Religion

Fuller House, Evangelical Christianity on TV, and Pluralist Religious Spaces

[pullquote align=right] One of my favorite childhood heroines had turned out to be a fundamentalist Christian.
[/pullquote]The first time she said it, I cringed.

The second time, I was genuinely embarrassed on her behalf.
The third time, I figured out what was happening–and I’ve been deeply troubled ever since.
On “Fuller House,” our protagonist DJ Tanner (played by Candace Cameron Bure) says “Oh Mylanta!” instead of “Oh my Gd” as a nod to Cameron-Bure’s evangelical Christian beliefs.
I had read in gossip magazine articles that one of my favorite childhood heroines had turned out to be a fundamentalist Christian, but I always secretly hoped it wasn’t true, or at least maybe it wasn’t that serious. Maybe it was just a phase! Maybe the TV show revival meant DJ Tanner had come to her senses. (Come on, Deej!) But after the “Mylanta” lines, I realized the fundamentalist Christianity thing was for real.
While I’m definitely down with not “taking the Lord’s name in vain,” I have some qualms with one of my favorite TV shows from the 90s subtly bringing a rather bizarre evangelical Christian practice into my Netflix queue as it attempts to revive the careers of its main characters.
[pullquote align=left] I would defend Cameron-Bure’s right to not talk about Allah on TV had she converted to Islam, so why am I so queasy with her refusing to say “OMG”?
[/pullquote]Cameron-Bure’s beliefs involve a lot more than promoting heartburn medicine in the name of Gd. Among other things, Cameron-Bure’s faith espouses women “submitting” to their husbands, and she has been vocal in her defense of “traditional” marriage to the point of defending bakeries’ rights to deny wedding cakes to LGBT couples.

But where do I draw the line?
In general I tend to welcome people of faith peacefully practicing their religions in the public sphere. When my coworkers wear hijabs and take off time for Eid, it makes it easier to insist that I can’t work during the High Holy Days. I would defend Cameron-Bure’s right to not talk about Allah on TV had she converted to Islam, so why am I so queasy with her refusing to say “OMG”?
I suspect I’m averse to hegemony in any form, be it religious or otherwise, and Cameron-Bure’s choice (and producer Jeff Franklin’s acquiescence to that choice) strikes me as not just cutesy, but privileged. Would a person devoted to a non-Christian faith in America dare to display their religious practices in such an insistent way on TV? Somehow I doubt it.
But I don’t know. I don’t have an answer to this one–as in most discussions of pluralism in religious practice, there are no easy answers. So until a “Fuller House” storyline crosses the line regarding women’s rights or LGBT rights (or until I get over my nostalgia/can’t stand the cheesiness anymore), I’m going to continue watching DJ Tanner in all her ridiculousness.
Here’s to pluralism, 1990s nostalgia, and zippy one liners like “you got it, dude!” Tolerance, at its finest.

4 thoughts on “Fuller House, Evangelical Christianity on TV, and Pluralist Religious Spaces

  1. This article is just confusing… A hijab represents submitting to Sharia Law, but saying “Oh Mylanta ” is somehow shoving her beliefs onto other people? I bet if she actually said OMG you would be just as offended that it insinuates that there is actually a god and would therefore be offensive to atheists. This argument has so many presuppositions attached to it that I’m surprised it got cleared for publishing. Modern day media amirite?

  2. By the way, Christians generally don’t use words like Mylanta… they just avoid taking God’s name in vain in ways you don’t notice. 🙂

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