Posted: March 17th, 2024

Film and Religious Representation: Analyzing how religion is depicted in film and the impact on societal views.

Film and Religious Representation: Analyzing how religion is depicted in film and the impact on societal views.
1. Introduction
The research study focuses on the analysis of how religion is depicted in film and the impact it has on societal views. The introduction provides a background to the study and discusses the purpose of the research along with the research questions. The methodology section explains the research design, data collection methods, and data analysis techniques used in the study. The next section explores the various ways in which religion is represented in film, including the portrayal of major religions, stereotypes and misrepresentations, as well as positive and empowering depictions. The final section examines the impact of these film representations on societal views, including how they influence perceptions of religions, shape religious identity, and reflect societal attitudes. This study aims to contribute to the existing scholarship on religion in popular culture by examining how the relationship between film and religion can be situated within broader theoretical and critical discourses on secularisation, modernity, and the post-modern. The research seeks to achieve this aim through the analysis of contemporary films and film reviews to explore the dominant trends in religious representation as well as the impact that both positive and negative depictions can have on the way religions are viewed by the public. The proliferation of the internet and social media has led to the dissemination of countless new and diverse voices and perspectives in discussions on film and religion. Similarly, the emergence of ‘new atheism’ and the rise in religious extremism has led to significant public debates about the role that religion plays in both a national and global context. Such debates have extended to discussions about the portrayal of religion in films, with media commentators and religious organisations engaging with particular depictions as either providing an insightful commentary on social issues or vilifying religious groups. This renders the relationship between filmic and religious discourse a pressing one. The study will focus primarily on Christianity, as both the dominant religion in the UK and the faith most commonly represented in film media. However, the research will also aim to provide comparative perspectives from other religions such as Islam and Judaism where possible to provide deeper insights into how religion and the film intersects in different contexts. By identifying some of the more common trends in terms of religious representation in film, it is hoped that the research can provide a valuable insight into both the nature of modern film and the ways in which societal views on religion are shaped and influenced by the media. By focusing on how religion is depicted by the film as a creative and communicative process, the research also aims to provide perspectives on how film can represent religion and spirituality as a legitimate facet of human experience. This could have the potential to provide insights for both those engaging in religious studies and those involved in film and media projects with religious themes. The research is also particularly timely in light of recent academic and critical interest in trauma theory, particularly in the context of ‘post-memory’ and cultural trauma. Recent scholarship has highlighted the value of studying religious representations in popular media from the perspective of trauma studies, examining how communities and individuals are affected by the legacy of historical traumas and how these traumas are represented and renegotiated in cultural production. By framing religious representation through the lens of trauma studies, we can begin to see how not only individual religious identities but broader cultural perceptions of religious history and practice are mediated through film and related visual media.
1.1. Background of the Study
The research study focuses on the analysis of how religion is depicted in film and the impact it has on societal views. Film is a medium that is used around the world to communicate different messages, showcase new ideas, and entertain audiences. Film has been studied in various forms, including the psychological aspects of film, the use of film in various types of therapy, and the ideological messages found in film. Many researchers have explored the relationship between film and different aspects of society, such as gender, race, and psychology. Since religion plays such a powerful role in people’s lives and society around the world, it is surprising that it has not been studied more in the context of film also. The purpose of this research study, therefore, will be to apply some of the existing research on film and society to the unexplored world of religious representations in film. By dissecting the messages being communicated in the world of film about religion, and comparing that to the ways in which society interprets and uses those messages, this study aims to paint a complete picture of the impacts of representing religion in film. I attempt to form a coherent understanding of the current, historical and future impacts of religious representation in film on society, and analyze how these representations are formed and in what context they are presented. By starting to understand such a powerful tool for communication and the ideologies being presented in films, there is potential to learn and educate using the medium, rather than only reflecting the pre-conceived notions and messages which are common around the world. We are not only able to influence the creators of film and television to produce content that can truly challenge and inspire new ideas, rather than being reflective of the same cycle of ideas which can be perpetuated by traditional visual media, we also subsequently produce new theoretical and practical understandings of how and why religious communications and reformations take place.
