal to the core - Themes of "Faith"

LOL - The only themes are those of hatred for religion, how religion is bad, how it corrupts and how Ho;;ywood somehow rises above it.

No mention or themes of good works, promoting democracy, helping third world nations, promoting safe lifestyles, promoting peace, - none of this ever makes the screen in the name of religion

Give me a break

Many of the best films have aspects of faith that are intrinsic to the characters and plots even if they are not explicit. Some films treat religion superficially (and as a result, poorly). Others allow for values and wisdom to be shared with wider audiences than any preacher/teacher will reach. It is the nature of storytelling that good stories will have far more to consider than they seem to have on the surface. If one pays attention to film, good films tie into eternal themes - including religion.

Perhaps an illustration of a film that was way under the radar, Irina Palm, about a dowdy grandmother who becomes a legend in part of the darker side of London. She is willing to take on any shame upon herself to save her grandchild. Does that prick anything religious in your mind? Is it overtly religious, no. Does it teach religious truth? certainly.

Or a mainstream film: The Dark Knight as a epic battle of good and evil as evil strives to push the "good" character to take on the nature of evil to conquer evil. Ever read of the accounts of Jesus' temptation in the wilderness?

For a documentary, Pray the Devil Back to Hell tells the story of Christian and Moslem women who stood for peace in the midst of Liberia's civil war.

You want me to think of Hollywood with faith in mind? You have got to be kidding!

Darrel Manson,

It speaks volumes that you had to resort to such small-bore, non-major films to illustrate your point.

Patriot is 100% right on. Would anyone care to dispute with me that 'Hollywood', taken as a generalization, probably voted for President Obama maybe 92%? Maybe Obama was the better candidate, but 92%??? The more sane general public was 54-46.

The reason 'Hollywood' is so generally (not 100%) anti-religion is that it cannot comprehend the category. As a famous writer said in 1972, when Nixon beat McGovern 49 states to 1, (against this insane asylum of a Commonwealth), "How could this have happened; I don't know anyone who voted for Nixon?" Most Hollywood folk, and liberal folk in general, don't know anyone who didn't vote for the 'obviously' superior Obama. Most Hollywood folks don't know anyone sincerely religious, minus the fundamentalist stereotypes. Therefore, every priest or minister is an abuser waiting to happen, etc. They have never met the loving, caring, compassionate, self-giving religious folks who comprise 90% of the congregations.

We really do need some mutual listening sessions between religioius folk and secular/humanist/agnostic folk, to show each side that neither is the epitome of evil. Maybe Michael Paulson could convoke?

I'm not sure what you mean by Hollywood - do you mean the multi-national conglomerates that own the studios? Do you mean the creative artists that everyone thinks are self-centered, but for some reason they keep bringing up issues of justice and/or redemption in their works? What do you make of "Hollywood" recognizing Danny Boyle for Slumdog? Is he anti-religious? Sure didn't seem that way in Millions (or in Slumdog either.)

Even more, there is a great deal of film that I would categorize as today's wisdom literature - a strand that holds a very important place withing the Hebrew scriptures and by extension the Christian scriptures. Job, Ecclesiastes and Proverbs are just as important in understanding films such as those nominated in various categories (Revolutionary Road, The Dark Knight, The Visitor, Frozen River, Slumdog Millionaire, The Wrestler, The Reader) as is knowing geography or history.

I'm sorry, but I can't tolerate Evangelicals' fascination with being oppressed and hated. It doesn't seem to matter how much influence they may (or may not) have, they define themselves as outsiders. These days, Hollywood seems to be the convenient target for their persecution complex.

Hollywood is all about making money. It followed formulas for making pictures since its beginnings, and if it found that movies with religious themes made more money, they'd be cranking em out like hotcakes. It's not anti-religious.
It's a-religious. And Hollywood is not completely isolated from religious people. Many in the religious life have been attracted to the theatre. Pope John Paul 2 is one example. Former seminarian Martin Scorcese is an example of someone in Hollywood who explored going into a religious life.

Also, it's not a monolithic block of Obama voters in Hollywood. Rupert Murdoch owns 20th Century Fox. I doubt he voted for Obama.

Why do all the liberals seem to get all the air time? Star power and their success in making money. Charlton Heston and Ronald Reagan got plenty of play in their day too.

So if you want more uplifting movies like Slumdog, but a ticket.