Many of you probably have noticed this, but religious references are not very common in popular prime-time television. I'm not talking about those preachers who come on TV with their sermons, instead I'm talking about your favorite sitcoms and weekday shows. Why is religion not more prominent in these television shows? Why is it that when religion is included in our favorite shows it is usually being mocked or made fun of?
The following graphs were taken from a study done by the Parents Television Council (PTC) in 2003 in which they examined the treatment of religion on television. The study examined all the religious references made on seven main prime-time television stations over the course of one year. The graphs show what the nature of the religious reference was and if the reference was given in a positive or negative light.
The chart on the left shows references to faith or moral declarations (instances in which a person tells in simple terms his or her religious belief or his or her desire to change because of a belief.)
The chart on the right shows references to denomination or doctrine (such as a reference to a church service, a particular denomination, or a scripture.)
Specific examples of negative and positive treatments of religion indicated in these charts, as well as in other charts, can be found in the full results of the study at:
http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/publications/reports/religionstudy/main.asp
I find it very interesting that when it comes to faith in TV, simple manifestations of faith are mostly given in a positive light. It would seem as if 
In the same study by the PTC they found that for a total of 2,385.5 programming hours there were only 2,344 religious moments or reference for the entire year (ranging from a brief prayer to a religious location actually in a scene). Is this surprising to anyone else? That means that in all the seven main channels on prime time television, there was only one religious reference per hour of programming. Why are television writers not giving religion adequate attention?
I think it is safe to say that Americans, for the most part, are religious. Religion is an important part of life for many people. Most people believe in higher powers and feel it important to be religiously involved. In a poll done in 2003 (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,99945,00.html), statistics show that 92 percent of Americans say they believe in God, 85 percent in heaven and 82 percent in miracles. Also, 69 percent said that they feel that religion plays too small a part in their life right now. If this is the case in America, why are people complacent with the virtual absence of religion in television when they claim to be seeking for more religion in their lives? Also, why do they not speak out when negative and disrespectful treatment of religion is demonstrated in their favorite shows?
Perhaps people feel that entertainment and religion should not be mixed. People like it that their shows poke fun at everything, and they like not having to think about religion in conjunction with their favorite comedy show. Maybe it is true that most Americans are looking for more religious involvement, but they don't want to have it force fed to them through the TV, instead they would rather seek it out for themselves when they are ready.
So my question is, why do you think there a disconnect between popular TV and religion? Obviously people care about religion, but why are writers so reluctant to make it a bigger part of their shows?
The graphs were very interesting to see. As you did, I also found it interesting that when a person in a T.V. show makes a personal declaration about religion in general it is more often positive, but when a person makes a reference about a particular religion or doctrine it is more often neutral or negative.
ReplyDeletePerhaps this is because a lot of people in America do believe in God and in having good values, but a far less amount of people claim or practice with one particular religion.
I don't necessarily have an answer to your proposed questions. At first I thought, well T.V. programmers don't usually put religions into their programs because they don't want it to be too controversial. But after thinking about it, there are all sorts of controversial things during prime time T.V. So I don't know...
But, as we just read in Chapter two it does look like this is changing from the past, which surprised me. As explained in the book, religion actually plays a larger role in our T.V. programs than it used to. Hopefully, as we see more religion on T.V. we will see all religions posed in a good light and programs will focus on the good they do and not cast specific religions in a negative light.
There are numerous reasons for a great disconnect between popular TV and religion. One of the main factors is the very design and goal of a popular TV show- to appeal to as wide a demographic as possible. Religion has had the impact throughout history of dividing people. I believe that the majority of people don't bother to study or understand the faiths of others. To make frequent references to a specific denomination would make those not of that faith feel left out and excluded, because they are not in the know. This makes religious content difficult to market to a mass audience.
ReplyDeleteAnother important factor to consider is the difficulty of representing any faith to everyone's satisfaction and also people's volatile reactions with a failed attempt. One has only to consider the reaction of the Mormon community to HBO's Big Love to see the PR mess and hassle that religiously affiliated television shows deal with. The reactions of people in the past make writers wary of including more religious content in the media.
I think a big reason for the disconnect between prime time and references to specific denominations and doctrine is that people watch prime time shows for something other than religious edification and education. Prime time shows are mainly for entertainment, relaxation, etc. People don't want to be preached at, and they don't want to feel uncomfortable.
ReplyDeletePrime time shows take place during those times of the day when people are unwinding from work and taking care of the kids and school and other responsibilities. Many of the shows require little thought, and are instead forms of passive entertainment. Once you introduce religion into the picture, though, especially past a surface level, there is automatic tension because religion is a touchy subject for many people.
If people don't like what they're seeing, they're not going to continue to watch it. TV people are generally smart and driven by the bottom line. If people don't like what they see and don't watch it, ratings go down and the bottom line suffers, so it's better to stay away from risky subjects like delving into religion.