Religious Tolerance Research by Hannah Wallis

RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE IN FILMS Spring 2015 Research 11:00A.M.

Table of Contents Team roles……………………………………...........………………………………………….3 Executive summary….........………………………………………………………………...…4 Secondary research........................................................................................................5 Depiction of religious tolerance….................…...……………..…………….…………….6 Defining religious tolerance…………............………………....................................……8 Religious groups in America.........................................................................................10 Religious persecution in America.................................................................................11 America and film...........................................................................................................12 Religious films in America..............................................................................................17 Religious studios vs. non-religious studios....................................................................19 Primary quantitative......................................................................................................22 Conclusion......................................................................................................................31 Primary qualitative.........................................................................................................33 Next steps…………………………………………........…………………………………...…45 Appendix……………………...…………………...………..........………………………......47

Team Roles Research director Cassandra Tramel

Primary Quantitative Team Tashara Caldwell- Team Lead Min-Kyung Song Michael Moore Franchesca Henderson Katie Wagner Rachael Peck

Assistant research director(s) Kanesha Brown and Kat Starratt

Secondary research Austin Rabon- Team Lead

Writing/Editing Team James Turnbow- Team Lead Bailey McCullough Emily Hall Katie Ceyler

Primary qualitative team Hannah Wallis- Team Lead Salam Alluwaym Jordan Davis Kiefer Rose Brayden Barnthouse Emily Schlabach

Graphic design team Bridget Trowbridge- Team Lead Jesse Benson Amanda Addis Sarah Neese

853 Executive summary

For the 2014-2015 Media Research class, a team of 24 students at the University of Central Oklahoma, explored the following research question: How do movies impact religious tolerance among Americans 18-34? The class began their research in late February 2015 and ended in late April 2015. There were 853 totaled research impressions as a result of the various secondary and primary efforts. The research impressions were collected via an online survey, a content analysis of 24 relevant movies, and secondary research all designed to find out how movies had impacted the target’s tolerance of various religions. Looking at all the research data that was collected, and the quantitative survey in particular, which netted the most impressions, the following key findings stood out: • After researching other religions and their definitions of religious tolerance, it was clear that most religions have similar definitions and thoughts on the subject. Based on the survey, for example, the main idea of religious tolerance involved respecting and/or accepting the beliefs of others without judgment or imposition. • Based on the survey done, the majority of the target disagrees that the American Film Industry tries to be fair and accurate in its depictions of religious groups or belief systems, and movies do not help foster tolerance for religions groups or belief systems in general. People of faith feel that feature films mishandle depictions of religion and spirituality. • Ticket sales in America indicate there is a strong desire for religiously oriented films. The most popular films are based on Christianity. • Though the research noted in this report is not conclusive, it did produce several interesting results. As detailed in the, “Next Steps”, section of this report, further research is warranted and encouraged.

Secondary research The team’s research began with a weeks long secondary effort related to the effects of film on religious tolerance. As a result, insight and data were discovered in the following areas: • Definition of religious tolerance • How different religions define religious tolerance • Current state of religious groups in the U.S. • Religious persecution in the U.S. • U.S. and films • Religious films in the U.S. • Religious studios v. non-religious studios

Depiction of religious tolerance The research in this study was conducted to determine how religious tolerance is depicted in films. In order to determine how religious tolerance is depicted in films, the definition of religious tolerance had to be determined as did how other religions defined religious tolerance and the current state of different religions in the United States. • The term “religious” is defined as relating to or believing in a religion. • The term “tolerance” is defined as a fair, objective and permissive attitude to wards those whose opinions, beliefs, practices, or racial or ethnic origins differ from one’s own; freedom from bigotry. Religious tolerance is when people allow other people to think about God(s) in ways that they do not think are true. In other words, tolerating religious beliefs and practices that are different from their own beliefs or lack of beliefs. In an Emory report, David Little, a Harvard professor, defines religious tolerance in two different ways. The first definition defines religious tolerance as “a response to a set of beliefs that are originally thought to be objectionable, with disapproval but without using force or coercion [to change them].”

The second definition says this about tolerance, “tolerance not only does not use coercion or force against an opponent, but a tolerant person respects the other’s viewpoint.” The Myth of Religious Tolerance is an article about how the phrase “religious tolerance” has changed in definitions over time. Father Thomas D. Williams, in an article on catholicculture.org, urges families to teach tolerance at a young age. He goes on to describe how all religions differ but need to be respected. Williams describes America as being a land of fake tolerance. By this, he means that religious tolerance in the U.S. is usually a front that people present to avoid confrontation. The article continues to explain how religion should be celebrated instead of ridiculed. Tolerance is something that keeps evolving, the United Nations Declaration of Principles on Tolerance states that people should practice “respect, acceptance and appreciation of the rich diversity of our world’s cultures, our forms of expression and ways of being human.” In the United States, religious tolerance is growing in its social context. The world today would be defined as a religious pluralism. Most religions have a similar way of defining religious tolerance.

