Commentary: Hollywood and God can co-exist

Than you for daring to stand up for Christians. Unfortunately, Hollywood is focused only on liberal social engineering than on faith and morality.

The fact that Perry's tired character is a "hit maker" is in itself an embarrassing statement for America. What an uncultured lot we are!

Good word. We need a wider discussion and forum for Christ and Culture issues in the mainstream. See my blog on similar issues at blog.optimuschoice.com, particularly "Truth Think" from Sept. 16 which addresses the hoopla at the VMAs and pertinent issues.

Bruce

Don't forget "Fireproof" and the other two films the Kendricks brothers have made. Not blockbuster talent, but they sure hit a nerve!

Excellent, just excellent. Few writers can touch on such controversial topics with with your tact and verboseness. Plus, this is an issue that just isn't discussed enough these days, and you really nailed it.

I think that too many of us Christians are wrongly portrayed in the media as gay bashing abortion doctor killing people. However, since we were made in God's image, we like to have fun too and I think that the media should see that we are people like everyone else.

Thanks for exposing one more "elephant in the living room." I wasn't aware he had that theme in his movies; I may have to check them out.

It's at least as bad on TV. Almost every "Christian" is some kind of wacko (abuses their kids, bilks people out of money, bombs an abortion clinic), or at the very least, is shown as wimpy and ineffectual and no one takes them seriously.

I have found NBC to be particularly bad in this area, including, if not especially, all three shows of their Law & Order franchise.

Writers can now use foul language, include anatomically correct names for genitals, and show people begging for tolerance for everyone - except Christians.

Hard to believe that back in the day (before my time), an uplifting movie about a priest could win seven Oscars, including Best Picture. Imagine that. Going My Way – starring Bing Crosby – for those of you too young to remember.

Thank you, Mr. Martin, for putting in print that Hollywood better wake up to the message of Christianity! My family and I have thoroughly enjoyed all of Tyler Perry's movies, and we are born again Christians. Madea is quoted around my house quite often. Please keep them coming, Mr. Perry!

And this year there was also Knowing, directed by Alex Proyas, which had very deep religious themes and has surpassed 180 million in worldwide boxoffice.

Hollywood and God can co-exist? I doubt it, given the absolute lack of evidence that God exists...Hollywood, however, is on Google Earth

You article was awesome! Thank you foe having the boldness to write it!

We need to see more positive article like this. Thanks for bringing all this together. We must help people to understand that "one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!

I do find it interesting that on one hand, everyone says "Jews run Hollywood" then in the same breath, say "Hollywood is godless".

And the last time I check, god is a HUGE part of being Jewish.

So which one is it? Are they Godless or is the town ran by Jews?

@John in AZ – Hollywood may be on Google Earth, but God *made* earth. I think that trumps it.

Great points and I wish many more successes in films that reference God. Christians like to be entertained and good entertainment is very difficult to find!

speaking of faith, god i hate those madea movies lol

Thank you for a great : Commentary. May God smile on you and yours.

Wendy & Gene

While I am not a devout Christian myself, I cannot stand it when Christians are ridiculed by people who do not share their beliefs. Yet if I say I don't like rap music, I am racist. The left movement would go a lot smoother if they would stop being hypocrites. Hollywood unfortunately is the biggest hypocrite of all, with people who play dress-up for a living taking the role of our conscience guide (or so they think). I may not agree with Roland very often, but it is nice to see that like myself, I do not run down people who differ from me in terms of religion or race. If we all acted this way, society may actually evolve in the right direction. But it wont happen, because too many people think Steven Speilberg and Whoopi Goldberg is smarter than everyone else and will not think for themselves.

I gave up imaginary friends a long time ago. You should too. Stop fooling yourselves.

"Churchgoing folks may be faithful, but they aren’t stupid." Yet a film depicting the torturous death of Jesus earned ten times the amount of money that a film depicting the birth of Jesus earned two years later. Sounds pretty stupid to me, actually.

The fact of the matter is that 95% of the movie product being produced by Hollywood today is pure garbage, devoid of any long-term redeeming value for society, It just lines the pockets of the non-faithful greedmeisters in Hollywood, robbing middle-americans of our innate morality, bit-by-bit, frame-by-frame, until the day we all become jello-brained zombies! Every year, movies have to become more and more excessive, and incredulous in order to placate our seemingly insatiable hunger for more sex, violence, social discord and conflict. A unique american tragedy...

Thank you for speaking out on this. I have never seen any of his movies, but just might give them a try.

Tyler does not need Hollywood, he can continue to make his movies in Atlanta. As long as he continues to have Christ in his life there is nothing Hollywood or anyone else can do to stop the abundance of blessings coming his way. Man forgets this is God's world, and HE is still in control. Halleluah!

I have no problem with Christian/god movies.. I think Ben-Hur is a great movie, Last Temptation of Christ was interesting.. Passion of the Christ was a 2-hour beatdown, but I still watched it. The thing that gets me is that Hollywood distributors are not picking up great movies about Science.. I would love to see "Creation" get a US release.. I would also like Christians to settle down and leave "Da Vinci Code" type movies alone and realize its just FICTIONAL entertainment.

So the success of Tyler Perry movies has nothing to do with it's largely African-American cast? I wonder how many white Christians are going in droves to the multiplex to see "I Can Do Bad All By Myself"? I'd ague that the success of Mr. Perry's movies has more to do with ethnicity than religion, it just so happens that religion is such a big part of black culture, to the point of being inseparable.

Not that Mr. Martin doesn't bring up some good points, but we're supposed to turn the other cheek, not a blind eye.

I agree with you Mr. Martin. God gave me a dream about a Christian superhero over ten years ago. I can't seem to get it off the ground. Hollywood critics have told me that it will never be a movie, but I don't believe them. I hold on to my faith that God gave it to me for a reason, and that's to help people. I would like to email it to you, do you mind reading it and telling me what you think? Thanks

It would be appreciated in the future if you are going to stand on your Sunday soap box that you place that in the title to save us a whole lot of bunk.

The reason why Tyler Perry movies are tops is because of many reasons, but the primary one is very far from your explanation. He is near the only producer of mainstream movies focused for black audiences.

Much of his industry is hilarious but don't mistake the inclusion of a god and moral values in his material as the main reason for his success. His reason for success is simple, he's an extremely talented artist that floods his focus audience with funny and honest media that hits close to home.......and he's consistent which gives a brilliant comfortability factor to keep his market base coming back.

Please let's not treat anyone's god as a stage to sound your biblical intelligence or spread your faith. Leave that at your place of worship.

Oh, I'm sorry Roland I did not thank you for this article. Once again you hit the nail on the head.

now if only christian entertainment can get past terribly written overly sentimental garbage like media and fireproof, people might take you seriously if your product were competitive from a production standpoint,
as it is christian entertainment is on par with the special Olympics, nice to see but requires a much lower bar.

The idea of "gods" was developed by ancient man to help make sense of a physical world they could not yet understand. We have come a long way since the days of Zeus, but mankind still clings to superstition and religion to feel better about the unknown, primarily what happens after death. Religion and Hollywood are natural bed mates – both rely on story telling and fantasy to appease the flock, and both make a ton of money while doing it.

Although Tyler Perry's movies and TV shows don't appeal to me, I'm thankful for his talent and the influence God has granted him. I hope Perry continues to have a lot of success.

I find it funny that people still use stereotypical language. Seriously, are conservatives the reservoir for morality and God. Is it that hard to believe that there are liberal's that are devout Christians and conservative atheists? Or are you only seeing the images provided by the media that you wish to see.

Thank you so much Mr. Martin! I love to hear your opinion on things and this could not have been written better. I love your boldness to stand for the truth.

I haven't seen Tyler's movies but from what I read and understand, Hollywood truly needs Jesus and what a way to bring Him into its corridors and make Him known; that all the silver and gold are His and that whether we like or believe God or not, one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that jesus Christ is Lord!

Yeah, too bad Hollywood and Darwin can't co-exist. The new movie called "Creation" is opening worldwide this year, but can't get a distributor in the US. Hmmm... the biggest movie market in the world and no one in Hollywood has the cajones to sell a movie about a historical figure that questioned the authority of organized religion. I guess atheists are discriminated against too.

Christian's don't mix with the things of the world. Jesus said if you love the things of the world, the love of God is not even in you.That's what the Word says and He is the Word!

Roland, give us your take on the Darwin movie that's coming to America.
Are you ok with THAT!?

Google only mapped it John in AZ. God created it!

Way to go John in AZ. I love you comment. Hollywood is all about fantasy, so I guess religion fits right in.

Thank you! Your article was very well written and thought provoking, to say the least. Fifty years ago, the country was strictly conservative and deeply religious. Fast forward half a century later, the country (Hollywood particularly) has moved further past religion, even to make a mockery of it. With respect to all religions, Christianity should have the same respect and influence as much as evolution and Scientology has.

Hollywood doesn't like constant references to God and Jesus because, for a large portion of the population, this alienates the unfaithful. I am uncomfortable watching shows that blatantly promote the ideologies of their writers, and I know that I am not alone.

However, critics have trashed Tyler Perry's movies and tv shows because they are not good. His humor reaches a very narrow audience, and his stories and characters are one-dimensional at best. Yes, some people love these movies. Some people love McDonalds burgers. Actually, Chic-fil-A would probably be a better analogy, seeing as how they close Sundays to observe the sabbath.

And when was the last time you saw the intervention of Xenu as a plot point in a Tom Cruise movie? He may have some crazy ideas, but at least he keeps them out of the movies.

Excellent article. Whether Hollywood admits or agrees with it or not: JESUS IS LORD, and HE WILL return SOON to set the record STRAIGHT!!!

God bless you all and GOD SAVE AND BLESS AMERICA!

Hollywood doesn't need to change. The Church needs to change. Hollywood will do what it does. If the Church wants to impact the world, it needs to get far better at what it produces... as opposed to waiting around for an invite from Hollywood.

My family really enjoys the Tyler Perry movies because they always seem to have a nice balance of humor and a good message.

Rollin, I can give you a list of hundreds of movies that explore love, redemption, family, and God. Those themes are NOT exclusive to Christianity.

You poor, poor Christians.

Of course Hollywood and God can co-exist...they are both cut from the same cloth. One creates delusional stories about life that feeds our hungers and fears, and the other is a delusional story that feeds our hungers and fears. Perfect match...

Many good shows (plot-wise) are ruined for me by their open and quite obviously atheistic characters. It's as if it is the "posh" thing to be now. Bones and House, for example. While I enjoy the shows for their great writing, I've lately backed away from watching them because of the constant ridicule for people of faith. But at least they have a couple of characters that do have some faith. Still, the overwhelming view of most shows now is that you must be a complete loser, moron or some kind of whacko to have a belief in God.

In 1963, one woman forced the very mention of a Judeo-Christian God out of our schools. Since that time, everything horrible has happened in our schools–stuff that had never happened in centuries past.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the cause and effect. TV simply validates the "values" being taught in our schools.

AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

Thankyou Tyler. Somebody should get a hint that you have been riding on God's wings. I would rather live like there is a God than find out when its too late. As long as one cannot answer questions about their existence, then they should know there is a higher being. I am proud to be a child of God..It is just amzing!!!

Thank you for a respectful piece about Christians and Tyler Perry.

We need more christian mov ies. More family oriented. This is a good start. We don't need all this trash on tv. Gee, doesn't it make you wonder where some of these people get the ideas to do some of the crimes they committ. Where is the love and compassion people used to have for one another. People have no respect for one another. Where have they learned some of that from? From TV and the movies. Roland Martin keep up the good work. Hollywood may not realize it yet but there a lot of christians out there who would really like more good movies like this. It's better for the young people of today. God will bless Mr. Martin for stepping out like this. What a better world this would be if hollywood would get rid of a lot of these trashy movies they make. Why does everything have to be about money and sex. That will not get you to heaven nor will you be able to take it with you. Money that is. Open up your eyes hollywood. Start making more family oriented movies. You just may be able to help this sex crazed and money hungry country to make a change for the better. Don't you all agree we need a change? And what a better way than to start out with better movies and shows on tv. Take that step of faith and see if God doesn't bless you for it. Thank you!

Hollywood exist......unfortunately
God does not exist but if Hollywood can make us to believe that a mouse can speak then they can make a God with the help of the Jewish executives.....

Christian means following the example of Christ . Christ would not use the language that Mr. Perry uses (and yes I do understand when you are in character). I see Mr. Perry as selling out to Hollywood. Christians should not try to imitate Hollywood or the secular music world. If there is so much money to be made Christians should create an entertainment industy that actually revolves around Christian principles.

No they can't because there is no god.

In Hollywood, a few people write fiction for the entertainment of the rest of us. In religion, a few people write fiction for the suppression of the rest of us. Religion and Hollywood have fiction in common. The impact on society is at opposite ends. Man has invented gods in its image!

My son is a senior in high school and wants to go to college to make movies. He took "The History of Film" class this year and I was appalled at the language and nudity in the movies they planned to show. I immediately began to challenge this and am currently trying to get the movie list changed. We are definitely looking into Christian Colleges.

Oh come on! None of the comments or the article mentions any religion besides Christianity. Isn't this just plain old narcissism? Be tolerant of MY religion but heck with yours (which I won't even consider). The only sensible stance is to be an atheist, polytheist, or pantheist.

Of course anyone associated with Jesus sill be avoided in Hollywood, because TV and movies are about making money, and that's definitely NOT what Christians are about (or at least they SHOULDN'T be...!)

God exists, but Hollywood cannot make enough profit off him so he becomes nothing more than another tourist in sea faceless and unknown people in a town controlled of liberal socialist who uses "evil" capitalism to become wealthy.

Loved the article. I've watched "House of Payne" several times and liked it. Now that I know the story behind it it will be regular viewing for me! Thanks for the GREAT story.

It is so refreshing to have a religious entertaining program to look at every week. The family issues are always worked out using Christian principles . I wish Tyler much success and hope he will put God first in his productions always.

As some of the posters have pointed out, there have always been successful films that portrayed christians in a positive light. No one has ever kept - or is keeping - those films from being made simply because of the religious content. To suggest that such censorship exists is blatantly false and paranoid. I, however, like millions of other rational people, prefer not to see films that perpetuate superstition and myth. If I wanted to be brainwashed by religion, I would attend a church. I have never seen any of Tyler's films, but NOT because of any religious content. I didn't know that they had any. The ads and other promotional materials for his films always make them appear to be full of low-brow humor, and that has never appealed to me. You have simply given me one more reason to never watch his movies. Thank you for the warning.

Lack of evidence? LOL. Just look around you. You may have been put together by accident, but I sure wasn't.

And Google Earth – that's the greatest evidence of all. After all, you see the earth. It's his creation.

I agree that there is a double standard. Why is Scientology okay to reference in movies but not Christianity? It should at least be equal. It seems Hollywood is prejudice against that.

John in AZ

I would encourage you take a look at some arguments for the existence of God before positing such a statement as 'God doesn't exist'. Try any of these; the ontological argument, the vertical cosmological argument, the horizontal cosmological argument, teleological argument, or even a moral argument.

Let me also say this just briefly; to deny the existence of God who we traditionally consider all-knowing (omniscient) is a logical contradiction in itself. For one to say that they know that there is absolutely no all-knowing God, one would have to know everything.

Best of luck in your search and again I would encourage you to at least to look at some of the arguments for the existence of God. The implications that are present with God's existence are at the very least worth investigating.

Please do not dig your heels in because of the caricatures of Christianity that you have seen in the media or sadly what some christians have made Christianity out to be. You must always look the character of Jesus Christ if you want an accurate picture of what we should be modeling our lives after. Do not look at the students, look at the teacher.

God is good in his essence. He doesn't have goodness, He IS the good. We are after him whether we know it or not. It is up to us to realize that on this side of the grave.

Love the article! It may not be en vogue or even politically correct to be a Christian, but that does not make Christianity an evil aggressor against the modern world that needs to be attacked. Despite the skeptic and relativist world we live in today, It is possible to showcase a different view (in this case Christianity) and its followers in a positive light. Clearly not every Christian is a hypocritical, judgmental or self-righteous person and I would like to stop seeing them portrayed that way.
If there are more like Tyler Perry who can find a way to portray Christian morals, I welcome them and look forward to engaging in their works.

I think that Hollywood should accept every culture when choosing what kind of movies to make. I dig Tyler Perry's movies as well, and I'm 100% agnostic, partially anti-Christian/Muslim. I agree with what he is talking about, because there is nothing wrong with the 'good' side of those religions. Hollywood's got all the other sides covered with their portrayals of crazy, deranged Christians. I don't see why people should complain that Hollywood sometimes portrays Christians as wacky – us on the outside definitely don't see a whole of sanity and morality going on there, with the exception of a very few good people here and there. I also think it's crap for anybody to denounce a movie for having any sort of Christian ideals – if they don't want to watch it, DON'T WATCH IT.

Live and let live, please.

I think you bashed his movies not too long ago. Something about over stereotypical or something like that. Anyways, these films are mediocre at best.

How in a modern world people can cling to meaningless beliefs is beyond me. If that was in and of it self the end of the issue, I would indeed have the take that "let them believe what they like it hurts no one." However in an age where moderate religious people allow the fundamentalists to exist, I can not ever willingly simply think or say ... "oh its fine let them believe what they like." The raw fact is all organized religion is simply destructive, if one truly and honestly weighs all the good that is done vs. all the bad the tally is far higher on the bad side. When people in power of humanity site their religious beliefs as reason for making major global decisions (former George W. Bush, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, countless members of congress, heads of state around the world, etc.). People who literally have their fingers on the button, using primitive, dark ages shamanism to live their lives by. Mr. Martin and anyone like him is an enabler, they allow the fundamentalists to exhist. By making religion an untouchable, taboo subject, they allow crazed fundamentalists to go on killing in the name of their god. Enough is enough it is time to allow open debate, allow science to examine religion. We do not allow that line of thinking is shunned and repressed. Lift the veil, allow the hypocrisy to be exposed, allow the idiocy of literal interpretation to be exposed, allow the horror that organized religion is to be exposed. Then perhaps we as a species can begin to move in a positive direction. Until then the outlook is bleak.

Yes, Roland. My wife and I have recently watched many of Tyler's movies. What a great role model he is to people struggling with some very serious issues. I will continue to support his work.

My wife and I enjoy House of Payne because it portrays a real family and their interaction with each other. Perhaps we did not notice the religious references in the show because they are part of their daily lives just like many families irregardless of their skin color.

Great article, things like this need to be brought out more often. Madea is a hillarious character.
As a side note, I found the movie Knowing to be closer to a blatant advertisement for scientology than having religious overtones. I felt like they were trying to tell me this is how it is and this is why Christians are confused about it.

Your headline says God and Hollywood, when you really mean Jesus and Hollywood. Why do you use God to mean Jesus, when Jesus express your point better? Hollywood and God mix just fine...it is when you add the myth of Jesus and the dogma associated with it, that you get problems.

Keep Jesus out of Hollywood. You have had 2000 years to abuse mankind in his name. Give up and leave us alone.

If people are free to pratice religion why can I not be free to live my life free from religion. Why can't I have a media that calls it like it is? Why can't we really open things up and show the hypocrisy of organized religion? We live in a fundamentalist world where demagogues control the masses with lunatic beliefs. There is no magic bearded white guy in the sky who is going to take care of you when you die. Do we know what happens after death, no ... will we ever ... likely not. But is some horrible translation of books written by charlatans and scam artists worth killing endless millions over? Are those same backward beliefs worth giving people preferential treatment for? NO! I want to live in a secular state, I deserve that, we all do. If I wanted to live in a theocracy I'd move to Iran. Stop pushing your garbage beliefs on society. If Hollywood is bashing nut job religious wackos ... well perhaps there is something there. Anyone who believes in magic men who walk on water, given the insurmountable evidence to the contrary has to have a little wacko in them. So give it a rest you scared jerks with superiority complexes if you want a fundamentalist society find another country!

What an inane commentary.
There are good christians and bad christians, good muslims and bad muslims, good atheists and bad atheists.
Tyler's "themes" may have relevance but not because of religion, no more than santa movies are relevant because they have elves.
Religion is make-believe. One's "faith" or lack there-of has nothing to do with a person's goodness.

I enjoy Madea so much, I find myself laughing just thinking about her!
Tyler, keep bringing God and humor into our lives!!! Lord knows we
need it!!!

I would dearly love to like Tyler Perry and welcome Christianity as an influence on people, but for the fact Perry's writing and the Bible claim to be about human experience but are written by men, who write them only from the male perspective, and from the male perspective under patriarchy.

I believe this is the principal reason there are objections to Perry's movies and Christianity in modern life.

Until a religion is developed where the Higher Power is not represented as one gender or the other, and where women are equal participants in writing it, I suspect we will continue the cycle of abuse Perry suffered (his father was physically abusive), and mainstream America will distrust religious folk.

my missing comment was about one of my many songs with the line the hollywood that is my head, as well as other matters

Prayer means you are not happy with a given set of circumstances. This may be in finances, relationships, hardships, health, etc. When something hits you in the face; you pray.
For one moment, I want you to ponder this...that prayer doesn't exist. It has never been invented. To many people, Atheists, this is a fact of day-to-day life. They are happy, well-adjusted people with good jobs, great spouses, wonderful children, well-adjusted people that have the same problems as you and I, but they don't pray...and they survive trials and tribulations as much as any person who prays...how can this be? If prayer is so necessary to us as humans, then how is it that some of us have these amazingly wonderful lives without praying? Simple. Prayer doesn't work...it is an illusion.
It is simple to attribut a positive outcome to prayer and a negative one to Gods will. I never pray but I can say that prayer has done this or that to me...it doesn't make it true...it is merely my word placed over visible results.
What is true, is that those who don't pray, DO. They become active participants in their life instead of praying. When financial times get rough, they budget, tighten up their belts and watch every penny...they don't listen to a millionaire, thieving, Rolls Royce driving, mansion-owning, private jet flying, Armani suit wearing, televangelist and send them $500 in love-offering/seed gifts...they keep it! and their troubles get better. They act instead of pray. They visit the sick and hold their hands instead of praying. They get on the phone and call people, instead of praying. Prayer removes personal responsibility and throws the burden on someone else. The funny thing? Through the illusion of prayer, it is really you...this amazing creation...which does the work...not God. Think of how much closer you would be to your goal if you stopped praying and started acting.
Get off your knees, open your hands, begin to trust in God (and truly accept God as being perfect), and get to work!

