Negative Portrayals of Christians in Movies

[Flar's Freyja]

I saw a promo last night for a remake of Stephen King's Carrie, which is to air on ABC tonight, I believe. I saw the original years ago.

I remembered that the character of Carrie's mother was portrayed quite negatively as a religious fanatic who sadly and adversely affected her daughter's life, even to the point of being abusive by locking her in closets to pray.

There has been a lot of discussion about pagans being negatively stereotyped and this reminded me that we're really not the only ones. Can anyone else bring to mind other negative presentations of Christians in books or movies?

[shnen]

you sure this isn't a porn too Freyja ;) JUST KIDDING!!!!!

I think people will always put down either what they don't understand and what is different to them, and they always play off stereotypes...

C'est la vie... welcome to society....

[Psyche Ague]

All I could think of was "Dogma," but even toward the end, christians weren't villified any more, per se...

[Gwion]

There was a call by the Christian Coalition to boycott Disney because of the negative portrayal of Christians. (Burning Gypsy girls who won't put out, etc.)

[Flar's Freyja]

I can't for the life of me think of the name of the movie....Juliet Lewis played the daughter and it was about a psycho terrorizing a family on a boat......the evil guy went down hollering religious nonsense and speaking in tongues......

Edited to add: I didn't think that Dogma was negative at all. It seemed to poke fun at everyone :)

[Gwion]

Original with Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum, remade with De Niro and Nick (sober as a judge) Nolte. Score by Bernard Herrmann

[Flar's Freyja]

Thanks, Gwion! The remake was the one I saw.

[Azure]

Cape Fear is the movie - with Robert DeNiro.

I don't think Dogma, or Carrie, or any of it mentioned so far is particularly negative in it's take on Christians. Carrie is about a woman who uses her religion to sheild herself from her innate fear of sexuality - Carrie's mother is not an example of a "typical" Christian person.
In most cases where you have negative portrayals of Christians in film and TV, you have someone else to balance them out. Those Christians that look bad are usually people who use religion as tool to foster their bigotry or whatever, not people who are typical, mainstream Christians.
I can't think of a movie where Christianity as a whole is villified.

On the other hand, there are all sorts of positives - Seventh Heaven, Touched by an Angel and so on.

[Psyche Ague]

Originally posted by Freyja
I didn't think that Dogma was negative at all. It seemed to poke fun at everyone :)

No, I didn't think Dogma was negative, either. It was just the first movie that came to mind...

[SerenityMoon]

i agree with azure. carrie doesn't stereotype christians in general...it's exactly what azure said. the sad truth is that there ARE people like that....and it's just showing that the woman in the story is one of those people.

[Phoenix Blue]

Heh, it's not like they're the only ones. Hollywood would have you believe Christians are like that. . . and that Wiccans are either total flakes or people who can levitate and kill people with cheap special effects. . . and that all Muslims are plane-hijacking terrorists.

[Flar's Freyja]

Originally posted by SerenityMoon
i agree with azure. carrie doesn't stereotype christians in general...it's exactly what azure said. the sad truth is that there ARE people like that....and it's just showing that the woman in the story is one of those people.

Thank you for your post. You're right on the money. In my work in mental health, I have seen many clients who had lots of issues resulting from parents who were similar to the mom in the movie, even when they were not as extreme. Interestingly, I haven't seen much of this come up with folks who were raised in liberal or non-religious homes.

I was too busy last night to watch the movie and forgot to tape it. Did anyone see it? I was wondering how similar the character was in the remake as compared to the original......and I just don't see how a remake could ever match the original.

[Mithrea]

What about Contact? It's been a while since I've seen it though . . . I don't know I asked a friend of mine who is a preacher and he said, "Just about all scifi and western films . . . " Neither one of us could think of anything specific though.

[SerenityMoon]

Thanks, Freyja. I see people who are like that all the time in this small texas town. and i caught part of the re-make Freyja..it was horrid. Makes me wonder why they re-made it in the first place. nobody can play Carrie like Sissy Spacek.

[earthcat]

What was the name of the movie staring Natalie Portman & Ashley Judd, where the "Walmart Baby" was stolen by a Christian couple and then placed in the Nativity? I think that was a rather un-flattering portrayal of Christians who were convinced that they were doing the 'right thing' for the baby. They felt her eternal soul was in peril, because she had been born out of holy wedlock......

