Absolutism and Marketing One's Beliefs

• Posted by The Rt. Rev. Mark Luljak November 9, 2010 - 872 views

  I've been looking into an author's works on their web site.  It's really interesting, because the material that's expounding on the virtues of their book is full of unsubstantiated positives, absolute renditions of the content as meaningful, inspirational, life-changing, etc.

  The epiphany I experienced upon reading this hype had nothing to do with the work being sold.  However, it had a lot to do with how religious "anything" is pushed by those who create the media in question--be it broadcasts like the 700 Club (or take your pick of various and sundry similar programmes), books, music, what-have-you.

  Have you ever heard someone speak of any book, article, programme, etc., and offer qualifications that it's merely an opinion, and not Gospel truth, especially in religious circles?  Nobody can prove anything that's a matter of faith, but we're all being sold the idea that the answer is here, or here, or over here.  No qualifications, no couching things as the author/artist's opinion or personal belief, it's just sold to us as "truth".

  Why?

  Uncertainty doesn't sell.  Certainty of "truth" (measured in the eyes of the person selling it) sells, even if it's not the truth, and even if the seller isn't certain.

  It's really as simple as that.  It's that the works in question have zero intrinsic value.  They very well might.  I take issue with how they're presented to the public at-large, however.  There are no disclaimers, and usually no words of caution that your mileage may vary, be sure to think for yourself, etc.  You know, the things that ought to be there if an author, artist, speaker, media figure, or similar had any actual respect for their audience.

  So I can only assume that the public good is not what's being served.  What appears to be being served is the financial interests of those creating the works.  And at the point where it's not done in the name of God, and where His word is used in ways never intended, or injected where it never was present, I don't think these kinds of works actually serve God -or- man.

  It's a sad statement that people are so unwilling to think for themselves that they have to buy religion from the very people who create (often possibly unfounded) extensions of it wholesale, package it, and market it as absolute truth--all with the public-facing, sure-footed and slick  presentation that says, "Hey, you can trust me!"

  Has our self-esteem as a people sunk to such an all-time low that we buy religion like we buy fast food, movies, or even sex?  Actually, Geoff Tate, vocalist and lyricist for Queensryche, penned a portion of one song that read:

  "Religion and sex are power plays / Manipulate the people for the money they pay / Selling skin, selling God / The numbers look the same on their credit cards."

  It appears that Goeff saw things quite clearly much earlier than I did.  I've heard that line hundreds of times while listening to the song in question since the late 80's, and I always associated it with high-profile television evangelists, partly due to the presentation on the album from which the song originates, which takes a good poke or twenty at big-time evangelists.  What I didn't associate it with was pretty much every facet of modern religious movements.  Everyone has a book, pamphlet, brochure...something that they want to sell you as absolute, unquestionable Truth.  Why is it presented as so authoritative, when so much of it is questionable by the thinking person, and when so much of it requires huge leaps of faith?

   

  Uncertainty (read: Reality) doesn't sell.