Religion in Popular Music and Music's Popularity

Religion in Popular Music and Music's Popularity

by Chloe Y

For many people, music plays a crucial role in religious practice and worship. Traditionally, music’s role in religion is that of hymns, meditations, chanting praise and expressions of exaltation. In the 21^st century, however, the lines between secular popular music and religion have been blurred. This is particularly relevant in modern America’s Christian mainstream. Many popular artists are known and revered for their association with Christian belief, and, apply their faith not only to their music through lyrics about social and community issues but in acts of charity as well. However, the question I seek to answer is if any artist that promotes social justice, regardless of religious association should be revered in the same way?

Anberlin Album Cover

First, to look at Christian associated artists that make music about social justice issues, and encourage their fan base to serve these issues. Take for example American rock group Anberlin. The members of Anberlin are all proudly and openly Christian, and while they do not characterise their music as exclusively Christian, there are many Christian references in their lyrics and they participate in many Christian music festivals. They are also avid supporters of ‘To Write Love on Her Arms’ (TWLOHA), a not for profit organisation that raises funds and awareness for individuals dealing with addiction, depression, eating disorders and other difficulties. TWLOHA operates as part of Fireproof Ministries, a liberal Christian ministry that backs many charitable efforts under its broader belief in Christian living and sharing the word of their God. By way of Anberlin’s publicity, TWLOHA have successfully raised awareness of many of the social issues they aim to assist and reduce among young people. Through the public awareness of Anberlin’s members as openly Christian, a connection has been made between Christianity in music and a social justice conscience. By addressing social issues under the auspices of the Christian message and Christian living, TWLOHA has helped thousands of people overcome pain and difficulty in their lives.

There are other American Artists, however, that present their music and act with a social justice conscience without a direct religious connotation. Take for example the rapper, Lupe Fiasco. Fiasco’s well thought and cleverly constructed lyrics point to key social issues in American society today. From the treatment of minorities historically and in the present, the objectification of women

Rapper Lupe Fiasco

in hip hop, to the need for improved education for disadvantaged children, Fiasco’s lyrics are poignant and direct. Fiasco also supports many charitable and cultural ventures, including Summit at the Summit, an initiative for access to clean drinking water in developing countries and Music for relief following the Haitian earthquake. Fiasco, however, is a practising Muslim. His lyrics and social commentaries are often criticized by the general public in America. Many Christian forums, blogs and websites about music consider his music inappropriate to listen to because of his frank use of racial slang and the fact that he is a Muslim.

The commitment to social issues and a social justice conscience is clear when looking at the music and charitable acts of both artists. Why then, in terms of record sales, attendance and public support, are Anberlin far more present in the American picture? This is perhaps more of a cultural issue than a religious one. Both artists successfully draw awareness to relevant social issues, and share a social justice conscience, but their religious associations seem to make the difference.

Sources:

http://www.anberlin.com/main/music/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anberlin#Status_as_a_Christian_musical_group

http://twloha.com/vision

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/thepangeablog/2013/04/01/americas-unforgivable-youth/

http://www.fireproofministries.com/aboutus/belief.html

http://thechristianmanifesto.com/archives/music-review/lasers

http://www.christianforums.com/t7559873/

http://worldreligionnews.wordpress.com/2012/12/05/cultural-arts-review-rapper-lupe-fiasco-defying-muslim-stereotypes/

 

Pictures:
http://audioinkradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Anberlin-Album-Cover-300x300.jpg

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs2UGm4N_B5cam5idIngOvjuDOL3ukYyeEVpiUDJFp7iW886W9SKQhN7RvhThQF3i1JqCdytSh8C4xa1sSr9Y-vdDQFLikQKCruXT0gdMeiUokEn2eu3cQAtRvbHail4lwCuFhbEBmQ4CX/s1600/Lupe+Fiasco+3.jpg

On Sacred Space......Again - A Reflection

Sacred Space - Will we ever find it?

By Chloe Y

 

 

I have already pondered for quite some time in my earlier blog post about sacred space, and my view of sacred space, and where I find it. Or, at least, where I think I find it. Which, according to Durkheim is the wrong place and I'm not in sacred space at all.

 

Alas, a lecture for another subject at uni this week got me wondering if I had actually found it. Or, more importantly, if one doesn't subscribe to a traditional, specific, pigeon holed, or easily identified religion - can they EVER find sacred space?

 

I do not consider myself to really be part of any organised religion. I don't go to church, temple, mosque or a solstice. I generally don't talk to other people about my religious beliefs (only because I don't feel the need to, I could if I wanted to I'm sure). So I can walk into a sacred space such as a church, and walk into its sacred sanctuary, but to me it isn't sacred, because I don't recognise the symbols, motifs and preachers as authorities of my religious beliefs. Having been educated in staunch and traditional Christian environments, however, I understand how sacred those places are to believers.