John "..there's noabsolute evidence that God exists???" Sounds like you may have spent too much time at the movies.

If our universe all started with a big bang from a t iny pin point somewhere in space...where did the pin point of matter come from? And if all life evolved from a single cell in the "primordial soup" where did the cell come from? And how and why did a cell decide it needed a liver, eyes, mouth, legs, etc.. to become a living breathing organism like we are today? And more importantly, how did it manufacture these body parts? And if we really evolved from apes, why are they still here??

A few months ago, it was widely reported in the news that man was made up of space dust.....in the bible God describes man (Adam) as being created from the dust of the earth aka space dust. And to think it took the scientific community thousands of years to figure that one out...lots of good info in the bible...take a look sometime. It truly will amaze you. There is plenty of evidence that God exists...if you look in the right place. God bless. Jaynne

I agree that God and Hollywood can co-exist and there are many positive messages that can be found in Christianity. However, that message tends to get drowned out all too often by the shrill moralists that have little tolerance for anything other than their own viewpoint. In the end, it's not the case of Hollywood "waking up" as having both sides being able to control their extreme factions.

Thank you, Roland, for that very informative blog on Mr. Perry. I can identify with all of his productions because they are a part of my life experience. It also great to read a blog who was once a member of the church I attended. I've relocated to Houston and was told that you also have roots here too. Keep up the good work for your audience and we will forever be grateful.

Just when I lose faith in goodness in film making I read a story like yours. Thank you for bringing this movie to my attention!

The problem most critics including myself have with Perry is not his faith, bit his lack of nuance and true story telling skill. Every thing he does exists within broad and predictable stereotypes. His films are not for thinking individuals but rather for those who seek to confirm what they already know in broad ridiculous strokes.. Great film makers convey implicit rather than explicit messages. Also, that Madea character is just a disgrace and a perfect example of what I am talking about. Would it have killed him to cast an actual older black woman in the role. I am offended when rare and beautiful talents such as Whoopi Goldberg are left to rot while this hack is allowed to make film after film. Who cares what makes money? His work is simply a waste of celluloid.

"Waaaah us Christians get persecuted by the mainstream media!" Get over it, you control the country and wag your "morality" over the rest of our heads. It's impossible to forget that we live in a country that's so heavily dominated by the Christian right when your religion still weighs itself in every piece of legislation that passes through Congress. Get over yourselves, you are the majority, not the victims of some kind of imaginary persecution. I'm so sorry that the left leaning media portrays you in a bad light sometimes. You can complain when your moral system isn't the one dominating our country's laws. Maybe when this country gets back to basing itself on the principles of the Enlightenment (which it was founded on, not Christianity), you'll have a reason to feel sorry for yourselves. As of now, you don't.

"Churchgoing folks may be faithful, but they aren’t stupid". In my opinion faith in any of these silly religions is a form of stupidity.

Those Perry movies are AWFUL. I mean shamefully bad. Poor film making and poor script. They only appeal to the stupidiest of people.

Keep up the faith, Roland. God is using you mightily.

How you can say lack if evidence that God exist is beyond me. Just look around you. Unless you can find it easier to believe that all this is just random. Take a good look at what you are made of, see how your body works, it is so complex that there is no way it can be random. Movies may not be the answer to all the worlds problems but when your younger generation looks to Hollywood for there fashion, role models, and way of life in general. I thank God for people like Tyler Perry that will take a stand for all the Dead Beat Dads and parents that have forced the younger generation to look somewhere more for guidance.

But god doesn't exist, so how can it coexist with Hollywood, which is a real place?

John in AZ – you have it backwards. In the last 200yrs atheists have stood in line eager to prove God doesn't exist – only to fail miserably. There is absolutely no evidence that God doesn't exist.

"What the critics hate about Tyler Perry’s films is what I appreciate: A willingness to tell stories about love, redemption, family and God and do so in an entertaining way. He is an unapologetic Christian."

Way to play the role of the oppressed christian, Mr. Martin. Next time your watching a movie award show I want you to pay close attention to every time an actor, write, director, etc. thanks god for their award. Then you can come back and tell me about how Hollywood hates christians.

"At one time he had a development deal with ABC but when executives objected to the constant references to God, he walked away, saying he wouldn’t compromise his principles for a TV show."

Good that he stuck to his principals but bad for you to portray ABC in negative light for not wanting to alienate those in America who do not prescribe to his/your belief system.

Hollywood and God can co-exist? I doubt it, given the absolute lack of evidence that hollwood execs are brave enough to portray Christians in a positive light…

I have two propositions.

First, using the United Nations as a venue, let all humanity work together in friendship for an annual International Christian Martyrdom Day. Loved ones of persons who died at the hands of Christians are advised just to get over it.

Second, let's schedule that annual worthy event upon a new calendar for the human race, one that has nothing to do with Christianity – or any other religion. Our H. sapiens calendar probably ought to be somewhere in the 40 to 50,000 year range.

Then, let's have Hollywood make a movie about achieving these two goals of humanity, and see how well it does at the box office – the best metric of success about anything really important.

Here's my problem with what’s being said here I’ll quote his article for why this article is wrong he starts his article off by saying this.

"Many critics pan his films, complaining that they are all the same, the storytelling comes up short and character development is weak, and it’s wrong for him as a man to keep playing a large and loud grandmother. But the true success of Perry boils down to two five-letter words: M-O-N-E-Y and J-E-S-U-S."

Then later he says this in his article

"There are many video rental shelves filled with bad movies churned out by Hollywood hoping people of faith would overlook the bad filmmaking."

This is completely contradictory, you cannot give good reasons why his movies are not good and claim other movies are overlooked because of the bad filmmaking. I do however I agree with the article in that portraying pastors and religious people in a better more deserving light should happen more often. Hollywood doesn't have a great opinion of religion and that’s not a good thing. However Tyler Perry’s recycling of the same formula and constant rehashing of the tired cliché of putting yourself in fat suit isn't good for films either.

Well written, well stated and a very good challenge to all Christians to live their faith in the market place and do so without coming across as a radical who checked their brain and sense of humor at the church door!

Remember "Michael". Jesus was a Liberal Jew! The people he rallied against were the typical phony baloney "Christians", the same that run the GOP.

And yeah, Bing Crosby, what a Christian! He got married a dozen or so times and drove at least two of his kids to suicide!

Thank you!!! I'm a young person and I enjoy a lot of today's films. However, sometimes the drugs and X-rated material is too much. It's no wonder our world is a messed up place. I wish more films were made cleaner and portrayed more characters leaning on their faith to get them through tough times. It's a shame that Christianity is being put on the back shelf while the evils of today's world is allowed to take front row.

Articles like this really bother me, because they seem to imply it is the non-religious that are causing the problem. Does Roland think that we atheists crave the mindless films that he (rightly) dislikes, and block the religious films he supports? I'd be willing to bet that the Hollywood schmucks who make the decisions are as religious as he is – except when it comes to money, which trumps everything, whatever religion they may or may not be.

Hollywood needs God! There should be more movies about faith especially in this world where people need so much hope to stay focused on what's important.

Objective truth be told: It does take MORE faith to believe that God does not exist THAN it does to believe He doesn't. It is just more convinient to convince oneself that He doesn't. It all boils down to personal accountability. So for those that doubt, take another long hard look. It is just the smart way to consider this debate.

Mr. Martin,

Generally I don't see eye to eye with you on most
issues, nor have I seen any of Perry's movies, but
I must say that I truly appreciated this article. It's
frustrating I think for people of faith to hear themselves
made fun of by "stars" who pat themselves on the
back for being more progressive than the rest of the
country. With that being said, there are a number
of good films that portray faith in a positive light, Perry
is not the only one to do so, and I agree with you
in general that there need not be as much antagonism
between Hollywood and religion (conservative
or liberal for that matter). I think both
sides are too prone to stereotype the other.

Anyway, thanks for the thoughtful article, maybe
both sides can eventually dial it down a notch?

I heard there really isn't any evidence that Jesus even existed, much less that he was divine. How can you get so wrapped up in something without being able to find out for sure? That sure doesn't interest me.

I have examined all the known superstitions of the world, and I do not find in our particular superstition of Christianity one redeeming feature. They are all alike founded on fables and mythology. Thomas Jefferson......

I am against religion because it teaches us to be satisfied with not understanding the world. Richard Dawkins.....

*silence* GOD

"Thank you, Mr. Martin, for putting in print that Hollywood better wake up to the message of Christianity! My family and I have thoroughly enjoyed all of Tyler Perry’s movies, and we are born again Christians. Madea is quoted around my house quite often. Please keep them coming, Mr. Perry!"-–Don't kid yourself. Hollywood doesn't care about the christians message, they care about the christians money.

Hollywood doesn't know the meaning of the phrase "Redeeming Value" It's actually refreshing to go see a movie at theatre that does in fact have substance and takeaway value in addition to entertainment. Good Job T.P. keep it up!

Thanks for this article. Another good example, this from the world of music, is U2, particularly Bono, who has surprisingly cropped up as a voice of leadership in the Christian community. U2 has long had a spiritual edge to their music, but this last album is as open about having a personal relationship with God as it gets. Listen to "Magnificent"...it could pass as a worship song in church.

there can be family movies without them being christian

and films can be moral and uplifting without being christian

religion is not the authority or source of morals – each religion just codified some morality within it's framework

but moral behavior was will us long before any of the currently practised religions – survival depended on cooperative behavior within groups and between groups – so people who didn't rape, steal or murder tended to survive to pass along that cooperative behavior

Hollywood used to regularly put out christian movies – in the 50's, and there's still a slew of christmas movies every year

but the reality is that while there's certainly a christian niche market – there's also a lot of other niche markets out there that hollywood is also not servicing

because they make more money per film on mainstream secular – something for everyone movies – not all blockbuster special effects

in this economy, expect more re-makes, more sequels and more movies from popular books and plays – hollywood is going back to basics, because it works

they won't be experimenting with any special interest niche movies for the next 5 or so years

I'm not religious, and I have no interest in seeing any more of these movies, but not because of religion, but rather because they simply are not entertaining or funny.

As for people being able to mention Kabbalah and Scientology, sure they can, but you don't find it being ladeled by the gallon into movies and television. Not wanting to sell your product because of the product and not wanting to sell your product because of you are two very different things.

P.S. Roland asserts there's a higher power we can depend on in a time of need. In the movies, yes, that's true. In real life, not so much, except for those who willfully ignore the dark and awful and violent aspects of our existence.

P.P.S. Keith, you might want to look up the word "verboseness." It's not a compliment.

P.P.P.S. No, I harbor no illusions that this comment will actually be posted. Cheers!

Keith – you might want to look up the word "verboseness" if you have a chance. I do not think it means what you think it means.

There's always an underlying assumption in articles like this (and by American Christians in general): goodness equals being religious. Which is a myth, and a myth that has kept nonbelievers from politics and other positions of leadership for decades. I wish more people were wanting movies about love and kindness – without a religious or atheist bent to them. Such movies are inclusive and don't keep the American cultural myth alive that to be moral you must believe in God.

Bob, I believe the point of the Bing Crosby reference was that it was a movie about a Christian that did very well. Not that Bing himself was a Christian.

Best commentary on CNN of ALL TIME....(related to entertainment)

As an Atheist I am increasingly concerned about the Christians insistence on dominating this country. What about live and let live? Why force your views on everyone else? Insecurity perhaps? Movies like Golden Compass are picketed, and now a film about Darwin isn't even being picked up by a US distributor due to the heavy-handed Christian pressure on them.
I dare say that any other 14% minority would feel the same if they were in the same situation. How would the African American community feel if a movie of MLK Jr. was effectively banned from the country? Think about it.

"Thank you!!! I’m a young person and I enjoy a lot of today’s films. However, sometimes the drugs and X-rated material is too much. It’s no wonder our world is a messed up place. I wish more films were made cleaner and portrayed more characters leaning on their faith to get them through tough times. It’s a shame that Christianity is being put on the back shelf while the evils of today’s world is allowed to take front row."

Jessica-do you REALLY think that 150 years is the cause of thousands of years of violence and oppression throughout the world?!?! REALLY?!?! C'mon, use your head!

The movie "Fireproof" open in a third of the theaters as the movies that opened on the same weekend. It cam in fourth that weekend and stayed in the top ten. This film is so christian that is was made by a church. The star was Kirk Cameron and even he was a volunteer actor.

So Hollywood there's your money. If you make it and make it right, they will come

Hollywood trashes religion like conservatives bash intellectuals and Universities. But then, Hollywood is about self-expression whereas the conservatives are about political power. Nevertheless, both are about self-indulgence and greed. In the end, all, Hollywood, conservatives and religion, are nothing more than fantastical thought.

You say he makes his films in an "entertaining way". This is why you don't understand the criticism. His films are anything but entertaining. Everything he does is trite and humorless and is about 30 years behind the times. He seems like a nice enough guy, but comedy is definitely not his forte.

Christians complaining because their voices arnt heard enough?

That's laughable.

Do you know what really borthers me?
It is those who call themselves christians then they object to the health care reform. If Jesus was around, he would make sure that all people get equal treatments. He would extend his hand to the poor, and help the helpless. But, the "Christians" don't follow his path, they choose religion as they please.

I can forgive Mr. Perry for his prosthelytizing, though I believe one's faith is between one's self and one's god and is nobody else's business, and profiteering in Jesus's name is, along with arms merchandising, among the most dubious sorts of profiteering (note to REV. Hood Martin: I suspect that God does NOT need YOU to speak for her, i.e. she is perfectly capable of speaking for herself.)
What I can't so easily forgive Mr. Perry for is his complete and utter lack of talent.

Thank you brave fellow for your comments. FINALLY folks are realizing we need more Jesus back in America! This country was founded on Christian principles and it's about time we get back to those principles as a nation. Steven Baldwin is another actor that does not care where he's at or who he talks to as he spreads the gospel of Jesus Christ (MY LORD AND SAVIOR). Amen brother.

Hey Roland Martin....check out "Preacher's Kid" . It's a quality film coming at the end of January 2010.

Psalm 14:1 "The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."
I love it how atheists love to chime in on a topic they willfully know NOTHING about. If you don't believe in God then this article and the opinions therein don't have anything to do with you. You feel so threatened when anyone talks about God or faith. What a sad and deliberately meaningless group of people!

To all of you "smart" stuck-up atheists, even Stephen Hawking, one of the smartest men in the world, leaves room for a creator. Maybe not your stereotypical "God," but a creator. Atheism is arrogance. How dare you assume you know the ways of the universe when you are just but a small speck of matter on this one planet of billions. Have some humility.

When did Christianity become controversial?

The reality is, there is no evidence that any deity exist. Nor is there any evidence that one does not. Yes when it comes to broad brush strokes, the Torah got it right. That doesn't prove the existence of a deity, merely that the writers put more thought into it than we give then credit for. Science is about what can be observed, classified and tested. We have so much still to learn about how anything began. Just because we don't know yet, doesn't mean we never will.

If there is a God as He is defined, He does not have to co-exist with anyone. Hollywood is on the bottom of the list.

Forget about Hollywood! God can't exist with this planet. You can all pretend that god put this planet here for us to dominate, but who will save you when your planet is a scorching desert? The foolish believers have waged war on nature, war on people, war on everything. All in the name of fictitious nonsense. See you in hell (once you've turned your planet into it!). Viva Emma Goldman! Viva Derrick Jensen!

It's ironic that some still say that God (or a "Supreme Being") does not exist despite the evidence and historical literature to the contrary. Then again, there are still those who believe the earth is flat and that the Holocaust never happened and that Colonel Mustard did it with a lead pipe in the library. (Those in the know are very well aware that it was Mrs. Peacock with a knife in the kitchen.)

My personal favorite movie of this genre – Facing The Giants.

Every movie that features a wedding in a church is a movie for the religious minded. Take a look at some of those ghostly horror movies like Amityville Horror & Excorsist, to whom did the principle characters turn? The Church and priests. Sister Act took place primarily in a Church. When a character in a movie becomes sick, often other characters visit hospitals or lean on Godly dependence to see them through. Sports movies depicting Cinderella teams likewise refer to prayer to guide them through a winning ending.

Long ago, gay movie goers had to read between the lines of Hayes Code censored movies in order to find visibility on screen. Now, it seems the tables have been reversed. However, as a secular individual, I'm always aware of when movies insert religious imagery into a film.

Wow, the Christians get to whine? I didn't whine when Religulous was being protested against, all because it was a comedy that criticized religion. When religion is something that defines your view of reality it can't afford to be taboo, it needs to be criticized, debated, etc. Instead the people of America, as well as other countries, make it taboo, silently (most of the time) indoctrination the youth, making the idea of "god" a universal, rather than an idea, but enough about that...

To address some of the creationists here: "How do you explain the complexities of the human body?" If you studied evolution you would understand, which is ironic considering how the bible's explanation is far from complex. Also, not all atheists hold the big bang as a fact, personally I doubt we will ever know how exactly the universe started, if it even had a start. A lot of you are asking "where did that come from, where did the single cell come from", part of that I couldn't explain, but that still doesn't lead me to believe some sky daddy did it. Furthermore you contradict yourself because if god did make the first this and that, where did god come from? Either way you say it, your argument doesn't hold water.

Furthermore, for all of you who want proof that he doesn't exist, you have now idea how stupid that statement is. You can't prove something doesn't exist, you can't prove unicorns don't exist unless you explore every inch of the universe, but maybe they exist in another reality, point being, the burden of proof is on you. If you want to spout that god exists because the burden of proof is on you and "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence".

All I got to Say is " AMEN".

Roland...thanks for telling it like it is! You know God exists when the enemy attacks to say otherwise! Looks like satan is going to and fro on the internet as well seeking whom he may devour.

of course they could, that is if god would exist in the first place. one day this sociaty will wake up and see that gof is only used by the goverment to controll and brainwash people.... i know this will never get posted, or it will fet hated on but that is my story and i dont mean no disrespect to nobody, just my own believe! thank you

Just like they print " In God We Trust" on money, Hollywood needs to use God and Jesus in there vocabulary to sell movies.

Michael, it is you who are in the wrong.

Atheists do not claim that a god (or gods) does not exist, they simply express that there is no reason to believe that a god does indeed exist. There is a distinction.

The burden of proof rests squarely on you, and so long as you seek to impose your backwards morality on the rest of us, you would do well to make sure that your beliefs are based on physical evidence, and not based on silly faith in a bronze-aged death-cult.

Thank You Roland and Tyler Perry for taking a stand on the "WORD OF GOD". Tyler Perry, your movies have truly been an inspiration to me and I'm sure millions of others. I truly believe GOD has ordained you for Hollywood to make an impact on this particular generation. I believe that GOD'S children will rise up in Hollywood in this season and do the will of GOD . In this season, watch GOD move in the entertainment industry. I pray that you guys continue to stand firm on GOD'S WORD.

God Bless you Roland and Tyler Perry

Jesus also said the world was going to end. Read Mark Ch 9 verse 1 and again when addressing the Farisees and Saducees. 'Truly I tell you, there are those among you who will not taste death until they see the Kingdom of God come with power." He was wrong. The world did not end. And every apocolyptic preacher since him has been wrong when predicting the end of all things. And textual analysis shows that later gospels changed the earlier message of Mark. The reason is plain, early Christians saw the apostles and fellow christians die and no end of the world came. So, they did then what the cult leaders do to this day - they change the revelation.

And to Jaynee, you have given a list of theories about the origin of the universe and state that they indicate god exists. They do not. They simply attest that the universe exists. Perhaps there is a god. However, that does not mean that the explanation is the christian god. Why not Ba'al? or Zeus? of Allah? or Vishnu? or any other of hundreds of deities that have been imaginged through time. You could provide evidence that it is your christian god that exists by offering prayer and seeing it answered in disproportion to other gods or to those not praying at all. However, every study done that is double blind to assess healing from prayer has shown no effect. Nor is ground that is prayed over more fertile. It is simply irrelevant. And I would know this as I am a physician.

And as to where all your body parts come from, there is an elegant explanation with mountains of evidence -evolution. You and every other human has DNA that is 98.4% identical to a chimpanzee. And so did Jesus. And the timeline of evolution matches other scientific processes such as the age of stars and plate techtonics.

God is an imaginary friend. however, this 'friend' has given us license to treat our fellow creatures with unimaginable cruelty and allowed us to sleep at night. It is time to wake up and see that all we know for sure in this life, is that we have each other. And then the absurdity and barbarism of the middle ages will finally vanish from this earth.

Hollywood makes fiction movies all the time! Therefore, god can coexist with Hollwood!

Know what I find deliciously ironic? How those chest-beating evangelical types who side with the far right, expousing the power of the free market...can't stand how movies about their imaginary friend called God gets axed from big-budget Hollywood films because it doesn't help the bottom line all that much.