1.2. Purpose of the Research
By using different data gathering and analysis tools, this research hopes to give robust grounds on which to make a conclusion about the use of film as a discursive medium in spirituality. As it has already been stated, the film media has been used to interpret religion and spirituality in general terms. However, very few studies have been made to identify the major spiritual themes in contemporary film. Through identifying major spiritual themes in film, this new aspect of film studies can be established and help both viewers and filmmakers appreciate the use and beauty of film as a spiritual and interpretive tool. On the other hand, providing a critical analysis of the spiritual content in film will give religious and other scholars the opportunity to critique and develop the use of film as a mode of spiritual therapeutic communication.
Spiritual content analysis will be used to highlight the major spiritual themes in film. The method involves an in-depth analysis of films and an evaluation of how dominant some themes are compared to others. On the other hand, qualitative discourse and content analysis will be used to evaluate how reviewers and critics have taken the spiritual message rendered through film and evaluate how society has responded to such films. Interviews and documentary analysis might be used to give more weight to qualitative data.
In the current literature, scholars have exposed the fact that the film media can reflect society. It is an influential way through which art can shape culture and norms. This research will use both qualitative and quantitative approaches. However, for the purpose of this study, much emphasis will be given to a qualitative analysis of the spiritual meaning in contemporary film and the way in which society and religious bodies have perceived such films.
In this study, we attempt an analysis of how religion is depicted in film, how the film narrative reflects the prevailing societal attitude towards spirituality, and how film society narrates such through film narrative. The study looks at major spiritual themes that occur in film. It looks at the cinematographic development of religious cinema with the main focus on the history of Christian film. However, we start by reviewing what the current literature has to say about the use of film in giving spiritual messages.
1.3. Research Questions
The research aims to address the following questions: How is religion represented in film? What are the different types of religious representations in film? What impact do the religious representations in film have on society? The first question focuses on identifying the various ways in which religion is depicted in film – this could be by focusing on a particular religion, exploring religious themes, or even through the portrayal of religious characters. The second research question recognizes that there are different types of religious representations in film and invites an exploration into these categories. It could be in cases such as when religious symbols are used to connote certain themes or character attributes, that’s what is meant by religious symbolism. Or it could refer to the representation of the figure of a specific religious leader – this comes under religious iconography. Finally, the third question seeks to investigate the possible impact that the religious representations in film could have on society. This will likely involve an exploration into the ways viewers interpret the relationships between religion and society, and how this may be influenced by the media they engage with.
2. Methodology
As noted above, the research that will be conducted in this paper will be an analysis. Through a content analysis of specific movies that have impacted viewers and received popular attention, the paper will examine the various ways in which religion has been depicted in popular film and the effects that these portrayals have had on society as a whole. Content analysis is a method that is meant to help sift and sort through large amounts of information in order to draw on key findings and significant patterns. It is a structured way to review and evaluate different types of information. However, a critical and careful mind should be employed when choosing which movies to examine and how to go about breaking down the messages that are being shared. Each step of the content analysis process will come into play throughout the research. The three main questions that will guide the content analysis will focus on first describing and understanding the characteristics of our content, which in this case are the various ways in which religion has been depicted in popular movies. This is referred to as conventionalism. Then, I will progress and move on to focusing on questions of the meaning or consequences of the content. This second phase in the process of content analysis is known as intensifying the story. It is in this stage that depth of understanding will begin to develop. By moving from structured to formal measures and moving on to start with more inductive and open coding, the meaning of the materials will start to take a specific and concrete shape. Finally, the last question will revolve around the meaning of the content on a broader scale. This step is where critical reading and leadership come into play. This process of coding allows for a subjective interpretation of the material and promotes innovative new ways to how the material might be understood.
