I LOVE survivor and I find it amazing that these idiots who call themselves "good Christians" are praying to God to help them find idols and win challenges a) while they lie to each other (very Christian) and b) don't even THINK that MAYBE, God has more important things to focus on than that. Seriously... Asking God for help to win a million dollar reality show while people starve across the globe? VERY CHRISTIAN... I hope Dawn wins!

• RE: Bad Christians,dabo, 11:02 AM, 10-27-11
• RE: Bad Christians,Toban, 12:36 PM, 10-27-11
• RE: Bad Christians,Toban, 12:37 PM, 10-27-11
  • RE: Bad Christians,dabo, 01:05 PM, 10-27-11
• RE: Bad Christians,Molaholic, 03:33 PM, 10-27-11
  • RE: Bad Christians,iltarion, 09:19 PM, 10-27-11
• RE: Bad Christians,michel, 08:50 PM, 10-27-11
  • RE: Bad Christians,iltarion, 09:17 PM, 10-27-11
    • RE: Bad Christians,michel, 10:06 PM, 10-27-11
      • RE: Bad Christians,iltarion, 10:17 PM, 10-27-11
        • RE: Bad Christians,LibraRising, 10:32 PM, 10-27-11
          • RE: Bad Christians,iltarion, 11:26 PM, 10-27-11
    • RE: Bad Christians,Addi, 09:35 AM, 10-28-11
    • RE: Bad Christians,Toban, 12:21 PM, 10-28-11
    • RE: Bad Christians,PepeLePew13, 08:24 AM, 10-29-11
      • RE: Bad Christians,Estee, 05:02 PM, 10-29-11
  • RE: Bad Christians,dabo, 00:34 AM, 10-28-11
    • RE: Bad Christians,Snidget, 07:18 AM, 10-28-11
      • RE: Bad Christians,Estee, 07:47 AM, 10-28-11
        • RE: Bad Christians,Toban, 12:24 PM, 10-28-11
      • RE: Bad Christians,dabo, 11:19 AM, 10-28-11
    • RE: Bad Christians,iltarion, 01:57 PM, 10-28-11
      • RE: Bad Christians,dabo, 03:46 PM, 10-28-11

Welcome aboard.

I agree, God doesn't take sides in sporting events and game shows, it is all just ostentatious display on Coach's part and very offensive. He's turning Upolu into a cult religion, basically, with himself as the top dog prophet or whatever. At least Sophie is well enough grounded to be ill at ease with it.

Totally agree. All of them, except Sophie are going down in my love list for that ridiculous display of false piety. Even as an atheist and someone who believes religion should be a private matter, if I was out there, I don't know what I do. As much as I'd want to tell them how stupid I thought it was for them to publicly and ostentatiously praise their deity for a challenge win, I'd probably go along with it just so I didn't stand out...and then I'd feel sick about it.

At least Sophie seems aware of the issue.

I'm wondering if this thread may be more appropriate for bashers.

This has already been brought up in a couple of threads on Bashers. It is perfectly alright to have discussions of disappointments from the show in Fanatics, though, especially things that go towards who you support for the win. Coach had a pretty good game going for a bit there, shame he's turned to the dark side now, perfectly fine thread in this forum.

But they LOST!!!!!!

LAST EDITED ON 10-27-11 AT 09:20 PM (EST)

They Lost??

Wrong episode.

>

Praying gives people strength, confidence and it unites them. Even if God has more important things to focus on or doesn't exist, the prayers still help.

What have these guys done to make them "bad Christians?" Seriously, I would like to know.

What lies has Coach told? None, that I've counted.

If you do happen to tell a lie, does that make you a bad Christian? I guess there are zero good Christians in the world then.

I see, because there are people starving all around the world, and kids dying of cancer, etc. etc... then none of us should ever pray about anything for ourselves.

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

michel hit the point about praying right on the head. It has nothing to do with whether God "cares" about the result of some reality show.

Admitting there is a something greater than yourself and asking it for help is offensive? I don't get people, seriously.