And all these comments asserting how belief in God is necessary for moral behavior...please get a clue people. The states with the highest rates of teenage pregnancies are the so-called 'red' states. In America, Christians divorce at a much higher rate than atheists, who don't some sky daddy will be looking over their shoulder. And just about every other industrialized democracy, having a far greater percentage of atheists than America, have LOWER rates of violent crime and teenage pregnancy than America!

Bottom line: don't tell me that Christianity and morality go hand in hand when all the statistical data shows the OPPOSITE! That's one reason I proudly call myself an atheist. You can't tell me some invisible sky fairy influences people's lives and lead them down a moral path when there's no observable pattern of moral behavior.

Is anyone else sick of Christians whining about how they are under attack!? Hello, you are the majority people. I did my undergrad at University of Mississippi and I can remember being ostracized in the Honors College there for being Agnostic. In fact, there were several people on my floor in the dorm who literally did not believe in evolution at all! How foolish, I thought, that these people who were seeking "higher education" were able to completely ignore hard evidence in favor of something they had been brainwashed to believe. There is no God you small-minded simpletons, and there is no more reason to spread around such lies. Hopefully we have finally reached an age where people will treat each other with respect and dignity for the good of society instead of acting nicely as a way of buying a ticket into heaven. It's pathetic really!

The problem is not that there aren't more Christians films. The problem is that the Christian films that are out there are mostly boring or preachy. When I go see a film, I want to be entertained. If Christians expect to make a dent in Hollywood, it would help if they "entertained" us: give us characters we can care about instead of tired stereotypes or cartoonish types, plots that aren't far-fetched and that we can actually follow, and most of all less preaching. Perry has his heart in the right place, but his films show he hasn't grown as a filmmaker, which is sad because I saw potential with Diary of a Mad Black Woman, but lately it's been the same-old, same-old. There's nothing wrong with playing to your base, but there comes a point when you need to grow into your craft if you expect to invite those not familiar with your art.

yeah its a messed up secular world, would you trade you life here for one in the parts of the world governed by religion? the mideast is all kinds of fun, evil hollywood wont get you there

One can pontificate however one wishes. However, the biggest fallacy remains - there are ties between religion and morality!

Perry excels because he portrays characters most of us all can relate to directly or indirectly. I am a proud agnostic, but I have nothing but love for Tyler Perry and the messages that he spreads. He's a righteous man with great ideas and a fascinating way of expressing them. Many critics label his work as "ghetto" or "degenerate", but they are merely the kettle calling the pot black because they themselves are the degenerates. Perry is instead a humble man with a humble approach to life; he is unafraid to tap into humanity at its base level. I'm tired of 'implicit' films - whatever the bloody hell that means. Sometimes, I just want to see a down-to-Earth film that resonates with love and truth. It's as simple as that.

Roland – Here's where you lost me – "What the critics hate about Tyler Perry’s films is what I appreciate: A willingness to tell stories about love, redemption, family and God and do so in an entertaining way."
No – what critics hate about Tyler Perry isn't his subject matter.
There are plenty of great well-crafted films out there that bravely and artfully explore the subject matter you're talking about. What critics hate about Tyler Perry is that he's a bad writer and a bad filmmaker. His dialogue is thin, his plots are thinner, he doesn't rise to any artistic and/or moral challenges. The situations into which he thrusts his characters aren't surprising or exciting, they're cliche and banal. He panders. He simplifies. He's a hack.

Visit a website called spiritclips.com and see a collection of Hollywood produced short films that embrace the spirit of faith. Hollywood and faith co-exist. Not everyone in Hollywood is the same.

People, people, you are forgetting one little thing: GOS IS DEAD! Can any of you think of a single thing we as a society still acknowledge as a genuine phenomenon from 2000 years ago? Get a clue!

I dare not call any of Tyler Perry’s movies Christian, they are lined with profanity, racial slurs, the promoting of alcohol, and even the Lords name is taken in vain. Not to mention not a single one of his movies and has been family approved by the Dove foundation. Not only are these movies worthless, they give viewers a distorted view of Christianity.

Roland,

I don't usually agree with you, but this time, I must applaud your commentary. I think it's great that there are Christians in Hollywood that refuse to compromise their faith. Most times in Hollywood, if you are an unapologetic Christian or a conservative, you are shunned or even blacklisted. It's great to see someone stand up for what they believe in irregardless of consequences and succeed. It's even better for it to be reported about. Thank you.

I love how "God" means "Christian Religion" rather than any one of
a thousand other religions. I also love how "liberal" is "anti-God" somehow. I'd prefer more Humanism to bible thumping rhetorical drek any day of the week and twice on Sunday...

Inspirational! This is an eye opener for us the people of faith. Tyler Perry is no doubt a huge talent that Hollywood can afford to ignore. I wisho him continuous success.

Thank you Roland.

What is it with huge, globe-spanning nation-dominating religions racing each other to the bottom of the "oh, we're so OPPRESSED" gutter? Unless you define "oppressed" as "my religion isn't codified into law as the State Religion", there's no religious oppression here. Refusing to enact Shar'ia or the Inquisition does not constitute oppression.

Here's a little clue. You don't need the Hollywood establishment to make or distribute movies. Make your own movie instead of whining at people until they make one for you, then put it out there and see if people think it's any good. If they don't, it's YOUR fault, not the Hollywood boogeyman.

Work the freakin' field yourself, with your own money.

I sincerely hope this gets posted. I've been working on it for about 3 hours. It is also, believe it or not, the first blog entry I have ever posted.
-------------------------------

Where do I begin? I suppose I can start with the nauseating number of logical fallacies committed by many of the authors in this thread.

Sharon Smith said: "since we were made in God’s image, we like to have fun too" What exactly is this supposed to mean? I guess it means that god likes to have fun too! One of the most common logical fallacies made by the religious is to pretend to know the mind of god......then when someone like myself asks "If god is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, why would he allow all the suffering and death in the world?" the same religious person will say that we can not know the mind of god ("The lord works in mysterious ways" or "his ways are higher than ours").

JM posted "I would rather live like there is a God than find out when its too late". If there is a bottom-of-the-barrel reason to believe in the existence of a god, then this is probably it. It is called Pascal's Wager (feel free to look it up). It lends zero support to the idea that god actually exists. Read JM's statement again. These are the words of an intellectually squeamish person and they go straight to the heart of the problem with religion and the reason religion exists in the first place.....fear. If you would be willing to live your life based on the premise that it's better to hedge your bets "just in case", then what does that say about your intellectual integrity? You might want to make sure to believe in Zeus, Thor, Brahma and some other gods just in case....to cover all your bases.

JM also informed us that "as long as one cannot answer questions about their existence, then they should know there is a higher being. I am proud to be a child of God..It is just amzing!!!" This is a classic example of an argument from ignorance. Restated, it says "Since there are unanswered questions, then it is certain that god exists." We might as well conclude that "since there are unanswered questions, then it is certain that 300-foot tall aliens created all life on earth 3 billion years ago and will return someday to harvest their crop".

Jaynne posted "If our universe all started with a big bang from a t iny pin point somewhere in space…where did the pin point of matter come from? And if all life evolved from a single cell in the “primordial soup” where did the cell come from? And how and why did a cell decide it needed a liver, eyes, mouth, legs, etc.. to become a living breathing organism like we are today? And more importantly, how did it manufacture these body parts? And if we really evolved from apes, why are they still here??" More arguments from ignorance. The flaws in this train of thought are manifold. Just because the universe exists does not mean that a god exists. If we apply the idea of infinite regress to this dilemma we have to ask "then who created god?" It's a circular argument and we come to the reasonable conclusion that we don't have to believe in a god just because the universe exists. Jaynne could also brush up on her evolutionary biology. Biological life manufactured these body parts (including most importantly, the human brain) through the slow process of evolution over roughly 3 billion years. We didn't evolve from modern day apes. We share a common ancestor with apes and other primates. I recommend "Why Evolution is True" by Jerry Coyne if you really want to learn about it.

Michael gives us this gem: "Atheists have stood in line eager to prove God doesn’t exist – only to fail miserably. There is absolutely no evidence that God doesn’t exist." If this line of argument leaves you scratching your head, there is good reason for it. Russell's "celestial teapot" comes to mind. Bertrand Russell proposed decades ago that there is a Chinese teapot orbiting the Sun somewhere between Earth and Mars. Then he said "prove me wrong". The point is that the burden of proof is the responsibility of those who claim that a god (or anything else) exists, not the job of those of us who require reasonable evidence and therefore say that it doesn't exist.

Roland's article is simply run-of-the-mill Christian-baiting. He attempts to paint a picture that the poor Christians just can't catch a break in the movie business and that it's getting harder and harder to be a born-again bible-carrier who cares nothing for the idea of actually seeking out the truth in this world. Certainty against all evidence (such as "God exists", "Jesus will return", "I'm going to heaven, you're going to hell") eliminates the need to search for authentic answers. Another way to put it: Uncertainty is the mother of all religion.

It's amazing (and ridiculous) how often an individual's or group's success is attributed to "Jesus" or some other religious nonsense as Roland claims for Perry.

Roland states that "Hollywood had better pay attention". Or what? Will Christians start dragging the movie-makers into the streets, torturing them and burning them alive in front of a gleeful and bloodthirsty mob. That's what Christians did to "witches" and other various heretics a few centuries ago. The Bible says "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live" (Exodus 22:18). Right there it is in the good book! Why don't Christians carry out this same terrible act nowadays? Because these words of the Bible have been usurped by human morality and reason. Christians today know that it's a bad idea to murder innocent people in the streets even if their knowing is a direct contradiction to the Bible.

Roland states "What the critics hate about Tyler Perry’s films is what I appreciate: A willingness to tell stories about love, redemption, family and God and do so in an entertaining way." He states this as if god is one of the four immovable pillars of human happiness. Guess what happens when we take the invisible pillar God away and replace it with the pillar of reason, logic and evidence.....the structure still stands! And now it stands on much firmer ground.

When will we stop pretending? When will we stop pretending to know that there is a god who listens to prayers, is concerned about the most trivial nuances of human existence and is waiting for us on the supposed other side with open arms?

How many of you who claim Christianity have read the Bible from cover to cover? If you haven't, why not? It is common knowledge that the overwhelming majority of Christians haven't read the entire Bible....most would rather have someone else tell them what to think about the so-called "good book". If you call yourself a Christian and you essentially refuse to read the entire Bible so you can draw your own conclusion, then you are, by definition, a hypocrite....and you know it.

About 12 years ago I read the Bible....cover to cover. I read it with an open mind and over the span of about a year. When I finished it, I knew that I had learned something very important. Namely, I knew that it would be absolutely ridiculous for me to believe that this book was the perfect-word-of-the-creator-of-the-universe. There are a few diamonds in the dunghill in the Bible....such as the Golden Rule and "thou shalt not murder" but guess what.....the Golden Rule was around long before the time of Jesus....and humans don't have to have religion to tell them that it's a bad idea to go around bludgeoning each other to death. For those who haven't figured it out yet, human morality, love and reason are products of the human brain. They are not implanted into us by a sky-god or a belief that a book was handed down from the library of heaven.

Religious belief is the product of fear and ignorance, and to a certain degree, laziness. Fear, ignorance and laziness. It's the trinity behind the Trinity.

Please think about what is happening in this world. People are (and have been since humans evolved into existence) doing terrible things to each other because of what they believe. Beliefs matter. When we can be coerced into believing bad ideas without evidence, bad actions will follow. The sooner we loosen our grip and let go of our tarot cards, bibles, voodoo dolls and horoscopes, the sooner we can begin to truly make THIS WORLD a better place to live in.

To paraphrase Pete in NY "Enlightenment, not Christianity".

To Michael, who posted earlier: I always take extreme offense to those who claim that liberals or atheists have no morals. There are millions of us atheists in this country who uphold the highest morals, morals as strong if not stronger than anyone else. The only difference is we don't require the threat of eternal damnation to maintain them. Christianity is a faith for weak sinners, pure and simple. Every Sunday you recite prayers indicating your sinning ways. The whole concept of Jesus Christ is that he gave his life to wipe away your sins. If you boil it all down, it's obvious your treacherous ways killed the son of God, and you've all been led, like brainless sheep, to feel terribly guilty and sad about that fact for the last 1800+ years.

Stop feeling so damn guilty about the fact you can't stop sinning all the time, and just submit to the truth that there is no God, there is no ever-lasting reward or ever-lasting punishment for your lowly actions, there is only humanity and your very short time on this planet as a functioning blob of biochemistry. Respect one another, strive for peace and humility, and... for YOUR sake... stop sinning and expecting to be cleansed by an imaginary deity every time you do!

what ever happen to that wonderful Christian group called KKK, all that wonderful stuff they did int he name of jesus and the bible???

Christians= hipocrytes.

People hide behind religion, If GOD exist he doesn't need you to praise him or Bow to him, just be a good person and leave others alone and stop pushing your damn beliefs on other people.

I've never watched Perry's films, but this story amazes me. Christians like Perry and Martin encourage me to strive to be more faithful. I can't wait to check out these films!

No one needs "god" to be a good person. Find the goodness within yourself. What does it say of humanity when we are driven solely by the hope for a better place in a storybook land when we die? Why do things because "god" tells you? Would you really not feed the homeless or dress the sick or help hapless children without the guidance of some supreme being? Are we really that innately selfish? Wrong? Evil?

God and hollywood cannot exist. You cannot serve God and mammon (wealth), There is no compromise really. Hollywood represents the phillosophy of this world, the thinking of this world. It also represents the lust of the world. Hollywood is about using violence and sex to indoctrinate the young people and desensitize them. it is also a corporate scheme to make money. Those hollywood types are laughing all the way to the bank as the world worships actors and makes media darlings of them.

Things that exist ("Hollywood") can't coexist with things that don't exist ("god"). Get your title straight, Martin.

Hollywood, at least, isn't imaginary.

Bing Crosby was married exactly twice. Two sons died after he did and they were both alcoholics.

Bob, you need to do more fact-checking before you post.

As a believer I thank you for the commentary. We and our God are judged by the behavior a very few, but highly visible so called Christians who use the banner as a means to use people.
Also I must ask the unbelieving posters here and all over the net, what good does do you to make negative statements about God? What do you profit from trying to discourage others?
God bless us all, the world is full of foul traps where darkness is clever and wise.

I love Tyler Perry movies because they are non judgemental and Tyler Perry is dressing up in drag not just in his movies, but in his plays to entertain us. Now if a movie was not portraying messages of Jesus and the Bible and a man was coming out with series of movies dressed up in drag the right wrnged Christians would have a fit. I see alot of Christians being contradictory. They flock to Tyler Perry movies and do not say one thing about dressing up in drag, but then they are against equal rights. Even though all gay men do not dress up in drag as a woman to entertain others it is never the less part of the gay movement. Then on the other hand how many straight men dress in drag for enjoyment and to entertain others? Tyler Perry is breaking down walls between society by telling all tht God loves us all no matter where we are in life and that all are welcomed at his table. Get it????

Hollywood does quite well appealing to religious sensibilities... consider for a moment how hollywood portrays atheists. Atheists are usually hurt in some way, deeply cynical, and can easily be converted in films.

And personally I find this mindset insulting
"it’s gratifying to watch a movie that speaks to the goodness in people, no matter how messed up they are."

As though somehow a religious theme is inherently about "goodness in people". Somehow this is implying that a movie about god is more soulful than a secular film, that one needs religion to provide inspiration.

Just once I'd like a secular film to do the same with atheist characters, ones who aren't caricatures. For every "crazy deranged" pastor you get a "cynical cold" atheist and this idea that you "need a higher power". I'm well aware many many screenwriters are atheists, but hollywood is well aware you can't have a truly secular movie because Christians ARE considered an important overwhelming demographic. You can't make a movie regarding a quest to experience the beauty of the world without need of gods without angering tons of religious organizations throughout the country.

I'm sorry, but to me this seems another case of Christians feeling like they're somehow panned in this country when concessions are constantly being made for them. Hell, for the first time we had a president who acknowledged that non-theists exist, by and large, Christians are the group everyone, hollywood included, does not want to offend.... they have the vast majority of the country, lets not pretend that Christians are vilified.

Frankly, I'm just sick and tired of reading "you need a higher power in your life" everywhere.... this mindset is sickeningly prevalent, and inherently biases people against non-theists. Christians aren't ignored, they're pandered to.

I meant: This is the first time I have read your "blog." I like it :} !

I think that all religions should have an equal say without persecution (including Kaballah or Scientology) in film. After all, what's one fairy tale compared to the next? And BTW, sometimes starlets in tight clothing for two hours can be very uplifting and inspiring.

I find the constant Christian claims that they struggle to be heard in modern America absolutely laughable. Living in the south you cannot move for churches the size of a multiplex on every corner, and constant bleating that the country needs to slather outdated Christian doctrine over every aspect of life and liberty. For Christians to claim they are under attack, when it is they who have been attacking every aspect of rationality and progress for generations, is just another hollow and self-righteous attempt to prop up and justify the perceived moral high-ground they believe they hold.
The time to put away this blood thirsty creed is long overdue. With it's book full of murder, it's vile sanctification of sickening execution, and it's laughably nonsensical mythology, this legacy of reactionary madness should be cast back into the darkest past from whence it came. Their god is a small god, in a universe more marvelous and inspiring than the "good" book could possibly conceive.

To answer some of the comments on here about how put upon Christians are and how the media/Hollywood are unfair to Christians I have to say that as an agnostic I do not hate Christians or even hold them in disdain. What I do object to is the tendency on the part of some Christians to try and force their beliefs on someone else. While this country may have been founded by Christian men, there are people of many other beliefs and religions who have come to this country to worship or not as they see fit. When the Christian right in this country stops trying to force me to live as they see fit and to dictate what my life should be, then I as a nonbeliever will stop speaking out for the rights of people in this country to believe as they wish. It is more than disingenuous for the Christian right rant and rave about Hollywood's "social engineering" when they are essentially doing the same thing by trying to impose their beliefs and life style on others. Christ's message as I understand it is that people should love one another and do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I see very little of that in the Christian right wing in this country. Leave me be and quit trying to force your beliefs and way of life on me and you will get the same consideration from me. Because I do not believe, that does not make me evil, just different. This country is great because of its diversity and the freedom to be and believe as we see fit, not as others see fit.

Amen.

It's all nuts. Jesus in MOVIES?? Come on now. I do however believe that Jesus is fiction and used to coerce people into believing his is the right way . You can tell how well that works with the curruption you evidence everyday in the form of our christian elected officials and how well they use their christianity in filling their own pockets before helping others . Or, the people that believe God mad them do it to wipe out the bad. Or etc.............. People are people and christianity does nothing to change a good persons behavior. As for bad people, they are just bad. If Jesus were to enter their lives they will use him as a crutch and an excuse to explain their bad behavior. Why are some animals good and some bad. (humans too are animals)?. He must select them prior to their birth. Just doesn't make sense

@Michael: You've really highlighted the big problem here, with your misguided equating of Christianity with "faith and morality". Many of us are not Christians, and yet are as faithful and as moral as Christians. One big reason why some Christians feel marginalized, by Hollywood and increasingly by society in general, is because of this myopic view placing their own personal preferred beliefs and values over that of others, refusing to acknowledge that reasonable people disagree on matters of religion, and that equal person is equally deserving of respect and dignity, regardless of their religious persuasion.

Not sure whether Perry's true success boils down only to two five-letter words: M-O-N-E-Y and J-E-S-U-S; maybe ENTERTAINMENT may have something to do with it as well; although, am pretty sure that many, many christian organizations boil down to these same two five-letter words – listed here again in order of most of these organizations' priority: M-O-N-E-Y and J-E-S-U-S.

... and let's perhaps remember the wisdom: God created a perfect world; it is Man who messed it up. We should find God, not only in Hollywood, but in our daily lives, those we interact with on a daily basis, and foremost, in our own head, heart and souls. Goodness and "godliness" comes from within – it cannot be superficially superimposted. Time to get back to basics folks. Think about it.

Jessica, I wouldn't be so quick to blame the "drugs and X-rated material" in the movies for society's ills. The Bible has some pretty horrible imagery within its pages. Murder, war, slavery, incest...the list goes on.

The fallacy persists - there are ties between religion and morality!

I don't believe in
God, devils, spirits, elves, angels, ghosts, prophecy, supernatural beings, levetation, water walkings, devine births, virgin births, resurection, and all the other crazy religious nonsense

But the movies are great, keep up the work tyler.

Qdog

The fallacy - ties between religion and morality exist!

This is amazing!! I've been waiting for along time for writer to write like this.. The Medis are so powerful today perception becomes reality...It's true based on hollywood Religion equals to insanity..which is not the case.

Only in America....

I must admit, I had never paid attention to Tyler Perry or his films. Like I am sure many white people, I had assumed they would be largely Afro-Centric, that I would miss out on a lot of the humor and culture so I would spend my limited entertainment dollars elsewhere.

Thank you for letting me know that he is a Christian and extolls faith in his movies. As a Christian who is so frustrated with Hollywood treating 80% of the country as ignorant idolators, I am so glad there are at least some brave unapologetic Christian filmmakers.

Make no mistake about it folks... the world is screwed up because of your buddy "Jesus".

Your "almighty" and "forgiving" lord??? Who banishes non-believers and (lol) other random **odd folks** to the fires of hell??

PEOPLE ! ! !

DO YOU EVEN HEAR YOURSELVES???

Oh for crying out loud.