How different religions define religious tolerance

Note: Religioustolerance.com has over 50 external resources that they refer to for the content on their website.

BILLION CHRISTIANS

1.3 BILLION

MUSLIMS

700 MILLION HINDUS

350 MILLION BUDDHISTS

THE WORLD’S RELIGIOUS LANDSCAPE: BY THE NUMBERS

150 MILLION ATHEISTS

MILLION

JEWS

Christianity: Christians believe they must be loving and tolerant. Christians believe and accept that individuals have the right to have their own beliefs, but those beliefs are not necessarily the beliefs of the Christian community. The Bible states that people should expect that others have different beliefs about God. Christians believe that they are the only religion that leads to Heaven. Islam: Muslims believe that religion cannot be forced on anyone. The Qur’an states, “There is no compulsion in [accepting] the religion [of Islam]” and if asked why it is because: “truly the right way has become clearly distinct from error.” (2:256). The Qur’an says “O you who do not believe! I worship not what you worship, and you are not worshipping what I worship; nor am I worshipping what

you worship; neither -art you worshipping what I worship. Therefore, to you your religion; and to me my religion” (Chap. 109). Muslim’s claim that this is what religious tolerance means to them. Hinduism: Hindus believe that tolerance means bearing with the disagreeable and the unacceptable. Hindus believe that there is a negative tolerance and a positive tolerance, which is “accepting and respecting willfully the differences that exist in the world as part of God’s creation and diversity.” It is acknowledging and respecting the subtle nuances and the rich diversity we perceive in God’s creation, without being disturbed by them or abandoning our own. It is acknowledging the rights of others to live according to their choices and preferences while respecting our own. It is honoring the ultimate truth that God is all, and all are God’s numerous manifestations and each aspect of his creation is as sacred and important as ourselves.” Buddhism: Buddhism is also a belief system that is tolerant of all other beliefs or religions. Buddhism agrees with the moral teachings of other religions, but Buddhism goes further by providing a long-term purpose within our existence, through wisdom and true understanding. Buddhism is very tolerant and not concerned with labels like “Christian,” “‘Muslim,” “Hindu” or “Buddhist;” that is why there have never been any wars fought in the name of Buddhism. That is why Buddhists do not preach or try to convert but only explain if an explanation is sought (White, A Five Minute Intro, 1993). Judaism: Jews believe that tolerating other religions is easy for them if they can practice their religion without interference.

Current state of religious groups in the U.S. An extensive new survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life details statistics on religion in America and explores the shifts taking place in the U.S. religious landscape. Based on interviews with more than 35,000 Americans age 18 and older, the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey finds that religious affiliation in the U.S. is both very diverse and extremely fluid.

Religious persecution in the U.S. People use their religions not only to discriminate against other religions, but also to discriminate against others because of their ethnicity or lifestyle. Christianity has been the most persecuted religion and other Christians have mainly persecuted them. • Arab Americans have always been a minority. The attacks of 9/11 only increased intolerance towards them. The history books fail to correctly educate Americans on Arab history. After the attacks of 9/11, they suffered a loss in their pay and the hours they received at work. • Hate crimes targeting Muslims increased by 1600 percent from 2000 to 2001 (CNN 2002). • Hate crimes against people of Middle Eastern origin or descent increased from 354 attacks in 2000 to 1,501 attacks in 2001 (Oswald). Most Arabs living in the U.S. are native-born, and almost 82 percent are American citizens. • According to the Washington Post, Islamic hate crimes are five times more likely now than they were before 9/11. Before 9/11 there was about 20-30 anti-Muslim hate crimes a year. In 2001, it rose to nearly 500. Since then there have been around 100-150 anti-Muslim hate crimes a year. • Americans, in general, report more antipathy toward atheists than toward religious groups. There are between 3.6 and 5.2 million people who are theological atheists.

america and films U.S. and films

The United States is the third largest country in the world with a population of more than 320 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Because of this, the United States is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world. Nearly every region of the world has influenced American culture, as it is a country of immigrants. Nearly every known religion is practiced in the United States, which was founded on the basis of religious freedom. The United States is widely known around the world as a leader in mass media production, including television and movies. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. comprises one-third of the worldwide media and entertainment industry. The television broadcasting industry took hold in the United States in the early 1950s, and American television programs are now shown around the world. The United States also has a vibrant movie industry, centered in Hollywood, California, and American movies are popular worldwide

IN 2013, THE U.S. FILM INDUSTRY EARNED $31 BILLION IN REVENUES. ACCORDING TO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

U.S. and films

America’s most popular movie genre for people age 18-34 is the action genre with comedy following close behind. • Over 60 percent of American moviegoers chose action and adventure flicks • African American moviegoers (aged 12 and older) are 26 percent more likely than the average to name action and adventure as their favorite genre • Hispanics are the most likely to want to watch a musical (19 percent vs. 12 percent) and a romantic comedy (37 percent vs. 31 percent). • Caucasians, meanwhile, are least likely to gravitate towards action and adventure movies (58 percent), while Asians are least likely to gravitate to dramas (29 percent). • The most popular movie genre for ages 18-34 is comedy. Although this seems to be clearer with ages 18-24 it still seems to remain true with our entire demographic.

