Religious Propaganda Research Articles

Religious Propaganda or Political Manifest: “Open Letters” of Johann Casimir of Palatinate

In the 16th century the factors of confessional propaganda and “public opinion” become very important for public power. Each princedom, defining the principles of imperial and "foreign" policy, was guided by the confessional motivation of the prince and all structures of territorial power (courts institutions, Landtags, city councils), as well as that part of society that had a consolidated opinion in religious affairs (universities, Landeskirchen). Johann Casimir (1543—1592), the son of the Elector Palatinate Friedrich III and regent for his nephew Friedrich IV, began to form the pro-calvinist confessional-political course of the Palatinate. He organized and led the several expeditions to help the French and Dutch Calvinists. The accession to the throne of the Lutheran Ludwig VI made it impossible for Johann Casimir to use the resources of the Palatinate. However, he organized informational support for his actions in defense of Protestantism. Johann Casimir prepared for publication “Confessio Fidei” of Friedrich III (1577, in German, Latin and French), and three “open letters”: about the military actions of Protestants in France (1576, in German and French), about the reasons for the military expedition to the Netherlands (1578, in German, Latin and Dutch), about the reasons for the military expedition in support of the Elector of Cologne (1583—1584, in German and French). Was only religious propaganda the aim of the prince? Or was Johann Casimir guided not the least by political motives and ambitions? Historiography focused on attempts of the Palatinate electors to unite German Protestants at the turn of the 16th — 17th centuries (Friedrich IV and Friedrich V), however, we can assume that the “plan of action” appeared already in Johann Casimir. His interventions were not successful, but allowed the Palatinate to claim leadership among the German Protestants.

Rose Macaulay and Propaganda

The novelist Rose Macaulay (1881–1958) had direct professional experience of Britain's secret propaganda operation during the First World War. She was among the first British novelists to take propaganda seriously as a subject for fiction, and wrote insightfully about its methods and its social implications. Moreover, her long career illuminates both the continuity and the development of the British state's clandestine efforts to shape public opinion at home and abroad, from the beginnings of systematic, state-directed propaganda in the First World War to the more diffuse strategies of early Cold War anti-communism. Despite her close connections to propaganda in both world wars, however – and notwithstanding the interest her fiction very frequently takes in the worlds of official information, disinformation, and espionage – Macaulay has hardly figured in recent scholarship on the links between literature and national information systems. This article argues that Macaulay approached the challenge of reconciling propaganda and literature differently from many of her modernist contemporaries, refusing to abandon the idea of fiction as a persuasive and socially-engaged form of imaginative writing. If this position made her an outlier in the climate of reaction against propaganda which followed the First World War, it would, by the early years of the Cold War, seem much more tenable. In its first half, the article establishes Macaulay's bona fides as a participant in Britain's wartime propaganda establishment, and describes the impression this experience left on her early fiction. It then turns to Macaulay's final novel, The Towers of Trebizond, in which religious propaganda and anti-communist rhetoric combine, to great comic effect, in the febrile atmosphere of the Cold War middle east.

Transformation of Indang Arts: from Dakwah to Prestige and Commodification

This study aims to find out how the transformation contained in Indang art. The transformation of Indang art seen from the function includes three things, namely from da'wah to prestige, and commodification. In order to find out the transformation of Indang art, a search was carried out using qualitative methods. Data collection was carried out by direct observation, interviews and documentation to art actors and owners. Indang art originally functioned as a medium of da'wah, for the spread of Islam, which was carried out from surau to surau. However, after this art began to be in demand by the people in Pariaman, it began to be displayed in open spaces or matches. Indang art that is displayed in the matches began to be contested by holding a test of insight, agility and agility of movements, as well as the beauty of the songs or songs that were performed. In addition, each group often does a mental ability test, so each group must have a parent, called sipituang sirah who can guard and fence the group with mysticism. This art has changed its function from a religious propaganda media, to a prestige to raise self-esteem and honor for the winning group, both individually and in groups, as well as the Nagari community that owns Indang. When you are able to beat your opponent, you will feel proud, increase self-esteem, and honor. Feeling superior to the losing group and society. Currently, Indang art has undergone a change in function to become a market commodity that has economic value that has a selling value. The change in function into a commodity is able to defeat the previous values in the Nagari community, which owns Indang art .