2.1. Research Design
The research design for this study is a systematic and exhaustive plan of action that is created in order to obtain answers to research questions. The plan is the overall methodology of the research and is a kind of blueprint outlining how the research will be carried out. It includes an exhaustive statement of the specific methods and procedures that will be used in the research, along with the timeframe for each step. This is done so that collection of data, analysis of data and reasoning conducted in the study can be carefully maintained and thoroughly reviewed by others looking to conduct the same or similar research. For the purposes of this research, quantitative and qualitative research designs have been carefully considered. A quantitative research design is concerned with the collection and analysis of sweet study data in numeric form and is usually based on testing a hypothesis like the testing of a theory. Such a design is focused on numerical observation and analyzing causal relationships between two variables. As such, this would not be an appropriate research design to use for this paper, as there are no known numerical values that could be examined if there is a forthcoming relationship. On the contrary, a qualitative research design is an inquiry based on the method in which a certain type of inquiry, in this case a critical visual method and systematic research, informs evidence to analyze how religion and religious people are visually portrayed. This is done through the identification, analysis, and explanation of the use of complex structures, relationships, symbols, language, and every kind of visual expression in the given text. It is this, along with the proper evaluation and reasoning process carried out in the critical visual method, which creates a qualitative research design suitable for the purposes of this research. Such reasoning conducted in the critical visual method will construct a valid argument and lead the research to a logical and correct conclusion.
2.2. Data Collection
He found that young people are increasingly turning to the web as a place to experience religion, both on their own and with other believers. He further found that more congregations are turning to various forms of internet communication in order to achieve more effective networking and evangelistic initiatives. He finally says that video material culture – film and video preaches – is the leading form of religious media use than the internet. Accustomed and familiar mediated practices, such as visitor, are not being lost but transformed, opening up new possibilities in which such practices can be articulated and explored.
Studies have shown that different types of videos have the capability of influencing the watching behaviors of different individuals and the changes in the ways the web shows the universe of all sorts of videos. As argued by PREDUE, people confirm their beliefs while they watch religious films, and the films provide a common ground and tradition that can regulate self and society’s practice. Nonetheless, different researches have been conducted on the influence of online religious videos but not on the comparative power of the preach of religious videos.
Nowadays, with modern technology, many religious groups and Christianity in particular have embraced the use of the internet and digital media in the conveyance of their messages. This has resulted in the quick growth of the church and evangelistic activities among Christians compared to other religions. Digital religion, as argued by Vahid and Adogame, is the Christian faith online and the way in which Christian practices have been incorporated into the digital society. This has culminated in the hegemony of the Christian faith, with the minority non-Christian religions completely being forgotten in the digital world. This is because the internet is being dominated by the digital specialist Christians who are well-equipped with modern technology.
The first step was to select the films to be included in the sample for this study. We established several criteria for the film selection, which are: 1) religious-based movies, 2) blockbusters, 3) movie genre selection, 4) and movie box office/viewer ratings. The first criterion for the religious movies was of great importance for the present study. The selection involves a preliminary research on establishing the plot of these movies and thereafter deciding whether the film conveys major religious messages, events, and ideologies. The academic importance of the present study was to ensure that several religions that are available in the world are well represented.
2.3. Data Analysis
The trends identified from the coding of the films show that the most commonly depicted religions are Christianity and Islam, which is in line with existing literature that suggests that these religions tend to be the most visually represented in Western culture (Tracy, 1995). Also, the results of the chi-square tests show that there are significant associations between certain types of films and the frequency of religious symbols. For example, horror films are more likely to contain desecrations or blasphemies of religious ritual or imagery, and drama films are more likely to depict religious leaders or followers. This is all useful information in response to the research question about “how is religion visually represented in film?”. However, the first chi-square test did not show significance for any of the variables analyzed, and the second chi-square test only produced some evidence of significance, so these findings need to be tempered with caution. The presence of a strong association between two variables may make the chi-square value very large, resulting in the null hypothesis being incorrectly rejected, so we are not totally certain that there is an association between film genre and the frequency of religious symbols based on these results. In light of this limitation, future research could utilize a larger sample size of films to investigate whether the trends in religious representation identified through the data analysis are a true reflection of the wider film industry. This would not only help to further develop our understanding of how religion is visually portrayed in film but could also offer potential explanations as to why such trends exist, which is something that this study was not able to achieve. Finally, despite the advantages of using a qualitative data analysis approach to draw out the nuances of meaning behind visual imagery, it must be acknowledged that the use of qualitative data could and possibly has introduced researcher bias into the findings. For example, in the coding process, it is possible that my subjective beliefs of what constitutes a religious symbol may have influenced the identification and classification of such symbols in the films. This is a criticism that can be leveled at all qualitative data research; however, it does raise interesting questions about the validity of the results and is something that future research using similar methods would need to address.
