Godless Hollywood
As some of you may know, I moved from Los Angeles to Miami not too long ago. I grew up here so I’m no stranger. It’s almost eerily familiar. One of my main motivations for moving out west was my degree in Film Production (U of Miami, 2003) and it was much better served out there. As much as I loved (and still do) the art of making short films and other related media, I think I may have preferred to study motion graphics or web design. Still, the experience and journey is worth it every moment.
While in Hollywood, California (yes, there’s one in Florida too and not far from Miami), I can clearly recall many times when I heard the phrase “godless Hollywood (liberals)” derogatorily uttered by some talking head or congressperson. It was precisely that: the word godless used negatively that vexed me enough to begin blogging. When a political spokesperson or figurehead to disparages another’s opinion on the basis of his political views, its the usual business of things. Yet when said spokesperson brings his world view into question, completely unsolicited, it is simply not necessary. Wasn’t religion supposed to be a private matter? Well, thanks to many religious folks, it no longer is. It’s out there, amidst the universe, flailing carelessly in the open air.
The one US city where religion is still a private matter (that I’ve experienced) is, for the most part, Los Angeles. LA certainly is not a religious city by most means. But is it godless? Unfortunately, no. You won’t see nativity scenes in public arenas but that doesn’t mean many of the people who live there don’t hold deeply religious and spiritual beliefs. I surely met more liberal religionists and nonreligious people in LA than I would have in most other US cities but not a lot of atheists, excluding atheist/skeptic-geared meetups and discussions at CFI. The people I did meet with faith of some kind didn’t try to convert me– other than that one time two young Mormon girls came knocking on the apartment door (after squeaking past the lobby buzzer) at 10PM. People tend to leave other people’s beliefs alone; they never know what crazy thing you believe in! Or…eek…not believe in. Christians don’t mention Jesus as much as they do in the middle of the country. It’s more generic god-based.
One thing I noticed was that many people have no problem assuming everyone believes in some godly force. The details are gravy. Probably too many Jews, Wiccans, Buddhists, and so on to quibble about the differences. Though I appreciate the lack of specified religion in Los Angeles, I still felt homeless among several circles. It’s more of a secular, separation-of-church-and-state kind of place. Which, in my opinion, surely beats the mono-religion atmosphere.
Outside of LA, however, that changes. Until you get to, of course, San Fransisco.
So I’m in Miami for a bit (maybe another year) and I’m back among that largely reform Jewish area I grew up in. But somehow I notice more subtle hints of religion, and more specifically, Christianity. People seem to be a bit more religious, they certainly are in the rest of the state. I do notice more Jesus-related items around. More Jesus figurines at the dollar store and nativity scenes at the mall. I was actually pretty shocked at the latter. But I never did get a photo. It wasn’t at the local mall though (further north), so that would probably explain it. It’s funny how the further north you go, the more its like the south.
My 6-year stint in the City of Angels (which I prefer to think represents the literary winged creatures of fiction – not like there is any other kind) is over and I miss it enormously. But I’m needed here now. Though, I wish it weren’t the case that small towns are far more religious for the sake of us nonbelievers who prefer the small town lifestyle. Luckily for me, I’m a city girl.
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