ABSTRACT
Whether influenced by Marxist, psychoanalytic, feminist, post-structuralist, or auteur theory, film critics ignore religion and the academic study of religion. Apparently, critics assume that secular values, forces, and perspectives matter more than religious ones. If film criticism has ignored religion and religious studies, religious studies has given little attention to popular film and film studies. It was not until the 1980s that the largest professional association of scholars of religion, the American Academy of Religion, included in its annual convention a forum on religion and film. During the period in which the field of religious studies has been recognized as an academic discipline, it has had time to develop considerable internal diversity. Theological criticism draws upon an incredibly rich tradition of ethical reflection and exegetical commentary. A more inclusive, cross-cultural understanding of religion is exemplified in the works of scholars of comparative mythology.