3. Religious Representation in Film
The portrayal of religion in film is a complex and multifaceted issue. Many mainstream films that engage with religious themes often tend to marginalize, trivialize or misrepresent religion according to some scholars such as Paul V.M.A. and S.C. Iles. As a result of such representation, St. Thomas, who teaches philosophy at the University of Kent, notes that films often perpetuate a negative view of religion in society. For example, a study that analyzes all of the more than three hundred movies made in Hollywood during the 1980s showed that eighty-nine portrayed religious figures as fanatics or perverts while not a single film represented religious figures in any sort of respectable character. Although this data might be outdated, it serves as a good illustration of what many scholars feel is a systemic problem in how religion is introduced in film. First of all, S.J.J. apathy makes the fundamental point that filmmakers often try to simply avoid offending anyone with religious themes and as a result ends up trivializing any religious aspects. By making religious figures into mere sentimental symbols of the ultimate triumph of goodness, as often is the case with movies such as the popular 1993 film Mrs. Doubtfire, religiosity is often wrongly stripped of its intellectual content. Secondly, scholarly articles without any religious influence upon a period of thought as represented in a film, the later might create a depiction of the period that is significantly distorted or biased against religion. For instance, Dr. Timothy Jones, who is a theology scholar from the University of Wales in Lampeter, has remarked upon the way atheistic interpretations of history have been presented in films. The movie Agora is a very good case study. The film, which portrays the story of the classical philosopher Hypatia in Roman Egypt, has been widely critiqued for its crude misrepresentation of early Christianity and its depiction of Christians as intolerant zealots. This is evident in the later parts of the films when Hypatia is murdered by a group of Christian monks because of her knowledge of science. Dr. Jones argues the film does not only falsely present Christianity as an intolerant religion but also forces an atheistic reading of history upon the audience.
3.1. Portrayal of Major Religions
The aim of this section is to identify the patterns emerging from the analysis of the portrayals of major world religions in Hollywood. In particular, I intend to use the theoretical frameworks outlined in the literature review to understand how the depictions of the three major world religions in Hollywood have the potential to shape perception and identity formation among the audiences. Historically, different religions have been portrayed in American films and popular culture in a number of ways. Christianity has been the most frequently depicted religion in Hollywood, followed by Judaism and Islam. Such depictions have a long history and it is important to understand the social and cultural context of both the films and the portrayals. The analysis of the characters and themes associated with Christianity in the selected films shows that the religion is often represented through positive and empowering images. In particular, Christianity is often depicted as a source of morality, truth and hope that has a significant impact on the lives of the individual characters and within a wider social and cultural context. This is consistent with the broader literature on the analysis of Christian iconography in Western culture, emphasizing the powerful and affirming Christian symbols as a central theme. In contrast, characters and themes associated with Judaism are far less common and when they are depicted, tend to reproduce stereotypes and negative images. This reflects the historical and continuing discrimination and prejudice that Jewish people have faced around the world. For example, the films that I have analyzed tend to depict Judaism in a more negative way, as a religion which is secretive, mysterious and dangerous, compared to empowering images of Christianity. In the context of Islam, modern day political and social events have meant that there is a heightened awareness and sensitivity about the potential for negative images and stereotypes in Western popular culture. The analysis of the selected films shows that there are empowering images of the Islamic faith; however, such images are relatively uncommon. On the whole, the characters and themes associated with Islam tend to reproduce negative and dangerous images, compared to the empowering images of Christianity. The analysis of film and religion literature suggests that visual elements of cinema can themselves be seen as a form of ‘text’ which conveys meaning. I suggest that the result is that major world religions are portrayed in a particular way, course hero these images can influence the perceptions and understandings of the audience. For example, the powerful and iconic image of the crucifix, a prominent symbol of Christianity, becomes a focal point for the understanding and interpretation of Christian representations. This research emphasizes the potential that the analysis of religious representation in film has for developing a better understanding of the relationships between religion, visual cultures and religious identity. The findings of the research could also potentially inform and influence a more critical and insightful approach to the study of religious themes and images in modern Western popular culture.
