| In the contemporary United States, religion and spirituality are big business. Themes of religion and spirituality are found in most popular media—print journalism, radio, television, and film. At the same time, the U.S. has also become a more religiously diverse nation. As a result, religion and spirituality are continually being packaged and repackaged in ways that are designed to attract the widest possible audiences. Producers of popular materials face many cultural boundaries in dealing with religion and spirituality, from the federal constitution's religion clauses to the debates over the meaning of civil religion to the problems surrounding political correctness. Ultimately, however, materials that entertain without offending are what usually sells. This thesis explores these changing cultural boundaries by focusing on the ways that religion and spirituality have been packaged in contemporary popular materials, including advertisements, radio and television programs, and films. |