Is spirituality taking hold on TV? |
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Written by ANGELA KESSLER, Chronicle Editor
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Saturday, 23 October 2010 00:00 |
A few weeks ago, I had the rare occasion of not very much to do in the evenings, so I spent them paying closer attention to a few television shows I find entertaining.
Being in a family that enjoys musical theater, we have watched Fox network’s “Glee” since the premiere episode. It’s set in a fictional high school in Lima, Ohio, and documents the trials and tribulations of the school’s glee club as it prepares for show choir competitions.
 The show has explored a lot of issues as experienced by the cast of misfits: teen pregnancy, homosexuality and body image, to name just a few. And just like musical theater, the characters use music to further the storyline.
The episode that aired Oct. 5 centered on the characters’ spirituality. One selfishly explored the power of prayer, asking for things such as winning a football game and becoming the starting quarterback. Jewish and Christian characters also defended their beliefs and another character revealed he is atheist. The story unfolds as the atheist tries to cope with his dad’s unconscious state after a heart attack.
As his fellow glee club members try to comfort him through their own spirituality, he resists. He does, however, give in and accepts an invitation to attend a worship service with one of his Christian classmates. Viewers aren’t told whether he begins to believe, but he is moved to tears by the support exhibited by the congregation.
While the show does not promote one religion over another, it does seem to reflect the exploration
and questioning I’m sure many teens go through as they develop their own spirituality.
The next evening, our television was tuned to ABC, where we saw “The Middle” and “Modern Family.” I was surprised to find that in one of its story lines “Modern Family” also took a look at spirituality. With the shows being back-to-back, I also found it interesting that both programs that evening dealt with telling lies.
I didn’t see it from the beginning, but the main character in “The Middle” was grappling with her age and didn’t want to tell her younger husband that she threw out her back. She was afraid he might think less of her as she shows signs of aging.
She first lied to her husband about why she was sprawled out on the floor and later even enlists her elementary-age son to lie to his dad about her condition. She explains to him that sometimes it’s OK to tell “a little white lie” if it spares someone’s feelings.
Finally, in “Modern Family” a woman tries to convince her husband to attend church with her, but he objects, saying he can find God on the golf course instead.
Meanwhile, another family featured on the show is coping with the aftermath of an earthquake. The shifting house trapped the wife in a bathroom. A cabinet that the husband had told the wife was anchored to the wall fell and caused a minor injury to their son. The husband pretends to be working on getting his wife out of the bathroom, and uses excuses about getting different tools to buy himself time.
He instead uses the time to anchor the cabinet to the wall. Of course, as with most sitcoms, hilarity ensued as the characters tried to fix the situation. And while “Modern Family” at least demonstrated some consequences of lying, they were largely dismissed.
With the funny business aside, it’s good to see television series writers and producers exploring spirituality in popular shows. I find it odd, however, that at the same time, they are promoting lying. Nonetheless, I was struck by the contrast as writers seemed to be advocating a primarily Christian spirituality, but also romoting lying to an extent.
While I commend producers for delving into the area of spirituality and seemingly promoting the fact there is a God, it seems they still have a long way to go to present a message consistent with Christian teaching.
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Last Updated on Saturday, 23 October 2010 00:00 |
