Abortion, The O.C., and Lessons Learned

The other day I saw a clip from the popular TV show The O.C. For those of you who are not familiar with prime-time TV, it is one of those self-righteous teenage dramas that make it look like all normal people in America live in mansions on the Pacific Coast, have amazingly in-shape and attractive parents, and wear the newest, coolest designer clothes. Sadly, this is not reality—although it might be nice! But I must admit that every now and then I like to watch the show—please don’t judge me!

While it is wildly entertaining, I do not want to reflect on the absurdity of me liking The O.C. My issue is with a statement that was made by one of the characters that really caught me off guard. I saw a few minutes from one unusually dramatic episode** in which Theresa (who is supposedly in high school, but looks to be in her mid-20s!) becomes pregnant. She considers an abortion.

Now, before I write any more I want you to know one thing: this post is not primarily about abortion. My feelings about that extremely sensitive issue are complex and still in the formation process. I am not trying to argue in favor of or against abortion in this post. My goal however is to make Christians re-evaluate the way with which abortion and similar “touchy” issues are typically dealt.

Theresa decides to get an abortion for many reasons, but one in particular struck me. She gave the excuse, “I can’t tell my mom. She is extremely religious.”

Think about that for a minute…

Then Kirsten, Ryan’s mom, offers to take Theresa to the women’s resource center. While Theresa’s mother is portrayed as closed, harsh, and judgmental, Kirsten is portrayed as open, kind, and unassuming.

I hope you do realize that I am fully aware that we are dealing with a TV show here. But I think that their portrayal of a mother’s harshness as a result of religion represents quite well the nature of a problem that is occurring within modern American culture.

It is a tell-tale stereotype! Is this not exactly the way that so many non-Christians see Christians? They too often see us as mean-spirited and judgmental. This is something of which we should all feel absolutely ashamed. It was religion that kept that girl’s mom from being as loving as the secular woman. I suppose all of us who would claim some sense of spirituality would feel this stereotype completely unfortunate and unfair—or would we?

I suppose the question then becomes, Why is there even a hint of such a stereotype? What is it that religious people have done that has convinced the non-believers out there that we are so unwelcoming and hateful? What have we ourselves (not the Christian community as a whole) done to promote such stereotypes? It is a shame to admit this, but the answer to these questions has been made so obvious by both the actions of others and myself that they do not even need to be answered.

Many Christians have not represented Christ well at all. In us, many non-believers see nothing of his nature. That is the truth.

So where else can this post go? I must ask the question, What will be done so that the young pregnant girls out there (or whoever else who finds themselves in an easily judged situation—which is almost everyone) will see a world of love and hope within Jesus and Christians? Isn’t that what he was all about in the first place?

Thoughts?

**The episode to which I am referring in this post is the season 1 finale entitled “The Ties that Bind.”