Favorite Movie Genres Among Males & Females, 18-24 (According to Statista)

1.COMEDY 29 PERCENT 2. FANTASY 24 PERCENT 3.ACTION

18.2 PERCENT 15

Movies have always been a medium for people to get their messages across to other people. Those messages could be positive or corrupt. Those messages could express why change is a good thing or why things need to stay the same and why. For example, The Harmony Institute is attempting to change people’s minds about movies. This non-profit organization is trying to get filmmakers to make movies that are better for people. They call this the “science of influence.” According to the Slate.com, their independent research found that movies are making people more liberal and changing their opinions: • JFK destroyed faith in the American political system. This movie influenced viewers to be more involved in elections and other voting issues. • The Day After Tomorrow made viewers care more about global warming. Viewers said that they were more concerned about the climate change after watching the movie. • The Cider House Rules turned viewers pro-choice. The movie depicts what life was like in Maine during World War II for women in need of an ether-addicted abortion doctor. The movie made viewers more empathetic for men and women in that situation. • Malcolm X inspired viewers to be more concerned about racial discrimination and race relations. Viewers had more insight and knowledge of racial discrimination and political issues. • All the President’s Men caused Republicans to favor more restrictions on the press. This movie caused viewers to have a more liberal view of the press and wanted open records and open meetings to continue.

Religious films in the U.S. After researching a brief summary about the United Statesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; relationship with movies, a new question arose. How popular are religious movies in the United States? Only five of the top 100 highest-grossing films in the past five years could be considered religiously-themed. The movies, in order by rank, are:

With some additional research, it became evident that many people of faith feel that feature films, and popular media in general, mishandle religion and spirituality. At best, they feel that most feature films simply ignore this aspect of peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives. At worst, themes in feature films can be the very antithesis of spiritual values. For a variety of reasons, organized religion is unrealistically absent from feature films in general. But some films actually do portray people of faith in realistic, three-dimensional ways. Many films also explore philosophical and theological topics, although this is often through allegorical, fantastic imagery rather than overt presentation.

Religious studios vS. non-religious studios Highlighted below are the differences between religious studios and those that do not fall under the religious category. The genre of religious-themed movies produced by religious studios is less popular than other genres today. Comedy, action and romance take over the box office ticket sales, while religious-themed movies sometimes fail to even make it to theaters. Most of the movies previously mentioned were big hits at the box office. Noah grossed $101 million and Heaven Is for Real hit $91 million, while God’s Not Dead and Son of God both netted roughly $60 million. Exodus was cinematographically beautiful, despite its disputed script and casting, and Left Behind featured venerable actors as Nicolas Cage and Chad Michael Murray. Despite their varying levels of success, these films all share one quality - they’re culturally awkward. Ticket sales indicate there’s a strong appetite for religion-related film in America, and the best may be yet to come. Ewan McGregor is slated to star as Jesus in Last Days in the Desert in 2015. But even if the economic case for making more religious films is clear, it’s not obvious that these kinds of movies will ever qualify as interesting art. (Green) One other big thing to notice throughout this research is that when talking about religious-based movies, the most popular are movies based on Christianity. There are more movies made about the Bible than the Qur’an.

Highlighted below are the differences of movies from non-religious studios compared to movies from religious studios. Some of the differences include: cinematography, plots, settings, motives and the overall quality of the productions. Religious studios follow the parables of the Bible to detail and non-religious studios twist plots, settings and characters in the films. Each studio has a unique motive behind each film. A religious studio’s motive is based on supporting their beliefs. Cloud Ten Pictures is a Christian film production company that proclaims their sole purpose is “to make inspirational Christian films.” Cloud Ten Pictures feature well-known actors such as Nicholas Cage and Mr. T to encourage more moviegoers to seek out their films. The Left Behind series, Judgment, World at War, and Tribulation are examples of movies producedby religious studios. CFBD.com is a Christian film database that lists movies related to Christianity. Research found that there are primarily only Christian film production companies in America. Each religious studio has one similar goal in mind - to inspire people with Christian teachings that could encourage them to want to learn more about the faith. Non-religious studios make up the majority of studios in the United States. These studios produce all kinds of films, including religious films such as Noah, The Book of Eli and Passion of the Christ. These studios are not motivated to attract people to a religion, but to generate profit. There are several films produced by non-religious production companies that depict religions other than Christianity. War films are also frequently involve religions that seem “foreign” to Americans. Differences between the two types of studios are hard to find when only looking at the equipment each studio is using. Both studios generally use cameras with high-quality production and editing software, along with other equipment needed to create a film production. The differences become evident in movies.

