I suppose movie theaters are the churches of the modern age, where we gather reverently to worship the tinsel... — Michael Dirda

I suppose movie theaters are the churches of the modern age, where we gather reverently to worship the tinsel gods of Hollywood.

Author: Michael Dirda

Insight: There's something honest about calling movie theaters temples. We do gather there with a particular kind of attention we rarely give anything else—phones silenced, distractions banished, a crowd of strangers united in the dark. For two hours, we agree to suspend disbelief and let someone else's vision wash over us. That's not so different from what people have always sought in sacred spaces: transcendence, escape, the feeling of being part of something larger than yourself. The twist is that "tinsel gods" isn't quite an insult. Yes, it's a little dismissive—these are illusions, after all, made of light and sound and carefully constructed fantasy. But maybe that's exactly the point. Every religion trades in stories that transport us beyond ordinary life. The fact that we know Hollywood's gods are manufactured doesn't make them less real in their effect on us. They still console, inspire, disturb, and transform us. The real question isn't whether movie theaters are worthy of reverence compared to traditional churches. It's whether we're honest about what we actually worship these days—and whether we're getting anything meaningful from it. When you next find yourself caught up in a film, notice what you're actually seeking in that darkness.