Have you ever woken up and felt as though you had no energy to go to church? Be it not wanting to pick out the perfect tie, make the trek up a large campus hill or simply not wanting to deal with the (ahem) interesting people in the congregation, admit that you are tempted (on occassion) to skip out on Sunday services.
You're not alone. Congregations are dwindling worldwide and it's not all the result of religious apathy. Some people simply just don't have the energy or willpower it takes to get themselves inside of a church to worship.
Thus, the invention of virtual religious services, such as Church of Fools. Church of Fools is a UK Methodist-sponsored online religious service developed to give individuals an opportunity to worship in cyberspace.
How? Logon to the website (churchoffools.com), create a cartoon character of yourself and get ready to do all kinds of exciting things in the 3D world. Walk around, kneel, pray, shout hallelujah, play a hymn, and ring the church bells—all from the comfort of your own home. Take a look at an example of a Night Prayer service.
Church of Fools is an example of how religions are using the internet to reach a larger audience. Scarcely any religions are exempt from it, including our own.
When I first began preparing this post, I was going to ask the question, "Do you think someone can have as much of a religious experience online as they can attending the service in person?" I thought it was a no-brainer, until I started thinking about it.
Twice a year we watch/attend/listen to General Conference. Do we not all have a religious experience as we watch or listen--even if we're not at the Conference Center? I think we do. The Church of Fools thinks they do as well. The following quote explains their stance when asked, "Can you really have true, meaningful church online?"
We're more concerned that many of the people coming to Church of Fools are not getting "true, meaningful church" offline.
So I ask you...
Can one have a religious experience if the focus of their worship is online?
Music is an art form, a type of expression for an artist. And in most art, artists strive to make one think, to question their beliefs, to ponder a new idea, to evoke some sort of emotion or feeling. Religion is a universally understood language because most people believe in something greater than themselves. Because of this, religion is a great topic of songwriting in all music genres.
We know that Christian Rock music or country music often talks about God. However, we see a great deal of religious references in all genres from pop to punk, rock to folk.
Often we find one or two songs in the album will talk about god or religion or some greater power while the rest of the album does not. Laughing With by Regina Spektor or Something’s Missing by John Meyer are both examples from two different genres.
Sometimes songs can be interpreted different ways because of their vague nature people can visualize or be moved because of their own personal background. You Are Loved, by Josh Groban is an example of this. Switchfoot is a Christian band who talks a lot about religion but is more mainstream unlike other Christian rock bands that would be found performing in churches on Sunday.
Artists want to create something that means something to them, to someone. There (hopefully) is a greater purpose in their creation. They are writing songs about things that have meaning to them. Things they love, things they hate, things they fear, things they learned. Religion and spirituality is a great subject for all artists because of its vast expanse. It is something they are passionate about and something that many listeners can relate to.
We all have different tastes and different interests but I think it is safe to say that everyone loves music. Whether musically inclined or not people appreciate music and how it speaks to them. Religion and spirituality cannot be without music. Some of this music are hymns used for worship, other music can be used to celebrate and uplift, and other, more mainstream music references religion and spirituality that can be equally uplifting and thought provoking.
My question for you is: While our society is striving for political correctness and we see so many people turning their back on religion, why is the mainstream music world so accepting of religious and spiritual references in all music genres?
Is the title of R.E.M’s smash 1991 hit in which lead singer Michael Stipe sings, “That's me in the corner, That's me in the spotlight, I'm, Losing my religion,” or is he? Rewind a little bit further to the late 80s with a semi-controversial songstress named Madonnna. With the release of the track and more importantly video for her ’89 hit ‘Like a Prayer’ religious groups and music moguls alike were taken aback by the amount of sacrilegious innuendo that is depicted [below] in the video. But in both of these songs, religion may or may not be the true lyrical focus, depending on how you listen. Without changing the meaning of both songs, neither is truly about religion, but rather love, in ALL forms (physical and not). Musicians and lyricists alike thrive on the notion that they can write whatever they want while still inputting some sort of subliminal message within the words.
Use of Religious terms and meaning has been an on going trend in popular music for as long as I can remember. As we previously saw in Joan Osborne’s “One of Us” she asks us to ponder the meaning of God and the many life forms he could possibly take, even questioning if he could possibly be a “slob like one of us.”Ziggy Marley took to claim that love was his religion in the title track “Love is my Religion.”
Love is my religion, Love is my religion, Love is my religion, I'll take you to the temple tonight. All my days I've been searching, to find out what this life is worth through the books and bibles of time, I've made up my mind I don't condemn, I don't convert, this is a calling have you heard, bring all the lovers to the fold, cause no one is gonna lose their soul
Just in the chorus and first bit of the verse, the use of religion is prominent in a popular Reggae track.Even the outlandish Lady GaGa puts a little faith in a track entitled ‘Teeth” where she states: ‘Got no salvation (no salvation) Got no salvation. Got no religion (no religion) My religion is you.’
Now, in the wake of great tragedy in Haiti, we seek religion again. As was the case after 9/11, musicians, actors, politicians, etc. unite to create music and call upon old hits to keep the faith. Last Friday’s‘Hope for Haiti’ telethon brought together musical acts to perform and raise money for Haitian relief, where Madonna sang the controversial “Like a Prayer,” Justin Timberlake covering Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” and Jennifer Hudson singing “Let it Be” (I recommend purchasing this album, proceeds benefit Haiti relief and all tracks are great. Esp Jay-Z, Bono, Rihanna collabo).
The question I offer is: During the trend of religion in pop music, are these songs to be taken at surface level for your own interpretation (and salvation), or does the artist meaning beg to be explored?
So I've been thinking a lot about Christian rock, and both the chapter in the book and the last post talked about this, but hopefully I'll be able to put a slightly different spin on it.
