Donna Freitas: October 2006 Archives

It's well known that at the Catholic University of Notre Dame, football is its own religion. The school even boasts a mural of "Touchdown Jesus" on its campus.

Notre Dame's football coach since 2004, Charlie Weis, is a giant of a man, who has brought the team back from a series of losing (yes, losing) seasons, is known for his harsh personality, and has also become infamous for excessive expletives on the field. And in the eyes of the campus and its fans, he is also above sin. Last night, "60 Minutes" did a special segment, called "Big Man On Campus," on this bear of a coach who has revived the Fighting Irish. In the piece, Notre Dame's President, Father John Jenkins, boasts giving him "special dispensation" for his foul mouth:

Notre Dame President Father John Jenkins says he hired Weis because his values and commitment to excellence mirrored those of the university. And he seems willing to give the coach a special dispensation for his language. "This may shock you, but I've heard salty language in football locker rooms a lot. Charlie's a New Jersey guy and he speaks very directly," Jenkins says. "Andy Reid of the Philadelphia Eagles, who was a good friend of Charlie's, said that Charlie's probably spending a lot of time in the confessional here for all of the language," Kroft remarks. "If he's spending time in confessional, I encourage him to keep doing that and repent," Father Jenkins says, laughing.

Apparently, all is forgiven in football.

"Conversations with God"--the true life story of Neale Donald Walsch, the bestselling author of the book series of the same name--hits screens nationwide this weekend. The books have sold more than 7 million copies worldwide, and the first one sat on the New York Times bestseller list for well over a year. (You can watch a clip from the film here.)

As the films in the "spirituality" genre are wont to be, "Conversations With God" is verrrrry slow at points. There are lots of "reflective silences"--gazing into space, at a lake with surrounding mountains, sitting on the couch during one of Walsch's particularly down-and-out moments. This slowness--rather than coming off as artistic, moving, or even suspenseful (see "Whale Rider" as an excellent film with little conversation but electric intensity)--comes across as cheesy. Viewers are supposed to experience these silences as pregnant with meaning, but they verge on the awkward, if not entirely boring.

That said, once the film starts really exploring the juxtaposition of Walsch's current life and success as a bestselling author with his earlier experiences as a homeless man living in a tent, the film picks up and audiences will find themselves wanting to know the bits and pieces of this rags-to-to-riches story. In other words, I did eventually watch with interest as Walsch's transformation unfolded, but it was hard to lose the feeling that the makers of this movie were trying to manipulate me, wanting me to cry, and most of all, to buy the book.

I must admit, I have not read any of the "Conversations with God" books--though Book One has been sitting on my shelf since the late 90's, a gift from a friend who thought I should read it during a difficult time in my life. At the very least, seeing the movie has sent me searching through the mountains on my shelves for my copy of that book. I'm now curious to read more than the snippets and excerpts the film offers viewers--it did whet my appetite (score one for the producers!). I imagine movie-goers still uninitiated to the series will feel a similar curiosity.

And the religion scholar in me couldn't help but ask, while watching Walsch's story unfold: Is Neale a modern-day mystic? One whose relationship with God is so intimate, so intense, that he cannot help but feel compelled to share this profound knowledge with the world? Neale's sensibility of the divine is as friend, and even more so as Love--a portrait not unfamiliar within the history of Christian mysticism. Hadewijch of Antwerp, believed to have lived in the 13th century, wrote many poems and lyrics inspired by her intimate encounters with God, which evoked Love as the proper divine address.

Yet it is not quite right to compare someone like Hadewijch with Walsch. Hadewijch's portrait of Love/God is far more nuanced and complicated--her God can break your heart over and over and She (God) is undoubtedly Christian. Walsch's God seems to be one who loves you, yes, but who also wants to fulfill your every desire, whether monetary or otherwise, and seems most suited to the "spiritual but not religious" crowd. Most striking of all, though, is that Neale's God and Neale himself seem to be more or less one and the same. (This certainly launches him away from claiming a spot within the history of Christian mysticism--though it's not as if he's lobbying for one, either.)

Watching the film made me wonder: Walsch's claims, his publications, and his speaking/preaching tours do mimic (at least to a degree) what we know of many mystics across history--so why aren't scholars wondering about his status as modern-day mystic? Is it his lack of association with one religious tradition? Is it that our skepticism is too strong? Or is it the fact that perhaps, ultimately, his "Conversations with God" are too much about serving the "me" in all of us, and lack that ethical component--a sense of justice--evident throughout the history of mysticism?

Viewers and readers will have to decide for themselves.