Obvious plot twists make the non-religious films different because they do not correlate with the Bible. Christian film studios claim their sole purpose is to inspire people through Christian teachings, while non-religious studios are attempting to gain profit at the box office. The two types of studios have made hundreds of films pertaining to religion. All of these films can be found at either imdb.com or cfdb.com. Christianity has more movie production studios than any other religion combined. Christians seem to pay more attention to their own religion opposed to other religions, and this is why there are more Christian studios. Non-religious studios pose a more dramatic effect on situations depicted in the Bible, while most Christian movie companies make movies that teach life lessons from the Bible or use parables from the Bible to encourage people to become more interested in Christianity.

Primary Quantitative For quantitative primary research, one electronic survey was conducted. The survey was activated Saturday, March 14th, via Qualtrics, and was distributed nationally via email and social media channels. The survey targeted men and women 18-34.

The first question of the survey asked the age of the respondents. There were 776 answers to the question, which was 99 percent of the total respondents. The respondents were given the option to choose from six age segments. At 47 percent, pluralities of respondents were within the age segment of 18-24 years old. The next largest group included 24 percent of respondents within the age segment of 25-34 years old. The remaining respondents were divided among the age segments as listed: 12 percent of respondents within the segment of 45-54 years old, 10 percent of respondents within the segment of 55 years or older, 7 percent of respondents within the segment of 35-44 years, and 1 percent of respondents were under the age of 18. Based on the results from the survey 71 percent of the responses fell within the demographic group of men and women age 18-34. In order to determine geographic location of the respondents, they were given the option to choose which of the fifty states they were currently living in as well as option to answer as being located outside of the United States. The responses were filtered to only include the respondents within the age limits of 18-34 years old, which yielded 363 responses. Of these responses, 74 percent were located in the state of Oklahoma. The remaining respondents were 25 percent located within the rest of the United States and 1 percent located outside of the United States. In order to determine the current religious and spiritual beliefs of the respondents, they were given the option to choose one of four levels of religious and spiritual devotion. The majority of respondents considered themselves to be moderately or devoutly religious and/or spiritual with 64 percent of responses. Of the remaining responses, 19 percent do not consider themselves to be at all religious or spiritual and 17 percent consider themselves to be minimally religious or spiritual. All responses, with the exception of the “age of respondents” question and “text-entry” questions, were filtered to only show answers from respondents in the 18-34 years old segment.

Movie Viewing Respondents were asked how often they view movies (monthly). Answer Percent Never 2% 1-2 Times 23% 3-5 Times 34% 6-11 Times 24% 12+ Times 18% n=444 A note was added that stated “It does not matter whether you watch them in theaters, online, on DVDs, etc.” *Responses did not vary significantly between demographic groups

Ability to recall movies with religious/spiritual themes and/or characters Respondents were asked “Can you recall any movies that you have ever seen that depicted religious and/or spiritual themes or characters.” Answer Percent Yes 93% No 7%

n=436 *Responses did not vary significantly between demographic groups.

Depictions of American Film Industry Respondents were asked the following question in regards to personal depictions of religion and/or beliefs in the American Film Industry: “Generally speaking, I believe the American Film Industry tries to be fair and accurate in its depictions of MY religion and/or beliefs” with the options of Strongly Agree, Agree, Slightly Agree, No Opinion/No Answer, Slightly Disagree, Disagree, or Strongly Disagree. Answer Percent

n=385

Strongly Agree 1% Agree 8% Slightly Agree 14% No Opinion/No Answer 15% Slightly Disagree 18% Disagree 21% Strongly Disagree 24%

*Responses did vary significantly between demographic groups.

Respondents were asked the following question in regards to depictions of religion and/or beliefs in the American Film Industry in general: “Generally speak-

ing, I believe the American film industry tries to be fair and accurate in its depictions of religious groups and belief systems IN GENERAL “with the options of Strongly Agree, Agree, Slightly Agree, No Opinion/No Answer, Slightly Disagree, Disagree, or Strongly Disagree. Answer Percent Strongly Agree 1% Agree 5% Slightly Agree 13% No Opinion/No Answer 13% Slightly Disagree 23% Disagree 28% Strongly Disagree 17% n=554 *Responses did not vary significantly between demographic groups.

Movies fostering tolerance Respondents were asked the following question in regards to movies fostering tolerance: “The movies I have seen help foster tolerance for religious groups and belief systems IN GENERAL” with the options of Strongly Agree, Agree, Slightly Agree, No

Opinion/No Answer, Slightly Disagree, Disagree, or Strongly Disagree. Answer Percent

Strongly Agree 1% Agree 8% Slightly Agree 16% N/A 23% Slightly Disagree 23% Disagree 22% Strongly Disagree 9%

n=554

*Responses did not vary significantly between demographic groups.

Respondents were asked the following question in regards to movies fostering tolerance: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The movies I have seen help foster MY tolerance for religion and/or beliefsâ&#x20AC;?. Answer Percent

n=386

Strongly Agree 2% Agree 10% Slightly Agree 14% N/A 27% Slightly Disagree 20% Disagree 17% Strongly Disagree 9%

Text-Entry Questions

The electronic survey had several questions in which the respondent was required to answer in text. The questions were as described below. As stated previously no filter was applied to the results due to the limited amount of responses received.

