Religion and popular culture: Oprah Winfrey

Religija ne obstaja več samo v tradicionalni obliki, ampak se zaradi družbenih sprememb njene forme in položaj spreminjajo. Je del vsakdanjika in vpliva na družbeno ter individualno življenje. Tudi popularna kultura je preko množičnih medijev vsakodnevno prisotna v naših življenjih. Obstoj popularne kulture in religije je koristen predvsem zaradi možnosti debate in raziskovanja, ki ju omogoča. Pomaga nam, da o družbi razmišljamo na različne načine. Smiselno je pogledati, kakšen položaj in funkcijo imata religija in popularna kultura v sodobni družbi, ter opazovati odnos med njima. Prepletata se na več različnih načinov, in sicer religija v popularni kulturi, popularna kultura v religiji, popularna kultura kot religija, religija in popularna kultura v dialogu. V oddaji The Oprah Winfrey Show in v medijski reprezentaciji Oprah Winfrey je prevladujoč odnos popularna kultura kot religija. V tem primeru lahko opazimo, na kakšne načine popularna kultura zadovolji funkcije religije in kako je religija še vedno velik del sodobne družbe.Religion today does not exist only in its traditional formbecause of the consequences of social changes, its form and position are changing as well. It is a part of everyday life and it affects both social and individual life. Even popular media is present every day in our lives through mass media. The existence of popular culture and religion is useful mainly because of the research and debate possibilities they provide. They show different approaches to thinking about society. It is sensible to look at the position and function both religion and popular culture have within culture, as well as to observe the relationship between the two. They intertwine in many different ways: religion in popular culture, popular culture in religion, popular culture as a religion, religion and popular culture in a dialogue. In the Oprah Winfrey Show and the media representation of Oprah Winfrey, popular culture as a religion is in the forefront. In this case we can observe in what ways popular culture satisfies the functions of a religion and how religion still plays a large role in the modern societ