Religion Dispatches
The main difference between the enactment of the heroic archetype in myth and in popular culture is our contemporary squeamishness about the homoerotic vibe that usually hums just beneath the surface of the drama. We try to banish that gayness, or at least keep it at bay, but the pesky thing about archetypes is that they’re not very easily controlled.
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In a new documentary, Bill Maher tries his darndest to convince viewers to abandon religion. Is he just preaching to the choir or will it start a valuable conversation?
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Jackie Mason shticks and all, a new comedy concert documentary, Allah Made Me Funny, reminds us that it’s not all doom and gloom.
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MoveOn wannabe, Colin Hanna, has found a new platform for his Obama attack ads: MTV. Aiming to ”plant some seeds of doubt” in the ”younger demographic” a positive org goes negative to push McCain—along with a border fence, an anti-Jihadist site and a Pastor initiative…
Read MoreMcCain’s new ad mocking Obama’s charismatic campaign of hope and the belief that we can do better is being criticized as ‘blasphemous’ and offensive to liberal Christians…
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An HBO show about vampires in the rural South depends on “viral marketing” for its buzz. But some people resent the conflation of fact and fiction that this kind of advertising entails. And what of the new religious movement known as the Vampire Community?
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A reality show about a failing family. The upholding of Prop. 8. There’s hypocrisy afoot in our culture.
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Who put the mega in megachurch? Two new books, one on star evangelicals and one that focuses on African-American televangelists, tell the story—and explain the remarkable influence of celebrity preachers in the religious marketplace.
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A North American Muslim reflects on TV portrayals of Muslims…
Read MoreWhen the head of a TV station devoted to improving the image of Muslims in the U.S. murdered his wife last week, it served as a reminder that no community is immune to domestic violence and tragedy.
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