Media Portrayals of Religion

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In modern days there have been a multitude of depictions of different religions in a very harsh light. People look at all religions with a scrutinizing gaze, wishing to find everything they can that they think is wrong about the religion when in reality they should be looking at the large amount of good that the religion offers. No one would like to have their beliefs and ideals that they hold close to them scoffed at, yet there are those who constantly do so to others. More recently people have become slightly more relaxed with their negative views and stereotypes of other religions, and that is something that is a truly wonderful thing. Unfortunately there is still a large amount of negative stigma that is involved with quite a few religions. These religions are both monotheistic and polytheistic, which means that they believe in one god, or multiple gods respectively. Some examples of religions that tend to have negative stereotypes surrounding them are Islam, and Muslim which is an adherent of Islam, Wicca, as well as many other Pagan religions, and even Christianity. There can be reasons for these negative stereotypes, unfortunately, as sometimes they were what used to be done or believed in some cases. Yet at the same time these negative stereotypes could be nothing more than people assuming things because they haven't taken the time to learn about the religion and its practitioners. These negative stereotypes of religions are often portrayed through media, such as television shows, comedy routines, songs, and even stories on the Internet.
While in the United States, if a person were asked what some stereotypes of Muslim or Islamic people there would be enough to fill an entire novel. Although this religion is similar to...

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...ypes of Paganism. ReligionFacts, 30 Jan. 07. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
Saunders, Doug. "10 Myths About Muslims in the West." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 10 Sept. 2012. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
Sides, John. "American Stereotypes of Muslims." The Washington Monthly. Washington Monthly, 22 Apr. 2013. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
Singh, Sonny. "Muslims in Queens Attacked by Bigots and the Media." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 05 Dec. 2012. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.
"Stereotypes? Needed for a Project." - Wicca Online Community For Pagans and Wiccans. N.p., 8 Oct. 2010. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
Trim, Michelle. "Teenage Witches: Magical Youth And the Search For Self." Journal For The Study Of Religion, Nature & Culture 6.4 (2012): 523-524. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
"Thread: Pagan Stereotypes." Pagan Stereotypes. VBulliten, 10 Mar. 2011. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.

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