Behind the Problem

So what is the religious imaginary? 

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Religion is a meaning-making system of documents, symbols, and rituals. To hold a religious view, is to ascribe a particular analysis to a concept on moral and spiritual grounds. Critical analysis is thus deeply rooted within inner mappings of identity. As an ancient practice, religion in all its splendor captures a historical paradigm. It becomes both an epistemology and historiography. 

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The imaginary is a conceptual framework for historical narratives. Jacques Le Goff's writings indicate the imaginary as a crucial facet to understanding a society: "A history without the imaginary is a mutilated, disembodied history."In Religion in Cultural Imaginary: Explorations in Visual and Material Practices, the authors summarize Goff's definition by complicating three terms: concepts, documents, and images. 

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Firstly, on the level of concepts, the imaginary has to do with representation, symbols (le symbolize), and ideology, but is not identical with them. Although the imaginary shares some aspects with these concepts, it is different from them because it encompasses not only procedures of abstraction but rather creative processes. Second, in reconstructing the imaginary of a society, the historian has to consider a variety of documents, including literary and artistic works. Finally, there is a privileged link between imaginary and image. The images that are relevant for the study of the imaginary are both the images embodied in the history of iconography and artistic production and mental images. 

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A religious imaginary is a commingling of preeminent symbols, images, and documents with those of temporal culture. Imagination is not stagnant. As we develop new languages, cultural norms, class structures, bureaucratic policies, and intellectual achievement, our ideologies shift to accommodate new symbols and images. For example, the African religious imaginary during American slavery was shrouded in unfathomable hope for justice. By leveraging the Bible as a definitive document, stories of underdog triumphs such as Moses or David as images of justice, and the biblical concept of an upside down kingdom, the physically enslaved peoples resisted mental enslavement. Their religious imaginary system is quite different from the Black American tradition of the civil rights era expressed by followers of Dr. Martin Luther King jr. where images of desegregated communities aligned with the biblical concept of unity and peace. Images transform, documents are replaced, and symbols are exchanged over time in any given society. Thus, the religious imaginary is an important tool for navigating the rugged terrain of contemporary society.

 

In Religion, Popular Culture, and Social Media: The construction of a religious leader image on Facebook authors Coman and Coman (2017) explore the 2014 case of a pastor who did not tip her Applebee's waitress. They conclude: "...this case shows the persistence and power of the symbolic religious universe in a post-modernity era. The Christian model - sacrifice for others, humility, kindness, and altruism represent a major cultural frame for evaluating certain situations, for attributing the blame and imposing behavior norms." The religious imaginary is a barometer for understanding society because it expresses the traits and actions we associate with a particular religion or role within a religious sect. John Gray, a prominent religious leader with an intentionally well-developed online presence, both receives judgement based on a religious imaginary and justifies his actions by reinforcing the "imaginary" portrayal of pastoral figures online.

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Kevin Healey offers a three prong methodology for analyzing pastoral/religious figures in the "networked public sphere". In order to explain the complexities of John Gray and the Lamborghini purchase I will apply each tenet to this case as outlined below.

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