Reza Aslan describes himself as a “scholar of religions.” Situated as such, Aslan hosted one season of CNN's Original Series Believer. The series, which was not renewed for another season, is a “spiritual adventure series” which follows Aslan as he “immerses himself in the world's most fascinating faith-based groups to experience life as a true believer.”
Academic scholars have publicly critiqued the show and Aslan himself, questioning the scholarship that has gone into the show and declaring it too sensationalist, especially about lesser-known religious groups. Recently, David Frankfurter wrote an apologiafor the show, defending it as an example of how to engage the general public in scholarly religious exploration.
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