From “Threads” to Threats: Religion, the Public Sphere, and Why Scholars Need to Keep an Eye on Online “Posts”

Abstract

What is the definition of religion; according to whom; and why does it matter? For the student of religion, this is the first and most complex set of questions confronting the scholar when embarking on his or her academic training. This article is the result of two occurrences related to the set of questions above: a casual conversation with a friend about the portrayal of religion in the media, and an online news article that appeared on a South African news website with the headline, “Religion Forces Science Teacher to Quit”. These occurrences led to a rephrasing of the original set of questions. Far away from the quiet corridors of academic libraries and the pews of religious institutions, how is the term religion understood and used in contemporary society? Where can I start looking? And why does it matter? The first part of this article is a theoretical exploration of the use and understanding of the term religion; the notion of the public sphere according to Jürgen Habermas; the media as public sphere; and finally, religion in the media as public sphere. By way of using, but also contesting, Habermas’s and other theories of media and the public sphere, the second part of the article will attempt a brief analysis of the online news article and reader comments.