OPINION: Religious propaganda is unethical
November 30, 2022
Propaganda is a powerful and dangerous tool that has been used for millennia. From Uncle Sam encouraging us to vote to WWII Nazi propaganda, good or bad, it has historically been successful. The ethics of propaganda will forever be in question since it has the power to convince people who may not have been swayed on their own. These advertisements use the persuasive technique of partial truths or flat-out lies created to turn the public to a specific side. One of the most effective forms comes with a religious overtone.
Fear is an intense human emotion. When someone is gripped by fear they are more manipulatable by people that promise safety. Even one of our founding fathers, John Adams, wrote: “fear is the foundation of most governments.” Religion is not the same as a government but they are the most powerful when they work together. The separation of church and state is a relatively new concept that had its first appearance on Jan. 19, 1786. Although it has been addressed in many pieces of legislation throughout America’s history, it is easy to argue that the government and the Christian church hold each other’s hands. In fact, toward the end of Eisenhower’s presidency, staff would deny speaking engagements so his excessive religious references wouldn’t annoy the public.
There are more commonalities than differences when comparing religions. One thing they all touch on is death and the afterlife. This can be a touchy but unifying subject since it is likely we all experience the fear of death in some capacity. Benjamin Franklin once wrote, “in this world, nothing can be certain, except death and taxes.” Since this is a universal feeling, it is a brilliant marketing strategy. If you were to sell something that would soothe the fear of heights, it would be a hit for that subgroup of people. Outside of that specific group it wouldn’t be a thought. Good examples offer a solution to a fear that is universal. Successful propaganda not only offers a solution but also intensifies fear. Religion in its entirety uses this to its advantage.
Jesus is probably the greatest CEO of all time considering he created a universally recognized product and has a following that will die in his name. If you were to take a deep dive into war propaganda, it is verifiable that both sides said they had God rooting for them. To take it one step further, the opposing side is typically painted as “godless” and inhuman. Even on a smaller scale, corrupt leadership has used the threat of God to sway people politically and financially. Words like liberal, socialist and progressive have all been labeled as “godless,” but who labeled them? Considering Jesus has been dead for 2,000 and some years, it is less than likely he understands this vocabulary well enough to make a stance. These accusatory words have been made up by powerful Christian individuals, not God.
Religion can be a beautiful thing filled with tradition and accountability. The problem is since its creation it has been used to control and dehumanize. There is no such thing as a religious group that doesn’t have blood on its hands. Heaven, nirvana, samsara, etc. exist to give people a piece of mind about the afterlife and to encourage them to live good and faithful lives. The fact that these beautiful places have been used to harm many innocent individuals should be embarrassing for the well-intentioned. The Bible, for example, has been used to justify slavery long before America even existed. During the middle ages, Catholicism used its iron grip on Europe to sell forgiveness and hold slaves.
If corruption has been around for so long, why does it continue? As humanity has progressed so has our access to information. Before the internet, it took time for information to reach different populations, even propaganda had its limits. It was easier to keep people devoted but it also kept the ability to spread information to a select few. Today with the internet anyone can say whatever they want. This has been a great tool in giving people access to knowledge but it also gives anyone a platform to say whatever they want. The current fake news epidemic is the Walmart version of propaganda. Cheap, uneducated arguments are produced by people that need to read a book or something. Propaganda is no longer catchy slogans with cartoon characters, it’s aggressive and accusatory words and imagery meant to polarize different groups of people. One of the most commonly used threats today in America is the damnation to hell.
This is where things like the monstrosity on Sanford Mall come into play. This was a display of some of the most amateur and uneducated arguments. The problem is this is everywhere, people screaming outside of planned parenthood or pride parades with threats of eternal suffering. Seems dramatic. Not only are people soothing their anxieties about the afterlife, but they are also using this fear to harm the opposition. No religion can claim they are ethical when using similar propaganda tactics seen in WWII. If these tactics do work to convert a person then it is hard to believe they are there for the right reason. There is a difference between someone being a part of an organization out of love than out of fear. People are no longer trying to be good neighbors, they are just trying to guarantee a spot in heaven which sounds very unchristian.
The big problem with these aggressive salesmen is that they are spending more time judging others than themselves. Corrupt politicians are running and winning on promises to “protect the constitution” and “keep God in the Senate.” What do these even mean? Considering these are the people taking away women’s bodily autonomy it’s easy to be curious if we are all reading the same constitution. They don’t care about the church, they just understand the historical tradition of using it to manipulate vulnerable people. It is highly unlikely that any of these guys can display a valid pro-life argument without name-dropping the Lord.
The current Christian representatives are no better than the middle ages. The only difference is they have the media to spread misinformation further and quicker than ever before. This leaves us with the question: are these people well-intentioned or are they so deeply insecure they need to use fear to feel superior?
Joann • Feb 13, 2023 at 11:33 pm
I totally agree with this article! It seems these days, everywhere you look, whether on highway billboards or even in Christian thrift stores that loudly play their Christian radio music, someone is trying to push their religious message on others. I’m sick of it, and I wish we had a law against it. I think we all deserve the right to enjoy our shopping, outings, and daily living without having to listen to this garbage, and it especially sickens me knowing that children and young teens are targeted by these groups and individuals without their parental knowledge or consent. I am currently in the middle of reading a book by Katharine Stewart called “The Good News Club,” about how groups and clubs find ways to get into our U.S. public school system and legally target and indoctrinate innocent young children and teens with their so-called “Christian” message by disguising themselves as after-school clubs, then turn around and get these kids into recruiting their friends and classmates into these clubs without knowing what they are really getting themselves into, and all at tax payers expense! It is a fascinating read, and I very highly recommend it to anyone, especially to the parents whose children may have already been affected by The Good News Club and other Christian organizations like them. A warning for sure to anyone who may not know what these clubs are all about but are interested in learning more. You can purchase the book from Amazon. Anyway, as a gay woman with autism who was once a Christian herself and used to attend church regularly, looking back at the anti-woman, anti-LGBTQ messages that were preached almost every Sunday, I now find those messages sickening and quite offensive, and yet we were constantly told that God loves us just the way we are because He created us and gave us life. But somehow, if you were gay, feminist, or whatever, or even if you voted for a Democrat when you should have leaned more towards the Republican party, you were judged a sinner and condemned to hell. So, in other words, you can be who you are in Christ, only as long as you conformed to their ways and beliefs and you weren’t any of the personality/character traits they believed were disapproved by God. Makes no sense whatsoever!
Jean Ninea • Jan 22, 2023 at 6:21 pm
Absolutely!! Very well stated! And I for one in a nation that gives me the right to be religious or not have had it with others religions and religious marketing being shoved in my face at every turn! It’s unsolicited spam, and on over 200 of the TV channels we have to pay for, all over the radio, in numerous religious channels that overrun all other non- religious or religions not like them channels, all over mainstream TV, in the US mail, and now it is unsolicitedly arriving in email boxes, phone lines, and social media! It’s worse than the “Hare Krishna” people that used to ambush you everywhere, now the so called “Christians” have become just like spammers and scammers, pushing their way into your private lives and homes seeking to convert you to their beliefs and Save You!