The documentary "Jesus Camp" directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady finally rolled around to my neck of the woods (Burlington, VT) this weekend. I was eager to see if the film was as "frightening" as so many journalists and reviewers have claimed, and if so, what exactly was so scary. (I would like to comment only briefly on my take on the film here. But for an additional perspective, as well as concise summary of the documentary, see my fellow blogger Kris Rasmussen's astute post, "Jesus Goes to 'Camp.'")

There is no doubt that Pastor Becky Fischer--a children's ministry leader and head of the camp central to the film--is frightening. She spouts on about preparing kids to go to war, to go into battle, to become warriors and armies--the list could goes on regarding the military language and approach she seems to understand as necessary to form children into faithful Christians. Viewers will surely leave the movie frightened that such a camp actually exists.

But what is more frightening is that the documentary directors portray Fischer's camp and ministry as if it is somehow indicative of the whole of evangelical children's ministry across America, yet they do so without providing any additional footage to back up their implied claim. How is it that anyone can make such broad conclusions about evangelicals and Christian formation from a single camp? From a single pastor? Where "Jesus Camp" fails miserably is that it sticks tightly to its title: It explores only "camp," in the singular, a sample size of one.

Ewing and Grady indeed may be onto something--that there are disturbing happenings across America with regard to our children and religion. But if that's really the case, they need to show us this with a much wider lens. And I've seen too many positive evangelical ministries to believe that these directors have given us the whole story--or even a large piece.

So if you want to see the ravings of Pastor Becky Fischer and her "Jesus Camp" go right ahead. Just remember that's all you are seeing. No more, no less.

We have a new Superfriend!

In The New York Times last weekend, columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote about Muslim feminism (yes, there is such a thing, and Muslim feminism has many followers). What really caught my eye as intriguing, though, was his mention of Rima Khoreibi, who is "an author from Dubai who wrote a children's book about an Islamic superhero who is female--Iman, a teenage girl with a cape, head scarf and deep religious convictions." The book is called "The Adventures of Iman," and a sequel is due out in December.

A little bit about Iman (from Khoreibi):

Iman is a young, heroic Muslim teen age girl who loves to help those who are in trouble. She has very strong faith in Allah, or God, and when she prays for His help she feels her strength turn into super powers! Iman knows right from wrong, and she always quotes the Koran to explain to others that Islam is a great religion that expects Muslims to be tolerant, kind, righteous, and non-judgmental.

And she wears pink!

Iman always makes sure she has her pretty pink scarf around her neck at all times. She uses the scarf to cover her hair when she is praying to Allah. Iman knows how important and precious it is to have a special bond with Allah. Allah helps anyone who calls His name! Iman also wears a necklace with a pendant that she never takes off. On the beautiful pendant is written “Allah”. When Iman needs Allah’s protection she holds the pendant and says “bism-Illah”, which means “in the name of God.” The pendant then turns into a big shield to protect her from any harm.Iman is a girl who is smart, beautiful, athletic, and friendly and most of all her love and belief in Allah is what makes her the special girl she is.

And, Iman (well, Khoreibi) has a website, too: www.theadventuresofiman.com. Check it out!

Then try the latest "Lost" online quiz, this one with a religious twist. It's pretty extensive, with a total of 101 intriguing questions, and it provides extensive answers. At the very least, it will help you brush up on those fuzzy yet important facts relevant to the show's arc. The quiz includes the following teasers (in addition to lots of general show trivia questions):

• What cast member is a former counsellor at Green Bay Bible Camp in Kelowna, British Columbia: Yunjin Kim, Evangeline Lilly, or Ian Somerhalder?
• The Dharma symbol is comprised of an octagon with eight variations of three lines. What do three unbroken lines (III) represent?
• Jack disinfects the shoulder wound of "Henry" before changing the dressing. In one of Jesus' parables, who bandaged the wounds of a man who had been stripped and beaten by robbers?
  

Do you know the answers? Click here for these and more: "Lost Quiz"

Looking for a good B-movie sci-fi thrill? Well, "Final Days of Planet Earth," billed by the Hallmark channel as an apocalyptic three-hour movie "event," premieres this Saturday, October 14th. And of course, when I say good, what I really mean...

Harry Potter and friends are certainly not strangers to banishment by all sorts of religious groups, including the Vatican. But one Georgia mom, Laura Mallory, is trying to protect her kids by having Harry Potter banned across the board from...

Madonna has made endless headlines this summer with her controversial crucifixion scene during her Confessions Tour. Apparently, Courtney Love is aiming for a piece of the religious action, too.The cover image of photographer David LaChappelle's new book, "Heaven and Hell,"...