Name one film that you have seen that UNFAIRLY depicted YOUR religion and/or beliefs.

The most recurrent responses received were:

n =143 The most recurrent responses received were:

Name one film that you have seen that UNFAIRLY depicted religious groups

n =143 The most recurrent responses received were:

Name one film that you have seen that UNFAIRLY depicted religious groups and belief systems IN GENERAL.

n =154

Name one film that you have seen that is fair and accurate in its depiction of YOUR religion and/or beliefs.

The most recurrent responses received were:

n =55

The most recurrent responses received were:

Name one film

is fair and accurate in its depiction of YOUR religion and/or beliefs.

n =55

The most recurrent responses received were:

n =195

Name one film that you have seen that is fair and accurate in its depiction of religious groups and belief systems IN GENERAL.

Conclusion Viewed in the aggregate these efforts seem to indicate that: • The majority of Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 watch one movie a month or more. • Almost all Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 can recall a movie with a religious theme and/or character. • The majority of Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 do not believe the American Film Industry tries to be fair and accurate in depictions of religion and/or beliefs whether personal or in general. • The people ages 18-34, in Oklahoma, have a more negative perception in the movies depicting their religion than those who are currently living in other states. There is a possibility that the target audience tend not to think that the movies depict their religion correctly. • God’s Not Dead, Passion of the Christ, Noah, American Sniper and the Ten Commandments were all recurring answers for every text-entry response regardless of the content of the question. • God’s Not Dead, Noah, and American Sniper may have been a recurring answer because they were released in 2014 and respondents have viewed them more recently. • Passion of the Christ grossed over 600 million worldwide and is the highest gross-

ing Rated-R film in United States history, making it a more popular choice for movie-watchers. â&#x20AC;˘ The Ten Commandments was also cited frequently in the text-entry questions. Released in 1956, The Ten Commandments grossed over $100 million. The Ten Commandments is considered a classic and many people have seen it making it a popular answer for any question in regards to movie and religion.

Primary qualititative The class decided to analyze movies containing religious content in hopes of uncovering how religious intolerance and tolerance is portrayed through films. The methodology utilized was to create a list of movies containing religious content and deferred the movies to each student to analyze. We narrowed down our list to 24 movies to be reviewed by two people each. The reason the class narrowed down the list to 24 was an effort to pursue quality of analysis rather than quantity of movies. Having a dual check provided a more reliable form of analysis because it created conversation, debate and collaboration of observations. Upon researching, viewing and analyzing these movies, it became obvious that religion was either portrayed polarized or neutrally in religious films. Catholicism is normally not portrayed in a positive light. Although religious leaders were extremely spiritual, they were very close-minded when addressing other religions. They were often portrayed as judgmental or hypocritical. We saw an abusive trend in father figures. There was very little middle ground in terms of how religion was portrayed; religion was either portrayed extremely favorably or extremely unfavorably. The research showed that movies have some influence on religious tolerance. This produces the question: How does this impact the publicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s view of religion?

Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979) The story of Brian of Nazareth, born on the same day as Jesus of Nazareth, who takes a different path in life that leads to the same conclusion. Brian joins a political resistance movement aiming to get the Romans out of Judea. Brian scores a victory of sorts when he manages to paint political slogans on an entire wall in the city of Jerusalem. The movement is not very effective but somehow Brian becomes a prophet and gathers his own following. His fate is sealed however and he lives a very short life. This movie mocked the story of Jesus and what the Bible says. This film could easily be seen as blasphemous and an insult to Christians and Judaism because it is a “comedy” based on the story of Jesus. The Golden Laws (2003) Two children from the future travel to ancient times to witness major events in religious history. This movie was all about spreading love, faith and happiness wherever you go. To inspire others to spread God’s love no matter what faith you believe in. All of the faiths depicted were positive. Two kids were able to travel through time and watch history as it was happening. Satouri held the book The Golden Laws with him throughout his entire journey, it had rules and laws to follow but it also served as an almanac with a description of what was going on in that time period. Satouri and Alisa battled evil forces together with the help of their famous counterparts along the way. No religion was portrayed negatively; the only negative shown was fighting the forces of evil.

Saved! (2004) When a girl attending a Christian high school becomes pregnant, she finds herself ostracized and demonized, as all of her former friends turn on her. Atheism can be seen neutrally or positively based on the people who still interact and befriend the girl after everyone finds out she is pregnant. These people don’t have a religious affiliation but still aren’t 100% morally right. Christianity is portrayed negatively because of the judgmental, holier-than-thou, and hypocritical attitudes her former friends have once they know she’s pregnant. The Rabbi’s Cat (2011) The Rabbi’s Cat is set in the early 1930s when Arabs, Jews and French people lived in harmony. The film highlights the truth of racism, Judaism and Islam and how important religious diversity is in our world. There is no distinction made between which religion is “correct” or “best” and rather how important silence is when you don’t agree with another religion. The film also highlights how important it is to recognize the signs of God’s presence all around you. It was a very bizarre film, but altogether tolerant of all religions. Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) In this film there is continuous conversation about religion and whether or not God exists. One of the main characters gets away with murder and wonders whether or not God will punish him because he has no long term guilt about the crime he committed and was not caught. This made him reject his Christian upbringing entirely because he

