Measuring the Impact

As I began researching the presence of religion in music, I wanted to find prominent examples of bands/artists in pop culture that really made an effort to leak religion into their work. The more I looked the more I came to feel that much of the religious influence we are exposed to in musical pop culture seems to be very subtle.

One example I came across was the band Switchfoot. This band has seen a lot of success. Their overall approach with their music has resulted in them being placed, by many, into the Christian rock genre. While their lyrics, their choice of market distribution (general and Christian) and even their album art provide subtle substance behind this placement, the band itself has philosophically disagreed with the label.

The band’s lead singer, Jon Foreman has said that "For us, it's a faith, not a genre. We've always been very open and honest about where the songs are coming from. For us, these songs are for everyone. Calling us 'Christian rock' tends to be a box that closes some people out and excludes them. And that's not what we're trying to do. Music has always opened my mind—and that's what we want".

The band gives evidence of this claim with the fact that their lyrics never really exclusively declare anything of Christian faith or even mention Jesus Christ. But they do focus a lot on being inspirational in their lyrics. The interesting thing is that they perform at many Christian festivals (video below) and still kind of cater to that crowd despite their neutral stance

While the band’s desired position was pretty clear, I find everything to be a little bit contradicting. Now none of this really matters in the industry. Bands obviously aren’t required to declare their status in a genre or expose all of their personal beliefs to as much of an extent as possible. Yet when reading about Switchfoot I started to wonder why they filter their beliefs so much, and still play a few Christian band cards. Besides the fact that much of it is probably business related, it seems that they just want to appeal to a much larger audience. They also might just want to connect with people in a ‘safe zone’ without going too far in terms of religion.

The interesting thing for me is that, despite knowing of them for a few years, I never realized that they’re a Christian band. Also, it seems like bands that have firm religious beliefs might be missing opportunities to connect with people on a deeper level. In this way I have come to the conclusion that the impact of religion and music in pop culture might not be recognized as much as religion is in other forms of media. This might be why specificity is avoided.

So the question...

Do religious references in the music of pop culture have as much of an impact as religious references portrayed through other forms of media? Yes or no, and why?

Afterlife in the Movies

Despite the cheesy "Life's deep Questions" that are all too familiar among the members of the LDS church, the unknown is a fascinating factor explored by the media in various mediums. One such unknown is found in the question "Where do I go when I die?"

The afterlife is a venue that any mortal would wish to witness. Whether it be to find out the truthfulness of its existence or to find out what it really looks like, or what we do there, we would love to just see what someone thinks. One my most favorite movies "What Dreams May Come" and also recent blockbuster hit "The Lovely Bones" both explore the afterlife with no need of subtlety. Religion and film have mixed to draw the ever curious human, longing to either learn or see an interpretation on what millions may believe but cannot explain.

Each movie's plot is set against the death of a main character and that characters ability to communicate with the world they left.  What Dreams May Come follow a husband and father (Robin Williams) through his journey of the afterlife. He learns that each dwelling in the eternal world has a personal touch to it from the life before, thus connecting that what he did in mortality effected his lifestyle in the afterlife. The Lovely Bones follows a father's efforts to find the killer of his daughter, while is daughter is caught in a "Limbo" between life and death aiding her loved ones to solve her mystery.

The underlying problem with each afterlife story is the same. The murdered girl, and tragically killed father find themselves in a state of immortality and existence, yet no matter how beautiful, or released they may be from the matters of earth, they are not happy or resolved in their current state.

These movies move the characters to redefine what they feel their true afterlife should be, by suggesting a second chance to fix where they are, although their time of mortality has passed by. To my knowledge, "the Lovely Bones" does not make exclusive labels or personifications of deity, neither does "What dreams may come." The absence of deity (although the afterlife does exist in what is known in popular religion, heaven, hell and limbo) allows each character to in essence become the own maker of their existence both before and after life.

Religion has been no subtle topic in movies. In fact many films embrace religion, using to both inspire and expose current feelings on religion. What "Dreams may Come" and "The Lovely Bones" are unique in their executions because they focus on the ability to control ones final outcome despite whether they have died or not. And although both films allude to fundamental Christian beliefs they also go directly against fundamental beliefs of the same religion that God is the final judge and determines the outcome of life.

Robin Williams runs through "hell"

Questions:

Can a movie successfully explain religion without drawing upon fundamental and otherwise popular stereotypes for conclusions?

Religion's Absence in Movies

In movies and film, religion plays a very different role than in television. In my experience watching television programming it seems that religion is much more prevalent. In many shows there is usually a side character who has strong religious beliefs which play a significant role in who they are as the character. Despite this, in movies it seems religion is much less discussed. I think it is because the medium is so different.

