Controversy is all around us nowadays, whether it’s political, religious, or ethnic.

To no surprise, when the movie, The Shack, released on March 3, 2017, starring Sam Worthington as Mack, and Octavia Spencer as Papa stirred up some religious controversy. In the movie, Mack (the main character) goes through a life changing event that makes him question everything he believes in after his daughter gets abducted from a camp where the family was vacating at.  He goes through a hard battle with his faith, leading to a journey that changes him forever. He sees actual people as religious entities, such as God, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus. Many people are claiming that the movie misrepresents God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. The National Catholic Register says, “For all its issues, The Shack doesn’t warrant being condemned. I can’t recommend it, but I can see why this story has moved so many people, and it’s not all bad. At least it asks hard questions about God, which is a step above not admitting that hard questions exist.” This movie is touching lives everywhere, so even if it did mix up some aspects of certain religious figures, it still relates to everyday people in hardship, which was the initial purpose.

The Shack is not the only movie out there with religious controversy. Dogma, for example, was released on November 12, 1999, starring Ben Affleck as Bartleby, Matt Damon as Loki, and Salma Hayek as Serendipity, also stirs up a debate. Two fallen angels discover a loop hole that can get them back into heaven. Dogma brings religious figures in the movie, such as Chris Rock as Rufus (the 13th apostle). The movie brought many catholic protesters to revolt, saying it mocks their religion.  “This film mocks everything we hold sacred – God, the Church, the Mass and Mary’s virginity. It condones what we condemn – murder, obscenity, violence, profanity, drugs, drunkenness and rebellion!” – Anonymous Protester.

Noah, released in 2014, a story based upon the Bible story Noah’s ark, starring Russel Crowe, Emma Watson, Jennifer Connelly, and Logan Lerman made headlines when it came to theaters. Religious people who watched Noah questioned if the directors had even read the actual story of Noah in the Bible because the movie seemed too “Hollywood.” Quoted from National Catholic Register, “There is a difference between adding dramatic color to a story and adding so much drama that you’re essentially telling a new story.” People against the movie say the directors added parts that never happened in the story just to make it more appealing to the 21st-century audience.

Movies can stir up opinions when they get religious, but it’s important to remember the importance of the story, whether it is completely correct or not. Can it relate to your life and help you with certain circumstances?  Look at a movie as though it’s a beautiful lesson trying to tell you a story, and most of the time it will relate to you in some way or another. Try not to push it away because it doesn’t have all of its facts correct.