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.
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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. |
Did they put a dollar in her collection plate?
Show us your tithes, baby.
Their actions are the best thing that's ever happened to her.
#1, they exposed her sin and hypocrisy.
#2, she got more fame and publicity than she derserves.
her admitted goal is posing for playboy. every woman's dream!!!
And, apparently not for your daughter, or the Lord Jesus, for that matter.
I have many interests. I got straight As in high school and great grades in college, so I have unlimited possibilities and opportunities.
Employment opportunities in Rancho Cordova.
No stripper jobs listed.
Wrong.
She became a prostitute.
This isn't even a close call. In fact, the reaction of supposedly Christian FReepers to this story will disclose immediately whether they have the Spirit or not. Those who do not will seek aggressively to justify her self-willed behavior, and will condemn the pastor who strived not just to minister to her temporal needs but to her and her child's spiritual needs as well.
Working as a prostitute (selling sex for money) is hardly a "job". There are plenty of jobs out there. She doesn't need to get one that will cost her the rest of her and her daughter's life.
Hmmmmm.....Seems to me, he could've handled it in a much quieter, more graceful, and ultimately more dignified manner.
Simply, had he let the kidlet, get thru Kindergarten and informed the mother she would not be had back, there would be no adverse media for his church or school, no Hype for the stripper, No Playboy shot....etc...
This is not the first ham handed disciplinary attempt by this guy.He is probably an O.K. sort, but the evidence seems to indicate that he acts first, and considers later....
"I have many interests. I got straight As in high school and great grades in college, so I have unlimited possibilities and opportunities."
Sorry, but she herself disagrees with you. She wasn't a mother forced by grinding poverty and lack of choices to prostitute her body to save the life of her child. She was and is a bright, capable, and educated person who was tempted by the prospect of earning fast cash without having to work hard. She most assuredly is NOT a victim. She is self-willed, self-absorbed, and proud.
What a liar. She craves publicity, she's not trying to shield her daughter from anything. Because she lies about that, how would I believe the part where she claims church members came to the club?
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.
So, if my ultimate goal is to "provide the best life" for my children, I've got God's carte blanche to sell crack cocaine on street corners to other women's children or become a Mafia hit man. Riiiiiight.
I have to give her credit for not going public with the names of the congregation members who visited the club. They apparently thought it was their duty to rat out on her.
Actually, she makes two different statements on the matter, the one specific to the question you are adddressing, says something much different, but You must have missed that....To Wit...
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.
She then goes on to say, that her future is bright and she has more options....Which you have already pointed out.
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