School Play Stretching the Limits of Separation

Published August 25, 2007

IN THEORY

School Play Stretching the Limits of Separation

Q:

John Burroughs High School in Burbank students recently performed a summer musical called "Children of Eden," which had religious themes in it based on the Old Testament. Some have criticized the show, arguing that it blurred the lines between church and state and that tax money shouldn't go to such a program. Others say students should be exposed to all cultures and themes, of which the Old Testament is a part.

What do you think?

A:

Separation of church and state is essential to the health of our society. I understand that the line between the two is increasingly being blurred particularly when mixing belief systems with science. But this case at John Burroughs High School is quiet different. It can and should easily be categorized in the "Old Testament as literature” classification.

Here is a story that is being taken on its literary merits. It has all the classic themes that lend themselves to good theater: love, lust, dishonesty, infidelity, vengeance, jealousy and murder. Coupled with the mysterious, it has all the elements for a box-office hit. Personally, I would object to the thematic contents before I would object to any religious connotation.

The stories in question are part of a rich religious tradition in which they find merit and value. When taken outside of their religious framework they are mere stories for entertainment and hopefully, at the end of it all, a moral to contemplate and ponder. Think of other High School productions. Would anyone assume that “Bye Bye Birdie” was expounding the virtues of the military draft? Or that “Music Man” is an instructional source for trombone playing in orchestras? Yet, throughout the plays you find human emotions that force you laugh, cry and think. And if you walk away with a thought, perhaps one which forces you to rethink your circumstances, then the production has done what all good art is intended to do.

Fr. Vazken Movsesian

Armenian Church

In His Shoes Mission

The Simpsons and Religion

Published August 4, 2007 IN THEORY The Simpsons and Religion Q: Author Mark Pinsky has written a book titled "The Gospel According to the Simpsons." The book suggests that the Simpsons are a family in which religion plays a part, and that they are reflective of many American families. For instance, the Simpsons say grace, attend church, reference the Bible and pray. And episodes have tackled religious themes, Pinsky says. What do you think? Does "The Simpsons" add to the religious conversation in America? A: The Simpsons are pop culture icons, and as such they wonderfully express the ideas of God, man and humanity as understood by many of us today. The writers of the show have an incredible knack for exposing some very deep prejudices we all hold regarding religion and its role in society. For example, when Rev. Lovejoy classifies Hindus in the “Miscellaneous” category of religion, or when Homer blurts out that the Catholic Church has “more rules than Blockbuster Video,” we laugh at the absurdity of these statements but also understand that the characters mimic a general ignorance toward religion that is prevalent in our society. I remember in the early days following 9/11, the President was quick to point out the similarities between Islam and Judaism and Christianity. For the most part, his statements were taken as gospel truth, because of the authority with which he proclaimed them. Similarly, many of our concepts about God and religion are shaped by the “authority” that shapes our society. Think of how Cecil B. DeMille etched upon our collective memory the images of the parting of the Red Sea in the Ten Commandments or the face of Jesus as seen in King of Kings. The Simpsons point to the absurdity in many of the concepts we hold as truth. They make us question a politician, albeit a President, explaining religious doctrine. They challenge us to look at the silliness of the images we have conjured in our minds, all in the name of God and a Higher Order. I read Pinsky’s book a few years ago and I have used excerpts from it, as well as Simpson episodes, in Bible Studies that I have led. The Simpsons lend themselves nicely to a dialogue about religion because it is in these critical and often sarcastic portrayals of faith that we can examine what is the true meaning and purpose of our expressions. Fr. Vazken Movsesian Armenian Church In His Shoes Mission