# Christian movies that aren't "Christian movies" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 11, 2009, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-movies-that-arent-christian-movies/520856 "2009-12-11T13:52:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-movies-that-arent-christian-movies/520856/21 "2009-12-11T19:46:55Z")
_Orgazmo_. . . . . . …what? I’m serious! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-movies-that-arent-christian-movies/520856/22 "2009-12-11T19:49:06Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > Constantine’s definitely a winner! A lot of supernatural horror is. > The OMEN trilogy for sure. Also, for a non-supernatural one- the real THE WICKER MAN (I maintain that the film, while showing Sgt Howie as an uptight priggish man is still ultimately on his side as a dutiful upright officer of the law & a devout Christian.) If you’re counting films like The Omen, then it sounds like you’re open to movies about eschatology and what I like to call Judeo-Christian mythology. Now I’m not Christian, but I like these sorts of movies. The Prophecy, starring Christopher Walken, was a great one (and there are a bunch of sequels), and another is The Seventh Sign, starring Demi Moore. And another Christian film (although not eschatology) is We’re No Angels. (I’m more familiar with the remake starring Robert De Niro and Sean Penn, rather than the original with Humphrey Bogart.) And there was Leap of Faith, starring Steve Martin and Debra Winger. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-movies-that-arent-christian-movies/520856/23 "2009-12-11T20:31:11Z")
_Bad Lieutenant_ has perhaps the most believable (and painful) religious conversion on film. The assorted films of Carl Dreyer (_Ordet, The Passion of Joan of Arc, Day of Wrath_) are infused with Christian sensibility. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-movies-that-arent-christian-movies/520856/24 "2009-12-11T20:52:50Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > _Breaking the Waves_, with its message of self-sacrifice and the presence of miracles in everyday life. That’s a tough one. The Christians are portrayed in a negative So are they saying what she does is “true Christianity”, or Christianity isn’t the way to go? And from the OP, Where the Heart Is has Mother Sister helping Novalee presumably because she is a Christian, but she picks and chooses what to follow. So again, is it Christian or is it saying true Christianity is something else? ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-movies-that-arent-christian-movies/520856/25 "2009-12-11T21:03:55Z")
Dead Man Walking about a nun who opposes the death penalty. The themes of “the truth shall set you free” and forgiveness are pretty prominent in it. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-movies-that-arent-christian-movies/520856/26 "2009-12-11T21:34:05Z")
> [@winterhawk11](#): > > _Orgazmo_. > > . > . > . > . > . > …what? I’m serious! 🙂 I know you are & that’s a great pick! ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-movies-that-arent-christian-movies/520856/27 "2009-12-11T21:35:31Z")
> [@villa](#): > > I don’t seem to remember Chariots of Fire being set in the South. Paris, Cambridge, Scotland… Don’t remember Harold and Eric coming over to take part in a meet in Baton Rouge. :smack: I’d written the post & THEN thought of Chariots of Fire, but didn’t think about qualifying that part about the South before I hit Enter. ---
**Author:** ![Orr\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ee59a6/32.png) [@Orr\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orr_G)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-movies-that-arent-christian-movies/520856/28 "2009-12-11T21:41:57Z")
_magnolia_ references biblical events, passages, and themes. _There Will Be Blood_, same auteur, has a different take on Christianity. ---
**Author:** ![Speak\_to\_me\_Maddie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Speak\_to\_me\_Maddie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speak_to_me_Maddie)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-movies-that-arent-christian-movies/520856/29 "2009-12-11T22:01:42Z")
**Master and Commander** is pretty openly Christian, even if it is more of an accurate reflection of history rather than an endorsement per se. (though I believe the themes prove it to be a thoroughly Christan movie) There are Golden Age films that have priests as main characters like **Going My Way** and **The Bells of St. Mary’s** that have a certain pro-Christian message, as opposed to the more ambiguous modern films about priests like **Doubt**. **The Exorcist.** ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-movies-that-arent-christian-movies/520856/30 "2009-12-11T22:10:56Z")
Here’s a question- would \*\*Raiders of the Lost Ark \*\*Qualify, since it validates Christianity, but I don’t think it has the Jesus portions of it, just the Ark of the Covenant? Also: Jesus Christ, Vampire Hunter ---
**Author:** ![Speak\_to\_me\_Maddie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Speak\_to\_me\_Maddie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speak_to_me_Maddie)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-movies-that-arent-christian-movies/520856/31 "2009-12-11T22:14:40Z")
> [@ToeJam](#): > > Here’s a question- would \*\*Raiders of the Lost Ark \*\*Qualify, since it validates Christianity, but I don’t think it has the Jesus portions of it, just the Ark of the Covenant? > > Also: > Jesus Christ, Vampire Hunter Well, **The Last Crusade** , would then. I mean it assumes a divine Jesus who left behind magical artifacts at least. The part of the OP that makes it difficult are finding films that go beyond having Christian themes and elements to find those that promote Christianity as a lifestyle choice. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-movies-that-arent-christian-movies/520856/32 "2009-12-11T22:22:43Z")
