The Atheist/ Christian "30 Days" episode premiers tomorrow on FX

[Synnical]

http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/30days/main.html

Edit: I TIVO 30 Days, but was reminded of this due to this press release: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/8/prweb421752.htm

Dallas Businessman’s Whispered Prayer Becomes a “30-Days” Social Experiment

Download this press release as an Adobe PDF document.

Michael Shores, founder of publicly traded, high-tech Texas Prototypes, and his family place their faith in action during feature role in FX TV’s hit reality program.

Frisco, TX (PRWEB) August 8, 2006 -- This wasn’t the first time the “token” Christian that Michael Shores watched on a popular reality TV program lacked evidence of love, peace or grace. Grieved, Mike questioned God in a whispered prayer: “Why her, Lord?” Days later, God responded to Shores through a serendipitous phone call from a friend. The result will air Wednesday, Aug. 9 (check local listings for times) on FX TV’s “30 Days” program.

As you may have guessed, the entire Shores family was chosen to participate in creator Morgan Spurlock’s (“Super-size Me”) unique, month-long social experiment, called “30 Days.” Throughout June, the Christian family from Texas hosted a stay-at-home mom from Kansas named Brenda -- who just happened to be an atheist. FX’s video crew traveled to the Shores' home in Frisco and throughout the Dallas Metroplex to capture hundreds of hours of footage of their interaction, which they edited into an hour-long program.

This third “30 Days” episode of the new fall season offers a non-sensational look at Brenda’s immersion into the Shores’ Christian home and community. While the camera records, Brenda attends the Shores’ church and weekly Bible study, a Christian concert in Ft. Worth featuring Third Day (www.thirdday.com) & David Crowder Band (www.davidcrowderband.com) (when her husband and four children visit), and answers hard questions about the roots of her unbelief in God on Christian talk radio. Though the Shores have home-court advantage, FX producers turns the tables while Brenda teaches them a crash-course in atheism and introduces them to an atheistic congregation in the Dallas area, called The Free Thinkers.

“This was a mirror for me, my family and, I feel, the Christian community as a whole to look back at ourselves,” said Mike Shores about the “30 Days” experience. “We
The Golden Rule -- “Love your neighbor as yourself,” as taken from Matthew 19:19 -- reigns supreme in this example of reality TV at its best. In 2005, “30 Days” debuted as FX’s highest-rated non-scripted program. Approximately 1.4 million U.S. viewers are expected to watch as the Shores and Brenda place faith and faithlessness alike in action -- and as Mike learns another important lesson: Be careful what you pray for.

Michael Shores is founder and president of TXP, Texas Prototypes, (www.texasprototypes.com), a small publicly traded high-tech manufacturing company, located in the “Telecom Corridor” of Texas. He and his wife Tracy have four daughters, and they are active members at McKinney Fellowship Bible Church (www.mcfbc.org) in McKinney, TX.

[NMMNG]

1. I'll have to remember to watch the repeat on Sunday night

It should be very interesting.

[onager]

2. Anybody else catch this?

Maybe I'm just too grumpy...

This wasn’t the first time the “token” Christian that Michael Shores watched on a popular reality TV program lacked evidence of love, peace or grace.

That's a horribly written sentence, IMO, but it makes him sound very judgmental. Saint Mike Of TXP seems like the kind of guy who would cast the first, second AND third stones: "This harlot hath dared to shew her uncovered face on Reality TV. Women should keep silent in the churches. Paul said so. He meant they should keep off TV shows, too."

Grieved, Mike questioned God in a whispered prayer: “Why her, Lord?”

Envy. One of the Seven Deadly Sins, IIRC. What he seems to mean: "Why her on TV and not ME-ME-ME? I'm the bestest Xian in the world!"

The press release reads to me like the usual commercial for Xianity, complete with plugs for a couple of those loathsome "contemporary Xian" bands. Jesus wept. Then he put in his ear plugs.

It still sounds interesting, and I'll try to catch it.

[varkam]

3. I had to read that sentence a few times to get the meaning...

I'm glad it wasn't just me :)

My Catholic girlfriend told me about the show tonight. I am so there (and by "there" I mean my couch).

[progressoid]

4. Thanks - I'll be setting the VCR for this one (no TIVO) Although....

it's a little weird that they chose to put an Atheist in a house with xians. It's not like that crap isn't shoved down our throats all the time anyway.

I suppose it's more dramatic than the alternative. What would a believer do in an Atheist household? We don't have special songs and prayers and conversion meetings and weeping & wailing and snake handling etc etc etc etc every frickin' day.

An Atheist going into the Xian den is akin to National Geographic visiting a primitive tribe....in TEXAS.

[Goblinmonger]

5. My DVR is set

Did you notice in the previews that the Xian uses the old "It says 'In God We Trust' on my money" canard?