You are all right. We would be much better off if we all just cared about ourselves and money and didn't have faith in anything.

I am FAR from a religious zealot, but the only thing overboard about Coach's behavior was the screaming at his own tribe to get on their knees after the win. That was ridiculous. There are Christians who don't even like to kneel.

I don't have a problem with kneeling, but if I'm going to kneel it is to be thankful for something important like my wife and kids, our health, not some victory in a game for money.

>

Nice to see that we agree on most of this but the "we just found this idol" was a lie, wasn't it?

Actually, Coach didn't say a word about finding the HII.

He and Sophie walked back with tree mail. Coach called everyone to gather round.

Brandon asked if they found the idol. Sophie smiled. Brandon proceeded to go nuts and tell everyone that Sophie and Coach found the HII.

Coach took out the HII, gave it to Brandon, and said, "Take a look."

That's all that was shown.

>

So deceit is fine -- just as long as you don't actually SAY anything that's a lie. Good to know!

I've only been watching off and on this season. Did Coach give up all his dragonslayer/Eastern-religion style stuff? That's the most disappointing development since Celeste gave up tarot cards and became born again on Days of Our Lives! (fortunately, they reversed that later).

But between the Jesus Camp team here and the Amazing Race snowboarders who boasted that their God was greater than a Buddhist temple while a visitor on that sacred ground (in a competition where the prize is mammon), I'm thinking CBS replaced their casting department with that Trading Spouses God Warrior and her friends.

Yes, I've always said that. A certain amount of deceit is required by the game. Most outright lies on the other hand are just the result of laziness or stupidity and could have been avoided.

>

I agree with most of what you are saying here. But being deceitful without outright lying is still a sin. That being said, we all commit sins all day long so saying they are not being good Christians because of missteps is wrong.

Still the "display" was so forced and very off-putting so I understand why it upsets some people.

LAST EDITED ON 10-28-11 AT 12:24 PM (EST)

Iltarion, you said

"I am FAR from a religious zealot, but the only thing overboard about Coach's behavior was the screaming at his own tribe to get on their knees after the win. That was ridiculous. There are Christians who don't even like to kneel."

To me, this was the worst and and the only really "offensive" part about it to me. There was the self-righteous demand by Coach that everyone get down on their knees to pray to Jesus AND it was probably done in part to make the Savaiis feal even more defeated.

The other praying stuff...it seems to happen in many, if not most Survivor seasons. It seems sort of silly to me but I can see how if it is some sort of inter-tribal unity-building exercise, there may be some merit to doing it.

What I don't like, though, is the implicit enforcement of participating in a religious exercise. Overt Christianity seems to be the default position in American reality shows (and probably in America itself). Those who believe in a different deity or no deity or that expressions of faith should be private end up getting dragged into the public display of piety to avoid being outcasts. And I'm uncomfortable with that...maybe because I'm Canadian and here, the default position is usually the reverse.

Pretty hard to take a Christian like Coach seriously when one moment he's praying and asking for help ... then in the next moment, he's talking about putting a bullet in Brandon's brain - I know it's figurative, but to talk like that while also asking for help from the man upstairs? It's a jarring contrast.

*watches three minutes of assorted news coverage*

It's not exactly a rare approach.

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." (Matthew 6:5-8)

Not that these people on Survivor can do anything about being filmed 24/7, but when they are hypocrites they should be called hypocrites.

I think what bothered me most about the demand to get on your knees after the win prayer, was it felt more like "Ha, Ha, God is on our side," rather than something that follows that passage (which is one that really has meaning for me as well).

I wonder when they lose next are they going to do the whole rending of flesh why has thou forsaken us thing.

The whole God loves us and not you thing tends to bother me. Be grateful to God for giving you gifts that helped you achieve, but do not assume it means that you are blessed and the other people aren't. They are also just as blessed and loved by God, as he is on everyone's side and I think much more concerned about the state of your soul than which petty competitions you win or lose.

Ag Potion Number Nine