Posted on 08/08/2003 9:37:48 PM PDT by scripter
Dr. Laura Schlessinger, one of the nation's most popular radio talk-show hosts and the most successful on-air counselor, is no longer practicing the rituals of Judaism – a religion she converted to a decade ago in her 40s.
''Almost 10 years ago, I talked on the air about becoming a convert to Judaism,'' she told her listeners last week. ''I was open on the air at that time about that evolution. Well, I would say within the last year I have had a de-evolution.''
Where is she now spiritually?
''Nowhere exactly,'' she chuckled. ''Suspended animation. I still see myself as a Jew. But the spiritual journey in that direction – as hard-core as I was at it – just didn't fulfill something in me that I needed.''
Schlessinger grew up in New York, the child of a Jewish father and a Catholic mother. She was a life-long atheist, who, in her 40s, began exploring and practicing Judaism.
''I felt that I was putting out a tremendous amount toward that mission, that end, and not feeling return, not feeling connected, not feeling that inspired,'' she told her radio audience. ''And trust me, I've talked to rabbis, I've read, I've prayed, I've agonized, and I came to this place anyway, which is not exactly back to the beginning, but more in that direction than not.''
Schlessinger, known to millions as Dr. Laura, says she is still ''very committed still to all my moral issues, and the charitable issues. I mean that hasn't changed. My putting out hasn't changed. My identifying with this entity and fulfilling the rituals, etc., of the entity – that has ended."
During the past month, Schlessinger has been increasingly offered more personal insights into her life, as well as her spiritual journey.
A recent column for WorldNetDaily offered a glimpse of what a day in the life of Dr. Laura is like. The reaction to these personal glimpses has been interesting, she said.
''By and large, the faxes from Christians have been very loving, very supportive,'' she said. ''They'd say, 'We're praying for you.' 'We hope you can attain this because of the work you do.' 'We can see how committed you are.' 'You are doing God's work.' 'It's a shame you haven't been able to feel. ...' really supportive, nice stuff. From my own religion, I have either gotten nothing, which is 99 percent of it, or two of the nastiest letters I have gotten in a long time. I guess that's my point, I don't get much back. Not much warmth coming back. It's intellectual, argumentative and angry. If anything, that's all solidified me where I am.''
Schlessinger said she has envied her Christian friends who talk about their relationship with God.
''I have envied all my Christian friends who really, universally, deeply, feel loved by God,'' she told her listeners last Tuesday. ''They use the name Jesus, in referring to God. My Christians friends generally talk about Jesus when referring to God. That was a mystery, feeling connected to God. To me that was a mystery, and I was very sad about that and very envious of my friends.''
Schlessinger, the best-selling author of several books focused on successful relationships, parenting ideas, morality and personal ethics, is now working on a new one, ''Bad Childhood, Good Life.'' In researching that book, she said, she is more convinced than ever that religion is the most powerful force in turning people's lives around.
''Any of you who 'dis' religion and say: 'It's just a matter of sheep following' or 'It's all nonsense,' you are deluded," said on her program. ''You're in denial, and you're unreasonably hostile. The beauty that I have heard on this show and read in these letters over the last 25 years I've been on the air, for the people who've been able to feel connected to God and feel loved no matter whether they say 'God' or 'God Jesus,' no matter what it is they use as the term, it has been the saving grace. That is not to be disrespected.''
The ''Dr. Laura Show'' is heard on some 300 radio stations with an estimated 12 million listeners, making it the second most popular radio talk show to Rush Limbaugh's.
See Dr. Laura's WorldNetDaily column archive.
Yeah I believe they did, but I don't remember the details. Go figure, the gays don't like morality in their face. I can understand people criticising Doc L. for her past, which was pretty seedy. And maybe she is a nutball now, for all I know. Nevertheless, her message is a positive influence. Hypocrisy? Maybe so. I have my own beliefs, but I also have my own glass house, so I'll have to shaddup about it.
Don't remind me, 4282. Ah, what the heck, pray we both figure it out some day.
Well, that's interesting, isn't it? I've heard that before, but, who knows why? Who knows how her mother treated her? If her mother treated her like a piece of dirt, should she have gone crawling back for more? Nobody knows the "why" of that.
From my own experience, I'd say no. If my own parents spent my life trying to convince me I wasn't worth anything, sooner or later I'd tell them to stuff it. In the end, I would "honor" them by taking care of them in their declining years. Wouldn't mean I'd have to swallow a daily batch of negativity in the process. Some parents understand kids are a big responsiblity. And some parents treat their kids as an afterthought. Consequently, you reap what you sow.
Yes indeed.
Exactly. Some folks here can agreeably disagree with Dr. Laura and her style, some go over the top.
It may seem that she doesn't listen properly to everything a caller has to say before making a judgement. This may be true in some cases. But remember two things:
First, before a caller gets on the air, he or she has been interviewed at length. Dr. Laura has a long and complex description of the problem, the background, some of the caller's quotes, and possibly some resources based on previous shows or previous research. This is standard prep at the big-time radio shows, like Rush and Sean, who can afford top-class staff and extensive computer support. So she's not just hearing three words and winging it; she's basing her assessment on what the caller said in a 20-minute discussion, which she could not air lest it bore millions of listeners half to death.
Second, callers are carefully chosen. You don't just call in and automatically get on the air. The only calls that Dr. Laura deals with on the air are those that can be handled with a few terse phrases. Call screeners make sure that the people whose problems are dealt with on-air are not those who are dangerous, who have serious mental illness, or who might lure her into political exchanges. They particularly choose people who could benefit from a good tongue-lashing. I think they're pretty good at this. I've never heard Dr. Laura be unkind to someone who needed help, and she often recommends that callers speak to a therapist, but I've certainly heard her tie into the selfish callers. That is to say, on the air she stays within her area of expertise, which is verbally gutting people who are being awful to their children.
I just found her website. The about Dr. Laura page says:
EDUCATION
- BS, Biological Sciences, SUNY Stonybrook, Long Island, NY
- MS, M Phil, Ph.D. (Physiology), Columbia University (College of Physicians and Surgeons), NY
- Post-Doctoral Certification in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling, Human Relations Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
- Licensed Marriage, Family and Child Counselor (MFCC), California, formerly in private practice for 12 years
- Past member of the Biological Sciences faculty of the University of Southern California (five years) and the graduate Psychology faculty of Pepperdine University (eight years)
- UCLA and UC Irvine Extension course instructor
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