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The 'religion' of Christmas

Deacy, Christopher (2013) The 'religion' of Christmas. Journal of Scandinavian Cinema, 3 (3). pp. 195-207. ISSN 2042-7891. (doi:10.1386/jsca.3.3.195_1) (Access to this publication is currently restricted. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:46898)

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https://doi.org/10.1386/jsca.3.3.195_1

Abstract

The aim of this article is to query the established wisdom that the celebration of consumerist values, as exemplified in many Christmas films, is evidence of a decline of religious significance in the modern world. Rather, I argue that the celebration of consumerism is itself a repository of ‘sacred time’ and that Christmas is one of the most fertile embodiments of religious activity in the world today. I interrogate the way in which Eliade, Tillich and Durkheim understand the relationship between religion and culture, the sacred and the profane, to present a more subtle understanding of the interplay between material and spiritual configurations, to the point that Christmas is a religion because of rather than in spite of its material and commercialized teleology. The intention is to move away from conventional binary language in order to develop a more sophisticated and realistic understanding of where religion can be encountered.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1386/jsca.3.3.195_1
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BL Religion
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Arts and Humanities > School of Culture and Languages
Depositing User: Chris Deacy
Date Deposited: 23 Jan 2015 16:41 UTC
Last Modified: 09 Mar 2023 11:33 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/46898 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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