When Religion Doesn’t Behave | Discourse! January 2022 (with video)

The Religious Studies Project

How does the media report religion when religion doesn’t “behave”? What happens when religion becomes part of discourse that promotes civil disobedience, or to promote conspiracy theories? What if someone wants to make a robot rabbi or name their child something you think is blasphemous? When religion doesn’t behave — that is, doesn’t fit the implicit idea that it should be quiet, personal, liberal and “nice” — we are given an opportunity to observe boundary-making in the public sphere in real time.

The first Discourse! of 2022 is hosted by Michael Munnik (Cardiff), who is joined by guests Beth Singler (Cambridge) and Richard Newton (Alabama) to discuss how the media is talking about “religion” this month.

Watch the video episode here:

Further Reading

• “Tim LaHaye had some choice words for Wheaton College when the evangelical school hosted a memorial service for Martin Luther King Jr.“
• “After opposition to her MLK Day speech, Nikole Hannah-Jones swapped her words for his“
• Mason Mennenga on Twitter
• “Presenter Maajid Nawaz is axed by LBC: Anti-extremism activist who was accused of tweeting ‘deranged rubbish’ about vaccines by host Iain Dale and faced criticism for spreading Covid conspiracy theories leaves radio station“
• “Lior Cole Is the Model Combining Artificial Intelligence With Religion“
• “Parents hit back at trolls over baby name and say ‘we are not Satanists’“