IN THEORY:Media’s depiction of religion

The Parents Television Council, a frequent TV industry critic, recently released a study showing that prime-time shows dealt with religion in 2006 half as often as in 2005, and when they did, religion was portrayed negatively more than one-third of the time. Meanwhile, some Hollywood executives say the soft box-office opening for “The Nativity Story” could cool enthusiasm for big-budget, faith-based religious movies that was stoked by “The Passion of the Christ.” Considering that religion is as popular as ever, with a recent Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life study showing 78% of Americans believe that the Bible is the word of God, do you think mainstream media companies are missing the significance of religion and portraying it inaccurately?

Apparently, along with the current popularity of fundamentalist religions, there is an increase in activist organizations that wish to control the entertainment that is available to everyone.

It always seems strange how many people in the United States USA (78% according to the Pew organization) will tell pollsters, with a straight face, that they believe that everything in the Bible is the actual word of God. Biblical scholars, of course, know that different parts of the Bible were written at different times by different people, often as variations of traditional oral stories passed down from generation to generation. Some parts of the Bible were even borrowed from sources unconnected to Jewish or Christian history, but were modified and arbitrarily selected for inclusion in the Bible by various groups of people at various times. Scholars have concluded that most of the quotations in the New Testament, supposedly said by Jesus, were not actually said by him, but were written well after his death by people who never knew him.

Yet, somehow, in this era of otherwise scientific advancement, the religious groups that are growing the fastest are those that promote the belief that the Bible must be taken literally and that everything in the Bible is a pure directive from God, with no allowance made for any possible error in translation or for the possible inclusion of any personal biases of those individuals who actually first wrote, or later translated, or selected the various parts that, put together, make up the Bible as we know it. Go figure!

The movie and TV industries are commercial businesses, with the goal of making money. Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” made money more because it was highly promoted, overdone, and exceptionally gory, rather than simply because it was religious. So how about a nice gory movie about the Inquisition, showing some of the exquisite torture techniques employed by the church rulers of the time? But then, I suppose, groups like the Parents Television Council would object to that.

JERRY PARKS

Member

Humanist Assn. of Orange County

During his Presidential campaign, John Kerry stood before the so-called “beautiful people” and proclaimed: “Hollywood is the heart and soul of America.” If so, it is a heart whose arteries are clogged with selfadoration and a soul bartered to the dark side.

The heart and soul of America is a religiosity that affirms a higher power, while the movie industry basks in its own reflected glory. Bloated by adulation, the lives of Hollywood denizens are at best shallow. They worship a latter-day golden calf called “Oscar.”

Limousines and designer gowns, “A” tables and ostentatious necklaces, red carpets and attention-grabbing antics are indices of meaning. How one looks is the measure of success, and publicist-generated damage control is the morning-after pill of contrition. With certain exceptions, notable by their rarity, the “stars” absorb light but do not radiate it upon others. Theirs is a virtual, celluloid, holographic reality, with no more substance than the facades of movie sets. As Oscar Levant observed: “Behind the phony tinsel of Hollywood lies the real tinsel.”

I teach that God is everywhere. The only apparent exception to his omnipresence is Hollywood, from which he has been banished. How can a culture keyed to possessions, power, status and fame understand — let alone present — the sacred dimension of life? How can holiness be appreciated amid such hollowness? In an enclosed world that links worth to how many flash bulbs ignite to record your entrance into yet another premiere, awards dinner or the hottest new club, the standard is indulgence, not sacrifice.

A viewer said to Mel Brooks: “Sir, I have seen your film ‘The Producers’ and it is vulgar!”

“Madame,” he responded, “my film rises below vulgarity.” For Mel Brooks this was a humorous boast, but for so many films it is a lamentable truth.

Offerings on television or in cinema reflect the values-free, neo-pagan philosophy of their writers and producers. One actor, Dennis Franz, said: “These fringe-right bomb-throwers have got to get the message that regular Americans love half-naked sluts and rapid gunfire.” I never felt less like a regular American.

The shamelessness of the media reveals a bankruptcy in virtues wherein “Hollywood values” is an oxymoron. As playwright Wilson Mizner said:

“Hollywood is a sewer with service from the Ritz Carlton. These poseurs give credence to Fred Allen’s comment: ‘You can take all the sincerity in Hollywood, place it in the navel of a firefly and still have room enough for three caraway seeds and a producer’s heart.’ ”

Peggy Noonan wrote: “Most Americans aren’t leading media, they’re leading lives. It would be nice to see a new respect in Hollywood for the lives they live. It would be nice to see them start to understand that rediscovering the work of, say, C.S. Lewis, and making a Narnia film, is not ‘giving in’ to the audience but serving it.”

