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Hello

The following posts are all of the presentations I have submitted in Religion in Pop Culture. I will post presentations from Unit 3 to Unit 14. A picture or video will be presented and then a summary of the image or video along with a link to find these sources. I truly hope you enjoy my tumblr page and all of my presentations. Therefore, view my page and enjoy.

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Popular Mythology

Unit 3

Supernatural

The Image in the attachments is a poster from the television show Supernatural, which is about two brothers that have a family business hunting evil. The two brothers Dean and Sam Winchester go through different events were they are possessed by angels and demons. There are even episodes were bible verses are used as background for a storyline within the episode. This image is a good example of the relationship between religion and pop culture as well as supernatural in pop culture due to the depictions of in the Christianity religion known as angels and demons. These are depicted by the wings behind Dean and the fire on Sam’s arm. Therefore, this image and the show itself explores religion in a new supernatural way.

Also if you look in the background by Sam’s face you can see an image Jesus hanging without a cross wherein Christianity religion is where Jesus allowed the Romans to pin him to a cross where he died for the sins of man. Throughout the show, there are many references to the Bible which are used to kill evil that is harming the living. This show allows you to see pop cultures look on religion as a way to understand it while viewing a program that only uses religion but doesn't actually touching it. Pop culture tries to find a creative way to explain life and death within religion as it is depicted. Therefore, this image should help those to understand that pop culture uses religion to make storylines for all different forms of media that can be seen as supernatural in pop culture or other forms.

Link to image:

unknown

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Advertising Unit 4

The image above is pop culture using a religious figure for their advertisement to increase the use of their product. The relationship between pop culture, religion, and advertisement is that each is trying to promote their product. For example, in religion, they promote their product by offering people salvation as they call it or a key to heaven so they believe that the more people they have to believe will make the world a better place. While with pop culture it is a business to make money and to allow the world to thrive into a new world. Each has a way of spreading their product to the world through advertisements such as social media, new articles, billboards, and any other form of advertisement. The type of advertising being used in the example above is the use of religious themes to advertise non-religious, consumer products which are the god figure in the image as well as the theme of how god is all-knowing.  With the example of advertising, this advertisement doesn't promote religion but is an example of how pop culture uses religion and how the relationship of both are a two-way street. Therefore, the image above is a helpful aspect to understanding religion in pop culture advertisement as well as pop culture in a religious advertisement.

Link to image:

unknown

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Television Unit 5

In the link above is a clip from an adult animated television show called Rick and Morty. This show is about a boy named Morty who travels around the universe with his half genius half drunk grandfather Rick. The show explores many different topics of religion in a way that breaks down all of the walls by telling the complete truth about how humans use religion. The clip is from and an episode where a giant face threatens to destroy the earth, characters from the show go to a church for sanctuary. Throughout the clip, different individuals from different religions speak their truth on the end of the world. 

The priest who is a Christian believer speaks on how god is always testing his believer’s faith even if the world is ending. The Jewish believer speaks on how the Christians are basically having to take a test to make it to a good place while he won't have to. The principal decides that all gods are dead and that we should a start worshiping the face in the sky in order to survive. This is a good example of the relationship between pop culture, religion, and adult animation because it sheds back the layer of being light-hearted when speaking on religion and self-preservation. 

Every religion has a what we like to call an apocalypse or a regaining meaning that the world will end as we know it and those worthy will be taken before the fire while other will endure but there are many different version that can be explored. But religion is all about saving your mortal soul before you die. Pop culture likes to use religion in these scenarios because it is a more effective way to tell people that the world will end as we know no matter how it happens it will happen. Adult animation uses religion to tell the complete truth about everything wrong with religion when used in a terrible way of thinking and shows how humans have corrupted the use of religion. For example, at the end of the clip there is a moment where the priest as the people sitting to give a donation to the church even though the world is ending, this is a perfect example of human corrupting religion for there own self-gain because it is known that presently doesn't always put the donation given for the church to the church but they rather pocket half because present are not paid a wage for doing what they do but when you start you will become gritty to the point where you will put no money to the church. Therefore, adult animation, pop culture, and religion work together to explain religion in times of pure chaos.

