are fandoms the new religon?

[Mr. Changeling 132]

The more I look and observe our generation, the more I dont see religion. Fifty years ago, religion defined somebody, made them who they are and fandoms were not as important, but the more I realize our generation, the more I see this is completly flipped. Fandoms have defined us (bronys, whoovians, treckis, ect), but religion has been a topic almost long forgotten. Which is why I ask, are fandoms the new religion?

[Veylon 255]

When you say "religion", I think you mean "Christian Sect". Being a Muslim or Sikh or Buddhist still carries a good deal of meaning whereas telling a Methodists from Baptists is difficult even for members. There isn't much appetite in the West for learning the ins and outs of one's professed faith. Not anywhere near the appetite - or enthusiasm - for mastering knowledge of a franchise. So, yeah. More or less.

[Pan the Fabulous Ferret 2,642]

No.

 

I'm sorry, but... what? Religions and Fandoms aren't even in the same tier. We don't bow before the candy colored ponies and adhere to every word they say, now do we? 

 

Religion is still very important to the large majority of the world, and is still a topic of much discussion. Also, religion has never defined who you are, and never will. The only difference is how others perceive you based on which religion you follow, and actions that you may have done which were influenced by said religion.

[Rough Pathway 157]

I'm a bit confused on what you're trying to say, so forgive me if I'm wrong. Religion is still important to alot of people. Mostly older people, but its not long forgotten. Now, for your question, I don't think 'fandoms are the new religion'. Fandoms are pretty...popular (can't think of right word) especially with younger people, but it hasn't replaced religion. The reasons fandoms are 'more important now' is because theres the internet now. Without the internet fandoms wouldn't really..exist. They would still be there, but it really wouldn't be much of a fandom. There was alot less content back 50 years ago, too, so thats another thing. I don't think, though, that religions or fandoms define someone, though. They might be important to that person, but it really doesn't 'define' them. What defines them is who they are. Thats what I think anyway.

[Celtore 2,770]

The decline of religion I personally attribute to the rise of the age of technology and the availability of information, but I don't know whether fandoms are really replacing religion in any regard. It's entirely possible and somewhat likely that fandoms are a side effect of our media culture and perhaps globalization for a few of the more obscure ones.

 

I don't know whether you can actually say whether religion was a key identifier for many individuals, I would argue social class, upbringing and profession would be more important in defining who a person turns into. Yes, now we get into culture, but I'm not going to delve into this too deep. People ultimately define themselves through their actions caused by an unknown number of motivations.

Edited July 23, 2013 by Celtore

[Night Shine 767]

I hope not, because my love for MLP's only strengthened my faith in my religion! (Which is to say, Christianity.)

 

I don't think they are, not because religions and fandoms are dissimilar--I actually think they are very similar but then again my perspective is really weird--but because saying that fandoms are the 'new' religion would imply that they are replacing them, which I have seen no evidence of.

For me, at least, the two coexist in harmony...I doubt that anyone would replace their religion with a fandom, no matter how passionate.

[SCS 7,537]

I don't identify myself using any one thing, such as religion or a fandom. We are all complex, multifaceted beings. 

 

I am not religious, but I do have spiritual beliefs that do not adhere to any particular religion. The positive messages in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic are a part of that, but I certainly do not treat the show, or the fandom, like a religion.

[Shanks 10,816]

I wouldn't go so far as to say that fandoms are the new religion though much of that is because I think the state is the new religion but that is an topic for another time. There are some people though that do treat whatever fandom or fandoms they are in like a religion by having pointless arguments is and isn't a fan or getting into favorite character wars or putting it on some pedestal where everyone has to behave by their arbitrary standards or they get butthurt, but those are thankfully loud yet very annoying minorities. What disturbs me about the MLP fandom though is while with the exception of all the arguments against cloppers there are overall fewer arguments about who is and isn't a fan and fewer favorite character wars but far more people putting the fandom on a pedestal than there should be. If it isn't the anti cloppers who seem to obsess over about peoples masturbation habits it is the people who use "love and tolerance" as a weapon to demonize anyone who criticizes anything whatsoever about the show. There is still more good than bad but I still find those tendencies to be very annoying even if I won't let them bother me to the point of it affecting my love of the show.