[WandererInGray]

*shrugs and shakes head*

I didn't see anything negative in Matthew McConaughy's portrayal of a priest in Contact. I thought it was a very spiritual role and instrumental in bringing important parts of the movie to light.

Did anyone else feel that way? Or am I just insane? :D

[Raydreamer]

Most things are taken out of proportion for entertainment value. Everything from various Religons to giving birth are portrayed in so many different ways depending on the relevance to the story. It's the documentaries that get me. They're supposed to be factual, but I've seen horrendous exaggerations made about all kinds of things. It's a shame because if it's on a topic that you know little, then you could take what they say at face value when the information is incorrect.

hmmm...sound very intellectual here....

[earthcat]

Originally posted by WandererInGray
*shrugs and shakes head*

I didn't see anything negative in Matthew McConaughy's portrayal of a priest in Contact. I thought it was a very spiritual role and instrumental in bringing important parts of the movie to light.

Did anyone else feel that way? Or am I just insane? :D
I did, and if you're insane, so am I.....;)

[Semele]

Interesting thread! I have to agree that sometimes as Pagans, we are quick to point out where we have been mis-represented in movies and such. It is true of all religions I suppose.

In Pulp fiction, he quotes Bible scripture during his killing, of course he later gets to a point where he feels God has intervened. My point is that if he were saying some "magik words" and rambling on like he were doing a "spell", some pagans may have been offended.

Just a good eye-opener that everyone is mis-represented at times.

[Armitage]

I know one of my best friends, who is Christian, is somewhat offended by the 'goody-naive' thing. Like Flanders on the Simpsons, but more the portrayals that are like that but supposed to be serious or taken seriously.

[Emaleth]

What I can think of are mostly historical movies or the ones which action takes place in historical times. Films like "Elizabeth" or "The Name of the Rose" show the cruelties of Christian monks the Holy Inquisition. Also they portray the life of the monks in the monasteries, which is not as holy and ascetic as it should.

But in this kind of movies this portrait is more likely to be truthful than in other types. The atrocities of the Inquisition are a well known fact and the movies don't have to exaggerate in this point.

Blessed Be

[Mithrea]

Originally posted by WandererInGray
*shrugs and shakes head*

I didn't see anything negative in Matthew McConaughy's portrayal of a priest in Contact. I thought it was a very spiritual role and instrumental in bringing important parts of the movie to light.

Did anyone else feel that way? Or am I just insane? :D

I wasn't talking about Matthew McConaughy at all. I was thinking of the protesters and like I said, it's been a while since I've seen it.

[Azure]

I thought Contact was a very positive portrayal of Christians. And look at Joss Whedon's new show Firefly - the priest is a good guy.

I still hold with the idea that most negative portrayals of Christians tend to be of specific individuals, rather than stereotyping the group as a whole.

What about Name of the Rose? There's good monk Sean connery and bad monk F.Murray Abraham. It's the individual that is corrupt and damaged, not faith itself.

The difference I do see is that Contact was written by an agnostic, Carl Sagan, who went out of his way to point out the potential of seeing things from a religious point of view. Compare this to the various Fundamentalist authors (and yes, there are some Pagan ones) who go out of their way to denigrate anyone who believes differently than they do.

All religions have devoted members worthy of sympathy. Generally, that accounts for the majority of believers. It's only the radicals who feel threatened enough that they have to attack other faiths to feel secure.

[flar7]

the one with the minister that kills his wife cause divorce aint "right" with God.

The Posiedon Adventure, crazy priest.

The Truman show.(a thread all by itself, I know)

Agnes of God (title?)



had more, but forgot while waiting for page to load up.....

[Azure]

Just my opinion, but again, each of those seems to me to be about the failure of individuals who use religion, rather than a negative portrayal of the faith itself.

[Gwion]

When enough people of any religion misbehave, people will draw conclusions about that religion.

[Flar's Freyja]

Originally posted by Azure
Just my opinion, but again, each of those seems to me to be about the failure of individuals who use religion, rather than a negative portrayal of the faith itself.

Just my agreement, again :) Due to Halloween, a wide variety of horror movies recently aired. I found it interesting that the first time I saw Children of the Corn I did not have the negative reaction I had this time. The little group of unbalanced adolescents took the bible and Christian premises and turned them into a foundation for evil, mayhem and murder. This disturbed me so much that I turned it off.

Again, this is Stephen King. It leads one to wonder whether these images stem from personal feelings and perceptions.

The point I was making in the initial post was that while we notice and are offended by negative portrayals of pagan religions, this is not exclusive to us. Yes, this is fiction but I really question where the motivation comes from. I'm beginning to think it's personal on both sides.

