Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Behind All of The Makeup

Recently I got a chance to watch The Eyes of Tammy Faye, a documentary about her life through the 'eyes' of Tammy Faye Bakker. I don't know if any of you got a chance to see her son's documentary that used to air on the Sundance Channel, One Punk Under God, but it was a great little series. It followed his life and you got to see Tammy Faye during her last years. Both give you a great insight into their past and see how the downfall of Jim Bakker affected their way of thinking and their take on religion.

What struck me most about the Bakker scandal was that after all was said and done, their religious community wouldn't take them back, wouldn't forgive them. They were ostracized by their community and eventually Jim was sentenced to jail. Tammy Faye and their kids were left to deal with the media and the fact that they were alone in this. Mind you, I don't approve or think that what the Bakkers did was right, fair, or just, BUT I do believe in forgiveness. I am often heard saying "I forgive, but I might not forget". Which can be considered one of my faults, but I truly am a big believer in forgiveness. Forgiveness unto oneself and forgiveness to others. And at the end of the day it makes me feel good.
 
Tammy Faye had a long fight with cancer and lost out in 2007. Behind all of the makeup, I think she had a very forgiving, open, and genuine spirit.

3 comments:

  1. I can't help but give my two cents."Conditional grace" says i love you and forgive you but only on my terms. It's only an illusion of true forgiveness. That's not love!

    We are reluctant to forgive because doing so seems to discount the seriousness of the wrongs. Forgiveness isn’t condoning or forgetting what happened. Neither does forgiveness mean that consequences get tossed out the window. It requires acknowledging that an act is wrong and in doing so we release ourselves and put the past behind us.

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  2. aww this is a nice post. is the scandal where she and her husband were scamming people's money through religious tithes and donations? I do agree that forgiveness is the way. not only does God forgive (and I strive to follow Him) but it is (physically and emotionally) not healthy for us to hold hate in our hearts...besides, we're all human, who are we to judge each other? xoxo

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  3. Thanks for the comments guys. I agree with both of you!

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