Monthly Archives: June 2009

Has the body of St Paul been found?

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Vatican archaeologists have potentially discovered the body of St Paul, the Pope announced yesterday. Bone fragments thought to belong to the famous apostle have been discovered in a tomb in St Paul’s basilica outside Rome. Independent carbon-dating revealed that the bone dated to the first or second centuries - which fits with the timing of St Paul’s life and death.

The announcement coincided with the festival of St Peter and St Paul, which commemorates the work of the two famous apostles. It’s interesting that The Guardian has chosen to feature the find prominently on its website. Most other British news outlets seem not to have caught on yet - or seen the news value – despite it being out on the wires.

Rate him or not, St Paul is one of the most influential figures in world history. His writings make up around 2/3 of the New Testament. So I would have thought the potential discovery of his mortal remains deserves more than a passing mention. It’s watch this space, I guess (Photo: Nathan Gibbs).

Michael Jackson: The Biblical Man in the Mirror

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Amid the media hysteria around the death of the King of Pop, one aspect of his life that will probably be overlooked in retrospectives is his religious formation. Until 1987, Jackson was a practising Jehovah’s Witness, which would have meant that the Bible was central to his outlook on life.

His career brought him into conflict with both the local elders in his congregation and even the movement’s international HQ. He was criticised by fellow Witnesses in 1984 for glorifying demonismduring the video of Thriller (Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that ghosts are really demons, not dead people). In response, he was quoted in one of the organisation’s periodicals, Awake!, as saying: “I realise now it was not a good idea. I’ll never do a video like that again.”

In an interview with Ebony magazine later that year, he stated his belief in the Bible, his desire to adhere to it and his frequent prayer. And as late as 2001, he was referring to the Bible as an authorityfor his interest in childlike humility.Declarations of faith in the Bible may not have put a stop to his outlandish behaviour, but his 1988 release Man in the Mirror was firmly based on the biblical passage of James 1:22-25. The song is about changing yourself before you try to change the world. Given Jackson’s troubled past, it’s fair to say that he saw himself as the Man in the Mirror – i.e. someone who knew his Bible, but who sometimes forgot to put it into practice.

Reality TV Shows: Angels or Demons?

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The current debate around the impact of reality television is hotting up. Should Susan Boyle have been cared for better by the producers of Britain’s Got Talent? Should Sir Alan Sugar keep his role on The Apprentice now that he has been co-opted by Gordon Brown to encourage entrepreneurs? Why on earth did Saffia Corden dump her two kids (aged 1 and 7) on her mum so that she could take part in this year’s Big Brother?

How far is too far? That was the question looked at this week by the trainees on the MediaNet Academy, an annual training course I run for budding media types. They were briefed to produce content for an imaginary new reality TV show, Angels and Demons – where viewers vote to make or break someone’s day. The video they produced is above. Here’s the accompanying website and radio report. See what you think.

 

The New Ten Commandments – or just clever spin?

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EA Games – or more accurately, Mischief PR – have pulled a creative blinder in an attempt to publicise the new computer game, The Sims 3. To get across the message that the new game allows people to ‘play God’, they’ve put together a PR stunt that involves rewriting the Ten Commandments.

They start off with a poll showing that only 28% of British teenagers can name a single one - while just 6% of adults can list them all. So far, so predictable. I’m not sure I could even name them all myself off the top of my head (I hate being put on the spot, you see). But look, everyone! There’s even an eyecatching photocall at Westminster, complete with a new set of graven commandments!

Warming up, EA then play what they think is their trump card. Apparently two thirds of the British population think that four of the Ten Commandments should be given the heave-ho. These include those inconvenient rules about not shopping on Sunday, sticking to one religion, refraining from idolising celebrities and the ban on the use of ‘Oh My God!’.

The pollsters then got people to suggest replacements for these four. In response, they came up with suitably 21st century suggestions about ‘being nice’. The new four commandments (drum roll, please) are:

- Respect all people regardless of race, religion or sexuality
- Do not commit acts of terrorism
- Respect and protect the planet
- Do not be motivated by greed

So what to make of all this? First off, round of applause to the PR merchants. Very creative, people. However, using an online research company means that the robustness of the research must be taken with a pinch of salt. The poll was not of MORI standards. It’s just an indication. A more solid poll of Brits in 2008 revealed that 66% believed the Bible to be ‘true’, while 75% agreed that it was ‘interesting’.

However, I think the poll is a fairly accurate reflection of where many Brits stand on the Bible today. It has continuing value, sure, but people do have questions about some of it. But thanks, EA, for bringing the issue of the Bible’s value to the fore.