Religious Reality TV?

Reality TV or Religious Education? CNN had this story of a Malaysian TV Talent show that has young contestants competing to become a Muslim Imam. At stake is a job, a paid pilgrimage to Mecca, and a scholarship to travel to Saudi Arabia for study.

I'm not sure what to make of it. It is educational in that the show explores what it means to be an Imam. I might be inclined to watch a show like that simply out of curiosity; is being an Imam similar to being a priest, pastor or rabbi, or is it something different? Yes, I know that they are they are different religions, I meant the general job description. What about the use of popular television? Does it cheapen the call to ministry? Or is it clever marketing? How would I feel about "So you think you can preach" or "Baptists have Talent"?

I know what I think, what about you? A good idea or three strikes?

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Facebook and Faith

Lately, privacy concerns around Facebook have somewhat soured my experience. (Don't tell Facebook, but I created a Orkut account behind its back.) I've written about Facebook and faith before, but I've been watching the recent news about Facebook and Youtube being banned by Pakistan.

It wasn't privacy that raised the ire of the Pakistan court; at the center of the controversy was a "Draw Mohammed Day" page. You'll remember the furor in 2005 when a Danish paper published satirical cartoons of Islam's Prophet, offending many Muslims, both for violating religious teaching on images of the Prophet and for the perceived disrespect. The administrators of this new Facebook page claimed their intent was not to offend Muslims, but to affirm freedom of expression in the face of extremism. From a sociological perspective this is a fascinating example of how religious belief can shape technology use. Young Muslims are also responding both against the ban, and using social media like Facebook to oppose "Draw Mohammed Day." I'm not including links here either to the page or to the many Muslim responses (you can find lots online.) I simply don't believe that needlessly offending others builds any bridges.

I also respond to these events on a personal level. I'm torn on this one. My faith is important to me. I don't like it when people belittle it. The TV comedy South Park's portrayal of Jesus bothers me. Silly books like Dan Brown's are just plain provocative (though ok adventure stories). And no, jokes that start: "Jesus walks into a bar..." do not interest me. So I understand the offense many Muslims feel.

Yet...one of my personal beliefs is that God gives us the freedom to make our own choices about who I will follow and what I will believe. The concept of freedom of conscience and thought finds many of its roots in the Judeo-Christian tradition, though we Christians have too often forgotten that. The Apostle Paul for instance in the Bible wrote "For why should my freedom be limited by what someone else thinks?" Now, I may challenge you if you are unfair in your portrayal of my faith, but you are free to believe as you will. (I might think you are wrong, but you are free to be wrong!) I also believe in your right to express your beliefs (and me mine.) There are obviously limits on what we can say, but those must be few, and government must always tread carefully.

So where does that leave me? The internet is challenging many of the limits to expression, faith and community that we have relied on. As a researcher I'm intrigued; as a Christian I am sometimes unsettled. Personally, I'm not always happy with the outcomes. But to impose my conscience on you would offend the very faith I seek to protect. I can testify, persuade, and cajole, but you must make your own decision. Does that put my faith at a disadvantage to those that seek to respond through force of law and arms? On the contrary, it makes it strong. To paraphrase a very ancient Bible story: God doesn't need me to look out for his interests, and to avenge offenses or slights to him. God can take care of himself.

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