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Film Unit 6

The film The Book Theif is about a young girl named Liesel Meminger who is adopted by a German family in the 1940s where she faces many challenges within her lifetime. This film plays a large role in religious significances because of the ongoing terror upon Jewish believers. This film has a relationship with pop culture, religion, and non-Christian religion in movies because the film is a book adaptation to film, the time period plays a large representation of the terror against Jewish believers, and the film doesn't have any Christian religion. A large example of religion in the film is at one point in the film a young Jewish man named Max Vandenburg takes shelter in the home of Liesel's adoptive parents home. This is Liesel's first-hand view of the world she is living in and how certain people are treated differently.

                      The film is called the book thief because during the time reading was illegal and books were put in a pile and burned to ash. Liesel finds a book that survives the fire and takes it home with her but she was never taught to read so she is mentored by Max to teach her how to read. The film that relates to pop culture due to the large role books plays in influencing and evolving pop culture. The religion in this film with the time period helps you to understand why people believe in religion and practice it because it gives them hope even when it may seem lost. Even though we only encounter a small few characters that are Jewish believer; we see how a person humanity can be tested in a situation that is wrong as well as dehumanizing. In conclusion, The book thief is a beautifully written book and a captivating film.

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Pop Music Unit 7

 The video that I have chosen for my presentation of the Cultural Merger of Popular Music and Religion is God is a Woman by Ariana Grande. The lyric for this song is about the fact that without women there would be no such thing as procreation. The video she many different aspects of male power figures turned female. Personally, I don't believe that God is either male or female but with the way, society has idealized how man is the most powerful is completely wrong. I am a firm believer that all people are equal because when we separate each other things like war happen and then a personal ego can completely control them.

               This video shows the relationship of religion pop culture and a cultural merger of pop music and religion because even though the artist is singing about a lover she is visually saying that she knows her power and is in no way giving it up. Though the year women have suffered from being powerless to man due to religion saying the man is the most powerful but with this video, God can be a woman if you choose to see it that way. The song helps can be seen as a woman wanting all the power but it's about the years of women not being able to use their voices. I am in no way a religious person but I can see how this video has the visuals of being seen as religious with the constant lyric of “God is a Woman” because she is speaking of how every person has their own personal power no matter how some. In conclusion, the visuals of the video are the most important because they show an accurate relationship between pop culture and religion.

Lyrics to song:

You, you love it how I move you

You love it how I touch you

My one, when all is said and done

You'll believe God is a woman

And I, I feel it after midnight

A feelin' that you can't fight

My one, it lingers when we're done

You'll believe God is a woman

I don't wanna waste no time, yuh

You ain't got a one-track mind, yuh

Have it any way you like, yuh

And I can tell that you know I know how I want it

Ain't nobody else can relate

Boy, I like that you ain't afraid

Baby, lay me down and let's pray

I'm tellin' you the way I like it, how I want it

And I can be all the things you told me not to be

(Yuh)

When you try to come for me, I keep on flourishing

(Yuh)

And he see the universe when I'm in company

It's all in me

You, you love it how I move you

You love it how I touch you

My one, when all is said and done

You'll believe God is a woman

And I, I feel it after midnight

A feelin' that you can't fight

My one, it lingers when we're done

You'll believe God is a woman

I'll tell you all the things you should know

So, baby, take my hand, save your soul

We can make it last, take it slow, hmm

And I can tell that you know I know how I want it, yuh

But you different from the rest

And boy, if you confess, you might get blessed

See if you deserve what comes next

I'm tellin' you the way I like it, how I want it

And I can be all the things you told me not to be

(Yuh)

When you try to come for me, I keep on flourishing

(Yuh)

And he see the universe when I'm in company

It's all in me

You, you love it how I move you

You love it how I touch you

My one, when all is said and done

You'll believe God is a woman

And I, I feel it after midnight

A feelin' that you can't fight

My one, it lingers when we're done

You'll believe God is a woman, yeah, yeah

Yeah, yeah

(God is a woman, yeah)

My one

(One)

When all is said and done

You'll believe God is a woman

You'll believe God

(God is a woman)

Oh, yeah

(God is a woman, yeah)

(One)

It lingers when we're done

You'll believe God is a woman

Link to lyrics:

Songwriters: Ariana Grande / Rickard Goransson / Savan Kotecha / Ilya Salmanzadeh / Max MartinGod is a woman lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc, Universal Music Publishing Group

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Art and Fashion: Body Modification Unit 8

The image above is a tattoo which falls under the category of body modification as well as religion and pop culture. Many people are known to get tattoos of different religious elements such as bible verses or religious images. The reason for body modification is a way for people to express themselves with more than just their personalities. Tattoos are a way of making a large commitment to a certain topic, so when people get tattoos of religious images they are making a commitment to that religion. The most common religious tattoo is taking a verse from the bible and having it on your body until you die. Many people get tattoos of bible verses even though in the bible it is said that there is a rule for modifying your body. Religious tattoo body modification is most common in America but is widely known around the world. Therefore, the large reason people use religion for body modification is that they are making a commitment to their religion by applying a quote to themselves as a way of faith and motivation.

