In one of the chapters of Amusing Ourselves to Death,"Shuffle off to Bethlehem", Postman speaks on the topic of the representation of religion in television. He claims that televised religion can be considered heretical and lacks the spiritual environment present in sacred places of worship. Furthermore, the core of religion is lost in translation when converted to television as it is impacted by the idea that television, no matter the subject, should be entertaining. Postman also states that a sense of secularism can be felt as viewers are constantly aware that they can easily change the television channel and once again be exposed to the secular world. I think this topic is relevant now since the pandemic has caused churches among other places to close. Consequently, people pertaining to different religions may have turned to televised religious shows or utilized other mediums of technology to continue to be involved in religious affairs.
This has caused me to think more about the different arguments regarding televised religion. Is televised religion ethically moral? Are all televised religion shows intended to be entertaining? Does the use of television as the medium for religion undermine its sacredness? However, is it possible that televised religion can be positive in the sense that it can attract a greater following? Can it make more people interested in religion if they weren't before?
Whether or not televised reliegion is ethnically moral is based off of how a person views religions and how traditional they may be. In both sides, one can believe that it is moral as churches are closed and many have nowhere to turn to except for media while as others may find that it’s not enough and as you mentioned, a lack in spiritual environment to do worshiping in. The use of television as a medium for religion may undermine its sacredness to some people however, it can be very important and just as meaningful to the other. Personally, as someone who isn’t very religious nor traditional, I belive that it’s more important that you’ve spent the time to be able to honor whatever you worship no matter where it is or how often however, this can greatly vary from person to person as not everyone thinks and believes the same thing. When it comes to whether all televised religion shows are intended to be entertaining, I find that no, it is not like that at all. As someone who has scrolled through many channels I have more than often encountered ones that are very religious and nothing like an entertainment series at all. Both entertainment focused and religious focused channels exist when it comes to religious channels. For your last question, yes, it is possible for some people to be able to encounter religious channels and find it interesting such as encountering a new show in another channel. Although I personally find that any platform for religious intentions are valid, do you believe differently?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Alene when she mentioned, “one can believe that it is moral as churches are closed and many have nowhere to turn to except for the media while others may find that it’s not enough”. Many people do all they can, which can be to be religious across television, while others who are more religious will think it is not sufficient. During our current situations, churches have closed down making the media or television one of the only choices to rely on to continue “attending mass”. This means that television does not necessarily make it entertaining. It is the same thing as being in an actual mass but you are at home. The church goes on normally and I believe if you actually pay attention you will not find it entertaining but the same as usual church. Therefore, I believe most of the televised religious shows will not be found entertaining. An example where religious television may be found entertaining is when it’s intended for a younger audience, such as kids. They obviously want to engage them so they show cartoons or animations, but I believe they do not do it with the purpose to entertain but to educate. However, even if that is not intended it can turn out to be entertaining.
ReplyDeleteTo answer another one of your questions, I believe that televised religion does not attract a greater following. I have watched live mass and the amount of people watching is very low. If we were to attend an actual church there would be more people, as usual, so televised religion does not always attract greater following. Also, in my opinion I would rather attend church than watch virtually so I do not believe it attracts a large amount of people. However, this may depend on what you watch that is related to religion.
I would also like to know your opinion on this.
To answer your questions, Jennifer and Alene, my stance on this topic is that televised religion is a viable way to continue to attend mass through technology. I agree with both of your responses. Since I belong to a religious family, we have continued to engage in religious affairs despite the closing of churches. For example, we watched a live mass through social media. Although we haven't exactly used television to watch mass, I think it is still similar to televised religion. I didn't perceive the mass to be entertaining, as it was practically the same as attending church but in a different environment. I'm sure that there are some shows on television which have made religion entertaining for their viewers, but I have yet to come across them. Overall, I don't think televised religion strays far from religious beliefs as Postman claims.
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