Movies have a very limited amount of time to tell a very large story. Because of this, if religion is present in a movie, it is usually the overall theme. There is usually not too much side plot with religion, rather, it takes center stage. This is evident in movies like Bruce Almighty and The Passion of the Christ. Instead of slightly touching on religion they boldly center their plots around religious stories.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQZJ7j7fPIE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rd-GXzReZuc

Although these movies are completely focused around religion, it seems there are not too many movies out there that are based solely on religious stories. It's a big risk for directors and producers to make and market a movie when it is about religion because of the culture in which we live. When a movie is religious it inherently is geared for a specific audience based on those who share those beliefs. Because of this, it also has the possibility of turning away those who believe something different.

Looking at this it seems that religion is not discussed very often in film. With only an average of two hours to portray a story, the medium does not allow for enough side plots to have religious side stories. They do not permit time to play into stereotypes of religious people because it usually does not enhance the story. In recognizing this, they tend to leave any reference to religion out of the film. It is safer for them to err on the side of caution than to vulnerably place so much money into a story that may offend or detract specific audiences.

My question to you then is whether or not religious movies help promote religion in society or if it is better that Hollywood stay away from religion?

Doubt, building associative pathways through Priming: You connect the dots!

"Doubt can be a bond as powerful as certainty." "You have no right to act on your own." Prominent phrases that in certain contexts (or frames) will cause questions to people conviction and schema's. The film Doubt is a direct link between film media and religion, and tries to tackle an issue that may or may not have happened through out the film. Film has the ability to capture emotions, events, situations that spurred strong reactions throughout history, the present, or the future. Religion has long been a part of communication with the masses. So it makes sense for film and entertainment to have some connection to each other. Usually a film will be a window to a certain event, and allow us to be a part of that mind set.
The film Doubt had a powerhouse cast that without them, I believe this film wouldn't have recieved as much attention. What I would like to focus on is the possible impact on all of us subconciously through priming, and creating connections between one thing to another. I'll do this by first, a basic overview of priming with examples, second hopefully showing links that could be associated between the film and religion. Of course there are other valid methods, or theories that could easily be applied to this film as well.
Priming essentially connects nodes to each other in the brain. It is connecting a stimulus with another activity or thing, thus creating a associtive pathway, creating correlations between objects, ideas, people, places. When you think middle east, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Maybe war in Iraq, oil, Terrorist. Essentially what we have been exposed to in the media, or in our own environments will help establish the associtive pathway to the way we think. The film doubt pushes this theme that "something" may have happened between a priest and some new alter boy, and the head principle nun wants to know for sure what happened. for the nodes and pathways to connect we rely mostly on, the dialogue, and the shots of the film (the way they frame the picture that you see), and the music that you hear. The film doesn't outright say one thing or another of what happened with the priest and the boy, but the fact remains that, this is the whole central focus connects, that something very easily could have happened. Whether we like it or not, subconsciously we are picking up things creating new connections on how we view the world, and trying to bring organization to our lives by connecting certain things. Why do we do this? So that we are safe, success lots of reasons. I just feel that putting issues like this in the film Doubt can bring negative ramifications to religious faith in general. Even though we know that the majority of Priests, monks, etc, of all faiths are true legit and inherently good, by displaying moments of weakness, or casting doubt puts into our heads the what ifs? Maybe thats good or maybe thats bad, it's not up to me to say. Frankly it could be both.
As I said earlier the film used music, filming process, and dialogue to establish uncertainty of what was happening between the priest and the boy. The Dialogue was used with the nuns discussing in a round about way what happened. The Priest in his dialogue to the nuns, and the children. The filming, had lots of shots in a close up, and sinister fashion, very clear, but you don't see whats happening in the shot. The camera would cut to shots of gray sky, dead branches, shots of the priest being alone with one of the boys that doesn't fit in. The music would be slightly eerie and not something you'd think to hear with a religious school. Or no music at all which can be unsettling to the viewer. All the time the viewer (myself included, so you don't mistake that the third person effect) is wondering if something really did happen. And if so, does that happen in our communities. The priming model is in the form of "priming stereotype approach: where you associate a type of person with an activity. When this film came out there were a handful of stories throughout the country of missapropriate behaviors of priests and alter boys, So in a sense this film helped reinforce the concerns of the day, and not just painting a picture of our society.
The questions I have for you:
1. In regards to film & religion would you say film generates a positive outlook and associations or more of a negative outlook and associations? or both?

2. In what way has priming influenced your life? And more particularily with film & religion? (example: The best two years: the first thing that comes to my mind is my own mission).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnrmWLp1Ub8

Baraka.