I have a friend who I grew up with in the Church, but this year she married an evangelical Christian guy and has been going to his church. His church is different from most Christian churches I'm aware of: the women wear white cloths on their heads at church, when people commit major sins they confess it front of the entire congregation, they don't celebrate Halloween, and don't even like to include Santa in Christmas and instead of stockings they have "wise men baskets." These are just a few of the things I've picked up on in conversations with her. Over Christmas break I was visiting her at their apartment and her husband was listening to this heavy metal music--the kind where the majority of the singing is more like screaming. It seemed odd in this otherwise very conservative Christian household. Then when her husband left to go to the store, my friend told me he had been listening to a Christian band. Apparently they throw in messages about salvation through Jesus in between screams. My friend seemed embarrassed talking about it, as if she new what my reaction would be, and as if she kind of agreed. She had after all grown up Mormon, and Christian heavy metal was just as foreign to her as it was to me.
I think the general feeling among members of our church is that this industry that combines wordly music with gospel lyrics is not the way to go--an attempt to worship God and mammon as the book put it. We definitely aren't into including that sort of thing in our worship sessions, the church actually has a list of instruments not allowed to be played in sacrament meeting, among them the guitar and drums. For the most part, we stick to our set traditional hymns and rarely deviate.
But then as I was thinking about it more, I started to realize that maybe we aren't so separate from this phenomenon as we'd like to think. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, like Amy Grant who the book talked about, sings plenty of non-gospel-related music and is huge (often number one) on the classical music charts. And what about EFY music? What about all the many artists sold at Deseret Book? Compare their Web site with a Christian bookstore. Don't most of these musicians make money because they are combing LDS themes and lyrics with more contemporary music? Sure, I haven't heard of a LDS heavy metal band as of yet, but is our LDS music industry really so different from the Christian rock one? Aren't we basically doing the same thing?
That was a lot of rhetorical questions in a row, sorry about that. The book talked about how worldly it was that they almost used religion as an excuse to get big in the music industry, but I just think if we don't consider our own contemporary music industry such a bad thing maybe we should think again about how we view the Christian rock world.
My question: What do you think is so attractive about combining comtemportary music with gospel themes that has made it so popular?
Music is a way through which people pray. I had not first thought of music as a form of prayer until I read about a professor who studies how people pray.
“Sacred music allows us to touch the face of God, through our perception of the world around us,” he said. “It's a direct way through which we try to make sense of life and the afterlife, to understand and gain favor with God. The emotion is the magic that happens at that point of contact.”
As I reflect on music that has moved me recently, I think of "Laughing With" by Regina Spektor. I'm mystified by her lyrics. She said in an interview that religion has been on her mind a lot lately so the lyrics stemmed from her thinking about God. I'm intrigued that she wrote this song as a way to explore God. The lyrics remind me how much I need God.
Regina is one of many recent artists who explore religion and God through their music. So many people do not know about God like we do and I think it's great that some people are trying to better understand God by creating lyrics and music. It's almost as if they are seeking inspiration through music.
I have noticed that songs with religious meaning provoke a positive and negative conversation among people. Regina's song had over 4,000 text comments on YouTube last time I checked. Among the posts, people wrote their personal interpretations about the song meaning and/or feelings.
One YouTuber said:
This is a gorgeous song that, in my own opinion, is trying to say that when people are in terrible situations, or trying ones, that they take God seriously for once in their life. Almost a sort of...."God is only funny when you're life is wonderful" sort of thing. That's just what I get from it. When someone you love is dying, are you not tempted to pray?
According to this commenter, human crises cause people to humble themselves and cause them to see a need for God in their life. It makes me wonder whether music is what causes some people to think about religious topics more than other types of media.
Question: Does music cause people to seek answers about God more than other types of media?
As I began researching the presence of religion in music, I wanted to find prominent examples of bands/artists in pop culture that really made an effort to leak religion into their work. The more I looked the more I came to feel that much of the religious influence we are exposed to in musical pop culture seems to be very subtle.
One example I came across was the band Switchfoot. This band has seen a lot of success. Their overall approach with their music has resulted in them being placed, by many, into the Christian rock genre. While their lyrics, their choice of market distribution (general and Christian) and even their album art provide subtle substance behind this placement, the band itself has philosophically disagreed with the label.
The band’s lead singer, Jon Foreman has said that "For us, it's a faith, not a genre. We've always been very open and honest about where the songs are coming from. For us, these songs are for everyone. Calling us 'Christian rock' tends to be a box that closes some people out and excludes them. And that's not what we're trying to do. Music has always opened my mind—and that's what we want".
The band gives evidence of this claim with the fact that their lyrics never really exclusively declare anything of Christian faith or even mention Jesus Christ. But they do focus a lot on being inspirational in their lyrics. The interesting thing is that they perform at many Christian festivals (video below) and still kind of cater to that crowd despite their neutral stance
While the band’s desired position was pretty clear, I find everything to be a little bit contradicting. Now none of this really matters in the industry. Bands obviously aren’t required to declare their status in a genre or expose all of their personal beliefs to as much of an extent as possible. Yet when reading about Switchfoot I started to wonder why they filter their beliefs so much, and still play a few Christian band cards. Besides the fact that much of it is probably business related, it seems that they just want to appeal to a much larger audience. They also might just want to connect with people in a ‘safe zone’ without going too far in terms of religion.
The interesting thing for me is that, despite knowing of them for a few years, I never realized that they’re a Christian band. Also, it seems like bands that have firm religious beliefs might be missing opportunities to connect with people on a deeper level. In this way I have come to the conclusion that the impact of religionand music in pop culture might not be recognized as much as religion is in other forms of media. This might be why specificity is avoided.
So the question...
Do religious references in the music of pop culture have as much of an impact as religious references portrayed through other forms of media? Yes or no, and why?
Despite the cheesy "Life's deep Questions" that are all too familiar among the members of the LDS church, the unknown is a fascinating factor explored by the media in various mediums. One such unknown is found in the question "Where do I go when I die?"