Social media, vaccine hesitancy and trust deficit in immunization programs: a qualitative enquiry in Malappuram District of Kerala, India

BackgroundWith increased penetration of the internet and social media, there are concerns regarding its negative role in influencing parents’ decisions regarding vaccination for their children. It is perceived that a mix of religious reasons and propaganda by anti-vaccination groups on social media are lowering the vaccination coverage in Malappuram district of Kerala. We undertook a qualitative study to understand the factors responsible for generating and perpetuating vaccine hesitancy, the pathways of trust deficit in immunization programs and the interaction between various social media actors.MethodsIn-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted among parents/caregivers, physicians, public sector health staff, alternative system medical practitioners, field healthcare workers and teachers in areas with highest and lowest vaccination coverage in the district, as well as with communication experts.ResultsThe trust deficit between parents/caregivers and healthcare providers is created by multiple factors, such as providers’ lack of technical knowledge, existing patriarchal societal norms and critical views of vaccine by naturopaths and homeopaths. Anti-vaccine groups use social media to influence caregivers' perceptions and beliefs. Religion does not appear to play a major role in creating vaccine resistance in this setting.ConclusionsA long-term, multipronged strategy should be adopted to address the trust deficit. In the short to medium term, the health sector can focus on appropriate and targeted vaccine-related communication strategies, including the use of infographics, soft skills training for healthcare workers, technical competency improvement through a mobile application-based repository of information and creation of a media cell to monitor vaccine-related conversations in social media and to intervene if needed.

The Role and Contribution of Vyasar and Villi Baratha’s in the Vainava Religious propaganda in Tamil Nadu

In Indian Culture, ‘Baratham’ take the prominent roles to make national integration and social, religious life culture. In Tamilnadu for the Vainava religious propaganda Vyasa, Villi Baratha’s role and Contribution is inevitable. In this articles narrated the role and contribution of vyasar and villi Baratha is for the Vainava religious propaganda in Tamilnadu. The aim and objectives of this articles is to find out the role and contribution of Vyasar and Villi Baratha’s in the vainava religious propaganda in Tamilnadu. In this articles mythological Approach Descriptive Criticism and Analytical Criticism are followed.

«Mediatic Globalization» e propaganda religiosa nella società iperreale

The pandemic emergency has accelerated the ongoing transition from a real to a hyperreal society, a revolution which embraces the very concept of religious identity. Legal practitioners are therefore now required to avoid any unjustified restrictions on the right of religious propaganda and attacks on goods of equal constitutional value as well. This essay argues that, given the urgency of overcoming the traditional distinction between message and media, the effectiveness of this fundamental right today needs, even more, the removal of the obstacles that hinder the usage of new media

Promotion of Atheism as a Principle of the Communist Ideology - Case Study: Romania

The Communist ideology called for the denial of Christianity as a form of "mysticism" filled with "superstitions", but particularly as one of the factors that impeded social, economic and cultural progress. Scientific socialism, however, was meant to awaken class consciousness, setting Romanian society on a path towards true modernity. Thus a real battle ensued on the ideological front between two entities, the secular and ecclesiastical authorities, arising from the divide between traditional religious beliefs and atheist Marxism. The actions of the authorities against religious propaganda included both practical measures, which involved activities that filled the free time of the villagers, but also coercive measures consisting in political pressure or arrests. In spite of the communist regime's efforts to impose its own cultural agenda, the effects were long overdue, with rather modest results. Romania's forced development was faced with some inherent problems of the process of modernization and industrialization. The forced imposition of a foreign ideology to a conservative Eastern European area relying on obsolete mindsets, a society where 80% of the population lived in rural areas as of the end of the Second World War, required a longer period of time than the regime had originally planned.

Interaksionisme Simbolik Pengguna Media Sosial Facebook dan WhatsApp Pada Isu Covid-19

This research was conducted on WhatsApp and Facebook social media users, the aim of observing the behavior of the users of both social media, related to the issue of the pandemic Covid-19, which is sweeping the world. Indonesia is a country in the risk category, after a number of people with positive Covid-19 found. During the period March 10-17, 2020, conversations of members of the WhatsApp Group Alumni Association of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Hasanuddin University, whose members tended to be heterogeneous, from various professional fields, were also spread throughout Indonesia, with more than 200 members and Lecturer groups FISIP University of Eastern Indonesia (UIT) Makassar, whose members tend to be homogeneous, and only resides in Makassar City. The Facebook group that was observed was a journalist group. It was revealed that Facebook and WhatsApp users were actively disseminating Covid-19 information in the form of religious propaganda, medical information, political responses, humorous humor. On both social media accounts, user behavior appears to be active, continuously informing the Cofid- 19 phenomenon, with various versions, including news links, opinions, analysis of both amateur and expert experts, criticism of the government, to memes and images that sometimes are photos of officials country. Research uses qualitative methods to explore and understand the meaning of messages. The approach and method of analysis used in this study are, content analysis method using quantitative data and qualitative data simultaneously.

