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. |
"...the "Christian Commitment/Philosophy" Christina signed when she enrolled her daughter,...
There had been rumors about her at the school, she bent over in front of a boy and wasn't wearing underwear, she got upset when someone spoke to her about it, and then a parent went to the strip club's website for proof.
Aha...The ever popular whispering campaign. Actually none of the local papers that we have had access to, mentioned the No Undies, or the Rumors....
"There is not a Christian denomination in existence that approves of stripping as a profession."
I simply don't recall ever hearing that it is ok for people to judge others because the Church disapproves.
"Since Jesus extended the commandments into our hearts and minds, not just our actions. Selling sex is adultery."
She isn't even selling sex by your own definition, according to you she is 'stirring up lust in others' Oh I didn't miss the fact you equivocate that with adultery but that must be on the 'Thought, word, or dead' side of things. Pretty loose definition made to suite the occasion, very Christian of you.
"Since Jesus extended the commandments into our hearts and minds, not just our actions. Selling sex is adultery."
Jesus made it ok for you to judge others any ole way you please. Cool! Did he fix that part about 'honoring your Father and Mother' too? Oh wait! that's for the church to decide right?
"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."
That sentence makes no sense as written, do you mean "Teaching the the clear truth that is upheld by all Christians is not "Judging" or taking the lord's name in vain"?
Did you even see what the senior pastor said? Guess that's ok if 'All Christianity' upholds it or it is 'acceptable by the church'?
I am going way off subject here, I have not said stripping was ok, or good. I have said that you all make me ill by judging the Stripper for her dancing and not ever mentioning the Pastor who freely took the Lord's name in vain. Even in your response you avoid that. Bet you would still slap your kids for saying GD though. Gotta love the hypocrisy… why? ‘cause Jesus said so.
Get a flippin' grip.In case you didn't know, I came down on the side of the church from Day 1.
This story is a joke. The fact that you and all of your God buddies are making such a big deal out of it, moralizing back and forth like a gaggle of dimestore preachers in a bordello only makes the joke funnier. Rational Freepers with a sense of perspective are giggling their asses off at boobs like you.
Once again: this is a story about a DUMB stripper who thinks she's a fundie christian---a dumb stripper, further, who wants her poor daughter to be educated by these fundie christians---a dumb stripper, further still, who's too dumb to understand why the church may have a problem with what she does for a living. FURTHER STILL: she's dumb enough to think she's shielding her daughter from publicity by becoming a morning zoo radio personality and posing for Playboy.
This is the stuff of sheer farce in real life. It's amazing that only a few literate Freepers actually get the joke. It's so effing obvious.
What got to me here is a response that said no matter what the woman said, the tart was not to be believed. Yet anything said against her appears to be accepted as absolute truth and gospel. Here is a woman that in no way has harmed a single one of us, and yet so many are condeming her.
You sound like a Supreme Court Justice - David Souter, is that you?
Jesus Montalbo Quintanilla (and more I forgot, he'll forgive me.)
Good buddy of mine from my Air Force Days when talking about people who praise God and gossip under the roof of a church.
At other times he said 'Damn she's fine!' and 'Yo! toss me another Bud.' as well as other theologically important things.
Great now the Playboy cover will be sans undies..
Wouldn't it have made more sense to keep the girl in the school, where she could benefit from being taught a less compromising Christian morality?
It appears that all the adults in the situation have abdicated any responsibility to wholesomely nuture the child (I realize that this is primarily the mother's responsibility). At least the school could have been one anchor in this child's life. My impression of her now is as of one who is adrift, who, undoubtably, will be tossed here and there by all that going on now.
No, I'm Thurgood Marshall...
Christians are to be corrected when they err, and the Church is the authority that they should abide by. Perhaps, to you, the message of Jesus is "do what thou wilt." It is not.
She isn't even selling sex by your own definition, according to you she is 'stirring up lust in others' Oh I didn't miss the fact you equivocate that with adultery but that must be on the 'Thought, word, or dead' side of things. Pretty loose definition made to suite the occasion, very Christian of you.
Loose definition? No it is a strict definition. I didn't make it up, Jesus did. Perhaps you are satisfied with outward conformance to whatever Commandments you agree with, but Christians are called to a higher understanding.
When Jesus said that one who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery, He was telling us that it is not our actions that matter, but our thoughts and motiviation. If I hate your guts with all my heart, but refrain from actually killing you, in your mind I am obeying the Commandment not to murder. But to the Christian I have already killed you where it matters, in my soul.
Jesus made it ok for you to judge others any ole way you please.
I wish you would pay atttention. Jesus clearly calls us to live an upright life. Stripping ain't it. The Church tried to inform her of this fact, that her confessed "Christianity" was a sham if she did not live it, but she would not listen. Neither will you, it seems.
Jesus isn't a fluffy bunny.
That sentence makes no sense as written, do you mean "Teaching the the clear truth that is upheld by all Christians is not "Judging" or taking the lord's name in vain"?
That's what I said. I'm sorry the dependent clause confused you.
Did you even see what the senior pastor said?
You mean this: ""Rick Cole, the church's senior pastor, said God thinks stripping is demeaning."?
Yeah I saw it. What is your problem with it? Do you think that God approves of stripping?
Guess that's ok if 'All Christianity' upholds it or it is 'acceptable by the church'?
Speaking the Truth about what God has revealed to us is not taking his name in vain. You have a strange grasp of the fundamentals.
I am going way off subject here, I have not said stripping was ok, or good. I have said that you all make me ill by judging the Stripper for her dancing and not ever mentioning the Pastor who freely took the Lord's name in vain. Even in your response you avoid that.
It would help if you made up your mind. Stating what God has revealed to us is not taking his name in vain.
The stripper, who claims to be Christian, was taken to task for her unChristain lifestyle by the Church. This is what the Church is supposed to do. If I care about you and see you heading for a cliff, I would warn you. This is what they have done, told her that her profession is a detriment to her faith.
SD
Based on her answers here, I doubt the tramp will care. Daughter will probably be encouraged to follow in mommy's footsteps in a few years.
...bleeding her spiritual life away...
Such is your belief system; there is no rational, objective criteria for such an analogy. Who is harmed? Where, and how?
The only harm I see is the self-righteous condemnation from folks like you. So? Do you think your fire-and-brimstone ping-pong with others of like mind is going to carry any weight in this person's life? Now, or at the 'judgment'? Seems to me you'd have more than enough to worry about with your own life, Kev.
It appears that all the adults in the situation have abdicated any responsibility to wholesomely nuture the child (I realize that this is primarily the mother's responsibility).
Is it productive to spend all day teaching a child about Christianity, only to have the mother undermine it every evening? As you correctly pointed out, it is the mother who has the chief responsibility to raise her child. If she is acting at cross purposes to the school, the child does not benefit.
SD
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