Increased Interconnectedness Suppresses the Spiritual

Media and World Religions Midterm
Question 6

Discuss the interconnected nature of our lifeworld. What is the impact of this interconnectedness on our spirituality?
As the world grows more and more interconnected, mankind seems to simultaneously be losing its connection with the divine. In the earliest times of civilization, people seemed to focus their time and attention on religious matters. In fact, it is difficult to completely divorce the divine from daily life during much of the earth’s history. Entire religious groups intentionally separated themselves from “corrupting” influences and society, and established their own belief systems where they lived in isolation, cut off from the world. These people were often viewed as religious zealots. We think of them as monks, reformers, Puritans, the Amish, and others. Often, these monks would sacrifice all their earthly possessions in order to grow closer to the divine. Their entire focus was their personal spirituality.
Conversely, in these so-called “modern times,” mankind has become so busy and distracted, that we have distanced ourselves from the divine. This process has been so gradual that most people seem to have not noticed, like a frog you place in a pot in which you gradually increase the heat. An ever-more interconnected world inevitably leads to the stifling of originality. An ever-more interconnected world is an ever-more homogenized world, as weaker practices and cultures are forced to adapt to the whole. In a setting such as this, the spiritual has become marginalized, and in some places ceases to exist altogether.
It has been said that the human mind is like a stage where only one actor can be performing at a time. This means that in our frantic attempts to simplify our lives with invention and innovation, our lives have become so cluttered with “necessity” that other, former, and arguably more important actors cannot break through the din for their chance to perform. Deity has taken a backseat to politics, the economy, entertainment, professions, and leisure. Religion and spirituality was once seen as as much of a necessity as anything temporal. These times have passed for all but the select few groups we mentioned earlier. Indeed, it requires great effort to maintain the spiritual aspects of our lives, and our society in a world where doing so has become looked down upon, and is no longer touted as honorable by at least a vocal minority who would seek to stamp out spiritual practices altogether.
It is evident that increased interconnectedness suppresses the spiritual.

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.

Media and Religion

Media and World Religions Midterm
Question 2:

Comment on specific interaction between media and religion by providing an example from the media.

“The media”, as we traditionally think of it, sets out to explain the inexplicable, to frame the spectacle, and give it meaning. As a viewer of a news program or the reader of a newspaper, would you care about the news at all if it didn’t have some kind of application to you, or—worse yet—didn’t even make sense?
To much of the world, the recent “spectacle” of the raids on the FLDS polygamist compound in Texas were inexplicable. Inexplicable, because the world could not relate to the polygamist culture. Inexplicable, because the world could not abide by taking children from their loving parents. Inexplicable, because if polygamy is illegal, how had this gone on for so long and on such a scale?
In this case, the polygamist leaders originally denied the media access to their compound, fearing their way of life would be further threatened. They soon realized, however, that they needed the media to plead their case. That is when you saw teary-eyed mothers begging for their children back. The impact of that visual was enough to sway almost all public opinion in their favor.
The media destroys religion, but religion needs the media.

Thought and Action

Media and World Religions, Midterm
Question 1:

Describe and comment on the relationship between thought and action.

Thought and action are inextricably related. In fact, even sayings and phrases can be attributed to mankind’s recognition of this universal truth. In the Book of Mormon, we read “…if ye do not watch yourselves , and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds…even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish.” (Mosiah 4:30) This warning is reflected in a common phrase “think before you speak” which brings to mind the many times that you, or someone you know has regretted the things they said—things they probably WOULDN’T have said if they had thought about the consequences.
In this season of political turmoil, political slips of the tongue—or gaffes—seem to highlight the headlines in our media. While much of political discourse is premeditated and carefully planned, the things that seem to have the greatest effect on potential voters are the unscripted, unrehearsed things that slip out. Consider the now-famous statement by Governor Sarah Palin that you can see Russia from her home state of Alaska. This single statement, though initially innocuous, has evolved into oft-repeated versions of her statement that have lost the original meaning. Versions such as “I can see Russia from my porch” permeate the media more than any actual statement that Palin has said. In today’s hyper-active mediated world, it has become almost impossible to avoid such misinterpretations of even harmless statements. Indeed, the permeation of the media into the lives of public figures has created an unattainable ideal for them…for who, ever, is flawless part of the time, to say nothing of all the time.
Jean Gebser outlined five stages of consciousness that do much to help us understand the evolving societal standard of the relationship between thought and action. In the first—or archaic—stage, mankind is barely aware of their communal existence. In this setting, it was often every-man-for-himself, and any sense of thought before action would have been minimal. In the quest for survival, actions were often as instinctive as anything. In the second—or magic—stage, a sense of community begins to emerge, and relationships are unavoidably formed. Society is characterized by superstition and magic like voo-doo. These beliefs are reflective of the thought that their actions had begun to have consequences. Thus, you would do or not do certain things to get or avoid the result. In the mythic stage, the concept of “I” begins to emerge. You start to see divisions in society, and people’s thoughts about possibilities even beyond the laws of nature begin to dictate their actions. In the perspectival stage, individuals are beholden to a rational or mental perspective. In this stage, every action is seen as having an “equal and opposite” reaction. This logical state of consciousness is where we most fully see ourselves at this time. If I do this, then this will happen. It is the foundation for every law-based society. The very functioning of the legal system is predicated on the fact that there are consequences for our actions. In fact, we make distinctions between pre-meditated crimes and crimes of passion. Pre-meditated crimes indicate thought before action, a weighing of possible consequences, and a decision to commit the crime anyway. These pre-meditated crimes bring harsher punishments, as a logical person would expect. The final stage of consciousness is the integral stage. In this stage, people begin to see all parts at once. The art equivalent of this concept is cubism—the most famous cubism artist was Picasso, and his art is characterized by seeing all sides of an object or person simultaneously on a two-dimensional plain. Our “modern” world seems to be moving toward this integral stage, and examples abound. To return to the example of the legal system, in this stage it becomes more than a matter of what is logical. If someone has committed a crime, a logical society would say that they should be punished. An integral society might say that his rights—to life, for example—supersede the punishment affixed.
So, while the evolution of the relationship between thought and action has evolved in meaning over time, the relationship between thought and action is undeniable.