Islam and its role in the civilizational development of Côte d’Ivoire

The article analyzes the evolution of Islam in Côte d’Ivoire in the light of the profound changes that have taken place in the country since independence in 1960 and up to the present day. The author explores the reasons for the rapid increase in the number of Islamized residents compared to other West African countries, especially during the first 30 years of independent development. This was a period of awakening of the collective consciousness and organizational cohesion of Ivorian Muslims. The second stage, since the first multiparty elections in the early 1990s, is associated with the politicization of religion, with a new form of Islamic religious culture, especially in cities - proselytism. The tariqas, due to their lack of organization, play a secondary role in the modern history of the Muslim societies of Côte d’Ivoire. In addition, the modernization processes have further weakened their influence. Spiritual brotherhoods did not become a barrier to the spread of reformist teachings that were associated with Sunni Islam, a departure from Sufi spirituality. The reformist elite of the Ivorian Muslim community made extensive use of the Quranic concept of da'wa in their religious propaganda, with its ideology borrowed from the Arab-Islamic world. Its main goal was the re-islamization of Muslim society, the introduction of political Islam. The paper examines the problems of relations between Ivorian Muslims and Christians, which have not always been peaceful, especially during periods of military and political crises, when they were intertwined with ethnic ones. The coming to power in 2011 of A.Ouattara, the first Muslim president, contributed to the preservation of a stable balance between faiths thanks to his clerical policy.

Translating Inspired Language, Transforming Sacred Texts: An Introduction

Abstract In late medieval-early modern Iberia, translations of sacred texts often involved changes beyond those concerning linguistic and cultural frameworks. The sacred nature of the source text turned it into a potentially powerful tool for a variety of purposes. Translations were used to advance didactic and cultural policies and to disseminate political and religious propaganda. They became building blocks for communal identities under fatal threat. When need be, they could be manipulated both as weapons of self-defense or of belligerent attack against rival religiosities and institutions that harbored them. The power generated by the divine authority that spoke through sacred texts also made their translations and their translators, targets of suspicion and victims of strict control, and at times, destruction. The five articles that I introduce represent a wide spectrum of these possibilities as they examine translation projects of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim sacred texts and the transformations they catalyzed.

From Dialogue to Living Together

Abstract Interreligious dialogue (IRD) has been one of the vehemently debated topics in Turkey since the late 90s. Many socio-political factors played a significant role in the proliferation of IRD discussions within the academic circles in this period. The multifaceted and complex nature of the term also attracted a wide audience outside the academia, and particularly, politically motivated organisations. Correspondingly, the term became one of the reference points for their propaganda goals. Facing the complexity of the issue, this paper aims to disclose the evolution of IRD in Turkey by seeking answers to the question “how has the term IRD been perceived by Turkish scholars?” by providing insights about the major milestones in the discussions. The article concludes with an analysis of the main trends in the related discussions as follows: IRD as (1) a necessity for social welfare, (2) an instrument for religious propaganda, (3) and as part of dialogic relation.

Propaganda e religião em Portugal: festivais de música ligeira (1958-1964)

A relação entre o Estado e a Igreja Católica ao longo do período do Estado Novo atravessou diferentes momentos, especialmente no 3º quartel do século XX, quando se verificaram diferentes tensões no plano das relações institucionais. Para além destas, o texto analisa outros níveis de observação que importa conhecer, nomeadamente, a importância das práticas culturais expressivas associadas à música. Nesse sentido, e partindo do cruzamento do poder do Estado com a presença de temáticas religiosas na música ligeira desenvolvida propositadamente para os festivais de música, este texto procura discutir o papel desta categoria musical como elemento de propaganda religiosana sua interligação com o poder político.

Массовые антикатолические выступления в 1688 году: революционные эксцессы или борьба с контрреволюцией в Англии?

The article traces origins of mass anti-Catholic protests of 1688-1689 (the so-called Glorious Revolution) and tries to answer the question whether it was struggle with counter-revolution or merely revolutionary excess. Relying on an analysis of the English-language historiography and authentic sources, the author examines essence of the Glorious Revolution, considers genesis and manifestations of anti-Catholicism in England, the role of William of Orange as a defender of Protestantism. Scientific originality of the study lies in the fact that religious confrontation between Protestants and Catholics is considered from the viewpoint of its role in balancing revolutionary and anti-revolutionary forces. The following conclusions are justified: anti-Catholic protests of 1688 should be looked upon as excesses, reaction of the population stuffed with religious propaganda; nevertheless, these protests, taking into account the time and place, political goals, became an important element of struggle with potential counter-revolution, a form of protection of Protestant values as dominant ideology of the Glorious Revolution.