The afterlife is a venue that any mortal would wish to witness. Whether it be to find out the truthfulness of its existence or to find out what it really looks like, or what we do there, we would love to just see what someone thinks. One my most favorite movies "What Dreams May Come" and also recent blockbuster hit "The Lovely Bones" both explore the afterlife with no need of subtlety. Religion and film have mixed to draw the ever curious human, longing to either learn or see an interpretation on what millions may believe but cannot explain.
Each movie's plot is set against the death of a main character and that characters ability to communicate with the world they left. What Dreams May Come follow a husband and father (Robin Williams) through his journey of the afterlife. He learns that each dwelling in the eternal world has a personal touch to it from the life before, thus connecting that what he did in mortality effected his lifestyle in the afterlife. The Lovely Bones follows a father's efforts to find the killer of his daughter, while is daughter is caught in a "Limbo" between life and death aiding her loved ones to solve her mystery.
The underlying problem with each afterlife story is the same. The murdered girl, and tragically killed father find themselves in a state of immortality and existence, yet no matter how beautiful, or released they may be from the matters of earth, they are not happy or resolved in their current state.
These movies move the characters to redefine what they feel their true afterlife should be, by suggesting a second chance to fix where they are, although their time of mortality has passed by. To my knowledge, "the Lovely Bones" does not make exclusive labels or personifications of deity, neither does "What dreams may come." The absence of deity (although the afterlife does exist in what is known in popular religion, heaven, hell and limbo) allows each character to in essence become the own maker of their existence both before and after life.
Religion has been no subtle topic in movies. In fact many films embrace religion, using to both inspire and expose current feelings on religion. What "Dreams may Come" and "The Lovely Bones" are unique in their executions because they focus on the ability to control ones final outcome despite whether they have died or not. And although both films allude to fundamental Christian beliefs they also go directly against fundamental beliefs of the same religion that God is the final judge and determines the outcome of life.
Robin Williams runs through "hell"
Questions:
Can a movie successfully explain religion without drawing upon fundamental and otherwise popular stereotypes for conclusions?
In movies and film, religion plays a very different role than in television. In my experience watching television programming it seems that religion is much more prevalent. In many shows there is usually a side character who has strong religious beliefs which play a significant role in who they are as the character. Despite this, in movies it seems religion is much less discussed. I think it is because the medium is so different.
Movies have a very limited amount of time to tell a very large story. Because of this, if religion is present in a movie, it is usually the overall theme. There is usually not too much side plot with religion, rather, it takes center stage. This is evident in movies like Bruce Almighty and The Passion of the Christ. Instead of slightly touching on religion they boldly center their plots around religious stories.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQZJ7j7fPIE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rd-GXzReZuc
Although these movies are completely focused around religion, it seems there are not too many movies out there that are based solely on religious stories. It's a big risk for directors and producers to make and market a movie when it is about religion because of the culture in which we live. When a movie is religious it inherently is geared for a specific audience based on those who share those beliefs. Because of this, it also has the possibility of turning away those who believe something different.
Looking at this it seems that religion is not discussed very often in film. With only an average of two hours to portray a story, the medium does not allow for enough side plots to have religious side stories. They do not permit time to play into stereotypes of religious people because it usually does not enhance the story. In recognizing this, they tend to leave any reference to religion out of the film. It is safer for them to err on the side of caution than to vulnerably place so much money into a story that may offend or detract specific audiences.
My question to you then is whether or not religious movies help promote religion in society or if it is better that Hollywood stay away from religion?
"Doubt can be a bond as powerful as certainty." "You have no right to act on your own." Prominent phrases that in certain contexts (or frames) will cause questions to people conviction and schema's. The film Doubt is a direct link between film media and religion, and tries to tackle an issue that may or may not have happened through out the film. Film has the ability to capture emotions, events, situations that spurred strong reactions throughout history, the present, or the future. Religion has long been a part of communication with the masses. So it makes sense for film and entertainment to have some connection to each other. Usually a film will be a window to a certain event, and allow us to be a part of that mind set. The film Doubt had a powerhouse cast that without them, I believe this film wouldn't have recieved as much attention. What I would like to focus on is the possible impact on all of us subconciously through priming, and creating connections between one thing to another. I'll do this by first, a basic overview of priming with examples, second hopefully showing links that could be associated between the film and religion. Of course there are other valid methods, or theories that could easily be applied to this film as well. Priming essentially connects nodes to each other in the brain. It is connecting a stimulus with another activity or thing, thus creating a associtive pathway, creating correlations between objects, ideas, people, places. When you think middle east, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Maybe war in Iraq, oil, Terrorist. Essentially what we have been exposed to in the media, or in our own environments will help establish the associtive pathway to the way we think. The film doubt pushes this theme that "something" may have happened between a priest and some new alter boy, and the head principle nun wants to know for sure what happened. for the nodes and pathways to connect we rely mostly on, the dialogue, and the shots of the film (the way they frame the picture that you see), and the music that you hear. The film doesn't outright say one thing or another of what happened with the priest and the boy, but the fact remains that, this is the whole central focus connects, that something very easily could have happened. Whether we like it or not, subconsciously we are picking up things creating new connections on how we view the world, and trying to bring organization to our lives by connecting certain things. Why do we do this? So that we are safe, success lots of reasons. I just feel that putting issues like this in the film Doubt can bring negative ramifications to religious faith in general. Even though we know that the majority of Priests, monks, etc, of all faiths are true legit and inherently good, by displaying moments of weakness, or casting doubt puts into our heads the what ifs? Maybe thats good or maybe thats bad, it's not up to me to say. Frankly it could be both. As I said earlier the film used music, filming process, and dialogue to establish uncertainty of what was happening between the priest and the boy. The Dialogue was used with the nuns discussing in a round about way what happened. The Priest in his dialogue to the nuns, and the children. The filming, had lots of shots in a close up, and sinister fashion, very clear, but you don't see whats happening in the shot. The camera would cut to shots of gray sky, dead branches, shots of the priest being alone with one of the boys that doesn't fit in. The music would be slightly eerie and not something you'd think to hear with a religious school. Or no music at all which can be unsettling to the viewer. All the time the viewer (myself included, so you don't mistake that the third person effect) is wondering if something really did happen. And if so, does that happen in our communities. The priming model is in the form of "priming stereotype approach: where you associate a type of person with an activity. When this film came out there were a handful of stories throughout the country of missapropriate behaviors of priests and alter boys, So in a sense this film helped reinforce the concerns of the day, and not just painting a picture of our society. The questions I have for you: 1. In regards to film & religion would you say film generates a positive outlook and associations or more of a negative outlook and associations? or both?
