Survey on Media and Religion

Survey on Media and Religion

The questionnaire for the survey:

Focus: How does media affect the identity of brothers in formation?

1. How does media affect the prayer-life of a religious?

          Enhancing                      Blocking                      No effect

2. In what ways media affect the life-style of a religious?

     Dressing

     Food

     Entertainment

     Language

     Other 

3. How does media affect the relationship among brothers?

     Helps to understand each other

     Gives a negative opinion in general about other

     No effect

4. What are the effects that media have on the way people treat religious in your ministry place?

     Positive                      Negative                     No effect

5. What role does media (e.g. cinema, print media, mass media, etc.) play in shaping our identity as religious?

Survey Report

Focus: How does media affect the identity of brothers in formation?

Sample group: 15 Brothers of Divyadaan and 5 Novices of Salesian Training Institute

Introduction:

“We cannot but communicate” is an undeniable dictum of media. Media is not just an inevitable factor of life but is the factor that makes man a part of society. With this in our background our focus is on the brothers in religious formation. Thus this survey portrays the effect that media has in the identity of brothers in formation.

Survey Analysis:

While media has an influence in the different domains of human life this survey brings the specific sectors of  brothers in formation namely prayer-life, lifestyle, relationship and ministry.

Prayer life is an essential aspect of a religious. The survey says that media has an effect in prayer life and yet only 20 percent in a positive manner and 50 percent of people have negative opinion about media’s influence in prayer life of religious formation. External distractions and the change of ideas about prayer life are the main causes for the majority of negative attitude. Moreover, 30 percent of people have acknowledged that it depends on the people and so it is not possible for media to have effect in prayer life.

Lifestyle is one of the important aspects that is much affected by media. Media has its repercussion in different habits like dressing, food, leisure and entertainment and language. But the survey has a sanguine attitude towards the media’s effect on lifestyle of brothers with 50 percentage. On the contrary, 30 percent people are of negative opinion on media’s effect in the identity of brothers. Only a few have no answer for its effect.

Relationship is not much affected by media in the lives of brothers in formation. 50 percent says that media has no effect in brothers’ relationship and 30 percent of the opinion of the negative effect of media’s role in their lives.  

Ministry is affected 40 percent positively and 30 percent negatively by media in the identity of brothers as religious. And 30 percent have given their opinion of no effect of media in brothers’ identity.

The different fields of media namely cinema, print media, mass media, etc. affect the identity both positively and negatively. It gives the optimistic image especially when the charitable works and the contribution to the society like working for justice, peace, unity and so forth.   

On the other hand, the media also projects the religious in a negative manner. In Indian context, the media especially the mass media always give more importance to the errors committed by religious. Dr. A.P.J.Abdul kalam expressed in his three visions for India that Indian media is so negative. In fact, media itself provides opportunity to error especially the social networks. Moreover, the charitable acts of the religious are interpreted with the wrong motives. For example, religious educational institutes are projected as money-making business.

  

Conclusion:

In nut shell, media affects the identity of religious in different ways and means. Our concern of, the identity of brothers in formation, is also shaped as well as challenged by media. But media must be handled with the progressive intention as media itself rich in resource. And media on its part should be of productive rather than destructive. When the productive media is used with the progressive mind it can be of a great help to give a better identity for the religious in the society.