“Please God, let me win the food
challenge.” “If it was in God’s plan, I
would have come in first place.” “God
won’t let her win because she’s evil and goodness always wins out over evil.” These are just a sampling of the many phrases I’m tired of hearing on
reality TV.
Reality
TV “stars” often spend more time asking for God’s intervention than they do
actually
playing the game or enjoying the experience. If only they devoted that much brain time to
the game, they might actually win a challenge instead of excusing themselves by
claiming “God’s Will.” I watched in
horror as Big Brother 8’s Jameka, and
newly-born Amber, spent hours praying to God and asking Him to
use His super powers so that they could win the food challenge. I was so completely insulted that they had
the audacity to ask God to help them win a challenge in a game while the world is plagued with famine and war, and the
diseased.
Many of
these reality shows are built around dishonesty and deception and the
self-proclaimed Christians on these shows rarely hesitate to compromise their
faith by participating in antics meant to manipulate and humiliate their fellow
mates to further their own cause. These
so-called Christians are quick to judge people and condemn others to Hell while
ignoring their own sacrilege. I don’t
even have the column space to get started on the crazy religious lady on Wife
Swap.
In I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here,
Spencer and Heidi stopped just short of proclaiming themselves warriors of
Jesus, invoking His name whenever they thought they were on camera. Heidi says that she wants to be like Mother
Theresa, who didn’t need material possessions. Shortly after, Spencer was “baptized”
in a river by Stephen Baldwin and proclaimed that he was a changed man and felt
all the sin washed off him. Maybe I should
start swimming in muddy rivers with Stephen Baldwin. Janice Dickinson finally stated what we at
home were thinking all along, “I didn’t realize I was signing up for I’m a Holy Roller, Get Me Out of Here.” Later, Heidi and Spencer “quit” the game because
they’re too rich and too famous (I just recently found out who they are) to be
in the jungle. So much for Heidi mirroring
Mother Theresa.
Sadly, these
are who represent the majority of “God’s Children” in America. They’re the worst kind of Christians. They’re the ones who ask for everything and
give nothing back. They’re lazy and they
pray for selfish, material goods without giving back, helping their community
or contributing anything positive in return.
Instead of praying for guidance or for answers, they pray for cash and
cars.
A-list
celebrities are not immune to praising God’s name, either. They often thank God for winning their
awards. They might think by mentioning God, they’ll be perceived as good
people, but what it says to me is, “God cares more about me because He made me
rich and famous. He even gave me an
award for it. Too bad you’re not rich and famous like I
am. Sorry, God loves me more.” But what I also hear is, “I actually have no
talent, which is why God had to intervene in this famine-plagued world to give
me an award.”
Your relationship with God or Allah or Buddha or Shiva is
your own. Stop invoking His/Her/Their name
on TV for your own selfish advancement. Because
if there is a God and He is watching…He’s
awfully ashamed.
**While I’m not religious, I have
a religious background. I grew up
Catholic, I went church every Sunday and attended Confraternity
of Christian Doctrine (CCD) classes, religiously (no pun intended).
I went to Catholic school in 5th grade and even had the “privilege”
of being an altar boy bestowed upon me.
But I eventually started asking questions of my baptized faith and when
it came time to make my Confirmation at 13-years old, I told my mom, “How can I
choose my religion for the rest of my life when I don’t even know what I’m
going to wear to school tomorrow?”
Luckily, my mom understood and allowed me to be the first person in my
entire extended family to skip my Confirmation.
I went on to study religions of the world and am happy I didn’t confirm
myself to Catholicism, or any organized religion, for that matter.