As for _Breaking the Waves_, since we hear bells from the sky after the heroine has died, pretty clearly God is showing approval of her brand of Christianity, IMHO. _Excalibur_ has a strong theme of Christianity displacing pagan religions in ancient Britain (“The one God drives out the many”). _Being There_ is about holy fools and false messiahs. _Bedazzled_ (both versions, but more the second than the first, I think) is about the dangers of sin and the rewards of virtue. The _Lord of the Rings_ movies are certainly open to a Christian interpretation, in keeping with the devoutly Catholic Tolkien’s own interpretation of his novels. Plenty in there about self-sacrifice, good vs. evil, vengeance and mercy. My BIL tells me that a professor at the Presbyterian seminary he attended showed _The Life of Brian_ to the class, joking, “Everything you need to know about the establishment of organized religion is in there.” Of course Monty Python took plenty of shots at Christianity in _MP and the Holy Grail_ and _The Meaning of Life_, too. _Time Bandits_, in which several MP alums were involved, is about the struggle of good vs. evil, courage overcoming adversity, and of course free will (see esp. The Supreme Being’s appearance at the end). And of course _Oh, God!_ ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-movies-that-arent-christian-movies/520856/33 "2009-12-11T22:30:25Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > As for _Breaking the Waves_, since we hear bells from the sky after the heroine has died, pretty clearly God is showing approval of her brand of Christianity, IMHO. Right, but then it’s not a “Christian movie” since it rejects acting the way the Christians were being portrayed. I would never see The Blind Side but I’m assuming from the OP that it’s showing traditional Christians in a positive light without billing itself as a Christian movie. Breaking the Waves is showing traditional Christians in a negative light and in that sense rejecting Christianity. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-movies-that-arent-christian-movies/520856/34 "2009-12-11T22:37:26Z")
Well, there are different flavors of Christianity, obviously. I don’t see it as an anti-Christian movie; I see it as a rejection of pinched, narrow-minded, provincial, repressive Christianity. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-movies-that-arent-christian-movies/520856/35 "2009-12-11T22:46:13Z")
[Saved!](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0332375/), The edgiest teen flick ever to feature a Christian Rock Soundtrack, was essentially about the conflict between the letter and spirit of Christianity. It weighed down on the latter. It’s one of my favorite teen movies ever, actually, and features a lot of the same likable qualities as **Mean Girls** and **Juno**. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-movies-that-arent-christian-movies/520856/36 "2009-12-11T23:08:55Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > [Saved!](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0332375/), The edgiest teen flick ever to feature a Christian Rock Soundtrack, was essentially about the conflict between the letter and spirit of Christianity. It weighed down on the latter. It’s one of my favorite teen movies ever, actually, and features a lot of the same likable qualities as **Mean Girls** and **Juno**. I love that movie! I usually watch it at least once a year. My favorite part: “I am filled with the Lord’s love!” As she throws a bible at a girl. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2009, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-movies-that-arent-christian-movies/520856/37 "2009-12-12T01:10:19Z")
> [@](#): > > Excalibur has a strong theme of Christianity displacing pagan religions in ancient Britain (“The one God drives out the many”). _Beowulf_ had that, too. At the beginning of the movie, a couple of characters are discussing Christian theology in a “No way, really?” sort of way, and by the end, a Christian priest is one of the major powers behind the throne. I’ll also add _Daredevil_: Murdock is Catholic, and his priest is his only confidante to his secret identity. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus\_alba](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quercus_alba/32/4061_2.png) [@Quercus\_alba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus_alba)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2009, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-movies-that-arent-christian-movies/520856/38 "2009-12-12T18:13:28Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > My favorite: _A Tale of Two Cities_. The password is “Recalled to life.” Sydney sacrifices himself for those he loves. The movie, as the book, makes use of “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” Likewise _Les Miserables_–pretty strong themes of Law vs. Grace, love, and redemption. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2009, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-movies-that-arent-christian-movies/520856/39 "2009-12-12T19:09:28Z")
Came in to mention Les Mis (and get out of the rain), but since it’s mentioned I’ll go with [Wise Blood](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080140/), the John Huston adaptation of Flannery O’Connor’s novel. Has some variances from the novel but both are about a young militant atheist (Hazel Motes, played by Brad Dourif) starting a “Church of Truth” (a church without God or Jesus) and his turnaround. The screenplay was written by Benedict Fitzgerald who later wrote the (English version) of the screenplay (translated into Aramaic for) PASSION OF THE CHRIST; he sued Mel Gibson for $10 million over royalties in a case that was settled out of court. The Apostle- mentioned above- is a must if you haven’t seen it and one of my all-time favorite movies. It’s one of the only movies about a Pentecostal to show them as complex and even oddly sympathetic characters, warts and all. Beautiful soundtrack also. The musical SWEET CHARITY has a character who belongs to a Religion of the Month Club and joins 'Big Daddy Brubeck’s Rhythm of Life Tabernacle. While not exactly Christian some of [Sammy Davis Jr.'s imagery](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmKxgRzc3f0)is pretty explicitly Christian (particularly the 4:51 or so part). I’m surprised he’s not already mentioned, but ALL of Tyler Perry’s movies are aggressively Christian. _The Piano Lesson_ starring Charles Dutton has a character who is a Christian minister and goes into a long sermon about a dream he had that inspired him to be a minister. (Can’t find that scene, but [here’s the absolutely unrelated yet hypnotically beautiful musical number](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32WzZqlN1h4) that’s one of my favorite from any non-musicals.) ---
**Author:** ![as\_u\_wish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6f9a4e/32.png) [@as\_u\_wish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/as_u_wish)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2009, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-movies-that-arent-christian-movies/520856/40 "2009-12-12T19:17:26Z")
I’m not sure Saint Maybe qualifies since it’s fairly blatantly Christian–but it’s the one I rewatch when my faith needs a boost. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-movies-that-arent-christian-movies/520856.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-movies-that-arent-christian-movies/520856.md?page=3)