Why don't you folks start behaving like civilized humans just because it's good policy to behave like civilized humans... NOT because some bearded Santa Clause **who floats around in the clouds** keeps a clip board with 7 billion names along with the daily infractions of said 7 billion human beings.

Again.

Please.

OH PLEASE ! ! !

DO YOU EVEN HEAR YOURSELVES???

I believe this is one of the best analogy of Hollywood I've ever read. Thank you so much for putting your comments out there. I love Tyler Perry. I pray that he never retires Madea. He always has a message and that message is that no matter how bad things are, you can always turn to God. God loves and forgives us no matter what. Families that have any values at all want to watch movies that they can share with their children. We need more Tyler Perrys in the world today. Tyler we love you and keep up the good work.

Thanks again!

I heard there really isn’t any evidence that Jesus even existed, much less that he was divine. How can you get so wrapped up in something without being able to find out for sure? That sure doesn’t interest me.

I agree that the movies are good. There are some question as to where the Godly values are? Making mockery of God, a man portraying a woman. In The movie the Diary of a Mad Black Woman where the there is the scene of the two having slept together. She was still a married woman-adultery. The morals of the stories may have good intentions but I really don't see a lot of God in these movies. Rich and Famous is what Tyler Perry has become, more power to him if thats what he is seeking. But Jesus did not seek Rich and Fame and certainly not portraying a unholy woman!!

I really enjoyed this article. I am not a Christian myself. I am an atheist. But I also agree that there is nothing wrong with making movies that mention the teachings of the Bible. While I don't believe in a "God" I do believe that if we all lived the way Jesus said we should the world would be a much better place.

Here is one Christian, not ashamed to say, "Amen!" Good job Roland and great points. Thank you for standing up and not sitting back in the shadow.

Why don't we hear big producers names such as, Stephen Spielberg, George Lucas and others announcing movies like Tyler Perry's, that's because the surely don't include GOD in their work, they like the killing, stealing, sex and violence to be successful. Tyler Perry is a great representation of what a Christian is, never negotiate your values and beliefs for money, for if you are faithful to GOD, HE will make you rich and famous without Hollywoods help. As for us, we will see all of MADEAs movies and will continue supporting TYLER PERRY, the best producer there is.

It it not coincidental that the rest of the western world has become more secular while surpassing the United States in educational competence. The less religion the better.

Bob – Your propensity to judge and attach labels to others suggests that you still don't get it.

Roland,
You miss an important requirement of your Commentary:

I love Tyler Perry and his talents are many and entertaining. Keep up the good work Tyler!

Hollywood will only "Love" you if you vote for the same "Values" and candidates they support.
One can not be a True Believer and Christian unless they stand and obey all of God's Law's, not just the select laws Pelosi and the Pelosi Puppet Pundits want to follow.
This means testifying, witnessing and living God's word no matter how uphill and outcast that makes one feel in todays' world.
This also includes preaching against Abortion, Gay & Lesbian Marriage, and other sins of the flesh.
This is not easy, but it is what Christ and the Heavenly Father require of Christians.
So, you commentary is false about God and Hollywood co-exiting. I wish it were true, and years ago when many of Hollywood's Elite served in the military and served their country, this was true.
This also includes Loving those who have sinned, and guiding them to a life with God.
This also means Christians are not to cast out or judge sinners without first embracing them into God's fellowship. If the sinner turners away from God, then Christians have tried and as Jesus said, "Knock off the dust from your sandals as you leave their home."
Basically, Love Gay & Lesbians as you guide them to the Word of God, but it is up to them to follow God's laws.

Roland, God Bless you for trying, but I know its tough in the media realm to try and bring two sides together. Thanks for trying.
God Bless You and Tyler Perry!

Thank you Mr. Martin for a wonderful commentary and I agree with you 100%! Mr. Perry has the God given talent to reflect our basic human need. There are moments in his films where you laugh, cry, and deep reflections of how we treat one another. Fireproof is also a very good movie for people to enjoy and learn.

"Liberal social engineering" ??? Haha that is hilarious. What Theists mistake for a "secular agenda" is simply their terrified realization that most people have woken up from the delusion of religion long ago, and their lamentation that the days when the fear of the Invisible Bully in the sky dominated, i.e. the Middle Ages, are long over. Religion should be mocked as its a dangerous neurological condition which symptoms include delusional thinking and an absence of critical thinking skills.

It's a shame that movies with Christianity themes are so rare that they become a news story. But I am very thankful that there are some people willing to make these movies. I love Tyler Perry movies and watch them all. They are well made movies that are entertaining as well as inspirational. Mr. Perry shows that it can be done!!

God may, or may not, exist, I don't really know. My problem lies with the "scriptures". The Old Testament is clearly a document that is chock full of barbarism. I won't mince words, I would not follow any god that would issue such evil commands. My guess is that it is simply the work of men. It contains all of the prejudices, agendas, creativity, and ego that one would expect from simple humans. The New Testament has been amended by countless scribes, and earlier writers. Its veracity as the "word of God" is a joke. Free your minds, you don't have to have a "big sky father" looking out for you to lead a good, decent, and moral life. For the true believers in the audience, I challenge you to seek out Sam Harris' "Letter To A Christian Nation" and Bart Ehrman's "Misquoting Jesus". I honestly don't think many of you would have the strength of faith, or intellect, to do so.

It's so sad to see people equate the word liberal with godless. Liberal means to be tolerant and accepting. I am a liberal minded Christian.

There are many in the entertainment industry. People like Bono are liberal and people of faith. Michael Jackson, whether you call him screwed up or a genius, was always speaking of his faith in God and he was liberal minded. God is mentioned in so many of his songs and also in his poetry.

I agree, many of the entertainment companies shy away from reference to God. Who owns them? Not the many liberal minded faithful individuals in the entertainment industry.

its sad so few people believe in God today. Unfortunatley many people dont realize that.....to see, you have to believe. People want to see to believe. More plainly stated if you want to experience and understand God you have to believe in him, if you do not, you will not see. Im sure you've heard "blessed are those who believe and yet have not seen".

Also, if you take the time to experience nature you will see how everything is connected and see just how amazing light is. There is plenty of evidence of God in nature and everyday life, but you have to believe to see it. I promise its there....
Its really easy people...God is always waiting for you....open your mind and heart and you will be on your way.

Thank you for writing such a good article. Hopefully, this particular artist's works will continue to thrive and allow us another venue to see good movies!

I hadn't heard about these movies. This news restores hope that it might be safe to go to the movies again. Without your report, I wouldn't have known.

"Maybe we just need to keep praying for Hollywood so they’ll wake up and realize there is a huge field that can be cultivated, if only they work it."

So, with this statement as part of the closer for the commentary, it truly is back down money in Hollywood, right? And Christians certainly have a good amount of that in this country. Why not open up that massive, conservative pocketbook with movies that pander to religious views? Hollywood has done it with everything else... While not a Christian myself, I do believe in the ideals of religious tolerance and the separation of Church and State we have in this country.

As such, even though I am not a fan of his films (although I did appreciated his cameo in the recent Star Trek redux), I applaud Mr. Perry for standing firmly behind his values without forcing them on us non-Christians or condemning us for our differences of opinion when it comes to the creation of the Universe, gods, or the "hereafter" unlike so many in his audience base.

It would seem that Mr. Perry has NOT forgotten the central theme of his chosen religion: love - but not just any kind of love, UNCONDITIONAL love. Love for all your fellow men and women around you...even the liberals, the homosexuals, the Muslims, the murderers...EVERYone... Don't let your religious views be ones of convenience - if you dare to follow a philosophy or dogma, be brave enough to follow it to the letter.

In the wise and poignant words of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi: "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ."

Namaste and coexistence, everyone!!!

Of course Hollywood and God can co-exist. It's ALL fiction.

Mr. Martin, I thought you wrote an articulate and professional piece. Thank you for your insight...To Rev Keith Wright (Deist), I'd respectfully ask you to reconsider your thoughts on prayer and that it's only used in times of great need...Prayer is not just asking for help, it's speaking to your very creator...telling Him just how thrilled you are with what He's given to you, thanking Him for the opportunities He's provided you to see beyond your circumstances and have hope in every situation. He is my constant companion, my very best friend, and the breath of my life. Yes, He is there in times of great need my friend, but He is also there in times of quietness and joyful satisfaction. Reconsider speaking to Him "just because" and realize that there is more to Him that you could have ever imagined...He loves you more than you know and wants to hear your every word..He's God enough to handle it! One thing you'll grow to know to know is that when you get quiet enough to hear The Almighty speak to your heart and guide your decisions, you'll be used in a tangible way to help those around you in such a greater way than you would have just doing good things on your own...consider The Red Cross, The Salvation Army, and the hundreds of Hospitals started by those inspired of God....there is confidence is seeking His guidance sometimes before action. If prayer is just for the needy, then we all qualify because we all have needs. But I'd submit to you that prayer is also for those who simply love and trust their Savior and sometimes just want to talk and celebrate His faithfulness to them...;-)

Good words. Keep it up, Martin.

Maybe the reason Christians are portrayed in a bad light is that the world is having a hard time telling the difference between us and those who aren't! I say any media that points people to Jesus is something to cheer about. It's time for Christians to be loud and proud while we still have a few rights left

"Hollywood has long made fun of religious people, portraying pastors as crazy or deranged."

What about the stirring positive portrayals of religious leaders by Richard Harris in "The Count of Monte Cristo" and Phillip Seymour Hoffman in "Doubt," to give a couple of examples? There are more positive examples in cinema than just Tyler Perry's.

Oh yes, an article about how poor, browbeaten Christians (who only make up 95% of our elected officials and 86% of the American populace) are so overlooked in mainstream media.

Without looking into it deeply, I can name several Judeo-Christian god themed movies which have done quite well in the American Cinema – Passion of the Christ being just one.
"It's a Wonderful Life" comes to mind...as does Cecil B DeMil's "Shadow of the Cross." "The Trouble with Angels" did quite well, as did "Michael."

There. I just spanned better than 80 years of films, and included several "blockbusters."

Christians in America are NOT an oppressed minority. They are NOT under-represented or under-appreciate (mostly by themselves, as we see in the comments below.)

Honestly...this is like Muslims in Egypt or Buddhists in Japan complaining that they are oppressed.

Give it a break and open your eyes.

Remeber folks, what was the center of our nation that established the reason why you have so many luxuries today, it was the church.
Christ died on the cross so that YOU may have eternal life. If you reject that, it is your choice. I am a Christian, not a robot. I have made all of my own choices. Prayer works. I would not be here and alive today if it wasn't for Jesus Christ. Remember we are talking about the Son Of God, here.

As far as film-making, why even critique this man's movies. I applaud the fact that this man is trying to put some good in this word, even an atheist should agree on some end with that. This man is living what His dream is, thats what everyone in Hollywood wants to have.

Its not a matter of God vs. Hollywood, the real question is, where are you going when you die? Where will you be whenever your movies don't "work" anymore... put them in your coffin. Where will you be?

If you have your own way, I would try humbling yourself and get some real healing. Christ loves you more than anyone in this world, and if you say he doesn't, i guarantee you that you never got the chance to get to know him

God always keeps knocking at the door, its your choice whether or not you open it. Just remember that.

Like most movies in Hollywood they are made for entertainment purposes only. However, there are times when one might shed a tear, crack a smile, laugh and in some instances get angry after viewing an emotionally charged film – the point is to move people in a POSITIVE way – leave you with something good – if you are open to that . Thank GOD for the talents of Frank CAPRA, Steven SPIELBERG, Martin SCORSESE Walt DISNEY and Tyler PERRY, etc. etc.

Proverbs 3:5-6

I didn't write it, but I believe in the Bible. We are a fallen race. God is perfect and we can't stand that. We don't want to have to answer to anybody. That is why we refuse God. Irony is he loves us. We're all still a bunch of spiritual James Deans. I still am a lot of the time. But I'm so glad eternity doesn't rest on anything I do, It's already been done, thank you Jesus.

"Where is the love and compassion people used to have for one another"
LOL Angela, when did this utopia exist?

And Jayne, you seriously need to read up more on the subject..."If our universe all started with a big bang from a t iny pin point somewhere in space…where did the pin point of matter come from? And if all life evolved from a single cell in the “primordial soup” where did the cell come from? And how and why did a cell decide it needed a liver, eyes, mouth, legs, etc.. to become a living breathing organism like we are today? And more importantly, how did it manufacture these body parts? And if we really evolved from apes, why are they still here??"

We did not evolve from apes, we evolved from a common ancestor, this is basic information, how could you get this so wrong?
And a cell did not decide it needed body parts, such things also evolve over time as organisms got more complex.
As to where the pin point came from, I do not know, no one does, that is what makes it fascinating but hey, I can ask where did god came from and in response you usually get the nonsense of 'always been here' ...as if that is a valid scientific answer.

And seriously trying to compare the idea that space dust was the dust mentioned in the creation of Adam and thus the bible knew it 2000 years before science did is laughable. Lots of cultures have man being created out of dust, dirt, mud or clay, its a common theme.

I would like to see Christian movies that are not so cheesy. If Christian film makers are going to make it long term, then they are going to start thinking outside the box a little more. The plot is always the same. "Life is bad. Let's try to do things God's way. Everything works out in the end." These movies sale because there is not else about God on the market.

Bravo Hollywood! Since the comments to this article are *already* starting to demonstrate the judgmentalism and niggling attempts at censorship by Christians toward anyone who doesn't conform to their perspective, I can find only good in Hollywood continuing to churn out as many movies and shows that, in a more heavily-Christian dominated society (say, post-Hayes Code) would be absolutely forbidden on grounds palatable to Christians but few others.

My sympathy for Christians is quite limited here. Even the protests to stop generalizing fall flat when a sizable proportion of Christians don't realize how casual and under-the-radar their judgmental perspectives really are, preferring, instead, to believe they are the "good" ones. The ability to perform critical self-examination isn't a particularly endemic human talent.

Lots of people missing the point, but you hit it on the head. This isn't about whether God exists; it's about the fact that a lot of people DO believe, and that faith is a part of their lives. Hollywood has a history of only respecting certain "trendy" expressions of faith, as you mention Kabbalah and Scientology. Orthodox Christianity, especially evangelical Christianity, is too often the subject of ridicule. Interestingly, this goes on while at the same time celebrities demand "tolerance" for their views and lifestyles. I don't think most people expect Hollywood to put out a bunch of preachy evangelistic films, but it's not too much to ask for them to accord a measure of respect for the millions of people who lead decent, ordinary lives, and quietly get up and go to church on Sunday, or synagogue on Saturday. And, by the way, by movie tickets pretty regularly.

Christian movies are like Christian rock music...in the words of Mike Judge's Hank Hill..."You're not making religion better, you're just making rock and roll worse!"

Mr. Perry is an example of faith and works. It's almost laughable to hear those that say "there is no God" and point to Hollywood on a map. The fact that Hollywood is a place on this green earth is evidence that there is a God. The evidence of the complexity of the human being and our existence alone should tell you there is a God. The fact that the sun rises and sets everyday without fail should tell you. And no, science had nothing to with it, science is the egg and not the chicken in this case. The mere fact that we exist with dominion over the earth is evident of itself. Scientist's are still trying to figure out from which ape-like animal we've evolved from. Which is it now? First there was Lucy, within the last five years it became "Orion" or something like that, which was supposed to be a more upright ape, LMBO! Science is supposed to explore God-given possibilities, not to try and disprove the existence of God, which won't happen by the way. God exists! It's almost laughable to say otherwise, but it's more sad than anything.

The Great Falling Away....

Religion does NOT equal goodness. It is the result of 2000 year old superstitions that need to be extinguished from all of the world's societies and cultures. We need to learn to be good to each other because we are humans, not because we are threatened with condemnation if we aren't. The first step is to keep religion out of our entertainment so our children are not brain washed into believing it. If you are a parent who does not like the sex and violance on TV (lime me), then TURN IT OFF!

Religion is as decent a vehicle for entertainment as any other kind of magic or fantasy, as long as it's not portrayed too seriously.

Thank you Tyler Perry for showing everyone that Christianity can be humorous! Your plots may be predictable and somewhat corny, but your theme is attracting a wide audience; you are showing the real-life jams we get into and the fact that God can give us hope and support to get out of them. Athiests may view Christianity as false or non-existent, but their denial of God because He is unseen is weak- Everyday we have faith that the sun will rise and set, we marvel at the mysterious and complex arrangement of genes that produces babies with a myriad of physical and personality attributes, stories of people being cured of horrendous disease with no special treatment other than prayer, people walking away from accidents that should have killed them.... I could go on and on. And yes, there are disasters and personal agonies that seemingly have no explanation. God provides explanation in the carrying out of his divine plan throughout our lifetime here on earth: our life exists to teach us that love is the absolute deepest emotion, our human concept of it is superficial compared to God's. And I also fully recommend the Kirk Cameron films- "Fireproof" is phenomenal for anyone facing marital difficulties!

Here is another person of faith conflating religion with morality. I am an atheist and a moral person. I've never harmed a person or animal (except for buying meat in the grocery). Please explain to me how "Christians" lied about WMDs in Iraq leading us to a war that has killed thousands, yet no Christian can identify these liars as immoral? The Crusades are true Christian values for you -not- stories about imaginary beings saving poor people from a life of "sin".

My wife and I are raising our two children morally - without your "family values". When they grow up, I hope their generation will have the numbers to vote your death cult out of political power, so they can be relegated to the status of harmless kooks like voodoo, new age, rabbit's feet, and fortune cookies. It is well past time for this country to grow up.

On the "no evidence God exists" comment. I was just thinking that we live on this ball called earth that hurtles through space held in place by the exact balance of centrifugal force and the sun's gravitation. We are supplied heat and light by this giant ball of energy in the sky. We exist in a extremely complex, organized world which speaks constantly of design. We ourselves are creatures with minds and bodies that are so complex that we do not yet understand them. Everywhere you look in this world from the flowers and trees to your fellow man to the laws of physics all speak of design yet you say there is no evidence of a Designer? We ourselves exist completely by the miracle of birth yet you say this is some random accident? The evidence of God's existence is everywhere but some choose not to see it for there own reasons.

When I first heard of Madea, I could have cared less. After I saw Family That Preys, I was hooked. He does what many cannot do, he tells life. The characters are flawed and the scenarios are real. He knows how to pick a cast, how to tell a story, and how to talk about what no one else will talk about.

So yeah God and Hollywood can co-exsist but you have to not care about Hollywood and care about the message and the work. No compromise you do what you do no matter what.

I take issue with the notion that the Christian faith is specifically discriminated against in Hollywood. While it is true many stars talk about their specific faith weather is be Kabbalah, or Scientology- for every John Travolta and Madonna there is a Tyler Perry or Mel Gibson. A hand full of celebrities speak about their faith on Leno and a wards shows. But the latest Hollywood blockbusters most certainly do make specific reference to Scientology or Kabbalah with in the story. Religious based story telling is a niche market. Quite simply the more vague the religious concepts, the more people you can sell your movie to. That is why there will never be a scene in Die Hard 5 were Bruce Willis takes moment to pray to a specific deity. This isn't discrimination, it is business.

Thank you Mr. Martin, your article was refreshing.

I am sad to read the comments about prayer, our "non-existent" God and the seemingly endless attack on Christianity in some of the above posts.

Please read and realize some of the statements that our founding fathers and early politicians made about God, please study history and discover that it and science help prove the existence of God, please learn about the fossil record and it's inability to prove the necessary transitions from one form to another as evolution states; please, even silently, ask yourself, how did we really get here?

Fellow posters, we are not here by accident, human beings are not here because some fluke in the process; we are here because we were meant to be here, all of us, whether you like it or not, were created in the image of God, by a creator whose desire to love so deeply, beyond all comprehension, gave us life; loving us enough to create us with free-will

I will pray for all the individuals who posted here.

Judging from how often Roland S. Martin invokes Jesus in his editorial, I get the impression that he thinks Christianity is the the be-all and end-all of religious faith. And herein lies the problem. I know he would be perfectly happy with Christianity taking precedence over all other faiths in the movies, but it just isn't the job of Hollywood to be taking such a position.

God bless you, Tyler Perry!! It is so good to know that God has strenghtened you to stand firm in your faith and principles and that He is giving you success in a very unlikely place. Our God is an awesome God and still working and saving His children! You are a blessing!!!

Martin is eloquent, but I don't see an issue here. There is no Hollywood conspiracy to take Jesus from people. If a movie maker is talented, it does not matter what religion he professes as long as the movie can capture people. I like Tyler Perry's movies as an Agnostic and I can still relate to the good message. I just think that Roland is insinuating that we should take Perry's religious views and substantiate them as facts. If Perry were a Buddhist with his talents, his message would still captivate people, but it would not mean he's literally correct with all his beliefs. Beliefs are "beliefs", not facts. It seems to me Martin is just advancing his brand of Christainity here.

Going to an undergraduate school where art and film were two of the main majors, I did not leave that school without noticing some things about the people. It still brings hard tears after hearing so many people talking out their thoughts that God hates them and is trying to manipulate them and force them to believe in Him. How badly we as humans have missed who God really is and what a wonderful thing He has truly done so that we don't have to go throughout life without knowing what it is like to be forgiven and find the "filling up" our hearts so desire down inside.

His followers sometimes fail; hey! we've all failed in someway in life. But yes, if we really have experienced knowing God's forgiveness, we should be living differently. For those of you who have been hurt or disappointed by someone who at least claimed to know Christ, please forgive us. I am so sorry! If any of us have done anything to hurt you, I just want to take the chance to say, I am sorry.

