Religion and the Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Religion and the Media - Essay Example As Schofield Clark observes, the founding principles of Protestantism have led to the Protestantization of modern societies. Take say, the value of individualism. It is a value that is strongly equated to advanced industrial societies. The concept is used in Occidental discourse as the opposing principle to collectivism, which is said to represent the Orient. While most liberal democracies portray this value as a political ideal, nowhere is it more celebrated than in the USA. The much cherished national idea of the ‘American Dream’ is founded on the concept of right to own property, one of the legislative provisions that resonate with the individualistic ethos. More importantly, this contemporary manifestation of individualism can be traced back to Martin Luther’s plea to the Catholic Church, whereby he make a claim to eschew elaborate ritualized liturgy. In its place, according to Luther, should be a more direct interaction between God and individual through the medium of the sacred text. Likewise, the rights for freedom of expression and freedom of choice that we take for granted today, have had their origins in the Protestant Reformation. In Luther’s milieu, it meant foremost the freedom of the individual to ‘interpret’ the holy text as is cognizable to the faithful. This principle was promoted in critique of the role of official clergy, who had taken upon the role of sole arbiters of the divine word. Breaking away from this stifling tradition, Protestantism reinforced the primacy of the connection between God and the faithful. It achieved this by giving believers the freedom to own, read and interpret the Bible as they see fit. It also includes the freedom to inquiry using God endowed intellectual faculties (intellectual inquiry). The freedoms we enjoy as consumers or as citizens today can thus be called Protestantization of law and culture. Moreover, by emphasizing that all religious