Summary
Contents
Subject index
The growing connections between media, culture and religion are increasingly evident in contemporary society, but until now have rarely been theoretically linked. The contributors to this volume effectively combine these areas into a coherent whole. The issues they examine include: the decline of religious institutions during the late twentieth century; the increasing autonomy and individualized practice of religion; and the surge of media and media-based icons that are often imbued with religious qualities, and the ensuing effect on cultural practices.
Psychologized Religion in a Mediated World
Psychologized Religion in a Mediated World
Television talk shows, now the most prominent genre in American daytime programming, have come under fierce criticism for pandering to, and promoting, viewers' most base sensibilities. Oprah Winfrey, host of one of the most popular of these programs, has attempted to distance herself from this critique by emphasizing more upbeat and uplifting topics.1 Her commitment to more “positive” programming was launched in early 1994 in an episode featuring Marianne Williamson—a selfdescribed “spiritual psychotherapist” who has greatly influenced Winfrey's own spirituality.2
Williamson is a “student” of A Course in Miracles (1992, first published in 1975), a set of three books, now in its third printing, claimed to have been “scribed by Jesus” and transmitted to two ...
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