 

The lecture that got me thinking about this was on Kant. More specifically, Kant's theory on phenomenon and nuemenon. Kant suggests that what we perceive to be reality through our cognitive capabilities and senses is "phenomenon" and that reality in and of itself exists beyond that as "nuemenon", which is inperceiveable to human senses. To bring it into a modern media context; I found this meme -

 

 

So; my reflection is this - am I as close as I can get to sacred space on the bus? But is it really sacred space? Is this what Eliades dialectic refers to in manifesting the sacred in the every day? And, does it matter? If i feel the peace, solace, transcendence and esotericism that I would expect of sacred space on the bus, does it matter that its not philosphically true? This, I think, in itself gives a good suggestion of the bones of my personal spirituality.

 

Picture Sources:

http://tattooedphilosopher.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/2_1.jpg

http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/250x250/19162899.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 



Online Religion and Religion Online

Online Religion and Religion Online

by Chloe Y

Religion online (i.e. similar to Anastasia Karaflogka’s Religion on Cyberspace) allows access to resources people previously would not have had access to, such as ancient manuscripts and important scriptural sources, as well as non-canonical texts (in the Judeo-Christian faith). This is a great opportunity for religious people to extend their religious understanding, experience and belief beyond what they are taught at church or at home, by tradition and institution.

However, As Heidi Campbell suggests, a religious community’s lived experience and scriptural views on media inform their presence in the online world. As an Example, Campbell points to ultra-orthodox Jewish views on not recreating the Torah unless in traditional formats, such as handwritten scrolls. This is a contrast to Christian Protestantism’s enthusiastic adoption of the printing press as a god given innovation, and the use of printed material to advertise and proliferate their religious beliefs. This may point to the fact that Christianity is by far the most “surfed” religion, according to the graph below.

 

By accessing these additional sources of religious inspiration, people are able to interpret them in their own way, whether this is a positive or negative experience. In essence, religion online is allowing people to assess religion in a more rounded and expanded way, and draw their own conclusions from this.

Could religion online also be seen as a marketing tool for traditional forms of religion? Much like people like to go online and read reviews of restaurants, products or hotels before they go there or purchase them themselves – could the same be said for a church or religious tradition? By going online and seeing a plethora of information available on whichever religion they may be interested in, people could see this as an indication of transparency and honesty and make that religious tradition or church more appealing to them. Similarly through the use of social media, people could be more inclined to attend churches or religious practices their friends like, or that have a presence on social media. This is something Hutchings alludes to in his article, suggesting that much of the success of online evangelical movements is owed to their convergent use of secular and religious media. Evangelical sites appeal on their homepages to personal struggle and common issues of a secular nature, drawing visitors in, and only later advertise their religious ambitions and affiliations.

On the negative side, does online religion (and to some extent religion online) detract from the authority, reliability and reputation of ‘real’ religious institutions. The looseness of intellectual property, the openness of cyberspace and the potential for anyone to put anything on the internet could all potentially discredit the “truth” of religion found on the internet. The e-conversion evangelical movement, however, relies heavily on the personal testimony of ordinary members of its organisation in attracting new members. As Hutchings suggests, spiritual autobiographies of individuals legitimise their conversion and assert their devotion to Christ, in turn affirming the organisations evangelical credentials.

Online religion ad religion online are increasingly a part of the social fibres of the digital 21^st century world. The use of both offline and online media will remain a key source for attracting new members to religious groups in the future, and the substance and legitimacy of online religion and religion online should continue to be analysed and questioned.

Picture Sources:

http://www.themonastery.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Religion-and-the-Internet-300x199.jpg

http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2001/CyberFaith-How-Americans-Pursue-Religion-Online/~/media/B544703B87EC4CE4B5AA41BA9C78E8F9.jpg?w=406&h=332&as=1

Sources:

Campbell H. 2010. When Religion Meets New Media. London & New York: Routledge. Ebook. Ch. 1: Religious Communities and the Internet.

Hutchings T. 2012. I Am Second: Evangelicals and Digital Storytelling. Australian Journal of Communication, 39(1): 71-86. Via RL and Informit http://search.informit.com.au.ezproxy.library.uq.edu.au/documentSummary;dn=775177112022985;res=IELHSS

Reflection: Everyday Transcendence - Where is Sacred Space?

As a studies in Religion Student, I academically understand 'Sacred' to mean something that is set aside, and in essence, part of religious experience, practice or experience. As someone who has developed my own unique type of spirituality and does not subscribe to a definable religion or religious group, my lived experience on 'sacred' is something quite different.

