Confessions of a Recovering Pharisee

[New.com.au]

JOHN Travolta is a virtual recluse considering leaving the Church of Scientology six months after the sudden death of his son, according to a report quoting insiders in the church and friends of the actor.

The report, in Britain’s Mail on Sunday, claims Travolta is so distraught over the death of Jett, 16, in the Bahamas during a New Year family holiday, that he is barely able to function and seldom seen in public.

It says Travolta is disillusioned with the secretive church and bitterly regrets adhering to its teachings when treating his son’s condition, which is believed to have been autism.

But the report claims the 55-year-old actor may not follow through on private threats to quit the church because of fears it could retaliate by revealing embarrassing details about his private life.

Read more here.

[From me]

I’m sorry for the pain the Travolta’s are going through. I think what is happening is there is a whole in their hearts that Scientology can’t fill. That religion only wants their money. I will pray that they will find true peace in a relationship with Jesus Christ.

What do you think?

[LA Times]

Disney says shows like ‘The Secret Life of the American Teenager’ are in sync with many families’ reality. Critics say such programs don’t belong on a channel with the word ‘family’ in its name. The TV series “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” opens with a 15-year-old girl coming home from band practice, reaching into her French horn case and pulling out a home pregnancy test. Her horrified look confirms the results.

No less startled are some parents whose children watch the ABC Family cable program that revolves around the sex lives of high school students. The titillating themes, in their view, are out of place on a channel with the word “family” in its name — especially given the chaste image of its owner, Walt Disney Co.

But “Secret Life” has become ABC Family’s biggest hit and one of the most popular shows on cable, drawing an average 3.8 million viewers an episode. With depictions of teens rolling out of bed, a father peppering his daughters with questions about their sex lives at the dinner table, and a troubled boy revealing that he had been molested by his father, “Secret Life” represents a coming of age for a channel founded by evangelist Pat Robertson to spread the Gospel.

Welcome to Disney’s new take on the American family.

Along with shows such as “Greek,” set in the belly-shots-and-wet-T-shirts world of college fraternities and sororities, and “Lincoln Heights,” a drama about growing up fast in a crime-ridden Los Angeles neighborhood, Disney says it has reshaped ABC Family into a channel more in sync with the realities and anxieties facing many American families and teenagers.

The programming ethos will take another twist next month, when ABC Family debuts “Sophie,” a comedy series featuring a young woman who has everything she wanted, including a loving boyfriend and a baby on the way. That is, until the guy dumps her.

ABC Family’s strategy casts a new light on the traditional Disney brand, which historically has mined such tales of youthful innocence as “The Little Mermaid” and “The Parent Trap” to win over generations of viewers. The approach has paid off. ABC Family’s ad revenue and ratings have been on the rise, making 2008 its best year.

“The best way to resonate with your audience is to be authentic,” said Anne Sweeney, president of Disney-ABC Television Group. “And you’re only authentic if you are holding up a mirror to your audience and saying, ‘I see you.’ “

Disney’s quest for authenticity, however, has sparked debate over what constitutes “family programming,” and how far the most influential family entertainment company can push boundaries when it comes to sex, underage drinking, absentee parents and the challenges of growing up today.

Read more here.

[From me]

I have no problem with authenticity.  But most of these “authentic” shows show skin and people rolling around in the sack. If you want to talk about the students making mistakes and families dealing with the repercussions that is one thing.  But the mainstream media promotes sex as fun loving and rarely talk about the consequences. Why not talk about the dangers of sex and the fact that teenage pregnancies are not wise. I don’t expect a secular TV company to talk about the spiritual reasons to remain abstinent but why not the social and financial reasons.

I’ve shared before how my best friend in college got his girl friend pregnant in high school.  Both of them were college bound but because of their mistake neither of them attended. It seems to me ABC Family’s “New kind of family” is just the same old Hollywood trash.

What do you think?

[Washington Times]

 Groundbreaking research suggests that pregnancy rates are much higher among teens who watch a lot of TV with sexual dialogue and behavior, compared with those who have tamer viewing tastes.

“Sex in the City,” anyone? That was one of the shows used in the research.

The new study is the first to link those viewing habits with teen pregnancy, said lead author Anita Chandra, a Rand Corp. behavioral scientist. Teens who watched the raciest shows were twice as likely to become pregnant over the next three years as those who watched few such programs.

Previous research by some of the same scientists had already found that watching lots of sex on TV can influence teens to have sex at earlier ages.

Shows that only highlight the positive aspects of sexual behavior without the risks can lead teens to have unprotected sex “before they’re ready to make responsible and informed decisions,” Miss Chandra said.

The study was released Monday in the November issue of Pediatrics. It involved 2,003 12- to 17-year-old girls and boys nationwide questioned by telephone about their TV viewing habits in 2001.

Teens were re-interviewed twice, the last time in 2004, and asked about pregnancy. Among girls, 58 had become pregnant, and among boys, 33 said they had gotten a girl pregnant.

Participants were asked how often they watched any of more than 20 TV shows popular among teens at the time or which were found to have lots of sexual content. These included “Sex and the City,” “That ’70s Show” and “Friends.”

Read more here.

[From me]

Call me a prude if you want but I’ve been saying this for years.  I’m amazed at Christian viewing habits. Cass and I stopped going to movies about 18 years ago when we decided it was hard to justify “1″ sex scene.  We only go to movies after checking out “Plugged-in.” Or we watch movies without sex scenes on our TV at home with our TV Guardian that blocks out profanity.  If our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit then we should make our TV’s part of that.

What do you think?

[LA Times]

A West Hollywood Halloween display showing a likeness of Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin hanging by a noose has caused a furor among some residents who reported it as a hate crime, authorities said Monday.

But Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said the mannequin sporting a beehive hairdo, glasses and a red coat does not rise to the level of a hate crime because it was part of a Halloween display.

Read more here.

[From me]

Then what is a hate crime? If this was an Obama display would it be?  It is just tacky and sick.  There is nothing funny or entertaining about killing anyone.

What do you think?

My friend Quinn Hooks shared this the other day but I’m not sure how many saw it.  Uggh!

[The Boot & Pittsburgh Post Gazette}

Although Reba McEntire fears that fellow Christians might criticize her for it, the singer says she believe she's been reincarnated. 

"I believe I've gone both ways -- that I have been here before as a man," the 53-year-old (in this life, anyway) tells the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "I believe I have spent time with my son Shelby before. I believe I have spent time with other people in my life before. Who knows? Maybe I'm part Buddhist." 

As for reconciling her Christian faith with her belief in reincarnation, McEntire says, "I'm sorry, but this is how I live my life, this is what I believe."

"My talent is a gift from God," McEntire explains. "I need to use it. If I don't, I wouldn't blame Him one bit if he took it away and gave it to someone else. I am very blessed, and never lose sight of that. When I die, I want to leave something behind. I want my kids to say, 'Gee, Mom really did some good on this earth.' 

Read more here and here.

[From me]

Reba is free to believe what she wants.  But belief in reincarnation goes against the teachings of the Bible. A true follower of Jesus knows that is appointed for a person to die just once and then face the judgment. Where do these stars get such whacked out beliefs?

What do you think?