I really do wish they'd stop messing with our pentagram, though :D

[Flar's Freyja]

Originally posted by Semele
Interesting thread! I have to agree that sometimes as Pagans, we are quick to point out where we have been mis-represented in movies and such. It is true of all religions I suppose.

In Pulp fiction, he quotes Bible scripture during his killing, of course he later gets to a point where he feels God has intervened. My point is that if he were saying some "magik words" and rambling on like he were doing a "spell", some pagans may have been offended.

Just a good eye-opener that everyone is mis-represented at times.

That's why I love you, because you get it! :heartthro

[Belteshazzar]

Has anyone seen the "Big Kahuna" ...with Kevin Spacey and Danny Davito .....while it portrays the christian character in this movie as ....kind of wet behind ears ...sorta goofy. ....it is actually worth watching. It all takes place in a highrise condo with basically 3 actors, Spacey, Devito and the christian guy. Anyway, they are salesman at a convention who sell industrial lubricants or something ....and they are trying to land the "Big Kahuna" ....and guess who ends up having that opportunity ...

I'm not gonna tell you anymore ...you might want to see it.

shaz

[WandererInGray]

Originally posted by Mithrea
I wasn't talking about Matthew McConaughy at all. I was thinking of the protesters and like I said, it's been a while since I've seen it.

Oh! *smiles* Didn't even think about the protesters....I don't know that it's a negative portrayal so much as a true one. *smiles and shrugs* If we got a message from aliens tomorrow, you can bet there'd probably be some wackos out there who thought like that. Same as there'd be some who plead with the aliens to take them away.

Contact to me focuses on the supremely difficult (if not darn near impossible) task of picking ONE person to represent the people of earth.

Does anyone feel that The Exorcist was a negative portrayal?

[flar7]

also......

Stigmata
Edward Scissorhands
Johnny Mnemonic(sp?)





and, it is the crazy lone individual that does alter people's perception
of any religion. David Koresh(sp?) and Jim Jones. Also the thread
asked for negative portrayals of christians(individuals) in movies,
not
necessarily negative portrayals of christianity(religion) although
you can find those to.

[WandererInGray]

What about movies that have good portrayals?

PollyAnna came to my mind as we were talking about Thomasina in the other thread.

*chuckles* That whole discussion between her and the minister is quite good in my opinion.

Oh! edited to add: I don't know that Stigmata is necessarily a negative portrayal....maybe of the church itself. But the hero is a priest. *shrugs*

[flar7]

ahem. I love Pollyanna. I bought it. heheh

[WandererInGray]

Awwww.....how sweet! :bigredgri Freyja's such a lucky woman!

[Flar's Freyja]

I really prefer those lovable dysfunctional Titus family reruns :cutie:

[WandererInGray]

*giggles* That was a pretty funny show.

[Flar's Freyja]

Originally posted by flar7
also......

Stigmata
Edward Scissorhands
Johnny Mnemonic(sp?)

and, it is the crazy lone individual that does alter people's perception
of any religion. David Koresh(sp?) and Jim Jones. Also the thread
asked for negative portrayals of christians(individuals) in movies,
not
necessarily negative portrayals of christianity(religion) although
you can find those to.

Awww, I love you 'cause you get it too! As I mentioned in a previous post, I wonder if the characters don't have a connection with the writers' personal perceptions........

One of the ones that is very negative in its presentation of Wiccans is Blair Witch II, Book of Shadows. Now, actually I enjoyed the Where's Waldo thingie in the movie where the pictures on the walls changed and words could be found.....but initially it seemed as though it was getting off on the right foot - and then it turns around to end up pointing evil and murder at a spell that was performed. The movie misrepresented the runes as being evil symbols which is so totally wrong. And again, the pentagram distortion - "Bodies, Jeffrey! In the shape of a pentagram!" That's just a star, sheriff........ I determined that the moral of the story is that young-uns who don't have a clue shouldn't be casting spells :T

While specific Christian characters might be cast in a negative light in some of these movies, I can't think of any where common religious symbols are distorted or misrepresented off the top of my head.

[st0rm]

hmm... bondock saints? christians who killed badguys while quoteing the bible (maybe thats positive).

hmm.. and that one where sean connery plays a monk, whats the name of that one?

[kblackthorne]

For negative portrayals, how about "Priest"?

(This one only hit the art-houses, back around '94-95.)