2. In what way has priming influenced your life? And more particularily with film & religion? (example: The best two years: the first thing that comes to my mind is my own mission).
Ron Fricke's Baraka is a 96 minute documentary filmed in 70mm across 24 countries and 6 continents. Some might argue that there is no conventional plot in the film but it definitely has a purpose. The word Baraka is an ancient Sufi word, which can be translated as "a blessing, or as the breath, or essence of life from which the evolutionary process unfolds." When asked to describe the film, Producer Mark Magidson stated,
“Through imagery, the film shows the diversity of the way people approach spirituality, religion, life and death, the struggle for survival and so on. The goal was for the viewer to have an inner journey, and the absence of both dialogue and commentary was intended to leave space for an internal dialogue, and allows the viewer to be guided by the music and the imagery. The content and the structure is meant to explore the life experience in its totality.”
Ever seen a 96 minute movie with ZERO words of dialogue? I have. More than once.
Baraka takes you on a journey through out the world setting up the beauty of the Earth, it's people, rituals and religions. Each scene is beautifully photographed enhanced only by a brilliant soundtrack by Michael Stearns and others.
Director Ron Fricke states,
“BARAKA is a journey of rediscovery that plunges into nature, into history, into the human spirit, and finally into the realm of the infinite.”
Baraka is often correctly described as a spiritual film while the film itself has it's own series of life events.
"Baraka’s producer Mark Magidson puts it. While the film contains no narration or dialogue, it nonetheless contains a clear three-act story. Act 1 depicts scenes of natural wonder and religious rituals that blend together. In Act 2 the movie shifts direction as a Brazilian rainforest tree is chainsawed to the ground. An enormous strip mine scars the landscape. Cities progressively increase in size and take on a mechanical breathing sound. The result is overpopulation, mass production, factory farms, poverty, prostitution, war, and ultimately genocide. Act 3 is one of redemption. Civilizations ultimately collapse under their own weight, and people are purified by returning to nature and religious ritual."
Below are a few stills from the movie showing a fraction of the people / religions incorporated into the film.
Baraka no doubt is a beautiful film about spirituality, the environment, and life itself.
My question is:
How does the presentation (form, medium, etc.) of a religion affect our opinions and thoughts of that religion / people / culture?
Many movies that have been made touch on religion but never really go deeper than surface level. There's movies about the end of the world (haha, End of Days, great flick) or ones that refer to it directly (Angels and Demons) or even ones that combine sci-fi aliens and a preacher.
But in many cases, films allude to religion through the use of symbols, as in characters or references in the movie relate to religion. There are several examples such as Gandolf sacrificing himself to save the group and then returning more powerful in all white (…obvious) or Darth Vader sacrificing himself to throw the emperor into that always necessary bottomless pit to save Luke. Even when we are not looking for them or even expect to see religious figures, they are very often present.
Allow to me to prove my point using two prime examples: The Matrix and The Truman Show (Spoiler Alert!)
Let's review the obvious religious symbols found in the Matrix. The main character played by Keanu Reeves is Thomas Anderson. Etymologically, Anderson means "son of man," a title Jesus used to reference himself. A plate in Morpheus' ship (pictured below) reads the name Nebuchadnezzar (King) and has the words "Mark III No. 11," maybe referring to Mark 3:11 in the Bible, which says "Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and shouted, 'You are the Son of God!'"
Anderson's hacker alias Neo is an anagram for the One, a title which is used in the film to refer to Keanu Reeves' character. He is The One who is prophesied to liberate humanity from the chains that imprison them in their computer-generated illusion. Neo is killed in the movie, but in real time, he is dead for exactly 72 seconds (72 hours = 3 days?) before rising again. At the end of the movie, Neo can seen flying upwards…to heaven.
Because we are a predominantly christian culture, we look for the christian symbols in whatever we do. But a Buddhist might see that the illusion of the matrix is related to the the illusion of reality that we must overcome to achieve enlightenment.
The Truman show can be seen as an allegory for the spiritual journey of the soul. Religion has to do with the belief that there is something more to reality than just the world around us. Truman's journey is to understand his reality.
Towards the beginning of the film, a light falls from the sky, referring to enlightenment from heaven. In the climax of the movie, Truman has to cross a sea to get his promised land, much as Moses did. In the clip below, Truman appears to walk on the water and reaches a stairway made of clouds that lead upwards towards heaven. The director in the movie goes by the name of Christof. An ominous figure going only by a single name, and one that contains the word "Christ." In the clip below, Christof says "I am the creator…of a television show," and it appears as a voice from the heavens. Truman then asks the ever illusive religious question "who am I?"
These are but a few of the many examples I could have used to prove my point. Some filmmakers use obvious religious references (In Star Wars Episode 3, when the emperor orders the death of all the jedi, he calls it "order 66") or they use references that many of us have to think about, ponder, and maybe even make us watch the movie a few more times to truly understand.
