I have no idea why the Miss California "scandal" qualifies as actual news, but I would like to say a few words. First, an especially pertinent paragraph or five from the internet.
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The Sunday after the Miss USA pageant, Prejean was greeted as a hero by the congregation at her San Diego-area megachurch, the Rock Church. Shortly after, she signed on to be a spokesperson for the National Organization for Marriage’s campaign against same-sex marriage.
More recently, Prejean told James Dobson of “Focus on the Family” that Hilton’s question about gay marriage was the work of the devil.
“I felt as though Satan was trying to tempt me in asking me this question,” she said on Dobson’s radio show. “And then God was in my head and in my heart saying, "Do not compromise this. You need to stand up for me and you need to share with all these people ... you need to witness to them and you need to show that you're not willing to compromise that for this title of Miss USA."
That controversy over her pageant statement was still raging when the Web site thedirty.com posted a racy photo of Prejean wearing pink panties and a smile. Prejean said the picture was taken for a modeling shoot when she was 17. She said just one picture existed.
But then the gossip site posted another picture, saying it had more, and other sources came out saying that Prejean was over 18 when she took the shots. Then, on Monday, another gossip site, TMZ.com, posted more pictures of Prejean, this time from the front and topless.
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Next, a few pertinent words from the source.
- "Not all who sound religious are really godly people. They may refer to me as 'Lord' but but still won't get to heaven. At the Judgment many will tell me, 'Lord, Lord, we told others about you and used your name to cast out demons and to do many other great miracles.' But I will reply, 'You have never been mine. Go away, for your deeds are evil.'
- "Woe to you, Pharisees, and you religious leaders---hypocrites! You are so careful to polish the outside of the cup, but the inside is foul with extortion and greed. Blind Pharisees! First cleanse the outside of the cup, the the whole cup will be clean....You try to look like saintly men, but underneath those pious robes of yours are hearts besmirched with every sort of hypocrisy and sin."
- "You cannot serve two masters: God and money. For you will hate one and love the other, or else the other way round."
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Ms. Prejean, I cannot stress overmuch-- gladly underwent breast augmentation surgery, a procedure which was paid for by the Miss California pageant. In addition to being another example of everything wrong with a society obsessed with outsides and superficiality at the expense of internal purity, the very same phenomenon Jesus spoke against in his day, what I am most appalled with, frankly, is the behavior of the megachurch which has welcomed her into their fold with open arms. What strange, opportunistic bedfellows this makes and how unfortunate it is that a church which espouses the teachings of Jesus would adopt a by-any-means-necessary approach to defeat the scourge of same-sex marriage. That they would overlook and completely ignore the words of their spiritual leader to advance their own agenda is what truly troubles me most.
She must hate herself if she feels she has to surgically alter her body when the one she was born with is perfectly pleasing in and of itself. But that's not surprising about hating oneself--our consumer culture thrives on selling us stuff to make us socially acceptable. And I think fundies tend to hate themselves and others and are usually busy telling others how to be acceptable. Nothing to see there, moving along...
ReplyDeleteVery true, Liberality.
ReplyDeleteKev-
ReplyDeleteYou are truly one of my best "news sources". You and PE Nolan are better than anyone trying to report honestly, what is really gong on.
Thank you SO much for the time you take to be so enlightening in a time of shadows.
And as a side note, I really dislike any type of beauty pageants.
Love and appreciation for ALL you do-think-write
Gail
peace.....
Just what the world needs.... another brainless barbie doll. Never have had the desire to change anything about me. Except the hair color. Once it goes a good white, the dyeing stops.
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