The Blame Game

This article put out by Religion Dispatches discusses the recent massacre in Mindanao and the way that many media outlets are quick to attribute the violence to religious differences.

The article, however, argues that the massacres seem to be motivated by an ongoing power struggle in the Philippines. After reading the article, I have to say that I agree with its premise, and I tend to think that the the "ethno-tribal" aspect of the killings needs to be taken into greater consideration than religion.

It is a valid point that media outlets tend to make things "black and white" by painting conflicts as religious conflicts. This allows them to ignore bigger factors that may be playing a role in the story, and put it into a context that people will recognize and understand.

Mainstream media outlets need to be cautious and avoid making this error. Sometimes, religion does indeed play an important role in creating these conflicts. Often times, however, there is a lot more to the story. Reporters and newspapers should keep this in mind when publishing stories.

The Decline of Church Influence

The recent decline of the political influence of the Church was recently discussed in this interesting article put out by the Washington Post.

The article was thorough and balanced, and I feel like it is one of the success-stories of the coverage of religion by the media. The political influence of the Church and its decline was discusses logically and without resorting to common stereotypes or misconceptions regarding the power of the Church. This decline is seen by many as evident from the powerlessness of the Church in blocking same-sex partnership legislation.

It also investigated the differences within different church leaders and their take on the situation, and we find that there is no real universal agreement on the matter.

I'm glad that the influence of church leaders in on decline. People tend to prop up these pastors and claim that they have special connections to God, and use this as a reason for why our political leaders should heed their beck and call. I think that if their power is on the decline, it is better for society, and may lead to more rationality in our politics.

Banning Minarets

In this interesting article by the New York Times, we find out that the people of Switzerland have strongly supported legislation that would ban the building of Minarets, a type of Islamic spire traditionally used to call Muslims to prayer.

I think that firstly, the New York Times did a decent job of telling the story, including the reactions of moderate Muslims who feel offended and rejected by the Swiss. I think that this is an appropriate response, and I think that the banning of Minarets is an attack against civil rights.

I would like to point out, however, that Muslims tend to have a double-standard about what civil rights really are. They clearly see injustice when it is committed to them, such as the banning of minarets. But what about the injustice of killing a man for making a movie critical of Islam? Or the world-wide outrage against the Danish newspaper that published cartoons of the prophet Muhammad? What about their civil rights?

I don't think it's right to ban someone from building a religious structure. In America, that would be considered unconstitutional, and rightfully so. But I do think that if Muslims want their civil rights to be respected, then they need to respect the civil rights of others.

Understanding Religion

This article by the New York Times describes a young woman whose religion has led her around the world helping people and working for World Relief.

I think that this was a good article because it demonstrated a good understanding of religion by a mainstream media outlet. The woman in question, Jenna Liao, is not some nutty Christian fundamentalist who hates gays and lives in a small religious bubble. Instead, she is an intelligent young woman whose religious convictions, taken in context of an understanding and caring for human dignity, has led her to help people and touch their lives.

I think that these kinds of accounts tend to go unnoticed by the mainstream media, but in this case the New York Times did a good job of casting a revealing light upon religion beyond what is usually mentioned and outside of the stereotypes we tend to have of people who feel strongly about their faith.

Sexual Misconduct in the Church

In this blog from Reuters, the writer discusses the reactions to recent sex scandals among the clergymen of the Catholic Church, and concludes that church-goers need to radically change the way they view and deal with their spiritual leaders.

The basic point is that clergymen are simply human beings, and need to be treated exactly as such. They have no higher connection to God and certainly no license to commit rape and child abuse. If these crimes were committed by someone in the "secular" world rather behind church doors, the punishment would be great and people's opinions would be strongly affected.

Among Catholics however, we often see congregations refusing to believe allegations of misconduct, primarily because they hold their pastors and church leaders to be oracles of God who are above worldly sins.

This blog entry refutes that and encourages people to wake up to the reality of the situation, and the reality of their clergy. I agree with the article and consider it to be a good example of how the media should cover religion.

Haggard Back to Religious Trickery

In this article by The Gazette, we find out that Ted Haggard, former pastor turned prostitute-solicitor, is returning to his roots and re-starting his church by holding prayer meetings in the basement of his home.

I think that Haggard is a perfect example of the hypocrisy infecting so many religious institutions that preach a "holier-than-though" message of intolerance to sin in order to gain the support and money of its followers, only to turn around and do lines of coke with a male hooker.