Some people could argue that these references are few are far between and are probably not on purpose, but the examples I have referenced show that this cannot be a coincidence. That Filmmakers have purposely placed religious figures and references in their movies.
Question: Why do you think Filmmakers include allusions to religious icons in their epic movies?
Our class discussion last week about sitcoms and how little religion is discussed in them made me think about how much religion and religious themes are presented in movies. I started listing off in my head all the movies I could think of that were built around a religious theme or spoke about religion, and I surprisingly came up with a pretty long list. The last movie I saw in the theater, that everyone I talked to raved about, was The Blind Side. It started off with a coach at a Christian school telling the school board they needed to admit a certain teenager, Big Mike, even though his grades weren't good because they were a "Christian" school.
I searched the Web and learned more about how religion is apparent in this movie. I even saw that Sandra Bullock's faith in people who live their religion was renewed after doing this movie.
Another movie that came to mind when I was thinking of religious-themed films was Evan Almighty, where Steve Carell becomes a modern-aged Noah and even speaks with God several times during the movie. After just discussing religion in the media in class, I looked at the trailer again and was a little surprised about how forward this movie was about God. Right at the beginning, it says God has chosen different prophets to speak to throughout the ages and then lists off Moses, Abraham, and Joan of Arc. This is stated as fact in the trailer. Can you imagine many TV shows that would say the same thing? It reminded me a little bit of the clip we watched of the interview with the Dalai Lama and the newscaster calls him the reincarnated Buddha.
Movies like The Davinci Code, where the Catholic church and the question of Mary Magdalene's relationship with Jesus is discussed; The Passion of the Christ, where the depth of Jesus' suffering is explored; Bruce Almighty, where one man is given the "power of God;" and Licensed to Wed, where a preacher tells a couple they can't sleep together until they are married, do not hide their inherent theme of religion. Even a movie like Knowing, that was kind of creepy throughout, turned religious at the end. I could go on and on with movies that center around religious themes (and I found lots of Web sites that list movie after movie with religious themes in them). Many don't just laugh and mention religion (like sitcoms seem to), but they explore and discuss religious stories and beliefs.
I thought of many reasons why this might be so. First of all, there is more time in movies to discuss religion than there usually is on a TV show. TV shows last 20 to 40 minutes, where most movies are 90 to 160 minutes. Religion can be brought up and different aspects can be given more thought and be explained more.
Another reason perhaps is that movies have a more targeted audience and don't have to appeal to so many people, like sitcoms do. They don't have to worry about offending as much because people buy and pay for a ticket and the previews tell them essentially that "this movie is going to be about religion, so if you don't want to see something about religion, don't watch it."
Movies could also just be a way for a producer to impart his or her religious beliefs on a mass scale. I read about a certain professor who uses movies in his religion class to appeal more to his students and to reach them more. He even commented that:
Hollywood and religion, as cultural forms, have the power to reinforce, alter, or challenge our most deep-seated beliefs, values, and hopes. For this reason, a study of religion and film is a natural one for religious studies curricula and for programs that rely upon and promote critical thinking. For whatever else they might be, for good or bad, popular movies do carry substantial weight in the public presentation of values and beliefs, and for that reason alone, films exist as natural texts for our students interested in religion in contemporary society.
Or maybe movies have more religious themes and discussions because they reflect society and the search for truth more than sitcoms do.
In my opinion, though, I think the real reason may be that religion appeals to movie-goers more than sitcom-watchers. Watching a sitcom can often be a way to relax after a long day and people may not want to have to think about religion, whereas movies are more about thinking, discovery and action. Movies, in a sense, have become society's way of exploring religion at a mass level. And this is not a new phenomenon. I found that movies back when our teachers and parents were growing up also had religious themes to them.
On one Web site I was going over about religion and movies, the author said films with religious themes "provide a place for us to pause and meditate on our purpose and place in life." I found that even movies like Star Wars, Avatar, and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe have religious themes to them. People can choose whether to take religious-themed movies as they are or dig deeper for perhaps a religious undertone. I think society enjoys looking for these religious undertones and reflecting perhaps on their own lives by watching a movie and contemplating it.
Some people may disagree and say those who are spiritual are offended by different spiritual explorations or discussions in movies. I know several people who were offended by The Davinci Code and other such movies.
So why do you think movies explore religion more often than sitcoms do?
As in all media, religion is very evident in film. As I was looking into the different types of religions mentioned, the main theme I kept coming across was the idea of an angel. The term angel is most often associated with some kind of messenger or helper sent from God, so I thought I would look a little deeper to see if this was true in films.
When I first looked into this idea of an angel, the immediate movies that came to mind were Christmas movies. As our book discussed, the seemingly acceptable form of religion in media comes at Christmas time. “It’s a Wonderful Life” is a prime example where the entire movie centers around an angel, Clarence, who helps George Bailey realize how important his life is.
Moving on from the Christmas genre, Angels have become more evident in other major motion pictures. In 1994 the film “Angels in the Outfield”, a young boy’s father tells him they will be a family again when the California Angels win the pennant, so the boy prays for divine help. The answer to his prayer comes in the form of a group of angles who help the team toward their winning. Though this movie is created for a younger audience, it has a powerful message about prayer and divine help.
There are also movies that are created for an older audience such as “Michael” and “City of Angels”. In “Michael” a writer comes across a man who is an angel on vacation. Michael claims that he has only a couple “angel vacations” to earth and he is taking his last. During his time on vacation he does everything that is contrary to what people believe angels should do including smoking, drinking and he has poor personal hygiene. Right before Michael has to return to heaven, he performs a miracle that saves the writers life.
“City of Angels” has a similar view of angels in the fact that it shows an angel who falls in love with a woman and is trying to decide whether or not to become human. When he does become human, the woman then dies and he is left alone. He states that he would rather have been alive with her for only a moment than an angel and never had that experience.
