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Post by bootjangler on Jul 4, 2009 14:01:51 GMT -5
Religious figures, eg Bishops, are sometimes invited to TV debates for the program's 'morality' viewpoint.
I would ask why.
Why does the viewer at home need the morality view coming from a religion?
There are a few problems: Some blindly accept that religion provides the moral stance. Some accept that people do not need religion to be moral. If the bible is god's word, then how does killing homosexuals and adulterers fit with the morals of today's society? Surely each Bishop believes in god's word? Should the bible fit with today's 'western' society?
Should we re-evaluate the use of religious figures being used in TV debate?
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Post by Ruth Deller on Jul 5, 2009 15:42:54 GMT -5
I suppose it depends on the topic in hand and the people it affects: if it's a hot potato amongst a particular faith community then there is perhaps more need for the presence of religious authority - of course there is also a question of who is allowed to speak on behalf of the religious, and how representative their views are of that faith community as a whole....
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Post by djembe on Aug 6, 2009 11:11:11 GMT -5
I wonder if its just an easy way to get an 'authority figure'. Religion to some is seen as promoting kindness, humility, grace, being the good samaritan etc. In reality things are a bit different with religious extremes promoting hatred and violence.
So on the one hand religion's traditional role as providing moral guidance makes it an obvious choice for tv shows, on the other hand religion has some aspects which go completely against morality.
I guess it depends on who you get too. Open minded and kind or closed minded and mean. There are as many opinions and personalities within religion as outwith religion.
Perhaps someone secular would be just as good if not better than a religious figure in these situations, a community leader, youth worker or activist. I find that The Big Questions on the BBC on sundays tries to get a good cross section of religions as well as community activists, professors etc.
So in all I think its just the easy choise. The whole argument about not needing religion to have morals, so using another person instead is probably too big a step to take for a show only doing a 5 minute slot on a certain topic.
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