“Paying Respects to Anna Nicole Smith”
Over at God’s Politics, Diana Butler Bass writes tenderly about the passing of Anna Nicole Smith, including:
Christian tradition connects justice and peace with the practice of respecting the dignity of every person. The idea that every creature is dignified, related to God, formed in love, and connected to the whole of the universe forms the center point of Christian theology and ethics. Respect for each person in the web of creation supports the work of justice and peacemaking. Without a profound spirituality of human dignity, practices of justice and peacemaking may slide into the realm of power politics. The baptism liturgy strongly implies that without respect for human dignity, there exists no motive to strive for God’s justice and peace. …
As the television blared every detail of Anna Nicole’s life and death, titillating viewers with lurid tales of her paramours and drug use, I could only think of those baptism vows. A woman dies. A mother leaves behind a child. She was not a joke; she was a wounded sister in the human family. Yet even in death, she is offered little respect for her innate dignity, her humanity.
Ah, ah, ah… The bell tolls for me. May I become a human who lives ever more convinced of the dignity and limitless value of every person on earth.
Please, God.
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[…] Ah, ah, ah… The bell tolls for me. May I become a human who lives ever more convinced of the dignity and limitless value of every person on earth. Please, God! (HT: Dianne Butler Bass & Monte Asbury) […]
Anna Nicole « re-dreaming the dream
February 14, 2007 at 5:11 pm
And PS, Anna’s Pimp: What about Diana Butler Bass? Figure she’s got the hots for ANS, too?
Monte
February 13, 2007 at 11:08 am
Thanks both – Anna’s Pimp and Sharm – for coming by. A.P., I don’t like it when anyone lives or dies in despair. I think Jesus would have sought out ANS, had she lived in 1st century Galilee. And people probably would have figured he “had a boner for her,” as you say. In fact, many didn’t like it that he befriended women who had pasts that weren’t June Cleaver. That’s kind of who he is. And it’s who I want to be.
Sharm, thanks, you warm my heart as always – and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the Transfiguration had light to shed here.
Monte
February 13, 2007 at 11:04 am
Good Morning,
Taking a break from shoveling our 5″ showfall, to warm up at your blog. I found humor in the label, ‘dirty old man’ . While it adds nothing to my insights about you, it certainly reveals tons about “Anna’s P …”, the author of the comment. I am again surprised by how transparent humans are.
This story of Anna, replays in lives all over God’s globe. It is so common I’m thinking it must be one of God’s blessings that we have corrupted. While the blessing is still pure, (a desire to be approved of by Jesus) the way we live out this blessing often puts distance between each of us and Him. Once we are robbed of the awareness of His love, the down ward cycle intensifies unless there is intervention. I am reminded of a phrase from an ancient prayer; “…..forgive us our distance (sins) as we forgive the distance (sins) of others.
So once again I am aware that I am transparent about how I perceive my own condition before God, as I reflect on the condition of others.
Ahaa the teapot is singing! The snow plow just went by and now I have more snow to shovel.
I wonder if the Transfiguration (Lectionary this week) sheds light here? Seems a bit far fetched…
Hummm
Warming my hands and sipping from a hot cup
Sharon
Sharm
February 13, 2007 at 10:42 am
Why pay respects to her? She was a fat pig and a loser. She didn’t even know who the father of her baby was! Could have been one of hundreds of guys.
You must have had a boner for her, you dirty old man.
Anna's Pimp
February 13, 2007 at 12:21 am
Greetings. Just found your site. Without a doubt our culture is somewhat reminiscent of what the Apostle Paul found in Athens. They spent their time in nothing else but in the hearing or telling of some new thing. Our culture is obsessed with such things as this story about a lady who is now in eternity. A soul is priceless, regardless of the life that they lived. This is not to condone sin by any means, but our culture has gone about to degrade life. We are created in the very image of God and this image has been under assault ever since there was a man on the earth. Such are the days in which we find ourselves. I pray that we would all be diligent in proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ; the one who is able to make one a person indeed.
timbob
February 12, 2007 at 7:50 pm
Hi Monte!
I speak English so bad… But thanks for your comment.
That bottles are Kenzo’s, Givenchy’s and Acqua di Parma’s essence’s.
Thanks again!
Pati
bemresolvida
February 12, 2007 at 6:16 pm
You’re certainly correct about her marketing of herself. Question is, to use your words, why would someone “do anything to be in the spotlight”?
I can only say that there is in my own heart enough history of approval-seeking that it’s not hard to imagine how much of oneself might be sold, were one desperate for acceptance.
And every sale would increase the despair.
I yearn for a world where worth is assumed rather than earned.
Thanks for your thoughts!
Monte
February 12, 2007 at 11:07 am
While I don’t doubt that Anna Nicole deserved dignity, she also (and pardon me for not agreeing) marketed herself as someone who would do anything to be in the spotlight.
I’m sure she could be a loving, caring person…but her persona for the public (at least to me) seemed to be of a woman looking out for number #1 in all the wrong ways.
It’s scary. I don’t like the comparisons to Marilyn Monroe, because to be truthful, Marilyn Monroe had more between the ears than people gave her credit for. Anna Nicole was (maybe) intelligent, but used it in the wrong ways. Marilyn made a few good movies, and worked hard to bring herself up to speed on current events, politics, literature,etc. I can’t really say Anna Nicole’s done the same.
You are right, though…she deserved dignity. I just wish she’d treated herself to some of it. She might have been less of a tabloid babe.
Sudiegirl
February 12, 2007 at 9:37 am