10-26-2010

So, Joshua Alston, I’d argue that religion on television looks to live long and prosper on TV. Broadcast and cable channels offer a rich array of shows asking religious questions, exploring religious themes, and providing religious alternatives to secular norms. Several, obliquely commenting on consumerist culture, even mount a subversive charge. This is the more surprising since television, like newspapers, is all about advertising wrapped up as infotainment. It’s not supposed to challenge basic societal assumptions that keep us in a constant state of wanting and needing to buy more. But even as the economic downturn makes consumerism less practical, few political or religious leaders are challenging the notion that spending leads to happiness. How ironic that television is, in some instances, addressing the very spiritual and ethical issues on which our religious and political institutions appear to be taking a pass.

Winston, Diane. "Give Me that Small Screen Religion." Religious Dispatches. 27 Jul. 2009.

C: In this passage, Winston argues that religious work and religion are very different--although these are not her direct words. What she states is that without being explicitly religious, television "[explores] religious themes," and goes so far as to be subversive against the consumerist culture that funds it. Culturally, Winston argues that religion on television, though subtle, is really taking on the roles and battles of more classical notions of religion.