I know that this is a topic that can in no way be done justice in the space of just one blog post & I hope that John & our readers will continue the subject at hand in the future.
Cars
Continuing in the vein of WWJD, over at GetReligion, tmatt brings up the subject of “bumper sticker theology“, a subject that is on my mind everytime I’m stuck behind a xian in an SUV. One of Jesus’ parables comes to mind: the one where he’s talking about how two men were praying, one in public & the other in privacy before his God. Wearing a cross, a mala, hijab, or a turban may be a public display of one’s religion, but for the most part, I believe it is done for private reasons. It is done to remind themselves of their faith when they falter, not to publically display it to others. The bumpersticker, I feel (just like the sign in the policecar) is not in a place that the person who put it there would see it. I really feel like it’s a statement for the people behind them: just like a political bumpersticker is for other people to think about; they’ve already made their choice for Steven/Colbert in ‘08. They’ve already made the choice.
I’m interested in this kind of passive proselytization. Do they think it counts (if God’s keeping score)? Do they think it works (Oh! Jesus is Lord, I get it now, I need to go to church!)? Or do they just want everyone to know that they’re of a certain faith (like, they’ll get fewer tickets if they’re Masons)? And what does this mean for religion in the car? I keep a mala around my stickshift & used to keep a buddha glued to my dash (both for roadrage). I often see rosaries around rearview mirrors and I assume it’s a similar thing. But what really is the motivation behind the religious who puts a proselytizing bumpersticker on their car?
TV
We get TBN and until we convinced TiVo that we didn’t, we got recorded Mass every Sunday. I’m in a heap of confusion about this form of religion. For Catholics, Mass is good, but the main reason that you’re going is for the Eucharist, which is physical and therefore cannot be transmitted through your television. In fact, if you’re unable to go to Mass, you can get the Eucharist delivered to you by just about anyone, since that’s the important bit. My guess is that TBN is not run by Catholics but by some other strain of Christianity but I’ve never cared enough to look into it. Perhaps seeing Mass is just as good at participating; but do viewers at home say the responses along with the congregation on the TV? Is the congregation real, a studio audience, or a bunch of actors? Does the blessing given by the priest extend to the viewers…in other time zones, watching it after the fact, or simply having it on in their living room while they read the paper? Is this just another form of proselytizing…? I don’t think it is, because I’m much more capable of changing the TV channel or turning it off (!!!) than I am of getting behind a different car (which is still possible). So, if it’s not proselytizing, it must be some form of genuine faith: the priest believes his flock is that much bigger, or the view believes they are being blessed. It still kind of confuses me, but I suppose of prayer and blessings work, they won’t be stopped by earthly technology.
The Internet: Facebook
The subject of religion on the internet is almost as broad as the topic of religion and technology at all, so I’m going to focus on one particular piece of the internet: Facebook. Facebook is like a metayearbook that is ever-changing: you and all your friends appear as pictures on a page, with a spot for them to “sign” it. You can change who your friends are, look at who their friends are, and send them “gifts” (like signing except with a dog.gif). You can also create groups (like clubs at school) that you can join, unjoin, and invite people to. The groups have their own spot for signatures. Many of the groups are religious (or political) in nature. So I could join the “Atheist” group or the “American Atheists” group or the “Atheists in LA” group. None of them are mutually exclusive (I could also join a Catholic group). I could also list things that I like, books that I like reading, &c. This feels to me like a way of professing your faith publically. I suppose, for smaller religions, it could also be a way to meet people like you (to feel that you’re less alone), but mostly it just feels preachy.
A friend recently told me that he & his friends (all, apparently, atheists) had jokingly said that they would not date “anyone whose favorite book is the Bible” on Facebook. Which serves nothing besides providing an anecdote about how some people use Facebook…
4 responses so far ↓
1 Adam G. // Dec 6, 2007 at 7:36 pm
I’ve never understood the point of bumper stickers of any kind. Growing up my parents frowned on them, saying they devalued the vehicle and were hard to remove. Now that I live in New Jersey and get stuck in traffic every day, I have to meditate on everyone’s bumper messages. From politics to religion to traffic insults, people seem to want to express themselves. It must be for their own amusement, because I can’t see that it makes any difference beyond that.