Link to image:

https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/760475087053018768/

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Contemporary Christian Music, The Internet Unit 9

The video above is The Evolution of Jewish music sung by an Acapella group called Y- STUDS where they sing well known Jewish contemporary music from the 19th century to the 2000s. This video shows the relationship between Jewish contemporary music, religion and pop culture due to music being religion based and sung in a way that is very popular in pop culture. The singing group stays to Jewish representation by singing each song in Hebrew which is the known language to Jewish believers. A brief history on Jewish Contemporary music, this religious music was created in a way to more easily learn about the Jewish religion as well as celebrate it amongst believers.

Jewish contemporary music is known to have started in 1967 and has continued on till present day. This music can fall under many categories such as Jewish rock, Jewish rap, and others that may be created by Jewish believers. After viewing, the video above I was able to read some of the comments left on the video and many were excited due to the fact that American men were speaking Hebrew was very exciting for Jewish believers. Due to the men taking the time to learn each word and arrange the music into an acapella version that gave it a more pop culture spin. Therefore, the relationship between religion, pop culture, and Jewish contemporary music are very defining because it helps for those who aren’t and are of Jewish faith a way to celebrate and learn about the Jewish religion.

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Sports  Unit 10

The image above is from an American football game after a player was injured after the game. American football is not widely known to be religious but there is an underlining understanding of religion. Players kneel and pray in a circle before a game separately as teams but when a player has been injured a small amount of both teams players gather in a circle to pray for the injured player. Player prays for the injured because they know that it could be life-threatening and also career threatening. Sports such as American football can also be seen as a culture amongst fans and players alike.

American football is a religion for fans because of many reasons such as certain rituals fan take part in. For example, Christians were a cross necklace to praise their religion, while football fans were differnt types of merchandise of the team they favor with the team logo which helps to know who they favor over all of the other teams in the league. Many Religions request that their followers go to a place of worship once or more a week, while football fans will attend games once a week. Football fans remember and praise different players like Catholics praise disciples or in the greek culture, they pray to different gods or goddesses. Therefore, Sports, religion, and pop culture have a relationship due to the similarities of religious and football praise that alines with pop culture with football player having a large role in the media.

Link to image:

Weavers, Ben, and Lisa M. Miller. “Religion or Sport on Holy Days: Global Philosophy, Psychology, and Leadership Impact.” Sports Fitness Network, 27 Mar. 2015, sportsfitnessnetwork.com/2015/03/religion-or-sport-on-holy-days-global-philosophy-psychology-and-leadership-impact/.

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Body Image, Talk Show  Unit 11

 The topic of my presentation will be The Christian season of lent which falls under the category of religious weight loss. The image above is a poster that to some may promote the season of lent which is a Christian and Catholic holiday that is before Easter. The next season of lentils from March 6 to April 18 of 2019 which is a total of 40 days of only eating the allowed foods. Some participants of lent only eat bread but the roman catholic church allows participates to eat dairy, eggs, and fish on Ash Wednesday and every Friday during Lent. The backstory of lent is that Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness fasting in order to cleanse himself of Satan’s persuasions.

                   Lent is a way for followers to become more in touch with their beliefs in ways such a prayer, worship and self-control. Lent has much-forbidden food that is not allowed such as sugar of any kind, the meat of any kind, and alcohol is not allowed to be consumed during Lent. The day before Lent is a widely celebrated day which is known by many named such as fat Tuesday, mardi gras, and many others. Fat Tuesday is a day where people eat all the things they won't be able to eat for the next forty days. People have a party in a way of good luck to that participating in the season of lent due to the number of restrictions involved. Therefore, this topic has a relationship with pop culture and religion due to the well known day of fat Tuesday that those who aren't participating can eat good food for one day and religion because of those that are participating because of their beliefs.