I like this show. It is not the hacky bullshit like Wife Swap where they put crazy son of a bitches together. They usually get thoughtful people on both sides.

[NMMNG]

7. "It says 'In God We Trust' on my money"

And? :shrug:


Look! It says "I'm with Stupid" on my shirt and the arrow is pointing to you. If we follow your perspective that anything in print is Law then I guess you're stupid! :P

[Synnical]

9. Yeah, you gotta see the episode

Same ole nonsense from the xians. "Doesn't bother me. If you don't like it, leave." Though, truly the IGWT on my money is a minor issue these days in the US, what with vouchers and "faith based" programs and prisons being funded with tax payer dollars.

-Cindy in Fort Lauderdale

[Synnical]

6. 30 Days,' trying to bridge the gap

http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/living/15230845.htm

30 DAYS. 10 tonight, FX.

WHY CAN'T we all just get along?

Rodney King's plaintive plea could be the theme for FX's "30 Days," now in its second summer of trying to explain red staters to blue staters, illegal aliens to Minutemen, and, tonight, atheists to Christians.

Even more than its mass-appeal counterparts, ABC's "Wife Swap" and Fox's "Trading Spouses," the documentary series from filmmakers Morgan Spurlock ("Super Size Me") and R.J. Cutler ("American High") appears to cast not just for conflict but for the possibility of change.

Or, barring that, a willingness to agree to disagree.

Which is why, I guess, that while Brenda the atheist and Michael and Tracy, the Christians with whom Brenda, a mild-mannered mother of four, is thrown together, don't appear to budge an inch from any of their beliefs after 30 days in one another's company, there is plenty of hugging. And maybe even a little learning.

Hugging, eewwwww.

[Synnical]

8. Okay, so I just finished watching the episode

Nothing dramatic, handled fairly evenly. In fact, I'd say if it was biased, it was biased toward atheism and against fundies. Still uncertain if the christian family are creationists, but it did seem to indicate that they lean that way. Everyone was very tolerant and polite. Brenda handled herself with dignity and managed to avoid rolling her eyes. :) Or if she did, they didn't air such facial expressions. She handled their questions calmly, without malice or anger or annoyance. The dad, Michael, seemed to struggle with even the idea of someone not believing in god, but came across as gracious, if a bit incurious. The wife,Tracy, was much more open-minded and accepted Brenda's lack of belief seemingly without much problem, but seemed relieved when Brenda's family visited for a week-end and Brenda's "maternal instincts kicked right in." This comment suggested to me that Tracy was kind of holding her breath, waiting for the demon-side of Brenda to appear. :evilgrin: (The press release indicated the Shores' have four daughters, only two were in the episode, one a toddler.)

There were some funny moments, from my perspective, when Spurloch visited christian oriented venues. Such as "BC Tours" conducted at a Denver museum. BC meaning Biblically Correct where the tour director explains that dinosaurs and humans co-existed. :crazy: And Spurloch's trip to The Holy Land Experience in Orlando, Florida. Now, I've been there, American Atheists asked me to write an article about the park a year after it opened. And we were almost asked to leave because we started laughing at THE EVENT of the day there - a re-creation by actors of Christ's crucifiction. Spurloch shows a portion of the "show" and I started laughing out loud all over again. It is so cheesy, and the make-up so silly, and so over-acted, and adults are crying and it's just so damn silly and creepy - especially since children are watching this brutal scene!

I thought the episode was well done, and recommend you catch the repeats if you can.

One last personal note, they also interviewed Rich Andrews, who is spear-heading the lawsuit against the State of Utah over road side memorial crosses on public property. He also, handled himself quite well. Off now to drop him an e-mail.

-Cindy in Fort Lauderdale

A couple of my photos from The Holy Land Experience

Re-creation of Jesus' place of rez-erection

[onager]

11. Thanks a lot!

For the review and the photos. Sounds like it may be worth watching.

I'm ROFL at those pictures. What do they call this production, The Cheapest Story Ever Told?

[Anarcho-Socialist]

10. Being in the UK, I'll keep an eye out for bit torrents.

It sounds interesting.

[MindPilot]

12. I finally got around to watching it last night.

DVR is a wonderful thing for some of the stuff at the "Holy Land" Experience theme park only comes out with frame-by-frame zoom. The menu board at the food court cracked me up! Shepard Soup, David's Grilled Chicken Sandwich, Jaffa Hot Dog, Tabgha Tuna. The one that had me rolling on the floor was the Goliath Burger, and for extra irony--and 4 bits--you can add CHEESE!

And in the belly of the theme-park cash cow, there is Jesus lecturing to the flock: "you cannot serve both god and money"

The look of incredulous disgust on one of the Atheist kid's faces during the church service was just priceless!

