Plugging into the Papal Mainframe: The political role of the Church in Steven Moffat’s Doctor Who

IF 0.4 0 FILM, RADIO, TELEVISION
Andrew Crome
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

This article examines the presentation of the organized Church in British science fiction show Doctor Who (1963–89, 1996, 2005–present), its implications for debates on the place of religion on British television and the political roles the series imagines for the Church. From 2010, the Church was shown to survive as an important political force into the fifty-first century, having evolved into a paramilitary body. Over subsequent series, splinter groups were portrayed as dangerous militarized sectarians, until the Church’s final appearance as a galactic peace-keeping force with theological trappings in 2013. This article argues that Doctor Who presents a variety of images of the Church reflecting both hopes and fears about its role in the public sphere: from radicalized apocalyptic cults to a stabilizing force, demonstrating an imaginative interpretation of ideas found in contemporary political theology. In an era in which the volume of directly religious programming continues to decline, this article argues that theological reflection can be found, albeit unintentionally, within popular drama.
接入教皇主机:史蒂文·莫法特的《神秘博士》中教会的政治角色
本文探讨了英国科幻节目《神秘博士》(1963–89,1996,2005–至今)中有组织的教会的表现,它对英国电视上关于宗教地位的辩论的影响,以及该系列为教会设想的政治角色。从2010年开始,教会被证明是一支重要的政治力量,一直延续到51世纪,并发展成为一个准军事机构。在随后的系列中,分裂的团体被描绘成危险的军事化宗派主义者,直到2013年教会作为一支带有神学色彩的银河系维和部队最终亮相。本文认为,《神秘博士》展现了教会的各种形象,反映了对其在公共领域作用的希望和恐惧:从激进的启示录邪教到稳定力量,展示了对当代政治神学思想的富有想象力的解释。在一个直接宗教节目数量持续下降的时代,本文认为,神学反思可以在流行戏剧中找到,尽管是无意的。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
Journal of Popular Television
Journal of Popular Television FILM, RADIO, TELEVISION-
CiteScore
0.60
自引率
0.00%
发文量
14
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