Link to image:

http://palamas.info/ecumenical-patriarchs-letter-for-the-opening-of-the-great-and-holy-lent/

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What is Congregation?  Heroes and Saints Unit 12

The image above is an example of celebrity worship because from the beginning of superstardom Fans have become more and more invested in the celebrities they love.  The image is from an article called Researchers Claim That If You Love a Celebrity You Might Have a Mental Illness where they talk about how fans have become heavily invested in celebrities lives that it has been called celebrity worship syndrome. Celebrity worship syndrome is just how it sounds because young teens become so obsessed with their idols that they go as far as spending all their money on the artist in order to promote them and some fans get tattoos dedicated to the celebrity. A teen is known to be the subject of celebrity obsession due to the puberty stage of their lives begins to increase which can affect the way teens see celebrities which can become an uncontrollable obsession and over the investigation. There is nothing wrong with loving a celebrity that you have never meet but there is a line a fan cannot cross and that is the understanding of the celebrity being just as human as you are.    

According to the article, “Driven to insanity by their dedication, for these fans celebrities had taken the place of family members and friends.” This quote is evidence that celebrity worship syndrome can affect the youth to the point where they will do anything for the celebrity they love to notice them. There are precautions some teens should take to understand that celebrities are no different from the mundane reality. Celebrity worship is also like religion because fans will do anything to be in a good light to the celebrity they love. For example, teens need to understand that celebrities appreciate their love but they don't need to be stalked on a constant daily because that can harm them mentally. Celebrities are constantly in the spotlight and once they slip up the world either try to protect them or are against them and that can take a toll. Therefore, teens need to be careful with celebrity worship because that love could be one-sided.       

Link to image: http://vt.co/entertainment/celebrity/celebrity-worship-syndrome-mental-illness-fans-go-far/

Brazell, Emma. “Researchers Claim That If You Love a Celebrity You Might Have a Mental Illness.” VT, Https://Www.facebook.com/JungleVT, 27 Sept. 2017, vt.co/entertainment/celebrity/celebrity-worship-syndrome-mental-illness-fans-go-far/.

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Law and Politics Unit 13

The image above is of Barrack Obama who in the article from the image is trying to target people of faith. Many of the politicians in the run for president need to stay conservative to keep the voters such a people of faith in their favor because of their large numbers. For example, When JFK was running for president he didn’t express his religious beliefs until after he was elected when the press figured out that he was Catholic. Due to the United States fearing the Catholic that consisted of the French and the Spanish because they feared they would try and take over. When the citizens found out about JFK’s religion they were outraged and wanted him impeached.

                Religion plays a large role in the presidential election because if you don’t appeal to the voters you will have no voters. If you want to become president you must work smart and appeal to the voters because it is them that will get you elected. Religion in the presidential election doesn’t relate completely to pop culture unless a candidate is trying to appeal to the youth voters. Religion is in the presidential election because it makes voters believe that because you have a religious faith that you are pure of heart to run the country even though that is completely wrong. There have been many cases where presidents have been discovered participating in unholy actions. Therefore, religion has its hands in every pot that is there because makes religious followers believe that if it religious its good.

Link to image:

 http://www.pewforum.org/2008/11/04/religion-and-politics-08-barack-obama/

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Violence, Rap Music, Video Games, Culture War Unit 14

The image above is of a vampire fearing a crucifix which is a well-known symbol of the Catholic and Christian religion that defines these two religions. This image is also an example of monsters in pop culture because through the years we have found ways to idolize vampires due to the fact that vampires never age so they live for eternity. These made up monsters have become very religious as well due to the fact that there are rules for vampires that they must follow in order to continue living for eternity. The rules for vampires are they can be burned by holy water which is found in churches and used to bless beliefs of the faith. Vampires can also be burned by the sunlight which is known as gods light.

Vampires cannot stand on holy ground which is a church or religious architecture. Vampires have been in pop culture since 1922 which was a German film called Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror. From 1922 to the present there have been many versions of vampires in movies, television, and books that have made an impact on pop culture. Twilight a book adapted into a film which was very popular and brought back the lust for vampires. Twilight is a love story between a teenage girl and a vampire which increased the popularity of vampires into pop culture and with the film, there are many different scenes that explore the religious aspect of vampires. Therefore, vampires have a deep-rooted relationship with religion and pop culture.

Link to image: 

https://wizzley.com/vampire-protection-lore/