[DusK 1,264]

Our Princess in Castle

Revered be your name

Your kingdom... is here

Your will be done

In Ponyville, as it is in Canterlot

Give us our daily hay

And forgive us our debts

As we have also forgiven Flim and Flam

And lead us not into temptation

But deliver us from Nightmare Moon and Discord

[Dark Horn 430]

Bow before Twilight Sparkle! Worship the pastel colored ponies...

 

Er... no. I'm a Muslim, and proud of it. I do not worship the pastel colored ponies, but hey, that's just me. Each to his own.

[websterhamster 203]

Religion implies requires worship. I'm pretty sure most bronies don't worship Princess Celestia. I know that there is absolutely nothing to worship in Star Trek (unless you count the Prime Directive and since we don't have midichlorians in our cells, none of us will be likely to worship the Force anytime soon.

 

However, one definition of "worship" is what you do the most, or what you focus on. There are people who worship coffee. There are people who worship alcohol. Thus, if someone does pony stuff all the time then you could say that they are a member of the brony cult religion  .

 

I think that most people are still strongly aligned with one of the major religions, though (Christianity, Judaism, Islam, etc.) I don't see fandoms replacing that anytime soon.

[Dark Horn 430]

@@DusK,

 

I laughed so hard I think I might cry and then facepalm a few times just for good measure. I have no idea what the hay you were quoting, but it's funny.

[Night Shine 767]

@@DusK,

 I have no idea what the hay you were quoting, but it's funny.

 

Twas a parody of the Lord's Prayer:

 

 

Our Father who art in heaven,

hallowed be your name.

Your Kingdom come,

your will be done,

on Earth as in Heaven

Give us this day our daily bread.

Forgive us our debts,

as we forgive our debtors.

Lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom,

the power and the glory forever.

Amen.

 

 

[Mzukiller 233]

I hope you can understand why I'm a tad offended at the topic at hand. How. In the hell can you equate a fandom to a religion?

 

I love ponies, yeah, but I don't freaking worship them. I don't build shrines to Twilight in my house and pray to it every night. You really need to educate yourself on what exactly a religion is, if you think it's nothing more than a fad to be replaced.

[Rory 150]

no because if fandoms were like religion they would all be fake and people would be going fucking crazy over them when realistically people should live how they want never compare the two ever.  

[MushroomTop 22]

Are you telling me that these "fandoms" are not religion already? I've been finding around that people have been worshiping their "fandom" as though it were a religion. I guess it was another thing I was misinformed on.

[Freewave 1,145]

I hope you can understand why I'm a tad offended at the topic at hand. How. In the hell can you equate a fandom to a religion?

 

I love ponies, yeah, but I don't freaking worship them. I don't build shrines to Twilight in my house and pray to it every night. You really need to educate yourself on what exactly a religion is, if you think it's nothing more than a fad to be replaced.

 

Easy there tiger. You're taking it WAY too literally.. I think what he may be saying is that younger people may be consumed by a fandom like MLP and incorporate it very much into their very lives. Kinda the way a religious person feels compelled to tell everyone how much they are religious and want to get others interested they would do so with MLP. That term i would nickname as being an mlp "crusader".

 

I don't think one is replacing the other but i do think that thing like mlp lend themsleves to a youthful community that well connected by the internet and social media. It's reflected by how the identify themsleves online. I'm not sure that religion can compete in that way or that it has youth on its side (as its more controlled by the older and much less internet savvy groups). I think most people are taught by their parents to be religious and have faith early on rather than picking it up later in life (with plenty of exceptions of course) so society may change slowly in that way (or not).

[Scootalove 10,689]

Let me think, no.

 

Religions and Fandoms are pretty different since, even if we adore ponies we don't worship them and become followers. They are pretty different, so let's not come to any unusual conclusions.

[Shanks 10,816]

I hope you can understand why I'm a tad offended at the topic at hand. How. In the hell can you equate a fandom to a religion?

