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Glee goes “Godly” — just right or too far?

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DALLAS — Do you love singing? How about watching a comedy and laughing? Do you like cute guys with amazing voices? Enter the World of Glee. Glee is an award-winning, genre-defying show about a group of high school students who join their school’s Glee club, under Will Schuester, a former Spanish teacher.

In its sophomore season, Glee has had a rise in ratings to a 5.9, putting it at number 2, right under NBC Sunday Night Football, according to Tvbythenumbers.com. Last week, Glee had the highest viewer rating to date, with a Britney Spears episode which featured various Glee members belting out popular Britney Spears songs, while each was under laughing gas at a trip to the dentist. This episode was one of the more controversial, due to the skimpier clothes, raunchy dance videos and even a special Britney Spears appearance with girl-on-girl action.

Yes, that episode was pushing television boundaries, but last night’s episode was the most controversial to date. The hot topic of God came into play when each Glee member “finds religion” in his or her own way. Glee mixes in humor by using Finn Hudson’s “Grilled-Cheesus” as his go-to God. He finds God after noticing he has burned the face of Jesus onto the top of his grilled cheese sandwich. All of his prayers are answered continuously, so bam!, Finn becomes a Christian.

Is this the way Christianity works? Should we expect God to grant our every wish, and otherwise turn away if He doesn’t answer the way we want him to? One viewer was moved to give her opinion.

“I thought it was cool!” said Dianna from Dallas. “This one (Glee) was interesting…to see the whole notion of God come up.”

This episode also had Kurt of Glee Club expressing his views as a non-believer. Kurt’s Dad goes into the hospital in this episode. As a non-Christian, Kurt gets angry at his friends for praying for him and his father. In the end, this episode was a tear-jerker. Kurt has a change of heart and decides to accept his friends’ kindness, even going as far as attending Church with Mercedes.

“I thought it was interesting to see his change of heart toward his friends’ religions in the end,” said Lauren, a college student and Glee fan.

This episode raises the bar on where television standards and controversial limits will go. This was a genius move on Glee’s part, as fellow Gleeksters tuned in around the World to watch!

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8 Responses

  1. Do you think a prime time show where a lot of tweens watch for the great music should show someone praying to Jesus for a chance to get to 2nd base and then having it happen?

    Reply

    1. Humour had to be added to such a difficult topic.
      Also the lesson learned by Finn in the episode, that prayer should not be used for selfish wishes like that, but be a tool for guidance and hope for those who are less fortunate than him when Puck tells Finn what he prays about.
      We can stay in denial of the fact, that tweens and those younger do know what these terms mean, and may even experiment on them, it is up to us to show them what is the right or wrong thing to do. Although I do agree that it isn’t the most appropriate thing for younger people to watch, and not the best influence either. Let alone the stereotypes which are then assume on the Male sex.

      Reply

  2. The episode was intolerant of atheism. Even the guidance counselor did not accept or respect that Kurt might be able to find comfort in something other than belief in a higher power. In the end, the message was that, without religion, our lives are meaningless and empty.

    Reply

    1. I have to disagree with you on some level, although the guidance counsellor was reluctant to accept Kurt’s status on his faith and belief in a higher power, or whatever, throughout the episode the acceptance of his friends for him not believing in their faith and of those around him was conveyed. Kurt’s monologue on God was portrayed a perfectly reasonable argument for not believing in him/her, and by this gave an insight into what atheists may also think. Also, the episode also showed that, one doesn’t have to believe in God or follow religious traditions (which may also be believed by the majority of atheists) when Kurt tells his father “I believe in you” which really tells the audience that family, friends and love to each other may be all that one needs in order to live happily.
      i would be surprised if people didn’t complain that the episode portrayed religion as a negative aspect in some sections. I thoroughly enjoyed the controversial themes in the episode, it clearly evoked my thought on religious beliefs.
      😀

      Reply

  3. Concerned Spiritualist: I can see why you might feel that way. But I didn’t interpret Mercedes speech that way. It’s not that without *religion* our lives are meaningless and empty. She was talking about Kurt shutting himself off from the intangible — which could just mean the power of loved ones’ support. Even without religion or without believing, Kurt was moved by the generosity of spirit shown by the congregation and realized his friends were doing the same. Being an atheist doesn’t mean that one can’t appreciate the power of love around you.

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  4. I don’t watch Glee, but I can figure out who Kurt and Mercedes are. Making the gay boy atheist and making the big-bodied black girl a church goer seems to meet stereotypes. Flipping the script on this point might have been interesting although, I acknowledge, it might not have been possible given these characters’ previously-established histories and qualities.

    Reply

  6. .

    This episode just made me wish that more people were aware of the fact that — tons and tons and tons of religious-scholars have repeatedly PROVEN that NEITHER God, the Bible NOR the true ‘Christian’ faith “condemns” homosexuality or anyone being gay.

    These very same scholars have SHOWN that those few verses in the Bible that some rather unlearned people MISTAKENLY think/thought are/were speaking of “homosexuality” … ARE/WERE (in reality) actually REFERRING TO … the horrific and condemnable practices of EITHER:
    —– 1) Rape (i.e. Sexual-Assault);
    —– 2) Pederasty (i.e. Child-Molestation) AND / OR
    —– 3) Pagan-Temple Sex-Rites (i.e. Religious-Brothels) … most of which involved the used of “Catamites” (i.e. ‘Child-Prostitutes’)
    [Also – there are some comments at the ‘Chris Colfer / Trevor Project’ and ‘Max Adler / It Gets Better’ YouTube videos that also discuss this is much greater detail.]

    As is well-known, in their efforts to become a hate-mongering power-elite, the so-called “Religious Right”(RR) have chosen to continually LIE both to and about the gay-community for decades (hoping that no one would dare research the RR and expose them and their lies).

    (What’s interesting about all of this is that most members of the RR will constantly quote from the King James Version (KJV) Bible in an effort to unfairly attack gay people.

    What’s ironic about that is the fact that most of the members of the RR are clearly UNAWARE that their beloved KING JAMES (of KJV-fame) was an openly GAY man — and one of the main reasons he commissioned the KJV, said the be the ‘most accurate’ of all Bible versions, was to prove to the world that God loved and accepted gay people.

    This also refutes the widely believed myth that the KJV is homophobic — when, in reality, it was the post-KJV versions that attacked gay people – while the KJV did not attack being gay.)

    So anyway — it just makes me wish that more people were informed that NEITHER God, the Bible NOR the true ‘Christian’ faith “condemns” homosexuality or anyone being gay.

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