“Charlie’s Angels” is another movie title with the mention of angels, but in fact, the movie itself has very little religious affiliation. The word angel has taken a whole new meaning in this movie. The girls in the movie are not religious messengers sent from Heaven, but in fact a group of investigators working for a man named Charlie.
Though it might seem that the concept on an angel is moving to a more secular form than a religious form, I would argue that when an angel is used, it still always carries a religious theme. Even if it is not direct, the concept of an angel still means a messenger sent to save or to help someone. Though it is not always specific as to who has sent the “angel” it still carries a religious underlying message that someone is there to help when you are in need. Though the angels are not always a person dressed in white (i.e. Michael who smokes and drinks), they still end up saving a life or doing something good with a very religious meaning behind it.
Question: Does the use of angels in films still carry a religious meaning, or has it completely moved to a secular theme?
As T.V. viewers many that have some kind of religious background can see trends or examples in their favorite TV shows, that an episode may relate to a spiritual experience between characters. Religion is portrayed in some way in television to kneeling on the ground asking God for help, having a change in heart towards someone and forgiving them allowing them to move forward in life. I think it captures the audiences in relation to the character and the relationship with God. If ninety-five percent of Americans indicate that they believe in some sort of God or Higher Power. It is only plausible that a well familiarized television series will have some kind of spiritual act or experience in the show that the audience can relate to. In the television series Touch By An Angel the shows was based on an actual angel coming into someones life to help them and to show them the way or path that God wants them to be on. The character Roma Downey is sent by God to bless the lives of others and she tells those she meets that God loves them and she was sent to help them with their trail the character is facing, helping them get on track the Lord wants them to be on.
It seems like practically every TV show out there has some affiliate to religion or pop culture and how it is common to pray to God or some kind of higher power to some, for guidance and help. I have seen countless times in many television series that the tough masculine guy when someone is hurt he loves that is when he will ask God to help the love one recover. The character usually says, I haven't done this much but I'm pretty much desperate at this point and I need your help. If you help I will change my life. From the media it shows that when it comes down to desperate measure the one who can help you the most if God. He is the only you that can truly save you. Religion is shown even in animated television shows including, the Simpsons with their neighbor the Flanders viewed as church goers who always when over their house is praying and reading the Bible. In the show on occasion it has shown Homer praying for help at a particular time when he was in need of some divine intervention.
I really believe religion is apart of the American culture even though many may not go to church each Sunday, or practice an organized religion. I think just through the media or I can say popular culture, that religion in some way affects everyone. Either in the decision one makes daily to judging others for their actions. If we just look at the laws in our government and the constitution a lot of it is based off the ten commandments of God. Through pop culture religion has become an identity for many Americans and who they are. I think that is why we have seen in many TV series some kind of religious innuendos through the characters monologue. Even an act of kindness or charitable act in a scene is some kind of religious prompting that many will feel good after watching.
Questions:
1. Do you think popular culture in America has influenced many television shows to have some religious scene or monologue?
2. If a television show has a religious moment is it due to get higher ratings for the show, because many people know some kind of form of relgion?
In class we discussed stereotypes that are present in all forms of media, and even in our every day lives. In the entertainment world, stereotyping helps people quickly understand a character or storyline. We can all quickly recognize the archetypes of the dumb jock, the underprivileged student or athlete trying to rise above their circumstances, and even the religious zealot that lives down the street. These stereotypes aid in the viewer’s understanding and are also helpful for the show’s writers, who often must fit a build-up, plot, and resolution into a 20-minute time slot. More and more, religious stereotypes are being intertwined into television programming.
In fact, stereotypes of religions are not only included in a television show’s storyline, sometimes they play a major role in providing the entertainment value. The stereotypes of religious people in broadcast television focus on any religious people that are current targets of pop culture, including Christians, Jews, Muslims, Atheists and others.
In a recent episode of the Simpsons, the classic pop culture phenomenon, a new family who happens to be Muslim moves into town, and Bart makes friends with the family’s son. Homer becomes aware of this, and, in his classic tactful manner, asks the family over for dinner to question them to see if they are terrorists or not. Although Bart finds "evidence" throughout the episode that proves the family must be terrorists out to destroy Springfield, in the end he is forced with the reality that they are just normal Joe's trying to have a happy life.
Although the stereotype is resolved as the potential terrorists are discovered to be just another family in the neighborhood, the whole entertainment value of the episode comes from Homer’s assumption that the stereotype is true. People can find this episode humorous because they can relate to the stereotype after recent events in the news. While the story is playing off what has happened (and is still happening) in our own culture, we must question the effect this has on the mindset of society towards various religious groups. Are episodes such as this reinforcing negative religious stereotypes in our mind (such as all Muslims are terrorists) and, as a result, turning us into intolerant people?
My husband's argument concerning the previous question is this: Shows like the Simpsons are just entertainment. The information presented is not necessarily accurate, and it doesn’t have to be. It is purposely offensive and must be very extreme to provide humor, which it does very well and people like it. Just because stereotypes are presented in television content, it doesn't necessarily mean that people are going to treat people the way Homer does if a religious family moves into their neighborhood.
I tend to be on the other side of the issue. As stereotypes about religious people are reinforced by a medium such as television, they are further implanted in our brains and make us more likely to act upon the stereotype when put in a related situation. This can lead to some uncomfortable situations and opportunities to misjudge people.
What do you think? Do stereotypes in television reinforce the negative ideas we may have against various religious people, or are they simply providing entertainment and not influencing us, at least not in a significant way?
The Simpson’s celebrated their 20th anniversary this past weekend by showing a special documentary of how the show came to be, and the history of its creators. The Simpson’s, could almost be considered a religion to many of its fanatical viewers who buy all the gear, and never miss a show, but it has also featured many different religions on its shows.
