Religion is one of the most controversial topics in our society today. It has forced people to view religion in variety of different perspectives. For some, religion has become a way of life, and for others it is used as weapon to harm people. Thus, the importance of religion is gradually fading away. The Media plays an important role in our lives by predominately portraying religion in a negative manner. Rarely does it illustrate religion in a positive light. Media depicts religion as a poison that engulfs a person from the inside. It illustrates religion as an “iron curtain” that divides people, a weapon used to persecute people, and finally as a source to stereotype people, at times, media portrays religion as a binding factor that encourages human fellowship and togetherness. Ultimately, the media predominantly exemplifies religion as factor that divides and hinders humanity rather than uniting and aiding the society. In the media, religion is demonstrated as an “iron curtain” that divides people. Religion is illustrated as something that has had more to do with human greed and selfishness than compassion and spirituality. This is evident in the Christianity newspaper article, “The Greeks objected the march without one of their monks present, fearing that otherwise, the procession would subvert their own claim to the Edicule- the ancient structure built on what is believed to be the tomb of Jesus- and give the Armenians a claim to the site”. (Friedman, “Monks in punch-up near Jesus’ tomb”) Here, the two sects of Christian followers are fighting over the Edicule. The two groups just want to own it for their own greed and show the other sects that they are superior, and the “ultimate” followers of God. The article also portra... ... middle of paper ... ...hose God is the best -which ultimately ignites conflict between religions, persecutes people by using the name of God and Holy Scriptures - Holy scriptures are used to justify their unorthodox behaviors, and finally uses it as a source to categorize people through extremists attacks. Media plays an important role in peoples’ lives and therefore the images it depicts could change peoples’ perception about a particular individual and a religion. Despite the fact that media portrays religion in a positive manner, for the most part, it depicts religion as a force that creates chaos, segregates people, and as a factor that hinders the humanity by grabbing the true essence of peace and harmony. Since the media depicts religion as something that poisons the inner soul through segregation and chaos it can be concluded that religion has become a hindrance to the humanity.
Religion is considered as a pervasive force in this world. It shapes people as to how they behave and interact with almost everything present in the society. Influencing behavior, character formations, ideals, policies, standards are just among the dimensions and societal perspectives affected and impacted by religion. Because of these applications and implications in human lives and existence, religion should be understood deeply, particularly, on how it affects the world. Looking at the American perspective of the term "religion," it could be simply
Portrayal of Religious Individuals by Television The recent series of the BBC2 show, Coupling, presented an episode where a very religious Christian, James, was presented. In this episode, James was a presenter for a religious programme at a radio station, and meets Jane, who has an extremely stereotypical view on Christians. Jane is non religious herself, which is assured when she mentions that "I'm Christian too, I just happen to dress well" - which presents the typical outlook of many people nowadays, that believe Christians tend to wear 'out of fashion' clothing. James informs Jane that he is anti-premarital sex, which shocks her.
―"Religion in “Brave New World“." Religion in Brave New World. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.
In the essay, the writer acknowledges the misunderstandings that come from media images by explaining the contrasts between these images and the teachings of the faith to support her claim that fear is the reason for this misconception. The conception that many people have of Muslims is that they are terrorists, anti-Semites, and fanatics. This conception exsists because television news and newspapers support that stereotype. The broadcast of such stereotypes encourages fear and accusations of the Islamic relegion's teachings. The writer explains that Islam teaches peace, tolerance, and equality. She further states that Muslims shown in the media have violated these teachings ...
Culture is made up of three main components: ethics, aesthetics, and religion (Lincoln 52). The lines of culture become skewed as it often blends in with political and religious views. In Western Europe during the time of the Reformation, the Church was the central ruler of the society. This meant that religion was not only a cultural view, but also a political one. As time moved on, the Church became less important, but today’s standards still connect religion to culture. This becomes an issue as individuals who are noticeably outside the culture in forms or religion are often judged and looked down upon (Lincoln 56). Due to this outcast it can cause anger to certain religions and culture which can often lead to these acts of violence. With the hate between cultures, religion becomes the justifiable mean on which violence can occur. Many individuals can state that God wants them to make their own religion superior, and one way they can draw attention to their religion is terrorism and other forms of violence. Due to this connection to culture, religion can not be separated into it’s own personal category, as it is forever affected by the changes and culture of the community (Lincoln 57). As time and culture progress, the religion of the community will either change with it, or fight the changes which will often cause conflict. This can be seen in the results of the practice of Jihad, the Reformation and
Smart, Ninian. "Blackboard, Religion 100." 6 March 2014. Seven Dimensions of Religion. Electronic Document. 6 March 2014.
