The impact of media on society has a fundamental meaning and even a decisive effect, so we must pay a high amount of attention to it.
In modern society, different types of mediums emerge in large numbers. Religious media has also revived, developed, and has come to the forefront to play a significant role in modern media. Those mainly report religious events and related news thus can generate and form influence.
Since different kinds of religions have not yet desensitized at all today in China. They can still be in state of being ‘nothing new,’ religious media is in a fairly unique status compared to others. It is extremely necessary that the media should exercise caution and should observe prospectively the complexity and sensibility of religious matters. News reports should carry forward the theme, based on a positive guide, position and guarantee the developing of harmony in society, especially the mufti-variable coexistence between religions and modern China.
Scholars have indicated four maladies that should particularly be focused, guarded and overcome as follows: 1. No moral education, 2. No just wealth, 3. No responsible media, and 4. no honest office power. Therefore, what is important is the responsibility to the media. Many troublesome and deteriorating conflicts are related to irresponsible reports which only worsen the situation.
The media’s vigilance, caution, and self-consciousness is significant, while present media have more responsibility for resisting the unhealthy tendency of public opinion. It should rectify these things rather than chase after them. Modern media ought to exert a positive effect on producing the harmony between religions, inter-religions, and the whole society. Thus, they will able to find the correct position and implement effects on building a harmonious society. Moreover, it is the obligatory duty that the whole society acquaint religions with the right and normal understanding. They should harbor an open mind, inclusion,respect, and admiration for all to see.
Due to the misleading and cognitive faults of media, so Chinese society treats religions with little understanding and respect so that religious circles and large numbers of believers have suffered harm. This reached the peak during the Cultural Revolution, then the media’s prejudice against religions and the media guide was already insane.Under the situation of bringing order out of chaos, the religion media needed to appeal to people to rightly treat religions. They first called for people to treat religion correctly, then guided the people to carry forward the human religious and cultural heritage and spiritual heritage, and finally making a significant contribution in today's society
The religion media enables the general public to realize that to be kind to religion is an advantage to their own cultural tradition and spiritual heritage.. For the existence of religions to happen in China society, normal sense and a usual heart were needed. Thereby, discarding prejudice and misunderstanding of religions from deep heart, Letting people see religion is an important part of social construction, normality,necessity and inevitability of society elements. Under the party and government actively guiding and the response of the religious circle, contemporary religious media should rightfully be called for and told about in the whole society: contemporary religion not only can be adapted to the socialist society, but also make contribution to China's social development.
About the Author:
Zhuo Xinping is a native of Cili, Hunan Province and a member of the Communist Party of China. He graduated from the department of philosophy of Ludwing Maximilian Muenchen Universitaet as a PhD. He is the director, researcher and PhD student advisor of the Institute of World Religion; he is also the chairman of the Religious Society of China, executive director of the China United Front Theory Research Association, and director of the China International Culture Exchange Centre.
Translated by: Jasmin HE
