Last week I watched an episode of Glee which highlighted a number of questions on religion and spirituality. Fox News provides an adequate review of the episode for a frame of reference. On the one hand, I found it very frustrating as a Christian watching this episode. Often, I am disgusted with the way television portrays Christianity, usually because lifestyles and beliefs are never consistent in the characters. However, the debate here is not on how television portrays Christianity. The episode of "Grilled Cheesus" not only focused on Christianity, but also included characters who were Jewish, Messianic Jewish, ambivalent, and atheist.
On the other hand, I found it very intriguing that this episode raised a number of vital questions that Christians and nonChristians alike struggle with pertaining to faith. There are obviously many dysfunctional beliefs and behaviors in this episode (like praying to an image of Jesus in a grilled cheese sandwich and believing you have a direct line to God), but that is not the point of this blog. Alternatively, the aim of this blog is to identify the hard questions Glee writers proposed pertaining to the role of faith, spirituality, and religion in the lives Christians and nonChristians alike. The following questions (not necessarily from a Christian perspective) I gleaned from the episode were:
How do we have access to God?
To what degree do schools allow religious diversity and expression?
How does one's experiences shape their opinion of God, faith, and/or religion?
What makes a person spiritual or unspiritual?
What is the role of religion in coping with difficult circumstances?
What do people put their faith in if not in God?
If God were a "spiritual being" why would he create someone homosexual?
Why does God create people with disabilities?
Why do bad things happen?
How does God speak to us?
Is God personal or distant?
As a disclaimer, I am not condoning or encouraging all the messages of this episode or show, but I am pointing out that nonbelievers are asking these questions. While Glee did not seek to provide these answers, my question is: Who or what is going to answer them?
I like you article. Let me guess, you are a glee fan? I am actually starting a petition to cancel the show. Lol!!!! Just kidding! I do believe that you have pointed out some very important questions and view from the show as you described it. It is our responsibility as Christians to answer these questions and help people see the truth. Sometimes, I guess we are too scared to just come out and just say the truth. This is part of the reason, I believe people have all these misconceptions about Christianity.
ReplyDeleteBible says that their eyes are darkened that they may not see,Rom11:10, and their understanding are darkened because they are alienated from the life of God,Eph4:18. Watching this show is a waste of time and it is like subjecting yourself to the leadership of confused individuals that do not have direction. If they want answers to those questions they should search the right place-THE BIBLE, to get the right answers. Sadly, they are far from God. I pray that God will reach out to them, and deliver them from the dungeon of darkenss. Bottom line they need HELP!! use their showtime to pray for them rather watching it.
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ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your article. It is fascinating to see that people really do wonder in their hearts who God is. This challenges me to be more bold in Christ, sharing Him with others. These are questions that are extremely tough to answer. I would like to be able to have a solid approach to either answer the question or defend Christ with some sort of explanation. I am not quite a Glee fan, but I am interested in this episode. It is sad that there are so many hearts that are wondering these same questions and are not answered or acknowledged by some Christian believers.
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