WEEKEND highlights some of the most memorable movies and songs about religion

MOVIES

"DOGMA"
Kevin Smith’s Catholic background helps him make this raucous, antithetical romp through religious, well, dogma, and gives laughs to an otherwise serious piece of satire.

“Fiddler on the Roof”
Making a film version of the musical classic, Israeli film legend Topol plays a humble Jewish milkman, facing the future with a worried grin and his faith.

“Sister Act”
Led by loose singer Whoopi Goldberg, nuns run, have fun and avoid guns, all with a soul-searching soul soundtrack.

“God is Great, I’m Not”
Audrey Tautou of "Amelie" plays Michele, an impulsive model seeking to find her spiritual identity over a three-year span. From Judaism to Buddhism, Michele tries to make sense of her life and religion.

“Bruce Almighty”
Think playing God is great? Jim Carrey finds out that the mission of God (played by Morgan Freeman, of course!) entails much more than just making Steve Carell speak gibberish.

SONGS

Joan Osborne – “(What If God Was) One Of Us”
Although Osborne courted controversy with a decidedly undogmatic God, her song still resonated with millions of listeners who appreciated its multidenominational spiritual honesty.

Kanye West – “Jesus Walks”
’Ye holds back the swagger for one song, co-written with Chicago cohort Rhymefest, and sends us on a quest for the soul of rap music, long since devoured by commercialism.

Aretha Franklin and Mavis Staples – “Oh Happy Day”
Two great divas come together to bring the full power of a gospel church to an old spiritual, getting back to the roots of their soul power.

R.E.M. – “Losing my Religion”
Does anyone know what these lyrics mean? Stipe probably doesn’t even know, but their dark, inquisitive and introspective themes keep us searching for whatever we lost.

2pac – “Lord Knows”
Unlike Kanye’s bourgeois catechism class, 2pac takes his inspiration from the bodies falling in gangsta rap and the religious despair of America’s ghetto.