Thread: Religion in the Media

islam is in the news a lot...

Depicted via the media re real life events or could it be fiction as well?

As one of Jehovah's Witnesses I am absolutely tickled when, during a show, it shows someone knocking on a door and the homeowner automatically assumes it's JW's. I especially loved an episode of the X-Files where Fox is going to a Farmers house to investigate fertilizer or something and the Farmer thinks the person knocking is one of JW's. Fox says something along the lines of: "FBI, sir, but I do have a copy of the Watchtower in the car if you'd like to read it."
A lot of people know us for our door-to-door Ministry and for our magazines "The Watchtower" and "Awake!"

On the other hand, I'm annoyed when I see us portrayed in an untruthful fashion.
My pdoc recommended I watch a movie called "Run Lola, Run." If you're not familiar with the movie, Lola is running to get places quickly but she gets stuck in a loop of sorts of different possible realities. And when she passes people, the viewer is given a glimpses of that persons life.
At one point, she runs past a woman pushing a stroller. In one reality, the woman is very rude and it shows her living a hard life. During the 3rd loop, it shows the stroller pushing woman coming across women offering the JW magazines (even though in a different language, it's unmistakable)... but then it shows her going into a huge church and receiving communion from a priest. The movie mingled Jehovah's Witnesses into Catholics
And in an episode of Lie to me, a teenaged JW is accused of murdering his teacher. The boy ends up spouting something about saving souls. That is NOT our lingo. We don't believe in souls as most other Christian sects do. I think he also said something about Hell (I wont swear to that though), and we don't believe in Hell.
It was an excellent episode, but I feel if the media is going to portray any religion they should do their research first and know what they're talking about.



I thought "Traitor" was a most excellent and timely movie that showed how most Muslims are not terrorists and how their holy book is twisted to fit the needs of certain extremists.

Originally Posted by Zhaylin

(I wont swear to that though), and we don't believe in Hell.

But you do believe, that non-believers are going to die, right?

My ex-girlfriend was a JW and she really wanted me to start believing,
because in her eyes, I was going to atually die and not live in eternity.

It's more complicated than that. See the thread in this forum named: 'Hijacked entertainment thread re magic etc'. (or something very similar) It's speaks about what I believe in great detail (especially the last page). I don't want to get off topic here.

Here it is: http://www.dreamviews.com/community/...t=74786&page=3

How about mega-church evangelism? You could contrast Jesus Camp with something like Expelled, show it from inside and out. I'm sure you could find plenty of Fox News footage as well.

Originally Posted by Xaqaria

Okay folks, I have to do a presentation and paper on the topic of religion in the media and I'm having trouble figuring out what exactly I'm going to talk about, so I need your help.

Basically I need to think of a religion that has been prominently shown in the media and talk about the image of it that has been portrayed. So far, I've considered mormonism and scientology, but neither have really piqued my interest so I'm open to anything. Any ideas?

How about just Christianity as a whole? It is the one religion that it is politically correct to make fun of yet also the one the Republicans want to impose on everybody. Plus, the Islamoterrorists despise it.

Originally Posted by Universal Mind

How about just Christianity as a whole? It is the one religion that it is politically correct to make fun of yet also the one the Republicans want to impose on everybody. Plus, the Islamoterrorists despise it.

It needs to be more focused than that. I've considered evangelical and pentacostal, but I feel like others are going to be doing stuff on those. I'm trying to think of something that will be unique and interesting to write about. It will be easy to do if I find it interesting, but nearly impossible if I don't.

Originally Posted by Taosaur

How about mega-church evangelism? You could contrast Jesus Camp with something like Expelled, show it from inside and out. I'm sure you could find plenty of Fox News footage as well.

Yeah, this is my plan if I don't come up with anything better.

Mormonism or Islam would be great right now.

I think even Oprah has done shows about polygamist societies that just happen to be Mormon, and manages at the same time to get her audience to believe that Mormonism is about polygamy, or that if you ever meet a Mormon, they are probably a part of that kind of family setting. Personal experience says otherwise. I have a very close Mormon friend and have met other Mormons who act, you guessed it, very differently than how they're portrayed on television.

A very common propoganda technique is used in the media by pairing two things together so that eventually people associate the two naturally. The phrase "Islamoterrorist" is a great example. I'm lucky to have the name that I do too, because somehow, regardless of what I actually believe in, I'm associated not only with Islam but with terrorism as well. I have been called a terrorist, to my face. Racism is alive and well, thanks to the way the media portrays people of different ethnic/religious backgrounds, and thanks to the way their audience begins to accept and regurgitate the same crap over and over again.

Islam might be the common choice though, so perhaps you will instead preffer Mormonism with respect to polygamy, or another religious sect to use as the subject of your paper.

You have an assignment with great potential. I hope you do it justice.

Originally Posted by Xaqaria

Okay folks, I have to do a presentation and paper on the topic of religion in the media and I'm having trouble figuring out what exactly I'm going to talk about, so I need your help.

I LOLed

Why?


It ended up being about Sikhism by the way.