The use of iconography,color,and arrangement of elements to validate private religious worship could encourage a positive discourse about autonomous religious.
Time appear to endorse the private religious worldview over the public one.The more negative portrayal of institutions,however,could have consequences for denominational structures.That is,religious organizations that depend on the media to educate and inform the public may find that such channels of information no longer disseminate denominational symbols like they did in the past.These findings,then,might be useful to church representatives as they plan campaigns and analyze their communication with the press.
Time's synthesis of religion with other areas such as art,entertainment and science suggests that economic influence on content is very strong.It seems that religion cannot stand alone as a news topic without some attachment to the latest book or movie.This may signal the trivialization of religious information discussed by Postman(1992)where deeper,more thorough treatment of morality and ethics is glossed over.The second possibility is that Time's portrayal of religion is actually a secular discussion,not a religious one.Religion is introduced as the topic,but the emphasis is often on the secular-most often with emphasis on science and philosophy as a means of understanding religious events.
Additional research is needed to understand the varied tone within portrayals of private and institutional religion.Perhaps journalistic standards are applied in warning readers about the potential misdeeds of religious leaders and their teachings.Or,positive depictions of private religion practice may indicate gravitation toward this type of worship within the culture.Future studies should examine this trend more closely.It is clear,however,that the use of negative imagery may encourage public discussion about various sects that is cautious and skeptical.If such discourse actually occurs,this could impact the ways various groups are accepted and accommodated by the larger society.
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