The Devil Is a Woman

I saw this film more than 25 years ago but I still think of it often. This is because it portrays the role of religion/the church as an external (outer) force which works with the internal drives of personality. It presents the humiliation and shame of the main character as something that will not be eradicated by removing her from a place that appears to be causing the shame, guilt and humiliation. These drives are often internal--the church didn't cause them. This movie portrays the church as a place that uses these negative constructs for its own purpose (and its evil!). With or without the church/religion, we are all fighting these demons anyway. Religion gives them a structure and way to deal with them. Psychotherapy works better!