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. |
Yes, the point is that the only thing you have testifying to the perfect rationality of your mind, is your mind itself. This is what as known as a circular argument.
You can know that you have a rational mind, but you can not prove it. This self-knowledge is based upon a leap of faith.
SD
Funny how you fail to note that it was the Church that brought order and learning to the world in the first place. It was the Church that established the universities.
SD
The Whited Sepulchres would appear to be secret fans of the Fallen Women. ;^)
Well done.
Of course. Look at the Chinese . . . they're still eating with chopsticks, those savages.
A+, right on the money!
Sadly the nouveau-empiricist troglodytes cast aside their stated devotion to fact and reason when it comes to a nice anti-Church parable like the fable of Galileo. It's sad, because the real story is far more interesting. Full of political intrigue, insight into the practice of Rennaisance science, and heroes, villains, and other interesting personalities.
But I suppose the "Church bad, science good" version also has an appeal in a remedial reader sort of way.
This is self-awareness, not scientific proof. Prove, from reason only, that your mind exists and is rational.
SD
I have and I do. I don't fall for the "enlightenment" fairy tales, like you have. Do you dispute that the Church started the first universities? Do you dispute that the Church brought order to the world following the collapse of Roman civil government and society?
SD
So are you suggesting we have start a God Police? Or are you, like the pastor in this story, able to tell us just what God's thoughts on stripping are? I thought it was wrong to try and know the mind of God...
Where in the world get you get this ridiculous idea?
God has revealed Himself, in person even, and has left us a Church and an inspired Book. It is not presumptuous to learn from these sources what God has revealed to us.
Do you honestly think God approves of stripping? Do you think it's some great theological question that has split all of Christendom?
SD
"The proposition that the Earth is not the center of the world and immovable but that it moves, and also with a diurnal motion, is equally absurd and false philosophically and theologically considered at least erroneous in faith.
But I will read on, because like Snuffington said it is fascinating, shame the Church got so wrapped up in politics it forgot that it was using God's name.. vainly I might add... to say that it knew what was right.
I think the school has the right to do as they wish as a private school.
I think the mom has the right to do likewise.
I've known a few girls who have been in Playboy. My ex wife...a major league shrew...was in Girls of Brasil 1985. When in college at Ole Miss, I knew a few girls who did the Girls of the SEC layouts. And I've known a couple in Miami as well. They were all reasonable chicks(sans the ex..LOL) who went for the money, the 15 minutes of fame and maybe the ego boost.
I don't think it makes them whores but it of course means they have little qualms about nudity for money or fame. I guess it's not for everyone but all in all, I don't think being in Playboy is akin to a scarlet letter.
Now, a lot of women like my second and current wife would never do such a thing (but she has stooped to being in those highly "erotic" CMT videos..LOL) but they don't scorn women who do. The key here is Playboy...liberal rag that it is ....it's not the same as porno or Hustler.
Just my thoughts.....
PS...my mom was Miss Mississippi in the early 50s....hope no one calls my dear now 70 year old widowed mom a "tartlet"...lol
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