While it may be taboo to discuss religion in polite conversation, some moviegoers just can’t hear enough about it in the movies. Here are four of the best speeches given in religious movies.
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1. Sister Aloysius Beauvier in "Doubt"
This 2008 critically acclaimed film focuses on the concerns that Catholic school principal, Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep) has regarding the relationship between Catholic priest, Father Brenan Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and a young distraught student. Beauvier is determined to discover the truth about Flynn even if it means defying her church, superiors and faith.
In the following speech, provided by IMDb, Beauvier let’s Flynn just how strong she can be:
“I will step outside the church if that's what needs to be done, 'til the door should shut behind me! I will do what needs to be done, though I'm damned to hell! You should understand that, or you will mistake me.”
2. Jesus Christ in "The Passion of the Christ"
This incredibly moving film chronicles the last 12 hours of the life of Jesus of Nazareth (Jim Caviezel),
as summarized by IMDb. Jesus recites his commandment in one of his last speeches. While the speech is known to many it proves all the more powerful when seen and heard on the big screen:
“You are my friends. There is no greater love than for a man to lay down his life for his friends. I cannot be with you much longer, My friends. You cannot go where I am going. My commandment to you after I am gone is this: Love one another. As I have loved you, so love one another.”
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3. God in "Evan Almighty"
Though it runs in the vein of less traditional "religious" films, this 2007 comedy sheds light on God’s sense of humor when God, played by Morgan Freeman, instructs Congressman Evan Baxter (Steve Carell) to build an arc and execute his commandments. The congressman’s family, believing Baxter has gone insane, leaves him only to have God remind them that the right thing to do is stand by ones family in good times and in bad.
This speech summarized by IMDb conveys God’s message.
“Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?”
4. Robert Langdon in "The Da Vinci Code"
In this 2006 box office hit based on Dan Brown's best-selling novel, historian Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) travels to Paris to help solve a murder that occurred in the Louvre. Langdon and his partner, scholar Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou), soon discover clues that lead to a much bigger mystery that could shake the very foundation of Christianity.
Langdon’s speech provided by IMDb sheds light on part of the movie's mystery.
“Okay, maybe there is no proof. Maybe the Grail is lost forever. But, Sophie, the only thing that matters is what you believe. History shows us Jesus was an extraordinary man, a human inspiration. That's it. That's all the evidence has ever proved. But ... when I was a boy ... when I was down in that well Teabing told you about, I thought I was going to die, Sophie. What I did, I prayed. I prayed to Jesus to keep me alive so I could see my parents again, so I could go to school again, so I could play with my dog. Sometimes I wonder if I wasn't alone down there. Why does it have to be human or divine? Maybe human is divine. Why couldn't Jesus have been a father and still be capable of all those miracles?”
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