CMRC - Faith on TV

TV. Nothing on, but I am watching it. Again. At least it is educational this time.

I'm not going to get into a Marshall McLuhan discussion, but TV is a mirror of our society. It shows us something about our society, even as it shapes us, and is shaped by us (that I like Cake Boss has the potential to shape me literally!)

There were a number of papers on religion and TV at the Media, Religion and Culture conference, but I'll just share a couple. Faiza Hirji examined whether the portrayal of Muslim women was changing on TV. She looked at shows like 24, Lost, The Border and Little Mosque on the Prairie. She found that there were more Muslim women portrayed in these programs, but moving from the stereotype of oppressed / exploited, to now frequently associated with terror. Not exactly progress. Little Mosque had better roles, but still presented a monolithic image of Islam (there is only one type of Islam, and by extension, one type of Muslim woman.) Faiza is correct: Islam is not the unified religion often portrayed in the media, anymore than Christianity is one group. Islam has both Sunni and Shi'a, and then each of these has divisions. Not all Muslims live out their faith in the same way, male or female. Do these programs reflect the diversity of Islam, or have they only exchanged one set of stereotypes for a new set?

Jorie Lagerwey's paper "By the Gods of Kobal" began with the premise that "narrowcasting" allows TV to explore religious questions that the broadcasting networks would never attempt. Cable specialty channels like Space and SciFi target specific viewers that might be more open to challenging the traditional ideas about religion. Jorie examined Lost (what is with this show and social scientists?) and Battlestar Galactica (yes, the new one, though the old one did explore religious themes as well). Battlestar certainly engaged religious questions, and generated lots of theological discussion online (e.g. 1, 2, 3). The religious imagery is hardly subtle. But it does suggest that the unlike the baby boomer generations, the younger generations are asking some powerful questions about faith, belief and religion. 1.6 million viewers ages 18-45 tuned in to watch the season finally. Not bad for "narrowcasting." Too bad about the ending.

Whether it is the portrayal of the "other's religion" or asking old questions in new ways, people are wrestling with belief and its implications. Is TV a mirror or manipulator? From a more personal stance, so many Christian churches I know are still working from the belief that "no on cares about religion anymore." Umm, no, just not as keen to go to church anymore; but the religion conversation is in full swing. Maybe its time to join it.

Next time religion and comic books...and no not Archie comics. Not even close.