I don't think the OP meant this at all the insult or offend anyone but only to state that some people not all but some take their love of certain fandoms a bit too far so far in some cases that they can treat it like a religion. On the flip side there are people that can also treat religion as a sort of fandom in a way which is even worse but that dosen't mean all people do that anymore than all people in fandoms treat them like religions. Fewer people are doing this for the MLP fandom over all but there are more people putting the fandom on a pedestal than most fandoms I have seen which I do find a bit disturbing.

[Thuja 3,659]

Well I guess you could say that Religion has the same definition(at least in the dictionary) as how some carry themselves within a fandom.  The Force(Jediism) is now considered to be a legitimate religion now by some.  I suppose one could say that most religions are simply fandoms of some astral figure that may or may not exist or nature, setting guide lines for how one lives and using fictional(or non-fictional) characters as a point of reference in how one should behave.  Though it's somewhat hard to think of something as a show as a religion.  Even if some would say, "Oh, sports are my religion!!!"  So considering something as a religion and the use of the word, religion, would probably be more up to the individual.  To each their own, so long as they aren't hurting anyone else with it.  

 

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/religion

[Nerdy Luigi 2,065]

No, not really.
I actually see religion quite frequently. It is decreasing in popularity, I will not deny that. Currently, 14% of americans are non-religious.

[Zygen 6,066]

Honestly I have to disagree.

 

A fandom is a group of people getting together to talk about a show, and have fun with it while making art and other stuff for it. And all like a show or whatever.

 

A Religion on the other hand is based upon your faith in something, and what you believe in, its not like you worship ponies or something, and its not a belief to watch ponies, that really doesn't make a whole lot of sense frankly .

 

Religion isn't like the defining factor exactly, i still have friends and such who aren't my Religion, same with fandoms, i'm a closet brony, so its not like I only talk to brony's(Not like they exist in my school).

 

So I don't agree. They aren't on the same level of thought or anything really.

[Jessper 735]

Nope.

Just as religions aren't fandoms. By the definition.

In the sense "something that shapes you as a  person", perhaps, varies from person to person, but then I'd have a slight problem with the premise that religion is the main thing shaping people (or used to be). If anything it was people sculpting minds of other people to fit their image and and then then the image of their religion as they understand it.

Of course with the amount of informations floating around nowdays, that doesn't work so well anymore, and that's why religions are changing and perhaps on the decline a bit just as well.

 

Yeah I'm such a mood-spoiler, right?

But I think it's a bit sad that on the first look fandoms and religion can look similar. It's sad because those two things shouldn't be alike at all, not even on the surface, because it would just mean both failed, in a way. And it happened, actually.

You could use the similarities to point out something about religion, but I don't want tostart that thing now, unless someone asks nicely.

Edited July 25, 2013 by Jessper

[crazitaco 596]

Lol, you've been watching the Idea Channel haven't you? There was an episode based on the same idea with the Whoovians.

I still can't see fandoms ever taking on the same impact as religion. Sure, fans of a show may obsess about something to the point where it starts to impact their daily lives, but ask them if they believe in their show in the same way they do a religon, and you're sure to get funny looks. Religion not only effects someone's daily life, but changes their entire beliefs and morals. For instance, as a Catholic, I believe in god and the afterlife. So my beliefs affect my view of reality, I see as an un-debatable truth.

I can't say the same thing about mlp. No matter how much i love MLP, its still just fiction. a very great piece of fiction and that is all. mlp is just a hobby and has no impact on my view of reality. Anyone that tries to take mlp to the level of religion would be pretty crazy, and even if it started happening i don't think enough people would ever try to take it that far

Also, i think you overestimate the amount of atheists out there, a huge majority of people still follow some sort of religion. after all, we're still fighting wars over religion to this day.

Edited July 25, 2013 by crazitaco

[null1 606]

I've heard of Jediism, it's more frequent in the UK, mostly as a census joke. It focuses more on the Jedi Code than the Star Wars mythos as one would think. People have also had problems with their frequent hood wearing, one Jedi Knight was removed from a Tesco Supermarket because of this. Apparently the Force was not with him.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jediism