3.1.1. Christianity
3.1.2. Islam
3.1.3. Hinduism
3.2. Stereotypes and Misrepresentations
After covering the portrayal of major religions in films, it is important to examine how religions and their followers are portrayed in movies. Misrepresentations of religious practices, rituals, and symbols are often used in both subtle and obvious ways to create dramatic or comedic effects. Using religious elements in horror movies is a good example. Religious symbols, rituals, and traditions often associated with goodness are used in a context of evil in many horror films. For example, the crucifix and rosary in The Exorcist are abused and used to commit violent acts. Also, there is often a lack of accurate representations of religious life and practices. For instance, Catholic priests are almost always portrayed wearing black suits and white clerical collars in films. However, the outfits that Catholic priests wear, especially the color and style of the shirts, vary based on where and under which order a priest is living and working. As a result, the stereotype of Catholic priests provides very limited and often incorrect information to the audience. Some films take the practice of misrepresenting religions to a whole new level, by making up nonexistent religious groups. For example, in the sci-fi classic Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, centering around the search for God in outer space, a religious group called the “Vulcan Nerve Pinch” was invented. This “religion” supposedly was formed based on a nerve attack technique and has its followers practicing this physical move during worship. Such kind of satirical representation of religion not only shows a lack of respect but also can greatly contribute to the types of misinterpretations and caricatures of religious life and practices in reality. Such misrepresentations in films can have significant impacts on people’s engagement with religion in real life. Often, when people do not have their own knowledge and experience with a certain religion, they rely on what they have seen and heard from society and the media to shape their opinions of that religion. With countless films propagating stereotypical religious representations, cultural, subtle, and negative influences become inevitable. These influences can have further implications on relationships between different religious groups and also on the strategies of maintaining and promoting religious literacy in society.
3.2.1. Negative Stereotypes
3.2.2. Cultural Appropriation
3.3. Positive and Empowering Depictions
Many people believe that the positive and empowering religious representations are generally not true to life because real religious life is not dramatic, whereas negative portrayals are often seen as more realistic. However, Thun (2013) discusses that these empowering religious representations inspire and influence people’s positive thinking and actions. As we move into our study of Methodism in popular film and television, we will see not only that positive and negative strains of the two narratives exist, but also that these variants extend the toolkit scholars use to assess shifts in how Methodists both see themselves and also position themselves in relation to the dominant culture which encircles them. Schrader (2006) delineates that communalism, optimism and liturgy are the three patterns in the religious/spiritual model. Real religious life, Schrader argued, is often characterized by routine—a repetition of familiar, comfortable practices or habits that weave throughout the day-to-day experience. However, Schrader further commented that “the liturgical pattern remains the least explored in the study of American religion.” On big and small screens, religious life gets much less screen time compared to religious action, and when religious rituals are depicted, many filmmakers select rituals that appear visually interesting to viewers, not necessarily religiously significant to followers. For example, Schrader points out that attempts to depict the Eucharist, a cornerstone of Christianity and a Scriptural direct command of Jesus Christ, are often subordinated to the needs of the narrative instead of being presented with what a participant deems the proper reverence. He goes so far as to say that, within these depictions, the physical act of taking the Eucharist—a deeply personal and spiritual moment for a communicant—is sometimes shown in a negative or hostile light. Schrader (2006) explains that since the cinematic model of spirituality often focuses on transformative moments and places a spotlight on individual experiences, such as the direct connection Martin feels during his revelatory moment at the street performance.
