Monday, May 19, 2008

Fifteen Minutes?

I found this article in the LDS Newsroom to be really interesting. It talks about how church members handle fame. It’s come about, of course, by having so many church members, active and not so much, being in the public spotlight.

One of the things that intrigued me about it was that the church would put out a statement about it in the first place. I mean, the church certainly knows that there are members out there living lives in the spotlight. But I haven’t seen the church be so publicly aware of things going on in popular culture. It’s kinda cool. Or maybe I just didn’t travel in the right circles before.

Another thing that I found interesting was how the article acknowledged that many who are members of the church don’t hold fast to their beliefs over time in the public eye. There are a lot of church members who have long abandoned their faith in the road to fame. There are others that left it afterward. The article seems to remind me that they are all human.

What if, for example, David Archuleta, the golden boy du jour, were to leave the church. That would be his choice, wouldn’t it?

It made me think of how I was so judgmental of Tal Bachman when he left. Part of his appeal to me, in addition to the fact that I really liked the songs he was writing, was that he was a staunch church member. Once he left, and left so publicly, I was taken aback. I don’t think I’ve listened to his CD since then. I certainly haven’t followed any of his newer releases since then. I just haven’t felt the same connection I did before.

At the same time, maybe I shouldn’t have thought of him so harshly. I certainly don’t know what led him to abandon his previous faith and find a different path. The same is true of filmmaker Richard Dutcher. I’m not in his head. I’m not in his heart. How can I know what he’s been through?

For those that are in the public’s eye right now, I should pray for them. Not so much so that they can make us all look good, but just so that they can handle it themselves. I know that if I were there, I would want all the help I could get.

MRKH
Mark Hansen
http://markhansenmusic.com

7 comments:

  1. Thanks for pointing me to this. I posted my thoughts about how we view Mormon celebrities about a month ago. This story contributes to my post nicely.

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  2. Thanks! Similar thoughts, and even a bit better written than mine, I think! I'd encourage everyone to jump over and give it a read...

    MRKH

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  3. Has anyone read Tal's autobiography, "Love, Lost & Found?" A fascinating read. I am not LDS, but my LDS friends have told me that they related to it a lot. In fact, I read it because they were talking about it.

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  4. Wow. I didn't even know he'd written an autobiography. I'll have to check it out.

    MRKH

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  5. Often the expectations that we have of others are quite unfair. Life is a journey and a kind Father in Heaven allows us time to learn, struggle with and put into practice important truths. Our way of knowing these truths is through the spirit. It saddens me when someone let's go of the Gospel as I feel that part of the challenge for each person is to find the answers to those questions, that we all have from time to time, that play on our minds. In doing so we grow. I pray that journeys that lead people away from their faith will be circuitous and also lead them back - better and stronger.

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  6. Amen to that! I just need to be less judgmental and allow them to follow their own circle back.

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  7. Amen again! We just need more respect for our fellow people, of any faith. Sometimes, almost *all* the time, there are things in people's lives and heads and hearts that we just-don't-know.

    And Mark, I know I've commented three times already, but I just found your blog and I love your posts. So much insight. Keep em coming! I'll keep coming back.

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