"This article addresses several fundamental questions about faith-based media literacy education in the United States, including how the assumptions, motivations, goals, and pedagogy of those Christians who are operating within a media literacy framework come together to create a unique approach to
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teaching media literacy. After briefly reviewing Christian engagement with media, as well as the history of faith-based media literacy education in this country, this paper examines the philosophical and theoretical assumptions of scholars and practitioners, identifies practical applications, and concludes by suggesting some ways in which this sub-field might develop in the years to come." (Abstract)
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"This article seeks to analyse and explain the emergence of the extremists Islamist Boko Haram sect that is currently perpetuating a reign of violence in Northern Nigerian cities and factors that have aided its rise. It takes a look at the changing political and socio-economic situations in the coun
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try especially from the early 1980s when, despite of the oil boom of the late 1970s, people’s standard of living continued to deteriorate. Following a field study in some Northern Nigerian cities and interviews with some Nigerians in the United Kingdom this writer argues that: the violent Islamist group is using religion as a decoy, as its main motivation is economic; it is capitalizing on the extreme level of poverty in the north-east of Nigeria to swell its rank of foot soldiers; and the growing use of the new media (the Internet and mobile phone) is rapidly contributing to the success of the group’s violent agenda. The article suggests the use of dialogue and reconciliation to de-escalate the violence and economic empowerment to dissuade young people from making themselves available for manipulation and in the execution of campaigns of violence." (Abstract)
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"Por meio das tecnologias digitais, configura-se um novo tipo de interação comunicacional fiel-Igreja-Deus, em uma experiência religiosa online. Esse fenômeno é ilustrado, na prática, por inúmeros serviços religiosos no ambiente católico online, que manifestam novas modalidades de discurso
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e de prática religiosos, fora do âmbito tradicional do templo – o que aqui chamamos de rituais online –, marcadas por um processo de midiatização. Neste artigo, portanto, repassaremos primeiramente conceitos-chave para a compreensão desse fenômeno como sistema e interação. Examinaremos, em seguida, em sites católicos brasileiros, configurações comunicacionais da experiência religiosa a partir de três âmbitos: interface interacional; interações discursivas; e interações rituais. Por último, apresentaremos pistas de conclusão sobre o que a religião em midiatização revela acerca da mídia e sobre que religião nasce a partir do ambiente online." (Resumo)
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"Die vorliegende Studie erläutert grundlegend die aktuelle Ausgangssituation im religiösen Buchmarkt und zeigt weiterhin Trends und Entwicklungen auf, die für den Handel mit religiösen Büchern und Medien wesentlich sein können. Anhand dieser Betrachtungen konzipieren wir sechs verschiedene Mod
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elle, wie die Verbreitung religiöser Literatur künftig weiterhin gelingen kann. Dabei werden drei wesentliche Stoßrichtungen eingeschlagen: 1. eine Fokussierung auf veränderte und erweiterte Zielgruppen; 2. der religiöse Buchhandel im Verbund; 3. eine Stärkung der Warengruppe Religion/Lebenshilfe/Sinnsuche im christlichen Verständnis im allgemeinen Sortimentsbuchhandel. Alle sechs Modelle sind in unterschiedlichen Situationen und an verschiedenen Standorten gut einzusetzen. Wesentliche Unterschiede gibt es dabei im Kapitaleinsatz durch übergeordnete Stellen. So sollten Modelle wie die „religiöse Familienbuchhandlung“ und der „Verbund mit anderen Branchen im Concept Store“ ohne finanzielle Unterstützung von außen betriebswirtschaftlich erfolgreich agieren können. Die Konzepte „Vernetztes Modell der Bistumsbuchhandlung“, das „Franchise-Modell“, das „Förderpaket für Gründer“ und evtl. auch das Shop-in-shop-Konzept (je nach Zielgruppenausrichtung) jedoch wären in unterschiedlicher Höhe auf finanzielle Unterstützung durch einzelne Diözesen oder den VDD angewiesen." (Zusammenfassung, Seite 50)
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"In March 2010, in Geneva, the UN's Human Rights Council (HRC) voted by a narrow margin to accept a nonbinding Resolution on “Combating Defamation of Religions.” (Hereafter, “the Resolution.”) Resolutions like this one have been offered regularly at the HRC and in the General Assembly, have
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the support of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Arab League, and have passed regularly over the last decade in all of these various fora. I think this widespread support is regrettable and I hope that this idea does not gain a serious foothold in international human rights law. In fact, the Resolution had less support in March 2010 than it had had in the past and, as this volume goes to press, it appears that the resolution's proponents have abandoned their efforts, at least for the foreseeable future. I am glad that this is so, and in this chapter I want to explain why. To do this, I will have first to say something about the considerations that I think favor laws against defamation in general; my aim is to make the best case for legal sanctions against defamation of religion in particular before recommending against such legal sanctions." (Introduczion)
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"The article deals with two recent Iranian films, al-Masih (Teh Messiah) by Nader Talebzadeh and Maryam al-Muqaddasah (Holy Mary) by Shahriar Bahrani. Both movies are about religious characters shared by Islam and Christianity: Zechariah, Mary and Jesus. The article explores the way the filmmakers h
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ave made use of both Islamic and non-Islamic sources to tell their story, and it analyses the stylistic and narrative means they have employed. Are these films contributing to the mutual religious understanding of Christians and Muslims? If so, how? And if not, why not?" (Abstract)
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