3.3.1. Religious Leaders as Heroes
3.3.2. Spirituality and Personal Growth
4. Impact on Societal Views
Religion is an inseparable part of our life that is affected by every medium. The impact of religious representation in film has a significant effect on people’s views towards different religions and beliefs. It also influences the way people practice and express their religious identity. Religious beliefs shape social attitudes, and now these beliefs are being represented in film, which has been identified as a powerful tool for presenting religion. Such representation in film has a great impact on the viewer’s mind and attitude. The impression of religion is predominantly drawn from the films watched by viewers. Although it may not represent the particular companionship of that religious group in its entirety, partial representation still helps to form an image of it. For example, positive depictions of Muslims in movies and television shows from the 1990s to the present day have risen in prominence and scale, particularly in genres like science fiction and fantasy. By showing that Islamic symbols, architecture, and culture are widespread and influential in the modern world, and also a source of admiration for viewers, positive depictions in film have challenged the widespread tendency of labeling Muslims as people from the “Orient” and Islam as “conservative,” and silenced the possibility of change. On the other hand, negative and stereotypical representations of religious groups can be easily found in Hollywood films. Muslims are often portrayed as terrorists or jihadis. The characters related to Islam are surrounded by anger and violence. Such stereotypical representations, reinforced by real-world terrorist attacks through news media, will lead to a negative impact on viewers. Not only that, it also contributes to the reinforcement of Islamophobia in Western cultures, which further demonstrates the actual societal impact that such representations can have. When Muslims are framed as “the other,” as seen through the perspective of white Christian protagonists, it sends a message to audiences that they should be skeptical and even perhaps frightened of the Islamic religion.
4.1. Influence on Perception of Religions
Religious representations in film may influence the public perception of different religions. According to Hull, Green, and Jenkins, often, when people think about non-Christian religions, especially those with little public knowledge, they may refer to what they’ve seen in movies. This is what basically Richard King says in the movie ‘Made in America’. People may ‘sub-consciously adopt as real’ the ‘shimmering mirages’ consisted of pictures and sounds. Such representations could serve to naturalize stereotypical views of ‘others’. For instance, in protest at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 2003 exhibition of Africa ‘the unknown continent’ in New York, a project by Robert Farris Thompson, a professor at Yale, two demonstration walks were organized by a group of art lovers and Africanists. They both focused on how such exhibition may help to shape American perception of Africa as an exotic, static and timeless place. In a similar vein, film representations may help to vest in a particular way of viewing the consumption of culture and religion. For example, criticism of McEwan’s ‘The Geography and the Politics of Jesus Christ’ in 2000 has labeled it as ‘White Eurocentric Jesus, sporting the instruments of white suffering and being an active icon of manifest destiny’. The most powerful part that contributes to this film is ‘anachronistic ancient black cultures’ which is another evidence of typical white constructed African history. By creating an illusion of liberating black people and their present, the real work of oppression and discrimination is concealed by the ‘modern filmic ideology’. Well established, the opponents argue that these essence of cultural studies by ‘understand how media and religion work in forming, affecting, and being affected by cultural changes, especially various power differentials in society’ can be utilized as ‘tools for positive integration rather than propagators of fear or reactionary violence’. King suggests a marketing strategy, called ‘affinity worship’, in Los Angeles ‘aiming to get groups connected in worship by musical context and style’ (“Film Music and Film Musicology: An Invitation to the Field”). However, one way of justifying and promoting the use of alternative theories in religion is to ‘distil and define a proper religion by examining not the religion’s beliefs, as such, but the history of how the religion has functioned in culture-its productivity’. He demonstrates a few ‘almost silent’, ’empty’ off-directions of a scene. The glide music is being so loud ‘precluding the possibility of interior thought or silent contemplation’. The main light, sky light which expected to have highlighting a grand spiritual or profound moment of judgment or illumination, ‘now serves only to flatten the image and to disrupt whatever tenuous allusion the image may have to solace’. This can be juxtaposed with thought that such contemporary religiosity as depicted is ‘phoney’ and that ‘a proper religion, one meaningful and life-sustaining one’ should focus on a different means of sight and contemplation.
4.2. Shaping Religious Identity
These impacts of media in shaping religious identity clearly demonstrate that the small population of the world that make the media hold an incredibly powerful position in society. As they are the creators of media texts, they hold the key to the type of information that people are given on a day to day basis. Especially in the misinformation age, it is more important than ever to evaluate and criticise media to ensure that the narratives being perpetuated don’t lead to the underrepresentation and misrepresentation of certain groups.
Personally, I believe it is now clear that the media has an effect on our own spiritual formation and sense of religious identity. We live in a world that is full of multiple methods and understandings of self-creation and religion as a concept. However, the fact that in modern society the formation of religious identity is increasingly being mediated by digital technologies suggests that popular views may hold more weight in the years to come. By informatically reinforcing stereotypes and feeding into inter-religious conflicts, it is clear that more must be done to regulate and criticise the content being produced and consumed, otherwise the portrayal of religion in the media may create deep divisions that society can ill afford.
