Sponge Bob Square Pants' Sexuality

Published January 29, 2005

IN THEORY

Sponge Bob Square Pants' Sexuality

Q:

Some conservative Christian groups are criticizing a children's video featuring SpongeBob SquarePants and other cartoon characters because they believe it promotes acceptance of gay and lesbian families. The video's makers, however, say it is meant to promote tolerance and diversity.Peter Sprigg, senior director of policies of the Family Rsearch Council, said: "Much of what they have is coded language that is regularly used by the pro-homosexual movement such as 'tolerance' and 'diversity.' Do you think messages targeted toward children should be more specific when promoting themes of tolerance or are some of these critics over-reacting?

A:

Let’s begin with the obvious. He’s a sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea. Equally obvious is that Sponge Bob has a voice that is heard by our children. Therefore, we believe, he should have some degree of responsibility in providing a decent message, forgetting that we parents, educators, clergy and anyone who works with children have a greater responsibility to address those messages.

The cartoon feature produced by We Are Family should be welcomed by all of us. To have Sponge Bob, Patrick and the folks at Bikini Bottom talking about diversity and tolerance should open the doors for parents to communicate, share and grow with their children. After all, if a cartoon can become a vehicle for parents to approach sensitive issues, then parents have a value-added on top of its baby sitting function.

Tolerance? Diversity? I can’t understand why some are fearful of these words just because they have been used by pro-homosexual movements? I can think of a movement that centered on these words 2000 years ago when its leader walked this planet. Christianity is the first religion of tolerance and diversity, so much so that Jesus Christ put us to the ultimate challenge of loving even our enemies. And the road to tolerance, he taught, started by removing the speck from one’s own eye, to clearly see the log in his brother’s eye.

The Christian Church has a clear mission – to continue spreading the message of love and hope. I truly wish that this Sponge Bob episode can serve us an opportunity to talk to our kids about the diversity among people in the world and even more, to discuss their similarities – that we all have a tremendous energy within us to love and to be loved. To tell them that that love is so powerful that it can overlook our flaws and make us approach one another with respect. To share with our kids that where there is love there is no inequality, no loneliness and no despair.

Fr. Vazken Movsesian

St. Peter Armenian Church & Youth Ministries’ Center

In His Shoes

Armenian Christmas as a City Holiday

Armenian Christmas as a City Holiday

Q:

What do you think of the Glendale Unified School District giving students the day off Jan. 6 for Armenian Christmas?

A:

While the decision to give the day off to Glendale students was based on practical and financial reasons, I’m thankful that it gave us another opportunity to herald the Good News of Christ’s birth while at the same time it recognized the cultural and religious diversity of our community.

As a priest of the Church I am continually challenged to bring a message of hope and love to hurting people. In this sense the value of the celebration is tremendous, because we celebrate the revelation of Love. True, the day off falls under the banner of “Armenian Christmas,” but the actual name of the celebrated feast is “Theophany,” i.e., the Revelation of God. It is the celebration of the birth of Love and the power of that Love against evil. Faith and commitment to this power is the foundation for strength, the drive to persevere against the odds and to survive where survival would ordinarily be impossible. It is the cornerstone of the Armenian Faith.

My personal celebration of January 6 this year was surrounded with the relief efforts for the tsunami victims on a global level, and closer to home, with the funeral of Carlos Piñon, the Hoover High student who fell victim of a drive-by shooting. Here we saw two opportunities for love to be revealed and the community responded in the spirit of the season. The value of a day-off will come in our ability to take the message of the day and use it as a metaphor for our daily pains and struggles. After all, giving birth to love is something not reserved for saints nor for the Virgin Mary and it definitely is not restricted to December 25 or January 6. Christmas is everyday for people of faith.

Just two decades ago our nation designated this weekend as a holiday in recognition of the life and work of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In concert with this commemoration we hear Dr. King’s call to look beyond a person’s skin color and see the content of his or her character. Yet we know prejudice and discrimination continue to fill the hearts of some. The true value of the King Holiday is in our ability to reflect on the work of this champion of civil rights, to learn from his teachings and to apply them in our lives. By so doing, we raise our consciousness to strive and work for a world where “black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Catholics and Protestants will be able to join hands…” Likewise, the commemoration of Armenian Christmas should stand as a witness to the strength of love over adversity. It is an opportunity for us to look beyond ourselves, to come together as a community and work toward our issues with love and respect for one other. It is a chance to reach out to the hurting people in the world and in our community with genuine compassion and care. After all, this is the true commemoration of Christmas.

Last year a coalition of African-American groups seeking to reduce urban violence in Cincinnati reached out to area businesses and engaged them in activities on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The holiday became a platform to address issues that were plaguing the Ohio community. My hope is that in the years to come, Armenian Christmas can be used similarly, to reach out to the hurting in our community, to address and squelch the prejudices we harbor, to relieve the tensions in our schools and to cultivate love and respect for one other. I hope that it never becomes just another day-off, but rings the bells of the Season one more time for all of us to hear.

Fr. Vazken Movsesian

St. Peter Armenian Church Youth Ministries

In His Shoes, International