Is Netflix “removing” Christian movies? Rumor explained

Netflix was once accused of removing all Christian movies from the streaming platform – but is it true, and if not, where did the rumor come from?

Christian films drive extraordinary viewership; lest we forget that The Passion of the Christ, Mel Gibson’s controversial religious epic, remains the biggest R-rated movie of all time in the US, outgrossing Joker, Deadpool, and American Sniper.

However, if search on Netflix, there’s not an enormous selection of faith-based content. There’s The Hill, a Rickey Hill biopic that hit number one, plus the likes of Jesus Revolution, Father Stu, the first season of The Chosen, The After, and Forgiven.

So, is there something concerning afoot? Some people have accused Netflix of binning Christian movies – but is there any truth to it?

Is Netflix removing Christian movies?

No, Netflix hasn’t actively been removing Christian movies from the streaming platform.

This dates back to a satirical article published by NewsThump in 2016, with the headline: “Netflix to remove all Christian content after complaints from Muslims.”

The piece was shared across social media in several viral Facebook posts – all of which presented the report as completely genuine, of course – and outrage quickly followed. One such post reads: “In case you don’t know, the people behind Netflix are literally Satan worshippers, pure and simple. Wake up, folks! Evil is lurking everywhere and we need to make conscientious choices not to partake of it.”

“At the end of this month, I have heard from a reliable source that Netflix is removing any show or movie that has Christian content. I will be immediately canceling my subscription at the same time,” another user wrote.

Any “reliable source” you may have is straight-up lying to you. USA Today went to the streamer to confirm if the allegations were true, and it quickly confirmed no such content cull had taken place. This was also fact-checked by Reuters.

Years later, Netflix’s Faith & Spirituality category is still intact and filled with plenty of movies and TV shows to watch.