Below is a list of some of the Religious episodes:
"Homer vs. Lisa and the
8th Commandment" (season t
wo, 1991) - Dedicated to Christianity. "Like Father, Like Clown" (season three, 1991) - Dedicated to Judaism. "Homer the Heretic" (season four, 1992) - Dedicated
to faith. "Bart Sells His Soul" (season seven, 1995) - Dedicated to soul. "Lisa the Skeptic" (season nine, 1997) - Dedicated to faith. "The Joy of Sect" (season nine, 1998) - Dedicated to Sects. "Simpsons Bible Stories" (season ten, 1999) - Dedicated to Christianity. "Faith Off" (season eleven, 2000) - Dedicated to faith. "I'm Goin' to Praiseland" (season twelve, 2001) - Dedicated to Christianity. "She of Little Faith" (season thirteen, 2001) - Dedicated to Buddhism. "Pray Anything" (season fou
rteen, 2003) - Dedicated to Christianity. "Today I am A Klown" (season fifteen, 2003) - Dedicated to Judaism. "Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass" (season sixteen, 2005) - Dedicated to Christianity. "Thank God It's Doomsday" (season sixteen, 2005) - Dedicated to Christianity. "The Father, The Son, and The Holy Guest Star" (season sixteen, 2005) - Dedicated to Catholicism. "Simpsons Christmas Stories" (season seventeen, 2005) - Dedicated to Christianity. "The Monkey Suit" (season seventeen, 2006) - Dedicated to Creationism and Evolution. "Mypods and Boomsticks" (season twenty, 2008) - Dedicated to Islam. "Gone Maggie Gone" (season twenty, 2009) - Dedicated to Catholicism. "Rednecks and Broomsticks" (season twenty-one, 2009) - Dedicated to Wicca.
The writers and creators of Simpsons often pride themselves in offending different groups with their stereotyping and jabbing jokes. The 20th anniversary documentary told the story of the episode that was shown about Brazil. The episode portrayed Brazil as a third world country infested by skittle colored rats, small shanty shacks as homes, and in the show the Simpsons
were robbed, eaten by a snake, kidnapped and abused by monkeys. Although the episode aired in 2002, the Brazilian government is still deeply offended and bitter towards the Simpsons today as shown in the documentary.
Often when the Simpsons refer to religion in their shows, it is not uncommon for the religion to receive the same treatment that Brazil received. It could be very easy to see how this would offend many people. It could be very possible that a Simpsons episode may be the only education that someone receives about a specific religion, and also likely that they may view that religion in bad light from how it was portrayed on the episode, but that is not how the Vatican sees it.
On December 22, 2009, The official Roman Catholic’s Vatican news paper, L’Osservatore Romano, published an article praising the Simpsons for its dealings with religion, and giving it what many other news agencies called a heavenly seal of approval. The article said that the shows success is due to its realistic and intelligent writing and also thanked the show’s producers for depicting family patriarch Homer’s struggle with his own faith through its 20 years.
The article also added: “Homer finds in God his last refuge, even though he sometimes gets His name sensationally wrong. But these are just minor mistakes, after all, the two know each other well.”
Some may be offended by the portrayal of religion and God in shows such as the Simpsons,
but for others it may provoke soul searching questions of their own that may start their journey to find God for themselves.
The Simpsons is not the only show that uses religion in its episodes, South Park has a notorious show about Joseph Smith’s First vision and testimony, I have never seen it but have heard that is not done in the most respectful way. Once while working at the LDS churches call center where full time missionaries answer questions for people who visit mormon.org via live chat, there were a few people who came on around the same time asking questions to the missionaries about the church, our faith, and Joseph Smith because they had just finished watching South Park's episode about Joseph Smith.
Does the portrayal of religions in cartoons such as the Simpsons or South Park help bring people to God or alienate them from Him, and should religious people be offended by the shows sometimes disrespectful and sometimes untruthful portrayals?
I originally planned to blog about the correlation between televangelist ratings and the showmanship of the preacher.Un/Fortunately, I was distracted in my research when I came across a robust list of Brazilian televangelists and started looking around.It turns out we’ve had some memorable controversies in the history of American televangelism, but our friends to the south have gone above and beyond.Though my lack of Portuguese limited my research, here’s a sampling:
Eliseo Fernando Soriano: Originally from the Philippines, but currently an international fugitive believed to be hiding in the US, Singapore or Brazil where he has notable followings.He claims to be the man prophesied in Daniel 12:9-10 who would interpret the scriptures correctly.He fled the country after being barred from pursuing elected office because of his status as a national “nuisance”, and charges of libel, document falsification and homosexual rape.
Anthony Garotinho: Politician turned believer after a car wreck. He has been connected with corruption in his campaign financing and law enforcement.Though he built good will through social programs focusing on the impoverished, but lost much of it in a hunger-strike fiasco in protest of what he deemed mistreatment by the media.
Edir Macedo Bezerra: Media mogul with an estimated net worth of $2 billion (yes, that’s American dollars). There have been multiple exposes on the training techniques he uses when teaching his clergy how to teach doctrines about tithing, and the bishops themselves have made headlines for antics such as kicking a statue of a Catholic saint for ten minutes on TV. Macedo has been charged with fraudulent importing and use of false documents in court proceedings. He is the holder of various post-graduate degrees from unaccredited Brazilian universities.
A friend who served his mission in Brazil had a few extra flavorful rumors to share about his experiences in Goiania. He said that a surprising number of the preachers in that area were “reformed” drug dealers who he claimed reformed because they could make more money preaching tithing. This highlights the underlying problem that most of the televangelistic organizations I was able to research focused heavily on “prosperity theology”, the belief that by giving abundantly to the church, members will receive blessings from God in the form of raising them out of poverty. There are evidently a select number of churches that don’t exist in the United States because they’re considered businesses, instead.
Question: How do legitimate evangelists using broadcast media to reach a wider audience protect themselves against this corrupt stereotype?