As for Christians, don't worry, we are just as accountable to God for our actions as anyone else. He won't let us get away with hurting others or doing a poor job at our work or going without forgiving others without being rebuked.

The question is, though, will you believe in a God who is always true and has always been faithful? Who is faithful to bring full and final justice but is also faithful to forgive?

How come on every forum that has to do with God, there's the one random guy that needs to share his atheist beliefs with everyone?

It is interesting to see "a picture of the times" through the comments posted, there is venom in some of these postings, over such a matter that should be considered if one would (at least) intellectually attempt to consider balance. Christian faith is NOT the majority anymore, and it isn't the only religion being slandered by the TV/Movie land either, but also Jews, Muslims, and Catholics as well. The underlined theme is a regurgitated script of "I am my own god, and no one should tell me I am wrong," yet those are the same people who whine about others having absolute standards of morality. If we are to maintain a balanced life, we must be able to have respect for beliefs that do not meet our own, because someone is "religious" does not automatically make them racist or a bigot, as the current TV/Movie lands dominating theory depicts. Where has intellectual debate gone to? Glad to see this article.

We are human and we have a brain. Inside that small bit of matter we feel we must determine the foundations of the universe. Each of us alone feels this right. Does that make any sense? Our lives are pretty small and fleeting to decide such matters. The universe is ordered in so many ways. Each action has a reaction. I set out to find God if he was there to be found. Each person owes it to himself to do so.

I never really knew who Tyler Perry was, but I see his movies in the video store all the time, and I never paid attention to them. But now that I know they're Christian-friendly, I think I'll check them out!!

Mr. Martin,
I believe that you were given your office for a specific time as this...
Please continue your "no holds barred" style when it comes to speaking truth. The human soul recognizes any story of "redemption" as the unchecked truth...Hollywood will follow suit.

In spite of the fact that I am not a Christian per se, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. It is an uplifting movie about overcoming adversity through loving each other. This works exactly the same whether in the Christian context or any other path of life. This movie demonstrates that when we truly show real love for each other, magical things happen to our lives.

I highly recommend this movie. I went back and forth from laughing and crying a number of times. Neither Christian love/faith nor any other deeply spiritual aspect of life should be avoided by the entertainment industry. We all crave love and want to love deep down and stories that inspire us to love each other unconditionally as this movie does, are all too absent from the silver screen. This exact same scenario can occur whenever real unconditional love is present whether in the Christian context or within Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, other spiritual paths or in people who do not embrace religion.

After all, in my view, all of Christianity is truly rolled up into the two commandments that Jesus gave to love God with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself. Most of the other dogma is largely irrelevant or even in some cases detrimental, such as that which gives rise to judging others and finger pointing (judge not, lest you be judged).

That negative dogma and rule-based judging and finger-pointing version of so-called "Christianity" that we see manifested in much of the GOP and in many televangelists is not of love – therefore it is not of God or true Christianity as summed up by the two commandments of Jesus. This negative Christianity is not present in this movie, thank God, this movie is about unconditional love and its simple but magnificent and transformative power.

Three cheers for unconditional love, it will truly transform the world.

“Churchgoing folks may be faithful, but they aren’t stupid.”

Actually, belief in religion is a pretty strong indicator of stupidity, or at least ignorance. There are plenty of reasons to wish Hollywood made better movies with less violence, but religion is not one of them.

WOW! What a mixed bag of responses... GOD does exist, the empirical evidence is overwhelming. But can hollywood and God coexist? No, due to the bankruptcy in moral values, narcissism,and greed... in hollywood. Christian based movies will continue to thrive. The moral majority has woken up and are beginning to speak. the left has lowered the bar to the point we can cross over it without lifting a foot... Christians are not perfect, just forgiven.

A Christian story disguised as a Hollywood movie is the most deceiving, boring and downright arrogant piece of junk out there. I want to be entertained, thrilled, taken out of myself for my $10, pluse another $10 for the popcorn and soda. If I wanted to go to church, I would. Plus, I'm not a Christian, so keep in the pews.

I appreciate this article. Thanks Mr. Martin for speaking up about something that is so taboo to talk about anymore in the media. Christians are all over the United States of America but most of us own t.v. and radios and we get what the media puts on the air waves, a bunch of dirty junk and there isn't a whole lot of up-standing worthy shows to watch anymore. I've never seen a movie with Tyler Perry but now I really want to go rent one and see what you are talking about.
Hollywood portrays Christians as right-wing crazies. Unfortuneately there are radicals out there but most Christians are honest, hard-working, family people that love Jesus Christ and the radicals make people think we are all a bunch of "shove-our doctrine-down-your-throat-" type. Prayer is a powerful tool and God hears Christian's prayers. So never give up on praying, it works miracles. Maybe we can pray for the actors in Hollywood that publicly chastise Christians and nothing comes of it, they just get praised in Hollywood for bashing Christians.

nice article but I don't agree that God and Hollywood can co-exist because only one of them exists to begin with, that being Hollywood. Don't get me wrong, many of my family and friends have deep set religious beliefs but all the beliefs in the world can notmake an imaginary entity real.

Good article. The forthcoming Cecil B. DeMille biopic will show how Hollywood was founded by the man who created the Biblical epic with such blockbusters as The Ten Commandments, Samson and Delilah, and The King of Kings. Steven Spielberg says CB DeMille inspired him to make movies.

I'm thrilled knowing someone in the movie making business is being forward enough about his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to make movies that are an inspiration that there is hope, and some light at the end of the tunnel–

God is a child's concept. A special friend that makes everything okay. Think about it, the whole universe is a model of cause and effect. That would mean God is outside that model because he existed out cause and effect. And why would God take on a female or male role? If God is the omnipotent, is the beginning and end, is outside of physics' rules of cause and effect, is an engaged player in social issues, why is he male? That means he would reject the female in him. Hmmmm. He rejects parts of his own character? So he hates females? Oh, no, he loves everyone, right?

See the whole thing is made for 5 year olds who need the security blanket, but in reality that blanket is made of energy and photons and space.

Geeez.

On the first day man created god. god is so invented by man. we created god because we fear the unknown. the more you get educated the less you believe in such thing god. we created god because of fear the unknown and to preserve order in the society. we don't need to fake believe in this anymore. the human being is evolving. notice that 100 years ago the percentage of people who doesn't believe in god was lower than what it's now. with evolution and education people are going to constantly believe less in such thing named god.

Hollywood specializes in fictional characters, so of course they can coexist with any mythical deity. I'm not sure what is surprising about christian cult members being portrayed as a little dranged. They believe in a 2000 year old fairy tale about a Jewish zombie, and that their mythical deity will one day wipe out the rest of humanity in its 'final solution'.

Critics don't pan Tyler Perry because he's an unapologetic Christian, they pan him because he is awful, just terrible.

I'm definitely inclined to agree that Christianity is underrepresented in Hollywood, especially given the religious makeup of the greater United States, but Perry's shows and movies so far have been garbage and how Christian they are has had nothing to do with this fact.

You can make as many Faith-based flicks as you want, but don't expect critics to give them the thumbs up until they're, you know, actually good and stuff.

At the current level of scientific knowledge, (lack of a unified theory, big bang) It is patently absurd to take any definitive stance on the origins of the universe, let alone the existence or lack of a supreme being or creator. People who take such stance ought to take a moment to consider that either belief is simply an opinion before calling anyone on either side silly or stupid for what ever it is they chose to believe.

Go Roland! I agree with you for once. Hollywood had better take notice. This world is not getting better....it's getting worse. Bible readers take note...read Revalations. There is a certain end to this all....and guess what folks? It's going to be OKAY. We win.....the good guys win.
You forgot to mention Fireproof. A wonderful movie highlights the careet of a once Hollywood star (Kirk Cameron) that turned his life over the Lord and then Hollywood turned him away. Flywheel..anothe good Christian movie. Let's see if Tyler Perry can make that movie where homosexuality is put down the way it should be. I'll go and watch that one.

I am not sure why any educated person would claim to believe in god and Jesus and all that. It's not scientific or logical and over the centuries, religion has been the root of all evil in this world. All organized religions are basically cults.

morality in faith? I can argue there is less morality in the bible then in most other fictional books.

Great. Couldn't be said any better.

I am now friending you on facebook, wonderful article..and credit to Tyler Perry.....faith is not something to be ashamed of...it's sustaining....it's real living. Too many in Hollywood have sold it's soul for they love of money (which by the way won't go with you at the end of earthly existence) ...fortunately Jesus paid the price for them (yes, Hollywood is made up of individuals) they just haven't realized they are already paid for...someday they will see that withdrawl and come and join him ...the hope now is that it's not too late..better hurry.

I'm looking forward to viewing it. This is the first I've heard of it. As for those saying God does not exist, well I didn't know this film existed until I found it. Because so many people are saying this film exists, I'm thinking that perhaps it might be true. Now I'm going to watch it. I'm going to experience it for myself. Then I'll decide for myself whether this film exists. One thing is for sure. If I don't stop listening to what others have to say about this film and go see it myself, or if I don't attempt to experience it myself, then I will never know the truth about whether or not it exists. Right now I don't know if this film exists or if it's good, but I do know that God exists. I have experienced Him, and He is good.
Jim

Of course they can. They both peddle fantasy to the witless masses.

Thank you CNN for sharing this commentary.

Great article, Mr. Martin, but truth be told, the hell with Hollywood. They manufacture a lot of trash, promote the nastiest crap on a movie screen, and actually think they are in a position to ridicule Jesus. Those folks are on the same level as the guy who said God couldn't sink the Titanic. The fall of Hollywood will be a lot harder and louder. Tyler Perry is doing just what he's supposed to be doing and he certainly doesn't need Hollywood's approval. We all know those individuals in Hollywood are having a real fit about his success. Who cares? Soon, Hollywood will once again return to its beginnings: nearly all white performers, because they aren't offering much to Black performers, and maybe Tyler's attitude will rub off on more Blacks to do it their way, without Hollywood. Just how much success is expected in a place that takes pride in ridiculing Jesus and Christians? Despite its use of technology and other things, Hollywood is not getting better, it's getting worse. Hollywood's inhabitants and leeches don't have to like one single thing Tyler Perry does. It doesn't matter. Tyler Perry has made it clear he is a man of God and that's who he answers to.

I don't understand how Christians can call themselves a persecuted minority, considering that you're 75% of the country. It's absolute nonsense to argue that Christian values are contradictory to mainstream American values, since they're nearly the same thing.

You can't expect everyone to share your ideals. Those of us who are not Christian don't want your ideologies shoved down our throats, either, and trust me, we get a hell of a lot more than you. When was the last time you saw a congressman make an impassioned rant about shutting down the pork industry because it violates Muslim dietary law? When was the last time your kids got a religious holiday that wasn't Judeo-Christian off? When was the last time you saw a band singing about Shiva during a halftime show? Christianity is overwhelmingly pervasive in American society, and the fact that you're comfortable with it and used to it means you probably just don't see it.

Yes TP flims are simplistic and over the top. They are also funny. They tell a real story and are entertaining. TP knows how to make a film that keep black folks waiting for the next one.

Black folks believe in The Father, The Son and the Holy Ghost (spirit). So, does Perry and he has no reason to compromise. Just like Mel Gibson did not and his movie made a lot of money.

Actors that believe need to stand up to the executives on their beliefs. If they do there would be more films refencing GOD. Hollywood does not want to offend, that is why there are so few movies ......

Actors that believe also need to force directors to rewrite screens that deny GOD.

Roland, I am very delighted for this great piece. Yes! Hollywood is run by unbeleivers with profit-maximization goal minus good morality. Thus, everything and anything goes. Please keep writing on issue germane to our soceity well-being.

Even though Christianity may not be dominant in Hollywood, it's dominant in every other aspect of our culture, so forgive me for not feeling sorry for Christians. When was the last time we had a non-Christian president (or even a non-Christian candidate)? We sing God Bless America at sporting events. God is on our money and in the pledge of allegiance. As an atheist, it saddens me that I'm in the least trusted group of Americans, even though I work very hard to improve the lives of all people.

And those of you who claim that there is evidence of God... try again. The fundamental argument against a creator-God is: If God created the universe, what/who created God? If he was always there, why couldn't the universe have always been there? I'm not saying you can disprove God, and I am open to the possibility of God existing (if there were actual evidence). But evolution clearly explains how we got to be here from simple beginnings. That's much more believable to me than saying something just poofed us into existence. And I'm also tired of Christians using the Bible as "evidence." It's completely circular logic to say that the Bible is true because it's the word of God, and God exists because it says so in the Bible. If you're going to believe in God, that's fine. Just admit that your belief is based on faith, not evidence.

Good word Roland. Some may think that Madea is a "tired" character, but she is just what God has used to reach the lost. Tyler knows that we are in the world, not of the world - I am happy that
God will continue to use him for HIS glory!!!

Sometimes it's just OK to sit back, watch a movie, and enjoy it. Every film doesn't have to tackle racism, uncover secret societies, reveal a coverup in government, or blow up the universe. It's OK to relax and be entertained, and maybe even moved a little. Remember the musicals of the 40's?

Perry's movies are not best written, but I don't really need or expect them to be. It's refreshing to see everyone fully clothed and not dropping the f-bomb every 5 minutes. I went to opening night just to get out of the house and enjoy a movie (without the kids). I ended up truly enjoying myself. The plot was decent, Ms. Henson was phenominal and brought her character to life. A few 19 or 20 year olds behind me giggled when she was having a spiritual moment in her kitchen. She was singing and calling on the Lord for help. I realize they giggled only because they didn't understand. I've had those desperate moments when only calling on the name of Jesus would help. Now that's real; nothing fake about that scene at all! I appreciate what Tyler Perry is doing. And, Ronald, thank you for saying what many of us have been thinking!

Hollywood should mock "persons of faith".

That's because religious adults have an imaginary magical buddy. Some of them, like Martin, are the con artists that hustle the stupid and vulnerable for cash and power by working the scam. Others are the marks who have such a tenuous hold on reality that they will believe the most ridiculous nonsense.

No good comes from tolerating this garbage.

Thank you SO much for bringing to light what I thought no one else noticed. Our children are so saturated by "Hollywood" with negativity, violence, sex, and darkness by the very people who control our culture that none of them can honestly ask, "why are kids killing each other and having sex at 12?" It's all they see. The people who spoke so loudly for "Change" are the ones who continue to peddle the darkness to our kids for their own financial gain. If they really want change, they have to take responsibility for the high level of influence they have and make something positive. Thank you for giving ME a voice! I felt that I did not have one.

I think that Roland's argument is not necessarily saying that Perry's films are well-made by film standards, as they (and Fireproof, and Facing the Giants) certainly are not. What he is saying is that there is a huge audience of people that care enough about seeing their lives and hopes and faith on screen that they will pay big bucks to see it. Imagine what money could be made by Hollywood if they actually paid attention to this and made GOOD movies accurately portraying Christians?

The problem is that most Hollywood executives view Christians just as my fellow commentesr do, as stupid, unintellectual and naive. Please tell that to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, John Jay, C.S. Lewis or Jonathan Edwards, all Christians who took their faith and the life of the mind very seriously. No, faith and intelligence are not irreconcilable, they simply are not portrayed that way in Hollywood, and until the big boys realize that, they will never reach the true Christian Audience.

Thanks for the article I had seen his movies but was unaware of the underlying intetion he had and as I know of Hollywoods inability to accept that a large majority of Amercians have religious faith or to accept that so am very impressed he has managed to break through the media bigotry. When you look at the range of movies out there it is obvious the obsession with murders, demons, serial killers . murder, stealing and other crimes dominate the screen. For myself I dont believe Hollywood is creating this in Americans, its just reflecting what is in the hearts and minds of so many people and that is what really scares me. I wish Mr.Perry sucess and hope Americans in general start turning away from such violent films and other gross films, they really are offensive in their obsession with evil and cant be good for ones mind or soul.

Christianity doesn't solve problems, never has, never will, because it's fake.

Well, this is about censorship, isn't it? It doesn't matter what your personal tastes are regarding religion or politics. If we expect equal rights in society, then we must afford those who disagree with us the same rights. But Hollywood is a business and will cater to whatever the market demands. Religious films ought to be shown, just as nonreligious films ought to be. To offer such an example of nonreligious discrimination, the new British film "Creation", about the early life of Charles Darwin, has been prevented for US distribution by its producers because America is too religious, and therefore might be controversial. Well, I don't understand why this kind of biographic portrayal should be any more or less controversial than other films of the same nature. Please, don't let us argue religion any longer – we're talking about censorship in a pluralistic society: we all have different tastes, and that fact won't change.

Hollywood has done some wonderful movies with religious overtones, which I do enjoy. The only ones I hate are ones that blantently try to shove Christianity down my throat.

I grew up in a Protestant family, but always struggled with the concept of Jesus's divine. status What pushed me over was all these Christian denominations saying "Praise Jesus" all the time. Well, what happened to saying "Praise God" like all the rest of the other religiious? Its direct and to the point.

It is more clear for me to think Jesus was a prophet (as Moses, or Abraham, or even Mohammad) spreading God's love and word to his people. I just feel closer to God when I speaking to him directly in prayer, rather than having to use Jesus as a mouthpiece.

Great article. For those who think that having faith is stupid, well I have to say at least we're not stupid enough to go to a burning hell and be tormented by demons for eternity about the chances we passed up to make it right with God while we were alive. God does exist. He exist because I apply what he says in the bible to my everyday life and I keep getting the results that is promised. Thats enough evidence for me to know he exist. I totally agree with @Roy that Christians should be building an entertaintment industry around christian principles. All these talents came from God and we as christians have kept him in the box for so long. Its very important that we take God out of the box but!!!!!! we must be very sensitive and let him inspire us on how to take him out the box and not go ahead of him because when we do that we end up falling prey to the spirit of compramise.

Storm in a glass of water, Roland! There is no god, people have been deceived for thousands of years. Religions, in general, and christianity, in particular, are the most massive swindle human beings have ever been subjected to!

I've got to say I'm rather offended by your implication that movies must be either full of sex and violence or be religious in nature; not all non-Christians adore slasher films and porn, you know. If you want to be psyched that a series of pro-Christian movies are doing well at the box office, that's fine, but please don't imply that movies that aren't all about Jesus are necessarily blood-soaked orgies.

I think you are only seeing what you want to see. CBS had Touched by an Angel, which ran for 9 seasons, which was one of the highest rated shows on CBS at that time. Then you have 7th Heaven, which centered around a pastor and his family and their Christian ideals (11 seasons on the WB). Joan of Arcadia (CBS for two years) was about a girl who communicated with God and did His tasks. Those are just a few that come to mind off the top of my head... I know there's been more.

I think the thought that Hollywood rejects Christianity is martyrdom. Perhaps the Christian public should support Christian-themed movies and TV shows by watching them. Money talks!

Although Tyler Perry is a Christian, his films focuses on morally that is found in all religious teachings. I think people of faith in this country need to come together to support individuals who are promoting moral and ethic teachings that helps all people evolve spiritually regardless of their religion.

To the critics...
I don't think that there is anything wrong with predictability in movies. I LIKE predictability. I LIKE happy endings. I don't think that I'm alone in that. I read the world predictable and that tells me that I probably will enjoy the movie. So, thanks for letting me know.

Also, if Christians are the majority (and running everything), why don't we see more shows that reflect that. It would seem to me that there would be a market for that. Guess what, there is and Tyler Perry has tapped into it.

However, when I hear Christians talk about Christian entertainment, I get confused. They complain about language and vulgarity. They forget that Christianity is about redemption and forgiveness and the hope for a better tomorrow. Jesus loved sinners and we're all sinners (Christian or not). The cursing and the drinking and the bad language reflects the "sinful condition" At the end of the Tyler Perry movies, the sinners have been redeemed, but still aren't perfect. That reflects true humanity. I hope there are more movies that show this!

For those who don't believe in God, I respect your right not to believe. Please respect my right to believe. You have the right to think I'm stupid. I reserve the right to think the same about you.

Thanks, Mr. Martin. I appreciate the article.

Hooray to people who are true and firm to their faith.

I find it particularly hilarious - and somewhat fascinating - that Christians in this country are able to portray themselves as some sort of oppressed minority. It makes you look like self-important martyrs. Get over yourselves.

Hollywood acts like all us christians have to do all day is post to conservative blogs.

Jesus reigns!

God will still BE, even after Hollywood is NOT.

I don't find being religious, required, to accomplish things of value, or to behave in an appropriate manner, or to socialize with others.

I do observe, that some of the most despicable people I have met, have been "religious".

Until you address the behavior of religious people, instead of simply accepting any kind of behaviors, in the name of religion, i will not find religion of value. On the contrary, I find that some of the nicest people you can know, who are intelligent, articulate, and creative, are not religious at all.

I tend to associate religion with these traits: uneducated, extremist, intolerant of others, blind to reality, hateful, self-centered, expecting forgiveness, racist, ......to name just a few.

We can easily see what religion does, simply by looking at the mid-east. Persecution, terror, violence, murder, intolerance, among others.

Thanks, but I am too much of an ethicist, too honest, and too much a thinking person, to accept any of the hundreds of "religions" in the world, that simply treat people badly.

The title of your commentary suggests that God and Hollywood are equals. Since God created the world, Hollywood would never have existed without him. If there is a co exitstance, it is because God has allowed Hollywood to exist. Since Hollywood does not have any real respect for God, we cannot look to Hollywood for an accurate message about God and Jesus. As Perry says, “These stars can make all the references in the world to Kabbalah or Scientology, and that’s just fine,” he told USA Today last year, “But mention Jesus Christ, and they (studios) don’t want to deal with you.”
In conclusion, read Romans 1:28-32... It fits Hollywood to a T!!

