Deborah 13 Servant of God

[UnquietDad]

So didn't anybody watch this? I thought you'd be all over it!

I felt very sad for her. I thought her big brother touched on an element of the truth when he said that she shouldn't be dwelling on stuff like eternal damnation when she is just 13.

I found her questioning creepy - the way she painted people into a corner to make them admit they are "a bad person". As was the "what if one of them was hit by a bus and you hadn't spread the good news?"

One scene got me angry - Deborah and her brother leaning on the gate looking at the fields and mocking the Big Bang and saying you had to be "stupid" to believe such a belief. They sounded about 7. Hopeless.

I can understand her parents' desire to protect her from the ills of the world, but you don't do that by never letting your child actually go out and have a life. The way the documentary presented it, it's as if there are only two choices as a teenager - be an evangelical Christian not doing any "normal" teen things, or hang round the bus shelter smoking and drinking like that crowd she tried to spread the "good news" to. Hmm, funny how she didn't go round any of the orchestras, choirs, music groups, sports teams, youth clubs and so on which thousands of teenagers are involved in during the evening.

I also had to laugh at her father's touching naivety - no TV in the bedroom (which I approve of) but they can have computers. Ever heard of iPlayer, mate??

(Oh, and I don't have the world's best gaydar, so I may be totally off here, but I reckon Matthew is going to give Mum and Dad a bit of a surprise in a year or two...)

I imagine - just my informed guess - that puppetry is a big thing among evangelical youth workers because young kids like puppets, and they are trying to enlist young kids to the cause because that's when people are at their most vulnerable and malleable.

Same way Christian Unions prey (pun intended) on freshers - capitalising on the vulnerability of people feeling insecure about being away from home for the first tine.

And puppetry is inherently naff...

i kind of like puppets, have a few. seeing them used in this way though was really nasty.

i thought she sounded like a froot loop and if heaven is full of types like her i'll take my chances in hell.

The thing I found disturbing was the dad (and Deborah's) view that the only thing that is important is eternity - so this world is a fleeting, rather grim setting for a single choice? Doesn't tally with the idea of God as a loving creator wanting his children to live and love in this world and be the best they can. All very joyless (though I accept there was prob a lot of editing to get to this point).

Does anyone know (guessing uqd might) what the figures are for young people like this and students falling away from a very black and white faith as they move on in the world? My own faith has been hugely changed by life events and I imagine I'm not the only one.

I found this programme rather disturbing. poor girl. I know her parents love her but she seemed rather tortured at times. It isn't at all healthy to be so obsessed with religion and how bad a person one is.

And why is it that every evangelist I see starts off with do you think you're a good person? Have you told a lie, cheated, stolen something etc? Not the best way to get people on your side.

nikos: I don't know the answer, sorry. I have Christian friends who might.

I'm not sure either - it's a pretty large proportion, I've heard the stats quoted in a few different churches, I'll see what I can find.

This and This might prove interesting reading - US based, I'm afraid, so not entirely applicable to the different UK situation, but it might be helpful.

have only just got round to seeing this on iplayer
oh my god ,its so sad she is thinking all the time about hell,she seems a very scared ,depressed little girl.
and matthew is most definatly gay