This morning Carrie Prejean issued a statement via her publicist about naughty photos of her circulating on the internet.
SAN DIEGO, May 5 /PRNewswire/ — “On April 19, I chose to answer a question during the 2009 Miss USA pageant in an honest and personal manner that expressed my views of the long-established definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman. That answer, and my commitment to stand by my beliefs, has since resulted in attacks on me and my integrity as a woman. We live in a great country; a nation that was built on freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Yet my comments defending traditional marriage have led to intimidation tactics that seek to undermine my reputation and somehow silence me and my beliefs, as if opinion is only a one-way street.
“I am a Christian, and I am a model. Models pose for pictures, including lingerie and swimwear photos. Recently, photos taken of me as a teenager have been released surreptitiously to a tabloid Web site that openly mocks me for my Christian faith. I am not perfect, and I will never claim to be. But these attacks on me and others who speak in defense of traditional marriage are intolerant and offensive. While we may not agree on every issue, we should show respect for others’ opinions and not try to silence them through vicious and mean-spirited attacks.
“With that in mind, I will continue to support and defend marriage as the honorable institution it is. I will continue to stand with the overwhelming majority of the American people and the voters of my home state of California. If this whole experience has taught me anything, it is our precious right to speak freely, and how we as Americans can never allow anyone or any group to intimidate or threaten us to keep silent.”
FOR INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Melany Ethridge 214.912.8934
melany@alarryross.com
Kristin Cole 615.289.6701
kristin@alarryross.com
I don’t know who really wrote the statement but either she or her handlers should do a focus group or take a poll or something. I don’t think they understand the disconnect between Christian role model and model.
The AP “covers” this story. As with Vanessa Williams, they may provoke the loss of her title. And now she has been invited to the Values Voters Summit…
Here is a previous post on the matter and some commentary from Christianity Today. Katelyn Beaty sums it well:
In an interview with the SBC-affiliated San Diego Christian College, where she attends, Prejean talks about the wonderful things she is already doing for Christ: serving women in the adult entertainment industry, volunteering at the local International Ministry Center to help refugees learn English, and working with a mentoring program to foster-care children. She says, “I especially have a heart for helping young girls with low self-esteem.” At this point, I would encourage Prejean to skip the beauty pageants, which set up the very standards of beauty that lead many young girls to devalue themselves, and focus on the far more lasting work she is already doing in the kingdom.
Ooops… cleveland, not cincinatti
When did Carrie Prejean set herself up as a ‘defender of virtue’? My impression has been that she answered a question about her views on marriage and she said she believes in the long-standing traditional view. Is that now being translated as ‘defender of virtue’ or has she been making other public statements that actually go to the issue of ‘virtue’?
Warren, I don’t think I’d be bothering to read the LA Times blogs for any reliable information. Also, Liberty University is not a “Christian group.” It is a rather sizable Christian university, like its name says. We might as well call Grove City a Christian group by this definition.
Timothy, what you are saying has been covered in the book, “unChristian.” Sad but true to a great degree. Except that it’s not just conservative Christians. It’s also others. But the other point you didn’t make is that the media and certain activist groups have helped to proliferate the hypocritical view of Christians without trying very hard to tell the rest of the story. Their sin of omission is to gloss over the many churches and ministries that are doing it right.
I highly recommend Andrew Marin’s book, “Love Is an Orientation” for a look at how to be reconciling, loving and truthful all at the same time. In fact, Warren, didn’t you promise us your assessment of it? I got my review copy, so I presume you also got yours. Maybe you can navigate your blog readers away from Carrie Prejean. How about it?
Eddy,
Go back and read what I said again. This time read for the content, not to find something to argue with.
Hey, how about those Lakers last night?
Timothy–
I read it again. Here it is in it’s entirety:
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Content: She set herself up as a defender of virtue therefore her behavior is fair game. Her parents did not set themselves up as defenders of virtue therefore they are not.
(Observations: If it’s the pageant answer, she didn’t set herself up, her questioner did. And she only spoke honestly to her political viewpoint on the question. To my knowledge, she didn’t elaborate; she didn’t bring the issue of moral or immoral into the answer. When people hear things that aren’t really said, it always gives me pause.)
I went back to the original post before commenting to see if there were any clues that Miss Prejean was indeed doing anything that could be construed as being a ‘defender of virtue’ and I found nothing. 1) She answered the question during the pageant. 2) She made the public statement that is the subject of this post. 3) Info about her volunteer work was also included.
I was clueless about Maggie and now I wonder if there’s a part of Miss Prejean’s story that I’m missing. If she has been ‘defending virtue’, then she deserves all the heat she’s getting and then some. But, if it’s her answer during the pageant that’s viewed by you and others as her being a ‘defender of virtue’, that speaks to your own bias and propensity for hyperbolic rhetoric. (Characterizing her as a ‘defender of virtue’ justifies the ongoing attacks against her…it makes ‘hypocrite’ ring true.)
My first entanglement in this discussion was after Brady made the global statement that the Christian right was calling foul and playing the victim card. Duh, Maggie said that the abuse that Carrie Prejean has been receiving is astonishing. I’m trying to stick with the facts and avoid the spin and value-charged word choices that are being used to advance a political cause at the expense of Miss Prejean.
Ahhh
I thought you were talking about the longer discussion about perceptions in which I suggested that she was presented as such.
This bit of verbal shorthand may have confused you about my intent so I’ll change the wording:
Yep. After she
1) said that she supported “Biblical correctess” rather than political correctness, and
2) appeared for five services at her church where she said she “stayed true to her beliefs” which were “how she was brought up to believe” and where she and her pastor referenced 2 Timothy 3:12-13 – “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” thereby implying that she was living a godly life, and
3) held a press conference to promote the National Organization for Marriage ad which starred her, and
4) announced to the press that she’d tell Perez Hilton that he needs Jesus, and
5) went on numerious news shows wherein she was presented – without objection or correction – as an example of a young woman willing to give up her dream to live out her faith, and
6) promised to defend marriage however she could
her behavior is fair game. Her parents are not.
Yep – couldn’t be more accurate. Before I was a Christian that was the biggest turn off. It still is the biggest turn off.
Okay – back to focusing on my own log. What a mess to clean up.
Thanks, Timothy. I’ve just completed a cross-country move…purging 30 years of my life in Minnesota to move back to my family. I was pretty much out of touch with the news for the past two months. For the last few weeks, I didn’t even have a television (LOL. or a toaster, microwave, stereo…) So, all of my comments and/or questions on this matter were limited by what I was gleaning from the main blog, the comments and any links therein.
From what you’ve just revealed, I do believe she deserves to feel the heat of public scrutiny and/or criticism for the double-standards she embodies.
Eddy,
If you had read one post above this one that you found problems with, you would have seen I did indeed address the discrepancy! I stated very clearly that it was Maggie I was talking about. I hope we can put this issue to rest now
She was asked for an honest opinion and she gave it . Now she is being tore down , ridiculed and humiliated for it . Gotta love the human race , makes me proud .