had always believed that people must pay for their sins and his faith was very superficial because he walked away from it with ease. This film presented an inaccurate portrayal of Christianity because believers do not pay for their sins, they are forgiven and were bought with the price of Christâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death on the cross. The Little Buddha (1993) This movie is a story based on Buddhism. A group of monks are trying to seek reincarnation of one of their great teachers. They have found three children candidates and bring them to Bhutan with their parents for testing. The whole story line, supporting characters (monks), and the few holy sites and places of meditation are all based on the Buddhist religion. Everything was viewed positive in this movie and had an open minded feel to the religion portrayed through the main character Jesse. The Crime of Father Amaro (2002) This movie is based on a group of Catholic priests who wind up in illegal and wrongful situations such has drugs, rape, and abuse. The story line, churches, and all characters are all related back to Catholicism. The people in the movie who were outsiders were portrayed very neutral and good citizens, while Catholics were shown to have the reputation of being judgmental, hypocrites, and corrupted in many ways.

Stigmata (1999) This movie is about a non-religious girl, Frankie Paige, who experiences supernatural occurrences all due to a piece of rosary wrapped around a dead priest’s wrist that has been passed around. Atheism was neutral because although the main character, Frankie, did not have a religious belief there was nothing positive or negative depicted. Catholicism started out positive with the priests helping the community and ended negatively as they were not honest and tried to kill certain individuals in the film. The supernatural scenes that happen to the main characters were also depicted negatively. Frankie is being tortured by what seems to be demons that are harming and taking her body over. Atheism was portrayed neutral because Frankie Paige did not believe in God nor did she believe in any specific religion. It was important in the film and the plot that she had no belief. No one punished or celebrated her thoughts on religion and faith. Another main character, Father Andrew Kiernan, displayed contrasting roles. In the beginning of the film his roles as a Father of the Catholic church seemed neutral with the contradiction of him as a scientist who’s job was to debunk miracles. During the movie he falls in love with the Frankie (the atheist) which goes against his religious beliefs. Christianity/ Catholicism was portrayed positively and negatively. With Christianity & Catholic religion the movie began portraying it in a positive light. When it came to supernatural things it was portrayed in a negative light. The demons taking over her body and making her do and see awful things along with certain “miracles”.

Submission (2004) This movie was about Islamic religion. It was shown throughout the whole movie and through the characters. Islamic was portrayed very negatively by showing the men of this religion mistreating women. Women are abused and verses of Qurâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;an were written all over their bodies. Priest (1994) This movie is about a Catholic priest, Father Greg who is tortured with his secret life of being a homosexual and knowing that is frowned upon in his church. Catholicism is shown in the whole story line, churches, and through the main characters. The Catholic Church is put in a negative light because of their attitude towards Father Greg. The people of the church would ignore him and isolated him in a way by not going to his line of communion and not forgiving him for his actions with another man. Although one of the priests, Matthew, was very kind to Father Greg during the film, overall the attitude toward Father Greg by those who represented the Catholic Church was negative. Catholicism was portrayed negatively throughout most of the film and linked to Father Gregâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s struggle, unhappiness and isolation. (Negative outlook on Christianity) Left Behind (2014) Left behind is the story of a small group of people left behind after the rapture. It is a Christian movie in which Christianity is portrayed very positively. The Christians all disappear from the earth and presumably go to heaven. The film also portrays atheism.

It seems to do so fairly neutrally although Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure some people would disagree. It does however seem to follow the theme of us vs. them with a focus on conversion to Christianity being the ultimate goal. In the end thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exactly what happened. The main character Raymond converts to Christianity, and tries to get his daughter Chloe to do the same. Diary of Ann Frank (1980) This is the true story of Ann Frank. Ann was a Jewish girl who was forced into hiding with her family during the Nazi takeover. She was forced into hiding in an attic in Amsterdam. The only religion that was really shown was Judaism. Judaism is portrayed neutrally. There are plenty of negative things happening to the Jews, but as far as the portrayal it seems to be mostly neutral. The movie seems to be focused more on the history than on any portraying any individual religion in a certain way. Orgazmo (1997) This movie is about a Mormon missionary named Joe Young that becomes a porn star. He knocks on a guyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s door to try and spread the message of Mormonism, but instead the guy convinces him into doing porn. He wrestles with the idea, but decides that he needs the money. This movie definitely portrays Mormonism negatively. The movie seems to be blasphemous and contains many scenes that make fun of Mormonism and Christianity as a whole.