It's hard to feel sorry for Tyler Perry, Mel Gibson or any other Christian talent when they get such lock-step support at the box office from their base. I feel sorry, instead, for Paul Bettany, Jennifer Connelly, and director Jon Amiel who cannot get a distributor for their movie "Creation" about Charles Darwin because of the controversial nature of the facts surrounding evolution.

With two clergy given automatic seats on the MPAA's ratings board and only 39% of the American public "believing" in evolution, I fear I know who's winning the culture war in this country. Crying that there isn't enough Christianity apparent in American soc iety is simply another ploy to marginalize the rest of us a little more.

"nobody ever lost money underestimating the taste of the American people" – Marlon Brando

Tyler Perry's movies are crap... they aren't engaging, the stories are terrible, the writing is contrived, I can go on.

As for "J-E-S-U-S" in the movies, the majority of Christians may claim to want "equality" or "to not be ignored" but when you step back and look at it, what is truly being asked for is to have everything THEIR WAY, like a petulant 4 year old child who's going to whine & cry and throw a tantrum.

Thank you for this article..I will be honest, I have never known that Mr. Perry was delivering a message in those films. I have only seen trailers and the characters seem so crass and insulting I have never bothered to try to sit through one of his films. I don't think this new revelation (that his movies have a good message) will make it so I want to make the effort...but I am glad to understand why they are popular with others. It is sort of sad that good messages about Christianity have to be packaged in over-the-top Flip Wilson humor....but whatever works.

Hi. I 'm from Canada. I too appreciate what Tyler Perry is doing. Although it is true that some of the Madea characteristics, and history of her character don't seem to add up, but I appreciate Tyler's boldness to proclaim Jesus with his career. Go Tyler !!!!!!
Don't forget that the Name of Jesus has Ultimate Power and that 's why His name offends so many. People right away know that when The Name of Jesus is Used, that He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

There is no god. Onto the next question.

well said – i think living and working in atlanta goes a long way – i live and work on movies in los angeles and it is a dark place for believers – well said roland and well done tyler – thanks brothers in Christ -

My mother is an Anglican minister here in Canada, so I can appreciate the attempts of many religious people to express their beliefs through cultural expression. Much of the great art produced by civilizations from around the world was inspired by faith. However, there is a tendency, especially eith North American "Christian" cultural producers, to create products which are aesthetically and intellectually bankrupt. Some of these products do indeed find a market success - the Left Behind franchise, the vast majority of "Christian music", and the Tyler Perry films are all great examples of financially successful projects. Art is made great not because it ascribes to the same philosophy or system of beliefs as the audience, but rather because it allows humanity a gesture of transcendence and understanding which can alter the perceptions of that audience.

The Tyler Perry films are indeed awful films. They do not allow the audience to think of the important questions in existence, they do not bring non-Christians into a religious discussion of importance, and neither do they advance the state of film making or of comedy. In no capacity are they better or worse than other successful film franchises such as American Pie or Transformers. All of these films exist solely to make money for their producers.

Mr. Martin, might I suggest that you watch some films with Christian messages which are actually quality films, such as Andrei Rublev or Kieslovski's Dekalog (based on the Ten Commandments). After experiencing truly inspired pieces of art, you may come to appreciate that many of today's so-called Christian producers are doing little but lining their own pockets in the name of their religion.

"Whoever comes to God must believe that He is." (Hebrws 11:6) There is plenty of evidence pointing to the existence of God, although not absolutely proving it. There are plenty of "holes" to allow those who choose not to believe excuses for doing so while not "proving" God does not exist. Those who believe find a reality not fully explained by evidence. Those who do not believe Point to the "holes" as if they were proof of something. God has given enough positive evidence to justify faith, while leaving enough questions to allow unbelief. Faith, by definition, is believing in something that is not proven. As a former atheist, I am glad to have found a reality I refused to admit and find that faith in Jesus opens a whole new world of scientifically unproven truth. Hollywood needs to open itself to something it cannot prove but is nevertheless real.

Do you think for one moment that God is approving of Tyler Perrys movies? The cursing the display of violence at times, the women dressed provocatively? Come on Church (CHRISTIANS) Gods standards are way higher than this! 1 John 1:5 God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. Come on y'all God doesn't promote a luke warm Gospel and most definitely not a man who dresses as a woman, men are not to imitate women Old Testament. Jesus Bless

You have to love the comments of the history revisionists attempting to claim that peple pursuing freedom to worship God in the manner they chose wasn't a major driving force in the founding of this nation. I guess they exclude the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution from their reading.

Here's an undisputed history fact: The Great Atheist Experiment has been done. Wasn't humanity just great under Soviet Russia, Khmer Rouge and Red Chinese rule? Millions of innocents slaughtered by their own countrymen would answer that, if they could.

The reality of the Christian-bashers comes to this: they bash those who have claimed to be Christian for their own ends, who then acted for their own purposes in a completely unChristian manner. Not a logical argument against either God or Christianity, in general.

