Mr. Rogers, the Failed Minister

SHARE:

By Carl S ~

I watched the PBS special documentary on Mr. Rogers the other day. I also went online to read some comments about him. One thing I noticed was emphasized, he was a Presbyterian minister. Let me explain how he was a failure as a Christian minister.

On his TV show, Mr. Rogers did not talk about God, Jesus, angels and devils. He did not frighten children with threats of hellfire, or offer the phony consolation of heaven. He was grounded here, with real children and their thoughts, feelings, and situations. He calmly talked about death, fears, feelings, without any reference to faiths. He practiced secular humanism, but without its boring philosophizing.

Mr. Rogers is famous for telling each child, on every program, “You are special.” He told children it's okay to feel angry, frustrated, and sometimes disappointed with themselves. He made a point of saying adults also felt the same sometimes. A child could depend on him to say, “I love you just the way you are.” That's an anti-Christian message. No minister worth his salt would veer away from the doctrine of original sin: the child is bad by nature from birth, and must be controlled away from natural bents. Christianity teaches children to suppress normal anger; that human nature itself is “sinful.” In religions, “Just the way you are” is the wrong message. God and Jesus don't like you the way you are unless that means never questioning them. Even then, you still must change.

Mr. Rogers made sure he kept the World of Make Believe as a separate part of his program. Religions would never do that, since they depend on mixing their chosen fantasies with the real world. Mixing them only confuses the child's mind and outlook on life. Fred Rogers realized that the child is naturally inclined to tell the difference between the two when it is respectfully pointed out.

The great success of Mr. Fred Rogers depended on the fact that he didn't lie to childrenThe great success of Mr. Fred Rogers depended on the fact that he didn't lie to children – something all ministers must do. He didn't force the traditional dogmas he was raised with down a kid's throat. If anything, he was rebelling against them. He was passionately for the child. He was sensitive about what it meant to be a child in a very large new world with its information to be learned, its confusions and contradictions to deal with.

He spoke to each child personally, perhaps in much the same way as he knew himself as a child. He saw the child's own world of fantasies as necessary to interpret the world in new, personal ways that lead to their inventions, discoveries, literature, art, music, etc. Fred Rogers was open to enjoy and share those fantasies. He encouraged children to respect themselves and to create.

Mr. Rogers spoke to our fears and doubts, our apprehensiveness and hopes, our ability to change our minds. He said to appreciate where you are in life, whether as a child, growing up, or as an adult. A very down-to-earth man. No Gods to deal with, to make excuses for, to try and comprehend. No, it's you and life as it's experienced; that's all there is. And it's enough. Those are anti- Christian attitudes.

Why did Mr. Roger fail as a minister, why does he succeed as a human being? Because he was very sensitive in understanding children and the child in all of us. Sensitivity, in case you haven't noticed, is absent in religions. Just take a close look at evangelical ministers, for example. Jesus, God, Martin Luther, St. Paul, all of them, are crude, mean, nasty, judgmental, and maudlin sentimentalists like Nazi death camp operators. There are those who say Mr. Rogers was “Christ-like.” They aren't thinking: go back, take a good look at what the gospels tell you about Jesus. He was no “failure,” like Mr. Rogers.

