Saturday, April 7, 2012

Religion as Your Go To Subject Matter

Sub-title:  What the heck is with this fascination we have for promoting stories about attractive young women?


What brought this subject to mind again this morning?  Interviews with Lauren Scruggs' parents.


In case you've been joyfully languishing under a lovely rock for the past few weeks, Lauren Scruggs is the cute young woman who walked into a single engine airplane propeller.  She sustained major injuries, losing a hand and an eye.

Of course this was intensely sad for her and her family and I wish them all the best.  She seems like a young woman with energy and motivation and also appears to be recovering quite nicely, or as nicely as one can after losing two body parts.  I can only imagine the trauma for her and especially for her parents, seeing their child in this condition.

Here is my "issue", for lack of a better word right now.  Religion.  Check out the first interview:

GMA Scruggs' Parents First Interview

Religion.  God.  Religion.  God.

I'm happy for them if their religion really does give them peace of mind.  I'm pleased for ANYONE whose spiritual beliefs motivate them to be better, kinder people.  Here's what naggingly irritates me:  why talk about it so much?  Why make this the cornerstone of your interview rather than your daughter's condition and recovery?

I've heard two interviews now with the Scruggs and the second repeats the focus of the first.  My first reaction to the first interview was, "Hmmm ...... wonder what would happen if I were interviewed and my focus was primarily MY spiritual beliefs?"


I feel that making my spiritual beliefs the focal point of an interview regarding an entirely different subject would be not only out of place and annoying, but would give evidence to underlying motive not pertinent to the topic at hand.  That's how I feel about the Scruggs' interviews.  What are they trying to prove?  Why must they be thrusting these ideas into every conversation?  Why isn't one's spirituality a privately sustaining basis rather than one to be preached and thrust upon the public who may be interested in their daughter's condition?

The second thing I wondered when viewing the Scruggs' initial interview was this:  had this horrific accident happened to someone who wasn't cute, or an aspiring model, have garnered so much attention?  It would seem that our fascination with cute young women overrides so much which is at least AS important and some which is MORE important.

Middle aged male producers, perhaps?  I don't know.  Just a good story with a pleasant-to-look-at subject?  Maybe.  It does seem to me that, as usual, more emphasis is placed on a story with an attractive female as its subject matter.  We feel, somehow, sorrier for her because she WAS attractive and now, poor thing, she has lost some of what we found so alluring.

Back to the parents' constant comments about their religion and how God has saved her and God has healed her, etc. etc.  I've often wondered what this really means.  If she had not been "saved" or "healed" would this mean that their god had deserted her ..... and them?  Would this mean that their god refused to answer their prayers because he/she (no doubt he) just doesn't care for them all that much?  Or does the rationalization then become that their god decided that he wanted to take Lauren "home"?  It seems that there is always a rationalization.

I've also often wondered just what this means when a sports team (Tebowing comes to mind) asks their god to help them win.  Does this mean that the other team isn't as important to god?  How do Christians explain this?  If I were to open my arms to the sky and praise the Goddess every time I'm pleased with my results, would this appear ...... oh ......... WEIRD in any way?  If so, how is it different from "Tebowing"?  I'll tell you.  It's not.

Picture the lawyer in a courtroom dropping to one knee after he's won a case and "Tebowing".  Har!  Now that makes me chuckle .... but how inappropriate would that be?

Religion and spirituality are privately held beliefs for the most part.  Or at least, they should be.

The neighbor who left a Palm Sunday cross and information on my back doorstep should be embarrassed and regretful that she is trying to push her personal, private religion on me, but I know she isn't.  After all, HER religion is the ONLY true religion ....... right?  This nature worshipping, Pagan-ish neighbor should realize that ......... right?

Wrong.  Enjoy your religion.  Praise your own, private spirituality, but keep it to yourself for your own personal enjoyment and sustenance.  Please.