Religion's Survival in a Mediated World

Media and World Religions Midterm
Question 5

Present media tends to be more visual. How is the visual interpreted by religions? What do you forecast for major changes in visual media and how will that affect religious practice?
The visual nature of today’s media dictates adaptation for survival of religious practices as we know them. Increased media exposure makes sacred things less sacred. The term “sacred” could practically be synonymous with “scarce.” The very nature of the sacred thing, practice, location, etc. is almost tied to its scarcity. The more people who have access to something or somewhere, the less sacred it becomes. In an ever-increasingly visual world, more people have access to more things than ever in the world’s history. Now, things that were once sacred rites or practices are now fodder for tourists, spectators, and TV Producers. The cathedrals, mosques and synagogues of the world have been converted into tourism hotspots for architectural or historical junkies.
I suppose it was inevitable. The predominant mediated religion is Christianity, and Christian structure dictates communication. In Christian tradition, a single person or limited group of people has control over information, and has to disseminate this information to their adherents. This source takes different forms, whether it be the Pope, a prophet, a leader, etc. Indeed, the centralized nature of Christian religions necessitates this system of dissemination of information. Within the sects of Christian religions, congregations tend to be as close to uniform as possible in their practices and teachings. This cohesiveness is the strength of the organized religion. But religion’s dependence on visual media could prove its undoing, if it goes unregulated.
So-called “televangelists” got their name from the showmanship of their profession. In the Book of Mormon, we read why televangelists cheapen the very faith they seek to build: “…if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith…And neither at any time hat any wrought miracles until after their faith; wherefore they first believed in the Son of God.” (Ether 12:12, 18)
Those religions which seek to use the media without being used by the media are those religions who succeed in an ever-mediated environment. Religions like The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who embrace every new medium to share their basic tenets with the world, without divulging the sacredness of their rites by splashing it across computer and TV screens. This allows for true faith to exist where other religions have consciously or subconsciously “damned” their own progress.
Indeed, one might explain that the very reason The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had to be restored when it was is because of the inevitability of the mediated world not long after. If Joseph Smith had seen God the Father and Jesus Christ in 2008 instead of 1820, the world would demand proof, and he would be publicly decried and largely ignored…his efforts would have been in vain. “Seeing is believing” is really a phrase that can only describe our most recent history. Because Joseph Smith had no “tangible” evidence of his claims, the people of his time had to genuinely believe in the teachings, instead of believing in the miracles alone.
One might argue that ALL organized religions depended on an unmediated world to establish themselves and expand. Would the world accept the Islamic religion if someone named Muhammed claimed today that he had been visited and instructed by an angel? And what of polytheistic religions such as Hindu? The simple fact of the matter is that these religions exist today because they were conceived in an unmediated world.
That being said, the religions exist. The LDS Church enjoys one of the fastest growth rates at a time when church attendance worldwide is down, largely because they have embraced television, the Internet, Blogs, etc. and used them without being used by them. Today, they—especially Christian religions—must adapt to an ever visual world in order to continue to thrive and grow.