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Poison Fruit : Sin And Guilt Essay

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Poison Fruit: Sin and Guilt in the Advertising Age
Morgan Macguire
Naropa University Poison Fruit: Sin and Guilt in the Advertising Age
Genesis
"The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat" ~ Genesis 3:12
With these words, Eve laid the foundation for nearly all Western religious thought for thousands of years. Historically, Western religious thought seamlessly blended with Western popular culture. Great pieces of art were, for centuries, funded by the Church. Today, they are funded by advertising agencies and media conglomerates.
Eve 's transgression in the Garden set the tone for millennia of fealty to the Church. A basic belief of this dominant political power has been that humans are inherently sinful and in order to remedy this inevitable defect a life lived according to the laws of the Church may provide salvation.
These days, less and less people in economically developed countries are reporting religious affiliation. By one study, the United States is a moderately religious nation, with 66% of citizens reporting religion to be important to them. This number is low compared to developing nations such as Bangladesh, with 99% religiosity; and high compared to many countries of Northern Europe. Sweden reported 16% religiosity in her citizens (Diener, Louis, & Myers, 2011).
At the same time, mass media is on the rise. One study concluded that "American youth devote more time to media than any other waking activity" (Roberts, 2000). Parts of the world previously

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