Today, we live in a world riddled by fast paced transformation. Religion’s role in our society is like a complex puzzle piece, many struggle in finding where it actual belongs. I’m Nathaniel Holland, as a filmmaker and journalist, my journey is a passionate investigation of these complexities. If you were to narrow down the niche I occupy in three words, or my “beat” as many say, it would be “Religion and Society.” The curtain needs to be pulled back to shine light on how religion’s role plays a crucial part in influencing our society in every aspect. 

You may ask, “Why this beat?” The answer is simple, we have a growing conversation in our society on how, and what religion should play a part in our daily lives. According to a survey conducted by Pew Research Center, 80% of Americans believe that religion is losing its influence in public life. Of that 80%, there stands 49% of Americans that are not happy with it and consider it a bad thing. (Pew Research Center, 2024) This tells me that people have concerns and there should be more of an open-ended conversation in our society in how religion shapes our values.

If we zoom out to a global view, we see a remarkable contrast. While in America, we see debates over religion’s influence over politics, In China we see how governmental policies severely regulate religion in an attempt to maintain state-wide authority. (Pew Research Center, 2023). Looking at this, we see there are many ways a country or even a people group can view religion and its impact on the masses. 

My mission for this studio is to fill the gaps that have been left bear by traditional media organizations. I will be providing an in-depth and balanced take on religion and the impact it has on our society in both good and bad ways. 

References

Pew Research Center. (2024, March 15). 8 in 10 Americans say religion is losing influence in public life. https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2024/03/15/8-in-10-americans-say-religion-is-losing-influence-in-public-life/

Pew Research Center. (2023, October 23). 10 things to know about China’s policies on religion. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/10/23/10-things-to-know-about-chinas-policies-on-religion/