Religion Unplugged Video

Religion Unplugged Transcript

Characters: Priest, Narrator, Barry Kosmin, Patty Chicolo, Anne Thompson, & President Barack Obama

PRIEST In the name of the father, son and Holy Spirit.

NARRATOR Freedom of religion a bedrock principle of the American way of life, but today a shrinking

percentage of Americans identify themselves as members of organized religions. According to the New American Religious Identification survey, Catholics are the largest group followed by Baptist, but the fastest growing group are Americans who claim no religion at all up from 8% in1990 to 15% today.

BARRY Proportion of no religion has increased rapidly in New England in fact; Vermont now is the most unchurched religiously unaffiliated state in the union.

NARRATOR Empty pews and churches in the north reflect our migration to sunnier states where some congregations are seeing growth. Practicing Catholics at New York’s St. Patrick’s cathedral are vastly outnumbered by tourists of all faiths including one of Catholic and Mormon heritage, Patty Chicolo.

PATTY I do not practice the Mormon or the Catholic, I believe that there is someone higher up there. I do my own meditation that is all.

ANNE

In fact 70% of the adults surveyed said they do believe in a personal God. But Americans have lost there brand loyalty if you will now picking and choosing how they worship.

THOMAS First of all demographics…

ANNE Father Thomas Reese of Georgetown University says religion is no longer central to how Americans identify themselves.

THOMAS Americans at their core are very individualistic and we have become more and we have started to apply that to our religion now also, whereas, we used to want to be in a religious congregation in a church because that was part of our identity as a group.

ANNE A change acknowledged by President Obama at his inaugural address.

OBAMA We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and non believers.

ANNE Increasingly diverse and freedom to practice or not as we see fit. Anne Thompson, NBC News, Washington.

[End of Audio]

From “Religion Unplugged”, by NBC News Archives. (2011). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Copyright 2011 by McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Adapted with permission.

Explain:  Symbolic interactionist perspective.

· Prepare a brief introduction that identifies the video and clarifies the applied theoretical perspective.

· Describe specific components of the perspective used in the evaluation.

· Explain specific examples from the video from the viewpoint of the designated theoretical approach.