My first thought regarding the association between Religion and Television was the few encounters I have had. Late at night when flipping through channels the occasional broadcast of a sermon or intimate gospel discussion would be on. Honestly, I changed the channel and cannot really share my personal feelings and thoughts on the programs specifically. Another personal experience I have had with religion and T.V. would be the biannual broadcast of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints General Conference. Frankly my experience with watching any sort of religious program on television is minimal.
I decided to write this blog from the perspective of, what purpose does religious T.V. serve and does it detract from the actual experience of participating in a live religious service? This is obviously a growing trend. I did some research on religious channels and found the following: CTN- Christian Television Network, TBN- Trinity Broadcasting Network, EWTN- Eternal World Television Network, and Sky Angel, which is a feature that your can pay for monthly to receive over 50 religious channels. I didn’t not realize the large amount of religious channels there actually were, nor did I fully understand the success that they had.
In my opinion, I feel it is important to separate your day of worship from the rest of your weekly activities. It seems a little sacrilegious to me to sit in front of your T.V. in your pajamas and attend your church service with a bag of potato chips and a Diet Coke. For me part of the worship experience is preparing to attend the service, mentally, physically, spiritually, and spiritually. I do feel that this growing phenomenon of attending church from your own home is an option that is appealing to most. The idea that my family can tune in Saturday morning for an hour and watch Joel Osteen, a famous religious T.V. personality, and completely satisfy that week’s worship quota seems almost too easy.
I am not saying that watching your religious service on T.V. is bad, inappropriate, or that it doesn’t really count as “going to church,” all I am saying is that worship means a variety of things to a variety of people. For some it is spending an hour in front of the T.V. for others it is attending a Yoga class to reconnect with yourself.
My last thought as I finish this blog is the question, is watching your religious service on T.V. considered worship or entertainment. I have included a link to an article that poses this same question. http://flowtv.org/p?=1092
I believe that religious experience is different for everyone. Watching religious television is no exception. Basically, it is what you make of it. If you are just flipping through the channels and stop to watch in fascination at huge black tears run down pink-haired Jan Crouch's face, then yeah you probably aren't getting much out of the religious aspect of the show. However, as with any religion, if your heart is in the right place, and you are really watching a religious program to draw closer to God then it is possible to truly worship as effectively someone at a church service.
ReplyDeleteIn conclusion, you can't simply define religious programming as either worship or entertainment. It can obviously qualify as both.
This question will be viewed differently by all people. Me personally coming from a strong religious upbringing, I view all of these programs as somewhat hypocritical, an easy way for a religion to get more followers and money. Also I like you need to go to worship. However, for some these programs help because maybe it gives them the chance to hear about Christ and maybe become inspired. I really hope that the priests take their roles seriously and treat it as worship and not entertainment. But that answer lies with each individual.
ReplyDeleteI understand that everyone's religious experiences differ from the rest, but I also think that through watching religious television, that worshiper is demonstrating a lack of sacrifice for what they believe. Don't get me wrong, others may be spiritually uplifted by a program that they watch every sunday (as long as they are committed to it), but I feel that it is more for convenience and entertainment of one's morals than for worship. For example, I have found that when I watch General Conference at home in my sweats, it does not have the same spiritual impact as when I attend a broadcast because I am proactively seeking counsel. So in all, I feel that the level of commitment and sacrifice involved in one's type worship will answer the question of "is it worship or entertainment?"
ReplyDeleteThis blog entry was very compelling and I agree a lot with the writer. It is a much needed topic to discuss, whether or not TV Evangelism is a healthy religious experience or not. While I would not count watching a program on TV a great act of faith, I think it is nice to have available for people to watch. There is sex, violence, vulgarity and atheism all over TV, there should at least be something good and focused on Christ for viewers to find. Even if I don't agree with the doctrines taught, I appreciate its sincerity. I do hope it is not used as a substitute for going to church, but rather as something additional, or something that gets someone interested in God that would have not found it any other way. I think TV is great tool to spread messages, why not spread the greatest message of all on it?
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