I’m not a person that would be traditionally classified as religious. I do not practice the devotions of christianity, voodoo, buddhism or shinto. No, I found my calling at a young age, watching an 8mm reel of Godzilla vs Mothra from the inside of a cardboard box on my living room floor; The Movies.

You might scoff at the concept of movies as religion, but they’re perhaps not as different from your own practices as you’d like to think.

We have an ever expanding pantheon of gods; Anyone who has ever made a film. There is no real leader among them, no Zeus, though some have proven to be more popular than others. Names like Kubrick, Hitchcock and Truffaut are spoken of in whispers, with as much reverence as if they were standing in the room beside us. For they, much like the more traditional gods, create worlds in an explosion of sound and light.

And we have our places of public worship. The tithe is taken as you enter the building, and you’re given your choice of “wafer” before the ceremony begins. Not too many choices, though; We do have our traditions. Generally popcorn, nachos, pretzels and candy. If you’re into that “New Age” stuff, some places have pizza, and other such items. Audiences are getting more disruptive with each passing year; At it’s peak, you wore your best suit or dress to go to service. Nowadays, you have people talking and checking their phones during the ceremony; For shame.

Some practice their devotion at home, at a friends house, or even on a bus via their telephone. But whatever the medium, it’s something that gives us a common bond; Something to talk about, theorize on, and rummage through the ancient secrets of. Something that can make us happy, sad, frightened or introspective. Something that helps you look at the world around you in a new way.

And if that isn’t a religion, I don’t know what is.