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. |
Just two of many who had no problem believing in a Creator, but would have laughed out loud at some of the crap that passes for religion, or Bible knowledge, these days.
ZzzzzzzzzzzZ.
...with a 3rd grade sunday school knowledge of the bible and christianity... and then begin acting as if they know as much about God's word and christianity as those who have studied it all thier lives.
You've just described 90+% of the self-professed religious folk. Attending 'Bible Study' at church for 40 years does not equate to any deep understanding of the spiritual principles involved. What has been achieved is a profound indoctrination into the belief system of that particular denomination.
Do you have a post-graduate background in theology? Ancient History? Languages? How many books have you read by those who do?
Do you get sunburned badly in that big glass house?
no...this is a fact. I can touch it. I can use it. I can make it do my will. I can use it solve problems. It is a metaphysical fact that it is reality.
What is it that tells you that this mind of yours is rational?
SD
Your example doesn't work. Only a fool would rely on only faith, when it has obvious that we have been given rational minds. In the same vein, only a fool would rely on only "rationality," because we are obviously creatures who have a spiritual component.
In your example, one would properly use both faith and reason, by going to the hospital, but at the same time thanking God and praying for the doctors to do their job well.
See how the two work together? Now why do you insist that you must choose one or the other?
SD
But what is it that tells you this information?
SD
Wait a sec...all the people backing this woman said she was uneducated and stripping was all she could do to make a living...
Most public schools have dress codes-- and private schools can be more conservative. Insurance companies prefer to cut their losses. The boy's parents and the church settled out of court-- don't know if the race card was in play by the time the game ended.
True. Judging from some of the self-righteous tripe posted on this thread, it's a wonder this mindset hasn't caught on in more of mainstream America. < / sarcasm >Free Republic is definitely going to the Godaholics. Only Godaholics could ruin a nice Friday Strippy Mom thread so thoroughly and unashamedly.
Oh, adultery is legal, too, but that doesn't make it moral. There's a difference between God's law and man's law.
You might want to re-think this. There have been studies done showing the power of prayer. One particular one released last year showed people healing faster and recovering better if they were prayed for. And here's the kicker -- they didn't even know they were being prayed for.
There are things out there beyond what reason alone can explain. When you follow reason as far as it can go, it leads to only one place -- God.
SD
The only decent thing that can be said of churches is that they do change. Oh the change is slow, like trying to turn a large over laden barge, but they do change.
Once upon a time everyone 'knew' that the Sun revolved around the earth, the church said it was so. Anyone who thought otherwise was a sinner. Anyone who spoke differently was a heretic and guilty of Sin. Of course, by SoothingDave's definition or Ppaul's belief, since it was accepted by that church that it was so, and since grandma thought that way, poor ole Galileo was imprisoned and punished because he....
Well because he strove to understand things for himself.
Frankly I find this statement scary SD, "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."
'And so Pope Urban being of sound mind and full of faith in the lord, having had the truth revealed to him by God said "God thinks that everything revolves around the earth!" Sadly saying that the Church believes that God is a Moron and knows nothing of the very universe he created.'
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.