Passion of the Christ (2004) Christianity is portrayed in a correct way. Christians would walk away from this film with a sense of pride and a newfound love for their savior Jesus Christ. The Jews in the film were depicted as a scheming and jealous people. Fish Out of Water (2009) This is a documentary that uses humor to show both sides of homosexuality in religion. This movie provides an unbias opinion, while following the lives of homosexuals. It shows how Christianity does not approve of homosexuality and how all religious leaders and stron believers do not support homosexuality. God’s Not Dead (2014) This movie portrayed Christianity in a positive light. It portrayed atheism and Islam in a very negative, ignorant way. A Christian student enters heavy debate with a rude and intolerant ‘Atheist’ professor, who demands he denounce his God. A number of side stories take place in this movie all containing the same message that Christianity is good, and anything outside of Christianity leads to a world of misery and unhappiness. In the end, the student wins his debate, and the professor gets hit by a car and states his belief in God in his dying breath. Miracle Maker (2000) This was the story of Jesus Christ, they didn’t sway from the biblical stories drastically. It showed a dislike for Jesus Christ among the powerful members of the church and polit-

ical figures, yet accepted by many followers. It didn’t feel it was bias, and seeing as how it was geared toward children, it was an appropriate movie to depict Bible stories. Heaven is For Real (2014) Atheism was portrayed neutral because when the father went to seek explanations on his son’s experiences, the psychiatric doctor he visited was a non-believer. As he was talking to her, he didn’t judge her or say anything negative about her being a non-believer. Also, the doctor’s husband was a believer and they remained married up until his death. At first the supernatural things such as the acceptance of his son going to heaven and coming back was portrayed negative at first by the other characters because no one believed that it happened. By the end of the movie the other characters whether they believed the story or not seemed to finally accept it, which is why it was also neutrally portrayed. Da Vinci Code (2006) A murder in Paris’ Louvre Museum and cryptic clues in some of Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous paintings lead to the discovery of a religious mystery. For 2,000 years a secret society closely guards information that should it come to light could rock the very foundations of Christianity. Atheism was portrayed neutrally. Sophie’s character stated at the beginning of the film that she did not believe in God; however at the end of the film she is revealed to be a member of Jesus’ bloodline. Paganism was portrayed in a negative way. In the film, Sophie discusses coming home and finding her grandfather performing a pagan sexual ritual and that it was a very scarring experience for her.Christianity was

portrayed in a negative way. The entire film was an attempt to uncover the secret of Christianity: that Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene were married and had a child together. The film discusses how this secret, covered up by the Catholic Church, would completely destroy the reputation of Christianity. The priests were gathering to discuss how to stop the main characters from revealing the fact, and one of them directed the figures of Opus Dei, an institution of the Roman Catholic Church, to kill people who are involved in this case in the name of Jesus. Legion (2010) Christianity was portrayed negatively in this film, because the basis of the film was that God was fed up with humanity and made the decision to destroy humanity. He sent his angels to wipe out the human race, just as he had once done with the great flood. The film parallels the biblical story of Mary and baby Jesus, when the archangel Michael states that pregnant Charlie will give birth to the child who will save the world. In the film, humans are being possessed by a legion of evil angels. The Prince of Egypt (1998) An Egyptian prince learns of his identity as a Hebrew and later his destiny to become the chosen deliverer of his people. There was such a tolerance from Moses forward his people after he learned God chose him to free his people form the slavery. That shows the spirituality of him. Religiously there the negative portrayal is present where the pharaoh Ramses is a depiction of arrogantly believing in pagan deities and in himself as lord over his people. That showed how sometimes faith and religion can be

so affective on people but also they might use their belief to mistreat others. Dogma (1999) The story was about an abortion clinic worker with a special heritage who is enlisted to prevent two angels from re-entering Heaven and thus undoing the fabric of the universe. Along the way, she is aided by two prophets, Jay and Silent Bob. With the help of Rufus, the 13th Apostle, they must stop those who stand in their way and prevent the angels from entering Heaven. This movie portrayed Catholicism both negatively and positively. But with such negativity in this movie people who view this movie might have so many bad thoughts about the religion if they do not have any idea about it, also certain portrayals made in the movie obviously do not match the Bible or religious texts but are permissible via artistic liberty. Humiliation of God was so unexpected and it was overwhelming. Pursuit of Equality (2006) This is an emotionally charged film that puts a face on American citizens who strive for marriage equality. This documentary takes you on a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;behind the scenesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; journey into the most controversial civil rights issue of our time. By issuing marriage licenses to same gender couples, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom uproots the status quo and attempts to change the way the nation looks at life, love, and marriage. Pursuit of Equality was filmed over 15 months - from the first same gender Marriage performed at City Hall through the thousands of marriages celebrated in San Francisco, to the protests and the Supreme Court orders that stopped the weddings and

voided the marriages through to Superior Court Judge Kramer’s landmark ruling that it is unconstitutional to deny marriage licenses to same gender couples. This film is documentation of a time when America was just beginning to make changes to the law of same sex marriage. Christian faith is only portrayed in this movie by politicians who don’t believe in same sex marriage. This subject is very important and sensitive for so many people so it should be viewed very clearly. Although so many people think that same sex marriage is against their faith and religion, they have to think about people’s rights and freedom to have the equality and to be tolerant. The Last Temptation of Christ (2004) This movie is an attempt to show that the Qur’an encourages violence and hatred towards women. The verses painted on their bodies are verses that say things like its ok to slap a woman, or to rape her if she says no to her husband. The naked bodies are scarred and bruised from the beatings that they’ve received from men in their lives. The director is showing the verses painted on their naked bruised bodies for symbolism.