COMMENTS

Agnosticator,5,Al Wm Johnson,3,Alegria,3,Alen Basic,1,American Apostate,3,Andrew Jasko,3,Anne R Keye,6,AnonAgno94,4,Apetivist,2,Apostate Paul,3,Articles,707,Aspieguy,12,Astreja,9,atheistnurse,10,AtheistToothFairy,1,austinrohm,3,Avangelism Project,2,Barrett Evans,2,Ben Love,69,billybee,2,BlackFreethought,12,Bob Keye,3,Bob R,4,boomSlang,1,Bore Venal Charlatan,2,Brad N,1,Brian Kellogg,8,Brisancian,3,Bruce Gerencser,1,Bruno Corey,1,C. T. Ogden,4,Carl S,377,Carol Putnam,2,Carolyn Hyppolite,10,Cecelia,4,Cheryl Ensom Dack,6,Chris Highland,2,Chris W.,1,Christian Agnostic,2,Christmas,31,ChuckyJesus,1,ConversationsWithA,1,Daniel out of the Lion's Den,15,Daniel Payne,1,Dano,17,darklady,7,Dave8,1,DealDoctor,24,Dethblight,6,dharma,4,Discordia,5,Doubting Thomas,2,Dr. Marlene Winell,24,Dr. Valerie Tarico,150,DRC,2,dswrites,2,Easter,28,EChamberlainMD,6,Ed (Teapot),2,Edward T. Babinski,1,Eric Jeffries,2,eveningmeadows,11,Evid3nc3,3,ex-Pastor Dan,19,exfundy,2,exPenty,8,Faithfool,2,Fernando Alcántar,6,freddieb42,2,freeatlast,6,G.M. Gates,2,Gary T. McDonald,2,God-O-Rama,6,Godlessgrrl,5,Greenworld,4,hellboundsoul,3,Herb,3,Houndies,3,illu minati,2,Incongruous Circumspection,11,J.W.,2,JadedAtheist,2,Jake Rhodes,3,James A. Haught,3,James C,2,James Wilhelm,9,Jazzybelle,3,Jennifer,3,Jody,3,John Draper,26,John Loftus,2,John Shores,26,Kalos,3,Karen Garst,31,Kim Anne Whittemore,1,Klym,24,Larry C,5,Larry Spencer,3,Letters,149,Libby Anne,3,Log1cd1ctat3s,2,Luke,1,lungfish,1,Michael Runyan,36,Michael Sherlock,5,Mriana,17,MtlRedAtheist,1,Neal Stone,20,News,185,Nikki,1,NYdiva,2,ooglyman,2,Opinion,980,Patrice,2,Paul Hannah,1,Paul So,26,Philippe Orlando,3,Philonous,1,Politics,59,Positivist,5,psychman33,5,Rational Logic,3,Rational Okie,2,Renoliz,10,Rev Ex-Evangelist,7,RickO,3,Robert Conner,8,Ronna Russell,12,Rudy,4,Russ Hamel,2,Science,30,SeageVT,3,Shaolin,4,Simplex Munditiis,3,Son of a preacher,5,Steve Dustcircle,4,Stillunsure,4,Summerbreeze,25,Susan G. Bonella,3,Tania,22,tekHedd,2,Testimonials,1003,Thanksgiving,4,The STeWpId MoNkEy,4,TheThinkingAtheist,5,Thin-ice,4,ThinkTank,5,Tim Sledge,4,Tim Wolf,1,TinMan,1,True Anathema,4,TruthSurge,1,Ubi Dubium,4,undercover agnostic,25,unoder,7,Vadarama,2,Victor J Webster,2,Videos,102,Vyckie,10,Webmdave,9,WidePathGirl,2,WizenedSage,137,xrayman,2,xxkindofboredxx,2,Yak,9,
ltr
item
ExChristian.Net: Mr. Rogers, the Failed Minister
Mr. Rogers, the Failed Minister
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e2qEhnWM_Kc/XG2ndKbr_7I/AAAAAAAAMa8/91ldtsEv_44v0CeXYPe4mVUKSWEMKTMFwCLcBGAs/s320/fredrogersminister.jpg
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e2qEhnWM_Kc/XG2ndKbr_7I/AAAAAAAAMa8/91ldtsEv_44v0CeXYPe4mVUKSWEMKTMFwCLcBGAs/s72-c/fredrogersminister.jpg
ExChristian.Net
https://new.exchristian.net/2019/02/mr-rogers-failed-minister.html
https://new.exchristian.net/
https://new.exchristian.net/
https://new.exchristian.net/2019/02/mr-rogers-failed-minister.html
true
1266985040290242663
UTF-8
Loaded All Posts Not found any posts VIEW ALL Read more Reply Cancel reply Delete By Home PAGES POSTS View All RECOMMENDED FOR YOU LABEL ARCHIVE SEARCH ALL POSTS Not found any post match with your request Back Home Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat January February March April May June July August September October November December Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec just now 1 minute ago $$1$$ minutes ago 1 hour ago $$1$$ hours ago Yesterday $$1$$ days ago $$1$$ weeks ago more than 5 weeks ago Followers Follow THIS PREMIUM CONTENT IS LOCKED STEP 1: Share to a social network STEP 2: Click the link on your social network Copy All Code Select All Code All codes were copied to your clipboard Can not copy the codes / texts, please press [CTRL]+[C] (or CMD+C with Mac) to copy