Page - 125 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 06/01

Practical Theology, Film and Religion The fragments discussed here are drawn from larger patterns across the series that form from the exchange and sharing of religious meaning. They are not simply en- tertaining, but indicative of a serious attempt to provide a chain of narrative mo- ments that reflect on existential questions and issues of religion and faith. As not- ed, scriptwriter Michael Hirst intentionally shaped the series to contain a variety of reflective dialogues of meaning. The idea of liquefaction connects very well to this dynamic within the the Vikings series (and probably in many others). Film and modern media, and art too, have taken on some of the role previously held by institutional providers of religious meaning. The more film (in our case) is a deliberate construct to spread that meaning normatively, the greater the liquefac- tion. Christopher Deacy, who exegetes this reality, cites Conrad Ost walt: We are uncomfortable with religion, yet we are faced with it at every turn. It is not the case that religion is fading with the secularization of society; rather, religion is being popularized, scattered, and secularized through extra-ecclesias- tical institutions. We find ourselves in a contradictory age in which secularity and religious images coexist.38 Deacy concludes that religion is located not simply in churches, mosques, syna- gogues and temples, but also in the middle of popular culture39. In such a changing culture, might going to a movie be characterized as a religious activity?40 Conclusions Like film, television series too, as we have seen in the case of Vikings, can address vital questions about the current shifting spiritual landscape. They can function as mirrors of a normative religious culture or indicate how popular culture ingests re- ligious value and religious orientation. The audience response to the depiction on screen is part of a dialogue, a conversation as in this article, on religious themes. Film and television hold religious capital and make religious narratives accessible for audiences, even if unplanned by the scriptwriters. The audience will then benefit 38 Deacy 2005, 12. 39 Deacy 2005, 13. 40 Compare Marsh 2004. Marsh writes about film-viewing as a religious practice. See also Loughlin 2004. 124 | René Erwich www.jrfm.eu 2020, 6/1, 103–126