Essay on Religion and Theology
The present world has seen religion defined with different groups divided according to their religious beliefs. Although the main idea in almost all religions is towards worshipping a supreme being(s), there is a significant difference in the way each group does its worshipping. Religion is a term whose definition may be not straightforward to define. For example, most dictionaries define it as the belief in and worship of superhuman controlling power, especially a holy God or gods. However, this definition is corrected by many scholars leaving doubt in its reliability. According to Wikipedia, there could be competing definitions of religion. One, “a unified system of beliefs and practices related to sacred beliefs which unite into one single moral community called a church, all those who adhere to them”. The other definition is, “a comprehensive worldview or that is accepted as binding because it is held to be in itself true and just even if all dimensions of it cannot be either fully confirmed or refuted”. Theology can be defined as the study of the nature of the divine. It is taught typically in universities and seminaries as an academic field of study. It can be viewed as the study of deities or their scriptures to understand what they have revealed about themselves. This paper addresses religion and theology as a topic to answer the question, what is the impact of media in the evolution of religion and theology? As a case study, Islam will be viewed to elaborate the thesis statement that the speed by which religion is spreading and the rate at which theology is improving is affected dramatically by media. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Discussion
Information about an idea is as important as the idea itself. Mostly there is a higher chance of being misled when you lack the truth about something. Lack of information may be due to ignorance or due to circumstances. Sacred knowledge is, and the right interpretation needs to be done as any false doctrines will significantly affect the perspective towards a particular religion. Every religion is obliged to create for itself presentable identity to win for itself followers or support. It is worth noting that the strength of religion can only be measured using the number of its followers. If a specific religion is identified negatively, then the chances are that it will be unpopular and may cease to exist. Ahmed and Mattes, (2017, P. 219-288) point out that Islam had been negatively understood for so long. After doing a Meta-analysis of 345 articles, they realised that most studies investigated the themes of migration, terrorism, and war where Muslims tend to be negatively framed, while Islam dominantly portrayed as a violent religion. It is seen that the media has played a significant part in creating this perspective. It, therefore, means that depending on how media is handled, its impact on the identity of a specific religion could be severe. Over the years, media has been seen to pay significant attention to crises involving the Muslims but fails to take into account the sociopolitical and economic factors preceding the same. My idea is that now since it is media that plays a more significant part of destroying the distinctive identity, it is still the most effective tool that can be used completely change the perspective of many and build a proper identity for Islam.
It will be a lie to say that any religion will aim to make another belief stronger. It is unstated, but it is a fact that religion will do as much in its reach to bring to its knees any competing religion. Even within a particular religion, there could be a cult of extremists playing to paint the picture of the mother religion black to benefit from defection. What this means is that religious wars have to exist, and they can only be solved with understanding and tolerance. In a theology class, learners will be taught why their religion is the best. However one will not understand why the other religion could be the best. A misunderstanding will for sure arise where the beliefs of one group will interfere with that of the other. For example, what do you think will happen if a thief from religion A steals from religion B, but religion B believes in putting thieves to death whereas religion A believes in pardoning wrongdoings? What will follow is merely a misunderstanding that if not dealt with a well will result in serious wars. According to Roy, (2018, P. 15-29), there is a debate about Islam in Europe and how it is compatible with European religions and secularism. There is a firm perspective against the Muslims in Europe that has been created by stories from journalists. Journalists being part of media always have a vast influence since a large population receives their ideas in a short period. The governments can prevent this misunderstanding in the specific areas. A government of a secular nation may not be able to reform a religion but with the help of media amplification, formatting a particular religion should not be a problem. Formatting a religion involves granting religious freedom but at the same time setting restrictions on extremes to maintain public order.
In the introduction of this paper, theology was said to be mainly taught at institutions of higher learning. It is there of great importance to discuss higher education in religion as well as how media is playing a role in promoting higher education in different religions. Social networks play an essential role in attracting prospective student candidates for Islamic Theology besides fostering online communication (Betcher, 2017, P. 2). Promotion could be in different ways. For example, the interaction of people on social media platforms like Facebook could improve the rate of influence. Also, social media could enhance the availability of information about higher education programs hence more sensitisation. On a different note, parents will be more willing to let their children study in faraway places if their communication is enhanced through social networks. It is worth noting that if theology enrollment in institutions of higher learning then the spread of the related religion will come as an additional benefit. It is at this point that it can be seen that it may not make sense to talk about theology without talking about religion and thus we can define theology as primarily a study of religion. It is not uncommon to hear of an individual saying that they pursued a particular field of education just because they saw it being advertised somewhere. In theology, media can thus be seen as a catalyst.
It is always crucial when religion can present its experiences efficiently to its followers as this will strengthen their belief. It is also an essential tool in winning the following from individual without strong opinions in their current religions. Experiences in religion may include wars fought and victories earned or even challenges faced and the ways used to overcome or deal with them. For a religion to effectively share its experiences, it has to first deal with its representation to the public. Representation in this context is referring to how the public views a particular religion. Minority religions often face negative criticism and perspective since many believe the popular religions to be having the right doctrines. This negative criticism can be dealt with by first using the channels which have been used to pass the negativity and transform them. Media is one of the major channels which have a significant impact when it comes to criticism. According to Brown et al. (2015, P. 50-58) in a case study of Britain, the media presents Islam to be negative, being associated with conservatism, economic backwardness and terrorism. The media tends homogenising Islam and Islamic states. It, therefore, shows that media can be used to change the representation of religion significantly. For example, the media can be reformed to balance the negative portrait of religion with positive news stories and to be more responsible in their reporting of events involving a particular religion.
Religion and theology should at least revolve around maintaining high ethical standards since this defines their holy goal of standing for truth. For example, vices like corruption, if not condemned may destroy the presentation of religion. The seriousness with which a given religion will stand against evil will determine its strength. It is common sense that the primary goal of every religion is to win the faith of its followers and gain more converts. It is again important to involve the media so that the stand may be as vocal as possible. By the fact that religion always has the upper hand in governments’ issues, they should champion for media freedom so that their course can be vibrant. As per Blanc et al., (2017, P. 1746) where press freedom is restricted then corruption is more common, the general level of social and political pressures related to corporate corruption issues are likely reduced. It is here that religion should take advantage to come in and prove its importance in the lives of the individuals. When the public perceives that a religion is only concerned with the well being of humanity, then its growth becomes easy.
In conclusion, it is evident that religion and theology cannot be discussed independently. Media is a very crucial factor in both the spread of religion and development of theology. In fact, the speed by which religion is spreading and the rate at which theology is improving is affected dramatically by media. It can act to slow the spread of a religion or to accelerate it. Also, theology can become firm or weaker depending on the impact of media. It is seen that through media, religion can construct its presentation and perspective, religious wars are solved, ethical standards are proved, religion is improved in higher learning institutions, and it is used as a catalyst in the promotion of theology. Those in a position to control the media should regulate its impact in religion and theology since it can significantly act to either build or destroy any religion.