The media and belief in God

Learning outcomes• To analyse a film or TV program and suggest how this

might affect a persons belief in God.

Starter:How might the following films affect a persons belief in God.

Friday 14 April 2023

Bruce Almighty

Songs of Praise

East is East

For the ExamFor this exam topic you need to be able to:•analyse how two television and/or radio programmes and/or films about religion may affect a person’s attitude to belief in God.

How could a programmeinfluence a person’s

belief?Some questions to consider while watching the programme:•How does the programme portray religious believers? Are they portrayed positively or negatively? What affect might this have on someone watching?•Who is the programme aimed at? For example, is it trying to appeal to religious believers?

How could a programmeinfluence a person’s

belief?•Does the programme deal with religion and religious issues directly? If so, does it present these realistically/fairly?•Does the programme deal with religion and religious issues indirectly? If so, how could the programme influence a person’s beliefs?

Examples – TV Soaps – EastEnders, Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Hollyoaks, etc.Documentaries – Tsunami – where was God?, Life in Cold BloodDramas – Holby City, The BillCartoons – The SimpsonsReligious programmes – The Heaven and Earth Show, Songs of PraiseComedies – Father Ted, The Vicar of Dibley

Examples – radioSoaps – The ArchersDocumentariesPlaysMagazine-type programmesReligious porgrammes – ‘Thought for the day’

Examples – films

• Bruce Almighty• Sister Act• The Da Vinci Code• Angels and Demons• Anita and Me• Keeping the faith• East is East• Bend it like Beckham

• Four Weddings and a Funeral

• Dogma• Priest

Exam questionsAn example of a question you might be asked is:

‘Religious programmes on television or the radio encourage you to believe in God.’In your answer you should refer to at least one religion.(i) Do you agree? Give reasons for your opinion. (3 marks)(ii) Give reasons why some people may disagree with you. (3 marks)

Homework

Make sure you know the keywords for Section 1Think about the following questions:Why do people believe in God?What sort of things encourage people to believe in

God?What sort of things lead people to not believe in

God?