religion [and] spirituality

juan miguel ala tolentino comm 140

what place can

religion
have in the

media?
Pope John Paul II (1989)

media
[vs] religion?

society
[on] religion?

Society on Religion:
Postmodern + Pluralist + Secular
(Societys) relationship with the churches has become more critical, less submissive, more individualist. (Valle, 1994)

Society on Religion:
Postmodern + Pluralist + Secular
The church lost its central role. The individual had the right and the ability to know God's will. The individual could decide what to believe. The relationship of people to organized religion has been weakened.

religion as
organization [vs] concept

Facts have morphed into

religious tenets.

They are fervently held beliefs, but they are not necessarily true.
Instead modern

facts are a
beyond
(Gilder, 2009)

kind of dogma

refutation.

religion
[on] media

Religion on Media:
Acceptance To Rejection

The attitudes of people of religion towards the media are extremely varied from uncritical acceptance to total rejection of media's presence in the life of society.

Religion on Media:
Paternalism To Domestication. The advent of the mass media was well received by the churches, although they expressed certain fears. To alleviate these fears, churches:
tried to reduce the media to being instruments at their service considered themselves the only ones fit to teach their correct use had a marked distrust of the audience, which had to be protected, directed and controlled

Religion on Media:
Acceptance To Rejection

Today, the biggest criticism by people of religion on media is that it is usurping religion's place in society. Thus, they consider media as a threat to religion.

Religion on Media:
Threat #1: Derailment

Media is derailing the greater part of interests, motivations, satisfactions and energies that are the purpose of religion. Religious people have feared the media especially because the media threaten traditional religious values and beliefs.

Religion on Media:
Threats #2: Appropriation

Religious language is being appropriated. New symbols, images and rites are being created.
"The mass media - especially television have taken command of the power of myth ... One role of myth is to situate us, to define the world and our place in it. (Goetthals, 1993)

Religion on Media:
Threat #3: Rejection of Organization

Religious themes that have no connection with organized religion are being developed. This is welcomed by some independent evangelistic groups shaped by a remarkably uncritical faith in the media.

pro-life [vs] pro-choice:

the language of religion

The Abortion Wars

Carlin (2004)

CONSERVATIVE: [X] anti-abortion

negative and lacked emotional power

LIBERAL: [X] pro-abortion [X] anti-life [X] pro-death

[] pro-family [] pro-life
made them appear virtuous suggested that the other side is be anti-life, and, therefore, pro-death

[] familyplanning [] pro-choice
completed the name game

Pro-Life = Anti-Woman?
(Conservatives) believe a womans primary role is to function as a brood mare for the State.
If they think a fetus is more important than a woman, they should try getting a fetus to wash the shit stains out of their underwear. For no pay.

The interesting part is that the words

life and choice

are not even opposites.
-George Carlin (2004)

islam

and extremism

Muslim criminals Muslim terrorists Muslim hold-uppers

 THE MEDIA IS GUILTY OF BIAS against Muslims when words like Muslim and Islamic are used to describe criminals or terrorists in news reports, according to Sen. Edgardo Angara.
Balana, C. (2008). Angara hits media bias vs Muslims. Philippine Daily Inquirer.

 AIJC report entitled Prejudice and Pride: News Medias Role in Promoting Tolerance (2008)
biases against Muslims in news reports lack of clear reportage on issues affecting their community.

recommendations:
create a comprehensive framework for media reportage adopt a nondiscriminatory approach to news reporting

implicit stereotype:
Islam = radicals, extremists, terrorists In the Mindanao conflict: US [government military] vs THEM [militant groups]

do we have a

religion beat
or a church beat?

The Missing Beat:

Roman Catholic Bias

In the Philippine national media, there is lack of news on religion and the absence of a religion beat. What is practiced instead is a Church beat.

The Missing Beat:

Roman Catholic Bias

The Church beat decides:

what religious issues and events make it to the mainstream which denominations are being covered

the media

on sects [&] cults

Small Faiths:
Sects and Cults
It is not exceptional to say that interest groups in a society hope to manipulate the media to support their agenda. What is unique in the case of small religions, however, is the medias own selfdirected inclination to be highly and unrelentingly critical of the small faiths the so-called sects and cults (Witham, 1998).

other CASE STUDIES

media

[for] religion?

OPTION #1:
Muggeridge (1997) (Media) is not only unnecessary but harmful to religion.
For example, television is a medium that traffics in fantasy, that creates images and ideas that are not true and does not have and cannot have any relationship with truth.

In this position, religion is considered as timeless in order to maintain its purity and integrity.

However, this same

timeless
concept is used by those who make use of the fantasy of the media to communicate very effectively the fantasy of their own "gospel".

OPTION #2:
Postman (1985)
Religion can be successful on media (especially television) only if it offers what people want.
However, this presumes the trivialization and emptying-out of content.

The way people behave towards religion and media is different.

For example, people behave with a certain degree of solemnity in religious gatherings. However, they eat, talk or distract themselves while watching media (for example, television Masses).

OPTION #3:
Giradet (1980)

The context of media includes not just religious but technical, financial, political and cultural aspects.
Media and religion, should not be isolated from reality. Media is now indispensable in the communication processes of society, and if religion were to survive, it has to adapt.

Religion have become

controversial and conflictual

more

(because) ... religious

understanding
and practice are so low. (Beckford, 1994)

media
[+] religion?

Bibliography
Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication. (2008). Prejudice and Pride: News Media's Role in Promoting Tolerance. Balana, C. (2008). Angara hits media bias vs Muslims. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Carlin, G. (2004). When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops. Hyperion Publications, Comedy Concepts, Inc. New York City. Giradet, G. (1980). Il Vangelo Che Viene Dal Video. Claudiana, Torino. Spain. Goethals, G. (1993). Media Mythologies. Religion and the Media. University of Wales Press, Cardiff. Muggeridge, M. (1977). Christ and the Media. Hodder and Stoughton. Postman, N. (1985). Amusing Ourselves To Death. Viking Penguin. Santos, E. (2013). The Missing Beat: A study on the religion beat in the Philippine national media. Unpublished graduate thesis. UP Diliman, College of Mass Communication. Valle, C. (1994). Religion and the Media. Media Development, World Association for Christian Communication. London. Wojtyla, K. (1989). Religion in the Mass Media: Message Of The Holy Father John Paul Ii For The 23rd World Communications Day. Vatican City.