It is very noticeable how Christians are depicted in TV shows. There are over 2.2 billion Christians on the planet from all walks of life but as represented on TV shows they all seem to be quite similar. Ever since that famous scene on the West Wing, where a scene was carefully crafted and prepared to cast Christianity in a hypocritical light and then went viral I have been looking at how Christians are cast in media. (I guess I should write about that scene soon)
I have been watching the first season of Orange is the New Black and I have enjoyed it so far. But of course I had to notice that the Christian character (Tiffany) is a former drug addict who killed an abortion clinic worker for disrespecting her and as she is in the prison thinks she is a faith healer, preaches any chance she can get, but is obviously a huge hypocrite as her worldview does not match up in her life because she is vindictive and even talks about killing one non religious character. Just to add, there is a Catholic nun in the series but is yet to weigh in on these issues of religion.
So I was sad to see that this is the representative of my people in the show but I understood it. The last episode I watched though, I thought deserved a comment. The main character Piper pretends to convert to Christianity so she and the Christian character can get along. When Tiffany brings Piper to a disgusting "muck sink" to be baptised in front of a group of "Christian followers" (who are also purposely cast in a poor light) Piper finally says she cannot convert for a few reasons. Ill post the monologue speech here. I apologise for the curse word that appears in this picture.
This is obviously a crafted speech and Ill only tackle the first part here and do some more follow up on this monologue. The first part of the speech is mainly the tired false dilemma of Science vs Religion.
"I believe in science. I believe in evolution. I believe in Nate Silver, Neil Degrasse Tyson, and Christopher Hitchens"
What hits me as so odd here is that many of the fathers of modern science were incredibly religious. Issac Newton, Robert Boyle, Johannes Kepler, James Clerk-Maxwell and on and on were all very deeply religious. Also they saw no problem with "believing in" science right along side with deep religious beliefs. Today I have yet to see science provide any problems to the Christian faith. Yes I understand there is a small group of Christians who hold to a young earth but this is not a popular or traditional view in Christianity. Christians have never been held to a young earth model as shown in Augustine's writings from some 1500 years before Darwin.
Second she says she believes in evolution. So do Christians! When the Origin of Species was published it was supported by many Christians and was even published with a letter from Darwin's main American supporter, the evangelical Harvard Botanist and Professor Asa Grey. Also one of the world most famous biologists, Francis Collins is a Bible believing evangelical Christian who shows there is no problem between Christianity and evolution.Next she says she "believes in" Silver, Degrasse Tyson and Hitchens. This is a very odd statement, I don't think these men want anyone believing in them in this fashion but I think I know what she is getting at. Again I see no problem here. Neil Degrasse Tyson is a astrophysicist and science communicator. Christians have a long line of physicists including Nobel prize winners. They saw no problem with physics and God so why does this character on this show?
When it comes to Christopher Hitchens, he was one of my favorites for sure. He was loved by Christians worldwide, especially after his debate with William Lane Craig because of his humorous nature, his ability to have a respectful exchange and his humbleness in admitting defeat. I watched him trounce a bunch of pastors and the like but his debates with William Lane Craig and John Lennox were very different. He was open to the evidence, was passionate but was very clear that he was not certain. Also it was easily shown that he was very emotional on the topic and was not able to argue against strong Christian apologetics. He even remarked about how the fine tuning argument for the universe (teleological argument) was the strongest from the Christian side and the most intriguing. Chris Hitchens had many close evangelical Christian friends and even his own brother is a strong Christian apologist.
My main idea here is the Science vs Religion issue is a false dilemma. There is no evidence to prove that it is a problem and is not a reasonable position to hold. It is a popular one though that you will find in media and on internet forums. If you encounter this issue, just ask for the evidence to be presented that supports it.
Ill stop there and tackle the rest in follow up blogs.
