Movies Glamoize Religion

After reading Schneider's article about making religion more accessible to all people I realized that movies do the same thing today--many people that would not step foot in church or even begin to read a bible flock to theatres to see religious movies.
Similar to the effects of the printing press, the movie industry has glamorized religion and made it more accessible to people of all ages. However, movies, opposed to printed material or live speakers, reach a much broader audience and can easily make religion a popular issue. Over the past few decades, a plethora of movies relating to the Holocaust have been released. One of the most highly acclamined, Schindler's List, brought the horrors of concentration camps to the big screen and educated a huge audience, not only about the atrocities during World War II but about the people who went above and beyond the call of duty to help save the Jews. Even humorous movies which portray the life of Jesus, like Life of Brian and Jesus Christ Superstar achieve their goal, because any movie that "promotes thinking and discussing His life [is] worthwhile" (epinions.com). Most recently, Passion of the Christ drew much attention and brought evangelical Christianity to the forefront of the media, sending millions running to movie theatres around the world.
Until movies were a popular form of media, religion only reached people though churches/synagogues/mosques, printed material and family tradition. In this manner, religion seldom appealed to teenagers. However, by popularizing prayer, more and more we see young adults actively participating in faith-based organizations and events. This helps religions because if people become actively involved at a young age they will most likely become leading members in the community when they are older. By getting teens hooked on religion, through movies, music and the internet, religious communities can grow in strength and numbers, and diversify their following.