My great-aunts, two Catholic ladies who were single to the end, faithfully watched the “Mass for Shut-ins” for years when they could no longer attend Mass. Apparently viewing Mass and participating in the prayers, even taped, is considered blessed. They also had a weekly visit, I believe, from lay communion ministers who delivered the Eucharist.
2 Rich // Dec 6, 2007 at 8:36 pm
Favorite religious bumper sticker:
“Sorry, my Karma just ran over your Dogma”
Humor aside, I have seen many that assert superiority, much like Calvin peeing on a Ford or Chevy symbol, e.g., “Christians aren’t perfect, just saved”, as if to say, yo, you loser piece of government cheese, feel inferior to me!
As to TV, I confess I enjoy watching/listening to “Music and the Spoken Word” (Tab Choir) every Sunday (I DVR it even); the music usually puts me in a good mood, and often the message is rather upbeat. I’ve also watched some pretty comical (though not intentionally so) pastors/actors make fools of themselves, followed by the gall of asking for money “to help spread the important word of Jesus!”, as if.
As to the internet, I think it ultimately boils down to this — people are looking for intimacy, for love, for acceptance, to feel like they belong someplace, have some community. “Religion” in part at least fills some of that need, whether in person, or online; whether a formal belief system or organization, or people professing a like mindset.
3 Elaine // Dec 6, 2007 at 9:10 pm
Bumper stickers/license plate frames: The two that bug the crap out of me are: “Christians aren’t perfect…just forgiven” and “God said it. I believe it. That settles it.”
The two that I like the best (which are, of course, snarky) : “Jesus is coming…look busy” and “Jesus, save me…from your followers”.
But even more than that, some of the T-shirts that I see Christians wearing just really bother me: “Lord’s Gym” and “No Pain, No Gain” accompanied by a drawing of Christ’s hand pierced by a nail. To me that takes what these people profess to believe is holy and reduces it to the same status as a football team or a rock band. I find those to be extremely disrespectful, and I don’t understand why believers don’t.
Having said that, I have to confess that back in the 1970s, I had a bumper sticker on my car that read “Discover America - Read the Book of Mormon”. It mortifies me to admit to that.
Television…I used to watch TBN for the entertainment value, but quite a while ago they passed entertaining and went right on to way too strange for me. It seems like all anyone on that station was doing was shouting and crying hysterically.
On the other hand, the Diocese of Fresno has its own TV station (something that is apparently fairly rare), and I watch that fairly often. In fact I’m listening to it as I write this…they’re showing a documentary about the RCIA program, something I’ve had explained to me before (a good friend of mine is a convert to Catholicism) but had never really understood. It isn’t pushy, just explains the process. Sure is different from the Mormon way of getting people into the church.
I guess the Catholic station doesn’t give me the heebie-jeebies that TBN does because it has a variety of programming, not all of it specifically Catholic (in fact, they even show the MoTab broadcast every week - which I studiously avoid). Of course, they show some of EWTN’s very traditionalist Catholic programming, but they also offer a variety programs…many of them locally produced…which explore different faith traditions without the biases that one might expect of a Catholic operation. They also offer programming around local cultural activities, and do some programming in cooperation with the county library system. This is programming that you likely wouldn’t see anywhere else, and some of it is very good.
Like you, xJane, I think I’m more tolerant of the TV programming because I can turn it off if I want to.
4 John // Dec 6, 2007 at 9:59 pm
Discover America - Read the Book of Mormon
Elaine, that’s awesome. I did a lot of bold faith-inspired things, but nothing as catchy.
My favorite shirts are the really geeky ones like “Jesus Saves! (and only takes half damage)”
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