The fact that people are still buying into this guy's phony message is absolutely shocking to me. I guess if they want to give ten percent of their earning to this fraud, that is their choice and they should be allowed to be so stupid.

The thing that bothered me was the article itself. I found that the media really failed in this instance. The whole article seemed to be building Haggard up, and barely mentioned the sex scandal that he was in or the fallout which ensued. It seemed more focused on his alleged "redemption" and I felt was not critical enough of him or his motives.

"Honor Killing"

According to a CNN report (linked here), and Iraqi 20 year old woman died from being ran over by her father. The man accused of her murder, Faleh Hassan Almaleki, admitted to killing her and said that he did so because she was "too Westernized" and had basically abandoned her Iraqi roots.

The thing I find interesting about this article is what's missing. Islam is not discussed in this CNN report, but rather "Iraqi tradition" as the reason for the horrendous crime. I would point out that these so-called (and mis-named) "honor-killings" occur in several countries in the Middle-East, specifically Muslim ones.

There is a connection to fundamentalist Islam that is being ignored here. I think that these honor killings which are carried out by extremist Muslims happen far too frequently and should be confronted head-on by the media, rather than shrouding it in mystery or making cryptic references to Iraqi traditions.

For the sake of the women who are victims and for justice in general, the media needs to do a better job discussing the issue and informing the public about these terrible crimes.

Change of Heart

In this article from KBTX, a reporter describes the spiritual experience that led to an important "change of heart." Apparently, a long-time member of Planned Parenthood and supporter of women's right to choose named Abby Johnson reversed her position on abortion after witnessing one occur through an ultrasound.

I think that this is an interesting story because it involves religion (through Abby's personal spiritual experience) but is presented in a more rational and insightful way than usual. Instead of painting Pro-Life advocates as crazy Christian fundamentalists, this article successfully provides us with a new portrait of pro-life.

Abby does not fit the "usual" media description of a pro-life supporter, and that is what makes her more intriguing. She has come to her opinion through experience and a care for human dignity, rather than through religious dogmatism.

I'd say that this is a step in the right direction for the media as far as its coverage of religion is concerned. The era of "clinic-bombers" representing the pro-life stance (at least for some people) may be ending as reporters give the issue more thought.

Young Muslims and Punk

In this article by the Chicago Sun-Times, a reporter explores young Muslims who turn to different forms of music, especially punk rock, to express themselves and "loosen up" their religion.

It is true that Islam is generally seen as being socially conservative and very strongly tied to traditions and age-old practices. These Islamic youth are doing their part to change the stigma associated with Islam and with Muslims, especially in the West.

I like this article because the author is presenting a side of Islam not often discussed by the media. Namely, that there are many different people belonging to Islam who do not fit what we traditionally view as Muslim stereotypes.

Many Muslims are young and progressive. This article succeeds by tapping into this demography, rather than the most-often presented "older-generation" which is more strict with its practices. By using punk rock to express themselves, these Muslims are expanding their identity and changing how we view Islam in the media.

Coverage of Catholic Sex Scandal

In this post by Get Religion, the author discusses whether or not a news article on a recent sex scandal within the Catholic clergy went too far in its attachment of religion to the crimes that were committed.

In the news article, the opening paragraph describes pictures that were found on the Bishop Raymond Lahey's computer- one mentioned being "a naked naked boy wearing only rosary beads."

Got Religion is questioning whether or not this aspect of the child pornography should have been included. A crime is a crime- why include the part about the rosary? Got Religion concludes that the journalist involved was partially motivated by a negative feeling toward the Catholic Church, and wanted to emphasize the linkage between the religion and the crime.

I think that the coverage of the story, including the addition of the rosary beads worn by the naked boy, was not only acceptable but commendable. Got Religion is run by religious believers, and so they naturally shy away from the media portraying religion in negative terms.

However, the truth of the matter is that the Catholic Clergy, taken as a whole, have an extremely large number of sex scandals involving underage children- in fact, if you look at it in terms of percentage, I'd say that they probably have the highest percentage of this type of crime than any other group.

That makes the rosary on the boy an important part of the story. The Catholic Church NEEDS to be criticized for the large number of scandals, and especially the cover-ups by people who knew exactly what was going on. If the media is associating the Catholic Church with sexual crimes against minors, it is not because of a media bias but rather because of a large propensity of reported cases of child sexual abuse among Catholic Priests. If Catholics want to remove this stigma, they need to work harder at it.