I can't really explain to other people what my spirituality is, what I believe in specifically or how I express that. To me, my sacred experiences are innate, and it is the things that allow me to live peacefully and mindfully that make up sacred.

When religionists talk about 'sacred space', they often are referring to a temple or place of worship, a meeting place or a site of historical. For me, sacred space can me much more profane . Even mundane.

Today I had an appointment in the CBD. Given the parking and traffic situation in Brisbane these days I opted to catch the bus into the city from my home. In all honesty, this was a secondary consideration. This primary reason was that I consider the bus a sacred space. In certain conditions at least. Firstly, providing I'm travelling by myself and secondly, providing I've remembered my headphones to listen to music on my ipod.

For me, those 45 minutes on the bus, headphones plugged in and listening to some of my favourite music, consititute some of the deepest meditations I ever have in a very busy life. And while I realise to many that listening to music is abhorrent to true meditation, to me it isn't.

On the bus, for 45 minutes, listening to anything from The Tempations to Jason Mraz, I will have deep conversations with "the universe" (I use this term because I don't really know what else to call "it"). I will renegotiate issues I've only ever taken up with the universe.

To me, this is sacred space. It is not space in a geographical sense, it is space in a spacial-temporal sense. It is space in the sense of a busy 21st century life that offers little true privacy and solitude.

Captain Planet: Hero, Monomyth, Jesus?

Captain Planet was a popular children’s television hero. He was a hero for the environment predominantly but also had moral considerations. Captain Planet was supported by five planeteers, each of which had power over the five elements – earth, wind, fire, water, heart. Together, Captain Planet and the Planeteers combatted the evil pollution of their enemies.

There are many ways in which Captain Planet is a hero based on the criteria of Campbells monomyth. Namely his call to purpose which is set out in the opening narration of the program;

"Our world is in peril. Gaia, the spirit of the Earth, can no longer withstand the destruction plaguing our planet. She sends five rings to five special young people: Kwame, from Africa, with the power of Earth... From North America, Wheeler, with the power of Fire... From The Soviet Union^note then former Soviet Union, then just Eastern Europe, Linka, with the power of Wind. From Asia, Gi, with the power of Water... and from South America, Ma-Ti with the power of Heart. With the five powers combined they summon Earth's greatest champion, Captain Planet."

Furthermore, in each episode, Captain Planet and the Planeteers face trials and tribulations that pose a threat to achieving their purpose. Supernatural power is harnessed by Captain Planet and the Planeteers through their magic rings, fulfilling another element of Campbell’s Monomyth. Captain Planet's enemies, the polluters are represented as pollutiong because they are evil or dark. The stark contrast of light and dark in this series setup a dynamic of a heroic tale.

Similarly, it is evident that there are some parallels that could represent Captain Planet as a Christic figure. His leadership of five planeteers could be seen as Christic leadership of the apostles. The Planeteers are also gathered from all corners of the world by a greater power. This resembles the open and indiscriminate nature of Jesus represented in the bible.

However, as Deacy suggests in his article, are parallels made by viewers enough to qualify a character as a christic figure? If the character is not explicitly intended as a Christic figure, is the theological or spiritual message still valid. There are too few parallels and the context is too far removed to consider Captain Planet as a Christ figure. However, Captain Planet’s popularity says much for the diversity of spirituality in today’s society.

Captain Planet - although no longer commercially aired – has seen a resurgence in pop culture of late, Particularly in social media and visual communication mediums such as memes, apps and games. No doubt, this is a reflection of the increased environmental conscience present within modern society. Increasingly, environmental concern and belief in the purpose of life being to protect the environment is revealing a new form of spirituality. As Carrette and King suggest, modern spiritualties are adapting to the state of the commercial world and negotiating its beliefs within the framework of the repercussions and issues surrounding capitalism, commercialism and globalisation.

Sources:

Carrette J. and R. King. 2102. Spirituality and the Re-branding of Religion. In Lynch G. and J. Mitchell with A. Strhan. Eds., Religion, Media and Culture: A Reader. 59-70. London and New York: Routledge

 Deacy C. 2006. Reflections on the Uncritical Appropriation of Cinematic Christ-Figures: Holy Other or Wholly Inadequate? Journal of Religion and Popular Culture, 13, Summer. http://www.usask.ca/relst/jrpc/art13-reflectcinematicchrist.html

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/WesternAnimation/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers?from=Main.CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers

http://orias.berkeley.edu/hero/JourneyStages.pdf

Picture Source:

http://boxseattv.blogspot.com.au/2011/07/casting-gritty-captain-planet-movie.html