[ArGee]

Are movie makers using these words to exploit their emotional content? Are movie makers using splatter movies to de-sensitize us to religion? Are these rates just accidental artifacts?

Statistics are so interesting precisely because they are so difficult to interpret.

Based on your descriptions, I am guessing that none of the words G-d, Jesus, or Christ, was used in its religious context but rather as either an expression of fear (Oh, my G-d!) or as profanity. Therefore, one interesting correlation would be the rate of all swearing in expression of fear or profanity. If the rates have similar decline, then you are just seeing a correlation between profane words and the movie gross. There is still a lot of work to be done if you make that correlation, but that's where I'd start.

Shalom.

[catonsville]

Your making a crappy slasher movie, you want to give it more status, some pseudo-profundity, so you add references to God. You may even include a scene in a church, a good priest who is killed by the slasher and some digitilzed "Carmina Burina" in the backgound.

Still crap