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Abstract

In recent years, religious undertones have permeated American popular culture. Television, movies, and books are all drawn to religious themes such as Angels, The Rapture, and the battle between Heaven and Hell. While the fight between good and evil is a popular theme, many religious based mediums have very different goals. For example, the television show Supernatural was created to entertain people, specifically millenials. Supernatural portrays characters that face the same questions that many millennials face when it comes to religion, which allows the television series to remain entertaining while grappling with many religious themes. While Supernatural portrays many religious themes with the goal to entertain, the Left Behind book series is a guide for those who are preparing for The Rapture. This book series contains very prominent themes about evangelical Christianity. Even though each of these mediums have very different agendas, they also have some similarities. Both Supernatural and Left Behind have themes of violence that play to an overarching narrative between good and evil. Additionally, they both create a hierarchy of religions with Christianity at the top. Both simultaneously have a large amount of action-packed, violent scenes to draw in the consumer as well as religious imagery that makes Christianity seem to be good and all other religions seem to be evil. Even though the Left Behind series and the television show Supernatural seem completely different, with different audiences and different goals, they both have the two overarching themes towards violence and placing Christianity at the top of the hierarchy of religions by playing into the good versus evil narrative with Christianity being the good, and all other religions being the evil.

Subject

Religions; Religions -- Philosophy; Religions -- History

Journal

Relics, Remnants, and Religion: an Undergraduate Journal in Religious Studies

Publication Date

5-5-2017

Language

English

Publication Place

Tacoma, Washington

Publisher

The University of Puget Sound

Type

article

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