Théâtre et curiosités dans la France du Premier Empire: un aller-retour contrôlé de la salle à la rue

The history of theatre cannot be limited to an academic world built by powers and criticism. For centuries, fairs and tours allowed the coexistence of an official art and curiosities – waxworks shows, puppets, Chinese shadows, ventriloquists, acrobats, tamers, etc. Prohibitions sometimes encouraged their encounter – for example, between the Italian theatre and fair shows. The search for astonishment, the mixing of genres favoured it during the eighteenth century. Despite its desire to control the stages and their aesthetics, the Premier Empire cannot sell out all legacies. It must constantly manage the conflicts between its district managers and the one-night entertainers. But it can also count on them to spread popular theatrical forms, favourable to political and religious propaganda.

Composing ‘the artistic projection of the future’: the religious life model slide sets of Maison de la Bonne Presse

ABSTRACT With its sequences of projected images, accompanied by narration and often by music, the optical lantern as a communication medium proved to be effective for Christian evangelism, especially through life model slides. The religious life model slide sets or ‘scenes d’après nature’, produced by the Catholic publisher Maison de la Bonne Presse from 1908, hold a particular place in the cultural and media history of France and other Francophone countries. Through these slides, the staff of the projection service at Maison de la Bonne Presse sought to unite religiosity and artistry, truth and beauty. Based on primary sources and materials such as paintings, photographs and collages, not used in any previous study, I examine the different phases of the distinctive production process of the majority of these artistic life model slides, so as to more fully interpret their aesthetic and expressive qualities. Building on a media archaeological approach, I demonstrate how pictorial, photographic, and theatrical techniques were combined to create realistic visual representations of Christian stories for religious propaganda. Not only were these life model slide sets exceptional in their manner of production, combining contemporary techniques of photomontage with traditional Christian iconography, but their material history provides a remarkable illustration of the versatility and the richness of the optical lantern medium.

El arte de la Contrarreforma y la épica de Lepanto: la obra de Paolo Caliari, el Veronés

El fervor religioso del Concilio de Trento produjo en el arte del mundo católico un estilo triunfalista que pretendía demostrar la superioridad de la fe romana y el favor divino de sus príncipes. Con la victoria de Lepanto, los jefes de la Liga Santa crearon una entera propaganda político-religiosa que les permitía explotar los efectos psicológicos de su triunfo frente a la Cristiandad dividida. El ensayo propone revisitar esta historia, relacionando la dimensión artística-ideológica de la Contrarreforma con el contexto político de la Repúbli-ca de Venecia, a través de la obra del pintor Paolo Caliari.

Respect, Preserve, Protect Promote Cultural Values of Religious Festivals in Vietnam Today

In the process of renewing the country, the religious festivals in Vietnam are increasing in terms of quantity and quality. However, the reality of religious beliefs and festivals in Vietnam are complicated by the situation of crowded gathering, even overloading at the places of worship, abusing services under the market mechanism, selling holy gods, taking advantage of the festival of beliefs, religions and anti - religious propaganda. From there, it is necessary to propagate and educate people as the subject of religious festivals, religion to comply with the doctrine, canon law, laws of the State; mobilize dignitaries and religious organizations to uphold the spirit and observe the guiding principles of religion, ensuring safety for religious and religious festivals. This article focuses on 2 topics: 1. Respect and preserve cultural values in Vietnamese religious and ritual festivals; 2. The complex situation of religious festivals today and some suggestions as a contribution to protect and promote cultural values of ritual and religious festivals today.

An analysis in terms of Islam to Mirzhakyp Dulatuly`s work “Karagym”

In the scientific article, the work of the writer Mirzhakyp Dulutuly «Karagym” is considered from the prism of Islamic studies, analyzes the meaning of the Koran and ayats, the words of edification of the prophets. The authors sought to interpret Terme's lines through religious sermons and verses. Despite the difference in the nature of the origin of literature and religion, they both tell about the culture and spirituality of the people. The Holy book Koran speaks about the meaning of education more than 600 times.  Mirzhakyp Dulatuli in his work also touched the topic of religion. He called the people to religious literacy. The article analyzes how the lines from the term exactly coincide with the narration of Suras and ayats, confirming the idea of the need for piety, that Allah is the only patron, that his slave has positive and negative sides of behavior, which canons should be observed. Religious propaganda in Kazakh literature, the abundance of works relevant for young people shows that our people have long given religious education to the growing generation and propagated the religion of Islam. Religious myths and Sharia, issues of religion in the literary heritage determined the direction of development of the later national literature and the level of art. In the works of poets and intellectuals of the Zar-Zaman (sorrowful) period, as well as representatives of religious literature, such as Mirzhakyp Dulatuly, in various aspects, there was found a reflection of such important issues as the Islamic moral.

