Christian movies focus on the aspect of morals and messages that have religious sentiments. These films have a Christian theme and sometimes target specific aspects of Christianity. There have been a lot of talks about why Netflix is removing Christian movies. Let’s find out whether it is a fact or just a flying rumor.
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What Makes a Movie a Christian Movie?
Every movie genre targets a certain audience and serves a specific purpose. Just like every other genre, a Christian movie is based on the beliefs and teachings of Jesus Christ.
How do you know whether a movie is a Christian movie or not? We have seen so many movies consisting of certain elements of religious faith or figures who in some way resonate with the religious figure.
Moreover, every film has references to Christianity, which is more evident in horror movies. So are all the movies Christian then? In today’s time, a movie is Christian if it has a Christian name. People consider these movies as Christian movies.
Any movie specified for the faith and religious genre is another reason for calling it a Christian movie. All these details make a movie a Christian movie. So let’s come to the big question here!
Why is Netflix Removing Christian Movies
Netflix has an abundance of movies based on different genres, catering to the entertainment of millions of people. The social media claims that Netflix is removing various Christian movies from the platform. However, the claims are absolutely false.
The news goes back to March 2021, when social media posts claimed that Netflix has removed or planning to remove all Christian movies. This news is false! Netflix has not announced or made such claims.
If you search on Netflix ‘’Christian” various movies will pop up. This proves that the claims were just rumours and Netflix has taken no such step.
To further prove the claim false, Netflix released a movie called A Week Away. Why did this become an issue? People thought that Netflix was doing so because of a 2016 article. They took social media platforms, especially Facebook by storm.
To subside the growing fire of rumors, Netflix had to state to USA Today that they had no such intentions. The authority claimed it to be misinformation.
Netflix Removes Content Unbiased
Netflix’s content strategy keeps on changing and this is why various movies irrespective of the genre get removed. It depends on the following aspects:
Constant Rotation
It is not that Netflix is partial towards Christian movies, it keeps on removing old content and bringing in new content to maintain the digital library.
Changes in Viewer Trends
Changing patterns in viewership might be the reason behind the removal of movies. People might not be viewing the particular genre or movie anymore.
Right Issues
Another reason why Netflix might have taken such a step. A change in the licensing agreement with the movie creators impacts the availability of that content on the platform. The movie has to be removed once its license expires.
The removal of movies has nothing to do with the religious sentiments of any group, it is purely based on these aspects. Therefore, it is completely false that Netflix is removing Christian movies from its library.
Even though Netflix removes the content unbiased, there was one such incident in 2019 where the platform had to remove a Christian movie intentionally.
The Removal of The First Temptation of Christ
It was a Portuguese language film that created quite a chaos among the audience and the believers of Jesus Christ. The movie showcased Jesus as a gay who had a romantic relationship with his friend Orlando.
Moreover, it showed Mary, Jesus’s mother smoking weed. The audience was outraged at the depictions and more than 1.5 million people signed a petition to Netflix to remove the film from the platform.
The religious sentiments were badly hurt as people called it vulgar, disrespectful, and spreading offensive content among the Christian community. The platform had to take down the movie. However, Netflix also has some popular Christian movies that you can definitely watch.
Various famous Christian Movies on Netflix
Despite the false claims, Netflix has a good amount of Christian movies, out of which some have appeared on the global top 10 Netflix chart. This ensures that Netflix is not partial toward any religion.
Some of the most popular movies on Netflix are:
Testament: The Story of Moses
It is a recent release on Netflix that has entered the global Top 10 Netflix Chart despite a low Rotten Tomatoes score. The story revolves around a prince and his journey towards becoming a prophet. Testament: The Story of Moses is a must-watch.
Jesus Revolution
It is another movie that is quite popular among the audience. It is both inspiring and heartfelt. The story revolves around a preacher, an unhappy teen, and a pastor who creates a new church after crossing each other’s paths.
Miracles from Heaven
The movie is quite emotional and heartfelt and resonates well with the audience who like to watch emotional content. The story revolves around an ill daughter and a mother who is in despair.
Mysteries of Faith
It is a documentary that has historical implications for faith. It is based on a real-life event, where religious treasure is kept hidden and discovered later to unearth the mystery.
The Chosen
The story revolves around the Jesus of Nazareth who gains a mass following for his teachings.
There are many other religious movies on the platform. This clearly shows that Netflix has no intention of hurting any religious sentiments of people and it always provides its subscribers with the latest content. If you are a fan of French cinema then watch these French Series on Netflix.
Final Note
Fans do get upset when their favorite movie or show leaves Netflix but nothing can be done about it. Most of the content leaves Netflix due to license agreement and Christian movies are no exceptions. So the question of why is Netflix removing Christian movies is finally answered.
In addition, the license might get renewed keeping in mind its popularity and the cost of its license. Netflix always informs the viewers before it is about to remove any content. Removing movies has nothing to do with the genre so I hope you understand that Netflix has not removed any Christian movie purposely. It entirely depends on the changing algorithm of Netflix.