One last thing: Please name all of the people you know, have heard of, read about, etc that make this public claim: My life, marriage, relationsips, etc have been changed by God for the better after I became a Christian. There are literally millions who know and believe this.
Now for comparison, name all of the people who publicly claim that their lives, marriaged, relationships, etc have changed for the better because they rejected God and became atheists.
~~~ insert sound of crickets chirping here~~~

You can tell where the hearts of atheists really are because of all the fine charitable organizations they fund for the poor, education, addiction recovery, abused families, etc. Right. There are almost none of those.

Before you start trying to fling the "hypocrite" label at ALL who claim to be Christians, remember that it is the Christian non-profit organizations that contribute over 80 percent of what exists in North America in the form of the charitable activities listed above.

Hollywood and God cannot co-exist, because only one of them really exists. I live in Hollywood, so I'm pretty sure that's the one that exists.

Thank you for Roland for having the conviction of faith and confidence to unabashedly stand up for Christianity. Also, thank you CNN for publishing him without a snicker. Both have my admiration.

It's funny to see religious people acting like they are the ones who are victimized, when in fact they are the ones ruining the world. I dislike religious people because they seem to think they are morally superior, when in fact almost every rapist, murder, and thief in the world, is one of your so called god fearing people. Religious nut cases around the world kill each other, and then pretend as if all the violence in this world is someone else's fault.

Also, you tend to portray Atheists as the bad guys, when we are the sane ones and you are the pyscho's. We are not the ones who killed people in witch hunts, or enslaved people because of their race, bomb and kill people every day. And by the way, don't try to make stupid intrepretation's of the bible, and try to make it seem as if, the big bang is written in the Bible. You idiots believed that world was flat, and that the sun revolves around the earth. If it wasn't science, where would you be? You are ready to accept a trashy film just because it speaks about god? It just goes to show how stupid you people are. I don't need to prove that there is no god, just as i don't need to prove you are all stupid, because it's the truth.

I don't watch any of Tyler Perry's movies or shows. Not one, and I never will. No way ... not ever.

But that choice has nothing to do with their religious content. In fact, I wasn't even aware his movies were religious until I saw this column. I have seen some of his material in short snippets, though, and found it incredibly stupid and lame ... nowhere near funny.

That's why I don't see anything of his any more. I disapprove of insipidity, no matter who produces it, and I don't give a whit whether or not it's religious. Insipid and dumb is insipid and dumb, period.

Mr Martin can blame that decision on religion, but he's wrong to do so. He is, in fact, in no position whatever to read the minds of those who dislike Perry and his so-called comedy. Moreover, Mr Martin would be wise not to engage in the practice of mind-reading, since his own God has utterly condemned it and all other forms of divination; see e.g. Lv 19:26 and Dt 18:10-11 among other passages.

One further note: This article in praise of Tyler Perry - who appears on a Time Warner channel (TBS), is written by an employee of another Time Warner channel (CNN). Credibility is therefore limited from the outset.

Implying that "family movies" = "movies with a god theme" is just plain wrong. In my family of ethical humanists, I find it offensive to have my kids exposed to supernatural ideas (gods) protraying them as truth. I think it is harmful to imply that a god exists since there is no evidence for it. As someone who has studied anatomy, physiology and evolution, I know it is just plain silly to hypothesize that gods were involved in our evolutio.. Too each his own. Of course I am all for freedom of speech and if people who believe in god(s) want movies with god themes, that is fine. We just wont go.

God will still BE GOD even after Hollywood is NOT!

thank you for this article it is really good and he should be pround

Yes, I also want to put in a good word about "Fireproof" My all time favorite movie... one that's ashamed to be Christian.

Thought it's admirable that he is Christian, or a man strong in his faith regardless of what that faith is, my problem with his films is the same as many of the critics: I simply don't find them entertaining or in any way funny. It's not because I'm not a Christian or because I'm not a minority (I am) or because I like big explosions in my movies. He's just not funny. He doesn't strike me as talented at all. The stories are redundant and formlaic. And, yes, I agree he has an audience and that's fine. It's simply my opinion. Just realize that, just because someone like myself will avoid watching any more of his films or tv shows, it's because we feel he's not entertaing, not because we don't enjoy wholesome movies. Lots of other producer/writer/directors show more talent but don't have the success of his film. Many Americans are simply entertained by simple things, I guess.

God doesn't need Hollywood but Hollywood could use a universe full of God fearing and God fearing servants.

This would be a great point, but saddly it's a waste as there is NO god.

I think this topic is much bigger than JESUS = MONEY or some kind of culture war thing. I want to see the dialogue elevated beyond that.

All of the most relate-able storytelling ever survives based on how much it matches the real story we live in. "Everything good comes from God" is a Christian principle, meaning whatever is good in any culture or people is a gift from God regardless of how complete it is to the full story. Likewise, whatever is false is false and not from God. It's a tall order to sort that out, but I believe among all others, the Christian narrative makes the proper distinctions.

Highly influential story theorists like Robert McKee who've trained most of our major film-makers argue for the idea that there is "One Real Story". Of course, Hollywood is primarily pantheistic, so he is quick to downplay Christianity's centrality in the mix. Most in Hollywood who ascribe to "One Real Story" insist that the origins are Zoroastran, Mithraic or some-such. This is the view in many ways represented by the popular indie Zeitgeist film. It's very clear to me that these other sources fail to express the fullness of the Christian story. Christianity is very distinct from these mystery religions.

All this is to say that when it comes to Christian ideas making $$ in Hollywood, this is nothing new. Jesus doesn't need to be explicitly named for the statement of a story to draw viewers. Spiritual truths delivered well always have tremendous success, financially and otherwise. But the human heart is corrupt, so people tend to forget where the roots of story are. Christians included. There's room for transparently Christian stories like Perry's, if the culture can stomach them. But if we start treating our films like idols we're going to become the greedy televangelist caricatures secular entertainment usually makes us out to be.

You are to be commended for your stance! We as Christian America need to remember to pray for everyone in Hollywood to remember if not for the grace of God they wouldn't be where they are to day & to remember to give God the glory...not themselves. Well said Mr. Martin!

Think about this one: The bible says that on the first day, God created light. But he didn't create the sun until the third day. So where did this first light come from? It just was? Your bible has many, many things that make no sense, yet you continue to "believe" that it is the word of God. Please!

We need to have more conversations on this subject. Their should be more films that are entertaining but CHRIST centered. Well done Roland, the Lord's good and faithful servant.

I have an invisible, magical friend who lives in the sky, and watches everything I do, and talks to me, and listens to my thoughts!!! I have absolutely no sense of self-determination, so I have to rely on my imaginary friend for comfort! Yay me!!

This is a based on the movie " Informant"..there are so emotional moments in the Hollywood movie and some are many of your life in unfounded place is that there is very famous source that we should have learned leeson on that balance and check if filmmaking don't want to see that happens while the bad and good todays' world is share people and sociology...

We throw around the word Christian too easily; especially when we refer to issues regarding God and Jesus Christ. Is Tyler Perry a Christian? Only the fruits of his labor can prove that. Let's not assume that every one who mentions God & Jesus Christ is Christian. There is a lot more to being a Christian than what the world considers as a description. God and Hollywood can exist but only if we give the glory to God where it belongs. Whether the movies are bad or good is a totally different arguement. What is in the heart of those involved in making the movie? Is everyone on the same page or is the matter of money weighing more in the heart than Jesus? We have the same problem going on in Christian music. We really need to check ourselves as Christian or true Christ followers when interacting with the secular world and its activities.

Maybe the Christians should work on trying to balance science education and their theology so that we can move forward as a society? Maybe Christians should work on reining in the hard right wing conservatives? Until Christians clean up their house, it's hard to respect them when they're gay-bashing, killing doctors, promoting torture, being anti-environment.

When Christians start walking the walk according to their "talk" perhaps the rest of us will listen.

Satan is real and the author of all lies. He is President and acting C.E.O. of Hollywood!!!

I have to say I'm tired of reading stories where Chrisitians in this country keep portraying themselves as the victim. What other religion in this country has has Hollywood produced movies about? With the exception of Moses and a rather bad film that only glossed over the story of the Buddha as an aside to whole other story, I've never seen a movie come out of Hollywood with a major budget focused on any other religious character. For years at Easter, NBC would show Jesus of Nazareth but where are the movies about Mohammed, Vishnu, Krishna, Lzu Tao, Joseph Smith, Confucius, etc?

The real issue here is that Christians (and I know I'm generalizing so please accept my apologies), though still in the majority, are a dwindling segment of this population and don't like the fact that they are losing their power and influence that they once had. They're upset that Hollywood won't make enough films about them and what they espouse as though it was Hollywood's responsibility to do so and yet they could car less about who else is being represented. They want prayer in school and act like the victim that they it's not allowed but you wait and see what happens when the first Islamic prayer is uttered in a public school.

If Christians want Christian movies then Christians can bank role and produce them themselves. Christians are not, along with any other group, owed any entitlements in this country to have Hollywood make religious films for their cause. Hollywood makes what it wants but for all the issues that most Christians (outside of LA) seems to to have with Hollywood and the fact that the studios often botch or subvert story lines for the sake of all the visual whoopdy-dos, why would you want them to tell your stories?

Thank you Roland Martin for being a true witness for Jesus; the African-American community, and for society too. Tyler Perry has been gifted to reach beyond the black community and to inform non-blacks of our cultural lifestyle. He depicts real life stories which resonate in all cultures due to varied family dysfunctional situations. I thank God Tyler doesn't compromise and I pray that other men of color would boldly proclaim Jesus in their stories, lifestyles, and in Hollywood because there are many hurting people in this world who need answers to their questions and problems.

I am not a big fan of the films but I am happy for Tyler Perry's success, especially considering his hard past he described on Oprah. Although the films contain some stereotypes, what films don't? The films have not incited anyone to violence or anger, people enjoy the films and he employs plenty of Black people in producing his films, plays and TV shows. I cannot knock him for that. Roland Martin makes an excellent point regarding Kabbalah and Scientology's acceptance into Hollywood but Christianity has no place. That is really interesting to me and probably only happens since the most powerful in Hollywood practice those faiths and Judaism. It is all about power. Tyler should keep doing what he does and remind the broke critics that they are in fact, broke. They can keep writing their anger down and he will keep entertaining many Americans, employing many Americans, including many Black ones and living his dream. America is about creating your own dream DESPITE the hatred and anger of others. While I am not into his films, I applaud his hard work and efforts towards success.

Since when does Christianity have a monopoly on morality...more people have died in the name of Christ and Mohammed then ever died in a Will Smith movie or any action movie for that matter. Why does a news reporter who is suppose to be impartial allowed to right from this point of view?

Huh. Both the column and the majority of comments are moronic. Try being Pagan and not being discriminated against. I've been told multiple times that I will go to hell and that I am a spawn of Satan. Doubt many of you could say the same. Especially since I've only been called that by Christians. Please, there's no easier religion to be in the world than Christian.

Thank you for writing this and thank you to Tyler Perry for standing up for what he believes in!

GOD BLESS TYLER PERRY

Unfortunately, the beauty of Christianity is often sullied by the homophobia many Christian leaders and followers preach...that may be what turns Hollywood off, seeing as that it is one of the few towns that embrace Jesus' gay, lesbian and transgender brothers and sisters.

I respect Mr. Martin and his commentaries. And I wholeheartedly agree that we need more hope and inspiration in the entertainment field, and in the wider public domain. But please, I'm getting tired of Christians in this country portraying themselves as some kind of discriminated against minority! "Poor us, everybody hates us!" etc. Christians are in the vast majority in this country. That's one reason why it is easier to take aim at them. (Although lots of Christians are so exclusive, they claim other Christians AREN'T Christians.) And to be frank, the right-wing Christians have tried to claim the exclusive right to be called Christians. And their intolerance brings on deserved skepticism and criticism. If Christians want a more positive image in the eyes of the public, they need to clean up their act a bit.

Hollywood mostly churns out trash on a conveyor belt for unsophisticated people or children, regardless of the subject. Religious movies fit into this mold as well any other. Any movies about Christ are fiction, so it's just another form of entertainment.

We surely need more movies showing the facts that all three of the Judaic religions are founded on myths, hoaxes and fear.

God and Hollywood are perfect together... both deal with FICTION!!! Tyler Perry's lame stories with no plot are a perfect companion to the mythology of the bible, and the feeble minds of the its believers.

Rev Keith Wright (Deist) explained it perfectly... Prayer and belief is nothing more than a lack of accountability....

Sin, sin again, sin a million times, then ask your GOD to hit the reset button???

Why not just be a better person in the 1st place???

Seriously, who's Tyler Perry? Who's Jon and Kate? Never seen anything by any of these people but they are in thenews all the time.??????

No one would need to stand-up for Christians, if they weren't so bad at their faith and had morals and kept their religion to themselves! If you need a drug, whatever kind, go for it. Just don't think that telling lies, brainwashing, prayer, pedophiles, and giving money to invisible gods is good for everyone. I use my brain when I make decisions. When I want or need something, I don't say prayers to God that I'm deserving and that I should be rewarded. If the world really worked that way, we wouldn't need to work.

People do what they want regardless of what they believe they are.

And remember Tyler Perry's Madea is anti-religious! She's knows the truth behind the lies and is never afraid to tell it.

You go MADEA!

RELIGION IS THE REAL WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION stop praying people and get to work!

I think this is silly that he claims people jump on Christian's back and not scientology or Kaballah references. Everyone always considers it kind of silly or inane. Besides, God isn't really a good plot device to be used unless it's a biblical movie. Deus ex Machina is kind of out these days.

Sure, Hollywood and God can co-exist, since they're both the creations of pure fantasy.

While I can certainly agree with many demographics being overlooked for the almighty dollar, one can't deny that anyone would rather invest $100 million to make $400 million in return. It's simple mathematics in terms of what kind of film to make. Consider MOST movie executives do fit a certain demographic and probably find it easier to represent THEIR demographic which also provides work for that same area. One could argue this article alone, shows support for a black film maker by a black reporter. That fact is, christianity does it's fair share of discrimination so it's NO surprise that it complains of it's lack of subject matter in film. Whereas that's not entirely true, many of films regarding Englands tyranical early history is based on "Christian" values and the name of the lord. Making all of you hypocrites to no end ... Funny.

Good commentary Roland, as a Christian, I appreciate Tyler Perry's approach and you for noticing. The fact that the last line of the commentary is "The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Roland Martin," prove his point that Christianity has become a taboo subject.

Roland I generally agree with your writing and opinion but this is a little off base and a few of your arguments are flawed. On the one hand you say Hollywood needs to show Christianity more love because it can be profitable. But then a few seconds later you talk about the shelves being filled with Christian-centric movies that have failed. Tyler Perry is successful because of a lot of hard work on his part (touring his plays first and building his audience) and a great business model. But his movies are terrible. I can't get through 20 minutes of them. As a black person I'm offended by the stereotypes and all the cooning. His movies are the film equivalent to Kentucky Fried Chicken, and obviously black folks can't get enough. That's why they are so successful. The Christian themes merely serve to cater to his desired audience. Everybody (including Hollywood) knows the audience exists, but much like with music, Christians will support non Christian themes. As far as talking about Kaballah and Scientology etc. I don't recall any recent movie with any Kaballah or Scientology themes save for maybe Battlefield Earth and maaaan did that movie kill the box office and get some accolades (turn your sarcasm button to the on position.)

The problem is how God is presented through popular film and culture. The stuff I've seen, such as 'Fireproof' and others like it were so obnoxious and sanctimonious I had to turn it off. It was condescending to other beliefs, overly preachy and utterly saccharine. I agree, there's a lot of crap on TV; I hardly even watch it anymore.
Fundamentalist conservative Christians whine and complain that the evil liberal Hollywood is corrupting the world. But all I've seen from their side is preaching hate of other religions, forcing everyone to submit to the will of evangelical Christianity, promoting homophobia, xenophobia and misogyny. They complain that they are portrayed as crazies, but have they looked at how they behave lately?
I think it's wonderful that Tyler Perry uses his faith in a constructive manner, that he uses it as a groundwork for his stories. The point is, that he's not talking down to people, he's not preaching from the bully pulpit. People respond better if they're not being threatened by a segment of the population. You can talk about religion, but please, don't force it down everyone's throat. Doing that only creates resentment and hostility.

I loathe the obligatory sex in 99% of the movies out for the last few decades...it's almost a required element regardless of the plot. But at the same time, I also get sickened by people getting rich by pandering to religious audiences. That demographic is so pitifully represented in the media that anything you throw at them is going to net big bucks. You can dress up a pig and call it Christian and people will come out of the woodwork as though it was the last Tickle Me Elmo at Toys R Us. Gee, I wonder how much money Perry has made using this alleged Christian theme? How much has he donated to Christian missions? Christian causes? Furthering the Word thru evangelism across the world? Or is he living large in da A-T-L wit dem fat checks in da mail?

Both Big Entertainment and Big Religion are industries which exist for the purposes of trading fantasy for money – sounds like a perfect marriage. How about some intelligent, well-researched reportage on issues that matter, CNN?

Thank you, Mr. Martian, for hitting the nail on the head about Christian themes in movies. As for those who think there is no God, I can give testament to many tragedies in my personal life when I had no one on this earth to pull me through them but God. My Christian faith is at the root of all my successes in life. I have overcome single parenthood, deaths of many close relatives, financial loss, loss of employment, child abuse, and health deterioration. I am in the twilight years of my life now, and I credit all that I have overcome to God, prayer, and faith. I am sorry for those who have never discovered what a close relationship with God can do in enhancing your life. I have suffered much, lost everything but my faith, and had much grief in my lifetime, but I have retained a joyful attitude because God lives in my heart and soul.

I see all of the negative writings about Tyler Perry and Frankly I am amused. Why am I amused? I'm amused because suddenly someone of note Mr. Roland S. Martin has basically laid down the gauntlet to these Holloywood worship people, much as the as the magnificant Tyler Perry has. If I addmitted that I am a Tyler Perry fan, and my father is God. Please do not be shocked. I once went to church after being diagnosed with a kidney stone that was truly discomfourting as we all know. The doctor in his best bedside manner politely informed me that nothing could be done until it passed. That was on a thursday. That friday night I took a pain pill and my wife and I went to church. We sat in the same spot that we always sit in. Which I will openely admit was farther down the isle than our Pastor normaly came. That night before service, he walked up to me and ask me how I was doing. I replied just fine. My wife who normaly does not speak about things like this in public, Blurted out. "He has a kidney stone." My Pastor prayed for me, the next day we were out barbecuing steak and having a great time. No Kidney Stone. The doctors could not believe that it was just gone. I guess they wanted the sample, to prove to me that they were correct. Well they never got their proof. After being inpain for over a month with enlarged limphnodes in my chest cavity, I was told that I may have cancer. I was finally scheduled to see a surgen, after looking at my X-Rays and other medical info, he came back to see me with a rushed voice and ask if I would like to have surgery the next morning. He told me that it would be atleast three or four days before we could get the results. So my wife and I agreed and went home. I went to sleep that night the best I could, with the use of medication. At six thirthy the next morning while sound asleep and angel told me you have no cancer. While waking up in the recovery room. The doctor came in. The very same doctor that had previously said that it would be three or four days before they would know if I had cancer. He looked at me and ask me how I was doing. I replied fine." He said, "You have no cancer." I simply said, "Thanks." Was I surprised, NO.

God bless you all. We should all say Amen for Tyler Perry. It's not the cinamtography that people do not like in his movies, it's not the sound, the actors . It's the message. The message that there is hope, God isour father, Jesus is our brother. The simple fact that you can believe in something that you can not see because God and Jesus are faithful and true.

Yes, it is a breath of fresh air to actually be able to go to the theater and enjoy a movie that isn't blood, guts and cursing. Whether you are a Christian or not, Tyler Perry's movies are funny and inspiring. Thank you Tyler!

"“These stars can make all the references in the world to Kabbalah or Scientology, and that’s just fine,” he told USA Today last year, “But mention Jesus Christ, and they (studios) don’t want to deal with you."

Uh, nonsense. We make fun of people who are Kabbalah or Scientology believers far more and where are the TV shows and movies focusing on them? Sorry, but that is not just empty rhetoric, but it is backwards. Where on TV is Scientology prominent apart from spoofs like on South Park?

In the end, entertainment is about viewership. If there is an audience, it has a chance. Garbage like Touched by an Angel is still on cable because there is an audience. Executives need to anticipate the audience a program will generate. Considering Christianity has a privileged position at present in this country, it is rather pathetic to hear Christians acting like they are being persecuted.

"When we look at the destruction going on all around us – people committing suicide because of financial strains, mounting job losses, folks screaming and yelling at health care town hall meetings – it’s gratifying to watch a movie that speaks to the goodness in people, no matter how messed up they are."

Of course it is. That's great, and as a counselor I feel we need movies like that. But I don't believe I understand why Christians feel they have a monopoly on morality. As a former Christian, I have the morality of a human being who believes in love, charity, service, and fairness. I have known plenty of Christians that do not, many in my own community. I know plenty of fellow atheists who have better morals.

So I'd like to see how tolerant you are to movies that embody the teachings of Jesus Christ (such as tolerance, love, humility, charity, and fairness) and the faith in the goodness of people while being proudly atheist.

I don't think you'd take it well. You'd probably try to convert me.

Yet another commentator who equates Christianity with morality, with goodness. I can be moral and good without being a Christian.

Mr. Martin,

I could not agree more... Mr. Perry's movies are not just entertainment, they have a message. A real message about real life. Not 'reality tv' life. It's just a shame that Hollywood, rather, the entire entertainment industry has all the bias against what they don't understand – meaning Christianity. I applaud Mr. Perry for walking from the table when network officials reject his beliefs.

If more people could know that Christianity and Christians are NOT represented by a few who use the media to spew hate-filled "theology", they would know the overwhelming majority of Christian believers do not support such behavior. Living by the golden rule, helping those in need, not judging others because they look a certain way, etc. are basic principles I learn from my faith. I would tell them further that I am not "religious", but try my best to live by faith.

Anyway, thank you for this fine article and for making sound, bold statements. And to Mr. Perry, keep fighting the good fight. We as believers can help!!

Todd

Oh, brother. I love the "We Christians are persecuted" meme. We're so excluded, reviled for his name's sake, woe is us, thank Jesus there's a reward for us in heaven because . . .

Because why, exactly? Near as I can tell, they must put up with the tribulation of living in a country where not everyone agrees with them and they aren't permitted to impose their beliefs on everyone who thinks or believes different than they do. Woe is them.

I'll be impressed with Christians when they begin setting aside cheap grace and begin taking stands for the least fortunate, instead of acting as if they are god's emissaries sent to tell the rest of us how to live. Fed the poor or clothed the naked recently? no? Then get outta my face.

The reason why Tyler Perry's movies and television shows are critically panned has nothing to do with the fact that he is an admitted Christian (a fact I never picked up on during the three-thousand 'Meet the Browns' promos), but instead because they aren't good!

The best part of Perry's latest movie is him making fun of his self-importance in the outtakes after the movie. His moral imperative reads like a Babysitter's Club book, and shots of clouds swirling around highlight his artistic creativity. The only thing to thank God for in this one is Hensen and the young girl who plays Hope. Other than that I felt like I was being spoon fed Christian ideals (and the stew was thick).

As far as Hollywood shunning admitted Christians, you called your own bluff by mentioning Mel Gibson. The actors who admit to being in cult religions are generally suspect of craziness! Sure Tom Cruise still makes the Hollywood big bucks, but he gets no respect, and anyway his star quality was shaped years before his Scientology exploits. Maybe the reason why so-called Christian films don't draw large audiences is because of how boring and self-righteous they are (kind of like the article I'm commenting on). Probably more than 90% of all movies released last year used some notions of forgiveness, penance, unconditional love, or other hallmarks of Christian morality. It's just that the ones raking it over your face are generally unenjoyable. I don't go to the movies to see blockbuster, sex-driven movies, and actually those ones are usually also critically panned. But guess what? Hollywood execs are going to put $2 billion into Transformers 2, because it's marketable. Morality isn't. Maybe next time you drive thru McDonalds you can peel off a sticker with Jesus quote on it. My 4-year old brother would love playing with that.

Articles like yours are simply frustrating to read, because you base the argument on some imaginary persecution by some imaginary Hollywood coorporation. Do you mean the Jews? Just say it then, because Christians are the majority in this country. So if that is the case, why don't you all watch Christian movies all the time? There is more to it than some high-level Hollywood conspiracy.

Maybe when someone pens a script that is religious and entertaining, it will be a big hit. Until then, there is no sense in trying to figure out if Christianity has a place in Hollywood, because every movie in which Christianity figures prominently into the plot, sucks.

Roland, Praise the Lord, and pass the Hollywood producers! Satan has been rampant and well at work in "sin city" for decades. We know the Christian supporters by their voting, film and tv material and life morals, like: Andy Griffith, Charlton Heston, Steven Baldwin, just to name a few. Too few to be encouraged. Even Mel Gibson is not a born again Christian, but a Catholic, presenting just a dramatic Hollywood story, for a buck. The whole focus of 'Passion' was not the real story, about how Christ lives and conquered death, but made it seem to end with His death. There was nothing encouraging or factual about the real 'good news', that Christ lives and can live inside you and me, that He arose from the dead and defeated sin forever. But you dont get any of that from "Passion of the Christ". WHat Christian can stop at the cross and leave the BEST part off? Be VERY selective in your choices of viewing. Subliminal messages are all throughout film and the graphics. God help our country.

Hollywood shies away from all controversy, not just Christianity. That's why that film about Darwin and his struggle for faith has not found a distributor in the U.S..

Christians have been moaning about how they're not recognized, but it goes both ways. Perhaps more viewpoints in general should be represented in our theaters, not just Christian.

sometimes it's just nice to watch a good movie. as of the posting of this, i do believe that whether it's a christian movie, horror or fables of elves in fairyland, they all fall under one catagory, "entertainment". So does it truely matter what any viewers believe, whether they are religious or not, the fact is it's just a movie. Written by a person who decided he had a story to tell. Someone else decided, regardless of reason, that he should film it and still others made a choice to release it. Viewers make a decision to watch or don't watch. I personally, am not a religious man. i have a normal family life and expierence all the ups and downs as most society does that has nothing to do with whether god and hollywood can co-exsist. it's just a movie. you can feel strongly for or against it's contents, but it's still just entertainment, right or wrong, good or bad. these views always seem to bring out the zealots that lean so far left or right of the populas that it becomes something more then it is. i could understand a heated debate concerning documentaries based on facts or supposed fact, beliefs etc.....but fictional movies wirtten for the sole purpose of entertain, regardless of the message seems silly to me to "spark" such debate or as stated in this blog, such passionate "contempt" or the need to try to defend a belief, regardless of which side you fall upon. it's just a movie. i have traveled the world and expierenced "man" at his best and at his worst, and sometimes perhaps we, as a society in general, need to look at things for what they actually are as opposed to trying to find an underlying meaning behind everything. it's just a movie. a person choses to see or not see, but in the end, it's a movie.
just my $.02

I don't usually post on an article like this, but a couple of comments from "believers" here have forced me to because of their complete ignorance of reality.

"...And if we really evolved from apes, why are they still here??"

I tried not to laugh but this person has obviously never even heard of evolution let alone tried to understand it's principles. If you asked me this question when I was 14, I could have answered you. Please, do a little research into evolution and your questions will be answered, except for the one about life starting and the purported Big Bang. That is, if you ever bother to look at issue from both sides, which a lot of Christians don't do.

I call myself an Agnostic. Which means, I don't believe in a god, but I don't discount the possibility that one may exist. I am pretty sick of Atheist types claiming there's no evidence for gods existence and therefore doesn't exist. It's a stupid arguement that works from the other side to. THat's the very nature of god, you can't prove it with material facts one way or another.

Finally, actually commenting on the story, I become irritated when the Christian right feels they are the only ones who can create wholesome entertainment. Get off your high horse. You don't need to be God fearing to be a good, loving, contributing member of society.

Let's start with the big bang. No, we do not know what came before it, but no, that does not mean we get to attribute it to a god. 100 years ago we didn't know about the big bang, so who's to say in 100 years we won't know what came before it?

As far as god not existing; in science, we start from the basis that nothing exists and we move up from there. It's an incorrect premise to assume something exists and attempt to prove it does not. Therefore, the burden of proof lies with the side attempting to show god exists.

Oh please Roland, drop the "bullied christian crap"! I'm still waiting for a decent mainstream Muslim movie....Honestly not all Americans are Christians... nor should we have to be

Yea, Christians are so persecuted and looked down upon in this country!
Give me a break, they run things.
I don't want movies preaching to me. Go to church for that.
There are already plenty of religious based movies put out by third party companies.
Last thing I want is every other movie telling me I'm going to hell if I haven't found Christ.
Personally I'm tired of the insinuation that only Christians are moral.

The fact that many R-rated movies are edited for showing on TV and airline flights, but that I am not allowed to buy those versions on DVD, speaks volumes about Hollywood. If I could buy the edited versions of Braveheart and Shawshank Redemption (and others), I would do so in a minute, but Hollywood refuses to sell the edited versions to a large public that would be willing to buy movies that they now avoid due to some objectionable content.

Thank you Roland Martin. I thoroughly enjoyed your piece. It brought joy to my heart. I enjoy Tyler Perry's movies. I find them really inspirational and refreshing. I'm glad you pointed this fact out. I'm glad Tyler Perry is not ashamed of his faith.

What this truly goes to show, is that people will stand by anything with Jesus in it in a good form. It could be a horrible piece, and total bollocks, but as long as Christ is depicted as a positive message, people will go with it. It just goes to show how ignorant and naive people can be.

