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Let's not forget the Superman syndrome: a hero that cannot be harmed or defeated gets real boring real fast.
Even though ending a movie with "...and then we turned to religion..." works, it can be a cheap, overused way to resolve a film. I can think of several movies that have & I've wondered if they invoked religion because of cultural priorities or because they had no other way to wrap up their plot.
I can also think of films that tried to make religion itself more of a battle (The Rite [2011], Legion [2010], Constantine [2005], The Prophecy [1995], Warlock [1989], and so on) but they range from hokey to comical - anything but truly horrifying.
So I think religion has taken a backseat but because religion can only play one kind of role successfully (The Last Exorcism [2010], The Exorcism of Emily Rose [2005], Serpent and the Rainbow [1988], The Omen [1976], The Exorcist [1973], etc.) without being an embarrassment (Exorcist II: The Heretic [1977], Exorcist III [1990], Omen IV: The Awakening [1991], Exorcist: The Beginning [2004]) that it may be better off that way... for the movie industry.
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"...they say you die twice. One time when you stop breathing and a second time, a bit later on, when somebody says your name for the last time." - Bansky
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