Posted on 05/30/2002 11:52:00 PM PDT by Sabertooth
"Jesus loves the little children," the classic Christian ditty goes, "all the children of the world." All of them except the one whose mom works as a stripper.
That seems to be the moral of the story of nude dancer Christina Silvas, whose 5-year-old daughter was recently expelled from kindergarten when the school found out about her mother's stripping. A single mom, Christina danced at a gentlemen's club in Rancho Cordova, California to pay the $400 monthly tuition at Capital Christian School, operated by one of America's biggest Assemblies of God churches. School officials declared stripping violated the "Christian Commitment/Philosophy" Christina signed when she enrolled her daughter, and they gave the 24-year-old an ultimatum -- stop stripping or we'll stop teaching your daughter.
Christina and the private religious school eventually reached an accord. She consented to stop dancing for the last three weeks of her daughter's school year, and Capital Christian will allow the girl to finish kindergarten. Christina did not, however, say she wouldn't pose for Playboy.
When we learned about this tale of lack of Christian charity, we tracked Christina down. She had no qualms about our offer to pose, and she was soon on a plane to Playboy headquarters in Chicago. During a break in her shooting, we chatted with Christina and asked her to strip down the controversy for us.
Playboy.com: Once your daughter is finished with kindergarten, will you return to dancing?
Christina Silvas: That's not my intention, but I have not closed that door.
PB: Does the club want you back?
CS: The club can't wait for me to come back. They said that if I decide to return they'll throw me the biggest welcome back party the city has ever seen.
PB: When you were dancing there, did you ever see anyone from the church or the school at the club as a patron?
CS: Absolutely.
PB: How many?
CS: What goes on at the club stays at the club, so I can't comment about that.
PB: Rick Cole, the church's senior pastor, said God thinks stripping is demeaning. Do you agree?
CS: I think it's demeaning to have a day care raise your child while you're working.
PB: So he is off the mark?
CS: I don't feel that anything I did brought anything negative to my daughter.
PB: Cole is implying that stripping is a sin. Do you see it that way?
CS: It's definitely a difficult job, but the reason I was doing it was to provide the best life for my daughter that I possibly could, and I don't believe that is a sin.
PB: As a Christian, has this whole episode tested your faith?
CS: Life is a test. I believe that in that line of work you definitely have to be a strong individual. You use that occupation or it uses you.
PB: And you used it?
CS: Yes I did, and I think my strength of character to do that came from God.
PB: Your dancing was a sacrifice for your daughter. Do you think God was pleased with your sacrifice?
CS: I believe God sees our heart and looks at why we are doing what we are doing as opposed to solely our actions, and I believe that my actions were absolutely honorable. I was trying to provide for my daughter. I didn't have the luxury of looking for something else to do. It was very sudden that the financial responsibility of providing for my daughter fell onto my shoulders, and this was the first opportunity that seemed like it would help me accomplish my goals.
PB: How shocked were you when you found out about the expulsion?
CS: I was absolutely, totally, completely shocked. When I received the phone call that they were expelling my daughter based on my occupation, I did not believe it.
PB: Has this traumatized your daughter or has she been shielded from all of this?
CS: I have shielded her as much as I could. She caught a glimpse of the news and asked why her school doesn't want her to come back. I immediately reassured her that everybody loved her and that everything was going to be OK.
|
CS: She is an extremely intelligent child. I've sacrificed almost six years to be the best parent I can be and I fully believe she has the foundation to overcome any obstacle. PB: Will your daughter return to Capital Christian for first grade? CS: No. I was deeply disappointed with their actions throughout this entire situation. PB: Did you enjoy dancing at the club? CS: It was an extremely positive experience. It helped me accomplish the goals that I think are important, which is spending time with my daughter and providing the best that I can for her. PB: Was it fun, though? Did you enjoy doing it? CS: I enjoyed the challenge of it, of doing the best job I could. PB: Did you have a certain style or a signature move? CS: I was good with the pole. Everyone asked if I was a gymnast. PB: When this story broke, it was reported that people were coming forward to offer you other jobs so that you would not be violating church policy. Has anything panned out? CS: I want to take the next three weeks to find myself and my daughter a new church to attend, a new school for her to go to next year and hopefully a new occupation. PB: What would you like to do? CS: I have many interests. I got straight As in high school and great grades in college, so I have unlimited possibilities and opportunities. PB: Why pose for Playboy? CS: Before all of this happened, I was extremely interested in posing. I have the utmost respect for the entire company, and I believe posing for Playboy is the American dream for a woman. PB: What do you think the church's reaction will be to your posing? CS: I think they will believe that my intentions throughout this entire process were for self gain and that I had evil intentions. But I can't help what other people believe. I can't change other people's thoughts. PB: Are you prepared for the fallout? CS: I am. I have to live my life for me. I can't live my life for the public or the church. |
A strip joint with more ethics than this church. Imagine that?
Hi Dan,
As you stated......"nuff said."
Right! And she (the stripper) shown such consistently rock-ribbed high ethics throughout this whole ordeal that we know she'd never resort to a cliche'd LIE just to make herself look better!
Right back atcha, Dan.
Dan
Using "the letter of law" creatively to justify self-willed, self-obsessed, spiritually destructive behavior. Very interesting but spiritually bankrupt.
I have a question for all of you who 'rock throwers' who aim at the woman when tossing your stones:
Which is a greater sin, dancing naked or taking the Lord's name in vain?
It almost makes me sick that all of you have passed over the shear vanity expressed by Rick Cole, the senior pastor who believes he can read God's mind and therefore has the right to control the lives of others. While you shred the stripper for dancing provocatively you bow to the preacher who breaks one of the Ten Commandments without a second glance... then bemoan how far society has fallen?
"Rick Cole, the church's senior pastor, said God thinks stripping is demeaning."
So lets see... He may judge others and take God's name in vain, but the young woman must be stoned for dancing naked on tables? What gives him the right to say that and go unnoticed?
Since when are stripping and prostitution the same thing? Reminds me of another commandment, something about bearing false witness…
I guess you think the only way someone can take 'The Lord thy God's name in Vain' is to say GD, I bet you'd slap your kid for saying that.
Ah, yes - the old "Sistine Chapel ceiling is no different than Huster photos" argument. Weak.
You've completely missed the point. Ppaul stated that the nude models at my university art department are prostitutes, so he in fact does believe that the Sistine Chapel ceiling is no different than Hustler photos. Your argument is with him, not me.
You are seriously confused. There is not a Christain denomination in existence that approves of stripping as a profession. This is because the idea of stirring up lust in other people, deliberately, is sinful. If looking at a woman with lust is equivalent to adultery, then what is the woman whose job it is to make me lust? She is certainly not a good Christian who seeks to avoid sin, the appearance of sin, and the fostering of sin in others.
Her job, freely chosen, is to help others sin. This is not consistent with a profession of Christianity.
Since when are stripping and prostitution the same thing? Reminds me of another commandment, something about bearing false witness…
Since Jesus extended the commandments into our hearts and minds, not just our actions. Selling sex is adultery.
Teaching the clear truth that, even in a sadly divided Christianity, is upheld by all is not "judging" or taking the lord's name in vain.
SD
Selfishness: the key to understanding American narcissism, secular libertarianism, liberalism and human nature.
Dan
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