Why is faith such a virtue in the US? Faith is utterly useless.The ability to see both sides of view and critically thinker are much more powerful and useful. I agree with what one person said on here, Christians have a lot of political power so they need to quit whining. As an atheist, I think my group is far more persecuted. Let's just say to admit to being an atheist in politics is political suicide, as only one member of Congress is openly atheist. God likely doesn't even exist anyways, so yea, how can something that doesn't exist, possibly co-exist with anything? haha

Who's God?

Roland Martin thats why youre not a critic, because you have no taste. I wouldnt start yelling discrimination against the christians in this country, over Tyler Perry's TERRIBBLE FILMS! In this country, critics are free to find a mega hit like Transformers repugnant and they should be able to call the same on a movie with insipid characters, and racist slants, (have you noticed the bad people are always lighter toned?) He's in it for the money and thats fine, So is Michael bay. But please dont insult the intelligent people with your facebook and tweetering mentality.

Awesome write-up! Hollywood needs to wake up and realize that people are starving for love and Jesus is LOVE. The only way we can make it to heaven is through the BLOOD of JESUS – no other way. Thank you God for your son that you gave to us that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16

I found "Lord Save Us From Your Followers" to be really well done!

Okay, first of all, the idea of Christianity being a good thing to promote is an absolute lie. Christians fail to acknowledge all of the awful acts ordered by a so-called merciful God in the Old Testament, which as Jesus himself states in Matthew 5:18, "I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." So don't come at atheists and start screaming about morality, when most Christians don't even what's in their own book. If you people actually followed the Bible, gays, atheists, and people of other belief systems would be killed on a daily basis, and war would be waged against non-Christians, just as in the Crusades, which I have heard no Chrisitan apologize for. So no, God and Hollywood should not mix.

I just saw Tyler Perry's latest movie last night and I think it his best yet. He did a wonderful job creating characters that tugged at my heart strings and yet gave me hope that we can each change through overcoming the darkest times. We can overcome our worst decisions. There is another day, I believe through the power of God – and appreciate Perry's willingness to show that through humor and compelling story telling.

Hollywood often wants to paint a picture of faith that focuses on the human foibles, the personalities, the bad personas. There is so much positive to be found in faith – of all kinds – when expressed in an open and honest way.

I don't always agree with your commentary, but I most definitely agree with your view point today.

Thank you for putting these words into print. It's about time somebody stood up for the silenced majority who does in fact believe in a God. Somehow in this country the word 'God' has become a dirty word. Is it any wonder our world is deteriorating before our very eyes.

Mr. Martin.
You seem like an intelligent guy.

Why do you still believe in fairy tales and mythical creatures like god?

Grow up. Adults outgrow that nonsense by the age of 15.

What an incredible load of crap, don’t you have something better to write about? Stop perpetrating myths and superstition. Arguing over some fools ramblings who was wandering the desert with no water and hallucinating from eating some kind of cactus, is what has caused unrest worldwide for thousands of years. Grow up!

Faith without evidence is destructive– more so than any explosion, car chase, or sex scene. If we taught children to think critically, rather than to accept biblical nonsense, we would be far better off.

whats the root of all evil? Is cross dressing cristian?? what happend to the days of "WWJD"? how do you attribute his success to "money" and "jesus"?

Amazing the number of low-brow ignorant and hating comments.

Tell you what; if you are not interested in Christianity how about NOT commenting on articles about it?

Better yet : if you don't believe in God, don't celebrate Thanksgiving, because you aren't thanking anybody right? Thank your kids on Halloween and the wifey on your anniversary and just leave those of us ALONE, who KNOW there is a God as He left a very reliable number of witnesses : people, prophets, writers, creation itself and the proven history of the bible.

Even better: as we all know Christ wasn't born Dec 25 so if you don't believe Jesus is God, though He said He was! just eschew the holiday and leave it to Christians who may or may not celebrate as we decide. No more gifts and no more trees for you atheists.

Stop trying to steal our ways and stay out of our business, what with your silly anti-baptism rites and kiddie atheist camp.

too funny you 'religious' atheists. You really are funny...and you do have a religion...of self worship...Yes you believe that life, good, evil,, children, love for children, beauty, truth, justice, joy, medicine, science, knowledge, art, fiction, music, relationships, employment, delcious food, the ability to appreciate a beautiful sunset, to enjoy wine, to love one's child are just 'chemical reactions' with no meaning or purpose and it will all end in a tragic explosion of the sun....why don'tcha just end it all now? I mean, man, it is only a billion years of gases and coincidence that produced that kid of yours...no real purpose or good there right ? Morality is just survival of the fittest and goodness is just a random idea in a random useless futile miserable hopeless fleeting mere existence.

Give it up haters and unbelievers...abandon all hope if there is no God of creation, justice, mercy and guidance...

Roland, how can you add anything to GOD" in any sentence? Nothing can be added to GOD and nothing can be taken away. HE is self-existent. HE does not need Hollywood or anybody else to be who HE is. So for you to ask this question, Roland, you being a minister, tells me you may be talking about another god, but certainly not the GOD of the Holy Bible.

As a minister, let me give you a little systematic theology. Newsflash! Nothing exists without GOD, but GOD certainly exists without anything else. HE is the "creator of all things." HE even created Hollywood. Why, we don't just see Hollywood in the movies or on TV, we see Hollywood every Sunday morning and Wednesday evenings in our churches. That's where you really see high drama. There's nothing wrong with that. I love the church experience. People in churches sell their wares just like they do in Hollywood. If church was not entertaining we wouldn't have so many mega churches today. They have their stars–the pastors, the bishops, the preachers, the choir, etc.

Where can we get more drama on a weekly basis other than in the church. The only difference between the church and TV or some movies is that movies are fake and church is real, but it's all drama, it's all Hollywood or people wouldn't flock to either one of them.

Tyler Perry is doing what GOD would have him do. I've bought all of his movies and I have laughed when I was down, and cried. They have helped me to forget my troubles, and realize that there are people worse off than I am and that I am truly blessed.

During the Great Depression they made movies like "Grapes of Wrath" and others to give people a happier perspective on life in hard times. Tyler Perry is no different than these people. He keeps it real and some folks want to keep it fake.

If you can look past Madea's appearance, and the shady characters you can begin to go with them through their struggles and be pulling for them to triumph through it all.

Tyler Perry is an absolute genius because through his movies, GOD "has opened the eyes of those who said they could not see, and closed the eyes of those who said they can see."

Keep up the good work Mr. Perry. Your good works have blessed thousands upon thousands of real people. I've been bedridden for a year and your movies always cheer me up, especially "WHAT'S DONE IN THE DARK." I've seen that over and over again.

GOD bless you Mr. Tyler. You have been faithful over more than a few things and your reward is stored up for you in heaven where thieves cannot break in to steal it.

Yes, Roland, GOD is in Hollywood just as sure as HE is in your heart. However, why concern yourself with a fleeting Hollywood when HE who created Hollywood lives forever!

So, be careful, those of you who would judge HIS creations, though they are fleeting, or you yourself will be judged by HIM who is eternal in the heavens.

Where do you live Roland? Christianity is EVERYWHERE. Enough with the 'boohoo we're such a repressed majority' crap. Christians use 'God's will' as an excuse to do anything, how about some personal responsibility?

Sir. I respect your choice of movies. However, do not speak to those of us who do not believe in either mother goose, or your god, as though we are unwashed, immoral, and lesser than thou.

Religion has it's merits. It has no place in politics. It has no place in school. It has no place in my life either. I don't need to look forward to death, nor do I need to fear it. I am what I am, and I don't believe in little pixies flying in the sky saving those who wish to be redeemed.

And for the religious commentators. Please don't pretend you are a minority. Religion holds the largest stake in most all that surrounds you.

The non-believers only make up about 20% in the US. Surprising that the other 80% can claim their god is real, but would more than likely(my apologies to those who believe in Greek mythology) call anyone who believes that Zeus is the god of gods a nut.

Funny how that works, isn't it?

I can't wait to see a Tyler Perry movie! Thanks for this article. Hollywood needs to see that Christians are its friend, not foe. Unless, of course, Hollywood is purveying gratuitous violence and pandering filth.

That's right Roland!!! Tell em! Hollywood is so biased. They will cut off their noses to spite their faces. Tyler Perry has built his own multi-million dollar studio sets. That's awesome, Tyler has paid his dues. though. Hollywood is going to hell. It's gonna take real Christians like Tyler and other no nonsense Christians to show Hollwood there's all kinds of ways to make money without our Christian principles being compromised. Hollywood ain't the only ones with a formula and with Tyler Perry and others like him putting good movies out there the movie menue and the world will be much better.

Wow, this is a really good article. I am truly excited about what God is doing through Tyler Perry and his films, which are definitely making Hollywood stand up and take notice.

God's wisdom is always greater than the wisdom of men. When people do things within the will of God, they are always successful, despite what people may think. What God is doing in and through Tyler is just the beginning for what is to come for Hollywood.

Good marketing ploy hes gimping someone for his money ...bible best fictional book for character study in my opinion, Im not sure humors is what writers were going for...

adios

If one person is delusional, he is said to be "mentally ill". If a large number of individuals share the same delusions, they are called "religious".

btw, who wants to leave money on the table. For sure Hollywood doesn't!

"Faith without evidence is destructive" ? Faith with evidence is not faith; at least not in any spiritual sense. Faith is belief in the absence of evidence.

"Tell you what; if you are not interested in Christianity how about NOT commenting on articles about it?" Not subscribing to a specific spiritual world view is not the same thing as not being interested in it; or being concerned about how it's followers interact (positive or negative) with the rest of the word.

" if you don’t believe in God, don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, because you aren’t thanking anybody right?" Well, some people do believe in a creator or creators, just not the same one as you. And I am thankful every year for the doctors who saved my life; for the great friends who helped me recover, and for all the love in my life. I celebrate Thanksgiving every year because I do have a lot to be thankful for.

"as we all know Christ wasn’t born Dec 25 so if you don’t believe Jesus is God.." – sounds like an argument as to why faithful followers of The Christ (it is a title, not a surname) should not celebrate on that date... of course the real celebration should be the events purported to have occurred at the end of his earthly life.

Again- the holidays at the end of the calendar year are celebrated as many things by many people. While you might celebrate it as a religious holiday, I celebrate it as a statutory holiday with family and friends; often gathered around our pagan-ritual-based Tree.

God is not great.

Thank you for giving Tyler Perry the good press he deserves. Hollywood can turn their noses up at him all they want, but I will continue to support him with my dollars at the theater, and so will my friends. He is a man of integrity, and his movies are poignant, thought provoking AND entertaining. Long live Madea!!!!

Great! Let's turn this country into a theocracy just like Iran!!!

Long live Jews, Buddhists, Muslims, Agnostics, Atheists.............

Minority????

Christians run this country!!!!

Get real. Another we are oppressed story. Give me a break!

It should be pointed out that the U.S. is the second most religious country in the entire world. The first is India. Much of India is living in something like the stone age. We have no just excuse. The countries of northern Europe began to realize that Christianity is myth about 100 years ago. They began to notice that Paul never quoted from "Jesus" when talking about "Christ". Nor did he bother to go to talk the "physical Jesus's" buddies down here on Earth after the "meat suit" Christ supposedly checked out. These people who call themselves Christians in this country have never read their own book. They have never noticed that the "meat suit Jesus" cleansed the Temple twice in three years. In John, at the beginning, and in the other three at the end. Gee, if that actually happened, don't you think there'd be a note from a Roman somewhere saying a yokel caused the exact same riot in the yokel temple twice within three years. This is not an inerrant, divinely inspired book. It is a stew of stories stolen from the other mystery religions of the time. They couldn't even leave their own written works alone. Six of the thirteen books of Paul are pseudepigraphical, –forged–. Many people in the most educated parts of Europe think, as I do, that the "meat suit Jesus" DID NOT EXIST. Read the Bible Christians - and learn from your book.
The reason Christians believe their own history is because the historical Christians killed the opposition as soon as they got the chance. It was called the "Holy Roman Empire".

Mr. Tyler Perry definitely has a “Kingdom” calling on his life. What’s great about his “calling,” is that it captures the attention of the non church attendees’ as well as those who attend church on a regular basis. Moreover, there is UNITY!
I am certain that there are a percentage of Christians which do not frequent the movie theaters, due to the message content or fear of being called, “sinner.” However, Mr. Perry’s movies give those Christians a reason to go to the theaters.
Whenever, you step out in faith to fulfill what the Lord has called you to, the greatest critics come out against you. Also, whenever God tells you to do something “suddenly” competing interests for your attention appear. Trying to remain focused on what God is saying and instructing you to do becomes very challenging. Hence, P-E-R-S-E-C-U-T-I-O-N! That Mr. Perry is able to remain steadfast during the criticism is amazing!
I would gather from Mr. Perry’s success that “J-E-S-U-S” is first and foremost. Second, his audience, to which he was called of God. Last, but not least ”M-O-N-E-Y!”
In addition to the “Resurrection of Jesus,” “love, redemption, family and God are a “part” of essential Christian teachings. The other essentials include, “the poor, widows and orphans.” Exiting a movie theater with those basic concepts in mind should be a gratifying and spiritual experience which far outweigh the money spent on seeing the film.
Lastly, Mr. Perry has a special gift and “level of comfort” in recognizing (through his characters roles as strippers, prostitutes, drug addicts, etc.) that the Lord has a calling on the lives of His “ordinary” people as well as the “affluent” or “connected” people.
Where carnal gossip and assumptions tend to debase one’s character, this is the very area where Mr. Perry’s calling from God manifests itself. Mr. Perry see’s the unpleasant characteristics in his characters, does not use that as a condition for degradation, humiliation nor elimination. Instead, through God, Mr. Perry extends His transformative powers and Grace then turns his characters into a people whom God foresaw them to be. He does not practice nepotism. He knows that everyone is invaluable to the Kingdom of God, according to His will for our lives..

Oh and Rev Keith Wright (Deist) said it so perfect above in the comments. Don’t PRAY. Praying does nothing. ACT. If you lost your job, will you just pray you get a new one? Or will you go out and bust your butt to make it happen? I agree that people think their “praying” does something…People think it’s ok because it makes them feel better…Like they’re having an affect….But I disagree. I think it’s dangerous for the same reason as Rev. Wright. It stops people from acting. And they believe their “hopes” will actually affect change. It’s unfortunate that people are taught to pray.

Last year a woman fell in the mall near me…I think she had epilepsy. So a man tells his wife and 2 kids to come over and pray for her. So she’s lying on the ground and their in a little circle praying. So you mean to tell me that she’d die or not do as well without their help? What a selfish bunch of gobbledygook!

Thank you for writing this. It was a joy to read.

So prayer is a waste of time? Then you are saying Jesus wasted His time praying to the Father? I think I will waste some time then praying for you..

The Sinners are scared because they know that we Christians are correct. For many of these sinners who no so much, their real truths wil come to lite in HELL. They will smell the odor of sulfur, hear the mashing of teeth indure the heat of HELL. No you do not have to listen to the truth. We should not spreading the Gospel as truth and just let you find out for yourselves. Why do we even waste our time on non-belivers. Because we love you. You hate us and we love you. I guess we could just let you be correct and ignore your discontent.. Trust me when I say that you will find out that we are correct. Unfortunately it will be to late for you. WAY TO LATE.

May God Have Mercy on Your Souls
Frank S.
Bridgeport, CT.

Who wrote your book, Christians? Does it have any sense? Why does it repeat itself so may times yet change the facts in many cases? The Bible is a collection of myths that were compiled together into a kind of ancient anthology. It has a talking donkey...Numbers 22 verse 26. This is MYTH! Why would you think it is any different than Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer! God couldn't think to tell Solomon that Pi is not 3! The people that wrote the Bible were uncultured rubes from the sticks. Nothing has changed in the 2000 years since these rubes took Hellenistic philosophy and the power vacuum of Alexander's death and turned it into a self-help for dummies book.

The world is in deep trouble today. There are geological circumstances for this...sheets of ice purged to melt into the ocean, and there is synthetic fertilizers and the oil industry that allowed us to breed 6 billion poor people and there are other reasons. The reason we are in trouble that can most easily be changed is the practiced ignorance called religion. Even the Catholic Church shows more contrition to scientific facts than the evangelical idiots that populate our country.

Sharon Smith said: “since we were made in God’s image, we like to have fun too” What exactly is this supposed to mean? I guess it means that god likes to have fun too! One of the most common logical fallacies made by the religious is to pretend to know the mind of god……then when someone like myself asks “If god is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, why would he allow all the suffering and death in the world?” the same religious person will say that we can not know the mind of god (”The lord works in mysterious ways” or “his ways are higher than ours”).

JM posted “I would rather live like there is a God than find out when its too late”. If there is a bottom-of-the-barrel reason to believe in the existence of a god, then this is probably it. It is called Pascal’s Wager (feel free to look it up). It lends zero support to the idea that god actually exists. Read JM’s statement again. These are the words of an intellectually squeamish person and they go straight to the heart of the problem with religion and the reason religion exists in the first place…..fear. If you would be willing to live your life based on the premise that it’s better to hedge your bets “just in case”, then what does that say about your intellectual integrity? You might want to make sure to believe in Zeus, Thor, Brahma and some other gods just in case….to cover all your bases.

Jaynne posted “If our universe all started with a big bang from a t iny pin point somewhere in space…where did the pin point of matter come from? And if all life evolved from a single cell in the “primordial soup” where did the cell come from? And how and why did a cell decide it needed a liver, eyes, mouth, legs, etc.. to become a living breathing organism like we are today? And more importantly, how did it manufacture these body parts? And if we really evolved from apes, why are they still here??” More arguments from ignorance. The flaws in this train of thought are manifold. Just because the universe exists does not mean that a god exists. If we apply the idea of infinite regress to this dilemma we have to ask “then who created god?” It’s a circular argument and we come to the reasonable conclusion that we don’t have to believe in a god just because the universe exists. Jaynne could also brush up on her evolutionary biology.
Biological life manufactured these body parts (including most importantly, the human brain) through the slow process of evolution over roughly 3 billion years. We didn’t evolve from modern day apes. We share a common ancestor with apes and other primates. I recommend “Why Evolution is True” by Jerry Coyne if you really want to learn about it.

JM also informed us that “as long as one cannot answer questions about their existence, then they should know there is a higher being. I am proud to be a child of God..It is just amzing!!!” This is a classic example of an argument from ignorance. Restated, it says “Since there are unanswered questions, then it is certain that god exists.” We might as well conclude that “since there are unanswered questions, then it is certain that 300-foot tall aliens created all life on earth 3 billion years ago and will return someday to harvest their crop”.

Roland’s article is simply run-of-the-mill Christian-baiting. He attempts to paint a picture that the poor Christians just can’t catch a break in the movie business and that it’s getting harder and harder to be a born-again bible-carrier who cares nothing for the idea of actually seeking out the truth in this world. Certainty against all evidence (such as “God exists”, “Jesus will return”, “I’m going to heaven, you’re going to hell”) eliminates the need to search for authentic answers. Another way to put it: Uncertainty is the mother of all religion.

It’s amazing (and ridiculous) how often an individual’s or group’s success is attributed to “Jesus” or some other religious nonsense as Roland claims for Perry.

Roland states that “Hollywood had better pay attention”. Or what? Will Christians start dragging the movie-makers into the streets, torturing them and burning them alive in front of a gleeful and bloodthirsty mob. That’s what Christians did to “witches” and other various heretics a few centuries ago. The Bible says “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live” (Exodus 22:18). Right there it is in the good book! Why don’t Christians carry out this same terrible act nowadays? Because these words of the Bible have been usurped by human morality and reason. Christians today know that it’s a bad idea to murder innocent people in the streets even if their knowing is a direct contradiction to the Bible.

Roland states “What the critics hate about Tyler Perry’s films is what I appreciate: A willingness to tell stories about love, redemption, family and God and do so in an entertaining way.” He states this as if god is one of the four immovable pillars of human happiness. Guess what happens when we take the invisible pillar God away and replace it with the pillar of reason, logic and evidence…..the structure still stands! And now it stands on much firmer ground.

When will we stop pretending? When will we stop pretending to know that there is a god who listens to prayers, is concerned about the most trivial nuances of human existence and is waiting for us on the supposed other side with open arms?

How many of you who claim Christianity have read the Bible from cover to cover? If you haven’t, why not? It is common knowledge that the overwhelming majority of Christians haven’t read the entire Bible….most would rather have someone else tell them what to think about the so-called “good book”. If you call yourself a Christian and you essentially refuse to read the entire Bible so you can draw your own conclusion, then you are, by definition, a hypocrite….and you know it..

About 12 years ago I read the Bible….cover to cover. I read it with an open mind and over the span of about a year. When I finished it, I knew that I had learned something very important. Namely, I knew that it would be absolutely ridiculous for me to believe that this book was the perfect-word-of-the-creator-of-the-universe. There are a few diamonds in the dunghill in the Bible….such as the Golden Rule and “thou shalt not murder” but guess what…..the Golden Rule was around long before the time of Jesus….and humans don’t have to have religion to tell them that it’s a bad idea to go around bludgeoning each other to death. For those who haven’t figured it out yet, human morality, love and reason are products of the human brain. They are not implanted into us by a sky-god or a belief that a book was handed down from the library of heaven.

Religious belief is the product of fear and ignorance, and to a certain degree, laziness. Fear, ignorance and laziness.. It’s the trinity behind the Trinity.

Please think about what is happening in this world. People are (and have been since humans evolved into existence) doing terrible things to each other because of what they believe. Beliefs matter. When we can be coerced into believing bad ideas without evidence, bad actions will follow. The sooner we loosen our grip and let go of our tarot cards, bibles, voodoo dolls and horoscopes, the sooner we can begin to truly make THIS WORLD a better place to live in.

To paraphrase Pete in NY “Enlightenment, not Christianity”.

Any man is educated who knows where to get knowledge when he needs it, And how to organize the knowledge into a definite plan of action. Henry Ford made this statement when People tried to prove that he was uneducated and ingnorant. As a man think so is he .You can't possess a thing until you understand a thing. ( GOD) Wisdom is the principle thing and in all thy getting, get understanding. One may read the entire bible , The question is how much of the book becomes a reality in everyday living..A good student read's book's and make's the materials his own. When you are ready to learn the teacher shows up.

Hey y'all:

I thought I'd give my two cents in by saying that first, I am a born-again Christian. Second, for those who that are asking for proof of God's physical existence, let me to ask this: Does the air that we breathe exist? If so, why can't I see it? Your answer would probably be, "You can't see it, but you can feel it." It's same thing with God. I, myself along with other Christians, can't see God but we can feel his presence. If you give him a chance, you might feel the same way. It's your choice.

Sharon Smith: "I think that too many of us Christians are wrongly portrayed in the media as gay bashing abortion doctor killing people."

How many atheists do you know who are rotting away in prison for murdering an abortion doctor? Have you ever heard an atheist say that homosexuality is a "sin" or invoke Reverend Fred Phelps by stating that "God hates fags"?

john wrote: "We must help people to understand that “one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!"

Are you kidding me? This is what happens when wishful-thinking and a dictatorial mindset intersect. If you really like the idea of everyone falling in line with your ridiculous religious notions, you might want to consider moving to Iran and trying on theocracy for a while. Not only would everyone be expected to feel as you do, but the government would be expected to enforce it. Then if you decided you weren't happy with it, you could take to the streets to protest....then be beaten and/or shot since there is no freedom of assembly. Wouldn't that be nice??

Because I just read a nice PZ article on godlessness being on the up rise, I decided to read this again. Still appalled by the notion that people need god to be good, but I just felt I'd address how absurd the logic was in the last post.

"Does the air that we breathe exist? If so, why can’t I see it? Your answer would probably be, “You can’t see it, but you can feel it.”"

I can weigh air... I can find the pressure of air, and find out exactly how we "feel" air.
I actually can see air, air does emit a bit radiation, as it isn't cold, it's just it doesn't hit the visible spectrum. Heat air up enough and you see light bending through air, ever see those lines of heat in your car on a hot day? Air can be frozen too, granted you will end up freezing each different type of atom one at a time. I can find the density of air. I can find the viscosity of air. It's possible to find the absorption and emission spectrum of air. Air is remarkably tangible, it's only a narrow mind that thinks "I can't see it but I know it's there hence it's there". To the rest of us, we know air is real for far more reasons than just "I can feel it". We can substantiate air's existence with copious amounts of evidence, we don't rely on just "I can feel it".

God... doesn't quite have the tangibility of air.

Google search "Hollywood's war on God"

He is readying a bowl of judgement for her and all those who call Good, evil, and evil, good.

Blessings in Yeshua, Jesus Christ

Someone please answer this guestion, Who is the model of man.

John,
You astound me with your obstinate thinking. Your comments are so self centered that you couldn't even see your way clear to think that there is a God. You don't want to bow your knee, do you John. You think you are better than that. But someday you will bow your knee, willingly or not.

Gary,
You said in your comment that:
"It is more clear for me to think Jesus was a prophet (as Moses, or Abraham, or even Mohammad) spreading God’s love and word to his people. I just feel closer to God when I speaking to him directly in prayer, rather than having to use Jesus as a mouthpiece."

Gary you should read C.S. Lewis, "Mere Christianity". In his writing he tell his reader that he wants to..."prevent anyone from saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him (Jesus). 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher but I don't accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic on the level of a man who says he is a poached egg or he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was and Is the Son of God or else a mad man or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool. You can spit at him and kill Him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call Him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonesense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."

So you see Gary, Jesus couldn't very well be moral and claim to be the Son of God. He must be both moral and God or neither, but a liar. So for everyone who wants just a little piece of Jesus, kinda pick and choose smorgasborg, see what feels good, what you like, I've got news for you. You have to take all of Jesus or none of Him. You decide. Peace brothers.

John,
I think it's great that you've read all of the Bible from cover to cover. I wish more Christians would get into the Book. But reading the Bible doesn't make you a Christian. Believing in Him and doing His will does. Reading the Bible just makes you a little more equipped at it. I admit that when I got to Numbers, I just could not go further in that book. I skipped the rest of it. It was just too boring. List after list after list of geneology of the Jews and all the rules. It was too much. When I got to Ecclesiastes, wow. Now that's a book to read. That's a book that really discusses the meaning of life and what's it all about. I read that book about 12 or more times and each time, I got a little something new from it. It's one of those books that when you first read it, you think "this is bull, what's the use of living then". So you read it again, and it begans to sink in and make sense. Each time, clearer and ringing incredibly true. The Book of John is my most loved book. The book of Job is incredible when God describes His creation to Job, even describing a Dinosaur, before modern paleontology. Go figure that one. When you look at Pauls writing, one has to study them line by line to extract the vast riches from his writing. Even Peter claimed that Paul's writings were hard to understand. What strikes me the most though is not that the books of the Bible contradict one another, I have not found that to be so. Instead that all these various prophets attest to the very existence and experience of God.

Andrew,
Thanks for your post friend
"Air is remarkably tangible, it’s only a narrow mind that thinks “I can’t see it but I know it’s there hence it’s there”. To the rest of us, we know air is real for far more reasons than just “I can feel it”. We can substantiate air’s existence with copious amounts of evidence, we don’t rely on just “I can feel it”.

Just as you have found copious evidence for the existence of air because you knew how to look for it, so there is copius evidence for the existence of God, you just have to look for it. The air can be felt and for some people that's enough. They don't have to weigh it or pressurize it or freeze it. They know it exists from feeling it. It still exists and its there, and whether you examine it or not, it still lets you breathe. You know how to examine air with logic and science. So God can be examined in the same way, if more evidence is needed to convince someone of God's truth. You can feel Him, and for some that's good enough. For others they must be convinced by science, and for many who search, who weigh and measure, they have found Him.

Per Jim: "The book of Job is incredible when God describes His creation to Job, even describing a Dinosaur, before modern paleontology. Go figure that one"

The rock-solid evidence for the Bible's claims to truth just keeps pouring in, doesn't it? Let's do go figure that one.

Job, Chapter 41 is clearly not evidence that "God was describing his creation of the dinosaurs to Job." It's just another story built upon the mythological and typical fire-breathing European dragon. It describes a sea-dwelling Leviathan as a metaphor in order to set things up so "god's wrath" can be shown to be even greater. This is an explanation given even on religious websites. If god wanted to tell Job about the dinosaurs, then he could have just showed him where to dig up T. Rex fossils. But it didn't happen that way, did it. So, Jim. Please stop trying to give religion credit for what is in fact scientific progress.

Once someone blindly accepts that the Bible is true (or anything else, for that matter), then they often work backwards to prove to themselves that it is true. This is what is happening here. Since dinosaurs are not discussed in the Bible at all, and after their fossils were discovered, the religious had to scramble to find a way to make it fit. And here you have it. A mythological creature is transformed into real-life dinosaurs.

This is a superb example of how religion can be used to make ANYTHING MEAN ANYTHING.

Jim stated: “John, You astound me with your obstinate thinking. Your comments are so self centered that you couldn’t even see your way clear to think that there is a God. You don’t want to bow your knee, do you John. You think you are better than that. But someday you will bow your knee, willingly or not.”

This may be the most important reason why religion is a festering wound in the the collective human psyche. As I posted before, this is the exact type of statement that we should expect to fall from the lips of a person who has a dictatorial mindset and is simultaneously overwhelmed by wishful-thinking.

I have spent plenty of time thinking about whether or not there is a god. Just because I came to a different conclusion than you does not make me more self-centered than you, Jim.

Why can’t you just be honest and admit it Jim? You wish this to happen to me but you cannot possibly KNOW that this will happen to me.

Another irony regarding your statement is that you have the audacity to call me obstinate while boldly stating your prediction of my fate..

Jim, you have an ability within yourself that you refuse to acknowledge….the ability to put an end to all of this pretending. But nobody else can do it for you, not even god or Jesus.