The sun, the moon and the TV stars

Happy 44th birthday to Anne Heche! You guys remember Ms. Heche, right? In case you're not familiar, she's an actress who's worked consistently in TV and movies for almost 25 years, but is most famous for two things: dating Ellen DeGeneres (until deciding that she wasn't actually a lesbian), and creating an alter ego named Celestia, "an alien from another planet who could speak to God and was the half-sister of Jesus Christ."

Heche's new sitcom, Save Me, debuted on NBC this week . I'm not sure how much she had to do with the creation of the show or her character, but it seems likely there was some "Celestia" influence--Heche plays a woman who turns her life around after a near-death experience gives her renewed perspective and the ability to talk directly to God--with God answering directly back. The first two episodes aired this week, and you can watch them online.



I did just that, and have mixed feelings about the show. For starters, it's a sitcom that's not very funny, which is never a good sign. The religious component is more intriguing. It's rare for a mainstream show (though it's becoming increasingly debatable just how "mainstream" NBC is) to tackle religion and spirituality in any form; when they do, it's usually in a heavy-handed way (think Touched By An Angel), or, if it's on a comedy, in a way that makes believers seem crazy, buffoonish, or otherwise mockable (think Ned Flanders).

At this early stage, Save Me seems to be aiming for more of a middle ground: the one scene that takes place in a church showed believers as normal, friendly, welcoming people. I find this encouraging, but also have a few issues with the supposed dialogue that takes place between God and Heche's Beth.

To begin with...Beth makes a point of referring to God as "He/She." That's soooo progressive (and also, perhaps an alternative pronunciation of Heche). They also deliberately avoid aligning God with a particular faith (Christianity, Judaism, Islam, etc., though the aforementioned church is clearly a Christian denomination). This is not surprising, but I would've respected the show more if it had assigned a gender and some specific doctrine to its "God," even if their portrayal didn't match my beliefs.

Beth calls herself a prophet, but I've never known God to use prophets for matters so trivial. God seems to have given Beth at least some control over electricity, which she is yet to fully harness, and the messages Beth receives fall into one of two categories: knowledge about the love lives of her family and friends (this God is apparently really gossipy), and advice on how to help her family and heal the strained relationships she has with her husband and daughter.

That last type of heavenly message is actually far from trivial, but it's also not the directive God gives to a capital-P Prophet. It's personal inspiration and revelation, which God will give freely to any person who truly seeks it. It's kind of sad that when Beth prays, and then receives answers to those prayers, this behavior is such an anomaly that she's viewed as being crazy, a liar, or extremely fortunate, depending on who you ask.

No, a Prophet does not often receive direction from God about what to do with a stolen espresso maker, but they do frequently say things like:

And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of [Jesus Christ], this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!

For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father--

That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God. (D&C 76:22-24)

That type of declaration of truth is the real work of true prophets of God--to testify of Jesus Christ. The above quote is an excerpt from Joseph Smith's description of his vision of the three degrees of glory (the telestial, terrestrial, and celestial kingdoms--coincidentally, the topic of this week's Sunday School lesson).

For now, I'll continue to watch Save Me (and if you watch it, I'd love to hear what you think), and take interest in how the show portrays faith, religion, and spirituality. But long after I grow tired of the musings of the "prophet" Celestia, I'll continue to heed the words of Prophets who deal in the Celestial. They really do talk to God. Plus, they don't interrupt their sermons every seven minutes for a commercial break. That's an added bonus.