My favorite channel is Disney.Any religion in there?None besides my own religious watching of Wizards of Waverly Place.Next favorite channel, The Food Network, hmm I don’t think Ace of Cakes has any religion included.Last resort, cop shows!My husband and I love NCIS and Criminal Minds…ding ding ding!
And so it was with Criminal Minds that I began.I remember watching an episode called “Compulsion.”The storyline took place on a college campus where some buildings had been lit on fire and they concluded that the school was being terrorized by a serial arsonist.Automatically assuming the criminal was male, the show’s team of FBI profilers attempted to piece together the arsonist’s motives and most importantly the next move.By the end of the show you’ve watched them discover that the arsonist had obsessive compulsive disorder, was female and last but not least was a religious fanatic, although the denomination is not specifically referenced.You learn that she (the killer) had survived an apartment building fire at the age of sixteen, her mother told her it was a test from God that she passed.Then, propelled by her OCD, she “tested” others by fire.The agents on the show considered many possibilities, even referencing “baptism by fire.”Right before finally being apprehended, you see Clara, the religious arsonist, squirting oil from three different bottles onto some classmates she intends to “test” with her next fire.She labels the bottles as “The Father, The Son and The Holy Ghost.”
It made a great plot for the show, but I think that many times religion is represented in its extreme.The fanatic makes a good villain, apparently.However, it doesn’t even have to be a villain, it just has to be something out of the ordinary; as presented in our textbook, Religion and Popular Culture in America, “When television did present clergy as principal characters, there was always a dramatic twist or character quirk to divert attention away from the subject of religion itself…” (44)This representation clearly fits into the first typology we discussed in class, religion in popular culture.This is pop culture’s “dramatic twist,” using religion to fuel the climax of the story.
As I searched Google for a clip from Criminal Minds, (sorry, you’ll have to make do with the above picture of Dr. Spencer Reid: a genius/nerd with a gun and really awful hair), I tried to think of other examples.Was the dramatic twist provided by religion presented in a better light?Okay, besides Touched by an Angel? My mind first went to 7th Heaven, a popular show about a Protestant minister and his family.Teaching morals with each episode, the show relied heavily on the family’s religious beliefs and standards, prompted further by the father’s profession and the family’s regular church attendance.This isn’t your typical family show, like Full House, which also followed a family and taught moral lessons, 7th Heaven specifically involved religion.
But that wasn’t the last thing to cross my mind.Crawling up through the recesses of my memory was an old favorite show.Don’t even pretend you didn’t like it.Yep, The Rugrats, a classic Nickelodeon production about a group of babies; best friends with some sweet imaginations.Tommy, the brave leader, Chucky the scaredy-cat best friend (though when confronting his fear of going down the slide he declares “I am not a aminal! I am a human bean, and I am going down that slide!” love the baby talk).Phil and Lil the comic relief but slightly strange twins, and of course Angelica, who is anything but angelic.Where and why would you find religion on this cartoon for kids? Well Nick fans, do you remember Grandpa Boris? He’s Jewish (therefore Tommy is Jewish) and in two episodes he plays a crucial role teaching the babies about Chanukah and who could forget the Passover episode where the story of Moses is told complete with plagues, Red Sea parting and yarmulkes? After watching, I learned about things like unleavened bread.They probably taught me that stuff in Sunday School but they also probably brought candy, so where was my focus?
It seems ironic to think that a show aimed specifically at children allowed such blatant presentations of religion, of Jewish tradition.Although not presented in a specifically spiritual way, the story is told pretty true to the Bible; even details like the burning bush (no mention of God, however), Moses’ staff turning into a snake, and blood being painted over the Hebrew’s doors in protection from the last plague (see video clip).The episode’s ending, which shows a bible closing and the back cover decorated with the Star of David seems a bold statement for a kid’s show.Have you ever seen the Crucifix in Blue’s Clues?
Even so, the biblical story was told, and told in Grandpa Boris’ Hebrew accent.In Criminal Minds, Grandpa Boris might have been a killer or a victim because of that accent.Two good stories, but only one good representation.
But to change topics without any transistion whatsoever, what about some of our other favorite shows?If sports can be considered religion, can’t What Not To Wear?It’s like the Spanish Inquisition! Someone’s horrible sin of bad dress is exposed.Stacy and Clinton bring the hell fire of judgment day as they force the sinner’s confession of bad dress, ensure the sin is forsaken (i.e. throw away their current wardrobe), oversee (and fund) the repentance process with $5,000 to spend shopping in New York City, and ultimately grant forgiveness as the initial sinner is stylishly reborn in their new clothes (and new hair and make-up, yes the makeover is included) that compliment their body, and always display confidence.Serioulsy, the show begins with making the bad dresser watch “secret footage” they’ve taken the past few weeks to prove that the horrible wardrobe is a consistent problem.I don’t know about you, but I’ve always pictured being required to watch The Movie of Life once in heaven.There are definitely some parts of my existence I can’t wait to watch again (my older sister spanking my butt when I was a baby; she couldn’t resist poor little 4 year old), but plenty I’d like fast-forward (sneaking whipped cream right out of the can…I still do it).
If the television show writers and producers can’t think of a better way to blatantly include religion on the tube, why not find it in subtler ways by our own interpretation? The oddest part about preparing to post this blog is that I learned once you start looking, it’s pretty easy to see religious symbolism in things.Disney Channel: family values.Food network: The Creation.The Office: Tolerance?Maybe. Try it with your favorites, and see what you get.Searching for these messages will have more personal meaning to you than the arrest of the religious fanatic in Criminal Minds, or even 7th Heaven’s episode about pre-marital sex.
So here’s a question to consider: Why is the characterization of a religious extremist such an easy target for shows like Criminal Minds?If this is the way television has chosen to represent religion, how did a popular kid’s show like Rugrats get away with it?
but for others it may provoke soul searching questions of their own that may start their journey to find God for themselves.