Bottom line? Atheists are much nicer, more tolerant people than Christians. But we already knew that, right?

[Ezlivin]

13. I thought it gave a good "taste" of modern megachurch life

Even though Michael Shores talks of Prestonwood Baptist as a megachurch, his church is also damned big.

Spurlock could have spent some time showing viewers what these giant churches are like inside. For the uninitiated they are like a big Christian shopping mall. Bookstores, coffee shops, health clubs and miles of carpet. The anchor tenant is the "sanctuary" or "worship center".

The megachurch I used to belong to when I was brainwashed had a gymnasium and bowling alley. You could really do everything but shop for groceries there.

[NMMNG]

14. I'm watching it right now (spoilers)

I just can't get over some of these people.

The Christian husband just gets done telling the atheists that he's sorry for the negative behavior of his 'brethren' and that it is 100% wrong. Then he turns around and refuses to answer one atheist's question, "How would you feel if money had 'There is no God' stamped on it", and when pressed tells the man, "If you don't like it you can move". :eyes:



And of course when Spurlock is interviewing the passersby for their perceptions of atheists it's the usual roundup of comments: "There's something wrong with them", "They're immoral", blah blah, blah.


A guy in the Bible Study Group wants to know what "Credentials and Documents" she has that to support her belief that God doesn't exist. I almost wish she would have asked what credentials and documents he had to support his belief that God does exist (other than the Bible which is not an objective verifiable source). However she's trying to keep things amicable so she was very polite in her answer.


Christian dad is "disheartened" that the atheist parents are teaching their kids about atheism and not teaching them about God. He thinks they should teach the kids about both sides and let them choose when they get older. Is he teaching his kids about both sides so they can choose when they get older? Then there's the usual "If they're not raising their kids with the fundamentals of God what are they raising them with?". :eyes:


Aye.

[MindPilot]

15. I thought the dad was a real passive-aggressive prick

He seemed like he never had the balls to face someone straight on and state his position. His body language suggested to me a defensive posture and he seemed to always be standing to the side. Yet he was just full of snaky almost under the breath comments.

The guy doing the museum tour in Denver was another study in cognitive dissonance. The fact that his little creationist group being graciously hosted by the museum was there to point out that the museum is wrong was totally lost on him.

The Christian dad gave his kids a warning to "be nice" to the Atheist kids...I have my doubts if that was necessary for the Atheist kids.

[Synnical]

17. Most male fundies are, in my experience

Look at Shrub. }(

[NMMNG]

18. "Passive-agressive prick"

Now where have we encountered those before??? :shrug:


"Creation science" is BS and those who refuse to see that are exhibiting willfull ignorance.

And you're right--it's doubtful that the atheist kids needed to be told to be nice to the other kids. Nor did the atheist parents need to be told not to be judgemental &%$#@s.

[Synnical]

16. Comments from Brenda and Michael

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2006/aug/13/show_documents_atheists_month_christian_home/?city_local

Show documents atheist’s month in Christian home


Brenda Frei

“This project is a lot about tolerance,” Frei said.

“I think it is somewhat groundbreaking for this topic to be treated in this manner. Although they didn’t focus on some of the ideological issues in depth at all, it was a good first step.”

<snip>

“We thought someone would come live with our family,” she said. “But we were told the producers didn’t think there was enough going on in an atheist family — which is really a joke, because we have four very active children who are extremely busy and vibrant.”

<snip>

“One of the things that bothered Michael a great deal was his lack of understanding how people can live a valuable life and one that cares about the betterment of the world without having the Bible as a reference for living. It seemed to surprise them that non-religious people can raise responsible, respectful children and have positive, contributing lives,” said Frei, who found it much easier to bond with Tracy Shores.

<snip>

She said, “I know there are people who are going to disagree with some of the things that are said on the show. I think there are many times when there is much more that we said or needed to be said. I feel like we didn’t have time to explain things very well, or at length. So this is just a first step on this issue.”

http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/stories/DN-30days_0809gl.ART0.State.Edition2.2b6a179.html

TV review: Meeting atheist enriches Frisco family

<snip>

"I thought it ended up being very positive. ... It was a neat experience. It really was," says Mr. Shores, who has seen tonight's finished product.

<snip>

"When they asked Tracy and I what we thought an atheist looked like, we really didn't know. We tried not to be judgmental," Mr. Shores says in a telephone interview.

They didn't know much about television either. "We don't watch it much," Mr. Shores says.

<snip>

"I looked up at the sky and said, 'Oh, Lord, not us,'" Mr. Shores recalls. "I looked at every excuse not to do it. But the more we learned what they were trying to accomplish, we just felt that God had called us to do this."

<snip>

Mr. Shores, who prepped by reading "maybe $400 worth of books" on evolution, says the two families have stayed in touch and become friends since filming ended in June.