Religion is meant to be a solid force, helping society to bond better and progress in a civilized manner. For the same purpose, religion, with its laws and codes of conduct, monitors peoples’ way of life to ensure that humanity remains intact and that the world does not collapse into a chaotic blood-thirsty pandemonium. Marquez turns this concept of religion as a driving force and unmasks the fact that religion has been reduced to corrupted man made traditions, customs and superstitions. Marquez thinks that the people of the community are hypocrites in religion because of the stron...
Portrayal of Christianity in the Media In this piece of coursework I am going to write an essay about how Christianity is portrayed in the media. I'm going to write about mainstream shows such as Songs of Praise and Paradise found. I am also going to write about how a Christian issue is dealt with on Eastenders which was Euthanasia. Then I am going to write about how Homosexuality is looked upon in the film Philadelphia.
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 changed America and the world forever. When we hear about terrorists in the news, most often the media is referring to a person of the Islamic descent. The actions of a small group of radicals caused society to generalize about the entire Muslim community. Research done by Jack Shaheen, a professor of Mass Communication from Southern Illinois University and a consultant to CBS News, showed that the media has the ability to create false stereotypes of Muslims. The government enforces stereotypes here at home, which influence policies. During times of conflict, the media functions as the carrier of government policies. (Alexandar, Hanson, 64). Through this form of mediatization, prejudice and misconceptions about the Muslim community has risen.
Most all religions (outside of indigenous cultures), exist in the modern world to stand and represent the accepted beliefs and ritualistic practices of the cultures from which they have either; merged with, adapted to, or are currently adapting to. Most models of religion must accept and deal with the challenge of answering some of today’s most ethical questions; often, having sprouted out from yesterday’s past. The permissible modernization that takes place throughout religion expresses both; the sincerity and focus of the people that follow their particular faith. Though at times, the attention of so many people can be misguided from unseen disasters or terroristic control and such; it is not uncommon for communities of similar cultures (usually
Religion is intertwined with culture, economics, politics, and modern social relationships on every dimension. Whether you attend a cathedral, a synagogue, or a mosque, habitually, intermittently, or abstain entirely, you simply cannot escape religion.
Most of the contemporary problems bedeviling our society are because of lack of proper spiritual anchorage. Civil and technological differentiations embodied in the media have aggravated the situation. Technological differentiation has undermined religion by taking the place of spirituality in adherents’ lives.
Starting from one of the very first holy wars, the Crusades are a prime example of this disuniting force of religion. Stemming from Pope Urban II’s rallying cry for soldiers to reclaim the Holy Land, this was a series of religious wars launched by Christian states of Europe against the Muslims. Thousands of men, both young and old, were motivated by promises of wealth, religious salvation, and chivalry to fight this religious battle against the Muslims. Despite the nobility, these wars had severe consequences between Christian and Islamic believers. In the article “The Crusades” by W. Robert Godfrey, he expresses, “Hundreds of thousands died, and the terrible massacre in Jerusalem by the crusaders has seriously damaged the reputation of Christianity among Muslims ever since.” This major event in history created tension between Christians and Muslim faiths. As one of the bloodiest wars in history, this conflict between the Muslims and the Christians represents how religion ruptures peace between two segregated sides.
Religion and the Media In the world we live in today people have revolutionized the image of religion, so that it is now regarded as a pastime instead of solely. being about God and His people. In today's world media has evolved to be much more. more powerful than religion, and therefore some say that media is taken.
There are many institutions of technology that have influenced Christians to support or oppose the media as a whole. Even to this day, there are differing opinions of how Christians should approach media. Some say that we should avoid it all together, and some say that we need to be fully involved with the media. It ultimately comes down to one’s world view and their approach to being the light of the world that Christians are supposed to be.