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Lots of responses to my request for your most important spiritual films. I believe that many of the beliefs we hold are taught or undermined; supported or weakened in the films we watch as kids and then re-watch as adults. Two centuries ago this cultural refining of our religious beliefs would have been limited to books, but now the quintessential art form of our culture is the movie. That is why the engrossing dialogue and imagery of film has sadly but inevitably replaced the written word in the formation of our faith and philosophies.

Q: Dear Rabbi Gellman, the first film that came to mind about favorite films about faith was “Romero,” about Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero. The story of his steadfast faith and bravery has stuck with me over the many years since I have seen it. Thanks for your column. It is the highlight of the Sunday paper for me. – (from J)

A: Thanks for your kind words. I agree with your choice. Archbishop Romero believed that faith must change the world outside the church and so he spoke about the oppression of the poor in El Salvador and as a result he was assassinated while celebrating a mass in March of 1980. No one was ever convicted for the crime. People speak of the rewards of faith, but his life and this movie highlight the costs of faith to courageous martyrs. His statue was placed on the door of Westminster Abbey next to Martin Luther King Jr. and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, which is very good company for a saint.

He was canonized by Pope Francis on Oct. 14, 2018.

Q: Dear Rabbi Gellman, I read your recent piece in Newsday. It prompted me to look at the complete list and I was surprised to find that “The Ten Commandments” was not on the list. I consider it a landmark film and a great way to introduce young people to some of our history. For many years my daughter thought Charlton Heston was really Moses and when she saw him in another film she didn’t understand. While the love story between Nefretiri and Moses was contrived, much of the film tells the story of Exodus fairly accurately. Cecil B. DeMille spent $1 million dollars sending scholars around the world to research the story of Exodus because he considered it important to be factually accurate regarding the events. While DeMille narrated the film himself, the voice of God was actually Charlton Heston because it was believed that we each hear God in our own voice. Conversely, Judah Ben-Hur was a completely fictional character, even though they did portray the sermon on the temple mount and the crucifixion of Jesus fairly accurately. One sure sign of the quality of the film is its longevity. "Ben-Hur" has faded from the landscape while even today “The Ten Commandments” is broadcast with amazing regularity 67 years after it was released. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I am curious to hear your thoughts on the topic. – (From S)

A: This is the big one. Along with “The Wizard of Oz,” these two films shaped my faith and my nightmares (the wicked witch) as a child. Their impact was also increased by the fact that they were in color and in the case of “Ben-Hur” they had a scope and scale of special effects that made the story of the Exodus visual proof for the existence of God in a world that included, in my life, trying to cope with the scope and horror of the Holocaust. The creation of characters and dialogue that do not appear in the Torah or the New Testament are a quibbling flaw by critics. The greatest triumph of the film is that despite the love story, God is clearly the hero of the movie as God was the hero of the Exodus and the ministry of Jesus.

The great gift to the field of interfaith dialogue so dear to my work with Father Tom was that both Jews and Christians could see their faith story included and extolled in the same film. We could see ourselves as equal inheritors of the gift of the Exodus and the gift of freedom as people made in the image of God. In my view, every fault of the movie melts away before this pro-God, pro-religion affirmation of our common story. Paul never saw “The Ten Commandments” but his words in his letter to the Corinthians apply:

There are different gifts but the same Spirit.

There are different ministries but the same Lord.

There are different works but the same God who accomplishes all of them in everyone.... it is one and the same Spirit who produces all these gifts, distributing them to each as He wills. (I Corinthians 12:4-11)

(Send ALL QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS to The God Squad via email at godsquadquestion@aol.com. Rabbi Gellman is the author of several books, including “Religion for Dummies,” co-written with Fr. Tom Hartman. Also, the new God Squad podcast is now available.)

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