Writers, like electricians, hotel linen handlers and cab drivers, have their rules of the trade. All who write for the media must follow various stylebooks that lay down the rules on word usage, punctuation and things to avoid. Without following them and ensuring uniformity, writers would be inconsistent in words like theater and theatre or historical and historic, and there IS a difference. Without writers being consistent, boneheaded mistakes can be made that could be regarded as insensitive. We must use Indian and not Native American, for example. Avoid calling homosexuality an alternative lifestyle. And there is no dot in Dr Pepper.As a longtime member of the Religion Newswriters Association, I look forward to the updated stylebook for our field. Just out is Reporting on Religion 2: A Stylebook on Journalisms Best Beat. In 132 pages, it concisely covers the religious landscape that is full of landmines and terms that can be improperly used. Much, of course, is technical explanations of religious terminology. So what are acts of God? The book says its an event caused exclusively by forces of nature that could not have been foreseen or prevented.A term like the Moral Majority should no longer be used. The group, whose leaders believed it represented the major of Americans beliefs, morphed in 2004 into the Moral Majority Coalition. Be careful with the term The Reverend, the book warns. It is a form of address given to many, but not all, ordained Christian and Buddhist clergy. Do not use this honorific form unless you are sure that the particular denomination accepts its use. I have gotten an earful from many conservative Christian pastors who say God himself is the only one worthy to be so honored as Reverend. With that in mind, Most Muslim clergymen use the title sheik in the same way a Christian cleric uses the Rev.It calls for understanding that the swastika is not just a hated Nazi symbol. It is one of the most popular symbols for Hindus, Jains and Buddhists. The swastika used by the Nazis was a perverted version of the ancient Hindu swastika, the stylebook explains.The mere term religion has nuances to be observed. While it generally refers to religious practice, it is a mistake to say that Catholics and Baptists, for example, belong to different religions. Instead, they belong to different Christian traditions. Reform, Orthodox and Conservative Jews, in the same way, belong to different traditions. Actually, the mistake is rarely made that they belong to different religions. The label Protestant is not applied to Christian Scientists, Jehovahs Witnesses or Mormons is another instruction. What about that term priesthood of all believers? Who is in that priesthood, and are they priests? The RNA stylebook defines it as a Christian doctrine that believers have direct access to God and do not need professional priests to act as intermediaries. So that term stands in direct contrast to the role of priests in the Roman Catholic and Orthodox traditions, and it represents one of the key demarcations between the major branches of Christianity.We are carefully schooled for writing about the abortion debate. Pro-abortion and pro-life are terms not to be used. Likewise, pro-choice is not advised. Journalists should instead use a description of peoples views, such as opposed to abortion or against abortion rights and pro-abortion rights, the booklet said.So when it is OK to call someone a pagan? The guide says its generally, a person who does not acknowledge the God of Judaism, Christianity or Islam and who is a worshiper of the polytheistic religion. In addition, The modern religious movement known as neo-paganism has adopted the name as a badge of faith. There are fascinating definitions of the controversial Catholic organization, Opus Dei, given prominence in the The Da Vinci Code.Never use the term Old Testament in the context of a Jewish story. Jews do not use this term, and many consider it disrespectful because it implies that the Hebrew Bible is old and unnecessary compared with the Christian Scriptures, the book said. Thus, writers should term it the Hebrew Scriptures or Hebrew Bible.Except if it is part of a quotation, the term Moonie is derogatory in reference to a member of the Unification Church. Quran is the preferred spelling for the Islamic book previously identified as the Koran. A true megachurch has a weekly sustained attendance of 2,000 or more. Jews for Jesus and Messianic Jews should never be grouped together with mainstream Jews in stories or listings.It is all strong advice and rich materials for this journalism specialty, religion writing. And it underscores the wide diversity of faiths and, importantly, the language and terms the faith traditions prefer the media to use. Thats only fair.
 Religions dictate care in language useSeptember 24th, 2007, 4:50 pm · 2 Comments · posted by lawngriffiths2 CommentsLeave a Reply |
And by all means, never be critical or Catholic Hierarchy, which is always above reproach, accountable only to the Vatican, as you will be accused of being Anti-Catholic.
Yes I will totally agree with the author of this blog because it is real that religions dictate and care there language and use the languages very good.. Thanks for sharing very good information.