1. One paragraph summary of the key idea summarizing the topic of the section.
Whether science or media, the key idea from this chapter is the challenges of faith in our world. Every time we turn on a television or listen to the radio, we are being persuaded by media conglomerates to buy their clothes, wear their jewelry, and listen to their music. In science, we are presented with theories of evolution and development of the earth that challenge our core spiritual beliefs. We become aware of the challenges in this chapter. With Father Kavanaugh, we learn about the negative effects of advertising on our consciousness. With the “Merchants of Cool” video, we learn of societies push to envelop the teen. As Christians, we have to trust God’s love and believe in his salvation instead of being swallowed into this world of doubt and deceit.
2. List and explain two of the most important ideas you want to remember from this section.
As the Church progresses through time, their relationship with Science changes. In the centuries before Christ, the Greeks theorized that water encompasses everytthing and that the three main elements are earth,fire, and air. As time continued, the Greeks started asking questions about their existence. Around the same time, Christianity was founded and after a few centuries of bloodshed and martyrdom, Christianity became the dominant religion of Europe. In today's age, church and science are in a reflective unity. There are still many questions about God. And with Nihilsim, once somebody fails, they become skeptical with the Lord. As time progresses, the Church and science seem to instead of contradict each other, they rather complement.
With the media in our society today, one of their focuses is to undermine teens towards their products and goods. With the "Merchants of Cool" video, we see how mega-corparations such as: AOL Time Warner, Vivendi Universal, Disney, and Viacom, use their power to exploit teens with networks such as: MTV, BET, and Comedy Central. This exploitation had even crossed into sports. As children are playing at a younger age, the focus is less on playing good and more on looking good. Companies such as Adidas, Nike, and Under Armour report multi-billion dollar gains because of the effect their advertising had on the public. More and more people are being sucked into this black hole of media and adverstisement every other minute and there needs to be a way to stop it.
3. One image that captures the chapter for you.
4. Short reflection on the greatest challenge of faith.
The greatest challenge of faith to me is bias. It is hard to believe in someone or something, especially when someone who you trust says the person or thing is bad for you. As I look back, I have given past judgements to many people. At SLUH, when I see a teacher I do not know, I automatically assume the person's behavior based on what my friends say. As a Christian, I need to learn how to think for myself and not trust the judgements of other people.