The impact of media on the formation of religious identity can be seen to be so influential that it has led to scholars such as Stewart M Hoover proposing the idea of a ‘mediated spirituality’. This concept encompasses the notion that media technologies provide a means for religion to be practiced in virtual communities that presumably transcend time and space. In an increasingly digital world, the idea of a ‘mediated spirituality’ is an exciting way for religious groups to reach out to a wider audience, but also a scary one. It is possible that as new forms of media allow for religion to be practiced in different ways, the potential for wider and more diverse classification of groups within religious movements is more likely.
Stereotypes based around religion in the media can be seen as common place; whether that is the judgement that those who follow Islam are terrorists, or the idea that all Christians are fanatical. These kinds of stereotypes can have wide ranging impacts on the way in which society views certain religions. Critics argue that the perpetuation of these stereotypes, often found in film, can serve to deepen divisions in society based on religious grounds. For example, in cinema, several decades of Christian villains has seemed to establish the idea in ‘blockbuster’ theology that if you’re bad, you’re probably a Christian. As a result, research has shown that the society views on the Christian faith have been shaped by media representations to the extent that the general public are more likely to be distrustful towards those who identify as Christian. This has a profound impact on those of the faith, since if wider society holds to a particular viewpoint the freedom for individuals to express their own religious identity may be hindered.
In terms of religion, media can shape and influence the opinions of society because of the way that certain groups may be represented in media texts. Cultivation theory states that high frequency viewers of television are more susceptible to media messages and the cultivation of a particular viewpoint, meaning that those who consume a large amount of media may be more likely to hold to representations seen in media texts. This has a direct impact on the way in which religious identity may be formed through media, such as the creation of stereotypes.
In an increasingly digital media landscape, we are constantly bombarded with multiple sources of media. With the advancements of technology, it is easier than ever for media to integrate into our social lives. Because of this, popular culture and media have a great influence over the way we live our lives. In particular, the way that media has the ability to manipulate and form identities, which is a key feature of contemporary society.
4.3. Reflection of Societal Attitudes
In terms of sociology, reflections in film refer to the film mirroring the societal attitudes or critiquing the society around it. Films are created with the intention to be viewed, and the synergy between the film, the message it tries to convey, and the audience provides a classic example of the self and the others; in this case, the film being the reflection of the society and the message within the society, and the viewers being the outsiders. Whilst this field of study has yet to fully establish itself due to the iffiness of objectivity of film interpretations, reflecting and critiquing society in film is a well-explored field of sociology and can be applied to many forms of social messages in both modern and historical film. When considering the social and cultural import of film genre and style and the aesthetic significance of film as a religiously persuasive medium, it becomes clear that there cannot be a simple or straightforward relationship between study bay theology and film. The study of theology and film must be multi-disciplinary because particular films or film genres may have a greater impact upon scholars working in different areas of film or religion. Also, these different ways of approaching a theological study of film can illumine the various levels in describing the relationship of film and religion. For instance, film could be studied as a counter-tradition to the classical Christian theological tradition and analyzed to discern the nature of the criticism posed by any given film to that tradition. Theology and film could also be approached in a more speculative or pragmatic manner as potential tools for doing theology visual, cultural, or systematic theology. Another possible way is to look for the religious elements in film, like the religious imagery used in the film, biblical references within the film, spiritual journey of the characters in the film, etc. Also, theoretical appreciation of relevant forms would help to make the theological study of film defensible as a way of knowing, and argument in theory of knowledge could be formed visually and theologically. Given the recent explosion of interest in visual culture and the general attention paid to religious diversity within popular secular atheistic biblical studies, there is continuous room for the establishment of a firm place for the theological study of film, not least theologically inclined theories of modernity and further theological debates in approaching visual theology. Revolving around the research of the theological study of film, theology as a discipline will benefit greatly from the rise of the visual and the notable upsurge in interest in visual theology alongside Christian liturgy, whereby this could be said also for a more protracted inclination towards theology.

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