I was once again, for the last time, got offended at Amusing Ourselves to Death, when Postman wrote about the television preaching in chapter eight. Personally, my family or I never watch the sermons or praises on television, because we go to church every Sunday and other days. Yet the way Postman wrote about HOW the viewers are watching these shows was very mocking as a Christian. A person does not watch the t.v. preaching and praises for fun, he or she actually watches those shows to be religious; if there are so much other "junk" shows on t.v., why would someone watch the religious channel for entertainments? Postman did say people can praise anywhere, and yes, that is true, of where a person decides to worship does not matter, because the church, or where people worship, refers to the actual body of the person as it was said in the New Testaments of the Bible.
Also in the same chapter, Postman stated, "The screen is so saturated with our memories of profane events, so deeply associated with the commercial and entertainment worlds that it is difficult for it to be recreated as a frame for sacred events." What the author says contradicts another thing he says about people who watch televisions, in chapter ten. Statistics of people's ability to remember what they have watched previously were recorded in low percentage, and also example of how Americans have short concentration time span is written in chapter one, but in chapter eight, Postman says people will remember other shows that will become distractions from CONCENTRATING on God. MUY contradictory.
That is all. Off to doctors appointment...
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I can see why you would be offende by Postmans ideas here but I can agree with him in a few ways. If you listen to what the televangalists say they focus on the man-made side of religion. "televangalists do not recanize religious expieriences."
ReplyDeleteAlthough there are many contreversal subjects in this book that i could see why you would be offended by this is one I would have to side with Postman on. It is often the case that televised pastors are focused on gaining money from there viewers and spreading a specific gospel is infact the farthest thing from there mind. Majprity of there push factor to doing these shows are simply to attract new viewers and to keep veteran viewers entertained.
ReplyDeleteI am speaking from the pastors and speakers who are serious with their religion of Christianity, not for those fake, two-faced people who only look at $$.
ReplyDeleteNo one can actually look into those televangelists' hearts and say that they are ALL fake, because no one simply can.
Postman always says things biasedly.
It's a mistake to believe that writers must be unbiased. That is not Postman's role. As he says, there are already plenty of cheerleaders for technology in the world. He is pointing out some of the problems with technology.
ReplyDeleteWhen you take something as sacred and personal as someone's relationship to Divine Mystery, the Creator of the Universe, the Mover of the Sun and Stars, and put it up on the TV where just one channel away, little singing and dancing bubbles are scrubbing a toilet, next channel, golf, next channel Jersey Shore, next channel Top Chef, next channel, kitty litter commercial, next channel, tennis match, next channel, Big Brother, next channel, Family Guy...well, it takes away from the experience, don't you think? Postman's book discusses how TV trivializes important relationships, and his view is that religion and spiritual matters are too important to be left to the TV set.
I've had students tell me that God is everywhere, even in the TV set. OK. But I'm betting God doesn't like it in there. Too small, too noisy. For God to have to share the screen and the medium and be presented as equivalent to David Letterman...well, it must be annoying.
Well i go to church every weekend as well. I´m catholic and well religion plays a big role in my family and in my life. But personally i did not take offense to what Postman stated, I actually agreed a bit with him. Religious channels can come in handy, if you want to read a biblical cite but don´t know which one to read, or if you just need to hear some religious words for help. But religious services, come on! Can´t people get up and go to church? Are people so fond to television that they won´t even go to mass, just watch it on T.V.? That is just too much. That´s what Postman meant by not everything is televisible.
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