NExt Steps While the preceding report has provided much insight, there is more work that can be done for future research. The budget and time did not allow for a national survey to be conducted. The class recommends the survey be repeated with a representative sample, targeting men and women, ages 18-34. This will allow for more data to be gathered on a national scale. Due to time and limited resources, the class worked with what was available. The one thing to also consider for the future is looking at grant funding to further this topic. This way if anyone else would like to do more research regarding religious tolerance, grant funding can help provide a more accurate response. The class recommends the survey be repeated with a representative sample, targeting men and women, ages 18-34. This will allow for more data to be gathered on a national scale. The class recommend conducting interviews with religious leaders, non-religious leaders, studio producers and non-religious studio producers. Interviews with these

people will give new insights into the mindsets of people who make these films. Conducting a focus group with religious and non-religious participants within the target audience would allow the of our target audience on a smaller and more defined scale. The class believes this would give valuable data and insight. Expand the movie selection that relates to both religion and religious tolerance. There are many more movies related to the topic that would give a deeper insight into religious tolerance in films.

Appendix • Acuna, Kirsten. “Why Christian Movies Continue To Crush It At The Box Office.” Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc., 23 Apr. 2014. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.”Adherents.com.” Spiritual Movies / Religious Feature Films / Religious Movies. Adherents.com, 8 Nov. 2005. Web. 11 Mar. 2015. <http://www.adherents.com/movies/>. • Angelina Jolie defends ‘universal’ depiction of faith in ‘Unbroken’ - Religion News Service. (2014, December 10). Retrieved March 12, 2015, from http://www.religionnews.com/2014/12/10/angelina-jolie-defends-universal-depiction-faith-unbroken/ • “American Sniper Anti-Muslim Threats Skyrocket.” The Guardian. N.p., 12 Dec. 2014. Web. 10 Mar. 2015. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Ffilm%2F2015%2Fjan%2F24%2Famerican-sniper-anti-muslim-threats-skyrocket>. • Aston, Josh. “Why White Critics’ Fear of Engaging Tyler Perry Is Stifling Honest Debate.” · For Our Consideration · The A.V. Club. A.V Club, 18 Apr. 2013. Web. 23 Mar. 2015. • “Buddhist Studies: Tolerance.” Buddhist Studies: Tolerance. Web. 12 Mar. 2015. &lt; http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/dharmadata/fdd50.htm&gt; • Cloudtenproductions.com. Cloud Ten Productions, 1 Jan. 2013. Web. 10 Mar. 2015. • <http://www.cloudtenpictures.com>. • “Chart/table From: Action & Adventure the Preferred Genre for the Movie Theater Experience.” Chart/table From: Action & Adventure the Preferred Genre for the Movie Theater Experience. Marketing Chartd, 22 Feb. 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2015. • Cieply, Michael. “Adding Punch to Influence Public Opinion.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 25 July 2010. Web. 12 Mar. 2015. • Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Web. 12 Mar. 2015. • “Documentary and Dramatic Movies with a Religious, Spiritual or Cultural Theme.” Movies with a Spiritual and Religious Content. Web. 13 Mar. 2015. <http://www.religioustolerance.org/chrmovie.htm>. • “Dogma.” IMDb. N.p. n.d. Web. 21 March. 2015. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120655/ • “DOMESTIC GROSSES.” Yearly Box Office Results. Internet Movie Database. Web. 11 Mar. 2015. <http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/ chart/?yr=2014>. • Faith playing a role in Hollywood: Religion in movies a new form of education experts say. (2013, October 31). Retrieved March 12, 2015, from http://national.deseretnews.com/article/542/Faith-playing-a-role-in-Hollywood.html?pg=all • Fleming, Charles. “10 Controversial Films Based on Religion.” LA Times. Web. 11 March 2015. • <http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-10-controversial-films-based-on religion-photogallery.html>. • Gordon, C. B., & Eifler, K. E. (2011). Bringing Eyes of Faith to Film: Using Popular Movies to Cultivate a Sacramental Imagination and Improve Media Literacy in Adolescents. Catholic Education: A Journal of Inquiry & Practice, 15(1), 28-53 • Green, Emma. “Why 2014’s God Movies Were So Bad.” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 24 Dec. 2014. Web. 10 Mar. 2015. • Heather L. LaMarre. Kristen D. Landreville. “When is Fiction as Good as Fact? Comparing the Influence of Documentary and Historical Reenactment Films on Engagement, Affect, Issue Interest, and Learning”. University of Minnesota. The Ohio State University. • “Hinduism and Religious Tolerance.” Hinduism and Religious Tolerance. Web. 11 Mar. 2015. &lt; http://www.hinduwebsite.com/hin-

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