We may spend two hours in the dark at a movie theater, but many purveyors of what we see on the screen labor in a more enveloping darkness.

RABBI MARK S. MILLER

Temple Bat Yahm

Newport Beach

I haven’t done much research in this area, and I’m not sure if the statistics you quote are accurate. I believe most Americans have a curiosity and a cultural connection with the Bible, and I have seen a measurable increase in religious themes and dialogue on TV.

I’m sure mainstream media is paying attention to religion, and I’m sure they are doing a lot of research in how to sell products to that audience. After all, that is their business. In the media’s portrayal of religious personalities, the results are all over the board. When it comes to religious characters, writers tend to exaggerate or dumb-down for dramatic effect in order to reach a broader audience. The most realistic approach is probably in the documentary form.

The “The Passion of the Christ” was, for Christians who focus on the death and crucifixion of Jesus, a powerful movie. It had a dramatic message and a very potent effect. But such media effect may not be lasting. Lasting changes usually occur when people come to an emotional crossroads and they need guidance in how to navigate their doubt and disbelief. This is where religion is most helpful. Having a philosophy is useful to those who seek answers to life’s most difficult questions. At our center, we teach people how to think and follow the inner guidance that is always there to show the way. Once you experience a conscious connection with spirit, it gives you a type of confidence that restores your faith and attracts a greater good. And once you understand the power of prayer and how to apply it, it’s unlikely that you will ever feel powerless or helpless again.

SENIOR PASTOR

JIM TURRELL

Center for Spiritual Discovery

Costa Mesa

There is a tension that the faith community has caused in and of itself. Television is often just reflecting the poor images of religion that people of faith have created themselves. Stories on crime shows and comedies use the sensational to sell their programs, and the faith community can be very sensational by its very nature. That becomes multiplied when abusers come along, and it is typically the abusers who are portrayed. That would be my qualm with the TV portrayal of faith. I understand that they are just trying to make a buck, but the overreliance on negative portrayal shows their lack of creativity.

We also live in a sarcastic culture where putting others down is part of the daily routine. We hear parents criticizing how children are treated on the playground at school, and yet look what parents are watching with their children on TV. They are watching programs that devalue other faiths and people, and call it funny. Why should kidsdo anything different at school? Who will teach them differently?

I wonder if the execs in Hollywood began asking whether the programs they produced reflected the kind of lifestyle they want their own children to emulate would change the types of programs they produce. It is the same argument that was used by Matt Damon last week on MTV when he said that politicians should only vote to go to war if they were willing to send their own children first. It’s ironic how Hollywood can live one way and talk another.

RIC OLSEN

Lead Pastor

The Beacon

Anaheim

If each one of us would take complete responsibility for our viewing choices, it might eventually have an affect on mainstream programming, but the change in our own lives would be immediate. Just as we give our body nutritious food, we need to pay attention to what we are feeding our minds and hearts. Most TV programs and films are junk food. The spiritual issue is much bigger than whether explicitly religious programs and movies are successful. If we are not careful, we can throw away our lives, evening by evening, in front of a TV set.

I have not had a TV hookup for 25 years. I do have a television set, which I use to watch DVDs from Netflix and the public library. I also like to go out to the movies, usually about once a month. Reviews and friends’ recommendations have become increasingly important resources. I’ve been fooled by big-name directors and favorite actors too many times, and “lost” an evening.

What people often mean by a “religious movie” is one that tells a literal story about a religious figure or event, such as “The Passion of the Christ,” “The Nativity Story,” “The Ten Commandments” or “Going My Way.” Films that deal with more universal themes or implicit spiritual values may not be acknowledged as religious. Some of my favorites are “Blue” and “The Decalogue” by Krzysztof Kieslowski, “Red Beard” and “Ikiru” by Akira Kurosawa, as well as “The Motorcycle Diaries,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Magnolia,” “Wit,” “The Straight Story” and “Crash.” I would like to see more of these.

Our leisure time should be uplifting, refreshing and nurturing.

The view of Aristotle is that art and drama should teach. We want to cultivate an open, clear mind, one unperturbed by the violent images and dark moods created by degrading films or TV programs.

Attention to the content of our minds and our reactions to the thoughts and images that arise is one of the most important aspects of Zen practice. We want to be aware of the negative effects of this kind of conditioning in ourselves and our children.

We can take action by not watching, subscribing, buying or renting low-quality art or entertainment.

REV. DR.

DEBORAH BARRETT

Zen Center of Orange County

Costa Mesa