This week in class we are looking at understandings of religious
authority within digital culture. We discussed Bruce Lincoln’s approach to
authority, which he defines as an “effect of a posited, perceived or
institutionally ascribed asymmetry between speaker and audience that permits
certain speakers to command not just the attention but the confidence, respect,
and trust of their audience,- or an important proviso- to make audiences act as
if this were so.” (Lincoln, 1994, p. 4) This draws us to look at how
religious authority is created through distinctive relationships between
religious leaders and community members. This authoritative relationship is
based on the leader’s ability to cultivate and maintain trust and respect with
their congregation or community, which provides them with a platform for
influence.
In this week’s blog you are being asked to reflect on how your
collection of memes speaks to issues of religious authority. In other words you
are being asked to consider how the specific religious issues/actors/community
you are studying are presented and in what ways religious authority are being
undermined or affirmed through your sample.
Please respond to the following
questions;
In light of Aguilar et.al’s work describe in detail which Internet
meme GENRES AND religion FRAMES are evidenced in your sample?
What specific religious issues/actors/community are being
undermined or affirmed? What does this tell us about how the authority of this
religious group is being interpreted? (Provide concrete evidence to support
these claims)
How might aspects of religious authority discussed in this
week’s readings and in the class lecture, inform the way someone would read your
collection religious internet memes or understand the influence their messages
may have within digital culture?
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