Saint George Between Media and Functions

The figure and story of Saint George, one of the most popular Christian saints of all time, has been represented in many places and in several historical periods. The cult of the saint has even transcended the confessional borders of Christianity, and his martyrdom was an exemplary manifestation of Christian belief, associated with the fight against older religions, perceived by Christians as pagan idolatry. His battle against the dragon, even if it was only later included in his legends, can be interpreted as an important archetypal image, embodying some of the basic tendencies of the human psyche. The current article focuses on this issue in the context of the visual art of a short period – the second decade of the sixteenth century – and of the geographical area of Central Europe. It is an attempt to compare several ways in which narratives about the saint were constructed and used for the purposes of political or religious propaganda. The construction of narratives was closely associated with the unwritten rules of a system of representation, valid in a particular medium.

The Phenomenon of Propaganda as Reflected in Victor Pelevin’s novel S.N.U.F.F.

The aim of this paper is to draw a parallel between today’s situation – not only political and military, but also between the ideological confrontation between Russia and the Western world and the religious wars, which were waged during the Reformation, and Counterreformation in Europe in the 17th century. Epoch when arguably wars were waged not only for the military domination in Europe, but also, and most importantly, for the minds of people. Jose Antonio Maravall in his book “Culture of Baroque: Analysis of Historical Structure” describes the means of influencing audiences, calling this influence a “Baroque mechanism”. The connection between the modern times and the epoch of Baroque is also described in Greg Lambert‘s book “The Return of the Baroque in Modern Culture”. Lambert is comparing the alliance between politics and culture present in the modern world to that of Baroque epoch. Recent developments in Russian history and its reflection by the state propaganda and television quite often make the citizens feel that it is almost impossible to tell where fictional tragedy ends and a real one starts. The occupation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and the sanctions that followed gave rise to a new spiral of Russian propaganda which gave an impetus to a new wave of nationalism on the government-sponsored television and created the so called “Olgin Trolls” on the internet. This policy of state-sponsored ideology and propaganda found its reflection in Russian literature. Prominent contemporary writers, such as Viktor Pelevin and Vladimir Sorokin, gained almost prophetic status for their ability to predict developments in Russian politics albeit in a satirical and provocative form. By describing the present, Pelevin models the future and for this reason he is often credited with prophetic qualities. It seems that he manages to foresee not only the general outline of events, but also the smallest details. While reading Pelevin, one cannot help returning back to the title page and double check the date – it's hard to believe that the book has been written not in the wake of the Chechen wars (Generation II) or the hybrid war with Ukraine (S.N.U.F.F.) but anticipated the events and provided their astonishingly accurate description. As a rule, Pelevin's books outpace the historic events by about five to six years. Presumably we are not dealing here with a mystical providence, but with Pelevin’s unique ability to observe and his brilliant capacity for analysis. The aim of this paper is to analyze Viktor Pelevin’s novel S.N.U.F.F. This post apocalyptic novel was published in 2011 and predicted the confrontation between Russia and the Western world, which began after 2014. Pelevin suggested even the name of Ukraine, albeit in a distorted form – Urkaina, which is a derivative of укры (the term which became to serve as a pejorative name for Ukranians in Russia), орки (Orks by Tolkien) and урки (prisoners in the prison jargon). Although the book describes a dystopian future, one can clearly establish a connection with modern day realities. One of main discourses of the book is a fusion of ideology and art. The research based on works by Greg Lambert and Jose Antonio Maravall will be mainly focused on the analysis of the system, created in Pelevin’s book. In this system society is based on the films it is itself producing. The films are divided in two halves: one part of the film is a pornographic footage, and other part is a footage of killing during war, hence both the book and the films are called snuffs. The films relentlessly fed to the public serve to educate it and to offer it news. In this way they are the only source of information in Pelevin’s dystopia. The connection discussed in this paper will show that these films carry out not only an educational and information functions, they also become the main object of a religious cult and are an integral part of ideological and religious propaganda. The results of our analysis will hopefully show the mechanisms and effects of such forceful cultural pressure on individuals and how they can cope with and resist the pressure of goverment-controlled media.