Baraka – A world beyond words





Ron Fricke's Baraka is a 96 minute documentary filmed in 70mm across 24 countries and 6 continents. Some might argue that there is no conventional plot in the film but it definitely has a purpose. The word Baraka is an ancient Sufi word, which can be translated as "a blessing, or as the breath, or essence of life from which the evolutionary process unfolds."

When asked to describe the film, Producer Mark Magidson stated,

“Through imagery, the film shows the diversity of the way people approach spirituality, religion, life and death, the struggle for survival and so on. The goal was for the viewer to have an inner journey, and the absence of both dialogue and commentary was intended to leave space for an internal dialogue, and allows the viewer to be guided by the music and the imagery. The content and the structure is meant to explore the life experience in its totality.”

Ever seen a 96 minute movie with ZERO words of dialogue? I have. More than once.

Baraka takes you on a journey through out the world setting up the beauty of the Earth, it's people, rituals and religions. Each scene is beautifully photographed enhanced only by a brilliant soundtrack by Michael Stearns and others.

Director Ron Fricke states,

“BARAKA is a journey of rediscovery that plunges into nature, into history, into the human spirit, and finally into the realm of the infinite.”

Baraka is often correctly described as a spiritual film while the film itself has it's own series of life events.

"Baraka’s producer Mark Magidson puts it. While the film contains no narration or dialogue, it nonetheless contains a clear three-act story. Act 1 depicts scenes of natural wonder and religious rituals that blend together. In Act 2 the movie shifts direction as a Brazilian rainforest tree is chainsawed to the ground. An enormous strip mine scars the landscape. Cities progressively increase in size and take on a mechanical breathing sound. The result is overpopulation, mass production, factory farms, poverty, prostitution, war, and ultimately genocide. Act 3 is one of redemption. Civilizations ultimately collapse under their own weight, and people are purified by returning to nature and religious ritual."

Below are a few stills from the movie showing a fraction of the people / religions incorporated into the film.



















































Baraka no doubt is a beautiful film about spirituality, the environment, and life itself.


My question is:

How does the presentation (form, medium, etc.) of a religion affect our opinions and thoughts of that religion / people / culture?

Religious Symbols in Film

Many movies that have been made touch on religion but never really go deeper than surface level. There's movies about the end of the world (haha, End of Days, great flick) or ones that refer to it directly (Angels and Demons) or even ones that combine sci-fi aliens and a preacher.

But in many cases, films allude to religion through the use of symbols, as in characters or references in the movie relate to religion. There are several examples such as Gandolf sacrificing himself to save the group and then returning more powerful in all white (…obvious) or Darth Vader sacrificing himself to throw the emperor into that always necessary bottomless pit to save Luke. Even when we are not looking for them or even expect to see religious figures, they are very often present.

Allow to me to prove my point using two prime examples: The Matrix and The Truman Show (Spoiler Alert!)

Let's review the obvious religious symbols found in the Matrix. The main character played by Keanu Reeves is Thomas Anderson. Etymologically, Anderson means "son of man," a title Jesus used to reference himself. A plate in Morpheus' ship (pictured below) reads the name Nebuchadnezzar (King) and has the words "Mark III No. 11," maybe referring to Mark 3:11 in the Bible, which says "Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and shouted, 'You are the Son of God!'"

Anderson's hacker alias Neo is an anagram for the One, a title which is used in the film to refer to Keanu Reeves' character. He is The One who is prophesied to liberate humanity from the chains that imprison them in their computer-generated illusion. Neo is killed in the movie, but in real time, he is dead for exactly 72 seconds (72 hours = 3 days?) before rising again. At the end of the movie, Neo can seen flying upwards…to heaven.

Because we are a predominantly christian culture, we look for the christian symbols in whatever we do. But a Buddhist might see that the illusion of the matrix is related to the the illusion of reality that we must overcome to achieve enlightenment.

The Truman show can be seen as an allegory for the spiritual journey of the soul. Religion has to do with the belief that there is something more to reality than just the world around us. Truman's journey is to understand his reality.

Towards the beginning of the film, a light falls from the sky, referring to enlightenment from heaven. In the climax of the movie, Truman has to cross a sea to get his promised land, much as Moses did. In the clip below, Truman appears to walk on the water and reaches a stairway made of clouds that lead upwards towards heaven. The director in the movie goes by the name of Christof. An ominous figure going only by a single name, and one that contains the word "Christ." In the clip below, Christof says "I am the creator…of a television show," and it appears as a voice from the heavens. Truman then asks the ever illusive religious question "who am I?"



