The press doesn't get religion


Why you don't see positive stories about faith
Jason Pitzl-Waters is one of my favorite Pagan bloggers. His blogs aren't focused on current events so I don't quote him much on here on Pagan Vigil, my mainstream blog. But this one caught my eye.

But really, the frustration that Dan faces here is the same frustration that the Get Religion blog covers all the time. The press just doesn't get religion. Especially if that religion is outside of the Judeo-Christian mainstream. Journalists often don't have the time or inclination to dig a littler deeper and explore the intricacies of our faiths. That matter isn't helped by the fact that many Pagans go out of their way to seem as benign and "good" as possible to the mostly Christian audience reading the article. Something I explained in the comments of the post at Get Religion.

"Frankly, modern Pagans are tired of being the media's freak show every Halloween (well, most of us anyway). So it has been learned through painful experience not to trust the press to do right by us. So you'll often get superficial platitudes instead of the "off-beat" stuff because we don't want to see another Pagan get fired, or lose their kids, or get their store burned down, or get "holy" salt thrown at them by Catholic youth. There is no pay-off for your average Pagan to talk in-depth about practice and belief. If a reporter wants more, there are experts, scholars, and elders in our faiths ready to be talked to. But that takes determination and effort, effort most journalists looking for a good Halloween Witch story can't be bothered..."

Yet, from Get Religion's commentary, I feel like what Dan was looking for was dirt. To be entertained with our "wacky" religion's practice and belief. That he was a bit peeved by a perceived agenda on the part of the article.

Jason is right, the press doesn't really know how to cover religion well. If it is not a scandal, they try to ignore it. I admit I keep a lower profile than I should. That's partially because I have been dealing with "in your face" evangelism all my life and I am very tired of people trying to make political and public statements with their faith.

And for my Pagan readers who think that is only limited to Christian evangelicals, I suggest you take a closer look at self-described Pagan activists.

I don't believe that any religion makes someone a better person simply by the virtue of the religion. A friend of mine said that there are saints and sinners in any faith and she was right. It's your choices and your actions that reflect on your beliefs, not the other way around.

The fact is, I don't want to be associated with the guy wearing the six inch chrome pentagram who tells people that the "Burning Times" will start again next Tuesday. I don't have a lot in common with the weepy teenager who tells people that we are killing "Mother Gaea" every time we drive a car. I don't agree with the Famous Pagan™ who tells people that Republicans Must Never Be Allowed to Hold Public Office Again.

In these cases, I get along better with my friends, family and neighbors even if they aren't *ahem* strictly Pagan.

The press will cover the pedophile priest scandal, but just try to get them to look at the food bank.

With Pagans, the press wants someone who dresses strangely (or doesn't wear anything at all) so they can quote the Outsider as Authority on All Things Occult. That doesn't have anything to do with who we are and how we face life, anymore than a menorah defines Judaism.

The press wants the Mutant Monster, the example of Good Things Gone Terribly Wrong. They want this week's scapegoat and religion is an easy target.

— NeoWayland

Posted: Sun - November 12, 2006 at 02:45 PM  Tag


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