These are but a few of the many examples I could have used to prove my point. Some filmmakers use obvious religious references (In Star Wars Episode 3, when the emperor orders the death of all the jedi, he calls it "order 66") or they use references that many of us have to think about, ponder, and maybe even make us watch the movie a few more times to truly understand.

Some people could argue that these references are few are far between and are probably not on purpose, but the examples I have referenced show that this cannot be a coincidence. That Filmmakers have purposely placed religious figures and references in their movies.


Question: Why do you think Filmmakers include allusions to religious icons in their epic movies?

Religion in movies vs. sitcoms

Our class discussion last week about sitcoms and how little religion is discussed in them made me think about how much religion and religious themes are presented in movies. I started listing off in my head all the movies I could think of that were built around a religious theme or spoke about religion, and I surprisingly came up with a pretty long list. The last movie I saw in the theater, that everyone I talked to raved about, was The Blind Side. It started off with a coach at a Christian school telling the school board they needed to admit a certain teenager, Big Mike, even though his grades weren't good because they were a "Christian" school.



I searched the Web and learned more about how religion is apparent in this movie. I even saw that Sandra Bullock's faith in people who live their religion was renewed after doing this movie.

Another movie that came to mind when I was thinking of religious-themed films was Evan Almighty, where Steve Carell becomes a modern-aged Noah and even speaks with God several times during the movie. After just discussing religion in the media in class, I looked at the trailer again and was a little surprised about how forward this movie was about God. Right at the beginning, it says God has chosen different prophets to speak to throughout the ages and then lists off Moses, Abraham, and Joan of Arc. This is stated as fact in the trailer. Can you imagine many TV shows that would say the same thing? It reminded me a little bit of the clip we watched of the interview with the Dalai Lama and the newscaster calls him the reincarnated Buddha.



Movies like The Davinci Code, where the Catholic church and the question of Mary Magdalene's relationship with Jesus is discussed; The Passion of the Christ, where the depth of Jesus' suffering is explored; Bruce Almighty, where one man is given the "power of God;" and Licensed to Wed, where a preacher tells a couple they can't sleep together until they are married, do not hide their inherent theme of religion. Even a movie like Knowing, that was kind of creepy throughout, turned religious at the end. I could go on and on with movies that center around religious themes (and I found lots of Web sites that list movie after movie with religious themes in them). Many don't just laugh and mention religion (like sitcoms seem to), but they explore and discuss religious stories and beliefs.

I thought of many reasons why this might be so. First of all, there is more time in movies to discuss religion than there usually is on a TV show. TV shows last 20 to 40 minutes, where most movies are 90 to 160 minutes. Religion can be brought up and different aspects can be given more thought and be explained more.

Another reason perhaps is that movies have a more targeted audience and don't have to appeal to so many people, like sitcoms do. They don't have to worry about offending as much because people buy and pay for a ticket and the previews tell them essentially that "this movie is going to be about religion, so if you don't want to see something about religion, don't watch it."

Movies could also just be a way for a producer to impart his or her religious beliefs on a mass scale. I read about a certain professor who uses movies in his religion class to appeal more to his students and to reach them more. He even commented that:

Hollywood and religion, as cultural forms, have the power to reinforce, alter, or challenge our most deep-seated beliefs, values, and hopes. For this reason, a study of religion and film is a natural one for religious studies curricula and for programs that rely upon and promote critical thinking. For whatever else they might be, for good or bad, popular movies do carry substantial weight in the public presentation of values and beliefs, and for that reason alone, films exist as natural texts for our students interested in religion in contemporary society.

Or maybe movies have more religious themes and discussions because they reflect society and the search for truth more than sitcoms do.

In my opinion, though, I think the real reason may be that religion appeals to movie-goers more than sitcom-watchers. Watching a sitcom can often be a way to relax after a long day and people may not want to have to think about religion, whereas movies are more about thinking, discovery and action. Movies, in a sense, have become society's way of exploring religion at a mass level. And this is not a new phenomenon. I found that movies back when our teachers and parents were growing up also had religious themes to them.



On one Web site I was going over about religion and movies, the author said films with religious themes "provide a place for us to pause and meditate on our purpose and place in life." I found that even movies like Star Wars, Avatar, and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe have religious themes to them. People can choose whether to take religious-themed movies as they are or dig deeper for perhaps a religious undertone. I think society enjoys looking for these religious undertones and reflecting perhaps on their own lives by watching a movie and contemplating it.

Some people may disagree and say those who are spiritual are offended by different spiritual explorations or discussions in movies. I know several people who were offended by The Davinci Code and other such movies.

So why do you think movies explore religion more often than sitcoms do?